explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3133: Dual Roomba

2025-08-27T01:29:48Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 3133
| date = August 25, 2025
| title = Dual Roomba
| image = dual_roomba_2x.png
| imagesize = 679x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I tried uploading it to a household appliance porn site I found, but apparently their content is limited to only fans.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a CHILD OF TWO ROOMBAS. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

A {{w|Roomba}} is a small household robot that was designed to clean floors. To do so, its underside is equipped with brushes and vacuums to clean the floors. Roombas are generally not meant to clean anything other than floors, but Cueball has his Roombas clean each other when they get dirty (as opposed to the simpler solution of cleaning the Roombas by hand).

When Cueball demonstrates his Roombas cleaning each other to White Hat, White Hat remarks that the cleaning Roombas look sexually suggestive. {{w|Not safe for work}} (NSFW) is material, like pornography, which may not be appropriate for a general audience, and in particular the kind of workplace internet browsing that would normally be particularly discouraged. While the Roombas don't look at all like sexual organisms, their interaction evidently reminds people of sex, as they are going back and forth across each other's surfaces and change positions in the middle of it. When one Roomba is cleaning the top of the other, it looks like {{w|doggy style}}; when it's cleaning the bottom, it looks like {{w|missionary position}} or {{w|69 (sex position)|69}}, depending on the orientation of the front and back.

Cueball says that the {{w|YouTube}} video that he posted about this trick was demonetized, meaning that the video is not allowed to generate ad revenue. This normally happens to NSFW videos, such as those with NSFW content or a large amount of swears.

One popular monetized pornography (porn) site is called {{w|OnlyFans}}. The title text says that Cueball tried to upload his video to a porn site dedicated to "household appliances," but was unable to because its content was limited to {{w|Fan (machine)|fans}}. This is a play on words, in the real OnlyFans, "fans" is short for "fanatics," rather than mechanical fans. A site dedicated to household appliance porn would be an example of [[Rule 34]] (if you can imagine it, there is porn of it).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Cueball and White Hat are facing each other. A Roomba is to the right side of Cueball, who has his arm up.]
:Cueball: The Roomba keeps my floor clean.
:Cueball: But what do I do when the '''''Roomba''''' gets dirty?

:[Cueball and White now face 2 Roombas, with Cueball gesturing towards the Roombas. One Roomba is climbing up a ramp in front of the second Roomba.]
:Cueball: Simple:
:Cueball: I got a second Roomba and a ramp, so they can clean each other.

:[Cueball kneels down to flip the first Roomba over.]
:Cueball: After the tops are clean, I flip one of them over so they can clean each others’ undersides.

:[Cueball and White Hat are now watching the Roombas clean each other.]
:White Hat: There’s nothing NSFW about this, and yet it’s the most NSFW thing I’ve every seen.
:Cueball: Yeah, my YouTube DIY video about this got demonetized.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Roomba]]
[[Category:Sex]]

3133: Dual Roomba

2025-08-27T01:28:42Z

Blitzer:

3133: Dual Roomba

2025-08-26T10:04:45Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 3133
| date = August 25, 2025
| title = Dual Roomba
| image = dual_roomba_2x.png
| imagesize = 679x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I tried uploading it to a household appliance porn site I found, but apparently their content is limited to only fans.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a CHILD OF TWO ROOMBAS. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

A {{w|Roomba}} is a small household robot that was designed to clean floors. To do so, its underside is equipped with brushes and vacuums to clean the floors. When the Roombas themselves get dirty, Cueball has the Roombas clean each other (as opposed to the simpler solution of cleaning the Roombas by hand).

When Cueball demonstrates his Roombas cleaning each other to White Hat, White Hat remarks that the cleaning Roombas look like they are having sex, as they are going back and forth across each other's surfaces and change positions in the middle of it. When one Rooba is cleaning the top of the other, it looks like {{w|doggy style}}; when it's cleaning the bottom, it looks like {{w|missionary position}} or {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/69_(sex_position)|69}}, depending on the orientation of the front and back.

Cueball says that the {{w|YouTube}} video that he posted about this trick was demonetized, or taken off a list of videos approved to generate ad revenue for creators. This is probably because of the unintentional NSFW appearance of it. Note that in order to be monetized by YouTube, you must have at least 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months or 10 million public {{w|Youtube Shorts}} views in the last 90 days.

The title text says that Cueball tried to upload the video to a porn site dedicated to "household appliance"s, but was unable to because its content was oriented towards content involving {{w|Fan (machine)|fans}}. This is a play on words, as one popular monetized porn site is called {{w|OnlyFans}}. Such a site would fall under [[Rule 34]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Cueball and White Hat are facing each other. A Roomba is to the right side of Cueball, who has his arm up.]
:Cueball: The Roomba keeps my floor clean.
:Cueball: But what do I do when the '''''Roomba''''' gets dirty?

:[Cueball and White now face 2 Roombas, with Cueball gesturing towards the Roombas. One Roomba is climbing up a ramp in front of the second Roomba.]
:Cueball: Simple:
:Cueball: I got a second Roomba and a ramp, so they can clean each other.

:[Cueball kneels down to flip the first Roomba over.]
:Cueball: After the tops are clean, I flip one of the over so they can clean each others’ undersides.

:[Cueball and White Hat are now watching the Roombas clean each other.]
:White Hat: There’s nothing NSFW about this, and yet it’s the most NSFW thing I’ve every seen.
:Cueball: Yeah, my YouTube DIY video about this got demonetized.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Sex]]

3002: RNAWorld

2025-02-28T22:12:32Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 3002
| date = October 23, 2024
| title = RNAWorld
| image = rnaworld_2x.png
| imagesize = 275x345px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Disney lore: Canonically, because of how Elsa's abiogenesis powers work, Olaf is an RNA-only organism.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic conflates {{w|biology}} and {{w|Disney World}}. Disney World is one of a franchise of theme parks with attractions based on various {{w|Walt Disney Company|Disney}} movies, while the {{w|RNA world hypothesis}} is a proposed origin of life, in which RNA acts both as the genetic material and {{w|Ribozyme|the enzymatic machinery needed to copy it.}}

{{w|Ariel (The Little Mermaid)|Ariel}} is the titular character from {{w|The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|''The Little Mermaid''}}. In the film she likes to collect human artifacts; the comic replaces this with collecting {{w|nucleotides}}, the basic building blocks of {{w|DNA}} and {{w|RNA}}.

{{w|Ratatouille (film)|''Ratatouille''}} is a film about a French rat named Remy (''not'' "Ratatouille"; see {{tvtropes|IAmNotShazam|here}}) who dreams of becoming a gourmet chef. The comic conflates the soup that a chef might create for patrons to eat with "{{w|primordial soup}}", the environment that's believed to have existed on the early Earth when the processes of life began.

{{w|Elsa (Frozen)|Elsa}} is one of the lead characters from the {{w|Frozen (2013 film)|''Frozen''}} movies. In the film she has the magical ability to control ice and snow, and she used this power to make the snowman {{w|Olaf (Frozen)|Olaf}} come to life. The comic equates this with the original {{w|abiogenesis|emergence of life on Earth}}, or life from non-life, through {{w|ribozyme}} synthesis. Ribozymes are RNA molecules that, similarly to enzymes made of protein, catalyze biochemical reactions, such as the splicing of RNA during gene expression.

The title text continues this by saying that since Elsa's ability is based on ribozymes, Olaf's machinery of life must be based only on RNA, not DNA. This fits in with the theme of RNA World. Olaf generally appears to be (by mass) mostly just snow but, in common with various ideas about {{w|Comet nucleus#%22Dirty snowball%22|the makeup of cometary ice}} (and the role played by them in 'seeding' the young Earth with organic molecules), might well be thoroughly imbued with carbon-rich compounds ''other'' than those inherent in his carrot nose, coal buttons, and basic twig/stick elements. "Canonically" refers to {{w|Canon (fiction)|fictional canon}} (in this case Disney fiction), "the body of works taking place in a particular fictional world that are widely considered to be official or authoritative."

RNA has also been mentioned in [[2425: mRNA Vaccine]] and [[3056: RNA]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, Ponytail, Jill, and another child with a dark hair (wearing Mickey/Minnie ears) are walking through an amusement park. Cueball has a water bottle and a backpack, Ponytail is looking at a map or a brochure with a helix structure shown on one page, Jill is pointing forward while holding a small stuffed toy resembling {{w|Stitch (Lilo & Stitch)|Stitch from ''Lilo & Stitch''}}, and the other child has a popsicle. Cueballs, Megans, and Hairys can be seen in the background in gray. There are also a drop tower, a roller coaster, a shop, and a hot air balloon in the background.]
:Ponytail: Okay, kids, now that Ariel is done collecting nucleotides for Ratatouille’s primordial soup, let’s go watch Elsa initiate runaway ribozyme synthesis!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Disney’s RNAWorld

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Jill]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Disney]]

717: Furtive

2024-04-23T03:26:38Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number =717
| date =March 22, 2010
| title =Furtive
| image =furtive.png
| titletext =...go go gadget video camera. Go go gadget cup.
}}

==Explanation==
The person in the comic is Inspector Gadget from the {{w|Inspector Gadget|animated series of the same name}}. Gadget was a cyborg detective that had access to a wide variety of gadgets which he would activate with the words "Go go gadget [insert item here]." The gadgets would usually spawn from his hat, such as his trademark personal helicopter ("go go gadget copter!"). One of the running gags of the series was that Gadget was completely clueless during his missions, and unbeknownst to him, relied heavily on the assistance of his niece Penny, her computer book, and her dog, Brain.

In this strip, Inspector Gadget (wearing his trademark hat and trench coat) looks around furtively and apparently moves away from the listener (or the camera pans out to reveal the empty environment) before saying the words "Go go gadget two lesbians doing it." In fiction, the fantasy of lesbians having sex is supposedly a common turn-on for straight men, although this has yet to be confirmed in real life.{{cn}} The command, given in the last panel of the comic, also serves to identify the person speaking. Identification along with the punchline is a common comedy trope.

In the title text, Gadget requests further gadgets: A video camera, to record the action, and a cup. The cup is probably a reference to the well-known, scatological pornographic video ''{{w|2 Girls, 1 Cup}}'', which was prominent at the time the comic was created.

==Transcript==
:[Inspector Gadget in a trench coat and hat stands mid-frame.]

:[Gadget turns his head, looking to his right.]

:[Gadget stands alone in a wide expanse.]

:[Gadget finally speaks.]
:Gadget: Go go gadget two lesbians doing it.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Homosexuality]]
[[Category:Sex]]

2863: Space Typography

2023-12-11T20:46:22Z

Blitzer: /* Accuracy */

{{comic
| number = 2863
| date = December 4, 2023
| title = Space Typography
| image = space_typography_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x239px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = And over heeee[...]eeeere (i)s Saturn.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an OPTIMISTIC ALIEN WHO MESURES SPACE TYPOGRAPHICALY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Randall has created a sentence with the property wherein, when printed in {{w|Times New Roman}} font, the distances of the "i" letters from the first letter are proportional to the radii of the orbits of the innermost five planets in the {{w|Solar System}}. These are the only letters in the sentence that have a dot over the letter (there are no "j"s in the sentence) or elsewhere (there are no periods, colons, semicolons, or other dot-containing symbols). He suggests that if you get lost traveling among these planets, you can use the dots as a map.

This won't actually be a very useful map. When traveling between planets, it's not enough to know where the planet's orbit is, you also need to know where it is along the orbit. Additionally, if you are truly lost then you likely do not know where ''you'' actually are, and which 'way' you are heading, though you can probably at least locate the sun if you are indeed within our inner solar system.

The sentence is self-referential, since it talks about using typography to measure distances in space, and this makes it a useful mnemonic. The "optimistic" in the sentence could indicate that the aliens in question are highly optimistic that this kind of "map" would be useful for navigating a star system where planets orbit in ellipses, rather than being in static positions along a line (as is so often depicted in line-ups of the Solar System's planets).

The title text appends the sentence with a section for identifying Saturn. It contains an ellipsis in brackets, which normally signifies that an indeterminate number of 'e's has been omitted from the sentence, seemingly to represent Saturn's large orbital radius as the next "i" in "is". The trick is that actually appending the sentence literally, brackets and all, after the original sentence (so that we get "Optimistic aliens measure space typographically. And over heeee[...]eeeere (i)s Saturn.") actually puts the dot on the last "i" at Saturn's orbit. The extra dots and periods beside the six 'i's only serve as punctuation and spacing; the parentheses, besides spacing, call attention to the 'i' in the title text, where the black emphasis of the comic is not available. They're also reminiscent of {{w|Saturn's rings}}, although they are much too large and off-center.

Similar sentences with varying numbers of "e"s could be used to continue out to any planet or other body which does not contain the letter "i" – which is all of the remaining planets and minor planets, with the exception of Eris. However, the strings of "e"s would get longer and longer, to the point that it might be necessary to write down how many of them are to be used – about 59 "e"s for Saturn, starting from the Sun – which negates any mnemonic value the sentence may have had and might as well just be replaced with a table of orbital ephemerides.

==Accuracy==
[[File:2863OrbitComparison.png|thumb|Comparison between orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter to the dots in the comic]]
Measuring the distances based on the provided image results in these approximate distances:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|-
! Planet !! Pixel offset !! Relative Distance in Comic !! Actual Distance in AU<ref>https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/pdfs/scaless_reference.pdf</ref>
|-
| Mercury || 93 || 0.3907 || 0.39
|-
| Venus || 169 || 0.7101 || 0.72
|-
| Earth || 238 || 1 || 1
|-
| Mars || 362 || 1.5210 || 1.52
|-
| Jupiter || 1229 || 5.1639 || 5.2
|}

Saturn is 9.54 astronomical units from the sun, for which 13 middle 'e's would be required in "here" to make the title text work.

The picture also contains a standard representation of Times New Roman, with no changes to kerning or tracking.

Continuing the idea would look like this:

"Optimistic aliens measure space typographically. And over heeeeeeeeeeeeere (i)s Saturn. And over heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere is Uranus. And over heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere is Neptune."

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|-
! Planet !! Number of 'e's needed between the 'h' and the 'r' in "here"
|-
| Saturn || 13
|-
| Uranus || 49
|-
| Neptune || 58
|}

==Transcript==
:[A grayed-out sentence in the Times New Roman font reads "Optimistic aliens measure space typographically". The "O" in "Optimistic" is dark black and indicated as representing the Sun (not to scale). The dots of the letters "i" in the sentence are similarly dark black. The dot in the first "i" in "Optimistic" is indicated as representing Mercury; the dot in the second "i" represents Venus; the dot in the third "i" represents Earth. The dot in the "i" in "aliens" is indicated as representing Mars. The dot in the "i" in "typographically" is indicated as representing Jupiter. A measurement bar indicates that the distance between the "O" and the third "i" in "Optimistic" (representing Earth) is equivalent to 1 AU (astronomical unit).]

:[Caption below the panel:]

:Space tip: if you're ever lost in the inner Solar System, you can just type out the phrase "Optimistic aliens measure space typographically" in Times New Roman and use the dots as a map.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Tips]]

2863: Space Typography

2023-12-11T20:45:53Z

Blitzer: /* Accuracy */

{{comic
| number = 2863
| date = December 4, 2023
| title = Space Typography
| image = space_typography_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x239px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = And over heeee[...]eeeere (i)s Saturn.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an OPTIMISTIC ALIEN WHO MESURES SPACE TYPOGRAPHICALY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Randall has created a sentence with the property wherein, when printed in {{w|Times New Roman}} font, the distances of the "i" letters from the first letter are proportional to the radii of the orbits of the innermost five planets in the {{w|Solar System}}. These are the only letters in the sentence that have a dot over the letter (there are no "j"s in the sentence) or elsewhere (there are no periods, colons, semicolons, or other dot-containing symbols). He suggests that if you get lost traveling among these planets, you can use the dots as a map.

This won't actually be a very useful map. When traveling between planets, it's not enough to know where the planet's orbit is, you also need to know where it is along the orbit. Additionally, if you are truly lost then you likely do not know where ''you'' actually are, and which 'way' you are heading, though you can probably at least locate the sun if you are indeed within our inner solar system.

The sentence is self-referential, since it talks about using typography to measure distances in space, and this makes it a useful mnemonic. The "optimistic" in the sentence could indicate that the aliens in question are highly optimistic that this kind of "map" would be useful for navigating a star system where planets orbit in ellipses, rather than being in static positions along a line (as is so often depicted in line-ups of the Solar System's planets).

The title text appends the sentence with a section for identifying Saturn. It contains an ellipsis in brackets, which normally signifies that an indeterminate number of 'e's has been omitted from the sentence, seemingly to represent Saturn's large orbital radius as the next "i" in "is". The trick is that actually appending the sentence literally, brackets and all, after the original sentence (so that we get "Optimistic aliens measure space typographically. And over heeee[...]eeeere (i)s Saturn.") actually puts the dot on the last "i" at Saturn's orbit. The extra dots and periods beside the six 'i's only serve as punctuation and spacing; the parentheses, besides spacing, call attention to the 'i' in the title text, where the black emphasis of the comic is not available. They're also reminiscent of {{w|Saturn's rings}}, although they are much too large and off-center.

Similar sentences with varying numbers of "e"s could be used to continue out to any planet or other body which does not contain the letter "i" – which is all of the remaining planets and minor planets, with the exception of Eris. However, the strings of "e"s would get longer and longer, to the point that it might be necessary to write down how many of them are to be used – about 59 "e"s for Saturn, starting from the Sun – which negates any mnemonic value the sentence may have had and might as well just be replaced with a table of orbital ephemerides.

==Accuracy==
[[File:2863OrbitComparison.png|thumb|Comparison between orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter to the dots in the comic]]
Measuring the distances based on the provided image results in these approximate distances:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|-
! Planet !! Pixel offset !! Relative Distance in Comic !! Actual Distance in AU<ref>https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/pdfs/scaless_reference.pdf</ref>
|-
| Mercury || 93 || 0.3907 || 0.39
|-
| Venus || 169 || 0.7101 || 0.72
|-
| Earth || 238 || 1 || 1
|-
| Mars || 362 || 1.5210 || 1.52
|-
| Jupiter || 1229 || 5.1639 || 5.2
|}

Saturn is 9.54 astronomical units from the sun, for which 13 middle 'e's would be required in "here" to make the title text work.

The picture also contains a standard representation of Times New Roman, with no changes to kerning or tracking.

Continuing the idea would look like this:

"Optimistic aliens measure space typographically. And over heeeeeeeeeeeeere (i)s Saturn. And over heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere is Uranus. And over heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere is Neptune."

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|-
! Planet !! Number of 'e's needed between the "h" and the "r" in "here"
|-
| Saturn || 13
|-
| Uranus || 49
|-
| Neptune || 58
|}

==Transcript==
:[A grayed-out sentence in the Times New Roman font reads "Optimistic aliens measure space typographically". The "O" in "Optimistic" is dark black and indicated as representing the Sun (not to scale). The dots of the letters "i" in the sentence are similarly dark black. The dot in the first "i" in "Optimistic" is indicated as representing Mercury; the dot in the second "i" represents Venus; the dot in the third "i" represents Earth. The dot in the "i" in "aliens" is indicated as representing Mars. The dot in the "i" in "typographically" is indicated as representing Jupiter. A measurement bar indicates that the distance between the "O" and the third "i" in "Optimistic" (representing Earth) is equivalent to 1 AU (astronomical unit).]

:[Caption below the panel:]

:Space tip: if you're ever lost in the inner Solar System, you can just type out the phrase "Optimistic aliens measure space typographically" in Times New Roman and use the dots as a map.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Tips]]

865: Nanobots

2023-06-20T05:51:47Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 865
| date = February 25, 2011
| title = Nanobots
| image = nanobots.png
| titletext = I think the IETF hit the right balance with the 128 bits thing. We can fit MAC addresses in a /64 subnet, and the nanobots will only be able to devour half the planet.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Ponytail]] are in orbit while nanobots are devouring the Earth in a swarm. This is a take on the "{{w|Grey goo}}" scenario in which self-replicating nanobots destroy the earth while creating more and more of themselves non-stop.

Unusually, however, the nanobots stop after devouring 40% of the planet. This is because each individual nanobot must apparently have a distinct {{w|IPv6}} address, and by running out of possible addresses the nanobots cannot produce any more of themselves. With the tiny size of each nanobot, the total volume they can contain is only 40% of the Earth's mass, and they can no longer continue their consumption of the planet.

IPv6 supports approximately 3.4×1038 addresses, while the {{w|Earth|Earth's mass}} is around 5.972×1024 kg. Assuming "a few cubic microns" is the minimum of 2 µm3 (according to [[1070: Words for Small Sets]]), the nanobots would have a density of 4 g/cm3, a bit less dense than the Earth.

This is a joke on the shortage of IPv4 addresses. The only difference is that we are on {{w|IPv4}} and the nanobots are on {{w|IPv6}}.

1998 is when the [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2460 IPv6 Specification (RFC 2460)] was published and IETF is the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Note that an April Fools' joke for [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1606 IPV9] exists and would have guaranteed Earth's doom in this comic's scenario.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and commander are on a space station.]
:Megan: Commander! Come quick! It's the nanobots—they've ''STOPPED!''

:Megan: They devoured 40% of the Earth, and then just... quit! They're just sitting there! Why?!

:Ponytail: It's a mystery. ...unless... What's the volume of each nanobot?
:Megan: A few cubic microns. Why?
:Ponytail: I think the year 1998 just bought us some time.
:[Earth's surface, covered in mountains of nanobots.]

:In the swarm:
:Nanobot: What do you mean, "Run out of addresses?"
:Other Nanobot: Look, we should've migrated away from IPv6 ''AGES'' ago...

==Trivia==
*On the website, the space above the comic says "xkcd.com now has IPv6 connectivity. If you can't reach it, you or your ISP have misconfigured equipment. Sadly, I now have no way to tell you."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Singularity]]

865: Nanobots

2023-06-20T04:48:30Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 865
| date = February 25, 2011
| title = Nanobots
| image = nanobots.png
| titletext = I think the IETF hit the right balance with the 128 bits thing. We can fit MAC addresses in a /64 subnet, and the nanobots will only be able to devour half the planet.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Ponytail]] are in orbit while nanobots are devouring the earth in a swarm. This is a take on the "{{w|Grey goo}}" scenario in which self-replicating nanobots destroy the earth while creating more and more of themselves non-stop.

Unusually, however, the nanobots stop after devouring 40% of the planet. This is because they are limited by the number of available {{w|IPv6}} addresses: (40% of the earth's mass) = (# of IPv6 addresses) x (A few cubic microns) x (density of nanobots). Without more IP addresses, the nanobots cannot continue to replicate (assuming that each nanobot must be individually addressable).

IPv6 supports approximately 3.4×1038 addresses, while the {{w|Earth|Earth's mass}} is around 5.972×1024 kg. Assuming "a few cubic microns" is the minimum of 2 µm3 (according to [[1070: Words for Small Sets]]), the nanobots would have a density of 4 g/cm3, a bit less dense than the earth.

This is a joke on the shortage of IPv4 addresses. The only difference is that we are on {{w|IPv4}} and the nanobots are on {{w|IPv6}}.

1998 is when the [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2460 IPv6 Specification (RFC 2460)] was published and IETF is the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Note that an April fools’ joke for [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1606 IPV9] exists and would have guaranteed Earth's doom in this comic's scenario.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and commander are on a space station.]
:Megan: Commander! Come quick! It's the nanobots—they've ''STOPPED!''

:Megan: They devoured 40% of the Earth, and then just... quit! They're just sitting there! Why?!

:Ponytail: It's a mystery. ...unless... What's the volume of each nanobot?
:Megan: A few cubic microns. Why?
:Ponytail: I think the year 1998 just bought us some time.
:[Earth's surface, covered in mountains of nanobots.]

:In the swarm:
:Nanobot: What do you mean, "Run out of addresses?"
:Other Nanobot: Look, we should've migrated away from IPv6 ''AGES'' ago...

==Trivia==
*On the website, the space above the comic says "xkcd.com now has IPv6 connectivity. If you can't reach it, you or your ISP have misconfigured equipment. Sadly, I now have no way to tell you."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Singularity]]

2707: Astronomy Numbers

2022-12-05T21:17:06Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 2707
| date = December 5, 2022
| title = Astronomy Numbers
| image = astronomy_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 593x315px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I adopted a cat that weighs 12 solar masses. Laser pointers love chasing it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CAT-LOVING LASER POINTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Scientists are used to working with extremely large (or small) scales, so seeing planets move at “normal” numbers (ones that don’t require scientific notation) is surprising to them. Ponytail remarks that she finds normal numbers “suspicious.” She then extends this paranoia to things that should be measured in regular numbers, such as the weight of cats. The vet (Megan) is seemingly used to this problem (perhaps she gets a lot of physicists) so gives the weight of Ponytail’s cat in solar masses, which sounds more correct to the astronomer.

65 miles per hour is approximately equal to 105 kilometres per hour, although the even more typical scientific value (in {{w|International System of Units|SI}} derived units) would be 29 metres per second. 3 × 10^−30 solar masses is approximately equal to 6 kilograms or 13 pounds, which is normal, if perhaps slightly overweight, for a cat.

The title text suggests that laser pointers "love chasing" a new cat with a weight of 12 solar masses. This is presumably due to the effects of gravity, which would cause an ordinary object such as a laser pointer to be irresistibly pulled towards the hypothetical cat... along with everything else, up to and including the sun, because said cat would be the most massive object in the solar system by an order of magnitude. In fact, 12 solar masses, when compressed down to a radius of around 36 kilometres, would be a black hole, so making that mass the size of a cat would very definitely qualify.

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

Ponytail: "…And we need to correct for our elliptical orbit. On January 1st, Earth will be approaching the sun at a rate of…let's see…

65 miles per hour.

Weird. Okay."

Cueball: "Weird?"

Ponytail: "I get suspicious whenever I see a normal number in astronomy. We're not supposed to have those. Feels wrong.

Scales should all be incomprehensible."

Earlier, at the vet:

Megan in coat: "Your cat weighs 12 lbs."

Ponytail: "Ridiculous, nothing weighs '12'. You must mean 10-20? or 1040?"

Megan: "Fine. Your cat weighs 3x10-30 solar masses."

Ponytail: "Okay. Better."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

2683: Fan Theories

2022-11-06T22:28:36Z

Blitzer: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2683
| date = October 10, 2022
| title = Fan Theories
| image = fan_theories_2x.png
| imagesize = 267x318px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The universe fandom is great. Such sweet and enthusiastic people.
}}

==Explanation==

A fan theory is an unofficial hypothesis about a fictional work from enthusiasts instead of the official authors. Fan theories may include {{w|Canon (fiction)|non-canonical}} background information for, or continuations of, official narratives. Since humanity is not the "author" of the universe, all thoughts and writings on the nature of the universe are, almost by definition, non-canonical fan ideas.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] refers to scientific hypotheses as "fan theories." Scientists might consider this as undervaluing their work, because scientific hypotheses are usually the result of much more serious research than the authorship of fiction.{{Citation needed}} Charismatic cranks often obtain undeserved recognition for supposedly scientific hypotheses, so being lumped in with charlatans or pseudoscientists could be perceived as insensitive to rigorous scientists. Once again, [[Randall]] has attempted to devise a new way to annoy scientists. However, many if not most professional scientists are aware of similarities between hypotheses pertaining to fiction and non-fiction.

By referring to rigorous scientific studies as "fan theories" [[Randall]] is also elevating the experience of fandom. Though they are typically not supported by research institutions, tenured faculty positions, or grant funding, fandom communities often demonstrate a high degree of skill in literary criticism including evidence gathering, philosophical interpretation, and generative writing. This continues the trend of building connections between disciplines in STEM, social science, and the humanities.

This comic appeared a few days after renewed suggestions that life may exist [https://www.space.com/saturn-moon-enceladus-ocean-phosphorus within one of Saturn's moons].

The title text may be facetious, having to do with unwelcoming or inconsiderate {{w|fandom}}s (or scientists who are annoyed at being called "fans of the universe"), or it could be sincere.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail, Cueball, White Hat, and Megan standing in a line. Cueball has his hand raised, and Megan has hands balled into fists, exasperated.]
:Cueball: But according to leading fan theories, Jupiter's moons may harbor subsurface oceans.
:Megan: Will you ''please'' stop calling them that?

:[Caption below the panel:]
:How to annoy scientists: refer to all hypotheses as "fan theories"

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

1325: Rejection

2022-10-31T07:30:11Z

Blitzer: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1325
| date = February 3, 2014
| title = Rejection
| image = rejection.png
| titletext = Perhaps you need a crash course in taking hints. Here's your first lesson: We're not actually walking somewhere together; I'm trying to leave this conversation and you're following me.
}}

==Explanation==
In popular culture women are sometimes said to not be interested in {{w|nice guy}}s, as in common interpretations of the phrase {{w|Nice guy#The "nice guys finish last" view|nice guys finish last}} which originally belongs to baseball.

The [[Cueball]]-like guy on the left in this picture is presumably frustrated and complaining because he has been rejected by a woman, and thinks it's because he's the "nice guy" type. Cueball's sarcastic interjection implies that saying that women don't want nice guys and presuming to know what women "really want" is actually showing a rejection of that woman's agency, which might be the real reason she rejected him. It fits with one of the negative connotations of "nice guy": one who does not express his true feelings and/or is {{w|Passive-aggressive behavior|passive-aggressive}}.

The title text continues the "conversation", with Cueball implying that he believes that the first guy is bad at taking hints. He offers a "crash course" in hint taking by clarifying outright that he is trying to end the conversation while the first guy continues to follow him.

Though this guy might indeed be a jerk, there are also many other reasons why a woman might reject a guy who isn't a jerk.

The concept of the self-identifying "nice guy" who actually may have less than admirable motives is also explored in [[513: Friends]]. See also the concept of "negging" as used in [[1027: Pickup Artist]]: ''you belittle chicks to undermine their self-confidence so they'll be more vulnerable and seek your approval''.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is walking, and a Cueball-like guy follows him.]
:Guy: Women ''say'' they want nice guys, but what they ''really'' want are—
:Cueball: —Guys who respond to rejection by belittling their judgment and self-awareness?
:Cueball: If so, don't worry — you'll be ''fine.''

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

1211: Birds and Dinosaurs

2022-08-22T03:12:54Z

Blitzer: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1211
| date = May 13, 2013
| title = Birds and Dinosaurs
| image = birds and dinosaurs.png
| titletext = Sure, T. rex is closer in height to Stegosaurus than a sparrow. But that doesn't tell you much; 'Dinosaur Comics' author Ryan North is closer in height to certain dinosaurs than to the average human.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Bird}}s are commonly considered to be a separate {{w|class (biology)|class}} of {{w|tetrapods}}. However, this classification is false according to {{w|phylogenetic taxonomy}}. Taking into account that birds developed around {{w|Late Jurassic|150 million years ago}} out of small {{w|theropod}} dinosaurs, birds along with crocodiles are indeed the remaining representatives of the {{w|Archosaur|archosaur clade}}. This premise appeared also in comic [[867: Herpetology]].

This relation between birds and dinosaurs is depicted in the comic in a {{w|cladogram}} which shows that ''{{w|Tyrannosaurus rex}}'' is more closely related to the common {{w|sparrow}} than to ''{{w|Stegosaurus}}''. Not only do the former share a phylogenetic branch, but ''T. rex'' also lived around 80 million years ''after'' ''Stegosaurus''. The concurrence of both species in popular culture is a widespread error. ''T. rex'' is also much more alike to modern birds than to other dinosaurs in terms of anatomy. This relationship was pointed out on the [http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6133/690 Science] journal the week of the comic.

The comic draws the conclusion that if birds must in fact be considered modern dinosaurs, the hunting practice of birds of prey (specifically, the {{w|peregrine falcon}}) is consequently a dinosaur fight. For an inveterate dinosaur aficionado like [[Randall]], this fact must make the modern world much more attractive.

The line "This is a good world." could also possibly refer to a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znxFrgql5dc famous scene] from the {{w|Serenity (Firefly episode)|pilot episode}} of the television series ''{{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}'' featuring two plastic dinosaurs in a somewhat philosophic dialogue. Randall is known to be a {{w|Browncoat|fan of the series}}.

The title text is a sidesweep to the webcomic ''[http://www.qwantz.com Dinosaur Comics]'' drawn by {{w|Ryan North}}, who stands 6'6.5" (199 cm) tall. At that page the title text of the comic [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2420 strip] from the same day refers to Randall and ''[[xkcd]]''.

The conclusion of this comic is referenced in the title text of the last image in the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/101/ Plastic Dinosaurs] What if?

==Transcript==
:By any reasonable definition, ''T. rex'' is more closely related to sparrows than to ''Stegosaurus''.
:[Diagram showing that ''Stegosaurus'' came earlier than ''T. rex'', along with it showing that ''T. rex'' came closer in time to sparrows. Evaluation criteria "separation by time", "phylogenetic distance" and "physical similarity" are highlighted in red.]
:Birds aren't ''descended'' from dinosaurs, they ''are'' dinosaurs.
:Which means that the fastest animal alive today is a small carnivorous dinosaur, ''Falco peregrinus''.
:[A picture of two birds is shown.]
:It preys mainly on other dinosaurs, which it strikes and kills in midair with its claws.
:[In red:] This is a good world.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Firefly]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Biology]]

899: Number Line

2022-08-15T05:45:12Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 899
| date = May 16, 2011
| title = Number Line
| image = number line.png
| titletext = The Wikipedia page List of Numbers opens with "This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it."
}}

== Explanation ==

Once again, [[Randall]] seems to be just messing around, this time with a number line.

*'''Negative numbers''' have the same magnitude as positive numbers but can only be used to represent the removal of that same magnitude (hence the term "difference" being used for subtraction).

*'''0.99'''.... is {{w|0.999...|equal to 1}} because if you subtract any number from one, however small, you will get a number than is less than 0.99. 1 − '''0.0000000372''' is 1 bit less than the {{w|IEEE_floating_point|IEEE 754 32-bit floating-point representation}} of 1.

*The '''{{w|golden ratio}}''' or '''ϕ''' (phi) is the number <math>\tfrac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}</math>, about 1.61803. It has many interesting mathematical properties, mostly relating to geometry, and has occasional appearances in nature, such as spirals formed by the seeds in sunflowers. It is also subject to many less credible claims, such as the belief that phi appears in {{w|Parthenon}} (a well-disputed claim) or that rectangles proportioned after phi are more aesthetically pleasing. The speaker seems to drive off his listeners as soon as he brings it up; the golden ratio is infamous for being brought up by know-it-alls, which Randall has mocked in other comics.

* The approximate range from 2.1 to 2.3 is marked as '''The Forbidden Region'''. Why Randall marked this range as forbidden is really anyone's guess; it seems to be an entirely arbitrary designation.

*'''{{w|e (mathematical constant)|e}}''' (Euler's number) is 2.71828... and '''π''' (pi) is 3.14159265...

*'''2.9299372''' is probably a {{w|President's Day}} reference. It is the average of e and π just as the American Presidents' Day is always observed on the 3rd Monday of February (between {{w|George Washington}} and {{w|Abraham Lincoln}}'s birthdays). Washington and Lincoln were the 1st and 16th Presidents of the USA, respectively. Each has a celebrated place in American history.

*'''{{w|Gird}}''', '''ᛟ''' is a purely fictional number. (The glyph that Randall uses seems to resemble an older shape of the digit 4, such as seen on [http://www.bl.uk/learning/images/mappinghist/large2296.html archaic maps].). Canon and orthodox are references to organised religions. Gird could be a reference to any or all of:
**[http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/the-secret-number/ Bleem] - a fictional integer between 3 and 4
**iCarly's [http://icarly.wikia.com/wiki/Derf Derf] - a fictional integer between 5 and 6
**George Carlin's [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bleen Bleen] - a fictional integer between 6 and 7
**[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-033 SCP-033] - a fictional number that causes freaky things to happen
**Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal's [http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?id=3913 Sorf] - a fictional integer between 2 and 3 

*'''Site of the Battle of 4.108''' is another map joke, implying that 4.108 is an actual location, where an eponymous battle was previously fought. It may be a reference (or homage) to the {{w|Battle of Wolf 359}}, a famous military conflict in the fictional universe of Star Trek.

*An '''Unexplored''' region obscures the line approximately ranging all values from from 4.5 to 6.7. In the days when the Earth was still being mapped out, territories that had yet to be properly explored and charted were labelled in a similar manner. The placement of the '''Unexplored''' region on the number line indicates that all numbers in that range, including the integers 5 and 6, are completely unknown. This is, of course, patently ridiculous, and the humor seems to derive solely from how nonsensical and unbelievable it is. Correspondingly, the digits 5 and 6 cannot be found in the comic.

*It is often the case in the media that "It has been 7 years..." or "In the last 7 years..." etc. It is made to seem like a believable statistic but cannot always be true. Alternatively, it is intended as an absurd joke that the number 7 is just "not to be believed".

*'''8''' is not the largest even {{w|prime number}}, nor is it a prime at all. The largest (and only) even prime is 2. A joke intended for those who clearly know that the claim is false.

*The last entry seems to be a reference to certain fields of {{w|pure mathematics}}, which focus less on performing calculations with numbers and more on understanding structures that may be described using logic. It finishes off the tone of the comic that seems to be shaping the number line terms of what is commonly useful to certain areas of applied mathematics, rather than a complete, accurate version of the number line.

The title text is a literalism joke; at the time the comic was published, all Wikipedia articles with incomplete lists began with the message template "This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it." In the case of the {{w|List of numbers}} page, one could infer the absurd notion that Wikipedia wanted to have the list include every number from negative infinity to infinity. But because all Wikipedia articles are necessarily finite, such a list would always be incomplete, no matter how much it was expanded. It may also be referencing his previous statements about Wikipedia being the home of compulsive list-makers, who make the most astonishingly complete lists imaginable.

As of 2021, Wikipedia's List of numbers page, as well as all pages including lists that cannot ever reach a state of completion, are headed by the message template "This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources."

== Transcript ==
:[Number line ranging from −1 to 10.]
:[Arrow pointing left, towards negative numbers] Negative "imitator" numbers (do not use)
:[Line right before the number one] 0.99... (actually 0.0000000372 less than 1)
:[Line at the golden ratio.] Φ Parthenon; sunflowers; golden ratio; wait, come back, I have facts!
:[Line at a region between two and 2.2] forbidden region
:[Line at Euler's number.] e
:[Line a bit before 3] 2.9299372 (e and pi, observed)
:[Line at π.] π
:[Line at 3.5 with ᛟ as the numeral] Gird – accepted as canon by orthodox mathematicians
:[Line a bit after 4.] site of battle of 4.108
:[Blob between 4.5 and 6.5 labeled unexplored.]
:[Line at seven.] Number indicating a factoid is made up ("every 7 years...", "science says there are 7...", etc)
:[Line at eight.] Largest even prime
:[Line at 8.75.] If you encounter a number higher than this, you're not doing real math

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

2658: Coffee Cup Holes

2022-08-15T05:35:44Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 2658
| date = August 12, 2022
| title = Coffee Cup Holes
| image = coffee_cup_holes.png
| titletext = Theoretical physicist: At the Planck length, uncountably many.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CAFFEINE MOLECULE WITH A HOLE DRILLED IN ITS SIDE. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic depicts people in different fields of study answering the question, "How many holes are there in a coffee cup?" This question has different interpretations depending on the definition of a hole.

[[File:Mug and Torus morph.gif|thumb|200px|The coffee mug and donut shown in this animation both have topological genus one.]]

[[Ponytail]], a {{w|topology|topologist}}, states the coffee cup belongs in the {{w|Genus (mathematics)#Topology|genus}} of one hole. A common joke is that topologists can't tell the difference between a coffee cup and a donut since they're homeomorphic to each other — meaning they have the same genus. From the topologist's point of view, the coffee cup definitely has one hole, which corresponds to the opening created by the cup handle. See [[2625: Field Topology]] for more information about topology.

[[Hairy]], a normal person, is not sure (the acronym "IDK" stands for "I don't know") and asks for clarification about whether the opening at the top counts as a hole. This shows flaws in the question, which suffers from the mathematically imprecise, ambiguous common usage of the word hole. Topologists would refer to the opening as a concavity, not a hole, and while they consider such geometrical properties generally outside their field, most practical applications of topology do involve geometric components.

[[File:Double torus illustration.png|thumb|left|200px|A genus two surface]]

[[Hairbun]], a philosopher, answers the question with an elucidating counter-question, considering a hypothetical scenario. Drilling a new hole should increase the number of holes by one. After the hole has been drilled, a common teacup or mug has two holes according to topologists. Therefore, the philosopher's question requires the original questioner to reveal the answer to their own question.

[[Image:Point cloud torus.gif|thumb|200px|A point cloud of a genus one surface]]

[[Cueball]], a chemist, looks at the coffee in the cup on a molecular level, which means it has very many holes: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (1021 or 1 sextillion) “in the [https://chemapps.stolaf.edu/jmol/jmol.php?model=CN1C%3DNC2%3DC1C%28%3DO%29N%28C%28%3DO%29N2C%29C caffeine] alone.” One molecule of caffeine has two rings of bonds with holes in them, so Cueball is talking about 500 quintillion molecules, or 0.00083 {{w|mole (unit)|moles}}. As the molecular mass of {{w|caffeine}} is about 194 grams per mole, [[Randall]] must think that the mass of caffeine in a typical cup of coffee is 161 milligrams. The coffee could have other holes, depending on the type of coffee; for example, espresso contains significant amounts of niacin and riboflavin, which have one and three rings in their chemical structure, respectively. However, bonds are not sticks as portrayed in many molecular models. The "holes" in the middle of a molecule's rings are not completely empty but instead merely have lower electron probability density through the middle than other parts of the bonds. So the point-cloud duality of {{w|Bonding molecular orbital|electron orbitals and bonds}} might not satisfy a topologist's, normal person's, or philosopher's criteria for a connected substrate in which holes may be formed.

[[Image:World lines and world sheet.svg|left|thumb|200px|{{w|String theory}} describes the {{w|worldline}}s of point-like particles as {{w|worldsheet}}s of "closed strings," forming topological holes.]]

In the title text, a theoretical physicist looks even deeper, at the subatomic scale of {{w|Planck units}}. Since fundamental particle interaction is governed by fundamental forces and collision (per the {{w|Pauli exclusion principle}}) instead of tensile or ductile solid connectedness, the theoretical physicist posits that any definition providing for a single hole would also describe a number of holes akin to the factorial of the number of particles in the universe,[https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-02341882/document] or at least within the cup's {{w|light cone}}, which is a number impractical to accurately count, but not uncountable in a mathematical sense.

Part of the joke could be that all five methods of inquiry don't discern between a {{w|cup}} (as described) and a {{w|mug}} (as depicted), the cliché being that topologists are unusual because they don't. Or, as many people use the terms interchangeably, Randall may too. A cup without a looped handle is topologically equivalent to either a flat disk (if the cup' walls are assumed to have no thickness) or an amorphous sphere (if the cup's walls have thickness).

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

:[The first panel has text only. The "Q:" below is a large letter Q representing a question, not a character name.]
:Q:
:How many holes are there in a coffee cup?

:[Each of the next four panels has a caption at the top to indicate the kind of person answering the question.]
:Caption: Topologist
:[Ponytail stands holding a coffee mug.]
:Ponytail: One.

:Caption: Normal person
:[Hairy stands to the right of Ponytail, holding a coffee mug at an angle to look into it.]
:Hairy: IDK, does the opening count as a hole?

:Caption: Philosopher
:[Hairbun is shown in closeup, with two drawings of coffee mugs to her left.]
:Hairbun: To answer that question, consider another: If we drill a hole in the side, how many holes are there now?

:Caption: Chemist
:[Cueball stands with a drawing of a caffeine molecule above him and to the right.]
:Cueball: 1021 in the caffeine alone

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2658: Coffee Cup Holes

2022-08-15T05:34:54Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 2658
| date = August 12, 2022
| title = Coffee Cup Holes
| image = coffee_cup_holes.png
| titletext = Theoretical physicist: At the Planck length, uncountably many.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CAFFEINE MOLECULE WITH A HOLE DRILLED IN ITS SIDE. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic depicts people in different fields of study answering the question, "How many holes are there in a coffee cup?" This question has different interpretations depending on the definition of a hole.

[[File:Mug and Torus morph.gif|thumb|200px|The coffee mug and donut shown in this animation both have topological genus one.]]

[[Ponytail]], a {{w|topology|topologist}}, states the coffee cup belongs in the {{w|Genus (mathematics)#Topology|genus}} of one hole. A common joke is that topologists can't tell the difference between a coffee cup and a donut since they're homeomorphic to each other — meaning they have the same genus. From the topologist's point of view, the coffee cup definitely has one hole, which corresponds to the opening in the cup handle. See [[2625: Field Topology]] for more information about topology.

[[Hairy]], a normal person, is not sure (the acronym "IDK" stands for "I don't know") and asks for clarification about whether the opening at the top counts as a hole. This shows flaws in the question, which suffers from the mathematically imprecise, ambiguous common usage of the word hole. Topologists would refer to the opening as a concavity, not a hole, and while they consider such geometrical properties generally outside their field, most practical applications of topology do involve geometric components.

[[File:Double torus illustration.png|thumb|left|200px|A genus two surface]]

[[Hairbun]], a philosopher, answers the question with an elucidating counter-question, considering a hypothetical scenario. Drilling a new hole should increase the number of holes by one. After the hole has been drilled, a common teacup or mug has two holes according to topologists. Therefore, the philosopher's question requires the original questioner to reveal the answer to their own question.

[[Image:Point cloud torus.gif|thumb|200px|A point cloud of a genus one surface]]

[[Cueball]], a chemist, looks at the coffee in the cup on a molecular level, which means it has very many holes: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (1021 or 1 sextillion) “in the [https://chemapps.stolaf.edu/jmol/jmol.php?model=CN1C%3DNC2%3DC1C%28%3DO%29N%28C%28%3DO%29N2C%29C caffeine] alone.” One molecule of caffeine has two rings of bonds with holes in them, so Cueball is talking about 500 quintillion molecules, or 0.00083 {{w|mole (unit)|moles}}. As the molecular mass of {{w|caffeine}} is about 194 grams per mole, [[Randall]] must think that the mass of caffeine in a typical cup of coffee is 161 milligrams. The coffee could have other holes, depending on the type of coffee; for example, espresso contains significant amounts of niacin and riboflavin, which have one and three rings in their chemical structure, respectively. However, bonds are not sticks as portrayed in many molecular models. The "holes" in the middle of a molecule's rings are not completely empty but instead merely have lower electron probability density through the middle than other parts of the bonds. So the point-cloud duality of {{w|Bonding molecular orbital|electron orbitals and bonds}} might not satisfy a topologist's, normal person's, or philosopher's criteria for a connected substrate in which holes may be formed.

[[Image:World lines and world sheet.svg|left|thumb|200px|{{w|String theory}} describes the {{w|worldline}}s of point-like particles as {{w|worldsheet}}s of "closed strings," forming topological holes.]]

In the title text, a theoretical physicist looks even deeper, at the subatomic scale of {{w|Planck units}}. Since fundamental particle interaction is governed by fundamental forces and collision (per the {{w|Pauli exclusion principle}}) instead of tensile or ductile solid connectedness, the theoretical physicist posits that any definition providing for a single hole would also describe a number of holes akin to the factorial of the number of particles in the universe,[https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-02341882/document] or at least within the cup's {{w|light cone}}, which is a number impractical to accurately count, but not uncountable in a mathematical sense.

Part of the joke could be that all five methods of inquiry don't discern between a {{w|cup}} (as described) and a {{w|mug}} (as depicted), the cliché being that topologists are unusual because they don't. Or, as many people use the terms interchangeably, Randall may too. A cup without a looped handle is topologically equivalent to either a flat disk (if the cup' walls are assumed to have no thickness) or an amorphous sphere (if the cup's walls have thickness).

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

:[The first panel has text only. The "Q:" below is a large letter Q representing a question, not a character name.]
:Q:
:How many holes are there in a coffee cup?

:[Each of the next four panels has a caption at the top to indicate the kind of person answering the question.]
:Caption: Topologist
:[Ponytail stands holding a coffee mug.]
:Ponytail: One.

:Caption: Normal person
:[Hairy stands to the right of Ponytail, holding a coffee mug at an angle to look into it.]
:Hairy: IDK, does the opening count as a hole?

:Caption: Philosopher
:[Hairbun is shown in closeup, with two drawings of coffee mugs to her left.]
:Hairbun: To answer that question, consider another: If we drill a hole in the side, how many holes are there now?

:Caption: Chemist
:[Cueball stands with a drawing of a caffeine molecule above him and to the right.]
:Cueball: 1021 in the caffeine alone

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator

2022-05-13T22:34:59Z

Blitzer: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2613
| date = April 29, 2022
| title = Bad Map Projection: Madagascator
| image = bad_map_projection_madagascator.png
| titletext = The projection's north pole is in a small lake on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles, which is off the top of the map and larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the fifth comic in the series of [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]] displaying Bad Map Projection #248: Madagascator. It came about 10 months after the fourth [[2489: Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special ]] (#299).

This time, [[Randall]] used the classic {{w|Mercator projection}} but instead of placing the North Pole on top and the South Pole on the bottom it is oriented so that the top is the island of {{w|Mahé, Seychelles|Mahé}}. The map projection is technically a {{w|Oblique Mercator projection}}, with an unusual choice of the cylinder's axis. Since the Mercator projection tends to visually distort areas near the top and bottom of the resulting map, this gives some areas, notably Madagascar, very unusual shapes, hence the name the ''Madagascator'' — a portmanteau of "Madagascar" and "Mercator"!

The Mercator projection became the standard projection for world maps during the 1800s, because a straight line (or {{w|rhumb line}}) in a Mercator map represents a constant bearing relative to true north. Historically, when navigation was performed by compass, this was a very valuable feature, since one (adjusting for the differences between true and magnetic north) could plot a constant-bearing course between two locations by simply looking at their relative direction on the map.

However, in the mid-20th century, the Mercator was {{w|Mercator_projection#Criticism|criticized}} because it causes distortion near the north and south poles of the map, giving an inaccurate impression of relative sizes. The most commonly given example of this is the size of Greenland — although on the Mercator it appears to be larger than Africa in area, Africa in reality covers an area 14 times that of Greenland.

Randall turns this example on its head by making Madagascar, rather than Greenland, appear larger in the ''Madagascator'' than in reality. By contrast with Greenland, the world's largest non-continent island, Madagascar is only the fourth-largest island in the world, behind Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo.

To accomplish this, instead of placing the north pole of the map at the geographic North Pole, Randall places the north pole of the map on the island of Mahé in Seychelles. As Madagascar is relatively close to Mahé (around 650 mi (1050 km) distant), placing the north pole of the Mercator projection at Mahé significantly distorts the size of Madagascar, making it appear comparable in size to Europe on the map.

But this distortion is even more pronounced when it comes to the island of Mahé itself, as Randall notes in the title text.
Although Mahé, the largest island in Seychelles with an area of 60.7 square mi (157.2 square km), is minuscule even compared to Madagascar, the claim in the title text that it appears "larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined" is an understatement.

No part of Mahé is visible in the comic, but clicking on the actual comic will open a [https://mrgris.com/projects/merc-extreme/#a4739c9b@-4.64274,55.45253 website] that displays Mercator projections with a pole in any chosen location, with the location of the one opened set to Mahé. The chosen pole is (infinitely far to) the right of the screen, while its {{w|antipodes|antipode}} is on the left. With this, it is possible to see that the island is indeed larger than the rest of the map's land area combined. A single national park within the island rivals Africa in size, and the narrow dirt road closest to the pole appears thicker than Panama. This also reveals that the location of the map's north pole (the "small lake" mentioned by Randall) is the lake impounded by the Rochon Dam, a popular tourist location in Mahé.

Unlike previous Bad Map Projections, Morocco and Western Sahara are drawn as one unlabelled country.

===Comparison of actual/mapped areas===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Landmass
! Status
! data-sort-type="number"|Actual Area<ref name="act">Major contiguous land areas that should exclude all islands, ''especially'' major ones, '''''especially''''' especially those listed separately</ref> (Millions of Km²)
! data-sort-type="number"|Proportion Land Area
! data-sort-type="number"|Proportion Image Area<ref name="pri">Of only these listed areas listed</ref>
! data-sort-type="number"|Distortion<ref name="dis">NB. Difference between percentages, rather than percentage difference</ref>
|-
| Africa<ref name="suez">Edge at Suez Canal</ref> || data-sort-value="C2"|Continent 2nd largest || 29.7 || 19.95% || 35% || +15.1%
|-
| Eurasia<ref name="suez" /> || data-sort-value="C1"|Continent Largest || 53.4 || 35.83% || 30% || -5.83%
|-
| North America<ref name="pan">Edge at Panama Canal</ref> || data-sort-value="C3"|Continent 3rd largest || 19.3 || 12.96% || 15% || +2.04%
|-
| South America<ref name="pan" /> || data-sort-value="C4"|Continent 4th largest || 17.8 || 11.96% || 7.8% || -4.16%
|-
| Antarctica<ref name="ice">Significant ice-sheets may complicate mapped/actual 'land' areas</ref> || data-sort-value="C5"|Continent 5th largest || 14.2 || 9.53% || 5.3% || -4.23%
|-
| Madagascar || data-sort-value="I04"|Island 4th largest || 0.592 || 0.40% || 2.9% || +2.50%
|-
| Australia || data-sort-value="C7"|Continent Smallest || 7.55 || 5.07% || 2.5% || -2.57%
|-
| Greenland<ref name="ice" /> || data-sort-value="I01"|Island Largest || 2.17 || 1.45% || 0.87% || -0.58%
|-
| Borneo || data-sort-value="I03"|Island 3rd largest || 0.749 || 0.50% || 0.37% || -0.13%
|-
| New Guinea || data-sort-value="I02"|Island 2nd largest || 0.786 || 0.53% || 0.32% || -0.21%
|-
| Japan<ref name="hon">Honshu only</ref> || data-sort-value="I07"|Island 7th largest || 0.228 || 0.15% || 0.10% || -0.05%
|-
| Mainland Britain || data-sort-value="I09"|Island 9th largest || 0.209 || 0.14% || 0.10% || -0.04%
|-
| Island of Ireland || data-sort-value="I20"|Island 20th largest || 0.082 || 0.05% || 0.03% || -0.02%
|}

<references/>

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Bad map projection #248: Madagascator

Mercator projection but with the North Pole in the Indian Ocean so it exaggerates the size of Madagascar instead of Greenland. Various countries and oceans are labeled, and country borders are shown.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

850: World According to Americans

2020-03-07T02:26:27Z

Blitzer: Undo revision 188261 by Blitzer (talk) Oh, the grammar error is present on the map.

{{comic
| number = 850
| date = January 21, 2011
| title = World According to Americans
| image = world according to americans.png
| titletext = It's not our fault we caught a group on their way home from a geography bee. And they taught us that Uzbekistan is one of the world's two doubly-landlocked countries!
}}
*A [http://xkcd.com/850_large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.

==Explanation==
There's a somewhat well-circulated image on the internet entitled "[http://google.com/search?q=the+world+according+to&tbm=isch The World According to Americans]" which plays on the stereotype of the ignorant American. In it, the entirety of Eastern Europe and most of Asia are entitled "commies" and the Middle-East as "evil-doers," and so on. Later, other people created similar maps to re-do the concept. It later spread to other cultures.

This comic is an anti-joke playing on that idea. You expect to see something which plays on the stereotypes that exist in American culture of various parts of the world. However, instead, the map is remarkably well-informed, and shows how sampling bias can be used to conflate results. See below the [[#Table of items in the map|table of items in the map]].

The title text jokes that in fact the only reason that the map is fairly well annotated is that the group of people labeling it were actually on the way back from a {{w|National Geographic Bee|geography bee}}. This could add weight to the 'Ignorant American' stereotype as these individuals should know more than the common person (Although, as the illustrators wrote below Cape Horn, the reason they did not draw Antarctica or many South American, Middle Eastern and British countries and the lack of detail may be because the people who asked them to draw this map was beginning to 'look impatient' since they did not get the expected ignorant result.)

A {{w|landlocked country}} is a country that does not border any major bodies of water. Furthering the concept, a {{w|Landlocked_country#Doubly_landlocked|doubly-landlocked}} country is a country that not only has no connection to water, but is only bordered by ''other'' landlocked countries. As the title text states, there are only two such countries in the world as of 2012: {{w|Uzbekistan}} and {{w|Liechtenstein}}. This is the type of fact that may be stereotypically expected of a geography bee competitor.

===Table of items in the map===
{| class="wikitable"
!style="width: 25%;"|Annotation
! Further details
|-
| Hey so what projection should we use? I’ll aim for "Robinson".
| Any flat [[977|map projection]] of a sphere must have inaccuracies. {{w|Mercator projection}} displays shapes well at the expense of size. For example, Mercator's Greenland appears larger than South America, but is actually one eighth the size. {{w|Gall-Peters projection}} does the opposite, showing accurate surface area with distorted ("awful") shapes. {{w|Robinson projection}} compromises between shape & size for aesthetics; hence Greenland is "still too big".
|-
| Did you know Maine is actually the US state closest to Africa?
| The distance is about 5076 km (~3754 mi). Measurement points are {{w|Sail Rock (disambiguation)|Sail Rock (Maine)}}, the most eastern point of the USA, and a point which seems to be the most southern (and as such western) point of el-Beddouza Beach, {{w|Morocco}}. It's not the most western point of Morocco (or Africa), though.
|-
| Do we have to label all the Virgin Islands?
| Which are {{w|Virgin_Islands#Larger_Islands|9 larger}} and about 100 {{w|List of Caribbean islands#British Virgin Islands|smaller}} {{w|List of Caribbean islands#United States Virgin Islands|islands}} - surely a lot of labels.
|-
| French, and I think Dutch and English
| The three separated areas are (from west to east) {{w|Guyana}} (former British colony), {{w|Suriname}} (former Dutch colony) and {{w|French Guiana}} (still officially part of France). The former two often switched between French, Dutch and British colonial rule. The latter was French most times except of a short Portuguese episode.
|-
| Brazil (Portugese-speaking )
Rest of South America (Spanish-speaking)
| In green is Portuguese-speaking (misspelled) Brazil, and in blue are the Spanish speaking Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.
|-
| {{w|Greenland}} (Still too big!)
Yeah, but the Peters map is awful
| Relating back to the choice of map projection, the apparent size of Greenland is one of the most commonly known projection based inaccuracies. The {{w|Gall-Peters projection}} shows accurate surface area, but with distorted ("awful") shapes.
|-
|Scandanavia
| A typo of {{w|Scandinavia}}. The area shown includes Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, but the actual area of Scandinavia excludes Finland. The Scandinavian peninsula countries include Norway, Finland, and Sweden, and those can be collectively (and nerdily) referred to as "Fennoscandia."
|-
| Western Europe
Eastern Europe
| The line here approximately follows that of the {{w|Iron Curtain}} that separated the {{w|Warsaw Pact}} states (the Soviet Union and other Communist allies) from the {{w|NATO}} (US-allied) and neutral states. However, all of Germany is included in Western Europe (when during the Cold War it was divided into East and West Germany) while Austria (which was officially neutral in the Cold War but closely tied to the West and therefore blocked off from its Communist neighbors) is marked as Eastern Europe. Here, Eastern Europe also includes the {{w|Balkans}} (the southern peninsula east of Italy), which are usually considered separate. During the Cold War, the Balkans were divided between Soviet-allied Albania (which later left the Pact) and Bulgaria, NATO-allied Greece and Turkey, and Yugoslavia, which was a neutral Communist state. It's also worth noting that there should be a blob of Russian red in the middle of Eastern Europe, representing the Russian exclave of {{w|Kaliningrad oblast}}.
|-
| British Isles
Ireland
| Although {{w|Ireland}} belongs to the {{w|British Isles}} geographically, it does not belong to the {{w|British Islands}} politically. That may be the reason why Ireland is labeled additionally - to show it's known that Ireland does not belong to the {{w|United Kingdom}}. {{w|Northern Ireland}} does, though.
|-
| Rainforest DRC
| The area shown is actually not completely the {{w|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} (DRC), but since one of the persons who made this map says he doesn't know the African map very well (see statement below), it's fairly accurate. Also the area called rainforest is somewhat larger than the area depicted as {{w|tropical rainforest}} on Wikipedia.
|-
| So this is one of those things where you point out our ignorance and stereotypes?
Yeah – I mean I freely admit I don’t know the African map very well, which speaks volumes in itself.
| Here two of the persons involved in drawing this map discusses what their lack of knowledge about Africa says about them. The African portion of the map is for sure the most poorly labeled, which lends weight to the stereotype of the 'Ignorant American'. Although it has to be mentioned, that the geography of Africa is in general not well known - at least within the Western world. So that's not really an American thing, here. The few countries which are labeled here mostly are well known because of their unstable political situation or because of their remarkable location. The labeled locations (and the presumably reasons of their "publicity") are west to east, north to south: {{w|Morocco}} ({{w|Arab Spring}}, location), {{w|Algeria}} (Arab Spring, {{w|Algerian Civil War|Civil War}}), {{w|Sahara|Sahara Desert}} (largest hot desert of the world), {{w|Sudan}} ({{w|Second Sudanese Civil War|Civil war}}, Arab Spring), {{w|West Africa}} ({{w|West Africa#Postcolonial eras|Lots of Civil wars}} and thus bad humanitarian situation, {{w|Blood diamond|Blood diamonds}}), {{w|Somalia}} ({{w|Somali Civil War|Civil war}}, {{w|Piracy in Somalia|pirates}}), {{w|Lake Victoria}} (largest lake of Africa, quite remarkable even at large scale maps (as here)), {{w|Mozambique}} ({{w|Mozambican Civil War|Civil war}}), {{w|Angola}} ({{w|Angolan Civil War|Civil War}}) and {{w|Madagascar}} (one of the worlds large island at the east coast - quite remarkable).
|-
| Cape Horn
| {{w|Cape Horn}} is the southern tip of ''South America'', not ''Africa''. The southern tip of Africa is called {{w|Cape of Good Hope}}.
|-
| Should we include {{w|Antarctica}}?
Let’s not – these guys are looking impatient
| Here it is made clear that since those who came with this assignment is getting impatient since their project of proving how little Americans know about the world failed miserably. And now they are getting impatient. It also shows that if some labels or parts are missing then it could be because of this and not for lack of knowledge. This is also a joke on the lack of labels that would be required for the map of Antarctica. Drawing Antarctica and labeling it would probably take less time than having the discussion about whether to include it, and then writing that discussion on the map.
|-
| {{w|Aral Sea}} (Gone)
| Former one of the largest fresh-water lakes of the world, now actually not completely gone, but almost.
|-
| Various former Soviet states
| Which are (west to east) {{w|Kazakhstan}}, {{w|Turkmenistan}}, {{w|Uzbekistan}}, {{w|Tajikistan}} and {{w|Kyrgyzstan}}. The former {{w|Soviet Union|Union of Soviet Socialist Republics}} was dissolved in 1991 and thus the {{w|Cold War}} had ended.
|-
| Middle East
| Drawn here to include {{w|Egypt}} and {{w|Turkey}}. Whether these should be included depends on whether you mean the phrase ''Middle East'' politically or geographically. They are both Muslim countries, but geographically Egypt is in Africa and Turkey is usually not included because of its close affiliation with Europe.
|-
| Boxing Day quake
Wait, "Boxing day"? There’s no way you’re American.
I read BBC News, OK?
| On December 26, 2004, a {{w|2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|huge earthquake}} struck off the coast of Indonesia, causing severe tsunamis. December 26, the day after {{w|Christmas Day}}, is celebrated as {{w|Boxing Day}} in the UK, Canada, Australia, and some other English-speaking countries, but not the US. As such, the earthquake became known as the Boxing Day Quake.
One of the people who came asked these people to draw this map picks up on the use of 'Boxing Day' as something no American would say and questions that this person is in fact American. But an American reader of {{w|BBC News}} (part of the British Broadcasting Corporation) may start to use the phrase "Boxing Day" about the Tsunami.
|-
| India -> Mostly Muslim
India -> Mostly Hindu
| In general {{w|India}} is separated in {{w|Religion in India|two religious groups}}. Muslims in the north-west, Hindus in the rest. As visible on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_India#/media/File:Religion_in_India.svg map] in the linked Wiki article, the area with a predominant Muslim population is way smaller than depicted in the comic.
|-
| Tibet (contested)
| The area was annexed by the {{w|People's Republic of China}} in the 1950s. Since then there are struggles to gain independence. The marked area is fairly inaccurate, though. Today's {{w|Tibet Autonomous Region}} (former {{w|Kingdom of Tibet}}) is roughly the southern half of the marked area extended a bit to the south-east.
|-
| Kamchatka Peninsula, but I admit I only know this one from Risk
|''{{w|Risk (game)|Risk}}'' is a board game played on a map of the world, where players own territories and battle each other for world domination. The person in the comic admits to knowing {{w|Kamchatka Peninsula}} only from the territory "Kamchatka" in the game. Kamchatka is notable among the territories in the game because it and Alaska are connected, despite being on opposite sides of the board- a fact that can easily be overlooked.
|-
| Koreas
| The two Koreas are the ''{{w|Democratic People's Republic of Korea}}'' (North Korea) and the ''{{w|Republic of Korea}}'' (South Korea).
|-
| Japan, duh.
| Well... {{w|Japan}}.
|-
| Taiwan (actually called "The Republic of China" – it's complicated.
| This is a reference to the complicated political history of {{w|Taiwan}}. After the {{w|Chinese Civil War}}, the Nationalists fled China for the island of Taiwan and set up a government in exile there, vowing to return. In the intervening 70 years or so, Taiwan eventually began to transform into a democracy and a country of its own, but hasn't shed the name, or the animosity with China. Taiwan and China are separate countries, but due to the name, Taiwan is often wrongly said to be part of China. The government of China also claims {{w|Political status of Taiwan|sovereignty of Taiwan}} and Taiwan is not represented by the United Nations... hence the it's complicated tag. There is also a missing end-paren here, which is either a typo or a reference to [[859]]. The tag 'it's complicated' is one of the options for relationship statuses on Facebook, and denotes two people whose relationship defies the usual labels. In this case it is the relationship between the countries which is complicated.
|-
| Sulawesi
| As a running gag, the island of {{w|Sulawesi}} (formerly known as Celebes) is depicted in several map-like drawings and charts (see [[256: Online Communities]], [[273: Electromagnetic Spectrum]], [[802: Online Communities 2]], and [[1555: Exoplanet Names 2]]). Of course, there are good reasons to show it on an actual world map like the one here.
|-
| Paupa New Guinea
| A spelling mistake of {{w|Papua New Guinea}}.
|-
| Phillipines
| A spelling mistake of the {{w|Philippines}}.
|}

==Transcript==
:THE WORLD
:According to a Group of
:'''AMERICANS'''
:who turned out to be unexpectedly good at geography, derailing our attempt to illustrate their country's attitude toward the rest of the world.

:[Left to right, up to down.]

:[North of Canada.] Hey so what projection should we use?
:I'll aim for "Robinson."

:[North America.] Alaska; Canada; Hudson Bay; Québec; United States
:Did you know Maine is actually the US state closest to Africa?; Bermuda (British!)

:[Central America.] Baja California (Mexico); Mexico; Central America; Panama Canal; Gulf of Mexico; Cuba; Hispañola; POR.; Jamaica
:Do we have to label all the Virgin Islands?

:[South America.] Rest of South America (spanish-speaking); Brazil (portugese-speaking); French, and I think Dutch and English; Tierra del Fuego

:[Greenland.] Greenland (still too big!); Yeah but the Peters map is awful; Iceland

:[Europe.] British Isles; Ireland; Gibralter; Scandanavia; Western Europe; Eastern Europe; Black sea; Middle East

:[Africa.] Morocco; Algera; Sahara Desert; West Africa; Sudan; Rainforest DRC; Lake Victoria; Somalia; Angola; Mozambique; South Africa; Cape Horn; Madagascar

:[West of DRC.] So this is one of those things where you point out our ignorance and stereotypes?
:Yeah – I mean, I freely admit I don't know the African map very well, which speaks volumes in itself.

:[West Asia.] Russia; Aral sea (Gone); Various former Soviet states; Afghanistan & Pakistan; India; Mostly Muslim; Mostly Hindu

:[Indian Ocea.] Sri Lanka; Boxing Day Quake
:Wait, "Boxing day"? There's no way you're American.
:I read BBC News, OK?

:[East Asia.] Mongolia; Tibet (contested); China; Southeast Asia

:[Pacific Ocean.] Kamchatka Pennisula, but I admit I only know this one from Risk.
:Koreas; Japan, duh.; Taiwan (actually called "The Republic of China." – it's complicated.); Phillipines; Malaysia; Indonesia; Sulawesi; Paupa New Guinea; Australia; Tasmania; New Zealand

:[South of Africa.] Should we include Antarctica?
:Let's not – these guys are looking impatient.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Maps]]

850: World According to Americans

2020-03-07T02:25:56Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 850
| date = January 21, 2011
| title = World According to Americans
| image = world according to americans.png
| titletext = It's not our fault we caught a group on their way home from a geography bee. And they taught us that Uzbekistan is one of the world's two doubly-landlocked countries!
}}
*A [http://xkcd.com/850_large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.

==Explanation==
There's a somewhat well-circulated image on the internet entitled "[http://google.com/search?q=the+world+according+to&tbm=isch The World According to Americans]" which plays on the stereotype of the ignorant American. In it, the entirety of Eastern Europe and most of Asia are entitled "commies" and the Middle-East as "evil-doers," and so on. Later, other people created similar maps to re-do the concept. It later spread to other cultures.

This comic is an anti-joke playing on that idea. You expect to see something which plays on the stereotypes that exist in American culture of various parts of the world. However, instead, the map is remarkably well-informed, and shows how sampling bias can be used to conflate results. See below the [[#Table of items in the map|table of items in the map]].

The title text jokes that in fact the only reason that the map is fairly well annotated is that the group of people labeling it were actually on the way back from a {{w|National Geographic Bee|geography bee}}. This could add weight to the 'Ignorant American' stereotype as these individuals should know more than the common person (Although, as the illustrators wrote below Cape Horn, the reason they did not draw Antarctica or many South American, Middle Eastern and British countries and the lack of detail may be because the people who asked them to draw this map was beginning to 'look impatient' since they did not get the expected ignorant result.)

A {{w|landlocked country}} is a country that does not border any major bodies of water. Furthering the concept, a {{w|Landlocked_country#Doubly_landlocked|doubly-landlocked}} country is a country that not only has no connection to water, but is only bordered by ''other'' landlocked countries. As the title text states, there are only two such countries in the world as of 2012: {{w|Uzbekistan}} and {{w|Liechtenstein}}. This is the type of fact that may be stereotypically expected of a geography bee competitor.

===Table of items in the map===
{| class="wikitable"
!style="width: 25%;"|Annotation
! Further details
|-
| Hey so what projection should we use? I’ll aim for "Robinson".
| Any flat [[977|map projection]] of a sphere must have inaccuracies. {{w|Mercator projection}} displays shapes well at the expense of size. For example, Mercator's Greenland appears larger than South America, but is actually one eighth the size. {{w|Gall-Peters projection}} does the opposite, showing accurate surface area with distorted ("awful") shapes. {{w|Robinson projection}} compromises between shape & size for aesthetics; hence Greenland is "still too big".
|-
| Did you know Maine is actually the US state closest to Africa?
| The distance is about 5076 km (~3754 mi). Measurement points are {{w|Sail Rock (disambiguation)|Sail Rock (Maine)}}, the most eastern point of the USA, and a point which seems to be the most southern (and as such western) point of el-Beddouza Beach, {{w|Morocco}}. It's not the most western point of Morocco (or Africa), though.
|-
| Do we have to label all the Virgin Islands?
| Which are {{w|Virgin_Islands#Larger_Islands|9 larger}} and about 100 {{w|List of Caribbean islands#British Virgin Islands|smaller}} {{w|List of Caribbean islands#United States Virgin Islands|islands}} - surely a lot of labels.
|-
| French, and I think Dutch and English
| The three separated areas are (from west to east) {{w|Guyana}} (former British colony), {{w|Suriname}} (former Dutch colony) and {{w|French Guiana}} (still officially part of France). The former two often switched between French, Dutch and British colonial rule. The latter was French most times except of a short Portuguese episode.
|-
| Brazil (Portugese-speaking )
Rest of South America (Spanish-speaking)
| In green is Portuguese-speaking (misspelled) Brazil, and in blue are the Spanish speaking Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.
|-
| {{w|Greenland}} (Still too big!)
Yeah, but the Peters map is awful
| Relating back to the choice of map projection, the apparent size of Greenland is one of the most commonly known projection based inaccuracies. The {{w|Gall-Peters projection}} shows accurate surface area, but with distorted ("awful") shapes.
|-
|Scandanavia
| A typo of {{w|Scandinavia}}. The area shown includes Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, but the actual area of Scandinavia excludes Finland. The Scandinavian peninsula countries include Norway, Finland, and Sweden, and those can be collectively (and nerdily) referred to as "Fennoscandia."
|-
| Western Europe
Eastern Europe
| The line here approximately follows that of the {{w|Iron Curtain}} that separated the {{w|Warsaw Pact}} states (the Soviet Union and other Communist allies) from the {{w|NATO}} (US-allied) and neutral states. However, all of Germany is included in Western Europe (when during the Cold War it was divided into East and West Germany) while Austria (which was officially neutral in the Cold War but closely tied to the West and therefore blocked off from its Communist neighbors) is marked as Eastern Europe. Here, Eastern Europe also includes the {{w|Balkans}} (the southern peninsula east of Italy), which are usually considered separate. During the Cold War, the Balkans were divided between Soviet-allied Albania (which later left the Pact) and Bulgaria, NATO-allied Greece and Turkey, and Yugoslavia, which was a neutral Communist state. It's also worth noting that there should be a blob of Russian red in the middle of Eastern Europe, representing the Russian exclave of {{w|Kaliningrad oblast}}.
|-
| British Isles
Ireland
| Although {{w|Ireland}} belongs to the {{w|British Isles}} geographically, it does not belong to the {{w|British Islands}} politically. That may be the reason why Ireland is labeled additionally - to show it's known that Ireland does not belong to the {{w|United Kingdom}}. {{w|Northern Ireland}} does, though.
|-
| Rainforest DRC
| The area shown is actually not completely the {{w|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} (DRC), but since one of the persons who made this map says he doesn't know the African map very well (see statement below), it's fairly accurate. Also the area called rainforest is somewhat larger than the area depicted as {{w|tropical rainforest}} on Wikipedia.
|-
| So this is one of those things where you point out our ignorance and stereotypes?
Yeah – I mean I freely admit I don’t know the African map very well, which speaks volumes in itself.
| Here two of the persons involved in drawing this map discusses what their lack of knowledge about Africa says about them. The African portion of the map is for sure the most poorly labeled, which lends weight to the stereotype of the 'Ignorant American'. Although it has to be mentioned, that the geography of Africa is in general not well known - at least within the Western world. So that's not really an American thing, here. The few countries which are labeled here mostly are well known because of their unstable political situation or because of their remarkable location. The labeled locations (and the presumably reasons of their "publicity") are west to east, north to south: {{w|Morocco}} ({{w|Arab Spring}}, location), {{w|Algeria}} (Arab Spring, {{w|Algerian Civil War|Civil War}}), {{w|Sahara|Sahara Desert}} (largest hot desert of the world), {{w|Sudan}} ({{w|Second Sudanese Civil War|Civil war}}, Arab Spring), {{w|West Africa}} ({{w|West Africa#Postcolonial eras|Lots of Civil wars}} and thus bad humanitarian situation, {{w|Blood diamond|Blood diamonds}}), {{w|Somalia}} ({{w|Somali Civil War|Civil war}}, {{w|Piracy in Somalia|pirates}}), {{w|Lake Victoria}} (largest lake of Africa, quite remarkable even at large scale maps (as here)), {{w|Mozambique}} ({{w|Mozambican Civil War|Civil war}}), {{w|Angola}} ({{w|Angolan Civil War|Civil War}}) and {{w|Madagascar}} (one of the worlds large island at the east coast - quite remarkable).
|-
| Cape Horn
| {{w|Cape Horn}} is the southern tip of ''South America'', not ''Africa''. The southern tip of Africa is called {{w|Cape of Good Hope}}.
|-
| Should we include {{w|Antarctica}}?
Let’s not – these guys are looking impatient
| Here it is made clear that since those who came with this assignment is getting impatient since their project of proving how little Americans know about the world failed miserably. And now they are getting impatient. It also shows that if some labels or parts are missing then it could be because of this and not for lack of knowledge. This is also a joke on the lack of labels that would be required for the map of Antarctica. Drawing Antarctica and labeling it would probably take less time than having the discussion about whether to include it, and then writing that discussion on the map.
|-
| {{w|Aral Sea}} (Gone)
| Former one of the largest fresh-water lakes of the world, now actually not completely gone, but almost.
|-
| Various former Soviet states
| Which are (west to east) {{w|Kazakhstan}}, {{w|Turkmenistan}}, {{w|Uzbekistan}}, {{w|Tajikistan}} and {{w|Kyrgyzstan}}. The former {{w|Soviet Union|Union of Soviet Socialist Republics}} was dissolved in 1991 and thus the {{w|Cold War}} had ended.
|-
| Middle East
| Drawn here to include {{w|Egypt}} and {{w|Turkey}}. Whether these should be included depends on whether you mean the phrase ''Middle East'' politically or geographically. They are both Muslim countries, but geographically Egypt is in Africa and Turkey is usually not included because of its close affiliation with Europe.
|-
| Boxing Day quake
Wait, "Boxing day"? There’s no way you’re American.
I read BBC News, OK?
| On December 26, 2004, a {{w|2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|huge earthquake}} struck off the coast of Indonesia, causing severe tsunamis. December 26, the day after {{w|Christmas Day}}, is celebrated as {{w|Boxing Day}} in the UK, Canada, Australia, and some other English-speaking countries, but not the US. As such, the earthquake became known as the Boxing Day Quake.
One of the people who came asked these people to draw this map picks up on the use of 'Boxing Day' as something no American would say and questions that this person is in fact American. But an American reader of {{w|BBC News}} (part of the British Broadcasting Corporation) may start to use the phrase "Boxing Day" about the Tsunami.
|-
| India -> Mostly Muslim
India -> Mostly Hindu
| In general {{w|India}} is separated in {{w|Religion in India|two religious groups}}. Muslims in the north-west, Hindus in the rest. As visible on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_India#/media/File:Religion_in_India.svg map] in the linked Wiki article, the area with a predominant Muslim population is way smaller than depicted in the comic.
|-
| Tibet (contested)
| The area was annexed by the {{w|People's Republic of China}} in the 1950s. Since then there are struggles to gain independence. The marked area is fairly inaccurate, though. Today's {{w|Tibet Autonomous Region}} (former {{w|Kingdom of Tibet}}) is roughly the southern half of the marked area extended a bit to the south-east.
|-
| Kamchatka Peninsula, but I admit I only know this one from Risk
|''{{w|Risk (game)|Risk}}'' is a board game played on a map of the world, where players own territories and battle each other for world domination. The person in the comic admits to knowing {{w|Kamchatka Peninsula}} only from the territory "Kamchatka" in the game. Kamchatka is notable among the territories in the game because it and Alaska are connected, despite being on opposite sides of the board- a fact that can easily be overlooked.
|-
| Koreas
| The two Koreas are the ''{{w|Democratic People's Republic of Korea}}'' (North Korea) and the ''{{w|Republic of Korea}}'' (South Korea).
|-
| Japan, duh.
| Well... {{w|Japan}}.
|-
| Taiwan (actually called "The Republic of China" – it's complicated.)
| This is a reference to the complicated political history of {{w|Taiwan}}. After the {{w|Chinese Civil War}}, the Nationalists fled China for the island of Taiwan and set up a government in exile there, vowing to return. In the intervening 70 years or so, Taiwan eventually began to transform into a democracy and a country of its own, but hasn't shed the name, or the animosity with China. Taiwan and China are separate countries, but due to the name, Taiwan is often wrongly said to be part of China. The government of China also claims {{w|Political status of Taiwan|sovereignty of Taiwan}} and Taiwan is not represented by the United Nations... hence the it's complicated tag. There is also a missing end-paren here, which is either a typo or a reference to [[859]]. The tag 'it's complicated' is one of the options for relationship statuses on Facebook, and denotes two people whose relationship defies the usual labels. In this case it is the relationship between the countries which is complicated.
|-
| Sulawesi
| As a running gag, the island of {{w|Sulawesi}} (formerly known as Celebes) is depicted in several map-like drawings and charts (see [[256: Online Communities]], [[273: Electromagnetic Spectrum]], [[802: Online Communities 2]], and [[1555: Exoplanet Names 2]]). Of course, there are good reasons to show it on an actual world map like the one here.
|-
| Paupa New Guinea
| A spelling mistake of {{w|Papua New Guinea}}.
|-
| Phillipines
| A spelling mistake of the {{w|Philippines}}.
|}

==Transcript==
:THE WORLD
:According to a Group of
:'''AMERICANS'''
:who turned out to be unexpectedly good at geography, derailing our attempt to illustrate their country's attitude toward the rest of the world.

:[Left to right, up to down.]

:[North of Canada.] Hey so what projection should we use?
:I'll aim for "Robinson."

:[North America.] Alaska; Canada; Hudson Bay; Québec; United States
:Did you know Maine is actually the US state closest to Africa?; Bermuda (British!)

:[Central America.] Baja California (Mexico); Mexico; Central America; Panama Canal; Gulf of Mexico; Cuba; Hispañola; POR.; Jamaica
:Do we have to label all the Virgin Islands?

:[South America.] Rest of South America (spanish-speaking); Brazil (portugese-speaking); French, and I think Dutch and English; Tierra del Fuego

:[Greenland.] Greenland (still too big!); Yeah but the Peters map is awful; Iceland

:[Europe.] British Isles; Ireland; Gibralter; Scandanavia; Western Europe; Eastern Europe; Black sea; Middle East

:[Africa.] Morocco; Algera; Sahara Desert; West Africa; Sudan; Rainforest DRC; Lake Victoria; Somalia; Angola; Mozambique; South Africa; Cape Horn; Madagascar

:[West of DRC.] So this is one of those things where you point out our ignorance and stereotypes?
:Yeah – I mean, I freely admit I don't know the African map very well, which speaks volumes in itself.

:[West Asia.] Russia; Aral sea (Gone); Various former Soviet states; Afghanistan & Pakistan; India; Mostly Muslim; Mostly Hindu

:[Indian Ocea.] Sri Lanka; Boxing Day Quake
:Wait, "Boxing day"? There's no way you're American.
:I read BBC News, OK?

:[East Asia.] Mongolia; Tibet (contested); China; Southeast Asia

:[Pacific Ocean.] Kamchatka Pennisula, but I admit I only know this one from Risk.
:Koreas; Japan, duh.; Taiwan (actually called "The Republic of China." – it's complicated.); Phillipines; Malaysia; Indonesia; Sulawesi; Paupa New Guinea; Australia; Tasmania; New Zealand

:[South of Africa.] Should we include Antarctica?
:Let's not – these guys are looking impatient.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Maps]]

2251: Alignment Chart Alignment Chart

2020-01-20T22:47:07Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 2251
| date = January 6, 2020
| title = Alignment Chart Alignment Chart
| image = alignment_chart_alignment_chart.png
| titletext = I would describe my personal alignment as "lawful heterozygous silty liquid."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a [[User:DgbrtBOT|TRUE NEUTRAL BOT template]]. Needs explanations of each alignment chart, and probably some editing for clarity.}}

"Alignment" and "alignment charts" come from tabletop roleplaying games, most prominently ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons}}''. Every character has an {{w|Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|alignment}}, which very roughly identifies their tendencies. The most widely used alignment system was introduced in the ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set}}'' in 1977 and has been reused in many (but not all) subsequent editions of the game. This system uses two perpendicular axes, each divided into three levels (for a total of nine categories). The two axes are:
* Lawful/neutral/chaotic: this axis says whether a character is strongly devoted to, indifferent about, or categorically opposed to following established rules.
* Good/neutral/evil: this axis says whether a character is generally inclined to commit good deeds or evil deeds.

In this system, the "lawful" attribute is independent from the "good" attribute. Lawful alignment means that a character is committed to a set of rules, which can refer to actual established laws, or to something like a rigid personal code, a set of traditions, or a chain of command, while a chaotic alignment means that a character has no interest in those, and may actively oppose them. The good vs evil scale is generally based on a character's concern for the lives and well-being of others, a good character will actively seek to help others and prevent harm, while an evil character will have no such concern and may actively harm others. Being 'good' is assumed to be independent of being 'lawful'. For example, a character who actively breaks laws to help those who are unjustly imprisoned or oppressed would be be considered to be "chaotic good". In both cases, a neutral alignment can indicate a character's indifference to a concept, or that their commitment is conditional, or that they consciously seek to balance both sides. A character with the "neutral neutral" alignment is called a true neutral.

An alignment chart is a grid that divides the alignments, usually for the purpose of putting descriptions or particular characters on it. Alignment charts are frequently used as a [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mcdonalds-alignment-chart meme template], where humorous or absurdist things are organized into different alignments. In addition to the "classic" Dungeons and Dragons alignment chart, there are a number of variant alignment charts in use as meme templates. Many keep the three-by-three grid structure but replace the lawful-neutral-chaotic and good-neutral-evil axes with descriptions.

This comic claims to be a meta-alignment chart, where nine "alignment charts" are themselves sorted into the nine Dungeons and Dragons alignments, following the use of alignment charts to humorously classify abstract concepts. However, these "alignment charts" are mostly diagrams used in academic classifications, which are being treated as if they were blank meme templates. There are two levels of absurdity here: first, the idea of using these diagrams to classify things they were never intended for, and second, the conflation of chaos as a physics concept and an assigned moral weights as it applies to each of these classification systems.

The title text describes Randall's alignment as "lawful heterozygous silty liquid" which references the true neutral, neutral good, lawful good, and lawful neutral charts in the Alignment Chart Alignment Chart. Lawful is the left side of an alignment chart, heterozygous is the top right or bottom left of a Punnet Square, silty is the bottom right of a soil chart, and liquid is the top right of a phase diagram. As such, the title test describes Randall's alignment as between Lawful Neutral and Neutral Good on this chart.

{| class="wikitable"
!Alignment
!Chart
!Explanation
|-
|Lawful Good
|{{w|Soil texture|Soil chart}}
|This chart shows the USDA classification of soil types by their relative proportions of sand, clay and silt. The chart is a ternary diagram (very common in geology), so soils with more clay plot towards the upper corner, soils with more sand to the bottom left, and soils with more silt to the bottom right. This chart has been used humorously as an alignment chart ([https://www.reddit.com/r/PrequelMemes/comments/8wakd4/anakin_soil_reference_chart/ for example]) and may have been the inspiration for Randall to use scientific diagrams as alignment charts. In addition to being Lawful Good, this grid cell is also the upper left cell of the chart and will be read first, making it a good place to put this chart as a "jumping off point". [https://what-if.xkcd.com/83/ What If 83 "Star Sand"] cites Randall as "...very satisfied with this chart, it's like the erosion geology edition of the electromagnetic spectrum chart..."
|-
|Neutral Good
|{{w|Punnett square}}
| Punnet squares are a visual method of determining what traits an organism might have based on the traits of the organism's parents. It relies on the principle that a trait is either dominant (indicated with capital letters) or recessive (indicated with lowercase letters). The exact combination of dominant or recessive genes that a child organism receives from their parents determines their traits. Heterozygous and homozygous refers to the pairs of alleles in an organism’s genotype, indicating mixed or same alleles, respectively. Randall later uses "heterozygous" in the title text. Note that it is possible for a phenotype to be expressed the same between some heterozygotes and homozygotes, e.g., persons with genotypes heterozygous "Aa" and homozygous "AA" will both express blood type A.
Therefore, the Punnett Square is a good chart because it is both a simple and true geometric predictor of inheritance, but it tends to be neutral because of complicating factors such as polygenic inheritance; these and other factors will cause genotypic frequency to deviate from expected 1:2:1 patterns.
|-
|Chaotic Good
|{{w|IPA vowel chart with audio|IPA vowel chart }}
|This chart shows the relationship between different vowels according to the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}}. The position of the vowel on the chart serves roughly as an indicator of the position of the tongue in the mouth of the speaker. As different vowel sounds are created by changes in different parts of the mouth, including lip roundness which is expressed in the chart implicitly as an invisible third dimension, vowel identification is qualitative and often up to interpretation, and vowel expression can change dramatically from region to region or even person to person within the same language, the categories described by the chart might be considered chaotic. The chart is missing the near-open central vowel [ɐ].
|-
|Lawful Neutral
|{{w|Phase diagram}}
|A phase diagram shows the equilibrium phases of matter present for a particular temperature, pressure, and composition. The diagram included is a unary phase diagram of a typical material that has a solid, liquid, and gas phase depending on the temperature and pressure for a fixed composition. Phase diagrams are useful for understanding how a material may change as its conditions change. For example, the air pressure of Mars is such that there is no temperature at which liquid water can exist in equilibrium on its surface. Water exists as ice until the temperature reaches a point where it sublimates directly into steam.

This phase diagram does not specify what material is depicted, but it is certainly ''not'' the phase diagram of water. On this diagram, compressing the liquid phase will transform the material into a solid, which is how most materials behave, but the solid/liquid phase line for water tilts the opposite direction. This is why water ice floats on liquid water, for example.

Phase diagrams follow the laws of thermodynamics and concern themselves with the order in which things ''should'' be, so they are inherently lawful.
|-
|True Neutral
|Alignment chart
|All alignment charts are neutral unless humans contaminate them. The chart in this cell has the same overall shape as the Alignment Chart Alignment Chart in the comic.
|-
|Chaotic Neutral
|CIE chromaticity diagram
|The {{w|chromaticity}} diagram is a chart of colors. Visible colors form a shape like a triangle with two bulging sides in the diagram. The curved line within the diagram shows the chromaticities of {{w|Black body|black bodies}} over a range of color temperatures. The chromaticity diagram shows colors independent of luminance.
The chart is not a simple geometric shape, so it is labeled as chaotic. Points on the diagram can be specified as combinations of three underlying iluminants (the colors of which may not all be visible). It can also be described in polar form with angle and radial distance from some central point, where the maximum radial distance depends on the angle.
The fact that the colors may not show properly on a screen, making the diagram incorrect, may also contribute to its chaotic aspect.
|-
|Lawful Evil
|Political compass
|[https://www.politicalcompass.org/ Political Compass] separates ideas about governance into economic and social political thought. For example, Gandhi and Stalin supposedly both had similar economic perspectives (collectivist) but radically different social perspectives (libertarian vs authoritarian).

As politics is how laws are made, this is inherently lawful. Representing all politics in terms of two very general axes is not only a gross oversimplification, it is often used to put one's favored ideology as far away from Hitler or Stalin. This common use of a fallacy similar to the straw man makes this chart evil.

Like the USDA soil chart, the political compass has actually been [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/political-compass used as an alignment chart], largely to mock the original political compass chart.
|-
|Neutral Evil
|{{w|QAPF diagram|QAPF rock diagram}}
|This diagram is used to classify coarse-grained felsic (low magnesium and iron) igneous rocks by the relative volumes of the minerals quartz, alkali feldspars, plagioclase feldspars, and feldspathoids in the rock. It consists of two ternary diagrams - quartz and feldspathoid minerals cannot coexist (they will react to form feldspars) so only three of these components will be in any given rock. Rocks in the upper triangle of the diagram contain quartz, with rocks with more quartz plotting closer to the top, while rocks in the lower triangle contain feldspathoids, with rocks with more feldspathoids plotting lower. Rocks closer to the left corner of the diagram contain more alkali feldspar and rocks closer to the right corner contain more plagioclase feldspar. The field on the diagram for granite is labeled in the comic, but each area outlined on the diagram has its own rock name (monzonite, syenite, granodiorite, etc.). All the rocks that the QAPF diagram is used to classify look superficially like granite, but their chemistry, mineralogy, and origin differ.
The QAPF diagram and the names of the more obscure rock types on it can be somewhat arcane, which may be why it is considered evil here.
|-
|Chaotic Evil
|Omnispace classifier
|The other eight diagrams shown in this comic, squished together into one, with the shapes of the diagrams corresponding to those of the originals. The diagram is labeled chaotic, since it does not have a simple geometrical shape. Probably self-referential humour, in that the diagram created for this comic is considered to be chaotically evil.
|}

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

[A 3×3 grid of squares. Each square contains a label at the top and a drawing of a chart, and each square has a caption below it. From left to right, a row at a time:]

----

Soil Chart

[describe this chart here]

* Clay
* Silty Clay
* […]

Lawful Good

----

Punnett Square

[describe this chart here]

Neutral Good

----

IPA Vowel Chart

[describe this chart here]

Chaotic Good

----

Phase Diagram

[describe this chart here]

Lawful Neutral

----

Alignment Chart

[A 3×3 grid of nine empty squares, each with an unreadable label below it.]

True Neutral

----

CIE Chromaticity Diagram

[describe this chart here]

* Green
* Yellow
* …

Chaotic Neutral

----

Political Compass

[describe this chart here]

Lawful Evil

----

QAPF Rock Diagram

[The diagram is a rhombus with each corner labeled: ‘Q’ at the top, ‘A’ at the left, ‘P’ at the right, and ‘F’ at the bottom. The diagram is divided into trapezoids and triangles, each with labels. The writing in most subdivisions are unreadable. The readable subdivisions:]
* Granite (around the top left)
* Basalt (just below the right corner)
* Foidolite (at the bottom)

Neutral Evil

----

Omnispace Classifier

Chaotic Evil

[describe this chart here]

{{comic discussion}}



[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Politics]]

2204: Ksp 2

2019-09-21T08:55:31Z

Blitzer: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2204
| date = September 18, 2019
| title = Ksp 2
| image = ksp_2.png
| titletext = "The committee appreciates that your 2020 launch is on track, but the 'human capital/personnel retention' budget includes a lot more unmarked cash payments than usual. What are th--" "Public outreach."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a KERBAL. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[Cueball]], a programmer, is sitting at his computer while four other persons from {{w|NASA}}, [[Hairy]], [[Ponytail]], [[Hairbun]] and another Cueball-like person try to convince him to delay the release of a sequel to ''{{w|Kerbal Space Program}}'' (Ksp 2).

''Kerbal Space Program'' (Ksp for short) is a space flight simulation video game with a Keplerian orbital physics engine, allowing for semi-realistic orbital maneuvers. Ksp is a [[:Category:Kerbal Space Program|recurring theme]] in xkcd. A sequel, abbreviated here as Ksp 2, is planned to be released in 2020.

Also planned for 2020 is a [[:Category:Mars rovers|Mars rover]] mission, {{w|Mars 2020}}. The joke in the comic comes as engineers are likely to want to extensively play with Ksp 2 to the exclusion of other things, and NASA is worried about the Mars 2020 mission being delayed, or failing, because the engineers are too focused on playing Ksp 2, including taking extensive vacation and "sick" days off.

Cueball, sitting at a desk in front of a computer, is represented here as being in charge of Ksp 2, and the other characters standing around him are pleading with him to delay the release of Ksp 2 until the Mars rover program is complete, even being willing to "give [him] a moon".

Offering to give somebody the moon occurs occasionally in songs and poetry, as an idiom meaning desire to offer something of great value, or expressing great desire to please. Literally giving a moon to Cueball is impossible{{Citation needed}}, but it is possible to {{w|Naming of moons|name a moon}} after Cueball, so that may be what is implied instead. This could also be a reference to the film {{w|Despicable Me}}, in which revolves around Gru and his {{w|Minions (Despicable Me)|Minions}} trying to steal the Moon. The Kerbals (mascots of Kerbal Space Program) resembe the Minions from the film.

The title text is a sentence said by someone from a committee in NASA that oversees the progress and budget of the Mars 2020 mission.{{Citation needed}} They are satisfied that the launch in 2020 is still on track, but has a question regarding the 'human capital/personnel retention' budget, which has several unmarked cash payments, more than they would expect. As they begin to ask what they are, someone from the Mars 2020 project interrupts, having probably foreseen this question, stating that it is Public outreach.

In the original Kerbal Space Program, playing in career mode, the player can select various "strategies" at the administration building to exchange or boost various assets. "Public Outreach" appears similar to the "Public Relations" strategy "Appreciation Campaign", which exchanges a portion of in-game money earned completing mission contracts for prestige, which has an effect on mission contracts the game makes available.

The title text suggests NASA could be paying Private Division, the developers of Kerbal Space Program, money to delay their release until after the Mars mission.

NASA has dabbled in game physics engines for "public outreach," with the same mixed record of success as any promising R&D endeavor. Pertinent projects included a series of collaboration laboratories on various forms of social media including {{w|Second Life}} which hosted a "NASA CoLab" region active from 2007 to around 2013. While the unrealistic constraints imposed by real time physics engine simulation prevented much actual engineering, such shared 3D {{w|computer aided design}} (CAD) systems provide a measure of drafting training in a play sandbox system outside of a formal work environment. [https://contest.techbriefs.com/2019/entries NASA frequently holds design competitions,] including some in which winning participants have spoken highly of KSP, and some of which are used for [https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/tb/stories/news/17581 developments in medical informatics,] for example, outside the field of aerospace engineering and space colonization simulation. The use of game development competitions to assist scientific progress is also used in the [https://fold.it/portal/ Fold.it] competitive protein folding game, where the winners build antibodies to save the lives of those who have health care. Such efforts have often been supported by {{w|SBIR}}-sized government agency grants from several countries, along with other individual (i.e., customer) support and help from organizations to build software improving competitive score achievement. NASA has also been involved in asking software publishers to remove, withdraw, or restrict their releases, such as the {{w|COMSOL}} plasma physics engine library, rumored to be useful for the design of nuclear weapons. But whether any government agency has ever paid for the delay of a computer simulation game in order to increase their productivity is an open question.

An alternative suggestion of the title text is that NASA gave cash to employees, their families, friends, associates, and foreign spy followers to purchase additional copies of KSP 2 to encourage development innovations, international collaboration, as a "force multiplier" for personnel retention, and as bonus incentive awards for [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C8ijfaAUQAAyGCF?format=jpg engineers who are ahead of schedule] for their part of the Mars 2020 launch.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair at his desk in front of a computer. He is surrounded by four people, and is looking over his shoulder on the ones standing behind him, Hairy - holding his palms up - and Ponytail stretching her arms out towards him. On the other side of the desk is another Cueball-like guy holding his arms out palms up and Hairbun who stretches her arms out to the side.]
:Hairy: Please hold off until the end of summer. We can't afford the personnel hit right before the late July launch window.
:Ponytail: People have ''already'' started calling in sick!
:Hairbun: Do you want a moon? '''''We'll give you a moon!'''''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:NASA tries desperately to get the Kerbal Space Program team to delay '''''KSP 2''''' until after the '''''Mars 2020''''' mission launches.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Mars rovers]]
[[Category:Kerbal Space Program]]

Category:Roomba

2019-09-02T19:52:09Z

Blitzer:

{{w|Roomba}} is a brand of domestic cleaning robots manufactured by the company {{w|iRobot}}. The robots are designed to automatically vacuum floors. [[Randall]] has often included these, sometimes giving them pet-like properties. Or at least letting the owner treat them as pets.

Roomba is also [http://xkcd.com/1506/#post/472b0674-54a5-545d-aff2-d765651371b5 mentioned] in [[1506: xkcloud]] but it is not Randall, but the users who have included that, and that comic should thus not be included as a Roomba comic here.

Below is a list of comics where Roombas are mentioned.

[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category: Comics by topic]]

2162: Literary Opinions

2019-06-20T05:26:12Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 2162
| date = June 12, 2019
| title = Literary Opinions
| image = literary_opinions.png
| titletext = If I really focus, I can distinguish between John Steinbeck and John Updike, or between Gore Vidal and Vidal Sassoon, but not both at once.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Hunter S Thompson was high while writing it. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[Megan]] is telling [[Cueball]] about some of her literary opinions: She believes that {{w|William S. Burroughs}}, {{w|Hunter S. Thompson}}, {{w|Chuck Palahniuk}}, and {{w|David Foster Wallace}} are different names for the same person. Many authors write under {{w|pen name|pen names}} for some of their works, or even several different pen names. Sometimes people come to believe that different people are actually a same person, which is known as the {{w|Fregoli delusion}}; the person is usually believed to change appearance.

She then says that ''{{w|Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas}}'' (by Thompson) and ''{{w|Fight Club (novel)|Fight Club}}'' (by Palahniuk) are the same book with different covers, probably because the title and promotional images for both hint at fighting taking place in a big city (i.e., she is literally {{w|Don't judge a book by its cover|judging the books by their covers}}), when in reality the books are vastly different. Books sometimes have [https://www.rifflebooks.com/list/170553 different covers and titles in different regions].

Cueball's attempt at a reality check (proposing to actually open the books she is talking about) is met with disinterest. It becomes clear that Megan just wants to share her weird beliefs and does not care if they can be proven false - a theme that previously appeared in [[1717: Pyramid Honey]].

As a last resort, Cueball humorously proposes she should start a {{w|Book discussion club|book club}} to discuss the books she has not read. This may be to congregate all people who criticize books without reading them, or in hopes that it will be attended by people who have read the book and can prove to Megan her opinions are baseless.

Megan finishes telling him her opinion anyway, which is that {{w|E.B. White}} and {{w|T.H. White}} are the same person. This is apparently an opinion that Cueball can agree with, as he tells her that he believes it. This is likely a joke that the two names are hard to distinguish due to the having the same last name with only initials instead of a first name. In reality, the books they authored are very different, with E.B. White writing children's books (''{{w|Charlotte's Web}}'', ''{{w|Stuart Little}}'', etc.) and T.H. White writing adult books about King Arthur (''{{w|The Sword in the Stone}}'' and its sequels), although his works ''were'' adapted into a {{w|The Sword in the Stone (1963 film)|Disney movie}} so they could, to some degree, be considered children's books.

The title text continues with this, with Megan saying that she can distinguish between {{w|John Steinbeck}} and {{w|John Updike}}, or between {{w|Gore Vidal}} and {{w|Vidal Sassoon}}, but she can't do so simultaneously. Again this is likely due to the similarities in their names. However, John Steinbeck and John Updike are also easy to confuse because they are both giants of 20th century American literature, whereas Gore Vidal has almost nothing in common with Vidal Sassoon (see chart below).

Additionally, the mention of simultaneity could be a nod to the {{w|Heisenberg uncertainty principle}}, which states that there is a trade-off in precision when simultaneously measuring position and momentum. It could also be a nod to how the brain cannot simultaneously interpret two different things at once, similar to looking at the {{w|Rabbit-duck illusion}}; at any moment, one can only see a duck or a rabbit in the image, but not both at exactly the same time.

===Explanation of people===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Description
|-
| {{w|William S. Burroughs}}
| (1914–1997), American writer and visual artist. Wrote many semi-autobiographical works, best known for ''{{w|Naked Lunch}}'' and ''{{w|Junkie (novel)|Junkie}}''.
|-
| {{w|Hunter S. Thompson}}
| (1937–2005), American journalist and author. Founder of the {{w|Gonzo journalism}} movement. Best known for his novel ''{{w|Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas}}''.
|-
| {{w|Chuck Palahniuk}}
| Born 1962, American novelist and freelance journalist from Pasco, Washington. Best known for his novel ''{{w|Fight Club (novel)|Fight Club}}''.
|-
| {{w|David Foster Wallace}}
| (1962–2008), American writer and university professor for English and creative writing. Best known for his novel ''{{w|Infinite Jest}}''.
|-
| {{w|E.B. White}}
| (1899–1985), American writer. Co-author of the English language style guide ''{{w|The Elements of Style}}''. Also known for his children's books, including ''{{w|Stuart Little}}'', ''{{w|Charlotte's Web}}'', and ''{{w|The Trumpet of the Swan}}''.
|-
| {{w|T.H. White}}
| (1906–1964), English author. Known for his Arthurian novel series, ''{{w|The Once and Future King}}''.
|-
| {{w|John Steinbeck}}
| (1902–1968), American novelist. Known for his novels set in Central California, including ''{{w|Tortilla Flat}}'', ''{{w|Cannery Row (novel)|Cannery Row}}'', ''{{w|East of Eden (novel)|East of Eden}}'', ''{{w|Of Mice and Men}}'', and ''{{w|The Grapes of Wrath}}''.
|-
| {{w|John Updike}}
| (1932–2009), American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. Known for his prolific career and for his "Rabbit" series, chronicling the life of {{w|Rabbit Angstrom}}.
|-
| {{w|Gore Vidal}}
| (1925–2012), American writer and public intellectual. A political commentator and essayist, as well as a novelist.
|-
| {{w|Vidal Sassoon}}
| (1928–2012), British-American hairstylist, businessman, and fashion icon. Founded a worldwide chain of hairstyling salons as well as a line of hair treatment products. A philanthropist later in life.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Megan is walking with a finger raised toward Cueball, who is seated in a chair with a book.]
:Megan: Literary opinion:
:Megan: I firmly believe that William S. Burroughs, Hunter S. Thompson, Chuck Palahniuk, and David Foster Wallace are different names for the same person.
:Cueball: ...I see.

:[Megan puts down her hand.]
:Megan: ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'' and ''Fight Club''? Same book with different covers, I bet.
:Cueball: I have both. Want to open them and check?
:Megan: I do not.

:[Cueball turns back to his book.]
:Megan: Moving on: my next opinion--
:Cueball: You should start a book club for discussing the books you refuse to read.
:Megan: --is that E.B. White and T.H. White are the same person.
:Cueball: Ok, ''that'' I believe.

==Trivia==
The much earlier comic [[923: Strunk and White]] from 2011 also mentions E.B. White and ''The Elements of Style'' writing style guide.
The title text of the earlier comic [[1277: Ayn Random]] plays with several people with similar names.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

2077: Heist

2018-12-02T07:25:06Z

Blitzer: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2077
| date = November 26, 2018
| title = Heist
| image = heist.png
| titletext = But he has a hat AND a toolbox! Where could someone planning a heist get THOSE?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SUPPOSED REPAIRMAN. Need some elaboration of what it means to be a minor character (in your own life? or in others). Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In {{w|Heist film}}s, a heist or other crime is carried out, sometimes involving the criminal(s) posing as some type of repairman or similar. The criminal then gains access to their target through the disguise, as humans do not normally critically assess someone if their appearance fit expectations. Due to the prevalence of this trope, [[Cueball]] is concerned whenever somebody comes by to ask for access as he believes the person may be planning a crime, and his inadvertent assistance will make him a "minor character" in the wider heist story. In such movies, minor characters are sometimes held hostage or even killed in the course of the crime being committed, particularly if the heist goes wrong. The risk of being a minor character could also perhaps include the risk of being harmed. In general people would probably prefer to be the main character in a film, rather than a bystander.

In this case, he is asked to open the server room - ostensibly to allow the fire alarm to be checked. However, gaining physical access to the server allows the criminal to bypass most security features that should prevent unauthorized access to the data (a scenario known as an evil maid attack). If the hard disks are not encrypted it is trivial to copy all files or even remove and abscond with the disk drives - allowing the theft of sensitive information stored on the network. Even if the files are encrypted physical access to the server will allow the attacker to corrupt the system either by installing malware or adding malicious hardware components, which will then allow him to retrieve passwords and/or encryption keys.

Being aware of these dangers Cueball immediately assumes that he (or his employers) are the target of a heist.

The title text seems to be Cueball's internal monologue trying to calm himself down. He points out to himself that the repairman has both a hat (possibly with a company logo) and a toolbox full of tools, then sarcastically asks himself how a thief could possibly get their hands on such a disguise.

This is the second comic in a row to reference a specific movie genre, this one heist movies the previous one, [[2076: Horror Movies 2]], horror movies.

==Transcript==
:[A man in a cap with a toolbox approaches Cueball, who is shown to be thinking with a cloud like bubble above his head with his thoughts.]
:Man: Do you have the key to the server room? I'm from the building and I'm here to check the fire alarm.
:Cueball [thinking]: Oh no oh no

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Thanks to movies, whenever anyone asks me to open any door, I immediately assume I'm a minor character in a heist.



{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

1568: Synonym Movies 2

2017-07-12T05:11:34Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 1568
| date = August 24, 2015
| title = Synonym Movies 2
| image = synonym_movies_2.png
| titletext = There's also the TV show based on the hit Hot and Cold Music books: Fun With Chairs, Royal Rumble, Knife Blizzard, Breakfast for Birds, and Samba Serpents.
}}

==Explanation==
[[File:synonym_movies_2_rotated.jpg|right|A flipped version of the comic]]

This comic made a [[:Category:Synonym Movies|series]] out of it's predecessor as it continued the idea from [[1563: Synonym Movies]] with a new set of movie series. As with the previous comic, the titles aren't always direct synonyms with the original (Indiana Jones as ''Professor Whip''), but now it seems to be even more exaggerated, sometimes making synonyms of the plot synopsis instead of the subtitle ("Vitamin Water" refers to the Fountain of Youth rather than the ''Stranger Tides'').

This set includes ''Wandboy'' (''Harry Potter''), ''Puncher'' (''Rocky''), ''Tropical Boaters'' (''Pirates of the Caribbean''), and ''Professor Whip'' (''Indiana Jones'').

The ''is in Another Movie'' title in the ''Professor Whip'' series differs from the other titles in that it does not reference the plot of the movie. The more dismissive reference may be due to ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' being poorly received by fans of the series.

The title text is a reference to the TV series ''Game of Thrones'', based on the book series ''A Song of Ice and Fire''. All of these titles are direct synonyms, but such that they remove most of the meaning from the titles. For instance, nobody actually cares about the physical object of a throne, but the political power it represents. Birds eating in general has a very different implied meaning than crows feasting specifically, as groups of crows only gather to eat when there is a lot of food, such as a corpse, and as such have a strong cultural association with death and slaughter.

==Table of the titles==
'''SPOILER ALERT!''' Many of these explanations contain information revealed during the movie.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="12em" | Synonym
! width="13em" | Real Title
! Explanation
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Magic Rock''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone}}''
| In this series, wizards and witches use wands to perform magic. The titular Philosopher's Stone is indeed very magical. The first installment of the series is also known as ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' in the US.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Hidden Room''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets}}''
| The {{w|Hogwarts#Chamber_of_Secrets|Chamber of Secrets}} is a very well hidden room that is central to the plot of the second book.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Fugitive''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}''
| Azkaban is a fictional maximum-security prison. The titular prisoner therein is Sirius Black, who escapes early in the story and spends the rest as a fugitive of the law.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Burning Cup''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}''
| The goblet of fire is a wooden cup with blue magical fire burning at the rim.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Firebird Club''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}''
| The {{w|Phoenix (mythology)|Phoenix}} is a bird that is strongly connected to fire. Dying phoenixes go up in flames, only to be reborn out of the ashes shortly afterwards. The Order of the Phoenix is an association of wizards founded by Albus Dumbledore, whose distinctive pet is a phoenix.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Book Owner''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince}}''
| In ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', Harry's Potions textbook was previously owned by a "Half-Blood Prince." Therefore, "Half-Blood Prince" is replaced with "book owner."
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (1/2)''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1}}''
| rowspan="2" | The ''Deathly Hallows'' are three magical items which play an important part in the plot of the final movies. Being a wand, a rock and a cloak, these objects have no relation but are all quite powerful so they are called the magic stuff. See also {{w|The Tales of Beedle the Bard#"The Tale of the Three Brothers"}}.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (2/2)''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2}}''
|-
|colspan=3| 
|-
| ''Puncher''
| ''{{w|Rocky}}''
| rowspan="5" | The protagonist Rocky is a boxer. In {{w|boxing}} boxers attempt to punch their opponent until they are knocked out.
|-
| ''Puncher II''
| ''{{w|Rocky II}}''
|-
| ''Puncher III''
| ''{{w|Rocky III}}''
|-
| ''Puncher IV''
| ''{{w|Rocky IV}}''
|-
| ''Puncher V''
| ''{{w|Rocky V}}''
|-
| ''Puncher Lastname''
| ''{{w|Rocky Balboa (film)|Rocky Balboa}}''
| Balboa is Rocky's last-name, also known as surname.
|-
|colspan=3| 
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Spooky Boat''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl}}''
| The Black Pearl is a ship crewed by "spooky" ghost pirates.
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Angry Wormface''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest}}''
| This film's villain has (worm-like) octopus tentacles growing on his face.
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Boats Everywhere''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End}}''
| This film includes a huge fleet of ships.
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Vitamin Water''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides}}''
| "Vitamin Water" describes the Fountain of Youth.
|-
|colspan=3| 
|-
| ''Professor Whip and the Box of God''
| ''{{w|Raiders of the Lost Ark}}''
| Indiana Jones is Professor of Archeology and skillfully wields a whip as part of his equipment. Later the movie was marketed as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The "Lost Ark" of the title is the Ark of the Covenant, a mythical box containing the contract between the Jewish people and Yahweh.
|-
| ''Professor Whip and the Scary Church''
| ''{{w|Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom}}''
| A direct synonym for the title.
|-
| ''Professor Whip Looks for a Cup''
| ''{{w|Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade}}''
| Central to this film's plot is the search for the {{w|Holy Grail}}, which is supposedly a cup from which Jesus drank shortly before his death.
|-
| ''Professor Whip is in Another Movie''
| ''{{w|Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull}}''
| ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is widely regarded as the worst in the series. Therefore, the "synonym" is simply called "another movie" to imply that it shouldn't have been made.
|-
|colspan=3| 
|-
| ''Hot and Cold Music''
| ''{{w|A Song of Ice and Fire}}''
| A series of fantasy books written George R. R. Martin. The title is an obvious synonym.
|-
| ''Fun With Chairs''
| ''{{w|A Game of Thrones}}''
|Book one of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire." and the main title of the television adaptation.
|-
| ''Royal Rumble''
| ''{{w|A Clash of Kings}}''
|Book two of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire."
|-
| ''Knife Blizzard''
| ''{{w|A Storm of Swords}}''
|Book three of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire."
|-
| ''Breakfast for Birds''
| ''{{w|A Feast for Crows}}''
|Book four of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire."
|-
| ''Samba Serpents''
| ''{{w|A Dance with Dragons}}''
|Book five of the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire," the latest book in the series (of seven projected) as of the time the comic was published.
|}

==Transcript==
:[22 DVDs on a shelf in four groups. All DVDs are labeled in black on light grey. Text written so it is supposed to be read when the DVD is lying down.]
:[First group of 8 DVDs. All standing straight.]
:Wandboy and the Magic Rock
:Wandboy and the Hidden Room
:Wandboy and the Fugitive
:Wandboy and the Burning Cup
:Wandboy and the Firebird Club
:Wandboy and the Book Owner
:Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (1/2)
:Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (2/2)

:[Second group of six DVDs. Five standing straight, last on the right leaning against the rest.]
:Puncher
:Puncher II
:Puncher III
:Puncher IV
:Puncher V
:Puncher Lastname

:[Third group of four DVDs. First and last standing straight, others leaning on first.]
:Tropical Boaters: Spooky Boat
:Tropical Boaters: Angry Wormface
:Tropical Boaters: Boats Everywhere
:Tropical Boaters: Vitamin Water

:[Fourth group of four DVDs. Three standing straight, second from left leaning on first.]
:Professor Whip and the Box of God
:Professor Whip and the Scary Church
:Professor Whip Looks for a Cup
:Professor Whip is in Another Movie

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Synonym Movies]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Synonym Movies]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

82: Frame

2017-05-22T07:02:34Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 82
| date = March 29, 2006
| title = Frame
| image = frame.jpg
| titletext = ...
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is standing in the middle of the first square panel, but then the panels frame starts warping away from being square and starts to from into tendrils that moves towards him then slowly wraps themselves around him, and finally retracts reforming the frame again, but pulling him apart in the process in a very macabre comic even by xkcd standards.

There is some indication that Cueball is also just part of a drawing since his upper torso with parts of each arm is left hanging in the air without any tendrils touching it. If it was not stuck in the center of the image, it would fall down, but more importantly even if all tendrils pulled very fast at the same time, it is highly unlikely that they could pull so precisely that the body would split in four pieces around this remaining body cross, and one of the tendrils should have pulled this part along with either an arm, the head or the lower torso. This could be some comfort for those that think this is too much. Of course it could also just be something that [[Randall]] did not think was important in such a {{w|Surrealism|surreal}} comic.

Comics often use artifacts on the frame to add mood to the comic. This comic then makes those artifacts a major feature of the comic, like a {{w|Chekhov's gun}} ("If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off.") The use of creative panel layouts and effects was first made possible in newspaper comics by the insistence of Bill Watterson, author of Calvin and Hobbes (which it is known that Randall has been influenced by), requiring lengthy negotiations due to the printing technology of the time. The creative use of panel layout and effects is thus part of the artistic legacy of Calvin and Hobbes. xkcd, among others, has continued along that path of pushing the boundaries of the medium.

The title text "..." could indicate that Randall wasn't being very serious about this comic. But perhaps it was an idea to creatively use parts of the comic nobody thought about and is spoke for itself and needed no extra comment. The three dots also indicate that something more will happen soon. The reader may visualize the final result and empty square panel, ready for the next unfortunate person to walk into this trap. Alternatively, it could mean that Randall found the comic so bizarre, even he couldn't comment on it (see [[#Trivia|Trivia section]]).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands alone in the center of this almost normally framed panel. But there are four small indentations two both left and right and maybe also one top right.]

:[Tendrils from the frame develop and grow inwards while breaking the outer frame down. The tendrils comes close to Cueball. There are 13, three from three of the four sides and four from the right.]

:[The tendrils have now completely broken the outer frame down and 11 have reached Cueball and these begins to wind themselves around him. There are tendrils around his forehead, neck, cheek, left arm, left wrist, left hand, right wrist, right hand, lower torso, left leg and right leg. Those around his legs spiraling almost up to his crotch. 14 other tendrils have not reached him yet. All those reaching him was among the 13 from the previous panel. Only the two from the bottom right corner did not make contact. The other 12 not reaching him where new.]

:[Finally the 11 tendrils that have reached Cueball retract along with the other 14 tendrils back to the frame, tearing Cueball apart in 9 pieces, leaving one central piece (his upper torso with a part of each arm) floating in the center without tendrils on it. His head has been split in two by three tendrils, that keep the parts close together. The left arm with one tendril has been split from the hand with two tendrils, whereas the two holding the wrist and hand kept their part of the arm in one piece. The two legs have been separated from the lower torso at the crotch, and they as well as the lower torso is all being pulled away by one tendril. The other tendrils have almost reached the frame, three of them are already gone leaving 11 near the frame. The frame has also nearly reformed it self again.]

==Trivia==
*This is one of two comics featured with [[Blue Eyes]]: The Hardest Logic Puzzle in the World, the other being [[37: Hyphen]].
*The title text "..." has been used twice later also with somewhat surreal comics, both about the black hat of [[Black Hat]]; [[412: Startled]] and [[455: Hats]].
*There is a striking similarity to the opening scene in the movie {{w|Hellraiser}} (1987) (read the {{w|Hellraiser#Plot|plot}} here - Spoiler).
**The way the room resets after killing the person in it also reminds of the opening scene in the movie {{w|Cube (film)|Cube}} (1997). Although it is very different way of doing it, that person is also divided into small pieces.
**Although the Hellraiser trap also resets, it is not like it is a room that does the damage or resets, so there is reason to compare to both movies.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

161: Accident

2017-02-01T07:28:14Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 161
| date = September 22, 2006
| title = Accident
| image = Accident.png
| titletext = As far as treachery-as-driving-music goes, Katamari music is matched only by Guitar Hero music.
}}

==Explanation==
After someone plays a game enough, various instincts develop. One might be ready to push the right button when a right arrow comes up on screen. One might learn the tricky sequences of moves needed for a situation in the game, and find oneself doing them in another game in a similar situation. Or, as in this case, one might get used to pushing a giant ball around trying to collect smaller objects, and try doing so with your car when the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMH49ieL4es game's theme song] starts playing.

In the game {{w|Katamari Damacy}}, the player has to grow an initial object by rolling over smaller objects in the playfield which become attached to it, growing the object and making it larger and larger. As the conglomeration of objects gets larger, bigger things in the environment will begin to attach to it, allowing it to grow further. How big the player can get this conglomeration of objects, or "katamari", determines how well the player does in the game, as is also mentioned in [[83: Katamari]].

When Katamari Damacy's theme song comes on in the third panel, [[Cueball]] begins acting out the game's premise, and drives his car into a mailbox - which "looked smaller" than his car - trying to get it to attach. This doesn't work so well outside of the game.

The title text implies that music used in the game {{w|Guitar Hero}} is equally hazardous when driving. Anyone who's become accustomed to rocking out on a fake guitar to a particular song could find themselves involuntarily playing the air guitar when said song comes on the radio unexpectedly. Randall is pointing out that Guitar Hero-induced spontaneous air guitar performances are not safe activities while driving. Alternatively, one may try to hit all incoming objects in an attempt to mimic hitting strings of notes as they move down the fretboard, which would be immediately more disastrous.

The theme song from Katamari Damacy is also mentioned in [[851: Na]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball driving in a car while listening to some music.]
:Music: ♫ ♩ ♬
:[Another panel of Cueball listening to music while driving. Cueball's head is turned to the right.]
:Music: ♬ ♪ ♩
:[A third panel. Cueball's head is turned to the left.]
:Music: ♫ NAAAA NA NA NANA NANA NA NA KATAMARI DAMACY ♪ ♩
:[Cueball and Megan talking.]
:Megan: And that's when you veered into the mailbox?
:Cueball: It looked smaller then me. It was just instinct.

==Trivia==
* According to this comic's official transcript, Megan is the owner of the mailbox.

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Guitar Hero]]

286: All Your Base

2017-01-26T20:16:41Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 286
| date = July 6, 2007
| title = All Your Base
| image = all_your_base.png
| titletext = The AYB retro-return-date (Zero Wing Zero Hour) should be around AD 2021.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic refers to a popular internet phenomenon ({{w|internet meme|meme}}) called "{{w|all your base are belong to us}}". This catchphrase originates from the arcade shooter "{{w|Zero Wing}}" and is a popular example of a {{w|Engrish|poor translation}} into the English language. The phrase was popularised throughout the Internet and referenced in various images and videos. It is considered one of the earliest Internet memes, with the first occurrences dating back to the year 1998.

[[Cueball]] has, according to the comic, participated in the spread of the meme during its heyday. [[Ponytail]] wonders at his keeping the content he created years ago, as the meme's popularity has massively decreased since then. Cueball answers that this was always his favourite meme, and that he is waiting for the day it gets revived. His second to last line, "What you say''!!''" is a line from the game as well, although he says it much sooner than its supposed return to popularity.

By using the example of internet memes, the comic also relates to the general principle of {{w|fashion}} that everything once popular will, after a long enough time, be again in vogue. Trends experiencing this renaissance are often referred to as {{w|retro}}. Internet phenomenon can be observed to follow the same rule, although with much shorter intervals due to the speed of information turnover.

The title text prophesies the return of the "all your base" meme in 2021 (similar-sounding to "AD 2101," the date mentioned at the beginning of the game). It also contains a pun on the term "{{w|zero hour}}" and the name of the game which initially brought the phrase into fashion.

==Transcript==
:[A section of a Linux terminal window is shown.]
:Text from window:
~ / $ ls /
ayb boot etc lib ...
bin dev home mnt ...
~ / $ ls /ayb/
allyourbase_original.swf al...
allyourbase_remix.swf ...
allyourbase_remix2.swf b ...
ayb_acapella.mp3 ze...
ayb_images ze...
ayb_orchestral.mp3 ....

:[Ponytail is at computer.]
:Ponytail: What's with the All Your Base stuff? Didn't that die like five years ago?
:[From off-panel]: Yes.

:[Cueball enters panel.]
:Cueball: It was my first internet meme, and my favorite. Others tired of it, but I never did.
:Cueball: So I wait.

:[Cueball raises his fists.]
:Cueball: Someday, decades from now, people will have forgotten. It will be fresh again.
:Cueball: Retro.
:Cueball: And when that day comes,

:Cueball: ''I WILL BE READY!''
:Ponytail: You need a hobby or something.
:Cueball: What you say!!
:Cueball: Wait, too soon.

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

1651: Robotic Garage

2016-03-05T00:01:46Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 1651
| date = March 4, 2016
| title = Robotic Garage
| image = robotic_garage.png
| titletext = But listen, if getting your car out from under the pile is REALLY important to you, we do have an axe you can borrow.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Any references in the "Robots aren't magic" quote.}}

In some cities, {{w|automated parking system}}s (aka robotic garages) are used to reduce the amount of space needed to store cars, as opposed to traditional parking buildings. The robotic system eliminates the needs for ramps and circulation/reversing areas. Normally, they work by having the user drive their car onto an elevator and get out, after which the elevator lifts or lowers the car into a compact storage space. Here [[Cueball]] drives up to what he believes to be a garage of this type operated by [[Black Hat]]. However, instead of an elevator carefully moving it into a storage space, a robotic claw simply picks up the car and dumps it in a bin of cars.

This type of parking option will not only break the car, but also make it impossible to take out if the car is at the bottom, hence the cars are ''{{w|Stack_(abstract_data_type)|stacked}}''.

Cueball reacts quite well to this treatment of his car, (maybe he knows Black Hat well enough not to try to argue with him?) And when Black Hat tells him that later they just dump out the bin (full of cars) and he can then pick his own our from the pile. This is of course not possible with such heavy objects. Had it only been the keys then... Cueball continues to be benign about this absurd situation, which becomes even more absurd when he asks if Black Hat could at least make sure his car is not at the bottom (when it is dumped out with all the other cars). But Black Hat falls back on his excuse: ''Robots aren't magic''.

In the title text he at least gives Cueball an option, he can borrow an axe, if it is really important for him to get the car out from the pile. Although in this situation, an axe would be a nearly useless tool (which, knowing him, is most likely Black Hat's intent), only allowing Cueball to laboriously hack through any other car that lies in the way on top of his own... and still it would not help much, because if his car is at the bottom, it will be even more destroyed than from just being dumped into the bin to begin with.

This is just one of many situations where Black Hat has an evil or just mean/crazy plan in progress. It's for instance not the first time that Black Hat has treated other people's car with great disrespect, although in [[562: Parking]], the guy with the car had it coming!

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat points left while talking to Cueball inside his small car.]
:Black Hat: Just pull onto the receiving platform.
:Cueball: Cool-I've always wanted to try one of these futuristic robotic garages.

:[Cueball has driven the car onto a platform in front of a stop to the left. He is just walking of the platform towards Black Hat.]

:[Zoom out reveals a robotic crane arm, that sits on top of the stop from the previous panel, which turns out to be a huge platform for this robot arm. The robotic arm picks up the car with it's two thongs and just lift it straight up in the air with a thong on the hood and the other below the car. Black Hat and Cueball look on.]
:Cueball: Um.

:[This panel pans over to the center of the robotic arm, to reveal a large bin with a label to the robots left. The robot arm holds the car almost straight up in the air, but over the bin.]
:Label: Cars

:[The robotic arm open up to release the car which crashes down into the bin, a sound already emanating from it when the rear end of the car (with one wheel still showing) is still visible.]
:Car: ''Crunch''
:Label: Cars

:[Zoom back to Black Hat and Cueball standing at the end of the empty platform.]
:Black Hat: We'll dump out the bin when you get back and you can pick out your car from the pile.
:Cueball: Can you at least make sure it's not on the bottom
:Black Hat: Look, robots aren't magic.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Robots]]

224: Lisp

2015-11-24T10:22:16Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 224
| date = February 16, 2007
| title = Lisp
| image = lisp.jpg
| titletext = We lost the documentation on quantum mechanics. You'll have to decode the regexes yourself.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Lisp (programming language)|Lisp}} is a computer programming language with highly regular syntax. The language's most notable feature is that programs take the same form as the language's primary data structure (the list). This blurs the line between code and data and permits programs to inspect and even alter their own source code, thereby opening up opportunities for {{w|metaprogramming}}. Lisp is also a {{w|Functional programming|functional programming language}} (more or less), meaning that programs are expressed in terms of {{w|lambda calculus}}, a mathematical framework for computation.

The phrase ''A suffusion of blue'' is a reference to {{w|Douglas Adams}}' book ''{{w|The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul}}''. In it, an ''{{w|I Ching}}'' calculator calculates everything above the value of 4 is ''a suffusion of yellow''.

In the comic, Cueball marvels at the fundamental and complete nature of the language of creation that he sees in his dream. In the Lisp programming language, "car" is a fundamental function which produces the first item in a list. The line "My God, It's full of '{{w|CAR_and_CDR|car}}'s" is a pun, most likely referring to the movie {{w|2010 (film)}}, the sequel to {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (movie)}}. In the book {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (novel)}} when astronaut David Bowman accidentally activates a star gate he exclaims as he enters it "The thing's hollow — it goes on forever — and — oh my God - it's full of stars!", although he does not say anything in the first movie during the final sequence.

Cueball's remarks about patterns, metapatterns, and the disappearance of syntax are reactions to the elegant simplicity of the Lisp programming language.

God replies that the universe was actually hacked together with the programming language {{w|Perl}}. Perl employs an idiosyncratic syntax which borrows from a number of other languages. Although a versatile language often employed for assembling projects quickly (some might say "hastily"), the language has a reputation for being ugly and inelegant. It was famously described as a "Swiss-Army chainsaw", because it is very powerful but also unwieldy and unattractive.

The joke is that the Creator, like many software developers, was in a bit of a hurry and chose to throw something together rather sloppily.

The second hidden joke might be a reference to {{w|Greenspun's tenth rule}} when God replies with "I mean, ostensibly, yes". Greenspun's tenth rule says that any sufficiently complex program is basically a imperfect reimplementation of Common Lisp. This explains why the program looks like Lisp for the outside observer.

The title text continues the analogy by suggesting that the theory of {{w|quantum mechanics}} was written in {{w|Regular expression|regular expressions}} ("regexes"), a complex language for pattern matching used heavily in Perl. Regular expressions are often criticized as being a {{w|write-only language}}, that is, a language so complicated that any significant program cannot be understood by anybody (often not even the original author). Documentation is essential to assist in the understanding of complex regular expressions. The title text claims that at some point, the documentation for quantum mechanics was lost, which explains why quantum mechanics is so bizarre and complex.

==Transcript==
:[Floating in space.]
:Speaker: Last night I drifted off while reading a Lisp book.
:Cueball: Huh?
:Speaker: Suddenly, I was bathed in a suffusion of blue.

:[Floating in space before a vast concept tree.]
:Speaker: At once, just like they said, I felt a great enlightenment. I saw the naked structure of Lisp code unfold before me.
:Cueball: My God
:Cueball: It's full of 'car's
:Speaker: The patterns and metapatterns danced. Syntax faded, and I swam in the purity of quantified conception. Of ideas manifest.

:[Close-up of floating in space before part of a concept tree.]
:Truly, this was the language from which the gods wrought the Universe.

:[Floating in space with God appearing through a line of clouds.]
:God: No, it's not.
:Cueball: It's not?
:God: I mean, ostensibly, yes. Honestly, we hacked most of it together with Perl.

==Trivia==
*In his [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJOS0sV2a24#t=29m11s Google-speech], [[Randall]] said that he spent 3–4 hours on getting the blue shading just right.

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

556: Alternative Energy Revolution

2015-04-20T21:54:11Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 556
| date = March 16, 2009
| title = Alternative Energy Revolution
| image = alternative_energy_revolution.jpg
| titletext = The moment their arms spun freely in our air, they were doomed -- for Man has earned his right to hold this planet against all comers, by virtue of occasionally producing someone totally batshit insane.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are looking at modern "{{w|windmills}}" (known as {{w|wind turbines}}) harnessing wind energy into electrical energy. They comment that there's something creepy about the windmills. They allude to the book ''{{w|The War of the Worlds}}'' by {{w|H. G. Wells}} (The Jeff Wayne Musical version of {{w|Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds|The War of the Worlds}} has paintings of the martian tripods somewhat like these turbines) and also to "The Tripods" from {{w|John Christopher|John Christopher's}} {{w|The Tripods|tripods trilogy}} a children's series of books about aliens who ride in walking tripods.

Suddenly the windmills' pylons split into three legs, becoming the tripods suggested.

They exclaim that {{w|Al Gore}} has doomed us all. He is a former Vice President of the United States, known for his environmental activism and promotion of green energy sources, relevant because wind turbines like the ones here are one of the alternative energy sources he supports.

In the final frame, the 17th century literary figure {{w|Don Quixote}} arrives ([[Randall|Randall's]] depiction seems to be inspired by {{w|Don Quixote (Picasso)|the drawing}} by {{w|Pablo Picasso}}). In the original story, Don Quixote is a wandering knight of questionable sanity who fights windmills, which he believes to be giants. Hence, he is the appropriate person to deal with this threat.

The title is a joke on the phrase "Alternative Energy Revolution," which normally refers to replacing of harmful power sources with eco-friendly options. However, in this case, the Alternative Energy sources are literally rising up in a revolution against humanity.

The title text is another reference to The War of the Worlds: "But there are no bacteria in Mars... when I watched them they were irrevocably doomed... By the toll of a billion deaths man has bought his birthright of the earth, and it is his against all comers."

Of course this time we are only saved because we - in spite of having evolved - still produce somewhat insane members of our species.

Wind turbines also appear in later comics. In [[1119: Undoing]] Randall still seems to dislike them. And in [[1378: Turbine]] the Turbine is also alive and talks with [[Megan]].

This is one of the five comics linked at the bottom part of the xkcd.com website.

==Transcript==
:[A field of windmills is silhouetted against dusk sky.]

:[Cueball and Megan are standing and sitting on the ground overlooking the windmills.]
:Cueball: I'm all for green energy, but those turbines creep me out. They remind me of War of the Worlds, or the Tripod books.

:Megan: They -are- unnerving.
:Cueball: I can't shake the feeling that at any moment they'll—
:''RUMBLE''

:[A leg begins to split off one windmill.]
:''crack''

:[The leg separates from the body of the windmill.]

:[The new leg lands on the ground.]
:''BOOM''

:[Another leg begins to split off the other side of the windmill's body.]
:''crack''

:[The new leg hits the ground, forming a tripod base.]
:''BOOM''

:[Smoke rises from destroyed buildings as the windmills rampage across the field.]

:[Cueball and Megan are now standing.]
:Megan: Oh no.
:Cueball: Al Gore, you've doomed us all.
:Megan: It's coming this way!
:Cueball: Run!

:[One of the enormous tripod windmill feet lands right behind the running couple, sending debris flying.]
:''BOOM''

:[Cueball and Megan run.]
:Megan: What now?
:Cueball: Someone has to stop them.
:Megan: But who could-
:Voice from next panel: Stand aside!

:{{w|Don Quixote}} sits mounted at the top of a hill, lance at the ready.]

==Trivia==
There is a [https://youtu.be/kRuqPKcxMZY fan made animated version of this comic].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Windmills]]
[[Category:Footer comics]]

404: Not Found

2014-08-04T19:27:29Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 404
| title = Not Found
}}

==Explanation==
There is no xkcd comic numbered 404. Randall did not skip a day, however; he put #405 up on April 2 (2008), which leads some to see the 404 as an April Fool's joke.

"404" is the HTTP Response Code for "{{w|HTTP 404|Not Found}}". [[Randall]] deliberately skipped comic number 404 in xkcd. Therefore, when people go to {{xkcd|404}} they get a "404 Not Found" error page.

[[Randall]] has stated that he considers 404 [http://plus.google.com/111588569124648292310/posts/j6w9DkYApya an official, actual comic, albeit a rather avant-garde one], and that for a time he made it possible to find it using the "random" button on xkcd.com.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:April fool's comics]]

826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)

2014-07-14T18:55:56Z

Blitzer: /* Hall Of Misunderstood Science */

{{comic
| number = 826
| date = November 26, 2010
| title = Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)
| before = ''Explainxkcd note: Don't try and click on this image to see the exhibits. Visit [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ the actual comic] instead''
| image = guest week zach weiner smbc.png
| titletext = Guest comic by Zach Weiner of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. When I was stressed out, Zach gave me a talk that was really encouraging and somehow involved nanobots.
}}

==List of task to make complete==

{{incomplete|Not all sections are explained}}
{{incomplete|The explanations of some sections are incomplete, not explaining the punchline, or inconsistent in style of explanation}}
{{incomplete|Not all popups are explained}}
{{incomplete|The explanations of some popups are incomplete, not explaining the punchline, or inconsistent in style of explanation}}
{{incomplete|Cross reference explanations to wikipedia where possible}}
{{incomplete|Locations of hot-spots are missing}}
{{incomplete|Review for grammar}}

==Explanation==
This comic is guest drawn by Zach Weiner, author of the webcomic [http://www.smbc-comics.com/ Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]. It's interactive, so you'll have to see the [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ original comic].

The entire comic is a hypothetical "{{w|Smithsonian Museum}} of Dad-Trolling, an entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement." That explains it pretty well.

===Hall Of Misunderstood Science===
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false answers to typical questions that children may ask their parents about scientific topics. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_27.png|The basilisk is a mythological reptilian monster that was described with the ability to turn other living things to stone with its gaze.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_26.png|The figure speaking about molecule display is displaying a common trope attributed to elderly men in that they complain about developments that change the way the view or interact with the world. Historically, though it was understood that matter was made up of small particles it was a common misnomer to refer to these particle as atoms.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_25.png|The magnet exhibit alludes to a loss of sexual desire in adults that while perceived may not be true.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_24.png|Jesus' dandruff as snow refers to a common idiom in English that rain is "god's tears" and proposes a humorous and irreverent extension of the saying.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_20.png|The letters associated with DNA are related to the nucleotides which make up the chains, they are guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine. The commonality of the abbreviation disguises the link to the names of the nucleotides and gives rise questions regarding the letter choices.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_23.png|The sleep exhibit reinforces common fears by accentuating the aspect of vulnerability associated with sleep. "The Boogieman" is a common and generic ghost/monster name used by people telling ghost stories to young kids; he typically hides in closets and underneath beds, and attacks sleeping children.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_22.png|Water is less dense as a solid than it is when in liquid state. This is an unusual property as most materials are more dense in solid form. The exhibit falsely explains the phenomenon by linking it to a defense mechanism employed by prey species to deter predators. A rhinoceros, though fierce and territorial, is not a predator.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_21.png|The anti- in anti matter is a prefix in English which means "the opposite of" referring to the fact that antimatter is made up of oppositely charged particles from regular matter. This is a partial homonym to species of insects commonly called ants.
</gallery>

===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===
This section holds falsehoods that a dad might use to frighten his children. It is an interactive experience, so visitors can try something for themselves, then learn the frightening fact it indicates.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_19.png|Helium makes your voice high-pitched, which visitors are told is a sign they are about to explode.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_18.png|Your middle finger is always longer than the others, so this test will always tell visitors they are an alien half-breed.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_16.png|Cherries are a common ingredient in Jello cups, but the exhibit implies that the cherry is actually a rabbit brain.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_17.png|
</gallery>

===Concessions===
This area holds concession stands, which sell food. There are misleading names on each stand.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_15.png|KFP - a parody of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), a popular fast food chain which specializes in fried chicken.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_14.png|Ground beef - a pun on the name. Ground refers to both the floor and the past tense of grind.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_13.png|Eyes cream - wordplay once more. Ice cream sounds exactly like eyes cream when spoken, hence the 'how did you think it was spelled?'
</gallery>

===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===
This section perhaps refers to how poorly understood world history is in America. It is interesting to note that African and Australian history is completely omitted, while European and Asian history are at least referenced to.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_11.png|{{w|Genghis Khan|Genghis Khan}} - a Mongolian conqueror.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_12.png|{{w|Crimean War|Crimean War}} - an European Conflict.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_10.png|{{w|The Renaissance|The Renaissance}} - a cultural movement in Europe.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_3.png|Star Wars - fiction is often treated as fact by children, or referred to as such by adults to children, either accidentally or purposefully.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_9.png|France - this further parodies the ignorance of countries outside of America, since most people know that France exists.
</gallery>

===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_8.png|"Naked wrestling" is a common euphemism for sex if your children happen to walk in on your coitus and you don't want to ruin their innocence.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_7.png|"Alcohol is poison" - an excuse to explain away why fathers may drink unhealthily, or are addicts.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_5.png|The "big tummies before babies come" obviously refers to pregnancy.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_6.png|Sidestepping around the death of a loved one is common with young children to spare them the sorrow of death; this takes it a step further by saying that the child's grandmother went to Saturn.
</gallery>

===Miscellaneous===
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_4.png|The dinosaur skeleton presumably refers to how humans have never actually seen a real dinosaur and have always only seen the bones.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_2.png|The Bathrooms have 3 doors. Clicking reveals that there is one for each gender of humans, and one for "Korgmen & Spangs". This may be a reference to the Marvel alien species {{w|Korg_(comics)|the Korg}}.
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_1.png|The uncategorized dark green exhibit to the right is labeled "Magic eye trick that doesn't actually work". The exhibit resembles an {{w|autostereogram}}, a picture that has a hidden 3D image, but has to be looked at by forcing your eyes to focus either beyond ("wall-eyed") or in front of ("cross-eyed") the image, which many people find difficult or impossible to do. Autostereograms are commonly sold in books under the trademark "Magic Eye". Presumably the exhibit only pretends to be an autostereogram without actually being one.
</gallery>

==Transcript==
:In the spirit of xkcd I present a proposal for a new Smithsonian museum:
:The Smithsonian Museum Of Dad-Trolling
:An entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement

:(Click to view exhibits!)

:The top left room is 'The Hall of Misunderstood Science'. It contains six exhibits.

:Exhibit: A giant basilisk looms over children.
:Exhibit label: BASILISKS: Real, deadly, under your bed.

:Exhibit: Four magnets hang from a square arch. A child is touching two of them together.
:Text on the arch: Magnets only leap at each other when they're teenagers. Later, they lose interest.

:Exhibit: A child on his dad's shoulders looks up at a looming statue of Jesus behind a lectern. There are flakes falling from Jesus onto them both.
:Exhibit label: Snow is Jesus' dandruff. His scalp gets dry when it's cold.

:Exhibit: A child lies asleep, while hands and a scary face reach up around the bed toward him.
:Exhibit label: Sleep: Now you're vulnerable to the boogie man!

:Exhibit: An ice block sits on a stand in front of pictures of a wolf and rhinoceros looking frightened.
:Exhibit label: Freezing water: Expands to frighten predators.

:Exhibit: An insect on a stick is orbited by a small sphere.
:Exhibit label: Anti-matter: Matter that is more than 50% ants.

:Exhibit: A DNA strand with the letters T, A, C, and G hanging around it.
:Exhibit label: DNA only has four letters because the alphabet was smaller back then.
:Dad, to child: Told you so.

:Exhibit: A bunch of molecules hang from the ceiling.
:Exhibit label: Molecules? In my day, we only had atoms!

:The top right room is 'Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience'. There are four exhibits.

:Exhibit: Five balloons float tethered to a table. A child is holding a sixth balloon. The Dad looks alarmed.
:Sign on exhibit: If this helium makes your voice go higher, it's because you're ten seconds from exploding.

:Exhibit: An alien face is shown above an outline of several hands next to a ruler. A child holds his hand up to it.
:Sign on exhibit: Measure your middle finger. If it's longer than the others, you're an alien halfbreed.

:Exhibit: Three cups are on a table. A child is walking away with a fourth cup, the dad's arm around the child's shoulder.
:Exhibit label: Has anyone seen my rabbit brain? It looks like a cherry, and I dropped it in a Jello cup.

:Exhibit: A monstrous set of jaws open upward around a bed.
:Sign on exhibit: Make your bed or monsters will know a kid lives there.

:The center right room is 'Concessions'. There are three booths.

:Booth: A concession stand is labeled 'KFP', and displays a KFC-style bucket. A dad and child are eating.
:Dad: The "P" is for "phoenix".

:Booth: A concession stand.
:Sign on stand: Ground beef: Beef we found on the ground.
:Dad, to child: Told you.

:Booth: A stand shaped like a giant eye.
:Booth label: EYES CREAM
:Subtitle: How did you think it was spelled?
:Sign on booth: Now with more of the goo in your eyes. Same as every other creamery.

:The lower left room is 'Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History'. There are five exhibits.

:Exhibit: A man is riding a dragon.
:Exhibit label: Genghis Khan: victory through dragons.

:Exhibit: A criminal in front of some windows.
:Exhibit label: The Crimean War: The first war against crime.

:Exhibit: A castle with flags hanging on it.
:Exhibit label: The Renaissance
:Subtitle: Long story short, the wizards were in control.

:Exhibit:A man in Jedi-style robes with a fake beard.
:Exhibit label: Star Wars is a documentary. No, seriously.
:Dad, to children: Kids, this man is a veteran.

:The lower right room is 'Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics'. There are five exhibits.

:Exhibit: A wrestling ring, with a man and woman mostly obscured by the exhibit label.
:Exhibit label: Naked wrestling: perfectly normal. NEVER DO IT.

:Exhibit: a figure sits at a booth in front of a bowl of food. The dad is holding a bottle.
:Exhibit label: Alcohol is poison. I drink to save you from it.
:Dad: You're welcome.

:Exhibit: A large bird.
:Exhibit label: Mommies get big tummies before babies come because the stork likes chubby girls.

:Exhibit: A rocket ship.
:Sign on exhibit: Grandma's not dead. She just returned to Saturn. For REVENGE.

:In the areas outside the rooms, there are two more exhibits and restrooms, all clickable.

:Exhibit: A dinosaur skeleton.
:Exhibit label: That's right. Dinosaurs were made entirely of BONES.
:Dad, to kid: If you think about it, it makes sense.

:Exhibit: A large image hangs on the wall. It is a dense squiggly jumble of lines.
:Dad, to kids: You gotta squint juuust right.
:Sign on exhibit: Magic eye trick that doesn't actually work.

:Restrooms: There are three doors, each with a sign.
:First door (male logo): Men & Boys
:Second door (female logo): Women & Girls
:Third door (unrecognizable logo): Korgmen & Spangs

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Ferret]]
[[Category:Guest Week]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

152: Hamster Ball

2014-07-08T01:47:54Z

Blitzer: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 152
| date = September 3, 2006
| title = Hamster Ball
| image = hamster_ball.png
| titletext = Reportedly, double-walled inflatable balls like this exist somewhere. Now to find that place.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic starts with a {{w|genie}}, who, having been freed from a magical lamp, grants the owner three wishes. The {{w|Genie in popular culture|idea of a genie}} that does this is a very [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GenieInABottle common trope] in the fantasy genre. Alternative spellings are jinn and djinni.

[[Cueball]] asks for a human-sized {{w|hamster ball}}, and when he gets it, he starts to roll around in it, obviously entertained.
The genie then asks what he would like for his [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThreeWishes other two wishes], to which, having being granted already his heart's desire, he states he wouldn't need the other wishes for anything.

The title text refers to the activity of {{w|Zorbing}}. And later [[Randall]] found out where to get one and went on a [[Hamster Ball Heist]], and hamster balls has been a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Hamster_Ball recurring theme] on xkcd since this comic.

Genies (or magic lamps) are mentioned in at least three other comics:
*[[532: Piano]]
*[[879: Lamp]]
*[[1391: Darkness]]
In the two first Randall manages to use the concept to make penis related jokes. 
In the third the issue of number of wishes is discussed, from the perspective of wanting more than three wishes. The issue of wishing for more wishes is also the subject of [[1086: Eyelash Wish Log]], so it is not always enough with one or even three wishes!

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands by a genie, whose lower body becomes smoke and trails down to an old-fashioned lamp.]
:Genie: You have awakened me from the lamp. You may have three wishes. What does your heart desire?
:Cueball: I'd like a human-sized hamster ball.

:[A hamster ball appears; Cueball is inside it.]
:Cueball: Sweet!

:[Cueball steps to left; the ball rolls that way.]

:[He does the same thing to his right.]

:[Cueball comes to rest in the centre of the panel.]

:Genie: And your other wishes?
:Cueball: Why would I need other wishes?

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

1378: Turbine

2014-06-07T19:58:46Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 1378
| date = June 6, 2014
| title = Turbine
| image = turbine.png
| titletext = Ok, plan B: Fly a kite into the blades, with a rock in a sling dangling below it, and create the world's largest trebuchet.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The title text is not clearly explained. How will it become a trebuchet by flying a kite into the wings? Where does the traction trebuchet come into the picture? The link to youtube seems to be wrong. It is a centrifuge not a trebuchet - although there are links to other videos about those from that youtube film?}}

In this comic, Megan is speaking to a {{w|wind turbine}} having an unrealistic ability to respond to her. (Megan is using a literary device known as {{w|Apostrophe (figure of speech)|apostrophe}} - ie. the {{w|personification}} of an inanimate object - and when this object actually responds it is called {{w|anthropomorphism}} - again a type of personification).

A wind turbine is a mechnanical device that generates power via the mechanical {{w|Work (physics)|work}} produced from the turning of its blades by the wind, and converts it into electricity. A wind turbine is visually very similar to a {{w|mechanical fan|fan}}, whose fan blades spin via electrical (or other) power in order to move air (i.e. create wind) to provide a cooling effect. In this way, a fan is essentially the opposite of a wind turbine.

The punchline of this comic is a {{w|pun}} which plays on a second meaning of the word "{{w|Fan (person)|fan}}" as a colloquial short form for "fanatic" - someone who is a supporter of something (e.g. a football team, a band, an idea etc.).

Megan suggests that the wind turbine blow air at her so that she can use a kite to lift off the ground. When Megan asks what the turbine thinks of the idea, the turbine's response is both literal (it is a turbine, not a fan and therefore can't blow air) and colloquial (saying "I'm not a fan" of an idea means that one does not like or support the idea).

Wind turbines have been used in earlier comics: In [[556: Alternative Energy Revolution]] the wind turbines are also alive, but somewhat more dangerous than just being ironic. In [[1119: Undoing]], Cueball highlights the differences between a wind turbine and a fan.

The title text contains an alternative suggestion to build a makeshift {{w|trebuchet}}, a type of catapult. The [http://youtu.be/MTWsmZta6AE setup described] would not resemble the widely known counterweight trebuchet, as the energy rotating the arm and flinging the rock would not be from a raised counterweight. It would rather be more similar to a {{w|trebuchet#traction trebuchet|traction trebuchet}}.

Trebuchets has been the subject of the comics [[382: Trebuchet]] and [[1160: Drop Those Pounds]], and they were also part of the story in [[1190: Time]].

==Transcript==
:[Megan is talking to a giant wind turbine.]
:Megan: I'll hold up a big kite, and you blow air at me until I lift off!
:Megan: What do you think of that idea?
:Wind turbine: I'm not a huge fan.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Trebuchet]]
[[Category:Windmills]]

1378: Turbine

2014-06-07T00:09:46Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 1378
| date = June 6, 2014
| title = Turbine
| image = turbine.png
| titletext = Ok, plan B: Fly a kite into the blades, with a rock in a sling dangling below it, and create the world's largest trebuchet.
}}

==Explanation==

In this comic, Megan is speaking to a {{w|wind turbine}} (a literary device known as apostrophe) having an unrealistic ability to respond to her, which is personification.

A wind turbine is a mechnanical device that generates power via kinetic energy produced from the turning of its blades by the wind, and converts it into electricity. A wind turbine is visually very similar to a {{w|mechanical fan|fan}}, whose fan blades spin via electrical (or other) power in order to move air (i.e. create wind) to provide a cooling effect. In this way, a fan is essentially the opposite of a wind turbine.

The punchline of this comic is a {{w|pun}} which plays on a second meaning of the word "{{w|Fan (person)|fan}}" as a colloquial short form for "fanatic" - someone who is a fanatic about something (e.g. a football team, a band, etc.).

Megan suggests that the wind turbine blow air at her so that she can use a kite to lift off the ground. When Megan asks what the turbine thinks of the idea, the turbine's response is both literal (it is a turbine, not a fan and therefore can't blow air) and colloquial (saying "I'm not a fan" of an idea means that one does not like or support the idea).

Wind turbines have been used in earlier comics: In [[556: Alternative Energy Revolution]] the wind turbines are also alive, but somewhat more dangerous than just being ironic. In [[1119: Undoing]], Cueball highlights the differences between a wind turbine and a fan.

The title text contains an alternative suggestion to build a makeshift {{w|trebuchet}}, a type of catapult. The [http://youtu.be/MTWsmZta6AE setup described] would not resemble the widely known counterweight trebuchet, as the energy rotating the arm and flinging the rock would not be from a raised counterweight. It would rather be more similar to a traction trebuchet.

Trebuchets has been the subject of the comics [[382: Trebuchet]] and [[1160: Drop Those Pounds]] as well, and were also part of the story in [[1190: Time]].

==Transcript==
:[Megan is talking to a giant wind turbine.]
:Megan: I'll hold up a big kite, and you blow air at me until I lift off!
:Megan: What do you think of that idea?
:Wind turbine: I'm not a huge fan.

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

Talk:899: Number Line

2014-05-15T02:34:22Z

Blitzer:

Where does sqrt(-1) go? [[Special:Contributions/67.78.183.206|67.78.183.206]] 19:07, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

:It goes up (literally above 0). A number line can be extended to a complex plane with sqrt(-1) as the unit of measurement in the vertical direction. Or at least, that's where it actually goes. I don't know where Randall would put it. [[Special:Contributions/75.69.96.225|75.69.96.225]] 01:04, 5 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm sorry...are you indicating the ACTUAL location for an IMAGINARY number? {{unsigned|‎74.213.186.41}}

Yes, that's exactly where it is (up to switching clockwise for counterclockwise). There is nothing strange about providing a location for imaginary or complex numbers, the location described is logical, and the adjective 'imaginary' is an artifact of nomenclature and nothing more.[[Special:Contributions/173.48.140.216|173.48.140.216]] 20:40, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

In fact, complex numbers are nearly more real than real ones! Complex analysis really opened my eyes to how much "stepping out" can help in solving problems. The complex notion of analyticity yields fruit in real analysis. Extensions to hypercomplex numbers are weirder, however. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 20:27, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Analyticity must be an imaginary word, and therefore would be found one unit directly above any dictionary. [[Special:Contributions/50.203.89.169|50.203.89.169]] 14:19, 9 October 2013 (UTC)
:Oh my god, I can't believe how hard I laughed at that. Would an imaginary friend actually be above you then? I'm going to use that sometime. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.61|108.162.219.61]] 21:25, 24 April 2014 (UTC)

Is unexplored a map reference? [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 17:53, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Note that the digits 5 and 6 do not show up on any of the numbers in the comic, reinforcing the fact that the integers 5 and 6 are unexplored. [[User:Blitzer|Blitzer]] ([[User talk:Blitzer|talk]]) 02:34, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

162: Angular Momentum

2014-05-10T07:28:59Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 162
| date = September 25, 2006
| title = Angular Momentum
| image = angular_momentum.jpg
| titletext = With reasonable assumptions about latitude and body shape, how much time might she gain them? Note: whatever the answer, sunrise always comes too soon. (Also, is it worth it if she throws up?)
}}

==Explanation==
Angular momentum is the force upon an object having a certain velocity while spinning. You may remember the certain strain when a spinning yoyo returned into your hand, giving it that much "slip" to discomfort you. The energy of that momentum does that. Angular momentum is also forced upon the Earth, as it is spinning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This 24/7 rotation enables us to have a clock. We say that the Earth is running "clockwise". But viewed from the north of the {{w|ecliptic}}, the Earth in fact turns counter-clockwise.

Nevertheless, [[Megan]] tries to work against this (massive) energy. She is spinning counter-clockwise, trying to generate energy to reduce the Earth's moving. Her move will force the Earth to slow down clockwise, but a stick figure just does not have the mass for a measurable effect. So, it's obvious that she will not be able to alter the turn of the Earth. But the romance part is also obvious, who wouldn't want to be longer with the one they truly love?

[[Randall]] states the obvious in the title text: While not being able to reverse time, enjoy your night time. Sunrise always comes too early.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits on his bed, looking at Megan who is spinning. It is night.]
:Cueball: What are you doing?
:Megan:
::Spinning counterclockwise
:::Each turn robs the planet of angular momentum
::::Slowing its spin by the tiniest bit
::::Lengthening the night, pushing back the dawn
:::Giving me a little more time here
::With you

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

299: Aeris Dies

2014-03-19T17:57:36Z

Blitzer: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 299
| date = August 6, 2007
| title = Aeris Dies
| image = aeris_dies.png
| titletext = It's bad enough that all the families in your Sims are just you and Maggie recreated over and over.
}}

==Explanation==
From the looks of this comic, there is a friend here who had a loved one (named 'Maggie') die. [[Cueball]] tries to help him by comparing his plight to a significant plot point in the popular game {{w|Final Fantasy VII}} for PlayStation 1 in 1997, the plot point being the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx3duFYCcho permanent death] of [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Aerith_Gainsborough Aerith Gainsborough] (originally translated as "Aeris") the last of a race called 'the Ancients' and even a potential love interest of the main character of the game. Although technically being a spoiler due to its significance and dissonance to the plot, Aerith's death became one of the most iconic video game scenes of all time, leading to its referencing and even parodies throughout the game community (some even [http://aoigetsu.deviantart.com/art/Aerith-s-Revenge-2839790/ depicting her revenge] on [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Sephiroth_(Final_Fantasy_VII) Sephiroth], the main antagonist of the game and her murderer).

The word 'permanent' was not meant for redundancy in the last paragraph; [http://www.ff7citadel.com/press/int_egm.shtml/ the developers wanted to symbolize how death is unexpected, leaving you with an empty feeling, filled only be regret.] Therefore, when they received word about how much people wanted Aerith to be brought back to life, they felt that they succeeded with evoking the right feelings with her death. Even so, due to all the significance her death brought, the developers refused to '''officially''' resuscitate her.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6bAeb2P-fs That did not stop other people from modifying the game in order to '''unofficially''' resuscitate her, though.] Even so, there is doubt that [[Randall]] knew about this mod upon making this comic.

Cueball feels really troubled that his friend would take such a course of action (especially with a fictional character, admittedly) instead of dealing with her death. His friend takes this to more disturbing levels, wanting to 'mod' Cueball with Maggie's clothes, turning Cueball into a 'substitute Maggie.'

The title text references {{w|The Sims}}, a series of life simulation games where you can create virtual people (the aforementioned Sims), set their appearances and essentially mess around with their lives. Cueball notes that his friend already attempted to 'recreate' Maggie and him (repeatedly at that) using the simulation abilities in the games of his The Sims series.

==Transcript==
:[Two men are talking. The second man is sitting on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest.]
:Cueball: Maggie's gone. You can't bring her back.
:Friend: But I have to, she's a part of my life.
:Cueball: *sigh*
:Cueball: Okay, let me put this in your terms.
:Cueball: Remember when Aeris died in FFVII? It was sad, but you had to keep playing.
:Friend: Actually, I downloaded a mod to add her back to my party. It changed other character's appearances and dialogue to hers so you didn't have to lose her.
:Friend: Lots of gamers did it.
:[Cueball puts his hand on his chin.]
:Cueball: That is troubling on several levels.
:Friend: I wonder if Maggie's old dresses would fit you.

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

410: Math Paper

2014-03-10T18:21:06Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 410
| date = April 14, 2008
| title = Math Paper
| image = math_paper.png
| titletext = That's nothing. I once lost my genetics, rocketry, and stripping licenses in a single incident.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a set up to use the joke about {{w|imaginary friend}}s by taking the concept of "{{w|friendly number}}s" into the complex plane, which comprises numbers that have both a real and an imaginary part. Such a pun is both so obvious and so terrible that Cueball's superiors deem that he has lost the right to carry a "math license".

This is a recurring theme in earlier xkcd comics, being banned from holding presentations at conferences because said presentations are just elaborate puns. The title text takes the joke a step further, with the added hilarity of making the audience ask just how the hell Cueball was able to work a {{w|striptease}} into a presentation about genetic engineering and astrophysical rocket study. This is what TV Tropes calls a "[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoodleIncident noodle incident]".

===Math===
An {{w|imaginary number}} is a number that can be written as a real number multiplied by the imaginary unit ''i'', which is defined by its property ''i2 = -1'' (an impossibility for regular, "real" numbers, for which all squares are positive). The name "imaginary number" was coined in the 17th century as a derogatory term, since such numbers were regarded by some as fictitious or useless, but over time many applications in science and engineering have been found.

An imaginary number ''bi'' can be added to a real number ''a'' to form a {{w|complex number}} of the form ''a+bi'', where ''a'' and ''b'' are called, respectively, the real part and the imaginary part of the complex number.

Joel Bradbury has a wonderful explanation of {{w|friendly number}}s on [http://joelbradbury.net/notes/friendly_numbers his site]:

:What are Friendly Numbers?
:We need first to get define a divisor function over the integers, written σ(n) if you’re so inclined. To get it first we get all the integers that divide into n. So for 3, it’s 1 and 3. For 4, it’s 1, 2, and 4, and for 5 it’s only 1 and 5.

:Now sum them to get σ(n). So σ(3) = 1 + 3 = 4, or σ(4) = 1 + 2 + 4 = 7, and so on.

:For each of these n, there is something called a characteristic ratio. Now that’s just the divisors function over the integer itself ( σ(n)/n . So the characteristic ratio where n = 6 is σ(6)/6 = 12/6 = 2.

:Once you have the characteristic ratio for any integer n, any other integers that share the same characteristic are called friendly with each other. So to put it simply a friendly number is any integer that shares its characteristic ratio with at least one other integer. The converse of that is called a solitary number, where it doesn’t share it’s characteristic with anyone else.

:1,2,3,4 and 5 are solitary. 6 is friendly with 28; σ(6)/6 = (1+2+3+6)/6 = 12/6 = 2 = 56/28 = (1+2+4+7+14+28)/28 = σ(28)/28.

==Transcript==
:[Lecturer points to equations on the board.]
:Lecturer: In my paper, I use an extension of the divisor function over the Gaussian integers to generalize the so-called "friendly numbers" into the complex plane.

:Cueball: Hold on. Is this paper simply a giant build-up to an "imaginary friends" pun?

:[Lecturer stands speechless for two panels.]

:Lecturer: It MIGHT not be.
:Cueball: I'm sorry, we're revoking your math license.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Banned from conferences]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]

Category:Linux

2014-03-10T08:24:33Z

Blitzer:

{{w|Linux}} is a name given to an operating system using a kernel developed by {{w|Linus Torvalds}}.

[[Category:Comics by topic]]
[[Category:Computers]]

Category:Linux

2014-03-10T08:23:19Z

Blitzer:

{{w|Linux}} is a name given to an operating stystem using a kernel developed by {{w|Linus Torvalds}}.

[[Category:Comics by topic]]
[[Category:Computers]]

911: Magic School Bus

2014-03-08T20:29:19Z

Blitzer:

{{comic
| number = 911
| date = June 13, 2011
| title = Magic School Bus
| image = magic school bus.png
| titletext = At my OLD school, we used Microsoft Encarta 2005.
}}

==Explanation==
"{{w|The Magic School Bus}}" is a series of educational children's books that was adapted in the mid-nineties into an animated television show. The series centers on a class of children whose teacher {{w|Ms. Frizzle}} makes use of the titular magic school bus to take her students on a variety of magical field trips that allow them to experience various scientific topics first hand, such as the inner anatomy of the human body, the effects of friction, what goes on inside a beehive, and many others.

In this comic, however, Ms. Frizzle initially takes the students onto the bus apparently for one of these field trips to explore the way batteries work, but then for whatever reason, she has the students get off the bus again and simply resorts to looking up the {{w|Wikipedia}} article about {{w|Battery (electricity)|batteries}}. The implied joke is that, with the advent on resources like Wikipedia, it's no longer necessary for Ms. Frizzle to take the students on half-hour long trips in the bus to experience whatever phenomenon they are studying that day (which is what the third panel symbolizes) - Wikipedia effectively answers the question quickly and easily. An alternative answer is that Ms. Frizzle has just gotten lazy, and has resorted to looking up the answers to the students questions on Wikipedia instead of taking them on field trips. The alternative seems more likely, since the third panel shows them still going on an adventure.

The child who is asking the question looks similar to Wanda, one of the regular students in the class who often asked the questions that set the field trips in motion. Ralphie, the student in the second panel with the backward hat, was another student who often asked these questions. The students in the class were shown to be from many backgrounds (i.e. one of the students was black, another was Asian, etc.), something Randall appears not to have added into this comic, despite it being in color.

The title text is a reference to Phoebe, one of the students in Ms. Frizzle's class, who would regularly make a remark beginning with "at my old school..." (Phoebe used to go to a different school, unlike many of the other students in the class) to express wonder at how unusual were the events of Ms. Frizzle's field trips (e.g. "At my old school, we never rode on bees!").

{{w|Encarta|Microsoft Encarta 2005}} was a digital encyclopedia that was often used in school settings for learning with the aid of computers. Arguably, with the advent of Wikipedia, programs like Encarta have become relatively less widely used, which is part of the joke in the title text.

==Transcript==
:[A girl sits at a desk in a classroom, and the teacher stands before her. The teacher has a blue dress and blonde hair piled on her head in a bun. The girl raises her hand, the teacher raises both arms above her head, a pointer in one hand.]
:Girl: Ms. Frizzle, how do batteries work?
:Ms. Frizzle: To the bus!

:[Ms. Frizzle and the children are shown getting onto the bus.]

:[The bus, with Ms. Frizzle at the helm and a child's face in every window, soars through a rainbow void filled with a giant amoeba, a rocket, a big gear, a planet with rings, and a Feynman diagram.]

:[The bus is parked, and the occupants have gotten out. The children stand around Ms. Frizzle, and she stands at a desk with a computer on it, typing.]
Computer: WIKIPEDIA - BATTERIES

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

User:Blitzer/Sandbox

2014-03-08T06:14:26Z

Blitzer:

===The Hall of Misunderstood Science===
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false answers to typical questions that children may ask their fathers about scientific topics. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:Basilisk exhibit.png]]
|Basilisks[:] Real, Deadly, and Under Your Bed
|Upper left
|A {{w|basilisk}} is a mythological monster said to have the power to cause death with a glance.
|-
|
|Magnets only leap at each other when they're teenagers. Later, they lose interest.
|
|-
|
|Molecules? In my day, we only had atoms!
|
|}

===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Concessions===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Other===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

User:Blitzer/Sandbox

2014-03-08T06:10:50Z

Blitzer:

===The Hall of Misunderstood Science===
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false answers to typical questions that children may ask their fathers about scientific topics. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:Basilisk exhibit.png|200px]]
|Basilisks[:] Real, Deadly, and Under Your Bed
|Upper left
|A {{w|basilisk}} is a mythological monster said to have the power to cause death with a glance.
|-
|
|Magnets only leap at each other when they're teenagers. Later, they lose interest.
|
|-
|
|Molecules? In my day, we only had atoms!
|
|}

===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Concessions===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Other===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

File:Basilisk exhibit.png

2014-03-08T06:09:58Z

Blitzer: From xkcd #826.

== Summary ==
From xkcd #826.
== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file}}

User:Blitzer/Sandbox

2014-03-08T00:24:51Z

Blitzer:

===The Hall of Misunderstood Science===
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false answers to typical questions that children may ask their fathers about scientific topics. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Basilisks[:] Real, Deadly, and Under Your Bed
|Upper left
|A {{w|basilisk}} is a mythological monster said to have the power to cause death with a glance.
|-
|
|Magnets only leap at each other when they're teenagers. Later, they lose interest.
|
|-
|
|Molecules? In my day, we only had atoms!
|
|}

===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Concessions===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Other===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

User:Blitzer/Sandbox

2014-03-08T00:11:29Z

Blitzer:

===The Hall of Misunderstood Science===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Concessions===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

===Other===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|Explanation
|}

User:Blitzer/Sandbox

2014-03-08T00:10:57Z

Blitzer:

===The Hall of Misunderstood Science===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|}

===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|}

===Concessions===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|}

===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|}

===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|}

===Other===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!class="unsortable"|Picture
!class="unsortable"|Text
!class="unsortable"|Position
!class="unsortable"|Explanation
|-
|[[File:heartbeat.gif]]
|Heartbeat
|Testing
|}

User:Blitzer

2014-03-08T00:07:34Z

Blitzer:

Whoop dee doo.

[[User:Blitzer/Sandbox]]