Difference between revisions of "1190: Time"

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(Time's forum thread: update)
(Undo revision 329907 by Superxkcdfan (talk) Too specific/predictive. Maybe "perhaps thousands of years in the future" would be better, unless you have a canonical reference that says this.)
 
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| titletext = The end.
 
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<div class="toclimit-3" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;"> __TOC__ </div>
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<div class="toclimit-3">{{TOC}}</div>
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* The comic image is a link to [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190 geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190].
 +
 
 
==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
This comic is an animation, which was showing a new image every hour. In the beginning the interval was only half an hour. The unfolding story is set in the far future, at a time when the {{w|Strait of Gibraltar}} has long been blocked and the {{w|Mediterranean Sea}} has largely dried up leaving smaller, hypersaline seas behind. Megan and Cueball, living on the shores of one of these seas and unaware of its natural history, notice one day while building a huge sand castle on the beach that the sea level is starting to rise. They start a journey of exploration trying to find out why. Eventually they discover that the Straits of Gibraltar have once again been breached, and that the Mediterranean Basin is being flooded. They run back to their home, assemble their village, and board a makeshift raft. At the end they reach land with their rafts, searching for a new home.
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This comic is an {{w|animation}}, which was showing a new image every hour. In the beginning the interval was only half an hour. The unfolding story is set in the far future, at a time when the {{w|Strait of Gibraltar}} has long been blocked and the {{w|Mediterranean Sea}} has largely dried up leaving smaller, hypersaline seas behind. Megan and Cueball, living on the shores of one of these seas and unaware of its natural history, notice one day while building a huge sand castle on the beach that the sea level is starting to rise. They start a journey of exploration trying to find out why. Eventually they discover that the Straits of Gibraltar have once again been breached, and that the Mediterranean Basin is being flooded. They run back to their home, assemble the people of their village, and board a makeshift raft. At the end they reach land with their rafts, searching for a new home.
  
On frame 2925 the title text changed from "Wait for it." to "...", and one frame later to just "RUN.". At approximately 2944, when Megan announces that it is too late to escape overland, the title text changed back to "...". On Frame 3094, the words '''THE END''' appear in the middle of the screen and the title text changed to "The end.". The image now links to the scrollable collection of frames at [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/]. The comic image on xkcd is currently looping through the last five frames of the comic.
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On frame 2925 the title text changed from "Wait for it." to "...", and one frame later to just "RUN.". At approximately 2944, when Megan announces that it is too late to escape overland, the title text changed back to "...". On frame 3094, the words '''THE END''' appear in the middle of the screen and the title text changed to "The end.". The image now links to the scrollable collection of frames at [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/]. The comic on xkcd.com today currently loops through the last five frames of the comic.
  
This comic now has its own {{w|Time (xkcd)|article}} on Wikipedia.
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===Reception===
 +
* The comic has its own {{w|Time (xkcd)|article}} on Wikipedia.
 +
* The comic was awarded the [http://www.thehugoawards.org/2014/08/2014-hugo-award-winners/ 2014 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story].
 +
* The comic has [https://xkcd-time.fandom.com/wiki/XKCD_Time_Wiki its very own wiki] with over a thousand pages on that one strip.
 +
* [[Cory Doctorow]] of {{w|Boing Boing}} saying it was "[http://boingboing.net/2013/04/07/time-xkcds-slo-mo-time-laps.html coming along nicely]" during publishing with an "[https://boingboing.net/2013/08/04/astounding-backstory-behind-xk.html astounding backstory]" upon its conclusion.
 +
* The Verge’s Jeff Blagdon called the journey "[https://www.theverge.com/2013/7/29/4567134/xkcd-time-comic-finishes-after-four-months-3000-panels epic]".
 +
* Wired’s Laura Hudson also suitably referred the comic strip as "[https://www.wired.com/2013/08/xkcd-time-comic/ epic]".
 +
* The story was also [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/07/30/a-brief-history-of-time-the-xkcd-comic/ reported] by Washington Post’s Andrea Peterson.
 +
* The comic garnered "obsessive" attention from viewers on xkcd's forum, with a discussion thread that exceeds [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=999999999 2,500 pages and 100,000 posts].
 +
* "Time" had developed a fanatical following that pored over every update pixel by pixel and gathered online to trade [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_end_of_comic_theories theories], decipher clues, and even [https://xkcd-time.fandom.com/wiki/Songs_written_in_the_forum write songs].
  
 
===Format===
 
===Format===
This comic is actually a series of images which play as a rough animation (the animated image on this page is still an incomplete compilation of all the images). The pictures were updated over the course of time. The comic ran for 2973 hours (over 124 days) and consists of 3099 image frames.
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This comic is a series of images which play as a rough animation. The pictures were updated over the course of time. The comic ran for 2973 hours (over 124 days) and consists of 3101 image frames. For the first 120 hours, a new frame replaced the previous frame every 30 minutes, at :00 and :30 of each hour; the remaining frames have since been revealed every hour. The update was done server-side, with the server redirecting the image link (time.png) to a different image every hour. The source images have very long random hash names, which made it virtually impossible to access future frames. There is no way to view past frames on the official xkcd website, and only the current frame is posted there at any given time. Given the unique nature of this comic, the full image archives can be browsed through several websites that have been dedicated to tracking it (see below).
  
For the first 120 hours, a new frame replaced the previous frame every 30 minutes, at :00 and :30 of each hour; the remaining frames have since been revealed every hour. The update was done server-side, with the server redirecting the image link (time.png) to a different image every hour. The source images have very long random hash names, made it virtually impossible to access future frames. There is no way to view past frames on the official xkcd website, and only the current frame is posted there at any given time. Given the unique nature of this comic, the full image archives can be browsed through several websites that have been dedicated to tracking it (see below).
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Readers typically have divided the comic into four scenes (see below). For example, at 850 hours (36 days 10 hours) the first "scene" of the comic ended at frame 971 with a fade to white, ushering in a second scene from frame 972. Some of the last few frames of scene 1 are nearly white, but faint images can be seen in the normalized pictures available below (Day 36, Monday, April 29, 2013, normalized).
 
 
Readers typically have divided the comic into four scenes (see below). For example, at 850 hours (36 days 10 hours) the first "scene" of the comic ended at frame 971 with a fade to white, ushering in a second scene from frame 972. Some of the last few frames of scene 1 are nearly white, but faint images can be seen in the normalized pictures available below (Day 36, Monday, April 29, 2013, normalized).
 
  
 
==Plot==
 
==Plot==
 
===Scene 1: The castle and the Sea===
 
===Scene 1: The castle and the Sea===
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
 
 
[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are alone on a sandy beach near the sea. They begin to build a {{w|sand castle}} on the beach. The two continue to expand the castle back from the seashore as the scene zooms out. Briefly they have fun launching small objects at the castle with a {{w|trebuchet}} before continuing the build.
 
[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are alone on a sandy beach near the sea. They begin to build a {{w|sand castle}} on the beach. The two continue to expand the castle back from the seashore as the scene zooms out. Briefly they have fun launching small objects at the castle with a {{w|trebuchet}} before continuing the build.
  
 
Both Cueball and Megan each leave the scene for extended periods at times but always return to continue building. They add what appears to be scaffolding and ladders to expand the castle skyward. All the while, Cueball and Megan wax philosophically about the nature of the sea, the feeding river, the rising tides, and what else lies in the world. In the end, the two decide to go off and explore the world as the sea begins to erode the castle and the scene fades to white.
 
Both Cueball and Megan each leave the scene for extended periods at times but always return to continue building. They add what appears to be scaffolding and ladders to expand the castle skyward. All the while, Cueball and Megan wax philosophically about the nature of the sea, the feeding river, the rising tides, and what else lies in the world. In the end, the two decide to go off and explore the world as the sea begins to erode the castle and the scene fades to white.
  
One other character appears during the fade; A girl with a beret, similar to [[Beret Guy]], briefly appears to view the castle before leaving. She returns in the last two frames before the fade to white completes dragging something.
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One other character appears during the fade; A girl with a beret, similar to [[Beret Guy]], briefly appears to view the castle before leaving. She returns in the last two frames before the fade-to-white completes, dragging something.
</div>
 
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
  
 
===Scene 2: Exploring an unknown world===
 
===Scene 2: Exploring an unknown world===
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
 
 
====Scene 2 - Part 1: Walking on flatlands and then reaching the base of the hill====
 
====Scene 2 - Part 1: Walking on flatlands and then reaching the base of the hill====
Cueball and Megan are walking with bags across a relatively level surface. The terrain looks like frame 1, albeit from a wider angle, showing they are walking along the coast. The scene shifts multiple times between views of them to the left of a river, and 90° rotated views of them walking overland, generally upstream. Sometimes these shifts in angle are marked by corresponding shifts between front and profile views of their bodies.
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Cueball and Megan are walking with bags across a relatively level surface. The terrain looks like frame 1, albeit from a wider angle, showing they are walking along the coast. The scene shifts multiple times between views of them to the left of the sea, and 90° rotated views of them walking overland. Sometimes these shifts in angle are marked by corresponding shifts between front and profile views of their bodies.
  
 
Megan indicates she has never been so far "this way". They reach a river they haven't seen before. Cueball slips in and loses his bottle. He contemplates swimming out to get it, but Megan says it is too dangerous. Later when Megan gets too close to the edge, Cueball senses danger and pulls her back.
 
Megan indicates she has never been so far "this way". They reach a river they haven't seen before. Cueball slips in and loses his bottle. He contemplates swimming out to get it, but Megan says it is too dangerous. Later when Megan gets too close to the edge, Cueball senses danger and pulls her back.
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They stop for a break and Cueball dozes off and mumbles in his sleep. They discuss this river and the differences between it and theirs before continuing upriver.
 
They stop for a break and Cueball dozes off and mumbles in his sleep. They discuss this river and the differences between it and theirs before continuing upriver.
  
====Scene 2 - Part 2: Fun on dunes, some Berries, a frog, and the WOW trees from Madagascar====
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====Scene 2 - Part 2: Fun on dunes, some Berries, a frog, and the baobab trees====
 
The terrain begins to slope noticeably uphill. They wonder if others have noticed the rise of the sea and find tents left by other people. They walk deeper into the dunes, having fun by jumping and sliding. Megan falls after jumping too high.
 
The terrain begins to slope noticeably uphill. They wonder if others have noticed the rise of the sea and find tents left by other people. They walk deeper into the dunes, having fun by jumping and sliding. Megan falls after jumping too high.
  
Line 55: Line 61:
 
They enter a vineyard and eat some grapes.
 
They enter a vineyard and eat some grapes.
  
The two travel on. Cueball encounters a snake while climbing a small cliff and falls back. They find another section of the cliff and continue. After that they reach a tree with a nest in it with a young baby bird crying for its food. The bird's mother feeds it, then Cueball takes a short nap while Megan investigates a small river.
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The two travel on. Cueball encounters a snake (possibly a stick?) while climbing a small cliff and falls back. They find another section of the cliff and continue. After that they reach a tree with a nest in it with a young baby bird crying for its food. The bird's mother feeds it, then Cueball takes a short nap while Megan investigates a small river.
  
 
====Scene 2 - Part 4: Walking uphill, a large cliff, and some mysterious animals====
 
====Scene 2 - Part 4: Walking uphill, a large cliff, and some mysterious animals====
Line 61: Line 67:
  
 
====Scene 2 - Part 5: The cougar attack====
 
====Scene 2 - Part 5: The cougar attack====
A cougar attacks Megan, but Cueball gets in the way - although not before it claws her leg. Most of the hit gets absorbed by his backpack, but Cueball is forced to the ground. Megan grabs a stick and attacks the large cat, which runs away.
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A cougar attacks Cueball, but most of the hit is absorbed by his backpack (Cueball is still forced to the ground) and Megan gets in the way with a large stick. The cougar runs away, although it still allowed the cougar to claw her leg.
  
 
====Scene 2 - Part 6: Starting to walk to the top of the mountain, the sun sets down====
 
====Scene 2 - Part 6: Starting to walk to the top of the mountain, the sun sets down====
Megan decides she would like to press on despite her injuries. Cueball and Megan then take turns sleeping as night arrives. Cueball takes the first watch. While Megan sleeps a meteor appears in the sky. Then Megan takes the next watch. When Cueball wakes up, they start their journey again up the mountain, which is slower due to Megan's injuries as Cueball has to help her over some of the steeper climbs.
+
Megan and Cueball realize that, considering how far away they are from home, it would be best to press on towards the people in the Mountains in hopes they can help than risk returning home. Cueball and Megan then take turns sleeping as night arrives. Cueball takes the first watch. While Megan sleeps, a meteor appears in the sky. Then Megan takes the next watch. When Cueball wakes up, they start their journey again up the mountain, which is slower due to Megan's injuries as Cueball has to help her over some of the steeper climbs.
  
 
====Scene 2 - Part 7: After the night the final attempt to reach the top of the mountain====
 
====Scene 2 - Part 7: After the night the final attempt to reach the top of the mountain====
 
After they reach a plateau there is a tower. Megan climbs up and sees other people. Cueball is curious and climbs the tower too. On top of that tower Megan remarks her wound doesn't hurt much when walking but it does when she climbs.
 
After they reach a plateau there is a tower. Megan climbs up and sees other people. Cueball is curious and climbs the tower too. On top of that tower Megan remarks her wound doesn't hurt much when walking but it does when she climbs.
</div>
 
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
  
 
===Scene 3: Finding an unknown tribe===
 
===Scene 3: Finding an unknown tribe===
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
 
 
====Scene 3 - Part 1: Finding other people====
 
====Scene 3 - Part 1: Finding other people====
Then, they continue their travel at the plateau. They run into three people who speak a language that they are unable to understand. Despite the language barrier, Megan shows her wounded leg and the strangers proceed to take a closer look at her. The strangers then help her to sit down on a stone. After the stranger with the medical equipment is back they do some kind of first aid. Megan expresses her thanks, and the strangers indicate that they should follow.
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Then, they continue their travel at the plateau. They run into three people, all of whom look like [[Knit Cap]], who speak a language that they are unable to understand. Despite the language barrier, Megan shows her wounded leg and the strangers proceed to take a closer look at her. The strangers then help her to sit down on a stone. After the stranger with the medical equipment is back they do some kind of first aid. Megan expresses her thanks, and the strangers indicate via drawings in the sand that they should follow.
  
 
====Scene 3 - Part 2: Walking to the long haired woman====
 
====Scene 3 - Part 2: Walking to the long haired woman====
After walking uphill again they approach another tower. A device is mounted to the top and more smaller devices are around. They drink some water there and Cueball learns his first word in this new language: "water" or "drink". To aid communication, they start to draw pictures on the ground. Cueball shows their travel from the sea to the current location, and the stranger adds the rising sea level, indicating that he knows about this happening. The stranger shows a castle some more uphill and a long haired woman behind it. Cueball hopes they can speak to her, and the stranger explains with a drawing that it's less than a day away. The strangers collect their devices and store them somewhere. Then they start the travel to the castle. When they rest, Megan and Cueball taste some food offered by the strangers; they like it. A large flag appears and they encounter a small city. A big castle, still under construction, is visible in front of them. Megan states that she never thought she would ever see a real castle. On their way to the castle they meet another stranger, exchanging some greetings. Then they enter the castle.
+
After walking uphill again they approach another tower. A device is mounted to the top and more smaller devices are around. They drink some water there and Cueball learns his first word in this new language: "water" or "drink". To aid communication, they start to draw pictures on the ground. Cueball shows their travel from the sea to the current location, and the stranger adds the rising sea level, indicating that he knows about this happening. The stranger shows a castle some more uphill and a long haired woman behind it. Cueball hopes they can speak to her, and the stranger explains with a drawing that it's less than a day away. The strangers collect their devices and store them somewhere. Then they start the travel to the castle. When they rest, Megan and Cueball taste some food offered by the strangers; they like it. A large flag appears and they encounter a small city. A big castle, still under construction, is visible in front of them. Megan states that she never thought she would ever see a real castle, and Cueball states that he didn't think that there were real castles. On their way to the castle they meet another stranger, exchanging some greetings. Then they enter the castle.
  
 
====Scene 3 - Part 3: Inside the castle====
 
====Scene 3 - Part 3: Inside the castle====
 
The five people walk down a stairway and enter a large hall. Large windows showing a dazzling light are high above them. They approach a long-haired woman at a desk who greets them. After Cueball asks, it appears she can "somewhat" understand him and Megan. The woman asks where they came from and asks about their home; she asks if they brought anyone else. Megan and Cueball say they're trying to find out why the sea is changing. The woman explains that there is another sea which was once connected to theirs, but has since been cut off. She says that the water is now flowing back into their sea, and that the level will continue to rise. She shows Megan and Cueball a map of the area, including the castle, their sea, and the bigger sea which is joining it. The woman then shows the predicted new shoreline, which closely resembles that of the {{w|Mediterranean Sea}}. Megan assumes that the level rise is slow and will last for some years. The woman disagrees, and explains that the water level will rise over the course of a few days. Faced with knowledge of the imminent destruction of their village, Megan and Cueball bolt from the room and begin to run.
 
The five people walk down a stairway and enter a large hall. Large windows showing a dazzling light are high above them. They approach a long-haired woman at a desk who greets them. After Cueball asks, it appears she can "somewhat" understand him and Megan. The woman asks where they came from and asks about their home; she asks if they brought anyone else. Megan and Cueball say they're trying to find out why the sea is changing. The woman explains that there is another sea which was once connected to theirs, but has since been cut off. She says that the water is now flowing back into their sea, and that the level will continue to rise. She shows Megan and Cueball a map of the area, including the castle, their sea, and the bigger sea which is joining it. The woman then shows the predicted new shoreline, which closely resembles that of the {{w|Mediterranean Sea}}. Megan assumes that the level rise is slow and will last for some years. The woman disagrees, and explains that the water level will rise over the course of a few days. Faced with knowledge of the imminent destruction of their village, Megan and Cueball bolt from the room and begin to run.
</div>
 
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
  
 
===Scene 4: Recovering the people at their home===
 
===Scene 4: Recovering the people at their home===
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
 
 
====Scene 4 - Part 1: Megan and Cueball running home====
 
====Scene 4 - Part 1: Megan and Cueball running home====
 
They leave the castle and run back the same way as they came. They encounter some people on their way out. By this time the title text has changed from 'Wait for it' to '...' to 'RUN.' They pass some more people they met before and when they are alone, Megan reveals that she has stolen the maps from the long-haired woman. Megan hopes she can give them back sometime. Cueball is happy and they continue their journey by using the maps. They reach their village, where they find that the people are aware of the rising sea levels, and that some of them have already gone up into the now-abandoned hills to see what items were left behind. Megan and Cueball tell them that the sea will continue to rise, and they make preparations to evacuate uphill.
 
They leave the castle and run back the same way as they came. They encounter some people on their way out. By this time the title text has changed from 'Wait for it' to '...' to 'RUN.' They pass some more people they met before and when they are alone, Megan reveals that she has stolen the maps from the long-haired woman. Megan hopes she can give them back sometime. Cueball is happy and they continue their journey by using the maps. They reach their village, where they find that the people are aware of the rising sea levels, and that some of them have already gone up into the now-abandoned hills to see what items were left behind. Megan and Cueball tell them that the sea will continue to rise, and they make preparations to evacuate uphill.
Line 94: Line 96:
 
====Scene 4 - Part 3: The tribe on their raft====
 
====Scene 4 - Part 3: The tribe on their raft====
 
The raft is hastily made seaworthy and the tribe goes off in pursuit of the rest. They find the others floating on a makeshift canoe from a piece of floating debris. A rope is thrown and the two boats try to pull each other closer. At one point the boats bump into each other and everyone falls over. A new day arises and as Cueball and Megan rebuild their sandcastle on top of the raft, the raft runs aground. The tribe rushes off to explore the new land, and the raft is left behind at the end of the story at the mercy of the wind and waves.
 
The raft is hastily made seaworthy and the tribe goes off in pursuit of the rest. They find the others floating on a makeshift canoe from a piece of floating debris. A rope is thrown and the two boats try to pull each other closer. At one point the boats bump into each other and everyone falls over. A new day arises and as Cueball and Megan rebuild their sandcastle on top of the raft, the raft runs aground. The tribe rushes off to explore the new land, and the raft is left behind at the end of the story at the mercy of the wind and waves.
</div>
 
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
  
==Viewing the comic's history==
+
==View all the frames of the comic==
Faster, navigable versions of the comic are available at:
+
{{Quote| I wrote the whole story before I drew the first frame, and had almost a thousand panels already drawn before I posted the first one. But as the story progressed, the later panels took longer to draw than I expected, and Time began—ironically—eating more and more of my time. Frames that went up every hour were sometimes taking more than an hour to make, and I spent the final months doing practically nothing but drawing.|[[Randall Munroe]]|[https://blog.xkcd.com/2013/07/29/1190-time/ Source]}}
*A scrollable version is at [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/] (with code on github), this is now being linked to from the comic's site.
+
*Faster, navigable versions of the comic are available at these links:
*[http://xkcd.aubronwood.com xkcd.aubronwood.com].
+
**A scrollable version is at [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/] (with code on GitHub), this is now being linked to from the comic's site.
*[http://richardwestenra.com/xkcds-time-animated-time-lapse/ richardwestenra.com/xkcds-time-animated-time-lapse/].
+
**[http://xkcd.aubronwood.com xkcd.aubronwood.com] (Now defunct, [https://web.archive.org/web/20130805134246/http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/ archive])
*[http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/1 xkcd.mscha.org]
+
**[http://richardwestenra.com/xkcds-time-animated-time-lapse/ richardwestenra.com/xkcds-time-animated-time-lapse/].
 +
**[http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/1 xkcd.mscha.org]
 +
*There is also a wiki dedicated to this particular comic and the related forum thread, at [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/ xkcd-time.wikia.com/].
 +
*A physics simulation of the trebuchet written in JavaScript/HTML5 is available at [http://thred.github.io/xkcd-time-catapult/ thred.github.io/xkcd-time-catapult/]. The code is hosted on [https://github.com/thred/xkcd-time-catapult GitHub], too.
 +
*There is an Android app which notifies users when a new image is posted and lets them view the image from within the app, available on [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.drewhannay.xkcdtime Google Play] (now defunct, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150608073106/https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.drewhannay.xkcdtime archive]).
 +
*The code for the app is hosted on [https://github.com/drewhannay/xkcd-time GitHub] and encourages contribution of new features or enhancements.
 +
*An hourly updated graph of the rising water level is available at [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2169004/tide.png] (now defunct, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160321222218/https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2169004/tide.png archive])
 +
*There is [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php a map] (now defunct, [https://web.archive.org/web/20180713221633/http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php archive]) with guesses on the locations that Megan and Cueball visit.
 +
*Another map of estimated travel paths with terrain data is here: [[Media:TimeTerrainMap.png|TimeTerrainMap.png]].
 +
*Additional composite scenes are located here: [[1190: Time: Pictures]]. Some of the images are very large and may be slow to load.
 +
*Investigations on the blurry speech by the woman in the big castle at scene 3 part 3 are here: [[1190: Time: Translator]]. Please help to enhance the pictures there for better readings.
 +
*On July 29, 2013 [[Randall]] did a post at his [http://blog.xkcd.com/2013/07/29/1190-time/ blag] about this comic.
  
There is also a wiki dedicated to this particular comic and the related forum thread, at [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/ xkcd-time.wikia.com/]. There is also a physics simulation of the trebuchet written in JavaScript/HTML5, available at [http://thred.github.io/xkcd-time-catapult/ thred.github.io/xkcd-time-catapult/]. The code is hosted on [https://github.com/thred/xkcd-time-catapult GitHub], too. There is an Android app which notifies users when a new image is posted and lets them view the image from within the app, available on [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.drewhannay.xkcdtime Google Play]. The code for the app is hosted on [https://github.com/drewhannay/xkcd-time GitHub] and encourages contribution of new features or enhancements. An hourly updated graph of the rising water level is available at [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2169004/tide.png]
+
===Time's forum thread===
 
+
'''In September 2019 the xkcd fora (administered separately from this wiki of the comic site) were made inactive, due to ultimately unresolvable website security issues, rendering all direct links defunct. There has still been no successful move to reinstate the site as of 2022 and so (unless there are archived copies accessible) it can be assumed that neither fora.xkcd.com nor forums.xkcd.com links will render anything useful.'''  However, there is [https://1190.bicyclesonthemoon.info/ott/view an archived mirror] of the "One True Thread" about Time from the xkcd forum, complete through mid 2019 when the forum system went down.
There is also [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php a map] with guesses on the locations that Megan and Cueball visit.
 
 
 
Another map of estimated travel paths with terrain data is here: [[Media:TimeTerrainMap.png|TimeTerrainMap.png]].
 
 
 
Additional composite scenes are located here: [[1190: Time: Pictures]]. Some of the images are very large, and may be slow to load.
 
 
 
Investigations on the blurry speech by the woman in the big castle at scene 3 part 3 are here: [[1190: Time: Translator]]. Please help to enhance the pictures there for better readings.
 
 
 
On July 29, 2013 [[Randall]] did a post at his [http://blog.xkcd.com/2013/07/29/1190-time/ blag] about this comic.
 
  
===Time's forum thread===
+
{{Quote|The xkcd forum thread on Time grew terrifyingly fast, developing a subculture with its own vocabulary, songs, inside jokes, and even a religion or two. [..] To the intrepid, clever, sometimes crazy readers who followed it the whole way through, watching every pixel change and catching every detail: Thank you. This was for you. It’s been quite a journey; I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did!|[[Randall Munroe]]|[https://blog.xkcd.com/2013/07/29/1190-time/ Source]}}
In the xkcd fora, this comic was given a thread like any other comic. The Time thread expanded over the months of the comic's running to include 1254 pages, or just over 50,000 posts, and continued thereafter at a considerable pace. As of October 4th, it has 60,900 posts and an enormous 2,190,000 views, which easily tops every other thread. 28% of all posts within the [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewforum.php?f=7 Individual XKCD Comic Threads subforum] are in the Time thread. Compared to the thread for [[Click and Drag]], it has 10 times as many views and 90 times as many posts, while the typical comic thread has 30 to 200 posts. Its activity as a percentage of the entire fora can be seen in [http://xkcd.mscha.org/jjjdavidson/timeforumpercentage.128days.htm this graph].
+
In the xkcd fora, this comic was given a thread like any other comic. The Time thread expanded over the months of the comic's running to include 1254 pages, or just over 50,000 posts, and continued thereafter at a considerable pace. As of August 23, 2018, it had over 106,000 posts and an enormous 38,000,000 views, which easily tops every other thread, while still being quite active. More than 1/3 of all posts within the [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewforum.php?f=7 Individual XKCD Comic Threads subforum] were in the ''1190: "Time"'' thread. Compared to the thread for [[Click and Drag]], it had over 50 times as many views and 150 times as many posts, while the typical comic thread had 30 to 200 posts. Its activity as a percentage of the entire fora can be seen in [http://xkcd.mscha.org/jjjdavidson/timeforumpercentage.128days.htm this graph].
  
The [http://xkcd.mscha.org/sciscitor/img/avatars.jpg many frequent posters] of the thread developed a culture surrounding Time, creating their own [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Default_footnotes mannerisms], [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Glossary vocabulary], and [http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130610101557/xkcd-time/images/a/a5/X.png jokes] on top of extracting every [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Age_of_the_Slow_Pixel#Quotes detail] from the comic and recording every frame. More information can be found at different places on Time's dedicated wiki, or, of course, on the [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043 thread] [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=999999999 itself].
+
The [http://xkcd.mscha.org/sciscitor/img/avatars.jpg many frequent posters] of the thread developed a culture surrounding Time, creating their own [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Default_footnotes mannerisms], [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Glossary vocabulary], and [http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130610101557/xkcd-time/images/a/a5/X.png jokes] on top of extracting every [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Age_of_the_Slow_Pixel#Quotes detail] from the comic and recording every frame. <!-- More information can be found at different places on Time's dedicated wiki, or, of course, on the [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043 thread] [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=999999999 itself]. -->
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
 
===Scene 1 (The castle and the sea)===
 
===Scene 1 (The castle and the sea)===
 
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
 
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
:+00:00 [Megan and Cueball sitting on a sandy beach near a body of water.]
+
:+00:00 [Megan and Cueball sitting on a beach near a ocean.]
 
:+01:00 [Megan looks back.]
 
:+01:00 [Megan looks back.]
 
:+02:00 [Cueball looks back.]
 
:+02:00 [Cueball looks back.]
Line 166: Line 169:
 
:+115:30 [They run as the object falls back down. Cueball leaves a few frames later, Megan stays and works on building a large mound in the destroyed center of the castle.]
 
:+115:30 [They run as the object falls back down. Cueball leaves a few frames later, Megan stays and works on building a large mound in the destroyed center of the castle.]
 
:+186:00 [Cueball returns, Megan is working on top of a large mound she's built, as she turns around and stands up to see Cueball, she slips down the side of the mound. Cueball rushes in and helps her rebuild it and flatten out the top.]
 
:+186:00 [Cueball returns, Megan is working on top of a large mound she's built, as she turns around and stands up to see Cueball, she slips down the side of the mound. Cueball rushes in and helps her rebuild it and flatten out the top.]
:+199:00 [Building the mound]
+
:+199:00 [Building the mound.]
 
::Megan: Any idea where the river is now?
 
::Megan: Any idea where the river is now?
 
::Cueball: Still pretty far out. It's actually retreated a little this week.
 
::Cueball: Still pretty far out. It's actually retreated a little this week.
:+248:00 [Cueball begins constructing a miniature version of the sand structure]
+
:+248:00 [Cueball begins constructing a miniature version of the sand structure.]
:+263:00 [Megan walks in and notices]
+
:+263:00 [Megan walks in and notices.]
:+280:00 [Megan re-enters with miniature trebuchet]
+
:+280:00 [Megan re-enters with miniature trebuchet.]
:+281:00 [Megan shoots the miniature sand structure with the miniature trebuchet]
+
:+281:00 [Megan shoots the miniature sand structure with the miniature trebuchet.]
 
:+287:00
 
:+287:00
 
::Megan: I don't understand what the sea is doing.
 
::Megan: I don't understand what the sea is doing.
 
:+293:00
 
:+293:00
 
::Cueball: I don't think we can build it much taller than this. It's been fun, though!
 
::Cueball: I don't think we can build it much taller than this. It's been fun, though!
:+296:00 [Cueball leaves. Megan turns and examines the structure]
+
:+296:00 [Cueball leaves. Megan turns and examines the structure.]
:+300:00 [Megan brings in a rod, and puts it down]
+
:+300:00 [Megan brings in a rod, and puts it down.]
:+329:00 [Megan begin construction using the various supplies she has delivered]
+
:+329:00 [Megan begin construction using the various supplies she has delivered.]
:+342:00 [Cueball returns and begins to help with the construction]
+
:+342:00 [Cueball returns and begins to help with the construction.]
:+362:00 [Megan leaves]
+
:+362:00 [Megan leaves.]
:+365:00 [Cueball "sip"s the water]
+
:+365:00 [Cueball "sip"s the water.]
:+366:00 [Cueball spits]
+
:+366:00 [Cueball spits.]
 
::Cueball: Pfffth
 
::Cueball: Pfffth
 
:+367:00
 
:+367:00
Line 190: Line 193:
 
:+369:00
 
:+369:00
 
::Cueball: I've had worse.
 
::Cueball: I've had worse.
:+377:00 [Megan returns and starts making a levee]
+
:+377:00 [Megan returns and starts making a levee.]
 
:+410:00 [Cueball and Megan have stranded themselves on top of their new construction by building over their ladder.]
 
:+410:00 [Cueball and Megan have stranded themselves on top of their new construction by building over their ladder.]
 
::Cueball: Guess one of us should climb down.
 
::Cueball: Guess one of us should climb down.
Line 198: Line 201:
 
:+417:00
 
:+417:00
 
::Cueball: Yeah.
 
::Cueball: Yeah.
:+421:00 [Megan shimmies down a support column to re-position the ladder]
+
:+421:00 [Megan shimmies down a support column to re-position the ladder.]
 
:+426:00 [Water level reaches lowest point of castle. Megan's levee restrains it from here on out.]
 
:+426:00 [Water level reaches lowest point of castle. Megan's levee restrains it from here on out.]
 
:+441:00
 
:+441:00
Line 419: Line 422:
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
  
====Scene 2 - Part 2 (Fun on dunes, some Berries, a frog, and the WOW trees from Madagascar)====
+
====Scene 2 - Part 2 (Fun on dunes, some Berries, a frog, and the baobab trees)====
 
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
 
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
 
:+1140:00
 
:+1140:00
Line 584: Line 587:
 
:+1571:00
 
:+1571:00
 
::Megan: Still, it's better than when we were following the sea,
 
::Megan: Still, it's better than when we were following the sea,
:::walking straight into the sun all morning.  
+
:::walking straight into the sun all morning.
 
::Cueball: Yeah.
 
::Cueball: Yeah.
 
:+1585:00 [Megan and Cueball reach a small ridge that Megan climbs first.]
 
:+1585:00 [Megan and Cueball reach a small ridge that Megan climbs first.]
Line 591: Line 594:
 
::Megan: Yeah.
 
::Megan: Yeah.
 
:+1593:00
 
:+1593:00
::Megan: Well, it all gets greener further up.  
+
::Megan: Well, it all gets greener further up.
 
:+1608:00 [Megan and Cueball do reach another riff they have to climb on.]
 
:+1608:00 [Megan and Cueball do reach another riff they have to climb on.]
 
:+1613:00 [Cueball climbs first.]
 
:+1613:00 [Cueball climbs first.]
Line 610: Line 613:
 
:::Kind of blotchy.
 
:::Kind of blotchy.
 
:+1626:00
 
:+1626:00
::Megan: Did it have little spikes over it's eyes?
+
::Megan: Did it have little spikes over its eyes?
 
::Cueball: No, not one of those.
 
::Cueball: No, not one of those.
 
:+1627:00
 
:+1627:00
Line 694: Line 697:
 
::Both birds: Chirp
 
::Both birds: Chirp
 
:+1744:00 [Cueball is shouting.]
 
:+1744:00 [Cueball is shouting.]
::Cueball: Now they're both loud.
+
::Cueball: Now they're ''both'' loud.
 
:+1745:00 [The sound of the birds gets louder.]
 
:+1745:00 [The sound of the birds gets louder.]
 
:+1746:00
 
:+1746:00
Line 701: Line 704:
 
::Cueball: I don't think it believes you.
 
::Cueball: I don't think it believes you.
 
:+1747:00
 
:+1747:00
::Megan: That's ok. It's just protecting it's baby.
+
::Megan: That's ok. It's just protecting its baby.
 
</div>
 
</div>
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
Line 874: Line 877:
 
:::''Over here!''
 
:::''Over here!''
 
:+2112:00 [Megan hits the cougar.]
 
:+2112:00 [Megan hits the cougar.]
::Meagn: THAWAP!
+
::Megan: THAWAP!
 
::Cougar: SNARL!
 
::Cougar: SNARL!
 
:+2113:00
 
:+2113:00
Line 912: Line 915:
 
::Cueball: You hurt your leg.
 
::Cueball: You hurt your leg.
 
:+2127:00
 
:+2127:00
::Megan: No, I just banged it on something when -
+
::Megan: No, I just banged it on something when-
 
::Cueball: You're bleeding.
 
::Cueball: You're bleeding.
 
:+2128:00
 
:+2128:00
Line 918: Line 921:
 
:::''Oh.''
 
:::''Oh.''
 
:+2129:00
 
:+2129:00
::Megan: Claw marks. I didn't see it hit me.  
+
::Megan: Claw marks. I didn't see it hit me.
 
::Cueball: It moved fast.
 
::Cueball: It moved fast.
 
:+2131:00 [Cueball searches through his bag and talks to himself quietly.]
 
:+2131:00 [Cueball searches through his bag and talks to himself quietly.]
Line 1,224: Line 1,227:
 
:Stranger: [[File:Dialog2571.png]]
 
:Stranger: [[File:Dialog2571.png]]
 
:+2572:00 [Black panel.]
 
:+2572:00 [Black panel.]
:+2573:00 [Stranger sitting on the tower, probably doing observations]
+
:+2573:00 [Stranger sitting on the tower, probably doing observations.]
:+2575:00 [Cueball appears and fetches two cups. The stranger comes down the tower]
+
:+2575:00 [Cueball appears and fetches two cups. The stranger comes down the tower.]
:+2576:00 [Cueball and the stranger fill water in their cups]
+
:+2576:00 [Cueball and the stranger fill water in their cups.]
 
:+2580:00 [Cueball and a stranger sitting face to face, the stranger points at his cup.]
 
:+2580:00 [Cueball and a stranger sitting face to face, the stranger points at his cup.]
 
::Stranger: [[File:Dialog2580.png]]
 
::Stranger: [[File:Dialog2580.png]]
Line 1,376: Line 1,379:
 
:+2752:00
 
:+2752:00
 
::Translator [very blurry]: '''I''' am sorry.
 
::Translator [very blurry]: '''I''' am sorry.
:::Your language is like those spoken by the ... difficult ... but I learned it.
+
:::Your language is like those spoken by the... difficult... but I learned it.
 
:+2753:00
 
:+2753:00
 
::Translator [very blurry]: Please [two phrases overlapping: "have patience" and "be patient"].
 
::Translator [very blurry]: Please [two phrases overlapping: "have patience" and "be patient"].
Line 1,401: Line 1,404:
 
:+2766:00
 
:+2766:00
 
::Megan: We live by the shore, near a river that flows down to the sea every year.
 
::Megan: We live by the shore, near a river that flows down to the sea every year.
::Translator: What river? [ed. note: Translator's question mark is denoted by ring accent, as it is in their language]
+
::Translator: What river? [ed. note: Translator's question mark is denoted by ring accent, as it is in their language.]
 
:+2767:00
 
:+2767:00
 
::Megan: It's a smaller river-not the one that flows from your land.
 
::Megan: It's a smaller river-not the one that flows from your land.
Line 1,428: Line 1,431:
 
::Megan: No.
 
::Megan: No.
 
:+2774:00
 
:+2774:00
::Translator [very blurry]: Your sea does not stand alone! There is another sea north [of yours] beyond the shore. It has become glued to yours [but their] levels differ and thus [water] flows. [Ed: exclamation points denoted by two lines above last letter in the sentence]
+
::Translator [very blurry]: Your sea does not stand alone! There is another sea north [of yours] beyond the shore. It has become glued to yours [but their] levels differ and thus [water] flows. [Ed: exclamation points denoted by two lines above last letter in the sentence.]
 
::Cueball: Wait, slow down.
 
::Cueball: Wait, slow down.
 
:+2775:00
 
:+2775:00
Line 1,447: Line 1,450:
 
::[A map is drawn on a tablet. A sea named [[File:Dialog2906.png]] in the middle is labeled [This sea is yours]. There is part of a sea to the bottom left, labeled [The sea joining yours]. Above the central sea there is a small patch labeled [The fortress is here].]
 
::[A map is drawn on a tablet. A sea named [[File:Dialog2906.png]] in the middle is labeled [This sea is yours]. There is part of a sea to the bottom left, labeled [The sea joining yours]. Above the central sea there is a small patch labeled [The fortress is here].]
 
:+2781:00
 
:+2781:00
::[Dashed lines are drawn on the map featuring the predicted future extent of sea. The shape of the predicted coastline matches the shape of the real-world western to central Mediterranean Sea from Gibraltar to Italy/Albania. Thus the "sea joining yours" corresponds to the Atlantic ocean and the "sea that is yours" corresponds to the remains of the Mediterranean. This matches the Latin phrase "mare nostrum" (= "our ocean") that the Romans used to call the Mediterranean. The location of the castle corresponds to the vicinity of Marseille in France.]
+
::[Dashed lines are drawn on the map featuring the predicted future extent of sea. The shape of the predicted coastline matches the shape of the real-world western to central Mediterranean Sea from Gibraltar to Italy/Albania. Thus the "sea joining yours" corresponds to the Atlantic ocean and the "sea that is yours" corresponds to the remains of the Mediterranean. This matches the Latin phrase "mare nostrum" (= "our sea") that the Romans used to call the Mediterranean. The location of the castle corresponds to the vicinity of Marseille in France.]
 
::Translator: And this. Our belief about the sea's new shore.
 
::Translator: And this. Our belief about the sea's new shore.
 
:+2782:00
 
:+2782:00
Line 1,474: Line 1,477:
 
:::We need to get started on plans to move.
 
:::We need to get started on plans to move.
 
:::Can we have one of your maps? That would help-
 
:::Can we have one of your maps? That would help-
:::...Are you OK ?
+
:::...Are you OK?
 
:+2792:00
 
:+2792:00
 
::Translator: [very blurry] I'm so sorry
 
::Translator: [very blurry] I'm so sorry
Line 1,481: Line 1,484:
 
::Translator: [very blurry] When we discovered the sea was rising under the bank, we tried to shore it up.
 
::Translator: [very blurry] When we discovered the sea was rising under the bank, we tried to shore it up.
 
:::We '''failed.'''
 
:::We '''failed.'''
:::We tried to re(mo)ve everybody from the basin but we do not '''know''' of your group/t(rib)e.  
+
:::We tried to re(mo)ve everybody from the basin but we do not '''know''' of your group/t(rib)e.
 
:+2794:00
 
:+2794:00
 
::Megan: No, it's ok!
 
::Megan: No, it's ok!
Line 1,697: Line 1,700:
 
::Megan: There seem to be more of these channels. We shouldn't split the group up further just to get trapped among them.
 
::Megan: There seem to be more of these channels. We shouldn't split the group up further just to get trapped among them.
 
::Friend 3 (cont.): Except I can't find her...
 
::Friend 3 (cont.): Except I can't find her...
::Friend 2: OK, what <i>do </i>we do?
+
::Friend 2: OK, what ''do ''we do?
 
::Cueball: I think there's something on the sea.
 
::Cueball: I think there's something on the sea.
 
:+2900:00
 
:+2900:00
Line 1,785: Line 1,788:
 
::Friend 1: Look!
 
::Friend 1: Look!
 
:+2936:00 [Cut to panoramic shot. The obligatory floating trees are present.]
 
:+2936:00 [Cut to panoramic shot. The obligatory floating trees are present.]
::Friend A: <big><b>HEY!</b></big>
+
::Friend A: <big>'''HEY!'''</big>
 
::Friend B: HELLOOO!
 
::Friend B: HELLOOO!
 
::Friend 2: It's them!
 
::Friend 2: It's them!
Line 1,829: Line 1,832:
 
:+2950:00 [The two rafts actually "hit" and everyone falls over.]
 
:+2950:00 [The two rafts actually "hit" and everyone falls over.]
 
:+2951:00 [They continue wrapping the new tent in preparation to turn it into a sleeping area. The area under the main canopy has been turned into a sort of storage area.]
 
:+2951:00 [They continue wrapping the new tent in preparation to turn it into a sleeping area. The area under the main canopy has been turned into a sort of storage area.]
:+2952:00 [Cut to a panaromic view of the scene.]
+
:+2952:00 [Cut to a panoramic view of the scene.]
 
:+2954:00 [A flock of geese flies overhead.]
 
:+2954:00 [A flock of geese flies overhead.]
 
:+2955:00 [Night falls. This time the Milky Way cannot be seen.]
 
:+2955:00 [Night falls. This time the Milky Way cannot be seen.]
Line 1,853: Line 1,856:
 
:+2966:00
 
:+2966:00
 
::Megan: But I bet we can figure it out. C'mon, let's see what's through here!
 
::Megan: But I bet we can figure it out. C'mon, let's see what's through here!
:+2968:00 [The End]
+
:+2967:00 [The End]
 
:+2968:00 [No people, just the shore and some trees.]
 
:+2968:00 [No people, just the shore and some trees.]
 
</div>
 
</div>
Line 2,794: Line 2,797:
 
{{clear}}
 
{{clear}}
  
==Where's the discussion block?==
+
{{comic discussion}}
It was getting large, so the discussion block has been moved. You can still discuss this comic here: [[Talk:1190: Time]]
 
  
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
 
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
+
[[Category:Trebuchet]]
 +
[[Category:Astronomy]]
 +
[[Category:Time]]
 +
[[Category:Popular Comics]]

Latest revision as of 12:04, 30 November 2023

Time
The end.
Title text: The end.

Contents

Explanation[edit]

This comic is an animation, which was showing a new image every hour. In the beginning the interval was only half an hour. The unfolding story is set in the far future, at a time when the Strait of Gibraltar has long been blocked and the Mediterranean Sea has largely dried up leaving smaller, hypersaline seas behind. Megan and Cueball, living on the shores of one of these seas and unaware of its natural history, notice one day while building a huge sand castle on the beach that the sea level is starting to rise. They start a journey of exploration trying to find out why. Eventually they discover that the Straits of Gibraltar have once again been breached, and that the Mediterranean Basin is being flooded. They run back to their home, assemble the people of their village, and board a makeshift raft. At the end they reach land with their rafts, searching for a new home.

On frame 2925 the title text changed from "Wait for it." to "...", and one frame later to just "RUN.". At approximately 2944, when Megan announces that it is too late to escape overland, the title text changed back to "...". On frame 3094, the words THE END appear in the middle of the screen and the title text changed to "The end.". The image now links to the scrollable collection of frames at geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/. The comic on xkcd.com today currently loops through the last five frames of the comic.

Reception[edit]

Format[edit]

This comic is a series of images which play as a rough animation. The pictures were updated over the course of time. The comic ran for 2973 hours (over 124 days) and consists of 3101 image frames. For the first 120 hours, a new frame replaced the previous frame every 30 minutes, at :00 and :30 of each hour; the remaining frames have since been revealed every hour. The update was done server-side, with the server redirecting the image link (time.png) to a different image every hour. The source images have very long random hash names, which made it virtually impossible to access future frames. There is no way to view past frames on the official xkcd website, and only the current frame is posted there at any given time. Given the unique nature of this comic, the full image archives can be browsed through several websites that have been dedicated to tracking it (see below).

Readers typically have divided the comic into four scenes (see below). For example, at 850 hours (36 days 10 hours) the first "scene" of the comic ended at frame 971 with a fade to white, ushering in a second scene from frame 972. Some of the last few frames of scene 1 are nearly white, but faint images can be seen in the normalized pictures available below (Day 36, Monday, April 29, 2013, normalized).

Plot[edit]

Scene 1: The castle and the Sea[edit]

Megan and Cueball are alone on a sandy beach near the sea. They begin to build a sand castle on the beach. The two continue to expand the castle back from the seashore as the scene zooms out. Briefly they have fun launching small objects at the castle with a trebuchet before continuing the build.

Both Cueball and Megan each leave the scene for extended periods at times but always return to continue building. They add what appears to be scaffolding and ladders to expand the castle skyward. All the while, Cueball and Megan wax philosophically about the nature of the sea, the feeding river, the rising tides, and what else lies in the world. In the end, the two decide to go off and explore the world as the sea begins to erode the castle and the scene fades to white.

One other character appears during the fade; A girl with a beret, similar to Beret Guy, briefly appears to view the castle before leaving. She returns in the last two frames before the fade-to-white completes, dragging something.

Scene 2: Exploring an unknown world[edit]

Scene 2 - Part 1: Walking on flatlands and then reaching the base of the hill[edit]

Cueball and Megan are walking with bags across a relatively level surface. The terrain looks like frame 1, albeit from a wider angle, showing they are walking along the coast. The scene shifts multiple times between views of them to the left of the sea, and 90° rotated views of them walking overland. Sometimes these shifts in angle are marked by corresponding shifts between front and profile views of their bodies.

Megan indicates she has never been so far "this way". They reach a river they haven't seen before. Cueball slips in and loses his bottle. He contemplates swimming out to get it, but Megan says it is too dangerous. Later when Megan gets too close to the edge, Cueball senses danger and pulls her back.

After a small talk both agree to find a ford. After walking for a while, Megan realizes that the river was wider than they realized. The branch of the river they were walking along joins up with another branch and the opposite bank eventually comes into view.

They stop for a break and Cueball dozes off and mumbles in his sleep. They discuss this river and the differences between it and theirs before continuing upriver.

Scene 2 - Part 2: Fun on dunes, some Berries, a frog, and the baobab trees[edit]

The terrain begins to slope noticeably uphill. They wonder if others have noticed the rise of the sea and find tents left by other people. They walk deeper into the dunes, having fun by jumping and sliding. Megan falls after jumping too high.

A bird appears in the sky. They watch it until it's gone, then begin walking again. Some vegetation appears, grass and then small trees. They stop and nap beneath a larger tree, seeming to have never seen one like it before.

After a rest Cueball goes off to explore. He picks some berries and examines a campfire pit, then walks back to Megan and shares his findings. They wonder why the prior owners of the tent have left.

They stop at the river to drink, then climb a ridge, and are awestruck by two tall trees. As they walk through the trees, the first large tree has markings on the trunk and the fourth large tree has a strangely bent top. They comment on these features before they continue on past three more huge trees and a regular-sized one.

Scene 2 - Part 3: A vineyard, a snake is on their way, and a bird is protecting its baby[edit]

They enter a vineyard and eat some grapes.

The two travel on. Cueball encounters a snake (possibly a stick?) while climbing a small cliff and falls back. They find another section of the cliff and continue. After that they reach a tree with a nest in it with a young baby bird crying for its food. The bird's mother feeds it, then Cueball takes a short nap while Megan investigates a small river.

Scene 2 - Part 4: Walking uphill, a large cliff, and some mysterious animals[edit]

The pair continue to climb the mountain, commenting here and there on the possibility of turning back, but Megan wants to see what's at the top. Eventually, they stumble upon a small shelter and a few other signs of inhabitants. They investigate the surrounding area.

Scene 2 - Part 5: The cougar attack[edit]

A cougar attacks Cueball, but most of the hit is absorbed by his backpack (Cueball is still forced to the ground) and Megan gets in the way with a large stick. The cougar runs away, although it still allowed the cougar to claw her leg.

Scene 2 - Part 6: Starting to walk to the top of the mountain, the sun sets down[edit]

Megan and Cueball realize that, considering how far away they are from home, it would be best to press on towards the people in the Mountains in hopes they can help than risk returning home. Cueball and Megan then take turns sleeping as night arrives. Cueball takes the first watch. While Megan sleeps, a meteor appears in the sky. Then Megan takes the next watch. When Cueball wakes up, they start their journey again up the mountain, which is slower due to Megan's injuries as Cueball has to help her over some of the steeper climbs.

Scene 2 - Part 7: After the night the final attempt to reach the top of the mountain[edit]

After they reach a plateau there is a tower. Megan climbs up and sees other people. Cueball is curious and climbs the tower too. On top of that tower Megan remarks her wound doesn't hurt much when walking but it does when she climbs.

Scene 3: Finding an unknown tribe[edit]

Scene 3 - Part 1: Finding other people[edit]

Then, they continue their travel at the plateau. They run into three people, all of whom look like Knit Cap, who speak a language that they are unable to understand. Despite the language barrier, Megan shows her wounded leg and the strangers proceed to take a closer look at her. The strangers then help her to sit down on a stone. After the stranger with the medical equipment is back they do some kind of first aid. Megan expresses her thanks, and the strangers indicate via drawings in the sand that they should follow.

Scene 3 - Part 2: Walking to the long haired woman[edit]

After walking uphill again they approach another tower. A device is mounted to the top and more smaller devices are around. They drink some water there and Cueball learns his first word in this new language: "water" or "drink". To aid communication, they start to draw pictures on the ground. Cueball shows their travel from the sea to the current location, and the stranger adds the rising sea level, indicating that he knows about this happening. The stranger shows a castle some more uphill and a long haired woman behind it. Cueball hopes they can speak to her, and the stranger explains with a drawing that it's less than a day away. The strangers collect their devices and store them somewhere. Then they start the travel to the castle. When they rest, Megan and Cueball taste some food offered by the strangers; they like it. A large flag appears and they encounter a small city. A big castle, still under construction, is visible in front of them. Megan states that she never thought she would ever see a real castle, and Cueball states that he didn't think that there were real castles. On their way to the castle they meet another stranger, exchanging some greetings. Then they enter the castle.

Scene 3 - Part 3: Inside the castle[edit]

The five people walk down a stairway and enter a large hall. Large windows showing a dazzling light are high above them. They approach a long-haired woman at a desk who greets them. After Cueball asks, it appears she can "somewhat" understand him and Megan. The woman asks where they came from and asks about their home; she asks if they brought anyone else. Megan and Cueball say they're trying to find out why the sea is changing. The woman explains that there is another sea which was once connected to theirs, but has since been cut off. She says that the water is now flowing back into their sea, and that the level will continue to rise. She shows Megan and Cueball a map of the area, including the castle, their sea, and the bigger sea which is joining it. The woman then shows the predicted new shoreline, which closely resembles that of the Mediterranean Sea. Megan assumes that the level rise is slow and will last for some years. The woman disagrees, and explains that the water level will rise over the course of a few days. Faced with knowledge of the imminent destruction of their village, Megan and Cueball bolt from the room and begin to run.

Scene 4: Recovering the people at their home[edit]

Scene 4 - Part 1: Megan and Cueball running home[edit]

They leave the castle and run back the same way as they came. They encounter some people on their way out. By this time the title text has changed from 'Wait for it' to '...' to 'RUN.' They pass some more people they met before and when they are alone, Megan reveals that she has stolen the maps from the long-haired woman. Megan hopes she can give them back sometime. Cueball is happy and they continue their journey by using the maps. They reach their village, where they find that the people are aware of the rising sea levels, and that some of them have already gone up into the now-abandoned hills to see what items were left behind. Megan and Cueball tell them that the sea will continue to rise, and they make preparations to evacuate uphill.

Scene 4 - Part 2: The tribe gets ready to move on their raft[edit]

It turns out that Beret Girl from before has turned Megan and Cueball's sandcastle into a boat. Megan has the idea to ride it on the rising waters, but they need to hurry to prepare it.

Scene 4 - Part 3: The tribe on their raft[edit]

The raft is hastily made seaworthy and the tribe goes off in pursuit of the rest. They find the others floating on a makeshift canoe from a piece of floating debris. A rope is thrown and the two boats try to pull each other closer. At one point the boats bump into each other and everyone falls over. A new day arises and as Cueball and Megan rebuild their sandcastle on top of the raft, the raft runs aground. The tribe rushes off to explore the new land, and the raft is left behind at the end of the story at the mercy of the wind and waves.

View all the frames of the comic[edit]

I wrote the whole story before I drew the first frame, and had almost a thousand panels already drawn before I posted the first one. But as the story progressed, the later panels took longer to draw than I expected, and Time began—ironically—eating more and more of my time. Frames that went up every hour were sometimes taking more than an hour to make, and I spent the final months doing practically nothing but drawing.

Time's forum thread[edit]

In September 2019 the xkcd fora (administered separately from this wiki of the comic site) were made inactive, due to ultimately unresolvable website security issues, rendering all direct links defunct. There has still been no successful move to reinstate the site as of 2022 and so (unless there are archived copies accessible) it can be assumed that neither fora.xkcd.com nor forums.xkcd.com links will render anything useful. However, there is an archived mirror of the "One True Thread" about Time from the xkcd forum, complete through mid 2019 when the forum system went down.

The xkcd forum thread on Time grew terrifyingly fast, developing a subculture with its own vocabulary, songs, inside jokes, and even a religion or two. [..] To the intrepid, clever, sometimes crazy readers who followed it the whole way through, watching every pixel change and catching every detail: Thank you. This was for you. It’s been quite a journey; I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did!

In the xkcd fora, this comic was given a thread like any other comic. The Time thread expanded over the months of the comic's running to include 1254 pages, or just over 50,000 posts, and continued thereafter at a considerable pace. As of August 23, 2018, it had over 106,000 posts and an enormous 38,000,000 views, which easily tops every other thread, while still being quite active. More than 1/3 of all posts within the Individual XKCD Comic Threads subforum were in the 1190: "Time" thread. Compared to the thread for Click and Drag, it had over 50 times as many views and 150 times as many posts, while the typical comic thread had 30 to 200 posts. Its activity as a percentage of the entire fora can be seen in this graph.

The many frequent posters of the thread developed a culture surrounding Time, creating their own mannerisms, vocabulary, and jokes on top of extracting every detail from the comic and recording every frame.

Transcript[edit]

Scene 1 (The castle and the sea)[edit]

+00:00 [Megan and Cueball sitting on a beach near a ocean.]
+01:00 [Megan looks back.]
+02:00 [Cueball looks back.]
+03:00 [Megan looks up.]
+04:00 [Megan reclines. Cueball looks at her.]
+06:00 [Cueball gets up and inspects the water.]
+07:30 [Cueball "puts a toe in the water".]
+09:00 [Cueball returns to sit next to the still reclining Megan.]
+09:30 [Megan sits up.]
+12:00 [Megan and Cueball start to build a sandcastle.]
+25:30
Cueball: Later
Megan: Bye
[Cueball leaves, Megan continues to build the sandcastle.]
+37:00 [Cueball returns and both continue to build.]
+43:30 [Megan leaves, Cueball continues to build.]
+51:00 [Cueball accidentally slips and destroys part of the castle.]
+61:30 [Cueball completes the sandcastle and leaves.]
+73:00 [Cartoon zooms out, showing more construction has been taking place off-screen to the left.]
+81:00 [Megan plants flags on original sandcastle.]
+83:00 [Megan sits down at the beach.]
+83:30 [Cueball finished sandcastle on the left and moves to Megan at the beach.]
+84:30
Megan: Wanna swim?
Cueball: Yeah.
[They both enter the water and exit the picture.]
+86:00 [Castle at far left begins to crumble.]
+87:00 [Megan back on the beach, Cueball off screen.]
Megan: Pffthh
Megan: *cough*
Cueball: You OK?
Megan: Just got some in my mouth.
+91:00 [Cueball takes down two flags and makes the two sandcastles into one large sandcastle.]
+106:30 [A rock, fired by Megan with a small trebuchet, smashes part of the castle Cueball just finished.]
+107:30 [Megan partially re-enters the scene from stage right.]
+108:00 [Megan has fully re-entered the scene, pulling the small trebuchet into the scene with her.]
+109:00 [Megan launches an object towards the sandcastle.]
+110:00 [The object launched by Megan hits the sandcastle, Cueball looks upset.]
+111:30 [Cueball joins Megan at the trebuchet and launches one himself. They alternate launching projectiles.]
+114:30 [Cueball launches an object straight up into the air.]
+115:30 [They run as the object falls back down. Cueball leaves a few frames later, Megan stays and works on building a large mound in the destroyed center of the castle.]
+186:00 [Cueball returns, Megan is working on top of a large mound she's built, as she turns around and stands up to see Cueball, she slips down the side of the mound. Cueball rushes in and helps her rebuild it and flatten out the top.]
+199:00 [Building the mound.]
Megan: Any idea where the river is now?
Cueball: Still pretty far out. It's actually retreated a little this week.
+248:00 [Cueball begins constructing a miniature version of the sand structure.]
+263:00 [Megan walks in and notices.]
+280:00 [Megan re-enters with miniature trebuchet.]
+281:00 [Megan shoots the miniature sand structure with the miniature trebuchet.]
+287:00
Megan: I don't understand what the sea is doing.
+293:00
Cueball: I don't think we can build it much taller than this. It's been fun, though!
+296:00 [Cueball leaves. Megan turns and examines the structure.]
+300:00 [Megan brings in a rod, and puts it down.]
+329:00 [Megan begin construction using the various supplies she has delivered.]
+342:00 [Cueball returns and begins to help with the construction.]
+362:00 [Megan leaves.]
+365:00 [Cueball "sip"s the water.]
+366:00 [Cueball spits.]
Cueball: Pfffth
+367:00
Cueball: Pthuh!
Cueball: Yuck.
+369:00
Cueball: I've had worse.
+377:00 [Megan returns and starts making a levee.]
+410:00 [Cueball and Megan have stranded themselves on top of their new construction by building over their ladder.]
Cueball: Guess one of us should climb down.
Megan: Yeah.
+416:00
Megan: The sea is rising.
+417:00
Cueball: Yeah.
+421:00 [Megan shimmies down a support column to re-position the ladder.]
+426:00 [Water level reaches lowest point of castle. Megan's levee restrains it from here on out.]
+441:00
Cueball: Sea level rises and falls, right? It's changed before.
Megan: Not this fast.
+442:00
Cueball: The river hasn't even reached the sea yet.
Megan: The river is small
The sea is big.
+443:00
Cueball: How big?
Megan: I don't know.
+516:00
Megan: Does it rain on the sea?
Cueball: I don't know.
+517:00
Cueball: If it does, it seems like a waste.
+519:00
Cueball: It rains in the hills where the river comes from, right?
Megan: Sure.
+520:00
Cueball: Are there other rivers?
+521:00
Megan: I don't know.
+538:00
Cueball: There must be other rivers.
Otherwise the sea would dry up.
+539:00
Megan: Maybe it's coming out of the ground.
Cueball: Does that happen?
Megan: I don't know.
+540:00
Megan: I don't know how the sea works.
Cueball: I don't know how anything works.
+541:00 [The levee finally starts to give way.]
+543:00 [Megan and Cueball get down and look at the water, where the levee is now submerged.]
+547:00 [Megan begins transferring sand to Cueball via a pulley and bucket system.]
+552:00 [Megan attempts to hoist herself up using said pulley and bucket system.]
+554:00 [Megan loses her balance and falls off.]
+555:00 [Megan lands heavily on sandcastle. She holds her head in pain. Cueball looks on in horror.]
+557:00 [Cueball goes to check if Megan is okay. Megan gets up.]
+559:00 [Megan starts rebuilding the part of the sandcastle she damaged when she fell. Cueball returns to building. The water level has reached the tower on the right and begins to erode it.]
+565:00 [Megan finishes repairing the damage and heads up the ladder to help Cueball build his sandcastle on top of the platform.]
+604:00 [Cueball exits.]
+671:00 [Megan, having finished work on the platform-castle, takes a nap on the platform.]
+678:00 [A girl in a beret enters the frame, looks at the sandcastle and leaves.]
+697:00 [Megan begins turning lowest castle into a new, higher levee.]
+707:00 [Megan brings Cueball back.]
+711:00
Megan: I don't think it's going to stop.
+712:00
Cueball: The sea can't just make more of itself forever.
Megan: It can do whatever it wants. It's the sea.
+713:00
Cueball: There must be a reason. There's a reason for everything.
Megan: Yeah.
+714:00
Megan: But it's not always a good reason.
+717:00
Cueball: There must be other rivers. Maybe something is wrong with them.
+734:00
Megan: I like our castle.
+735:00
Cueball: I think it's going to go away.
+736:00
Megan: Yeah.
+738:00
Megan: Do you think there are other rivers?
Cueball: Something is adding water to the sea.
+739:00
Megan: Does it have to be water? Maybe something is adding more land somewhere. And it's making the sea overflow.
+740:00
Cueball: Or maybe it's just raining somewhere. We have no idea what's out there.
+741:00
Megan: Yeah.
+743:00
Megan: Want to find out?
Cueball: Yes.
+744:00
Megan: I'll get some bags.
+760:00
Megan: bye.
+761:00 [Megan exits.]
+775:00 [The entire scene begins a slow fade to white. The 'tide' continues to rise and the castle on the right continues to be subsumed.]
+830:00 [Beret Girl drops in for one frame. The fade and tide continue.]
+847:00 [Beret Girl drops in again, dragging something. The fade and tide continue.] (This detail is not visible without an aid to undo the fade.)
+850:00 [The entire scene is white.]

Scene 2 (Exploring an unknown world)[edit]

Scene 2 - Part 1 (Walking on flatlands and then reaching the base of the hill)[edit]

+851:00 [New scene: ground.]
+852:00 [Megan and Cueball walking with bags.]
+858:00 [Cueball pauses and Megan looks back at him.]
+864:00 [Still walking.]
Cueball: Have you ever been this far?
Megan: Not this way.
+867:00 [Megan and Cueball stop and have a drink from flasks in their bags.]
+870:00 [Megan continues walking.]
+871:00 [Cueball continues walking.]
+875:00 [They stop, sit and eat. The perspective changes showing they're in a landscape similar to time +0:00.]
+879:00 (frame 1000) [Megan reclines.]
+880:00 [They prepare to continue.]
+881:00 [They continue walking. The perspective returns to "parallel to the beach".]
+883:00 [Still walking.]
Megan: Maybe the sea doesn't end.
+884:00
Cueball: We haven't walked very far.
+885:00
Megan: Yeah.
Megan: But that's what the first part of not ending looks like.
+897:00 [Still walking.]
Megan: If we don't find something today, we'll have to start using the steam bottle.
Cueball: Ugh!
+902:00 [They stop, having come to another body of water.]
+903:00
Megan: Yes.
Cueball: Yes what?
+904:00 [The scene zooms out briefly, showing the opposite shore.]
Megan: There are other rivers.
+908:00 [Cueball, having sat on the bank to drink, falls into the river when the bank beneath him crumbles. Megan manages to grab him and pull him back to dry land, but he loses his water bottle in the process.]
+914:00 [Megan pulls out a lasso. She and Cueball both use it to try and grab the bottle. They fail.]
+920:00
Cueball: The river isn't moving that fast. Maybe I could-
Megan: Too dangerous.
Cueball: Yeah.
+921:00
Megan: It's ok. It was an accident.
+923:00 [The bottle slips below the surface.]
Megan: You're right, though.
Cueball: About what?
+924:00
Megan: The river's not moving very fast.
+928:00
Megan: It can't be flowing much faster than we walk.
Megan: Even if it's as deep as it is wide, I don't think it's enough water.
+929:00
Cueball: Yeah
+931:00
Cueball: And this river doesn't look broken.
Megan: Yeah.
+932:00
Cueball: It's pretty neat, though.
Megan: Yeah.
+935:00 [Cueball grabs Megan's hand and gently pulls her back from the edge.]
+937:00
Cueball: Sorry.
Megan: No, right. Forgot.
+941:00 [Megan exits. Cueball begins digging into the ground.]
+943:00 [Cueball fills in the hole he created.]
+945:00 [Megan is back after checking the sea level.]
Megan: It's still rising.
+946:00
Cueball: It's strange - Rivers flow to meet the sea - Maybe the sea couldn't wait.
+948:00
Megan: Walk upriver to find a ford, or turn back?
+950:00
Cueball: We can't go back. We don't understand everything yet.
+951:00
Megan: "Everything" is a little ambitious. We barely understand anything.
Cueball: Yeah.
+952:00
Cueball: But that's what the first part of understanding everything looks like.
+972:00
Cueball: If nothing else, I'm glad we found this river. It's not much farther from home than ours at its driest.
+975:00
Megan: Oh. This river is even bigger than it looked.
+976:00 [The scene zooms out to show the opposite bank again. It continues to zoom out slowly, revealing that the "opposite bank" is actually just an island in the much, much larger river. Cueball and Megan continue to walk away from the viewer.]
+990:00 [Megan and Cueball finally pass the end of the island. The scene zooms out even farther once more to show the far bank.]
+1001:00 [The scene returns to original zoom, with Megan and Cueball looking out over the river.]
+1002:00
Megan: Maybe it is big enough to fill the sea.
+1003:00 [The two rest for a while. Cueball fills a bottle with river water. They both drink. Cueball lays down and naps.]
+1009:00
Cueball (talking in his sleep): Our rope isn't strong enough.
+1010:00
Megan: What?
Cueball (talking in his sleep): Hold this or you'll fall.
+1012:00 [Megan pokes Cueball with a stick. He wakes up, groggily.]
+1021:00
Cueball: When our river gets too big, it fills with stuff.
Wood and leaves and things from the people in the hills.
+1022:00
Cueball: This river doesn't look like that.
+1023:00
Megan: Maybe it only flows through empty places.
+1025:00
Megan: If this river isn't what's making the sea rise, we need to get past it.
Either way, we continue upriver.
+1038:00
Megan: I wonder how high the water is now.
+1039:00
Cueball: I wonder if other people have noticed. It's been days.
Megan: Not a lot of us by the shore this time of year.
A few kids, maybe.
+1040:00
Megan: It'd have to rise a lot higher before any tents got wet.
+1057:00
Cueball: This river flows from bigger hills than ours.
+1058:00
Megan: If we don't reach a crossing soon, we'll be in them.
+1060:00 [Megan and Cueball stand on the edge of a cliff and look down.]
+1063:00
Megan: I wonder if it's possible to swim in.
+1091:00
Megan: You OK?
+1092:00
Cueball: Just thinking.
+1097:00
Megan: Should we follow the river through there?
Cueball: Hmm.
+1098:00
Cueball: Let's see if we can go over those and rejoin it further up.
+1112:00
Megan: It must get windier up here.
+1129:00 [Megan takes a jump off the top of a hill while Cueball watches.]

Scene 2 - Part 2 (Fun on dunes, some Berries, a frog, and the baobab trees)[edit]

+1140:00
Cueball: OOF.
Megan: These are bigger than they looked.
+1144:00 [Megan tries another jump, but lands hard, in a heap.]
+1155:00 [A bird appears in the sky, flying towards them. Megan and Cueball stop and watch it for the next few frames before it disappears behind them.]
+1193:00 [Grass appears.]
+1198:00 [The first small tree appears.]
+1216:00 [They come to a bigger tree, taller than them.]
+1218:00
Megan: Neat.
+1220:00 [Megan yawns audibly.]
+1221:00 [Cueball sits beneath the tree.]
+1222:00
Megan: The river isn't much farther...
+1223:00 [Cueball leans against the tree. Megan gives in and joins him, laying with her head on her pack. Cueball switches to laying on his pack, as well.]
+1257:00
Cueball: Berries?
Megan: Ooh, Thanks!
+1259:00
Cueball: There are people here.
Or were.
I found some sort of campsite.
+1260:00
Megan: Recent?
Cueball: Looked like it'd been empty for a while.
+1262:00
Megan: I'm thirsty. Let's get to the river.
Cueball: Yeah.
+1265:00
Megan: They leave anything good behind?
Cueball: Just some wood. Not enough to build a raft.
+1286:00 [Again at the river.]
Cueball: This place is beautiful.
Megan: Yeah.
+1287:00
Megan: I am surprised we haven't been seen by any people yet.
+1288:00
Megan: If it's this empty, we should live here.
+1291:00
Cueball: Did you notice the sea tasting better?
Megan: ...No?
+1292:00
Megan: I don't know.
I try not to taste seawater.
Why?
+1293:00
Cueball: I was thinking.
If a river is putting too much water in the sea, the sea should get fresher.
+1294:00
Cueball: I tasted the water back before we left.
Megan: Ugh. And?
Cueball: I thought it was a little fresher, but maybe it was just me.
+1295:00
Megan: Probably. I mean, how high was the sea then?
The extra water couldn't have been more than a tiny part of it.
+1296:00
Cueball: Yeah.
+1298:00
Cueball: Well, we may as well continue.
Either we'll figure out the sea, or we'll keep finding beautiful places.
+1299:00
Megan: That sounds fun.
+1313:00 [Megan is falling.]
+1315:00
Cueball: Are you OK?
+1316:00
Megan: I found a-
+1317:00
Frog: RIBBIT
+1355:00
Megan: Is this like the one you found?
Cueball: Yeah.
+1381:00 [After reaching the top of a hill.]
Megan: WOW.
+1382:00 [Two big trees appear behind that hill, more than ten times larger than the trees before. They walk down to the first one. Megan touches it.]
+1392:00
Cueball: There are markings on the trunk.
Megan: Oh. Yeah.
+1393:00
Megan: I wonder what they mean.
+1402:00 [They arrive at a tree with a strangely bent top.]
+1404:00
Megan: I wonder if it's supposed to be like that.
+1405:00
Cueball: It's a pretty big tree.
It probably knows what it's doing.
+1436:00 [Megan and Cueball have come to a vineyard. Cueball holds up some grapes.]
Cueball: Do you think it's ok to take some?
+1437:00
Megan: Yeah.
It doesn't look like anyone's been here for a while.
+1438:00 [They eat.]
+1458:00 [They come to and walk past a table or bench.]
+1463:00 [They come to a wooden structure that might be the remains of a tipi.]
+1468:00
Cueball: This looks like the stuff that floats down our river.
+1469:00
Cueball: I wonder if these people are related to the people in the hills.
Megan: Maybe.
+1471:00
Megan: But the markings on that tree didn't look familiar.
Cueball: Yeah.
+1473:00
Megan: We could cross the river now.
We've found more than enough wood for a raft.
+1474:00
Cueball: Yeah.
+1477:00
Cueball: We're almost in the mountains.
+1479:00
Cueball: We walked along the sea for days and we didn't learn anything.
Up here we're learning lots.
+1480:00
Megan: We haven't learned why the sea rose.
Cueball: Maybe we were never going to.
+1481:00
Cueball: There's food and water here.
I don't want to go all the way back down, walk along the sea for a few more days, then have to turn around.
+1482:00
Cueball: Maybe the sea is too big for us to understand.
We can't answer every question.
+1483:00
Megan: No, but I think we can answer any question.
+1484:00
Megan: Still, I agree. No need to turn around yet.
Cueball: Yeah.
+1485:00
Megan: And those mountains do look neat.
Cueball: Yeah!
+1487:00
Megan: Before we go, we should stock up.
Cueball: I'll get more water.
+1496:00 [Megan sees a squirrel below a tree.]
Megan: Hi!
+1498:00 [Megan walks towards the squirrel. It climbs up the tree.]
+1499:00 [Megan stops.]
+1500:00 [The squirrel comes back down.]
+1501:00
Megan: It's ok! I won't eat you.
+1502:00 [Megan goes down and presents some food.]
+1503:00 [Megan drops down some food to the ground and the squirrel seems to be still curious.]
+1504:00
Megan: Want some food?
+1508:00 [The squirrel grabs the food and pulls it away from Megan. She gives up trying to pet it.]
+1512:00 [Megan continues on to the vineyard. The squirrel climbs up again onto the tree, then comes back down as she leaves.]
+1523:00 [Megan, picking grapes, exits left. The squirrel seems to be creeping in the grass behind her, very hard to see. As Megan returns, it leaves ahead of her and seems to go up the tree.]

Scene 2 - Part 3 (A vineyard, a snake is on their way, and a bird is protecting its baby)[edit]

+1548:00
Cueball: I wonder where the people who take care of these plants are.
+1565:00 [They continue walking. Cueball raises his arms strangely.]
+1566:00
Megan: What are you doing?
+1567:00
Cueball: Making shapes with my shadow!
+1568:00
Megan: When I stare down at mine for long enough while I walk, it starts to look really weird.
Cueball: Yeah.
+1571:00
Megan: Still, it's better than when we were following the sea,
walking straight into the sun all morning.
Cueball: Yeah.
+1585:00 [Megan and Cueball reach a small ridge that Megan climbs first.]
+1592:00
Cueball: It's prettier right by the river, but it's easier to walk up here.
Megan: Yeah.
+1593:00
Megan: Well, it all gets greener further up.
+1608:00 [Megan and Cueball do reach another riff they have to climb on.]
+1613:00 [Cueball climbs first.]
+1618:00
Cueball: Snake!
+1618:00 [Cueball falls down.]
+1621:00
Megan: Are you ok?
+1622:00
Cueball: I think so-
+1623:00
Megan: Did it bite you?
Cueball: No.
+1624:00
Megan: Could you see what kind it was?
+1625:00
Cueball: Brownish and shiny.
Kind of blotchy.
+1626:00
Megan: Did it have little spikes over its eyes?
Cueball: No, not one of those.
+1627:00
Cueball: It was weird.
Stubby at both ends.
Like it forgot to have a head and tail.
+1628:00
Megan: Hmm...
+1629:00
Megan: No idea.
But let's go around. And watch your feet.
Cueball: Ok.
+1632:00 [They search for another location to climb the cliff.]
+1637:00 [This time Megan climbs first.]
Megan: No snakes.
+1642:00 [They continue uphill. Megan starts looking back.]
+1674:00
Megan: I think I can almost see the sea from here.
+1676:00
Cueball: I don't know.
It's hard to tell what's land and what's sky.
Megan: Yeah.
+1680:00 [They walk uphill again.]
+1700:00
Megan: It's cooler up here.
+1705:00
Cueball: Are you hearing quiet chirps?
+1707:00
Megan: No.
Cueball: I don't hear it now either.
+1709:00
Megan: I heard chirps from the night sky once.
+1710:00
Megan: I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping.
It was very quiet.
Just a single chirp now and then.
Cueball: Did you see anything?
+1711:00
Megan: I thought a few stars flicker. - Nothing else.
Cueball: Hmm.
+1716:00 [A sound in front of them: (Chirp).]
+1717:00 [Again: (Chirp).]
+1718:00
Cueball: It's coming from up ahead.
+1719:00 [Again: (Chirp).]
+1723:00 [Megan and Cueball reach some trees.]
Bird in nest: Chirp
+1724:00
Bird in nest: Chirp
+1726:00
Bird in nest: Chirp
+1727:00
Megan: Chirp
Bird in nest: Chirp
+1728:00
Bird in nest: Chirp
+1729:00
Megan: Chirp
+1731:00
Megan: Why is it doing that?
Bird in nest: Chirp
Cueball: I don't know.
+1732:00
Bird in nest: Chirp
+1733:00
Megan: I guess it's angry that we're here.
+1734:00
Bird in nest: Chirp
+1736:00 [A larger bird is flying towards the nest.]
Bird in nest: Chirp
+1738:00 [Still flying towards the nest.]
Bird in nest: Chirp
+1738:00 [The larger bird approaches the nest.]
Bird in nest: Chirp
+1741:00
Megan: What's it doing?
Cueball: I think it gave it something.
+1742:00
Megan: Oh! Food!
I bet the loud one is a baby.
The larger bird: Chirp
+1743:00
Both birds: Chirp
+1744:00 [Cueball is shouting.]
Cueball: Now they're both loud.
+1745:00 [The sound of the birds gets louder.]
+1746:00
Megan: It's ok.
We are not going to eat your baby.
Cueball: I don't think it believes you.
+1747:00
Megan: That's ok. It's just protecting its baby.

Scene 2 - Part 4 (Walking uphill, a large cliff, and some mysterious animals)[edit]

+1749:00 [Megan continues walking.]
Megan: Hey-
I think I see water up ahead.
+1753:00
Cueball: Don't worry!
You're doing a good job.
+1755:00 [Cueball follows Megan.]
+1764:00 [Cueball is below a tree and Megan jumps down.]
Megan: Hi!
+1765:00 [Megan falls on Cueball.]
+1767:00
Megan: I found a tiny river.
+1769:00
Megan: You ok?
Cueball: Yup!
+1786:00 [Megan and Cueball sleep.]
+1796:00 [Megan gets bit by a fly and wakes up.]
Megan: Facebug!
+1797:00 [Cueball is still sleeping.]
Cueball: Mrrr gblghx
+1805:00 [Megan wakes up Cueball.]
Megan: Hey!
+1806:00
Megan: Come see what I found!
+1807:00
Megan: This river is flowing toward the big one, so I followed it to see if they connected.
+1811:00 [They follow the small river.]
Cueball: WOW.
+1812:00 [Megan and Cueball are standing on top of a large cliff.]
+1817:00 [Back at the small river.]
Cueball: I guess the land goes up, but the river stays at the same level.
+1818:00
Megan: The river has been going up, too.
But not as fast as the land.
+1820:00
Megan: Can water really wear away rock like this?
+1821:00
Cueball: I guess it can.
+1823:00
Megan: I can't imagine how long it must have taken.
+1824:00
Cueball: Yeah...
+1829:00
Cueball: A lot of these rocks are pretty crumbly.
+1830:00
Cueball: Even down there, between all the big rocks, the cliff walls look sandy.
Water eats away sand pretty fast.
+1832:00
Megan: Yeah.
+1836:00
Megan: I wonder how deep it gets.
+1837:00
Cueball: Maybe it goes right through the mountain, and it's as deep as the mountain is tall.
+1838:00
Megan: It could be even deeper.
We don't know how far down the water goes.
+1839:00
Cueball: Hmm.
+1840:00
Cueball: I guess it can't be much deeper than the surface of the sea.
If it were, it wouldn't flow fast and cut into the ground.
Megan: Oh. Yeah.
+1841:00
Megan: But then, a river couldn't cut all the way through a mountain, either.
Because how would it get started?
+1843:00
Megan: I wonder what the top of a mountain is like?
+1845:00
Cueball: Let's find out.
+1850:00 [Megan and Cueball walk back, grab their knapsacks and continue their explorations.]
+1902:00 [They reach a rock which is hard to climb.]
Cueball: It seems we've reached our journey's end.
+1903:00
Megan: Want to find an easier spot?
Cueball: No, I can do it.
Let me help you up first.
+1912:00 [Megan and Cueball reach the top of the boulder while an unknown animal is watching them.]
+1913:00 [Cueball points on that animal.]
Cueball: Oh!
+1916:00 [The animal reveals as hedgehog after it did cover its full body.]
+1924:00 [Cueball touches the hedgehog.]
Megan: Careful!
Cueball: It's OK.
+1927:00 [Cueball picks up the hedgehog.]
Megan: Does it hurt?
Cueball: It's a little prickly.
+1928:00
Megan: Careful, it might bite.
Cueball: Have you seen one before?
Megan: Never this close.
+1929:00
Megan: It's really neat.
Cueball: Yeah.
+1930:00
Cueball: Ok, we'll stop bothering you.
+1931:00 [Cueball puts the hedgehog back to the ground and both continue their journey.]
+1976:00
Cueball: You OK?
+1977:00
Megan: Yup!
+1979:00
Cueball: Maybe it's time to turn around.
+1980:00
Cueball: The world is too big.
It can go on longer than we can.
+1981:00
Megan: I'm still going.
+1982:00
Cueball: But one day we won't be. And we're a long way from home.
+1984:00
Cueball: Earlier, I thought you wanted to turn around and go back to the sea.
+1985:00
Megan: I don't want to go back to it. I want to understand it.
+1987:00
Cueball: By climbing? The sea is down, not up.
+1993:00
Megan: These bugs have such beautiful wings.
+1994:00
Megan: You could spend a thousand lifetimes staring at water and sand, thinking as hard as you could, and you'd never guess the world had things like this in it.
+1997:00
Megan: I wanna see the top.
+1998:00
Cueball: What do think we'll find?
Megan: More world. Maybe different.
+2045:00 [Climbing, they reach a plateau with a small tree.]
Megan: Weird.
+2050:00 [Megan climbs up the tree and tastes a fruit.]
Megan: PFFFTHH.
+2061:00 [Megan points to a small tree, similar to a Christmas tree.]
Megan: Oh!
+2081:00 [They encounter an old bunker.]
Megan: Hello?
+2084:00 [Megan goes inside.]
Cueball: See anything?
+2084:00
Megan: Just some old furniture. Shelves, a broken bowl.
+2094:00 [Megan climbs on something behind the bunker. A cougar appears, hidden by the bush to the left, behind them.]
Megan: Oh, hey-
+2095:00
Megan: There's a stream back here.
+2096:00
Megan: And it almost looks like there's something on top of the mountain.
+2097:00
Cueball: Hmm...
Could be.
+2100:00
Cueball: I think whoever lived here liked building castles, too.
+2103:00
Cueball: Here.
+2104:00
Megan: Oh!
You brought a flag?
Cueball: Yeah, I-

Scene 2 - Part 5 (The cougar attack)[edit]

+2105:00
Cueball: -LOOK OUT!
+2106:00 [Cueball pushes Megan out of the way as a cougar rushes at them.]
+2107:00 [The cougar jumps on Cueball.]
+2110:00 [Megan grabs a branch laying on the ground.]
Megan: Hey!
Hey!
Over here!
+2112:00 [Megan hits the cougar.]
Megan: THAWAP!
Cougar: SNARL!
+2113:00
Cougar: HISS
+2113:00 [Megan smacks the cougar on its head.]
+2114:00 [The cougar runs away.]
+2116:00
Megan: Are you ok?
Cueball: I, um...
I think so?
+2117:00
Megan: It didn't bite you?
Cueball: It had claws. I saw them.
Megan: But you're not bleeding?
+2118:00
Cueball: No?
+2119:00
Cueball: I think it grabbed my bag by mistake.
+2120:00
Megan: That was lucky.
Cueball: I was lucky that...
...You chased it away. Did you hit it?
I couldn't really see.
+2121:00
Megan: Yeah.
+2122:00
Cueball: That was brave.
+2123:00
Megan: You grabbed me. If you hadn't pulled me down and-
Cueball: Are you ok?
+2124:00
Megan: Yeah, I'm fine.
+2125:00
Cueball: No, you're not.
+2126:00
Megan: What?
Cueball: You hurt your leg.
+2127:00
Megan: No, I just banged it on something when-
Cueball: You're bleeding.
+2128:00
Megan: What? No I-
Oh.
+2129:00
Megan: Claw marks. I didn't see it hit me.
Cueball: It moved fast.
+2131:00 [Cueball searches through his bag and talks to himself quietly.]
Cueball: Where is it...
I thought I had...
+2132:00
Megan: This is a surprising amount of blood.
+2133:00
Cueball: Keep your hand tight over where it's coming out.
I'm looking for something to wrap around it.
+2134:00
Cueball: I can just tear the bag.
It's torn already. Or-
Megan: Oh, wait.
+2135:00 [Megan pulls a strip of fabric out of her bag and gives it to Cueball.]
+2145:00
Megan: Sorry for ruining your flag.
+2146:00
Cueball: It's OK.
After all, I brought it for you.
+2147:00
Megan: Thank you.
+2149:00
Megan: I like it so much I'm coloring it a beautiful red.
+2162:00
Megan: It's going to be a long walk home.
+2163:00
Cueball: Can you even walk? How are you feeling?
+2164:00
Megan: Thirsty.
+2169:00
Cueball: Does it hurt?
+2170:00
Megan: It didn't at first.
Now it does.
+2175:00
Cueball: I think you're right.
There's some kind of structure on the mountain.
+2179:00
Megan: I think I can walk OK.
+2180:00
Megan: It hurts, but it doesn't really hurt more when I lean on it.
Cueball: That's good, at least.
+2181:00
Cueball: But it's a pretty bad cut.
It could get a lot worse in the time it takes to walk home.
+2182:00
Cueball: We need help.
+2183:00
Megan: Do you think we should keep going up?
+2184:00
Cueball: We can't be more than a day or so from the top.
There may be people there.
+2185:00
Megan: Like the people in the hills?
Cueball: We're a long way from there.
+2186:00
Cueball: We don't know what's past the mountains. If we go up a little more, we'll be able to see.
There could be villages.
+2187:00
Megan: And if there's no one there, we wont be much farther from home than we are now.
Cueball: Yeah.
+2188:00
Megan: OK.
+2189:00
Cueball: I'll carry everything in your bag. Mine's torn, anyway.
+2192:00
Cueball: You tell me if your leg starts hurting too much.
Megan: OK.
+2194:00 [Both continue walking uphill...]

Scene 2 - Part 6 (Starting to walk to the top of the mountain, the sun sets down)[edit]

Animated gif with enhanced brightness

+2204:00
Cueball: I'll step in and help you over.
+2205:00 [Megan jumps over the small stream without waiting for Cueballs help.]
+2207:00
Megan: OW.
+2218:00 [After walking uphill again an indistinguishable animal appears in front of them.]
+2221:00 [The animal disappeared and the are walking again.]
+2223:00
Megan: It's definitely colder up here.
+2233:00
Cueball: How are you feeling?
Megan: Not great.
+2234:00
Megan: That thing is still out there.
Megan: Probably others, too.
Cueball: Yeah.
+2240:00 The beginning of a sunset.
+2252:00 The sky gets darker.
Megan: We need to sleep.
Cueball: Yeah.
+2253:00
Megan: It didn't seem scary before
pausing to sleep wherever we were.
+2255:00
Cueball: I'll stay awake while you rest.
Megan: I can stay awake.
+2256:00
Cueball: No, you need to rest. I'll wake you if I get tired.
+2258:00
Megan: Or if something is trying to eat you, and you need me to hit it.
+2260:00 [Megan sleeps.]
+2262:00 [It still gets darker and the sun settles down behind the mountain.]
+2265:00 [The "Evening Star" (The planet Venus) appears on the sky and follows the path of the sun.]
+2270:00 [More stars are viewable since it still gets darker.]
+2319:20 until 2319:24 [A meteor appears in the sky.]
+2333:00
Cueball: Hey.
+2334:00
Cueball: Wake up.
Megan: Yeah?
+2335:00
Cueball: I stayed awake as long as I could. Can you take over?
Megan: Oh, sure.
+2338:00
Megan: All quiet?
+2339:00
Cueball: Yeah. How are you feeling?
Megan: Still hurts.
+2340:00
Megan: But I got some rest. Your turn now.
+2345:00 [A sound from above of them.]
Chirp
+2349:00 [Again that sound.]
Chirp
+2350:00
Megan: Do you hear that?
+2351:00
Chirp
Cueball: Yeah.
+2352:00
Cueball: I wonder what they're doing.
+2386:00
Cueball: I'm awake.
Megan: Finally!
+2387:00
Cueball: Did I sleep too long?
Megan: Not long enough, really. But it's getting late.
And I was bored.
+2388:00
Cueball: How's your leg?
+2390:00
Megan: Looks OK.
+2391:00
Cueball: It does?
Megan: Sure.

Scene 2 - Part 7 (After the night the final attempt to reach the top of the mountain)[edit]

+2419:00
Megan: OK. We get to the top. We look for people.
+2420:00
Megan: If we don't see any, we start back home.
+2421:00
Cueball: Sounds good.
+2432:00 [After walking uphill again they reach a cliff in front of them.]
Megan: Neat.
+2433:00 [Some unknown items are at that cliff.]
Cueball: I wonder what it's for.
+2437:00 [Cueball helps Megan up to reach that cliff.]
Cueball: Careful.
+2440:00 [Cueball stands at the bottom of the cliff.]
Cueball: Huh.
+2441:00 [Cueball climbs up the cliff, using some artificial steps.]
+2451:00 [They reach a plateau and before them there is a wooden tower.]
+2458:00
Cueball: I guess the mountains don't go back down on the other side.
+2461:00 [Megan climbs up the tower.]
+2465:00
Megan: I found people.
+2466:00 [Cueball reaches also the top floor of the tower.]
Cueball: Where!?
Megan: Over there.
+2467:00
Megan: It's far away.
But do you see the dust?
+2468:00
Cueball: Yeah...
Megan: And I saw flashes of light.
Something glinting.
+2470:00
Megan: It's not far.
We can reach them tonight.
+2471:00
Cueball: Good!
Is walking still not too painful?
+2472:00
Megan: Walking is OK. Climbing hurt.
+2473:00
Cueball: You could have asked me to climb up here for you.
Megan: But I wanted to see.
+2474:00
Megan: Have you figured out what that ting is?
+2475:00
Cueball: It looks like it's supposed to hold something.
+2476:00
Cueball: You can point it at things. Maybe it's a weapon.
+2477:00
Megan: Maybe.
+2478:00
Megan: But why would there be a weapon way up here?
What's it aimed at?
+2479:00
Cueball: Right now you're pointing it at our home.
Haven't you launched enough things at our castle?
Megan: No.
+2488:00
Megan: Our poor castle.
I wonder what's left of it.
+2490:00 [White panel.]
+2491:00-2493:00 [Showing the location of the castle, but it's flooded and the castle is gone. Only a small piece is floating on the sea.]
+2494:00 [White panel.]
+2507:00
Cueball: I think that's another tower.
+2508:00
Megan: I think so, too.
+2511:00 [Megan looks back to Cueball.]
Megan: Are you OK?
+2512:00
Cueball: Yeah. I just need to rest for a moment.
+2513:00
Cueball: I don't know why I'm so out of breath.
Megan: I'm feeling it too.
+2515:00
Cueball: I wonder if the air up here is different.
+2516:00
Megan: Could be.
It's definitely cooler.

Scene 3 (Finding an unknown tribe)[edit]

Scene 3 - Part 1 (Finding other people)[edit]

+2525:00
Cueball: I can see someone on that hill!
+2526:00
Megan: Oh, yeah!
Megan: HEY! HELLOOO!!
+2527:00
Cueball: Still too far to hear.
+2529:00 [Megan runs.]
Megan: HEY!
+2530:00 [Megan and Cueball walking fast toward the people.]
+2531:00
Megan: Well, they've seen us.
+2533:00 [One foreign man appears.]
+2535:00 [Two more people appear and they look face to face at Megan and Cueball.]
+2536:00 [Megan talks to the strangers.]
Megan: Hi.
We're from far away, and my leg is hurt.
Can you help us?
+2537:00
Stranger 1: Dialog2537.png
+2538:00
Stranger 2: Dialog2538.png
+2539:00
Cueball: Huh.
Megan: OK. Umm.
+2540:00 [Megan shows the strangers her leg.]
+2542:00 [Stranger 2 asks Stranger 3 to go back and get some medicine.]
Stranger 2: Dialog2542.png
+2545:00 [Stranger 1 look at Megans leg.]
Stranger 1: Dialog2545.png
+2548:00 [After Stranger 3 is back Megan sits on a stone.]
Cueball: They seem to know what they're doing.
Megan: Yeah.
I wonder what that is.
+2549:00 [Megan talks to Stranger 3.]
Megan: That.
What is that?
+2550:00
Stranger 3: Dialog2550.png
+2551:00
Cueball: It's some kind of paste.
Does it hurt?
Megan: Not-ow-not really.
+2554:00
Megan: Um, thank you.
+2555:00 [The strangers are leaving and one invites Megan and Cueball to come with them.]
+2564:00 [They approach the home of the strangers, a new tower appears, and they are trying to test the gifts.]
Megan: It's just water.
+2565:00
Cueball: Yawn
+2566:00
Cueball: How do we talk to them? We can figure this out.
+2567:00 [Megan points to the sea downwards.]
Megan: We're from down there. The sea. We're from the...
+2568:00
Megan: Yawn
+2569:00
Megan: ..We're from the sea.
And we have to sleep.
+2571:00
Stranger: Dialog2571.png
+2572:00 [Black panel.]
+2573:00 [Stranger sitting on the tower, probably doing observations.]
+2575:00 [Cueball appears and fetches two cups. The stranger comes down the tower.]
+2576:00 [Cueball and the stranger fill water in their cups.]
+2580:00 [Cueball and a stranger sitting face to face, the stranger points at his cup.]
Stranger: Dialog2580.png
+2582:00 [Cueball does his his first try with the strange language.]
Cueball: Dialog2582a.png
Stranger: Dialog2582b.png Dialog2582c.png
+2583:00 [Megan is awake again.]
Megan: Yawn
+2585:00 [Cueball approaches Megan, while the stranger keeps sitting.]
Cueball: I learned a word. I think.
Megan: Oh?
+2586:00
Cueball: Dialog2582a.png "Water". Probably.
+2587:00
Stranger: Dialog2580.png
+2588:00
Cueball: Or "Drink!"
Megan: Hmm.
+2589:00
Megan: There must be a faster way to...
+2590:00 [Stranger looks through instrument on the left.]
Cueball: —Hey!
+2592:00 [Cueball gets a stick to draw on the ground.]
Megan: It's ok!
+2594:00 [Cueball draws Megan, himself, and three strangers on the ground.]
+2596:00 [Stranger adds the tower to the drawing.]
+2597:00 [Cueball draws smaller scaled picture of mountain with Megan and him at the bottom and the strangers and tower on top.]
+2599:00 [Cueball erases him and Megan from the bottom and sketches their journey uphill.]
+2601:00 [Cueball draws the sea on bottom of the hill.]
Cueball: Dialog2582a.png
+2602:00
Stranger: Dialog2602.png
+2604:00 [Cueball does not understand and hands over the stick to the Stranger.]
+2606:00 [The Stranger draws a higher level on the sea.]
Megan: Yes! The sea is rising!
Cueball: Why is that happening?
+2608:00 [A second Stranger appears behind the tower.]
Stranger 2: Dialog2608.png
+2610:00 [The Stranger with the stick erases some of Cueballs drawings behind the tower and adds a building at a slightly higher level.]
+2611:00
Megan: They're going somewhere...
Cueball: ...and want us to come, too.
+2613:00 [The Stranger with the stick draws a long haired woman behind that building.]
+2614:00
Cueball: Oh, speech! There's someone we can talk to?
+2615:00 [The Stranger with the stick draws the way of the sun for an entire day and the trip, which is less in time.]
+2616:00
Megan: I get it-
it's less than a day away.
Cueball: Then let's do it.

Scene 3 - Part 2 (Walking to the long haired woman)[edit]

+2618:00 [The Strangers pick up their devices and they start the next travel.]
+2625:00 [Megan wears again a knapsack.]
+2642:00 [They spot a rabbit. The rabbit runs away.]
+2670:00 [The group rests beneath a tree to eat.]
Cueball: It's good, whatever it is.
+2671:00
Stranger 1: Dialog2797.png
+2672:00
Megan: Huh, ok.
Dialog2797.png
+2676:00 [The stranger shows more items (maybe food) to Megan and Cueball.]
Stranger 1: Dialog2802.png
+2677:00 [The text changes to a map with a triangular mesh.]
Dialog2803.png
+2678:00
Megan: I heard "water".
Cueball: Is it some kind of map?
+2679:00
Megan: I guess. But it's just a jumble of lines.
Cueball: Maybe those triangle things are rivers?
+2680:00
Stranger 2: Dialog2806a.png
Dialog2806b.png Dialog2806c.png
Stranger 1: Dialog2806d.png
+2692:00 [The group passes a flag.]
Cueball: Wow. There's a whole city up there.
Megan: Neat!
+2695:00 [The group enters the city.]
Stranger 3: Dialog2821.png
+2697:00 [They approach a man wearing a slightly larger hat, sitting before a small house.]
Stranger 3: Dialog2823.png
Stranger with larger hat: Dialog2823.png
+2701:00
Cueball: I like these little houses.
They-
Stranger 3: Dialog2827.png
Megan: Oh.
+2702:00
Cueball: Oh.
Megan: Oh wow.
+2703:00 [The scene zooms out.]
+2704:00 [The scene zooms out more, and a big castle, still under construction, appears in front of them.]
+2705:00 [Zoom in back to the people.]
Megan: A real castle. I never thought I'd see a real castle!
+2706:00
Cueball: I wasn't sure there were real castles.
Megan: Look at it. It's breathtaking.
+2709:00
Megan: Our castle was too small.
+2710:00
Stranger 3: Dialog2836.png
+2715:00 [They walk uphill towards the castle and meet a guy holding something under his arm.]
Stranger 3: Dialog2841a.png
Stranger 4: Dialog2841b.png
+2716:00 [They keep walking.]
Stranger 1: Dialog2842b.png
Stranger 4: Dialog2842a.png Dialog2842b.png
+2720:00 [They enter the castle.]

Scene 3 - Part 3 (Inside the castle)[edit]

+2723:00 [They are inside the castle, walking down stairs.]
Megan: Neat!
+2725:00 [They walk through a large hall.]
+2737:00 [After passing through a door and a curtain, they meet the translator.]
Translator: Dialog2841a.png
+2738:00
Stranger 2: Dialog2841a.png
Stranger 3: Dialog2841a.png
+2739:00
Translator: Dialog2865.png
+2740:00 [Megan and Cueball step forward.]
Stranger 1: Dialog2866a.png
Stranger 3: Dialog2866b.png
+2742:00
Cueball: Hello!
Megan: Do you understand us?
+2744:00
Translator [A long haired woman, multiple copies of text above each other indicating language difficulties]: Somewhat
+2746:00
Cueball: I think we understand you, too!
+2747:00
Translator [still blurry]: Whence have you traveled here
+2748:00
Cueball: We came here up the mountain.
Megan: We're from the sea.
+2749:00
Translator [very blurry]: You arose here from the desert below.
Nobody [unintelligible; possibly "survives there"?]
+2751:00
Megan: We, um... We don't quite understand that.
+2752:00
Translator [very blurry]: I am sorry.
Your language is like those spoken by the... difficult... but I learned it.
+2753:00
Translator [very blurry]: Please [two phrases overlapping: "have patience" and "be patient"].
Cueball: Of course.
+2754:00
Translator: Dialog2880a.png
Stranger 3: Dialog2880b.png
+2756:00
Stranger 3: Dialog2841a.png
+2757:00
Translator [very blurry]: They understand nothing so they will tend to matters.
Megan: Of course.
+2758:00
Translator: Your bags
+2759:00
Megan: What do you want our bags for?
Translator: They are heavy.
Megan: ...Oh. Thank you!
+2764:00
Cueball: Thank you!
Translator: You're welcome.
+2765:00
Translator: Tell me where your home is.
+2766:00
Megan: We live by the shore, near a river that flows down to the sea every year.
Translator: What river? [ed. note: Translator's question mark is denoted by ring accent, as it is in their language.]
+2767:00
Megan: It's a smaller river-not the one that flows from your land.
We collect things that float down it.
+2768:00
Cueball: There are people in the hills where our river comes from.
Megan: They don't like us.
+2769:00
Translator: How many people strong are yoů [ed. note: "you?"]
+2770:00
Cueball: There are about forty of us.
Translator: ...is forty? [Possibly "How much is forty"] All my numbers are too small.
Megan: Um. Four ten times. Five eight times.
Translator: Yes! Good.
+2771:00
Translator [blurry]: Do you carry these people with yoů [ed. note: "you?"]
+2772:00
Megan: No. We came here alone.
Translator [blurry]: Oh.
Megan: We're here to find out why the sea is changing.
Translator [blurry]: Um.
+2773:00
Translator [very blurry]: You do not know.
I [illegible]you see.
Cueball: ...did you get that?
Megan: No.
+2774:00
Translator [very blurry]: Your sea does not stand alone! There is another sea north [of yours] beyond the shore. It has become glued to yours [but their] levels differ and thus [water] flows. [Ed: exclamation points denoted by two lines above last letter in the sentence.]
Cueball: Wait, slow down.
+2775:00
Megan: No, I think I understood.
There's a second sea, a higher one, and its waters have started flowing into ours.
Cueball: Why? What connected them?
Megan: Yeah-what changed?
+2776:00
Translator [very blurry]: In time even the hills change. When people first walked and first built [their] cities the seas were joined. But there was a great [illegible] rocks and the passage was closed. Your sea [illegible] with too few rivers. Under the sun it shrank and the water fell. Now the sea has found a way back in.
+2777:00
Cueball: ...How different are the seas' heights?
How high will the water eventually rise? Should we move our home?
Translator: Do you know where you are̊ [ed. note: "are?"]
+2778:00
Cueball: No.
Translator: I will build you a map to understanding.
+2780:00
[A map is drawn on a tablet. A sea named Dialog2906.png in the middle is labeled [This sea is yours]. There is part of a sea to the bottom left, labeled [The sea joining yours]. Above the central sea there is a small patch labeled [The fortress is here].]
+2781:00
[Dashed lines are drawn on the map featuring the predicted future extent of sea. The shape of the predicted coastline matches the shape of the real-world western to central Mediterranean Sea from Gibraltar to Italy/Albania. Thus the "sea joining yours" corresponds to the Atlantic ocean and the "sea that is yours" corresponds to the remains of the Mediterranean. This matches the Latin phrase "mare nostrum" (= "our sea") that the Romans used to call the Mediterranean. The location of the castle corresponds to the vicinity of Marseille in France.]
Translator: And this. Our belief about the sea's new shore.
+2782:00
Megan: The sea can cover mountains?
+2783:00
Translator: We learned.
It has happened before. When our parents were learning to walk upright the sea fled and returned.
+2784:00
Translator: [Now] it is happening again.
+2786:00
Megan: The shoreline goes right through where the castle is.
Where we are right now.
Translator: Yes.
+2787:00
Translator: The castle [fortress] was once an island.
We found it and have tried to rebuild it.
+2788:00
Translator: I guess [imagine / suppose] it will be an island again.
+2789:00
Cueball: Who are you ?
Translator: [very blurry] We are tea(che)rs/learners/scholars. This fortress s(wa)r(m)s with tea(ching)/sci(ence)/lea(rn). And I am their teacher/leader/ruler.
+2790:00
Megan: I still can't imagine it. Every place we've walked will someday be inside the sea.
+2791:00
Megan: We need to get back home.
We need to get started on plans to move.
Can we have one of your maps? That would help-
...Are you OK?
+2792:00
Translator: [very blurry] I'm so sorry
Cueball: What?
+2793:00
Translator: [very blurry] When we discovered the sea was rising under the bank, we tried to shore it up.
We failed.
We tried to re(mo)ve everybody from the basin but we do not know of your group/t(rib)e.
+2794:00
Megan: No, it's ok!
I've been thinking.
At the rate we saw the sea rising, it will take years to-
Translator: No.
+2795:00
Translator: [very blurry] As the water flows, it widens the breach.
The berm is giving way.
The sea will rush through in a great torrent.
The planet's mightiest river will once again come thundering down the mountainside.
The sea will fill
not in years
but in days.
+2796:00
Translator: The journey to your land is much too long.
I will not send [illegible] only to see them encircled and drowned by the [rising / rushing] tide.
+2797:00
Translator: The world you know is ending,
But fortune has delivered you from the flood.
You did not intend to leave your home forever, but be [thankful / grateful] you left when you did.
Cueball: But..
+2798:00
Translator: You must say your goodbyes from there. You cannot go back down into the abyss
For you have walked too far and now there is no more time to walk
The ocean (sea) is coming (here).
+2801:00 [Megan and Cueball running out of the room.]

Scene 4 (Recovering the people at their home)[edit]

Scene 4 - Part 1 (Megan and Cueball running home)[edit]

+2807:00 [Outside of the castle, two strangers sitting on the ground.]
Stranger: Dialog2931.png
Cueball: ...oh! Hi!
+2808:00
Cueball: I, uhh...
Thank you for-
Megan: Dialog2932.png
Cueball: Thank you.
We have to go.
+2809:00
Stranger: Dialog2933.png
Megan: Goodbye!
+2810:00
Cueball: It's getting late.
Megan: We can make it to the tower tonight
+2811:00
Cueball: We can't run the whole way
Megan: Nope
+2815:00 [At the village.]
Man with large hat: Dialog2941.png
+2816:00
Cueball: Hi!
Probably.
+2824:00
Cueball: Not much further!
+2830:00 [They enter a dark tunnel and do a rest for sleep.]
+2832:00
Cueball: I dreamed I woke up in the water.
+2836:00
Cueball: I hope they don't mind us taking some of the food and water here.
Megan: Mm.
+2837:00
Cueball: Maybe we should have stayed to ask.
But I was starting to get a little creeped out.
Megan: Yeah.
+2841:00
Cueball: Still, maybe they could have helped us find a faster way back.
+2842:00
Cueball: ...Are you OK?
Megan: I did something that was wrong.
+2843:00
Cueball: !!!
+2844:00
Cueball: You stole the maps!
Megan: I'll give them back some day! I hope.
Cueball: This is great! There are so many!
+2845:00
Cueball: We must be here, right?
Megan: Yeah.
So we can follow our old path back down the mountain, then cut across land through the hills.
I'm guessing they're empty. It sounds that everyone knew but us.
Cuball: Yeah.
Megan: OK. We can do this, probably.
+2851:00
Megan: That stuff they put on my leg worked great.
What do you think it was?
Cueball: No idea.
I'm just glad they had it.
+2852:00
Megan: Along with the maps I should've stolen a guide to treating injuries.
Ooh, and one how they make those pointing devices in the towers...
Cueball: Um...
+2856:00 [The cougar appears again.]
+2857:00 [The cougar flees and runs away.]
+2865:00 [They reach again the hedgehog.]
Cueball: Just go uphill. Don't stop, don't get stuck. You can make it.
+2868:00 [At the tree with the baby bird. It's preparing for its first flight.]
Bird: Chirp!
Flap Flap Flap Flap
+2871:00 [They rest at the same location they did before.]
+2874:00
Cueball: I don't see anyone.
I think the hills are empty.
Megan: I wish we had time to explore them.
I'd love to learn how they make all that stuff.
+2877:00
Cueball: Is that the sea?
Megan ...Should it be in view already?
+2880:00
Cueball: I know this place.
There definitely shouldn't be water here.
Megan: Uh oh.
Cueball: The sea must be following up old riverbeds.
Megan: If it's here, it must be close to joining the river. How high up do you think we are?
Cueball: No idea. How do you even measure that?
Megan: I don't know.
spush spush
+2881:00
Cueball: Oh!
I used to come out
to this rock
when I was little.
*breathe*
...it's weird
being the last person
to see it.
+2882:00
Megan: Whoa, wait.
+2883:00
Megan: Look at the spot where we crossed the riverbed.
Cueball: Oh. Oh no.
+2885:00
Megan: There they are!
I see people coming over the rise across the...
...water.
+2886:00
Cueball: I can't tell how deep it is.
These things seem to be snaking in from all along the coast. We should've come from more inland.
Megan: I was trying, but inland keeps moving!
+2887:00
Cueball: They're headed this way. They must be planning to cross here.
Do you think it's safe?
Megan: It should be-
it's not actually a river; they can swim if they need.
+2888:00
Cueball: We should cross.
They're not here yet, and it's getting deeper. Better to get on their side while we can.
Then we can help them back over if it's safe.
Megan: Good thinking.
+2889:00 [Cueball is in the water.]
Cueball: I can feel it flowing...
...but something seems wrong.
Hang on.
+2890:00 [Cueball is falling into the water, keeping his backpack above the water level.]
SPLASH
Cueball: Augh!
Megan: What??
+2891:00
Cueball: It's-
*tphbtt*
-it's fresh!
Not as fresh as a river, but too fresh to float on-
definitely not while holding a bag.
Megan: I guess the other sea is fresh water. I hope it's shallow enough to ford.
+2892:00
Cueball: I'll go first, since you have the maps.
Megan: I think this bag will keep them pretty dry if it has to. It's a good bag.
+2893:00 [Crossing the water.]
Cueball: Whoa, careful-the current gets strong!
Megan: Oof!
It's not even that deep, but...
...I can barely...
Cueball: Almost there.
+2894:00 [At the other side.]
Cueball: That was a little too close.
Oh, they definitely see us!
Hey!:::
Other people: !!!!!
Megan: I think I can actually see it rising, at the edge.
+2895:00 [Some people from their tribe appear.]
Friend: You're back!
Megan: The sea is not going to stop rising! We have to get to the mountains!
Cueball: ...hello!
+2896:00
Friend: Where did you go?
Megan: To the mountains! We learned everything!
Friend: Everything?
Megan: Most of it! Where's everyone else?
+2897:00
Friend: The hills are empty!
Megan: We know!
Friend: It's great! We don't have to wait for them to throw stuff away! A bunch of us are up there right now going through what they left behind!
Megan: But, the flood!
Cueball: Oh, no.
+2898:00
Friend 1: The kids told us about the sea a few days ago. I said we should move to the hills, but others wanted to keep clear in case the people return.
Friend 2: When we saw it was coming up the riverbed, I left with this group. The others are getting ready to leave but wanted to see if the water-
Megan: How many?
Friend 2: There are twelve of us back at camp.
Megan: ...we have to go back.
Cueball: Huh...
I think there's stuff floating on the sea.
+2899:00
Megan: We might be able to cross here, but the next group won't.
The currents are strong and the water has changed. It's getting fresher, like a river. We can't float across, unless any of you can swim on fresh water.
Friend 3: My cousin says she can swim across a river.
Megan: Well, can she carry all of us?
Friend 3: I'll ask her.
Megan: There seem to be more of these channels. We shouldn't split the group up further just to get trapped among them.
Friend 3 (cont.): Except I can't find her...
Friend 2: OK, what do we do?
Cueball: I think there's something on the sea.
+2900:00
Megan: We have to get everyone together.
We have to find something to help us cross rivers and sea-channels.
We have to head the other way,
across the plain,
toward the mountains.
We need to run.
+2901:00 [They run.]
+2902:00 [Cut to black.]

Scene 4 - Part 2 (The tribe gets ready to move on their raft)[edit]

+2903:00
Megan: As you can tell, the sea is coming up the river.
These low channels are going to fill quickly,
We need to get away from them, move along them on high ground to join up with the group in the hills, and then escape across the plains to the mountains.
I have maps to show us the way.
+2904:00
Cueball: To avoid being trapped by these sea-rivers-or the regular rivers-we need a way to cross them.
Megan: They're too fresh to swim over, so we'll have to bring things to float with. They need to be light enough to carry, so wood won't work.
+2905:00
Megan: Bags might work; some of them can hold air if they get wet.
But grab whatever you can, we may already be too late.
And the currents are strong, so we'll need rope.
+2906:00
Megan: And I-
Friend 3: HEY!
+2907:00
Friend 3: I found my cousin!
+2909:00 [A giant raft beaches in front of them. At its helm is Friend 4 a.k.a Beret Girl from scene 1.]
+2911:00
Beret Girl: Hi!
I saw the water was trying to cover your neat castle,
So I made it into a boat!
Most of the sand parts fell down.
When it came loose I floated for a while.
And then the sea pushed me up here.
+2912:00
Beret Girl: I don't know how to stop!
Friend 2: [Runs to get bags] Oh, um. Rope!
+2913:00
[Friend 2 tethers the raft to a flower. Nearly everyone jumps aboard.]
+2914:00
Megan: OK, everyone!
Forget everything I just said. New plan.
We're going to do something that may never have been done before:
+2915:00
Megan: We're going to ride a raft up a river.
But we have to work fast.
+2916:00
[Cut to black.]

Scene 4 - Part 3 (The tribe on their raft)[edit]

+2917:00 [People are frantically setting up the raft.]
+2918:00 [Friend 1 puts up a sail.]
+2919:00 [Friend 1 finishes putting up the sail/curtain. Provisions are loaded.]
+2920:00
Megan: The water is coming over the banks!
This place is ending and it's time to go.
+2921:00 [The rest of the people board the raft.]
+2922:00 [They start rowing away from camp. Beret Girl, her cousin and Megan sit on top and watch the others row.]
+2928:00 [The view switches to panoramic view. Trees float by in their wake.]
+2929:00
Friend 2: This is really hard.
If we drift into the shallows,
we can sort of push back into the main channel.
But only barely.
+2930:00
Megan: That's OK - you've done great. We're headed straight up the river channel!
+2931:00
Megan: And we seem to be speeding up.
+2932:00 [Megan trips.]
+2933:00
Megan: Oof.
+2934:00
Megan: Is there any way to keep us pointing forward?
Cueball: We could start calling this the front.
+2935:00
Megan: OK, we're coming into the hills. We need a way to-
Friend 1: Look!
+2936:00 [Cut to panoramic shot. The obligatory floating trees are present.]
Friend A: HEY!
Friend B: HELLOOO!
Friend 2: It's them!
+2937:00
[Aboard the other raft.]
Friend C: Careful! Don't tip!
Friend B: You're safe!
[Aboard the S.S. Sandcastle...which is out of screen...]
Voice 1: What is that?
Voice 2: Head toward them!
Voice 1: How?
Voice 2: Oh. Right.
+2938:00
[Aboard the other raft.]
Friend A: They're going to float past us. Can we push out into the current?
[Aboard the S.S. Sandcastle, coming into view again...]
Cueball: Who has the rope?
[Aboard the other raft.]
Friend C: Trying.
+2939:00 [The rest of the tribe drifts past the main raft in a smaller raft of their own. Cueball twirls a lasso to try and catch them...]
+2940:00 [...which flies in the air...]
+2941:00 [...and hooks to something at the shore. Everyone on board S.S. Sandcastle starts pulling.]
Cueball: Careful! Slow and steady - don't break the rope!
+2942:00 [They did move the S.S. Sandcastle backwards. Cueball throws the next lasso.]
+2943:00 [...the rope flies...]
+2944:00 [...the people on the other raft manage to catch the rope.]
+2945:00 [They put their rafts close together.]
Friend B: We saw from the hills that the route back was washed out. So we found a raft and tried to get to you by the river.
Friend C: But then the river started going backward and we got stuck.
Cueball: We can explain.
From crowd: Why is everything flooding?
From crowd: Why is the water full of trees?
From crowd: Why do you have little tables covered in sand?
Cueball: But first-
+2946:00
Cueball: What's our plan? How much time do you think we have to get across the plain?
Megan: None.
Cueball: OK, we have to move fast-
Megan: -No. None. I figured out some of the maps.
If the sea is here, we're already cut off. There's nowhere else to run to.
We're going to have to ride this out.
+2949:00 [A tent is pulled aboard (or built on the second raft from what they already had on board).]
+2950:00 [The two rafts actually "hit" and everyone falls over.]
+2951:00 [They continue wrapping the new tent in preparation to turn it into a sleeping area. The area under the main canopy has been turned into a sort of storage area.]
+2952:00 [Cut to a panoramic view of the scene.]
+2954:00 [A flock of geese flies overhead.]
+2955:00 [Night falls. This time the Milky Way cannot be seen.]
+2956:00 [It is day. Megan stands at the front while an insect buzzes overhead.]
+2957:00 [Megan has climbed on top of the platform. Cueball looks at her from below.]
Megan: hey.
+2958:00
Megan: Everyone still asleep?
Cueball (while climbing onto top platform): Yeah.
+2959:00 [They proceed to rebuild their sandcastle using whatever sand is left.]
+2961:00 [Cueball and Megan finish building a single turret.]
Cueball (glancing over shoulder): ...Land!
+2962:00 [Cueball and Megan are staring at the approaching land mass while standing at the front of the boat.]
Megan: We've been heading right toward it since sunrise.
+2963:00 [S.S. Sandcastle runs aground. Cueball runs to the sleeping tent to wake everyone up. Megan runs after him.]
Cueball: Land! Wake up, everybody!
Front of boat: SCRAAAAAPE. CRUNCH.
+2964:00 [The tribe exit their raft.]
Cueball: Wow.
+2965:00
Cueball: Where do you think we are?
Megan: I don't know.
+2966:00
Megan: But I bet we can figure it out. C'mon, let's see what's through here!
+2967:00 [The End]
+2968:00 [No people, just the shore and some trees.]

Frame by Frame Breakdown[edit]

Below is the list of all the frames of the comic, in the order that they were revealed. The given times denote the time since the comic was initially released on midnight, March 25, 2013, Eastern Daylight Saving Time (UTC - 0400).

March 2013[edit]

April 2013[edit]

Day 36, Monday, April 29, 2013, normalized[edit]

The following images show the faded images from day 36 with the fade removed.

May 2013[edit]

June 2013[edit]

July 2013[edit]


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Discussion

Pretty sure we're just getting trolled with this one 99.108.190.136 04:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Can't tell if this is emo xkcd or trolling xkcd. Alpha (talk) 04:53, 25 March 2013 (UTC)


Something seems a little fishy because the image url is different than normal. Bugefun (talk) 04:55, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Maybe the comic slowly changes throughout the day. Alpha (talk) 04:56, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
Oh god, it does. Alpha (talk) 04:57, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
When uploading different versions of the image, use the naming convention time[iterationNumber].png. We'll compile all the images into one and display them as per Traffic Lights. Davidy²²[talk] 05:05, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
Alright, so the comic appears to be switching between two states here: between this and this. If nothing new happens, I'll get to clipping the comics together. Davidy²²[talk] 05:28, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
Whoop, nope, this just came up. Is there more to come? Davidy²²[talk] 05:34, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
Alright, so a new one is posted every half-hour. Whoopee. Davidy²²[talk] 06:06, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
And there's a new one! Megan leaning back and looking up...
Well, the image changed, who has the time to make a script to catch the new images and compile them into a gif? https://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/time.png Statharas.903 (talk) 07:14, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

72.21.198.66 05:11, 25 March 2013 (UTC)It could be a reference to the old proverb " time and tide wait for none" Cueball and the girl could be waiting for the tide in the beach! (Just a guess)72.21.198.66 05:11, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

This could be a cinematic custom to change scenes or to show the passage of time: fade to black (white) on Act I, come up on Act II. Get some popcorn during the intermission. -- Gerry (talk) 11:38, 29 April 2013 (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

The picture does chance with time. The URL includes a changing timestamp that I can't decipher. Compare these two URLS (which have slightly different images: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672.png http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png

Perhaps there is a way to hack the URL to view future images. 199.30.248.121 05:29, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

I would also like to add that knowing randall, these are not the only images. For all we know, the image will still be changing in 5 years while a tree grows in front of them. My point is: Are the URLs hackable, or did he encrypt them? 199.30.248.121 05:33, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Likely there is a way to hack the URLs; they look like some sort of hash, probably a hashed timestamp. Of course, he could easily have added some salt to the hash, making it significantly *harder* to hack. But they're strings of a specific length, so it should be pretty easy to bruteforce it, fetch all the images, and then (maybe) reverse-engineer the sequence. *That* all depends on how many of them there are. 76.90.249.178 05:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Good god, do you see how many digits are *in* that hash? The sun'll have burned out by the time we've tested every possible combination of digits. Davidy²²[talk] 05:47, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
The URLs are 64 hex characters. If he doesnt want us to find these pictures ahead of time, he would have made them completely random data, not a hash of anything. There are 16 possibilites for hex characters so 16^64 combinations or 1.7x10^308 combinations. If we made a supercomputer to try a billion links per second, and if there are 10,000 images total, it would take 4×10^277 × 13.77 billion years, which is a number with 277 zeros times the age of the universe to find just the first additional image. The sun will expand into a red giant and engulf the earth or at least come close enough to boil off all the water in the oceans in a mere 5.4 billion years, less than even one additional age of the universe. It will even be after the last star to ever be born has burned out, and all life in the universe has died before we could find even one. 65.50.74.245 19:11, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

It seems that the image is updated every 1/2 hour. 152.23.97.150 06:17, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Given that the images switch back and forth between other images already seen, and that the comic should be viewable in the future, it seems unlikely that it's any thing like a simple sha256 of part of the timestamp. I think it's more likely a function of half-hours and minutes (assuming we continue to get a new possible image every half-hour). 99.153.248.206 06:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
The images do cycle, yes. But for some reason I have never seen the img where Megan is looking behind her. Also wouldn't it be difficult to show a sequential story (like the rising tide) if the previous images keep cycling ?

Hash appears to be SHA-256. I tried some obvious hashes ("1", "11901", "1190_1", "1190.1") to no avail. Maybe this is HMAC-SHA256? Also, I would suggest trying Unix timestamps. 131.156.236.149 06:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

I've been trying to make educated guesses as to what's being hashed here: http://www.xorbin.com/tools/sha256-hash-calculator ... he could also be using hash(hash2(value)) which would be virtually impossible to crack. 99.153.248.206 06:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

It's entirely possible that the "hash" is actually randomly generated. Just a thought. 129.21.119.153 07:03, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Regarding sha256. Its most likely some hash of a timestamp, but if he doesnt wants us to crack it, he would have prefixes a password.. sha256('secretcode17:30'). Im just saying, if he doesnt wants us to crack it, we most likely cant. I've tested all unixtimestamps from 1300000000 to 1364390334. Also "00:00" to "23:59", with and without the colon and a load of other formats. -- 77.243.128.133 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Alright, this is probably not going to work, but I'm trying to exploit Randall's awesomeness here. Maybe he decided to take the time-stamps from the user? I don't know if that's even possible... That would then allow people in different time zones to obtain different images simultaneously. (What's the corollary of Godwin's law for a bunch of math-and-science nerds and relativity? Is there one?) Clicking the img src url on the comic's html page, give me this: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa.png : Never mind.. apparently others see the same image too.

Could he be doing this live? Monitoring the discussion on the net? Collaborative, crowdsourced comic-ing? Reminds me of those you-decide-what-the-character-does-next-and-flip-to-appropriate-page parallel plot novels.

220.224.246.97 07:14, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Let's just compare the two pictures and see how the bottom right changes, which I believe is water and they are indeed waiting for the tide. Statharas.903 (talk) 07:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm adding urls to pictures bellow, edit freely.
They change every 5 minutes, will try to keep track.

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f8/time.png http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa.png http://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/timeasdf.png http://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/time6.png

I have uploaded all the different images onto the wiki, in the order that they were revealed. To avoid needless duplication of effort, I'll put them up in the explanation page. Davidy²²[talk] 07:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

It just went back to the second image... 220.224.246.97 07:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

And now changed to something new. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/cdcc6b46b32c53f8596cd0106958b42c4260b9cbc022e6d94054147aa6554960.png
The images do look alike, but they're all different. Thanks David. Statharas.903 (talk) 08:04, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
No..I checked the random string. They're exactly the same. In fact, now it's gone back to the second image. Again. 220.224.246.97 08:07, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Just found this JavaScript code embedded in the comic HTML source (Update: Reformatted to prevent eye-bleeding): http://pastebin.com/4vNJH53Z


I'm no programmer but this looks important to me...

Moved it to pastebin, so it doesn't clutter the page so much. 81.23.24.51 14:22, 28 March 2013 (UTC)
Doesn't really help. The script basically changes the image when something happens (probably some time passes, although it's possible there is more hidden there). WHAT image then appears is not directed by the script, but by the site. Specifically, the image displayed as first is taken from http://c0.xkcd.com/redirect/comic/time, while the script asks for http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource&r=(somenumber) ... which is, if you get correct "r", probably some json containing the image url. So, even if you hack the script, you will not get all possible urls. -- Hkmaly (talk) 09:17, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
... actually, given that the script part doesn't seem to do anything just now, it's even possible it's for later (ie, starts producing images when the correct time come). Or maybe there is a bug somewhere in the code :-). -- Hkmaly (talk) 09:27, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
Thanks for explaining. Why hasn't anyone posted this before? Could "location.hash" possibly have anything to do with the method used to generate the image hash key? Also, why is this code so difficult to follow (Obfuscation?)? So many questions... Sorry if this is just a huge waste of Time.
location is the URI of the page. location.hash is the part of the uri after the # character. If you go to https://xkcd.com/1190/#verbose, you'll see some debugging output in your browser's debugging console (Firefox: Web Console or Firebug, Chrome: Development Tools). But nothing to decode the algorithm... :-( --83.243.48.2 10:01, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
Well, I don't know what's doing it, but there's definitely some script (probably this script) that's refreshing the image automatically. I left the comic open for an hour or so and noticed the image had changed. I refreshed with #verbose in Chrome right before the 30 minute mark and got the following in the console.
connecting to event source: http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource time07.min.js:1
s {type: "comic/time", data: "{"spread":5,"image":"832a7f13ca0fadc46e93475bb617d78211e32c81c3af0e289a51f8f149707759.png"}", lastEventId: "e2992bf0-9557-11e2-8001-1c6f659cb250"} time07.min.js:1
waiting 0 seconds before displaying comic 832a7f13ca0fadc46e93475bb617d78211e32c81c3af0e289a51f8f149707759.png time07.min.js:1
Resource interpreted as Image but transferred with MIME type application/octet-stream: "http://xkcd.com/events/connect_start". time07.min.js:1
s {type: "comic/time", data: "{"spread":5,"image":"847265673986f085460bf1a95b96f7171bcd9a4f1f0a598b2188307d03bcfaa3.png"}", lastEventId: "79580fe8-9558-11e2-8001-1c6f659cb250"} time07.min.js:1
waiting 4 seconds before displaying comic 847265673986f085460bf1a95b96f7171bcd9a4f1f0a598b2188307d03bcfaa3.png time07.min.js:1
connection error i {type: "error"} time07.min.js:1
Resource interpreted as Image but transferred with MIME type application/octet-stream: "http://xkcd.com/events/connect_error".
The script seems to poll the server every minute or two. It's different from before, where the image server itself redirected to the correct image. The auto refresh was probably always intended, but not quite ready when the comic went live. It may have turned out to be necessary too, so the image server doesn't have to do all the work. 129.21.119.153 14:45, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

http://pastebin.com/dLiWsFyN 79.180.173.88 09:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Moved to pastebin.81.23.24.51 14:34, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/426033682a26a0012a6f8e0c47287af91b7991a852d81c77402c937ffbd650c6.png

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1e/f46c6571393bee1ee649a7daae41f6328e63482506aef1e22607d22c47dd7027.png --Johnsmith (talk) 22:51, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b0/88e3a0c8bba935c669606d9134314f811a0961985f968dd5d329e4695acc67c8.png --Johnsmith (talk) 23:10, 25 March 2013 (UTC)


Is it just me or or did Randall manage to make all of us perform a Denial of Service on xkcd.com, and explainxkcd.com ? xkcd.com seems much slower, and I keep getting "500 Internal server error" when accessing this site (explainxkcd.com). I guess that's the effect of having everybody hit F5 every few minutes :) 193.239.192.194 11:57, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Earlier today, the server handled all the image redirections. The script you see above went through several mutations (currently at #8), with each mutation it seems that Randall is adding more servers and trying to split the load between them. This is basically how a bot-net works - we all run code written by some evil genius, and he's changing the code as time passes to serve some hidden purpose. 79.180.173.88 15:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

If he is using us as a botnet, then maybe the next comic will be something alluding to that.
Probably like this: http://xkcd.com/350/

When I saw this comic last night and that there was no explanation up, I thought to myself "How zen." I figured that Randall was going through a calm streak before throwing us the utterly ridiculous April 1st comic. Did it come early, or does he have something even bigger planned for us? 76.106.251.87 07:05, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Sorry, did you miss the bit where this comic updates every 30 minutes and all the server error messages being caused by the massive traffic to both the wiki and the main xkcd website? Davidy²²[talk] 07:08, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
Well, when I said "last night" and "no explanation", I implied that I wasn't aware of that at the time, which is why I thought what I did. Of course, it is now "now" and there is an explanation, so that should answer your question. Also, since it's not April 1st, and Randall has consistently released something major on that day, the jury is still out, leaving my question quite open (though I was really only asking for opinions). 76.106.251.87 07:20, 26 March 2013 (UTC)


wanted to add an image to the list above, but didn't know at what timestamp to add it, got 69085b480cb82911b19fe8f114909756989eed89b0d227db0f59c1843de7ba24.png at 2013-03-26 09:47 CET (UTC+0100) /Puggan

The hours denote the time since the initial release of the comic. The page is still a work in progress, we're going to bring that all into one image file soon. Davidy²²[talk] 09:13, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

This site should seriously consider cloudflare, it's perfect at times like this and takes minutes to set up. I run all my sites through it and it saves a lot of page huts and bandwidth. 123.3.136.228Evan Pyle

Or at least make the main page a static page that refreshes every so often. I'm guessing that most of the traffic is going to the front page with not as much traffic to the actual comic page Odysseus654 (talk) 15:43, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Some of the images on the wiki (looks like time38.png through time48.png) are slightly different than what is on the main site. The lines are slightly thicker, as though someone did them based on screen captures. Royce (talk) 14:37, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, at least we have the hashes so they can be re-retrieved, so nothing is really lost, right? Should we add links to the original? Odysseus654 (talk) 15:43, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
I uploaded two of the "thicker" images and one of the "regular" ones, and I did the same thing for all of them: right-click->save-as. Given that the "thick" ones are all clustered together, I think the files on the xkcd site changed. Druid816 (talk) 18:21, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Story so far: linky Odysseus654 (talk) 19:30, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

I guess we shall find out in ~10 minutes if Randall is trolling us. 129.138.30.95 04:20, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

... so that's it?

Did I just miss something or we've all been epically trolled for 48 hours? 189.59.175.92 04:22, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Motherofgod, no, he's *still* going! Davidy²²[talk] 05:20, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

What makes you think he's done? 129.138.30.95 04:25, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm still waiting for the water level to drop precipitously... and then for red spiders to run over everything Odysseus654 (talk) 04:28, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, strip 1191 is up so I assumed it was over. I guess it's not. Until April's Fools maybe? 189.59.175.92 04:32, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

It is not over -- the image is still updating, at least it did for me Spongebog (talk)
Yes, it's not over. Last frame shows just a minimal movement of Cueball's head, but no doubt it's still ongoing. 189.59.175.92 04:49, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
Given the fact the strips for the last 2 weeks have been comparatively simple, I expect Randall has been planning this for at least that long. -- 101.98.156.239 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Considering the common theme with "today's" strip, anyone wanna guess that he's sending us a hex-encoded file over a really slow modem link, slated to complete April 1? Anyone wanna run "magic" over the hashes and see if they come up with a compression codec or something? Odysseus654 (talk) 04:45, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

I liked this idea and crunched the hex data for 00:00 to 51:00 into a binary file (http://filebin.ca/bcGyfUvdgBi). Can't see anything resembling a file header, but that doesn't really say much. If this is compressed header-less data there wouldn't likely be any easily discernible patterns. Haven't really tried running the data through anything, zlib was one that came to mind but haven't tried it.

194.114.62.72 I'm pretty shure it's not the seaside, but a lake - the water level is not changing at all.

Its probably going to loop back on itself, eventually, and repeat this way forever. 113.160.224.209 07:12, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

For those wondering about the Javascript behind this: I posted my analysis of the Javascript on the xkcd forums, and further de-obfuscated and annotated the code over on GitHub. Here's a quick summary though: it holds open a connection to xkcd's servers and listens for instructions and follows them. Those instructions are either "load a new image" or "reload the page". So, you don't have to mash F5, it will automatically update the image when they're available. We have no way to control how fast the images come or when they do, and it's quite possible for them to update forever. --Fiveofoh (talk) 06:41, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

This is a series of animation frames. I suspect they will only ever be shown once (based on the fact you can only get the current image, not previous or future images -- this is in keeping with the title, "Time", which passes and which you can't ever get back]. The filenames are UUIDs too long to guess, so somebody needs to start collecting the filenames here so that a proper flipbook can be assembled. Here's the latest URL: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/81efa7c4509ac7a329407d9da25d12ec0a3baec50e06588586961575e2d65c2c.png Go here to collect URLs: http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource

We've kinda already been doing that. They're the big long filenames next to each timestamp. Davidy²²[talk] 09:06, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Oh my god it's game of thrones played out in 2D 123.3.136.228 Evan Pyle

Is it just me, or do the last two frames look like someone just threw a rock at the castle? 67.167.81.143 14:20, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I believe it is the cannon ball that I have been expecting since they first started building castles. ChrisPUT (talk) 16:34, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Here's a bit of JavaScript to execute in your browser's JavaScript console. (Cmd+Alt+K on Firefox for Mac, for example.)

/* Collect all frame image URLs */
var images = [];
Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/time"][href$=".png"]')).forEach(function (a) {
	images.push(a.href);
});

/* Create an image in the top-right corner of the screen */
var img = document.body.appendChild(document.createElement('img'));
img.setAttribute('style', 'position: fixed; top: 1em; right: 1em;');

/* Allow removing the image by clicking */
img.onclick = function () {
	img.parentNode.removeChild(img);
};

var texts = [0,51,169,174,322];
var delays = [0,1000,1000,1500,4000];

/* Cycle through the frames */
img.onload = function () {
	/* Pause a bit longer for the text frames */
	var idx = texts.indexOf(img.i);
	var delay = ( idx > 0 ) ? delays[idx] : 50;
	setTimeout(function () {
		img.src = images[++img.i % images.length];
	}, delay);
};

/* Start with the first frame */
img.i = 0;
img.src = images[img.i];

Jan! 94.23.195.79 09:22, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

---Thanks for the script!. Ctrl+Shift+J on Windows Chrome Shine (talk) 13:11, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

- updated script 'coz there are three text panels now. User schnitz 19:00, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

- updated script with another text panel 24.77.229.71 21:00, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

The one for the prior half hour (5AM - 5:30AM EST, 27 March 2013) is located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/5450bd39ee84a394467fabcaf92f1a5711c2a4eca24c8bd8a8cec829496e3dd7.png 141.161.133.106 09:26, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

And the one for the following half hour is located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/c2ea85f1ab92f2f80e9c4655c47f5c7effc0a7da01c8a88493864845855b3be8.png 141.161.133.106 09:31, 27 March 2013 (UTC)


Call me a paranoid, but I think this strip is all about 9/11:

  • If you read the strip number (1190) backwards, you get 09/11
  • This subject is recurrent on xkcd
  • As far as we have seen, there is a destroyed tower and they are rebuilding it
  • The next strip, following 1190 (or 09/11), mentions war against countries with large oil reserves but low military capacity. -- 143.107.105.14 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
I feel like that's kind of a stretch, I'm pretty sure it's just a story about a day at the beach.


If a new strip goes up every 30 minutes our time, and if each strip comprises of, let's say for the sake of simplicity, one minute in their time; to build the sand castle [frames 24-117 = 93 frames] so far it's taken almost 2 days our time, which would be about an hour and a half their time if each frame is a minute. Using my scale, an hour our time is 2 minutes their time, a day is 48 minutes, and our month is their 24 hour day. If we assume Randall plans to give us a 24 hour period from that world's time, and we use the minute-per-frame rate I made up, than we'd probably be looking at a month of images our time. I guess we'll just have to see how long he's got it planned to go on. -boB

Has it ended? All that's left is the sandcastle, and there doesn't seem to have been anything else changed on it for a few hours.

It's zooming out! When look at the gifs showing the frames in succession, the last 3 show the castle getting slightly smaller each time!

It's true! The most recent also shows the edge of another castle, leading me to believe it's part of some kind of sand castle contest, probably including some of xkcd's other recurring characters!
Weird, now it's not showing that, Randall must have put something up too soon.

A controllable version of the same comic is available at http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/ - slow/fast movement, pause, control back and forth. It also has the image # on the top left. Auto updating. 59.182.173.88 20:56, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Can you add on-screen buttons, so it's usable on phones and tablets without hardware keyboard? -- 81.23.24.48 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

looky here: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/4c92727698b704ee1d02fbd37c94c220d16be4ad3ff6fc03a3fb77ea6d96434f.png 97.88.147.176 23:14, 27 March 2013 (UTC) That was a glitch on the server that revealed a future frame, but it has been corrected and that link is now a 404 not found. I guess if we want to see it in context we'll just have to "Wait for it." -- Bugstomper (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Well now we're back to that picture as the present frame. Racerdude09 (talk) 03:14, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Is someone gonna update the transcript to note them building a sandcastle, as well as the dialogue so far (consisting of Megan and Cueball saying goodbye to each other at No. 52)?--69.119.250.251 00:38, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Anyone else think that they're roleplaying Dom and Mal in Limbo? Fry-kun (talk) 05:36, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

I think they're bulding a sand replica of King's Landing for the Game Of Thrones season 3 premiere -- 201.239.18.75 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

My first idea regarding the sand castle was also about Game of Thrones, but i dismissed it as being too biased.. --217.13.68.110 13:31, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

I have modified the code "/* Collect all frame image URLs */" to see only images of the "Frame by Frame Breakdown" section :

/* Collect all frame image URLs */
var images = [];
Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelector('#Frame_by_Frame_Breakdown').parentElement.nextElementSibling.nextElementSibling.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/wiki/images/"][href*="/time"][href$=".png"]')).forEach(function (a) {
	images.push(a.href);
});

(Sorry for my English... and the ugly code...) -- 194.119.85.99 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Anyone else think this is going to be related to Wed's cartoon? I'm half-expecting Black Hat to show up from the future, with advanced weaponry, to take oil from the sandcastle of the past. -- 173.180.60.43 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Guys, i think we might have lost a few frames in between, no? When did he upload the first image? like, the exakt time... knowing this we could calculate the amount of images there should be and compare to what we have... Caranhyas (talk) 18:04, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

The four comics from 89:00 to 90:30 (most recent so far) look the same to me, but the PNG files have different CRCs for the image data blocks, though the metadata in the PNG files are all the same. I wonder if there might be something subtle hidden in the images, or the way they're compressed. 24.160.133.3 22:54, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

There is a very minor difference in the water level on those images, even though the water level has been static in most of the other images. 129.21.63.210 02:05, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I don't think the title text is a reference to anything except for... wait for it... THE MONGOLS ;-) 81.23.24.34 23:00, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Unless the 99:30 image was misnamed, it's not included in the list of images. Does anyone know where this frame went? Bob 14:18, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Is that rain in two recent panels? Larry (talk) 14:21, 29 March 2013 (UTC)r

Can someone identify for sure what Cueball is doing in 105:00? His arms seems to be crossed, and his holding something in his hand. mem (talk) 14:30, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Looks to me like he is shivering, which would allude to a cool down common with rain storms? Jeremy1026 (talk) 14:51 29 March 2013 (UTC)
Looks to me like he's brushing sand off himself; see the shower around him similar to her hair at 10:00? 70.178.167.60 03:07, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Megan just wheeled in a trebuchet! This is going to be fun! 69.246.10.71 16:34, 29 March 2013 (UTC) Now she's launching a rock. I wonder which tower it might hit. March 2013, at 17:08. Flew over the first two and might impact far right tower if it continues. 17:48

I think this is all an elaborate 'joke' which will keep running until Monday - April Fools' Day Joncaves (talk) 17:17, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Re explanation of hour 110:00. My first thought was "How can a person whose face is an empty ovoid look upset?". However, looking at the image again I can see how it does. Respects to Randall. Possibly an April Fool, but I will be even more impressed if it runs beyond Monday. I'm waiting for the tide to come in. jasq 79.123.80.87 23:12, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I googled some hashes. The first two seem to show up here, in a directory tellingly labeled "wait": http://www.hash-database.net/wait/hash_sha256.txt

The "wait" folder there contains hashes that weren't found in the database and might or might not someday be discovered. They are probably there *because* someone was looking up hashes to see if they were common words. 99.153.248.206 23:17, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

To review, the first two are: 8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672 1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97 Googled the third one, but it only shows up on xkcd discussion forums :( Hashed some of the hashes, but didn't see the result in the list, so it dosen't look like a hash chain. Someone should google all the other hashes, and someone else should figure out what the guy in the "wait" directory (presuming it wasn't Randall) was hashing. --Venal dwarf (talk) 21:37, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Comparing all the filenames to the hashes on that page, I found a total of four that overlap. The first two, as mentioned. But also one from the middle of day 1, and one from the end of day 1.
00:30 - 01/00:30 - 8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672.png
01:00 - 01/01:00 - 1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png
12:00 - 01/12:00 - a3aa116efca3c01d8a64c0c7e79158dc8a62241aba767064e3a6c724cc5ade93.png
23:30 - 01/23:30 - 1da3859627430022485c53ad90e88e8771b2bec2d60e910b59ef332325bba29f.png
--Venal dwarf (talk) 22:36, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
There is a fifth one also, from 01:30 - e25be2dd49fe9f33c3543cdf640b67e0f2146cc576db5da007a135a278e524ee.png
I converted all 1153 hashes in the file to lower case and did a wget on them but it did not turn up any files from the future. Bugstomper (talk) 05:31, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Is Randall training us like Pavlov's dogs - every 30 minutes we are compelled to refresh the web-page? Joncaves (talk) 01:59, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone have an opinion on how we should continue naming the saved timeNN.png files if the updates do not continue on the half hour? Right now the link for the skipped update 242 got renamed to the nonexistent time242NA.png and the next update's link is time242.png. But what do we do if the updates are changing to once per hour? By the way it does look like the next half-hour update has been skipped too. -- Bugstomper (talk) 05:57, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

It does seem to have gone hourly as of midnight EDT. I stuck in "NA" as a placeholder since I wasn't sure what to do with the files, and wanted to make it clear that the half-hour updates were skipped in case it goes back or changes in some other way. Maybe start naming them by the time, instead of sequentially, e.g. "012200.png". If the pattern holds, the "no update" lines can be removed. (Or both might make more sense, like "time243-012200.png".) 69.243.159.96 06:08, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
I'm partial to timestamping filenames for stuff like this. I have this zsh line running right now:
while { : } { wget -O "`date +"%Y-%m-%d %a %H%M%S"` Time .png" http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png ; sleep 30m } 
(I was wishing for a convenient way to use the server-side timestamps, 'till i noticed that it's always 2013-04-12 Fri 09:05'38—which i'm guessing is the script's mtime.) 98.83.126.232 08:28, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Anyone else getting a 404 error with the latest image (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/d1b3b1b6e23995a093377c5ddc044dd98a42a3ae1327c8b6620d51d2a7003c1d.png)? Joncaves (talk) 15:19, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Strange: As far as I know http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png always redirects to the current frame. But if you visit the current one (133:00) at http://xkcd.com/1190/ and check the displayed image, it says 'c6976fbb244af4fc2286ffe3ac2cf78d408c1f610ecd71e18b4a677a048f084d.png' while time.png redirects to '1d9ce7199935b1b629d6b8744e62c7700a3780357b2dc74bb70471db616ddadb.png'. If you take a md5 of both images, they appear to be the same.

I was confused by this as well, I'm grabbing the images myself via time.png and got the 1d9ce7 hash. How will these duplicates be displayed in the table?Lockyy (talk) 17:48, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm seeing some strange stuff now. I have a script that uses wget of time.png to get the redirected hash png like Lockyy is doing. And I can verify that when you go to the 1190 page in the browser you get a different hash. But the previous hour and this hour, unlike the ones before it, the two hash pngs are different. And when I refresh the screen in my browser at the 1190 page, first I see the image I get from time.png, then the image refreshes with the other one. I'm not sure what this means or what we are supposed to do with it. I added the time.png hashes to the table for the last two hours but we probably need a way of indicating the difference. -- Bugstomper (talk) 20:38, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

This latest hourly update did the same thing. If you are fast enough you can even get the first image in your browser by right click view image before it changes to the second one. I edited in something that shows that. It probably could stand some reformatting by someone with better graphic design sense, but at least right now all the information has been captured. - Bugstomper (talk) 21:18, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
Looking at it some more, I see that wget of the page at xkcd.com/1190/ gets you an img link to time.png and then there is the javascript that must after some delay get the different hash url image. That means that we had better be sure that we do not miss any manual checks of hourly updates because the scripts will never find that second image unless someone has a way of getting a script that runs the javascript as if it was a browser. As long as someone posts the hash of the image from the browser every hour, I can ensure that we have the hashes the scripts can get because I have a cron job checking for those updates every 15 minutes. -- Bugstomper (talk) 21:49, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
And with the update for day 06/18:00 it appears to be back to normal, one consistent image per update -- Bugstomper (talk) 22:22, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Just if somebody else wants this, i hacked a little bash script to download all images to the current listed here. It skips already downloaded images so it can be reused later when more images are here.

#!/bin/bash
curl -s http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190 |
egrep -o  "/wiki/images/[0-9a-f]/[0-9a-f]{2}/time[0-9]*.png" | 
while read url; do
    imgname=$(basename $url)
    tmp=${imgname:4}
    id=${tmp%.png}
    printf -v target "image%03d.png" ${id:-1}
    [[ -e $target ]] && continue
    echo $target
    curl -so $target http://www.explainxkcd.com$url
done

--79.236.3.216 18:51, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

To ease waiting times: http://thred.github.com/xkcd-time-catapult/

This is awesome. I love the internet. --Jeff (talk) 19:15, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

I've offered up own explanation. The obvious metaphor is how time continues to flow and things change when you’re not watching. And how this could be a conceptual art project that could continue the rest of our lives... 72.183.97.36 19:36, 31 March 2013 (UTC) Lawrence Person

Correcting your link: my own explanation --24.145.230.202 20:49, 31 March 2013 (UTC)
This comics may not really continue forever unless Randall will put some sort of repetition into it. May not be simple loop but something more sophisticated, but still, images shown up to now doesn't show any kind of repetition yet. -- Hkmaly (talk) 12:28, 1 April 2013 (UTC)

anyone else notice the water is slowly rising? not unlike a tide (depending on the time scaling implemented? perhaps a flooding river (as might correspond to the mention of a river)? 70.192.210.128 18:08, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

I checked your claim that the water is rising, and I agree. Good catch! I measure the rate at about 1 pixel per 25 frames starting at about 100 hours. Though a more careful look could surely refine that estimate. -- 207.67.82.250 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
I measured the water level with a ruler. The water will take another 20 days before reaching the sand castle if rising at a constant rate. 192.155.85.119 01:27, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

Oddly this contradicts the text, which says that the river is going down: "Any idea where the river is now?", Cueball replies "Still pretty far out. It actually retreated a little this week." --AH

"It's *still* pretty far out". I think this means that it's getting less far out.93.73.186.104 07:41, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
"It actually retreated a little this week." ~~dang

This comic has been running and updating so long I think perhaps it is a sand castle creation/destruction program that autonomously lets the two indefinitely build, destroy and rebuild new sand castles all the time… 80.101.210.21 09:55, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

Maybe. We don't have enough data to say that for sure yet. We just need to "wait for it". 93.73.186.104 10:07, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

I think numbers in "As of this writing, it is still updated after more than XXX hours - even after Y new, different comics were posted on the front page" at the top of the page should be calculated using {{#expr}}. I changed it for number of comics, but I have no idea how to calculate number of hours since it was posted.DiEvAl (talk) 11:15, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

When Megan coughed and Cueball asked if she was okay, did anyone else think of http://xkcd.com/931/ Lanes? Cueball explains that cancer treatment results are not known until much later, "and often the first sign is a cough or a bone pain. So you spend the next five or ten years trying not to worry . . . ." ~~wrybred

I don't want to be a downer but this is just my interpretation thus far. I hope it is a happier theme but if you are correct wrybred, my further explanation would be the following... I think that building sandcastles is an analogy for living their life. Going for a swim in the body of water and the cough could represent the start of the cancer or possibly some time where they had to go out and "wade" in the possibilities of what cancer could mean. Time passes and Cueball says "I don't think we can build it much taller than this. It's been fun, though" which represents that they believe they have done as well as they can with the lives they have been given. They comment on the river retreating even though we the audience observe a body of water on the right hand side rising could represent how we can be fooled into believing things are going alright when in reality they are not. The reference to not understanding what the river is doing also fits this explanation well as someone with cancer may occasionally feel confused about their illness. Presently while I write this they are possibly preparing for a flood which represents the return of the cancer. If I were to guess what is next I might guess that they will watch as the flood comes in and destroys some of what they built but it is better than not having made the sandcastle in the first place. I could be way off, but Randall has given us a lot of TIME to think about what this is all about and your mind wanders. I also would note that this may not be about a particular cancer story, just any cancer story. Nhoel (talk) 13:51, 8 April 2013 (UTC)


Could Cueball and Megan be building a European city, as it evolved, was damaged and remodelled where 1 day of strips is 100 years? Maybe Cueball is curretly remodelling Notre Dame de Paris or Westminster??? If so, it should get interesting around day 17 129.238.237.96 17:34, 4 April 2013 (UTC)rbnm


#!/bin/bash

# Assumes you have a complete set of numbered PNG images in a
# directory called "./images". (See the script above) Makes a
# directory called "./cropped" containing N images that are 1 pixel
# wide by 395 pixels tall, each of which contains the second to last
# column of one of the input images.  Finally, concatenates all those
# images into montage.png, which will be Nx395 pixels and can be read
# as a graph of water depth over time.

mkdir -p cropped
rm cropped/*.png
for i in images/*.png
do
    f=`basename $i .png`
    convert -crop 1x395+550+0 $i cropped/${f}_cropped.png
    echo $f
done

montage cropped/*.png -geometry 1x395+0+0 -tile x1 montage.png

echo Wrote result to montage.png
Codegardener (talk) 21:00, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

He's making a mini-version of the whole sandcastle on top of the mound! You can see the two turrets on the left and the mound in the center!

They're inside an hourglass! ;) - Filippo

i believe that he made a fractal version of the scene atop the middle sandcastle... are we going to have an infinite zoom for a bit (or maybe forever?) - ck

Maybe it's some sort of reference to Model Rail where Cueball ends up with multiple model railways in his basement...--77.100.193.92 13:14, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Since it hasn't been brought up yet; reference to 878, this is Nesting, and there are FOUR visible layers.
- "It's the second rule of 'model train layouts': No Nesting." (Strike and replace with the building sandcastles.)
- "Whats the first rule?", "Do not talk about ... That rule was actually voted in by our friends and families.", "Philistines"
Drifter 24.106.78.38 19:26, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
Actually 77.100.193.92 did bring it up, which is why I believe they're building a large trebuchet. Bdemirci (talk) 22:09, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
Thank you Bdemirici & 77.100.193.92, sorry for the duplicatation. Now which came first... the coment or or the comic, 77...'s reference came before the center structure gained its malformed parapets. Drifter 66.42.134.195 10:38, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Whoa -- big change in scale, zoom in on Megan holding a mini trebuchet at about 5 pm central time Friday the 5th.--205.208.92.136 22:20, 5 April 2013 (UTC)--~~

A tiny trebuchet for use on the tiny turrets? Megan is kinda awesome. --Druid816 (talk) 22:32, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

I think she should "outgrow these toys and focus on something practical" ;-) DiEvAl (talk) 22:59, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Looks like they are re-enacting the trebuchet incident on the mini-castle. AH --108.244.73.186 23:53, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Meta-physical time again: "I don't understand what the sea is doing" - wasn't it a river earlier? Is it a different sea? The river of time maybe? Where is Randall leading us? Joncaves (talk) 03:09, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

I'm thinking it may have to do with the title text from this comic. http://xkcd.com/4/
I think it's obvious. They're not on a beach. They're on a recently exposed portion of the river bed. In time the river will come back and engulf the whole area. 64.121.163.170 10:16, 6 April 2013 (UTC)


I have redownloaded the 199:00 image based upon the hash here and it does still say "river", so Randall hasn't adjusted the "past" to fit the "present"... Mark Hurd (talk) 05:50, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
I've read somewhere that they are not on the beach. They are on some sort of a boat covered with sand. First they were in the river, and now they reached the sea. DiEvAl (talk) 14:19, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
So if they are on a boat then it isn't the river/sea that is rising it is the boat that is sinking (or having more weight added to it). Joncaves (talk) 18:35, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
It's pretty obvious to me. They're on a beach with a river running through it. Yes, beaches sometimes have rivers in them. And also, rivers that run through beaches tend to be very unstable and to move their bed all the time, because of the fact that it's running water through loose sand. That's why they talk about the river moving. 80.212.115.55 08:04, 7 April 2013 (UTC)
This comic. http://xkcd.com/4/ -- Zuffelnok (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
xkcd Time Catapult done correctly http://i.imgur.com/XEKEfSR.png -- 118.129.231.136 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
Man, you have just too much... wait for it... time! Caranhyas (talk) 16:34, 7 April 2013 (UTC)

Just so it doesn't get lost, these are the last 2 hashes I've seen: e3e8169439be717a5661dba80cca623330516d87749f5c5bd83d4a4aae19b89a.png, a2c0f3ed4be680f5b794f0137a55af8704598a2105e1eff5fce750b07800c19b.png


Are they building a giant trebuchet? Another zoom out maybe? Bdemirci (talk) 05:13, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I love how Randall is reacting to the discussion here. Is it a sea? Or a river? Let's have Cueball drink from it to clarify ;) Blue Charizard (talk) 09:42, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

It could be brackish water ... and I have seen some fresh water rivers I definitely wouldn't want to drink from Joncaves (talk) 15:10, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
So this tells us 3 things:
1) It's likely a sea.
2) This comic, or at least a script (not in a programming sense) for it was very likely made by a human. So it's not randomly generated. We already knew this, but now it's confirmed once again.
3) Randall is still working on this comic, or at least he was some time after he started releasing it.
DiEvAl (talk) 16:51, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I think by tasting the water Cueball was preparing himself for the inevitable - the water is going to continue to rise and nothing they can do will stop it: they are going to drown. This strip is about the slow, inextirpable, approach of Death - and this isn't the Death from a Terry Pratchett novel. Joncaves (talk) 20:29, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

Between the 376th and the 81st strip it can be noted how much the water has rised. And I've noted how there's no wind in the beach (river's mouth?), the flags don't move and the sea has no waves. Don't know if there's a meaning there. --Yinosanchez (talk) 21:18, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
I think you shouldn't compare it to frames before about 220, because that's where zoom changed last time. Also it looks like it will reach the castle in a day and a half from now.DiEvAl (talk) 22:17, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
The likely implication of the lack waves etc is that they are in an estuarine environment, where the rising tide may not have a bore at all. This might explain a few things, like the reference to a river, the strange behaviour of the sea, and perhaps might explain Cueball tasting the water (to see if he could determine the saltwater content). Eeijevs (talk) 22:34, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
Megan's reaction to getting the water in her mouth (cough, pffthh) and Cueball's are pretty similar ... call me crazy but I think there's something weird about the water beyond its salt content ... --76.84.59.83 04:20, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
And 2 hours after I said that, Megan built something right next to the water. I wonder if this was a coincidence... DiEvAl (talk) 09:34, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
It is, of course, a damm to buy them some time. :-) -- 84.180.241.162 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
It wouldn't work as a dam in a 3D universe. It would have to extend infinitely in z to act as a dam. Then again, there's also no good way to support a platform with two posts. 206.173.46.67 20:24, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Can someone please move the list of images and their hashes to another page? Randal is showing no signs that the images will stop anytime soon. 184.5.152.192 22:32, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I understand the sentiment, and considered at least commenting out the future tables, but this page does not need to be changed when the latest frames are uploaded, only when the hashes are added, and those of us still keeping the live XKCD page open do find it easier to just open the last few frames missed when looking away or sleeping.
I do wonder if the wall of text is worth reducing by actually making the hashes a link with something like "Direct link" as the text. Is anyone still attempting to generate the hashes? Mark Hurd (talk) 05:10, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
I went ahead and made all the tables collapsed by default. If the comic continues beyond another couple of weeks, I vote for moving them to another page. --Druid816 (talk) 06:44, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
If the comic ever comes to an end, we could clear out the archived hashes and put all the image links into a multi-column table. The hashes are only really useful to editors trying to upload new images, they don't really add that much to understanding the comic. Davidy²²[talk] 10:29, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Just a theory. On Friday, April 19th at 00:00 there will be 1200 images in the comic, at the same time the strip 1201 of xkcd should be posted on the site. I'm guessing that will end it. (UPDATE: Math is wrong, was still counting half an hour updates. Sorry about that. The numbers will match on May 2nd at 6 in the morning, nothing special there.)--Yinosanchez (talk) 18:27, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps it is about global climate change? "The sea is rising." and now they are building a very tall structure to cope with this ?AH --209.74.126.175 01:54, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

Actually, looks like they're building a boat!!! 64.121.163.170 10:04, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
This is in no way close to a boat, look at any shipyard, that's not how you build a boat! --83.145.101.131 10:25, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
It is how you build an observation deck, though, or an airport control tower. And if you have the lumber to build such a structure, you could much more easily build a raft. So it's not like they're in any real danger of drowning when the tide gets higher. - 206.173.46.67 20:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

It could be a raptor-proof tower .... not seen any of those in XKCD for a while -- 86.128.14.32 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Looks like that small tower that Megan added in 500-502 is acting like a levee. The water outside it is higher now (569) than the water inside it. I can't imagine it'll help much, though. --Mlv (talk) 20:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

Graph of water level over time Codegardener (talk) 22:10, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

It appears that a couple of frames (4 and 427) get revisited a couple of frames later:

md5sum -b * | sort | uniq -w32 -D

98.83.126.232 04:16, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

Has it slowed to once every 2 hours for new frames? --209.74.126.175 14:12, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

For some reason, over the fast few hours the image wasn't automatically updating, and I had to refresh the page to see it. Now it looks like the image and static data XKCD servers are down... at least for me. 129.21.119.153 03:50, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
Looks like everything's back to normal. Fortunately, the aubronwood animation page has correctly captured the frames that I missed (although it had a few duplicates during XKCD's weirdness, it's fixed now). 129.21.119.153 15:20, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Yes, I haven't been able to retrieve anything since 23:40 EDT. Larry (talk) 06:05, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone else considered the relationship of this comic to John Cage's musical composition "As Slow As Possible?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible Taibhse (talk) 07:08, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Yes, I did, in upstream link. 72.183.97.222 (talk) 00:34, 17 April 2013‎ (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
It surely can't be a coincidence that the comic released the day after this comment was all about John Cage, can it? DarthCrap (talk) 10:15, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
Yeah, I noticed that. So who is trolling whom here? This group, or Randall? I would love it if he set up a foundation to keep this cartoon updating for the next N years, where N is the time backwards from this year to some particular early machine, ENIAC or Babbage's Analytical Engine or the Jacquard loom or the abacus, or whatever. (Refer to how the foundation sponsoring the Cage piece got their 639 years.) Taibhse (talk) 08:02, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
Another intergenerational project at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment Taibhse (talk) 08:59, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wondering, could the river/sea conundrum have anything to do with http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=4:_Landscape_%28sketch%29 and the original accompanying text "Don't ask me why there's a river running through the ocean. Please."? Blue Charizard (talk) 17:45, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Notice the last couple of frames have begun to show waves in the rising sea. (Frames 627-628) Taibhse (talk) 07:32, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

How could a small hill of sand stopped the entire sea. The world might be two dimensional, or Randall might have wanted to gain some time but it doesn't make much sense. 212.253.22.219 (talk) 12:06, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Seriously? Ok - time to review the physics of hydrostatic fluids, folks. Depth is the only variable in calculating fluid pressure. Whether its a bucket or the ocean, the pressure at any given depth in a fluid is the same. A small hill of sand can stop the entire sea. Waves, however, are another matter... Uglystick (talk) 14:34, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
A small hill can stop the sea if it extends infinitely in the Z axis, otherwise the sea will simply flow around it. The other alternative is to encircle the castle with it, forming a moat, but then we wouldn't be able to see the inside. So this can't be a normal 3D universe. Lending some weight to the 2D or nearly 2D nature is that the first platform they put up was installed on only two posts. But the platform itself had width. Maybe they're stuck between two panes of glass like an ant farm. 67.168.18.37 15:15, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
A 2D world would also explain why the structure they're on can stand. It's an imperfectly 2D world though; it's been mentioned below that a pole should in theory stop the water easy. I guess it has some 3D realities to it, i.e., a wall should stop water, but a pole shouldn't. 173.13.244.241 (talk) 19:18, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Water depth is increasing quadratically? (Probably not, but it looks nice on the graph so far. My current guess is that it's a sine wave that will peak out at 103 pixels.) Codegardener (talk) 15:18, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

I think in the end it's about what you build up during life and how "the time" washes all of it away, eventually 87.178.224.240 (talk) 16:05, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

If this were a 2D universe, wouldn't the best course of action be to bury one of the poles directly at the water's edge? That way, like the small sand hill, the sea would have to rise to the very top of the pole before it would flood the remaining sand structures. 74.94.246.5 (talk) 16:33, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Just a remark: Frame 458 (time458.png on this page, or hour 337:00) is corrupt, i.e. it deviates from the original that can be retrieved via the hash address. Probabely it was a screencap rather than a direct copy - someone should reupload it.. Oh and the structure on the poles is definitely the mighty Randall's Arc (though it doesn't rain)... 93.135.113.244 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Now they are 'building castles in the air' - dreaming of a future that will never come to pass? Joncaves (talk) 11:43, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

Why should building castles in the air be harder that building farm in clouds? -- Hkmaly (talk) 22:37, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

The bucket on the pulley used to be carrying just sand. Now, if I read the situation correctly, it's carrying something that's heavier than Megan, so she can't use the pulley (or, possibly, anything else) to pull it up. Lead? Depleted uranium? Dwarf star remnant? 67.168.18.37 15:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

Seems to me like she was trying to raise herself up in the bucket, then lost her balance and collapsed part of the middle castle when she fell. - Acrisius (talk) 15:39, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
That probably makes a little more sense than "dwarf star remnant". 206.173.46.67 16:09, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
Especially considering that dwarf star remnant loosely placed on ground would fall through it. Even if the ground would be armor-plated. Unless it explode first. Hmmm ... this may be good question for the what-if - what will happen if you put dwarf star remnant with size of apple on ground somewhere on earth? Or neutronium? (What happens with black hole was already explained when LHC started.) -- Hkmaly (talk) 22:20, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

My favorite episode from the Batman TV series was one where the Riddler gave Batman a nonsense clue which contained a surveillance microphone. He'd then eavesdrop on what Batman “deducted” his next coup would be, and he made it happen. Seeing how the discussion here does seem to affect the events in the comic, I wonder if Randall is pulling a Riddler on us. Just as an experiment, I thought I'd mention that it's odd there are no seagulls at the beach ;-) 201.235.179.15 16:49, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

I like the way that the sea/river/metaphor is now slowly eroding the base of the tower on the right. Also, where are the fish ;-) Eeijevs (talk) 21:15, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
I like how the erosion of the castle is accurate [2].--Deplicator (talk) 11:11, 18 April 2013 (UTC)
Aquaman?--Druid816 (talk) 23:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
Still no seagulls! Taibhse (talk) 09:09, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

We seem to be missing time 561 from Wednesday? Jillysky (talk) 13:20, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

And at the moment 599:00 and 600:00 are duplicates. I don't know if something happened (or didn't happen) then, or if the above issue is still being processed. Mark Hurd (talk) 18:00, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
Fiiixed Davidy²²[talk] 00:47, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

In the frame-by-frame breakdown, the "Image" field simply gives the time in hours, while the "Time" field gives the time in days+hours. It would be helpful if the "Image" field instead gave an ordinal number indicating the number of frames (e.g., this would help to correlate the Transcript on this page with the frame numbers here. The current "Image" field need not be deleted (I personally prefer time in hours to time in days+hours), but it might be relabeled as "Time in Hours". Implementing this would require some use of scripts, and would be best if adopted by the person updating the frame-by-frame breakdown in the first place. 132.236.6.90 16:42, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

If it's helpful to you guys this text file gets created automatically [3]. I admit it had some problems in the beginning but I think they're all worked out now; it's been adding for days now without any problems. I know you cannot see line numbers in the browser, but if you copy and paste the whole lot into an editor the line numbers are 1 higher than the corresponding png frame.--Deplicator (talk) 01:44, 20 April 2013 (UTC)


When the server had a problem one image was 100 minutes late, and another was 50 minutes late. Because of this there was a file between time682 and time683 that wasn't posted here (time683 should have been time684), and many files after that are displayed here an hour before they should have been displayed, with the wrong filename. It also affects xkcd-time.wikia.com as I had got many of the files on there from here. I am currently trying to correct this. Patzer (talk) 03:01, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

I think it's now fixed. Patzer (talk) 03:59, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

Anyone have the slightest prediction on how many frames this Time series will last? 118.186.193.26 07:44, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

Sure, it will be exactly 42π! ... or rather e42? Hmmmm… Trofobi (talk) 08:52, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
5,601,594 images if he follows the John Cage time frame, and maintains hourly changes; plus/minus one or two depending on the fence-posts. -- Taibhse (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I think we have seen the profile of various famous castles come and go, but nobody has identified any of them. 174.62.108.29 17:51, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

I don't see anything obvious, but the second castle (revealed by the zoom) looks a lot like http://media.merchantcircle.com/39624740/cheesecake_castle_final_full.jpeg
and now the castle she is working on begins to resemble the Taj Mahal...Taibhse (talk) 20:00, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
Well, not so much, now. Taibhse (talk) 20:50, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
It looks like Hogwarts.--70.134.68.234 21:36, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

I wonder if this could be building up to an all black panel for April 22. 74.129.166.50 09:07, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

I just setup an own cronjob which checks the image hash periodly and writes them to a list when its changed: http://panther.stummi.org/xkcdtime.txt It checks every 10 minutes so it also should notice if the interval changes --Stummi (talk) 09:12, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

The castle on the top appears to be the Disneyland Paris castle (http://0.tqn.com/d/goparis/1/0/1/A/-/-/disneylandaparisxmas09_francoisdurandgetty.jpg) Galois (talk) 21:46, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

...which is a rip-off of Neuschwanstein castle: http://blog.awaystay.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/oct_3_2012.jpg - still both don't exactly resemble the one in the comic.. 141.84.43.125 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I'm guessing that the water will keep rising indefinitely, and we'll be left with an upward-moving strip that occasionally zooms out as the bottom layers are very slowly filled in with black "water." One thing that would make this interesting is the varying heights of the constructed structures (sandcastle turrets, platform, etc.) which would make the process of "overflow" from the right-hand side interesting to watch. 65.96.75.37 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Oh the symbolism of it: Cueball leaves, Megan finishes building their castle, rests and lets her guard down. The next thing to happen is, a cute girl walks in, sees what the two have built together and leaves. The very next frame, the castle starts to fall apart. 217.81.90.198

I'm expecting the lower level-castle to be swept away by the water, while the high-level castle will remain intact. This is quite reasonable, assuming Cueball and Megan knows how high the flood will come and thus they built the platform to an appropriate height. It may be interpreted as the lower-level castle being the work of our life, which is inevitable finite, and will be eventually overtaken by death. Recognizing this, some choose to build a castle for the "after-life". Life-death reflections have been common on xkcd in the past as well. 149.241.18.229 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

The pace at which the water is rising has begun to slow. I think it's just a regular tide, and it only has a few more pixels to go before it begins to ebb. Codegardener (talk) 14:49, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

I call cancer. The tide slowly increasing, the castle threatened, the upper castle... I don't know, it just all gives me that impression. --193.205.81.1 09:02, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I have to hand it to him though. He has entirely captivated all of us. I can't help but check every day (as opposed to every MWF) to see how the story unfolds. Many thanks to geekwagon for keeping me up to date! Puck0687 (talk) 14:26, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or are the last 4 images missing? I don't know how often this gets updated, if it's still manual at all, I may have did bad calculations with timezones, but at least the current image isn't there. 86.81.124.236 19:39, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure this page is updated manually, so you'll have to wait for someone to update it. Nothing has been missed though. If you want to keep up to date, I suggest using one of the links under Explanation>Related Stuff, especially the aubronwood link. Those update automatically. 129.21.61.189 20:54, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

For me, this is clearly about cancer and the impacts it has on a relationship over time. Randall's now wife was diagnosed and treated for cancer recently and through this comic, he's trying to portray the anxious wait they faced through treatment and remission. He has put us into his shoes by keeping us waiting in suspense to see how things end up. The passing of time represents their life together. At first it's just them relaxing together, probably the dating phase. Soon they start building a life together, represented by the sand castle. The castle evolves over time, much like their life has. Difficulties and gaffes in their relationship are depicted, for example when cueball trips and breaks down part of the wall. Eventually all efforts are diverted and put into defending against the approaching sea, which represents the cancer. The wall, the platform, all represent the steps taken to prevent and/or prepare for it's impending progress. The river represents the cure for cancer, which is still pretty far out, as cueball mentioned. There are many many more clues I see and explanations I can give to support this idea (castle in the sky, the rain, progress with research, etc.), but this is just starting point. I'm excited to see where the comic will end up, but I guess we just need to "wait for it". --Nick (talk) 21:25, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

You make a good case, and much of the dialog supports that interpretation. Many of us must have been thinking along the same lines. A couple of points...there doesn't have to be only one meaning for the symbolism. Also, there doesn't have to be an "end."
The John Cage connection also seems obvious.
I have been struck by the similarity (and difference) to the Engineers in "A Mote in God's Eye." Innate engineering ability combined with naivete.
I am confident that Randall knows there are literally thousands (tens of thousands? hundreds?) of fans out there giving them moral support and good wishes. Hmm...I wonder if readers are personified by the little girl? Probably not. Taibhse (talk) 22:50, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

The cancer metaphors are quite intriguing, but my take is environmental, possibly pollution and global warming. The French girl (beret) could be a nod to the Disneyland Paris castle. If so it’s our first interactive feedback with Randall on the 1190 strip.Galois (talk) 22:42, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Environmental pollution is tied to cancer incidence. Taibhse (talk) 00:18, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
Global warming was suggested by
Cueball: Sea level rises and falls, right? It's changed before.
Megan: Not this fast.
I don't know about the beret; Beret Guy has been a recurring theme. Just search xkcd for "beret." But never on a little girl? Taibhse (talk) 23:26, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I'm taking it that "sea" is a phonetic substitute for "c," "meaning "cancer." For better or worse, this kind of phoenetic clue was used in the Batman movie: Batman: Pretty fishy what happened to me on that ladder. Gordon: You mean, where there's a fish, there could be a Penguin. Robin: But wait! It happened at sea! See? "C" for Catwoman! Sigh. I wish I knew what "river" and "rain" represented. Medicine, maybe? 98.117.33.206 23:03, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Medicine isn't supposed to make the "C" grow. Just the opposite.
And on that note, back when I was working in "Muppet Labs" there was a great little book of cartoons circulating in the lab titled "CDC." Sample: "CDC?" "ICDC. DUCDC?" "O,ICDC2!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAO0M1tilKU Skiasaurus (talk) 05:06, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
Nothing at all to do with the zombie comics from the actual CDC. But there's the disease theme again -- the CDC.
And what programmer could miss the reference to "C." It gets tangled, which is the best way to do symbolism. Quantum-alphabetic entanglement. Taibhse (talk) 00:16, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Well, I don't know if the intention here is that the "river" is making the "sea" grow. My point is that the dialogue is so nonsensical at points that it seems to be code. I'm taking every noun as a metaphor for something. "Sea" being "cancer" seems to fit ("The cancer can't make more of itself forever, can it?") I guess go back through the dialogue and see what other words could substitute for what they're saying. Like I said, I don't know what "river" or "rain" or "ground" could be in this metaphor. 98.117.33.206 00:56, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Or "sand." This sand has some rather remarkable, not to say marvelous, properties! Taibhse (talk) 03:08, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

If it's true this represents their struggle with cancer, this strip might very well continue into the future, updating alongside her real-time cancer progress, possibly for years, hopefully not for mere months. Randall knows how this will end no more than we do. 24.29.73.162 23:49, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Guys, if a new frame comes out and it's not uploaded yet, please consider uploading it yourself in the correct time slot. I'm trying to keep up, but there's always 8-hour gaps in our archives every time I go to bed. Davidy²²[talk] 00:33, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

I automatically download all frames as a base for my tide measuring script and I've closed lots of the 8-hour gaps every day. Now at least someone else is doing it, too and I currently can't see any gaps at all. Thanks alot for the collevtive effort! --TreibAir (talk) 07:41, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Maybe a baby on the way? Waiting for the unknown tide to roll in (in 9 months)? 76.15.31.215 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)


I think this is the last day. It's been exactly a month, they seem pretty done with it, and tomorrow's friday....On top of that, the most recent comic was the flipping of a switch on a time machine, in which, something happened, but we don't yet know what....it may be that the "Time" comic is being refreshed. ...Just a thought.... 138.49.1.8 03:20, 26 April 2013 (UTC)Luke Wah

The time machine, once switched on, reversed time to the point at which it was switched on, thus switching itself off. It doesn't seem to be connected to this. ~ Anariston

I'm still hoping they'll suddenly ride in on a tidal wave and smash the entire structure. You know, for closure. ~Pixie

I expect that from now on (Friday April 26th 2013) there will be no more story and the sea will erode the castle until nothing is left (most likely software generated). Maybe Cueball and Megan will return someday, walk to the shore, sit down and, after a while, start building a castle... Jacx 217.81.72.248 11:56, 26 April 2013 (UTC)


Starting at frame 895 the black started fading to white, I think. 217.81.72.248 12:03, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Yup, You're right, it's clear when you turn on the difference feature on geekwagon 80.52.210.93 18:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
I don't see any fading to white -- we're on frame 905 now and everything looks as black-and-white as usual. O.o --Therrufying 83.233.5.126 21:06, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
Ah, ETA: I see fading now, but only after frame 910 in the Aubronwood animation. I guess it just wasn't visible on my old computer screen until now. --Therrufying 83.233.5.126 16:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I agree - the water has started eroding the castle to the right, and it makes sense for the erosion to potentially loop the comic back to frame 1. That said, the title text was "wait for it". This could be a euphamism suggesting "keep waiting, this comic changes", but it does have an implication that there is a "finale" to the comic that you should wait for. Hard to tell as it's vague. TheHYPO (talk) 13:54, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

The most recent event is Megan walking in, saying "bye!" in *lower case*, and leaving. From the lower case, which is different from the rest of the comic, I infer that she was talking to *us*, not (eg) herself or the sandcastle! I reckon it's just going to fill up with water until the page is a static black rectangle. Especially since she and Cueball just talked about going off and exploring, grabbed their bags, and left. -cosmogoblin 94.197.127.235 13:57, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

I suspect the small text was to show a "small voice" - talking quietly and sadly perhaps? It does look like this could be the end of the story though - the last few frames don't seem to have done much after the "fade" in frame 895 - Hippyjim 81.136.241.157 15:15, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
I agree with the small voice. The sea level is still rising, and interestingly, the sand barrier on the far right is eroding on *both sides* -- not just the seaward side, as previously. Changed properties of the sand or the sea, or both? I think the comic from here on is just going to be erosion. Entropy always wins. :( ~Therrufying 83.233.5.126 18:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
The "both-sides" erosion is normal and realistic. If you haven't noticed, the water is on the left side of the embankment for some time already, look at the smooth horizontal line of black pixels between the rightmost castle tower and the embankment. The water just seeped through the sandy embankment and soaked it and starts to erode it. 130.255.153.62 01:25, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
The large pile of sand never did form a barrier to the sea. Taibhse (talk) 06:54, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
Yes it did; Megan's first barrier worked like that, the one she built after Cueball tasted the water. It didn't let in the sea until it overflowed. That was around frame 660-663 (in the Aubronwood animation). --Therrufying 83.233.5.126 16:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
Um...that's what I said. The /large/ pile of sand didn't ever act like the /small/ barrier.  :) Taibhse (talk) 18:29, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
Well, it may have been what you /thought/, but it wasn't very clear from what you /wrote/ that you were actually agreeing with me and not with the previous commenter. Sorry for misunderstanding. --Therrufying 83.233.5.126 13:31, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

14:00, 26 April 2013 EDT image is http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/3d8c2ab949ba7a18e64397eec0e9860bd8ce8dd7aa0475e985a4fde4e108ea2e.png Kaori Emora (talk) 18:39, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

It's just about over: the picture is fading out now. 81.246.195.216 22:47, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Maybe it's just that a large moon is finally rising. That could affect the sea (and the light.) Taibhse (talk) 06:54, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or did the sea/river started to rise faster since the picture started fading to white? --201.53.213.201 14:58, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I don't think the time between frames is constant. Some consecutive frames, like the ones featuring the trebuchet (212-214), are less than a second apart.--70.134.72.83 18:51, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Does the ladder and railing look like the axis for a graph? Is this a graph of people or area affected by water rise due to global warming - as a function of time? 174.50.74.170 15:58, 27 April 2013 (UTC) rbnm

That's...a bit of a stretch. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Alpha (talk) 17:44, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I've logged the fade panels (8-bit r=g=b) by image #, where image# 895=hour 774. 895-0,896-2,901-4,906-4,907-8,908-8,909-10,910-10,911-12,912-12,913-15,915-15,916-17, 917-18,918-20,919-20,920-21,921-23,922-23,923-24,924-26,925-29,926-30,927-31,928-34,929-37 The fade appears to be accelerating. Galois (talk) 20:47, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Someone should extract alpha channel from pics, make graph from it, and try to find functon that approximates it 80.52.210.93 21:26, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
I did add a line feed to the numbers because I do not like horizontal scrollbars.--Dgbrt (talk) 13:52, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

I don't have a web page to share plots, but here's the poly fit. Starting with time 774 as x=0: it's [3.6647e-4 x^3 + 2.4545e-3 x^2 + 0.5396 x + 0.4184] up to time 810. Galois (talk) 22:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Time 811 - the black color stayed the same at 41 (r=g=b), 812-46, 813-48, the poly is now [4.4605E-004 x^3 - 1.5824E-003 x^2 + 0.59043 x + 0.33353]Galois (talk)

It's fading to white a lot faster now than the sea is rising. Unless something else happens, I'd say it's all white by tomorrow. So, maybe if one source of entropy doesn't get you, another will. 67.168.18.37 12:54, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

The fade rate poly is now [7.912739E-004 x^3 - 0.018842 x^2 + 0.794901 x + 0.09838], and is still on the same progression. At this rate, the panel hits 255 (full white) at 09:00 UTC, 4/29/13. Wait for it. Galois (talk) 14:24, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Do you know what the frame number will be when it hits white? Randall's pretty close to an even 1000, I'm wondering if he's engineered it to turn white for either 1000 or 1024. --Mynotoar (talk) 20:20, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
I believe it'll be filed as time966.png.--Druid816 (talk) 20:52, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Beret Girl at 950! Bdemirci (talk) 18:18, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wanted to let you guys know (since you are the most hard core of 1190 fans), you can do this now geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=890&framediff=217.--Deplicator (talk) 19:32, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Updated projection: fade to white (rgb 255) at image # 967 (10:00 UTC) Galois (talk) 23:18, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Just an afterthought, a meteor hit directly on the sand castle would let Randall go out in a blaze of glory. I hope beret girl is OK.Galois (talk) 23:27, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Seems like the story is not going to stop with total fadeout: image is still readable, as what was black is going to be 100% transparent (and probably still black), and white is still opaque. Maybe geekwagon page owner (or someone) could add a feature of removing alpha channel? --Electrichk (talk) 08:47, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

The early 80s song Fade to Grey from the band Visage comes to my mind. Memories of what happened start to fade over time and get more and more pale. 213.23.38.20 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Again, if you're awake and the frame for the current hour hasn't been uploaded yet, please upload it yourself. I am doing the brunt of the work right now, and I am not available 24/7 to get the latest frame up. Davidy²²[talk] 10:37, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

969 (+848) is completely blank on my LCD. I also cannot see Beret Girl in (967 or) 968 corresponding to +847 that User:75.84.65.238's edit suggests. I can see Beret Girl using 192.54.204.33's Paint with Black and White trick. This does include 969 which is otherwise actually monotone on my LCD, even on a great angle. Mark Hurd (talk) 13:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Try viewing the comic from an extreme angle. I was able to see the Beret girl in 967+968 by tilting my screen forward on my laptop. You can't really see it otherwise. If that fails, use Photoshop or look at the diff functionality here. 969 is completely blank to me. 129.21.119.185 13:20, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
Wait, I got those numbers mixed up, I think. 968 and 969 have Beret Girl in it, you just need to view at an extreme angle to see it. 970 (+849) looks blank to me, but there's still something there. The scene uses RGB 254,254,254, which is why it doesn't appear at all on my screen. You can reveal it using the diff or a smart selection tool in Photoshop or the like. 129.21.119.185 13:28, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
Yeah, using the diff function on geekwagon.net is probably the easiest way to see it. She seems to be dragging something (looks like a canvas?) into the scene. But I can't see frame 969 (let alone 970) on geekwagon, the last frame there seems to be 968, and it appears completely white on my monitor without the diff view. --186.203.199.207 13:46, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
Just copy the image to Paint and set the image property to Black & White. All non-white (255,255,255) pixels are set to black (0,0,0) and the image is revealed. 192.54.204.33 13:35, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
NB With Chrome, copying the image from xkcd [4] or here File:time970.png (+849) with right-click -> Copy image looses the detail. You need to get the .png into Paint for it to work. Copy image URL and Paint's File > Open will do it. Mark Hurd (talk) 14:10, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

OK, *now* it's completely white (as of day 36 10:00) Larry (talk) 14:08, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And [5] (972 +851:00 36/11:00) was missing for a couple of minutes... Mark Hurd (talk) 15:07, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And now there is an image again (frame 971/972)! Looks like slightly uneven black ground under a white sky. Wow, I really thought that was it when it faded to white. Cool cool cool. --Therrufying 83.233.5.126 15:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Hmm... we gonna see a guy floating in a barrel?? -z64dan 204.57.93.104 15:56, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And now I think we're going to see that too! Hippyjim (talk) 00:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

And now we're off to see the wizard!! This is great! A comic within a comic! Taibhse (talk) 17:23, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

I don't see this as a comic in a comic -- I see it more as act 2 (after the fadeout of act 1, with the stage crew jumping the gun and being caught on camera heading on stage to change the set). Theoretically, this second act can be as long as the first one -- The Quest for the Source of the River/Sea. (Hmmm, that reminds me of the song "River in the Sea" from the musical Ten November, a 2 minute sample available at http://www.prudencejohnson.com/sounds/gales/River_in_the_Sea.mp3). Meteoricshipyards (talk) 18:18, 29 April 2013 (UTC) Tom A.

By "comic within a comic" I meant that not only do we await a new xkcd installment several times a week, but now we also have a single panel (1190) with an ongoing story. This is even better than Click and Drag! Taibhse (talk) 19:10, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wanted to say: I don't think the beret girl is a girl at all. It's a boy with an old-fashioned navy-style cap. Popular with boys at the beach (in the old days). See images here (http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x130/JTMarcus/h1.jpg) and here (http://cabinetcardgallery.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/kidwithcap_0003.jpg) I also like the fact that, just before the castle completely fades away, you can barely see the little boy bringing more materials (maybe another support beam?) to continue the work. I like the continuity of letting the beret boy (not girl)

Wether it's a navy cap or not may be open to interpretation (though I'd still bet it's a beret - it surely looks a lot more like the one the beret guy wears, and I think Randall would have put a little more effort into that detail if he wanted it to pass off as a navy cap). As for it being a boy, no. It's definitely a girl, you can clearly see it has a longer hair, and come to think of it, Randall rarely draws any hair at all for male characters anyway. --201.53.213.201 23:36, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

I am hoping that this "Time" somehow connects to the "Click and Drag" comic i.e. when the camera zoom out far enough, we'll see that they are actually in the "Click and Drag" world. --98.14.191.109 23:59, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or should there be a category to contain both this and "Click and Drag"? Should the categories "Interactive" and "Dynamic" be merged into something like "Epic" or "Nerd Sniping"?38.78.130.2 14:30, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

Odd, it looks like +861, +862, and +863 are out of order, judging by the ground not changing at all and the characters not walking continuously. I wonder if that was an accidental mistake in XKCD server's delivery of the images or if there's an actual meaning to it. 129.21.63.158 02:17, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

During the last glacial period the sea level was more than 100 meters lower than it is nowadays, so coastal structures looked very different and the continents exposed much more land. I believe the first act of this comic references medieval ages in Europe where people would witness (over the scope of hundreds of years or longer) losing land and coastal towns to the sea but not understanding the process, as Megan states. I'm expecting the second act, and possibly further acts, to reference the abundance of scientifical discoveries made during the last few centuries. 37.201.91.80 12:17, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

I could hack a little bash script on my server which uploads the current image every hour. However for this i need uploads by URL from API allowed ($wgAllowCopyUploads in LocalSettings.php). --Stummi (talk) 12:25, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Would be great if at the end of the walk, there's a band playing "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons.

It will end with image 1190, of course. 66.38.57.117 16:54, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Well, they've made it back to the beach. I think it will end either at 1000 or 1024, and the only reason it might go to 1024 is allow some dialog and zooming in. :-) --Divad27182 (talk) 18:01, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

I thought that too initially - the terrain features certainly seems identical (to scale) to the one at the start of the story. But something's bothering me; it's about the frame before we see they are back on a beach - they are already seated, so it's fair to assume they haven't moved, yet the terrain is different. By looking at the terrain, you could guess that maybe the terrain is inverted, which would then indicate that the frame with the beach in view is from a different angle than the previous frame. But for that to be the case, Cueball would have to be behind Megan on the previous frame, yet, their positions are unchanged on these frames. So, I don't know... I'll stop rambling now, and just wait and see, I guess... --Fernandofig (talk) 18:27, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
Well, guess it's not ending just yet :-) . The duo packed up again and they're getting out of the beach (whichever it is). --Fernandofig (talk) 22:06, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Wait, what? It looks like they are suddenly back at a beach that looks the same as the first one, just zoomed out. But before when the scene was presumably inverted, the terrain didn't look quite like that. If the scene really did get inverted, maybe they aren't actually on a beach right now, but the sea will eventually expand until it reaches them. Then again, we don't know if this is the same plane of space that the original beach was either. They were just walking to the right. The concept of space in this comic is confusing me right now. I wonder if this will make sense later. 129.21.63.158 18:41, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

But what about their knapsacks? I guess they are not going to throw them to the sea... Hope this won't end up with loop right now, it would be too disappointing --Electrichk (talk) 19:07, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

It appears that the camera perspective has changed. 1 - 970 are all perpendicular to the shoreline, with the water on the right, camera looking down the shore. 971-996 are shown parallel to the shore line, with the camera position apparently out over the water or standing at the shore, looking back toward land. (If the camera had maintained the original position, the characters would have simply gotten smaller as the walked away, but instead we got to see the walk across the frame while presumably following the shore.) In 997, the camera perspective just comes back around to be a profile shot again, looking down the shoreline, water once again on the right. -- 65.183.156.9 19:40, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Near the end of the transcript, it says that at +847 Beret Girl drops in again, dragging something. I used Photoshop to lower the brightness, and can see about half of her head facing away from the sandcastle. She's not dragging anything. Here's my evidence: [6] 108.51.68.241 22:24, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

  • Try frame +848, that's where you can see her dragging something ~Pixie

I added a section for normalized versions of the first 10 hours of day 36. If anyone wants me to add more, e.g. go back to where the fade started, I would. BTW, I used something like 'pngtopnm $i | pnmnorm | pnmtopng > $j' inside a loop. Those commands are from the NetPBM package. Larry (talk) 23:33, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

You can also use Paint ^_^ 86.29.117.25 17:17, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

If Randall decides to go into a loop, let's not forget he can change any single frame or create a parallel storyline from any frame he likes. Blue Charizard (talk) 07:16, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

He guys, what was with the grey on I think 1008-1011? And what happened to it? It disappeared on everything.--108.70.209.33 16:23, 1 May 2013 (UTC) Don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but from frame 998 to 1001 (sitting, side-on view), the 'water' level continues to rise.

Not sure if it has ever been brought up but has anyone noticed it says "BTC 1NEPgrUmed3VyXpqbYZom7YVJ8MozYrNWx We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves. The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus. This is not the algorithm. This is close." at the bottom of every page. i could not find this algorithm anywhere else 74.4.25.11 18:58, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

That is on every comic, it has nothing to do with this one. http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=footnote look at this page on it. -- Zuffelnok (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Just a thought - In panel 1018 (time 897), Megan states "If we don't find something today, we'll have to start using the steam bottle." If that means they're out of water... the last update has both of them drinking water at the edge of the river. No one spit it out this time. If they refilled their water bottle at the river, it's not the source of the pollution. Galois (talk) 23:38, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

I don't think there's pollution going on; the body of water they started at was an ocean, so it was salt water. They have come to a river, so they can now drink the fresh water.163.120.70.10 00:48, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

FWIW, you can get the normalized (non-faded) portion of the fading scene very easily with imagemagick. Assuming you have the named like image00000.png image00001.png etc.. you can get a nice animated gif from "bye" to beret girl with:

convert image008[89]?.png image009[0123456]?.png image00970.png -shave 2x2 -auto-level norm.gif

HTH 216.239.45.71 00:51, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Is this now a choose your own adventure? I choose 'Walk Up River'! 162.5.71.176 16:27, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

Are there efforts underway to make 3D representations of the landscape? 63.153.208.177 18:14, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone considered connections to this already? http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_alan_parsons_project/time.html Greyhoundc (talk) 12:38, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

...And there we got as far as frame 1190, which several people have called as the end, and the story does not appear to be resolved at all. How long can this go on? --Therrufying 83.233.5.126 17:07, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Okay, so it didn't end with 1190. Must have misread the prophecies. 66.38.57.117 00:51, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

"How long can this go on? I would say a very long time. Currently, each day is filled mostly with a very few backgrounds used over several comics with only the characters moving -- not that difficult to produce -- and maybe a few lines of dialog, which also allows for the repetition of the background. He can probably keep this pace for months. It would be a bit disappointing, but possible. The strip certainly doesn't seem to be approaching any sort of conclusion. But, I think, like certain kinds of art, its the presentation that important. And he is presenting Time. -Tom A. "Time is a local condition." - wish I could remember who said that. Meteoricshipyards (talk) 15:12, 9 May 2013 (UTC)


Uploaders[edit]

Can I please not be one of the only three people on this wiki uploading frames? I live a busy life, I miss some of the time slots. If you see that the frame for the current hour hasn't been uploaded yet, try clicking on the red link and uploading it yourself. Davidy²²[talk] 08:39, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

I did sign in right now and will try to help.--Dgbrt (talk) 13:02, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
I'd really like to do so, but everytime I look, I can't find the missing ones in my cache esp due to filenames - Is there a script or sth how I can save the original .PNGs automatically to another folder when they update? Trofobi (talk) 09:39, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
Here's the quick hack I run every 10 minutes. I don't know what an "sth" is. Larry (talk) 13:11, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
#!/bin/bash

j=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%j)
h=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%H)
m=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%M)
d=$(printf %.2d $((j-83)))
fakem=${m%?}0
fakef=Time-$d-$h$fakem.png
if [ ! -f $fakef ]; then m=$fakem; fi
f=Time-$d-$h$m.png
oldf=$(ls Time* | tail -1)
{ echo -n "$d/$h:$m "; wget -O $f http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png |& grep following | tr "/ " "\012\012" | grep png; } > hash.new
cmp -s $f $oldf && mv $f /tmp
oldhash=$(tail -1 hash | cut -d' ' -f2)
newhash=$(cat hash.new | cut -d' ' -f2)
[ "$oldhash" = "$newhash" ] || cat hash.new >> hash
mv hash.new /tmp

Thank you! "sth" just reads "something" :) Trofobi (talk) 21:31, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

All frames and hashes are automatically saved to http://xkcd.mscha.org/. Patzer (talk) 12:53, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

WOW, that's great! Trofobi (talk) 21:31, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

Animated gif[edit]

hey, can we upgrade the animated gif to a picture with a sliding bar? maybe with a play/pause button as well? this way you can jump to whatever frame you're interested in, and pause for however long you like on frames with text and such... 81.218.146.161 11:40, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Some kind soul has already made that here - http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ - not sure how well it'd drop into this wiki though Hippyjim (talk) 13:05, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
Doesn't seem to be working for me :( 107.205.30.219 00:53, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Talk too long[edit]

The Discussion block is pretty huge and I thing it should be removed from the main page. Maybe a link and a hint to the link at the tab on top of this article. What do you think? --Dgbrt (talk) 15:12, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

I, for one, wholeheartedly endorse this. Consensus?--Druid816 (talk) 22:02, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
Agreed. Hippyjim (talk) 08:45, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
And done. If any admins disagree, please revert Hippyjim (talk) 09:05, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
It looks great, site is loading much faster.--Dgbrt (talk) 15:03, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
Thank you! After all, that's why there are talk pages in MediaWiki. --82.135.84.245 16:44, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

Image updates[edit]

Is Randall playing with me? My script is collecting at 00,05,20,35,50 each hour but many times now I got this:

969:00 41/09:00 f8a6414c334a71481e16428691fe8465098b2bae956e44727d0482c7632a84ff.png

I still could get the correct update, but I have to check all downloads so far.--Dgbrt (talk) 18:41, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm seeing that, too. For myself, I'm going to filter them into a separate directory. Larry (talk) 22:45, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm getting ...a84ff from http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png, but the main http://xkcd.com/1190/ gives the current image. Galois (talk) 23:43, 4 May 2013 (UTC) The 00:00 UTC (8 pm EDT) update worked. Galois (talk) 00:02, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed that the exact same identical image was re-used several times recently? If you go to http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ and tell it to show differences from frame 1090, and then start clicking forward, the following frames are all exactly the same: 1094, 1097, 1101, 1103, 1107. Looking at http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/# you can then see that 1111 and 1113 are also the same. The rapid perspective change makes the animation appear to strobe. Could this be some strange attempt to illustrate something like an earthquake, or are they just re-using frames to avoid having to draw so many? 65.183.156.9 02:38, 5 May 2013 (UTC)


As you may have read above, the server did deliver one image repeatedly, so some sites may show this image multiple times. --84.174.9.61 08:24, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

You can see it in the log for geekwagon, do an in page search (ctrl+f) for f8a6414c334a71481e16428691fe8465098b2bae956e44727d0482c7632a84ff. That image is collected multiple times and causes other images to be duplicated too because the script only checks to see if the current link is different than the previous.--Deplicator (talk) 13:15, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

I think what happened is that one of the three sites (107.6.97.102) started giving the same result each time. Now, I think they are down for maintenance.... --Divad27182 (talk) 20:47, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Why are images 2816 and 2817 the same? http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2816 http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2817 121.72.166.59 21:56, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

Hours[edit]

There seems to be a problem starting with today (Sunday, 2013-05-05): The first picture should be 984:00 and not 983:00. I'm not able to check if it's simply a bot (?) error writing down the hours or something more serious. --82.135.84.245 15:56, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Hour 983 on image 1104 Saturday (23:00 UTC) also appears on image 1105 Sunday (00:00 UTC). The image numbers are correct, but the hour count appears to be off by 1 hour now.Galois (talk) 16:34, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Holy shi... it's my failure. I am starting to correct this right now. --Dgbrt (talk) 18:36, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Not all images do map to the hash[edit]

I did run this great command posted here before on 13 April 2013:

md5sum -b * | sort | uniq -w32 -D

Then I did rename all duplicates to image???_.png. After that I did download the hashes from here to image???.png and run the check again.

First result is easy. Files are changed so md5sum for image002_ and image002 are different but content is the same. But 004 is wrong and I will update this one.

878341ab1f710e5832aa7ed5cfa66ed7 *image002_.png
878341ab1f710e5832aa7ed5cfa66ed7 *image004_.png

I will check all carefully and post my updates at the bottom of this section. --Dgbrt (talk) 19:01, 6 May 2013 (UTC)


Ok, how can I change that images? --Dgbrt (talk) 19:07, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

I found a way to updates the pictures, it's just a little bit tricky... --Dgbrt (talk) 19:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)


Next duplicate is also easy because files are still the same:

129721094a74fe94c723160991a1e704 *image427_.png
129721094a74fe94c723160991a1e704 *image429_.png
7be206b1c026b697de59e52c19f0a866 *image427.png
7be206b1c026b697de59e52c19f0a866 *image429.png

--Dgbrt (talk) 19:37, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

And new downloads from xkcd are still different on MD5 but this two files are also identical for a viewer:

6d3d9449d1df1f56547387da4259806c *image440_.png
6d3d9449d1df1f56547387da4259806c *image441_.png
827a569e5c806011f0d4d5564357e4d4 *image440.png
827a569e5c806011f0d4d5564357e4d4 *image441.png

--Dgbrt (talk) 19:41, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Same is this - only MD5 did change:

5de911984714c1ec7bf93149a5cca9b4 *image454.png
5de911984714c1ec7bf93149a5cca9b4 *image455.png
87d0de6b865fa94ab91902cddcc0af70 *image454_.png
87d0de6b865fa94ab91902cddcc0af70 *image455_.png

--Dgbrt (talk) 19:43, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

BUT NOW the problems start:

c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image704_.png
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image705_.png
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image705.png
db365290ce50176dad01c0087510f513 *image703.png
db365290ce50176dad01c0087510f513 *image704.png

I did rename 704 and 705 to 704_ and 705_ and download the hashes again to the 704 and 705 names.

My old 703 is same as my new 704 which does mean we have a glitch here!!!

--Dgbrt (talk) 19:54, 6 May 2013 (UTC)


UPDATE LOG:

image4 is changed (again)--Dgbrt (talk) 19:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

After downloading again the pictures around 700 everything looks fine. I can not find more duplicates.--Dgbrt (talk) 19:18, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Boy, that one gave me headaches. 1236 and 1237 seem to be the same. MediaWiki doesn't like multiple images that are the same... --SlashMe (talk) 20:15, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

I am not a boy, I am slightly older...
But in fact 1237 is same content as 1236 and MD5 hash is also the same (not the first one) but the link HASH is different. It is maybe a new hurdle for us. I will check. Stay tuned... --Dgbrt (talk) 20:28, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
It seems you could fix this. Files are just identical. --Dgbrt (talk) 20:33, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

I just uploaded a bunch of hashes and files, there have been some errors. The hashes are now correct, but could somebody please check that the files (1410 to 1420) match the hashes? --SlashMe (talk) 07:59, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

Split the movie?[edit]

The page is becoming impossible to load.

I would suggest to split the movie into pieces, for instance by making a separate sub-page for each week (avoiding embarassing discussion on the most natural cutting point). Each week can have a separate description, seven-seconds animation, list of 7x24 pictures etc, and a link to the following and previous weeks.

Any objection / comment / suggestion ? Biem (talk) 05:16, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

My only suggestion would be give it larger segments. I don't think it needs to be as small as a week - after all, it loaded fine for a very long time. Maybe approx. half a scene each? Scene 1 is 971 frames long, so how about split at 500, at 971, and again at 1500 (when it gets there)? 24.129.75.17 08:12, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
It's one and a half megabytes. The biggest issue here probably is the anemic servers that managed to struggle and crash even when that animation was just a static png and the page itself was only a few lines long. When the image starts clocking in at ~4-5 megabytes, it'll probably get to be a proper problem for those on poor connections, but we're not quite there yet. Davidy²²[talk] 08:36, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
I suggest pushing the hashes off onto their own page(s). That's 80% of the page's text right there. (Seriously. Click 'edit' on the main page and scroll.) At the very least, we could archive March and April. As more hashes are added, we archive the older ones. Maybe just constantly leave a week's worth of hashes on the main page? --Druid816 (talk) 15:18, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
Examine explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Time: The Table Davidy²²[talk] 15:22, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

Here is a possible breackdown structure where sequences are ~130 pictures long : (number of frames / Start frame number))

Part 1 : Sand Castles

(127) 001:  First sand castle
(105) 128 : Second sand castle (180) and Catapulte
(090) 233 : Joining castles
(100) 323 : Miniature castle
(116) 423 : Scaffold
(131) 539 : Plattform
(132) 670 : Fourth castle
(173) 802 : Sea rising & fade out

Part 2 : Wildernesses

(150) 975 : Seashore
(100) 1125 : Rivershore
(115) 1225 – : Hills
(087) 1340 - 1363 – 1379 : Trees
(124) 1427 : Baobabs
1551 – 1581 Berries
1619 – Squirrel
1640 Berries

Suggestions that can be discussed :

  • Sequences should be 100-150 pictures long (with possible exceptions).
  • Even if the image is not that big, the length of the movie can be a problem when one wants to check for details : short sequences allow for a slower pace.
  • Good cutting points would be : two consecutive identical pictures, changes of scenery. Sequences with the same theme should on the contrary be kept together when possible.

Biem (talk) 09:13, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

What is the sea?[edit]

It doesn't have to be an "ocean." Consider the Aral Sea. The Dead Sea. Our "sea" doesn't have any surf, apparently. Frame 1187: "I wonder if it's possible to swim in." Our characters don't know whether you can swim in a river? Have they never seen fresh water deep enough for swimming? Taibhse (talk) 13:26, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

This is not real life. And they know it's not real life. Maybe they are in some sort of Matrix and know about it, or they are playing a video game. They've seen in developers' blog that devs are working on a lot of new features for version 0.19, such as improved sand physics, multiple rivers, rain, salty water, trebuchets, swimming, surf, etc. But then developers decided to release part of these features in version 0.19, and leave the rest for 0.20. When Cueball an Megan saw that version 0.19 is out, they immediately decided to try it out, without even looking at the changelog. So they don't know which features made it into this version, and which ones will be in the next one. So far they have played around with new sand physics and trebuchets, tried swimming in the sea, tried to drink sea water, found a new river. They haven't seen any surf, so they think it'll be in 0.20. They have yet to try swimming in a river, or see the rain. They have also found a bug that causes sea level to raise indefinitely. They think it could be caused either by rain, additional rivers, or just by a griefer who built a giant sand generator array to fill in the sea and flood everything. Oh, and they can't just create a new private world to see if the sea raises there, because of the DRM.
Did I miss anything? --DiEvAl (talk) 17:37, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
Yes! I see it all now! Beret girl is the griefer! 66.38.57.117 01:01, 9 May 2013 (UTC)
I think it was black hat. --DiEvAl (talk) 14:54, 9 May 2013 (UTC)
It looks like they've also added bird (sic). --DiEvAl (talk) 15:30, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

Swimming in a river is dangerous if there's a strong current. Even slow moving water has a lot of power. The sea could be the ocean, connected to the ocean, or one of the large bodies of water referred to as a sea. Enjoy the comic and have fun second guessing Randall.Galois (talk) 18:17, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

We know: "The sea is big" and "The river is small".

But we also know about the sea: There are no waves. It's just rising. So it is not an ocean, it's just a lake. Many people say "sea" to a lake when they can not see the other side.

And we know their home river is small. But right now they explore a different bigger river.

We know it's not summer so maybe it is spring and the river is rising like every year?

Cueball and Megan will find out, but we have to Wait For It!

--Dgbrt (talk) 19:38, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Both characters have slept occasionally but never at the same time. There has been no depiction of night (unless the fade counts as one.) Hmm... Taibhse (talk) 20:21, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

It seems we are still at day one. Building castles in the morning and exploring their environment after that. But you are right, they have to sleep and I do fear about many DARK pictures...--Dgbrt (talk) 20:50, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed that when the camera zooms out to show the other side of the river/see the middle island just becomes smaller, but the distance between Cueball / Magan and the middle island stays the same? --FG (talk) 15:0, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

It seems like the two river halves (or two rivers) merge as Megan and Cueball hike upstream. New point: I joined all the images covering their journey since image 1150 (last stop for water). it spans 18204 pixels. Assuming Cueball is 6 feet tall (wild guess + it's an even number), they have now hiked a total of 0.517 miles (83228.7 cm) from image 1150.Galois (talk) 13:32, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

Considering the elaborate and fragile sand castles, the one- and two-person construction of the platform and its castle components, and maybe the latest antics at the top of the dunes, it appears that gravity is not Earth-normal. Or perhaps the law of gravitation is not our-universe-normal. (No reason it should be, of course.) Taibhse (talk) 03:11, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

Archive[edit]

Since this 1190 will never end, will it? I think we need some archive sites.

First could be "1190 Time Images 2013-03 March" (<- I am calling this human readable ISO) So, if you understand, each month of picture links and hashes on a separate page.

Next would be "1190 Time Images 2013-04 April"

And a few months from now we also have to do this for the "Transcript".

What do you think? --Dgbrt (talk) 20:46, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

If this comic goes on forever, maybe. For now, we could probably compact the page by grouping the frames from each month into wider tables and scrapping their hashes. The hashes are really only useful for checking that we got the images right, so they're kinda useless for the really old ones. Davidy²²[talk] 01:05, 11 May 2013 (UTC)
Since we do not know if there is anything hidden in the hashes we still should save them here. But past months could be moved into a different page.--Dgbrt (talk) 10:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
They're hashes, I'm pretty sure there isn't anything hidden in the arrangement of letters and numbers. If there was, the xkcd forums would have been all over it long ago. Davidy²²[talk] 10:44, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
Maybe you are right but they are still the original file names on xkcd.--Dgbrt (talk) 11:53, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
We don't carry the original Click and Drag filenames on this wiki; the filenames of parts of large comics don't carry anything of value to people visiting the wiki. They only really help with cross-checking images with the originals to make sure we didn't mess up anywhere, and we've already done that to death for the earlier images - so the hashes for earlier images no longer hold much value. Davidy²²[talk] 14:02, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
Don't shout at me. I am just thinking about archiving past months to different pages. The current month should stay on the main page. I am new here and so I am doing not that edit until I get some agreements. But we should save ALL here.--Dgbrt (talk) 17:22, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
I wasn't shouting, there is no need to bring ad hominem into this discussion. There are a number of solutions available here; we could tabulate frames per month as per this neglected post, offload prior months to other pages, or scrap old hashes to cut a large portion of the article's body text. Each solution will lead to degradation of the explanation, splitting the article will force multiple page loads while removing the hash values will be destroying part of the metadata around the comic. Ideally, we wouldn't have to make the split at all, but speed considerations mean that we eventually will have to do it. In that eventuality, all we can do is the thing that degrades the explanation for the average visitor the least. What do visitors care more about, faster load times/having all the frames on one page or having 1000-odd incomprehensible and meaningless hash values? We don't display the individual filenames for Click and Drag even though they were more informative than the hashes here, because they hold little value to visitors; they only take up space that could be used to further enhance the explanation. Pure archival without curation is what other websites do, not a wiki with the intended goal of making xkcd accessible. Davidy²²[talk] 23:56, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
IMHO having all of the images here is as useless as having hashes: most people use aubronwood or geekwagon anyways. To decrease loading times, I'd suggest to do 2 things:
  1. Move all tables to a new page.
  2. Replace the animated gif with a static gif (possibly latest frame?) that links to the animated gif.--DiEvAl (talk) 14:15, 13 May 2013 (UTC)
I think if we are to keep the hashes at all, they should appear on the description pages for each image. There's no reason for them to be on the comic page. Skiasaurus (talk) 23:09, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Prediction[edit]

Does anyone else see the last frame (whenever it may be), have the ability to connect to the first, thus creating a cycle? Schiffy (Speak to me|What I've done) 22:14, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

No reason it couldn't, but it seems premature. Early days yet. What's Beret Girl up to? Taibhse (talk) 15:15, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

My only prediction is: We will see what did happen to that castles and we will see that Beret Girl again. Wait for it!--Dgbrt (talk) 17:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

My theory: Based on the frames don't change much; Randell is an expert at creating xkcd frames; he only needs 24 per day to keep going; and we have no idea how long he's been preparing for this. It could last forever.--Deplicator (talk) 19:42, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

It will not last forever. But it seems it will still last for a long time. Wait for it!--Dgbrt (talk) 20:22, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
Forever is a big speculation. A more realistic speculation would be "as long as the Internet."--Deplicator (talk) 19:41, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

You realize that what we've seen so far is what the beginning of a comic that goes on forever looks like :-) Tom A. ("I don't want to be immortal through my art! I want to be immortal by not dying." - Woody Allen.) Meteoricshipyards (talk) 14:20, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps yesterday's bird was a hint at today's comic. Or he had dinosaurs on the brain. (Don't we all?) ChozoBoy (talk) 14:57, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

So Cueball and Megan seem to entering a region with much more vegetation. Up until now I had assumed that the previous regions had vegetation as well but Randall just hadn't bothered drawing it (such detail is rare in XKCD). So what does presence of vegetation mean? More rainfall? Higher elevation? Also how far have Cueball and Megan travelled? I don't think the frames are necessarily contiguous - if this was a movie we'd have background music to go with the images. They could have been travelling for days or weeks - I definitely don't think it is still the same day as the start of Act II. I suppose 'time' will tell. Joncaves (talk) 17:13, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

The yawn suggests that they haven't slept yet, so quite possibly the same day. Also interesting that they seem to treat first the small bush and now the tree as worthy of notice -- were there no trees where they lived? 173.228.6.11 06:36, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

The current frame (1355) looks remarkably similar to the area at left hand edge of XKCD 1110 (Click and Drag), which also features the same two characters discussing how they've walked "pretty far". I wonder how much of a coincidence this is. 82.69.211.1 11:46, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

http://xkcd-map.rent-a-geek.de/#10/1.3189/-92.1423
http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1355
--DiEvAl (talk) 15:28, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Hmm, and despite the overall journey feeling epic, didn't someone calculate the distance travelled (calculated via Cueball units) to be only a mile or two? 99.123.5.106 01:48, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone has an explanation for the change from frame 1360 to 1361? --FG (talk) 10:41, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

I thought the transition from 1359 -> 1360 was even more 'abrupt' than the transition from 1360 - > 1361 (in fact my first thought was that 1360 was out-of-order or some other 'mistake'). But from subsequent frames it has become clear that Cueball wandered off and explored the area on his own while Megan was sleeping. Joncaves (talk) 15:56, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
I think [1359:1362] looks similar to [1097:1120]. Probably Cueball was just walking perpendicularly to the image. --DiEvAl (talk) 21:13, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Here's another example of the slightly 'strange' way of talking: "I'm surprised we haven't been seen by any people yet". Wouldn't most people say: "I'm surprised we haven't seen any people yet"? So who are 'people'? Are 'people' somehow invisible to both Cueball and Megan? Are 'people' a threat? Have 'people' also moved on because of the rising sea level? Joncaves (talk) 19:25, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Speaking of strange phrases, for them to say that tree "probably knows what it is doing" is rather odd. Are they in a world where trees have consciousness, or are they just deeply confused? 66.193.253.212 18:45, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

The latest frame (1506) has two trees. They are almost certainly baobab trees. There are 8 species of baobab tree, but of those 8, 6 are endemic to the island of Madagascar, including the species which the trees in the comic most resemble, the Grandidier baobab. Even if they are not one of the six species endemic to Madagascar, the fact that they are baobabs still limits them to the continent of Africa, the countries of Oman and Yemen, and northwestern Australia. This means that the big sea, if it is an ocean, is most likely the Indian Ocean. 76.92.118.150 18:30, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

I think we are just at a fantasy world. And Randall is working against every prediction done here or at some forums. We only have to "Wait for it!".--Dgbrt (talk) 21:07, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone else agree that frames 1485 through 1487 are exactly identical? Just a glitch somewhere?98.201.4.16 01:56, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

Yeah, not only the pixels, but also the files' checksums are exactly the same. Checked it twice. --83.243.48.2 08:57, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

Map[edit]

Sóme hardcores made a map of The One True Comic: http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.svg Including in on main page could be a good idea 80.52.210.93 06:58, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Why does it say "Flatland" instead of "flatland"? Most other labels are lowercase. Is it a reference to Edwin Abbott's Flatland? Or am I just overthinking a typo?

This map is a great job and when we do know that this is correct we have include it here.--Dgbrt (talk) 20:51, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Map URL has changed (old URL displays link to new URLs). New map links: JavaScript version and non-JS version - Acrisius (talk) 13:37, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

I did fix the links and also at the main page.--Dgbrt (talk) 20:20, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

"Description: The allocated data traffic of the hosting account for this website has been exceeded and the website is temporarily suspended" Maybe we should host the map here on the wiki? --DiEvAl (talk) 20:14, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

No, this map is funny but still not validated. Help me to collect some facts at the bottom here. --Dgbrt (talk) 20:30, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

Where did the map go? I'm getting "...does not exist or cannot be displayed" Does your page have an error? Or are you having hosting issues?--Gerry (talk) 01:36, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

(Gerry, are you making this comment after following the "New map links: JavaScript version and non-JS version" links given? Those work for me, at this time of editing, and got those links presented to me when going to the original URI with the SVG extension.)

Regarding the accuracy, I imagine Randall may have used a data model of countoured landscape (1D or 2D, plus height) to auto-generate the scrolling/panning/rotating scenery base prior to decorating with figures/etc, but whether there's enough information to fully back-derive such a map from the ever-changing landscape I couldn't say. I assume assumptions, at the very least, and maybe some inventiveness on the part of any given interpreter. 178.98.124.195 19:42, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

(Yes, I had been using the new links. As I later found out it was after their monthly server allotment had been exhausted. It started working again June 1.)--Gerry (talk) 03:35, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

Words of Randall[edit]

Has Randall ever said anything in the past 2 months pertaining to this comic? Better yet, has anyone ever tried to ask him? Schiffy (Speak to me|What I've done) 05:18, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

NO--Dgbrt (talk) 20:53, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Finally, Randall has this to say: http://blog.xkcd.com/2013/07/29/1190-time/ 122.182.0.94 06:26, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

Simple English[edit]

Conversation is in "Simple English". I am not native English but I think we should mention this. Am I wrong?--Dgbrt (talk) 20:57, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm not aware of a distinction between "Simple" and regular English, at least in the USA. I think it's just something they use for teaching non-native speakers. --Druid816 (talk) 00:32, 18 May 2013 (UTC)
"Simple English" isn't a special dialect or anything, but the conversation definitely has a simple, almost naive, style. Lots of single-syllable vocabulary without much Latin-derived flowery or "sophisticated" words. I counted 27 three-syllable words and one four-syllable word in the entire dialog, scenes 1 and 2 combined. They don't seem to have a name for "sand dunes." They talked about a river being "broken." They are very playful, mature but child-like. It gives the story a kind of alien feel. Taibhse (talk) 17:27, 18 May 2013 (UTC)
I think the OP is referring to Basic English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_English 198.102.153.1 22:55, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

Similar to the xkcd explaining the Saturn V rocket in simple english.173.49.75.137 03:57, 20 May 2013 (UTC)

I did mean "Simple English" as Randall did mention before, not only here Up Goer Five. Look at this WIKI for Simple English Wiki--Dgbrt (talk) 23:09, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

Are We Lost Yet?[edit]

http://xkcd.com/170/ -- 66.162.182.66 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Big trees[edit]

A great guy at the xkcd forum did identify the big trees starting at frame 1503 (1382:00 hours). They belong to Madagascar and their name is Adansonia grandidieri. But also a few of them do exist in the US. So I am still not sure where we are.--Dgbrt (talk) 18:11, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

One of the little asteroid-planets from The Little Prince?
"Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince; and these were the seeds of the baobab. The soil of that planet was infested with them. A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late. It spreads over the entire planet. It bores clear through it with its roots. And if the planet is too small, and the baobabs are too many, they split it in pieces..." 69.123.166.176 00:20, 24 May 2013 (UTC)
Looks like we have grapevines now, or something like them, with man-made trellising. 12.153.137.82 21:47, 23 May 2013 (UTC)


A hypothesis[edit]

Randall's animation is taking place in a distant, post-collapse future ("distant" is relative, here-- say sometime in the next few hundred years, though possibly much further): human civilization is back at a late-Iron Age stage of development, though maybe with slightly more sophisticated metallurgy. The reasons I suggest this are: 1) rising sea-level that is on-going, 2) they can work wood and they have agriculture, 3) they have shown no awareness of any more "advanced" technology, 4) yet they have no qualms about wandering off into the wilderness without what most of us would consider adequate protection.

The one reason I might think it's farther into the future is the bit with the trees. I can't decide if their shape is a consequence of evolution (convergent, so that they are very similar to the Adansonia grandidieri), or they were transplanted (presumably to somewhere south? Higher altitude? Both? Antarctica?). Evolution would imply deeper in the future, and transplantation could be sooner.

I'm really interested to see what the truth is, because it's got me thinking along all kinds of planes.184.99.231.23 21:38, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

Stuck Again[edit]

Randall seems to be stuck at hour 1524 (image number 1545), at 20:00 UTC we now have 5 copies of the same empty image with half a vineyard with no end in sight.Galois (talk) 20:31, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

No, files are still different, even when you can't see it. File sizes did change and also md5sum. But I did not check the small changes visual right now. --Dgbrt (talk) 20:47, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
Use "Previous Frame Difference" on geekwagon, you can see a line of pixels that differ. --SlashMe (talk) 20:50, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
I wonder if the squirrel is following her...--Gerry (talk) 21:27, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
Me too, but I am hoping Megan will get a pet. --Dgbrt (talk) 21:30, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

I see the streak. I expected the squirrel to follow her. Geekwagon showed it, so did Photoshop.Galois (talk) 22:07, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

It's probably the squirrel, though the frame difference visual made me go "snake! snake in the grass!" 173.228.6.189 22:14, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
It's still fun. Will Megan get at pet? A chary Squirrel? I am still tuned. --Dgbrt (talk) 22:24, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1647&framediff=1646--Deplicator (talk) 01:35, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

The squirrel appears to be in the tree the first time Megan & Cueball walk by in image numbers 1582 & 1583. http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1583&framediff=1582 Galois (talk) 13:05, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

New clue, image 1692 - "Still, it's better than when we were following the sea, walking straight into the sun all morning." Walking east along the sea, it places them on the south side of anything. Galois (talk) 15:23, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

This may be more speculation than not, but the two turned north to follow the river and are now walking on a heading somewhere between NE and NW, which puts them in the northern hemisphere if they can see their shadow in front of them. This is also confusing since there aren't many Grandidier's Baobab trees there [7].Galois (talk) 20:46, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

I agree that these orientations are plausible from the dialog in the strip, but remember, we're already pretty certain that they're not in the same universe as us, so we may not be able to assume that the sun rises in the east. There's no evidence to demonstrate that their world rotates west-to-east like ours does, but there's no evidence that it doesn't, either. Let's at least remember the possibility that all of these directions are reversed from what our current theory states. 71.201.53.130 18:24, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

At least this time we know it's a snake. In image 1738 [8] the curled snake is fully visible, complete with a raised head and tail. At 2 pixels high, details are a little sketchy.Galois (talk) 17:06, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

The Planting People[edit]

So what do we know about them? They've been gone a while, long enough for Cueball to believe it was fine to take grapes. But they haven't been gone for a long time, because we've seen a staked sapling that is likely only a year or two old. They have vineyards and what look to be orchards. They appear to use tents, at least the frame we saw looked to be tied together at the top to form a teepee frame. They are sophisticated enough to do things like put benches next to trees, so they aren't subsistence farmers. Anything else? Tavella (talk) 18:14, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

Forgot a couple of things, they have what is possibly writing (are Cueball and Megan illiterate?), and it's different than that of the Hill People, but their debris appears to look the same.

They appear to be either hunter-gatherers or have abandoned the area (for some reason - why?). From [9] "Many groups of 'nomadic' hunter-gatherers (also known as foragers) moved from campsite to campsite, following game and wild fruits and vegetables." We have seen three campsites; Cueball burried the embers from their fire (see image 1048 & 1062-1064 [10]). Galois (talk) 13:22, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

I did wonder about some kind of seasonal movement, but if so it's odd that they left the teepee to collapse (and be damaged, one of the supports is visibly cracked) rather than taking the materials with them or storing them more neatly. Tavella (talk) 17:44, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Go to a vineyard in late summer or early autumn, you will not see the "The Planting People". We only know that we are at this particular season because they can eat grapes from that plants and before they could swim in the sea. And both are following the sun in the morning, witch does mean they are walking East. --Dgbrt (talk) 19:28, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Yes, but you will see the Harvesting People if the grapes are ripe, and they apparently are. Tavella (talk) 21:28, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

Finally seeing where all the wood came from -- stumps everywhere. Tavella (talk) 21:28, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

What do we know by the end of May 2013?[edit]

I'm trying to collect some facts:

-They did build a sand castle and the weather was warm enough to swim in the sea. The taste of the water is bad, and the sea is raising.
-Then both are trying to find a reason for that raise and they are starting to travel around this special river.
-They are still going uphill while we never have seen that mountains.
-Eating grapes from a vineyard means we are at least at late summer.
-Walking to the sun in the morning is just walking to the east.

Two month's in this comic and we really do not know much more. Stay tuned, wait for it. We do not know much more essentials. Does Randall?--Dgbrt (talk) 22:43, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

They are also apparently now heading west, or mostly west. Their shadows are in front of them, and while that could be west in the morning or east in the evening, they are contrasting it with walking into the sun in the morning as they were along the shore, so it's west. Presumably they were walking mostly north until the decision to head for the mountains, since Cueball has just started playing with his shadow. Tavella (talk) 00:50, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

OK, but they are walking to the sun in the morning. That's east (on northern hemisphere, I still do not think we are at Madagascar). So we do have an other fact:
-Around time frame 1700 it's evening.

--Dgbrt (talk) 17:07, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

-If you walk into the sun, you are walking east.
-They then turned to their left to go upriver. That's would be going north.
-If you are above the tropics, your shadow will always lay to the north of you.
-Megan says what they're doing is better than when they had to walk into the sun, and it's been established that they walked along the sea for days, so they'd be familiar with walking with the sun directly behind them, too. If they were now walking west, it would pretty much be the same situation, except reversed. It doesn't really make sense to me that she'd call one situation better than the other. It feels more like they aren't walking into the sun at all anymore. Therefore, I think they are now keeping the sun relatively behind them by going north, which indicates they are north of the equator, and probably north of the Tropic of Cancer. Even at noon, the sun would be behind you slightly, to the south. And if you're walking uphill, it would be very visible to you.
--Druid816 (talk) 01:23, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

They are moving East as Megan did explain. When they can see their shadows in front of them it's just evening, the sun is now behind them. What tells me that Day One is coming to an end. --Dgbrt (talk) 19:59, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

They did mention that that had been walking for days, so who knows how many days it's been.--Gerry (talk) 21:45, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

Does today's "What If" give a clue to the current year? Unless it's been "fixed", it says "two hundred years from now, in April of 2432".  :-) Larry (talk) 13:34, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

Map exceeding bandwidth[edit]

The map here seems to be failing due to excessive bandwidth: http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php

I might be able to help with some bandwidth. If you know who is doing this and they can get in touch with me,(I'm @sevitz on twitter or via here) I might be able to help depending on BW requirements.

Sevitz (talk) 06:59, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

This map is incorrect but still a great fun. They are walking west in the evening, not north. But I am also sure the site will be back soon.
Nevertheless, if you can help here you are welcome! --Dgbrt (talk) 18:08, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
No, their shadows are in front of them, so they are either walking west in the morning or east in the evening. Since they were comparing it favorably with their experience of walking east in the morning along the sea shore, they therefore must be going west (or mostly west) currently. Tavella (talk) 19:29, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
Also, they've probably turned away from the river, since Cueball thought it important to refill the water bottle before heading for the mountains. So, east along the seashore, north along the river, then west towards the mountains. Tavella (talk) 19:33, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

Snake Theories[edit]

Megan mentions snakes with spikes over their eyes. That covers several species, all poisonous, but they are native to the American west and southwest, Mexico, Central America, north Africa and the Middle East. The snake that Cueball finds might be a slow-worm, a limbless reptile native to Eurasia. It's shiny, brown, has a blunt head, and can shed its tail like a lizard, which might give it a half-finished look if Cueball saw it that way. But a stronger contender is the rubber boa, which is native to the western US, and has a famously stubby head and tail.

This makes me think of one area: The Great Salt Lake. The Bear River empties into it from a northerly direction, and the area has the rubber boa and at least one type of poisonous horned snake. Native Americans of the area even had legends of the Horned Serpent. And that had to be a teepee we saw earlier. (I don't think Native Americans had trebuchets or berets, though....) --Druid816 (talk) 01:59, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

(...Except, unless they built a salt castle, it's more likely to be in a place with considerably more sand.)Galois (talk) 19:32, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
The Great Salt Lake makes sense unless this comic does not belong to our real world. We just have to find this Adansonia grandidieri trees or something similar at Utah. And this lake has beaches of sand, ok salty sand.--Dgbrt (talk) 19:44, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

The snake also seems to appear in frames 1645 to 1651 http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1645&framediff=1644 -- Flying Djinn (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Follower?[edit]

Megan is looking back sometimes since a few frames... May she has the feeling that someone is following them? People from the hills? The squirrel? -- Joggl (talk) 18:08, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

Yeah, Megan is looking at something. But what it is we just do not know. Wait for it. --Dgbrt (talk) 19:48, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
Perhaps it's Beret Girl? She's the only other human we've seen so far. 94.170.131.19 21:33, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
It's just the sea, they must be high in the mountains. --Dgbrt (talk) 22:05, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

We've got chicks, and not the first time: In image 1830-1831 Megan says "I heard chirps from the night sky once. I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping. - It was very quiet. - just a single chirp now and then." They were sleeping under a tree around image 1354, a bird flies overhead, later Cueball takes a walk. We can see some chicks at the end of his walk at images 1374-1376 [11]. It just took me a while to figure out what it was.Galois (talk) 20:35, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

Take a closer look; there's some kind of wisp hanging out in some of the empty frames and the ones Megan's looking back in. It's only about a pixel wide, but a few long; broken up, serpentine, almost ethereal.

In the hut scene (June 20) there seems to be something large moving in the bushes next to the fence. There was also something something poking in on the left back by the cairn (a few frames back). 216.239.45.91 18:18, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

I've been keeping a log of Hidden Animals in 1190: Time: Pictures. The first one you saw is likely a bird. There's a chick moving around in the grass. The recent scene (frame numbers 2214-2225) is a swarm (bugs?) that came in from the left and moved into the bush. Use this Geekwagon Link to view the hidden images. Galois (talk) 20:29, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

"--LOOK OUT!" I rest my case. 216.239.45.91 21:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

A big cat! Puma, Mountain Lion... who can tell, at least it wasn't a Velociraptor (there's 2 in Click and Drag). Galois (talk) 22:34, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
Looks too small for either a mountain lion or a puma. Could be a cub, perhaps. Tavella (talk) 23:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Now either that's a pet cat or this just got less PG. Also, the thing that showed up by the cairn is the right height for a nose. 216.239.45.91 23:06, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

I agree. If there's real danger, why does Megan just sit there? Galois (talk) 00:13, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Aubronwood problem[edit]

Has anyone noticed that the aubronwood site only seems to show every other frame after a certain point? Schiffy (Speak to me|What I've done) 15:52, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

Yes, it looks buggy. I'm always using my own downloads and this geekwagon.--Dgbrt (talk) 19:11, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
Noticed the same. Looks like the left and right arrow keys don't work after a certain point, but the up and down arrow keys and the mouse wheel continue to work correctly. -- 205.171.58.158 17:36, 14 June 2013 (UTC)
I found that if I hit "Slower" when this happens, it returns to single frame navigation with arrow keys.
If you click on the slider at the bottom of the page, left and right keys then move it one pixel, which is currently 2 images. If you click on the comic to move focus there, arrow keys work correctly

Elevation?[edit]

The elevation map on the edfel map hasn't been updated in ages, and I'd like to see how high up they are now. Anyone else found one anywhere? Tavella (talk) 21:31, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

You are right and we need a proper map on this like the water level before. I will try this soon, maybe tomorrow.--Dgbrt (talk) 21:48, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
I've been mapping the journey from the start, piecing each segment end-to-end in Photoshop. There is no significant net elevation change until they started following the river. The net elevation change from image #1150 to now (#1818) is 1402 pixels = 210.2 feet (assuming a 40 px average height of Cueball and using 40 px = 6 feet). However, since this is a comic, one may assume a greater height than that actually depicted. The horizontal distance along the same river walk is 59516 pixels = 8927.4 feet (1.7 mi, 2.7 km). I don't have the distances along the sea. The average speed, using 1 hr/frame update, is 0.0025 mph, 0.0041 kph (at 5 min/frame update the speed increases to 0.0304 mph). Galois (talk) 22:07, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

What do we know by the beginning of June?[edit]

- thanks to Galois we do know they did travel around 3 km (NASA is getting better on this metric units).
- thanks to Galois we do know they did climb approx. 65 meters (maybe slightly more because 6 feet or 1.8288 meters for Cueball is maybe a little bit too much).
- they are still in real nature, the most technical devices we have seen is just wood.
- but they also did cross a road at the beginning of their travel.
- now both are heading uphill while the mountains still far away.--Dgbrt (talk) 22:11, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

I'd like to think Cueball is shorter, I used 6 ft because it's convenient and yields longer distances. The tallest Baobob tree is 516 px (rescaled to the running comic) = 77.4 ft (23.6 m) using a 6 ft Cueball. Note that using a 5.5 ft (1.7 m) Cueball, the tree drops to 71 ft (21.6 m). The Wikipedia page [12] on the Grandidier's baobab states they can reach 25 to 30 m (80-100 ft) in height, 23.6 m is about right. Galois (talk) 23:40, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't follow this as religously as others so maybe I missed the obvious answer, but why is it assumed that we have seen all of the way they went? I alway thought the parts where they are hiking is like a "montage" in film, where lots of parts might be missing in between the snapshots we see. -- 193.171.69.65 (talk) 05:58, 6 June 2013 (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

(please sign your posts - don't worry, we're all here out of a mutual enjoyment of the xkcd comics) Actually, I looked into the possibility a while back, but it didn't work. Randall runs 3-5 frame updates with the two walking across the same panel. As they leave one panel on the right, they enter the next on the left (and visa-verse for the trip back to the sunken castle). Additionally, I only came across three panels that didn't adjoin perfectly (one in the sand dunes and two trees that didn't continue into the next panel). Galois (talk) 11:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

Image reference from late on the 67th day[edit]

At about 22:35 on the 67th day, the image reference "6fa2b361791e805aac0a89008a891e3999a0519ed870c1bc3dcc8dbff5e071d5.png" appeared for a time. It was after "f4e2276e4c47409412666b28be0cca75fedae3c182c4017932891c147004c720.png", followed by a few more of that reference and then by "133fddaecbdee3f5160771b68ce02cbc2b4b1c84a40faffb1bcaa6f75588edd0.png". At the time, I did not get a copy of the image, and it is not now available for download. Did anybody else see this image, and does anybody have a copy of it? --Divad27182 (talk) 20:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

I am also confused, my download was also broken at that hour. 404 Not found.
It is at 1606:00 or image 1727 - still more confusing numbers. Randall could not do it much better.
And "http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/6fa2b361791e805aac0a89008a891e3999a0519ed870c1bc3dcc8dbff5e071d5.png" is still 404...
So, we have an image here, but is it correct?--Dgbrt (talk) 20:48, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

My image number 1728 is 133fddaecbdee3f5160771b68ce02cbc2b4b1c84a40faffb1bcaa6f75588edd0.png. The image fits properly in sequence with the other images around it. Galois (talk) 22:32, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

OK, apparently it was completely broken at that time. I just felt I needed to ask, since I wasn't downloading actual images at that time, just the references, and so I have a broken reference in my list. --Divad27182 (talk) 02:03, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

Pictures and Time Collage[edit]

I opened a new page for the pictures: 1190: Time: Pictures. It's experimental and subject to (wiki-style collaborative) change. Galois (talk) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

I think "Cueball Walk images 1360-1378" is wrong. It looks more like if Cueball was walking perpendicularly to the image. DiEvAl (talk) 22:03, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
That's the way it was drawn. While Megan is still sleeping, Cueball takes a walk, gathers some berries, stops several times to look around, and then walks back to the tree. The walk and the tree scene probably don't connect directly. It appears that Cueball arises from under the tree, turns (left) away from the "camera" (frankly, I can't tell he is walking towards us or away from us... only Megan has hair, which tells us which way), and starts his walk. Galois (talk) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Nice work Galois! How we can show this pictures at the comic page? Maybe with a smaller preview for a link to to the full size picture with a warning about this. But also I think it should be at a different page. Any ideas?--Dgbrt (talk) 20:26, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

Good point! I took your advice. Galois (talk) 15:42, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Also posted at Galois (talk): Thumbnails are not working at this moment. But nevertheless I think it's not a good idea to include that large pictures. My idea:

Create that big pictures, separated into some parts, remove Megan and Cueball and then change only the width to 1200 pixels. And one picture should cover all at the width of 1200 pixels. Scene 2 could be split into several collapsible parts with the terrain picture on top. Just an idea, what do you think?--Dgbrt (talk) 17:59, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

Megan and Cueball sleeping deep for the first time[edit]

Maybe they will be disturbed by some flies or other animals, but now it's night... They will sleep because the first day is over. Good night!--Dgbrt (talk) 23:27, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

This is not the end of the first day. According to frame 1600 they walked along the sea for days. If the later timeline is similar then they've walked up the river for days as well.--Gerry (talk) 23:55, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
At frame 1600 Cueball says that they "walked along the sea for days". But at this comic they are walking along the river, the travel at the sea must happend before. Since they are walking again it seems both are sleepless.--Dgbrt (talk) 12:31, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
They also slept under the tree in images 1348-1352, Megan talked about that night in 1830-1832 (time 1709:00) "Megan: I heard chirps from the night sky once. I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping. - It was very quiet. - just a single chirp now and then. Cueball: Did you see anything? Megan: I thought a few stars flicker. - Nothing else." Galois (talk) 00:40, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
The story from time 1709:00 also refers to things did happen before this comic did start.--Dgbrt (talk) 12:31, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
I agree too, but not this time... there is a chick in the grass in the scene next to the tree where they slept. See Difference between frames 1375 and 1374 or "Chick in grass 1375" in 1190: Time: Pictures [13] in the Hidden Animals section. The same type of chick was right in front them in time 1709:00 (see "Chick in grass 1826"). Galois (talk) 13:58, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

They're coming back... in Frame 1928 we can see the two heading off following the small river with their knapsacks (or rucksacks) left behind by the tree where they slept. Galois (talk) 14:09, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

Journey update: As of (right edge of) image 2103, they climbed 1290 pixels or 193.5 ft (59 m) from the place the two slept by the small river (image 1908). Galois (talk) 18:30, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

Philosophical implications[edit]

I think the huge following that this comic has gathered - the amount of work by people like Aubron Wood and the guys at geekwagon, explainxkcd editors, general xkcd enthusiasts, the people at XKCD time wiki - raises some interesting questions. At this point we're not even clear how Randall is writing these comics: he may have designed them all from the start, or he may be writing 24 a day, going along with it, according to the natural progression of events and what has led up to now. It has interesting parallels with the design argument. It also makes you wonder about how it's all going to end. There are so many ongoing discussions - and have been from the start - about how the comic is going to conclude. Just as in real life we take so many different roads and never really know where we're going to end up. If we're continuing with the religious theme we could extend the metaphor even further, about what happens after we die. We don't know if we're going to just stop existing or if we're going to end up in some elaborate afterlife. We don't know what Randall's going to do - how long will the comic go on? Could it last his entire lifetime? We have no way of knowing. --Mynotoar (talk) 14:05, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

I believe Randall is writing this as it goes along, preparing the scenes only a little bit in advance. The story (quest?) reads more like a series of isolated vignettes, but with a few themes being carried forward, such as the quest for the source of the rising sea. I'm here in homage to Randall's unique wit and humor, and having fun trying to second guess what he'll do next. I don't believe the setting is an actual place, but we have several clues that limit its location. I see this as a collection of disparate objects and events; some go together, some not, but with some running themes. Randall may be making some points (such as conservation, ecology, and not eating squirrels); although, I would have never filled a canteen from the small river without first boiling or purifying the water. Galois (talk) 14:27, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

Are you living in tent? People living in tents for big amount of year (as these two apparently do) generally tend to dring water without purifying. .... on the other hand, those generally don't build castles from sand. And they DID mentioned steam bottle once ... -- Hkmaly (talk) 17:43, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

Stillness of air[edit]

Anyone else notice how still the air is? In the frames I have looked at, the grass never moves, so there must be no wind. 174.27.36.133 12:20, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

In over 2000 frames, I have found only four that depict wind. I added them to the 1190: Time: Pictures page [14]. Galois (talk) 21:01, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
I'm impressed you found those. Thank you. 174.27.36.133 02:09, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

Making extreme sport out waiting[edit]

Let's do 1017, but using current frame instead of a progress bar. Does anyone know what formula should we use for this? Something similar to the one in [[1017] won't work, because we don't know when (if ever) the Time will end. I was thinking about T = c + n * (1 hour), where n is current frame and c is a couple of days before the beginning of Time, but it seems too boring. --DiEvAl (talk) 14:57, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

Sorry, I can't figure out what you do mean. In Randall's words I just can say: Wait for it.--Dgbrt (talk) 16:00, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

Madagascar theory[edit]

I'm still not sure that it is supposed to be a specific place, but going with the Madagascar theory, there is indeed a native Madagascar hedgehog -- the greater and lesser tenrecs.

Still no squirrels, though. Tavella (talk) 20:58, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

That Madagascar trees are also imported to US. Hedgehogs are a famous pets in US, even when they do belong to Asia and Europe. We are still in the US, and more precisely around Utah. --Dgbrt (talk) 21:51, 14 June 2013 (UTC)
Hedgehogs are found in many places. From the shadow comments, they are on a northern sea coast in the northern hemisphere, hence probably not Madagascar. There's something wrong with every possible location I checked. The Mediterranean Sea is rising because the water coming in from rivers is greater than that lost through evaporation [15] and is polluted [16], BUT a quick check has every possible northern coast covered with cities or agriculture. I lived in Salt Lake City for a little while. Antelope Island has oolitic sand on the north and west sides and is a mountain, but no major rivers or waterfalls[17]. The north coast is a boggy delta, except for a peninsula, which is covered with agriculture. Southern Utah is a better match and has waterfalls, but no sea. I gave up. Galois (talk) 18:04, 15 June 2013 (UTC)
The sea thing is certainly a problem for any modern-day Utah theory, but the tree that recently came on-screen (frame 2145) could be intended to be Pinus longaeva, which would be appropriate to Utah (or many other parts of the Great Basin), high altitudes, and the comic theme. Oh, also, if you want a rising, large body of water near Southern Utah there's always Lake Mead. But it's probably not so large as to be mistaken for the sea. --Joe Decker
I'm not sure that current agriculture would be an issue. Unless they are play-acting or in some kind of _The Village_ setup, they seem unlikely to be current-day humans. They seem strangely ignorant of some obvious things and yet aware of others. There might be a few tribal peoples living in tents that would be unaware of the next river over, but they would be unlikely to be confused by birds nesting. Or be using trebuchets and European castle architecture in sandcastles. And if they genuinely walked for "days" along the shore, it seems unlikely to be a _The Village_ setup; that's got to be 20 miles even taking a leisurely trip for just two days, and probably more. Tavella (talk) 23:36, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

It might be interesting, however, that there's a striking resemblance between the Grandidier's Baobab depicted in the comic at frame 1525 Frame 1525 and the tree on the left in the Wikimedia picture Grandidier's Baobab (Adansonia grandidieri) near Morondava, Madagascar. Galois (talk) 18:24, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

That place is surprisingly like the comic, especially when explored Expedition style. It has beaches, other rivers, baobabs, etc! And doesn't the fact that they slept overnight invalidate the northern hemisphere theory and mess with determining the walking direction by the sun? Despite all this, I doubt being in Madagascar does much for understanding the meaning of the comic. --Irino. (talk) 01:55, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

That Theory seems to be out of date by now - post-apocalyptic(?) mediteran sea it is... 212.202.64.10 04:24, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Jumped by a kitty[edit]

Nom nom nom. The end. 121.74.128.126 23:54, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

I was going to say how trollish that felt (because I was felling attached to the characters and the comic), but you know what? It's just a comic. And no, I don't think it's ending that way, Randall is random, but not THAT random (I think). I bet $10 that Megan will fetch some sort of stick or club and go golfing. --Fernandofig (talk) 00:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

http://xkcd.com/231/ 121.74.128.126 23:57, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Alright guys, what's the species and where is it native to? Puma, mountain lion, lynx, jaguar, tiger, panther, leopard...

Well, if we're to believe that Randall is paying attention to the scale of the objects, then I don't think it's either of your options. That cat doesn't look much bigger than a domestic cat, so I think it's something close to an Ocelot. --Fernandofig (talk) 00:46, 21 June 2013 (UTC)u
Unless Megan and Cueball are kids, that would be an awfully large domestic cat. And from references like the cabin, they are adults or close to it in size. Ocelot's not a bad estimate, though. Tavella (talk) 01:01, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
Well, in my defense, I didn't really said it was a domestic cat, but that it looked just slightly bigger than one. An Ocelot fits that description, I think, while being much smaller than a Puma. Btw, there goes Megan golfing! :) --Fernandofig (talk) 04:05, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Not a cougar (too small for one) as I think they grab their prey by the throat and hold on till it's dead, not just knock it over and sniff. Bobcat's out (too big). Besides, what's coming in on the right? 99.72.154.66 03:16, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Now I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor kitty. 99.72.154.66 05:06, 21 June 2013 (UTC) (p.s. "it didn't bite you?" -- More for it being a lonely lost pet?)

If this is Madagascar, then it would be a fossa ... but the head looks too big and cat-like. Perhaps a juvenile cougar/puma? Would help explain why it bit the backpack instead of Cueball's neck. Geographically, that or one of the ocelots / relatives would put us in South or North America. AH 209.74.126.175 14:00, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Why is everyone assuming the location corresponds to an actual modern day location (e.g. Madagascar)? Given that http://xkcd.com/505/ is staged on an infinite plane full of rocks we shouldn't limit our search to the real, simply the rational. 216.239.45.91 14:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

This doesn't make any sense. Rationals are (or are isomorphic to) a subfield of reals, so if we limit our search to rationals we also implicitly limit it to reals. But it's safe to assume that they are in some group. My intuition tells me that this group is a vector field (most likely R^3), but obviously we shouldn't rely on that. --DiEvAl (talk) 15:47, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
Hahaha! Just wondering if those were Abelian Grapes that Cueball and Megan were eating. "What's purple and commutes?" 1960s joke. Taibhse (talk) 09:43, 23 June 2013 (UTC)
I don't necessarily think that it's an actual place, but some of the plant and animal references have been so specific as to make you wonder if they mean something. Tavella (talk) 19:41, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
The sand castle Megan built at the top matches the Paris Disneyland castle; thus, either Megan had seen the castle before or Randall just thought it was a neat looking castle to copy. There are other elements that limits the date to fairly recent, some more so than others. I don't think Randal is using an actual place, but rather an amalgam of elements from many places. As for myself, I prefer abstract algebra. Galois (talk) 17:18, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Given that they're been hiking up into the mountains, my guess is that it was a mountain lion... which is also known as a cougar. Or puma. --Druid816 (talk) 08:07, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

As we now know that they are in the Mediterranean region, a Eurasian lynx or an Iberian lynx look quite good guesses but the cat in the comic has a tail that is too long and it doesn't have ear tufts. I guess if it is far enough in the future, the distribution of animals could have changed, so it might be Caracal (desert lynx), a Serval or an African golden cat. Of course if it is even further in the future, it might be a whole new species that doesn't currently exist.NHSavage (talk) 21:11, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

They're back to the kitty! Will it run, or does it bear a grudge? 121.72.165.205 04:09, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

I still want it to be a lonely lost pet, maybe a zoo refugee. 99.72.154.66 04:59, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
It ran. Is it preparing another surprise attack? Time will tell. (Ha ha.) 121.72.165.205 06:22, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 2188[edit]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned or come up with theories about Frame 2188. I guess we now know that it was the cat stalking them. --68.147.179.172 01:04, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Re: 2188 check the "Following" section. 99.72.154.66 03:15, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Frames 2231-2232[edit]

What is that on the far right of the screen on Frame 2231? Any theories at all?

Boom mike? Martian tripod? Tavella (talk) 07:40, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'm downloading from two systems at different time. One got the same images as linked above, but the images I downloaded a few minutes ago don't have it. I get the following md5's

32fc7553d3134ec08a5bc88ffa1929d9 -> 867dc4718c684fa0507876cdd034ce7f7fd7980370034d676181ddf6b07dcabf.png <- 2231
a26efc43bb6bbc2bb8d12192a25d4938 -> e44589725450e5bf897d441e5ccd1e9b9a0a1ee6658fea9e6a7378e96c5e4be5.png <- 2232

216.239.45.91

Same here, the image I clipped (2231) has the figure (or whatever) and now it's gone. It must have been unintentional, and later corrected. Maybe the "whatever" or parts of it will show up later. Galois (talk) 14:56, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'll take a shot... The bottom part is curved and aligns perfectly with Cueball's head in Photoshop, just cutoff on the left (and the right as it goes out of frame). The rounded slice at the top matches Megan's head as well. The full slice does not match any scene to date (the only one close is 1885 with Megan in the tree, but that's not it); thus, it must be a slice from a future scene (or maybe part of a template with assorted characters). Galois (talk) 16:20, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I was going with "sprites from Pitfall, while the reader was distracted by the action", but the "template fragment" theory certainly works better.  ;-)

The great re-encoding[edit]

After noticing the snafu around 2231-2232, I whent and re downloaded the full set from imgs.xkcd.org and what I downloaded today doesn't match what I downloaded before (generally when they were <24h old). Everything from 1068 back seems to be a pixle match for what is there now but have different MD5s and is generally smaller. 216.239.45.91 20:31, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

My observations suggest that XKCD images are routinely optimized a few hours after posting. In short, it is normal for the image to change without the pixels changing. --Divad27182 (talk) 03:37, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

Another Theory[edit]

Can it just be about Mr. Munroe's life? I don't know many personal details, but it would be easy to draw about and still be important without being funny. --Irino. (talk) 04:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

A fair number of people have speculated that it's a metaphor for something personal, yeah. He's married and his wife had a bout with cancer a year or so back, so there's been some concern that the whole 'inescapable tide' may be a less than happy thing. Tavella (talk) 19:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

This is beginning to look a lot like the plot outline of a quest video game. --deepfatfriar 17:34, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

Only one day to reach the top of the Mountain[edit]

At frame 2305 Cueball mentions that it's only one day to reach the top and at frame 2308 Megan says that they will not much farther away from home when being there. This means the comic shows no night sequences but it did run for many days in the world of them. Maybe each real day is also a day in this comic.--Dgbrt (talk) 20:17, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

It sure took a long time to build the original sandcastle then.--Gerry (talk) 20:20, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. But now we have the prove that the voyage did last many days while there was no hint of any night hiatus. They did sleep but we couldn't see.--Dgbrt (talk) 21:40, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
Remember there was a fadeout while they were starting off on the journey, and later they say the walked for days along the shore. So that could be the bulk of the distance. Tavella (talk) 01:51, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
Maybe it's like the world for Game of Thrones but s/Seasons/Days/ I.e. veritable length days? 216.239.45.91 23:57, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
I'd rather think they started their journey several days before they reached the beach and started building the castle. I feel that what we are observing is a single day of their adventure - building a castle in the morning, walking along the shore and the river in early afternoon or even a little before noon, taking a short nap in the late afternoon and walking uphill again. The darkening of last few frames may be the evening coming. 89.174.214.74 13:59, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

It's getting cloudy.[edit]

Upper right corner of Frame 2352? Also the other three corners have something going on. 99.72.154.66 03:25, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

May Randall is reading this Wiki and saw the complain about still air :-) Joggl (talk) 06:09, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
Or maybe Megan is getting cold because a storm's coming. Maybe they don't know about storms in the hills or mountains. Note that the "people in the hills" where they live are perhaps not friendly, according to the earlier conversation about going on up the mountain: Cueball: "We can't be more than a day or so from the top. There may be people there." Megan: "Like the people in the hills?" Cueball: "We're a long way from there." If the people of the hills back home are unfriendly, Cueball and Megan may have no experience of hill weather. Taibhse (talk) 11:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

If you look at the image diff on GeekWagon it looks like they are experiancing a solar eclipse.162.5.71.176 15:18, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

No, that white round object in the cloud is just moving and is also getting smaller. I've no idea what it could be.--Dgbrt (talk) 15:45, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
It isn't getting smaller, it's just having to go through clouds of increasing thickness, making its domain of whiteness smaller. And it's moving because something like fifteen minutes just went by. --Irino. (talk) 15:53, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
Looks like a setting sun to me Hippyjim (talk) 17:56, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
You are right, we see a sunset. My first statement was about the "solar eclipse" theory, what is definitively not happen.--Dgbrt (talk) 19:27, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
We also effectively had a bit of a timeskip there -- it takes several hours for the sun to lower that much. Also confirms they are walking north (which I think was the going assumption already.) Tavella (talk) 22:51, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
The rate that the sun sets at depends on the "length" of the "lens" being used. Based on 360 deg/day motion and a apparent width of 0.5 deg, the sun moves it's own diameter every 2 minutes. 99.72.154.66 03:12, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

The images now fading to black, going to the dark night. I am hoping we will get a new scene on top of that mountain, but maybe we will just seeing them awakening below a tree. We just have to wait... Stay tuned as me!--Dgbrt (talk) 23:06, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

But maybe the Moon will shine and the fade to black does stop.--Dgbrt (talk) 23:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
Or maybe we will switch back to Beret Girl. Who knows? We'll see when we see. Taibhse (talk) 08:00, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
@Taibhse, It seems to me that you just explained the entire point of the cartoon. 74.174.17.194 13:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)ALurker

Where are the astronomical freaks? Can't we find out where they are depending on the stars? Joggl (talk) 17:12, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

~30 deg north based on the direction of motion. 216.239.45.91 17:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
The constellation looks like Bootes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo%C3%B6tesGerry (talk) 18:03, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
When Bootes is setting around sunset in the US it is August or September.--Gerry (talk) 18:16, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
I can't identify Boötes so far but the bright star following the path of the sun isn't a star: It's the planet Venus, here as the "Evening Star".--Dgbrt (talk) 20:28, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
Not Bootes; it's not on the ecliptic, which these stars are. Tavella (talk) 22:46, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
I think the upper constellation on 2394 is the Sagittarius. The lower one, which can be seen better on 2393 is the tail of the Scorpion constellation. The two bright stars close to each other above the tree are Shaula and Lesath. The brightest star is a planet, probably Venus. The only think bothers me is that there is an other star very close to Ascella in Sagittarius, which should not be there... Maybe an other planet? --80.98.250.115 21:31, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
I think you may have it. I passed over Sagittarius at first, because they looked too close together, but I think I was overestimating the scale. Virgo and Gemini both contain something close to the Y pattern of four bright stars, but the surrounding stars aren't right. If it's a planet, it would have to be naked eye visible but not as bright as Ascella,and I don't think there is anything that fits, which is a pity, because we could work out possible years. Tavella (talk) 22:26, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
Reviewing further, I'm even more convinced. If you get a star map in the right orientation, you can see that the rest of Scorpio is becoming visible just above the horizon in Frame 2393. And the arc of stars the three consellations are 'facing' matches up with the Serpent and Ophiuchius, including the visual binary of Delta and Epsilon Ophiuchi. If you look at a sky map for Nov 7, 2013, Venus is in about the right configuration. Tavella (talk) 23:14, 27 June 2013 (UTC)


Star Map[edit]

Is someone already stitching together a map of the stars as they move through the frames? I could do it, but I'm too lazy *g*. And if we have that, the relative position of the sun to the stars should be sufficient to determine the day of the year (depending on the accuracy of the drawings) and probably, assuming the first bright dot was indeed Venus, we might even be able to determine if the story takes/took place this year. Maybe other astronomical objects show (or don't show) and help to further narrow down the time. --92.76.250.121 00:18, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

From the position of the sun, Venus is at or close to greatest eastern elongation from the sun. Assuming that the constellations we are looking at are Sagittarius and surroundings (and the new stars coming into view continue to match this), the sun is located around Virgo. From the angle of the ecliptic, they are at 30 degrees north, and thus it would have to be around the beginning of November, as that's when Virgo sets with the sun at 30N. So it could be a year when Venus hits the greatest eastern elongation in late October/early November. Which happens this year, but it can't be this year as the moon isn't right -- there would be a crescent moon next to Venus. It would have to be at new moon or waning moon, and that puts it after 2037. Of course, there are a lot of assumptions and estimations in that calculation. Tavella (talk) 02:29, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
Actually, for the moon it could be 2029, but there's another blocking factor: Mars should be next to Venus in 2037. And for the next few eight year cycles, some combination of Mercury, the moon, and Saturn should be showing up between Venus and the Sun before the stars do. So it looks like 2053 would be the first matching date. And the next date after that 2085 - it precesses forward a bit each year, so it would be Nov 12 by 2085. Seems a bit late for grapes and hiking without any thought of shelter, but if it's 30N it is likely a pretty warm area. Tavella (talk) 02:59, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
Going backwards, the first one with no planets is 1981, but there would be a nearly full moon, and that scene does not look illuminated by a full moon. The most recent one with no planets and no moon interfering would be 1949. But that's purely my amateur estimation using the online AstroViewer. Tavella (talk) 02:59, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

I wandered over to the forum, and they agree with our conclusion of Sagittarius, and one of them had a interesting observation: Antares is gone. It should be the brightest thing in this view apart from Venus, and you can see the two stars that should flank it appear at Frame 2392, between Cueball's head and the tree, but no Antares. Which suggests that this is set sufficiently far in the future that Antares has gone supernova (which it is due to do.) Tavella (talk) 06:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

Even more suggestive of a far future: certain of the stars in the Scorpion appear to have moved. If you go to Hipparchos [[18]] and enter RA 260.4, Dec -42, and V(lim) 4.4, you will get the stars in the head and part of the body of the Scorpion. If you run it forward several thousand years, you'll see that the high-motion stars match with the distortions in the XKCD sky.Tavella (talk) 08:05, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

One last thing (for the moment): The angle of the sun and planets are what they should be for c. 30-33 degrees N, but to get the constellations angled the right way, it's closer to 12 degrees north. This may be precession, which could also explain the grapes in what would be currently by the stars the beginning of November -- the vernal equinox may have precessed forward, resulting in the sun being in Virgo/Libra in summer rather than fall. 15,000 years would put it in Libra in June, for example Tavella (talk) 16:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

Where in the world are Megan and Cueball?[edit]

Venus marking the path of the ecliptic tells us that we are at about 30 degrees north (my quick-ass calculation came up closer to 31 or 32 degrees north.) They are walking east with the ocean to the south of them, and they are following a large river north into hills and mountains that apparently are less than a day's walk north.

So if it's Earth, where could they be? There's not a lot of south-facing coasts around 30N. The only large one is the Gulf Coast of the US, but there's not much in the way of hills much less anything you could call a mountain close to the shore. The only exception I can really see is maybe around Mobile, which at last has some hills. There's the north end of the Persian Gulf and of the Gulf of California, but for both of those the hills are east of of the most obvious large river. Though the Gulf of California would make sense in other ways -- rivers that only run to the sea in the wet season, for example. There's South Korea, but the southern coast of that is broken up into a fringe of islands and peninsula, there's not really a solid stretch of coast to walk east along. Tavella (talk) 00:14, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

If, as hypothesized above, this is taking place a few thousand years into the future, might not the coastlines have changed? (Especially since the "sea" seems to be rising.) I wonder if we could find the proper configuration of hills and a mountain even in absence of a body of water to the south. 69.123.166.176 15:06, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

All the stars are following the same parallel path through the sky. Shouldn't the stars should be following a circular path centered on the north star, and the planets if any be following roughly the path of the sun and moon? --deepfatfriar

Based on my analsys (sicking a post-it to my screen so that it partially obscures Venus) things do seem to be curving (Venus is less obscured, then more, then less as I step through frames). 99.72.154.66 03:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

So, how far away are we viewing them from? We know (about) how tall Cueball is and the stars give us an angular ruler so we should be able to figure that out. Also, when will sunrise be? 99.72.154.66 03:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

Someone mentioned the Clock of the Long Now, and the 10,000 Year Clock would fit in a number of ways. The Texas original one is at the right latitude, and the Sierra Diablo mountains where it is are near a dried-up inland sea, which presumably could be a sea again, and an inland sea could rise much faster than the world's oceans. And it would fit with the title "Time", and explain the multi-thousand year future setting.

Has anyone been able to map exactly where the sun is on the stars? That would show where in the precession sequence we are. If it's in Libra, for example 15,000 years forward the sun would set in Libra around June at 31-32 degrees north at that point. Which would explain the grapes and the camping without shelter. Tavella (talk) 20:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

If the night does map the real world...[edit]

If the stars are real I'm sure it still does map to the current time frame of this comic. Venus and also Jupiter (even also Mercury, but hard to see) did follow the sun at dawn. Tomorrow I will have to fix my (Linux) xOrg for running Stellarium or Celestia. So for now I'm only on heavens-above, which is still not accurate enough for this cloudy comic sky at night.--Dgbrt (talk) 21:37, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

I've made a compare of the changes in Scorpio over the next 15K years, and the sky in Time. [19]. It matches pretty well, though I think the fastest moving star hasn't moved quite as far. So my current prediction: they are in the Sierra Diablo mountains in Texas (or what was Texas), climbing towards the 10,000 Year Clock observatory, about 14,000 years from now. Tavella (talk) 22:57, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
So is Beret Girl a mysterious time traveler? Taibhse (talk) 23:45, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
What is the source for your picture, Photoshop? Please tell us more.--Dgbrt (talk) 17:32, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
Stellarium to generate the comparison star maps (it takes into account Hipparchos data, so will move stars with high proper motion for far future dates), and GIMP to overlay them. Tavella (talk) 21:02, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
Thanks Tavella. Stellarium was my own first attempt too, but my xOohhhhgrrrrg did crash. NVIDIA on Linux is still a mess.
Go North to Dakota or even Canada to find a location where a 30 degree sunset can happen.--Dgbrt (talk) 22:14, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
Very nice pictures, Tavella! What's the meaning of the three red stars? Thanks in advance. 79.98.2.71 22:20, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
They are marking the three stars with the highest proper motion in the constellation (well, one of them, the top one, is a small companion star in the constellation zone rather than being formally in the constellation.) I just installed GIMP on this computer and was too lazy to go find the arrow plugin. Tavella (talk) 23:16, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

I'm sure i remember seeing a shooting star in one of the frames but it doesn't seem to be in any of the recorded frames? 75.181.22.10 19:33, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

Yes, it was a fast series of pictures so it didn't get caught. Here's an animation of the sequence: [20] Tavella (talk) 23:11, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
Can you give us some hashes and timestamps? --Divad27182 (talk) 03:25, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
2440a through e here: [21] Tavella (talk) 04:58, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
Tavella, your picture [22] seems to be gone for some reason, could you re-upload it? Thanks. Jahvascriptmaniac (talk) 11:31, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

Did we just see Megan and then Cueball have bowel movements?[edit]

Day 95 1:00 Megan squats alone on the right side of frame while Cueball sits in the middle of frame http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d9/time2378.png

Day 97 6:00 Cueball walks over and squats near where Megan herself squatted http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/8490469c3f8cea3b8dd7f55f8152d8048166af8a13bf2473af5b0b032b9c6f30.png

Day 97 7:00 & 8:00 Cueball is seen washing his hands in subsequent two frames? 24.91.69.220 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Meteor frames.[edit]

There were five meteor frames that appeared in very quick succession recently. How should they be numbered?

"appeared in very quick succession": I assume they actually appeared on the hour, just like all the others (except for first days), and as they are currently listed in our table? Mark Hurd (talk) 12:00, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
No, they appeared on the minute between 20:20 and 20:24 UTC on 29 June. That's how they're listed here. Crimethink (talk) 16:10, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
Yeah, I was looking at the hours +2441 through +2445! However, in my defence, I was fighting the database error when I first thought I noticed this. Mark Hurd (talk) 12:48, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

mscha's site numbers them 2440a to 2440e.

geekwagon only has the final meteor frame (2440e) which it numbers 2441, and after that all the numbers on geekwagon are out by one compared to mscha's site.

Another logical option is to number them from 2441 to 2445.

aubronwood has the frames numbered 2444 to 2448 (like the previous suggestion, but I think aubronwood had been out by three for a long time compared to other sites)

On the xkcd-time wiki I have tentatively used mscha's numbering, which may be a problem considering the wiki has built-in linking to geekwagon.

Patzer (talk) 07:01, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

Numbering them 2440a to 2440e is ok. And geekwagon seems to be broken at some more more frames right now.--Dgbrt (talk) 17:52, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
Uh, it would be great if we could number frames in actual chronological number order, not appending letters onto the ends of the filenames. It makes it easier for scripts to access images with a consistent naming scheme. Davidy²²[talk] 15:28, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
We have already been appending letters onto the ends of filenames, with frames 256P, 257P, and 258P. Patzer (talk) 15:52, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
And those are problematic with scripts already. More special cases to account for are not fun. I've only let those alone because fixing the problem would mean shifting more than a thousand filenames now, and I didn't notice it originally until it was 200 frames too late. Davidy²²[talk] 16:32, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
I have two ideas on this problem:
a) Put that special frames into an extra table at the bottom of that specific days, or
b) Add an extra column to the tables containing a sequence number. This would be much of work.
I prefer a).--Dgbrt (talk) 16:48, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
The meteor does seem to be a part of the comic, so it probably should still be inline with the rest of the frames. We'll only need to shift 40-odd image names to fix this, it shouldn't be too onerous. I'll do it tomorrow morning. Davidy²²[talk] 17:09, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
This will be good for your scripts but not for mine. We will be also out of sync to other sites. But if you will do that tell me where day 101 should start. I have to change a counter at my script.--Dgbrt (talk) 17:17, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
Day 101 starts at 2531 with the meteor frames shifted down. Davidy²²[talk] 01:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
Many thanks for your chaos, day 101 starts NOW with 2526. Before your edit it would have been 2521. But 2531 is a little bit too much.--Dgbrt (talk) 12:16, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
I can understand the desire for standardized numbering but I've been doing a lot of the image uploading recently using mscha's site as the source. I do it manually so it's already a pain, I don't think I can face having to do that extra little bit of arithmetic for each image to work out what the id should be on this site. Guess I'll be leaving it for the bots from now on. Crimethink (talk) 12:21, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
Thanks Crimethink for your great work. This is still a mess, but we can't revert it. We are all trapped in someone's decision...--Dgbrt (talk) 13:02, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
Yeah - I can see that. Just a shame that mscha decided to do it that way.Crimethink (talk) 13:22, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
Yeah. The idea of naming that pictures as 2440a to 2440e was first. Other sites like geekwagon are also out of sync. Unless we do use the timestamp at the file name it will be more mess in the future, I am sure.--Dgbrt (talk) 13:42, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I made this page to show the differences between numbering systems at mscha's site, geekwagon, aubronwood and explainxkcd. http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Frame_numbering Patzer (talk) 15:17, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

WOW, you must have much TIME ;)--Dgbrt (talk) 15:27, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

How do we even know that it's a meteor? Maybe Mr. Munroe has finally decided to use his best idea ever? Then it was just a damaged space station falling through the atmosphere. Also the mountain they are climbing is actually a volcano and the sea is rising because of all the tyrannosaurs swimming in it. --DiEvAl (talk) 21:53, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

This comic is just showing the real world we all do know. Look at this Perseids meteor shower at the next days, the peak should be around August 10 or 15. Most of that particles you can see as a bright meteor are smaller than one millimeter. It's only the vast velocity what causes this great visual effect.--Dgbrt (talk) 22:19, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Animated gif for the night[edit]

Here is an animated gif with enhanced brightness. You can see the Milky Way in the beginning and by the end some birds appear in the sky.--Dgbrt (talk) 11:51, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

That's awesome. Good job!--Gerry (talk) 14:17, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

Since we r watching the scene toward west, shouldn't the sky appear darker near the horizon, with respect to the sky above, at sunrise? (I'm asking here but of course I'm not referring to your animated gif but to the xkcd scene itself...) 217.200.201.97 11:46, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

When the sun rises on East the horizon at the opposite side is darker than the rest of the sky. When the sun is high enough you will not recognize this any more.--Dgbrt (talk) 12:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
Yep Dgbrt, my point is that in the comic sequence we can see the full path from the dead of night to the morning through the dawn: why Randall depicted a shade of light coming from the horizon and not from the sky above? Is it a realistic scene? Mlejnas (talk) 07:38, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

These clouds moving with the sky could be the milkyway. FG 10:18, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Yep, FG, but that's at the sunset, I'm talking about the sunrise (on the other side of the sky). Mlejnas (talk) 09:47, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
FG, look at my first statement at this section here. But Mlejnas is talking about the sunrise after the Milky Way already had disappeared.--Dgbrt (talk) 19:20, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

New picture naming rule[edit]

Is there any BOT here understanding the new naming? I'm missing many picture uploads, I will not do this by manual because that's stupid. This is still a job for a bot.--Dgbrt (talk) 22:32, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Sry, I was on vacation for a week, and I haven't resumed my bot yet because of that meteor. IMHO, we should get in touch with the admins of geekwagon, aubronwood and mscha in order to re-sync the frame numbers. Does anyone know whether any of them is already active here? --SlashMe (talk) 16:50, 3 July 2013 (UTC)
mscha and aubronwood have accounts on the forum (http://forums.xkcd.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=381029, http://forums.xkcd.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=35789). However, I don't think the owner of geekwagon has an account on the forum (see http://geekwagon.net/). Patzer (talk) 06:21, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
I had an account xkcd forum but found their rules complex so I generally communicate here or through email. I like the idea of a standard frame count between all the sites. Currently geekwagon is limited to a number instead of an alphanumeric frame number like mscha uses. However this can be changed. My two cents is a frame number should be the number in which the frames were shown regardless of what time they were displayed (I like simple), but I am open to ideas. --Deplicator (talk) 03:37, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
Geekwagon have now changed their numbering to the system used here. Patzer (talk) 05:17, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
I fixed it to include the meteor frames. They were missed because the script runs every 5 minutes. Would have done it sooner but I was out of town.--Deplicator (talk) 17:14, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
Great job and THANKS!--Dgbrt (talk) 19:16, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

Derrick[edit]

What is it? Sort of looks like on oil derrick, but of course it is not. What is the mechanical bits up top? --68.147.179.172 08:26, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

The ladder that goes up to the middle level but not the top and the wheel on that level suggest to me that it is supposed to be turned by an operator, but I can't see what that would power or move -- there's no obvious lines that aren't support structure. Looks to me like we are panning toward something even taller, so maybe that will enlighten. Tavella (talk) 09:33, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
The device looks to me like a sextant -- a telescope mounted on a gauged pivot. Possibly there is a second pivot at 90 degrees to the one we can see. The device might be used to measure the sea rise, if the sea can be seen from here. 24.158.67.232 12:30, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
Megan does seem to be looking through it, so sextant or telescope seems likely. Tavella (talk) 19:44, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
Could it have anything to do with the 10,000 Year Clock mentioned above? 173.195.5.167 13:37, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

Looks like a great platform to build another sand castle. Too bad there's probably no sand...--Gerry (talk) 13:19, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

My guess is that the tower may semaphore tower that is under instruction (or abandoned) and part semaphore tower in a Semaphore_line. In Frame 2594 where Megan reports seeing flashes. Could those flashes be distant semaphore signals? Chongo (talk) 00:05, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

In frame 2686 we see more of these towers. Those may be part of a semaphore line that you suggest. 166.137.209.163 05:33, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

I think it's an telescope or something like this. Maybe they see the sea rising with this thing... Joggl (talk) 19:22, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

After seeing Frame 2803 I'm pretty sure these are triangulation points which historically were used for geodetics, see e.g. [23] (3.6MB, sorry only German text). --Chtz (talk) 21:03, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

all okWTF FADE![edit]

just - what's going on??! 83.8.22.78 22:15, 6 July 2013 (UTC)

Fade from white to the castle and we get to see what beret girl has been up to (last we saw, she was dragging something in frame 970: Difference between frames 970 and 969]). 216.98.244.174 22:55, 6 July 2013 (UTC)
I think this is where the water level is now. If so, holy crap! Is there anything hidden in the white frame? --Irino. (talk) 00:01, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
Meanwhile, back at the beach... 216.239.45.94 04:01, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

Out of breath -- higher than we thought?[edit]

I haven't done the exact calculations, but my impression from those we did that they have only climbed 300-400 cueball-heights, which would be only a couple of thousand feet. Doesn't it usually take more than that before you start getting oxygen effects? Could they have started at a higher elevation than we thought? Anyone have a current calculation for elevation gain? Tavella (talk) 22:15, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

They started at sea level, unless the body of water was not the ocean.--Gerry (talk) 00:34, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
Right, but the speed of sea level rise strongly suggests their "ocean" is an inland sea, so they could be in an endorheic basin that is much higher than sea level, like the Great Basin in the US (where the second 10,000 year clock will be), or Lake Van in Turkey. Tavella (talk) 06:16, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
The Great Salt Lake was proposed here before, it's at level 4,200 feet or approx. 1,283 meter. The mountains there are going up to a much higher level, you can get out of breath there. The level calculations may be wrong because Randall didn't show every part of the trip. There were more nights, but we could only see one.--Dgbrt (talk) 18:33, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

The people they did find[edit]

Any ideas what the hats or hair cut does belong to?--Dgbrt (talk) 20:08, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

Looks like Watch Caps to me. 216.239.45.90 20:19, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
Or a yarmulke Frame 2933 99.72.154.66 04:17, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

It's the wrong end of the river for them to be building a dam, but I'm wondering, with all the surveying equipment, if they are diverting more water into the basin that Cueball and Megan live in. But they seem like pleasant enough people, quick to help Megan. It's hard to be believe they would drown the area without checking to see if, y'know, people live there. Tavella (talk) 23:02, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

What if they're building a bridge? Are we too far from the Big River? 24.218.148.222 01:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Is this pair the Cueball and Meagan we've known from before? What impresses me is the level of ignorance this pair exhibits, compared to the couple we've come to know. This pair do not seem to understand oxygen starvation at higher altitudes, how tides work, etc. This almost flies in contradiction to the fact that, in the beginning, they were building sand castles. This presumes castles existed at some point in their own history if not currently. Castles indicate a certain level of knowledge and technology, which this current couple seem to lack knowledge of, to some large degree at least. If this strip 'ends' at the level of technology we've seen thus far and hinted at by this new tribe of people, I would suggest this indicates a world wide (or at least very large area) collapse of a prior civilization. Riprap (talk) 23:14, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

Well, they certainly don't have access to wikipedia. As for the tides, I think we generally concluded that it is more likely a lake and they never saw it rise as fast as it did. --Chtz (talk) 08:49, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

So are they getting sleepy from the bad night's sleep or something more nefarious? 216.239.45.92 05:31, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

Or are they brewing ent-draughts here? Watch to see whether Cueball and Megan start growing taller! Taibhse (talk) 01:14, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Now things are getting meta; Cueball drawing a stick figure of himself.... 216.239.45.87 06:04, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

At least it's an accurate depiction--Gerry (talk) 11:07, 11 July 2013 (UTC)


Language[edit]

Is someone trying to decipher what they are saying? It might be more or less some kind of substitution cypher, but I'm not sure yet which letters are actually the same (e.g. 1st in Frame 2663 and 1st in Frame 2664 are quite likely the same. But the last but ones in these frames just look close in my view (also to 9th in Frame 2671)). Sentences seem to end with the an ° or ¯ above the last letter. Chtz (talk) 09:29, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

The ° or ¯ above the last letter appear to be a period or a question mark respectively.--Gerry (talk) 10:38, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
Frame 2676 is identical to the last two words of Frame 2668. Apparently that is the stuff they applied on Megan's leg. Chtz (talk) 10:42, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
We can't decipher because it's just Randalls invention. At 2545:00 we have a clear 69 at the last word.--Dgbrt (talk) 18:50, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
My current theory is ¯ means "!" so Frame 2708 could be "Water!" - "Yes!!, Water!!". I'm not sure about the substitution cypher theory anymore, though. Unless some signs represent two Latin characters. --Chtz (talk) 12:05, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
Frame 2806 is another hint that Dialog2806d.png could mean "Yes." The rest of the dialog looks similar to Frame 2734. Hopefully, they meet the translator soon. --Chtz (talk) 21:27, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

I believe it's possible to translate their language into pervect english by simple replacing their symbols by roman letters (the right way). For "water" we have an example. (talk) 17:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

What could the last word in Frame 2728 be then? It ends the same way as "water"/"drink", except for a ° instead of a ¯ over the last letter, but has an additional "3"-shaped letter at the beginning. I'm starting to believe that Randall put a bit more effort into designing this language. --Chtz (talk) 15:34, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

It is clearly not a letter-per-letter cipher; I think Randall has been considerably cleverer than that. It looks like a (fictional) Semitic language, in which case individual characters could indicate syllables rather than letters, but I doubt that it is a simple cipher for English at the syllable level either. At this stage it is impossible to say how far he has gone in creating an original syntax, but I would note that we have seen the word that means "water" (or "drink") in at least two forms (a simple form used by Cueball, and a form with a kind of 3 at the beginning used as the last word of the Beanie's response to Cueball's picture). I'm confident the ¯ is simply a period, ° a question mark, and the double ¯ is an exclamation mark. The other stray marks could be other punctuation marks as well. KenBrown (talk) 15:55, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Provisionally, I took the "water" string with the '3' in front to be something like "sea-water." Taibhse (talk) 18:25, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
Another reason why it's not a "letter-per-letter cipher" is that I'm pretty sure we've seen at least 3 distinct single character words. Note that almost all characters are reminiscent of arabic numerals. Mark Hurd (talk) 18:59, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Next speculation: Dialog2827.png could mean "(the) castle" and Dialog2806c.png could mean something like "(move) to the castle" or "(to be) at the castle". Maybe we should start a subpage for all language investigations. --Chtz (talk) 00:42, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

Seconded. Also we need a template for putting stranglish text on this wiki. --DiEvAl (talk) 21:59, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

I just noticed that translator often puts a ° or ¯ above last letter in some sentences, just like in stranglish (did we come up with a better name for it yet?). I think this confirms that ° and ¯ is stranglish punctuation. Also since stranglish has punctuation, it can't be substitution cipher applied to lojban. --DiEvAl (talk) 21:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

It also confirms that we were right about the meaning of the punctuation. ¯ is a period, and (as confirmed by the latest frame) ° is a question mark. KenBrown (talk) 10:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
Indeed, in frame 2892 (permahash on XKCD), the girl with long hair seems to say "WHAT RIVER?", and instead of putting a "?", there is a "°" above the last "R". Jahvascriptmaniac (talk) 11:29, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

New Guy in City[edit]

How do we call the new guy that appears in Frame 2819? One Suggestion: Black Hat Stranger (He's clearly not Black Hat). --Chtz (talk) 14:19, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

And maybe calling them "stranger(s)" is actually not appropriate. How about "local(s)" or "native(s)"? --Chtz (talk) 16:51, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm guessing the cake-house of the Big Translator Guy is going to look like a sandcastle, thus the Oh, Wow from Megan. Tavella (talk) 18:31, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

A long haired woman (former: The old guy) in Castle[edit]

Man that is an atrocious accent. 216.239.45.91 13:37, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Why are we assuming its a 'guy' again? 24.218.148.222 21:45, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
I did edit the entire page (Old man -> is now the Long haired woman), but maybe I did miss some. The main cause of this fault was probably my guess that they did walk to an old man.--Dgbrt (talk) 22:22, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
The stick figure in the drawing really did look like a bearded guy, so I think it's a reasonable mistake Tavella (talk) 22:47, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
At the drawings on the ground they did not show stick figures. The current pictures are real stick figures. So the bear is falling around far over the neck? It's a woman.--Dgbrt (talk) 22:56, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Passage of Time[edit]

I suppose it is safe to assume that the black frame (Frame 2698) represents some indeterminate passage of time, since we do see Cueball now speaking the language of the Beanie-Wearers. What is strange, and perhaps it is just Randall being lazy, is that if you compare the frames before and after the black frame, there is absolutely no changes to vegetation, and very few changes to anything else. Vegetation would have been the biggest culprit to a lengthy time interval. (Again, assuming it took some non-trivial amount of time for Cueball to learn the new language.) --68.147.179.172 20:01, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

I assume only a few hours have passed. It seems rather that Cueball is only now learning his first word: "water." Presumably the response also means "Yes! water" so then he would know two words, but there is no reason to assume he knows any more than that yet.79.247.252.250 20:06, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
Yeah. I jumped the gun. He's only learned a single word. So just a single sleep has passed. --68.147.179.172 22:37, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
Cueball did talk something like "watr" and the stranger did correct him "No, water".
If you are right, then it looks like a substitution cipher to me. --DiEvAl (talk) 21:15, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
BTW: I think we should call this language "Stranglish" until we do not know what it is.--Dgbrt (talk) 20:21, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
Or was that Cueball: "water" and Stranger: "Yes, water?" Taibhse (talk) 01:14, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Megan's backpack[edit]

Megan started wearing a backpack after they left the tower. They lost Cueball's backpack when the animal clawed it up, so he carried everything in Megan's to keep weight off her leg. That ointment must be good stuff if she's able to walk with a backpack. The locals must have given her a new one.--Gerry (talk) 01:50, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

Yep, I noticed that. Apparently they gave/loaned her one of their bags. Even so, I notice she was the only one shown (Frame 2814) clambering up a small steep spot, so maybe she's not fully functional yet. Taibhse (talk) 11:49, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
Also, I wonder what they did with their "telescope" that they lowered from the tower; and the little folded-up mini-tower. And for that matter, whatever that was leaning against the right leg of the tower from the beginning. All three things seemed to disappear just before they left the scene. They don't seem to be packing them. Taibhse (talk) 11:49, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
I assume they have some kind of storage at that location to protect their equipment from weather and from animals. They also left some other bigger things, like the ladder and the water container, indicating that they appear to go there frequently. --Chtz (talk) 12:05, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

Who are they?[edit]

If the Great and Powerful OZ steps out from behind a curtain, I'll upchuck. Castles imply a need for defense, yet our adventurous pair and the 'natives' both seem totally relaxed with the discovery of the other. No obvious caution shown, no attempt to discover which side they may be on, etc. In fact, the 'natives' appear to be experienced with the finding of new people and following an established procedure for dealing with them, hence the trip to the castle. If Meagan and Cueball had declined to follow, what would have taken place then? Just a guess but I would say, nothing, each to their separate way.

The one map view strongly suggests, to me, survey work using trigonometry (or some variation) to determine location. It would seem to be a case of figure the location first, get there, then see what you find. The greater and lesser circles are intriguing as well, along with the long, straight lines and other geometrical figures seen. Wish there was a bigger, clearer view of it.Riprap (talk) 00:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Not all large structures are castles. It could be a cathedral or temple or university. Only Megan called it a castle because of its resemblance to their sandcastle. The castle's inhabitants called it a squiggle-squiggle-squiggle.--Gerry (talk) 02:41, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
No they call it Dialog2827.png ;). The usage of merlons indicates that it shall have some defense purpose—OTOH, it could be purely decorative. The fact that they all seem very relaxed about meeting strangers and nobody (visibly) carries any kind of weapons or armor suggests the latter. --Chtz (talk) 07:31, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
So does the fact that there were obviously children playing under the watchful eye of the first person they encountered in the "city." No effort was made to protect children from possible inimical strangers, and no obvious defenses at the school/playground/whatever-it-is at the entry gate. The gate hat guy was very relaxed. (If the "telescope" towers are part of a communications system, they might already know in the city everything they think they need to know about trusting Cueball and Megan, of course.) Taibhse (talk) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
The question arises, what was the mission of the single stranger with the package/book/box/whatever, who met them on the way, spoke a few words, and continued on toward the tower that the group had just left. Could have been a replacement watcher on the mountain. But then why did all three strangers need to leave the post and come to the city with Cueball and Megan? Taibhse (talk) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
I think most of that conversation was "Hello" and "Good bye" or some variants of that. --Chtz (talk) 10:33, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Probably the "strangers" ought to be called the "castle people" since that is how Megan and Cueball seem to think of them. Taibhse (talk) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

How about "mountain people"? I agree that "stranger(s)" does not seem appropriate anymore—after all, they are at least a local majority. --Chtz (talk) 10:33, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Maybe the castle is there to defend humans against other creatures. So other humans are always welcome, even if they don't wear silly hats.134.102.219.242 12:58, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

That would still hardly explain the merlons—unless these creatures are somehow able to shot at higher ranges. Maybe they are currently at peace with all their neighbors, but expect a war in the future. (BTW: Greetings colleague! (According to your IP-address)) --Chtz (talk) 17:14, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone thought of looking at obscure languages with odd script texts? Georgian? Sri Lanka? Thai? 164.165.173.219 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I was speculating about some language like Esperanto or Lojban, encrypted with a simple substitution cypher. But I have not investigated that further. --Chtz (talk) 17:14, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

They could be adding to an extant structure - historically not an uncommon practice. So the merlons could be historic. As a side note, are there levers and pivots in the glass window? Maybe this is the temple of engineering?? ~~rbnm

Or just using past motifs. Look at all the Grecian columns and medieval merlons and gargoyles and what-not that went into subsequent architecture. Nothing is more full of tradition (right along with innovation) than architecture. As for the "temple of engineering" it might just be that the whole city is the "Engineers." (Not Larry Niven's Engineers.) Whatever their role, they might be causing the sea level to rise through an engineering project, thinking that no one lives down by the sea. Taibhse (talk) 21:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
Those might be "levers and pivots." They might also be telescope mounts and astronomical objects. It's a very interesting window. Taibhse (talk) 21:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

It's interesting that the castle is mostly underground. I wonder if the "little houses" also extend underground? And I wonder if this is a sign this is a very hot climate for the Beanies / Long-haired woman (I like the idea of naming her Hypatia, as was suggested elsewhere.) If it's hot for them up on the mountain where it is significantly cooler to Cuegan, maybe that explains why they didn't think there were people down in the sea basin. Tavella (talk) 22:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Underground, an interesting theory but, many such structures had several levels below ground level, so as to reach the bedrock wherein to support the massive stone structure above. Once dug, why waste it, especially if it provided a comfortable environment? Still, the temperature theory is interesting. If one takes the images with the partially obscured text and play with the brightness and contrast, you can make out many more words, which do not seem to be spoken aloud. Are these sub-conscious thoughts dealing with translation or something a tad more sinister? (I just saw the image change over at :40 after the hour. Just a hiccup on my browser or are these frames speeding up?)Riprap (talk) 23:56, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone transcribed the blurred English words? Having trouble with a few.98.201.4.16 13:04, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

Just created a page to address this topic. See Translator. If someone could wikify that, that'd rock. I'm wiki-dumb and it shows on that page. --1292 (talk) 14:53, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

Translator's Blurry Text[edit]

Since a lot of the stuff the translator is saying is hard to read, I figured we should have a place to get everyone's opinions on it. So I made a Translator page where it can be discussed. 74.95.85.209 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

I make that out as "What is forty? My numbers are no same." Riprap (talk) 16:51, 18 July 2013 (UTC) Meagan and Cueball explain why they are there. In reply I read it as "You do not know. I make sea rise." Riprap (talk) 17:10, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

The main Explain XDCD page has all the text of the whole comic and is doing a pretty good job with the blurred text Scene 3 Inside Castle--Gerry (talk) 18:25, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
This page can be used for investigations, but the images should zoom in much more on the text. The final explain has to go here for sure: Scene 3 Inside Castle--Dgbrt (talk) 19:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
I added links to the images from the main transcript. Perhaps the translator page should be deleted. Individual panes/phrases can be debated on the image's page, and updated in the main transcript.--Waitforit (talk) 20:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
And I did delete it, we just need a link to this experimental page, that's enough. And the pictures still need some more improvements. At transcript we basically only show the text.--Dgbrt (talk) 20:17, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

Why the sea is rising[edit]

Now we know why the sea is rising. I wonder if the castle people connected the two seas intentionally, or if it was an act of nature.--Gerry (talk) 18:43, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

the way the long haired woman says there was a great ?????? seems like an natural thing, maybe an earthquake that shut the gibraltar passage 212.202.64.10 04:44, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
Yes, but that was the closing of the passage 5.96 million years before our present time. Hair Woman is surprisingly knowledgeable about the evolution of hominids, and when her ancestors "first learned to walk upright" about that time. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_human_evolution. Taibhse (talk) 01:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
Maybe she has Wikipedia too.--Gerry (talk) 02:35, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
As for the opening of the passage in Cueball/Megan/Hair Woman time, H.W. says "When we discovered that the sea was ???/flowing under the bank we tried to shore it up. We failed." No indication what, if any, geological or human-caused event may have started it, and no need for there to be one, actually. No reason it couldn't have been gradual seepage even by geological measure, let alone human measure. Taibhse (talk) 01:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Do you know where you are?[edit]

Aw yea, finally! I just hope that we don't get another 500 frames with 2 bits of dialogue (like when they left the beach) Bdemirci (talk) 22:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm guessing we are less than 100 feet above the "higher" sea. Sort of a dead-sea kind of difference (>1k ft) 216.239.45.91 22:05, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

So they are in the Mediterranean Sea. We can see Italy and to the left the Strait of Gibraltar leading to the Atlantic ocean. Would this have been thousands of years ago? 206.191.28.43 01:18, 19 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

If this article[24] is right, about 5.3 million years ago.

Which makes me wonder if we're in the far future. Castles and such large architecture is only a few thousand years old. So was there an earthquake that closed the Straights of Gibraltar again, and the Mediterranean dried up? And it's now filling up again?--Gerry (talk) 01:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 2909 confirms that this is the future, as it refers to it happening before, when our ancestors ("parents") were learning to walk upright, i.e. 3-6 million years ago. KenBrown (talk) 06:44, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

ATLANTIS!!!! 98.201.4.16 01:34, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Is the castle Chateau D'If in France? --203.0.215.2 01:41, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

It does resemble Chateau D'If. [25]. The distant future is sounding more reasonable than the distant past. 206.191.28.43 01:48, 19 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

That certainly looks like the modern Mediterranean sea, now doesn't it? 24.22.89.85 02:47, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Not only that, if you look at the map which shows the channel, the location of the castle is highlighted and it does correspond to the location of Chateau D'If. --203.0.215.2 04:11, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I don't think there is any doubt. The castle is the Chateau d'If. The correspondence on the map to Marseille harbor is exact. The map and the outline of the castle are pretty explicit, including the depiction of the Strait of Gibraltar as the "passage" between seas. So if the level of the Atlantic is anywhere near our own, they will end up on the Île d'If. If higher, who knows. Taibhse (talk) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

This is a future version of Julian May's "The Many-Colored Land." Taibhse (talk) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

By the way, Cueball and Megan have walked quite a long distance. On Hair Woman's map their home appears to be due south of If, same longitude, and roughly at the latitude of Sassari, Sardinia. A minute of latitude is a nautical mile, essentially, and they walked a polygonal path, not a straight line north; a couple hundred nautical miles, at least. That's a long walk. Taibhse (talk) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

What if this is the map from http://what-if.xkcd.com/53/ where the Earth's oceans had been drained? That shows the Strait of Gibraltar having been cut off from a now much-receded Mediterranean sea!155.95.80.253 15:36, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I wonder if the flag in frame 2944 (and 2812) is intended to be a marker for the new sea level? 173.212.109.235 19:15, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Assuming this is the Mediterranean sea[26], the predicted sea level map in frame 2907 shows that the Balearic Islands will become completely submerged. Since the highest point on the Balearic Islands is 1432 meters above sea level [27], and Chateau D'If isn't nearly as high, wouldn't Chateau D'If become completely submerged as well? Or maybe the Translator just omitted the Balearic Islands from the map. I'm guessing the latter is true. JimmyK4542 (talk) 21:50, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

See the file : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Inserciomamifers.jpg for a dried mediterranean.

"How many people strong are you?"[edit]

Am I the only one who finds the "strangers" a little sinister? Especially this question. It reminded me of the scene in Invader Zim when he asks the teacher about Earth'd defences... 77.87.179.62 07:56, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=PL8BC075BA3A6D336D&v=k453j0d6WEk#t=351s found the clip! 77.87.179.62 07:56, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
No, you're not the only one. Megan reacted that way when Hair Woman asked them for their bags, for example. Both our protagonists looked uncomfortable when she sent away the three individuals that had helped them and brought them to the castle. And remember the hill people, and the discussion between M and C of the people on the mountain being -- maybe, hopefully -- different, since they are a long way from the hills. Also Hair Woman said "Yes! Good." when she understood the number 40. The suspense is intentional, I am sure. Taibhse (talk) 08:23, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
Also when Cueball was talking about the people in the hill where their river comes from Megan said, "They don't like us," implies that there is some level of antagonism between peoples in this world and that they didn't know what to expect from the castle people.--Gerry (talk) 08:39, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
An alternate interpretation of "Yes! Good." would be "only 40 will have drowned." 216.239.45.91 13:57, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
The "Oh" and "OH" just after indicate she didn't know they weren't there and was taken aback that they weren't even aware. 121.72.165.205 10:50, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
I interpreted it as "Yes! Good. I understand, I get it." Caraway (talk) 15:08, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Surveying equipment[edit]

I'll bet their instruments are intended to judge the level of the Atlantic and to determine if they will be an island or completely swamped. They were also used to draw the map of their guess about the future sea level.--Gerry (talk) 08:46, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

According to frame 2605, the Beanies could see Cuegan's home. But the beanie leader claims they did not spot them. Further indication of malicious intent? 212.219.143.98 15:26, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
2605 shows that Cueball and Megan knew where there home was, to point to it, but not necessarily that they could /see/ anything. No instruments appeared to be mounted in that tower. Taibhse (talk) 17:51, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Title text[edit]

When did the hovertext change to "RUN."? --deepfatfriar 20JUL13

Great catch! I wonder what else we missed... (You can sign your posts by typing 4 ~'s in a row) Bdemirci (talk) 16:54, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
Checked out the Wikia page. Luckily, we didn't miss much. The title text is "Wait for it." up until this frame (exclusive): [28] That frame has a text of "...", and all frames since have read "RUN." Bdemirci (talk) 17:06, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
Frame 3076 has the text back to "...". When did it change? JimmyK4542 (talk) 02:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Here: [29] Although, technically that frame reads '....', but all frames since read '...' Bdemirci (talk) 03:13, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Now (frame 3077 at geekwagon) it's back to '...'71.212.147.246 03:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

And a brief investigation shows it's been that way since 3072gw.71.212.147.246 03:42, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

The story of Gibraltar[edit]

Did the learner/teacher/leader/ruler know the truth? She did some guesses and used a map that their people had found. I can't imagine their parents did travel 2.000 kilometers to Gibraltar, Megan and Cueball must have walked to a level more than 1.000 meters above their home, and also several hundreds of kilometers. A Cougar does not belong to Europe; they were walking to a higher level, running out of breath. At sea level? I'm pretty sure this story is still not solved.--Dgbrt (talk) 21:49, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

People can have trouble with elevation differences as low as 1500m. It's a common problem where I live (at 1640m). If the estimates of the vertical distance traversed are wrong because Randall has been imprecise, maybe they're that far up.71.212.147.246 00:04, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
The castle is at sea level, though (+/- 100m given than the strip is apparently 14,000 years in the future.) I don't think one would have trouble breathing at sea level, even if they live one thousand meters below sea level. --68.147.179.172 05:38, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
We don't know that it was a cougar though, do we? That was just people's assumption. It could have been a lynx, or some other big feline. ~Therrufying 83.233.5.126 21:12, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
I just did say: "this story is still not solved". Maybe the Cougar is wrong or even much more. Did we follow them on a journey of a couple of hundred kilometers? I'm still not convinced in that. But when they will successful use their stolen maps it could be a prove (or not, we haven't seen that local maps jet). Nevertheless, we know their castle is flooded.--Dgbrt (talk) 21:59, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

Now that we have their location, did anyone try to match it up against the night sky from Scene 2 - Part 6 in order to see how far in the future the action might be taking place? It should be easier to make more accurate predictions now, right?--Michael85 (talk) 23:46, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Please do not start a new topic for each post here.--Dgbrt (talk) 00:39, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

And since you do not read, this story is NOT solved.--Dgbrt (talk) 00:48, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
I followed closely this whole thread ever since it started, but I haven't joined the discussion until now. Anyway, I haven't seen any update to the star map investigation and I was curious. Sorry for barging in.--Michael85 (talk) 18:05, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
Hey, it's a wiki. Do barge right in! Taibhse (talk) 12:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

There is a nice artist's conception of the Zanclean Flood at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Roger_Pibernat_-_landscape_-_messianic_med-1024x768.jpg Taibhse (talk) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC) It's not quite the same configuration as Randall's sea basin, but similar. The flood has its own wiki page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanclean_flood. I really do not think there is any doubt that Randall's story takes place in a far-future (possibly with liberties taken) Mediterranean Basin, and Hair Woman's castle is the Chateau d'If under restoration. The original Messinian Salinity Crisis (q.v.) is estimated to have taken a thousand years or so to stabilize once the Gibraltar (and possibly other) passage(s) closed, presumably as a result of tectonic activity under the influence of the two opposing continental plates colliding at the site of the present Mediterranean Sea. Taibhse (talk) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

I do believe it quite likely that Hair Woman's people's ancestors/forbears already were spread as far west as Gibraltar, which would explain why her people know about the Atlantic seeping in, and then flowing, through the barrier. She said they attempted to reinforce the barrier, but failed, so certainly they were there at Gibraltar in the "present time" of the story. And to draw ("build" she said) the outlines on the map, they had to have information about the second sea basin on the other side of Italy-Sardinia and the outlines of what we call the Adriatic, etc. Taibhse (talk) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

The sea they are use to must be rather hypersaline for them to consider the incoming water (from the Atlantic?) to be be "fresh"
It sounds like they're used to water which is salty enough to float on. In any case, hypersalinity makes sense if it's the mostly-dried-up remnant of the Mediterranean.129.22.117.158 19:11, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

"I think there's stuff floating on the sea... I think something on the sea." Frame 3024 and Frame 3025 -- Ship? 216.239.45.91 23:30, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

I wonder if "Oh, OH" meant she knew a way to rescue the 40 people by getting word to someone with a boat. Radio?--Gerry (talk) 00:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

PNG time chunks changed on the xkcd server[edit]

The images mirrored http://xkcd.mscha.org/ and those served by xkcd servers differs in two PNG 'tEXt' chunks with keywords 'date:create' and 'date:modify', which appears to contain the original timestamps. Images from mscha.org have wide range of these timestamps, indicating that the images weren't produced all at the same time. But the same frames downloaded from xkcd servers now have their time values set to "2013-05-01T15:11:05-04:00", so either mscha or xkcd must have modified the PNGs. The compressed image data seems to be modified, too.

Also note that the copy of the first frame found at mscha.org has been edited by Photoshop, because the PNG structure is different from all the others and contains a color profile beginning with "Photoshop ICC profile".

78.108.152.10 14:37, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

Since May 3, 2013 all original files have this modification timestamp at EDT (UTC -4:00): "2013-05-01 11:22:58.000000000". So it's a fake by Randall.--Dgbrt (talk) 16:40, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

Terrain Map[edit]

I marked up a bathymetric map of the north-west Mediterranean with the data from the Beanie map, plus extrapolated data about locations and paths: File:TimeTerrainMap.png

The good news is, Megball can save about a third of the distance by their direct path through the hills. The bad news is, it's about a 50 mile journey from the likely location of the "tents" to the first part of the ridge they need to take to safety. Tavella (talk) 05:00, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Great work! Are the white spaces just regions lacking bathymetric data? My speculation is that the "40" will already be on the move. The original "sand" castle (as much salt as sand? It certainly was a sculptable medium anyway) was implied to be underwater in the three frames with the rocking bucket on the waves. Beret Girl was down there just as C+M were leaving, dragging something. They will not have been caught totally by surprise. Perhaps the C+M's upper "castle" construction will end up being a raft? Or perhaps they have packed up their tents and are already heading for high ground? They might have seen the Hill People leaving, or...who knows. We still have to "wait for it" even as C+M "run." (That cat sure is scared of running Megan! It took off like a...scared cat! You could say, "caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.") Taibhse (talk) 12:25, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
Yup, the white spots where spots this survey hadn't finished yet, though there's been other bathymetric work so we know they are mostly flat. Tavella (talk) 17:09, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
Current research suggests neither years, nor days, but months for the basin to fill from the Atlantic the last time, in the 5.6mya event; but this one can be whatever Randall wants it to be. Taibhse (talk) 12:25, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Cueball is concerned that the water is fresh. Although this may seem to disprove the theory that the Atlantic is flooding into the Mediterranean, it actually doesn't. Notice that Cueball "felt" that something was strange. What was strange was that they were accustomed to an extremely salty sea. Can you imagine filling up the Mediterranean Sea with ocean water then cutting it off from the Atlantic and allowing it to evaporate down to the size of C&M's sea? It would be extremely salty and you could float easily in it. The water from the Atlantic Ocean is nowhere near that salty so Cueball interprets it as fresh water. This will cause problems with the rescue because these people are not used to swimming in water that's not super salty. They can't float like they're used to and risk drowning. 198.103.184.76 16:32, 23 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

My thought too. He does say "Not as fresh as a river", which means it's still salty, but much less so than the sea they're used to. I'm reminded of the Dead Sea, which also has a very high salinity. This makes the water tasting and spluttering in the beginning (while building the sand castle) make a lot of sense. I guess I have to go back and read it all again now that we have some context. ~Therrufying 83.233.5.126 18:36, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
"Not as fresh as a river"--we also now know why Megan and Cueball couldn't get Cueball's water bottle when it fell in the river at 920:00. They never learned to swim without the high salinity helping them float.Vicky715 (talk) 23:36, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

Another map, with better resolution, of the rising water levels: File:rising-water.png Tavella (talk) 06:39, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

How 'bout that - you can even see Ile D'If. 121.72.165.205 08:28, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

Moving 'mound'?[edit]

I've got a feeling.. that it's beret girl and the 'platform' from way back in the first 'act'! - "10:02, 24 July 2013‎ 98.144.105.195"

Your feeling is accurate. The return of Beret Girl! "I found my cousin." "Here we come to save the day!" Taibhse (talk) 10:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
Well, I have a feeling that since you made your edit (without signing it) after Beret Girl reappeared you actually mean "the same beret girl". 121.72.165.205 10:27, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
in the frames she shows up with the upper platform, what are the small moving parts in the lower area? allready floating stuff? 212.202.64.10 10:59, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
Well, she did say "I turned it into a boat." I guess that means floating stuff. Taibhse (talk) 12:11, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

Beret Girl said "boat" and I congratulate her resourcefulness but, I wonder if she meant "raft" instead. (Let us not dwell heavily on the difference.) Is there any doubt now that Randall has been planning this for a long time, in fair detail? He seemed to have responded, to some degree, to some of the postings made here on the Wiki, yet I wonder if perhaps it was just coincidence? Riprap (talk) 14:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

So to theft (the maps) do we now add looting? What they are taking was left behind by others who evacuated in the face of a natural disaster. Our tribe seems not to have needed these things before, back in the sand castle days, but are taking advantage of this opportunity to load up on stuff now. I hope they don't sink the raft under their loot. deepfatfriar 75.109.36.232 17:02, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

That might be the tribes own camp. They may have moved the camp up into the hills to pick up the stuff that was left behind. Also, if there us no reasonable chance of the former owner getting it back I think the proper term is "salvaging" or "scavenging" not "looting". 216.239.45.91 19:40, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

I was under the impression that it was the tribes' own camp. We already knew they were tent-dwellers- Yurt dwellers by the looks! 24.218.148.222 02:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

This has to be one of the best dialogues Randall has ever written: "Why is everything flooding? Why is the water full of trees? Why do you have little tables covered in sand?" Taibhse (talk) 21:05, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 3060 "Is there any way to keep us pointing forward?" "We could start calling this the front." Clearly, someone is a mathematician. JimmyK4542 (talk) 21:37, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

...rubbed elbows with 'em, anyway.  :) Taibhse (talk) 01:22, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

33 heads Frame 3072 << "About forty of us" Frame 2896. Where are the others? 216.239.45.91 22:10, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

I counted 33... then 29... then 26... where are they going??? (ps, fixed your second link.) 24.218.148.222 00:06, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Behind the hanging curtain? 50.139.68.248 00:19, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
It's a bit of a lifeboat scenario 216.239.45.91 00:40, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Well, Randall knows we are watching and counting! Taibhse (talk) 01:22, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Now down to 18 visible people. Cueball and Megan were among the first to disappear. If they're all under the enclosure, it must be pretty cozy. 24.218.148.222 03:52, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Almost certainly they are. Taibhse (talk) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 3072 - Title text has once again changed to "...." Uglystick (talk) 22:12, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

GREAT find, has to be mentioned when we do know what's the next.--Dgbrt (talk) 22:24, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

It's a Yurt!!! 184.155.116.49 Polecat

Yes. They lived in yurts in their village by the sea. They took some down to use in enhancing their platform-boat-raft, and apparently brought along many of the spare parts. These people seem to be very quick and very clever at improvising, even on the water. And very logical thinkers in an emergency. Taibhse (talk) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I have no idea what is going on. The "boat" looks like it's moving over land in 3079/3080, not floating on water. --68.147.179.172 06:20, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I think that is not land, but debris floating on the water. Sumitimus (talk) 07:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Yes. In 3076 a big swell caused the whole group to stagger and fall down. In 3079 and 3080 more waves, and smaller ones in 3081 and 3082. Both rafts have been on the water since they first spotted the remaining party with the second raft. Now there are flying fish! (in 3082.) The thing that may save them is that their construction methods seem to make use of lots of flexible members and perhaps lashings for fasteners; their rafts can apparently flex with the waves. So long as they don't get overwhelmed. Taibhse (talk) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

You would think there would be considerable air movement. I wonder if they will figure out the concept of a sea anchor, or if it would even help. Taibhse (talk) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

And we're back to building sandcastles on top of the raft with the left-over sand there. I guess the story is going to move slowly for a while again. We'll have to "Wait for it" even though the hover-over text has gone back to "RUN." 198.103.184.76 12:47, 26 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

I think that is not land, but debris floating on the water. Sumitimus (talk) 07:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

It's Gilligan's Island! Sorry couldn't help it.69.126.70.32 19:02, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I feel like Randall is playing a little too fast and loose with the science here. I mean, this MASSIVE influx of water never overwhelms their makeshift rafts, carries them all the way to land, deposits them gentle on the shore, and then suddenly stops rising, without even pulling back? Did he decide he needed to speed things along, as the comic was becoming too time consuming? KenBrown (talk) 19:08, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

At the pictures you can see many big bags filled with air attached to the raft. This does work fine. And because they did not steering their vessel they just reach land again by random.--Dgbrt (talk) 19:33, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

The End[edit]

Oh my. What a letdown. Taibhse (talk) 20:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Nevertheless, a wonderful ride. A tour de force. Randall is a genius at minimalism. Stick figures with no faces, all individuals, with full expression and body language; and his fans practically crash the internet.  :) Taibhse (talk) 13:52, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
Yeah, that's it? I mean it's a nice story, but not much of a climax/denouement. 66.66.107.178 20:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
You could see the writing on the wall with how he sped through the rescue, but that's seriously anticlimactic. I mean, it couldn't go on forever, but it feels like he just ran out of Time. KenBrown (talk) 20:15, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Well, I sure couldn't see the writing on the wall when he started to rush the story - I mean, he depicted the climb from the point where they meet the tribe (which is shortly before the dunes) to the castle in about 1500 frames - more than a month worth of story, I think - while the descent was depicted in just about 100 frames. So, when he started to rush things, my reaction was thinking that something big was about to happen; and I think that's why I (and others here) are disappointed at how it ended. I suppose Randall started to get tired and just wanted to be done with it, but maybe he could've wrapped it up a bit better. He made an awesome job on the whole, yeah, but I do get that "Lost" feeling - anticlimatic, and a few things left unexplained. --Fernandofig (talk) 16:46, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
I'm not sure, maybe we will get a sequel. But the original image links now to [geekwagon] and the title text is "The end.". I'm waiting just for the next hour, then it should be clear, or not?--Dgbrt (talk) 20:17, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
We're all junkies now--we'll still be hitting refresh a week from now, hoping it might just change... In the end, though, that was the real brilliance of it. Not the story, but the way making us wait for each frame gave every little moment of it so much more weight, by giving us the time to anticipate and speculate and imagine for ourselves. It had to end eventually, but it was an amazing thing. KenBrown (talk) 20:27, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
As ggh said: "Wow. Maybe we are supposed to draw it now." http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=50160#p3422078 174.27.36.133 20:43, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

So, is it time to pin down the skydate more accurately? Taibhse (talk) 20:34, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

We have one date that matches, so someone with patience could do the math for when Venus's cycle of reappearing in the same spot and Jupiter's almost-12 year cycle of doing the same match up again, and then test the star movements to see which is closest. Tavella (talk) 23:33, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Be patient, this is NOT the END, maybe just a fading out, but images still do get updates.--Dgbrt (talk) 21:12, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Writing a program to make the raft and water wiggle around forever (maybe even with tides?) would not be *that* hard. 216.239.45.91 21:19, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
The final frame is a link to geekwagon now, so it may really be over. I've enjoyed my time watching and waiting and lurking through the discussion. Thank you, Randall, and thank you all for the wonderful discussion. Lizzard (talk) 03:57, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

If Randall is reading: Thanks for the story. We all loved it. 206.191.28.43 21:25, 26 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

I very much enjoyed following the story, but am also very much disappointed in how it ended. --68.147.179.172 01:16, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Thank you Randall for the nice story! The End remembers me of Lucasarts-Adventures... May someday a new frame appears with "That's really the end, you can shutdown your computer now" ;-) Joggl (talk) 11:47, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

I wouldn't believed it anyway. I recommend checking the comics until the xkcd.com address is resolvable. Is the updating script prepared for eventual IPv4 deprecation? -- Hkmaly (talk) 16:21, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

We still get updates every hour, even when most pictures are not new. The latest NEW picture was on 02:00, 27 July 2013 (EDT), ten hours after the "end frame".--Dgbrt (talk) 14:53, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Not anymore, it loops over now. Check the log. 83.8.27.154 15:11, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
Yeah, based upon that log, except for glitches, from midnight Geekwagon time, it is repeating:
3099
3097
3098
3095
3099
3098
3097
3096
3095
3099
3098
3097
3097
3098
3097
3096
3095
3098
3095
3099
3098
3097
3096
3095
Mark Hurd (talk) 08:11, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

I think it's time to change the text on the main page to reflect the fact that the comic has actually ended. Djbrasier (talk) 00:13, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

The Bit After the Credits[edit]

I thought that we might get one, and indeed something is coming into view under the bush on the right. I am expecting the hedgehog, possibly pursued by the wildcat, whose choices on who to eat continue to be painful. There are really the only two extraneous elements that haven't been wrapped up. Tavella (talk) 23:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

What about the chirps from way up high when they were up on the mountain? Or the baby bird and it's mother? Or the other tribes from the hills? -- 98.144.105.195 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Well, we only got a tiny tease anyway, sniff. No aftercredits bit. Tavella (talk) 16:27, 28 July 2013 (UTC)
What about giving back the maps. And what did Cueball mean? "M: Along with the maps, I should've stolen a guide to treating injuries. Ooh, and one on how they make those pointing devices in the towers..." C responds: "Um..." Did he take something? What was it? Hmm... Taibhse (talk) 12:53, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
I thought the "Um..." was like, "Um, maybe we shouldn't be quite so eager to steal stuff". 50.139.68.248 13:26, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

So it has ended, Thank you Mr. Munroe. By my estimation 3099 frames is about 1/5th of what Watterson did in 10 years. WOW. So now it's time to go outside and build some sandcastles of our own. Hey we can be re-enactors!! 184.155.116.49 Polecat

3102 frames archived at http://xkcd.mscha.org - geekwagon's archive is missing three early frames. The complete sequence can be viewed starting from http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/1. Filron (talk) 05:33, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

I wish there WERE credits. I would love to get Randall's view on what his original idea was, whether he fashioned the whole story from the beginning or if it started simple and evolved into this post-apocalyptic drama, what his inspirations were, what real-wold sources he used to develop the science, a language translation, etc. I loved the whole series and checked daily (mostly) and don't think the ending in any way diminished the richness of the whole. As usually happens with XKCD, it spawned some wonderful discussions, speculations and scientific explorations. We don't usually get much explanation and I don't anticipate much from this one, either, but it doesn't make me long for it (or am I missing something). Thank you for the wonderful four month exercise in patience. Every time XKCD does something amazing that I think cannot be topped, Randall always comes up with something that amazes me. What's next? I guess I have to, "Wait for it."--Gerry (talk) 16:47, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

Randall posted about it with a few insights into the process, and some "special thanks" stuff. Looks like it's done for real.--Fernandofig (talk) 17:22, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

It's sad having to go back to getting new XKCD comics on MWF. I really enjoyed getting to read new stuff everyday. Puck0687 (talk) 13:55, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Second night[edit]

The second night is darker on geekwagon than on mscha and aubronwood, which both use this image from xkcd.com. Did we miss a rapid animation? Jahvascriptmaniac (talk) 14:31, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

I've been logging on 1 minutes intervals and got only the normal hourly change around there. 99.72.154.66 16:32, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
Thanks, I guess what geekwagon.net caught was just a minor glitch then. Jahvascriptmaniac (talk) 18:29, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Internal XKCD Referencing[edit]

Can's spot a "Referenced in"-like section in the existing Main or Talk listings, and I don't even know if anyone's going to read this addition to the Talk and take it seriously, but the final picture of http://what-if.xkcd.com/83/ (an image of someone building a sandcastle in a "solar sandpit") has the title-text "Just to be clear, this image does not update every hour..." And I'm sure that's not the first one I've seen (but right now it escapes me what the others were). FYI, however, for anyone who comes along to search for this kind of info. 141.101.99.177 04:54, 12 February 2014 (UTC)

Glad someone mentioned it here. 108.162.212.227 18:07, 6 August 2017 (UTC)

Bird in tree[edit]

From 1539 to 1543 in the tree you can see small movements if you look close enough.

108.162.221.4

Rest of xkcd[edit]

I think that other comics should have this animation as an option. 108.162.245.40 01:33, 19 November 2016 (UTC)

Upriver vs. downriver[edit]

When Megan and Cueball find the second river, they travel and eventually get to a place where it joins up with another river; this presumably means that they are traveling downriver. However, they then say "let's continue upriver". Which is it? --Emperor-Nathan (talk) 05:29, 5 January 2020 (UTC)

I think it splits instead of joining, so upriver. Beanie (talk) 12:03, 11 December 2020 (UTC)