explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2472: Fuzzy Blob

2021-06-07T13:53:59Z

108.162.216.72: Some humor.

{{comic
| number = 2472
| date = June 4, 2021
| title = Fuzzy Blob
| image = fuzzy_blob.png
| titletext = If there's no dome, how do you explain the irregularities the board discovered in the zoning permits issued in that area!?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an IRREGULARITY IN THE ZONING PERMITS. More discussion of specifics of comic events (leap to cloaking device from nothing, involvement of historic church by historic committee to raise awareness of historic church being misunderstood as church is cloaked dome by media.) Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Cueball is taking a picture of his house, but sees a large fuzzy blob on the side of the picture. This blob clearly {{citation needed}} comes from Cueball making the mistake of putting one of his fingers partially in front of the lens. This is a common enough occurrence with smartphones or compact cameras that an ordinary user should immediately be able to identify the problem; however, the comic derives humor from having no one in the comic come to this conclusion, and accordingly taking it very seriously as a perplexing mystery.

Likely, this comic stems from the resurgent talk of {{w|Unidentified Flying Objects}} (UFO) now dubbed "{{w|Unidentified Aerial Phenomena}}" (UAP) The topic regained popularity after the {{w|Department of Defense}} (DoD), recently [https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/04/politics/pentagon-ufo-enquiry/index.html confirmed the authenticity of 3 videos] taken by {{w|United States Navy|US Naval}} personnel. It has been much discussed in mainstream news, not just among {{w|extraterrestrial}} enthusiasts or {{w|conspiracy theorists}}, some of whom have created {{w|QAnon}} spin-off theories.

Randall has previously expressed skepticism about claims of witnesses who claim to have seen unproven phenomena (including 'flying saucers', as well as supernatural events and cryptozoological specimens) based on the simple reality enough people carry cameras that they would be constantly captured in photos and videos. (See [[1235: Settled]]).

In this strip Randall appears cases where phenomena ''have'' been caught on film, but are generally unclear and ambiguous. He appears to be suggesting that there are generally simpler explanations for what we see in the videos that objects of alien origin. Examples in the past have turned out to be things, such as birds, dirt on camera lenses, and lights being reflected of glass windows or bodies of water. The fact that many people seem uninterested in the more mundane and likely explanations and assume these videos are proof of alien crafts is mocked here.

It's worth noting that Randall is a strong enthusiast for space exploration, and has expressed certainty that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the galaxy. This strip is likely not intended to mock belief that other intelligences exist, but instead to make fun of excessive credulity, and point out that [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2359:_Evidence_of_Alien_Life any definitive conclusion of aliens is overhyped].

The tendency to make unwarranted connections to unrelated but synchronous 'evidence' is shown in the title text. Investigation of this phenomena has brought to light 'irregularities' in the local {{w|Zoning|zoning permits}}. Such irregularities are extremely common in most bureaucracies, and may be the result of mundane corruption, incompetence, honest mistakes in a complex system, or the result of complexities that make consistent documents difficult or impossible. To connect such irregularities to an identified image does not follow logically, as both are pretty normal occurrences. However, conspiracy theories make similar leaps all the time, insisting that some case of corruption, bad decision by a government official, or developing social problem is proof of a conspiracy, rather than a very normal government problem.

An alternate intention of the word 'irregularities' might be due to the necessarily zig-zaggy nature of defining a 'circular' zone footprint by drawing best-fit boundary lines only along streets, within any established grid-based system of city 'blocks'. The interpretation of why any zone is a complex and crinkly shape, rather than a strictly utilitarian rectangle, may not be so obvious from an overview that does not take into account geological or political restrictions such as the curve of a watercourse in a valley or a mandate against hi-rise buildings within a certain radius of a monument.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball takes picture of his house from a distance great enough to get the whole house in the picture. He holds the camera (or smartphone) in both hands. The shutter makes a sound:]
:Click

:[The picture he has taken is shown below. The picture is lying tilted compared to the panel, and shows the house but with a fuzzy skin colored blob covering the left part of the picture, just touching the left side of the house. Above and partly over the picture is a small frame with Cueball's response when he sees the picture:]
:What the...

:[White Hat gestures towards Cueball with one hand, while Cueball holds his camera in one hand towards White Hat, with the picture shown on the screen, too small to see though.]
:White Hat: What's that fuzzy blob next to your house? It's huge!
:Cueball: I don't know! I looked up and it was gone!
:White Hat: How can a giant structure vanish?
:Cueball and White Hat: ''...Cloaking device?!!''

:[Blondie is standing at the front of the panel with a microphone in her hand speaking towards the viewer. Behind her is a close up of the Blob (in black and white) on a screen. To the left of the screen is an almost bald man with hair behind his ears, holding a hand to his chin. To the right is Megan, who is holding one hand out palm up, towards the picture, which they are both looking at.]
:Blondie: The fuzzy blob, dubbed "flob" by internet sleuths, has city planners stumped.
:Man: No, that's not any type of building I'm familiar with.
:Megan: Could be an experimental military dome.

:[Hairbun is standing on a podium behind a lectern with a microphone on it. She addresses three people in front of the stage, Cueball, Megan and White Hat. Behind them Blondie is turned the other way speaking to a camera, on a tripod. She has a microphone in her hand.]
:Hairbun: The zoning board investigation has found no evidence of a cloaked dome structure.
:Hairbun: The historical commission will be joining the research into these domes and other unusual buildings, such as the historic 4th Ave Church...
:Blondie: This only raises more questions.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]

Talk:1349: Shouldn't Be Hard

2019-12-13T18:53:04Z

108.162.216.72:

Carefully organized sand eh? I believe this is a callback to [http://xkcd.com/505/ this comic]( and the silicone of course but...). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.240|108.162.210.240]] 14:33, 31 March 2014 (UTC)
: I Don't think this is a call back -- just a common reference to that computer chips are based on Silicon which have been arranged into electrical circuits [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])
: Not a callback, not even a little bit. That comic did not reference the manufacturing process of computer chips at all, but instead use rocks as a sort of physical computer. The "carefully organized rocks" in that comic could have easily been carefully organized coconuts and the meaning of the comic would not have changed a bit. Also silicone is not the same as silicon. Silicone is a synthetic polymer made out of silicon and would be entirely unsuitable for building computer chips. Silicone = caulk, implants. Silicon = quartz, sand, computer chips. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.65|108.162.221.65]] 16:04, 31 March 2014 (UTC)
: That comic was also the first thing I thought of, but alas I do not think this comic is referencing that one, because in that comic he is organizing rocks, not sand. [[User:Sparx|Sparx]] ([[User talk:Sparx|talk]]) 03:46, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
Repeat after me: the CPU is not the computer. "The core of the CPU is mostly made out of sand" is less cringeworthy. As the "computer" itself, it's mostly made of plastic and metal. Even the CPU's plastic casing is a large part of it in volume. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 14:21, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: When I buy a box of [http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/00/98/00/00/0000980000071_500X500.jpg Ferrero Rocher Hazelnut chocolate], and I say, these made out of chocolate, would that statement be "cringeworthy" if I forgot to mention the hazelnut interior, or the tin foil that surrounds the chocolate, or the paper cup that goes around the tin foil, or the plastic container that it comes in? Even the cardboard setting in the box is a large part of it in volume. (Moral: when we describe something, we only really care about the active components that allow it to do whatever it is supposed to do, not the packaging it comes in.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.65|108.162.221.65]] 15:32, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
:: It's aluminium foil, not tin. It comes in a cardboard box here. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.33|198.41.239.33]] 02:04, 1 July 2016 (UTC)

It has changed! The title is now "Lorenz" and each time you open a tab there seems to be a random choice between 3 different comics, two of them with clickable options [[User:Jesuspetry|Jesuspetry]] ([[User talk:Jesuspetry|talk]]) 14:41, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: And it seems the (multiple!) followups to each comic are being created by user suggestion! [[User:Jesuspetry|Jesuspetry]] ([[User talk:Jesuspetry|talk]]) 14:50, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

What Jesuspetry said! Checking just now, the title of the comic is "Lorenz" (a reference to Edward Norton Lorenz?) and the title text is "Every choice, no matter how small, begins a new story." [[User:Imperpay|Imperpay]] ([[User talk:Imperpay|talk]]) 14:53, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
:Wait, no, we're looking at number 1350 on the main xkcd page, not 1349. Time for a new page here, forthwith! [[User:Imperpay|Imperpay]] ([[User talk:Imperpay|talk]]) 15:00, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: You're right. What has confused me is that 1349 flashes in the screen before 1350 is carried over by the browser [[User:Jesuspetry|Jesuspetry]] ([[User talk:Jesuspetry|talk]]) 15:26, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: Oh, and from my connection at work, I can't see the "real" 1350 at all. All I see is the image from 1349, with a new title and new title text. I'll have to wait until I get home. (I believe you'll see what I see if you use the old unix interface from a previous April 1, at uni.xkcd.com, and display 1350. [[User:Imperpay|Imperpay]] ([[User talk:Imperpay|talk]]) 16:41, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

While this may be pedantic, I would argue that not ALL computers are carefully-organized sand. Some are based on relays, and some are purely mechanical.

Talk:1349: Shouldn't Be Hard

2019-12-13T18:52:38Z

108.162.216.72:

Carefully organized sand eh? I believe this is a callback to [http://xkcd.com/505/ this comic]( and the silicone of course but...). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.240|108.162.210.240]] 14:33, 31 March 2014 (UTC)
: I Don't think this is a call back -- just a common reference to that computer chips are based on Silicon which have been arranged into electrical circuits [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])
: Not a callback, not even a little bit. That comic did not reference the manufacturing process of computer chips at all, but instead use rocks as a sort of physical computer. The "carefully organized rocks" in that comic could have easily been carefully organized coconuts and the meaning of the comic would not have changed a bit. Also silicone is not the same as silicon. Silicone is a synthetic polymer made out of silicon and would be entirely unsuitable for building computer chips. Silicone = caulk, implants. Silicon = quartz, sand, computer chips. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.65|108.162.221.65]] 16:04, 31 March 2014 (UTC)
: That comic was also the first thing I thought of, but alas I do not think this comic is referencing that one, because in that comic he is organizing rocks, not sand. [[User:Sparx|Sparx]] ([[User talk:Sparx|talk]]) 03:46, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
Repeat after me: the CPU is not the computer. "The core of the CPU is mostly made out of sand" is less cringeworthy. As the "computer" itself, it's mostly made of plastic and metal. Even the CPU's plastic casing is a large part of it in volume. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 14:21, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: When I buy a box of [http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/00/98/00/00/0000980000071_500X500.jpg Ferrero Rocher Hazelnut chocolate], and I say, these made out of chocolate, would that statement be "cringeworthy" if I forgot to mention the hazelnut interior, or the tin foil that surrounds the chocolate, or the paper cup that goes around the tin foil, or the plastic container that it comes in? Even the cardboard setting in the box is a large part of it in volume. (Moral: when we describe something, we only really care about the active components that allow it to do whatever it is supposed to do, not the packaging it comes in.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.65|108.162.221.65]] 15:32, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
:: It's aluminium foil, not tin. It comes in a cardboard box here. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.33|198.41.239.33]] 02:04, 1 July 2016 (UTC)

It has changed! The title is now "Lorenz" and each time you open a tab there seems to be a random choice between 3 different comics, two of them with clickable options [[User:Jesuspetry|Jesuspetry]] ([[User talk:Jesuspetry|talk]]) 14:41, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: And it seems the (multiple!) followups to each comic are being created by user suggestion! [[User:Jesuspetry|Jesuspetry]] ([[User talk:Jesuspetry|talk]]) 14:50, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

What Jesuspetry said! Checking just now, the title of the comic is "Lorenz" (a reference to Edward Norton Lorenz?) and the title text is "Every choice, no matter how small, begins a new story." [[User:Imperpay|Imperpay]] ([[User talk:Imperpay|talk]]) 14:53, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
:Wait, no, we're looking at number 1350 on the main xkcd page, not 1349. Time for a new page here, forthwith! [[User:Imperpay|Imperpay]] ([[User talk:Imperpay|talk]]) 15:00, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: You're right. What has confused me is that 1349 flashes in the screen before 1350 is carried over by the browser [[User:Jesuspetry|Jesuspetry]] ([[User talk:Jesuspetry|talk]]) 15:26, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: Oh, and from my connection at work, I can't see the "real" 1350 at all. All I see is the image from 1349, with a new title and new title text. I'll have to wait until I get home. (I believe you'll see what I see if you use the old unix interface from a previous April 1, at uni.xkcd.com, and display 1350. [[User:Imperpay|Imperpay]] ([[User talk:Imperpay|talk]]) 16:41, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

While this me be pedantic, I would argue that not ALL computers are carefully-organized sand. Some are based on relays, and some are purely mechanical.

Talk:1664: Mycology

2016-04-06T20:50:21Z

108.162.216.72:

Sounds like a reference to the parasite that infects cats and migrates to humans/rats/mices that make them likes cats so that the parasites can infect other cats. The parasite has been very successful in history
( Toxoplasma gondii ) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.64|173.245.52.64]] 14:17, 6 April 2016 (UTC)
:I just heard that urban legend the other day. Unfortunately, Googling doesn't turn up anything for me to cite. Still, I feel like that is what the comic is referencing. [[User:Suspender guy|Suspender guy]] ([[User talk:Suspender guy|talk]]) 18:13, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

At first glance, this seems like a beneficial method to promote the spread of the fungus. However, I believe this to be an evolutionary dead end. Everyone affected will be easily identified by their desire to study fungus. And their research will eventually reveal efficient ways to kill the fungus without harming the host. Plus, the behavior modifier doesn't cause the host to want to study that particular fungus, but just fungus in general. So the human hosts won't have any instinctive or intellectual need to protect the fungus from eradication. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.72|108.162.216.72]] 20:50, 6 April 2016 (UTC)SiliconWolf

1574: Trouble for Science

2015-09-12T20:25:53Z

108.162.216.72: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1574
| date = September 7, 2015
| title = Trouble for Science
| image = trouble_for_science.png
| titletext = Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More details in each article, especially the humor/irony in the first one about antibodies.}}
The comic highlights the fact that several well-publicized scientific critiques have recently been published that raise questions about some commonly accepted scientific methods. For scientists, these critiques serve as reminders of the dangers of overconfidence in any method, hopefully leading those who have naively accepted results to remember that any scientific conclusion is by its very nature tentative and limited by methodological reliability. However, popular-press reporting of these papers may lead a general public of modest scientific literacy to the impression that science might be in trouble, as implicated by the title. Some of these methodological issues and shortcomings are well-known in the scientific community, but are – for better or worse – the best toolkit science has at its disposal today. This is however greatly exaggerated by the last (fictional) headline, which suggests that Bunsen burners in fact have a cooling effect, which is of course absolutely ridiculous, but would nevertheless change one more fundamental scientific belief drastically. Additionally, each headline contains irony or a double meaning for comical effect.

The title of five scientific articles are shown:

;Many commercial antibody-based immunoassays are unreliable
This sentence is true. See Kebaneilwe Lebani, [http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:352531 Antibody Discovery for Development of a Serotyping Dengue Virus NS1 Capture Assay], 2014. In this PhD thesis, 11 references are given.

;Problems with the p-value as an indicator of significance
p-value is the probability that an event is observed just by chance. If p-value is under a threshold level (''α'', usually <5%, or <1% for being more conservative) one can assume that the event observed "exists".
The value used for ''α'' has been proposed by [http://web.lru.dk/sites/lru.dk/files/lru/docs/kap9/kapitel_9_126_On_the_origins.pdf Fisher] and is completely arbitrary.

The use of p-values as a measure of statistical significance is frequently criticized, for example in [http://wiki.bio.dtu.dk/~agpe/papers/pval_notuseful.pdf Hubbard and Lindsay]. Randall has demonstrated this problem in the past in [[882: Significant]].
;Overfeeding of laboratory rodents compromises animal models

[http://tpx.sagepub.com/content/24/6/757.full.pdf Keenan et al.] makes this case. Additionally, the word model takes on two meanings. In one sense, a model can refer to a scientific description that makes sense of a phenomenon; in another sense, model can refer to an individual whose job it is to demonstrate fashions, typically fashionable outfits. Fashion models are notorious for being exceptionally thin, and so overfeeding would compromise their job as a model.

;Replication study fails to reproduce many published results
A [https://explorable.com/replication-study Replication Study] is a study designed to replicate the results of a previous study by using the same methods for a different set of subjects and experimenters. It aims to recreate the results to gain confidence in the results of the previous study as well as ensuring that the findings of the previous study are transferable to other similar areas of study.

Randall is probably referring to this recent study: http://www.nature.com/news/over-half-of-psychology-studies-fail-reproducibility-test-1.18248
It might be also reference to at least 3 studies mentioned here: http://www.jove.com/blog/2012/05/03/studies-show-only-10-of-published-science-articles-are-reproducible-what-is-happening. There is also irony in the phrasing of the title, because in biology replication is a form of reproduction.

;Controlled trials show Bunsen burners make things colder
This is a joke, but possible in high temperature cases. There is probably some methodological error if putting something over the Bunsen burner flame (which is between 1000K and 2000K) makes it colder. If that thing were already much hotter than the flame (more than 2000 Kelvin), the Bunsen Burner's flame would equalize the temperature between the flame and thing resulting in cooling. It's also possible that if the "controlled trial" involved a Bunsen burner that was not lit, but was turned on to allow gas to flow, it would have a cooling effect as the gas expanded from the line pressure to atmospheric pressure.

Alternatively, a trial could be set up to test something against a bunsen burner on the one hand, and an even hotter flame on the other hand. As compared to that hotter flame, the bunsen burner would not heat up the tested material as much, resulting in something being made "colder" than the alternative.

;Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution

This is another joke of a premise that is obviously untrue. The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaussian_function Gaussian distribution] is a mathematical construct that is generally known as the bell curve or the Normal distribution. As it is an ideal mathematical construction, by definition, it cannot have any irregularities -- similar to how the equation y = 2x + 1 cannot have small-scale irregularities. The joke probably alludes to the fact that many types of observations are frequently initially modeled as a Gaussian distribution, though on careful observation the actual distribution of outcomes will often deviate from a pure Gaussian distribution.

==Transcript==
:[Five panels, each with the top part of a scientific article, where only the title is legible. Below is the list of authors and subheading and text in unreadable wiggles.]

:Many Commercial Antibody-Based Immunoassays Are Unreliable

:Problems With the p-Value as an Indicator of Significance

:Overfeeding of Laboratory Rodents Compromises Animal Models

:Replication Study Fails to Reproduce Many Published Results

:Controlled Trials Show Bunsen Burners Make Things Colder

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]

1549: xkcd Phone 3

2015-07-10T05:23:31Z

108.162.216.72: Category:Smartphones

{{comic
| number = 1549
| date = July 10, 2015
| title = XKCD Phone 3
| image = xkcd_phone_3.png
| titletext = If you're not completely satisfied with the phone after 30 days, we will return you to your home at no cost.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a follow up to [[1363: xkcd Phone]] and [[1465: xkcd Phone 2]]. It parodies common smartphone specs by attributing absurd or useless features.

==Transcript==
:Ear screen
:Heartbeat accelerator
:MobilePay money clip
:Siri, or whoever it was w put in here
:Instead of being on surface only, screen goes all the way through
:theknot.con partnership: Phone licensed to perform wedding cremonies ando does so at random
:Fingerprint randomizer{USB E (hotswappable)
:waterproof, but can drown
:Foretold by profecy
:Runs Natively
:Wristband
:Wireless discharging
:Magnetic stripe
:2 AA batteries (not included)
:boneless

:Introducing
:The XKCD phone 3
:we made another one

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Smartphones]]

657: Movie Narrative Charts

2015-02-08T19:51:20Z

108.162.216.72: /* Explanation */ Minor fixes to grammar

{{comic
| number = 657
| date = November 2, 2009
| title = Movie Narrative Charts
| image = movie_narrative_charts.png
| titletext = In the LotR map, up and down correspond LOOSELY to northwest and southeast respectively.
}}

==Explanation==
[[File:Minard.png|thumb|The original infographic by {{w|Charles Joseph Minard}}]]
The transcript (see below) already explains most of it.

The movies referenced are (links go to Wikipedia):
*{{w|Lord_of_the_Rings_film_trilogy|Lord of the Rings Trilogy}}
*{{w|Star_Wars|Star Wars}} (original Trilogy)
*{{w|Jurassic_Park_(film)|Jurassic Park}}
*{{w|Twelve_Angry_Men_(disambiguation)|12 Angry Men}} (there are two movies "12 Angry Men" on the same topic)
*{{w|Primer_(film)|Primer}}

If you click on the chart on the original xkcd page, you'll get a [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/movie_narrative_charts_large.png large (3274x2064 pixels) image].

The joke in the 12 Angry Men graphic is that in the movie all 12 jurors are all in the same room the entire movie. They never move and they all always interact with each other, hence their lines stay straight and close to each other.

The last box is a movie called Primer from 2004, which became a cult classic. It is about accidentally discovering time travel. The plot is so convoluted and mixed up with the time travel between the original person and the so-called time travelling "double" that it is almost impossible to figure out where each character is at one time, as the comic illustrates.

These charts are a reference to the map by infographic pioneer {{w|Charles Joseph Minard}} that details the movements and losses of Napoleon's troops on his failed conquest of Russia.

The chart for ''Primer'' is referenced in the title text of the fourth image in the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/101/ Plastic Dinosaurs] What if?

==Transcript==
:These charts show movie character interactions. The horizontal axis is time. The vertical grouping of the lines indicates which characters are together at a given time.
:Lord of the Rings: A mass of colored lines weaves back and forth across the chart, representing various characters. Sauron is represented by a red bar at the bottom contained within a huge black bar with branches, that in turn represents his army of nazgul, orcs, etc. Major locations (Moria) and plot points (the breaking of the fellowship) are marked. Gandalf, especially at the beginning, jumps all over the map in a short time. Eagles appear and then disappear a couple of times. Treebeard's line is flat except for the march to Isengard. At the end, the ship to the West drifts off into a corner.
:Star Wars (original trilogy): This chart is simpler. Luke, mostly accompanied by R2-D2, joins and parts from other sets of characters. There's a dotted alternative path on Jabba's line for the special edition. Yoda appears about halfway through (where Luke's Jedi training is marked). All the surviving lines group up at Endor except for Vader, the Emperor, Luke, and Lando; after the climactic duel, the latter two join the rest.
:Jurassic Park: The human characters are in black; dinosaurs are in red. Dilophosaurus appears briefly to eat Nedry and then fades out again. The three raptors are together at the beginning, but split up about halfway through. One has a dotted portion of line between "locked up" and "escapes." In the meantime, they cut off the lines of Arnold and Muldoon. The raptor lines all end when t-rex's swoops down to meet them at the end, and all the surviving humans leave together.
:12 Angry Men: The lines are labeled Juror 1 through Juror 12. They are all perfectly horizontal and parallel.
:Primer: Three lines start on the left labeled Abe, Aaron, and Granger. They enter a mass of scribbling. Somewhere vaguely towards the end, three lines emerge and fade out, all labeled with question marks.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Jurassic Park]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Time travel]]

Talk:1424: En Garde

2014-09-22T04:52:50Z

108.162.216.72:

So, what's up. I expected an explanation for this. WHERE IS IT?

Remember to sign your posts with four tildes (~).
The explanation will be up when it's up. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.72|108.162.216.72]] 04:52, 22 September 2014 (UTC)

897: Elevator Inspection

2014-09-17T02:41:12Z

108.162.216.72:

{{comic
| number = 897
| date = May 11, 2011
| title = Elevator Inspection
| image = elevator inspection.png
| titletext = Even governmental elevator inspectors get bored halfway through asking where the building office is.
}}

==Explanation==
In the United States, all elevators are subject to building codes and must be inspected on a somewhat-regular basis by city officials. After the inspector runs his rounds, the elevator's passing grade is noted in a certificate which will usually be dumped in a filing cabinet in the building office where the owner can forget about it, and a placard is given to the elevator letting the passengers know where the certificate is (usually the aforementioned building office).

This comic is portraying a scenario which never happens. No one is actually interested in actually seeing the elevator's certificate, note gets this excited about going to a building office. So, as the caption humorously suggests: many elevators start using the placards for elevators that have not been inspected. No one cares enough to go to the building office and search the files for the certification. And as the title text says, even inspectors themselves get bored before they can get to the building office.

The moral of this comic is if you see an elevator with a notice that says that the "elevator inspection certificate is on file", you do not really know whether the notice is true, and so building owners use the certificates as substitutes for the bother and expense of actually getting their elevators inspected.

==Transcript==
:[Three people in an elevator, one reading a posted sign.]
:Cueball: It says here that the elevator inspection certificate is on file in the building office.
:Friend: Whoa, cool! Let's go look at it!
:Ponytail: That sounds fun!

:Industry tip: Building owners know this never happens. Those signs mark elevators which have never been inspected.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Elevators]]

Talk:1377: Fish

2014-06-04T22:41:29Z

108.162.216.72:

I took it to mean that we are the camouflaged fish and the extraterrestrials are the shark. We have been naturally selected to be hard to find through some means, probably by distance from a predator life form or just being tiny, and have thus not encountered any of them. -- [[User:Irino|Irino]] ([[User talk:Irino|talk]]) 06:57, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

So, Fermi's paradox is a good defense for why you caught no fish, even though "there's plenty of fish in the sea." [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.239|103.22.201.239]] 09:06, 4 June 2014 (UTC)
:Not the Fermi paradox itself, that just questions why we could not find an evidence of extraterrestrial life out there, but this possible explanation of it. There are also other possible explanations, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox#Explaining_the_paradox_hypothetically see Wikipedia] for them. [[User:Sten|'''S<small>TEN</small>''']] <small>([[User talk:Sten|talk]])</small> 15:50, 4 June 2014 (UTC)
:No, but it could explain why I can't find a girlfriend...
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.72|108.162.216.72]] 22:41, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

The most probable predator to civilizations is another civilization. There may be civilization out there which is so scary everyone is quiet so they don't find him. Wait ... WE may be that civilization. Half of civilization in our galaxy fears the battleships from our sci-fi shows because they thinks they are real and the other half fears that civilization with that kind of shows is going to build real battleships soon.
Ok, seriously, I already commented elsewhere ... we don't have anything so valuable it would be worth the resources needed for sending attack fleet here. We would need to REALLY piss someone off to be attacked. At least ... physically. Hey, those telescopes searching for signals from other civilization ... how good antivirus protection they have? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:22, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

:We don't have anything valuable so long as another civilization doesn't need and earth sized supply of calcium, potassium, sodium, nickle, and iron.--[[User:Bmmarti3|Bmmarti3]] ([[User talk:Bmmarti3|talk]]) 12:34, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

::We do have pet ferrets. They are cute, It is unlikely that there is another source of pet ferrets in the galaxy. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.77|108.162.219.77]] 13:32, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

:I've always found this to be terrible logic. In addition to sci-fi, we also broadcast news and documentaries. In addition to fictional triumphs, we also have real-life failures. We've broadcast that funding to NASA has been cut, and how he haven't been farther than the moon in what, 50 years? We have Mythbusters which is constantly debunking stupid stuff that humans believe, and also showing off the limits of our technology in a practical manner. We broadcast war, so they would be able to see just how deadly we actually are. Worst of all, we broadcast Fox News. I don't see aliens fearing us (if they're technologically advanced enough to spy on us without us seeing them), I see them wondering just what the Hell is going on here. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 18:57, 4 June 2014 (UTC)
::This all assumes that they didn't go through their own cultural phases similar to our own. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 18:59, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

I think the problem is that traditional SETI methods are of dubious effectiveness at actually detecting radio transmissions from other civilizations due to the low initial power of said transmissions which then only get weaker as they propagate. Switch to our new optical methods of planet detection which have detected scores of planets in just a few years and the "paradox" might need to be reevaluated. Optical detection also makes it doubtful that any civilization would be able to effectively hide. [[User:Sturmovik|Sturmovik]] ([[User talk:Sturmovik|talk]]) 12:45, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

By the way, the Chinese sci-fi writer {{w|Liu Cixin}} has published a {{w|Three Body (science_fiction)|trilogy}} called "Three Body", focusing on this idea (he called it "dark forest"): what if all the visible civilizations have been destroyed? What if revealing your neighbor's location to the universe is similar to the MAD ({{w|Mutual assured destruction}}) situation? The English version should hit the market this year. --[[User:Ent|Ent]] ([[User talk:Ent|talk]]) 15:51, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

This is very similar to a *lot* of SF out there. Pellegrino's "The Killing Star" is one good example (with R-bombing and the problems associated with it), but it's certainly not the only one. Listing some of these might be good. Listing the "Central Park at night" example from "The Killing Star" might be a reasonable addition. [[User:Brdavis|Brdavis]] ([[User talk:Brdavis|talk]]) 16:23, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

1013: Wake Up Sheeple

2014-05-21T05:14:56Z

108.162.216.72: Fixed grammatical issues and infrequent tenses/plurals

{{comic
| number = 1013
| date = February 6, 2012
| title = Wake Up Sheeple
| image = wake_up_sheeple.png
| titletext = You will be led to judgement like lambs to the slaughter--a simile whose existence, I might add, will not do your species any favors.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is going through the traditional loudspeaker-having person refrain about the government having control over our lives and uses the refrain "Wake Up Sheeple". {{w|Sheeple}} is a {{w|portmanteau}} (another thing that is loved in xkcd) of "sheep" and "people" used as a derisive term to describe people who thoughtlessly wander through their daily lives going exactly where they are "herded" by the powers that be.

However, in this comic, the "Sheeple" are gigantic humanoid sheep-men who have slumbered beneath the Earth for ten thousand years, and who Cueball has inadvertently awoken with his repeated mantra (much as in [[555: Two Mirrors]]). The Sheeple appear to be some kind of eldritch abomination who will destroy the human race, and somehow Cueball seems to be the only one unaware of its existence.

The title text says the humans will be led "like lambs to the slaughter" which is a phrase that appears many times in older texts, the Bible as an example. The phrase means that someone or something would be led to its destruction without it thinking to escape from the disaster. The Sheeple are likely to take it amiss, because it indicates the uncaring frequency with which humans kill sheep.

See more Sheeple-related comics at [[:Category:Sheeple|Category:Sheeple]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball yells into a megaphone.]
:Cueball: Your government has turned against you! Corporations control your every thought! - Open your eyes!

:[Head-on view of Cueball.]
:Cueball: Wake up, sheeple! Wake up, sheeple! - '''''WAKE UP, SHEEPLE!!'''''

:[The man takes the megaphone away from his mouth.]
:''RUMBLE''

:[A half-sheep half-man creature rises through the cracking earth, holding aloft a gnarled staff.]
:''B-A-A-A-A-A...''

:[Close-up on the sheep-man's eye.]
:''TEN THOUSAND YEARS WE SLUMBERED... NOW WE RIIIIIIIISE'' baaaaaa

:[A clearly upset Megan goes up to Cueball, hands held out in front of her plaintively.]
:Megan: OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD ''WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!''
:Cueball: What? But I didn't—
:Out-of-frame #1: He awoke the Sheeple!
:OOF #2: Heaven forgive us!
:OOF #3: All is lost!

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

Talk:1013: Wake Up Sheeple

2014-05-21T05:12:16Z

108.162.216.72: comment

This one is my favorite comic. That is all, nothing constructive to add here. just praise. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:33, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

Waking up of ancient creatures may be a reference to "The Cabin in the Woods", the movie that Randall, a fan of Firefly, is likely to have watched. [[Special:Contributions/62.105.129.252|62.105.129.252]] 10:43, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

::Considering the comic came out a month before the movie, it's somewhat unlikely. [[Special:Contributions/192.138.72.196|192.138.72.196]] 13:08, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

"Oh God Oh God Oh God!" should bring some help!--DrMath 06:46, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

Are you sure that the Sheeple are a race? I thought that it was just one giant monster (using the royal "we" in its speech). --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.97.219|141.101.97.219]] 11:23, 4 May 2014 (UTC)
: I agree - there is no indication that there are more than one Sheeple, but the trees(?) in the background and the loud baaa indicates that the one shown is a giant. Also the zoom in on the mega eye goes that way. I have corrected the explain acordingly.[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:25, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

I dissagree. "Ten thousand years '''we''' slumbered..." ~ ~ ~ ~

1243: Snare

2014-02-14T06:32:05Z

108.162.216.72: elaborated explanation

{{comic
| number = 1243
| date = July 26, 2013
| title = Snare
| image = snare.png
| titletext = It's going in A collection of satellites skewered with pins and mounted in display boxes. Not necessarily MY collection.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The last major edit needs some review.}}
Cueball is relating some odd news items to Black Hat. A structure has been discovered that consists of large ring strung with superstrong mesh, a 260-mile long pole, and a gigantic winch.

Cueball realizes that the pole, ring and net combination sounds like a {{w|Butterfly_net|butterfly net}}, but one of immense size. Given his history of nefarious activities, Cueball infers and then accuses Black Hat of wanting to 'catch' the {{w|International Space Station}}, which orbits about 260 miles above the earth.

Black Hat does not deny the charge, but he dissimulates by saying it is not *the* ISS that he intends to catch but just *an* international space station, implying that it could be some other one. However, it is transparently obvious which space station he is targeting. Hint: it is the only truly international space station, it is actually called the International Space Station, and it has an orbit that matches the length of the pole that was found.

The giant ring from the first panel may be an allusion to the {{w|Tevatron}}, a former circular particle accelerator at the {{w|Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory}} (Fermilab), east of Batavia, near Chicago, Illinois.

Similarly, the gigantic winch in St. Louis, may refer to the 630-foot high {{w|Gateway Arch|Gateway Arch Monument}}. It is the tallest man-made monument in the United States. Even the rough south-north direction of this building does match to this scenario because the Fermilab is approx. 260 miles north of St. Louis. However, it is an arch, not a winch.

The title text is a reference to how butterfly collections are usually presented. The insects are mounted in glass display cases, each skewered through the body with a pin, and labelled. The text appears to be spoken by Black Hat, who here tries to imply that it may not be *his* collection of satellites. Perhaps he is minding it for a friend.

Basically, Black Hat is planning to rip an expensive satellite out of the sky and is being curiously nonchalant and transparently fake-innocent about it.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to Black Hat. Black Hat is using a laptop.]
:Cueball: They said on the news that they found a giant ring lying in a field outside Chicago. Strung with some kind of superstrong mesh.
:Black Hat: Mhm?
:Cueball: Then they found a 260 mile long shaft connected to the ring, running from Chicago to St. Louis. In St. Louis they found a gigantic winch.
:Black Hat: Did they.
:Cueball: It sounds kind of like...
:Cueball: ...a butterfly net.
:Cueball: ...are you planning on catching the International Space Station?
:Black Hat: I'm planning to catch ''an'' international space station. Not sayin' which.

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

Talk:1323: Protocol

2014-01-29T12:31:38Z

108.162.216.72:

This is funny. I was really drawn into the conversation due to the names. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.117|108.162.246.117]] 07:05, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

Eve appears in [[177: Alice and Bob]] --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 08:14, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

Heh. I was immediately reminded of the movie, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064100/ I wonder if that movie influenced the encryption names, or vice versa, or mere coincidence?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.72|108.162.216.72]] 12:31, 29 January 2014 (UTC)