explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2761: 1-to-1 Scale

2023-04-13T22:40:13Z

172.69.22.74:

{{comic
| number = 2761
| date = April 10, 2023
| title = 1-to-1 Scale
| image = 1_to_1_scale_2x.png
| imagesize = 444x281px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = There's a version that shows the planets with no cropping, but it's hard to find a display that supports it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DISPLAY THAT SUPPORTS THE PLANETS WITH NO CROPPING - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is implied to be a part of a huge diagram that shows each of the eight planets at real size (as seen by the ant on Earth's surface). Each planet is represented by a circle thousands of kilometers in diameter. However, the planets have been awkwardly placed in an extremely tight circle, so that all eight planets touch (or nearly touch) a tiny central area of "space" a few inches large. This comic shows a fraction of this diagram, cropped so that we see this area of "space" and a little of the edge of each planet intentionally arranged next to it.

The joke of this comic appears to be that when planets are indeed displayed at a 1:1 scale, it is almost impossible to tell their relative sizes, even when the image technically shows (part of) each of the planets

The reason why each planet's circular border appears straight is because it's such a small area of each planet: you're only seeing a couple of square inches of the surface of each of the planets, and even though they are all round, the curvature would be invisible on this scale. The four gas giants are completely smooth, whereas the four rocky planets display features, most notably on Earth where grass and an ant are visible.

That it cannot have been an image of the real planets aligning is clear, as Mercury can be shown to be in front of Jupiter (implying that the latter is in the part of its orbit on the far side of the Sun from the viewer), yet Jupiter obscures Earth (which necessitates that it be in the arc of orbit ''nearest'' any given observer). In the title text it is made clear that this is just a small part of a larger drawing, so this is not an image taken from far away – they are only placed this way for scale.

The title text remarks that it is hard to find a display that supports a version of the image without cropping. This is because a true 1:1 scale image showing all of the planets would be at least as big as the largest one, Jupiter - far larger than any monitor or display currently available[https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1164/how-big-is-the-solar-system/]. Furthermore, the amount of video memory that a graphics card would need to have in order to output to such a display, even as a 1-bit-per-pixel-image (i.e., all pixels are either black or white), is well beyond the capabilities of any graphic card that exists today.{{cn}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|The main panel itself is missing explanation. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[A frame with a central area of black 'space', bounded at various intersecting angles by eight 'straight lines' representing planetary surfaces, originating from various out-of-frame angles of 'down' and the white of some bodies obscuring some part of the others.]
:[There are labels indicating which line represents each planet.]
:[The four gas-giants' lines are simply drawn, near straight and featureless.]
:[The lines for the rocky inner-planets have variations to them, stereotypical of some part of their surface.]
:[The "Earth" line ('down' being out the top of the frame) has a profile indicating various small-scale vegetation and also features the white sillouette of an ant that may be of a realistic size for your display.]
:[Caption below the panel:]
:The solar system's planets at 1:1 scale

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: Space]]
[[Category:Comics_with_inverted_brightness]]

2761: 1-to-1 Scale

2023-04-13T22:39:29Z

172.69.22.74: Rephrased the main explanation to make it clearer

{{comic
| number = 2761
| date = April 10, 2023
| title = 1-to-1 Scale
| image = 1_to_1_scale_2x.png
| imagesize = 444x281px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = There's a version that shows the planets with no cropping, but it's hard to find a display that supports it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DISPLAY THAT SUPPORTS THE PLANETS WITH NO CROPPING - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is implied to be a part of a huge diagram that shows each of the eight planets at real size (as seen by the ant on Earth's surface). Each planet is represented by a circle thousands of kilometers in diameter. However, the planets have been arranged awkwardly placed in an extremely tight circle, so that all eight planets touch (or nearly touch) a tiny central area of "space" a few inches large. This comic shows a fraction of this diagram, cropped so that we see this area of "space" and a little of the edge of each planet intentionally arranged next to it.

The joke of this comic appears to be that when planets are indeed displayed at a 1:1 scale, it is almost impossible to tell their relative sizes, even when the image technically shows (part of) each of the planets

The reason why each planet's circular border appears straight is because it's such a small area of each planet: you're only seeing a couple of square inches of the surface of each of the planets, and even though they are all round, the curvature would be invisible on this scale. The four gas giants are completely smooth, whereas the four rocky planets display features, most notably on Earth where grass and an ant are visible.

That it cannot have been an image of the real planets aligning is clear, as Mercury can be shown to be in front of Jupiter (implying that the latter is in the part of its orbit on the far side of the Sun from the viewer), yet Jupiter obscures Earth (which necessitates that it be in the arc of orbit ''nearest'' any given observer). In the title text it is made clear that this is just a small part of a larger drawing, so this is not an image taken from far away – they are only placed this way for scale.

The title text remarks that it is hard to find a display that supports a version of the image without cropping. This is because a true 1:1 scale image showing all of the planets would be at least as big as the largest one, Jupiter - far larger than any monitor or display currently available[https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1164/how-big-is-the-solar-system/]. Furthermore, the amount of video memory that a graphics card would need to have in order to output to such a display, even as a 1-bit-per-pixel-image (i.e., all pixels are either black or white), is well beyond the capabilities of any graphic card that exists today.{{cn}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|The main panel itself is missing explanation. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[A frame with a central area of black 'space', bounded at various intersecting angles by eight 'straight lines' representing planetary surfaces, originating from various out-of-frame angles of 'down' and the white of some bodies obscuring some part of the others.]
:[There are labels indicating which line represents each planet.]
:[The four gas-giants' lines are simply drawn, near straight and featureless.]
:[The lines for the rocky inner-planets have variations to them, stereotypical of some part of their surface.]
:[The "Earth" line ('down' being out the top of the frame) has a profile indicating various small-scale vegetation and also features the white sillouette of an ant that may be of a realistic size for your display.]
:[Caption below the panel:]
:The solar system's planets at 1:1 scale

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: Space]]
[[Category:Comics_with_inverted_brightness]]

Talk:2623: Goofs

2023-04-10T02:04:16Z

172.69.22.74:

I'm getting a 404 error when I try to go to the comic by number. But it shows up on the main xkcd.com home page. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:39, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
: https://xkcd.com/2623/ works for me. [[User:Sollyucko|Sollyucko]] ([[User talk:Sollyucko|talk]]) 16:52, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

Any New Yorkers here to confirm if there's a harpoon store a few blocks from Union Square? If not, that needs to be listed here as a "goof"... I really do love that line suggesting "harpoon stores" are common enough but the nearest one doesn't have an outdoor display. [[User:Ids1024|Ids1024]] ([[User talk:Ids1024|talk]]) 17:18, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
: Remember that it needs to be a harpoon store that was operating in 2018. I think there was a Whalers Я Us near Union Square before it permanently closed during Covid. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.33|172.71.30.33]] 20:27, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
:: This comment is facetious, right? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.81|108.162.221.81]] 04:38, 24 May 2022 (UTC)

There may not be a store explicitly called a "harpoon store", but there is at least one diving equipment store that has harpoons. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.65|162.158.78.65]] 17:27, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
: Yeah, harpoons might be sold at a store that doesn't exclusively or even primarily only sell harpoons, though that wouldn't necessarily change there not being a source for them at the location of the movie scene, let alone the fact that a store that carried them probably wouldn't have them on an outdoor display rack.--[[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.39|172.69.70.39]] 23:36, 24 May 2022 (UTC)

I'm glad Randall Munroe also hates CinemaSins. [[User:Lordpipe|Lordpipe]] ([[User talk:Lordpipe|talk]]) 17:32, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
:WHERE does he reference CinemaSins? As a fan of both I'd LOVE to see some indication Randall is even aware of CinemaSins, :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:11, 28 May 2022 (UTC)

Nobody tell Randall about [[https://www.moviemistakes.com/]] [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 17:41, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

IMDB is also referenced in: [[2441]], [[155]] (ish), and [[1460]] (in the title text) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.91|172.70.174.91]] 20:34, 23 May 2022 (UTC)Bumpf

Do any Muppets movies contain billboards for themselves? That feels like something a Muppets movie would do. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 20:48, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
:I don't remember any in A Muppets Christmas Carol. But it's been a while since I saw it, so... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.145|172.70.90.145]] 22:13, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

as soon as i saw the "goofs" section of the explanation itself i started wheezing harder than i had at any other explainxkcd page ever. whosoever idea that was, you are a genius --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.34.171|172.70.34.171]] 02:09, 24 May 2022 (UTC)
:I just dropped by to say "Bravo!" to whoever worked on the GOOFS section. (I didn't check the page history.) [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 02:39, 24 May 2022 (UTC)
:: I did check the page history but couldn't figure out who started and added to "Goofs." I agree that the section is genius. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.81|108.162.221.81]] 04:38, 24 May 2022 (UTC)
::: It looks like it was [[User:Kev|Kev]] how added the "goofs" section [[User:Kvarts314|Kvarts314]] ([[User talk:Kvarts314|talk]]) 10:19, 24 May 2022 (UTC)
::::Yes he added the first entry, but others have added the rest. I'm uncertain I think it belongs here, but it is funny. Maybe move it down under the transcript?--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:50, 24 May 2022 (UTC)
:::::IMO, it has the same 'status' as a Trivia section (it is one of those in almost every regard, after all), which is traditionally placed post-Teanscript. But I'm not a prescriptionist, at least not in this case, just saying I think it'd be consistent. If you even need my anonymous support for such a trivial within-page move. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.11|141.101.98.11]] 11:57, 24 May 2022 (UTC)
:::::In my opinion it does not "nothing to explain the comic" - quite the contrary: It's the best way to explain what the comic is about. See https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SelfDemonstratingArticle and https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ComicallyMissingThePoint [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 13:17, 24 May 2022 (UTC)
:::::You people are the reason I always press "Go to this comic explanation" first thing I visit. Love you all![[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.91|172.68.50.91]] 18:04, 24 May 2022 (UTC)

Random movie goof validates Randall, as expected: 
I picked "The Game", one of my favourites, but also because it's set in SF and has many outdoor scenes. 
Sure enough, there were several trivial goofs, but not location-wise. 
Check this one out: 'In the end credits, rigging grip Michael Santoro's name is spelled "Micheal".' 
Followed by this: 'In the end credits, there's an extra space between actor André Brazeau's first and last names.' [[User:Beechmere|Beechmere]] ([[User talk:Beechmere|talk]]) 04:22, 24 May 2022 (UTC)Beechmere
:This is why there are now different types, so you can jump over the borring to those with plot points, or errors by characthers... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:52, 24 May 2022 (UTC)

"Spaceballs" is a notable exception to "Most movies do not exist within the fictional world they portray." When will then be now? Soon! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.175.146|172.70.175.146]] 14:27, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

:As is the Muppet Movie - Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem are able to find and rescue our stranded heroes by reading the screenplay [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.49|172.70.126.49]] 15:43, 14 July 2022 (UTC)

As an IMDb contributor - mainly Trivia and Goofs - I feel targeted here, LOL! Thankfully I don't submit such nitpicky things, and obviously future and alternate versions of real life places are allowed these (maybe the street was renamed and another harpoon store opened up in the meantime). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:59, 28 May 2022 (UTC)

Recently, a lot of spam posts were found in the [[Template:sandbox]] page, including some "goofs". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.99|172.69.134.99]] 00:53, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

:Also, comics almost never come alive and edit other comics, but [[Special:Contributions/Unreliable_Connection|this]] [[Special:Contributions/Memo_Spike_Connector|indeed]] happened. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.74|172.69.22.74]] 02:04, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Talk:1406: Universal Converter Box

2019-12-11T22:59:21Z

172.69.22.74:

Would like to see what a gender changer for the petrol pump looks like... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.219|108.162.250.219]] 04:37, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

: It’s a funnel. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.129|108.162.216.129]] 04:45, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
:: Or maybe some sort of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphon#Practical_requirements straw] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.203|108.162.249.203]] 10:27, 25 August 2014 (UTC)

:: Im more intereted in understanding how the conversion between 87, 91 and 93 octane and Diesel is taking place -- some mini refinery most be included [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 07:34, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

::: No need for a mini refinery if you simply have 4 feed lines multiplexed through a valve.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 18:57, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

::::You only need three behind the valve: 87, 93, and K-2 Kerosene. Kerosene is run straight-through, 87 and 93 are connected to the valve, then there are three lines in front of the valve: 87 and 93 are blended to produce 91 AKI. (in TX, we have fuel oil #2)

: I guess those folks still using their ADB keyboards are out of luck.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.129|108.162.216.129]] 04:45, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
:: Not true. ADB uses the same connector as S-Video, so they would be covered. [[User:Sayno2quat|Sayno2quat]] ([[User talk:Sayno2quat|talk]]) 13:39, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

Oh god... there are quite a few blank spots on that gas pump, and we all know what Randall likes to do with [http://what-if.xkcd.com/35/ tape]. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.211|173.245.56.211]] 04:55, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
::If true, one of these (88 AKI) dispenses a light red/pink fuel--it's leaded gasoline! \ {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.136}}

Where's the old Mac DIN based serial port? I've got a Color Classic I'd like to resurrect! (No, seriously. It's got a math program on it that I paid about one fifteenth of what they're going for today!) [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 05:21, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

Probably related: [http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/21b3ob/walking_through_my_local_electronic_store_i_found/ HDMI — garden hose adapter] for pouring sh*t from the TV directly on your lawn. {{unsigned ip|141.101.75.19}}

The above garden hose comment reminds me of the classic Three Stooges film in which they are bungling plumbers who get confused and connect the electric wires to the pipes with impossible but hilarious results -- for instance a TV shows Niagara Falls then suddenly water comes gushing out of it.

[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.99|173.245.52.99]] 03:12, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

:: The original Ethernet used a fat coaxial cable known as "Garden Hose". There were no hubs or switches, each station had a 'stinger' tap clamped to the coax. I used such a setup in the 1970s. [[User:Jim E|Jim E]] ([[User talk:Jim E|talk]]) 15:54, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
::: And did I miss BNC connectors? BNC (co-ax, resistance-terminated, or sometimes looped integrated either by a stinger-clamp of some kind or (on balance, better) T-adapters between any number of shorter-length cables) was what I grew up with, with all its attendent foibles and influence on the distribution diagram (usually an ring-with-gap around the office, rather than a star topology, IME). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.13|141.101.98.13]] 22:17, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

I hate the fact that I can think of multiple standards that are not covered here. A gazillion DIN connectors, mini HDMI, RS232, Canon/XLR,... All the AC power adapters just on their own will weigh more than 22.7 kilograms. And seriously, how are we meant to connect our coaxial network cable to an iPhone2 with this? --[[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 06:04, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

:: +1 [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 07:30, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

I'm just a little pissed that all those plugs and it still doesn't include an Australian 240v power plug... sigh. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.219|108.162.250.219]] 06:09, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

:: There are no power adapters in this afaik -- the title text talks about DC adapters, but they come in a separate bag [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 07:30, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

::: I can see just one. I think it's the American plug, but I'm not sure (not familiar with what it looks like). It's got a removable ground pin. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.217|108.162.249.217]] 14:01, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

:::: Absolutely right, not sure how I missed that [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 15:14, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

While we're mentioning things Randall forgot, we have eSATA, 9-pin serial, there are at least three types of firewire, Multiple SCSI interface sizes, TRRS audio/mic connectors, 1/4" inch audio connectors, XLR, varous RF connectors, and a ton of power connectors. {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.210}}

:: The STA and SCSI are mostly internal connections which users rarely had to worry about [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 07:30, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

:::But there is external SCSI as well. Which sometimes needed to be manually numbered using DIP switches and properly terminated. --[[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 00:12, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the magsafe 4 connector was the 'hair connector' from the avatar movie. That would really be the ultimate self-connecting magsafe successor. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.78|141.101.104.78]] 08:05, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

Many of the video cables in this comic actually are compatible: DVI is backwards-compatible with VGA, HDMI is (mostly) compatible with DVI, S-video is compatible with composite RCA, and SCART is compatible with VGA in addition to supporting both types of composite. Might want to note that somewhere in the article. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.195|108.162.219.195]] 08:20, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
: Display Port? --[[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 00:12, 12 August 2014 (UTC)
:: I noticed too that it was missing. Not a bargain then, what a ripoff! :-) [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.151|199.27.128.151]] 17:34, 12 August 2014 (UTC)
:::It's covered by Thunderbolt, which is backwards-compatible with DP. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.92.214|141.101.92.214]] 03:42, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

The male/female adapters has me wondering slightly... Does the kit come with adapters for the fuel and the power plug? Might make for a light generator. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.75|108.162.215.75]] 08:26, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

I was mildly sad to see that the token ring was not accompanied by a Tolkien ring. —[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 08:58, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
:+1 --[[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 00:12, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

'''Some more "missing" items, and I'm wondering if we need to add all our suggestions in a single list to the main article.''' -- BigMal // [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.209|108.162.216.209]] 12:08, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
:IBM PC keyboard DIN
:IBM PC joystick
:Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
:GPIB/HPIB (RS-485?) -- for electronics lab equipment (power supplies, desktop DMM, oscilloscope -- before USB and Ethernet)
:BNC (compostie video or analog signals)
:12V DC automotive power (old "cigarette lighter" port)
:Off-Board Diagnostic Connector (ODBC II -- automotive per SAE).
:Deutsch triangular SAE J1939/CAN connectors and "H1939" circular 9-pin Service Tool connector
:Other kinds of plumbing, inspired by the fuel pump -- US garden hose, various sizes of US NPT (National Pipe Thread?), various sizes of US "compression" thread
:and Pneumatic too -- all four of the most common pneumatic tool quick disconnects plus Schrader valve fitting (US standard for pneumatic tires) {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.209}}
:Does JTAG counts too? Also, I vote against adding this to the main article. [[Special:Contributions/188.114.99.189|188.114.99.189]] 23:58, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

According to Wikipedia, the 1st and 2nd gen MagSafe connectors in this image are swapped: What Randall labeled as MagSafe 1 is actually MagSafe 2 and vice-versa. [[User:Mezgrman|Mezgrman]] ([[User talk:Mezgrman|talk]]) 10:31, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
:No, this isn't talking about generations, it's talking about actual connections. The ''MagSafe'' adapter was first developed with what Apple calls the "T" style form factor, then was aesthetically updated to the "L" style, which is labeled as "MagSafe" in the comic. The two form factors were interchangeable due to the actual connection and power flow being identical. ''MagSafe 2'' has returned to the "T" style, and was introduced with the Retina Display and newer MacBook Air models, and has a longer, thinner profile that is NOT interchangeable with regular MagSafe adapters, though a small adapter is available. [http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1713 MagSafe Troubleshooting] [http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2346 Identifying Power Adapters] --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.57|108.162.245.57]] 00:22, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

Do any of these connectors interface with the Raspberry Pi's GPIO? (Wow, it took me surprisingly long to find the name of that.) If not, can we add that to the list? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.41|108.162.216.41]] 13:57, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
:The Floppy, IDE and SCSI IDC connectors will fit (but only using 2x13 pins of the 2x17/20/25 pins). So, no - none of these will interface directly with the Raspberry Pi. [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 15:53, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

The one gender changer that bag won't have is the one for Token Ring... of all the adapters this thing can handle, I believe the Token Ring one is the only one without a gender -- one Token Ring plug plugs into another, or into the wall socket, etc. without needing to worry about whether you have a male connector or a female one. Though I guess the Bluetooth Dongle and string also don't need adapters, pe se... [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 14:28, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
:One Token Ring to rule them all? --[[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 00:08, 12 August 2014 (UTC)
:Nah, it'd prolly come with a block with two token ring plugs. A genderless gender switcher. A wireless extension cable. [[User:BenAgain|BenAgain]] ([[User talk:BenAgain|talk]]) 12:49, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

;Is the Magsafe 4 a reference to the connectors for hands and things from the movie A.I.?

I think that the Magsafe 4 is supposed to look like those fancy auto-moving connectors from A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.142|199.27.133.142]] 15:50, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

The Magsafe 4 could also be a reference to the Na'vi tendril/braid from Avatar. {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.156}}

I wonder where the 30-pin and the Lightning plug that Apple loves so much is. I could see if the 30-pin is hiding int the Floppy or something, but nowhere is the Lightning plug. What gives? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.71|199.27.128.71]] 19:47, 11 August 2014 (UTC

;Universal Business Adapter

There might be a hidden reference to a famous [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIOqOxI0K_I IBM TV Ad] from, dunno, late 90's or so, in this. I read somewhere that the joke was lost to some viewers and IBM actually put resources into developing an "universal adapter" for business clients due to the demand. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.203|141.101.80.203]] 19:15, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

; Diesel .v. petrol nozzles

"A standard diesel nozzle is a bit thicker than a standard petrol nozzle so you cannot tank diesel into a petrol car but if this nozzle has the petrol nozzle diameter you are still able to tank with it into a diesel car."

This statement may be true in some countries, but not here in the UK, for standard pumps for
use with normal cars, vans, etc. That said, we also have separate, high speed, pump nozzles for lorries (=trucks :-) ) which are quite a bit larger than the standard petrol/diesel nozzle. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 08:16, 12 August 2014 (UTC)
: It is true in UK as well, the sizes are the same all over the world as it is standardized by SAE. Although there are large nozzles for trucks (usually 1 1/3" or 1 1/2"; also they don't stop filling automatically), even the one for cars is a bit larger than the petrol one (diesel has 15/16" diameter, petrol 13/16"). If you have a petrol-running car, you can easily check this :-) Interestingly, there used to be 15/16" nozzle for petrol as well but that was used for leaded only. And yes, the smaller size was introduced to avoid tanking leaded petrol into an unleaded-only car (Patent US4034784), not to avoid tanking diesel. [[User:Sten|'''STEN''']] ([[User talk:Sten|talk]]) 23:15, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

Also, he's missing a lot of fiber/fibre connections (think FDDI, Fibre Channel, ST, LC, MT, SC, MIC, ESCON, TOSLINK, etc. :-)! He's missing whatever weird connectors were/are used for T-1 feeds. Also, is that parallel port DB-25 or Centronics 36? Note that SCSI has been seen to go over Centronics 36, DB-25, a 50-pin ribbon connector, 68 or 80 pin ribbon connectors that were shaped like a DB connector to key them, Fibre Channel (mentioned before), and SAS. Does the kit come with terminators? Better yet, for some SCSI drives, does it come with those little fiddly 8 or 9 pin terminating resistor packs that slid into plugs on the drive? Also, I wonder if you can run whatever weird protocol that 3270 terminals used over that F-connector and use this adapter like an IRMA board between an iPhone and a raw mainframe feed (no Microsoft SNA Server required). [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.17|199.27.129.17]] 13:44, 12 August 2014 (UTC) Toby Ovod-Everett

:: Hoo boy, IRMA board, that takes me back. Plainly Randall felt the need to stop at some point. [[User:Jim E|Jim E]] ([[User talk:Jim E|talk]]) 15:51, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

Clearly it's missing the [http://xkcd.com/1293/ soup adapter]. {{unsigned ip|173.245.48.214}}

I've never seen the magsafe connectors but I thought the MAGSAFE 4 picture was a joke about a magnet so strong that the cord ripped off of the connector, leaving the connector on the still safe protected unit. [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 07:01, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Missing all the electric car plugs including Tesla superchargers {{unsigned ip|141.101.64.101}}

""male" connector is plug, "female" connector is socket" is not quite correct. The gender of a connector is referring to the contacts, not the connector itself. For an example of a male socket look at the socket for the PSU on your PC (in fact, some power supplies have both a male and a female socket which allows you to power the PC and monitor using a single outlet). {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.222}}

I figured it out: the string is to distract the bobcat that might have inadvertently been included. [[User:Dr Pepper|Dr Pepper]] ([[User talk:Dr Pepper|talk]]) Dr Pepper

Did anyone point out that internal floppy/IDE/SCSII are a different pitch than 2.5 IDE so a compound connector would be unpossible. I wanna say 0.1" vs 0.15" off the top of my head. BTW there's an awesome pic out there somewhere with just about every connector you're likely to see on it. Huge though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.7|108.162.242.7]] 19:11, 7 November 2014 (UTC)
:This comic is a joke and not really correct on all the connectors. Explaining all of them is just unimpossible (G.DubbleYou. Bush). Just keep smiling... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:04, 7 November 2014 (UTC)

Anyone notice how the round MagSafe 3 connector is eerily similar to the Apple Watch's charger? 26 November 2014[[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.87|173.245.62.87]] 06:18, 26 November 2014 (UTC)

Did anyone notice that RS-232 serial port is missing? FAIL! {{unsigned ip|141.101.103.218}}

Also missing 20 ma. serial current loop. [[User:G1l1t1|G1l1t1]] ([[User talk:G1l1t1|talk]]) 18:44, 19 October 2016 (UTC)

DisplayPort? SP-DIF? [[User:Whoop whoop pull up|Whoop whoop pull up]] ([[User talk:Whoop whoop pull up|talk]]) 16:09, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

“Genderless” ... or hermaphrodite?
The Token Ring adapter, as drawn, looks to have both male and female components, so it is absolutely Not genderless, but serves as both, hence Hermes & Aphrodite.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.95|108.162.238.95]] 14:30, 17 November 2017 (UTC)

Surprised how everyone missed CD. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.74|172.69.22.74]] 22:59, 11 December 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2239: Data Error

2019-12-10T02:39:27Z

172.69.22.74:

Randall's comics are usually relevant to recent events on or near the day comics are posted. I was wondering if this Data Error comic might be referencing some recent event, some data error at NASA or something. Does anyone know what it might be in reference to? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.40|108.162.219.40]] 21:13, 9 December 2019 (UTC) ... Sorry, forgot to sign in. Saibot84 21:14, 9 December 2019 (UTC)

: I'm not aware of anything in the news. However, this is not the first time Randall has commented on research publication in a comic, so I suspect it's just another in that series. It seems obvious that he feels the first option is the appropriate choice, and the second option is the joke. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 21:22, 9 December 2019 (UTC)

I think the stickwoman is not "excited" but sarcastic, although you can't be sure in text. It is a joke based on the discrepancy in capabilities between real scientists and fictional mad scientists. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.119|108.162.238.119]] 22:23, 9 December 2019 (UTC)

:For start, "mad scientists" are usually more like mad engineers ... you can't get world domination by researching something and writing paper about it, you need to USE that research, usually by building something. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:10, 9 December 2019 (UTC)
::Are you suggesting scientists can't build things? I don't actually know, since I'm an engineer! [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 23:43, 9 December 2019 (UTC)

What is a data error in general? Explain me a term :) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.74|172.69.22.74]] 02:39, 10 December 2019 (UTC)

2235: Group Chat Rules

2019-12-04T10:10:01Z

172.69.22.74: /* Explanation */ that's fine

{{comic
| number = 2235
| date = November 29, 2019
| title = Group Chat Rules
| image = group_chat_rules.png
| titletext = There's no group chat member more enigmatic than the cool person who you all assume has the chat on mute, but who then instantly chimes in with no delay the moment something relevant to them is mentioned.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic Randall is outlining the rules of a group chat, such as {{w|Internet Relay Chat}} (IRC), {{w|Slack (software)|Slack}}, {{w|Discord (software)|Discord}}, {{w|WeChat}}, {{w|Discourse (software)|Discourse}}, and the like.

1. '''Once you've sent a typing notification, you have to say ''something,'' c'mon.'''

Typing notification, often called a "typing awareness indicator," is a feature of some instant messaging systems, showing a message such as "Typing..." with the typer's name to the other participants, causing them in many cases to wait to receive the message before typing something of their own. When the typer stops without sending anything, this can seem anticlimactic and potentially disruptive if it recurs. Randall's rule is that you must say something once you've started typing, to avoid the awkwardness of awaiting a person's reply. See also [[1886: Typing Notifications]].

2. '''Show you care by trimming the tracking junk off links you paste.'''

Some URL links may have tracking information attached to the end of them, to show the origin of the URL and other information. {{w|UTM parameters}} are an example of URL parameters (the part of a URL starting with a question mark) which are used to track utilization of the URL from one user to another. Many news and marketing-related websites include such tracking codes with any visit to one of their web pages in an attempt to see the source of the URL for subsequent visits. Many people consider this a violation of privacy as well as a source of clutter, and make an effort to remove the parameters from URLs when they are not necessary for obtaining the requested content. For example, [https://www.dyson.com/sticks/dyson-v8-absolute-nickel-iron.html?ranMID=36310&ranEAID=lw9MynSeamY&ranSiteID=lw9MynSeamY-w42lWd1QYp3RrUefCg_osA&siteID=lw9MynSeamY-w42lWd1QYp3RrUefCg_osA&utm_source=Slickdeals+LLC&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=us_en__na__na__na__purchase&utm_term=&utm_content=rakuten_1&dclid=CjkKEQiAt_PuBRC2vOSG5pnYqN0BEiQATx34W-U3rsbKLg-BO9ep4IJKz6JxmZrHTqS7JKmZqSrWmKLw_wcB&ranMID=36310&ranEAID=lw9MynSeamY&ranSiteID=lw9MynSeamY-z5miuzSsmyWevVXB._R14g&siteID=lw9MynSeamY-z5miuzSsmyWevVXB._R14g&utm_source=Slickdeals+LLC&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=us_en__na__na__na__purchase&utm_term=&utm_content=rakuten_1 this url] has a lot of tracking information to show that it was originally accessed from Slickdeals, which can be removed to produce [https://www.dyson.com/sticks/dyson-v8-absolute-nickel-iron.html a much shorter URL] for the same web page. Randall asks the users of group chat to politely remove the tracking code, though other parameters may be involved in an important non-tracking way (such as the lat, lon and zoom level giving the focus of a Google Map link) and it isn't always obvious which parts are which - or both tied together!

3. '''Do not talk about ''Fight Club'' (1999).'''

This is a reference to the 1999 film ''{{w|Fight Club}}'', where the main character forms an eponymous "Fight Club," an underground club for men to fight recreationally. In [http://www.diggingforfire.net/FightClub/ the rules for Fight Club] the first and second "rules" are "You do not talk about FIGHT CLUB.", which Randall parodies in this comic, by making a rule to not talk about the film ''Fight Club'' and placing this rule third in the list. See also [[922: Fight Club]] and [[109: Spoiler Alert]].

4. '''There are two types of chats: those with a relevant group name, and those where the name is random nonsense that changes regularly. Only the second kind are good.'''

Some group chats frequently change the name of their title or the names of their channels, for example to reference upcoming events or inside jokes, or to reflect the topic of the current conversation. Often, these names do not get changed back until someone decides to change it to a new inside joke/etc. Randall claims that those are the only good kind, compared to those that never change group names, perhaps implying a singular focus is less interesting than a dynamic chat that often changes names.

5. '''When mentioning it elsewhere, always just refer to it as "the group chat" to create an aura of exclusive mystery.'''

Many people have to deal with several kinds of group chat in the same organization, so referring to "the group chat" within such an organization may be confusingly ambiguous. Also, calling a chat "the group chat" can serve to exclude those who don't already know about it.

6. '''Robert's Rules of Order are optional but encouraged.'''

''{{w|Robert's Rules of Order}}'' are one of the authoritative codifications of {{w|parliamentary procedure}} used to formalize decision-making in organizations required to document their activities such as governments and sometimes civic organizations and corporations. While people required to use ''Robert's Rules'' might use group chat to plan their {{w|Agenda (meeting)|agenda}} — even going so far as to prepare a {{w|pro forma}} script for a meeting in accordance with parliamentary procedure which represents their positions and deliberations in advance — and to compose, revise, and approve their {{w|minutes}}, it is unlikely that group chat participants would follow ''Robert's Rules'' prior to their formal meeting.

7. '''Periodically part of the group will split off to form a new chat with everyone minus one person. This is how group chats reproduce; don't draw attention to it.'''

Some people who use group chat too frequently or for unimportant messages or both will cause their colleagues to attempt to achieve greater productivity by excluding them from an alternate chat, from which notifications, for example, are less annoying and more useful. Alternatively, a person could be excluded from a chat to hide things from them, such as to plan a surprise for them, or because that one person has been disruptive or annoying to the point that everyone else wants to continue the conversation without their continued input. It appears that the chat is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarming_(honey_bee) honey bee hive reproducing by swarming]. When purposely excluding someone by creating a new group, you would probably not want them to know you have done so as they might otherwise attempt to re-join in the new chat; that's likely the real reason one should not talk about or draw attention to the fact that it happened.

8. '''Since there's no algorithmic feed, the responsibility for injecting lots of garbage no one asked for falls on you.'''

Tools such as {{w|IFTTT}} and {{w|IRC bot}}s (or "bots" in this context) are used to provide group chat channels with information automatically taken from external sources of various sorts, such as emails to a support address or commits to source code control systems. Randall suggests that when such algorithmically-provided information is not available, it is incumbent upon chat participants to provide sufficiently verbose replacements. The "algorithmic feed" may also refer to the newsfeed type of systems that Facebook or other social networking sites use, to order posts for a user to view.

9. '''The enumeration, in these rules, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.'''

This is a reference to the {{w|Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution}}, which entitles people to rights not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Per Wikipedia, this right was included because "future generations might argue that, because a certain right was not listed in the Bill of Rights, it did not exist." The Ninth Amendment was also referenced in [[1998: GDPR]].

10. '''Sorry about all the notifications.'''

Here, Randall apologizes for all the notifications for the messages sent in group chat. Group chat features often result in more notifications than designers of notification systems anticipated or intended. If each of these ten rules were sent as a separate message in group chat, they might likely end with such an apology.

The title text expresses appreciation for group chat participants who remain silent except for promptly replying on topics pertinent to them.

==Transcript==
:[Title at the top of the comic]:
: Rules for this group chat

:[A numbered list of 10 rules]:

# Once you've sent a typing notification, you have to say ''something,'' c'mon.
# Show you care by trimming the tracking junk off links you paste.
# Do not talk about ''Fight Club'' (1999).
# There are two types of chats: those with a relevant group name, and those where the name is random nonsense that changes regularly. Only the second kind are good.
# When mentioning it elsewhere, always just refer to it as "the group chat" to create an aura of exclusive mystery.
# Robert's Rules of Order are optional but encouraged.
# Periodically part of the group will split off to form a new chat with everyone minus one person. This is how group chats reproduce; don't draw attention to it.
# Since there's no algorithmic feed, the responsibility for injecting lots of garbage no one asked for falls on you.
# The enumeration, in these rules, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
# Sorry about all the notifications.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Social interactions]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

2130: Industry Nicknames

2019-03-29T16:21:01Z

172.69.22.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2130
| date = March 29, 2019
| title = Industry Nicknames
| image = industry_nicknames.png
| titletext = As far as "being in the pocket of Big Egg" goes, I think the real threat is Chansey.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Big Bird. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
"Big industry" is a common nickname used to describe monopolistic or near-monopolistic practices in the United States. To be "in someone's pocket" means to be taking bribes.

[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Chansey_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Chansey], mentioned in the title text, is a {{w|pokemon}} based on marsupials and carries around a big egg in her pouch-like front pocket. Randall realized that "in the pocket of Big Egg" would sound rather literal if Chansey, supposedly "the real threat", was somehow involved.

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

{{comic discussion}}

2130: Industry Nicknames

2019-03-29T16:14:10Z

172.69.22.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2130
| date = March 29, 2019
| title = Industry Nicknames
| image = industry_nicknames.png
| titletext = As far as "being in the pocket of Big Egg" goes, I think the real threat is Chansey.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Big Bird. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
"Big industry" is a common nickname used to describe monopolistic or near-monopolistic practices in the United States. To be "in someone's pocket" means to be taking bribes.

Chansey, mentioned in the title text, is a Pokemon from the ''Pokemon'' franchise. Chansey is based on marsupials and carries an egg in its kangaroo-like pouch.

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2125: Luna 2

2019-03-18T21:21:55Z

172.69.22.74:

Second comic in a row about space. The comic seems fairly self-explanatory to me, but the title text might need a bit more work to explain. I can't even figure out exactly what it means. Something about rushing to get the bare minimum done before the deadline? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:04, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

Probably about how the engineers wanted to test what they could do before they could actually do it. (Oh,and Luna 2 impacted at 22 km/s) 20:10, 18 March 2019 (GMT)

OMG, the fake explanation is ROTFL funny! Hopefully whomever writes the correct explanation will keep this first bit of verbiage, just for the humor value, but in case that doesn’t happen, for those who don’t want to dig through the edit history, it currently says:
:: “This comic describes one of the first faked moon missions, Luna II. The Communist sham was designed to make it look like the Moon was reachable by humans, in order to protect the threatened Zionist conspiracy.

::By discussing this as if it was fact, (((Randall))) is subtly reinforcing Jewish neuroprogramming causing people to believe in ridiculous child's fantasies like space unquestioningly.”
(And to be crystal clear, I didn’t write it!) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.132|172.68.65.132]] 17:19, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

Not sure how to tan on mobile (feel free to do so and delete this tidbit if you want to) but: The throwing a frag filled with flags is symbolic of the standard human explorer tactic. Basically, we tend to shoot first whenever we go to a new place and then promptly place a claim, whether the preexisting landscape has been claimed or not. For instance, the Native Americans. Like, all of them. The tile text, on the other hand, represents attempts to find a solution to half a problem or maybe representing the aforementioned claims bit. But I could be reading into this too much [[Special:Contributions/172.69.46.58|172.69.46.58]] 17:22, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

== IP editor censoring my posts ==

I am using this website to share information, but several IP editors are consistently reverting my edits, even when I leave in their unsubstantiated claims. Help.
(Unsigned comment; Please sign your posts with four "~" tildes, to append your username.)

:You should probably sign your posts to clarify who is having the problem. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.46.58|172.69.46.58]] 17:22, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

:I'm sorry, I fail so see how that explanation is in any way funny. It's just confusing and annoying. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:20, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
:it’s not funny *now* because someone deleted it. Basically someone wrote an explanation as if the moon landings were faked, and extended the conspiracy theory to have USA and USSR cooperating on perpetuating the conspiracy because somehow it benefits Israel. It was clearly tongue-in-cheek, like when people claim that the Earth is flat. Given the recent anti-Semitic comments that have cropped up here I took it as an effort to make fun of those people (the ones posting bizarre stuff) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.132|172.68.65.132]] 17:35, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

::Alright, that's the part that wasn't clear to me. You can never really tell when someone online is being sarcastic. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:48, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

:::Depressingly, I don't think they're joking. I think they truly believe that space exploration is "fake", & that reaching the moon with a rocket is impossible, & that somehow almost the entire industrialized world is participating in some nonsensical "Jewish" conspiracy to maintain an illusion of space exploration. Even assuming that so many people & industries ''could'' maintain such a complex & widespread facade for multiple generations without reasonably verifiable evidence of its falsehood coming to light, I struggle to think of a good reason ''why'' so many people would knowingly participate in it without ever acting as a whistleblower. As I think perhaps an old xkcd once observed: If NASA really faked the moon landing, shouldn't they have faked a similarly momentous achievement by now? Anyway, ''I'' find it far more believable that a few wealthy people find it profitable to maintain a cadre of deluded obstructionists, than that all trans-orbital space travel is being faked. And speaking only for myself personally, I think Israel has terrible governmental policies & NASA could be doing a lot ''more'' grandiose space exploration but doesn't because there's not enough money in it yet.
:::[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.82|108.162.216.82]] 20:53, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

== vaporized on impact? ==

Does anyone here have links to evidence for or against Randall's claim in the title text? What was the impact speed? - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 19:30, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
I mean if they weren't vaporized, how would we tell outside of flags randomly bumping into the ISS? All of the ones that go to Earth would burn up. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.28|172.68.78.28]] 19:40, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
:If the impact was at 22 km/s, as stated above, that would be about 79,000 km/h, or about 49,000 mph. So... pretty fast? [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:42, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

Anyone know why you can't get to this explain page from 2124 by way of menu bar/whatever it's called? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.74|172.69.22.74]] 21:21, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

2115: Plutonium

2019-02-23T02:40:28Z

172.69.22.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2115
| date = February 22, 2019
| title = Plutonium
| image = plutonium.png
| titletext = It's like someone briefly joined the team running the universe, introduced their idea for a cool mechanic, then left, and now everyone is stuck pretending that this wildly unbalanced dynamic makes sense.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Power Orb. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic pokes fun at the properties of {{w|plutonium}}, claiming that it is so unrealistically powerful that it may as well be random sci-fi jargon. Indeed, the ability for a metal to radiate free energy sounds impossible (this comic is likely a simplification). This is reflected by Megan and Hairy treating Cueball's idea as a practical joke.

There are devices that need substantial electrical power over long time – in the order of decades – but local sources of energy are insufficient or unavailable, yet constructing a power line or resupplying them with some power source (like fuel, fresh chemical batteries etc.) is either impossible or overly costly. Such devices include maritime beacons and buoys, automatic weather and science stations located in remote areas, and – most importantly – deep space probes and some planetary probes or science packs. Probes sent beyond Jupiter cannot effectively rely on photovoltaic panels for energy, because the large distance to the Sun means that the amount of solar radiation per unit of area is very low, requiring impractically large (and thus heavy) panels to provide enough energy. Carrying a lot of fuel also adds mass to the probe.

Instead, such devices usually use {{W|radioisotope thermoelectric generator}}s (RTGs). In an RTG the natural radioactive decay of some unstable isotope (such as Plutonium-238 or Strontium-90) produces a lot of heat, which is then used to generate energy using {{W|thermopile}}s, which generate electricity directly from heat (actually temperature gradients) by employing the {{W|thermoelectric effect}}. The key element of an RTG, a pellet of radioactive material such as plutonium dioxide, could be facetiously described as a "power orb" – a lump of a substance that gives out heat apparently out of nothing.

Note that the radioactive material obviously doesn't produce this energy forever, although it can produce it so long the device will break before it gets out of energy. Mentioning this detail might make it seem more realistic ... on the other hand, mentioning that it stops producing energy because it transforms to lead might actually sound even less realistic to person who doesn't know how it works.

The title text references development of team-written episodic stories, such as video games, television shows, or comic series, and how after joining a team and implementing a mechanic, a writer can leave, and give others working on it little or no knowledge of how to handle a specific plot element or design.

==Transcript==
:[Megan, Hairy, Cueball, and Ponytail are talking.]
:Megan: How will we keep the spacecraft supplied with heat and electricity?
:Cueball: We could use a power orb. They give off thousands of watts 24/7.
:Megan: Huh? How do you recharge it.
:Cueball: You don't. It's just made of a metal that emits energy.
:Megan: OK, come on.
:Hairy: Can we please be serious here?

:[Caption below the panel:]
:For something that's real, plutonium is so unrealistic.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Space]]

2115: Plutonium

2019-02-23T02:38:10Z

172.69.22.74: /* Explanation */ thermopiles, not thermocouples

{{comic
| number = 2115
| date = February 22, 2019
| title = Plutonium
| image = plutonium.png
| titletext = It's like someone briefly joined the team running the universe, introduced their idea for a cool mechanic, then left, and now everyone is stuck pretending that this wildly unbalanced dynamic makes sense.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Power Orb. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic pokes fun at the properties of {{w|plutonium}}, claiming that it is so unrealistically powerful that it may as well be random sci-fi jargon. Indeed, the ability for a metal to radiate free energy sounds impossible (this comic is likely a simplification). This is reflected by Megan and Hairy treating Cueball's idea as a practical joke.

There are devices that need substantial electrical power over long time – in the order of decades – but local sources of energy are insufficient or unavailable, yet constructing a power line or resupplying them with some power source (like fuel, fresh chemical batteries etc.) is either impossible or overly costly. Such devices include maritime beacons and buoys, automatic weather and science stations located in remote areas, and – most importantly – deep space probes and some planetary probes or science packs. Probes sent beyond Jupiter cannot effectively rely on photovoltaic panels for energy, because the large distance to the Sun means that the amount of solar radiation per unit of area is very low, requiring impractically large (and thus heavy) panels to provide enough energy. Carrying a lot of fuel also adds mass to the probe.

Instead, such devices usually use {{W|radioisotope thermoelectric generator}}s (RTGs). In an RTG the natural radioactive decay of some unstable isotope (such as Plutonium-238 or Strontium-90) produces a lot of heat, which is then used to generate energy using {{W|thermopile}}s, which generate electricity directly from heat by employing the {{W|thermoelectric effect}}. The key element of an RTG, a pellet of radioactive material such as plutonium dioxide, could be facetiously described as a "power orb" – a lump of a substance that gives out heat apparently out of nothing.

Note that the radioactive material obviously doesn't produce this energy forever, although it can produce it so long the device will break before it gets out of energy. Mentioning this detail might make it seem more realistic ... on the other hand, mentioning that it stops producing energy because it transforms to lead might actually sound even less realistic to person who doesn't know how it works.

The title text references development of team-written episodic stories, such as video games, television shows, or comic series, and how after joining a team and implementing a mechanic, a writer can leave, and give others working on it little or no knowledge of how to handle a specific plot element or design.

==Transcript==
:[Megan, Hairy, Cueball, and Ponytail are talking.]
:Megan: How will we keep the spacecraft supplied with heat and electricity?
:Cueball: We could use a power orb. They give off thousands of watts 24/7.
:Megan: Huh? How do you recharge it.
:Cueball: You don't. It's just made of a metal that emits energy.
:Megan: OK, come on.
:Hairy: Can we please be serious here?

:[Caption below the panel:]
:For something that's real, plutonium is so unrealistic.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Space]]

2108: Carbonated Beverage Language Map

2019-02-07T19:48:15Z

172.69.22.74: Undo revision 169309 by 172.69.62.10 (talk) That is not what "drinking the koolaid" means

{{comic
| number = 2108
| date = February 6, 2019
| title = Carbonated Beverage Language Map
| image = carbonated_beverage_language_map.png
| titletext = There's one person in Missouri who says "carbo bev" who the entire rest of the country HATES.
}}

==Explanation==
{}

In the US, people in various parts of the country refer to carbonated beverages by {{w|Names for soft drinks in the United States|different names}} such as Soda, Pop, Coke, etc. Generally, the West Coast and Northeast say "Soda", the South says "Coke" and the rest of the country says "Pop".

There are various maps of the name differences, including: [http://www.popvssoda.com/]

This map leverages xkcd's mockery-maps of regional and state-by-state differences or variations in the use of language and overlays the regional variances in the terms for soda pop (for example: https://laughingsquid.com/soda-pop-or-coke-maps-of-regional-dialect-variation-in-the-united-states/), as was made trending and popular in 2013. Not only are there far more terms than are actually used by Americans, many are terms for other drinks (mead), unrelated liquids (quicksilver), or trademarked beverage names less popular than {{w|Coca Cola|Coke}}/{{w|Coca Cola}} ({{w|Mountain Dew|Code Red}}) -- and in one case, something that's not even tangible ({{w|cryptocurrency|"Crypto"}}).

{| class="wikitable"
|+Map terms (from left to right, approximately)
|-
|{{w|Fanta}}
|Name of a carbonated beverage line
|-
|Söde
|Presumably pronounced "soda" but spelled oddly (might be reference to ''{{w|Monty_Python_and_the_Holy_Grail|Monty Python and the Holy Grail}}'' subtitles - "Wi nøt trei a høliday in Sweden this yër?")
|-
|True Water
|Possibly a reference to Tru Blood, a fictional artificial blood substitute for vampires in ''{{w|The Southern Vampire Mysteries}}'' book series by Charlaine Harris, and the television series ''{{w|True Blood}}''. Also could be a reference to "purified" mineral waters such as {{w|Glaceau Smartwater|Smartwater}}.
|-
|Crypto
|Popularized as a slang term in the late '80s and early '90s to refer to anything involving the act of encryption/decryption {{w|cryptography}} through the application of ciphers, a practice which has become practically ubiquitous in the digital age. Given the highlighted region is the Silicon Valley, this is almost certainly a specific reference to {{w|cryptocurrency}}. None of these concepts are liquid and therefore not drinkable. Possibly a joke that the residents of Silicon Valley are actually computers that "drink" crypto (i.e. data).
|-
|Yum
|Refers to {{w|Yum! Brands}}, parent company of several fast food restaurants, which was spun off from PepsiCo, maker of a carbonated beverage, in 1997, and has a lifetime contract to serve their beverages.
|-
|Sparkle Fluid
|Roughly analogously to how "sparkling wine" and "sparkling cider" are carbonated varieties of wine and cider, "sparkling fluid" or "sparkle fluid" would presumably be any carbonated fluid
|-
|King Cola
|Name of a carbonated beverage
|-
|{{w|Pepsi}}
|Name of a carbonated beverage
|-
|{{w|Crystal Pepsi}}
|Name of a carbonated beverage
|-
|Ichor
|Several definitions (blood of a god (or demon, or, in some dialects, any insect) or watery discharge from a wound). None of them carbonated. None of them recommended as a drinkable liquid. (Well, not by someone with your best interests at heart.{{Citation needed}})
|-
|You-Know-What
|A phrase typically employed when a more specific term is considered unspeakable or taboo. Reference to Harry Potter and You-Know-Who
|-
|{{w|Tab (drink)|Tab}}
|Name of a carbonated beverage
|-
|Spicewater
|Thought to be a reference to the spice in “Dune.”
|-
|Softie
|Short for soft drink. On the map, it looks like the region for Softie is taking a punch from the region for Punch
|-
|Ohio Tea
|The area in question covers much of Arizona, the namesake of {{w|Arizona Beverage Company|Arizona Iced Tea}}, itself a non-carbonated beverage. This implies that residents of Arizona view carbonated beverages as something that comes from Ohio, and thus they place Ohio’s name before the word "Tea” to indicate its carbonated state.

Could also refer to [https://youtu.be/0_XAPku7SgE?t=30 "...bubbling crude. Oil that is, black gold, '''Texas tea'''.]
|-
|Boat Drink
|A reference to the song {{w|Boat Drinks|Boat Drinks}} by {{w|Jimmy Buffett|Jimmy Buffett}}.
|-
|Melt
|Usually used to describe a kind of sandwich where cheese is melted in the center, usually on a griddle. Possibly a play on {{w|malt drink}} Or maybe just a way to say "no, the *melted* ice"
|-
|Fizz Ooze
|The shortened name of the book "Fizz, Foam, Splatter & Ooze" about chemical reactions.
|-
|{{w|Punch (drink)|Punch}}
|A drink typically found in the juice aisle. Only sometimes carbonated. It's also a pun on the word punch, meaning to hit something, and on the map it looks like the region for Punch is literally punching the region for Softie.
|-
|Fun Wine
|Implies that normal wine is not "fun". Might be an allusion to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheerwine Cheerwine], a carbonated drink from the Southeast.
|-
|Diet
|Sometimes refers to a carbonated beverage. A common request in restaurants, as they often only have a single "{{w|Diet drink|diet soda}}" option for customers to pick.
|-
|Refill
|A subsequent glass of whatever you drank previously. Works for any drinkable liquid.
|-
|Tickle Juice
|Name of a Boston-based jazz band.
|-
|Bubble Honey
|Reversed name of the Honey Bubble Tea brand. https://honeybubbletea.com
|-
|Sugar Oil
|Some sodas do contain oils such as palm oil. The areas of Oklahoma and north Texas that are shaded produce a significant amount of {{w|petroleum|crude oil}}.
|-
|The Wet Drink
|Technically true of all drinks, unless one is attempting to drink sand (or anhydrous fluids - of which the least harmful may be clarified butter). It may also refer to the fact that many advertisements for carbonated beverages attempt to make the product look more appetizing by photographing or filming a beverage container covered with water droplets.
|-
|{{w|Mountain Dew|Code Red}}
|Name of a carbonated beverage
|-
|{{w|Mead}}
|An alcoholic drink. Traditionally not carbonated. Often associated with Vikings, and these areas did have many Scandinavian immigrants.
|-
|Canadian Ale
|Probably a reference to the {{w|Canada Dry}} brand of {{w|Ginger Ale}}, a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage.
|-
|Aether
|Could refer to a highly flammable industrial solvent, also used as an anesthetic. Do not drink. Also, not carbonated. Alternately, could refer to the nonexistent fluid that was believed to carry light waves before electromagnetism was fully understood, or poetically to the sky; in either case it is not a drinkable liquid (or carbonated).
|-
|Carbonated Beverage
|Technically correct, but a bit of an awkward term due to its unnecessary length.
|-
|Mouthwater
|A play on the term "mouth watering" to describe delicious foods and drinks.
|-
|{{w|Capri Sun|Capri}}
|Capri Sun is a brand of juice drinks, typically sold in uncarbonated pouches.
|-
|Skim Shake
|A shortened name of the beverage "Skim Milkshake"
|-
|Kid's Coffee
|Somewhat accurate. Coffee is typically drunk by adults for its caffeine. Carbonated beverages often have caffeine (in addition to various suggestibility-increasing drugs) also, and are often consumed by children.
|-
|Regular
|In the past, referred to gasoline with lead, as opposed to "Unleaded". Not a drinkable liquid, and also outlawed. Could refer to regular (as opposed to decaf) coffee. Could refer to regular, with sugar (as opposed to diet), soda.
|-
|{{w|Tang (drink)|Tang}}
|An orange flavored beverage containing less than 2% juice extract. Normally sold in powdered form, and not carbonated.
|-
|{{w|Infant formula|Formula}}
|Typically refers to an artificial replacement for mother's milk. Not carbonated.
|-
|Medicine
|This may be a reference to {{w|Vernors}} Ginger Ale, originally produced in Detroit, which is sometimes used as a folk remedy for an upset stomach.
|-
|{{w|Broth}}
|Liquid in which bones, meat, fish, or vegetables have simmered. Often used as a soup base. Not carbonated.
|-
|Fool's Champagne
|Carbonated beverage is to champagne what fool's gold is to gold.
|-
|Sugar Milk
|This may be a reference to dairy, but in this region of the US people drink a popular carbonated beverage called {{w|Moxie}} that is less familiar to people elsewhere.
|-
|No word for them
|This region of the US does not have a word for carbonated beverages (according to Randall). Possibly they do not drink them at all.
|-
|Hydro
|A word for water. Carbonated water does exist, but this word means all forms of water. Possibly a reference to the film {{w|Waterworld}}, in which "hydro" is the common term for (scarce and valuable) drinkable water.
|-
|Harvard Tea
|The region shaded this way includes {{w|Cambridge, Massachusetts}}, which is home to {{w|Harvard University}}.
|-
|{{w|Drinking fountain|Bubbler}}
|A nod to another popular map of the same type, exploring the regional dialects used to describe drinking fountains. Rhode Island and the eastern portion of Wisconsin are the only two locations where 'Bubbler' is commonly used to refer to drinking fountains, but the word is commonly used in surrounding areas to depict the strong variety of {{w|Rhoticity_in_English|rhoticity}} present, some saying 'bubblah' in for example Boston, and others saying 'water fountain'.
|-
|Mouthbuzz
|Perhaps referring to the feeling of drinking a carbonated drink, where the releasing carbonation almost 'buzzes' in the mouth.
|-
|Brad's Elixer
|Possibly a reference to "Brad's Drink", the original name for {{w|Pepsi}} when it was invented by Caleb Bradham in 1893. The word "elixir" is defined as "a sweetened liquid usually containing alcohol that is used in medication either for its medicinal ingredients or as a flavoring", but it is misspelled here as "elixer".
|-
|Hot Water
|Not carbonated. Not even in Jacuzzi and hot tubs. May reference how boiled water forms bubbles before it actually comes to a boil.
|-
|Fluid
|A word that means nearly any liquid or gas in existence. Not specific to carbonated beverages.
|-
|{{w|Coke Zero}}
|Name of a carbonated beverage.
|-
|Carbo
|Sodas sweetened with corn syrup or cane sugar are high in carbohydrates. Could also refer to carbonation.
|-
|Quicksilver
|An old term for the element mercury, a metallic liquid in its pure form at room temperature.
|-
|Glug
|Onomatopoeia, referring to the sound of swallowing a large amount of liquid. Or possibly referring to {{w|Glögi|glögg}} (pronounced "glug"), a Swedish drink similar to mulled wine.
|-
|Water Plus
|Technically the name of {{w|Water Plus|a British water retail services provider}}, this likely refers to the prevalence of "plus" as a preposition in branding nomenclature (e.g.: {{w|Google+}}, {{w|iPhone 8 Plus}}, {{w|7 Up Plus}}, etc.). Also reminiscent of "Milk Plus," the drugged milk from the movie A Clockwork Orange.
|}

The title text may be a wry comment in light of the pocket of "soda" in the St. Louis, MO area.

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

:[A map of the United States divided into purple, red, green, blue, and yellow colored regions.]

:[A purple area in North West Washington.]
:Fanta

:[A blue area spanning the Western border of Washington and Oregon.]
:Söde

:[A yellow area spanning the remainder of Washington, North Western Oregon, Northern Idaho and the North Western corner of Montana.]
:Ichor

:[A yellow area corresponding to Hawaii except for the island of O'ahu.]
:Pepsi

:[A red area corresponding to the Hawaiian island of O'ahu.]
:Crystal Pepsi

:[A green area spanning the North Eastern corner of Oregon, central Idaho and the majority of Montana.]
:Spicewater

:[A blue area spanning Eastern Montana, the North Eastern corner of Wyoming and the majority of North and South Dakota.]
:Refill

:[A red area spanning Eastern North and South Dakota, the majority of Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin and Michigan North of the lakes.]
:Mead

:[A green area spanning the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin.]
:Canadian Ale

:[A yellow area spanning the South Eastern corner of Minnesota, the North Eastern corner of Iowa and the majority of Wisconsin.]
:Aether

:[A green area in North East Wisconsin.]
:Mouthwater

:[A purple area covering most of Michigan south of the lakes.]
:Kid's coffee

:[A red area covering Northeast & central New York.]
:Hydro

:[A green area covering Vermont and spanning the border with New York.]
:[No word for them]

:[A yellow area covering Maine and the majority of New Hampshire.]
:Sugar milk

:[A red area spanning Eastern Massachusetts and the border with New Hampshire.]
:Harvard tea

:[A blue area covering Rhode Island and spanning Eastern Connecticut, central Massachusetts and the South West corner of New Hampshire.]
:Bubbler

:[A yellow area spanning the South Eastern corner of New York, the South Western corner of Massachusetts, Western Connecticut and Northern New Jersey.]
:Mouth Buzz

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]

2108: Carbonated Beverage Language Map

2019-02-06T19:25:31Z

172.69.22.74: /* Explanation */

2108: Carbonated Beverage Language Map

2019-02-06T19:20:40Z

172.69.22.74: /* Explanation */

2104: Biff Tannen

2019-01-28T22:53:56Z

172.69.22.74: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2104
| date = January 28, 2019
| title = Biff Tannen
| image = biff_tannen.png
| titletext = I can't help myself; now I want to read a bunch of thinkpieces from newspapers in Biff's 1985 arguing over whether the growth of the region into a corporate dystopia was inevitable.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is based on ''{{w|Back to the Future II}}''. In this movie, the character Biff Tannen steals the time machine, which is the main plot device, and uses it to go back in time from 2015 to 1955. He then gives Marty McFly’s sports almanac, containing the outcomes of 50 years (1950–2000) worth of sporting events, to his younger self. His younger self uses this sports almanac to make millions by successfully betting on {{w|horse races}}. He then forms a company, and calls it [https://backtothefuture.fandom.com/wiki/BiffCo BiffCo]. While in the movie the protagonists reverse this, by stealing the almanac back, Cueball imagines the universe where BiffCo continues to exist in parallel. This is consistent with the {{w|multiverse}} theory.

The movie is set in the fictional town of Hill Valley, California. When the protagonists return to 1985, they find that Biff has turned the town’s “Courthouse Square” into a 27-story casino, and generally taken over Hill Valley. Cueball interprets this as “the decline of the city, and general social decay”.

''[https://www.amazon.com/Hillbilly-Elegy-Memoir-Family-Culture/dp/0062300547 Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.]'' is a book, published in June 2016, that gives an account of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town, and offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class. This comic is a play on the title of this book, which has been described as explaining the “social, regional, and class” issues in white working-class America. The white American working class was a key factor in the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, and many critics have interpreted the book as an explanation of his election, which was deemed improbable by many analysts before it happened. Netflix [https://deadline.com/2019/01/netflix-hillbilly-elegy-ron-howard-movie-deal-40m-1202541118/ purchased the rights] to an upcoming film adaptation of the book three days before this comic, prompting another wave of criticism of the book's theories.

Cueball is proposing a similarly-titled book, set in the ''Back to the Future II'' universe where BiffCo exists, that would describe the supposed factors leading to the rise of Biff Tannen in Hill Valley. In that universe, while the rise of Biff—and the subsequent decay of the city—is the result of his using a future sports almanac to cheat at sports betting, the rest of the population would have to guess at the structural societal issues that might have caused Biff’s otherwise inexplicable success. Thus, Cueball compares such blind guessing with the analysis contained in ''Hillbilly Elegy''.

This makes White Hat Guy angry, because it’s such a painfully long setup for a really stupid pun. There is also a decent chance that the book White Hat Guy is currently reading is ''Hillbilly Elegy'', which would make the joke more insulting to him, as it compares the book to useless theorizing about an event which was really caused by time traveling. After seeing similar symptoms in our society, perhaps he would consider that we are living in such a world predetermined to negative effects. It would probably frustrate him that being optimistic for the future and hoping for a changing society would be an effort in vain, when the universe is similarly tampered with by time-travellers. Alternatively, he is enjoying the book and is angry at the insult to it.

[[Randall]] is known to have [[1756: I'm With Her|supported the opposing candidate before Trump was elected]], having made a comic just to promote her, and particularly [[1779: 2017|sad comics]] following his election. Therefore, he may have made this comic as an insult to a book which supposedly explains the election of the candidate he opposed, by comparing it to useless (and wrong) theorizing. It may also be intended as an insult to Trump himself, by comparing the dystopian universe where Biff rose to power (albeit not as President) to the actual universe where Trump rose to power.

The title text continues this comparison by mentioning thinkpieces from newspapers that would appear in the ''Back to the Future II'' universe where BiffCo exists. Various thinkpieces did appear in real life newspapers in an attempt to explain Trump’s rise to power after his election, and asking whether it was inevitable.

As ''{{w|Back to the Future II}}''’s important October 2015 setting date approached, commentators began noting the similarities between the older version of the character Biff Tannen and then presidential candidate Donald Trump. When the comparison was brought to the attention of the film’s writer, Bob Gale, in an interview, he [https://www.thedailybeast.com/back-to-the-future-writer-biff-tannen-is-based-on-donald-trump# stated] that elements of Tannen’s personality were actually based on Trump, who was already well known in the late 1980s for his work in real estate and tabloid controversies. Thus, there is a real connection between Biff Tannen and Donald Trump. This supports the comparison between the two made by Randall.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball talks while walking up behind White Hat, who is reading in an armchair.]
:Cueball: You know, in the universe where Biff Tannen took Marty McFly’s sports almanac back in time, the people wouldn’t have any counterfactuals to work with.
:Cueball: Their world would be ''the'' world.

:[White Hat turns his head to look at Cueball as he keeps talking.]
:Cueball: They would have spent decades debating which structural problems enabled the rise of BiffCo, the decline of the city, and general social decay.
:Cueball: Everyone would find reasons it confirmed their pet theory.

:Cueball: I'm going to write a book set in that universe. I'll call it ''Hill Valley Elegy''.
:[White Hat turns his head back to his book in disgust.]
:White Hat: ... I ''hate'' you.

{{comic discussion}}

2088: Schwarzschild's Cat

2018-12-21T16:19:50Z

172.69.22.74: Because cats

{{comic
| number = 2088
| date = December 21, 2018
| title = Schwarzschild's Cat
| image = schwarzschilds_cat.png
| titletext = Cats can be smaller than the critical limit, but they're unobservable. If one shrinks enough that it crosses the limit, it just appears to get cuter and cuter as it slowly fades from view.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SMALL CAT WITH NO CONCEPT OF FIELD EQUATIONS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a joke on the {{w|Schwarzschild radius}}, or the radius surrounding a black hole corresponding to the {{w|event horizon}}. The event horizon, in turn, is the limit from which nothing can leave a black hole. The joke is that, apparently, smaller cats are cuter, and therefore the limit is a point corresponding to this: the smallest possible cat with infinite cuteness. The title text references micro black holes, which are decaying by Hawking radiation, which is why it slowly fades from view.
It’s also probably a reference to Schroedinger’s cat, since Scrboedineger sounds like Schwarzschild and Schroedingwe is the one with the cat. Someone elaborate/edit my text.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A graph is shown. The x-axis is labeled "Cat size" and the y-axis, "Cat cuteness". Graphed is a function coming down from infinity then beginning to level off and not reaching zero on-screen. At the top end of the function is the text "Schwarzschild's Cat" and an arrow to indicate it. In line with the top end of the function is a vertical dashed line. Under the function is the text "Critical limit" and arrows indicating the space between the y-axis and dashed line.]
{{comic discussion}}