explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

636: Brontosaurus

2015-07-07T00:23:09Z

108.162.217.137: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 636
| date = September 14, 2009
| title = Brontosaurus
| image = brontosaurus.png
| titletext = Well, sex is like a velociraptor: despite your movie-fueled lifelong neurotic obsession, unlikely to be found in your house.
}}
[[File:Louisae.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|alt=Remains of an {{w|Apatosaurus}}.]]
==Explanation==
[[Megan]] describes her relationship to [[Cueball]] with the simile "our love is like a turtle," a comparison often made when referring to a shy and slowly developing yet steady sort of romance. However, Cueball thinks the {{w|Brontosaurus}} the better impersonation. His explanation refers to the fact that remains of {{w|Apatosaurus}} were by mistake believed to be a different species which the paleontologist {{w|Othniel Charles Marsh|O.C. Marsh}} named ''Brontosaurus''. It was later discovered that the two species should be classified as one, with the older name prevailing according to convention [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatosaurus#Classification_and_species]. The term Brontosaurus is therefore a scientific redundancy.

Applied to the scenario in the comic, Cueball apparently considers the relationship without any emotional foundation and only continues it out of nostalgic motives. This conclusion counteracts the initial romantic tone adopted by the turtle simile, as comparing a romance with a falsely classified fossil is one of the least charming statements imaginable.

The title text aims at [[Randall|Randall's]] well-known enthusiasm for {{w|Velociraptors}}. Megan retorts by comparing any future sex between the two of them to be as likely as finding a velociraptor in his house. The insult has a second barb: painting Cueball as being obsessed with pornography.

Randall has previously mentioned the Brontosaurus name change in [[460: Paleontology]]. The Apatosaurus also appears in [[15: Just Alerting You]] and [[650: Nowhere]].

===Updates===
However the status of "Brontosaurus" remains under discussion, with a [http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-brontosaurus-is-back1/ 2015 study of diplodoicds] reporting that the more gracile fossils should be classified in a separate genus, which would then be Brontosaurus.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are sitting at a bench. Megan is holding a turtle.]
:Megan: Our love is like a turtle.

:[Megan sets down the turtle and turns to Cueball. They hold hands.]
:Megan: Humble and simple, enduring by virtue of perfect design.

:Cueball: Our love is like a brontosaurus.

:Cueball: Recognized as a mistaken combination long ago, lingering only out of misplaced affection for an imagined past.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Apatosaurus]]

1023: Late-Night PBS

2015-07-07T00:17:32Z

108.162.217.137: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1023
| date = February 29, 2012
| title = Late-Night PBS
| image = late night pbs.png
| titletext = Then it switched to these old black-and-white tapes of Bob Ross slumped against the wall of an empty room, painting the least happy trees you've ever seen. Either PBS needs to beef up studio security or I need to stop using Ambien to sleep.
}}

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|Clean up title text explanation, remove redundant or unhelpful information from subsections (especially additional details), check for grammar and spelling}}

This comic is a joke about how some things are often not how you remember them as a kid, taken to a humorous extreme, due to complex subtext or naivety, with a specific reference to television programs for children.

{{w|PBS}} is a television station known for high brow and educational programming, it is often an outlet for BBC programming in the US. The show "''{{w|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego}}''" was a lighthearted educational game show that was canceled in the 90's. In the show players follow geography based clues to find out where a master criminal, Carmen Sandiego, is going, and catch her. After catching or failing to catch Carmen Sandiego the chef would congratulate or encourage you. Rockapella was an a cappella band featured on the show that gave clues, punctuated the show with humor, and closed the show.

[[Megan]] recounts the story about her surprise as to the nature of programming on late night PBS to Cueball. She claims to have fallen asleep after watching ''Downton Abbey'' and woken up to see that ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego'' is still making new episodes, but is significantly darker then she remembers it. The host has grown older, he would be 50 when the comic was written, and developed a drinking problem, the locations the child contestants visit are traumatizing, and the children are clearly freaked out. In the end they find Carmen Sandiego hiding behind a Dutch bookcase, an allusion to "The Diary of Anne Frank", thus implying that the kids have been working as investigators trying to find the locations of Jews for the Nazis. The Chief admonishes the children for their actions and Rockapella glares at the children disapprovingly until the children break down into tears.

After completing her story Cueball's remarks that he did not remember the show being that dark, in response to Cueball's statement Megan replies that as kids neither of them could probably understand on the darker subtext of the show. It is true that some programs intended for children often have subtle themes for adults who may be watching the show with their children that the children do not usually remember or pick up on. The joke being that although children viewers may not be able to pick up on everything, there is no way that a child would not notice if a show was as dark as previously described.

{{w|Bob Ross}} had a painting show on PBS and was known to describe components of his painting as "Happy little" objects. {{w|Ambien}} a prescription sleep aid, can cause are vivid dreams and hallucinations. Thus, the joke in the title text is that Randall/Megan isn't sure if this is hallucinating from taking Ambien (thus giving an alternate explanation for the changes to the programming), or if something horrible has happened because PBS's security staff isn't large enough.

===Locations visited===
{{w|Mogadishu}} is a battle-torn city in {{w|Somalia}}, where there was the aptly named "{{w|Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu}}" in 1993, which would coincide with the air dates of "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego" game show.

{{w|The Killing Fields}} are a number of sites in {{w|Cambodia}} where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the {{w|Khmer Rouge}} regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the {{w|Cambodian Civil War}} (1970-1975).

The reference to "A Bookshelf in a Dutch Apartment" is a reference to {{w|Anne Frank}}, who was a Jewish girl who hid from the {{w|Nazi}}s in a Secret Annex hidden behind a bookshelf in an apartment in {{w|Amsterdam, Netherlands}}. She wrote the famous diary, {{w|Diary of Anne Frank}}.

===Carmen Sandiego===
"{{w|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego}}" was a {{w|computer game}} series in the mid-80s. {{w|Carmen Sandiego}} was a mysterious character that you tracked around the globe, attempting to find clues to find out where she was headed to next. The point of the series was to learn about geography and the world while having fun. The series moved to a {{w|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego (game show)|game-show TV series}} in the early 1990s from 1991 to 1995. The role of The Chief was played by {{w|Lynne Thigpen}}, a role she played in all 3 computer games (Where in the USA, Where in the World, and Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego) and both TV shows (Where in Time and Where in the World). She was responsible for telling the detectives (sleuths) what had been stolen, which of Carmen's thieves was suspected of stealing it, and some relevant information about their last whereabouts (effectively, telling the sleuths what their mission was). Whenever the detectives would catch a thief (or Carmen), she would appear and congratulate them or console them if Carmen got away.

====TV Show====
The host of the TV show was {{w|Greg Lee (actor)|Greg Lee}}. When the show originally aired, Greg was in his late 20s/early 30s. His job was to ask the questions of the contestants and tell them which flags to plant on the map in the final round, as well as engage in silly situations with The Chief and Rockapella to keep the show moving and provide clues.

The show was split into 3 rounds. In the first round, there were 3 sleuths. Each question they got right gave them additional points. The top 2 scoring sleuths moved onto the next round, where they had to play a game (like the game Memory) where they had to find the thief, warrant, and loot in the correct order. Whichever sleuth did so captured the thief, saved the loot, and moved onto the next round, where they had a chance to catch Carmen Sandiego herself. Success was not always guaranteed in this round, as contestants had to plant flags correct on 7 different countries in a continent within a very short time period. If the sleuth was successfully able to do this, they captured Carmen and won the grand prize (a trip to a place of their choosing in the continental US). If not, Carmen would escape and the sleuth would win a lesser prize (like a computer).

====Rockapella====
{{w|Rockapella}} was the '{{w|A cappella}}' group (keeping up the tradition of punny names for a cappella groups) which sang the theme song to "Where in The World Is Carmen Sandiego." 'A cappella' is a loan word from Italian meaning "''in the manner of the Church''" hearkening back to {{w|Gregorian chant}}; in the 19th century the term evolved to mean any vocalization without accompaniment. In the TV version of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Rockapella also acted as a "house band" of sorts, singing songs while the contestants transitioned between events, providing clues, playing pranks on Greg Lee, etc. At the end of each show, Greg Lee and the episode's winning contestant would shout "Do it, Rockapella!" at which point the band would sing the shows theme song.

===Additional Details===
One continuity issue in this comic is that the places they have to visit in this episode seem to require traveling to different periods in time (1993, 1975-1979, 1940s, respectively). Episodes of Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego usually did not deal with this — this is what the TV show Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego (the successor to Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, albeit with a different house band and a different host) did.

{{w|PBS}} stands for Public Broadcasting Service and is an American TV broadcaster that is predominantly supported by the viewers themselves through pledge drives. It often runs (and sometimes co-produces) acclaimed British {{w|costume drama}}s, including the mentioned ''{{w|Downton Abbey}}''.

This comic is not the first time a host of one of the Carmen Sandiego TV shows was mocked and shown as drinking on the job; Robot Chicken showed a similar scenario with the host of Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego in 2010 ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EIULR-zLEk link] — the voice of the host in the skit is the voice of the actual host from Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego).

{{w|SpongeBob SquarePants#Reception|SpongeBob SquarePants}} and The Fairly OddParents are other examples of shows that have hidden meanings in things for the adults watching the show with their children.

{{w|Bob Ross}} was a famous painter with a painting show on PBS called "{{w|The Joy of Painting}}" that ran for 12 years.

{{w|Ambien}}, also known as Zoldipem, is a prescription medication used for the treatment of insomnia, as well as some brain disorders.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is rubbing sleep out of her eyes and talking to Cueball.]
:Megan: Have you ever watched PBS late at night?
:Megan: I fell asleep after ''Downton'' and woke up at like 3 AM.

:[The upper portion of the panel continues dialogue, while the lower shows a drunk gameshow host and several contestants. The monitor shows a field of crosses, presumably graves.]
:Megan: ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego'' was back on, except the host hadn't aged well and he'd clearly been drinking.
:Megan: Every question took them to some horrible place like Mogadishu or the Cambodian killing fields.

:[Now it shows a bookshelf revealing a hidden room.]
:Megan: The kids were freaked out, but they kept playing. Eventually they were told they'd found Carmen Sandiego hiding behind a bookshelf in a Dutch apartment.

:Megan: The Chief appeared and asked "Are you proud of what you've become?"
:Megan: Then Rockapella walked out and just glared at the kids until they started crying.
:Cueball: I, uh, don't remember the old show being that dark.
:Megan: Maybe we were too young to pick up on it.

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

487: Numerical Sex Positions

2015-01-13T18:06:34Z

108.162.217.137: /* Explanation */ adding link to rule 34 on wikipedia

{{comic
| number = 487
| date = October 10, 2008
| title = Numerical Sex Positions
| image = numerical sex positions.png
| titletext = We didn't even get to the continued fractions!
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Sex positions}} are positions that two people can have {{w|sexual intercourse}} in. Many of them are named, although only one generally accepted position is named after a number: the {{w|69 (sex position)|69}}.

[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] try to approximate the shapes of the numbers, that they are given by the narrator, as sex positions. They start with the classic 69 - although standing, then represent the number 99 as "spooning" while standing and the number 71 as "doggy-style" sex over a table. They are then given ever more difficult numbers to attempt, first 34 (maybe referencing {{w|Rule 34 (Internet meme)|rule 34 of the internet}}) - Cueball exclaims ''Uh'' as he has no idea how to make a 3 although Megan does try (in vain) to form a 4. Then they are completely baffled by √8, and just stands there while the narrator asks ''Guys?'' - as in give it a try. And finally Megan gives up and leaves at the suggestion ln(2π) to the frustration of the narrator who exclaims ''Aww, c'mon''.

The narrator is so frustrated, as we are told in the title text, because he did not even get to ask them to do {{w|continued fraction}} as the ultimate challenge.

==Transcript==
:xkcd presents
:a guide to
:numerical sex positions:

:Narrator: 69
:[Cueball and Megan perform a standing sixty-nine position i.e. mutual oral sex.]

:Narrator: 99
:[Cueball and Megan perform a standing spooning position.]

:Narrator: 71
:[Megan is bent over a table and Cueball takes her doggy-style.]

:Narrator: 34
:[Cueball look at Megan who is contorted oddly.]
:Cueball: Uh.

:Narrator: √8
:[Cueball and Megan are staring at each other.]
:Narrator: Guys?

:Narrator: ln(2π)
:[Cueball just stands there while Megan is walking away.]
:Narrator: Aww, c'mon...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Math]]

Talk:1441: Turnabout

2014-11-02T18:28:29Z

108.162.217.137:

In the few seconds the photons take to get to the moon and back, the earth has moved enough on its axis that the reflected beam from a perfect retroreflector is not gonna hit the protagonist.

The retroreflectors for the Apollo missions were deliberately spoiled so they return six slightly offset beams, angled such that photons from one of them will go back near enough to the source.

Oh, and of course there's also the whole r^4 thing too. {{unsigned ip|‎108.162.250.208}}
:Citation needed. And did you mean the inverse square law? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.195|103.22.201.195]] 07:37, 31 October 2014 (UTC)
:Since you acknowledge that the reflectors for the Apollo missions were constructed to take this into consideration and the photons will return near enough to the source, the cartoon is still valid. Now, whether the photons would retain sufficient energy upon their return to cause harm when they did not have enough power to destroy the reflector in the first place is a subject for another discussion .[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.94|108.162.216.94]] 07:49, 31 October 2014 (UTC)
::The photons will retain the same power (more or less...), but there will be less ''of'' them. The laser (e.g. the one from the Apache Point observatory) spreads out on its way to the Moon (perfect collumation into a millimetre-wide laser beam is neither practical nor desirable, given the need to 'flood' the vicinity of the reflector in leiu of impossible accuracy, including to account for asymmetric atmospheric distortion on the beam and its return) so that only a small proportion of the beam hits a reflector unit (one of the largest being 0.6m²) and the returning beam (for reasons already mentioned) is again much wider than the collecting telescope (3.5m diameter, possibly). There's usually no more than a dozen photons (per each short pulse of the laser) that actually make the return trip to be detected, and often it's well down into single-figures, requiring many such pulses to gather enough photons to make a statistically significant analysis.
::All this, of course, does render even more ridiculous the concept of manually firing even a ''combat''-strength laser beam across the necessary void and back again to such a precise hit (and, BTW, the What-If someone was mentioning is http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ and shows a possibly less-tightly-collumated-than-Apache-Point laser having a diameter of almost half that of the Moon itself). But what the hey? ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.112|141.101.99.112]] 10:04, 31 October 2014 (UTC)

Superimposing the 3rd and 5th panels over each another shows the beam does not come back exactly to its source
http://xbehome.com/uploads/retroreflector.png [[User:Defaultdotxbe|Defaultdotxbe]] ([[User talk:Defaultdotxbe|talk]]) 08:09, 31 October 2014 (UTC)

Can anyone comment on how likely/unlikely it would be to accidently hit a retroreflector on the moon? The moon takes up only a very small proportion of the sky (when visible at all of course), and so the likelyhood of that wild shot even hitting the moon at all has to be pretty low. (I'm sure there was a What-If on this...) --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:22, 31 October 2014 (UTC)

:: Randall covered lasers hitting the moon in [https://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ what-if 13] --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:45, 31 October 2014 (UTC)

What is a 'reflective' palindromic number like mentioned in an (early?) version of this explanation:
:Citation: "It is worth noting that the number of this comic is 1441: a 'reflective' palindromic number."
All I could find about reflective ~palindromes was that you should be able to mirror the number/word and still get the same. But you cannot mirror 4 into 4. So in that way it cannot be reflective... (1 maybe if the font is the correct one, else only 8 and 0 in numbers and some letters like A and X).
Of course it is a palindrome as it would read 1 4 4 1, also in reverse. But reflective - not so much?
If it is not reflective, then it has no relevance in the explain as it was this reflection that had a reference to the story... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:49, 31 October 2014 (UTC)
What

:I agree, the number is a palindrome, but not a reflective palindrome. I'm not quite decided on whether the fact it is a palindrome holds any relevance, or is simply a coincidence. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 11:10, 31 October 2014 (UTC)

I've removed a sentence about "continuity problems" and why the beam does not go right through the opponent (or hit the original shooter). No laser tag set that I know of is powerful enough to go right through someone, I imagine that would be regarded as a slight health & safety issue. You could argue that panel 1 shows the beam going through someone, but I think that is in fact behind him. As far as him being knocked over, I would guess that is to emphasise his being hit, rather than physically knocked over. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 13:35, 31 October 2014 (UTC)
:IMO, it's not laser-tag at all, but a full-strength offensive laser-blast (of at least 'stun' level). The first 'through the body' shot is actually a miss 'in depth' (rarely for XKCD comics without other explicit perspective cues to the image, like this one, it's in the <TwilightZoneMusic+Reverb>Third! Dimension!</TwilightZoneMusic+Reverb>...), neither harming nor impeded by the attacker. The rebounded shot at the end appears to have at least caused the same attacker to lose grip of his gun, if not caused physical damage to his back. (Although I suppose he could be wearing a "shocker" or vibrating-on-hit style of laser-tag kit, or is reacting to the sound-effect arising from the unexpected "hit detection".) No doubt a combat-level laser would be dialled up to damage your target without ''necessarily'' burning straight through.
:Also (regarding another comment), while I imagine it'd be useful to wear armour designed to be reflective (or even retroreflective!) all over, it would probably be impractical, whereas the lunar retroreflector array being used might possibly itself withstand the beam for at least long enough to get a decent amount of bounce-back. Anyhow, with such Improbable Aiming Skills, I suspect at least latent and subconcious Force abilities were in play, which can handwave all such niggling problems. Right guys? (And also opens the doorway for this being a universe with full-on Stormtrooper Armour... you know, the kind that's Reactive Armour, but assembled the wrong way round so it ends up hurting you more than if you were wearing no more than woven and leather fabrics...) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.112|141.101.99.112]] 14:24, 31 October 2014 (UTC)

As the earth is turning, the reflected beam would hit different spot. In that 2.5 secs it would take the beam to travel back to the earth, earth would have turned 1.160km at the equator. So even if the beam would stay collimated the beam would miss coming back. {{unsigned ip|173.245.51.196}}

Clearly black-hat stole an apollo reteoreflector and mounted it nearby. Panel 4 just happened really really fast [[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.137|108.162.217.137]] 18:28, 2 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1433: Lightsaber

2014-10-14T04:04:48Z

108.162.217.137: asdf

I seem to remember seeing somewhere that lightsabers are actually not lasers but rather plasma held in that shape by some sort of force field. I think it should be in the explanation if it is true. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 06:11, 13 October 2014 (UTC)
:I'd just like to know what "real laser"s have to do with lightsabers. (Other than little kids using the wrong name.) [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.120|103.22.201.120]] 11:55, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Most of "scientific" explanations of lightsaber (and blaster bolts) says about plasma contained in magnetic field. For example check this SE http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/6478.
Endless "laser sword" pun was also used in http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6704463/troopers-laser-sword, without Luke but with massive hull breach. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.214|108.162.231.214]] 06:38, 13 October 2014 (UTC)PTwr

One joking "explanation" of the light sabre conjured long ago on a newsgroup I was on had used the Fourier analysis. It proposed that the "handle" emits multiple beams of light with very well defined frequencies and amplitudes, corresponding to a Fourier series for a pulse wave with a low duty cycle - so the waveforms emitted cancel themselves after a short distance. The joke went on, saying that since the sum of the Fourier series is periodic, someone practicing the sabre on the Earth can accidentally chop off the head of someone walking on the Moon. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.29|108.162.254.29]] 07:26, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

I don't think this has anything to do with the Hull Breach card game. The sentence "Hull breach all along sector five" does however sound like something from Star Trek and not like Star Wars.[[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 12:07, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

There is a XKCD What If discussion on infinite lasers at http://what-if.xkcd.com/109/ [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.113|141.101.99.113]] 12:17, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

"'''Because Vader slightly tilts the active lightsaber, the beam ends up slicing straight through the hull of a large section of the Death Star. '''" Wouldn't it would cause a breach the moment he turned it on, not waiting until he tilts it? [[User:Lomky|Lomky]] ([[User talk:Lomky|talk]]) 15:07, 13 October 2014 (UTC)
:Yes, but the breach would be highly localized (the same diameter as the blade) until he tilts it. If he does so in the center of the sphere, leverage means that a slight angle change in the emitter means a huge change at the other end of the beam.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 15:34, 13 October 2014 (UTC)
::Darth Vader may be more machine than man, but don't you think you're overestimating his ability to hold his hand steady? You seem to be suggesting his hand wouldn't tremor enough to cause even the tiniest perturbations in the angle.[[User:Diszy|Diszy]] ([[User talk:Diszy|talk]]) 19:29, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

The scene referred to in Return of the Jedi, actually takes place on the surface of Endors moon. There are trees in the background: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnoczxzQyg [[Special:Contributions/141.101.81.222|141.101.81.222]] 15:20, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Actually, the title text says "A long time in the future, in a galaxy...", not "ago". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.26|108.162.216.26]] 12:25, 13 October 2014 (UTC)
: Who said otherwise? "'''The Star Wars opening crawl''' starts with the text "A long time ago..." {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.117}}

When I first read this, I took it as a game of one-up-manship. I build something, you build something better, I build something even better, you build something cooler, etc in an ever escalating spiral of coolness. So, here, Luke has built a long sabre as a way of one-upping his father, who then asks "where does [this competition] end?" Luke's response is taht the competition, like his laser sword, never ends. That also seems to fit in neatly with Randall's penchant for puns. OTOH, I could just be making up stuff inside my head :D JonS

<GASP> We now have one of the two variables needed to find the Death Star! We have direction, now all we need is distance!

1426: Reduce Your Payments

2014-09-26T11:27:53Z

108.162.217.137: Added link to wikipedia article on "clickbait". Removed fulfilled request for more information on sodium borohydrate's effect on paper.

{{comic
| number = 1426
| date = September 26, 2014
| title = Reduce Your Payments
| image = reduce_your_payments.png
| titletext = I tried oxidizing them, but your bank uses some really weird paper and it wouldn't light.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This explanation states what is obvious in the comic without explaining. }}

[[Black Hat]] walks into a room where [[Cueball]] sits in an armchair. Black Hat says to Cueball that he can reduce his mortgage bills, while holding a docket of paper, presumably Cueball's bill. Black Hat uses the same formulation many internet advertisements use: "Discover this (strange/new/amazing...) trick to (lose weight/reduce your mortgage bills/meet amazing women)" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickbait to gather clicks]. Cueball wants to know how and Black Hat responds by mentioning {{w|Sodium_borohydride|sodium borohydride (NaBH4)}}.

Sodium borohydride is a strong {{w|Reducing_agent|reducing agent}}, meaning in a chemical reaction it will "reduce" something else, by contributing (an) electron(s). It is in fact used during the [http://www.borax.com/library/articles/news-and-events/news-release/paper's-tiger manufacture of paper], in order to bleach the pulp and improve the resulting papers properties.

This comic is a typical switcharound pun. Cueball expects the value (on a bill) you have to pay reduced, while Black Hat uses the chemical meaning of reducing. Cueball, realizing this, then proceeds to say "I hate you", when he realizes the pun.

The title text implies that Black Hat has already attempted to oxidize (as the contrary of the chemical "reduce") the paper mortgage bill by burning it but the paper would not light.

Black Hat's "weird trick" actually works, yet in an unexpected manner, and does not solve the actual problem.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits on a sofa and Blackhat walks into the frame from behind.]
:Blackhat: I discovered this weird trick for reducing your mortgage payments!
:Cueball: What?
:Blackhat: Sodium borohydride.
:Cueball: ...I hate you.

{{comic discussion}}

1426: Reduce Your Payments

2014-09-26T11:11:45Z

108.162.217.137: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1426
| date = September 26, 2014
| title = Reduce Your Payments
| image = reduce_your_payments.png
| titletext = I tried oxidizing them, but your bank uses some really weird paper and it wouldn't light.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This explanation states what is obvious in the comic without explaining. A description of Sodium borohydride's effects on paper are required. }}

[[Black Hat]] walks into a room where [[Cueball]] sits in an armchair. Black Hat says to Cueball that he can reduce his mortgage bills, while holding a docket of paper, presumably Cueball's bill. Black Hat uses the same formulation many internet advertisements use: "Discover this (strange/new/amazing...) trick to (lose weight/reduce your mortgage bills/meet amazing women)" to gather clicks[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clickbait]. Cueball wants to know how and Black Hat responds by mentioning {{w|Sodium_borohydride|sodium borohydride (NaBH4)}}.

Sodium borohydride is a strong {{w|Reducing_agent|reducing agent}}, meaning in a chemical reaction it will "reduce" something else, by contributing (an) electron(s). It is in fact used during the [http://www.borax.com/library/articles/news-and-events/news-release/paper's-tiger manufacture of paper], in order to bleach the pulp and improve the resulting papers properties.

This comic is a typical switcharound pun. Cueball expects the value (on a bill) you have to pay reduced, while Black Hat uses the chemical meaning of reducing. Cueball, realizing this, then proceeds to say "I hate you", when he realizes the pun.

The title text implies that Black Hat has already attempted to oxidize (as the contrary of the chemical "reduce") the paper mortgage bill by burning it but the paper would not light.

Black Hat's "weird trick" actually works, yet in an unexpected manner, and does not solve the actual problem.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits on a sofa and Blackhat walks into the frame from behind.]
:Blackhat: I discovered this weird trick for reducing your mortgage payments!
:Cueball: What?
:Blackhat: Sodium borohydride.
:Cueball: ...I hate you.

{{comic discussion}}