Editing 2900: Call My Cell

{{comic
| number    = 2900
| date      = February 28, 2024
| title     = Call My Cell
| image     = call_my_cell_2x.png
| imagesize = 509x222px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = 'Hey, can you call my cell?' '...I'm trying, but it says this number is blocked?' 'Ok, thanks, just checking.'
}}

==Explanation==
When a person cannot find their {{w|cell phone}}, it is not uncommon to ask a friend to call the phone in question. This will activate the device's ring tone and/or its haptic actuator, assuming the device is not off or silenced, making it easier to find (this is also one of the meanings of [[207: What xkcd Means|"xkcd"]]).

At first, [[Black Hat]] appears to have misplaced his cell phone, as he asks [[Cueball]] to call it. However, when Cueball does call Black Hat's cell, it is revealed to be in Black Hat's (supposed) pocket. He then makes a show of ''annoyance'' that Cueball ("''this'' guy") is calling him, sends the call to {{w|voicemail}}, and leaves. From this, it might be inferred that Black Hat was simply trying to demonstrate that he doesn't ''want'' Cueball to call him, showing another of his ''[[72: Classhole|classhole]]'' tendencies, as Black Hat is quite often depicted as deliberately inconsiderate and rarely prone to actual carelessness.

The title text is a similar situation. Cueball calls Black Hat, but instead Black Hat demonstrates that he was only "checking" that he had {{w|Call blocking|blocked Cueball's number}} so Cueball is unable to reach his cell, making an even stronger insult. This can also be seen as a grammatical accuracy. When Black Hat asks "Can you call my cell?" he is asking whether Cueball is ''able'' to place a call on Black Hat's cell phone. This would be a variation of a particularly pedantic authority figure replying to a "Can I...?" question with the response like "I imagine you ''can'', but (right now) you ''may not''..." and so denying the request. In this case, the answer to the strict interpretation would have been "No", rendering the implied issue of permission entirely moot.

This comic may be related to [[1284: Improved Keyboard]], where Black Hat stops Cueball from texting him  by changing his keyboard.
==Transcript==
:[Black Hat walks in from the right approaching Cueball. Black Hat has his finger raised.]
:Black Hat: Hey, can you call my cell?

:[Cueball has taken his phone up and is pressing the screen, presumably dialing Black Hat's number. Black Hat looks down at his back pocket, which is ringing. He reaches for the pocket, which has his phone in it.]
:Black Hat: Oh, one sec.
:''Ring''

:[Cueball, still holding his phone, looks at Black Hat. Black Hat has turned his back to Cueball and is looking at his phone which he is holding in both hands. Above his head is both his one line of speech but also a separate jagged speech bubble indicating what is written on his phone screen.]
:Black Hat: Ugh, it's '''''this''''' guy.
:Phone: ''Send to voicemail''

:[Cueball, holding his phone down, watches Black Hat walk away from him, already partly outside the right frame of the panel.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Phones]]