explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

181: Interblag

2013-04-09T11:30:19Z

149.172.83.46: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 181
| date = November 8, 2006
| title = Interblag
| image = interblag.png
| titletext = Sometimes I hate the internet. Sometimes it makes me happy that 'The Tubes' has become slang for the internet so quickly.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic parodies the habit of word coining on the internet, as well as the enthusiasm for modern sounding terms in the IT world in general.
Common examples include the shortening of "weblog" to "{{w|blog}}", while the entirety of blogs is referred to as the "{{w|blogosphere}}". The internet itself is sometimes called "The Tubes", a term derived from Senator {{w|Ted Stevens}} infamous statement "{{w|Series of Tubes}}". The suffixes "-net" and "-web" are often used to denote a certain interconnection of information on the internet, as well as to make products and brands sound fit for the 21st century.

The matrix shown in the comic spoofs the internet jargon by combining common pre- and suffixes to new and impressive but meaningless words. The culmination of nonsense is, as indicated in the transcript, the term "blagoblag". This is also a sideswipe at comic [[148]], where "blag" was introduced as a substitute for the usage of "blog". The [http://blag.xkcd.com official weblog] of the xkcd webcomic is also called "blag".

==Transcript==
:[Below: A matrix whose entries may contain crosses to indicate that a term has been used. The rows (prefixes) are labelled WORLD WIDE, INTER-, BLOGO-, BLAGO- and WEB-; the columns are labelled NET, WEB, SPHERE, TUBES and BLAG. In the interests of properly propagating the term "blagoblag", the full list of used terms follows:]
:World Wide Web
:Internet
:Interweb
:Intersphere
:Intertubes
:Interblag
:Blogosphere
:Blagonet
:Blagosphere
:Blagoblag
:Webnet
:Webweb
[Cueball and Megan stand facing; Cueball raises his hands in the air while Megan is nonplussed.]
:Cueball: I heard about it on the interblag!

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

660: Sympathy

2013-04-09T11:20:40Z

149.172.83.46: Created page with "{{comic | number = 660 | date = November 9, 2009 | title = Sympathy | image = sympathy.png | titletext = Excellent recovery: ... which we could try to use to s..."

{{comic
| number = 660
| date = November 9, 2009
| title = Sympathy
| image = sympathy.png
| titletext = Excellent recovery: ... which we could try to use to somehow save your original brother!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic targets the lack of social skills physicists are generally believed to have. The example displayed is a case of condolence, in which the appropriate behaviour would of course be to express compassion with the bereaved.

In the second panel, the physicist does not display the endorsed demeanour. Instead, he takes a scientific approach towards the statement of his friend. He points out that the transmission of the pain the latter believes to have felt, is in fact limited by the {{w|speed of light}} and could therefore not have been 'instant'. By saying so, he betrays an absence of feeling towards his friend, as well as his inability to understand the figurative sense of the words.

In the last panel, the physicist reflects on the consequences that would follow if the statement of his friend were indeed literally true. According to {{w|special relativity}}, any object travelling faster than at the speed of light would in fact move backwards in time. The physicist therefore plans to utilise this effect in order to construct a {{w|tachyonic antitelephone}}, a device that allows sending information to the past. To confirm the initial condition, he makes the utterly inappropriate proposal to start a series of measurement with other family members of his friend.

A correction of the misdemeanour is suggested in the title text: The antitelephone might be used to change causality and save the original brother from dying in the first place. Of course, saying the latter would not improve anything in the given scenario.

==Transcript==
[Title: Sympathy Tips for Physicists]
[A bereaved person and his friend are talking.]
:Bereaved: The moment my brother died, I felt a searing pain in my heart.

:Right:
:Friend: I'm so sorry.

:Wrong:
:Friend: Was it instant, or was there a speed-of-light delay?

:Very Wrong:
:Friend: If it was instant, with the right arrangement of moving reference frames, we could use this to send signals back in time and violate causality! How many remaining siblings do you have?

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

665: Prudence

2013-04-09T10:35:13Z

149.172.83.46: Created page with "{{comic | number = 665 | date = November 20, 2009 | title = Prudence | image = prudence.png | titletext = Moments later, the White Witch rolls up and, confused..."

{{comic
| number = 665
| date = November 20, 2009
| title = Prudence
| image = prudence.png
| titletext = Moments later, the White Witch rolls up and, confused, tries to tempt the probe with a firmware upgrade.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic references the fantasy novel series "{{w|The Chronicles of Narnia}}" by {{w|C. S. Lewis}}. In the first book, four children discover the fictional world of Narnia which can be accessed through a wardrobe.

The comic mocks at the imprudent behaviour shown by the protagonists of the novel, who enter the world of Narnia without knowing anything about its dangers. In the comic, Megan discovers the magical wardrobe while playing {{w|hide-and-seek}}. Unlike the original characters, Megan does not precipitately set foot into Narnia. Instead, she fetches her technical equipment and sends a remote-controlled probe through the wardrobe door in order to sound the situation first. The probe can be seen in the last panel, encountering {{w|Mr. Tumnus}} the faun with an umbrella at a lamppost in a snowy wood. This picture is the first impression of Narnia in the novels and was apparently Lewis' original idea for the series.

The {{w|White Witch}} mentioned in the title text is the main antagonist in the novels. She originaly lures one of the protagonists with a hot drink and Turkish Delight. In the scenario displayed in the comic, she tries to tempt the probe with a firmware update accordingly.

==Transcript==
[Megan is running towards a closed wardrobe.]
:Someone off-panel: Everyone hide! 99 ... 98 ... 97 ...

[The girl opens the wardrobe.]
:Wardrobe: click

Megan, looking inside: !!!

[Megan looks thoughtful.]

[Megan walks away.]

[Megan returns with an armful of electronics.]

[Megan is kneeling, typing on a laptop, which has a cord extending into the wardrobe.]

[A robotic probe is approaching Mr. Tumnus, the faun, under the lamppost in narnia.]

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

696: Strip Games

2013-04-09T10:00:32Z

149.172.83.46:

{{comic
| number = 696
| date = February 1, 2010
| title = Strip Games
| image = strip_games.png
| titletext = HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF STRIP GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR?
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, the frequency of strip versions of various games has been measured by means of Google search results.
Strip versions of poular games are a common activity at parties, especially when alcohol is involved. The obligation to remove pieces of clothing is supposed to add an extra zest to the game.
A very widespread variant is {{w|Strip Poker}}, followed by strip versions of regular party games like {{w|Truth or Dare}} or {{w|Spin the Bottle}}.

However, the comic also suggests playing other games in a way that involves stripping. In reality, playing such games as "Strip {{w|Tennis}}" or "Strip {{w|Agricola}}" is rather unusual.

The last column features games of which strip versions are (according to Google) nonexistent. While the other columns named sports or board games where a strip variant would be at least conceivable, the last one includes the {{w|zero-player game|zero-player}} {{w|Conway's Game of Life|Game of Life}} and the {{w|Prisoner's Dilemma|Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma}}, which is a theoretical example in {{w|game theory}}. It is therefore left to the reader to imagine how a strip version of these pseudo-games would appear.

{{w|Poohsticks}} is a children's sport mentioned in the {{w|Winnie-the-Pooh|Winnie-the-Pooh books}} played by dropping sticks into a river and watching them reappear on the other side of a bridge.

[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Podracing Podracing] appears in the {{w|Star Wars}} films as a racing competition held with hovering vehicles.

{{w|Chess by mail}} is obviously pointless in a strip version as the antagonists only send their moves by letter and never get to see each other.

"Global Thermonuclear War" in the title text is a reference to the film "{{w|WarGames}}", where a young hacker accesses a US military supercomputer and starts a nuclear war simulation, believing it to be only a computer game.

==Transcript==
Frequency of Strip Versions of Various Games

:n = google hits for "strip <game name>" / google hits for "<game name>"
:(at the time of this writing)

:Frequent
:(n > 1%)
:- Poker
:- Spin the Bottle
:- Beer Pong
:- Never Have I Ever
:- Truth or Dare

:Rare
:(1% >= n > 0.01%)
:- Chess
:- Blackjack
:- Tennis
:- Settlers of Catan
:- Pictionary

:Extremely Rare
:(0.01% >= n > 0)
:- Cricket
:- Magic: the Gathering
:- Stickball
:- Agricola
:- Jumanji

:Nonexistent
:(n = 0)
:- Poohsticks
:- Podracing
:- Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
:- Chess by Mail
:- Conway's Game of Life

{{comic discussion}}

696: Strip Games

2013-04-09T09:59:12Z

149.172.83.46:

{{comic
| number = 696
| date = February 1, 2010
| title = Strip Games
| image = strip_games.png
| titletext = HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF STRIP GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR?
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, the frequency of strip versions of various games has been measured by means of Google search results.
Strip versions of poular games are a common activity at parties, especially when alcohol is involved. The obligation to remove pieces of clothing is supposed to add an extra zest to the game.
A very widespread variant is {{w|Strip Poker}}, followed by strip versions of regular party games like {{w|Truth or Dare}} or {{w|Spin the Bottle}}.

However, the comic also suggests playing other games in a way that involves stripping. In reality, playing such games as "Strip {{w|Tennis}}" or "Strip {{w|Agricola}}" is rather unusual.

The last column features games of which strip versions are (according to Google) nonexistent. While the other columns named sports or board games where a strip variant would be at least conceivable, the last one includes the {{w|zero-player game|zero-player}} {{w|Conway's Game of Life|Game of Life}} and the {{w|Prisoner's Dilemma|Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma}}, which is a theoretical example in {{w|game theory}}. It is therefore left to the reader to imagine how a strip version of these pseudo-games would appear.

{{w|Poohsticks}} is a children's sport mentioned in the {{w|Winnie-the-Pooh|Winnie-the-Pooh books}} played by dropping sticks into a river and watching them reappear on the other side of a bridge.

[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Podracing Podracing] appears in the {{w|Star Wars}} films as a racing competition held with hovering vehicles.

{{w|Chess}} by mail is obviously pointless in a strip version as the antagonists only send their moves by letter and never get to see each other.

"Global Thermonuclear War" in the title text is a reference to the film "{{w|WarGames}}", where a young hacker accesses a US military supercomputer and starts a nuclear war simulation, believing it to be only a computer game.

==Transcript==
Frequency of Strip Versions of Various Games

:n = google hits for "strip <game name>" / google hits for "<game name>"
:(at the time of this writing)

:Frequent
:(n > 1%)
:- Poker
:- Spin the Bottle
:- Beer Pong
:- Never Have I Ever
:- Truth or Dare

:Rare
:(1% >= n > 0.01%)
:- Chess
:- Blackjack
:- Tennis
:- Settlers of Catan
:- Pictionary

:Extremely Rare
:(0.01% >= n > 0)
:- Cricket
:- Magic: the Gathering
:- Stickball
:- Agricola
:- Jumanji

:Nonexistent
:(n = 0)
:- Poohsticks
:- Podracing
:- Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
:- Chess by Mail
:- Conway's Game of Life

{{comic discussion}}

696: Strip Games

2013-04-09T09:58:25Z

149.172.83.46:

{{comic
| number = 696
| date = February 1, 2010
| title = Strip Games
| image = strip_games.png
| titletext = HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF STRIP GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR?
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, the frequency of strip versions of various games has been measured by means of Google search results.
Strip versions of poular games are a common activity at parties, especially when alcohol is involved. The obligation to remove pieces of clothing is supposed to add an extra zest to the game.
A very widespread variant is {{w|Strip Poker}}, followed by strip versions of regular party games like {{w|Truth or Dare}} or {{w|Spin the Bottle}}.

However, the comic also suggests playing other games in a way that involves stripping. In reality, playing such games as "Strip {{w|Tennis}}" or "Strip {{w|Agricola}}" is rather unusual.

The last column features games of which strip versions are (according to Google) nonexistent. While the other columns named sports or board games where a strip variant would be at least conceivable, the last one includes the {{w|zero-player game|zero-player}} {{w|Conway's Game of Life|Game of Life}} and the {{w|Prisoner's Dilemma|Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma}}, which is a theoretical example in {{w|game theory}}. It is therefore left to the reader to imagine how a strip version of these pseudo-games would appear.

{{w|Poohsticks}} is a children's sport mentioned in the {{w|Winnie-the-Pooh|Winnie-the-Pooh books}} played by dropping sticks into a river and watching them reappear on the other side of a bridge.

[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Podracing Podracing] appears in the {{w|Star Wars}} films as a racing competition held with hovering vehicles.

{{w|Chess}} by mail is obviously pointless in a strip version as the antagonists only send their moves by letter and never get to see each other.

"Global Thermonuclear War" in the title text is a refernce to the film "{{w|WarGames}}", where a young hacker accesses a US military supercomputer and starts a nuclear war simulation, believing it to be only a computer game.

==Transcript==
Frequency of Strip Versions of Various Games

:n = google hits for "strip <game name>" / google hits for "<game name>"
:(at the time of this writing)

:Frequent
:(n > 1%)
:- Poker
:- Spin the Bottle
:- Beer Pong
:- Never Have I Ever
:- Truth or Dare

:Rare
:(1% >= n > 0.01%)
:- Chess
:- Blackjack
:- Tennis
:- Settlers of Catan
:- Pictionary

:Extremely Rare
:(0.01% >= n > 0)
:- Cricket
:- Magic: the Gathering
:- Stickball
:- Agricola
:- Jumanji

:Nonexistent
:(n = 0)
:- Poohsticks
:- Podracing
:- Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
:- Chess by Mail
:- Conway's Game of Life

{{comic discussion}}

696: Strip Games

2013-04-09T09:57:53Z

149.172.83.46:

{{comic
| number = 696
| date = February 1, 2010
| title = Strip Games
| image = strip_games.png
| titletext = HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF STRIP GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR?
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, the frequency of strip versions of various games has been measured by means of Google search results.
Strip versions of poular games are a common activity at parties, especially when alcohol is involved. The obligation to remove pieces of clothing is supposed to add an extra zest to the game.
A very widespread variant is {{w|Strip Poker}}, followed by strip versions of regular party games like {{w|Truth or Dare}} or {{w|Spin the Bottle}}.

However, the comic also suggests playing other games in a way that involves stripping. In reality, playing such games as "Strip {{w|Tennis}}" or "Strip {{w|Agricola}}" is rather unusual.

The last column features games of which strip versions are (according to Google) nonexistent. While the other columns named sports or board games where a strip variant would be at least conceivable, the last one includes the {{w|zero-player game|zero-player}} {{w|Conway's Game of Life|Game of Life}} and the {{w|Prisoner's Dilemma|Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma}}, which is a theoretical example in {{w|game theory}}. It is therefore left to the reader to imagine how a strip version of these pseudo-games would appear.

{{w|Poohsticks}} is a children's sport mentioned in the {{w|Winnie-the-Pooh|Winnie-the-Pooh books}} played by dropping sticks into a river and watching them reappear on the other side of a bridge.

[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Podracing Podracing] appears in the {{w|Star Wars}} films as a racing competition held with hovering vehicles.

{{w|Chess}} by mail is obviously pointless in a strip version as the antagonists only send their moves by letter and never get to see each other.

"Global Thermonuclear War" in the title text is a refernce to the film "{w|WarGames}, where a young hacker accesses a US military supercomputer and starts a nuclear war simulation, believing it to be only a computer game.

==Transcript==
Frequency of Strip Versions of Various Games

:n = google hits for "strip <game name>" / google hits for "<game name>"
:(at the time of this writing)

:Frequent
:(n > 1%)
:- Poker
:- Spin the Bottle
:- Beer Pong
:- Never Have I Ever
:- Truth or Dare

:Rare
:(1% >= n > 0.01%)
:- Chess
:- Blackjack
:- Tennis
:- Settlers of Catan
:- Pictionary

:Extremely Rare
:(0.01% >= n > 0)
:- Cricket
:- Magic: the Gathering
:- Stickball
:- Agricola
:- Jumanji

:Nonexistent
:(n = 0)
:- Poohsticks
:- Podracing
:- Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
:- Chess by Mail
:- Conway's Game of Life

{{comic discussion}}

696: Strip Games

2013-04-09T09:51:53Z

149.172.83.46: Created page with "{{comic | number = 696 | date = February 1, 2010 | title = Strip Games | image = strip_games.png | titletext = HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF STRIP GLOBAL THERMONUCL..."

{{comic
| number = 696
| date = February 1, 2010
| title = Strip Games
| image = strip_games.png
| titletext = HOW ABOUT A NICE GAME OF STRIP GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR?
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, the frequency of strip versions of various games has been measured by means of Google search results.
Strip versions of poular games are a common activity at parties, especially when alcohol is involved. The obligation to remove pieces of clothing is supposed to add an extra zest to the game.
A very widespread variant is {{w|Strip Poker}}, followed by strip versions of regular party games like {{w|Truth or Dare}} or {{w|Spin the Bottle}}.

However, the comic also suggests playing other games in a way that involves stripping. In reality, playing such games as "Strip {{w|Tennis}}" or "Strip {{w|Agricola}}" is rather unusual.

The last column features games of which strip versions are (according to Google) nonexistent. While the other columns named sports or board games where a strip variant would be at least conceivable, the last one includes the {{w|zero-player game|zero-player}} {{w|Conway's Game of Life|Game of Life}} and the {{w|Prisoner's Dilemma|Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma}}, which is a theoretical example in game theory. It is therefore left to the reader to imagine how a strip version of these pseudo-games would appear.

{{w|Poohsticks}} is a children's sport mentioned in the {{w|Winnie-the-Pooh|Winnie-the-Pooh books}} played by dropping sticks into a river and watching them reappear on the other side of a bridge.

[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Podracing Podracing] appears in the {{w|Star Wars}} films as a racing competition held with hovering vehicles.

{{w|Chess}} by mail is obviously pointless in a strip version as the antagonists only send their moves by letter and never get to see each other.

==Transcript==
Frequency of Strip Versions of Various Games

:n = google hits for "strip <game name>" / google hits for "<game name>"
:(at the time of this writing)

:Frequent
:(n > 1%)
:- Poker
:- Spin the Bottle
:- Beer Pong
:- Never Have I Ever
:- Truth or Dare

:Rare
:(1% >= n > 0.01%)
:- Chess
:- Blackjack
:- Tennis
:- Settlers of Catan
:- Pictionary

:Extremely Rare
:(0.01% >= n > 0)
:- Cricket
:- Magic: the Gathering
:- Stickball
:- Agricola
:- Jumanji

:Nonexistent
:(n = 0)
:- Poohsticks
:- Podracing
:- Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
:- Chess by Mail
:- Conway's Game of Life

{{comic discussion}}

682: Force

2013-04-09T08:54:17Z

149.172.83.46: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 682
| date = December 30, 2009
| title = Force
| image = force.png
| titletext = Force-choking the chicken.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic features {{w|Darth Vader}}, the main antagonist from the original {{w|Star Wars}} trilogy. In the films, Vader possesses the ability to strangle his minions without having to touch them, using only the so called "{{w|Force (Star Wars)|force}}". This practise has therefore been called force-choking. The comic assumes that Vader used this technique against himself with the help of a mirror in order to become sexually aroused.

{{w|Autoerotic asphyxiation}} is a sexual practise in which lack of oxygen is induced to enhance sexual stimulus. The method is considered dangerous without supervision, as loss of consciousness can result in continued strangling which might, in extreme cases, be fatal.

This risk of fainting is taken up in the comic, where Vader has apparently force-choked himself to the point of unconsciousness and is now given medical treatment by two EMTs.

The title text is a pun on the term "choking the chicken", a colloquial expression referring to male {{w|masturbation}}. "Force-choking the chicken" might mean a technique of self-gratification by use of the "force" without having to apply one's hands.

==Transcript==
:[Two EMTs are rushing Darth Vader away from a front door on a stretcher.]

:[There is a room with a desk in the foreground and a full-length mirror in the corner. On the desk is a laptop displaying the Wikipedia page for autoerotic asphyxiation.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

682: Force

2013-04-09T08:51:19Z

149.172.83.46:

{{comic
| number = 682
| date = December 30, 2009
| title = Force
| image = force.png
| titletext = Force-choking the chicken.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic features {{w|Darth Vader}}, the main antagonist from the original {{w|Star Wars}} trilogy. In the films, Vader possesses the ability to strangle his minions without having to touch them, using only the so called "{{w|force}}". This practise has therefore been called force-choking. The comic assumes that Vader used this technique against himself with the help of a mirror in order to become sexually aroused.

{{w|Autoerotic asphyxiation}} is a sexual practise in which lack of oxygen is induced to enhance sexual stimulus. The method is considered dangerous without supervision, as loss of consciousness can result in continued strangling which might, in extreme cases, be fatal.

This risk of fainting is taken up in the comic, where Vader has apparently force-choked himself to the point of unconsciousness and is now given medical treatment by two EMTs.

The title text is a pun on the term "choking the chicken", a colloquial expression referring to male {{w|masturbation}}. "Force-choking the chicken" might mean a technique of self-gratification by use of the "force" without having to apply one's hands.

==Transcript==
:[Two EMTs are rushing Darth Vader away from a front door on a stretcher.]

:[There is a room with a desk in the foreground and a full-length mirror in the corner. On the desk is a laptop displaying the Wikipedia page for autoerotic asphyxiation.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

158: Six Months

2013-04-09T08:49:40Z

149.172.83.46:

{{comic
| number = 158
| date = September 18, 2006
| title = Six Months
| image = six_months.png
| titletext = But then she does that thing with her tongue and I remember why I left you.
}}

==Explanation==
In the comic, [[Cueball]] is addressing his ex-partner, telling her that six months after their split-up, he still has dreams of their being together. In the moment after waking up he is sometimes unable to tell reality and dream apart. However, the third panel reveals the punchline: His confusion results from the likeness between his ex and her mother, next to whom he apparently wakes up every morning. It becomes clear that he has left the girl six months ago in order to live with her mother instead – mainly because the older woman can do "that thing with her tongue", possibly referring to fellatio. The comic lampshades at the state of emotional confusion after a break-up that is prominently featured in many films and books.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands.]
:Cueball: It's been six months and I still have those dreams where you're pressed tight against me, where you look into my eyes and give me that grin and it's like you've forgotten everything.
:Cueball: And something in the back of my head says it's wrong, it's not like this anymore, but I push it down. In the morning, I tell myself I can't control my dreams, but there's a part of me that doesn't want them to stop.
:Cueball: And honestly, waking up would be a lot easier if your mom didn't look so much like you.
:Cueball: There's always that moment of confusion.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Sex]]

181: Interblag

2013-04-09T08:48:39Z

149.172.83.46:

{{comic
| number = 181
| date = November 8, 2006
| title = Interblag
| image = interblag.png
| titletext = Sometimes I hate the internet. Sometimes it makes me happy that 'The Tubes' has become slang for the internet so quickly.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic parodies the habit of word coining on the internet, as well as the enthusiasm for modern sounding terms in the IT world in general.
Common examples include the shortening of "weblog" to "{{w|blog}}", while the entirety of blogs is referred to as the "{{w|blogosphere}}". The internet itself is sometimes called "The Tubes", a term derived from Senator {{w|Ted Stevens}} infamous statement "{{w|Series of Tubes}}". The suffixes "-net" and "-web" are often used to denote a certain interconnection of information on the internet, as well as to make products and brands sound fit for the 21st century.

The matrix shown in the comic spoofs the internet jargon by combining common pre- and suffixes to new and impressive but meaningless words. The culmination of nonsense is, as indicated in the title text, the term "blagoblag". This is also a sideswipe at comic [[148]], where "blag" was introduced as a substitute for the usage of "blog". The [http://blag.xkcd.com official weblog] of the xkcd webcomic is also called "blag".

==Transcript==
:[Below: A matrix whose entries may contain crosses to indicate that a term has been used. The rows (prefixes) are labelled WORLD WIDE, INTER-, BLOGO-, BLAGO- and WEB-; the columns are labelled NET, WEB, SPHERE, TUBES and BLAG. In the interests of properly propagating the term "blagoblag", the full list of used terms follows:]
:World Wide Web
:Internet
:Interweb
:Intersphere
:Intertubes
:Interblag
:Blogosphere
:Blagonet
:Blagosphere
:Blagoblag
:Webnet
:Webweb
[Cueball and Megan stand facing; Cueball raises his hands in the air while Megan is nonplussed.]
:Cueball: I heard about it on the interblag!

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

682: Force

2013-04-09T08:46:27Z

149.172.83.46:

{{comic
| number = 682
| date = December 30, 2009
| title = Force
| image = force.png
| titletext = Force-choking the chicken.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic features {{w|Darth Vader}}, the main antagonist from the original {{w|Star Wars}} trilogy. In the films, Vader possesses the ability to strangle his minions without having to touch them, using only the so called "{{w|force}}". This practise has therefore been called force-choking. The comic assumes that Vader used this technique against himself with the help of a mirror in order to become sexually aroused.

{{w|Autoerotic asphyxiation}} is a sexual practise in which lack of oxygen is induced to enhance sexual stimulus. The method is considered dangerous without supervision, as loss of consciousness can result in continued strangling which might, in extreme cases, be fatal.

This risk of fainting is taken up in the comic, where Vader has apparently force-choked himself to the point of unconsciousness and is now given medical treatment by two EMTs.

The title text is a pun on the term "choking the chicken", a colloquial expression referring to male {{w|masturbation}}. "Force-choking the chicken" might mean a technique of self-gratification by use of the "force" without having to apply one's hands.

==Transcript==
:[Two EMTs are rushing Darth Vader away from a front door on a stretcher.]

:[There is a room with a desk in the foreground and a full-length mirror in the corner. On the desk is a laptop displaying the Wikipedia page for autoerotic asphyxiation.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Comics from 2009‏‎]]
[[Category:Comics from December]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

682: Force

2013-04-09T08:37:15Z

149.172.83.46: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 682
| date = 2009-12-30
| title = Force
| image = force.png
| titletext = Force-choking the chicken.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic features {{w|Darth Vader}}, the main antagonist from the original {{w|Star Wars}} trilogy. In the films, Vader possesses the ability to strangle his minions without having to touch them, using only the so called "{{w|force}}". This practise has therefore been called force-choking. The comic assumes that Vader used this technique against himself with the help of a mirror in order to become sexually aroused.

{{w|Autoerotic asphyxiation}} is a sexual practise in which lack of oxygen is induced to enhance sexual stimulus. The method is considered dangerous without supervision, as loss of consciousness can result in continued strangling which might, in extreme cases, be fatal.

This risk of fainting is taken up in the comic, where Vader has apparently force-choked himself to the point of unconsciousness and is now given medical treatment by two EMTs.

The title text is a pun on the term "choking the chicken", a colloquial expression referring to male {{w|masturbation}}. "Force-choking the chicken" might mean a technique of self-gratification by use of the "force" without having to apply one's hands.

==Transcript==
[Two EMTs are rushing Darth Vader away from a front door on a stretcher.]

[There is a room with a desk in the foreground and a full-length mirror in the corner. On the desk is a laptop displaying the Wikipedia page for autoerotic asphyxiation.]

{{comic discussion}}

682: Force

2013-04-09T08:36:12Z

149.172.83.46: Created page with "{{comic | number = 682 | date = 2009-12-30 | title = Force | image = force.png | titletext = Force-choking the chicken. }} ==Explanation== This comic feature..."

{{comic
| number = 682
| date = 2009-12-30
| title = Force
| image = force.png
| titletext = Force-choking the chicken.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic features {{w|Darth Vader}}, the main antagonist from the original {{w|Star Wars}} trilogy. In the films, Vader possesses the ability to strangle his minions without having to touch them, using only the so called "{{w|force}}". This practise has therefore been called force-choking. The comic assumes that Vader used this technique against himself with the help of a mirror in order to become sexually aroused.

{{w|Autoerotic asphyxiation}} is a sexual practise in which a self-induced lack of oxygen to enhance sexual stimulus. The method is considered dangerous without supervision, as loss of consciousness can result in continued strangling which might, in extreme cases, be fatal.

This risk of fainting is taken up in the comic, where Vader has apparently force-choked himself to the point of unconsciousness and is now given medical treatment by two EMTs.

The title text is a pun on the term "choking the chicken", a colloquial expression referring to male {{w|masturbation}}. "Force-choking the chicken" might mean a technique of self-gratification by use of the "force" without having to apply one's hands.

==Transcript==
[Two EMTs are rushing Darth Vader away from a front door on a stretcher.]

[There is a room with a desk in the foreground and a full-length mirror in the corner. On the desk is a laptop displaying the Wikipedia page for autoerotic asphyxiation.]

{{comic discussion}}

181: Interblag

2013-04-09T07:53:53Z

149.172.83.46: Created page with "{{comic | number = 181 | date = 2006-11-08 | title = Interblag | image = interblag.png | titletext = Sometimes I hate the internet. Sometimes it makes me happy..."

{{comic
| number = 181
| date = 2006-11-08
| title = Interblag
| image = interblag.png
| titletext = Sometimes I hate the internet. Sometimes it makes me happy that 'The Tubes' has become slang for the internet so quickly.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic parodies the habit of word coining on the internet, as well as the enthusiasm for modern sounding terms in the IT world in general.
Common examples include the shortening of "weblog" to "{{w|blog}}", while the entirety of blogs is referred to as the "{{w|blogosphere}}". The internet itself is sometimes called "The Tubes", a term derived from Senator {{w|Ted Stevens}} infamous statement "{{w|Series of Tubes}}". The suffixes "-net" and "-web" are often used to denote a certain interconnection of information on the internet, as well as to make products and brands sound fit for the 21st century.

The matrix shown in the comic spoofs the internet jargon by combining common pre- and suffixes to new and impressive but meaningless words. The culmination of nonsense is, as indicated in the title text, the term "blagoblag". This is also a sideswipe at comic [[148]], where "blag" was introduced as a substitute for the usage of "blog". The [http://blag.xkcd.com official weblog] of the xkcd webcomic is also called "blag".

==Transcript==
[Below: A matrix whose entries may contain crosses to indicate that a term has been used. The rows (prefixes) are labelled WORLD WIDE, INTER-, BLOGO-, BLAGO- and WEB- ; the columns are labelled NET, WEB, SPHERE, TUBES and BLAG. In the interests of properly propagating the term "blagoblag", the full list of used terms follows:]
:World Wide Web
:Internet
:Interweb
:Intersphere
:Intertubes
:Interblag
:Blogosphere
:Blagonet
:Blagosphere
:Blagoblag
:Webnet
:Webweb
[Boy and Girl stand facing; Boy raises his hands in the air while Girl is nonplussed]
:Boy: I heard about it on the interblag!

{{comic discussion}}

158: Six Months

2013-04-09T07:01:15Z

149.172.83.46: Created page with "{{comic | number = 158 | date = 2006-09-18 | title = Six Months | image = six_months.png | titletext = But then she does that thing with her tongue and I remem..."

{{comic
| number = 158
| date = 2006-09-18
| title = Six Months
| image = six_months.png
| titletext = But then she does that thing with her tongue and I remember why I left you.
}}

==Explanation==
In the comic, a guy is addressing his ex-partner, telling her that six months after their split-up, he still has dreams of their being together. In the moment after waking up he is sometimes unable to tell reality and dream apart. However, the third panel reveals the punchline: His confusion results from the likeness between his ex and her mother, next to whom he apparently wakes up every morning. It becomes clear that he has left the girl six months ago in order to live with her mother instead – mainly because the older woman can do "that thing with her tongue", possibly referring to fellatio.
The comic lampshades at the state of emotional confusion after a break-up that is prominently featured in many films and books.

==Transcript==
[A guy stands]
:Guy: It's been six months and I still have those dreams where you're pressed tight against me, where you look into my eyes and give me that grin and it's like you've forgotten everything.
:Guy: And something in the back of my head says it's wrong, it's not like this anymore, but I push it down. In the morning, I tell myself I can't control my dreams, but there's a part of me that doesn't want them to stop.
:Guy: And honestly, waking up would be a lot easier if your mom didn't look so much like you.
:Guy: There's always that moment of confusion.

{{comic discussion}}