<?xml version="1.0"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&amp;feedformat=atom&amp;user=Altopian</id>
		<title>explain xkcd - User contributions [en]</title>
		<link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&amp;feedformat=atom&amp;user=Altopian"/>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Altopian"/>
		<updated>2026-04-10T06:17:11Z</updated>
		<subtitle>User contributions</subtitle>
		<generator>MediaWiki 1.30.0</generator>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1598:_Salvage&amp;diff=104429</id>
		<title>1598: Salvage</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1598:_Salvage&amp;diff=104429"/>
				<updated>2015-11-03T10:04:37Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Altopian: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{comic&lt;br /&gt;
| number    = 1598&lt;br /&gt;
| date      = November 2, 2015&lt;br /&gt;
| title     = Salvage&lt;br /&gt;
| image     = salvage.png&lt;br /&gt;
| titletext = My hobby: Taking advantage of the rice myth by posting articles on &amp;quot;how to save your wet phone&amp;quot; which are actually just elaborate recipes for rice pilaf.&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Explanation==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The {{w|RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic''}} was a large ocean liner which, when it was completed in 1912, was the largest ship afloat. The ship famously hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank, killing two-thirds of its complement (approximately 1,500 people) in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters ever.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As it sank, the ''Titanic'' broke into two pieces. The ship was lost for decades until the wreck site was discovered in 1985. A number of proposals have been made to salvage the wreck of the ''Titanic'' both before and since the wreck's discovery, famously fictionalised in the thriller novel and film {{w|Raise the Titanic!|''Raise the Titanic!''}}. The general consensus at this time is that the wreck is too fragile to be salvaged intact. Numerous expeditions have been made to the wreck site since its discovery, with several parties (without any outside authorization) taking various artifacts from the site. A popular view is that the wreck is effectively a mass grave and that plundering the site for profitable artifacts is akin to grave-robbing. Most believe the wreck should be left where it is, intact. That said, explorers have already done notable damage to the wreck.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This comic shows a fictional attempt to salvage the two main pieces of the ''Titanic'' wreck, which, as it likely would in real life, garners media coverage as a 'historic salvage'. The salvage seems to consist of several ships raising the hull via cables attached to some sort of buoyant sled placed under the hull (as might actually happen). This is followed by even more helicopters carrying the hull in unison, again via cables to the cradle (a much less practical operation). The hull halves are then dropped into a giant tub of rice. The entire salvage attempt is increasingly cartoonish and unrealistic, but the tub of rice takes this to another level.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Rice?==&lt;br /&gt;
The punchline to the comic references the &amp;quot;rice myth&amp;quot;, a popularly disseminated method of salvaging consumer electronics (usually cell phones) which have been submerged in water. The method entails burying the wet device in a bowl of rice. This process is commonly claimed to dry it out, but investigation reveals that the process does not hold water. This suggests that the wreck of the Titanic would benefit from being dried as quickly as possible - something that might not be of any benefit to a large ocean wreck.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Surviving non-metallic material on board the ship may not benefit at all from drying.  Far more ancient shipwrecks are best preserved by keeping the recovered timbers ''wet'' (but progressively desalinated, where applicable), cool and as anoxic, at least while conserving chemicals such as {{w|Polyethylene glycol}} are infused into the wood to allow safe and gradual drying without causing further damage.  Leather, cloth and other organic remains may have variations on this regime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thus the rice might benefit an electronic device briefly exposed to water, but not likely to ultimately benefit a ship that has been immersed for over a century, where the interest is in more than merely stabilising the remaining metal hull and infrastructure.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This comic may play on the dual meaning of the word &amp;quot;salvage&amp;quot; in respect of electronics and maritime wrecks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The title text indicates that Randall considers the 'rice' method of electronic salvage to be a myth. There are numerous online discussions of the technique with mixed levels of success. Critically, where rice is tested against other methods, rice appears to perform worse than other methods. Controlled experiments on this topic tend to show that silica gel (aka &amp;quot;Do Not Eat&amp;quot; packets) is the most effective drying agent, with mixed results for rice.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.hud.ac.uk/news/2013/november/researchshowsriceistheanswerforawetmobile.php Research Shows Rice is the Answer for a Wet Mobile]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://smartphones.wonderhowto.com/how-to/myth-debunked-uncooked-rice-isnt-best-way-save-your-water-damaged-phone-0154799/ Myth Debunked: Uncooked Rice Isn't the Best Way to Save Your Water-Damaged Phone]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Transcript==&lt;br /&gt;
:[Megan is shown standing at the rail of a ship with a microphone reporting the event shown in the background. A small helicopter and a larger two rotor model, lowering a rope with hook, are hovering over a crane ship with its hook down line going down in the water. It is depicted like a news screen as seen on TV. Below Megan are two headings. The first in a white insert with double frame, and the other written in white over the gray ocean water.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Historic Salvage&lt;br /&gt;
:Live&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Four crane ships are shown lifting the bow part of the RMS Titanic. There are pontoons beneath the ship to help it float up. The name of the ship can be seen.]&lt;br /&gt;
:RMS Titanic&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Both parts of the Titanic are now flown by helicopters, four for the stern and five for the bow. One helicopter for each part is a two rotor model. Ropes go from the helicopters down on each side of the ship parts to pontoons below them. Below in the ocean there are two crane ships.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[The two parts of the ship is now lowered in to a huge bowl of rice (labeled) standing at the coast just out of the ocean, which can be seen to the left. One of the five helicopters for the bow is missing. For scale there are drawn two trees to the left, and something is parked to the right, maybe a truck.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Rice&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic discussion}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:My Hobby]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Altopian</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1598:_Salvage&amp;diff=104427</id>
		<title>1598: Salvage</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1598:_Salvage&amp;diff=104427"/>
				<updated>2015-11-03T10:02:42Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Altopian: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{comic&lt;br /&gt;
| number    = 1598&lt;br /&gt;
| date      = November 2, 2015&lt;br /&gt;
| title     = Salvage&lt;br /&gt;
| image     = salvage.png&lt;br /&gt;
| titletext = My hobby: Taking advantage of the rice myth by posting articles on &amp;quot;how to save your wet phone&amp;quot; which are actually just elaborate recipes for rice pilaf.&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Explanation==&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The {{w|RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic''}} was a large ocean liner which, when it was completed in 1912, was the largest ship afloat. The ship famously hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank, killing two-thirds of its complement (approximately 1,500 people) in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters ever.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As it sank, the ''Titanic'' broke into two pieces. The ship was lost for decades until the wreck site was discovered in 1985. A number of proposals have been made to salvage the wreck of the ''Titanic'' both before and since the wreck's discovery, famously fictionalised in the thriller novel and film {{w|Raise the Titanic|''Raise the Titanic''}}. The general consensus at this time is that the wreck is too fragile to be salvaged intact. Numerous expeditions have been made to the wreck site since its discovery, with several parties (without any outside authorization) taking various artifacts from the site. A popular view is that the wreck is effectively a mass grave and that plundering the site for profitable artifacts is akin to grave-robbing. Most believe the wreck should be left where it is, intact. That said, explorers have already done notable damage to the wreck.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This comic shows a fictional attempt to salvage the two main pieces of the ''Titanic'' wreck, which, as it likely would in real life, garners media coverage as a 'historic salvage'. The salvage seems to consist of several ships raising the hull via cables attached to some sort of buoyant sled placed under the hull (as might actually happen). This is followed by even more helicopters carrying the hull in unison, again via cables to the cradle (a much less practical operation). The hull halves are then dropped into a giant tub of rice. The entire salvage attempt is increasingly cartoonish and unrealistic, but the tub of rice takes this to another level.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Rice?==&lt;br /&gt;
The punchline to the comic references the &amp;quot;rice myth&amp;quot;, a popularly disseminated method of salvaging consumer electronics (usually cell phones) which have been submerged in water. The method entails burying the wet device in a bowl of rice. This process is commonly claimed to dry it out, but investigation reveals that the process does not hold water. This suggests that the wreck of the Titanic would benefit from being dried as quickly as possible - something that might not be of any benefit to a large ocean wreck.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Surviving non-metallic material on board the ship may not benefit at all from drying.  Far more ancient shipwrecks are best preserved by keeping the recovered timbers ''wet'' (but progressively desalinated, where applicable), cool and as anoxic, at least while conserving chemicals such as {{w|Polyethylene glycol}} are infused into the wood to allow safe and gradual drying without causing further damage.  Leather, cloth and other organic remains may have variations on this regime.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thus the rice might benefit an electronic device briefly exposed to water, but not likely to ultimately benefit a ship that has been immersed for over a century, where the interest is in more than merely stabilising the remaining metal hull and infrastructure.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This comic may play on the dual meaning of the word &amp;quot;salvage&amp;quot; in respect of electronics and maritime wrecks.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The title text indicates that Randall considers the 'rice' method of electronic salvage to be a myth. There are numerous online discussions of the technique with mixed levels of success. Critically, where rice is tested against other methods, rice appears to perform worse than other methods. Controlled experiments on this topic tend to show that silica gel (aka &amp;quot;Do Not Eat&amp;quot; packets) is the most effective drying agent, with mixed results for rice.&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://www.hud.ac.uk/news/2013/november/researchshowsriceistheanswerforawetmobile.php Research Shows Rice is the Answer for a Wet Mobile]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ref&amp;gt;[http://smartphones.wonderhowto.com/how-to/myth-debunked-uncooked-rice-isnt-best-way-save-your-water-damaged-phone-0154799/ Myth Debunked: Uncooked Rice Isn't the Best Way to Save Your Water-Damaged Phone]&amp;lt;/ref&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Transcript==&lt;br /&gt;
:[Megan is shown standing at the rail of a ship with a microphone reporting the event shown in the background. A small helicopter and a larger two rotor model, lowering a rope with hook, are hovering over a crane ship with its hook down line going down in the water. It is depicted like a news screen as seen on TV. Below Megan are two headings. The first in a white insert with double frame, and the other written in white over the gray ocean water.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Historic Salvage&lt;br /&gt;
:Live&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Four crane ships are shown lifting the bow part of the RMS Titanic. There are pontoons beneath the ship to help it float up. The name of the ship can be seen.]&lt;br /&gt;
:RMS Titanic&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Both parts of the Titanic are now flown by helicopters, four for the stern and five for the bow. One helicopter for each part is a two rotor model. Ropes go from the helicopters down on each side of the ship parts to pontoons below them. Below in the ocean there are two crane ships.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[The two parts of the ship is now lowered in to a huge bowl of rice (labeled) standing at the coast just out of the ocean, which can be seen to the left. One of the five helicopters for the bow is missing. For scale there are drawn two trees to the left, and something is parked to the right, maybe a truck.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Rice&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;references/&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic discussion}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:My Hobby]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Altopian</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=475:_Further_Boomerang_Difficulties&amp;diff=90718</id>
		<title>475: Further Boomerang Difficulties</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=475:_Further_Boomerang_Difficulties&amp;diff=90718"/>
				<updated>2015-04-23T09:05:26Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Altopian: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{comic&lt;br /&gt;
| number    = 475&lt;br /&gt;
| date      = September 12, 2008&lt;br /&gt;
| title     = Further Boomerang Difficulties&lt;br /&gt;
| image     = further_boomerang_difficulties.png&lt;br /&gt;
| titletext = An eternity later, the universe having turned out to have positive curvature and lots of mass, the boomerang hits him in the back of the head.&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Explanation==&lt;br /&gt;
This comic is a sequel of sorts to [[445: I Am Not Good with Boomerangs]], as it deals with the same subject manner with the same panel layout.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first strip shows [[Cueball]] throwing a boomerang, which doesn't come back. In [[939: Arrow]], a boomerang returns to Cueball, which can either be the same Cueball from this comic or another person. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
In the second strip he throws another boomerang, which somehow manage to hurt the {{w|ozone layer}} (as indicated by an off-screen voice). This is of course not possible with a boomerang, as it is a layer of ozone molecules very high up in the atmosphere.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The third strip shows Cueball throwing something that ''appears'' to be a boomerang, but then [[Megan]] enters and reveals that it was their last banana - which she probably had expected to eat since she calls him an asshole.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The final strip shows Cueball throwing one last boomerang, which breaks the frame of the comic, already after two out of the four frames used in each of the first three strips. Then panning down we find the last panel, much larger and suddenly mainly black instead of white. It shows that this time he was actually inside a spacecraft (which resembles an {{w|Apollo Lunar Module}} in a very bad manner), and the boomerang has just broken out through the hull. We see the boomerang and Cueball tumbling out into space with the escaping air. To certain death...&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The title text notes that, assuming a theory, that is {{w|Accelerating universe|no longer generally accepted}}, where the universe has a positive (closed) {{w|curvature}} and lots of mass, the boomerang would, after a (very) long time hit Cueball in the back of his head. This will happen because under those conditions the entire universe will eventually fall back on it-self in the {{w|Big Crunch}}. Before this happens everything will again get pressed close together, and it is during this process that the boomerang finally returns to his frozen but, quite possible, preserved head. (So at least one &amp;quot;success&amp;quot; in four attempts).&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Boomerangs also became a main theme in the interactive comic [[1350: Lorenz]]. The same format of multiple bad endings to the same starting set-up is used in [[1515: Basketball Earth]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Transcript==&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball is throwing boomerang.]&lt;br /&gt;
:[Holding his hands up.]&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball waits for return; continual waiting.]&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball is dejected, head hangs low.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball throws boomerang.]&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball waits for boomerang.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Outside: Oh God&lt;br /&gt;
:Outside: The ozone layer!&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball is surprised.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball throws boomerang banana.]&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball waits.]&lt;br /&gt;
:[Megan walks in.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Megan: That was our last banana.&lt;br /&gt;
:Megan: You're such an asshole.&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball throws boomerang.]&lt;br /&gt;
:[Boomerang breaks out of the panel box.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Boomerang breaks out of a spacecraft, followed by Cueball.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Trivia==&lt;br /&gt;
*Part of this comic and [[939: Arrow]] is the picture for the [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BrickJoke Brick Joke] page on TV Tropes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic discussion}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Boomerangs]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Physics]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Altopian</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=445:_I_Am_Not_Good_with_Boomerangs&amp;diff=90717</id>
		<title>445: I Am Not Good with Boomerangs</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=445:_I_Am_Not_Good_with_Boomerangs&amp;diff=90717"/>
				<updated>2015-04-23T09:04:55Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Altopian: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{comic&lt;br /&gt;
| number    = 445&lt;br /&gt;
| date      = July 4, 2008&lt;br /&gt;
| title     = I Am Not Good with Boomerangs&lt;br /&gt;
| image     = i_am_not_good_with_boomerangs.png&lt;br /&gt;
| titletext = Bonus strip: just read the rightmost panels straight down.&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Explanation==&lt;br /&gt;
The strip shows [[Cueball]] throwing a boomerang four times, each time finding a difficulty in catching it.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The first time, it merely hits him in the head.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The second time, six boomerangs come after him.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The third time, a shark somehow returns to him.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The fourth and final time, his girlfriend [[Megan]] floats back to him - then she states: &amp;quot;I'm leaving you.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The title text refers to a bonus strip — if one reads the rightmost panels straight down, you get a strip that suggests that Megan threw multiple things at him out of anger before breaking up with him. This seems to mirror the plot of the 2006 comedy film ''{{w|My Super Ex-Girlfriend}}'', in which the eponymous character throws multiple things at the protagonist (including a shark) prior to breaking up with him.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Boomerangs returns in a kind of sequel [[475: Further Boomerang Difficulties]], which might also have yet another sequel in [[939: Arrow]]. Finally boomerangs also became a main theme in the interactive comic [[1350: Lorenz]]. A similar kind of setup is used in [[1515: Basketball Earth]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Transcript==&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball throws a boomerang, but it hits him in the head when it returns.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball throws the boomerang again, but this time several boomerangs chase after him.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball throws the boomerang once more, and this time a shark inexplicably appears.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball throws the boomerang a final time, and Megan appears, hovering.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Megan: I'm leaving you.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic discussion}}&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Boomerangs]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Sharks]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Altopian</name></author>	</entry>

	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1515:_Basketball_Earth&amp;diff=90716</id>
		<title>1515: Basketball Earth</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1515:_Basketball_Earth&amp;diff=90716"/>
				<updated>2015-04-23T09:04:19Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;Altopian: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic&lt;br /&gt;
| number    = 1515&lt;br /&gt;
| date      = April 22, 2015&lt;br /&gt;
| title     = Basketball Earth&lt;br /&gt;
| image     = basketball earth.png&lt;br /&gt;
| titletext = How many points do you get for dunking every basketball in existence at once?&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Explanation==&lt;br /&gt;
In this comic [[Cueball]] is repeatedly attempting to make a comparison for the {{w|Earth}}-{{w|Moon}} system. The Earth, is mentioned to be the size of a {{w|Basketball (ball)|basketball}}, about 25&amp;amp;nbsp;cm in diameter. From this it can be inferred that the Moon should then be less than 7&amp;amp;nbsp;cm in diameter, a typical size for other smaller balls in different sport.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Cueball handily illustrates this with two &amp;quot;balls&amp;quot; of the relevant sizes. At first you think that they just look like the Earth and the Moon. But they are invisibly suspended, and — as seems clear from the first row of panels — they are actually the real Moon and Earth shrunk to the relevant size, hence the title ''Basketball Earth''. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This would place Cueball and his &amp;quot;friends&amp;quot; in {{w|God}}-like positions, outside Earth. Maybe they are even in a different dimension, since they can stand and observe the system.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
But, repeatedly, before Cueball can finish with this common type of comparison, he is interrupted and must begin all over again. We thus never learn which type of ball (if any — it could have been an {{w|apple}}) he would have compared the Moon with. It seems, however, likely that he would use another ball for the comparison. And the best ball to use would be a {{w|tennis ball}}. Se such an exact comparison of Earth/Moon with basketball/tennis ball in this illustrative video that asks the question: [http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/02/24/how-far-away-is-the-moon/ How far away is the Moon?]. From this it is also obvious that the system Cueball shows is not to scale with regard to that distance, which should be 7.37&amp;amp;nbsp;m! This is not necessarily a mistake of the comic, since Cueball, never claims that these two balls are in orbit or even is the real ones. He is just (in vain) trying to make a size comparison of the two.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A basketball has an average diameter of 24.6&amp;amp;nbsp;cm&amp;amp;nbsp;(9.7&amp;amp;nbsp;inches) vs.&amp;amp;nbsp;a tennis ball with an average diameter of 6.7&amp;amp;nbsp;cm&amp;amp;nbsp;(2.6&amp;amp;nbsp;inches).  The ratio between a tennis ball and basketball is 0.273, which is the same (to three digits) as the ratio given on the Wikipedia page for the Moon: ''Mean radius 1737.10&amp;amp;nbsp;km&amp;amp;nbsp;(0.273&amp;amp;nbsp;Earths)''. If he had used a {{w|Baseball (ball)|baseball}}, which is slightly larger, this would still be good enough for demonstrative purposes, as it would have been with an apple.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is common to describe the relationship between very large (and very small) objects by analogy to common objects on a more human scale.  Here is a similar example where someone has made a comparison of the sizes of the Solar system based on a [http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/silveira60.html Sun the size of a basketball]. And here, coming from smaller scales, is an [http://www.infoplease.com/dk/science/encyclopedia/atoms.html#ESCI024ATOMS001  example] that states the following: &amp;quot;Imagine an atom magnified to the size of a football stadium. The nucleus of the atom would be the size of a pea in the centre of the stadium.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It is almost certainly not a coincidence that today is {{w|Earth Day}}, which is celebrated annually on April&amp;amp;nbsp;22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection.  This seems to be something that [[Randall]] cares about a lot, as he has made several comics demonstrating the need for the human race to begin taking better care of our globe. See, for instance, [[1321: Cold]] and [[1379: 4.5 Degrees]].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This comic clearly demonstrates four examples where the inhabitants of Earth did not take care of the well being of our globe, although here on a somewhat grander scale than what individuals can usually do. The typical case is that people did not do this out of bad intentions, but only because they were careless, curious, playful, or just plain stupid.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This comic may be seen as a spiritual successor to [[445: I Am Not Good with Boomerangs]] and its follow-up, [[475: Further Boomerang Difficulties]] in depicting various failed outcomes to the same opening panel.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
===Interruptions===&lt;br /&gt;
The four interruptions are described below. Each of the four attempts has its own row of four panels in the comic. It is clear from panels one and two in each row that the Basketball Earth is rotating quite fast compared to the time frame of the comic since the {{w|continents}} have moved considerably between frames. It is thus not necessarily the interrupters that have moved the Basketball Earth between frames two and three, except of course in the final interruption. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
No matter how fast it rotates or whatever happens, we always see the Basketball Earth from the same side, as seen from far above the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}. We can see the continents of the {{w|Americas}} as well as {{w|Africa}} and sometimes part of {{w|Europe}}, all of which are the borders for this ocean.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It seems most likely that Cueball starts all over every time, with a completely fresh and new Earth-Moon system, since they look the same regardless of the catastrophe befalling the prior Basketball Earth, and the interruptions—the second especially—would be difficult to reverse. We can thus suppose that there is still &amp;quot;normal&amp;quot; life going on for each Basketball Earth before the interruption. This life will most likely completely perish for all of the last three cases.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Black Hat====&lt;br /&gt;
In the first interruption, [[Black Hat]] comes in and is amazed by this cool floating globe. Of course, being Black Hat, he has to prod this nice globe with a digit. But by putting his finger into one of the oceans of this &amp;quot;real&amp;quot; Basketball Earth without a second thought, he apparently generates a {{w|megatsunami}} that rolls in over an unidentified city with skyscrapers, utterly dwarfed by a breaking wave. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
This is similar to a scene in &amp;quot;{{w|Men in Black II}}&amp;quot; where K messed with a globe that actually is a small planet, and his finger become visible in the sky of its inhabitants.  It is also reminiscent of {{w|Deep Impact (film)|Deep Impact}} in which a meteor strike causes exactly such a tsunami to hit the {{w|East Coast of the United States}}.  Since Black Hat puts his finger down in the Atlantic Ocean, the tsunami would hit all bordering coastlines.  Since the coast seems to be an eastern coast (assuming a vantage point of South --&amp;gt; North), and because Randall lives there, the city could be {{w|New York City}} or {{w|Boston}} or one of the other large US cities on the East Coast.  Of course, the wave would also affect the coast line (far into land) for all the other continents.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Megan====&lt;br /&gt;
The second interruption occurs when [[Megan]] arrives and pours liquid (perhaps water) from a sports {{w|water bottle}} onto the Basketball Earth, seemingly flooding its entire surface.  This would cause {{w|List of flood myths|extensive flooding}}, almost certainly extinguishing all multicellular land-dwelling life. The most familiar analogous situation is from the {{w|Bible}} in the {{w|Genesis flood narrative}} about {{w|Noah's Ark}}. The deluge from Megan's bottle would almost certainly change the composition of the ocean, wiping out all multicellular marine life.  Any complex that might be able to survive the influx of freshwater would probably be killed by the abrupt pressure change.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Cat====&lt;br /&gt;
In the third interruption a cat walks into shot and then playfully attacks the Basketball Earth rolling around with it like it would do with a ball of {{w|yarn}} (see real life example in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1rTAI2aExI this video]). &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The people living upon this Basketball Earth would experience cataclysmic events far greater than Blackhat's digital prodding caused, especially as the Basketball Earth is no longer suspended and was thus taken &amp;quot;out of its orbit&amp;quot; and will eventually hit the floor very hard. One way or another, that will surely cause (undepicted) disasters of tremendous magnitude.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Ponytail====&lt;br /&gt;
In the fourth and final interruption, [[Ponytail]] uses Basketball Earth as an actual basketball. She comes running by Cueball, grabs the Basketball Earth, probably bouncing it off the floor while {{w|Dribbling#Basketball|dribbling}} towards the {{w|Backboard (basketball)|basketball hoop}} where she actually jumps in an attempt to {{w|Slam dunk|dunk}} the Basketball Earth.  This would ''not'' be good for any residents of Basketball Earth; the combined pressure, movement, and impact damage from this simple sequence would surely kill off all complex life on Basketball Earth.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
====Title text====&lt;br /&gt;
This simile-callback is continued in the title text with the idea that &amp;quot;every basketball in existence&amp;quot; (i.e., every basketball upon the Basketball Earth, as well as the Basketball Earth itself) is counted towards the score from a single dunking.  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Randall may or may not know exactly how many basketballs there are, perhaps through research for some [[what if?]] question or other research, but almost certainly assumes that there are no extraterrestrial basketballs ''not'' on Basketball Earth.  But there might be some question about whether the Basketball Earth's own sub-scale basketballs fall within the regulations. Barring any unknown basketballs, the total would be approximately 40 million points{{Citation needed}}.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Transcript==&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball is standing next to a floating Basketball Earth indicating it with his left hand. The continents are clearly visible as seen from above the Atlantic Ocean. This remains the same all through the comic, except that the Basketball Earth rotates a bit from frame to frame.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cueball: If the Earth were the size of a basketball,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball is now indicating, with his right hand, a small pockmarked moon (also floating), in the correct proportions (regarding size not for their distance) to the Basketball Earth, which is on his other side. Black Hat walks into the panel towards Earth.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cueball: The Moon would be—&lt;br /&gt;
:Black Hat: Hey, cool!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Black Hat is touching the Basketball Earth with a digit.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cueball: Um.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[In the next scene we see a megatsunami on the verge of crashing down onto a coastal city with skyscrapers. The A's are cut of on each side of the panels frames, i.e. they begin outside and finishes outside the frame.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Aaaaaaaa&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Back to Cueball standing with the Basketball Earth in the same position as the first panel.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cueball: Let's try that again. If the Earth were the size of a basketball,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Same situation as when Black Hat walked in, except now it is Megan that walks into the frame towards the Basketball Earth holding a sports water bottle.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cueball: The Moon would be—&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Megan squirts the Basketball Earth with the liquid in her water bottle while Cueball just stands watching with the Moon behind him].&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Megan just walks away while Cueball stares at his &amp;quot;water&amp;quot; Basketball Earth where the continents have disappeared completely beneath the liquid.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Back to Cueball standing with the Basketball Earth in the same position as the first panel.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cueball: If the Earth were the size of a basketball,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Same situation as when Black Hat walked in, except now he spots a cat coming into the frame from the left.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cueball: The Moon— would…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[While Cueball watches with the Moon behind him, the cat jumps at the Basketball Earth.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cat: Mrowl! &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Cueball continues to watch while the cat rolls around playing with the Basketball Earth as if it was a ball of yarn.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cat: Rrrrr&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Back to Cueball standing with the Basketball Earth in the same position as the first panel.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cueball: If the Earth were the size of a basketball,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Same situation as when Black Hat walked in, except this time it is Ponytail who enters the frame at a run coming from the left.]&lt;br /&gt;
:Cueball: The Moon would, uh…&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[While Cueball watches with the Moon behind him, Ponytail has grabbed the Basketball Earth and is dribbling it out of the frame, still running.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
:[Zoom out from Cueball who continues to watch while Ponytail reaches a basketball hoop and jump towards it with the Basketball Earth, obviously in an attempt to make a slam dunk.]&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic discussion}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;!-- Include any categories below this line. --&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]&lt;br /&gt;
[[Category:Animals]]&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Altopian</name></author>	</entry>

	</feed>