1416: Pixels/Transcript

• Below each image is mentioned by the title used by Randall and they are listed alphabetically
• The headlines are links to the actual picture as can be found here on explain xkcd
• Below the explanation of a given picture can be seen which pictures can be found in the
• White and black pixels of the picture.*Please add descriptions in each section.
• The comic starts with turtles

assembly-1

[Randall's What If? book is standing next to Cueball who is taking something out of a box. On the side of the box it says:]

Rocket parts

[There are also text on the open lid of the box, which thus is written upside down. It says:]

KSP

• White: assembly-2
• Black: assembly-planet-3

assembly-2

[Cueball is beginning to assemble a rocket containing Randall's What If? book.]

• White: assembly-3
• Black: assembly-planet-3

assembly-3

[Cueball is assembling a rocket putting Randall's What If? book at the top.]

• White: assembly-4
• Black: assembly-planet-1, assembly-planet-3

assembly-4

[Cueball has assembled a rocket with Randall's What If? book at the top. Megan walks in:]

Megan: Needs more Struts

• White: assembly-5
• Black: assembly-planet

assembly-5

[Cueball and Megan has left the assembled rocket with Randall's What If? book at the top.]

• White: assembly-6
• Black: assembly-planet

assembly-6

[Cueball has added lots of struts to the a rocket he has assembled with Randall's What If? book at the top.]

• White: assembly-7
• Black: assembly-planet-1

assembly-7

[Cueball admires the final version of the rocket he has assembled with Randall's What If? book at the top and lots of struts.]

• White: assembly-7, upgoer
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

assembly-planet

[The Earth seen from space. A speak line goes to Megan on the planet]

Megan: More struts

• White: assembly-6
• Black: assembly-planet

assembly-planet-1

[The Earth seen from space]

• White: assembly-6, assembly-7
• Black: assembly-planet

assembly-planet-3

[The Earth seen from space with the moon visible]

• White: assembly-3, assembly-4
• Black: assembly-planet-3, chess-b

atom

• White: string
• Black: stars-1, stars-2

blank-figure

• White: book-launch, cantor, chess-w
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

book-launch

[Cueball is holding his (i.e. Randall's) What If? book in front of him]

Cueball: So excited about my book launch!

• White: assembly-1, book-launch, particles, turtles, whatif-trade
• Black: atom, launch-planet, moon, saturn

cantor

• White: du, evolution, server-1, time-turner
• Black: moon, stars-1, stars-2

chess-b

• White: chess-w
• Black: chess-b

chess-w

• White: chess-w, du, evolution, server-1, time-turner
• Black: chess-b

clouds-1

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, evolution, mario-entry, mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3, particles, server-1, time-turner
• Black: sky, sky-4

clouds-2

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, evolution, fire-hydrant, mario-entry, mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3, particles, server-1
• Black: sky-3, sky-4

clouds-3

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, evolution, fire-hydrant, mario-entry, mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3, particles, server-1, time-turner
• Black: sky-4

clouds-4

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, evolution, mario-entry, mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3, particles, server-1
• Black: sky, sky-4

clouds-5

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, evolution, fire-hydrant, mario-entry, mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3, particles, quiet-turtle
• Black: sky-3

du

~$ du -s video/
4170882256
~$ du -hs video/
A lot.
~$

• White: blank-figure, chess-w, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, e1, evolution, server-1, time-turner, what-if-trade
• Black: sky-4

e1

• White: e2, e3, e4
• Black: eb

e2

• White: e2, e3, e4, e5
• Black: eb

e3

• White: e2, e3, e4, e5
• Black: eb

e4

• White: e2, e3, e4, e5
• Black: eb

e5

• White: e5, e6
• Black: eb

e6

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5
• Black: sky-4

eb

• White: e5
• Black: eb

evolution

• White: blank-figure, chess-w, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, e1, evolution, server-1, time-turner, what-if-trade
• Black: sky-4

fire-hydrant

Black hat: "To be fair, what else would you expect to come out of a fire hydrant?"

• White: blank-figure
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

holism

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, mu
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

holism-b

• White: reductionism
• Black: reductionism-b

i-am-a-turtle

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, particles, quiet-turtle
• Black: atom, moon, stars-1, stars-2

launch-planet

• White: assembly-1
• Black: launch-planet, stars-1, stars-2

mario-entry

• White: mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3
• Black: sky-4

mario-n1

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5
• Black: mario-n2

mario-n2

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5
• Black: mario-n3

mario-n3

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5
• Black: stars-1, stars-2

mario-sitting-1

• White: mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3
• Black: mario-n1, mario-sitting-b

mario-sitting-2

• White: mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3
• Black: mario-n1, mario-sitting-b

mario-sitting-3

• White: mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3
• Black: mario-n1, mario-sitting-b

mario-sitting-b

• White: mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3
• Black: mario-n1

moon

[The moon on a starlit sky]

• White: holism, reductionism
• Black: launch-planet, moon, mu-b, saturn, stars-1, stars-2, sun

mu

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, holism
• Black: holism-b

mu-b

• White: holism
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

particles

• White: mu, particles
• Black: atom

quiet-turtle

• White: i-am-a-turtle, quiet-turtle
• Black: atom, saturn, stars-1, stars-2

reductionism

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, mu, stockholm
• Black: holism-b

reductionism-b

• White: holism
• Black: moon, saturn, stars-1, stars-2

rope

• White: cantor
• Black: stars-1, stars-2

saturn

[The Saturn on a starlit sky]

• White: holism, reductionism
• Black: launch-planet, moon, saturn, stars-1, stars-2, sun

server-1

• White: blank-figure, chess-w, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, e1, evolution, server-1, time-turner, what-if-trade
• Black: sky-4

sky

[Cueball sits and Megan lies on her back under a starlit sky]

• White: clouds-1, mario-entry
• Black: sky, sky-2, sky-3

sky-2

[Cueball sits and Megan lies on her back under a starlit sky]

Cueball: Someone once told me the great kings of the past look down on us...

Megan: From the stars?

Cueball: Just in general.

• White: clouds-1, mario-entry
• Black: sky, sky-2, sky-3

sky-3

[Cueball sits and Megan lies on her back under a starlit sky as a shooting stars pass over them]

• White: clouds-4, mario-entry, quiet-turtle
• Black: sky, sky-2, sky-3

sky-4

[Cueball sits and Megan lies on her back under a starlit sky - identical to that from sky]

• White: clouds-1, clouds-4, mario-entry
• Black: sky, sky-2, sky-3

stars-1

[A starlit sky]

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, quiet-turtle
• Black: atom, launch-planet, moon, saturn, stars-1, stars-2

stars-2

[A starlit sky]

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, quiet-turtle
• Black: atom, launch-planet, saturn, stars-1, stars-2, sun

stockholm

[Megan and Cueball are walking together.]

Megan: How do we know anyone really wants to live in Stockholm?

• White: e1, mu
• Black: moon, mu-b, saturn, sun

string

[A vibrating string]

• White: clouds-2, clouds-3, particles
• Black: rope

sun

[The sun on a black sky]

• White: holism, mario-entry, reductionism
• Black: launch-planet, moon, saturn, stars-1, stars-2, sun

time-turner

[Megan and Cueball are walking together.]

Megan: But if time-turners worked after book 3, Rowling would have used one to go back and remove the time turner from book 3.

• White: blank-figure, chess-w, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, e1, evolution, server-1, time-turner, what-if-trade, whatif-king
• Black: sky-4

turtles

[Cueball is stacking turtles, and is about to put the fourth turtle on his pile. At the bottom right there is a small panel. Inside this is written:]

Scroll to zoom

• White: book-launch, whatif-trade
• Black: launch-planet, stars-1, stars-2

upgoer

[The finished strutted rocket (upgoer) with Randall's What If? book at the top is launched, and there is fire out of three rockets at the bottom]

• White: upgoer-2
• Black: upgoer-planet

upgoer-2

[The finished rocket (upgoer) with Randall's What If? book at the top has been launched, and there is only lots of smoke in the picture]

• White: upgoer-3, upgoer-4
• Black: upgoer-planet

upgoer-3

[The finished rocket (upgoer) with Randall's What If? book at the top has been launched, and there is now only small puffs of smoke in the picture]

• White: upgoer-4, upgoer-5
• Black: upgoer-planet

upgoer-4

[The finished rocket (upgoer) with Randall's What If? book at the top has been launched, and there is now only the launch pad left to see]

• White: upgoer-4, upgoer-5
• Black: upgoer-planet, upgoer-planet-2

upgoer-5

[The finished rocket (upgoer) with Randall's What If? book at the top has been launched, and Cueball and Megan are standing next to the launch pad looking up after the rocket]

• White: upgoer-5, upgoer-6
• Black: upgoer-planet-4

upgoer-6

[The finished rocket (upgoer) with Randall's What If? book at the top has just been launched. Cueball and Megan are standing next to the launch pad when she turns to him and says:]

Megan: I think that was the only copy.

• White: walking
• Black: mu-b, stars-1, stars-2

upgoer-planet

[The Earth seen from space]

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5
• Black: upgoer-planet-2

upgoer-planet-2

[The Earth seen from space. The upgoer rocket can be seen flying into orbit]

• White: upgoer-5
• Black: upgoer-planet-3

upgoer-planet-3

[The Earth seen from space. The upgoer rocket can be seen flying in orbit]

• White: upgoer-5
• Black: upgoer-planet-4

upgoer-planet-4

[The Earth seen from space. The upgoer rocket can be seen flying away from the Earth]

• White: upgoer-6
• Black: upgoer-space

upgoer-space

[The upgoer rocket can be seen flying through space with stars behind]

• White: upgoer-6
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

walking

[Cueball and Megan are walking]

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, stockholm, walking
• Black: walking-b

walking-b

[Cueball and Megan are walking at night seen from a distance]

• White: walking
• Black: walking-b

whatif-king

[A drawing of Randall's What If? book with all the text on the front page visible as well as the T-rex that is being lowered, using a rope, into the Sarlacc, from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, while Cueball is waving from the side of the hole in the ground, to guide the descend. However someone has added words and crossed out other words.]

Serious Scientific Answers

to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

[Added in next to the T-rex:]

Spooky

what if?

[Added in top of the crossed out word below:]

Stephen King

Randall Munroe

creator of xkcd

[Added below the crossed out word above:]

being afraid

[The g in being is drawn so it resembles an s.]

[Below the book is written:]

Book

• White: book-launch, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, holism, reductionism
• Black: chess-b, launch-planet

whatif-trade

[A drawing of Randall's What If? book with all the text on the front page visible as well as the T-rex that is being lowered, using a rope, into the Sarlacc, from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, while Cueball is waving from the side of the hole in the ground, to guide the descend.]

Serious Scientific Answers

to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

what if?

Randall Munroe

creator of xkcd

[Below the book is written:]

Book

• White: book-launch, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, turtles, whatif-king, whatif-trade
• Black: chess-b, launch-planet