explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

652: More Accurate

2019-03-31T17:02:01Z

172.68.54.94: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 652
| date = October 21, 2009
| title = More Accurate
| image = more_accurate.png
| titletext = We live in a world where there are actual fleets of robot assassins patrolling the skies. At some point there, we left the present and entered the future.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic spoofs the {{w|Terminator (franchise)|Terminator}} series, in which a super-intelligent machine from the future time travels back in time to kill {{w|Sarah Connor (Terminator)|Sarah Connor}}. As could be expected from a movie, the antagonistic robot is a human-like android.

However, we currently have military "robots" (actually vehicles controlled remotely by people) that are completely unlike anything in the movie. Originally, {{w|Unmanned aerial vehicle|UAV}} were only used for surveillance and reconnaissance. But, now more than ever, they are used for attacks. And most importantly, they are not walking humanoids but flying machines. They are not restricted to carrying human-intended guns as in the movie but are armed with powerful explosives and long-range missiles. Thus the name of the comic: Randall points out being attacked by a flying plane-like drone -- such as the {{w|General Atomics MQ-1 Predator|Predator drone}} shown in the last panel (heavily used for offensive operations by the USAF and the CIA in Afghanistan and Pakistan) -- is a much more accurate outcome should the robots rise up against humans.

One thing that keeps us short of a Terminator scenario is that most of the unmanned aerial vehicles are either pre-programmed or flown remotely by members of the military, and are not left to their own devices.

The title text emphasizes this by pointing out that we have entire fleets of these drones, and notes that at some point, we entered the future.

Similar buildup and Terminator reference are to be found in [[1177: Time Robot]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball with a shotgun approaches a woman carrying a tray with glasses.]
:Cueball: Sarah! Come with me if you want to live! A robot assassin has been sent here to kill you!

:[Sarah holds her hands over her mouth. She has presumably dropped the tray, as it lies on the floor.]
:Cueball: I'm here to save you. I may not be as strong or fast as a machine, but I'll fight to keep you-

:[There's a huge orange and yellow explosion. The two are disintegrated.]
:''BOOM''

:[A flying robot assassin is above the bomb site.]
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Drones]]

2007: Brookhaven RHIC

2018-06-15T16:04:59Z

172.68.54.94: fixing that these ions are not totally stripped of electrons

{{comic
| number = 2007
| date = June 15, 2018
| title = Brookhaven RHIC
| image = brookhaven_rhic.png
| titletext = "Buddy, you trying to pull something? I can't buy this gold--all the electrons are missing. I could face serious charges!"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CASH FOR GOLD SALESMAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider}} is a particle accelerator designed to collide gold ions together at incredibly high speeds. This is normally done to study particle physics - the high-energy collisions allow us to learn more about how subatomic particles behave.

Randall proposes that, instead of using the beam of gold ions for particle collisions, it should be diverted and sold at cash-for-gold stores to make money. However, it would be very difficult to sell a beam of charged particles. The amount of gold involved is microscopic, and since the particle beam is moving at relativistic speeds, it wouldn't stay in the shop long enough to make a sale. It would also be very dangerous. This is probably why Brookhaven rejected Randall's proposal. Randall has done many comics describing impractical research proposals.

The title text imagines the owner of the stores complaining about the sale, not because of impracticality, but because Randall is selling gold ions (including the entire positively-charged nucleus of the gold atom and 32 of 79 electrons stripped from the gold atom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relativistic_Heavy_Ion_Collider) instead of normal, electrically neutral gold atoms. This is a pun on the word "charges", which could refer to {{w|electric charge}} or to {{w|criminal charge|criminal charges}}.
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:136: Science Fair

2017-06-12T13:00:01Z

172.68.54.94:

Can I get a link to his paper? {{unsigned ip|173.46.229.105}}
:You can, but it's pretty dry.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.51|162.158.74.51]] 17:14, 16 March 2017 (UTC)
::Hell, I'll take it dry if it means he'll get better with his tongue [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.94|172.68.54.94]] 13:00, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Talk:Beret Guy

2017-04-19T14:53:32Z

172.68.54.94: /* Gender? */ new section

retcon [[Special:Contributions/76.103.51.147|76.103.51.147]] 21:06, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

== Hate to burst a bubble... ==

...but he isn't actually pouring soup out of the outlet. He has one of those [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Immersion_heater.jpg immersion heaters on a cord] (picture is of a foreign unit, but they're made for here in the U.S. as well. He plugged it in (evidenced by the "plug" sound), then he's using it to heat his soup. No miracle there.

Sometimes I get soup that way, too. {{unsigned ip|108.162.210.179}}

== Gender? ==

Is Beret "Guy"'s gender ever stated? They're nonconformist enough that we can't assume "no visible hair"="male". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.94|172.68.54.94]] 14:53, 19 April 2017 (UTC)

1756: I'm With Her

2017-04-14T16:34:22Z

172.68.54.94: /* Flag */ Connecticut and Rhode Island are not in Massachusetts

{{comic
| number = 1756
| date = November 7, 2016
| title = I'm With Her
| image = im_with_her.png
| titletext = We can do this.
}}
{{TOC}}
==Explanation==
In this serious, ''no joke'', comic released the day before the {{w|2016 United States presidential election}} (which was more contentious than most, due in part to many people finding both candidates unusually distasteful), [[Randall]] urged his American viewership to vote, and showed his {{w|Political endorsement|endorsement}} for {{w|Hillary Clinton}}, the {{w|US Democratic Party|Democratic}} nominee in the election. She was up against the {{w|US Republican Party|Republican}} nominee {{w|Donald Trump}}, who ended up winning. For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that there were also nominees from other parties, including {{w|Green Party of the United States|Green Party}} nominee {{w|Jill Stein}}, and {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian}} nominee {{w|Gary Johnson}}. Neither hoped to garner enough votes to become president, but there was a chance {{w|spoiler candidate|they could affect the result}} in some states (no third-party candidate has ''won'' a state since {{w|United_States_presidential_election,_1968|1968}} - and it did not occur this time either - the closest any came in 2016 was independent candidate {{w|Evan McMullin}} in Utah.)

It was the second time Randall referred to this election, the first being [[1748: Future Archaeology]] three weeks before the election, but here it was just a wish to know the result using time travel (of course he did not learn the result back then…).

The "H" with an arrow was {{w|Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016|Clinton's campaign}} logo, and '''I'm with her''' an official slogan that was widely used by her supporters, hence the title. Randall then lists tips to help you cast your vote ([[#How to help|see table below]]) suggesting a personal investment in the election. Clinton herself may be represented by [[Blondie]] sitting on top of the H looking out at the reader as the only of the 11 characters. The only type of joke in the comic is the chosen characters. Two with weapons flank the left and right side looking out ready to defend against Trump. Both are from earlier comic. Especially [[Ponytail]] with a ray gun (the one she also wielded in [[322: Pix Plz]]). The gun is for melting computers of persons that make snide remarks at women, clearly a reference to {{w|Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations|Donald Trump's sexual harassment of women}} in general and especially to his ''grab them by the pussy'' {{w|Donald Trump and Billy Bush recording|comment}}. [[Cueball]] with his weapon is from [[303: Compiling]]. See more details in the [[#Character gallery|character gallery]] below.

This is the first time Randall has used a comic to directly support a presidential campaign, although he did [https://blog.xkcd.com/2008/01/28/obama/ endorse] {{w|Barack Obama}} in 2008 on his [[Blag]]. He wrote himself later that it was very controversial when he endorsed Obama, but that it was not the most [[388:_Fuck_Grapefruit#Controversy|controversial comic he had published]] at that time. This comic might take that prize now, given that this was one of the most discussed elections up to its time. This is particularly noteworthy outside the US - for example, some European leaders openly opposed Trump, while others supported him. There were also reports and rumors of Russian hackers attempting to influence the election.

Randall's support for Hillary Clinton may have been due in part to Donald Trump {{w|Donald_Trump#Healthcare.2C_education_and_environment|being a prominent}} {{w|climate change denier}}. Randall has published comics opposing climate change denial such as this: [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]], published less than two month before the election, as well as several other [[:Category:Climate change|comics on climate change]]. Also Trump beating Clinton made Randall's [[1313: Regex Golf|regex that matches the last names of elected US presidents but not their opponents]] impossible to update.

All the information on the bottom half of the comic includes sites, numbers, info, etc., current as of 2016, that are intended to help US voters to vote, regardless of whom they vote for. Including this information can assist voters who don't understand the process, don't feel that it's worth it, or feel intimidated or threatened. In general, these sites and numbers were likely included to help boost voter turnout.

The title text, which states that "We can do this" refers to Randall's desire to unite Democratic voters and elect Hillary Clinton to the White House instead of Trump. It is possible to [https://www.lookhuman.com/design/86542-hillary-clinton-we-can-do-it/tshirt buy t-shirts] with the famed {{w|We Can Do It!}} logo from the "Rosie the Riveter" wartime poster, but with Hillary Clinton in the famed position. However this is not quite the same "We can do this" sentence that Randall uses. "We can do this" (or in German, "[https://www.dict.cc/?s=Wir+schaffen+das+%5BAngela+Merkel%5D Wir schaffen das]") was also the catchphrase of the German Chancellor {{w|Angela Merkel}} during the recent influx of refugees from the Syrian War — like Clinton, Merkel was fighting against {{w|Pegida|a populist nativist movement}} that wanted to close the country's borders.

Unfortunately for Randall, these efforts were in vain, as {{w|Donald Trump}} (another populist nativist who wants to close the country's borders) was elected on Tuesday, November 8. This result became a fact less than two week before the first ([[1761: Blame]]) of [[#Sad comics|several sad comics]] that all seemed related to the election of Donal Trump.

===How to help===
The list of things that can help is all about getting people to vote. While Randall is likely to have wanted to boost voter turnout regardless of political leanings, it's clear from his endorsement of Clinton that he believed increased turnout would have helped her win the race. There is general evidence that certain more heavily Democratic-leaning demographics are less likely to vote, and in this election in particular, the various political issues that had been raised against Hillary (such as the {{w|Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI's}} public disclosures of its investigation into her use of a private email server) were shown to have reduced enthusiasm among Democrats. But all these issues aside, both Republicans and Democrats alike agree on encouraging everyone to vote, and Randall is likely to have agreed with that sentiment as well.

Here is Randall's list of suggestions for how to help Hillary Clinton win the election:
{|class="wikitable"
!What to do
!How to do it
!Explanation
|-
|Vote
|[https://iwillvote.com/ iwillvote.com]
|A site to look up polling locations, ID requirements, etc.
|-
|Get a ride to the polls:
|[http://www.drive2vote.org/ drive2vote.org]
|For voters in Douglas and Sarpy County, Nebraska, who needed a ride to the polls from {{w|Warren Buffett}} or his friends.
|-
|If you're having problems voting
|[http://www.866ourvote.org/ 866-OUR-VOTE]
|Racism or other biases on the part of people running polling places is a real issue for minorities. Though it is illegal, people may lie or deny rights to would-be-voters who they believe will not vote for the candidate they agree with. In some instances, voters may require backup from someone with legal understanding to get to vote, which is a service this phone number provides. Since Donald Trump has suggested that unofficial {{w|poll watchers}} should patrol voting stations - which has been described as potential [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/05/election-day-violence-donald-trump-poll-watchers voter intimidation] - this has been an especially widely discussed topic in this election. The phone number written out as numbers is (866) 687-8683
|-
|Experimental social turnout project
|[http://www.civicinnovation.com/ civicinnovation.com] App Store: VoteWithMe
|An app which "gives you a list of the top 10 highest-impact potential voters in your address book to get in touch with -- based on the likelihood that they support progressive candidates, and that they live in states with the most competitive races". This app is for Android and iOS, with the App Store ID as "VoteWithMe". The "VoteWithMe" app is created by Civic Innovation Works and "uses publicly available voter records to predict which of your contacts are likely to support Democratic candidates, but might not have a plan to vote", as it says on its [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/votewithme/id1170104517/ App Store Page].
|-
|Reminder:
|If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote.
|This is correct, as is printed on most election pamphlets as part of the ''Voters' Bill of Rights'', as well as being cited on numerous sources online (eg [http://votersedge.kqed.org/en/ca/ballot/election/area/42/section/voting-info?id=statewide-42-ca#section-my-rights-as-a-voter here].) Being turned down for trying to vote after the polling place is officially closed (if you were already in line ''when'' the polls closed) might be an instance where you want to use the phone number mentioned above.
|}

===Character gallery===
The comic show a gallery of 11 xkcd characters including all the main characters from xkcd (except [[Hairy]]), which stand united behind Randall and Clinton despite their lack of agreement in many other comics.

*From left to right on the left side of the H are: 
**[[Ponytail]] with a ray gun (the one she also wielded in [[322: Pix Plz]], a comic where she was named Joanna). The gun it for melting computers of persons that make snide remarks at women, clearly a reference to {{w|Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations|Donald Trump's sexual harassment of women}} in general and especially to his Grab Pussy comment.
**[[Black Hat]] (who was the one introducing Joanna/Ponytail in the mentioned comic)
**[[Danish]] (Black Hat's girlfriend setting up a kite for him, although it could be Megan, but she is also shown later with her regular shorter hair). However it has mainly been Megan in comics with kites, like [[235: Kite]] and [[1614: Kites]]. Kites are a [[:Category:Kites|recurring theme]] on xkcd.
**[[White Hat]] looking at the kite.
*On top of the H are:
**[[Blondie]] (looking out at us, maybe representing Clinton herself)
**[[Megan]] (next to Cueball)
**[[Cueball]] (forming the standard couple in xkcd with Megan)
**[[Hairbun]] with glasses (so specifically not the one from the previous comic [[1755: Old Days]], but rather like in [[1637: Salt Mine]]).
*On the right side of the H are:
**[[Science Girl]] (The adult version of her, is holding her hand out towards a cute squirrel. Of course she could also be the girl from [[635: Locke and Demosthenes]] where the squirrel is poisoned...)
**[[Beret Guy]] is holding a squirrel out towards Science Girl. (The first time squirrels was mentioned was actually when Beret Guy found them in a tree in [[167: Nihilism]] and since then they have become a [[:Category:Squirrels|recurring theme]] on xkcd and a similar squirrel can for instance be seen in [[1503: Squirrel Plan]]. Beret Guy has not been seen together with a squirrel before, but has been shown to care for animals, for instance in [[614: Woodpecker]]).
**[[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|Another Cueball]] is standing on an office chair wielding a sword as he was shown in [[303: Compiling]]. (Interestingly enough the previous comic [[1755: Old Days]] was about Cueball asking Hairbun about {{w|compiling}} in the old days. Seems realistic that Randall has this comic ready for this Monday before the election for some time, and when finding this 9 year old version of Cueball in the old comics, he may have gotten inspired to make a comic about compiling in the old days).

Note that the two characters at either side of the comic wields weapons pointing out defending the other nine. Those next to the characters with weapons are doing recreational things like kiting and admiring adorable squirrels, both are recurring subjects in xkcd.

==Transcript==
:[Eleven characters are drawn left, right and on top of a huge H with an arrow as the horizontal bar connecting the two vertical towers. The arrow breaks the right part of the H. It represents the logo from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign for 2016. From left to right on the left side of the H are Ponytail with an exotic looking futuristic ray gun like weapon looking to the left away from the H and the others. Behind her is Black Hat who looks at a girl that might be Danish or Megan (but with longer hair than Megan typically has). She is setting up a kite that flies above the first two characters. Behind her and looking up at the kite is White Hat. The H is right behind him, and on top of the left tower of the H sits Blondie looking straight out at the reader with her legs dangling over the edge and her arms resting on her knees. On the arrow between the two H towers sits Megan leaning against the left H tower, also dangling her legs over the edge and arms resting on her knees. Cueball is standing to her right, just left of the right H tower. On top of the right H towers sits Hairbun with glasses looking straight right with her legs dangling over the edge one arm resting on a knee and leaning back on the other arm. On the right side of the H is an adult version of Science Girl holding a hand out towards the squirrel which Beret Guy is holding out in both arms towards her. Behind them is another Cueball standing on an office chair holding a sword high up in front of him to the right away from the others. He keeps his balance by holding his other arm out behind him. Below the H there is a large caption.]
:<big><big><big>H</big></big></big>
: <big><big>I'm with her.</big></big>

:[Below the panel there are several lines of text. The first header line refers to the next four lines with solutions to problems, title/problem on one side then a long dash and the web-link or other information on the right side of that. Below those there is a reminder.]
:<big>How to help</big>
:Vote - iwillvote.com
:Get a ride to the polls - drive2vote.org
:If you're having problems voting - 866-OUR-VOTE
:Experimental social turnout project - civicinnovation.com App Store: VoteWithMe

:<big>Reminder:</big>
:If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote.

==Trivia==
*Despite securing more votes, Hillary Clinton lost the election in the {{w|Electoral college (United States)|electoral college}}.
**She did win in {{w|Massachusetts}} (Randall's home state), but that was never really in any doubt.
*The fact that Trump was elected instead is likely the reason for several comics with a bad mood released after this and until at least just past the day Trump was inaugurated. See [[#Sad comics|below]].

===Sad comics===
{{incomplete|It is debated wether this section is irrelevant to this comic! Should it have its own page, since it is clearly a trend that Randall posts sad/negative or even "scared" comics. And there should be a place for this list.}}



*After this comic there have been a clear trend that '''[[Randall]] has had sad thoughts''' after the {{w|United States presidential election, 2016|election}} of Trump.
**Over the next few months after the election (at least up till just after Donald Trump’s {{w|Inauguration of Donald Trump|inauguration}}) Randall has posted (at least) five comics that could be interpreted as him being sad/angry or that people around him are acting in such a way.
*Not since Randall's wife's [[:Category:Cancer|cancer diagnosis]] has there been so many sad/negative or depressing comics.
**During a two year span there where only five decidedly sad Cancer comics.
**There has now been more "sad" comics in a little more than three months (November 18th 2016 to February 24th 2017), and they continued longer.
***As a comparison the year before the first sad comic there where no really sad, and only one (for real) scary comic: [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]].
***That comic has just been made more scary as it now seems the doing nothing is no longer the worst case scenario given That Randall did not expect Trump to win. And his policy of denying climate change, will probably make it even worse than if we did nothing.
***So this is another good reason why Randall would begin to post sad comics after the election. He is likely really scared the climate will be beyond saving once Trump leaves office. And it may be for a good reason. See about the comic [[#Sad|Sad]] below from after Trump became president.
**Hopefully Randall is not so depressed for real as the comics below could suggest.
*Note that none of these sad comics, also including this one, directly mentions Trump at all.
**But this comic indirectly references him as the opponent of the one Randall is with, and all the other comics could be interpreted as being about something that could have come about because of this election result.
**But the connection is not only inferred from the mood. Three comics where released close to some important day on Donald Trump's way to becoming president and another was the New Year comic, thus representing going into the year where Trump actually becomes president. And the fifth was during the days when the first executive order of Trump was overruled (see more below under [[#Focus Knob|Focus Knob]])).
*If more related comics appears they can be listed here below. Then update the above section regarding dates and number of comics.
**They are collected here since these comics are not easily collected under a specific category.
**Also since the connection to Trump and the election is circumstantial in the sad comics, this trivia has been put on this comics page. Though this is not in it self one of the really sad comics, this comic definitely relates to Trump and Randall's stance regarding him becoming president.
*Here below follows a list of the comics related to these sad comics.
**Relations (if any) between the release day and the comics will also be listed.
**The links points here below to an explanation why each comic is listed here:
*[[#I'm With Her|I'm With Her]] (not one of the sad, thus not numbered)
#[[#Blame|Blame]]
#[[#Negativity|Negativity]]
#[[#2017|2017]]
#[[#Sad|Sad]]
#[[#Focus Knob|Focus Knob]]
#[[#Phone|Phone]]
#[[#Location Reviews|Location Reviews]]
#[[#Vomiting Emoji|Vomiting Emoji]]
#[[#Flag|Flag]]
#[[#Security Advice]]

====I'm With Her====
*[[1756: I'm With Her]] (This comic)
**2016-11-07: The day before the election:
***It all began when Randall urged his American viewership to vote in the election the day after this comic was released.
***Here he clearly showed his {{w|Political endorsement|endorsement}} for {{w|Hillary Clinton}}, the {{w|US Democratic Party|Democratic}} nominee in the election.
***Although this is not directly sad, he included two weapon carrying defenders on either side of the comic.
***One of these was [[Ponytail]] with a ray gun (the one she also wielded in [[322: Pix Plz]]). The gun is for melting computers of persons that make snide remarks at women, clearly a reference to {{w|Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations|Donald Trump's sexual harassment of women}} in general and especially to his ''grab them by the pussy'' {{w|Donald Trump and Billy Bush recording|comment}}.
***Randall has often made comics against women harassment before (see for a great example in [[1027: Pickup Artist]]).

====Blame====
*[[1761: Blame]]
**2016-11-18: Ten days after the election.
***This is the first really sad comic in which [[Cueball]] actually begins by stating that: ''I feel sad!'' a clear relation to [[1790: Sad]] (the fourth sad comic after I'm With Her, see below).
***This is likely due to all the angry and scared comments of Cueball’s Facebook friends, and he thus decides to blame them rather than what they are angry about.
***It took some days before Randall posted anything that could be said to have relation to the election, but the defeat of Hillary may have taken some time to digest.
***Also the reactions to Trump’s victory on Facebook needed to build up over time before this comic.
***Furthermore there was also some uncertainty to begin with if some states would call for a re-vote etc.
***Still it was only the fifth comic after his campaign for Hillary failed.

====Negativity====
*[[1773: Negativity]]
**2016-12-16: Three days before the {{w|U.S. Electoral College}} voted for {{w|Donald Trump}} to become the 45th president of the United States.
***The first comic with a really negative title. (Like ''Sad'' (see below), although ''Blame'' is of course a negatively loaded word, the comic did not need to be so sad as it was).
***This comic and ''Blame'' could be seen as a small series as Cueball blames his friends on Facebook in the first comic, and then goes outside to avoid all the negativity online in the second, probably worsened for him after he blamed his Facebook friends because: ''Bad thing are happening''.
***Only it does not work because even the grass is after him.
***At the time of the comics release there was still some rumors/hopes that the {{w|Faithless electors in the United States presidential election, 2016|some of the electors would not vote for Trump}}. (But only two changed away from Trump!)

====2017====
*[[1779: 2017]]
**2016-12-30: The [[:Category:New Year|New Year comic]] – a transition to the year when Donald Trump would become president.
***Even the comic "celebrating" New Year was depressive and it was the first time that a New Year comic had such a depressive mood.
***Cueball and [[Megan]] discuss if 2016 could end up as having been better than 2017 since all the bad thing happening in 2016 would first really take effect in 2017.
***The biggest of these would be Trump becoming president, but also {{w|Brexit}} and a lot of {{w|2016#Deaths|dead famous people}} would be troublesome. None of these events (or any other specifically bad event of 2016 are cited in the comic).
***Randall tries to make a happy twist by saying that maybe some unexpected good would come in 2017 as most of the sad events (just mentioned) was not expected to happen.
***But hopping for this in the face of what awaits is difficult so he retorts to just hoping ''they'' won’t cancel the {{w|Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017|2017 solar eclipse}}.
***Fearing (for real) that astronomical events like this being canceled would call for you to be very depressed. Of course Randall doesn’t fear for this in real life, but it puts a perspective on the other parts of the comic.
***Although the eclipse will certainly happen on August 21st 2017 Randall may still miss it, even if he is in the right place, as the weather could always be overcast and then ruin the experience.
***So the worry that he will miss it is real and had also been mentioned three years earlier in [[1302: Year in Review]].

====Sad====
*[[1790: Sad]]
**2017-01-25: Five days after Donald Trump’s {{w|Inauguration of Donald Trump|inauguration}}.
***This was the comic that sparked this section, with the title really being ''[[#Sad comics|Sad]]''.
***The title "Sad" is a common interjection in Trump's tweets. The time-frame of "the past few months" from the first panel is consistent with this, as the election was on November 8, 2016, and the comic was posted on January 25, 2017 four days after Donald Trump's inauguration as 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017.
***This was only the second comic released after the inauguration the Friday before this comics Wednesday release.
***Although it could be said that Trump first took office Monday (before this Wednesday comic) he already began signing {{w|Decree|decrees}} (or {{w|Executive order|executive orders}}) on Friday January 20th {{w|First_100_days_of_Donald_Trump's_presidency#Immediate_regulatory_freeze_pending_review|within a few hours}} after becoming president.
****{{w|First_100_days_of_Donald_Trump's_presidency#Policy|Most of these}} would make it even worse for those already sad about him becoming president, because they could now see that he really meant all the things he promised (which is not always the case in politics!)
****Up to the day this comic was released (January 25th) it would already be drastic things like the {{w|First_100_days_of_Donald_Trump's_presidency#Mexican_border_wall|Mexican border wall}} (on the day of the comics release), the {{w|First_100_days_of_Donald_Trump's_presidency#Withdrawal_of_Affordable_Care_Act|withdrawal of Affordable Care Act}}, the approval of the {{w|First_100_days_of_Donald_Trump's_presidency#Dakota_Access_and_the_Keystone_XL_pipelines|Dakota Access and the Keystone XL pipelines}} (which would be troublesome for an [[:Category:Climate change|environmentalist]] as Randall as {{w|Dakota_Access_Pipeline#Environmental_concerns|both}} {{w|Pipeline_transport#Oil_and_natural_gas|oil pipes}} {{w|Keystone_Pipeline#Environmental_issues|have}} environmental issues) and the {{w|First_100_days_of_Donald_Trump's_presidency#Mexico_City_Policy|Mexico City Policy}} regarding stopping any help to poor women abroad with regards to information or any other way helping with {{w|abortion}}.
****This latter point could be especially troublesome for women like Ponytail (in one of Randall's comics) as it is against {{w|Women's_rights#Abortion|Women's right}}
***The actual reasons for Ponytail's frustrations and depression aren't dwelt on and the focus is on her retreat into video games and the damage it's doing to her work projects.
****The video game she plays is referenced again only seven comics later in [[1797: Stardew Valley]], thus showing this game is on Randall's mind, and that he might be using this to avoid thinking of the things that makes him sad.
****This fits with the [[#Focus Knob|next sad comic]] mentioned below, coming out just before ''Stardew Valley'', where Randall focuses on his e-mail settings rather than the big picture.
***It might appear to be non-political, the reference to {{w|PolitiFact.com|PolitiFact}}, however, makes it clear that she is thinking on politics, and the fact checking of most of Trump's claims
****This is another indication that one of her troubles is Trump's leniency with the truth in both election campaign and after, to the point where lies are now on a daily basis just called {{w|alternative facts}} or {{w|Post-truth_politics#United_States|post-truth}}.
****His statements would often turns out to be ''Pants on Fire!'' on the PolitiFact scale.
****See more on Politifact.com the earlier comic [[1712: Politifact]] from during the election campaign
*****By the way apart from the ''Politifact'' comic and ''I’m with Her'' then the only other direct reference to the election during the {{w|United_States_presidential_election,_2016#General_election_campaign|election campaign}} was in [[1748: Future Archaeology]], where Randall expressed interest in knowing the result of the election in advance.
***Seeing that this comic is about Ponytail being sad, the woman who in the first comic on this list was standing with a weapon to defend herself against condescending men (like Trump) and that one of the first decrees Trump signed, was regarding removal of support for women’s right to abortion abroad, she can see that she still have good reason (especially as a woman) to being sad as she has been these past few months.

====Focus Knob====
*[[1796: Focus Knob]]
**2017-02-08: Less than three weeks after Donald Trump’s inauguration, only six comics after the previous Sad comic.
***Although this comic may look like an easy joke, there is ''panic and existential paralysis'' if you turn your focus more than two thirds towards the big picture (of the world).
****For instance during the days just before this comics release an {{w|Legal_challenges_to_Executive_Order_13769#State_of_Washington_v._Trump|American judge}} (February 3rd) and two days later {{w|Legal_challenges_to_Executive_Order_13769#Proceedings in the Ninth Circuit|several big companies}} went against {{w|Executive Order 13769|Trump's decision}} of banning people from seven countries from entering USA.
****There have thus been many reasons to panic since his inauguration if one follows the news in any way.
***In the comic the detail oriented side is indicated to be a focus on his e-mail settings. But as it was shown already in the next comic [[1797: Stardew Valley]], there are also video games that can help you take your mind of the real world.
****This also relates back to [[#Sad|Sad]] where the same game was mentioned a week before.

====Phone====
*[[1802: Phone]]
**2017-02-22: During the days before this comic, Trump has promised to make a {{w|Executive_Order_13769#Proposed_related_Executive_Order|related Executive Order}} regarding the banning of people from the same seven countries from entering USA, as was ruled illegal around the time of the [[#Focus Knob|last]] of these comics.
***The sadness is not so clear in this comic, but the conclusion in the title text that it is both bad to hear all the scary news and to disconnect in order avoid them seems rather sad. It is a loose/loose situation.
****This also seems related to the problem of finding the right balance mentioned in [[#Focus Knob|Focus Knob]].
***The idea of going for a walk with the phone, thus not avoiding the news feed, is the exact opposite idea of [[#Negativity|Negativity]], where going outside was to avoid the negativity on the internet. Neither of the idea seems to work.

====Location Reviews====
*[[1803: Location Reviews]]
**2017-02-24: Second comic in a row, this one could be a reaction to the cold relationship between Russia and the United States, that became worse a few weeks before this comic.
***Two weeks prior to this comics release [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/world/europe/russia-cruise-missile-arms-control-treaty.html?_r=0 Russia Deploys Missile, Violating Treaty and Challenging Trump].
***In this comic a Nuclear Launch Facility is reviewed on a Google Map and the last of the reviewers pleads ''Please don't launch these''. Another notices the lack of security as there is a hole in the fence. (See more in the [[1803:_Location_Reviews#Reviews|reviews explanation]] and [[1803:_Location_Reviews#Politics|here]]).

====Vomiting Emoji====
*[[1813: Vomiting Emoji]]
**2017-03-20: The day of this comics release [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/20/public-editor/trump-russia-fbi-liz-spayd-public-editor.html?_r=0 stories] about Trump's connection with Russia and the word treason was mentioned, and the stories got [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/23/opinion/theres-a-smell-of-treason-in-the-air.html worse] during the week that followed.
***In this comic six vomiting emoji has been created. Most of them can be connected to the situation in USA.
***A vomiting cowboy, could represents the Americans that votes for Trump but now has regretted it.
***Vomiting Statue of Liberty speaks for it self...
***Vomiting peace dove a clear reference to the fear of Nuclear War, as is the rocket below
***Vomiting Moon, the only one that is not clearly connected in any way with this situation. Although Randall has expressed fear that the moon will be gone before the Eclipse this summer, see [[#2017|above]].
***Vomiting rocket ship, see peace dove above.
***Vomiting Hand, could be a reference to the way Trump always holds up his hand in a special way, which is likely to cause nausea in those that really detest what he stands for.

====Flag====
*[[1815: Flag]]
**2017-03-24: On this day {{w|Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act#2017|Trump failed}} to get a vote through for removing/changing {{w|Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|Obamacare}} which was expected. But had it succeeded Randall might have wished for a departure from Trumps states (see below).
***The comic depicts a flag similar in style to the {{w|Flag of the United States|Stars and Stripes}}, and explains he was asked to create it for a new country.
***This seems like a reference to the fact that some have talked about states leaving the USA due to the election of Trump ({{w|California}} for [http://www.yescalifornia.org/ instance]).
***This flag with three stars could thus be Randall's thoughts on this, maybe the three small states in New England; {{w|Massachusetts}}, where he lives, {{w|Connecticut}} and {{w|Rhode Island}} could break free and form their own small state union.

====Security Advice====
*[[1820: Security Advice]]
**2017-04-05: No special event seems related.
***There are two references to what to do when crossing a border, and especially that last tip could be related to the increasing border control caused by Donalt Trumps election:
***''If a border guard asks to examine your laptop, you have a legal right to challenge them to a chess game for your soul.''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Kites]]
[[Category:Squirrels]]

Talk:1816: Mispronunciation

2017-03-27T19:04:18Z

172.68.54.94:

Epitome is an interesting one for me, since I read it phonetically (same as Randal's example), and didn't figure out that "e-pi-tō-mē" and "eppy-tome" were the same word until mid to late teens. I still have to stop myself from reading it wrong when I see it on the page... [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 15:21, 27 March 2017 (UTC)

I think there's another level beyond the obvious, especially in the title text. You're pronouncing the word 'epitome' in whatever way you always have (inside your head), he's making clear that he's not saying it the way you say it.. so how do you read the comic? The sentence only makes sense if you say it aloud, but you can't because you don't know how he's pronouncing it.[[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 16:04, 27 March 2017 (UTC)

Related: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epitome_of_Hyperbole

Shouldn't there be a flap in epitome? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.94|172.68.54.94]] 19:04, 27 March 2017 (UTC)

1811: Best-Tasting Colors

2017-03-17T20:48:21Z

172.68.54.94: /* Table */

{{comic
| number = 1811
| date = March 15, 2017
| title = Best-Tasting Colors
| image = best_tasting_colors.png
| titletext = I recognize that chocolate is its own thing on which reasonable people may differ. Everything else here is objective fact.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Add and fill in a table for the various foods used. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In this comic, [[Randall]] rates colors based on tastiness of various flavors the colors are typically associated with. The colors are sorted, with the highest ranking colors at the top. Within each color, several individual items are placed at points marked by dots along a tastiness X-axis. For example, watermelon is rated as less tasty than cotton candy, within the pink color band.

Several colors contain regions along their axes labeled as "???". It is not clear what the purpose of these is. Perhaps they indicate regions in which Randall is unable to think of any examples, and is inviting the reader to speculate. For instance, are there any pink-colored foods more tasty than watermelon (5.5, on a scale from 1 to 9) but less tasty than cotton candy (8.5)?

A couple of the question marks imply an arbitrary tastiness assigned to a color that is not derived from an actual data point, however. For instance, the only blue datapoint is "blue raspberry", assigned a ranking of 5.5. But the range assigned to blue as a whole is 4 to 8. The regions either side of blue raspberry are labelled with ???.

In the title text, Randall asserts that his rankings of colors and flavors are indisputable (with the exception of chocolate). This is a jab at the reception of his previous comic [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]], a comic ranking fruits based on their tastiness which Randall claims is the most controversial piece he has ever published.

===Table===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col"| Color
! scope="col"| Item
! scope="col"| Explanation
! scope="col"| Rating (Approx.)
|-
|Pink
|Cotton Candy
|Randall seems to like cotton candy. This treat is sold in many places, most notably carnivals.
|95%
|-
|Pink
|Watermelon
| Watermelon is used as a processed candy flavoring, especially in hard candies, and is usually very sweet and pink in color. It is made of 95 percent actual water.
|63%
|-
|Red
|Strawberry
|Strawberries are a red, seeded fruit which are usually sweet and red. They are of relatively small size.
|93%
|-
|Red
|Cherry
|Cherries are red fruits that are normally very tart in taste.
|86%
|-
|Red
|Raspberry
|Raspberries are reddish-pink fruits (though Randall lists them under red) that are in the more tart section of fruits.
|55%
|-
|Blue
|Blue Raspberry
|Rare in pure form, blue raspberries are, well, self-descriptive. Most prominent in being used as a popular frozen drink flavor (alongside cherry).
|57%
|-
|Green
|Green Apple
|Green apples are usually more sweet than red apples, which are not listed, and are Randall's favorite apple. He mentioned a dislike for red apples in his what if? Blog
|84%
|-
|Green
|Watermelon (Rind?)
| While the red part of a watermelon and the pink watermelon flavoring used in candy are widely eaten and sweet, the green rind is hard and not normally eaten.
|60%
|-
|Green
|Mint
|
|38%
|-
|Green
|Lime
|Limes are a green, sour fruit sharing many traits with lemons. These are rarely eaten as fruit, but can be served with water or beer.
|31%
|-
|Green
|Pistachio
|Pistachios are green nuts. Randall seems unsure of where to place these on the chart.
|47% to 70%
|-
|White
|Vanilla
|Randall is likely playing with expectations here. Vanilla and vanilla bean are both dark brown, not white. But vanilla ice cream is white thanks to the cream, milk, and sugar used in its creation. The brown is nearly invisible in the ice cream, either as vanilla extract mixed in or as minute flakes of vanilla bean in exceptional vanilla ice creams.
|65%
|-
|White
|White Chocolate
|White chocolate is disliked by many people who assert that it is "not real chocolate" because it contains no cocoa solids and is mainly cocoa butter and sugar.
|19%
|-
|Brown
|Caramel
|Caramel is a liquid-like substance usually drizzled on desserts. "Caramel" can also refer to the coloring. Randall seems to enjoy caramel less than many people.
|19%
|-
|Brown
|Coffee
|While widely enjoyed by many people, coffee is actually a very bitter beverage (or bean, still bitter). Most people add sugars and cream to their coffee (or cover the beans in chocolate) to make it palatable. Clearly Randall does not like black coffee (coffee with no sweeteners or additives)
|5%
|-
|Brown
|Chocolate
|Chocolate is given a very wide range. While widely recognized as a classic candy, containing the chemical {{w|phenylethylamine}} which literally makes the human brain happier, there are also very staunch and not rare people who clearly and adamantly don't like it. There are also many varieties of chocolate with varying degrees of sweetness -- and, not coincidentally, colors to help differentiate them. Randall deems the whole situation too complex to assign to only one data point.
|38% to 86%. (range of text area)
|-
|Orange
|Creamsicle
|Orange creamsicle is an ice pop sold by popsicle. It is known as a favorite among the popsicle lineup.
|47%
|-
|Orange
|Orange
|Oranges are round fruits similar in size to an apple. Randall appears to dislike oranges, maybe because of their slightly sour flavoring or the difficulty of opening one up.
|25%
|-
|Yellow
|Popcorn?!
|Popcorn is a very popular food item, but not for its flavor. By itself it has nearly no flavor, and the usual toppings of salt and butter are some of the most basic cravings the human tongue asks for.
|5%
|-
|Yellow
|Lemon
|Lemons by themselves have a very strong sour flavor. Many people, apparently including Randall, do not like this taste raw or on its own, though some do. To make lemons appealing to those who don't like very sour things, they are instead added as ingredients in a much larger dish, often with sugar added to balance the sourness.
|27%
|-
|Purple
|Grape
|Randall apparently does not like Concord grapes, a small, oval-like fruit. He did not list green grapes, though.
|15%
|-
|Black
|Licorice
|Most Americans tend to find licorice a very unpleasant flavor. It would appear that Randall resides within that majority.
|0.1%
|}

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

:Best-Tasting Colors
:[A scale from "bad" to "good"]
:1. Pink - watermelon, ???, cotton candy
:2. Red - raspberry, cherry, strawberry
:3. Blue - ???, blue raspberry, ???
:4. Green - lime, mint, pistachio??, watermelon, green apple
:5. White - ???, white chocolate, ???, vanilla, ???
:6. Brown - coffee, caramel ? [However you feel about chocolate] ?
:7. Orange - orange, creamsicle
:8. Yellow - popcorn?!, lemon
:9. Purple - grape
:10. Black - licorice

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]

842: Mark

2017-02-19T18:43:05Z

172.68.54.94:

{{comic
| number = 842
| date = January 3, 2011
| title = Mark
| image = mark.png
| titletext = I'm a solipsistic conspiracy theorist. I'm sure I must be up to something, and I will not stop until I find out what.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Science Girl]] asks [[Cueball]] about a mark on his arm. He apparently believes he is part of a secret society, so secret that he doesn't know anything about the society. His belief in the existence of the society, and that he is a part of it, stem from one contact with an 'agent'. Most people would immediately dismiss the idea of such a secret society, especially with no evidence of its existence, and no knowledge of the goals or even whether it is inherently good or evil.

Six years after being 'chosen', Cueball finds the scrap of paper with an address on, and the can of {{w|kerosene}}. Both of these events are not unlikely, and easily explained as simple coincidences, but Cueball somehow sees this as a command that he must burn down the house. Cueball shows that he is willing to put other peoples lives at risk, destroy property and possessions, and face the possibility of prison all because of one event six years prior.

Cueball's belief in the society, his delusional linking of the address and kerosene, and his actions in burning down the house, show how badly he wants to be part of something bigger, and to find meaning in the "Chaos of Life".

The punchline refers to an old grade school/middle school prank (Urban Dictionary: [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pen15+club pen 15 club], [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pen15 Pen 15].) You'd typically walk up to an unsuspecting schoolmate and ask him if he wants to join the Pen Fifteen club. You'd tell him that to join, you merely have to write the club name on him. You'd then write "PEN15" on his hand or arm, and everyone would laugh at him because it looks like "PENIS". (In a common variant, it is simply called the Pen Club, 15 is the victim's "member number", and the pranksters write "PEN13" and "PEN14" on themselves.) In this case, [[Cueball]] fell victim to this prank as a child without ever figuring out the joke.

As for the title text, {{w|solipsism}} is the philosophical idea that only your own mind is sure to exist while other minds can't be really known and so those other minds are not proved to be real.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and science girl are talking.]
:Science girl: What's that on your arm?
:Cueball: The mark of a secret society.

:Science girl: If it's secret, why tell me-
:Cueball: Because I know nothing. I can't betray them because I don't know who they are. I was chosen by an agent 20 years ago. That was my first and last direct contact. It's safer that way.

:Six years later I found a piece of paper in the street with an address on it. The next day I found a can of kerosene in my garage that I'm sure I never bought.
:[The panel represents these actions by highlighting the mentioned objects in a world of gray.]

:I didn't know whose house it was. I just knew that I'd been given my orders. And I carried them out.
:[A dark figure is silhouetted against a flame.]

:Cueball: I don't know who or what we're fighting.
:Cueball: Maybe we're the bad guys.
:Cueball: It doesn't matter to me.

:Cueball: It's enough to know that there are forces working beneath the chaos of life, and I'm a ''part'' of them.

:Cueball: That whatever this "pen fifteen" club is,
:Cueball: I'm ''in'' it.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Penis]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]

842: Mark

2017-02-19T18:41:10Z

172.68.54.94:

842: Mark

2017-02-19T18:39:35Z

172.68.54.94:

{{comic
| number = 842
| date = January 3, 2011
| title = Mark
| image = mark.png
| titletext = I'm a solipsistic conspiracy theorist. I'm sure I must be up to something, and I will not stop until I find out what.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Science girl]] asks [[Cueball]] about a mark on his arm. He apparently believes he is part of a secret society, so secret that he doesn't know anything about the society. His belief in the existence of the society, and that he is a part of it, stem from one contact with an 'agent'. Most people would immediately dismiss the idea of such a secret society, especially with no evidence of its existence, and no knowledge of the goals or even whether it is inherently good or evil.

Six years after being 'chosen', Cueball finds the scrap of paper with an address on, and the can of {{w|kerosene}}. Both of these events are not unlikely, and easily explained as simple coincidences, but Cueball somehow sees this as a command that he must burn down the house. Cueball shows that he is willing to put other peoples lives at risk, destroy property and possessions, and face the possibility of prison all because of one event six years prior.

Cueball's belief in the society, his delusional linking of the address and kerosene, and his actions in burning down the house, show how badly he wants to be part of something bigger, and to find meaning in the "Chaos of Life".

The punchline refers to an old grade school/middle school prank (Urban Dictionary: [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pen15+club pen 15 club], [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pen15 Pen 15].) You'd typically walk up to an unsuspecting schoolmate and ask him if he wants to join the Pen Fifteen club. You'd tell him that to join, you merely have to write the club name on him. You'd then write "PEN15" on his hand or arm, and everyone would laugh at him because it looks like "PENIS". (In a common variant, it is simply called the Pen Club, 15 is the victim's "member number", and the pranksters write "PEN13" and "PEN14" on themselves.) In this case, [[Cueball]] fell victim to this prank as a child without ever figuring out the joke.

As for the title text, {{w|solipsism}} is the philosophical idea that only your own mind is sure to exist while other minds can't be really known and so those other minds are not proved to be real.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and science girl are talking.]
:Science girl: What's that on your arm?
:Cueball: The mark of a secret society.

:Science girl: If it's secret, why tell me-
:Cueball: Because I know nothing. I can't betray them because I don't know who they are. I was chosen by an agent 20 years ago. That was my first and last direct contact. It's safer that way.

:Six years later I found a piece of paper in the street with an address on it. The next day I found a can of kerosene in my garage that I'm sure I never bought.
:[The panel represents these actions by highlighting the mentioned objects in a world of gray.]

:I didn't know whose house it was. I just knew that I'd been given my orders. And I carried them out.
:[A dark figure is silhouetted against a flame.]

:Cueball: I don't know who or what we're fighting.
:Cueball: Maybe we're the bad guys.
:Cueball: It doesn't matter to me.

:Cueball: It's enough to know that there are forces working beneath the chaos of life, and I'm a ''part'' of them.

:Cueball: That whatever this "pen fifteen" club is,
:Cueball: I'm ''in'' it.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Penis]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science girl]]

Talk:1790: Sad

2017-01-26T18:35:16Z

172.68.54.94:

My first instinct is that Ponytail is feeling despondent about politics. I am reading too much of myself into it? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.72|172.68.65.72]] 17:25, 25 January 2017 (UTC)
: The title ("Sad" - a common interjection in Trump's tweets) strengthens this argument. {{unsigned ip|162.158.58.129}}
:: As does this being a problem that's been going on for the past few months. Contrary to what the explanation says, a programmer creating functions that don't do anything but return the same data back is not 'semi-common in regular life'. That and the title clearly indicate that this is about more than a programmer subverting complaints about their work. Something very bad is going on that has Ponytail, who also just happens to be a woman, depressed and angry. The election seems like the obvious thing. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.28}}
::: My reaction was based on the "Fact Check" reference, which is largely used in politics. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.72|172.68.65.72]] 18:01, 25 January 2017 (UTC)
Could "sad" could also refer to the medical term "[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder Seasonal Affective Disorder]", a condition where people feel depressed during the winter as a result of getting too little sunlight? [[User:Mr. I|Mr. I]] ([[User talk:Mr. I|talk]]) 20:05, 25 January 2017 (UTC)
: I would have expected it to be in all caps if that were the case [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.72|172.68.65.72]] 20:42, 25 January 2017 (UTC)
::Well in principle it is written in all caps on xkcd, but that is because of the font. If you copy paste the title it does come out Sad. But if you read it on xkcd you would see it as SAD. That is why we have this site to clarify. She (or rather Randall) is really sad, and with the way Trump is going to ruin the US for over half the population many will be really sad. Horrible what he has already started within a week of his inauguration, and with Randall obviously feeling like this too, and even living under him (not like us foreigners) then he is very likely sad. :-( --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:56, 26 January 2017 (UTC)
: If it is about politics, I wish Randall would get back to writing entertaining comics instead of siding with the socialist communist America-hating democrats. Politics has ruined too much of popular culture without xkcd falling into that trap too.

It is not really true that "side effects" in this context are "unexpected, unintended, and typically unwanted..." A side effect in functional terms is simply an effect other than on the output of the function. As the linked wikipedia article explains, these are very common and typically (but not always) how a program interacts with the outside world. In a pure functional language functions do not have side effects. Ponytail's job may or may not be (but probably isn't) to avoid side effects at all costs. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.24|141.101.107.24]] 21:23, 25 January 2017 (UTC)

Having just been through a break up recently (and the resulting sadness that eventuates) I identified with the "No, you deal with this" as a classic response to "If you have a problem with what I did, deal with it." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.178.27|162.158.178.27]] 02:00, 26 January 2017 (UTC)
: Even without suffering a break up I came to the same connection and interpret the whole comic in that way. Tbh I don't see any connection to Trump's inauguration at all. But I'm not from the USA, and I understand the arguments leading to this conclusion. Yet I think it could be inserted as an alternative interpretation. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 09:09, 26 January 2017 (UTC)
::For sure it is that which caused this. See my comment above, and the other Sad after Trumps election comic in the trivia. (And his [[I'm With Her]] comic). But a break-up also makes you sad, so if that is easier to relate to then this comic could also be for such a person. I do not live in the states but I'm sad because now we end up in a worse than current path scenario from the very bottom of the [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]] comic. I would not be surprised if this election result will cause all ice to melt on Greenland very soon with devastating effect for Europe (because the Gulf stream may stop, so the "heat up" could case ice winters in Europe and cold summers) and many other places due to higher sea levels and wilder weather to boot. Sad? maybe, scared? for sure. We are not talking centuries, and maybe not even many decades the way things are going already and now Trump will make it worse by trying to stop scientist talking about their results and making oil lines through protected/fragile nature areas. (Not to talk about the wall or women's rights etc. etc. etc.) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:56, 26 January 2017 (UTC)

859: (

2016-12-22T14:53:59Z

172.68.54.94:

{{comic
| number = 859
| date = February 11, 2011
| title = (
| image = (.png
| titletext = Brains aside, I wonder how many poorly-written xkcd.com-parsing scripts will break on this title (or ;;"'<nowiki/>'{<<[' this mouseover text."
}}

== Explanation ==

(In programming, punctuation is often used to mark sections of code. Paired punctuation marks must always be matched up with a corresponding closing mark, otherwise a so-called {{w|syntax error}} occurs. The programming language {{w|Lisp_(programming_language)|Lisp}} (also featured in [[224: Lisp]]) is known for large numbers of nested/paired parentheses. Even in literary works intended only for human consumption, the absence of a matching closing parenthesis (as appears in this sentence or other "balanced" punctuation sets creates a mental expectation of eventual closure and completion that remains unfulfilled even long after the unmatched mark is encountered. [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SelfDemonstratingArticle See what I mean?]

There is also reference to [[312: With Apologies to Robert Frost]] which could contain the missing parentheses.

It can also be interpreted as a {{w|metaphor}}, which compares the reader with a Lisp {{w|Interpreter (Computing)|interpreter}}. The interpreter looks for the parenthesis until the end of the file, where it eventually halts, and prints out the error. The comic claims that if you read an unmatched parenthesis, you will look for it for the rest of the day too.

It also refers to this awkward feeling when you see something (like an unmatched parentheses, speling error or a randomly-placed, comma.

The title text refers to the same issue as already highlighted in [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]: if your scripts trust external input, you sometimes will be surprised. At the time of this comic, there were quite a few websites that would grab the xkcd comic three times a week and publish them on their own site. This comic likely broke at least some of the websites because of either the unmatched brace or the extra unmatched markup that is in the title text.

==Transcript==
:[A frame with only text.]
:(An unmatched left parenthesis creates an unresolved tension that will stay with you all day.

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