explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1982: Evangelism

2021-12-29T12:49:54Z

172.68.253.35:

I want to know where vi vs. emacs fits on this spectrum.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.53|108.162.238.53]] 15:12, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
:I use vi by virtue of the fact that it once opened on my computer and I don't know how to close it [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.76|108.162.219.76]] 15:20, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

When you say people open bananas from the other side, which side is the proper side and which is the other? I open from the proper side, not the side with the stem (just like the monkeys taught us) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.76|108.162.219.76]] 15:20, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
:Why are you being taught by monkeys? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.28|108.162.219.28]] 22:43, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
:Since the stem makes for a natural handle to peel from, it's the intuitive side from which to peel. Which makes it the "proper" side for that part of the discussion here. :) At one point I saw a thing say "Just check out videos of monkeys eating bananas", only videos I found showed monkeys mashing the banana out of the peel, LOL! (for reference though, I've been opening bananas from the non-stem end for months, it feels like the peel breaks apart easier). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:36, 20 April 2018 (UTC)
:Also, by opening it away from the stem you can hold the banana from the stem while eating it [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.76|108.162.219.76]] 12:16, 20 April 2018 (UTC)
::Also (the selling point for me) is that you end up with a banana peel that looks like ones in cartoons, with the stem in the middle. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:06, 22 April 2018 (UTC)

:::Also you can remove the not tasty bit first and dump it into the bin. Plus you don't have to finish by seeing the black bit. Eat from the other way round and you will start good but end bad. I personally want it start bad but end good.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.253.35|172.68.253.35]] 12:49, 29 December 2021 (UTC)

The title text seems to be a reference to the big-endian/little-endian war in "Gulliver's Travels".[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:04, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

And 3 miles to the right of the banana conflict is "iPhone vs. Android" [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 17:07, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
:What about tabs vs spaces? It somehow feels like a lot of popular and appropriate conflicts and opinions were left out. Another example of high evangelism intensity is people who eat kiwis whole. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.58|162.158.134.58]] 09:00, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

I ''LOVE'' the "Pun Intended" tag. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.28|108.162.219.28]] 22:43, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

I suggest we use the metric system, and keep Fahrenheit, but modify it so "0" is room temperature. So a positive temp is usually warm, and vice versa. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 02:11, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

The day this comic was posted was Banana day (https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/banana-day/). I noticed because a popular radio station in my area has a recurring segment talking about "What day" it is, obviously they also talked about the "other end" factoid yesterday. I'm not sure who came up with this "day", but daysoftheyear.com may have been an inspiration for the comic. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.151|162.158.111.151]]

The following paragraph was in the article:
“Due to the fact that these issues have a more trivial impact on life, evangelists may become more frustrated when people refuse to adopt these ‘simple’ changes and therefore argue more strongly for them.”
I removed it because an increase in frustration from unsuccessful convincement does not follow from the triviality of the issues. However, I note this here because the writer (or someone else) may be able to extract a more coherent thought from this. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.26.71|172.68.26.71]] 16:15, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

'''The CAPTCHA system for this page (and presumably others) is broken. If I'm not logged in it says reCAPTCHA V1 IS SHUTDOWN" and to tells someone about it...which is what I'm doing right now. Weirdly (or perhaps not!), typing "reCAPTCHA v1 IS SHUTDOWN" into the text entry box works just fine!''' [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.179|172.69.70.179]] 18:24, 19 April 2018 (UTC)
: Any text at all will work, as it turns out! But you do have to type in something.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.220|108.162.237.220]] 13:40, 20 April 2018 (UTC)
::And ''that'' is why they are upgrading the wiki. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:36, 22 April 2018 (UTC)

I'm sceptical that people actually aggressively promote their ideas in this order, which the comic explanation takes at face value. I want citations, and I want the number of TV station dedicated to promoting each belief taken into account. I say only National Geographic has the banana thing. Thnks for the reCAPTCHA tip. I think it's not broken but closed. Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.49|162.158.154.49]] 00:52, 20 April 2018 (UTC)
:It has the ring of truth to me, and I've actually done the door to door proselytizing thing. People are more likely to push friends to adopt metric conversion or weird sock tricks to others than to invite them to come to church. You mention dedicated TV stations. Those are just that: dedicated stations where the evangelism is the only thing on them. Compare to the number of you-tube channels that have at one time or another promoted metric over imperial. Your note is true in a few ways. A lot more MONEY gets put into religious evangelizing. That's not quite the same thing as "intensity", which is pretty hard to define in the first place. Also, as the scale moves from left to right it does intentionally get sillier.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.220|108.162.237.220]] 13:38, 20 April 2018 (UTC)

I'm greatly amused by the fact that I tried opening bananas from the other end several months ago, have been doing it ever since (it actually opens easier, the bonds in the peel are far weaker down there, like it's waiting for it), yet I've told almost nobody about it. LOL! Then I got irritated at the Fahrenheit vs. Celsius thing. :) F allows smaller measurements without decimals? I grew up with Celsius, and I've never seen decimals except in scientific context. If I hear a summer day is 23, 24, 25, 26 Celsius, it's all about the same, mid-20s is as precise as anybody needs to know. If I hear it's 24 and it's actually 25, I won't even know. 1 degree is plenty of precision. Honestly, this whole idea of F being based on how things feel just seems horribly vague and imprecise. Celsius having 0 be the freezing temperature of water and 100 being the boiling temperature just feels scientific. Nice solid basis. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:31, 20 April 2018 (UTC)
: Oh, sure, play the reasonable non-fanatic. Leftist! According to the strip anyway. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.220|108.162.216.220]] 05:22, 20 April 2018 (UTC) Gene Wirchenko genew@telus.net
:: But he is sooo right (not left ;-). Come one now US, start using the same system as the rest of us. And to those from the UK start driving on the RIGHT side of the road! as well as also using the metric system in daily life, not just in principle (I had a pint, a mile down the road, sitting on a four feet stool) :p --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:15, 20 April 2018 (UTC)
:::I think most of Britain is just fine with resisting the cultural imperialist demands that we do things the way they do on the continent, actually. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.186|108.162.219.186]] 14:18, 21 July 2021 (UTC)

Arguing that people should buy all one type of sock is a no-brainer. It's far cheaper and easier. It saves a HUGE amount of time! Everyone should do it. But telling people that isn't evangelism. It's like arguing that iPhones suck, the Kia Sol is ugly or the dress is blue. It's just common sense, and anyone who disagrees can just suck it, and spend all their time folding socks. [[User:Roguetech|Roguetech]] ([[User talk:Roguetech|talk]]) 12:36, 20 April 2018 (UTC)

;The sock thing isn't about color

The whole sock subsection is wrong or at least doesn't match the "one kind of sock" people I've seen in the wild.

There are three kinds of people in this world (usually it's two, but sock choice is unusually complex).

# People who buy any old sock and wear them until they develop holes or massive stains
# People who have an obscene variety of novelty "fun socks" and are constantly loosing and replacing them
# People who have found their One True Sock, and won't buy anywhere else.

Randall's talking about group 3. It's based on manufacturer or sometimes generic material, not color. I don't know who's that worried about time lost to matching sock colors, but I wouldn't trust them with sharp instruments. The One True Sock is some unreal combination of durable, comfortable, breathable, and warm. It's offered in at least a few colors, one pair costs as much as a whole pack of generic gym socks, and apparently, it will change your life.

Examples: https://gear.lifehacker.com/these-are-your-five-favorite-everyday-mens-socks-1785365259
https://www.powder.com/gear/the-all-american-sock/
https://www.runnersworld.com/man-i-just-love-this/why-i-only-wear-swiftwick-socks

--[[Special:Contributions/172.69.198.10|172.69.198.10]] 05:57, 21 April 2018 (UTC)

:I'd say the people Randall is talking about are Group 1 people who converted to Group 3. At least, Group 1 people who feel "Well, I should make sure they at least MATCH", and are tired of trying to match socks everytime. I especially think so because it specifies throwing out their old socks. :) They're so worn they're disposible anyway, right? :) That they then find one good sock that's effective but also CHEAP, so that it isn't ridiculous to do this and buy a bunch at once. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:03, 22 April 2018 (UTC)

:The one-sock policy doesn't work, though. You have to wash the socks. That makes them fade. So the two you have worn are now a slightly different shade than the others. Over time some will get more faded than others - random selection, or maybe the ones nearer the front of the drawer are more likely to be picked, and socks being put into the drawer are more likely to be at the front. Depends on the person. But the socks end up mismatched..

:The best method I have found for having matched socks is, when you bring new socks back from the shop, stitch a random number between 10 and 99 under the toes. You can get random numbers from www.random.org. Then when the socks are washed, you do a bucket sort. Socks can easily be laid out on your bed or table, low numbers to the left, high to the right. Pairs automatically end up close together and are easily identified from the number. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.66|162.158.38.66]] 09:03, 14 March 2020 (UTC)

;Randall forgot

Randall forgot the people from comic 1070
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.58|172.68.174.58]] 16:51, 21 May 2018 (UTC)

What if you want to keep US units but modify them with metric/SI prefixes (so instead of the mile we'd have the approximately equivalent measure of 5 kilofeet?) 16:24, 11 March 2020 (UTC)

"[T]he other end [of the banana]" is a relative description. Which end is the "other" one is objectively ambiguous. Subjectively, for every reader who has any preference of opening bananas from either end, people of the "other" faction are most evangelic.
The explanation here is neutral, though it suggests the "But the little bit of banana at the small end is gross" faction (opening from the stem end) to be larger, without providing a source. But I think this relativity of the term "other" should be mentioned in the explanation! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.98.79|172.70.98.79]] 01:37, 12 December 2021 (UTC)

2301: Turtle Sandwich Standard Model

2020-05-04T05:24:45Z

172.68.253.35: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2301
| date = May 1, 2020
| title = Turtle Sandwich Standard Model
| image = turtle_sandwich_standard_model.png
| titletext = It's possible the bread and shell can be split into a top and bottom flavor, and some models additionally suggest Strange Bread and Charm Shells.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a TURTLE EATING A SANDWICH. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic references particle physics. The {{w|Standard Model}} of physics explains the base particles and fields that make up the universe. The elementary {{w|fermions}} of the standard model can be laid out in a 3x4 grid, with three "{{w|Generation (particle physics)|generations}}" of matter, each containing a {{w|quark}} with charge +2/3, a quark with charge -1/3, a {{w|lepton}} with charge -1, and a {{w|neutrino}} with charge 0. The first generation contains the familiar up and down quarks, which make protons and neutrons, the electron, and the electron neutrino. Each succeeding generation of matter is more massive than the one before, and only the first generation of particles occurs naturally on Earth; the others have only been created and identified in particle accelerator experiments (although they also arguably exist in various extreme places around the universe; for example, the strange quark is suspected to be a component of the denser parts of neutron stars). One of the lines of evidence in favor of the Standard Model is that it predicted the existence and masses of several particles, which have since been confirmed; the {{w|top quark}}'s mass was predicted in 1973, and experimentally verified in 1995, for example, and on the {{w|gauge boson}} side of the chart, the {{w|Higgs boson}} was discovered in 2012.

In this comic strip, sandwiches (lettuce, cheese, tomato, and possibly other fillings, surrounded by bread) and turtles (an aquatic reptile which wears an armored shell) are proposed to not be "elementary" entities, but in fact combinations of 4 elementary parts, namely bread, fillings, reptile, and shell. The narrator's lab is looking for the hypothesized "bread-shelled turtle" and "shell-coated sandwich". In the real world, living turtles cannot shed their shells (as is often shown for humor in fiction), as the shell is a part of the turtle's skeleton, so unless the narrator's lab is willing to commit extremely invasive surgery, they will never find a bread-shelled turtle, although they could much more easily take the shell of a dead turtle and put some sandwich fillings inside.

The failure to detect the bread-shelled turtle could be taken as evidence that the turtle-sandwich standard model is flawed -- perhaps turtles and sandwiches are elementary entities, or perhaps the elementary entities that make them are much smaller than is proposed here. There is also the small matter that there are things besides sandwiches and turtles in the universe{{Citation needed}}. Alternatively, it could be taken as evidence that the bread-shelled turtle has an extremely high energy, and so does not exist under typical conditions of our universe. This might be analogous to {{w|magnetic monopole}}s; we would know one if and when we saw one (and many experiments have sought them out), and we believe we know how they would behave, but no such particle has ever been verifiably detected or created.

The title text introduces more particle physics jargon, proposing that the "top and bottom" parts of the bread and/or shell have distinct "{{w|Flavour (particle physics)|flavors}}", and that there may be "strange" and "charm" variants as well (a reference to the higher-generation quarks -- strange and charm in the second generation, and top and bottom in the third).

Unlike the turtle-sandwich standard model, there are no particles predicted by our Standard Model that have not yet been detected; however, there are several gaps between the pure Standard Model and what we observe in reality, most notably the {{w|Quantum gravity|existence of gravity}} and the {{w|Baryon asymmetry|apparent asymmetry}} between the amounts of {{w|matter}} and {{w|antimatter}} in the universe. For this reason, the Standard Model is generally considered to be somehow incomplete.

Comic [[474]] also puns on the flavors of quarks.

The phrase "Turtle Sandwich Standard Model" fits the same trochaic tetrameter stress pattern as ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' and other Wikipedia articles enumerated in [[1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]].

=== Larger comic ===
As of 5:23am UTC on 4 May 2020 (Star Wars Day) the comic is much larger than normal (4682x4586) and expands beyond the size of the screen.

==Transcript==

:[A two-by-two grid, with a piece of bread next to the top left cell; a turtle shell next to the bottom left cell; lettuce, cheese, and tomato above the top left cell; and an turtle head enclosed in a circle above the top right cell.]

:[Top left cell: an image of a sandwich.]
✔ CONFIRMED

:[Top right cell: an image of a shell-less turtle sandwiched between two slices of bread.]
(?)

:[Bottom left cell: an image of a turtle shell housing lettuce, cheese, and tomato - the contents of a sandwich.]
(?)

:[Bottom right cell: an image of a turtle.]
✔ CONFIRMED

:[Caption below the panel]
Our lab is working to detect the two missing pieces of the turtle-sandwich standard model.

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

2019: An Apple for a Dollar

2018-07-28T08:56:47Z

172.68.253.35: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2019
| date = July 13, 2018
| title = An Apple for a Dollar
| image = an_apple_for_a_dollar.png
| titletext = I'd like 0.4608 apples, please.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] is about to buy an apple at a grocery store when she is surprised that the price is exactly one dollar. A common practice in pricing items is to deliberately make them slightly less than a round number, such as $1.99 or $1.95 instead of $2, as a psychological trick to make the item seem significantly cheaper than it really is, as "less than two dollars" sounds much less than "two dollars" even though the difference of 0.01 is minimal. Additionally, in most cases in the US, {{w|Sales taxes in the United States|sales tax}} must be taken into account, as it is generally not included in the list price (although ,[https://taxfoundation.org/which-states-tax-groceries/ most states] do exempt food sold in grocery stores from sales taxes), so a price rarely comes out to a round value. That it came out to an exact dollar is so strange for Megan that it throws her for a loop. Buying one apple for one dollar feels to her more like a simplified, imaginary ''Idea'' of a transaction (a "{{w|Platonic Ideal}}") than like something that could actually happen in real life.

Megan likely shares Randall's background of engineering and math. When learning science, engineering, and math in the education system, one studies examples where every number is some round value, and all situations are simplified to the barest essentials so as to demonstrate the ideas being taught. Then, when doing real problems in the real world, one spends the rest of one's life almost never being able to use the simplified tricks demonstrated as examples in school, because when math is used to describe the natural world, nothing is ever a round number unless by design.

Megan references {{w|Platonic Idealism}}, which is the theory attributed to Plato that abstract or non-physical Ideas represent the purest, most accurate version of reality, but we can only perceive of more flawed versions of Ideas because of our limited viewpoint (as explained in his Allegory of the Cave). Thus we can understand the concept of a perfect circle or a perfect line, even though we have never seen one, and cannot create one. Megan believes she has glimpsed a Platonic Ideal, because the absolute concept of currency is it is the exact worth of something in trade. Megan is awed because, if this is true, then she is witnessing the next layer of reality, which Plato often compared to heaven.

The harsh difference between being able to buy an apple for a dollar at this quaint store, and having to deal with arbitrary decimals and numbers in the rest of life could be touching on Megan's life experience of the world not being what she was prepared for, resulting in her intense response. Regardless if that is true or not, it seems the cashier is unable to figure out how to handle it (or does not want to), and raises the price to an arbitrary non-rounded value, which has the intended effect of halting Megan's outburst. The unexpected resolution of the rising tension is a source of humor in this strip.

Megan's references refer to common parameters used in solving science or math questions. A {{w|Frictionless plane}} is a scenario from the writings of Galileo to calculate the movement of an object down an {{w|inclined plane}}, since his equations did not account for {{w|friction}}.

"A train leaving Chicago at 40 mph" refers to common math questions, involving trains and solving for the distance required to overtake said train, although this problem involves the rather unrealistic assumption that the train's velocity keeps constant and doesn't need to accelerate in order to reach its speed. Like the frictionless plane, this is a common simplification that allows the problem to be solved with quite simple techniques, just like having round quantities (e.g. 1 dollar/apple) eases arithmetic problems. See also [[669: Experiment]]. Apples themselves are commonly used as units for math problems, including problems as simple as basic arithmetic.

The comic repeats a common theme in the strip of engineers and computer scientists trying to apply their technical experience to social situations. In this case, the conversation partner is "normal", and does not respond supportively, which is a common situation in the real world and a possible point of empathy with readers. -- An alternate viable reading is that the conversation partner responds extremely supportively (by cleverly removing the source of Megan's distress, rather than by questioning the validity of Megan's response). This is a possible point of wish-fulfillment for readers.

It seems that according to the title text, Megan only has (or only wants to spend) one dollar, so she would not be able to buy a whole apple at the new price (0.4608 × $2.17 ≈ $1). Stores usually sell whole apples, so asking for a fraction of one is not likely to work out.{{Citation needed}}

There are some stores, such as {{w|Dollar Tree}}, that specialize in selling everything in the store for one dollar per item, which would seems to be operating at that ideal... except they usually do charge sales tax on taxable items leading many sales to not be an even multiple of a dollar. If a store were to charge one dollar per item without charging sales tax, etc. separately (i.e. building the sales tax into the price of each dollar item), they might be able to simplify some operations, such as not dealing with coin change as much (though they would still need to accept coins), cashiers would be able to calculate the total in their heads, etc. Customers other than Megan would probably be happier.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is at the store counter, behind which Ponytail (the cashier) is waiting.]
:Megan: Just this apple, thanks.
:Ponytail: That will be one dollar.
:Megan: Exactly? No tax or anything?
:Ponytail: That's right.

:[Megan stares at the apple in a frameless panel.]

:[Scene zooms in on Megan.]
:Ponytail: ...Is that a problem?
:Megan: It's just weird to realize that every other transaction in my life will be more complicated than this.

:[Scene changes focus to Ponytail behind the counter.]
:Megan: This is like a platonic ideal exchange. An apple for a dollar.
:Ponytail: I see.

:[Scene changes back to Megan, once again lost in profound contemplation of the apple.]
:Megan: Are we on a frictionless plane? Is a train leaving Chicago at 40 mph? ''Should I solve for something??''
:Ponytail: Okay, apples are $2.17 now.
:Megan: That's... probably better for us both.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

Talk:7: Girl sleeping (Sketch -- 11th grade Spanish class)

2018-02-26T06:20:32Z

172.68.253.35: color switch

"Simplicity" is probably the first goal that Color Switch is aiming for with the reminder engine pretty much to Swing Copters. There, players only have to press on the screen to help small dots can move up and down. All only that, do not move left or right, not swinging eight yawed the four directions on the screen ... just interested gamers a unique vertical.

But Color Switch is just like the name, taking color as the main weapon to knock down the player. This factor is expressed through continuous spinning circles, with borders arranged in many colors. Your job? That is how to control the other dots right where the color of the circle, then eat point.
It sounds simple but "dead" at the point, each circle you will have to pass twice, once inside and once out. And yet, the layout of these circles will change as we move deeper into the Color Switch (assuming we are so good), such as two circles in a circle round within the triangle, circle within the square ... Even through each "death's door" of the dot would change color completely, making us more crazy colors to exactly match ahead.
As such, Color Switch crazy change before the eyes of players .. continuously, continuously, constantly filled with challenges forever. And every time a failure, the percentage change of the player's phone again phen team up the rank. The decision to play or not to play Color Switch depends entirely on you. But if you decide to head straight into this wall, be prepared for the most depressing and addictive game - a phenomenon we've seen on mobile for a long time.
http://colorswitch2.com ,
https://despacito-lyrics.com ,
http://flipdiving.online

1951: Super Bowl Watch Party

2018-02-24T03:29:51Z

172.68.253.35: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1951
| date = February 5, 2018
| title = Super Bowl Watch Party
| image = super_bowl_watch_party.png
| titletext = It's going to be weird near the end of May when the screen goes blank for over 18 hours.
}}

==Explanation==

The {{w|Super Bowl}} is the annual championship game of the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), the highest level of professional {{w|American football}}. In late January or early February each year, the winner of the {{w|American Football Conference}} (AFC) plays the winner of the {{w|National Football Conference}} (NFC) to determine the champion. In {{w|Super Bowl LII}} held on Sunday, February 4, (the day before this comic's release), the NFC champion {{w|Philadelphia Eagles}} defeated the AFC champion {{w|New England Patriots}} 41: 33. Based on its wide-reaching cultural impact, the Super Bowl is the single most important American football game of the year. Over a hundred million people (across the world) watch it, many of whom are not even fans of American football.

Many people have parties centered on watching the game. The full game lasts around four hours, including breaks for advertisements and a halftime, which includes a live performance of music, and the "best" commercials, which the Super Bowl has become notorious for, with some viewers only tuning in to watch them instead of the football game.

[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] (on the couch) have such a Super Bowl Watch Party going with their friends (hence the title), but in order to watch the game so that the end will be at the start of the next game, they have slowed down the broadcast so the game takes an entire year to watch. The normal TV is broadcast at 29.97002997 frames per second and takes four hours, for a total of 431568 frames. But by slowing the video down by a factor of 2300, the show would last a full year. (Actually it would last 33,119,967 seconds which is 383 days, 18 days more than a year. To make it last a year, minus 4 hours, it should be slowed down a factor 2189). Each frame would be shown for about 76.7 seconds. Each day in the slow video would cover just under 40 seconds of real time. With this method of viewing, the watchers are instead reduced to analyzing the game frame-by-frame, which may make it easier to understand the sequence of events, but also creates a feeling of tedium{{Citation needed}}.

Due to this extension creating a lack of variety, [[Megan]] tries to make it interesting by guessing the next frame shown will be a cut to a different camera angle. Cuts happen frequently during the broadcast, especially when the ball is not in play, and these cuts may be marked by a black screen. If this is the case, then the cut will be around a minute of nothing to look at at this speed. Megan has a relatively high probability (albeit still incredibly low, with cuts being less than one in every 1000 frames) of being right simply by chance that the next frame will be a cut, but Cueball's tired comment that she always guesses that indicates that the game is so slow or the cuts are so rare that she is almost never correct.

[[Ponytail]] asks if they think the first ad block will come out before the end of February, about 20 days after the start of the Super Bowl show. The ads and halftime show are considered integral parts of the broadcast, and many advertisers debut elaborate commercials especially for this game, since so many people watch it. Many people claim to watch the Super Bowl only for the commercial breaks, as mentioned in [[60: Super Bowl]], and the anticipation for these is exaggerated for this game, as the wait is much longer with the extended broadcast. (In exchange, however, the commercials will be longer, too.)

The title text refers to how, during a commercial break during the 2018 Super Bowl, only blackness was broadcast for 28 seconds due to equipment failure at NBC. <ref>https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/02/04/super-bowl-nbc-equipment-failure-blank-screen-super-bowl-commercial/305623002/</ref> At the rate they watch it would last almost 18 hours as described (17 hours 53 minutes).

In previous comics regarding the Super Bowl, [[Randall]] has explained that he now watches the Super Bowl ([[1480: Super Bowl]]), despite previously expressing a lack of interest in the game ([[60: Super Bowl]]) or any other sport ([[1107: Sports Cheat Sheet]]). A slowly updating video is similar to the concept behind [[1190: Time]], and is also reminiscent of Douglas Gordon's 1993 art installation {{w|24 Hour Psycho}}. Also, {{w|As Slow as Possible}} is an organ piece that is currently played in a German church - it will end in 2640, after 639 years of continuous playing. The theme of a group becoming interested in frame-by-frame shots is reminiscent of [[915: Connoisseur]]. Related to frame-by-frame film watching is the ''Cinema interruptus'' concept used by film critic {{w|Roger Ebert}} at the {{w|Conference on World Affairs}}, where you first watch a film at normal speed, without interruptions, and then you watch it again, over several afternoons - while everybody present can stop the film at any time, and have a discussion about anything related to the scene. This is also method sport coaches use to discuss recordings of games.

==Transcript==
:[A woman, looking like Megan, walks up to a group of people watching TV. Cueball and Megan (with shorter hair than the walking woman) are sitting on a couch. A Cueball-like guy sits in front of them, while Ponytail lies on the ground, head resting on a hand, in front of a TV, which is quite far from the couch.]
:Woman: Morning. How's the game?
:Cueball: Eagles got to the 26-yard line around midnight. They've been walking across the field since then. Just entered a huddle.
:Megan: I bet the next frame will be a cut.
:Guy on floor: You always say that.
:Ponytail: Do you think the first ads will come by the end of February?

:[Caption below the comic:]
:I'm at a year-round Super Bowl watch party. We're playing the stream at <sup>1</sup>/<sub>2300x</sub> speed, so it will end just as next year's Super Bowl starts.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:American football]]
<references/>