explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1147: Evolving

2012-12-14T22:12:42Z

207.225.239.130: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1147
| date = December 14, 2012
| title = Evolving
| image = evolving.png
| titletext = Biologists play reverse Pokémon, trying to avoid putting any one team member on the front lines long enough for the experience to cause evolution.
}}

==Explanation==

In {{w|Pokémon}}, a highly popular game series, the protagonist goes out in search for the eponymous creatures. Many Pokémon can be found directly in the wild, but there are also a lot of Pokémon that require training and growth, to cause them to "evolve" into new Pokémon. "Evolve", the game's term, is a misnomer which [http://www.cephasministry.com/save_our_children_pokemon_booklet.html earned itself quite some controversy in the past]; in reality, Pokémon "evolution" is more akin to puberty or metamorphosis, since, instead of the entire species of Pokémon acquiring changes throughout an extended period of time, one specific member of the species grows instantly to the "higher stage." At that point in the game, the Pokémon glows before transforming into the new form, then stops glowing, and the very same text ''"What? Xxx is evolving!"'' is used (see [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qUwWAMgy3E this video] or {{w|File:Pokemon evolution.png|those screenshots}} for instance). The changes of such a tranformation can be [http://veekun.com/dex/pokemon/snorunt quite] [http://veekun.com/dex/pokemon/froslass dramatic]... [http://veekun.com/dex/pokemon/poliwhirl or] [http://veekun.com/dex/pokemon/poliwrath not].

This comic depicts the "evolution" of a bacteria as observed by a Biologist in the same format as the game Pokémon. Here we have {{w|Staphylococcus Aureus}}, which is not a desirable bacterium (it causes {{w|Staph infection}}s) which evolves into {{w|MRSA|"Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus"}}. {{w|Methicillin}} is an anti-biotic. If the bacteria becomes resistant, it means the anti-biotic will not kill the bacteria, and infections become harder to treat. Thus, the observer is not pleased with such an evolution.

The title text references this by suggesting that biologists do NOT want bacteria to evolve in this way, as opposed to Pokémon where you put a Pokémon on the "front lines" as much as possible to gain it experience and hope it evolves. [A point of irony is that Pokémon evolution can be prevented (by using an Everstone) or stopped (by pressing the B button in the game controller during evolution) most of the time, especially if there are [http://veekun.com/dex/pokemon/vigoroth/ Pokémon that someone does not want to evolve].] The bit about the front lines is that, if a bacteria colony is exposed sufficiently to an antibiotic, those bacteria not killed by the antibiotic demonstrate resistance to the antibiotic, and are able reproduce in spite of the antibiotic.

Staphylococcus aureus is a very common bacteria (that under an electron microscope looks like the xkcd drawing) and is the major cause of staph infections (there are other types of staph bacteria), frequently found in the nostrils and skin. Hospitals are often plagued with outbreaks of methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA) as it is very difficult to treat as the typical antibiotics do not work on it.

{{Incomplete}}

==Transcript==
:[bacterial cell culture]
:What?
:'''''Staphylococcus Aureus''''' is evolving!

:...

:Off-screen: Aww, crap.
:'''''Staphylococcus Aureus''''' evolved into '''Methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus Aureus!'''''

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

Category talk:Comics featuring Randall Munroe

2012-12-11T22:14:48Z

207.225.239.130:

I dunno. I think it's wildass guessing that this is necessarily Randall. Sure, you could argue that every cueball is Randall. You could also argue that all the comics are drawn from Randall's experience (like the cancer ones.) But in my opinion, the ''only'' one we know for certain is Randall's first-person voice is the [[SOPA]] comic, which he specifically signed. Everything else seems like us projecting "oh, it's gotta be Randall because [insert scientifically flimsy rationale here]" [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 22:12, 11 December 2012 (UTC)
: (Okay, I amend my previous statement. [[Substitute]] also cites Mr. Munroe.) [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 22:14, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

Category talk:Comics featuring Randall Munroe

2012-12-11T22:12:38Z

207.225.239.130: Is you is, or is you ain't, Randall?

I dunno. I think it's wildass guessing that this is necessarily Randall. Sure, you could argue that every cueball is Randall. You could also argue that all the comics are drawn from Randall's experience (like the cancer ones.) But in my opinion, the ''only'' one we know for certain is Randall's first-person voice is the SOPA comic, which he specifically signed. Everything else seems like us projecting "oh, it's gotta be Randall because [insert scientifically flimsy rationale here]" [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 22:12, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1145: Sky Color

2012-12-11T22:05:36Z

207.225.239.130:

Of course with '''''vertical''''' mirror vertical axis is selected: perceived switching of left and right (really close with far to mirror surface). When '''standing on''' '''''horizontal''''' mirror we will perceive switching bottom from top. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 09:09, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

You're certainly correct, but I think that the original question is not really asking about text (or other things) which are perpendicular to the mirror, but rather text which is parallel to it (and thus the close vs. far doesn't come into it). For example, when reading signs in your rear view mirror or holding a book in front of your chest while looking in a mirror. I've added a little bit to the explanation to attempt to help clarify what's happening in that situation. I'm not sure if it really helps or not. [[User:KeithyIrwin|KeithyIrwin]] ([[User talk:KeithyIrwin|talk]]) 10:00, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

Easier way to describe it: Imagine you hold a piece of glas. Write on the glass and hold it in front of the mirror, so that you can see both the original text and the mirrored text. Both versions of the text will look identical. So the mirror doesn't change anything. [[Special:Contributions/62.220.2.194|62.220.2.194]] 11:10, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

Another way: draw a line between the real object and its reflection. Things are reflected around that line. If that line is going up & down (relative to your eyes), then things are reflected left/right (relative to your eyes). If that line is horizontal (again relative to your eyes), then things are reflected top/bottom. So it's not so much whether the mirror is horizontal or vertical, but rather what direction you are looking into the mirror (although that can be influenced a lot by the mirror's orientation).[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 04:17, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

I always wonder: Since the sky goes from red to blue to red and the optical spectrum goes from red to green to blue. How come the sky is never green?
: Because of human color perception. You only perceive green in polychromatic light when said light is stronger in the middle wavelengths than the low or high wavelengths; in other words, you would need a process in the sky that removed ''both'' the high and low wavelengths from white light. As the sun sets, only the lower wavelengths are removed, so you perceive yellows and reds -- this perception of color is "one-sided", i.e. it is not interfered with by even longer wavelengths. By the way, sometimes you do see green briefly in the sky, it's called a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash Green Flash]. --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 16:41, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

This sentence doesn't make sense: "(from "his" right to left instead of from "his" left to right)" [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 15:15, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

Repeat Character Watch: The girl has appeared previously in [[842: Mark]], [[892: Null Hypothesis]], [[1058: Old-Timers]], and [[1104: Feathers]] (A similar looking character also appears in [[635: Locke and Demosthenes]] but this is actually the character Valentine from the book Ender's Game). The mother is seen in comics [[806: Tech Support]] and [[813: One-Liners]]. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:12, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

About [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1145:_Sky_Color&diff=22416&oldid=22414 this edition]: 1/(x^4) does not look like a root to me. IMHO the forth root of x would be more like x^(1/4) but it's not the formula from the comic. (I'm too lazy to try to type lambda). [[User:Lmpk|Lmpk]] ([[User talk:Lmpk|talk]]) 19:00, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

:You are correct. It's been fixed. The editor that made that edit was probably confusing 1/x4 with x1/4, the latter of which would indeed be the fourth root. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 19:53, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

[http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/BlueSky/blue_sky.html This page], linked from the explanation says that "the most strongly scattered indigo and violet wavelengths stimulate the red cones slightly as well as the blue, which is why these colours appear blue with an added red tinge." -- this seems rather strange. Assuming the cones are simulated based on frequency/wavelength, ultra-blue colors shouldn't stimulate the red cones because the electromagnetic spectrum is linear, not circular, despite the appearance of similarity between violet and red. Or am I missing something? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:14, 11 December 2012 (UTC)
: If you look at the response curve (middle of cited page) you'll see that red receptors have two peaks, one in the red wavelengths, and another (very tiny one) in the violet. That's why purple (which is red + blue) looks so similar to violet, and why the "color wheel" works. [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 21:59, 11 December 2012 (UTC)
:: PS: "first years" is an idiom. Wouldn't that be "first year students" to be proper English? [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 22:05, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1145: Sky Color

2012-12-11T21:59:30Z

207.225.239.130: purple prose

Talk:1143: Location

2012-12-06T19:16:31Z

207.225.239.130: In space, nobody can hear you scream.

I thought the words "like" and "hang out" were references to facebook's "like" and google's "hang out". What do the native speakers think? {{unsigned|213.252.171.254|07:56, 5 December 2012 (UTC)}}

: Not in this case- here they're just being used as the everyday terms that facebook and google co-opted. {{unsigned|140.247.0.10|08:12, 5 December 2012 (UTC)}}

:: I agree. {{unsigned|122.60.40.91|09:28, 5 December 2012 (UTC)}}

: Native speaker here: there doesn't seem to be anything distinctive about the use of 'like' and 'hang out' in this comic to indicate they might be references. {{unsigned|170.194.32.42|10:33, 5 December 2012 (UTC)}}

:: The words aren't out of place otherwise, so it just might be a (big) coincidence. I still find it likely to be true. [[Special:Contributions/207.237.164.241|207.237.164.241]] 11:18, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

: Another native speaker here. You typically would not "hang out" – in real life – with people you don't "like" – as in you like your friends. There's nothing in the comic to make me think there's any connection with Facebook or Google+. [[Special:Contributions/24.41.5.167|24.41.5.167]] 11:44, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

: This native speaker agrees. The dialog is ordinary informal American English. That's why facebook and Google hijacked the words. Facebook and Google want to be seen as informal and idiomatic institutions. {{unsigned|174.125.142.147|15:25, 5 December 2012 (UTC)}}

::They'll be very disappointed when they discover that he just decorated the bushes around his house with green LED lights for Christmas. --Geoff [[Special:Contributions/128.156.10.80|128.156.10.80]] 19:22, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

No explanation for the space noises? [[User:Max Nanasy|Max Nanasy]] ([[User talk:Max Nanasy|talk]]) 21:28, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

: The game literally makes space noises. Like... ''whooosshhshhhssshhoooooshhh.'' Things like that. [[Special:Contributions/138.110.225.187|138.110.225.187]] 22:30, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

::Thank you for that. I had no idea what was being referenced, serves me right for not reading the title text. (This is not sarcasm, it sounded like it was when I read it to myself, so I'm adding this disclaimer) [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:33, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

:: But "space noises" is an oxymoron. In space, you can't hear noise. (Oh... you mean bad-sci-fi-movie noises...) [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 19:16, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

::Another Google closed beta – you get to play by invite only. Meh [[Special:Contributions/24.41.5.167|24.41.5.167]] 23:53, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

I'm trying to find a game that I played on the computer about 2 years ago. I remember that you could see the entire play area the entire time. It was timed. The object was to get to a hole (maybe blue in color) to end the level. There were blocks that often blocked your path, which you needed to push out of your way or more often use them to make bridges to cross water. Some of the levels were very much a timing game where you needed to quickly move a block through a winding path(up, down, left, right only)to avoid being caught by, I believe, moving blocks.The closest screen shot that I've found is Chips Challenge, which is not the game that I played previously. I remember there were many levels, probably between 50 and 100. Ideas?[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 15:33, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

1143: Location

2012-12-05T20:11:56Z

207.225.239.130: details (mostly to cause wiki to refresh talk page)

{{comic
| number = 1143
| date = December 5, 2012
| title = Location
| image = location.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Ingress: Foursquare With Space Noises.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Ingress (game)|Ingress}} is an {{w|augmented reality}} location-based service game in which players have to visit certain real-world places marked by the game as containing in-game objectives, called portals. The friend in the comic owns a home surrounded by an abundance of portals, which makes it an attractive destination for Cueball and co.

{{w|Foursquare}} is another service that lets users check into places they visit for discounts in a similar way to how Ingress players visit portals for points.

==Transcript==
:[A group of people around a computer. Cueball is typing.]
:Cueball: Hey, party tonight?
:Cueball: We'd all like to come see your new place!
:Friend (through monitor): Wait, what?

:[Cut to friend sitting at a laptop.]
:Cueball: We want to hang out!
:Friend: We're not like, good friends.
:Cueball: I know, but we were thinking about it and we really like you!

:[Cut back to Cueball and friends.]
:Cueball: You should have us over tonight!
:Cueball: For, like, an hour.
:Cueball: It'll be fun!
:Friend: Well, uh, sure.

:[Cut to colour-inverted image of friend's house. Ingress energy wells are surrounding the house.]
:Cueball: ''YESSSS!''
:Friend: I still don't get why you're suddenly so excited to hang out.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

991: Phantom Menace

2012-12-03T21:51:09Z

207.225.239.130: /* Explanation */ toy

{{comic
| number = 991
| date = December 16, 2011
| title = Phantom Menace
| image = phantom_menace.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = We could go to the theater across town and see if it's opened THERE yet, but we don't want to lose our place in line.
}}

==Explanation==
Here we have [[Cueball]] and one other unidentified character, who is dressed as [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Maul Darth Maul]. Darth Maul is a [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sith_apprentice Sith apprentice] in {{w|Star Wars: The Phantom Menace}}. [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sith The Sith] are the group of characters in the {{w|Star Wars}} universe who embrace [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_side_of_the_Force the dark side] of [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Force the Force] and are the enemies throughout the series. Cueball is holding a toy [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lightsaber lightsaber], which is the weapon used by the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi Jedi] and the Sith. Cueball and Darth Maul are standing outside what they think is a {{w|Movie theater|theater}} waiting for the {{w|3d movie|3D}} {{w|The phantom menace#3D re-release|edition}} of The Phantom Menace, which was [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120915/releaseinfo released] in most countries in February 2012.

However, no one else is waiting with them because the Phantom Menace was {{w|The phantom menace#Reception|one of the worst movies}} in the Star Wars series. It is much maligned because of the inclusion of a new race, [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Gungan the Gungans], and specifically [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jar_Jar_Binks Jar Jar Binks]. Another criticism is how stilted all the performances are from all the human actors.

The comic insinuates that few people will be seeing the 3D release of The Phantom Menace by depicting Cueball and his friend as the only two in line.

==Transcript==
[Two people -- one in a Darth Maul mask, the other holding a lightsaber, and each holding money in his or her hand -- stand outside a building.]

[They continue to stand there.]

[They continue to stand there.]

[Darth Maul turns to lightsaber guy.]

Darth Maul: Are you sure this place is a theater?

Lightsaber guy: Let's give it one more month.

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

[[Category:Comics with color]]

1139: Rubber and Glue

2012-11-26T23:38:52Z

207.225.239.130: /* Transcript */ four o's in the comic

{{comic
| number = 1139
| date = November 26, 2012
| title = Rubber and Glue
| image = rubber and glue.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I'm rubber. You're rubber. We contemplate the reality of our existence in mute, vulcanized horror.
}}

==Explanation==
"I'm rubber, you're glue, your words bounce off me and stick to you" is a schoolground retort used by children to suggest that another's insults are being ignored by the intended recipient of the insult and counter that the insult, in fact, applies to the insulter themself. On a deeper level, it may imply that the insults of another person are an indication of their own insecurity and weakness. In this comic, young [[Black Hat]] takes the saying further as a literal and graphic metaphor to frighten the children bullying him into calling for their mothers.

The book Black Hat is reading is the {{w|CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics}}. It is also nicknamed the 'Rubber Bible' or the 'Rubber Book', as CRC originally stood for "Chemical Rubber Company"

==Transcript==
:[Playground. Young Megan is balancing on a swing, two kids are swinging and two more kids, Cueball and a boy, are approaching a reading Black Hat.]
:Boy: Whatchya reading, hatboy?
:Black Hat: The CRC handbook of chemistry and physics.
:Cueball: You are such a loser, it's ''painful''.
:Black Hat: I'm rubber, you're glue.

:Boy: Yeah, well-
:Black Hat: ''Glue can't speak.''
:Black Hat: You try to scream, but your mouth fills with glue.
:Black Hat: Your face is glue. Your body is glue.

:Black Hat: I wrap my rubber arms around your sticky bulk.
:Black Hat: Your neoprene base bonds instantly with my surface.
:Black Hat: Never to let go.

:Black Hat: You are glue. I am rubber.
:Black Hat: Staring at you with my dead, rubber eyes-
:Black Hat: ''Forever.''
:[Off-screen]: ''MOOOOM!''
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Physics]]

Talk:1136: Broken Mirror

2012-11-19T20:05:29Z

207.225.239.130:

The lettering on the first word is unusually sloppy. I thought it said "COPS", as in Black Hat was about to be arrested for breaking the mirror, on the TV show Cops. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 11:16, 19 November 2012 (UTC)

:Yep, I read COPS, too. In another vein, is Black-hat getting all religious on us? Cueball, maybe. Beret guy, more likely. But Black-hat seems to be too machiavellian to quote biblical passages, except as a crutch or an "out". (Edit: now that I think about it, it's the latter: the same fate awaits everybody... as in, everybody will cut their feet on the shards.) -- [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 20:05, 19 November 2012 (UTC)

Does anyone have an opinion on how Black Hat broke the mirror? If it simply fell from the wall, he would not incur the bad luck.

: I think his point is that it wouldn't matter; ''there ain't no such thing as bad luck'': the same fate awaits everybody. -- [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 20:05, 19 November 2012 (UTC)

1005: SOPA

2012-11-07T23:50:43Z

207.225.239.130: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1005
| date = January 18, 2012
| title = SOPA
| image = sopa.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = In protest of SOPA, I'm currently getting totally blacked out.
}}

== Explanation ==

SOPA, the {{w|Stop Online Piracy Act}} and PIPA, the {{w|Protect IP Act}}, were a pair of controversial bills being considered by the United States government late 2011 and early 2012. The bills contained the ability for the US government to deny American internet users access to certain sites at a judge's request. These would be activated if the government could prove to a court that a site was primarily used to harbor illegally distributed copyrighted goods, such as video games, music, and TV shows.

Many people considered this to be censorship and were concerned that this could instead be used by larger corporations to squelch smaller competing sites who may not have the resources to challenge a "take-down notice" in court.

As the bills gained infamy online, many popular websites and web comics participated in a mass protest on January 18, 2012, to announce their displeasure with the bill in an attempt to convince the House of Representatives to reverse their judgement, which had at the time been considered likely to pass if drafted. This was xkcd's participation in the protest. [[Randall]] discusses that as someone who would have better copyright protection that he would not have ever gotten popular if fans had not been allowed to distribute the comic.

[[File:sopa_hidden_message.png||upright=2|The comic image with the message revealed.]]

In typical xkcd fashion, this comic contains several layers of depth that may not be immediately obvious to the casual observer. In this instance, the apparently solid-black region contains a hidden image revealed with simple brightness+contrast manipulation, with [[Black Hat]] saying "A message from sysadmins everywhere: Seriously, don't screw with DNS. If you break this internet, we are ''not'' making you a new one." This stems from the fact that sites could be ordered taken down by allowing manipulation of the {{w|DNS}} system itself, effectively making a site completely disappear from the web. This court-enforced DNS manipulation was considered by many technical professionals to damage the underlying structure of the internet, as well as potentially criminalizing recent work to improve its security.

The image text referred to a common theme across protesting sites: a blackout of the internet. Sites such as Google changed to a black background, while Wikipedia prevented access by linking their sites to a black page with white text explaining their participation. This may also be a pun with the term "getting totally blacked out" which could simply mean "getting completely drunk", as "to black out" can mean to lose consciousness or loose all memories from a specific period of time, for instance because of too much alcohol.

After the protest, the bills were postponed from being drafted on January 20, 2012.

==Transcript==
:[don't censor the web]
:[Hidden in the background of the above text is Black Hat]
:Black Hat: A message from sysadmins everywhere:
:Black Hat: Seriously, don't screw with DNS. If you break this internet, we are ''not'' making you a new one.
:I make my living drawing xkcd, which wouldn't have been possible if people hadn't been able to freely share my comics with each other all over the internet. As a copyright holder and small business owner, I oppose SOPA and PIPA. See the links below to learn more.
:[Randall Munroe's signature, with a little drawing of [[Cueball]] on one of the tails]

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Politics]]

1130: Poll Watching

2012-11-05T19:23:24Z

207.225.239.130: /* Explanation */ wordsmithing

{{comic
| number = 1130
| date = November 5, 2012
| title = Poll Watching
| image = poll_watching.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = The choices we make Tuesday could have MASSIVE and PERMANENT effects on the charts on Nate Silver's blog!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is another commentary on the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|2012 U.S. presidential election}} (as [[1122: Electoral Precedent]] and, to an extent, [[1127: Congress]] also were references to), as it was posted the day before(Monday November 5, 2012) the election("This Tuesday" November 6, 2012).

In the comic, [[Cueball]] is glued to his laptop reading media coverage of the election. The offscreen character's remark that Cueball should take a break suggests that Cueball has been reading media coverage for quite a while.

Cueball is so caught up in media coverage, that he is speculating on the effect that incumbent President {{w|Barak Obama|Obama}} winning the election (and the resulting news coverage) could have on challenger {{w|Mitt Romney}}'s campaign. The joke is that the end-goal of Romney's campaign is to win the election. If Obama wins, the campaigning is already over, regardless of media coverage. Cueball is simply so invested that he is over-analyzing potential scenarios.

In respect to the title text, {{w|Nate Silver}} is an American statistician, {{w|psephologist}}, and writer (among other things unrelated to this comic). He has a political blog called {{w|FiveThirtyEight}} which was originally written under a pseudonym. The Blog and its associated website primarily discuss tracking polls in respect to elections. Thus, the choices made on Tuesday (election day) presumably ''will'' have massive and permanent effects on FiveThirtyEight's charts, which will obviously change to reflect the actual votes cast. This is a parody of the bold statements often made during campaigns, such as that the choices made on election day could have massive and permanent effects on such things as your health care, the economy, your job, etc.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball kneels on his desk chair, hunched over a laptop]
:Cueball: This Tuesday will be huge!
:Cueball: If Obama wins the election, it could generate news coverage ''devastating'' to Romney's position in the tracking polls!
:Offscreen character: ... Maybe you should take a break.

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

Talk:1125: Objects In Mirror

2012-10-24T21:44:03Z

207.225.239.130: KISS.

Anyone else think that the smallness of this comic is unusual? I can barely read the mirror. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:41, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
:Agreed. The key part of the "punchline" is the word "bluer", and it's '''really''' hard to read. [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 18:43, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

:The drawing has a different feel too. It seems to have been done with a pressure sensitive pen. Maybe Randall is trying out a new method. A galaxy note maybe? [[User:Fanboix|Fanboix]] ([[User talk:Fanboix|talk]]) 19:40, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

:Text on the mirror is larger than it appears.

:It's probably from the viewpoint of the driver.--[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 16:49, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

I think title text refers to the expansion of the universe and the speed of light. The observable universe is viewed from light that originated in the past. The further away the object, the further back in time we observe it. In an expanding universe, the universe we observe today is actually how it looked in the past (smaller) and we are unable to observe it's present size (larger) due to the great distances and the time it takes for the light to arrive. Thus, the universe is larger than it appears, no matter if you view it traveling towards or away from any object. --[[User:Bpiltz|Bpiltz]] ([[User talk:Bpiltz|talk]]) 15:47, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

If the object in the mirror were another car overtaking this one, it would actually be redder than it appears. --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 17:51, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

My first thought was that the title text refers to the fact that objects appear to be in different directions, as well as colors, from a moving viewpoint. So objects in front of a moving car will appear to be closer together than if the car were stopped.
See http://www.fourmilab.ch/cship/aberration.html
But objects seen in the rear-view mirror will appear more spread out, so maybe not.
 [[Special:Contributions/75.36.234.236|75.36.234.236]] 18:58, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
: Naw, you're thinking too much about this. Randall is just commenting that the universe, (as visible through the relatively small aperature of a windshield or mirror) is much bigger than it appears in either viewport. "There are more things in heaven and earth than are visible through your view-portal, Horatio!" (to paraphrase the Bard.) If that's what he was trying to say in Click and Drag, too, so be it. -- [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 21:44, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1109: Refrigerator

2012-09-17T21:30:36Z

207.225.239.130:

I would argue that this is also a reference to {{w|The Incredible Machine}} and friends, where many levels revolve around conveyor belts and things on top of them that stir certain actions. [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 10:46, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

The main problem with this design is that the bad food needs to land softly otherwise it could splash\spatter over the good food. [[User:SaintGerbil|SaintGerbil]]([[User talk:User:SaintGerbil|talk]]) 12:17, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

I thought an alternative design for the fridge could be to have the middle conveyor belt attached to the right, leaving a gap on its left and obviously it would move toward the left. This way we could put food on the topmost belt on its left side and the food would travel along that belt then drop onto the middle one, then travel to the bottom belt and finally fall into the BAD bin. Of course we'd have to relabel all belts accordingly. [[User:DelendaEst|DelendaEst]] ([[User talk:DelendaEst|talk]]) 12:27, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

Most of the stuff I find gone bad is in the bottom two drawers where it has become forgotten, like a half bag of lettuce.--[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 14:19, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

Sorry Randall: so much for brilliant... there's a bug in your design. Look at the top rack in the door. There is a chute that would prevent food from falling past when the door is closed. It would need to be rotated 90 anticlockwise in order to work. [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 21:30, 17 September 2012 (UTC)

1057: Klout

2012-09-14T21:26:05Z

207.225.239.130: /* Explanation */ Appears to be Randall? Sez who?

{{comic
| number = 1057
| date = May 18, 2012
| title = 1057: Klout
| image = Klout.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Though please do confirm that it's actually *me* on Klout first, and not one of my friends trying to get me punched. The great thing about this douchebag deadman switch is that I will never dare trigger it.
}}
==Explanation==
Klout is a site that seeks to measure your "influence" on social media networks. Users grant other users +Ks for certain things. They also give away things to the users with the highest Klout scores. Universally, it is regarded as meaning absolutely nothing. The people that are really wrapped up in the score are typically not well-liked. An usage example of its use is ironically, like giving someone a +K for knowledge about "Pitbull". (The Bud Light promoter and producer/rapper/musician, etc, not the type of dog.)

The character appears to be [[Randall]].[Citation Needed]

==Transcript==
Person: I'd like to ask a favor. If someday, in the future, we meet in person,

Person: And if, as of that day, I've interacted with Klout in ''any'' way except to opt out, I want you to punch me in the face without warning.

Person: This may sound like a joke, so let me be clear: I am ''dead serious''*. Ignore anything I say retracting this. Thank you.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

Talk:101: Laser Scope

2012-09-13T22:33:39Z

207.225.239.130:

Wouldn't this comic be about a whole gun aparatus including a laser scope if it were about "missing" (by target) your loved ones? In my opinion, this is much more about stalkers. The "good" stalkers are rarely seen (i.e. using a high powered viewing device of some kind), which would only need the sight, not a whole gun. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:03, 13 September 2012 (UTC)
:Nope. Nothin' ta do with stalkers. The scope is to improve the accuracy of the firearm it is attached to. It's saying "are you missing your loved ones with your un-scopified weapon? This scope will improve your accuracy and you won't miss anymore." [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 22:33, 13 September 2012 (UTC)