Editing 541: TED Talk
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| title = TED Talk | | title = TED Talk | ||
| image = ted_talk.png | | image = ted_talk.png | ||
| − | | titletext = The IAU ban came after the | + | | titletext = The IAU ban came after the "redefinition of the 'planet' to include the IAU president's mom" incident. |
}} | }} | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
| − | The comics shows Randall as a presenter at the highly prestigious {{w|TED conference}}, a symposium about technology, entertainment and design. The illustrious {{w|list of TED speakers|list of former presenters}} includes amongst others Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Larry Page, Richard Dawkins and Gordon Brown. The conference is regarded as a forum for {{w|digerati}}. Every talk has a length of at most | + | The comics shows Randall as a presenter at the highly prestigious {{w|TED conference}}, a symposium about technology, entertainment and design. The illustrious {{w|list of TED speakers|list of former presenters}} includes amongst others Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Larry Page, Richard Dawkins and Gordon Brown. The conference is regarded as a forum for {{w|digerati}}. Every talk has a length of at most 18 minutes and is supposed to be as captivating as possible. |
Randall's presentation, however, reduces the purpose of the conference to absurdity: The topic he wishes to point out to his listeners, is that of how to put an emoticon at the end of a parenthetical statement. This question is of little practical consequence, although it received a lot of attention after publication of the comic. In the last panel, the TED conference is another item to add to his list of conferences from which he has been banned. On the list are other conferences from all sorts of fields, including every American furry convention. | Randall's presentation, however, reduces the purpose of the conference to absurdity: The topic he wishes to point out to his listeners, is that of how to put an emoticon at the end of a parenthetical statement. This question is of little practical consequence, although it received a lot of attention after publication of the comic. In the last panel, the TED conference is another item to add to his list of conferences from which he has been banned. On the list are other conferences from all sorts of fields, including every American furry convention. | ||
| − | The title text about Randall's ban from the {{w|IAU}} conference is a reference to the popular maternal insults called {{w|Maternal insult|"yo momma" jokes}}. A common representative of the genre runs "Yo mama so fat, scientists have declared her the 10th planet." | + | The title text about Randall's ban from the {{w|IAU}} conference is a reference to the popular maternal insults called {{w|Maternal insult|"yo momma" jokes}}. A common representative of the genre runs "Yo mama so fat, scientists have declared her the 10th planet." |
| − | + | Getting banned from attending a conference occurs [[:Category:Banned from conferences|more than once in xkcd]]. | |
| − | + | Randall has since this comic given a TED talk in March 2014. [https://www.ted.com/talks/randall_munroe_comics_that_ask_what_if Randall Munroe Comics that ask "what if?"]. | |
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| − | + | {{w|PyCon}} organizers made response to this comic - see below under [[#PyCon response|PyCon response]]. | |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
| − | :[Randall | + | :[Randall Munroe on stage.] |
:Randall: Hi. I'm Randall. Welcome to my TED talk. | :Randall: Hi. I'm Randall. Welcome to my TED talk. | ||
:Randall: It's an honor to speak to you, some of the brightest innovators from so many fields, about a problem in desperate need of your attention: | :Randall: It's an honor to speak to you, some of the brightest innovators from so many fields, about a problem in desperate need of your attention: | ||
:Randall: How DO you end parenthetical statements with emoticons? I can't figure out a good way. | :Randall: How DO you end parenthetical statements with emoticons? I can't figure out a good way. | ||
:[Screen next to him shows two statements, both crossed out in red.] | :[Screen next to him shows two statements, both crossed out in red.] | ||
| − | :"Linux (or BSD :) would..." looks mismatched | + | :"Linux (or BSD :)" would... "looks mismatched" |
| − | :"Linux (or BSD :)) would..." looks mismatched and weird | + | :"Linux (or BSD :))" would... "looks mismatched and weird" |
:[Randall writing on a desk.] | :[Randall writing on a desk.] | ||
| − | : | + | :Randall's List - Conferences I'm banned from: |
:Siggraph | :Siggraph | ||
:Eurocrypt | :Eurocrypt | ||
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==PyCon response== | ==PyCon response== | ||
| − | In response to this comic, PyCon organizers jokingly [http://pycon.blogspot.com/2009/02/randall-munroe.html announced] that Randall Munroe was banned from PyCon 2009 due to "last year's disgraceful keynote, 'Web Spiders vs. Red Spiders'." They also said they instructed their volunteers to refuse admission to him and "any stick figures who may attempt to register, particularly if they are | + | In response to this comic, PyCon organizers jokingly [http://pycon.blogspot.com/2009/02/randall-munroe.html announced] that Randall Munroe was banned from PyCon 2009 due to "last year's disgraceful keynote, 'Web Spiders vs. Red Spiders'." They also said they instructed their volunteers to refuse admission to him and "any stick figures who may attempt to register, particularly if they are wearing hats." |
Messages on the PyCon-Organizers mailing list show that this joke was intended to get Randall to come to PyCon: (The links will only work if you're subscribed to the mailing list.) | Messages on the PyCon-Organizers mailing list show that this joke was intended to get Randall to come to PyCon: (The links will only work if you're subscribed to the mailing list.) | ||
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::::::::OK - posted to the PyCon blog, by the power vested in me as publicity chair. With Michael Foord's excellent sentence added. | ::::::::OK - posted to the PyCon blog, by the power vested in me as publicity chair. With Michael Foord's excellent sentence added. | ||
::::::::Now let him know that since he's banned, he HAS to come. [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011251.html] | ::::::::Now let him know that since he's banned, he HAS to come. [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011251.html] | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Furries]] | [[Category:Furries]] | ||
[[Category:Banned from conferences]] | [[Category:Banned from conferences]] | ||
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[[Category:Your Mom]] | [[Category:Your Mom]] | ||
