1416: Pixels/Transcript

• Below each image is mentioned by the title used by Randall and they are listed alphabetically
• The headlines are links to the actual picture as can be found here on explain xkcd
• Below the explanation of a given picture can be seen which pictures can be found in the
• White and black pixels of the picture.*Please add descriptions in each section.
• The comic starts with turtles

assembly-1

[Randall's What If? book is standing next to Cueball who is taking something out of a box. On the side of the box it says:]

Rocket parts

[There are also text on the open lid of the box, which thus is written upside down. It says:]

KSP

• White: assembly-2
• Black: assembly-planet-3

assembly-2

[Cueball is beginning to assemble a rocket containing Randall's What If? book.]

• White: assembly-3
• Black: assembly-planet-3

assembly-3

[Cueball is assembling a rocket putting Randall's What If? book at the top.]

• White: assembly-4
• Black: assembly-planet-1, assembly-planet-3

assembly-4

[Cueball has assembled a rocket with Randall's What If? book at the top. Megan walks in:]

Megan: Needs more Struts

• White: assembly-5
• Black: assembly-planet

assembly-5

[Cueball and Megan has left the assembled rocket with Randall's What If? book at the top.]

• White: assembly-6
• Black: assembly-planet

assembly-6

[Cueball has added lots of struts to the a rocket he has assembled with Randall's What If? book at the top.]

• White: assembly-7
• Black: assembly-planet-1

assembly-7

[Cueball admires the final version of the rocket he has assembled with Randall's What If? book at the top and lots of struts.]

• White: assembly-7, upgoer
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

assembly-planet

• White: assembly-6
• Black: assembly-planet

assembly-planet-1

• White: assembly-6, assembly-7
• Black: assembly-planet

assembly-planet-3

• White: assembly-3, assembly-4
• Black: assembly-planet-3, chess-b

atom

• White: string
• Black: stars-1, stars-2

blank-figure

• White: book-launch, cantor, chess-w
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

book-launch

[Cueball is holding his (i.e. Randall's) What If? book in front of him]

Cueball: So eExcited about my book launch!

• White: assembly-1, book-launch, particles, turtles, whatif-trade
• Black: atom, launch-planet, moon, saturn

cantor

• White: du, evolution, server-1, time-turner
• Black: moon, stars-1, stars-2

chess-b

• White: chess-w
• Black: chess-b

chess-w

• White: chess-w, du, evolution, server-1, time-turner
• Black: chess-b

clouds-1

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, evolution, mario-entry, mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3, particles, server-1, time-turner
• Black: sky, sky-4

clouds-2

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, evolution, fire-hydrant, mario-entry, mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3, particles, server-1
• Black: sky-3, sky-4

clouds-3

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, evolution, fire-hydrant, mario-entry, mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3, particles, server-1, time-turner
• Black: sky-4

clouds-4

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, evolution, mario-entry, mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3, particles, server-1
• Black: sky, sky-4

clouds-5

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, evolution, fire-hydrant, mario-entry, mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3, particles, quiet-turtle
• Black: sky-3

du

~$ du -s video/
4170882256
~$ du -hs video/
A lot.
~$

• White: blank-figure, chess-w, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, e1, evolution, server-1, time-turner, what-if-trade
• Black: sky-4

e1

• White: e2, e3, e4
• Black: eb

e2

• White: e2, e3, e4, e5
• Black: eb

e3

• White: e2, e3, e4, e5
• Black: eb

e4

• White: e2, e3, e4, e5
• Black: eb

e5

• White: e5, e6
• Black: eb

e6

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5
• Black: sky-4

eb

• White: e5
• Black: eb

evolution

• White: blank-figure, chess-w, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, e1, evolution, server-1, time-turner, what-if-trade
• Black: sky-4

fire-hydrant

Black hat: "To be fair, what else would you expect to come out of a fire hydrant?"

• White: blank-figure
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

holism

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, mu
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

holism-b

• White: reductionism
• Black: reductionism-b

i-am-a-turtle

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, particles, quiet-turtle
• Black: atom, moon, stars-1, stars-2

launch-planet

• White: assembly-1
• Black: launch-planet, stars-1, stars-2

mario-entry

• White: mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3
• Black: sky-4

mario-n1

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5
• Black: mario-n2

mario-n2

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5
• Black: mario-n3

mario-n3

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5
• Black: stars-1, stars-2

mario-sitting-1

• White: mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3
• Black: mario-n1, mario-sitting-b

mario-sitting-2

• White: mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3
• Black: mario-n1, mario-sitting-b

mario-sitting-3

• White: mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3
• Black: mario-n1, mario-sitting-b

mario-sitting-b

• White: mario-sitting-1, mario-sitting-2, mario-sitting-3
• Black: mario-n1

moon

• White: holism, reductionism
• Black: launch-planet, moon, mu-b, saturn, stars-1, stars-2, sun

mu

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, holism
• Black: holism-b

mu-b

• White: holism
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

particles

• White: mu, particles
• Black: atom

quiet-turtle

• White: i-am-a-turtle, quiet-turtle
• Black: atom, saturn, stars-1, stars-2

reductionism

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, mu, stockholm
• Black: holism-b

reductionism-b

• White: holism
• Black: moon, saturn, stars-1, stars-2

rope

• White: cantor
• Black: stars-1, stars-2

saturn

• White: holism, reductionism
• Black: launch-planet, moon, saturn, stars-1, stars-2, sun

server-1

• White: blank-figure, chess-w, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, e1, evolution, server-1, time-turner, what-if-trade
• Black: sky-4

sky

• White: clouds-1, mario-entry
• Black: sky, sky-2, sky-3

sky-2

• White: clouds-1, mario-entry
• Black: sky, sky-2, sky-3

sky-3

• White: clouds-4, mario-entry, quiet-turtle
• Black: sky, sky-2, sky-3

sky-4

• White: clouds-1, clouds-4, mario-entry
• Black: sky, sky-2, sky-3

stars-1

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, quiet-turtle
• Black: atom, launch-planet, moon, saturn, stars-1, stars-2

stars-2

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, quiet-turtle
• Black: atom, launch-planet, saturn, stars-1, stars-2, sun

stockholm

• White: e1, mu
• Black: moon, mu-b, saturn, sun

string

• White: clouds-2, clouds-3, particles
• Black: rope

sun

• White: holism, mario-entry, reductionism
• Black: launch-planet, moon, saturn, stars-1, stars-2, sun

time-turner

[Megan and Cueball are walking together.]

Megan: But if time-turners worked after book 3, Rowling would have used one to go back and remove the time turner from book 3.

• White: blank-figure, chess-w, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, du, e1, evolution, server-1, time-turner, what-if-trade, whatif-king
• Black: sky-4

turtles

[Cueball is stacking turtles, and is about to put the fourth turtle on his pile. At the bottom right there is a small panel. Inside this is written:]

Scroll to zoom

• White: book-launch, whatif-trade
• Black: launch-planet, stars-1, stars-2

upgoer

• White: upgoer-2
• Black: upgoer-planet

upgoer-2

• White: upgoer-3, upgoer-4
• Black: upgoer-planet

upgoer-3

• White: upgoer-4, upgoer-5
• Black: upgoer-planet

upgoer-4

• White: upgoer-4, upgoer-5
• Black: upgoer-planet, upgoer-planet-2

upgoer-5

• White: upgoer-5, upgoer-6
• Black: upgoer-planet-4

upgoer-6

• White: walking
• Black: mu-b, stars-1, stars-2

upgoer-planet

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5
• Black: upgoer-planet-2

upgoer-planet-2

• White: upgoer-5
• Black: upgoer-planet-3

upgoer-planet-3

• White: upgoer-5
• Black: upgoer-planet-4

upgoer-planet-4

• White: upgoer-6
• Black: upgoer-space

upgoer-space

• White: upgoer-6
• Black: moon, saturn, sun

walking

• White: clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, stockholm, walking
• Black: walking-b

walking-b

• White: walking
• Black: walking-b

whatif-king

• White: book-launch, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, holism, reductionism
• Black: chess-b, launch-planet

whatif-trade

[A drawing of Randall's What If? book with all the text on the front page visible]

Serious Scientific Answers

to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

'what if?'

Randall Munroe

creator of xkcd

[Below the book is written:]

Book

• White: book-launch, clouds-1, clouds-2, clouds-3, clouds-4, clouds-5, turtles, whatif-king, whatif-trade
• Black: chess-b, launch-planet