1736: Manhattan Project

2016-09-21T19:18:19Z

141.101.70.211:

{{comic
| number = 1736
| date = September 21, 2016
| title = Manhattan Project
| image = manhattan_project.png
| titletext = On the plus side, we definitely killed that cancer over there, even if we caused a bunch more everywhere else.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Manhattan Project}} was a big, expensive, secret research and development project that produced the first {{w|nuclear weapons}} during {{w|World War II}}. It is an example of getting all the top minds of a subject together to solve a massive problem, generally with massive government spending. The phrase [http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/11/14/is-nuclear-power-the-answer-to-climate-change/we-need-a-new-manhattan-project-to-deal-with-climate-change We need a new Manhattan Project] is sometimes used to suggest that the top minds should get together to solve another problem. In this comic the suggestion is implied that all the top minds for {{w|cancer research}} should get together to find a cure, but the idea is taken literally instead and the New Manhattan Project develops a nuclear bomb again.

The title text implies that the blast was successful in annihilating the cancerous cells in close proximity to the blast with the force of the explosion, but admits that the detonation would result in significantly more cancer in nearby people due to the {{w|ionizing radiation}} and {{w|fallout}}. The title text is reminiscent of both the main comic and the title text of [[1217: Cells]].

==Transcript==
:[A five panel layout with each panel slightly smaller than the next.]
:[Ponytail holding her arms out speaks to Cueball.]
:Ponytail: What we need to cure cancer is a new Manhattan Project

:[Cueball stands next to Ponytail on podium with a banner overhead. Ponytail is lifting her arms high up and addresses a huge crowd below the podium. Faces disappear into the distance, but at the podiums edge are four full faces, from left to right they are Hairy, a person with flat hair, a person with white hair and a Cueball-like guy.]
:Banner: Research Initiative

:[Cueball and Megan sitting behind a desk looking out and Ponytail standing to the right facing away from them wear laboratory goggles and laboratory coats. There are several Erlenmeyer flasks on the desk and Ponytail is also holding such a flask. There are other glass wares on the desk.]

:[Megan, holding a hand in front of her face, Cueball and Ponytai, all wearing some kind of glasses strapped around the back of their heads stand behind two barriers looking into the distance where a large mushroom cloud rises high in the air with the typical ring around the stem below the main cloud and smoke/dust surrounding the bottom of the stem. It is much higher in the image than the three mountains in the left background.]

:[Close up of Ponytail, as she faces to the right. She is wearing very dark protection glasses, looking like those used for looking at the sun during a solar eclipse.]
:Ponytail: Wait.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]] 
[[Category:Cancer]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]

Talk:1712: Politifact

2016-07-29T08:15:34Z

141.101.70.211:

The title text can be interpreted in two ways: Either that the pants are actually on fire or that rolling the smoke-bomb was a blatant lie. I'm not sure what to make of the "::FWOOOSH::" in the latter case...
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.83.66|162.158.83.66]] 16:46, 27 July 2016 (UTC)

I think there is also an aspect of excessive literalism here. For example when Meagan says "I swear I locked that window" Politifact says "false". While it is literally true that this statement was false this is only tangentially related to the conversation. What is important is the home break in going on.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.70|173.245.56.70]] 17:59, 27 July 2016 (UTC)

I think that the title text has two equally true meanings. It was NOT a smoke bomb (it was some other type of bomb, so calling it "smoke bomb" is false) and also Politifact's pants were literally on fire. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.147|162.158.214.147]] 21:32, 27 July 2016 (UTC)
: Smoke Bombs are not as obviously incendiary as (say) Incendiary Bombs, but they are actually burning, beneath the deliberate smoke, and perfectly capable of igniting materials. Depending upon their (mis)use. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.20|141.101.98.20]] 12:00, 28 July 2016 (UTC)

Is it appropriate for the transcript to have colored text? The point of a transcript is to have a formal plain text description, decorating the text in this manner to convey information seems contrary to that. An in-parenthesis statement of the color would perhaps be better. [[User:Thomson's Gazelle|Thomson's Gazelle]] ([[User talk:Thomson's Gazelle|talk]]) 16:51, 28 July 2016 (UTC)
:Well that can be discussed, but it's the way it has been done in all comics with colored text. It is always easy to read it if you copy paste and you can still search for the words. And a reader will not have problems with the text. But agree that the transcript should mention that PolitiFact is written like their logo with colors. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:46, 28 July 2016 (UTC)
::...maybe we should make a page for the formatting guidelines of transcripts. I swear I see this same thing on every page with formatted text in the transcript. [[User:Papayaman1000|Papayaman1000]] ([[User talk:Papayaman1000|talk]]) 19:32, 28 July 2016 (UTC)
:::I think it is as it should be. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:05, 28 July 2016 (UTC)
::::While I feel that formatted text is a perfectly good style decision for the transcripts in this way, I'd like to point out that when there was a discussion on changing the tagline - "It's because you're dumb" - it was pointed out that there are blind people who use this site to follow xkcd, by having a reader program read this transcript. I'm not sure if such a program would mention colours or bold or italic text (etc), which would mean mentioning the colours could be more effective. - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.118|108.162.218.118]] 02:34, 29 July 2016 (UTC)
:::::I did add that but Dgbrt reverted my changes do not quite know why... :/ --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:17, 29 July 2016 (UTC)
::::::"Revert: The transcript isn't the explain section." seems apt given the sheer amount of description added. If you'd have stuck with (in the first square bracket) saying "Politi is blue and Fact in red, whenever spoken by the PolitiFact character", or ideally something even briefer", it would aid the (colour?)blind readers to get the novelty of that more than the stuff like messy hair. IMO [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.211|141.101.70.211]] 08:15, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1736: Manhattan Project

Talk:1712: Politifact