Editing 2470: Next Slide Please

Jump to: navigation, search

Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision Your text
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{comic
 
{{comic
 
| number    = 2470
 
| number    = 2470
−
| date      = May 31, 2021
+
| date      = June 1, 2021
 
| title    = Next Slide Please
 
| title    = Next Slide Please
 
| image    = next_slide_please.png
 
| image    = next_slide_please.png
Line 8: Line 8:
  
 
==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
−
This comic presumes that many famous quotes are actually excerpts from {{w|Slide show|slideshow presentations}}, and the text they were reading was split across multiple slides. Splitting sentences across multiple slides can often be a useful tool if there are images accompanying it, which could explain the specific placement of many of "next slide, please" comments. For example, in the quote "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," one can imagine the speaker starting with a slide that showed the prosperity of some people then, in the middle of the sentence, switching to a slide of many people's destitution. When using images this way, it is often better for timing purposes to have control of your own slides. However, Randall claims that, in these speeches, the person making the speech wasn't controlling their slide presentation, so they had to ask the operator to go to the next slide. A common way to ask this is to say "next slide, please", but these requests would have been edited out of the historical transcripts. The comic imagines the places where the slide breaks might have been, and inserts that request.
+
{{incomplete|Created by a SLIDESHOW WITH -- NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE -- FAMOUS QUOTES ON IT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
 +
This comic presumes that many famous quotes are actually excerpts from slideshow presentations, and the text they were reading was split across multiple slides. The person making the speech wasn't operating the slide projector, so they had to ask the operator to go to the next slide. The common way to ask this is to say "next slide, please", but these have been edited out of the historical transcripts. The comic imagines the places where the slide breaks might have been, and inserts that request.
  
−
Most of these quotes are drawn from speeches, which could conceivably have been accompanied by slides or other stage directions ("pause for laughter"), but the list is quite ridiculous as it includes works of literature, where the reader is the one who turns pages as necessary, and speeches from periods of history, such as the {{w|American Revolution}} and {{w|Julius Caesar|Caesar's}} {{w|Veni, vidi, vici}} speech, which predated slide projectors{{Citation needed}}. Even in the quotations that take place in an era with slide projectors, every single one is an instance where the speaker was, quite famously, recorded live — said recordings would show there were in fact no edits, and certainly not any instructions for a slide projector operator. See details in the [[#Table of quotes|table]] below, including the quote in the title text.
+
Most of these quotes are drawn from speeches, which could conceivably have been accompanied by slides or other stage directions ("pause for laughter"), but the list grows more ridiculous as it continues by including works of literature, where the reader is the one who turns pages as necessary, and then speeches from periods of history which predated slide projectors.  
  
 
The phrase "Next slide, please" is perhaps in a sweet-spot of utility and performance. A rehearsed presentation, with speaker and 'slide handler' working with a tight script, could probably do without off-stage prompting at all, or the better lecturers with an oft-repeated talk could set it all on timings knowing they can keep the changes synchronised with their speech, or vice-versa. But when a cue is necessary, an unambiguous signal should be used, and an audible 'clicker' (or a small and briefly flashed light) has been used historically, especially with pre-electronic slide-shows where the slide-operator at the back of an auditorium needed to clearly discern the intent of the person at the lectern.
 
The phrase "Next slide, please" is perhaps in a sweet-spot of utility and performance. A rehearsed presentation, with speaker and 'slide handler' working with a tight script, could probably do without off-stage prompting at all, or the better lecturers with an oft-repeated talk could set it all on timings knowing they can keep the changes synchronised with their speech, or vice-versa. But when a cue is necessary, an unambiguous signal should be used, and an audible 'clicker' (or a small and briefly flashed light) has been used historically, especially with pre-electronic slide-shows where the slide-operator at the back of an auditorium needed to clearly discern the intent of the person at the lectern.
  
−
In the United Kingdom, {{w|Chris_Whitty|England's Chief Medical Officer}} caused some amusement on social media with the constant use of the phrase in coronavirus presentations, culminating in the availability of many mugs and cards with his image and this slogan on, and a campaign[https://uk.gofundme.com/f/buy-chris-whitty-his-own-next-slide-please-clicker] to purchase an automatic clicker for him instead.
+
Single words might be more efficient, such as "Next", "Slide" or "Please" on their own, but occasionally could crop up in the rest of their patter, unrelated to a desired change. (It is a comedy staple that a person who was without an expected 'clicker' would actually resort to ''saying'' "Click", with or without later confusion when they say something that sounds like they intended an advance.)
  
−
===Table of quotes===
+
Two word signals (e.g. "Next slide", "Next, please" or "Slide, please") might suffice to be clear but sound a bit sharp, or even rude and condescending to the 'floor staff', devaluing the tacked on politeness. Overly long phrases, such as "Thank you, Mr Hargreaves, could you put the next image, if you would be so kind", are not unknown but indicative of an inexperienced yet amicable (or else supercilious) presenter, and would present greater distractions to the audience if used consistently for many instances of prompting.
 +
 
 +
While still suffering from repetition, and the apparent sincerity of politeness may have worn thinner through overuse, it seems that these three words have been honed in on (at least in the anglosphere) as a commonly expected phrasing.
 +
 
 +
The further test of the orator's character is now when a change is missed, accidentally doubled, the prepared sequence is subtly digressed from the talk or an audience comment requires reversal to prior material. At this point communications between the podium and off-stage become vastly more improvisational, dependent upon the situation encountered. If the audience is 'lucky', the exchange necessitates a full dialogue, with different joys depending upon how much of the non-presenter's half of the discussion can be heard as resolution or resignment is attained. None of the comic's examples go this far but the possibilities of what they might have entailed, in each case, is easily imagined.
 +
 
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
!Quote
 
!Quote
Line 23: Line 29:
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "Give me liberty or give me—Next slide, please—death!"
 
| "Give me liberty or give me—Next slide, please—death!"
−
| {{w|Patrick Henry}}, {{w|Give me liberty, or give me death!|at the Second Virginia Convention}} on March 23, 1775, as part of the American Colonies' War of Independence from {{w|Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain}}.
+
| {{w|Patrick Henry}}, at the {{w|Second Virginia Convention}} on March 23, 1775, as part of the revolutionary war against {{w|Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain}}.
−
| A quotation from his speech to convince the {{w|Second Virginia Convention}} to provide troops for the {{w|American Revolutionary War}}.
+
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down—Next slide, please—this wall."
 
| "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down—Next slide, please—this wall."
 
| {{w|Ronald Reagan}}, {{w|Berlin Wall Speech}} (1987).
 
| {{w|Ronald Reagan}}, {{w|Berlin Wall Speech}} (1987).
−
| A speech calling for the opening of the Berlin Wall. This speech was later well known after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, resulting in the collapse of the Soviet Union. <br>In the comic Ronald Reagan is shown next to his slide with a picture of the wall, with an arrow "helpfully" clarifying exactly which wall it is he wants Gorbachev to tear down.
+
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "It was the best of times—Next slide, please—It was the worst of times."
 
| "It was the best of times—Next slide, please—It was the worst of times."
−
| ''{{w|A Tale of Two Cities}}'', novel by {{w|Charles Dickens}}.  
+
| {{w|A Tale of Two Cities}}, novel by {{w|Charles Dickens}}.  
−
| This is the opening lines of the novel, and one of Dickens' most famous quotations. At the current pace, the opening introduction would have 13 "Next slide, please" instances.  
+
| At the current pace, the intro would have 13 "Next slide, please" instances.  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "We have nothing to fear but—Next slide, please—fear itself."
 
| "We have nothing to fear but—Next slide, please—fear itself."
−
| {{w|First inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt|Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt}} in 1933.  
+
| Inauguration of {{w|Franklin D. Roosevelt}} in 1933.  
−
| A speech outlining {{w|Franklin D. Roosevelt}}'s plan to recover from the Great Depression. The correct phrasing of this speech is: "the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself".
+
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "To be or—Next slide, please—not to be, that is the question."
 
| "To be or—Next slide, please—not to be, that is the question."
−
| {{w|To be, or not to be|Quotation}} from the play ''{{w|Hamlet}}'' by {{w|William Shakespeare}}, Act III, Scene 1.  
+
| From the play ''Hamlet'' by {{w|William Shakespeare}}, Act III, Scene i.  
−
| This speech, in which the character Hamlet contemplates committing suicide, is considered a soliloquy, even though Ophelia was in the room reading a book.
+
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art—Next slide, please—more lovely and—Next slide, please—more temperate."
 
| "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art—Next slide, please—more lovely and—Next slide, please—more temperate."
 
| Shakespeare's {{w|Sonnet 18}}.   
 
| Shakespeare's {{w|Sonnet 18}}.   
−
| One of the most famous of Shakespeare's 154 known sonnets. A sonnet is a type of poem and it requires specific rhyming and pacing. The inclusion of "Next slide, please" breaks the poetic flow and unbalances the length of lines, making it unpredictable when a rhyme is supposed to occur.  
+
| A sonnet is a type of love poem, and it requires rhyming and pacing. The inclusion of "Next slide, please" is breaking the poetic flow, as well as unbalancing the length of lines, making it unpredictable when a rhyme is supposed to occur.  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "We shall fight—Next slide, please—on the beaches, we shall fight on—Next slide, please—the landing grounds..."
 
| "We shall fight—Next slide, please—on the beaches, we shall fight on—Next slide, please—the landing grounds..."
 
| {{w|Winston Churchill}}, ''{{w|We shall fight on the beaches}}'' speech.
 
| {{w|Winston Churchill}}, ''{{w|We shall fight on the beaches}}'' speech.
−
| On 4 June 1940, after the disastrous first weeks of the {{w|battle of France}}, Churchill had to acknowledge a military disaster but convey confidence in victory and will to fight. <br/>In the comic Winston Churchill is shown next to his slide of a beach. The beach image shown, shows [[Ponytail]] sitting under a parasol [[Cueball]] sitting on the sand with a drink and a kid playing with a beach-ball, as opposed to {{w|British_anti-invasion_preparations_of_the_Second_World_War#Coastal_crust|the rapidly fortified}} sea-fronts [http://ww2.brightonmuseums.org/defence-measures/ of wartime Britain].
+
| 4 June 1940, after the disastrous first weeks of the {{w|battle of France}} Churchill had to acknowledge a military disaster but to convene confidence in victory and will to fight.
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "Read my lips—Next slide, please—no new taxes."
 
| "Read my lips—Next slide, please—no new taxes."
−
| {{w|George H. W. Bush}}, {{w|Read my lips: no new taxes|spoken at 1988 Republican National Convention}}
+
| {{w|George H. W. Bush}}, spoken at 1988 Republican National Convention
−
| A significant part of Bush's political platform was the opposition of new taxes. However, after winning the election, he was unable to keep this promise and ultimately did raise taxes in 1990.
+
|  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "That's one small step for man—Next slide, please—one giant leap for mankind."
 
| "That's one small step for man—Next slide, please—one giant leap for mankind."
 
| {{w|Neil Armstrong}}, when he stepped off the {{w|Apollo 11}} lunar module and onto the surface of the Moon.  
 
| {{w|Neil Armstrong}}, when he stepped off the {{w|Apollo 11}} lunar module and onto the surface of the Moon.  
−
| The "next slide, please", could be proof of a fake moon landing, although Neil Armstrong strongly insisted that the speech be made on location.{{fact}}  The positioning of the "next slide, please" was placed at the intended comma, although there was also a small gap within "one giant" which could also be a potential placement in the audio clip.
+
| Normally would be proof of a fake moon landing, although Neil Armstrong strong insisted that the speech be made on location.{{fact}}  The positioning of the "next slide, please" was placed at the intended comma, although there was also a small gap within "one giant" which could also be a potential placement in the audio clip.  
−
Armstrong, it should be noted, claimed to have said "That's one small step for '''a''' man, one giant leap for mankind" and that the '''a''' should be included in the quotation, [https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/armstrongs-famous-small-step-quote-explained-64311878 at least in parenthesis].
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
| "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! Next slide, please. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
+
| "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears! Next slide, please. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
−
| {{w|Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears|Spoken by the character Mark Antony}} in the play ''{{w|Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar}}'' by Shakespeare, Act III, Scene 2.  
+
| From the play ''{{w|Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar}}'' by Shakespeare, Act III, Scene ii.  
−
| Takes place after Julius Caesar suffered a few stab wounds in Act III, scene 2. If it were a presentation, the pictures would need to be created between scenes, although the play implies there would barely be enough time in response to a recent event.  
+
| Takes place after Julius Caesar suffered a few stab wounds in Act III, scene i. If it were a presentation, the pictures would need to be created between scenes, although the play implies there would barely be enough time in response to a recent event.  
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of—Next slide, please—a good fortune, must be in want of—Next slide, please—a wife."
 
| "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of—Next slide, please—a good fortune, must be in want of—Next slide, please—a wife."
−
| ''{{w|Pride and Prejudice}}'', written by {{w|Jane Austen}}.
+
| Intro to ''{{w|Pride and Prejudice}}'', written by {{w|Jane Austen}}.
−
| Opening line to the novel, introducing marriage as a motif (and problem) in the novel.
+
|
 
|-
 
|-
 
| "Veni, vidi—Velim, pictura proxima—vici."
 
| "Veni, vidi—Velim, pictura proxima—vici."
−
| {{w|Julius Caesar}}, wrote his famous sentence {{w|Veni, vidi, vici}} in a letter after defeating Pharnaces II (47 BC). The sentence literally means, "I came, I saw, I conquered."
+
| {{w|Julius Caesar}}, in a letter after defeating Pharnaces II (47 BC). Literally, "I came, I saw—Please, next picture—I conquered." - it seems to fit nicely into the alliteration.
−
| Caesar used this phrase to refer to a swift, conclusive victory at the {{w|Battle of Zela}}. This is the only "next slide, please" which has been translated into a different language (Latin, in this case).
+
| Caesar used this phrase to refer to a swift, conclusive victory at the Battle of Zela.
 
|-
 
|-
−
| "I have nothing to offer but blood—next slide, please—toil—next slide, please—tears, and—next slide, please—sweat." (title text)
+
| "I have nothing to offer but blood--next slide, please--toil--next slide, please--tears, and--next slide, please--sweat." (title text)
−
| Winston Churchill, ''{{w|Blood, toil, tears and sweat}}'' speech.
+
| Winston Churchill, '''{{w|Blood, toil, tears and sweat}}'' speech.
−
| From 1940, shortly after he was appointed the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, when asking for a vote of confidence in the new all-party (unity) cabinet.
+
| From 1940, shortly after he became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom when asking for a vote of confidence in the new all-party (unity) cabinet.
−
It would have to respond to the continuing challenges of the {{w|United_Kingdom_home_front_during_World_War_II|war-footing}} and active conflicts of WW2. The country had already been at war for eight months and was yet to experience Dunkirk, prompting yet another of Churchill's defiant speeches (mentioned above).
 
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
−
:[A list of 12 quotes is given. Above is a large header with a question, and then a description, before the quotes follows. The text above the quotes is centered:]
+
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
−
:<big>'''''Did you know?'''''</big>
+
: [Text at the center:]
−
:''Transcripts of famous quotes often''
+
: ''Did you know?''
−
:''leave out the slideshow instructions.''
+
: ''Transcripts of famous quotes often''
−
:''Here’s how these lines actually sounded:''
+
: ''leave out the slideshow instructions.''
−
 
+
: ''Here’s the line actually sounded:''
−
:[The first six quotations, are written so they fit around an image of Ronald Reagan standing next to his slide showing six segments of the Berlin Wall. A large arrow points down on to the middle segment of the wall. There is something on the ground in front of the wall, could be puddles or debris. The image is to the right, and the two first and last quote goes above and below the image, while the other three stops to the left of the image:]
+
: [Below showing a list of quotations, with Ronald Reagan standing next to a slide showing the Berlin Wall to the right of the text.]
−
:"Give me liberty or give me—Next slide, please—death!"
+
: "Give me liberty or give me—Next slide, please—death!"
−
:"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down—Next slide, please—this wall."
+
: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down—Next slide, please—this wall."
−
:"It was the best of times—Next slide, please—It was the worst of times."
+
: "It was the best of times—Next slide, please—It was the worst of times."
−
:"We have nothing to fear but—Next slide, please—fear itself."
+
: "We have nothing to fear but—Next slide, please—fear itself."
−
:"To be or—Next slide, please—not to be, that is the question."
+
: "To be or—Next slide, please—not to be, that is the question."
−
:"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art—Next slide, please—more lovely and—Next slide, please—more temperate."
+
: "Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art—Next slide, please—more lovely and—Next slide, please—more temperate."
−
 
+
: [Below showing another list of quotations, with Winston Churchill standing next to a slide showing a beach to the left of the text.]
−
:[Below those five quotations is three more quotes to the right of an image showing Winston Churchill standing next to his slide showing a beach. The sun and three small clouds are over the ocean which has white waves on the black water. Ponytail is sitting under a parasol to the left, Cueball is sitting on the sand to the right with a drink in his hands, and behind him is a kid running after a large beach-ball.]
+
: "We shall fight—Next slide, please—on the beaches, we shall fight on—Next slide, please—the landing grounds..."
−
:"We shall fight—Next slide, please—on the beaches, we shall fight on—Next slide, please—the landing grounds..."
+
: "Read my lips—Next slide, please—no new taxes."
−
:"Read my lips—Next slide, please—no new taxes."
+
: "That's one small step for man—Next slide, please—one giant leap for mankind."
−
:"That's one small step for man—Next slide, please—one giant leap for mankind."
+
: "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears! Next slide, please. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
−
 
+
: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of—Next slide, please—a good fortune, must be in want of—Next slide, please—a wife."
−
:[Below this picture is the last three quotations, without any pictures:]
+
: "Veni, vidi—Velim, pictura proxima—vici."
−
:"Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears! Next slide, please. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."
 
−
:"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of—Next slide, please—a good fortune, must be in want of—Next slide, please—a wife."
 
−
:"Veni, vidi—Velim, pictura proxima—vici."
 
  
 
==Trivia==
 
==Trivia==
−
* The Blood, toil, tears and sweat speech was the topic of [[1148: Nothing to Offer]] and lists additional items; at the current pace, "next slide, please" would be placed between each item, making that extra-long speech even longer.
+
* The Blood, toil, tears and sweat speach was already the topic of [[1148: Nothing to Offer]]
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
−
 
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Ronald Reagan]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Ronald Reagan]]
−
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
+
[[Category:Comics featuring Winston Churchill]]
−
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]] <!-- in the beach picture -->
 
−
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
−
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]
 
−
<!-- in the beach picture, the last is a child, thus not another Cueball -->
 

Please note that all contributions to explain xkcd may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see explain xkcd:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

To protect the wiki against automated edit spam, we kindly ask you to solve the following CAPTCHA:

Cancel | Editing help (opens in new window)

Templates used on this page:

Retrieved from "https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2470:_Next_Slide_Please"