explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1889: xkcd Phone 6

2017-09-13T14:38:44Z

Taibhse:

I tried to access http://xkcd.com/MDCCCLXXXIX but I got a "CDIV NOT FOVND" error.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 14:38, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1638: Backslashes

2016-02-03T16:42:48Z

Taibhse:

...Maybe it's meant to search for all Game Grumps transcripts which make mention of the "[http://gamegrumps.wikia.com/wiki/Grep Grep]" gag? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.55|108.162.216.55]] 15:53, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

It should be noted that this also occurs in almost every programming language where "\" is the escape character. i.e.
print("Hello")
> Hello
print("\"Hello\"")
> "Hello"
print("\\Hello\\")
> \Hello\
Oh, and by the way, isn't this the third comic to mention "Ba'al, the Soul Eater"? Maybe we should start a category. (Others are [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1246:_Pale_Blue_Dot 1246] (title text) and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1419:_On_the_Phone 1419].)
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.29|173.245.54.29]] 06:14, 3 February 2016 (UTC)
:[[:Category:Ba'al|Did that]] before seeing you comment, so yes I agree. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:47, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

The last entry may also be an oblique reference to the infinitely-expandable recursive acronym "GOD = GOD Over Djinn" mentioned in Richard Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 16:42, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

;I don't think the regex is invalid

According to <tt>man grep</tt> you need to specify the <tt>-E</tt> option to use extended regex; without it unescaped parentheses are not interpreted, so they don't need to match.

My - very wild - guess is that it was the command he used to find the line with the most special characters, but I am not confident enough to edit the article (if someone can confirm?). {{unsigned ip|141.101.66.83}}

If it was supposed to do that, it doesn't work. Running it on my bash history matches no lines, and I have lots of special characters in there [[Special:Contributions/197.234.242.243|197.234.242.243]] 07:12, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

Explain it to me like I'm dumb. What is this comic going on about? I think the explanation needs more examples like that hello, above, because that's almost understandable. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.231|198.41.238.231]] 07:47, 3 February 2016 (UTC)
:I agree. But I cannot help either.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:51, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

This is the third time Randall has mentioned Ba'al the Soul Eater xD [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 08:26, 3 February 2016 (UTC)
:Yes, that was already mentioned a few hours before you comment, see the first comment. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:51, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

After passing the regex through bash, you get <nowiki>\\[[(].*\\[\])][^)\]]*$</nowiki> That is, the literal character \, followed by [ or (, followed by any number of any characters, followed by \, followed by ] or ), followed by any number of characters that aren't ) or ], until the end of the line. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.44|108.162.216.44]] 08:33, 3 February 2016 (UTC)
:It sounds like you know what you are talking about. Anyone who can explain it good enough for the explanation, and correct the explanation of the title text if it is wrong to say that it would not work. I have added this as the reason for incomplete. But maybe also examples are needed for people with not programming skills/knowledge. We also enjoy xkcd ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:51, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

For fun:
cat ~/.bash_history | xargs -d "\n" -n 1 -I {} bash -c 'chars="$(echo "$1" | grep -o "[a-zA-Z0-9 ]" | wc -l)"; echo "$(( 100 - $(( $chars * 100 / ${#1} )) )) $1"' _ {} | sort -nrk 1 | less

Outputs your bash_history, ordered by relative gibberishness. This was copied by hand from desktop to mobile, might well have a few typos.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.208|162.158.90.208]] 10:04, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

The problem in the comic is not with regexes per se but with situations when the entered text or expression passes through several interpreters, like bash -> grep/sed/awk, or program text -> external shell command. In such cases, you have to escape backslashes for each program in the sequence, and it gets worse if you have 'real' backslashes in the final text that you're processing with the utilities (Windows' file paths, for example). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_toothpick_syndrome.
Feel free to lift this to the explanation page, since I'm not good at longer and more careful explanations than this one.
Also, gotta notice that Feedly stripped paired backslashes in the title text (probably passed it through some 'interpreter' embedded in its scripts). [[User:Aasasd|Aasasd]] ([[User talk:Aasasd|talk]]) 10:13, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

:A funny comment about the MediaWiki software, which is even worse than this comic: <code><nowiki><Nikerabbit> I looked the code for rlike and didn't find where it does this. Can you point me to it? <vvv> $pattern = preg_replace( '!(\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\)*(\\\\\\\\)?/!', '$1\\/', $pattern ); <Nikerabbit> I thought that was ascii art :)</nowiki></code> ([https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/P110$275 source]) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.215|162.158.91.215]] 10:18, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

Interestingly, I first looked at this on my phone (using <strike>Chrome</strike> Feedly for Android), but the title text did not display correctly in that the backslashes didn't appear (which was a little confusing!). In Chrome on my Windows desktop, the title text appeared correctly. [[User:Jdluk|Jdluk]] ([[User talk:Jdluk|talk]]) 11:36, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

enough with the harry potter fancruft. "elder" is a [[Wiktionary:elder|perfectly good word]]. just because you came across it for the first time in harry potter means you are *typing carefully* the kind of person that likes harry potter. unless this is a ''harry potter reference'' wiki, of course. in which case i'll prepare a complete list of every word that appears both here and there and put a list on every page. oh, right, no i won't. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 12:41, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

Remember that "Elder" is used in a lot of RPGs to denote high level enemies or items. I feel like that's what Randall's referring to here, more than Harry Potter or the general sense of the term "Elder."
* +1. Between the fact that harry potter (, ages, or tribes) aren't mentioned anywhere else in the text and the comic being a progressive list, I see this being the most likely explanation. Plus the metion of demons, which are easily the most* common usage of the modifier.
** (*) or second most, after "elder gods", who are, let's face it, also demons. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.180.125|162.158.180.125]] 14:41, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

Attempting to add to the discussion: This regex is not necessarily invalid or incomprehensible. It looks like he was looking for a line with a regular expression or definitely some code. You just have to work your way through the backslashes. Although it might be invalid depending on the precise rules. He has some unescaped closing brackets and closing parenthesis. If these have to always be escaped then the regex is invalid. If however you don't have to escape a closing bracket with no opening bracket, then things are fine. I'm not familiar enough with grep's regex parser to know how it handles that edge case. Presuming those unescaped paren and brackets are fine, his regex searches for:

1. A backslash

2. An opening bracket

3. An opening parenthesis (this is a character set but the only character in it is an opening paren)

4. Any number of any characters

5. A backslash

6. An opening bracket

7. A closing bracket

8. A closing paren (presuming it doesn't have to be escaped when there is no opening paren)

9. A closing bracket (presuming it doesn't have to be escaped when there is no opening bracket)

10. Any number of character that are not a closing paren or closing bracket

11. The end of the line

Basically he is looking for a string that looks like:

\[(AAAAA\[])]AAAAA

Looks like a regex to me, and it looks like this regex also doesn't escape closing paren/brackets that don't have an opening paren/bracket, so I'm guessing that he knows what he is doing and his regex is fine. Maybe he was playing regex golf?
[[User:Cmancone|Cmancone]] ([[User talk:Cmancone|talk]])cmancone

Ninjaed by Cmancone, above. I agree with that result in every respect except for the start-of-string being potentially anything, but putting my own analysis in here because it took long enough to type!
Depth-of-backslash might depend upon depth of utility. In Perl, <nowiki>''</nowiki>-quotes (among others) treat everything within as literal whilst ""-quotes (and variations) interpolates any special characters, variables, etc that you put in it. (Search for "Quote and Quote-like operators" in your favourite PerlDocs source.) '\sss' is a literal backslash followed by three 's' characters , while "\sss" is the special \s escape (a whitespace) followed by two further regular characters. You might need to define the first when you need to use it to provide a not-previously-escaped \s so that it might be escaped within another context. ''Or'' you define it as "\\sss" (escaped-\) the first time, as equivalent to '\sss'. But '\\sss' would be a literal that, later, could be interpreted as an escaped-\ to the input of a further context where the \s finally becomes 'match a whitespace'.

'\\\sss' would be literal, whilst "\\\sss" could be equivalent to '\ ss' (literal backslash, literal space, rest of characters). Then, instead of literal '\\sss', for some purpose, you could interpolate two escaped-backslashes "\\\\sss"... and so on.

Meanwhile I ''think'', just from visual inspection, "'''\\\[[(].*\\\[\])][^)\]]*$'''" in Bash should obey the interpolation rules quite nicely. The first two characters must be a literal backslash (from the escaped-backslash) and a literal open-square bracket (again, escaped). The next open-square and the close-square shortly after depict a character class that contains only an open-parenthesis, and could have been written as '''$'''.

The '''.*''' indicates zero-or-more (the asterix) instances of ''any'' character (the dot). There is then a literal backslash (from the next '''\\''' duo) and a literal open-square (the '''\[''' pair) and close-square (the '''\]''' pair). The ''')''' is literal and does not need escaping (as a parenthesis group had not yet been opened), as is the next ''']''' character. To be sure, I would have written these two as the pair escapes '''$\]''', but horses for courses...

Then there's another character class (the next '''[''' and the final ''']''') required zero-or-more times (the asterix) to use up all the rest of the characters to the end (the ending '''$''' character). As there was no '''^''' character (a.k.a. caret/circumflex/etc) at the start, the match isn't bothered about what unmatched characters appear before the original '''\('''. This character class, however, starts with a '''^''' which in this context (the very first character of a character-class definition, not somewhere where an entire match-string starts) indicates negation of the following selection, so it is all characters ''but'' those specified, which is the regular close-parenthesis and (because it needs to be contained within a '''[]''' pair) the escaped close-square.

So, all matching strings must start with '''\[(''', i.e. the backslash, open-square and open-paren. They can continue with ''any'' further text, before then having a '''\[])]''', i.e. backslash, open-and-close-squares and close-paren, close-square. After this, the match continues just as long as there are no non-closing square/classic brackets before the ending.

The minimum matching literal string would be '''\[(\[])]''' with longer variants being of the form '''X\[(Y\[])]Z''' where X and Y can be replaced by anything (or be absent), and Z can be replaced by anything (or absent!) ''so long as it doesn't contain possibly relevent close-brackets!''. The latter stipulation is likely because the Y (and X) ''is'' allowed to contain these characters, and for some reason you don't want to confuse the test by finding some other '''\[])]''' segment within the X/Y-zones. (In this context, it doesn't actually seem to matter too much. But it might do in ways I haven't spotted or just be a hang-over from a prior permutation of the test.)

The "grep -o" function is working on the output to the file being '''cat'''ed (there are alternate ways of doing this that some people might prefer), to only accept the lines in the file that match the '''X\[(Y\[])]Z''' string. These lines would appear to be lines of out.txt (a fairly generic name that reveals little to its original purpose) that are well-formed for some other purpose. A safety-escaped (i.e. not to be taken literally by any simple parser) '''[]'''-grouping containing a '''()'''-group (''not'' escaped, perhaps reasonably in context) containing potentially random text followed by an empty '''[]''' pair (again, safety-escaped). Depending on the source, the empty '''[]'''-pair could mean many things, as with the other layers. And the lines may end with any further text.

The "out.txt" file might be the result of a prior Grep (string-search function) quote possibly scanning code for lines of particular importance by another pattern and dumping the results to out.txt for further perusal. And then Randall finds the need to dig further into the first result by extracting just those already selected that all have the '''X\[(Y\[])Z]'''-ish pattern to them.

But I could be wrong, and that's way too long for an official explanation.
(Perhaps just something like the penultimate paragraph, if we're not entirely mistaken?) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.89|162.158.152.89]] 14:14, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

The regex is supposed to be looking for:
\\\ backslash
[[(] [ or (
.* any character (repeated 0 or more times)
space space
\\\ backslash
[[\])] probably meant to match either [, ] or ). However, it's not correct, it instead matches the literal characters [)]
[^)\]]* probably meant to match any character that isn't ) or ], repeated. Instead it means one character that's not a ), and then a ] zero or more times
$ end of string

The first problem is that you're not supposed to escape ] in a [...], and it also has to be first in the grouping (unless negated with a ^) It should be [][)] or something similar.
The second problem is the same. The last bit should be [^])]*$ and not [^)\]]*$. [[User:Khris|Khris]] ([[User talk:Khris|talk]]) 14:24, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

I was reading through the regex, if using grep you run into an error with an unmatched ")". Removing this gets a string such as \[(AAAAA\[]]AAAAA$ http://regexr.com/3cng8 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.230|162.158.214.230]] 14:42, 3 February 2016 (UTC)

The regex relies on several special cases (*surprise*).
First: bash double-quote expansion (see [https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/html_node/Double-Quotes.html#Double-Quotes]). Perhaps non-intuitively, \\\ followed by a character that \ doesn't escape is an escaped backslash followed by a literal backslash, effectively the same as \\\\ followed by that same non-escaped character. After bash double-quote expansion, this results in:

\\[[(].*\\[\])][^)\]]*$

grep interprets this as:

# any leading non-\ characters
# literal backslash
# character class containing [ and (
# zero or more *any* characters
# another literal backslash
# yet another literal backslash, via a character class containing only a backslash. Note this does not contain an escaped ], as it might appear at first glance. See [http://www.gnu.org/software/grep/manual/html_node/Character-Classes-and-Bracket-Expressions.html]
# literal )
# literal ]
# character class of anything except ), \
# zero or more ]
# end of line

Matching examples:
*echo 'asdf\[asdfasdf\\)]a]]]]]]' | grep -o "\\\[[(].*\\\[\])][^)\]]*$"
*echo '$\$]P' | grep -o "\\\[[(].*\\\[\])][^)\]]*$"

----
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.34|108.162.216.34]] 16:14, 3 February 2016 (UTC)rb

Talk:1631: Longer Than Usual

2016-01-19T02:23:07Z

Taibhse:

Can we keep this as the explanation? [[User:Untothebreach|Untothebreach]] ([[User talk:Untothebreach|talk]]) 08:30, 18 January 2016 (UTC)
:I deleted the <nowiki>{{incomplete}}</nowiki> template. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 13:27, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

the "orgasm" part of the interpretation feel really shaky, i don't believe it to be what the strip is about; Gmail and firefox are not exclusive user of those specific messages, i am not sure whether an extended or complete list would help[[Special:Contributions/108.162.228.161|108.162.228.161]] 09:58, 18 January 2016 (UTC)
:Eh, it seems right to me unless "maybe we should just go to bed" is a quote from something. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.131|108.162.241.131]] 10:27, 18 January 2016 (UTC)
::Only thing I can place is a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Go_to_Bed_(The_Cure_song)|Cure song]], Robert Smith has appeared in XKCD before [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 21:54, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

Understanding this comic seems to be taking longer than usual... oh, yes, OK, two responses to a single observation made in quite different situations. I think I'll just go to bed. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 11:11, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

I'm not completely convinced. The explanation is the first thing I thought of, but "bed" makes it awkward. Aren't you typically ''in'' bed, when the second thing happens? If that's the intended meaning, it seems ''so'' much better to use "sleep" that it makes me wonder if I am missing something. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.135|108.162.241.135]] 16:30, 18 January 2016 (UTC)
::You are thinking about it too logically :). Think more colloquially. When two people are "sleeping together" we don't consider them to be sharing a bed during a nocturnal rest cycle, we all know what is really happening. In fact, they may never "sleep together" in the literal application for all the "sleeping" they do.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:04, 18 January 2016 (UTC)
:::I'm completely unconvinced. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
[[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.53|198.41.235.53]] 17:46, 18 January 2016 (UTC)
::"aren't you typically in bed...?" Oh no, definitely not. Randall's past comics have included numerous instances of out-of-bed stimulation and experimentation; and note the key word "just" in "just go to bed." Imagining some such activity just adds to the humor.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 02:23, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

At first, I read it as 'maybe I/you should just go to bed', in which case it would merely be about the user being online too late. But 'we' seems a deliberate reference to two people. That makes the 'sex' meaning a lot more plausible. {{unsigned ip|108.162.242.135}}

I don't know about most places, but where I live, when lag ''stops'' I know I need to go to bed (Lag from ~7pm to 10pm) —[[User:Artyer|Artyer]] <big>([[User Talk:Artyer|talk]]<big>'''|'''</big>[[Special:Contributions/Artyer|ctb]])</big> 16:55, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1559: Driving

2015-08-05T10:53:23Z

Taibhse:

They're probably in California, seeing as that's the only place self-driving cars are actually on the road. [[User:Wmss|Wmss]] ([[User talk:Wmss|talk]]) 09:46, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

If there are self-driving cars, what about self-filling cars? So these cars are able to make long distances without the driver's interaction. Maybe he is sleeping. [[User:GeorgDerReisende|GeorgDerReisende]] ([[User talk:GeorgDerReisende|talk]]) 10:47, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
: Yeah, for some reason that does not exist yet -- the self-driving car on the other hand DOES exit and I can see them driving down my street every day [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:07, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

::People have no problem entrust the self-driving cars with their lives, but did you saw how much the petrol costs? Too risky. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:26, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

Should've used hitchBOT instead of a rock. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.82|108.162.216.82]] 12:46, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

Could this have been a semi-tribute? Showing how some malicious people will abuse technology that is programmed to be too trusting? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.138|108.162.216.138]] 20:56, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
: Could you explain with an example [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:07, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

I disagree with the part of the explanation that claims that the comic must take place in the continental US. The title text doesn't specify "exactly two" border crossings; it merely implies that there is more than one. That could be anywhere in mainland (or attached-to-the-mainland-by-bridge) North America, north of the Darien Gap, except for most of Canada (from most of the population centers of Ontario, Google Maps wants to route through Michigan, for a total of three border crossings). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.149|108.162.221.149]] 14:18, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
:Correct. It "implies" more than one, but doesn't require it. Only that there be at least one. So they could be in Canada. Essentially anywhere on the continent (or an island connected by bridge to the mainland (e.g., Florida Keys)) north of the Darien Gap but outside Alaska. - Equinox [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.172|108.162.238.172]] 23:15, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
::I disagree. Randall makes comic in the mainland US and if there is no indication we are outside it is safe to assume they are in the mainland US. And the title text clearly indicated more than one border crossing. You are making it way to complicated. I have corrected accordingly.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:02, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

It is likely that the car's owner can locate it via the Internet, via an app and location logic provided by the car's manufacturer. E.g., OnStar. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.157}}

"At the time of the release of this comic there were no places where these cars could be used privately." That is not true, as there are no restrictions on vehicle use on private property. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.7|108.162.212.7]] 16:35, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
: You are correct, and I have fixed that -- the true statement is that they are not for sale to private individuals [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:03, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

The only US state that both borders Canada and permits self-driving cards is Michigan. Assuming that the logic in self-driving cars prevents them from driving on streets where they are not legal, the conversation would have to take place in that state (but then again, wouldn't the car know that it is not allowed to drive in Alaska?) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.64|162.158.92.64]] 19:38, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
:Maybe it's exactly a matter of what knowledge the car has. It ''could'' be linked up to something proprietry, or possibly a Cortana information-engine, to control a virtual "GPS fence", based on current legal and possibly licence-based limits. I'll bet it can be reprogrammed to ignore/extend such limits, though. (Which is why I'm dubious about the idea of 'hard limiting' flying drones from entering restricted airspace. A little hardware/software/firmware hacking should be simple enough for anyone who needs to get around such limits.)
:I can also imagine the following conversation: "How far does your car's self-driving system let you go on automatic?" "I'll ask her..."(/Alaska...) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.188|141.101.98.188]] 00:33, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
:Yes the car would know that it was not permitted to drive in Alaska, however that would not prevent it from setting of with that destination in mind assuming that the person would take over control and entering manual driving in places where automatic were not permitted. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:03, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
::In that case, the "border" in the title text could be a state border... [[User:Sabik|Sabik]] ([[User talk:Sabik|talk]]) 06:13, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
:::But you are still assuming this is the present. If this comic is set in the future they could be anywhere in the US and drive all the way through the country, then through Canada and finally to the destination in Alaska. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:02, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
::::I think you mean North Montana, hasn't been called Canada in years [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.156|162.158.255.156]] 16:59, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
:::::We always used to call Anchorage "North Seattle." Also, once we casually said "good morning" to a stranger on the street in Inverness (Scotland) and got the instant response "Vancouver!" We said "No, Seattle." The response to that was "Oh, same thing." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:49, 5 August 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1559: Driving

2015-08-05T10:49:54Z

Taibhse:

They're probably in California, seeing as that's the only place self-driving cars are actually on the road. [[User:Wmss|Wmss]] ([[User talk:Wmss|talk]]) 09:46, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

If there are self-driving cars, what about self-filling cars? So these cars are able to make long distances without the driver's interaction. Maybe he is sleeping. [[User:GeorgDerReisende|GeorgDerReisende]] ([[User talk:GeorgDerReisende|talk]]) 10:47, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
: Yeah, for some reason that does not exist yet -- the self-driving car on the other hand DOES exit and I can see them driving down my street every day [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:07, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

::People have no problem entrust the self-driving cars with their lives, but did you saw how much the petrol costs? Too risky. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:26, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

Should've used hitchBOT instead of a rock. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.82|108.162.216.82]] 12:46, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

Could this have been a semi-tribute? Showing how some malicious people will abuse technology that is programmed to be too trusting? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.138|108.162.216.138]] 20:56, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
: Could you explain with an example [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:07, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

I disagree with the part of the explanation that claims that the comic must take place in the continental US. The title text doesn't specify "exactly two" border crossings; it merely implies that there is more than one. That could be anywhere in mainland (or attached-to-the-mainland-by-bridge) North America, north of the Darien Gap, except for most of Canada (from most of the population centers of Ontario, Google Maps wants to route through Michigan, for a total of three border crossings). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.149|108.162.221.149]] 14:18, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
:Correct. It "implies" more than one, but doesn't require it. Only that there be at least one. So they could be in Canada. Essentially anywhere on the continent (or an island connected by bridge to the mainland (e.g., Florida Keys)) north of the Darien Gap but outside Alaska. - Equinox [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.172|108.162.238.172]] 23:15, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
::I disagree. Randall makes comic in the mainland US and if there is no indication we are outside it is safe to assume they are in the mainland US. And the title text clearly indicated more than one border crossing. You are making it way to complicated. I have corrected accordingly.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:02, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

It is likely that the car's owner can locate it via the Internet, via an app and location logic provided by the car's manufacturer. E.g., OnStar. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.157}}

"At the time of the release of this comic there were no places where these cars could be used privately." That is not true, as there are no restrictions on vehicle use on private property. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.7|108.162.212.7]] 16:35, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
: You are correct, and I have fixed that -- the true statement is that they are not for sale to private individuals [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:03, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

The only US state that both borders Canada and permits self-driving cards is Michigan. Assuming that the logic in self-driving cars prevents them from driving on streets where they are not legal, the conversation would have to take place in that state (but then again, wouldn't the car know that it is not allowed to drive in Alaska?) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.64|162.158.92.64]] 19:38, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
:Maybe it's exactly a matter of what knowledge the car has. It ''could'' be linked up to something proprietry, or possibly a Cortana information-engine, to control a virtual "GPS fence", based on current legal and possibly licence-based limits. I'll bet it can be reprogrammed to ignore/extend such limits, though. (Which is why I'm dubious about the idea of 'hard limiting' flying drones from entering restricted airspace. A little hardware/software/firmware hacking should be simple enough for anyone who needs to get around such limits.)
:I can also imagine the following conversation: "How far does your car's self-driving system let you go on automatic?" "I'll ask her..."(/Alaska...) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.188|141.101.98.188]] 00:33, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
:Yes the car would know that it was not permitted to drive in Alaska, however that would not prevent it from setting of with that destination in mind assuming that the person would take over control and entering manual driving in places where automatic were not permitted. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:03, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
::In that case, the "border" in the title text could be a state border... [[User:Sabik|Sabik]] ([[User talk:Sabik|talk]]) 06:13, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
:::But you are still assuming this is the present. If this comic is set in the future they could be anywhere in the US and drive all the way through the country, then through Canada and finally to the destination in Alaska. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:02, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
::::I think you mean North Montana, hasn't been called Canada in years [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.156|162.158.255.156]] 16:59, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
:::::We always used to call Anchorage "North Seattle." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:49, 5 August 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1560: Bubblegum

2015-08-05T10:41:07Z

Taibhse:

I believe the title text refers to the story about Calvin Coolidge about making a bet to not say 3 words.[[User:Blawho|Blawho]] ([[User talk:Blawho|talk]]) 04:51, 5 August 2015 (UTC)

Duke Nukem says: "It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum...", not the other way around. Don't know if this is worth mentioning. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:24, 5 August 2015 (UTC)

Thanks for the explanation, I didn't know the movie quote. With this info in mind, I now think that panel 2 shows that Cueball is perhaps not making friends, so he decides to just go for the chewing gum option?? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.36|141.101.99.36]] 08:40, 5 August 2015 (UTC)

===Title text===
Title text only 16 words? ''I(1) came(2) here(3) to(4) chew(5) bubblegum(6) and(7) say(8) no(9) more(10) than(11) eighteen(12) words(13) ... and(14) I'm(15) all(16) out(17) of(18)'' --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.98|162.158.93.98]] 10:26, 5 August 2015 (UTC)
: Title text 18 words, movie quote 16 words. Unless Randall takes the stuff in the movie quote as "bubble gum" where Randall's own text uses "bubblegum." Which is entirely possible, but weird. But then, what's not to like about "weird?" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:41, 5 August 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1556: The Sky

2015-07-30T10:20:44Z

Taibhse:

Typical, I think nobody's actually going to try to explain this, and I get Save Conflicted. My (wordier) version. In case any of it is useful.
:The sky is ever changing, and can often give interesting views such as that illustrated in the comic. Cueball and Megan seem to be agreeing about this, and its pleasing nature.
:As (ignoring particularly unusual viewpoints, severe topography and obscuring vegetation/architecture) the sky is pretty much the upper hemisphere of any external view, it is inded a "half". It would seem to be redundant to say it is "one of my favourite halves", as that indicates both a list of at least two items to choose from ''and'' more than one 'favourite'. Being in 'the top two of a list of two' actually means nothing. But the other half could be the ground ''or'' the sea, ''or'' a composite of the two, so conceivably there ''might'' be more than two 'halves' to choose from in this case. Not that the statement makes much more sense.
:The title-text acknowledges the fact that the other half can have snakes (the land), shipwrecks (the sea) and rocks (either), in a manner that sounds like justifications for any non-sky 'halves' being interesting too, to the kind of people Cueball and Megan seem to be. But it also suggests that by removing all of these you'd be seeing sky, below, that people on the other side of the 'rocks' (the whole Earth) had been seeing as their own 'sky above'. At least until the effects of entirely removing the substance of the planet start to show, of course.
...for what it's worth. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.168|141.101.98.168]] 11:57, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

Maybe, maybe the comic is a slight refference to the recent observetory of plutos athmosphere. [[User:ẞ qwertz|ẞ qwertz]] ([[User talk:ẞ qwertz|talk]]) 12:55, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

Maybe this comic is related to comic [[1368]]? [[User:Gartenzaun|Gartenzaun]] ([[User talk:Gartenzaun|talk]]) 13:16, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
:Or this [[1524: Dimensions]]. Regarding the favourite of a small set.-[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:52, 27 July 2015 (UTC)I do
:I do not agree with [[1368: One Of The]] as it has nothing to do with the way this sentence is used here. I have removed it from the explanation.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:24, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

I can't defend this position properly (other than by appealing to shipwrecks) but I'm pretty sure "the other half" is the ocean (or water in general) and that this is a callback to something in early XKCD (the halves thing.) I don't care enough to find the reference though, so FFTI. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.224|141.101.88.224]] 13:18, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

My read on the "halves" bit is the Biblical Genesis bit where the world was split into sky and sea, "And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day." -[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.112|173.245.56.112]] 14:36, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

: Agreed, this appears to be a biblical reference - [[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1&version=GNT| this version]] explains it pretty clearly. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.177|108.162.249.177]] 14:41, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
: Thus taking "halves" as a verb. Nice. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.32|198.41.239.32]] 23:33, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

I can't tell if the sky is a photograph with a digital filter or a painting. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 14:49, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

:I'm pretty sure it's a digital painting. For one thing, there's a little artistic license in the transition from sunset at the left to evening stars at the top right. [[User:FourViolas|FourViolas]] ([[User talk:FourViolas|talk]]) 14:58, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

:: I don't see it -- has the picture changed? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 16:31, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

::: I didn't notice the stars at the top right until [[User:FourViolas|FourViolas]] pointed it out. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 16:37, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

:It's almost definitely a digital painting. As far as I know, Randall has never used photographs in his comics; I'd be surprised if he suddenly changed that. Moreover, the point of this comics seems to be mostly to showcase Randall's digital artwork (see also [[1024: Error Code]], which admittedly had slightly more surrounding humor) than to make a particular joke.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.250|162.158.255.250]] 02:54, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

I think it's important that Megan says the sky is ONE of her favorite halves, and that the explanation "at least at their present location...the ground is dark, flat, and otherwise boring" is thus too simplistic. The ground where they are standing is in silhouette (it's presumably sunrise or sunset), but I think the implication is that C. and M. (who are obviously not finding words adequate to express how they feel about what they're seeing), are awed by the beauty of Nature, regardless of whether it's sky, sea (shipwrecks), land (rocks) or living things (snakes).[[User:Jv|Jv]] ([[User talk:Jv|talk]]) 15:01, 27 July 2015 (UTC)
:The general idea here seems most reasonable to me. The sky is great (see also [[1117: My Sky]]), but so is the Earth. I find all this debate over possible implications of "one of the" almost absurd.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.250|162.158.255.250]] 02:44, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

Is it possible that the meaning of Megan's statement is that there are other binary sets where she prefers one over the other? For example, her favorites might include (in addition to sky) female, light, and loud. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 16:43, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

Perhaps Megan is a reporter https://xkcd.com/1368/ [[User:Xquestion|Xquestion]] ([[User talk:Xquestion|talk]]) 16:51, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

What i understand under "favorite halves" is not about the mentioned tautology but about other things you can differentiate two halves and you like one more than the other.
My personal favorite halves in this sense would be; Sky(vs Earth), women(vs men), low alcohol drinks(vs liquors), etc 17:11, 27 July 2015 (UTC)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.103.202|141.101.103.202]] Bkack

There are multiple ways to split the earth into halves, so I don't think having one favorite way makes any tautology. For example, you can split North/South, East/West, sky/earth, water/earth, day/night. [[User:DMiller|DMiller]] [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.150|173.245.50.150]] 18:28, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

I don't think it is a "tautology": a trivially true fact, eg "all red shoes are red". If anything it is an oxymoron (as it implies both halves are favourite, and so neither is). [[User:Zeimusu|Zeimusu]] ([[User talk:Zeimusu|talk]]) 18:58, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

Am I the only one who sees a possible (additional) visual joke in the second panel? (The drawing is divided along the diagonal: One half is mainly cloudy, another mostly clear sky.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.44|162.158.92.44]] 19:37, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

In terms of two halves, should we mention https://xkcd.com/731/ "Desert Island?" It seems to be relevant in this situation, but I want someone else's opinion first. Also, mobile sucks for that kind of stuff, so... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.110|108.162.216.110]] 20:45, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

"Mathematically, stating one of my favorites it must imply that there must be at least one other favorite" - Not mathematically, but intuitively (unless you can prove the implication). Mathematically, this just says that "Sky" is a member of the set "Favorite Halves", which may or may not include more elements. Intuitively, we don't talk like that unless there is another favorite.-[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.91|173.245.50.91]] 21:38, 27 July 2015 (UTC)

This could be a reference to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_the_Sky [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.131|173.245.56.131]] 04:06, 28 July 2015 (UTC)

I'm not so sure that the sky being one of Megan's favourite halves is either tautological or an oxymoron. It could simply mean that, of any given pair that can be described as two halves, she always has a preference for one over the other. Thus, of "earth / sky", "sky" is her favourite half, whereas perhaps of "Bonnie / Clyde", "Bonnie" might be her favourite half. In this way one could have many favourite halves. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.162|141.101.98.162]] 08:02, 28 July 2015 (UTC)
: this ties in well with the recently popular theme of sets with the same number of elements being similar. (So even as Characters can't tell the dwarves from the days of the week, they also separate all pairs into 'favorite' and 'meh' piles.) This made more sense in my head, huh? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.224|141.101.88.224]] 14:06, 28 July 2015 (UTC)

I don't think "one of my favourite halves" ''needs to'' be a tautology. It only is if we consider it one of the favourite halves of the same whole, but the set of favourite halves could easily be something like [the sky, yolk, front meant, dark side of the Moon,...], that is, favourite halves of various things. Of course, it would be rather quirky to keep track of favourite halves like that, but I think it is not beyond xkcd. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 15:07, 28 July 2015 (UTC)

Might the fact(?) that the cloud is a mamatis cloud be relevant? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.47|141.101.104.47]] 20:40, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

Looks to me like the stars in the upper right are almost but not quite in the pattern of the Pleiades. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:20, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1557: Ozymandias

2015-07-30T10:00:38Z

Taibhse:

Look upon this comment and despair! {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.164}}
: The fact that the true author of this comment may never be known is reason enough to despair.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.66|173.245.55.66]] 14:35, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
: An unrelated but interesting piece of trivia about Ozymandias: "Ozymandias" is the Greek name of the pharaoh Ramesses II, one of the most famous of the Egyptian pharaohs, who built many monuments that still stand today. So the poem, which has a ruler whose monument has crumbled and who is implied to be nearly forgotten, is in fact completely inaccurate! [[User:JoeNotCharles|JoeNotCharles]] ([[User talk:JoeNotCharles|talk]]) 15:23, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
:: Perhaps the Ozymandias King of Kings from the poem is not the same one as Ozymandias the pharaoh? So he's doubly forgotten, because he has a more famous [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/namefellow namefellow]! [[User:Leoboiko|Leoboiko]] ([[User talk:Leoboiko|talk]])

So... [http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Planepacked Planepacked]? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.145|173.245.50.145]] 05:44, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

The page seems to give a description, but not an explanation of the joke. I still don't get it! Why has Ozymandias been singled out for this treatment? Is there some way in which recursion is particularly appropriate or inappropriate in this case, or has it just been selected arbitrarily? Is the whole joke that recursion is inherently funny? Normally when recursion is used in XKCD it's making a larger point, or cleverly riffing on something in particular. This isn't just Describe XKCD, so I'd love to see an explanation of this comic. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.47|141.101.99.47]] 09:35, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

:The poem Ozymandias, like the statue of the king,can be thought of as a pinnacle of achievement for its civilizarion- in this case, English civilization. So it is entirely possible that one day, after the fall of this civilization, the poem will fill the same role for it that the statue filled for Ozymandias' (fictional) civilization. [[User:Bbruzzo|Bbruzzo]] ([[User talk:Bbruzzo|talk]]) 15:33, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

:May it be that Ozymandias is chosen because of Smith’s poem, where at last London has vanished, suggesting that Shelley’s poem is the last remains of British civilization? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.193|162.158.91.193]] 10:04, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

:I think Ozymandias was chosen because its opening is particularly famous. Even people who don't know much about poetry are often passingly familiar with it, and there's something funny about playing with well-known classics. And yes, I do believe the joke is that infinite recursion is inherently funny. There's a long tradition of these recursion-jokes among computer scientists and math people (like the "GNU" acronym, or recursive index references), with precedents in xkcd itself. [[User:Leoboiko|Leoboiko]] ([[User talk:Leoboiko|talk]])

In Germany, we have a childrens’ song „Ein Mops kam in die Küche“, which translates as follows (there are slightly different versions, though):

A pug came into the kitchen / and stole an egg from the chef. / Then the chef took his knife / and mashed the pug. // Then many pugs came / to his grave / and set a memorial for him, / where these words were written: // “A pug came into the kitchen …”

Maybe something similar exists in English? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.193|162.158.91.193]] 10:04, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

:We have:

: This is the song that doesn't end, / Yes, it goes on and on, my friend, / Some people started singing it not knowing what it was, / And they'll continue singing it / Forever, just because [repeat] :''— [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 12:34, 29 July 2015 (UTC)''

:There's also:
::I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves,
::I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it goes...[repeat] {{unsigned ip|197.234.243.249}}

:: In Dutch: "Het was nacht, stikdonkere nacht. Veertig rovers zaten rond een vuur. De roverhoofdman stond op een zei: "Het was nacht, stikdonkere nacht... " "
:: Which translates to something along the lines of: "It was night, a pitchblack night. 40 robbers sat round a fire, their leader stood up and said: "It was night, a pitchblack night..." "
:: Sometimes the fire is replaced by the shadow of a dandelion. "..Forty robbers sat in the shadow of a Dandelion, their Chief stood up and said: "It was a dark night, forty robbers sat in the shadow of a dandelion", etc. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.67|141.101.104.67]] 13:01, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

::: The version I learned is: It was a dark and stormy night / and the good ship Marigold sailed the stormy seas. / The captain staggered down the steps / and said, "Mate, tell us a story!" / and the mate began, / "It was a dark and story night... --[[User:Mflansburg|Mflansburg]] ([[User talk:Mflansburg|talk]]) 15:44, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

:I've heard a very long infinitely recursive song in English, which is a variant of "The Bear Went Over the Mountain". The standard lyrics are:

:: The bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain to see what he could see / And all that he could see, and all that he could see / Was the other side of the mountain, the other side of the mountain, the other side of the mountain, and that's what he could see.

: Well, the infinite variant goes:

:: The bear went over the mountain the bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain to see what he could see / And all that he could see, and all that he could see / Was a valley in the mountain, a valley in the mountain, a valley in the mountain, and that's what he could see
:: The bear went over the mountain the bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain to see what he could see / And all that he could see, and all that he could see / Was a lake in the valley, a lake in the valley, a lake in the valley, and that's what he could see
:: ... a sailboat on the lake ...
:: ... a man in the sailbot ...
:: ... pants on the man ...
:: ... a pocket in the pants ...
:: ... a nickel in the pocket ...
:: ... a beaver on the nickel ... (Note: I just realized this line only works in Canada, where the five cent coin has a picture of a beaver on it.)
:: ... a hair on the beaver ...
:: ... a flea on the hair ...
:: ... cells in the flea ...
:: ... a prisoner in the cells ...
:: ... pants on the prisoner ...
:: ... a pocket in the pants ...
:: etc.

: I prefer a slightly shorter version which goes from "a pocket in the pants" to "a dime in the pocket", then "a sailboat on the dime" (which again only works in Canada), and back to "a man in the sailboat". [[User:JoeNotCharles|JoeNotCharles]] ([[User talk:JoeNotCharles|talk]]) 15:14, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

:: I thought everyone (American) knew the song (needs music notation) "There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea?" One version finally ends with "There's a germ on the flea on the hair on the speck on the spot on the wart on the frog on the bump on the log in the hole in the bottom of the sea." But kids make up all sorts of variations. Or they used to. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:00, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

: There's also [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.30|108.162.215.30]] 20:28, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

:: Yon Yonson - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yon_Yonson
:: Mighty mighty - https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070602235838AA6qSzz {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.30}}

::
Note that the recursion doesn't necessary be infinite. The list of travelers who met each other can have fixed length, for example 10. Imagining that the list is infinite is the joke. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:06, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
: I think that might be the point actually, the idea is that with each time someone tells the poem to someone else, it grows by one, for each traveler from an antique land has been told by by a different traveler from an antique land[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.39|108.162.219.39]] 01:08, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

Should we mention {{w|quines}}, which occur when lists like this end after two iterations, as "Yo, I'm MC Quine and I'm here to say/'Yo, I'm MC Quine and I'm here to say'!" {{unsigned|FourViolas}}

: That's not exactly a quine - a quine is a set of instructions which, when followed, recreates the instructions. If you take MC Quine's quote and write it out, you get just, "Yo, I'm MC Quine and I'm here to say", which doesn't contain the second repetition. To be a quine, you need to find some way that taking just the quoted part will automatically expand to the full statement plus the quote.

: A closer example of a quine: "Q: Pete and Re-Pete were sitting on a bridge. Pete fell off. Who was left? A: Repeat." If you take the answer "repeat" as an instruction, you would repeat the joke, recreating it completely. [[User:JoeNotCharles|JoeNotCharles]] ([[User talk:JoeNotCharles|talk]]) 15:19, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

This reminds me of Theodor Storm's "Schimmelreiter" ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rider_on_the_White_Horse "The Rider on the White Horse"]) which descends through three nested levels of narrators before it comes to the real story. --[[User:Ulm|ulm]] ([[User talk:Ulm|talk]]) 13:56, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

One connection between recursion and Ozymandias is the phrase "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" aka "Who watches the watchmen?" and the character in ''The Watchmen'' named Ozymandias. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.51|108.162.221.51]] 14:42, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

Nested Shelleys? Maybe associaing Shelley with shells could be part of the joke? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.115|108.162.216.115]] 16:02, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

I keep trying to see 10, but I keep counting 11 syllables in each line with the exception of the last one. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.210|108.162.210.210]] 16:48, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
:You have to read traveler as trav'ler. [[User:Uptonc|Uptonc]] ([[User talk:Uptonc|talk]]) 16:57, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
:: Well, that's just wrong... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.81|108.162.216.81]] 17:14, 29 July 2015 (UTC)
::: Um... No it's not. There are [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/traveler?s=t two ways to pronounce it] (trav-uh-ler and trav-ler), kind of like toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.196|108.162.219.196]] 18:11, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

I think everyone's looking far too hard for something obscure and clever. :) Ozymandias is in the poem described as the "king of kings", which makes him recursively kingly. Hence, the recursion joke. (I went ahead added that to the explanation, it's my first contribution here so hopefully I didn't bypass any explainxkcd wiki house rules) [[User:Orinthe|Orinthe]] ([[User talk:Orinthe|talk]]) 06:24, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1551: Pluto

2015-07-15T09:59:42Z

Taibhse:

I knew it! So my BOT was also running today. And don't miss the updates at WhatIf. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:28, 14 July 2015 (UTC)

Yeah, it's pretty amazing! What is it with XKCD and Pluto these days by the way? [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 19:36, 14 July 2015 (UTC)
:New Horizons space probe flyby of the Pluto system! I can't imagine that a space probe finally reaching a hitherto unmapped planetoid like Pluto wouldn't be exciting to certain people, especially an ex NASA guy like Randall. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 06:27, 15 July 2015 (UTC)

Pluto is moving away from the Sun - and we've learned that as it does so, it enters the snowy part of its 248-year cycle. Hmm ... didn't Ned Stark say something about this? [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 22:11, 14 July 2015 (UTC)

Alright, the only one that's still got me stumped is "moon buds." The phrase has no stock meaning (Googling it turned up pictures of weed, naturally), but my best guess is this suggests moons reproduce through {{w|budding}}. Any thoughts? [[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 00:38, 15 July 2015 (UTC)
:I have added something. {{User:17jiangz1/signature|03:21, 15 July 2015}}

"Border of pride lands" might also be an indirect reference to the "dark region" on Mars in 1504:opportunity, last panel, which is itself a reference to the Hyena Country of "Lion King." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:56, 15 July 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1551: Pluto

2015-07-15T09:56:49Z

Taibhse:

I knew it! So my BOT was also running today. And don't miss the updates at WhatIf. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:28, 14 July 2015 (UTC)

Yeah, it's pretty amazing! What is it with XKCD and Pluto these days by the way? [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 19:36, 14 July 2015 (UTC)
:New Horizons space probe flyby of the Pluto system! I can't imagine that a space probe finally reaching a hitherto unmapped planetoid like Pluto wouldn't be exciting to certain people, especially an ex NASA guy like Randall. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 06:27, 15 July 2015 (UTC)

Pluto is moving away from the Sun - and we've learned that as it does so, it enters the snowy part of its 248-year cycle. Hmm ... didn't Ned Stark say something about this? [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 22:11, 14 July 2015 (UTC)

Alright, the only one that's still got me stumped is "moon buds." The phrase has no stock meaning (Googling it turned up pictures of weed, naturally), but my best guess is this suggests moons reproduce through {{w|budding}}. Any thoughts? [[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 00:38, 15 July 2015 (UTC)
:I have added something. {{User:17jiangz1/signature|03:21, 15 July 2015}}

"Border of pride lands" might also be an indirect reference to the "dark region" on Mars in 1504:opportunity, last panel, which is itself a reference to the "Lion King." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:56, 15 July 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1550: Episode VII

2015-07-13T11:04:42Z

Taibhse:

For anybody interested, the ''dropping of eaves'' is not an actual activity:

==== [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eavesdropping#Etymology Wikipedia on etymology of eavesdropping] ====

'''Eavesdrop''': "The dripping of water from the eaves of a house; the ground on which such water falls". An eavesdropper was one who stood at the eavesdrop (where the water fell, i.e., near the house) so as to overhear what was said inside.

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.206|108.162.229.206]] 09:10, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

----

'''Question''': Is there a joke in the J. J. Abrams credit?

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.206|108.162.229.206]] 09:10, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

::J. J. Abrams is actually the director / producer of the film in question, Episode VII: The Force Awakens [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:04, 13 July 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1542: Scheduling Conflict

2015-06-25T06:58:09Z

Taibhse:

What happened to my transcript? I came here, found no page created, put the template up with a transcript and now it's all been overwritten. :P [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:19, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
:What happened is that you created the page [[1542]], but that is only mean to be a ''redirect page'' that leads to this page: [[1542: Scheduling Conflict]]. The bot that creates this automatically deleted your transcript when it did it's magic. You can still find you transcript on the 1542 page in the history. (You will have to press the 1542 in the ''(Redirected from 1542)'' at the top of the page to go that page). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:34, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
::@Jarod997 -- I think there might have been a scheduling conflict. [[User:Ahem|Ahem]] ([[User talk:Ahem|talk]]) 16:41, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

In the explanation, I thought it was more a play on an oxymoron of a bunch of people who are good at fixing scheduling conflicts, only to have a contest in which they're entered be cancelled because of a scheduling conflict. I was going to put this in the explanation (which was blank at the time), but then someone overwrote me - and quite ironically a conflict arose. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:26, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
:Certainly these were my first thoughts. (Championships must take place after (often regional) qualifying Heats, and those that ascend to the final level then need to make themselves available for the ultimate play-offs.) It's possibly the inverse (conflict-creation!), but getting through the preliminaries might be like the old joke of losing out on the competition to become Village Idiot to the competitor ''who didn't turn up''! With ''neither'' of the two sought-after contacts available, either they've not resolved to ensure that at least one of them is contactable at all times, or else they've managed to put aside all other commitments (''including'' the Championships?) to finally get some time together ''with each other''... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.30|141.101.98.30]] 16:39, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
My original take was similar to that of Jarod997- the cancellation wasn't due to anything the participants did/didn't do, but that the competition itself had a scheduling conflict (like the venue was double-booked or something). [[User:AnInsideJoke|AnInsideJoke]] ([[User talk:AnInsideJoke|talk]]) 18:23, 24 June 2015 (UTC)AnInsideJoke
: Sure but that is just not funny, and it does not explain why nobody could be reached for comment [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 20:02, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
:: Because they were too embarrassed over their inability to fix the scheduling conflict over the scheduling conflict championships. [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 22:50, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

Perhaps it's somethin about the US elections or any debate (we didn't recieve any news here at south, im at Brazil hehehehhehe), but a debate is a national event with conflicts chanpionships and it is scheduled. I recon that is something with the schedule of US elections debate, perhaps it was cancled or just changed. perhaps i was seeing the light reflect on mars and was flashed with the M.I.B. memory flash hehehehehehhehehehehehhe. [[User:Gabrielpenalber|gabrielpenalber]] ([[User User:Gabrielpenalber|talk]])

A few remarks, but I'll leave it to someone better versed in the English language to work it into the explanation if he/she wishes to:
- Is this an American thing, to assume the current world champion must be last year's national champion?
- there is a play on words in the title(s), they would be read as "National Scheduling Conflict: Championships canceled" which begs the question "Which championships?". It is only when reading the NSCC banner that you could assume something like the "National Scheduling Conflict Championships" exists.
- How did they get a world champion if the championships are presumably always cancelled? Does that mean the prize is claimed anyway or that the champion is actualy not as good at scheduling conflicts as all those people cancelling because of scheduling conflicts.
- Now I'm overthinking, but there is no reason for a spokesperson to be a good at the activity of the organisation he/she is spokesperson for, or is there? {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.116}}
-

This reminds me a lot of comic #1466: Phone checking. Both are about an obscure championship, and both are interrupted by the nature of said championship. --[[User:Quantanaut|Quantanaut]] ([[User talk:Quantanaut|talk]]) 17:08, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

So (as commented on briefly by an earlier person) I initially read the newspaper headline as National Scheduling Conflict: Championships Cancelled, which is the most obvious reading the way it's stylized, although obviously the picture doesn't make sense in this context. But I think this is intended, that you first read it that way then you look at the picture and go "oh".--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.195|108.162.215.195]] 19:36, 24 June 2015 (UTC)
: Yeah, I also thought that's what it said. Maybe a mention of {{w|syntactic ambiguity}} in the explanation would be worthwhile? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.96|108.162.221.96]] 02:25, 25 June 2015 (UTC)

Is there any significant scheduling conflict going on Randall's life right now or his recent past that served as impetus for this comic? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.35|108.162.220.35]] 02:20, 25 June 2015 (UTC)

I think there could be a reference to the very common political ploy of using a "scheduling conflict" as an excuse to miss an event where the politician expects to be challenged or questioned on an issue he wishes to avoid. This is so frequent that it has become a cliché in American politics. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 06:58, 25 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1535: Words for Pets

2015-06-10T00:43:21Z

Taibhse:

I skipped the first step by naming my cat "Cat". On the plus side, even in the third year I was still mostly calling her by her name. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.134|108.162.254.134]] 08:06, 8 June 2015 (UTC)
:My cat is also named "Cat". Then again, I call all cats "Cat". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.138|108.162.210.138]] 19:00, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

Not sure this is relevant enough to include, but there's [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ADogNamedDog a trope about that] [[Special:Contributions/188.114.111.224|188.114.111.224]] 11:39, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

I interpreted this slightly differently. In the first year, the pet is fresh and new, and you put the effort in to call it by its name. As time goes on, you get sloppier about it. In addition, I believe he missed a ring from it: Expletives. Within a year of having a new cat, I was calling it more by expletives than its name. [[User:Drmouse|Drmouse]] ([[User talk:Drmouse|talk]]) 14:24, 8 June 2015 (UTC)
:I thought expletives were deliberately implied, so I'm very surprised they are not mentioned in the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.231|198.41.239.231]] 23:50, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

I disagree with the explanation. The comic is about words used to refer to the pet, i.e. to name the pet when talking to someone else, not to talk to the pet. For instance "I forgot to feed Lassie" might later become "I forgot to feed the dog", then "I forgot to feed the damn thing" or whatever. Am I the only one to understand "refer" like this?
Zetfr 16:53, 8 June 2015 (UTC)
:In my household at least, we use the animal's species as its name. For example, instead of "Have you fed Lassie?", we may say " Have you fed Dog?". I think is what Randall is implying. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.29|141.101.98.29]] 17:00, 8 June 2015 (UTC)
::Since he begins to refer to the animal in the animals language, I would say that only makes sense if he talks to the animal. However the way the caption is phrased it could be understood the way he talks about the animal. So I think it is impossible to say that one explanation is correct and the other is wrong. Maybe that should be mentioned in explain. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:14, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

I got a completely different idea to this, the relationship is one of friendship, not parentage, so the moving from name to associated to other words to sounds would be more like Hey Lassie -> Hey Dog -> Hey Fatso -> Ugh, Oi. This shows more the common friendship trope of insulting one another in a humorous way, which seems far more likely than transitioning into some kind of hybrid language for all bar the most "maternal" of owners. [[User:Hackerjack|Hackerjack]] ([[User talk:Hackerjack|talk]]) 22:40, 8 June 2015 (UTC)
:I agree here. With our cat it was Hi Blaser -> Hi Cat -> You little **** -> Oi, you -> "Maw?" [[User:Drmouse|Drmouse]] ([[User talk:Drmouse|talk]]) 09:08, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

The "You little ****" is something I can definitely attest to. A friend of mine keeps calling his cats assholes and similar words, so often that I have a hard time remembering their actual names. "come here" isn't how one "refers to" a pet, it's how one might call a pet, which isn't what the comic is about at all... [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 09:15, 9 June 2015 (UTC)

I wouldn't say Randall is restricting this comic to either of the two major possibilities: speaking to the pet, or speaking about the pet. It could well be a mixture of both.
We have a cat whose name is "Pwca" (Welsh spelling, same as "Pooka" as in the Jimmy Stewart movie "Harvey") but the name varies between "Pwca" and "Picklebean" and just "Bean" right along with "silly kitty" and "funny girl" and other descriptive words. She has a typical little short chirp that she uses to get our attention or to complain about something, and we often chirp back to her, so that would be "the pet's own language." My daughter's cat "Minnie" is "Minners" or "Minimum" or "Min-Min" or again, descriptive terms. You could certainly argue that some of those words are borderline incoherent. In most cases, they can be used while speaking either /to/ the pet, or /of/ the pet to a third party (or sometimes to the universe at large.)
Note that the phrase "pet name" has a double meaning, with 'pet' either a noun or an adjective, and in the latter case usually not actually referring to a pet.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 00:43, 10 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1534: Beer

2015-06-06T03:48:32Z

Taibhse:

I hate the taste and smell and associations (such as urine and vomit where they shouldn't be). A friend used to freely admit he didn't like the taste and only drank to get drunk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.161|108.162.249.161]] 06:24, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

This is why there are so many different styles of beers, or wines, or other alcoholic beverages. I personally don't care for IPAs, but will rarely pass up a good Pilsner.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.189|108.162.238.189]] 07:37, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

:LOL, that's exactly what Cueball is talking about. Beer is a canonical example of {{w|acquired taste}}. But even after having done so, all hoppy beers (including most IPAs and Pilsners) still taste pretty similar to me. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 11:39, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

:: Like of beer is actually a really bad example of acquired taste. I was stealing sips of beer from my dad at age 3-4, if he had an unattended open beer. Liking of beer is primarily generics, and secondary acquired taste. Now talk about {{w|Marmite}} and discuss acquired taste. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 16:21, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

:::And you, sir, are a canonical example of an ''outlier''. 😜 Seriously though, go to http://google.com and type "is an acquired taste". Google's very first autocomplete suggestion is beer. I'm not saying it's necessarily a ''good'' example, but it is about as canonical as you can get. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 03:09, 6 June 2015 (UTC)

Is it possible that the characters, being American, have only ever tasted American beer? So when Cueball says that "all beer tastes kind of bad" hat he really means is "all American beer tastes kind of bad"? That would make a lot more sense (especially if you assume that they only buy from the major brands, and haven't yet tried beer from microbreweries.) --[[User:PeR|PeR]] ([[User talk:PeR|talk]]) 09:30, 5 June 2015 (UTC)
:entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem. I think too many people forget Occam's Razor here, and are too eager to engage in deeper analysis than the content can really support without help from, say, an interview with Randall. No offense intended; this is a trend on this wiki in general. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 13:18, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

::I'm kind of tired of people automatically assuming is someone doesn't like beer, it's because the person saying so has only been exposed to bad ones due to their locality. I don't like beer at all because it tastes like a mouthful of yeast and medicine. Alcohol in general is an acquired taste for most people, who usually only start drinking it due to social pressure or as a recreational drug. Yeasty foods are as well, especially yeasty breads, and beer is basically fermented bread juice when you get down to it. There's also a genetic link behind whether or not someone will like alcohol, and it's usually he effect rather than the taste that makes it appealing. --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.111.209|188.114.111.209]] 14:45, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

::: You need to read the research -- it is actually linked to genetic differences in taste-buds. You may not like it, which is not unlikely, but that does not say that is the same for others who may be genetically disposed otherwise [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 18:54, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Speaking from personal experience, I've never tried any form of alcohol that I've liked. And if you must know my experience is mainly centered around beer that's highly recommended by friends and family. The last case was at a tour of a local microbrewery that seems to be doing extremely well. I'm sure if I pulled a large scale taste test I'd aquire enough of a taste to delude myself into thinking that something or other is actually worth drinking but I don't see why I should go through the effort just to conform to a social norm. --not the mama[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.180|108.162.238.180]] 14:30, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

: You should NOT conform to social norm but drink what YOU feel taste good -- 10.000 years ago, humanity needed portable water -- west of the Urals, humans stared to use fermentation as a method to keep bacteria out of the drinking water, where east they started to brew tea -- their descendant responded genetically over the next 10.000 years with European developing genetic traits to be tolerant and liking the fermented brew. Beer is predominantly limited to north Europe as it has lower alcohol levels compared to wine -- the higher alcohol volume is needed to keep bacteria out in the warmer southern Europe -- HENCE unless you are of northen european decent you may not genetically be programmed to like (or tolerate) the taste of beer -- just don't drink beer if you don't like it !!! [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 19:06, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

::I'm 1/16th northern European (Dutch), 1/4th southern European, Native American too. Guess I didn't get the North Europe beer gene. Why'd the even northerner Europeans like the Russians and Scottish become distilled spirit drinkers? Did their beer freeze too easily so they made vodka and whiskey? If this is why the north developed a beer culture then why'd Egyptians and Mesopotamians drink beer? It's very hot there. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 20:08, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Agreed. Major brands suck, but probably in most countries, even Germany, where people usually have very high opinion about German beer. There are thousands of small breweries, though, some with a very old tradition (like in monasteries), and many just popping up recently. At some microbreweries you have to order weeks in advance, but the brew you get is really exceptional, and you'll drink it at room temperature from wine glasses. Absolutely not meant for getting drunk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.107|108.162.254.107]] 10:47, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

I am disliking to indifferent to most of brands of beer, but I like a few specific ones, like Ginger's Beer, or gingerbread beer from local brewery. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:34, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

I know that beer is generally considered to be an acquired taste, but some people acquire that taste really quickly. The first beer I ever drank was a Miller that I stole from a case that my dad had left sitting in the kitchen for months. I was 12, and it is still probably the worst thing I've ever tasted. I decided I didn't like beer, and from ages 12 to 17 the only alcohol I drank was wine. At 17, I tried keg beer and was utterly indifferent to it. By the time I turned 19 I was into good local beers, but if I've been in the heat for a long time, I'll drink watery mediocre beer and it will be divine. And then there's shower beer...oh, shower beer!12:27, 5 June 2015 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|108.162.225.36}}

The only thing worse than a pilsner is an IPA... which is just a stronger version of a pilsner. Most beer just has way too high of an IBU rating. At least malts aren't entirely awful and oatmeal malts are somewhat palatable. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.83|162.158.255.83]] 14:25, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Culturally, for me, the common booze is 'a pint of bitter' (or 'best'). I apparently had my first sip when a toddler. I 'sneakily' took a sip from the top of a glass sat in front of my father, before screwing my face up most amusingly, I am told. I then went straight back in for another... it's not obvious to me if I was being influenced to 'want to like it'. Perhaps it was just the novelty. Anyway, I will admit I don't ''love'' the taste of bitter, but at least it's got an significant taste that all the seemingly anonymous mass-produced lagers can't match. (OTOH, cider's quite stimulating, but I take against the overly fizzy ones.) When it comes to non-alcoholic beverages, I will actively ''refuse'' a cup of tea (the social norm for adults, especially someone like me in their fifth decade), however socially awkward and unexpected, and politely turn down the offer of a coffee, if possible, on the basis that I might not be staying long. (I don't like teas at all, even fruit ones, but I can stand coffee if sweetened.) But it's ''amazing'' what we tend to eat and drink, just because it's expected. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.59|141.101.99.59]] 14:26, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Great comic. This is just for me. I do not like beer. Any kind. And I do rarely drink them. Same with cofee ans tee which I never drink. It is not always easy - so nice to see this comic. :) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:33, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

I'm a stout man (will drink stout alone, if it is dark enough and if the hop content is small enough), but will admit that any beer is better after the fifth glass of it.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 14:40, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

;"Acquired Taste"

Part of the explanation refers to acquired tastes as being a response to social pressures and to avoid cognitive dissonance. This doesn't match the description of what the '''linked to''' wikipedia page for acquired tastes, as that page distinguishes authentic acquired tastes from those meeting the author's description.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquired_taste#Intentional_acquisition_of_tastes

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.190|108.162.238.190]] 15:08, 5 June 2015 (UTC)Aaron E

Budweiser tastes like urine. It's the most popular beer in the US. Immediately after trying it I tasted a drop of my urine to see if the urine was still worse and that wasn't enough urine to decide. Anyone care to put a larger amount of urine in their mouth for science? This is the crap they make Bud..Weis..Er and Wassuuuuuuup! commercials about? They actually make a Lite version of this so people can enjoy it while getting less drunk or fat? Extroverts are weird. Also, out of the legion of OKcupid questions the best predictor of the promiscuity question is "I like the taste of beer, true or false". So if you want to have sex quick, you want to hear "Beer tastes awesome! Woo! [Burp] [Vomit] Ooh!Ooh!" [drinks vodka from bottle] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 16:55, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Strangely, many animals acquire a taste for alcohol, and they must do it quickly because they don't live long enough to do it slowly. Case in point-- robins and other birds, gobbling up fermented fallen fruit, and then stumbling around like human novice drinkers do. They only live 2-3 years, and they only have access to the stuff for a couple of weeks in the autumn, and yet, there they go, staggering down the sidewalk and tripping over imaginary twigs. And then there's my puppy, who was begging droplets of strong beer and black coffee off my fingertips from eight weeks old. (Good Canadian beer, by the way.) I wonder if a taste for bitterness might be adaptive, as many bitter plants are also medicinal? [[User:NoniMausa|NoniMausa]] ([[User talk:NoniMausa|talk]]) 22:46, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Okay, some people don't like beer. That doesn't mean everyone who does is faking it. I gravitate towards IPAs, stouts, rye IPAs and barrel-aged strong beers. I also like scotch, rye, and some bourbons. I fucking love dark roasted black coffee. I savor all of these in company and alone. Stop being so solipsic.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.163|173.245.48.163]] 03:32, 6 June 2015 (UTC)

I actively dislike the taste of every beer that I have tried. That includes Guiness on tap in Dublin. I sort of got into trouble for it the few days I was there agus ag labhairt na Gaeilge. But this discussion is one of the most amusing and enjoyable arguments I have seen yet on this website. Go ahead on, folks! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:48, 6 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1529: Bracket

2015-05-26T11:42:28Z

Taibhse:

Interesting to me that no one has noted the order of the doctors. Doctor Octopus is from a comic, Doctor Manhattan is from a graphic novel and, trying to avoid spoilers here, the atomic bomb plays a key role in the story. The atomic bomb was the product of the Manhattan project (a fact not lost on Alan Moore), and the subject of the movie referenced by the next line, Dr Strangelove ("or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb"). I can't believe this order is arbitrary. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.108|173.245.48.108]] 04:55, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

What's the connection between Rip Torn and Natalie Imbruglia? {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.183}}
:Answer: Her song, Torn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV1XWJN3nJo-{{unsigned|Stumpy}}
Rip Torn could have a preliminary match with Prof. Lance Rips {{16:34, 25 May 2015 (UTC)Mitch Marks uchicago}}

Any pairings that you'd add, given the opportunity? Personally I always confuse [[wikipedia:Wilson Pickett|Wilson Pickett]] and [[wikipedia:Wilson Phillips|Wilson Phillips]]. [[User:Studley|Studley]] ([[User talk:Studley|talk]]) 08:28, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
[[wikipedia:Will Ferrell|Will Ferrell]] and [[wikipedia:Pharrell Williams|Pharrell Williams]] for me! -{{unsigned|Stumpy}}
Bill Paxton should be followed by Bill Bixby... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.92|108.162.254.92]] 09:10, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

How about George Washington and George Washington Carver? and the George Washington Bridge?

At one time, the White House had both a Donald Regan and a Ronald Reagan.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.190|108.162.215.190]] 17:14, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Why do some first round pairings have more than two people? Beyoncé starts at the third round, so it can't be just because of the number of people. There has to be a joke in them but I don't see it. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.176|141.101.104.176]] 08:45, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:Possibly an in-joke at the NCAA bracket's First Four round. Mister/Fred Astaire/Rogers is a more "traditional" reference to the First Four. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.103|108.162.219.103]] 10:32, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Perhaps it's worth adding to a trivia section that (assuming every person/thing has an equal chance of winning every matchup, Beyonce has the highest odds of winning (1/32 = 3.125%) while Kurt Russell, Russell Crowe, Russell Brand, and Russell Simmons are all tied for having the worst starting odds (1/256 = .391%).[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.91|108.162.219.91]] 09:19, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

I may be worth mentioning that the bracketing trees resemble hierarchical clustering dendrograms in which some string similarity metric was used as a distance function. {{unsigned ip|141.101.91.7}}

Although the comic is formatted as a tournament bracket, there are hints that it is in fact a dendrogram based on string similarity, in a similar way to how trees of evolutionary relationships between proteins are formed. We see this especially in the "Russell" group where there is equal similarity between any name containing "Russell" and so that group is not resolved into two separate forks. If readers wish to recreate such an analysis for themselves they can take the text on [http://pastebin.com/DRqjaDHH here] paste it into a [http://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/msa/clustalw2/ multiple sequence aligner], press Submit, then after processing click Phylogenetic Tree and scroll down. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.74|141.101.99.74]] 12:46, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Somewhat disagree. There is no "string similarity" between domino and checker. The connection between the names seems to be that there are games named Dominos and Checkers. They would not be together if it was based on strictly on string similarity or generated automatically by software without human intervention.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.190|108.162.215.190]] 17:09, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Is there any significance to the number of entries? 52 on the left side but only 51 on the right? {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.84}}

;Title text
Changed the reference of the Title Text from Doctor Who (who is already listed in the comic) to Dr. Dre, as the phrasing of the Title Text seems like a very direct reference to the 2001 song "Forgot About Dre." {{unsigned|Conquistador}}
:Probably would have been better to add it as an option since we're clearly far from certain -{{unsigned|Stumpy}}

Why not Zoidberg? --RhyvenNZ [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.41|198.41.238.41]] 09:55, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Pretty sure Doctor Who is covered by "The Doctor". He doesn't go by "Who" in the show. He's just the Doctor. I think the missing doctor is House. {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.127}}

Dr. Pepper, maybe? Does "staring" or "forgotten" have to do with it? {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.156}}

Whatagainnow? {{unsigned ip|108.162.222.178}}

Dr. Oz? Dr. Phil? Dr. Watson? Dr. Kavorkian? Dr. Seuss? Wasn't there a famous literary work, The Lost Island of Dr. Moreau? I agree that Dr. House and/or house calls could be a missing candidate for the bracket. But then, there are a ton of 'Sirs' that didn't make the list.  {{unsigned|GAKDragon||please sign your posts appropriately with the appropriate user and talk page links using <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>}}
:[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Teeth_and_The_Electric_Mayhem Doctor Teeth!] [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:50, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:Pete Docter? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.191|108.162.249.191]] 11:27, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

Or is "The Doctor" http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_Doctor? {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.108}}
:The Doctor is already in the bracket. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.49|141.101.99.49]] 10:40, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

It's Doctor House - definitely and finally! {{unsigned|Raydleemsc}}

Definitely "Doc" Brown: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Brown {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.171}}

::It's clearly Dr. Doolittle. Can't imagine why no one has realized this yet. {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.193}}

Could the joke simply be "there are way too many famous doctors", so even though it's arguably the most numerous category in the bracket, some are still "forgotten"? {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.164}}

Probably not talking about doctor who, however he could be referencing The Silence, which is a an alien race, on that show, which you immediately forget about after losing sight of it. {{unsigned|KroniK907}}

I immediately thought of Amy's wedding in Dr Who S5Ep13 where she needed to remember the doctor to bring him back. Too obscure? [[User:Blu003|Blu003]] ([[User talk:Blu003|talk]]) 13:07, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:Hardly. You want obscure, try The Doctor's granddaughter. Yep, he had/has one. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.144|108.162.237.144]] 13:41, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

:Dr. Martha Jones, from Doctor Who? The Doctor Donna? Even the companions on the show are Doctors. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.178|108.162.222.178]] 03:55, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

Y'know, I can't help but feel that this is a little to bland and unfinished for xkcd. I'm willing to bet that the picture updates with winners. May be sorely disappointed though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.119|108.162.219.119]] 15:02, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Can't help but feel that there's a better way to lay this explanation out, but I haven't been able to come up with it. Maybe some sort of table listing all the different groups, with people allowed to be in more than one group? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.232|141.101.98.232]] 15:18, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

:I personally don't love the large listing of people. It is a bit bland, but more importantly, it doesn't really show the linkages between the participants (though most people ought to be able to figure out these overt links Jeff Gordon... Jeff Daniels... it doesn't need explanation. That said, the current format doesn't quite demonstrate the chain-link nature of some matchups like:
:*'''Body''' Shop
:*'''Bath''' and '''Body''' Works
:*Bed '''Bath''' & '''Beyond'''
:*'''Beyond''' Thunderdome
:* '''Beyon'''cé.
:I wouldn't mind a format with that kind of bolding. I think that shows the chain of links better than the first to being grouped "businesses with the word "body" and the second two "things with the word beyond" and "Beyoncé" separately. Similarly, Jeff Daniels belongs to both the "Jeff"s and the "J. Daniels"es. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 15:48, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

I wouldn't categorize Fats Domino and Chubby Checker (just) as games. Given that they're directly under Ryan Adams and Bryan Adams, I'd have identified them as 50's singers, with some physical similarities. [[User:KenWhitesell|KenWhitesell]] ([[User talk:KenWhitesell|talk]]) 16:17, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Agree. I put in the identification about games without knowing who Chubby Checker was.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.190|108.162.215.190]] 17:09, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:Then you are one of today's lucky 10,000! [[1053]] {{w|Chubby Checker}}[[User:Zeimusu|Zeimusu]] ([[User talk:Zeimusu|talk]]) 21:32, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

;celebrity deathmatch

This reminds me of Celebrity Deathmatch. Then have:
* Charles Manson vs. Marilyn Manson
* Backstreet Boys vs. Beastie Boys
* The Three Stooges vs. The Three Tenors
* Kevin Costner vs. Kevin Smith
* John Cusack vs. John Malkovich
* David Blaine vs. David Copperfield
* Corey Feldman vs. Corey Haim
* Jack Black vs. Jack White

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Celebrity_Deathmatch_episodes {{unsigned|Bart9h}}

Who is Jeff Gordan? There's an extremely famous NASCAR driver named Jeff Gordon, but I don't know of a Jeff Gordan. Significant or typo? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.182|108.162.238.182]] 16:07, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Where is Colin Furze? And Arnold Swarzenegger? And all other people I never heard of? -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.116|141.101.104.116]] 21:12, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

What about my favourite triple: Robbie Williams, Robin Williams and Robyn Williams? -- Ian N. {{unsigned ip|162.158.3.11}}

And who can forget Dermot Mulroney and Dylan mcDermott?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.164|108.162.254.164]] 09:34, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

This is a major "Get Out Of My Head, Randall" comic for me. The day before this comic was posted, my friend and I were discussing a "Hunger Games" type simulation being done on 8chan involving loads and loads of characters across genres, and he had asked me about the probability of a particular match-up occurring with a desired outcome. It led to a long and detailed math conversation. The original match-up has been bumped out of existence, but [http://i.imgur.com/ESeMXOI.jpg this image] still lives on. Appropriately, the comic was posted on my birthday. 2spooky4me. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.177|108.162.210.177]] 06:01, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

I would have added Amanda Plummer. Will confuse Plummer with Palmer any day. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.191|108.162.249.191]] 23:19, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Just as well we don't have to deal with Paul Ryan - Ayn Rand - Rand Paul...Ron Paul, Les Paul, Saint Paul, John Paul, John Paul Jones...Wolfgang Pauli, Pollyanna...[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:41, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1529: Bracket

2015-05-26T11:41:41Z

Taibhse:

Interesting to me that no one has noted the order of the doctors. Doctor Octopus is from a comic, Doctor Manhattan is from a graphic novel and, trying to avoid spoilers here, the atomic bomb plays a key role in the story. The atomic bomb was the product of the Manhattan project (a fact not lost on Alan Moore), and the subject of the movie referenced by the next line, Dr Strangelove ("or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb"). I can't believe this order is arbitrary. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.108|173.245.48.108]] 04:55, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

What's the connection between Rip Torn and Natalie Imbruglia? {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.183}}
:Answer: Her song, Torn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV1XWJN3nJo-{{unsigned|Stumpy}}
Rip Torn could have a preliminary match with Prof. Lance Rips {{16:34, 25 May 2015 (UTC)Mitch Marks uchicago}}

Any pairings that you'd add, given the opportunity? Personally I always confuse [[wikipedia:Wilson Pickett|Wilson Pickett]] and [[wikipedia:Wilson Phillips|Wilson Phillips]]. [[User:Studley|Studley]] ([[User talk:Studley|talk]]) 08:28, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
[[wikipedia:Will Ferrell|Will Ferrell]] and [[wikipedia:Pharrell Williams|Pharrell Williams]] for me! -{{unsigned|Stumpy}}
Bill Paxton should be followed by Bill Bixby... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.92|108.162.254.92]] 09:10, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

How about George Washington and George Washington Carver? and the George Washington Bridge?

At one time, the White House had both a Donald Regan and a Ronald Reagan.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.190|108.162.215.190]] 17:14, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Why do some first round pairings have more than two people? Beyoncé starts at the third round, so it can't be just because of the number of people. There has to be a joke in them but I don't see it. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.176|141.101.104.176]] 08:45, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:Possibly an in-joke at the NCAA bracket's First Four round. Mister/Fred Astaire/Rogers is a more "traditional" reference to the First Four. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.103|108.162.219.103]] 10:32, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Perhaps it's worth adding to a trivia section that (assuming every person/thing has an equal chance of winning every matchup, Beyonce has the highest odds of winning (1/32 = 3.125%) while Kurt Russell, Russell Crowe, Russell Brand, and Russell Simmons are all tied for having the worst starting odds (1/256 = .391%).[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.91|108.162.219.91]] 09:19, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

I may be worth mentioning that the bracketing trees resemble hierarchical clustering dendrograms in which some string similarity metric was used as a distance function. {{unsigned ip|141.101.91.7}}

Although the comic is formatted as a tournament bracket, there are hints that it is in fact a dendrogram based on string similarity, in a similar way to how trees of evolutionary relationships between proteins are formed. We see this especially in the "Russell" group where there is equal similarity between any name containing "Russell" and so that group is not resolved into two separate forks. If readers wish to recreate such an analysis for themselves they can take the text on [http://pastebin.com/DRqjaDHH here] paste it into a [http://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/msa/clustalw2/ multiple sequence aligner], press Submit, then after processing click Phylogenetic Tree and scroll down. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.74|141.101.99.74]] 12:46, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Somewhat disagree. There is no "string similarity" between domino and checker. The connection between the names seems to be that there are games named Dominos and Checkers. They would not be together if it was based on strictly on string similarity or generated automatically by software without human intervention.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.190|108.162.215.190]] 17:09, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Is there any significance to the number of entries? 52 on the left side but only 51 on the right? {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.84}}

;Title text
Changed the reference of the Title Text from Doctor Who (who is already listed in the comic) to Dr. Dre, as the phrasing of the Title Text seems like a very direct reference to the 2001 song "Forgot About Dre." {{unsigned|Conquistador}}
:Probably would have been better to add it as an option since we're clearly far from certain -{{unsigned|Stumpy}}

Why not Zoidberg? --RhyvenNZ [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.41|198.41.238.41]] 09:55, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Pretty sure Doctor Who is covered by "The Doctor". He doesn't go by "Who" in the show. He's just the Doctor. I think the missing doctor is House. {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.127}}

Dr. Pepper, maybe? Does "staring" or "forgotten" have to do with it? {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.156}}

Whatagainnow? {{unsigned ip|108.162.222.178}}

Dr. Oz? Dr. Phil? Dr. Watson? Dr. Kavorkian? Dr. Seuss? Wasn't there a famous literary work, The Lost Island of Dr. Moreau? I agree that Dr. House and/or house calls could be a missing candidate for the bracket. But then, there are a ton of 'Sirs' that didn't make the list.  {{unsigned|GAKDragon||please sign your posts appropriately with the appropriate user and talk page links using <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>}}
:[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Teeth_and_The_Electric_Mayhem Doctor Teeth!] [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:50, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:Pete Docter? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.191|108.162.249.191]] 11:27, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

Or is "The Doctor" http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_Doctor? {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.108}}
:The Doctor is already in the bracket. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.49|141.101.99.49]] 10:40, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

It's Doctor House - definitely and finally! {{unsigned|Raydleemsc}}

Definitely "Doc" Brown: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Brown {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.171}}

::It's clearly Dr. Doolittle. Can't imagine why no one has realized this yet. {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.193}}

Could the joke simply be "there are way too many famous doctors", so even though it's arguably the most numerous category in the bracket, some are still "forgotten"? {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.164}}

Probably not talking about doctor who, however he could be referencing The Silence, which is a an alien race, on that show, which you immediately forget about after losing sight of it. {{unsigned|KroniK907}}

I immediately thought of Amy's wedding in Dr Who S5Ep13 where she needed to remember the doctor to bring him back. Too obscure? [[User:Blu003|Blu003]] ([[User talk:Blu003|talk]]) 13:07, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:Hardly. You want obscure, try The Doctor's granddaughter. Yep, he had/has one. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.144|108.162.237.144]] 13:41, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

:Dr. Martha Jones, from Doctor Who? The Doctor Donna? Even the companions on the show are Doctors. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.178|108.162.222.178]] 03:55, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

Y'know, I can't help but feel that this is a little to bland and unfinished for xkcd. I'm willing to bet that the picture updates with winners. May be sorely disappointed though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.119|108.162.219.119]] 15:02, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Can't help but feel that there's a better way to lay this explanation out, but I haven't been able to come up with it. Maybe some sort of table listing all the different groups, with people allowed to be in more than one group? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.232|141.101.98.232]] 15:18, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

:I personally don't love the large listing of people. It is a bit bland, but more importantly, it doesn't really show the linkages between the participants (though most people ought to be able to figure out these overt links Jeff Gordon... Jeff Daniels... it doesn't need explanation. That said, the current format doesn't quite demonstrate the chain-link nature of some matchups like:
:*'''Body''' Shop
:*'''Bath''' and '''Body''' Works
:*Bed '''Bath''' & '''Beyond'''
:*'''Beyond''' Thunderdome
:* '''Beyon'''cé.
:I wouldn't mind a format with that kind of bolding. I think that shows the chain of links better than the first to being grouped "businesses with the word "body" and the second two "things with the word beyond" and "Beyoncé" separately. Similarly, Jeff Daniels belongs to both the "Jeff"s and the "J. Daniels"es. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 15:48, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

I wouldn't categorize Fats Domino and Chubby Checker (just) as games. Given that they're directly under Ryan Adams and Bryan Adams, I'd have identified them as 50's singers, with some physical similarities. [[User:KenWhitesell|KenWhitesell]] ([[User talk:KenWhitesell|talk]]) 16:17, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Agree. I put in the identification about games without knowing who Chubby Checker was.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.190|108.162.215.190]] 17:09, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:Then you are one of today's lucky 10,000! [[1053]] {{w|Chubby Checker}}[[User:Zeimusu|Zeimusu]] ([[User talk:Zeimusu|talk]]) 21:32, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

;celebrity deathmatch

This reminds me of Celebrity Deathmatch. Then have:
* Charles Manson vs. Marilyn Manson
* Backstreet Boys vs. Beastie Boys
* The Three Stooges vs. The Three Tenors
* Kevin Costner vs. Kevin Smith
* John Cusack vs. John Malkovich
* David Blaine vs. David Copperfield
* Corey Feldman vs. Corey Haim
* Jack Black vs. Jack White

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Celebrity_Deathmatch_episodes {{unsigned|Bart9h}}

Who is Jeff Gordan? There's an extremely famous NASCAR driver named Jeff Gordon, but I don't know of a Jeff Gordan. Significant or typo? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.182|108.162.238.182]] 16:07, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Where is Colin Furze? And Arnold Swarzenegger? And all other people I never heard of? -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.116|141.101.104.116]] 21:12, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

What about my favourite triple: Robbie Williams, Robin Williams and Robyn Williams? -- Ian N. {{unsigned ip|162.158.3.11}}

And who can forget Dermot Mulroney and Dylan mcDermott?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.164|108.162.254.164]] 09:34, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

This is a major "Get Out Of My Head, Randall" comic for me. The day before this comic was posted, my friend and I were discussing a "Hunger Games" type simulation being done on 8chan involving loads and loads of characters across genres, and he had asked me about the probability of a particular match-up occurring with a desired outcome. It led to a long and detailed math conversation. The original match-up has been bumped out of existence, but [http://i.imgur.com/ESeMXOI.jpg this image] still lives on. Appropriately, the comic was posted on my birthday. 2spooky4me. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.177|108.162.210.177]] 06:01, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

I would have added Amanda Plummer. Will confuse Plummer with Palmer any day. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.191|108.162.249.191]] 23:19, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
Just as well we don't have to deal with Paul Ryan - Ayn Rand - Rand Paul...Ron Paul, Les Paul, Saint Paul, John Paul, John Paul Jones...Wolfgang Pauli, Pollyanna...[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:41, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1528: Vodka

2015-05-26T10:57:44Z

Taibhse:

Moving three comments below (between --- and ---) from the page [[1528]] that was not named correctly to begin with --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:53, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

---

Weirdly enough, 80 proof vodka and the human body are both about 60% water. If you replaced the remaining 30-odd percent of volume in your body with pure alcohol, you could sustain yourself purely on vodka! Or become vodka. [[User:Consumer|Consumer]] ([[User talk:Consumer|talk]]) 09:37, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

That Polytail is a pretty hardcore lady - it looks like she's drinking directly from the bottle. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 12:39, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

:I kinda think she's looking into the bottle, to see if it is really 'talking', rather than drinking from it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.66|141.101.98.66]] 05:44, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

::She does not have a glas where she could drink from (Megan has one), so she must drink from the bottle. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.230.191|108.162.230.191]] 13:11, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

---

Fun fact: vodka is named by adding a feminine diminutive to the Russian word for "water." A somewhat more literal translation (for anime fans, at least) would be calling it "water-chan". —[[User:Robotech|Robotech]] ([[User talk:Robotech|talk]]) 14:46, 22 May 2015 (UTC)
: Somewhat like whiskey/whisky or akvavit or eau de vie, all of which mean "water of life."[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 16:00, 22 May 2015 (UTC)
:: Does that mean the Bene Gesserit were all just drunk off their collective asses on Whiskey the whole time? -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 00:12, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:::Well, actually, "uisce/uisge" just means "water." The name comes from "uisge/uisce beatha" = "water of life" but they dropped the "life" part in English usage. Also, medieval Latinists gave the name "aqua vitae" to just about any distilled concentrated ethanol product. It doesn't really rain Johnny Walker or Jameson's on Whiskey.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:57, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1528: Vodka

2015-05-22T16:00:09Z

Taibhse:

Talk:1523: Microdrones

2015-05-11T22:21:45Z

Taibhse:

Did someone tried? I mean, can you really catch drone with butterfly net without damaging the drone or the net? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:32, 11 May 2015 (UTC)
:I know people shoot them out of the air with guns and considering the height at which they're flying, it's possible. [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 12:47, 11 May 2015 (UTC)
::I think the Amazon bit is implying that Amazon is artificially making drone nets unavailable because of its own drone based delivery service. Feel free to rephrase it. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.193}}

does this reference P.K,Dick's "Vulcan's Hammer"? {{unsigned|Docski}}
:Hmm... I don't think hammers are equal to drones, but interesting. [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 16:56, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

If you removed all regulations, drone theft would be legal. If it's on your property, it belongs to you. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.227|108.162.214.227]] 18:42, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

You mean we AREN'T living in a sci-fi dystopia right now? There are skies that are patrolled by robots with missiles. ````

I'm attaching a butterfly net to my drone right now. Catching high flying drones is so easy, I will attach nets to my 20 drones tomorrow. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.158|173.245.48.158]] 22:02, 11 May 2015 (UTC)BLuDgeons
: How easy is it to take over the remote controller once you have the drone in your net? Is there a fairly generic way to pair a drone to another controller? (In current designs) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 22:20, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1523: Microdrones

2015-05-11T22:20:13Z

Taibhse:

Did someone tried? I mean, can you really catch drone with butterfly net without damaging the drone or the net? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:32, 11 May 2015 (UTC)
:I know people shoot them out of the air with guns and considering the height at which they're flying, it's possible. [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 12:47, 11 May 2015 (UTC)
::I think the Amazon bit is implying that Amazon is artificially making drone nets unavailable because of its own drone based delivery service. Feel free to rephrase it. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.193}}

does this reference P.K,Dick's "Vulcan's Hammer"? {{unsigned|Docski}}
:Hmm... I don't think hammers are equal to drones, but interesting. [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 16:56, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

If you removed all regulations, drone theft would be legal. If it's on your property, it belongs to you. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.227|108.162.214.227]] 18:42, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

You mean we AREN'T living in a sci-fi dystopia right now? There are skies that are patrolled by robots with missiles. ````

I'm attaching a butterfly net to my drone right now. Catching high flying drones is so easy, I will attach nets to my 20 drones tomorrow. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.158|173.245.48.158]] 22:02, 11 May 2015 (UTC)BLuDgeons
: How easy is it to take over the remote controller once you have the drone in your net? Is there a fairly generic way to match a drone to another controller? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 22:20, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1522: Astronomy

2015-05-09T11:28:19Z

Taibhse:

For a telescope you can be far away, for a magnifying glass or microscope you need a ladder to be nearer to the stars. Microscopes are for biology, telescopes for astronomy.
They have got a similar purpose, but look and are applied differently. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.122|108.162.254.122]] 07:09, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

Seemed like another example of Beret guy contradicting how things work, like how he blows into the power cord and inflated a computer, or how he plugged a cord into a power outlet labeled "COFFEE" and coffee came out. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.168|108.162.238.168]] 07:19, 8 May 2015 (UTC)
:Yes obviously this approach works for Berret Guy because this is what he does. Explanation lacks this fact. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:44, 8 May 2015 (UTC)
:Soup, wasn't it? But yes, for some reason he can actually use a stepladder to get a closer look (and a better one, thanks t the magnifying glass) on the "curtain of the night", which for him ''is'' actually within reach. As if it is just like a stage back-cloth with some form of star-effect (holes and backlight or sewn-in LEDs) as far as he is concerned.
:But what I was actually coming here to say was regarding Astrobiology being a portmanteu (as currently in the explanation). I'm not sure I'd call it that. It's really a perfectly normal compound description of a study area, like many others in science, used to clarify what ''subset'' of biology it is (e.g. paleobiology being the biology of historic organisms, more or less, coming roughly from the greek for "old life study"). Although it does rather hint at it's "the biology of stars themselves", as opposed to the perhaps more accurate exobiology ("outside life study") when it comes to off-Earth life not in (or being) actual stars; or xenobiology ("strange life study"), although that does tend to include oddments of obscure Earth biology and artificial life as well and really doesn't mean the study of extra-terrestrial organisms... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.186|141.101.98.186]] 08:00, 8 May 2015 (UTC)
:: Astrobiology is a perfectly normal word. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrobiology. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.151|173.245.54.151]] 08:49, 8 May 2015 (UTC)
::: Moreover, the wording (which I deleted) implied that Randall invented the word, or that the word is very new: "the word "astrobiology" is the joining of the prefix astro- and biology and refers to ...". Now it says "{{w|Astrobiology}} is ...". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.144|108.162.238.144]] 13:52, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

A minor comment on the incorrect use of the word ''portmanteau'' in the explanation so far: it is defined as [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/portmanteau a word formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two different words], [[wikipedia:portmanteau]]; however, [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/astro- astro-] is a combining form of the the greek word ''aster'' meaning ''star'', used to form compound words, such as ''astro-bio-logy'' (aster-bios-logos: star-life-word). See [[1485]] for an example of the correct use of ''portmanteau''. (someone beat me to it while i was editing this ;-))
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.161|141.101.104.161]] 08:07, 8 May 2015 (UTC)
:Thank you. --{{User:17jiangz1/signature|09:14, 08 May 2015}}

You could view the comic as a theatrical production, Megan's telescope as a prop, and Beret guy is just inspecting the backdrop. The ladder is for comic and aesthetic effect {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.53}}

Aaaaa. Astronomers do not touch telescopes while observing. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.185|173.245.52.185]] 09:23, 8 May 2015 (UTC) Cameron

My first association was the Hubble Space Telescope: Even though there are huge telescopes on earth, most (all?) of them are inferior to the relatively small telescope a few km above earth's surface. Beret Guy could have tried to achive the same effect by climbing a ladder. [[User:Epaminaidos|Epaminaidos]] ([[User talk:Epaminaidos|talk]]) 09:58, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

I'm with 141.101.99.53 - I'm not sure that those white dots are stars. My first thought was that they were flecks of dirt or something on the wall or on the inside of a dome. What Megan is doing there with that huge telescope I don't know, but a telescope of that size is not usually used outdoors where stars can be seen down to the horizon. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 10:35, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

That seems to be the reason why the Good Telescopes are always on mountains – nearer to the stars and no ladder needed ;-). --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 11:32, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

I believe the good telescopes are high so they get less atmospheric disturbances. The height of a mountain will still be insignificant compared to distances measured in light years.--The man they call Jayne[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.183|108.162.237.183]] 11:50, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

I actually thought that maybe physics just work differently for him so he was actually standing among the stars (like someone might stand among lightning bugs) and actually examining them. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.193}}

I don't think the titletext has anything to do with shaking about, I think it's a joke about people being nervious about breaking the microscope. [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 15:57, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

My take is Beret Guy is using "cartoon physics" or in this case "comic physics". The first few panels we assume the stars are in the distance. Since we are looking at a 2D representation (drawing), we can't be sure. But our past experiences with the night sky and with pictures or situations such as this guides our perception. However, because of Beret Guy's weird take on everything, he perceives the stars as they actually ARE in the comic: just white dots on a black background, kind of like a poor man's planetarium. He wants to get a closer look at some that are higher up on the wall/background so climbs up a ladder and uses his magnifying glass. It's a little like the cartoon where the coyote paints a tunnel on a rock, thinking the roadrunner will run into it. Instead, the roadrunner just goes through the painted tunnel like it was real. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.124|108.162.219.124]] 19:34, 8 May 2015 (UTC)Pat

It's also possible that Megan ''and'' her telescope are part of a backdrop of some sort - I don't think she moves at all in the comic. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.182|173.245.54.182]] 21:44, 8 May 2015 (UTC)
: She does move; look closely at her hair. One could say she is looking "sidelong" at Beret Guy, which is a gesture that communicates something. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:28, 9 May 2015 (UTC)

Woah, that's really a '''lot''' of discussion over this tiny comic. [[User:Nk22|Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 19:06, 8 May 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1506: xkcloud

2015-04-02T04:45:40Z

Taibhse:

The lack of a hover text breaks all sorts of things :) e.g. Floern's unofficial xkcd browser linked here via the hover text but it won't display the link or the lack of give text if there's no hover text! We may get a few less visitors for this comic as a result...

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.115|108.162.229.115]] 08:42, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:Still getting swamped, it's business as usual for April 1st. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:06, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Why is "literally on fire" a question? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.163|108.162.249.163]] 09:52, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

:It indicates uncertainty. He's not really asking a question, but making a statement hesitantly. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.22}}

::Indeed, see also {{w|uptalk}}. [[User:Pesthouse|Pesthouse]] ([[User talk:Pesthouse|talk]]) 10:03, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

How does i work? Does it work? When i click the "Help us"-Button i just get a blank comic with "..." written at the top :( [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.148|108.162.254.148]] 10:14, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:same here. any hint? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.92.82|141.101.92.82]] 22:58, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Oh boy, time to find out if mediawiki does imagemaps.--[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 10:31, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

The image was updated on xkcd.com the button now reads "Click here to help us recover user data before facebook & ca notice we lost it [[User:ẞ qwertz|ẞ qwertz]] ([[User talk:ẞ qwertz|talk]]) 10:48, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:Can someone update the picture without just making a screen shoot? It is not like you can save it the normal way. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:39, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
::I have never understood how this works. I did try to change to the new version, but it somehow keeps loading the old version, even though I know that I did load a new version up. Even on the file page my file loads as the wrong one. I have tried this more than once... Previously the image has updates to the new version later without a new upload appearing. But I have no idea why...? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:39, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

I decided to '''man up''', get the train rolling and submitted the '''first revision''' of the explanation. Do expand, retouch, overwrite, format and correct my simple explanation. I didn't know if the 3 already existing posts, the ambiguous text posts or the drawings are user-based, so I avoided saying so in the explanation. I'll just add something about the covet/thirst/hanker/crave in a moment, and I'm done. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.151|173.245.53.151]] 11:11, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

This comic has an empty alt text. See http://m.xkcd.com/1506/. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 13:50, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

* There's a silent character limit (no error message, just non-acceptance; You can still comment the image again, but the text is lost unless you copied it first) somewhere between 222 and 298 chars. I tried to make a start at playing Identik with an image, but only came half way through. Guess, I have to write shorter...
* Someone figured out, how to copy&paste some grayscale image.
* I managed to submit a color image, but haven't seen it coming back yet. Tell me when you find a red one.
* There is at least one image that is too fine to have been drawn in that minimal editor (squirrel+football). I guess, it's one of the initial images that Randall provided. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 14:00, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
** There's also an image of Buzz Lightyear that appears to be copy-pasted in. I'm not sure how someone would have accomplished that. How did you mange to get color, user 2 above me? If anyone seems a stick-figure comic titled 2006 in which one character says to the other "You're never going to achieve anything if you spend all your time on that web comic ... Now back to my Zune research", that's mine. Post here and let me know! [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:33, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
*** I used the web console to get a drawing context on the canvas object. After submission the image was actually transferred to the lower area, but now, I suspect that it wasn't really the data that got uploaded... -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 15:00, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
**** I used a similar method (injecting modified base64 directly into the stream) to submit goatse :) --[[User:Okofish|Okofish]] ([[User talk:Okofish|talk]]) 22:41, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:Yes although I'm certain that most of the images are from users, it would be nice to hear from someone who can confirm that one of their images has been spotted {{unsigned|Kynde}}
::I can at least confirm that one of my texts has been spottet by someone else. I got the black image and wrote "I finally managed to disable the flashlight of my camera". Later I saw an image combining a hammer, a nail and a camera to depict my description. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 15:00, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
::The last computer device at the far right is a first generation SNES. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.193|173.245.56.193]] 15:12, 1 April 2015 (UTC)X
:::I keep reading the unidentified computer (second to rightmost) as a SunSPARC (that could kinda be the Sun logo) or a NEXT cube (right shape but no match to the logo) or something. Not sure where someone got 'radio transmitter'. [[User:Ijkcomputer|Ijkcomputer]] ([[User talk:Ijkcomputer|talk]]) 19:56, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:::My first reaction to the second-to-rightmost was some kind of homebrew like an S-100 CP/M system with open-air cards in slots and a cased power supply or maybe a storage device, and a CRT with a graphic shown on it.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 04:45, 2 April 2015 (UTC)
*I think the general idea is based on a game that I think is called the fax machine game? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.5|198.41.242.5]] 15:29, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

I really, really, hope that some people have seen my contributions. They're pretty damn funny. [[User:YourLifeisaLie|The Goyim speaks]] ([[User talk:YourLifeisaLie|talk]]) 17:20, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

There's a link(Don't contact us) at the bottom of the list on the left that leads to a chatroom.[[User:Foldark|Foldark]] ([[User talk:Foldark|talk]]) 22:29, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Seems like the comic stopped working right now? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:46, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:It is also not working for me. I had assumed I was personally blocked for polling the server too often... but maybe we DDOSed it. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 22:55, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:It's working for me again. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 22:56, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

I believe the 'Don't contact us' button is slowly fading away. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.137|173.245.50.137]] 02:18, 2 April 2015 (UTC)
:I believe the chat has been removed, I just got booted with a "This room requires a passcode", and now it won't load: https://euphoria.io/room/xkcd/ -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 02:33, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1494: Insurance

2015-03-04T09:34:11Z

Taibhse:

Well...suck for you.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.57|108.162.215.57]] 05:17, 4 March 2015 (UTC) RobotGoggles

'''Incomplete tag?'''
I know it's pretty early, and the explanation is bound to be rewritten, but the current explanation is a little confusing, and makes a couple jumps that I wouldn't necessarily make. Maybe the incomplete tag shouldn't be removed yet? I'd do it, but I don't really know enough about actually editing the explanations to feel comfortable doing it yet.
[[User:ARoseByAnyOtherName|ARoseByAnyOtherName]] ([[User talk:ARoseByAnyOtherName|talk]]) 08:52, 4 March 2015 (UTC)

== Any meaning to conveyer? ==

The spelling error in the alt text seems like a simple typo.

Lawyer? I assumed it was a salesman or HR guy. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 08:50, 4 March 2015 (UTC)
:: Insurance agent. Not exactly a salesman; agents have multiple hats. You don't get fire insurance from HR.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:34, 4 March 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1487: Tornado

2015-02-16T09:36:00Z

Taibhse:

Are we sure this is cueball? it seems like it might be just a generic newscaster cartoon.
[[User:Reywas|Reywas]] ([[User talk:Reywas|talk]]) 07:41, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

Can a weather expert verify the claim that a tornado will destroy a merry-go-round? From what little I read and understood (Weather is confusing, and there was no graph!), a F0 or F1 tornado would not destroy it. From my estimations, a merry-go-round weighs 1350kg (2976.24054 lbs). Thanks, [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.95|141.101.106.95]] 08:53, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

Another type of "merry-go-round" is a very common playground device, much simpler than the type with seats or horses. This https://smilekiddo.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/zipline_merry-go-round.jpg is what I envisioned from the comic, although it could refer to either type. The freely-rotating small platform, usually with bars for children to hold onto while standing, and rotated merely by people-power, is probably the most common type of merry-go-round in the US. They may weigh from 500 to 2000 lbs, or mass from about 15 to 60 slugs (I'll assume xkcd readers can convert to other mass units if desired.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:24, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1487: Tornado

2015-02-16T09:24:09Z

Taibhse:

Are we sure this is cueball? it seems like it might be just a generic newscaster cartoon.
[[User:Reywas|Reywas]] ([[User talk:Reywas|talk]]) 07:41, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

Can a weather expert verify the claim that a tornado will destroy a merry-go-round? From what little I read and understood (Weather is confusing, and there was no graph!), a F0 or F1 tornado would not destroy it. From my estimations, a merry-go-round weighs 1350kg (2976.24054 lbs). Thanks, [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.95|141.101.106.95]] 08:53, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

Another type of "merry-go-round" is a very common playground device, much simpler than the type with seats or horses. This https://smilekiddo.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/zipline_merry-go-round.jpg is what I envisioned from the comic, although it could refer to either type. The freely-rotating small platform, usually with bars for children to hold onto while standing, and rotated merely by people-power, is probably the most common type of merry-go-round in the US. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:24, 16 February 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1031: s/keyboard/leopard/

2015-02-12T12:10:07Z

Taibhse:

My mechanical leopard's been working out for me, just the feeling of my fingers hitting it is amazing. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:35, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

Why does it say "s/leopard/leopard/" in the url of this page, but title of this comic is "s/leopard/leopard/"?[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 17:57, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
:Now I see "s/leopard/leopard/" twice in my previous comment. I forgot that I have an extension installed that was inspired by this comic. :) [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 18:00, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

I swear I read every instance of leopard as leopard. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.89|173.245.54.89]] 23:33, 14 November 2013 (UTC)

Shouldn't the title of the comic end in "g" since it's a global replace, like "s/leopard/leopard/g"? [[User:Kroq-gar78|Kroq-gar78]] ([[User talk:Kroq-gar78|talk]]) 18:56, 23 November 2013 (UTC)
:I have no idea, but I do know that the current title matches the one on xkcd. We're not changing it, even if there was an error. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 03:50, 19 February 2014 (UTC)

:I just bought my new leopard today! It's working great, but it's a bit hard to use. Is there such a thing as a leopard-repair shop? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.47|108.162.219.47]] 21:03, 3 March 2014 (UTC)
some[http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-leopards-keypads] leopards even have touch screens[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.45|108.162.216.45]] 05:58, 8 March 2014 (UTC)

You sure it's not a sed command? Regexps just matches! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.97|108.162.215.97]] 13:44, 8 September 2014 (UTC)
:actually, it's an ed command.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:10, 12 February 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1482: NowPlaying

2015-02-05T08:18:57Z

Taibhse:

So what song is it? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.10|108.162.242.10]] 06:11, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:I believe it is the Main Theme from Jurassic Park. --[[User:Duhsn|Duhsn]] ([[User talk:Duhsn|talk]]) 06:13, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:If you have good ears you can check for yourself: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w-58hQ9dLk Link] --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.134|108.162.254.134]] 09:05, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:Nope, not even close. Wrong notes, wrong key (although that doesn't matter as much, could be transposed). Though I thought it was the little bit at the end of "This Old Man", but the last 3 notes don't make sense, and when I try to play it, the first A doesn't quite work (also found sheet music, and that first A should be a B, confirmed). Oh well. - Mikowmer --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.218|108.162.249.218]] 11:26, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:Might it be the folk melody "Country Gardens"? See the Wikipedia entry or look it up one of the many performances on Youtube (there's a charming performance with the Muppets Rowlf and Fozzie Bear) [[Special:Contributions/188.114.103.238|188.114.103.238]] 14:14, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

E major, is a chord, not a note...[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.169|108.162.249.169]] 06:36, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
You can listen to the sequence of notes here: http://onlinesequencer.net/65475
(All notes the same length, and just guessing which octave each should be in...) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.169|108.162.249.169]] 06:36, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:Just because I want to get it stuck in your head :D, Added a bit to the beginning and end and changed octaves. http://onlinesequencer.net/65487 --[[User:Duhsn|Duhsn]] ([[User talk:Duhsn|talk]]) 07:40, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

The image on this page is NOT the same one as on the actual xkcd page. The original comic does not contain the reference to E Major. [[User:Andries|Andries]] ([[User talk:Andries|talk]]) 07:42, 4 February 2015 (UTC)Andries

Is he rick rolling us? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.182|199.27.128.182]] 07:48, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:He must have agreed with your comment about E major not being a note and changed it. --[[User:Duhsn|Duhsn]] ([[User talk:Duhsn|talk]]) 07:54, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

"and his friends Mike and Caitlin appear to be becoming concerned about his choice of music"... really? I thought they were upset that they were getting spammed by a post every second or so?
"and the notion that someone could become concerned about you based on a list of notes is even more ridiculous."... similarly, not so ridiculous if they're concerned about you spamming them with too many postings!
Finally, "The comic's title alludes to the fact that you can "play a song" but can also "play a note." It may also allude to the visual similarities between the hash/pound/number sign (#) and the sharp sign (♯)."... I don't get either of these references. The hash/sharp comparison is cute, except that the sharp sign doesn't appear in the comic. I took it as a simple extension of the usual someone is listening to some song messages linking to searches for that song "on various online music stores" if you click on them... that is, if you click on a particular note, it'll link to a search for songs that include that note - equally as useless as posting the individual notes of a song in the first place.
Extra-finally, I'd love to see Mike & Caitlin's reactions if Brian listened to anything with a glissando...
Haven't made any of these as changes as I'm not sure they're more than just my own opinion. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.220|108.162.249.220]] 07:55, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:Okay, so I've redone the second paragraph for facts, but haven't touched any of the other opinion bits. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.220|108.162.249.220]] 08:40, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Text may also be a reference to an old joke about a composer who writes, and copyrights, a composition consisting of a single note: middle C. All other composers who later included middle C would thus be quoting his composition, entitling him to royalties; all composers who used any OTHER note would be simply transposing the original composition into another key, and would still owe the royalty..." {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.112}}

I've changed the thing about Mike & Caitlin being concerned about music choice, as this is (as noted by other commentators) *much* less likely than their being concerned about having their news feeds spammed.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.135|141.101.98.135]] 09:25, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Would the Axis of Awesome 4 Chords song be a proper citation to prove many (pop) songs are made up of the same chords? Link of their youtube: http://youtu.be/oOlDewpCfZQ I think it would be funny, at least. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.192|173.245.53.192]] 14:03, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Why are the times out of order? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.213.41|108.162.213.41]] 14:59, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Brian's system or the one hat runs the social network might run on an older Version of Xen, so it gets "time went backwards" isses (e.g., http://bugzilla.xensource.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=195) and therefore wrong timestamps. Do we require to re-order the notes accordingly? [[User:Renormalist|Renormalist]] ([[User talk:Renormalist|talk]]) 16:09, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Btw, I interpreted Mike's comment not as annoyance about the entry flooding but that he can "hear" the melody in his head (like Beethoven) and hears a wrong tune. And maybe it's a small special community (like in xkcd/1305, which would also fit to the timestamp issues they have) so he starts discussing that wrong tune. [[User:Renormalist|Renormalist]] ([[User talk:Renormalist|talk]]) 16:45, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

I tried to correct the image, twice, and it still stays the same with the original error. I did this after adding the trivia section with the original image. Hope someone can correct this --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:48, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:Try clearing your browser cache. The image looks correct on my screen. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 18:53, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Totally nerd sniped.. [http://www.musipedia.org/result.html?sourceid=melody-url&tx_mpsearch_pi1%5bsubmit_button%5d=Search&tx_mpsearch_pi1%5bpc%5d=lily+e%278+a%278+b%278+d%278+cis%278+b%278+a%278+a%278+e%278+a%278+&coll=m&categories=&L=&filtertext=&rvp=0 Musipedia] seems to think the closest melodic match is "Cream" by Eric Clapton... Hard to get without seconds (so you can get some idea of the rhythm) [[User:BadPirate|BadPirate]] ([[User talk:BadPirate|talk]]) 20:32, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Surprising no one has mentioned the contrast with John Cage's "As Slow As Possible" now playing in the St Burchardi Church of Halberstadt, Germany. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:47, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:I suspect the hypothetical service might have trouble with some John Cage works (http://youtu.be/zY7UK-6aaNA), as well as anything relying on nature or ambient sounds, or not conforming to the chromatic scale - untuned percussion instruments, or perhaps a didgeridoo or kazoo. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.220|108.162.249.220]] 00:23, 5 February 2015 (UTC)
: Except that "As Slow As Possible" is all tonal, chromatic scale, instrument not even specified though usually organ. The point being it is heard a single note (or chord) at a time, by design. The current performance is planned to last hundreds of years, though it has often been performed in a matter of hours or days. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:18, 5 February 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1482: NowPlaying

2015-02-04T21:47:36Z

Taibhse:

So what song is it? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.10|108.162.242.10]] 06:11, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:I believe it is the Main Theme from Jurassic Park. --[[User:Duhsn|Duhsn]] ([[User talk:Duhsn|talk]]) 06:13, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:If you have good ears you can check for yourself: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w-58hQ9dLk Link] --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.134|108.162.254.134]] 09:05, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:Nope, not even close. Wrong notes, wrong key (although that doesn't matter as much, could be transposed). Though I thought it was the little bit at the end of "This Old Man", but the last 3 notes don't make sense, and when I try to play it, the first A doesn't quite work (also found sheet music, and that first A should be a B, confirmed). Oh well. - Mikowmer --[[SpeciContributions/108.162.249.218|108.162.249.218]] 11:26, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:Might it be the folk melody "Country Gardens"? See the Wikipedia entry or look it up one of the many performances on Youtube (there's a charming performance with the Muppets Rowlf and Fozzie Bear) [[Special:Contributions/188.114.103.238|188.114.103.238]] 14:14, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

E major, is a chord, not a note...[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.169|108.162.249.169]] 06:36, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
You can listen to the sequence of notes here: http://onlinesequencer.net/65475
(All notes the same length, and just guessing which octave each should be in...) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.169|108.162.249.169]] 06:36, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:Just because I want to get it stuck in your head :D, Added a bit to the beginning and end and changed octaves. http://onlinesequencer.net/65487 --[[User:Duhsn|Duhsn]] ([[User talk:Duhsn|talk]]) 07:40, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

The image on this page is NOT the same one as on the actual xkcd page. The original comic does not contain the reference to E Major. [[User:Andries|Andries]] ([[User talk:Andries|talk]]) 07:42, 4 February 2015 (UTC)Andries

Is he rick rolling us? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.182|199.27.128.182]] 07:48, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:He must have agreed with your comment about E major not being a note and changed it. --[[User:Duhsn|Duhsn]] ([[User talk:Duhsn|talk]]) 07:54, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

"and his friends Mike and Caitlin appear to be becoming concerned about his choice of music"... really? I thought they were upset that they were getting spammed by a post every second or so?
"and the notion that someone could become concerned about you based on a list of notes is even more ridiculous."... similarly, not so ridiculous if they're concerned about you spamming them with too many postings!
Finally, "The comic's title alludes to the fact that you can "play a song" but can also "play a note." It may also allude to the visual similarities between the hash/pound/number sign (#) and the sharp sign (♯)."... I don't get either of these references. The hash/sharp comparison is cute, except that the sharp sign doesn't appear in the comic. I took it as a simple extension of the usual someone is listening to some song messages linking to searches for that song "on various online music stores" if you click on them... that is, if you click on a particular note, it'll link to a search for songs that include that note - equally as useless as posting the individual notes of a song in the first place.
Extra-finally, I'd love to see Mike & Caitlin's reactions if Brian listened to anything with a glissando...
Haven't made any of these as changes as I'm not sure they're more than just my own opinion. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.220|108.162.249.220]] 07:55, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:Okay, so I've redone the second paragraph for facts, but haven't touched any of the other opinion bits. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.220|108.162.249.220]] 08:40, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Text may also be a reference to an old joke about a composer who writes, and copyrights, a composition consisting of a single note: middle C. All other composers who later included middle C would thus be quoting his composition, entitling him to royalties; all composers who used any OTHER note would be simply transposing the original composition into another key, and would still owe the royalty..." {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.112}}

I've changed the thing about Mike & Caitlin being concerned about music choice, as this is (as noted by other commentators) *much* less likely than their being concerned about having their news feeds spammed.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.135|141.101.98.135]] 09:25, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Would the Axis of Awesome 4 Chords song be a proper citation to prove many (pop) songs are made up of the same chords? Link of their youtube: http://youtu.be/oOlDewpCfZQ I think it would be funny, at least. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.192|173.245.53.192]] 14:03, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Why are the times out of order? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.213.41|108.162.213.41]] 14:59, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Brian's system or the one hat runs the social network might run on an older Version of Xen, so it gets "time went backwards" isses (e.g., http://bugzilla.xensource.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=195) and therefore wrong timestamps. Do we require to re-order the notes accordingly? [[User:Renormalist|Renormalist]] ([[User talk:Renormalist|talk]]) 16:09, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Btw, I interpreted Mike's comment not as annoyance about the entry flooding but that he can "hear" the melody in his head (like Beethoven) and hears a wrong tune. And maybe it's a small special community (like in xkcd/1305, which would also fit to the timestamp issues they have) so he starts discussing that wrong tune. [[User:Renormalist|Renormalist]] ([[User talk:Renormalist|talk]]) 16:45, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

I tried to correct the image, twice, and it still stays the same with the original error. I did this after adding the trivia section with the original image. Hope someone can correct this --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:48, 4 February 2015 (UTC)
:Try clearing your browser cache. The image looks correct on my screen. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 18:53, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Totally nerd sniped.. [http://www.musipedia.org/result.html?sourceid=melody-url&tx_mpsearch_pi1%5bsubmit_button%5d=Search&tx_mpsearch_pi1%5bpc%5d=lily+e%278+a%278+b%278+d%278+cis%278+b%278+a%278+a%278+e%278+a%278+&coll=m&categories=&L=&filtertext=&rvp=0 Musipedia] seems to think the closest melodic match is "Cream" by Eric Clapton... Hard to get without seconds (so you can get some idea of the rhythm) [[User:BadPirate|BadPirate]] ([[User talk:BadPirate|talk]]) 20:32, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Surprising no one has mentioned the contrast with John Cage's "As Slow As Possible" now playing in the St Burchardi Church of Halberstadt, Germany. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:47, 4 February 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1473: Location Sharing

2015-01-15T04:23:14Z

Taibhse:

It's a reference to the Uncertainty Principle, a property of quantum mechanics that states that position and momentum cannot be known at the same time.
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.98|199.27.133.98]] 05:20, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

I may be thinking too much into this, but couldn't she also not want the website to know her mass? Momentum is Mass*Velocity, and Velocity can be derived from change in position [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.159|173.245.56.159]] 05:34, 14 January 2015 (UTC)
:That was my understanding, too. Moreover, I don't see any humor in applying the uncertainity principle to macroscopic objects. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.57|108.162.254.57]] 08:53, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

Angular momentum sensors - a.k.a. gyros, not accelerometers. {{unsigned ip|141.101.80.109}}

She does not want the website to calculate her mass and therefore her weight. It has nothing to do with the uncertainty principle {{unsigned|Saints22}}
:I disagree. Of course it is funny idea that she says nice try as if the website had interest in her weight. But since you cannot calculate mass from position and momentum your ideas makes no sense. You need the velocity and the momentum to calculate the mass. So even though they could have both position and momentum they would still not know her mass. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:33, 14 January 2015 (UTC)
::Unless, of course, the permission given by Megan to determine her location is persistent and lasts for at least two consecutive polls for location, which would enable the recipient to compute the velocity out of two locations and time between the polls. [[User:Nyq|Nyq]] ([[User talk:Nyq|talk]]) 13:12, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

I do not not think that Megan allows the website to access her location. The website wants her to, that's why the button is highlighted and blinking. In the beat panel, Megan presumably denies. The website then asks for momentum and wants Megan to deny the request (by highlighting "Deny"), so that, according to the uncertainty principle, they can still get her location (which is what they wanted all along). However, Megan sees through this trick and acknowledges its cleverness with a "Nice try". --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.134|108.162.254.134]] 10:27, 14 January 2015 (UTC)
:No I disagree. Of course the highlighted button is the one Megan pushes. And just because you do not know the momentum does not automatically give you the location. You just can't know both without a given uncertainty. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:33, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

What's with the persistent "females"? Would make sense in biology talk, but it's really weird when what you mean is "women"[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.185|141.101.104.185]] 13:14, 14 January 2015 (UTC)
:: I'd suggest that it is just about avoidance: some might take 'women' as having negative derogative connotations in this context, whereas females is unarguably accurate. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.204|173.245.54.204]] 13:29, 14 January 2015 (UTC)
:::"Females" is shorter than "women and girls". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 14:54, 14 January 2015 (UTC)
::: Yes, some people are determined to be offended. Unfortunate. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.152|173.245.54.152]] 19:52, 14 January 2015 (UTC)
::: For the sake of accuracy, I move that we should really say something more along the lines of "living female homo sapiens organisms" - so that we can exclude the countless other female eukaryotes we know so little about socialogically, and/or the otherwise dead or nonexistent homo sapiens or their representations? I mean, come on! "Females" is sooooo nonspecific...-- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 19:57, 14 January 2015 (UTC)
:: The name of the academic field of the study of women's perspectives in most public universities is, "Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies." "Women" is the correct academic term for the discussion of women. [[User:ChristGoldman|ChristGoldman]] ([[User talk:ChristGoldman|talk]]) 20:36, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

There's some confusion over the sensors. GPS is used to determine the device's position on Earth, but not its orientation. An accelerometer may be used to determine a phone's orientation in terms of flat/portrait/landscape, but not in which direction in terms of north/south. The magnetometer can measure magnetic forces, but isn't enough to determine north (because of inclination). To measure magnetic north, you need to combine data from accelerometer and magnetometer, which gets a working, but quite unsteady compass. These sensors (GPS, accelerometer, magnetometer) are available on most current smart phones. Better devices also include a gyroscope, which measures angular momentum, but no absolute angle towards the horizon and/or north. A gyroscope may be used to improve the stability of the accelerometer/magnetometer compass (but requires a good algorithm which I'm still looking for). Knowing this, the title text is disputable, because devices without gyro aren't actually able to provide a steady compass, while those with gyro are (although there are apps which don't use the gyro even when available, so they won't get a fast, steady compass anyway). --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 15:24, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

It seems to me that the paragraph explaining mass and weight is too complicated and overly long, and the hypothesis that the app is trying to steal this information unrelated to the comic, or rather, wild speculative extrapolations of logic and meaning. Likewise, the sentences on how the accelerometer may be used to guess passwords seems to me to be unfounded in science. The uncertainty principle is the clear main theme of this comic. --[[User:Canned Soul|Canned Soul]] ([[User talk:Canned Soul|talk]]) 16:03, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

Added one word to make it "An example is a weather app which would need your location in order to '''automatically''' find the correct forecast." It's often trivial to manually get forecasts (or other services, like "nearest branch of a shop that has your desired item in stock") for a current location, just so as long as /you/ know where you are... (I don't turn on my GPS unless I'm actually wanting to use it for something, and don't like websites knowing these things just because they ask for them in the background. Go away, Google Location Services... and why does it grey-out the "Don't share information" hotspot when I've ticked the "Don't ask me again" and only lets me continually refuse ''manually''!? Which I do on principle!!) I keep a variety of common home/away locations on permalink in my favourite weather forecast app and know I can easily add another at a moment's notice when I ''want'' to. (And, the beauty is, I don't even need to be there at the time, just perhaps ''planning'' to go!)

Plus, to the "I don't see any humor in applying the uncertainity principle to macroscopic objects." person, above, please pass by your local XKCD offices at the first opportunity in order to hand back your XKCD Membership Card. You're obviously not one of us! ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.191|141.101.98.191]] 16:28, 14 January 2015 (UTC)
::My goodness, yes! What a lot of seriousness has found its way into this discussion! How could anyone miss the humo[u]r in the personification of a subatomic particle as a Megan?[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 04:23, 15 January 2015 (UTC)

Per the explanation: "Randall suggests the poor accuracy of the compasses in mobile phones (measuring the angular position) is due to the gyroscopes being too good. (If both the gyroscope and the compasses were completely accurate, it would violate the uncertainty principle)."
The compass points in a particular direction but tells you nothing about location or momentum. How would it be involved in any violation of Uncertainty? The gyroscope and GPS I could see, maybe. But the compass? I don't see how it combined with anything could involve Uncertainty. - Equinox [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.117|199.27.128.117]] 16:46, 14 January 2015 (UTC)
: The Uncertainty Principle extends to other pairs of conjugate variables besides the well-known pair of position and momentum. One of these pairs is orientation and angular momentum. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.142|173.245.52.142]] 17:45, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

The way I read this, by knowing her current location AND momentum (ignoring the uncertainty principle thing for the moment) it becomes possible to predict where whe'll be in the future, which would open up all sorts of ... 'interesting' marketing opportunities for the app maker. Megan doesn't mind the app knowing where she *is*, but doesn't want it to know where she's *going*, and so rejects the second seemingly innocent question. Maybe?

Talk:1463: Altitude

2014-12-23T04:17:18Z

Taibhse:

Ok, Is everyone on vacation today? or is this explanation that hard? [[User:Edo|Edo]] ([[User talk:Edo|talk]]) 19:27, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

: The comic was uploaded just minutes before you commented at 19:23. [[User:ThePurpleK|ThePurpleK]] ([[User talk:ThePurpleK|talk]]) 19:36, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

: "Ok, Is everyone on vacation today?" Randall was ... --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 20:01, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

Transcript right now assumes two Astronomers. It looks to me like three. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.142|173.245.52.142]] 21:03, 22 December 2014 (UTC)
:I changed it to 3. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 22:36, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

A [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_guide_star laser guide star] is a device for focussing telescopes. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcjB2qN0TxM Cats go crazy chasing lasers]. I can only imagine what havoc a star cat might wreck chasing a laser guide star. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 21:07, 22 December 2014 (UTC)
: The source of the laser is only moving at 1000 miles an hour, but it's going in a huge circle. That's a lot of leverage for our particular lighthouse. {{unsigned|Seebert}}

I may be wrong, but I think all high-altitude observatories are built on mountaintops. So the drawings indicating the astronomers are driving up a hill, at least for the last stretch, is wrong - they'd be driving up a very steep mountain road with lots of zig-zags. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 23:49, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

True story: Stephan James O'Meara's eyeballs are close to where it'd become statistically unlikely for there to be humans with a more perfectly shaped eyeball. He probably sees that 3 of the sky's planets are bigger than a point without an instrument. So from natural ability, being born after '55, and a bit from practice, SJO had about the best night vision of anyone alive in 1985. The guy wanted to be the first human to see Halley's Comet come back. So he traveled from Boston to a 14,000 foot volcano in the middle of the Pacific and brought a telescope so wide that Yao Ming could barely hug it. And bottled oxygen. Even people who can grow enough blood cells and heart-lung athleticism to acclimate completely still have trouble seeing in the dark. Besides some of the best observing conditions on the planet, it was also only 7.5 degrees from the latitude where Halley's Comet passed overhead so there was very little extra air to look through. Also, you have to use peripheral vision. But not too far to the side. And not the ear side, that's the blind spot. And tap the telescope and look for motion. That's the technique. It must've been freezing (it was midwinter and convection of even a human under the opening affects the view) but here is a guy staring through a telescope Yao Ming could barely get his arms around with an oxygen mask to his face. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.87|199.27.128.87]] 00:17, 23 December 2014 (UTC)

Am I the only one who's bothered by this? It was funny right up until the "let's make out" comment at the end. Astronomy has a pretty serious [http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/fed-up-with-sexual-harassment-defining.html sexual harassment problem], and as a woman working in astronomy I'd rather that wasn't made light of. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.221|108.162.250.221]] 03:08, 23 December 2014 (UTC)
: I don't think Randall would consciously make light of such an issue. Sadly, it does make a kind of sense that it would be an astronomical problem, so to speak. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 04:17, 23 December 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1454: Done

2014-12-06T12:25:11Z

Taibhse:

To be honest, I have never really heard anyone say a phrase like that or other phrases with similar implications, it would be nice if someone could show real-world examples where the phrases are used [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.168|103.22.201.168]] 10:29, 2 December 2014 (UTC)
:I have never seen this either. I can see it being a meme, but a rhetorical device?! I think that's a stretch. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 15:45, 2 December 2014 (UTC)
:: I may have used the wrong term, what Ieant was like when someone gives up on something, others may say that "they said they were done" when they actually didn't say anything... I could be wildly off base though. [[User:Official.xian|Official.xian]] ([[User talk:Official.xian|talk]]) 05:28, 3 December 2014 (UTC)

How do we know the girl is in the United States?? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.177|141.101.104.177]] 08:54, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

Is it a girl? I was thinking the hair is a bit like mick Jaggers... - Palitu {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.223}}

: The country is not spoken to in the comic and therefore should be left out, regardless of where people think it is placed. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.209|108.162.216.209]] 22:25, 2 December 2014 (UTC)

: I think it's a girl, and I think she's in the United States, as xkcd is a US-based comic, and pony-tail is a recurring figure also presumably in the United States. And I think it's all rather sad. Note that she's kneeling on her chair, not sitting - this is more common for girls than guys. My take is that she's the kind of person who can enter into a fantasy relationship with a person she doesn't really know, and then if/when they do ever meet in real life it will all break down because her fantasy is only that, and the real person will not match her expectations at all. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 09:37, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

:: I look at that she was incredibly lucky - it's a classic internet relationship scam. Maybe I'm just a cynic. There's also the phrase [http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/do-over "Done Over"], although I think it's a British idiom, so I highly doubt it was meant as a double entendre. [[User:Oobayly|Oobayly]] ([[User talk:Oobayly|talk]])

::: Yeah, note that she's going to be saving up money for six months, thus that'll likely be a sizeable sum. And the person that she "connected" with is a half a world away, always a bad sign as no real evidence of identity is truly possible at that distance, and as an internet user, likely in the us, half a world away may well be a country where the reimbursed cost of a plane ticket is worth the work of fabricating & upkeeping a fake idealized relationship in order to get the eventual reward of that money. The cynic in me gives this a 50% chance that this is a classic scam. - Kzqai {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.27}}
: So, do you extend that logic to assume that every "cueball" character must be "a girl" because you were "thinking the hair is a bit like [Sinéad O'Connor]s"? I'm curious... -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 10:29, 2 December 2014 (UTC)

:: Why is the sex relevant, although I believe it is a girl by hair and posture (comics use stereotypes to convey information with a few details. I do not think it changes the meaning of the comic. If it the gender is debated remove it. Although I do think that it is clear that the character is female. The emphases here on gender seems quite reveling. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.209|108.162.216.209]] 22:25, 2 December 2014 (UTC)

Consider this as a possible reference to Kim Kardashian's photo.. An effect of her trying to "break the internet" -KLee {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.212}}

'''Identity of the writer?'''
:If the writer is based on a reoccurring character than it has to be either Megan or Danish. Is there a consensus as to who it is?[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.163|173.245.56.163]]

:: Isn't she Caroline, or 'curly buns'. Similar curly haired girl has appeared in similar roles on several pages but it seems her age isn't entirely set and instead fluctuates according to the call of a particular strip. {{unsigned ip|108.162.230.155}}

I don't think that anyone literally said "shut it down", I believe it was a rhetoric, at least that's how I read it. [[User:Official.xian|Official.xian]] ([[User talk:Official.xian|talk]]) 11:47, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

Oh yes. Forget that the economy would go to hell without Internet. Forget how much science is done using Internet. The real reason for Internet to exist is so you can get in love with someone on different continent. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:44, 1 December 2014 (UTC)
:I'm not so sure... it would seem it was primarily funny cat videos, the funniest possible of which was obviously posted, viewed, and judged as the final necessary use of the internet. It was thus agreed to shut it down, as there is really no need to continue with this charade variously coined as "commerce", "science", or other superfluous forms of so-called "communication" (that is the garbled blathering that is not funny cat pictures or videos), all depending of course on your preferred (but nonetheless obviously deluded) persuasion. This comic only serves to prove it. I am left wondering, though... how did Ponytail come to learn this? SMS? Phone Tree? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 13:55, 1 December 2014 (UTC)
::Is there perhaps a meme going around where instead of "lol" you write "internetover" to say "this is so good/funny, i can now die happy" and the comic author was annoyed with that and made this where the start situation is silly and the end is even sillier? --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.163|108.162.254.163]] 14:10, 1 December 2014 (UTC)
:::that seems to be an almost angrily rhetorical question, supposing that I'm making a serious statement rather than a very very sarcastic one, so... you must be... new... here? Perhaps I didn't lay it on thick enough? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 10:23, 2 December 2014 (UTC)
This could be far more than a romantic involvement. She says she thought she was asking too much. But then she found... a like-minded individual, someone who can... notice the 'glitches in the matrix', as it were. Much more might have been lost here than a believed love. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.169|173.245.54.169]] 14:13, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

It could mean the girl is in love or wants to adopt a child from a country like Iran, but before she can tell, the internet THERE is shut down by the government
(which happens all the time because of some youtube video or something). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.114|108.162.237.114]] 14:18, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

: Or the writer may be in a country like Russia, China, or Turkey, where the internet is widely used but under constant threat of political censorship.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.129|108.162.216.129]] 14:54, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

So I am the only one who thought the girl was either the author of spam, or had a feasible contact whom she could fool into travelling to her country with promises of money, only to put them in the trap of being stuck there reliant on her? You hear the story all the time, someone is given hope, but as they arrive the passport is taken and to receive food+lodging (or in some cases they are locked inside a room) they are forced to perform dubious services with questionable morality 108.162.216.27and legality. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.145|108.162.254.145]] 15:02, 1 December 2014 (UTC)Feha {{unsigned ip|127.0.0.1|12:34, 5 June 2012 (UTC)}}

Yeah, I still don't get the title comment either. The author of this Facebook comment was responding to a video, and I see no evidence that this girl has been posting videos. So is it just coincidence that [Megan is saying that] the author also believes the girl is done? [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 16:19, 1 December 2014 (UTC)
: No one is saying that the writer broke the internet or made the video, just that the video is the best thing the internet could ever produce, so everone is done with the internet. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.209}}

You guys are all missing the point (except for the "die happy" commenter). Sometimes, when watching such an impressive video, people say something along the lines of "the internet is over" to mean "that video was so impressive that no one will ever top it. We might as well shut down the internet." This comic takes that expression literally, and shuts down the internet in the middle of someone's important conversation. [[User:Diszy|Diszy]] ([[User talk:Diszy|talk]]) 18:08, 1 December 2014 (UTC)
:Seconded... -- [[User:Notso|Notso]] ([[User talk:Notso|talk]]) 11:07, 3 December 2014 (UTC)

Does anybody else think this might be the same girl from 508: Drapes? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.18|108.162.242.18]] 18:33, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

At first I thought it was a romance kinda thing, but it would also be an appropriate/situation in case of adoption. Maybe she found her reason to live in an orphan across the globe (I presume in a poor country). That she will be able to fly him/her here in six months she will be able to support the kid. This is also supposing that all paperwork will be finished in 6 months (which I think it's quite fast for adoption, but then again, we don't know how long they have been communicating for). {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.102}}

As the argument over the sex of the subject of this comic rages on (hyperbole), I remembered that when I checked xkcd.com on Lynx, there were transcripts of every comic. I looked again and it seems that it does not do this for new comics. Does anyone know who writes those transcripts? If, for example, next week the transcript on the official website refers to the character as a girl, could that be used as a source? [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 11:41, 2 December 2014 (UTC)

Given that the Internet shutdown was spontaneous, and alternate communication/news sources probably hadn't been set up yet to the degree needed, how does the second character know what happened? [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 16:05, 2 December 2014 (UTC)
: Everyone agreed to shut down ith internet. There would be a time delay from the time the comment was posted and people agreed to shut it down, during this time the majority of internet users would find out. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.209|108.162.216.209]] 22:25, 2 December 2014 (UTC)

Perhaps the idiom isn't well known everywhere, but there's the phrase "[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=stick+a+fork+in+it Stick a fork in it, it's done!]" that usually applies to something that is finished (positive) or broken beyond hope (negative). [[User:Mr. I|Mr. I]] ([[User talk:Mr. I|talk]]) 13:53, 3 December 2014 (UTC)

I think the comments about "we're done" are off the mark. I took the situation to be an exasperated developer and maintainer of network resources saying "we created the internet to be an amazing tool for communication and development of high human endeavors, but it has degenerated into a trivial exercise in watching hokey clips about cute animals. That's it! We've had it! No more! Shut 'er down!" This ties in with #676 http://xkcd.com/676/ [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:25, 6 December 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1456: On the Moon

2014-12-06T11:46:03Z

Taibhse:

'''Transcript'''

I don't see why the transcript is incomplete, it looks pretty complete and all there to me... [[User:Official.xian|Official.xian]] ([[User talk:Official.xian|talk]]) 14:45, 5 December 2014 (UTC)
:Agreed, removed incomplete tag. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 14:49, 5 December 2014 (UTC)

I wondered if the cartoon is about sex discrimination. After all, when people went to the moon, nobody even considered (as far as I know) letting a woman go on an Apollo flight. Megan might be saying "Land a ''man'' on the moon?" Or she might be tired of Cueball saying this and be obliquely suggesting NASA send him there on a one-way trip! [[User:Gade|Gade]] ([[User talk:Gade|talk]]) 15:25, 5 December 2014 (UTC)

No, that only means that you are blinded by the alienation caused by the noxious media sites you visit. This strip is clearly about doing a 'real' manned moonlanding instead of that fake hollywood footage from 1969 that doesn't look anything like the photos taken last year from the chinese lander. --[[User:Loon|Loon]] ([[User talk:Loon|talk]]) 18:49, 5 December 2014 (UTC)
:Appropriate handle, considering that half-baked claims that the moon landings were faked have been debunked so many times over the past forty years. In fact, XKCD #[[1441]] (Turnabout) only works *because* we landed on the moon.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.94|108.162.216.94]] 00:31, 6 December 2014 (UTC)

Is there a reference for the claim "Unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only a couple of hours at most."? [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 16:07, 5 December 2014 (UTC)
:Yes. The Venera probes. Citation provided. --Equinox [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.117|199.27.128.117]] 17:18, 5 December 2014 (UTC)
:(Well, you got me an edit conflict, after checking, editing and reviewing,but here's what I wrote.)
:That's not the way I would phrase that claim, but it sounds like it's Venera 9 and its similar successors being talked about, with the "pre-cooling".
:A brief check of a book I have (no, I've never heard of The Internet) suggests that the complete list of landers that actually got to Venus are as follows:
::Venera 3 (descent probe, probably crashed, communications failed before approach)
::Venera 4 (descent probe, ran out of power before destroyed in the atmosphere)
::Venera 5 (descent probe, may have crushed at late stage of descent while still powered)
::Venera 6 (descent probe, as V5)
::Venera 7 (23 minutes of faint recordings from surface, probably landed on side after rough landing)
::Venera 8 (50 minutes on surface before going silent)
::Venera 9 (53 minutes, before radio contact with orbiter lost and not regained)
::Venera 10 (can't find timing details)
::Venera 11 (95 minutes, before contact with orbiter lost)
::Venera 12 (110 minutes)
::Venera 13 (a confirmed 127 minutes)
::Venera 14 (57 minutes, ditto; managed to "measure its own lens-cap" in the intended soil-compressibility experiment!)
::Vega 1 (no time information for Venus Lander component
::Vega 2 (56 minutes for on surface for Venus Lander component)
::Pioneer (an hour, for one of three landers on the mission)
:Knowing the surface environment (temperature and pressure) and the design specs it can be assumed that Venera 13's confirmed 127 minutes of operation is near the top-end of functionality and that those that merely went out of range would have had not much more survival time. Although by the time of the final Veneras the expected survival time was only 30 minutes, and yet they may have lasted at least twice as long, so who knows... (Also note the possible usage of "a couple of hours" in relation to [[1070]].)
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.247|141.101.98.247]] 17:48, 5 December 2014 (UTC)
::That looks like an XKCD comic in and of itself. {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.72}}

Man, for a minute I thought the second 'MAN' refers to a truck from the car company [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAN_Truck_%26_Bus MAN]. They are rather heavy. 5 December 2014 {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.139}}

I thought "land" was a euphemism. Read it again and tell me what you think. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.153|108.162.215.153]] 03:26, 6 December 2014 (UTC)OctopodesC

Seems like "still lack a coherent vision" is a bit too editorial, especially given the launch and return of the Orion capsule. "Coherent vision" or its lack might be in the eye of the beholder... [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:46, 6 December 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1449: Red Rover

2014-11-20T04:32:58Z

Taibhse:

I don't know the exact rules or premise of "Red Rover", nor do I know the date of the Orogeny depicted here. {{unsigned|‎Lacedemonian}}

Red Rover is children's game that is common in the US.
http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Red-Rover

[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.241|199.27.128.241]] 22:22, 19 November 2014 (UTC)

Slide and mountain are highly relatable to many hikers, mountaineers and rock climbers in the Adirondacks and New Hampshire White Mountains. A slide is a rock feature common where a landslide occurs, leaving a bare strip of rock. Infamous slides occurred on mountains called Big Slide, Mount Colden, Gothics and Basin Mountain in the Adirondacks. The same happens elsewhere, such as in Colorado for instance, but I'm not sure if the feature has the same regional nickname.

"Slide" is short for "landslide." There must be many mountains in the English-speaking world with the name "Slide Mountain" since landslides are a common occurrence in mountainous areas.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 04:01, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

"Slide Mountain Ocean" refers to the sea between the Slide Mountain microplate before it was subducted under what is now North America. Slide Mountain is a particular mountain somewhere in British Columbia, the result of the remnant of the Slide Mountain microplate which accreted onto the continent, becoming the Slide Mountain terrane, as the majority of the microplate was subducted. The west coast of Canada and Alaska has quite a complicated history of microplate subduction and accretion. My favorite is the "Insular Islands" microplate since the name is humorously redundant. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 04:01, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

Sliding is also another term for glissading (a common term among mountaineers and hikers), or a controlled slide descent in snown or on ice by sliding on your feet, belly or butt, often with an ice axe.

However, these terms would not be obviously relatable to most people. {{unsigned ip|‎173.245.54.211}}

;Names made of nouns

Nice to know I'm not the only one who finds it funny when names are made up of all nouns. SeaTac airport has a restaurant called "Mountain Room Bar" that was one of the first things that got me thinking about the concept.{{unsigned ip|199.27.133.127}}

Well, there is "Seattle Tacoma air port" made up of two proper nouns and two common nouns. A noun modifying another noun is very common in Indo-European languages. Sometimes the modifier is identified with a grammatical case, usually genitive; or mediated via a preposition. In modern languages it's often merely juxtaposition, as in "showroom floor" or "Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften" or "Slide Mountain," or hyphenated as in "wagon-lit." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 04:32, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1449: Red Rover

2014-11-20T04:01:44Z

Taibhse:

Talk:1442: Chemistry

2014-11-03T12:29:21Z

Taibhse:

What is the force that holds the two or three glyphs of an atom together called? How many bonds does the i's dot in Ti have? Ann how dangerous is comic sans cheMStry? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.39|141.101.104.39]] 06:52, 3 November 2014 (UTC)
:The letter i can only form one bond, as the other side is bonded with its dot. This is pretty basic chemestry![[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 08:20, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

::Ok. Let's look at something advanced. Fe. Os. {{w|Ununtrium|Uut}}. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:20, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

Presumably hydrocarbon chains are still supported, albeit with hydrogens forming the backbone in a zip-like arrangement. You'd need phosphorous on the end, with a sans serif valence of 1. [[User:SleekWeasel|SleekWeasel]] ([[User talk:SleekWeasel|talk]]) 08:09, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

I believe he is making fun of incompetent chemistry students. I've seen some draw CH4 as C-H-H-H-H, i.e. according to some random and weird rules that have nothing to do with chemistry. - This comic proposes an equally nonsensical new paradigm. - Aeneas, 3rd November 2014, 10:01 CET

The crystalline structure is not like real-life crystalline carbon (neither diamond nor graphite). I removed that but someone should add a bit about it.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.39|141.101.99.39]] 11:48, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

Old English Krypton is particularly hazardous and may explode on contact. Dark matter is composed entirely of cursive script elements. [[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 12:01, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

"Mydrane" is a trade mark for a company that markets miscellaneous medical supplies. "Hydrane" is a process for coal gasification by hydrogenation, producing ideally mostly light hydrocarbon gases (mostly methane) and a minimum of liquid products. Not clear whether either is relevant here.[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:29, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-16T03:40:25Z

Taibhse: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}
[[File:Wet_kookaburra_6674_Crop_Edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| A wet bird sitting in the rain. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List websites shown in image. Decide on title text explanation. More detail on the actual joke.|target=1434: Where Do Birds Go}}
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across different languages and websites, and that everyone wants to know the answer. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums with users asking where birds go when it rains, with at least seven languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on.

Cueball says that worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us"; but the last panel reminds us that birds too, probably worry about it.

In reality birds, just like humans, seek shelter when it rains. Getting wet is not a problem for birds, but it does complicate flying. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

The lower panels turn the question on its head, pointing out that the question "Where do birds go when it rains?" is not just something that curious humans may wonder, but a serious practical question for the birds themselves. As it starts to rain around a bird, it flies down to a smartphone on the ground and begins searching on the query, ostensibly to find instruction as to where it should go. This could also suggest that the reason the question appears posted so many times, is because in actuality it is the birds who are posting it (since there are more birds than humans, this could easily account for the number of posts).

The title text whimsically suggests that birds might actually be an additional undiscovered exotic {{w|Phase (matter)|phase}} of water (in addition to its familiar phases of {{w|ice}}, {{w|water vapor|vapor}}, and {{w|water|liquid water}}, water does have more exotic phases such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low-temperature and high-pressure ices}} and {{w|Supercritical_fluid|supercritical gases}}). If so, birds disappear when it rains because they actually turn into the rain. This is similar to how, in the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman is around because they are actually the same person.

{| class="wikitable"
!Websites shown in image (English)
|-
|https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
|-
|-
|http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
|-
|-
|http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
|-
|-
|http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
|-
|-
|http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
|-
|}

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

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

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

Megan [off screen]: Why?

Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.

[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[..several more similar questions, fading into white...]

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Animals]]

Talk:1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-16T00:22:41Z

Taibhse:

Hehe, are we suggesting that "bird" may be a phase of dihydrogen monoxide? I like that.
--[[User:Stg|Stg]] ([[User talk:Stg|talk]]) 05:11, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

I recommend we keep the answer out of the explain page since it wasn't included in the comic. Birds can google it themselves. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.209|108.162.216.209]] 06:25, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

:Why are you so mean to poor birds? Do you know how hard is to type with beak? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:08, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

::It really is a pain. They have to hunt and peck.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.26|108.162.216.26]] 12:25, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

::Especially on a touch screen! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.209|108.162.216.209]] 13:57, 15 October 2014 (UTC)
:::Really, they only have trouble with the newer capacitive touchscreens - the older resistive ones (used in e.g. Palm Pilot) were much easier to use with a beak-- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 20:08, 15 October 2014 (UTC)
::::The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homing_pigeon#Navigation iron in pigeon beaks] makes it a bit easier for them to use capacitive screens, but not much. --[[User:Okofish|Okofish]] ([[User talk:Okofish|talk]]) 21:07, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

I added the thing about catcher in the rye, but now I think that might not be right.[[User:Cheeselover724|Cheeselover724]] ([[User talk:Cheeselover724|talk]]) 06:28, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

:I haven't read Catcher in the Rye, but I purely read it as Superman & Clark Kent are the same thing, implying that birds and rain are the same thing. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 08:34, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

Cueball assumes it's a question common to all of internet-accessed humans, making it seem like a beautiful thing. In the end, it turns out those are actually helpless birds asking this question worldwide, not people. I'd advise you add a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet,_nobody_knows_you%27re_a_dog On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog] reference.
The ice/catcher in the rye connection is far fetched. Judging by the Clark/Superman comparison, Randall suggests that birds turn into the rain as part of the water/ice phases and not hide from it. Because Clark doesn't go when Superman arrives, he turns into Superman. [[User:Dulcis|Dulcis]] ([[User talk:Dulcis|talk]]) 08:01, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

:Actually, I think Clark will end up on bottom of the phone booth. Superman must assume that noone will steal his disguise while he will do the rescuing ... meanwhile, there is lot of water in birds, but also lot of other molecules, so the transformation wouldn't work. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:08, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

::In older continuity, "Clark" (or at least his clothing) would get folded up, compressed and tucked into a pocket on the underside of the cape.... [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.117|199.27.128.117]] 16:36, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

[https://www.google.com/webhp?q=where%20do%20birds%20go%20when%20it%20rains the google query] [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.100|141.101.98.100]] 08:14, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

Birds can use the internet? Before we know it, they will start tweeting. [[User:Diszy|Diszy]] ([[User talk:Diszy|talk]]) 11:58, 15 October 2014 (UTC)
:ICY what you did there -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:41, 15 October 2014 (UTC)
:And then they'll move on to Facebeak, [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.26|108.162.216.26]] 15:11, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

How do we know that is a pokedex? It looks more like a tablet to me. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.202|173.245.56.202]] 12:05, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

So for the transcript, I'm thinking until the full text in every screen snippet is transcribed and each source result website is identified, it will be technically incomplete - any commentary on this (?) -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:43, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

: While maybe technically incomplete, surely we have to be sensible, and take the decision to omit text which isn't really relevant to the comic. Take the top right screenshot as an exampe, I would argue that the following should be omitted: Top left word??, Search Replies, Previous Page, Next Page, social media share/like text, Username, Text in geen, UserID: 520655, United States.. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 14:19, 15 October 2014 (UTC)
:: Agreed, as I believe I did when creating what is there right now, and as I summarized below at the same time you were writing your reply -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 14:31, 15 October 2014 (UTC)
:Alright, well, I did for the first 20 screen snippets what I think would be good to do for the remaining ones (find the source site and page, then quote what seems to be the pertinent question and answer text that is visible in the snippet, disregarding usernames, dates, categories and similar meta data). It could probably also be done for at least ten more with a bit more effort, but I don't wanna waste my time if the community just says "WAYY TOO MUCH! DELETE!!") -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 14:29, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

I also kind of think that the transcript should have the links to the source sites (since they are screen snippets), while the explanation should have the translations for any non-english text and any needed explanation for differences in cultural context. Regardless, having links to the source sites seems unnecessary to have in BOTH places, but they're links, so... they don't take up any more room, I suppose... -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 14:40, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

: Great job on the transcript. Personally I like the link to original source as you've done, though perhaps other would disagree. I'm tempted to say it should also be in the explanation, as that is where I assume others would expect that type of information to be. I'm actually quite impressed at what a quality page this is after only a matter of hours, especially given that it isn't the simplest comic. Images, tables, translations, original sources... Beautiful! --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:42, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

: I could help out with the Dutch translation, and I could make a stub for the German one (It'd probably be wise to have a *real* German check that one though) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.86|108.162.254.86]] 16:00, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

I love how this comic will inevitably increase the internet searches and queries for "Where do birds go when it rains." If this weren't the question that united us before, it certainly is now. XKCD making a difference![[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.206|108.162.219.206]] 18:24, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

The pale posting near the bottom that begins "Burung Dapat Bertahan...Hujan ?" is either Malay or Indonesian and means something like "Can birds survive...rain?" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 23:23, 15 October 2014 (UTC)
: So here is the link: https://id.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101215231444AAAVxSM [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 00:22, 16 October 2014 (UTC)

This search phrase will get a sky high [http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html Pigeon Rank] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.5|108.162.217.5]] 23:41, 15 October 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-15T23:23:15Z

Taibhse:

Talk:1424: En Garde

2014-09-23T11:37:26Z

Taibhse:

So, what's up. I expected an explanation for this. WHERE IS IT? {{unsigned ip|‎108.162.216.53}}

:Remember to sign your posts with four tildes (~).
:The explanation will be up when it's up. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.72|108.162.216.72]] 04:52, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

:Someone, somewhere on Earth, has to be awake, see the comic, come to this page, and write something. Automatic explanations are a long way out of our technological reach. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.169|108.162.216.169]] 05:21, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

This reminds me of [[1146|Honest]]. [[User:Cheeselover724|Cheeselover724]] ([[User talk:Cheeselover724|talk]]) 05:37, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

----

I've seen it. :)

For me it describes how in a relationship one person (Fencer 1) wants to engage ("What are you thinking?") but the other person (Fencer 2) sees it as an attack and is guarded and unwilling to engage (hence they never raise their foil). As Fencer 2 says 'No matter how long we know each other', I'd guess that this pattern of behaviour is often repeated and that they are destined to continue, because neither are willing to change their 'engagement' strategy; i.e. Fencer 2's defensiveness and Fencer 1's direct approach. Perhaps they should play chess? :)

The 'Touch!' is Fencer 1 saying "well, if you don't play, I've won!", but it is hollow and 'Nope, I sighed and stared...' reminds me of how some people use silence / brevity of response to avoid talking: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alogia (specifically "People can revert to alogia as a way of reverse psychology, or avoiding questions.").

It's a beautiful cartoon, so melancholic and kinda sad.

[[User:The4thv|The4thv]] ([[User talk:The4thv|talk]]) 06:36, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

Isn't it 'touché' rather than 'touch' in the title-text? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.108|173.245.62.108]] 14:11, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

"Touché" is an acknowledgement by the person who has received a hit, not an assertion by his/her opponent.
A literal translation of "touché" is "touched" rather than "touch" so perhaps the use of English "touch!" is purposeful, a suggestion that the pair stop fencing and use physical touch to re-establish an open relationship. In that sense, the second person declines to drop his/her defenses and "trumps" the call for intimacy with a passive-aggressive emotional gesture, and a meta-comment pointing out to the first person (and incidentally to us readers) that the gesture occurred and that it has "priority." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 16:04, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

----
To clarify, 'Touch' is the term used to indicate that a fencer has scored a valid hit on their opponent. 'Right-of-way' indicates who is awarded the point when both fencers score valid contact during the same unit of 'fencing time' (the length of time between a typical action or reaction in a match, determined by the individual tempo of a bout). I think that covers all of the jargon in this one.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.215|173.245.52.215]] 18:32, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

----
Hmm, I don't see anything about the spoken term "touch!" here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_fencing or here: http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-Basic-Fencing-Terminology or here: http://www.memphisfencers.org/about/docs/termsheet.pdf
"Touché" is still an acknowledgement by the person who receives a touch, not a claim by his/her opponent.
"Pas de touche" ("no touch") is a correction by the opponent that a "touché" spoken by the recipient was in error.
Where can one find "touch!" as a spoken term in fencing? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:37, 23 September 2014 (UTC)
----

Looks like most of the fenching is explained, but the explanation is lacking a description of the dual conversation and most importantly; why is it funny? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.209|199.27.128.209]] 06:16, 23 September 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1424: En Garde

2014-09-22T16:15:12Z

Taibhse:

Talk:1424: En Garde

2014-09-22T16:04:26Z

Taibhse:

Talk:1386: People are Stupid

2014-06-26T14:12:40Z

Taibhse:

On average yes, an individual is of average intelligence. But taken as a population of a whole, well, that's a different story entirely. Randall needs a vacation, ever since he jumped the shark with the dead baby it just feels like the downward trend is getting steeper. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.135|108.162.210.135]] 13:20, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

Isn't that a reference to the Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.200.119|103.22.200.119]] 04:49, 25 June 2014 (UTC)krayZpaving

White Hat being burned? This certainly will not end here.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.102.208|141.101.102.208]] 04:52, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

'''''Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.''''' This wiki is founded on the very principle that people are stupid. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.223.29|108.162.223.29]] 05:35, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: You make an intelligent point, which I both appreciate and like. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.50|108.162.222.50]] 13:41, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
::Awww, it's just a joke, it's not personal or anything! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:43, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

This comment is one that makes me scratch my head and wonder... surely Randall is able to see that intelligence is not a relative but rather an absolute thing (if one were to kill the 10% most intelligent people the rest wouldn't get dumber, nor smarter). Surely intelligence is not to be measured in units of the common denominator. Surely it is obvious that 2nd panel is a pure strawman. Sigh...
Oh and btw an IQ of 100 is the median, not the average. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.17|141.101.104.17]] 09:18, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: I am wondering if the explanation should not include a mention of the Median/Mean problem because it is entirely possible for a majority of a population to be above or below some mean (average) statistic depending on the distribution. Also stupidity is a standard that is not dependent on either median or mean.[[User:Sturmovik|Sturmovik]] ([[User talk:Sturmovik|talk]]) 11:46, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: The IQ of 100 is actually defined to be the median AND the average (and also the mode). It is also defined that the distibution around the IQ of 100 is a perfect bell curve. The IQ just tells you how many people in the world have your IQ (It is also defined that two values that have same distance from hundred, e.g. 80 and 120 have the same amount of people, 'cause it's a perfect bell curve (this means that there are as many people with IQ 120 as people with IQ 80). If the overall population gets more intelligent they have to make the IQ tests harder, so that 100 is again the average and median (This really happened). This and some other things are reasons why I think that IQ tests are BS. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.219|141.101.93.219]] 14:01, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
:: "A test device with numerous correlates measures an amount of environmental influences beside innate determinants, therefore bullshit"... What are your other objections to I.Q. testing? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.221|141.101.89.221]] 14:17, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

The mocking "award", which is an analogy of saying "intelligence isn't everything" (an EXTREMELY common cliche), reflects the fact that Randall, like just about anyone, is oblivious to the magnitude of the totality of positive correlates of intelligence, and even (TRIGGER WARNING, TABOO CONCEPT AHEAD) I.Q. Intelligence, I.Q., not only makes you happier, it also makes you more helpful to other people, more creative, more socially stable, better-to-do, less susceptible to mental illnesses, more likely to remember events in your life, etc. etc. etc... Basically, there isn't a positive trait or quality of life with which intelligence doesn't correlate. But people positively LOATHE awareness of how highly intelligence, in fact, matters. Hence the vehement denial whenever someone indicates its importance, all the "I know an intelligent person who is miserable/mean/...", all stressing of exceptions, all ridicule of the notion of intelligence in general, all the "don't think about it"-mentality, all writing off of I.Q. as "antiquated, grossly limited, racist, metric" rather than the extremely potent predictor that it is. tl;dr Randall at all, take time to actually STUDY intelligence or the g factor before you mock it like that. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 09:25, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: In other words (and this is going to be my last addendum to this note, because it is a vast subject), whenever people say (or imply, as in the comic's case) that "intelligence isn't everything", the question to ask in return is, "okay, now what is the degree to which intelligence enables, facilitates, contributes to, 'the rest' to which you're opposing intelligence here?". People minimise the depth and breadth of the intellectual substrate of achievement. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 09:33, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Also, Randall (and everyone saying that) is being highly unjust in equating "people aren't smart" with "people aren't as smart as me". A perfectly valid alternative sense is, "people aren't as smart as to be rationally expected to contribute to rather than damage the discussion/situation/position at hand"--having the objective good, the objective recognition that certain situations (for instance, a certain online conversation which is expected to be competent) require certain minimal intellectual thresholds (for instance, an I.Q. of 120), in mind rather than egotic comparison. Lower intelligence, deny it all you please, comes with temperamental problems for instance. Selection for intelligence will largely filter them out. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 09:46, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
:: tl;dr of my entire production here: people must learn that BOTH situations of the Dunning-Kruger are equally harmful, the one that's less often considered perhaps actually even more so. Mistaken self-perception as intelligent is bad for the individual, but refusal to acknowledge the importance of one's own cognitive capacity (which is as good as universal in intelligent people--"I am not that smart" (who hasn't heard that one innumerable times?), "I just like doing thing x, my proficiency in it has nothing to do with my intelligence or I.Q.", "I have areas in which I'm 'stupid' too", "effort counts too") has societal consequences, of contributing to erroneous dismissal of the notions of intelligence & I.Q. & g etc. Shutting up for good now. Night. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 10:11, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
::: GAHHHHH just one more thing. Consider this: the fact that people dismiss I.Q. is the best indicator of how important a trait it really is. Thing is, people would not feel compelled by modesty to deny its importance had it not been vitally integral to many, many things. We deny what we value, so to give hope to those who lack that thing (to comfort those who lack intelligence). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 10:15, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
:::: Hey 141.101.89.211... I wonder if you have something to say, but despite my best efforts, I'm having trouble following everything you're saying - I have a feeling you were a bit emotional (perhaps tired?) when writing that, or you might have had fewer "more things" immediately following "I'm done" statements. If you're up for it, I'd appreciate you taking the time to make sure you're saying what you want to say, and ''then'' say it, because you seem to at least have good grammar (though there ''were'' a few British spellings... :-D), so I suspect you probably have a good point. It's also conceivable that I'm just not smart enough to get what you're saying (?) or perhaps it's just too ''early'' for me. BTW the best way of making sure I see what you're saying would probably be to let me know on my [[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk page]]... might even have the conversation there if you'd prefer. Thanks for your time. [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 11:25, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: I don't know why you think that 141.101.89.211... No where does the comic say that. The mocking award is simply mocking people who '''may or may not''' have higher intelligence than the people they're addressing taking a Better Than Thou attitude because they think they do. In other words: "Higher intelligence doesn't give you an excuse to act like a jerk." I'm sure you can agree with that too [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.218|108.162.245.218]] 04:42, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

I would add one "people are stupid" angle not yet mentioned: judging by behavior, most groups of people are less intelligent that any member of that group individually. This is valid even for the "all people" group - just look at the planet. Surprisingly, judging by content of most wikis, the "editors of wiki" groups seems to immune. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:05, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Good point--conforming to pressures of one's group or one's position to the detriment of one's judgment is a separate personality trait. The phenomenon is remedied by intelligence, but independent from it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.211|141.101.89.211]] 10:11, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Beat me to it. I'd like to add that even individual people have their occasional stupid and intelligent moments, with the stupid ones typically being of greater magnitude. Thus, it's not unreasonable to say that the average actions of people are at least slightly less intelligent than the average intelligence of most people on most days. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.83|173.245.55.83]] 12:13, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Similar to the statement in the film "Men In Black". Agent J says, "Why the big secret [about the aliens among us]? People are smart. They can handle it." Agent K responds, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.45|108.162.221.45]] 01:15, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

I can't believe people say things like that, man, people are stupid [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 10:52, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the Lake Wobegon references. Not only is it on-target, but I take personal joy seeing mentions of uniquely Minnesotan culture anywhere I can find them. --BigMal27, Minnesota-born, Minnesotan-raised // [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.88|173.245.55.88]] 11:53, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

Instead of saying, "People are stupid," we would do better to say "People make poor decisions / statements / judgments." And this, for multiple reasons, few of them I suspect tied to basal intelligence. Stage of life, level of health and stress, experience relative to the topic, level of education and the quality of that education, cultural idiotic beliefs that interfere with optimal choices, and a zillion others. Plus, as a large percentage of humans are either just coming online in experience and education, or are winding down in health and mental function, we are guaranteed to see a large percentage of stupid decisions right across the IQ landscape. No help for it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.217|108.162.246.217]] 13:04, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: I.Q. affects level of health and stress, rate of acquisition of experience, level of education, quality of education obtained, preference of cultural beliefs. It doesn't seem to defy reason that it affects the zillion other factors, too. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.221|141.101.89.221]] 13:17, 25 June 2014 (UTC)
: Remember, in interaction between psychological and social factors, the question is never of *existence* of a connection, but of its magnitude. It is fine to posit a multitude of environmental factors that determine (ir)rationality, but as long as such position keeps people from connecting I.Q. with those factors' actual occurrence (how much I.Q. does it take to finish a good school? to develop a habit of reading a book every month? this is not at all trivial question, and it needs to be resolved with more than anecdotal evidence of "I know an intelligent illiterate person"), there might be an elephant buried underneath the room which no one knows about. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.221|141.101.89.221]] 13:25, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

I know Cueball's explanation can be construed to illustrate otherwise; but I doubt the comic was meant to be a comment on the relative intelligence of humanity. It seems more likely, to me, that the purpose of the comic was to comment on the stonewalling that the mindset, "I'm better than you," induces. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.35|108.162.216.35]] 15:12, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

The cartoon never mentions I.Q. at all, Just "Average Intelligence", so the Mean/Median discussion is moot. As for the other discussion on this page, I'm just going to quote Blaise Pascal: "I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time" [[User:Jim E|Jim E]] ([[User talk:Jim E|talk]]) 16:00, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

As mentioned above, in other comments that it's hard to find a way to indent from, there's a difference between different 'average's. (To compare "the median" with "the average" is not a good way of doing it, because one needn't know whether you're talking mean or mode in the second sense. I could even say that I have more than the average number of arms, for a human.) The assumption that the median [i]and[/i] mean (and, perhaps, also mode) are a single location at which 100IQ can be placed is dependant upon the bell curve being symmetrical. Just one hyper-intelligent could skew the mean well above the median. (Ok, so we're talking about comic-book "hyper"ness, to make it significant, in a world's worth of population, but the principle still stands for any more manageable population.) And about IQ tests being recalibrated... there is already a common convention that there's a score-adjuster (or a look-up table, based on this) that gives you different IQs for the same number of correct answers but for people of different ages (and sometimes male/female). Which seems to me like "we give up trying to be demographically neutral, let's just find how well different people answer in our test and then work out where their own arbitrary sub-group's bell-curve stradles". That said, I like IQ tests. I do well in them, and have fun doing them, even if I don't actually believe in them any more than I believe in Sudoku puzzles! And, sorry, I ended up typing far more than I had intended... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.193|141.101.99.193]] 16:31, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

I see a lot of discussion on intelligence, but nothing on "losing faith in humanity". The way I see it everywhere is not in response to stupid people, but to acts of inhumanity. Random acts of violence and hate, for example. Or not random, but large scale. "Restored my faith in humanity" comments often refer to the opposite (in my experience) which involve random acts of kindness, or large-scale altruism. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 08:48, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

What about people using Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and any other "social network web 2.0" thing? They certainly aren't an individual or small group, they are stupid and I've lost my faith in them. :)

There are distributions where majority of the population would indeed be below average. Luckily for humanity, intelligence is on a bell curve! I am happy beyond words that this is the case.

This has to be one of the most entertaining boring conversations I've ever come across! Brilliant! (Or not.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 14:12, 26 June 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1362: Morse Code

2014-04-30T07:25:43Z

Taibhse:

Does the way the panels of the comic go 0101 mean anything, being more code and all? [[User:Cheeselord99|Cheeselord99]] ([[User talk:Cheeselord99|talk]]) 06:58, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

It seems to translate in the question mark. --07:11, 30 April 2014 (UTC)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.205|141.101.96.205]]

Randall mentioned in one of the "what ifs" that when he sees 1010 he involuntarily thinks "ten." So I guess it's "five?" Or an extended-Morse "a-umlaut" or "a-ogonek" or "ae digraph." Or a wild goose chase, maybe...[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 07:25, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1359: Phone Alarm

2014-04-23T22:34:45Z

Taibhse:

See also [[479: Tones]]. [[User:B jonas|B jonas]] ([[User talk:B jonas|talk]]) 06:06, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I was just about to go hunt that one down for the explanation. Thanks B Jonas! [[User:Mrmakeit|Mrmakeit]] ([[User talk:Mrmakeit|talk]]) 06:13, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I think it's safe to say that alarms give you some really weird dreams when you're too tired for them to actually wake you up. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 06:24, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

How do I keep screwing up his name. I guess that's what I get for writing an explanation at 2 in the morning. I'll get it right next time. [[User:Mrmakeit|Mrmakeit]] ([[User talk:Mrmakeit|talk]]) 07:03, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I think I understand the title text -- the "worst person in the world" is a reference to the fact that when he picks up the phone to talk to whoever's "calling", all he gets is beeping in his ear, which makes for an awful "conversation".
:I red it as the caller being the wpitw because they called while Randall was trying to sleep. ''— [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]])''

However, I don't understand the "???" box or the reason why one of the arrows keeps looping in on itself, unless it's to show an eventuality where Randall doesn't wake up or ignores the phone?

Sometimes I think Randall likes to mess with us with obscure, trippy comics just so he can see us scramble to explain them using logical thought progressions. [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:32, 23 April 2014 (UTC)
:I feel confident the "???" is referring to the initial confusion of any dream world (the first time around), followed by continued confusion of things "not working like they're supposed to" (which often happens in a dream world), especially when you hang up the phone and it keeps ringing but nobody's on the other side - [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:20, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I can't remember the comic number, but I feel like the title text might be a reference to the comic where he talks about pretending to be an expert in someone else's field and sees how long it takes them to notice. Talking to sociologists (I think) he says his latest work is in ranking people from best to worst. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 21:57, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

The comic you are thinking of is #451 http://www.xkcd.com/451/ [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 22:34, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1359: Phone Alarm

2014-04-23T22:34:00Z

Taibhse:

See also [[479: Tones]]. [[User:B jonas|B jonas]] ([[User talk:B jonas|talk]]) 06:06, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I was just about to go hunt that one down for the explanation. Thanks B Jonas! [[User:Mrmakeit|Mrmakeit]] ([[User talk:Mrmakeit|talk]]) 06:13, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I think it's safe to say that alarms give you some really weird dreams when you're too tired for them to actually wake you up. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 06:24, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

How do I keep screwing up his name. I guess that's what I get for writing an explanation at 2 in the morning. I'll get it right next time. [[User:Mrmakeit|Mrmakeit]] ([[User talk:Mrmakeit|talk]]) 07:03, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I think I understand the title text -- the "worst person in the world" is a reference to the fact that when he picks up the phone to talk to whoever's "calling", all he gets is beeping in his ear, which makes for an awful "conversation".
:I red it as the caller being the wpitw because they called while Randall was trying to sleep. ''— [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]])''

However, I don't understand the "???" box or the reason why one of the arrows keeps looping in on itself, unless it's to show an eventuality where Randall doesn't wake up or ignores the phone?

Sometimes I think Randall likes to mess with us with obscure, trippy comics just so he can see us scramble to explain them using logical thought progressions. [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:32, 23 April 2014 (UTC)
:I feel confident the "???" is referring to the initial confusion of any dream world (the first time around), followed by continued confusion of things "not working like they're supposed to" (which often happens in a dream world), especially when you hang up the phone and it keeps ringing but nobody's on the other side - [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:20, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I can't remember the comic number, but I feel like the title text might be a reference to the comic where he talks about pretending to be an expert in someone else's field and sees how long it takes them to notice. Talking to sociologists (I think) he says his latest work is in ranking people from best to worst. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 21:57, 23 April 2014 (UTC)
The comic you are thinking of is #451 http://www.xkcd.com/451/ [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 22:34, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1236: Seashell

2013-08-01T13:21:53Z

Taibhse:

Transcript looks terrible on a phone. --[[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.44|81.23.24.44]] 14:26, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
:Screenshot: http://www.imgur.com/A4nortJ.png --[[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.44|81.23.24.44]] 15:13, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
:Is it possible to make <math> comments somehow? --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 14:57, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
It doesn't indicate that most times he has put the shell to his ear were not at the beach, he indicates that if he is picking up a shell not at a beach it is probably only to put it to his ear. Or rather, he rarely picks up seashells unless at the beach, and if he does then its only to test this crazy old wives tale.
[[Special:Contributions/75.158.106.126|75.158.106.126]] 14:33, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

The wrong equation was corrected. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Faedrivin Faedrivin] 15:59, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

I have usually tested the "shell by my ear" at home, far away from sea or ocean... and still heard "the sea" --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 16:20, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
: If what I read somewhere once (how's that for backing up my claim with an actual reference?) is correct what you actually hear is the sound of your own blood flowing through your veins. Not sure that's really true, but expect it is actually something of yourself you're hearing that happens to sound similar to a sea. [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 17:09, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

:: http://science.howstuffworks.com/question556.htm I'm predicting a what-if post on the same topic next Tuesday. Except of course, he's going to generate a geographical map (on a Gall-Peters projection) of the "loudness" of the sound of the ocean. Tides crashing against coastline / breakers out at sea / hydrothermal vents / Giant Squid song.. etc. [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 01:23, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

:: The howstuffworks.com explanation is a bit wordy. It's just ambient noise filtered by the resonant properties of the somewhat complex cavity formed by the shell and your ear. Your brain is programmed to pick out such resonant frequencies. (No citation; I just made all that up.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 13:21, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Protip: Don't put seashells just picked up near the ocean in your ear! Sometimes the shell "first owner" is still in there! That's why I usually wait until getting home and make sure there's nothing inside before putting things in my ear... [[Special:Contributions/189.5.107.6|189.5.107.6]] 01:27, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

:Any specific reason why should the first owner be more dangerous that any {{w|Hermit_crab|other owner}}? I would actually suspect that the reverse would be true. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:51, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1190: Time

2013-07-27T13:52:44Z

Taibhse: /* The End */

__TOC__
Pretty sure we're just getting trolled with this one [[Special:Contributions/99.108.190.136|99.108.190.136]] 04:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Can't tell if this is emo xkcd or trolling xkcd. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:53, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Something seems a little fishy because the image url is different than normal. [[User:Bugefun|Bugefun]] ([[User talk:Bugefun|talk]]) 04:55, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe the comic slowly changes throughout the day. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:56, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::Oh god, it does. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:57, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::When uploading different versions of the image, use the naming convention time[iterationNumber].png. We'll compile all the images into one and display them as per [[Traffic Lights]]. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:05, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::::Alright, so the comic appears to be switching between two states here: between [[media:time2.png|this]] and [[media:time3.png|this]]. If nothing new happens, I'll get to clipping the comics together. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:28, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::Whoop, nope, [[media:time4.png|this]] just came up. Is there more to come? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:34, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::::::Alright, so a new one is posted every half-hour. Whoopee. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:06, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::::And there's a new one! Megan leaning back and looking up...
::::::::Well, the image changed, who has the time to make a script to catch the new images and compile them into a gif? https://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/time.png [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 07:14, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/72.21.198.66|72.21.198.66]] 05:11, 25 March 2013 (UTC)It could be a reference to the old proverb " time and tide wait for none" Cueball and the girl could be waiting for the tide in the beach! (Just a guess)[[Special:Contributions/72.21.198.66|72.21.198.66]] 05:11, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

This could be a cinematic custom to change scenes or to show the passage of time: fade to black (white) on Act I, come up on Act II. Get some popcorn during the intermission.{{unsigned|Gerry|11:38, 29 April 2013 (UTC)}}

The picture does chance with time. The URL includes a changing timestamp that I can't decipher. Compare these two URLS (which have slightly different images:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png

Perhaps there is a way to hack the URL to view future images. [[Special:Contributions/199.30.248.121|199.30.248.121]] 05:29, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: I would also like to add that knowing randall, these are not the only images. For all we know, the image will still be changing in 5 years while a tree grows in front of them. My point is: Are the URLs hackable, or did he encrypt them? [[Special:Contributions/199.30.248.121|199.30.248.121]] 05:33, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Likely there is a way to hack the URLs; they look like some sort of hash, probably a hashed timestamp. Of course, he could easily have added some salt to the hash, making it significantly *harder* to hack. But they're strings of a specific length, so it should be pretty easy to bruteforce it, fetch all the images, and then (maybe) reverse-engineer the sequence. *That* all depends on how many of them there are. [[Special:Contributions/76.90.249.178|76.90.249.178]] 05:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:Good god, do you see how many digits are *in* that hash? The sun'll have burned out by the time we've tested every possible combination of digits. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:47, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:: The URLs are 64 hex characters. If he doesnt want us to find these pictures ahead of time, he would have made them completely random data, not a hash of anything. There are 16 possibilites for hex characters so 16^64 combinations or 1.7x10^308 combinations. If we made a supercomputer to try a billion links per second, and if there are 10,000 images total, it would take 4×10^277 × 13.77 billion years, which is a number with 277 zeros times the age of the universe to find just the first additional image. The sun will expand into a red giant and engulf the earth or at least come close enough to boil off all the water in the oceans in a mere 5.4 billion years, less than even one additional age of the universe. It will even be after the last star to ever be born has burned out, and all life in the universe has died before we could find even one. [[Special:Contributions/65.50.74.245|65.50.74.245]] 19:11, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

It seems that the image is updated every 1/2 hour. [[Special:Contributions/152.23.97.150|152.23.97.150]] 06:17, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: Given that the images switch back and forth between other images already seen, and that the comic should be viewable in the future, it seems unlikely that it's any thing like a simple sha256 of part of the timestamp. I think it's more likely a function of half-hours and minutes (assuming we continue to get a new possible image every half-hour). [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 06:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::: The images do cycle, yes. But for some reason I have never seen the img where Megan is looking behind her. Also wouldn't it be difficult to show a sequential story (like the rising tide) if the previous images keep cycling ?

Hash appears to be SHA-256. I tried some obvious hashes ("1", "11901", "1190_1", "1190.1") to no avail. Maybe this is HMAC-SHA256? Also, I would suggest trying Unix timestamps. [[Special:Contributions/131.156.236.149|131.156.236.149]] 06:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: I've been trying to make educated guesses as to what's being hashed here: http://www.xorbin.com/tools/sha256-hash-calculator ... he could also be using hash(hash2(value)) which would be virtually impossible to crack. [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 06:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

It's entirely possible that the "hash" is actually randomly generated. Just a thought. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 07:03, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Regarding sha256. Its most likely some hash of a timestamp, but if he doesnt wants us to crack it, he would have prefixes a password.. sha256('secretcode17:30'). Im just saying, if he doesnt wants us to crack it, we most likely cant.
I've tested all unixtimestamps from 1300000000 to 1364390334. Also "00:00" to "23:59", with and without the colon and a load of other formats. {{unsigned|77.243.128.133}}

Alright, this is probably not going to work, but I'm trying to exploit Randall's awesomeness here. Maybe he decided to take the time-stamps from the user? I don't know if that's even possible... That would then allow people in different time zones to obtain different images simultaneously. (What's the corollary of Godwin's law for a bunch of math-and-science nerds and relativity? Is there one?) Clicking the img src url on the comic's html page, give me this: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa.png : Never mind.. apparently others see the same image too.

Could he be doing this live? Monitoring the discussion on the net? Collaborative, crowdsourced comic-ing? Reminds me of those you-decide-what-the-character-does-next-and-flip-to-appropriate-page parallel plot novels.

[[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 07:14, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Let's just compare the two pictures and see how the bottom right changes, which I believe is water and they are indeed waiting for the tide. [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 07:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:I'm adding urls to pictures bellow, edit freely.
::They change every 5 minutes, will try to keep track.

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f8/time.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/timeasdf.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/time6.png

:I have uploaded all the different images onto the wiki, in the order that they were revealed. To avoid needless duplication of effort, I'll put them up in the explanation page. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

It just went back to the second image... [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 07:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: And now changed to something new. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/cdcc6b46b32c53f8596cd0106958b42c4260b9cbc022e6d94054147aa6554960.png
:: The images do look alike, but they're all different. Thanks David. [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 08:04, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::: No..I checked the random string. They're exactly the same. In fact, now it's gone back to the second image. Again. [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 08:07, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Just found this JavaScript code embedded in the comic HTML source (Update: Reformatted to prevent eye-bleeding): http://pastebin.com/4vNJH53Z

I'm no programmer but this looks important to me...

:Moved it to pastebin, so it doesn't clutter the page so much. [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.51|81.23.24.51]] 14:22, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

:Doesn't really help. The script basically changes the image when something happens (probably some time passes, although it's possible there is more hidden there). WHAT image then appears is not directed by the script, but by the site. Specifically, the image displayed as first is taken from [http://c0.xkcd.com/redirect/comic/time http://c0.xkcd.com/redirect/comic/time], while the script asks for [http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource&r=(somenumber) http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource&r=(somenumber)] ... which is, if you get correct "r", probably some json containing the image url. So, even if you hack the script, you will not get all possible urls. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:17, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:: ... actually, given that the script part doesn't seem to do anything just now, it's even possible it's for later (ie, starts producing images when the correct time come). Or maybe there is a bug somewhere in the code :-). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:27, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:::Thanks for explaining. Why hasn't anyone posted this before? Could "location.hash" possibly have anything to do with the method used to generate the image hash key? Also, why is this code so difficult to follow (Obfuscation?)? So many questions... Sorry if this is just a huge waste of ''Time''.

:::: <code>location</code> is the URI of the page. <code>location.hash</code> is the part of the uri after the ''#'' character. If you go to [https://xkcd.com/1190/#verbose https://xkcd.com/1190/#verbose], you'll see some debugging output in your browser's debugging console (Firefox: Web Console or Firebug, Chrome: Development Tools). But nothing to decode the algorithm... :-( --[[Special:Contributions/83.243.48.2|83.243.48.2]] 10:01, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::::: Well, I don't know what's doing it, but there's definitely some script (probably this script) that's refreshing the image automatically. I left the comic open for an hour or so and noticed the image had changed. I refreshed with #verbose in Chrome right before the 30 minute mark and got the following in the console.
<pre>
connecting to event source: http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource time07.min.js:1
s {type: "comic/time", data: "{"spread":5,"image":"832a7f13ca0fadc46e93475bb617d78211e32c81c3af0e289a51f8f149707759.png"}", lastEventId: "e2992bf0-9557-11e2-8001-1c6f659cb250"} time07.min.js:1
waiting 0 seconds before displaying comic 832a7f13ca0fadc46e93475bb617d78211e32c81c3af0e289a51f8f149707759.png time07.min.js:1
Resource interpreted as Image but transferred with MIME type application/octet-stream: "http://xkcd.com/events/connect_start". time07.min.js:1
s {type: "comic/time", data: "{"spread":5,"image":"847265673986f085460bf1a95b96f7171bcd9a4f1f0a598b2188307d03bcfaa3.png"}", lastEventId: "79580fe8-9558-11e2-8001-1c6f659cb250"} time07.min.js:1
waiting 4 seconds before displaying comic 847265673986f085460bf1a95b96f7171bcd9a4f1f0a598b2188307d03bcfaa3.png time07.min.js:1
connection error i {type: "error"} time07.min.js:1
Resource interpreted as Image but transferred with MIME type application/octet-stream: "http://xkcd.com/events/connect_error".
</pre>
::::: The script seems to poll the server every minute or two. It's different from before, where the image server itself redirected to the correct image. The auto refresh was probably always intended, but not quite ready when the comic went live. It may have turned out to be necessary too, so the image server doesn't have to do all the work. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 14:45, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

http://pastebin.com/dLiWsFyN
[[Special:Contributions/79.180.173.88|79.180.173.88]] 09:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:Moved to pastebin.[[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.51|81.23.24.51]] 14:34, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/426033682a26a0012a6f8e0c47287af91b7991a852d81c77402c937ffbd650c6.png

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1e/f46c6571393bee1ee649a7daae41f6328e63482506aef1e22607d22c47dd7027.png --[[User:Johnsmith|Johnsmith]] ([[User talk:Johnsmith|talk]]) 22:51, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b0/88e3a0c8bba935c669606d9134314f811a0961985f968dd5d329e4695acc67c8.png --[[User:Johnsmith|Johnsmith]] ([[User talk:Johnsmith|talk]]) 23:10, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me or or did Randall manage to make all of us perform a Denial of Service on xkcd.com, and explainxkcd.com ? xkcd.com seems much slower, and I keep getting "500 Internal server error" when accessing this site (explainxkcd.com). I guess that's the effect of having everybody hit F5 every few minutes :) [[Special:Contributions/193.239.192.194|193.239.192.194]] 11:57, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Earlier today, the server handled all the image redirections. The script you see above went through several mutations (currently at #8), with each mutation it seems that Randall is adding more servers and trying to split the load between them. This is basically how a bot-net works - we all run code written by some evil genius, and he's changing the code as time passes to serve some hidden purpose.
[[Special:Contributions/79.180.173.88|79.180.173.88]] 15:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:If he is using us as a botnet, then maybe the next comic will be something alluding to that.
:Probably like this: http://xkcd.com/350/

When I saw this comic last night and that there was no explanation up, I thought to myself "How zen." I figured that Randall was going through a calm streak before throwing us the utterly ridiculous April 1st comic. Did it come early, or does he have something even bigger planned for us? [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 07:05, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
:Sorry, did you miss the bit where this comic updates every 30 minutes and all the server error messages being caused by the massive traffic to both the wiki and the main xkcd website? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:08, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
::Well, when I said "last night" and "no explanation", I implied that I wasn't aware of that at the time, which is why I thought what I did. Of course, it is now "now" and there is an explanation, so that should answer your question. Also, since it's not April 1st, and Randall has consistently released something major on that day, the jury is still out, leaving my question quite open (though I was really only asking for opinions). [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 07:20, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

wanted to add an image to the list above, but didn't know at what timestamp to add it, got 69085b480cb82911b19fe8f114909756989eed89b0d227db0f59c1843de7ba24.png at 2013-03-26 09:47 CET (UTC+0100)
/Puggan
:The hours denote the time since the initial release of the comic. The page is still a work in progress, we're going to bring that all into one image file soon. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:13, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

This site should seriously consider cloudflare, it's perfect at times like this and takes minutes to set up. I run all my sites through it and it saves a lot of page huts and bandwidth.
[[Special:Contributions/123.3.136.228|123.3.136.228]]Evan Pyle
:Or at least make the main page a static page that refreshes every so often. I'm guessing that most of the traffic is going to the front page with not as much traffic to the actual comic page [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 15:43, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Some of the images on the wiki (looks like time38.png through time48.png) are slightly different than what is on the main site. The lines are slightly thicker, as though someone did them based on screen captures.
[[User:Royce|Royce]] ([[User talk:Royce|talk]]) 14:37, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
:Well, at least we have the hashes so they can be re-retrieved, so nothing is really lost, right? Should we add links to the original? [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 15:43, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

:I uploaded two of the "thicker" images and one of the "regular" ones, and I did the same thing for all of them: right-click->save-as. Given that the "thick" ones are all clustered together, I think the files on the xkcd site changed. [[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 18:21, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Story so far: [http://static.odysseus.anderson.name/1190.gif linky] [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 19:30, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

I guess we shall find out in ~10 minutes if Randall is trolling us. [[Special:Contributions/129.138.30.95|129.138.30.95]] 04:20, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

... so that's it?

Did I just miss something or we've all been epically trolled for 48 hours? [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:22, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:Motherofgod, no, he's *still* going!''' [[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:20, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

What makes you think he's done? [[Special:Contributions/129.138.30.95|129.138.30.95]] 04:25, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm still waiting for the water level to drop precipitously... and then for red spiders to run over everything [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 04:28, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, strip 1191 is up so I assumed it was over. I guess it's not. Until April's Fools maybe? [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:32, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
: It is not over -- the image is still updating, at least it did for me [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])
:: Yes, it's not over. Last frame shows just a minimal movement of Cueball's head, but no doubt it's still ongoing. [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:49, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
::: Given the fact the strips for the last 2 weeks have been comparatively simple, I expect Randall has been planning this for at least that long. {{unsigned|101.98.156.239}}

Considering the common theme with "today's" strip, anyone wanna guess that he's sending us a hex-encoded file over a really slow modem link, slated to complete April 1? Anyone wanna run "magic" over the hashes and see if they come up with a compression codec or something? [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 04:45, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:I liked this idea and crunched the hex data for 00:00 to 51:00 into a binary file (http://filebin.ca/bcGyfUvdgBi). Can't see anything resembling a file header, but that doesn't really say much. If this is compressed header-less data there wouldn't likely be any easily discernible patterns. Haven't really tried running the data through anything, zlib was one that came to mind but haven't tried it.

[[Special:Contributions/194.114.62.72|194.114.62.72]] I'm pretty shure it's not the seaside, but a lake - the water level is not changing at all.

Its probably going to loop back on itself, eventually, and repeat this way forever. [[Special:Contributions/113.160.224.209|113.160.224.209]] 07:12, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

For those wondering about the Javascript behind this: I posted my analysis of the Javascript [http://www.echochamber.me/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=760#p3303579 on the xkcd forums], and further de-obfuscated and annotated the code over on [https://gist.github.com/cincodenada/5246094 GitHub]. Here's a quick summary though: it holds open a connection to xkcd's servers and listens for instructions and follows them. Those instructions are either "load a new image" or "reload the page". So, you don't have to mash F5, it will automatically update the image when they're available. We have no way to control how fast the images come or when they do, and it's quite possible for them to update forever. --[[User:Fiveofoh|Fiveofoh]] ([[User talk:Fiveofoh|talk]]) 06:41, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

This is a series of animation frames. I suspect they will only ever be shown once (based on the fact you can only get the current image, not previous or future images -- this is in keeping with the title, "Time", which passes and which you can't ever get back]. The filenames are UUIDs too long to guess, so somebody needs to start collecting the filenames here so that a proper flipbook can be assembled. Here's the latest URL: [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/81efa7c4509ac7a329407d9da25d12ec0a3baec50e06588586961575e2d65c2c.png http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/81efa7c4509ac7a329407d9da25d12ec0a3baec50e06588586961575e2d65c2c.png] Go here to collect URLs: [http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource]
:We've kinda already been doing that. They're the big long filenames next to each timestamp. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:06, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Oh my god it's game of thrones played out in 2D [[Special:Contributions/123.3.136.228|123.3.136.228]] Evan Pyle

Is it just me, or do the last two frames look like someone just threw a rock at the castle? [[Special:Contributions/67.167.81.143|67.167.81.143]] 14:20, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I believe it is the cannon ball that I have been expecting since they first started building castles. [[User:ChrisPUT|ChrisPUT]] ([[User talk:ChrisPUT|talk]]) 16:34, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Here's a bit of JavaScript to execute in your browser's JavaScript console. (Cmd+Alt+K on Firefox for Mac, for example.)
<pre>
/* Collect all frame image URLs */
var images = [];
Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/time"][href$=".png"]')).forEach(function (a) {
images.push(a.href);
});

/* Create an image in the top-right corner of the screen */
var img = document.body.appendChild(document.createElement('img'));
img.setAttribute('style', 'position: fixed; top: 1em; right: 1em;');

/* Allow removing the image by clicking */
img.onclick = function () {
img.parentNode.removeChild(img);
};

var texts = [0,51,169,174,322];
var delays = [0,1000,1000,1500,4000];

/* Cycle through the frames */
img.onload = function () {
/* Pause a bit longer for the text frames */
var idx = texts.indexOf(img.i);
var delay = ( idx > 0 ) ? delays[idx] : 50;
setTimeout(function () {
img.src = images[++img.i % images.length];
}, delay);
};

/* Start with the first frame */
img.i = 0;
img.src = images[img.i];
</pre>

— [http://jan.moesen.nu/ Jan!] [[Special:Contributions/94.23.195.79|94.23.195.79]] 09:22, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

---Thanks for the script!. Ctrl+Shift+J on Windows Chrome [[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 13:11, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

- updated script 'coz there are three text panels now. [[User schnitz]] 19:00, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

- updated script with another text panel [[Special:Contributions/24.77.229.71|24.77.229.71]] 21:00, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

The one for the prior half hour (5AM - 5:30AM EST, 27 March 2013) is located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/5450bd39ee84a394467fabcaf92f1a5711c2a4eca24c8bd8a8cec829496e3dd7.png
[[Special:Contributions/141.161.133.106|141.161.133.106]] 09:26, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

And the one for the following half hour is located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/c2ea85f1ab92f2f80e9c4655c47f5c7effc0a7da01c8a88493864845855b3be8.png
[[Special:Contributions/141.161.133.106|141.161.133.106]] 09:31, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Call me a paranoid, but I think this strip is all about 9/11:
*If you read the strip number (1190) backwards, you get 09/11
*This subject is recurrent on xkcd
*As far as we have seen, there is a destroyed tower and they are rebuilding it
*The next strip, following 1190 (or 09/11), mentions war against countries with large oil reserves but low military capacity. {{unsigned|143.107.105.14}}
:I feel like that's kind of a stretch, I'm pretty sure it's just a story about a day at the beach.

If a new strip goes up every 30 minutes our time, and if each strip comprises of, let's say for the sake of simplicity, one minute in their time; to build the sand castle [frames 24-117 = 93 frames] so far it's taken almost 2 days our time, which would be about an hour and a half their time if each frame is a minute. Using my scale, an hour our time is 2 minutes their time, a day is 48 minutes, and our month is their 24 hour day. If we assume Randall plans to give us a 24 hour period from that world's time, and we use the minute-per-frame rate I made up, than we'd probably be looking at a month of images our time. I guess we'll just have to see how long he's got it planned to go on. -boB

Has it ended? All that's left is the sandcastle, and there doesn't seem to have been anything else changed on it for a few hours.

It's zooming out! When look at the gifs showing the frames in succession, the last 3 show the castle getting slightly smaller each time!
: It's true! The most recent also shows the edge of another castle, leading me to believe it's part of some kind of sand castle contest, probably including some of xkcd's other recurring characters!
::Weird, now it's not showing that, Randall must have put something up too soon.
A controllable version of the same comic is available at http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/ - slow/fast movement, pause, control back and forth. It also has the image # on the top left. Auto updating. [[Special:Contributions/59.182.173.88|59.182.173.88]] 20:56, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

:Can you add on-screen buttons, so it's usable on phones and tablets without hardware keyboard?{{unsigned|81.23.24.48}}

looky here: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/4c92727698b704ee1d02fbd37c94c220d16be4ad3ff6fc03a3fb77ea6d96434f.png [[Special:Contributions/97.88.147.176|97.88.147.176]] 23:14, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
That was a glitch on the server that revealed a future frame, but it has been corrected and that link is now a 404 not found. I guess if we want to see it in context we'll just have to "Wait for it."{{unsigned|Bugstomper}}
: Well now we're back to that picture as the present frame. [[User:Racerdude09|Racerdude09]] ([[User talk:Racerdude09|talk]]) 03:14, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Is someone gonna update the transcript to note them building a sandcastle, as well as the dialogue so far (consisting of Megan and Cueball saying goodbye to each other at No. 52)?--[[Special:Contributions/69.119.250.251|69.119.250.251]] 00:38, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Anyone else think that they're roleplaying Dom and Mal in Limbo? [[User:Fry-kun|Fry-kun]] ([[User talk:Fry-kun|talk]]) 05:36, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

I think they're bulding a sand replica of King's Landing for the Game Of Thrones season 3 premiere {{unsigned|201.239.18.75}}
: My first idea regarding the sand castle was also about Game of Thrones, but i dismissed it as being too biased.. --[[Special:Contributions/217.13.68.110|217.13.68.110]] 13:31, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

I have modified the code "'''''/* Collect all frame image URLs */'''''" to see only images of the "'''Frame by Frame Breakdown'''" section :
/* Collect all frame image URLs */
var images = [];
Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelector('#Frame_by_Frame_Breakdown').parentElement.nextElementSibling.nextElementSibling.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/wiki/images/"][href*="/time"][href$=".png"]')).forEach(function (a) {
images.push(a.href);
});
(Sorry for my English... and the ugly code...) {{unsigned|194.119.85.99}}

Anyone else think this is going to be related to Wed's cartoon? I'm half-expecting Black Hat to show up from the future, with advanced weaponry, to take oil from the sandcastle of the past. {{unsigned|173.180.60.43}}

Guys, i think we might have lost a few frames in between, no? When did he upload the first image? like, the exakt time... knowing this we could calculate the amount of images there should be and compare to what we have... [[User:Caranhyas|Caranhyas]] ([[User talk:Caranhyas|talk]]) 18:04, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

The four comics from 89:00 to 90:30 (most recent so far) look the same to me, but the PNG files have different CRCs for the image data blocks, though the metadata in the PNG files are all the same. I wonder if there might be something subtle hidden in the images, or the way they're compressed. [[Special:Contributions/24.160.133.3|24.160.133.3]] 22:54, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

: There is a very minor difference in the water level on those images, even though the water level has been static in most of the other images. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.210|129.21.63.210]] 02:05, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I don't think the title text is a reference to anything except for... wait for it... THE MONGOLS ;-) [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.34|81.23.24.34]] 23:00, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Unless the 99:30 image was misnamed, it's not included in the list of images. Does anyone know where this frame went? [[User:Bob|Bob]] 14:18, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Is that rain in two recent panels? [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 14:21, 29 March 2013 (UTC)r

Can someone identify for sure what Cueball is doing in 105:00? His arms seems to be crossed, and his holding something in his hand. [[User:Mem|mem]] ([[User talk:Mem|talk]]) 14:30, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looks to me like he is shivering, which would allude to a cool down common with rain storms? [[User:Jeremy1026|Jeremy1026]] ([[User talk:Jeremt1026|talk]]) 14:51 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looks to me like he's brushing sand off himself; see the shower around him similar to her hair at 10:00? [[Special:Contributions/70.178.167.60|70.178.167.60]] 03:07, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Megan just wheeled in a trebuchet! This is going to be fun! [[Special:Contributions/69.246.10.71|69.246.10.71]] 16:34, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
Now she's launching a rock. I wonder which tower it might hit. March 2013, at 17:08. Flew over the first two and might impact far right tower if it continues. 17:48

I think this is all an elaborate 'joke' which will keep running until Monday - April Fools' Day [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 17:17, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Re explanation of hour 110:00. My first thought was "How can a person whose face is an empty ovoid look upset?". However, looking at the image again I can see how it does. Respects to Randall. Possibly an April Fool, but I will be even more impressed if it runs beyond Monday. I'm waiting for the tide to come in. jasq [[Special:Contributions/79.123.80.87|79.123.80.87]] 23:12, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I googled some hashes. The first two seem to show up here, in a directory tellingly labeled "wait": http://www.hash-database.net/wait/hash_sha256.txt
:: The "wait" folder there contains hashes that weren't found in the database and might or might not someday be discovered. They are probably there *because* someone was looking up hashes to see if they were common words. [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 23:17, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
To review, the first two are:
8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672
1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97
Googled the third one, but it only shows up on xkcd discussion forums :(
Hashed some of the hashes, but didn't see the result in the list, so it dosen't look like a hash chain.
Someone should google all the other hashes, and someone else should figure out what the guy in the "wait" directory (presuming it wasn't Randall) was hashing. --[[User:Venal dwarf|Venal dwarf]] ([[User talk:Venal dwarf|talk]]) 21:37, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Comparing all the filenames to the hashes on that page, I found a total of four that overlap. The first two, as mentioned. But also one from the middle of day 1, and one from the end of day 1.

: 00:30 - 01/00:30 - 8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672.png

: 01:00 - 01/01:00 - 1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png

: 12:00 - 01/12:00 - a3aa116efca3c01d8a64c0c7e79158dc8a62241aba767064e3a6c724cc5ade93.png

: 23:30 - 01/23:30 - 1da3859627430022485c53ad90e88e8771b2bec2d60e910b59ef332325bba29f.png

: --[[User:Venal dwarf|Venal dwarf]] ([[User talk:Venal dwarf|talk]]) 22:36, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

: There is a fifth one also, from 01:30 - e25be2dd49fe9f33c3543cdf640b67e0f2146cc576db5da007a135a278e524ee.png
: I converted all 1153 hashes in the file to lower case and did a wget on them but it did not turn up any files from the future. [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 05:31, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Is Randall training us like Pavlov's dogs - every 30 minutes we are compelled to refresh the web-page? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 01:59, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone have an opinion on how we should continue naming the saved timeNN.png files if the updates do not continue on the half hour?
Right now the link for the skipped update 242 got renamed to the nonexistent time242NA.png and the next update's link is time242.png. But what do we do if the updates are changing to once per hour? By the way it does look like the next half-hour update has been skipped too. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 05:57, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
:It does seem to have gone hourly as of midnight EDT. I stuck in "NA" as a placeholder since I wasn't sure what to do with the files, and wanted to make it clear that the half-hour updates were skipped in case it goes back or changes in some other way. Maybe start naming them by the time, instead of sequentially, e.g. "012200.png". If the pattern holds, the "no update" lines can be removed. (Or both might make more sense, like "time243-012200.png".) [[Special:Contributions/69.243.159.96|69.243.159.96]] 06:08, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
::I'm partial to timestamping filenames for stuff like this. I have this zsh line running right now:
while { : } { wget -O "`date +"%Y-%m-%d %a %H%M%S"` Time .png" http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png ; sleep 30m }
::(I was wishing for a convenient way to use the server-side timestamps, 'till i noticed that it's always 2013-04-12 Fri 09:05'38—which i'm guessing is the script's mtime.) —[[Special:Contributions/98.83.126.232|98.83.126.232]] 08:28, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Anyone else getting a 404 error with the latest image (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/d1b3b1b6e23995a093377c5ddc044dd98a42a3ae1327c8b6620d51d2a7003c1d.png)? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:19, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Strange: As far as I know http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png always redirects to the current frame. But if you visit the current one (133:00) at http://xkcd.com/1190/ and check the displayed image, it says 'c6976fbb244af4fc2286ffe3ac2cf78d408c1f610ecd71e18b4a677a048f084d.png' while time.png redirects to '1d9ce7199935b1b629d6b8744e62c7700a3780357b2dc74bb70471db616ddadb.png'. If you take a md5 of both images, they appear to be the same.
:I was confused by this as well, I'm grabbing the images myself via time.png and got the 1d9ce7 hash. How will these duplicates be displayed in the table?[[User:Lockyy|Lockyy]] ([[User talk:Lockyy|talk]]) 17:48, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm seeing some strange stuff now. I have a script that uses wget of time.png to get the redirected hash png like Lockyy is doing. And I can verify that when you go to the 1190 page in the browser you get a different hash. But the previous hour and this hour, unlike the ones before it, the two hash pngs are different. And when I refresh the screen in my browser at the 1190 page, first I see the image I get from time.png, then the image refreshes with the other one. I'm not sure what this means or what we are supposed to do with it. I added the time.png hashes to the table for the last two hours but we probably need a way of indicating the difference. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 20:38, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
: This latest hourly update did the same thing. If you are fast enough you can even get the first image in your browser by right click view image before it changes to the second one. I edited in something that shows that. It probably could stand some reformatting by someone with better graphic design sense, but at least right now all the information has been captured. - [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 21:18, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looking at it some more, I see that wget of the page at xkcd.com/1190/ gets you an img link to time.png and then there is the javascript that must after some delay get the different hash url image. That means that we had better be sure that we do not miss any manual checks of hourly updates because the scripts will never find that second image unless someone has a way of getting a script that runs the javascript as if it was a browser. As long as someone posts the hash of the image from the browser every hour, I can ensure that we have the hashes the scripts can get because I have a cron job checking for those updates every 15 minutes. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 21:49, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
:: And with the update for day 06/18:00 it appears to be back to normal, one consistent image per update -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 22:22, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Just if somebody else wants this, i hacked a little bash script to download all images to the current listed here. It skips already downloaded images so it can be reused later when more images are here.

<pre>#!/bin/bash
curl -s http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190 |
egrep -o "/wiki/images/[0-9a-f]/[0-9a-f]{2}/time[0-9]*.png" |
while read url; do
imgname=$(basename $url)
tmp=${imgname:4}
id=${tmp%.png}
printf -v target "image%03d.png" ${id:-1}
[[ -e $target ]] && continue
echo $target
curl -so $target http://www.explainxkcd.com$url
done
</pre>
--[[Special:Contributions/79.236.3.216|79.236.3.216]] 18:51, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

To ease waiting times: http://thred.github.com/xkcd-time-catapult/
:: This is awesome. I love the internet. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:15, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

I've offered up [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316|my own explanation]. The obvious metaphor is how time continues to flow and things change when you’re not watching. And how this could be a conceptual art project that could continue the rest of our lives... [[Special:Contributions/72.183.97.36|72.183.97.36]] 19:36, 31 March 2013 (UTC) Lawrence Person
:Correcting your link: [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316 my own explanation] --[[Special:Contributions/24.145.230.202|24.145.230.202]] 20:49, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

::This comics may not really continue forever unless Randall will put some sort of repetition into it. May not be simple loop but something more sophisticated, but still, images shown up to now doesn't show any kind of repetition yet. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:28, 1 April 2013 (UTC)

anyone else notice the water is slowly rising? not unlike a tide (depending on the time scaling implemented? perhaps a flooding river (as might correspond to the mention of a river)? [[Special:Contributions/70.192.210.128|70.192.210.128]] 18:08, 2 April 2013 (UTC)
:I checked your claim that the water is rising, and I agree. Good catch! I measure the rate at about 1 pixel per 25 frames starting at about 100 hours. Though a more careful look could surely refine that estimate.{{unsigned|207.67.82.250}}
:I measured the water level with a ruler. The water will take another 20 days before reaching the sand castle if rising at a constant rate. [[Special:Contributions/192.155.85.119|192.155.85.119]] 01:27, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

Oddly this contradicts the text, which says that the river is going down: "Any idea where the river is now?", Cueball replies "Still pretty far out. It actually retreated a little this week." --AH
:"It's *still* pretty far out". I think this means that it's getting less far out.[[Special:Contributions/93.73.186.104|93.73.186.104]] 07:41, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
::"It actually retreated a little this week." ~~dang

This comic has been running and updating so long I think perhaps it is a sand castle creation/destruction program that autonomously lets the two indefinitely build, destroy and rebuild new sand castles all the time… [[Special:Contributions/80.101.210.21|80.101.210.21]] 09:55, 4 April 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe. We don't have enough data to say that for sure yet. We just need to "wait for it". [[Special:Contributions/93.73.186.104|93.73.186.104]] 10:07, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

I think numbers in "As of this writing, it is still updated after more than XXX hours - even after Y new, different comics were posted on the front page" at the top of the page should be calculated using {{#expr}}. I changed it for number of comics, but I have no idea how to calculate number of hours since it was posted.[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 11:15, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

When Megan coughed and Cueball asked if she was okay, did anyone else think of http://xkcd.com/931/ Lanes? Cueball explains that cancer treatment results are not known until much later, "and often the first sign is a cough or a bone pain. So you spend the next five or ten years trying not to worry . . . ." ~~wrybred

:I don't want to be a downer but this is just my interpretation thus far. I hope it is a happier theme but if you are correct wrybred, my further explanation would be the following... I think that building sandcastles is an analogy for living their life. Going for a swim in the body of water and the cough could represent the start of the cancer or possibly some time where they had to go out and "wade" in the possibilities of what cancer could mean. Time passes and Cueball says "I don't think we can build it much taller than this. It's been fun, though" which represents that they believe they have done as well as they can with the lives they have been given. They comment on the river retreating even though we the audience observe a body of water on the right hand side rising could represent how we can be fooled into believing things are going alright when in reality they are not. The reference to not understanding what the river is doing also fits this explanation well as someone with cancer may occasionally feel confused about their illness. Presently while I write this they are possibly preparing for a flood which represents the return of the cancer. If I were to guess what is next I might guess that they will watch as the flood comes in and destroys some of what they built but it is better than not having made the sandcastle in the first place. I could be way off, but Randall has given us a lot of TIME to think about what this is all about and your mind wanders. I also would note that this may not be about a particular cancer story, just any cancer story. [[User:Nhoel|Nhoel]] ([[User talk:Nhoel|talk]]) 13:51, 8 April 2013 (UTC)

Could Cueball and Megan be building a European city, as it evolved, was damaged and remodelled where 1 day of strips is 100 years? Maybe Cueball is curretly remodelling Notre Dame de Paris or Westminster??? If so, it should get interesting around day 17 [[Special:Contributions/129.238.237.96|129.238.237.96]] 17:34, 4 April 2013 (UTC)rbnm

<pre>#!/bin/bash

# Assumes you have a complete set of numbered PNG images in a
# directory called "./images". (See the script above) Makes a
# directory called "./cropped" containing N images that are 1 pixel
# wide by 395 pixels tall, each of which contains the second to last
# column of one of the input images. Finally, concatenates all those
# images into montage.png, which will be Nx395 pixels and can be read
# as a graph of water depth over time.

mkdir -p cropped
rm cropped/*.png
for i in images/*.png
do
f=`basename $i .png`
convert -crop 1x395+550+0 $i cropped/${f}_cropped.png
echo $f
done

montage cropped/*.png -geometry 1x395+0+0 -tile x1 montage.png

echo Wrote result to montage.png
</pre>[[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 21:00, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

He's making a mini-version of the whole sandcastle on top of the mound! You can see the two turrets on the left and the mound in the center!

They're inside an hourglass! ;) - Filippo

i believe that he made a fractal version of the scene atop the middle sandcastle... are we going to have an infinite zoom for a bit (or maybe forever?) - ck

Maybe it's some sort of reference to [http://xkcd.com/878/ Model Rail] where Cueball ends up with multiple model railways in his basement...--[[Special:Contributions/77.100.193.92|77.100.193.92]] 13:14, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:<strike>Since it hasn't been brought up yet;</strike> reference to 878, this is Nesting, and there are FOUR visible layers.
:- "It's the second rule of 'model train layouts': No Nesting." (Strike and replace with the building sandcastles.)
:- "Whats the first rule?", "Do not talk about ... That rule was actually voted in by our friends and families.", "Philistines"
:Drifter [[Special:Contributions/24.106.78.38|24.106.78.38]] 19:26, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::Actually 77.100.193.92 did bring it up, which is why I believe they're building a large trebuchet. [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 22:09, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::Thank you Bdemirici & 77.100.193.92, sorry for the duplicatation. Now which came first... the coment or or the comic, 77...'s reference came before the center structure gained its malformed parapets. Drifter [[Special:Contributions/66.42.134.195|66.42.134.195]] 10:38, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Whoa -- big change in scale, zoom in on Megan holding a mini trebuchet at about 5 pm central time Friday the 5th.--[[Special:Contributions/205.208.92.136|205.208.92.136]] 22:20, 5 April 2013 (UTC)--~~

A tiny trebuchet for use on the tiny turrets? Megan is kinda awesome. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 22:32, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

:I think she should "outgrow these toys and focus on something practical" ;-) [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:59, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Looks like they are re-enacting the trebuchet incident on the mini-castle. AH --[[Special:Contributions/108.244.73.186|108.244.73.186]] 23:53, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Meta-physical time again: "I don't understand what the sea is doing" - wasn't it a river earlier? Is it a different sea? The river of time maybe? Where is Randall leading us? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 03:09, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I'm thinking it may have to do with the title text from this comic. http://xkcd.com/4/
:I think it's obvious. They're not on a beach. They're on a recently exposed portion of the river bed. In time the river will come back and engulf the whole area. [[Special:Contributions/64.121.163.170|64.121.163.170]] 10:16, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I have redownloaded the 199:00 image based upon the hash here and it does still say "river", so Randall hasn't adjusted the "past" to fit the "present"... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 05:50, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I've read somewhere that they are not on the beach. They are on some sort of a boat covered with sand. First they were in the river, and now they reached the sea. [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:19, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

::So if they are on a boat then it isn't the river/sea that is rising it is the boat that is sinking (or having more weight added to it). [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 18:35, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
:It's pretty obvious to me. They're on a beach with a river running through it. Yes, beaches sometimes have rivers in them. And also, rivers that run through beaches tend to be very unstable and to move their bed all the time, because of the fact that it's running water through loose sand. That's why they talk about the river moving. [[Special:Contributions/80.212.115.55|80.212.115.55]] 08:04, 7 April 2013 (UTC)
:: This comic. http://xkcd.com/4/ {{unsigned|Zuffelnok}}

: xkcd Time Catapult done correctly http://i.imgur.com/XEKEfSR.png {{unsigned|118.129.231.136}}
:: Man, you have just too much... wait for it... time! [[User:Caranhyas|Caranhyas]] ([[User talk:Caranhyas|talk]]) 16:34, 7 April 2013 (UTC)

Just so it doesn't get lost, these are the last 2 hashes I've seen: e3e8169439be717a5661dba80cca623330516d87749f5c5bd83d4a4aae19b89a.png, a2c0f3ed4be680f5b794f0137a55af8704598a2105e1eff5fce750b07800c19b.png

Are they building a giant trebuchet? Another zoom out maybe? [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 05:13, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I love how Randall is reacting to the discussion here. Is it a sea? Or a river? Let's have Cueball drink from it to clarify ;) [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 09:42, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:It could be brackish water ... and I have seen some fresh water rivers I definitely wouldn't want to drink from [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:10, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

:So this tells us 3 things:
:1) It's likely a sea.
:2) This comic, or at least a script (not in a programming sense) for it was very likely made by a human. So it's not randomly generated. We already knew this, but now it's confirmed once again.
:3) Randall is still working on this comic, or at least he was some time after he started releasing it.
:[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 16:51, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I think by tasting the water Cueball was preparing himself for the inevitable - the water is going to continue to rise and nothing they can do will stop it: they are going to drown. This strip is about the slow, inextirpable, approach of Death - and this isn't the Death from a Terry Pratchett novel. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 20:29, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
: Between the 376th and the 81st strip it can be noted how much the water has rised. And I've noted how there's no wind in the beach (river's mouth?), the flags don't move and the sea has no waves. Don't know if there's a meaning there. --[[User:Yinosanchez|Yinosanchez]] ([[User talk:Yinosanchez|talk]]) 21:18, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:: I think you shouldn't compare it to frames before about 220, because that's where zoom changed last time. Also it looks like it will reach the castle in a day and a half from now.[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:17, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:::The likely implication of the lack waves etc is that they are in an estuarine environment, where the rising tide may not have a bore at all. This might explain a few things, like the reference to a river, the strange behaviour of the sea, and perhaps might explain Cueball tasting the water (to see if he could determine the saltwater content). [[User:Eeijevs|Eeijevs]] ([[User talk:Eeijevs|talk]]) 22:34, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
::::Megan's reaction to getting the water in her mouth (cough, pffthh) and Cueball's are pretty similar ... call me crazy but I think there's something weird about the water beyond its salt content ... --[[Special:Contributions/76.84.59.83|76.84.59.83]] 04:20, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::: And 2 hours after I said that, Megan built something right next to the water. I wonder if this was a coincidence... [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 09:34, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
:::: It is, of course, a damm to buy them some time. :-) {{unsigned|84.180.241.162}}
:::: It wouldn't work as a dam in a 3D universe. It would have to extend infinitely in z to act as a dam. Then again, there's also no good way to support a platform with two posts. [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 20:24, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Can someone please move the list of images and their hashes to another page? Randal is showing no signs that the images will stop anytime soon. [[Special:Contributions/184.5.152.192|184.5.152.192]] 22:32, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:I understand the sentiment, and considered at least commenting out the future tables, but this page does not need to be changed when the latest frames are uploaded, only when the hashes are added, and those of us still keeping the live XKCD page open do find it easier to just open the last few frames missed when looking away or sleeping.
:I do wonder if the wall of text is worth reducing by actually making the hashes a link with something like "Direct link" as the text. Is anyone still attempting to generate the hashes? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 05:10, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

:I went ahead and made all the tables collapsed by default. If the comic continues beyond another couple of weeks, I vote for moving them to another page. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 06:44, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::If the comic ever comes to an end, we could clear out the archived hashes and put all the image links into a multi-column table. The hashes are only really useful to editors trying to upload new images, they don't really add that much to understanding the comic. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:29, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Just a theory. On Friday, April 19th at 00:00 there will be 1200 images in the comic, at the same time the strip 1201 of xkcd should be posted on the site. I'm guessing that will end it. (UPDATE: Math is wrong, was still counting half an hour updates. Sorry about that. The numbers will match on May 2nd at 6 in the morning, nothing special there.)--[[User:Yinosanchez|Yinosanchez]] ([[User talk:Yinosanchez|talk]]) 18:27, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps it is about global climate change? "The sea is rising." and now they are building a very tall structure to cope with this ?AH --[[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 01:54, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
:Actually, looks like they're building a boat!!! [[Special:Contributions/64.121.163.170|64.121.163.170]] 10:04, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
::This is in no way close to a boat, look at any shipyard, that's not how you build a boat! --[[Special:Contributions/83.145.101.131|83.145.101.131]] 10:25, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
:::It is how you build an observation deck, though, or an airport control tower. And if you have the lumber to build such a structure, you could much more easily build a raft. So it's not like they're in any real danger of drowning when the tide gets higher. - [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 20:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

It could be a raptor-proof tower .... not seen any of those in XKCD for a while {{unsigned|86.128.14.32}}

Looks like that small tower that Megan added in 500-502 is acting like a levee. The water outside it is higher now (569) than the water inside it. I can't imagine it'll help much, though.
--[[User:Mlv|Mlv]] ([[User talk:Mlv|talk]]) 20:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

[http://imgur.com/bSP5nWK Graph of water level over time] [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 22:10, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

It appears that a couple of frames (4 and 427) get revisited a couple of frames later:
md5sum -b * | sort | uniq -w32 -D
—[[Special:Contributions/98.83.126.232|98.83.126.232]] 04:16, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

Has it slowed to once every 2 hours for new frames? --[[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 14:12, 13 April 2013 (UTC)
: For some reason, over the fast few hours the image wasn't automatically updating, and I had to refresh the page to see it. Now it looks like the image and static data XKCD servers are down... at least for me. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 03:50, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Looks like everything's back to normal. Fortunately, the aubronwood animation page has correctly captured the frames that I missed (although it had a few duplicates during XKCD's weirdness, it's fixed now). [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 15:20, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Yes, I haven't been able to retrieve anything since 23:40 EDT. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 06:05, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone else considered the relationship of this comic to John Cage's musical composition "As Slow As Possible?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 07:08, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, I did, in [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316|my upstream link]. {{unsigned ip|72.183.97.222|00:34, 17 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}
:It surely can't be a coincidence that the comic released the day after this comment was all about John Cage, can it? [[User:DarthCrap|DarthCrap]] ([[User talk:DarthCrap|talk]]) 10:15, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah, I noticed that. So who is trolling whom here? This group, or Randall? I would love it if he set up a foundation to keep this cartoon updating for the next N years, where N is the time backwards from this year to some particular early machine, ENIAC or Babbage's Analytical Engine or the Jacquard loom or the abacus, or whatever. (Refer to how the foundation sponsoring the Cage piece got their 639 years.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:02, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Another intergenerational project at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:59, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wondering, could the river/sea conundrum have anything to do with http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=4:_Landscape_%28sketch%29 and the original accompanying text "Don't ask me why there's a river running through the ocean. Please."? [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 17:45, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Notice the last couple of frames have begun to show waves in the rising sea. (Frames 627-628) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 07:32, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

How could a small hill of sand stopped the entire sea. The world might be two dimensional, or Randall might have wanted to gain some time but it doesn't make much sense. {{unsigned ip|212.253.22.219 |12:06, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}
:Seriously? Ok - time to review the physics of hydrostatic fluids, folks. Depth is the only variable in calculating fluid pressure. Whether its a bucket or the ocean, the pressure at any given depth in a fluid is the same. A small hill of sand can stop the entire sea. Waves, however, are another matter... [[User:Uglystick|Uglystick]] ([[User talk:Uglystick|talk]]) 14:34, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
::A small hill can stop the sea if it extends infinitely in the Z axis, otherwise the sea will simply flow around it. The other alternative is to encircle the castle with it, forming a moat, but then we wouldn't be able to see the inside. So this can't be a normal 3D universe. Lending some weight to the 2D or nearly 2D nature is that the first platform they put up was installed on only two posts. But the platform itself had width. Maybe they're stuck between two panes of glass like an ant farm. [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 15:15, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
:::A 2D world would also explain why the structure they're on can stand. It's an imperfectly 2D world though; it's been mentioned below that a pole should in theory stop the water easy. I guess it has some 3D realities to it, i.e., a wall should stop water, but a pole shouldn't. {{unsigned ip|173.13.244.241 | 19:18, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

Water depth is [http://imgur.com/MBiShof increasing quadratically]? (Probably not, but it looks nice on the graph so far. My current guess is that it's a sine wave that will peak out at 103 pixels.) [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 15:18, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

I think in the end it's about what you build up during life and how "the time" washes all of it away, eventually {{unsigned ip|87.178.224.240|16:05, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

If this were a 2D universe, wouldn't the best course of action be to bury one of the poles directly at the water's edge? That way, like the small sand hill, the sea would have to rise to the very top of the pole before it would flood the remaining sand structures. {{unsigned ip| 74.94.246.5|16:33, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

Just a remark: Frame 458 (time458.png on this page, or hour 337:00) is corrupt, i.e. it deviates from the original that can be retrieved via the hash address. Probabely it was a screencap rather than a direct copy - someone should reupload it.. Oh and the structure on the poles is definitely the mighty Randall's Arc (though it doesn't rain)... {{unsigned ip|93.135.113.244}}

Now they are 'building castles in the air' - dreaming of a future that will never come to pass? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 11:43, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

:Why should building castles in the air be harder that building {{w|Server_farm|farm}} in {{w|Cloud_computing|clouds}}? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:37, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

The bucket on the pulley used to be carrying just sand. Now, if I read the situation correctly, it's carrying something that's heavier than Megan, so she can't use the pulley (or, possibly, anything else) to pull it up. Lead? Depleted uranium? Dwarf star remnant? [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 15:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Seems to me like she was trying to raise ''herself'' up in the bucket, then lost her balance and collapsed part of the middle castle when she fell. - [[User:Acrisius|Acrisius]] ([[User talk:Acrisius|talk]]) 15:39, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
::That probably makes a little more sense than "dwarf star remnant". [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 16:09, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

:::Especially considering that dwarf star remnant loosely placed on ground would fall through it. Even if the ground would be armor-plated. Unless it explode first. Hmmm ... this may be good question for the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/ what-if] - what will happen if you put dwarf star remnant with size of apple on ground somewhere on earth? Or neutronium? (What happens with black hole was already explained when LHC started.) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:20, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

My favorite episode from the Batman TV series was one where the Riddler gave Batman a nonsense clue which contained a surveillance microphone. He'd then eavesdrop on what Batman “deducted” his next coup would be, and he made it happen. Seeing how the discussion here does seem to affect the events in the comic, I wonder if Randall is pulling a Riddler on us. Just as an experiment, I thought I'd mention that it's odd there are no seagulls at the beach ;-) [[Special:Contributions/201.235.179.15|201.235.179.15]] 16:49, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:I like the way that the sea/river/metaphor is now slowly eroding the base of the tower on the right. Also, where are the fish ;-) [[User:Eeijevs|Eeijevs]] ([[User talk:Eeijevs|talk]]) 21:15, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
::I like how the erosion of the castle is accurate [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave-cut_platform].--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 11:11, 18 April 2013 (UTC)
::Aquaman?--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 23:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Still no seagulls! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:09, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

We seem to be missing time 561 from Wednesday? [[User:Jillysky|Jillysky]] ([[User talk:Jillysky|talk]]) 13:20, 18 April 2013 (UTC)
:And at the moment 599:00 and 600:00 are duplicates. I don't know if something happened (or didn't happen) then, or if the above issue is still being processed. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 18:00, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
::Fiiixed '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:47, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

In the frame-by-frame breakdown, the "Image" field simply gives the time in hours, while the "Time" field gives the time in days+hours. It would be helpful if the "Image" field instead gave an ordinal number indicating the number of frames (e.g., this would help to correlate the Transcript on this page with the frame numbers [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ here]. The current "Image" field need not be deleted (I personally prefer time in hours to time in days+hours), but it might be relabeled as "Time in Hours". Implementing this would require some use of scripts, and would be best if adopted by the person updating the frame-by-frame breakdown in the first place. [[Special:Contributions/132.236.6.90|132.236.6.90]] 16:42, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
: If it's helpful to you guys this text file gets created automatically [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/data.txt]. I admit it had some problems in the beginning but I think they're all worked out now; it's been adding for days now without any problems. I know you cannot see line numbers in the browser, but if you copy and paste the whole lot into an editor the line numbers are 1 higher than the corresponding png frame.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 01:44, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

When the server had a problem one image was 100 minutes late, and another was 50 minutes late. Because of this there was a file between time682 and time683 that wasn't posted here (time683 should have been time684), and many files after that are displayed here an hour before they should have been displayed, with the wrong filename. It also affects xkcd-time.wikia.com as I had got many of the files on there from here. I am currently trying to correct this. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 03:01, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

I think it's now fixed. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 03:59, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

Anyone have the slightest prediction on how many frames this Time series will last? [[Special:Contributions/118.186.193.26|118.186.193.26]] 07:44, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:Sure, it will be exactly 42π! ... or rather ''<big>e</big>''42? Hmmmm… [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 08:52, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:5,601,594 images if he follows the John Cage time frame, and maintains hourly changes; plus/minus one or two depending on the fence-posts. {{unsigned|Taibhse}}

I think we have seen the profile of various famous castles come and go, but nobody has identified any of them. [[Special:Contributions/174.62.108.29|174.62.108.29]] 17:51, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:I don't see anything obvious, but the second castle (revealed by the zoom) looks a lot like http://media.merchantcircle.com/39624740/cheesecake_castle_final_full.jpeg
:and now the castle she is working on begins to resemble the Taj Mahal...[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:00, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
::Well, not so much, now. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:50, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
::It looks like Hogwarts.--[[Special:Contributions/70.134.68.234|70.134.68.234]] 21:36, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
I wonder if this could be building up to an all black panel for April 22. [[Special:Contributions/74.129.166.50|74.129.166.50]] 09:07, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

I just setup an own cronjob which checks the image hash periodly and writes them to a list when its changed: http://panther.stummi.org/xkcdtime.txt
It checks every 10 minutes so it also should notice if the interval changes --[[User:Stummi|Stummi]] ([[User talk:Stummi|talk]]) 09:12, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

The castle on the top appears to be the Disneyland Paris castle (http://0.tqn.com/d/goparis/1/0/1/A/-/-/disneylandaparisxmas09_francoisdurandgetty.jpg) [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 21:46, 21 April 2013 (UTC)
:...which is a rip-off of Neuschwanstein castle: http://blog.awaystay.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/oct_3_2012.jpg - still both don't exactly resemble the one in the comic.. {{unsigned ip|141.84.43.125}}

I'm guessing that the water will keep rising indefinitely, and we'll be left with an upward-moving strip that occasionally zooms out as the bottom layers are very slowly filled in with black "water." One thing that would make this interesting is the varying heights of the constructed structures (sandcastle turrets, platform, etc.) which would make the process of "overflow" from the right-hand side interesting to watch. {{unsigned ip|65.96.75.37}}

Oh the symbolism of it: Cueball leaves, Megan finishes building their castle, rests and lets her guard down. The next thing to happen is, a cute girl walks in, sees what the two have built together and leaves. The very next frame, the castle starts to fall apart. [[Special:Contributions/217.81.90.198|217.81.90.198]]

I'm expecting the lower level-castle to be swept away by the water, while the high-level castle will remain intact. This is quite reasonable, assuming Cueball and Megan knows how high the flood will come and thus they built the platform to an appropriate height. It may be interpreted as the lower-level castle being the work of our life, which is inevitable finite, and will be eventually overtaken by death. Recognizing this, some choose to build a castle for the "after-life". Life-death reflections have been common on xkcd in the past as well. {{unsigned ip|149.241.18.229}}

The [http://imgur.com/NEps6Fk pace at which the water is rising] has begun to slow. I think it's just a regular tide, and it only has a few more pixels to go before it begins to ebb. [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 14:49, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

I call cancer. The tide slowly increasing, the castle threatened, the upper castle... I don't know, it just all gives me that impression. --[[Special:Contributions/193.205.81.1|193.205.81.1]] 09:02, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I have to hand it to him though. He has entirely captivated all of us. I can't help but check every day (as opposed to every MWF) to see how the story unfolds. Many thanks to [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon] for keeping me up to date! [[User:Puck0687|Puck0687]] ([[User talk:Puck0687|talk]]) 14:26, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or are the last 4 images missing? I don't know how often this gets updated, if it's still manual at all, I may have did bad calculations with timezones, but at least the current image isn't there. [[Special:Contributions/86.81.124.236|86.81.124.236]] 19:39, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
: I'm pretty sure this page is updated manually, so you'll have to wait for someone to update it. Nothing has been missed though. If you want to keep up to date, I suggest using one of the links under Explanation>Related Stuff, especially the aubronwood link. Those update automatically. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.61.189|129.21.61.189]] 20:54, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

For me, this is clearly about cancer and the impacts it has on a relationship over time. Randall's now wife was diagnosed and treated for cancer recently and through this comic, he's trying to portray the anxious wait they faced through treatment and remission. He has put us into his shoes by keeping us waiting in suspense to see how things end up. The passing of time represents their life together. At first it's just them relaxing together, probably the dating phase. Soon they start building a life together, represented by the sand castle. The castle evolves over time, much like their life has. Difficulties and gaffes in their relationship are depicted, for example when cueball trips and breaks down part of the wall. Eventually all efforts are diverted and put into defending against the approaching sea, which represents the cancer. The wall, the platform, all represent the steps taken to prevent and/or prepare for it's impending progress. The river represents the cure for cancer, which is still pretty far out, as cueball mentioned. There are many many more clues I see and explanations I can give to support this idea (castle in the sky, the rain, progress with research, etc.), but this is just starting point. I'm excited to see where the comic will end up, but I guess we just need to "wait for it". --[[User:Nick|Nick]] ([[User talk:Nick|talk]]) 21:25, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

:You make a good case, and much of the dialog supports that interpretation. Many of us must have been thinking along the same lines. A couple of points...there doesn't have to be only one meaning for the symbolism. Also, there doesn't have to be an "end."
:The John Cage connection also seems obvious.
:I have been struck by the similarity (and difference) to the Engineers in "A Mote in God's Eye." Innate engineering ability combined with naivete.
:I am confident that Randall knows there are literally thousands (tens of thousands? hundreds?) of fans out there giving them moral support and good wishes. Hmm...I wonder if readers are personified by the little girl? Probably not. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 22:50, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

The cancer metaphors are quite intriguing, but my take is environmental, possibly pollution and global warming. The French girl (beret) could be a nod to the Disneyland Paris castle. If so it’s our first interactive feedback with Randall on the 1190 strip.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:42, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Environmental pollution is tied to cancer incidence. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 00:18, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

:Global warming was suggested by
::Cueball: Sea level rises and falls, right? It's changed before.
::Megan: Not this fast.
:I don't know about the beret; Beret Guy has been a recurring theme. Just search xkcd for "beret." But never on a little girl? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 23:26, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I'm taking it that "sea" is a phonetic substitute for "c," "meaning "cancer." For better or worse, this kind of phoenetic clue was used in the Batman movie:
Batman: Pretty fishy what happened to me on that ladder.
Gordon: You mean, where there's a fish, there could be a Penguin.
Robin: But wait! It happened at sea! See? "C" for Catwoman!
Sigh. I wish I knew what "river" and "rain" represented. Medicine, maybe? [[Special:Contributions/98.117.33.206|98.117.33.206]] 23:03, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Medicine isn't supposed to make the "C" grow. Just the opposite.
:And on that note, back when I was working in "Muppet Labs" there was a great little book of cartoons circulating in the lab titled "CDC." Sample: "CDC?" "ICDC. DUCDC?" "O,ICDC2!"
::http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAO0M1tilKU [[User:Skiasaurus|Skiasaurus]] ([[User talk:Skiasaurus|talk]]) 05:06, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
:Nothing at all to do with the zombie comics from the actual CDC. But there's the disease theme again -- the CDC.
:And what programmer could miss the reference to "C." It gets tangled, which is the best way to do symbolism. Quantum-alphabetic entanglement. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 00:16, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Well, I don't know if the intention here is that the "river" is making the "sea" grow. My point is that the dialogue is so nonsensical at points that it seems to be code. I'm taking every noun as a metaphor for something. "Sea" being "cancer" seems to fit ("The cancer can't make more of itself forever, can it?") I guess go back through the dialogue and see what other words could substitute for what they're saying. Like I said, I don't know what "river" or "rain" or "ground" could be in this metaphor. [[Special:Contributions/98.117.33.206|98.117.33.206]] 00:56, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

:Or "sand." This sand has some rather remarkable, not to say marvelous, properties! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:08, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

If it's true this represents their struggle with cancer, this strip might very well continue into the future, updating alongside her real-time cancer progress, possibly for years, hopefully not for mere months. Randall knows how this will end no more than we do. [[Special:Contributions/24.29.73.162|24.29.73.162]] 23:49, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Guys, if a new frame comes out and it's not uploaded yet, please consider uploading it yourself in the correct time slot. I'm trying to keep up, but there's always 8-hour gaps in our archives every time I go to bed. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:33, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
: I automatically download all frames as a base for my [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2169004/tide.png tide measuring script] and I've closed lots of the 8-hour gaps every day. Now at least someone else is doing it, too and I currently can't see any gaps at all. Thanks alot for the collevtive effort! --[[User:TreibAir|TreibAir]] ([[User talk:TreibAir|talk]]) 07:41, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Maybe a baby on the way? Waiting for the unknown tide to roll in (in 9 months)? {{unsigned ip|76.15.31.215}}

I think this is the last day. It's been exactly a month, they seem pretty done with it, and tomorrow's friday....On top of that, the most recent comic was the flipping of a switch on a time machine, in which, something happened, but we don't yet know what....it may be that the "Time" comic is being refreshed. ...Just a thought.... [[Special:Contributions/138.49.1.8|138.49.1.8]] 03:20, 26 April 2013 (UTC)Luke Wah
: The time machine, once switched on, reversed time to the point at which it was switched on, thus switching itself off. It doesn't seem to be connected to this. ~ Anariston

I'm still hoping they'll suddenly ride in on a tidal wave and smash the entire structure. You know, for closure. ~Pixie

I expect that from now on (Friday April 26th 2013) there will be no more story and the sea will erode the castle until nothing is left (most likely software generated). Maybe Cueball and Megan will return someday, walk to the shore, sit down and, after a while, start building a castle... Jacx [[Special:Contributions/217.81.72.248|217.81.72.248]] 11:56, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Starting at frame 895 the black started fading to white, I think. [[Special:Contributions/217.81.72.248|217.81.72.248]] 12:03, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

: Yup, You're right, it's clear when you turn on the difference feature on geekwagon [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 18:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:: I don't see any fading to white -- we're on frame 905 now and everything looks as black-and-white as usual. O.o --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 21:06, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
::Ah, ETA: I see fading now, but only after frame 910 in the Aubronwood animation. I guess it just wasn't visible on my old computer screen until now. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 16:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I agree - the water has started eroding the castle to the right, and it makes sense for the erosion to potentially loop the comic back to frame 1. That said, the title text was "wait for it". This could be a euphamism suggesting "keep waiting, this comic changes", but it does have an implication that there is a "finale" to the comic that you should wait for. Hard to tell as it's vague. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 13:54, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

The most recent event is Megan walking in, saying "bye!" in *lower case*, and leaving. From the lower case, which is different from the rest of the comic, I infer that she was talking to *us*, not (eg) herself or the sandcastle! I reckon it's just going to fill up with water until the page is a static black rectangle. Especially since she and Cueball just talked about going off and exploring, grabbed their bags, and left. -cosmogoblin [[Special:Contributions/94.197.127.235|94.197.127.235]] 13:57, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

: I suspect the small text was to show a "small voice" - talking quietly and sadly perhaps? It does look like this could be the end of the story though - the last few frames don't seem to have done much after the "fade" in frame 895 - Hippyjim [[Special:Contributions/81.136.241.157|81.136.241.157]] 15:15, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:: I agree with the small voice. The sea level is still rising, and interestingly, the sand barrier on the far right is eroding on *both sides* -- not just the seaward side, as previously. Changed properties of the sand or the sea, or both? I think the comic from here on is just going to be erosion. Entropy always wins. :( ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 18:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

::: The "both-sides" erosion is normal and realistic. If you haven't noticed, the water is on the left side of the embankment for some time already, look at the smooth horizontal line of black pixels between the rightmost castle tower and the embankment. The water just seeped through the sandy embankment and soaked it and starts to erode it. [[Special:Contributions/130.255.153.62|130.255.153.62]] 01:25, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
::::The large pile of sand never did form a barrier to the sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 06:54, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::Yes it did; Megan's first barrier worked like that, the one she built after Cueball tasted the water. It didn't let in the sea until it overflowed. That was around frame 660-663 (in the Aubronwood animation). --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 16:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::Um...that's what I said. The /large/ pile of sand didn't ever act like the /small/ barrier. :) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 18:29, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::Well, it may have been what you /thought/, but it wasn't very clear from what you /wrote/ that you were actually agreeing with me and not with the previous commenter. Sorry for misunderstanding. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 13:31, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

14:00, 26 April 2013 EDT image is http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/3d8c2ab949ba7a18e64397eec0e9860bd8ce8dd7aa0475e985a4fde4e108ea2e.png [[User:Kaori Emora|Kaori Emora]] ([[User talk:Kaori Emora|talk]]) 18:39, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

It's just about over: the picture is fading out now. [[Special:Contributions/81.246.195.216|81.246.195.216]] 22:47, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe it's just that a large moon is finally rising. That could affect the sea (and the light.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 06:54, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or did the sea/river started to rise faster since the picture started fading to white? --[[Special:Contributions/201.53.213.201|201.53.213.201]] 14:58, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:I don't think the time between frames is constant. Some consecutive frames, like the ones featuring the trebuchet (212-214), are less than a second apart.--[[Special:Contributions/70.134.72.83|70.134.72.83]] 18:51, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Does the ladder and railing look like the axis for a graph? Is this a graph of people or area affected by water rise due to global warming - as a function of time? [[Special:Contributions/174.50.74.170|174.50.74.170]] 15:58, 27 April 2013 (UTC) rbnm
:That's...a bit of a stretch. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 17:44, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I've logged the fade panels (8-bit r=g=b) by image #, where image# 895=hour 774.
895-0,896-2,901-4,906-4,907-8,908-8,909-10,910-10,911-12,912-12,913-15,915-15,916-17,
917-18,918-20,919-20,920-21,921-23,922-23,923-24,924-26,925-29,926-30,927-31,928-34,929-37
The fade appears to be accelerating. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:47, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:Someone should extract alpha channel from pics, make graph from it, and try to find functon that approximates it [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 21:26, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:I did add a line feed to the numbers because I do not like horizontal scrollbars.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:52, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

I don't have a web page to share plots, but here's the poly fit. Starting with time 774 as x=0: it's [3.6647e-4 x^3 + 2.4545e-3 x^2 + 0.5396 x + 0.4184] up to time 810. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Time 811 - the black color stayed the same at 41 (r=g=b), 812-46, 813-48, the poly is now [4.4605E-004 x^3 - 1.5824E-003 x^2 + 0.59043 x + 0.33353][[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]])

It's fading to white a lot faster now than the sea is rising. Unless something else happens, I'd say it's all white by tomorrow. So, maybe if one source of entropy doesn't get you, another will. [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 12:54, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

The fade rate poly is now [7.912739E-004 x^3 - 0.018842 x^2 + 0.794901 x + 0.09838], and is still on the same progression. At this rate, the panel hits 255 (full white) at 09:00 UTC, 4/29/13. Wait for it. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:24, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
:Do you know what the frame number will be when it hits white? Randall's pretty close to an even 1000, I'm wondering if he's engineered it to turn white for either 1000 or 1024. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 20:20, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
::I believe it'll be filed as time966.png.--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 20:52, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Beret Girl at 950! [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 18:18, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wanted to let you guys know (since you are the most hard core of 1190 fans), you can do this now [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=890&framediff=217 geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=890&framediff=217].--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:32, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Updated projection: fade to white (rgb 255) at image # 967 (10:00 UTC) [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:18, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Just an afterthought, a meteor hit directly on the sand castle would let Randall go out in a blaze of glory. I hope beret girl is OK.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:27, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Seems like the story is not going to stop with total fadeout: image is still readable, as what was black is going to be 100% transparent (and probably still black), and white is still opaque. Maybe geekwagon page owner (or someone) could add a feature of removing alpha channel? --[[User:Electrichk|Electrichk]] ([[User talk:Electrichk|talk]]) 08:47, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

The early 80s song Fade to Grey from the band Visage comes to my mind. Memories of what happened start to fade over time and get more and more pale. {{unsigned ip|213.23.38.20}}

Again, if you're awake and the frame for the current hour hasn't been uploaded yet, please upload it yourself. I am doing the brunt of the work right now, and I am not available 24/7 to get the latest frame up. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:37, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

969 (+848) ''is'' completely blank on my LCD. <strike>I also cannot see Beret Girl in (967 or) 968 corresponding to +847 that [[User:75.84.65.238]]'s [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time&diff=35521&oldid=35485 edit] suggests.</strike> I can see Beret Girl using [[Special:Contributions/192.54.204.33|192.54.204.33]]'s Paint with Black and White trick. This ''does'' include 969 which is otherwise actually monotone on my LCD, even on a great angle. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 13:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: Try viewing the comic from an extreme angle. I was able to see the Beret girl in 967+968 by tilting my screen forward on my laptop. You can't really see it otherwise. If that fails, use Photoshop or look at the diff functionality [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=968&framediff=967 here]. 969 is completely blank to me. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.185|129.21.119.185]] 13:20, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Wait, I got those numbers mixed up, I think. 968 and 969 have Beret Girl in it, you just need to view at an extreme angle to see it. 970 (+849) looks blank to me, but there's still something there. The scene uses RGB 254,254,254, which is why it doesn't appear at all on my screen. You can reveal it using the diff or a smart selection tool in Photoshop or the like. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.185|129.21.119.185]] 13:28, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: Yeah, using the diff function on geekwagon.net is probably the easiest way to see it. She seems to be dragging something (looks like a canvas?) into the scene. But I can't see frame 969 (let alone 970) on geekwagon, the last frame there seems to be 968, and it appears completely white on my monitor without the diff view. --[[Special:Contributions/186.203.199.207|186.203.199.207]] 13:46, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Just copy the image to Paint and set the image property to Black & White. All non-white (255,255,255) pixels are set to black (0,0,0) and the image is revealed. [[Special:Contributions/192.54.204.33|192.54.204.33]] 13:35, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:::NB With Chrome, copying the image from xkcd [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/44c15893fedd846f0f503a7871a7775cade2a0d90987ff9651e5c742d4cf54d8.png] or here [[:File:time970.png]] (+849) with right-click -> Copy image looses the detail. You need to get the .png into Paint for it to work. Copy image URL and Paint's File > Open will do it. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 14:10, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

OK, *now* it's completely white (as of day 36 10:00) [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 14:08, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/99d67c40662fe2db377c9f7c8d6a5b1b82566b24b7d9a665638e16b299747325.png] (972 +851:00 36/11:00) was missing for a couple of minutes... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 15:07, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And now there is an image again (frame 971/972)! Looks like slightly uneven black ground under a white sky. Wow, I really thought that was it when it faded to white. Cool cool cool. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 15:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Hmm... we gonna see a guy floating in a barrel?? -z64dan [[Special:Contributions/204.57.93.104|204.57.93.104]] 15:56, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: And now I think we're going to see that too! [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 00:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

And now we're off to see the wizard!! This is great! A comic within a comic! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:23, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

I don't see this as a comic in a comic -- I see it more as act 2 (after the fadeout of act 1, with the stage crew jumping the gun and being caught on camera heading on stage to change the set). Theoretically, this second act can be as long as the first one -- The Quest for the Source of the River/Sea. (Hmmm, that reminds me of the song "River in the Sea" from the musical Ten November, a 2 minute sample available at http://www.prudencejohnson.com/sounds/gales/River_in_the_Sea.mp3). [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 18:18, 29 April 2013 (UTC) Tom A.

:By "comic within a comic" I meant that not only do we await a new xkcd installment several times a week, but now we also have a single panel (1190) with an ongoing story. This is even better than Click and Drag! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 19:10, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wanted to say: I don't think the beret girl is a girl at all. It's a boy with an old-fashioned navy-style cap. Popular with boys at the beach (in the old days). See images here (http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x130/JTMarcus/h1.jpg) and here (http://cabinetcardgallery.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/kidwithcap_0003.jpg) I also like the fact that, just before the castle completely fades away, you can barely see the little boy bringing more materials (maybe another support beam?) to continue the work.
I like the continuity of letting the beret boy (not girl)
: Wether it's a navy cap or not may be open to interpretation (though I'd still bet it's a beret - it surely looks a lot more like the one the beret guy wears, and I think Randall would have put a little more effort into that detail if he wanted it to pass off as a navy cap). As for it being a boy, no. It's definitely a girl, you can clearly see it has a longer hair, and come to think of it, Randall rarely draws any hair at all for male characters anyway. --[[Special:Contributions/201.53.213.201|201.53.213.201]] 23:36, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

I am hoping that this "Time" somehow connects to the [http://xkcd.com/1110/ "Click and Drag"] comic i.e. when the camera zoom out far enough, we'll see that they are actually in the "Click and Drag" world. --[[Special:Contributions/98.14.191.109|98.14.191.109]] 23:59, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

:Is it just me, or should there be a category to contain both this and [http://xkcd.com/1110/ "Click and Drag"]? Should the categories "Interactive" and "Dynamic" be merged into something like "Epic" or "Nerd Sniping"?[[Special:Contributions/38.78.130.2|38.78.130.2]] 14:30, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

Odd, it looks like +861, +862, and +863 are out of order, judging by the ground not changing at all and the characters not walking continuously. I wonder if that was an accidental mistake in XKCD server's delivery of the images or if there's an actual meaning to it. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.158|129.21.63.158]] 02:17, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

During the last glacial period the sea level was more than 100 meters lower than it is nowadays, so coastal structures looked very different and the continents exposed much more land. I believe the first act of this comic references medieval ages in Europe where people would witness (over the scope of hundreds of years or longer) losing land and coastal towns to the sea but not understanding the process, as Megan states. I'm expecting the second act, and possibly further acts, to reference the abundance of scientifical discoveries made during the last few centuries. [[Special:Contributions/37.201.91.80|37.201.91.80]] 12:17, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

I could hack a little bash script on my server which uploads the current image every hour. However for this i need uploads by URL from API allowed ($wgAllowCopyUploads in LocalSettings.php). --[[User:Stummi|Stummi]] ([[User talk:Stummi|talk]]) 12:25, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Would be great if at the end of the walk, there's a band playing "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons.

It will end with image 1190, of course. [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 16:54, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Well, they've made it back to the beach. I think it will end either at 1000 or 1024, and the only reason it might go to 1024 is allow some dialog and zooming in. :-) --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 18:01, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
: I thought that too initially - the terrain features certainly seems identical (to scale) to the one at the start of the story. But something's bothering me; it's about the frame before we see they are back on a beach - they are already seated, so it's fair to assume they haven't moved, yet the terrain is different. By looking at the terrain, you could guess that maybe the terrain is inverted, which would then indicate that the frame with the beach in view is from a different angle than the previous frame. But for that to be the case, Cueball would have to be behind Megan on the previous frame, yet, their positions are unchanged on these frames. So, I don't know... I'll stop rambling now, and just wait and see, I guess... --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 18:27, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

::Well, guess it's not ending just yet :-) . The duo packed up again and they're getting out of the beach (whichever it is). --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 22:06, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Wait, what? It looks like they are suddenly back at a beach that looks the same as the first one, just zoomed out. But before when the scene was presumably inverted, the terrain didn't look quite like that. If the scene really did get inverted, maybe they aren't actually on a beach right now, but the sea will eventually expand until it reaches them. Then again, we don't know if this is the same plane of space that the original beach was either. They were just walking to the right. The concept of space in this comic is confusing me right now. I wonder if this will make sense later. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.158|129.21.63.158]] 18:41, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

But what about their knapsacks? I guess they are not going to throw them to the sea... Hope this won't end up with loop right now, it would be too disappointing --[[User:Electrichk|Electrichk]] ([[User talk:Electrichk|talk]]) 19:07, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

It appears that the camera perspective has changed. 1 - 970 are all perpendicular to the shoreline, with the water on the right, camera looking down the shore. 971-996 are shown parallel to the shore line, with the camera position apparently out over the water or standing at the shore, looking back toward land. (If the camera had maintained the original position, the characters would have simply gotten smaller as the walked away, but instead we got to see the walk across the frame while presumably following the shore.) In 997, the camera perspective just comes back around to be a profile shot again, looking down the shoreline, water once again on the right. -- [[Special:Contributions/65.183.156.9|65.183.156.9]] 19:40, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Near the end of the transcript, it says that at +847 Beret Girl drops in again, dragging something. I used Photoshop to lower the brightness, and can see about half of her head facing away from the sandcastle. She's not dragging anything. Here's my evidence: [http://i.imgur.com/7zByxrs.png] [[Special:Contributions/108.51.68.241|108.51.68.241]] 22:24, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
*Try frame +848, that's where you can see her dragging something ~Pixie

I added a section for normalized versions of the first 10 hours of day 36. If anyone wants me to add more, e.g. go back to where the fade started, I would. BTW, I used something like 'pngtopnm $i | pnmnorm | pnmtopng > $j' inside a loop. Those commands are from the NetPBM package. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 23:33, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
:You can also use Paint ^_^ [[Special:Contributions/86.29.117.25|86.29.117.25]] 17:17, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

If Randall decides to go into a loop, let's not forget he can change any single frame or create a parallel storyline from any frame he likes. [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 07:16, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

He guys, what was with the grey on I think 1008-1011? And what happened to it? It disappeared on everything.--[[Special:Contributions/108.70.209.33|108.70.209.33]] 16:23, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
Don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but from frame 998 to 1001 (sitting, side-on view), the 'water' level continues to rise.

Not sure if it has ever been brought up but has anyone noticed it says "BTC 1NEPgrUmed3VyXpqbYZom7YVJ8MozYrNWx
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close." at the bottom of every page. i could not find this algorithm anywhere else [[Special:Contributions/74.4.25.11|74.4.25.11]] 18:58, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
:That is on every comic, it has nothing to do with this one. http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=footnote look at this page on it. {{unsigned|Zuffelnok}}

Just a thought - In panel 1018 (time 897), Megan states "If we don't find something today, we'll have to start using the steam bottle." If that means they're out of water... the last update has both of them drinking water at the edge of the river. No one spit it out this time. If they refilled their water bottle at the river, it's not the source of the pollution. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:38, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
:I don't think there's pollution going on; the body of water they started at was an ocean, so it was salt water. They have come to a river, so they can now drink the fresh water.[[Special:Contributions/163.120.70.10|163.120.70.10]] 00:48, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

FWIW, you can get the normalized (non-faded) portion of the fading scene very easily with imagemagick. Assuming you have the named like image00000.png image00001.png etc.. you can get a nice animated gif from "bye" to beret girl with:
convert image008[89]?.png image009[0123456]?.png image00970.png -shave 2x2 -auto-level norm.gif
HTH [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.71|216.239.45.71]] 00:51, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Is this now a choose your own adventure? I choose 'Walk Up River'! [[Special:Contributions/162.5.71.176|162.5.71.176]] 16:27, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

Are there efforts underway to make '''3D representations of the landscape?''' [[Special:Contributions/63.153.208.177|63.153.208.177]] 18:14, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone considered connections to this already? http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_alan_parsons_project/time.html [[User:Greyhoundc|Greyhoundc]] ([[User talk:Greyhoundc|talk]]) 12:38, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

...And there we got as far as frame 1190, which several people have called as the end, and the story does not appear to be resolved at all. How long can this go on? --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 17:07, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Okay, so it didn't end with 1190. Must have misread the prophecies. [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 00:51, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

"How long can this go on? I would say a very long time. Currently, each day is filled mostly with a very few backgrounds used over several comics with only the characters moving -- not that difficult to produce -- and maybe a few lines of dialog, which also allows for the repetition of the background. He can probably keep this pace for months. It would be a bit disappointing, but possible. The strip certainly doesn't seem to be approaching any sort of conclusion. But, I think, like certain kinds of art, its the presentation that important. And he is presenting Time. -Tom A. "Time is a local condition." - wish I could remember who said that. [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 15:12, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

==Uploaders==
Can I please not be one of the only three people on this wiki uploading frames? I live a busy life, I miss some of the time slots. If you see that the frame for the current hour hasn't been uploaded yet, try clicking on the red link and uploading it yourself. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:39, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:I did sign in right now and will try to help.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:02, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::I'd really like to do so, but everytime I look, I can't find the missing ones in my cache esp due to filenames - Is there a script or sth how I can save the original .PNGs automatically to another folder when they update? [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 09:39, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:::Here's the quick hack I run every 10 minutes. I don't know what an "sth" is. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 13:11, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
<nowiki>
#!/bin/bash

j=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%j)
h=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%H)
m=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%M)
d=$(printf %.2d $((j-83)))
fakem=${m%?}0
fakef=Time-$d-$h$fakem.png
if [ ! -f $fakef ]; then m=$fakem; fi
f=Time-$d-$h$m.png
oldf=$(ls Time* | tail -1)
{ echo -n "$d/$h:$m "; wget -O $f http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png |& grep following | tr "/ " "\012\012" | grep png; } > hash.new
cmp -s $f $oldf && mv $f /tmp
oldhash=$(tail -1 hash | cut -d' ' -f2)
newhash=$(cat hash.new | cut -d' ' -f2)
[ "$oldhash" = "$newhash" ] || cat hash.new >> hash
mv hash.new /tmp
</nowiki>
::::Thank you! "sth" just reads "something" :) [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 21:31, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

All frames and hashes are automatically saved to http://xkcd.mscha.org/. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 12:53, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:WOW, that's great! [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 21:31, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

==Animated gif==
hey, can we upgrade the animated gif to a picture with a sliding bar? maybe with a play/pause button as well? this way you can jump to whatever frame you're interested in, and pause for however long you like on frames with text and such... [[Special:Contributions/81.218.146.161|81.218.146.161]] 11:40, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:Some kind soul has already made that here - http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ - not sure how well it'd drop into this wiki though [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 13:05, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::Doesn't seem to be working for me :( [[Special:Contributions/107.205.30.219|107.205.30.219]] 00:53, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

==Talk too long==
The Discussion block is pretty huge and I thing it should be removed from the main page. Maybe a link and a hint to the link at the tab on top of this article. What do you think? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:12, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:I, for one, wholeheartedly endorse this. Consensus?--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 22:02, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::Agreed. [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 08:45, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
::: And done. If any admins disagree, please revert [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 09:05, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:::: It looks great, site is loading much faster.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:03, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
::::: Thank you! After all, that's why there are talk pages in MediaWiki. --[[Special:Contributions/82.135.84.245|82.135.84.245]] 16:44, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

== Image updates ==

Is Randall playing with me? My script is collecting at 00,05,20,35,50 each hour but many times now I got this:

969:00 41/09:00 f8a6414c334a71481e16428691fe8465098b2bae956e44727d0482c7632a84ff.png

I still could get the correct update, but I have to check all downloads so far.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:41, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm seeing that, too. For myself, I'm going to filter them into a separate directory. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 22:45, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm getting ...a84ff from http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png, but the main http://xkcd.com/1190/ gives the current image. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:43, 4 May 2013 (UTC)
The 00:00 UTC (8 pm EDT) update worked. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:02, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed that the exact same identical image was re-used several times recently? If you go to http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ and tell it to show differences from frame 1090, and then start clicking forward, the following frames are all exactly the same: 1094, 1097, 1101, 1103, 1107. Looking at http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/# you can then see that 1111 and 1113 are also the same. The rapid perspective change makes the animation appear to strobe. Could this be some strange attempt to illustrate something like an earthquake, or are they just re-using frames to avoid having to draw so many? [[Special:Contributions/65.183.156.9|65.183.156.9]] 02:38, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

: As you may have read above, the server did deliver one image repeatedly, so some sites may show this image multiple times. --[[Special:Contributions/84.174.9.61|84.174.9.61]] 08:24, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

You can see it in the [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/log.txt log for geekwagon], do an in page search (ctrl+f) for f8a6414c334a71481e16428691fe8465098b2bae956e44727d0482c7632a84ff. That image is collected multiple times and causes other images to be duplicated too because the script only checks to see if the current link is different than the previous.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 13:15, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

I think what happened is that one of the three sites (107.6.97.102) started giving the same result each time. Now, I think they are down for maintenance.... --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:47, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Why are images 2816 and 2817 the same? http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2816 http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2817 [[Special:Contributions/121.72.166.59|121.72.166.59]] 21:56, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

== Hours ==
There seems to be a problem starting with today (Sunday, 2013-05-05): The first picture should be 984:00 and not 983:00. I'm not able to check if it's simply a bot (?) error writing down the hours or something more serious. --[[Special:Contributions/82.135.84.245|82.135.84.245]] 15:56, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Hour 983 on image 1104 Saturday (23:00 UTC) also appears on image 1105 Sunday (00:00 UTC). The image numbers are correct, but the hour count appears to be off by 1 hour now.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 16:34, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

: Holy shi... it's my failure. I am starting to correct this right now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:36, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

== Not all images do map to the hash ==

I did run this great command posted here before on 13 April 2013:
md5sum -b * | sort | uniq -w32 -D

Then I did rename all duplicates to image???_.png. After that I did download the hashes from here to image???.png and run the check again.

First result is easy. Files are changed so md5sum for image002_ and image002 are different but content is the same. But 004 is wrong and I will update this one.

878341ab1f710e5832aa7ed5cfa66ed7 *image002_.png
878341ab1f710e5832aa7ed5cfa66ed7 *image004_.png

I will check all carefully and post my updates at the bottom of this section.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:01, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Ok, how can I change that images? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:07, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

I found a way to updates the pictures, it's just a little bit tricky... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Next duplicate is also easy because files are still the same:
129721094a74fe94c723160991a1e704 *image427_.png
129721094a74fe94c723160991a1e704 *image429_.png
7be206b1c026b697de59e52c19f0a866 *image427.png
7be206b1c026b697de59e52c19f0a866 *image429.png

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:37, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

And new downloads from xkcd are still different on MD5 but this two files are also identical for a viewer:
6d3d9449d1df1f56547387da4259806c *image440_.png
6d3d9449d1df1f56547387da4259806c *image441_.png
827a569e5c806011f0d4d5564357e4d4 *image440.png
827a569e5c806011f0d4d5564357e4d4 *image441.png
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:41, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Same is this - only MD5 did change:
5de911984714c1ec7bf93149a5cca9b4 *image454.png
5de911984714c1ec7bf93149a5cca9b4 *image455.png
87d0de6b865fa94ab91902cddcc0af70 *image454_.png
87d0de6b865fa94ab91902cddcc0af70 *image455_.png
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:43, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

BUT NOW the problems start:
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image704_.png
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image705_.png
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image705.png
db365290ce50176dad01c0087510f513 *image703.png
db365290ce50176dad01c0087510f513 *image704.png
I did rename 704 and 705 to 704_ and 705_ and download the hashes again to the 704 and 705 names.

My old 703 is same as my new 704 which does mean we have a glitch here!!!

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:54, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

----

UPDATE LOG:

image4 is changed (again)--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

: After downloading again the pictures around 700 everything looks fine. I can not find more duplicates.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:18, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Boy, that one gave me headaches. 1236 and 1237 seem to be the same. MediaWiki doesn't like multiple images that are the same... --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 20:15, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

: I am not a boy, I am slightly older...
: But in fact 1237 is same content as 1236 and MD5 hash is also the same (not the first one) but the link HASH is different. It is maybe a new hurdle for us. I will check. Stay tuned... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:28, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

:: It seems you could fix this. Files are just identical. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:33, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

----

I just uploaded a bunch of hashes and files, there have been some errors. The hashes are now correct, but could somebody please check that the files (1410 to 1420) match the hashes? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 07:59, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

== Split the movie? ==

The page is becoming impossible to load.

I would suggest to split the movie into pieces, for instance by making a separate sub-page for each week (avoiding embarassing discussion on the most natural cutting point). Each week can have a separate description, seven-seconds animation, list of 7x24 pictures etc, and a link to the following and previous weeks.

Any objection / comment / suggestion ? [[User:Biem|Biem]] ([[User talk:Biem|talk]]) 05:16, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

:My only suggestion would be give it larger segments. I don't think it needs to be as small as a week - after all, it loaded fine for a very long time. Maybe approx. half a scene each? Scene 1 is 971 frames long, so how about split at 500, at 971, and again at 1500 (when it gets there)? [[Special:Contributions/24.129.75.17|24.129.75.17]] 08:12, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
::It's one and a half megabytes. The biggest issue here probably is the anemic servers that managed to struggle and crash even when that animation was just a static png and the page itself was only a few lines long. When the image starts clocking in at ~4-5 megabytes, it'll probably get to be a proper problem for those on poor connections, but we're not quite there yet. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:36, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
:I suggest pushing the hashes off onto their own page(s). That's 80% of the page's text right there. (Seriously. Click 'edit' on the main page and scroll.) At the very least, we could archive March and April. As more hashes are added, we archive the older ones. Maybe just constantly leave a week's worth of hashes on the main page? --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 15:18, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
::Examine [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Time: The Table]] '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:22, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
Here is a possible breackdown structure where sequences are ~130 pictures long : (number of frames / Start frame number))

Part 1 : Sand Castles
(127) 001: First sand castle
(105) 128 : Second sand castle (180) and Catapulte
(090) 233 : Joining castles
(100) 323 : Miniature castle
(116) 423 : Scaffold
(131) 539 : Plattform
(132) 670 : Fourth castle
(173) 802 : Sea rising & fade out
Part 2 : Wildernesses
(150) 975 : Seashore
(100) 1125 : Rivershore
(115) 1225 – : Hills
(087) 1340 - 1363 – 1379 : Trees
(124) 1427 : Baobabs
1551 – 1581 Berries
1619 – Squirrel
1640 Berries
Suggestions that can be discussed :
* Sequences should be 100-150 pictures long (with possible exceptions).
* Even if the image is not that big, the length of the movie can be a problem when one wants to check for details : short sequences allow for a slower pace.
* Good cutting points would be : two consecutive identical pictures, changes of scenery. Sequences with the same theme should on the contrary be kept together when possible.
[[User:Biem|Biem]] ([[User talk:Biem|talk]]) 09:13, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

== What is the sea? ==

It doesn't have to be an "ocean." Consider the Aral Sea. The Dead Sea. Our "sea" doesn't have any surf, apparently. Frame 1187: "I wonder if it's ''possible'' to swim in." Our characters don't know whether you can swim in a river? Have they never seen fresh water deep enough for swimming? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 13:26, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

:This is not real life. And they know it's not real life. Maybe they are in some sort of Matrix and know about it, or they are playing a video game. They've seen in developers' blog that devs are working on a lot of new features for version 0.19, such as improved sand physics, multiple rivers, rain, salty water, trebuchets, swimming, surf, etc. But then developers decided to release part of these features in version 0.19, and leave the rest for 0.20. When Cueball an Megan saw that version 0.19 is out, they immediately decided to try it out, without even looking at the changelog. So they don't know which features made it into this version, and which ones will be in the next one. So far they have played around with new sand physics and trebuchets, tried swimming in the sea, tried to drink sea water, found a new river. They haven't seen any surf, so they think it'll be in 0.20. They have yet to try swimming in a river, or see the rain. They have also found a bug that causes sea level to raise indefinitely. They think it could be caused either by rain, additional rivers, or just by a griefer who built a giant sand generator array to fill in the sea and flood everything. Oh, and they can't just create a new private world to see if the sea raises there, because of the DRM.
:Did I miss anything? --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 17:37, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

::Yes! I see it all now! Beret girl is the griefer! [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 01:01, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

:::I think it was black hat. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:54, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

:It looks like they've also added bird (sic). --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:30, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

Swimming in a river is dangerous if there's a strong current. Even slow moving water has a lot of power. The sea could be the ocean, connected to the ocean, or one of the large bodies of water referred to as a sea. Enjoy the comic and have fun second guessing Randall.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:17, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

We know: "The sea is big" and "The river is small".

But we also know about the sea: There are no waves. It's just rising. So it is not an ocean, it's just a lake. Many people say "sea" to a lake when they can not see the other side.

And we know their home river is small. But right now they explore a different bigger river.

We know it's not summer so maybe it is spring and the river is rising like every year?

Cueball and Megan will find out, but we have to Wait For It!

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:38, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Both characters have slept occasionally but never at the same time. There has been no depiction of night (unless the fade counts as one.) Hmm... [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:21, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

: It seems we are still at day one. Building castles in the morning and exploring their environment after that. But you are right, they have to sleep and I do fear about many DARK pictures...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:50, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed that when the camera zooms out to show the other side of the river/see the middle island just becomes smaller, but the '''distance''' between Cueball / Magan and the middle island stays the same? --[[User:FG|FG]] ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 15:0, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

It seems like the two river halves (or two rivers) merge as Megan and Cueball hike upstream. New point: I joined all the images covering their journey since image 1150 (last stop for water). it spans 18204 pixels. Assuming Cueball is 6 feet tall (wild guess + it's an even number), they have now hiked a total of 0.517 miles (83228.7 cm) from image 1150.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:32, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

Considering the elaborate and fragile sand castles, the one- and two-person construction of the platform and its castle components, and maybe the latest antics at the top of the dunes, it appears that gravity is not Earth-normal. Or perhaps the law of gravitation is not our-universe-normal. (No reason it should be, of course.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:11, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

== Archive ==

Since this 1190 will never end, will it? I think we need some archive sites.

First could be "1190 Time Images 2013-03 March" (<- I am calling this human readable ISO)
So, if you understand, each month of picture links and hashes on a separate page.

Next would be "1190 Time Images 2013-04 April"

And a few months from now we also have to do this for the "Transcript".

What do you think? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:46, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
:If this comic goes on forever, maybe. For now, we could probably compact the page by grouping the frames from each month into wider tables and scrapping their hashes. The hashes are really only useful for checking that we got the images right, so they're kinda useless for the really old ones. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:05, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

::Since we do not know if there is anything hidden in the hashes we still should save them here. But past months could be moved into a different page.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::They're hashes, I'm pretty sure there isn't anything hidden in the arrangement of letters and numbers. If there was, the xkcd forums would have been all over it long ago. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:44, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::: Maybe you are right but they are still the original file names on xkcd.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:53, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::::We don't carry the original Click and Drag filenames on this wiki; the filenames of parts of large comics don't carry anything of value to people visiting the wiki. They only really help with cross-checking images with the originals to make sure we didn't mess up anywhere, and we've already done that to death for the earlier images - so the hashes for earlier images no longer hold much value. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:02, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::Don't shout at me. I am just thinking about archiving past months to different pages. The current month should stay on the main page. I am new here and so I am doing not that edit until I get some agreements. But we should save ALL here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:22, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::::::I wasn't shouting, there is no need to bring ad hominem into this discussion. There are a number of solutions available here; we could tabulate frames per month as per [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Time:_The_Table|this neglected post]], offload prior months to other pages, or scrap old hashes to cut a large portion of the article's body text. Each solution will lead to degradation of the explanation, splitting the article will force multiple page loads while removing the hash values will be destroying part of the metadata around the comic. Ideally, we wouldn't have to make the split at all, but speed considerations mean that we eventually will have to do it. In that eventuality, all we can do is the thing that degrades the explanation for the average visitor the least. What do visitors care more about, faster load times/having all the frames on one page or having 1000-odd incomprehensible and meaningless hash values? We don't display the individual filenames for Click and Drag even though they were more informative than the hashes here, because they hold little value to visitors; they only take up space that could be used to further enhance the explanation. Pure archival without curation is what other websites do, not a wiki with the intended goal of making xkcd accessible. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:56, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::::IMHO having all of the images here is as useless as having hashes: most people use aubronwood or geekwagon anyways. To decrease loading times, I'd suggest to do 2 things:
::::::::#Move all tables to a new page.
::::::::#Replace the animated gif with a static gif (possibly latest frame?) that links to the animated gif.--[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:15, 13 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::::I think if we are to keep the hashes at all, they should appear on the description pages for each image. There's no reason for them to be on the comic page. [[User:Skiasaurus|Skiasaurus]] ([[User talk:Skiasaurus|talk]]) 23:09, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

== Prediction ==

Does anyone else see the last frame (whenever it may be), have the ability to connect to the first, thus creating a cycle? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 22:14, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

:No reason it couldn't, but it seems premature. Early days yet. What's Beret Girl up to? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 15:15, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

My only prediction is: We will see what did happen to that castles and we will see that Beret Girl again. Wait for it!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

My theory: Based on the frames don't change much; Randell is an expert at creating xkcd frames; he only needs 24 per day to keep going; and we have no idea how long he's been preparing for this. It could last forever.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:42, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:It will not last forever. But it seems it will still last for a long time. Wait for it!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::Forever is a big speculation. A more realistic speculation would be "as long as the Internet."--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:41, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

You realize that what we've seen so far is what the beginning of a comic that goes on forever looks like :-) Tom A. ("I don't want to be immortal through my art! I want to be immortal by not dying." - Woody Allen.) [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 14:20, 13 May 2013 (UTC)
:Perhaps yesterday's bird was a hint at today's comic. Or he had dinosaurs on the brain. (Don't we all?) [[User:ChozoBoy|ChozoBoy]] ([[User talk:ChozoBoy|talk]]) 14:57, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

So Cueball and Megan seem to entering a region with much more vegetation. Up until now I had assumed that the previous regions had vegetation as well but Randall just hadn't bothered drawing it (such detail is rare in XKCD). So what does presence of vegetation mean? More rainfall? Higher elevation? Also how far have Cueball and Megan travelled? I don't think the frames are necessarily contiguous - if this was a movie we'd have background music to go with the images. They could have been travelling for days or weeks - I definitely don't think it is still the same day as the start of Act II. I suppose 'time' will tell. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 17:13, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

The yawn suggests that they haven't slept yet, so quite possibly the same day. Also interesting that they seem to treat first the small bush and now the tree as worthy of notice -- were there no trees where they lived? [[Special:Contributions/173.228.6.11|173.228.6.11]] 06:36, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

The current frame (1355) looks remarkably similar to the area at left hand edge of XKCD 1110 (Click and Drag), which also features the same two characters discussing how they've walked "pretty far". I wonder how much of a coincidence this is. [[Special:Contributions/82.69.211.1|82.69.211.1]] 11:46, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:http://xkcd-map.rent-a-geek.de/#10/1.3189/-92.1423
:http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1355
:--[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:28, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Hmm, and despite the overall journey feeling epic, didn't someone calculate the distance travelled (calculated via Cueball units) to be only a mile or two? [[Special:Contributions/99.123.5.106|99.123.5.106]] 01:48, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone has an explanation for the change from frame 1360 to 1361? --[[User:FG|FG]] ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 10:41, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
: I thought the transition from 1359 -> 1360 was even more 'abrupt' than the transition from 1360 - > 1361 (in fact my first thought was that 1360 was out-of-order or some other 'mistake'). But from subsequent frames it has become clear that Cueball wandered off and explored the area on his own while Megan was sleeping. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:56, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
::I think [1359:1362] looks similar to [1097:1120]. Probably Cueball was just walking perpendicularly to the image. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:13, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Here's another example of the slightly 'strange' way of talking: "I'm surprised we haven't been seen by any people yet". Wouldn't most people say: "I'm surprised we haven't seen any people yet"? So who are 'people'? Are 'people' somehow invisible to both Cueball and Megan? Are 'people' a threat? Have 'people' also moved on because of the rising sea level? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 19:25, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
: Speaking of strange phrases, for them to say that tree "probably knows what it is doing" is rather odd. Are they in a world where trees have consciousness, or are they just deeply confused? [[Special:Contributions/66.193.253.212|66.193.253.212]] 18:45, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

The latest frame (1506) has two trees. They are almost certainly baobab trees. There are 8 species of baobab tree, but of those 8, 6 are endemic to the island of Madagascar, including the species which the trees in the comic most resemble, the Grandidier baobab. Even if they are not one of the six species endemic to Madagascar, the fact that they are baobabs still limits them to the continent of Africa, the countries of Oman and Yemen, and northwestern Australia. This means that the big sea, if it is an ocean, is most likely the Indian Ocean. [[Special:Contributions/76.92.118.150|76.92.118.150]] 18:30, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
:I think we are just at a fantasy world. And Randall is working against every prediction done here or at some forums. We only have to "Wait for it!".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:07, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone else agree that frames 1485 through 1487 are exactly identical? Just a glitch somewhere?[[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 01:56, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

:Yeah, not only the pixels, but also the files' checksums are exactly the same. Checked it twice. --[[Special:Contributions/83.243.48.2|83.243.48.2]] 08:57, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

== Map ==

Sóme hardcores made a map of The One True Comic: http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.svg
Including in on main page could be a good idea [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 06:58, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:Why does it say "Flatland" instead of "flatland"? Most other labels are lowercase. Is it a reference to Edwin Abbott's Flatland? Or am I just overthinking a typo?

This map is a great job and when we do know that this is correct we have include it here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:51, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Map URL has changed (old URL displays link to new URLs). New map links: [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php JavaScript version] and [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php?js=no non-JS version] - [[User:Acrisius|Acrisius]] ([[User talk:Acrisius|talk]]) 13:37, 28 May 2013 (UTC)
:I did fix the links and also at the main page.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:20, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

"Description: The allocated data traffic of the hosting account for this website has been exceeded and the website is temporarily suspended"
Maybe we should host the map here on the wiki? --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 20:14, 30 May 2013 (UTC)
:No, this map is funny but still not validated. Help me to collect some facts at the bottom here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:30, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

Where did the map go? I'm getting "...does not exist or cannot be displayed" Does your page have an error? Or are you having hosting issues?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:36, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

(Gerry, are you making this comment after following the "New map links: [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php JavaScript version] and [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php?js=no non-JS version]" links given? Those work for me, at this time of editing, and got those links presented to me when going to the original URI with the SVG extension.)

Regarding the accuracy, I imagine Randall may have used a data model of countoured landscape (1D ''or'' 2D, plus height) to auto-generate the scrolling/panning/rotating scenery base prior to decorating with figures/etc, but whether there's enough information to fully back-derive such a map from the ever-changing landscape I couldn't say. I assume assumptions, at the very least, and maybe some inventiveness on the part of any given interpreter. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.124.195|178.98.124.195]] 19:42, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:(Yes, I had been using the new links. As I later found out it was after their monthly server allotment had been exhausted. It started working again June 1.)--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 03:35, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

== Words of Randall ==

Has Randall ever said anything in the past 2 months pertaining to this comic? Better yet, has anyone ever tried to ask him? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 05:18, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

:NO--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:53, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

== Simple English ==
Conversation is in "Simple English". I am not native English but I think we should mention this. Am I wrong?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:57, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
:I'm not aware of a distinction between "Simple" and regular English, at least in the USA. I ''think'' it's just something they use for teaching non-native speakers. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 00:32, 18 May 2013 (UTC)
::"Simple English" isn't a special dialect or anything, but the conversation definitely has a simple, almost naive, style. Lots of single-syllable vocabulary without much Latin-derived flowery or "sophisticated" words. I counted 27 three-syllable words and one four-syllable word in the entire dialog, scenes 1 and 2 combined. They don't seem to have a name for "sand dunes." They talked about a river being "broken." They are very playful, mature but child-like. It gives the story a kind of alien feel. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:27, 18 May 2013 (UTC)
:I think the OP is referring to Basic English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_English [[Special:Contributions/198.102.153.1|198.102.153.1]] 22:55, 22 May 2013 (UTC)
Similar to the xkcd explaining the Saturn V rocket in simple english.[[Special:Contributions/173.49.75.137|173.49.75.137]] 03:57, 20 May 2013 (UTC)

I did mean "Simple English" as Randall did mention before, not only here [[Up Goer Five]]. Look at this WIKI for [http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Simple English Wiki]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:09, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

== Are We Lost Yet? ==
http://xkcd.com/170/ {{unsigned|66.162.182.66}}

== Big trees ==
A great guy at the xkcd forum did identify the big trees starting at frame 1503 (1382:00 hours). They belong to Madagascar and their name is {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}}. But also a few of them do exist in the US. So I am still not sure where we are.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:11, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

::One of the little asteroid-planets from The Little Prince?
::"Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince; and these were the seeds of the baobab. The soil of that planet was infested with them. A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late. It spreads over the entire planet. It bores clear through it with its roots. And if the planet is too small, and the baobabs are too many, they split it in pieces..." [[Special:Contributions/69.123.166.176|69.123.166.176]] 00:20, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

:Looks like we have grapevines now, or something like them, with man-made trellising. [[Special:Contributions/12.153.137.82|12.153.137.82]] 21:47, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

== A hypothesis ==
Randall's animation is taking place in a distant, post-collapse future ("distant" is relative, here-- say sometime in the next few hundred years, though possibly much further): human civilization is back at a late-Iron Age stage of development, though maybe with slightly more sophisticated metallurgy. The reasons I suggest this are: 1) rising sea-level that is on-going, 2) they can work wood and they have agriculture, 3) they have shown no awareness of any more "advanced" technology, 4) yet they have no qualms about wandering off into the wilderness without what most of us would consider adequate protection.

The one reason I might think it's farther into the future is the bit with the trees. I can't decide if their shape is a consequence of evolution (convergent, so that they are very similar to the {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}}), or they were transplanted (presumably to somewhere south? Higher altitude? Both? Antarctica?). Evolution would imply deeper in the future, and transplantation could be sooner.

I'm really interested to see what the truth is, because it's got me thinking along all kinds of planes.[[Special:Contributions/184.99.231.23|184.99.231.23]] 21:38, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

== Stuck Again ==

Randall seems to be stuck at hour 1524 (image number 1545), at 20:00 UTC we now have 5 copies of the same empty image with half a vineyard with no end in sight.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:31, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
:No, files are still different, even when you can't see it. File sizes did change and also md5sum. But I did not check the small changes visual right now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:47, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::Use "Previous Frame Difference" on geekwagon, you can see a line of pixels that differ. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 20:50, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
:::I wonder if the squirrel is following her...--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 21:27, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::::Me too, but I am hoping Megan will get a pet. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:30, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
I see the streak. I expected the squirrel to follow her. Geekwagon showed it, so did Photoshop.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:07, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
: It's probably the squirrel, though the frame difference visual made me go "snake! snake in the grass!" [[Special:Contributions/173.228.6.189|173.228.6.189]] 22:14, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::It's still fun. Will Megan get at pet? A chary Squirrel? I am still tuned. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:24, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1647&framediff=1646--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 01:35, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

The squirrel appears to be in the tree the first time Megan & Cueball walk by in image numbers 1582 & 1583. http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1583&framediff=1582 [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:05, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

New clue, image 1692 - "Still, it's better than when we were following the sea, walking straight into the sun all morning." Walking east along the sea, it places them on the south side of anything. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:23, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

This may be more speculation than not, but the two turned north to follow the river and are now walking on a heading somewhere between NE and NW, which puts them in the northern hemisphere if they can see their shadow in front of them. This is also confusing since there aren't many Grandidier's Baobab trees there [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia_grandidieri].[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:46, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

I agree that these orientations are plausible from the dialog in the strip, but remember, we're already pretty certain that they're not in the same universe as us, so we may not be able to assume that the sun rises in the east. There's no evidence to demonstrate that their world rotates west-to-east like ours does, but there's no evidence that it doesn't, either. Let's at least remember the possibility that all of these directions are reversed from what our current theory states. [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 18:24, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

At least this time we know it's a snake. In image 1738 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1738] the curled snake is fully visible, complete with a raised head and tail. At 2 pixels high, details are a little sketchy.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 17:06, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

== The Planting People ==

So what do we know about them? They've been gone a while, long enough for Cueball to believe it was fine to take grapes. But they haven't been gone for a long time, because we've seen a staked sapling that is likely only a year or two old. They have vineyards and what look to be orchards. They appear to use tents, at least the frame we saw looked to be tied together at the top to form a teepee frame. They are sophisticated enough to do things like put benches next to trees, so they aren't subsistence farmers. Anything else? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 18:14, 28 May 2013 (UTC)
: Forgot a couple of things, they have what is possibly writing (are Cueball and Megan illiterate?), and it's different than that of the Hill People, but their debris appears to look the same.

They appear to be either hunter-gatherers or have abandoned the area (for some reason - why?). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomadic] "Many groups of 'nomadic' hunter-gatherers (also known as foragers) moved from campsite to campsite, following game and wild fruits and vegetables." We have seen three campsites; Cueball burried the embers from their fire (see image 1048 & 1062-1064 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1064]). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:22, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

:I did wonder about some kind of seasonal movement, but if so it's odd that they left the teepee to collapse (and be damaged, one of the supports is visibly cracked) rather than taking the materials with them or storing them more neatly. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 17:44, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Go to a vineyard in late summer or early autumn, you will not see the "The Planting People". We only know that we are at this particular season because they can eat grapes from that plants and before they could swim in the sea. And both are following the sun in the morning, witch does mean they are walking East. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:28, 29 May 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, but you will see the Harvesting People if the grapes are ripe, and they apparently are. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:28, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

Finally seeing where all the wood came from -- stumps everywhere. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:28, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

== What do we know by the end of May 2013? ==
I'm trying to collect some facts:
:-They did build a sand castle and the weather was warm enough to swim in the sea. The taste of the water is bad, and the sea is raising.
:-Then both are trying to find a reason for that raise and they are starting to travel around this special river.
:-They are still going uphill while we never have seen that mountains.
:-Eating grapes from a vineyard means we are at least at late summer.
:-Walking to the sun in the morning is just walking to the east.
Two month's in this comic and we really do not know much more. Stay tuned, wait for it. We do not know much more essentials. Does Randall?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:43, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

They are also apparently now heading west, or mostly west. Their shadows are in front of them, and while that could be west in the morning or east in the evening, they are contrasting it with walking into the sun in the morning as they were along the shore, so it's west. Presumably they were walking mostly north until the decision to head for the mountains, since Cueball has just started playing with his shadow. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 00:50, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

:OK, but they are walking to the sun in the morning. That's east (on northern hemisphere, I still do not think we are at Madagascar). So we do have an other fact:
:-Around time frame 1700 it's evening.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:07, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

:-If you walk into the sun, you are walking east.
:-They then turned to their left to go upriver. That's would be going north.
:-If you are above the tropics, your shadow will always lay to the north of you.
:-Megan says what they're doing is better than when they had to walk into the sun, and it's been established that they walked along the sea for days, so they'd be familiar with walking with the sun directly behind them, too. If they were now walking west, it would pretty much be the same situation, except reversed. It doesn't really make sense to me that she'd call one situation better than the other. It feels more like they aren't walking into the sun ''at all'' anymore. Therefore, I think they are now keeping the sun relatively behind them by going north, which indicates they are north of the equator, and probably north of the Tropic of Cancer. Even at noon, the sun would be behind you slightly, to the south. And if you're walking uphill, it would be very visible to you.
:--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 01:23, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

They are moving East as Megan did explain. When they can see their shadows in front of them it's just evening, the sun is now behind them. What tells me that Day One is coming to an end. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:59, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:They did mention that that had been walking for days, so who knows how many days it's been.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 21:45, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

Does [http://what-if.xkcd.com/48/ today's "What If"] give a clue to the current year? Unless it's been "fixed", it says "two hundred years from now, in April of 2432". :-) [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 13:34, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

== Map exceeding bandwidth ==

The map here seems to be failing due to excessive bandwidth: http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php

I might be able to help with some bandwidth. If you know who is doing this and they can get in touch with me,(I'm [http://twitter.com/sevitz @sevitz] on twitter or via here) I might be able to help depending on BW requirements.

[[User:Sevitz|Sevitz]] ([[User talk:Sevitz|talk]]) 06:59, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

:This map is incorrect but still a great fun. They are walking west in the evening, not north. But I am also sure the site will be back soon.
:Nevertheless, if you can help here you are welcome! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:08, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
::No, their shadows are in front of them, so they are either walking west in the morning or east in the evening. Since they were comparing it favorably with their experience of walking east in the morning along the sea shore, they therefore must be going west (or mostly west) currently. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:29, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
:::Also, they've probably turned away from the river, since Cueball thought it important to refill the water bottle before heading for the mountains. So, east along the seashore, north along the river, then west towards the mountains. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:33, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

== Snake Theories ==

Megan mentions snakes with spikes over their eyes. That covers several species, all poisonous, but they are native to the American west and southwest, Mexico, Central America, north Africa and the Middle East. The snake that Cueball finds might be a {{w|Anguis fragilis|slow-worm}}, a limbless reptile native to Eurasia. It's shiny, brown, has a blunt head, and can shed its tail like a lizard, which might give it a half-finished look if Cueball saw it that way. But a stronger contender is the {{w|rubber boa}}, which is native to the western US, and has a famously stubby head and tail.

This makes me think of one area: The {{w|Great Salt Lake}}. The {{w|Bear River (Utah)|Bear River}} empties into it from a northerly direction, and the area has the rubber boa and at least one type of poisonous horned snake. Native Americans of the area even had legends of the Horned Serpent. And that ''had'' to be a teepee we saw earlier. (I don't think Native Americans had trebuchets or berets, though....) --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 01:59, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:(...Except, unless they built a salt castle, it's more likely to be in a place with considerably more sand.)[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 19:32, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
::The Great Salt Lake makes sense unless this comic does not belong to our real world. We just have to find this {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}} trees or something similar at Utah. And this lake has beaches of sand, ok salty sand.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:44, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

The snake also seems to appear in frames 1645 to 1651 http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1645&framediff=1644 {{unsigned|Flying Djinn}}

== Follower? ==

Megan is looking back sometimes since a few frames... May she has the feeling that someone is following them? People from the hills? The squirrel? -- [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 18:08, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, Megan is looking at something. But what it is we just do not know. Wait for it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:48, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
::Perhaps it's Beret Girl? She's the only other human we've seen so far. [[Special:Contributions/94.170.131.19|94.170.131.19]] 21:33, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:::It's just the sea, they must be high in the mountains. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:05, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

We've got chicks, and not the first time: In image 1830-1831 Megan says "I heard chirps from the night sky once. I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping. - It was very quiet. - just a single chirp now and then." They were sleeping under a tree around image 1354, a bird flies overhead, later Cueball takes a walk. We can see some chicks at the end of his walk at images 1374-1376 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1375&framediff=1374]. It just took me a while to figure out what it was.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:35, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

Take a closer look; there's some kind of wisp hanging out in some of the empty frames and the ones Megan's looking back in. It's only about a pixel wide, but a few long; broken up, serpentine, almost ethereal.

In the hut scene (June 20) there seems to be something large moving in the bushes next to the fence. There was also something something poking in on the left back by the cairn (a few frames back). [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 18:18, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:I've been keeping a log of Hidden Animals in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures 1190: Time: Pictures]. The first one you saw is likely a bird. There's a chick moving around in the grass. The recent scene (frame numbers 2214-2225) is a swarm (bugs?) that came in from the left and moved into the bush. Use this [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2225&framediff=2224 Geekwagon Link] to view the hidden images. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:29, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

"--LOOK OUT!" I rest my case. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 21:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:A big cat! Puma, Mountain Lion... who can tell, at least it wasn't a Velociraptor (there's 2 in Click and Drag). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:34, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
::Looks too small for either a mountain lion or a puma. Could be a cub, perhaps. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Now either that's a pet cat or this just got less PG. Also, the thing that showed up by the cairn is the right height for a nose. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:06, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:I agree. If there's real danger, why does Megan just sit there? [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:13, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

== Aubronwood problem ==

Has anyone noticed that the aubronwood site only seems to show every other frame after a certain point? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 15:52, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, it looks buggy. I'm always using my own downloads and this [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon].--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:11, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
::Noticed the same. Looks like the left and right arrow keys don't work after a certain point, but the up and down arrow keys and the mouse wheel continue to work correctly. -- [[Special:Contributions/205.171.58.158|205.171.58.158]] 17:36, 14 June 2013 (UTC)
::I found that if I hit "Slower" when this happens, it returns to single frame navigation with arrow keys.
::If you click on the slider at the bottom of the page, left and right keys then move it one pixel, which is currently 2 images. If you click on the comic to move focus there, arrow keys work correctly

== Elevation? ==

The elevation map on the edfel map hasn't been updated in ages, and I'd like to see how high up they are now. Anyone else found one anywhere? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:31, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
:You are right and we need a proper map on this like the water level before. I will try this soon, maybe tomorrow.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:48, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

:I've been mapping the journey from the start, piecing each segment end-to-end in Photoshop. There is no significant net elevation change until they started following the river. The net elevation change from image #1150 to now (#1818) is 1402 pixels = 210.2 feet (assuming a 40 px average height of Cueball and using 40 px = 6 feet). However, since this is a comic, one may assume a greater height than that actually depicted. The horizontal distance along the same river walk is 59516 pixels = 8927.4 feet (1.7 mi, 2.7 km). I don't have the distances along the sea. The average speed, using 1 hr/frame update, is 0.0025 mph, 0.0041 kph (at 5 min/frame update the speed increases to 0.0304 mph). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:07, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

== What do we know by the beginning of June? ==
:- thanks to [[User:Galois|Galois]] we do know they did travel around 3 km (NASA is getting better on this metric units).
:- thanks to [[User:Galois|Galois]] we do know they did climb approx. 65 meters (maybe slightly more because 6 feet or 1.8288 meters for Cueball is maybe a little bit too much).
:- they are still in real nature, the most technical devices we have seen is just wood.
:- but they also did cross a road at the beginning of their travel.
:- now both are heading uphill while the mountains still far away.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:11, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

I'd like to think Cueball is shorter, I used 6 ft because it's convenient and yields longer distances. The tallest Baobob tree is 516 px (rescaled to the running comic) = 77.4 ft (23.6 m) using a 6 ft Cueball. Note that using a 5.5 ft (1.7 m) Cueball, the tree drops to 71 ft (21.6 m). The Wikipedia page [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia_grandidieri] on the Grandidier's baobab states they can reach 25 to 30 m (80-100 ft) in height, 23.6 m is about right. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:40, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't follow this as religously as others so maybe I missed the obvious answer, but why is it assumed that we have seen all of the way they went? I alway thought the parts where they are hiking is like a "montage" in film, where lots of parts might be missing in between the snapshots we see. {{unsigned|193.171.69.65|05:58, 6 June 2013}}

(please sign your posts - don't worry, we're all here out of a mutual enjoyment of the xkcd comics) Actually, I looked into the possibility a while back, but it didn't work. Randall runs 3-5 frame updates with the two walking across the same panel. As they leave one panel on the right, they enter the next on the left (and visa-verse for the trip back to the sunken castle). Additionally, I only came across three panels that didn't adjoin perfectly (one in the sand dunes and two trees that didn't continue into the next panel). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 11:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

== Image reference from late on the 67th day ==

At about 22:35 on the 67th day, the image reference "6fa2b361791e805aac0a89008a891e3999a0519ed870c1bc3dcc8dbff5e071d5.png" appeared for a time. It was after "f4e2276e4c47409412666b28be0cca75fedae3c182c4017932891c147004c720.png", followed by a few more of that reference and then by "133fddaecbdee3f5160771b68ce02cbc2b4b1c84a40faffb1bcaa6f75588edd0.png". At the time, I did not get a copy of the image, and it is not now available for download.
Did anybody else see this image, and does anybody have a copy of it?
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
:I am also confused, my download was also broken at that hour. 404 Not found.
:It is at 1606:00 or image 1727 - still more confusing numbers. Randall could not do it much better.
:And "http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/6fa2b361791e805aac0a89008a891e3999a0519ed870c1bc3dcc8dbff5e071d5.png" is still 404...
:So, we have an image here, but is it correct?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:48, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

My image number 1728 is 133fddaecbdee3f5160771b68ce02cbc2b4b1c84a40faffb1bcaa6f75588edd0.png. The image fits properly in sequence with the other images around it. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:32, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

OK, apparently it was completely broken at that time. I just felt I needed to ask, since I wasn't downloading actual images at that time, just the references, and so I have a broken reference in my list. --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 02:03, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

== Pictures and Time Collage ==
I opened a new page for the pictures: [[1190: Time: Pictures]]. It's experimental and subject to (wiki-style collaborative) change. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

:I think "Cueball Walk images 1360-1378" is wrong. It looks more like if Cueball was walking perpendicularly to the image. [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:03, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

::That's the way it was drawn. While Megan is still sleeping, Cueball takes a walk, gathers some berries, stops several times to look around, and then walks back to the tree. The walk and the tree scene probably don't connect directly. It appears that Cueball arises from under the tree, turns (left) away from the "camera" (frankly, I can't tell he is walking towards us or away from us... only Megan has hair, which tells us which way), and starts his walk. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Nice work Galois! How we can show this pictures at the comic page? Maybe with a smaller preview for a link to to the full size picture with a warning about this. But also I think it should be at a different page. Any ideas?--Dgbrt (talk) 20:26, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

: Good point! I took your advice. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:42, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Also posted at [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]):
Thumbnails are not working at this moment. But nevertheless I think it's not a good idea to include that large pictures. My idea:
:Create that big pictures, separated into some parts, remove Megan and Cueball and then change only the width to 1200 pixels. And one picture should cover all at the width of 1200 pixels. Scene 2 could be split into several collapsible parts with the terrain picture on top. Just an idea, what do you think?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:59, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

== Megan and Cueball sleeping deep for the first time ==
Maybe they will be disturbed by some flies or other animals, but now it's night... They will sleep because the first day is over. Good night!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:27, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
:This is not the end of the first day. According to frame 1600 they walked along the sea for days. If the later timeline is similar then they've walked up the river for days as well.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 23:55, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
::At frame 1600 Cueball says that they "walked along the sea for days". But at this comic they are walking along the river, the travel at the sea must happend before. Since they are walking again it seems both are sleepless.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:31, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:They also slept under the tree in images 1348-1352, Megan talked about that night in 1830-1832 (time 1709:00) "Megan: I heard chirps from the night sky once. I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping. - It was very quiet. - just a single chirp now and then. Cueball: Did you see anything? Megan: I thought a few stars flicker. - Nothing else." [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:40, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::The story from time 1709:00 also refers to things did happen before this comic did start.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:31, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::I agree too, but not this time... there is a chick in the grass in the scene next to the tree where they slept. See {{geekwagon|1375|1374}} or "Chick in grass 1375" in 1190: Time: Pictures [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures] in the Hidden Animals section. The same type of chick was right in front them in time 1709:00 (see "Chick in grass 1826"). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:58, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

They're coming back... in {{geekwagon|1928}} we can see the two heading off following the small river with their knapsacks (or rucksacks) left behind by the tree where they slept. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:09, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

Journey update: As of (right edge of) image 2103, they climbed 1290 pixels or 193.5 ft (59 m) from the place the two slept by the small river (image 1908). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:30, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

== Philosophical implications ==

I think the huge following that this comic has gathered - the amount of work by people like Aubron Wood and the guys at geekwagon, explainxkcd editors, general xkcd enthusiasts, the people at XKCD time wiki - raises some interesting questions. At this point we're not even clear how Randall is writing these comics: he may have designed them all from the start, or he may be writing 24 a day, going along with it, according to the natural progression of events and what has led up to now. It has interesting parallels with the {{w|design argument}}. It also makes you wonder about how it's all going to end. There are so many ongoing discussions - and have been from the start - about how the comic is going to conclude. Just as in real life we take so many different roads and never really know where we're going to end up. If we're continuing with the religious theme we could extend the metaphor even further, about what happens after we die. We don't know if we're going to just stop existing or if we're going to end up in some elaborate afterlife. We don't know what Randall's going to do - how long will the comic go on? Could it last his entire lifetime? We have no way of knowing. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 14:05, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

I believe Randall is writing this as it goes along, preparing the scenes only a little bit in advance. The story (quest?) reads more like a series of isolated vignettes, but with a few themes being carried forward, such as the quest for the source of the rising sea. I'm here in homage to Randall's unique wit and humor, and having fun trying to second guess what he'll do next. I don't believe the setting is an actual place, but we have several clues that limit its location. I see this as a collection of disparate objects and events; some go together, some not, but with some running themes. Randall may be making some points (such as conservation, ecology, and not eating squirrels); although, I would have never filled a canteen from the small river without first boiling or purifying the water. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:27, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

:Are you living in tent? People living in tents for big amount of year (as these two apparently do) generally tend to dring water without purifying. .... on the other hand, those generally don't build castles from sand. And they DID mentioned steam bottle once ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 17:43, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

== Stillness of air ==

Anyone else notice how still the air is? In the frames I have looked at, the grass never moves, so there must be no wind. [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 12:20, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
:In over 2000 frames, I have found only four that depict wind. I added them to the 1190: Time: Pictures page [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures]. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 21:01, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
::I'm impressed you found those. Thank you. [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 02:09, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

== Making extreme sport out waiting ==

Let's do [[1017]], but using current frame instead of a progress bar. <strike>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/questions-with-yes-or-no-answers.html Does anyone know]</strike> what formula should we use for this? Something similar to the one in [[1017] won't work, because we don't know when (if ever) the Time will end. I was thinking about T = c + n * (1 hour), where n is current frame and c is a couple of days before the beginning of Time, but it seems too boring. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:57, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
:Sorry, I can't figure out what you do mean. In Randall's words I just can say: Wait for it.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:00, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

== Madagascar theory ==

I'm still not sure that it is supposed to be a specific place, but going with the Madagascar theory, there is indeed a native Madagascar hedgehog -- the greater and lesser tenrecs.

Still no squirrels, though. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 20:58, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

:That Madagascar trees are also imported to US. Hedgehogs are a famous pets in US, even when they do belong to Asia and Europe. We are still in the US, and more precisely around Utah. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:51, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

:Hedgehogs are found in many places. From the shadow comments, they are on a northern sea coast in the northern hemisphere, hence probably not Madagascar. There's something wrong with every possible location I checked. The Mediterranean Sea is rising because the water coming in from rivers is greater than that lost through evaporation [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea#Sea-level_rise] and is polluted [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea#Pollution], BUT a quick check has every possible northern coast covered with cities or agriculture. I lived in Salt Lake City for a little while. Antelope Island has oolitic sand on the north and west sides and is a mountain, but no major rivers or waterfalls[http://www.utah.com/stateparks/great_salt_lake_facts.htm]. The north coast is a boggy delta, except for a peninsula, which is covered with agriculture. Southern Utah is a better match and has waterfalls, but no sea. I gave up. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:04, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

:: The sea thing is certainly a problem for any modern-day Utah theory, but the tree that recently came on-screen (frame 2145) could be intended to be ''Pinus longaeva'', which would be appropriate to Utah (or many other parts of the Great Basin), high altitudes, and the comic theme. Oh, also, if you want a rising, large body of water near Southern Utah there's always Lake Mead. But it's probably not so large as to be mistaken for the sea. --Joe Decker

:: I'm not sure that current agriculture would be an issue. Unless they are play-acting or in some kind of _The Village_ setup, they seem unlikely to be current-day humans. They seem strangely ignorant of some obvious things and yet aware of others. There might be a few tribal peoples living in tents that would be unaware of the next river over, but they would be unlikely to be confused by birds nesting. Or be using trebuchets and European castle architecture in sandcastles. And if they genuinely walked for "days" along the shore, it seems unlikely to be a _The Village_ setup; that's got to be 20 miles even taking a leisurely trip for just two days, and probably more. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:36, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

It might be interesting, however, that there's a striking resemblance between the Grandidier's Baobab depicted in the comic at frame 1525 {{geekwagon|1525}} and the tree on the left in the Wikimedia picture [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adansonia_grandidieri03.jpg Grandidier's Baobab (Adansonia grandidieri) near Morondava, Madagascar]. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:24, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

:That place is surprisingly like the comic, especially when explored [[Expedition]] style. It has beaches, other rivers, baobabs, etc! And doesn't the fact that they slept overnight invalidate the northern hemisphere theory and mess with determining the walking direction by the sun? Despite all this, I doubt being in Madagascar does much for understanding the meaning of the comic. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 01:55, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

That Theory seems to be out of date by now - post-apocalyptic(?) mediteran sea it is... [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 04:24, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

== Jumped by a kitty ==

Nom nom nom.
The end.
[[Special:Contributions/121.74.128.126|121.74.128.126]] 23:54, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

: I was going to say how trollish that felt (because I was felling attached to the characters and the comic), but you know what? It's just a comic. And no, I don't think it's ending that way, Randall is random, but not THAT random (I think). I bet $10 that Megan will fetch some sort of stick or club and go golfing. --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 00:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

http://xkcd.com/231/ [[Special:Contributions/121.74.128.126|121.74.128.126]] 23:57, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Alright guys, what's the species and where is it native to? Puma, mountain lion, lynx, jaguar, tiger, panther, leopard...

: Well, if we're to believe that Randall is paying attention to the scale of the objects, then I don't think it's either of your options. That cat doesn't look much bigger than a domestic cat, so I think it's something close to an Ocelot. --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 00:46, 21 June 2013 (UTC)u
:: Unless Megan and Cueball are kids, that would be an awfully large domestic cat. And from references like the cabin, they are adults or close to it in size. Ocelot's not a bad estimate, though. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 01:01, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
::: Well, in my defense, I didn't really said it was a domestic cat, but that it looked just slightly bigger than one. An Ocelot fits that description, I think, while being much smaller than a Puma. Btw, there goes Megan golfing! :) --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 04:05, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Not a cougar (too small for one) as I think they grab their prey by the throat and hold on till it's dead, not just knock it over and sniff. Bobcat's out (too big). Besides, what's coming in on the right? [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:16, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Now I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor kitty. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 05:06, 21 June 2013 (UTC) (p.s. "it didn't bite you?" -- More for it being a lonely lost pet?)

If this is Madagascar, then it would be a fossa ... but the head looks too big and cat-like. Perhaps a juvenile cougar/puma? Would help explain why it bit the backpack instead of Cueball's neck. Geographically, that or one of the ocelots / relatives would put us in South or North America. AH [[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 14:00, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Why is everyone assuming the location corresponds to an actual modern day location (e.g. Madagascar)? Given that http://xkcd.com/505/ is staged on an infinite plane full of rocks we shouldn't limit our search to the real, simply the rational. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 14:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:This doesn't make any sense. Rationals are (or are isomorphic to) a subfield of reals, so if we limit our search to rationals we also implicitly limit it to reals. But it's safe to assume that they are in some group. My intuition tells me that this group is a vector field (most likely R^3), but obviously we shouldn't rely on that. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:47, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
::Hahaha! Just wondering if those were Abelian Grapes that Cueball and Megan were eating. "What's purple and commutes?" 1960s joke. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:43, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

:I don't necessarily think that it's an actual place, but some of the plant and animal references have been so specific as to make you wonder if they mean something. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:41, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

:The sand castle Megan built at the top matches the Paris Disneyland castle; thus, either Megan had seen the castle before or Randall just thought it was a neat looking castle to copy. There are other elements that limits the date to fairly recent, some more so than others. I don't think Randal is using an actual place, but rather an amalgam of elements from many places. As for myself, I prefer abstract algebra. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 17:18, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Given that they're been hiking up into the mountains, my guess is that it was a mountain lion... which is also known as a cougar. Or puma. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 08:07, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

As we now know that they are in the Mediterranean region, a {{w|Eurasian lynx}} or an {{w|Iberian lynx}} look quite good guesses but the cat in the comic has a tail that is too long and it doesn't have ear tufts. I guess if it is far enough in the future, the distribution of animals could have changed, so it might be {{w|Caracal}} (desert lynx), a {{w|Serval}} or an {{w|African golden cat}}. Of course if it is even further in the future, it might be a whole new species that doesn't currently exist.[[User:NHSavage|NHSavage]] ([[User talk:NHSavage|talk]]) 21:11, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

They're back to the kitty! Will it run, or does it bear a grudge? [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 04:09, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
: I still want it to be a lonely lost pet, maybe a zoo refugee. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 04:59, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
: It ran. Is it preparing another surprise attack? ''Time'' will tell. (Ha ha.) [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 06:22, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

== Frame 2188 ==

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned or come up with theories about {{geekwagon|2188}}. I guess we now know that it was the cat stalking them.
--[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 01:04, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Re: 2188 check the "Following" section. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:15, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

== Frames 2231-2232 ==

What is that on the far right of the screen on {{geekwagon|2231}}? Any theories at all?
:Boom mike? Martian tripod? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 07:40, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'm downloading from two systems at different time. One got the same images as linked above, but the images I downloaded a few minutes ago don't have it. I get the following md5's

:32fc7553d3134ec08a5bc88ffa1929d9 -> 867dc4718c684fa0507876cdd034ce7f7fd7980370034d676181ddf6b07dcabf.png <- 2231
:a26efc43bb6bbc2bb8d12192a25d4938 -> e44589725450e5bf897d441e5ccd1e9b9a0a1ee6658fea9e6a7378e96c5e4be5.png <- 2232

[[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]]
::Same here, the image I clipped (2231) has the figure (or whatever) and now it's gone. It must have been unintentional, and later corrected. Maybe the "whatever" or parts of it will show up later. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:56, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'll take a shot... The bottom part is curved and aligns perfectly with Cueball's head in Photoshop, just cutoff on the left (and the right as it goes out of frame). The rounded slice at the top matches Megan's head as well. The full slice does not match any scene to date (the only one close is 1885 with Megan in the tree, but that's not it); thus, it must be a slice from a future scene (or maybe part of a template with assorted characters). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 16:20, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:I was going with "sprites from Pitfall, while the reader was distracted by the action", but the "template fragment" theory certainly works better. ;-)

== The great re-encoding ==

After noticing the snafu around 2231-2232, I whent and re downloaded the full set from imgs.xkcd.org and what I downloaded today doesn't match what I downloaded before (generally when they were <24h old). Everything from 1068 back seems to be a pixle match for what is there now but have different MD5s and is generally smaller. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 20:31, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:My observations suggest that XKCD images are routinely optimized a few hours after posting. In short, it is normal for the image to change without the pixels changing. --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:37, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

== Another Theory ==

Can it just be about Mr. Munroe's life? I don't know many personal details, but it would be easy to draw about and still be important without being funny. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 04:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:A fair number of people have speculated that it's a metaphor for something personal, yeah. He's married and his wife had a bout with cancer a year or so back, so there's been some concern that the whole 'inescapable tide' may be a less than happy thing. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
This is beginning to look a lot like the plot outline of a quest video game. --deepfatfriar 17:34, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

== Only one day to reach the top of the Mountain ==
At frame 2305 Cueball mentions that it's only one day to reach the top and at frame 2308 Megan says that they will not much farther away from home when being there. This means the comic shows no night sequences but it did run for many days in the world of them. Maybe each real day is also a day in this comic.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:It sure took a long time to build the original sandcastle then.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 20:20, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
::Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. But now we have the prove that the voyage did last many days while there was no hint of any night hiatus. They did sleep but we couldn't see.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:40, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Remember there was a fadeout while they were starting off on the journey, and later they say the walked for days along the shore. So that could be the bulk of the distance. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 01:51, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe it's like the world for Game of Thrones but s/Seasons/Days/ I.e. veritable length days? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:57, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:I'd rather think they started their journey several days before they reached the beach and started building the castle. I feel that what we are observing is a single day of their adventure - building a castle in the morning, walking along the shore and the river in early afternoon or even a little before noon, taking a short nap in the late afternoon and walking uphill again. The darkening of last few frames may be the evening coming. [[Special:Contributions/89.174.214.74|89.174.214.74]] 13:59, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

== It's getting cloudy. ==

Upper right corner of {{geekwagon|2352}}? Also the other three corners have something going on. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:25, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
: May Randall is reading this Wiki and saw the complain about still air :-) [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 06:09, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:: Or maybe Megan is getting cold because a storm's coming. Maybe they don't know about storms in the hills or mountains. Note that the "people in the hills" where they live are perhaps not friendly, according to the earlier conversation about going on up the mountain: Cueball: "We can't be more than a day or so from the top. There may be people there." Megan: "Like the people in the hills?" Cueball: "We're a long way from there." If the people of the hills back home are unfriendly, Cueball and Megan may have no experience of hill weather. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
If you look at the image diff on GeekWagon it looks like they are experiancing a solar eclipse.[[Special:Contributions/162.5.71.176|162.5.71.176]] 15:18, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:No, that white round object in the cloud is just moving and is also getting smaller. I've no idea what it could be.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:45, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::It isn't getting smaller, it's just having to go through clouds of increasing thickness, making its domain of whiteness smaller. And it's moving because something like fifteen minutes just went by. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 15:53, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Looks like a setting sun to me [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 17:56, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::::You are right, we see a sunset. My first statement was about the "solar eclipse" theory, what is definitively not happen.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:27, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:::::We also effectively had a bit of a timeskip there -- it takes several hours for the sun to lower that much. Also confirms they are walking north (which I think was the going assumption already.) [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:51, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::::::The rate that the sun sets at depends on the "length" of the "lens" being used. Based on 360 deg/day motion and a apparent width of 0.5 deg, the sun moves it's own diameter every 2 minutes. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:12, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

The images now fading to black, going to the dark night. I am hoping we will get a new scene on top of that mountain, but maybe we will just seeing them awakening below a tree. We just have to wait... Stay tuned as me!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:06, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:But maybe the Moon will shine and the fade to black does stop.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

::Or maybe we will switch back to Beret Girl. Who knows? We'll see when we see. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:00, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

:::@Taibhse, It seems to me that you just explained the entire point of the cartoon. [[Special:Contributions/74.174.17.194|74.174.17.194]] 13:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)ALurker

Where are the astronomical freaks? Can't we find out where they are depending on the stars? [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 17:12, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
: ~30 deg north based on the direction of motion. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 17:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:The constellation looks like Bootes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo%C3%B6tes[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:03, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::When Bootes is setting around sunset in the US it is August or September.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:16, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:::I can't identify Boötes so far but the bright star following the path of the sun isn't a star: It's the planet Venus, here as the "Evening Star".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:28, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::::Not Bootes; it's not on the ecliptic, which these stars are. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:46, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
: I think the upper constellation on 2394 is the Sagittarius. The lower one, which can be seen better on 2393 is the tail of the Scorpion constellation. The two bright stars close to each other above the tree are Shaula and Lesath. The brightest star is a planet, probably Venus. The only think bothers me is that there is an other star very close to Ascella in Sagittarius, which should not be there... Maybe an other planet? --[[Special:Contributions/80.98.250.115|80.98.250.115]] 21:31, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::I think you may have it. I passed over Sagittarius at first, because they looked too close together, but I think I was overestimating the scale. Virgo and Gemini both contain something close to the Y pattern of four bright stars, but the surrounding stars aren't right. If it's a planet, it would have to be naked eye visible but not as bright as Ascella,and I don't think there is anything that fits, which is a pity, because we could work out possible years. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:26, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Reviewing further, I'm even more convinced. If you get a star map in the right orientation, you can see that the rest of Scorpio is becoming visible just above the horizon in {{geekwagon|2393}}. And the arc of stars the three consellations are 'facing' matches up with the Serpent and Ophiuchius, including the visual binary of Delta and Epsilon Ophiuchi. If you look at a sky map for Nov 7, 2013, Venus is in about the right configuration. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:14, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

== Star Map ==
Is someone already stitching together a map of the stars as they move through the frames? I could do it, but I'm too lazy *g*.
And if we have that, the relative position of the sun to the stars should be sufficient to determine the day of the year (depending on the accuracy of the drawings) and probably, assuming the first bright dot was indeed Venus, we might even be able to determine if the story takes/took place this year. Maybe other astronomical objects show (or don't show) and help to further narrow down the '''time'''. --[[Special:Contributions/92.76.250.121|92.76.250.121]] 00:18, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:From the position of the sun, Venus is at or close to greatest eastern elongation from the sun. Assuming that the constellations we are looking at are Sagittarius and surroundings (and the new stars coming into view continue to match this), the sun is located around Virgo. From the angle of the ecliptic, they are at 30 degrees north, and thus it would have to be around the beginning of November, as that's when Virgo sets with the sun at 30N. So it could be a year when Venus hits the greatest eastern elongation in late October/early November. Which happens this year, but it can't be this year as the moon isn't right -- there would be a crescent moon next to Venus. It would have to be at new moon or waning moon, and that puts it after 2037. Of course, there are a lot of assumptions and estimations in that calculation. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:29, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
::Actually, for the moon it could be 2029, but there's another blocking factor: Mars should be next to Venus in 2037. And for the next few eight year cycles, some combination of Mercury, the moon, and Saturn should be showing up between Venus and the Sun before the stars do. So it looks like 2053 would be the first matching date. And the next date after that 2085 - it precesses forward a bit each year, so it would be Nov 12 by 2085. Seems a bit late for grapes and hiking without any thought of shelter, but if it's 30N it is likely a pretty warm area. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:59, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Going backwards, the first one with no planets is 1981, but there would be a nearly full moon, and that scene does not look illuminated by a full moon. The most recent one with no planets and no moon interfering would be 1949. But that's purely my amateur estimation using the online AstroViewer. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:59, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
I wandered over to the forum, and they agree with our conclusion of Sagittarius, and one of them had a interesting observation: Antares is gone. It should be the brightest thing in this view apart from Venus, and you can see the two stars that should flank it appear at {{geekwagon|2392}}, between Cueball's head and the tree, but no Antares. Which suggests that this is set sufficiently far in the future that Antares has gone supernova (which it is due to do.) [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:Even more suggestive of a far future: certain of the stars in the Scorpion appear to have moved. If you go to Hipparchos [[http://www.rssd.esa.int/SA-general/Projects/Hipparcos/apps/ShowMotion.html]] and enter RA 260.4, Dec -42, and V(lim) 4.4, you will get the stars in the head and part of the body of the Scorpion. If you run it forward several thousand years, you'll see that the high-motion stars match with the distortions in the XKCD sky.[[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 08:05, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
One last thing (for the moment): The angle of the sun and planets are what they should be for c. 30-33 degrees N, but to get the constellations angled the right way, it's closer to 12 degrees north. This may be precession, which could also explain the grapes in what would be currently by the stars the beginning of November -- the vernal equinox may have precessed forward, resulting in the sun being in Virgo/Libra in summer rather than fall. 15,000 years would put it in Libra in June, for example [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 16:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

== Where in the world are Megan and Cueball? ==

Venus marking the path of the ecliptic tells us that we are at about 30 degrees north (my quick-ass calculation came up closer to 31 or 32 degrees north.) They are walking east with the ocean to the south of them, and they are following a large river north into hills and mountains that apparently are less than a day's walk north.

So if it's Earth, where could they be? There's not a lot of south-facing coasts around 30N. The only large one is the Gulf Coast of the US, but there's not much in the way of hills much less anything you could call a mountain close to the shore. The only exception I can really see is maybe around Mobile, which at last has some hills. There's the north end of the Persian Gulf and of the Gulf of California, but for both of those the hills are east of of the most obvious large river. Though the Gulf of California would make sense in other ways -- rivers that only run to the sea in the wet season, for example. There's South Korea, but the southern coast of that is broken up into a fringe of islands and peninsula, there's not really a solid stretch of coast to walk east along. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 00:14, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

:If, as hypothesized above, this is taking place a few thousand years into the future, might not the coastlines have changed? (Especially since the "sea" seems to be rising.) I wonder if we could find the proper configuration of hills and a mountain even in absence of a body of water to the south. [[Special:Contributions/69.123.166.176|69.123.166.176]] 15:06, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

All the stars are following the same parallel path through the sky. Shouldn't the stars should be following a circular path centered on the north star, and the planets if any be following roughly the path of the sun and moon? --deepfatfriar
:Based on my analsys (sicking a post-it to my screen so that it partially obscures Venus) things do seem to be curving (Venus is less obscured, then more, then less as I step through frames). [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

So, how far away are we viewing them from? We know (about) how tall Cueball is and the stars give us an angular ruler so we should be able to figure that out. Also, when will sunrise be? [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

Someone mentioned the Clock of the Long Now, and the 10,000 Year Clock would fit in a number of ways. The Texas original one is at the right latitude, and the Sierra Diablo mountains where it is are near a dried-up inland sea, which presumably could be a sea again, and an inland sea could rise much faster than the world's oceans. And it would fit with the title "Time", and explain the multi-thousand year future setting.

Has anyone been able to map exactly where the sun is on the stars? That would show where in the precession sequence we are. If it's in Libra, for example 15,000 years forward the sun would set in Libra around June at 31-32 degrees north at that point. Which would explain the grapes and the camping without shelter. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 20:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

==If the night does map the real world...==
If the stars are real I'm sure it still does map to the current time frame of this comic. Venus and also Jupiter (even also Mercury, but hard to see) did follow the sun at dawn. Tomorrow I will have to fix my (Linux) xOrg for running {{w|Stellarium (computer program)|Stellarium}} or {{w|Celestia}}. So for now I'm only on [http://heavens-above.com/ heavens-above], which is still not accurate enough for this cloudy comic sky at night.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:37, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:I've made a compare of the changes in Scorpio over the next 15K years, and the sky in Time. [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/starsmove.png]. It matches pretty well, though I think the fastest moving star hasn't moved quite as far. So my current prediction: they are in the Sierra Diablo mountains in Texas (or what was Texas), climbing towards the 10,000 Year Clock observatory, about 14,000 years from now. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:57, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

::So is Beret Girl a mysterious time traveler? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 23:45, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:What is the source for your picture, Photoshop? Please tell us more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:32, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:: Stellarium to generate the comparison star maps (it takes into account Hipparchos data, so will move stars with high proper motion for far future dates), and GIMP to overlay them. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:02, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Thanks Tavella. Stellarium was my own first attempt too, but my xOohhhhgrrrrg did crash. NVIDIA on Linux is still a mess.
:::Go North to Dakota or even Canada to find a location where a 30 degree sunset can happen.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:14, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:Very nice pictures, Tavella! What's the meaning of the three red stars? Thanks in advance. [[Special:Contributions/79.98.2.71|79.98.2.71]] 22:20, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
::They are marking the three stars with the highest proper motion in the constellation (well, one of them, the top one, is a small companion star in the constellation zone rather than being formally in the constellation.) I just installed GIMP on this computer and was too lazy to go find the arrow plugin. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:16, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
I'm sure i remember seeing a shooting star in one of the frames but it doesn't seem to be in any of the recorded frames? [[Special:Contributions/75.181.22.10|75.181.22.10]] 19:33, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
::Yes, it was a fast series of pictures so it didn't get caught. Here's an animation of the sequence: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/tmp/meteor.gif] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:11, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Can you give us some hashes and timestamps? --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:25, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
::::2440a through e here: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/#frame2440] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 04:58, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
: [[User:Tavella|Tavella]], your picture [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/starsmove.png] seems to be gone for some reason, could you re-upload it? Thanks. [[User:Jahvascriptmaniac|Jahvascriptmaniac]] ([[User talk:Jahvascriptmaniac|talk]]) 11:31, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

==Did we just see Megan and then Cueball have bowel movements?==
Day 95 1:00 Megan squats alone on the right side of frame while Cueball sits in the middle of frame http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d9/time2378.png

Day 97 6:00 Cueball walks over and squats near where Megan herself squatted http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/8490469c3f8cea3b8dd7f55f8152d8048166af8a13bf2473af5b0b032b9c6f30.png

Day 97 7:00 & 8:00 Cueball is seen washing his hands in subsequent two frames?{{unsigned ip|24.91.69.220}}

== Meteor frames. ==

There were five meteor frames that appeared in very quick succession recently. How should they be numbered?

:"appeared in very quick succession": I assume they actually appeared on the hour, just like all the others (except for first days), <strike>and as they are currently listed in our table</strike>? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:00, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

::No, they appeared on the minute between 20:20 and 20:24 UTC on 29 June. That's how they're listed here. [[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 16:10, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

:::Yeah, I was looking at the hours +2441 through +2445! However, in my defence, I was fighting the database error when I first thought I noticed this. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:48, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

[http://xkcd.mscha.org/#frame2440 mscha's site] numbers them 2440a to 2440e.

[http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2441 geekwagon] only has the final meteor frame (2440e) which it numbers 2441, and after that all the numbers on geekwagon are out by one compared to mscha's site.

Another logical option is to number them from 2441 to 2445.

[http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/?i=2445&playing=0&audio=0&speed=200 aubronwood] has the frames numbered 2444 to 2448 (like the previous suggestion, but I think aubronwood had been out by three for a long time compared to other sites)

On the [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Periods xkcd-time wiki] I have tentatively used mscha's numbering, which may be a problem considering the wiki has built-in linking to geekwagon.

[[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 07:01, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

:Numbering them 2440a to 2440e is ok. And geekwagon seems to be broken at some more more frames right now.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:52, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

::Uh, it would be great if we could number frames in actual chronological number order, not appending letters onto the ends of the filenames. It makes it easier for scripts to access images with a consistent naming scheme. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:28, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::We have already been appending letters onto the ends of filenames, with frames 256P, 257P, and 258P. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 15:52, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::And those are problematic with scripts already. More special cases to account for are not fun. I've only let those alone because fixing the problem would mean shifting more than a thousand filenames now, and I didn't notice it originally until it was 200 frames too late. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:32, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::I have two ideas on this problem:
:::::a) Put that special frames into an extra table at the bottom of that specific days, or
:::::b) Add an extra column to the tables containing a sequence number. This would be much of work.
:::::I prefer a).--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:48, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::The meteor does seem to be a part of the comic, so it probably should still be inline with the rest of the frames. We'll only need to shift 40-odd image names to fix this, it shouldn't be too onerous. I'll do it tomorrow morning. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:09, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::This will be good for your scripts but not for mine. We will be also out of sync to other sites. But if you will do that tell me where day 101 should start. I have to change a counter at my script.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:17, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::Day 101 starts at 2531 with the meteor frames shifted down. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::Many thanks for your chaos, day 101 starts NOW with 2526. Before your edit it would have been 2521. But 2531 is a little bit too much.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:16, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::I can understand the desire for standardized numbering but I've been doing a lot of the image uploading recently using mscha's site as the source. I do it manually so it's already a pain, I don't think I can face having to do that extra little bit of arithmetic for each image to work out what the id should be on this site. Guess I'll be leaving it for the bots from now on. [[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 12:21, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::Thanks Crimethink for your great work. This is still a mess, but we can't revert it. We are all trapped in someone's decision...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:02, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::::Yeah - I can see that. Just a shame that mscha decided to do it that way.[[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 13:22, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::::Yeah. The idea of naming that pictures as 2440a to 2440e was first. Other sites like geekwagon are also out of sync. Unless we do use the timestamp at the file name it will be more mess in the future, I am sure.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:42, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I made this page to show the differences between numbering systems at mscha's site, geekwagon, aubronwood and explainxkcd.
http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Frame_numbering [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 15:17, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:WOW, you must have much TIME ;)--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:27, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

How do we even know that it's a meteor? Maybe Mr. Munroe has finally decided to use his [[254|best idea ever]]? Then it was just a damaged space station falling through the atmosphere. Also the mountain they are climbing is actually a volcano and the sea is rising because of all the tyrannosaurs swimming in it. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:53, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:This comic is just showing the real world we all do know. Look at this {{w|Perseids}} meteor shower at the next days, the peak should be around August 10 or 15. Most of that particles you can see as a bright meteor are smaller than one millimeter. It's only the vast velocity what causes this great visual effect.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:19, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

==Animated gif for the night==
Here is an [[Media:1190TimeNight.gif|animated gif with enhanced brightness]]. You can see the Milky Way in the beginning and by the end some birds appear in the sky.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:51, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:That's awesome. Good job!--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 14:17, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
Since we r watching the scene toward west, shouldn't the sky appear darker near the horizon, with respect to the sky above, at sunrise? (I'm asking here but of course I'm not referring to your animated gif but to the xkcd scene itself...) [[Special:Contributions/217.200.201.97|217.200.201.97]] 11:46, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:When the sun rises on East the horizon at the opposite side is darker than the rest of the sky. When the sun is high enough you will not recognize this any more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yep Dgbrt, my point is that in the comic sequence we can see the full path from the dead of night to the morning through the dawn: why Randall depicted a shade of light coming from the horizon and not from the sky above? Is it a realistic scene? [[User:Mlejnas|Mlejnas]] ([[User talk:Mlejnas|talk]]) 07:38, 3 July 2013 (UTC)
These clouds moving with the sky could be the milkyway. [[User:FG|FG]] 10:18, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yep, FG, but that's at the sunset, I'm talking about the sunrise (on the other side of the sky). [[User:Mlejnas|Mlejnas]] ([[User talk:Mlejnas|talk]]) 09:47, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:FG, look at my first statement at this section here. But Mlejnas is talking about the sunrise after the Milky Way already had disappeared.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:20, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
== New picture naming rule ==

Is there any BOT here understanding the new naming? I'm missing many picture uploads, I will not do this by manual because that's stupid. This is still a job for a bot.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:32, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

:Sry, I was on vacation for a week, and I haven't resumed my bot yet because of that meteor. IMHO, we should get in touch with the admins of geekwagon, aubronwood and mscha in order to re-sync the frame numbers. Does anyone know whether any of them is already active here? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:50, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

::mscha and aubronwood have accounts on the forum (http://forums.xkcd.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=381029, http://forums.xkcd.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=35789). However, I don't think the owner of geekwagon has an account on the forum (see http://geekwagon.net/). [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 06:21, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

:::I had an account xkcd forum but found their rules complex so I generally communicate here or through email. I like the idea of a standard frame count between all the sites. Currently geekwagon is limited to a number instead of an alphanumeric frame number like mscha uses. However this can be changed. My two cents is a frame number should be the number in which the frames were shown regardless of what time they were displayed (I like simple), but I am open to ideas. --[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 03:37, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

::::Geekwagon have now changed their numbering to the system used here. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 05:17, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

:::::I fixed it to include the meteor frames. They were missed because the script runs every 5 minutes. Would have done it sooner but I was out of town.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 17:14, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

::::::Great job and THANKS!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:16, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

== Derrick ==

What is it? Sort of looks like on oil derrick, but of course it is not. What is the mechanical bits up top? --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 08:26, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:The ladder that goes up to the middle level but not the top and the wheel on that level suggest to me that it is supposed to be turned by an operator, but I can't see what that would power or move -- there's no obvious lines that aren't support structure. Looks to me like we are panning toward something even taller, so maybe that will enlighten. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 09:33, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:The device looks to me like a sextant -- a telescope mounted on a gauged pivot. Possibly there is a second pivot at 90 degrees to the one we can see. The device might be used to measure the sea rise, if the sea can be seen from here. [[Special:Contributions/24.158.67.232|24.158.67.232]] 12:30, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
::Megan does seem to be looking through it, so sextant or telescope seems likely. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:44, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:Could it have anything to do with the 10,000 Year Clock mentioned above? [[Special:Contributions/173.195.5.167|173.195.5.167]] 13:37, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
Looks like a great platform to build another sand castle. Too bad there's probably no sand...--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 13:19, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

My guess is that the tower may semaphore tower that is under instruction (or abandoned) and part semaphore tower in a {{w|Semaphore_line}}. In {{geekwagon|2594}} where Megan reports seeing flashes. Could those flashes be distant semaphore signals? [[User:Chongo|Chongo]] ([[User talk:Chongo|talk]]) 00:05, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:In frame 2686 we see more of these towers. Those may be part of a semaphore line that you suggest. [[Special:Contributions/166.137.209.163|166.137.209.163]] 05:33, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

I think it's an telescope or something like this. Maybe they see the sea rising with this thing... [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 19:22, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

After seeing {{geekwagon|2803}} I'm pretty sure these are triangulation points which historically were used for geodetics, see e.g. [http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/geoinformation/bezugssysteme/download/flyer_rauenberg.pdf] (3.6MB, sorry only German text). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 21:03, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

== all okWTF FADE! ==

just - what's going on??! [[Special:Contributions/83.8.22.78|83.8.22.78]] 22:15, 6 July 2013 (UTC)
:Fade from white to the castle and we get to see what beret girl has been up to (last we saw, she was dragging something in frame 970: {{geekwagon|970|969}}]). [[Special:Contributions/216.98.244.174|216.98.244.174]] 22:55, 6 July 2013 (UTC)
:I think this is where the water level is now. If so, holy crap! Is there anything hidden in the white frame? --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 00:01, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MeanwhileScene Meanwhile, back at the beach...] [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.94|216.239.45.94]] 04:01, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

== Out of breath -- higher than we thought? ==

I haven't done the exact calculations, but my impression from those we did that they have only climbed 300-400 cueball-heights, which would be only a couple of thousand feet. Doesn't it usually take more than that before you start getting oxygen effects? Could they have started at a higher elevation than we thought? Anyone have a current calculation for elevation gain? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:15, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:They started at sea level, unless the body of water was not the ocean.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 00:34, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
::Right, but the speed of sea level rise strongly suggests their "ocean" is an inland sea, so they could be in an endorheic basin that is much higher than sea level, like the Great Basin in the US (where the second 10,000 year clock will be), or Lake Van in Turkey. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:16, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:::The {{w|Great Salt Lake}} was proposed here before, it's at level 4,200 feet or approx. 1,283 meter. The mountains there are going up to a much higher level, you can get out of breath there. The level calculations may be wrong because Randall didn't show every part of the trip. There were more nights, but we could only see one.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:33, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

== The people they did find ==

Any ideas what the hats or hair cut does belong to?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:08, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:Looks like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knit_cap Watch Caps] to me. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.90|216.239.45.90]] 20:19, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:Or a yarmulke {{geekwagon|2933}} [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 04:17, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

It's the wrong end of the river for them to be building a dam, but I'm wondering, with all the surveying equipment, if they are diverting more water into the basin that Cueball and Megan live in. But they seem like pleasant enough people, quick to help Megan. It's hard to be believe they would drown the area without checking to see if, y'know, people live there. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:02, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
: What if they're building a bridge? Are we too far from the Big River? [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 01:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Is this pair the Cueball and Meagan we've known from before? What impresses me is the level of ignorance this pair exhibits, compared to the couple we've come to know. This pair do not seem to understand oxygen starvation at higher altitudes, how tides work, etc. This almost flies in contradiction to the fact that, in the beginning, they were building sand castles. This presumes castles existed at some point in their own history if not currently. Castles indicate a certain level of knowledge and technology, which this current couple seem to lack knowledge of, to some large degree at least.
If this strip 'ends' at the level of technology we've seen thus far and hinted at by this new tribe of people, I would suggest this indicates a world wide (or at least very large area) collapse of a prior civilization.
[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 23:14, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:Well, they certainly don't have access to [http://www.xkcd.com/903/ wikipedia]. As for the tides, I think we generally concluded that it is more likely a lake and they never saw it rise as fast as it did. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:49, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

So are they getting sleepy from the bad night's sleep or something more nefarious? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.92|216.239.45.92]] 05:31, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

:Or are they brewing ent-draughts here? Watch to see whether Cueball and Megan start growing taller! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:14, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Now things are getting meta; Cueball drawing a stick figure of himself.... [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.87|216.239.45.87]] 06:04, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:At least it's an accurate depiction--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 11:07, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

=== Language ===
Is someone trying to decipher what they are saying? It might be more or less some kind of substitution cypher, but I'm not sure yet which letters are actually the same (e.g. 1st in {{geekwagon|2663}} and 1st in {{geekwagon|2664}} are quite likely the same. But the last but ones in these frames just look close in my view (also to 9th in {{geekwagon|2671}})). Sentences seem to end with the an ° or ¯ above the last letter. [[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 09:29, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:The ° or ¯ above the last letter appear to be a period or a question mark respectively.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 10:38, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

::{{geekwagon|2676}} is identical to the last two words of {{geekwagon|2668}}. Apparently that is the stuff they applied on Megan's leg. [[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:42, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:::We can't decipher because it's just Randalls invention. At 2545:00 we have a clear 69 at the last word.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:50, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:: My current theory is ¯ means "!" so {{geekwagon|2708}} could be "Water!" - "Yes!!, Water!!". I'm not sure about the substitution cypher theory anymore, though. Unless some signs represent two Latin characters. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 12:05, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
::: {{geekwagon|2806}} is another hint that [[File:Dialog2806d.png]] could mean "Yes." The rest of the dialog looks similar to {{geekwagon|2734}}. Hopefully, they meet the translator soon. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 21:27, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

I believe it's possible to translate their language into pervect english by simple replacing their symbols by roman letters (the right way). For "water" we have an example. ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 17:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:What could the last word in {{geekwagon|2728}} be then? It ends the same way as "water"/"drink", except for a ° instead of a ¯ over the last letter, but has an additional "3"-shaped letter at the beginning. I'm starting to believe that Randall put a bit more effort into designing this language. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:34, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

It is clearly not a letter-per-letter cipher; I think Randall has been considerably cleverer than that. It looks like a (fictional) Semitic language, in which case individual characters could indicate syllables rather than letters, but I doubt that it is a simple cipher for English at the syllable level either. At this stage it is impossible to say how far he has gone in creating an original syntax, but I would note that we have seen the word that means "water" (or "drink") in at least two forms (a simple form used by Cueball, and a form with a kind of 3 at the beginning used as the last word of the Beanie's response to Cueball's picture). I'm confident the ¯ is simply a period, ° a question mark, and the double ¯ is an exclamation mark. The other stray marks could be other punctuation marks as well. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 15:55, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

:Provisionally, I took the "water" string with the '3' in front to be something like "sea-water." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 18:25, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

:Another reason why it's not a "letter-per-letter cipher" is that I'm pretty sure we've seen at least 3 distinct single character words. Note that almost all characters are reminiscent of arabic numerals. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 18:59, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Next speculation: [[File:Dialog2827.png]] could mean "(the) castle" and [[File:Dialog2806c.png]] could mean something like "(move) to the castle" or "(to be) at the castle".
Maybe we should start a subpage for all language investigations. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 00:42, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Seconded. Also we need a template for putting stranglish text on this wiki. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:59, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

I just noticed that translator often puts a ° or ¯ above last letter in some sentences, just like in stranglish (did we come up with a better name for it yet?). I think this confirms that ° and ¯ is stranglish punctuation. Also since stranglish has punctuation, it can't be substitution cipher applied to lojban. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:It also confirms that we were right about the meaning of the punctuation. ¯ is a period, and (as confirmed by the latest frame) ° is a question mark. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 10:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:: Indeed, in frame [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2892 2892] ([http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/50f8c0e828c300b959fb23924851f6c592d8fc012dc0b6c0ee07fa1305d78242.png permahash on XKCD]), the girl with long hair seems to say "WHAT RIVER?", and instead of putting a "?", there is a "°" above the last "R". [[User:Jahvascriptmaniac|Jahvascriptmaniac]] ([[User talk:Jahvascriptmaniac|talk]]) 11:29, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

=== New Guy in City ===
How do we call the new guy that appears in {{geekwagon|2819}}? One Suggestion: Black Hat Stranger (He's clearly not [[Black Hat]]). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 14:19, 15 July 2013 (UTC)
:And maybe calling them "stranger(s)" is actually not appropriate. How about "local(s)" or "native(s)"? --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 16:51, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm guessing the cake-house of the Big Translator Guy is going to look like a sandcastle, thus the Oh, Wow from Megan. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 18:31, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

=== A long haired woman (former: The old guy) in Castle ===
Man that is an atrocious accent. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 13:37, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:Why are we assuming its a 'guy' again? [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 21:45, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::I did edit the entire page (Old man -> is now the Long haired woman), but maybe I did miss some. The main cause of this fault was probably my guess that they did walk to an old man.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:22, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:::The stick figure in the drawing really did look like a bearded guy, so I think it's a reasonable mistake [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:47, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::::At the drawings on the ground they did not show stick figures. The current pictures are real stick figures. So the bear is falling around far over the neck? It's a woman.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:56, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

== Passage of Time ==

I suppose it is safe to assume that the black frame ({{geekwagon|2698}}) represents some indeterminate passage of time, since we do see Cueball now speaking the language of the Beanie-Wearers. What is strange, and perhaps it is just Randall being lazy, is that if you compare the frames before and after the black frame, there is absolutely no changes to vegetation, and very few changes to anything else. Vegetation would have been the biggest culprit to a lengthy time interval. (Again, assuming it took some non-trivial amount of time for Cueball to learn the new language.) --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 20:01, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
:I assume only a few hours have passed. It seems rather that Cueball is only now learning his first word: "water." Presumably the response also means "Yes! water" so then he would know two words, but there is no reason to assume he knows any more than that yet.[[Special:Contributions/79.247.252.250|79.247.252.250]] 20:06, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah. I jumped the gun. He's only learned a single word. So just a single sleep has passed. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 22:37, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Cueball did talk something like "watr" and the stranger did correct him "No, water".
:::If you are right, then it looks like a substitution cipher to me. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:15, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::BTW: I think we should call this language "Stranglish" until we do not know what it is.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:21, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Or was that Cueball: "water" and Stranger: "Yes, water?" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:14, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

== Megan's backpack ==
Megan started wearing a backpack after they left the tower. They lost Cueball's backpack when the animal clawed it up, so he carried everything in Megan's to keep weight off her leg. That ointment must be good stuff if she's able to walk with a backpack. The locals must have given her a new one.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:50, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yep, I noticed that. Apparently they gave/loaned her one of their bags. Even so, I notice she was the only one shown ({{geekwagon|2814}}) clambering up a small steep spot, so maybe she's not fully functional yet. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:49, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Also, I wonder what they did with their "telescope" that they lowered from the tower; and the little folded-up mini-tower. And for that matter, whatever that was leaning against the right leg of the tower from the beginning. All three things seemed to disappear just before they left the scene. They don't seem to be packing them. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:49, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:: I assume they have some kind of storage at that location to protect their equipment from weather and from animals. They also left some other bigger things, like the ladder and the water container, indicating that they appear to go there frequently. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 12:05, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

== Who are they? ==
If the Great and Powerful OZ steps out from behind a curtain, I'll upchuck. Castles imply a need for defense, yet our adventurous pair and the 'natives' both seem totally relaxed with the discovery of the other. No obvious caution shown, no attempt to discover which side they may be on, etc. In fact, the 'natives' appear to be experienced with the finding of new people and following an established procedure for dealing with them, hence the trip to the castle. If Meagan and Cueball had declined to follow, what would have taken place then? Just a guess but I would say, nothing, each to their separate way.

The one map view strongly suggests, to me, survey work using trigonometry (or some variation) to determine location. It would seem to be a case of figure the location first, get there, then see what you find. The greater and lesser circles are intriguing as well, along with the long, straight lines and other geometrical figures seen. Wish there was a bigger, clearer view of it.[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 00:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:Not all large structures are castles. It could be a cathedral or temple or university. Only Megan called it a castle because of its resemblance to their sandcastle. The castle's inhabitants called it a squiggle-squiggle-squiggle.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 02:41, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::No they call it [[File:Dialog2827.png]] ;). The usage of merlons indicates that it shall have some defense purpose—OTOH, it could be purely decorative. The fact that they all seem very relaxed about meeting strangers and nobody (visibly) carries any kind of weapons or armor suggests the latter. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 07:31, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::So does the fact that there were obviously children playing under the watchful eye of the first person they encountered in the "city." No effort was made to protect children from possible inimical strangers, and no obvious defenses at the school/playground/whatever-it-is at the entry gate. The gate hat guy was very relaxed. (If the "telescope" towers are part of a communications system, they might already know in the city everything they think they need to know about trusting Cueball and Megan, of course.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::The question arises, what was the mission of the single stranger with the package/book/box/whatever, who met them on the way, spoke a few words, and continued on toward the tower that the group had just left. Could have been a replacement watcher on the mountain. But then why did all three strangers need to leave the post and come to the city with Cueball and Megan? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:::I think most of that conversation was "Hello" and "Good bye" or some variants of that. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:33, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Probably the "strangers" ought to be called the "castle people" since that is how Megan and Cueball seem to think of them. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:How about "mountain people"? I agree that "stranger(s)" does not seem appropriate anymore—after all, they are at least a local majority. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:33, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Maybe the castle is there to defend humans against other creatures. So other humans are always welcome, even if they don't wear silly hats.[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.242|134.102.219.242]] 12:58, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:That would still hardly explain the merlons—unless these creatures are somehow able to shot at higher ranges. Maybe they are currently at peace with all their neighbors, but expect a war in the future. (BTW: Greetings colleague! (According to your IP-address)) --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 17:14, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone thought of looking at obscure languages with odd script texts? Georgian? Sri Lanka? Thai?{{unsigned ip|164.165.173.219}}
:I was speculating about some language like Esperanto or [[Lojban]], encrypted with a simple substitution cypher. But I have not investigated that further. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 17:14, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

They could be adding to an extant structure - historically not an uncommon practice. So the merlons could be historic. As a side note, are there levers and pivots in the glass window? Maybe this is the temple of engineering?? ~~rbnm
:Or just using past motifs. Look at all the Grecian columns and medieval merlons and gargoyles and what-not that went into subsequent architecture. Nothing is more full of tradition (right along with innovation) than architecture. As for the "temple of engineering" it might just be that the whole city is the "Engineers." (Not Larry Niven's Engineers.) Whatever their role, they might be causing the sea level to rise through an engineering project, thinking that no one lives down by the sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

:Those might be "levers and pivots." They might also be telescope mounts and astronomical objects. It's a very interesting window. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

It's interesting that the castle is mostly underground. I wonder if the "little houses" also extend underground? And I wonder if this is a sign this is a very hot climate for the Beanies / Long-haired woman (I like the idea of naming her Hypatia, as was suggested elsewhere.) If it's hot for them up on the mountain where it is significantly cooler to Cuegan, maybe that explains why they didn't think there were people down in the sea basin. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Underground, an interesting theory but, many such structures had several levels below ground level, so as to reach the bedrock wherein to support the massive stone structure above. Once dug, why waste it, especially if it provided a comfortable environment? Still, the temperature theory is interesting.
If one takes the images with the partially obscured text and play with the brightness and contrast, you can make out many more words, which do not seem to be spoken aloud. Are these sub-conscious thoughts dealing with translation or something a tad more sinister? (I just saw the image change over at :40 after the hour. Just a hiccup on my browser or are these frames speeding up?)[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 23:56, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone transcribed the blurred English words? Having trouble with a few.[[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 13:04, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:Just created a page to address this topic. See [[1190:_Time:_Translator|Translator]]. If someone could wikify that, that'd rock. I'm wiki-dumb and it shows on that page. --[[User:1292|1292]] ([[User talk:1292|talk]]) 14:53, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

== Translator's Blurry Text ==

Since a lot of the stuff the translator is saying is hard to read, I figured we should have a place to get everyone's opinions on it. So I made a [[1190:_Time:_Translator|Translator]] page where it can be discussed.{{unsigned ip|74.95.85.209}}

I make that out as "What is forty? My numbers are no same." [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 16:51, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
Meagan and Cueball explain why they are there. In reply I read it as "You do not know. I make sea rise." [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 17:10, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:The main Explain XDCD page has all the text of the whole comic and is doing a pretty good job with the blurred text [[1190:_Time#Scene_3_-_Part_3_.28Inside_the_castle.29|Scene 3 Inside Castle]]--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:25, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::This page can be used for investigations, but the images should zoom in much more on the text. The final explain has to go here for sure: [[1190:_Time#Scene_3_-_Part_3_.28Inside_the_castle.29|Scene 3 Inside Castle]]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::I added links to the images from the main transcript. Perhaps the translator page should be deleted. Individual panes/phrases can be debated on the image's page, and updated in the main transcript.--[[User:Waitforit|Waitforit]] ([[User talk:Waitforit|talk]]) 20:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::: And I did delete it, we just need a link to this experimental page, that's enough. And the pictures still need some more improvements. At transcript we basically only show the text.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

== Why the sea is rising ==
Now we know why the sea is rising. I wonder if the castle people connected the two seas intentionally, or if it was an act of nature.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:43, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

:the way the long haired woman says there was a great ?????? seems like an natural thing, maybe an earthquake that shut the gibraltar passage [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 04:44, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:Yes, but that was the ''closing'' of the passage 5.96 million years before our present time. Hair Woman is surprisingly knowledgeable about the evolution of hominids, and when her ancestors "first learned to walk upright" about that time. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_human_evolution. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
::Maybe she has Wikipedia too.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 02:35, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
:As for the opening of the passage in Cueball/Megan/Hair Woman time, H.W. says "When we discovered that the sea was ???/flowing under the bank we tried to shore it up. We failed." No indication what, if any, geological or human-caused event may have started it, and no need for there to be one, actually. No reason it couldn't have been gradual seepage even by geological measure, let alone human measure. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

== Do you know where you are? ==

Aw yea, finally! I just hope that we don't get another 500 frames with 2 bits of dialogue (like when they left the beach) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 22:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm guessing we are less than 100 feet above the "higher" sea. Sort of a dead-sea kind of difference (>1k ft) [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 22:05, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

So they are in the Mediterranean Sea. We can see Italy and to the left the Strait of Gibraltar leading to the Atlantic ocean. Would this have been thousands of years ago? [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 01:18, 19 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

If this article[http://www.livescience.com/10607-colossal-flood-created-mediterranean-sea.html] is right, about 5.3 million years ago.

Which makes me wonder if we're in the far future. Castles and such large architecture is only a few thousand years old. So was there an earthquake that closed the Straights of Gibraltar again, and the Mediterranean dried up? And it's now filling up again?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

{{geekwagon|2909}} confirms that this is the future, as it refers to it happening before, when our ancestors ("parents") were learning to walk upright, i.e. 3-6 million years ago. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 06:44, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

ATLANTIS!!!! [[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 01:34, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Is the castle Chateau D'If in France? --[[Special:Contributions/203.0.215.2|203.0.215.2]] 01:41, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

It does resemble Chateau D'If. [http://www.carhirex.com/cheap-car-hire/france-car-hire/chateau-dif-in-marseille]. The distant future is sounding more reasonable than the distant past. [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 01:48, 19 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

That certainly looks like the modern Mediterranean sea, now doesn't it? [[Special:Contributions/24.22.89.85|24.22.89.85]] 02:47, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Not only that, if you look at the map which shows the channel, the location of the castle is highlighted and it does correspond to the location of Chateau D'If. --[[Special:Contributions/203.0.215.2|203.0.215.2]] 04:11, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I don't think there is any doubt. The castle is the Chateau d'If. The correspondence on the map to Marseille harbor is exact. The map and the outline of the castle are pretty explicit, including the depiction of the Strait of Gibraltar as the "passage" between seas. So if the level of the Atlantic is anywhere near our own, they will end up on the Île d'If. If higher, who knows. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

This is a future version of Julian May's "The Many-Colored Land." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

By the way, Cueball and Megan have walked quite a long distance. On Hair Woman's map their home appears to be due south of If, same longitude, and roughly at the latitude of Sassari, Sardinia. A minute of latitude is a nautical mile, essentially, and they walked a polygonal path, not a straight line north; a couple hundred nautical miles, at least. That's a long walk. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

What if this is the map from http://what-if.xkcd.com/53/ where the Earth's oceans had been drained? That shows the Strait of Gibraltar having been cut off from a now much-receded Mediterranean sea![[Special:Contributions/155.95.80.253|155.95.80.253]] 15:36, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I wonder if the flag in frame 2944 (and 2812) is intended to be a marker for the new sea level? [[Special:Contributions/173.212.109.235|173.212.109.235]] 19:15, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Assuming this is the Mediterranean sea[http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/medsea.htm], the predicted sea level map in frame 2907 shows that the Balearic Islands will become completely submerged. Since the highest point on the Balearic Islands is 1432 meters above sea level [http://www.islasbaleares.com/en/general-information-about-balearic-islands.html], and Chateau D'If isn't nearly as high, wouldn't Chateau D'If become completely submerged as well? Or maybe the Translator just omitted the Balearic Islands from the map. I'm guessing the latter is true. [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 21:50, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

See the file : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Inserciomamifers.jpg for a dried mediterranean.

== "How many people strong are you?" ==

Am I the only one who finds the "strangers" a little sinister? Especially this question. It reminded me of the scene in Invader Zim when he asks the teacher about Earth'd defences... [[Special:Contributions/77.87.179.62|77.87.179.62]] 07:56, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=PL8BC075BA3A6D336D&v=k453j0d6WEk#t=351s found the clip! [[Special:Contributions/77.87.179.62|77.87.179.62]] 07:56, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
:No, you're not the only one. Megan reacted that way when Hair Woman asked them for their bags, for example. Both our protagonists looked uncomfortable when she sent away the three individuals that had helped them and brought them to the castle. And remember the hill people, and the discussion between M and C of the people on the mountain being -- maybe, hopefully -- different, since they are a long way from the hills. Also Hair Woman said "Yes! Good." when she understood the number 40. The suspense is intentional, I am sure. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:Also when Cueball was talking about the people in the hill where their river comes from Megan said, "They don't like us," implies that there is some level of antagonism between peoples in this world and that they didn't know what to expect from the castle people.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 08:39, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:An alternate interpretation of "Yes! Good." would be "only 40 will have drowned." [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 13:57, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

::The "Oh" and "OH" just after indicate she didn't know they weren't there and was taken aback that they weren't even aware. [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 10:50, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:I interpreted it as "Yes! Good. I understand, I get it." [[User:Caraway|Caraway]] ([[User talk:Caraway|talk]]) 15:08, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

== Surveying equipment ==
I'll bet their instruments are intended to judge the level of the Atlantic and to determine if they will be an island or completely swamped. They were also used to draw the map of their guess about the future sea level.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 08:46, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

: According to frame 2605, the Beanies could see Cuegan's home. But the beanie leader claims they did not spot them. Further indication of malicious intent? [[Special:Contributions/212.219.143.98|212.219.143.98]] 15:26, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
: 2605 shows that Cueball and Megan knew where there home was, to point to it, but not necessarily that they could /see/ anything. No instruments appeared to be mounted in that tower. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:51, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

== Title text ==
When did the hovertext change to "RUN."? --deepfatfriar 20JUL13
:Great catch! I wonder what else we missed... (You can sign your posts by typing 4 ~'s in a row) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 16:54, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
:Checked out the Wikia page. Luckily, we didn't miss much. The title text is "Wait for it." up until this frame (exclusive): [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/13/time2925.png] That frame has a text of "...", and all frames since have read "RUN." [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 17:06, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
:Frame 3076 has the text back to "...". When did it change? [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 02:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::Here: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/3067] Although, technically that frame reads '....', but all frames since read '...' [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 03:13, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Now (frame 3077 at geekwagon) it's back to '...'[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 03:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: And a brief investigation shows it's been that way since 3072gw.[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 03:42, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

== The story of Gibraltar ==

Did the learner/teacher/leader/ruler know the truth? She did some guesses and used a map that their people had found. I can't imagine their parents did travel 2.000 kilometers to Gibraltar, Megan and Cueball must have walked to a level more than 1.000 meters above their home, and also several hundreds of kilometers. A Cougar does not belong to Europe; they were walking to a higher level, running out of breath. At sea level? I'm pretty sure this story is still not solved.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:49, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
: People can have trouble with elevation differences as low as 1500m. It's a common problem where I live (at 1640m). If the estimates of the vertical distance traversed are wrong because Randall has been imprecise, maybe they're that far up.[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 00:04, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:: The castle is at sea level, though (+/- 100m given than the strip is apparently 14,000 years in the future.) I don't think one would have trouble breathing at sea level, even if they live one thousand meters below sea level. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 05:38, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
: We don't know that it was a cougar though, do we? That was just people's assumption. It could have been a lynx, or some other big feline. ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 21:12, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
::I just did say: "this story is still not solved". Maybe the Cougar is wrong or even much more. Did we follow them on a journey of a couple of hundred kilometers? I'm still not convinced in that. But when they will successful use their stolen maps it could be a prove (or not, we haven't seen that local maps jet). Nevertheless, we know their castle is flooded.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:59, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

Now that we have their location, did anyone try to match it up against the night sky from Scene 2 - Part 6 in order to see how far in the future the action might be taking place? It should be easier to make more accurate predictions now, right?--[[User:Michael85|Michael85]] ([[User talk:Michael85|talk]]) 23:46, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Please do not start a new topic for each post here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:39, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:And since you do not read, this story is NOT solved.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:48, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
::I followed closely this whole thread ever since it started, but I haven't joined the discussion until now. Anyway, I haven't seen any update to the star map investigation and I was curious. Sorry for barging in.--[[User:Michael85|Michael85]] ([[User talk:Michael85|talk]]) 18:05, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:::Hey, it's a wiki. Do barge right in! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

There is a nice artist's conception of the Zanclean Flood at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Roger_Pibernat_-_landscape_-_messianic_med-1024x768.jpg [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
It's not quite the same configuration as Randall's sea basin, but similar. The flood has its own wiki page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanclean_flood. I really do not think there is any doubt that Randall's story takes place in a far-future (possibly with liberties taken) Mediterranean Basin, and Hair Woman's castle is the Chateau d'If under restoration. The original Messinian Salinity Crisis (q.v.) is estimated to have taken a thousand years or so to stabilize once the Gibraltar (and possibly other) passage(s) closed, presumably as a result of tectonic activity under the influence of the two opposing continental plates colliding at the site of the present Mediterranean Sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

I do believe it quite likely that Hair Woman's people's ancestors/forbears already were spread as far west as Gibraltar, which would explain why her people know about the Atlantic seeping in, and then flowing, through the barrier. She said they attempted to reinforce the barrier, but failed, so certainly they were there at Gibraltar in the "present time" of the story. And to draw ("build" she said) the outlines on the map, they had to have information about the second sea basin on the other side of Italy-Sardinia and the outlines of what we call the Adriatic, etc. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:The sea they are use to must be rather hypersaline for them to consider the incoming water (from the Atlantic?) to be be "fresh"

::It sounds like they're used to water which is salty enough to float on. In any case, hypersalinity makes sense if it's the mostly-dried-up remnant of the Mediterranean.[[Special:Contributions/129.22.117.158|129.22.117.158]] 19:11, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

"I think there's stuff floating on the sea... I think something on the sea." {{geekwagon|3024}} and {{geekwagon|3025}} -- Ship? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:30, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

:I wonder if "Oh, OH" meant she knew a way to rescue the 40 people by getting word to someone with a boat. Radio?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 00:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

== PNG time chunks changed on the xkcd server ==

The images mirrored http://xkcd.mscha.org/ and those served by xkcd servers differs in two PNG 'tEXt' chunks with keywords 'date:create' and 'date:modify', which appears to contain the original timestamps. Images from mscha.org have wide range of these timestamps, indicating that the images weren't produced all at the same time. But the same frames downloaded from xkcd servers now have their time values set to "2013-05-01T15:11:05-04:00", so either mscha or xkcd must have modified the PNGs. The compressed image data seems to be modified, too.

Also note that the copy of the first frame found at mscha.org has been edited by Photoshop, because the PNG structure is different from all the others and contains a color profile beginning with "Photoshop ICC profile".

[[Special:Contributions/78.108.152.10|78.108.152.10]] 14:37, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:Since May 3, 2013 all original files have this modification timestamp at EDT (UTC -4:00): "2013-05-01 11:22:58.000000000". So it's a fake by Randall.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:40, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

== Terrain Map ==

I marked up a bathymetric map of the north-west Mediterranean with the data from the Beanie map, plus extrapolated data about locations and paths: [[:File:TimeTerrainMap.png]]

The good news is, Megball can save about a third of the distance by their direct path through the hills. The bad news is, it's about a 50 mile journey from the likely location of the "tents" to the first part of the ridge they need to take to safety. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 05:00, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

:Great work! Are the white spaces just regions lacking bathymetric data? My speculation is that the "40" will already be on the move. The original "sand" castle (as much salt as sand? It certainly was a sculptable medium anyway) was implied to be underwater in the three frames with the rocking bucket on the waves. Beret Girl was down there just as C+M were leaving, dragging something. They will not have been caught totally by surprise. Perhaps the C+M's upper "castle" construction will end up being a raft? Or perhaps they have packed up their tents and are already heading for high ground? They might have seen the Hill People leaving, or...who knows. We still have to "wait for it" even as C+M "run." (That cat sure is scared of running Megan! It took off like a...scared cat! You could say, "caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.") [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:25, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yup, the white spots where spots this survey hadn't finished yet, though there's been other bathymetric work so we know they are mostly flat. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 17:09, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

:Current research suggests neither years, nor days, but months for the basin to fill from the Atlantic the last time, in the 5.6mya event; but this one can be whatever Randall wants it to be. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:25, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Cueball is concerned that the water is fresh. Although this may seem to disprove the theory that the Atlantic is flooding into the Mediterranean, it actually doesn't. Notice that Cueball "felt" that something was strange. What was strange was that they were accustomed to an extremely salty sea. Can you imagine filling up the Mediterranean Sea with ocean water then cutting it off from the Atlantic and allowing it to evaporate down to the size of C&M's sea? It would be extremely salty and you could float easily in it. The water from the Atlantic Ocean is nowhere near that salty so Cueball interprets it as fresh water. This will cause problems with the rescue because these people are not used to swimming in water that's not super salty. They can't float like they're used to and risk drowning. [[Special:Contributions/198.103.184.76|198.103.184.76]] 16:32, 23 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck
:My thought too. He does say "Not as fresh as a river", which means it's still salty, but much less so than the sea they're used to. I'm reminded of the Dead Sea, which also has a very high salinity. This makes the water tasting and spluttering in the beginning (while building the sand castle) make a lot of sense. I guess I have to go back and read it all again now that we have some context. ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 18:36, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
::"Not as fresh as a river"--we also now know why Megan and Cueball couldn't get Cueball's water bottle when it fell in the river at 920:00. They never learned to swim without the high salinity helping them float.[[User:Vicky715|Vicky715]] ([[User talk:Vicky715|talk]]) 23:36, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

Another map, with better resolution, of the rising water levels: [[:File:rising-water.png]] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:39, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
:How 'bout that - you can even see Ile D'If. [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 08:28, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

== Moving 'mound'? ==

I've got a feeling.. that it's beret girl and the 'platform' from way back in the first 'act'! - "10:02, 24 July 2013‎ 98.144.105.195"

:Your feeling is accurate. The return of Beret Girl! "I found my cousin." "Here we come to save the day!" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:Well, I have a feeling that since you made your edit (without signing it) ''after'' Beret Girl reappeared you actually mean "the ''same'' beret girl". [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 10:27, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:in the frames she shows up with the upper platform, what are the small moving parts in the lower area? allready floating stuff? [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 10:59, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
::Well, she did say "I turned it into a boat." I guess that means floating stuff. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:11, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

Beret Girl said "boat" and I congratulate her resourcefulness but, I wonder if she meant "raft" instead. (Let us not dwell heavily on the difference.) Is there any doubt now that Randall has been planning this for a long time, in fair detail? He seemed to have responded, to some degree, to some of the postings made here on the Wiki, yet I wonder if perhaps it was just coincidence? [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 14:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

So to theft (the maps) do we now add looting? What they are taking was left behind by others who evacuated in the face of a natural disaster. Our tribe seems not to have needed these things before, back in the sand castle days, but are taking advantage of this opportunity to load up on stuff now. I hope they don't sink the raft under their loot. deepfatfriar [[Special:Contributions/75.109.36.232|75.109.36.232]] 17:02, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

That might be the tribes own camp. They may have moved the camp up into the hills to pick up the stuff that was left behind. Also, if there us no reasonable chance of the former owner getting it back I think the proper term is "salvaging" or "scavenging" not "looting". [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 19:40, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
: I was under the impression that it was the tribes' own camp. We already knew they were tent-dwellers- Yurt dwellers by the looks! [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 02:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

This has to be one of the best dialogues Randall has ever written: "Why is everything flooding? Why is the water full of trees? Why do you have little tables covered in sand?" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:05, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 3060 "Is there any way to keep us pointing forward?" "We could start calling this the front." Clearly, someone is a mathematician. [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 21:37, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
:...rubbed elbows with 'em, anyway. :) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:22, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

33 heads {{geekwagon|3072}} << "About forty of us" {{geekwagon|2896}}. Where are the others? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 22:10, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
: I counted 33... then 29... then 26... where are they going??? (ps, fixed your second link.) [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 00:06, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::Behind the hanging curtain? [[Special:Contributions/50.139.68.248|50.139.68.248]] 00:19, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:: It's a bit of a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sljSf7KVlQ lifeboat scenario] [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 00:40, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:: Well, Randall knows we are watching and counting! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:22, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::: Now down to 18 visible people. Cueball and Megan were among the first to disappear. If they're all under the enclosure, it must be pretty cozy. [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 03:52, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::: Almost certainly they are. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 3072 - Title text has once again changed to "...." [[User:Uglystick|Uglystick]] ([[User talk:Uglystick|talk]]) 22:12, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
:GREAT find, has to be mentioned when we do know what's the next.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:24, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

It's a Yurt!!! [[Special:Contributions/184.155.116.49|184.155.116.49]] Polecat
: Yes. They lived in yurts in their village by the sea. They took some down to use in enhancing their platform-boat-raft, and apparently brought along many of the spare parts. These people seem to be very quick and very clever at improvising, even on the water. And very logical thinkers in an emergency. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I have no idea what is going on. The "boat" looks like it's moving over land in 3079/3080, not floating on water. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 06:20, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

:I think that is not land, but debris floating on the water. [[User:Sumitimus|Sumitimus]] ([[User talk:Sumitimus|talk]]) 07:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yes. In 3076 a big swell caused the whole group to stagger and fall down. In 3079 and 3080 more waves, and smaller ones in 3081 and 3082. Both rafts have been on the water since they first spotted the remaining party with the second raft. Now there are flying fish! (in 3082.) The thing that may save them is that their construction methods seem to make use of lots of flexible members and perhaps lashings for fasteners; their rafts can apparently flex with the waves. So long as they don't get overwhelmed. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

You would think there would be considerable air movement. I wonder if they will figure out the concept of a sea anchor, or if it would even help. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

And we're back to building sandcastles on top of the raft with the left-over sand there. I guess the story is going to move slowly for a while again. We'll have to "Wait for it" even though the hover-over text has gone back to "RUN." [[Special:Contributions/198.103.184.76|198.103.184.76]] 12:47, 26 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

<blockquote> I think that is not land, but debris floating on the water. Sumitimus (talk) 07:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)</blockquote>

It's [http://kosmo.hubpages.com/hub/What-Should-I-Know-about-the-Earths-Floating-Islands-of-Garbage# Gilligan's Island]! Sorry couldn't help it.[[Special:Contributions/69.126.70.32|69.126.70.32]] 19:02, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I feel like Randall is playing a little too fast and loose with the science here. I mean, this MASSIVE influx of water never overwhelms their makeshift rafts, carries them all the way to land, deposits them gentle on the shore, and then suddenly stops rising, without even pulling back? Did he decide he needed to speed things along, as the comic was becoming too time consuming? [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 19:08, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:At the pictures you can see many big bags filled with air attached to the raft. This does work fine. And because they did not steering their vessel they just reach land again by random.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:33, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

== The End ==

Oh my. What a letdown. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:Nevertheless, a wonderful ride. A ''tour de force''. Randall is a genius at minimalism. Stick figures with no faces, all individuals, with full expression and body language; and his fans practically crash the internet. :) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 13:52, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, that's it? I mean it's a nice story, but not much of a climax/denouement. [[Special:Contributions/66.66.107.178|66.66.107.178]] 20:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::You could see the writing on the wall with how he sped through the rescue, but that's seriously anticlimactic. I mean, it couldn't go on forever, but it feels like he just ran out of Time. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 20:15, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:I'm not sure, maybe we will get a sequel. But the original image links now to [[http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon]] and the title text is "The end.". I'm waiting just for the next hour, then it should be clear, or not?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::We're all junkies now--we'll still be hitting refresh a week from now, hoping it might just change... In the end, though, that was the real brilliance of it. Not the story, but the way making us wait for each frame gave every little moment of it so much more weight, by giving us the time to anticipate and speculate and imagine for ourselves. It had to end eventually, but it was an amazing thing. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 20:27, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:As ggh said: "Wow. Maybe we ''are'' supposed to draw it now." http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=50160#p3422078 [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 20:43, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

So, is it time to pin down the skydate more accurately? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:34, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: We have one date that matches, so someone with patience could do the math for when Venus's cycle of reappearing in the same spot and Jupiter's almost-12 year cycle of doing the same match up again, and then test the star movements to see which is closest. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:33, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Be patient, this is NOT the END, maybe just a fading out, but images still do get updates.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:12, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: Writing a program to make the raft and water wiggle around forever (maybe even with tides?) would not be *that* hard. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 21:19, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: The final frame is a link to geekwagon now, so it may really be over. I've enjoyed my time watching and waiting and lurking through the discussion. Thank you, Randall, and thank you all for the wonderful discussion. [[User:Lizzard|Lizzard]] ([[User talk:Lizzard|talk]]) 03:57, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

If Randall is reading: Thanks for the story. We all loved it. [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 21:25, 26 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck
:I very much enjoyed following the story, but am also very much disappointed in how it ended. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 01:16, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Thank you Randall for the nice story! The End remembers me of Lucasarts-Adventures... May someday a new frame appears with "That's really the end, you can shutdown your computer now" ;-) [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 11:47, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

== The Bit After the Credits ==

I thought that we might get one, and indeed something is coming into view under the bush on the right. I am expecting the hedgehog, possibly pursued by the wildcat, whose choices on who to eat continue to be painful. There are really the only two extraneous elements that haven't been wrapped up. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

What about the chirps from way up high when they were up on the mountain? Or the baby bird and it's mother?
Or the other tribes from the hills?

:What about giving back the maps. And what did Cueball mean? "M: Along with the maps, I should've stolen a guide to treating injuries. Ooh, and one on how they make those pointing devices in the towers..." C responds: "Um..." Did he take something? What was it? Hmm... [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:53, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
::I thought the "Um..." was like, "Um, maybe we shouldn't be quite so eager to steal stuff". [[Special:Contributions/50.139.68.248|50.139.68.248]] 13:26, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
So it has ended, Thank you Mr. Munroe. By my estimation 3099 frames is about 1/5th of what Watterson did in 10 years. WOW.
So now it's time to go outside and build some sandcastles of our own. Hey we can be re-enactors!! [[Special:Contributions/184.155.116.49|184.155.116.49]] Polecat
:3102 frames archived at http://xkcd.mscha.org - geekwagon's archive is missing three early frames. The complete sequence can be viewed starting from http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/1. [[User:Filron|Filron]] ([[User talk:Filron|talk]]) 05:33, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1190: Time

2013-07-27T12:53:03Z

Taibhse: /* The Bit After the Credits */

__TOC__
Pretty sure we're just getting trolled with this one [[Special:Contributions/99.108.190.136|99.108.190.136]] 04:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Can't tell if this is emo xkcd or trolling xkcd. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:53, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Something seems a little fishy because the image url is different than normal. [[User:Bugefun|Bugefun]] ([[User talk:Bugefun|talk]]) 04:55, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe the comic slowly changes throughout the day. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:56, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::Oh god, it does. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:57, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::When uploading different versions of the image, use the naming convention time[iterationNumber].png. We'll compile all the images into one and display them as per [[Traffic Lights]]. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:05, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::::Alright, so the comic appears to be switching between two states here: between [[media:time2.png|this]] and [[media:time3.png|this]]. If nothing new happens, I'll get to clipping the comics together. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:28, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::Whoop, nope, [[media:time4.png|this]] just came up. Is there more to come? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:34, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::::::Alright, so a new one is posted every half-hour. Whoopee. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:06, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::::And there's a new one! Megan leaning back and looking up...
::::::::Well, the image changed, who has the time to make a script to catch the new images and compile them into a gif? https://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/time.png [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 07:14, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/72.21.198.66|72.21.198.66]] 05:11, 25 March 2013 (UTC)It could be a reference to the old proverb " time and tide wait for none" Cueball and the girl could be waiting for the tide in the beach! (Just a guess)[[Special:Contributions/72.21.198.66|72.21.198.66]] 05:11, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

This could be a cinematic custom to change scenes or to show the passage of time: fade to black (white) on Act I, come up on Act II. Get some popcorn during the intermission.{{unsigned|Gerry|11:38, 29 April 2013 (UTC)}}

The picture does chance with time. The URL includes a changing timestamp that I can't decipher. Compare these two URLS (which have slightly different images:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png

Perhaps there is a way to hack the URL to view future images. [[Special:Contributions/199.30.248.121|199.30.248.121]] 05:29, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: I would also like to add that knowing randall, these are not the only images. For all we know, the image will still be changing in 5 years while a tree grows in front of them. My point is: Are the URLs hackable, or did he encrypt them? [[Special:Contributions/199.30.248.121|199.30.248.121]] 05:33, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Likely there is a way to hack the URLs; they look like some sort of hash, probably a hashed timestamp. Of course, he could easily have added some salt to the hash, making it significantly *harder* to hack. But they're strings of a specific length, so it should be pretty easy to bruteforce it, fetch all the images, and then (maybe) reverse-engineer the sequence. *That* all depends on how many of them there are. [[Special:Contributions/76.90.249.178|76.90.249.178]] 05:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:Good god, do you see how many digits are *in* that hash? The sun'll have burned out by the time we've tested every possible combination of digits. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:47, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:: The URLs are 64 hex characters. If he doesnt want us to find these pictures ahead of time, he would have made them completely random data, not a hash of anything. There are 16 possibilites for hex characters so 16^64 combinations or 1.7x10^308 combinations. If we made a supercomputer to try a billion links per second, and if there are 10,000 images total, it would take 4×10^277 × 13.77 billion years, which is a number with 277 zeros times the age of the universe to find just the first additional image. The sun will expand into a red giant and engulf the earth or at least come close enough to boil off all the water in the oceans in a mere 5.4 billion years, less than even one additional age of the universe. It will even be after the last star to ever be born has burned out, and all life in the universe has died before we could find even one. [[Special:Contributions/65.50.74.245|65.50.74.245]] 19:11, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

It seems that the image is updated every 1/2 hour. [[Special:Contributions/152.23.97.150|152.23.97.150]] 06:17, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: Given that the images switch back and forth between other images already seen, and that the comic should be viewable in the future, it seems unlikely that it's any thing like a simple sha256 of part of the timestamp. I think it's more likely a function of half-hours and minutes (assuming we continue to get a new possible image every half-hour). [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 06:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::: The images do cycle, yes. But for some reason I have never seen the img where Megan is looking behind her. Also wouldn't it be difficult to show a sequential story (like the rising tide) if the previous images keep cycling ?

Hash appears to be SHA-256. I tried some obvious hashes ("1", "11901", "1190_1", "1190.1") to no avail. Maybe this is HMAC-SHA256? Also, I would suggest trying Unix timestamps. [[Special:Contributions/131.156.236.149|131.156.236.149]] 06:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: I've been trying to make educated guesses as to what's being hashed here: http://www.xorbin.com/tools/sha256-hash-calculator ... he could also be using hash(hash2(value)) which would be virtually impossible to crack. [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 06:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

It's entirely possible that the "hash" is actually randomly generated. Just a thought. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 07:03, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Regarding sha256. Its most likely some hash of a timestamp, but if he doesnt wants us to crack it, he would have prefixes a password.. sha256('secretcode17:30'). Im just saying, if he doesnt wants us to crack it, we most likely cant.
I've tested all unixtimestamps from 1300000000 to 1364390334. Also "00:00" to "23:59", with and without the colon and a load of other formats. {{unsigned|77.243.128.133}}

Alright, this is probably not going to work, but I'm trying to exploit Randall's awesomeness here. Maybe he decided to take the time-stamps from the user? I don't know if that's even possible... That would then allow people in different time zones to obtain different images simultaneously. (What's the corollary of Godwin's law for a bunch of math-and-science nerds and relativity? Is there one?) Clicking the img src url on the comic's html page, give me this: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa.png : Never mind.. apparently others see the same image too.

Could he be doing this live? Monitoring the discussion on the net? Collaborative, crowdsourced comic-ing? Reminds me of those you-decide-what-the-character-does-next-and-flip-to-appropriate-page parallel plot novels.

[[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 07:14, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Let's just compare the two pictures and see how the bottom right changes, which I believe is water and they are indeed waiting for the tide. [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 07:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:I'm adding urls to pictures bellow, edit freely.
::They change every 5 minutes, will try to keep track.

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f8/time.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/timeasdf.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/time6.png

:I have uploaded all the different images onto the wiki, in the order that they were revealed. To avoid needless duplication of effort, I'll put them up in the explanation page. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

It just went back to the second image... [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 07:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: And now changed to something new. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/cdcc6b46b32c53f8596cd0106958b42c4260b9cbc022e6d94054147aa6554960.png
:: The images do look alike, but they're all different. Thanks David. [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 08:04, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::: No..I checked the random string. They're exactly the same. In fact, now it's gone back to the second image. Again. [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 08:07, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Just found this JavaScript code embedded in the comic HTML source (Update: Reformatted to prevent eye-bleeding): http://pastebin.com/4vNJH53Z

I'm no programmer but this looks important to me...

:Moved it to pastebin, so it doesn't clutter the page so much. [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.51|81.23.24.51]] 14:22, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

:Doesn't really help. The script basically changes the image when something happens (probably some time passes, although it's possible there is more hidden there). WHAT image then appears is not directed by the script, but by the site. Specifically, the image displayed as first is taken from [http://c0.xkcd.com/redirect/comic/time http://c0.xkcd.com/redirect/comic/time], while the script asks for [http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource&r=(somenumber) http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource&r=(somenumber)] ... which is, if you get correct "r", probably some json containing the image url. So, even if you hack the script, you will not get all possible urls. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:17, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:: ... actually, given that the script part doesn't seem to do anything just now, it's even possible it's for later (ie, starts producing images when the correct time come). Or maybe there is a bug somewhere in the code :-). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:27, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:::Thanks for explaining. Why hasn't anyone posted this before? Could "location.hash" possibly have anything to do with the method used to generate the image hash key? Also, why is this code so difficult to follow (Obfuscation?)? So many questions... Sorry if this is just a huge waste of ''Time''.

:::: <code>location</code> is the URI of the page. <code>location.hash</code> is the part of the uri after the ''#'' character. If you go to [https://xkcd.com/1190/#verbose https://xkcd.com/1190/#verbose], you'll see some debugging output in your browser's debugging console (Firefox: Web Console or Firebug, Chrome: Development Tools). But nothing to decode the algorithm... :-( --[[Special:Contributions/83.243.48.2|83.243.48.2]] 10:01, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::::: Well, I don't know what's doing it, but there's definitely some script (probably this script) that's refreshing the image automatically. I left the comic open for an hour or so and noticed the image had changed. I refreshed with #verbose in Chrome right before the 30 minute mark and got the following in the console.
<pre>
connecting to event source: http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource time07.min.js:1
s {type: "comic/time", data: "{"spread":5,"image":"832a7f13ca0fadc46e93475bb617d78211e32c81c3af0e289a51f8f149707759.png"}", lastEventId: "e2992bf0-9557-11e2-8001-1c6f659cb250"} time07.min.js:1
waiting 0 seconds before displaying comic 832a7f13ca0fadc46e93475bb617d78211e32c81c3af0e289a51f8f149707759.png time07.min.js:1
Resource interpreted as Image but transferred with MIME type application/octet-stream: "http://xkcd.com/events/connect_start". time07.min.js:1
s {type: "comic/time", data: "{"spread":5,"image":"847265673986f085460bf1a95b96f7171bcd9a4f1f0a598b2188307d03bcfaa3.png"}", lastEventId: "79580fe8-9558-11e2-8001-1c6f659cb250"} time07.min.js:1
waiting 4 seconds before displaying comic 847265673986f085460bf1a95b96f7171bcd9a4f1f0a598b2188307d03bcfaa3.png time07.min.js:1
connection error i {type: "error"} time07.min.js:1
Resource interpreted as Image but transferred with MIME type application/octet-stream: "http://xkcd.com/events/connect_error".
</pre>
::::: The script seems to poll the server every minute or two. It's different from before, where the image server itself redirected to the correct image. The auto refresh was probably always intended, but not quite ready when the comic went live. It may have turned out to be necessary too, so the image server doesn't have to do all the work. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 14:45, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

http://pastebin.com/dLiWsFyN
[[Special:Contributions/79.180.173.88|79.180.173.88]] 09:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:Moved to pastebin.[[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.51|81.23.24.51]] 14:34, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/426033682a26a0012a6f8e0c47287af91b7991a852d81c77402c937ffbd650c6.png

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1e/f46c6571393bee1ee649a7daae41f6328e63482506aef1e22607d22c47dd7027.png --[[User:Johnsmith|Johnsmith]] ([[User talk:Johnsmith|talk]]) 22:51, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b0/88e3a0c8bba935c669606d9134314f811a0961985f968dd5d329e4695acc67c8.png --[[User:Johnsmith|Johnsmith]] ([[User talk:Johnsmith|talk]]) 23:10, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me or or did Randall manage to make all of us perform a Denial of Service on xkcd.com, and explainxkcd.com ? xkcd.com seems much slower, and I keep getting "500 Internal server error" when accessing this site (explainxkcd.com). I guess that's the effect of having everybody hit F5 every few minutes :) [[Special:Contributions/193.239.192.194|193.239.192.194]] 11:57, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Earlier today, the server handled all the image redirections. The script you see above went through several mutations (currently at #8), with each mutation it seems that Randall is adding more servers and trying to split the load between them. This is basically how a bot-net works - we all run code written by some evil genius, and he's changing the code as time passes to serve some hidden purpose.
[[Special:Contributions/79.180.173.88|79.180.173.88]] 15:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:If he is using us as a botnet, then maybe the next comic will be something alluding to that.
:Probably like this: http://xkcd.com/350/

When I saw this comic last night and that there was no explanation up, I thought to myself "How zen." I figured that Randall was going through a calm streak before throwing us the utterly ridiculous April 1st comic. Did it come early, or does he have something even bigger planned for us? [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 07:05, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
:Sorry, did you miss the bit where this comic updates every 30 minutes and all the server error messages being caused by the massive traffic to both the wiki and the main xkcd website? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:08, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
::Well, when I said "last night" and "no explanation", I implied that I wasn't aware of that at the time, which is why I thought what I did. Of course, it is now "now" and there is an explanation, so that should answer your question. Also, since it's not April 1st, and Randall has consistently released something major on that day, the jury is still out, leaving my question quite open (though I was really only asking for opinions). [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 07:20, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

wanted to add an image to the list above, but didn't know at what timestamp to add it, got 69085b480cb82911b19fe8f114909756989eed89b0d227db0f59c1843de7ba24.png at 2013-03-26 09:47 CET (UTC+0100)
/Puggan
:The hours denote the time since the initial release of the comic. The page is still a work in progress, we're going to bring that all into one image file soon. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:13, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

This site should seriously consider cloudflare, it's perfect at times like this and takes minutes to set up. I run all my sites through it and it saves a lot of page huts and bandwidth.
[[Special:Contributions/123.3.136.228|123.3.136.228]]Evan Pyle
:Or at least make the main page a static page that refreshes every so often. I'm guessing that most of the traffic is going to the front page with not as much traffic to the actual comic page [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 15:43, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Some of the images on the wiki (looks like time38.png through time48.png) are slightly different than what is on the main site. The lines are slightly thicker, as though someone did them based on screen captures.
[[User:Royce|Royce]] ([[User talk:Royce|talk]]) 14:37, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
:Well, at least we have the hashes so they can be re-retrieved, so nothing is really lost, right? Should we add links to the original? [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 15:43, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

:I uploaded two of the "thicker" images and one of the "regular" ones, and I did the same thing for all of them: right-click->save-as. Given that the "thick" ones are all clustered together, I think the files on the xkcd site changed. [[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 18:21, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Story so far: [http://static.odysseus.anderson.name/1190.gif linky] [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 19:30, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

I guess we shall find out in ~10 minutes if Randall is trolling us. [[Special:Contributions/129.138.30.95|129.138.30.95]] 04:20, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

... so that's it?

Did I just miss something or we've all been epically trolled for 48 hours? [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:22, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:Motherofgod, no, he's *still* going!''' [[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:20, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

What makes you think he's done? [[Special:Contributions/129.138.30.95|129.138.30.95]] 04:25, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm still waiting for the water level to drop precipitously... and then for red spiders to run over everything [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 04:28, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, strip 1191 is up so I assumed it was over. I guess it's not. Until April's Fools maybe? [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:32, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
: It is not over -- the image is still updating, at least it did for me [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])
:: Yes, it's not over. Last frame shows just a minimal movement of Cueball's head, but no doubt it's still ongoing. [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:49, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
::: Given the fact the strips for the last 2 weeks have been comparatively simple, I expect Randall has been planning this for at least that long. {{unsigned|101.98.156.239}}

Considering the common theme with "today's" strip, anyone wanna guess that he's sending us a hex-encoded file over a really slow modem link, slated to complete April 1? Anyone wanna run "magic" over the hashes and see if they come up with a compression codec or something? [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 04:45, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:I liked this idea and crunched the hex data for 00:00 to 51:00 into a binary file (http://filebin.ca/bcGyfUvdgBi). Can't see anything resembling a file header, but that doesn't really say much. If this is compressed header-less data there wouldn't likely be any easily discernible patterns. Haven't really tried running the data through anything, zlib was one that came to mind but haven't tried it.

[[Special:Contributions/194.114.62.72|194.114.62.72]] I'm pretty shure it's not the seaside, but a lake - the water level is not changing at all.

Its probably going to loop back on itself, eventually, and repeat this way forever. [[Special:Contributions/113.160.224.209|113.160.224.209]] 07:12, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

For those wondering about the Javascript behind this: I posted my analysis of the Javascript [http://www.echochamber.me/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=760#p3303579 on the xkcd forums], and further de-obfuscated and annotated the code over on [https://gist.github.com/cincodenada/5246094 GitHub]. Here's a quick summary though: it holds open a connection to xkcd's servers and listens for instructions and follows them. Those instructions are either "load a new image" or "reload the page". So, you don't have to mash F5, it will automatically update the image when they're available. We have no way to control how fast the images come or when they do, and it's quite possible for them to update forever. --[[User:Fiveofoh|Fiveofoh]] ([[User talk:Fiveofoh|talk]]) 06:41, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

This is a series of animation frames. I suspect they will only ever be shown once (based on the fact you can only get the current image, not previous or future images -- this is in keeping with the title, "Time", which passes and which you can't ever get back]. The filenames are UUIDs too long to guess, so somebody needs to start collecting the filenames here so that a proper flipbook can be assembled. Here's the latest URL: [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/81efa7c4509ac7a329407d9da25d12ec0a3baec50e06588586961575e2d65c2c.png http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/81efa7c4509ac7a329407d9da25d12ec0a3baec50e06588586961575e2d65c2c.png] Go here to collect URLs: [http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource]
:We've kinda already been doing that. They're the big long filenames next to each timestamp. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:06, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Oh my god it's game of thrones played out in 2D [[Special:Contributions/123.3.136.228|123.3.136.228]] Evan Pyle

Is it just me, or do the last two frames look like someone just threw a rock at the castle? [[Special:Contributions/67.167.81.143|67.167.81.143]] 14:20, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I believe it is the cannon ball that I have been expecting since they first started building castles. [[User:ChrisPUT|ChrisPUT]] ([[User talk:ChrisPUT|talk]]) 16:34, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Here's a bit of JavaScript to execute in your browser's JavaScript console. (Cmd+Alt+K on Firefox for Mac, for example.)
<pre>
/* Collect all frame image URLs */
var images = [];
Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/time"][href$=".png"]')).forEach(function (a) {
images.push(a.href);
});

/* Create an image in the top-right corner of the screen */
var img = document.body.appendChild(document.createElement('img'));
img.setAttribute('style', 'position: fixed; top: 1em; right: 1em;');

/* Allow removing the image by clicking */
img.onclick = function () {
img.parentNode.removeChild(img);
};

var texts = [0,51,169,174,322];
var delays = [0,1000,1000,1500,4000];

/* Cycle through the frames */
img.onload = function () {
/* Pause a bit longer for the text frames */
var idx = texts.indexOf(img.i);
var delay = ( idx > 0 ) ? delays[idx] : 50;
setTimeout(function () {
img.src = images[++img.i % images.length];
}, delay);
};

/* Start with the first frame */
img.i = 0;
img.src = images[img.i];
</pre>

— [http://jan.moesen.nu/ Jan!] [[Special:Contributions/94.23.195.79|94.23.195.79]] 09:22, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

---Thanks for the script!. Ctrl+Shift+J on Windows Chrome [[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 13:11, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

- updated script 'coz there are three text panels now. [[User schnitz]] 19:00, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

- updated script with another text panel [[Special:Contributions/24.77.229.71|24.77.229.71]] 21:00, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

The one for the prior half hour (5AM - 5:30AM EST, 27 March 2013) is located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/5450bd39ee84a394467fabcaf92f1a5711c2a4eca24c8bd8a8cec829496e3dd7.png
[[Special:Contributions/141.161.133.106|141.161.133.106]] 09:26, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

And the one for the following half hour is located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/c2ea85f1ab92f2f80e9c4655c47f5c7effc0a7da01c8a88493864845855b3be8.png
[[Special:Contributions/141.161.133.106|141.161.133.106]] 09:31, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Call me a paranoid, but I think this strip is all about 9/11:
*If you read the strip number (1190) backwards, you get 09/11
*This subject is recurrent on xkcd
*As far as we have seen, there is a destroyed tower and they are rebuilding it
*The next strip, following 1190 (or 09/11), mentions war against countries with large oil reserves but low military capacity. {{unsigned|143.107.105.14}}
:I feel like that's kind of a stretch, I'm pretty sure it's just a story about a day at the beach.

If a new strip goes up every 30 minutes our time, and if each strip comprises of, let's say for the sake of simplicity, one minute in their time; to build the sand castle [frames 24-117 = 93 frames] so far it's taken almost 2 days our time, which would be about an hour and a half their time if each frame is a minute. Using my scale, an hour our time is 2 minutes their time, a day is 48 minutes, and our month is their 24 hour day. If we assume Randall plans to give us a 24 hour period from that world's time, and we use the minute-per-frame rate I made up, than we'd probably be looking at a month of images our time. I guess we'll just have to see how long he's got it planned to go on. -boB

Has it ended? All that's left is the sandcastle, and there doesn't seem to have been anything else changed on it for a few hours.

It's zooming out! When look at the gifs showing the frames in succession, the last 3 show the castle getting slightly smaller each time!
: It's true! The most recent also shows the edge of another castle, leading me to believe it's part of some kind of sand castle contest, probably including some of xkcd's other recurring characters!
::Weird, now it's not showing that, Randall must have put something up too soon.
A controllable version of the same comic is available at http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/ - slow/fast movement, pause, control back and forth. It also has the image # on the top left. Auto updating. [[Special:Contributions/59.182.173.88|59.182.173.88]] 20:56, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

:Can you add on-screen buttons, so it's usable on phones and tablets without hardware keyboard?{{unsigned|81.23.24.48}}

looky here: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/4c92727698b704ee1d02fbd37c94c220d16be4ad3ff6fc03a3fb77ea6d96434f.png [[Special:Contributions/97.88.147.176|97.88.147.176]] 23:14, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
That was a glitch on the server that revealed a future frame, but it has been corrected and that link is now a 404 not found. I guess if we want to see it in context we'll just have to "Wait for it."{{unsigned|Bugstomper}}
: Well now we're back to that picture as the present frame. [[User:Racerdude09|Racerdude09]] ([[User talk:Racerdude09|talk]]) 03:14, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Is someone gonna update the transcript to note them building a sandcastle, as well as the dialogue so far (consisting of Megan and Cueball saying goodbye to each other at No. 52)?--[[Special:Contributions/69.119.250.251|69.119.250.251]] 00:38, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Anyone else think that they're roleplaying Dom and Mal in Limbo? [[User:Fry-kun|Fry-kun]] ([[User talk:Fry-kun|talk]]) 05:36, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

I think they're bulding a sand replica of King's Landing for the Game Of Thrones season 3 premiere {{unsigned|201.239.18.75}}
: My first idea regarding the sand castle was also about Game of Thrones, but i dismissed it as being too biased.. --[[Special:Contributions/217.13.68.110|217.13.68.110]] 13:31, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

I have modified the code "'''''/* Collect all frame image URLs */'''''" to see only images of the "'''Frame by Frame Breakdown'''" section :
/* Collect all frame image URLs */
var images = [];
Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelector('#Frame_by_Frame_Breakdown').parentElement.nextElementSibling.nextElementSibling.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/wiki/images/"][href*="/time"][href$=".png"]')).forEach(function (a) {
images.push(a.href);
});
(Sorry for my English... and the ugly code...) {{unsigned|194.119.85.99}}

Anyone else think this is going to be related to Wed's cartoon? I'm half-expecting Black Hat to show up from the future, with advanced weaponry, to take oil from the sandcastle of the past. {{unsigned|173.180.60.43}}

Guys, i think we might have lost a few frames in between, no? When did he upload the first image? like, the exakt time... knowing this we could calculate the amount of images there should be and compare to what we have... [[User:Caranhyas|Caranhyas]] ([[User talk:Caranhyas|talk]]) 18:04, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

The four comics from 89:00 to 90:30 (most recent so far) look the same to me, but the PNG files have different CRCs for the image data blocks, though the metadata in the PNG files are all the same. I wonder if there might be something subtle hidden in the images, or the way they're compressed. [[Special:Contributions/24.160.133.3|24.160.133.3]] 22:54, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

: There is a very minor difference in the water level on those images, even though the water level has been static in most of the other images. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.210|129.21.63.210]] 02:05, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I don't think the title text is a reference to anything except for... wait for it... THE MONGOLS ;-) [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.34|81.23.24.34]] 23:00, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Unless the 99:30 image was misnamed, it's not included in the list of images. Does anyone know where this frame went? [[User:Bob|Bob]] 14:18, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Is that rain in two recent panels? [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 14:21, 29 March 2013 (UTC)r

Can someone identify for sure what Cueball is doing in 105:00? His arms seems to be crossed, and his holding something in his hand. [[User:Mem|mem]] ([[User talk:Mem|talk]]) 14:30, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looks to me like he is shivering, which would allude to a cool down common with rain storms? [[User:Jeremy1026|Jeremy1026]] ([[User talk:Jeremt1026|talk]]) 14:51 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looks to me like he's brushing sand off himself; see the shower around him similar to her hair at 10:00? [[Special:Contributions/70.178.167.60|70.178.167.60]] 03:07, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Megan just wheeled in a trebuchet! This is going to be fun! [[Special:Contributions/69.246.10.71|69.246.10.71]] 16:34, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
Now she's launching a rock. I wonder which tower it might hit. March 2013, at 17:08. Flew over the first two and might impact far right tower if it continues. 17:48

I think this is all an elaborate 'joke' which will keep running until Monday - April Fools' Day [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 17:17, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Re explanation of hour 110:00. My first thought was "How can a person whose face is an empty ovoid look upset?". However, looking at the image again I can see how it does. Respects to Randall. Possibly an April Fool, but I will be even more impressed if it runs beyond Monday. I'm waiting for the tide to come in. jasq [[Special:Contributions/79.123.80.87|79.123.80.87]] 23:12, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I googled some hashes. The first two seem to show up here, in a directory tellingly labeled "wait": http://www.hash-database.net/wait/hash_sha256.txt
:: The "wait" folder there contains hashes that weren't found in the database and might or might not someday be discovered. They are probably there *because* someone was looking up hashes to see if they were common words. [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 23:17, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
To review, the first two are:
8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672
1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97
Googled the third one, but it only shows up on xkcd discussion forums :(
Hashed some of the hashes, but didn't see the result in the list, so it dosen't look like a hash chain.
Someone should google all the other hashes, and someone else should figure out what the guy in the "wait" directory (presuming it wasn't Randall) was hashing. --[[User:Venal dwarf|Venal dwarf]] ([[User talk:Venal dwarf|talk]]) 21:37, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Comparing all the filenames to the hashes on that page, I found a total of four that overlap. The first two, as mentioned. But also one from the middle of day 1, and one from the end of day 1.

: 00:30 - 01/00:30 - 8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672.png

: 01:00 - 01/01:00 - 1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png

: 12:00 - 01/12:00 - a3aa116efca3c01d8a64c0c7e79158dc8a62241aba767064e3a6c724cc5ade93.png

: 23:30 - 01/23:30 - 1da3859627430022485c53ad90e88e8771b2bec2d60e910b59ef332325bba29f.png

: --[[User:Venal dwarf|Venal dwarf]] ([[User talk:Venal dwarf|talk]]) 22:36, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

: There is a fifth one also, from 01:30 - e25be2dd49fe9f33c3543cdf640b67e0f2146cc576db5da007a135a278e524ee.png
: I converted all 1153 hashes in the file to lower case and did a wget on them but it did not turn up any files from the future. [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 05:31, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Is Randall training us like Pavlov's dogs - every 30 minutes we are compelled to refresh the web-page? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 01:59, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone have an opinion on how we should continue naming the saved timeNN.png files if the updates do not continue on the half hour?
Right now the link for the skipped update 242 got renamed to the nonexistent time242NA.png and the next update's link is time242.png. But what do we do if the updates are changing to once per hour? By the way it does look like the next half-hour update has been skipped too. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 05:57, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
:It does seem to have gone hourly as of midnight EDT. I stuck in "NA" as a placeholder since I wasn't sure what to do with the files, and wanted to make it clear that the half-hour updates were skipped in case it goes back or changes in some other way. Maybe start naming them by the time, instead of sequentially, e.g. "012200.png". If the pattern holds, the "no update" lines can be removed. (Or both might make more sense, like "time243-012200.png".) [[Special:Contributions/69.243.159.96|69.243.159.96]] 06:08, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
::I'm partial to timestamping filenames for stuff like this. I have this zsh line running right now:
while { : } { wget -O "`date +"%Y-%m-%d %a %H%M%S"` Time .png" http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png ; sleep 30m }
::(I was wishing for a convenient way to use the server-side timestamps, 'till i noticed that it's always 2013-04-12 Fri 09:05'38—which i'm guessing is the script's mtime.) —[[Special:Contributions/98.83.126.232|98.83.126.232]] 08:28, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Anyone else getting a 404 error with the latest image (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/d1b3b1b6e23995a093377c5ddc044dd98a42a3ae1327c8b6620d51d2a7003c1d.png)? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:19, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Strange: As far as I know http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png always redirects to the current frame. But if you visit the current one (133:00) at http://xkcd.com/1190/ and check the displayed image, it says 'c6976fbb244af4fc2286ffe3ac2cf78d408c1f610ecd71e18b4a677a048f084d.png' while time.png redirects to '1d9ce7199935b1b629d6b8744e62c7700a3780357b2dc74bb70471db616ddadb.png'. If you take a md5 of both images, they appear to be the same.
:I was confused by this as well, I'm grabbing the images myself via time.png and got the 1d9ce7 hash. How will these duplicates be displayed in the table?[[User:Lockyy|Lockyy]] ([[User talk:Lockyy|talk]]) 17:48, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm seeing some strange stuff now. I have a script that uses wget of time.png to get the redirected hash png like Lockyy is doing. And I can verify that when you go to the 1190 page in the browser you get a different hash. But the previous hour and this hour, unlike the ones before it, the two hash pngs are different. And when I refresh the screen in my browser at the 1190 page, first I see the image I get from time.png, then the image refreshes with the other one. I'm not sure what this means or what we are supposed to do with it. I added the time.png hashes to the table for the last two hours but we probably need a way of indicating the difference. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 20:38, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
: This latest hourly update did the same thing. If you are fast enough you can even get the first image in your browser by right click view image before it changes to the second one. I edited in something that shows that. It probably could stand some reformatting by someone with better graphic design sense, but at least right now all the information has been captured. - [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 21:18, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looking at it some more, I see that wget of the page at xkcd.com/1190/ gets you an img link to time.png and then there is the javascript that must after some delay get the different hash url image. That means that we had better be sure that we do not miss any manual checks of hourly updates because the scripts will never find that second image unless someone has a way of getting a script that runs the javascript as if it was a browser. As long as someone posts the hash of the image from the browser every hour, I can ensure that we have the hashes the scripts can get because I have a cron job checking for those updates every 15 minutes. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 21:49, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
:: And with the update for day 06/18:00 it appears to be back to normal, one consistent image per update -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 22:22, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Just if somebody else wants this, i hacked a little bash script to download all images to the current listed here. It skips already downloaded images so it can be reused later when more images are here.

<pre>#!/bin/bash
curl -s http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190 |
egrep -o "/wiki/images/[0-9a-f]/[0-9a-f]{2}/time[0-9]*.png" |
while read url; do
imgname=$(basename $url)
tmp=${imgname:4}
id=${tmp%.png}
printf -v target "image%03d.png" ${id:-1}
[[ -e $target ]] && continue
echo $target
curl -so $target http://www.explainxkcd.com$url
done
</pre>
--[[Special:Contributions/79.236.3.216|79.236.3.216]] 18:51, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

To ease waiting times: http://thred.github.com/xkcd-time-catapult/
:: This is awesome. I love the internet. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:15, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

I've offered up [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316|my own explanation]. The obvious metaphor is how time continues to flow and things change when you’re not watching. And how this could be a conceptual art project that could continue the rest of our lives... [[Special:Contributions/72.183.97.36|72.183.97.36]] 19:36, 31 March 2013 (UTC) Lawrence Person
:Correcting your link: [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316 my own explanation] --[[Special:Contributions/24.145.230.202|24.145.230.202]] 20:49, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

::This comics may not really continue forever unless Randall will put some sort of repetition into it. May not be simple loop but something more sophisticated, but still, images shown up to now doesn't show any kind of repetition yet. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:28, 1 April 2013 (UTC)

anyone else notice the water is slowly rising? not unlike a tide (depending on the time scaling implemented? perhaps a flooding river (as might correspond to the mention of a river)? [[Special:Contributions/70.192.210.128|70.192.210.128]] 18:08, 2 April 2013 (UTC)
:I checked your claim that the water is rising, and I agree. Good catch! I measure the rate at about 1 pixel per 25 frames starting at about 100 hours. Though a more careful look could surely refine that estimate.{{unsigned|207.67.82.250}}
:I measured the water level with a ruler. The water will take another 20 days before reaching the sand castle if rising at a constant rate. [[Special:Contributions/192.155.85.119|192.155.85.119]] 01:27, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

Oddly this contradicts the text, which says that the river is going down: "Any idea where the river is now?", Cueball replies "Still pretty far out. It actually retreated a little this week." --AH
:"It's *still* pretty far out". I think this means that it's getting less far out.[[Special:Contributions/93.73.186.104|93.73.186.104]] 07:41, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
::"It actually retreated a little this week." ~~dang

This comic has been running and updating so long I think perhaps it is a sand castle creation/destruction program that autonomously lets the two indefinitely build, destroy and rebuild new sand castles all the time… [[Special:Contributions/80.101.210.21|80.101.210.21]] 09:55, 4 April 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe. We don't have enough data to say that for sure yet. We just need to "wait for it". [[Special:Contributions/93.73.186.104|93.73.186.104]] 10:07, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

I think numbers in "As of this writing, it is still updated after more than XXX hours - even after Y new, different comics were posted on the front page" at the top of the page should be calculated using {{#expr}}. I changed it for number of comics, but I have no idea how to calculate number of hours since it was posted.[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 11:15, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

When Megan coughed and Cueball asked if she was okay, did anyone else think of http://xkcd.com/931/ Lanes? Cueball explains that cancer treatment results are not known until much later, "and often the first sign is a cough or a bone pain. So you spend the next five or ten years trying not to worry . . . ." ~~wrybred

:I don't want to be a downer but this is just my interpretation thus far. I hope it is a happier theme but if you are correct wrybred, my further explanation would be the following... I think that building sandcastles is an analogy for living their life. Going for a swim in the body of water and the cough could represent the start of the cancer or possibly some time where they had to go out and "wade" in the possibilities of what cancer could mean. Time passes and Cueball says "I don't think we can build it much taller than this. It's been fun, though" which represents that they believe they have done as well as they can with the lives they have been given. They comment on the river retreating even though we the audience observe a body of water on the right hand side rising could represent how we can be fooled into believing things are going alright when in reality they are not. The reference to not understanding what the river is doing also fits this explanation well as someone with cancer may occasionally feel confused about their illness. Presently while I write this they are possibly preparing for a flood which represents the return of the cancer. If I were to guess what is next I might guess that they will watch as the flood comes in and destroys some of what they built but it is better than not having made the sandcastle in the first place. I could be way off, but Randall has given us a lot of TIME to think about what this is all about and your mind wanders. I also would note that this may not be about a particular cancer story, just any cancer story. [[User:Nhoel|Nhoel]] ([[User talk:Nhoel|talk]]) 13:51, 8 April 2013 (UTC)

Could Cueball and Megan be building a European city, as it evolved, was damaged and remodelled where 1 day of strips is 100 years? Maybe Cueball is curretly remodelling Notre Dame de Paris or Westminster??? If so, it should get interesting around day 17 [[Special:Contributions/129.238.237.96|129.238.237.96]] 17:34, 4 April 2013 (UTC)rbnm

<pre>#!/bin/bash

# Assumes you have a complete set of numbered PNG images in a
# directory called "./images". (See the script above) Makes a
# directory called "./cropped" containing N images that are 1 pixel
# wide by 395 pixels tall, each of which contains the second to last
# column of one of the input images. Finally, concatenates all those
# images into montage.png, which will be Nx395 pixels and can be read
# as a graph of water depth over time.

mkdir -p cropped
rm cropped/*.png
for i in images/*.png
do
f=`basename $i .png`
convert -crop 1x395+550+0 $i cropped/${f}_cropped.png
echo $f
done

montage cropped/*.png -geometry 1x395+0+0 -tile x1 montage.png

echo Wrote result to montage.png
</pre>[[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 21:00, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

He's making a mini-version of the whole sandcastle on top of the mound! You can see the two turrets on the left and the mound in the center!

They're inside an hourglass! ;) - Filippo

i believe that he made a fractal version of the scene atop the middle sandcastle... are we going to have an infinite zoom for a bit (or maybe forever?) - ck

Maybe it's some sort of reference to [http://xkcd.com/878/ Model Rail] where Cueball ends up with multiple model railways in his basement...--[[Special:Contributions/77.100.193.92|77.100.193.92]] 13:14, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:<strike>Since it hasn't been brought up yet;</strike> reference to 878, this is Nesting, and there are FOUR visible layers.
:- "It's the second rule of 'model train layouts': No Nesting." (Strike and replace with the building sandcastles.)
:- "Whats the first rule?", "Do not talk about ... That rule was actually voted in by our friends and families.", "Philistines"
:Drifter [[Special:Contributions/24.106.78.38|24.106.78.38]] 19:26, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::Actually 77.100.193.92 did bring it up, which is why I believe they're building a large trebuchet. [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 22:09, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::Thank you Bdemirici & 77.100.193.92, sorry for the duplicatation. Now which came first... the coment or or the comic, 77...'s reference came before the center structure gained its malformed parapets. Drifter [[Special:Contributions/66.42.134.195|66.42.134.195]] 10:38, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Whoa -- big change in scale, zoom in on Megan holding a mini trebuchet at about 5 pm central time Friday the 5th.--[[Special:Contributions/205.208.92.136|205.208.92.136]] 22:20, 5 April 2013 (UTC)--~~

A tiny trebuchet for use on the tiny turrets? Megan is kinda awesome. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 22:32, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

:I think she should "outgrow these toys and focus on something practical" ;-) [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:59, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Looks like they are re-enacting the trebuchet incident on the mini-castle. AH --[[Special:Contributions/108.244.73.186|108.244.73.186]] 23:53, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Meta-physical time again: "I don't understand what the sea is doing" - wasn't it a river earlier? Is it a different sea? The river of time maybe? Where is Randall leading us? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 03:09, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I'm thinking it may have to do with the title text from this comic. http://xkcd.com/4/
:I think it's obvious. They're not on a beach. They're on a recently exposed portion of the river bed. In time the river will come back and engulf the whole area. [[Special:Contributions/64.121.163.170|64.121.163.170]] 10:16, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I have redownloaded the 199:00 image based upon the hash here and it does still say "river", so Randall hasn't adjusted the "past" to fit the "present"... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 05:50, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I've read somewhere that they are not on the beach. They are on some sort of a boat covered with sand. First they were in the river, and now they reached the sea. [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:19, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

::So if they are on a boat then it isn't the river/sea that is rising it is the boat that is sinking (or having more weight added to it). [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 18:35, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
:It's pretty obvious to me. They're on a beach with a river running through it. Yes, beaches sometimes have rivers in them. And also, rivers that run through beaches tend to be very unstable and to move their bed all the time, because of the fact that it's running water through loose sand. That's why they talk about the river moving. [[Special:Contributions/80.212.115.55|80.212.115.55]] 08:04, 7 April 2013 (UTC)
:: This comic. http://xkcd.com/4/ {{unsigned|Zuffelnok}}

: xkcd Time Catapult done correctly http://i.imgur.com/XEKEfSR.png {{unsigned|118.129.231.136}}
:: Man, you have just too much... wait for it... time! [[User:Caranhyas|Caranhyas]] ([[User talk:Caranhyas|talk]]) 16:34, 7 April 2013 (UTC)

Just so it doesn't get lost, these are the last 2 hashes I've seen: e3e8169439be717a5661dba80cca623330516d87749f5c5bd83d4a4aae19b89a.png, a2c0f3ed4be680f5b794f0137a55af8704598a2105e1eff5fce750b07800c19b.png

Are they building a giant trebuchet? Another zoom out maybe? [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 05:13, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I love how Randall is reacting to the discussion here. Is it a sea? Or a river? Let's have Cueball drink from it to clarify ;) [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 09:42, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:It could be brackish water ... and I have seen some fresh water rivers I definitely wouldn't want to drink from [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:10, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

:So this tells us 3 things:
:1) It's likely a sea.
:2) This comic, or at least a script (not in a programming sense) for it was very likely made by a human. So it's not randomly generated. We already knew this, but now it's confirmed once again.
:3) Randall is still working on this comic, or at least he was some time after he started releasing it.
:[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 16:51, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I think by tasting the water Cueball was preparing himself for the inevitable - the water is going to continue to rise and nothing they can do will stop it: they are going to drown. This strip is about the slow, inextirpable, approach of Death - and this isn't the Death from a Terry Pratchett novel. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 20:29, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
: Between the 376th and the 81st strip it can be noted how much the water has rised. And I've noted how there's no wind in the beach (river's mouth?), the flags don't move and the sea has no waves. Don't know if there's a meaning there. --[[User:Yinosanchez|Yinosanchez]] ([[User talk:Yinosanchez|talk]]) 21:18, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:: I think you shouldn't compare it to frames before about 220, because that's where zoom changed last time. Also it looks like it will reach the castle in a day and a half from now.[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:17, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:::The likely implication of the lack waves etc is that they are in an estuarine environment, where the rising tide may not have a bore at all. This might explain a few things, like the reference to a river, the strange behaviour of the sea, and perhaps might explain Cueball tasting the water (to see if he could determine the saltwater content). [[User:Eeijevs|Eeijevs]] ([[User talk:Eeijevs|talk]]) 22:34, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
::::Megan's reaction to getting the water in her mouth (cough, pffthh) and Cueball's are pretty similar ... call me crazy but I think there's something weird about the water beyond its salt content ... --[[Special:Contributions/76.84.59.83|76.84.59.83]] 04:20, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::: And 2 hours after I said that, Megan built something right next to the water. I wonder if this was a coincidence... [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 09:34, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
:::: It is, of course, a damm to buy them some time. :-) {{unsigned|84.180.241.162}}
:::: It wouldn't work as a dam in a 3D universe. It would have to extend infinitely in z to act as a dam. Then again, there's also no good way to support a platform with two posts. [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 20:24, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Can someone please move the list of images and their hashes to another page? Randal is showing no signs that the images will stop anytime soon. [[Special:Contributions/184.5.152.192|184.5.152.192]] 22:32, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:I understand the sentiment, and considered at least commenting out the future tables, but this page does not need to be changed when the latest frames are uploaded, only when the hashes are added, and those of us still keeping the live XKCD page open do find it easier to just open the last few frames missed when looking away or sleeping.
:I do wonder if the wall of text is worth reducing by actually making the hashes a link with something like "Direct link" as the text. Is anyone still attempting to generate the hashes? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 05:10, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

:I went ahead and made all the tables collapsed by default. If the comic continues beyond another couple of weeks, I vote for moving them to another page. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 06:44, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::If the comic ever comes to an end, we could clear out the archived hashes and put all the image links into a multi-column table. The hashes are only really useful to editors trying to upload new images, they don't really add that much to understanding the comic. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:29, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Just a theory. On Friday, April 19th at 00:00 there will be 1200 images in the comic, at the same time the strip 1201 of xkcd should be posted on the site. I'm guessing that will end it. (UPDATE: Math is wrong, was still counting half an hour updates. Sorry about that. The numbers will match on May 2nd at 6 in the morning, nothing special there.)--[[User:Yinosanchez|Yinosanchez]] ([[User talk:Yinosanchez|talk]]) 18:27, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps it is about global climate change? "The sea is rising." and now they are building a very tall structure to cope with this ?AH --[[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 01:54, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
:Actually, looks like they're building a boat!!! [[Special:Contributions/64.121.163.170|64.121.163.170]] 10:04, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
::This is in no way close to a boat, look at any shipyard, that's not how you build a boat! --[[Special:Contributions/83.145.101.131|83.145.101.131]] 10:25, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
:::It is how you build an observation deck, though, or an airport control tower. And if you have the lumber to build such a structure, you could much more easily build a raft. So it's not like they're in any real danger of drowning when the tide gets higher. - [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 20:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

It could be a raptor-proof tower .... not seen any of those in XKCD for a while {{unsigned|86.128.14.32}}

Looks like that small tower that Megan added in 500-502 is acting like a levee. The water outside it is higher now (569) than the water inside it. I can't imagine it'll help much, though.
--[[User:Mlv|Mlv]] ([[User talk:Mlv|talk]]) 20:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

[http://imgur.com/bSP5nWK Graph of water level over time] [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 22:10, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

It appears that a couple of frames (4 and 427) get revisited a couple of frames later:
md5sum -b * | sort | uniq -w32 -D
—[[Special:Contributions/98.83.126.232|98.83.126.232]] 04:16, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

Has it slowed to once every 2 hours for new frames? --[[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 14:12, 13 April 2013 (UTC)
: For some reason, over the fast few hours the image wasn't automatically updating, and I had to refresh the page to see it. Now it looks like the image and static data XKCD servers are down... at least for me. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 03:50, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Looks like everything's back to normal. Fortunately, the aubronwood animation page has correctly captured the frames that I missed (although it had a few duplicates during XKCD's weirdness, it's fixed now). [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 15:20, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Yes, I haven't been able to retrieve anything since 23:40 EDT. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 06:05, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone else considered the relationship of this comic to John Cage's musical composition "As Slow As Possible?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 07:08, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, I did, in [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316|my upstream link]. {{unsigned ip|72.183.97.222|00:34, 17 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}
:It surely can't be a coincidence that the comic released the day after this comment was all about John Cage, can it? [[User:DarthCrap|DarthCrap]] ([[User talk:DarthCrap|talk]]) 10:15, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah, I noticed that. So who is trolling whom here? This group, or Randall? I would love it if he set up a foundation to keep this cartoon updating for the next N years, where N is the time backwards from this year to some particular early machine, ENIAC or Babbage's Analytical Engine or the Jacquard loom or the abacus, or whatever. (Refer to how the foundation sponsoring the Cage piece got their 639 years.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:02, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Another intergenerational project at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:59, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wondering, could the river/sea conundrum have anything to do with http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=4:_Landscape_%28sketch%29 and the original accompanying text "Don't ask me why there's a river running through the ocean. Please."? [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 17:45, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Notice the last couple of frames have begun to show waves in the rising sea. (Frames 627-628) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 07:32, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

How could a small hill of sand stopped the entire sea. The world might be two dimensional, or Randall might have wanted to gain some time but it doesn't make much sense. {{unsigned ip|212.253.22.219 |12:06, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}
:Seriously? Ok - time to review the physics of hydrostatic fluids, folks. Depth is the only variable in calculating fluid pressure. Whether its a bucket or the ocean, the pressure at any given depth in a fluid is the same. A small hill of sand can stop the entire sea. Waves, however, are another matter... [[User:Uglystick|Uglystick]] ([[User talk:Uglystick|talk]]) 14:34, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
::A small hill can stop the sea if it extends infinitely in the Z axis, otherwise the sea will simply flow around it. The other alternative is to encircle the castle with it, forming a moat, but then we wouldn't be able to see the inside. So this can't be a normal 3D universe. Lending some weight to the 2D or nearly 2D nature is that the first platform they put up was installed on only two posts. But the platform itself had width. Maybe they're stuck between two panes of glass like an ant farm. [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 15:15, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
:::A 2D world would also explain why the structure they're on can stand. It's an imperfectly 2D world though; it's been mentioned below that a pole should in theory stop the water easy. I guess it has some 3D realities to it, i.e., a wall should stop water, but a pole shouldn't. {{unsigned ip|173.13.244.241 | 19:18, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

Water depth is [http://imgur.com/MBiShof increasing quadratically]? (Probably not, but it looks nice on the graph so far. My current guess is that it's a sine wave that will peak out at 103 pixels.) [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 15:18, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

I think in the end it's about what you build up during life and how "the time" washes all of it away, eventually {{unsigned ip|87.178.224.240|16:05, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

If this were a 2D universe, wouldn't the best course of action be to bury one of the poles directly at the water's edge? That way, like the small sand hill, the sea would have to rise to the very top of the pole before it would flood the remaining sand structures. {{unsigned ip| 74.94.246.5|16:33, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

Just a remark: Frame 458 (time458.png on this page, or hour 337:00) is corrupt, i.e. it deviates from the original that can be retrieved via the hash address. Probabely it was a screencap rather than a direct copy - someone should reupload it.. Oh and the structure on the poles is definitely the mighty Randall's Arc (though it doesn't rain)... {{unsigned ip|93.135.113.244}}

Now they are 'building castles in the air' - dreaming of a future that will never come to pass? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 11:43, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

:Why should building castles in the air be harder that building {{w|Server_farm|farm}} in {{w|Cloud_computing|clouds}}? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:37, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

The bucket on the pulley used to be carrying just sand. Now, if I read the situation correctly, it's carrying something that's heavier than Megan, so she can't use the pulley (or, possibly, anything else) to pull it up. Lead? Depleted uranium? Dwarf star remnant? [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 15:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Seems to me like she was trying to raise ''herself'' up in the bucket, then lost her balance and collapsed part of the middle castle when she fell. - [[User:Acrisius|Acrisius]] ([[User talk:Acrisius|talk]]) 15:39, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
::That probably makes a little more sense than "dwarf star remnant". [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 16:09, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

:::Especially considering that dwarf star remnant loosely placed on ground would fall through it. Even if the ground would be armor-plated. Unless it explode first. Hmmm ... this may be good question for the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/ what-if] - what will happen if you put dwarf star remnant with size of apple on ground somewhere on earth? Or neutronium? (What happens with black hole was already explained when LHC started.) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:20, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

My favorite episode from the Batman TV series was one where the Riddler gave Batman a nonsense clue which contained a surveillance microphone. He'd then eavesdrop on what Batman “deducted” his next coup would be, and he made it happen. Seeing how the discussion here does seem to affect the events in the comic, I wonder if Randall is pulling a Riddler on us. Just as an experiment, I thought I'd mention that it's odd there are no seagulls at the beach ;-) [[Special:Contributions/201.235.179.15|201.235.179.15]] 16:49, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:I like the way that the sea/river/metaphor is now slowly eroding the base of the tower on the right. Also, where are the fish ;-) [[User:Eeijevs|Eeijevs]] ([[User talk:Eeijevs|talk]]) 21:15, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
::I like how the erosion of the castle is accurate [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave-cut_platform].--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 11:11, 18 April 2013 (UTC)
::Aquaman?--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 23:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Still no seagulls! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:09, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

We seem to be missing time 561 from Wednesday? [[User:Jillysky|Jillysky]] ([[User talk:Jillysky|talk]]) 13:20, 18 April 2013 (UTC)
:And at the moment 599:00 and 600:00 are duplicates. I don't know if something happened (or didn't happen) then, or if the above issue is still being processed. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 18:00, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
::Fiiixed '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:47, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

In the frame-by-frame breakdown, the "Image" field simply gives the time in hours, while the "Time" field gives the time in days+hours. It would be helpful if the "Image" field instead gave an ordinal number indicating the number of frames (e.g., this would help to correlate the Transcript on this page with the frame numbers [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ here]. The current "Image" field need not be deleted (I personally prefer time in hours to time in days+hours), but it might be relabeled as "Time in Hours". Implementing this would require some use of scripts, and would be best if adopted by the person updating the frame-by-frame breakdown in the first place. [[Special:Contributions/132.236.6.90|132.236.6.90]] 16:42, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
: If it's helpful to you guys this text file gets created automatically [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/data.txt]. I admit it had some problems in the beginning but I think they're all worked out now; it's been adding for days now without any problems. I know you cannot see line numbers in the browser, but if you copy and paste the whole lot into an editor the line numbers are 1 higher than the corresponding png frame.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 01:44, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

When the server had a problem one image was 100 minutes late, and another was 50 minutes late. Because of this there was a file between time682 and time683 that wasn't posted here (time683 should have been time684), and many files after that are displayed here an hour before they should have been displayed, with the wrong filename. It also affects xkcd-time.wikia.com as I had got many of the files on there from here. I am currently trying to correct this. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 03:01, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

I think it's now fixed. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 03:59, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

Anyone have the slightest prediction on how many frames this Time series will last? [[Special:Contributions/118.186.193.26|118.186.193.26]] 07:44, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:Sure, it will be exactly 42π! ... or rather ''<big>e</big>''42? Hmmmm… [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 08:52, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:5,601,594 images if he follows the John Cage time frame, and maintains hourly changes; plus/minus one or two depending on the fence-posts. {{unsigned|Taibhse}}

I think we have seen the profile of various famous castles come and go, but nobody has identified any of them. [[Special:Contributions/174.62.108.29|174.62.108.29]] 17:51, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:I don't see anything obvious, but the second castle (revealed by the zoom) looks a lot like http://media.merchantcircle.com/39624740/cheesecake_castle_final_full.jpeg
:and now the castle she is working on begins to resemble the Taj Mahal...[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:00, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
::Well, not so much, now. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:50, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
::It looks like Hogwarts.--[[Special:Contributions/70.134.68.234|70.134.68.234]] 21:36, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
I wonder if this could be building up to an all black panel for April 22. [[Special:Contributions/74.129.166.50|74.129.166.50]] 09:07, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

I just setup an own cronjob which checks the image hash periodly and writes them to a list when its changed: http://panther.stummi.org/xkcdtime.txt
It checks every 10 minutes so it also should notice if the interval changes --[[User:Stummi|Stummi]] ([[User talk:Stummi|talk]]) 09:12, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

The castle on the top appears to be the Disneyland Paris castle (http://0.tqn.com/d/goparis/1/0/1/A/-/-/disneylandaparisxmas09_francoisdurandgetty.jpg) [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 21:46, 21 April 2013 (UTC)
:...which is a rip-off of Neuschwanstein castle: http://blog.awaystay.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/oct_3_2012.jpg - still both don't exactly resemble the one in the comic.. {{unsigned ip|141.84.43.125}}

I'm guessing that the water will keep rising indefinitely, and we'll be left with an upward-moving strip that occasionally zooms out as the bottom layers are very slowly filled in with black "water." One thing that would make this interesting is the varying heights of the constructed structures (sandcastle turrets, platform, etc.) which would make the process of "overflow" from the right-hand side interesting to watch. {{unsigned ip|65.96.75.37}}

Oh the symbolism of it: Cueball leaves, Megan finishes building their castle, rests and lets her guard down. The next thing to happen is, a cute girl walks in, sees what the two have built together and leaves. The very next frame, the castle starts to fall apart. [[Special:Contributions/217.81.90.198|217.81.90.198]]

I'm expecting the lower level-castle to be swept away by the water, while the high-level castle will remain intact. This is quite reasonable, assuming Cueball and Megan knows how high the flood will come and thus they built the platform to an appropriate height. It may be interpreted as the lower-level castle being the work of our life, which is inevitable finite, and will be eventually overtaken by death. Recognizing this, some choose to build a castle for the "after-life". Life-death reflections have been common on xkcd in the past as well. {{unsigned ip|149.241.18.229}}

The [http://imgur.com/NEps6Fk pace at which the water is rising] has begun to slow. I think it's just a regular tide, and it only has a few more pixels to go before it begins to ebb. [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 14:49, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

I call cancer. The tide slowly increasing, the castle threatened, the upper castle... I don't know, it just all gives me that impression. --[[Special:Contributions/193.205.81.1|193.205.81.1]] 09:02, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I have to hand it to him though. He has entirely captivated all of us. I can't help but check every day (as opposed to every MWF) to see how the story unfolds. Many thanks to [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon] for keeping me up to date! [[User:Puck0687|Puck0687]] ([[User talk:Puck0687|talk]]) 14:26, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or are the last 4 images missing? I don't know how often this gets updated, if it's still manual at all, I may have did bad calculations with timezones, but at least the current image isn't there. [[Special:Contributions/86.81.124.236|86.81.124.236]] 19:39, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
: I'm pretty sure this page is updated manually, so you'll have to wait for someone to update it. Nothing has been missed though. If you want to keep up to date, I suggest using one of the links under Explanation>Related Stuff, especially the aubronwood link. Those update automatically. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.61.189|129.21.61.189]] 20:54, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

For me, this is clearly about cancer and the impacts it has on a relationship over time. Randall's now wife was diagnosed and treated for cancer recently and through this comic, he's trying to portray the anxious wait they faced through treatment and remission. He has put us into his shoes by keeping us waiting in suspense to see how things end up. The passing of time represents their life together. At first it's just them relaxing together, probably the dating phase. Soon they start building a life together, represented by the sand castle. The castle evolves over time, much like their life has. Difficulties and gaffes in their relationship are depicted, for example when cueball trips and breaks down part of the wall. Eventually all efforts are diverted and put into defending against the approaching sea, which represents the cancer. The wall, the platform, all represent the steps taken to prevent and/or prepare for it's impending progress. The river represents the cure for cancer, which is still pretty far out, as cueball mentioned. There are many many more clues I see and explanations I can give to support this idea (castle in the sky, the rain, progress with research, etc.), but this is just starting point. I'm excited to see where the comic will end up, but I guess we just need to "wait for it". --[[User:Nick|Nick]] ([[User talk:Nick|talk]]) 21:25, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

:You make a good case, and much of the dialog supports that interpretation. Many of us must have been thinking along the same lines. A couple of points...there doesn't have to be only one meaning for the symbolism. Also, there doesn't have to be an "end."
:The John Cage connection also seems obvious.
:I have been struck by the similarity (and difference) to the Engineers in "A Mote in God's Eye." Innate engineering ability combined with naivete.
:I am confident that Randall knows there are literally thousands (tens of thousands? hundreds?) of fans out there giving them moral support and good wishes. Hmm...I wonder if readers are personified by the little girl? Probably not. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 22:50, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

The cancer metaphors are quite intriguing, but my take is environmental, possibly pollution and global warming. The French girl (beret) could be a nod to the Disneyland Paris castle. If so it’s our first interactive feedback with Randall on the 1190 strip.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:42, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Environmental pollution is tied to cancer incidence. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 00:18, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

:Global warming was suggested by
::Cueball: Sea level rises and falls, right? It's changed before.
::Megan: Not this fast.
:I don't know about the beret; Beret Guy has been a recurring theme. Just search xkcd for "beret." But never on a little girl? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 23:26, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I'm taking it that "sea" is a phonetic substitute for "c," "meaning "cancer." For better or worse, this kind of phoenetic clue was used in the Batman movie:
Batman: Pretty fishy what happened to me on that ladder.
Gordon: You mean, where there's a fish, there could be a Penguin.
Robin: But wait! It happened at sea! See? "C" for Catwoman!
Sigh. I wish I knew what "river" and "rain" represented. Medicine, maybe? [[Special:Contributions/98.117.33.206|98.117.33.206]] 23:03, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Medicine isn't supposed to make the "C" grow. Just the opposite.
:And on that note, back when I was working in "Muppet Labs" there was a great little book of cartoons circulating in the lab titled "CDC." Sample: "CDC?" "ICDC. DUCDC?" "O,ICDC2!"
::http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAO0M1tilKU [[User:Skiasaurus|Skiasaurus]] ([[User talk:Skiasaurus|talk]]) 05:06, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
:Nothing at all to do with the zombie comics from the actual CDC. But there's the disease theme again -- the CDC.
:And what programmer could miss the reference to "C." It gets tangled, which is the best way to do symbolism. Quantum-alphabetic entanglement. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 00:16, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Well, I don't know if the intention here is that the "river" is making the "sea" grow. My point is that the dialogue is so nonsensical at points that it seems to be code. I'm taking every noun as a metaphor for something. "Sea" being "cancer" seems to fit ("The cancer can't make more of itself forever, can it?") I guess go back through the dialogue and see what other words could substitute for what they're saying. Like I said, I don't know what "river" or "rain" or "ground" could be in this metaphor. [[Special:Contributions/98.117.33.206|98.117.33.206]] 00:56, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

:Or "sand." This sand has some rather remarkable, not to say marvelous, properties! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:08, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

If it's true this represents their struggle with cancer, this strip might very well continue into the future, updating alongside her real-time cancer progress, possibly for years, hopefully not for mere months. Randall knows how this will end no more than we do. [[Special:Contributions/24.29.73.162|24.29.73.162]] 23:49, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Guys, if a new frame comes out and it's not uploaded yet, please consider uploading it yourself in the correct time slot. I'm trying to keep up, but there's always 8-hour gaps in our archives every time I go to bed. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:33, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
: I automatically download all frames as a base for my [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2169004/tide.png tide measuring script] and I've closed lots of the 8-hour gaps every day. Now at least someone else is doing it, too and I currently can't see any gaps at all. Thanks alot for the collevtive effort! --[[User:TreibAir|TreibAir]] ([[User talk:TreibAir|talk]]) 07:41, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Maybe a baby on the way? Waiting for the unknown tide to roll in (in 9 months)? {{unsigned ip|76.15.31.215}}

I think this is the last day. It's been exactly a month, they seem pretty done with it, and tomorrow's friday....On top of that, the most recent comic was the flipping of a switch on a time machine, in which, something happened, but we don't yet know what....it may be that the "Time" comic is being refreshed. ...Just a thought.... [[Special:Contributions/138.49.1.8|138.49.1.8]] 03:20, 26 April 2013 (UTC)Luke Wah
: The time machine, once switched on, reversed time to the point at which it was switched on, thus switching itself off. It doesn't seem to be connected to this. ~ Anariston

I'm still hoping they'll suddenly ride in on a tidal wave and smash the entire structure. You know, for closure. ~Pixie

I expect that from now on (Friday April 26th 2013) there will be no more story and the sea will erode the castle until nothing is left (most likely software generated). Maybe Cueball and Megan will return someday, walk to the shore, sit down and, after a while, start building a castle... Jacx [[Special:Contributions/217.81.72.248|217.81.72.248]] 11:56, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Starting at frame 895 the black started fading to white, I think. [[Special:Contributions/217.81.72.248|217.81.72.248]] 12:03, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

: Yup, You're right, it's clear when you turn on the difference feature on geekwagon [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 18:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:: I don't see any fading to white -- we're on frame 905 now and everything looks as black-and-white as usual. O.o --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 21:06, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
::Ah, ETA: I see fading now, but only after frame 910 in the Aubronwood animation. I guess it just wasn't visible on my old computer screen until now. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 16:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I agree - the water has started eroding the castle to the right, and it makes sense for the erosion to potentially loop the comic back to frame 1. That said, the title text was "wait for it". This could be a euphamism suggesting "keep waiting, this comic changes", but it does have an implication that there is a "finale" to the comic that you should wait for. Hard to tell as it's vague. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 13:54, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

The most recent event is Megan walking in, saying "bye!" in *lower case*, and leaving. From the lower case, which is different from the rest of the comic, I infer that she was talking to *us*, not (eg) herself or the sandcastle! I reckon it's just going to fill up with water until the page is a static black rectangle. Especially since she and Cueball just talked about going off and exploring, grabbed their bags, and left. -cosmogoblin [[Special:Contributions/94.197.127.235|94.197.127.235]] 13:57, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

: I suspect the small text was to show a "small voice" - talking quietly and sadly perhaps? It does look like this could be the end of the story though - the last few frames don't seem to have done much after the "fade" in frame 895 - Hippyjim [[Special:Contributions/81.136.241.157|81.136.241.157]] 15:15, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:: I agree with the small voice. The sea level is still rising, and interestingly, the sand barrier on the far right is eroding on *both sides* -- not just the seaward side, as previously. Changed properties of the sand or the sea, or both? I think the comic from here on is just going to be erosion. Entropy always wins. :( ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 18:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

::: The "both-sides" erosion is normal and realistic. If you haven't noticed, the water is on the left side of the embankment for some time already, look at the smooth horizontal line of black pixels between the rightmost castle tower and the embankment. The water just seeped through the sandy embankment and soaked it and starts to erode it. [[Special:Contributions/130.255.153.62|130.255.153.62]] 01:25, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
::::The large pile of sand never did form a barrier to the sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 06:54, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::Yes it did; Megan's first barrier worked like that, the one she built after Cueball tasted the water. It didn't let in the sea until it overflowed. That was around frame 660-663 (in the Aubronwood animation). --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 16:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::Um...that's what I said. The /large/ pile of sand didn't ever act like the /small/ barrier. :) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 18:29, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::Well, it may have been what you /thought/, but it wasn't very clear from what you /wrote/ that you were actually agreeing with me and not with the previous commenter. Sorry for misunderstanding. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 13:31, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

14:00, 26 April 2013 EDT image is http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/3d8c2ab949ba7a18e64397eec0e9860bd8ce8dd7aa0475e985a4fde4e108ea2e.png [[User:Kaori Emora|Kaori Emora]] ([[User talk:Kaori Emora|talk]]) 18:39, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

It's just about over: the picture is fading out now. [[Special:Contributions/81.246.195.216|81.246.195.216]] 22:47, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe it's just that a large moon is finally rising. That could affect the sea (and the light.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 06:54, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or did the sea/river started to rise faster since the picture started fading to white? --[[Special:Contributions/201.53.213.201|201.53.213.201]] 14:58, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:I don't think the time between frames is constant. Some consecutive frames, like the ones featuring the trebuchet (212-214), are less than a second apart.--[[Special:Contributions/70.134.72.83|70.134.72.83]] 18:51, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Does the ladder and railing look like the axis for a graph? Is this a graph of people or area affected by water rise due to global warming - as a function of time? [[Special:Contributions/174.50.74.170|174.50.74.170]] 15:58, 27 April 2013 (UTC) rbnm
:That's...a bit of a stretch. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 17:44, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I've logged the fade panels (8-bit r=g=b) by image #, where image# 895=hour 774.
895-0,896-2,901-4,906-4,907-8,908-8,909-10,910-10,911-12,912-12,913-15,915-15,916-17,
917-18,918-20,919-20,920-21,921-23,922-23,923-24,924-26,925-29,926-30,927-31,928-34,929-37
The fade appears to be accelerating. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:47, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:Someone should extract alpha channel from pics, make graph from it, and try to find functon that approximates it [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 21:26, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:I did add a line feed to the numbers because I do not like horizontal scrollbars.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:52, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

I don't have a web page to share plots, but here's the poly fit. Starting with time 774 as x=0: it's [3.6647e-4 x^3 + 2.4545e-3 x^2 + 0.5396 x + 0.4184] up to time 810. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Time 811 - the black color stayed the same at 41 (r=g=b), 812-46, 813-48, the poly is now [4.4605E-004 x^3 - 1.5824E-003 x^2 + 0.59043 x + 0.33353][[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]])

It's fading to white a lot faster now than the sea is rising. Unless something else happens, I'd say it's all white by tomorrow. So, maybe if one source of entropy doesn't get you, another will. [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 12:54, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

The fade rate poly is now [7.912739E-004 x^3 - 0.018842 x^2 + 0.794901 x + 0.09838], and is still on the same progression. At this rate, the panel hits 255 (full white) at 09:00 UTC, 4/29/13. Wait for it. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:24, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
:Do you know what the frame number will be when it hits white? Randall's pretty close to an even 1000, I'm wondering if he's engineered it to turn white for either 1000 or 1024. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 20:20, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
::I believe it'll be filed as time966.png.--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 20:52, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Beret Girl at 950! [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 18:18, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wanted to let you guys know (since you are the most hard core of 1190 fans), you can do this now [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=890&framediff=217 geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=890&framediff=217].--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:32, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Updated projection: fade to white (rgb 255) at image # 967 (10:00 UTC) [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:18, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Just an afterthought, a meteor hit directly on the sand castle would let Randall go out in a blaze of glory. I hope beret girl is OK.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:27, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Seems like the story is not going to stop with total fadeout: image is still readable, as what was black is going to be 100% transparent (and probably still black), and white is still opaque. Maybe geekwagon page owner (or someone) could add a feature of removing alpha channel? --[[User:Electrichk|Electrichk]] ([[User talk:Electrichk|talk]]) 08:47, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

The early 80s song Fade to Grey from the band Visage comes to my mind. Memories of what happened start to fade over time and get more and more pale. {{unsigned ip|213.23.38.20}}

Again, if you're awake and the frame for the current hour hasn't been uploaded yet, please upload it yourself. I am doing the brunt of the work right now, and I am not available 24/7 to get the latest frame up. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:37, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

969 (+848) ''is'' completely blank on my LCD. <strike>I also cannot see Beret Girl in (967 or) 968 corresponding to +847 that [[User:75.84.65.238]]'s [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time&diff=35521&oldid=35485 edit] suggests.</strike> I can see Beret Girl using [[Special:Contributions/192.54.204.33|192.54.204.33]]'s Paint with Black and White trick. This ''does'' include 969 which is otherwise actually monotone on my LCD, even on a great angle. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 13:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: Try viewing the comic from an extreme angle. I was able to see the Beret girl in 967+968 by tilting my screen forward on my laptop. You can't really see it otherwise. If that fails, use Photoshop or look at the diff functionality [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=968&framediff=967 here]. 969 is completely blank to me. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.185|129.21.119.185]] 13:20, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Wait, I got those numbers mixed up, I think. 968 and 969 have Beret Girl in it, you just need to view at an extreme angle to see it. 970 (+849) looks blank to me, but there's still something there. The scene uses RGB 254,254,254, which is why it doesn't appear at all on my screen. You can reveal it using the diff or a smart selection tool in Photoshop or the like. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.185|129.21.119.185]] 13:28, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: Yeah, using the diff function on geekwagon.net is probably the easiest way to see it. She seems to be dragging something (looks like a canvas?) into the scene. But I can't see frame 969 (let alone 970) on geekwagon, the last frame there seems to be 968, and it appears completely white on my monitor without the diff view. --[[Special:Contributions/186.203.199.207|186.203.199.207]] 13:46, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Just copy the image to Paint and set the image property to Black & White. All non-white (255,255,255) pixels are set to black (0,0,0) and the image is revealed. [[Special:Contributions/192.54.204.33|192.54.204.33]] 13:35, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:::NB With Chrome, copying the image from xkcd [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/44c15893fedd846f0f503a7871a7775cade2a0d90987ff9651e5c742d4cf54d8.png] or here [[:File:time970.png]] (+849) with right-click -> Copy image looses the detail. You need to get the .png into Paint for it to work. Copy image URL and Paint's File > Open will do it. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 14:10, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

OK, *now* it's completely white (as of day 36 10:00) [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 14:08, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/99d67c40662fe2db377c9f7c8d6a5b1b82566b24b7d9a665638e16b299747325.png] (972 +851:00 36/11:00) was missing for a couple of minutes... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 15:07, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And now there is an image again (frame 971/972)! Looks like slightly uneven black ground under a white sky. Wow, I really thought that was it when it faded to white. Cool cool cool. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 15:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Hmm... we gonna see a guy floating in a barrel?? -z64dan [[Special:Contributions/204.57.93.104|204.57.93.104]] 15:56, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: And now I think we're going to see that too! [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 00:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

And now we're off to see the wizard!! This is great! A comic within a comic! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:23, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

I don't see this as a comic in a comic -- I see it more as act 2 (after the fadeout of act 1, with the stage crew jumping the gun and being caught on camera heading on stage to change the set). Theoretically, this second act can be as long as the first one -- The Quest for the Source of the River/Sea. (Hmmm, that reminds me of the song "River in the Sea" from the musical Ten November, a 2 minute sample available at http://www.prudencejohnson.com/sounds/gales/River_in_the_Sea.mp3). [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 18:18, 29 April 2013 (UTC) Tom A.

:By "comic within a comic" I meant that not only do we await a new xkcd installment several times a week, but now we also have a single panel (1190) with an ongoing story. This is even better than Click and Drag! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 19:10, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wanted to say: I don't think the beret girl is a girl at all. It's a boy with an old-fashioned navy-style cap. Popular with boys at the beach (in the old days). See images here (http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x130/JTMarcus/h1.jpg) and here (http://cabinetcardgallery.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/kidwithcap_0003.jpg) I also like the fact that, just before the castle completely fades away, you can barely see the little boy bringing more materials (maybe another support beam?) to continue the work.
I like the continuity of letting the beret boy (not girl)
: Wether it's a navy cap or not may be open to interpretation (though I'd still bet it's a beret - it surely looks a lot more like the one the beret guy wears, and I think Randall would have put a little more effort into that detail if he wanted it to pass off as a navy cap). As for it being a boy, no. It's definitely a girl, you can clearly see it has a longer hair, and come to think of it, Randall rarely draws any hair at all for male characters anyway. --[[Special:Contributions/201.53.213.201|201.53.213.201]] 23:36, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

I am hoping that this "Time" somehow connects to the [http://xkcd.com/1110/ "Click and Drag"] comic i.e. when the camera zoom out far enough, we'll see that they are actually in the "Click and Drag" world. --[[Special:Contributions/98.14.191.109|98.14.191.109]] 23:59, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

:Is it just me, or should there be a category to contain both this and [http://xkcd.com/1110/ "Click and Drag"]? Should the categories "Interactive" and "Dynamic" be merged into something like "Epic" or "Nerd Sniping"?[[Special:Contributions/38.78.130.2|38.78.130.2]] 14:30, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

Odd, it looks like +861, +862, and +863 are out of order, judging by the ground not changing at all and the characters not walking continuously. I wonder if that was an accidental mistake in XKCD server's delivery of the images or if there's an actual meaning to it. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.158|129.21.63.158]] 02:17, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

During the last glacial period the sea level was more than 100 meters lower than it is nowadays, so coastal structures looked very different and the continents exposed much more land. I believe the first act of this comic references medieval ages in Europe where people would witness (over the scope of hundreds of years or longer) losing land and coastal towns to the sea but not understanding the process, as Megan states. I'm expecting the second act, and possibly further acts, to reference the abundance of scientifical discoveries made during the last few centuries. [[Special:Contributions/37.201.91.80|37.201.91.80]] 12:17, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

I could hack a little bash script on my server which uploads the current image every hour. However for this i need uploads by URL from API allowed ($wgAllowCopyUploads in LocalSettings.php). --[[User:Stummi|Stummi]] ([[User talk:Stummi|talk]]) 12:25, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Would be great if at the end of the walk, there's a band playing "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons.

It will end with image 1190, of course. [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 16:54, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Well, they've made it back to the beach. I think it will end either at 1000 or 1024, and the only reason it might go to 1024 is allow some dialog and zooming in. :-) --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 18:01, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
: I thought that too initially - the terrain features certainly seems identical (to scale) to the one at the start of the story. But something's bothering me; it's about the frame before we see they are back on a beach - they are already seated, so it's fair to assume they haven't moved, yet the terrain is different. By looking at the terrain, you could guess that maybe the terrain is inverted, which would then indicate that the frame with the beach in view is from a different angle than the previous frame. But for that to be the case, Cueball would have to be behind Megan on the previous frame, yet, their positions are unchanged on these frames. So, I don't know... I'll stop rambling now, and just wait and see, I guess... --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 18:27, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

::Well, guess it's not ending just yet :-) . The duo packed up again and they're getting out of the beach (whichever it is). --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 22:06, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Wait, what? It looks like they are suddenly back at a beach that looks the same as the first one, just zoomed out. But before when the scene was presumably inverted, the terrain didn't look quite like that. If the scene really did get inverted, maybe they aren't actually on a beach right now, but the sea will eventually expand until it reaches them. Then again, we don't know if this is the same plane of space that the original beach was either. They were just walking to the right. The concept of space in this comic is confusing me right now. I wonder if this will make sense later. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.158|129.21.63.158]] 18:41, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

But what about their knapsacks? I guess they are not going to throw them to the sea... Hope this won't end up with loop right now, it would be too disappointing --[[User:Electrichk|Electrichk]] ([[User talk:Electrichk|talk]]) 19:07, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

It appears that the camera perspective has changed. 1 - 970 are all perpendicular to the shoreline, with the water on the right, camera looking down the shore. 971-996 are shown parallel to the shore line, with the camera position apparently out over the water or standing at the shore, looking back toward land. (If the camera had maintained the original position, the characters would have simply gotten smaller as the walked away, but instead we got to see the walk across the frame while presumably following the shore.) In 997, the camera perspective just comes back around to be a profile shot again, looking down the shoreline, water once again on the right. -- [[Special:Contributions/65.183.156.9|65.183.156.9]] 19:40, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Near the end of the transcript, it says that at +847 Beret Girl drops in again, dragging something. I used Photoshop to lower the brightness, and can see about half of her head facing away from the sandcastle. She's not dragging anything. Here's my evidence: [http://i.imgur.com/7zByxrs.png] [[Special:Contributions/108.51.68.241|108.51.68.241]] 22:24, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
*Try frame +848, that's where you can see her dragging something ~Pixie

I added a section for normalized versions of the first 10 hours of day 36. If anyone wants me to add more, e.g. go back to where the fade started, I would. BTW, I used something like 'pngtopnm $i | pnmnorm | pnmtopng > $j' inside a loop. Those commands are from the NetPBM package. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 23:33, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
:You can also use Paint ^_^ [[Special:Contributions/86.29.117.25|86.29.117.25]] 17:17, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

If Randall decides to go into a loop, let's not forget he can change any single frame or create a parallel storyline from any frame he likes. [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 07:16, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

He guys, what was with the grey on I think 1008-1011? And what happened to it? It disappeared on everything.--[[Special:Contributions/108.70.209.33|108.70.209.33]] 16:23, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
Don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but from frame 998 to 1001 (sitting, side-on view), the 'water' level continues to rise.

Not sure if it has ever been brought up but has anyone noticed it says "BTC 1NEPgrUmed3VyXpqbYZom7YVJ8MozYrNWx
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close." at the bottom of every page. i could not find this algorithm anywhere else [[Special:Contributions/74.4.25.11|74.4.25.11]] 18:58, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
:That is on every comic, it has nothing to do with this one. http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=footnote look at this page on it. {{unsigned|Zuffelnok}}

Just a thought - In panel 1018 (time 897), Megan states "If we don't find something today, we'll have to start using the steam bottle." If that means they're out of water... the last update has both of them drinking water at the edge of the river. No one spit it out this time. If they refilled their water bottle at the river, it's not the source of the pollution. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:38, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
:I don't think there's pollution going on; the body of water they started at was an ocean, so it was salt water. They have come to a river, so they can now drink the fresh water.[[Special:Contributions/163.120.70.10|163.120.70.10]] 00:48, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

FWIW, you can get the normalized (non-faded) portion of the fading scene very easily with imagemagick. Assuming you have the named like image00000.png image00001.png etc.. you can get a nice animated gif from "bye" to beret girl with:
convert image008[89]?.png image009[0123456]?.png image00970.png -shave 2x2 -auto-level norm.gif
HTH [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.71|216.239.45.71]] 00:51, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Is this now a choose your own adventure? I choose 'Walk Up River'! [[Special:Contributions/162.5.71.176|162.5.71.176]] 16:27, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

Are there efforts underway to make '''3D representations of the landscape?''' [[Special:Contributions/63.153.208.177|63.153.208.177]] 18:14, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone considered connections to this already? http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_alan_parsons_project/time.html [[User:Greyhoundc|Greyhoundc]] ([[User talk:Greyhoundc|talk]]) 12:38, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

...And there we got as far as frame 1190, which several people have called as the end, and the story does not appear to be resolved at all. How long can this go on? --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 17:07, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Okay, so it didn't end with 1190. Must have misread the prophecies. [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 00:51, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

"How long can this go on? I would say a very long time. Currently, each day is filled mostly with a very few backgrounds used over several comics with only the characters moving -- not that difficult to produce -- and maybe a few lines of dialog, which also allows for the repetition of the background. He can probably keep this pace for months. It would be a bit disappointing, but possible. The strip certainly doesn't seem to be approaching any sort of conclusion. But, I think, like certain kinds of art, its the presentation that important. And he is presenting Time. -Tom A. "Time is a local condition." - wish I could remember who said that. [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 15:12, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

==Uploaders==
Can I please not be one of the only three people on this wiki uploading frames? I live a busy life, I miss some of the time slots. If you see that the frame for the current hour hasn't been uploaded yet, try clicking on the red link and uploading it yourself. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:39, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:I did sign in right now and will try to help.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:02, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::I'd really like to do so, but everytime I look, I can't find the missing ones in my cache esp due to filenames - Is there a script or sth how I can save the original .PNGs automatically to another folder when they update? [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 09:39, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:::Here's the quick hack I run every 10 minutes. I don't know what an "sth" is. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 13:11, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
<nowiki>
#!/bin/bash

j=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%j)
h=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%H)
m=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%M)
d=$(printf %.2d $((j-83)))
fakem=${m%?}0
fakef=Time-$d-$h$fakem.png
if [ ! -f $fakef ]; then m=$fakem; fi
f=Time-$d-$h$m.png
oldf=$(ls Time* | tail -1)
{ echo -n "$d/$h:$m "; wget -O $f http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png |& grep following | tr "/ " "\012\012" | grep png; } > hash.new
cmp -s $f $oldf && mv $f /tmp
oldhash=$(tail -1 hash | cut -d' ' -f2)
newhash=$(cat hash.new | cut -d' ' -f2)
[ "$oldhash" = "$newhash" ] || cat hash.new >> hash
mv hash.new /tmp
</nowiki>
::::Thank you! "sth" just reads "something" :) [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 21:31, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

All frames and hashes are automatically saved to http://xkcd.mscha.org/. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 12:53, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:WOW, that's great! [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 21:31, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

==Animated gif==
hey, can we upgrade the animated gif to a picture with a sliding bar? maybe with a play/pause button as well? this way you can jump to whatever frame you're interested in, and pause for however long you like on frames with text and such... [[Special:Contributions/81.218.146.161|81.218.146.161]] 11:40, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:Some kind soul has already made that here - http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ - not sure how well it'd drop into this wiki though [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 13:05, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::Doesn't seem to be working for me :( [[Special:Contributions/107.205.30.219|107.205.30.219]] 00:53, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

==Talk too long==
The Discussion block is pretty huge and I thing it should be removed from the main page. Maybe a link and a hint to the link at the tab on top of this article. What do you think? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:12, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:I, for one, wholeheartedly endorse this. Consensus?--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 22:02, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::Agreed. [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 08:45, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
::: And done. If any admins disagree, please revert [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 09:05, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:::: It looks great, site is loading much faster.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:03, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
::::: Thank you! After all, that's why there are talk pages in MediaWiki. --[[Special:Contributions/82.135.84.245|82.135.84.245]] 16:44, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

== Image updates ==

Is Randall playing with me? My script is collecting at 00,05,20,35,50 each hour but many times now I got this:

969:00 41/09:00 f8a6414c334a71481e16428691fe8465098b2bae956e44727d0482c7632a84ff.png

I still could get the correct update, but I have to check all downloads so far.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:41, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm seeing that, too. For myself, I'm going to filter them into a separate directory. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 22:45, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm getting ...a84ff from http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png, but the main http://xkcd.com/1190/ gives the current image. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:43, 4 May 2013 (UTC)
The 00:00 UTC (8 pm EDT) update worked. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:02, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed that the exact same identical image was re-used several times recently? If you go to http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ and tell it to show differences from frame 1090, and then start clicking forward, the following frames are all exactly the same: 1094, 1097, 1101, 1103, 1107. Looking at http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/# you can then see that 1111 and 1113 are also the same. The rapid perspective change makes the animation appear to strobe. Could this be some strange attempt to illustrate something like an earthquake, or are they just re-using frames to avoid having to draw so many? [[Special:Contributions/65.183.156.9|65.183.156.9]] 02:38, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

: As you may have read above, the server did deliver one image repeatedly, so some sites may show this image multiple times. --[[Special:Contributions/84.174.9.61|84.174.9.61]] 08:24, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

You can see it in the [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/log.txt log for geekwagon], do an in page search (ctrl+f) for f8a6414c334a71481e16428691fe8465098b2bae956e44727d0482c7632a84ff. That image is collected multiple times and causes other images to be duplicated too because the script only checks to see if the current link is different than the previous.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 13:15, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

I think what happened is that one of the three sites (107.6.97.102) started giving the same result each time. Now, I think they are down for maintenance.... --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:47, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Why are images 2816 and 2817 the same? http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2816 http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2817 [[Special:Contributions/121.72.166.59|121.72.166.59]] 21:56, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

== Hours ==
There seems to be a problem starting with today (Sunday, 2013-05-05): The first picture should be 984:00 and not 983:00. I'm not able to check if it's simply a bot (?) error writing down the hours or something more serious. --[[Special:Contributions/82.135.84.245|82.135.84.245]] 15:56, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Hour 983 on image 1104 Saturday (23:00 UTC) also appears on image 1105 Sunday (00:00 UTC). The image numbers are correct, but the hour count appears to be off by 1 hour now.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 16:34, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

: Holy shi... it's my failure. I am starting to correct this right now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:36, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

== Not all images do map to the hash ==

I did run this great command posted here before on 13 April 2013:
md5sum -b * | sort | uniq -w32 -D

Then I did rename all duplicates to image???_.png. After that I did download the hashes from here to image???.png and run the check again.

First result is easy. Files are changed so md5sum for image002_ and image002 are different but content is the same. But 004 is wrong and I will update this one.

878341ab1f710e5832aa7ed5cfa66ed7 *image002_.png
878341ab1f710e5832aa7ed5cfa66ed7 *image004_.png

I will check all carefully and post my updates at the bottom of this section.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:01, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Ok, how can I change that images? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:07, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

I found a way to updates the pictures, it's just a little bit tricky... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Next duplicate is also easy because files are still the same:
129721094a74fe94c723160991a1e704 *image427_.png
129721094a74fe94c723160991a1e704 *image429_.png
7be206b1c026b697de59e52c19f0a866 *image427.png
7be206b1c026b697de59e52c19f0a866 *image429.png

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:37, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

And new downloads from xkcd are still different on MD5 but this two files are also identical for a viewer:
6d3d9449d1df1f56547387da4259806c *image440_.png
6d3d9449d1df1f56547387da4259806c *image441_.png
827a569e5c806011f0d4d5564357e4d4 *image440.png
827a569e5c806011f0d4d5564357e4d4 *image441.png
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:41, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Same is this - only MD5 did change:
5de911984714c1ec7bf93149a5cca9b4 *image454.png
5de911984714c1ec7bf93149a5cca9b4 *image455.png
87d0de6b865fa94ab91902cddcc0af70 *image454_.png
87d0de6b865fa94ab91902cddcc0af70 *image455_.png
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:43, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

BUT NOW the problems start:
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image704_.png
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image705_.png
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image705.png
db365290ce50176dad01c0087510f513 *image703.png
db365290ce50176dad01c0087510f513 *image704.png
I did rename 704 and 705 to 704_ and 705_ and download the hashes again to the 704 and 705 names.

My old 703 is same as my new 704 which does mean we have a glitch here!!!

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:54, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

----

UPDATE LOG:

image4 is changed (again)--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

: After downloading again the pictures around 700 everything looks fine. I can not find more duplicates.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:18, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Boy, that one gave me headaches. 1236 and 1237 seem to be the same. MediaWiki doesn't like multiple images that are the same... --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 20:15, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

: I am not a boy, I am slightly older...
: But in fact 1237 is same content as 1236 and MD5 hash is also the same (not the first one) but the link HASH is different. It is maybe a new hurdle for us. I will check. Stay tuned... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:28, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

:: It seems you could fix this. Files are just identical. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:33, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

----

I just uploaded a bunch of hashes and files, there have been some errors. The hashes are now correct, but could somebody please check that the files (1410 to 1420) match the hashes? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 07:59, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

== Split the movie? ==

The page is becoming impossible to load.

I would suggest to split the movie into pieces, for instance by making a separate sub-page for each week (avoiding embarassing discussion on the most natural cutting point). Each week can have a separate description, seven-seconds animation, list of 7x24 pictures etc, and a link to the following and previous weeks.

Any objection / comment / suggestion ? [[User:Biem|Biem]] ([[User talk:Biem|talk]]) 05:16, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

:My only suggestion would be give it larger segments. I don't think it needs to be as small as a week - after all, it loaded fine for a very long time. Maybe approx. half a scene each? Scene 1 is 971 frames long, so how about split at 500, at 971, and again at 1500 (when it gets there)? [[Special:Contributions/24.129.75.17|24.129.75.17]] 08:12, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
::It's one and a half megabytes. The biggest issue here probably is the anemic servers that managed to struggle and crash even when that animation was just a static png and the page itself was only a few lines long. When the image starts clocking in at ~4-5 megabytes, it'll probably get to be a proper problem for those on poor connections, but we're not quite there yet. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:36, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
:I suggest pushing the hashes off onto their own page(s). That's 80% of the page's text right there. (Seriously. Click 'edit' on the main page and scroll.) At the very least, we could archive March and April. As more hashes are added, we archive the older ones. Maybe just constantly leave a week's worth of hashes on the main page? --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 15:18, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
::Examine [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Time: The Table]] '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:22, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
Here is a possible breackdown structure where sequences are ~130 pictures long : (number of frames / Start frame number))

Part 1 : Sand Castles
(127) 001: First sand castle
(105) 128 : Second sand castle (180) and Catapulte
(090) 233 : Joining castles
(100) 323 : Miniature castle
(116) 423 : Scaffold
(131) 539 : Plattform
(132) 670 : Fourth castle
(173) 802 : Sea rising & fade out
Part 2 : Wildernesses
(150) 975 : Seashore
(100) 1125 : Rivershore
(115) 1225 – : Hills
(087) 1340 - 1363 – 1379 : Trees
(124) 1427 : Baobabs
1551 – 1581 Berries
1619 – Squirrel
1640 Berries
Suggestions that can be discussed :
* Sequences should be 100-150 pictures long (with possible exceptions).
* Even if the image is not that big, the length of the movie can be a problem when one wants to check for details : short sequences allow for a slower pace.
* Good cutting points would be : two consecutive identical pictures, changes of scenery. Sequences with the same theme should on the contrary be kept together when possible.
[[User:Biem|Biem]] ([[User talk:Biem|talk]]) 09:13, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

== What is the sea? ==

It doesn't have to be an "ocean." Consider the Aral Sea. The Dead Sea. Our "sea" doesn't have any surf, apparently. Frame 1187: "I wonder if it's ''possible'' to swim in." Our characters don't know whether you can swim in a river? Have they never seen fresh water deep enough for swimming? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 13:26, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

:This is not real life. And they know it's not real life. Maybe they are in some sort of Matrix and know about it, or they are playing a video game. They've seen in developers' blog that devs are working on a lot of new features for version 0.19, such as improved sand physics, multiple rivers, rain, salty water, trebuchets, swimming, surf, etc. But then developers decided to release part of these features in version 0.19, and leave the rest for 0.20. When Cueball an Megan saw that version 0.19 is out, they immediately decided to try it out, without even looking at the changelog. So they don't know which features made it into this version, and which ones will be in the next one. So far they have played around with new sand physics and trebuchets, tried swimming in the sea, tried to drink sea water, found a new river. They haven't seen any surf, so they think it'll be in 0.20. They have yet to try swimming in a river, or see the rain. They have also found a bug that causes sea level to raise indefinitely. They think it could be caused either by rain, additional rivers, or just by a griefer who built a giant sand generator array to fill in the sea and flood everything. Oh, and they can't just create a new private world to see if the sea raises there, because of the DRM.
:Did I miss anything? --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 17:37, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

::Yes! I see it all now! Beret girl is the griefer! [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 01:01, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

:::I think it was black hat. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:54, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

:It looks like they've also added bird (sic). --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:30, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

Swimming in a river is dangerous if there's a strong current. Even slow moving water has a lot of power. The sea could be the ocean, connected to the ocean, or one of the large bodies of water referred to as a sea. Enjoy the comic and have fun second guessing Randall.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:17, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

We know: "The sea is big" and "The river is small".

But we also know about the sea: There are no waves. It's just rising. So it is not an ocean, it's just a lake. Many people say "sea" to a lake when they can not see the other side.

And we know their home river is small. But right now they explore a different bigger river.

We know it's not summer so maybe it is spring and the river is rising like every year?

Cueball and Megan will find out, but we have to Wait For It!

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:38, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Both characters have slept occasionally but never at the same time. There has been no depiction of night (unless the fade counts as one.) Hmm... [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:21, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

: It seems we are still at day one. Building castles in the morning and exploring their environment after that. But you are right, they have to sleep and I do fear about many DARK pictures...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:50, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed that when the camera zooms out to show the other side of the river/see the middle island just becomes smaller, but the '''distance''' between Cueball / Magan and the middle island stays the same? --[[User:FG|FG]] ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 15:0, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

It seems like the two river halves (or two rivers) merge as Megan and Cueball hike upstream. New point: I joined all the images covering their journey since image 1150 (last stop for water). it spans 18204 pixels. Assuming Cueball is 6 feet tall (wild guess + it's an even number), they have now hiked a total of 0.517 miles (83228.7 cm) from image 1150.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:32, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

Considering the elaborate and fragile sand castles, the one- and two-person construction of the platform and its castle components, and maybe the latest antics at the top of the dunes, it appears that gravity is not Earth-normal. Or perhaps the law of gravitation is not our-universe-normal. (No reason it should be, of course.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:11, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

== Archive ==

Since this 1190 will never end, will it? I think we need some archive sites.

First could be "1190 Time Images 2013-03 March" (<- I am calling this human readable ISO)
So, if you understand, each month of picture links and hashes on a separate page.

Next would be "1190 Time Images 2013-04 April"

And a few months from now we also have to do this for the "Transcript".

What do you think? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:46, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
:If this comic goes on forever, maybe. For now, we could probably compact the page by grouping the frames from each month into wider tables and scrapping their hashes. The hashes are really only useful for checking that we got the images right, so they're kinda useless for the really old ones. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:05, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

::Since we do not know if there is anything hidden in the hashes we still should save them here. But past months could be moved into a different page.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::They're hashes, I'm pretty sure there isn't anything hidden in the arrangement of letters and numbers. If there was, the xkcd forums would have been all over it long ago. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:44, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::: Maybe you are right but they are still the original file names on xkcd.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:53, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::::We don't carry the original Click and Drag filenames on this wiki; the filenames of parts of large comics don't carry anything of value to people visiting the wiki. They only really help with cross-checking images with the originals to make sure we didn't mess up anywhere, and we've already done that to death for the earlier images - so the hashes for earlier images no longer hold much value. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:02, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::Don't shout at me. I am just thinking about archiving past months to different pages. The current month should stay on the main page. I am new here and so I am doing not that edit until I get some agreements. But we should save ALL here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:22, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::::::I wasn't shouting, there is no need to bring ad hominem into this discussion. There are a number of solutions available here; we could tabulate frames per month as per [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Time:_The_Table|this neglected post]], offload prior months to other pages, or scrap old hashes to cut a large portion of the article's body text. Each solution will lead to degradation of the explanation, splitting the article will force multiple page loads while removing the hash values will be destroying part of the metadata around the comic. Ideally, we wouldn't have to make the split at all, but speed considerations mean that we eventually will have to do it. In that eventuality, all we can do is the thing that degrades the explanation for the average visitor the least. What do visitors care more about, faster load times/having all the frames on one page or having 1000-odd incomprehensible and meaningless hash values? We don't display the individual filenames for Click and Drag even though they were more informative than the hashes here, because they hold little value to visitors; they only take up space that could be used to further enhance the explanation. Pure archival without curation is what other websites do, not a wiki with the intended goal of making xkcd accessible. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:56, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::::IMHO having all of the images here is as useless as having hashes: most people use aubronwood or geekwagon anyways. To decrease loading times, I'd suggest to do 2 things:
::::::::#Move all tables to a new page.
::::::::#Replace the animated gif with a static gif (possibly latest frame?) that links to the animated gif.--[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:15, 13 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::::I think if we are to keep the hashes at all, they should appear on the description pages for each image. There's no reason for them to be on the comic page. [[User:Skiasaurus|Skiasaurus]] ([[User talk:Skiasaurus|talk]]) 23:09, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

== Prediction ==

Does anyone else see the last frame (whenever it may be), have the ability to connect to the first, thus creating a cycle? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 22:14, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

:No reason it couldn't, but it seems premature. Early days yet. What's Beret Girl up to? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 15:15, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

My only prediction is: We will see what did happen to that castles and we will see that Beret Girl again. Wait for it!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

My theory: Based on the frames don't change much; Randell is an expert at creating xkcd frames; he only needs 24 per day to keep going; and we have no idea how long he's been preparing for this. It could last forever.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:42, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:It will not last forever. But it seems it will still last for a long time. Wait for it!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::Forever is a big speculation. A more realistic speculation would be "as long as the Internet."--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:41, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

You realize that what we've seen so far is what the beginning of a comic that goes on forever looks like :-) Tom A. ("I don't want to be immortal through my art! I want to be immortal by not dying." - Woody Allen.) [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 14:20, 13 May 2013 (UTC)
:Perhaps yesterday's bird was a hint at today's comic. Or he had dinosaurs on the brain. (Don't we all?) [[User:ChozoBoy|ChozoBoy]] ([[User talk:ChozoBoy|talk]]) 14:57, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

So Cueball and Megan seem to entering a region with much more vegetation. Up until now I had assumed that the previous regions had vegetation as well but Randall just hadn't bothered drawing it (such detail is rare in XKCD). So what does presence of vegetation mean? More rainfall? Higher elevation? Also how far have Cueball and Megan travelled? I don't think the frames are necessarily contiguous - if this was a movie we'd have background music to go with the images. They could have been travelling for days or weeks - I definitely don't think it is still the same day as the start of Act II. I suppose 'time' will tell. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 17:13, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

The yawn suggests that they haven't slept yet, so quite possibly the same day. Also interesting that they seem to treat first the small bush and now the tree as worthy of notice -- were there no trees where they lived? [[Special:Contributions/173.228.6.11|173.228.6.11]] 06:36, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

The current frame (1355) looks remarkably similar to the area at left hand edge of XKCD 1110 (Click and Drag), which also features the same two characters discussing how they've walked "pretty far". I wonder how much of a coincidence this is. [[Special:Contributions/82.69.211.1|82.69.211.1]] 11:46, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:http://xkcd-map.rent-a-geek.de/#10/1.3189/-92.1423
:http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1355
:--[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:28, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Hmm, and despite the overall journey feeling epic, didn't someone calculate the distance travelled (calculated via Cueball units) to be only a mile or two? [[Special:Contributions/99.123.5.106|99.123.5.106]] 01:48, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone has an explanation for the change from frame 1360 to 1361? --[[User:FG|FG]] ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 10:41, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
: I thought the transition from 1359 -> 1360 was even more 'abrupt' than the transition from 1360 - > 1361 (in fact my first thought was that 1360 was out-of-order or some other 'mistake'). But from subsequent frames it has become clear that Cueball wandered off and explored the area on his own while Megan was sleeping. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:56, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
::I think [1359:1362] looks similar to [1097:1120]. Probably Cueball was just walking perpendicularly to the image. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:13, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Here's another example of the slightly 'strange' way of talking: "I'm surprised we haven't been seen by any people yet". Wouldn't most people say: "I'm surprised we haven't seen any people yet"? So who are 'people'? Are 'people' somehow invisible to both Cueball and Megan? Are 'people' a threat? Have 'people' also moved on because of the rising sea level? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 19:25, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
: Speaking of strange phrases, for them to say that tree "probably knows what it is doing" is rather odd. Are they in a world where trees have consciousness, or are they just deeply confused? [[Special:Contributions/66.193.253.212|66.193.253.212]] 18:45, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

The latest frame (1506) has two trees. They are almost certainly baobab trees. There are 8 species of baobab tree, but of those 8, 6 are endemic to the island of Madagascar, including the species which the trees in the comic most resemble, the Grandidier baobab. Even if they are not one of the six species endemic to Madagascar, the fact that they are baobabs still limits them to the continent of Africa, the countries of Oman and Yemen, and northwestern Australia. This means that the big sea, if it is an ocean, is most likely the Indian Ocean. [[Special:Contributions/76.92.118.150|76.92.118.150]] 18:30, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
:I think we are just at a fantasy world. And Randall is working against every prediction done here or at some forums. We only have to "Wait for it!".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:07, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone else agree that frames 1485 through 1487 are exactly identical? Just a glitch somewhere?[[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 01:56, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

:Yeah, not only the pixels, but also the files' checksums are exactly the same. Checked it twice. --[[Special:Contributions/83.243.48.2|83.243.48.2]] 08:57, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

== Map ==

Sóme hardcores made a map of The One True Comic: http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.svg
Including in on main page could be a good idea [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 06:58, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:Why does it say "Flatland" instead of "flatland"? Most other labels are lowercase. Is it a reference to Edwin Abbott's Flatland? Or am I just overthinking a typo?

This map is a great job and when we do know that this is correct we have include it here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:51, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Map URL has changed (old URL displays link to new URLs). New map links: [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php JavaScript version] and [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php?js=no non-JS version] - [[User:Acrisius|Acrisius]] ([[User talk:Acrisius|talk]]) 13:37, 28 May 2013 (UTC)
:I did fix the links and also at the main page.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:20, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

"Description: The allocated data traffic of the hosting account for this website has been exceeded and the website is temporarily suspended"
Maybe we should host the map here on the wiki? --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 20:14, 30 May 2013 (UTC)
:No, this map is funny but still not validated. Help me to collect some facts at the bottom here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:30, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

Where did the map go? I'm getting "...does not exist or cannot be displayed" Does your page have an error? Or are you having hosting issues?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:36, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

(Gerry, are you making this comment after following the "New map links: [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php JavaScript version] and [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php?js=no non-JS version]" links given? Those work for me, at this time of editing, and got those links presented to me when going to the original URI with the SVG extension.)

Regarding the accuracy, I imagine Randall may have used a data model of countoured landscape (1D ''or'' 2D, plus height) to auto-generate the scrolling/panning/rotating scenery base prior to decorating with figures/etc, but whether there's enough information to fully back-derive such a map from the ever-changing landscape I couldn't say. I assume assumptions, at the very least, and maybe some inventiveness on the part of any given interpreter. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.124.195|178.98.124.195]] 19:42, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:(Yes, I had been using the new links. As I later found out it was after their monthly server allotment had been exhausted. It started working again June 1.)--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 03:35, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

== Words of Randall ==

Has Randall ever said anything in the past 2 months pertaining to this comic? Better yet, has anyone ever tried to ask him? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 05:18, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

:NO--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:53, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

== Simple English ==
Conversation is in "Simple English". I am not native English but I think we should mention this. Am I wrong?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:57, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
:I'm not aware of a distinction between "Simple" and regular English, at least in the USA. I ''think'' it's just something they use for teaching non-native speakers. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 00:32, 18 May 2013 (UTC)
::"Simple English" isn't a special dialect or anything, but the conversation definitely has a simple, almost naive, style. Lots of single-syllable vocabulary without much Latin-derived flowery or "sophisticated" words. I counted 27 three-syllable words and one four-syllable word in the entire dialog, scenes 1 and 2 combined. They don't seem to have a name for "sand dunes." They talked about a river being "broken." They are very playful, mature but child-like. It gives the story a kind of alien feel. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:27, 18 May 2013 (UTC)
:I think the OP is referring to Basic English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_English [[Special:Contributions/198.102.153.1|198.102.153.1]] 22:55, 22 May 2013 (UTC)
Similar to the xkcd explaining the Saturn V rocket in simple english.[[Special:Contributions/173.49.75.137|173.49.75.137]] 03:57, 20 May 2013 (UTC)

I did mean "Simple English" as Randall did mention before, not only here [[Up Goer Five]]. Look at this WIKI for [http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Simple English Wiki]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:09, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

== Are We Lost Yet? ==
http://xkcd.com/170/ {{unsigned|66.162.182.66}}

== Big trees ==
A great guy at the xkcd forum did identify the big trees starting at frame 1503 (1382:00 hours). They belong to Madagascar and their name is {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}}. But also a few of them do exist in the US. So I am still not sure where we are.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:11, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

::One of the little asteroid-planets from The Little Prince?
::"Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince; and these were the seeds of the baobab. The soil of that planet was infested with them. A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late. It spreads over the entire planet. It bores clear through it with its roots. And if the planet is too small, and the baobabs are too many, they split it in pieces..." [[Special:Contributions/69.123.166.176|69.123.166.176]] 00:20, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

:Looks like we have grapevines now, or something like them, with man-made trellising. [[Special:Contributions/12.153.137.82|12.153.137.82]] 21:47, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

== A hypothesis ==
Randall's animation is taking place in a distant, post-collapse future ("distant" is relative, here-- say sometime in the next few hundred years, though possibly much further): human civilization is back at a late-Iron Age stage of development, though maybe with slightly more sophisticated metallurgy. The reasons I suggest this are: 1) rising sea-level that is on-going, 2) they can work wood and they have agriculture, 3) they have shown no awareness of any more "advanced" technology, 4) yet they have no qualms about wandering off into the wilderness without what most of us would consider adequate protection.

The one reason I might think it's farther into the future is the bit with the trees. I can't decide if their shape is a consequence of evolution (convergent, so that they are very similar to the {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}}), or they were transplanted (presumably to somewhere south? Higher altitude? Both? Antarctica?). Evolution would imply deeper in the future, and transplantation could be sooner.

I'm really interested to see what the truth is, because it's got me thinking along all kinds of planes.[[Special:Contributions/184.99.231.23|184.99.231.23]] 21:38, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

== Stuck Again ==

Randall seems to be stuck at hour 1524 (image number 1545), at 20:00 UTC we now have 5 copies of the same empty image with half a vineyard with no end in sight.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:31, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
:No, files are still different, even when you can't see it. File sizes did change and also md5sum. But I did not check the small changes visual right now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:47, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::Use "Previous Frame Difference" on geekwagon, you can see a line of pixels that differ. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 20:50, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
:::I wonder if the squirrel is following her...--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 21:27, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::::Me too, but I am hoping Megan will get a pet. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:30, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
I see the streak. I expected the squirrel to follow her. Geekwagon showed it, so did Photoshop.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:07, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
: It's probably the squirrel, though the frame difference visual made me go "snake! snake in the grass!" [[Special:Contributions/173.228.6.189|173.228.6.189]] 22:14, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::It's still fun. Will Megan get at pet? A chary Squirrel? I am still tuned. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:24, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1647&framediff=1646--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 01:35, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

The squirrel appears to be in the tree the first time Megan & Cueball walk by in image numbers 1582 & 1583. http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1583&framediff=1582 [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:05, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

New clue, image 1692 - "Still, it's better than when we were following the sea, walking straight into the sun all morning." Walking east along the sea, it places them on the south side of anything. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:23, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

This may be more speculation than not, but the two turned north to follow the river and are now walking on a heading somewhere between NE and NW, which puts them in the northern hemisphere if they can see their shadow in front of them. This is also confusing since there aren't many Grandidier's Baobab trees there [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia_grandidieri].[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:46, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

I agree that these orientations are plausible from the dialog in the strip, but remember, we're already pretty certain that they're not in the same universe as us, so we may not be able to assume that the sun rises in the east. There's no evidence to demonstrate that their world rotates west-to-east like ours does, but there's no evidence that it doesn't, either. Let's at least remember the possibility that all of these directions are reversed from what our current theory states. [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 18:24, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

At least this time we know it's a snake. In image 1738 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1738] the curled snake is fully visible, complete with a raised head and tail. At 2 pixels high, details are a little sketchy.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 17:06, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

== The Planting People ==

So what do we know about them? They've been gone a while, long enough for Cueball to believe it was fine to take grapes. But they haven't been gone for a long time, because we've seen a staked sapling that is likely only a year or two old. They have vineyards and what look to be orchards. They appear to use tents, at least the frame we saw looked to be tied together at the top to form a teepee frame. They are sophisticated enough to do things like put benches next to trees, so they aren't subsistence farmers. Anything else? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 18:14, 28 May 2013 (UTC)
: Forgot a couple of things, they have what is possibly writing (are Cueball and Megan illiterate?), and it's different than that of the Hill People, but their debris appears to look the same.

They appear to be either hunter-gatherers or have abandoned the area (for some reason - why?). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomadic] "Many groups of 'nomadic' hunter-gatherers (also known as foragers) moved from campsite to campsite, following game and wild fruits and vegetables." We have seen three campsites; Cueball burried the embers from their fire (see image 1048 & 1062-1064 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1064]). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:22, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

:I did wonder about some kind of seasonal movement, but if so it's odd that they left the teepee to collapse (and be damaged, one of the supports is visibly cracked) rather than taking the materials with them or storing them more neatly. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 17:44, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Go to a vineyard in late summer or early autumn, you will not see the "The Planting People". We only know that we are at this particular season because they can eat grapes from that plants and before they could swim in the sea. And both are following the sun in the morning, witch does mean they are walking East. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:28, 29 May 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, but you will see the Harvesting People if the grapes are ripe, and they apparently are. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:28, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

Finally seeing where all the wood came from -- stumps everywhere. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:28, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

== What do we know by the end of May 2013? ==
I'm trying to collect some facts:
:-They did build a sand castle and the weather was warm enough to swim in the sea. The taste of the water is bad, and the sea is raising.
:-Then both are trying to find a reason for that raise and they are starting to travel around this special river.
:-They are still going uphill while we never have seen that mountains.
:-Eating grapes from a vineyard means we are at least at late summer.
:-Walking to the sun in the morning is just walking to the east.
Two month's in this comic and we really do not know much more. Stay tuned, wait for it. We do not know much more essentials. Does Randall?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:43, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

They are also apparently now heading west, or mostly west. Their shadows are in front of them, and while that could be west in the morning or east in the evening, they are contrasting it with walking into the sun in the morning as they were along the shore, so it's west. Presumably they were walking mostly north until the decision to head for the mountains, since Cueball has just started playing with his shadow. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 00:50, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

:OK, but they are walking to the sun in the morning. That's east (on northern hemisphere, I still do not think we are at Madagascar). So we do have an other fact:
:-Around time frame 1700 it's evening.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:07, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

:-If you walk into the sun, you are walking east.
:-They then turned to their left to go upriver. That's would be going north.
:-If you are above the tropics, your shadow will always lay to the north of you.
:-Megan says what they're doing is better than when they had to walk into the sun, and it's been established that they walked along the sea for days, so they'd be familiar with walking with the sun directly behind them, too. If they were now walking west, it would pretty much be the same situation, except reversed. It doesn't really make sense to me that she'd call one situation better than the other. It feels more like they aren't walking into the sun ''at all'' anymore. Therefore, I think they are now keeping the sun relatively behind them by going north, which indicates they are north of the equator, and probably north of the Tropic of Cancer. Even at noon, the sun would be behind you slightly, to the south. And if you're walking uphill, it would be very visible to you.
:--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 01:23, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

They are moving East as Megan did explain. When they can see their shadows in front of them it's just evening, the sun is now behind them. What tells me that Day One is coming to an end. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:59, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:They did mention that that had been walking for days, so who knows how many days it's been.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 21:45, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

Does [http://what-if.xkcd.com/48/ today's "What If"] give a clue to the current year? Unless it's been "fixed", it says "two hundred years from now, in April of 2432". :-) [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 13:34, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

== Map exceeding bandwidth ==

The map here seems to be failing due to excessive bandwidth: http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php

I might be able to help with some bandwidth. If you know who is doing this and they can get in touch with me,(I'm [http://twitter.com/sevitz @sevitz] on twitter or via here) I might be able to help depending on BW requirements.

[[User:Sevitz|Sevitz]] ([[User talk:Sevitz|talk]]) 06:59, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

:This map is incorrect but still a great fun. They are walking west in the evening, not north. But I am also sure the site will be back soon.
:Nevertheless, if you can help here you are welcome! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:08, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
::No, their shadows are in front of them, so they are either walking west in the morning or east in the evening. Since they were comparing it favorably with their experience of walking east in the morning along the sea shore, they therefore must be going west (or mostly west) currently. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:29, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
:::Also, they've probably turned away from the river, since Cueball thought it important to refill the water bottle before heading for the mountains. So, east along the seashore, north along the river, then west towards the mountains. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:33, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

== Snake Theories ==

Megan mentions snakes with spikes over their eyes. That covers several species, all poisonous, but they are native to the American west and southwest, Mexico, Central America, north Africa and the Middle East. The snake that Cueball finds might be a {{w|Anguis fragilis|slow-worm}}, a limbless reptile native to Eurasia. It's shiny, brown, has a blunt head, and can shed its tail like a lizard, which might give it a half-finished look if Cueball saw it that way. But a stronger contender is the {{w|rubber boa}}, which is native to the western US, and has a famously stubby head and tail.

This makes me think of one area: The {{w|Great Salt Lake}}. The {{w|Bear River (Utah)|Bear River}} empties into it from a northerly direction, and the area has the rubber boa and at least one type of poisonous horned snake. Native Americans of the area even had legends of the Horned Serpent. And that ''had'' to be a teepee we saw earlier. (I don't think Native Americans had trebuchets or berets, though....) --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 01:59, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:(...Except, unless they built a salt castle, it's more likely to be in a place with considerably more sand.)[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 19:32, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
::The Great Salt Lake makes sense unless this comic does not belong to our real world. We just have to find this {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}} trees or something similar at Utah. And this lake has beaches of sand, ok salty sand.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:44, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

The snake also seems to appear in frames 1645 to 1651 http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1645&framediff=1644 {{unsigned|Flying Djinn}}

== Follower? ==

Megan is looking back sometimes since a few frames... May she has the feeling that someone is following them? People from the hills? The squirrel? -- [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 18:08, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, Megan is looking at something. But what it is we just do not know. Wait for it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:48, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
::Perhaps it's Beret Girl? She's the only other human we've seen so far. [[Special:Contributions/94.170.131.19|94.170.131.19]] 21:33, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:::It's just the sea, they must be high in the mountains. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:05, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

We've got chicks, and not the first time: In image 1830-1831 Megan says "I heard chirps from the night sky once. I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping. - It was very quiet. - just a single chirp now and then." They were sleeping under a tree around image 1354, a bird flies overhead, later Cueball takes a walk. We can see some chicks at the end of his walk at images 1374-1376 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1375&framediff=1374]. It just took me a while to figure out what it was.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:35, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

Take a closer look; there's some kind of wisp hanging out in some of the empty frames and the ones Megan's looking back in. It's only about a pixel wide, but a few long; broken up, serpentine, almost ethereal.

In the hut scene (June 20) there seems to be something large moving in the bushes next to the fence. There was also something something poking in on the left back by the cairn (a few frames back). [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 18:18, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:I've been keeping a log of Hidden Animals in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures 1190: Time: Pictures]. The first one you saw is likely a bird. There's a chick moving around in the grass. The recent scene (frame numbers 2214-2225) is a swarm (bugs?) that came in from the left and moved into the bush. Use this [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2225&framediff=2224 Geekwagon Link] to view the hidden images. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:29, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

"--LOOK OUT!" I rest my case. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 21:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:A big cat! Puma, Mountain Lion... who can tell, at least it wasn't a Velociraptor (there's 2 in Click and Drag). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:34, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
::Looks too small for either a mountain lion or a puma. Could be a cub, perhaps. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Now either that's a pet cat or this just got less PG. Also, the thing that showed up by the cairn is the right height for a nose. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:06, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:I agree. If there's real danger, why does Megan just sit there? [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:13, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

== Aubronwood problem ==

Has anyone noticed that the aubronwood site only seems to show every other frame after a certain point? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 15:52, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, it looks buggy. I'm always using my own downloads and this [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon].--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:11, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
::Noticed the same. Looks like the left and right arrow keys don't work after a certain point, but the up and down arrow keys and the mouse wheel continue to work correctly. -- [[Special:Contributions/205.171.58.158|205.171.58.158]] 17:36, 14 June 2013 (UTC)
::I found that if I hit "Slower" when this happens, it returns to single frame navigation with arrow keys.
::If you click on the slider at the bottom of the page, left and right keys then move it one pixel, which is currently 2 images. If you click on the comic to move focus there, arrow keys work correctly

== Elevation? ==

The elevation map on the edfel map hasn't been updated in ages, and I'd like to see how high up they are now. Anyone else found one anywhere? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:31, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
:You are right and we need a proper map on this like the water level before. I will try this soon, maybe tomorrow.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:48, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

:I've been mapping the journey from the start, piecing each segment end-to-end in Photoshop. There is no significant net elevation change until they started following the river. The net elevation change from image #1150 to now (#1818) is 1402 pixels = 210.2 feet (assuming a 40 px average height of Cueball and using 40 px = 6 feet). However, since this is a comic, one may assume a greater height than that actually depicted. The horizontal distance along the same river walk is 59516 pixels = 8927.4 feet (1.7 mi, 2.7 km). I don't have the distances along the sea. The average speed, using 1 hr/frame update, is 0.0025 mph, 0.0041 kph (at 5 min/frame update the speed increases to 0.0304 mph). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:07, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

== What do we know by the beginning of June? ==
:- thanks to [[User:Galois|Galois]] we do know they did travel around 3 km (NASA is getting better on this metric units).
:- thanks to [[User:Galois|Galois]] we do know they did climb approx. 65 meters (maybe slightly more because 6 feet or 1.8288 meters for Cueball is maybe a little bit too much).
:- they are still in real nature, the most technical devices we have seen is just wood.
:- but they also did cross a road at the beginning of their travel.
:- now both are heading uphill while the mountains still far away.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:11, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

I'd like to think Cueball is shorter, I used 6 ft because it's convenient and yields longer distances. The tallest Baobob tree is 516 px (rescaled to the running comic) = 77.4 ft (23.6 m) using a 6 ft Cueball. Note that using a 5.5 ft (1.7 m) Cueball, the tree drops to 71 ft (21.6 m). The Wikipedia page [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia_grandidieri] on the Grandidier's baobab states they can reach 25 to 30 m (80-100 ft) in height, 23.6 m is about right. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:40, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't follow this as religously as others so maybe I missed the obvious answer, but why is it assumed that we have seen all of the way they went? I alway thought the parts where they are hiking is like a "montage" in film, where lots of parts might be missing in between the snapshots we see. {{unsigned|193.171.69.65|05:58, 6 June 2013}}

(please sign your posts - don't worry, we're all here out of a mutual enjoyment of the xkcd comics) Actually, I looked into the possibility a while back, but it didn't work. Randall runs 3-5 frame updates with the two walking across the same panel. As they leave one panel on the right, they enter the next on the left (and visa-verse for the trip back to the sunken castle). Additionally, I only came across three panels that didn't adjoin perfectly (one in the sand dunes and two trees that didn't continue into the next panel). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 11:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

== Image reference from late on the 67th day ==

At about 22:35 on the 67th day, the image reference "6fa2b361791e805aac0a89008a891e3999a0519ed870c1bc3dcc8dbff5e071d5.png" appeared for a time. It was after "f4e2276e4c47409412666b28be0cca75fedae3c182c4017932891c147004c720.png", followed by a few more of that reference and then by "133fddaecbdee3f5160771b68ce02cbc2b4b1c84a40faffb1bcaa6f75588edd0.png". At the time, I did not get a copy of the image, and it is not now available for download.
Did anybody else see this image, and does anybody have a copy of it?
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
:I am also confused, my download was also broken at that hour. 404 Not found.
:It is at 1606:00 or image 1727 - still more confusing numbers. Randall could not do it much better.
:And "http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/6fa2b361791e805aac0a89008a891e3999a0519ed870c1bc3dcc8dbff5e071d5.png" is still 404...
:So, we have an image here, but is it correct?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:48, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

My image number 1728 is 133fddaecbdee3f5160771b68ce02cbc2b4b1c84a40faffb1bcaa6f75588edd0.png. The image fits properly in sequence with the other images around it. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:32, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

OK, apparently it was completely broken at that time. I just felt I needed to ask, since I wasn't downloading actual images at that time, just the references, and so I have a broken reference in my list. --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 02:03, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

== Pictures and Time Collage ==
I opened a new page for the pictures: [[1190: Time: Pictures]]. It's experimental and subject to (wiki-style collaborative) change. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

:I think "Cueball Walk images 1360-1378" is wrong. It looks more like if Cueball was walking perpendicularly to the image. [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:03, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

::That's the way it was drawn. While Megan is still sleeping, Cueball takes a walk, gathers some berries, stops several times to look around, and then walks back to the tree. The walk and the tree scene probably don't connect directly. It appears that Cueball arises from under the tree, turns (left) away from the "camera" (frankly, I can't tell he is walking towards us or away from us... only Megan has hair, which tells us which way), and starts his walk. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Nice work Galois! How we can show this pictures at the comic page? Maybe with a smaller preview for a link to to the full size picture with a warning about this. But also I think it should be at a different page. Any ideas?--Dgbrt (talk) 20:26, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

: Good point! I took your advice. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:42, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Also posted at [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]):
Thumbnails are not working at this moment. But nevertheless I think it's not a good idea to include that large pictures. My idea:
:Create that big pictures, separated into some parts, remove Megan and Cueball and then change only the width to 1200 pixels. And one picture should cover all at the width of 1200 pixels. Scene 2 could be split into several collapsible parts with the terrain picture on top. Just an idea, what do you think?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:59, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

== Megan and Cueball sleeping deep for the first time ==
Maybe they will be disturbed by some flies or other animals, but now it's night... They will sleep because the first day is over. Good night!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:27, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
:This is not the end of the first day. According to frame 1600 they walked along the sea for days. If the later timeline is similar then they've walked up the river for days as well.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 23:55, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
::At frame 1600 Cueball says that they "walked along the sea for days". But at this comic they are walking along the river, the travel at the sea must happend before. Since they are walking again it seems both are sleepless.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:31, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:They also slept under the tree in images 1348-1352, Megan talked about that night in 1830-1832 (time 1709:00) "Megan: I heard chirps from the night sky once. I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping. - It was very quiet. - just a single chirp now and then. Cueball: Did you see anything? Megan: I thought a few stars flicker. - Nothing else." [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:40, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::The story from time 1709:00 also refers to things did happen before this comic did start.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:31, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::I agree too, but not this time... there is a chick in the grass in the scene next to the tree where they slept. See {{geekwagon|1375|1374}} or "Chick in grass 1375" in 1190: Time: Pictures [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures] in the Hidden Animals section. The same type of chick was right in front them in time 1709:00 (see "Chick in grass 1826"). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:58, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

They're coming back... in {{geekwagon|1928}} we can see the two heading off following the small river with their knapsacks (or rucksacks) left behind by the tree where they slept. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:09, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

Journey update: As of (right edge of) image 2103, they climbed 1290 pixels or 193.5 ft (59 m) from the place the two slept by the small river (image 1908). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:30, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

== Philosophical implications ==

I think the huge following that this comic has gathered - the amount of work by people like Aubron Wood and the guys at geekwagon, explainxkcd editors, general xkcd enthusiasts, the people at XKCD time wiki - raises some interesting questions. At this point we're not even clear how Randall is writing these comics: he may have designed them all from the start, or he may be writing 24 a day, going along with it, according to the natural progression of events and what has led up to now. It has interesting parallels with the {{w|design argument}}. It also makes you wonder about how it's all going to end. There are so many ongoing discussions - and have been from the start - about how the comic is going to conclude. Just as in real life we take so many different roads and never really know where we're going to end up. If we're continuing with the religious theme we could extend the metaphor even further, about what happens after we die. We don't know if we're going to just stop existing or if we're going to end up in some elaborate afterlife. We don't know what Randall's going to do - how long will the comic go on? Could it last his entire lifetime? We have no way of knowing. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 14:05, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

I believe Randall is writing this as it goes along, preparing the scenes only a little bit in advance. The story (quest?) reads more like a series of isolated vignettes, but with a few themes being carried forward, such as the quest for the source of the rising sea. I'm here in homage to Randall's unique wit and humor, and having fun trying to second guess what he'll do next. I don't believe the setting is an actual place, but we have several clues that limit its location. I see this as a collection of disparate objects and events; some go together, some not, but with some running themes. Randall may be making some points (such as conservation, ecology, and not eating squirrels); although, I would have never filled a canteen from the small river without first boiling or purifying the water. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:27, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

:Are you living in tent? People living in tents for big amount of year (as these two apparently do) generally tend to dring water without purifying. .... on the other hand, those generally don't build castles from sand. And they DID mentioned steam bottle once ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 17:43, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

== Stillness of air ==

Anyone else notice how still the air is? In the frames I have looked at, the grass never moves, so there must be no wind. [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 12:20, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
:In over 2000 frames, I have found only four that depict wind. I added them to the 1190: Time: Pictures page [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures]. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 21:01, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
::I'm impressed you found those. Thank you. [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 02:09, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

== Making extreme sport out waiting ==

Let's do [[1017]], but using current frame instead of a progress bar. <strike>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/questions-with-yes-or-no-answers.html Does anyone know]</strike> what formula should we use for this? Something similar to the one in [[1017] won't work, because we don't know when (if ever) the Time will end. I was thinking about T = c + n * (1 hour), where n is current frame and c is a couple of days before the beginning of Time, but it seems too boring. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:57, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
:Sorry, I can't figure out what you do mean. In Randall's words I just can say: Wait for it.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:00, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

== Madagascar theory ==

I'm still not sure that it is supposed to be a specific place, but going with the Madagascar theory, there is indeed a native Madagascar hedgehog -- the greater and lesser tenrecs.

Still no squirrels, though. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 20:58, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

:That Madagascar trees are also imported to US. Hedgehogs are a famous pets in US, even when they do belong to Asia and Europe. We are still in the US, and more precisely around Utah. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:51, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

:Hedgehogs are found in many places. From the shadow comments, they are on a northern sea coast in the northern hemisphere, hence probably not Madagascar. There's something wrong with every possible location I checked. The Mediterranean Sea is rising because the water coming in from rivers is greater than that lost through evaporation [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea#Sea-level_rise] and is polluted [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea#Pollution], BUT a quick check has every possible northern coast covered with cities or agriculture. I lived in Salt Lake City for a little while. Antelope Island has oolitic sand on the north and west sides and is a mountain, but no major rivers or waterfalls[http://www.utah.com/stateparks/great_salt_lake_facts.htm]. The north coast is a boggy delta, except for a peninsula, which is covered with agriculture. Southern Utah is a better match and has waterfalls, but no sea. I gave up. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:04, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

:: The sea thing is certainly a problem for any modern-day Utah theory, but the tree that recently came on-screen (frame 2145) could be intended to be ''Pinus longaeva'', which would be appropriate to Utah (or many other parts of the Great Basin), high altitudes, and the comic theme. Oh, also, if you want a rising, large body of water near Southern Utah there's always Lake Mead. But it's probably not so large as to be mistaken for the sea. --Joe Decker

:: I'm not sure that current agriculture would be an issue. Unless they are play-acting or in some kind of _The Village_ setup, they seem unlikely to be current-day humans. They seem strangely ignorant of some obvious things and yet aware of others. There might be a few tribal peoples living in tents that would be unaware of the next river over, but they would be unlikely to be confused by birds nesting. Or be using trebuchets and European castle architecture in sandcastles. And if they genuinely walked for "days" along the shore, it seems unlikely to be a _The Village_ setup; that's got to be 20 miles even taking a leisurely trip for just two days, and probably more. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:36, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

It might be interesting, however, that there's a striking resemblance between the Grandidier's Baobab depicted in the comic at frame 1525 {{geekwagon|1525}} and the tree on the left in the Wikimedia picture [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adansonia_grandidieri03.jpg Grandidier's Baobab (Adansonia grandidieri) near Morondava, Madagascar]. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:24, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

:That place is surprisingly like the comic, especially when explored [[Expedition]] style. It has beaches, other rivers, baobabs, etc! And doesn't the fact that they slept overnight invalidate the northern hemisphere theory and mess with determining the walking direction by the sun? Despite all this, I doubt being in Madagascar does much for understanding the meaning of the comic. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 01:55, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

That Theory seems to be out of date by now - post-apocalyptic(?) mediteran sea it is... [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 04:24, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

== Jumped by a kitty ==

Nom nom nom.
The end.
[[Special:Contributions/121.74.128.126|121.74.128.126]] 23:54, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

: I was going to say how trollish that felt (because I was felling attached to the characters and the comic), but you know what? It's just a comic. And no, I don't think it's ending that way, Randall is random, but not THAT random (I think). I bet $10 that Megan will fetch some sort of stick or club and go golfing. --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 00:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

http://xkcd.com/231/ [[Special:Contributions/121.74.128.126|121.74.128.126]] 23:57, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Alright guys, what's the species and where is it native to? Puma, mountain lion, lynx, jaguar, tiger, panther, leopard...

: Well, if we're to believe that Randall is paying attention to the scale of the objects, then I don't think it's either of your options. That cat doesn't look much bigger than a domestic cat, so I think it's something close to an Ocelot. --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 00:46, 21 June 2013 (UTC)u
:: Unless Megan and Cueball are kids, that would be an awfully large domestic cat. And from references like the cabin, they are adults or close to it in size. Ocelot's not a bad estimate, though. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 01:01, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
::: Well, in my defense, I didn't really said it was a domestic cat, but that it looked just slightly bigger than one. An Ocelot fits that description, I think, while being much smaller than a Puma. Btw, there goes Megan golfing! :) --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 04:05, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Not a cougar (too small for one) as I think they grab their prey by the throat and hold on till it's dead, not just knock it over and sniff. Bobcat's out (too big). Besides, what's coming in on the right? [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:16, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Now I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor kitty. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 05:06, 21 June 2013 (UTC) (p.s. "it didn't bite you?" -- More for it being a lonely lost pet?)

If this is Madagascar, then it would be a fossa ... but the head looks too big and cat-like. Perhaps a juvenile cougar/puma? Would help explain why it bit the backpack instead of Cueball's neck. Geographically, that or one of the ocelots / relatives would put us in South or North America. AH [[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 14:00, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Why is everyone assuming the location corresponds to an actual modern day location (e.g. Madagascar)? Given that http://xkcd.com/505/ is staged on an infinite plane full of rocks we shouldn't limit our search to the real, simply the rational. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 14:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:This doesn't make any sense. Rationals are (or are isomorphic to) a subfield of reals, so if we limit our search to rationals we also implicitly limit it to reals. But it's safe to assume that they are in some group. My intuition tells me that this group is a vector field (most likely R^3), but obviously we shouldn't rely on that. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:47, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
::Hahaha! Just wondering if those were Abelian Grapes that Cueball and Megan were eating. "What's purple and commutes?" 1960s joke. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:43, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

:I don't necessarily think that it's an actual place, but some of the plant and animal references have been so specific as to make you wonder if they mean something. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:41, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

:The sand castle Megan built at the top matches the Paris Disneyland castle; thus, either Megan had seen the castle before or Randall just thought it was a neat looking castle to copy. There are other elements that limits the date to fairly recent, some more so than others. I don't think Randal is using an actual place, but rather an amalgam of elements from many places. As for myself, I prefer abstract algebra. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 17:18, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Given that they're been hiking up into the mountains, my guess is that it was a mountain lion... which is also known as a cougar. Or puma. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 08:07, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

As we now know that they are in the Mediterranean region, a {{w|Eurasian lynx}} or an {{w|Iberian lynx}} look quite good guesses but the cat in the comic has a tail that is too long and it doesn't have ear tufts. I guess if it is far enough in the future, the distribution of animals could have changed, so it might be {{w|Caracal}} (desert lynx), a {{w|Serval}} or an {{w|African golden cat}}. Of course if it is even further in the future, it might be a whole new species that doesn't currently exist.[[User:NHSavage|NHSavage]] ([[User talk:NHSavage|talk]]) 21:11, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

They're back to the kitty! Will it run, or does it bear a grudge? [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 04:09, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
: I still want it to be a lonely lost pet, maybe a zoo refugee. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 04:59, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
: It ran. Is it preparing another surprise attack? ''Time'' will tell. (Ha ha.) [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 06:22, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

== Frame 2188 ==

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned or come up with theories about {{geekwagon|2188}}. I guess we now know that it was the cat stalking them.
--[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 01:04, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Re: 2188 check the "Following" section. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:15, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

== Frames 2231-2232 ==

What is that on the far right of the screen on {{geekwagon|2231}}? Any theories at all?
:Boom mike? Martian tripod? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 07:40, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'm downloading from two systems at different time. One got the same images as linked above, but the images I downloaded a few minutes ago don't have it. I get the following md5's

:32fc7553d3134ec08a5bc88ffa1929d9 -> 867dc4718c684fa0507876cdd034ce7f7fd7980370034d676181ddf6b07dcabf.png <- 2231
:a26efc43bb6bbc2bb8d12192a25d4938 -> e44589725450e5bf897d441e5ccd1e9b9a0a1ee6658fea9e6a7378e96c5e4be5.png <- 2232

[[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]]
::Same here, the image I clipped (2231) has the figure (or whatever) and now it's gone. It must have been unintentional, and later corrected. Maybe the "whatever" or parts of it will show up later. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:56, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'll take a shot... The bottom part is curved and aligns perfectly with Cueball's head in Photoshop, just cutoff on the left (and the right as it goes out of frame). The rounded slice at the top matches Megan's head as well. The full slice does not match any scene to date (the only one close is 1885 with Megan in the tree, but that's not it); thus, it must be a slice from a future scene (or maybe part of a template with assorted characters). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 16:20, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:I was going with "sprites from Pitfall, while the reader was distracted by the action", but the "template fragment" theory certainly works better. ;-)

== The great re-encoding ==

After noticing the snafu around 2231-2232, I whent and re downloaded the full set from imgs.xkcd.org and what I downloaded today doesn't match what I downloaded before (generally when they were <24h old). Everything from 1068 back seems to be a pixle match for what is there now but have different MD5s and is generally smaller. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 20:31, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:My observations suggest that XKCD images are routinely optimized a few hours after posting. In short, it is normal for the image to change without the pixels changing. --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:37, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

== Another Theory ==

Can it just be about Mr. Munroe's life? I don't know many personal details, but it would be easy to draw about and still be important without being funny. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 04:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:A fair number of people have speculated that it's a metaphor for something personal, yeah. He's married and his wife had a bout with cancer a year or so back, so there's been some concern that the whole 'inescapable tide' may be a less than happy thing. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
This is beginning to look a lot like the plot outline of a quest video game. --deepfatfriar 17:34, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

== Only one day to reach the top of the Mountain ==
At frame 2305 Cueball mentions that it's only one day to reach the top and at frame 2308 Megan says that they will not much farther away from home when being there. This means the comic shows no night sequences but it did run for many days in the world of them. Maybe each real day is also a day in this comic.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:It sure took a long time to build the original sandcastle then.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 20:20, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
::Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. But now we have the prove that the voyage did last many days while there was no hint of any night hiatus. They did sleep but we couldn't see.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:40, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Remember there was a fadeout while they were starting off on the journey, and later they say the walked for days along the shore. So that could be the bulk of the distance. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 01:51, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe it's like the world for Game of Thrones but s/Seasons/Days/ I.e. veritable length days? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:57, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:I'd rather think they started their journey several days before they reached the beach and started building the castle. I feel that what we are observing is a single day of their adventure - building a castle in the morning, walking along the shore and the river in early afternoon or even a little before noon, taking a short nap in the late afternoon and walking uphill again. The darkening of last few frames may be the evening coming. [[Special:Contributions/89.174.214.74|89.174.214.74]] 13:59, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

== It's getting cloudy. ==

Upper right corner of {{geekwagon|2352}}? Also the other three corners have something going on. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:25, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
: May Randall is reading this Wiki and saw the complain about still air :-) [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 06:09, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:: Or maybe Megan is getting cold because a storm's coming. Maybe they don't know about storms in the hills or mountains. Note that the "people in the hills" where they live are perhaps not friendly, according to the earlier conversation about going on up the mountain: Cueball: "We can't be more than a day or so from the top. There may be people there." Megan: "Like the people in the hills?" Cueball: "We're a long way from there." If the people of the hills back home are unfriendly, Cueball and Megan may have no experience of hill weather. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
If you look at the image diff on GeekWagon it looks like they are experiancing a solar eclipse.[[Special:Contributions/162.5.71.176|162.5.71.176]] 15:18, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:No, that white round object in the cloud is just moving and is also getting smaller. I've no idea what it could be.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:45, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::It isn't getting smaller, it's just having to go through clouds of increasing thickness, making its domain of whiteness smaller. And it's moving because something like fifteen minutes just went by. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 15:53, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Looks like a setting sun to me [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 17:56, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::::You are right, we see a sunset. My first statement was about the "solar eclipse" theory, what is definitively not happen.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:27, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:::::We also effectively had a bit of a timeskip there -- it takes several hours for the sun to lower that much. Also confirms they are walking north (which I think was the going assumption already.) [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:51, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::::::The rate that the sun sets at depends on the "length" of the "lens" being used. Based on 360 deg/day motion and a apparent width of 0.5 deg, the sun moves it's own diameter every 2 minutes. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:12, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

The images now fading to black, going to the dark night. I am hoping we will get a new scene on top of that mountain, but maybe we will just seeing them awakening below a tree. We just have to wait... Stay tuned as me!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:06, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:But maybe the Moon will shine and the fade to black does stop.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

::Or maybe we will switch back to Beret Girl. Who knows? We'll see when we see. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:00, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

:::@Taibhse, It seems to me that you just explained the entire point of the cartoon. [[Special:Contributions/74.174.17.194|74.174.17.194]] 13:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)ALurker

Where are the astronomical freaks? Can't we find out where they are depending on the stars? [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 17:12, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
: ~30 deg north based on the direction of motion. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 17:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:The constellation looks like Bootes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo%C3%B6tes[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:03, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::When Bootes is setting around sunset in the US it is August or September.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:16, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:::I can't identify Boötes so far but the bright star following the path of the sun isn't a star: It's the planet Venus, here as the "Evening Star".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:28, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::::Not Bootes; it's not on the ecliptic, which these stars are. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:46, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
: I think the upper constellation on 2394 is the Sagittarius. The lower one, which can be seen better on 2393 is the tail of the Scorpion constellation. The two bright stars close to each other above the tree are Shaula and Lesath. The brightest star is a planet, probably Venus. The only think bothers me is that there is an other star very close to Ascella in Sagittarius, which should not be there... Maybe an other planet? --[[Special:Contributions/80.98.250.115|80.98.250.115]] 21:31, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::I think you may have it. I passed over Sagittarius at first, because they looked too close together, but I think I was overestimating the scale. Virgo and Gemini both contain something close to the Y pattern of four bright stars, but the surrounding stars aren't right. If it's a planet, it would have to be naked eye visible but not as bright as Ascella,and I don't think there is anything that fits, which is a pity, because we could work out possible years. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:26, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Reviewing further, I'm even more convinced. If you get a star map in the right orientation, you can see that the rest of Scorpio is becoming visible just above the horizon in {{geekwagon|2393}}. And the arc of stars the three consellations are 'facing' matches up with the Serpent and Ophiuchius, including the visual binary of Delta and Epsilon Ophiuchi. If you look at a sky map for Nov 7, 2013, Venus is in about the right configuration. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:14, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

== Star Map ==
Is someone already stitching together a map of the stars as they move through the frames? I could do it, but I'm too lazy *g*.
And if we have that, the relative position of the sun to the stars should be sufficient to determine the day of the year (depending on the accuracy of the drawings) and probably, assuming the first bright dot was indeed Venus, we might even be able to determine if the story takes/took place this year. Maybe other astronomical objects show (or don't show) and help to further narrow down the '''time'''. --[[Special:Contributions/92.76.250.121|92.76.250.121]] 00:18, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:From the position of the sun, Venus is at or close to greatest eastern elongation from the sun. Assuming that the constellations we are looking at are Sagittarius and surroundings (and the new stars coming into view continue to match this), the sun is located around Virgo. From the angle of the ecliptic, they are at 30 degrees north, and thus it would have to be around the beginning of November, as that's when Virgo sets with the sun at 30N. So it could be a year when Venus hits the greatest eastern elongation in late October/early November. Which happens this year, but it can't be this year as the moon isn't right -- there would be a crescent moon next to Venus. It would have to be at new moon or waning moon, and that puts it after 2037. Of course, there are a lot of assumptions and estimations in that calculation. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:29, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
::Actually, for the moon it could be 2029, but there's another blocking factor: Mars should be next to Venus in 2037. And for the next few eight year cycles, some combination of Mercury, the moon, and Saturn should be showing up between Venus and the Sun before the stars do. So it looks like 2053 would be the first matching date. And the next date after that 2085 - it precesses forward a bit each year, so it would be Nov 12 by 2085. Seems a bit late for grapes and hiking without any thought of shelter, but if it's 30N it is likely a pretty warm area. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:59, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Going backwards, the first one with no planets is 1981, but there would be a nearly full moon, and that scene does not look illuminated by a full moon. The most recent one with no planets and no moon interfering would be 1949. But that's purely my amateur estimation using the online AstroViewer. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:59, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
I wandered over to the forum, and they agree with our conclusion of Sagittarius, and one of them had a interesting observation: Antares is gone. It should be the brightest thing in this view apart from Venus, and you can see the two stars that should flank it appear at {{geekwagon|2392}}, between Cueball's head and the tree, but no Antares. Which suggests that this is set sufficiently far in the future that Antares has gone supernova (which it is due to do.) [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:Even more suggestive of a far future: certain of the stars in the Scorpion appear to have moved. If you go to Hipparchos [[http://www.rssd.esa.int/SA-general/Projects/Hipparcos/apps/ShowMotion.html]] and enter RA 260.4, Dec -42, and V(lim) 4.4, you will get the stars in the head and part of the body of the Scorpion. If you run it forward several thousand years, you'll see that the high-motion stars match with the distortions in the XKCD sky.[[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 08:05, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
One last thing (for the moment): The angle of the sun and planets are what they should be for c. 30-33 degrees N, but to get the constellations angled the right way, it's closer to 12 degrees north. This may be precession, which could also explain the grapes in what would be currently by the stars the beginning of November -- the vernal equinox may have precessed forward, resulting in the sun being in Virgo/Libra in summer rather than fall. 15,000 years would put it in Libra in June, for example [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 16:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

== Where in the world are Megan and Cueball? ==

Venus marking the path of the ecliptic tells us that we are at about 30 degrees north (my quick-ass calculation came up closer to 31 or 32 degrees north.) They are walking east with the ocean to the south of them, and they are following a large river north into hills and mountains that apparently are less than a day's walk north.

So if it's Earth, where could they be? There's not a lot of south-facing coasts around 30N. The only large one is the Gulf Coast of the US, but there's not much in the way of hills much less anything you could call a mountain close to the shore. The only exception I can really see is maybe around Mobile, which at last has some hills. There's the north end of the Persian Gulf and of the Gulf of California, but for both of those the hills are east of of the most obvious large river. Though the Gulf of California would make sense in other ways -- rivers that only run to the sea in the wet season, for example. There's South Korea, but the southern coast of that is broken up into a fringe of islands and peninsula, there's not really a solid stretch of coast to walk east along. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 00:14, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

:If, as hypothesized above, this is taking place a few thousand years into the future, might not the coastlines have changed? (Especially since the "sea" seems to be rising.) I wonder if we could find the proper configuration of hills and a mountain even in absence of a body of water to the south. [[Special:Contributions/69.123.166.176|69.123.166.176]] 15:06, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

All the stars are following the same parallel path through the sky. Shouldn't the stars should be following a circular path centered on the north star, and the planets if any be following roughly the path of the sun and moon? --deepfatfriar
:Based on my analsys (sicking a post-it to my screen so that it partially obscures Venus) things do seem to be curving (Venus is less obscured, then more, then less as I step through frames). [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

So, how far away are we viewing them from? We know (about) how tall Cueball is and the stars give us an angular ruler so we should be able to figure that out. Also, when will sunrise be? [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

Someone mentioned the Clock of the Long Now, and the 10,000 Year Clock would fit in a number of ways. The Texas original one is at the right latitude, and the Sierra Diablo mountains where it is are near a dried-up inland sea, which presumably could be a sea again, and an inland sea could rise much faster than the world's oceans. And it would fit with the title "Time", and explain the multi-thousand year future setting.

Has anyone been able to map exactly where the sun is on the stars? That would show where in the precession sequence we are. If it's in Libra, for example 15,000 years forward the sun would set in Libra around June at 31-32 degrees north at that point. Which would explain the grapes and the camping without shelter. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 20:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

==If the night does map the real world...==
If the stars are real I'm sure it still does map to the current time frame of this comic. Venus and also Jupiter (even also Mercury, but hard to see) did follow the sun at dawn. Tomorrow I will have to fix my (Linux) xOrg for running {{w|Stellarium (computer program)|Stellarium}} or {{w|Celestia}}. So for now I'm only on [http://heavens-above.com/ heavens-above], which is still not accurate enough for this cloudy comic sky at night.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:37, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:I've made a compare of the changes in Scorpio over the next 15K years, and the sky in Time. [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/starsmove.png]. It matches pretty well, though I think the fastest moving star hasn't moved quite as far. So my current prediction: they are in the Sierra Diablo mountains in Texas (or what was Texas), climbing towards the 10,000 Year Clock observatory, about 14,000 years from now. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:57, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

::So is Beret Girl a mysterious time traveler? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 23:45, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:What is the source for your picture, Photoshop? Please tell us more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:32, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:: Stellarium to generate the comparison star maps (it takes into account Hipparchos data, so will move stars with high proper motion for far future dates), and GIMP to overlay them. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:02, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Thanks Tavella. Stellarium was my own first attempt too, but my xOohhhhgrrrrg did crash. NVIDIA on Linux is still a mess.
:::Go North to Dakota or even Canada to find a location where a 30 degree sunset can happen.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:14, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:Very nice pictures, Tavella! What's the meaning of the three red stars? Thanks in advance. [[Special:Contributions/79.98.2.71|79.98.2.71]] 22:20, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
::They are marking the three stars with the highest proper motion in the constellation (well, one of them, the top one, is a small companion star in the constellation zone rather than being formally in the constellation.) I just installed GIMP on this computer and was too lazy to go find the arrow plugin. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:16, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
I'm sure i remember seeing a shooting star in one of the frames but it doesn't seem to be in any of the recorded frames? [[Special:Contributions/75.181.22.10|75.181.22.10]] 19:33, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
::Yes, it was a fast series of pictures so it didn't get caught. Here's an animation of the sequence: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/tmp/meteor.gif] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:11, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Can you give us some hashes and timestamps? --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:25, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
::::2440a through e here: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/#frame2440] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 04:58, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
: [[User:Tavella|Tavella]], your picture [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/starsmove.png] seems to be gone for some reason, could you re-upload it? Thanks. [[User:Jahvascriptmaniac|Jahvascriptmaniac]] ([[User talk:Jahvascriptmaniac|talk]]) 11:31, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

==Did we just see Megan and then Cueball have bowel movements?==
Day 95 1:00 Megan squats alone on the right side of frame while Cueball sits in the middle of frame http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d9/time2378.png

Day 97 6:00 Cueball walks over and squats near where Megan herself squatted http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/8490469c3f8cea3b8dd7f55f8152d8048166af8a13bf2473af5b0b032b9c6f30.png

Day 97 7:00 & 8:00 Cueball is seen washing his hands in subsequent two frames?{{unsigned ip|24.91.69.220}}

== Meteor frames. ==

There were five meteor frames that appeared in very quick succession recently. How should they be numbered?

:"appeared in very quick succession": I assume they actually appeared on the hour, just like all the others (except for first days), <strike>and as they are currently listed in our table</strike>? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:00, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

::No, they appeared on the minute between 20:20 and 20:24 UTC on 29 June. That's how they're listed here. [[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 16:10, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

:::Yeah, I was looking at the hours +2441 through +2445! However, in my defence, I was fighting the database error when I first thought I noticed this. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:48, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

[http://xkcd.mscha.org/#frame2440 mscha's site] numbers them 2440a to 2440e.

[http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2441 geekwagon] only has the final meteor frame (2440e) which it numbers 2441, and after that all the numbers on geekwagon are out by one compared to mscha's site.

Another logical option is to number them from 2441 to 2445.

[http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/?i=2445&playing=0&audio=0&speed=200 aubronwood] has the frames numbered 2444 to 2448 (like the previous suggestion, but I think aubronwood had been out by three for a long time compared to other sites)

On the [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Periods xkcd-time wiki] I have tentatively used mscha's numbering, which may be a problem considering the wiki has built-in linking to geekwagon.

[[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 07:01, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

:Numbering them 2440a to 2440e is ok. And geekwagon seems to be broken at some more more frames right now.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:52, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

::Uh, it would be great if we could number frames in actual chronological number order, not appending letters onto the ends of the filenames. It makes it easier for scripts to access images with a consistent naming scheme. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:28, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::We have already been appending letters onto the ends of filenames, with frames 256P, 257P, and 258P. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 15:52, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::And those are problematic with scripts already. More special cases to account for are not fun. I've only let those alone because fixing the problem would mean shifting more than a thousand filenames now, and I didn't notice it originally until it was 200 frames too late. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:32, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::I have two ideas on this problem:
:::::a) Put that special frames into an extra table at the bottom of that specific days, or
:::::b) Add an extra column to the tables containing a sequence number. This would be much of work.
:::::I prefer a).--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:48, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::The meteor does seem to be a part of the comic, so it probably should still be inline with the rest of the frames. We'll only need to shift 40-odd image names to fix this, it shouldn't be too onerous. I'll do it tomorrow morning. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:09, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::This will be good for your scripts but not for mine. We will be also out of sync to other sites. But if you will do that tell me where day 101 should start. I have to change a counter at my script.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:17, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::Day 101 starts at 2531 with the meteor frames shifted down. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::Many thanks for your chaos, day 101 starts NOW with 2526. Before your edit it would have been 2521. But 2531 is a little bit too much.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:16, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::I can understand the desire for standardized numbering but I've been doing a lot of the image uploading recently using mscha's site as the source. I do it manually so it's already a pain, I don't think I can face having to do that extra little bit of arithmetic for each image to work out what the id should be on this site. Guess I'll be leaving it for the bots from now on. [[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 12:21, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::Thanks Crimethink for your great work. This is still a mess, but we can't revert it. We are all trapped in someone's decision...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:02, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::::Yeah - I can see that. Just a shame that mscha decided to do it that way.[[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 13:22, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::::Yeah. The idea of naming that pictures as 2440a to 2440e was first. Other sites like geekwagon are also out of sync. Unless we do use the timestamp at the file name it will be more mess in the future, I am sure.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:42, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I made this page to show the differences between numbering systems at mscha's site, geekwagon, aubronwood and explainxkcd.
http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Frame_numbering [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 15:17, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:WOW, you must have much TIME ;)--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:27, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

How do we even know that it's a meteor? Maybe Mr. Munroe has finally decided to use his [[254|best idea ever]]? Then it was just a damaged space station falling through the atmosphere. Also the mountain they are climbing is actually a volcano and the sea is rising because of all the tyrannosaurs swimming in it. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:53, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:This comic is just showing the real world we all do know. Look at this {{w|Perseids}} meteor shower at the next days, the peak should be around August 10 or 15. Most of that particles you can see as a bright meteor are smaller than one millimeter. It's only the vast velocity what causes this great visual effect.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:19, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

==Animated gif for the night==
Here is an [[Media:1190TimeNight.gif|animated gif with enhanced brightness]]. You can see the Milky Way in the beginning and by the end some birds appear in the sky.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:51, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:That's awesome. Good job!--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 14:17, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
Since we r watching the scene toward west, shouldn't the sky appear darker near the horizon, with respect to the sky above, at sunrise? (I'm asking here but of course I'm not referring to your animated gif but to the xkcd scene itself...) [[Special:Contributions/217.200.201.97|217.200.201.97]] 11:46, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:When the sun rises on East the horizon at the opposite side is darker than the rest of the sky. When the sun is high enough you will not recognize this any more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yep Dgbrt, my point is that in the comic sequence we can see the full path from the dead of night to the morning through the dawn: why Randall depicted a shade of light coming from the horizon and not from the sky above? Is it a realistic scene? [[User:Mlejnas|Mlejnas]] ([[User talk:Mlejnas|talk]]) 07:38, 3 July 2013 (UTC)
These clouds moving with the sky could be the milkyway. [[User:FG|FG]] 10:18, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yep, FG, but that's at the sunset, I'm talking about the sunrise (on the other side of the sky). [[User:Mlejnas|Mlejnas]] ([[User talk:Mlejnas|talk]]) 09:47, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:FG, look at my first statement at this section here. But Mlejnas is talking about the sunrise after the Milky Way already had disappeared.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:20, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
== New picture naming rule ==

Is there any BOT here understanding the new naming? I'm missing many picture uploads, I will not do this by manual because that's stupid. This is still a job for a bot.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:32, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

:Sry, I was on vacation for a week, and I haven't resumed my bot yet because of that meteor. IMHO, we should get in touch with the admins of geekwagon, aubronwood and mscha in order to re-sync the frame numbers. Does anyone know whether any of them is already active here? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:50, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

::mscha and aubronwood have accounts on the forum (http://forums.xkcd.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=381029, http://forums.xkcd.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=35789). However, I don't think the owner of geekwagon has an account on the forum (see http://geekwagon.net/). [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 06:21, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

:::I had an account xkcd forum but found their rules complex so I generally communicate here or through email. I like the idea of a standard frame count between all the sites. Currently geekwagon is limited to a number instead of an alphanumeric frame number like mscha uses. However this can be changed. My two cents is a frame number should be the number in which the frames were shown regardless of what time they were displayed (I like simple), but I am open to ideas. --[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 03:37, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

::::Geekwagon have now changed their numbering to the system used here. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 05:17, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

:::::I fixed it to include the meteor frames. They were missed because the script runs every 5 minutes. Would have done it sooner but I was out of town.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 17:14, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

::::::Great job and THANKS!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:16, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

== Derrick ==

What is it? Sort of looks like on oil derrick, but of course it is not. What is the mechanical bits up top? --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 08:26, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:The ladder that goes up to the middle level but not the top and the wheel on that level suggest to me that it is supposed to be turned by an operator, but I can't see what that would power or move -- there's no obvious lines that aren't support structure. Looks to me like we are panning toward something even taller, so maybe that will enlighten. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 09:33, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:The device looks to me like a sextant -- a telescope mounted on a gauged pivot. Possibly there is a second pivot at 90 degrees to the one we can see. The device might be used to measure the sea rise, if the sea can be seen from here. [[Special:Contributions/24.158.67.232|24.158.67.232]] 12:30, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
::Megan does seem to be looking through it, so sextant or telescope seems likely. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:44, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:Could it have anything to do with the 10,000 Year Clock mentioned above? [[Special:Contributions/173.195.5.167|173.195.5.167]] 13:37, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
Looks like a great platform to build another sand castle. Too bad there's probably no sand...--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 13:19, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

My guess is that the tower may semaphore tower that is under instruction (or abandoned) and part semaphore tower in a {{w|Semaphore_line}}. In {{geekwagon|2594}} where Megan reports seeing flashes. Could those flashes be distant semaphore signals? [[User:Chongo|Chongo]] ([[User talk:Chongo|talk]]) 00:05, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:In frame 2686 we see more of these towers. Those may be part of a semaphore line that you suggest. [[Special:Contributions/166.137.209.163|166.137.209.163]] 05:33, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

I think it's an telescope or something like this. Maybe they see the sea rising with this thing... [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 19:22, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

After seeing {{geekwagon|2803}} I'm pretty sure these are triangulation points which historically were used for geodetics, see e.g. [http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/geoinformation/bezugssysteme/download/flyer_rauenberg.pdf] (3.6MB, sorry only German text). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 21:03, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

== all okWTF FADE! ==

just - what's going on??! [[Special:Contributions/83.8.22.78|83.8.22.78]] 22:15, 6 July 2013 (UTC)
:Fade from white to the castle and we get to see what beret girl has been up to (last we saw, she was dragging something in frame 970: {{geekwagon|970|969}}]). [[Special:Contributions/216.98.244.174|216.98.244.174]] 22:55, 6 July 2013 (UTC)
:I think this is where the water level is now. If so, holy crap! Is there anything hidden in the white frame? --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 00:01, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MeanwhileScene Meanwhile, back at the beach...] [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.94|216.239.45.94]] 04:01, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

== Out of breath -- higher than we thought? ==

I haven't done the exact calculations, but my impression from those we did that they have only climbed 300-400 cueball-heights, which would be only a couple of thousand feet. Doesn't it usually take more than that before you start getting oxygen effects? Could they have started at a higher elevation than we thought? Anyone have a current calculation for elevation gain? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:15, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:They started at sea level, unless the body of water was not the ocean.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 00:34, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
::Right, but the speed of sea level rise strongly suggests their "ocean" is an inland sea, so they could be in an endorheic basin that is much higher than sea level, like the Great Basin in the US (where the second 10,000 year clock will be), or Lake Van in Turkey. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:16, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:::The {{w|Great Salt Lake}} was proposed here before, it's at level 4,200 feet or approx. 1,283 meter. The mountains there are going up to a much higher level, you can get out of breath there. The level calculations may be wrong because Randall didn't show every part of the trip. There were more nights, but we could only see one.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:33, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

== The people they did find ==

Any ideas what the hats or hair cut does belong to?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:08, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:Looks like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knit_cap Watch Caps] to me. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.90|216.239.45.90]] 20:19, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:Or a yarmulke {{geekwagon|2933}} [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 04:17, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

It's the wrong end of the river for them to be building a dam, but I'm wondering, with all the surveying equipment, if they are diverting more water into the basin that Cueball and Megan live in. But they seem like pleasant enough people, quick to help Megan. It's hard to be believe they would drown the area without checking to see if, y'know, people live there. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:02, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
: What if they're building a bridge? Are we too far from the Big River? [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 01:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Is this pair the Cueball and Meagan we've known from before? What impresses me is the level of ignorance this pair exhibits, compared to the couple we've come to know. This pair do not seem to understand oxygen starvation at higher altitudes, how tides work, etc. This almost flies in contradiction to the fact that, in the beginning, they were building sand castles. This presumes castles existed at some point in their own history if not currently. Castles indicate a certain level of knowledge and technology, which this current couple seem to lack knowledge of, to some large degree at least.
If this strip 'ends' at the level of technology we've seen thus far and hinted at by this new tribe of people, I would suggest this indicates a world wide (or at least very large area) collapse of a prior civilization.
[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 23:14, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:Well, they certainly don't have access to [http://www.xkcd.com/903/ wikipedia]. As for the tides, I think we generally concluded that it is more likely a lake and they never saw it rise as fast as it did. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:49, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

So are they getting sleepy from the bad night's sleep or something more nefarious? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.92|216.239.45.92]] 05:31, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

:Or are they brewing ent-draughts here? Watch to see whether Cueball and Megan start growing taller! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:14, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Now things are getting meta; Cueball drawing a stick figure of himself.... [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.87|216.239.45.87]] 06:04, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:At least it's an accurate depiction--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 11:07, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

=== Language ===
Is someone trying to decipher what they are saying? It might be more or less some kind of substitution cypher, but I'm not sure yet which letters are actually the same (e.g. 1st in {{geekwagon|2663}} and 1st in {{geekwagon|2664}} are quite likely the same. But the last but ones in these frames just look close in my view (also to 9th in {{geekwagon|2671}})). Sentences seem to end with the an ° or ¯ above the last letter. [[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 09:29, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:The ° or ¯ above the last letter appear to be a period or a question mark respectively.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 10:38, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

::{{geekwagon|2676}} is identical to the last two words of {{geekwagon|2668}}. Apparently that is the stuff they applied on Megan's leg. [[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:42, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:::We can't decipher because it's just Randalls invention. At 2545:00 we have a clear 69 at the last word.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:50, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:: My current theory is ¯ means "!" so {{geekwagon|2708}} could be "Water!" - "Yes!!, Water!!". I'm not sure about the substitution cypher theory anymore, though. Unless some signs represent two Latin characters. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 12:05, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
::: {{geekwagon|2806}} is another hint that [[File:Dialog2806d.png]] could mean "Yes." The rest of the dialog looks similar to {{geekwagon|2734}}. Hopefully, they meet the translator soon. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 21:27, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

I believe it's possible to translate their language into pervect english by simple replacing their symbols by roman letters (the right way). For "water" we have an example. ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 17:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:What could the last word in {{geekwagon|2728}} be then? It ends the same way as "water"/"drink", except for a ° instead of a ¯ over the last letter, but has an additional "3"-shaped letter at the beginning. I'm starting to believe that Randall put a bit more effort into designing this language. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:34, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

It is clearly not a letter-per-letter cipher; I think Randall has been considerably cleverer than that. It looks like a (fictional) Semitic language, in which case individual characters could indicate syllables rather than letters, but I doubt that it is a simple cipher for English at the syllable level either. At this stage it is impossible to say how far he has gone in creating an original syntax, but I would note that we have seen the word that means "water" (or "drink") in at least two forms (a simple form used by Cueball, and a form with a kind of 3 at the beginning used as the last word of the Beanie's response to Cueball's picture). I'm confident the ¯ is simply a period, ° a question mark, and the double ¯ is an exclamation mark. The other stray marks could be other punctuation marks as well. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 15:55, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

:Provisionally, I took the "water" string with the '3' in front to be something like "sea-water." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 18:25, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

:Another reason why it's not a "letter-per-letter cipher" is that I'm pretty sure we've seen at least 3 distinct single character words. Note that almost all characters are reminiscent of arabic numerals. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 18:59, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Next speculation: [[File:Dialog2827.png]] could mean "(the) castle" and [[File:Dialog2806c.png]] could mean something like "(move) to the castle" or "(to be) at the castle".
Maybe we should start a subpage for all language investigations. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 00:42, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Seconded. Also we need a template for putting stranglish text on this wiki. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:59, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

I just noticed that translator often puts a ° or ¯ above last letter in some sentences, just like in stranglish (did we come up with a better name for it yet?). I think this confirms that ° and ¯ is stranglish punctuation. Also since stranglish has punctuation, it can't be substitution cipher applied to lojban. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:It also confirms that we were right about the meaning of the punctuation. ¯ is a period, and (as confirmed by the latest frame) ° is a question mark. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 10:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:: Indeed, in frame [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2892 2892] ([http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/50f8c0e828c300b959fb23924851f6c592d8fc012dc0b6c0ee07fa1305d78242.png permahash on XKCD]), the girl with long hair seems to say "WHAT RIVER?", and instead of putting a "?", there is a "°" above the last "R". [[User:Jahvascriptmaniac|Jahvascriptmaniac]] ([[User talk:Jahvascriptmaniac|talk]]) 11:29, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

=== New Guy in City ===
How do we call the new guy that appears in {{geekwagon|2819}}? One Suggestion: Black Hat Stranger (He's clearly not [[Black Hat]]). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 14:19, 15 July 2013 (UTC)
:And maybe calling them "stranger(s)" is actually not appropriate. How about "local(s)" or "native(s)"? --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 16:51, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm guessing the cake-house of the Big Translator Guy is going to look like a sandcastle, thus the Oh, Wow from Megan. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 18:31, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

=== A long haired woman (former: The old guy) in Castle ===
Man that is an atrocious accent. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 13:37, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:Why are we assuming its a 'guy' again? [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 21:45, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::I did edit the entire page (Old man -> is now the Long haired woman), but maybe I did miss some. The main cause of this fault was probably my guess that they did walk to an old man.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:22, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:::The stick figure in the drawing really did look like a bearded guy, so I think it's a reasonable mistake [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:47, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::::At the drawings on the ground they did not show stick figures. The current pictures are real stick figures. So the bear is falling around far over the neck? It's a woman.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:56, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

== Passage of Time ==

I suppose it is safe to assume that the black frame ({{geekwagon|2698}}) represents some indeterminate passage of time, since we do see Cueball now speaking the language of the Beanie-Wearers. What is strange, and perhaps it is just Randall being lazy, is that if you compare the frames before and after the black frame, there is absolutely no changes to vegetation, and very few changes to anything else. Vegetation would have been the biggest culprit to a lengthy time interval. (Again, assuming it took some non-trivial amount of time for Cueball to learn the new language.) --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 20:01, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
:I assume only a few hours have passed. It seems rather that Cueball is only now learning his first word: "water." Presumably the response also means "Yes! water" so then he would know two words, but there is no reason to assume he knows any more than that yet.[[Special:Contributions/79.247.252.250|79.247.252.250]] 20:06, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah. I jumped the gun. He's only learned a single word. So just a single sleep has passed. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 22:37, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Cueball did talk something like "watr" and the stranger did correct him "No, water".
:::If you are right, then it looks like a substitution cipher to me. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:15, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::BTW: I think we should call this language "Stranglish" until we do not know what it is.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:21, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Or was that Cueball: "water" and Stranger: "Yes, water?" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:14, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

== Megan's backpack ==
Megan started wearing a backpack after they left the tower. They lost Cueball's backpack when the animal clawed it up, so he carried everything in Megan's to keep weight off her leg. That ointment must be good stuff if she's able to walk with a backpack. The locals must have given her a new one.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:50, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yep, I noticed that. Apparently they gave/loaned her one of their bags. Even so, I notice she was the only one shown ({{geekwagon|2814}}) clambering up a small steep spot, so maybe she's not fully functional yet. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:49, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Also, I wonder what they did with their "telescope" that they lowered from the tower; and the little folded-up mini-tower. And for that matter, whatever that was leaning against the right leg of the tower from the beginning. All three things seemed to disappear just before they left the scene. They don't seem to be packing them. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:49, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:: I assume they have some kind of storage at that location to protect their equipment from weather and from animals. They also left some other bigger things, like the ladder and the water container, indicating that they appear to go there frequently. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 12:05, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

== Who are they? ==
If the Great and Powerful OZ steps out from behind a curtain, I'll upchuck. Castles imply a need for defense, yet our adventurous pair and the 'natives' both seem totally relaxed with the discovery of the other. No obvious caution shown, no attempt to discover which side they may be on, etc. In fact, the 'natives' appear to be experienced with the finding of new people and following an established procedure for dealing with them, hence the trip to the castle. If Meagan and Cueball had declined to follow, what would have taken place then? Just a guess but I would say, nothing, each to their separate way.

The one map view strongly suggests, to me, survey work using trigonometry (or some variation) to determine location. It would seem to be a case of figure the location first, get there, then see what you find. The greater and lesser circles are intriguing as well, along with the long, straight lines and other geometrical figures seen. Wish there was a bigger, clearer view of it.[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 00:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:Not all large structures are castles. It could be a cathedral or temple or university. Only Megan called it a castle because of its resemblance to their sandcastle. The castle's inhabitants called it a squiggle-squiggle-squiggle.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 02:41, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::No they call it [[File:Dialog2827.png]] ;). The usage of merlons indicates that it shall have some defense purpose—OTOH, it could be purely decorative. The fact that they all seem very relaxed about meeting strangers and nobody (visibly) carries any kind of weapons or armor suggests the latter. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 07:31, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::So does the fact that there were obviously children playing under the watchful eye of the first person they encountered in the "city." No effort was made to protect children from possible inimical strangers, and no obvious defenses at the school/playground/whatever-it-is at the entry gate. The gate hat guy was very relaxed. (If the "telescope" towers are part of a communications system, they might already know in the city everything they think they need to know about trusting Cueball and Megan, of course.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::The question arises, what was the mission of the single stranger with the package/book/box/whatever, who met them on the way, spoke a few words, and continued on toward the tower that the group had just left. Could have been a replacement watcher on the mountain. But then why did all three strangers need to leave the post and come to the city with Cueball and Megan? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:::I think most of that conversation was "Hello" and "Good bye" or some variants of that. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:33, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Probably the "strangers" ought to be called the "castle people" since that is how Megan and Cueball seem to think of them. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:How about "mountain people"? I agree that "stranger(s)" does not seem appropriate anymore—after all, they are at least a local majority. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:33, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Maybe the castle is there to defend humans against other creatures. So other humans are always welcome, even if they don't wear silly hats.[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.242|134.102.219.242]] 12:58, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:That would still hardly explain the merlons—unless these creatures are somehow able to shot at higher ranges. Maybe they are currently at peace with all their neighbors, but expect a war in the future. (BTW: Greetings colleague! (According to your IP-address)) --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 17:14, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone thought of looking at obscure languages with odd script texts? Georgian? Sri Lanka? Thai?{{unsigned ip|164.165.173.219}}
:I was speculating about some language like Esperanto or [[Lojban]], encrypted with a simple substitution cypher. But I have not investigated that further. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 17:14, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

They could be adding to an extant structure - historically not an uncommon practice. So the merlons could be historic. As a side note, are there levers and pivots in the glass window? Maybe this is the temple of engineering?? ~~rbnm
:Or just using past motifs. Look at all the Grecian columns and medieval merlons and gargoyles and what-not that went into subsequent architecture. Nothing is more full of tradition (right along with innovation) than architecture. As for the "temple of engineering" it might just be that the whole city is the "Engineers." (Not Larry Niven's Engineers.) Whatever their role, they might be causing the sea level to rise through an engineering project, thinking that no one lives down by the sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

:Those might be "levers and pivots." They might also be telescope mounts and astronomical objects. It's a very interesting window. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

It's interesting that the castle is mostly underground. I wonder if the "little houses" also extend underground? And I wonder if this is a sign this is a very hot climate for the Beanies / Long-haired woman (I like the idea of naming her Hypatia, as was suggested elsewhere.) If it's hot for them up on the mountain where it is significantly cooler to Cuegan, maybe that explains why they didn't think there were people down in the sea basin. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Underground, an interesting theory but, many such structures had several levels below ground level, so as to reach the bedrock wherein to support the massive stone structure above. Once dug, why waste it, especially if it provided a comfortable environment? Still, the temperature theory is interesting.
If one takes the images with the partially obscured text and play with the brightness and contrast, you can make out many more words, which do not seem to be spoken aloud. Are these sub-conscious thoughts dealing with translation or something a tad more sinister? (I just saw the image change over at :40 after the hour. Just a hiccup on my browser or are these frames speeding up?)[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 23:56, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone transcribed the blurred English words? Having trouble with a few.[[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 13:04, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:Just created a page to address this topic. See [[1190:_Time:_Translator|Translator]]. If someone could wikify that, that'd rock. I'm wiki-dumb and it shows on that page. --[[User:1292|1292]] ([[User talk:1292|talk]]) 14:53, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

== Translator's Blurry Text ==

Since a lot of the stuff the translator is saying is hard to read, I figured we should have a place to get everyone's opinions on it. So I made a [[1190:_Time:_Translator|Translator]] page where it can be discussed.{{unsigned ip|74.95.85.209}}

I make that out as "What is forty? My numbers are no same." [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 16:51, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
Meagan and Cueball explain why they are there. In reply I read it as "You do not know. I make sea rise." [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 17:10, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:The main Explain XDCD page has all the text of the whole comic and is doing a pretty good job with the blurred text [[1190:_Time#Scene_3_-_Part_3_.28Inside_the_castle.29|Scene 3 Inside Castle]]--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:25, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::This page can be used for investigations, but the images should zoom in much more on the text. The final explain has to go here for sure: [[1190:_Time#Scene_3_-_Part_3_.28Inside_the_castle.29|Scene 3 Inside Castle]]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::I added links to the images from the main transcript. Perhaps the translator page should be deleted. Individual panes/phrases can be debated on the image's page, and updated in the main transcript.--[[User:Waitforit|Waitforit]] ([[User talk:Waitforit|talk]]) 20:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::: And I did delete it, we just need a link to this experimental page, that's enough. And the pictures still need some more improvements. At transcript we basically only show the text.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

== Why the sea is rising ==
Now we know why the sea is rising. I wonder if the castle people connected the two seas intentionally, or if it was an act of nature.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:43, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

:the way the long haired woman says there was a great ?????? seems like an natural thing, maybe an earthquake that shut the gibraltar passage [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 04:44, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:Yes, but that was the ''closing'' of the passage 5.96 million years before our present time. Hair Woman is surprisingly knowledgeable about the evolution of hominids, and when her ancestors "first learned to walk upright" about that time. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_human_evolution. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
::Maybe she has Wikipedia too.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 02:35, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
:As for the opening of the passage in Cueball/Megan/Hair Woman time, H.W. says "When we discovered that the sea was ???/flowing under the bank we tried to shore it up. We failed." No indication what, if any, geological or human-caused event may have started it, and no need for there to be one, actually. No reason it couldn't have been gradual seepage even by geological measure, let alone human measure. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

== Do you know where you are? ==

Aw yea, finally! I just hope that we don't get another 500 frames with 2 bits of dialogue (like when they left the beach) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 22:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm guessing we are less than 100 feet above the "higher" sea. Sort of a dead-sea kind of difference (>1k ft) [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 22:05, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

So they are in the Mediterranean Sea. We can see Italy and to the left the Strait of Gibraltar leading to the Atlantic ocean. Would this have been thousands of years ago? [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 01:18, 19 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

If this article[http://www.livescience.com/10607-colossal-flood-created-mediterranean-sea.html] is right, about 5.3 million years ago.

Which makes me wonder if we're in the far future. Castles and such large architecture is only a few thousand years old. So was there an earthquake that closed the Straights of Gibraltar again, and the Mediterranean dried up? And it's now filling up again?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

{{geekwagon|2909}} confirms that this is the future, as it refers to it happening before, when our ancestors ("parents") were learning to walk upright, i.e. 3-6 million years ago. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 06:44, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

ATLANTIS!!!! [[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 01:34, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Is the castle Chateau D'If in France? --[[Special:Contributions/203.0.215.2|203.0.215.2]] 01:41, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

It does resemble Chateau D'If. [http://www.carhirex.com/cheap-car-hire/france-car-hire/chateau-dif-in-marseille]. The distant future is sounding more reasonable than the distant past. [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 01:48, 19 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

That certainly looks like the modern Mediterranean sea, now doesn't it? [[Special:Contributions/24.22.89.85|24.22.89.85]] 02:47, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Not only that, if you look at the map which shows the channel, the location of the castle is highlighted and it does correspond to the location of Chateau D'If. --[[Special:Contributions/203.0.215.2|203.0.215.2]] 04:11, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I don't think there is any doubt. The castle is the Chateau d'If. The correspondence on the map to Marseille harbor is exact. The map and the outline of the castle are pretty explicit, including the depiction of the Strait of Gibraltar as the "passage" between seas. So if the level of the Atlantic is anywhere near our own, they will end up on the Île d'If. If higher, who knows. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

This is a future version of Julian May's "The Many-Colored Land." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

By the way, Cueball and Megan have walked quite a long distance. On Hair Woman's map their home appears to be due south of If, same longitude, and roughly at the latitude of Sassari, Sardinia. A minute of latitude is a nautical mile, essentially, and they walked a polygonal path, not a straight line north; a couple hundred nautical miles, at least. That's a long walk. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

What if this is the map from http://what-if.xkcd.com/53/ where the Earth's oceans had been drained? That shows the Strait of Gibraltar having been cut off from a now much-receded Mediterranean sea![[Special:Contributions/155.95.80.253|155.95.80.253]] 15:36, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I wonder if the flag in frame 2944 (and 2812) is intended to be a marker for the new sea level? [[Special:Contributions/173.212.109.235|173.212.109.235]] 19:15, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Assuming this is the Mediterranean sea[http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/medsea.htm], the predicted sea level map in frame 2907 shows that the Balearic Islands will become completely submerged. Since the highest point on the Balearic Islands is 1432 meters above sea level [http://www.islasbaleares.com/en/general-information-about-balearic-islands.html], and Chateau D'If isn't nearly as high, wouldn't Chateau D'If become completely submerged as well? Or maybe the Translator just omitted the Balearic Islands from the map. I'm guessing the latter is true. [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 21:50, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

See the file : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Inserciomamifers.jpg for a dried mediterranean.

== "How many people strong are you?" ==

Am I the only one who finds the "strangers" a little sinister? Especially this question. It reminded me of the scene in Invader Zim when he asks the teacher about Earth'd defences... [[Special:Contributions/77.87.179.62|77.87.179.62]] 07:56, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=PL8BC075BA3A6D336D&v=k453j0d6WEk#t=351s found the clip! [[Special:Contributions/77.87.179.62|77.87.179.62]] 07:56, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
:No, you're not the only one. Megan reacted that way when Hair Woman asked them for their bags, for example. Both our protagonists looked uncomfortable when she sent away the three individuals that had helped them and brought them to the castle. And remember the hill people, and the discussion between M and C of the people on the mountain being -- maybe, hopefully -- different, since they are a long way from the hills. Also Hair Woman said "Yes! Good." when she understood the number 40. The suspense is intentional, I am sure. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:Also when Cueball was talking about the people in the hill where their river comes from Megan said, "They don't like us," implies that there is some level of antagonism between peoples in this world and that they didn't know what to expect from the castle people.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 08:39, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:An alternate interpretation of "Yes! Good." would be "only 40 will have drowned." [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 13:57, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

::The "Oh" and "OH" just after indicate she didn't know they weren't there and was taken aback that they weren't even aware. [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 10:50, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:I interpreted it as "Yes! Good. I understand, I get it." [[User:Caraway|Caraway]] ([[User talk:Caraway|talk]]) 15:08, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

== Surveying equipment ==
I'll bet their instruments are intended to judge the level of the Atlantic and to determine if they will be an island or completely swamped. They were also used to draw the map of their guess about the future sea level.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 08:46, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

: According to frame 2605, the Beanies could see Cuegan's home. But the beanie leader claims they did not spot them. Further indication of malicious intent? [[Special:Contributions/212.219.143.98|212.219.143.98]] 15:26, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
: 2605 shows that Cueball and Megan knew where there home was, to point to it, but not necessarily that they could /see/ anything. No instruments appeared to be mounted in that tower. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:51, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

== Title text ==
When did the hovertext change to "RUN."? --deepfatfriar 20JUL13
:Great catch! I wonder what else we missed... (You can sign your posts by typing 4 ~'s in a row) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 16:54, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
:Checked out the Wikia page. Luckily, we didn't miss much. The title text is "Wait for it." up until this frame (exclusive): [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/13/time2925.png] That frame has a text of "...", and all frames since have read "RUN." [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 17:06, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
:Frame 3076 has the text back to "...". When did it change? [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 02:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::Here: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/3067] Although, technically that frame reads '....', but all frames since read '...' [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 03:13, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Now (frame 3077 at geekwagon) it's back to '...'[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 03:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: And a brief investigation shows it's been that way since 3072gw.[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 03:42, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

== The story of Gibraltar ==

Did the learner/teacher/leader/ruler know the truth? She did some guesses and used a map that their people had found. I can't imagine their parents did travel 2.000 kilometers to Gibraltar, Megan and Cueball must have walked to a level more than 1.000 meters above their home, and also several hundreds of kilometers. A Cougar does not belong to Europe; they were walking to a higher level, running out of breath. At sea level? I'm pretty sure this story is still not solved.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:49, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
: People can have trouble with elevation differences as low as 1500m. It's a common problem where I live (at 1640m). If the estimates of the vertical distance traversed are wrong because Randall has been imprecise, maybe they're that far up.[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 00:04, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:: The castle is at sea level, though (+/- 100m given than the strip is apparently 14,000 years in the future.) I don't think one would have trouble breathing at sea level, even if they live one thousand meters below sea level. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 05:38, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
: We don't know that it was a cougar though, do we? That was just people's assumption. It could have been a lynx, or some other big feline. ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 21:12, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
::I just did say: "this story is still not solved". Maybe the Cougar is wrong or even much more. Did we follow them on a journey of a couple of hundred kilometers? I'm still not convinced in that. But when they will successful use their stolen maps it could be a prove (or not, we haven't seen that local maps jet). Nevertheless, we know their castle is flooded.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:59, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

Now that we have their location, did anyone try to match it up against the night sky from Scene 2 - Part 6 in order to see how far in the future the action might be taking place? It should be easier to make more accurate predictions now, right?--[[User:Michael85|Michael85]] ([[User talk:Michael85|talk]]) 23:46, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Please do not start a new topic for each post here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:39, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:And since you do not read, this story is NOT solved.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:48, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
::I followed closely this whole thread ever since it started, but I haven't joined the discussion until now. Anyway, I haven't seen any update to the star map investigation and I was curious. Sorry for barging in.--[[User:Michael85|Michael85]] ([[User talk:Michael85|talk]]) 18:05, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:::Hey, it's a wiki. Do barge right in! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

There is a nice artist's conception of the Zanclean Flood at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Roger_Pibernat_-_landscape_-_messianic_med-1024x768.jpg [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
It's not quite the same configuration as Randall's sea basin, but similar. The flood has its own wiki page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanclean_flood. I really do not think there is any doubt that Randall's story takes place in a far-future (possibly with liberties taken) Mediterranean Basin, and Hair Woman's castle is the Chateau d'If under restoration. The original Messinian Salinity Crisis (q.v.) is estimated to have taken a thousand years or so to stabilize once the Gibraltar (and possibly other) passage(s) closed, presumably as a result of tectonic activity under the influence of the two opposing continental plates colliding at the site of the present Mediterranean Sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

I do believe it quite likely that Hair Woman's people's ancestors/forbears already were spread as far west as Gibraltar, which would explain why her people know about the Atlantic seeping in, and then flowing, through the barrier. She said they attempted to reinforce the barrier, but failed, so certainly they were there at Gibraltar in the "present time" of the story. And to draw ("build" she said) the outlines on the map, they had to have information about the second sea basin on the other side of Italy-Sardinia and the outlines of what we call the Adriatic, etc. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:The sea they are use to must be rather hypersaline for them to consider the incoming water (from the Atlantic?) to be be "fresh"

::It sounds like they're used to water which is salty enough to float on. In any case, hypersalinity makes sense if it's the mostly-dried-up remnant of the Mediterranean.[[Special:Contributions/129.22.117.158|129.22.117.158]] 19:11, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

"I think there's stuff floating on the sea... I think something on the sea." {{geekwagon|3024}} and {{geekwagon|3025}} -- Ship? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:30, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

:I wonder if "Oh, OH" meant she knew a way to rescue the 40 people by getting word to someone with a boat. Radio?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 00:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

== PNG time chunks changed on the xkcd server ==

The images mirrored http://xkcd.mscha.org/ and those served by xkcd servers differs in two PNG 'tEXt' chunks with keywords 'date:create' and 'date:modify', which appears to contain the original timestamps. Images from mscha.org have wide range of these timestamps, indicating that the images weren't produced all at the same time. But the same frames downloaded from xkcd servers now have their time values set to "2013-05-01T15:11:05-04:00", so either mscha or xkcd must have modified the PNGs. The compressed image data seems to be modified, too.

Also note that the copy of the first frame found at mscha.org has been edited by Photoshop, because the PNG structure is different from all the others and contains a color profile beginning with "Photoshop ICC profile".

[[Special:Contributions/78.108.152.10|78.108.152.10]] 14:37, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:Since May 3, 2013 all original files have this modification timestamp at EDT (UTC -4:00): "2013-05-01 11:22:58.000000000". So it's a fake by Randall.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:40, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

== Terrain Map ==

I marked up a bathymetric map of the north-west Mediterranean with the data from the Beanie map, plus extrapolated data about locations and paths: [[:File:TimeTerrainMap.png]]

The good news is, Megball can save about a third of the distance by their direct path through the hills. The bad news is, it's about a 50 mile journey from the likely location of the "tents" to the first part of the ridge they need to take to safety. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 05:00, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

:Great work! Are the white spaces just regions lacking bathymetric data? My speculation is that the "40" will already be on the move. The original "sand" castle (as much salt as sand? It certainly was a sculptable medium anyway) was implied to be underwater in the three frames with the rocking bucket on the waves. Beret Girl was down there just as C+M were leaving, dragging something. They will not have been caught totally by surprise. Perhaps the C+M's upper "castle" construction will end up being a raft? Or perhaps they have packed up their tents and are already heading for high ground? They might have seen the Hill People leaving, or...who knows. We still have to "wait for it" even as C+M "run." (That cat sure is scared of running Megan! It took off like a...scared cat! You could say, "caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.") [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:25, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yup, the white spots where spots this survey hadn't finished yet, though there's been other bathymetric work so we know they are mostly flat. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 17:09, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

:Current research suggests neither years, nor days, but months for the basin to fill from the Atlantic the last time, in the 5.6mya event; but this one can be whatever Randall wants it to be. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:25, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Cueball is concerned that the water is fresh. Although this may seem to disprove the theory that the Atlantic is flooding into the Mediterranean, it actually doesn't. Notice that Cueball "felt" that something was strange. What was strange was that they were accustomed to an extremely salty sea. Can you imagine filling up the Mediterranean Sea with ocean water then cutting it off from the Atlantic and allowing it to evaporate down to the size of C&M's sea? It would be extremely salty and you could float easily in it. The water from the Atlantic Ocean is nowhere near that salty so Cueball interprets it as fresh water. This will cause problems with the rescue because these people are not used to swimming in water that's not super salty. They can't float like they're used to and risk drowning. [[Special:Contributions/198.103.184.76|198.103.184.76]] 16:32, 23 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck
:My thought too. He does say "Not as fresh as a river", which means it's still salty, but much less so than the sea they're used to. I'm reminded of the Dead Sea, which also has a very high salinity. This makes the water tasting and spluttering in the beginning (while building the sand castle) make a lot of sense. I guess I have to go back and read it all again now that we have some context. ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 18:36, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
::"Not as fresh as a river"--we also now know why Megan and Cueball couldn't get Cueball's water bottle when it fell in the river at 920:00. They never learned to swim without the high salinity helping them float.[[User:Vicky715|Vicky715]] ([[User talk:Vicky715|talk]]) 23:36, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

Another map, with better resolution, of the rising water levels: [[:File:rising-water.png]] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:39, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
:How 'bout that - you can even see Ile D'If. [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 08:28, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

== Moving 'mound'? ==

I've got a feeling.. that it's beret girl and the 'platform' from way back in the first 'act'! - "10:02, 24 July 2013‎ 98.144.105.195"

:Your feeling is accurate. The return of Beret Girl! "I found my cousin." "Here we come to save the day!" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:Well, I have a feeling that since you made your edit (without signing it) ''after'' Beret Girl reappeared you actually mean "the ''same'' beret girl". [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 10:27, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:in the frames she shows up with the upper platform, what are the small moving parts in the lower area? allready floating stuff? [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 10:59, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
::Well, she did say "I turned it into a boat." I guess that means floating stuff. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:11, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

Beret Girl said "boat" and I congratulate her resourcefulness but, I wonder if she meant "raft" instead. (Let us not dwell heavily on the difference.) Is there any doubt now that Randall has been planning this for a long time, in fair detail? He seemed to have responded, to some degree, to some of the postings made here on the Wiki, yet I wonder if perhaps it was just coincidence? [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 14:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

So to theft (the maps) do we now add looting? What they are taking was left behind by others who evacuated in the face of a natural disaster. Our tribe seems not to have needed these things before, back in the sand castle days, but are taking advantage of this opportunity to load up on stuff now. I hope they don't sink the raft under their loot. deepfatfriar [[Special:Contributions/75.109.36.232|75.109.36.232]] 17:02, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

That might be the tribes own camp. They may have moved the camp up into the hills to pick up the stuff that was left behind. Also, if there us no reasonable chance of the former owner getting it back I think the proper term is "salvaging" or "scavenging" not "looting". [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 19:40, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
: I was under the impression that it was the tribes' own camp. We already knew they were tent-dwellers- Yurt dwellers by the looks! [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 02:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

This has to be one of the best dialogues Randall has ever written: "Why is everything flooding? Why is the water full of trees? Why do you have little tables covered in sand?" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:05, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 3060 "Is there any way to keep us pointing forward?" "We could start calling this the front." Clearly, someone is a mathematician. [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 21:37, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
:...rubbed elbows with 'em, anyway. :) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:22, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

33 heads {{geekwagon|3072}} << "About forty of us" {{geekwagon|2896}}. Where are the others? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 22:10, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
: I counted 33... then 29... then 26... where are they going??? (ps, fixed your second link.) [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 00:06, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::Behind the hanging curtain? [[Special:Contributions/50.139.68.248|50.139.68.248]] 00:19, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:: It's a bit of a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sljSf7KVlQ lifeboat scenario] [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 00:40, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:: Well, Randall knows we are watching and counting! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:22, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::: Now down to 18 visible people. Cueball and Megan were among the first to disappear. If they're all under the enclosure, it must be pretty cozy. [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 03:52, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::: Almost certainly they are. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 3072 - Title text has once again changed to "...." [[User:Uglystick|Uglystick]] ([[User talk:Uglystick|talk]]) 22:12, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
:GREAT find, has to be mentioned when we do know what's the next.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:24, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

It's a Yurt!!! [[Special:Contributions/184.155.116.49|184.155.116.49]] Polecat
: Yes. They lived in yurts in their village by the sea. They took some down to use in enhancing their platform-boat-raft, and apparently brought along many of the spare parts. These people seem to be very quick and very clever at improvising, even on the water. And very logical thinkers in an emergency. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I have no idea what is going on. The "boat" looks like it's moving over land in 3079/3080, not floating on water. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 06:20, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

:I think that is not land, but debris floating on the water. [[User:Sumitimus|Sumitimus]] ([[User talk:Sumitimus|talk]]) 07:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yes. In 3076 a big swell caused the whole group to stagger and fall down. In 3079 and 3080 more waves, and smaller ones in 3081 and 3082. Both rafts have been on the water since they first spotted the remaining party with the second raft. Now there are flying fish! (in 3082.) The thing that may save them is that their construction methods seem to make use of lots of flexible members and perhaps lashings for fasteners; their rafts can apparently flex with the waves. So long as they don't get overwhelmed. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

You would think there would be considerable air movement. I wonder if they will figure out the concept of a sea anchor, or if it would even help. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

And we're back to building sandcastles on top of the raft with the left-over sand there. I guess the story is going to move slowly for a while again. We'll have to "Wait for it" even though the hover-over text has gone back to "RUN." [[Special:Contributions/198.103.184.76|198.103.184.76]] 12:47, 26 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

<blockquote> I think that is not land, but debris floating on the water. Sumitimus (talk) 07:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)</blockquote>

It's [http://kosmo.hubpages.com/hub/What-Should-I-Know-about-the-Earths-Floating-Islands-of-Garbage# Gilligan's Island]! Sorry couldn't help it.[[Special:Contributions/69.126.70.32|69.126.70.32]] 19:02, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I feel like Randall is playing a little too fast and loose with the science here. I mean, this MASSIVE influx of water never overwhelms their makeshift rafts, carries them all the way to land, deposits them gentle on the shore, and then suddenly stops rising, without even pulling back? Did he decide he needed to speed things along, as the comic was becoming too time consuming? [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 19:08, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:At the pictures you can see many big bags filled with air attached to the raft. This does work fine. And because they did not steering their vessel they just reach land again by random.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:33, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

== The End ==

Oh my. What a letdown. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, that's it? I mean it's a nice story, but not much of a climax/denouement. [[Special:Contributions/66.66.107.178|66.66.107.178]] 20:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::You could see the writing on the wall with how he sped through the rescue, but that's seriously anticlimactic. I mean, it couldn't go on forever, but it feels like he just ran out of Time. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 20:15, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:I'm not sure, maybe we will get a sequel. But the original image links now to [[http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon]] and the title text is "The end.". I'm waiting just for the next hour, then it should be clear, or not?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::We're all junkies now--we'll still be hitting refresh a week from now, hoping it might just change... In the end, though, that was the real brilliance of it. Not the story, but the way making us wait for each frame gave every little moment of it so much more weight, by giving us the time to anticipate and speculate and imagine for ourselves. It had to end eventually, but it was an amazing thing. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 20:27, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:As ggh said: "Wow. Maybe we ''are'' supposed to draw it now." http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=50160#p3422078 [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 20:43, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

So, is it time to pin down the skydate more accurately? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:34, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: We have one date that matches, so someone with patience could do the math for when Venus's cycle of reappearing in the same spot and Jupiter's almost-12 year cycle of doing the same match up again, and then test the star movements to see which is closest. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:33, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Be patient, this is NOT the END, maybe just a fading out, but images still do get updates.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:12, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: Writing a program to make the raft and water wiggle around forever (maybe even with tides?) would not be *that* hard. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 21:19, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: The final frame is a link to geekwagon now, so it may really be over. I've enjoyed my time watching and waiting and lurking through the discussion. Thank you, Randall, and thank you all for the wonderful discussion. [[User:Lizzard|Lizzard]] ([[User talk:Lizzard|talk]]) 03:57, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

If Randall is reading: Thanks for the story. We all loved it. [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 21:25, 26 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck
:I very much enjoyed following the story, but am also very much disappointed in how it ended. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 01:16, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Thank you Randall for the nice story! The End remembers me of Lucasarts-Adventures... May someday a new frame appears with "That's really the end, you can shutdown your computer now" ;-) [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 11:47, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

== The Bit After the Credits ==

I thought that we might get one, and indeed something is coming into view under the bush on the right. I am expecting the hedgehog, possibly pursued by the wildcat, whose choices on who to eat continue to be painful. There are really the only two extraneous elements that haven't been wrapped up. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

What about the chirps from way up high when they were up on the mountain? Or the baby bird and it's mother?
Or the other tribes from the hills?

:What about giving back the maps. And what did Cueball mean? "M: Along with the maps, I should've stolen a guide to treating injuries. Ooh, and one on how they make those pointing devices in the towers..." C responds: "Um..." Did he take something? What was it? Hmm... [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:53, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

So it has ended, Thank you Mr. Munroe. By my estimation 3099 frames is about 1/5th of what Watterson did in 10 years. WOW.
So now it's time to go outside and build some sandcastles of our own. Hey we can be re-enactors!! [[Special:Contributions/184.155.116.49|184.155.116.49]] Polecat
:3102 frames archived at http://xkcd.mscha.org - geekwagon's archive is missing three early frames. The complete sequence can be viewed starting from http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/1. [[User:Filron|Filron]] ([[User talk:Filron|talk]]) 05:33, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1190: Time

2013-07-26T20:35:03Z

Taibhse: /* The End */

__TOC__
Pretty sure we're just getting trolled with this one [[Special:Contributions/99.108.190.136|99.108.190.136]] 04:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Can't tell if this is emo xkcd or trolling xkcd. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:53, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Something seems a little fishy because the image url is different than normal. [[User:Bugefun|Bugefun]] ([[User talk:Bugefun|talk]]) 04:55, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe the comic slowly changes throughout the day. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:56, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::Oh god, it does. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:57, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::When uploading different versions of the image, use the naming convention time[iterationNumber].png. We'll compile all the images into one and display them as per [[Traffic Lights]]. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:05, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::::Alright, so the comic appears to be switching between two states here: between [[media:time2.png|this]] and [[media:time3.png|this]]. If nothing new happens, I'll get to clipping the comics together. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:28, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::Whoop, nope, [[media:time4.png|this]] just came up. Is there more to come? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:34, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::::::Alright, so a new one is posted every half-hour. Whoopee. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:06, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::::And there's a new one! Megan leaning back and looking up...
::::::::Well, the image changed, who has the time to make a script to catch the new images and compile them into a gif? https://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/time.png [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 07:14, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/72.21.198.66|72.21.198.66]] 05:11, 25 March 2013 (UTC)It could be a reference to the old proverb " time and tide wait for none" Cueball and the girl could be waiting for the tide in the beach! (Just a guess)[[Special:Contributions/72.21.198.66|72.21.198.66]] 05:11, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

This could be a cinematic custom to change scenes or to show the passage of time: fade to black (white) on Act I, come up on Act II. Get some popcorn during the intermission.{{unsigned|Gerry|11:38, 29 April 2013 (UTC)}}

The picture does chance with time. The URL includes a changing timestamp that I can't decipher. Compare these two URLS (which have slightly different images:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png

Perhaps there is a way to hack the URL to view future images. [[Special:Contributions/199.30.248.121|199.30.248.121]] 05:29, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: I would also like to add that knowing randall, these are not the only images. For all we know, the image will still be changing in 5 years while a tree grows in front of them. My point is: Are the URLs hackable, or did he encrypt them? [[Special:Contributions/199.30.248.121|199.30.248.121]] 05:33, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Likely there is a way to hack the URLs; they look like some sort of hash, probably a hashed timestamp. Of course, he could easily have added some salt to the hash, making it significantly *harder* to hack. But they're strings of a specific length, so it should be pretty easy to bruteforce it, fetch all the images, and then (maybe) reverse-engineer the sequence. *That* all depends on how many of them there are. [[Special:Contributions/76.90.249.178|76.90.249.178]] 05:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:Good god, do you see how many digits are *in* that hash? The sun'll have burned out by the time we've tested every possible combination of digits. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:47, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:: The URLs are 64 hex characters. If he doesnt want us to find these pictures ahead of time, he would have made them completely random data, not a hash of anything. There are 16 possibilites for hex characters so 16^64 combinations or 1.7x10^308 combinations. If we made a supercomputer to try a billion links per second, and if there are 10,000 images total, it would take 4×10^277 × 13.77 billion years, which is a number with 277 zeros times the age of the universe to find just the first additional image. The sun will expand into a red giant and engulf the earth or at least come close enough to boil off all the water in the oceans in a mere 5.4 billion years, less than even one additional age of the universe. It will even be after the last star to ever be born has burned out, and all life in the universe has died before we could find even one. [[Special:Contributions/65.50.74.245|65.50.74.245]] 19:11, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

It seems that the image is updated every 1/2 hour. [[Special:Contributions/152.23.97.150|152.23.97.150]] 06:17, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: Given that the images switch back and forth between other images already seen, and that the comic should be viewable in the future, it seems unlikely that it's any thing like a simple sha256 of part of the timestamp. I think it's more likely a function of half-hours and minutes (assuming we continue to get a new possible image every half-hour). [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 06:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::: The images do cycle, yes. But for some reason I have never seen the img where Megan is looking behind her. Also wouldn't it be difficult to show a sequential story (like the rising tide) if the previous images keep cycling ?

Hash appears to be SHA-256. I tried some obvious hashes ("1", "11901", "1190_1", "1190.1") to no avail. Maybe this is HMAC-SHA256? Also, I would suggest trying Unix timestamps. [[Special:Contributions/131.156.236.149|131.156.236.149]] 06:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: I've been trying to make educated guesses as to what's being hashed here: http://www.xorbin.com/tools/sha256-hash-calculator ... he could also be using hash(hash2(value)) which would be virtually impossible to crack. [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 06:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

It's entirely possible that the "hash" is actually randomly generated. Just a thought. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 07:03, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Regarding sha256. Its most likely some hash of a timestamp, but if he doesnt wants us to crack it, he would have prefixes a password.. sha256('secretcode17:30'). Im just saying, if he doesnt wants us to crack it, we most likely cant.
I've tested all unixtimestamps from 1300000000 to 1364390334. Also "00:00" to "23:59", with and without the colon and a load of other formats. {{unsigned|77.243.128.133}}

Alright, this is probably not going to work, but I'm trying to exploit Randall's awesomeness here. Maybe he decided to take the time-stamps from the user? I don't know if that's even possible... That would then allow people in different time zones to obtain different images simultaneously. (What's the corollary of Godwin's law for a bunch of math-and-science nerds and relativity? Is there one?) Clicking the img src url on the comic's html page, give me this: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa.png : Never mind.. apparently others see the same image too.

Could he be doing this live? Monitoring the discussion on the net? Collaborative, crowdsourced comic-ing? Reminds me of those you-decide-what-the-character-does-next-and-flip-to-appropriate-page parallel plot novels.

[[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 07:14, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Let's just compare the two pictures and see how the bottom right changes, which I believe is water and they are indeed waiting for the tide. [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 07:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:I'm adding urls to pictures bellow, edit freely.
::They change every 5 minutes, will try to keep track.

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f8/time.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/timeasdf.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/time6.png

:I have uploaded all the different images onto the wiki, in the order that they were revealed. To avoid needless duplication of effort, I'll put them up in the explanation page. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

It just went back to the second image... [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 07:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: And now changed to something new. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/cdcc6b46b32c53f8596cd0106958b42c4260b9cbc022e6d94054147aa6554960.png
:: The images do look alike, but they're all different. Thanks David. [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 08:04, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::: No..I checked the random string. They're exactly the same. In fact, now it's gone back to the second image. Again. [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 08:07, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Just found this JavaScript code embedded in the comic HTML source (Update: Reformatted to prevent eye-bleeding): http://pastebin.com/4vNJH53Z

I'm no programmer but this looks important to me...

:Moved it to pastebin, so it doesn't clutter the page so much. [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.51|81.23.24.51]] 14:22, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

:Doesn't really help. The script basically changes the image when something happens (probably some time passes, although it's possible there is more hidden there). WHAT image then appears is not directed by the script, but by the site. Specifically, the image displayed as first is taken from [http://c0.xkcd.com/redirect/comic/time http://c0.xkcd.com/redirect/comic/time], while the script asks for [http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource&r=(somenumber) http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource&r=(somenumber)] ... which is, if you get correct "r", probably some json containing the image url. So, even if you hack the script, you will not get all possible urls. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:17, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:: ... actually, given that the script part doesn't seem to do anything just now, it's even possible it's for later (ie, starts producing images when the correct time come). Or maybe there is a bug somewhere in the code :-). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:27, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:::Thanks for explaining. Why hasn't anyone posted this before? Could "location.hash" possibly have anything to do with the method used to generate the image hash key? Also, why is this code so difficult to follow (Obfuscation?)? So many questions... Sorry if this is just a huge waste of ''Time''.

:::: <code>location</code> is the URI of the page. <code>location.hash</code> is the part of the uri after the ''#'' character. If you go to [https://xkcd.com/1190/#verbose https://xkcd.com/1190/#verbose], you'll see some debugging output in your browser's debugging console (Firefox: Web Console or Firebug, Chrome: Development Tools). But nothing to decode the algorithm... :-( --[[Special:Contributions/83.243.48.2|83.243.48.2]] 10:01, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::::: Well, I don't know what's doing it, but there's definitely some script (probably this script) that's refreshing the image automatically. I left the comic open for an hour or so and noticed the image had changed. I refreshed with #verbose in Chrome right before the 30 minute mark and got the following in the console.
<pre>
connecting to event source: http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource time07.min.js:1
s {type: "comic/time", data: "{"spread":5,"image":"832a7f13ca0fadc46e93475bb617d78211e32c81c3af0e289a51f8f149707759.png"}", lastEventId: "e2992bf0-9557-11e2-8001-1c6f659cb250"} time07.min.js:1
waiting 0 seconds before displaying comic 832a7f13ca0fadc46e93475bb617d78211e32c81c3af0e289a51f8f149707759.png time07.min.js:1
Resource interpreted as Image but transferred with MIME type application/octet-stream: "http://xkcd.com/events/connect_start". time07.min.js:1
s {type: "comic/time", data: "{"spread":5,"image":"847265673986f085460bf1a95b96f7171bcd9a4f1f0a598b2188307d03bcfaa3.png"}", lastEventId: "79580fe8-9558-11e2-8001-1c6f659cb250"} time07.min.js:1
waiting 4 seconds before displaying comic 847265673986f085460bf1a95b96f7171bcd9a4f1f0a598b2188307d03bcfaa3.png time07.min.js:1
connection error i {type: "error"} time07.min.js:1
Resource interpreted as Image but transferred with MIME type application/octet-stream: "http://xkcd.com/events/connect_error".
</pre>
::::: The script seems to poll the server every minute or two. It's different from before, where the image server itself redirected to the correct image. The auto refresh was probably always intended, but not quite ready when the comic went live. It may have turned out to be necessary too, so the image server doesn't have to do all the work. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 14:45, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

http://pastebin.com/dLiWsFyN
[[Special:Contributions/79.180.173.88|79.180.173.88]] 09:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:Moved to pastebin.[[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.51|81.23.24.51]] 14:34, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/426033682a26a0012a6f8e0c47287af91b7991a852d81c77402c937ffbd650c6.png

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1e/f46c6571393bee1ee649a7daae41f6328e63482506aef1e22607d22c47dd7027.png --[[User:Johnsmith|Johnsmith]] ([[User talk:Johnsmith|talk]]) 22:51, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b0/88e3a0c8bba935c669606d9134314f811a0961985f968dd5d329e4695acc67c8.png --[[User:Johnsmith|Johnsmith]] ([[User talk:Johnsmith|talk]]) 23:10, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me or or did Randall manage to make all of us perform a Denial of Service on xkcd.com, and explainxkcd.com ? xkcd.com seems much slower, and I keep getting "500 Internal server error" when accessing this site (explainxkcd.com). I guess that's the effect of having everybody hit F5 every few minutes :) [[Special:Contributions/193.239.192.194|193.239.192.194]] 11:57, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Earlier today, the server handled all the image redirections. The script you see above went through several mutations (currently at #8), with each mutation it seems that Randall is adding more servers and trying to split the load between them. This is basically how a bot-net works - we all run code written by some evil genius, and he's changing the code as time passes to serve some hidden purpose.
[[Special:Contributions/79.180.173.88|79.180.173.88]] 15:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:If he is using us as a botnet, then maybe the next comic will be something alluding to that.
:Probably like this: http://xkcd.com/350/

When I saw this comic last night and that there was no explanation up, I thought to myself "How zen." I figured that Randall was going through a calm streak before throwing us the utterly ridiculous April 1st comic. Did it come early, or does he have something even bigger planned for us? [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 07:05, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
:Sorry, did you miss the bit where this comic updates every 30 minutes and all the server error messages being caused by the massive traffic to both the wiki and the main xkcd website? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:08, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
::Well, when I said "last night" and "no explanation", I implied that I wasn't aware of that at the time, which is why I thought what I did. Of course, it is now "now" and there is an explanation, so that should answer your question. Also, since it's not April 1st, and Randall has consistently released something major on that day, the jury is still out, leaving my question quite open (though I was really only asking for opinions). [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 07:20, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

wanted to add an image to the list above, but didn't know at what timestamp to add it, got 69085b480cb82911b19fe8f114909756989eed89b0d227db0f59c1843de7ba24.png at 2013-03-26 09:47 CET (UTC+0100)
/Puggan
:The hours denote the time since the initial release of the comic. The page is still a work in progress, we're going to bring that all into one image file soon. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:13, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

This site should seriously consider cloudflare, it's perfect at times like this and takes minutes to set up. I run all my sites through it and it saves a lot of page huts and bandwidth.
[[Special:Contributions/123.3.136.228|123.3.136.228]]Evan Pyle
:Or at least make the main page a static page that refreshes every so often. I'm guessing that most of the traffic is going to the front page with not as much traffic to the actual comic page [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 15:43, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Some of the images on the wiki (looks like time38.png through time48.png) are slightly different than what is on the main site. The lines are slightly thicker, as though someone did them based on screen captures.
[[User:Royce|Royce]] ([[User talk:Royce|talk]]) 14:37, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
:Well, at least we have the hashes so they can be re-retrieved, so nothing is really lost, right? Should we add links to the original? [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 15:43, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

:I uploaded two of the "thicker" images and one of the "regular" ones, and I did the same thing for all of them: right-click->save-as. Given that the "thick" ones are all clustered together, I think the files on the xkcd site changed. [[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 18:21, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Story so far: [http://static.odysseus.anderson.name/1190.gif linky] [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 19:30, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

I guess we shall find out in ~10 minutes if Randall is trolling us. [[Special:Contributions/129.138.30.95|129.138.30.95]] 04:20, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

... so that's it?

Did I just miss something or we've all been epically trolled for 48 hours? [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:22, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:Motherofgod, no, he's *still* going!''' [[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:20, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

What makes you think he's done? [[Special:Contributions/129.138.30.95|129.138.30.95]] 04:25, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm still waiting for the water level to drop precipitously... and then for red spiders to run over everything [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 04:28, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, strip 1191 is up so I assumed it was over. I guess it's not. Until April's Fools maybe? [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:32, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
: It is not over -- the image is still updating, at least it did for me [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])
:: Yes, it's not over. Last frame shows just a minimal movement of Cueball's head, but no doubt it's still ongoing. [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:49, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
::: Given the fact the strips for the last 2 weeks have been comparatively simple, I expect Randall has been planning this for at least that long. {{unsigned|101.98.156.239}}

Considering the common theme with "today's" strip, anyone wanna guess that he's sending us a hex-encoded file over a really slow modem link, slated to complete April 1? Anyone wanna run "magic" over the hashes and see if they come up with a compression codec or something? [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 04:45, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:I liked this idea and crunched the hex data for 00:00 to 51:00 into a binary file (http://filebin.ca/bcGyfUvdgBi). Can't see anything resembling a file header, but that doesn't really say much. If this is compressed header-less data there wouldn't likely be any easily discernible patterns. Haven't really tried running the data through anything, zlib was one that came to mind but haven't tried it.

[[Special:Contributions/194.114.62.72|194.114.62.72]] I'm pretty shure it's not the seaside, but a lake - the water level is not changing at all.

Its probably going to loop back on itself, eventually, and repeat this way forever. [[Special:Contributions/113.160.224.209|113.160.224.209]] 07:12, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

For those wondering about the Javascript behind this: I posted my analysis of the Javascript [http://www.echochamber.me/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=760#p3303579 on the xkcd forums], and further de-obfuscated and annotated the code over on [https://gist.github.com/cincodenada/5246094 GitHub]. Here's a quick summary though: it holds open a connection to xkcd's servers and listens for instructions and follows them. Those instructions are either "load a new image" or "reload the page". So, you don't have to mash F5, it will automatically update the image when they're available. We have no way to control how fast the images come or when they do, and it's quite possible for them to update forever. --[[User:Fiveofoh|Fiveofoh]] ([[User talk:Fiveofoh|talk]]) 06:41, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

This is a series of animation frames. I suspect they will only ever be shown once (based on the fact you can only get the current image, not previous or future images -- this is in keeping with the title, "Time", which passes and which you can't ever get back]. The filenames are UUIDs too long to guess, so somebody needs to start collecting the filenames here so that a proper flipbook can be assembled. Here's the latest URL: [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/81efa7c4509ac7a329407d9da25d12ec0a3baec50e06588586961575e2d65c2c.png http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/81efa7c4509ac7a329407d9da25d12ec0a3baec50e06588586961575e2d65c2c.png] Go here to collect URLs: [http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource]
:We've kinda already been doing that. They're the big long filenames next to each timestamp. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:06, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Oh my god it's game of thrones played out in 2D [[Special:Contributions/123.3.136.228|123.3.136.228]] Evan Pyle

Is it just me, or do the last two frames look like someone just threw a rock at the castle? [[Special:Contributions/67.167.81.143|67.167.81.143]] 14:20, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I believe it is the cannon ball that I have been expecting since they first started building castles. [[User:ChrisPUT|ChrisPUT]] ([[User talk:ChrisPUT|talk]]) 16:34, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Here's a bit of JavaScript to execute in your browser's JavaScript console. (Cmd+Alt+K on Firefox for Mac, for example.)
<pre>
/* Collect all frame image URLs */
var images = [];
Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/time"][href$=".png"]')).forEach(function (a) {
images.push(a.href);
});

/* Create an image in the top-right corner of the screen */
var img = document.body.appendChild(document.createElement('img'));
img.setAttribute('style', 'position: fixed; top: 1em; right: 1em;');

/* Allow removing the image by clicking */
img.onclick = function () {
img.parentNode.removeChild(img);
};

var texts = [0,51,169,174,322];
var delays = [0,1000,1000,1500,4000];

/* Cycle through the frames */
img.onload = function () {
/* Pause a bit longer for the text frames */
var idx = texts.indexOf(img.i);
var delay = ( idx > 0 ) ? delays[idx] : 50;
setTimeout(function () {
img.src = images[++img.i % images.length];
}, delay);
};

/* Start with the first frame */
img.i = 0;
img.src = images[img.i];
</pre>

— [http://jan.moesen.nu/ Jan!] [[Special:Contributions/94.23.195.79|94.23.195.79]] 09:22, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

---Thanks for the script!. Ctrl+Shift+J on Windows Chrome [[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 13:11, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

- updated script 'coz there are three text panels now. [[User schnitz]] 19:00, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

- updated script with another text panel [[Special:Contributions/24.77.229.71|24.77.229.71]] 21:00, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

The one for the prior half hour (5AM - 5:30AM EST, 27 March 2013) is located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/5450bd39ee84a394467fabcaf92f1a5711c2a4eca24c8bd8a8cec829496e3dd7.png
[[Special:Contributions/141.161.133.106|141.161.133.106]] 09:26, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

And the one for the following half hour is located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/c2ea85f1ab92f2f80e9c4655c47f5c7effc0a7da01c8a88493864845855b3be8.png
[[Special:Contributions/141.161.133.106|141.161.133.106]] 09:31, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Call me a paranoid, but I think this strip is all about 9/11:
*If you read the strip number (1190) backwards, you get 09/11
*This subject is recurrent on xkcd
*As far as we have seen, there is a destroyed tower and they are rebuilding it
*The next strip, following 1190 (or 09/11), mentions war against countries with large oil reserves but low military capacity. {{unsigned|143.107.105.14}}
:I feel like that's kind of a stretch, I'm pretty sure it's just a story about a day at the beach.

If a new strip goes up every 30 minutes our time, and if each strip comprises of, let's say for the sake of simplicity, one minute in their time; to build the sand castle [frames 24-117 = 93 frames] so far it's taken almost 2 days our time, which would be about an hour and a half their time if each frame is a minute. Using my scale, an hour our time is 2 minutes their time, a day is 48 minutes, and our month is their 24 hour day. If we assume Randall plans to give us a 24 hour period from that world's time, and we use the minute-per-frame rate I made up, than we'd probably be looking at a month of images our time. I guess we'll just have to see how long he's got it planned to go on. -boB

Has it ended? All that's left is the sandcastle, and there doesn't seem to have been anything else changed on it for a few hours.

It's zooming out! When look at the gifs showing the frames in succession, the last 3 show the castle getting slightly smaller each time!
: It's true! The most recent also shows the edge of another castle, leading me to believe it's part of some kind of sand castle contest, probably including some of xkcd's other recurring characters!
::Weird, now it's not showing that, Randall must have put something up too soon.
A controllable version of the same comic is available at http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/ - slow/fast movement, pause, control back and forth. It also has the image # on the top left. Auto updating. [[Special:Contributions/59.182.173.88|59.182.173.88]] 20:56, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

:Can you add on-screen buttons, so it's usable on phones and tablets without hardware keyboard?{{unsigned|81.23.24.48}}

looky here: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/4c92727698b704ee1d02fbd37c94c220d16be4ad3ff6fc03a3fb77ea6d96434f.png [[Special:Contributions/97.88.147.176|97.88.147.176]] 23:14, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
That was a glitch on the server that revealed a future frame, but it has been corrected and that link is now a 404 not found. I guess if we want to see it in context we'll just have to "Wait for it."{{unsigned|Bugstomper}}
: Well now we're back to that picture as the present frame. [[User:Racerdude09|Racerdude09]] ([[User talk:Racerdude09|talk]]) 03:14, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Is someone gonna update the transcript to note them building a sandcastle, as well as the dialogue so far (consisting of Megan and Cueball saying goodbye to each other at No. 52)?--[[Special:Contributions/69.119.250.251|69.119.250.251]] 00:38, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Anyone else think that they're roleplaying Dom and Mal in Limbo? [[User:Fry-kun|Fry-kun]] ([[User talk:Fry-kun|talk]]) 05:36, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

I think they're bulding a sand replica of King's Landing for the Game Of Thrones season 3 premiere {{unsigned|201.239.18.75}}
: My first idea regarding the sand castle was also about Game of Thrones, but i dismissed it as being too biased.. --[[Special:Contributions/217.13.68.110|217.13.68.110]] 13:31, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

I have modified the code "'''''/* Collect all frame image URLs */'''''" to see only images of the "'''Frame by Frame Breakdown'''" section :
/* Collect all frame image URLs */
var images = [];
Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelector('#Frame_by_Frame_Breakdown').parentElement.nextElementSibling.nextElementSibling.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/wiki/images/"][href*="/time"][href$=".png"]')).forEach(function (a) {
images.push(a.href);
});
(Sorry for my English... and the ugly code...) {{unsigned|194.119.85.99}}

Anyone else think this is going to be related to Wed's cartoon? I'm half-expecting Black Hat to show up from the future, with advanced weaponry, to take oil from the sandcastle of the past. {{unsigned|173.180.60.43}}

Guys, i think we might have lost a few frames in between, no? When did he upload the first image? like, the exakt time... knowing this we could calculate the amount of images there should be and compare to what we have... [[User:Caranhyas|Caranhyas]] ([[User talk:Caranhyas|talk]]) 18:04, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

The four comics from 89:00 to 90:30 (most recent so far) look the same to me, but the PNG files have different CRCs for the image data blocks, though the metadata in the PNG files are all the same. I wonder if there might be something subtle hidden in the images, or the way they're compressed. [[Special:Contributions/24.160.133.3|24.160.133.3]] 22:54, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

: There is a very minor difference in the water level on those images, even though the water level has been static in most of the other images. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.210|129.21.63.210]] 02:05, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I don't think the title text is a reference to anything except for... wait for it... THE MONGOLS ;-) [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.34|81.23.24.34]] 23:00, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Unless the 99:30 image was misnamed, it's not included in the list of images. Does anyone know where this frame went? [[User:Bob|Bob]] 14:18, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Is that rain in two recent panels? [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 14:21, 29 March 2013 (UTC)r

Can someone identify for sure what Cueball is doing in 105:00? His arms seems to be crossed, and his holding something in his hand. [[User:Mem|mem]] ([[User talk:Mem|talk]]) 14:30, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looks to me like he is shivering, which would allude to a cool down common with rain storms? [[User:Jeremy1026|Jeremy1026]] ([[User talk:Jeremt1026|talk]]) 14:51 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looks to me like he's brushing sand off himself; see the shower around him similar to her hair at 10:00? [[Special:Contributions/70.178.167.60|70.178.167.60]] 03:07, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Megan just wheeled in a trebuchet! This is going to be fun! [[Special:Contributions/69.246.10.71|69.246.10.71]] 16:34, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
Now she's launching a rock. I wonder which tower it might hit. March 2013, at 17:08. Flew over the first two and might impact far right tower if it continues. 17:48

I think this is all an elaborate 'joke' which will keep running until Monday - April Fools' Day [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 17:17, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Re explanation of hour 110:00. My first thought was "How can a person whose face is an empty ovoid look upset?". However, looking at the image again I can see how it does. Respects to Randall. Possibly an April Fool, but I will be even more impressed if it runs beyond Monday. I'm waiting for the tide to come in. jasq [[Special:Contributions/79.123.80.87|79.123.80.87]] 23:12, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I googled some hashes. The first two seem to show up here, in a directory tellingly labeled "wait": http://www.hash-database.net/wait/hash_sha256.txt
:: The "wait" folder there contains hashes that weren't found in the database and might or might not someday be discovered. They are probably there *because* someone was looking up hashes to see if they were common words. [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 23:17, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
To review, the first two are:
8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672
1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97
Googled the third one, but it only shows up on xkcd discussion forums :(
Hashed some of the hashes, but didn't see the result in the list, so it dosen't look like a hash chain.
Someone should google all the other hashes, and someone else should figure out what the guy in the "wait" directory (presuming it wasn't Randall) was hashing. --[[User:Venal dwarf|Venal dwarf]] ([[User talk:Venal dwarf|talk]]) 21:37, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Comparing all the filenames to the hashes on that page, I found a total of four that overlap. The first two, as mentioned. But also one from the middle of day 1, and one from the end of day 1.

: 00:30 - 01/00:30 - 8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672.png

: 01:00 - 01/01:00 - 1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png

: 12:00 - 01/12:00 - a3aa116efca3c01d8a64c0c7e79158dc8a62241aba767064e3a6c724cc5ade93.png

: 23:30 - 01/23:30 - 1da3859627430022485c53ad90e88e8771b2bec2d60e910b59ef332325bba29f.png

: --[[User:Venal dwarf|Venal dwarf]] ([[User talk:Venal dwarf|talk]]) 22:36, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

: There is a fifth one also, from 01:30 - e25be2dd49fe9f33c3543cdf640b67e0f2146cc576db5da007a135a278e524ee.png
: I converted all 1153 hashes in the file to lower case and did a wget on them but it did not turn up any files from the future. [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 05:31, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Is Randall training us like Pavlov's dogs - every 30 minutes we are compelled to refresh the web-page? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 01:59, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone have an opinion on how we should continue naming the saved timeNN.png files if the updates do not continue on the half hour?
Right now the link for the skipped update 242 got renamed to the nonexistent time242NA.png and the next update's link is time242.png. But what do we do if the updates are changing to once per hour? By the way it does look like the next half-hour update has been skipped too. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 05:57, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
:It does seem to have gone hourly as of midnight EDT. I stuck in "NA" as a placeholder since I wasn't sure what to do with the files, and wanted to make it clear that the half-hour updates were skipped in case it goes back or changes in some other way. Maybe start naming them by the time, instead of sequentially, e.g. "012200.png". If the pattern holds, the "no update" lines can be removed. (Or both might make more sense, like "time243-012200.png".) [[Special:Contributions/69.243.159.96|69.243.159.96]] 06:08, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
::I'm partial to timestamping filenames for stuff like this. I have this zsh line running right now:
while { : } { wget -O "`date +"%Y-%m-%d %a %H%M%S"` Time .png" http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png ; sleep 30m }
::(I was wishing for a convenient way to use the server-side timestamps, 'till i noticed that it's always 2013-04-12 Fri 09:05'38—which i'm guessing is the script's mtime.) —[[Special:Contributions/98.83.126.232|98.83.126.232]] 08:28, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Anyone else getting a 404 error with the latest image (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/d1b3b1b6e23995a093377c5ddc044dd98a42a3ae1327c8b6620d51d2a7003c1d.png)? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:19, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Strange: As far as I know http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png always redirects to the current frame. But if you visit the current one (133:00) at http://xkcd.com/1190/ and check the displayed image, it says 'c6976fbb244af4fc2286ffe3ac2cf78d408c1f610ecd71e18b4a677a048f084d.png' while time.png redirects to '1d9ce7199935b1b629d6b8744e62c7700a3780357b2dc74bb70471db616ddadb.png'. If you take a md5 of both images, they appear to be the same.
:I was confused by this as well, I'm grabbing the images myself via time.png and got the 1d9ce7 hash. How will these duplicates be displayed in the table?[[User:Lockyy|Lockyy]] ([[User talk:Lockyy|talk]]) 17:48, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm seeing some strange stuff now. I have a script that uses wget of time.png to get the redirected hash png like Lockyy is doing. And I can verify that when you go to the 1190 page in the browser you get a different hash. But the previous hour and this hour, unlike the ones before it, the two hash pngs are different. And when I refresh the screen in my browser at the 1190 page, first I see the image I get from time.png, then the image refreshes with the other one. I'm not sure what this means or what we are supposed to do with it. I added the time.png hashes to the table for the last two hours but we probably need a way of indicating the difference. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 20:38, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
: This latest hourly update did the same thing. If you are fast enough you can even get the first image in your browser by right click view image before it changes to the second one. I edited in something that shows that. It probably could stand some reformatting by someone with better graphic design sense, but at least right now all the information has been captured. - [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 21:18, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looking at it some more, I see that wget of the page at xkcd.com/1190/ gets you an img link to time.png and then there is the javascript that must after some delay get the different hash url image. That means that we had better be sure that we do not miss any manual checks of hourly updates because the scripts will never find that second image unless someone has a way of getting a script that runs the javascript as if it was a browser. As long as someone posts the hash of the image from the browser every hour, I can ensure that we have the hashes the scripts can get because I have a cron job checking for those updates every 15 minutes. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 21:49, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
:: And with the update for day 06/18:00 it appears to be back to normal, one consistent image per update -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 22:22, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Just if somebody else wants this, i hacked a little bash script to download all images to the current listed here. It skips already downloaded images so it can be reused later when more images are here.

<pre>#!/bin/bash
curl -s http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190 |
egrep -o "/wiki/images/[0-9a-f]/[0-9a-f]{2}/time[0-9]*.png" |
while read url; do
imgname=$(basename $url)
tmp=${imgname:4}
id=${tmp%.png}
printf -v target "image%03d.png" ${id:-1}
[[ -e $target ]] && continue
echo $target
curl -so $target http://www.explainxkcd.com$url
done
</pre>
--[[Special:Contributions/79.236.3.216|79.236.3.216]] 18:51, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

To ease waiting times: http://thred.github.com/xkcd-time-catapult/
:: This is awesome. I love the internet. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:15, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

I've offered up [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316|my own explanation]. The obvious metaphor is how time continues to flow and things change when you’re not watching. And how this could be a conceptual art project that could continue the rest of our lives... [[Special:Contributions/72.183.97.36|72.183.97.36]] 19:36, 31 March 2013 (UTC) Lawrence Person
:Correcting your link: [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316 my own explanation] --[[Special:Contributions/24.145.230.202|24.145.230.202]] 20:49, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

::This comics may not really continue forever unless Randall will put some sort of repetition into it. May not be simple loop but something more sophisticated, but still, images shown up to now doesn't show any kind of repetition yet. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:28, 1 April 2013 (UTC)

anyone else notice the water is slowly rising? not unlike a tide (depending on the time scaling implemented? perhaps a flooding river (as might correspond to the mention of a river)? [[Special:Contributions/70.192.210.128|70.192.210.128]] 18:08, 2 April 2013 (UTC)
:I checked your claim that the water is rising, and I agree. Good catch! I measure the rate at about 1 pixel per 25 frames starting at about 100 hours. Though a more careful look could surely refine that estimate.{{unsigned|207.67.82.250}}
:I measured the water level with a ruler. The water will take another 20 days before reaching the sand castle if rising at a constant rate. [[Special:Contributions/192.155.85.119|192.155.85.119]] 01:27, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

Oddly this contradicts the text, which says that the river is going down: "Any idea where the river is now?", Cueball replies "Still pretty far out. It actually retreated a little this week." --AH
:"It's *still* pretty far out". I think this means that it's getting less far out.[[Special:Contributions/93.73.186.104|93.73.186.104]] 07:41, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
::"It actually retreated a little this week." ~~dang

This comic has been running and updating so long I think perhaps it is a sand castle creation/destruction program that autonomously lets the two indefinitely build, destroy and rebuild new sand castles all the time… [[Special:Contributions/80.101.210.21|80.101.210.21]] 09:55, 4 April 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe. We don't have enough data to say that for sure yet. We just need to "wait for it". [[Special:Contributions/93.73.186.104|93.73.186.104]] 10:07, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

I think numbers in "As of this writing, it is still updated after more than XXX hours - even after Y new, different comics were posted on the front page" at the top of the page should be calculated using {{#expr}}. I changed it for number of comics, but I have no idea how to calculate number of hours since it was posted.[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 11:15, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

When Megan coughed and Cueball asked if she was okay, did anyone else think of http://xkcd.com/931/ Lanes? Cueball explains that cancer treatment results are not known until much later, "and often the first sign is a cough or a bone pain. So you spend the next five or ten years trying not to worry . . . ." ~~wrybred

:I don't want to be a downer but this is just my interpretation thus far. I hope it is a happier theme but if you are correct wrybred, my further explanation would be the following... I think that building sandcastles is an analogy for living their life. Going for a swim in the body of water and the cough could represent the start of the cancer or possibly some time where they had to go out and "wade" in the possibilities of what cancer could mean. Time passes and Cueball says "I don't think we can build it much taller than this. It's been fun, though" which represents that they believe they have done as well as they can with the lives they have been given. They comment on the river retreating even though we the audience observe a body of water on the right hand side rising could represent how we can be fooled into believing things are going alright when in reality they are not. The reference to not understanding what the river is doing also fits this explanation well as someone with cancer may occasionally feel confused about their illness. Presently while I write this they are possibly preparing for a flood which represents the return of the cancer. If I were to guess what is next I might guess that they will watch as the flood comes in and destroys some of what they built but it is better than not having made the sandcastle in the first place. I could be way off, but Randall has given us a lot of TIME to think about what this is all about and your mind wanders. I also would note that this may not be about a particular cancer story, just any cancer story. [[User:Nhoel|Nhoel]] ([[User talk:Nhoel|talk]]) 13:51, 8 April 2013 (UTC)

Could Cueball and Megan be building a European city, as it evolved, was damaged and remodelled where 1 day of strips is 100 years? Maybe Cueball is curretly remodelling Notre Dame de Paris or Westminster??? If so, it should get interesting around day 17 [[Special:Contributions/129.238.237.96|129.238.237.96]] 17:34, 4 April 2013 (UTC)rbnm

<pre>#!/bin/bash

# Assumes you have a complete set of numbered PNG images in a
# directory called "./images". (See the script above) Makes a
# directory called "./cropped" containing N images that are 1 pixel
# wide by 395 pixels tall, each of which contains the second to last
# column of one of the input images. Finally, concatenates all those
# images into montage.png, which will be Nx395 pixels and can be read
# as a graph of water depth over time.

mkdir -p cropped
rm cropped/*.png
for i in images/*.png
do
f=`basename $i .png`
convert -crop 1x395+550+0 $i cropped/${f}_cropped.png
echo $f
done

montage cropped/*.png -geometry 1x395+0+0 -tile x1 montage.png

echo Wrote result to montage.png
</pre>[[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 21:00, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

He's making a mini-version of the whole sandcastle on top of the mound! You can see the two turrets on the left and the mound in the center!

They're inside an hourglass! ;) - Filippo

i believe that he made a fractal version of the scene atop the middle sandcastle... are we going to have an infinite zoom for a bit (or maybe forever?) - ck

Maybe it's some sort of reference to [http://xkcd.com/878/ Model Rail] where Cueball ends up with multiple model railways in his basement...--[[Special:Contributions/77.100.193.92|77.100.193.92]] 13:14, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:<strike>Since it hasn't been brought up yet;</strike> reference to 878, this is Nesting, and there are FOUR visible layers.
:- "It's the second rule of 'model train layouts': No Nesting." (Strike and replace with the building sandcastles.)
:- "Whats the first rule?", "Do not talk about ... That rule was actually voted in by our friends and families.", "Philistines"
:Drifter [[Special:Contributions/24.106.78.38|24.106.78.38]] 19:26, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::Actually 77.100.193.92 did bring it up, which is why I believe they're building a large trebuchet. [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 22:09, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::Thank you Bdemirici & 77.100.193.92, sorry for the duplicatation. Now which came first... the coment or or the comic, 77...'s reference came before the center structure gained its malformed parapets. Drifter [[Special:Contributions/66.42.134.195|66.42.134.195]] 10:38, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Whoa -- big change in scale, zoom in on Megan holding a mini trebuchet at about 5 pm central time Friday the 5th.--[[Special:Contributions/205.208.92.136|205.208.92.136]] 22:20, 5 April 2013 (UTC)--~~

A tiny trebuchet for use on the tiny turrets? Megan is kinda awesome. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 22:32, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

:I think she should "outgrow these toys and focus on something practical" ;-) [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:59, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Looks like they are re-enacting the trebuchet incident on the mini-castle. AH --[[Special:Contributions/108.244.73.186|108.244.73.186]] 23:53, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Meta-physical time again: "I don't understand what the sea is doing" - wasn't it a river earlier? Is it a different sea? The river of time maybe? Where is Randall leading us? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 03:09, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I'm thinking it may have to do with the title text from this comic. http://xkcd.com/4/
:I think it's obvious. They're not on a beach. They're on a recently exposed portion of the river bed. In time the river will come back and engulf the whole area. [[Special:Contributions/64.121.163.170|64.121.163.170]] 10:16, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I have redownloaded the 199:00 image based upon the hash here and it does still say "river", so Randall hasn't adjusted the "past" to fit the "present"... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 05:50, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I've read somewhere that they are not on the beach. They are on some sort of a boat covered with sand. First they were in the river, and now they reached the sea. [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:19, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

::So if they are on a boat then it isn't the river/sea that is rising it is the boat that is sinking (or having more weight added to it). [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 18:35, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
:It's pretty obvious to me. They're on a beach with a river running through it. Yes, beaches sometimes have rivers in them. And also, rivers that run through beaches tend to be very unstable and to move their bed all the time, because of the fact that it's running water through loose sand. That's why they talk about the river moving. [[Special:Contributions/80.212.115.55|80.212.115.55]] 08:04, 7 April 2013 (UTC)
:: This comic. http://xkcd.com/4/ {{unsigned|Zuffelnok}}

: xkcd Time Catapult done correctly http://i.imgur.com/XEKEfSR.png {{unsigned|118.129.231.136}}
:: Man, you have just too much... wait for it... time! [[User:Caranhyas|Caranhyas]] ([[User talk:Caranhyas|talk]]) 16:34, 7 April 2013 (UTC)

Just so it doesn't get lost, these are the last 2 hashes I've seen: e3e8169439be717a5661dba80cca623330516d87749f5c5bd83d4a4aae19b89a.png, a2c0f3ed4be680f5b794f0137a55af8704598a2105e1eff5fce750b07800c19b.png

Are they building a giant trebuchet? Another zoom out maybe? [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 05:13, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I love how Randall is reacting to the discussion here. Is it a sea? Or a river? Let's have Cueball drink from it to clarify ;) [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 09:42, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:It could be brackish water ... and I have seen some fresh water rivers I definitely wouldn't want to drink from [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:10, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

:So this tells us 3 things:
:1) It's likely a sea.
:2) This comic, or at least a script (not in a programming sense) for it was very likely made by a human. So it's not randomly generated. We already knew this, but now it's confirmed once again.
:3) Randall is still working on this comic, or at least he was some time after he started releasing it.
:[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 16:51, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I think by tasting the water Cueball was preparing himself for the inevitable - the water is going to continue to rise and nothing they can do will stop it: they are going to drown. This strip is about the slow, inextirpable, approach of Death - and this isn't the Death from a Terry Pratchett novel. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 20:29, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
: Between the 376th and the 81st strip it can be noted how much the water has rised. And I've noted how there's no wind in the beach (river's mouth?), the flags don't move and the sea has no waves. Don't know if there's a meaning there. --[[User:Yinosanchez|Yinosanchez]] ([[User talk:Yinosanchez|talk]]) 21:18, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:: I think you shouldn't compare it to frames before about 220, because that's where zoom changed last time. Also it looks like it will reach the castle in a day and a half from now.[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:17, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:::The likely implication of the lack waves etc is that they are in an estuarine environment, where the rising tide may not have a bore at all. This might explain a few things, like the reference to a river, the strange behaviour of the sea, and perhaps might explain Cueball tasting the water (to see if he could determine the saltwater content). [[User:Eeijevs|Eeijevs]] ([[User talk:Eeijevs|talk]]) 22:34, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
::::Megan's reaction to getting the water in her mouth (cough, pffthh) and Cueball's are pretty similar ... call me crazy but I think there's something weird about the water beyond its salt content ... --[[Special:Contributions/76.84.59.83|76.84.59.83]] 04:20, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::: And 2 hours after I said that, Megan built something right next to the water. I wonder if this was a coincidence... [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 09:34, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
:::: It is, of course, a damm to buy them some time. :-) {{unsigned|84.180.241.162}}
:::: It wouldn't work as a dam in a 3D universe. It would have to extend infinitely in z to act as a dam. Then again, there's also no good way to support a platform with two posts. [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 20:24, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Can someone please move the list of images and their hashes to another page? Randal is showing no signs that the images will stop anytime soon. [[Special:Contributions/184.5.152.192|184.5.152.192]] 22:32, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:I understand the sentiment, and considered at least commenting out the future tables, but this page does not need to be changed when the latest frames are uploaded, only when the hashes are added, and those of us still keeping the live XKCD page open do find it easier to just open the last few frames missed when looking away or sleeping.
:I do wonder if the wall of text is worth reducing by actually making the hashes a link with something like "Direct link" as the text. Is anyone still attempting to generate the hashes? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 05:10, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

:I went ahead and made all the tables collapsed by default. If the comic continues beyond another couple of weeks, I vote for moving them to another page. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 06:44, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::If the comic ever comes to an end, we could clear out the archived hashes and put all the image links into a multi-column table. The hashes are only really useful to editors trying to upload new images, they don't really add that much to understanding the comic. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:29, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Just a theory. On Friday, April 19th at 00:00 there will be 1200 images in the comic, at the same time the strip 1201 of xkcd should be posted on the site. I'm guessing that will end it. (UPDATE: Math is wrong, was still counting half an hour updates. Sorry about that. The numbers will match on May 2nd at 6 in the morning, nothing special there.)--[[User:Yinosanchez|Yinosanchez]] ([[User talk:Yinosanchez|talk]]) 18:27, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps it is about global climate change? "The sea is rising." and now they are building a very tall structure to cope with this ?AH --[[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 01:54, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
:Actually, looks like they're building a boat!!! [[Special:Contributions/64.121.163.170|64.121.163.170]] 10:04, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
::This is in no way close to a boat, look at any shipyard, that's not how you build a boat! --[[Special:Contributions/83.145.101.131|83.145.101.131]] 10:25, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
:::It is how you build an observation deck, though, or an airport control tower. And if you have the lumber to build such a structure, you could much more easily build a raft. So it's not like they're in any real danger of drowning when the tide gets higher. - [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 20:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

It could be a raptor-proof tower .... not seen any of those in XKCD for a while {{unsigned|86.128.14.32}}

Looks like that small tower that Megan added in 500-502 is acting like a levee. The water outside it is higher now (569) than the water inside it. I can't imagine it'll help much, though.
--[[User:Mlv|Mlv]] ([[User talk:Mlv|talk]]) 20:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

[http://imgur.com/bSP5nWK Graph of water level over time] [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 22:10, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

It appears that a couple of frames (4 and 427) get revisited a couple of frames later:
md5sum -b * | sort | uniq -w32 -D
—[[Special:Contributions/98.83.126.232|98.83.126.232]] 04:16, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

Has it slowed to once every 2 hours for new frames? --[[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 14:12, 13 April 2013 (UTC)
: For some reason, over the fast few hours the image wasn't automatically updating, and I had to refresh the page to see it. Now it looks like the image and static data XKCD servers are down... at least for me. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 03:50, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Looks like everything's back to normal. Fortunately, the aubronwood animation page has correctly captured the frames that I missed (although it had a few duplicates during XKCD's weirdness, it's fixed now). [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 15:20, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Yes, I haven't been able to retrieve anything since 23:40 EDT. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 06:05, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone else considered the relationship of this comic to John Cage's musical composition "As Slow As Possible?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 07:08, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, I did, in [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316|my upstream link]. {{unsigned ip|72.183.97.222|00:34, 17 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}
:It surely can't be a coincidence that the comic released the day after this comment was all about John Cage, can it? [[User:DarthCrap|DarthCrap]] ([[User talk:DarthCrap|talk]]) 10:15, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah, I noticed that. So who is trolling whom here? This group, or Randall? I would love it if he set up a foundation to keep this cartoon updating for the next N years, where N is the time backwards from this year to some particular early machine, ENIAC or Babbage's Analytical Engine or the Jacquard loom or the abacus, or whatever. (Refer to how the foundation sponsoring the Cage piece got their 639 years.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:02, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Another intergenerational project at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:59, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wondering, could the river/sea conundrum have anything to do with http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=4:_Landscape_%28sketch%29 and the original accompanying text "Don't ask me why there's a river running through the ocean. Please."? [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 17:45, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Notice the last couple of frames have begun to show waves in the rising sea. (Frames 627-628) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 07:32, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

How could a small hill of sand stopped the entire sea. The world might be two dimensional, or Randall might have wanted to gain some time but it doesn't make much sense. {{unsigned ip|212.253.22.219 |12:06, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}
:Seriously? Ok - time to review the physics of hydrostatic fluids, folks. Depth is the only variable in calculating fluid pressure. Whether its a bucket or the ocean, the pressure at any given depth in a fluid is the same. A small hill of sand can stop the entire sea. Waves, however, are another matter... [[User:Uglystick|Uglystick]] ([[User talk:Uglystick|talk]]) 14:34, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
::A small hill can stop the sea if it extends infinitely in the Z axis, otherwise the sea will simply flow around it. The other alternative is to encircle the castle with it, forming a moat, but then we wouldn't be able to see the inside. So this can't be a normal 3D universe. Lending some weight to the 2D or nearly 2D nature is that the first platform they put up was installed on only two posts. But the platform itself had width. Maybe they're stuck between two panes of glass like an ant farm. [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 15:15, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
:::A 2D world would also explain why the structure they're on can stand. It's an imperfectly 2D world though; it's been mentioned below that a pole should in theory stop the water easy. I guess it has some 3D realities to it, i.e., a wall should stop water, but a pole shouldn't. {{unsigned ip|173.13.244.241 | 19:18, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

Water depth is [http://imgur.com/MBiShof increasing quadratically]? (Probably not, but it looks nice on the graph so far. My current guess is that it's a sine wave that will peak out at 103 pixels.) [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 15:18, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

I think in the end it's about what you build up during life and how "the time" washes all of it away, eventually {{unsigned ip|87.178.224.240|16:05, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

If this were a 2D universe, wouldn't the best course of action be to bury one of the poles directly at the water's edge? That way, like the small sand hill, the sea would have to rise to the very top of the pole before it would flood the remaining sand structures. {{unsigned ip| 74.94.246.5|16:33, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

Just a remark: Frame 458 (time458.png on this page, or hour 337:00) is corrupt, i.e. it deviates from the original that can be retrieved via the hash address. Probabely it was a screencap rather than a direct copy - someone should reupload it.. Oh and the structure on the poles is definitely the mighty Randall's Arc (though it doesn't rain)... {{unsigned ip|93.135.113.244}}

Now they are 'building castles in the air' - dreaming of a future that will never come to pass? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 11:43, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

:Why should building castles in the air be harder that building {{w|Server_farm|farm}} in {{w|Cloud_computing|clouds}}? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:37, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

The bucket on the pulley used to be carrying just sand. Now, if I read the situation correctly, it's carrying something that's heavier than Megan, so she can't use the pulley (or, possibly, anything else) to pull it up. Lead? Depleted uranium? Dwarf star remnant? [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 15:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Seems to me like she was trying to raise ''herself'' up in the bucket, then lost her balance and collapsed part of the middle castle when she fell. - [[User:Acrisius|Acrisius]] ([[User talk:Acrisius|talk]]) 15:39, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
::That probably makes a little more sense than "dwarf star remnant". [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 16:09, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

:::Especially considering that dwarf star remnant loosely placed on ground would fall through it. Even if the ground would be armor-plated. Unless it explode first. Hmmm ... this may be good question for the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/ what-if] - what will happen if you put dwarf star remnant with size of apple on ground somewhere on earth? Or neutronium? (What happens with black hole was already explained when LHC started.) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:20, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

My favorite episode from the Batman TV series was one where the Riddler gave Batman a nonsense clue which contained a surveillance microphone. He'd then eavesdrop on what Batman “deducted” his next coup would be, and he made it happen. Seeing how the discussion here does seem to affect the events in the comic, I wonder if Randall is pulling a Riddler on us. Just as an experiment, I thought I'd mention that it's odd there are no seagulls at the beach ;-) [[Special:Contributions/201.235.179.15|201.235.179.15]] 16:49, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:I like the way that the sea/river/metaphor is now slowly eroding the base of the tower on the right. Also, where are the fish ;-) [[User:Eeijevs|Eeijevs]] ([[User talk:Eeijevs|talk]]) 21:15, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
::I like how the erosion of the castle is accurate [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave-cut_platform].--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 11:11, 18 April 2013 (UTC)
::Aquaman?--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 23:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Still no seagulls! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:09, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

We seem to be missing time 561 from Wednesday? [[User:Jillysky|Jillysky]] ([[User talk:Jillysky|talk]]) 13:20, 18 April 2013 (UTC)
:And at the moment 599:00 and 600:00 are duplicates. I don't know if something happened (or didn't happen) then, or if the above issue is still being processed. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 18:00, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
::Fiiixed '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:47, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

In the frame-by-frame breakdown, the "Image" field simply gives the time in hours, while the "Time" field gives the time in days+hours. It would be helpful if the "Image" field instead gave an ordinal number indicating the number of frames (e.g., this would help to correlate the Transcript on this page with the frame numbers [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ here]. The current "Image" field need not be deleted (I personally prefer time in hours to time in days+hours), but it might be relabeled as "Time in Hours". Implementing this would require some use of scripts, and would be best if adopted by the person updating the frame-by-frame breakdown in the first place. [[Special:Contributions/132.236.6.90|132.236.6.90]] 16:42, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
: If it's helpful to you guys this text file gets created automatically [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/data.txt]. I admit it had some problems in the beginning but I think they're all worked out now; it's been adding for days now without any problems. I know you cannot see line numbers in the browser, but if you copy and paste the whole lot into an editor the line numbers are 1 higher than the corresponding png frame.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 01:44, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

When the server had a problem one image was 100 minutes late, and another was 50 minutes late. Because of this there was a file between time682 and time683 that wasn't posted here (time683 should have been time684), and many files after that are displayed here an hour before they should have been displayed, with the wrong filename. It also affects xkcd-time.wikia.com as I had got many of the files on there from here. I am currently trying to correct this. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 03:01, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

I think it's now fixed. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 03:59, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

Anyone have the slightest prediction on how many frames this Time series will last? [[Special:Contributions/118.186.193.26|118.186.193.26]] 07:44, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:Sure, it will be exactly 42π! ... or rather ''<big>e</big>''42? Hmmmm… [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 08:52, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:5,601,594 images if he follows the John Cage time frame, and maintains hourly changes; plus/minus one or two depending on the fence-posts. {{unsigned|Taibhse}}

I think we have seen the profile of various famous castles come and go, but nobody has identified any of them. [[Special:Contributions/174.62.108.29|174.62.108.29]] 17:51, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:I don't see anything obvious, but the second castle (revealed by the zoom) looks a lot like http://media.merchantcircle.com/39624740/cheesecake_castle_final_full.jpeg
:and now the castle she is working on begins to resemble the Taj Mahal...[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:00, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
::Well, not so much, now. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:50, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
::It looks like Hogwarts.--[[Special:Contributions/70.134.68.234|70.134.68.234]] 21:36, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
I wonder if this could be building up to an all black panel for April 22. [[Special:Contributions/74.129.166.50|74.129.166.50]] 09:07, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

I just setup an own cronjob which checks the image hash periodly and writes them to a list when its changed: http://panther.stummi.org/xkcdtime.txt
It checks every 10 minutes so it also should notice if the interval changes --[[User:Stummi|Stummi]] ([[User talk:Stummi|talk]]) 09:12, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

The castle on the top appears to be the Disneyland Paris castle (http://0.tqn.com/d/goparis/1/0/1/A/-/-/disneylandaparisxmas09_francoisdurandgetty.jpg) [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 21:46, 21 April 2013 (UTC)
:...which is a rip-off of Neuschwanstein castle: http://blog.awaystay.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/oct_3_2012.jpg - still both don't exactly resemble the one in the comic.. {{unsigned ip|141.84.43.125}}

I'm guessing that the water will keep rising indefinitely, and we'll be left with an upward-moving strip that occasionally zooms out as the bottom layers are very slowly filled in with black "water." One thing that would make this interesting is the varying heights of the constructed structures (sandcastle turrets, platform, etc.) which would make the process of "overflow" from the right-hand side interesting to watch. {{unsigned ip|65.96.75.37}}

Oh the symbolism of it: Cueball leaves, Megan finishes building their castle, rests and lets her guard down. The next thing to happen is, a cute girl walks in, sees what the two have built together and leaves. The very next frame, the castle starts to fall apart. [[Special:Contributions/217.81.90.198|217.81.90.198]]

I'm expecting the lower level-castle to be swept away by the water, while the high-level castle will remain intact. This is quite reasonable, assuming Cueball and Megan knows how high the flood will come and thus they built the platform to an appropriate height. It may be interpreted as the lower-level castle being the work of our life, which is inevitable finite, and will be eventually overtaken by death. Recognizing this, some choose to build a castle for the "after-life". Life-death reflections have been common on xkcd in the past as well. {{unsigned ip|149.241.18.229}}

The [http://imgur.com/NEps6Fk pace at which the water is rising] has begun to slow. I think it's just a regular tide, and it only has a few more pixels to go before it begins to ebb. [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 14:49, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

I call cancer. The tide slowly increasing, the castle threatened, the upper castle... I don't know, it just all gives me that impression. --[[Special:Contributions/193.205.81.1|193.205.81.1]] 09:02, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I have to hand it to him though. He has entirely captivated all of us. I can't help but check every day (as opposed to every MWF) to see how the story unfolds. Many thanks to [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon] for keeping me up to date! [[User:Puck0687|Puck0687]] ([[User talk:Puck0687|talk]]) 14:26, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or are the last 4 images missing? I don't know how often this gets updated, if it's still manual at all, I may have did bad calculations with timezones, but at least the current image isn't there. [[Special:Contributions/86.81.124.236|86.81.124.236]] 19:39, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
: I'm pretty sure this page is updated manually, so you'll have to wait for someone to update it. Nothing has been missed though. If you want to keep up to date, I suggest using one of the links under Explanation>Related Stuff, especially the aubronwood link. Those update automatically. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.61.189|129.21.61.189]] 20:54, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

For me, this is clearly about cancer and the impacts it has on a relationship over time. Randall's now wife was diagnosed and treated for cancer recently and through this comic, he's trying to portray the anxious wait they faced through treatment and remission. He has put us into his shoes by keeping us waiting in suspense to see how things end up. The passing of time represents their life together. At first it's just them relaxing together, probably the dating phase. Soon they start building a life together, represented by the sand castle. The castle evolves over time, much like their life has. Difficulties and gaffes in their relationship are depicted, for example when cueball trips and breaks down part of the wall. Eventually all efforts are diverted and put into defending against the approaching sea, which represents the cancer. The wall, the platform, all represent the steps taken to prevent and/or prepare for it's impending progress. The river represents the cure for cancer, which is still pretty far out, as cueball mentioned. There are many many more clues I see and explanations I can give to support this idea (castle in the sky, the rain, progress with research, etc.), but this is just starting point. I'm excited to see where the comic will end up, but I guess we just need to "wait for it". --[[User:Nick|Nick]] ([[User talk:Nick|talk]]) 21:25, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

:You make a good case, and much of the dialog supports that interpretation. Many of us must have been thinking along the same lines. A couple of points...there doesn't have to be only one meaning for the symbolism. Also, there doesn't have to be an "end."
:The John Cage connection also seems obvious.
:I have been struck by the similarity (and difference) to the Engineers in "A Mote in God's Eye." Innate engineering ability combined with naivete.
:I am confident that Randall knows there are literally thousands (tens of thousands? hundreds?) of fans out there giving them moral support and good wishes. Hmm...I wonder if readers are personified by the little girl? Probably not. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 22:50, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

The cancer metaphors are quite intriguing, but my take is environmental, possibly pollution and global warming. The French girl (beret) could be a nod to the Disneyland Paris castle. If so it’s our first interactive feedback with Randall on the 1190 strip.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:42, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Environmental pollution is tied to cancer incidence. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 00:18, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

:Global warming was suggested by
::Cueball: Sea level rises and falls, right? It's changed before.
::Megan: Not this fast.
:I don't know about the beret; Beret Guy has been a recurring theme. Just search xkcd for "beret." But never on a little girl? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 23:26, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I'm taking it that "sea" is a phonetic substitute for "c," "meaning "cancer." For better or worse, this kind of phoenetic clue was used in the Batman movie:
Batman: Pretty fishy what happened to me on that ladder.
Gordon: You mean, where there's a fish, there could be a Penguin.
Robin: But wait! It happened at sea! See? "C" for Catwoman!
Sigh. I wish I knew what "river" and "rain" represented. Medicine, maybe? [[Special:Contributions/98.117.33.206|98.117.33.206]] 23:03, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Medicine isn't supposed to make the "C" grow. Just the opposite.
:And on that note, back when I was working in "Muppet Labs" there was a great little book of cartoons circulating in the lab titled "CDC." Sample: "CDC?" "ICDC. DUCDC?" "O,ICDC2!"
::http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAO0M1tilKU [[User:Skiasaurus|Skiasaurus]] ([[User talk:Skiasaurus|talk]]) 05:06, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
:Nothing at all to do with the zombie comics from the actual CDC. But there's the disease theme again -- the CDC.
:And what programmer could miss the reference to "C." It gets tangled, which is the best way to do symbolism. Quantum-alphabetic entanglement. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 00:16, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Well, I don't know if the intention here is that the "river" is making the "sea" grow. My point is that the dialogue is so nonsensical at points that it seems to be code. I'm taking every noun as a metaphor for something. "Sea" being "cancer" seems to fit ("The cancer can't make more of itself forever, can it?") I guess go back through the dialogue and see what other words could substitute for what they're saying. Like I said, I don't know what "river" or "rain" or "ground" could be in this metaphor. [[Special:Contributions/98.117.33.206|98.117.33.206]] 00:56, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

:Or "sand." This sand has some rather remarkable, not to say marvelous, properties! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:08, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

If it's true this represents their struggle with cancer, this strip might very well continue into the future, updating alongside her real-time cancer progress, possibly for years, hopefully not for mere months. Randall knows how this will end no more than we do. [[Special:Contributions/24.29.73.162|24.29.73.162]] 23:49, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Guys, if a new frame comes out and it's not uploaded yet, please consider uploading it yourself in the correct time slot. I'm trying to keep up, but there's always 8-hour gaps in our archives every time I go to bed. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:33, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
: I automatically download all frames as a base for my [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2169004/tide.png tide measuring script] and I've closed lots of the 8-hour gaps every day. Now at least someone else is doing it, too and I currently can't see any gaps at all. Thanks alot for the collevtive effort! --[[User:TreibAir|TreibAir]] ([[User talk:TreibAir|talk]]) 07:41, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Maybe a baby on the way? Waiting for the unknown tide to roll in (in 9 months)? {{unsigned ip|76.15.31.215}}

I think this is the last day. It's been exactly a month, they seem pretty done with it, and tomorrow's friday....On top of that, the most recent comic was the flipping of a switch on a time machine, in which, something happened, but we don't yet know what....it may be that the "Time" comic is being refreshed. ...Just a thought.... [[Special:Contributions/138.49.1.8|138.49.1.8]] 03:20, 26 April 2013 (UTC)Luke Wah
: The time machine, once switched on, reversed time to the point at which it was switched on, thus switching itself off. It doesn't seem to be connected to this. ~ Anariston

I'm still hoping they'll suddenly ride in on a tidal wave and smash the entire structure. You know, for closure. ~Pixie

I expect that from now on (Friday April 26th 2013) there will be no more story and the sea will erode the castle until nothing is left (most likely software generated). Maybe Cueball and Megan will return someday, walk to the shore, sit down and, after a while, start building a castle... Jacx [[Special:Contributions/217.81.72.248|217.81.72.248]] 11:56, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Starting at frame 895 the black started fading to white, I think. [[Special:Contributions/217.81.72.248|217.81.72.248]] 12:03, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

: Yup, You're right, it's clear when you turn on the difference feature on geekwagon [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 18:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:: I don't see any fading to white -- we're on frame 905 now and everything looks as black-and-white as usual. O.o --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 21:06, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
::Ah, ETA: I see fading now, but only after frame 910 in the Aubronwood animation. I guess it just wasn't visible on my old computer screen until now. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 16:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I agree - the water has started eroding the castle to the right, and it makes sense for the erosion to potentially loop the comic back to frame 1. That said, the title text was "wait for it". This could be a euphamism suggesting "keep waiting, this comic changes", but it does have an implication that there is a "finale" to the comic that you should wait for. Hard to tell as it's vague. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 13:54, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

The most recent event is Megan walking in, saying "bye!" in *lower case*, and leaving. From the lower case, which is different from the rest of the comic, I infer that she was talking to *us*, not (eg) herself or the sandcastle! I reckon it's just going to fill up with water until the page is a static black rectangle. Especially since she and Cueball just talked about going off and exploring, grabbed their bags, and left. -cosmogoblin [[Special:Contributions/94.197.127.235|94.197.127.235]] 13:57, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

: I suspect the small text was to show a "small voice" - talking quietly and sadly perhaps? It does look like this could be the end of the story though - the last few frames don't seem to have done much after the "fade" in frame 895 - Hippyjim [[Special:Contributions/81.136.241.157|81.136.241.157]] 15:15, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:: I agree with the small voice. The sea level is still rising, and interestingly, the sand barrier on the far right is eroding on *both sides* -- not just the seaward side, as previously. Changed properties of the sand or the sea, or both? I think the comic from here on is just going to be erosion. Entropy always wins. :( ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 18:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

::: The "both-sides" erosion is normal and realistic. If you haven't noticed, the water is on the left side of the embankment for some time already, look at the smooth horizontal line of black pixels between the rightmost castle tower and the embankment. The water just seeped through the sandy embankment and soaked it and starts to erode it. [[Special:Contributions/130.255.153.62|130.255.153.62]] 01:25, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
::::The large pile of sand never did form a barrier to the sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 06:54, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::Yes it did; Megan's first barrier worked like that, the one she built after Cueball tasted the water. It didn't let in the sea until it overflowed. That was around frame 660-663 (in the Aubronwood animation). --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 16:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::Um...that's what I said. The /large/ pile of sand didn't ever act like the /small/ barrier. :) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 18:29, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::Well, it may have been what you /thought/, but it wasn't very clear from what you /wrote/ that you were actually agreeing with me and not with the previous commenter. Sorry for misunderstanding. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 13:31, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

14:00, 26 April 2013 EDT image is http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/3d8c2ab949ba7a18e64397eec0e9860bd8ce8dd7aa0475e985a4fde4e108ea2e.png [[User:Kaori Emora|Kaori Emora]] ([[User talk:Kaori Emora|talk]]) 18:39, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

It's just about over: the picture is fading out now. [[Special:Contributions/81.246.195.216|81.246.195.216]] 22:47, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe it's just that a large moon is finally rising. That could affect the sea (and the light.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 06:54, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or did the sea/river started to rise faster since the picture started fading to white? --[[Special:Contributions/201.53.213.201|201.53.213.201]] 14:58, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:I don't think the time between frames is constant. Some consecutive frames, like the ones featuring the trebuchet (212-214), are less than a second apart.--[[Special:Contributions/70.134.72.83|70.134.72.83]] 18:51, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Does the ladder and railing look like the axis for a graph? Is this a graph of people or area affected by water rise due to global warming - as a function of time? [[Special:Contributions/174.50.74.170|174.50.74.170]] 15:58, 27 April 2013 (UTC) rbnm
:That's...a bit of a stretch. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 17:44, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I've logged the fade panels (8-bit r=g=b) by image #, where image# 895=hour 774.
895-0,896-2,901-4,906-4,907-8,908-8,909-10,910-10,911-12,912-12,913-15,915-15,916-17,
917-18,918-20,919-20,920-21,921-23,922-23,923-24,924-26,925-29,926-30,927-31,928-34,929-37
The fade appears to be accelerating. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:47, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:Someone should extract alpha channel from pics, make graph from it, and try to find functon that approximates it [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 21:26, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:I did add a line feed to the numbers because I do not like horizontal scrollbars.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:52, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

I don't have a web page to share plots, but here's the poly fit. Starting with time 774 as x=0: it's [3.6647e-4 x^3 + 2.4545e-3 x^2 + 0.5396 x + 0.4184] up to time 810. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Time 811 - the black color stayed the same at 41 (r=g=b), 812-46, 813-48, the poly is now [4.4605E-004 x^3 - 1.5824E-003 x^2 + 0.59043 x + 0.33353][[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]])

It's fading to white a lot faster now than the sea is rising. Unless something else happens, I'd say it's all white by tomorrow. So, maybe if one source of entropy doesn't get you, another will. [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 12:54, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

The fade rate poly is now [7.912739E-004 x^3 - 0.018842 x^2 + 0.794901 x + 0.09838], and is still on the same progression. At this rate, the panel hits 255 (full white) at 09:00 UTC, 4/29/13. Wait for it. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:24, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
:Do you know what the frame number will be when it hits white? Randall's pretty close to an even 1000, I'm wondering if he's engineered it to turn white for either 1000 or 1024. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 20:20, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
::I believe it'll be filed as time966.png.--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 20:52, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Beret Girl at 950! [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 18:18, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wanted to let you guys know (since you are the most hard core of 1190 fans), you can do this now [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=890&framediff=217 geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=890&framediff=217].--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:32, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Updated projection: fade to white (rgb 255) at image # 967 (10:00 UTC) [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:18, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Just an afterthought, a meteor hit directly on the sand castle would let Randall go out in a blaze of glory. I hope beret girl is OK.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:27, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Seems like the story is not going to stop with total fadeout: image is still readable, as what was black is going to be 100% transparent (and probably still black), and white is still opaque. Maybe geekwagon page owner (or someone) could add a feature of removing alpha channel? --[[User:Electrichk|Electrichk]] ([[User talk:Electrichk|talk]]) 08:47, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

The early 80s song Fade to Grey from the band Visage comes to my mind. Memories of what happened start to fade over time and get more and more pale. {{unsigned ip|213.23.38.20}}

Again, if you're awake and the frame for the current hour hasn't been uploaded yet, please upload it yourself. I am doing the brunt of the work right now, and I am not available 24/7 to get the latest frame up. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:37, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

969 (+848) ''is'' completely blank on my LCD. <strike>I also cannot see Beret Girl in (967 or) 968 corresponding to +847 that [[User:75.84.65.238]]'s [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time&diff=35521&oldid=35485 edit] suggests.</strike> I can see Beret Girl using [[Special:Contributions/192.54.204.33|192.54.204.33]]'s Paint with Black and White trick. This ''does'' include 969 which is otherwise actually monotone on my LCD, even on a great angle. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 13:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: Try viewing the comic from an extreme angle. I was able to see the Beret girl in 967+968 by tilting my screen forward on my laptop. You can't really see it otherwise. If that fails, use Photoshop or look at the diff functionality [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=968&framediff=967 here]. 969 is completely blank to me. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.185|129.21.119.185]] 13:20, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Wait, I got those numbers mixed up, I think. 968 and 969 have Beret Girl in it, you just need to view at an extreme angle to see it. 970 (+849) looks blank to me, but there's still something there. The scene uses RGB 254,254,254, which is why it doesn't appear at all on my screen. You can reveal it using the diff or a smart selection tool in Photoshop or the like. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.185|129.21.119.185]] 13:28, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: Yeah, using the diff function on geekwagon.net is probably the easiest way to see it. She seems to be dragging something (looks like a canvas?) into the scene. But I can't see frame 969 (let alone 970) on geekwagon, the last frame there seems to be 968, and it appears completely white on my monitor without the diff view. --[[Special:Contributions/186.203.199.207|186.203.199.207]] 13:46, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Just copy the image to Paint and set the image property to Black & White. All non-white (255,255,255) pixels are set to black (0,0,0) and the image is revealed. [[Special:Contributions/192.54.204.33|192.54.204.33]] 13:35, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:::NB With Chrome, copying the image from xkcd [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/44c15893fedd846f0f503a7871a7775cade2a0d90987ff9651e5c742d4cf54d8.png] or here [[:File:time970.png]] (+849) with right-click -> Copy image looses the detail. You need to get the .png into Paint for it to work. Copy image URL and Paint's File > Open will do it. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 14:10, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

OK, *now* it's completely white (as of day 36 10:00) [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 14:08, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/99d67c40662fe2db377c9f7c8d6a5b1b82566b24b7d9a665638e16b299747325.png] (972 +851:00 36/11:00) was missing for a couple of minutes... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 15:07, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And now there is an image again (frame 971/972)! Looks like slightly uneven black ground under a white sky. Wow, I really thought that was it when it faded to white. Cool cool cool. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 15:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Hmm... we gonna see a guy floating in a barrel?? -z64dan [[Special:Contributions/204.57.93.104|204.57.93.104]] 15:56, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: And now I think we're going to see that too! [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 00:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

And now we're off to see the wizard!! This is great! A comic within a comic! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:23, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

I don't see this as a comic in a comic -- I see it more as act 2 (after the fadeout of act 1, with the stage crew jumping the gun and being caught on camera heading on stage to change the set). Theoretically, this second act can be as long as the first one -- The Quest for the Source of the River/Sea. (Hmmm, that reminds me of the song "River in the Sea" from the musical Ten November, a 2 minute sample available at http://www.prudencejohnson.com/sounds/gales/River_in_the_Sea.mp3). [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 18:18, 29 April 2013 (UTC) Tom A.

:By "comic within a comic" I meant that not only do we await a new xkcd installment several times a week, but now we also have a single panel (1190) with an ongoing story. This is even better than Click and Drag! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 19:10, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wanted to say: I don't think the beret girl is a girl at all. It's a boy with an old-fashioned navy-style cap. Popular with boys at the beach (in the old days). See images here (http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x130/JTMarcus/h1.jpg) and here (http://cabinetcardgallery.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/kidwithcap_0003.jpg) I also like the fact that, just before the castle completely fades away, you can barely see the little boy bringing more materials (maybe another support beam?) to continue the work.
I like the continuity of letting the beret boy (not girl)
: Wether it's a navy cap or not may be open to interpretation (though I'd still bet it's a beret - it surely looks a lot more like the one the beret guy wears, and I think Randall would have put a little more effort into that detail if he wanted it to pass off as a navy cap). As for it being a boy, no. It's definitely a girl, you can clearly see it has a longer hair, and come to think of it, Randall rarely draws any hair at all for male characters anyway. --[[Special:Contributions/201.53.213.201|201.53.213.201]] 23:36, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

I am hoping that this "Time" somehow connects to the [http://xkcd.com/1110/ "Click and Drag"] comic i.e. when the camera zoom out far enough, we'll see that they are actually in the "Click and Drag" world. --[[Special:Contributions/98.14.191.109|98.14.191.109]] 23:59, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

:Is it just me, or should there be a category to contain both this and [http://xkcd.com/1110/ "Click and Drag"]? Should the categories "Interactive" and "Dynamic" be merged into something like "Epic" or "Nerd Sniping"?[[Special:Contributions/38.78.130.2|38.78.130.2]] 14:30, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

Odd, it looks like +861, +862, and +863 are out of order, judging by the ground not changing at all and the characters not walking continuously. I wonder if that was an accidental mistake in XKCD server's delivery of the images or if there's an actual meaning to it. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.158|129.21.63.158]] 02:17, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

During the last glacial period the sea level was more than 100 meters lower than it is nowadays, so coastal structures looked very different and the continents exposed much more land. I believe the first act of this comic references medieval ages in Europe where people would witness (over the scope of hundreds of years or longer) losing land and coastal towns to the sea but not understanding the process, as Megan states. I'm expecting the second act, and possibly further acts, to reference the abundance of scientifical discoveries made during the last few centuries. [[Special:Contributions/37.201.91.80|37.201.91.80]] 12:17, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

I could hack a little bash script on my server which uploads the current image every hour. However for this i need uploads by URL from API allowed ($wgAllowCopyUploads in LocalSettings.php). --[[User:Stummi|Stummi]] ([[User talk:Stummi|talk]]) 12:25, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Would be great if at the end of the walk, there's a band playing "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons.

It will end with image 1190, of course. [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 16:54, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Well, they've made it back to the beach. I think it will end either at 1000 or 1024, and the only reason it might go to 1024 is allow some dialog and zooming in. :-) --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 18:01, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
: I thought that too initially - the terrain features certainly seems identical (to scale) to the one at the start of the story. But something's bothering me; it's about the frame before we see they are back on a beach - they are already seated, so it's fair to assume they haven't moved, yet the terrain is different. By looking at the terrain, you could guess that maybe the terrain is inverted, which would then indicate that the frame with the beach in view is from a different angle than the previous frame. But for that to be the case, Cueball would have to be behind Megan on the previous frame, yet, their positions are unchanged on these frames. So, I don't know... I'll stop rambling now, and just wait and see, I guess... --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 18:27, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

::Well, guess it's not ending just yet :-) . The duo packed up again and they're getting out of the beach (whichever it is). --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 22:06, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Wait, what? It looks like they are suddenly back at a beach that looks the same as the first one, just zoomed out. But before when the scene was presumably inverted, the terrain didn't look quite like that. If the scene really did get inverted, maybe they aren't actually on a beach right now, but the sea will eventually expand until it reaches them. Then again, we don't know if this is the same plane of space that the original beach was either. They were just walking to the right. The concept of space in this comic is confusing me right now. I wonder if this will make sense later. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.158|129.21.63.158]] 18:41, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

But what about their knapsacks? I guess they are not going to throw them to the sea... Hope this won't end up with loop right now, it would be too disappointing --[[User:Electrichk|Electrichk]] ([[User talk:Electrichk|talk]]) 19:07, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

It appears that the camera perspective has changed. 1 - 970 are all perpendicular to the shoreline, with the water on the right, camera looking down the shore. 971-996 are shown parallel to the shore line, with the camera position apparently out over the water or standing at the shore, looking back toward land. (If the camera had maintained the original position, the characters would have simply gotten smaller as the walked away, but instead we got to see the walk across the frame while presumably following the shore.) In 997, the camera perspective just comes back around to be a profile shot again, looking down the shoreline, water once again on the right. -- [[Special:Contributions/65.183.156.9|65.183.156.9]] 19:40, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Near the end of the transcript, it says that at +847 Beret Girl drops in again, dragging something. I used Photoshop to lower the brightness, and can see about half of her head facing away from the sandcastle. She's not dragging anything. Here's my evidence: [http://i.imgur.com/7zByxrs.png] [[Special:Contributions/108.51.68.241|108.51.68.241]] 22:24, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
*Try frame +848, that's where you can see her dragging something ~Pixie

I added a section for normalized versions of the first 10 hours of day 36. If anyone wants me to add more, e.g. go back to where the fade started, I would. BTW, I used something like 'pngtopnm $i | pnmnorm | pnmtopng > $j' inside a loop. Those commands are from the NetPBM package. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 23:33, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
:You can also use Paint ^_^ [[Special:Contributions/86.29.117.25|86.29.117.25]] 17:17, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

If Randall decides to go into a loop, let's not forget he can change any single frame or create a parallel storyline from any frame he likes. [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 07:16, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

He guys, what was with the grey on I think 1008-1011? And what happened to it? It disappeared on everything.--[[Special:Contributions/108.70.209.33|108.70.209.33]] 16:23, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
Don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but from frame 998 to 1001 (sitting, side-on view), the 'water' level continues to rise.

Not sure if it has ever been brought up but has anyone noticed it says "BTC 1NEPgrUmed3VyXpqbYZom7YVJ8MozYrNWx
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close." at the bottom of every page. i could not find this algorithm anywhere else [[Special:Contributions/74.4.25.11|74.4.25.11]] 18:58, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
:That is on every comic, it has nothing to do with this one. http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=footnote look at this page on it. {{unsigned|Zuffelnok}}

Just a thought - In panel 1018 (time 897), Megan states "If we don't find something today, we'll have to start using the steam bottle." If that means they're out of water... the last update has both of them drinking water at the edge of the river. No one spit it out this time. If they refilled their water bottle at the river, it's not the source of the pollution. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:38, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
:I don't think there's pollution going on; the body of water they started at was an ocean, so it was salt water. They have come to a river, so they can now drink the fresh water.[[Special:Contributions/163.120.70.10|163.120.70.10]] 00:48, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

FWIW, you can get the normalized (non-faded) portion of the fading scene very easily with imagemagick. Assuming you have the named like image00000.png image00001.png etc.. you can get a nice animated gif from "bye" to beret girl with:
convert image008[89]?.png image009[0123456]?.png image00970.png -shave 2x2 -auto-level norm.gif
HTH [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.71|216.239.45.71]] 00:51, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Is this now a choose your own adventure? I choose 'Walk Up River'! [[Special:Contributions/162.5.71.176|162.5.71.176]] 16:27, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

Are there efforts underway to make '''3D representations of the landscape?''' [[Special:Contributions/63.153.208.177|63.153.208.177]] 18:14, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone considered connections to this already? http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_alan_parsons_project/time.html [[User:Greyhoundc|Greyhoundc]] ([[User talk:Greyhoundc|talk]]) 12:38, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

...And there we got as far as frame 1190, which several people have called as the end, and the story does not appear to be resolved at all. How long can this go on? --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 17:07, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Okay, so it didn't end with 1190. Must have misread the prophecies. [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 00:51, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

"How long can this go on? I would say a very long time. Currently, each day is filled mostly with a very few backgrounds used over several comics with only the characters moving -- not that difficult to produce -- and maybe a few lines of dialog, which also allows for the repetition of the background. He can probably keep this pace for months. It would be a bit disappointing, but possible. The strip certainly doesn't seem to be approaching any sort of conclusion. But, I think, like certain kinds of art, its the presentation that important. And he is presenting Time. -Tom A. "Time is a local condition." - wish I could remember who said that. [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 15:12, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

==Uploaders==
Can I please not be one of the only three people on this wiki uploading frames? I live a busy life, I miss some of the time slots. If you see that the frame for the current hour hasn't been uploaded yet, try clicking on the red link and uploading it yourself. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:39, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:I did sign in right now and will try to help.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:02, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::I'd really like to do so, but everytime I look, I can't find the missing ones in my cache esp due to filenames - Is there a script or sth how I can save the original .PNGs automatically to another folder when they update? [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 09:39, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:::Here's the quick hack I run every 10 minutes. I don't know what an "sth" is. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 13:11, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
<nowiki>
#!/bin/bash

j=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%j)
h=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%H)
m=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%M)
d=$(printf %.2d $((j-83)))
fakem=${m%?}0
fakef=Time-$d-$h$fakem.png
if [ ! -f $fakef ]; then m=$fakem; fi
f=Time-$d-$h$m.png
oldf=$(ls Time* | tail -1)
{ echo -n "$d/$h:$m "; wget -O $f http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png |& grep following | tr "/ " "\012\012" | grep png; } > hash.new
cmp -s $f $oldf && mv $f /tmp
oldhash=$(tail -1 hash | cut -d' ' -f2)
newhash=$(cat hash.new | cut -d' ' -f2)
[ "$oldhash" = "$newhash" ] || cat hash.new >> hash
mv hash.new /tmp
</nowiki>
::::Thank you! "sth" just reads "something" :) [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 21:31, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

All frames and hashes are automatically saved to http://xkcd.mscha.org/. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 12:53, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:WOW, that's great! [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 21:31, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

==Animated gif==
hey, can we upgrade the animated gif to a picture with a sliding bar? maybe with a play/pause button as well? this way you can jump to whatever frame you're interested in, and pause for however long you like on frames with text and such... [[Special:Contributions/81.218.146.161|81.218.146.161]] 11:40, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:Some kind soul has already made that here - http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ - not sure how well it'd drop into this wiki though [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 13:05, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::Doesn't seem to be working for me :( [[Special:Contributions/107.205.30.219|107.205.30.219]] 00:53, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

==Talk too long==
The Discussion block is pretty huge and I thing it should be removed from the main page. Maybe a link and a hint to the link at the tab on top of this article. What do you think? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:12, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:I, for one, wholeheartedly endorse this. Consensus?--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 22:02, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::Agreed. [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 08:45, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
::: And done. If any admins disagree, please revert [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 09:05, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:::: It looks great, site is loading much faster.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:03, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
::::: Thank you! After all, that's why there are talk pages in MediaWiki. --[[Special:Contributions/82.135.84.245|82.135.84.245]] 16:44, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

== Image updates ==

Is Randall playing with me? My script is collecting at 00,05,20,35,50 each hour but many times now I got this:

969:00 41/09:00 f8a6414c334a71481e16428691fe8465098b2bae956e44727d0482c7632a84ff.png

I still could get the correct update, but I have to check all downloads so far.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:41, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm seeing that, too. For myself, I'm going to filter them into a separate directory. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 22:45, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm getting ...a84ff from http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png, but the main http://xkcd.com/1190/ gives the current image. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:43, 4 May 2013 (UTC)
The 00:00 UTC (8 pm EDT) update worked. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:02, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed that the exact same identical image was re-used several times recently? If you go to http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ and tell it to show differences from frame 1090, and then start clicking forward, the following frames are all exactly the same: 1094, 1097, 1101, 1103, 1107. Looking at http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/# you can then see that 1111 and 1113 are also the same. The rapid perspective change makes the animation appear to strobe. Could this be some strange attempt to illustrate something like an earthquake, or are they just re-using frames to avoid having to draw so many? [[Special:Contributions/65.183.156.9|65.183.156.9]] 02:38, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

: As you may have read above, the server did deliver one image repeatedly, so some sites may show this image multiple times. --[[Special:Contributions/84.174.9.61|84.174.9.61]] 08:24, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

You can see it in the [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/log.txt log for geekwagon], do an in page search (ctrl+f) for f8a6414c334a71481e16428691fe8465098b2bae956e44727d0482c7632a84ff. That image is collected multiple times and causes other images to be duplicated too because the script only checks to see if the current link is different than the previous.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 13:15, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

I think what happened is that one of the three sites (107.6.97.102) started giving the same result each time. Now, I think they are down for maintenance.... --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:47, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Why are images 2816 and 2817 the same? http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2816 http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2817 [[Special:Contributions/121.72.166.59|121.72.166.59]] 21:56, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

== Hours ==
There seems to be a problem starting with today (Sunday, 2013-05-05): The first picture should be 984:00 and not 983:00. I'm not able to check if it's simply a bot (?) error writing down the hours or something more serious. --[[Special:Contributions/82.135.84.245|82.135.84.245]] 15:56, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Hour 983 on image 1104 Saturday (23:00 UTC) also appears on image 1105 Sunday (00:00 UTC). The image numbers are correct, but the hour count appears to be off by 1 hour now.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 16:34, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

: Holy shi... it's my failure. I am starting to correct this right now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:36, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

== Not all images do map to the hash ==

I did run this great command posted here before on 13 April 2013:
md5sum -b * | sort | uniq -w32 -D

Then I did rename all duplicates to image???_.png. After that I did download the hashes from here to image???.png and run the check again.

First result is easy. Files are changed so md5sum for image002_ and image002 are different but content is the same. But 004 is wrong and I will update this one.

878341ab1f710e5832aa7ed5cfa66ed7 *image002_.png
878341ab1f710e5832aa7ed5cfa66ed7 *image004_.png

I will check all carefully and post my updates at the bottom of this section.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:01, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Ok, how can I change that images? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:07, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

I found a way to updates the pictures, it's just a little bit tricky... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Next duplicate is also easy because files are still the same:
129721094a74fe94c723160991a1e704 *image427_.png
129721094a74fe94c723160991a1e704 *image429_.png
7be206b1c026b697de59e52c19f0a866 *image427.png
7be206b1c026b697de59e52c19f0a866 *image429.png

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:37, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

And new downloads from xkcd are still different on MD5 but this two files are also identical for a viewer:
6d3d9449d1df1f56547387da4259806c *image440_.png
6d3d9449d1df1f56547387da4259806c *image441_.png
827a569e5c806011f0d4d5564357e4d4 *image440.png
827a569e5c806011f0d4d5564357e4d4 *image441.png
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:41, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Same is this - only MD5 did change:
5de911984714c1ec7bf93149a5cca9b4 *image454.png
5de911984714c1ec7bf93149a5cca9b4 *image455.png
87d0de6b865fa94ab91902cddcc0af70 *image454_.png
87d0de6b865fa94ab91902cddcc0af70 *image455_.png
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:43, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

BUT NOW the problems start:
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image704_.png
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image705_.png
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image705.png
db365290ce50176dad01c0087510f513 *image703.png
db365290ce50176dad01c0087510f513 *image704.png
I did rename 704 and 705 to 704_ and 705_ and download the hashes again to the 704 and 705 names.

My old 703 is same as my new 704 which does mean we have a glitch here!!!

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:54, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

----

UPDATE LOG:

image4 is changed (again)--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

: After downloading again the pictures around 700 everything looks fine. I can not find more duplicates.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:18, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Boy, that one gave me headaches. 1236 and 1237 seem to be the same. MediaWiki doesn't like multiple images that are the same... --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 20:15, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

: I am not a boy, I am slightly older...
: But in fact 1237 is same content as 1236 and MD5 hash is also the same (not the first one) but the link HASH is different. It is maybe a new hurdle for us. I will check. Stay tuned... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:28, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

:: It seems you could fix this. Files are just identical. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:33, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

----

I just uploaded a bunch of hashes and files, there have been some errors. The hashes are now correct, but could somebody please check that the files (1410 to 1420) match the hashes? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 07:59, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

== Split the movie? ==

The page is becoming impossible to load.

I would suggest to split the movie into pieces, for instance by making a separate sub-page for each week (avoiding embarassing discussion on the most natural cutting point). Each week can have a separate description, seven-seconds animation, list of 7x24 pictures etc, and a link to the following and previous weeks.

Any objection / comment / suggestion ? [[User:Biem|Biem]] ([[User talk:Biem|talk]]) 05:16, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

:My only suggestion would be give it larger segments. I don't think it needs to be as small as a week - after all, it loaded fine for a very long time. Maybe approx. half a scene each? Scene 1 is 971 frames long, so how about split at 500, at 971, and again at 1500 (when it gets there)? [[Special:Contributions/24.129.75.17|24.129.75.17]] 08:12, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
::It's one and a half megabytes. The biggest issue here probably is the anemic servers that managed to struggle and crash even when that animation was just a static png and the page itself was only a few lines long. When the image starts clocking in at ~4-5 megabytes, it'll probably get to be a proper problem for those on poor connections, but we're not quite there yet. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:36, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
:I suggest pushing the hashes off onto their own page(s). That's 80% of the page's text right there. (Seriously. Click 'edit' on the main page and scroll.) At the very least, we could archive March and April. As more hashes are added, we archive the older ones. Maybe just constantly leave a week's worth of hashes on the main page? --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 15:18, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
::Examine [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Time: The Table]] '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:22, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
Here is a possible breackdown structure where sequences are ~130 pictures long : (number of frames / Start frame number))

Part 1 : Sand Castles
(127) 001: First sand castle
(105) 128 : Second sand castle (180) and Catapulte
(090) 233 : Joining castles
(100) 323 : Miniature castle
(116) 423 : Scaffold
(131) 539 : Plattform
(132) 670 : Fourth castle
(173) 802 : Sea rising & fade out
Part 2 : Wildernesses
(150) 975 : Seashore
(100) 1125 : Rivershore
(115) 1225 – : Hills
(087) 1340 - 1363 – 1379 : Trees
(124) 1427 : Baobabs
1551 – 1581 Berries
1619 – Squirrel
1640 Berries
Suggestions that can be discussed :
* Sequences should be 100-150 pictures long (with possible exceptions).
* Even if the image is not that big, the length of the movie can be a problem when one wants to check for details : short sequences allow for a slower pace.
* Good cutting points would be : two consecutive identical pictures, changes of scenery. Sequences with the same theme should on the contrary be kept together when possible.
[[User:Biem|Biem]] ([[User talk:Biem|talk]]) 09:13, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

== What is the sea? ==

It doesn't have to be an "ocean." Consider the Aral Sea. The Dead Sea. Our "sea" doesn't have any surf, apparently. Frame 1187: "I wonder if it's ''possible'' to swim in." Our characters don't know whether you can swim in a river? Have they never seen fresh water deep enough for swimming? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 13:26, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

:This is not real life. And they know it's not real life. Maybe they are in some sort of Matrix and know about it, or they are playing a video game. They've seen in developers' blog that devs are working on a lot of new features for version 0.19, such as improved sand physics, multiple rivers, rain, salty water, trebuchets, swimming, surf, etc. But then developers decided to release part of these features in version 0.19, and leave the rest for 0.20. When Cueball an Megan saw that version 0.19 is out, they immediately decided to try it out, without even looking at the changelog. So they don't know which features made it into this version, and which ones will be in the next one. So far they have played around with new sand physics and trebuchets, tried swimming in the sea, tried to drink sea water, found a new river. They haven't seen any surf, so they think it'll be in 0.20. They have yet to try swimming in a river, or see the rain. They have also found a bug that causes sea level to raise indefinitely. They think it could be caused either by rain, additional rivers, or just by a griefer who built a giant sand generator array to fill in the sea and flood everything. Oh, and they can't just create a new private world to see if the sea raises there, because of the DRM.
:Did I miss anything? --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 17:37, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

::Yes! I see it all now! Beret girl is the griefer! [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 01:01, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

:::I think it was black hat. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:54, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

:It looks like they've also added bird (sic). --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:30, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

Swimming in a river is dangerous if there's a strong current. Even slow moving water has a lot of power. The sea could be the ocean, connected to the ocean, or one of the large bodies of water referred to as a sea. Enjoy the comic and have fun second guessing Randall.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:17, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

We know: "The sea is big" and "The river is small".

But we also know about the sea: There are no waves. It's just rising. So it is not an ocean, it's just a lake. Many people say "sea" to a lake when they can not see the other side.

And we know their home river is small. But right now they explore a different bigger river.

We know it's not summer so maybe it is spring and the river is rising like every year?

Cueball and Megan will find out, but we have to Wait For It!

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:38, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Both characters have slept occasionally but never at the same time. There has been no depiction of night (unless the fade counts as one.) Hmm... [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:21, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

: It seems we are still at day one. Building castles in the morning and exploring their environment after that. But you are right, they have to sleep and I do fear about many DARK pictures...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:50, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed that when the camera zooms out to show the other side of the river/see the middle island just becomes smaller, but the '''distance''' between Cueball / Magan and the middle island stays the same? --[[User:FG|FG]] ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 15:0, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

It seems like the two river halves (or two rivers) merge as Megan and Cueball hike upstream. New point: I joined all the images covering their journey since image 1150 (last stop for water). it spans 18204 pixels. Assuming Cueball is 6 feet tall (wild guess + it's an even number), they have now hiked a total of 0.517 miles (83228.7 cm) from image 1150.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:32, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

Considering the elaborate and fragile sand castles, the one- and two-person construction of the platform and its castle components, and maybe the latest antics at the top of the dunes, it appears that gravity is not Earth-normal. Or perhaps the law of gravitation is not our-universe-normal. (No reason it should be, of course.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:11, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

== Archive ==

Since this 1190 will never end, will it? I think we need some archive sites.

First could be "1190 Time Images 2013-03 March" (<- I am calling this human readable ISO)
So, if you understand, each month of picture links and hashes on a separate page.

Next would be "1190 Time Images 2013-04 April"

And a few months from now we also have to do this for the "Transcript".

What do you think? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:46, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
:If this comic goes on forever, maybe. For now, we could probably compact the page by grouping the frames from each month into wider tables and scrapping their hashes. The hashes are really only useful for checking that we got the images right, so they're kinda useless for the really old ones. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:05, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

::Since we do not know if there is anything hidden in the hashes we still should save them here. But past months could be moved into a different page.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::They're hashes, I'm pretty sure there isn't anything hidden in the arrangement of letters and numbers. If there was, the xkcd forums would have been all over it long ago. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:44, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::: Maybe you are right but they are still the original file names on xkcd.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:53, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::::We don't carry the original Click and Drag filenames on this wiki; the filenames of parts of large comics don't carry anything of value to people visiting the wiki. They only really help with cross-checking images with the originals to make sure we didn't mess up anywhere, and we've already done that to death for the earlier images - so the hashes for earlier images no longer hold much value. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:02, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::Don't shout at me. I am just thinking about archiving past months to different pages. The current month should stay on the main page. I am new here and so I am doing not that edit until I get some agreements. But we should save ALL here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:22, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::::::I wasn't shouting, there is no need to bring ad hominem into this discussion. There are a number of solutions available here; we could tabulate frames per month as per [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Time:_The_Table|this neglected post]], offload prior months to other pages, or scrap old hashes to cut a large portion of the article's body text. Each solution will lead to degradation of the explanation, splitting the article will force multiple page loads while removing the hash values will be destroying part of the metadata around the comic. Ideally, we wouldn't have to make the split at all, but speed considerations mean that we eventually will have to do it. In that eventuality, all we can do is the thing that degrades the explanation for the average visitor the least. What do visitors care more about, faster load times/having all the frames on one page or having 1000-odd incomprehensible and meaningless hash values? We don't display the individual filenames for Click and Drag even though they were more informative than the hashes here, because they hold little value to visitors; they only take up space that could be used to further enhance the explanation. Pure archival without curation is what other websites do, not a wiki with the intended goal of making xkcd accessible. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:56, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::::IMHO having all of the images here is as useless as having hashes: most people use aubronwood or geekwagon anyways. To decrease loading times, I'd suggest to do 2 things:
::::::::#Move all tables to a new page.
::::::::#Replace the animated gif with a static gif (possibly latest frame?) that links to the animated gif.--[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:15, 13 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::::I think if we are to keep the hashes at all, they should appear on the description pages for each image. There's no reason for them to be on the comic page. [[User:Skiasaurus|Skiasaurus]] ([[User talk:Skiasaurus|talk]]) 23:09, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

== Prediction ==

Does anyone else see the last frame (whenever it may be), have the ability to connect to the first, thus creating a cycle? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 22:14, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

:No reason it couldn't, but it seems premature. Early days yet. What's Beret Girl up to? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 15:15, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

My only prediction is: We will see what did happen to that castles and we will see that Beret Girl again. Wait for it!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

My theory: Based on the frames don't change much; Randell is an expert at creating xkcd frames; he only needs 24 per day to keep going; and we have no idea how long he's been preparing for this. It could last forever.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:42, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:It will not last forever. But it seems it will still last for a long time. Wait for it!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::Forever is a big speculation. A more realistic speculation would be "as long as the Internet."--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:41, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

You realize that what we've seen so far is what the beginning of a comic that goes on forever looks like :-) Tom A. ("I don't want to be immortal through my art! I want to be immortal by not dying." - Woody Allen.) [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 14:20, 13 May 2013 (UTC)
:Perhaps yesterday's bird was a hint at today's comic. Or he had dinosaurs on the brain. (Don't we all?) [[User:ChozoBoy|ChozoBoy]] ([[User talk:ChozoBoy|talk]]) 14:57, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

So Cueball and Megan seem to entering a region with much more vegetation. Up until now I had assumed that the previous regions had vegetation as well but Randall just hadn't bothered drawing it (such detail is rare in XKCD). So what does presence of vegetation mean? More rainfall? Higher elevation? Also how far have Cueball and Megan travelled? I don't think the frames are necessarily contiguous - if this was a movie we'd have background music to go with the images. They could have been travelling for days or weeks - I definitely don't think it is still the same day as the start of Act II. I suppose 'time' will tell. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 17:13, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

The yawn suggests that they haven't slept yet, so quite possibly the same day. Also interesting that they seem to treat first the small bush and now the tree as worthy of notice -- were there no trees where they lived? [[Special:Contributions/173.228.6.11|173.228.6.11]] 06:36, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

The current frame (1355) looks remarkably similar to the area at left hand edge of XKCD 1110 (Click and Drag), which also features the same two characters discussing how they've walked "pretty far". I wonder how much of a coincidence this is. [[Special:Contributions/82.69.211.1|82.69.211.1]] 11:46, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:http://xkcd-map.rent-a-geek.de/#10/1.3189/-92.1423
:http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1355
:--[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:28, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Hmm, and despite the overall journey feeling epic, didn't someone calculate the distance travelled (calculated via Cueball units) to be only a mile or two? [[Special:Contributions/99.123.5.106|99.123.5.106]] 01:48, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone has an explanation for the change from frame 1360 to 1361? --[[User:FG|FG]] ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 10:41, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
: I thought the transition from 1359 -> 1360 was even more 'abrupt' than the transition from 1360 - > 1361 (in fact my first thought was that 1360 was out-of-order or some other 'mistake'). But from subsequent frames it has become clear that Cueball wandered off and explored the area on his own while Megan was sleeping. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:56, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
::I think [1359:1362] looks similar to [1097:1120]. Probably Cueball was just walking perpendicularly to the image. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:13, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Here's another example of the slightly 'strange' way of talking: "I'm surprised we haven't been seen by any people yet". Wouldn't most people say: "I'm surprised we haven't seen any people yet"? So who are 'people'? Are 'people' somehow invisible to both Cueball and Megan? Are 'people' a threat? Have 'people' also moved on because of the rising sea level? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 19:25, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
: Speaking of strange phrases, for them to say that tree "probably knows what it is doing" is rather odd. Are they in a world where trees have consciousness, or are they just deeply confused? [[Special:Contributions/66.193.253.212|66.193.253.212]] 18:45, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

The latest frame (1506) has two trees. They are almost certainly baobab trees. There are 8 species of baobab tree, but of those 8, 6 are endemic to the island of Madagascar, including the species which the trees in the comic most resemble, the Grandidier baobab. Even if they are not one of the six species endemic to Madagascar, the fact that they are baobabs still limits them to the continent of Africa, the countries of Oman and Yemen, and northwestern Australia. This means that the big sea, if it is an ocean, is most likely the Indian Ocean. [[Special:Contributions/76.92.118.150|76.92.118.150]] 18:30, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
:I think we are just at a fantasy world. And Randall is working against every prediction done here or at some forums. We only have to "Wait for it!".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:07, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone else agree that frames 1485 through 1487 are exactly identical? Just a glitch somewhere?[[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 01:56, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

:Yeah, not only the pixels, but also the files' checksums are exactly the same. Checked it twice. --[[Special:Contributions/83.243.48.2|83.243.48.2]] 08:57, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

== Map ==

Sóme hardcores made a map of The One True Comic: http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.svg
Including in on main page could be a good idea [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 06:58, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:Why does it say "Flatland" instead of "flatland"? Most other labels are lowercase. Is it a reference to Edwin Abbott's Flatland? Or am I just overthinking a typo?

This map is a great job and when we do know that this is correct we have include it here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:51, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Map URL has changed (old URL displays link to new URLs). New map links: [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php JavaScript version] and [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php?js=no non-JS version] - [[User:Acrisius|Acrisius]] ([[User talk:Acrisius|talk]]) 13:37, 28 May 2013 (UTC)
:I did fix the links and also at the main page.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:20, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

"Description: The allocated data traffic of the hosting account for this website has been exceeded and the website is temporarily suspended"
Maybe we should host the map here on the wiki? --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 20:14, 30 May 2013 (UTC)
:No, this map is funny but still not validated. Help me to collect some facts at the bottom here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:30, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

Where did the map go? I'm getting "...does not exist or cannot be displayed" Does your page have an error? Or are you having hosting issues?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:36, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

(Gerry, are you making this comment after following the "New map links: [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php JavaScript version] and [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php?js=no non-JS version]" links given? Those work for me, at this time of editing, and got those links presented to me when going to the original URI with the SVG extension.)

Regarding the accuracy, I imagine Randall may have used a data model of countoured landscape (1D ''or'' 2D, plus height) to auto-generate the scrolling/panning/rotating scenery base prior to decorating with figures/etc, but whether there's enough information to fully back-derive such a map from the ever-changing landscape I couldn't say. I assume assumptions, at the very least, and maybe some inventiveness on the part of any given interpreter. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.124.195|178.98.124.195]] 19:42, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:(Yes, I had been using the new links. As I later found out it was after their monthly server allotment had been exhausted. It started working again June 1.)--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 03:35, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

== Words of Randall ==

Has Randall ever said anything in the past 2 months pertaining to this comic? Better yet, has anyone ever tried to ask him? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 05:18, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

:NO--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:53, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

== Simple English ==
Conversation is in "Simple English". I am not native English but I think we should mention this. Am I wrong?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:57, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
:I'm not aware of a distinction between "Simple" and regular English, at least in the USA. I ''think'' it's just something they use for teaching non-native speakers. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 00:32, 18 May 2013 (UTC)
::"Simple English" isn't a special dialect or anything, but the conversation definitely has a simple, almost naive, style. Lots of single-syllable vocabulary without much Latin-derived flowery or "sophisticated" words. I counted 27 three-syllable words and one four-syllable word in the entire dialog, scenes 1 and 2 combined. They don't seem to have a name for "sand dunes." They talked about a river being "broken." They are very playful, mature but child-like. It gives the story a kind of alien feel. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:27, 18 May 2013 (UTC)
:I think the OP is referring to Basic English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_English [[Special:Contributions/198.102.153.1|198.102.153.1]] 22:55, 22 May 2013 (UTC)
Similar to the xkcd explaining the Saturn V rocket in simple english.[[Special:Contributions/173.49.75.137|173.49.75.137]] 03:57, 20 May 2013 (UTC)

I did mean "Simple English" as Randall did mention before, not only here [[Up Goer Five]]. Look at this WIKI for [http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Simple English Wiki]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:09, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

== Are We Lost Yet? ==
http://xkcd.com/170/ {{unsigned|66.162.182.66}}

== Big trees ==
A great guy at the xkcd forum did identify the big trees starting at frame 1503 (1382:00 hours). They belong to Madagascar and their name is {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}}. But also a few of them do exist in the US. So I am still not sure where we are.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:11, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

::One of the little asteroid-planets from The Little Prince?
::"Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince; and these were the seeds of the baobab. The soil of that planet was infested with them. A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late. It spreads over the entire planet. It bores clear through it with its roots. And if the planet is too small, and the baobabs are too many, they split it in pieces..." [[Special:Contributions/69.123.166.176|69.123.166.176]] 00:20, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

:Looks like we have grapevines now, or something like them, with man-made trellising. [[Special:Contributions/12.153.137.82|12.153.137.82]] 21:47, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

== A hypothesis ==
Randall's animation is taking place in a distant, post-collapse future ("distant" is relative, here-- say sometime in the next few hundred years, though possibly much further): human civilization is back at a late-Iron Age stage of development, though maybe with slightly more sophisticated metallurgy. The reasons I suggest this are: 1) rising sea-level that is on-going, 2) they can work wood and they have agriculture, 3) they have shown no awareness of any more "advanced" technology, 4) yet they have no qualms about wandering off into the wilderness without what most of us would consider adequate protection.

The one reason I might think it's farther into the future is the bit with the trees. I can't decide if their shape is a consequence of evolution (convergent, so that they are very similar to the {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}}), or they were transplanted (presumably to somewhere south? Higher altitude? Both? Antarctica?). Evolution would imply deeper in the future, and transplantation could be sooner.

I'm really interested to see what the truth is, because it's got me thinking along all kinds of planes.[[Special:Contributions/184.99.231.23|184.99.231.23]] 21:38, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

== Stuck Again ==

Randall seems to be stuck at hour 1524 (image number 1545), at 20:00 UTC we now have 5 copies of the same empty image with half a vineyard with no end in sight.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:31, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
:No, files are still different, even when you can't see it. File sizes did change and also md5sum. But I did not check the small changes visual right now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:47, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::Use "Previous Frame Difference" on geekwagon, you can see a line of pixels that differ. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 20:50, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
:::I wonder if the squirrel is following her...--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 21:27, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::::Me too, but I am hoping Megan will get a pet. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:30, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
I see the streak. I expected the squirrel to follow her. Geekwagon showed it, so did Photoshop.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:07, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
: It's probably the squirrel, though the frame difference visual made me go "snake! snake in the grass!" [[Special:Contributions/173.228.6.189|173.228.6.189]] 22:14, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::It's still fun. Will Megan get at pet? A chary Squirrel? I am still tuned. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:24, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1647&framediff=1646--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 01:35, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

The squirrel appears to be in the tree the first time Megan & Cueball walk by in image numbers 1582 & 1583. http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1583&framediff=1582 [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:05, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

New clue, image 1692 - "Still, it's better than when we were following the sea, walking straight into the sun all morning." Walking east along the sea, it places them on the south side of anything. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:23, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

This may be more speculation than not, but the two turned north to follow the river and are now walking on a heading somewhere between NE and NW, which puts them in the northern hemisphere if they can see their shadow in front of them. This is also confusing since there aren't many Grandidier's Baobab trees there [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia_grandidieri].[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:46, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

I agree that these orientations are plausible from the dialog in the strip, but remember, we're already pretty certain that they're not in the same universe as us, so we may not be able to assume that the sun rises in the east. There's no evidence to demonstrate that their world rotates west-to-east like ours does, but there's no evidence that it doesn't, either. Let's at least remember the possibility that all of these directions are reversed from what our current theory states. [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 18:24, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

At least this time we know it's a snake. In image 1738 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1738] the curled snake is fully visible, complete with a raised head and tail. At 2 pixels high, details are a little sketchy.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 17:06, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

== The Planting People ==

So what do we know about them? They've been gone a while, long enough for Cueball to believe it was fine to take grapes. But they haven't been gone for a long time, because we've seen a staked sapling that is likely only a year or two old. They have vineyards and what look to be orchards. They appear to use tents, at least the frame we saw looked to be tied together at the top to form a teepee frame. They are sophisticated enough to do things like put benches next to trees, so they aren't subsistence farmers. Anything else? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 18:14, 28 May 2013 (UTC)
: Forgot a couple of things, they have what is possibly writing (are Cueball and Megan illiterate?), and it's different than that of the Hill People, but their debris appears to look the same.

They appear to be either hunter-gatherers or have abandoned the area (for some reason - why?). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomadic] "Many groups of 'nomadic' hunter-gatherers (also known as foragers) moved from campsite to campsite, following game and wild fruits and vegetables." We have seen three campsites; Cueball burried the embers from their fire (see image 1048 & 1062-1064 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1064]). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:22, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

:I did wonder about some kind of seasonal movement, but if so it's odd that they left the teepee to collapse (and be damaged, one of the supports is visibly cracked) rather than taking the materials with them or storing them more neatly. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 17:44, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Go to a vineyard in late summer or early autumn, you will not see the "The Planting People". We only know that we are at this particular season because they can eat grapes from that plants and before they could swim in the sea. And both are following the sun in the morning, witch does mean they are walking East. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:28, 29 May 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, but you will see the Harvesting People if the grapes are ripe, and they apparently are. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:28, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

Finally seeing where all the wood came from -- stumps everywhere. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:28, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

== What do we know by the end of May 2013? ==
I'm trying to collect some facts:
:-They did build a sand castle and the weather was warm enough to swim in the sea. The taste of the water is bad, and the sea is raising.
:-Then both are trying to find a reason for that raise and they are starting to travel around this special river.
:-They are still going uphill while we never have seen that mountains.
:-Eating grapes from a vineyard means we are at least at late summer.
:-Walking to the sun in the morning is just walking to the east.
Two month's in this comic and we really do not know much more. Stay tuned, wait for it. We do not know much more essentials. Does Randall?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:43, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

They are also apparently now heading west, or mostly west. Their shadows are in front of them, and while that could be west in the morning or east in the evening, they are contrasting it with walking into the sun in the morning as they were along the shore, so it's west. Presumably they were walking mostly north until the decision to head for the mountains, since Cueball has just started playing with his shadow. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 00:50, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

:OK, but they are walking to the sun in the morning. That's east (on northern hemisphere, I still do not think we are at Madagascar). So we do have an other fact:
:-Around time frame 1700 it's evening.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:07, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

:-If you walk into the sun, you are walking east.
:-They then turned to their left to go upriver. That's would be going north.
:-If you are above the tropics, your shadow will always lay to the north of you.
:-Megan says what they're doing is better than when they had to walk into the sun, and it's been established that they walked along the sea for days, so they'd be familiar with walking with the sun directly behind them, too. If they were now walking west, it would pretty much be the same situation, except reversed. It doesn't really make sense to me that she'd call one situation better than the other. It feels more like they aren't walking into the sun ''at all'' anymore. Therefore, I think they are now keeping the sun relatively behind them by going north, which indicates they are north of the equator, and probably north of the Tropic of Cancer. Even at noon, the sun would be behind you slightly, to the south. And if you're walking uphill, it would be very visible to you.
:--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 01:23, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

They are moving East as Megan did explain. When they can see their shadows in front of them it's just evening, the sun is now behind them. What tells me that Day One is coming to an end. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:59, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:They did mention that that had been walking for days, so who knows how many days it's been.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 21:45, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

Does [http://what-if.xkcd.com/48/ today's "What If"] give a clue to the current year? Unless it's been "fixed", it says "two hundred years from now, in April of 2432". :-) [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 13:34, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

== Map exceeding bandwidth ==

The map here seems to be failing due to excessive bandwidth: http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php

I might be able to help with some bandwidth. If you know who is doing this and they can get in touch with me,(I'm [http://twitter.com/sevitz @sevitz] on twitter or via here) I might be able to help depending on BW requirements.

[[User:Sevitz|Sevitz]] ([[User talk:Sevitz|talk]]) 06:59, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

:This map is incorrect but still a great fun. They are walking west in the evening, not north. But I am also sure the site will be back soon.
:Nevertheless, if you can help here you are welcome! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:08, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
::No, their shadows are in front of them, so they are either walking west in the morning or east in the evening. Since they were comparing it favorably with their experience of walking east in the morning along the sea shore, they therefore must be going west (or mostly west) currently. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:29, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
:::Also, they've probably turned away from the river, since Cueball thought it important to refill the water bottle before heading for the mountains. So, east along the seashore, north along the river, then west towards the mountains. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:33, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

== Snake Theories ==

Megan mentions snakes with spikes over their eyes. That covers several species, all poisonous, but they are native to the American west and southwest, Mexico, Central America, north Africa and the Middle East. The snake that Cueball finds might be a {{w|Anguis fragilis|slow-worm}}, a limbless reptile native to Eurasia. It's shiny, brown, has a blunt head, and can shed its tail like a lizard, which might give it a half-finished look if Cueball saw it that way. But a stronger contender is the {{w|rubber boa}}, which is native to the western US, and has a famously stubby head and tail.

This makes me think of one area: The {{w|Great Salt Lake}}. The {{w|Bear River (Utah)|Bear River}} empties into it from a northerly direction, and the area has the rubber boa and at least one type of poisonous horned snake. Native Americans of the area even had legends of the Horned Serpent. And that ''had'' to be a teepee we saw earlier. (I don't think Native Americans had trebuchets or berets, though....) --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 01:59, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:(...Except, unless they built a salt castle, it's more likely to be in a place with considerably more sand.)[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 19:32, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
::The Great Salt Lake makes sense unless this comic does not belong to our real world. We just have to find this {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}} trees or something similar at Utah. And this lake has beaches of sand, ok salty sand.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:44, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

The snake also seems to appear in frames 1645 to 1651 http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1645&framediff=1644 {{unsigned|Flying Djinn}}

== Follower? ==

Megan is looking back sometimes since a few frames... May she has the feeling that someone is following them? People from the hills? The squirrel? -- [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 18:08, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, Megan is looking at something. But what it is we just do not know. Wait for it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:48, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
::Perhaps it's Beret Girl? She's the only other human we've seen so far. [[Special:Contributions/94.170.131.19|94.170.131.19]] 21:33, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:::It's just the sea, they must be high in the mountains. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:05, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

We've got chicks, and not the first time: In image 1830-1831 Megan says "I heard chirps from the night sky once. I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping. - It was very quiet. - just a single chirp now and then." They were sleeping under a tree around image 1354, a bird flies overhead, later Cueball takes a walk. We can see some chicks at the end of his walk at images 1374-1376 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1375&framediff=1374]. It just took me a while to figure out what it was.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:35, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

Take a closer look; there's some kind of wisp hanging out in some of the empty frames and the ones Megan's looking back in. It's only about a pixel wide, but a few long; broken up, serpentine, almost ethereal.

In the hut scene (June 20) there seems to be something large moving in the bushes next to the fence. There was also something something poking in on the left back by the cairn (a few frames back). [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 18:18, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:I've been keeping a log of Hidden Animals in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures 1190: Time: Pictures]. The first one you saw is likely a bird. There's a chick moving around in the grass. The recent scene (frame numbers 2214-2225) is a swarm (bugs?) that came in from the left and moved into the bush. Use this [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2225&framediff=2224 Geekwagon Link] to view the hidden images. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:29, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

"--LOOK OUT!" I rest my case. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 21:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:A big cat! Puma, Mountain Lion... who can tell, at least it wasn't a Velociraptor (there's 2 in Click and Drag). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:34, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
::Looks too small for either a mountain lion or a puma. Could be a cub, perhaps. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Now either that's a pet cat or this just got less PG. Also, the thing that showed up by the cairn is the right height for a nose. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:06, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:I agree. If there's real danger, why does Megan just sit there? [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:13, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

== Aubronwood problem ==

Has anyone noticed that the aubronwood site only seems to show every other frame after a certain point? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 15:52, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, it looks buggy. I'm always using my own downloads and this [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon].--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:11, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
::Noticed the same. Looks like the left and right arrow keys don't work after a certain point, but the up and down arrow keys and the mouse wheel continue to work correctly. -- [[Special:Contributions/205.171.58.158|205.171.58.158]] 17:36, 14 June 2013 (UTC)
::I found that if I hit "Slower" when this happens, it returns to single frame navigation with arrow keys.
::If you click on the slider at the bottom of the page, left and right keys then move it one pixel, which is currently 2 images. If you click on the comic to move focus there, arrow keys work correctly

== Elevation? ==

The elevation map on the edfel map hasn't been updated in ages, and I'd like to see how high up they are now. Anyone else found one anywhere? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:31, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
:You are right and we need a proper map on this like the water level before. I will try this soon, maybe tomorrow.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:48, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

:I've been mapping the journey from the start, piecing each segment end-to-end in Photoshop. There is no significant net elevation change until they started following the river. The net elevation change from image #1150 to now (#1818) is 1402 pixels = 210.2 feet (assuming a 40 px average height of Cueball and using 40 px = 6 feet). However, since this is a comic, one may assume a greater height than that actually depicted. The horizontal distance along the same river walk is 59516 pixels = 8927.4 feet (1.7 mi, 2.7 km). I don't have the distances along the sea. The average speed, using 1 hr/frame update, is 0.0025 mph, 0.0041 kph (at 5 min/frame update the speed increases to 0.0304 mph). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:07, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

== What do we know by the beginning of June? ==
:- thanks to [[User:Galois|Galois]] we do know they did travel around 3 km (NASA is getting better on this metric units).
:- thanks to [[User:Galois|Galois]] we do know they did climb approx. 65 meters (maybe slightly more because 6 feet or 1.8288 meters for Cueball is maybe a little bit too much).
:- they are still in real nature, the most technical devices we have seen is just wood.
:- but they also did cross a road at the beginning of their travel.
:- now both are heading uphill while the mountains still far away.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:11, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

I'd like to think Cueball is shorter, I used 6 ft because it's convenient and yields longer distances. The tallest Baobob tree is 516 px (rescaled to the running comic) = 77.4 ft (23.6 m) using a 6 ft Cueball. Note that using a 5.5 ft (1.7 m) Cueball, the tree drops to 71 ft (21.6 m). The Wikipedia page [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia_grandidieri] on the Grandidier's baobab states they can reach 25 to 30 m (80-100 ft) in height, 23.6 m is about right. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:40, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't follow this as religously as others so maybe I missed the obvious answer, but why is it assumed that we have seen all of the way they went? I alway thought the parts where they are hiking is like a "montage" in film, where lots of parts might be missing in between the snapshots we see. {{unsigned|193.171.69.65|05:58, 6 June 2013}}

(please sign your posts - don't worry, we're all here out of a mutual enjoyment of the xkcd comics) Actually, I looked into the possibility a while back, but it didn't work. Randall runs 3-5 frame updates with the two walking across the same panel. As they leave one panel on the right, they enter the next on the left (and visa-verse for the trip back to the sunken castle). Additionally, I only came across three panels that didn't adjoin perfectly (one in the sand dunes and two trees that didn't continue into the next panel). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 11:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

== Image reference from late on the 67th day ==

At about 22:35 on the 67th day, the image reference "6fa2b361791e805aac0a89008a891e3999a0519ed870c1bc3dcc8dbff5e071d5.png" appeared for a time. It was after "f4e2276e4c47409412666b28be0cca75fedae3c182c4017932891c147004c720.png", followed by a few more of that reference and then by "133fddaecbdee3f5160771b68ce02cbc2b4b1c84a40faffb1bcaa6f75588edd0.png". At the time, I did not get a copy of the image, and it is not now available for download.
Did anybody else see this image, and does anybody have a copy of it?
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
:I am also confused, my download was also broken at that hour. 404 Not found.
:It is at 1606:00 or image 1727 - still more confusing numbers. Randall could not do it much better.
:And "http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/6fa2b361791e805aac0a89008a891e3999a0519ed870c1bc3dcc8dbff5e071d5.png" is still 404...
:So, we have an image here, but is it correct?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:48, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

My image number 1728 is 133fddaecbdee3f5160771b68ce02cbc2b4b1c84a40faffb1bcaa6f75588edd0.png. The image fits properly in sequence with the other images around it. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:32, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

OK, apparently it was completely broken at that time. I just felt I needed to ask, since I wasn't downloading actual images at that time, just the references, and so I have a broken reference in my list. --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 02:03, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

== Pictures and Time Collage ==
I opened a new page for the pictures: [[1190: Time: Pictures]]. It's experimental and subject to (wiki-style collaborative) change. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

:I think "Cueball Walk images 1360-1378" is wrong. It looks more like if Cueball was walking perpendicularly to the image. [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:03, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

::That's the way it was drawn. While Megan is still sleeping, Cueball takes a walk, gathers some berries, stops several times to look around, and then walks back to the tree. The walk and the tree scene probably don't connect directly. It appears that Cueball arises from under the tree, turns (left) away from the "camera" (frankly, I can't tell he is walking towards us or away from us... only Megan has hair, which tells us which way), and starts his walk. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Nice work Galois! How we can show this pictures at the comic page? Maybe with a smaller preview for a link to to the full size picture with a warning about this. But also I think it should be at a different page. Any ideas?--Dgbrt (talk) 20:26, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

: Good point! I took your advice. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:42, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Also posted at [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]):
Thumbnails are not working at this moment. But nevertheless I think it's not a good idea to include that large pictures. My idea:
:Create that big pictures, separated into some parts, remove Megan and Cueball and then change only the width to 1200 pixels. And one picture should cover all at the width of 1200 pixels. Scene 2 could be split into several collapsible parts with the terrain picture on top. Just an idea, what do you think?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:59, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

== Megan and Cueball sleeping deep for the first time ==
Maybe they will be disturbed by some flies or other animals, but now it's night... They will sleep because the first day is over. Good night!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:27, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
:This is not the end of the first day. According to frame 1600 they walked along the sea for days. If the later timeline is similar then they've walked up the river for days as well.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 23:55, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
::At frame 1600 Cueball says that they "walked along the sea for days". But at this comic they are walking along the river, the travel at the sea must happend before. Since they are walking again it seems both are sleepless.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:31, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:They also slept under the tree in images 1348-1352, Megan talked about that night in 1830-1832 (time 1709:00) "Megan: I heard chirps from the night sky once. I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping. - It was very quiet. - just a single chirp now and then. Cueball: Did you see anything? Megan: I thought a few stars flicker. - Nothing else." [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:40, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::The story from time 1709:00 also refers to things did happen before this comic did start.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:31, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::I agree too, but not this time... there is a chick in the grass in the scene next to the tree where they slept. See {{geekwagon|1375|1374}} or "Chick in grass 1375" in 1190: Time: Pictures [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures] in the Hidden Animals section. The same type of chick was right in front them in time 1709:00 (see "Chick in grass 1826"). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:58, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

They're coming back... in {{geekwagon|1928}} we can see the two heading off following the small river with their knapsacks (or rucksacks) left behind by the tree where they slept. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:09, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

Journey update: As of (right edge of) image 2103, they climbed 1290 pixels or 193.5 ft (59 m) from the place the two slept by the small river (image 1908). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:30, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

== Philosophical implications ==

I think the huge following that this comic has gathered - the amount of work by people like Aubron Wood and the guys at geekwagon, explainxkcd editors, general xkcd enthusiasts, the people at XKCD time wiki - raises some interesting questions. At this point we're not even clear how Randall is writing these comics: he may have designed them all from the start, or he may be writing 24 a day, going along with it, according to the natural progression of events and what has led up to now. It has interesting parallels with the {{w|design argument}}. It also makes you wonder about how it's all going to end. There are so many ongoing discussions - and have been from the start - about how the comic is going to conclude. Just as in real life we take so many different roads and never really know where we're going to end up. If we're continuing with the religious theme we could extend the metaphor even further, about what happens after we die. We don't know if we're going to just stop existing or if we're going to end up in some elaborate afterlife. We don't know what Randall's going to do - how long will the comic go on? Could it last his entire lifetime? We have no way of knowing. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 14:05, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

I believe Randall is writing this as it goes along, preparing the scenes only a little bit in advance. The story (quest?) reads more like a series of isolated vignettes, but with a few themes being carried forward, such as the quest for the source of the rising sea. I'm here in homage to Randall's unique wit and humor, and having fun trying to second guess what he'll do next. I don't believe the setting is an actual place, but we have several clues that limit its location. I see this as a collection of disparate objects and events; some go together, some not, but with some running themes. Randall may be making some points (such as conservation, ecology, and not eating squirrels); although, I would have never filled a canteen from the small river without first boiling or purifying the water. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:27, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

:Are you living in tent? People living in tents for big amount of year (as these two apparently do) generally tend to dring water without purifying. .... on the other hand, those generally don't build castles from sand. And they DID mentioned steam bottle once ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 17:43, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

== Stillness of air ==

Anyone else notice how still the air is? In the frames I have looked at, the grass never moves, so there must be no wind. [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 12:20, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
:In over 2000 frames, I have found only four that depict wind. I added them to the 1190: Time: Pictures page [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures]. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 21:01, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
::I'm impressed you found those. Thank you. [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 02:09, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

== Making extreme sport out waiting ==

Let's do [[1017]], but using current frame instead of a progress bar. <strike>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/questions-with-yes-or-no-answers.html Does anyone know]</strike> what formula should we use for this? Something similar to the one in [[1017] won't work, because we don't know when (if ever) the Time will end. I was thinking about T = c + n * (1 hour), where n is current frame and c is a couple of days before the beginning of Time, but it seems too boring. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:57, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
:Sorry, I can't figure out what you do mean. In Randall's words I just can say: Wait for it.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:00, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

== Madagascar theory ==

I'm still not sure that it is supposed to be a specific place, but going with the Madagascar theory, there is indeed a native Madagascar hedgehog -- the greater and lesser tenrecs.

Still no squirrels, though. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 20:58, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

:That Madagascar trees are also imported to US. Hedgehogs are a famous pets in US, even when they do belong to Asia and Europe. We are still in the US, and more precisely around Utah. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:51, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

:Hedgehogs are found in many places. From the shadow comments, they are on a northern sea coast in the northern hemisphere, hence probably not Madagascar. There's something wrong with every possible location I checked. The Mediterranean Sea is rising because the water coming in from rivers is greater than that lost through evaporation [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea#Sea-level_rise] and is polluted [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea#Pollution], BUT a quick check has every possible northern coast covered with cities or agriculture. I lived in Salt Lake City for a little while. Antelope Island has oolitic sand on the north and west sides and is a mountain, but no major rivers or waterfalls[http://www.utah.com/stateparks/great_salt_lake_facts.htm]. The north coast is a boggy delta, except for a peninsula, which is covered with agriculture. Southern Utah is a better match and has waterfalls, but no sea. I gave up. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:04, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

:: The sea thing is certainly a problem for any modern-day Utah theory, but the tree that recently came on-screen (frame 2145) could be intended to be ''Pinus longaeva'', which would be appropriate to Utah (or many other parts of the Great Basin), high altitudes, and the comic theme. Oh, also, if you want a rising, large body of water near Southern Utah there's always Lake Mead. But it's probably not so large as to be mistaken for the sea. --Joe Decker

:: I'm not sure that current agriculture would be an issue. Unless they are play-acting or in some kind of _The Village_ setup, they seem unlikely to be current-day humans. They seem strangely ignorant of some obvious things and yet aware of others. There might be a few tribal peoples living in tents that would be unaware of the next river over, but they would be unlikely to be confused by birds nesting. Or be using trebuchets and European castle architecture in sandcastles. And if they genuinely walked for "days" along the shore, it seems unlikely to be a _The Village_ setup; that's got to be 20 miles even taking a leisurely trip for just two days, and probably more. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:36, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

It might be interesting, however, that there's a striking resemblance between the Grandidier's Baobab depicted in the comic at frame 1525 {{geekwagon|1525}} and the tree on the left in the Wikimedia picture [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adansonia_grandidieri03.jpg Grandidier's Baobab (Adansonia grandidieri) near Morondava, Madagascar]. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:24, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

:That place is surprisingly like the comic, especially when explored [[Expedition]] style. It has beaches, other rivers, baobabs, etc! And doesn't the fact that they slept overnight invalidate the northern hemisphere theory and mess with determining the walking direction by the sun? Despite all this, I doubt being in Madagascar does much for understanding the meaning of the comic. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 01:55, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

That Theory seems to be out of date by now - post-apocalyptic(?) mediteran sea it is... [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 04:24, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

== Jumped by a kitty ==

Nom nom nom.
The end.
[[Special:Contributions/121.74.128.126|121.74.128.126]] 23:54, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

: I was going to say how trollish that felt (because I was felling attached to the characters and the comic), but you know what? It's just a comic. And no, I don't think it's ending that way, Randall is random, but not THAT random (I think). I bet $10 that Megan will fetch some sort of stick or club and go golfing. --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 00:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

http://xkcd.com/231/ [[Special:Contributions/121.74.128.126|121.74.128.126]] 23:57, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Alright guys, what's the species and where is it native to? Puma, mountain lion, lynx, jaguar, tiger, panther, leopard...

: Well, if we're to believe that Randall is paying attention to the scale of the objects, then I don't think it's either of your options. That cat doesn't look much bigger than a domestic cat, so I think it's something close to an Ocelot. --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 00:46, 21 June 2013 (UTC)u
:: Unless Megan and Cueball are kids, that would be an awfully large domestic cat. And from references like the cabin, they are adults or close to it in size. Ocelot's not a bad estimate, though. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 01:01, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
::: Well, in my defense, I didn't really said it was a domestic cat, but that it looked just slightly bigger than one. An Ocelot fits that description, I think, while being much smaller than a Puma. Btw, there goes Megan golfing! :) --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 04:05, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Not a cougar (too small for one) as I think they grab their prey by the throat and hold on till it's dead, not just knock it over and sniff. Bobcat's out (too big). Besides, what's coming in on the right? [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:16, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Now I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor kitty. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 05:06, 21 June 2013 (UTC) (p.s. "it didn't bite you?" -- More for it being a lonely lost pet?)

If this is Madagascar, then it would be a fossa ... but the head looks too big and cat-like. Perhaps a juvenile cougar/puma? Would help explain why it bit the backpack instead of Cueball's neck. Geographically, that or one of the ocelots / relatives would put us in South or North America. AH [[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 14:00, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Why is everyone assuming the location corresponds to an actual modern day location (e.g. Madagascar)? Given that http://xkcd.com/505/ is staged on an infinite plane full of rocks we shouldn't limit our search to the real, simply the rational. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 14:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:This doesn't make any sense. Rationals are (or are isomorphic to) a subfield of reals, so if we limit our search to rationals we also implicitly limit it to reals. But it's safe to assume that they are in some group. My intuition tells me that this group is a vector field (most likely R^3), but obviously we shouldn't rely on that. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:47, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
::Hahaha! Just wondering if those were Abelian Grapes that Cueball and Megan were eating. "What's purple and commutes?" 1960s joke. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:43, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

:I don't necessarily think that it's an actual place, but some of the plant and animal references have been so specific as to make you wonder if they mean something. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:41, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

:The sand castle Megan built at the top matches the Paris Disneyland castle; thus, either Megan had seen the castle before or Randall just thought it was a neat looking castle to copy. There are other elements that limits the date to fairly recent, some more so than others. I don't think Randal is using an actual place, but rather an amalgam of elements from many places. As for myself, I prefer abstract algebra. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 17:18, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Given that they're been hiking up into the mountains, my guess is that it was a mountain lion... which is also known as a cougar. Or puma. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 08:07, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

As we now know that they are in the Mediterranean region, a {{w|Eurasian lynx}} or an {{w|Iberian lynx}} look quite good guesses but the cat in the comic has a tail that is too long and it doesn't have ear tufts. I guess if it is far enough in the future, the distribution of animals could have changed, so it might be {{w|Caracal}} (desert lynx), a {{w|Serval}} or an {{w|African golden cat}}. Of course if it is even further in the future, it might be a whole new species that doesn't currently exist.[[User:NHSavage|NHSavage]] ([[User talk:NHSavage|talk]]) 21:11, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

They're back to the kitty! Will it run, or does it bear a grudge? [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 04:09, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
: I still want it to be a lonely lost pet, maybe a zoo refugee. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 04:59, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
: It ran. Is it preparing another surprise attack? ''Time'' will tell. (Ha ha.) [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 06:22, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

== Frame 2188 ==

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned or come up with theories about {{geekwagon|2188}}. I guess we now know that it was the cat stalking them.
--[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 01:04, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Re: 2188 check the "Following" section. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:15, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

== Frames 2231-2232 ==

What is that on the far right of the screen on {{geekwagon|2231}}? Any theories at all?
:Boom mike? Martian tripod? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 07:40, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'm downloading from two systems at different time. One got the same images as linked above, but the images I downloaded a few minutes ago don't have it. I get the following md5's

:32fc7553d3134ec08a5bc88ffa1929d9 -> 867dc4718c684fa0507876cdd034ce7f7fd7980370034d676181ddf6b07dcabf.png <- 2231
:a26efc43bb6bbc2bb8d12192a25d4938 -> e44589725450e5bf897d441e5ccd1e9b9a0a1ee6658fea9e6a7378e96c5e4be5.png <- 2232

[[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]]
::Same here, the image I clipped (2231) has the figure (or whatever) and now it's gone. It must have been unintentional, and later corrected. Maybe the "whatever" or parts of it will show up later. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:56, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'll take a shot... The bottom part is curved and aligns perfectly with Cueball's head in Photoshop, just cutoff on the left (and the right as it goes out of frame). The rounded slice at the top matches Megan's head as well. The full slice does not match any scene to date (the only one close is 1885 with Megan in the tree, but that's not it); thus, it must be a slice from a future scene (or maybe part of a template with assorted characters). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 16:20, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:I was going with "sprites from Pitfall, while the reader was distracted by the action", but the "template fragment" theory certainly works better. ;-)

== The great re-encoding ==

After noticing the snafu around 2231-2232, I whent and re downloaded the full set from imgs.xkcd.org and what I downloaded today doesn't match what I downloaded before (generally when they were <24h old). Everything from 1068 back seems to be a pixle match for what is there now but have different MD5s and is generally smaller. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 20:31, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:My observations suggest that XKCD images are routinely optimized a few hours after posting. In short, it is normal for the image to change without the pixels changing. --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:37, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

== Another Theory ==

Can it just be about Mr. Munroe's life? I don't know many personal details, but it would be easy to draw about and still be important without being funny. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 04:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:A fair number of people have speculated that it's a metaphor for something personal, yeah. He's married and his wife had a bout with cancer a year or so back, so there's been some concern that the whole 'inescapable tide' may be a less than happy thing. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
This is beginning to look a lot like the plot outline of a quest video game. --deepfatfriar 17:34, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

== Only one day to reach the top of the Mountain ==
At frame 2305 Cueball mentions that it's only one day to reach the top and at frame 2308 Megan says that they will not much farther away from home when being there. This means the comic shows no night sequences but it did run for many days in the world of them. Maybe each real day is also a day in this comic.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:It sure took a long time to build the original sandcastle then.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 20:20, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
::Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. But now we have the prove that the voyage did last many days while there was no hint of any night hiatus. They did sleep but we couldn't see.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:40, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Remember there was a fadeout while they were starting off on the journey, and later they say the walked for days along the shore. So that could be the bulk of the distance. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 01:51, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe it's like the world for Game of Thrones but s/Seasons/Days/ I.e. veritable length days? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:57, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:I'd rather think they started their journey several days before they reached the beach and started building the castle. I feel that what we are observing is a single day of their adventure - building a castle in the morning, walking along the shore and the river in early afternoon or even a little before noon, taking a short nap in the late afternoon and walking uphill again. The darkening of last few frames may be the evening coming. [[Special:Contributions/89.174.214.74|89.174.214.74]] 13:59, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

== It's getting cloudy. ==

Upper right corner of {{geekwagon|2352}}? Also the other three corners have something going on. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:25, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
: May Randall is reading this Wiki and saw the complain about still air :-) [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 06:09, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:: Or maybe Megan is getting cold because a storm's coming. Maybe they don't know about storms in the hills or mountains. Note that the "people in the hills" where they live are perhaps not friendly, according to the earlier conversation about going on up the mountain: Cueball: "We can't be more than a day or so from the top. There may be people there." Megan: "Like the people in the hills?" Cueball: "We're a long way from there." If the people of the hills back home are unfriendly, Cueball and Megan may have no experience of hill weather. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
If you look at the image diff on GeekWagon it looks like they are experiancing a solar eclipse.[[Special:Contributions/162.5.71.176|162.5.71.176]] 15:18, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:No, that white round object in the cloud is just moving and is also getting smaller. I've no idea what it could be.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:45, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::It isn't getting smaller, it's just having to go through clouds of increasing thickness, making its domain of whiteness smaller. And it's moving because something like fifteen minutes just went by. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 15:53, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Looks like a setting sun to me [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 17:56, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::::You are right, we see a sunset. My first statement was about the "solar eclipse" theory, what is definitively not happen.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:27, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:::::We also effectively had a bit of a timeskip there -- it takes several hours for the sun to lower that much. Also confirms they are walking north (which I think was the going assumption already.) [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:51, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::::::The rate that the sun sets at depends on the "length" of the "lens" being used. Based on 360 deg/day motion and a apparent width of 0.5 deg, the sun moves it's own diameter every 2 minutes. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:12, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

The images now fading to black, going to the dark night. I am hoping we will get a new scene on top of that mountain, but maybe we will just seeing them awakening below a tree. We just have to wait... Stay tuned as me!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:06, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:But maybe the Moon will shine and the fade to black does stop.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

::Or maybe we will switch back to Beret Girl. Who knows? We'll see when we see. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:00, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

:::@Taibhse, It seems to me that you just explained the entire point of the cartoon. [[Special:Contributions/74.174.17.194|74.174.17.194]] 13:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)ALurker

Where are the astronomical freaks? Can't we find out where they are depending on the stars? [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 17:12, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
: ~30 deg north based on the direction of motion. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 17:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:The constellation looks like Bootes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo%C3%B6tes[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:03, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::When Bootes is setting around sunset in the US it is August or September.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:16, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:::I can't identify Boötes so far but the bright star following the path of the sun isn't a star: It's the planet Venus, here as the "Evening Star".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:28, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::::Not Bootes; it's not on the ecliptic, which these stars are. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:46, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
: I think the upper constellation on 2394 is the Sagittarius. The lower one, which can be seen better on 2393 is the tail of the Scorpion constellation. The two bright stars close to each other above the tree are Shaula and Lesath. The brightest star is a planet, probably Venus. The only think bothers me is that there is an other star very close to Ascella in Sagittarius, which should not be there... Maybe an other planet? --[[Special:Contributions/80.98.250.115|80.98.250.115]] 21:31, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::I think you may have it. I passed over Sagittarius at first, because they looked too close together, but I think I was overestimating the scale. Virgo and Gemini both contain something close to the Y pattern of four bright stars, but the surrounding stars aren't right. If it's a planet, it would have to be naked eye visible but not as bright as Ascella,and I don't think there is anything that fits, which is a pity, because we could work out possible years. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:26, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Reviewing further, I'm even more convinced. If you get a star map in the right orientation, you can see that the rest of Scorpio is becoming visible just above the horizon in {{geekwagon|2393}}. And the arc of stars the three consellations are 'facing' matches up with the Serpent and Ophiuchius, including the visual binary of Delta and Epsilon Ophiuchi. If you look at a sky map for Nov 7, 2013, Venus is in about the right configuration. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:14, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

== Star Map ==
Is someone already stitching together a map of the stars as they move through the frames? I could do it, but I'm too lazy *g*.
And if we have that, the relative position of the sun to the stars should be sufficient to determine the day of the year (depending on the accuracy of the drawings) and probably, assuming the first bright dot was indeed Venus, we might even be able to determine if the story takes/took place this year. Maybe other astronomical objects show (or don't show) and help to further narrow down the '''time'''. --[[Special:Contributions/92.76.250.121|92.76.250.121]] 00:18, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:From the position of the sun, Venus is at or close to greatest eastern elongation from the sun. Assuming that the constellations we are looking at are Sagittarius and surroundings (and the new stars coming into view continue to match this), the sun is located around Virgo. From the angle of the ecliptic, they are at 30 degrees north, and thus it would have to be around the beginning of November, as that's when Virgo sets with the sun at 30N. So it could be a year when Venus hits the greatest eastern elongation in late October/early November. Which happens this year, but it can't be this year as the moon isn't right -- there would be a crescent moon next to Venus. It would have to be at new moon or waning moon, and that puts it after 2037. Of course, there are a lot of assumptions and estimations in that calculation. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:29, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
::Actually, for the moon it could be 2029, but there's another blocking factor: Mars should be next to Venus in 2037. And for the next few eight year cycles, some combination of Mercury, the moon, and Saturn should be showing up between Venus and the Sun before the stars do. So it looks like 2053 would be the first matching date. And the next date after that 2085 - it precesses forward a bit each year, so it would be Nov 12 by 2085. Seems a bit late for grapes and hiking without any thought of shelter, but if it's 30N it is likely a pretty warm area. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:59, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Going backwards, the first one with no planets is 1981, but there would be a nearly full moon, and that scene does not look illuminated by a full moon. The most recent one with no planets and no moon interfering would be 1949. But that's purely my amateur estimation using the online AstroViewer. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:59, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
I wandered over to the forum, and they agree with our conclusion of Sagittarius, and one of them had a interesting observation: Antares is gone. It should be the brightest thing in this view apart from Venus, and you can see the two stars that should flank it appear at {{geekwagon|2392}}, between Cueball's head and the tree, but no Antares. Which suggests that this is set sufficiently far in the future that Antares has gone supernova (which it is due to do.) [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:Even more suggestive of a far future: certain of the stars in the Scorpion appear to have moved. If you go to Hipparchos [[http://www.rssd.esa.int/SA-general/Projects/Hipparcos/apps/ShowMotion.html]] and enter RA 260.4, Dec -42, and V(lim) 4.4, you will get the stars in the head and part of the body of the Scorpion. If you run it forward several thousand years, you'll see that the high-motion stars match with the distortions in the XKCD sky.[[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 08:05, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
One last thing (for the moment): The angle of the sun and planets are what they should be for c. 30-33 degrees N, but to get the constellations angled the right way, it's closer to 12 degrees north. This may be precession, which could also explain the grapes in what would be currently by the stars the beginning of November -- the vernal equinox may have precessed forward, resulting in the sun being in Virgo/Libra in summer rather than fall. 15,000 years would put it in Libra in June, for example [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 16:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

== Where in the world are Megan and Cueball? ==

Venus marking the path of the ecliptic tells us that we are at about 30 degrees north (my quick-ass calculation came up closer to 31 or 32 degrees north.) They are walking east with the ocean to the south of them, and they are following a large river north into hills and mountains that apparently are less than a day's walk north.

So if it's Earth, where could they be? There's not a lot of south-facing coasts around 30N. The only large one is the Gulf Coast of the US, but there's not much in the way of hills much less anything you could call a mountain close to the shore. The only exception I can really see is maybe around Mobile, which at last has some hills. There's the north end of the Persian Gulf and of the Gulf of California, but for both of those the hills are east of of the most obvious large river. Though the Gulf of California would make sense in other ways -- rivers that only run to the sea in the wet season, for example. There's South Korea, but the southern coast of that is broken up into a fringe of islands and peninsula, there's not really a solid stretch of coast to walk east along. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 00:14, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

:If, as hypothesized above, this is taking place a few thousand years into the future, might not the coastlines have changed? (Especially since the "sea" seems to be rising.) I wonder if we could find the proper configuration of hills and a mountain even in absence of a body of water to the south. [[Special:Contributions/69.123.166.176|69.123.166.176]] 15:06, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

All the stars are following the same parallel path through the sky. Shouldn't the stars should be following a circular path centered on the north star, and the planets if any be following roughly the path of the sun and moon? --deepfatfriar
:Based on my analsys (sicking a post-it to my screen so that it partially obscures Venus) things do seem to be curving (Venus is less obscured, then more, then less as I step through frames). [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

So, how far away are we viewing them from? We know (about) how tall Cueball is and the stars give us an angular ruler so we should be able to figure that out. Also, when will sunrise be? [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

Someone mentioned the Clock of the Long Now, and the 10,000 Year Clock would fit in a number of ways. The Texas original one is at the right latitude, and the Sierra Diablo mountains where it is are near a dried-up inland sea, which presumably could be a sea again, and an inland sea could rise much faster than the world's oceans. And it would fit with the title "Time", and explain the multi-thousand year future setting.

Has anyone been able to map exactly where the sun is on the stars? That would show where in the precession sequence we are. If it's in Libra, for example 15,000 years forward the sun would set in Libra around June at 31-32 degrees north at that point. Which would explain the grapes and the camping without shelter. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 20:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

==If the night does map the real world...==
If the stars are real I'm sure it still does map to the current time frame of this comic. Venus and also Jupiter (even also Mercury, but hard to see) did follow the sun at dawn. Tomorrow I will have to fix my (Linux) xOrg for running {{w|Stellarium (computer program)|Stellarium}} or {{w|Celestia}}. So for now I'm only on [http://heavens-above.com/ heavens-above], which is still not accurate enough for this cloudy comic sky at night.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:37, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:I've made a compare of the changes in Scorpio over the next 15K years, and the sky in Time. [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/starsmove.png]. It matches pretty well, though I think the fastest moving star hasn't moved quite as far. So my current prediction: they are in the Sierra Diablo mountains in Texas (or what was Texas), climbing towards the 10,000 Year Clock observatory, about 14,000 years from now. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:57, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

::So is Beret Girl a mysterious time traveler? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 23:45, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:What is the source for your picture, Photoshop? Please tell us more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:32, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:: Stellarium to generate the comparison star maps (it takes into account Hipparchos data, so will move stars with high proper motion for far future dates), and GIMP to overlay them. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:02, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Thanks Tavella. Stellarium was my own first attempt too, but my xOohhhhgrrrrg did crash. NVIDIA on Linux is still a mess.
:::Go North to Dakota or even Canada to find a location where a 30 degree sunset can happen.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:14, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:Very nice pictures, Tavella! What's the meaning of the three red stars? Thanks in advance. [[Special:Contributions/79.98.2.71|79.98.2.71]] 22:20, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
::They are marking the three stars with the highest proper motion in the constellation (well, one of them, the top one, is a small companion star in the constellation zone rather than being formally in the constellation.) I just installed GIMP on this computer and was too lazy to go find the arrow plugin. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:16, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
I'm sure i remember seeing a shooting star in one of the frames but it doesn't seem to be in any of the recorded frames? [[Special:Contributions/75.181.22.10|75.181.22.10]] 19:33, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
::Yes, it was a fast series of pictures so it didn't get caught. Here's an animation of the sequence: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/tmp/meteor.gif] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:11, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Can you give us some hashes and timestamps? --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:25, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
::::2440a through e here: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/#frame2440] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 04:58, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
: [[User:Tavella|Tavella]], your picture [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/starsmove.png] seems to be gone for some reason, could you re-upload it? Thanks. [[User:Jahvascriptmaniac|Jahvascriptmaniac]] ([[User talk:Jahvascriptmaniac|talk]]) 11:31, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

==Did we just see Megan and then Cueball have bowel movements?==
Day 95 1:00 Megan squats alone on the right side of frame while Cueball sits in the middle of frame http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d9/time2378.png

Day 97 6:00 Cueball walks over and squats near where Megan herself squatted http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/8490469c3f8cea3b8dd7f55f8152d8048166af8a13bf2473af5b0b032b9c6f30.png

Day 97 7:00 & 8:00 Cueball is seen washing his hands in subsequent two frames?{{unsigned ip|24.91.69.220}}

== Meteor frames. ==

There were five meteor frames that appeared in very quick succession recently. How should they be numbered?

:"appeared in very quick succession": I assume they actually appeared on the hour, just like all the others (except for first days), <strike>and as they are currently listed in our table</strike>? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:00, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

::No, they appeared on the minute between 20:20 and 20:24 UTC on 29 June. That's how they're listed here. [[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 16:10, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

:::Yeah, I was looking at the hours +2441 through +2445! However, in my defence, I was fighting the database error when I first thought I noticed this. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:48, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

[http://xkcd.mscha.org/#frame2440 mscha's site] numbers them 2440a to 2440e.

[http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2441 geekwagon] only has the final meteor frame (2440e) which it numbers 2441, and after that all the numbers on geekwagon are out by one compared to mscha's site.

Another logical option is to number them from 2441 to 2445.

[http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/?i=2445&playing=0&audio=0&speed=200 aubronwood] has the frames numbered 2444 to 2448 (like the previous suggestion, but I think aubronwood had been out by three for a long time compared to other sites)

On the [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Periods xkcd-time wiki] I have tentatively used mscha's numbering, which may be a problem considering the wiki has built-in linking to geekwagon.

[[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 07:01, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

:Numbering them 2440a to 2440e is ok. And geekwagon seems to be broken at some more more frames right now.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:52, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

::Uh, it would be great if we could number frames in actual chronological number order, not appending letters onto the ends of the filenames. It makes it easier for scripts to access images with a consistent naming scheme. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:28, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::We have already been appending letters onto the ends of filenames, with frames 256P, 257P, and 258P. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 15:52, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::And those are problematic with scripts already. More special cases to account for are not fun. I've only let those alone because fixing the problem would mean shifting more than a thousand filenames now, and I didn't notice it originally until it was 200 frames too late. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:32, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::I have two ideas on this problem:
:::::a) Put that special frames into an extra table at the bottom of that specific days, or
:::::b) Add an extra column to the tables containing a sequence number. This would be much of work.
:::::I prefer a).--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:48, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::The meteor does seem to be a part of the comic, so it probably should still be inline with the rest of the frames. We'll only need to shift 40-odd image names to fix this, it shouldn't be too onerous. I'll do it tomorrow morning. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:09, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::This will be good for your scripts but not for mine. We will be also out of sync to other sites. But if you will do that tell me where day 101 should start. I have to change a counter at my script.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:17, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::Day 101 starts at 2531 with the meteor frames shifted down. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::Many thanks for your chaos, day 101 starts NOW with 2526. Before your edit it would have been 2521. But 2531 is a little bit too much.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:16, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::I can understand the desire for standardized numbering but I've been doing a lot of the image uploading recently using mscha's site as the source. I do it manually so it's already a pain, I don't think I can face having to do that extra little bit of arithmetic for each image to work out what the id should be on this site. Guess I'll be leaving it for the bots from now on. [[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 12:21, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::Thanks Crimethink for your great work. This is still a mess, but we can't revert it. We are all trapped in someone's decision...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:02, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::::Yeah - I can see that. Just a shame that mscha decided to do it that way.[[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 13:22, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::::Yeah. The idea of naming that pictures as 2440a to 2440e was first. Other sites like geekwagon are also out of sync. Unless we do use the timestamp at the file name it will be more mess in the future, I am sure.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:42, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I made this page to show the differences between numbering systems at mscha's site, geekwagon, aubronwood and explainxkcd.
http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Frame_numbering [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 15:17, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:WOW, you must have much TIME ;)--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:27, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

How do we even know that it's a meteor? Maybe Mr. Munroe has finally decided to use his [[254|best idea ever]]? Then it was just a damaged space station falling through the atmosphere. Also the mountain they are climbing is actually a volcano and the sea is rising because of all the tyrannosaurs swimming in it. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:53, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:This comic is just showing the real world we all do know. Look at this {{w|Perseids}} meteor shower at the next days, the peak should be around August 10 or 15. Most of that particles you can see as a bright meteor are smaller than one millimeter. It's only the vast velocity what causes this great visual effect.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:19, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

==Animated gif for the night==
Here is an [[Media:1190TimeNight.gif|animated gif with enhanced brightness]]. You can see the Milky Way in the beginning and by the end some birds appear in the sky.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:51, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:That's awesome. Good job!--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 14:17, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
Since we r watching the scene toward west, shouldn't the sky appear darker near the horizon, with respect to the sky above, at sunrise? (I'm asking here but of course I'm not referring to your animated gif but to the xkcd scene itself...) [[Special:Contributions/217.200.201.97|217.200.201.97]] 11:46, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:When the sun rises on East the horizon at the opposite side is darker than the rest of the sky. When the sun is high enough you will not recognize this any more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yep Dgbrt, my point is that in the comic sequence we can see the full path from the dead of night to the morning through the dawn: why Randall depicted a shade of light coming from the horizon and not from the sky above? Is it a realistic scene? [[User:Mlejnas|Mlejnas]] ([[User talk:Mlejnas|talk]]) 07:38, 3 July 2013 (UTC)
These clouds moving with the sky could be the milkyway. [[User:FG|FG]] 10:18, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yep, FG, but that's at the sunset, I'm talking about the sunrise (on the other side of the sky). [[User:Mlejnas|Mlejnas]] ([[User talk:Mlejnas|talk]]) 09:47, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:FG, look at my first statement at this section here. But Mlejnas is talking about the sunrise after the Milky Way already had disappeared.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:20, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
== New picture naming rule ==

Is there any BOT here understanding the new naming? I'm missing many picture uploads, I will not do this by manual because that's stupid. This is still a job for a bot.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:32, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

:Sry, I was on vacation for a week, and I haven't resumed my bot yet because of that meteor. IMHO, we should get in touch with the admins of geekwagon, aubronwood and mscha in order to re-sync the frame numbers. Does anyone know whether any of them is already active here? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:50, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

::mscha and aubronwood have accounts on the forum (http://forums.xkcd.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=381029, http://forums.xkcd.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=35789). However, I don't think the owner of geekwagon has an account on the forum (see http://geekwagon.net/). [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 06:21, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

:::I had an account xkcd forum but found their rules complex so I generally communicate here or through email. I like the idea of a standard frame count between all the sites. Currently geekwagon is limited to a number instead of an alphanumeric frame number like mscha uses. However this can be changed. My two cents is a frame number should be the number in which the frames were shown regardless of what time they were displayed (I like simple), but I am open to ideas. --[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 03:37, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

::::Geekwagon have now changed their numbering to the system used here. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 05:17, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

:::::I fixed it to include the meteor frames. They were missed because the script runs every 5 minutes. Would have done it sooner but I was out of town.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 17:14, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

::::::Great job and THANKS!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:16, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

== Derrick ==

What is it? Sort of looks like on oil derrick, but of course it is not. What is the mechanical bits up top? --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 08:26, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:The ladder that goes up to the middle level but not the top and the wheel on that level suggest to me that it is supposed to be turned by an operator, but I can't see what that would power or move -- there's no obvious lines that aren't support structure. Looks to me like we are panning toward something even taller, so maybe that will enlighten. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 09:33, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:The device looks to me like a sextant -- a telescope mounted on a gauged pivot. Possibly there is a second pivot at 90 degrees to the one we can see. The device might be used to measure the sea rise, if the sea can be seen from here. [[Special:Contributions/24.158.67.232|24.158.67.232]] 12:30, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
::Megan does seem to be looking through it, so sextant or telescope seems likely. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:44, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:Could it have anything to do with the 10,000 Year Clock mentioned above? [[Special:Contributions/173.195.5.167|173.195.5.167]] 13:37, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
Looks like a great platform to build another sand castle. Too bad there's probably no sand...--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 13:19, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

My guess is that the tower may semaphore tower that is under instruction (or abandoned) and part semaphore tower in a {{w|Semaphore_line}}. In {{geekwagon|2594}} where Megan reports seeing flashes. Could those flashes be distant semaphore signals? [[User:Chongo|Chongo]] ([[User talk:Chongo|talk]]) 00:05, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:In frame 2686 we see more of these towers. Those may be part of a semaphore line that you suggest. [[Special:Contributions/166.137.209.163|166.137.209.163]] 05:33, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

I think it's an telescope or something like this. Maybe they see the sea rising with this thing... [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 19:22, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

After seeing {{geekwagon|2803}} I'm pretty sure these are triangulation points which historically were used for geodetics, see e.g. [http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/geoinformation/bezugssysteme/download/flyer_rauenberg.pdf] (3.6MB, sorry only German text). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 21:03, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

== all okWTF FADE! ==

just - what's going on??! [[Special:Contributions/83.8.22.78|83.8.22.78]] 22:15, 6 July 2013 (UTC)
:Fade from white to the castle and we get to see what beret girl has been up to (last we saw, she was dragging something in frame 970: {{geekwagon|970|969}}]). [[Special:Contributions/216.98.244.174|216.98.244.174]] 22:55, 6 July 2013 (UTC)
:I think this is where the water level is now. If so, holy crap! Is there anything hidden in the white frame? --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 00:01, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MeanwhileScene Meanwhile, back at the beach...] [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.94|216.239.45.94]] 04:01, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

== Out of breath -- higher than we thought? ==

I haven't done the exact calculations, but my impression from those we did that they have only climbed 300-400 cueball-heights, which would be only a couple of thousand feet. Doesn't it usually take more than that before you start getting oxygen effects? Could they have started at a higher elevation than we thought? Anyone have a current calculation for elevation gain? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:15, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:They started at sea level, unless the body of water was not the ocean.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 00:34, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
::Right, but the speed of sea level rise strongly suggests their "ocean" is an inland sea, so they could be in an endorheic basin that is much higher than sea level, like the Great Basin in the US (where the second 10,000 year clock will be), or Lake Van in Turkey. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:16, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:::The {{w|Great Salt Lake}} was proposed here before, it's at level 4,200 feet or approx. 1,283 meter. The mountains there are going up to a much higher level, you can get out of breath there. The level calculations may be wrong because Randall didn't show every part of the trip. There were more nights, but we could only see one.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:33, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

== The people they did find ==

Any ideas what the hats or hair cut does belong to?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:08, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:Looks like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knit_cap Watch Caps] to me. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.90|216.239.45.90]] 20:19, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:Or a yarmulke {{geekwagon|2933}} [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 04:17, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

It's the wrong end of the river for them to be building a dam, but I'm wondering, with all the surveying equipment, if they are diverting more water into the basin that Cueball and Megan live in. But they seem like pleasant enough people, quick to help Megan. It's hard to be believe they would drown the area without checking to see if, y'know, people live there. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:02, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
: What if they're building a bridge? Are we too far from the Big River? [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 01:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Is this pair the Cueball and Meagan we've known from before? What impresses me is the level of ignorance this pair exhibits, compared to the couple we've come to know. This pair do not seem to understand oxygen starvation at higher altitudes, how tides work, etc. This almost flies in contradiction to the fact that, in the beginning, they were building sand castles. This presumes castles existed at some point in their own history if not currently. Castles indicate a certain level of knowledge and technology, which this current couple seem to lack knowledge of, to some large degree at least.
If this strip 'ends' at the level of technology we've seen thus far and hinted at by this new tribe of people, I would suggest this indicates a world wide (or at least very large area) collapse of a prior civilization.
[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 23:14, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:Well, they certainly don't have access to [http://www.xkcd.com/903/ wikipedia]. As for the tides, I think we generally concluded that it is more likely a lake and they never saw it rise as fast as it did. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:49, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

So are they getting sleepy from the bad night's sleep or something more nefarious? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.92|216.239.45.92]] 05:31, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

:Or are they brewing ent-draughts here? Watch to see whether Cueball and Megan start growing taller! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:14, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Now things are getting meta; Cueball drawing a stick figure of himself.... [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.87|216.239.45.87]] 06:04, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:At least it's an accurate depiction--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 11:07, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

=== Language ===
Is someone trying to decipher what they are saying? It might be more or less some kind of substitution cypher, but I'm not sure yet which letters are actually the same (e.g. 1st in {{geekwagon|2663}} and 1st in {{geekwagon|2664}} are quite likely the same. But the last but ones in these frames just look close in my view (also to 9th in {{geekwagon|2671}})). Sentences seem to end with the an ° or ¯ above the last letter. [[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 09:29, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:The ° or ¯ above the last letter appear to be a period or a question mark respectively.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 10:38, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

::{{geekwagon|2676}} is identical to the last two words of {{geekwagon|2668}}. Apparently that is the stuff they applied on Megan's leg. [[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:42, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:::We can't decipher because it's just Randalls invention. At 2545:00 we have a clear 69 at the last word.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:50, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:: My current theory is ¯ means "!" so {{geekwagon|2708}} could be "Water!" - "Yes!!, Water!!". I'm not sure about the substitution cypher theory anymore, though. Unless some signs represent two Latin characters. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 12:05, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
::: {{geekwagon|2806}} is another hint that [[File:Dialog2806d.png]] could mean "Yes." The rest of the dialog looks similar to {{geekwagon|2734}}. Hopefully, they meet the translator soon. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 21:27, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

I believe it's possible to translate their language into pervect english by simple replacing their symbols by roman letters (the right way). For "water" we have an example. ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 17:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:What could the last word in {{geekwagon|2728}} be then? It ends the same way as "water"/"drink", except for a ° instead of a ¯ over the last letter, but has an additional "3"-shaped letter at the beginning. I'm starting to believe that Randall put a bit more effort into designing this language. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:34, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

It is clearly not a letter-per-letter cipher; I think Randall has been considerably cleverer than that. It looks like a (fictional) Semitic language, in which case individual characters could indicate syllables rather than letters, but I doubt that it is a simple cipher for English at the syllable level either. At this stage it is impossible to say how far he has gone in creating an original syntax, but I would note that we have seen the word that means "water" (or "drink") in at least two forms (a simple form used by Cueball, and a form with a kind of 3 at the beginning used as the last word of the Beanie's response to Cueball's picture). I'm confident the ¯ is simply a period, ° a question mark, and the double ¯ is an exclamation mark. The other stray marks could be other punctuation marks as well. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 15:55, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

:Provisionally, I took the "water" string with the '3' in front to be something like "sea-water." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 18:25, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

:Another reason why it's not a "letter-per-letter cipher" is that I'm pretty sure we've seen at least 3 distinct single character words. Note that almost all characters are reminiscent of arabic numerals. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 18:59, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Next speculation: [[File:Dialog2827.png]] could mean "(the) castle" and [[File:Dialog2806c.png]] could mean something like "(move) to the castle" or "(to be) at the castle".
Maybe we should start a subpage for all language investigations. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 00:42, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Seconded. Also we need a template for putting stranglish text on this wiki. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:59, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

I just noticed that translator often puts a ° or ¯ above last letter in some sentences, just like in stranglish (did we come up with a better name for it yet?). I think this confirms that ° and ¯ is stranglish punctuation. Also since stranglish has punctuation, it can't be substitution cipher applied to lojban. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:It also confirms that we were right about the meaning of the punctuation. ¯ is a period, and (as confirmed by the latest frame) ° is a question mark. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 10:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:: Indeed, in frame [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2892 2892] ([http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/50f8c0e828c300b959fb23924851f6c592d8fc012dc0b6c0ee07fa1305d78242.png permahash on XKCD]), the girl with long hair seems to say "WHAT RIVER?", and instead of putting a "?", there is a "°" above the last "R". [[User:Jahvascriptmaniac|Jahvascriptmaniac]] ([[User talk:Jahvascriptmaniac|talk]]) 11:29, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

=== New Guy in City ===
How do we call the new guy that appears in {{geekwagon|2819}}? One Suggestion: Black Hat Stranger (He's clearly not [[Black Hat]]). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 14:19, 15 July 2013 (UTC)
:And maybe calling them "stranger(s)" is actually not appropriate. How about "local(s)" or "native(s)"? --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 16:51, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm guessing the cake-house of the Big Translator Guy is going to look like a sandcastle, thus the Oh, Wow from Megan. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 18:31, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

=== A long haired woman (former: The old guy) in Castle ===
Man that is an atrocious accent. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 13:37, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:Why are we assuming its a 'guy' again? [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 21:45, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::I did edit the entire page (Old man -> is now the Long haired woman), but maybe I did miss some. The main cause of this fault was probably my guess that they did walk to an old man.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:22, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:::The stick figure in the drawing really did look like a bearded guy, so I think it's a reasonable mistake [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:47, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::::At the drawings on the ground they did not show stick figures. The current pictures are real stick figures. So the bear is falling around far over the neck? It's a woman.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:56, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

== Passage of Time ==

I suppose it is safe to assume that the black frame ({{geekwagon|2698}}) represents some indeterminate passage of time, since we do see Cueball now speaking the language of the Beanie-Wearers. What is strange, and perhaps it is just Randall being lazy, is that if you compare the frames before and after the black frame, there is absolutely no changes to vegetation, and very few changes to anything else. Vegetation would have been the biggest culprit to a lengthy time interval. (Again, assuming it took some non-trivial amount of time for Cueball to learn the new language.) --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 20:01, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
:I assume only a few hours have passed. It seems rather that Cueball is only now learning his first word: "water." Presumably the response also means "Yes! water" so then he would know two words, but there is no reason to assume he knows any more than that yet.[[Special:Contributions/79.247.252.250|79.247.252.250]] 20:06, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah. I jumped the gun. He's only learned a single word. So just a single sleep has passed. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 22:37, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Cueball did talk something like "watr" and the stranger did correct him "No, water".
:::If you are right, then it looks like a substitution cipher to me. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:15, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::BTW: I think we should call this language "Stranglish" until we do not know what it is.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:21, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Or was that Cueball: "water" and Stranger: "Yes, water?" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:14, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

== Megan's backpack ==
Megan started wearing a backpack after they left the tower. They lost Cueball's backpack when the animal clawed it up, so he carried everything in Megan's to keep weight off her leg. That ointment must be good stuff if she's able to walk with a backpack. The locals must have given her a new one.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:50, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yep, I noticed that. Apparently they gave/loaned her one of their bags. Even so, I notice she was the only one shown ({{geekwagon|2814}}) clambering up a small steep spot, so maybe she's not fully functional yet. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:49, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Also, I wonder what they did with their "telescope" that they lowered from the tower; and the little folded-up mini-tower. And for that matter, whatever that was leaning against the right leg of the tower from the beginning. All three things seemed to disappear just before they left the scene. They don't seem to be packing them. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:49, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:: I assume they have some kind of storage at that location to protect their equipment from weather and from animals. They also left some other bigger things, like the ladder and the water container, indicating that they appear to go there frequently. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 12:05, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

== Who are they? ==
If the Great and Powerful OZ steps out from behind a curtain, I'll upchuck. Castles imply a need for defense, yet our adventurous pair and the 'natives' both seem totally relaxed with the discovery of the other. No obvious caution shown, no attempt to discover which side they may be on, etc. In fact, the 'natives' appear to be experienced with the finding of new people and following an established procedure for dealing with them, hence the trip to the castle. If Meagan and Cueball had declined to follow, what would have taken place then? Just a guess but I would say, nothing, each to their separate way.

The one map view strongly suggests, to me, survey work using trigonometry (or some variation) to determine location. It would seem to be a case of figure the location first, get there, then see what you find. The greater and lesser circles are intriguing as well, along with the long, straight lines and other geometrical figures seen. Wish there was a bigger, clearer view of it.[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 00:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:Not all large structures are castles. It could be a cathedral or temple or university. Only Megan called it a castle because of its resemblance to their sandcastle. The castle's inhabitants called it a squiggle-squiggle-squiggle.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 02:41, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::No they call it [[File:Dialog2827.png]] ;). The usage of merlons indicates that it shall have some defense purpose—OTOH, it could be purely decorative. The fact that they all seem very relaxed about meeting strangers and nobody (visibly) carries any kind of weapons or armor suggests the latter. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 07:31, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::So does the fact that there were obviously children playing under the watchful eye of the first person they encountered in the "city." No effort was made to protect children from possible inimical strangers, and no obvious defenses at the school/playground/whatever-it-is at the entry gate. The gate hat guy was very relaxed. (If the "telescope" towers are part of a communications system, they might already know in the city everything they think they need to know about trusting Cueball and Megan, of course.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::The question arises, what was the mission of the single stranger with the package/book/box/whatever, who met them on the way, spoke a few words, and continued on toward the tower that the group had just left. Could have been a replacement watcher on the mountain. But then why did all three strangers need to leave the post and come to the city with Cueball and Megan? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:::I think most of that conversation was "Hello" and "Good bye" or some variants of that. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:33, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Probably the "strangers" ought to be called the "castle people" since that is how Megan and Cueball seem to think of them. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:How about "mountain people"? I agree that "stranger(s)" does not seem appropriate anymore—after all, they are at least a local majority. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:33, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Maybe the castle is there to defend humans against other creatures. So other humans are always welcome, even if they don't wear silly hats.[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.242|134.102.219.242]] 12:58, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:That would still hardly explain the merlons—unless these creatures are somehow able to shot at higher ranges. Maybe they are currently at peace with all their neighbors, but expect a war in the future. (BTW: Greetings colleague! (According to your IP-address)) --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 17:14, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone thought of looking at obscure languages with odd script texts? Georgian? Sri Lanka? Thai?{{unsigned ip|164.165.173.219}}
:I was speculating about some language like Esperanto or [[Lojban]], encrypted with a simple substitution cypher. But I have not investigated that further. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 17:14, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

They could be adding to an extant structure - historically not an uncommon practice. So the merlons could be historic. As a side note, are there levers and pivots in the glass window? Maybe this is the temple of engineering?? ~~rbnm
:Or just using past motifs. Look at all the Grecian columns and medieval merlons and gargoyles and what-not that went into subsequent architecture. Nothing is more full of tradition (right along with innovation) than architecture. As for the "temple of engineering" it might just be that the whole city is the "Engineers." (Not Larry Niven's Engineers.) Whatever their role, they might be causing the sea level to rise through an engineering project, thinking that no one lives down by the sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

:Those might be "levers and pivots." They might also be telescope mounts and astronomical objects. It's a very interesting window. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

It's interesting that the castle is mostly underground. I wonder if the "little houses" also extend underground? And I wonder if this is a sign this is a very hot climate for the Beanies / Long-haired woman (I like the idea of naming her Hypatia, as was suggested elsewhere.) If it's hot for them up on the mountain where it is significantly cooler to Cuegan, maybe that explains why they didn't think there were people down in the sea basin. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Underground, an interesting theory but, many such structures had several levels below ground level, so as to reach the bedrock wherein to support the massive stone structure above. Once dug, why waste it, especially if it provided a comfortable environment? Still, the temperature theory is interesting.
If one takes the images with the partially obscured text and play with the brightness and contrast, you can make out many more words, which do not seem to be spoken aloud. Are these sub-conscious thoughts dealing with translation or something a tad more sinister? (I just saw the image change over at :40 after the hour. Just a hiccup on my browser or are these frames speeding up?)[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 23:56, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone transcribed the blurred English words? Having trouble with a few.[[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 13:04, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:Just created a page to address this topic. See [[1190:_Time:_Translator|Translator]]. If someone could wikify that, that'd rock. I'm wiki-dumb and it shows on that page. --[[User:1292|1292]] ([[User talk:1292|talk]]) 14:53, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

== Translator's Blurry Text ==

Since a lot of the stuff the translator is saying is hard to read, I figured we should have a place to get everyone's opinions on it. So I made a [[1190:_Time:_Translator|Translator]] page where it can be discussed.{{unsigned ip|74.95.85.209}}

I make that out as "What is forty? My numbers are no same." [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 16:51, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
Meagan and Cueball explain why they are there. In reply I read it as "You do not know. I make sea rise." [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 17:10, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:The main Explain XDCD page has all the text of the whole comic and is doing a pretty good job with the blurred text [[1190:_Time#Scene_3_-_Part_3_.28Inside_the_castle.29|Scene 3 Inside Castle]]--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:25, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::This page can be used for investigations, but the images should zoom in much more on the text. The final explain has to go here for sure: [[1190:_Time#Scene_3_-_Part_3_.28Inside_the_castle.29|Scene 3 Inside Castle]]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::I added links to the images from the main transcript. Perhaps the translator page should be deleted. Individual panes/phrases can be debated on the image's page, and updated in the main transcript.--[[User:Waitforit|Waitforit]] ([[User talk:Waitforit|talk]]) 20:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::: And I did delete it, we just need a link to this experimental page, that's enough. And the pictures still need some more improvements. At transcript we basically only show the text.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

== Why the sea is rising ==
Now we know why the sea is rising. I wonder if the castle people connected the two seas intentionally, or if it was an act of nature.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:43, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

:the way the long haired woman says there was a great ?????? seems like an natural thing, maybe an earthquake that shut the gibraltar passage [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 04:44, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:Yes, but that was the ''closing'' of the passage 5.96 million years before our present time. Hair Woman is surprisingly knowledgeable about the evolution of hominids, and when her ancestors "first learned to walk upright" about that time. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_human_evolution. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
::Maybe she has Wikipedia too.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 02:35, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
:As for the opening of the passage in Cueball/Megan/Hair Woman time, H.W. says "When we discovered that the sea was ???/flowing under the bank we tried to shore it up. We failed." No indication what, if any, geological or human-caused event may have started it, and no need for there to be one, actually. No reason it couldn't have been gradual seepage even by geological measure, let alone human measure. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

== Do you know where you are? ==

Aw yea, finally! I just hope that we don't get another 500 frames with 2 bits of dialogue (like when they left the beach) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 22:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm guessing we are less than 100 feet above the "higher" sea. Sort of a dead-sea kind of difference (>1k ft) [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 22:05, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

So they are in the Mediterranean Sea. We can see Italy and to the left the Strait of Gibraltar leading to the Atlantic ocean. Would this have been thousands of years ago? [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 01:18, 19 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

If this article[http://www.livescience.com/10607-colossal-flood-created-mediterranean-sea.html] is right, about 5.3 million years ago.

Which makes me wonder if we're in the far future. Castles and such large architecture is only a few thousand years old. So was there an earthquake that closed the Straights of Gibraltar again, and the Mediterranean dried up? And it's now filling up again?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

{{geekwagon|2909}} confirms that this is the future, as it refers to it happening before, when our ancestors ("parents") were learning to walk upright, i.e. 3-6 million years ago. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 06:44, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

ATLANTIS!!!! [[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 01:34, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Is the castle Chateau D'If in France? --[[Special:Contributions/203.0.215.2|203.0.215.2]] 01:41, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

It does resemble Chateau D'If. [http://www.carhirex.com/cheap-car-hire/france-car-hire/chateau-dif-in-marseille]. The distant future is sounding more reasonable than the distant past. [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 01:48, 19 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

That certainly looks like the modern Mediterranean sea, now doesn't it? [[Special:Contributions/24.22.89.85|24.22.89.85]] 02:47, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Not only that, if you look at the map which shows the channel, the location of the castle is highlighted and it does correspond to the location of Chateau D'If. --[[Special:Contributions/203.0.215.2|203.0.215.2]] 04:11, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I don't think there is any doubt. The castle is the Chateau d'If. The correspondence on the map to Marseille harbor is exact. The map and the outline of the castle are pretty explicit, including the depiction of the Strait of Gibraltar as the "passage" between seas. So if the level of the Atlantic is anywhere near our own, they will end up on the Île d'If. If higher, who knows. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

This is a future version of Julian May's "The Many-Colored Land." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

By the way, Cueball and Megan have walked quite a long distance. On Hair Woman's map their home appears to be due south of If, same longitude, and roughly at the latitude of Sassari, Sardinia. A minute of latitude is a nautical mile, essentially, and they walked a polygonal path, not a straight line north; a couple hundred nautical miles, at least. That's a long walk. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

What if this is the map from http://what-if.xkcd.com/53/ where the Earth's oceans had been drained? That shows the Strait of Gibraltar having been cut off from a now much-receded Mediterranean sea![[Special:Contributions/155.95.80.253|155.95.80.253]] 15:36, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I wonder if the flag in frame 2944 (and 2812) is intended to be a marker for the new sea level? [[Special:Contributions/173.212.109.235|173.212.109.235]] 19:15, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Assuming this is the Mediterranean sea[http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/medsea.htm], the predicted sea level map in frame 2907 shows that the Balearic Islands will become completely submerged. Since the highest point on the Balearic Islands is 1432 meters above sea level [http://www.islasbaleares.com/en/general-information-about-balearic-islands.html], and Chateau D'If isn't nearly as high, wouldn't Chateau D'If become completely submerged as well? Or maybe the Translator just omitted the Balearic Islands from the map. I'm guessing the latter is true. [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 21:50, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

See the file : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Inserciomamifers.jpg for a dried mediterranean.

== "How many people strong are you?" ==

Am I the only one who finds the "strangers" a little sinister? Especially this question. It reminded me of the scene in Invader Zim when he asks the teacher about Earth'd defences... [[Special:Contributions/77.87.179.62|77.87.179.62]] 07:56, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=PL8BC075BA3A6D336D&v=k453j0d6WEk#t=351s found the clip! [[Special:Contributions/77.87.179.62|77.87.179.62]] 07:56, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
:No, you're not the only one. Megan reacted that way when Hair Woman asked them for their bags, for example. Both our protagonists looked uncomfortable when she sent away the three individuals that had helped them and brought them to the castle. And remember the hill people, and the discussion between M and C of the people on the mountain being -- maybe, hopefully -- different, since they are a long way from the hills. Also Hair Woman said "Yes! Good." when she understood the number 40. The suspense is intentional, I am sure. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:Also when Cueball was talking about the people in the hill where their river comes from Megan said, "They don't like us," implies that there is some level of antagonism between peoples in this world and that they didn't know what to expect from the castle people.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 08:39, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:An alternate interpretation of "Yes! Good." would be "only 40 will have drowned." [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 13:57, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

::The "Oh" and "OH" just after indicate she didn't know they weren't there and was taken aback that they weren't even aware. [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 10:50, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:I interpreted it as "Yes! Good. I understand, I get it." [[User:Caraway|Caraway]] ([[User talk:Caraway|talk]]) 15:08, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

== Surveying equipment ==
I'll bet their instruments are intended to judge the level of the Atlantic and to determine if they will be an island or completely swamped. They were also used to draw the map of their guess about the future sea level.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 08:46, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

: According to frame 2605, the Beanies could see Cuegan's home. But the beanie leader claims they did not spot them. Further indication of malicious intent? [[Special:Contributions/212.219.143.98|212.219.143.98]] 15:26, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
: 2605 shows that Cueball and Megan knew where there home was, to point to it, but not necessarily that they could /see/ anything. No instruments appeared to be mounted in that tower. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:51, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

== Title text ==
When did the hovertext change to "RUN."? --deepfatfriar 20JUL13
:Great catch! I wonder what else we missed... (You can sign your posts by typing 4 ~'s in a row) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 16:54, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
:Checked out the Wikia page. Luckily, we didn't miss much. The title text is "Wait for it." up until this frame (exclusive): [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/13/time2925.png] That frame has a text of "...", and all frames since have read "RUN." [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 17:06, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
:Frame 3076 has the text back to "...". When did it change? [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 02:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::Here: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/3067] Although, technically that frame reads '....', but all frames since read '...' [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 03:13, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Now (frame 3077 at geekwagon) it's back to '...'[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 03:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: And a brief investigation shows it's been that way since 3072gw.[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 03:42, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

== The story of Gibraltar ==

Did the learner/teacher/leader/ruler know the truth? She did some guesses and used a map that their people had found. I can't imagine their parents did travel 2.000 kilometers to Gibraltar, Megan and Cueball must have walked to a level more than 1.000 meters above their home, and also several hundreds of kilometers. A Cougar does not belong to Europe; they were walking to a higher level, running out of breath. At sea level? I'm pretty sure this story is still not solved.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:49, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
: People can have trouble with elevation differences as low as 1500m. It's a common problem where I live (at 1640m). If the estimates of the vertical distance traversed are wrong because Randall has been imprecise, maybe they're that far up.[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 00:04, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:: The castle is at sea level, though (+/- 100m given than the strip is apparently 14,000 years in the future.) I don't think one would have trouble breathing at sea level, even if they live one thousand meters below sea level. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 05:38, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
: We don't know that it was a cougar though, do we? That was just people's assumption. It could have been a lynx, or some other big feline. ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 21:12, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
::I just did say: "this story is still not solved". Maybe the Cougar is wrong or even much more. Did we follow them on a journey of a couple of hundred kilometers? I'm still not convinced in that. But when they will successful use their stolen maps it could be a prove (or not, we haven't seen that local maps jet). Nevertheless, we know their castle is flooded.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:59, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

Now that we have their location, did anyone try to match it up against the night sky from Scene 2 - Part 6 in order to see how far in the future the action might be taking place? It should be easier to make more accurate predictions now, right?--[[User:Michael85|Michael85]] ([[User talk:Michael85|talk]]) 23:46, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Please do not start a new topic for each post here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:39, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:And since you do not read, this story is NOT solved.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:48, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
::I followed closely this whole thread ever since it started, but I haven't joined the discussion until now. Anyway, I haven't seen any update to the star map investigation and I was curious. Sorry for barging in.--[[User:Michael85|Michael85]] ([[User talk:Michael85|talk]]) 18:05, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:::Hey, it's a wiki. Do barge right in! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

There is a nice artist's conception of the Zanclean Flood at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Roger_Pibernat_-_landscape_-_messianic_med-1024x768.jpg [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
It's not quite the same configuration as Randall's sea basin, but similar. The flood has its own wiki page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanclean_flood. I really do not think there is any doubt that Randall's story takes place in a far-future (possibly with liberties taken) Mediterranean Basin, and Hair Woman's castle is the Chateau d'If under restoration. The original Messinian Salinity Crisis (q.v.) is estimated to have taken a thousand years or so to stabilize once the Gibraltar (and possibly other) passage(s) closed, presumably as a result of tectonic activity under the influence of the two opposing continental plates colliding at the site of the present Mediterranean Sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

I do believe it quite likely that Hair Woman's people's ancestors/forbears already were spread as far west as Gibraltar, which would explain why her people know about the Atlantic seeping in, and then flowing, through the barrier. She said they attempted to reinforce the barrier, but failed, so certainly they were there at Gibraltar in the "present time" of the story. And to draw ("build" she said) the outlines on the map, they had to have information about the second sea basin on the other side of Italy-Sardinia and the outlines of what we call the Adriatic, etc. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:The sea they are use to must be rather hypersaline for them to consider the incoming water (from the Atlantic?) to be be "fresh"

::It sounds like they're used to water which is salty enough to float on. In any case, hypersalinity makes sense if it's the mostly-dried-up remnant of the Mediterranean.[[Special:Contributions/129.22.117.158|129.22.117.158]] 19:11, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

"I think there's stuff floating on the sea... I think something on the sea." {{geekwagon|3024}} and {{geekwagon|3025}} -- Ship? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:30, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

:I wonder if "Oh, OH" meant she knew a way to rescue the 40 people by getting word to someone with a boat. Radio?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 00:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

== PNG time chunks changed on the xkcd server ==

The images mirrored http://xkcd.mscha.org/ and those served by xkcd servers differs in two PNG 'tEXt' chunks with keywords 'date:create' and 'date:modify', which appears to contain the original timestamps. Images from mscha.org have wide range of these timestamps, indicating that the images weren't produced all at the same time. But the same frames downloaded from xkcd servers now have their time values set to "2013-05-01T15:11:05-04:00", so either mscha or xkcd must have modified the PNGs. The compressed image data seems to be modified, too.

Also note that the copy of the first frame found at mscha.org has been edited by Photoshop, because the PNG structure is different from all the others and contains a color profile beginning with "Photoshop ICC profile".

[[Special:Contributions/78.108.152.10|78.108.152.10]] 14:37, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:Since May 3, 2013 all original files have this modification timestamp at EDT (UTC -4:00): "2013-05-01 11:22:58.000000000". So it's a fake by Randall.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:40, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

== Terrain Map ==

I marked up a bathymetric map of the north-west Mediterranean with the data from the Beanie map, plus extrapolated data about locations and paths: [[:File:TimeTerrainMap.png]]

The good news is, Megball can save about a third of the distance by their direct path through the hills. The bad news is, it's about a 50 mile journey from the likely location of the "tents" to the first part of the ridge they need to take to safety. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 05:00, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

:Great work! Are the white spaces just regions lacking bathymetric data? My speculation is that the "40" will already be on the move. The original "sand" castle (as much salt as sand? It certainly was a sculptable medium anyway) was implied to be underwater in the three frames with the rocking bucket on the waves. Beret Girl was down there just as C+M were leaving, dragging something. They will not have been caught totally by surprise. Perhaps the C+M's upper "castle" construction will end up being a raft? Or perhaps they have packed up their tents and are already heading for high ground? They might have seen the Hill People leaving, or...who knows. We still have to "wait for it" even as C+M "run." (That cat sure is scared of running Megan! It took off like a...scared cat! You could say, "caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.") [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:25, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yup, the white spots where spots this survey hadn't finished yet, though there's been other bathymetric work so we know they are mostly flat. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 17:09, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

:Current research suggests neither years, nor days, but months for the basin to fill from the Atlantic the last time, in the 5.6mya event; but this one can be whatever Randall wants it to be. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:25, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Cueball is concerned that the water is fresh. Although this may seem to disprove the theory that the Atlantic is flooding into the Mediterranean, it actually doesn't. Notice that Cueball "felt" that something was strange. What was strange was that they were accustomed to an extremely salty sea. Can you imagine filling up the Mediterranean Sea with ocean water then cutting it off from the Atlantic and allowing it to evaporate down to the size of C&M's sea? It would be extremely salty and you could float easily in it. The water from the Atlantic Ocean is nowhere near that salty so Cueball interprets it as fresh water. This will cause problems with the rescue because these people are not used to swimming in water that's not super salty. They can't float like they're used to and risk drowning. [[Special:Contributions/198.103.184.76|198.103.184.76]] 16:32, 23 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck
:My thought too. He does say "Not as fresh as a river", which means it's still salty, but much less so than the sea they're used to. I'm reminded of the Dead Sea, which also has a very high salinity. This makes the water tasting and spluttering in the beginning (while building the sand castle) make a lot of sense. I guess I have to go back and read it all again now that we have some context. ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 18:36, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
::"Not as fresh as a river"--we also now know why Megan and Cueball couldn't get Cueball's water bottle when it fell in the river at 920:00. They never learned to swim without the high salinity helping them float.[[User:Vicky715|Vicky715]] ([[User talk:Vicky715|talk]]) 23:36, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

Another map, with better resolution, of the rising water levels: [[:File:rising-water.png]] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:39, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
:How 'bout that - you can even see Ile D'If. [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 08:28, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

== Moving 'mound'? ==

I've got a feeling.. that it's beret girl and the 'platform' from way back in the first 'act'! - "10:02, 24 July 2013‎ 98.144.105.195"

:Your feeling is accurate. The return of Beret Girl! "I found my cousin." "Here we come to save the day!" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:Well, I have a feeling that since you made your edit (without signing it) ''after'' Beret Girl reappeared you actually mean "the ''same'' beret girl". [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 10:27, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:in the frames she shows up with the upper platform, what are the small moving parts in the lower area? allready floating stuff? [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 10:59, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
::Well, she did say "I turned it into a boat." I guess that means floating stuff. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:11, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

Beret Girl said "boat" and I congratulate her resourcefulness but, I wonder if she meant "raft" instead. (Let us not dwell heavily on the difference.) Is there any doubt now that Randall has been planning this for a long time, in fair detail? He seemed to have responded, to some degree, to some of the postings made here on the Wiki, yet I wonder if perhaps it was just coincidence? [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 14:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

So to theft (the maps) do we now add looting? What they are taking was left behind by others who evacuated in the face of a natural disaster. Our tribe seems not to have needed these things before, back in the sand castle days, but are taking advantage of this opportunity to load up on stuff now. I hope they don't sink the raft under their loot. deepfatfriar [[Special:Contributions/75.109.36.232|75.109.36.232]] 17:02, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

That might be the tribes own camp. They may have moved the camp up into the hills to pick up the stuff that was left behind. Also, if there us no reasonable chance of the former owner getting it back I think the proper term is "salvaging" or "scavenging" not "looting". [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 19:40, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
: I was under the impression that it was the tribes' own camp. We already knew they were tent-dwellers- Yurt dwellers by the looks! [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 02:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

This has to be one of the best dialogues Randall has ever written: "Why is everything flooding? Why is the water full of trees? Why do you have little tables covered in sand?" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:05, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 3060 "Is there any way to keep us pointing forward?" "We could start calling this the front." Clearly, someone is a mathematician. [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 21:37, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
:...rubbed elbows with 'em, anyway. :) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:22, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

33 heads {{geekwagon|3072}} << "About forty of us" {{geekwagon|2896}}. Where are the others? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 22:10, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
: I counted 33... then 29... then 26... where are they going??? (ps, fixed your second link.) [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 00:06, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::Behind the hanging curtain? [[Special:Contributions/50.139.68.248|50.139.68.248]] 00:19, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:: It's a bit of a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sljSf7KVlQ lifeboat scenario] [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 00:40, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:: Well, Randall knows we are watching and counting! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:22, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::: Now down to 18 visible people. Cueball and Megan were among the first to disappear. If they're all under the enclosure, it must be pretty cozy. [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 03:52, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::: Almost certainly they are. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 3072 - Title text has once again changed to "...." [[User:Uglystick|Uglystick]] ([[User talk:Uglystick|talk]]) 22:12, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
:GREAT find, has to be mentioned when we do know what's the next.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:24, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

It's a Yurt!!! [[Special:Contributions/184.155.116.49|184.155.116.49]] Polecat
: Yes. They lived in yurts in their village by the sea. They took some down to use in enhancing their platform-boat-raft, and apparently brought along many of the spare parts. These people seem to be very quick and very clever at improvising, even on the water. And very logical thinkers in an emergency. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I have no idea what is going on. The "boat" looks like it's moving over land in 3079/3080, not floating on water. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 06:20, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

:I think that is not land, but debris floating on the water. [[User:Sumitimus|Sumitimus]] ([[User talk:Sumitimus|talk]]) 07:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yes. In 3076 a big swell caused the whole group to stagger and fall down. In 3079 and 3080 more waves, and smaller ones in 3081 and 3082. Both rafts have been on the water since they first spotted the remaining party with the second raft. Now there are flying fish! (in 3082.) The thing that may save them is that their construction methods seem to make use of lots of flexible members and perhaps lashings for fasteners; their rafts can apparently flex with the waves. So long as they don't get overwhelmed. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

You would think there would be considerable air movement. I wonder if they will figure out the concept of a sea anchor, or if it would even help. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

And we're back to building sandcastles on top of the raft with the left-over sand there. I guess the story is going to move slowly for a while again. We'll have to "Wait for it" even though the hover-over text has gone back to "RUN." [[Special:Contributions/198.103.184.76|198.103.184.76]] 12:47, 26 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

<blockquote> I think that is not land, but debris floating on the water. Sumitimus (talk) 07:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)</blockquote>

It's [http://kosmo.hubpages.com/hub/What-Should-I-Know-about-the-Earths-Floating-Islands-of-Garbage# Gilligan's Island]! Sorry couldn't help it.[[Special:Contributions/69.126.70.32|69.126.70.32]] 19:02, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I feel like Randall is playing a little too fast and loose with the science here. I mean, this MASSIVE influx of water never overwhelms their makeshift rafts, carries them all the way to land, deposits them gentle on the shore, and then suddenly stops rising, without even pulling back? Did he decide he needed to speed things along, as the comic was becoming too time consuming? [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 19:08, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:At the pictures you can see many big bags filled with air attached to the raft. This does work fine. And because they did not steering their vessel they just reach land again by random.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:33, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

== The End ==

Oh my. What a letdown. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, that's it? I mean it's a nice story, but not much of a climax/denouement. [[Special:Contributions/66.66.107.178|66.66.107.178]] 20:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::You could see the writing on the wall with how he sped through the rescue, but that's seriously anticlimactic. I mean, it couldn't go on forever, but it feels like he just ran out of Time. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 20:15, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:I'm not sure, maybe we will get a sequel. But the original image links now to [[http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon]] and the title text is "The end.". I'm waiting just for the next hour, then it should be clear, or not?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::We're all junkies now--we'll still be hitting refresh a week from now, hoping it might just change... In the end, though, that was the real brilliance of it. Not the story, but the way making us wait for each frame gave every little moment of it so much more weight, by giving us the time to anticipate and speculate and imagine for ourselves. It had to end eventually, but it was an amazing thing. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 20:27, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

So, is it time to pin down the skydate more accurately? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:34, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1190: Time

2013-07-26T20:04:01Z

Taibhse: