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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | This is a joke about [http://squirrelmail.org/ SquirrelMail], a web-based email client that was for many early email users their first webmail service. | |
− | + | Before SquirrelMail, users had to check email by opening a terminal via [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telnet telnet] to a remote server and using a command line tool like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_%28Unix%29 mail] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_%28e-mail_client%29 Pine] or dowloading it via [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Mail_Transfer_Protocol SMTP] to a dedicated email client. Organizations enabling it in their servers allowed their users as well to check mail from any web browser, even in a setting like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_caf%C3%A9 Internet cafés] where only WWW was possible and telnet or email clients were not available. | |
− | + | While SquirrelMail was an existent service, there has never existed a "Squirrel-phone" or similar sevice, a living squirrel being not an appropiate creature to mantain a phone call. | |
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+ | The sounds the squirrel makes correspond to the tones that the terminals made when you used the POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) in the US: | ||
+ | * When someone else called you and the receiver of your phone was hanged up, the phone made loud and long "riiing riiiing" tones. --- This is the case in the first frame of the comic. | ||
+ | * When you picked up, the phone call was established and no noises were made. | ||
+ | * When no phone call was established and you picked up, a continous "riiiiiiiiiiing" tone was heard, meaning the service was up and you could dial someone else's number. | ||
+ | * When no phone call was established but dialling was not possible, short "bip bip bip bip" tones were heard. This happened either when an existing call ended or was interrupted or you had had the receiver too long (about half a minute) picked up without dialing --- This is the case in the alt-text of the comic ---. In this case, you should hang up again to be able to pick up and dial. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
:[Cueball is approaching a stump with a squirrel perched on it. A ringing noise is coming from the squirrel's back.] | :[Cueball is approaching a stump with a squirrel perched on it. A ringing noise is coming from the squirrel's back.] | ||
:Squirrel: Riiiiing | :Squirrel: Riiiiing | ||
− | : | + | :Squirel: Riiiiiing |
− | :[Cueball has picked up the squirrel and is holding it to his left ear | + | :[Cueball has picked up the squirrel and is holding it to his left ear] |
:Cueball: Hello? | :Cueball: Hello? | ||
− | :[The squirrel bites Cueball's head | + | :[The squirrel bites Cueball's head] |
− | + | :Chomp! | |
:Cueball: Ow! | :Cueball: Ow! | ||
− | :[Cueball holds his | + | :[Cueball holds his face while the squirrel leaps away, fleeing] |
:Cueball: ??? | :Cueball: ??? | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Squirrels]] | [[Category:Squirrels]] | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
− | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Animals]] |