explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

294: Bookstore

2013-10-13T21:58:16Z

84.251.27.117:

{{comic
| number =294
| date =July 27, 2007
| title =Bookcase
| image =bookstore.png
| titletext =You can search it if you want, but you may want to skip the memories of your mom.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] starts reading a book off the shelf as he considers buying it, but gets so engrossed in it that he accidentally reads the entire thing, eliminating his reason for buying it in the first place. Quietly putting it back, he turns to leave the store, only to have the book (which exists in his brain as information) set off the store's anti-theft sensor. This is a satire of copyright as it pertains to digital copies, because when you download a game or music file (or read a book, in this case), you are merely making an identical copy of the source material.

The title text suggests that if the security guard wants to do a brain search, he might want to skip over all the, probably sexual, encounters Cueball has had with his mom.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing in a bookstore, looking at a book.]
:Cueball: This book looks interesting. Maybe I'll buy it.
:[Cueball reads the book; a clock appears above showing the passage of time.]
:Cueball: Oops, I read the whole thing.
:Cueball: I'll just quietly put it back and go.
:[Cueball walks through a security scanner to exit the bookstore.]
:''BEEP BEEP BEEP''
:Voice from off-frame: Hey! Your brain set off the sensor!
:Cueball: I, uhh...
:Voice from off-frame: You have a book in there, don't you!
:Cueball: Crap.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

294: Bookstore

2013-10-13T21:55:52Z

84.251.27.117:

Talk:222: Small Talk

2013-09-27T22:56:01Z

84.251.27.117:

You know, [[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen|Dr. Manhattan]] had a response to the question "What's up?" [[Special:Contributions/84.251.27.117|84.251.27.117]] 22:55, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

Talk:222: Small Talk

2013-09-27T22:55:22Z

84.251.27.117: Created page with "You know, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen Dr. Manhattan had a response to the question "What's up?" ~~~~"

You know, [[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen Dr. Manhattan]] had a response to the question "What's up?" [[Special:Contributions/84.251.27.117|84.251.27.117]] 22:55, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

137: Dreams

2013-02-24T17:04:52Z

84.251.27.117:

{{comic
| number = 137
| date = August 4, 2006
| title = Dreams
| image = dreams.png
| titletext = In Connor's second thesis it is stated 'There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.' Does the routine destroy our creativity or do we lose creativity and fall into the routine? Anyway, who's up for a road trip!
}}

==Explanation==
Basically a long-winded way of saying "carpe diem!" Seize the day and make it mean something. Every moment is choice between doing something you will remember forever or wasting another minute, another hour, another day, another year.

Connor's second 'thesis' is a quote from the character Sarah Connor on the film 'Terminator 2'

Other comics with a similar theme about finding or taking unexplored paths, instead of fitting into the mold, includes [[59: Graduation]] and [[267: Choices: Part 4]].

==Transcript==
:[Friend is standing behind Cueball, who is typing at a computer.]
:Friend: You should be more careful what you write. Future employers might read it.
:Cueball: When did we forget our dreams?
:Friend: What?
:[Cueball stands beside friend.]
:Cueball: The infinite possibilities each day holds should stagger the mind. The sheer number of experiences I could have is uncountable, breathtaking, and I'm sitting here refreshing my inbox. We live trapped in loops, reliving a few days over and over, and we envision only a handful of paths laid out before us. We see the same things every day, we respond the same way, we think the same thoughts, each day a slight variation on the last, every moment smoothly following the gentle curves of societal norms. We act like if we just get through today, tomorrow our dreams will come back to us And no, I don't have all the answers. I don't know how to jolt myself into seeing what each moment could become. But I do know one thing: the solution doesn't involve watering down my every little idea and creative impulse for the sake of some day easing my fit into a mold. It doesn't involve tempering my life to better fit someone's expectations. It doesn't involve constantly holding back for fear of shaking things up.
:Cueball: This is very important, so I want to say it as clearly as I can:
:Cueball: FUCK.
:Cueball: THAT.
:Cueball: SHIT.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]