explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3161: Airspeed

2025-10-29T21:52:41Z

TigerFury26:

{{comic
| number = 3161
| date = October 29, 2025
| title = Airspeed
| image = airspeed_2x.png
| imagesize = 293x338px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Carefully maneuvering the balloon down a mineshaft in an effort to break the OTHER altitude record
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
The joke is that it's slow as ''FUUUCK.''

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball riding in a hot air balloon basket, Cueball looking over side while Megan looks atsomething inside basket]
:Meg: 0 MPH... 0 MPH...
:Ooh, 1MPH with
:that last gust...
:0 MPH... 1 MPH...
:1 MPH... 2 MPH!!!
:Cueball: YESSSS!
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Breaking the hot air balloon level-flight airspeed record
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

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

3161: Airspeed

2025-10-29T21:51:52Z

TigerFury26:

{{comic
| number = 3161
| date = October 29, 2025
| title = Airspeed
| image = airspeed_2x.png
| imagesize = 293x338px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Carefully maneuvering the balloon down a mineshaft in an effort to break the OTHER altitude record
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
The joke is that it's slow as ''FUUUCK.''

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball riding in a hot air balloon basket, Cueball looking over side while Megan looks atsomething inside basket]
Meg: 0 MPH... 0 MPH...
Ooh, 1MPH with
that last gust...
0 MPH... 1 MPH...
1 MPH... 2 MPH!!!
Cueball: YESSSS!
[Caption below the panel:]
Breaking the hot air balloon level-flight airspeed record
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

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

3161: Airspeed

2025-10-29T21:51:08Z

TigerFury26:

{{comic
| number = 3161
| date = October 29, 2025
| title = Airspeed
| image = airspeed_2x.png
| imagesize = 293x338px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Carefully maneuvering the balloon down a mineshaft in an effort to break the OTHER altitude record
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
The joke is that it's slow as ''FUUUCK.''

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[Megan and Cueball riding in a hot air balloon basket, Cueball looking over side while Megan looks atsomething inside basket]
Meg: 0 MPH... 0 MPH...
Ooh, 1MPH with
that last gust...
0 MPH... 1 MPH...
1 MPH... 2 MPH!!!
Cueball: YESSSS!
[Caption below the panel:]
Breaking the hot air balloon level-flight airspeed record
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

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

2950: Situation

2024-06-24T19:01:00Z

TigerFury26: basic explanation added

{{comic
| number = 2950
| date = June 24, 2024
| title = Situation
| image = situation_2x.png
| imagesize = 578x306px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We're right under the flight path for the scheduled orbital launch, but don't worry--it's too cold out for the rockets to operate safely, so I'm sure they'll postpone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Shark, the iceberg of the sea - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, we see an "unsinkable ship" (presumably the Titanic) attached to the Hindenburg, which blew up because of the hydrogen filled environment in 1937. It's described as a "hydrogen-filled airship for iceberg spotting", referring to how the Titanic sank. To the right of the airship we see Chernobyl (or the "Soviet-Era nuclear reactor undergoing a turbine test", because during the test the reactors exploded, sending plumes of radioactive material into the air. And on the right side of the comic, there's the "bridge prone to aeroelastic flutter in high winds", referring to the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse. All of these coexisting in the same area makes this a dangerous place to me, so the engineers are, of course, nervous.
The title text refers to the Challenger Explosion, and how the primary and secondary O-rings meant to prevent a leakage of hot gases were incapable of properly sealing the gaps between the SRB joints in extremely cold weather.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[An airship flying, labelled] Hydrogen-filled scout airship for iceberg spotting
[The airship is chained to a ship, going along a river, labelled] Unsinkable ocean liner

[In the background on the coast a nuclear power plant, labelled] Soviet-era nuclear reactor undergoing a turbine test
[The boat and airship are steering towards a bridge, labelled] Bridge prone to aeroelastic flutter in high winds

[Caption]
In retrospect, we should have noticed how nervous the situation was making the engineers.

{{comic discussion}}

2831: xkcd Phone Flip

2023-09-20T23:00:22Z

TigerFury26:

{{comic
| number = 2831
| date = September 20, 2023
| title = xkcd Phone Flip
| image = xkcd_phone_flip_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x458px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Theranos partnership: Sorry, we know, but we signed the contract back before all the stuff and the lawyers say we can't back out, so just try to keep your finger away from the bottom of the phone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE BOT FORTOLD BY THE FORTUNETELLER PROPHECY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is the 9th in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone]] series in which Randall explains his new joke phone designs with many strange and useless features. It is a reference to the somewhat recent {{w|Galaxy Z}} series, but emulating the typical {{w|paper fortune teller}}. 

The title text references the company that notably failed to live up to its promise to diagnose many health issues from a single drop of blood. Whether this phone does any better, or not, it ''will'' still take that drop of blood unless you're particularly careful.
From the top, going clockwise:

; Exfoliating Screen
: A term commonly found on lotions and facial products, "exfoliating" means removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, in order to improve its appearance. This could mean that it will exfoliate when pressed to the skin. However, this would probably require a mildly abrasive and/or adhesive screen texture or coating, which are usually not desirable qualities of a touchscreen.

; Orthotic Shape for arch support

: An orthotic shape means that it would be supporting a certain part of the body, specifically the arch of the foot in this case. While you could put the phone in a shoe, this is not generally accepted as normal or hygenic. {{Citation Needed}}

; Single Big Pixel
: This is obviously a serious drawback, as you cannot see anything but one big blank pixel; This would make the phone basically useless if you don't have images of every bit of UI.

; Buy one get one
: A play on the phrase "Buy one get one free"

; Up to 50% more
: A play on the words "Up to 50% more <blank>. Although considering that there is nothing in the blank, this statement is useless. See [[870: Advertising]].

; Bending phone activates chemical flashlight
: Why this feature is better than click a button is unknown. Bending glowsticks is the method of activation.

; SPF 15 Coating protects your face from websites
: Unclear how sunscreen on the phone protects you from website.

; Iatrogenic construction
: 'Iatrogenic' means 'physician caused', and usually refers to illnesses which are caused or worsened by medical malpractice. This may imply that the phone was made ''by'' doctors.

; Break Glass to Access Apps
: A play on how fire alarms are protected in most places, although in this case it is not that helpful. Unusual things behind glass is also mentioned in [[1634: In Case of Emergency]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Image of a phone with multiple bits of text with pointers to it.
:Exfoliating screen
:Orthotic shape for arch support
:Single big pixel
:Ready to eat
:Hypoimmunogenic
:Up to 50% more
:Full-spectrum backlight optimized for plant growth
:Long-lasting main sequence battery
:Break glass to access apps
Two images of the phone folded up into a fortune teller, also with text.
:Buy one get one
:Bending phone activates chemical flashlight
:SPF 15 coating protects your face from websites
:Iatrogenic construction
:All-vinyl data storage for maximum fidelity
:Locks in moisture
:National Weather Service partnership: phone is afraid of thunder
:One-click ''ruina montium''
:Free refills

:Introducing
:'''The xkcd Phone Flip'''
:''We actually didn't mean for it to do this''™

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]

Talk:2831: xkcd Phone Flip

2023-09-20T22:54:47Z

TigerFury26:

this is my first time editing, did i do well? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.134.202|172.70.134.202]] 21:39, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:Decent enough, assuming you were the one giving the reference to the Z-series. But it'll be expanded, improved and reformatted a lot, I predict. I put in my own (intended) first-edit, but clearly there's you (and possibly A.N. Other) already adding their own thoughts. (Which I am counting on, rather than trying to write it all in one go all by myself... I'll wait for it to settle down and ''then'' see if there are various tweaks I'll want try on whatever form it becomes.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.7|172.70.90.7]] 21:50, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:The other person was me, but I think there's someone else as well reformatting and rewriting things.

So, what is the meaning of "flip" here? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:07, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:It's a reference to the Samsung Galaxy line of folding smartphones, which is marketed as 'Galaxy Z Flip' phones. While there had been double-screened smartphones in the past, Samsung was able to figure out some way to have the actual screen flex and fold in the middle so that when it's closed the primary screen is protected, but when opened up the user sees a single screen without a hinge in the middle. The current model (the 'Z Flip 5') is the sixth iteration of the device since it was originally introduced in China in 2019. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 22:36, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

:I think it's just part of the whole marketroid feeling these are supposed to have. It's part of the name and the [alleged] "marketing" department, as is typical, came up with something extremely dumb and useless. See: [https://serverfault.com/questions/117799/which-version-of-sunos SunOS vs Solaris] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.197.132|162.158.197.132]] 22:32, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

Anybody else think the main sequence battery is a fusion cell that is also the chemical flashlight and full spectrum backlight that necessitates the SPF 15 coating? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.151.83|172.71.151.83]] 22:36, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:I'm thinking it's a reference to the Cyalume lightsticks which need to be bent, which shatters a small glass vial inside and releases a hydrogen peroxide solution into a second solution of an oxalate ester and electron-rich dye contained within the outer plastic shell. The resulting chemiluminescent reaction creates visible light. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 22:42, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

2831: xkcd Phone Flip

2023-09-20T22:08:05Z

TigerFury26:

{{comic
| number = 2831
| date = September 20, 2023
| title = xkcd Phone Flip
| image = xkcd_phone_flip_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x458px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Theranos partnership: Sorry, we know, but we signed the contract back before all the stuff and the lawyers say we can't back out, so just try to keep your finger away from the bottom of the phone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE BOT FORTOLD BY THE FORTUNETELLER PROPHECY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is the 9th in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone]] series in which Randall explains his new joke phone designs with many strange and useless features. It is a reference to the somewhat recent {{w|Galaxy Z}} series, but emulating the typical {{w|paper fortune teller}}. 

The title text references the company that notably failed to live up to its promise to diagnose many health issues from a single drop of blood. Whether this phone does any better, or not, it ''will'' still take that drop of blood unless you're particularly careful.
From the top, going clockwise:

;Exfoliating Screen

: A term commonly found on lotions and facial products, "exfoliating" means to unclog and open pores. While this may not be very useful on a phone, this could mean that it will exfoliate pores when pressed to the skin.

; Buy one get one

: A play on the phrase "Buy one get one free"

; Up to 50% more

: A play on the words "Up to 50% more <blank>. Although considering that there is nothing in the blank, this statement is useless. See 870: Advertising.
; Bending phone activates chemical flashlight

; SPF 15 Coating protects your face from websites

: Unclear how sunscreen on the phone protects you from website.

; Iatrogenic construction

: 'Iatrogenic' means 'physician caused', and usually refers to illnesses which are caused or worsened by medical malpractice. This may imply that the phone was made ''by'' doctors.

;Break Glass to Access Apps
A play on how fire alarms are protected in most places, although in this case it is not that helpful. Unusual things behind glass is also mentioned in 1634: In Case of Emergency.
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Exfoliating screen
:Orthotic shape for arch support
:Single big pixel
:Ready to eat
:Hypoimmunogenic
:Up to 50% more
:Full-spectrum backlight optimized for plant growth
:Long-lasting main sequence battery
:Break glass to access apps

:Buy one get one
:Bending phone activates chemical flashlight
:SPF 15 coating protects your face from websites
:Iatrogenic construction
:All-vinyl data storage for maximum fidelity
:Locks in moisture
:National Weather Service partnership: phone is afraid of thunder
:One-click ''ruina montium''
:Free refills

:Introducing
:'''The xkcd Phone Flip'''
:''We actually didn't mean for it to do this''™

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]

2831: xkcd Phone Flip

2023-09-20T22:04:32Z

TigerFury26:

{{comic
| number = 2831
| date = September 20, 2023
| title = xkcd Phone Flip
| image = xkcd_phone_flip_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x458px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Theranos partnership: Sorry, we know, but we signed the contract back before all the stuff and the lawyers say we can't back out, so just try to keep your finger away from the bottom of the phone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE BOT FORTOLD BY THE FORTUNETELLER PROPHECY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is the 9th in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone]] series in which Randall explains his new joke phone designs with many strange and useless features. It is a reference to the somewhat recent {{w|Galaxy Z}} series, but emulating the typical {{w|paper fortune teller}}. 

The title text references the company that notably failed to live up to its promise to diagnose many health issues from a single drop of blood. Whether this phone does any better, or not, it ''will'' still take that drop of blood unless you're particularly careful.
From the top, going clockwise:

; Buy one get one

: A play on the phrase "Buy one get one free"

; Up to 50% more

: A play on the words "Up to 50% more <blank>. Although considering that there is nothing in the blank, this statement is useless. See 870: Advertising.
; Bending phone activates chemical flashlight

; SPF 15 Coating protects your face from websites

: Unclear how sunscreen on the phone protects you from website.

; Iatrogenic construction

: 'Iatrogenic' means 'physician caused', and usually refers to illnesses which are caused or worsened by medical malpractice. This may imply that the phone was made ''by'' doctors.

;Break Glass to Access Apps
A play on how fire alarms are protected in most places, although in this case it is not that helpful. Unusual things behind glass is also mentioned in 1634: In Case of Emergency.
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Exfoliating screen
:Orthotic shape for arch support
:Single big pixel
:Ready to eat
:Hypoimmunogenic
:Up to 50% more
:Full-spectrum backlight optimized for plant growth
:Long-lasting main sequence battery
:Break glass to access apps

:Buy one get one
:Bending phone activates chemical flashlight
:SPF 15 coating protects your face from websites
:Iatrogenic construction
:All-vinyl data storage for maximum fidelity
:Locks in moisture
:National Weather Service partnership: phone is afraid of thunder
:One-click ''ruina montium''
:Free refills

:Introducing
:'''The xkcd Phone Flip'''
:''We actually didn't mean for it to do this''™

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]