explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

721: Flatland

2012-10-21T14:31:36Z

89.69.136.52: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 721
| date = March 31, 2010
| title = Flatland
| image = flatland.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Also, I apologize for the time I climbed down into your world and everyone freaked out about the lesbian orgy overseen by a priest.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the satirical novel {{w|Flatland|Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions}}, in which a society of flat shapes live in a 2D world. The narrator of this novel is a square that is introduced to 3D by a sphere. [[Cueball]] appears to have take the place of this sphere, and the comic takes place after the square knows the third dimension exists.

Cueball, a 3D figure, attempted a demo of the 4D game {{w|Miegakure}}, which confused him, even being only one dimension higher. Now he is sympathetic for the square, which he tried to introduce to 3D, which is one dimension higher for the square. The square then accepts his apology.

The joke here is that Cueball was being silly and drew lines on the square to make it look like {{w|Spongebob}}, which did not make the square happy. Cueball apologizes again.

The title text is a third apology for when Cueball crawled down into the second dimension. Being a stick figure, he is comprised of a circle and straight lines. In the book Flatland, a circle is the highest social level, a priest, and all women are lines; thus, to a watcher in flatland, Cueball would look very much like a priest above many connected women, which would look like a lesbian orgy.

==Transcript==
:[Person encounters a square on the ground.]
:Person: Hey, A. Square. How's Flatland?
:A. Square: Still flat. What's up?
:Person: I just spent an hour playing a demo of this 4D game called Miegakure.
:
:[A character in Miegakure jumps around the 4D landscape.]
:Trying to jump from block to block in four dimensions hurt my brain.
:
:Person: So I apologize for giving you a hard time when you were slow to understand 3D space. I sympathize now.
:A. Square: It's okay.
:
:Person: Also, I apologize for drawing arms, legs, and eyes on you to make you look like Spongebob. That was out of line.
:A. Square: Yes, it was.

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

721: Flatland

2012-10-21T14:30:17Z

89.69.136.52: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 721
| date = March 31, 2010
| title = Flatland
| image = flatland.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Also, I apologize for the time I climbed down into your world and everyone freaked out about the lesbian orgy overseen by a priest.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the satirical novel {{w|Flatland|Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions}}, in which a society of flat shapes live in a 2D world. The narrator of this novel is a square that is introduced to 3D by a sphere. [[Cueball]] appears to have take the place of this sphere, and the comic takes place after the square knows the third dimension exists.

Cueball, a 3D figure, attempted a demo of the 4D game {{w|Miegakure}}, which confused him, even being only one dimension higher. Now he is sympathetic for the square, which he tried to introduce to 3D, which is one dimension higher for the square. The square then accepts his apology.

The joke here is that Cueball was being silly and drew lines on the square to make it look like {{w|Spongebob}}, which did not make the square happy. Cueball apologizes again.

The title text is a third apology for when Cueball crawled down into the second dimension. Being a stick figure, he is comprised of a circle and straight lines. In the book Flatland, a circle is the highest social level, a priest, and all women are lines; thus, to a watcher in flatland, Cueball would look very much like a priest above many connected women, which would look like a lesbian orgy.

==Transcript==
:[Person encounters a square on the ground.]
:Person: Hey, A. Square. How's Flatland?
:A. Square: Still flat. What';s up?
:Person: I just spent an hour playing a demo of this 4D game called Miegakure.
:
:[A character in Miegakure jumps around the 4D landscape.]
:Trying to jump from block to block in four dimensions hurt my brain.
:
:Person: So I apologize for giving you a hard time when you were slow to understand 3D space. I sympathize now.
:A. Square: It's okay.
:
:Person: Also, I apologize for drawing arms, legs, and eyes on you to make you look like Spongebob. That was out of line.
:A. Square: Yes, it was.

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

225: Open Source

2012-09-01T13:56:07Z

89.69.136.52: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 225
| date = February 19, 2007
| title = Open Source
| image = open_source.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Later we'll dress up like Big Oil thugs and jump Ralph Nader.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Richard Stallman}} is famous for beginning the {{w|GNU Project}} and is outspoken on the topic of {{w|Open Source software}} and {{w|Free software}}. So much so that he has garnered dislike from traditionalists who believe that they should be able to copyright software. While this dislike may not be at the level of hiring ninja to remove him from the world, it is strong.

{{w|Eric S. Raymond}} is a famous {{w|Hacker (programmer subculture)|hacker}} who has been an unofficial spokesperson for Open Source movement. The plan to prank Eric Raymond next is a bad one: he is an experience martial artist and gun enthusiast.

{{w|Linus Torvalds}} is the creator of the {{w|Linux kernel}}, an Open Source operating system kernel inspired by {{w|Unix}}.

{{w|Ralph Nader}} is a famous consumer rights advocate, most famous for the 1965 book {{w|Unsafe at Any Speed}} and for running for US President in 2000.

==Transcript==
[A man with much facial hair is sleeping on a bed.]

[Suddenly, two ninjas jump through the skylight.]

Ninja 1: Richard Stallman! Your viral open source licenses have grown too powerful.

Ninja 1: The GPL must be stopped.

Ninja 1: At the source.

Ninja 1: You.

[Richard Stallman wakes up immediately, and pulls his katana out of its sheath from under his bed]

Richard Stallman: Hah! Microsoft lackeys! So it has come to this!

Richard Stallman: A night of blood I've long awaited. But be this my death or yours, free software will carry on! For a GNU dawn! For freedom! ... hey, where are you going?

[The ninja step out the window]

Ninja 1: Man, you're right, that never gets old.

Ninja 2: Let's do Eric S. Raymond next.

Ninja 1: Or Linus Torvalds. I hear he sleeps with nunchucks.

==Trivia==
*Because of this comic Stallman has been given a katana by fans of xkcd. [http://blog.xkcd.com/2007/04/19/life-imitates-xkcd-part-ii-richard-stallman/]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Richard Stallman]]