Arsenic-Based Life
by Jeff
Image text: According to a new paper published in the journal Science, reporters are unable to thrive in an arsenic-rich environment.
This comic is a reference to the huge development this week in which NASA-funded scientists have discovered life forms that thrive and grow using the toxic chemical arsenic. They found these life-forms in the toxic Mono Lake in California.
Titan is a moon of Saturn and has atmosphere made up of nitrogen and hyrdocarbon.
So, to make the discovery of "alien" life more exciting, the scientists decide to serve a themed cocktail for the event. Since the event is the discovery of arsenic-based life, they serve arsenic-based drinks. And unlike the life in Mono Lake, reporters will die if they drink arsenic. Since, arsenic is a famous poison for humans.
The image text is the next study the scientists produce since they discovered that arsenic would kill reporters.
Starlight
by Jeff
Image text: Don't worry! From the light's point of view, home and your eye are in the same place, and the journey takes no time at all! Relativity saves the day again.
There appears to be two things going on in this comic, one in the comic and another in the image text. However, the slight reference to home in the comic leads to the image text.
In the comic, Cutie and Beret are star-gazing and commenting on how far the light has traveled before they could see it here on Earth. They comment on how beautiful the stars are when their light reaches Earth. So, Beret grabs a picture or painting frame and holds it up, making a comment on how the stars look like art. Thanks to everyone in the comments who pointed out that it is a mirror, not a picture frame. Beret is holding up the mirror, so the light bounces back instead of dying.
The image text is making reference to the fact that from any other stars perspective, yourself and any other place on Earth is on the same spot. So, the travel between the points is negligible. I'm not sure the point of the image text, but it seems to imply homesickness.
Conditional Risk
by Jeff
Image text: 'Dude, wait -- I'm not American! So my risk is basically zero!'
This comic is about the use of "1 in ..." statistics. The comment the comic is making that the people that know the death rate for lightning strikes are more likely to take risks around lightning because they know the low death rate. If you take risks around lightning, you are more likely to die.
Obviously, right?
Showdown
by Jeff
Image text: The tumbleweed then tried to roll off into the sunset, but due to the Old West's placement north of the subtropical ridge, the prevailing winds were in the wrong direction.
Hope everyone had a safe and happy Labor Day holiday. Now let's dive into this Old West themed xkcd.
First and foremost, this is a reference to the cliche of a Old West showdown in which two combatants face off against each other in an empty desert clearing. While the two combatants are staring each other down, a tumbleweed "tumbles" past them. Tumbleweeds are as the name indicates a group of weeds that get caught together and are pushed by the wind. They are usually used in movies and TV to indicate an abandoned or empty place.
Back to the comic, the tumbleweed tumbles between the two gun fighters and shoots both of the duelers.
The image text references the fact that in the Western genre of movies, the hero will ride off "into the sunset", which means the hero only appears to be riding into the sun as he or she rides of directly towards it. In this case, the tumbleweed can not "roll off into the sunset" because in the Western USA, where most Westerns are set, the jet stream or "prevailing winds" blow from west to east.
So, the tumbleweed would have to roll off into the rising sun. But, that does not work as well with the Western genre.
Phobia
by Jeff
Image text: Oh God, the tornado picked up snakes!
This is one of those xkcd's that's super emo. These are always a little awkward for me to read.
However, my interpretation of the second frame is that the black haired character is speaking in reference to relationships and dating and the like. She keeps turning away potential suitors with her phrase.
I don't think she keeps saying that every year to keep from becoming a storm chaser.
What's your interpretation of this Friday's emo xkcd? Who is emotional about what to whom?
Study
by Jeff
Image text: Volunteers needed for a study on transmission of urushiol from digital contact with thin strips of fibrous cellulose pulp.
I'm always wary of these things, especially when they said they will require a 24-48 hour stay at "our facility". Yikes.
The key word in the image text is: Urishiol is the chemical produced by poision ivy.
From there you can probably figure it out, but essentially the image text is a soliciting volunteers for a study in which the volunteers use their fingers or toes to touch poison ivy leaves. Brilliant readers have notified me that fibrous cellulose pulp is not leaves, but in fact the strips of paper that are on the ad in the comic. Thanks for correcting me!
Sounds like fun!
Eagle
by Jeff
Image text: In the off-seasons, I hire an animal trainer to help confront secret agents with situations which they are unable to report by radio.
This comic is making a play on the typical "secret agent" code phrases such as the one above or "The Eagle has landed." or "The Stork has dropped the package." Ok, I made that second one up and it is pretty terrible. Hit the comments if you can make up a better code phrase than I can, because apparently I'm terrible.
The image text is saying that when the character in the comic is not following field biologists, he is making actual eagles land in front of actual agents, but they are not allowed to report eagles landing, because that would use the secret code phrase.
Seismic Waves
by Jeff
Image text: The USGS operates a really neat email/SMS earthquake notification service (earthquake.usgs.gov/ens/) that allows fine-grained control of notifications.
This is a very relevant cartoon strip because of the earthquake that rocked northern Mexico and Southern California on Sunday afternoon. And this is certainly true as everyone takes to Twitter and Facebook to announce that they have gotten an earthquake.
Snow Tracking
by Jeff
Image text: I suppose that's more accurately a hare dryer.
Moose and Squirrel is a reference to the Rocky and Bullwinkle series of cartoons.
Longcat is a internet meme from pictures of cats all stretched out that make them look very tall (or long).
Mouse riding Bicycle is a reference to Ralph S. Mouse, a series of novels by Beverly Cleary.
The image text is a pun on the Rabbit with a hair dryer frame.
Legolas is a reference to the character by the same name in the Lord of the Rings trilogy of books and movies.
Knight is a chess reference as the tracks move just like the knight piece in chess.
The two "Kid with" frames are a reference to Calvin and Hobbes.
Prius is a reference to current events in which the car Toyota Prius's pedals have malfunctioned causing accidents.
The final frame is the Higgs Boson which is an elementary particle they are attempting to find evidence of in the Large Hadron Collider.
Anyone know what the Bobcat on a Pogo Stick is a reference to? That's the only one I can't get.
Tornado Hunter
by Jeff
Image text: The Fujita Scale was replaced by the Enhanced Fujita Scale in 2007, but I think 'EF-5' sounds stupid, so I vote we just use the new measurements for assigning numbers but still call them 'F-whatever'.
This is a riff on the show Discovery Channel show, Storm Chasers, in which they try to get as close to a tornado as possible with their highly tuned instruments.
This comic is a cross between Storm Chasers and a typical animal hunt in which the animal is shot and mounted as a prize.
The Fujita Scale is a hurricane rating system in which the size and strength of the tornado is rated based on damage on the ground from the tornado and wind speed.