1422: My Phone is Dying - Revision history

GreatWyrmGold: /* Explanation */ Randall Munroe has written particle physics comics before, but this is not one of them.

2026-04-09T21:36:52Z

‎Explanation: Randall Munroe has written particle physics comics before, but this is not one of them.

172.68.54.115: /* Explanation */

2025-04-05T11:10:41Z

‎Explanation

172.71.26.101: /* Explanation */ ...also wording (pressure also helps!) and a recapitalisation I missed.

2025-04-03T17:20:23Z

‎Explanation: ...also wording (pressure also helps!) and a recapitalisation I missed.

172.69.195.180: /* Explanation */ punctuation, spacing corrected (and capitalisation to avoid redirected template)

2025-04-03T17:18:40Z

‎Explanation: punctuation, spacing corrected (and capitalisation to avoid redirected template)

Avrayter: /* Explanation */

2025-04-03T17:09:51Z

‎Explanation

172.71.175.22: /* Explanation */

2025-01-26T18:12:32Z

‎Explanation

Theusaf: Reverted edits by Donald Trump (talk) to last revision by CRLF

2022-05-26T20:01:33Z

Reverted edits by Donald Trump (talk) to last revision by CRLF

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Donald Trump: Reverted edit by anti-crap user

2022-05-26T18:52:28Z

Reverted edit by anti-crap user

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CRLF: Reverted vandalism with User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

2022-05-26T18:04:35Z

Reverted vandalism with User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js

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Donald Trump: Crapped page

2022-05-26T16:55:26Z

Crapped page

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← Older revision		Revision as of 21:36, 9 April 2026
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	The title text implies that after Beret Guy's iPhone goes (super)nova, it will become either a "slowly fading" Palm Pilot, a calculator, or a two way pager: this would be the cellphone equivalent of a {{w\|white dwarf}} (evidenced by the faint and slowly fading glow), {{w\|neutron star}}, or {{w\|black hole}} (evidence: black holes emit "information" in the form of {{w\|Hawking radiation}} and have at one time been suspected to be half of a two-way portal through spacetime, along with a "{{w\|white hole}}").		The title text implies that after Beret Guy's iPhone goes (super)nova, it will become either a "slowly fading" Palm Pilot, a calculator, or a two way pager: this would be the cellphone equivalent of a {{w\|white dwarf}} (evidenced by the faint and slowly fading glow), {{w\|neutron star}}, or {{w\|black hole}} (evidence: black holes emit "information" in the form of {{w\|Hawking radiation}} and have at one time been suspected to be half of a two-way portal through spacetime, along with a "{{w\|white hole}}").
−
−	Additionally, some particles and atoms decay by breaking into smaller, more elementary particles. It may be humorously implied that a {{w\|PalmPilot}} (an early personal data assistant and precursor to the smartphone), a {{w\|calculator}} (a very simple electronic device), and {{w\|two-way pager}} (a device for sending and receiving short text messages) are the more elementary components that make up an iPhone.

	==Transcript==		==Transcript==

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-[[Beret Guy|Beret Guy's]] phone is about to "die". [[Cueball]] assumes this just means that the battery is running out and it needs to be recharged, but the phone in question appears to "die" in a way analogous to the {{w|Stellar_evolution|life and death}} of a star: expending its fuel while heating up and expanding before ultimately losing its outer layers and becoming a white dwarf or similar "lesser" star. The technology of mobile phones can be seen as doing things analogous to this on a large scale, especially for people who used landlines before mobile phones became common. However, this is something phones usually don't literally do.
+[[Beret Guy|Beret Guy's]] phone is about to "die". [[Cueball]] assumes this just means that the battery is running out and it needs to be recharged, but the phone in question appears to "die" in a way analogous to the {{w|Stellar_evolution|life and death}} of a star: expending its fuel while heating up and expanding before ultimately losing its outer layers and becoming a white dwarf or similar "lesser" star. The technology of mobile phones can be seen as doing things analogous to this on a large scale, especially for people who used landlines before mobile phones became common. This is something phones usually don't literally do, although there is a failure mode where the battery continues to expand, which can burst the rest of the phone apart.
 In part because stars are really hot,{{Citation needed}} stars constantly undergo fusion reactions. The pressure generated by these reactions counteracts gravity, preventing it from collapsing the star during its main lifespan. As the hydrogen mostly fuses into helium in the core, the core gradually becomes more dense and the region of fusion gradually moves away from the center. Then, the star grows in size, reaching the stage of a {{w|red giant}}. When most of the "fuel" for fusion has been consumed, gravity will collapse the star into a {{w|white dwarf}} while the outer layers are shed. For stars much more massive than the Sun, there will be a {{w|supernova}} explosion caused by a violent collapse, which is {{what if|73|very powerful}} (and leaves behind a {{w|neutron star}} or a {{w|black hole}}, depending on how much mass is left after the supernova). Stars with more hydrogen fuel tend to burn brighter and faster. Beret Guy's refusal of a charger is probably a reference to this.
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 The comic also plays on the release of two new {{w|IPhone|iPhone models}} with {{w|IPhone 6|bigger}} screens, planned for 2 days after the release of the comic.
-The comic could be also explained by the characteristics of Li-ion batteries, which are used in most cellphones. At the end of their useful life, these batteries may [https://web.archive.org/web/20120909030631/https://barnson.org/node/1842 grow a bit]. In case of severe physical or thermal damage or multiple electrical failures, this type of battery can indeed overheat, leading to a {{w|thermal runaway}} reaction inside. That would result in the battery [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4010386/Incredible-X-rays-lithium-ion-batteries-explode-Gas-pillows-cause-cells-swell-catch-fire.html growing and eventually exploding]. Connecting a charger to a battery failing in this manner would [http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/safety_concerns_with_li_ion probably make the process faster].
+The comic could be also explained by the characteristics of Li-ion batteries, which are used in most cellphones. At the end of their useful life, these batteries may [https://www.allmobilematters.com/bloated-batteries-and-the-damage-they-cause/ grow] [https://web.archive.org/web/20120909030631/https://barnson.org/node/1842 a bit]. In case of severe physical or thermal damage or multiple electrical failures, this type of battery can indeed overheat, leading to a {{w|thermal runaway}} reaction inside. That would result in the battery [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4010386/Incredible-X-rays-lithium-ion-batteries-explode-Gas-pillows-cause-cells-swell-catch-fire.html growing and eventually exploding]. Connecting a charger to a battery failing in this manner would [http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/safety_concerns_with_li_ion probably make the process faster].
 The title text implies that after Beret Guy's iPhone goes (super)nova, it will become either a "slowly fading" Palm Pilot, a calculator, or a two way pager: this would be the cellphone equivalent of a {{w|white dwarf}} (evidenced by the faint and slowly fading glow), {{w|neutron star}}, or {{w|black hole}} (evidence: black holes emit "information" in the form of {{w|Hawking radiation}} and have at one time been suspected to be half of a two-way portal through spacetime, along with a "{{w|white hole}}").

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 [[Beret Guy|Beret Guy's]] phone is about to "die". [[Cueball]] assumes this just means that the battery is running out and it needs to be recharged, but the phone in question appears to "die" in a way analogous to the {{w|Stellar_evolution|life and death}} of a star: expending its fuel while heating up and expanding before ultimately losing its outer layers and becoming a white dwarf or similar "lesser" star. The technology of mobile phones can be seen as doing things analogous to this on a large scale, especially for people who used landlines before mobile phones became common. However, this is something phones usually don't literally do.
-Because Stars are really hot,{{Citation needed}} stars constantly undergo fusion reactions. The pressure generated by these reactions counteracts gravity, preventing it from collapsing the star during its main lifespan. As the hydrogen mostly fuses into helium in the core, the core gradually becomes more dense and the region of fusion gradually moves away from the center. Then, the star grows in size, reaching the stage of a {{w|red giant}}. When most of the "fuel" for fusion has been consumed, gravity will collapse the star into a {{w|white dwarf}} while the outer layers are shed. For stars much more massive than the Sun, there will be a {{w|supernova}} explosion caused by a violent collapse, which is {{what if|73|very powerful}} (and leaves behind a {{w|neutron star}} or a {{w|black hole}}, depending on how much mass is left after the supernova). Stars with more hydrogen fuel tend to burn brighter and faster. Beret Guy's refusal of a charger is probably a reference to this.
+In part because stars are really hot,{{Citation needed}} stars constantly undergo fusion reactions. The pressure generated by these reactions counteracts gravity, preventing it from collapsing the star during its main lifespan. As the hydrogen mostly fuses into helium in the core, the core gradually becomes more dense and the region of fusion gradually moves away from the center. Then, the star grows in size, reaching the stage of a {{w|red giant}}. When most of the "fuel" for fusion has been consumed, gravity will collapse the star into a {{w|white dwarf}} while the outer layers are shed. For stars much more massive than the Sun, there will be a {{w|supernova}} explosion caused by a violent collapse, which is {{what if|73|very powerful}} (and leaves behind a {{w|neutron star}} or a {{w|black hole}}, depending on how much mass is left after the supernova). Stars with more hydrogen fuel tend to burn brighter and faster. Beret Guy's refusal of a charger is probably a reference to this.
 Both a supernova explosion and the collapse of red giants into white dwarfs shed their outer layers, which is referenced in the title text. Once extra mass is added to the dying star, analogous to "charging", the process only accelerates. (Randall also explains this in {{what if|14|Short Answer Section}}.) The phone seems to have a certain mass because [[Beret Guy]] expects it to go (super)nova. Charging the phone may lead to a {{w|Nova|type 1a nova}}.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 [[Beret Guy|Beret Guy's]] phone is about to "die". [[Cueball]] assumes this just means that the battery is running out and it needs to be recharged, but the phone in question appears to "die" in a way analogous to the {{w|Stellar_evolution|life and death}} of a star: expending its fuel while heating up and expanding before ultimately losing its outer layers and becoming a white dwarf or similar "lesser" star. The technology of mobile phones can be seen as doing things analogous to this on a large scale, especially for people who used landlines before mobile phones became common. However, this is something phones usually don't literally do.
-Because Stars are really hot{{citation needed}},stars constantly undergo fusion reactions. The pressure generated by these reactions counteracts gravity, preventing it from collapsing the star during its main lifespan. As the hydrogen mostly fuses into helium in the core, the core gradually becomes more dense and the region of fusion gradually moves away from the center. Then, the star grows in size, reaching the stage of a {{w|red giant}}. When most of the "fuel" for fusion has been consumed, gravity will collapse the star into a {{w|white dwarf}} while the outer layers are shed. For stars much more massive than the Sun, there will be a {{w|supernova}} explosion caused by a violent collapse, which is {{what if|73|very powerful}} (and leaves behind a {{w|neutron star}} or a {{w|black hole}}, depending on how much mass is left after the supernova). Stars with more hydrogen fuel tend to burn brighter and faster. Beret Guy's refusal of a charger is probably a reference to this.
+Because Stars are really hot,{{Citation needed}} stars constantly undergo fusion reactions. The pressure generated by these reactions counteracts gravity, preventing it from collapsing the star during its main lifespan. As the hydrogen mostly fuses into helium in the core, the core gradually becomes more dense and the region of fusion gradually moves away from the center. Then, the star grows in size, reaching the stage of a {{w|red giant}}. When most of the "fuel" for fusion has been consumed, gravity will collapse the star into a {{w|white dwarf}} while the outer layers are shed. For stars much more massive than the Sun, there will be a {{w|supernova}} explosion caused by a violent collapse, which is {{what if|73|very powerful}} (and leaves behind a {{w|neutron star}} or a {{w|black hole}}, depending on how much mass is left after the supernova). Stars with more hydrogen fuel tend to burn brighter and faster. Beret Guy's refusal of a charger is probably a reference to this.
 Both a supernova explosion and the collapse of red giants into white dwarfs shed their outer layers, which is referenced in the title text. Once extra mass is added to the dying star, analogous to "charging", the process only accelerates. (Randall also explains this in {{what if|14|Short Answer Section}}.) The phone seems to have a certain mass because [[Beret Guy]] expects it to go (super)nova. Charging the phone may lead to a {{w|Nova|type 1a nova}}.

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-[[Beret Guy|Beret Guy's]] phone is about to "die". [[Cueball]] assumes this just means that the battery is running out and it needs to be recharged, but the phone in question appears to "die" in a way analogous to the {{w|Stellar_evolution|life and death}} of a star: expending its fuel while heating up and expanding before ultimately losing its outer layers and becoming a white dwarf or similar "lesser" star. The technology of mobile phones can be seen as doing things analogous to this on a large scale, especially for people who used landlines before mobile phones became common. However, this is something phones usually don't literally do.{{Citation needed}}
+[[Beret Guy|Beret Guy's]] phone is about to "die". [[Cueball]] assumes this just means that the battery is running out and it needs to be recharged, but the phone in question appears to "die" in a way analogous to the {{w|Stellar_evolution|life and death}} of a star: expending its fuel while heating up and expanding before ultimately losing its outer layers and becoming a white dwarf or similar "lesser" star. The technology of mobile phones can be seen as doing things analogous to this on a large scale, especially for people who used landlines before mobile phones became common. However, this is something phones usually don't literally do.
-Stars constantly undergo fusion reactions. The pressure generated by these reactions counteracts gravity, preventing it from collapsing the star during its main lifespan. As the hydrogen mostly fuses into helium in the core, the core gradually becomes more dense and the region of fusion gradually moves away from the center. Then, the star grows in size, reaching the stage of a {{w|red giant}}. When most of the "fuel" for fusion has been consumed, gravity will collapse the star into a {{w|white dwarf}} while the outer layers are shed. For stars much more massive than the Sun, there will be a {{w|supernova}} explosion caused by a violent collapse, which is {{what if|73|very powerful}} (and leaves behind a {{w|neutron star}} or a {{w|black hole}}, depending on how much mass is left after the supernova). Stars with more hydrogen fuel tend to burn brighter and faster. Beret Guy's refusal of a charger is probably a reference to this.
+Because Stars are really hot{{citation needed}},stars constantly undergo fusion reactions. The pressure generated by these reactions counteracts gravity, preventing it from collapsing the star during its main lifespan. As the hydrogen mostly fuses into helium in the core, the core gradually becomes more dense and the region of fusion gradually moves away from the center. Then, the star grows in size, reaching the stage of a {{w|red giant}}. When most of the "fuel" for fusion has been consumed, gravity will collapse the star into a {{w|white dwarf}} while the outer layers are shed. For stars much more massive than the Sun, there will be a {{w|supernova}} explosion caused by a violent collapse, which is {{what if|73|very powerful}} (and leaves behind a {{w|neutron star}} or a {{w|black hole}}, depending on how much mass is left after the supernova). Stars with more hydrogen fuel tend to burn brighter and faster. Beret Guy's refusal of a charger is probably a reference to this.
 Both a supernova explosion and the collapse of red giants into white dwarfs shed their outer layers, which is referenced in the title text. Once extra mass is added to the dying star, analogous to "charging", the process only accelerates. (Randall also explains this in {{what if|14|Short Answer Section}}.) The phone seems to have a certain mass because [[Beret Guy]] expects it to go (super)nova. Charging the phone may lead to a {{w|Nova|type 1a nova}}.