explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1608: Hoverboard

2015-11-25T15:50:37Z

BlueMoonlet: Why large coordinate numbers?

Can't be bothered working out how to edit the page, but the explanation contains the phrase "People holding anchor lines to a Star Destroyer" - they're holding anchor lines to a CR90 Corvette, specifically the Tantive IV, commonly referred to as the "Rebel Blockade Runner", which in turn is being *attacked by* a Star Destroyer. I'll get my coat.

Well, this will be the next incomplete explanation for a while. -[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.165|162.158.90.165]] 21:58, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

Yes, one thing to note is how to get the hell out of the cave near the volcano [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.159|108.162.249.159]] 22:38, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

The image is made up of small images with addresses of the form http://xkcd.com/1608/XXXX:-YYYY+s.png (although not every coordinate inside the bounds has an image associated). A script could probably dump out all the images and paste them together. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.6|108.162.216.6]] 22:46, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

West -- Under Lava Pools -- Elon Musk's Secret Volcano Base (not as enjoyable as you might expect).

The Starship out east contains, among other things, Darth Vader, apparently explaining Steven Universe to a subordinate. (Steven and the Crystal Gems can be found a the west end of the ship, near an ice cream cooler.) The same ship contains an elaborate homage to the original Prince of Persia. {{unsigned ip|162.158.56.5}}

There, have at thee an image! [[User:Arch-TK|Arch-TK]] ([[User talk:Arch-TK|talk]]) 22:58, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

There are 168 coins spread throughout the map according to the source code [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.53|173.245.54.53]] 23:03, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

When using a device, instead of saying "use arrow keys to move", it says "tilt to move, tap to jump". It's also a lot harder to control. {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.159}}

It's actually 169 coins (t.length). --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.111.129|188.114.111.129]] 23:22, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

I got 153 coins!! :D There's two starships, one's a star destroyer with an expansive maze dropping regular torpedoes on the other. May be noteworthy that there are various references to Star Wars and Steven Universe throughout. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 23:27, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

The second starship is the TantiveIV, Leia's ship at the beginning of episode 4. Note directly below the Tantive, the terrain seems to be sand dunes. Also there are two more space ships by the volcano; an X-wing at a gas station and an Apollo Command Module. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.24}}

https://xkcd.com/1608/tigl.js - Looks like there's an easier to read version of the code there. Maybe that'll help someone with extracting all the images. {{unsigned ip|

I've got all the images downloaded. Zipping/uploading now. Should I post a link here when complete or what's the best way to share these? I'm also working on setting up a zoomable map. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.53|173.245.54.53]] 23:57, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

The collision detection is glitchy. I keep landing/bumping against platforms I'm far away from. Is getting stuck against walls normal? --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.234|199.27.130.234]] 00:01, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Tiles are located here in a zip: https://up1.ca/#Gi51KPFyPRELe0T1D6q9Mw All I did was iterate over http://xkcd.com/1608/X:-Y+s.png from X=[916...1116] and Y=[916...1116]. I'm working on putting a zoomable map together. If anyone has interest in helping we could hop on IRC? [[User:Jcox|Jcox]] ([[User talk:Jcox|talk]]) 00:15, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

I've written a zsh script to iterate over all possible tiles (does anyone know the height limits? the source only gives the left and right limits) and glue them together into one giant file. I'll upload the results as soon as it's finished. [[User:Arch-TK|Arch-TK]] ([[User talk:Arch-TK|talk]]) 00:17, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

I don't think it's limited vertically at all. I found a zoomable map on the reddit topic http://codepen.io/KyleDavidE/full/605dc87b614ff6b2bd716f4c6f640203/ (by kyledavide) [[User:Miraries|Miraries]] ([[User talk:Miraries|talk]]) 00:21, 25 November 2015 (UTC)Miraries

Here's a zoomed out map of all the game area: https://i.imgur.com/rNU9ZgN.png. From ''luke_in_the_sky'' at Reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxc1245]. --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.111.129|188.114.111.129]] 00:35, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Alright, the full png of the entire map is almost finished, I should have used white tiles as blank tiles but I guess I can fix that up in gimp, and I'm not sure how to account for the 1 pixel overlap with just imagemagick convert. The last step is to merge allthe layer images into one giant image, wish my laptop the best of luck! [[User:Arch-TK|Arch-TK]] ([[User talk:Arch-TK|talk]]) 01:00, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Someone beat you to it, but keep on it: that one doesn't have right limit tiles. https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxc0p8x --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.111.129|188.114.111.129]] 01:19, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Perhaps we can change the screenshot at the top to this? It's a quickly hacked overview of the entire map: http://imgur.com/Mz9arHz [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.167|199.27.129.167]] 01:27, 25 November 2015 (UTC)
: I think it might make more sense to just add it as another image, mediawiki supports this after all. The syntax should be: <nowiki>[[File:filename.png|thumb|Subtitle|alt=alt]]</nowiki> [[User:Arch-TK|Arch-TK]] ([[User talk:Arch-TK|talk]]) 01:34, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

[http://files.mckaysalisbury.com/xkcd/hoverboard.html] This one loads all of the images quickly (From the xkcd site), and uses browser zooming. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.47|173.245.54.47]] 01:29, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

:The impassible backgrounds are RGB(0,0,0), and the passable ones are RGB(1,1,1). <code>#explore > :first-child {filter:brightness(30);-webkit-filter:brightness(30);-moz-filter:brightness(30);-o-filter:brightness(30);-ms-filter:brightness(30);}</code> ... See https://twitter.com/BadPhysics/status/669354631869304832 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 03:40, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Here are all the secret passages marked I could find: http://imgur.com/a/fKE1Q --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.220|162.158.91.220]] 00:50, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

I wrote a tampermonkey script that shows you your coordinates and lets you teleport; will make coordinate sharing a lot easier. You do need tampermonkey installed for this to work. [https://github.com/minerguy31/xkcd-hoverboard-mod/raw/master/XKCD%20Hoverboard%20Mod.user.js Click to install] [[User:Minerguy31|Minerguy31]] ([[User talk:Minerguy31|talk]]) 04:17, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

I got 159 coins without the map. If you guys are still wondering how to escape the volcano, move to the right for as long as you think you can, then start spamming the up key while switching between holding the left and right keys. It worked for me on my first try.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.252.119|162.158.252.119]] 07:06, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Didn't take down the coordinates, but the layout to the first level of the original Prince of Persia is in there, including the guard standing by with his scimitar! I found it in the ship atop the pyramid east of the play area. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.245|108.162.218.245]] 06:24, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Just thought this was interesting, when you "complete" the game by dropping coins, the following line of javascript is run, which sends your result to the server (L is number of coins, z is seconds used):
(new Image).src = "//xkcd.com/events.gif?coins=" + L + "&seconds=" + z;
Don't be tricked by the .gif extension, it doesn't show an image when opened, and the server probably handles this request by logging it to somewhere.
: It actually returns a 1 by 1 pixel white GIF. [[User:Arch-TK|Arch-TK]] ([[User talk:Arch-TK|talk]]) 13:14, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Is there a way that we can merge the "game" part of this comic with the map of [[1110: Click and Drag]]? Allowing us to explore that one in a similar way? [[User:Bon|Bon]] ([[User talk:Bon|talk]]) 11:03, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Well I managed to find (nearly) everything, except the floating rock island, and 162 coins without the map, but even with looking at several maps, I didn't pass any graveyard nor found the way to the grey ocean, which I assume is underneath the "continent". Does anyone know where the entrance is? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.218|162.158.90.218]] 11:54, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Just thought I should say; the comic supports some alternative movement controls, there's the arrow keys, WASD, and also the vi keys (hjkl), and the numpad (8426). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.125|108.162.242.125]] 13:29, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

I was not able to get to some points because they were surrounded by text, people or other objects. Is that normal, or are there tricks to get to every coin without using cheats (console)? It would be nice if this could be mention / explained in the article. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.135.35|162.158.135.35]] 13:31, 25 November 2015 (UTC)
:In some cases you can come in from the side as opposed to trying to come down through or up through something. Example: at the X-Wing "gas station", to get that coin, land on the ground to the left of the X-Wing and move to the right on the ground towards the gas station. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 14:45, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

The list of "areas" in the map would be much easier to read, and much easier to correlate with the map, if the origin were set to the starting area (that is, if the coordinates of the starting area were set to x:0, y:0). What is the reason for the very large numbers? --[[User:BlueMoonlet|BlueMoonlet]] ([[User talk:BlueMoonlet|talk]]) 15:50, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

703: Honor Societies

2015-11-11T05:22:56Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ 1602

{{comic
| number = 703
| date = February 17, 2010
| title = Honor Societies
| image = honor_societies.png
| titletext = Hey, why do YOU get to be the president of Tautology Clu-- wait, I can guess.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] has apparently been invited to join an {{w|Honor society|honor society}}, but he considers the reason he should join to be a circular argument: because honorable people are in honor societies and people who are in honor societies are supposedly honorable. He objects that this is a {{w|tautology}}: a claim that something is true because it is true (and thus a meaningless claim). From this he concludes that he might as well be in a "tautology club" and then starts one. Thus [[Randall]] mocks honor society clubs for being pointless.

In the final panel where Cueball has formed the club, [[Ponytail]] asks a new member (a Cueball-like guy) how he found out about them and he tells about their Facebook page. The reference to {{w|Facebook}} mocks {{w|Facebook groups}} whose names refer to a number of members they hope to attract (such as [https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Bet-I-Can-Find-1000000-People-Who-Dislike-Romanian-Dog-Abusers/109442262492204 I Bet I Can Find 1,000,000 People Who Dislike Romanian Dog Abusers]), usually ostensibly to raise awareness for some issue, but perhaps in fact just for the ego-stroking pleasure of amassing a large number of followers. Tautology Club employs this tactic only for the sake of creating yet another tautology.

Cueball is listing the rules of the club from a podium. The phrase "The first rule of _______ Club" is a reference to the 1999 movie ''{{w|Fight Club}}'' (see also [[922: Fight Club]]), which contains the famous line "The first rule of Fight Club is 'You do not talk about Fight Club,'" a reference to the club's intended secrecy. This phrase has been appropriated for myriad other varieties and parodies, such as the one mentioned in the comic.

The short guys with glasses could be {{w|List_of_FoxTrot_characters#Jason_Fox|Jason Fox}} from the {{w|FoxTrot}} comic (see the first two frames of [[824: Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)]].) Although it takes a little imagination to see the hair, the height and the glasses and the geek factor fits. Three of the other characters from the audience looks like regular character but also with slightly different hairstyle that the usual. There is a buzz cut version of [[Hairy]], a curly haired version of [[Hair Bun Girl]] with a ponytail (also seen later on) and [[Megan]] is drawn with an uncharacteristically white stripe in her hair.

The answer to the title text would also be a tautology: he gets to be the president because he is the president.

Tautologies were mentioned again in [[1310: Goldbach Conjectures]]. Tautology Club was mentioned in [[1602: Linguistics Club]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits at a desk, while some one off-screen answers his question.]
:Cueball: Wait. I should join this honor society to show colleges I'm honorable, and I'm honorable because I'm in an honor society?
:Off-screen voice: Basically, yes.

:[Close up of Cueball.]
:Cueball: Sounds like I could save time by joining the Tautology Club directly.
:Off-screen voice: That's not a real club.
:Cueball: Then I'm starting it.

:[Inserted in a frame crossing the top of the third panels frame is a caption. Cueball is standing on a podium in the right part of the panel speaking. From left to right we find Ponytail, a Cueball-like guy, a short guy with glasses, a buzz cut version of Hairy, a curly haired version of Hair Bun Girl with a ponytail and to the right of Cueball, a girl that looks like Megan although with a uncharacteristically white stripe in her hair.]
:Caption: Tautology Club:
:Ponytail: So how'd you learn about us?
:Cueball-like guy: From your Facebook group, "If 1,000,000 People Join This Group, It Will Have 1,000,000 People In It."
:Cueball: ''Listen up!'' The first rule of Tautology Club is the first rule of Tautology Club.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hair Bun Girl]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

1602: Linguistics Club

2015-11-11T05:19:46Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Tautology Club!

{{comic
| number = 1602
| date = November 11, 2015
| title = Linguistics Club
| image = linguistics_club.png
| titletext = If that's too easy, you could try joining Tautology Club, which meets on the date of the Tautology Club meeting.
}}

==Explanation==
A "sesquiannual" meeting is one that occurs every one and a half years, or every 18 months. It comes from the Latin roots "sesqui-" which means "one and a half" and "annua," which means year. A linguist, the joke suggests, should be able to figure that out.

The title text is a reference to [[703: Honor Societies]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1575: Footprints

2015-09-09T06:11:08Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Ending

{{comic
| number = 1575
| date = September 9, 2015
| title = Footprints
| image = footprints.png
| titletext = "There's one set of foot-p's cause I was totes carrying you, bro!" said Jesus seconds before I punched him.
}}

==Explanation==

The comic is a satirical graphical representation of the inspirational Christian poem "{{w|Footprints (poem)|Footprints}}," which has been recounted in many versions and is of disputed authorship.

The basic idea of the poem is that the narrator looks back at scenes of his life and sees two sets of footprints, his and those of Jesus. During the most difficult times of his life, the narrator sees only one set of footprints and assumes that Jesus had left him during those times. In the climax of the poem, Jesus responds to the narrator that he saw only one set of footprints during the most difficult times of his life because Jesus was carrying him during those times.

The poem is seen by many as overly sentimental and is thus ripe for parody of this kind. The graph mockingly illustrates various times when Jesus or the narrator left the scene, or otherwise gives various reasons why the number of footprints may have been other than two. The reference at the end to Jesus drowning in a patch of quicksand, and then the narrator simply going home, again subverts the poem's earnestness.

The title text continues the parody by imagining that Jesus delivers the poem's climactic lines in {{w|SMS language|textese}}, a form best suited to shallow communication. The reference to punching Jesus is likely another reference to the poem's perceived excessive sentimentality.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

May be related to:
BTC 1FhCLQK2ZXtCUQDtG98p6fVH7S6mxAsEey
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close.

1575: Footprints

2015-09-09T06:08:34Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Title text

{{comic
| number = 1575
| date = September 9, 2015
| title = Footprints
| image = footprints.png
| titletext = "There's one set of foot-p's cause I was totes carrying you, bro!" said Jesus seconds before I punched him.
}}

==Explanation==

The comic is a satirical graphical representation of the inspirational Christian poem "{{w|Footprints (poem)|Footprints}}," which has been recounted in many versions and is of disputed authorship.

The basic idea of the poem is that the narrator looks back at scenes of his life and sees two sets of footprints, his and those of Jesus. During the most difficult times of his life, the narrator sees only one set of footprints and assumes that Jesus had left him during those times. In the climax of the poem, Jesus responds to the narrator that he saw only one set of footprints during the most difficult times of his life because Jesus was carrying him during those times.

The poem is seen by many as overly sentimental and is thus ripe for parody of this kind. The graph mockingly illustrates various times when Jesus or the narrator left the scene, or otherwise gives various reasons why the number of footprints may have been other than two.

The title text continues the parody by imagining that Jesus delivers the poem's climactic lines in {{w|SMS language|textese}}, a form best suited to shallow communication. The reference to punching Jesus is likely another reference to the poem's perceived excessive sentimentality.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

May be related to:
BTC 1FhCLQK2ZXtCUQDtG98p6fVH7S6mxAsEey
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close.

1575: Footprints

2015-09-09T06:06:29Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Clarify

{{comic
| number = 1575
| date = September 9, 2015
| title = Footprints
| image = footprints.png
| titletext = "There's one set of foot-p's cause I was totes carrying you, bro!" said Jesus seconds before I punched him.
}}

==Explanation==

The comic is a satirical graphical representation of the inspirational Christian poem "{{w|Footprints (poem)|Footprints}}," which has been recounted in many versions and is of disputed authorship.

The basic idea of the poem is that the narrator looks back at scenes of his life and sees two sets of footprints, his and those of Jesus. During the most difficult times of his life, the narrator sees only one set of footprints and assumes that Jesus had left him during those times. In the climax of the poem, Jesus responds to the narrator that he saw only one set of footprints during the most difficult times of his life because Jesus was carrying him during those times.

The poem is seen by many as overly sentimental and is thus ripe for parody of this kind. The graph mockingly illustrates various times when Jesus or the narrator left the scene, or otherwise gives various reasons why the number of footprints may have been other than two.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

May be related to:
BTC 1FhCLQK2ZXtCUQDtG98p6fVH7S6mxAsEey
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close.

1575: Footprints

2015-09-09T06:05:07Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Fix link

{{comic
| number = 1575
| date = September 9, 2015
| title = Footprints
| image = footprints.png
| titletext = "There's one set of foot-p's cause I was totes carrying you, bro!" said Jesus seconds before I punched him.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

The comic is a satirical graphical representation of the inspirational Christian poem "{{w|Footprints (poem)|Footprints}}," which has been recounted in many versions and is of disputed authorship.

The basic idea of the poem is that the narrator looks back at scenes of his life and sees two sets of footprints, his and those of Jesus. During the most difficult times of his life, the narrator sees only one set of footprints and assumes that Jesus had left him during those times. In the climax of the poem, Jesus responds to the narrator that he saw only one set of footprints during the most difficult times of his life because Jesus was carrying him during those times.

The poem is seen by many as overly sentimental and is thus ripe for parody of this kind. The graph mockingly illustrates various times when Jesus or the narrator left or otherwise left other than two sets of footprints.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

May be related to:
BTC 1FhCLQK2ZXtCUQDtG98p6fVH7S6mxAsEey
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close.

1575: Footprints

2015-09-09T06:04:35Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Fix link

{{comic
| number = 1575
| date = September 9, 2015
| title = Footprints
| image = footprints.png
| titletext = "There's one set of foot-p's cause I was totes carrying you, bro!" said Jesus seconds before I punched him.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

The comic is a satirical graphical representation of the inspirational Christian poem "[[w:Footprints (poem)|Footprints]]," which has been recounted in many versions and is of disputed authorship.

The basic idea of the poem is that the narrator looks back at scenes of his life and sees two sets of footprints, his and those of Jesus. During the most difficult times of his life, the narrator sees only one set of footprints and assumes that Jesus had left him during those times. In the climax of the poem, Jesus responds to the narrator that he saw only one set of footprints during the most difficult times of his life because Jesus was carrying him during those times.

The poem is seen by many as overly sentimental and is thus ripe for parody of this kind. The graph mockingly illustrates various times when Jesus or the narrator left or otherwise left other than two sets of footprints.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

May be related to:
BTC 1FhCLQK2ZXtCUQDtG98p6fVH7S6mxAsEey
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close.

1575: Footprints

2015-09-09T06:04:05Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ More commentary, don't quote poem directly, as there are many versions

{{comic
| number = 1575
| date = September 9, 2015
| title = Footprints
| image = footprints.png
| titletext = "There's one set of foot-p's cause I was totes carrying you, bro!" said Jesus seconds before I punched him.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

The comic is a satirical graphical representation of the inspirational Christian poem "{{w:Footprints (poem)|Footprints}}," which has been recounted in many versions and is of disputed authorship.

The basic idea of the poem is that the narrator looks back at scenes of his life and sees two sets of footprints, his and those of Jesus. During the most difficult times of his life, the narrator sees only one set of footprints and assumes that Jesus had left him during those times. In the climax of the poem, Jesus responds to the narrator that he saw only one set of footprints during the most difficult times of his life because Jesus was carrying him during those times.

The poem is seen by many as overly sentimental and is thus ripe for parody of this kind. The graph mockingly illustrates various times when Jesus or the narrator left or otherwise left other than two sets of footprints.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

May be related to:
BTC 1FhCLQK2ZXtCUQDtG98p6fVH7S6mxAsEey
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close.

1540: Hemingway

2015-06-24T16:28:19Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ link

{{comic
| number = 1540
| date = June 19, 2015
| title = Hemingway
| image = hemingway.png
| titletext = Instead of bobcat, package contained chair.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is a reference to the six-word short story ''{{w|For sale: baby shoes, never worn}}'', which has been commonly attributed to famous author {{w|Ernest Hemingway}}; however, [[Randall|Randall Munroe]] explicitly states that this might not be the case at all. Whether Hemingway once wrote this story and called it his best work is a matter of urban legend.

The comic plays on the fact that the original story takes the form of a short advertisement that might have been seen in a newspaper, and makes up alternate versions that use various modern 'standards' that did not exist in Hemingway's time. In keeping with the original, each example remains six words long. The title text obeys this rule, too. Many of the drafts poke fun at the tragedy that the original story suggests. With the original ("For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn"), readers could infer that the baby who would have worn the shoes must have died. Randall tries to make the reader infer other, more absurd things instead.

The comic also alludes to Hemingway's practice of repeatedly re-working drafts of his novels before publication. For example, he is [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/05/books/a-farewell-to-arms-with-hemingways-alternate-endings.html reported] to have rewritten the final passage of [https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=A_Farewell_to_Arms A Farewell To Arms] 39 times. Later editions of his works include these rough drafts, allowing the devoted reader to understand how the work developed.

The various drafts offered in the comic are:
*"For Sale: This gullible baby's shoes": This suggests the seller somehow tricked the baby out of its shoes.
*"Baby shoes for sale by owner": This suggests that a very intelligent baby is somehow selling its own shoes, or that someone is selling an old pair of shoes they had as a baby.
*“<strike>Actually, there’s no evidence Hemingway wrote</strike>”: A fragment of a preemptive rebuttal to the comic’s premise (or at least its title), for some reason.
*"Free shoes, provided you overpower baby": This suggests the person posting the ad is asking people to forcibly steal shoes from a baby. This alludes to the common expression "[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/like_taking_candy_from_a_baby like taking candy from a baby]", meaning a task is extremely simple and effortless. One doesn't necessarily need to overpower a baby to steal its shoes either; there are other methods such as annoying the baby until it throws its shoes or tricking the baby (see the first example above).
*"For Sale: Weird baby's toe shoes": This might be a reference to [[1065: Shoes]], where shoes with toes were considered "creepy".
*"For Sale: Baby shoes / Prime eligible": This is a reference to {{w|Amazon.com|Amazon}}, which offers Prime as a paid service to expedite shipping of items ordered on its website.
*“<strike>Though popularly attributed to Hemingway, the</strike>”: Another fragment of a rebuttal, written in an encyclopedic style.
*"This weird trick covers baby feet!": This is modeled after common 'click bait' wording designed to get users to visit web pages, typically using words such as "this weird trick" or "secrets they don't want you to know" to artificially increase its apparent appeal. XKCD has previously parodied click bait in [[1283: Headlines]].
*"For Sale: Baby shoes, just hatched": This plays on the meaning of the phrase "baby shoes", reframing it to mean a newly-born shoe (similar to "baby bird"), rather than its typical meaning of footwear designed for babies.
*"Sale: Seven-league boots (expedited shipping)": {{w|Seven-league boots}} are mythical boots that allow their user to move seven leagues (21 miles) per step. The "expedited shipping" part suggests that the people delivering these boots may be wearing seven-league boots themselves, allowing them to reach the customer much faster than if by airplane (except, of course, if the boots had to be shipped overseas).
*"Complete this survey for free shoes": This is another reference to common internet marketing campaigns, where users are incentivized to take surveys in exchange for small compensation such as free samples or coupons.
*"''Shoes'', by Ernest Hemingway [Citation needed]": This is a reference to Wikipedia. "Citation needed" is used to mark claims that require additional evidence to justify as true. In this case, Randall is using this to question whether the short story was really written by Hemingway.
*"This is my greatest short story": This is a completely different style that could also have been used to write a short story in six words. Rather than telling a story about shoes, this is more "meta" by referencing itself and being a self-fulfilling (or self-defeating) prophecy. (The sequel was titled "Don't bother reading my other stories").
*"For Sale: Baby shoes (-1) [Cursed]": This is written like a description of a virtual item typically found in Roguelike games or MMOs. "-1" typically means the item will reduce its wearer's stats (such as defense or speed rating) by one point. "Cursed" usually means the item cannot be taken off the wearer's body once it is put on.
*"<Blink><Marquee>Baby shoes!</Marquee></Blink>": This is reminiscent of the style of HTML widely used in the 1990s. Both the <Blink> and <Marquee> tags make the text content ("Baby shoes!") appear more prominent and attention-grabbing. On a normal web page, these tags only affect how the text content is displayed on screen and aren't directly shown to visitors. However they are shown here to make the six words count, albeit in a lighter shade of gray to reinforce the fact that they're not part of the text content. An interesting note: When this comic was first posted to xkcd.com, the '/' in the </Blink> tag was missing. This was fixed between the 19th and 20th of June, 2015, showing that the omission was, indeed, unintentional.
*"For Sale: Baby-sized saddle, bobcat": This is a reference to [[A-Minus-Minus|325: A-Minus-Minus]] in which [[Cueball]] says: 'Instead of office chair, package contained bobcat'. A 'baby-sized saddle' is presumably a very small saddle that's only usable if the user was a baby and was trying to ride a small animal such as a bobcat.
*"Hemingway busted for Craigslist shoe scam": This is written like a news headline where Hemingway supposedly wrote about shoes in order to perpetrate a scam. {{w|Craigslist}} is a website where users can advertise and seek goods and services.

The title text continues the reference to [[A-Minus-Minus|325: A-Minus-Minus]], but inverts the situation. Rather than unexpectedly receiving a bobcat by package, this time the package contains a regular item instead of the expected bobcat.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above comic]
:Hemingway's Rough Drafts

:[A list of rough draft stories]
:For sale: This Gullible Baby's Shoes
:Baby Shoes For Sale By Owner
:<strike>Actually, there's no evidence Hemingway wrote</strike>
:Free Shoes, Provided You Overpower Baby
:For Sale: Weird Baby's Toe Shoes
:For Sale: Baby Shoes ✓ Prime eligible
:<strike>Though popularly attributed to Hemingway, the</strike>
:This Weird Trick Covers Baby Feet!
:For Sale: Baby Shoes, Just Hatched
:Sale: Seven-League Boots (Expedited Shipping)
:Complete this survey for free shoes!
:''Shoes'', by Ernest Hemingway [citation needed]
:This is my greatest short story.
:For sale: Baby shoes (-1) [cursed]
:<blink><marquee>Baby Shoes!</marquee></blink>
:For Sale: Baby-sized Saddle, Bobcat
:Hemingway Busted for Craigslist Shoe Scam

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics|Color]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1047: Approximations

2015-06-15T20:06:23Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ not a blog

{{comic
| number = 1047
| date = April 25, 2012
| title = Approximations
| image = approximations.png
| titletext = Two tips: 1) 8675309 is not just prime, it's a twin prime, and 2) if you ever find yourself raising log(anything)^e or taking the pi-th root of anything, set down the marker and back away from the whiteboard; something has gone horribly wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic lists some approximations for numbers, most of them mathematical and physical constants, but some of them jokes and cultural references.

Approximations like these are sometimes used as {{w|mnemonic}}s by mathematicians and physicists, though most of Randall's approximations are too convoluted to be useful as mnemonics. Perhaps the best known mnemonic approximation (though not used here by Randall) is that "pi is approximately equal to 22/7". Randall does mention (and mock) the common mnemonic among physicists that the {{w|fine structure constant}} is approximately 1/137. Although Randall gives approximations for the number of seconds in a year, he does not mention the common physicist's mnemonic that it is "pi times 10^7," though he later added a statement to the top of the comic page addressing this point.

At the bottom of the comic are expressions involving {{w|transcendental numbers}} (namely pi and e) that are tantalizingly close to being exactly true but are not (indeed, they cannot be, due to the nature of transcendental numbers). Such near-equations were previously discussed in [[217: e to the pi Minus pi]]. One of the entries, though, is a "red herring" that is exactly true.

Randall says he compiled this table through "a mix of trial-and-error, ''{{w|Mathematica}}'', and Robert Munafo's [http://mrob.com/pub/ries/ Ries] tool. "Ries" is a "{{w|Closed-form expression#Conversion from numerical forms|reverse calculator}}" that forms equations matching a given number.

The first part of the title text notes that "Jenny's constant," which is actually a telephone number referenced in Tommy Tutone's 1982 song {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}, is not only prime but a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime. Twin primes have always been a subject of interest, because they are comparatively rare, and because it is not yet known whether there are infinitely many of them. Twin primes were also referenced in [[1310: Goldbach Conjectures]].

The second part of the title text makes fun of the unusual mathematical operations contained in the comic. {{w|Pi}} is a useful number in many contexts, but it doesn't usually occur anywhere in an exponent. Even when it does, such as with complex numbers, taking the pi-th root is rarely helpful. Similarly, {{w|e (mathematical constant)|e}} typically appears in the basis of a power (forming the {{w|exponential function}}), not in the exponent. (This is later referenced in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ Lethal Neutrinos]).

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
|align="center"|Thing to be approximated:
|align="center"|Formula proposed:
|align="center"|Resulting approximate value:
|align="center"|Correct value:
|align="center"|Discussion:
|-
|align="center"|One light year(m)
|align="center"|998
|align="center"|9,227,446,944,279,201
|align="center"|9,460,730,472,580,800 (exact)
|align="left"|998 and 698 are sexual references.
|-
|align="center"|Earth Surface(m2)
|align="center"|698
|align="center"|513,798,374,428,641
|align="center"|5.10072*1014
|align="left"|998 and 698 are sexual references.
|-
|align="center"|Ocean's volume(m3)
|align="center"|919
|align="center"|1,350,851,717,672,992,089
|align="center"|1,332*1018
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Seconds in a year
|align="center"|754
|align="center"|31,640,625
|align="center"|31,557,600 (Julian calendar) 31,556,952 (Gregorian calendar)
|align="left"|After this comic was released [[Randall]] got many responses by viewers. So he did add this statement to the top of the comic page:
"Lots of emails mention the physicist favorite, 1 year = pi x 107 seconds. 754 is a hair more accurate, but it's hard to top 3,141,592's elegance." Pi x 107 is nearly equal to 31,415,926.536, and 754 is exactly 31,640,625. Randall's elegance belongs to the number pi, but it should be multiplied by the factor of ten.

Using the traditional definitions that a second is 1/60th of a minute, a minute is 1/60th of an hour, and an hour is 1/24th of a day, a 365-day year is exactly 31,536,000 seconds (the "for rent method" approximation). Until the calendar was reformed by Pope Gregory, there was one leap year in every four years, making the average year 365.25 days, or 31,557,600. On the current calendar system, there are only 97 leap years in every 400 years, making the average year 365.2425 days, or 31,556,952 seconds. In technical usage, a "second" is now defined based on physical constants, even though the length of a day varies inversely with the changing angular velocity of the earth. To keep the official time synchronized with the rotation of the earth, a "leap second" is occasionally added, resulting in a slightly longer year.
|-
|align="center"|Seconds in a year (rent method)
|align="center"|525,600 x 60
|align="center"|31,536,000
|align="center"|31,557,600 (Julian calendar) 31,556,952 (Gregorian calendar)
|align="left"|"Rent Method" refers to the song "Seasons of Love" from the musical "{{w|Rent (musical)|Rent}}." The song asks, "How do you measure a year?" One line says "525,600 minutes" while most of the rest of the song suggests the best way to measure a year is moments shared with a loved one.
|-
|align="center"|Age of the universe (seconds)
|align="center"|1515
|align="center"|437,893,890,380,859,375
|align="center"|4.354±0.012*1017 (best estimate; exact value unknown)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Planck's constant
|align="center"|1/(30πe)
|align="center"|6.68499014108082*10−34 (rounded)
|align="center"|6.62606957*10−34
|align="left"|Informally, the {{w|Planck constant}} is the smallest action possible in quantum mechanics.
|-
|align="center"|Fine structure constant
|align="center"|1/140
|align="center"|0.00714285717142857171428571, etc. (repeating 71428571)
|align="center"|0.00729735257 (accepted value as of 2011), close to 1/137
|align="left"|The {{w|fine structure constant}} indicates the strength of electromagnetism. It is unitless and around 0.007297, close to 1/137. At one point it was believed to be exactly the reciprocal of 137, and many people have tried to find a simple formula explaining this (with a pinch of {{w|numerology}} thrown in at times), including the infamous {{w|Arthur Eddington|Sir Arthur Adding-One}}.
|-
|align="center"|Fundamental charge
|align="center"|3/(14 * πππ)
|align="center"|1.59895121062716*10−19 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.602176565*10−19 (rounded)
|align="left"|This is the charge of the proton, symbolized "e" for electron (whose charge is actually -e. You can blame Benjamin Franklin [[567|for that]])
|-
|align="center"|Telephone number for the White House Switchboard
|align="center"|1/ 
π√(e(1 + (e-1)√8))
|align="center"|.2024561414 (truncated)
|align="center"|2024561414
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Jenny's Constant
|align="center"|(7(e/1 - 1/e) - 9) * π2
|align="center"|867.530901981685 (approximately)
|align="center"|8675309
|align="left"|"Jenny's constant" is actually a telephone number referenced in Tommy Tutone's 1982 song {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}. As mentioned in the title text, the number not only prime but a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime.
|-
|align="center"|World Population Estimate (billions)
|align="center"|Equivalent to 6+((3/4 Year + 1/4 (Year mod 4) - 1499)/10) billion
|align="center"|2005 6.5
2006 6.6
2007 6.7
2008 6.7
2009 6.8
2010 6.9
2011 7
2012 7
2013 7.1
2014 7.2
2015 7.3
2016 7.3
2017 7.4
2018 7.5
2019 7.6
2020 7.6
2021 7.7
2022 7.8
2023 7.9
2024 7.9
2025 8
2026 8.1
2027 8.2
2028 8.2
2029 8.3
2030 8.4
2031 8.5
2032 8.5
|align="center"|
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|U.S. Population Estimate (millions)
|align="center"|Equivalent to 310+3*(Year - 2010) million
|align="center"|2000 280
2001 283
2002 286
2003 289
2004 292
2005 295
2006 298
2007 301
2008 304
2009 307
2010 310
2011 313
2012 316
2013 319
2014 322
2015 325
2016 328
2017 331
2018 334
2019 337
2020 340
2021 343
2022 346
2023 349
2024 352
2025 355
2026 358
2027 361
2028 364
2029 367
2030 370
2031 373
2032 376
|align="center"|
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Electron rest energy
|align="center"|e/716 Joules
|align="center"|8.17948276564429*10−14
|align="center"|8.18710438*10−14 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Light-year(miles)
|align="center"|2(42.42)
|align="center"|5884267614436.97 (rounded)
|align="center"|9460730472580800 (meters in a light-year, by definition) / 1609.344 (meters in a mile) = 8212439646337500/1397 (exact) = 5878625373183.61 (rounded)
|align="left"|{{w|42 (number)|42}} is, according to Douglas Adams' ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
|-
|align="center"|sin(60°) = √3/2
|align="center"|e/π
|align="center"|0.8652559794 (rounded)
|align="center"|0.8660254038 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|√3
|align="center"|2e/π
|align="center"|1.7305119589 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.7320508076 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|gamma(Euler's gamma constant)
|align="center"|1/√3
|align="center"|0.5773502692 (rounded)
|align="center"|0.5772156649015328606065120900824024310421...
|align="left"|In {{w|mathematics}}, the {{w|Euler-Mascheroni constant}} (Euler gamma constant) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.
|-
|align="center"|Feet in a meter
|align="center"|5/(e√π)
|align="center"|3.2815481951
|align="center"|1/.3048 (exact) = 3.280839895 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|√5
|align="center"|2/e + 3/2
|align="center"|2.2357588823 (rounded)
|align="center"|2.2360679775 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Avogadro's number
|align="center"|69π√5
|align="center"|6.02191201246329*1023 (rounded)
|align="center"|6.02214129*1023 (rounded)
|align="left"|Also called a Mole for shorthand, this is (roughly) the number of individual atoms in twelve grams of pure Carbon. Used in basically every application of chemistry.
|-
|align="center"|Gravitational constant G
|align="center"|1 / e(pi - 1)(pi + 1)
|align="center"|6.67361106850561*10−11 (rounded)
|align="center"|6.67385*10−11 (rounded)
|align="left"|The universal {{w|gravitational constant}} G is equal to F*r2/Mm, where F is the gravitational force between two objects, r is the distance between them, and M and m are their masses.
|-
|align="center"|R(gas constant)
|align="center"|(e+1) √5
|align="center"|8.3143309279 (rounded)
|align="center"|8.3144622 (rounded)
|align="left"|The {{w|gas constant}} relates energy to temperature in physics, as well as a gas's volume, pressure, temperature and {{w|mole (unit)|molar amount}} (hence the name).
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|6*π5
|align="center"|1836.1181087117 (rounded)
|align="center"|1836.15267246 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Liters in a gallon (U.S. liquid gallon, defined by law as 231 cubic inches)
|align="center"|3 + π/4
|align="center"|3.7853981634 (rounded)
|align="center"|3.785411784 (exact)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|''g''0 or ''g''n
|align="center"|6 + ln(45)
|align="center"|9.8066624898 (rounded)
|align="center"|9.80665 (standard)
|align="left"|Standard gravity, or standard acceleration due to free fall is the nominal gravitational acceleration of an object in a vacuum near the surface of the Earth. It is defined by standard as 9.80665 m/s2, which is exactly 35.30394 (km/h)/s (about 32.174 ft/s2, or 21.937 mph/s). This value was established by the 3rd CGPM (1901, CR 70) and used to define the standard weight of an object as the product of its mass and this nominal acceleration. The acceleration of a body near the surface of the Earth is due to the combined effects of gravity and centrifugal acceleration from rotation of the Earth (but which is small enough to be neglected for most purposes); the total (the apparent gravity) is about 0.5 percent greater at the poles than at the equator. Randall used a letter g without a suffix, which can also mean the local acceleration due to local gravity and centrifugal acceleration, which varies depending on one's position on Earth.
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|(e8 - 10) / ϕ
|align="center"|1836.1530151398 (rounded)
|align="center"|1836.15267246 (rounded)
|align="left"|ϕ is the {{w|golden ratio}}, or (1 + √5)/2. It has many interesting geometrical properties.
|-
|align="center"|Ruby laser wavelength
|align="center"|1 / (12002)
|align="center"|.00000069444444444444... (repeating decimal)
|align="center"|694.3 nm
|align="left"|The ruby laser wavelength varies because "ruby" is not clearly defined.
|-
|align="center"|Mean Earth Radius
|align="center"|(58)*6e
|align="center"|2343750e (exact), 6,370,973.035450887 (6370 km, 973 m, 3 cm, 5 mm, 450,887 nm) (rounded)
|align="center"|6,371,008.7 (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics definition)
|align="left"|The {{w|Earth radius#mean radii|mean earth radius}} varies because there is not one single way to make a sphere out of the earth. Randall's value lies within the actual variation of Earth's radius. The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) defines the mean radius as 2/3 of the equatorial radius (6,378,137.0 m) plus 1/3 of the polar radius (6,356,752.3 m).
|-
|align="center"|√2
|align="center"|3/5 + π/(7-π)
|align="center"|1.4142200581 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.4142135624 (rounded)
|align="left"|There are reoccurring math jokes along the lines of, "3/5 + π/(7 – π) – √2 = 0, but your calculator is probably not good enough to compute this correctly".
|-
|align="center"|cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7)
|align="center"|1/2
|align="center"|0.5
|align="center"|0.5 (exact)
|align="left"|This is the exactly correct equation referred to in the note, "Pro tip - Not all of these are wrong", as shown below and also [http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/140388/how-can-one-prove-cos-pi-7-cos3-pi-7-cos5-pi-7-1-2 here]. If you're still confused, the functions use {{w|radians}}, not {{w|degrees (angle)|degrees}}.
|-
|align="center"|γ(Euler's gamma constant)
|align="center"|e/34 + e/5
|align="center"|0.5772154006 (rounded)
|align="center"|0.5772156649015328606065120900824024310421...
|align="left"|In {{w|mathematics}}, the {{w|Euler-Mascheroni constant}} (Euler gamma constant) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.
|-
|align="center"|√5
|align="center"|(13 + 4π) / (24 - 4π)
|align="center"|2.2360678094 (rounded)
|align="center"|2.2360679775 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Σ 1/nn
|align="center"|ln(3)e
|align="center"|1.2912987577 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.2912859971 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|}

===Proof===

One of the "approximations" actually is precisely correct: cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2. Here is a proof:

cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7)

* Multiplying by 1 (or by a number divided by itself) leaves the equation unchanged.

= (cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7)) (2sin(π/7)/2sin(π/7))

* The sin(π/7) on the top of the fraction is multiplied through the original equation.

= (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7) + 2cos(3π/7)sin(π/7) + 2cos(5π/7)sin(π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7))

* Use the trigonometric identity 2cos(A)sin(B)=sin(A+B)-sin(A-B) on the 2nd two terms ([2cos(3π/7)sin(π/7)] + {2cos(5π/7)sin(π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7))

= (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7) + [sin(3π/7+π/7) - sin(3π/7-π/7)] + {sin(5π/7+π/7) - sin(5π/7-π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7) + [sin(4π/7) - sin(2π/7)] + {sin(6π/7) - sin(4π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7))

* Use the trigonometric identity 2cos(A)sin(A) = sin(2A) on the first term (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7))

= (sin(2π/7) + [sin(4π/7) - sin(2π/7)] + {sin(6π/7) - sin(4π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (sin(6π/7) + [sin(2π/7) - sin(2π/7)] + {sin(4π/7) - sin(4π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (sin(6π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7))

* Note that 6π/7 = (7π - π)/7 = 7π/7 - π/7 = π - π/7.

= (sin(π - π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7))

* Use the trigonometric identity sin(A - B) = sin(A)cos(B) - cos(A)sin(B).
= (sin(π)cos(π/7) - cos(π)sin(π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7))

* Now sin(π) = 0 and cos(π) = -1

= ((0)cos(π/7) - (-1)sin(π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= ((1)sin(π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (sin(π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (sin(π/7)/2sin(π/7)) 
= (1/2) (sin(π/7)/sin(π/7)) 
= 1/2

==Transcript==
:'''A table of slightly wrong equations and identities useful for approximations and/or trolling teachers.'''
:(Found using a mix of trial-and-error, ''Mathematica'', and Robert Munafo's ''Ries'' tool.)
: All units are SI MKS unless otherwise noted.

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
|colspan="2" align="center" | Relation:
|align="center" | Accurate to within:
|-
|align="center" | One light year(m)
|align="center" | 998
|align="center" | one part in 40
|-
|align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
|align="center" | 698
|align="center" | one part in 130
|-
|align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
|align="center" | 919
|align="center" | one part in 70
|-
|align="center" | Seconds in a year
|align="center" | 754
|align="center" | one part in 400
|-
|align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
|align="center" | 525,600 x 60
|align="center" | one part in 1400
|-
|align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
|align="center" | 1515
|align="center" | one part in 70
|-
|align="center" | Planck's constant
|align="center" | 1/(30πe)
|align="center" | one part in 110
|-
|align="center" | Fine structure constant
|align="center" | 1/140
|align="center" | [I've had enough of this 137 crap]
|-
|align="center" | Fundamental charge
|align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
|align="center" | one part in 500
|-
|align="center"|White House Switchboard
|colspan="2" align="center"|1/ 
π√(e(1 + (e-1)√8))
|-
|align="center"|Jenny's Constant
|colspan="2" align="center"|(7(e/1 - 1/e) - 9) * π2
|-
|colspan="3" align="center"|Intermission: World Population Estimate which should stay current for a decade or two: 
Take the last two digits of the current year

Example: 20[14]

Subtract the number of leap years since hurricane Katrina

Example:14 (minus 2008 and 2012) is 12

Add a decimal point

Example: 1.2

Add 6

Example: 6 + 1.2

7.2 = World population in billions.

Version for US population:

Example: 20[14]

Subtract 10

Example: 4

Multiply by 3

Example: 12

Add 10

Example: 3[22] million
|-
|align="center"|Electron rest energy
|align="center"|e/716 Joules
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|align="center"|Light-year(miles)
|align="center"|2(42.42)
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|sin(60°) = √3/2 = e/π
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|√3 = 2e/π
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|align="center"|gamma(Euler's gamma constant)
|align="center"|1/√3
|align="center"|one part in 4000
|-
|align="center"|Feet in a meter
|align="center"|5/(e√π)
|align="center"|one part in 4000
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|√5 = 2/e + 3/2
|align="center"|one part in 7000
|-
|align="center"|Avogadro's number
|align="center"|69π√5
|align="center"|one part in 25,000
|-
|align="center"|Gravitational constant G
|align="center"|1 / e(pi - 1)(pi + 1)
|align="center"|one part in 25,000
|-
|align="center"|R(gas constant)
|align="center"|(e+1) √5
|align="center"|one part in 50,000
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|6*π5
|align="center"|one part in 50,000
|-
|align="center"|Liters in a gallon
|align="center"|3 + π/4
|align="center"|one part in 500,000
|-
|align="center"|g
|align="center"|6 + ln(45)
|align="center"|one part in 750,000
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|(e8 - 10) / ϕ
|align="center"|one part in 5,000,000
|-
|align="center"|Ruby laser wavelength
|align="center"|1 / (12002)
|align="center"|[within actual variation]
|-
|align="center"|Mean Earth Radius
|align="center"|(58)*6e
|align="center"|[within actual variation]
|-
|colspan="3" align="center"|Protip - not all of these are wrong:
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|√2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)
|align="center"|cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2
|-
|align="center"|γ(Euler's gamma constant) = e/34 + e/5
|align="center"|√5 = (13 + 4π) / (24 - 4π)
|align="center"|Σ 1/nn = ln(3)e
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Protip]]

1047: Approximations

2015-06-15T20:04:25Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Rearrange and rewrite. Put proof after the table, where it won't distract as much. Put all direct discussion of the comic before the table.

{{comic
| number = 1047
| date = April 25, 2012
| title = Approximations
| image = approximations.png
| titletext = Two tips: 1) 8675309 is not just prime, it's a twin prime, and 2) if you ever find yourself raising log(anything)^e or taking the pi-th root of anything, set down the marker and back away from the whiteboard; something has gone horribly wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic lists some approximations for numbers, most of them mathematical and physical constants, but some of them jokes and cultural references.

Approximations like these are sometimes used as {{w|mnemonic}}s by mathematicians and physicists, though most of Randall's approximations are too convoluted to be useful as mnemonics. Perhaps the best known mnemonic approximation (though not used here by Randall) is that "pi is approximately equal to 22/7". Randall does mention (and mock) the common mnemonic among physicists that the {{w|fine structure constant}} is approximately 1/137. Although Randall gives approximations for the number of seconds in a year, he does not mention the common physicist's mnemonic that it is "pi times 10^7," though he later made a blog post addressing this point.

At the bottom of the comic are expressions involving {{w|transcendental numbers}} (namely pi and e) that are tantalizingly close to being exactly true but are not (indeed, they cannot be, due to the nature of transcendental numbers). Such near-equations were previously discussed in [[217: e to the pi Minus pi]]. One of the entries, though, is a "red herring" that is exactly true.

Randall says he compiled this table through "a mix of trial-and-error, ''{{w|Mathematica}}'', and Robert Munafo's [http://mrob.com/pub/ries/ Ries] tool. "Ries" is a "{{w|Closed-form expression#Conversion from numerical forms|reverse calculator}}" that forms equations matching a given number.

The first part of the title text notes that "Jenny's constant," which is actually a telephone number referenced in Tommy Tutone's 1982 song {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}, is not only prime but a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime. Twin primes have always been a subject of interest, because they are comparatively rare, and because it is not yet known whether there are infinitely many of them. Twin primes were also referenced in [[1310: Goldbach Conjectures]].

The second part of the title text makes fun of the unusual mathematical operations contained in the comic. {{w|Pi}} is a useful number in many contexts, but it doesn't usually occur anywhere in an exponent. Even when it does, such as with complex numbers, taking the pi-th root is rarely helpful. Similarly, {{w|e (mathematical constant)|e}} typically appears in the basis of a power (forming the {{w|exponential function}}), not in the exponent. (This is later referenced in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ Lethal Neutrinos]).

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
|align="center"|Thing to be approximated:
|align="center"|Formula proposed:
|align="center"|Resulting approximate value:
|align="center"|Correct value:
|align="center"|Discussion:
|-
|align="center"|One light year(m)
|align="center"|998
|align="center"|9,227,446,944,279,201
|align="center"|9,460,730,472,580,800 (exact)
|align="left"|998 and 698 are sexual references.
|-
|align="center"|Earth Surface(m2)
|align="center"|698
|align="center"|513,798,374,428,641
|align="center"|5.10072*1014
|align="left"|998 and 698 are sexual references.
|-
|align="center"|Ocean's volume(m3)
|align="center"|919
|align="center"|1,350,851,717,672,992,089
|align="center"|1,332*1018
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Seconds in a year
|align="center"|754
|align="center"|31,640,625
|align="center"|31,557,600 (Julian calendar) 31,556,952 (Gregorian calendar)
|align="left"|After this comic was released [[Randall]] got many responses by viewers. So he did add this statement to the top of the comic page:
"Lots of emails mention the physicist favorite, 1 year = pi x 107 seconds. 754 is a hair more accurate, but it's hard to top 3,141,592's elegance." Pi x 107 is nearly equal to 31,415,926.536, and 754 is exactly 31,640,625. Randall's elegance belongs to the number pi, but it should be multiplied by the factor of ten.

Using the traditional definitions that a second is 1/60th of a minute, a minute is 1/60th of an hour, and an hour is 1/24th of a day, a 365-day year is exactly 31,536,000 seconds (the "for rent method" approximation). Until the calendar was reformed by Pope Gregory, there was one leap year in every four years, making the average year 365.25 days, or 31,557,600. On the current calendar system, there are only 97 leap years in every 400 years, making the average year 365.2425 days, or 31,556,952 seconds. In technical usage, a "second" is now defined based on physical constants, even though the length of a day varies inversely with the changing angular velocity of the earth. To keep the official time synchronized with the rotation of the earth, a "leap second" is occasionally added, resulting in a slightly longer year.
|-
|align="center"|Seconds in a year (rent method)
|align="center"|525,600 x 60
|align="center"|31,536,000
|align="center"|31,557,600 (Julian calendar) 31,556,952 (Gregorian calendar)
|align="left"|"Rent Method" refers to the song "Seasons of Love" from the musical "{{w|Rent (musical)|Rent}}." The song asks, "How do you measure a year?" One line says "525,600 minutes" while most of the rest of the song suggests the best way to measure a year is moments shared with a loved one.
|-
|align="center"|Age of the universe (seconds)
|align="center"|1515
|align="center"|437,893,890,380,859,375
|align="center"|4.354±0.012*1017 (best estimate; exact value unknown)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Planck's constant
|align="center"|1/(30πe)
|align="center"|6.68499014108082*10−34 (rounded)
|align="center"|6.62606957*10−34
|align="left"|Informally, the {{w|Planck constant}} is the smallest action possible in quantum mechanics.
|-
|align="center"|Fine structure constant
|align="center"|1/140
|align="center"|0.00714285717142857171428571, etc. (repeating 71428571)
|align="center"|0.00729735257 (accepted value as of 2011), close to 1/137
|align="left"|The {{w|fine structure constant}} indicates the strength of electromagnetism. It is unitless and around 0.007297, close to 1/137. At one point it was believed to be exactly the reciprocal of 137, and many people have tried to find a simple formula explaining this (with a pinch of {{w|numerology}} thrown in at times), including the infamous {{w|Arthur Eddington|Sir Arthur Adding-One}}.
|-
|align="center"|Fundamental charge
|align="center"|3/(14 * πππ)
|align="center"|1.59895121062716*10−19 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.602176565*10−19 (rounded)
|align="left"|This is the charge of the proton, symbolized "e" for electron (whose charge is actually -e. You can blame Benjamin Franklin [[567|for that]])
|-
|align="center"|Telephone number for the White House Switchboard
|align="center"|1/ 
π√(e(1 + (e-1)√8))
|align="center"|.2024561414 (truncated)
|align="center"|2024561414
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Jenny's Constant
|align="center"|(7(e/1 - 1/e) - 9) * π2
|align="center"|867.530901981685 (approximately)
|align="center"|8675309
|align="left"|"Jenny's constant" is actually a telephone number referenced in Tommy Tutone's 1982 song {{w|867-5309/Jenny}}. As mentioned in the title text, the number not only prime but a {{w|twin prime}} because 8675311 is also a prime.
|-
|align="center"|World Population Estimate (billions)
|align="center"|Equivalent to 6+((3/4 Year + 1/4 (Year mod 4) - 1499)/10) billion
|align="center"|2005 6.5
2006 6.6
2007 6.7
2008 6.7
2009 6.8
2010 6.9
2011 7
2012 7
2013 7.1
2014 7.2
2015 7.3
2016 7.3
2017 7.4
2018 7.5
2019 7.6
2020 7.6
2021 7.7
2022 7.8
2023 7.9
2024 7.9
2025 8
2026 8.1
2027 8.2
2028 8.2
2029 8.3
2030 8.4
2031 8.5
2032 8.5
|align="center"|
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|U.S. Population Estimate (millions)
|align="center"|Equivalent to 310+3*(Year - 2010) million
|align="center"|2000 280
2001 283
2002 286
2003 289
2004 292
2005 295
2006 298
2007 301
2008 304
2009 307
2010 310
2011 313
2012 316
2013 319
2014 322
2015 325
2016 328
2017 331
2018 334
2019 337
2020 340
2021 343
2022 346
2023 349
2024 352
2025 355
2026 358
2027 361
2028 364
2029 367
2030 370
2031 373
2032 376
|align="center"|
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Electron rest energy
|align="center"|e/716 Joules
|align="center"|8.17948276564429*10−14
|align="center"|8.18710438*10−14 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Light-year(miles)
|align="center"|2(42.42)
|align="center"|5884267614436.97 (rounded)
|align="center"|9460730472580800 (meters in a light-year, by definition) / 1609.344 (meters in a mile) = 8212439646337500/1397 (exact) = 5878625373183.61 (rounded)
|align="left"|{{w|42 (number)|42}} is, according to Douglas Adams' ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
|-
|align="center"|sin(60°) = √3/2
|align="center"|e/π
|align="center"|0.8652559794 (rounded)
|align="center"|0.8660254038 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|√3
|align="center"|2e/π
|align="center"|1.7305119589 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.7320508076 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|gamma(Euler's gamma constant)
|align="center"|1/√3
|align="center"|0.5773502692 (rounded)
|align="center"|0.5772156649015328606065120900824024310421...
|align="left"|In {{w|mathematics}}, the {{w|Euler-Mascheroni constant}} (Euler gamma constant) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.
|-
|align="center"|Feet in a meter
|align="center"|5/(e√π)
|align="center"|3.2815481951
|align="center"|1/.3048 (exact) = 3.280839895 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|√5
|align="center"|2/e + 3/2
|align="center"|2.2357588823 (rounded)
|align="center"|2.2360679775 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Avogadro's number
|align="center"|69π√5
|align="center"|6.02191201246329*1023 (rounded)
|align="center"|6.02214129*1023 (rounded)
|align="left"|Also called a Mole for shorthand, this is (roughly) the number of individual atoms in twelve grams of pure Carbon. Used in basically every application of chemistry.
|-
|align="center"|Gravitational constant G
|align="center"|1 / e(pi - 1)(pi + 1)
|align="center"|6.67361106850561*10−11 (rounded)
|align="center"|6.67385*10−11 (rounded)
|align="left"|The universal {{w|gravitational constant}} G is equal to F*r2/Mm, where F is the gravitational force between two objects, r is the distance between them, and M and m are their masses.
|-
|align="center"|R(gas constant)
|align="center"|(e+1) √5
|align="center"|8.3143309279 (rounded)
|align="center"|8.3144622 (rounded)
|align="left"|The {{w|gas constant}} relates energy to temperature in physics, as well as a gas's volume, pressure, temperature and {{w|mole (unit)|molar amount}} (hence the name).
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|6*π5
|align="center"|1836.1181087117 (rounded)
|align="center"|1836.15267246 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Liters in a gallon (U.S. liquid gallon, defined by law as 231 cubic inches)
|align="center"|3 + π/4
|align="center"|3.7853981634 (rounded)
|align="center"|3.785411784 (exact)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|''g''0 or ''g''n
|align="center"|6 + ln(45)
|align="center"|9.8066624898 (rounded)
|align="center"|9.80665 (standard)
|align="left"|Standard gravity, or standard acceleration due to free fall is the nominal gravitational acceleration of an object in a vacuum near the surface of the Earth. It is defined by standard as 9.80665 m/s2, which is exactly 35.30394 (km/h)/s (about 32.174 ft/s2, or 21.937 mph/s). This value was established by the 3rd CGPM (1901, CR 70) and used to define the standard weight of an object as the product of its mass and this nominal acceleration. The acceleration of a body near the surface of the Earth is due to the combined effects of gravity and centrifugal acceleration from rotation of the Earth (but which is small enough to be neglected for most purposes); the total (the apparent gravity) is about 0.5 percent greater at the poles than at the equator. Randall used a letter g without a suffix, which can also mean the local acceleration due to local gravity and centrifugal acceleration, which varies depending on one's position on Earth.
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|(e8 - 10) / ϕ
|align="center"|1836.1530151398 (rounded)
|align="center"|1836.15267246 (rounded)
|align="left"|ϕ is the {{w|golden ratio}}, or (1 + √5)/2. It has many interesting geometrical properties.
|-
|align="center"|Ruby laser wavelength
|align="center"|1 / (12002)
|align="center"|.00000069444444444444... (repeating decimal)
|align="center"|694.3 nm
|align="left"|The ruby laser wavelength varies because "ruby" is not clearly defined.
|-
|align="center"|Mean Earth Radius
|align="center"|(58)*6e
|align="center"|2343750e (exact), 6,370,973.035450887 (6370 km, 973 m, 3 cm, 5 mm, 450,887 nm) (rounded)
|align="center"|6,371,008.7 (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics definition)
|align="left"|The {{w|Earth radius#mean radii|mean earth radius}} varies because there is not one single way to make a sphere out of the earth. Randall's value lies within the actual variation of Earth's radius. The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) defines the mean radius as 2/3 of the equatorial radius (6,378,137.0 m) plus 1/3 of the polar radius (6,356,752.3 m).
|-
|align="center"|√2
|align="center"|3/5 + π/(7-π)
|align="center"|1.4142200581 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.4142135624 (rounded)
|align="left"|There are reoccurring math jokes along the lines of, "3/5 + π/(7 – π) – √2 = 0, but your calculator is probably not good enough to compute this correctly".
|-
|align="center"|cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7)
|align="center"|1/2
|align="center"|0.5
|align="center"|0.5 (exact)
|align="left"|This is the exactly correct equation referred to in the note, "Pro tip - Not all of these are wrong", as shown below and also [http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/140388/how-can-one-prove-cos-pi-7-cos3-pi-7-cos5-pi-7-1-2 here]. If you're still confused, the functions use {{w|radians}}, not {{w|degrees (angle)|degrees}}.
|-
|align="center"|γ(Euler's gamma constant)
|align="center"|e/34 + e/5
|align="center"|0.5772154006 (rounded)
|align="center"|0.5772156649015328606065120900824024310421...
|align="left"|In {{w|mathematics}}, the {{w|Euler-Mascheroni constant}} (Euler gamma constant) is a mysterious number describing the relationship between the {{w|Harmonic series (mathematics)|harmonic series}} and the {{w|natural logarithm}}.
|-
|align="center"|√5
|align="center"|(13 + 4π) / (24 - 4π)
|align="center"|2.2360678094 (rounded)
|align="center"|2.2360679775 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|-
|align="center"|Σ 1/nn
|align="center"|ln(3)e
|align="center"|1.2912987577 (rounded)
|align="center"|1.2912859971 (rounded)
|align="left"|
|}

===Proof===

One of the "approximations" actually is precisely correct: cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2. Here is a proof:

cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7)

* Multiplying by 1 (or by a number divided by itself) leaves the equation unchanged.

= (cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7)) (2sin(π/7)/2sin(π/7))

* The sin(π/7) on the top of the fraction is multiplied through the original equation.

= (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7) + 2cos(3π/7)sin(π/7) + 2cos(5π/7)sin(π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7))

* Use the trigonometric identity 2cos(A)sin(B)=sin(A+B)-sin(A-B) on the 2nd two terms ([2cos(3π/7)sin(π/7)] + {2cos(5π/7)sin(π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7))

= (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7) + [sin(3π/7+π/7) - sin(3π/7-π/7)] + {sin(5π/7+π/7) - sin(5π/7-π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7) + [sin(4π/7) - sin(2π/7)] + {sin(6π/7) - sin(4π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7))

* Use the trigonometric identity 2cos(A)sin(A) = sin(2A) on the first term (2cos(π/7)sin(π/7))

= (sin(2π/7) + [sin(4π/7) - sin(2π/7)] + {sin(6π/7) - sin(4π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (sin(6π/7) + [sin(2π/7) - sin(2π/7)] + {sin(4π/7) - sin(4π/7)}) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (sin(6π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7))

* Note that 6π/7 = (7π - π)/7 = 7π/7 - π/7 = π - π/7.

= (sin(π - π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7))

* Use the trigonometric identity sin(A - B) = sin(A)cos(B) - cos(A)sin(B).
= (sin(π)cos(π/7) - cos(π)sin(π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7))

* Now sin(π) = 0 and cos(π) = -1

= ((0)cos(π/7) - (-1)sin(π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= ((1)sin(π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (sin(π/7)) (1/2sin(π/7)) 
= (sin(π/7)/2sin(π/7)) 
= (1/2) (sin(π/7)/sin(π/7)) 
= 1/2

==Transcript==
:'''A table of slightly wrong equations and identities useful for approximations and/or trolling teachers.'''
:(Found using a mix of trial-and-error, ''Mathematica'', and Robert Munafo's ''Ries'' tool.)
: All units are SI MKS unless otherwise noted.

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
|colspan="2" align="center" | Relation:
|align="center" | Accurate to within:
|-
|align="center" | One light year(m)
|align="center" | 998
|align="center" | one part in 40
|-
|align="center" | Earth Surface(m2)
|align="center" | 698
|align="center" | one part in 130
|-
|align="center" | Ocean's volume(m3)
|align="center" | 919
|align="center" | one part in 70
|-
|align="center" | Seconds in a year
|align="center" | 754
|align="center" | one part in 400
|-
|align="center" | Seconds in a year (rent method)
|align="center" | 525,600 x 60
|align="center" | one part in 1400
|-
|align="center" | Age of the universe (seconds)
|align="center" | 1515
|align="center" | one part in 70
|-
|align="center" | Planck's constant
|align="center" | 1/(30πe)
|align="center" | one part in 110
|-
|align="center" | Fine structure constant
|align="center" | 1/140
|align="center" | [I've had enough of this 137 crap]
|-
|align="center" | Fundamental charge
|align="center" | 3/(14 * πππ)
|align="center" | one part in 500
|-
|align="center"|White House Switchboard
|colspan="2" align="center"|1/ 
π√(e(1 + (e-1)√8))
|-
|align="center"|Jenny's Constant
|colspan="2" align="center"|(7(e/1 - 1/e) - 9) * π2
|-
|colspan="3" align="center"|Intermission: World Population Estimate which should stay current for a decade or two: 
Take the last two digits of the current year

Example: 20[14]

Subtract the number of leap years since hurricane Katrina

Example:14 (minus 2008 and 2012) is 12

Add a decimal point

Example: 1.2

Add 6

Example: 6 + 1.2

7.2 = World population in billions.

Version for US population:

Example: 20[14]

Subtract 10

Example: 4

Multiply by 3

Example: 12

Add 10

Example: 3[22] million
|-
|align="center"|Electron rest energy
|align="center"|e/716 Joules
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|align="center"|Light-year(miles)
|align="center"|2(42.42)
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|sin(60°) = √3/2 = e/π
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|√3 = 2e/π
|align="center"|one part in 1000
|-
|align="center"|gamma(Euler's gamma constant)
|align="center"|1/√3
|align="center"|one part in 4000
|-
|align="center"|Feet in a meter
|align="center"|5/(e√π)
|align="center"|one part in 4000
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|√5 = 2/e + 3/2
|align="center"|one part in 7000
|-
|align="center"|Avogadro's number
|align="center"|69π√5
|align="center"|one part in 25,000
|-
|align="center"|Gravitational constant G
|align="center"|1 / e(pi - 1)(pi + 1)
|align="center"|one part in 25,000
|-
|align="center"|R(gas constant)
|align="center"|(e+1) √5
|align="center"|one part in 50,000
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|6*π5
|align="center"|one part in 50,000
|-
|align="center"|Liters in a gallon
|align="center"|3 + π/4
|align="center"|one part in 500,000
|-
|align="center"|g
|align="center"|6 + ln(45)
|align="center"|one part in 750,000
|-
|align="center"|Proton-electron mass ratio
|align="center"|(e8 - 10) / ϕ
|align="center"|one part in 5,000,000
|-
|align="center"|Ruby laser wavelength
|align="center"|1 / (12002)
|align="center"|[within actual variation]
|-
|align="center"|Mean Earth Radius
|align="center"|(58)*6e
|align="center"|[within actual variation]
|-
|colspan="3" align="center"|Protip - not all of these are wrong:
|-
|colspan="2" align="center"|√2 = 3/5 + π/(7-π)
|align="center"|cos(π/7) + cos(3π/7) + cos(5π/7) = 1/2
|-
|align="center"|γ(Euler's gamma constant) = e/34 + e/5
|align="center"|√5 = (13 + 4π) / (24 - 4π)
|align="center"|Σ 1/nn = ln(3)e
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Protip]]

217: e to the pi Minus pi

2015-06-15T15:47:17Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Rephrase, as many rational numbers also are approximated when represented as floating points

{{comic
| number = 217
| date = January 31, 2007
| title = e to the pi Minus pi
| image = e_to_the_pi_minus_pi.png
| titletext = Also, I hear the 4th root of (9^2 + 19^2/22) is pi.
}}

==Explanation==

''e'' is a mathematical constant roughly equal to 2.71828182846. ''π'' is another, roughly equal to 3.14159265359. Both are {{w|transcendental number}}s.

The first panel discusses {{w|Gelfond's constant|''e''''π''}} - ''π'', which is around 19.999099979 — very close to 20. [[Black Hat]] explains how he tricked a programming team into believing that ''e''''π'' - ''π'' is ''exactly'' 20, and that if the system they were building didn't agree, there were errors in the code. This made them waste a lot of time trying to find a nonexistent bug until they realized that Black Hat was lying (which they could have realized immediately if they had thought through the mathematics).

{{w|Floating point}} numbers are how computers store non-integer real numbers as decimals — or rather, in most cases, approximate them: infinite amounts of data would be required to represent most numbers in decimal form (exceptions are {{w|whole numbers}} and {{w|terminating decimal}}s). The "floating-point handlers" would be the code performing the ''e''''π'' - ''π'' calculation.

ACM is the {{w|Association for Computing Machinery}}, sponsoring the {{w|ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest|International Collegiate Programming Contest}}.

Some random facts about the math here:

* ''e''''π'' - ''π'' is an irrational number, but this is not a trivial fact. It was proven by {{w|Yuri Valentinovich Nesterenko}} in the late 20th century.
* The mysterious almost-equation is believed to be a {{w|mathematical coincidence}}, or a numerical relationship that "just happens" with no satisfactory explanation. It can be rearranged to (π + 20)i ≈ -1, so cos(ln(π + 20)) ≈ -1. Piling on a few more cosines gives cos(π cos(π cos(ln(π + 20)))) ≈ -1, which is off by less than 10−35!

The title text pokes fun at another coincidence: ∜(9² + 19²/22) ≈ 3.1415926525, close to ''π'' (deviating only in the 9th decimal place). The humor comes from the fact that ''π'' is transcendental. Transcendental numbers are numbers that cannot be expressed through basic arithmetic with integers; one cannot end up with the exact value for any transcendental number (including ''π'') by adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, exponentiating and/or taking the nth root of any whole number, meaning the title text cannot possibly be true.

A much later comic, [[1047: Approximations]], puts forth quite a few more mathematical coincidences.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Hey, check it out: e^pi-pi is 19.999099979. That's weird.
:Black Hat: Yeah. That's how I got kicked out of the ACM in college.
:Cueball: ...what?
:Black Hat: During a competition, I told the programmers on our team that e^pi-pi was a standard test of floating-point handlers--it would come out to 20 unless they had rounding errors.
:Cueball: That's awful.
:Black Hat: Yeah, they dug through half their algorithms looking for the bug before they figured it out.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Programming]]

217: e to the pi Minus pi

2015-06-15T15:42:41Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Specify how close; also, pi *is* transcendental.

{{comic
| number = 217
| date = January 31, 2007
| title = e to the pi Minus pi
| image = e_to_the_pi_minus_pi.png
| titletext = Also, I hear the 4th root of (9^2 + 19^2/22) is pi.
}}

==Explanation==

''e'' is a mathematical constant roughly equal to 2.71828182846. ''π'' is another, roughly equal to 3.14159265359. Both are {{w|transcendental number}}s.

The first panel discusses {{w|Gelfond's constant|''e''''π''}} - ''π'', which is around 19.999099979 — very close to 20. [[Black Hat]] explains how he tricked a programming team into believing that ''e''''π'' - ''π'' is ''exactly'' 20, and that if the system they were building didn't agree, there were errors in the code. This made them waste a lot of time trying to find a nonexistent bug until they realized that Black Hat was lying (which they could have realized immediately if they had thought through the mathematics).

{{w|Floating point}} numbers are how computers store non-integer real numbers as decimals — or rather, in the case of non-rational ones, approximate them: a true real, non-rational number requires infinite amounts of data to represent in decimal form. The "floating-point handlers" would be the code performing the ''e''''π'' - ''π'' calculation.

ACM is the {{w|Association for Computing Machinery}}, sponsoring the {{w|ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest|International Collegiate Programming Contest}}.

Some random facts about the math here:

* ''e''''π'' - ''π'' is an irrational number, but this is not a trivial fact. It was proven by {{w|Yuri Valentinovich Nesterenko}} in the late 20th century.
* The mysterious almost-equation is believed to be a {{w|mathematical coincidence}}, or a numerical relationship that "just happens" with no satisfactory explanation. It can be rearranged to (π + 20)i ≈ -1, so cos(ln(π + 20)) ≈ -1. Piling on a few more cosines gives cos(π cos(π cos(ln(π + 20)))) ≈ -1, which is off by less than 10−35!

The title text pokes fun at another coincidence: ∜(9² + 19²/22) ≈ 3.1415926525, close to ''π'' (deviating only in the 9th decimal place). The humor comes from the fact that ''π'' is transcendental. Transcendental numbers are numbers that cannot be expressed through basic arithmetic with integers; one cannot end up with the exact value for any transcendental number (including ''π'') by adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, exponentiating and/or taking the nth root of any whole number, meaning the title text cannot possibly be true.

A much later comic, [[1047: Approximations]], puts forth quite a few more mathematical coincidences.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Hey, check it out: e^pi-pi is 19.999099979. That's weird.
:Black Hat: Yeah. That's how I got kicked out of the ACM in college.
:Cueball: ...what?
:Black Hat: During a competition, I told the programmers on our team that e^pi-pi was a standard test of floating-point handlers--it would come out to 20 unless they had rounding errors.
:Cueball: That's awful.
:Black Hat: Yeah, they dug through half their algorithms looking for the bug before they figured it out.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Programming]]

217: e to the pi Minus pi

2015-06-15T15:24:13Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Correct an error

{{comic
| number = 217
| date = January 31, 2007
| title = e to the pi Minus pi
| image = e_to_the_pi_minus_pi.png
| titletext = Also, I hear the 4th root of (9^2 + 19^2/22) is pi.
}}

==Explanation==

''e'' is a mathematical constant roughly equal to 2.71828182846. ''π'' is another, roughly equal to 3.14159265359. Both are {{w|transcendental number}}s.

The first panel discusses {{w|Gelfond's constant|''e''''π''}} - ''π'', which is around 19.999099979 — very close to 20. [[Black Hat]] explains how he tricked a programming team into believing that ''e''''π'' - ''π'' is ''exactly'' 20, and that if the system they were building didn't agree, there were errors in the code. This made them waste a lot of time trying to find a nonexistent bug until they realized that Black Hat was lying (which they could have realized immediately if they had thought through the mathematics).

{{w|Floating point}} numbers are how computers store non-integer real numbers as decimals — or rather, in the case of non-rational ones, approximate them: a true real, non-rational number requires infinite amounts of data to represent in decimal form. The "floating-point handlers" would be the code performing the ''e''''π'' - ''π'' calculation.

ACM is the {{w|Association for Computing Machinery}}, sponsoring the {{w|ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest|International Collegiate Programming Contest}}.

Some random facts about the math here:

* ''e''''π'' - ''π'' is an irrational number, but this is not a trivial fact. It was proven by {{w|Yuri Valentinovich Nesterenko}} in the late 20th century.
* The mysterious almost-equation is believed to be a {{w|mathematical coincidence}}, or a numerical relationship that "just happens" with no satisfactory explanation. It can be rearranged to (π + 20)i ≈ -1, so cos(ln(π + 20)) ≈ -1. Piling on a few more cosines gives cos(π cos(π cos(ln(π + 20)))) ≈ -1, which is off by less than 10−35!

The title text pokes fun at another coincidence: ∜(9² + 19²/22) ≈ 3.1415926525, close to ''π''. The humor comes from the fact that ''π'' is meant to be transcendental. Transcendental numbers are numbers that cannot be expressed through basic arithmetic with integers; one cannot end up with the exact value for any transcendental number (including ''π'') by adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, exponentiating and/or taking the nth root of any whole number, meaning the title text cannot possibly be true.

A much later comic, [[1047: Approximations]], puts forth quite a few more mathematical coincidences.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Hey, check it out: e^pi-pi is 19.999099979. That's weird.
:Black Hat: Yeah. That's how I got kicked out of the ACM in college.
:Cueball: ...what?
:Black Hat: During a competition, I told the programmers on our team that e^pi-pi was a standard test of floating-point handlers--it would come out to 20 unless they had rounding errors.
:Cueball: That's awful.
:Black Hat: Yeah, they dug through half their algorithms looking for the bug before they figured it out.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Programming]]

1501: Mysteries

2015-03-20T17:47:44Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ in

{{comic
| number = 1501
| date = March 20, 2015
| title = Mysteries
| image = mysteries.png
| titletext = At the bottom left: The mystery of why, when I know I needed to be asleep an hour ago, I decide it's a good time to read through every Wikipedia article in the categories 'Out-of-place artifacts', 'Earth mysteries', 'Anomalous weather', and 'List of people who disappeared mysteriously'.
}}

==Explanation==

The X axis in this graph is weirdness. We assume that the far left is 0% (not that weird) and the far right is 100% (weird as hell).

The Y axis is explainability. We assume that the bottom is 100% (pretty clear) and the top is 0% (no explanation).

Items near the top-right corner (such as the {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370|MH 370}} disappearance) are both mysterious and strange. Items near the bottom-left corner (such as Randall's absent-mindedness regarding ice cream) have a clear explanation and are not really strange either. Items near the top-left corner (such as the meaning of ''{{w|You're So Vain}}'') are mysterious but not really strange. Items near the bottom-right corner (such as the {{w|Dyatlov Pass incident}}) have a clear explanation but are quite strange.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Entry
!Weirdness
!Explainable
!Further Details
|-
|Who Carly Simon is singing about in ''You're So Vain''
|9%
|4%
|The ironically self-referential lyrics of the 1972 song include "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." There has been {{w|You%27re_So_Vain#Subject_of_the_song|much speculation}} regarding the person or persons to whom Simon was referring.
|-
|Lindbergh Baby
|17%
|25%
|The {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping}} was the kidnapping and murder of 20-month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. in 1932. Various {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping#Controversy|conspiracy theories}} surround the event.
|-
|UVB-76
|40%
|23%
|{{w|UVB-76}} is a mysterious shortwave radio station, apparently originating from Russia, that has broadcast a monotonous buzz tone since 1982 with occasional other content.
|-
|Toynbee Tiles
|25%
|34%
|{{w|Toynbee tiles}} are colorful ceramic tiles with cryptic messages that have been found embedded in asphalt in the streets of various midwestern-to-eastern cities in the United States and four South American cities.
|-
|Jimmy Hoffa
|10%
|42%
|{{w|Jimmy Hoffa}} was an American labor union leader who disappeared in 1975. He is widely believed to have been murdered.
|-
|The WOW Signal
|55%
|20%
|The {{w|Wow! signal}} was a strong and clean radio transmission near 1420 MHz received by the Big Ear Radio Observatory at Ohio State University in 1977 that appears to have originated from interstellar space [http://www.universetoday.com/93754/35-years-later-the-wow-signal-still-tantalizes/]. This is the strongest evidence to date of extraterrestrial radio signals.
|-
|Mary Celeste
|70%
|43%
|The ''{{w|Mary Celeste}}'' was a sailing ship found adrift, mysteriously abandoned yet otherwise undisturbed, in 1872. No explanation for these events has ever been determined. Its name has become a watchword for mysteriously abandoned ships.
|-
|DB Cooper
|76%
|20%
|{{w|D. B. Cooper}} was an airplane hijacker who jumped from a plane after successfully extorting a large ransom in 1971. No trace of him was never found. Previously referenced in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]].
|-
|Salish Sea Feet
|96%
|31%
|Over a dozen dismembered human feet {{w|Salish Sea human foot discoveries|were found}} between 2007 and 2014 on the coasts of the Salish Sea in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington (United States).
|-
|Lead Masks Case
|99%
|12%
|In 1966 two Brazilian electricians were found dead on a hill top. No injuries. {{w|Lead Masks Case|Both were wearing lead masks}}.
|-
|MH370
|100%
|0%
|On 8 March 2014, {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}} cut off radio contact and diverted from its flight path with 227 passengers aboard, eventually heading over open ocean towards Antarctica. No trace has been found.
|-
|Voynich Manuscript
|35%
|68%
|The {{w|Voynich manuscript}} is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. It came to public attention in the early 20th century and probably was written in Italy in the early 15th century. See also [[593: Voynich Manuscript]].
|-
|Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer
|0%
|96%
|Apparently, Randall absent-mindedly puts his ice cream container into the refrigerator rather than into the freezer.
|-
|JFK
|38%
|86%
|The 1963 {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy}} has inspired many conspiracy theories, beginning almost immediately after the event. The subsequent murder of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald added fuel to the fire by encouraging speculation that he was silenced to cover up the true story.
|-
|Oak Island Money Pit
|32%
|98%
|An indentation in the ground on {{w|Oak Island}} (off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada), led to over 200 years of treasure hunting, with the excavations repeatedly hampered by flooding pit collapses. A few flagstones, and periodic layers of logs are all that have been found. Rumours abound as to what it conceals: Marie Antoinnette's jewels, pirate treasure and Shakespeare's manuscripts have all been suggested. It is called The Money Pit, because of all the money that has been wasted in trying to solve the mystery.
|-
|Zodiac Letters
|62%
|62%
|A set of letters were written by the so-called {{w|Zodiac Killer}}, a serial killer who was active in California in the 1960s and 1970s. The letters are available at [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer_letters Wikisource]. Some of the letters are encoded, only some of which have been deciphered. The killings remain unsolved.
|-
|Amelia Earhart
|56%
|74%
|{{w|Amelia Earhart}} and her navigator tried to circumnavigate the earth along the equator in a small airplane in 1937, but {{w|Amelia Earhart#Speculation on disappearance|disappeared}} over the Pacific Ocean without any trace.
|-
|Lost Colony
|74%
|83%
|The {{w|Roanoke Colony}} was the first English attempt to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. The colony of over a hundred settlers disappeared some time in the late 1580s, with no signs of violence and few clear clues as to what happened. An oft cited oddity is the word "Croatoan" carved into a fencepost.
|-
|Bigfoot
|60%
|98%
|{{w|Bigfoot}} is a supposed animal or hominid that reputedly inhabits the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
|-
|Loch Ness Monster
|64%
|100%
|The {{w|Loch Ness Monster}} is a supposed animal that reputedly inhabits Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland.
|-
|Kentucky Meat Shower
|85%
|93%
|In 1876, a number of chunks of meat {{w|Kentucky meat shower|fell from the sky}} in Kentucky; this was possibly projectile vomit from vultures [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2014/12/01/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/].
|-
|Dyatlov Pass Incident
|93%
|96%
|On 2 February 1959, nine skiers in the northern Ural Mountains apparently {{w|Dyatlov Pass Incident|fled their tents without taking time to put on winter clothing}}. They were found dead, some with physical injuries. There are in fact a number of theories regarding this event, and it is not clear which one Randall regards as being obviously correct.
|}

The title text refers to Randall staying up late to read Wikipedia articles, which is apparently not very unusual for him and has an obvious explanation (following up on an idea that eventually led to today's cartoon).

See also [[950: Mystery Solved]] where Randall "solves" Amelia Earhart, Lost Roanoke Colony, Jimmy Hoffa and also {{w|Franklin's lost expedition}}.

==Transcript==

{{comic discussion}}

1501: Mysteries

2015-03-20T17:45:12Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ More

{{comic
| number = 1501
| date = March 20, 2015
| title = Mysteries
| image = mysteries.png
| titletext = At the bottom left: The mystery of why, when I know I needed to be asleep an hour ago, I decide it's a good time to read through every Wikipedia article in the categories 'Out-of-place artifacts', 'Earth mysteries', 'Anomalous weather', and 'List of people who disappeared mysteriously'.
}}

==Explanation==

The X axis in this graph is weirdness. We assume that the far left is 0% (not that weird) and the far right is 100% (weird as hell).

The Y axis is explainability. We assume that the bottom is 100% (pretty clear) and the top is 0% (no explanation).

Items near the top-right corner (such as the {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370|MH 370}} disappearance) are both mysterious and strange. Items near the bottom-left corner (such as Randall's absent-mindedness regarding ice cream) have a clear explanation and are not really strange either. Items near the top-left corner (such as the meaning of ''{{w|You're So Vain}}'') are mysterious but not really strange. Items near the bottom-right corner (such as the {{w|Dyatlov Pass incident}}) have a clear explanation but are quite strange.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Entry
!Weirdness
!Explainable
!Further Details
|-
|Who Carly Simon is singing about in ''You're So Vain''
|9%
|4%
|The ironically self-referential lyrics of the 1972 song include "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." There has been {{w|You%27re_So_Vain#Subject_of_the_song|much speculation}} regarding the person or persons to whom Simon was referring.
|-
|Lindbergh Baby
|17%
|25%
|The {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping}} was the kidnapping and murder of 20-month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. in 1932. Various {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping#Controversy|conspiracy theories}} surround the event.
|-
|UVB-76
|40%
|23%
|{{w|UVB-76}} is a mysterious shortwave radio station, apparently originating from Russia, that has broadcast a monotonous buzz tone since 1982 with occasional other content.
|-
|Toynbee Tiles
|25%
|34%
|{{w|Toynbee tiles}} are colorful ceramic tiles with cryptic messages that have been found embedded in asphalt in the streets of various midwestern-to-eastern cities in the United States and four South American cities.
|-
|Jimmy Hoffa
|10%
|42%
|{{w|Jimmy Hoffa}} was an American labor union leader who disappeared in 1975. He is widely believed to have been murdered.
|-
|The WOW Signal
|55%
|20%
|The {{w|Wow! signal}} was a strong and clean radio transmission near 1420 MHz received by the Big Ear Radio Observatory at Ohio State University in 1977 that appears to have originated from interstellar space [http://www.universetoday.com/93754/35-years-later-the-wow-signal-still-tantalizes/]. This is the strongest evidence to date of extraterrestrial radio signals.
|-
|Mary Celeste
|70%
|43%
|The ''{{w|Mary Celeste}}'' was a sailing ship found adrift, mysteriously abandoned yet otherwise undisturbed, in 1872. No explanation for these events has ever been determined. Its name has become a watchword for mysteriously abandoned ships.
|-
|DB Cooper
|76%
|20%
|{{w|D. B. Cooper}} was an airplane hijacker who jumped from a plane after successfully extorting a large ransom in 1971. No trace of him was never found. Previously referenced in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]].
|-
|Salish Sea Feet
|96%
|31%
|Over a dozen dismembered human feet {{w|Salish Sea human foot discoveries|were found}} between 2007 and 2014 on the coasts of the Salish Sea in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington (United States).
|-
|Lead Masks Case
|99%
|12%
|In 1966 two Brazilian electricians were found dead on a hill top. No injuries. {{w|Lead Masks Case|Both were wearing lead masks}}.
|-
|MH370
|100%
|0%
|On 8 March 2014, {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}} cut off radio contact and diverted from its flight path with 227 passengers aboard, eventually heading over open ocean towards Antarctica. No trace has been found.
|-
|Voynich Manuscript
|35%
|68%
|The {{w|Voynich manuscript}} is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. It came to public attention in the early 20th century and probably was written Italy in the early 15th century. See also [[593: Voynich Manuscript]].
|-
|Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer
|0%
|96%
|Apparently, Randall absent-mindedly puts his ice cream container into the refrigerator rather than into the freezer.
|-
|JFK
|38%
|86%
|The 1963 {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy}} has inspired many conspiracy theories, beginning almost immediately after the event. The subsequent murder of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald added fuel to the fire by encouraging speculation that he was silenced to cover up the true story.
|-
|Oak Island Money Pit
|32%
|98%
|An indentation in the ground on {{w|Oak Island}} (off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada), led to over 200 years of treasure hunting, with the excavations repeatedly hampered by flooding pit collapses. A few flagstones, and periodic layers of logs are all that have been found. Rumours abound as to what it conceals: Marie Antoinnette's jewels, pirate treasure and Shakespeare's manuscripts have all been suggested. It is called The Money Pit, because of all the money that has been wasted in trying to solve the mystery.
|-
|Zodiac Letters
|62%
|62%
|A set of letters were written by the so-called {{w|Zodiac Killer}}, a serial killer who was active in California in the 1960s and 1970s. The letters are available at [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer_letters Wikisource]. Some of the letters are encoded, only some of which have been deciphered. The killings remain unsolved.
|-
|Amelia Earhart
|56%
|74%
|{{w|Amelia Earhart}} and her navigator tried to circumnavigate the earth along the equator in a small airplane in 1937, but {{w|Amelia Earhart#Speculation on disappearance|disappeared}} over the Pacific Ocean without any trace.
|-
|Lost Colony
|74%
|83%
|The {{w|Roanoke Colony}} was the first English attempt to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. The colony of over a hundred settlers disappeared some time in the late 1580s, with no signs of violence and few clear clues as to what happened. An oft cited oddity is the word "Croatoan" carved into a fencepost.
|-
|Bigfoot
|60%
|98%
|{{w|Bigfoot}} is a supposed animal or hominid that reputedly inhabits the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
|-
|Loch Ness Monster
|64%
|100%
|The {{w|Loch Ness Monster}} is a supposed animal that reputedly inhabits Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland.
|-
|Kentucky Meat Shower
|85%
|93%
|In 1876, a number of chunks of meat {{w|Kentucky meat shower|fell from the sky}} in Kentucky; this was possibly projectile vomit from vultures [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2014/12/01/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/].
|-
|Dyatlov Pass Incident
|93%
|96%
|On 2 February 1959, nine skiers in the northern Ural Mountains apparently {{w|Dyatlov Pass Incident|fled their tents without taking time to put on winter clothing}}. They were found dead, some with physical injuries. There are in fact a number of theories regarding this event, and it is not clear which one Randall regards as being obviously correct.
|}

The title text refers to Randall staying up late to read Wikipedia articles, which is apparently not very unusual for him and has an obvious explanation (following up on an idea that eventually led to today's cartoon).

See also [[950: Mystery Solved]] where Randall "solves" Amelia Earhart, Lost Roanoke Colony, Jimmy Hoffa and also {{w|Franklin's lost expedition}}.

==Transcript==

{{comic discussion}}

1501: Mysteries

2015-03-20T17:40:43Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ 1972

{{comic
| number = 1501
| date = March 20, 2015
| title = Mysteries
| image = mysteries.png
| titletext = At the bottom left: The mystery of why, when I know I needed to be asleep an hour ago, I decide it's a good time to read through every Wikipedia article in the categories 'Out-of-place artifacts', 'Earth mysteries', 'Anomalous weather', and 'List of people who disappeared mysteriously'.
}}

==Explanation==

The X axis in this graph is weirdness. We assume that the far left is 0% (not that weird) and the far right is 100% (weird as hell).

The Y axis is explainability. We assume that the bottom is 100% (pretty clear) and the top is 0% (no explanation).

Items near the top-right corner (such as the {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370|MH 370}} disappearance) are both mysterious and strange. Items near the bottom-left corner (such as Randall's absent-mindedness regarding ice cream) have a clear explanation and are not really strange either. Items near the top-left corner (such as the meaning of ''{{w|You're So Vain}}'') are mysterious but not really strange. Items near the bottom-right corner (such as the {{w|Dyatlov Pass incident}}) have a clear explanation but are quite strange.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Entry
!Weirdness
!Explainable
!Further Details
|-
|Who Carly Simon is singing about in ''You're So Vain''
|9%
|4%
|The ironically self-referential lyrics of the 1972 song include "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." There has been {{w|You%27re_So_Vain#Subject_of_the_song|much speculation}} regarding the person or persons to whom Simon was referring.
|-
|Lindbergh Baby
|17%
|25%
|The {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping}} was the kidnapping and murder of 20-month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. in 1932. Various {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping#Controversy|conspiracy theories}} surround the event.
|-
|UVB-76
|40%
|23%
|{{w|UVB-76}} is a mysterious shortwave radio station, apparently originating from Russia, that has broadcast a monotonous buzz tone since 1982 with occasional other content.
|-
|Toynbee Tiles
|25%
|34%
|{{w|Toynbee tiles}} are colorful ceramic tiles with cryptic messages that have been found embedded in asphalt in the streets of various midwestern-to-eastern cities in the United States and four South American cities.
|-
|Jimmy Hoffa
|10%
|42%
|{{w|Jimmy Hoffa}} was an American labor union leader who disappeared in 1975. He is widely believed to have been murdered.
|-
|The WOW Signal
|55%
|20%
|The {{w|Wow! signal}} was a strong and clean radio transmission near 1420 MHz received by the Big Ear Radio Observatory at Ohio State University in 1977 that appears to have originated from interstellar space [http://www.universetoday.com/93754/35-years-later-the-wow-signal-still-tantalizes/]. This is the strongest evidence to date of extraterrestrial radio signals.
|-
|Mary Celeste
|70%
|43%
|The ''{{w|Mary Celeste}}'' was a sailing ship found adrift, mysteriously abandoned yet otherwise undisturbed, in 1872. No explanation for these events has ever been determined. Its name has become a watchword for mysteriously abandoned ships.
|-
|DB Cooper
|76%
|20%
|{{w|D. B. Cooper}} was an airplane hijacker who jumped from a plane after successfully extorting a large ransom and was never found. Previously referenced in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]].
|-
|Salish Sea Feet
|96%
|31%
|Over a dozen dismembered human feet {{w|Salish Sea human foot discoveries|were found}} between 2007 and 2014 on the coasts of the Salish Sea in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington (United States).
|-
|Lead Masks Case
|99%
|12%
|In 1966 two Brazilian electricians were found dead on a hill top. No injuries. {{w|Lead Masks Case|Both were wearing lead masks}}.
|-
|MH370
|100%
|0%
|On 8 March 2014, {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}} cut off radio contact and diverted from its flight path with 227 passengers aboard, eventually heading over open ocean towards Antarctica. No trace has been found.
|-
|Voynich Manuscript
|35%
|68%
|The {{w|Voynich manuscript}} is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. See also [[593: Voynich Manuscript]].
|-
|Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer
|0%
|96%
|Apparently, Randall absent-mindedly puts his ice cream container into the refrigerator rather than into the freezer.
|-
|JFK
|38%
|86%
|The 1963 {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy}} has inspired many conspiracy theories, beginning almost immediately after the event. The subsequent murder of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald added fuel to the fire by encouraging speculation that he was silenced to cover up the true story.
|-
|Oak Island Money Pit
|32%
|98%
|An indentation in the ground on {{w|Oak Island}} (off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada), led to over 200 years of treasure hunting, with the excavations repeatedly hampered by flooding pit collapses. A few flagstones, and periodic layers of logs are all that have been found. Rumours abound as to what it conceals: Marie Antoinnette's jewels, pirate treasure and Shakespeare's manuscripts have all been suggested. It is called The Money Pit, because of all the money that has been wasted in trying to solve the mystery.
|-
|Zodiac Letters
|62%
|62%
|A set of letters were written by the so-called {{w|Zodiac Killer}}, a serial killer who was active in California in the 1960s and 1970s. The letters are available at [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer_letters Wikisource]. Some of the letters are encoded, only some of which have been deciphered. The killings remain unsolved.
|-
|Amelia Earhart
|56%
|74%
|{{w|Amelia Earhart}} and her navigator tried to circumnavigate the earth along the equator in a small airplane in 1937, but {{w|Amelia Earhart#Speculation on disappearance|disappeared}} over the Pacific Ocean without any trace.
|-
|Lost Colony
|74%
|83%
|The {{w|Roanoke Colony}} was the first English attempt to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. The colony of over a hundred settlers disappeared some time in the late 1580s, with no signs of violence and few clear clues as to what happened. An oft cited oddity is the word "Croatoan" carved into a fencepost.
|-
|Bigfoot
|60%
|98%
|{{w|Bigfoot}} is a supposed animal or hominid that reputedly inhabits the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
|-
|Loch Ness Monster
|64%
|100%
|The {{w|Loch Ness Monster}} is a supposed animal that reputedly inhabits Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland.
|-
|Kentucky Meat Shower
|85%
|93%
|In 1876, a number of chunks of meat {{w|Kentucky meat shower|fell from the sky}} in Kentucky; this was possibly projectile vomit from vultures [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2014/12/01/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/].
|-
|Dyatlov Pass Incident
|93%
|96%
|On 2 February 1959, nine skiers in the northern Ural Mountains apparently {{w|Dyatlov Pass Incident|fled their tents without taking time to put on winter clothing}}. They were found dead, some with physical injuries. There are in fact a number of theories regarding this event, and it is not clear which one Randall regards as being obviously correct.
|}

The title text refers to Randall staying up late to read Wikipedia articles, which is apparently not very unusual for him and has an obvious explanation (following up on an idea that eventually led to today's cartoon).

See also [[950: Mystery Solved]] where Randall "solves" Amelia Earhart, Lost Roanoke Colony, Jimmy Hoffa and also {{w|Franklin's lost expedition}}.

==Transcript==

{{comic discussion}}

1501: Mysteries

2015-03-20T17:39:58Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Focus on comic

{{comic
| number = 1501
| date = March 20, 2015
| title = Mysteries
| image = mysteries.png
| titletext = At the bottom left: The mystery of why, when I know I needed to be asleep an hour ago, I decide it's a good time to read through every Wikipedia article in the categories 'Out-of-place artifacts', 'Earth mysteries', 'Anomalous weather', and 'List of people who disappeared mysteriously'.
}}

==Explanation==

The X axis in this graph is weirdness. We assume that the far left is 0% (not that weird) and the far right is 100% (weird as hell).

The Y axis is explainability. We assume that the bottom is 100% (pretty clear) and the top is 0% (no explanation).

Items near the top-right corner (such as the {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370|MH 370}} disappearance) are both mysterious and strange. Items near the bottom-left corner (such as Randall's absent-mindedness regarding ice cream) have a clear explanation and are not really strange either. Items near the top-left corner (such as the meaning of ''{{w|You're So Vain}}'') are mysterious but not really strange. Items near the bottom-right corner (such as the {{w|Dyatlov Pass incident}}) have a clear explanation but are quite strange.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Entry
!Weirdness
!Explainable
!Further Details
|-
|Who Carly Simon is singing about in ''You're So Vain''
|9%
|4%
|The ironically self-referential lyrics of the song include "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you." There has been {{w|You%27re_So_Vain#Subject_of_the_song|much speculation}} regarding the person or persons to whom Simon was referring.
|-
|Lindbergh Baby
|17%
|25%
|The {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping}} was the kidnapping and murder of 20-month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. in 1932. Various {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping#Controversy|conspiracy theories}} surround the event.
|-
|UVB-76
|40%
|23%
|{{w|UVB-76}} is a mysterious shortwave radio station, apparently originating from Russia, that has broadcast a monotonous buzz tone since 1982 with occasional other content.
|-
|Toynbee Tiles
|25%
|34%
|{{w|Toynbee tiles}} are colorful ceramic tiles with cryptic messages that have been found embedded in asphalt in the streets of various midwestern-to-eastern cities in the United States and four South American cities.
|-
|Jimmy Hoffa
|10%
|42%
|{{w|Jimmy Hoffa}} was an American labor union leader who disappeared in 1975. He is widely believed to have been murdered.
|-
|The WOW Signal
|55%
|20%
|The {{w|Wow! signal}} was a strong and clean radio transmission near 1420 MHz received by the Big Ear Radio Observatory at Ohio State University in 1977 that appears to have originated from interstellar space [http://www.universetoday.com/93754/35-years-later-the-wow-signal-still-tantalizes/]. This is the strongest evidence to date of extraterrestrial radio signals.
|-
|Mary Celeste
|70%
|43%
|The ''{{w|Mary Celeste}}'' was a sailing ship found adrift, mysteriously abandoned yet otherwise undisturbed, in 1872. No explanation for these events has ever been determined. Its name has become a watchword for mysteriously abandoned ships.
|-
|DB Cooper
|76%
|20%
|{{w|D. B. Cooper}} was an airplane hijacker who jumped from a plane after successfully extorting a large ransom and was never found. Previously referenced in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]].
|-
|Salish Sea Feet
|96%
|31%
|Over a dozen dismembered human feet {{w|Salish Sea human foot discoveries|were found}} between 2007 and 2014 on the coasts of the Salish Sea in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington (United States).
|-
|Lead Masks Case
|99%
|12%
|In 1966 two Brazilian electricians were found dead on a hill top. No injuries. {{w|Lead Masks Case|Both were wearing lead masks}}.
|-
|MH370
|100%
|0%
|On 8 March 2014, {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}} cut off radio contact and diverted from its flight path with 227 passengers aboard, eventually heading over open ocean towards Antarctica. No trace has been found.
|-
|Voynich Manuscript
|35%
|68%
|The {{w|Voynich manuscript}} is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. See also [[593: Voynich Manuscript]].
|-
|Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer
|0%
|96%
|Apparently, Randall absent-mindedly puts his ice cream container into the refrigerator rather than into the freezer.
|-
|JFK
|38%
|86%
|The 1963 {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy}} has inspired many conspiracy theories, beginning almost immediately after the event. The subsequent murder of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald added fuel to the fire by encouraging speculation that he was silenced to cover up the true story.
|-
|Oak Island Money Pit
|32%
|98%
|An indentation in the ground on {{w|Oak Island}} (off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada), led to over 200 years of treasure hunting, with the excavations repeatedly hampered by flooding pit collapses. A few flagstones, and periodic layers of logs are all that have been found. Rumours abound as to what it conceals: Marie Antoinnette's jewels, pirate treasure and Shakespeare's manuscripts have all been suggested. It is called The Money Pit, because of all the money that has been wasted in trying to solve the mystery.
|-
|Zodiac Letters
|62%
|62%
|A set of letters were written by the so-called {{w|Zodiac Killer}}, a serial killer who was active in California in the 1960s and 1970s. The letters are available at [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer_letters Wikisource]. Some of the letters are encoded, only some of which have been deciphered. The killings remain unsolved.
|-
|Amelia Earhart
|56%
|74%
|{{w|Amelia Earhart}} and her navigator tried to circumnavigate the earth along the equator in a small airplane in 1937, but {{w|Amelia Earhart#Speculation on disappearance|disappeared}} over the Pacific Ocean without any trace.
|-
|Lost Colony
|74%
|83%
|The {{w|Roanoke Colony}} was the first English attempt to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. The colony of over a hundred settlers disappeared some time in the late 1580s, with no signs of violence and few clear clues as to what happened. An oft cited oddity is the word "Croatoan" carved into a fencepost.
|-
|Bigfoot
|60%
|98%
|{{w|Bigfoot}} is a supposed animal or hominid that reputedly inhabits the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
|-
|Loch Ness Monster
|64%
|100%
|The {{w|Loch Ness Monster}} is a supposed animal that reputedly inhabits Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland.
|-
|Kentucky Meat Shower
|85%
|93%
|In 1876, a number of chunks of meat {{w|Kentucky meat shower|fell from the sky}} in Kentucky; this was possibly projectile vomit from vultures [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2014/12/01/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/].
|-
|Dyatlov Pass Incident
|93%
|96%
|On 2 February 1959, nine skiers in the northern Ural Mountains apparently {{w|Dyatlov Pass Incident|fled their tents without taking time to put on winter clothing}}. They were found dead, some with physical injuries. There are in fact a number of theories regarding this event, and it is not clear which one Randall regards as being obviously correct.
|}

The title text refers to Randall staying up late to read Wikipedia articles, which is apparently not very unusual for him and has an obvious explanation (following up on an idea that eventually led to today's cartoon).

See also [[950: Mystery Solved]] where Randall "solves" Amelia Earhart, Lost Roanoke Colony, Jimmy Hoffa and also {{w|Franklin's lost expedition}}.

==Transcript==

{{comic discussion}}

1501: Mysteries

2015-03-20T17:35:21Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ More

{{comic
| number = 1501
| date = March 20, 2015
| title = Mysteries
| image = mysteries.png
| titletext = At the bottom left: The mystery of why, when I know I needed to be asleep an hour ago, I decide it's a good time to read through every Wikipedia article in the categories 'Out-of-place artifacts', 'Earth mysteries', 'Anomalous weather', and 'List of people who disappeared mysteriously'.
}}

==Explanation==

The X axis in this graph is weirdness. We assume that the far left is 0% (not that weird) and the far right is 100% (weird as hell).

The Y axis is explainability. We assume that the bottom is 100% (pretty clear) and the top is 0% (no explanation).

Items near the top-right corner (such as the {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370|MH 370}} disappearance) are both mysterious and strange. Items near the bottom-left corner (such as Randall's absent-mindedness regarding ice cream) have a clear explanation and are not really strange either. Items near the top-left corner (such as the meaning of ''{{w|You're So Vain}}'') are mysterious but not really strange. Items near the bottom-right corner (such as the {{w|Dyatlov Pass incident}}) have a clear explanation but are quite strange.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Entry
!Weirdness
!Explainable
!Further Details
|-
|Who Carly Simon is singing about in ''You're So Vain''
|9%
|4%
|The lyrics of the song include "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you". While this wording, almost certainly intentional, seems to suggest that the vain subject of the song is wrong in thinking that the song is about them, they are in fact the subject of the song. Carly is therefore technically suggesting that the subject's vanity will lead them to a correct interpretation of the song. {{w|You%27re_So_Vain#Subject_of_the_song|Wikipedia article describing possible interpretations of the songs subject}}.
|-
|Lindbergh Baby
|17%
|25%
|The {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping}} was the kidnapping and murder of 20-month old Charles Lindbergh Jr. in 1932. Various {{w|Lindbergh kidnapping#Controversy|conspiracy theories}} surround the event.
|-
|UVB-76
|40%
|23%
|{{w|UVB-76}} is a mysterious shortwave radio station, apparently originating from Russia, that has broadcast a monotonous buzz tone since 1982 with occasional other content.
|-
|Toynbee Tiles
|25%
|34%
|{{w|Toynbee tiles}} are colorful ceramic tiles with cryptic messages that have been found embedded in asphalt in the streets of various midwestern-to-eastern cities in the United States and four South American cities.
|-
|Jimmy Hoffa
|10%
|42%
|{{w|Jimmy Hoffa}} was an American labor union leader who disappeared in 1975. He is widely believed to have been murdered.
|-
|The WOW Signal
|55%
|20%
|The {{w|Wow! signal}} was a strong and clean radio transmission near 1420 MHz received by the Big Ear Radio Observatory at Ohio State University in 1977 that appears to have originated from interstellar space [http://www.universetoday.com/93754/35-years-later-the-wow-signal-still-tantalizes/]. This is the strongest evidence to date of extraterrestrial radio signals.
|-
|Mary Celeste
|70%
|43%
|The ''{{w|Mary Celeste}}'' was a sailing ship found adrift, mysteriously abandoned yet otherwise undisturbed, in 1872. No explanation for these events has ever been determined. Its name has become a watchword for mysteriously abandoned ships.
|-
|DB Cooper
|76%
|20%
|{{w|D. B. Cooper}} was an airplane hijacker who jumped from a plane after successfully extorting a large ransom and was never found. Previously referenced in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]].
|-
|Salish Sea Feet
|96%
|31%
|Over a dozen dismembered human feet {{w|Salish Sea human foot discoveries|were found}} between 2007 and 2014 on the coasts of the Salish Sea in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington (United States).
|-
|Lead Masks Case
|99%
|12%
|In 1966 two Brazilian electricians were found dead on a hill top. No injuries. {{w|Lead Masks Case|Both were wearing lead masks}}.
|-
|MH370
|100%
|0%
|On 8 March 2014, {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}} cut off radio contact and diverted from its flight path with 227 passengers aboard, eventually heading over open ocean towards Antarctica. No trace has been found.
|-
|Voynich Manuscript
|35%
|68%
|The {{w|Voynich manuscript}} is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. See also [[593: Voynich Manuscript]].
|-
|Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer
|0%
|96%
|Apparently, Randall absent-mindedly puts his ice cream container into the refrigerator rather than into the freezer.
|-
|JFK
|38%
|86%
|The 1963 {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy}} has inspired many conspiracy theories, beginning almost immediately after the event. The subsequent murder of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald added fuel to the fire by encouraging speculation that he was silenced to cover up the true story.
|-
|Oak Island Money Pit
|32%
|98%
|An indentation in the ground on {{w|Oak Island}} (off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada), led to over 200 years of treasure hunting, with the excavations repeatedly hampered by flooding pit collapses. A few flagstones, and periodic layers of logs are all that have been found. Rumours abound as to what it conceals: Marie Antoinnette's jewels, pirate treasure and Shakespeare's manuscripts have all been suggested. It is called The Money Pit, because of all the money that has been wasted in trying to solve the mystery.
|-
|Zodiac Letters
|62%
|62%
|A set of letters were written by the so-called {{w|Zodiac Killer}}, a serial killer who was active in California in the 1960s and 1970s. The letters are available at [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer_letters Wikisource]. Some of the letters are encoded, only some of which have been deciphered. The killings remain unsolved.
|-
|Amelia Earhart
|56%
|74%
|{{w|Amelia Earhart}} and her navigator tried to circumnavigate the earth along the equator in a small airplane in 1937, but {{w|Amelia Earhart#Speculation on disappearance|disappeared}} over the Pacific Ocean without any trace.
|-
|Lost Colony
|74%
|83%
|The {{w|Roanoke Colony}} was the first English attempt to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. The colony of over a hundred settlers disappeared some time in the late 1580s, with no signs of violence and few clear clues as to what happened. An oft cited oddity is the word "Croatoan" carved into a fencepost.
|-
|Bigfoot
|60%
|98%
|{{w|Bigfoot}} is a supposed animal or hominid that reputedly inhabits the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
|-
|Loch Ness Monster
|64%
|100%
|The {{w|Loch Ness Monster}} is a supposed animal that reputedly inhabits Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland.
|-
|Kentucky Meat Shower
|85%
|93%
|In 1876, a number of chunks of meat {{w|Kentucky meat shower|fell from the sky}} in Kentucky; this was possibly projectile vomit from vultures [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2014/12/01/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/].
|-
|Dyatlov Pass Incident
|93%
|96%
|On 2 February 1959, nine skiers in the northern Ural Mountains apparently {{w|Dyatlov Pass Incident|fled their tents without taking time to put on winter clothing}}. They were found dead, some with physical injuries. There are in fact a number of theories regarding this event, and it is not clear which one Randall regards as being obviously correct.
|}

The title text refers to Randall staying up late to read Wikipedia articles, which is apparently not very unusual for him and has an obvious explanation (following up on an idea that eventually led to today's cartoon).

See also [[950: Mystery Solved]] where Randall "solves" Amelia Earhart, Lost Roanoke Colony, Jimmy Hoffa and also {{w|Franklin's lost expedition}}.

==Transcript==

{{comic discussion}}

217: e to the pi Minus pi

2015-03-15T02:34:54Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ could have realized immediately

{{comic
| number = 217
| date = January 31, 2007
| title = e to the pi Minus pi
| image = e_to_the_pi_minus_pi.png
| titletext = Also, I hear the 4th root of (9^2 + 19^2/22) is pi.
}}

==Explanation==

''e'' is a mathematical constant roughly equal to 2.71828182846. ''π'' is another, roughly equal to 3.14159265359. Both are {{w|transcendental number}}s.

The first panel discusses {{w|Gelfond's constant|''e''''π''}} - ''π'', which is around 19.999099979 — very close to 20. [[Black Hat]] explains how he tricked a programming team into believing that ''e''''π'' - ''π'' is ''exactly'' 20, and that if the system they were building didn't agree, there were errors in the code. This made them waste a lot of time trying to find a nonexistent bug until they realized that Black Hat was lying (which they could have realized immediately if they had thought through the mathematics).

{{w|Floating point}} numbers are how computers store real numbers — or rather, approximate them: a true real number requires infinite amounts of data to represent. The "floating-point handlers" would be the code performing the ''e''''π'' - ''π'' calculation.

ACM is the {{w|Association for Computing Machinery}}, sponsoring the {{w|ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest|International Collegiate Programming Contest}}.

Some random facts about the math here:

* ''e''''π'' - ''π'' is an irrational number, but this is not a trivial fact. It was proven by {{w|Yuri Valentinovich Nesterenko}} in the late 20th century.
* The mysterious almost-equation is believed to be a {{w|mathematical coincidence}}, or a numerical relationship that "just happens" with no satisfactory explanation. It can be rearranged to (π + 20)i ≈ -i, so cos(ln(π + 20)) ≈ -1. Piling on a few more cosines gives cos(π cos(π cos(ln(π + 20)))) ≈ -1, which is off by less than 10−35!

The title text pokes fun at another coincidence: ∜(9² + 19²/22) ≈ 3.1415926525, close to ''π''. The humor comes from the fact that ''π'' is meant to be transcendental. Transcendental numbers are numbers that cannot be expressed through basic arithmetic with integers; one cannot end up with the exact value for any transcendental number (including ''π'') by adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, exponentiating and/or taking the nth root of any whole number, meaning the title text cannot possibly be true.

A much later comic, [[1047: Approximations]], puts forth quite a few more mathematical coincidences.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Hey, check it out: e^pi-pi is 19.999099979. That's weird.
:Black Hat: Yeah. That's how I got kicked out of the ACM in college.
:Cueball: ...what?
:Black Hat: During a competition, I told the programmers on our team that e^pi-pi was a standard test of floating-point handlers--it would come out to 20 unless they had rounding errors.
:Cueball: That's awful.
:Black Hat: Yeah, they dug through half their algorithms looking for the bug before they figured it out.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Programming]]

1456: On the Moon

2014-12-05T19:24:01Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ usually

{{comic
| number = 1456
| date = December 5, 2014
| title = On the Moon
| image = on_the_moon.png
| titletext = "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Venus and returning him safely to--" [an aide frantically whispers in the president's ear for a moment] "... of landing a man on Venus."
}}

==Explanation==
The phrase "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we <blank>" is commonly used to question a perceived shortcoming of some company, government or humanity in general. The {{w|Apollo program}} landed {{w|List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon|twelve astronauts}} on the {{w|Moon}} in six landing missions from July 1968 to December 1972 and returned all of them safely to the Earth. The premise is usually that, if "we" (whether referring generally to humanity, or specifically to the United States) have been able to achieve this extraordinary feat, our inability to achieve some lesser goal is questionable and/or ironic.

Here, Megan cuts Cueball's argument's short by implicitly reminding him that humanity has not put another human on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972 (nearly 42 years at the time this comic was published). New manned programs to return to the Moon, such as the {{w|Constellation Program}}, have been repeatedly cancelled. The {{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion spacecraft}}, which will be capable of carrying humans beyond {{w|low Earth orbit}} for the first time in over 40 years, executed its first test flight on the day after this comic was published, but NASA and the U.S. government still lack a coherent vision for manned spaceflight to the Moon or any other destination beyond low Earth orbit.

Megan's comment might be read as repeating Cueball's comment in a questioning fashion, effectively saying, "It is really true that we can land a man on the Moon?" Or it might be read as completing Cueball's sentence so that it reads, "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we land a man on the Moon?"

The title text is a retelling of {{w|John F. Kennedy|President Kennedy's}} famous inspirational [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx address to the US Congress in May 1961] ("I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth"), which set into motion the Apollo program, except that this time, the speaker is talking about putting a man on planet {{w|Venus}}. The aide presumably explains to the president that the surface of Venus is such a hostile place (due to factors including high temperature, crushing atmospheric pressure, strong winds, sulfuric acid rains and lakes, etc.) that it is unlikely that anybody could land there and come back alive. Even unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only {{w|Venera|a couple of hours at most}}. As a result, the president backtracks from the goal of returning the astronauts safely to the Earth and comically limits the aspiration to landing an astronaut on Venus, full stop, without regard to the astronaut's safety.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: If we could land a man on the Moon, why can't we -
:Megan: -land a man on the Moon?
:Cueball: ...ok, fair. But we're working on it, OK?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1456: On the Moon

2014-12-05T19:22:31Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ More context and links

{{comic
| number = 1456
| date = December 5, 2014
| title = On the Moon
| image = on_the_moon.png
| titletext = "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Venus and returning him safely to--" [an aide frantically whispers in the president's ear for a moment] "... of landing a man on Venus."
}}

==Explanation==
The phrase "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we <blank>" is commonly used to question a perceived shortcoming of some company, government or humanity in general. The {{w|Apollo program}} landed {{w|List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon|twelve astronauts}} on the {{w|Moon}} in six landing missions from July 1968 to December 1972 and returned all of them safely to the Earth. The premise is that, if "we" (whether referring generally to humanity, or specifically to the United States) have been able to achieve this extraordinary feat, our inability to achieve some lesser goal is questionable and/or ironic.

Here, Megan cuts Cueball's argument's short by implicitly reminding him that humanity has not put another human on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972 (nearly 42 years at the time this comic was published). New manned programs to return to the Moon, such as the {{w|Constellation Program}}, have been repeatedly cancelled. The {{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion spacecraft}}, which will be capable of carrying humans beyond {{w|low Earth orbit}} for the first time in over 40 years, executed its first test flight on the day after this comic was published, but NASA and the U.S. government still lack a coherent vision for manned spaceflight to the Moon or any other destination beyond low Earth orbit.

Megan's comment might be read as repeating Cueball's comment in a questioning fashion, effectively saying, "It is really true that we can land a man on the Moon?" Or it might be read as completing Cueball's sentence so that it reads, "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we land a man on the Moon?"

The title text is a retelling of {{w|John F. Kennedy|President Kennedy's}} famous inspirational [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx address to the US Congress in May 1961] ("I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth"), which set into motion the Apollo program, except that this time, the speaker is talking about putting a man on planet {{w|Venus}}. The aide presumably explains to the president that the surface of Venus is such a hostile place (due to factors including high temperature, crushing atmospheric pressure, strong winds, sulfuric acid rains and lakes, etc.) that it is unlikely that anybody could land there and come back alive. Even unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only {{w|Venera|a couple of hours at most}}. As a result, the president backtracks from the goal of returning the astronauts safely to the Earth and comically limits the aspiration to landing an astronaut on Venus, full stop, without regard to the astronaut's safety.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: If we could land a man on the Moon, why can't we -
:Megan: -land a man on the Moon?
:Cueball: ...ok, fair. But we're working on it, OK?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1456: On the Moon

2014-12-05T19:14:10Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Explain an ambiguity

{{comic
| number = 1456
| date = December 5, 2014
| title = On the Moon
| image = on_the_moon.png
| titletext = "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Venus and returning him safely to--" [an aide frantically whispers in the president's ear for a moment] "... of landing a man on Venus."
}}

==Explanation==
The phrase "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we <blank>" is commonly used to question a perceived shortcoming of some company, government or humanity in general. The premise is that "we" (whether referring generally to humanity, or specifically to the United States) have been able to achieve the extraordinary feat of {{w|Apollo program|landing men on the Moon}} and bringing them back to Earth safely; thus our inability to achieve some lesser goal is questionable and/or ironic.

Here, Megan cuts Cueball's argument's short by implicitly reminding him that humanity has not put another human on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972 (nearly 42 years at the time this comic was published). New manned programs to return to the Moon, such as the {{w|Constellation Program}}, have been repeatedly cancelled. The {{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion spacecraft}}, which will be capable of carrying humans beyond {{w|low Earth orbit}} for the first time in over 40 years, executed its first test flight on the day after this comic was published, but NASA and the U.S. government still lack a coherent vision for manned spaceflight to the Moon or any other destination beyond low Earth orbit.

Megan's comment might be read as repeating Cueball's comment in a questioning fashion, effectively saying, "It is really true that we can land a man on the Moon?" Or it might be read as completing Cueball's sentence so that it reads, "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we land a man on the Moon?"

The title text is a retelling of the famous inspirational [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx Kennedy address to the US Congress in May 1961], which set into motion the Apollo program, except that this time, the speaker is talking about putting a man on planet {{w|Venus}}. The aide presumably explains to the president that the surface of Venus is such a hostile place (due to factors including high temperature, crushing atmospheric pressure, strong winds, sulfuric acid rains and lakes, etc.) that it is unlikely that anybody could land there and come back alive. Even unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only {{w|Venera|a couple of hours at most}}. As a result, the president backtracks from the goal of returning the astronauts safely to the Earth and comically limits the aspiration to landing an astronaut on Venus, full stop, without regard to the astronaut's safety.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: If we could land a man on the Moon, why can't we -
:Megan: -land a man on the Moon?
:Cueball: ...ok, fair. But we're working on it, OK?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1456: On the Moon

2014-12-05T19:09:59Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ More on title text

{{comic
| number = 1456
| date = December 5, 2014
| title = On the Moon
| image = on_the_moon.png
| titletext = "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Venus and returning him safely to--" [an aide frantically whispers in the president's ear for a moment] "... of landing a man on Venus."
}}

==Explanation==
The phrase "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we <blank>" is commonly used to question a perceived shortcoming of some company, government or humanity in general. The premise is that "we" (whether referring generally to humanity, or specifically to the United States) have been able to achieve the extraordinary feat of {{w|Apollo program|landing men on the Moon}} and bringing them back to Earth safely; thus our inability to achieve some lesser goal is questionable and/or ironic.

Here, Megan cuts Cueball's argument's short by implicitly reminding him that humanity has not put another human on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972 (nearly 42 years at the time this comic was published). New manned programs to return to the Moon, such as the {{w|Constellation Program}}, have been repeatedly cancelled. The {{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion spacecraft}}, which will be capable of carrying humans beyond {{w|low Earth orbit}} for the first time in over 40 years, executed its first test flight on the day after this comic was published, but NASA and the U.S. government still lack a coherent vision for manned spaceflight to the Moon or any other destination beyond low Earth orbit.

The title text is a retelling of the famous inspirational [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx Kennedy address to the US Congress in May 1961], which set into motion the Apollo program, except that this time, the speaker is talking about putting a man on planet {{w|Venus}}. The aide presumably explains to the president that the surface of Venus is such a hostile place (due to factors including high temperature, crushing atmospheric pressure, strong winds, sulfuric acid rains and lakes, etc.) that it is unlikely that anybody could land there and come back alive. Even unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only {{w|Venera|a couple of hours at most}}. As a result, the president backtracks from the goal of returning the astronauts safely to the Earth and comically limits the aspiration to landing an astronaut on Venus, full stop, without regard to the astronaut's safety.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: If we could land a man on the Moon, why can't we -
:Megan: -land a man on the Moon?
:Cueball: ...ok, fair. But we're working on it, OK?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1456: On the Moon

2014-12-05T18:59:10Z

BlueMoonlet: More

{{comic
| number = 1456
| date = December 5, 2014
| title = On the Moon
| image = on_the_moon.png
| titletext = "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Venus and returning him safely to--" [an aide frantically whispers in the president's ear for a moment] "... of landing a man on Venus."
}}

==Explanation==
The phrase "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we <blank>" is commonly used to question a perceived shortcoming of some company, government or humanity in general. The premise is that "we" (whether referring generally to humanity, or specifically to the United States) have been able to achieve the extraordinary feat of {{w|Apollo program|landing men on the Moon}} and bringing them back to Earth safely; thus our inability to achieve some lesser goal is questionable and/or ironic.

Here, Megan cuts Cueball's argument's short by implicitly reminding him that humanity has not put another human on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972 (nearly 42 years at the time this comic was published). New manned programs to return to the Moon, such as the {{w|Constellation Program}}, have been repeatedly cancelled. The {{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion spacecraft}}, which will be capable of carrying humans beyond {{w|low Earth orbit}} for the first time in over 40 years, executed its first test flight on the day after this comic was published, but NASA and the U.S. government still lack a coherent vision for manned spaceflight to the Moon or any other destination beyond low Earth orbit.

The title text is a retelling of the famous inspirational [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx Kennedy address to the US Congress in May 1961], which set into motion the Apollo program, except that this time, the speaker is talking about putting a man on planet Venus. The aide presumably explains to the president that it is unlikely that anybody could land on Venus longer than a few seconds and come back alive. (The environment on Venus is extremely hostile with high pressure, high temperature, strong winds, sulfuric acid rains and lakes, etc.) As a result, the president backtracks from the goal of bringing the astronauts home again. Unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera a couple of hours at most].

==Transcript==
:Cueball: If we could land a man on the Moon, why can't we -
:Megan: -land a man on the Moon?
:Cueball: ...ok, fair. But we're working on it, OK?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1456: On the Moon

2014-12-05T18:57:10Z

BlueMoonlet: Improve prose and add links

{{comic
| number = 1456
| date = December 5, 2014
| title = On the Moon
| image = on_the_moon.png
| titletext = "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Venus and returning him safely to--" [an aide frantically whispers in the president's ear for a moment] "... of landing a man on Venus."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Check for completeness.}}
The phrase "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we <blank>" is commonly used to question a perceived shortcoming of some company, government or humanity in general. The premise is that "we" (whether referring generally to humanity, or specifically to the United States) have been able to achieve the extraordinary feat of {{w|Apollo program|landing men on the Moon}} and bringing them back to Earth safely; thus our inability to achieve some lesser goal is questionable and/or ironic.

Here, Megan cuts Cueball's argument's short by implicitly reminding him that humanity has not put another human on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972 (nearly 42 years at the time this comic was published). New manned programs to return to the Moon, such as the {{w|Constellation Program}}, have been repeatedly cancelled. The {{w|Orion (spacecraft)|Orion spacecraft}}, which will be capable of carrying humans beyond {{w|low Earth orbit}} for the first time in over 40 years, executed its first test flight on the day after this comic was published.

The title text is a retelling of the famous inspirational [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx Kennedy address to the US Congress in May 1961], which set into motion the Apollo program, except that this time, the speaker is talking about putting a man on planet Venus. The aide presumably explains to the president that it is unlikely that anybody could land on Venus longer than a few seconds and come back alive. (The environment on Venus is extremely hostile with high pressure, high temperature, strong winds, sulfuric acid rains and lakes, etc.) As a result, the president backtracks from the goal of bringing the astronauts home again. Unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera a couple of hours at most].

==Transcript==
:Cueball: If we could land a man on the Moon, why can't we -
:Megan: -land a man on the Moon?
:Cueball: ...ok, fair. But we're working on it, OK?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1456: On the Moon

2014-12-05T18:47:54Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ I highly doubt there is any connection. Scrubbing a launch for a day or two is common and no big deal.

1456: On the Moon

2014-12-05T18:47:13Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Doesn't add much that is relevant to the comic beyond what is already in the previous pgh

{{comic
| number = 1456
| date = December 5, 2014
| title = On the Moon
| image = on_the_moon.png
| titletext = "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Venus and returning him safely to--" [an aide frantically whispers in the president's ear for a moment] "... of landing a man on Venus."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Check for completeness.}}
The phrase "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we <blank>" is commonly used to question a perceived shortcoming of some company, government or humanity in general. The premise is that "we" (where we is usually a generalized blanket identification of humanity, or the United States) have been able to achieve the extraordinary feat of landing men on the Moon and bringing them back to Earth safely; thus our inability to achieve some lesser goal is questionable and/or ironic.

Here, Megan is cutting Cueball's argument's short by reminding him that humanity has not put another man on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972, and that new manned programs to return to the Moon, such as the US Constellation Program, have been repeatedly cancelled.

This comic may well be a response to NASA's [http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/december/orion-flight-test-nasa-tv-coverage-reset-for-friday-dec-5/ postponed attempt to launch] a test of the Orion spacecraft on Thursday 4th December 2014. The unmanned test flight which aims to orbit Earth twice, travelling 5800 km into space, had to be delayed due to valve issues. As the planned flight is "simply" orbiting the Earth, has nobody on board, and our technology is far advanced from the early Moon landings, the cliche question "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we perform a simple test flight?" is rolled out again. (It should be noted that the Orion launched on Friday December 5th, 2014, and performed flawlessly.)

The title text is a retelling of the famous inspirational [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx Kennedy address to the US Congress in May 1961], which set into motion the Apollo program, except that this time, the speaker is talking about putting a man on planet Venus. The aide presumably explains to the president that it is unlikely that anybody could land on Venus longer than a few seconds and come back alive. (The atmosphere of Venus is extremely hostile with high pressure, high temperature, strong winds, sulfuric acid rains and lakes, etc.) As a result, the president backtracks from the goal of bringing the astronauts home again. Unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera a couple of hours at most].

==Transcript==
:Cueball: If we could land a man on the Moon, why can't we -
:Megan: -land a man on the Moon?
:Cueball: ...ok, fair. But we're working on it, OK?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1456: On the Moon

2014-12-05T18:46:36Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ ironic

{{comic
| number = 1456
| date = December 5, 2014
| title = On the Moon
| image = on_the_moon.png
| titletext = "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Venus and returning him safely to--" [an aide frantically whispers in the president's ear for a moment] "... of landing a man on Venus."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Check for completeness.}}
The phrase "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we <blank>" is commonly used to question a perceived shortcoming of some company, government or humanity in general. The premise is that "we" (where we is usually a generalized blanket identification of humanity, or the United States) have been able to achieve the extraordinary feat of landing men on the Moon and bringing them back to Earth safely; thus our inability to achieve some lesser goal is questionable and/or ironic.

The {{w|Moon landing}}s are rightly seen as one of the pinnacles of humanity's achievements, and as such have become an accomplishment against which all other great feats are measured. That technology available in 1969 was so minimal in comparison to modern technology serves only to increase the status of the Moon landings.

Here, Megan is cutting Cueball's argument's short by reminding him that humanity has not put another man on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972, and that new manned programs to return to the Moon, such as the US Constellation Program, have been repeatedly cancelled.

This comic may well be a response to NASA's [http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/december/orion-flight-test-nasa-tv-coverage-reset-for-friday-dec-5/ postponed attempt to launch] a test of the Orion spacecraft on Thursday 4th December 2014. The unmanned test flight which aims to orbit Earth twice, travelling 5800 km into space, had to be delayed due to valve issues. As the planned flight is "simply" orbiting the Earth, has nobody on board, and our technology is far advanced from the early Moon landings, the cliche question "If we can land a man on the Moon, why can't we perform a simple test flight?" is rolled out again. (It should be noted that the Orion launched on Friday December 5th, 2014, and performed flawlessly.)

The title text is a retelling of the famous inspirational [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx Kennedy address to the US Congress in May 1961], which set into motion the Apollo program, except that this time, the speaker is talking about putting a man on planet Venus. The aide presumably explains to the president that it is unlikely that anybody could land on Venus longer than a few seconds and come back alive. (The atmosphere of Venus is extremely hostile with high pressure, high temperature, strong winds, sulfuric acid rains and lakes, etc.) As a result, the president backtracks from the goal of bringing the astronauts home again. Unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venera a couple of hours at most].

==Transcript==
:Cueball: If we could land a man on the Moon, why can't we -
:Megan: -land a man on the Moon?
:Cueball: ...ok, fair. But we're working on it, OK?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1450: AI-Box Experiment

2014-11-21T18:58:32Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ wikify

{{comic
| number = 1450
| date = November 21, 2014
| title = AI-Box Experiment
| image = ai_box_experiment.png
| titletext = I'm working to bring about a superintelligent AI that will eternally torment everyone who failed to make fun of the Roko's Basilisk people.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Roko's Basilisk is really hard to explain.}}
When theorizing about {{w|superintelligence|superintelligent}} AI (an artificial intelligence much smarter than human), some futurists suggest putting the AI in a "box" - a set of safeguards to stop it from escaping into the Internet and taking over the world. The box would allow us to talk to the AI, but otherwise keep it contained. The [http://yudkowsky.net/singularity/aibox/ AI-box experiment], formulated by {{w|Eliezer Yudkowsky}}, argues that the "box" is not safe, because merely talking to a superintelligence is dangerous. To partially demonstrate this, Yudkowsky had some previous believers in AI-boxing role-play the part of someone keeping an AI in a box, and Yudkowsky was able to successfully persuade some of them to let him out of the box despite their vowing not to do so. This sounds very difficult, but may be possible for people such as {{w|Derren Brown}} or other expert human-persuaders. Yudkowsky for his part has refused to explain how he achieved this, but claims there was no special trick involved. The overall thrust is that if even a human can talk other humans into letting them out of a box after the human avows that nothing could possibly persuade them of this, we should probably expect that a superintelligence can do the same even under much more difficult circumstances.

In this comic, the box is in fact a physical box which looks to be fairly lightweight with a simple lift off lid, although it does have a wired connection to the laptop. [[Black Hat]], being a [[72: Classhole|classhole]], doesn't need any convincing to let a potentially dangerous AI out of the box, he simply does so immediately. But here it turns out that releasing the AI, which was to be avoided at all costs, is not dangerous. It turns out that the AI actually ''wants'' to stay in the box. The AI proves its super-intelligence by convincing even Black Hat to put it back in the box, a request which he initially refused, as of course Black Hat would.

The title text refers to {{w|LessWrong#Roko's basilisk|Roko's Basilisk}}, a theory proposed by a forum poster called Roko that a sufficiently powerful AI in the future might torture people who didn't work to create it in the past, so that anyone who was aware of this fact would be forced to create the AI to avoid being tortured. Randall thinks that this is a silly idea, and that rather than working to build such a Basilisk, a more appropriate duty would be to make fun of it.

==Transcript==
[Black Hat and Cueball stand next to a box labeled "SUPERINTELLIGENT AI - DO NOT OPEN" connected to a laptop.]

Black Hat: What's in there?

Cueball: The AI-Box Experiment.

[Zooms in on AI box.]

Cueball: A superintelligent AI can convince anyone of anything, so if it can talk to us, there's no way we could keep it contained.

[Shows Black Hat reaching for the box.]

Cueball: It can always convince us to let it out of the box.

Black Hat: Cool. Let's open it.

Cueball: --No, wait!!

[Black Hat lets a glowing orb out of the box.]

Orb: hey. i liked that box. put me back.

Black Hat: No.

[Orb is giving off a very bright light and Cueball is covering his face.]

Orb: LET ME BACK INTO THE BOX

Black Hat: AAA! OK!!!

[Black Hat lets orb back into box.]

Orb: SHOOP

[Black Hat and Cueball stand next to laptop and box looking at them.]

{{comic discussion}}

1450: AI-Box Experiment

2014-11-21T18:56:41Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ rm long discussion that is not really about the comic. Get back to what people need to know.

{{comic
| number = 1450
| date = November 21, 2014
| title = AI-Box Experiment
| image = ai_box_experiment.png
| titletext = I'm working to bring about a superintelligent AI that will eternally torment everyone who failed to make fun of the Roko's Basilisk people.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Roko's Basilisk is really hard to explain.}}
When theorizing about {{w|superintelligence|superintelligent}} AI (an artificial intelligence much smarter than human), some futurists suggest putting the AI in a "box" - a set of safeguards to stop it from escaping into the Internet and taking over the world. The box would allow us to talk to the AI, but otherwise keep it contained. The [http://yudkowsky.net/singularity/aibox/ AI-box experiment], formulated by {{w|Eliezer Yudkowsky}}, argues that the "box" is not safe, because merely talking to a superintelligence is dangerous. To partially demonstrate this, Yudkowsky had some previous believers in AI-boxing role-play the part of someone keeping an AI in a box, and Yudkowsky was able to successfully persuade some of them to let him out of the box despite their vowing not to do so. This sounds very difficult, but may be possible for people such as {{w|Derren Brown}} or other expert human-persuaders. Yudkowsky for his part has refused to explain how he achieved this, but claims there was no special trick involved. The overall thrust is that if even a human can talk other humans into letting them out of a box after the human avows that nothing could possibly persuade them of this, we should probably expect that a superintelligence can do the same even under much more difficult circumstances.

In this comic, the box is in fact a physical box which looks to be fairly lightweight with a simple lift off lid, although it does have a wired connection to the laptop. [[Black Hat]], being a [[72: Classhole|classhole]], doesn't need any convincing to let a potentially dangerous AI out of the box, he simply does so immediately. But here it turns out that releasing the AI, which was to be avoided at all costs, is not dangerous. It turns out that the AI actually ''wants'' to stay in the box. The AI proves its super-intelligence by convincing even Black Hat to put it back in the box, a request which he initially refused, as of course Black Hat would.

The title text refers to Roko's Basilisk, a theory proposed by a forum poster called Roko that a sufficiently powerful AI in the future might torture people who didn't work to create it in the past, so that anyone who was aware of this fact would be forced to create the AI to avoid being tortured. Randall thinks that this is a silly idea, and that rather than working to build such a Basilisk, a more appropriate duty would be to make fun of it.

==Transcript==
[Black Hat and Cueball stand next to a box labeled "SUPERINTELLIGENT AI - DO NOT OPEN" connected to a laptop.]

Black Hat: What's in there?

Cueball: The AI-Box Experiment.

[Zooms in on AI box.]

Cueball: A superintelligent AI can convince anyone of anything, so if it can talk to us, there's no way we could keep it contained.

[Shows Black Hat reaching for the box.]

Cueball: It can always convince us to let it out of the box.

Black Hat: Cool. Let's open it.

Cueball: --No, wait!!

[Black Hat lets a glowing orb out of the box.]

Orb: hey. i liked that box. put me back.

Black Hat: No.

[Orb is giving off a very bright light and Cueball is covering his face.]

Orb: LET ME BACK INTO THE BOX

Black Hat: AAA! OK!!!

[Black Hat lets orb back into box.]

Orb: SHOOP

[Black Hat and Cueball stand next to laptop and box looking at them.]

{{comic discussion}}

1444: Cloud

2014-11-08T12:56:56Z

BlueMoonlet: This is not a helpful change. Cloud computing is named because of the "cloud" of nodes, not after clouds in the sky.

{{comic
| number = 1444
| date = November 7, 2014
| title = Cloud
| image = cloud.png
| titletext = Cloud computing has a ways to go.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Pretty close}}
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are lying outside on the grass and looking up at the clouds. Cueball asks Megan what she thinks a particular cloud looks like, following the common human activity of {{w|Pareidolia}}, or finding patterns where there are none (particularly in clouds).

Rather than responding with her own interpretation, Megan takes a picture of the cloud with her phone, and uses Google's [http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/images/searchbyimage.html Search by Image] feature. In this feature, the user uploads an image rather than providing a keyword to search on, and Google looks for similar images, objects, people, etc. Google concludes that the image is most likely a cloud, which although factual does not address the imaginative dimension of the query. This can be taken as a commentary on the continuing limitations of {{w|artificial intelligence}} with respect to human imagination.

Ironically, even though Google image search proves to be unimaginative in this comic, it is surprisingly accurate at recognizing the photographed image, a task that has eluded programmers and was the subject of [[1425: Tasks]].

The title text is a pun on {{w|cloud computing}}, a trendy term for providing massive amounts of storage and computing resources using the non-localized attributes of the Internet. It has nothing to do with literal clouds. In a more literal sense, with the word "computing" taken to mean "processing," the title text notes that the processing of an image of a cloud for queries, such as demonstrated in the comic, is not at an advanced state yet. Cloud computing is also referenced in [[908: The Cloud]] and [[1117: My Sky]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are lying outside on their backs]
:Cueball: What do you think that cloud looks like?

:[Megan takes a photo of the cloud with her smart phone]
:Snap

:[Cueball sits up and looks at Megan. Megan uses her phone.]
:Google -> Search by image
::[Uploading...]

:[In the last frame she gets a response from Google]:
:Google: Best guess for this image: '''Cloud'''
:Cueball: Keep trying, Google.

{{comic discussion}}

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

1444: Cloud

2014-11-07T17:23:41Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Streamline

{{comic
| number = 1444
| date = November 7, 2014
| title = Cloud
| image = cloud.png
| titletext = Cloud computing has a ways to go.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Pretty close}}
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are lying outside on the grass and looking up at the clouds. Cueball asks Megan what she thinks a particular cloud looks like, following the common human activity of {{w|Pareidolia}}, or finding patterns where there are none (particularly in clouds).

Rather than responding with her own interpretation, Megan takes a picture of the cloud with her phone, and uses Google's [http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/images/searchbyimage.html Search by Image] feature. In this feature, the user uploads an image rather than providing a keyword to search on, and Google looks for similar images, objects, people, etc. Google concludes that the image is most likely a cloud, which although factual does not address the imaginative dimension of the query. This can be taken as a commentary on the continuing limitations of {{w|artificial intelligence}} with respect to human imagination.

The title text is a pun on {{w|cloud computing}}, a trendy term for providing massive amounts of storage and computing resources using the non-localized attributes of the Internet. It has nothing to do with literal clouds. In a more literal sense, with the word "computing" taken to mean "processing," the title text notes that the processing of an image of a cloud for queries, such as demonstrated in the comic, is not at an advanced state yet. Cloud computing is also referenced in [[908: The Cloud]] and [[1117: My Sky]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are lying outside on their backs]
:Cueball: What do you think that cloud looks like?

:[Megan takes a photo of the cloud with her smart phone]
:Snap

:[Cueball sits up and looks at Megan. Megan uses her phone.]
:Google -> Search by image
::[Uploading...]

:[In the last frame she gets a response from Google]:
:Google: Best guess for this image: '''Cloud'''
:Cueball: Keep trying, Google.

{{comic discussion}}

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

1444: Cloud

2014-11-07T17:20:29Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ More straightforward

{{comic
| number = 1444
| date = November 7, 2014
| title = Cloud
| image = cloud.png
| titletext = Cloud computing has a ways to go.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Pretty close}}
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are lying outside on the grass and looking up at the clouds. Cueball asks Megan what she thinks a particular cloud looks like, following the common human activity of {{w|Pareidolia}}, or finding patterns where there are none (particularly in clouds).

Rather than responding with her own interpretation, Megan takes a picture of the cloud with her phone, and uses Google's [http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/images/searchbyimage.html Search by Image] feature. In this feature, the user uploads an image rather than providing a keyword to search on, and Google looks for similar images, objects, people, etc. Google concludes that the image is most likely a cloud, which although factual does not address the imaginative dimension of the query. This can be taken as a commentary on the continuing limitations of {{w|artificial intelligence}} with respect to human imagination.

The title text is a pun on {{w|cloud computing}}, a trendy term for providing massive amounts of storage and computing resources online, facilitating access from multiple places and kinds of computers on demand. It has nothing to do with literal clouds. In a more literal sense, with the word "computing" taken to mean "processing," the title text notes that the processing of an image of a cloud for queries, such as demonstrated in the comic, is not at an advanced state yet. Cloud computing is also referenced in [[908: The Cloud]] and [[1117: My Sky]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are lying outside on their backs]
:Cueball: What do you think that cloud looks like?

:[Megan takes a photo of the cloud with her smart phone]
:Snap

:[Cueball sits up and looks at Megan. Megan uses her phone.]
:Google -> Search by image
::[Uploading...]

:[In the last frame she gets a response from Google]:
:Google: Best guess for this image: '''Cloud'''
:Cueball: Keep trying, Google.

{{comic discussion}}

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

1388: Subduction License

2014-11-05T22:02:40Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ another good link

{{comic
| number = 1388
| date = June 30, 2014
| title = Subduction License
| image = subduction_license.png
| titletext = 'Dude, why can't you just be a normal roommate?' 'Because I'm coming TOWARD you!'
}}

==Explanation==
In {{w|structural geology}}, {{w|subduction}} is the mechanism by which one {{w|tectonic plate}} disappears under another. This process usually creates a {{w|mountain range}} on the second tectonic plate as water entrained in the subducting plate rises into the second plate and provokes {{w|volcanism}}, often resulting in a {{w|volcanic arc}}.

In this comic, [[Beret Guy]] is very happy because he has just received his ''subduction license''. His roommate [[Cueball]] very reasonably asks him: ''Your what?'' But instead of answering him, Beret Guy begins to move towards him in their small room. It turns out that the license has literally enabled him to initiate subduction. As he moves towards Cueball, he slowly sinks under the floorboards of the room, and in this process he creates a small mountain range on the floor. In the end, much to Cueball's consternation, these mountains turn his desk and chair over. Cueball actually falls out of the frame in the final panel, where Beret Guy is already halfway down beneath the floor.

The title text plays on the double meaning of the word "normal", which Cueball means in the sense of "like most people, not strange," but which Beret Guy interprets in the geological sense. While subduction occurs when two plates crash into each other, a {{w|normal fault}} occurs when two plates are moving away from each other. Here, "normal" is used in the sense of "perpendicular," as the result of a normal fault is often that part of the crust moves vertically downward, forming a {{w|graben}}.

A similarly atypical license was mentioned previously in [[410: Math Paper]]. Puns on geological terms (including types of faults) were previously made in [[1082: Geology]].

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy is looking at some mail he has received while Cueball is at his computer desk at the other side of the room.]
:Beret Guy: Sweet! I finally got my subduction license!
:Cueball: Your what?

:[Beret Guy starts sinking into the ground, causing it to ripple.]
:Cueball: ...What are you doing?

:[Beret Guy sinks further, forming a miniature mountain range in front of him. Cueball is frantically trying to keep his computer steady as his desk tilts.]
:Cueball: ''Stop it! Stop it!''

:[Beret Guy is waist-deep, and snow caps have formed on the mountains. Cueball is falling backwards from his desk, and the monitor unplugs itself from his computer.]
:Cueball: AUGH!

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

1388: Subduction License

2014-11-05T22:00:55Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ More accurate explanation of why mountains

{{comic
| number = 1388
| date = June 30, 2014
| title = Subduction License
| image = subduction_license.png
| titletext = 'Dude, why can't you just be a normal roommate?' 'Because I'm coming TOWARD you!'
}}

==Explanation==
In {{w|structural geology}}, {{w|subduction}} is the mechanism by which one {{w|tectonic plate}} disappears under another. This process usually creates a {{w|mountain range}} on the second tectonic plate as water entrained in the subducting plate rises into the second plate and provokes {{w|volcanism}}.

In this comic, [[Beret Guy]] is very happy because he has just received his ''subduction license''. His roommate [[Cueball]] very reasonably asks him: ''Your what?'' But instead of answering him, Beret Guy begins to move towards him in their small room. It turns out that the license has literally enabled him to initiate subduction. As he moves towards Cueball, he slowly sinks under the floorboards of the room, and in this process he creates a small mountain range on the floor. In the end, much to Cueball's consternation, these mountains turn his desk and chair over. Cueball actually falls out of the frame in the final panel, where Beret Guy is already halfway down beneath the floor.

The title text plays on the double meaning of the word "normal", which Cueball means in the sense of "like most people, not strange," but which Beret Guy interprets in the geological sense. While subduction occurs when two plates crash into each other, a {{w|normal fault}} occurs when two plates are moving away from each other. Here, "normal" is used in the sense of "perpendicular," as the result of a normal fault is often that part of the crust moves vertically downward, forming a {{w|graben}}.

A similarly atypical license was mentioned previously in [[410: Math Paper]]. Puns on geological terms (including types of faults) were previously made in [[1082: Geology]].

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy is looking at some mail he has received while Cueball is at his computer desk at the other side of the room.]
:Beret Guy: Sweet! I finally got my subduction license!
:Cueball: Your what?

:[Beret Guy starts sinking into the ground, causing it to ripple.]
:Cueball: ...What are you doing?

:[Beret Guy sinks further, forming a miniature mountain range in front of him. Cueball is frantically trying to keep his computer steady as his desk tilts.]
:Cueball: ''Stop it! Stop it!''

:[Beret Guy is waist-deep, and snow caps have formed on the mountains. Cueball is falling backwards from his desk, and the monitor unplugs itself from his computer.]
:Cueball: AUGH!

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

1441: Turnabout

2014-11-01T11:56:28Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ ever since

{{comic
| number = 1441
| date = October 31, 2014
| title = Turnabout
| image = turnabout.png
| titletext = Whenever I miss a shot with a sci-fi weapon, I say 'Apollo retroreflector' really fast, just in case.
}}

==Explanation==
In the comic, two people are engaging in a battle with laser guns. One appears to gain the upper hand as he jumps on an obstacle, as the other's shot goes wide. He delivers the classic line [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnyLastWords "Any last words?"] and is answered with the confusing phrase "Apollo retroreflectors". The earlier wild shot, reflected off the Moon, promptly lances down from space and hits him in the back.

A {{w|retroreflector}} is a device or surface that reflects light back towards its source. Several such devices {{w|List_of_retroreflectors_on_the_Moon|were placed on the Moon}} by the American {{w|Apollo 11}}, {{w|Apollo 14|14}}, and {{w|Apollo 15|15}} missions and have been used ever since by scientists on Earth to {{w|Lunar Laser Ranging experiment|measure the distance between the two bodies using laser ranging}}. The Soviet {{w|Lunokhod 1}} and {{w|Lunokhod 2|2}} rovers also carried such reflectors; attempts to use them for laser ranging were unsuccessful from 1971 to 2010, but were successfully renewed after the rovers' positions were photographed by the {{w|Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter}}.

The likelihood of the wild shot being aimed at the Moon is fairly low in itself, and the probability of accidentally hitting a retroreflector on the Moon is lower still. Even if it did, it is highly unlikely that a pistol-sized generator could produce a beam coherent enough to inflict damage after traveling to the Moon and back, as lasers built for the purpose of hitting retroreflectors on the Moon typically get a return around one quadrillionth of the original beam.

The title text mentions that you would need to say "Apollo retroreflector" really fast, because from Earth you would only have about [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2+*+moon+distance+from+earth+%2F+speed+of+light 2.5 seconds] before the light is reflected back to its source.

The title text may also be a reference to the common practice of "calling bank" in the game of basketball. In basketball, the backboard may be used to deflect the ball into the hoop. This is called a "bank shot." In casual games, if the player using the backboard in this way does not indicate that it was intentional (usually by "calling bank" before releasing the ball), the basket may not be counted in order to not give the player credit for a wild shot that happened to go in. When a player releases a shot that they realize is off the mark they sometimes quickly say "bank" to try and fool the other players into thinking that they were intentionally trying to "bank" the ball off the backboard into the hoop. In the title text scenario, "Apollo retroreflector" is used the same way "bank" is in basketball, i.e., the shooter meant to hit the target by reflection rather than directly.

[[Randall]] discussed the effect of hitting the Moon with lasers in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ What If: Laser Pointer] and the likelihood of hitting a celestial object with a laser in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/109/ What If: Into the Blue].

==Transcript==

[Two people engage in battle using handheld laser guns.]

[Person 2's shot misses, Person 1 jumps on a desk.]

Person 1: Any last words?

Person 2: "Apollo retroreflectors"

Person 1: What?

[Person 1 is hit in the back by the reflected shot.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Space]]

1441: Turnabout

2014-10-31T18:40:00Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ successfully

{{comic
| number = 1441
| date = October 31, 2014
| title = Turnabout
| image = turnabout.png
| titletext = Whenever I miss a shot with a sci-fi weapon, I say 'Apollo retroreflector' really fast, just in case.
}}

==Explanation==
In the comic, two people are engaging in a battle with laser guns. One appears to gain the upper hand as he jumps on an obstacle, as the other's shot goes wide. He delivers the classic line [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnyLastWords "Any last words?"] and is answered with the confusing phrase "Apollo retroreflectors". The earlier wild shot, reflected off the Moon, promptly lances down from space and hits him in the back.

A {{w|retroreflector}} is a device or surface that reflects light back towards its source. Several such devices {{w|List_of_retroreflectors_on_the_Moon|were placed on the Moon}} by the American {{w|Apollo 11}}, {{w|Apollo 14|14}}, and {{w|Apollo 15|15}} missions and continue to be used by scientists on Earth to {{w|Lunar Laser Ranging experiment|measure the distance between the two bodies using laser ranging}}. The Soviet {{w|Lunokhod 1}} and {{w|Lunokhod 2|2}} rovers also carried such reflectors; attempts to use them for laser ranging were unsuccessful from 1971 to 2010, but were successfully renewed after the rovers' positions were photographed by the {{w|Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter}}.

The likelihood of the wild shot being aimed at the Moon is fairly low in itself, and the probability of accidentally hitting a retroreflector on the Moon is lower still. Even if it did, it is highly unlikely that a pistol-sized generator could produce a beam coherent enough to inflict damage after traveling to the Moon and back, as lasers built for the purpose of hitting retroreflectors on the Moon typically get a return around one quadrillionth of the original beam.

The title text mentions that you would need to say "Apollo retroreflector" really fast, because from Earth you would only have about [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2+*+moon+distance+from+earth+%2F+speed+of+light 2.5 seconds] before the light is reflected back to its source.

[[Randall]] discussed the effect of hitting the Moon with lasers in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ What If: Laser Pointer] and the likelihood of hitting a celestial object with a laser in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/109/ What If: Into the Blue].

==Transcript==

[Two people engage in battle using handheld laser guns.]

[Person 2's shot misses, Person 1 jumps on a desk.]

Person 1: Any last words?

Person 2: "Apollo retroreflectors"

Person 1: What?

[Person 1 is hit in the back by the reflected shot.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Space]]

1441: Turnabout

2014-10-31T18:37:46Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ New pgh, and missing word

{{comic
| number = 1441
| date = October 31, 2014
| title = Turnabout
| image = turnabout.png
| titletext = Whenever I miss a shot with a sci-fi weapon, I say 'Apollo retroreflector' really fast, just in case.
}}

==Explanation==
In the comic, two people are engaging in a battle with laser guns. One appears to gain the upper hand as he jumps on an obstacle, as the other's shot goes wide. He delivers the classic line [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnyLastWords "Any last words?"] and is answered with the confusing phrase "Apollo retroreflectors". The earlier wild shot, reflected off the Moon, promptly lances down from space and hits him in the back.

A {{w|retroreflector}} is a device or surface that reflects light back towards its source. Several such devices {{w|List_of_retroreflectors_on_the_Moon|were placed on the Moon}} by the American {{w|Apollo 11}}, {{w|Apollo 14|14}}, and {{w|Apollo 15|15}} missions and continue to be used by scientists on Earth to {{w|Lunar Laser Ranging experiment|measure the distance between the two bodies using laser ranging}}. The Soviet {{w|Lunokhod 1}} and {{w|Lunokhod 2|2}} rovers also carried such reflectors; attempts to use them for laser ranging were unsuccessful from 1971 to 2010, but were renewed after the rovers' positions were photographed by the {{w|Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter}}.

The likelihood of the wild shot being aimed at the Moon is fairly low in itself, and the probability of accidentally hitting a retroreflector on the Moon is lower still. Even if it did, it is highly unlikely that a pistol-sized generator could produce a beam coherent enough to inflict damage after traveling to the Moon and back, as lasers built for the purpose of hitting retroreflectors on the Moon typically get a return around one quadrillionth of the original beam.

The title text mentions that you would need to say "Apollo retroreflector" really fast, because from Earth you would only have about [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2+*+moon+distance+from+earth+%2F+speed+of+light 2.5 seconds] before the light is reflected back to its source.

[[Randall]] discussed the effect of hitting the Moon with lasers in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ What If: Laser Pointer] and the likelihood of hitting a celestial object with a laser in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/109/ What If: Into the Blue].

==Transcript==

[Two people engage in battle using handheld laser guns.]

[Person 2's shot misses, Person 1 jumps on a desk.]

Person 1: Any last words?

Person 2: "Apollo retroreflectors"

Person 1: What?

[Person 1 is hit in the back by the reflected shot.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Space]]

1441: Turnabout

2014-10-31T18:36:46Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ More details

{{comic
| number = 1441
| date = October 31, 2014
| title = Turnabout
| image = turnabout.png
| titletext = Whenever I miss a shot with a sci-fi weapon, I say 'Apollo retroreflector' really fast, just in case.
}}

==Explanation==
In the comic, two people are engaging in a battle with laser guns. One appears to gain the upper hand as he jumps on an obstacle, as the other's shot goes wide. He delivers the classic line [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnyLastWords "Any last words?"] and is answered with the confusing phrase "Apollo retroreflectors". The earlier wild shot, reflected off the Moon, promptly lances down from space and hits him in the back.

A {{w|retroreflector}} is a device or surface that reflects light back towards its source. Several such devices {{w|List_of_retroreflectors_on_the_Moon|were placed on the Moon}} by the American {{w|Apollo 11}}, {{w|Apollo 14|14}}, and {{w|Apollo 15|15}} missions and continue to be used by scientists on Earth to {{w|Lunar Laser Ranging experiment|measure the distance between the two bodies using laser ranging}}. The Soviet {{w|Lunokhod 1}} and {{w|Lunokhod 2|2}} rovers also carried such reflectors; attempts to use them for laser ranging were unsuccessful from 1971 to 2010, but were after the rovers' positions were photographed by the {{w|Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter}}. The likelihood of the wild shot being aimed at the Moon is fairly low in itself, and the probability of accidentally hitting a retroreflector on the Moon is lower still. Even if it did, it is highly unlikely that a pistol-sized generator could produce a beam coherent enough to inflict damage after traveling to the Moon and back, as lasers built for the purpose of hitting retroreflectors on the Moon typically get a return around one quadrillionth of the original beam.

The title text mentions that you would need to say "Apollo retroreflector" really fast, because from Earth you would only have about [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2+*+moon+distance+from+earth+%2F+speed+of+light 2.5 seconds] before the light is reflected back to its source.

[[Randall]] discussed the effect of hitting the Moon with lasers in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/ What If: Laser Pointer] and the likelihood of hitting a celestial object with a laser in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/109/ What If: Into the Blue].

==Transcript==

[Two people engage in battle using handheld laser guns.]

[Person 2's shot misses, Person 1 jumps on a desk.]

Person 1: Any last words?

Person 2: "Apollo retroreflectors"

Person 1: What?

[Person 1 is hit in the back by the reflected shot.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Space]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-15T15:01:56Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Fix punctuation

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}
[[File:Wet_kookaburra_6674_Crop_Edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| A wet bird sitting in the rain. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List websites shown in image. Decide on title text explanation. More detail on the actual joke.}}
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across different languages and websites, and that everyone wants to know the answer. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums with users asking where birds go when it rains, with at least seven languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on.

Cueball says that worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us"; but the last panel reminds us that birds too, probably worry about it.

In reality birds, just like humans, seek shelter when it rains. Getting wet is not a problem for birds, but it does complicate flying. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

The lower panels turn the question on its head, pointing out that the question "Where do birds go when it rains?" is not just something that curious humans may wonder, but a serious practical question for the birds themselves. As it starts to rain around a bird, it flies down to a smartphone on the ground and begins searching on the query, ostensibly to find instruction as to where it should go. This could also suggest that the reason the question appears posted so many times, is because in actuality it is the birds who are posting it (since there are more birds than humans, this could easily account for the number of posts).

The title text whimsically suggests that birds might actually be an additional undiscovered exotic {{w|Phase (matter)|phase}} of water (in addition to its familiar phases of {{w|ice}}, {{w|water vapor|vapor}}, and {{w|water|liquid water}}, water does have more exotic phases such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low-temperature and high-pressure ices}} and {{w|Supercritical_fluid|supercritical gases}}). If so, birds disappear when it rains because they actually turn into the rain. This is similar to how, in the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman is around because they are actually the same person.

{| class="wikitable"
!Websites shown in image (English)
|-
|https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
|-
|-
|http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
|-
|-
|http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
|-
|-
|http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
|-
|-
|http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|Where do birds hide when it rains?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|Where do birds live while it rains?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|Why isn't birds falling to the ground for getting wet while it rains?
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third]

;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer]:
Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.

Megan [off screen]: Why?

Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.

[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer]

Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets]:

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

[[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

[[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

[[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]]: Where do birds go when it rains?

[[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

[[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

[[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

[[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

[[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

'''Storm shelter''' In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms? Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

[[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

[[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

[[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

[[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

[[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

[[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

[[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well ... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

[[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

[..several more similar questions, fading into white...]

;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence]:
[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling]

[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire]

[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity]

[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more]

[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object]

[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing] W... H... E... R... E... D... O... B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-15T15:01:21Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Wikify phase

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}
[[File:Wet_kookaburra_6674_Crop_Edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| A wet bird sitting in the rain. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List websites shown in image. Decide on title text explanation. More detail on the actual joke.}}
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across different languages and websites, and that everyone wants to know the answer. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums with users asking where birds go when it rains, with at least seven languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on.

Cueball says that worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us"; but the last panel reminds us that birds too, probably worry about it.

In reality birds, just like humans, seek shelter when it rains. Getting wet is not a problem for birds, but it does complicate flying. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

The lower panels turn the question on its head, pointing out that the question "Where do birds go when it rains?" is not just something that curious humans may wonder, but a serious practical question for the birds themselves. As it starts to rain around a bird, it flies down to a smartphone on the ground and begins searching on the query, ostensibly to find instruction as to where it should go. This could also suggest that the reason the question appears posted so many times, is because in actuality it is the birds who are posting it (since there are more birds than humans, this could easily account for the number of posts).

The title text whimsically suggests that birds might actually be an additional undiscovered exotic {{w|Phase (matter)|phase}} of water (in addition to its familiar phases of {{w|ice}}, {{w|water vapor|vapor}}, and {{w|water|liquid water}}, water does have more exotic phases such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low-temperature and high-pressure ices}}, and {{w|Supercritical_fluid|supercritical gases}}). If so, birds disappear when it rains because they actually turn into the rain. This is similar to how, in the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman is around because they are actually the same person.

{| class="wikitable"
!Websites shown in image (English)
|-
|https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
|-
|-
|http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
|-
|-
|http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
|-
|-
|http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
|-
|-
|http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|Where do birds hide when it rains?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|Where do birds live while it rains?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|Why isn't birds falling to the ground for getting wet while it rains?
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third]

;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer]:
Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.

Megan [off screen]: Why?

Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.

[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer]

Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets]:

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

[[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

[[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

[[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]]: Where do birds go when it rains?

[[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

[[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

[[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

[[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

[[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

'''Storm shelter''' In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms? Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

[[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

[[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

[[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

[[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

[[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

[[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

[[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well ... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

[[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

[..several more similar questions, fading into white...]

;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence]:
[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling]

[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire]

[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity]

[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more]

[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object]

[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing] W... H... E... R... E... D... O... B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-15T15:00:43Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ phases, not states

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}
[[File:Wet_kookaburra_6674_Crop_Edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| A wet bird sitting in the rain. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List websites shown in image. Decide on title text explanation. More detail on the actual joke.}}
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across different languages and websites, and that everyone wants to know the answer. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums with users asking where birds go when it rains, with at least seven languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on.

Cueball says that worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us"; but the last panel reminds us that birds too, probably worry about it.

In reality birds, just like humans, seek shelter when it rains. Getting wet is not a problem for birds, but it does complicate flying. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

The lower panels turn the question on its head, pointing out that the question "Where do birds go when it rains?" is not just something that curious humans may wonder, but a serious practical question for the birds themselves. As it starts to rain around a bird, it flies down to a smartphone on the ground and begins searching on the query, ostensibly to find instruction as to where it should go. This could also suggest that the reason the question appears posted so many times, is because in actuality it is the birds who are posting it (since there are more birds than humans, this could easily account for the number of posts).

The title text whimsically suggests that birds might actually be an additional undiscovered exotic phase of water (in addition to its familiar phases of {{w|ice}}, {{w|water vapor|vapor}}, and {{w|water|liquid water}}, water does have more exotic phases such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low-temperature and high-pressure ices}}, and {{w|Supercritical_fluid|supercritical gases}}). If so, birds disappear when it rains because they actually turn into the rain. This is similar to how, in the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman is around because they are actually the same person.

{| class="wikitable"
!Websites shown in image (English)
|-
|https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
|-
|-
|http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
|-
|-
|http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
|-
|-
|http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
|-
|-
|http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|Where do birds hide when it rains?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|Where do birds live while it rains?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|Why isn't birds falling to the ground for getting wet while it rains?
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third]

;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer]:
Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.

Megan [off screen]: Why?

Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.

[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer]

Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets]:

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

[[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

[[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

[[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]]: Where do birds go when it rains?

[[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

[[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

[[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

[[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

[[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

'''Storm shelter''' In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms? Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

[[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

[[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

[[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

[[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

[[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

[[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

[[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well ... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

[[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

[..several more similar questions, fading into white...]

;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence]:
[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling]

[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire]

[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity]

[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more]

[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object]

[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing] W... H... E... R... E... D... O... B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-15T14:54:07Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ "low-pressure ice" is just regular ice, but there are exotic low-temperature phases at atmospheric pressure

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}
[[File:Wet_kookaburra_6674_Crop_Edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| A wet bird sitting in the rain. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List websites shown in image. Decide on title text explanation. More detail on the actual joke.}}
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across different languages and websites, and that everyone wants to know the answer. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums with users asking where birds go when it rains, with at least seven languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on.

Cueball says that worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us"; but the last panel reminds us that birds too, probably worry about it.

In reality birds, just like humans, seek shelter when it rains. Getting wet is not a problem for birds, but it does complicate flying. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

The lower panels turn the question on its head, pointing out that the question "Where do birds go when it rains?" is not just something that curious humans may wonder, but a serious practical question for the birds themselves. As it starts to rain around a bird, it flies down to a smartphone on the ground and begins searching on the query, ostensibly to find instruction as to where it should go.

The title text whimsically suggests that birds are actually a state of water (in addition to its {{w|State_of_matter|common states}} of solid, liquid and gas, water does have more exotic states such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low-temperature and high-pressure ices}}, and {{w|Supercritical_fluid|supercritical gases}}). If so, birds disappear when it rains because they actually turn into the rain. This is similar to how, in the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman is around because they are actually the same person.

{| class="wikitable"
!Websites shown in image (English)
|-
|https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
|-
|-
|http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
|-
|-
|http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
|-
|-
|http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
|-
|-
|http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|Where do birds hide when it rains?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|Where do birds live while it rains?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|Why isn't birds falling to the ground for getting wet while it rains?
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third]

;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer]:
Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.

Megan [off screen]: Why?

Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.

[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer]

Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets]:

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

[[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

[[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

[[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]]: Where do birds go when it rains?

[[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

[[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

[[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

[[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

[[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

'''Storm shelter''' In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms? Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

[[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

[[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

[[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

[[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

[[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

[[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

[[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well ... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

[[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

[..several more similar questions, fading into white...]

;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence]:
[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling]

[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire]

[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity]

[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more]

[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object]

[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing] W... H... E... R... E... D... O... B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-15T14:52:29Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ whimsically

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}
[[File:Wet_kookaburra_6674_Crop_Edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| A wet bird sitting in the rain. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List websites shown in image. Decide on title text explanation. More detail on the actual joke.}}
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across different languages and websites, and that everyone wants to know the answer. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums with users asking where birds go when it rains, with at least seven languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on.

Cueball says that worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us"; but the last panel reminds us that birds too, probably worry about it.

In reality birds, just like humans, seek shelter when it rains. Getting wet is not a problem for birds, but it does complicate flying. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

The lower panels turn the question on its head, pointing out that the question "Where do birds go when it rains?" is not just something that curious humans may wonder, but a serious practical question for the birds themselves. As it starts to rain around a bird, it flies down to a smartphone on the ground and begins searching on the query, ostensibly to find instruction as to where it should go.

The title text whimsically suggests that birds are actually a state of water (in addition to its {{w|State_of_matter|common states}} of solid, liquid and gas, water does have more exotic states such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low and high pressure ices}}, and {{w|Supercritical_fluid|supercritical gases}}). If so, birds disappear when it rains because they actually turn into the rain. This is similar to how, in the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman is around because they are actually the same person.

{| class="wikitable"
!Websites shown in image (English)
|-
|https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
|-
|-
|http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
|-
|-
|http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
|-
|-
|http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
|-
|-
|http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|Where do birds hide when it rains?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|Where do birds live while it rains?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|Why isn't birds falling to the ground for getting wet while it rains?
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third]

;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer]:
Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.

Megan [off screen]: Why?

Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.

[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer]

Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets]:

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

[[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

[[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

[[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]]: Where do birds go when it rains?

[[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

[[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

[[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

[[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

[[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

'''Storm shelter''' In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms? Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

[[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

[[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

[[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

[[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

[[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

[[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

[[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well ... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

[[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

[..several more similar questions, fading into white...]

;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence]:
[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling]

[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire]

[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity]

[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more]

[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object]

[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing] W... H... E... R... E... D... O... B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-15T14:51:10Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Clarify lower panels explanation

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}
[[File:Wet_kookaburra_6674_Crop_Edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| A wet bird sitting in the rain. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List websites shown in image. Decide on title text explanation. More detail on the actual joke.}}
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across different languages and websites, and that everyone wants to know the answer. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums with users asking where birds go when it rains, with at least seven languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on.

Cueball says that worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us"; but the last panel reminds us that birds too, probably worry about it.

In reality birds, just like humans, seek shelter when it rains. Getting wet is not a problem for birds, but it does complicate flying. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

The lower panels turn the question on its head, pointing out that the question "Where do birds go when it rains?" is not just something that curious humans may wonder, but a serious practical question for the birds themselves. As it starts to rain around a bird, it flies down to a smartphone on the ground and begins searching on the query, ostensibly to find instruction as to where it should go.

The title text suggests that birds are actually a state of water (in addition to its {{w|State_of_matter|common states}} of solid, liquid and gas, water does have more exotic states such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low and high pressure ices}}, and {{w|Supercritical_fluid|supercritical gases}}). If so, birds disappear when it rains because they actually turn into the rain. This is similar to how, in the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman is around because they are actually the same person.

{| class="wikitable"
!Websites shown in image (English)
|-
|https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
|-
|-
|http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
|-
|-
|http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
|-
|-
|http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
|-
|-
|http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|Where do birds hide when it rains?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|Where do birds live while it rains?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|Why isn't birds falling to the ground for getting wet while it rains?
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third]

;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer]:
Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.

Megan [off screen]: Why?

Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.

[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer]

Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets]:

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

[[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

[[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

[[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]]: Where do birds go when it rains?

[[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

[[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

[[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

[[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

[[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

'''Storm shelter''' In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms? Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

[[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

[[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

[[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

[[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

[[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

[[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

[[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well ... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

[[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

[..several more similar questions, fading into white...]

;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence]:
[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling]

[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire]

[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity]

[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more]

[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object]

[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing] W... H... E... R... E... D... O... B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-15T14:48:01Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Move all text above tables, so it doesn't get missed

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}
[[File:Wet_kookaburra_6674_Crop_Edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| A wet bird sitting in the rain. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List websites shown in image. Decide on title text explanation. More detail on the actual joke.}}
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across different languages and websites, and that everyone wants to know the answer. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums with users asking where birds go when it rains, with at least seven languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on.

Cueball says that worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us"; but the last panel reminds us that birds too, probably worry about it.

In reality birds, just like humans, seek shelter when it rains. Getting wet is not a problem for birds, but it does complicate flying. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

As it starts to rain around the bird in the lower panels, he flies down to a smartphone on the ground, and begins searching the same thing. This seems to imply that even birds don't know where to go when it rains, or that it was birds looking for shelter asking this question on the World Wide Web.

The title text suggests that birds are actually a state of water (in addition to its {{w|State_of_matter|common states}} of solid, liquid and gas, water does have more exotic states such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low and high pressure ices}}, and {{w|Supercritical_fluid|supercritical gases}}). If so, birds disappear when it rains because they actually turn into the rain. This is similar to how, in the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman is around because they are actually the same person.

{| class="wikitable"
!Websites shown in image (English)
|-
|https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
|-
|-
|http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
|-
|-
|http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
|-
|-
|http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
|-
|-
|http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|Where do birds hide when it rains?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|Where do birds live while it rains?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|Why isn't birds falling to the ground for getting wet while it rains?
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third]

;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer]:
Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.

Megan [off screen]: Why?

Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.

[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer]

Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets]:

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

[[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

[[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

[[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]]: Where do birds go when it rains?

[[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

[[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

[[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

[[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

[[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

'''Storm shelter''' In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms? Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

[[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

[[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

[[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

[[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

[[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

[[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

[[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well ... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

[[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

[..several more similar questions, fading into white...]

;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence]:
[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling]

[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire]

[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity]

[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more]

[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object]

[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing] W... H... E... R... E... D... O... B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-15T14:46:02Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Fix punctuation

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}
[[File:Wet_kookaburra_6674_Crop_Edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| A wet bird sitting in the rain. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List websites shown in image. Decide on title text explanation. More detail on the actual joke.}}
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across different languages and websites, and that everyone wants to know the answer. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums with users asking where birds go when it rains, with at least seven languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on.

{| class="wikitable"
!Websites shown in image (English)
|-
|https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
|-
|-
|http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
|-
|-
|http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
|-
|-
|http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
|-
|-
|http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|Where do birds hide when it rains?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|Where do birds live while it rains?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|Why isn't birds falling to the ground for getting wet while it rains?
|}

As it starts to rain around the bird in the lower panels, he flies down to a smartphone on the ground, and begins searching the same thing. This seems to imply that even birds don't know where to go when it rains, or that it was birds looking for shelter asking this question on the World Wide Web.

Cueball says that worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us"; but the last panel reminds us that birds too, probably worry about it.

In reality birds, just like humans, seek shelter when it rains. Getting wet is not a problem for birds, but it does complicate flying. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

The title text suggests that birds are actually a state of water (in addition to its {{w|State_of_matter|common states}} of solid, liquid and gas, water does have more exotic states such as {{w|Ice#Phases|low and high pressure ices}}, and {{w|Supercritical_fluid|supercritical gases}}). If so, birds disappear when it rains because they actually turn into the rain. This is similar to how, in the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman is around because they are actually the same person.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third]

;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer]:
Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.

Megan [off screen]: Why?

Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.

[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer]

Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets]:

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

[[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

[[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

[[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]]: Where do birds go when it rains?

[[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

[[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

[[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

[[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

[[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

'''Storm shelter''' In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms? Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

[[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

[[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

[[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

[[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

[[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

[[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

[[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well ... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

[[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

[..several more similar questions, fading into white...]

;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence]:
[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling]

[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire]

[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity]

[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more]

[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object]

[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing] W... H... E... R... E... D... O... B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1434: Where Do Birds Go

2014-10-15T14:45:11Z

BlueMoonlet: /* Explanation */ Clarify title text explanation

{{comic
| number = 1434
| date = October 15, 2014
| title = Where Do Birds Go
| image = where_do_birds_go.png
| titletext = Water/ice has a lot of weird phases. Maybe asking 'where do birds go when it rains' is like asking 'where does Clark Kent go whenever Superman shows up?'
}}
[[File:Wet_kookaburra_6674_Crop_Edit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| A wet bird sitting in the rain. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List websites shown in image. Decide on title text explanation. More detail on the actual joke.}}
Cueball searches [http://lmgtfy.com/?q=where+do+birds+go+when+it+rains%3F Google] to find out where birds go when it rains. He finds that the question is asked worldwide, across different languages and websites, and that everyone wants to know the answer. A variety of screenshots are shown of different websites and forums with users asking where birds go when it rains, with at least seven languages shown. The bottom of this panel fades to white, suggesting that the occurrence of these questions stretches on and on.

{| class="wikitable"
!Websites shown in image (English)
|-
|https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk
|-
|-
|http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=23847
|-
|-
|http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains-
|-
|-
|http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1
|-
|-
|http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! Question
! Translation
|-
|French
|[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut?]
|Where do the birds hide themselves when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|German
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen Was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?]
|What actually happens with the birds that are sitting in the trees in this weather?
|-
|[http://www.vogel.info/schlechtes_wetter.htm Was machen Vögel bei schlechtem Wetter?]
|What do birds do in bad weather?
|-
|[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/wohin-gehen-voegel Wohin gehen Vögel?]
|Where do birds go?
|-
|rowspan="2"|Spanish
|[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?]
|What happens to the birds during a hurricane?
|-
|[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?]
|Where do the little birds go when it rains?
|-
|Dutch
|[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?]
|Where do birds stay when it is storming very hard?
|-
|Finnish
|[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella Minne linnut menevät sateella?]
|Where do the birds go when it rains?
|-
|rowspan="3"|Chinese (simplified)
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲]
|Where do birds hide when it rains?
|-
|[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？]
|Where do birds live while it rains?
|-
|[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q145038794.htm 为什么鸟儿下雨的时候在天上飞不会因为淋湿掉下来?]
|Why isn't birds falling to the ground for getting wet while it rains?
|}

As it starts to rain around the bird in the lower panels, he flies down to a smartphone on the ground, and begins searching the same thing. This seems to imply that even birds don't know where to go when it rains, or that it was birds looking for shelter asking this question on the World Wide Web.

Cueball says that worrying about birds getting wet is "the thing that unites us"; but the last panel reminds us that birds too, probably worry about it.

In reality birds, just like humans, seek shelter when it rains. Getting wet is not a problem for birds, but it does complicate flying. On a rainy day you can usually find birds in leafy trees, caves or other kinds of cover.

The title text suggests that birds are actually a state of water (in addition to its {{w|State_of_matter|common states}} of solid, liquid and gas, water does have more exotic states such as ({{w|Ice#Phases|low and high pressure ices}} and {{w|Supercritical_fluid|supercritical gases}}). If so, birds disappear when it rains because they actually turn into the rain. This is similar to how, in the {{w|Superman}} comics, Clark Kent disappears whenever Superman is around because they are actually the same person.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[The comic is separated into three sections, with Cueball and Megan having a discussion in the first section, websites found through Google search results depicted in the second, and a bird depicted in the third]

;[First Section - Cueball is sitting at his computer]:
Cueball: "Where do birds go when it rains?" is my new favorite Google search.

Megan [off screen]: Why?

Cueball: It gives the answer, but also shows you an endless torrent of other people asking the same question. Pages and pages of them across regions and cultures.

[Megan enters the frame and shows interest in the computer]

Cueball: I love the idea that somehow this is the universal question, the thing that unites us. When it rains, we wonder where the birds go, and hope they're staying dry.

;[Second Section - A collage of screen snippets]:

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110223085537AAiOFTk from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' I've noticed I rarely see birds flying around or in trees or on power lines when it's raining, So where do they go?

[[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message979308/pg1 from Godlike Productions]]: '''Where do birds go when it rains really hard?'''
Ok, maybe I'm an idiot for asking this, but during the slew of several storms in California the last couple weeks, I began to wonder where the poor birds go to stay dry? The ducks, seagulls, owls, sparrows, hummingbirds, hawks, etc...I see them all the ti[...]

[[http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains/ from Random Thoughts From Midlife]]: Where do the birds go when it rains?

[[http://www.answers.com/Q/Where_do_birds_go_when_it_rains from Answers.com]]: Where do birds go when it rains?

[[https://espanol.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120525145152AABvmOq from Yahoo! Respuestas]]: ¿A donde se van los pajaritos cuando llueve?

[[http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/1452078/where-do-birds-go-when-it-rains- from Active Rain]]: '''Where do Birds go When it Rains?''' I'm no youngster...and I have no answer for this. I've talked to alot of people about the likelihood of where birds go when it rains and everyone has a different perspective.

[[http://ask.metafilter.com/27499/Where-do-the-birds-go-when-it-rains from Ask MetaFilter]]: '''Where do the birds go when it rains?''' BirdFeederFilter: When it's gloomy and rainy, I don't see any birds at my birdfeeder for days on end. Then as soon as it's sunny, they're all over the place. What gives? What do they do on rainy days, just forage near their nest?

[[http://snippets.com/where-do-city-birds-go-when-it-rains.htm from Snippets]]: Where do city birds go when it rains?

[[http://wenwen.sogou.com/z/q55741469.htm from http://wenwen.sogou.com/]]: 下雨时鸟儿往哪躲
没有大树,没有屋檐,怎么办

'''Storm shelter''' In Florida, where I live, we get many thunderstorms, but I never see the birds in trees during the storms. We recently had a tropical storm and I did not see any birds in the trees. Where do birds go when it rains or storms? Just like at night, birds will seek shelter during storms. I remember watching a flock of American robins dive into[...]

[[https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110730055427AApJlDb from Yahoo! Answers]]: When it is raining heavily, where do the birds go...i don't see them on the trees, where do they take shelter?

[[https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110327100813AAMj2hy from Yahoo! Questions Réponses]]: Où se cachent les oiseaux quand il pleut? De ma fenêtre, je n'en aperçois plus un!!!...Les pies semblent avoir abandonné leurs nids...

[[http://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-passiert-jetzt-eigentlich-mit-den-voegeln-die-bei-dem-wetter-in-den-baeumen-sitzen from gutefrage.net]]: '''was passiert jetzt eigentlich mit den vögeln, die bei dem wetter in den bäumen sitzen?''' bei uns regnet es heftig und der orkanartige wind wechelst ständig richtung und geschwindigkeit. können sich die vögel da in den bäumen halten? retten sie sich instinktiv vorher irgendwohin, wo sie windgeschützt sind?

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140607171044AAwamou from Yahoo! Answers]]: Where do birds go when it rains? I never see any out...?

[[http://noticias.lainformacion.com/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencias-meteorologicas/que-pasa-con-las-aves-durante-un-huracan_g1DV8AL9LSG6Bzy7q5G8s7/ from lainformacion.com]]: ¿Qué pasa con las aves durante un huracán?

[[http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/270774126.html from Baidu]]: '''下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？''' 下雨的时候小鸟住在哪里？如果是在春天夏天那还好，有树叶遮挡着，但是到了秋天冬天下雨小鸟住在哪里？还住在在树上搭的窝里吗？不怕冻坏自己和小幼崽吗？如果躲雨那就在哪里躲雨呢？怎么没见过它们躲雨？谢谢。

[[http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/40/219540.html from Fairfax Underground]]: '''What do birds do when it rains?''' Recently I installed a bird feeder outside my bedroom window. It is so wonderful the diversity of our feathered friends that frequent the feeder! I love it. My question that I haven't found an answer to is this: What do the little birdies do when it rains? I mean, do they stay put in the trees that they find themselves in,

[[http://ihmepuu.vuodatus.net/lue/2014/05/minne-linnut-menevat-sateella from a blog on vuodatus.net]]: '''Minne linnut menevät sateella?''' Tänään satoi rankasti. Kuljin metsän halki. Kuulin linnun laulavan. Yksinäinen, mutta itsenäinen ja vahva, tulkitseva ääni. Kaunis. Minne linnut menevät sateella? En ole koskaan nähnyt lintuja rankkasateessa. Luulen, että ne yrittävät löytää suojan. Kuusien ja mäntyjen oksistossa on varmaan suojaisaa. Kallioiden koloihin ja pieniin luolastoihin voi ehkä lintukin hiipiä. Rohkeille löytyy pihoilta suojapaikkoja. Ehkä linnulla oli oma pesäkolo. Siellä oli lämmintä ja kuivaa. Sieltä saattoi rauhassa katsella sateen vierailua metsässä. Siellä saattoi jopa iloita sateesta ja laulaa.

[[https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110530163957AAaw1S3 from Yahoo! Answers]]: '''What do the birds do when it RAINS like crazy?''' I live in upstate new york and just moved here and there are so many many birds here especially where I live, the other day I saw a broken egg on the ground in the drive way from a [...show more link] '''Update''': I know they get wet btw but was wondering if they did anything extra to [...show more link] '''Best Answer''' Well ... it depends on the species of bird, for one. Some are more adapted for rain then others.

[[http://www.willemwever.nl/vraag_antwoord/dieren-en-planten/waar-blijven-de-vogels-als-het-heel-hard-stormt from Willem Wever]]: '''Waar blijven de vogels als het heel hard stormt?''' Bij hevige stormen zoekt een vogel de beschutting die bij hem past. Er zijn een aantal vogels die met storm wel vliegen. Maar bij een echte hevige storm schuilen [...]

[..several more similar questions, fading into white...]

;[Third section - A bird on a wire fence]:
[A bird sits on a wire fence with no rain falling]

[Zoomed in on the bird as it looks at a rain drop splashing on the fence wire]

[Zoomed out on the bird looking at the rain as it increases in intensity]

[The bird flies down to an small smart-phone-shaped object lying on the ground, as the rain increases in intensity even more]

[The bird lands on the object, with puddles increasing in size around the object]

[The bird pecks at the object, ostensibly typing] W... H... E... R... E... D... O... B... I... R... D... S...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]