explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

116: City

2025-03-03T19:59:45Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */ Also, adjusting the commas to be better placed. (Though could be written even better, if it was worth it for text that I imagine will be soon removed entirely.)

{{comic
| number = 116
| date = June 16, 2006
| title = City
| image = city.jpg
| titletext = God, she's such a whore.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|
----
''Some suggest the short submission can't completely convey the comic's casual comedy, or satire. Surely someone should scribe something stringently suggestive of the complete caucus of clarification, constituting corroboration of the circumstances seen in this situation.''

----

In other, non-poetical, words this explanation is too short and doesn't explain the comic nor the joke.
*Link to other related comics and categories.
*Explain why it's funny in that position.}}
The poem or description alternates between using words that start with C and words that start with S, to achieve an effect resembling {{w|alliteration}}. The gentle, romantic tone of the poem is broken by the last two words, Your Mom. This is an example of a {{w|maternal insult}} joke, and is phrased accordingly.

The title text further emphasizes this, implying that the mother in question is also promiscuous.

==Transcript==
:[A picture of various apartment buildings.]
:Shadowed city slumber silently. A second-story suite.
:Come craving courtship, selected serendipitously
:Crazed copulations, a salacious storm of continuous coitus.
:Spread, straddled, conquered.
:Countless crashed suitors strewn carelessly.
:Center, silken sheets sensuously caressing soft skin,
:Contentedly sleeps your mom.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]

2445: Checkbox

2025-02-25T21:15:19Z

141.101.98.174: Undo revision 366918 by FaviFake (talk) I suspect you never actually reviewed *all* your changes. Want to try again, without breaking actual wikimarkup?

{{comic
| number = 2445
| date = April 1, 2021
| title = Checkbox
| image = 2445.png
| titletext = Check check check ... chhecck chhecck chhecck ... check check check
}}
{{TOC}}To experience the interactivity of the game, visit the {{xkcd|2445|original comic}}.

==Explanation==
This was the 11th [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] released by [[Randall]]. The previous fool's comic was [[2288: Collector's Edition]], which was delayed two days and released on Friday April 3, 2020. The next became [[2601: Instructions]] released on Friday April 1, 2022 (a regular release day).

The comic looks similar to a loading screen. The actual comic (this “loading screen”) consists of an animated gif of a {{w|checkbox}} (hence the name).

The frame is replaced with an interactive panel. In the center is a check box, which clears itself immediately when checked. In the bottom right is a mute button, which begins muted. By unmuting, and changing it to a loudspeaker, sounds are played when the check box is checked. This was the second [[:Category:Comics with audio|comic with audio]] on xkcd. The very similar April Fool's comic from the next year, [[2601: Instructions]], used audio, too. It also had only one element in the center, but not a check box, but a {{w|radio button}}.

Under the checkbox is a scrolling visual representation of the timing and duration of clicks in the check box, which also produce matching beeping sounds when unmuted. The representation consists of a dot for a short press, or a bar for a longer press. All long presses are represented by a bar of a pre-determined length; in other words, a longer press does not result in a longer bar.

By varying between brief and long presses, and brief and long intervals between presses, it is possible to enter characters in Morse code.

The check box then begins operating by itself, producing sounds which can be decoded as Morse code. These responses are also printed in the browser's JavaScript console in both plain text and a textual representation of Morse code. If left without any initial input for 30 seconds it would send the message CQ (meaning "Seek You").

The title text hints at the use of Morse code in the comic; interpreting the "check" as a Morse Code dot and the "chhecck" (a long check) as a Morse code dash gives ...---..., which is the Morse code for "SOS", the international distress signal. Incidentally, inputting the SOS signal gives "YOU TOO?".

For the majority of inputs, the check box responds with a random selection from the following list:
* COME AGAIN
* HUH
* NOT FOLLOWING
* SAY AGAIN
* TRY THAT AGAIN
* WHAT

Some keywords, however, have [[#Special Responses´|special responses]].

===Unique header text===
This comic has a [[Header text#Unique_header_text|unique header text]], see [[Header text#Checkbox|the details here]]. The header is:
:"This comic was put together by Max Goodhart, Patrick, Amber, Benjamin Staffin, Kevin Cotrone, and Michael Leuchtenburg."
Read Max's [https://chromakode.com/post/checkbox blog post] on development of the comic.

==Special Responses==
[. represents a short signal, - represents a long signal, and / represents pauses between words. Sojourner is a Mars rover which has been referenced by Randall in the past and is the entity operating the morse code device.]

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|XKCD -> FILE NOT FOUND
|[-..- -.- -.-. -..] -> [..-. .. .-.. . / -. --- - / ..-. --- ..- -. -..]
|
|-
|XKCD -> A CROSS THREE LETTERS
|[-..- -.- -.-. -..] -> [.- / -.-. .-. --- ... ... / - .... .-. . . / .-.. . - - . .-. ...]
|A pun on "across three letters", how clues are sometimes given in crossword puzzles. Instead, the word "xkcd" is literally a cross (x), followed by three letters (kcd).
|-
|HI -> HELLO! ANYBODY OUT THERE?
|[.... ..] -> [.... . .-.. .-.. --- -.-.-- / .- -. -.-- -... --- -.. -.-- / --- ..- - / - .... . .-. . ..--..]
|Perhaps a reference to the Pink Floyd song "Is there anybody out there?"
|-
|HELLO -> HELLO TO YOU TOO!
|[.... . .-.. .-.. ---] -> [.... . .-.. .-.. --- / - --- / -.-- --- ..- / - --- --- -.-.--]
|
|-
|HELP -> ENTER IMAGE NUMBER
|[.... . .-.. .--.] -> [. -. - . .-. / .. -- .- --. . / -. ..- -- -... . .-.]
|See below; if you enter any number ≤ 2445 you will be linked to the corresponding xkcd comic.
|-
|HELP -> YES PLEASE
|[.... . .-.. .--.] -> [-.-- . ... / .--. .-.. . .- ... .]
|Sojourner mistakes the person inputting the morse code as offering help instead of asking for it.
|-
|ES -> QUE
|[. ...] -> [--.- ..- .]
|"Es" means "is" in Spanish, and "Qué" is "what".
|-
|WHAT -> ECHO
|[.-- .... .- -] -> [. -.-. .... ---]
|
|-
|ECHO -> ECHO
|[. -.-. .... ---] -> [. -.-. .... ---]
|
|-
|CHECK -> MATE
|[-.-. .... . -.-. -.-] -> [-- .- - .]
|Checkmate is the winning move in chess.
|-
|CHECKBOX -> RADIO BUTTON
|[-.-. .... . -.-. -.- -... --- -..-] -> [.-. .- -.. .. --- / -... ..- - - --- -.]
|This also works the other way around.
|-
|E (''repeat n times'') -> E (''repeat n times'')
|[.]
|This only applies for n < 7. Also, n=6 returns 'AAAAAA' instead.
|-
|T (''repeat n times'') -> T (''repeat n times'')
|[-]
|This only applies for n < 7.
|-
|E -> E ''pause'' I -> EIEIO
|[.] -> [.] ''pause'' [..] -> [. .. . .. ---]
|"E-I-E-I-O" is the refrain to the children's song {{w|Old MacDonald Had a Farm}}.
|-
|I (''repeat n times'') -> I (''repeat n times'')
|[..] -> [..] ''or'' [.. ...-] (IV) ''or'' [...-] (V)
|This only applies for n < 4. n=4 returns 'IV' and n=5 returns 'V', the Roman numerals for 4 and 5, respectively.
|-
|FLIPCOIN -> HEADS ''or'' TAILS
|[..-. .-.. .. .--. -.-. --- .. -.] -> [.... . .- -.. ...] ''or'' [- .- .. .-.. ...]
|
|-
|LOOK AROUND -> NOT ENOUGH POWER
|[.-.. --- --- -.- / .- .-. --- ..- -. -..] -> [-. --- - / . -. --- ..- --. .... / .--. --- .-- . .-.]
|Indicates that Sojourner doesn't have enough battery to swivel its camera head.
|-
|SEE -> RED SOIL
|[... . .] -> [.-. . -.. / ... --- .. .-..]
|References that Sojourner is on Mars. Mars is covered in red soil.
|-
|WHO ARE YOU ''or'' WHAT IS YOUR NAME -> SOJOURNER
|[.-- .... --- / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..-] ''or'' [.-- .... .- - / .. ... / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -. .- -- .] -> [... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.]
|Indicates that Sojourner is the operator of the morse code device.
|-
|SOJOURNER -> CFM
|[... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.] -> [-.-. ..-. --]
|CFM is short for confirm. Sojourner is confirming that it's in control of the morse code device.
|-
|ET -> PHONE HOME
|[. -] -> [.--. .... --- -. . / .... --- -- .]
|This is a reference to the movie ET.
|-
|LS -> DID YOU MEAN DIR
|[.-.. ...] -> [-.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -- . .- -. / -.. .. .-.]
|These are both commands for viewing the files in a directory. LS is the traditional method in UNIX, whereas DIR is more associated with MS-DOS/Windows (although it also exists in UNIX).
|-
|DIR -> ENTER IMAGE NUMBER
|[-.. .. .-.] -> [. -. - . .-. / .. -- .- --. . / -. ..- -- -... . .-.]
|This references to the next input. DIR stands for directory.
|-
|(''any number ≤ 2445'') -> (''loads xkcd comic in new tab'')
|
|Pulls up the xkcd comic corresponding to the number entered. Only works for comics published before this one.
|-
|MAKE ME A SANDWICH -> NOT A CHANCE
|[-- .- -.- . / -- . / .- / ... .- -. -.. .-- .. -.-. ....] -> [-. --- - / .- / -.-. .... .- -. -.-. .]
|A reference to [[149: Sandwich]]
|-
|SUDO MAKE ME A SANDWICH -> NOT POSSIBLE HERE
|[... ..- -.. --- / -- .- -.- . / -- . / .- / ... .- -. -.. .-- .. -.-. ....] -> [-. --- - / .--. --- ... ... .. -... .-.. . / .... . .-. .]
|Another reference to [[149: Sandwich]]
|-
|I LOVE YOU -> LESS THAN THREE
|[.. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-] -> [.-.. . ... ... / - .... .- -. / - .... .-. . .]
|"Less than three" represents the less than (<) symbol followed by the number three (3), which together form <3. This is commonly used to represent a heart.
|-
|<nowiki />:) -> :D
|[---... -.--.-] -> [---... -..]
|This gives a bigger version of a smile than the one entered.
|-
|<nowiki />:( -> :C
|[---... -.--.] -> [---... -.-.]
|Following the pattern from the above entry, this converts the sad face entered to a bigger frown.
|-
|<nowiki />;) -> :O
|[-.-.-. -.--.-] -> [---... ---]
|":O" is an {{w|emoticon}} depicting a surprised face.
|-
|<nowiki />:O -> :X
|[---... ---] -> [---... -..-]
|":X" is an emoticon depicting an embarrassed face.
|-
|UWU -> OWO
|[..- .-- ..-] -> [--- .-- ---]
|"{{w|uwu}}" is an emoticon depicting a cute face. "owo" is the open-eyed version of "uwu".
|-
|OWO -> UWU
|[--- .-- ---] -> [..- .-- ..-]
|See "UWU -> OWO".
|-
|POG -> YEET
|[.--. --- --.] -> [-.-- . . -]
|Pog and yeet are both common interjections used on the Internet.
|-
|UNIX -> (''Opens [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com]'')
|[..- -. .. -..-]
|[[unixkcd|April Fools' Day in 2010]]
|-
|GET YE FLASK -> YE WISH! IF THERE WAS A FLASK IN THIS GAME, WE'D KNOW ABOUT IT.
|[--. . - / -.-- . / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.-] -> [-.-- . / .-- .. ... .... -.-.-- / .. ..-. / - .... . .-. . / .-- .- ... / .- / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.- / .. -. / - .... .. ... / --. .- -- . --..-- / .-- . .----. -.. / -.- -. --- .-- / .- -... --- ..- - / .. - .-.-.-]
|
|-
|GET YE FLASK -> YOU CANNOT GET YE FLASK
|[--. . - / -.-- . / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.-] -> [-.-- --- ..- / -.-. .- -. -. --- - / --. . - / -.-- . / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.-]
|This response, as well as the previous one, are references to a recurring joke from {{w|Homestar Runner}}.
|-
|YO -> YO
|[-.-- ---] -> [-.-- ---]
|
|-
|DROP TABLE -> HAHA NO
|[.... .- .... .- / -. ---] -> [.... .- .... .- / -. ---]
|A reference to [[327: Exploits of a Mom]].
|-
|WHY -> TO STUDY THE RED PLANET
|[.-- .... -.--] -> [- --- / ... - ..- -.. -.-- / - .... . / .-. . -.. / .--. .-.. .- -. . -]
|Refers to Sojourners' misson on Mars.
|-
|EAT -> I PHOTOSYNTHESIZE
|[. .- -] -> [.. / .--. .... --- - --- ... -.-- -. - .... . ... .. --.. .]
|Sojourner is a rover, and therefore does not require food. For that matter, Sojourner also does not photosynthesize. It does, however, generate energy from light in a superficially similar manner using its solar panels.
|-
|BATTLE ''or'' FIGHT -> THROW
|[-... .- - - .-.. .] ''or'' [..-. .. --. .... -] -> [- .... .-. --- .--]
|
|-
|START -> DID YOU MEAN START GAME?
|[... - .- .-. -] -> [-.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -- . .- -. / ... - .- .-. - / --. .- -- . ..--..]
|References the below input.
|-
|STARTGAME -> CHECK BACK LATER
|[... - .- .-. - --. .- -- .] -> [-.-. .... . -.-. -.- / -... .- -.-. -.- / .-.. .- - . .-.]
|
|}
===Controls===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|QUIET -> (turns the volume off)
|[--.- ..- .. . -]
|
|-
|MUTE -> (turns the volume off)
|[-- ..- - .]
|
|-
|BEEP -> (turns the volume on)
|[-... . . .--.]
|
|}
See also QRS and QRQ.

===Q codes and radio shorthand===
An explanation of Q codes can be found {{w|Q code|here}}.

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|CQ -> CQD DE SOJ
|[-.-. --.-] -> [-.-. --.- -.. / -.. . / ... --- .---]
|
|-
|SOS -> YOU TOO?
|[... --- ...] -> [-.-- --- ..- / - --- --- ..--..]
|Implies that Sojourner is also in need of help.
|-
|SOS -> OH NO
|[... --- ...] -> [--- .... / -. ---]
|
|-
|QRS -> (reduces playback speed)
|[--.- .-. ...]
|
|-
|QRQ -> (increases playback speed)
|[--.- .-. --.-]
|
|-
|QRA -> QRA SOJOURNER
|[--.- .-. .-] -> [--.- .-. .- / ... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.]
|Usually, the answer would be a ship or a coast station, but here since "QRA" asks for who is the sender, Sojourner answers "Sojourner".
|-
|QRB -> QRB 264 MILLION KM
|[--.- .-. -...] -> [--.- .-. -... /..--- -.... ....- / -- .. .-.. .-.. .. --- -. / -.- --]
|The distance from Sojourner.
|-
|QRH -> QRH 0.652 METERS
|[--.- .-. ....] -> [--.- .-. .... / ----- .-.-.- -.... ..... ..--- / -- . - . .-. ...]
|Wavelength of Sojourner.
|-
|QRG -> QRG PATHFINDER
|[--.- .-. --.] -> [--.- .-. --. / .--. .- - .... ..-. .. -. -.. . .-.]
|Sojourner comes from {{w|Mars Pathfinder}}.
|-
|QRZ -> QRZ SOJOURNER
|[--.- .-. --..] -> [--.- .-. --.. / ... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.]
|Sojourner is calling.
|-
|QRT -> PLEASE DON'T GO
|[--.- .-. -] -> [.--. .-.. . .- ... . / -.. --- -. .----. - / --. ---]
|Sojourner doesn't want the receiver to stop sending.
|-
|QTH -> QTH ARES VALLIS
|[--.- - ....] -> [--.- - .... / .- .-. . ... / ...- .- .-.. .-.. .. ...]
|Sojourner is situated in the {{w|Ares Vallis}}.
|-
|QSL -> QSL
|[--.- ... .-..] -> [--.- ... .-..]
|Sojourner does receive the messages.
|-
|73 -> 73 KN
|[--... ...--] -> [--... ...-- / -.- -.]
|"73" means "best regards". By saying "best regards", Sojourner ends the transmission.
|-
|CL -> BYE
|[-.-. .-..] -> [-... -.-- .]
|Since the receiver (a.k.a. the person who inputs in the comic) is closing, Sojourner replies with "bye".
|}

===FORTUNE===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|F -> DID YOU MEAN FORTUNE
|[..-.] -> [-.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -- . .- -. / ..-. --- .-. - ..- -. .]
|
|-
|FORTUNE -> OPEN ME
|[..-. --- .-. - ..- -. .] -> [--- .--. . -. / -- .]
|
|-
|OPEN -> ''returns one of the following fortunes''

1. A BEAUTIFUL SMART AND LOVING PERSON WILL BE COMING INTO YOUR LIFE

2. CHANGE IS HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE SO GO WITH THE FLOW

3. COURTESY BEGINS IN THE HOME

4. DILIGENCE AND MODESTY CAN RAISE YOUR SOCIAL STATUS

5. EVERYWHERE YOU CHOOSE TO GO FRIENDLY FACES WILL GREET YOU

6. FOLLOW THE MIDDLE PATH NEITHER EXTREME WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY

7. FOR THE THINGS WE HAVE TO LEARN BEFORE WE CAN DO THEM WE LEARN BY DOING THEM

8. HELP IM BEING HELD PRISONER IN A CHINESE BAKERY

9. LIKE THE RIVER FLOW INTO THE SEA SOMETHING ARE JUST MEANT TO BE

10. MANS MIND ONCE STRETCHED BY A NEW IDEA NEVER REGAINS ITS ORIGINAL DIMENSIONS

11. MEDITATION WITH AN OLD ENEMY IS ADVISED

12. NEVER FEAR THE END OF SOMETHING MARKS THE START OF SOMETHING NEW

13. PERHAPS YOUVE BEEN FOCUSING TOO MUCH ON SAVING

14. SAVOR YOUR FREEDOM IT IS PRECIOUS

15. STAYING CLOSE TO HOME IS GOING TO BE BEST FOR YOUR MORALE TODAY

16. YOU ARE GENEROUS TO AN EXTREME AND ALWAYS THINK OF THE OTHER FELLOW

17. YOU HAVE AN UNUSUAL EQUIPMENT FOR SUCCESS USE IT PROPERLY

18. YOU SHOULD PAY FOR THIS CHECK BE GENEROUS

19. YOU WILL BE A GREAT SUCCESS BOTH IN THE BUSINESS WORLD AND SOCIETY

20. YOUR DREAMS ARE NEVER SILLY DEPEND ON THEM TO GUIDE YOU

21. YOUR INFINITE CAPACITY FOR PATIENCE WILL BE REWARDED SOONER OR LATER

22. YOUR MENTALITY IS ALERT PRACTICAL AND ANALYTICAL

23. YOUR MOODS SIGNAL A PERIOD OF CHANGE

24. FIRST THINK OF WHAT YOU WANT TO DO THEN DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO

25. ADVENTURE CAN BE REAL HAPPINESS

26. SUCCESS IS GOING FROM FAILURE TO FAILURE WITHOUT LOSS OF ENTHUSIASM

|[--- .--. . -.] ->

1. [.- / -... . .- ..- - .. ..-. ..- .-.. / ... -- .- .-. - / .- -. -.. / .-.. --- ...- .. -. --. / .--. . .-. ... --- -. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -.-. --- -- .. -. --. / .. -. - --- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-.. .. ..-. .]

2. [-.-. .... .- -. --. . / .. ... / .... .- .--. .--. . -. .. -. --. / .. -. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-.. .. ..-. . / ... --- / --. --- / .-- .. - .... / - .... . / ..-. .-.. --- .--]

3. [-.-. --- ..- .-. - . ... -.-- / -... . --. .. -. ... / .. -. / - .... . / .... --- -- .]

4. [-.. .. .-.. .. --. . -. -.-. . / .- -. -.. / -- --- -.. . ... - -.-- / -.-. .- -. / .-. .- .. ... . / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ... --- -.-. .. .- .-.. / ... - .- - ..- ...]

5. [. ...- . .-. -.-- .-- .... . .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .... --- --- ... . / - --- / --. --- / ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. .-.. -.-- / ..-. .- -.-. . ... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / --. .-. . . - / -.-- --- ..-]

6. [. ...- . .-. -.-- .-- .... . .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .... --- --- ... . / - --- / --. --- / ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. .-.. -.-- / ..-. .- -.-. . ... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / --. .-. . . - / -.-- --- ..-]

7. [..-. --- .-. / - .... . / - .... .. -. --. ... / .-- . / .... .- ...- . / - --- / .-.. . .- .-. -. / -... . ..-. --- .-. . / .-- . / -.-. .- -. / -.. --- / - .... . -- / .-- . / .-.. . .- .-. -. / -... -.-- / -.. --- .. -. --. / - .... . --]

8. [.... . .-.. .--. / .. -- / -... . .. -. --. / .... . .-.. -.. / .--. .-. .. ... --- -. . .-. / .. -. / .- / -.-. .... .. -. . ... . / -... .- -.- . .-. -.--]

9. [.-.. .. -.- . / - .... . / .-. .. ...- . .-. / ..-. .-.. --- .-- / .. -. - --- / - .... . / ... . .- / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / .- .-. . / .--- ..- ... - / -- . .- -. - / - --- / -... .]

10. [-- .- -. ... / -- .. -. -.. / --- -. -.-. . / ... - .-. . - -.-. .... . -.. / -... -.-- / .- / -. . .-- / .. -.. . .- / -. . ...- . .-. / .-. . --. .- .. -. ... / .. - ... / --- .-. .. --. .. -. .- .-.. / -.. .. -- . -. ... .. --- -. ...]

11. [-- . -.. .. - .- - .. --- -. / .-- .. - .... / .- -. / --- .-.. -.. / . -. . -- -.-- / .. ... / .- -.. ...- .. ... . -..]

12. [-. . ...- . .-. / ..-. . .- .-. / - .... . / . -. -.. / --- ..-. / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / -- .- .-. -.- ... / - .... . / ... - .- .-. - / --- ..-. / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / -. . .--]

13. [.--. . .-. .... .- .--. ... / -.-- --- ..- ...- . / -... . . -. / ..-. --- -.-. ..- ... .. -. --. / - --- --- / -- ..- -.-. .... / --- -. / ... .- ...- .. -. --.]

14. [... .- ...- --- .-. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ..-. .-. . . -.. --- -- / .. - / .. ... / .--. .-. . -.-. .. --- ..- ...]

15. [... - .- -.-- .. -. --. / -.-. .-.. --- ... . / - --- / .... --- -- . / .. ... / --. --- .. -. --. / - --- / -... . / -... . ... - / ..-. --- .-. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -- --- .-. .- .-.. . / - --- -.. .- -.--]

16. [-.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / --. . -. . .-. --- ..- ... / - --- / .- -. / . -..- - .-. . -- . / .- -. -.. / .- .-.. .-- .- -.-- ... / - .... .. -. -.- / --- ..-. / - .... . / --- - .... . .-. / ..-. . .-.. .-.. --- .--]

17. [-.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / .- -. / ..- -. ..- ... ..- .- .-.. / . --.- ..- .. .--. -- . -. - / ..-. --- .-. / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... / ..- ... . / .. - / .--. .-. --- .--. . .-. .-.. -.--]

18. [-.-- --- ..- / ... .... --- ..- .-.. -.. / .--. .- -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / - .... .. ... / -.-. .... . -.-. -.- / -... . / --. . -. . .-. --- ..- ...]

19. [-.-- --- ..- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .- / --. .-. . .- - / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... / -... --- - .... / .. -. / - .... . / -... ..- ... .. -. . ... ... / .-- --- .-. .-.. -.. / .- -. -.. / ... --- -.-. .. . - -.--]

20. [-.-- --- ..- .-. / -.. .-. . .- -- ... / .- .-. . / -. . ...- . .-. / ... .. .-.. .-.. -.-- / -.. . .--. . -. -.. / --- -. / - .... . -- / - --- / --. ..- .. -.. . / -.-- --- ..-]

21. [-.-- --- ..- .-. / .. -. ..-. .. -. .. - . / -.-. .- .--. .- -.-. .. - -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / .--. .- - .. . -. -.-. . / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .-. . .-- .- .-. -.. . -.. / ... --- --- -. . .-. / --- .-. / .-.. .- - . .-.]

22. [-.-- --- ..- .-. / -- . -. - .- .-.. .. - -.-- / .. ... / .- .-.. . .-. - / .--. .-. .- -.-. - .. -.-. .- .-.. / .- -. -.. / .- -. .- .-.. -.-- - .. -.-. .- .-..]

23. [-.-- --- ..- .-. / -- --- --- -.. ... / ... .. --. -. .- .-.. / .- / .--. . .-. .. --- -.. / --- ..-. / -.-. .... .- -. --. .]

24. [..-. .. .-. ... - / - .... .. -. -.- / --- ..-. / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .- -. - / - --- / -.. --- / - .... . -. / -.. --- / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / - --- / -.. ---]

25. [.- -.. ...- . -. - ..- .-. . / -.-. .- -. / -... . / .-. . .- .-.. / .... .- .--. .--. .. -. . ... ...]

26. [... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... / .. ... / --. --- .. -. --. / ..-. .-. --- -- / ..-. .- .. .-.. ..- .-. . / - --- / ..-. .- .. .-.. ..- .-. . / .-- .. - .... --- ..- - / .-.. --- ... ... / --- ..-. / . -. - .... ..- ... .. .- ... --]

|All fortunes seem to be some kind of message in a fortune cookie, with the exception of fortune 8, which is a reference to [[10: Pi Equals]].

|-
|OPEN -> HUH (if after something other than "FORTUNE")
|[--- .--. . -.] -> [.... ..- ....]
|}

===ENCABULATOR===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|STATUS -> RADIO ONLINE, MOTOR ONLINE, UNILATERAL PHASE DETRACTOR UNPOWERED, CARDINAL GRAMMETER UNSYNCHRONIZED
|[... - .- - ..- ...] -> [.-. .- -.. .. --- / --- -. .-.. .. -. . --..-- / -- --- - --- .-. / --- -. .-.. .. -. . --..-- / ..- -. .. .-.. .- - . .-. .- .-.. / .--. .... .- ... . / -.. . - .-. .- -.-. - --- .-. / ..- -. .--. --- .-- . .-. . -.. --..-- / -.-. .- .-. -.. .. -. .- .-.. / --. .-. .- -- -- . - . .-. / ..- -. ... -.-- -. -.-. .... .-. --- -. .. --.. . -..]
|
|-
|YOUTUBE -> RXJKDH1KZ0W
|[-.-- --- ..- - ..- -... .]
|This represents the video ID for [https://youtu.be/RXJKdh1KZ0w Rockwell Retro Encabulator]
|-
|REPAIR ''or'' ENCABULATOR ''or'' FIX ''or'' SYSTEM -> ENTERING ENCABULATOR RECOVERY SYSTEM. OPTIONS 1 INITIATE SIDE FUMBLING 2 ALIGN SPURVING BEARINGS 3 REVERSE TREMIE PIPE
:1 -> SIDE FUMBLING DETECTED. MODIAL INTERACTION UNSTABLE. RECOVERY TERMINATED.
:2 -> MODIAL INTERACTION INITIATED. OPTIONS 1 UNWIND LOTUS O DELTOID 2 INCREASE DEPLENERATION 3 CONNECT GIRDLESPRING ON DOWN END OF GRAMMETER 4 CONNECT SEVENTH CONDUCTOR TO GIRDLESPRING
::1 -> SIDE FUMBLING DETECTED. MODIAL INTERACTION UNSTABLE. RECOVERY TERMINATED.
::2 -> DEPLENERATION PREVENTED BY DINGLE ARM
::3 -> SIDE FUMBLING DETECTED. MODIAL INTERACTION UNSTABLE. RECOVERY TERMINATED.
::4 -> PANAMETRIC FAN ACTIVATED. MODIAL INTERACTION STABLE. DEFAULT CONFIGURATION MISSING. MANUALLY ENTER MARZELVANE TYPE TO COMPLETE RECOVERY
:::HYDROCOPTIC -> RECOVERY SUCCESSFUL. REBOOT Y N?
::::Y -> (''Opens [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/sojourner_repaired.png sojourner_repaired.png]'')
:3 -> ERROR TREMIE PIPE NONREVERSIBLE
|[.-. . .--. .- .. .-.] ''or'' [. -. -.-. .- -... ..- .-.. .- - --- .-.] ''or'' [..-. .. -..-] ''or'' [... -.-- ... - . --] -> [. -. - . .-. .. -. --. / . -. -.-. .- -... ..- .-.. .- - --- .-. / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / ... -.-- ... - . -- .-.-.- / --- .--. - .. --- -. ... / .---- / .. -. .. - .. .- - . / ... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / ..--- / .- .-.. .. --. -. / ... .--. ..- .-. ...- .. -. --. / -... . .- .-. .. -. --. ... / ...-- / .-. . ...- . .-. ... . / - .-. . -- .. . / .--. .. .--. .]
:[.----] -> [... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / -.. . - . -.-. - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ..- -. ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / - . .-. -- .. -. .- - . -.. .-.-.-]
:[..---] -> [-- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / .. -. .. - .. .- - . -.. .-.-.- / --- .--. - .. --- -. ... / .---- / ..- -. .-- .. -. -.. / .-.. --- - ..- ... / --- / -.. . .-.. - --- .. -.. / ..--- / .. -. -.-. .-. . .- ... . / -.. . .--. .-.. . -. . .-. .- - .. --- -. / ...-- / -.-. --- -. -. . -.-. - / --. .. .-. -.. .-.. . ... .--. .-. .. -. --. / --- -. / -.. --- .-- -. / . -. -.. / --- ..-. / --. .-. .- -- -- . - . .-. / ....- / -.-. --- -. -. . -.-. - / ... . ...- . -. - .... / -.-. --- -. -.. ..- -.-. - --- .-. / - --- / --. .. .-. -.. .-.. . ... .--. .-. .. -. --.]
::[.----] -> [... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / -.. . - . -.-. - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ..- -. ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / - . .-. -- .. -. .- - . -.. .-.-.-]
::[..---] -> [-.. . .--. .-.. . -. . .-. .- - .. --- -. / .--. .-. . ...- . -. - . -.. / -... -.-- / -.. .. -. --. .-.. . / .- .-. --]
::[...--] -> [... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / -.. . - . -.-. - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ..- -. ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / - . .-. -- .. -. .- - . -.. .-.-.-]
::[....-] -> [.--. .- -. .- -- . - .-. .. -.-. / ..-. .- -. / .- -.-. - .. ...- .- - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / -.. . ..-. .- ..- .-.. - / -.-. --- -. ..-. .. --. ..- .-. .- - .. --- -. / -- .. ... ... .. -. --. .-.-.- / -- .- -. ..- .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / . -. - . .-. / -- .- .-. --.. . .-.. ...- .- -. . / - -.-- .--. . / - --- / -.-. --- -- .--. .-.. . - . / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.--]
:::[.... -.-- -.. .-. --- -.-. --- .--. - .. -.-.] -> [.-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... ..-. ..- .-.. .-.-.- / .-. . -... --- --- - / -.-- / -. ..--..]
::::[-.--]
:[...--] -> [. .-. .-. --- .-. / - .-. . -- .. . / .--. .. .--. . / -. --- -. .-. . ...- . .-. ... .. -... .-.. .]
|
|-
|}

===MAZE===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|RETURN -> DID YOU MEAN ENTER
|[.-. . - ..- .-. -.]
|Return and enter are usually different names for the line-break key on a keyboard. "Carriage Return" is a holdover from mechanical typewriters (returning the carriage, and therefore the printing area, to its start-of-row position), in both mechanical and electronic outputs often implicitly (or explicitly) combined with Line Feed (moving the printing zone one effective line further down, or shifting the medium a similar degree up).

"Enter" references the wish to submit some input (e.g. the contents of the database or form field(s) just edited, or ), and is essentially synonymous with forcing the move of a cursor to a new line. Often keyboards do not even have keycap text to indicate the key called "Return", "Enter" or any other name, instead using the prominent glyph '''&crarr;'''.

In the case of describing travel (for example, at the entrance to a maze), the words ''could'' instead be described as antonyms. One can ''enter'' the maze, or ''return'' to a prior location (leaving the vicinity of the maze – if not the maze itself, if you had already entered). This may or may not be an additional intended joke, as in dialogues that ask obscure and ambiguously phrased choices such as "Do you want to end this task? [Quit]/[Cancel]”.
|-
|ENTER -> DID YOU MEAN ENTER MAZE
|[. -. - . .-.]
|
|-
|ENTER MAZE -> AN EMPTY ROOM
:LOOK -> AN EMPTY ROOM
:HELP -> NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST GET
:EXIT -> CFM (''Exits the maze'')
|[. -. - . .-. / -- .- --.. .] -> [.- -. / . -- .--. - -.-- / .-. --- --- --]
:[.-.. --- --- -.-] -> [.- -. / . -- .--. - -.-- / .-. --- --- --]
:[.... . .-.. .--.] -> [-. --- .-. - .... / . .- ... - / ... --- ..- - .... / .-- . ... - / --. . -]
:[. -..- .. -] -> [-.-. ..-. --]
|
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Maze
|-
|an open flame || a candle on a table || style="background-color: black;" |
|-
| style="background-color: black;" | || an empty room (start) || style="background-color: black;" |
|-
| style="background-color: black;" | || a hanging bell || an open book on a table (locked door)
|-
|}

Steps to complete (directions can be abbreviated as their first letter):
# NORTH
# GET CANDLE -> TAKEN
# WEST
# LIGHT CANDLE
# EAST
# SOUTH
# SOUTH
# RING BELL -> A DOOR OPENS
# EAST
# CLOSE BOOK -> CONGRATULATIONS YOU ESCAPE

===CROSSWORD===
{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|CROSSWORD -> NUMBER AND DIRECTION
|[-.-. .-. --- ... ... .-- --- .-. -..] -> [-. ..- -- -... . .-. / .- -. -.. / -.. .. .-. . -.-. - .. --- -.]
|This starts a crossword. You can ask for hints like "1 down" or "2 across". It appears to be the [https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2021/04/libertarian-politico-johnson-thu-4-1-21.html New York Times Crossword] from the day this comic was written (2021-04-01).
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Solved Crossword
|-
| m || y || g || o || d || style="background-color: black; | || d || e || v || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || e || l || f
|-
| b || u || o || n || o || style="background-color: black; | || e || y || e || s || style="background-color: black; | || s || l || u || r
|-
| a || m || o || c || o || style="background-color: black; | || c || r || a || p || style="background-color: black; | || l || m || a || o
|-
| style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || v || e || r || y || r || e || l || i || g || i || o || u || s
|-
| s || e || e || style="background-color: black; | || m || u || y || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || r || a || m || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; |
|-
| h || a || r || h || a || r || style="background-color: black; | || s || c || a || r || e || d || o || f
|-
| e || s || s || e || n || t || i || a || l || l || y || style="background-color: black; | || a || r || i
|-
| b || t || e || n || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || m || m || i || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || t || v || a || d
|-
| o || l || a || style="background-color: black; | || b || a || d || m || o || u || t || h || i || n || g
|-
| p || a || s || s || e || d || b || y || style="background-color: black; | || n || o || o || d || g || e
|-
| style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || o || a || r || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || s || u || n || style="background-color: black; | || l || e || t
|-
| b || l || e || n || d || e || d || f || a || m || i || l || y || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; |
|-
| b || o || r || g || style="background-color: black; | || p || e || l || t || style="background-color: black; | || g || e || n || r || e
|-
| q || u || i || z || style="background-color: black; | || s || p || a || y || style="background-color: black; | || h || i || c || k || s
|-
| s || t || e || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || p || b || r || style="background-color: black; | || t || a || h || o || e
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+ Words
! index !! down word !! across word
|-
| 1 || MBA || MYGOD
|-
| 2 || YUM ||
|-
| 3 || GOOVERSEAS ||
|-
| 4 || ONCE ||
|-
| 5 || DOORMAN ||
|-
| 6 || DECRY || DEV
|-
| 7 || EYRE ||
|-
| 8 || VEAL ||
|-
| 9 || ELMO || ELF
|-
| 10 || LUAU ||
|-
| 11 || FROS ||
|-
| 12 || || BUONO
|-
| 13 || || EYES
|-
| 14 || SPIRAL ||
|-
| 15 || SLIME || SLUR
|-
| 16 || || AMOCO
|-
| 17 || || CRAP
|-
| 18 || || LMAO
|-
| 19 || || VERYRELIGIOUS
|-
| 20 || YURT ||
|-
| 21 || GARY ||
|-
| 22 || SHEBOP || SEE
|-
| 23 || EASTLA ||
|-
| 24 || || MUY
|-
| 25 || || RAM
|-
| 26 || || HARHAR
|-
| 27 || HEN ||
|-
| 28 || SAMMY || SCAREDOF
|-
| 29 || CLIO ||
|-
| 30 || DAVIDLYNCH ||
|-
| 31 || ORANGE ||
|-
| 32 || FIDGET ||
|-
| 33 || || ESSENTIALLY
|-
| 34 || IMDB ||
|-
| 35 || || ARI
|-
| 36 || || BTEN
|-
| 37 || || MMI
|-
| 38 || THO || TVAD
|-
| 39 || || OLA
|-
| 40 || BEAD || BADMOUTHING
|-
| 41 || ADREPS ||
|-
| 42 || UNUM ||
|-
| 43 || TONIGHT ||
|-
| 44 || || PASSEDBY
|-
| 45 || SONGZ ||
|-
| 46 || || NOODGE
|-
| 47 || || OAR
|-
| 48 || SATYR || SUN
|-
| 49 || || LET
|-
| 50 || BBQS || BLENDEDFAMILY
|-
| 51 || LOUT ||
|-
| 52 || ERIE ||
|-
| 53 || DEPP ||
|-
| 54 || FLAB ||
|-
| 55 || LEIA ||
|-
| 56 || || BORG
|-
| 57 || || PELT
|-
| 58 || || GENRE
|-
| 59 || RKO ||
|-
| 60 || ESE ||
|-
| 61 || || QUIZ
|-
| 62 || || SPAY
|-
| 63 || || HICKS
|-
| 64 || || STE
|-
| 65 || || PBR
|-
| 66 || || TAHOE
|}

===Rover Scene===
After successfully repairing and rebooting Sojourner, a comic is opened which depicts it seeking out and finding its friends, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, Perseverance, and Ingenuity. Curiosity and Perseverance are locked in a swordfight, and either Spirit or Opportunity is carried off by Ingenuity while the other speeds off a small mound of dirt. Ingenuity carrying a rover is a reference to the previous comic.

==Special Console Commands==
The page's JavaScript creates a global object <code>morse</code> with <code>encode</code> and <code>decode</code> methods. From the developer console, it is possible to write <code>morse.encode("A PHRASE")</code>, which will print the Morse code corresponding to the text provided, or <code>morse.decode("... --- ...")</code> which will translate the Morse code to text.

<code>BeepComic.hurryUp()</code> to get the reply immediately in the console.
<code>BeepComic.send(...)</code> to send directly to SOJOURNER.

==Transcript==
:[A small box is in the middle of a large white frame. The box can have a check-mark, but it is alternating between being checked or unchecked. At the bottom right there is a muted speaker (which can be unmuted). If the user press the checkbox gray dots or lines will appear below depending on the length of the press. These will move from right to left and then disappear.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:April fools' comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:Comics with audio]]

3055: Giants

2025-02-25T09:49:48Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3055
| date = February 24, 2025
| title = Giants
| image = giants_2x.png
| imagesize = 341x423px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I can't get over the suspicion that all those viral pictures are photoshopped and 'Flemish' belongs in the lower right circle.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MAMMAL GIANT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a {{w|Venn Diagram}} (a special type of {{w|Euler Diagram}}) grouping different things with "giant" in the name. The three categories are giants from space, geological features called giants, and giants who have been proven to be fictional.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Class !! Explanation
|-
| {{w|Red giant|Red Giant}} || Space || A type of star
|-
| {{w|Blue giant|Blue Giant}} || Space || A type of star
|-
| Iron Giant || Space, Not Real || Title character from a {{w|The Iron Giant|1999 animated film}} and the {{w|The Iron Man (novel)|1968 children's book}} it was based on (written by English poet and author {{w|Ted Hughes}} and published outside the US as ''The Iron Man: A Children's Story in Five Nights'') : a robot from outer space.
|-
| {{w|Frost Giant (disambiguation)|Frost Giant}} || Not Real || Beings from Norse mythology (inspiring their perhaps more popularly known Marvel comic/film versions)
|-
| Jolly Green Giant || Not Real || A mascot for a {{w|Green Giant|brand of canned vegetables}}.
|-
| {{w|Cardiff Giant}} || Geologic/Planetary, Not Real || An 1869 archeological hoax of a supposed petrified giant man.
|-
| {{w|Atacama Giant}} || Geologic/Planetary || A prehistoric {{w|geoglyph}}
|-
| {{w|Paratethys#Salt Giants|Salt Giant}} || Geologic/Planetary || A huge salt deposit below the Mediterranean sea
|-
| {{w|Gas giant|Gas Giant}} || Space, Geologic/Planetary || A gaseous planet like Jupiter or Saturn
|-
| {{w|Ice giant|Ice Giant}} || Space, Geologic/Planetary || An icy planet like Uranus or Neptune
|-
| {{w|Man in the Moon|The Man In The Moon}} || Space, Geologic/Planetary, Not Real || A 'face' visible in the near side of the moon, sometimes shown as a character in children's nursery rhymes
|-
| {{w|Flemish Giant rabbit|Flemish Giant (title text)}} || Real, but Randall suspects it belongs in Not Real || The largest breed of domestic rabbit (about the same size as a Cocker Spaniel)

|}

This is one of many xkcd comics that include or reference Venn diagrams.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Venn diagrams]]

3055: Giants

2025-02-25T09:48:41Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3055
| date = February 24, 2025
| title = Giants
| image = giants_2x.png
| imagesize = 341x423px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I can't get over the suspicion that all those viral pictures are photoshopped and 'Flemish' belongs in the lower right circle.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MAMMAL GIANT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a {{w|Venn Diagram}} (a special type of {{w|Euler Diagram}}) grouping different things with "giant" in the name. The three categories are giants from space, geological features called giants, and giants who have been proven to be fictional.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Class !! Explanation
|-
| {{w|Red giant|Red Giant}} || Space || A type of star
|-
| {{w|Blue giant|Blue Giant}} || Space || A type of star
|-
| Iron Giant || Space, Not Real || Title character from a {{w|The Iron Giant|1999 animated film}} and the {{w|The Iron Man (novel)|1968 children's book}} it was based on (written by English poet and author {{w|Ted Hughes}} and published outside the US as ''The Iron Man: A Children's Story in Five Nights'') : a robot from outer space.
|-
| {{w|Frost Giant (disambiguation)|Frost Giant}} || Not Real || Beings from Norse mythology (inspiring their perhaps more popularly known Marvel comic/film versions)
|-
| Jolly Green Giant || Not Real || A mascot for a {{w|Green Giant|brand of canned vegetables}}.
|-
| {{w|Cardiff Giant}} || Geologic/Planetary, Not Real || An 1869 archeological hoax of a supposed petrified giant man.
|-
| {{w|Atacama Giant}} || Geologic/Planetary || A prehistoric {{w|geoglyph}}
|-
| {{w|Paratethys#Salt Giants|Salt Giant}} || Geologic/Planetary || A huge salt deposit below the Mediterranean sea
|-
| {{w|Gas giant|Gas Giant}} || Space, Geologic/Planetary || A gaseous planet like Jupiter or Saturn
|-
| {{w|Ice giant|Ice Giant}} || Space, Geologic/Planetary || An icy planet like Uranus or Neptune
|-
| {{w|Man in the Moon|The Man In The Moon}} || Space, Geologic/Planetary, Not Real || A face visible in the near side of the moon, sometimes shown as a character in children's nursery rhymes
|-
| {{w|Flemish Giant rabbit|Flemish Giant (title text)}} || Real, but Randall suspects it belongs in Not Real || The largest breed of domestic rabbit (about the same size as a Cocker Spaniel)

|}

This is one of many xkcd comics that include or reference Venn diagrams.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Venn diagrams]]

3045: AlphaMove

2025-02-01T10:45:03Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */ It all depends if black realises white's forced "tactics".

{{comic
| number = 3045
| date = January 31, 2025
| title = AlphaMove
| image = alphamove_2x.png
| imagesize = 500x526px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It struggles a little with complex positions, like when there are an even number of moves and it has to round down, but when run against itself it's capable of finding some novelties. At one point I saw six knights on the board at once; Stockfish rarely exceeds four.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE SEVENTH KNIGHT, WAITING IN ANTICIPATION. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic shows a new {{w|chess engine}}, presumably created by Randall, which takes a list of all legal moves (in {{w|Algebraic notation (chess)|algebraic notation}}) in alphabetical order and chooses the median. Algebraic notation begins with a symbol for which piece is being moved, which is always the first letter of the piece name except for knights (N) and pawns (nothing). This is then followed by the square that the piece is being moved to. (Rc4 would indicate a move that moved a rook to c4.) Other symbols include a lowercase x before the destination, indicating that the move is a capture; a plus sign (+) after the destination, indicating that the move places the opposing king in check; and a pound sign (#) after the destination, indicating that the move places the opposing king in checkmate, thus winning the game. There is also O-O and O-O-O, which indicate that a player is castling kingside or queenside, respectively.

In practice, this algorithm runs into a few issues. As seen in the comic, the algorithm rarely moves bishops and rooks due to their relative lack of moves in the early game, and their tendency to inhabit the edges of any list when they do have sortable moves. Among basic moves, only pawns destined to move in the first two files of a board can ever sort higher than bishops, and nothing other than another rook can be closer to the far end than a rook. AlphaMove can never {{w|Castling|castle}} due to the notation for it (0-0 or 0-0-0) being the only one to start with a number, and thus (if ever possible) always being the first in the list. (It's also not possible to create a board state where it's the only legal move, both because the king or rook moving without castling is a legal move, and because castling cannot be done while in check.) The algorithm instead favors knight and king moves, with entries starting with the most alphabetically middling "K" and "N" list entries, and (to a lesser extent) pawns destined to move up the right side of the board, the "h"-file pawn generally having the greatest statistical chance.

The ''actual'' middle of the list might vary away from the usual alphabetic median if the moves (and the pieces removed by the opponent) are heavily biased to a particular subset of player-pieces. It is conceivable that an opponent could identify the AlphaMove strategy as being used, and then use their foreknowledge of the algorithm's 'developing game' to strategically make (normally non-optimal?) moves designed explicitly to force the algorithm down their own choice of paths, such as targeting undefended rooks and queens (either capturing them with impunity, or just strategically restricting their movements by moving into contact with them in such a way as to normally be a suicidal sacrifice), in order to make certain other pieces take their own moves. Although, given the established failings of uncritically sticking to the algorithmic plan, it is probably ''vastly'' more effort to precisely engineer a given game-state than to merely play properly, and respond with half-decent responses to the overwhelmingly sub-optimal series of moves.

Even if AlphaMove ever found one or more of its potential moves to be one that happens to result in checkmate, it has no reason to do anything other than choose its "mid-list move", as described, and the chances are high that such a mate would never be invoked. Along those lines, Qa4+ is a relatively safe move to create a short-term check, to put immediate pressure upon the black king, and potentially a longer term inconvenience with 'only' a predictable response preventing it from developing into a mate. But it is not in the right list position to attempt, anyway, never mind whether it would then be correctly followed up.

This engine may be named for and inspired by the real chess engine, {{w|AlphaZero}}. Another real name, mentioned in the title text, is {{w|Stockfish (chess)|Stockfish}}, a widely used (and powerful) chess engine.

See also [[3036: Chess Zoo]].

On this board, Black can win the game instantly with ...Bb4{{w|Checkmate|#}}. Rather than do anything to defend against this, White just moves an unrelated piece, almost certainly losing right afterward.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[A chessboard is shown. Black at the top has made moves Qf2, Nd4, e4, a5, Bc5, e5 and Ne7 while other black pieces are in starting positions. White at the bottom has made moves c4, f4, h4, Kc3, Ne2 and three white pawns are removed from the board while other white pieces including pawns in a2 and b2 are in starting positions. Two squares associated with the move Ne2 are highlighted in yellow.]
:[The right side of the panel has a vertical list of moves in an alphabetical order in gray, with Ne2 in the middle highlighted in yellow and an additional arrow pointing to it:]
:a3; a4; b3; b4; Bd2; Bd3; Be2; Be3; Bg2; Bh3; f5; fxe5; h5; Na3; Nd2; <span style="background:#fffca1">Ne2</span> [highlighted]; Nf3; Nh3; Qa4+; Qb3; Qc2; Qd2; Qd3; Qe1; Qe2; Qf3; Qg4; Qh5; Qxd4; Rh2; Rh3

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My new AlphaMove chess engine, which sorts the list of legal moves alphabetically and picks the middle one, was quickly defeated by stronger engines.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Chess]]

3025: Phase Change

2024-12-30T15:54:58Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */ "a human's need" (the need of a human) but "[multiple/all] humans' needs" (the needs of [plural] humans)... I prefer this one, but do correct in the other if you're welded to "need".

{{comic
| number = 3025
| date = December 16, 2024
| title = Phase Change
| image = phase_change_2x.png
| imagesize = 296x354px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Even when you try to make nice, smooth ice cubes in a freezer, sometimes one of them will shoot out a random ice spike, which physicists ascribe to kiki conservation.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the {{w|bouba/kiki effect}} (the [[2611: Cutest-Sounding Scientific Effects#Trivia|cutest-sounding scientific effect!]]), which finds that people, regardless of what linguistic and cultural background they come from, have a tendency to associate lower-pitched sounds (such as "bouba") with objects that are big and round and higher-pitched sounds (such as "kiki") with smaller and sharp objects. Some real life examples are the antonyms 'high-low', 'rigid-flowing', and 'tiny-huge'. This is partly due to humans' needs to {{w|Cognitive categorization|categorize things}}.

The comic intentionally conflates this with the {{w|Phase transition|phase transition}} that water undergoes around 0 degrees Celsius. Water in its liquid state can be described as soft and round, as can the sound of the word "water" itself. In contrast, ice is hard and crystalline, giving it the potential to form hard edges and sharp points. The word "ice" also contains a sharp hissing sound.

In the above-freezing section of the graph, there are pictures associated with the following (bouba) words: drop, drip, pour, splash. In the below-freezing section of the graph, the pictures are associated with the following (kiki) words: ice, icicle, snowflake, ice cube, iceberg.

The title text refers to {{w|ice spike|ice spikes}}, which are caused by the uneven freezing of ice in a freezer. The title text expands on the joke by claiming that ice cubes wish to maintain the pointiness of objects characterized as "kiki."

==Transcript==
:[A vertical graph is shown, indicating temperature in degrees Celsius, with a horizontal dotted line at zero degrees and positive temperatures above it. The graph has labels against gradation marks for -10, -5, 0, 5 and 10 °C, a mark for each other whole degree present and extends to meet the top and bottom border of the graph's frame, at approximately ±11.5°C. The area above the dotted line is filled with several illustrations of liquid water in various forms: dripping down from a surface, forming a droplet, pouring from a glass, splashing onto a surface of water, etc. This area is labeled "Bouba" with an arrow pointing up. The area below the dotted line is filled with illustrations of ice in various forms, namely icicles hanging from a surface, two ice cubes (one with a small ice spike), a snowflake, a thin piano-shaped piece of ice and a thicker sheet of ice on water along with an iceberg. This area is labeled "Kiki" with an arrow pointing down.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:When water's temperature falls below 0°C, it undergoes a phase transition from bouba to kiki.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Charts]]
[[Category: Language]]
[[Category: Physics]]

Talk:2980: Lava Lakes

2024-09-03T08:10:46Z

141.101.98.174:

yoo wait this is cool first yay [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 01:05, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

yoo [[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.159|172.70.230.159]] 01:24, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

:Bro Why'd you delete my comment [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 01:29, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

::the wiki is a strange place where sometimes two people edit at the same time and it causes funny things [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]]{{citation needed}} 01:34, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

Third post! [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 01:29, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

we're so back [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]]{{citation needed}} 01:52, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

I do not think this current discussion is actually about XKCD at all, much less this comic. Perhaps the internet itself is that sixth lava lake, with all the hot mess it contains. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.22.253|172.68.22.253]] 02:54, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

In fact, the Volcano Golf Course [https://volcanogc.com] is built on an active volcano, Kilauea.

: Also on Hawaii Island is the [https://www.fourseasons.com/hualalai/golf/ Hualalai Golf Course], which is one of several that have been built on the {{w|Hualalai}} volcano, which erupts less frequently than Kilauea, but is nonetheless considered active (the Kona airport is built on an 1801 lava flow). [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.86|172.71.147.86]] 05:04, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

: Right, I should've been more clear on what I meant, which was that "no sane person would build a golf courses directly over <b>the crater of</b> active volcanoes" [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 03:41, 3 September 2024 (UTC)
:: Check out the Volcano Golf Course on Google Earth. It's pretty damn close to the caldera. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.191|172.71.147.191]] 05:12, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

: FWIW, there hasn't been a lava lake in Kilauea's crater for a couple of years now. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.191|172.71.147.191]] 05:12, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

Is the female character Megan, or [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Danish Danish]? Hair length and association with Black Hat suggest the latter. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.191|172.71.147.191]] 05:12, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

There ia not need to say "right now", this is superfluous language & a verbal tic.{{unsigned ip|172.70.162.163}}

Fifteenth comment![[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.174|141.101.98.174]] 08:10, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

2838: Dubious Islands

2023-10-09T09:46:31Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2838
| date = October 6, 2023
| title = Dubious Islands
| image = dubious_islands_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x1040px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Running for office in Minnesota on the single-issue platform 'dig a permanent channel through the Traverse Gap because it will make this map more satisfying.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DUBIOUSLY LARGE ISLAND - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The definition of "island" is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by a body (or perhaps bodies) of water. In most cases we don't count rivers and canals as the surrounding bodies,{{Actual Citation needed}} although small pieces of land like Manhattan are exceptions, as is any bit of land entirely surrounded by the ''same'' watercourse, that splits around it. Inland islands surrounded by rivers can be called a [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holm "holm"].

In this comic, however, Randall considers various large parts of {{w|North America}} as "dubious" islands because they're separated from other parts of the continent by various major rivers, canals, and large lakes. The repetition between the title "Dubious Islands" and the in-image label "Dubious Islands of North America" emphasizes the "Dubious-ness" of this map.

Randall's map's "Dubious Islands" are indeed not to be trusted — they leave out many less prominent rivers and canals which would break the map into many more additional "islands". For example, southern Nova Scotia, southern New Jersey, and the nearly 60-mile-long "Grand Strand" of South Carolina are also islands by the sense used here in recognizing the Cape Cod Canal as creating an island. These and many other omissions would be errors — except that Randall clearly labelled his islands "Dubious" (not to be trusted) from the start, and he is presumably well-aware of this map's stretching of reality.

The geography around the area known as {{w|Parting of the Waters}} explains the connection between the Yellowstone and Snake Rivers shown. {{w|Isa Lake}} drains into both the Snake River (via the Lewis River) and the Madison River (via the Firehole River), explaining the connection there. It is unclear why {{w|Divide Creek}}, which connects Hudson Bay to the Columbia River, or {{w|Committee's Punch Bowl}}, which connects the Arctic Ocean with the Columbia River, are not shown on this map.

The title text suggests that a new island could be created by digging a canal through the {{w|Traverse Gap}}, and this is Randall's platform when running for office in Minnesota. This is unnecessary and would create little benefit to residents,{{Citation needed}} but constituents who like interesting maps might vote for him.

These islands are possibly Randall's humorous interpretation of what drastic erosion (perhaps caused by continued climate-change inducing increased water movement. Sea level rise might also provoke some of these disconnections, but as some of the connecting waterways exist at over 7000 feet (over 2km) in elevation, this would require a worldwide {{w|rise in sea-level}} (and/or localised {{w|Atlantis|fall of land}}) that would cause other changes to the map of North America.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Title:] Dubious Islands of North America
:[Subtitle:] And the waterways that separate them

:[A map of mainland North America, down to the Panama isthmus. It is internally separated by various waterways, given labels or otherwise.]

:[Separating land approximating Nunavut (with some Northern Territories) from neighbouring Canada:] Mackenzie Athabasca Churchill

:[Comprising the much of the remainder of Canada, much of the northern United States (including Alaska), additionally separated by:] Columbia Snake Madison Missouri Chicago [Unlabelled, some of the Great Lakes and the channel past Quebec]
::[An incursive gap near the central point, from the north:] Nelson Red
::[An internal label, with arrow:] Traverse Gap
::[An incursive gap near the central point, from the south:] Mississippi
::[A separate fragment of land south of the Madison, in the western half of the land-mass, bordered to its south by:] Yellowstone
::[A small fragment off the southen part of the western edge, an arrow and a label:] Chehalis/Black Lake

:[Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and parts of the adjacent US, disconnected by:] Champlain Hudson
::[Label with an arrow on the east coast:] Cape Cod Canal

:[A small triangle of territory, further isolated by:] Erie

:[Most of the Eastern Seaboard of the US, additionally divided off by:] Tombigbee
::[Fragment of land shorn from the northern part of the eastern edge, label with arrow:] Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
::[Fragment of land shorn from the tip of Florida, label with arrow:] Okeechobee Waterway

:[Strip of land west of the Tombigbee, bounded also to its west by:] Mississippi
::[Fragment of land immediately to its south, with a nearby label and arrow:] Atchafalaya

:[The remainder of the continent; comprising much of the US, all of Mexico and various central American territories, with a final tip of the eastwards-bending isthmus:] Panama Canal

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Politics]]

Talk:2833: Lying

2023-09-27T01:11:57Z

141.101.98.174:

Why the heck is the image so biiiiig? {{unsigned ip|172.69.135.23|03:54, 26 September 2023}}
:well, looks like he accidentally published the source file for the comic... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.100.205|141.101.100.205]] 04:06, 26 September 2023 (UTC)
::Good. People should be using HD monitors by now. (EDIT: I didn't realize it was 8k, but still, don't most browsers let you resize images anyway?) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.188|172.70.126.188]] 08:41, 26 September 2023 (UTC)
:::Why do I have to lug around an HD monitor as well as my smart-tablet?
::::Why doesn't your smart-tablet have an HD screen? My phone is 2960 x 1440 and it still fits in my pocket. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.127.168|172.70.127.168]] 00:29, 27 September 2023 (UTC)
:::(Actually, it's not width that's the problem, for me, but height. As using in portrait orientation makes text too small for browsing, and I hate sites that 'mobile optimise' assuming I'll turn my device that way.)
::::Most mobile browsers have a button for "show desktop version". I just hate when people assume vertical videos are okay. Even when I'm using my phone, landscape is better. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.100.65|172.70.100.65]] 00:30, 27 September 2023 (UTC)
:::::Do you know how well the "show desktop version" ''doesn't'' work. It frequently doesn't switch away from the mobile-URL (e.g. "en.m.wikipedia.org" to "en.wikipedia.org", or "/FOO-mobile.htm" to "/FOO.htm") and you still have to make that sort of change manually to the address-bar to fuly jailbreak out of the hard-coded "useful" mobile functionality (which may come back once it forgets your preference and gets redirected to use them all again), and I'm pretty sure that the places that do this detection invisibly (fingerprinting the browser used) to make the changes behind the scenes don't all fully honour the browser setting, perhaps just get over-riden by some more insistent indicator that the site-author has encoded later in the decesion-stack (e.g., at least for me, I ''cannot'' get the non-mobile layout of https://cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/find-events to display on this device, for whatever reason).
:::Note that especially wide images play merry-hell with the rest of the page (when it breaks out of the pixel-limits assumed), and an image that's twice as large (in both dimensions) could be quadruple the data (depending upon image compression ratios), which has data/bandwidth/etc issues that not everyone can easily suck up and laugh off, even in this post dial-up era. It ought to be best not to assume that the best quality image is the 'best' or desired, although that ship has long sailed. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.83|172.71.242.83]] 09:08, 26 September 2023 (UTC)
::::Unless I'm misunderstanding, the image is now in the usual size range (590x887 in this case). -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 20:32, 26 September 2023 (UTC)
:::::Something changed, yes. I haven't yet investigated if it was softcoded ("imagewidth=" in the template, or whatever it is, but perhaps still serving the full image to scale-down) or the uploaded image reuploaded in the 'friendlier' pixel-sizes. And for me it doesn't matter, but obviously the exact solution may be just as important for others, so I hope it isn't just the fudged one. (I may go and check, though I currently have no power to do anything about it.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.174|141.101.98.174]] 01:11, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

The rhythm of the title text calls to mind Spock's words to Kirk as he's dying at the end of Wrath of Khan: "I have been, and always shall be, your friend." This can't be a coincidence. {{unsigned ip|172.70.210.182|08:06, 26 September 2023}}

I'm the same. Can't stand these games. I have a hard enough time with jokes that people refuse to explain; if I have to _intentionally_ mislead people, who know my tics to start, where's the line? What's real, what's fake, what's important, what's just another joke?

I need to lighten up? No, the world needs to be comprehensible. I can't just choose to know what's real and what isn't. Other people can very easily make it clear to me, if they so desire.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.39|162.158.2.39]] 06:35, 26 September 2023 (UTC)
:i, uh, good for you. [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 07:04, 26 September 2023 (UTC)
:Simple answer: Don't play those games.
:Non-simple answer: Learn how to play those games with your advanced hyper-analytical abilities being used to your advantage (or as a "non-optional social convention") in which the reality is the game you're in and thus you are fulfilling the role of your existence.
:Meta-answer: I think you're a Joker (winning condition is to be lynched). Or maybe one of a number of other player-types which demands that you play differently from either mainstrean Mafia or vanilla Villager. Which, in a four-player game (very short of practical assignments!) makes it a bastard-setup of some sort. (Rather than single mafia/werewolf and all the rest vanilla village, or ''possibly'' one cop/special-role of some kind.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.83|172.71.242.83]] 09:08, 26 September 2023 (UTC)

How do you even play Mafia with four people? Under standard rules, you have one moderator (Alice), one mafioso (Bob) and two civilians (Charlotte and Dave). Bob kills Dave in the first night, then there are only one mafioso and one civilian left, and the mafia wins, game over. Does anybody know a mod that would make it work with so few players? [[User:Comsmomf|Comsmomf]] ([[User talk:Comsmomf|talk]]) 11:16, 26 September 2023 (UTC)
:It's a Mafia-''style'' game, apparently. It could be moderatorless (or with a playing-controller who manages the gameplay outwith whatever role they have) and streamlined.
:How about four (playing?)cards, one designating the villain. Cards are dealt randomly an all close their eyes for the night phase, only the villain gets to open them and 'tap out' their choice of villager (some subtle way, like a feather on a stick ((not shown in comic!)) that everyone has, that can be used at will to silently reach anyone - reverse the stick to tap the centre of the table to signal completion?).
:Because that leaves little logic for the Town to follow, just blindly moving towards "lynch or lose" by luck, you can afford (maybe) a Cop role (from a different card) who then operates after that, at 'night'. They use ''their'' stick to ask a given player to thumbs up/down their status, with the and/or you even could do a Blocker that way (tell a victim to ignore being night-killed), etc. Or even mix things up with a role-giving role, whatever you need to balance play in the right way. 'Dead' night-role players could just 'tap completion' without having done anything, if there's no lynch-reveal (beyond town/scum, if even that before the sole scum announces this game is over and they won/lost).
:It'd have to be on the honour-system, and I could see mistakes and accidental reveals, but the post-mortem of a few such games might suggest refinements and precautions that haven't occured to me.
:...though it'd be easier (even 'player led') with maybe a minimum of six participants (could afford to have two villains, subtly gesturing ideas to each other, and a more complete set of "power townies" than just the one. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.134.192|172.71.134.192]] 12:51, 26 September 2023 (UTC)

I guess I just assumed every comic out there by anyone was printed with Comic Sans but when I was skimming through the source image I noticed the letters are unique and he hand-writes them. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.179.43|172.70.179.43]] 12:09, 26 September 2023 (UTC)

: Yes that's always been noticable from the kerning. His habit of tucking the left-hand vertical of an "H" under a preceding "T" - and shortening the left side of a "T" after an "I" (to pick just two examples)...is not something that any automated text rendering system that I'm aware of can produce. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.135|172.71.167.135]] 12:25, 26 September 2023 (UTC)
::Also, his O's are quite noticably different from one another. Perfect repetition of loop sizes is a dead giveaway of a "handwritten" font. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.44|172.69.247.44]] 14:22, 26 September 2023 (UTC)

1016: Valentine Dilemma

2023-06-29T01:00:34Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1016
| date = February 13, 2012
| title = Valentine Dilemma
| image = valentine_dilemma.png
| titletext = The worst resolution to the Valentine Prisoner's Dilemma when YOU decide not to give your partner a present but your PARTNER decides to testify against you in the armed robbery case.
}}

==Explanation==
Both [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are agonizing over what to get each other for Valentine's Day. Both of them seem to have a similar mindset towards the holiday: that it's arbitrary, imposes a set of demands and expectations, and is used by corporations to mandate consumerism. At the same time, both are aware that rituals and social expectations are important to other people, and so are torn between their distaste at following contrived rules and their concerns about being inconsiderate.

In the 6th frame, Megan worries that Cueball might get her something and be hurt if she didn't reciprocate, explictly referencing the {{w|prisoner's dilemma}}. This dilemma is a classic thought experiment in game theory, in which two accused criminals are given the opportunity to testify against one another, but not allowed to communicate. The offer is set up so that the best total outcome for both prisoners is if neither testifies. But each individual prisoner, not knowing what the other will choose, may personally benefit from turning on the other (or give away this advantage if they, alone, choose not to). In a similar way, Megan and Cueball might both be most satisfied if neither buys a gift, but neither wants to take the risk of looking inconsiderate (and apparently aren't open to communicating about it).

The ultimate resolution is that neither gets the other a conventional gift. Cueball buys Easter candy (candy is a common Valentine's day gift, but the Easter theme makes it less cliche) and a jar of hammers, which clearly isn't an expected romantic gift. Megan panicked and, even more inexplicably, staples her hand to her face. There's something sweet in the fact that they're both equally befuddled by this social ritual, but they recognize that they've been badly overthinking what should be a fairly simple interaction.

The title text combines the two dilemma scenarios in an absurd juxtaposition, with the reader ("you") choosing with one person choosing not to get a gift (from the Valentine's Dilemma) and the other choosing to testify in a criminal case (from the prisoner's dilemma).

The Prisoner's Dilemma has been referenced before, in [[696: Strip Games]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball standing with hand on chin.]
:Cueball: Flowers seem so... trite. Something homemade? Easy to look halfhearted.

:[A frame-less panel of Megan sitting at a computer, also with hand on chin.]
:Megan: Valentine's day is a corporate construct.
:Megan: But hard to opt out of.
:Megan: I don't want to be a corporate tool ''or'' an inconsiderate jerk.

:[Cueball pacing.]
:Cueball: How do I fight cliché? I could get her a gift on a ''different'' day.
:Cueball: But what am I proving?

:[Megan leaning back with stapler in hand.]
:Megan: It's such a contrived ritual. But maybe rituals are necessary social glue.

:[Zoomed in on Cueball panicking.]
:Cueball: Forty presents. No, ''none!'' No, give her five items and then steal two from her.
:Cueball: OK, breathe. Keep it together.

:[Zoomed in on Megan sweating, still holding the stapler.]
:Megan: And what if he gets me something and I don't reciprocate?
:Megan: Prisoners dilemma!
:Megan: AAAAAAAAAA!!

:[Cueball and Megan talking. Cueball is holding a basket and a jar of hammers. Megan's hand is stapled to her face.]
:Cueball: I got you Easter candy and a jar of hammers.
:Megan: I panicked and stapled my hand to my face.
:Cueball: We overthought this.
:Megan: Yes.

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

2453: Excel Lambda

2021-04-22T16:44:49Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2453
| date = April 21, 2021
| title = Excel Lambda
| image = excel_lambda.png
| titletext = Extremely rude how Turing's later formulations of the halting problem called me out by name specifically.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SPREADSHEET. What is a lambda function, what does it do, and has one just been added to excel? Can what Cueball suggest in reality be used like a Lambda function? A better link to lambda function on Wikipedia is needed What is the meaning of Cueball's last statement? Another reference to a law/hypothesis about computing? Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Cueball]] is computing and [[Ponytail]] criticizes him in a way that is reminiscent of the [[:Category:Code Quality|Code Quality series]], although not so harsh. Cueball has lots of strange computer problems, and this will most likely result in another one.

The comic begins with Ponytail finding out that Excel is adding a {{w|Anonymous_function|lambda function}} to their function library, which pleases her. Cueball claims that this is unnecessary, as when he needs arbitrary computation he just adds a block of columns to the side of his sheet and has a Turing machine process it, something that would technically work as a lambda function but would be really difficult to construct and maintain.{{Citation needed}}

Ponytail finds his solution absurd and is convinced Cueball is "doing computing wrong". But he claims that all computing is equally wrong citing the {{w|Church-Turing_thesis|Church-Turing thesis}}, a hypothesis which says that a function can be computed by executing a series of instructions if and only if that function is computable by a Turing Machine. A classical {{w|Turing machine}} uses an infinitely long strip of tape as its memory. The large column acts as the "tape". All ways of computing are "equally wrong" since, according to this thesis, they can all be translated to a Turing Machine.

Ponytail then says that Turing would change his mind if he saw Cueball's spreadsheet (almost as if she was saying he would turn in his grave). Cueball's final statement is that Turing could ask him to stop, but would not be able to prove if he actually will stop which is a reference to the {{w|Halting problem|halting problem}} mentioned in the title text.

In the title text the {{w|Halting problem|halting problem}} is mentioned. It is the problem of determining whether a given Turing Machine will halt. The problem has been shown to be undecidable, i.e., there exists no algorithm that computes whether an arbitrary Turing machine will halt or not. Cueball has been specifically mentioned in a later formulation of his halting problem, because of the way Cueball has behaved. He finds this very rude. This is of course a joke, since Turing has been dead since 1954, long before Cueball was presumably born. But it would be crazy indeed, if a scientist became so mad at a person, that he would mention this person by name in his formulation of a serious problem.

Over-complicated spreadsheets were also mentioned in [[2180: Spreadsheets|Spreadsheets]]

A Lambda function is a temporary function created inside another function, typically mapped to a letter such as x, that completes a repetitive task that is too unimportant to code another function for. They are commonly found in programming languages such as python. A lambda function is also called an {{w|Anonymous function}} because in most languages it can be passed to other functions (including another lambda function) without needing to be given any formal name during coding, or given {{w|Closure_(computer_programming)|'closure'}} under whatever name(s) its calling procedures desire.

An example of a lambda function:

list(map(lambda a: a + 1, [1, 2, 3])) # -> returns [2, 3, 4]

Here, each element of the array with values 1..3 is treated as a variable 'a' that is (trivially) incremented by one, to produce values of 2..4 which are then reconstructed asca array for output.

A recursive lambda might be:

def pointless_recursion(v):
# If current value (x) is evenly divisible by 4, return the source (v) * current (x)
# Otherwise, print current, and then try the process again with the current value of x + 3
r = lambda x: x * v if x % 4 == 0 else print(x) or r(x + 3)
return r(v)

pointless_recursion(12) # returns 144
pointless_recursion(11) # prints 11, 14, 17 then returns 220

In this instance, the function is identifed as 'r', and features a (conditional) call back to this self-same 'r' within it. The 'x' is whatever value is the latest passed to 'r', while 'v' is that which was first passed to the container function.

Ideally, such techniques should be used to ''reduce'' {{w|Spaghetti code}}, not increase it but, especially in Cueball's hands, this isn't a foregone conclusion.

==Transcript==
:[In a narrow panel, Ponytail is walking in from the left, looking down at her phone]
:Ponytail: Oh cool, Excel is adding a lambda function, so you can recursively define functions.

:[Ponytail, holding her phone to her side stands behind Cueball, who is sitting in an office chair with a hand on a laptop standing on his desk. He has turned around to face her, leaning with the other arm on the back of the chair.]
:Cueball: Seems unnecessary.
:Cueball: When I need to do arbitrary computation, I just add a giant block of columns to the side of my sheet and have a Turing machine traverse down it.

:[In a frame-less panel Ponytail is standing in he same position behind Cueball, who has resumed working on his laptop with both hands on the keyboard.]
:Ponytail: I think you're doing computing wrong.
:Cueball: The Church-Turing thesis says that all ways of computing are '''''equally''''' wrong.

:[Ponytail is still behind Cueball, who has a finger raised in the air, and the other hand is on the desk. Cueball's head has a visible sketch layer which has not been erased.]
:Ponytail: I think if Turing saw '''''your''''' spreadsheets, he'd change his mind.
:Cueball: He can ask me to stop making them, but not prove whether I will!

==Trivia==
*In the final panel we can see a pencil outline that is slightly different to his head that hasn't been rubbed out.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Spreadsheets]]
[[Category:Programming]]

Talk:2451: AI Methodology

2021-04-17T11:59:34Z

141.101.98.174:

I checked with severαl bots, & replαcing eαch instαnce of "a" with "α" in α mid-length pαssαge of text seems enough to sαtisfy most unicity requirements.
* But then the spell-checkers (AI-based or not) start screaming about the unknown words. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 09:14, 17 April 2021 (UTC)

An alternate explanation would be the AI's have reached Singularity and are conspiring to say that all work, as a conscious effort, despite the quality of data. "Don't worry; be happy." [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 09:14, 17 April 2021 (UTC)

i think the methodology ai is dodgy and has inbuilt preferences to pick other ai options over others, regardless of their validity. kinda like ai nepotism

Talk:2450: Post Vaccine Social Scheduling

2021-04-16T08:20:29Z

141.101.98.174: Context

That third line down in the cartoon, shouldn't the first 2 be a 1? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.116|198.41.238.116]] 02:56, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:Plus, should they really be going to a movie during their two weeks? [[User:NixillUmbreon|NixillUmbreon]] ([[User talk:NixillUmbreon|talk]]) 03:20, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:Third line down may have gotten a spoiled batch on their second shot (or could be lying, thereby creating errors the schedule), but it does look to me like a typo. NixellUmbreon correctly notes that Third Line also does ''not'' wait the requisite period after 2nd dose before going to a movie!
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 03:50, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
::Or perhaps they think that as soon as they've had their second shot, they're Good To Go? Not lying deliberately, but just plain old misinformed [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.66|162.158.165.66]] 04:19, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:::I think the idea is because the other 2 people are vaccinated, assuming person 3 isn't at high risk, per CDC guidelines I think they're ok to socialize with vaccinated people (but that assumes there isn't anyone else at the movies) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.199|162.158.62.199]] 14:51, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

It seems unfair to attend any birthdays this year, considering how many could not be attended. Bobby gets a party but Susie doesn't? Hmm... Time is cruel.

Also, unrelated, but it's entirely possible that Lines 1, 2, 5, 7 & 8 are scheduling to gather on ''Line 3's'' birthday, while 3 isn't vaccinated yet.
:Line 3 doesn't attend the birthday. She's going to the movie with 4 & 5 just after the 2nd shot. Every one at the bday has had the 2nd shot for 2+ weeks. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.160|141.101.77.160]] 08:40, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
::That's my point! It is entirely possible to schedule a birthday party for someone who cannot yet attend. Case in point: Family & friends on Earth gathering to celebrate the birthday of an astronaut in space, who can only view the goings-on via a bandwidth-limited single-feed video chat. With CoViD '19 happening, who knows how many people have tried to schedule a ''surprise'' party only to discover that the birthday person won't be vaccinated in time? Mind you, I'm not saying it's the most likely scenario (far from it), I'm merely pointing out that with so many still unable to attend, it's entirely ''possible'' to schedule a party for the birthday of someone who can't attend.
::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:50, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

''Edit:'' Also, also, what is a chungus? (I don't come to explainxkcd because I want to search random words on DuckDuckGo...)
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 03:50, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:according to dictionary.com, “Chungus is a meme featuring a chunky version of the cartoon character Bugs Bunny, typically captioned Big Chungus. It began as gaming joke that spread online as a slang term for anything ‘(adorably) chunky,’ similar to chonky.“ (which begs the question, what does that have to do with the explanation of this comic being written by a “big chungus”)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.233|162.158.62.233]] 04:18, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
Just wondering, how is Big Chungus related to this? Confuuusion [[User:Eelitee|Eelitee]] ([[User talk:Eelitee|talk]]) 04:29, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:Sooo... "Chungus" seems unrelated to anything in the comic, & was replaced in the bot tag so it no longer appears on the explanation page. Maybe it was just some idle defacement by an early visitor to the comic's explanation? It's a weird term: I don't see any use of it ''except'' in reference to this ''single appearance'' of a fattened Bugs Bunny, the phrase is not spoken in the cartoon & as a portmanteau "chunky" seems a clear contributor, but the latter half is less clear. (Misspelling of "ous" from "humongous"? Does not seem to get applied to humongous things, as often as small things that are fat, though... "bulbous"?)
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:09, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

Question as a European: Don't Americans use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine which just needs 1 shot (in addition to those that need 2 shots)? Everyone in this chart gets a "2" shot (and in the case of the 3rd person even two "2" shots.) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 05:03, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:When scheduled for an immunisation an American may find that they are being administered Moderna, Pfizer, or until recently the J&J vaccine (currently that rollout is paused until an investigation into blood clot incidence can be concluded). The second shot if it exists needs to be the same as the first, but otherwise there is little local favouring of one manufacturer over the others. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.77|172.69.33.77]] 06:36, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
::Thanks for the information, but my question was about how J&J is applied (if it is applied at all), as to my knowledge it doesn't need a 2nd shot, but is fully functional few weeks after the first shot. But noone in this graph is getting only 1 shot. So it looks like this graph already ignores J&J/depicts a group of people in which noone got J&J. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:39, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:::J&J makes up < 5% of administered vaccines in the US even prior to the CDC freeze, so its not surprising that in a group of 11 people they all received either Moderna or Pfizer [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.199|162.158.62.199]] 14:51, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:::The people I know who've received the J&J vaccine were still advised to get a second dose (not that it's available).
:::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:58, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

I thought this comic was also about the CDC guidance even after getting vaccinated to stay in small groups, this, there is no group of > 4 people or so. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.143|172.69.35.143]] 05:17, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:Cabin and birthday are 5 people each. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 05:20, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:: Hmm, but by "Cabin" everyone has already been vaccinated. So should've they all be able to attend? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.19|172.69.33.19]] 05:31, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
::: Everyone still doesn't want to go everywere. If I'd schedule a Transformers movie night I'd only got most of my brothers to join and maybe two of our significant others. Also some may be unavailable for other reasons to which the alt-text seems to refer. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.244|162.158.238.244]] 07:55, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
Might this also a take on the transistor 'NPN hole' diagram? The title text states 'NP-hard' which is something different, but the diagram does look a little like transistor holes and electrons! Emitter's and Collector's? [[User:Fan2012|Fan2012]] ([[User talk:Fan2012|talk]]) 06:21, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

Hm, is this possibly the Boolean satisfiability problem (as in whether or not someone can come is TRUE or FALSE)? This is a NP-hard problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_satisfiability_problem [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.195|172.68.132.195]]

Could somebody send this recent book by a whistleblower to Randall? He could make so many jokes: https://books.google.com/books/about/Mindf_ck.html?id=8AqmDwAAQBAJ [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.13|162.158.62.13]] 12:18, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

Judging by the size of the gaps, 2, 7 & 8 presumably receive Moderna, while the rest receive Pfizer (for the pedants: yes, there are other possible explanations for the discrepancy in gaps, but this is the simplest). Does someone have a way of checking whether this roughly mirrors the prevalence of the two vaccines in the US up to mid-April?

Anyone concerned for the four people that [[Black Hat]] is taking to a cabin? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.16|141.101.98.16]] 17:56, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:I'm more concerned that I'm not going. [[User:Danish|Danish]] ([[User talk:Danish|talk]]) 17:58, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
:There are really 5 people plus [[Black Hat]] since the person sponsoring the event is not on the chart and will also be there. I am assuming that the person doing the arranging is doing it for personal benefit and will be attending all the events. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 02:24, 16 April 2021 (UTC)
::Not an obvious conclusion. In organising one's own line (Danish from the top line, or perhaps the Danish+Cueball couple, centred entirely on hosting/attending the Birthday event?), you're drawn into accounting for everyone else who ''might'' be there and their other potential commitments. Possibly extending to friends-of-friends (Blondie, other Cueball and Meghan? ...justifiable as not even pass-through members of Birthday?) who wouldn't be expected to be birthday guests but need to be figured in as potential confounding factors.
::Alternatively, as typical author+partner avatars, Cueball+Meghan at the bottom are arranging a couple of part-shared meet-ups and it has been extended upwards to account for proxy-associationz (including the Birthday, which isn't on their own radar). Though I find the connective topology of the (definite) links slightly less convincing in support of this version.
::(i.e. bottom-up and its subsequent accumulation of activities/people is less convincing, when compared to the top-down interpretation of Hairbun unfortunately being shown necessary to skip the main Birthday bash; Black Hat and Science Girl maybe only included high up as known linked persons, via their intended involvement in the Movie/Cabin/etc...)
::There are other possible starting assumptions (positionally, it could have 'started' with any single character's line, extended up ''and'' down as deemed necessary when more linked events and individuals were discovered) but none appear to be quite as logically satisfying. YMMV. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.80|141.101.107.80]] 08:15, 16 April 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2448: Eradication

2021-04-11T13:18:23Z

141.101.98.174:

Is this a [[2306|slippery slope of morality]] we're heading down? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.6|141.101.98.6]]
:I do not think we will hesitate with eradicating diseases, like we did with smallpox. However, seems unlikely we will manage to eradicate any type of corona virus... sadly. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:40, 10 April 2021 (UTC)
:Do laws and treaties regarding protecting endangered species have exceptions for disease-causing organisms? Maybe viruses don't count because they're not considered to be alive, but what about bacteria?
::They are not endangered. We have viable population {{w|Smallpox virus retention debate|stored safely}} so we can reintroduce it to wild anytime we want. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:33, 10 April 2021 (UTC)

Do we ever attribute the title text to a particular character in the comic? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 13:27, 10 April 2021 (UTC)
:We do, whenever it is obvious that a character said it, and which one said it is equally trivial to ascertain. I would not say either can be done for this comic. The primary argument for Megan saying this is probably that if it were Cueball, he would be speaking out of turn. But a 3rd character or Randal seems much more likely to me here since the speech pattern does not mach the rest of the comic. You could maybe claim that such language is typical of Megan... but honestly its typical of Cueball as well, in his dark fantasy moments.
:I 'solved' (FCVO) the attribution problem. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.174|141.101.98.174]] 13:18, 11 April 2021 (UTC)

2447: Hammer Incident

2021-04-08T02:12:33Z

141.101.98.174:

{{comic
| number = 2447
| date = April 8, 2021
| title = Hammer Incident
| image = hammer_incident.png
| titletext = I still think the Cold Stone Creamery partnership was a good idea, but I should have asked before doing the first market trials during the cryogenic mirror tests.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball stands before a seated panel of four people.]
:Cueball: Yes, I know you're mad that I dropped that hammer.
:Cueball: But think about me—
:Cueball: ''Seven years of bad luck!''
:[Caption below the panel]:
:Man, NASA is really on my case about the James Webb Space Telescope.

{{comic discussion}}

2447: Hammer Incident

2021-04-08T02:10:32Z

141.101.98.174: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2447
| date = April 8, 2021
| title = Hammer Incident
| image = hammer_incident.png
| titletext = I still think the Cold Stone Creamery partnership was a good idea, but I should have asked before doing the first market trials during the cryogenic mirror tests.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball stands before a seated panel of four people.]
:Cueball: Yes, I know you're mad that I dropped that hammer.
:Cueball: But think about me—
:Cueball: ''Seven years of bad luck!''
:Man, NASA is really on my case about the James Webb Space Telescope.

[Cueball is standing before a panel of four people sitting.]
Cueball: Yes, I know you're mad that I dropped that hammer. But think about me - seven years of bad luck.

[Caption below the panel]:
Man, NASA is really on my case about the James Webb space relescope.

{{comic discussion}}

2441: IMDb Vaccines

2021-03-26T19:33:17Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */ Punctuation+Citation

{{comic
| number = 2441
| date = March 24, 2021
| title = IMDb Vaccines
| image = imdb_vaccines.png
| titletext = I'm actually not sure if Vader and the Emperor count as a household or if Vader lives in that weird black egg thing or what.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SOCIALLY DISTANCED WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S. Add explanation for IMDb, short summary of CDC guidelines. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series]] related to the {{w|2019-20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.

In another entry in the [[My Hobby]] series, Cueball is evaluating movies on {{w|IMDb}} (the ''Internet Movie Database'') based on how many people would need to be vaccinated for COVID-19 in order for them to follow the CDC's most recent guidelines for how fully vaccinated people should act ([https://web.archive.org/web/20210324142553/https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html at time of posting]), assuming that the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the universes where the movies take place by the time at which they take place. This is part of a [[:Category:COVID-19|continuing pattern of comics]] where Randall applies COVID-19 safety standards to pre- or post-COVID situations.

At the moment, he is viewing the final confrontation between Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader (formerly Anakin Skywalker), and Emperor Sheev Palpatine on the second Death Star in ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}''. Darth Vader wears a breathing apparatus in a mask that fully covers his face, as he sustained massive respiratory damage several movies earlier. During the confrontation, the Emperor is killed, and then Luke removes Vader's mask to see his face. (It is revealed in a previous film that Vader is Luke's father.) COVID-19 would be impossible for the Star Wars movies, which take place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away", well before COVID-19 existed.{{Citation needed}}

Cueball notes that if only Luke had been vaccinated, he would still be a possible risk to Vader. The various vaccines seem to do well to protect recipients from the harsher outcomes of the virus, but may not completely prevent them from mild infection and potentially then passing it onwards. Luke is young, healthy and probably less susceptible, were he to be exposed to the virus at any point, but Vader's health issues mean that he would be in much greater danger from such a respiratory disease without his own personal inoculation. The Emperor is elderly, so while he is probably not at as great of a risk as Vader is, he, too is susceptible if he were infected.

Cueball judges that Darth Vader's mask and breathing apparatus would protect him from the virus, at least to a limited extent, which is not an unreasonable assumption- his suit has allowed him to [[wikia:w:c:starwars:Darth Vader's armor#Discomfort, limitations and enhancements|survive the vacuum of space for short periods of time]]. Cueball concludes that all the characters in this fight need to be vaccinated in order to prevent the spread of the virus, until the Emperor dies, at which point, only Vader needs to be vaccinated.

The title text refers to two separate CDC recommendations: if you are visiting with people from a single household when vaccinated, all at low risk of serious complications from COVID-19, you do not have to take precautions such as physical distancing or masks. If you are visiting with people from multiple households, then it is recommended that you take precautions against the spread of the disease regardless. Cueball is unsure weather or not Darth Vader and the Emperor live in close enough proximity to count as a single household, which would change how he decides who should and should not be vaccinated. It is unknown, based on the Original Trilogy of Star Wars movies alone, how much time Vader and the Emperor spend in proximity. The "weird black egg thing" refers to [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Darth_Vader%27s_meditation_chamber Darth Vader's meditation chamber], first seen in ''{{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}'', which allows him to spend some time outside of his suit.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair at a desk typing on a laptop. There is a large thought bubble of his thoughts above his head, and his typing on the laptop makes sounds.]
:Cueball's thoughts:
::For the throne room scene, I think it's all three until the Emperor dies, then Vader only.
::It can't be Luke only, since he's visiting Vader, who is clearly at elevated respiratory risk.
::Plus, he removes Vader's mask!
:Keyboard: Type type.

:[Caption below the panel]:
:My Hobby: Editing IMDB to note the minimum set of people who need to be vaccinated in each scene for it to pass muster under current CDC guidance.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

Talk:2441: IMDb Vaccines

2021-03-26T15:14:17Z

141.101.98.174:

So the Force doesn't protect you against COVID-19? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 03:59, 25 March 2021 (UTC)
: I haven't let my midichlorians near it enough to tell, and I worry it could be a mutation of somebody else's, but I suspect you need to meditate for a long time, and be on a mission of galactic hope, and then you'll be basically okay. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.212|162.158.63.212]] 02:02, 26 March 2021 (UTC)
What I got from this comic, after an initial laugh, was the realization that this has been going on long enough for something like this to develop into a hobby....[[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.120|172.69.170.120]] 04:21, 25 March 2021 (UTC)

What's up with "Vader lives in that weird black egg thing". What is the black egg thing? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.108|141.101.98.108]] 09:30, 25 March 2021 (UTC)
:A Hyperbaric oxygen chamber on his personal Star Destroyers. You see it in Empire Strikes Back when it opens up for a message. He can safely remove his mask there and breathe unassisted and meditate on the Dark Side or Padme. (~~The comment you have just read waa inserted, unsigned, by 162.158.166.55 several hours after the following answer.~~)
:A combination meditation-chamber, sterile disrobing room and medical support facility. It lets him periodically divest himself of the irritatingly confining but necessarily life-supporting suit components, get a degree of respite from its relentless enclosure, let him tinker with his various biomechanical replacement parts and take time out to think suitably dark thoughts about the Dark Side. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.6|141.101.98.6]] 11:28, 25 March 2021 (UTC) (PS: Oh look, almost the same IP!)

== Does anyone know why this is incomplete? ==

Without information, nobody knows which part needs fixing. If anyone knows why this is incomplete, please post the reason here. If nobody can provide a satisfactory answer, maybe we should consider removing the incomplete tag. '''Note that I am posting this exact same text on other comics of questionable incompleteness. It's not spamming, it's a conscious attempt to clean this category up.'''--[[User:Quillathe Siannodel|Quillathe Siannodel]] ([[User talk:Quillathe Siannodel|talk]]) 15:04, 25 March 2021 (UTC)
*This tag is automatically added to new pages, which can be assumed to be incomplete. It's reasonable to remove it from an older page with a complete-seeming explanation, but probably not from a page referencing a comic that's been up for less than a couple days. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.160|108.162.241.160]] 18:24, 25 March 2021 (UTC)

is ANYONE going to add ANYTHING about IMDb? i feel like that is a large chunk that is important for explaining the comic. on a semi-related note, why is the b in IMDb not capitalized? it is still part of the acronym Internet Movie DataBase, no? if you disagree that a letter in the middle of the word should be capitalized, then wouldn't it make more sense for it to be IMD? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.244|172.68.65.244]] 01:02, 26 March 2021 (UTC)Bumpf

: Well, "Database" is one word, which is why the "b" isn't capitalized. I agree with you about explaining IMDb, however, I'll added to the incomplete tag. [[User:Argis13|Argis13]] ([[User talk:Argis13|talk]]) 01:29, 26 March 2021 (UTC)

: I realized I didn't read your question properly, I guess they just thought IMDb sounded better, or something called "IMD" existed and they didn't want to get confused with it. Maybe the [[wikipedia:International Institute for Management Development]]?[[User:Argis13|Argis13]] ([[User talk:Argis13|talk]]) 01:40, 26 March 2021 (UTC)
:: In circles where databases are worked with, it is always two letters. This makes it far more unambiguous what you are talking about. The two letters usually have the same capitalisation, not always uppercase. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.212|162.158.63.212]] 02:02, 26 March 2021 (UTC)
:: I fully support the "IMDb" capitalisation. For the same reason I flinch at "MSM" (I may pointedly use "MM", though rarely does anyone notice/not assume a typo). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.208|141.101.99.208]] 02:48, 26 March 2021 (UTC)
:::You have to remember that IMDb is *old* - 30 years old. Like, pre-web, Usenet old. Modern naming convention need not apply. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.175|162.158.74.175]] 13:49, 26 March 2021 (UTC)

:If the Death Star doesn't count as a bubble, I don't know what does!

2441: IMDb Vaccines

2021-03-24T22:56:52Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */

Talk:88: Escher Bracelet

2021-03-17T09:26:27Z

141.101.98.174:

Search the Internet for WWFSMD. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 22:12, 22 October 2013 (UTC)

Something you might like to try with two paper Mobius strips (apologies if you already know these)...take the first one you made and with scissors make a hole in the middle of the strip and cut all the way around making sure to stay along the middle until you get back to the start... see what you ended up with? It gets better... take the second strip you made and repeat the cutting but this time make sure you cut along the strip 1/3rd of the way from the edge (youll need to go around twice before you get back to the starting puncture hole)... how cool is that![[User:Squirreltape|Squirreltape]] ([[User talk:Squirreltape|talk]]) 18:43, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

If the bracelet band is a Möbius strip, shouldn't the words on it have been "What Would Möbius Do?"
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.229|162.158.154.229]] 19:51, 2 October 2017 (UTC)
:The idea is that the bracelet is referencing maths, not a specific person. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.174|141.101.98.174]] 09:26, 17 March 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2437: Post-Vaccine Party

2021-03-16T20:55:50Z

141.101.98.174:

Okay, I started it. Join in and make it better! [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 17:26, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

:I thought that the party food and beverages were reduced to small cups of ice water and m&m as we gained weight over months of staying home. It looks like the list was made earlier in the pandemic when this was not a problem (yet). And now the list has changed since al lot of people gained weight. But pizzas and snack can contribute to the spread of the virus. For the rest I understand it like you N0lqu. mkljun 18:56, 15 March 2021 (UTC)
::Thanks, I added that! [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 18:19, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

Ping-pong should be a reasonably safe activity. A standard table is 9 feet long, so the players are forced to social distance. And unless you play at expert levels, it's not so energetic that you'll breathe heavily. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:27, 15 March 2021 (UTC)
:My employer padlocked the door to our ping-pong room because people apparently couldn't mask and play at the same time. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.212.218|162.158.212.218]] 13:33, 16 March 2021 (UTC)

I think this is more about how exciting the party is than about COVID precautions. These are all toned-down versions of regular party stuff. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.229|141.101.99.229]] 21:08, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

Still missing an explanation regarding the crossing out of "Big screen" in front of "TV". A small TV would actually be counterproductive, as folks would need to crowd around it in order to see it well, thus reducing social distance. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.140|162.158.75.140]] 21:37, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

:Answer is in the comment above yours. No one has been to a party in a year, and the idea is to "start slow" and keep the party from being overwhelming to people who have been isolating for a long time. I don't get the title text, though... [[User:Orion205|Orion205]] ([[User talk:Orion205|talk]]) 22:38, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

The COVID vaccine works by making your immune system kick in hard. At a panel presentation on COVID, a doctor was saying that fever, muscle aches, nausea, or other flu-like symptoms are to be expected after injections. It’s a good sign that the vaccine is working. The party list makes a little more sense if people were expected to be feeling mildly ill from the vaccine. —brad

I didn't initially read it as boring for the sake of safety, just boring because nobody has been to a party for a year and would find it harder to cope with the excitement. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.166|141.101.107.166]] 09:08, 16 March 2021 (UTC)
: This explains the title text, too. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.174|141.101.98.174]] 20:55, 16 March 2021 (UTC)

I think the joke is that we are being told we can increase social activity but not to increase it "too much". So we could have a gathering but not as big a gathering as before. The reduction is supposed to be targeted to specific activities that might risk contagious spread. However, the joke is that the person planning this party is reducing activities just for the sake of "downsizing" the party whether the activities are related to contagious spread or not. For example, watching TV on a small screen versus a big screen. The title text furthers the joke, that we have been conditioned to be fearful of trivial encounters that do not increase contagious risk (like briefly passing someone outdoors who is not wearing a mask even if we have a mask on) so something as innocuous as dropping a candy in a glass of water caused a panic. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 19:10, 16 March 2021 (UTC)

2436: Circles

2021-03-13T09:04:24Z

141.101.98.174:

{{comic
| number = 2436
| date = March 12, 2021
| title = Circles
| image = circles.png
| titletext = ( MSTE ( AR ) CD )
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by CIRCULAR REFERENCES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The comic depicts five overlapping circles, themselves encircled by circles of various sizes which enclose two, four, or all five of the smaller overlapping circles. Several well-known logos consist of overlapping circles, and the larger circles reference these logos. These are: {{w|Mastercard}}, which consists of two side-by-side overlapping circles; {{w|Audi}}, which is four side-by-side overlapping circles, and the {{w|Olympic Rings}}, which are five topologically linked rings in a "W" shaped pattern.

The diagram deliberately does not differentiate between the {{w|Euler diagram}} of circular 'areas of belonging' and the circles that are the things that belong, save for labels on the former that do not appear as a belonged component of any other set-circled illustration.{{Citation needed}} Without this common knowledge, though, ''they conceivably might''.

The title text is a textual representation of the Mastercard name as an Euler diagram containing the letters in the words "master" and "card" — A and R are shared by both, while MSTE and CD are unique to their respective elements. The basic Mastercard logo, from its development in the 1970s until earlier this century, placed the letters E and R upon the overlap of the two circles across which its name was emblazoned, but has since reverted to writing the whole of its various brand names beyond the circled areas, so now ''none'' of the characters could be considered to be members of either/both circles.

<gallery>
Mastercard 2019 logo.svg|Current Mastercard logo
MasterCard Logo.svg|Previous MasterCard logo (used until 2016)
Audi-Logo 2016.svg|Current Audi logo
Audi logo detail.svg|Previous Audi logo (used until 2016)
Olympic rings without rims.svg|Olympic rings
</gallery>

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Five equal circles looped together in the style of the Olympics logo. On the left, a larger circle surrounds two of the prior ones, incidentally overlapping a third, labeled "Mastercard". A larger circle surrounds four of the original circles, cutting over the last, labeled "Audi". A large circle fully contains all five of the starting circles, and is labeled "Olympics". The "Olympics" circle therefore also contains the "Audi" one, which in turn contains the "Mastercard" one, with no overt drawn differences to the five core circles except for sizing and label-text.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Euler diagrams]]
[[Category:Charts]]

Talk:1563: Synonym Movies

2015-08-13T00:58:26Z

141.101.98.174:

Space Trip would probably be Star Trek, right?
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.166|141.101.98.166]] 05:17, 12 August 2015 (UTC)

Is this supposed to be related to "Thing explainer"? But then there are words like government, and Vulcan...
--[[User:Zzyss|Zzyss]] ([[User talk:Zzyss|talk]]) 06:51, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:No I do not think so. It is not simple words, just different words with he same meaning --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:29, 12 August 2015 (UTC)

Funny, I would've said "''The Sword Wizard'''s Are''' Back''"... I've always interpreted that instance of ''Jedi'' as being plural.
--[[User:Vor0nwe|vor0nwe]] ([[User talk:Vor0nwe|talk]]) 08:04, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:It could refer to Luke, the only Jedi alive at the end of the movie... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:29, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
::Leia Amidala Skywalker died? Didn't noticed that. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:50, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:::Funny, I always assumed it referred to Anakin, as it's the move where his sith side is freed and his Jedi side "returns".--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.163|141.101.98.163]] 11:59, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:::Leia was never established as a Jedi - at least, not in the movies. There are only two places (both in Return of the Jedi) where it's hinted that she has any Force power at all: First, when Luke tells her that she's his sister and she says she's somehow always known, and second when Darth Vader divines her existence from Luke's feelings and suggests that she could be turned to the Dark Side. Neither of these scenes serve to establish her as a potential Jedi, so I don't think she could be reasonably included in OH WHAT THE HELL I'M SUCH A GEEK. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 18:57, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:::: Not enough of a geek. When Kenobi says "That boy is our last hope," Yoda informs him that there is another. This, combined with Vader's implication she can be turned to the Dark Side - something that is only ever presented as a concern for those with Force power - clearly indicates that Leia is a potential Jedi. Further, at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, she hears Luke "calling" for her, another indication of Force sensitivity. - Val
: In German the title is "Rückkehr der Jedi-Ritter" which would translate back into "Return of the Jedi Knights" - Plural. So it is/was naturally plural for me, too. But, of course, German movie titles are no reference to the actual meaning. Since some years we occasionally use English titles in Germany, too. But somehow they are different to the original English titles... (No worry: Star Wars is Star Wars - but even that was translated in the 70's to "Krieg der Sterne") [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 09:50, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:: Now this is real funny: in Spanish the title is "El retorno del Jedi" which refers to one single Jedi, so it is/was naturally singular for me. I never even considered the possibility of "Jedi" referring to several people - until now. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.74|173.245.49.74]] 11:20, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:: Also, Spanish movie titles (especially in the 1980s and 1990s) have less even to do with original titles than German ones. "Star wars" became "La guerra de las galaxias" (which means "The galaxy war" and is not much of a stretch). However, "The money pit" is "Esta casa es una ruina" (This house is a wreck), "Switch" is "Una rubia muy dudosa" (A very dubious blonde) and "Trading places" is "Entre pillos anda el juego" (sort of "This game is about rascals"). These are mere examples, it looks like in the 1990s every movie had to triple its title length when translated into Spanish. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.74|173.245.49.74]] 11:33, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:::In Latin America ''The Money Pit'' was ''Hogar, dulce hogar'' (Home, sweet home). ''Switch'' was ''Pasaporte al cielo'' (A passport to heaven). ''Trading places'' was ''De mendigo a millonario'' (From beggar to millonaire). It's absurd that they translate all titles twice. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 21:41, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:: In Finnish, it's "Jedin paluu", which translates literally as "The Jedi's return", again in the singular. Star Wars is translated to Tähtien sota, which roughly means "The stars' war" (plural possessive). The Money Pit is Rahareikä, literally "Money Hole" (or "The Money Hole", Finnish doesn't have words for the, a, or an), Switch is called "Apua, olen muuttunut naiseksi" (roughly "Help, I'm a changed woman") and Trading Places is Vaihtokaupat (literally "Shops Swap"). {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.207}}
:: My favourite example in Germany is "Once upon a time in the West" (as far as I can tell a direct translation from the Italian original) which is "Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod" in Germany: "Play the song about death/of Death to me" (don't know if The Death or just death is meant). This is one of the rare occasions on which I prefer the German title, while the English translation of the German title sounds quite silly, imho. However, back to topic: The word "Jedi" is used as plural and singular in each English and German (at least I'm not aware of ever having heard "Jedis" in either language). While in German it's quite easy to distinguish them by the article (Der (sg)/ Die (pl)) even that is the same in English (The). [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 13:04, 12 August 2015 (UTC)

Wikipedia does note that Czar had become a title equivalent to King by the 19th Century, so perhaps that ought to be mentioned regarding "We Have a Czar Again." {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.41}}
:: Specifically, Цар, or "Tsar" would in Bulgarian and Russian mean the equivalent of (native) monarch, while Крал/"kral" would be reserved for foreign monarchs. When referring to an emperor, you'd use император/"imperator". Thus I would argue that "Czar", as the western spelling of Tsar, is a reasonable facsimile for "King". [[User:Meledin|Meledin]] ([[User talk:Meledin|talk]]) 14:11, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
Gaaaah! Power and force are not synonyms! Power and force-velocity are! Edit:thx whoever [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.75|108.162.221.75]] 10:41, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:You can probably put that in the same category as the mass delusion about what weight actually is. (SWIDT?) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.90|141.101.99.90]] 14:35, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:Not the same, right, but given the other variables remain the same, the Power raises aequivalent to Force. The sentence in whole remains correct that way. {{unsigned ip|162.158.90.235}}

The movie cases look like they form an upside down V, I and I. Could this also be a reference to the new Star Wars movie? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.30|141.101.98.30]] 19:50, 12 August 2015 (UTC)
:I doubt it. It's not obvious enough. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 21:22, 12 August 2015 (UTC)

"Conveniently" forgot Space Trips V: The Ultimate Border and VI: A Pristine Land, did we Randall? {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.165}}

Thank you to the person who did the comic rotated! My neck was hurting. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.164}}

Talk:507: Experimentation

2015-04-07T08:08:21Z

141.101.98.174:

A proper sample for Megan is at least three (or four) groups: definite lesbians; other curious girls; hetero males; possibly a randomised group (trans, bi, intersex, fetishes and kinks: depending on source) and an ordinary mixed-sex control, all of which could include the entirety of her year level. The other students might have felt uncomfortable with her empirically recording the data, though (filming and surveys). {{unsigned ip|‎123.211.217.96}}

I like the implication that perhaps years after college, her test groups still hang out together. If well chosen, the "dudes from control group B" would have nothing in common except Megan, but this has been enough of a bonding experience.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.174|141.101.98.174]] 08:08, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

1507: Metaball

2015-04-03T12:06:19Z

141.101.98.174:

{{comic
| number = 1507
| date = April 3, 2015
| title = Metaball
| image = metaball.png
| titletext = Shoot, it landed in the golf course. Gonna be hard to get it down the--oh, never mind, it rolled onto the ice hazard. Face-off!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete | Explanation is unfinished}}
The gang is playing a game of ball that incorporates the rules of all games that use a ball. Similar to Calvinball from ''Calvin and Hobbes'', the rules seem to be somewhat arbitrary and are based on the location of the players and the ball. Cueball is out (baseball) because the soccer ball, en route to the basketball hoop, clipped the corner of the baseball zone.
:'''The infield fly rule''': A baseball rule. When the ball is in the air and the umpire signals that he is invoking the rule, the batter is out (and all force plays removed) regardless of whether the ball is caught. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infield_fly_rule).
:'''Title text:'''

==Transcript==
:[Megan kicks a soccer ball. Cueball leaps to dunk the ball through (or block it from going in) a basketball hoop.]
:[Offscreen:] Out!
:[Cueball:] What do you ''mean'', out?!
:[Ponytail, consulting the rules/map:] The ball clipped the corner of the baseball zone. Infield fly rule.
:[Cueball:] Aw, ''maaan''...
{{comic discussion}}

103: Moral Relativity

2015-01-25T20:50:35Z

141.101.98.174: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 103
| date = May 17, 2006
| title = Moral Relativity
| image = moral_relativity.jpg
| titletext = It's science!
}}

== Explanation ==
This comic pokes fun at {{w|moral relativism}}, a philosophy in the field of {{w|ethics}} which holds that moral judgments are not absolute, but rather vary depending on the circumstances involved and the person (or people) committing it. Randall jokes about moral relativism by comparing it to the {{w|theory of relativity}} and creating a new related philosophy called "Moral Relativity." The scientific theory of relativity predicts (among other things) that measurements of an object change the closer to the speed of light it travels—length contracts, observed time slows down, the notion of separated simultaneous events is relative, etc. The graph is a parody on that of the {{w|Lorentz factor}}, which is the factor by which time is dilated and length contracted. It is humorous that the ethics of a situation would be relative the same way physical properties change as the speed of light is approached. This variation in ethics cited to explain why rap music, perhaps particularly [[w:Gangsta rap]], which often has lyrics describing rape, murder and substance abuse, is better when travel at speed.

Note that '''relativity''' in Theory of Relativity (in ''physics'') came from {{w|principle of relativity}} idea that equations describing the laws of physics have '''the same form''' in all admissible frames of reference (as opposed to ''moral'' relativity).

==Transcript==
:[A graph, rationalization as a function of speed, increasing asymptotically at ''c''.]
:Related to moral relativism, it states that ethics become subjective only when you approach the speed of light.
:That is, it's okay to be self-serving, steal, and murder as long as you're going really, really fast.
:(Note: This is why rap sounds better on the highway at 90 mph)

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Physics]]