explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

855: 1999

2018-02-23T10:23:09Z

Yuriy206: Added a link to the HTML5 version into describtion

{{comic
| number = 855
| date = February 2, 2011
| title = 1999
| image = 1999.png
| titletext = 'Whoa, twenty-two in two hours!' 'Your site got twenty-two hundred hits in two hours?' 'No. Twenty-two. But still, that's like half the people on the internet!'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a parody of the movie ''{{w|The Social Network}}'', a movie about the founding of the popular social network site Facebook. Here, scenes from the movie are reimagined to feature {{w|Zombo.com}} instead. Zombo.com, also known as Zombocom, is a website that was created in 1999 and using only {{w|Flash animations}}. [[Randall]], like many others more, doesn't like this technique at all. The animation consists of a circle of quickly pulsating dots and a friendly deep male voice repeatedly welcoming the visitor to "Zombocom" and explaining that there was no limit to what could be done at the site, or rather, no limit except yourself. The message repeats while, ironically, there is absolutely nothing that can be done at the site until the message completes, at which point a link saying "Sign up for our newZletter" appears, linking to a page saying that the selected option is not available yet. If the link is not clicked, the Flash player will reset. Thus, you can still do nothing on the site.
The humor of the parody comes in substituting Facebook, a useful and popular website, for Zombo.com, a novelty site which gained attention for its complete uselessness.

Turn on your speakers and check [http://zombo.com zombo.com] for yourself. (If you can't run/don't have flash an an HTML5 version is available at [http://www.html5zombo.com html5zombo.com].)

The last four panels are all direct parodies of specific scenes from ''The Social Network''. The second panel is a takeoff of the scene where Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg comes up with the idea for the site, saying that people like checking up on their friends and acquaintances, so why not build a site that lets them do that? Because Zombo.com has no actual function, in this version the founder can't specify what he wants the site to do.

The third panel is taken from a scene where Zuckerberg is seen intensely focused on his work programming the site, his headphones insulating him from the outside world. His assistant describes his state as "wired in" and demands that he not be disturbed. In the comic, as Zombo.com is a very simple site which does not need much coding, the assistant offers the possibility that the founder is stoned as a reason for his focus. Indeed, it's one of the few conceivable reasons that one would be this focused on such a boring and pointless website.

The fourth panel is taken from a scene where co-founder Eduardo Saverin tries to push for monetization of Facebook, while investor and consultant Sean Parker argues against. The actual dialogue is "You don't even know what the thing is yet. How big it can get, how far it can go. This is no time to take your chips down. A million dollars isn't cool, you know what's cool? A billion dollars." Here, instead of a billion dollars, the Parker character argues "Circles," playing off Zombo.com's un-lucrative nature and the silliness of the design.

The final panel is taken from a scene where Parker advises Zuckerberg to change the name of the site from TheFacebook to just Facebook, calling it "cleaner." Here, he advises to change the name of Zombo.com to just Zombocom. Why the website is pronounced "Zombocom" rather than the more expected Zombo ''Dot'' Com is a mystery known only to its creators; perhaps, like in the movie, they also considered it cleaner.

The title text is a reference to a quote from the movie, specifically a conversation between Zuckerberg and Delpy (Zuckerberg is the first quote). In the actual film, Zuckerberg answers "twenty-two thousand" rather than just "twenty-two". This is a joke to the effect that, back in 1999, there weren't really that many people on the internet, and very few of them would have gone to Zombo.com

==Transcript==
:It's easy to forget, as we heap awards on ''The Social Network'',
:That before there was Facebook, MySpace, or even Friendster...
:One website dreamed bigger than them all.

:[Cueball and another are talking.]
:Cueball: People like doing stuff. So why not build a website that offers that?
:Another: Offers what? What would I do there?
:Cueball: Anything! The only limit is yourself!

:[Another scene. Hacker, wearing headphones and oblivious, working at computer. Cueball runs in to interrupt; Another holds him back.]
:Cueball: Hey, we need more—
:Another: Don't–he's wired in.
:Hacker: ''The infinite is possible.''
:Another: Or baked. It's hard to tell.

:[Cueball and another at table in bar.]
:Cueball: It's time to monetize. We could make millions!
:Another: No way. A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool?
:Cueball: A billio–
:Another: ''Circles.''

:[Long shot in bar. Drinks on table in foreground; dim figures in doorway in background; Cueball, alone, shouting into the distance.]
:Cueball: Hey–a tip: drop the dot.
:Cueball: Just "Zombocom".
:Cueball: It's cleaner.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

Talk:1316: Inexplicable

2014-01-16T17:57:15Z

Yuriy206:

[http://xkcd.com/725/ Literally] haunted? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 08:22, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

I was wondering too if Randall was also taking a sideways swipe at the way many people today misuse the term "literally".[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.30|108.162.216.30]] 22:42, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

I would say he trying to say that some errors that computers have are impossible to fathom. I've baffled our IT people on many an occasion and the solution is usual 'rebuild' which is the computer equivalent of an exorcism.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.228|108.162.231.228]] 10:18, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
:Definitely this. It is also much harder to figure out what the problem is with a computer when you weren't the one who has spent all their time using the computer. It is why I can't understand how IT people do their jobs. [[User:Daleb|Daleb]] ([[User talk:Daleb|talk]]) 13:14, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Surprised nobody mentioned [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_machine Ghost in the machine] yet... --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 10:28, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

I find the current explanation entertaining but... raises questions.

Is "This comic is inexplicable and represents a self-referencing joke about explainxkcd.com." serious?
:I think it's not and I deleted the sentence. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.84|173.245.50.84]] 14:39, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
:: If the comic is not a self-referencing joke about explainxkcd.com, then what conceivable combination of words WOULD constitute such a joke? (note: I am not the one who first made the (now deleted) point, but I agree with it.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.214|108.162.231.214]] 08:46, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

"While it might [be] a reasonable conclusion [i.e. that it is 'haunted'] for a human, demons can't possess a computer." - this reads like "demons exist, but are incapable of possessing computer equipment", rather than "demons cannot possess a computer, because they don't even exist", which would be my ''preference'' (under the standard rules of not being able to ''prove'' the non-existence of the supernatral... and, believe me, I've had my fair share of totally baffling computer problems, in my time, and often anthropomorphise equipment, somewhat, ''at least'' to explain it to non-tech users... but then end up adopting the same attitude myself, of course).

"The title text suggests that Megan insists that Cueball resume possession of his laptop, as she is unsettled by the ghost; Cueball simply refuses, seeing an opportunity to make his problem hers." - I see that as more akin to the "cursed gem" type of story. One simply cannot palm the gem off on somebody else, but it must have a legitimately willing recipient (including a thief stealing it, often) in order for the curse itself to transfer itself. Now that the 'status' of the laptop is known he's not going to accept it back and take the 'curse of errors' back upon himself. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.223|141.101.99.223]] 14:08, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

:I just removed the sentence "While it might [be] a reasonable conclusion for a human, demons can't possess a computer." In the real world ghosts (the comic does not mention demons) don't exist and can't possess either humans or computers; in a fictional world, they might be able to do either or both (a la King's "Trucks"). -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.217|108.162.212.217]] 15:24, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

::Are you completely sure of that? How do you look at news like [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/catholic-church-trains-more-priests-to-perform-exorcisms-9046578.html|Catholic Church trains more priests to perform Exorcism]? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:12, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

I think the joke is just that normally the smartass that knows more about computers than you is able to easilly fix it, but not in this case. [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 16:13, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

So am I the only one who thinks that the caption(or whatever the hover over text is called) refers to Cueball trying to return the laptop to a retail store. I mean I can see a store like Best Buy refusing to take back a laptop because a customer insists that there is a ghost in it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.83|108.162.216.83]] 18:25, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

:I agree. but until more people notice it, lets leave it. [[User:Imanton1|Imanton1]] ([[User talk:Imanton1|talk]]) 03:56, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

:I thought this too, except I thought it was more a comment on people's attachment to technology, "Demon-posessed or not, it's got all my kitten videos on it!".--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.230|141.101.98.230]] 08:28, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

:You're not the only one. That's exactly what I thought the mouseover text was about, too. I guess it could be read multiple ways, but maybe the explanation should acknowledge that? [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 19:12, 15 January 2014 (UTC)

Overthinking, maybe, but if the computer is haunted (read: possessed), then a valid solution IS to return (read: unpossess? dispossess?) it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.57|108.162.216.57]] 23:36, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Demons and devils can possess people or things; ghosts only loiter/haunt a location.{{unsigned ip|108.162.216.30}}

My wife says, "it's a Turing test!"
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.199|108.162.219.199]] 02:24, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

Am I the only who have thought of a corrupted random access memory on this laptop? Last time when I had a RAM failure on one of my machines, for a non technical person it may have appeared haunted: e.g. not executing just specific applications, writing nonsensical error messages, crashing applications when a specific word was being used...you name it. Running memcheck revealed later that one RAM module had lots of corrupted bytes but the problem only appeared when one RAM module was getting hot. So as long as the machine was idling if behaved just fine. So no ghost for me, I guess. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.217|108.162.231.217]] 09:19, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

People, there is no implication that this is a new laptop. It cannot be returned to the store, ok? Megan does not want it in her possession, so she wants to give it back to Cueball but he will not accept it. The only reason she says "take it back" is because it this a straight line that allows Cueball to reply "No". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 18:33, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

I once had a computer that was a nudist. After a couple of months it allowed me to get it dressed. I must say it taught me to be more accepting of the needs of electronic devices then and now. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.186|199.27.128.186]] 20:02, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

I'm not convinced that the strip is genuinely inexplicable, but one thing I am certain of is that there is no explanation to be found here on this page. None. Every single one of the comments above is reaching. If the computer is literally haunted, then describing it as such is not misuse of the term "literally". If there's no terminological misuse, then there's no sideswipe at the misuse. Maybe some computer errors are impossible to fathom, but describing such errors as a 'haunting' does not constitute a joke, etc., etc., etc. To me the key, the "punchline", is Cueball's "told you". That is the only thing that requires explanation. All the stuff above is annotation, NOT explanation. Q: When did Cueball tell Megan that the computer was haunted? A: When he told her that "nothing works or makes sense". To him the two statements, "the computer is haunted" and "nothing works or makes sense" are equivalent. To him haunting can only be a valid explanation in a world which is entirely devoid of logic. I did try to explain that, but my explanation got Occam's-Razored out of existence. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.225|141.101.98.225]] 03:14, 15 January 2014 (UTC)

:Yes, my comment about the use of "literally" _was_ meant as an amused remark at best, not explanation. Otherwise I would not have put it on the discussion page :) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 15:34, 15 January 2014 (UTC)

Did anyone else think of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "I Robot, You Jane"? It could be a reference (Giles: ... There's a demon in the Internet. Ms. Calendar: I know.) [[User:Yuriy206|Yuriy206]] ([[User talk:Yuriy206|talk]]) 17:57, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

Talk:945: I'm Sorry

2013-03-28T18:22:48Z

Yuriy206:

That's kinda hard though, he can't be the cause of ''everything'' that ever goes wrong, can he? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:03, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

* Well, not directly (at least not intentionally) however chaos theory suggests that he had some contribution even if he did not realize it (or at the vary least he could have taken some actions that would have 'randomly' stopped the event.) [[User:Yuriy206|Yuriy206]] ([[User talk:Yuriy206|talk]]) 18:21, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Talk:945: I'm Sorry

2013-03-28T18:21:50Z

Yuriy206:

That's kinda hard though, he can't be the cause of ''everything'' that ever goes wrong, can he? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:03, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, not directly (at least not intentionally) however chaos theory suggests that he had some contribution even if he did not realize it (or at the vary least he could have taken some actions that would have 'randomly' stopped the event.) [[User:Yuriy206|Yuriy206]] ([[User talk:Yuriy206|talk]]) 18:21, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1096: Clinically Studied Ingredient

2013-03-12T20:52:34Z

Yuriy206:

* "Clinical", coming from the greek word κλίνη for bed, also suggests research on patients. Maybe this is (another reason) why Cueball is in a bed. [[Special:Contributions/79.103.255.154|79.103.255.154]] 09:23, 30 August 2012 (UTC)tetartos
* The 1997 parody film {{w|Plump Fiction}} (an atrocious film from the looks of it) jokingly used the tagline «From the producers who saw "Pulp Fiction", "Reservoir Dogs" and "Braveheart"» to the same effect. --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 11:53, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*:It's a similar effect, although in that case, the joke isn't that the tagline doesn't indicate whether the producers liked the other films, the joke there is that normally the tagline would tell you other works the producers had themselves produced. There is no ambiguity in the tagline, as it's pretty clear the producers of that film ''didn't'' produce the other films. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*::I meant to compare the tagline to the title text, not the comic itself. --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 13:27, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

* I think the joke isn't just that what Megan was tested for isn't clear, but like the clinically studied compound, she doesn't say if she was found to be healthy or not.
*: I don't think the fact that she doesn't say what she was tested for is part of the joke at all. I think we just come in in the middle of a conversation where the previous line was something like "How do I know you don't have any STDs?". Also, please sign your comments by putting four tildes after it (<nowiki> ~~~~ </nowiki>) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

* Longer hair than normal, but maybe it's just too early this morning for me. Tebow Time, Twice a Day. 12:03, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*: Hmmm... I'm inclined to think it's not Megan, unless she has a perm. (Megan's is consistently spaghetti-straight.) (qv [[1089|xkcd 1089]]) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:53, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*:: I'll go on record that this is *not* Megan. We have a few variants of female characters based only on the hair and this is not consistent with her other appearances. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 14:29, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*::: Approve completely; I removed all references to her. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 23:35, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

* No matter how I squint at this one, that extra line just doesn't seem to make sense... unless there is a penis in this cartoon.
*: Nope, nothing so bawdy. The left knee is just a little higher than the right. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*:: I don't even see an extra line. I took the pointed corner Cueball's right arm is on to be the corner of the bed (a stylized slanted bed) with the round line being the covers that don't come to the end. Alternatively, as IronyChef suggests, the round is the end of the bed, and cueball has his right hand on his right leg while his left leg is raised (with his knee around the area of his right wrist) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

*Interestingly, a Google search of the subject phrase of this comic brings up this comic as the first (few) results. There are, however, actual product examples that come up. I had never heard the phrase used; but apparently it is, for example, by [https://www.progesic.com/articles/clinically-studied-ingredients.html Progesic] or [http://www.muscletech.com/products/myobuild/index.shtml Myobuild] (note: explainxkcd does not endorse the use of these misleading products) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
**Other examples include Super CitriMax®, which contains "a clinically studied ingredient for weight management", and UC-II®, which contains an ingredient that has been "clinically studied to support joint comfort, mobility and flexibility". [http://www.interhealthusa.com/ingredients.aspx] ~ [[User:Quackslikeaduck|Quackslikeaduck]] ([[User talk:Quackslikeaduck|talk]]) 18:59, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

*"the phrase is used in shrewd marketing techniques": Not sure that shrewd is correct - deceitful?
*: I've put "elusive" - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 23:35, 19 August 2012 (UTC)
*:: Elusive means it is hard to find/capture. I think deceptive is the right word.[[Special:Contributions/98.250.93.41|98.250.93.41]] 01:38, 17 September 2012 (UTC)Brion

*I first interpreted "So many questions" in the comic in that the tests themselves raised 'so many questions'. It's probably not the correct interpretation, but I figured I would leave a comment about it. --[[User:Yuriy206|Yuriy206]] ([[User talk:Yuriy206|talk]]) 20:51, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1096: Clinically Studied Ingredient

2013-03-12T20:52:14Z

Yuriy206:

* "Clinical", coming from the greek word κλίνη for bed, also suggests research on patients. Maybe this is (another reason) why Cueball is in a bed. [[Special:Contributions/79.103.255.154|79.103.255.154]] 09:23, 30 August 2012 (UTC)tetartos
* The 1997 parody film {{w|Plump Fiction}} (an atrocious film from the looks of it) jokingly used the tagline «From the producers who saw "Pulp Fiction", "Reservoir Dogs" and "Braveheart"» to the same effect. --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 11:53, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*:It's a similar effect, although in that case, the joke isn't that the tagline doesn't indicate whether the producers liked the other films, the joke there is that normally the tagline would tell you other works the producers had themselves produced. There is no ambiguity in the tagline, as it's pretty clear the producers of that film ''didn't'' produce the other films. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*::I meant to compare the tagline to the title text, not the comic itself. --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 13:27, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

* I think the joke isn't just that what Megan was tested for isn't clear, but like the clinically studied compound, she doesn't say if she was found to be healthy or not.
*: I don't think the fact that she doesn't say what she was tested for is part of the joke at all. I think we just come in in the middle of a conversation where the previous line was something like "How do I know you don't have any STDs?". Also, please sign your comments by putting four tildes after it (<nowiki> ~~~~ </nowiki>) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

* Longer hair than normal, but maybe it's just too early this morning for me. Tebow Time, Twice a Day. 12:03, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*: Hmmm... I'm inclined to think it's not Megan, unless she has a perm. (Megan's is consistently spaghetti-straight.) (qv [[1089|xkcd 1089]]) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:53, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*:: I'll go on record that this is *not* Megan. We have a few variants of female characters based only on the hair and this is not consistent with her other appearances. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 14:29, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*::: Approve completely; I removed all references to her. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 23:35, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

* No matter how I squint at this one, that extra line just doesn't seem to make sense... unless there is a penis in this cartoon.
*: Nope, nothing so bawdy. The left knee is just a little higher than the right. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
*:: I don't even see an extra line. I took the pointed corner Cueball's right arm is on to be the corner of the bed (a stylized slanted bed) with the round line being the covers that don't come to the end. Alternatively, as IronyChef suggests, the round is the end of the bed, and cueball has his right hand on his right leg while his left leg is raised (with his knee around the area of his right wrist) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

*Interestingly, a Google search of the subject phrase of this comic brings up this comic as the first (few) results. There are, however, actual product examples that come up. I had never heard the phrase used; but apparently it is, for example, by [https://www.progesic.com/articles/clinically-studied-ingredients.html Progesic] or [http://www.muscletech.com/products/myobuild/index.shtml Myobuild] (note: explainxkcd does not endorse the use of these misleading products) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
**Other examples include Super CitriMax®, which contains "a clinically studied ingredient for weight management", and UC-II®, which contains an ingredient that has been "clinically studied to support joint comfort, mobility and flexibility". [http://www.interhealthusa.com/ingredients.aspx] ~ [[User:Quackslikeaduck|Quackslikeaduck]] ([[User talk:Quackslikeaduck|talk]]) 18:59, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

*"the phrase is used in shrewd marketing techniques": Not sure that shrewd is correct - deceitful?
*: I've put "elusive" - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 23:35, 19 August 2012 (UTC)
*:: Elusive means it is hard to find/capture. I think deceptive is the right word.[[Special:Contributions/98.250.93.41|98.250.93.41]] 01:38, 17 September 2012 (UTC)Brion

*::I first interpreted "So many questions" in the comic in that the tests themselves raised 'so many questions'. It's probably not the correct interpretation, but I figured I would leave a comment about it. --[[User:Yuriy206|Yuriy206]] ([[User talk:Yuriy206|talk]]) 20:51, 12 March 2013 (UTC)

Talk:584: Unsatisfied

2013-02-28T01:23:58Z

Yuriy206:

I interpreted the right-most column as Megan fantasising about being with Cueball, but finding her fantasy dissatisfactory as she imagines Cueball will continue to long for Ponytail. {{unsigned|‎139.222.236.222}}

 

I think the title text points to Cueball going through both hypothetical lives. Yuriy206

Talk:584: Unsatisfied

2013-02-28T01:23:05Z

Yuriy206:

I interpreted the right-most column as Megan fantasising about being with Cueball, but finding her fantasy dissatisfactory as she imagines Cueball will continue to long for Ponytail. {{unsigned|‎139.222.236.222}}

I think the title text points to Cueball going through both hypothetical lives.

584: Unsatisfied

2012-11-26T01:20:34Z

Yuriy206:

{{comic
| number = 584
| date = May 15, 2008
| title = Unsatisfied
| image = unsatisfied.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'Forever comparing, never evaluating on any external scale. If you were a sort function, you'd never break the nlogn barrier.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete}}
In this comic [[Cueball]] is trying to decide if he wants to stay with [[Ponytail]] who he is currently dating or leave her and have a relationship with [[Megan]]. The comic suggests that no matter which one he chooses he will never truly achieve happiness because of his longing for the option he chose not to take. In a sense this is a {{w|No-win_situation|no-win situation}}.

The title text is referring to a concept in computer science, all {{w|Comparison_sort|comparison based sorting algorithms}} are incapable of sorting an arbitrary set of n values faster then an order of n*log(n)*k where k is an arbitrary constant and n is the number of values to compare.

If [[Cueball]] was capable of establishing an external scale he could use use {{w|Bucket_sort|bucket sort}} or different order n {{w|Sorting_algorithm|sorting algorithm}}, but as he does not know what the best thing for him is he can't establish limits and thus he can't achieve this.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball, Ponytail, and Megan stand stand looking at each other.]
:[Cueball considers who he wants to be with.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different bedroom activities the two prefer.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different ways that the two women spend their free time.]
:[Cueball thinks of how happy he could be with the woman he did not choose.]
:[Cueball, even in death, thinks of being dead in a grave near the woman he did not choose.]

{{comic discussion}}

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

584: Unsatisfied

2012-11-25T19:48:47Z

Yuriy206:

{{comic
| number = 584
| date = November 25, 2012
| title = Unsatisfied
| image = unsatisfied.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'Forever comparing, never evaluating on any external scale. If you were a sort function, you'd never break the nlogn barrier.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete}}
In this comic [[Cueball]] is trying to decide if he wants to stay with [[Ponytail]] who he is currently dating or leave her and have a relationship with [[Megan]]. The comic suggests that no matter which one he chooses he will never truly achieve happiness because of his longing for the option he chose not to take. In a sense this is a {{w|No-win_situation|no-win situation}}.

The title text is referring to a concept in computer science, all {{w|Comparison_sort|comparison based sorting algorithms}} are incapable of sorting an arbitrary set of n values faster then an order of n*log(n)*k where k is an arbitrary constant and n is the number of values to compare.

If [[Cueball]] was capable of establishing an external scale he could use use {{w|Bucket_sort|bucket sort}} or different order n {{w|Sorting_algorithm|sorting algorithm}}, but as he does not know what the best thing for him is he can't establish limits and thus he can't achieve this.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball, Ponytail, and Megan stand stand looking at each other.]
:[Cueball considers who he wants to be with.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different bedroom activities the two prefer.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different ways that the two women spend their free time.]
:[Cueball thinks of how happy he could be with the woman he did not choose.]
:[Cueball, even in death, thinks of being dead in a grave near the woman he did not choose.]

{{comic discussion}}

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

584: Unsatisfied

2012-11-25T17:43:28Z

Yuriy206: /* Explanation */

584

2012-11-25T17:41:13Z

Yuriy206: Redirected page to 584: Unsatisfied

#REDIRECT [[584: Unsatisfied]]

584: Unsatisfied

2012-11-25T17:37:10Z

Yuriy206: Created page with "{{comic | number = 584 | date = November 25, 2012 | title = Unsatisfied | image = unsatisfied.png | imagesize = | titletext = 'Forever comparing, never evalua..."

{{comic
| number = 584
| date = November 25, 2012
| title = Unsatisfied
| image = unsatisfied.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'Forever comparing, never evaluating on any external scale. If you were a sort function, you'd never break the nlogn barrier.'
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] is trying to decide if he wants to stay with [[Ponytail]] who he is currently dating or leave her and have a relationship with [[Megan]]. The comic suggests that no matter which one he chooses he will never truly achieve happiness because of his longing for the option he chose not to take. In a sense this is a {{w|No-win_situation|no-win situation}}.

The title text is referring to a concept in computer science, all {{w|Comparison_sort|comparison based sorting algorithms}} are incapable of sorting an arbitrary set of n values faster then an order of n*log(n)*k where k is an arbitrary constant and n is the number of values to compare.

If [[Cueball]] was capable of establishing an external scale he could use use {{w|Bucket_sort|bucket sort}} or different order n {{w|Sorting_algorithm|sorting algorithm}}, but as he does not know what the best thing for him is he can't establish limits and thus he can't achieve this.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball, Ponytail, and Megan stand stand looking at each other.]
:[Cueball considers who he wants to be with.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different bedroom activities the two prefer.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different ways that the two women spend their free time.]
:[Cueball thinks of how happy he could be with the woman he did not choose.]
:[Cueball, even in death, thinks of being dead in a grave near the woman he did not choose.]

{{comic discussion}}

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

584

2012-11-25T17:36:27Z

Yuriy206:

{{comic
| number = 584
| date = November 25, 2012
| title = Unsatisfied
| image = unsatisfied.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'Forever comparing, never evaluating on any external scale. If you were a sort function, you'd never break the nlogn barrier.'
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] is trying to decide if he wants to stay with [[Ponytail]] who he is currently dating or leave her and have a relationship with [[Megan]]. The comic suggests that no matter which one he chooses he will never truly achieve happiness because of his longing for the option he chose not to take. In a sense this is a {{w|No-win_situation|no-win situation}}.

The title text is referring to a concept in computer science, all {{w|Comparison_sort|comparison based sorting algorithms}} are incapable of sorting an arbitrary set of n values faster then an order of n*log(n)*k where k is an arbitrary constant and n is the number of values to compare.

If [[Cueball]] was capable of establishing an external scale he could use use {{w|Bucket_sort|bucket sort}} or different order n {{w|Sorting_algorithm|sorting algorithm}}, but as he does not know what the best thing for him is he can't establish limits and thus he can't achieve this.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball, Ponytail, and Megan stand stand looking at each other.]
:[Cueball considers who he wants to be with.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different bedroom activities the two prefer.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different ways that the two women spend their free time.]
:[Cueball thinks of how happy he could be with the woman he did not choose.]
:[Cueball, even in death, thinks of being dead in a grave near the woman he did not choose.]

{{comic discussion}}

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

584

2012-11-25T17:36:17Z

Yuriy206: Blanked the page

584

2012-11-25T17:33:23Z

Yuriy206: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 584
| date = November 25, 2012
| title = Unsatisfied
| image = unsatisfied.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'Forever comparing, never evaluating on any external scale. If you were a sort function, you'd never break the nlogn barrier.'
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] is trying to decide if he wants to stay with [[Ponytail]] who he is currently dating or leave her and have a relationship with [[Megan]]. The comic suggests that no matter which one he chooses he will never truly achieve happiness because of his longing for the option he chose not to take. In a sense this is a {{w|No-win_situation|no-win situation}}.

The title text is referring to a concept in computer science, all {{w|Comparison_sort|comparison based sorting algorithms}} are incapable of sorting an arbitrary set of n values faster then an order of n*log(n)*k where k is an arbitrary constant and n is the number of values to compare.

If [[Cueball]] was capable of establishing an external scale he could use use {{w|Bucket_sort|bucket sort}} or different order n {{w|Sorting_algorithm|sorting algorithm}}, but as he does not know what the best thing for him is he can't establish limits and thus he can't achieve this.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball, Ponytail, and Megan stand stand looking at each other.]
:[Cueball considers who he wants to be with.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different bedroom activities the two prefer.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different ways that the two women spend their free time.]
:[Cueball thinks of how happy he could be with the woman he did not choose.]
:[Cueball, even in death, thinks of being dead in a grave near the woman he did not choose.]

{{comic discussion}}

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

584

2012-11-25T17:32:02Z

Yuriy206: Created page with "{{comic | number = 584 | date = November 25, 2012 | title = Unsatisfied | image = unsatisfied.png | imagesize = | titletext = 'Forever comparing, never evalua..."

{{comic
| number = 584
| date = November 25, 2012
| title = Unsatisfied
| image = unsatisfied.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'Forever comparing, never evaluating on any external scale. If you were a sort function, you'd never break the nlogn barrier.'
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] is trying to decide if he wants to stay with [[Ponytail]] who he is currently dating or leave her and have a relationship with [[Megan]]. The comic suggests that no matter which one he chooses he will never truly achieve happiness because of his longing for the option he chose not to take. In a sense this is a {{w|No-win_situation|no-win situation}}.

The title text is referring to a concept in computer science, all {{w|Comparison_sort|comparison based sorting algorithms}} are incapable of sorting a set of n values on an arbitrary set faster then an order of n*log(n)*k where k is an arbitrary constant and n is the number of values to compare.

If [[Cueball]] was capable of establishing an external scale he could use use {{w|Bucket_sort|bucket sort}} or different order n {{w|Sorting_algorithm|sorting algorithm}}, but as he does not know what the best thing for him is he can't establish limits and thus he can't achieve this.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball, Ponytail, and Megan stand stand looking at each other.]
:[Cueball considers who he wants to be with.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different bedroom activities the two prefer.]
:[Cueball thinks of the different ways that the two women spend their free time.]
:[Cueball thinks of how happy he could be with the woman he did not choose.]
:[Cueball, even in death, thinks of being dead in a grave near the woman he did not choose.]

{{comic discussion}}

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