explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2094: Short Selling

2019-01-07T04:15:47Z

198.41.238.40:

It's like he's doing that on purpose to make it extra difficult for this site to explain his comics. :D I at least understood nothing. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 16:19, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:@Fabian42, Ha! Yes, I'm in the same boat with you, It's almost like he follows this formula: 1. Pick a topic that very few understand. 2. Make an analogy that is more complicated than a straightforward explanation. 3. Profit.
:I've been reading a page on short selling, it's like they're speaking a foreign language. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.47|172.69.70.47]] 16:42, 4 January 2019 (UTC) sam
::It makes sense from what I remember from economics in high school: you buy stocks in advance for significantly above asking price hoping they gain more value before the deal happens, so let's say 1 share of company X is worth 20$ right now. Now I can offer you a contract that I'll buy this share from you for 50$, but on the condition that the deal happens in a week. If the value of the company stays the same, I make a loss; but if the value rises within that week and one share is suddenly worth, let's say 2000$, I make an immense profit. (divide each value I gave by ten and you have the bean/witch/child analogy from the comic) It's basically gambling on the hope that the value of stock rises. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.118|172.68.50.118]] 17:24, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:::How are stock markets even still legal? This is insane! [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 17:42, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::::what would be insane would be trying to outlaw stock markets. They’ve been around for hundreds of years; business people are going to find ways to trade.{{unsigned|172.68.65.6}}
::::If you think short-selling shouldn't be legal, you should look into {{w|Quantitative easing}} and {{w|Fractional-reserve banking}}. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 18:16, 5 January 2019 (UTC)
:::What you (and Ponytail, FWIW, given how muddled the analogy is of course) describe sounds more like selling put options than short selling. [[User:Stannius|Stannius]] ([[User talk:Stannius|talk]]) 19:10, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::It is not that hard to understand. Imagine you own 100 apple-shares and do not plan to sell them for the near future. You lend me these 100-shares for 2 weeks. I sell the 100 shares immediately. Now I have 2 weeks to re-buy them. If I’m lucky the price for these 100 shares will decrease somewhen during this 2 weeks. Imaging that I sold the shares for 200$ each, and could re-buy them for 170$: Then I made 30*100$=3000$. Of course you will get a fee for the borrowing. The 3000$-fee are my profit.
::The risk here is of course that the shares could increase in price during the 2 weeks – then I would be forced to rebuy them for more that I got AND have to pay you the fee. That’s the reason shorts are more dangerous then longs. --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 17:36, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:::You sell something that you borrowed? Why would that be allowed? It's not yours! And what happens if you can't buy it back? [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 17:42, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::::It’s totally legal to sell something that you borrow. If I could not buy it back you and I will have a problem – so you do this kind of business only with people/firms with money.
::::But to show you something that IS crazy, there is also ''Naked short selling'' – that’s like short-selling on speed. With this kind of short-selling, I do not borrow anything. It works in this way: Today I sell you 100 apple-shares, which I do not have, for 200$. You have to pay me immediately, so I collect 100*200$=20,000$. I will deliver these shares when I have to, which is 1 or 2 days from now (depending on the market-place). So if I’m lucky and the price drops the next 1 or 2 days, then I make profit. For example if the apple-shares decrease again to 170$, then I make 100*(200$-170$)=3000$ profit. Some countries (but not the US AFAIK) forbid these kind of short-selling, after the last financial crisis. --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 20:37, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::::Shares are fungible, like money, so it makes perfect sense. If I borrow a £10 note from you, there's no expectation that I'll keep it safe and return the exact same £10 note to you; I'm probably borrowing it to spend it. But you don't care as long as I return £10 to you at the end of the loan. Every pound is interchangeable with every other pound; and it's the same with shares of a given type. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.116|162.158.155.116]] 16:14, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

Short selling doesn't seem all that complicated. It's the night before black friday, and your friend has [hot new amazing toy] that they picked up a few months ago before it got popular. You ask if you can borrow it for a week. Then you go out the next morning and scalp it to a frustrated parent that is desperate to get it for their kid but the store is sold out. A week goes by, and you head to the store and pick one up now that they are back in stock and on sale, and give it back to your friend. Your friend has a toy, even if it's not exactly the same one, and the price difference between what you sold it for and what you paid for the new one gave you a bit of holiday spending money. The danger is if the toy doesn't get back in stock or the price goes up due to demand and you have to buy it for more than you sold it. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 17:45, 4 January 2019 (UTC)

It seems like the title text implies there are multiple witches involved. This should perhaps be mentioned in the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.202|108.162.241.202]] 18:04, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
:I’m confused... which which is which?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.6|172.68.65.6]] 05:20, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

:I believe the pun is related to how multiple people promising to win the auction is going to drive prices higher. If this is somehow related to some story with multiple witches, it's beyond my knowledge. It's entirely possible the witches are there only to connect the title text with the comic dialog. Also, I find it interesting that Cueball didn't actually ask Ponytail for her wisdom - he only made a comment which she then answered. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 19:36, 4 January 2019 (UTC)
::The title text definitely says "witches" not "the witch", so it does appear to be a bevy (I'd say coven but that would seem to imply they belong to the same group, which may not be the case here) of witches it's talking about. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:55, 4 January 2019 (UTC)

someone takes !-> they believe !-> their strategy; 1 != 2; will (optative) -> shall (future); he -> who; witches -> witch's; would (desiderative) -> should (conditional) [[User:Lysdexia|Lysdexia]] ([[User talk:Lysdexia|talk]]) 02:38, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

What about that word "squeeze" in the title text? We need an explanation. There is a page {{w|Short_squeeze}} on Wikipedia which is surely relevant, but I don't understand it enough to explain it here. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.178|141.101.98.178]] 12:41, 6 January 2019 (UTC)

There is an element of fighting the Witch - when a short seller is set to lose they do all they can to undermine the company. Elon vs. Short Sellers as case in point.

2089: Christmas Eve Eve

2018-12-30T12:29:55Z

198.41.238.40: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2089
| date = December 24, 2018
| title = Christmas Eve Eve
| image = christmas_eve_eve.png
| titletext = It turns out that saying "Oh, so THAT'S why they call it Boxing Day" is a good way to get punched a second time.
}}

==Explanation==
This year's [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comic]] was posted on December 24, 2018, the {{w|Christmas Eve}} of 2018.

The evening or day preceding a special day such as a holiday is often referred to as the ''eve'' of that day (derived from the same word from which we get ''evening''). Thus December 24 is Christmas Eve. Some people extend this and call December 23 "Christmas Eve Eve," as Christmas Eve is itself a noted holiday. The day before ''that'' would be "Christmas Eve Eve Eve," adding one "Eve" for each night before Christmas morning, although the increasing extension leads to each additional "Eve" being continuously less common.

[[Cueball]] notes the general idea, and [[Megan]] acknowledges it. Cueball follows by naming December 24 as Christmas Eve, December 25 as Christmas, and then mentions that the following day is his favorite. Megan's "Oh no" implies that she knows what Cueball will say next.

Since December 26 is the 364th day before Christmas (when the following year is not a leap year, which was correct in 2018 when the comic was released), it follows that it is "Christmas" followed by "Eve" 364 times.

Megan finds listening to Cueball recite this unacceptable. As such, she announces that she will not give him gifts, taking the extra step of returning the gifts she'd already bought. As Christmas presents in America are first handed out on Christmas Day's morning (unless the giver and recipient are aware in advance they will be unable to meet in person on that day; Megan's presence on Christmas Eve indicates this is not a threat), she has not given it to him yet.

The title text refers to the {{w|Boxing Day}} holiday celebrated the day after Christmas in the UK and many parts of the former British Empire. Although the exact origin of the name is unknown, it is believed to be in [https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/10-christmas-myths8.htm reference to the Alms Box] placed in areas of worship to collect donations to the poor, which was then opened right after Christmas. Most Americans don't know this and make jokes about how it refers to {{w|Boxing|the sport of boxing}}. In this title text we can presume Cueball was punched (or ''boxed'') after his litany of 364 ''Eve''s, to which he replies, "Oh, so ''that's'' why they call it Boxing Day." As this is a pun of groan-inducing triviality, {{tvtropes|LamePunReaction|he receives another punch}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball with his arms out is talking with White Hat and Megan. In Cueballs long last remark the letters get smaller from line to line.]

:Cueball: Today is Christmas Eve. Yesterday was Christmas Eve Eve.
:Megan: Uh huh...
:Cueball: Of course, tomorrow is Christmas. And then, my favorite...
:Megan: Oh no.
:Cueball: ...Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve  Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve  Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve  Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve  Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve  Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve  Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve  Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve! 
:Megan: I'm returning the presents I got you.

==Trivia==
*The day before this comic was released (that is on the actual Christmas Eve Eve day) a comic with a similar theme was released on the web comic {{w|Nancy (comic strip)|Nancy}}:
**[https://www.gocomics.com/nancy/2018/12/23 Nancy 2018/12/23].

*The Code Golf Stack Exchange put out a contest to display the current date in this format in the smallest amount of code. The author states they had not read the comic before coming up with the idea.
**https://codegolf.stackexchange.com/questions/178003/encode-the-date-in-christmas-eve-format

*Each line has the following number of eves:
:# 11
:# 14
:# 14
:# 14
:# 15
:# 16
:# 17
:# 17
:# 18
:# 20
:# 21
:# 22
:# 24
:# 25
:# 27
:# 30
:# 32
:# 27
:*364 total!
::*The first line also has Christmas along with the 11 eves, and do take up more space than the 14 eves below.
::*The last line is only partially filled, with 4 eves from the line above on each side (so room for more than 35, probably 40, eves in one line with that font size.)
::*The first three lines with 14 eves becomes clearly shorter, before more is added almost in every line after this, except two lines with 17 each.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]

344: 1337: Part 4

2018-12-29T22:26:52Z

198.41.238.40: /* Explanation */ fix typo

{{comic
| number = 344
| date = November 15, 2007 
| title = 1337: Part 4
| image = 1337 part 4.png
| titletext = Mrs. Roberts would have gotten up sooner, of course, but she was busy piping find ~ and find ~nomad into xargs shred, just in case.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the fourth part of five in the "[[:Category:1337|1337]]" series. The title 1337 is "L-eet", or "elite", using the {{w|Leet}} alphabet.

All comics in the series:
*[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
*[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
*[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
*[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
*[[345: 1337: Part 5]]
This series was released on 5 consecutive days (Monday-Friday) and not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.
The comic is narrated by [[Cueball]] as seen in part 2, but that Cueball is not shown here, but still he is part of this comic series, and thus also this comic.

In this part [[Elaine Roberts]] returns to the second best hacker in the world, (she being the best according to part 2), her mom [[Mrs. Roberts]]. Together they are an unstoppable force and they help out a guy called Jon with a CSS decryptor.

This implies that {{w|Jon Lech Johansen}}'s DeCSS was written by Elaine. Jon Lech Johansen, also known as DVD Jon, is famous for {{w|DeCSS}}, a DVD decryption program that removes the copy protection from commercial DVDs. The {{w|Motion Picture Association of America}}, also known as the MPAA, were not amused.

Both the MPAA and the {{w|Recording Industry Association of America}} (RIAA) use the {{w|Digital Millennium Copyright Act}}, shortened to DMCA, as a kind of brute club to silence "infringements" on their copyright. In a perfect world, the DMCA provides safe harbor protection to websites and consumers to make fair use of copyrighted content while also affording copyright owners the ability to protect their works from being pirated. In this world, this means that any content protection system, no matter how weak and poorly executed, cannot be circumvented and discussion of circumvention is illegal as well.

This is not a perfect world and in the end, the Roberts team is noticed and two men with black bowler hats and briefcases with the abbreviations MPAA and RIAA shows up at their house to arrest them. The two men look very much like {{w|Thomson and Thompson}} from {{w|The Adventures of Tintin}}.

When Elaine is not ready to let them arrest her, and draws her knife, they instead draw their {{w|katana}} swords, out of their (way too short) briefcases. Mrs. Roberts says to her daughter that she should calm down because it is illegal to slice people up in their own houses.

However, the two men disagree and refer to the DMCA Title IV, Section 408: Authorization of Deadly Force. (There is actually no Title IV, Section 408 of the DMCA; Title IV ends with Section 407.) So now the two women are in lethal danger.

But of course, {{w|Richard Stallman}}, founder of the {{w|GNU Project}} and stalwart defender of freedom and {{w|copyleft}}, cannot stand for this kind of repression of freedom. (In the real world, Stallman is not a swordsman, but he is always depicted with two katana swords in xkcd, first time was in [[225: Open Source]]) In keeping with the "{{w|Kill Bill}}" themes from earlier in the series, [[Randall]] imagines the conflict between Elaine/Stallman/Mrs. Roberts vs MPAA/RIAA agents as an action-packed katana battle rather than the legal battle it would likely have been in real life.

The title text is talking about a {{w|Linux}}-ism. In Linux (and all Unix derivatives) ~ is a symbol for a user's home directory (usually <code>/home/<username></code>). Presumably "nomad" is Elaine's username. <code>find</code> is an application that recursively walks a filesystem, listing all files, and <code>xargs shred</code> takes those files and securely erases each one with pseudo-random data. This is different from simply deleting a file, which merely removes the pointer in the filesystem's record tables to the file's location on the hard disk. The latter can usually be recovered from. Secure delete, however, requires physically taking apart a disk and reading individual bits for remaining magnetic charge to attempt to reconstruct what was there.

Proprietary hardware is hardware (the electronics part rather than the software) created and used only by that company as opposed to open hardware that uses parts or chips common to everyone. Proprietary hardware used to found in most gaming consoles and Apple/Mac devices, but that isn't as common now since the cost of designing your own hardware is too expensive compared to using common chips.

==Transcript==
:[Elaine is sitting under tree on a grassy meadow typing on her laptop. Two trees are in the background where rolling hills goes to the horizon with a single cloud over the trees. Above the frame is text narrated by the Cueball from the first panel in the 2nd comic in the series:]
:Cueball (narrating): As time passed, Elaine intensified her hacking work, anonymously publishing exploit after exploit.

:[Elaine, wearing a backpack, is walking up to a door where her mom Mrs. Roberts is greeting her in the open door at the top of two steps. Above this very low panels frame there is more of Cueballs narration:]
:Cueball (narrating): To crack open proprietary hardware, she teamed up with one of the top experts in signal processing and data transferring protocols.
:Elaine: Hi, mom.
:Mrs. Roberts: Hello, dear. Did you have fun?

:[Elaine is lying on the floor with her laptop in front of her facing left with charger no the floor further left. Mrs. Roberts is sitting to the right facing right on a chair working on her computer at a table. Cueball is still narrating above the frame:]
:Cueball (narrating): They were an unstoppable team.
:Elaine: I finished the CSS decryptor.
:Mrs. Roberts: Good, dear. I'll send it along to Jon.

:[Pan to the right where two men in black bowler hats arrive. Both holds briefcases the first guys reads RIAA and the other guy reads MPAA. Cueball's last narration in the comic is above the frame:]
:Cueball (narrating): And were eventually noticed.
:RIAA man: Game's over.
:MPAA man: You're coming with us.
:Briefcase 1: RIAA
:Briefcase 2: MPAA

:[Pan back left to the women. Mrs. Roberts stays in her chair sitting at her computer still typing, the screen emitting light, but Elaine has moved around to the right of the table and pulls out her folding knife and swings it open.]
:Elaine: Oh, are we?
:Mrs. Roberts: Now now, Elaine-
:Knife: ''Shink''

:[Pan back right to the two men who simultaneously pull a katana sword out of each of their briefcase, while still holding on the the handle with the other hand. When when opened like this it causes two pieces of paper to fly out of the RIAA man and a note book to fly out of the MPAA mans briefcase.]
:Katan sword1 1: ''Shing''
:Katan sword1 2: ''Shing''

:[Pan back to the women. Mrs. Roberts continues to type on the laptop, a line goes up from the keyboard indicating activity. Elaine still holds her open folding knife out, so the tip now touches the right frame of the panel.]
:Mrs. Roberts: Don't let them provoke you, dear.
:Man (off-panel): We don't want to hurt you, Ma'am.
:Mrs. Roberts: Don't by silly. Record company employees can't just go into houses and slice people up.

:[Pan back right to the two men who holds up the katana sword having left their briefcase closed on the floor. The closest RIAA man is holding a hand up, the other MPAA man is holding his sword in two hands and pointing it threateningly forward.]
:RIAA Man: Ah, so you haven't read the DMCA.
:MPAA Man: Title IV, Section 408: Authorization of Deadly Force.

:[A wide panel showing the whole scene with even Mrs. Robert now standing having just pushed her chair back, the computer inert. Elaine is bending in the knees knife at the ready. Both bowler hat men, stil holding their swords as before, but no hands up, have turned to loo right back over their shoulder to see who speaks, as a voice comes from off-panel right.]
:Richard Stallman (off-panel): <big>Hark!</big>

:[The scene pans further right, so the two women is no longer in the panel, but Richard Stallman can now be seen with his wild beard and long hair and holding two katana swords one in front of him and one over his head also pointing towards the two bowler hat med. They are standing normally, looking back at Stallman the MPAA man nearest him holds a hand to his mouth as he speaks.]
:Richard Stallman: <big>Cease this affront to freedom</big>
:Richard Stallman: <big>Or stand and defend yourselves!</big>
:MPAA Man: Stallman!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:1337|04]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|1337]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Elaine Roberts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Mrs. Roberts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Music]]

1937: IATA Airport Abbreviations

2018-01-03T20:05:43Z

198.41.238.40: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1937
| date = January 3, 2018
| title = IATA Airport Abbreviations
| image = iata_airport_abbreviations.png
| titletext = IATA stands for International AirporT Abbreviation.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Expansion needed. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is making fun of the three-letter codes assigned to all airports. These codes are overseen by the IATA (International Air Transport Association). Some airport codes are very intuitive, taking letters from the city name (e.g., DEN for Denver). Other codes are somewhat intuitive, taking a letter or two from the nearby city name but adding an additional letter (e.g., LAX for Los Angeles). Other codes make seemingly no sense at all (e.g., ORD for Chicago's O'Hare International, due to it formerly being named Orchard Field). In many cases, the airport codes appear to have been chosen (or invented) because they are also common abbreviations and acronyms.

If we use the table provided, Randall's friend is flying into Edwards Air Force Base and then down to whatever. This is not a typical flight. In actuality, the friend is flying into Newark tonight and Detroit tomorrow.

{| class="wikitable"
|'''IATA Code''' || '''Actual Assigned City/Airport''' || '''Description in the comic''' || '''Explanation'''
|-
| AMD || {{w|Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport|Ahmedabad}} || {{w|Amsterdam }}|| Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. Its airport (called Schiphol) has the IATA code AMS. "AMD" is also a brand of computer processors.
|-
| ANC || {{w|Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport|Anchorage}} || Ankh-Morpork || Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state featured in {{w|Discworld}}.
|-
| ATL || {{w|Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta}} || Atalantë || Another name for J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional island of Númenor (which is in turn a reference to the sinking of Atlantis). This may also be an intentional misspelling of "Atlanta".
|-
| BAE || {{w|Barcelonnette – Saint-Pons Airfield|Barcelonnette}} || {{w|Beijing}} || Beijing is the capital of China. Its airport has the IATA code PEK (possibly from Peking, alternate former spelling of its name). "Bae" is a slang term meaning girlfriend, boyfriend, or significant other.
|-
| BLT || {{w|
Blackwater Airport|Blackwater}} || {{w|Baltimore}} || A "BLT" is a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
|-
| BUF || Buffalo || Sunnydale || {{w|Sunnydale}} is a fictional California city that serves as the primary setting for '''''Buf'''fy the Vampire Slayer''.
|-
| CLT || Charlotte || [CENSORED] || The censored word may be "clitoris." Randall has used this word in the comic before, but it is censored here for comic effect.
|-
| DFW || Dallas/Fort Worth || Down For Whatever || "Down for Whatever" is an expression used to indicate that one is okay with doing whatever his or her friends are doing in a social situation, or whatever comes up during a social situation.
|-
| DTF || not assigned || Dartford || "DTF" is an acronym used to indicate "Down To Fuck". Dartford is a town in Kent, UK, about 10 miles SE of London.
|-
| DTW || Detroit || Down To Whatever || See "DFW". "Down to Whatever" could indicate that one is getting on a plane with the intention of being fine with whatever the plane's destination turns out to be.
|-
| DWI || not assigned || Delaware International || "DWI" is an acronym for "Driving While Intoxicated" or "Driving While Impaired." Randall notes in the ''what if?'' book that Delaware has no airports.
|-
| EWR || Newark || Edwards Air Force Base || Edwards Air Force Base (which has the IATA code EDW) is a United States Air Force installation in southern California, about 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Lancaster and 15 miles (24 km) east of Rosamond.
|-
| FFS || not assigned || Flagstaff Station || "FFS" is an acronym for "For Fuck's Sake".
|-
| FHQ || not assigned || FHQWHGADS || The string "fhqwhgads" appeared as the sender name in a spam email sent to Strong Bad in the {{w|Homestar Runner}} cartoons; Strong Bad ended up writing a song dedicated to the "character".
|-
| FYI || Fresno Yosemite International || Fayetteville || "FYI" often stands for "For Your Information". Fresno Yosemite International also has the code FAT
|-
| HGM || not assigned || Hogsmeade || {{w|Places_in_Harry_Potter#Hogsmeade|Hogsmeade}} is a fictional location in the ''{{w|Harry Potter}}'' series.
|-
| HSV || Huntsville || Huntsville || This is one where Randall and the IATA agree. HSV is better known as the Hue-Saturation-Value color space or German soccer club Hamburger SV. It is also Herpes Simplex Virus, a venereal disease.
|-
| IAD || Washington (Dulles) || Idaho (Boise) || IAD is the symbol for Dulles Int'l Airport (which was originally "DIA" but it was felt that could be confused when hand-written with "DCA", the sign for nearby {{w|Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport}}). The Idaho Falls airport is IDA, while Idaho (Boise) is BOI, so it's unclear why BOI was chosen instead of IDA.
|-
| IUD || Doha || Washington (Dulles) || An "IUD" is an "IntraUterine Device," or form of birth control.
|-
| JFC || not assigned || Jefferson City || "JFC" is an acronym for "Jesus Fucking Christ." JFK is John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York's main airport and one of the most famous in the world.
|-
| KUL || Kuala Lumpur || Kingdom of Loathing || Kingdom of Loathing is an online, browser-based RPG.
|-
| LAX || Los Angeles || Las Angalas || "Las Angalas" is a "Los Angeles" with every vowel replaced with an "a" character. It's sometimes used as a joking nickname for "Los Angeles."
|-
| LOL || Lovelock || Louisville || "LOL" often stands for "Laughing Out Loud".
|-
| MDW || Chicago, IL (Midway) || Midway Atoll || Midway Atoll was the site of one of the most significant World War II Pacific naval battles. Its actual IATA code is MDY.
|-
| MIA || Miami || Colombo, Sri Lanka || MIA is a rapper who is of Sri Lankan heritage. It also frequently stands for "Missing In Action".
|-
| OMW || not assigned || Omaha || Eppley Airfield in East Omaha, Nebraska, has an IATA code of OMA. "OMW" is an acronym for "On My Way."
|-
| ORD || Chicago, IL (O'Hare) || Orlando || O'Hare was once known as Orchard Place/Douglas Field, hence ORD
|-
| PDX || Portland || Pordlanx || Consider how LAX has a random "X" at the end. And "ORD" is an actual IATA code. Randall messes with "Portland" here in much the same way.
|-
| PHL || Philadelphia, PA || Pittsburgh || Pittsburgh International Airport has a IATA code of PIT. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the two largest cities in Pennsylvania and are at opposite ends of the state.
|-
| SAN || San Diego || San Diego San Juan San Jose San Francisco San Antonio || San Diego International Airport has SAN; nearby airports include Montgomery Field (MYF), MCAS Miramar (NKX), NAS North Island (NZY), Brown Field (SDM), and Gillespie Field (SEE) Puerto Rico: SJU and SIG, and Argentina: UAQ. USA: SJC, Costa Rica: SJO, Mexico: SJD, Philippines: SJI SFO SAT 
|-
| SEA || Seattle/Tacoma or SeaTac || [Indicates Water Landing] || This is possibly a reference to the fact that "SEA" could be interpreted as "Sea". Like some other major airports (e.g., {{w|San Francisco International Airport}} and {{w|LaGuardia Airport}}), SEA is very close to a large body of water, in SeaTac's case {{w|Puget Sound}}: thus, missing the airport may end up in a water landing. SeaTac is also a city in WA, adjacent to the airport.
|-
| SMH || Sapmanga || Smithfield || "SMH" often stands for "Shaking My Head".
|-
| STL || St. Louis || Silent Hill || Silent Hill is a fictional city appearing in the series of video games and movies with the same name.
|-
| SWF || Newburgh, New York || Sherwood Forest || .swf is the file extension for ShockWave Flash files. "SWF" can also stand for "Single White Female" in personal ads. Sherwood Forest, mentioned in the comic, is known as the forest where Robin Hood's hideout was located. According to the legend among his band of Merry Men there was a single white female, the Maid Marian.
|-
| TBA || Tabibuga || Tribeca || "TBA" often stands for "To Be Announced".
|-
| TMI || Tumlingtar || Turkmenistan International || "TMI" often stands for "Too Much Information".
|-
| YYY || Mont-Joli || Toronto Downtown || The small airport in downtown Toronto is Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which has an IATA code of YTZ.
|-
| YYZ || Toronto || Toronto Pearson || This one is correct. The band Rush is from Toronto and named an instrumental song after the airport call sign. See {{w|YYZ (instrumental)}}
|-
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A list with abbreviations and their meaning is shown in two columns.]

:[On top left the header reads:]
:Confused by those airport abbreviations used by your friends who fly a lot? Just memorize this list.

:[On top right some social media conversation is shown:]
:I'm flying into EWR tonight, then DTW tomorrow.
:[Answer (in blue):]
:Ok, cool. I definitely know what those mean without Googling.

:[The list:]
:{| class="wikitable style=border:none;"|
|-
| AMD || Amsterdam
|-
| BAE || Beijing
|-
| ORD || Orlando
|-
| IAD || Idaho (Boise)
|-
| JFC || Jefferson City
|-
| IUD || Washington Dulles
|-
| FYI || Fayetteville
|-
| LOL || Louisville
|-
| ATL || Atalante
|-
| HGM || Hogsmeade
|-
| OMW || Omaha
|-
| ANC || Ankh-Morpork
|-
| HSV || Hunstville
|-
| SAN || San Diego
|-
| SAN || San Juan
|-
| SAN || San Jose
|-
| SAN || San Francisco
|-
| SAN || San Antonio
|-
| DWI || Delaware International
|-
| DFW || Down for Whatever
|-
| DTW || Down to Whatever
|-
| TMI || Turkmenistan International
|-
| LAX || Las Angalas
|-
| EWR || Edwards Air Force Base
|-
| PHL || Pittsburgh
|-
| SWF || Sherwood Forest
|-
| KUL || Kingdom of Loathing
|-
| STL || Silent Hill
|-
| BUF || Sunnydale
|-
| TBA || Tribeca
|-
| SMH || Smithfield
|-
| BLT || Baltimore
|-
| YYY || Toronto Downtown
|-
| YYZ || Toronto Pearson
|-
| MIA || Colombo, Sri Lanka
|-
| CLT || Censored
|-
| FHQ || Fhqwhgads
|-
| FFS || Flagstaff Station
|-
| DTF || Dartford
|-
| MDW || Midway Atoll
|-
| PDX || Pordlanx
|-
| SEA || Indicates Water Landing
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:1922: Interferometry

2017-11-30T11:20:49Z

198.41.238.40: Need more dogs.

Newbie here just added the explanition and transcript, so will need editing.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.106|172.68.34.106]] 16:25, 29 November 2017 (UTC)
:I think we both added it at the same time; when I submitted mine it showed normally in the edit box with the captcha, but when I pressed save it spliced your explanation and mine together. Think yours is probably better researched (I was typing off the top of my head), so I reverted it again. -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.25|162.158.89.25]] 16:43, 29 November 2017 (UTC)
Why is there a period after Interferometry in the first panel?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.106|172.68.34.106]] 19:04, 29 November 2017 (UTC)
:It has to be a mistake. Otherwise, Beret Guy sounds like he has a weird speech cadence. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 10:17, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

I really like the [citation needed] on whether dogs can interfere with each other. I want it to stay! --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.61|162.158.89.61]] 20:05, 29 November 2017 (UTC)
:Dogs certainly can interfere with each other - in fact, they often have to be restrained from doing so...[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.239|141.101.104.239]] 09:37, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

Beret guy is back ! I like it... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.23.51|172.69.23.51]] 00:05, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

I feel it should be noted that these are good dogs, Brent. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.17|108.162.246.17]] 04:49, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

I think the good dog part in the title text is related to the [https://topatoco.com/collections/jeph-jacques/products/dogs-are-good-shirt new t-shirt from Questionable Content]. I think there has been guest comics one way or the other before. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.220|162.158.134.220]] 06:25, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

It's different and probably unrelated, but the comic made me think of the science fiction classic _A Fire Upon The Deep_ in which there are intelligent hive mind dog packs. One dog isn't intelligent, but put 4-6 together and the pack forms a single person with human-level intelligence. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.155|141.101.104.155]] 07:52, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

: The latest research shows you'd need about 30 dogs to equate to one human in terms of neuron quantity (https://newatlas.com/dogs-smarter-cats-neuron-density-study/52416/), but I wouldn't expect human-level intelligence with just 30 dogs because that ignores the amount of overhead needed to control the 30 dog bodies. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]] 11:20, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

A large bark does not prove a large dog - dog size and bark size are not proportionately related. The fact that the bark is apparently emanating from mid-air would be more of an indication (though this could be an auditory illusion caused by the combination of barks from the two dogs).[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.239|141.101.104.239]] 09:37, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1921: The Moon and the Great Wall

2017-11-29T03:59:10Z

198.41.238.40: Come on, get that signing thing right.

https://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html

gives something like an authoritative explanation togeter with photos taken from the ISS.

Summary: the great wall can't really be seen from space. But you may be able to spot its shape if the conditions are right. Such as light from the right direction (see the shadow), or snow accumulating on one side of the wall but not the other.

Jyrki Lahtonen

"The statement in the comic, however, is actually true." - It might be, but the part about the Great Wall in it is somewhat irrelevant - it is equally true also from anywhere else in the world. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.210.88|162.158.210.88]] 09:49, 27 November 2017 (UTC)
Yeah it's simply a reversal of the myth. "The Great Wall of China" could be replaced with "anywhere on Earth". But that would be less funny. [[User:Jdluk|Jdluk]] ([[User talk:Jdluk|talk]]) 10:27, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

The Great Wall is 13,000+ miles long, but only 35 feet wide. It's the narrowness that make it impossible to see from space. If we use thread (approx 1/100th of an inch wide) as an analogue, the GWC can be represent by a piece of thread 732 ft long (1.5 inches equals one mile), viewed from 5.5 feet away (equivalent to the 100 miles "edge of space"), or 1222 ft (22,000 miles geosynchronious orbit) or 2.5 miles (238,855 miles orbit of the moon) [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 15:07, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

: 732 feet long viewed from 5.5 feet away doesn't sound credible. And the "edge of space" is 100 kilometres up, not 100 miles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]] 03:50, 29 November 2017 (UTC)

: "The wall is a maximum 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) wide ... The apparent width of the Great Wall from the Moon is the same as that of a human hair viewed from 3 km (2 mi) away." - Wikipedia. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]] 03:59, 29 November 2017 (UTC)

That's simply false. The Great Wall of China is another structure on the surface of a celestial body that can be seen with the naked eye from the Great Wall of China. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.34|172.68.54.34]] 19:05, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

: definition of celestial body: "A natural object which is located OUTSIDE OF EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, such as the Moon, the Sun, an asteroid, planet, or star."
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/celestial_body
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/celestial?s=t [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.168|172.68.65.168]] 21:04, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

:: As opposed to terrestrial body, which is, well, the earth XD [[Special:Contributions/172.68.2.22|172.68.2.22]]
::: Actually, there are four terrestrial bodies in our solar system alone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrestrial_planet https://www.space.com/17028-terrestrial-planets.html [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.239|141.101.104.239]] 15:27, 28 November 2017 (UTC)

Those merlons are way too small. They are not going to protect Megan & Ponytail from incoming arrows. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.34|172.68.54.34]] 19:08, 27 November 2017 (UTC)
: Depends how high the wall is... Perhaps in order to reach the top of the wall archers might need to be so close that the merlons are actually sufficient. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:19, 28 November 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1921: The Moon and the Great Wall

2017-11-29T03:58:13Z

198.41.238.40: *This* sounds less fake.

https://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html

gives something like an authoritative explanation togeter with photos taken from the ISS.

Summary: the great wall can't really be seen from space. But you may be able to spot its shape if the conditions are right. Such as light from the right direction (see the shadow), or snow accumulating on one side of the wall but not the other.

Jyrki Lahtonen

"The statement in the comic, however, is actually true." - It might be, but the part about the Great Wall in it is somewhat irrelevant - it is equally true also from anywhere else in the world. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.210.88|162.158.210.88]] 09:49, 27 November 2017 (UTC)
Yeah it's simply a reversal of the myth. "The Great Wall of China" could be replaced with "anywhere on Earth". But that would be less funny. [[User:Jdluk|Jdluk]] ([[User talk:Jdluk|talk]]) 10:27, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

The Great Wall is 13,000+ miles long, but only 35 feet wide. It's the narrowness that make it impossible to see from space. If we use thread (approx 1/100th of an inch wide) as an analogue, the GWC can be represent by a piece of thread 732 ft long (1.5 inches equals one mile), viewed from 5.5 feet away (equivalent to the 100 miles "edge of space"), or 1222 ft (22,000 miles geosynchronious orbit) or 2.5 miles (238,855 miles orbit of the moon) [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 15:07, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

: 732 feet long viewed from 5.5 feet away doesn't sound credible. And the "edge of space" is 100 kilometres up, not 100 miles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]] 03:50, 29 November 2017 (UTC)

: "The wall is a maximum 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) wide ... The apparent width of the Great Wall from the Moon is the same as that of a human hair viewed from 3 km (2 mi) away." - Wikipedia.

That's simply false. The Great Wall of China is another structure on the surface of a celestial body that can be seen with the naked eye from the Great Wall of China. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.34|172.68.54.34]] 19:05, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

: definition of celestial body: "A natural object which is located OUTSIDE OF EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, such as the Moon, the Sun, an asteroid, planet, or star."
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/celestial_body
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/celestial?s=t [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.168|172.68.65.168]] 21:04, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

:: As opposed to terrestrial body, which is, well, the earth XD [[Special:Contributions/172.68.2.22|172.68.2.22]]
::: Actually, there are four terrestrial bodies in our solar system alone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrestrial_planet https://www.space.com/17028-terrestrial-planets.html [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.239|141.101.104.239]] 15:27, 28 November 2017 (UTC)

Those merlons are way too small. They are not going to protect Megan & Ponytail from incoming arrows. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.34|172.68.54.34]] 19:08, 27 November 2017 (UTC)
: Depends how high the wall is... Perhaps in order to reach the top of the wall archers might need to be so close that the merlons are actually sufficient. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:19, 28 November 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1921: The Moon and the Great Wall

2017-11-29T03:50:03Z

198.41.238.40: Fake!

https://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html

gives something like an authoritative explanation togeter with photos taken from the ISS.

Summary: the great wall can't really be seen from space. But you may be able to spot its shape if the conditions are right. Such as light from the right direction (see the shadow), or snow accumulating on one side of the wall but not the other.

Jyrki Lahtonen

"The statement in the comic, however, is actually true." - It might be, but the part about the Great Wall in it is somewhat irrelevant - it is equally true also from anywhere else in the world. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.210.88|162.158.210.88]] 09:49, 27 November 2017 (UTC)
Yeah it's simply a reversal of the myth. "The Great Wall of China" could be replaced with "anywhere on Earth". But that would be less funny. [[User:Jdluk|Jdluk]] ([[User talk:Jdluk|talk]]) 10:27, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

The Great Wall is 13,000+ miles long, but only 35 feet wide. It's the narrowness that make it impossible to see from space. If we use thread (approx 1/100th of an inch wide) as an analogue, the GWC can be represent by a piece of thread 732 ft long (1.5 inches equals one mile), viewed from 5.5 feet away (equivalent to the 100 miles "edge of space"), or 1222 ft (22,000 miles geosynchronious orbit) or 2.5 miles (238,855 miles orbit of the moon) [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 15:07, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

: 732 feet long viewed from 5.5 feet away doesn't sound credible. And the "edge of space" is 100 kilometres up, not 100 miles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]] 03:50, 29 November 2017 (UTC)

That's simply false. The Great Wall of China is another structure on the surface of a celestial body that can be seen with the naked eye from the Great Wall of China. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.34|172.68.54.34]] 19:05, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

: definition of celestial body: "A natural object which is located OUTSIDE OF EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, such as the Moon, the Sun, an asteroid, planet, or star."
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/celestial_body
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/celestial?s=t [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.168|172.68.65.168]] 21:04, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

:: As opposed to terrestrial body, which is, well, the earth XD [[Special:Contributions/172.68.2.22|172.68.2.22]]
::: Actually, there are four terrestrial bodies in our solar system alone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrestrial_planet https://www.space.com/17028-terrestrial-planets.html [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.239|141.101.104.239]] 15:27, 28 November 2017 (UTC)

Those merlons are way too small. They are not going to protect Megan & Ponytail from incoming arrows. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.34|172.68.54.34]] 19:08, 27 November 2017 (UTC)
: Depends how high the wall is... Perhaps in order to reach the top of the wall archers might need to be so close that the merlons are actually sufficient. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:19, 28 November 2017 (UTC)

847: Stingray Nebula

2017-11-26T19:27:30Z

198.41.238.40: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 847
| date = January 14, 2011
| title = Stingray Nebula
| image = stingray_nebula.png
| titletext = Eärendil will patrol the walls of night only until the sun reaches red giant stage, engulfing the Morning Star on his brow. Light and high beauty are passing things as well.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Stingray Nebula}}, in the constellation {{w|Ara (constellation)|Ara}}, is the youngest known planetary nebula in the galaxy. It was formed by an {{w|asymptotic giant branch}} (AGB) B1 {{w|supergiant}}, which blasted out the gas while becoming a {{w|white dwarf}} in 1987. Well, it happened about 18,000 years ago, but the light of the incident reached the Earth in 1987.

This comic went from a reassuring comic about stars at night giving hope in the darkness, but then as with most xkcd's, it took a turn. In this case, the twist is that because [[Cueball]]'s star he got attached to exploded into a nebula, we should only become attached to stars that aren't quite as volatile as the one that formed the Stingray Nebula.

While talking about his star, Cueball shares with his friend a quote from the ''{{w|Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King}}'', the third installment in {{w|J. R. R. Tolkien|J.R.R. Tolkien's}} epic fantasy series. {{w|Samwise Gamgee|Sam}} and his friend {{w|Frodo Baggins|Frodo}} were forced to travel through {{w|Mordor}}, a land of fire and death, to destroy the malevolent {{w|One Ring}}. The journey's hardship took a psychological toll on each of them.

Cueball compares his struggles as a kid, and his friend's struggles in the present, to Sam and Frodo's arduous journey through Mordor. Both he and Sam were able to find beauty and solace in the glimmering of some distant light. By attaching their hopes, woes and feelings to this small point of hope, they both get a sense of perspective and comfort in the fact that there is beauty in a greater sense before them.

The title text ties into the Tolkien quote. {{w|Eärendil}}, with a {{w|Silmaril}} strapped to his ship, Vigilot ,is the Tolkeinian myth explanation for the planet {{w|Venus}}, which has historically been mistaken for a star due to its brightness, being known as the "morning star" or "evening star". Venus will eventually (in billions of years time) be engulfed by the sun's expansion into a red giant. The source of Sam's comfort is also temporary in the long term.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and his Cueball-like friend to the left is shown as white silhouettes against a dark sky. They're sitting on top of a grassy hill also shown inverted as white.]
:Cueball: I know things are tough right now. When I was going through some difficult times as a kid, I would go up on the roof and look through my telescope.

:[Zoom in on the twos white heads and upper torso only.]
:Cueball: One day I found a tiny star in Ara that seemed friendly.
:Cueball: There were millions like it, but I decided that this one was mine.

:[Zoom in only on Cueball's head and torso.]
:Cueball: When things got bad, I'd go find that star, and think of my favorite Tolkien quote. It's from Sam's time in Mordor.

:[The next panel is diagonally downward to the right of the previous. The upper left corner overlaps. A single star is shown above the highest peak in a jagged chain of mountains with at least five other large peaks and several smaller ones. Above the star in the black sky is a long quote.]
:"There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the shadow was only a small and passing thing: There was light and high beauty forever beyond its reach."
::::—The Return of the King

:[Back to normal panels below the quote panel. Larger zoom than in panel two both showing the same of the two.]
:Friend: That's comforting!
:Cueball: It was rather undercut in 1987, when the light from my star's explosion reached Earth. The debris forms the Stingray Nebula.

:[Zooming further out even than the first panel, showing more of the grassy mound below the two.]
:Friend: There's probably a lesson there.
:Cueball: "Never trust an unstable asymptotic giant branch star. Stick with main sequences and dwarfs."
:Friend: I'll, uh, keep that in mind.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Telescopes]]

Talk:758: Raptor Fences

2017-11-26T09:19:53Z

198.41.238.40:

Is the Cueball on the left holding a lit cigar? {{unsigned|‎Gegueure}}

The role of Samuel L. Jackson is played by Cueball in this film. [[User:ZevEisenberg|ZevEisenberg]] ([[User talk:ZevEisenberg|talk]]) 14:44, 9 August 2013 (UTC)

Does this remind you to Gulliver being attacked by tiny people in Liliput? Or the similar scene in [http://pbfcomics.com/95/ Perry Bible Fellowships strip 95: Gnome Bubbles] with the tiny gnomes? [[User:B jonas|B jonas]] ([[User talk:B jonas|talk]]) 23:35, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
The raptor in the film might actually be Utah raptor which is as big as in the film and had no evident of feather.[[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]]

736: Cemetery

2017-11-26T09:02:27Z

198.41.238.40: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 736
| date = May 5, 2010
| title = Cemetery
| image = cemetery.png
| titletext = Three headstones down, I got a call from my mom and it went from bad to worse.
}}

==Explanation==
Here, [[Cueball]] appears to be putting blame on someone who died. This could be a result of...
:...the deceased insisting on a font that was not sans-serif for his tombstone, but the results were typographically unappealing but permanent, not the least because the deceased is "no longer available" to change his mind.
:...the deceased having died because he used a font that was not sans-serif.
:...Cueball being "forced" to kill the person who is now deceased, due to him giving Cueball something that was in a font that was not the sans-serif font for which Cueball asked.

In any way, the onlookers seem horrified at this sight. What they do not know is that Cueball is arguing with his still-alive co-worker (citation needed) who got into quite a bit of trouble due to using a font that was not sans-serif, despite Cueball having the knowledge that a sans-serif font was better. Cueball is actually using a Bluetooth headset that allows one to speak without actually touching the cell phone. The problem is that, since the headset is a small object attached to the user's ear while the phone is out of sight, someone using a Bluetooth headset may give the impression that he is talking to himself, or again, to a person who happens to be in front of him (even if the "unintended recipient" is dead).

The title text suggests that Cueball is not on good terms with his mother, thus meriting a worse argument. The problem is that Cueball was in front of a different tombstone, thus giving the impression that he had an even worse grudge against his seemingly deceased mother, said impression thrusting worse problems into Cueball.

A different example of not knowing someone is talking on the phone: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khn1d6LQ8PU]

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is in a cemetery, near a gravestone. Other people stand around staring. One Cueball-like figure stands to the right of him, and three figures, further away, look on as well. Of the three figures in the back, the tallest left-most Cueball-like figure covers his mouth with his hands. Megan is standing next to him, using her arm to block the view of a smaller figure to the right of her, presumably a child.]
:Cueball: Frankly, you deserve this. You ''knew'' I wanted a sans-serif font, and you ''ignored'' me. So really, this is ''your'' fault.
:I've discovered the worst place to wander while arguing on a hands-free headset.

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

Talk:1911: Defensive Profile

2017-11-04T07:05:31Z

198.41.238.40: Is the cartoon self contradictory?

This reminds me of his "free speech" comic. In both, he implies that if people get mad at you for what you say, you must be the one in the wrong. He also implies that people who make that kind of statement "don't understand" why people take offense. That makes very little sense. If they say something like that, they must understand why some people dislike them. Quite possibly they even enjoy having that effect. [[User:Gmcgath|Gmcgath]] ([[User talk:Gmcgath|talk]]) 21:09, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

: That brings new meaning to "objective truth". In the modern world it certainly seems sometimes that relativism reigns supreme. Let's see... If we all get angry at Randall, is Randall wrong? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]] 07:05, 4 November 2017 (UTC)

Chrome with the official Google Translate extension allows just this kind of view translation of a selection only. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.253.221|172.68.253.221]] 03:14, 4 November 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1830: ISS Solar Transit 2

2017-04-28T18:28:47Z

198.41.238.40: Limb darkening.

Gees Randal, that's actually really dark.

Attempted explaining. It is not real, ... I hope {{[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.250|108.162.229.250]] 05:03, 28 April 2017 (UTC)}}

costs would be astronomical. I see what you did there and I approve. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 07:23, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

:astronomical, good joke [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.216|141.101.105.216]] 09:35, 28 April 2017 (UTC)
: +1 [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:28, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

:Yeah, I was amused by that too. But looks like someone removed it. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.109|162.158.154.109]] 17:06, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Have to disagree on the Pink Floyd joke. I don't see it. [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 11:43, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

The diameter of the sun is 864,575.9 mi. In the first panel the ISS is about that far away. Second panel is about halfway, so 432,287.95 miles. According to [http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-07/how-close-could-person-get-sun-and-survive Popular Science], the ISS could probably make it to just over a million miles away before burning up (seeing as how the shuttle could make it ~1.3 million and I think the ISS has more protection), the "fwoosh" should be in the first panel. And in any matter, the sound effect should be a "sploosh" sound with the splashing visuals. [[User:OldCorps|OldCorps]] ([[User talk:OldCorps|talk]]) 13:22, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

If the impact were to really happen as shown, then one of two things must be true, either:
1) The ISS is really really large (eyeballing it as about 4x the size of the Earth vs. the size of the Sun as shown) or
2) The Sun is really smaller than we think and as close as the ISS's orbit.
In either case, the ISS would be likely to survive entry into the Sun's surface. If the former is true, this also makes replacing it twice a month all the more impressive. Go NASA!.[[User:Harodotus|Harodotus]] ([[User talk:Harodotus|talk]]) 16:48, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Anyone want to try explaining limb darkening (as drawn in the comic)? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]] 18:28, 28 April 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1825: 7 Eleven

2017-04-21T02:19:42Z

198.41.238.40: Lots of levels

I don't think the title-text references leap seconds, as it says that "many" are wrong, not "all". It seems more likely it refers to stores that claim to be open 365 days per year, and are hence wrong in leap years.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.42|141.101.105.42]] 20:12, 17 April 2017 (UTC)

I agree that it would be closed for 39 (and a bit) minutes a day if it was open for exactly 24 hours. I think Randall made a mistake. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]] 21:30, 17 April 2017 (UTC)

The parts in the description that talk about mixing "Earth and Mars time units" and "Mars-hours" don't make sense; I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as a Mars-hour. Despite the classical definition of an hour (which has since been replaced), an hour is defined as a number of seconds, and seconds are an SI unit based on the characteristics of Caesium-133 atoms...NOT defined as being a fixed fraction of a day. Even the unit "day" is often used to refer to a fixed unit of time nowadays (defined by the SI to be 86 400 s)...I believe this is one of the reasons why the solar day on Mars is referred to as a "sol" instead of a "day". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.192|172.68.133.192]] 22:15, 17 April 2017 (UTC)
:Nitpicking a bit, but the day is usually only 86400 seconds long (see [[1481]]).
::That's what I meant to say, SI defines it to be 86 400 s; I have no idea why I typed 86 401 s. It is fixed now.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.5|162.158.79.5]] 15:39, 18 April 2017 (UTC)
:NASA's Mars Mission do divide the "sol" into 24 "Hours". I thought about adding this as a clarification the the Mars-Hours but that made the sentence somewhat unwieldy.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.216|141.101.107.216]] 09:27, 18 April 2017 (UTC)

Fun fact that might be interesting to add to the note about Arizona and DST. As stated already, the Navajo reservation observes DST, since it extends into Utah and New Mexico. However, the Hopi reservation, which is entirely enclosed by the Navajo reservation, does NOT follow DST. So in the one state in the Mountain Time Zone that does not observe DST, there is a region that follows DST, and inside that is another region that does not follow DST. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.185|162.158.79.185]] 01:28, 18 April 2017 (UTC)
:And looking at a [http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2012/03/what-time-is-it-in-arizona-it-depends-on-where-youre-standing/ DST map of Arizona], it appears there is at least one small area contained within that inner-most non-observing region that does observe DST... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.63|162.158.69.63]] 08:11, 18 April 2017 (UTC)
::Yes, it is a smaller Navajo area fully contained within the Hopi reservation, which is fully contained within the Navajo reservation, which is mostly contained within Arizona. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]] 02:19, 21 April 2017 (UTC)
:[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States Up through 2006], some of Indiana didn't observe DST. That really screwed with my college career, being from Virginia. Some of the time I'm on DST, others I'm not.

Talk:1825: 7 Eleven

2017-04-17T21:30:31Z

198.41.238.40: Errror