Blogofractal

Edward Tufte's 'The Visual Display of Quantitative Information' is a fantastic book, and should be required reading for anyone in either the sciences or graphic design.

Title text: Edward Tufte's 'The Visual Display of Quantitative Information' is a fantastic book, and should be required reading for anyone in either the sciences or graphic design.

Explanation[edit]

The Blogosphere is a blanket term for all the blogs on the internet that link together and share information to the extent that the term "blogosphere" arose to describe the collective of blogs. This comic proposes a new structure for defining all blogs by a fractal of blogs.

Edward Tufte is a statistician who worked on data visualization and wrote books on the subject, including "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information," as mentioned in the title text.

Meme	Explanation
TripMaster Monkey says	Tripmaster Monkey is a book by Maxine Hong Kingston about Wittman Ah Sing, an American graduate of Chinese heritage. 'Monkey says' may be based on the saying 'Monkey See, Monkey Do' and/or the children's game Simon Says.
118th Post!!	This may be a riff on the "first post" phenomenon, or the "milestone marks" like "1000th post".
Wikiconstitution!	The Onion wrote a 2005 article about putting the Constitution on a Wiki to allow public editing. This may be a reference to "Protect the constution".
OMG	Common acronym for "Oh My God," often used in messaging.
DeCSS	DeCSS was a piece of code for decrypting DVDs. There was a significant effort to prevent this code from being distributed, which triggered the Streisand effect.
Casemod your Boyfriend!!	Case modding is the modification of a computer chassis (or less commonly other devices), usually to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Casemodding a boyfriend would therefore attempt to make him more attractive.
FLICKR	A well known photo sharing site.
They're saying on Kos that	The Daily Kos is a web blog that publishes news and opinions about American politics, from a liberal standpoint. Alternatively, Kos is a Greek island and popular holiday destination.
https://slashdot.org/articl	Slashdot is a technology-related news website frequented by geeks.
tagCloud	A Tag Cloud is a visual representation of keyword meta-data, usually with font size increasing with importance.
Cory Doctorow is a little upset about copyright law.	This is an understatement, as Cory Doctorow is a strong activist in this area.
Hey guys what if Google is evil?!?	Don't be evil was the corporate motto of Google, however the sheer quantity of data held by Google is a somewhat scary thought. A number of conspiracy theories exist that Google is evil, bent on world domination, run by the government/CIA/FBI/illuminati/aliens. The motto was replaced by "do the right thing" in late 2010s.
I'll sleep with you for a FreeIpods deal.	This is a parody on how desperate people are in getting either iPhones (extremely popular yet expensive smartphones from Apple) or getting laid. (Coincidentally, years later, someone tried to sell her virginity in exchange for an iPhone: https://www.techinasia.com/chinese-girl-sells-virginity-iphone4/ )
FirstPsot!!	Some users on sites that accept comments will race to write the first comment (usually saying something like "First post!" or some variation thereof). In this variation, the user has misspelt "post" in the rush to have the first post. This was later mentionned in 269: TCMP and 1258: First
Snakes on an I don't Even Care Anymore	There were many jokes about Snakes on a Plane where a supposedly new movie to come out was named "Snakes on a ______." Clearly this person is tired of those jokes. See also 107: Snakes on a Plane! 2
KiwiWiki	A New Zealand (Kiwi) related wiki exists at kiwiwiki.co.nz, and this is likely included because Kiwi is an anagram of Wiki.
CSS	Reference to Cascading Style Sheets.
Comments (0)	The number of comments is zero, sometimes indicating that nobody cares.
Blogotesseract	This is a joke on the word "blogosphere", or "blogocube" in the caption. This comic contains many such jokes where the word sphere is replaced by some other object. A tesseract is a four-dimensional analog of the cube.
¡play games!	One of the most frequent ads are those that mention "Play free games!". While these sites are real, they tend to be collections of Flash-based games taken from other sites from the Internet.
[RSS icon.]	RSS is a standard for web feeds.
is AYB retro yet?	The shoot-'em-up game "Zero Wing" on SEGA's Genesis console features an English translation so terrible it has long been a source of memetic humor. The line in question is, "All Your Base are belong to us!"
Google Google Google Apple Google Goog	...a reference to how Apple is going into a prominence that rivals the ubiquitousness of Google, perhaps?
Cheney totally shot a dude!!!	A reference to the Dick Cheney hunting incident.
Watch this toddler get owned by a squirrel!!!	An example of clickbait, usually a sensationalized headline that links to a page or video that is either of passing interesting or none at all. 'Funny' videos of animals and babies/toddlers tend to spread like wildfire online.
Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers	A reference to a widely circulated video, captured at a developers' conference, featuring a perspiring Steve Ballmer chanting the word "developers."
I installed a Mac Mini inside ANOTHER Mac Mini!	This is most likely a reference to how Mac minis are popular to install just about anywhere due to their small size. For example, they are commonly installed to use with a TV (“HTPC”), as small home servers, in cars and trailers, and even mounted on the back of monitors. However, installing an entire Mac mini inside another Mac mini (especially of the same generation) would be a very challenging, if not impossible, task. This could also be referencing Hackintoshes, that is, installing a Macintosh operating system in a Windows-designed machine. In this case, installing a “Mac Mini” (informally referring to macOS (Mac OS X at the time of the comic)) inside another is a relatively trivial, albeit meta, task.
Check out this vid of Jon Stewart	Jon Stewart is (after being replaced by comedian Trevor Noah for a time) the host of The Daily Show, a late-night political comedy/satire program.
9-11 <-> Trent Lott!	This could refer to the conspiracy theories regarding the incident from September 11, 2001, the date when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City fell. What actually happened is that Arab/Muslim terrorists deliberately crashed their planes into the towers with the purpose of killing infidels, but the theory tells that the government ordered the intentional demolition of the towers. In this post, the poster linked the September 11 incident to Trent Lott (a former US Senator).
Web 7.1	This is a parody of Web 2.0, a concept in which content from the Internet is provided beyond the webpage. Despite its name, Web 2.0 does not really involve making an entirely new series of tubes or updating the existing ones, a point that the post parodies.
Kryptonite™ locks vulnerable to "keys!"	Around 2004, it was demonstrated that some tubular pin tumbler locks of the diameter used on Kryptonite locks could easily be opened with the shaft of an inexpensive Bic ballpoint pen of matching diameter, and this was widely reported.
Interesting post! Check out my blog, it has useful info on CARBON MONOXIDE LITIGATION	An example of a spam comment found where users can comment.
FIREFLY!!	Reference to Firefly, a US television series that was cancelled after only 14 episodes. Despite its short run, it amassed a strong fanbase that used internet petitions and blogs to help fuel the push for the film Serenity. Firefly is a common topic on XKCD.
HELP ME	This is a simple post where someone is requesting help in hopes that the readers of the blog would bring solutions.
Engadget	Engadget is a technology-related website.
Boing Boing	Reference to collaborative blog site Boing Boing.
Gizmodo	Gizmodo is a technology-related website hosted by Gawker.
MAKE Blog: DIY baby	This refers to various DIY (do it yourself) blogs. In this case, the blog post would refer to how to make a baby, which, most likely, would lead into pornographic territory. This post might also refer to the "How is babby formed?" meme. This was later mentionned in 550: Density and the title text of 481: Listen to Yourself.
My friend has a band!!	Blogs and other social media are common tools used by people to promote their (and their friend's) bands.
Jon released an exploit in the protocol for meeting girls.	Exploits bypass hardware/software security, permitting cracking or simple extension of the current capabilities of the hardware/software. (One example: an exploit in video-game consoles would permit someone to play homebrew applications or pirated games among other things.) In this case, the exploit went beyond the technological, permitting the exploiter to meet girls.
Internets!	"Internets" is a memetic version of saying "Internet".
Howard Dean?	Howard Dean was Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. He also ran for president in 2004, becoming famous among liberals for his unabashedly progressive positions, also for a memetic scream.
So I hear there's a hurricane.	Blogging shut-ins can be hilariously out of touch with the outside world. Given the date of this comic (2006 was a slow year for hurricanes), the clueless blogger is probably asking about 2005's Hurricane Katrina, perhaps the most devastating hurricane to hit New Orleans.
We should elect this dude!	People have strong political opinions.
Google Maps is da best!!	Google Maps is a world mapping service from Google. "Da" is a common intentional misspelling of "the."
Moderation: +1 Sassy	A joke on Slashdot's moderating mechanism. Each post can get a moderation that consists of a score (+1/-1) and a reason (Insightful/Funny/Troll/etc.) "Sassy" is not one of the standard reasons.
RSS!	RSS again.
A-list	the most popular bloggers in the blogosphere are referred to as A-list, following a similar designation for actors. Also, possibly a reference to "A List Apart," a blog & publishing company focused mainly on emerging web technologies.
<3	Emoticon for a heart.
Trackback URL?	Trackback is a mechanism by which a blog receives a notification when another blog has linked to it, similar to pingback.
I shot a man in Reno check it out on YouTube!	The first half of this line comes from Jonny Cash's song "Folsom Prison Blues," which is "But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die". The second half turns it around, because people often say "I did X, watch it on YouTube."
HEY LOOK ROBOTS!	Both real-world experiments with robotics and science fiction stories involving robots are popular on the Internet.
Net Neutrality!	Net neutrality is a hot topic. It is the principle that ISPs and governments should treat all data on the Internet equally. There is great debate as to what level this should be enforced or not, and whether it should be regulated.
Friends Only.	Personal blogging and social media websites typically have privacy settings that allow you to control who can see the posts. The "Friends Only" setting would prevent anyone who the user has not granted the "Friend" status to from seeing the content.
Dupe!	A common note if the same thing gets posted twice on some forum (Short for "duplicate."). There are two instances of this in the comic, therefore one of them is a dupe itself.
AJAX?	AJAX is a generic brand found in Mickey Mouse Works cartoons. It is also a JavaScript-based web technology enabling complex user interfaces ("Asynchronous JavaScript + XML") and a brand of cleaning powder.
COMPLY	This is likely a reference to science fiction stories where a race of cyborgs or collection of robots tries to assimilate, force compliance upon, or otherwise enslave all life in the universe.
Cowboy Neal	One of the original Slashdot editors.
Blogodrome	This is a parody on the word "blogosphere". This word is also in the caption.
Hey look I got Linux running on my tonsils!	People would often brag about getting Linux to run on strange hardware, from toasters to esoteric computers. This is taken to the ridiculous extreme of tonsils.
Look alive, blogonauts!	Possibly a comment from a moderator of a dying blog attempting to motivate their users into generating more content.
Cafepress cockrings	Cafepress is a website that allows users to put pictures/logos on just about anything (T-shirts, mugs, etc.). Currently, however, cockrings are not available.
BOOBIES!!	Another reference to the "First Post" phenomenon. The popular news site FARK automatically changes entries of "First post" to "BOOBIES" and modifies the timestamp to be many hours in the future.
MIA	"Missing in Action," a term applied to people who fought in wars, yet were never found.
A Beowulf Cluster... of BLOGS!!	A Beowulf cluster is a computer cluster of computers networked together resulting in a high-performance parallel computing cluster. For a while, it was a fad to get one running on various strange platforms. This is a facetious example.
SPOILER ALERT	Often stated on the top of a post that contained spoilers. (See Spoiler (media).)
You have been eaten by a Grue.	This is a reference to the first of the Zork games. When the protagonist enters a house, the protagonist would quickly enter a dark corridor. Attempting to travel without some form of light would lead to the message "You have been eaten by a Grue," ending the game. Said message became a meme. This has been referenced before in 91: Pwned.
Ruby on a monorail	A riff on the name Ruby on Rails, a common platform for web applications.
Lesbians!	Homosexual eroticism is rather popular on the Internet, doubly so with the opposite gender (e.g. lesbians with straight men).
DNF Released!	"Duke Nukem Forever," a memetically long overdue sequel to the popular first person shooter video game "Duke Nukem," was still unreleased at the time this comic was published; the blog is either a hoax of some kind or yet another jab at the long development cycle.
Steampunk	Steam punk is a sub-genre of science fiction that involves the blending of futuristic technology with Victorian Era aesthetics and materials.
BLAG	"Blag" is a memetic form of "blog." This term was referred to in later comics like 148: Mispronouncing, 181: Interblag, and 239: Blagofaire. Randall also refers to his own xkcd blog as a "blag."
PONIES!	A pony is a short horse. This could potentially be referencing the Hasbro line of "My Little Pony" toys, although the series wasn't as well known or as popular with adults when this comic was published.
Xeni found some porn!	In some roleplaying games, whenever a character finds something, the message "[name] found [item]" appears. In this case, Xeni found pornography. Xeni probably refers to Xeni Jardin, a BoingBoing editor.
IRONY	This could be a reference to criticisms that the Internet doesn't know what "irony" means.
LIARS!	This could be a reference to a recurring comment indicating that the original post is fabricated.
Linux on Rails!	Another riff on the name Ruby on Rails.
Blogocube	This is just a parody of the name "blogosphere". This word is also in the caption.
del.icio.us!	Del.icio.us (this post making a pun on the word "delicious!", obviously) is a bookmark-sharing service. After complaints that Yahoo ate and killed the service, it was sold and traded around for a while; it still exists, but under new software and management.
404	"Web page not found," probably the most common error gotten in a web browser: HTTP 404. See comic 404.
o.O	An emoticon indicating confusion or shock.
Don't slam the source when you close it.	The original phrase (generally spoken from parents to children) is "Don't slam the door when you close it." This twists it around to refer to Closed source software.

Transcript[edit]

From the makers of the Blogosphere, Blogocube, and Blogodrome comes

the Blogofractal

[A large rectangle subdivided into rectangles in a fractal pattern, most with a phrase or word inside. Some subdivisions cannot be seen, as they are too small.]

[Mostly left to right from top-left corner.]

TripMaster Monkey says

118th Post!!

Wikiconstitution!

OMG

DeCSS

Casemod your Boyfriend!!

FLICKR

They're saying on Kos that

https://slashdot.org/articl

Discussion

Strange - this explanation seems significantly less complete than 24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey and not significantly less complex - anyone care to weight in on that thought? -- Brettpeirce (talk) 13:31, 12 May 2014 (UTC)

Davidy22 picks the daily incomplete explanation randomly from the list of incomplete explanations. So, each page has a fair chance of getting picked, but they don't necessarily have a rating of "needs most help" to "doesn't need much help" that is used to pick. Feel free to work on other explanations. The banner is just to help new users who want to jump in and get their hands dirty but don't know where to start. lcarsos_a (talk) 19:29, 12 May 2014 (UTC)

Ponies is *not* a reference to My Little Pony (or at least, it cannot be one to the "Friendship is Magic" incarnation.) This comic is from 2006. FIM didn't debut until 2010. Either Randall has a time machine (a possibility one cannot, of course, completely exclude), or the reference is to something earlier. 199.27.133.122 23:44, 14 September 2014 (UTC)

Makes me wonder what state MLP was in at that time. G3? G3.5 (also known as the Hell Babies edition)? --103.22.201.132 06:55, 16 September 2014 (UTC)

Ponies may be a reference to the OMG Ponies! theme that attacked slashdot for April Fools Day back in that timeframe (my eyes still burn when I think about it).Seebert (talk) 21:52, 16 September 2014 (UTC)

Why does he misspell "blagosphere"? What's this "blog" stuff? 108.162.218.118 05:08, 12 May 2016 (UTC)

Since "web 2.0" is the current thing, "web 7.1" could also be a reference to the different surround sound configurations 2.0 and 5.1 and 7.1. 141.101.80.75 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Could CSS be Counter Strike? Source, specifically. It’s the only thing I’ve ever heard of as CSS. Netherin5 (talk) 16:03, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

And not one Blagojevich reference, even though that would've been contemporaneous to the comic. Blah. — Kazvorpal (talk) 01:41, 21 September 2019 (UTC)

Does anyone know when Dandified Yum (DNF), the open source package manager for Fedora started development? If it was before this comic was released, then it is possible it could be referring to that. 162.158.62.157 12:23, 3 May 2021 (UTC)

124: Blogofractal

Explanation[edit]

Transcript[edit]

Discussion

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