explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2668: Artemis Quote

2024-12-29T22:26:08Z

Twistleton: /* Explanation */ another reading

{{comic
| number = 2668
| date = September 5, 2022
| title = Artemis Quote
| image = artemis_quote.png
| titletext = Another option: "It is an honor to be the first human to set foot on the moon."
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Artemis program}} is a series of planned space missions that will land people on the Moon and begin to set up infrastructure for a permanent crewed presence. People first landed on the Moon in 1969 as part of the {{w|Apollo program}}. They have not been back since 1972. When {{w|Neil Armstrong}} became the first person to walk on the Moon, he famously said, "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." However, he was intending to say, "That's one small step for '''''a''''' man; one giant leap for mankind [emphasis added]." [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Frase_de_Neil_Armstrong.ogg The audio recording] omits the word "a", making the sentence confusing, as "man" and "mankind" have the same meaning when referring to all people.

That the word was apparently elided by Armstrong in the excitement, changing the meaning of the historical phrase, is controversial and thus humorous. Subsequently, Armstrong and others have blamed insufficiently tuned {{w|voice activity detection}} hardware circuitry intended to save power in radio voice transmission, but NASA engineers, third-party historians and their hired experts have never been able to corroborate that explanation.[https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a11/a11.step.html][https://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003645.html] Armstrong later said he hoped, "history would grant me leeway for dropping the syllable and understand that it was certainly intended, even if it was not said," and, on p.126 of the June 1982 edition of ''Omni,'' "the 'a' is implied, so I'm happy if they just put it in parentheses."

[[Randall]] suggests that the first Artemis astronaut to set foot on the Moon has a duty to utter an even more confusing quote, saying the sentence, "This is one of my favorite historical quotes — the first words spoken by an Artemis astronaut on the moon," aloud as they step onto the Moon. That would be confusingly self-referential, as if they were alluding to something from the past. The phrasing would also be confusing to a person hearing it quoted, as it would sound more like a statement about the quote than the actual quote itself. This is very unlikely, and funny merely as a recommendation. If it actually happened, it might be both hilarious and scandalous.

While the comic's lunar lander has similarities to the {{w|Starship HLS|current plans}} for the Artemis lander,[https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/as-artemis-moves-forward-nasa-picks-spacex-to-land-next-americans-on-moon] it is a generic drawing, perhaps in homage to classic space science fiction, with the exit portal at an unlikely position near the base of the {{w|SpaceX Starship}} lander.[https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starship-moon-elevator-nasa-prototype/]

The title text suggests an alternate phrase by which the Artemis astronaut could say being the first (rather than 13th) human on the Moon is a great honor. People hearing this quote in the future could assume that Artemis was the first crewed mission to the Moon. It could feed into contemporary conspiracy theories that the Apollo landings were faked (or even spread suspicion that the first twelve astronauts on the Moon were ''not'' human), furthering the confusion.

This comic coincides with the canceled launch of {{w|Artemis 1}}, an uncrewed test mission which will serve as the start of the Artemis program. The mission was intended to launch on 29 August 2022, and later on 3 September 2022, but was repeatedly postponed due to a series of technical problems. It finally launched on November 16th. On December 13th, the spacecraft successfully splashed down back on Earth.

In [[893: 65 Years]], Randall made a graph showing the number of living people who had been on the moon, and estimated the day when zero would be alive. At that time 9 of the 12 were still alive. Upon this comic's release, only four are still among the living.

==Transcript==
:[A vertical rocket is standing on four deployed legs on the surface of the Moon. The surface is depicted with characteristic craters and rocks with a slightly curved horizon. The rocket is standing in the left part of the panel. A short ladder leads down from a hatch in the lower part of the rocket body. An astronaut has stepped down from a ladder onto the Moon's surface, and is speaking:]

:Astronaut: This is one of my favorite historical quotes — the first words spoken by an Artemis astronaut on the Moon.

:[Caption beneath the panel:]
:Neil Armstrong's "man"/"a man" quote created a lot of historical confusion, and I think it's our duty to expand on that legacy with Artemis.

==Trivia==
*The {{w|schwa}} indefinite article "a" is optional in certain contexts of some dialects of American English.{{Actual citation needed}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Rockets]]

2869: Puzzles

2023-12-20T16:43:29Z

Twistleton: cut wordcruft

{{comic
| number = 2869
| date = December 18, 2023
| title = Puzzles
| image = puzzles_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x455px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Why couldn't the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by AUNT '''A'''MY, '''A'''S IN '''A'''N '''A'''WFUL CLUE FROM '''A''' CHILDREN'S BOOK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Many children's books, especially those read by Randall's generation, feature in-story puzzles. Some of these hold up pretty well decades later, like the ones in {{w|Ellen Raskin}}'s award-winning mystery books for kids. Others, however, are…a lot less impressive. Randall doesn't specify which children's books have "terrible" puzzles, but the ''{{w|Hardy Boys}}'' series by Franklin W. Dixon, the ''{{w|Boxcar Children}}'' series by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and the ''{{w|Encyclopedia Brown}}'' series by Donald J. Sobol are all strong possibilities. (The Riddler in the 1960s ''{{w|Batman (TV series)|Batman}}'' TV series famously played the trope for laughs.)

In the panel, characters from one such book (presumably a made-up example) are contemplating a puzzle involving somebody's Aunt Gertrude. The characters guess Gertrude's amulet must be hidden in the Ground, because that starts with a G, like Gertrude, and that they should diG a hole. These guesses are not very practical; it seems unlikely that Aunt Gertrude either (A) chose to be known indefinitely by a G-name purely as a clue about where she hid an amulet, or (B) was inspired by her own name to choose a vaguely relevant hiding place. Even if she ''did'', there are many other words that begin with G, such as Gulf, or Gull, or Go-Get-a-plane-and-fly-to-Greenland, and any of these would be just as plausible "clues."

Moreover, once deciding that this "clue" is telling them to dig a hole in the ground, the search is not significantly narrowed as the world is a big place and "underground, somewhere" leaves a huge range of possible locations. You may need {{tvtropes|XMarksTheSpot|at least one more letter}} to narrow the options down. All this leads us to Randall's point — that these connections made by the characters are tenuous at best and are unreasonable to make, especially as part of a riddle.

Aunt Gertrude is probably named after a supporting character in the ''Hardy Boys'' series; the Aunt Gertrude in that series didn't set puzzles, but main characters Frank and Joe Hardy frequently had to decipher clues to find hidden objects. The name may also be a nod to Gertrude Chandler Warner, whose Boxcar Children are an adventurous group of mystery-solving kids like those in the comic.

The title text references {{w|Alice and Bob|Alice}}, a fictional character commonly used in discussions about cryptography. In those discussions, Alice is often sending and receiving encrypted messages, and she would be expected to be able to make a better puzzle than the one shown in the comic. Alice and Bob and other characters from the same set have been mentioned previously in xkcd, like in [[177: Alice and Bob]]. Using modern cryptography in lieu of riddles in children's stories was also mentioned in [[370: Redwall]].

==Transcript==
:[Possibly teenage versions of Hairy, Jill, Ponytail, and Cueball, listed from left to right, are standing in a line. Hairy is in a thinking pose, Jill faces Hairy, and Ponytail and Cueball are walking to the right; Cueball is pointing off-panel.]
:Hairy: Aunt Gertrude must have left a clue to the amulet's location.
:Jill: Hmm. Wait a minute.
:Jill: '''G'''ertrude. '''G'''.
:Hairy: As in "'''G'''round!"
:Jill: And "di'''G''' a hole!"
:Ponytail: I'll get a shovel!
:Cueball: To the yard!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Some of the authors of books I read as a kid were '''''terrible''''' at designing puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Jill]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Cryptography]]
[[Category:Kids]]

2869: Puzzles

2023-12-20T16:42:39Z

Twistleton: clarifications

{{comic
| number = 2869
| date = December 18, 2023
| title = Puzzles
| image = puzzles_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x455px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Why couldn't the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by AUNT '''A'''MY, '''A'''S IN '''A'''N '''A'''WFUL CLUE FROM '''A''' CHILDREN'S BOOK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Many children's books, especially those read by Randall's generation, feature in-story puzzles. Some of these hold up pretty well decades later, like the ones in {{w|Ellen Raskin}}'s award-winning mystery books for kids. Others, however, are…a lot less impressive. Randall doesn't specify which children's books have "terrible" puzzles, but the ''{{w|Hardy Boys}}'' series by Franklin W. Dixon, the ''{{w|Boxcar Children}}'' series by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and the ''{{w|Encyclopedia Brown}}'' series by Donald J. Sobol are all strong possibilities. (The Riddler in the 1960s ''{{w|Batman (TV series)|Batman}}'' TV series famously played the trope for laughs.)

In the panel, characters from one such book (presumably a made-up example) are contemplating a puzzle involving somebody's Aunt Gertrude. The characters guess Gertrude's amulet must be hidden in the Ground, because that starts with a G, like Gertrude, and that they should diG a hole. These guesses are not very practical; it seems unlikely that Aunt Gertrude either (A) chose to be known indefinitely by a G-name purely as a clue about where she hid an amulet, or (B) was inspired by her own name to choose a vaguely relevant hiding place. Even if she ''did'', there are many other words that begin with G, such as Gulf, or Gull, or Go-Get-a-plane-and-fly-to-Greenland, and any of these would be just as plausible "clues."

Moreover, once deciding that this "clue" is telling them to dig a hole in the ground, the search is not significantly narrowed as the world is a big place and "underground, somewhere" leaves a huge range of possible locations. You may need {{tvtropes|XMarksTheSpot|at least one more letter}} to narrow the options down. All this leads us to Randall's point — that these connections made by the characters are tenuous at best and are unreasonable to make, especially as part of a riddle.

Aunt Gertrude is probably named after a supporting character in the ''Hardy Boys'' series; the Aunt Gertrude in that series didn't set puzzles, but main characters Frank and Joe Hardy frequently had to decipher clues to find hidden objects. Alternatively (or additionally), Aunt Gertrude might be none other than Gertrude Chandler Warner, whose Boxcar Children are an adventurous group of mystery-solving kids like those in the comic.

The title text references {{w|Alice and Bob|Alice}}, a fictional character commonly used in discussions about cryptography. In those discussions, Alice is often sending and receiving encrypted messages, and she would be expected to be able to make a better puzzle than the one shown in the comic. Alice and Bob and other characters from the same set have been mentioned previously in xkcd, like in [[177: Alice and Bob]]. Using modern cryptography in lieu of riddles in children's stories was also mentioned in [[370: Redwall]].

==Transcript==
:[Possibly teenage versions of Hairy, Jill, Ponytail, and Cueball, listed from left to right, are standing in a line. Hairy is in a thinking pose, Jill faces Hairy, and Ponytail and Cueball are walking to the right; Cueball is pointing off-panel.]
:Hairy: Aunt Gertrude must have left a clue to the amulet's location.
:Jill: Hmm. Wait a minute.
:Jill: '''G'''ertrude. '''G'''.
:Hairy: As in "'''G'''round!"
:Jill: And "di'''G''' a hole!"
:Ponytail: I'll get a shovel!
:Cueball: To the yard!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Some of the authors of books I read as a kid were '''''terrible''''' at designing puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Jill]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Cryptography]]
[[Category:Kids]]

2869: Puzzles

2023-12-20T16:33:51Z

Twistleton: another example

{{comic
| number = 2869
| date = December 18, 2023
| title = Puzzles
| image = puzzles_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x455px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Why couldn't the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by AUNT '''A'''MY, '''A'''S IN '''A'''N '''A'''WFUL CLUE FROM '''A''' CHILDREN'S BOOK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Many children's books, especially those read by Randall's generation, feature in-story puzzles. Some of these hold up pretty well decades later, like the ones in {{w|Ellen Raskin}}'s award-winning mystery books for kids. Others, however, are…a lot less impressive. Randall doesn't specify which children's books have "terrible" puzzles, but the ''{{w|Hardy Boys}}'' series by Franklin W. Dixon, the ''{{w|Boxcar Children}}'' series by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and the ''{{w|Encyclopedia Brown}}'' series by Donald J. Sobol are all strong possibilities. (The Riddler in the 1960s ''{{w|Batman (TV series)|Batman}}'' TV series famously played the trope for laughs.)

In the panel, characters from one such book (presumably a made-up example) are contemplating a puzzle set by somebody's Aunt Gertrude. The characters guess Gertrude's amulet must be hidden in the Ground, because that starts with a G, like Gertrude, and that they should diG a hole. These guesses are not very practical; it seems unlikely that Aunt Gertrude either (A) chose to be known indefinitely by a G-name purely as a clue about where she hid an amulet, or (B) was inspired by her own name to choose a vaguely compatible method of concealment. Even if she ''did'', there are many other words that begin with G, such as Gulf, or Gull, or Go-Get-a-plane-and-fly-to-Greenland, and any of these would be just as plausible "clues."

Moreover, once deciding that this "clue" is telling them to dig a hole in the ground, the search is not significantly narrowed as the world is a big place and "underground, somewhere" leaves a huge range of possible locations. You may need {{tvtropes|XMarksTheSpot|at least one more letter}} to narrow the options down. All this leads us to Randall's point — that these connections made by the characters are tenuous at best and are unreasonable to make, especially as part of a riddle.

Aunt Gertrude is probably named after a supporting character in the ''Hardy Boys'' series; the Aunt Gertrude in that series didn't set puzzles, but main characters Frank and Joe Hardy frequently had to decipher clues to find hidden objects.

The title text references {{w|Alice and Bob|Alice}}, a fictional character commonly used in discussions about cryptography. In those discussions, Alice is often sending and receiving encrypted messages, and she would be expected to be able to make a better puzzle than the one shown in the comic. Alice and Bob and other characters from the same set have been mentioned previously in xkcd, like in [[177: Alice and Bob]]. Using modern cryptography in lieu of riddles in children's stories was also mentioned in [[370: Redwall]].

==Transcript==
:[Possibly teenage versions of Hairy, Jill, Ponytail, and Cueball, listed from left to right, are standing in a line. Hairy is in a thinking pose, Jill faces Hairy, and Ponytail and Cueball are walking to the right; Cueball is pointing off-panel.]
:Hairy: Aunt Gertrude must have left a clue to the amulet's location.
:Jill: Hmm. Wait a minute.
:Jill: '''G'''ertrude. '''G'''.
:Hairy: As in "'''G'''round!"
:Jill: And "di'''G''' a hole!"
:Ponytail: I'll get a shovel!
:Cueball: To the yard!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Some of the authors of books I read as a kid were '''''terrible''''' at designing puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Jill]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Cryptography]]
[[Category:Kids]]

2869: Puzzles

2023-12-20T16:29:17Z

Twistleton: wording

{{comic
| number = 2869
| date = December 18, 2023
| title = Puzzles
| image = puzzles_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x455px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Why couldn't the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by AUNT '''A'''MY, '''A'''S IN '''A'''N '''A'''WFUL CLUE FROM '''A''' CHILDREN'S BOOK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Many children's books, especially those read by Randall's generation, feature in-story puzzles. Some of these hold up pretty well decades later, like the ones in {{w|Ellen Raskin}}'s award-winning mystery books for kids. Others, however, are…a lot less impressive. Randall doesn't specify which children's books have "terrible" puzzles, but the ''{{w|Hardy Boys}}'' series by Franklin W. Dixon and the ''{{w|Boxcar Children}}'' series by Gertrude Chandler Warner are strong possibilities. (The Riddler in the 1960s ''{{w|Batman (TV series)|Batman}}'' TV series famously played the trope for laughs.)

In the panel, characters from one such book (presumably a made-up example) are contemplating a puzzle set by somebody's Aunt Gertrude. The characters guess Gertrude's amulet must be hidden in the Ground, because that starts with a G, like Gertrude, and that they should diG a hole. These guesses are not very practical; it seems unlikely that Aunt Gertrude either (A) chose to be known indefinitely by a G-name purely as a clue about where she hid an amulet, or (B) was inspired by her own name to choose a vaguely compatible method of concealment. Even if she ''did'', there are many other words that begin with G, such as Gulf, or Gull, or Go-Get-a-plane-and-fly-to-Greenland, and any of these would be just as plausible "clues."

Moreover, once deciding that this "clue" is telling them to dig a hole in the ground, the search is not significantly narrowed as the world is a big place and "underground, somewhere" leaves a huge range of possible locations. You may need {{tvtropes|XMarksTheSpot|at least one more letter}} to narrow the options down. All this leads us to Randall's point — that these connections made by the characters are tenuous at best and are unreasonable to make, especially as part of a riddle.

Aunt Gertrude is probably named after a supporting character in the ''Hardy Boys'' series; the Aunt Gertrude in that series didn't set puzzles, but main characters Frank and Joe Hardy frequently had to decipher clues to find hidden objects.

The title text references {{w|Alice and Bob|Alice}}, a fictional character commonly used in discussions about cryptography. In those discussions, Alice is often sending and receiving encrypted messages, and she would be expected to be able to make a better puzzle than the one shown in the comic. Alice and Bob and other characters from the same set have been mentioned previously in xkcd, like in [[177: Alice and Bob]]. Using modern cryptography in lieu of riddles in children's stories was also mentioned in [[370: Redwall]].

==Transcript==
:[Possibly teenage versions of Hairy, Jill, Ponytail, and Cueball, listed from left to right, are standing in a line. Hairy is in a thinking pose, Jill faces Hairy, and Ponytail and Cueball are walking to the right; Cueball is pointing off-panel.]
:Hairy: Aunt Gertrude must have left a clue to the amulet's location.
:Jill: Hmm. Wait a minute.
:Jill: '''G'''ertrude. '''G'''.
:Hairy: As in "'''G'''round!"
:Jill: And "di'''G''' a hole!"
:Ponytail: I'll get a shovel!
:Cueball: To the yard!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Some of the authors of books I read as a kid were '''''terrible''''' at designing puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Jill]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Cryptography]]
[[Category:Kids]]

2869: Puzzles

2023-12-20T16:27:55Z

Twistleton: clean up, remove repetitions and work-in-progress comments, add further detail

{{comic
| number = 2869
| date = December 18, 2023
| title = Puzzles
| image = puzzles_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x455px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Why couldn't the amulet have been hidden by Aunt Alice, who understands modern key exchange algorithms?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by AUNT '''A'''MY, '''A'''S IN '''A'''N '''A'''WFUL CLUE FROM '''A''' CHILDREN'S BOOK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Many children's books, especially those read by Randall's generation, feature in-story puzzles. Some of these hold up pretty well decades later, like the ones in {{w|Ellen Raskin}}'s award-winning mystery books for kids. Others, however, are…a lot less impressive. Randall doesn't specify which children's books have "terrible" riddles, but the ''{{w|Hardy Boys}}'' series by Franklin W. Dixon and the ''{{w|Boxcar Children}}'' series by Gertrude Chandler Warner are strong possibilities. (The Riddler in the 1960s ''{{w|Batman (TV series)|Batman}}'' TV series famously played the trope for laughs.)

In the panel, characters from one such book (presumably a made-up example) are contemplating a puzzle set by somebody's Aunt Gertrude. The characters guess Gertrude's amulet must be hidden in the Ground, because that starts with a G, like Gertrude, and that they should diG a hole. These guesses are not very practical; it seems unlikely that Aunt Gertrude either (A) chose to be known indefinitely by a G-name purely as a clue about where she hid an amulet, or (B) was inspired by her own name to choose a vaguely compatible method of concealment. Even if she ''did'', there are many other words that begin with G, such as Gulf, or Gull, or Go-Get-a-plane-and-fly-to-Greenland, and any of these would be just as plausible "clues."

Moreover, once deciding that this "clue" is telling them to dig a hole in the ground, the search is not significantly narrowed as the world is a big place and "underground, somewhere" leaves a huge range of possible locations. You may need {{tvtropes|XMarksTheSpot|at least one more letter}} to narrow the options down. All this leads us to Randall's point — that these connections made by the characters are tenuous at best and are unreasonable to make, especially as part of a riddle.

Aunt Gertrude is probably named after a supporting character in the ''Hardy Boys'' series; the Aunt Gertrude in that series didn't set puzzles, but main characters Frank and Joe Hardy frequently had to decipher clues to find hidden objects.

The title text references {{w|Alice and Bob|Alice}}, a fictional character commonly used in discussions about cryptography. In those discussions, Alice is often sending and receiving encrypted messages, and she would be expected to be able to make a better puzzle than the one shown in the comic. Alice and Bob and other characters from the same set have been mentioned previously in xkcd, like in [[177: Alice and Bob]]. Using modern cryptography in lieu of riddles in children's stories was also mentioned in [[370: Redwall]].

==Transcript==
:[Possibly teenage versions of Hairy, Jill, Ponytail, and Cueball, listed from left to right, are standing in a line. Hairy is in a thinking pose, Jill faces Hairy, and Ponytail and Cueball are walking to the right; Cueball is pointing off-panel.]
:Hairy: Aunt Gertrude must have left a clue to the amulet's location.
:Jill: Hmm. Wait a minute.
:Jill: '''G'''ertrude. '''G'''.
:Hairy: As in "'''G'''round!"
:Jill: And "di'''G''' a hole!"
:Ponytail: I'll get a shovel!
:Cueball: To the yard!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Some of the authors of books I read as a kid were '''''terrible''''' at designing puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Jill]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Cryptography]]
[[Category:Kids]]

2729: Planet Killer Comet Margarita

2023-01-26T02:23:59Z

Twistleton: not a substitution; triple sec *is* an orange liqueur

{{comic
| number = 2729
| date = January 25, 2023
| title = Planet Killer Comet Margarita
| image = planet_killer_comet_margarita_2x.png
| imagesize = 607x942px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I'll take mine on the rocks, no ice.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MARGARITAFIED METEOR - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|margarita}} is a popular cocktail made from {{w|tequila}}, {{w|agave}}, {{w|triple sec}}, and {{w|lime juice}}. The frozen margarita variety is blended with ice, and this comic suggests making an enormous drink using the ice from a {{w|comet nucleus}} – the one depicted having more than a passing similarity to the much studied {{w|67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko}}. Based on the amount of ice in a typical comet, it extrapolates the quantity of the other ingredients. The size of this drink will fill {{w|Lake Mead}}, a massive reservoir on the {{w|Colorado River}} holding water controversially held by {{w|Hoover Dam}}.

Beyond the unusual quantities and mixing method, the only change to the standard recipe is that Randall uses the general term "orange liqueur" here rather than specifying triple sec. (As of this writing, {{w|orange liqueur}} redirects to "triple sec" on Wikipedia.)

''{{w|Armageddon_(1998_film)|Armageddon}}'' is a movie starring {{w|Bruce Willis}} about a team of astronauts and oil drill engineers on a mission to blow up an asteroid that's on a collision course with the Earth. The oil drill would be used to drill a hole deep into the asteroid, into which they'll drop a nuclear bomb to destroy it. The comic suggests using the same technique to explode the comet nucleus to get the ice.

In the title text, he asks for it "on the rocks". In the context of margaritas this means on ice {{Citation needed}}. But the comet nucleus also contains lots of rocky material. If you explode the nucleus and remove the ice, the drink will be full of rocks.

In the header, it says "Today's comic was drawn for Daniel Becker, based on
[https://what-if.xkcd.com/162/ his winning question] submitted to the [https://xkcd.com/what-if-2/ What If? 2] contest."

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

:<big>The Planet Killer</big>
:Comet Ice Margarita

:Ingredients
:4,000 oil tankers full of tequila
:1,000 tankers full of orange liqueur
:1,000 tankers full of agave
:The juice from 20 trillion limes
:One comet nucleus

:Instructions
:(1) Drain Lake Mead, combine ingredients behind Hoover Dam
:(2) Detonate comet using Bruce Willis's drilling rig from ''Armageddon'' (1998)
::''Boom''
:(3) Dispense drink through Hoover Dam turbines

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Puns]]

2707: Astronomy Numbers

2022-12-06T17:14:33Z

Twistleton: /* Explanation */ for non-mathematicians

{{comic
| number = 2707
| date = December 5, 2022
| title = Astronomy Numbers
| image = astronomy_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 593x315px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I adopted a cat that weighs 12 solar masses. Laser pointers love chasing it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CAT-LOVING LASER POINTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Space is big. Vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big,[https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/14434-space-is-big-you-just-won-t-believe-how-vastly-hugely] and the things that are in space can also end up being very big themselves. As a result of this, most quantities in astronomy can vary by huge scales. For example, Earth has a mass 10^23 times more than the average human, and the Sun is 10^5 times more than that, which itself is 10^12 times less massive than the Milky Way. The same applies to speeds, distances, and time, which can often be measured in terms of light speed, light-years, and millions (or even billions) of years. Because of this, it's a truly unusual occurrence for anything in space to end up in the fairly narrow range of scales of mass, size, speed, or time that humans can easily grasp.

Ponytail, a scientist apparently researching something related to Earth's orbit, finds that on the next January 1, Earth will be moving at a velocity of 65 miles per hour—an extremely common and normal-sounding velocity to American ears, often used as a speed limit on highways in the US. Ponytail is clearly a little thrown-off by this, and remarks that she finds it "suspicious" when reasonably human-scaled numbers come up.

She then extends this paranoia to things that should be measured in regular numbers, such as the weight of cats. The vet (Megan) is seemingly used to this problem (perhaps she gets a lot of physicists), so she restates the 12-lb weight of Ponytail's cat in solar masses. Since using this unit yields an ''incredibly'' small number, 3*10^-30 (a three preceded by a decimal point and 29 zeroes), it evidently sounds more plausible to the astronomer.

==Details on the numbers==
Although the Earth's orbital velocity around the Sun is far above any "normal" scales (around 30 kilometers per second or 108,000 kilometers per hour), Earth has a pretty circular orbit around the Sun so most of this speed ends up being tangential (sideways) rather than radial (towards or away from) the Sun, which is the value relevant for Ponytail's calculations. On January 1, Earth's radial velocity is close to its smallest value because we reach our closest point to the Sun in the first few days of January each year (in 2023, it happens on January 4) so by January 1, it's nearly come to a standstill before it starts traveling away from the Sun again. On the other hand, by April 3, 2023, Earth will be receding from the Sun by almost 500 meters per second or 1800 kilometers per hour, a slightly less normal speed for the average person to encounter in everyday life.{{citation needed}}

65 miles per hour is approximately equal to 105 kilometers per hour, although the even more typical scientific value (in {{w|International System of Units|SI}} derived units) would be 29 meters per second. 3 × 10^−30 solar masses is approximately equal to 6 kilograms or 13 pounds (consistent with the 12 pounds, or slightly under 5.5 kilograms, of the original figure) and is normal, if perhaps slightly overweight, for a cat.

==Title text==
The title text suggests that laser pointers "love chasing" a new cat with a weight of 12 solar masses (an inversion of the typical cat behavior of [[729: Laser Pointer|chasing laser pointer dots]]).
All gravitational fields bend light towards their center, a 12 solar mass object would bend quite a lot. A Laser pointer pointed at such a cat would bend towards it or "chase" it. In fact, 12 solar masses, would have a Schwarzschild radius of around 36 kilometers, so a regularly sized cat that size would very definitely be a black hole, drawing all light within 72 kilometers around it into its singularity.

Another interpretation of the title text is that Randall has (presumably) accidentally adopted a distant star instead, which astronomers usually take a liking to pointing laser pointers at during both star parties & normal parties they were unwisely invited to. Assuming Randall's 12-solar-mass cat goes through similar life cycles to a 12-solar-mass star, his cat will probably end up living a violent, short life of just a few million years before expanding into a red supercat and exploding as a feline supernova, which might explain why astronomers are so interested in pointing it out. Or maybe a {{w|Laser guide star}} for a telescope with adaptive optics is being referred to.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is standing in front of a whiteboard writing on it with a pen, while Cueball looks over her shoulder from behind her. On the board is an almost circular ellipse with a cross that centers on a dot towards the left side of it. On the right side there is a small circle on the ellipse's line. There are several lines of wiggles representing unreadable text. To the left of the ellipse there are two lines near the top of and four near at the bottom of the ellipse. Ponytail is writing a fifth line below these almost under the ellipse. At the bottom to the left there is a rectangular frame with a line of text beneath it and at the bottom left corner there is a line forming a half closes rectangle around two dots.]
:Ponytail: …And we need to correct for our elliptical orbit. On January 1st, Earth will be approaching the sun at a rate of ...let's see...
:Ponytail: 65 miles per hour.
:Ponytail: Weird. Okay.
:Cueball: Weird?

:[Ponytail has turned towards Cueball, the pen is no longer in her hand and the white board is no longer shown.]
:Ponytail: I get suspicious whenever I see a normal number in astronomy. We're not supposed to have those. Feels wrong.
:Ponytail: Scales should all be incomprehensible.

:[Megan in a lab-coat raised her hand palm up towards an animal carrier cage standing on her desk. The cage has a handle and five air holes are at the top. Behind two of them something black inside the cage can be seen. Ponytail is standing on the other side of the desk looking at Megan. Above the top of the panels frame there is a panel with a label:]
:Earlier, at the vet:
:Megan: Your cat weighs 12 lbs.
:Ponytail: Ridiculous, nothing weighs "12". You must mean 10-20? Or 1040?
:Megan: Fine. Your cat weighs 3x10-30 solar masses.
:Ponytail: Okay. Better.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Cats]]

2707: Astronomy Numbers

2022-12-06T17:07:33Z

Twistleton: heading clarify

{{comic
| number = 2707
| date = December 5, 2022
| title = Astronomy Numbers
| image = astronomy_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 593x315px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I adopted a cat that weighs 12 solar masses. Laser pointers love chasing it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CAT-LOVING LASER POINTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Space is big. Vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big,[https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/14434-space-is-big-you-just-won-t-believe-how-vastly-hugely] and the things that are in space can also end up being very big themselves. As a result of this, most quantities in astronomy can vary by huge scales. For example, Earth has a mass 10^23 times more than the average human, and the Sun is 10^5 times more than that, which itself is 10^12 times less massive than the Milky Way. The same applies to speeds, distances, and time, which can often be measured in terms of light speed, light-years, and millions (or even billions) of years. Because of this, it's a truly unusual occurrence for anything in space to end up in the fairly narrow range of scales of mass, size, speed, or time that humans can easily grasp.

Ponytail, a scientist apparently researching something related to Earth's orbit, finds that on the next January 1, Earth will be moving at a velocity of 65 miles per hour—an extremely common and normal-sounding velocity to American ears, often used as a speed limit on highways in the US. Ponytail is clearly a little thrown-off by this, and remarks that she finds it "suspicious" when reasonably human-scaled numbers come up.

She then extends this paranoia to things that should be measured in regular numbers, such as the weight of cats. The vet (Megan) is seemingly used to this problem (perhaps she gets a lot of physicists), so she restates the 12-lb weight of Ponytail’s cat in solar masses, which evidently sounds more plausible to the astronomer.

==Details on the numbers==
Although the Earth's orbital velocity around the Sun is far above any "normal" scales (around 30 kilometers per second or 108,000 kilometers per hour), Earth has a pretty circular orbit around the Sun so most of this speed ends up being tangential (sideways) rather than radial (towards or away from) the Sun, which is the value relevant for Ponytail's calculations. On January 1, Earth's radial velocity is close to its smallest value because we reach our closest point to the Sun in the first few days of January each year (in 2023, it happens on January 4) so by January 1, it's nearly come to a standstill before it starts traveling away from the Sun again. On the other hand, by April 3, 2023, Earth will be receding from the Sun by almost 500 meters per second or 1800 kilometers per hour, a slightly less normal speed for the average person to encounter in everyday life.{{citation needed}}

65 miles per hour is approximately equal to 105 kilometers per hour, although the even more typical scientific value (in {{w|International System of Units|SI}} derived units) would be 29 meters per second. 3 × 10^−30 solar masses is approximately equal to 6 kilograms or 13 pounds (consistent with the 12 pounds, or slightly under 5.5 kilograms, of the original figure) and is normal, if perhaps slightly overweight, for a cat.

==Title text==
The title text suggests that laser pointers "love chasing" a new cat with a weight of 12 solar masses (an inversion of the typical cat behavior of [[729: Laser Pointer|chasing laser pointer dots]]).
All gravitational fields bend light towards their center, a 12 solar mass object would bend quite a lot. A Laser pointer pointed at such a cat would bend towards it or "chase" it. In fact, 12 solar masses, would have a Schwarzschild radius of around 36 kilometers, so a regularly sized cat that size would very definitely be a black hole, drawing all light within 72 kilometers around it into its singularity.

Another interpretation of the title text is that Randall has (presumably) accidentally adopted a distant star instead, which astronomers usually take a liking to pointing laser pointers at during both star parties & normal parties they were unwisely invited to. Assuming Randall's 12-solar-mass cat goes through similar life cycles to a 12-solar-mass star, his cat will probably end up living a violent, short life of just a few million years before expanding into a red supercat and exploding as a feline supernova, which might explain why astronomers are so interested in pointing it out. Or maybe a {{w|Laser guide star}} for a telescope with adaptive optics is being referred to.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is standing in front of a whiteboard writing on it with a pen, while Cueball looks over her shoulder from behind her. On the board is an almost circular ellipse with a cross that centers on a dot towards the left side of it. On the right side there is a small circle on the ellipse's line. There are several lines of wiggles representing unreadable text. To the left of the ellipse there are two lines near the top of and four near at the bottom of the ellipse. Ponytail is writing a fifth line below these almost under the ellipse. At the bottom to the left there is a rectangular frame with a line of text beneath it and at the bottom left corner there is a line forming a half closes rectangle around two dots.]
:Ponytail: …And we need to correct for our elliptical orbit. On January 1st, Earth will be approaching the sun at a rate of ...let's see...
:Ponytail: 65 miles per hour.
:Ponytail: Weird. Okay.
:Cueball: Weird?

:[Ponytail has turned towards Cueball, the pen is no longer in her hand and the white board is no longer shown.]
:Ponytail: I get suspicious whenever I see a normal number in astronomy. We're not supposed to have those. Feels wrong.
:Ponytail: Scales should all be incomprehensible.

:[Megan in a lab-coat raised her hand palm up towards an animal carrier cage standing on her desk. The cage has a handle and five air holes are at the top. Behind two of them something black inside the cage can be seen. Ponytail is standing on the other side of the desk looking at Megan. Above the top of the panels frame there is a panel with a label:]
:Earlier, at the vet:
:Megan: Your cat weighs 12 lbs.
:Ponytail: Ridiculous, nothing weighs "12". You must mean 10-20? Or 1040?
:Megan: Fine. Your cat weighs 3x10-30 solar masses.
:Ponytail: Okay. Better.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Cats]]

2707: Astronomy Numbers

2022-12-06T17:06:42Z

Twistleton: clarifications

{{comic
| number = 2707
| date = December 5, 2022
| title = Astronomy Numbers
| image = astronomy_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 593x315px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I adopted a cat that weighs 12 solar masses. Laser pointers love chasing it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CAT-LOVING LASER POINTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Space is big. Vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big,[https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/14434-space-is-big-you-just-won-t-believe-how-vastly-hugely] and the things that are in space can also end up being very big themselves. As a result of this, most quantities in astronomy can vary by huge scales. For example, Earth has a mass 10^23 times more than the average human, and the Sun is 10^5 times more than that, which itself is 10^12 times less massive than the Milky Way. The same applies to speeds, distances, and time, which can often be measured in terms of light speed, light-years, and millions (or even billions) of years. Because of this, it's a truly unusual occurrence for anything in space to end up in the fairly narrow range of scales of mass, size, speed, or time that humans can easily grasp.

Ponytail, a scientist apparently researching something related to Earth's orbit, finds that on the next January 1, Earth will be moving at a velocity of 65 miles per hour—an extremely common and normal-sounding velocity to American ears, often used as a speed limit on highways in the US. Ponytail is clearly a little thrown-off by this, and remarks that she finds it "suspicious" when reasonably human-scaled numbers come up.

She then extends this paranoia to things that should be measured in regular numbers, such as the weight of cats. The vet (Megan) is seemingly used to this problem (perhaps she gets a lot of physicists), so she restates the 12-lb weight of Ponytail’s cat in solar masses, which evidently sounds more plausible to the astronomer.

==Earth's velocity==
Although the Earth's orbital velocity around the Sun is far above any "normal" scales (around 30 kilometers per second or 108,000 kilometers per hour), Earth has a pretty circular orbit around the Sun so most of this speed ends up being tangential (sideways) rather than radial (towards or away from) the Sun, which is the value relevant for Ponytail's calculations. On January 1, Earth's radial velocity is close to its smallest value because we reach our closest point to the Sun in the first few days of January each year (in 2023, it happens on January 4) so by January 1, it's nearly come to a standstill before it starts traveling away from the Sun again. On the other hand, by April 3, 2023, Earth will be receding from the Sun by almost 500 meters per second or 1800 kilometers per hour, a slightly less normal speed for the average person to encounter in everyday life.{{citation needed}}

65 miles per hour is approximately equal to 105 kilometers per hour, although the even more typical scientific value (in {{w|International System of Units|SI}} derived units) would be 29 meters per second. 3 × 10^−30 solar masses is approximately equal to 6 kilograms or 13 pounds (consistent with the 12 pounds, or slightly under 5.5 kilograms, of the original figure) and is normal, if perhaps slightly overweight, for a cat.

==Title text==
The title text suggests that laser pointers "love chasing" a new cat with a weight of 12 solar masses (an inversion of the typical cat behavior of [[729: Laser Pointer|chasing laser pointer dots]]).
All gravitational fields bend light towards their center, a 12 solar mass object would bend quite a lot. A Laser pointer pointed at such a cat would bend towards it or "chase" it. In fact, 12 solar masses, would have a Schwarzschild radius of around 36 kilometers, so a regularly sized cat that size would very definitely be a black hole, drawing all light within 72 kilometers around it into its singularity.

Another interpretation of the title text is that Randall has (presumably) accidentally adopted a distant star instead, which astronomers usually take a liking to pointing laser pointers at during both star parties & normal parties they were unwisely invited to. Assuming Randall's 12-solar-mass cat goes through similar life cycles to a 12-solar-mass star, his cat will probably end up living a violent, short life of just a few million years before expanding into a red supercat and exploding as a feline supernova, which might explain why astronomers are so interested in pointing it out. Or maybe a {{w|Laser guide star}} for a telescope with adaptive optics is being referred to.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is standing in front of a whiteboard writing on it with a pen, while Cueball looks over her shoulder from behind her. On the board is an almost circular ellipse with a cross that centers on a dot towards the left side of it. On the right side there is a small circle on the ellipse's line. There are several lines of wiggles representing unreadable text. To the left of the ellipse there are two lines near the top of and four near at the bottom of the ellipse. Ponytail is writing a fifth line below these almost under the ellipse. At the bottom to the left there is a rectangular frame with a line of text beneath it and at the bottom left corner there is a line forming a half closes rectangle around two dots.]
:Ponytail: …And we need to correct for our elliptical orbit. On January 1st, Earth will be approaching the sun at a rate of ...let's see...
:Ponytail: 65 miles per hour.
:Ponytail: Weird. Okay.
:Cueball: Weird?

:[Ponytail has turned towards Cueball, the pen is no longer in her hand and the white board is no longer shown.]
:Ponytail: I get suspicious whenever I see a normal number in astronomy. We're not supposed to have those. Feels wrong.
:Ponytail: Scales should all be incomprehensible.

:[Megan in a lab-coat raised her hand palm up towards an animal carrier cage standing on her desk. The cage has a handle and five air holes are at the top. Behind two of them something black inside the cage can be seen. Ponytail is standing on the other side of the desk looking at Megan. Above the top of the panels frame there is a panel with a label:]
:Earlier, at the vet:
:Megan: Your cat weighs 12 lbs.
:Ponytail: Ridiculous, nothing weighs "12". You must mean 10-20? Or 1040?
:Megan: Fine. Your cat weighs 3x10-30 solar masses.
:Ponytail: Okay. Better.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Cats]]

1032: Networking

2022-11-30T21:57:30Z

Twistleton: update long-tail descriptor (since Netflix no longer has a monopoly on movie streaming), cut diatribe complained about in the discussion

{{comic
| number = 1032
| date = March 21, 2012
| title = Networking
| image = networking.png
| titletext = Our company is agile and lean with a focus on the long tail. Ok, our company is actually a polecat I found in my backyard.
}}

==Explanation==
Networking, in business, is the act of expanding your group of contacts in order to help your career down the line. Here, in this comic, [[Beret Guy]] meets {{w|Chief Technology Officer}} (CTO, an executive-level position overseeing the development of new technologies) Connr Clark (perhaps a typo for "Connor" or perhaps a reference to common "Web 2.0" names like the businesses {{w|Flickr}}, {{w|Tumblr}}, etc.). Beret Guy is as strange as he usually is: he introduces himself as a "business professional" rather than as someone with any kind of specific job, and then goes on to mention that he photocopied a burrito, which he presumably believes is the sort of thing business professionals do. He also has a business card; usually, this would contain contact information, but his only says "This is my business card". He calls his briefcase, or suitcase, a "handlebox", and it is full of a quarter of a million dollars in cash. (The source of this money is not discussed in this comic, but in [[1493: Meeting]], Ponytail says it "keeps appearing, but we have no idea how or why.") Then Beret Guy proceeds to eat Connr's business card. Business cards are again mentioned in the title text of [[2277: Business Greetings]], also about one of Beret Guy's businesses. None of these things are common behavior. {{Citation needed}}

"Networking" is often an over-hyped, empty affair. There are many networking meetings of every description going on every day everywhere, and most people trade cards and continue to not make money. So that's the joke – Beret Guy does the networking {{w|schtick}}, badly, and yet is somehow making huge amounts of money at it.

The comic is also likely a joke on the idea that many people are excited about becoming a "business professional" who carries a briefcase, hands out business cards, and makes tons of money, without having an adequate plan for how to make those things happen, or possibly even knowing what their actual job would be. Beret Guy never says what he does, simply introducing himself as a "business professional," and explains his piles of cash with "I am a business grown-up who makes business profits!" In this world —and in people's dreams— when you "grow up" and start a business, money magically appears. Obviously, that's not how it works.{{Citation needed}}

The "Eusocial" in "Eusocial Media Ventures" is a reference to {{w|eusociality}}, the highest level of social cooperation found in the animal kingdom. Eusocial animals (termites being a common example) cooperate together to raise their young, have different generations living in the same colony, and have specialized individuals for reproductive and non-reproductive tasks.

The title text is a pun on three common business buzzwords: agile, lean, and long-tail. An agile business is one that can change course quickly based on customer demands and the business environment. A lean business is one with minimal inventory or assets; nothing is idle or warehoused, so everything is in active use or on the move. Long-tail describes the strategy of offering a large number of unique items with relatively small quantities sold of each – usually in addition to selling fewer popular items in large quantities. (Most streaming services use some form of long-tail strategy, as their libraries usually include a few big-ticket mainstream movies and series plus a much larger array of titles with more niche interest.)

And of course, the pun here is one animal that is agile and lean with a long ''tail'' is a {{w|polecat}}.

Obviously, Beret Guy's business plan, [[1021: Business Plan]], worked. See also [[1117: My Sky]].

==Transcript==
:[A man approaches Beret Guy at a party and they extend arms to shake hands. Beret Guy is holding a metal briefcase. Ponytail is a waitress in the background, carrying a tray with a wine glass on it.]
:Connr: I'm Connr Clark, CTO at Eusocial Media Ventures.
:Beret Guy: I'm a business professional! Earlier I photocopied a burrito!

:[Connr hands Beret Guy a business card. Beret Guy takes it and hands Connr another business card. Beret Guy has put his suitcase on the floor.]
:Connr: You should check us out! Here's my card.
:Beret Guy: Here's mine!
:Beret Guy: Networking!

:[Connr takes a closer look at the card, and Beret Guy holds up his case.]
:Connr: ...this just says "This is my business card!"
:Beret Guy: Do you like it? I have more in my handlebox.

:[Beret Guy puts his case on a table and opens it to reveal it is full of cash. Connr looks on in shock.]
:Connr: Uh, that's ok, I think I'll—
:Beret Guy: Here, have ten of them!
:Connr: —holy shit that thing is full of ''cash!''

:[Connr raises his arms in excitement. Beret Guy turns to face him and chews on Connr's business card.]
:Connr: Where did you ''get'' that?
:Beret Guy: I am a business grown-up who makes business profits!
:Connr: That's like a quarter of a million dollars!
:Beret Guy: Yay! Business is fun!
:Beret Guy: Do you have more of your cards? They're ''delicious!''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

2293: RIP John Conway

2022-11-22T14:23:04Z

Twistleton: clarify soul imagery (saying it directly signifies Heaven seems a bit much)

{{comic
| number = 2293
| date = April 13, 2020
| title = RIP John Conway
| image = rip_john_conway.gif
| titletext = 1937-2020
}}

==Explanation==

{{w|John Horton Conway|John Conway}}, an English mathematician, passed away of [[:Category:COVID-19|COVID-19]] on April 11, 2020. Two days later, [[Randall]] created this [[:Category:Tribute|memorial comic]]. It is the 6th memorial comic, but it is the first released in almost 5 years, since [[1560: Bubblegum]].

One of Conway's most famous creations was the {{w|cellular automaton}} known as {{w|Conway's Game of Life}}. A cellular automaton is a machine composed of cells, each of which can be in a different state. Every generation, each cell in the automaton may transition to a new state depending on a set of rules. (Conway's work in mathematics was vast and various, but he is perhaps best known in the field for discovering the {{w|surreal numbers}}, which inspired Donald Knuth to write a novel which may have been referenced back in [[505: A Bunch of Rocks]].)

Conway's Game of Life was first popularized to the general public in the form of a game, Life Genesis, bundled into some distributions of Windows 3.1, an operating system from the early-90s that Randall most likely used in his preteen years.

Conway's Game of Life is a 2-state automaton (i.e., every cell can be "alive" or "dead") that is implemented on a two-dimensional grid of cells using the {{w|Moore neighborhood}} - this means that each cell can only be influenced by the eight cells directly surrounding it, both orthogonally and diagonally. The transition rules that Conway used are as follows:

* If an "alive" cell has no live neighbors, or only one live neighbor, it becomes "dead". (This simulates death by isolation).
* If an "alive" cell has four or more live neighbors, it becomes "dead". (This simulates death by overcrowding).
* If a "dead" cell has exactly three live neighbors, it becomes "alive". (This simulates birth).

Despite the simplicity of these three rules, Conway showed that patterns of amazing complexity can nonetheless develop out of simple cell arrangements. Some patterns do not evolve at all ("still lifes"), some enter a cyclic, repeating state ("oscillators"), and some reproduce their own pattern displaced by an offset, resulting in patterns that can move across the grid under their own power ("gliders" and "spaceships"). This last category is of particular interest, as it allows the Game of Life to transmit information from one location to another, allowing for rich, dynamic behavior and even for the creation of computational machines within the automaton itself.

This comic begins with the shape of a stick figure as the starting cell configuration of the Game of Life. The black cells are "alive" and the white cells are "dead". This configuration then evolves via Conway's rules, disintegrating into nothingness except for a five-cell pattern known as a "glider", which ascends up and to the right. This visually suggests an eternal "soul" breaking away as the corporeal body disintegrates. The glider is perhaps the most iconic pattern of the Game of Life, and is often used symbolically to represent the phenomenon of emergence.

Here the topology of the grid on which the cells evolve is not known, the cellular automaton can be run on many topologies, for example you can choose to make cells reappear from the opposite side once they reach an edge (similarly to the behaviour of the well known Pacman). Here once the glider reaches the top right, we know for sure that the actual grid is bigger (since the glider leaves the frame while continuing its pattern), and we are only seeing part of the full grid.

The initial state presented in the comic does actually evolve in that manner, as can be verified by entering the pattern into a cellular automaton simulator such as [http://golly.sourceforge.net/ Golly] or web services such as [https://bitstorm.org/gameoflife/ this one]. It seems that no one else have created this pattern before. At least, despite discussion in the comments, no one has found anything to show that this is not Randall's own discovery of this pattern.

The title text simply states Conway's birth and death year: 1937-2020.

Conway's Game of Life was previously mentioned in [[696: Strip Games]]. Cellular automata was also referenced in [[505: A Bunch of Rocks]].

This comic is the 18th comic in a row (not counting the [[2288: Collector's Edition|April Fools' comic]]) in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}. Although this comic is, of course, mainly a tribute to John Conway, the fact that he died of COVID-19 in the middle of this long series of coronavirus-related comics by Randall is relevant.

==Table of generations==
{| class="wikitable"
!Generation
!Notes
|-
|[[File:Generation 0.jpg|thumb]]||Starting state (or "zeroth generation").
|-
|[[File:Generation 1.jpg|thumb]]||First generation. Note that this image is not aligned with the previous one: the position of all cells has shifted downward by one cell. All further generations are aligned the same as this one.
|-
|[[File:Generation 2.jpg|thumb]]||Second generation.
|-
|[[File:Generation 3.jpg|thumb]]||Third generation.
|-
|[[File:Generation 4.jpg|thumb]]||Fourth generation.
|-
|[[File:Generation 5.jpg|thumb]]||Fifth generation.
|-
|[[File:Generation 6.jpg|thumb]]||Sixth generation. The first appearance of the {{w|Glider (Conway's Life)|glider}}, a well-known formation in Conway's Game of Life.
|-
|[[File:Generation 7.jpg|thumb]]||Seventh generation. The glider takes on its other shape.
|-
|[[File:Generation 8.jpg|thumb]]||Eighth generation. The glider returns to its first shape, pointing right instead of up.
|-
|[[File:Generation 9.jpg|thumb]]||Ninth generation. The glider's second shape again, pointing right instead of up.
|-
|[[File:Generation 10.jpg|thumb]]||Tenth generation. The glider is now in its original form, but one cell higher and one cell to the right. It will continue to progress, cycling through these four states every four generations. The remains of the chaos down below will take two more generations to disappear completely.
|}

==Transcript==
:[A pixelated image of a stick figure using 21 pixels, could be a pixel Cueball, which waves with one hand up while holding the other hand down. The head consist of 7 pixels, the top row of three having two pixels beneath the two outer pixels, thus having two empty pixels beneath the central pixel. The neck and torso is a typical cross made from six pixels. The two legs are two pixels each shifted left and right of the cross. The arm to the left that waves is two pixels one down and the next back up to the level of the cross central beam. The arm to the right has the first pixel similarly but the second pixel continues one further step down. After less than one second it turns out that the image is animated, with the pixels changing according to the rules of Conway's Game of Life. The figure splits into three groups, two of which dissipates in a similar way at the bottom of the panel. The other becomes a 'glider' and moves off to the top-right corner of the image and out of the frame. The animation then repeats.]

==Trivia==

* "XKCD RIP John Conway" has been cited on [http://conwaylife.com/wiki/Pure_glider_generator LifeWiki]
* "XKCD RIP John Conway" is now available on [http://catagolue.hatsya.com/object/xkcd_48jsj8gzwe9e/b3s23 Catagolue]

==Issues with some clients==

Some clients of the site crashed on this xkcd, most notably the Samsung Smart TV client.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Tribute]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

696: Strip Games

2022-09-05T16:53:26Z

Twistleton: /* Explanation */ explaining the title text's capitalization and wording

{{comic
| number = 696
| date = February 1, 2010
| title = Strip Games
| image = strip_games.png
| titletext = HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF STRIP GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR?
}}
==Explanation==
The frequency of strip versions of various games is measured by means of Google search results. Strip versions of popular games are a common activity at parties, especially when alcohol is involved. The obligation to remove pieces of clothing is supposed to add an extra zest to the game. A very widespread variant is {{w|Strip Poker}}, followed by strip versions of regular party games like {{w|Truth or Dare}} or {{w|Spin the Bottle}}.

However, the comic also suggests playing other games in a way that involves stripping. In reality, playing such games as "Strip {{w|Tennis}}" or "Strip {{w|Agricola (board game)|Agricola}}" is rather unusual. The Chris Van Allsburg picture book ''{{w|Jumanji (picture book)| Jumanji}}'' and the Robin Williams movie adaptation
''{{w|Jumanji}}'' are about a magical board game that manifests dangerous creatures and traps from the jungle and lost civilization therein; a theoretical Strip Jumanji would probably not remain very titillating during the chaos (evidently, therefore, "strip Jumanji" refers to [https://jumanji.fandom.com/wiki/Jumanji_(Milton_Bradley_Board_Game) the real-life board game based on the movie]).

The last column features games of which strip versions are (according to Google) nonexistent. While the other columns named sports or board games where a strip variant would be at least conceivable, the last one includes the {{w|zero-player game|zero-player}} {{w|Conway's Game of Life|Game of Life}} and the {{w|Prisoner's_dilemma#The_iterated_prisoner's_dilemma|Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma}}, which is a theoretical example in {{w|game theory}}. It is therefore left to the reader to imagine how a strip version of these pseudo-games would appear.

"Global Thermonuclear War" in the title text is a reference to the film "{{w|WarGames}}", where a young hacker accesses a US military supercomputer and starts a nuclear war simulation, believing it to be only a computer game. The film ends when the computer is shown that nuclear war is "a strange game" in which "the only winning move is not to play". The computer then proposes (on its all-caps screen): "HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF CHESS?"

Strip global thermonuclear war is a patently absurd idea; while it is a common trope for people to engage in one last moment of intimate pleasure before certain doom, foreplay (including strip games of any type) is a time-consuming practice, and time is something you don't have much of considering that the bomb could drop on your place of residence at any moment. Besides all that, the act of betting on which city is going to go up next in a nuclear inferno tends not to be an effective aphrodisiac for most people.{{Citation needed}} But at least you wouldn't be wearing your radioactive clothes!

==Table of games==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!style="width:15%"|Frequency
!style="width:20%"|Name
!Explanation
|-
|rowspan="5"|Frequent n > 1%
|{{w|Poker}}
|Poker, a card game with rounds of betting, is a game with common "strip" variations, see {{w|strip poker}}.
|-
|{{w|Spin the bottle}}
|Spin the bottle is a party game where players must kiss a randomly selected other player. As this is a semi-sexual party game, strip varieties seem like they could be popular.
|-
|{{w|Beer pong}}
|Beer pong is a drinking game common at universities and colleges.
|-
|{{w|Never have I ever}}
|Never have I ever is a drinking game where players take turns asking other players about things they "have not done".
|-
|{{w|Truth or Dare}}
|Truth or dare? is a party game, in which players are given the choice between answering a question truthfully, or performing a dare.
|-
|rowspan="5"|Rare 1% >= n > 0.01%
|{{w|Chess}}
|Chess is a board game between two players. Theoretically, clothing could be removed whenever a piece is captured.
|-
|{{w|Blackjack}}
|Blackjack is a gambling card game, played between players and a dealer, in which players do not play against each other.
|-
|{{w|Tennis}}
|Tennis is a racket sport played between 2 players (or between teams of 2, in the case of doubles).
|-
|{{w|Settlers of Catan}}
|Settlers of Catan is a strategy board game, where players compete to "settle" an island by harvesting resources.
|-
|{{w|Pictionary}}
|Pictionary is a party board game, involving drawing and guessing words.
|-
|rowspan="5"|Extremely rare 0.01% >= n > 0
|{{w|Cricket}}
|Cricket is a bat-and-ball sport, commonly played in the UK, India, and other Commonwealth countries. The laws of cricket (and, given that cricket is an outdoor sport, public obscenity laws) disencourage the players removal of clothing, though it is far from unknown for {{w|Sheila Nicholls|spectators}} to do so.
|-
|{{w|Magic: The Gathering}}
|Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game, released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast.
|-
|{{w|Stickball}}
|Stickball is a game similar to baseball, using a broom handle and a rubber ball.
|-
|{{w|Agricola (board game)|Agricola}}
|Agricola is a farming-inspired strategy board game.
|-
|{{w|Jumanji#Games|Jumanji}}
|''Jumanji'' is a 1995 fantasy film (based on a {{w|Jumanji (picture book)| picture book by Chris Van Allsburg}}) that centers on a supernatural board game. A board game based on the film was released by Milton Bradley.
|-
|rowspan="5"|Nonexistent n = 0
|{{w|Poohsticks}}
|A children's sport mentioned in the {{w|Winnie-the-Pooh|Winnie-the-Pooh books}} played by dropping sticks into a river and watching them reappear on the other side of a bridge. Despite the kid-friendly origins, and unlike the other games below it, a "strip" version of Poohsticks is actually viable.
|-
|[[wikia:w:c:starwars:Podracing|Podracing]]
|Podracing appears in the {{w|Star Wars}} films as a racing competition held with hovering vehicles. How a "strip" version would work between two racers is unclear, but a determined set of spectators "wagering" their clothes on the races could probably hammer out a system.
|-
|{{w|Prisoner's_dilemma#The_iterated_prisoner's_dilemma|Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma}}
|The prisoner's dilemma is a "game" that is analyzed in game theory, showing why rational individuals may not cooperate, even if it is in their best interest to do so. This does not seem like a "playable" game that could involve removing clothing.
|-
|{{w|Chess by mail}}
|Could conceivably work if the players include increasingly-nude photographs of themselves in their correspondences. The problem is, a game by e-mail can take days to finish, and a game by snail-mail can take upwards of ''several months''. The titillation factor is far too spread out to satisfy the desires of anyone who would elect to play a game of strip chess in the first place. It could be an interesting idea for a long-distance relationship, however.
|-
|{{w|Conway's Game of Life}}
|Conway's Game of Life is a {{w|cellular automaton}} devised by British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970. It is not a "game" in the traditional sense, so "stripping" would also be very difficult, if not impossible.
|}

==Transcript==
:Frequency of Strip Versions of Various Games

:n = google hits for "strip <game name>" / google hits for "<game name>"
:(at the time of this writing)

:Frequent
:(n > 1%)
:-Poker
:-Spin the Bottle
:-Beer Pong
:-Never Have I Ever
:-Truth or Dare

:Rare
:(1% >= n > 0.01%)
:-Chess
:-Blackjack
:-Tennis
:-Settlers of Catan
:-Pictionary

:Extremely Rare
:(0.01% >= n > 0)
:-Cricket
:-Magic: the Gathering
:-Stickball
:-Agricola
:-Jumanji

:Nonexistent
:(n = 0)
:-Poohsticks
:-Podracing
:-Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
:-Chess by Mail
:-Conway's Game of Life

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Chess]]
[[Category:Nuclear weapons]]
[[Category:Board games]]

2619: Crêpe

2022-05-13T14:23:09Z

Twistleton: more

{{comic
| number = 2619
| date = May 13, 2022
| title = Crêpe
| image = crepe.png
| titletext = A medicine that makes you put two dots over your letters more often is a diäretic.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CRÊPË - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a play on the expression "Weird flex but OK" ([https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Weird%20flex%20but%20ok definition at Urban Dictionary]). [[Cueball]] has made a {{w|crêpe}}, a thin pancake known for its legendary status in French cuisine. When he says the word "crêpe," however, the {{w|circumflex}} above the "e" comes out odd. Instead of the usual simple angle (^), it looks more like a closed triangle with a curved base. [[Megan]], who can apparently see the text inside speech bubbles, comments on the odd shape with the appropriate pun.

The title text continues the wordplay by punning on {{w|diuretic}} (a substance promoting increased urine production), {{w|Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis}} (adding two dots to a letter), and {{w|diacritic}} (what both the circumflex and the diaeresis are).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball is holding a plate with a crepe on it, conversing with Megan.]
:Cueball: Check out this crêpe I made!
:Megan: Weird circumflex, but okay.

{{comic discussion}}

2619: Crêpe

2022-05-13T14:19:39Z

Twistleton: correction

{{comic
| number = 2619
| date = May 13, 2022
| title = Crêpe
| image = crepe.png
| titletext = A medicine that makes you put two dots over your letters more often is a diäretic.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CRÊPË - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a play on the expression "Weird flex but OK" ([https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Weird%20flex%20but%20ok definition at Urban Dictionary]). [[Cueball]] has made a {{w|crêpe}}, a thin pancake known for its legendary status in French cuisine. When he says the word "crêpe," however, the {{w|circumflex}} above the "e" comes out odd. Instead of the usual simple angle (^), it looks more like a closed triangle with a curved base. [[Megan]], who can apparently see the text inside speech bubbles, comments on the odd shape with the appropriate pun.

The title text continues the wordplay by punning on {{w|diuretic}} (a substance promoting increased urine production) and {{w|diacritic}} (what a circumflex is).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball is holding a plate with a crepe on it, conversing with Megan.]
:Cueball: Check out this crêpe I made!
:Megan: Weird circumflex, but okay.

{{comic discussion}}

2619: Crêpe

2022-05-13T14:19:02Z

Twistleton: concatenating contributions

{{comic
| number = 2619
| date = May 13, 2022
| title = Crêpe
| image = crepe.png
| titletext = A medicine that makes you put two dots over your letters more often is a diäretic.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CRÊPË - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a play on the expression "Weird flex but OK" ([https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Weird%20flex%20but%20ok definition at Urban Dictionary]). [[Cueball]] has made a {{w|crêpe}}, a thin pancake known for its legendary status in French cuisine. When he says the word "crêpe," however, the {{w|circumflex}} above the "e" comes out odd. Instead of the usual simple angle (^), it looks more like a closed triangle with a curved base. [[Megan]], who can apparently see the text inside speech bubbles, comments on the odd shape with the appropriate pun.

The title text continues the wordplay by punning on {{w|diuretic}} (a substance promoting increased urine production) and {{w|diacritical mark}} (what a circumflex is).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball is holding a plate with a crepe on it, conversing with Megan.]
:Cueball: Check out this crêpe I made!
:Megan: Weird circumflex, but okay.

{{comic discussion}}

2619: Crêpe

2022-05-13T14:17:23Z

Twistleton: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2619
| date = May 13, 2022
| title = Crêpe
| image = crepe.png
| titletext = A medicine that makes you put two dots over your letters more often is a diäretic.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CRÊPË - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[Cueball]] has made a {{w|crêpe}}, a thin pancake known for its legendary status in French cuisine. When he says the word "crêpe," however, the {{w|circumflex}} above the "e" comes out odd. Instead of the usual simple angle (^), it looks more like a closed triangle with a curved base.

[[Megan]], who can apparently see the text inside speech bubbles, comments on the odd shape by punning on the stock phrase [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Weird%20flex%20but%20ok "Weird flex but ok."]

The title text continues the wordplay by punning on {{w|diuretic}} (a substance promoting increased urine production) and {{w|diacritical mark}} (what a circumflex is).

This comic is a play on the expression "Weird flex but OK" ([https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Weird%20flex%20but%20ok definition at Urban Dictionary]).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball is holding a plate with a crepe on it, conversing with Megan.]
:Cueball: Check out this crêpe I made!
:Megan: Weird circumflex, but okay.

{{comic discussion}}

1044: Romney Quiz

2021-07-18T19:15:19Z

Twistleton: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1044
| date = April 18, 2012
| title = Romney Quiz
| image = romney quiz.png
| titletext = Charlie actually delivered the Medicare line almost verbatim in the 1971 movie's Fizzy Lifting Drink scene, but it was ultimately cut from the final release.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic satirizes "either/or" quizzes seen on websites such as mentalfloss.com. These quizzes normally have an element of challenge by presenting tonally similar quotes, such as "Who Said It: Ted Nugent or Cartman from ''South Park''?". The two people are generally chosen carefully to fulfill a particular role, for example:
*Polar opposites - Republican vs Democrat, Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice, Christian vs Atheist
*Real vs fictional
*Politician/Celebrity vs villain - George Bush vs Hitler, Nigel Farage vs Ku Klux Klan, Obama vs Lucifer

In each case the idea is usually to surprise the reader with the fact that the quotes are difficult to tell apart, with the implied "conclusion" that person A is essentially indistinguishable from person B. In some cases the quizzes may be used as a tool to portray a particular person or group in a certain way, or alternatively may be light-hearted jest.

{{w|Mitt Romney}} was the {{w|Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2012|Republican candidate for President of the United States}} (officially declared presumptive nominee on April 25, 2012, one week after this comic) during the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|2012 US presidential election}} and, as it says above, the former Governor of Massachusetts. During the election, Mad Magazine published a popular [https://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2012/03/02/who-said-it-mitt-romney-or-mr-burns article] ([https://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2012/11/16/mad-asks-who-said-it-mitt-romney-or-mr-burns-volume-2 volume 2]) which compared quotes from Romney with quotes from the ''{{w|The Simpsons|Simpsons}}'' villain {{w|Montgomery Burns}}, the implication being that like Burns, Romney was a corrupt out-of-touch plutocrat and had similar views and affectations. In this comic, Burns is substituted with Charlie Bucket, the main character of the 1964 {{w|Roald Dahl}} children's novel, ''{{w|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory}},'' adapted to film in 1971 as ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.''

The joke here is that the two categories of quotes are not at all similar, and thus are very easy to attribute. Where the question "Is there even a difference?" usually implies some kind of political satire, in this case the point of the quiz appears to be lost, leading to a situation of bewilderment for the reader.

The title text refers to a Romney comment on {{w|Medicare (United States)|Medicare}}, a national program launched in 1965 to provide health insurance to people age 65 and older, regardless of income or medical history. So the quote being used in a movie in 1971, while obviously not true, is indeed ''possible''. (Though, given that Charlie's supposed to have said it while floating in midair in the Fizzy Lifting Drinks scene, he'd have been more likely to be referring to ''himself'' as needing to regain "solid footing.")

==Transcript==
:[One long panel, with a large headline at the top, flanked by two small pictures on each side: a portrait of Mitt Romney on the left, and a child running with a golden ticket in his hand on the left. Below is a list numbered 1 - 12 down the left. The answers on the bottom are written upside down.]
:QUIZ: Who said it - former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, or Wonka contest winner Charlie Bucket?
:''Is there even a difference?''

:1. ———— "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country."
:2. ———— "Returning Medicare to solid footing represents our greatest entitlement challenge."
:3. ———— "Look, everyone, look, I've got it! The fifth golden ticket is mine!"
:4. ———— We have lost faith in government. Not in just one party, not in just one house, but in government."
:5. ———— "This banana's fantastic! It tastes so real."
:6. ———— "Grandpa... on the way home today, I ran into Mr. Slugworth."
:7. ———— "I'm not happy exporting jobs, but we must move ahead in technology and patents."
:8. ———— "Hey, the room is getting smaller."
:9. ———— "It would be impossible to reach unanimity on every aspect of our budget."
:10. ——— "Grandpa, look over there across the river! They're little men!"
:11. ——— "I'm... going too high! Hey, Grandpa, I can't get down! Help! Grandpa, the fan!"
:12. ——— "Barack Obama has failed America."

:Answers: Mitt Romney: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12; Charlie Bucket: 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11.
:[Answers: Mitt Romney: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12; Charlie Bucket: 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

1044: Romney Quiz

2021-07-18T19:14:34Z

Twistleton: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1044
| date = April 18, 2012
| title = Romney Quiz
| image = romney quiz.png
| titletext = Charlie actually delivered the Medicare line almost verbatim in the 1971 movie's Fizzy Lifting Drink scene, but it was ultimately cut from the final release.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic satirizes "either/or" quizzes seen on websites such as mentalfloss.com. These quizzes normally have an element of challenge by presenting tonally similar quotes, such as "Who Said It: Ted Nugent or Cartman from ''South Park''?". The two people are generally chosen carefully to fulfill a particular role, for example:
*Polar opposites - Republican vs Democrat, Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice, Christian vs Atheist
*Real vs fictional
*Politician/Celebrity vs villain - George Bush vs Hitler, Nigel Farage vs Ku Klux Klan, Obama vs Lucifer

In each case the idea is usually to surprise the reader with the fact that the quotes are difficult to tell apart, with the implied "conclusion" that person A is essentially indistinguishable from person B. In some cases the quizzes may be used as a tool to portray a particular person or group in a certain way, or alternatively may be light-hearted jest.

{{w|Mitt Romney}} was the {{w|Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2012|Republican candidate for President of the United States}} (officially declared presumptive nominee on April 25, 2012, one week after this comic) during the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|2012 US presidential election}} and, as it says above, the former Governor of Massachusetts. During the election, Mad Magazine published a popular [https://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2012/03/02/who-said-it-mitt-romney-or-mr-burns article] ([https://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2012/11/16/mad-asks-who-said-it-mitt-romney-or-mr-burns-volume-2 volume 2]) which compared quotes from Romney with quotes from the ''{{w|The Simpsons|Simpsons}}'' villain {{w|Montgomery Burns}}, the implication being that like Burns, Romney was a corrupt out-of-touch plutocrat and had similar views and affectations. In this comic, Burns is substituted with Charlie Bucket, the main character of the 1964 {{w|Roald Dahl}} children's novel, ''{{w|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory}},'' adapted to film in 1971 as ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.''

The joke here is that the two categories of quotes are not at all similar, and thus are very easy to attribute. Where the question "Is there even a difference?" usually implies some kind of political satire, in this case the point of the quiz appears to be lost, leading to a situation of bewilderment for the reader.

The title text refers to a Romney comment on {{w|Medicare (United States)|Medicare}}, a national program launched in 1965 to provide health insurance to people age 65 and older, regardless of income or medical history. So the quote being used in a movie in 1971, while obviously not true, is indeed ''possible''. (Though, given that Charlie's supposed to have said it while floating in midair in the Fizzy Lifting Drinks scene, he'd have been much more likely to say that he himself needed to regain "solid footing.")

==Transcript==
:[One long panel, with a large headline at the top, flanked by two small pictures on each side: a portrait of Mitt Romney on the left, and a child running with a golden ticket in his hand on the left. Below is a list numbered 1 - 12 down the left. The answers on the bottom are written upside down.]
:QUIZ: Who said it - former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, or Wonka contest winner Charlie Bucket?
:''Is there even a difference?''

:1. ———— "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country."
:2. ———— "Returning Medicare to solid footing represents our greatest entitlement challenge."
:3. ———— "Look, everyone, look, I've got it! The fifth golden ticket is mine!"
:4. ———— We have lost faith in government. Not in just one party, not in just one house, but in government."
:5. ———— "This banana's fantastic! It tastes so real."
:6. ———— "Grandpa... on the way home today, I ran into Mr. Slugworth."
:7. ———— "I'm not happy exporting jobs, but we must move ahead in technology and patents."
:8. ———— "Hey, the room is getting smaller."
:9. ———— "It would be impossible to reach unanimity on every aspect of our budget."
:10. ——— "Grandpa, look over there across the river! They're little men!"
:11. ——— "I'm... going too high! Hey, Grandpa, I can't get down! Help! Grandpa, the fan!"
:12. ——— "Barack Obama has failed America."

:Answers: Mitt Romney: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12; Charlie Bucket: 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11.
:[Answers: Mitt Romney: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12; Charlie Bucket: 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

1221: Nomenclature

2021-05-17T03:54:26Z

Twistleton: /* Explanation */ clarify

{{comic
| number = 1221
| date = June 5, 2013
| title = Nomenclature
| image = nomenclature.png
| titletext = [shouted, from the field] 'Aunt Beast hit a pop fly to second! Dive for it, Mrs Whatsit!'
}}

==Explanation==
Nomenclature can be defined as the devising or choosing of names for things. Here [[Randall]] connects three pop culture references that each contain one or more instances of ambiguous nomenclature based on pronouns: the "{{w|Who's on First?}}" skit, the "{{w|Doctor Who}}" television series, and in the title text also the novel "{{w|A Wrinkle in Time}}" by {{w|Madeleine L'Engle}}.

The comic references the famous "{{w|Who's on First?}}" skit by the American comedy duo {{w|Abbott and Costello}} in the 1930s. This [http://youtu.be/airT-m9LcoY video] is one of the original performances. Costello is the shorter character, with a round brimmed hat and baseball bat, while Abbott is taller and wearing a baseball cap. This reflects the [http://www.ramsheadgroup.com/files/2013/04/abbott-and-costello-whos-on-first.jpg most common image] associated with the skit. In the routine, Costello is confused by the nicknames the {{w|Baseball|ball}} players go by. The man playing first base goes by the name "Who", the man on second base goes by "What", and the one on third calls himself "I Don't Know". Costello asks "Who's on first?", inquiring the name of the first-baseman, and Abbott replies "that's right", affirming that the first-baseman's name is Who. Both parties become confused within a matter of seconds.

{{w|Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor}} from the long-running British television series ''Doctor Who'' is often referred to as "Doctor Who" by people who [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IAmNotShazam think the series' name and their name are the same] (although it should be noted that the name "Doctor Who" is not entirely incorrect; the character [https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSipAqHqoHH-Ma04kMV_d0rmCVD7p6co_iItlcmSXfOqt6BiCmGDQ was referred to as such in the end credits for several seasons], as well as in the spin-off theatrical films starring Peter Cushing). In-universe, the character often introduces themself as "The Doctor", which elicits the response "[http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/The_%22Doctor_Who%3F%22_running_joke Doctor who?]". Their response to this question is: "Just 'The Doctor'". {{w|A Wrinkle in Time#Mrs Whatsit|Mrs. Whatsit}} appears to have interrupted the "Who's on First?" skit to clarify the confusion that the person on first is not called "Who", but just "The Doctor".

The title text references the Madeleine L'Engle novel ''A Wrinkle in Time'', which has characters with similarly ambiguous names. The book's Mrs. Whatsit appears to be on second base. "Aunt Beast" is a minor character in the novel from the planet of Ixchel. And they are playing a real baseball game. "Aunt Beast" is the batter and hits a {{w|pop fly}} high in the air towards second base while "Mrs. Whatsit" (presumably playing second base, in place of "What") is being encouraged to dive to catch the ball before it hits the ground, to get the batter out. So both the players "Who" and "What" have been exchanged with other characters going under similar names.

==Transcript==
:[Mrs. Whatsit, a woman drawn as Megan, holds her hand out and talks to Abbott (a tall guy with a baseball cap) and Costello (a short guy wearing a round brimmed hat and holding a baseball bat in his right hand.)]
:Mrs. Whatsit: You're both confused.
:Mrs. Whatsit: He's just "The Doctor".

==Trivia==
The names are from the [http://xkcd.com/1221/info.0.json original transcript].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Doctor Who]]
[[Category:Baseball]]

572: Together

2021-01-27T22:30:53Z

Twistleton:

{{comic
| number =572
| date =April 22, 2009
| title =Together
| image =together.png
| titletext =This scavenger hunt is getting boring. Let's go work on the treehouse!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are seen running together hand in hand. Behind them, two others (who look like Cueball and Megan as well) are standing next to a box in an open field of grass.

Together, Cueball and Megan become romantic, get married, and retire in old age to a porch swing, Cueball now wearing a sailor cap and Megan with hair worn just like [[Hairbun]].

Suddenly, without a word, old Cueball using his cane, leaves old Megan on the porch, even though she shouts out for him to come back. He then returns to his two friends at the box from the first panel, they are now also much older and are still standing beside the box. Old Cueball picks up a sheet of paper and checks off "Happiness", the third point checked off on a list entitled "Scavenger Hunt," where the other items include these two above that are checked off: Indian-Head Penny and Snake Skin, as well as the two items below that, are not yet checked off: Four-Leaf Clover and Shark Tooth. At least one more unchecked point is on the list, but it is covered by a speech bubble.

So finding happiness was just one item in what is presumably the longest-running {{w|scavenger hunt}} of all-time, considering Cueball grew significantly old during the hunt (the duration is as much as 70 years since Cueball is now having to use a cane). The comic ends with Cueball asking, "What's next?"

The list indicates this is a hunt for somewhat rare items. The US {{w|Indian Head cent}} (penny) was produced from 1859 to 1909, making it somewhat rare. But this they have managed. (It may have been easier to find when the scavenger hunt started, depending on when that was; for instance, if the last panel takes place in the 2000s, and 70 years have gone by, then the treasure hunt started in the 1930s, when these pennies were still fairly common.) Also, the snake skin has been managed which may be a little easier to find if you live in areas with snakes as they shed their skin by molting. So finding such a skin would be the objective to find here.

A {{w|four leaf clover}} is a rare variation of the common three-leaf clover. A shark tooth is not easy to obtain unless you live near a beach with souvenir shops.

The title, ''Together'', of the comic is probably a reference to the saying that you find happiness ''together'' with your loved one. Cueball could have taken many different paths to find happiness, together or separate, but he chose togetherness as a way to find happiness, which is a common theme in love stories. But happiness is not something a person finds, it is an experience, hence the need to accumulate enough experiences to determine beyond doubt that happiness was truly found. This is why he had to wait until old age before he could go back to his friends.

Note that Megan is never seen together with Cueball's friends, and especially since she is not invited to go back to them to check the happiness point off, there there is no reason to assume that she was in on the game from the beginning. She was just a means to an end, which makes Cueball's actions rather cruel and questionable.

The title text indicates that after all this time, the players may abandon the game due to being bored with it. Building a treehouse is another example of a common childhood activity. Naturally, the intended mental image of a bunch of old men and women building a treehouse and playing in it like six-year-olds is another punchline. It is also typical for children to tire of a game before it is finished. Except here, Cueball spent nearly a lifetime on just one part of this game! The idea of adults having a fort in the woods was also mentioned, rather darkly, in the title text of [[219: Blanket Fort]].

Three of the old people look very similar to three of those standing in line in [[586: Mission to Culture]]. And much later in [[1910: Sky Spotters]] the two birdwatchers looks very much like the old version of Cueball and Megan. Giving an old person a sailor cap was also used in [[2213: How Old]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are running in a field, holding hands. They are running away from another pair which also looks like Cueball and Megan. This pair stands in the background, next to a small box. There may be something lying on top of the box, but it is difficult to see clearly. The sun is shining above them.]

:[Cueball and Megan are in a boat on a lake, very romantic. Cueball is speaking to Megan, illustrated with a heart.]
:Cueball: ♡

:[Cueball and Megan sit together on a bench on a beach, watching the sunset.]

:[Cueball and Megan stand in front of an altar under a wedding arch, with confetti falling around them. He is wearing a butterfly and she a veil.]

:[Cueball and Megan, now old and wrinkled, sit together holding hands on their porch at the top of a small stair outside their house. He has a sailor cap on and Megan now wears her hair in a bun. Although the woman looks like [[Hairbun]], and the old man is wearing a sailor cap, we can assume this is still Megan and Cueball given the juxtaposition of the preceding panel.]

:[The same setting is depicted but seen from the side of the house. Cueball begins walking away from Megan using his cane. He has descended from the stair. Finally, Megan speaks, and unusually there is a speech bubble, with an extra smaller bubble hanging on to it for the second sentence.]
:Megan: Dear? Where are you-
:Megan: Come back!

:[Cueball approaches an old couple, presumably the kids from the first panel now turned old. They seem tired, looking down all the time. The man only has hair around his neck and also a cane. The woman has long thinning hair. The box from the first panel is between Cueball and the other two. On top of it lies a piece of paper]

:[Same picture except that Cueball is now standing still and has picked up the paper from the box and writes on it with a pen. Again there is a speech bubble.]
:Cueball: Okay,

:[The paper is shown. It is a scavenger hunt list with at least six items. The three first items have been checked off. The last item is blocked by the speech bubble, but can be seen to be there from the check box.]
:Scavenger hunt:
:☒ Indian-head penny
:☒ Snake skin
:☒ Happiness
:☐ Four-leaf clover
:☐ Shark tooth
:☐
:Cueball (off-panel): What's next?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Wedding]]

2416: Trash Compactor Party

2021-01-26T14:45:42Z

Twistleton: pun

{{comic
| number = 2416
| date = January 26, 2021
| title = Trash Compactor Party
| image = trash_compactor_party.png
| titletext = What an incredible smell you've discovered.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FORMER SOCIAL-DISTANCER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.

Randall has gotten tired of social distancing and wants to do the exact opposite when he can. The exact opposite of social distancing would be being crushed together by some sort of compactor.

Cueball and Megan are trying to push the walls of the trash compactor back in order to prevent it from pushing them closer to other people. The other attendees appear to be anxiously shying away from the inexorably increasing proximity of both of their neighbouring guests. This reflects the common current trend for many normal people to maintain exagerated personal space when meeting or passing other people out and about, compared with the pre-COVID era.

Though there is a significant proportion of the population who seem to have returned to being oblivious to the pandemic (or have stayed there, through it all) and eagerly socialise, often grossly breaking rules laid down to protect people, this gathering may have been mooted as a 'Covid-safe' gathering within the advice applicable to their locale (and time, as this is for "when it is all over"), and the narrowing space is perhaps even a surprise to most of them.

The trash compactor scenario is a TV and film {{tvtropes|TheWallsAreClosingIn|trope}}. The title text references a high-profile instance of the trope from the original {{w|Star Wars (film)|''Star Wars'' film}} (later retitled ''Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope''). Han Solo utters this quip shortly after he and several other main characters bail out of a firefight and land in a room full of trash. The walls then start closing in and, as in the comic, the characters are not enthused about being pushed ever closer together, and seek to push back on the walls before being crushed. Here, the quote also expresses a sense of (a new) hope: since a common symptom of COVID-19 is a loss of smell, the fact that the characters are all able to smell their surroundings is a sign that the pandemic is gone.

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

:[From left to right, Megan (sitting), Science Girl, White Hat, Ponytail, and Cueball are having a party. There are two machines on either side of the scene, moving the walls on the left and right ever-closer in. The machines have pistons which push the walls together, and their rods are more than long enough for the walls to meet in the middle and crush the group. Cueball and Megan are pressed up against the walls, trying to slow the advance. The other three characters appear anxious.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I'm planning a trash-compactor-themed party for when this is all over so we can get used to standing near each other again.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

1112: Think Logically

2020-08-29T18:18:33Z

Twistleton: /* Explanation */ clarify

{{comic
| number = 1112
| date = September 24, 2012
| title = Think Logically
| image = think logically.png
| titletext = I've developed a more logical set of rules but the people on the chess community have a bunch of stupid emotional biases and won't reply to my posts.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Chess}} is a centuries-old board game in which two players take turns moving one of their 16 pieces to try and checkmate the other player's king (one of the pieces). When one player is in a position to capture his or her opponent's king on their next move, and the opponent has no legal move available to avoid such capture, the opponent is said to be in "checkmate", and by definition immediately loses.

The game, with origins around the 6th century, and with the modern rules being essentially set in the late 15th century, has a significant amount of history. The rules and traditions are well established. The knight is a piece that can only move in an L-shaped pattern (two squares in one direction, and one square perpendicular), but has the unique ability to jump over other pieces.

The comic highlights two mistakes players often make in chess: complete fixation on the king at the cost of their other pieces, and failure to take advantage of the knight's movement patterns. At the same time this is a jab at how people sometimes oversimplify an argument when confronted with a topic they are not familiar with. Previously this was depicted in [[675: Revolutionary]] and [[793: Physicists]]. See also the {{w|Dunning–Kruger effect}}. The units in chess are widely agreed to be well-balanced, and [[Cueball|Cueball's]] criticism of the knight shows an obvious lack of knowledge of the knight's potential.

Given the long history of chess, a significant amount of writing and research has been dedicated to the game and its strategies. This is inadvertently mocked by Cueball who naively suggests it would be trivial to make a list of all situations in which a piece would move backwards (called a "retreat" in chess). Such a list — at least a partial one — certainly does exist, as do lists of numerous other chess moves and situations.

Cueball's friend, a guy with a {{w|knit cap}} (see the [http://xkcd.com/1112/info.0.json official transcript]) proceeds to demonstrate Cueball's lack of knowledge by beating him in four moves, which typically would only occur when an experienced player plays a novice. The checkmate depicted is likely the {{w|Scholar's mate|scholar's mate}}, or the {{w|Fool's mate|fool's mate}}, with both being classic checkmates in chess. It is in fact extremely easy to defend against both checkmates, moving your knights in the two knight defense would do, thus proving Cueball's inexperience. (Although the scholar's mate occurs often among amateurs, the fool's mate is rare even among rank beginners. However, since Cueball seems to prioritize getting pieces toward the opposing king, it's conceivable that he might have moved pawns forward in a pattern allowing a fool's mate.)

Cueball, instead of admitting he underestimated the game, believes the failure is in the game itself. The title text indicates that Cueball attempted to suggest revisions to the rules of chess. Given that Cueball has no experience as a chess player, it is likely many of the changes are illogical or ridiculous. In the face of hundreds of years of history, it is not surprising that the chess community is ignoring them. The last major changes to the rules of chess occurred more than 400 years ago when, among other things, the pawn was given its two-space starting move and the queen was made into the most powerful piece (previously it was the weakest). The chess community's ties to the traditions of the game and their refusal to accept Cueball's suggestions are written off by Cueball as "{{w|emotional bias}}" suggesting his changes are logical, but that the community is letting their emotions cloud their rational decision making abilities, while in reality it is he who is being affected. If that can make Cueball feel any better, it could be pointed out to him that dozens and dozens of {{w|Chess variants|chess variants}} do exist out there.

The comic may also be a jab at competitive online games whose fans call for "buffs" (power additions) and "nerfs" (power reductions) to characters they believe to be underpowered or overpowered, often with inadequate knowledge of those characters. On the other hand, some online games and multiplayer computer games in general are unbalanced since they lack centuries of history to balance themselves, unlike chess.

The guy with the knit cap could either have been a man or a woman as from the drawing, but the [http://xkcd.com/1112/info.0.json official transcript] calls him ''knit hat guy''. In the two other cases (after this comic) where a person with hair has been shown with a knit cap, they have been women. The first was [[Randall|Randall's]] wife after chemotherapy in [[1141: Two Years]] and the second time it was [[1350:_Lorenz#Knit_Cap_Girl|Knit Cap Girl]] in [[1350: Lorenz]]. Two Cueballs have also been shown using knit caps in [[1321: Cold]].

==Transcript==
:[A guy wearing a knit cap over short black hair is sitting down at a computer touching the keyboard with one hand. Cueball is standing behind watching the screen.]
:Laptop: ''*Move*''
:Cueball: Why'd you move your knight away?

:[Knit cap turns around and rests an arm on the chair looking at Cueball who holds out both arms.]
:Cueball: Just think ''logically''. The goal is checkmate, so you should always move pieces ''toward'' the other player's king.

:[Closeup of Cueball holding a hand to his chin.]
:Cueball: I guess occasionally you need to move backward, but it'd be trivial to make a list of those circumstances and-

:[Knit cap is leaning back in chair facing Cueball, panel is so slim that the lap top is not included.]
:Knit cap: Have you ever ''played'' chess?
:Cueball: Not much, but—
:Knit cap: Wanna?
:Cueball: Uh, ok.

:[Knit cap sitting and Cueball standing is playing chess with a board standing between them on a very small table or a four legged stool. The board extends quite far out on either side. Their moves are indicated above with four towards knit cap and three towards Cueball. It is clear both from this and from the pieces visible on the board that knit cap is playing white]
:<nowiki>*Move*</nowiki>
: _____<nowiki>*Move*</nowiki>
:<nowiki>*Move*</nowiki>
: _____<nowiki>*Move*</nowiki>
:<nowiki>*Move*</nowiki>
: _____<nowiki>*Move*</nowiki>
:<nowiki>*Move*</nowiki>
:Knit cap: Checkmate.

:[In a panel without frame Cueball is standing staring at the chess board, where there clearly are more pieces on his side of the board.]

:[Knit cap has turned back to the laptop with both hands on the keyboard. Cueball is standing behind the chess board holding a finger up in the air.]
:Cueball: This game isn't very well-designed. For starters, knights are too weak...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Characters with Hats]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Chess]]

2329: Universal Rating Scale

2020-07-07T18:17:19Z

Twistleton: explanatory

{{comic
| number = 2329
| date = July 6, 2020
| title = Universal Rating Scale
| image = universal_rating_scale.png
| titletext = There are plenty of finer gradations. I got 'critically endangered/extinct in the wild' on my exam, although the curve bumped it all the way up to 'venti.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an OFFENDED NUMBER NINE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, [[Randall]] has blended many traditional rating scales to create a "universal rating scale". Unfortunately, the mixing of these scales creates a scale that is impossible to use. Alternatively, it can be perceived as a way of comparing the different scales, for instance to answer a question like "Is it worse to get a 2 or an F?"

: '''Scale of zero to ten''' (but with an 11, because people often add that to exaggerate - see {{w|up to eleven}} about the meme)
:: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11. The number 9 is omitted, possibly because seven ate nine (789).
: '''Competitive scores''', such as in the Olympics (ordinarily from 0.0 to 10.0, perfect)
:: 10.0
: '''Scale of agreement'''
:: strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree
: '''School grades''' (there are also B, C, D, and others with + or -)
:: F, A, A+
:: S - Schools in Japan may use the {{w|Academic grading in Japan|S grading}}, from the Japanese shū (秀), meaning excellent. Many video games also use S grading, and some (such as Beat Saber and Dance Dance Revolution) use SS, SSS, and even more S's as ranks above that (though these are not shown in the webcomic.)
: '''Restaurant or entertainment ratings'''
:: 1 star, 2 stars, 3 stars, 4 stars
: '''{{w|Conservation status}}''' (this is only a subset of the nine groups in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species)
:: extinct, critical, endangered, least concern
: '''{{w|Starbucks#Products|Starbucks brand beverage sizes}}''' (there is also short and trenta)
:: tall, grande, venti
: '''MPAA age-appropriate {{w|Motion Picture Association film rating system|film ratings}}''' took effect November 1, 1968 with G, M (now PG), R (not shown in comic) and X (now NC-17)
:: G, PG (as of February 11, 1972, replaced GP), PG-13 (introduced July 1, 1984), NC-17 (introduced September 1990, replaced X)
: '''ESRB age-appropriate {{w|Entertainment_Software_Rating_Board#Ratings|ratings}}''' for video games (there is also EC for early childhood, E for everyone, E10+ for Everyone 10+, M for Mature, and AO for Adults Only)
:: T for teen
: '''Happiness emojis''' (alternately, the '''{{w|Wong–Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale}}''')
:: Frowny face (☹, U+2639), neutral face (😐, U+1F610), smiley face (☺, U+263A)
: '''{{w|Coin grading|Coin grades}}'''
:: G, VG, UNC for good, very good, uncirculated
: '''Hurricane/cyclone strengths''', {{w|Saffir–Simpson scale}} (ordinarily categorized from category 1 to category 5)
:: Category 5
: '''Tornado intensities''', {{w|enhanced Fujita scale}} (ordinarily categorized from 0 to 5)
:: EF-5
: '''Credit (and other) ratings'''
:: A, AA, AAA
:: Credit rating agencies will rank businesses and governments based on their likely ability to pay back their creditors' interest ratings. The very highest are rated AAA, and then (in Standard & Poor's scheme) AA+, AA, AA-, A+, and so on. (Note that Randall's scale rates A+ as better than AA, indicating that it's the "A+" from school grades rather than the one from Standard & Poor's list.)

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

: [Caption above the frame:]
: Universal Rating Scale
:
: [A vertical scale, with 45 gradations, labeled]
: 0
: 1
: Strongly Disagree
: F
: [star] ☆
: Extinct
: Tall
: 2
: G
: Critical
: [frowny face] ☹
: 3
: endangered
: [two stars] ☆☆
: PG
: Disagree
: VG
: 4
: Grande
: 5
: PG-13
: [neutral face] 😐
: 6
: T for Teen
: 7
: [three stars] ☆☆☆
: Agree
: Venti
: 8
: Least Concern
: [smiley face] ☺
: A
: Strongly Agree
: Category 5
: EF-5
: NC-17
: UNC
: AA
: [four stars] ☆☆☆☆
: A+
: S
: AAA
: 10
: 10.0
: 11

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]

2322: ISO Paper Size Golden Spiral

2020-06-20T15:30:02Z

Twistleton: clarifications for non-mathematicians

{{comic
| number = 2322
| date = June 19, 2020
| title = ISO Paper Size Golden Spiral
| image = iso_paper_size_golden_spiral.png
| titletext = The ISO 216 standard ratio is cos(45°), but American letter paper is 8.5x11 because it uses radians, and 11/8.5 = pi/4.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GRAPHICS DESIGNER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic strip is about how to annoy graphics designers and mathematicians, much like [[590: Papyrus]] and [[1015: Kerning]].

An easy way to annoy many mathematicians is to make fanciful claims about the {{w|Golden Ratio}}. It's been claimed, with varying levels of credibility, to be detectable in many natural and humanmade situations, often with the dubious subjective claim that using the ratio in some particular way makes an image more "beautiful". The {{w|Golden Spiral}} is a spiral whose growth factor is this ratio; a common (though slightly geometrically inaccurate) way to illustrate the spiral is to draw curves through a set of squares whose side lengths shrink according to the Golden Ratio. The result looks rather like Randall's drawing here.

However, Randall hasn't used the Golden Ratio at all; he's just drawn a spiral (''not'' the Golden Spiral) through a common diagram showing the {{w|Paper_size#A_series|A Series}} of standard paper sizes. These papers aren't squares at all, but rectangles whose side lengths shrink by a factor of the square root of 2. By mistaking the A Series for something connected with the Golden Ratio, ''and'' perpetuating the tradition of making dubious claims about the Golden Ratio, Randall has successfully annoyed both graphics designers and mathematicians.

==Title text==
The title text is a similarly themed joke, based partly on the fact that the US uses imperial units while much of the rest of the world uses SI units. The 11/8.5 ratio is the length/width ratio of {{w|Letter (paper size)|US Letter}} paper, which is 11 inches by 8.5 inches (another common size in the United States is US Legal, which is 14" by 8.5"). The value of pi/4 radians is indeed equal to 45 degrees, although Randall takes the cosine in one case and uses the raw angle in the other case in order to get a close coincidence of values. The width/length ratio of A Series paper ({{w|ISO 216}}) is exactly cos(45°), which is 1/sqrt(2). As for US Letter paper, 11/8.5 is not in fact close to pi/4, but it’s possible that Randall meant to write 8.5/11 instead of 11/8.5. To 4 decimal places, 8.5/11 = 0.7727 and pi/4 = 0.7854.

In reality, the usage of radians vs. degrees is not a geographic or political decision, but generally is delineated by profession. Most engineering and science fields measure angles in degrees or fractions of degrees (arcseconds, or even milliarcseconds in fields like astronomy), while mathematicians and physicists generally use radians. Civil engineers may refer to the slope of a road by its {{w|Grade (slope)|grade}}, which is commonly expressed in terms of the tangent of the angle to the horizontal (either as a percentage or a ratio); 1 gradian = 0.9 degrees ~= 0.0157 radian.

==Supplementary maths==
The difference between the "real" Golden Spiral squares and Randall's version is approximately either .2038 (for sqrt(2)-1.6180etc) or .08907 ((1/sqrt(2))-1.6180etc), depending on which way you're counting. Either way, the difference would be very noticeable.)

The spiral shown is a logarithmic spiral with a growth factor of sqrt(2), and if the center of the spiral is at the origin, it may be graphed with r = C*2^(θ/π), for any positive constant C.

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

:[Caption inside panel:]
:The golden ratio is everywhere!

:[Picture of the ISO standard paper sizes (i.e. A1, A2, etc.) placed so that they fit together perfectly, overlaid with a spiral resembling that of the golden ratio]

:[Caption below panel:] 
:How to annoy both graphic designers and mathematicians

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

570: New Car

2020-05-05T14:58:45Z

Twistleton: comedy parallel

{{comic
| number = 570
| date = April 17, 2009
| title = New Car
| image = new_car.png
| titletext = Somewhere out there is a company that has actually figured out how to enlarge penises, and it's helpless to reach potential customers.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is sitting in a nice sports car, and his (Cueball-like) friend asks when he got it. It turns out it was bought as a prize supposed to be delivered to the 100,000,000th visitor to his company's website. But the user did not react to the notice on the page about the prize, '''even though it was flashing'''.

A well-known type of Internet scam tries to trick the reader into thinking that they've won a prize, often in the form of an annoying flashy ad banner (e.g. "'''You're our 100,000,000th visitor!!! Click [[Special:Random|here]] to claim a FREE Ferrari!'''"). A typical {{w|clickbait}}.

Cueball actually really did have a fancy car to give out, but the winner didn't claim it, believing it to be a scam. It is a bit like {{w|The Boy Who Cried Wolf|the boy who cried wolf}} — given enough lies, the truth will eventually look like a lie.

(As coincidences would have it, exactly the same joke appears in the much-loved British comedy series ''{{w|That Mitchell and Webb Look}}'', in a 2006 John Finnemore sketch about a "MASSIVE YACHT!" giveway. Presumably Randall hadn't come across the ''Mitchell and Webb'' version when he wrote this comic three years later.)

The title text refers to another type of scam: advertising fake "{{w|Penis enlargement|male enhancement}}" drugs. [[Randall]] suggests that if such a drug really did exist, it would be very difficult to advertise effectively, since most people would assume it was a scam. Additionally there may be a relation implied (intersection) between people having sports cars and people needing penis enlargements: big cars to compensate feelings of inferiority{{Citation needed}}.

==Transcript==
:[A Cueball-like guy is standing behind, a sports car where Cueball sits turned toward him.]
:Friend: When'd you get the car?

:[Zoom-in on Cueball in the car.]
:Cueball: It's the darndest thing. We bought it as a prize for the 100,000,000th visitor to our website.

:[Zoom-in on the friend.]
:Friend: And they didn't want it?
:Cueball (off-screen): Apparently.

:[Pan to where both the friend and Cueball in the car can be seen, but not the front of the car.]
:Friend: Maybe they didn't see the notice.
:Cueball: It was flashing and everything!
:Friend: How bizarre.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

2101: Technical Analysis

2019-01-21T23:52:12Z

Twistleton: another definition

{{comic
| number = 2101
| date = January 21, 2019
| title = Technical Analysis
| image = technical_analysis.png
| titletext = "I [suspect] that we are throwing more and more of our resources, including the cream of our youth, into financial activities remote from the production of goods and services, into activities that generate high private rewards disproportionate to their social productivity. I suspect that the immense power of the computer is being harnessed to this 'paper economy', not to do the same transactions more economically but to balloon the quantity and variety of financial exchanges." --James Tobin, July 1984
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete| Comic is still undergoing TECHNICAL ANALYSIS (this is just the prologue). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Technical analysis}} is a field which attempts to study stock markets, cryptocurrency markets, etc. statistically (without regard to the fundamental value of the assets), seeking to profit off the patterns that are found there.

The theoretical value of a stock is the sum of all its future earnings, with earnings in the future discounted appropriately to account for the {{w|time value of money}}. Because these earnings are never fully predictable, traders may have different ideas about the true value of a stock, and buy the stock if they believe the currently offered prices are particularly low, or sell it when the prices are high.

Technical analysis, however, does not even attempt to understand the earnings of the stock, instead focusing on the shapes and patterns that result from traders making their moves. While there is a human behavioral component to stock trading, it is not clear that one can extract much information from the shapes of stock charts. To the extent it does work, a substantial part of its success may be simply an artifact of the herd behavior of traders who engage in technical analysis, a zero-sum game.

The comic displays a {{w|Candlestick chart|stock price chart}}, annotated with labels which purport to be technical analysis. These labels are nonsense from the perspective of technical analysis, but do accurately describe the graph itself: "{{w|allegro}}" (a musical term used to set the tempo at the beginning of a score), "{{w|prologue}}" (an introductory section of a play, book, or similar), "{{w|lumbar}} support" (the thing in a chair shaped to better support your back), "bathtub" (possibly a reference to the so-called "{{w|Bathtub curve}}"), "{{w|uptalk}}" (a speech pattern). One label celebrates that "these two points define a line! Promising signal." (In Euclidian geometry, any two points define a line.)

The mouseover text is a quote from {{w|James Tobin}} (from his 1984 paper [https://economicsociologydotorg.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/tobin-on-the-efficiency-of-the-financial-system.pdf ''On the efficiency of the financial system'']) that raises a question of very talented people building systems to make themselves a lot of money without actually accomplishing anything worth money. This concern is perhaps not in and of itself about technical analysis, but more about the stock market and related trading ecosystems in general, in particular high speed traders. While it is not always easy to understand why certain forms of market activity might be valuable, and hard to put a price tag on concepts like "risk," "liquidity" and "price discovery," sometimes people are just working to trick others into bad deals, or forcing market participants to pay them {{w|Rent-seeking|unearned money}}. This may make the smart people a lot of money, but it does so by harming society, not helping it.

Interestingly, this comic appeared the day after [https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/billionaire-wealth-grows-by-25-billion-a-day-while-poorest-wealth-falls/ Oxfam] reported that the world's 2,200 billionaires had added 12% to their wealth in 2018, while the 3.8 billion people comprising the poorest half of the world's population had lost 11%. Perhaps this prompted what appears to be Randall's jab at those whose business is merely making money.

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

:[A series of red and green box-and-whisker plots form a line that starts in the bottom left corner of the image and wiggles up to the top right corner, with a series of peaks and troughs that resemble a typical stock market diagram. The diagram is annotated with lines, arrows and text.]

::[Title in top left corner]
::The basics of technical analysis

::[A roughly horizontal section with mostly green boxes:]
::Allegro

::[A horizontal bracket encompasses the next three sections]
::Prologue

::[Slope becomes slightly negative. Mostly red boxes, bordered with a black line above and below:]
::Decline

::[A roughly horizontal section with mostly green boxes, bordered with a black line above and below:]
::Doldrums

::[Line curves upwards with mostly green boxes, with a dashed black line below:]
::Spline

::[Three green boxes at minor peaks in the line are circled and indicated with arrows:]
::[Hmm!]

::[A section with slight positive slope and a mixture of red and green boxes, with a solid black line below:]
::Lumbar support

::[Slope increases. All green boxes, with a black line through the centre:]
::Renewal

::[A sharp upwards incline, with two large green boxes:]
::Hark! The cliffs!

::[Two black dots and a dashed black line connect two major peaks:]
::These two points define a line! Promising signal

::[Inside trough between two major peaks is a roughly drawn black triangle:]
::Bathtub

::[Slope becomes negative, mostly red boxes with a black line through the centre:]
::Declination

::[At the lowest point of the trough:]
::Inflection

::[Slope becomes positive, mostly green boxes with a black line through the centre:]
::Uptalk

::[Slight negative slope, with large error bars. Mixture of red and green boxes. One red box is marked with an arrow:]
::Yikes!

::[Negative slope, all red boxes. Gap between two central boxes is circled:]
::Wrong!

::[Line rises then falls. Mixture of red and green boxes with non-parallel dashed black lines above and below:]
::If I add some lines here I can convince myself I'm doing something more than just seeing patterns in a graph of a random walk.

::[Positive slope, all green boxes with a black line through the centre:]
::Slope!

::[One error bar on a green box is circled:]
::Could be an omen?

::[Arrow indicating peak:]
::Red + Green = Christmas!

::[Positive slope, all green boxes with a wiggly black arrow through the centre. A separate arrow points off the edge of the page:]
::Likely to continue forever

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Christmas]] 
[[Category:Music]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2101: Technical Analysis

2019-01-21T14:45:10Z

Twistleton: allegro and prologue

2019: An Apple for a Dollar

2018-07-14T12:52:54Z

Twistleton: clarify

{{comic
| number = 2019
| date = July 13, 2018
| title = An Apple for a Dollar
| image = an_apple_for_a_dollar.png
| titletext = I'd like 0.4608 apples, please.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SIMPLE APPLE - needs an explanation of "platonic ideal exchange". Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Megan]] is about to buy an apple at a grocery store when she is surprised that the price is exactly one dollar. In most cases in the US, {{w|Sales taxes in the United States|sales tax}} must be taken into account, but most states exempt food sold in grocery stores, so the price comes out to a round value. This is so strange for Megan that it throws her for a loop. Buying one apple for one dollar feels to her more like a simplified, imaginary ''idea'' of a transaction (a "{{w|Platonic ideal}}") than like something that could actually happen in real life.

Megan likely shares Randall's background of engineering and math. When learning science, engineering, and math in the education system, one studies examples where every number is some round value, and all situations are simplified to the barest essentials so as to demonstrate the ideas being taught. Then, when doing real problems in the real world, one spends the rest of one's life almost never being able to use the simplified tricks demonstrated as examples in school, because when math is used to describe the natural world, nothing is ever a round number unless by design.

The harsh difference between being able to buy an apple for a dollar at this quaint store, and having to deal with arbitrary decimals and numbers in the rest of life could be touching on Megan's life experience of the world not being what she was prepared for, resulting in her intense response. Regardless if that is true or not, it seems the cashier is unable to figure out how to handle it (or does not want to), and raises the price to an arbitrary non-rounded value, which has the intended effect of halting Megan's outburst.

Megan's references refer to common parameters used in solving science or math questions. A {{w|Frictionless plane}} is a scenario from the writings of Galileo to calculate the movement of an object down an {{w|inclined plane}}. However, his equations did not account for {{w|friction}}.

"A train leaving Chicago at 40 mph" refers to common math questions, involving trains and solving for the distance required to overtake said train, although this problem involves the rather unrealistic assumption that the train's velocity keeps constant. Like the frictionless plane, this is a common simplification that allows the problem to be solved with quite simple techniques, just like having round quantities (e.g. 1 dollar/apple) eases arithmetic problems. See also [[669: Experiment]].

The comic repeats a common theme in the strip of engineers and computer scientists trying to apply their technical experience to social situations. In this case, the conversation partner is "normal", and does not respond supportively, which is a common situation in the real world and a possible point of empathy with readers.

;Title text
Apparently Megan only has (or only wants to spend) one dollar, so she would not be able to buy a whole apple at the new price (0.4608 × $2.17 ≈ $1). Stores usually sell whole apples, so asking for a fraction of one is not likely to work out.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is at the store counter, behind which Ponytail (the cashier) is waiting.]
:Megan: Just this apple, thanks.
:Ponytail: That will be one dollar.
:Megan: Exactly? No tax or anything?
:Ponytail: That's right.

:[Megan stares at the apple in a frameless panel.]

:[Scene zooms in on Megan.]
:Ponytail: ...Is that a problem?
:Megan: It's just weird to realize that every other transaction in my life will be more complicated than this.

:[Scene changes focus to Ponytail behind the counter.]
:Megan: This is like a platonic ideal exchange. An apple for a dollar.
:Ponytail: I see.

:[Scene changes back to Megan, once again lost in profound contemplation of the apple.]
:Megan: Are we on a frictionless plane? Is a train leaving Chicago at 40 mph? ''Should I solve for something??''
:Ponytail: Okay, apples are $2.17 now.
:Megan: That's... probably better for us both.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

2019: An Apple for a Dollar

2018-07-14T12:52:08Z

Twistleton: attempt at explaining the Platonic ideal exchange

{{comic
| number = 2019
| date = July 13, 2018
| title = An Apple for a Dollar
| image = an_apple_for_a_dollar.png
| titletext = I'd like 0.4608 apples, please.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SIMPLE APPLE - needs an explanation of "platonic ideal exchange". Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Megan]] is about to buy an apple at a grocery store when she is surprised that the price is exactly one dollar. In most cases in the US, {{w|Sales taxes in the United States|sales tax}} must be taken into account, but most states exempt food sold in grocery stores, so the price comes out to a round value. This is so strange for Megan that it throws her for a loop. Buying one apple for one dollar feels to her more like a simplified, imaginary ''idea'' of a transaction (a "{{w|Platonic ideal}}") than like something that could actually happen in real life.

Megan likely shares Randall's background of engineering and math. When learning science, engineering, and math in the education system, one studies examples where every number is some round value, and all situations are simplified to the barest essentials so as to demonstrate the ideas being taught. Then, when doing real problems in the real world, one spends the rest of one's life almost never being able to use the simplified tricks demonstrated as examples in school, because when math is used to describe the natural world, nothing is ever a round number unless by design.

The harsh difference between being able to buy an apple for a dollar at this quaint store, and having to deal with arbitrary decimals and numbers in the rest of life could be touching on Megan's life experience of the world not being what she was prepared for, resulting in her intense response. Regardless if that is true or not, it seems the cashier is unable to figure out how to handle it (or does not want to), and raises the price to an arbitrary non-rounded value, which has the intended effect of halting Megan's outburst.

Megan's references refer to common parameters used in solving science or math questions. A {{w|Frictionless plane}} is a scenario from the writings of Galileo to calculate the movement of an object down an {{w|inclined plane}}. However, his equations did not account for {{w|friction}}.

"A train leaving Chicago at 40 mph" refers to common math questions, involving trains and solving for the distance required to overtake said train, although this problem involves the rather unrealistic assumption that the train's velocity keeps constant. Like the frictionless plane, this is a common simplification that allows the problem to be solved with quite simple techniques, just like having round quantities (e.g. 1 dollar/apple) eases arithmetic problems. See also [[669: Experiment]].

The comic repeats a common theme in the strip of engineers and computer scientists trying to apply their technical experience to social situations. In this case, the conversation partner is "normal", and does not respond supportively, which is a common situation in the real world and a possible point of empathy with readers.

;Title text
Apparently Megan only has a dollar, so she would not be able to buy a whole apple at the new price (0.4608 × $2.17 ≈ $1). Stores usually sell whole apples, so asking for a fraction of one is not likely to work out.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is at the store counter, behind which Ponytail (the cashier) is waiting.]
:Megan: Just this apple, thanks.
:Ponytail: That will be one dollar.
:Megan: Exactly? No tax or anything?
:Ponytail: That's right.

:[Megan stares at the apple in a frameless panel.]

:[Scene zooms in on Megan.]
:Ponytail: ...Is that a problem?
:Megan: It's just weird to realize that every other transaction in my life will be more complicated than this.

:[Scene changes focus to Ponytail behind the counter.]
:Megan: This is like a platonic ideal exchange. An apple for a dollar.
:Ponytail: I see.

:[Scene changes back to Megan, once again lost in profound contemplation of the apple.]
:Megan: Are we on a frictionless plane? Is a train leaving Chicago at 40 mph? ''Should I solve for something??''
:Ponytail: Okay, apples are $2.17 now.
:Megan: That's... probably better for us both.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

540: Base System

2018-07-14T12:44:17Z

Twistleton: /* Infield */ grammar

{{comic
| number = 540
| date = February 6, 2009
| title = Base System
| image = base system.png
| titletext = I once got to second base with a basketball player. She was so confused.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic comes in two parts and is a pun on the {{w|Baseball metaphors for sex|baseball metaphor}} used to describe how far a date went regarding erotic actions. Many different versions of the baseball metaphor exist, with varying degrees of complexity. But it has rarely been described with as many details as the one drawn by [[Randall]] in this comic.

===First part - the comic strip===
In the first part, a four frame strip along the top, [[Ponytail]] and [[Cueball]] discuss how Cueball's date went. When Cueball answers Ponytail's question with "second base", Ponytail asks what that means exactly. They fumble around with the definition in panel two where Ponytail ask ''is that Below the waist, but... not under the clothes?'' Cueball tries to put this into the base system and suggest that this could be compared to the difficult {{w|shortstop}} fielding position in baseball, between 2nd and 3rd base. This fits with the position of [[#The diamond|Hands on the pants]] metaphor from the picture below the comic strip. Then Ponytail begins with yet another base analogy by mentioning crossing the {{w|Baseball_field#Pitcher.27s_mound|pitcher's mound}}, but then suddenly she brings two more, very different, sports into the metaphor: {{w|American football}} (with the 50 yard line) and {{w|bowling}} (with the {{w|ten-pin}}). It certainly sounds tricky, as Cueball says. Ponytail then brings up a ''third'' sport in her elaboration; her reference to getting a "red flag" could refer to different sports, as {{w|Flag#In sports|many sports use flags}}, some of them red. It is, however, most likely a reference to {{w|Racing_flags#Red_flag|racing in motor sport}} as the red flag is displayed when conditions are too dangerous to continue the session. This makes sense when looking at the "translation" here below. Cueball, however, has not got a clue which he expresses when Ponytail asks him ''If you know what I mean.''
(Note that this comic came out less than a week after {{w|Super Bowl XLIII}}, the final game of the {{w|2008 NFL season}}, which was played on 2009-02-01).

Here is a '''translation''' of Ponytails comment:
::Original: You should try crossing the '''pitcher's mound'''. Then down the '''50-yard line''', and right past her '''ten-pin'''.
::Translation: You should try crossing her '''{{w|Mons pubis|pubic mound}}''', then down the '''{{w|Bikini_waxing#The_Landing_Strip|landing strip}}''', and right past her '''{{w|clitoris}}'''.
:::Original: Last time I tried it, '''I got a red flag'''.
:::Translation: Last time I tried it, '''she had her {{w|Menstruation|period}}'''.

This would mean that Ponytail was about to {{w|Cunnilingus|go down}} on another girl, while this girl had her period. Many people would find it disgusting to go down on a girl while she was menstruating, explaining Ponytails reaction to Cueball's ''Sounds tricky'' reply.

===Second part - the baseball diamond===
The second part, the diagram, depicts a much more complex version of the baseball metaphor, where baseball terms and jargon are used to describe the many and varied things human beings like to do in the bedroom. Explanations have been separated by position. In order to understand the terms used, one may want to consult this picture:

[[File:540baseballdiamond.jpg|The baseball diamond and surrounding areas]]
:Note that Randall did not include any features from within the diamond; the pitchers mound or plate.

====The diamond====

The "{{w|Baseball field|diamond}}" is the geometric pattern formed by the four bases - first, second, third, and {{W|Baseball_field#Home_plate|home plate}}. After the ball is hit by the batter, and is in the air, players have a chance to move to the next base in line, from first, to second, to third, and finally to home plate (scoring only if they make it to home plate), only being removed from play if they are touched by a player carrying the ball in an attempt to move between bases. Thus there is a "progression" from one base to the next of sexual activity in the metaphor, until climax is achieved (getting to 'home plate' and 'scoring a point')

The entries in this section are ordered roughly from home plate to first, to second, to third, and then to home plate again, in the counterclockwise direction that the players move.

*Eye contact is placed just alongside the initial stage where the 'player' has just stepped off the home plate and is starting to move towards first. This is a deliberate setup for the 'thigh contact' pun later just before home plate. First eye, then thigh contact. First then can the sex begin and you have finally scored by reaching the home plate.
*Passing notes refers to a common method of communication in the classroom in school, often used by students as a form of courtship. It is placed halfway between the start and first base - the point at which communication has begun.
*First base is kissing. This is one of the most common assigned meanings for what the 'first base' is in the baseball metaphor - as in, "getting to first base".
*The boring zone is the point between kissing and sexual teasing or activity - the point where intimacy has become normal but sexual behaviors have not been accepted yet. This is boring for many (stereotypically this goes especially for men). It can also be the point at which a workup is attempted from kissing to gentle stroking and finally to the overt sexual teasing that is found by the time you have gotten to second base.
*Second base is licking or hands under the shirt. Overt sexual teasing, in an attempt to get the other person aroused.
*'Hands on the pants' and 'hands in the pants' are two activities that happen in a very short distance of each other during an average sexual encounter. They are also separated by the 'orgasm line', indicating that teasing has stopped and actual sexual activity has begun.
*Third base is oral sex. Oral sex is often used to prepare or arouse another person in preparation for intercourse, although it can be performed until one or both climax. In older versions of the baseball metaphor, third base was "hands in the pants" instead, which has been moved to earlier on the line in this new, "modern" version - or at least, Randall's conception of it.
*The Virginity line, which is also named, in brackets, after the {{w|Maginot Line}}, a series of French fortifications that were thought to be impenetrable during the lead-up to {{w|World War II}}. This line provides a direct "barrier" to the path between third base and a home run. The Maginot Line was thought to be completely impenetrable until it was bypassed by the German army during WW2 through the {{w|Ardennes forest}}, whereupon it was encircled and destroyed. Virginity is often seen as an impenetrable barrier, or an unwillingness, up until arousal and desire conspire to make it go away rapidly.
*Teens, naturally, having a propensity for hormone-driven sex, bypass the Virginity line with ease.
*Sharing root PWs (passwords) is placed very close to home plate. As a {{w|system administrator}}, the one thing you never, ever do is give anyone the {{w|root password|root (core) password}} to an operating system, because anyone with the password is able to get unlimited access to the system to do whatever they please. Sharing a root password with another person is a nerdy way of saying that you trust them on an intimate, deep level. In other words, it requires more trust than oral sex.
*Finally, there is home plate. In this diagram, it is unlabelled, but in all versions of the baseball metaphor, the home plate signifies sexual intercourse and climax. Scoring a "home run" with a sexual partner means you "took it all the way" and "scored a point"; i.e. got laid. Close to the home plate, the virginity line and orgasm line cross, as penetrative sex is rarely the most effective way for a woman to reach orgasm.

====Within the diamond and around the orgasm line====
Inside the diamond, at the center of the mound, is the pitcher. Several odd positions are placed here in Randall's diagram.
*The Orgasm Line, which passes through almost every other play field, seems to be a divider that runs throughout the entire map that separates teasing and arousing behavior from overt sexual behavior intended to pleasure others.
**Using the scroll thingy on that one Apple mouse is presumably here because the small, rounded scroll button can be imagined to be a clitoris. But it does not even get close to cross the orgasm line. (See also [[243: Appropriate Term]].)
**Fursuits (arousing, to some) become crotchless fursuits (overtly a sexual tool) when they cross the orgasm line.
**Hands on the pants and hands in the pants are two related but different activities - hands on the pants is arousing but not past the orgasm line, whereas hands in the pants can give pleasure enough to cross the orgasm line.
**Dry humping is the activity of humping (thrusting against) a partner without one or both of them removing their clothes, in order to arouse or gain sexual satisfaction. The location is probably a combination of the fact that it lies somewhere between hands on/in the pants, is definitely not an activity that is considered "out there" (in the outfield), hasn't quite made it to 3rd base, but at least it crosses the orgasm line.

====Infield====

The {{w|Infield#Baseball|infield}} is a series of catchers stationed immediately outside or just within the diamond, with the goal of receiving the ball from the outfield (or catching it themselves) and using it to tag any running opposing teammates to foil their attempts at moving to the next base on the diamond. Players within the diamond, such as the shortstop, will also be doing this as well - they often receive the ball from the infield. As such, the infield is still "out there", away from the "usual" sexual interactions in the diamond, but they are things you might pass upon the way.

*Napoleon's Forces is a cartography joke, suggesting that all of this complicated positioning makes the image look like a map depicting military maneuvers (and also evoking the comical image of Napoleon's army marching through a land of sexual behaviors). The specific reference is probably to {{w|Charles Joseph Minard}}'s famous [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Joseph_Minard#/media/File:Minard.png diagram of Napoleon's 1812 Russian campaign], often cited as the best statistical graphic ever. It's mentioned in the title text of [[731: Desert Island]].
*Fursuits are anthropmorphic animal costumes worn by some members of the {{w|Furry Fandom}}, people who are fans of anthropomorphized (human-like) animals. Fursuiters are a small fraction of the entire fandom, but are sometimes used in sexual play.
*Fursuits (crotchless) are fursuits with no fabric or covering on the groin (crotch) of the wearer, and as such are specifically intended for sexual play. They are placed slightly further "out there" on the field due to this being more unusual, and across the orgasm line.
*Standing anywhere near Peaches is referring to the musician {{w|Peaches (musician)|Peaches}} who is known for her heavy use of sexual imagery.

====Outfield====

The "{{w|Outfield#In_cricket_and_baseball|outfield}}" is a group of players who are there to catch the ball if it goes away from the main play area (anything outside the upper curving line) and return it to play in a manner advantageous to their team. As they separated away from the main play area, the things in the outfield are often references to sexual behaviors that are "kinky" and "out there".

*2outfielders1glove is a reference to the infamous {{w|2girls1cup}} scatological site and associated meme.
*The [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=retrograde%20wheelbarrow Retrograde Wheelbarrow] is a sex position, one referenced previously in [[300: Facebook]], making this a callback.
*Eye contact from {{w|Janeane Garofalo}} is a tie-in to the "eye contact" entry positioned near home base. It's possible that this is placed in the outfield because fantasizing about celebrities like Janeane Garofalo is a behavior that is often considered unusual, even though many people do it.

====Foul ball====

A {{w|foul ball}} occurs when a ball ends up in foul territory which is outside the foul line extending from either side of the diamond, the area is "out of play". Anyone who takes the ball into this area has committed a foul, and as such breached one of the acceptable rules of sexual conduct in the metaphor.

*Anal sex is a pun on the term "foul ball", as the anus is where fecal matter collects. The position is placed just outside the foul line.
*Downloading Star Trek fanfiction and replacing Riker's name with your crush is a reference to {{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}. Riker, the First Officer of the Enterprise-D, is often a subject of sexual desire among the fandom, and so taking a piece of fanfiction (fan-written, noncanon stories written about a piece of fiction) and replacing Riker's name with that of your crush is an ultra-nerdy way of indicating that they are attractive - so ultra-nerdy, it's creepy.
*The binary (i.e. base 2) numbers are an {{w|ASCII}} representation of the characters "base 2". The base of a number system is the number of unique digits required to represent numbers in that system. Binary is therefore a "base 2" system. This seems to be a little nerd sniping: wasting the time of anyone familiar enough with computing to know how to decode it.
*"Your base" is a reference to the original "base" metaphor mixed with a reference to the Zero Wing {{w|All Your Base}} meme. It is most likely a reference to {{w|masturbation}} (i.e. solo sex or you-sex and is in the foul area). First you make eye contact with a gorgeous girl (boy) and then you go home and satisfy yourself with a fantasy about all the tings you would like to do with her (him). It's possible that this being here is also a stealth insult towards the reader - the reader's own base (him/herself) is "out of play" and thus undesirable.

====Title text====
If you are together with a {{w|basketball}} player, kisses her, and then tells her that you are now ''at second base'', she might become very confused. Also there is the joke that basketball players never get laid because they always jump before they score.

==Transcript==
:[At the top there is a four panel regular comic strip.]
:[Cueball and Ponytail are talking; Ponytail is sitting on the back of a chair with her feet on the seat, and Cueball is sitting on the floor facing her.]
:Ponytail: So how far did you get with her?
:Cueball: Second base?

:[Zoom in on Ponytail on the chair.]
:Ponytail: Wait, which one is that? Below the waist, but... not under the clothes?
:Cueball (off-panel): I think that's... shortstop?

:[Cueball now almost lies down and Ponytail is sitting on the armrest of the chair.]
:Ponytail: You should try crossing the pitcher's mound. Then down the 50-yard line, and right past her ten-pin.
:Cueball: Sounds tricky.

:[Again a zoom in on Ponytail now on the armrest.]
:Ponytail: Yeah. Last time I tried it, I got a red flag. If you know what I mean.
:Cueball (off-panel): I really don't.

:[Below the strip there is a large frame with a diagram of a baseball diamond.]
:[At the bottom left there is a box with tis text:]
:'''The "Base" Metaphor Explained'''

:[Bases are pointed too with thick black arrows (except home plate) and there are also arrows pointing to different parts of the diagram. All arrows and points marked with "x" have a description, as do the dashed lines covering the field. Below they will be listed anti-clockwise from the home plate.]

:[Along the line towards first base is the following five items in the order they appear:]
::[x slightly right of home plate:]
::Eye contact
::[Black arrow pointing to a base half way to first base outside the line:]
::Your Base
::[x inside the line opposite your base]
::Passing notes
::[Black arrow pointing to a base further along and outside the line:]
::0110 0010 0110 0001
::0111 0011 0110 0101
::0010 0000 0011 0010
::[x Slightly before first base:]
::Downloading Star Trek fanfiction and replacing Riker's name with your crush's.

:[Black arrow pointing to first base:]
::First base: Kissing

:[Further along the line past the first base is one x point in the right outfield:]
::Eye contact from Janeane Garofalo.

:[On the way towards second base there are the following two items:]
::[A region along the line from first to second has been marked off by a dotted line. It has the following text written inside:]
::The boring zone.
::[x some way inside the line next to the boring zone:]
::Using the scroll thingy on that one Apple mouse

:[Black arrow pointing to second base:]
::Second base: Hands under the shirt and/or licking

:[On the route from second to third base are eight items:]
::[A dotted line traveling from near the outfield above second base, then crossing the second baseline about 1/3 of the way to third base, snaking its way almost down to the home plate ending close to the third baseline. The following text is written along the dotted line inside the diamond:]
::The orgasm line
::[Above second base a large black arrow crosses the orgasm line near the outfield:]
::Napoleon's forces
::[x below the Napoleon arrow right before crossing the orgasm line:]
::Fursuits
::[Two arrows points to the second base line on each side of the orgasm line:]
::Hands on the pants
::Hands in the pants
::[x some way into the diamond just past the orgasm line:]
::Dry humping
::[x same distance down the second base line as dry humping, but equally far outside the line still infield:]
::Fursuits (crotchless)
::[x almost at the extension of the 3rd base line close to the outfield:]
::Standing anywhere near Peaches

:[In the left outfield there are two x points:]
::[x in the outfield halfway along the second base line:]
::Retrograde wheelbarrow
::[x in the outfield almost at the extension of the third base line:]
::2outfielders1glove.

:[Foul of the third base line just left of where the grass line divides the in- and outfield:]
::Anal sex (fill in your own "foul ball" pun here.)

:[Black arrow pointing to third base:]
::Third base: Oral sex (formerly "hands in the pants")

:[On the route from third to home plate there are four items:]
::[Between third base and home there is a dotted line that makes a curve from right outside the third base line and ends right afer it has crossed the orgasm line. The text is written inside the diamond with the first word above and the other two below the dotted line:]
::"Virginity" (Maginot) line
::[A large black arrow curves around the end of the "Virginity" line outside of the diamond:]
::Teens
::[A large black arrow points from outside the diamond to a point right between home plate and the virginity line:]
::Sharing root PWs
::[x just before home plate at the end of the orgasm line inside the diamond:]
::Thigh contact

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Baseball]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Furries]]
[[Category:American football]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Basketball]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]

540: Base System

2018-07-14T12:43:42Z

Twistleton: /* Infield */ Minard

{{comic
| number = 540
| date = February 6, 2009
| title = Base System
| image = base system.png
| titletext = I once got to second base with a basketball player. She was so confused.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic comes in two parts and is a pun on the {{w|Baseball metaphors for sex|baseball metaphor}} used to describe how far a date went regarding erotic actions. Many different versions of the baseball metaphor exist, with varying degrees of complexity. But it has rarely been described with as many details as the one drawn by [[Randall]] in this comic.

===First part - the comic strip===
In the first part, a four frame strip along the top, [[Ponytail]] and [[Cueball]] discuss how Cueball's date went. When Cueball answers Ponytail's question with "second base", Ponytail asks what that means exactly. They fumble around with the definition in panel two where Ponytail ask ''is that Below the waist, but... not under the clothes?'' Cueball tries to put this into the base system and suggest that this could be compared to the difficult {{w|shortstop}} fielding position in baseball, between 2nd and 3rd base. This fits with the position of [[#The diamond|Hands on the pants]] metaphor from the picture below the comic strip. Then Ponytail begins with yet another base analogy by mentioning crossing the {{w|Baseball_field#Pitcher.27s_mound|pitcher's mound}}, but then suddenly she brings two more, very different, sports into the metaphor: {{w|American football}} (with the 50 yard line) and {{w|bowling}} (with the {{w|ten-pin}}). It certainly sounds tricky, as Cueball says. Ponytail then brings up a ''third'' sport in her elaboration; her reference to getting a "red flag" could refer to different sports, as {{w|Flag#In sports|many sports use flags}}, some of them red. It is, however, most likely a reference to {{w|Racing_flags#Red_flag|racing in motor sport}} as the red flag is displayed when conditions are too dangerous to continue the session. This makes sense when looking at the "translation" here below. Cueball, however, has not got a clue which he expresses when Ponytail asks him ''If you know what I mean.''
(Note that this comic came out less than a week after {{w|Super Bowl XLIII}}, the final game of the {{w|2008 NFL season}}, which was played on 2009-02-01).

Here is a '''translation''' of Ponytails comment:
::Original: You should try crossing the '''pitcher's mound'''. Then down the '''50-yard line''', and right past her '''ten-pin'''.
::Translation: You should try crossing her '''{{w|Mons pubis|pubic mound}}''', then down the '''{{w|Bikini_waxing#The_Landing_Strip|landing strip}}''', and right past her '''{{w|clitoris}}'''.
:::Original: Last time I tried it, '''I got a red flag'''.
:::Translation: Last time I tried it, '''she had her {{w|Menstruation|period}}'''.

This would mean that Ponytail was about to {{w|Cunnilingus|go down}} on another girl, while this girl had her period. Many people would find it disgusting to go down on a girl while she was menstruating, explaining Ponytails reaction to Cueball's ''Sounds tricky'' reply.

===Second part - the baseball diamond===
The second part, the diagram, depicts a much more complex version of the baseball metaphor, where baseball terms and jargon are used to describe the many and varied things human beings like to do in the bedroom. Explanations have been separated by position. In order to understand the terms used, one may want to consult this picture:

[[File:540baseballdiamond.jpg|The baseball diamond and surrounding areas]]
:Note that Randall did not include any features from within the diamond; the pitchers mound or plate.

====The diamond====

The "{{w|Baseball field|diamond}}" is the geometric pattern formed by the four bases - first, second, third, and {{W|Baseball_field#Home_plate|home plate}}. After the ball is hit by the batter, and is in the air, players have a chance to move to the next base in line, from first, to second, to third, and finally to home plate (scoring only if they make it to home plate), only being removed from play if they are touched by a player carrying the ball in an attempt to move between bases. Thus there is a "progression" from one base to the next of sexual activity in the metaphor, until climax is achieved (getting to 'home plate' and 'scoring a point')

The entries in this section are ordered roughly from home plate to first, to second, to third, and then to home plate again, in the counterclockwise direction that the players move.

*Eye contact is placed just alongside the initial stage where the 'player' has just stepped off the home plate and is starting to move towards first. This is a deliberate setup for the 'thigh contact' pun later just before home plate. First eye, then thigh contact. First then can the sex begin and you have finally scored by reaching the home plate.
*Passing notes refers to a common method of communication in the classroom in school, often used by students as a form of courtship. It is placed halfway between the start and first base - the point at which communication has begun.
*First base is kissing. This is one of the most common assigned meanings for what the 'first base' is in the baseball metaphor - as in, "getting to first base".
*The boring zone is the point between kissing and sexual teasing or activity - the point where intimacy has become normal but sexual behaviors have not been accepted yet. This is boring for many (stereotypically this goes especially for men). It can also be the point at which a workup is attempted from kissing to gentle stroking and finally to the overt sexual teasing that is found by the time you have gotten to second base.
*Second base is licking or hands under the shirt. Overt sexual teasing, in an attempt to get the other person aroused.
*'Hands on the pants' and 'hands in the pants' are two activities that happen in a very short distance of each other during an average sexual encounter. They are also separated by the 'orgasm line', indicating that teasing has stopped and actual sexual activity has begun.
*Third base is oral sex. Oral sex is often used to prepare or arouse another person in preparation for intercourse, although it can be performed until one or both climax. In older versions of the baseball metaphor, third base was "hands in the pants" instead, which has been moved to earlier on the line in this new, "modern" version - or at least, Randall's conception of it.
*The Virginity line, which is also named, in brackets, after the {{w|Maginot Line}}, a series of French fortifications that were thought to be impenetrable during the lead-up to {{w|World War II}}. This line provides a direct "barrier" to the path between third base and a home run. The Maginot Line was thought to be completely impenetrable until it was bypassed by the German army during WW2 through the {{w|Ardennes forest}}, whereupon it was encircled and destroyed. Virginity is often seen as an impenetrable barrier, or an unwillingness, up until arousal and desire conspire to make it go away rapidly.
*Teens, naturally, having a propensity for hormone-driven sex, bypass the Virginity line with ease.
*Sharing root PWs (passwords) is placed very close to home plate. As a {{w|system administrator}}, the one thing you never, ever do is give anyone the {{w|root password|root (core) password}} to an operating system, because anyone with the password is able to get unlimited access to the system to do whatever they please. Sharing a root password with another person is a nerdy way of saying that you trust them on an intimate, deep level. In other words, it requires more trust than oral sex.
*Finally, there is home plate. In this diagram, it is unlabelled, but in all versions of the baseball metaphor, the home plate signifies sexual intercourse and climax. Scoring a "home run" with a sexual partner means you "took it all the way" and "scored a point"; i.e. got laid. Close to the home plate, the virginity line and orgasm line cross, as penetrative sex is rarely the most effective way for a woman to reach orgasm.

====Within the diamond and around the orgasm line====
Inside the diamond, at the center of the mound, is the pitcher. Several odd positions are placed here in Randall's diagram.
*The Orgasm Line, which passes through almost every other play field, seems to be a divider that runs throughout the entire map that separates teasing and arousing behavior from overt sexual behavior intended to pleasure others.
**Using the scroll thingy on that one Apple mouse is presumably here because the small, rounded scroll button can be imagined to be a clitoris. But it does not even get close to cross the orgasm line. (See also [[243: Appropriate Term]].)
**Fursuits (arousing, to some) become crotchless fursuits (overtly a sexual tool) when they cross the orgasm line.
**Hands on the pants and hands in the pants are two related but different activities - hands on the pants is arousing but not past the orgasm line, whereas hands in the pants can give pleasure enough to cross the orgasm line.
**Dry humping is the activity of humping (thrusting against) a partner without one or both of them removing their clothes, in order to arouse or gain sexual satisfaction. The location is probably a combination of the fact that it lies somewhere between hands on/in the pants, is definitely not an activity that is considered "out there" (in the outfield), hasn't quite made it to 3rd base, but at least it crosses the orgasm line.

====Infield====

The {{w|Infield#Baseball|infield}} is a series of catchers stationed immediately outside or just within the diamond, with the goal of receiving the ball from the outfield (or catching it themselves) and using it to tag any running opposing teammates to foil their attempts at moving to the next base on the diamond. Players within the diamond, such as the shortstop, will also be doing this as well - they often receive the ball from the infield. As such, the infield is still "out there", away from the "usual" sexual interactions in the diamond, but they are things you might pass upon the way.

*Napoleon's Forces is a cartography joke, suggesting that all of this complicated positioning makes the image look like a map depicting military maneuvers (and also evoking the comical image of Napoleon's army marching through a land of sexual behaviors). The specific reference is probably to {{w|Charles Joseph Minard}}'s famous [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Joseph_Minard#/media/File:Minard.png diagram of Napoleon's 1812 Russian campaign], often cited as the best statistical graphic ever. It's mentioned in the title text [[731: Desert Island]].
*Fursuits are anthropmorphic animal costumes worn by some members of the {{w|Furry Fandom}}, people who are fans of anthropomorphized (human-like) animals. Fursuiters are a small fraction of the entire fandom, but are sometimes used in sexual play.
*Fursuits (crotchless) are fursuits with no fabric or covering on the groin (crotch) of the wearer, and as such are specifically intended for sexual play. They are placed slightly further "out there" on the field due to this being more unusual, and across the orgasm line.
*Standing anywhere near Peaches is referring to the musician {{w|Peaches (musician)|Peaches}} who is known for her heavy use of sexual imagery.

====Outfield====

The "{{w|Outfield#In_cricket_and_baseball|outfield}}" is a group of players who are there to catch the ball if it goes away from the main play area (anything outside the upper curving line) and return it to play in a manner advantageous to their team. As they separated away from the main play area, the things in the outfield are often references to sexual behaviors that are "kinky" and "out there".

*2outfielders1glove is a reference to the infamous {{w|2girls1cup}} scatological site and associated meme.
*The [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=retrograde%20wheelbarrow Retrograde Wheelbarrow] is a sex position, one referenced previously in [[300: Facebook]], making this a callback.
*Eye contact from {{w|Janeane Garofalo}} is a tie-in to the "eye contact" entry positioned near home base. It's possible that this is placed in the outfield because fantasizing about celebrities like Janeane Garofalo is a behavior that is often considered unusual, even though many people do it.

====Foul ball====

A {{w|foul ball}} occurs when a ball ends up in foul territory which is outside the foul line extending from either side of the diamond, the area is "out of play". Anyone who takes the ball into this area has committed a foul, and as such breached one of the acceptable rules of sexual conduct in the metaphor.

*Anal sex is a pun on the term "foul ball", as the anus is where fecal matter collects. The position is placed just outside the foul line.
*Downloading Star Trek fanfiction and replacing Riker's name with your crush is a reference to {{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}. Riker, the First Officer of the Enterprise-D, is often a subject of sexual desire among the fandom, and so taking a piece of fanfiction (fan-written, noncanon stories written about a piece of fiction) and replacing Riker's name with that of your crush is an ultra-nerdy way of indicating that they are attractive - so ultra-nerdy, it's creepy.
*The binary (i.e. base 2) numbers are an {{w|ASCII}} representation of the characters "base 2". The base of a number system is the number of unique digits required to represent numbers in that system. Binary is therefore a "base 2" system. This seems to be a little nerd sniping: wasting the time of anyone familiar enough with computing to know how to decode it.
*"Your base" is a reference to the original "base" metaphor mixed with a reference to the Zero Wing {{w|All Your Base}} meme. It is most likely a reference to {{w|masturbation}} (i.e. solo sex or you-sex and is in the foul area). First you make eye contact with a gorgeous girl (boy) and then you go home and satisfy yourself with a fantasy about all the tings you would like to do with her (him). It's possible that this being here is also a stealth insult towards the reader - the reader's own base (him/herself) is "out of play" and thus undesirable.

====Title text====
If you are together with a {{w|basketball}} player, kisses her, and then tells her that you are now ''at second base'', she might become very confused. Also there is the joke that basketball players never get laid because they always jump before they score.

==Transcript==
:[At the top there is a four panel regular comic strip.]
:[Cueball and Ponytail are talking; Ponytail is sitting on the back of a chair with her feet on the seat, and Cueball is sitting on the floor facing her.]
:Ponytail: So how far did you get with her?
:Cueball: Second base?

:[Zoom in on Ponytail on the chair.]
:Ponytail: Wait, which one is that? Below the waist, but... not under the clothes?
:Cueball (off-panel): I think that's... shortstop?

:[Cueball now almost lies down and Ponytail is sitting on the armrest of the chair.]
:Ponytail: You should try crossing the pitcher's mound. Then down the 50-yard line, and right past her ten-pin.
:Cueball: Sounds tricky.

:[Again a zoom in on Ponytail now on the armrest.]
:Ponytail: Yeah. Last time I tried it, I got a red flag. If you know what I mean.
:Cueball (off-panel): I really don't.

:[Below the strip there is a large frame with a diagram of a baseball diamond.]
:[At the bottom left there is a box with tis text:]
:'''The "Base" Metaphor Explained'''

:[Bases are pointed too with thick black arrows (except home plate) and there are also arrows pointing to different parts of the diagram. All arrows and points marked with "x" have a description, as do the dashed lines covering the field. Below they will be listed anti-clockwise from the home plate.]

:[Along the line towards first base is the following five items in the order they appear:]
::[x slightly right of home plate:]
::Eye contact
::[Black arrow pointing to a base half way to first base outside the line:]
::Your Base
::[x inside the line opposite your base]
::Passing notes
::[Black arrow pointing to a base further along and outside the line:]
::0110 0010 0110 0001
::0111 0011 0110 0101
::0010 0000 0011 0010
::[x Slightly before first base:]
::Downloading Star Trek fanfiction and replacing Riker's name with your crush's.

:[Black arrow pointing to first base:]
::First base: Kissing

:[Further along the line past the first base is one x point in the right outfield:]
::Eye contact from Janeane Garofalo.

:[On the way towards second base there are the following two items:]
::[A region along the line from first to second has been marked off by a dotted line. It has the following text written inside:]
::The boring zone.
::[x some way inside the line next to the boring zone:]
::Using the scroll thingy on that one Apple mouse

:[Black arrow pointing to second base:]
::Second base: Hands under the shirt and/or licking

:[On the route from second to third base are eight items:]
::[A dotted line traveling from near the outfield above second base, then crossing the second baseline about 1/3 of the way to third base, snaking its way almost down to the home plate ending close to the third baseline. The following text is written along the dotted line inside the diamond:]
::The orgasm line
::[Above second base a large black arrow crosses the orgasm line near the outfield:]
::Napoleon's forces
::[x below the Napoleon arrow right before crossing the orgasm line:]
::Fursuits
::[Two arrows points to the second base line on each side of the orgasm line:]
::Hands on the pants
::Hands in the pants
::[x some way into the diamond just past the orgasm line:]
::Dry humping
::[x same distance down the second base line as dry humping, but equally far outside the line still infield:]
::Fursuits (crotchless)
::[x almost at the extension of the 3rd base line close to the outfield:]
::Standing anywhere near Peaches

:[In the left outfield there are two x points:]
::[x in the outfield halfway along the second base line:]
::Retrograde wheelbarrow
::[x in the outfield almost at the extension of the third base line:]
::2outfielders1glove.

:[Foul of the third base line just left of where the grass line divides the in- and outfield:]
::Anal sex (fill in your own "foul ball" pun here.)

:[Black arrow pointing to third base:]
::Third base: Oral sex (formerly "hands in the pants")

:[On the route from third to home plate there are four items:]
::[Between third base and home there is a dotted line that makes a curve from right outside the third base line and ends right afer it has crossed the orgasm line. The text is written inside the diamond with the first word above and the other two below the dotted line:]
::"Virginity" (Maginot) line
::[A large black arrow curves around the end of the "Virginity" line outside of the diamond:]
::Teens
::[A large black arrow points from outside the diamond to a point right between home plate and the virginity line:]
::Sharing root PWs
::[x just before home plate at the end of the orgasm line inside the diamond:]
::Thigh contact

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Baseball]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Furries]]
[[Category:American football]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Basketball]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]