explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3063: Planet Definitions

2025-03-14T16:00:06Z

162.158.126.4:

The one currently posted has Pluto highlighted in the second box and not highlighted in the first box. Too hard to tell if it's trolling or a genuine mistake. :-D

And the first one also has a moon hilighted instead I think?? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.5|162.158.126.5]] 15:59, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2186: Dark Matter

2019-08-07T14:10:36Z

162.158.126.4:

If dark matter were squirrels, they ''wouldn't'' set off the bird feeders because dark matter can't interact with feeders at all! Especially since it's not to the squirrels' advantage to set them off. Unless, of course, the dark matter squirrels do exist and steal from our feeders freely, but we can't notice because dark matter is unobservable at this scale. In fact, it's entirely plausible that some squirrels evolved to be dark matter for this specific advantage, so I wouldn't rule that out. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.244.174|172.68.244.174]] 12:12, 7 August
2019 (UTC)
:Well if they can't interact with the feeders, they won't be able to steal the food either.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.66|141.101.107.66]] 13:28, 7 August 2019 (UTC)
::Not with that attitude. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.4|162.158.126.4]] 14:10, 7 August 2019 (UTC)

Talk:1460: SMFW

2019-07-31T06:01:38Z

162.158.126.4:

Reading this is like listening to the video of that lady who imitates the sound patterns of different languages, but without actually saying any real words! --[[User:Elipongo|Elipongo]] ([[User talk:Elipongo|talk]]) 05:34, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
:link? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 15:41, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
::https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybcvlxivscw [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.192|199.27.130.192]] 19:56, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
:No. It's absolutely '''nothing''' like that. If this were reddit I'd downvote you. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.180|173.245.54.180]] 19:18, 16 December 2014 (UTC)
::Then you would be in violation of reddit's ostensible community standards, where downvoting is preferred for situations where a comment has a negative impact rather than simply something you disagree with. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 02:42, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

It would sound more natural if it were "''SMFW '''as''' an acronym almost makes sense''". Is the fact that "as" was omitted from that sentence supposed to give us a hint as to what "SMFW" might mean? [[User:Nicksh|Nicksh]] ([[User talk:Nicksh|talk]]) 07:16, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

: Yeah, "as" is ommitted because its meaning is contained within the mystery acronym, so for example "W" may be "When". I don't think "hint" is the right word... I think it's more just like following the format of sentences that use such acronyms to ram home the joke. Substitute TFW and it seems clearer. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 02:46, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

: As "the Internet is for porn", in many contexts SFW, lit. Safe for Work, can be taken to mean sex-free content, while NSFW, Not Safe for Work, would mean sex-positive content, then SMFW might be interpreted to me SM For Work, where SM would be humorously interpreted as some graphically explicit sex-positive content, perhaps SadoMachoism, which outside of paperwork is generally classified NSFW. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.29|199.27.133.29]] 10:31, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

:: And "wtfw it's like smho tbfh, imdb." might be a defensive reaction to those what would not find humour of SM For Work. "what the fooking wut? It's like stick my humble opinion, to be fooking honest, in my dead body. (or database)." [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.29|199.27.133.29]] 10:38, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

:: Additional evidence of SM For Work, would be the posture in the task chair with respect to the desk and laptop (hunched over, feet not resting on ground, etc) seems the opposite of ergonomic advice which might lead to muscle strain, pain and fatigue -- the type of unsexy, self-inflicted torments that workers do to themselves "for work" {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.29}}

: >It would sound more natural
: You're missing the whole point. It's not ''supposed'' to sound natural. It's supposed to look strange and confuse you. That's the joke. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.180|173.245.54.180]] 19:20, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

I thought it was simply 'Save Me From Work' - being unhappy at work is common, and using the internet as a distraction from work is common as well. - So sending a quick message to a friend "SMFW" is a request for them to send you a link or other internet distraction, or otherwise help you come up with an excuse to not be productive. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.206}}

I thought of So Much For Work as a possible meaning. {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.178}}

SMFW: Single Mode Fiber Waveguide * {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.39}}

I think "SMFW" is a mixture of SMF and MFW: "So Much Fun When". It fits the sentence. The only thing is that Cueball doesn't look like he's having fun.

Smoke more fucking weed could be a replacement for something like "Bloody hell" or "Shit the bed".
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.252|141.101.98.252]] 09:05, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

So why doesn't "xkcd" appear on the acronyms list? --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 09:47, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
: Because xkcd isnt an acronym. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.61|108.162.216.61]] 09:56, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

I would like to add STFW ("Search the fucking web", [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/STFW]) as an acronym that SMFW is close to (same except for the second letter)...but there might be enough examples? [[User:Aquaplanet|Aquaplanet]] ([[User talk:Aquaplanet|talk]]) 11:07, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

SMFW makes perfect sense. Shaking my face when (SMH+MFW) an acronym almost makes sense. {{unsigned|Sederts}}
:Seconded, "Shaking my face when" seems to be the best decryption so far... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.249|108.162.219.249]] 23:12, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

See My Face When an acronym almost makes sense... makes perfect sense. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.4|141.101.99.4]] 13:26, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

"So Much Frustration When an acronym ''almost'' makes sense."
: +1 -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 15:44, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
: I'd also like to add in my +1 on this -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.188|108.162.216.188]] 19:39, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
: +1 [[User:Ursushoribilis|Ursushoribilis]] ([[User talk:Ursushoribilis|talk]]) 15:33, 21 December 2014 (UTC)

"What to feel when it's like some message has only to be f...ing hashtags, is mostly deep bafflement." [[User:Ackegard|Ackegard]] ([[User talk:Ackegard|talk]]) 14:35, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

None of these are acronyms. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.115|199.27.128.115]] 14:55, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

So Much F*cking Want. So, uh. Yeah. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.124|108.162.237.124]] 15:10, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Small Men Fear Women [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.39|108.162.216.39]] 15:27, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

So Many Fucking Ways an acronym almost makes sense. Makes sense to me. {{unsigned ip|108.162.230.209}}

Staring, Mildly Frustrated When...? [[User:Kirdneh|Kirdneh]] ([[User talk:Kirdneh|talk]]) 17:50, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

"SMHO" could also be related to "LMHO," or "Laughing My Head Off." So, "Shaking My Head Off"? Something that makes you shake your head so hard it might fall off? [[User:Shanek|Shanek]] ([[User talk:Shanek|talk]]) 16:12, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

SMFW is an initialism. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.230.131|108.162.230.131]] 16:45, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

<pedantic>Initialisms are only acronyms when they can be pronounced </pendantic> [[User:Sideshowtanley|Sideshowtanley]] ([[User talk:Sideshowtanley|talk]]) 17:16, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

: smif-whaa? (smfw) wha-ti-fuh? (wtf) zik-cid? (xkcd) Can be pronounced or intended to be pronounced? Two very different things. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.64|108.162.216.64]] 01:47, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

I was thinking "So M*therf*cking what?" as the meaning for the acronym, but Randall is more arcane than that :) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.148|173.245.49.148]] 17:49, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

"Social Media Forum Warrior" is what came to my mind. I may have been on the internets for too long. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.137|141.101.104.137]] 19:22, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Could be an example of a stacked acronym with an acronym recursively nested in an acronym. Or it could be a portmanteau of two acronyms. Is there a term for a portmanteau of two acronyms? Portmonym? Acmanteau? --[[User:Gbleck|Gbleck]] ([[User talk:Gbleck|talk]]) 19:31, 15 December 2014 (UTC)gbleck

It's not meant to make sense. It's a play on acronyms not making sense. It is a single statement in a single sentence, but the play is on the fact that the acronym doesn't make sense. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.207}}

Smacks My Face When an acronym almost makes sense. {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.160}}

Two things - 1) these are all abbreviations, not acronyms - no-one goes around saying "Smfw" - they'd say "S.M.F.W."; 2) WTFW is "whatever the fuck works" - used quite often on a couple of forums I've been on. [[User:Grutness|Grutness]] ([[User talk:Grutness|talk]]) 23:11, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
: I think there are two different, valid definitions of acronyms. Personally the first "acronym" I think of as an example is ATM machine, which you're saying is an abbreviation. I guess some people draw the line if it uses the initials of words, and other draw the line at being pronounced. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.187|108.162.215.187]] 12:45, 16 December 2014 (UTC)
:Of course you're suffering from RAS Syndrome when you say "ATM Machine", anyway, whatever you call it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.245|141.101.98.245]] 13:17, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

Maybe it's So My Face When an ancryonom alost makes sense [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.203|141.101.98.203]] 18:53, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

TDEMSYR!!! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.217|141.101.89.217]] 10:03, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Maybe “SMFW” could mean “So Much Fun When” — wait, that makes too much sense. [[User:Jolbucley|Jolbucley]] ([[User talk:Jolbucley|talk]]) 02:28, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

I thought it meant "So Much For Work" Something I would mutter to myself when distracted by XKCD [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.222|108.162.250.222]] 04:54, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

Couldn't SMFW mean "Sorta My Face When"?
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.27|108.162.231.27]] 05:11, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

PCMCIA! (People cant memorize computer industry acronyms). SMFW... Somewhat Mediocre For Work? Specialy Mindbogling For Work? Super Mario Friday Workout? Something Might Fall When? Streets Must Freeze Wednesdays! Should Mum Fry Warderobe? Show Me Fried Wintercoat! Steve Must Find Wholesaler. (for fried wintercoat, indeed). So Many "Friction" Words! Should Maybe First... Whatever. Somewhat Memorable First Words? So, Maybe, Fire Works. Sh!t May Fly Wherever. (And I refuse to write down the more NSFW options) -[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.234|173.245.53.234]] 21:32, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

"(if one discounts IMDB, which is only there to make an already obnoxious sentence completely absurd)" I actually think it's who the message is addressed to, compare "WTF, NSA?". The message then expresses incredulous disappointment in something IMDB, or more likely the user base, did (like a 1-star review for Firefly). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.136|141.101.104.136]] 11:42, 18 December 2014 (UTC)

You guys are all missing the obvious meaning: "'''S'''o '''M'''any '''F'''eel(ing)s '''W'''hen an acronym almost makes sense."
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.71|108.162.217.71]] 01:46, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

I interpreted it as "Show Me Five Ways". [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.204|173.245.54.204]] 04:25, 3 January 2015 (UTC)

Some Mother Fucking Way {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.192}}

Well, MFW can mean "motherfucking win", so my first thought was "such motherfucking win". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.211|141.101.98.211]] 19:14, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

Acronym <> Initialism. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.95}}

SMFW could also be "So Much Fucking Work".[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.199|173.245.56.199]] 15:16, 15 January 2015 (UTC)

See my face when... is ironic considering Cueball's face consists of a blank circle. Cueball's slumped posture may imply he is lamenting the lack of facial expression.[[User:JBinSV|JBinSV]] ([[User talk:JBinSV|talk]]) 07:00, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

SMHO is similar to SWMBO, "She Who Must Be Obeyed"; a passive aggressive reference to one's wife. Also why has no one noted that the title of the comic itself is a false acronym? XKCD stands for nothing. Randall is so meta even this comic… [[User:Saspic45|Saspic45]] ([[User talk:Saspic45|talk]]) 14:22, 25 January 2016 (UTC)

SMFW = so much fun when. "So much fun when an acronym almost makes sense."
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.49|108.162.216.49]] 14:13, 26 January 2016 (UTC)

I went ahead and added the bit about xkcd not standing for anything.[[User:Saspic45|Saspic45]] ([[User talk:Saspic45|talk]]) 22:50, 28 January 2016 (UTC)

Might as well try. “Shaking my face when” [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 14:18, 21 May 2019 (UTC)

Shaking my face when an acronym almost makes sense. What the f**k when it's like, shaking my head over (this) to be f**king honest. IMDb. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.4|162.158.126.4]] 06:01, 31 July 2019 (UTC) Cye

2077: Heist

2019-07-28T13:41:54Z

162.158.126.4: added links

{{comic
| number = 2077
| date = November 26, 2018
| title = Heist
| image = heist.png
| titletext = But he has a hat AND a toolbox! Where could someone planning a heist get THOSE?
}}

==Explanation==
In {{w|Heist film}}s, a heist or other crime is carried out, sometimes involving the criminal(s) posing as some type of repairman or similar. The criminal then gains access to their target through the disguise, as humans do not normally critically assess someone if their appearance fit expectations. Due to the prevalence of this trope, [[Cueball]] is concerned whenever somebody comes by to ask for access as he believes the person may be planning a crime, and his inadvertent assistance will make him a "minor character" in the wider heist story. In such movies, minor characters are sometimes held hostage or even killed in the course of the crime being committed, particularly if the heist goes wrong. The risk of being a minor character could also perhaps include the risk of being harmed. In general people would probably prefer to be the main character in a film, rather than a bystander.

In this case, he is asked to open the server room - ostensibly to allow the fire alarm to be checked. However, gaining physical access to the server allows the criminal to bypass most security features that should prevent unauthorized access to the data (a scenario known as an {{w|evil maid attack}}). If the hard disks are not encrypted it is trivial to copy all files or even remove and abscond with the disk drives - allowing the theft of sensitive information stored on the network. Even if the files are encrypted physical access to the server will allow the attacker to corrupt the system either by installing malware or adding malicious hardware components, which will then allow him to retrieve passwords and/or encryption keys.

Being aware of these dangers Cueball immediately assumes that he (or his employers) are the target of a heist.

The title text seems to be Cueball's internal monologue trying to calm himself down. He points out to himself that the repairman has both a hat (possibly with a company logo) and a toolbox full of tools, then sarcastically asks himself how a thief could possibly get their hands on such a disguise.

This is the second comic in a row to reference a specific movie genre, this one heist movies the previous one, [[2076: Horror Movies 2]], horror movies.

==Transcript==
:[A man in a cap with a toolbox approaches Cueball, who is shown to be thinking with a cloud like bubble above his head with his thoughts.]
:Man: Do you have the key to the server room? I'm from the building and I'm here to check the fire alarm.
:Cueball [thinking]: Oh no oh no

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Thanks to movies, whenever anyone asks me to open any door, I immediately assume I'm a minor character in a heist.



{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

Talk:2179: NWS Warnings

2019-07-25T07:30:15Z

162.158.126.4: /* Weather for the past week */

== Transcript ==

I tried to start one, but it's going to be hard to do the list of warnings right.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.190|108.162.215.190]] 00:33, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

Well I've gone ahead and added all the warnings that I could. The only way to know the ones that are just "Advisory", "Watch", or "Warning" on the left hand side is if we talk to Randall himself. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.113|172.68.46.113]] 00:50, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

All NWS statements are color coded and the few that I know off the top of my head (Severe T-Storm, Hurricane) seem to match with Randall's coloring. Idk who filled out the transcript of warnings and if they already did this, but if everything thing else we know marches, we could use that to determine the remaining one.

Also on a separate note, Gale Warning is listed twice. Once in the top left in full and again along the right side where it's cut off as "Gale War". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.76|162.158.126.76]] 01:57, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

Went through the [https://www.weather.gov/help-map NWS List of Warnings] and updated all the cut off warnings as accurately as I could, I'm not sure about the Severe Weather Statement, the color is rather close to Rip Current Statement too. [[User:Multiverse|Multiverse]] ([[User talk:Multiverse|talk]]) 03:05, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

OT: When I first read the Blizzard Warning in the south-east, I thought it was a Buzzard Warning; I think that is not on the NWS list of warnings, alerts and advisories. It seems like pretty much everything is there except an Amber Alert, but that is handled by other agencies. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 03:26, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

Maybe we should add colors of the warnings to the transcript, but there seems to be so many colors and shades and my command of English color adjectives is not adequate. -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 07:38, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

All those parantheses in the transcript have to go. Making (even well guessed) assumptions about what is meant is not what a transcript is for. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 14:54, 24 July 2019 (UTC)

== Gale War ==
Ok, so it's possibly Gale Warning; but a war between the North Wind and Dorothy in Oz would be something worth warning about surely? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 01:11, 23 July 2019 (UTC)
: I hadn't noticed the Gale War, but I came here to see if anyone mentioned the Buzzard Warn(ing) — but it turns out it's BLIzzard rather than BUzzard. Oh well. Would've been fun. (Is "buzzard" a euphemism for "winged monkey"? Or maybe the other way around?) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.113|172.68.46.113]] 17:20, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

== Weather for the past week ==

~~There was a flash flood watch near maryland, would that relate?~~
:A massive heat wave affected a large portion of the USA this past weekend. I'm willing to bet that was the inspiration for this comic. https://twitter.com/NWS/status/1152708819291688960
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.124|108.162.241.124]] 11:57, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

Bet how much?

== What's the pun? ==

I don't think the real (or the only) pun is in NWS having to go on vacation sometimes. I feel (but I am not a U.S. resident) that the comic refers to NWS or any other agency issuing too many or too broad warnings, making them somewhat useless and annoying. That's my impression regarding my own country's alerting system at least. The comic, in usual Randall's style, just takes it to the extreme, vacation being only an excuse. Any comments from U.S. residents regarding real-life alerts? -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 07:49, 23 July 2019 (UTC)
:I think the cartoon is illustrating that too many warnings is a bad thing. You have similar problems with computers and airlines (where once the pilots removed wiring to stop the constant unnecessary warnings). Warnings tend to be additive through mission creep and contradictory, meaning too much noise and not enough signal getting through to the end user who lacks the cognitive load to make appropriate actions. [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 09:37, 23 July 2019 (UTC)
::I agree, the cartoon probably is playing off of the extreme number of weather warnings issued these days. I think I've gotten "extreme heat" warnings for the past week straight, and I can't remember the last time I went a week without some kind of extreme weather warning, like a thunderstorm, fog, heat, cold, ... you know, normal things.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.34|162.158.126.34]] 11:23, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

What a good day to live in East North Carolina. And pleasant weather for anyone who happens to be searching for the Red October!

Did anyone else notice that one of the polygons clips the bottom corner of Texas (and therefore doesn't cover the entire US)?[[Special:Contributions/172.69.160.148|172.69.160.148]] 14:26, 23 July 2019 (UTC)

2178: Expiration Date High Score

2019-07-21T01:45:45Z

162.158.126.4:

{{comic
| number = 2178
| date = July 19, 2019
| title = Expiration Date High Score
| image = expiration_date_high_score.png
| titletext = "Wait, we've MOVED since 2010. How on Earth did--" "Look, some of us were just born to be champions."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by someone, born champion. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon. EXP 20190721}}
[[Randall]] is introducing the rules of the game ''Expiration Date High Score'' hence the title.

If you find an item which you purchased, but is now past its {{w|expiration date}}, you get a score which is what percent of your lifetime elapsed between when the item expired and when you found it.

[[Megan]], looking in a cupboard, find a can of beans that expired in 2010 (9 years ago), and that gives her a score of 24.3. Megan's age is thus revealed to be 37, found by substituting 2019 and 2010 into the formula. 100*(2019-2010)/37 = 24.324.

[[Cueball]] then remarks that she will never beat her moms Jar of Pickles that was from 1978. Megan then wonders if there are more cans (from 2010 or before) in the cupboard, and asks Cueball to remind her to not look any further until 2030. At that time the can would have been 20 years old, and she would be 48 given such a can a score of 100*(2030-2010)/48 = 41.6. That should thus beat her moms jar.

If her moms jar would have run out in 1978 (not clear from the text), and for instance was found last year in 2018, then the formula for the mothers score would be: 100*(2018-1978)/Moms age. And this should then not be more than 41, thus revealing the mother age to be around 100 years old today (98 last year). Of course the jar could have had an expire day some years later, or have been found earlier. Else Megan's mom should have been above 60 when given birth to Megan. Of course Megan could also just take this extra long wait in case the next can is not from 2010 but only 2013 etc.

Cueball's final remark is that this is a terrible competition, the worst ever. Because keeping food that can spoil could potentially be dangerous, if not so, at least disgusting when finally trying to get rid of it later.

Many perishable items, such as food, cosmetics, medications, batteries, or condoms, have expiration dates, or sometimes best by dates. The only other rule is, that it has to be something you have purchased yourself, so that heritages or stuff that was left in the basement when one moved in, does not count. A score of 100 or higher would indicate the item expired when you were born or before you were born, meaning it was already expired when you purchased it.

The joke is, that owning expired items without noticing for a long time, is here getting you a high score, while in reality it is not considered favorable to have food that has expired long time ago.{{Citation needed}}

The other joke is both the items in the comic (a can of beans and a jar of pickles) do not go bad with time but in fact remain edible indefinitely (as long as the jar/can is not opened and is undamaged.)

Food going bad, in the sense that it will make you sick if you eat it, is most often caused by harmful bacteria growing in the food. Less often caused by fungi or yeast growing in the food and creating a poisonous substance, like methanol (wood alcohol.) The process of canning food involves boiling it to kill all possible pathogens, then sealing it in a can/jar while the food is still hot, with no air bubble. As long as this process is done correctly, as long as the jar lid has an air tight seal, and as long at the can is not punctured or gets a hole rusted through, no bacteria/virus/yeast/fungi can get in and the food cannot spoil. Some food may discolor over time in the jar/can, or the texture may change, but it cannot go bad in a way that makes it unsafe to eat.

Megan's mom does not have a jar of pickles with a 1978 expiration date because in 1978 jars and cans of food did not have expiration dates. Since then many countries introduced laws and regulations requiring companies to put expiration dates on perishable goods. In some instances this can have the negative effect of people throwing out good food by blindly following the suggested expiration date. This behavior can incentivize companies to adjust the expiration date, or put expiration dates on non-perishable goods, so that people will re-buy the products sooner.

The title text continues the conversation from the comic. Cueball remarks that they moved since 2010... Thus the beans were apparently bought while living in a different home, meaning they were moved along with their other belongings. This is somewhat unusual as many people take moving as an opportunity to go through their old stuff and get rid of things they no longer need. Since the rules clearly states that you have to have bought it yourself, it could not have been in the house when they moved in, they had to have brought it along (unless they later bought something that was already expired). But given Megan's final answer that "some of us were just born to be champions" indicates that she did bring it along, anticipating this game, and thus given her self a great score. And as is clear she is willing to wait 11 years to try to beat her moms score.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Title up in the panel]
What's the most expired item you've found in your house?
Calculate your
Expiration Date High Score
(must be something ''you'' purchased)

[Equation in a circle]
Score = (year you found item) minus (year item expired) divided by (your age when you found it), multiplied by 100

[Megan and Cueball talking in a kitchen, with Megan holding a can.]

:Megan: These beans expired in 2010! That's... let's see... 24.3! New personal best!
:Cueball: You're never going to beat your mom's jar of pickles from 1978.
:Megan: Maybe there are more cans in there. Remind me not to look until 2030.
:Cueball: This is the worst competition.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Food]]

1925: Self-Driving Car Milestones

2019-07-10T03:39:05Z

162.158.126.4: Made explicit mention of the May 2019 viral video

{{comic
| number = 1925
| date = December 6, 2017
| title = Self-Driving Car Milestones
| image = self_driving_car_milestones.png
| titletext = I'm working on a car capable of evaluating arbitrarily complex boolean expressions on "honk if [...]" bumper stickers and responding accordingly.
}}

==Explanation==
With the creation of self driving cars, many new milestones are being found and / or solved thanks to them. Some are good, and some are downright weird. This comic lists some that have already been achieved, some that that are being worked on, and some that are facetious "milestones".

===Milestones===

;Automatic emergency brakes
:This is another reference to how hard it can be to program human-obvious stuff (as in [[1425: Tasks]]). A self driving car has to be able to distinguish a danger (cliff, person on foot/cycle/etc., other cars coming the wrong way/doing weird stuff) from the side of the road, the background, the other cars or even a light pole safely standing on the side of the road. Then the car also has to decide the optimal response, taking into account weather conditions, road type and traffic - whether to turn aside, just slow down (as danger is not imminent), or actually do the strong brake. There are big potential advantages for self-driving cars, if this problem can be solved: computers don't tend to panic as much as humans, would have faster reaction times, and would have {{w|Autonomous_car#Safety|more reliable judgment}}. (Done)

;Highway lane-keeping
:Sometimes, especially on highways where road delimitations might be [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Route_66_2073773569_7b3fae3b91_b.jpg/220px-Route_66_2073773569_7b3fae3b91_b.jpg faint or absent], or when lane markings could have faded away, a self-driving car programmed to pilot based on road markings would have issues holding to the correct side of the road. This is a bigger problem on highways than in cities, as cars move faster on highways, so the danger detection mentioned above might not manage to detect danger in time, while braking or avoiding the obstacle needs to be anticipated much more.(Done)

;Self-parking
:Already implemented in recent normal cars, this feature is important to remove the car from the road while not in use, and is sometimes considered a difficult maneuver for drivers to master, as it requires a good "feeling" of the car dimensions, as well as of distances and maneuverability of the car, and information about surrounding barriers. The latter parameters, being easy to sense with radar and back-camera aide, are made more reliable with computers.(Done)

;Full highway autonomy
:The ability for a car to drive itself on a highway. As of 2017, there are [http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a13615577/self-driving-cars-lane-wisconsin/ plans] under consideration to set highway lanes aside for self-driving cars, but this milestone would require a car to be able to operate on a highway that also has human-driven cars, as well as wildlife, pedestrians, debris, and other obstacles, should they enter the highway.(Done with restrictions)

;First sex in a self-driving car
:This is not a milestone for the cars themselves, but just the age-old practice of having sex in cars, performed in a car that happens to be self-driving. Whether or not this would happen while the car is in motion (other than that induced by the passengers) or on a public road is not specified, though both are implied. Given the nature of human sexuality, it is probable this has already happened, but there has not been a public documentation of this milestone.{{Citation needed}} In May of 2019, a video featuring coitus occurring in a Tesla model X on Autopilot went viral on Pornhub.

;Full trips with no input from driver
:The main point of self-driving cars, allowing all humans within to act as passengers. As of 2017, self-driving cars require a human to be able to take over just in case, but any such trip where the human never actually took control would qualify for this milestone. However, there could be an additional joke here that the car is driving without human input ''including the destination.'' In this case, the car itself is choosing where to go, leaving the humans helpless.

;Full trips by empty cars
:A more complete version of the above, since with no humans present, no human can take control. This could be considered fulfilled by the {{w|DARPA Grand Challenge}} entrants, as the challenges are racing competitions of autonomous cars with no humans on board.

;Self-refueling of empty cars
:This would require either: a robotic fuel station, able to refuel cars with humans inside as well; an ordinary full-service fuel station (that is, one where the station's employee performs the refueling of the car) that happens to service a self-driving car with no humans aboard (which could be arranged as a publicity stunt); a specially designed fuel station that would allow self-driving cars to refuel by docking to it (likely to require fine control of the docking procedure that would render it unsuitable for more fallible human-driven cars); or, perhaps least likely, a robotic arm attachment on the car that would allow it to use a normal self-service fuel station. Currently [https://www.theverge.com/2015/8/6/9109027/tesla-model-s-snake-charger-elon-musk Tesla's robotic charging station] is the closest thing to this accomplishment.

;An empty car wandering the highways for months or years until someone notices the credit card fuel charges
:The first completely facetious milestone of the list (since "first sex", despite having little to do with self-driving cars, has probably happened). Cars are expensive enough that, were one to drive itself off and wander, some effort would be made to track it down. As this would require the self-refueling milestone, local fuel stations could be alerted to look for the "rogue" car—and in any case, whatever payment method is used to pay for the fuel would be traced.

;Cars that read other cars' bumper stickers before deciding whether to cut them off
:Another facetious milestone, implying self-driving cars might obtain the capacity to hold and act upon opinions that might override safety and efficiency of transit. This would be generally considered undesirable{{Citation needed}}, so this seems unlikely to actually happen, except perhaps as an unintended consequence of runaway self-learning.

;Autonomous engine revving at red lights
:Mimicking the human practice. This is often done by human drivers who wish to draw attention to their car and then speed off as quickly as possible once the light turns green, but is regarded by most as being a nuisance. As such, this is an unlikely goal for self-driving cars to achieve.

;Self-loathing cars
:This would require cars to become sentient enough to understand, and have negative opinions about, themselves. Depending on one's definition, though, self-diagnostic software might qualify, as they would be running on a car's computer and could express a negative opinion about the car (albeit normally limited to the context of the car needing maintenance).

;Autonomous canyon jumping
:Although it seems unlikely that a navigation routine would ever decide that jumping a canyon is part of an optimal route, a car could be programmed to jump a canyon as part of a stunt or show, with no human driver (or any other human aboard) at the time of the jump. It is questionable how "autonomous" such a car would be, though. Could also be a reference to the next point, with another popular setting in below mentioned discussions: "should a self-driving car leave the road and drive into a canyon, which will kill the driver (and passengers), or stay on the road and kill others?". Possibly a reference to [https://electrek.co/2017/04/19/tesla-model-s-crash-cliff-save-life/ when a Tesla was driven off a cliff] and the driver and his passenger survived without injury. The car was not on autopilot at the time. Could also be a reference to the previous point where the car develops enough self-loathing to want to commit suicide. Or it may be a reference to [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0620882/ certain Knight Rider episodes.]

;Cars capable of arguing about the trolley problem on {{w|Facebook}}
:The {{w|Trolley problem}} is a well-known thought experiment in ethics, in which a person must choose between passively allowing several people to die, or actively causing a single person to die. With the increasing likelihood of fully autonomous vehicles, there's been a flurry of interest in this problem, centered around what a vehicle should be programmed to do in such a case (for example, if avoiding a high-speed collision required running over a pedestrian). Munroe seems to mock this debate by arguing that the true milestone would not be when the vehicle can make such a decision, but when it can argue about it on Facebook. This may refer to the idea that humans aren't capable of agreeing on a resolution to the problem, so expecting a vehicle to resolve it would be less reasonable than expecting it to be able to debate. On the day this comic was released the Youtube channel Vsauce posted a video, [https://youtu.be/1sl5KJ69qiA The Greater Good - Mind Field S2 (Ep 1)], where they tested people's reactions to the trolley problem in a fake situation where the subjects genuinely believed they were in a situation where they where choosing between saving five from an oncoming train by killing one on another track. Given such a coincidence, it is extremely likely that this milestone was added after Munroe saw the episode.

;Evaluating arbitrarily complex Boolean expressions on "honk if [...]" bumper stickers and responding accordingly (title text)
:As with the cut-off milestone, this implies development of artificial intelligence unrelated to the basic functions of a car, though still imitating human drivers' behavior. This joke is a reference to [[1033| a previous comic about honking and formal logic]].

==Transcript==

:Upcoming and recently-achieved
:'''Self-driving car milestones'''

:* Automatic emergency braking
:* Highway lane-keeping
:* Self-parking
:* Full highway autonomy
:* First sex in a self-driving car
:* Full trips with no input from driver
:* Full trips by empty cars
:* An empty car wandering the highways for months or years until someone notices the credit card fuel charges
:* Cars that read other cars' bumper stickers before deciding whether to cut them off
:* Autonomous engine revving at red lights
:* Self-loathing cars
:* Autonomous canyon jumping
:* Cars capable of arguing about the trolley problem on Facebook

==Trivia==
*The Trolley problem became part of the joke a month after this comic in [[1938: Meltdown and Spectre]]. And earlier, in [[1455: Trolley Problem]], it is even the entire subject.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Self-driving cars]]
[[Category:Sex]]

Talk:808: The Economic Argument

2019-07-09T12:56:32Z

162.158.126.4:

Sorry if this seems like it is not proofread, English is my second language so I used spellchecker as much as I could. No grammar checker, though :(. I won't be making any more redirects, either. So, there's that.
[[User:Youngstormlord|Youngstormlord]] ([[User talk:Youngstormlord|talk]]) 12:54, 24 January 2013 (UTC)

The Reagans used astrology to run USA. When he sacked all the air traffic controllers he must have saved a fortune in paraffin.

Does remote viewing include looking at contour maps because I am working on that.
1. Are you sure that the oil industry has tried it?
2. Are you sure it doesn't work?

How does one decide which value of T or t to use for relativity equations?
Is it on the list?

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 00:48, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

Have you read Grey Matter, by David Levy? He uses prayer in neurosurgery, but he doesn't get paid more for it.

Why is "weird phenomena" in quotes when the comic uses the phrase "crazy phenomenon"? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.76|108.162.238.76]] 02:40, 18 February 2016 (UTC)

Interestingly enough, the U.S. Military, through its contractor Stanford Research Institute, in the 1970s spent $20 million researching remote viewing as a military spy tool, in part out of fear of a Russian ESP-gap. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.36|173.245.54.36]] 20:11, 9 May 2016 (UTC)

Companies ARE already making a killing in "health care cost reductions" through homeopathy and such, by selling homeopathic medicine and services to gullible fools who believe it can cure their very expensive diseases, and believing they are saving tons of money in doing so. Doesn't mean that it works though. I like the comic, but the premise is a bit short-sighted. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.4|162.158.126.4]] 12:56, 9 July 2019 (UTC)

2069: Wishlist

2018-11-07T16:27:47Z

162.158.126.4: Added the Sarlaac possibly being a reference to the Piranha Plant

{{comic
| number = 2069
| date = November 7, 2018
| title = Wishlist
| image = wishlist.png
| titletext = Disappointed that they caved to fan pressure and went with Ruth Bader Ginsburg over Elena Kagan.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please only mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
''{{w|Super Smash Brothers}}'' (titled as ''Super Smash Bros.'') is a crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo, primarily featuring Nintendo characters. As of publish date, there are 77 playable characters across the 5 games in the series. Starting with the third game, ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', characters from third-party franchises (non-Nintendo) have been made available.

Fans have suggested new characters to add, and few of these suggestions have been implemented. The comic lists 16 "characters" that Randall wishes were made available in ''Super Smash Bros.'', ranging from plausible playable characters, to the absurd.

; Mario / Luigi hybrid
: {{w|Mario}} and {{w|Luigi}} are characters in the {{w|Super Mario}} series, one of Nintendo's flagship franchises. They are both playable characters in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. A hybrid of these two characters would be quite interesting, though one could argue that {{w|Dr. Mario}} is a hybrid of these two in terms of moveset.

; The SkiFree monster
: {{w|SkiFree}} is a computer game for Windows released in 1991. The player controls a skier trying to avoid obstacles. After the end of a full run, a monster (possibly the Abominable Snowman) appears, and tries to catch the player. The SkiFree monster was a subject of the [[667: SkiFree]] comic.

; Siri
: {{w|Siri}} is the name given to Apple's personal virtual assistant for iOS, macOS, and its other operating systems. It is unclear how Siri would be a playable character in ''Super Smash Bros.''

; Ellie from ''Up''
: Ellie is one of the characters in ''{{w|Up (2009 film)|Up}}'', a 2009 Pixar film. In the beginning of the film, Ellie passes away, leaving her husband Carl alone, and leading him to start his adventure in Paradise Falls.

; Zordon
: {{w|Zordon}} is a fictional character from the ''Power Rangers'' franchise who serves as the Rangers' mentor.

; Clippy
: Clippit, commonly nicknamed {{w|Clippy}}, was one of the Office Assistants for Microsoft Office (versions 1997 to 2003). It was an intelligent user interface that assisted users. Clippy (and the other Office Assistants) was negatively received by users, and was eventually removed in Office 2007.

; The Sarlaac
: The {{w|Sarlaac}} is an alien monster that lived in {{w|Tatooine}} in the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' universe. It is most prominently shown in the film ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}'', when the main heroes are sentenced to death by being dropped into the Sarlaac's mouth. Notably, the Sarlaac is a large, stationary creature embedded in the ground (essentially, a pit).
: This could be a reference to the Piranha Plant being confirmed as a DLC character, as Piranha Plants are typically stationary and embedded in the ground, and also have their big, toothy mouth as a primary feature.

; InstallShield Wizard
: A ''wizard'' is a type of UI that simplifies configuration of an app or process by guiding the user through a number of screens in sequence. A user makes one decision on each screen, and the overall process puts less cognitive load on the user.
: {{w|InstallShield}} is a proprietary software tool for creating installer applications (or software packages) for Microsoft Windows. When the created package is being installed, the installer application can be shown in form of a 'standard Windows Wizard' dialog. Depending on the creativity of the user creating the package, the Wizard can display images while different stages of the installer are being executed.
: There are known instances of The InstallShield Wizard showing a wizard-like character images. Also, the standard wording of the installer text shown to the user ('software-to-be-installed is preparing the InstallShield Wizard, which will guide you through the program setup process') suggests that the Wizard is a 'real character'.

; Mr. Clean
: {{w|Mr. Clean}} is a brand and mascot for Procter & Gamble used for all-purpose cleaners and melamine foam cleaners.

; Comet Cursor
: {{w|Comet Cursor}} was Windows software that allowed users or websites to customise the mouse cursor. It was often installed with mimimal user interaction and was accused of tracking users and being “spyware”.

; Beto O'Rourke
: {{w|Beto O'Rourke}} is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 16th congressional district since 2013. He was the nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2018 Texas U.S. Senate election (which was held the day before this comic appeared), running against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. O'Rourke received much media attention leading up to the election, with many considering the election abnormally competitive.

; The Monopoly boot
: The "boot" is one of the classic pewter tokens from the board game ''{{w|Monopoly (game)|Monopoly}}''. In 2017, the boot token was retired from the standard version of ''Monopoly''.

; Lot's wife
: Lot and his wife are characters from the book of Genesis in the Bible. According to the book of Genesis, Lot and his family had to {{w|Sodom_and_Gomorrah#In_the_Book_of_Genesis|flee the city of Sodom}}, which was being judged by God for its wickedness. They were commanded to flee and not look back at the city. However, Lot's wife looked back at the city and was turned into a pillar of salt. It is unclear which version of Lot's wife Randall wishes to be playable in the game.

; D.B. Cooper
: {{w|D.B. Cooper}} is the name popularly used to refer to an unidentified man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft on November 24, 1971. He extorted $200,000 in ransom and parachuted out of the plane. His identity and whereabouts have never been discovered. D.B. Cooper was a subject of the [[1400: D.B. Cooper]] comic.

; The Blair Witch
: The Blair Witch is the titular character of the ''{{w|The Blair Witch Project}}'', a 1999 "found footage" supernatural horror film. The film became one of the most successful independent films of all time.

; Mavis Beacon
: ''{{w|Mavis Beacon}}'', properly titled as ''Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing'', is a software program used to teach touch typing. However, many have mistakenly thought that "Mavis Beacon" is an actual person.

The title text refers to two US Supreme Court Associate Justices. {{w|Ruth Bader Ginsburg}} was appointed by Bill Clinton; {{w|Elena Kagan}} was appointed by Barack Obama. Both are considered to be on the “liberal” wing of the court, but Ginsburg’s forceful dissenting opinions may explain why she would have been a more popular character for Super Smash Bros.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A bulleted list of items:]
*Mario/Luigi hybrid
*The SkiFree monster
*Siri
*Ellie from ''Up''
*Zordon
*Clippy
*The Sarlaac
*The InstallShield Wizard
*Mr. Clean
*Comet Cursor
*Beto O'Rourke
*The Monopoly boot
*Lot's wife
*D.B. Cooper
*The Blair Witch
*Mavis Beacon

:[Caption below the frame:]
:Super Smash Brothers never did end up adding anyone from my wishlist.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Video games]]

1955: Robots

2018-02-27T16:21:54Z

162.158.126.4: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1955
| date = February 14, 2018
| title = Robots
| image = robots.png
| titletext = Don't be nervous about the robots, be nervous about the people with the resources to build them.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUyU3lKzoio YouTube video] posted one day earlier by robotics company [https://www.bostondynamics.com/ Boston Dynamics]. The video shows a {{w|Quadrupedalism|quadruped}} robot with a roughly canine form approach a door, then stop and 'look' to the side where a second robot appears, which has an articulated arm attachment on top. This robot sizes up the door, then uses its arm to grasp the handle and open the door. It holds the door open for the first robot, then follows it through the doorway.

The video was extremely popular, receiving over four million views in the first day. Many social media comments joked that humanity is doomed, as the robots we are developing will soon become capable enough to rise up and overthrow us. This is a common jest or anxiety expressed when robots manage to master a task that previously had given them difficulty. It is especially appropriate here, since the ability to open doors is extremely useful when dealing with humans. [[Randall]] has [https://what-if.xkcd.com/5/ previously made the point] that a robot uprising would promptly fail because most robots couldn't successfully open doors (or even successfully negotiate thresholds, in some cases). This latest advance seems to specifically undercut that assurance.

After [[Cueball]] sees this video, he reiterates the same line by saying that we're definitely going to die. [[Megan]], however, offers an alternative view: that in fact, due to human nature, it is the ''robots'' that are in mortal peril from this technological development, not humans, since humans tend to respond aggressively to potential threats.

Taking Megan's point, Cueball sarcastically suggests that humans don't tend to overreact violently to perceived threats, to which Megan replies, equally sarcastically, that she must be thinking of another species.

The title text may refer to the {{tvtropes|MadScientist|Mad Scientist}} or {{tvtropes|EvilGenius|Evil Genius}} tropes in science fiction, where someone builds an army of robots with the intent of using them to take over the world. Alternatively, the title text could refer to the real life phenomena of military programs expending enormous resources to develop unmanned offensive capabilities, such as the {{w|General Atomics MQ-1 Predator|Predator drone}} and {{w|Foster-Miller TALON|SWORDS mobile weapon platform}}. In the latter context, it may be sensible to show concern with the methods, reasoning, motivations, and long-term stability of people directing the development of potentially lethal robots. Boston Dynamics is one of the foremost innovators in the field of military-grade automation.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at his desk in an office chair pointing to his laptop while looking back over his shoulder talking to Megan off-panel.]
:Cueball: Did you see this Boston Dynamics robot video?
:Cueball: We're ''definitely'' all gonna die.

:[Megan walks in to the panel towards Cueball who still looks at her, but stops pointing.]
:Megan: You know, it's funny.
:Megan: Humans see a robot open a door, and we all instantly assume we're in mortal peril.

:[Zoom in on the heads of Megan and Cueball, both now looking at the off-panel screen.]
:Megan: So doesn't it make more sense to say the ''robots'' are all gonna die?
:Cueball: Violently overreacting to a perceived threat? That doesn't sound like humans.
:Megan: Yeah, I must be thinking of some other species.

:[Title Text] Don't be nervous about the robots, be nervous about the people with the resources to build them.

== Trivia ==

Possibly coincidentally, approximately seven weeks before this video and strip, the series "{{w|Black Mirror}}" released an episode entitled "{{w|Metalhead (Black Mirror)|Metalhead}}". The episode set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are hunted by robots highly reminiscent of this line of Boston Dynamics robots. Clearly, the concept of these robots becoming a threat isn't unique to XKCD.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]

1955: Robots

2018-02-27T16:20:14Z

162.158.126.4: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1955
| date = February 14, 2018
| title = Robots
| image = robots.png
| titletext = Don't be nervous about the robots, be nervous about the people with the resources to build them.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUyU3lKzoio YouTube video] posted one day earlier by robotics company [https://www.bostondynamics.com/ Boston Dynamics]. The video shows a {{w|Quadrupedalism|quadruped}} robot with a roughly canine form approach a door, then stop and 'look' to the side where a second robot appears, which has an articulated arm attachment on top. This robot sizes up the door, then uses its arm to grasp the handle and open the door. It holds the door open for the first robot, then follows it through the doorway.

The video was extremely popular, receiving over four million views in the first day. Many social media comments joked that humanity is doomed, as the robots we are developing will soon become capable enough to rise up and overthrow us. This is a common jest or anxiety expressed when robots manage to master a task that previously had given them difficulty. It is especially appropriate here, since the ability to open doors is extremely useful when dealing with humans. [[Randall]] has [https://what-if.xkcd.com/5/ previously made the point] that a robot uprising would promptly fail because most robots couldn't successfully open doors (or even successfully negotiate thresholds, in some cases). This latest advance seems to specifically undercut that assurance.

After [[Cueball]] sees this video, he reiterates the same line by saying that we're definitely going to die. [[Megan]], however, offers an alternative view: that in fact, due to human nature, it is the ''robots'' that are in mortal peril from this technological development, not humans, since humans tend to respond aggressively to potential threats.

Taking Megan's point, Cueball sarcastically suggests that humans don't tend to overreact violently to perceived threats, to which Megan replies, equally sarcastically, that she must be thinking of another species.

The title text may refer to the {{tvtropes|MadScientist|Mad Scientist}} or {{tvtropes|EvilGenius|Evil Genius}} tropes in science fiction, where someone builds an army of robots with the intent of using them to take over the world. Alternatively, the title text could refer to the real life phenomena of military programs expending enormous resources to develop unmanned offensive capabilities, such as the {{w|General Atomics MQ-1 Predator|Predator drone}} and {{w|Foster-Miller TALON|SWORDS mobile weapon platform}}. In the latter context, it may be sensible to show concern with the methods, reasoning, motivations, and long-term stability of people directing the development of potentially lethal robots. Boston Dynamics is one of the foremost innovators in the field of military-grade automation.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at his desk in an office chair pointing to his laptop while looking back over his shoulder talking to Megan off-panel.]
:Cueball: Did you see this Boston Dynamics robot video?
:Cueball: We're ''definitely'' all gonna die.

:[Megan walks in to the panel towards Cueball who still looks at her, but stops pointing.]
:Megan: You know, it's funny.
:Megan: Humans see a robot open a door, and we all instantly assume we're in mortal peril.

:[Zoom in on the heads of Megan and Cueball, both now looking at the off-panel screen.]
:Megan: So doesn't it make more sense to say the ''robots'' are all gonna die?
:Cueball: Violently overreacting to a perceived threat? That doesn't sound like humans.
:Megan: Yeah, I must be thinking of some other species.

: [Title Text] Don't be nervous about the robots, be nervous about the people with the resources to build them.

== Trivia ==

Possibly coincidentally, approximately seven weeks before this video and strip, the series "{{w|Black Mirror}}" released an episode entitled "{{w|Metalhead (Black Mirror)|Metalhead}}". The episode set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are hunted by robots highly reminiscent of this line of Boston Dynamics robots. Clearly, the concept of these robots becoming a threat isn't unique to XKCD.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]