Difference between revisions of "17: What If"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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{{comic
 
{{comic
 
| number    = 17
 
| number    = 17
| date      = January 1, 2006
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| date      = October 7, 2005
 
| title    = What If
 
| title    = What If
 
| image    = what_if.jpg
 
| image    = what_if.jpg
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What if I'm making a mistake?
 
What if I'm making a mistake?
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== Trivia ==
 +
* Original [[Randall]] quote: "One of my best friends just got engaged. I really, truly think they're going to be very happy together."
 +
* The friends referenced are Scott and Sarah

Revision as of 19:29, 16 August 2012

What If
I once made an anniversary card for my then-girlfriend with this layout.
Title text: I once made an anniversary card for my then-girlfriend with this layout.

Explanation

This comic features a man and a woman in a romantic setting, surrounded by a fractal combination of love and doubts. From the early date of this comic, plus the hair on the man, it's doubtful that this couple is Cueball and Megan.

The layout is a Sierpinski Triangle-like fractal arrangement based on the Pappus chain construction. Inside the large circle a smaller circle is drawn tangent to the larger. Then, repeatedly, the largest circle tangent to the existing circles is drawn. The question marks and hearts represent the doubt and love the characters feel in their relationship.

In the title text, Randall says he sent a card like this to his then-girlfriend. We can infer that it ultimately wasn't everything it should be.

Transcript

[A large black circle with white bubbles inside it, filled with hearts, question marks, and stick figure couples]

What if this isn't everything it should be?

I'm not even sure how I feel

What if I'm making a mistake?

Trivia

  • Original Randall quote: "One of my best friends just got engaged. I really, truly think they're going to be very happy together."
  • The friends referenced are Scott and Sarah