Force
by Jeff
Image text: Force-choking the chicken.
Please don't make me explain this one. It's fairly obvious if you are old enough. If you don't understand...just wait until you are older... keep waiting...
Gravity Wells
by Jeff
Image text: This doesn't take into account the energy imparted by orbital motion (or gravity assists or the Oberth effect), all of which can make it easier to reach outer planets.
This is awesomely epic. Click the image to see the full image in detail.
December 25th
by Jeff
Image text: If you're turning 27 and were born in the Northeast, maybe you were conceived in the blizzard of 1982. Imagine: snowed in, candles, massage oil, your mom sporting nothing but her early 80's haircut and a smile ... aren't you glad you read the title-text?
The Christmas birthday is the worst when you just get one present for both days, but fathers born on (or around) Father's Day or mothers born on (or around) Mother's Day.
Christmas Plans
by Jeff
Image text: Physicists who want to protect traditional Christmas realize that the only way to keep from changing Christmas is not to observe it.
This comic is a pun on the word "observe".
In regards to Christmas, the phrase is "I don't observe Christmas". In regards to physics, just like in the Schrodinger Cat problem, the physicists don't know where the cat is in the box (or whether it is alive or dead) until they observe it.
In the comic, the character at the computer does not know where Christmas is because he doesn't observe it in the physicist way.
Researcher Translation
by Jeff
Image text: A technology that is '20 years away' will be 20 years away indefinitely.
The image text is a continuation of the graph.
Asshole
by Mike
Asshole
Image Text: [Shortly thereafter, at a nearby bakery] ::CRASH:: ::RUMBLE:: ::VRRRRRR:: '... I don't know, officer. It just scooped up an entire rack of scones and drove away!'
People are haters.
Abstraction
by Jeff
Image text: If I'm such a god, why isn't Maru *my* cat?
This comic is describing all the work that has to go into a simple task by a computer, and when listed out it is impressive. But, not as impressive as Maru the cat.
Maru is a cat that is fairly famous on youtube for cutely jumping in and out of things.
Here's an example of Maru jumping in and out of a large box. Trust me, there are plenty more versions on youtube.
Revolutionary
by Jeff
Image text: I mean, what's more likely -- that I have uncovered fundamental flaws in this field that no one in it has ever thought about, or that I need to read a little more? Hint: it's the one that involves less work.
This comic is a discussion between two characters, the main character and the Philosophy major who has a goatee. The image text is an additional comment by the character which the goatee.
The character with the goatee is suggesting that the people of science like the main character are holding firmly to their belief of the theory of special relativity.
This is a stereotypical representation of people such as Philosophy majors who thumb their noses at Phyics majors or other scientific ideas, which thinking that they always have the answers and have thought of a new idea that has never been thought of before. This is referenced in the image text.
Natural Parenting
by Jeff
Image text: On one hand, every single one of my ancestors going back billions of years has managed to figured it out. On the other hand, that's the mother of all sampling biases.
This comic is saying that sex "comes naturally".
Sampling bias is a non-random sample of participants in a study. In this case, all of the participants were self-selected to be parents. And of course there is a pun in "mother of all sampling biases".
The Sun
by Jeff
Image text: Obligatory bad guy: This operation is sheer foolishness, and it's not happening on my watch! Mainly because I can't figure out how to adjust the time.
This is a comic about a pseudo-science Hollywood action Blockbuster. The movie The Core is referenced in the beginning, which was a movie widely panned by critics. In The Core, the problem was that the core of the Earth was going to stop rotating and they had to send something into the core of the Earth to fix it.