explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3146: Fantastic Four

2025-09-26T22:38:49Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3146
| date = September 24, 2025
| title = Fantastic Four
| image = fantastic_four_2x.png
| imagesize = 343x388px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = One perk of being born at 0.88c is that your birthday is over two days long.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please explain why the thing is related to the movie}}

The comic is a pun on the {{w|Oberth effect}}, which causes orbital maneuvers to be more efficient when deep into a gravitational well.
The movie referenced is ''{{w|The Fantastic_Four:_First_Steps|The Fantastic Four: First Steps}}'', released in 2025. The comic says that there is a boost because of the propulsion produced by the baby (a 'birth', rather than a 'berth').

This effect is probably zero, as the change in the centre of mass of the ship and crew would not constitute a form of effective reaction-based propulsion. {{cn}} 

The title text states that being born at 88% the speed of light results in a birthday that's over two days long. This is due to {{w|time dilation|time dilation}}: from the perspective of Earth, at 0.88 c, the dilation factor γ is 2.1 . So one day is 2.1 days seen from Earth.

The Oberth effect was also mentioned as a key to escaping Origin in [[2765: Escape Speed]].

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is facing Cueball with one of her hands out, facing up and towards Cueball.]
:Ponytail: In the new ''Fantastic Four'' movie, their ship doesn't have enough fuel to get home and Sue Storm goes into labor, so they slingshot around a neutron star and fire their engines at periapsis — as Sue has her baby — to get a boost.
:Cueball: Ah yes, the Obirth effect.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Movies]]
[[Category:Physics]]

3146: Fantastic Four

2025-09-26T22:38:37Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3146
| date = September 24, 2025
| title = Fantastic Four
| image = fantastic_four_2x.png
| imagesize = 343x388px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = One perk of being born at 0.88c is that your birthday is over two days long.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please explain why the thing is related to the movie}}

The comic is a pun on the {{w|Oberth effect}}, which causes orbital maneuvers to be more efficient when deep into a gravitational well.
The movie referenced is ''{{w|The Fantastic_Four:_First_Steps|The Fantastic Four: First Steps}}'', released in 2025. The comic says that there is a boost because of the propulsion produced by the baby (a 'birth', rather than a 'berth').

This effect is probably zero, as the change in the centre of mass of the ship and crew would not constitute a form of effective reaction-based propulsion. {{cn}} 

The title text states that being born at 88% the speed of light results in a birthday that's over two days long. This is due to {{w|time dilation|time dilation}}: from the perspective of Earth, at 0.88 c, the dilation factor γ is 2.1 . So one day is 2.1 days seen from Earth.

The Oberth effect was also mentioned as a key to escaping Origin in [[2765:Escape Speed]].

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is facing Cueball with one of her hands out, facing up and towards Cueball.]
:Ponytail: In the new ''Fantastic Four'' movie, their ship doesn't have enough fuel to get home and Sue Storm goes into labor, so they slingshot around a neutron star and fire their engines at periapsis — as Sue has her baby — to get a boost.
:Cueball: Ah yes, the Obirth effect.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Movies]]
[[Category:Physics]]

1134: Logic Boat

2025-09-22T19:41:54Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1134
| date = November 14, 2012
| title = Logic Boat
| image = logic boat.png
| titletext = Or a cabbage, for that matter. Goats make sense. Goats are fine.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic is a play on the classic {{w|wolf, goat and cabbage problem}} belonging to the {{w|river crossing puzzle}}s, and first known from {{w|Propositiones ad Acuendos Juvenes}}, with the same setting as here. The three possessions change between various retellings but it typically involves a {{w|Carnivore|carnivorous animal}} (wolf, lion etc.), a {{w|herbivore}} (goat, sheep, chicken, goose etc.), and some plant based food (cabbage, grain, beans etc.). The objective {{tvtropes|FoxChickenGrainPuzzle|is to ferry all three possessions to the other side of a river safely in a small boat}}, with the limitation of only being able to transport one possession per crossing. The crossing order must take into account that the carnivore would eat the herbivore if left alone together, and the herbivore would eat the food.
{| class="wikitable sortable floatleft"
|-
! Origin
! Destination
|-
| C, W, A, G
|
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 1: Take goat across
|-
| W, A
| C, G
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 2: Return alone
|-
| C, W, A
| G
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 3: Take cabbage across
|-
| W
| C, G, A
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 4: Return with goat
|-
| C, W, G
| A
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 5: Take wolf across
|-
| G
| C, W, A
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 6: Return alone
|-
| C, G
| W, A
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 7: Take goat across
|-
|
| C, W, G, A
|}

The traditional solution is shown on the left
(C - Cueball
W - Wolf
A - Cabbage
G - Goat).

Since the conditions for this problem are symmetric, an alternate solution would be to transport the wolf on Trip 3 and the cabbage on Trip 5. By leaving the wolf behind, four steps are saved (the comic's "step 4" is just a comment) and the troublesome wolf, a wild and dangerous animal not usually kept by humans, is eliminated from the picture.

This could be seen a jab on the common assumption that logic puzzles only have one correct solution. Thus one often keeps the other person thinking and guessing until they arrive at the pre-defined solution, no matter how many other creative good solutions they come up with. Also note that the "problem" given doesn't even state an objective, just three prerequisites.

Alternatively, this could be a jab at the fact that the conditions of some puzzles are very strange. Both the fourth step and title text are evidence of this - questioning why you would have a wolf or a cabbage respectively. Yet, even though it is unlikely that you would ever find yourself in the situation and odd rules as stated by the puzzle in real life,{{Citation needed}} the puzzle demands that you solve it and reach the criteria it asks.

The title text says that cabbages are also unnecessary, but goats are fine. The reasons for these opinions are less obvious than the one about the wolf, but still understandable. Many people, presumably including the narrator, do not like the taste of cabbage. Many are also fond of goats, finding them cute. The same opinion about goats is in [[1282: Monty Hall]]. (Goat milk and goat meat are also edible.)

The river crossing puzzle was the main focus of [[2348: Boat Puzzle]]. It was also referenced in [[589: Designated Drivers]] and [[2684: Road Space Comparison]].
<div style="clear: both"></div>

==Transcript==
:[A person shows up at a boat docked at the edge of a river. The person has brought along a head of cabbage, a goat, and a wolf.]
:Problem: The boat only holds two, but you can't leave the goat with the cabbage or the wolf with the goat.

:[The wolf looks curiously at the cabbage that's been left behind while the person goes off with the goat.]
:Solution: 1. Take the goat across.

:[The goat remains tied up on the far side. The wolf watches the person come back.]
:2. Return alone.

:[The wolf sits and waits as the person goes off.]
:3. Take the cabbage across.

:4. Leave the wolf. Why did you have a wolf?
:[The wolf goes off.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]

1134: Logic Boat

2025-09-22T19:41:38Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1134
| date = November 14, 2012
| title = Logic Boat
| image = logic boat.png
| titletext = Or a cabbage, for that matter. Goats make sense. Goats are fine.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic is a play on the classic {{w|wolf, goat and cabbage problem}} belonging to the {{w|river crossing puzzle}}s, and first known from {{w|Propositiones ad Acuendos Juvenes}}, with the same setting as here. The three possessions change between various retellings but it typically involves a {{w|Carnivore|carnivorous animal}} (wolf, lion etc.), a {{w|herbivore}} (goat, sheep, chicken, goose etc.), and some plant based food (cabbage, grain, beans etc.). The objective {{tvtropes|FoxChickenGrainPuzzle|is to ferry all three possessions to the other side of a river safely in a small boat}}, with the limitation of only being able to transport one possession per crossing. The crossing order must take into account that the carnivore would eat the herbivore if left alone together, and the herbivore would eat the food.
{| class="wikitable sortable floatleft"
|-
! Origin
! Destination
|-
| C, W, A, G
|
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 1: Take goat across
|-
| W, A
| C, G
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 2: Return alone
|-
| C, W, A
| G
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 3: Take cabbage across
|-
| W
| C, G, A
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 4: Return with goat
|-
| C, W, G
| A
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 5: Take wolf across
|-
| G
| C, W, A
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 6: Return alone
|-
| C, G
| W, A
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background: #ffdead;" | Trip 7: Take goat across
|-
|
| C, W, G, A
|}

The traditional solution is shown on the left
(C - Cueball
W - Wolf
A - Cabbage
G - Goat)

Since the conditions for this problem are symmetric, an alternate solution would be to transport the wolf on Trip 3 and the cabbage on Trip 5. By leaving the wolf behind, four steps are saved (the comic's "step 4" is just a comment) and the troublesome wolf, a wild and dangerous animal not usually kept by humans, is eliminated from the picture.

This could be seen a jab on the common assumption that logic puzzles only have one correct solution. Thus one often keeps the other person thinking and guessing until they arrive at the pre-defined solution, no matter how many other creative good solutions they come up with. Also note that the "problem" given doesn't even state an objective, just three prerequisites.

Alternatively, this could be a jab at the fact that the conditions of some puzzles are very strange. Both the fourth step and title text are evidence of this - questioning why you would have a wolf or a cabbage respectively. Yet, even though it is unlikely that you would ever find yourself in the situation and odd rules as stated by the puzzle in real life,{{Citation needed}} the puzzle demands that you solve it and reach the criteria it asks.

The title text says that cabbages are also unnecessary, but goats are fine. The reasons for these opinions are less obvious than the one about the wolf, but still understandable. Many people, presumably including the narrator, do not like the taste of cabbage. Many are also fond of goats, finding them cute. The same opinion about goats is in [[1282: Monty Hall]]. (Goat milk and goat meat are also edible.)

The river crossing puzzle was the main focus of [[2348: Boat Puzzle]]. It was also referenced in [[589: Designated Drivers]] and [[2684: Road Space Comparison]].
<div style="clear: both"></div>

==Transcript==
:[A person shows up at a boat docked at the edge of a river. The person has brought along a head of cabbage, a goat, and a wolf.]
:Problem: The boat only holds two, but you can't leave the goat with the cabbage or the wolf with the goat.

:[The wolf looks curiously at the cabbage that's been left behind while the person goes off with the goat.]
:Solution: 1. Take the goat across.

:[The goat remains tied up on the far side. The wolf watches the person come back.]
:2. Return alone.

:[The wolf sits and waits as the person goes off.]
:3. Take the cabbage across.

:4. Leave the wolf. Why did you have a wolf?
:[The wolf goes off.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]

User:BobcatInABox

2025-09-19T12:37:46Z

BobcatInABox:

I am now an autoconfirmed user. Yay!

All hail King Bun!

==About Me==
I am just a normal person. See comments above.

I decided to contribute to explainxkcd after about a half-year of reading what it had to say. I joined because the community largely seemed like good people and enthusiastic about what they were doing. I also enjoyed seeing the variety of perspectives on what the comics meant. Half the time, I am sure [[Randall]] doesn't actually mean what we interpret.

==Updates==
*About to reach all-time [[Special:ContributionScores|editor's list]]
*Currently working on:
**Updating past comics that have out of date explanations/broken links
**Finishing [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|incomplete explanations]]
**Anything else (within reason) that I am asked to do on my [[User_talk:BobcatInABox|talk page]].

==Statistics==

:Score: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|score}}
:Pages: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|pages}}
:Edits: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|changes}}
Thank you to [[User:DollarStoreBa'al]] for supplying these functions.

----

:Anyone want help with any particular problem? Just ask below!

{{comic discussion}}

User:BobcatInABox

2025-09-19T12:34:06Z

BobcatInABox: /* Updates */

I am now an autoconfirmed user. Yay!

All hail King Bun!

==About Me==
I am just a normal person. See comments above.

I decided to contribute to explainxkcd after about a half-year of reading what it had to say. I joined because the community largely seemed like good people and enthusiastic about what they were doing. I also enjoyed seeing the variety of perspectives on what the comics meant. Half the time, I am sure [[Randall]] doesn't actually mean what we interpret.

==Updates==
*About to reach all-time [[Special:ContributionScores|editor's list]]
*Currently working on:
**Updating past comics that have out of date explanations/broken links
**Finishing incomplete explanations
**Anything else (within reason) that I am asked to do on my [[User_talk:BobcatInABox|talk page]].

==Statistics==

:Score: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|score}}
:Pages: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|pages}}
:Edits: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|changes}}
Thank you to [[User:DollarStoreBa'al]] for supplying these functions.

----

:Anyone want help with any particular problem? Just ask below!

{{comic discussion}}

User:BobcatInABox

2025-09-19T12:33:22Z

BobcatInABox: /* Updates */

I am now an autoconfirmed user. Yay!

All hail King Bun!

==About Me==
I am just a normal person. See comments above.

I decided to contribute to explainxkcd after about a half-year of reading what it had to say. I joined because the community largely seemed like good people and enthusiastic about what they were doing. I also enjoyed seeing the variety of perspectives on what the comics meant. Half the time, I am sure [[Randall]] doesn't actually mean what we interpret.

==Updates==
*About to reach all-time [[Special:ContributionScores|editor's list]]
*Currently working on:
**Updating past comics that have out of date explanations/broken links
**Finishing [[Category:Incomplete explanations|incomplete explanations]]
**Anything else (within reason) that I am asked to do on my [[User_talk:BobcatInABox|talk page]].

==Statistics==

:Score: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|score}}
:Pages: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|pages}}
:Edits: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|changes}}
Thank you to [[User:DollarStoreBa'al]] for supplying these functions.

----

:Anyone want help with any particular problem? Just ask below!

{{comic discussion}}

User:BobcatInABox

2025-09-19T12:32:52Z

BobcatInABox: /* Updates */

I am now an autoconfirmed user. Yay!

All hail King Bun!

==About Me==
I am just a normal person. See comments above.

I decided to contribute to explainxkcd after about a half-year of reading what it had to say. I joined because the community largely seemed like good people and enthusiastic about what they were doing. I also enjoyed seeing the variety of perspectives on what the comics meant. Half the time, I am sure [[Randall]] doesn't actually mean what we interpret.

==Updates==
*About to reach all-time [[Special:ContributionScores|editor's list]]
*Currently working on:
**Updating past comics that have out of date explanations/broken links
**Finishing [[Incomplete explanations|incomplete explanations]]
**Anything else (within reason) that I am asked to do on my [[User_talk:BobcatInABox|talk page]].

==Statistics==

:Score: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|score}}
:Pages: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|pages}}
:Edits: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|changes}}
Thank you to [[User:DollarStoreBa'al]] for supplying these functions.

----

:Anyone want help with any particular problem? Just ask below!

{{comic discussion}}

User:BobcatInABox

2025-09-19T12:32:09Z

BobcatInABox: /* Updates */

I am now an autoconfirmed user. Yay!

All hail King Bun!

==About Me==
I am just a normal person. See comments above.

I decided to contribute to explainxkcd after about a half-year of reading what it had to say. I joined because the community largely seemed like good people and enthusiastic about what they were doing. I also enjoyed seeing the variety of perspectives on what the comics meant. Half the time, I am sure [[Randall]] doesn't actually mean what we interpret.

==Updates==
*About to reach all-time [[Special:ContributionScores|editor's list]]
*Currently working on:
**Updating past comics that have out of date explanations/broken links
**Finishing [[Category:Incomplete explanations|incomplete explanations]]
**Anything else (within reason) that I am asked to do on my [[User_talk:BobcatInABox|talk page]].

==Statistics==

:Score: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|score}}
:Pages: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|pages}}
:Edits: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|changes}}
Thank you to [[User:DollarStoreBa'al]] for supplying these functions.

----

:Anyone want help with any particular problem? Just ask below!

{{comic discussion}}

User:BobcatInABox

2025-09-19T12:30:33Z

BobcatInABox:

I am now an autoconfirmed user. Yay!

All hail King Bun!

==About Me==
I am just a normal person. See comments above.

I decided to contribute to explainxkcd after about a half-year of reading what it had to say. I joined because the community largely seemed like good people and enthusiastic about what they were doing. I also enjoyed seeing the variety of perspectives on what the comics meant. Half the time, I am sure [[Randall]] doesn't actually mean what we interpret.

==Updates==
*About to reach all-time editor's list
*Currently working on:
**Updating past comics that have out of date explanations/broken links
**Finishing [[Category:Incomplete explanations|incomplete explanations]]
**Anything else (within reason) that I am asked to do on my [[User_talk:BobcatInABox|talk page]].

==Statistics==

:Score: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|score}}
:Pages: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|pages}}
:Edits: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|changes}}
Thank you to [[User:DollarStoreBa'al]] for supplying these functions.

----

:Anyone want help with any particular problem? Just ask below!

{{comic discussion}}

25: Barrel - Part 4

2025-09-16T10:35:51Z

BobcatInABox:

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| ognumber = 26
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments
| ogprev = 37
| ognext = 26
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = <wbr>:(<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments Original caption]:'' By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:<br>http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html<br>I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.<br>I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.<br>Oops.</div>
}}

This was the twenty-sixth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[37: Hyphen]], and the next one was [[26: Fourier]].

==Explanation==
In the first three comics of the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], [[Barrel Boy]] explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, the title text, and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of the series, imply that the boy's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have died.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:

* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

There was no original caption on LiveJournal for this comic. However, just three hours and four minutes after posting it, Randall made a new post, titled [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=5%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20series,-By%20the%20way Barrel series], which is available above the Explanation on this page. In the first part of the post, he advertises the new page he created for "all the barrel comics", implying this was supposed to be the end of the The Boy and his Barrel series (the link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version]). In the [[37: Hyphen|caption of the previous comic]], he also said "Tune in Monday for the conclusion to the story of the boy and his barrel". However, this would turn out to not be the last comic in the series, as [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] and [[20: Ferret]] would be included later likely to give an unplanned good ending to the story.

In the second part of the post, he jokingly implies that Barrel Boy passed away, which will be found to be incorrect in the actual last comic in the series. It's possible he changed his mind in the meantime and wanted to give the series a happy ending. The reference to George Lucas is in response to the {{w|changes in Star Wars re-releases}} that were not widely liked by long-term fans of the original movies, as they covered a general revamping and upgrading of the visuals, [https://nofilmschool.com/Jabba-The-Hutt-Returned-to-Star-Wars additional scenes], and even reinterpretations of {{w|Han shot first|existing scenes}}. In his post, he says he believes the change he made to [[11: Barrel - Part 2]] aren't as controversial.

There was originally an error in formatting this page, in which the <nowiki>:</nowiki> of the smiley face got interpreted as a line break and tab, due to wikipedia formatting.

== Transcript ==
:[A barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

3142: (City)-Style Pizza

2025-09-15T21:38:06Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3142
| date = September 15, 2025
| title = -Style Pizza
| image = city_style_pizza_2x.png
| imagesize = 480x314px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you want to see true audacity, do an image search for 'Altoona-style pizza.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a BOT WITH SAUSAGE AND ANCHOVIES. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
Many varieties of {{w|pizza}} are named after a city, usually where the style originated or was popularized; for instance, {{w|New York–style pizza}} and Chicago-style pizzas. According to [[Randall]], {{w|New York-style pizza}} is near the top of the tastiness axis. New York happens to be the largest city in the US. It's also where pizza was first brought to the US by Italian immigrants, and may be considered to be the epicenter of American pizza culture. A New York-style pizza is characterized by a thin, but not hard, crust. Another famous pizza is the {{w|Chicago-style pizza}}, or Chicago deep-dish pizza, which is known for being notoriously thick.

This comic contains a chart that compares the tastiness of pizza styles with the size of the city in the name. They generally span a broad range, but poor-tasting styles are mostly found only in small cities. The suggested reason is that these are due to restaurant owners in small towns who are bored and make up strange styles of pizza as a prank on visitors.

The title text mentions an Altoona-style pizza. Created in the Altoona hotel in Altoona, Pennsylvania, It contains American Cheese on Sicilian crust, as well as bell peppers and salami.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[A graph is shown. The x-axis is marked:]
:City size
:[They y-axis is marked:]
:Tastiness of "<city>-style pizza"
:[A shaded region is shown, initially covering nearly the whole y-axis at the lowest x-values. At the last x-values, the y-values are medium-medium high. Arrows point around to various locations in this shaded region, indicating an otherwise-unmarked subregion.]
:Label: Various controversial regional specialties
:[An arrow points to a medium-high y-value at the absolute leftmost x-axis.]
:Label: New York up here somewhere
:[An arrow points to a low x- and y-value.]
:Label: Towns with bored restaurant owners who have come up with a fun prank to play on visitors

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category: Food]]
[[Category: Charts]]

3142: (City)-Style Pizza

2025-09-15T21:35:23Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3142
| date = September 15, 2025
| title = -Style Pizza
| image = city_style_pizza_2x.png
| imagesize = 480x314px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you want to see true audacity, do an image search for 'Altoona-style pizza.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a BOT WITH SAUSAGE AND ANCHOVIES. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
Many varieties of {{w|pizza}} are named after a city, usually where the style originated or was popularized; for instance, {{w|New York–style pizza}} and Chicago-style pizzas. [[Randall]] mentions New York–style pizza in the comic, which he rates at a medium-high on the tastiness scale. A New York-style pizza is characterized by a thin, but not hard, crust. {{w|Chicago-style pizza|Chicago-style pizzas}}, or Chicago deep-dish pizzas are known for being notoriously thick.

This comic contains a chart that compares the tastiness of pizza styles with the size of the city in the name. They generally span a broad range, but poor-tasting styles are mostly found only in small cities. The suggested reason is that these are due to restaurant owners in small towns who are bored and make up strange styles of pizza as a prank on visitors.

According to Randall, {{w|New York-style pizza}} is near the top of the tastiness axis. New York happens to be the largest city in the US. It's also where pizza was first brought to the US by Italian immigrants, and may be considered to be the epicenter of American pizza culture.

The title text mentions an Altoona-style pizza. Created in the Altoona hotel in Altoona, Pennsylvania, It contains American Cheese on Sicilian crust, as well as bell peppers and salami.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[A graph is shown. The x-axis is marked:]
:City size
:[They y-axis is marked:]
:Tastiness of "<city>-style pizza"
:[A shaded region is shown, initially covering nearly the whole y-axis at the lowest x-values. At the last x-values, the y-values are medium-medium high. Arrows point around to various locations in this shaded region, indicating an otherwise-unmarked subregion.]
:Label: Various controversial regional specialties
:[An arrow points to a medium-high y-value at the absolute leftmost x-axis.]
:Label: New York up here somewhere
:[An arrow points to a low x- and y-value.]
:Label: Towns with bored restaurant owners who have come up with a fun prank to play on visitors

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category: Food]]
[[Category: Charts]]

3142: (City)-Style Pizza

2025-09-15T21:16:02Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

Barrel Boy

2025-09-15T18:48:10Z

BobcatInABox:

{{Infobox character
| image = barrel_boy.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = '
| first_appearance = [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
}}

<noinclude>:''For a list of comics, see [[:Category:Comics featuring Barrel Boy|Comics featuring Barrel Boy]].''
:''For the comic series, see [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel]].''</noinclude>
'''Barrel Boy''' is a character in [[xkcd]]. He only appears in the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], an early six-comic story whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. He's one of the few characters that's not a [[stick figure]]. The last image on the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article {{what if|147|Niagara Straw}} features [[Beret Guy]] riding in a barrel, which may be a reference to Barrel Boy.

{{Quote|I've never referred to the boy in the barrel as "Barrel Lad" -- that seems to have started in this [Wikipedia] article. I've called him "Barrel boy" or "The boy in the barrel". Minor detail, but it's funny how sometimes something can appear on Wikipedia, get referenced in other places, and then Wikipedia cites those other places as supporting references. Hooray {{w|Wikipedia in culture#Wikiality|Wikiality}}!|Randall Munroe|{{w|Talk:Xkcd/Archive_2#Notes_from_the_author|Source}}}}

Barrel Boy is very different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style, since he has a face and a human-like body, albeit simplified. He is recognised as his own character, distinct from even the earliest [[Cueball]] stick figure, by both a great gulf of style and by personality. Though the artistic development of style from cartoonish-realism to barebones-stickfigurey might well have included a 'missing link' or two of Barrel Boy 'growing up' into the author-avatar/[[Rob]], the debut to the world (in either its pre-website order, or numbered as per xkcd.com) intermingles the two stages of evolution in a way that at least makes it clear that [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] considers them parallel art styles, not sequential. There are theories that this character is who grows up to be [[Beret Guy]], while one could perhaps also directly link with [[Jack and Jill]], which pops up years later, infrequently as contrast to the contemporary Cueballs/other adults.

He is very similar to the character in [[39: Bowl]], however, the original title text states "This is not the barrel boy".
{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Minor characters]]

Barrel Boy

2025-09-15T18:46:33Z

BobcatInABox:

{{Infobox character
| image = barrel_boy.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = '
| first_appearance = [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
}}

<noinclude>:''For a list of comics, see [[:Category:Comics featuring Barrel Boy|Comics featuring Barrel Boy]].''
:''For the comic series, see [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel]].''</noinclude>
{{incomplete|
*The description of Barrel Boy needs to be simplified a bit.}}
'''Barrel Boy''' is a character in [[xkcd]]. He only appears in the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], an early six-comic story whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. He's one of the few characters that's not a [[stick figure]]. The last image on the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article {{what if|147|Niagara Straw}} features [[Beret Guy]] riding in a barrel, which may be a reference to Barrel Boy.

{{Quote|I've never referred to the boy in the barrel as "Barrel Lad" -- that seems to have started in this [Wikipedia] article. I've called him "Barrel boy" or "The boy in the barrel". Minor detail, but it's funny how sometimes something can appear on Wikipedia, get referenced in other places, and then Wikipedia cites those other places as supporting references. Hooray {{w|Wikipedia in culture#Wikiality|Wikiality}}!|Randall Munroe|{{w|Talk:Xkcd/Archive_2#Notes_from_the_author|Source}}}}

Barrel Boy is very different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style, since he has a face and a human-like body, albeit simplified. He is recognised as his own character, distinct from even the earliest [[Cueball]] stick figure, by both a great gulf of style and by personality. Though the artistic development of style from cartoonish-realism to barebones-stickfigurey might well have included a 'missing link' or two of Barrel Boy 'growing up' into the author-avatar/[[Rob]], the debut to the world (in either its pre-website order, or numbered as per xkcd.com) intermingles the two stages of evolution in a way that at least makes it clear that [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] considers them parallel art styles, not sequential. There are theories that this character is who grows up to be [[Beret Guy]], while one could perhaps also directly link with [[Jack and Jill]], which pops up years later, infrequently as contrast to the contemporary Cueballs/other adults.

He is very similar to the character in [[39: Bowl]], however, the original title text states "This is not the barrel boy".
{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Minor characters]]

Barrel Boy

2025-09-15T18:45:56Z

BobcatInABox:

{{Infobox character
| image = barrel_boy.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = '
| first_appearance = [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
}}

<noinclude>:''For a list of comics, see [[:Category:Comics featuring Barrel Boy|Comics featuring Barrel Boy]].''
:''For the comic series, see [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel]].''</noinclude>
{{incomplete|
*The description of Barrel Boy needs to be simplified a bit.}}
'''Barrel Boy''' is a character in [[xkcd]]. He only appears in the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], an early six-comic story whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. He's one of the few characters that's not a [[stick figure]]. The last image on the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article {{what if|147|Niagara Straw}} features [[Beret Guy]] riding in a barrel, which may be a reference to Barrel Boy.

{{Quote|I've never referred to the boy in the barrel as "Barrel Lad" -- that seems to have started in this [Wikipedia] article. I've called him "Barrel boy" or "The boy in the barrel". Minor detail, but it's funny how sometimes something can appear on Wikipedia, get referenced in other places, and then Wikipedia cites those other places as supporting references. Hooray {{w|Wikipedia in culture#Wikiality|Wikiality}}!|Randall Munroe|{{w|Talk:Xkcd/Archive_2#Notes_from_the_author|Source}}}}

Barrel Boy is very different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style, since he has a face and a human-like body. He is recognised as his own character, distinct from even the earliest [[Cueball]] stick figure, by both a great gulf of style and by personality. Though the artistic development of style from cartoonish-realism to barebones-stickfigurey might well have included a 'missing link' or two of Barrel Boy 'growing up' into the author-avatar/[[Rob]], the debut to the world (in either its pre-website order, or numbered as per xkcd.com) intermingles the two stages of evolution in a way that at least makes it clear that [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] considers them parallel art styles, not sequential. There are theories that this character is who grows up to be [[Beret Guy]], while one could perhaps also directly link with [[Jack and Jill]], which pops up years later, infrequently as contrast to the contemporary Cueballs/other adults.

He is very similar to the character in [[39: Bowl]], however, the original title text states "This is not the barrel boy".
{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Minor characters]]

3082: Chess Position

2025-09-15T18:44:10Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3082
| date = April 28, 2025
| title = Chess Position
| image = chess position 2x.png
| imagesize = 740x598px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's important to learn the moves that take you into the vortex, but it's best not to study vortex itself too closely. Even grandmasters who have built up a tolerance lose the ability to play for a few hours after studying it.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]] talks to [[Ponytail]] about a chess game he had last week against [[Knit Cap]]. After Cueball made a {{w|blunder (chess)|blunder}}, a critically bad mistake which frequently changes the course of the game, both of them quickly made inaccurate moves, probably rated as a "{{w|Blunder (chess)|blunder}}", "mistake", or "miss", leading to an odd configuration of the chess pieces. Blunders that are not taken advantage of can lead to this effect for less experienced players.

The rest of this comic becomes absurd, as Cueball then describes himself and Knit Cap descending into a fantasy world "on a deep branch of the game tree." However, it seems that Cueball and Knit Cap each made a sequence of seemingly obvious blunders that neither opponent then took advantage of, reaching a board configuration that Cueball had never even anticipated happening. Ponytail reacts nonchalantly to this story, as she says this is a common scenario for new players, and that there is even a defined name for it: the Kasparov Vortex Gambit. Ponytail's advice to Cueball after he "recovers" from the disillusionment of the "vortex" is that she can teach him how to defend against the attack, by using the f pawn.

In the title text, Ponytail continues with her advice, telling Cueball that he needs to understand how the vortex can be entered, but not to study the actual vortex. It appears that if you spend too much time focusing on the vortex you will [[356: Nerd Sniping|lose your ability]] to play chess. Even experienced players, such as grandmasters who have built up some kind of tolerance against the effect of the vortex, lose their chess abilities for a few hours after studying it. Thus being able to get your opponent into the vortex, without getting caught in it yourself, should win you the game, since they would lose their ability to play chess.

Chess strategy is commonly described in terms of following a {{w|decision tree}} or {{w|game tree}}, as one usually needs to calculate multiple moves ahead when planning out what move to play. As a chess game progresses, the {{w|phase space}} of possible positions increases wildly, though this will include many more configurations than are typically seen or anticipated by players. Rarely, an expert player may 'discover' a truly clever {{w|Glossary of chess#theoretical novelty|novel opening}}, but centuries of recorded gameplay has explored many of the possible moves, both good and not so good, that are often recognized by experienced students of the game as common stepping-stones on the way to possible victory (or frequent traps that send the unwary down the road to defeat). Both precise game-board states and more general variations may be easily recognized by an experienced player, and even be {{w|Checkmate pattern|given a name}} by the player community as a whole.

In some apparently mystical (or at least psychological) manner, by travelling such an unlikely and unfamiliar branch of the player/board game-space, the precise positioning of pieces combined with the state of mind that Cueball had developed created the impression of literally entering a mythical garden, with time even stopping. This could be a reference to the story "The door behind the wall" by HG Wells in which the protagonist explains to the personal that he is haunted by trying to find a door leading to a mystical garden, which he had stumbled across before. In chess, you want pieces to be in a position to attack other pieces, while at the same time being protected by other pieces. Typically you'd have some pieces on the offense, some playing defense, and some doing both. It seems that in this board configuration, somehow all the pieces ended up in both offensive attack positions able to attack every other piece on the board while at the same time each one was being protected by against attack by their other pieces. It was this perfect balance of position and protection that led to the time distortion and the magical garden.

Every piece being attacked at once is impossible under standard rules. If all of the pieces are being attacked, that includes both kings. It is illegal to end your turn with your king under attack; if you have no way to do so, the game ends, in checkmate if your king started the turn under attack or in stalemate if it did not. Alternatively, Cueball might not be including the king in "every piece", or simply might not have literally meant that every piece was under attack.

{{w|Garry Kasparov}} is a Russian chess grandmaster and former world champion. He was the number-one rated chess player from 1984 to 2005, and is considered one of the greatest chess players of all past time, if not ''the'' greatest. A {{w|gambit (chess)|gambit}} refers to a chess opening in which a player sacrifices material with the aim of achieving a subsequent positional advantage. This name seems to indicate that Kasparov himself either discovered/’invented’ or made popular this "gambit" to suck new players into a "vortex" and trap them from getting out. This is not the case, but, within the xkcd universe, he has performed an equally absurd gambit (also named after himself) in [[2936: Exponential Growth]].

The f pawn is the pawn that begins on the f file (the 6th column of the chessboard from white's perspective, which is designated with the 6th letter of the alphabet since rows are designated by numbers). The pawn would start either on f2 (sixth column, second row) for the white player or f7 (sixth column, seventh row) for black. The fact that an apparent distortion in the fabric of space can be countered with ''a single pawn'' just adds to the absurdity of the situation. Equally absurd is the fact that moving the f pawn early in the game is itself usually a blunder that exposes the king to a {{w|Fool's mate|diagonal attack}}, due to its starting position relative to the starting position of the king; perhaps the intent is to purposefully go down a ''different'' (non-vortexed) branch of the game-tree with resulting board positions that are far less mesmerising (at least to Cueball).

This comic has similarities to [[224: Lisp]].

==Transcript==
:[In the first panel, Cueball is walking in from the left, while talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: Something odd happened to me last week in a game at the chess club.

:[Cueball is playing a game of chess against Knit Cap.]
:[Caption above frame:]
:I moved, then instantly realized I'd blundered. But my opponent didn't notice and made a weird move.
:I got rattled and moved almost randomly, then I think we both panicked and made a couple of nonsensical moves, rapid-fire.

:[Zoomed in on Cueball, with three question marks above his head]
:I don't know how it happened, but suddenly I realized I was staring at an indescribably strange board position.

:[Cueball is talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: I've never seen anything like it. It seemed like every move attacked every piece, yet every piece was also protected. Pieces refracted through crystalline pawn structures.
:Cueball: The game clock slowed and then stopped.

:[Cueball and Knit Cap are floating in a complex five-fold symmetrical plant-like pattern of "game tree branches".]
:[Caption above the frame]
:It didn't even feel like we were playing chess. We had stumbled into a magical garden tucked away on a deep branch of the game tree.

:[Cueball is talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: I don't remember how the game ended, if it did.
:Cueball: I don't remember how I got home.
:Cueball: It's all a blur.

:[Close-up of Cueball's head.]
:Cueball: I've spent all week trying to reconstruct the position and can't.
:Cueball: It's consuming me.
:Cueball: I don't want to play chess. I just want to return to that garden.
:Cueball: Does... any of this make sense to you?

:[Cueball is standing with hands on face surprised as Ponytail talks with him.]
:Ponytail: Yeah, that's the Kasparov Vortex Gambit. Common trap for new players.
:Cueball: ''What?!''
:Ponytail: Once you recover I'll show you how to block it with the f pawn.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap]]
[[Category:Chess]]

3082: Chess Position

2025-09-15T18:43:17Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3082
| date = April 28, 2025
| title = Chess Position
| image = chess position 2x.png
| imagesize = 740x598px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's important to learn the moves that take you into the vortex, but it's best not to study vortex itself too closely. Even grandmasters who have built up a tolerance lose the ability to play for a few hours after studying it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The various paragraphs are not organised. Also, might need to reduce the focus on describing the scene and focus more on explaining the jokes.}}

[[Cueball]] talks to [[Ponytail]] about a chess game he had last week against [[Knit Cap]]. After Cueball made a {{w|blunder (chess)|blunder}}, a critically bad mistake which frequently changes the course of the game, both of them quickly made inaccurate moves, probably rated as a "{{w|Blunder (chess)|blunder}}", "mistake", or "miss", leading to an odd configuration of the chess pieces. Blunders that are not taken advantage of can lead to this effect for less experienced players.

The rest of this comic becomes absurd, as Cueball then describes himself and Knit Cap descending into a fantasy world "on a deep branch of the game tree." However, it seems that Cueball and Knit Cap each made a sequence of seemingly obvious blunders that neither opponent then took advantage of, reaching a board configuration that Cueball had never even anticipated happening. Ponytail reacts nonchalantly to this story, as she says this is a common scenario for new players, and that there is even a defined name for it: the Kasparov Vortex Gambit. Ponytail's advice to Cueball after he "recovers" from the disillusionment of the "vortex" is that she can teach him how to defend against the attack, by using the f pawn.

In the title text, Ponytail continues with her advice, telling Cueball that he needs to understand how the vortex can be entered, but not to study the actual vortex. It appears that if you spend too much time focusing on the vortex you will [[356: Nerd Sniping|lose your ability]] to play chess. Even experienced players, such as grandmasters who have built up some kind of tolerance against the effect of the vortex, lose their chess abilities for a few hours after studying it. Thus being able to get your opponent into the vortex, without getting caught in it yourself, should win you the game, since they would lose their ability to play chess.

Chess strategy is commonly described in terms of following a {{w|decision tree}} or {{w|game tree}}, as one usually needs to calculate multiple moves ahead when planning out what move to play. As a chess game progresses, the {{w|phase space}} of possible positions increases wildly, though this will include many more configurations than are typically seen or anticipated by players. Rarely, an expert player may 'discover' a truly clever {{w|Glossary of chess#theoretical novelty|novel opening}}, but centuries of recorded gameplay has explored many of the possible moves, both good and not so good, that are often recognized by experienced students of the game as common stepping-stones on the way to possible victory (or frequent traps that send the unwary down the road to defeat). Both precise game-board states and more general variations may be easily recognized by an experienced player, and even be {{w|Checkmate pattern|given a name}} by the player community as a whole.

In some apparently mystical (or at least psychological) manner, by travelling such an unlikely and unfamiliar branch of the player/board game-space, the precise positioning of pieces combined with the state of mind that Cueball had developed created the impression of literally entering a mythical garden, with time even stopping. This could be a reference to the story "The door behind the wall" by HG Wells in which the protagonist explains to the personal that he is haunted by trying to find a door leading to a mystical garden, which he had stumbled across before. In chess, you want pieces to be in a position to attack other pieces, while at the same time being protected by other pieces. Typically you'd have some pieces on the offense, some playing defense, and some doing both. It seems that in this board configuration, somehow all the pieces ended up in both offensive attack positions able to attack every other piece on the board while at the same time each one was being protected by against attack by their other pieces. It was this perfect balance of position and protection that led to the time distortion and the magical garden.

Every piece being attacked at once is impossible under standard rules. If all of the pieces are being attacked, that includes both kings. It is illegal to end your turn with your king under attack; if you have no way to do so, the game ends, in checkmate if your king started the turn under attack or in stalemate if it did not. Alternatively, Cueball might not be including the king in "every piece", or simply might not have literally meant that every piece was under attack.

{{w|Garry Kasparov}} is a Russian chess grandmaster and former world champion. He was the number-one rated chess player from 1984 to 2005, and is considered one of the greatest chess players of all past time, if not ''the'' greatest. A {{w|gambit (chess)|gambit}} refers to a chess opening in which a player sacrifices material with the aim of achieving a subsequent positional advantage. This name seems to indicate that Kasparov himself either discovered/’invented’ or made popular this "gambit" to suck new players into a "vortex" and trap them from getting out. This is not the case, but, within the xkcd universe, he has performed an equally absurd gambit (also named after himself) in [[2936: Exponential Growth]].

The f pawn is the pawn that begins on the f file (the 6th column of the chessboard from white's perspective, which is designated with the 6th letter of the alphabet since rows are designated by numbers). The pawn would start either on f2 (sixth column, second row) for the white player or f7 (sixth column, seventh row) for black. The fact that an apparent distortion in the fabric of space can be countered with ''a single pawn'' just adds to the absurdity of the situation. Equally absurd is the fact that moving the f pawn early in the game is itself usually a blunder that exposes the king to a {{w|Fool's mate|diagonal attack}}, due to its starting position relative to the starting position of the king; perhaps the intent is to purposefully go down a ''different'' (non-vortexed) branch of the game-tree with resulting board positions that are far less mesmerising (at least to Cueball).

This comic has similarities to [[224: Lisp]].

==Transcript==
:[In the first panel, Cueball is walking in from the left, while talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: Something odd happened to me last week in a game at the chess club.

:[Cueball is playing a game of chess against Knit Cap.]
:[Caption above frame:]
:I moved, then instantly realized I'd blundered. But my opponent didn't notice and made a weird move.
:I got rattled and moved almost randomly, then I think we both panicked and made a couple of nonsensical moves, rapid-fire.

:[Zoomed in on Cueball, with three question marks above his head]
:I don't know how it happened, but suddenly I realized I was staring at an indescribably strange board position.

:[Cueball is talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: I've never seen anything like it. It seemed like every move attacked every piece, yet every piece was also protected. Pieces refracted through crystalline pawn structures.
:Cueball: The game clock slowed and then stopped.

:[Cueball and Knit Cap are floating in a complex five-fold symmetrical plant-like pattern of "game tree branches".]
:[Caption above the frame]
:It didn't even feel like we were playing chess. We had stumbled into a magical garden tucked away on a deep branch of the game tree.

:[Cueball is talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: I don't remember how the game ended, if it did.
:Cueball: I don't remember how I got home.
:Cueball: It's all a blur.

:[Close-up of Cueball's head.]
:Cueball: I've spent all week trying to reconstruct the position and can't.
:Cueball: It's consuming me.
:Cueball: I don't want to play chess. I just want to return to that garden.
:Cueball: Does... any of this make sense to you?

:[Cueball is standing with hands on face surprised as Ponytail talks with him.]
:Ponytail: Yeah, that's the Kasparov Vortex Gambit. Common trap for new players.
:Cueball: ''What?!''
:Ponytail: Once you recover I'll show you how to block it with the f pawn.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap]]
[[Category:Chess]]

3082: Chess Position

2025-09-15T18:41:54Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3082
| date = April 28, 2025
| title = Chess Position
| image = chess position 2x.png
| imagesize = 740x598px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's important to learn the moves that take you into the vortex, but it's best not to study vortex itself too closely. Even grandmasters who have built up a tolerance lose the ability to play for a few hours after studying it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The various paragraphs are not organised. Also, might need to reduce the focus on describing the scene and focus more on explaining the jokes.}}

[[Cueball]] talks to [[Ponytail]] about a chess game he had last week against [[Knit Cap]]. After Cueball made a {{w|blunder (chess)|blunder}}, a critically bad mistake which frequently changes the course of the game, both of them quickly made inaccurate moves, probably rated as a "{{w|Blunder (chess)|blunder}}", "mistake", or "miss", leading to an odd configuration of the chess pieces. Blunders that are not taken advantage of can lead to this effect for less experienced players.

The rest of this comic becomes absurd, as Cueball then describes himself and Knit Cap descending into a fantasy world "on a deep branch of the game tree." However, it seems that Cueball and Knit Cap each made a sequence of seemingly obvious blunders that neither opponent then took advantage of, reaching a board configuration that Cueball had never even anticipated happening. Ponytail reacts nonchalantly to this story, as she says this is a common scenario for new players, and that there is even a defined name for it: the Kasparov Vortex Gambit. Ponytail's advice to Cueball after he "recovers" from the disillusionment of the "vortex" is that she can teach him how to defend against the attack, by using the f pawn.

In the title text, Ponytail continues with her advice, telling Cueball that he needs to understand how the vortex can be entered, but not to study the actual vortex. It appears that if you spend too much time focusing on the vortex you will [[356: Nerd Sniping|lose your ability]] to play chess. Even experienced players, such as grandmasters who have built up some kind of tolerance against the effect of the vortex, lose their chess abilities for a few hours after studying it. Thus being able to get your opponent into the vortex, without getting caught in it yourself, should win you the game, since they would lose their ability to play chess.

Chess strategy is commonly described in terms of following a {{w|decision tree}} or {{w|game tree}}, as one usually needs to calculate multiple moves ahead when planning out what move to play. As a chess game progresses, the {{w|phase space}} of possible positions increases wildly, though this will include many more configurations than are typically seen or anticipated by players. Rarely, an expert player may 'discover' a truly clever {{w|Glossary of chess#theoretical novelty|novel opening}}, but centuries of recorded gameplay has explored many of the possible moves, both good and not so good, that are often recognized by experienced students of the game as common stepping-stones on the way to possible victory (or frequent traps that send the unwary down the road to defeat). Both precise game-board states and more general variations may be easily recognized by an experienced player, and even be {{w|Checkmate pattern|given a name}} by the player community as a whole.

In some apparently mystical (or at least psychological) manner, by travelling such an unlikely and unfamiliar branch of the player/board game-space, the precise positioning of pieces combined with the state of mind that Cueball had developed created the impression of literally entering a mythical garden, with time even stopping. This could be a reference to the story "The door behind the wall" by HG Wells in which the protagonist explains to the personal that he is haunted by trying to find a door leading to a mystical garden, which he had stumbled across before. In chess, you want pieces to be in a position to attack other pieces, while at the same time being protected by other pieces. Typically you'd have some pieces on the offense, some playing defense, and some doing both. It seems that in this board configuration, somehow all the pieces ended up in both offensive attack positions able to attack every other piece on the board while at the same time each one was being protected by against attack by their other pieces. It was this perfect balance of position and protection that led to the time distortion and the magical garden.

Every piece being attacked at once is impossible under standard rules. If all of the pieces are being attacked, that includes both kings. It is illegal to end your turn with your king under attack; if you have no way to do so, the game ends, in checkmate if your king started the turn under attack or in stalemate if it did not. Alternatively, Cueball might not be including the king in "every piece", or simply might not have literally meant that every piece was under attack.

{{w|Garry Kasparov}} is a Russian chess grandmaster and former world champion. He was the number-one rated chess player from 1984 to 2005, and is considered one of the greatest chess players of all past time, if not ''the'' greatest. A {{w|gambit (chess)|gambit}} refers to a chess opening in which a player sacrifices material with the aim of achieving a subsequent positional advantage. This name seems to indicate that Kasparov himself either discovered/’invented’ or made popular this "gambit" to suck new players into a "vortex" and trap them from getting out. This is not the case, but, within the xkcd universe, he has performed an equally absurd gambit (also named after himself) in [[2936: Exponential Growth]].

The f pawn is the pawn that begins on the f file (the 6th column of the chessboard from white's perspective, which is designated with the 6th letter of the alphabet since rows are designated by numbers). The pawn would start either on f2 (sixth column, second row) for the white player or f7 (sixth column, seventh row) for black. The fact that an apparent distortion in the fabric of space can be countered with ''a single pawn'' just adds to the absurdity of the situation. Equally absurd is the fact that moving the f pawn early in the game is itself usually a blunder that exposes the king to a {{w|Fool's mate|diagonal attack}}, due to its starting position relative to the starting position of the king; perhaps the intent is to purposefully "blunder" down a ''different'' (non-vortexed) branch of the game-tree with resulting board positions that are far less mesmerising (at least to Cueball).

This comic has similarities to [[224: Lisp]].

==Transcript==
:[In the first panel, Cueball is walking in from the left, while talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: Something odd happened to me last week in a game at the chess club.

:[Cueball is playing a game of chess against Knit Cap.]
:[Caption above frame:]
:I moved, then instantly realized I'd blundered. But my opponent didn't notice and made a weird move.
:I got rattled and moved almost randomly, then I think we both panicked and made a couple of nonsensical moves, rapid-fire.

:[Zoomed in on Cueball, with three question marks above his head]
:I don't know how it happened, but suddenly I realized I was staring at an indescribably strange board position.

:[Cueball is talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: I've never seen anything like it. It seemed like every move attacked every piece, yet every piece was also protected. Pieces refracted through crystalline pawn structures.
:Cueball: The game clock slowed and then stopped.

:[Cueball and Knit Cap are floating in a complex five-fold symmetrical plant-like pattern of "game tree branches".]
:[Caption above the frame]
:It didn't even feel like we were playing chess. We had stumbled into a magical garden tucked away on a deep branch of the game tree.

:[Cueball is talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: I don't remember how the game ended, if it did.
:Cueball: I don't remember how I got home.
:Cueball: It's all a blur.

:[Close-up of Cueball's head.]
:Cueball: I've spent all week trying to reconstruct the position and can't.
:Cueball: It's consuming me.
:Cueball: I don't want to play chess. I just want to return to that garden.
:Cueball: Does... any of this make sense to you?

:[Cueball is standing with hands on face surprised as Ponytail talks with him.]
:Ponytail: Yeah, that's the Kasparov Vortex Gambit. Common trap for new players.
:Cueball: ''What?!''
:Ponytail: Once you recover I'll show you how to block it with the f pawn.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap]]
[[Category:Chess]]

3082: Chess Position

2025-09-15T18:38:28Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3082
| date = April 28, 2025
| title = Chess Position
| image = chess position 2x.png
| imagesize = 740x598px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's important to learn the moves that take you into the vortex, but it's best not to study vortex itself too closely. Even grandmasters who have built up a tolerance lose the ability to play for a few hours after studying it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The various paragraphs are not organised. Also, might need to reduce the focus on describing the scene and focus more on explaining the jokes.}}

[[Cueball]] talks to [[Ponytail]] about a chess game he had last week against [[Knit Cap]]. After Cueball made a {{w|blunder (chess)|blunder}}, a critically bad mistake which frequently changes the course of the game, both of them quickly made inaccurate moves, probably rated as a "{{w|Blunder (chess)|blunder}}", "mistake", or "miss", leading to an odd configuration of the chess pieces. Blunders that are not taken advantage of can lead to this effect for less experienced players.

The rest of this comic becomes absurd, as Cueball then describes himself and Knit Cap descending into a fantasy world "on a deep branch of the game tree." However, it seems that Cueball and Knit Cap each made a sequence of seemingly obvious blunders that neither opponent then took advantage of, reaching a board configuration that Cueball had never even anticipated happening. Ponytail reacts nonchalantly to this story, as she says this is a common scenario for new players, and that there is even a defined name for it: the Kasparov Vortex Gambit. Ponytail's advice to Cueball after he "recovers" from the disillusionment of the "vortex" is that she can teach him how to defend against the attack, by using the f pawn.

In the title text, Ponytail continues with her advice, telling Cueball that he needs to understand how the vortex can be entered, but not to study the actual vortex. It appears that if you spend too much time focusing on the vortex you will [[356: Nerd Sniping|lose your ability]] to play chess. Even experienced players, such as grandmasters who have built up some kind of tolerance against the effect of the vortex, lose their chess abilities for a few hours after studying it. Thus being able to get your opponent into the vortex, without getting caught in it yourself, should win you the game, since they would lose their ability to play chess.

Chess strategy is commonly described in terms of following a {{w|decision tree}} or {{w|game tree}}, as one usually needs to calculate multiple moves ahead when planning out what move to play. As a chess game progresses, the {{w|phase space}} of possible positions increases wildly, though this will include many more configurations than are typically seen or anticipated by players. Rarely, an expert player may 'discover' a truly clever {{w|Glossary of chess#theoretical novelty|novel opening}}, but centuries of recorded gameplay has explored many of the possible moves, both good and not so good, that are often recognized by experienced students of the game as common stepping-stones on the way to possible victory (or frequent traps that send the unwary down the road to defeat). Both precise game-board states and more general variations may be easily recognized by an experienced player, and even be {{w|Checkmate pattern|given a name}} by the player community as a whole.

In some apparently mystical (or at least psychological) manner, by travelling such an unlikely and unfamiliar branch of the player/board game-space, the precise positioning of pieces combined with the state of mind that Cueball had developed created the impression of literally entering a mythical garden, with time even stopping. This could be a reference to the story "The door behind the wall" by HG Wells in which the protagonist explains to the personal that he is haunted by trying to find a door leading to a mystical garden, which he had stumbled across before. In chess, you want pieces to be in a position to attack other pieces, while at the same time being protected by other pieces. Typically you'd have some pieces on the offense, some playing defense, and some doing both. It seems that in this board configuration, somehow all the pieces ended up in both offensive attack positions able to attack every other piece on the board while at the same time each one was being protected by against attack by their other pieces. It was this perfect balance of position and protection that led to the time distortion and the magical garden.

This is impossible under standard rules. If all of the pieces are being attacked, that includes the king. It is illegal to end your turn with your king under attack; if you have no way to do so, the game ends, in checkmate if your king started the turn under attack or in stalemate if it did not. Alternatively, Cueball might not be including the king in "every piece", or simply might not have literally meant that every piece was under attack.

{{w|Garry Kasparov}} is a Russian chess grandmaster and former world champion. He was the number-one rated chess player from 1984 to 2005, and is considered one of the greatest chess players of all past time, if not ''the'' greatest. A {{w|gambit (chess)|gambit}} refers to a chess opening in which a player sacrifices material with the aim of achieving a subsequent positional advantage. This name seems to indicate that Kasparov himself either discovered/’invented’ or made popular this "gambit" to suck new players into a "vortex" and trap them from getting out. This is not the case, but, within the xkcd universe, he has performed an equally absurd gambit (also named after himself) in [[2936: Exponential Growth]].

The f pawn is the pawn that begins on the f file (the 6th column of the chessboard from white's perspective, which is designated with the 6th letter of the alphabet since rows are designated by numbers). The pawn would start either on f2 (sixth column, second row) for the white player or f7 (sixth column, seventh row) for black. The fact that an apparent distortion in the fabric of space can be countered with ''a single pawn'' just adds to the absurdity of the situation. Equally absurd is the fact that moving the f pawn early in the game is itself usually a blunder that exposes the king to a {{w|Fool's mate|diagonal attack}}, due to its starting position relative to the starting position of the king; perhaps the intent is to purposefully "blunder" down a ''different'' (non-vortexed) branch of the game-tree with resulting board positions that are far less mesmerising (at least to Cueball).

This comic has similarities to [[224: Lisp]].

==Transcript==
:[In the first panel, Cueball is walking in from the left, while talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: Something odd happened to me last week in a game at the chess club.

:[Cueball is playing a game of chess against Knit Cap.]
:[Caption above frame:]
:I moved, then instantly realized I'd blundered. But my opponent didn't notice and made a weird move.
:I got rattled and moved almost randomly, then I think we both panicked and made a couple of nonsensical moves, rapid-fire.

:[Zoomed in on Cueball, with three question marks above his head]
:I don't know how it happened, but suddenly I realized I was staring at an indescribably strange board position.

:[Cueball is talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: I've never seen anything like it. It seemed like every move attacked every piece, yet every piece was also protected. Pieces refracted through crystalline pawn structures.
:Cueball: The game clock slowed and then stopped.

:[Cueball and Knit Cap are floating in a complex five-fold symmetrical plant-like pattern of "game tree branches".]
:[Caption above the frame]
:It didn't even feel like we were playing chess. We had stumbled into a magical garden tucked away on a deep branch of the game tree.

:[Cueball is talking to Ponytail.]
:Cueball: I don't remember how the game ended, if it did.
:Cueball: I don't remember how I got home.
:Cueball: It's all a blur.

:[Close-up of Cueball's head.]
:Cueball: I've spent all week trying to reconstruct the position and can't.
:Cueball: It's consuming me.
:Cueball: I don't want to play chess. I just want to return to that garden.
:Cueball: Does... any of this make sense to you?

:[Cueball is standing with hands on face surprised as Ponytail talks with him.]
:Ponytail: Yeah, that's the Kasparov Vortex Gambit. Common trap for new players.
:Cueball: ''What?!''
:Ponytail: Once you recover I'll show you how to block it with the f pawn.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap]]
[[Category:Chess]]

User:BobcatInABox

2025-09-15T18:31:25Z

BobcatInABox: /* About Me */

I am now an autoconfirmed user. Yay!

All hail King Bun!

==About Me==
I am just a normal person. See comments above.

I decided to contribute to explainxkcd after about a half-year of reading what it had to say. I joined because the community largely seemed like good people and enthusiastic about what they were doing. I also enjoyed seeing the variety of perspectives on what the comics meant. Half the time, I am sure Randall doesn't actually mean what we interpret.

==Statistics==

:Score: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|score}}
:Pages: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|pages}}
:Edits: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|changes}}
Thank you to [[User:DollarStoreBa'al]] for supplying these functions.

==Currently working on==
:Screenshots for Escape Speed
:Other incomplete comics
== ==
:Anyone want help with any particular problem? Just ask below!

{{comic discussion}}

User:BobcatInABox

2025-09-15T18:28:32Z

BobcatInABox: /* Statistics */

I am now an autoconfirmed user. Yay!

All hail King Bun!

==About Me==
I am just a normal person. See comments above.

I decided to contribute to explainxkcd after about a half-year of reading what it had to say. I joined because the community largely seemed like good people and enthusiastic about what they were doing. I also enjoyed seeing the variety of perspectives on what the comics meant. Half the time, I am sure Randall doesn't actually mean what we interpret.

I think we should make rules more obvious for new users. For instance, only recently, a bunch of comics were added to incomplete that had a "Resources" section. Personally, as a new contributer, I had no idea that "Resources" sections were prohibited.

==Statistics==

:Score: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|score}}
:Pages: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|pages}}
:Edits: {{#cscore:BobcatInABox|changes}}
Thank you to [[User:DollarStoreBa'al]] for supplying these functions.

==Currently working on==
:Screenshots for Escape Speed
:Other incomplete comics
== ==
:Anyone want help with any particular problem? Just ask below!

{{comic discussion}}

31: Barrel - Part 5

2025-09-15T15:49:23Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 31
| date = November 16, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 5
| ognumber = 33
| ogtitle = Barrel - Part 5
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=11%3A54%20am-,Barrel%20%2D%20Part%205,-The%20ferret%20got
| ogprev = 28
| ognext = 32
| image = barrel_part_5.jpg
| titletext = Too good not to happen.<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=11%3A54%20am-,Barrel%20%2D%20Part%205,-The%20ferret%20got Original caption]:'' The [http://www.xkcd.com/ferret.html ferret] got to fly, in the end!</div>
}}

This was the thirty-third comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[28: Elefino]], and the next one was [[32: Pillar]].

==Explanation==
This gives a happy ending to the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], with the flying ferret from [[20: Ferret]]. The humor is derived from the juxtaposition of two unlike elements - in this case, the contemplative and even dark nature of the series being resolved through the timely intervention of a comical flying animal. The ferret could also be interpreted as a symbol of hope and following one's dreams, since in its original appearance, its powers of flight were just a dream. However, the dream becomes reality to save a child from an endless sea of hopelessness.

This is the last in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

The original caption included a link to [[20: Ferret]] the second comic in the series. The link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version].

==Transcript==
:[Barrel Boy is grasping on to a piece of driftwood in an ocean.]

:[A zoomed out view of Barrel Boy still grasping on to a piece of driftwood in the ocean.]

:[A ferret with some airplane wings and an airplane tail flies above the ocean.]

:[A shot of the ocean, now empty.]

:[The flying ferret is carrying Barrel Boy to safety.]

:[The ferret carrying Barrel Boy is now in the distance with the sun on the horizon.]

==Trivia==
This is the last comic that kept its original title after being transferred to [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 33]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|06]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 06]]
[[Category:Ferrets]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Barrel Boy]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2025-09-15T15:42:17Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| ognumber = 26
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments
| ogprev = 37
| ognext = 26
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = :(<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments Original caption]:'' By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:<br>http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html<br>I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.<br>I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.<br>Oops.</div>
}}

This was the twenty-sixth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[37: Hyphen]], and the next one was [[26: Fourier]].

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|this comics title text needs to be fixed. The colon is currently being interpreted as an indent. I, [[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]]([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]), tried a backslash and a double backslash before it, but they ended up just being interpreted as regular characters.}}

In the first three comics of the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], [[Barrel Boy]] explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, the title text, and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of the series, imply that the boy's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have died.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:

* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

There was no original caption on LiveJournal for this comic. However, just three hours and four minutes after posting it, Randall made a new post, titled [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=5%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20series,-By%20the%20way Barrel series], which is available above the Explanation on this page. In the first part of the post, he advertises the new page he created for "all the barrel comics", implying this was supposed to be the end of the The Boy and his Barrel series (the link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version]). In the [[37: Hyphen|caption of the previous comic]], he also said "Tune in Monday for the conclusion to the story of the boy and his barrel". However, this would turn out to not be the last comic in the series, as [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] and [[20: Ferret]] would be included later likely to give an unplanned good ending to the story.

In the second part of the post, he jokingly implies that Barrel Boy passed away, which will be found to be incorrect in the actual last comic in the series. It's possible he changed his mind in the meantime and wanted to give the series a happy ending. The reference to George Lucas is in response to the {{w|changes in Star Wars re-releases}} that were not widely liked by long-term fans of the original movies, as they covered a general revamping and upgrading of the visuals, [https://nofilmschool.com/Jabba-The-Hutt-Returned-to-Star-Wars additional scenes], and even reinterpretations of {{w|Han shot first|existing scenes}}. In his post, he says he believes the change he made to [[11: Barrel - Part 2]] aren't as controversial.

== Transcript ==
:[A barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2025-09-15T15:41:30Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| ognumber = 26
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments
| ogprev = 37
| ognext = 26
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = :(<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments Original caption]:'' By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:<br>http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html<br>I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.<br>I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.<br>Oops.</div>
}}

This was the twenty-sixth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[37: Hyphen]], and the next one was [[26: Fourier]].

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|this comics title text needs to be fixed. The colon is currently being interpreted as an indent. I, [[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]]([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]) tried a backslash and a double backslash before it, but they ended up just being interpreted as regular characters.}}

In the first three comics of the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], [[Barrel Boy]] explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, the title text, and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of the series, imply that the boy's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have died.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:

* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

There was no original caption on LiveJournal for this comic. However, just three hours and four minutes after posting it, Randall made a new post, titled [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=5%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20series,-By%20the%20way Barrel series], which is available above the Explanation on this page. In the first part of the post, he advertises the new page he created for "all the barrel comics", implying this was supposed to be the end of the The Boy and his Barrel series (the link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version]). In the [[37: Hyphen|caption of the previous comic]], he also said "Tune in Monday for the conclusion to the story of the boy and his barrel". However, this would turn out to not be the last comic in the series, as [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] and [[20: Ferret]] would be included later likely to give an unplanned good ending to the story.

In the second part of the post, he jokingly implies that Barrel Boy passed away, which will be found to be incorrect in the actual last comic in the series. It's possible he changed his mind in the meantime and wanted to give the series a happy ending. The reference to George Lucas is in response to the {{w|changes in Star Wars re-releases}} that were not widely liked by long-term fans of the original movies, as they covered a general revamping and upgrading of the visuals, [https://nofilmschool.com/Jabba-The-Hutt-Returned-to-Star-Wars additional scenes], and even reinterpretations of {{w|Han shot first|existing scenes}}. In his post, he says he believes the change he made to [[11: Barrel - Part 2]] aren't as controversial.

== Transcript ==
:[A barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2025-09-15T15:41:05Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| ognumber = 26
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments
| ogprev = 37
| ognext = 26
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = :(<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments Original caption]:'' By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:<br>http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html<br>I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.<br>I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.<br>Oops.</div>
}}

This was the twenty-sixth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[37: Hyphen]], and the next one was [[26: Fourier]].

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|this comics title text needs to be fixed. The colon is currently being interpreted as an indent. I ([[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]]([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]])) tried a backslash and a double backslash before it, but they ended up just being interpreted as regular characters.}}

In the first three comics of the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], [[Barrel Boy]] explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, the title text, and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of the series, imply that the boy's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have died.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:

* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

There was no original caption on LiveJournal for this comic. However, just three hours and four minutes after posting it, Randall made a new post, titled [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=5%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20series,-By%20the%20way Barrel series], which is available above the Explanation on this page. In the first part of the post, he advertises the new page he created for "all the barrel comics", implying this was supposed to be the end of the The Boy and his Barrel series (the link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version]). In the [[37: Hyphen|caption of the previous comic]], he also said "Tune in Monday for the conclusion to the story of the boy and his barrel". However, this would turn out to not be the last comic in the series, as [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] and [[20: Ferret]] would be included later likely to give an unplanned good ending to the story.

In the second part of the post, he jokingly implies that Barrel Boy passed away, which will be found to be incorrect in the actual last comic in the series. It's possible he changed his mind in the meantime and wanted to give the series a happy ending. The reference to George Lucas is in response to the {{w|changes in Star Wars re-releases}} that were not widely liked by long-term fans of the original movies, as they covered a general revamping and upgrading of the visuals, [https://nofilmschool.com/Jabba-The-Hutt-Returned-to-Star-Wars additional scenes], and even reinterpretations of {{w|Han shot first|existing scenes}}. In his post, he says he believes the change he made to [[11: Barrel - Part 2]] aren't as controversial.

== Transcript ==
:[A barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2025-09-15T15:40:44Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| ognumber = 26
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments
| ogprev = 37
| ognext = 26
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = :(<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments Original caption]:'' By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:<br>http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html<br>I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.<br>I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.<br>Oops.</div>
}}

This was the twenty-sixth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[37: Hyphen]], and the next one was [[26: Fourier]].

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|this comics title text needs to be fixed. The colon is currently being interpreted as an indent. I ([[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]] ([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]) 15:40, 15 September 2025 (UTC)) tried a backslash and a double backslash before it, but they ended up just being interpreted as regular characters.}}

In the first three comics of the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], [[Barrel Boy]] explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, the title text, and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of the series, imply that the boy's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have died.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:

* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

There was no original caption on LiveJournal for this comic. However, just three hours and four minutes after posting it, Randall made a new post, titled [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=5%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20series,-By%20the%20way Barrel series], which is available above the Explanation on this page. In the first part of the post, he advertises the new page he created for "all the barrel comics", implying this was supposed to be the end of the The Boy and his Barrel series (the link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version]). In the [[37: Hyphen|caption of the previous comic]], he also said "Tune in Monday for the conclusion to the story of the boy and his barrel". However, this would turn out to not be the last comic in the series, as [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] and [[20: Ferret]] would be included later likely to give an unplanned good ending to the story.

In the second part of the post, he jokingly implies that Barrel Boy passed away, which will be found to be incorrect in the actual last comic in the series. It's possible he changed his mind in the meantime and wanted to give the series a happy ending. The reference to George Lucas is in response to the {{w|changes in Star Wars re-releases}} that were not widely liked by long-term fans of the original movies, as they covered a general revamping and upgrading of the visuals, [https://nofilmschool.com/Jabba-The-Hutt-Returned-to-Star-Wars additional scenes], and even reinterpretations of {{w|Han shot first|existing scenes}}. In his post, he says he believes the change he made to [[11: Barrel - Part 2]] aren't as controversial.

== Transcript ==
:[A barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2025-09-15T15:40:04Z

BobcatInABox:

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| ognumber = 26
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments
| ogprev = 37
| ognext = 26
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = :(<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments Original caption]:'' By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:<br>http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html<br>I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.<br>I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.<br>Oops.</div>
}}

This was the twenty-sixth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[37: Hyphen]], and the next one was [[26: Fourier]].

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|this comics title text needs to be fixed. The colon is currently being interpreted as an indent. I (BobcatInABox) tried a backslash and a double backslash before it, but they ended up just being interpreted as regular characters.}}

In the first three comics of the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], [[Barrel Boy]] explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, the title text, and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of the series, imply that the boy's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have died.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:

* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

There was no original caption on LiveJournal for this comic. However, just three hours and four minutes after posting it, Randall made a new post, titled [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=5%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20series,-By%20the%20way Barrel series], which is available above the Explanation on this page. In the first part of the post, he advertises the new page he created for "all the barrel comics", implying this was supposed to be the end of the The Boy and his Barrel series (the link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version]). In the [[37: Hyphen|caption of the previous comic]], he also said "Tune in Monday for the conclusion to the story of the boy and his barrel". However, this would turn out to not be the last comic in the series, as [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] and [[20: Ferret]] would be included later likely to give an unplanned good ending to the story.

In the second part of the post, he jokingly implies that Barrel Boy passed away, which will be found to be incorrect in the actual last comic in the series. It's possible he changed his mind in the meantime and wanted to give the series a happy ending. The reference to George Lucas is in response to the {{w|changes in Star Wars re-releases}} that were not widely liked by long-term fans of the original movies, as they covered a general revamping and upgrading of the visuals, [https://nofilmschool.com/Jabba-The-Hutt-Returned-to-Star-Wars additional scenes], and even reinterpretations of {{w|Han shot first|existing scenes}}. In his post, he says he believes the change he made to [[11: Barrel - Part 2]] aren't as controversial.

== Transcript ==
:[A barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2025-09-15T15:35:36Z

BobcatInABox:

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| ognumber = 26
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments
| ogprev = 37
| ognext = 26
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = :(<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments Original caption]:'' By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:<br>http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html<br>I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.<br>I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.<br>Oops.</div>
}}

This was the twenty-sixth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[37: Hyphen]], and the next one was [[26: Fourier]].

==Explanation==
In the first three comics of the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], [[Barrel Boy]] explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, the title text, and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of the series, imply that the boy's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have died.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:

* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

There was no original caption on LiveJournal for this comic. However, just three hours and four minutes after posting it, Randall made a new post, titled [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=5%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20series,-By%20the%20way Barrel series], which is available above the Explanation on this page. In the first part of the post, he advertises the new page he created for "all the barrel comics", implying this was supposed to be the end of the The Boy and his Barrel series (the link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version]). In the [[37: Hyphen|caption of the previous comic]], he also said "Tune in Monday for the conclusion to the story of the boy and his barrel". However, this would turn out to not be the last comic in the series, as [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] and [[20: Ferret]] would be included later likely to give an unplanned good ending to the story.

In the second part of the post, he jokingly implies that Barrel Boy passed away, which will be found to be incorrect in the actual last comic in the series. It's possible he changed his mind in the meantime and wanted to give the series a happy ending. The reference to George Lucas is in response to the {{w|changes in Star Wars re-releases}} that were not widely liked by long-term fans of the original movies, as they covered a general revamping and upgrading of the visuals, [https://nofilmschool.com/Jabba-The-Hutt-Returned-to-Star-Wars additional scenes], and even reinterpretations of {{w|Han shot first|existing scenes}}. In his post, he says he believes the change he made to [[11: Barrel - Part 2]] aren't as controversial.

== Transcript ==
:[A barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2025-09-15T15:34:51Z

BobcatInABox:

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| ognumber = 26
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments
| ogprev = 37
| ognext = 26
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = \\:(<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments Original caption]:'' By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:<br>http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html<br>I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.<br>I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.<br>Oops.</div>
}}

This was the twenty-sixth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[37: Hyphen]], and the next one was [[26: Fourier]].

==Explanation==
In the first three comics of the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], [[Barrel Boy]] explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, the title text, and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of the series, imply that the boy's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have died.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:

* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

There was no original caption on LiveJournal for this comic. However, just three hours and four minutes after posting it, Randall made a new post, titled [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=5%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20series,-By%20the%20way Barrel series], which is available above the Explanation on this page. In the first part of the post, he advertises the new page he created for "all the barrel comics", implying this was supposed to be the end of the The Boy and his Barrel series (the link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version]). In the [[37: Hyphen|caption of the previous comic]], he also said "Tune in Monday for the conclusion to the story of the boy and his barrel". However, this would turn out to not be the last comic in the series, as [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] and [[20: Ferret]] would be included later likely to give an unplanned good ending to the story.

In the second part of the post, he jokingly implies that Barrel Boy passed away, which will be found to be incorrect in the actual last comic in the series. It's possible he changed his mind in the meantime and wanted to give the series a happy ending. The reference to George Lucas is in response to the {{w|changes in Star Wars re-releases}} that were not widely liked by long-term fans of the original movies, as they covered a general revamping and upgrading of the visuals, [https://nofilmschool.com/Jabba-The-Hutt-Returned-to-Star-Wars additional scenes], and even reinterpretations of {{w|Han shot first|existing scenes}}. In his post, he says he believes the change he made to [[11: Barrel - Part 2]] aren't as controversial.

== Transcript ==
:[A barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2025-09-15T15:34:17Z

BobcatInABox:

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| ognumber = 26
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments
| ogprev = 37
| ognext = 26
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = \:(<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments Original caption]:'' By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:<br>http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html<br>I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.<br>I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.<br>Oops.</div>
}}

This was the twenty-sixth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[37: Hyphen]], and the next one was [[26: Fourier]].

==Explanation==
In the first three comics of the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], [[Barrel Boy]] explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, the title text, and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of the series, imply that the boy's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have died.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:

* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

There was no original caption on LiveJournal for this comic. However, just three hours and four minutes after posting it, Randall made a new post, titled [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=5%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20series,-By%20the%20way Barrel series], which is available above the Explanation on this page. In the first part of the post, he advertises the new page he created for "all the barrel comics", implying this was supposed to be the end of the The Boy and his Barrel series (the link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version]). In the [[37: Hyphen|caption of the previous comic]], he also said "Tune in Monday for the conclusion to the story of the boy and his barrel". However, this would turn out to not be the last comic in the series, as [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] and [[20: Ferret]] would be included later likely to give an unplanned good ending to the story.

In the second part of the post, he jokingly implies that Barrel Boy passed away, which will be found to be incorrect in the actual last comic in the series. It's possible he changed his mind in the meantime and wanted to give the series a happy ending. The reference to George Lucas is in response to the {{w|changes in Star Wars re-releases}} that were not widely liked by long-term fans of the original movies, as they covered a general revamping and upgrading of the visuals, [https://nofilmschool.com/Jabba-The-Hutt-Returned-to-Star-Wars additional scenes], and even reinterpretations of {{w|Han shot first|existing scenes}}. In his post, he says he believes the change he made to [[11: Barrel - Part 2]] aren't as controversial.

== Transcript ==
:[A barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

25: Barrel - Part 4

2025-09-15T15:33:49Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 25
| date = October 31, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 4
| ognumber = 26
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments
| ogprev = 37
| ognext = 26
| image = barrel_part_4.jpg
| titletext = :(<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=2%3A42%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-(11%20Comments Original caption]:'' By the way, here are all the barrel comics on a single (easily linked) page:<br>http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html<br>I cheated, and went back and lightened the gridlines in #2. It was just bothering me. I'll try not to do that much. But as I'm not destroying anyone's childhood, I don't feel like I'm really pulling a George Lucas.<br>I mean, I'm not destroying more than one childhood.<br>Oops.</div>
}}

This was the twenty-sixth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[37: Hyphen]], and the next one was [[26: Fourier]].

==Explanation==
In the first three comics of the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], [[Barrel Boy]] explored the ocean in a barrel and then encountered a whirlpool, all with a reaction of innocent wonder. Here, the empty barrel floating adrift, the title text, and a previous announcement by Randall that this would be the conclusion of the series, imply that the boy's encounter with the whirlpool separated him from the barrel, and he may have died.

This is the fifth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:

* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

There was no original caption on LiveJournal for this comic. However, just three hours and four minutes after posting it, Randall made a new post, titled [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=5%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20series,-By%20the%20way Barrel series], which is available above the Explanation on this page. In the first part of the post, he advertises the new page he created for "all the barrel comics", implying this was supposed to be the end of the The Boy and his Barrel series (the link is now defunct, but there's an [https://web.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html archived version]). In the [[37: Hyphen|caption of the previous comic]], he also said "Tune in Monday for the conclusion to the story of the boy and his barrel". However, this would turn out to not be the last comic in the series, as [[31: Barrel - Part 5]] and [[20: Ferret]] would be included later likely to give an unplanned good ending to the story.

In the second part of the post, he jokingly implies that Barrel Boy passed away, which will be found to be incorrect in the actual last comic in the series. It's possible he changed his mind in the meantime and wanted to give the series a happy ending. The reference to George Lucas is in response to the {{w|changes in Star Wars re-releases}} that were not widely liked by long-term fans of the original movies, as they covered a general revamping and upgrading of the visuals, [https://nofilmschool.com/Jabba-The-Hutt-Returned-to-Star-Wars additional scenes], and even reinterpretations of {{w|Han shot first|existing scenes}}. In his post, he says he believes the change he made to [[11: Barrel - Part 2]] aren't as controversial.

== Transcript ==
:[A barrel is shown on a grid paper background, floating sideways and empty in a choppy sea.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 26]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|05]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 05]]

22: Barrel - Part 3

2025-09-15T15:33:27Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 22
| date = October 24, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 3
| ognumber = 23
| ogtitle = Monday's Drawing
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=1%3A30%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-The%20saga%20of
| ogprev = 40
| ognext = 23
| image = barrel_whirlpool.jpg
| titletext = A whirlpool!<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=20#:~:text=1%3A30%20pm-,Monday%27s%20Drawing,-The%20saga%20of Original caption]:'' The saga of the boy and his barrel continues! ([http://www.xkcd.com/barrel_cropped_(1).jpg Part 1] and [http://www.xkcd.com/barrel_mommies.jpg Part 2])</div>
}}

This was the twenty-third comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[40: Light]], and the next one was [[23: T-shirts]].

==Explanation==
In the first two comics in the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], the boy is floating in the ocean in a barrel, making fairly innocent points about life's uncertainty. In this comic, the view has zoomed out considerably, and the boy is seen to be on the edge of a gigantic {{w|whirlpool}}. Thus, there is now a palpably heightened sense of danger, though the boy's reaction continues to be innocent wonder. The comic's visual composition is reminiscent of {{w|File:Maelstrom-Clarke.jpg|a classic 1919 illustration}} by {{w|Harry Clarke}}, made for {{w|Edgar Allan Poe}}'s 1841 short story "{{w|A Descent into the Maelström}}." In the short story, the main character escapes from drowning by using a barrel to escape The Maelström.

The two links in the original caption used to link to the pictures of the first and third comic in the series, but they are now defunct. Here is the last part of the caption containing links to the archived pages: "([https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel_cropped_(1).jpg Part 1] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20060529063505/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel_mommies.jpg Part 2])".

This is the fourth in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

==Transcript==
:[A large and deep vortex is in the center; spinning water covers the whole panel. Barrel Boy in a floating barrel is near the edge, apparently about to be sucked in.]
:Barrel Boy: wow!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 23]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|04]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 04]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Barrel Boy]]

1: Barrel - Part 1

2025-09-15T15:32:40Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{notice|Despite being categorised as comic #1, this was the fifth xkcd comic released by Randall. The first xkcd comic was actually {{nowrap|[[7: Girl sleeping (Sketch -- 11th grade Spanish class)]]}}. To learn more, read the [[LiveJournal|history of xkcd]].}}
{{comic
| number = 1
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 1
| ognumber = 5
| ogtitle = Barrel
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A38%20pm-,Barrel,-He%27s%20fairly%20upbeat
| ogprev = 2
| ognext = 24
| image = barrel_cropped_(1).jpg
| titletext = Don't we all.<br><br>''<span class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A38%20pm-,Barrel,-He%27s%20fairly%20upbeat Original caption</span>]:'' He's fairly upbeat about the situation!
}}

This was the fifth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]], and the next one was [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]]. It was among the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|first thirteen comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on September 30, 2005, on the first day of the xkcd LiveJournal account.

==Explanation==
This is the first comic in the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], which shows a young boy floating in a barrel in an ocean that doesn't have a visible end. It comments on the unlikely optimism and perhaps naïveté people sometimes display. The [[Barrel Boy]] is completely lost and seems hopelessly alone, without any plan or control of the situation. Yet rather than afraid or worried, he is instead quietly curious: "I wonder where I'll float next?" Although not necessarily the situation in this comic, this is a behavior people often exhibit when there is nothing they can do about a problematic situation for a long time; they may have given up hope or developed a cavalier attitude as a coping mechanism. The isolation of the boy may also represent the way in which we often feel lost through life, never knowing quite where we are, believing that no one can be turned to, and being lonely because of that. In [[1110: Click and Drag]] there is a reference to this comic at {{1110|1|n|48|e}}. ''{{w|Wired (magazine)|Wired}}'' determined a [http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/12/should-dwarves-stand-up-in-floating-barrels/ more realistic description] of the behaviour of a barrel in the water.

This is the first in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

The title text expands on the philosophical content, with the boy representing the average human being: wandering through life with no real plan, quietly optimistic, always opportunistic, and clueless as to what the future may hold.

==Transcript==
:[Barrel Boy sits in a barrel which is floating in an ocean.]
:Barrel Boy: i wonder where i'll float next?

:[A smaller frame with a zoom out of Barrel Boy in the barrel seen from afar. The barrel drifts into the distance. Nothing else can be seen.]

==Trivia==
This is the first comic not drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]] and the first comic featuring [[Barrel Boy]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 05]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 05]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|01]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 01]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Barrel Boy]]

11: Barrel - Part 2

2025-09-15T15:31:06Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 11
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Barrel - Part 2
| ognumber = 13
| ogtitle = Barrel - Part 2
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20%2D%20Part%202,-The%20story%20continues
| ogprev = 14
| ognext = 15
| image = barrel mommies.jpg
| titletext = Awww.<br><br>''<div class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A46%20pm-,Barrel%20%2D%20Part%202,-The%20story%20continues Original caption]:'' The [http://www.livejournal.com/users/xkcd_drawings/1388.html story] continues.</div>
}}

This was the thirteenth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[14: Copyright]], and the next one was [[15: Just Alerting You]]. It was among the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|first thirteen comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on September 30, 2005, on the first day of the xkcd LiveJournal account.

==Explanation==
As in the previous comic in the [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|The Boy and his Barrel series]], the boy is floating in the ocean inside a barrel. The previous comic made a point about the uncertainty of life; here, [[Barrel Boy]]'s lament at not finding a mother is pure sentimentality, as accentuated by the title text. According to Freud, the first stage of psycho-sexual development is the Oral Stage, which relates to a baby's relationship with its mother. The realization that 'mommy' cannot be found is the first point at which a person learns to stop trusting the world and realizes that the world is not always comforting and safe.

This is the third in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features [[Barrel Boy]], a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The full series can be found [[:Category:The Boy and his Barrel|here]]. After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on the site, it became clear that the original comic [[20: Ferret]] was also part of the series. The comics are listed in the order chosen by Randall:
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
* [[20: Ferret]]
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

==Transcript==
:[Barrel Boy sits in a barrel which is floating in an ocean.]
:Barrel Boy: none of the places i floated had mommies.

==Trivia==
After its release on [[LiveJournal]], the comic was edited to lighten the gridlines, as Randall explained in [[Barrel - Part 4]]'s original LiveJournal caption. He has said that he considers this cheating, but as he is "not destroying anyone's childhood", he doesn't feel as if he's "pulling a George Lucas". Learn more about the change in [[25: Barrel - Part 4#Explanation|25: Barrel - Part 4's explanation]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 13]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 13]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:The Boy and his Barrel|03]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 02]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Barrel Boy]]
[[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]

6: Irony

2025-09-14T19:33:11Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 6
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Irony
| ognumber = 9
| ogtitle = Irony
| oglink = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A42%20pm-,Irony,-Too%20much%20perspective
| ogprev = 8
| ognext = 9
| image = irony_color.jpg
| titletext = It's commonly known that too much perspective can be a downer.<br><br>''<span class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A42%20pm-,Irony,-Too%20much%20perspective Original caption</span>]:'' Too much perspective can do that.
}}

This was the ninth comic [[LiveJournal|originally posted to LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[8: Red Spiders]], and the next one was [[9: Serenity is coming out tomorrow]]. It was among the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|first thirteen comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on September 30, 2005, on the first day of the xkcd LiveJournal account.

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] makes a true statement, that his statement is not very funny. However, because he invoked {{w|irony}} and thus makes it self-referential, the sentence is now funny! The other guy Cueball, producing a fake laugh, is probably not so sure that it is actually funny. The barren landscape would have occurred regardless of whether someone made the joke, so ironically, the cautionary tale is completely meaningless, although still funny. Self-references would be used again in [[33: Self-reference]] and [[:Category:Self-reference|many more comics]].

The title text is a reference to the visit of {{w|Spın̈al Tap}} to the grave of {{w|Elvis Presley}}. In addition, the perspective theme also invokes the Total Perspective Vortex in {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}. This is located on the desolate planet Frogstar B, possibly looking not unlike the final image in the comic.

==Transcript==
:[A panel only with text. The last text is written below a line in all capital letters.]
:When self-reference, irony, and meta-humor go too far
:A CAUTIONARY TALE

:[Cueball talks to his Cueball-like friend.]
:Cueball: This statement wouldn't be funny if not for irony!

:[Cueball laughs at his own joke in front of his friend.]
:Cueball: ha ha
:Friend: ha ha, I guess.

:[Again a panel only with text.]
:20,000 years later...

:[A desolate brown badlands landscape with an imposing red-orange sun in the dark blue sky.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 09]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 09]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Self-reference]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

5: Blown apart

2025-09-14T19:29:42Z

BobcatInABox:

{{comic
| number = 5
| date = January 1, 2006
| title = Blown apart
| image = blownapart_color.jpg
| titletext = Blown into prime factors
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a mathematical and technical joke involving prime numbers and primary colors. In the comic, a black-colored ''70'' sees a package, but it turns out to be a {{w|letter bomb}} that explodes when opened. The result is pieces of the number scattered about: a red-colored ''7'', a green-colored ''5'', and a blue-colored ''2''.

The title text explains the logic for splitting 70 into 7, 5, and 2; as with many of the earlier comics, the title text explains the joke rather than adding to it. 7*5*2 is a {{w|prime factorization}} of the number 70. {{w|Prime number|Prime numbers}} are numbers that cannot be divided by any number other than itself and 1. Factors of a number are numbers that can be multiplied together to produce that number (e.g., 2×5×7 = 70). 70 has other factors, including 1, 10, 14, 35, and 70, but 2, 5, and 7 are the only factors that are prime. All other factors of 70 can be formed by choosing zero, two, or three of the prime factors and multiplying them together.

An implication of this comic is that prime numbers would be immune to explosions, as they are already their smallest parts. Although not explicitly called out, the colors of the numbers also seem to have been blown apart. Red, green, and blue are the primary colors in the {{w|additive color}} model. These colors mixed in pairs produce cyan, magenta, and yellow, which are primary colors in the {{w|subtractive color}} model. The removal of all additive primary colors, or conversely, the combination of all subtractive primary colors, produces black, which is the color of the original 70. The comic is somewhat misleading in that red, green, and blue do not compose black in either color model, but the difference between the two models is not widely understood (most still view the additive primaries as red, yellow, and blue).

==Transcript==
:[A black number 70 sees a red package with the appearance of a Christmas present. This small panel is partly overlaid on the next larger panel, which is shifted down.]
:'''70'''
:70: hey, a package!

:[The package explodes in a cloud of brown smoke. This panel is both behind the first in the top left corner, and below the last panel, which has been laid on top of that corner.]
:'''BOOM'''

:[There are a red 7, a green 5, and a blue 2 lying near a scorched mark on the floor.]
:'''<font color="red">7</font>'''
::'''<font color="green">5</font>'''
:'''<font color="blue">2</font>'''

==Trivia==
* This comic and [[12: Poisson]] were posted for the first time on the [[:Category:First day on xkcd.com|first day of xkcd.com]]. Both of these comics were exclusively published on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] and were never shared on [[LiveJournal]].
* This comic was [[:Category:Sunday comics|released on a Sunday]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Number theory]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]
[[Category:Math]]

357: Flies

2025-09-13T18:51:16Z

BobcatInABox: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 357
| date = December 14, 2007
| title = Flies
| image = flies.png
| titletext = I don't know about houseflies, but we definitely caught a lot of fruit flies with our vinegar bowl. Hooray science!
}}

==Explanation==
The saying "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar" means that people are more likely to be won over with politeness than hostility.

When [[Cueball]]'s friend tells him this after he replies to a "{{W|noob}}" using swear words, he then says that the saying is literally false by saying that {{w|balsamic vinegar}} attracts more flies than {{w|honey}}. He then tells his friend to try it with his own {{w|Fruit fly|fruit flies}}. Fruit flies are attracted to the products of {{w|fermentation}}, particularly to {{w|ethanol}} and {{w|acetic acid}}. The acidity in vinegar is due mostly to acetic acid. Nevertheless, you figuratively catch more ''people'' with honey than with vinegar.

When Cueball's statement is found true, as balsamic vinegar smells like sweet and decomposing fruit to the fruit flies, his friend complains to his mother (with a vitriol influenced by Cueball, perhaps to get some favor) that she lied to him. He then says that another saying, "a watched pot never boils," is also literally false. That saying means that an event that is monitored with impatient attention will seem to take longer, much like watching a clock. However, the pot will boil eventually, so if you keep watching it continuously, you are bound to see it boil at some point.

In the title text, it seems that [[Randall]] explains why he wrote this comic — his vinegar bowl attracted a lot of fruit flies. However, he has not done the experiment with {{w|Housefly|houseflies}}.

The notion of a watched pot not boiling is ascribed to {{w|Benjamin Franklin}} under the pseudonym "Poor Richard." He writes, "a watched pot is slow to boil," meaning "Time feels longer when you're waiting for something to happen."[http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/watched-pot-never-boils.html]

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is typing on a computer, and his friend is lying on the floor.]
:"Noob" (on computer): *$@#!
:Friend: Hey, ease up on the noobs. Like my mom always said, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

:[Cueball has turned his chair around.]
:Cueball: No, you don't.
:Friend: You don't?
:Cueball: Nope, set out a bowl of balsamic and a bowl of honey. The vinegar gets more.

:[Cueball's friend is now sitting on the floor.]
:Friend: ...Seriously?
:Cueball: You have fruit flies. Try it yourself.

:Later:
:[Cueball's friend is standing in front of a table, talking into a phone. On the table, there are two bowls, and the bowl on the left seems to be surrounded by flies.]
:Friend: Mother! You ''lied'' to me! And it gets worse. I was watching a pot yesterday, and guess what it did? It ''boiled,'' mother.

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

3117: Replication Crisis

2025-09-13T10:31:26Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3117
| date = July 18, 2025
| title = Replication Crisis
| image = replication_crisis_2x.png
| imagesize = 367x492px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Maybe encouraging the publication of null results isn't enough--maybe we need a journal devoted to publishing results the study authors find personally annoying.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|replication crisis}} in science refers to the existence of a large number of published scientific results that others are unable to reproduce. One aspect of the scientific method is the replication of results, so the failure to replicate some results casts doubt on the validity of the results and scientific knowledge built on them. Research into the replication crisis itself [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/replication-crisis has been done], with a number of studies being redone and the results compared with the original studies. In this comic, a research team is looking to see if the situation has improved and end up "reproducing" the same results of the early reproduction crisis papers.

The joke is about reproducing a paper about being unable to reproduce papers, while both papers show there is general issue with reproducibility, in this narrow case the scientists were able to reproduce an earlier result, hence the "solved" newspaper headline.

There is a further possible jab: the replication crisis has indeed been "solved", in that the paper authors have shown that the same problems crop up even when scientists are aware of the issue. The "solution" is that the problems persist whether or not the scientists are aware of the replication crisis, so one could simply do science as if the crisis did not happen. This would be not so much a 'solution' as a counsel of despair. [[1574: Trouble for Science]] explores an issue similar to this comic's.

The title text refers to one previously suggested remedy when the replication crisis was first being dealt with — encouraging the publication of null results to counteract {{w|publication bias}}. However, because there is still a replication crisis it didn't solve the problem. The joke is that researchers, being human, are often tempted not to publish results if, for example, the results are not what they were expecting, opposed to a hypothesis they've spoken in favor of, likely to hurt their careers or embarrass them, confusing or difficult for them to explain, or aesthetically or in some other way displeasing to the researcher or their funder. Similarly to these actual efforts to counteract publication bias, this proposed measure extends this idea, albeit in a way that might sound silly.

==Transcript==

:[Megan, Ponytail, and Cueball are standing at a lectern. Ponytail is talking into the microphone.]
:Ponytail: In the early 2010s, researchers found that many major scientific results couldn't be reproduced.

:[Ponytail turns her head slightly to look around the room.]
:Ponytail: Over a decade into the replication crisis, we wanted to see if today's studies have become more robust.
:[Ponytail looks back at the original place she was looking]
:Ponytail: Unfortunately, our replication analysis has found exactly the same problems that those 2010s researchers did.

:[This panel shows a newspaper, with title "NEWS" surrounded by flourishes. There is a photo of the panel #2 without the text. There is much illegible text around the picture. The headline reads:]
:'''REPLICATION CRISIS SOLVED'''

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]

3117: Replication Crisis

2025-09-13T10:30:58Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3117
| date = July 18, 2025
| title = Replication Crisis
| image = replication_crisis_2x.png
| imagesize = 367x492px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Maybe encouraging the publication of null results isn't enough--maybe we need a journal devoted to publishing results the study authors find personally annoying.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|replication crisis}} in science refers to the existence of a large number of published scientific results that others are unable to reproduce. One aspect of the scientific method is the replication of results, so the failure to replicate some results casts doubt on the validity of the results and scientific knowledge built on them. Research into the replication crisis itself [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/replication-crisis has been done], with a number of studies being redone and the results compared with the original studies. In this comic, a research team is looking to see if the situation has improved and end up "reproducing" the same results of the early reproduction crisis papers.

The joke is about reproducing a paper about being unable to reproduce papers, while both papers show there is general issue with reproducibility, in this narrow case the scientists were able to reproduce an earlier result, hence the "solved" newspaper headline.

There is a further possible jab: the replication crisis has indeed been "solved", in that the paper authors have shown that the same problems crop up even when scientists are aware of the issue. The "solution" is that the problems persist whether or not the scientists are aware of the replication crisis, so one could simply do science as if the crisis did not happen. This would be not so much a 'solution' as a counsel of despair. [[1574: Trouble for Science]] explores an issue similar to this comic's.

The title text refers to one previously suggested remedy when the replication crisis was first being dealt with — encouraging the publication of null results to counteract {{w|publication bias}}. However, because there is still a replication crisis it didn't solve the problem. The joke is that researchers, being human, are often tempted not to publish results if, for example, the results are not what they were expecting, opposed to a hypothesis they've spoken in favor of, likely to hurt their careers or embarrass them, confusing or difficult for them to explain, or aesthetically or in some other way displeasing to the researcher or their funder. Similarly to these actual efforts to counteract publication bias, this proposed measure extends this idea, albeit in a way that might sound silly.

==Transcript==

:[Megan, Ponytail, and Cueball are standing at a lectern. Ponytail is talking into the microphone.]
:Ponytail: In the early 2010s, researchers found that many major scientific results couldn't be reproduced.

:[Ponytail turns her head slightly to look around the room.]
:Ponytail: Over a decade into the replication crisis, we wanted to see if today's studies have become more robust.
:[Ponytail looks back at the original place she was looking]
:Ponytail: Unfortunately, our replication analysis has found exactly the same problems that those 2010s researchers did.

:[This panel shows a newspaper, with title "NEWS" surrounded by flourishes. There is a photo of the panel #2 without the text. There is much illegible text around the picture. The headline reads:]
:REPLICATION CRISIS SOLVED

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]

3121: Kite Incident

2025-09-12T23:01:04Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3121
| date = July 28, 2025
| title = Kite Incident
| before = [[#Explanation|↓ Skip to explanation ↓]]
| image = kite_incident_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x1610px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Detectives say the key to tracking down the source of the kites was a large wall map covered in thumbtacks and string. 'It's the first time that method has ever actually worked,' said a spokesperson.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Megan]] is setting up a kite as [[Cueball]] arrives. Megan sets up the kite using a fishing line, which is unorthodox but not unheard of. Because the connection between the holding point and the lofted kite will form a {{w|catenary}} hanging down, after paying out sufficient line toward a kite increasingly far downwind, the line starts to dip and possibly touch the ground. Cueball suggests adding another kite at that point, after which they can then pay out more line and keep the line raised off the ground for additional distance.

They then get into a loop of adding more line to accommodate a stock of kites, and then more kites to support the line, until the kite chain reaches ludicrous proportions. The kites become so numerous and high-flying that they eventually blow in a circle around a significant part of the planet, following a {{w|jet stream}}. A circle on the surface of the Earth that follows the line of latitude where Randall lives is about 18,500 miles long, though a circumpolar jet-stream would curve into higher and lower latitudes to possibly add a lot more distance (as well as being at a higher altitude, which would add a more predictable fraction to its length). If the kites have been dragged into a much smaller circle as the result of a kite and/or its string getting caught by an airplane, there's no evidence of this to either the comic's characters or to ourselves, and travel purely by extensive (albeit slower) atmospheric movement has been [[2805: Global Atmospheric Circulation|featured before]]. Modelling the line as a straight line stretching 15 degrees above the horizon, Megan has spent over 38km of fishing line by the time the first kite reaches the jet stream at 10km high, but the mean separation of kites is possibly not particularly far, based upon the heights of the figures in wider shots, and Megan has lost count of how many they deployed, anyway. The curve of the hanging tethers would be highly dependant upon the tension between the two points of suspension, as would the ability of any given kite to fly, but there is not enough clear information to discern to what limits these (and the fishing line) might constrain the scenario.

The sirens in the second-to-last panel refer to a visit by some law-enforcement agency. The string of kites circling the Earth has interfered with international air travel. Although the mass of any given kite and the presence of such a relatively light and fragile tether should not cause too much difficulty for the majority of airliners if their wing or body collides with the kite-chain, the danger of a kite being ingested into the engine would ''preferably'' be avoided out of an abundance of caution. This is true even if the presence of kites is known to be not a more solid danger rather than a mystery and/or {{w|2023 Chinese balloon incident|perceived threat}} which can lead to {{w|Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption|air travel to be shut down}}. (Of course, with xkcd physics, the pilots may have been concerned that [[2148: Cubesat Launch|snagging on the kite string would pull Megan and Cueball off of their feet]].) Regardless of the actual degree of danger, the authorities react accordingly, and events culminate in Megan and Cueball being forced to issue a formal apology. Having their lawyer there might indicate they won't get away with just an apology, but maybe this is to show they meant no harm, to decrease the penalty they will face.

The title text alludes to an investigation technique seen in many types of media where the investigator {{tvtropes|StringTheory|pins text and photo evidence to a board}}, connecting related evidence with string. This technique is also made fun of in [[2244: Thumbtacks And String]]. Though often good enough for fictional purposes, at least to the extent that the plot demands, the text indicates that real-world uses of 'string on a map' to discover a useful result have not actually been successful. But in this case, the string on the map would be there to indicate the actual extent to the string ''in the air'', probably from various reports received from around the world, and apparently it had successfully led to the discovery of the location from which the string originated on the ground and the subsequent intervention against the duo's excessive kite-deployment activity.

Kites have been a [[:Category:Kites|recurring topic]] on xkcd since the early days. It has been three years since the last comic featuring kites, [[2632: Greatest Scientist]], six years since Cueball put one up, in [[2208: Drone Fishing]], and 10 years since Megan did so, for [[1614: Kites]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball approaches Megan from the left. Megan is flying a kite, with the line attached to a spool.]
:Cueball: Ooh, flying a kite?
:Megan: Yeah. I found this big spool of fishing line in a closet.

:[In a silent panel, Cueball and Megan are seen from further away, indicating that the kite is flying higher.]

:[Cueball and Megan are seen from yet further away, indicating that the kite is flying still higher.]
:Cueball: Are we allowed to fly a kite this high? Should we Google whether there are rules?
:Megan: Eh, it's probably fine.

:[The line held by Megan leaves her hand almost horizontally before curving up. Cueball stands a little way downwind his hand up to the string, above head-height, as if supporting/stabilising it or testing its tendency to stay up.]
:Megan: The string is really starting to sag.
:Cueball: Maybe we could attach another kite? I'll go get one.

:[A new kite is attached just above the line, supporting it higher in the air, Megan's held end now leading up to the point it is joined.]
:Cueball: It worked!
:Megan: Nice!

:[Megan is feeding out line from a partly depleted spool, via a peg/ground anchor, with a knot visible a short way up the rising cord. Two further empty spoole are seen on the ground. Cueball is approaching with a box.]
:Cueball: I bought another package of string.
:Megan: Oh good, these spools are almost empty.
:Megan: I think we're in the jet stream.

:[Three empty spools, one spool in use and one unused spool surround Megan and Cueball, with one supporting kite visible on the line that Megan is still feeding out.]
:Cueball: How many kites are on there now?
:Megan: I've lost count.

:[Another silent panel, zoomed out to see at least a half self-supporting "kite-length" about ready to have a new kite added at the ground end, and almost the same amount of curve leading off-panel to the next (previously attached) kite, unseen. There are flat items (presumably kites), spools (one being the current one being fed out) and boxes (assumed to contain more kite material and/or spools behind and around the two small figures.]

:[A much larger panel with the same ground details but a wider view. Above the ascending line of kites there is now a second, horizontal line of kites, dangling furves of connecting chord, leading from off-panel left to off-panel right.]
:Cueball: Uhh...

:[Some kites, spools and boxes are around the two figures, now seen again in close-up.]
:Cueball: ...Did it blow in a circle?
:Megan: I don't know. Lemme look at a map of where the jet stream goes.
:Cueball: Hey, do you hear sirens?

:[A CNN logo is at the upper right of the panel. Megan stands at a lectern, with Cueball on one side and Ponytail, holding a briefcase, on the other. An illegible news ticker is shown below them, along with more illegible text on either side of the panel, just above the news ticker.]
:[A banner with white text on a black background:]
:Breaking: Kite Incident Duo Speaks
:CNN
:Megan: On the advice of our lawyer, we would like to apologize for the events that shut down global air travel last week...

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Kites]]
[[Category:Aviation]]

3122: Bad Map Projection: Interrupted Spheres

2025-09-12T22:57:25Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3122
| date = July 30, 2025
| title = Bad Map Projection: Interrupted Spheres
| image = bad_map_projection_interrupted_spheres_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x573px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = During the most recent glacial maximum, it's believed that land bridges extended from the surfaces and connected several of the spheres together.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the ninth comic in the [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections series]] displaying Bad Map Projection #194: Interrupted Spheres. It follows [[2999: Bad Map Projection: The United Stralia]], released nine and a half months prior.

There is no perfect way to draw a map of the world on a flat piece of paper. Each one will introduce a different type of distortion, and the best projection for a given situation is sometimes disputed. As was mentioned in [[977: Map Projections]], a wisecrack to this dilemma is to use a globe - which maps the world onto a ''sphere'', thus minimizing distortion by using roughly the same shape as the world itself. This "map projection" goes a step past the wisecrack and proceeds straight into absurdity, by projecting ''each continent'' onto a sphere. This bends entirely too far in the other direction to the dilemma; whereas a typical map projection adds distortion by trying to show the (curved) planet on a flat surface, this "map projection" adds distortion by showing the (relatively flat) continents on a much more sharply-curved sphere than the planet they are actually part of.

The title text refers to {{w|land bridges}}, narrow bits of land between larger landmasses. When glaciers covered much of the Earth, the water locked up in the glaciers meant that sea levels were lower, as well as the overlying icepacks being higher, and things like the {{w|Bering land bridge}} spanned areas between continents that are currently ocean. [[Randall]] suggests that these formed connections in the gaps between the spheres. This implies the absurd idea that the projection reflects an underlying reality where the continents ''actually'' exist on separate spheres, rather than this simply being an attempt at a "better" way to display Earth's landmasses. In this situation the land of the 'bridges' would reach like spires, vertically upwards from the surface of each sphere, until they descend down onto their counterpart neighbouring sphere.

==Transcript==
:[This comic depicts seven circles each representing globes. Above these circles there is the following text:]
:Bad map projection #194:
:'''<big>Interrupted spheres</big>'''
:To avoid the distortion inherent to a single flat world map, each continent is projected onto its own globe.

:[Each of the seven globes has one continent of Earth projected on to it, with a label of said areas name. The globes are arranged in position so their landmasses lies roughly where they would be on a standard map with North America in the upper left and Australia in the lower right part of the picture. The labels on the seven spheres in the three columns they form from left to right are:]
:North America
:South America
:Europe
:Africa
:Asia
:Antarctica
:Australia

==Trivia==
In this comic [[Randall]] indicates that he believes there are seven continents. This is {{w|Continent#Number|up for debate}}, especially with Europe being considered part of the larger Eurasian continent, rather than distinct from Asia, and whether the Americas are two continents or one, temporarily joined via the Caribbean oceanic plate. See for instance {{w|CGP Grey}}'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uBcq1x7P34 What are Continents?] video for a discussion. (Grey concludes that there are five, in his opinion.)

Several borders between countries are missing,those being the borders between Romania and Bulgaria, Bulgaria and Greece, Albania and Greece, Serbia and Montenegro, Egypt and Sudan, and between Thailand and Malaysia. Although it is implied each continent is projected onto its own globe by itself, a part of the coast of North Africa is visible on the Europe globe.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

3124: Grounded

2025-09-12T22:54:04Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3124
| date = August 4, 2025
| title = Grounded
| image = grounded_2x.png
| imagesize = 294x335px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
}}

==Explanation==

In certain situations, such as extreme weather, airplanes may be "grounded", meaning that they are not permitted to fly, and scheduled flights have to be delayed or cancelled. This is often frustrating for passengers, especially if the airplane has already been loaded and is otherwise ready to fly. In this strip, a pilot in such a situation reports that they "have an idea", involving bridge clearance and top taxiing speed. "Taxiing" refers to the movement of airplanes while on the ground, such as when they're moving to and from their gate, and getting into position on the runway. The implication is they've given up on taking off, and are considering moving the entire airplane to their destination by ground, or possibly driving to an area with more suitable weather.

The joke is that such a plan would be ludicrous. There are situations in which flights between relatively nearby airports are delayed for long enough that driving between them would be faster, but airplanes were clearly never intended to travel significant distances by ground. Putting aside the fact that neither the engines nor the wheels were ever designed for long-term ground travel, it would likely be impossible. This comic was published during {{w|2025 Atlantic hurricane season#Tropical Storm Dexter|a storm}} which affected a significant part of the Northeast United States. This storm caused many flights to be heavily delayed or cancelled, which may be the inspiration for this comic.

The reference to "bridge clearance" suggests that the airplane could fit under all the bridges they'd need to pass during their trip, but that doesn't consider the aircraft's wingspan, which would be unlikely to fit on all the roads they'd need to use. At the very least, it would block multiple lanes of traffic (likely in both directions) for the entire trip and, since jetliners usually don't taxi faster than 25-35 mph, even a relatively short trip would block roads for a significant amount of time. Moreover, it's generally illegal for any vehicle to travel on public roads unless it meets specific standards (which an aircraft almost certainly wouldn't) and is properly licensed and registered (which an aircraft wouldn't be). Long delays in air travel may lead to people fantasizing about this kind of extreme solution, but it clearly wouldn't be feasible in real life.

The title text intensifies the humor, saying that driving will probably result in a traffic enforcement stop, and further extend the travel time. The "drive time" would probably be extended by more than the 30 minutes they have estimated, especially if the flight crew is required to stop, or disembark from the aircraft, or they could be entirely prevented from continuing onward.

=== Feasibility ===

A number of factors contribute to the feasibility of switching to driving:

* If the plane continues to wait, it may need to do so for several hours.
* Allowing passengers to leave a sealed plane is typically a long process and may (depending on the situation and airport) involve the cancellation of the flight (which airlines are financially incentivized to avoid) or the plane losing its place in the increasingly long line of flights waiting to depart.
* Passengers often have checked luggage that takes a long time to unload and be delivered (a notoriously slow process).
* When a full flight's worth of passengers suddenly need ground transportation to the same place, there is sometimes not enough ground transportation readily available to transport them and their luggage.
* Passengers arriving at another airport via ground transportation and wishing to board a connecting flight would need to pass through security checkpoints and hand over their luggage again, further delaying the process.
* Driving will probably require navigating through a maze of planes and cars
The plane appears to have 14 passenger windows on one side, a moderate number associated with a narrow-body / single-aisle commercial aircraft (likely with 4 seats per row - seating around 56 passengers and around 4 crew). A plane of this size is more likely to fit on a wide road or under any overpass built for large trucks, compared to a large airliner with possibly hundreds of passengers. Smaller planes are also more commonly used for local flights with fewer passengers. It is possible that the destination is only 70 miles away by road (likely a nearby city of at least moderate size or else the plane would be smaller). Roads around airports are often crowded, but the poor weather may have reduced traffic to and from the airport, or the pilots may be counting on smaller vehicles staying out of their way. If the public roads are viable and local law enforcement does not interfere (or allows the plane to proceed due to jurisdictional confusion), then the largest practical obstacles may be exiting the first airport and entering the second. Large airports restrict access to the tarmac, and since the pilots intend to respect air traffic control's decision to prohibit flight, they would either need several people on the ground to open major gates, or would need to ram at least one sufficiently weak gate or fence at each end.

It is possible that this comic is depicting a heavily simplified {{w|Embraer E-Jet family | Embraer E-170}}, which has 19 windows on each side.

==Transcript==
:[A plane is at an airport gate, connected to the jet bridge going into an extensive building with many dark windows facing out towards the plane. There are several other ground vehicles nearby, one towing two empty wagons for luggage, and related equipment that includes several small traffic cones placed strategically around the plane. In the space behind the plane there is another, unoccupied, gate with a jet bridge extending from the building.]
:[A voice emanates from the plane, with a speech line starting at a star burst on top of the plane's cabin. The dialogue makes it clear that this is the captain speaking through the internal public address system:]
:Captain's voice: This is your captain speaking. As you've probably noticed, we're still grounded due to weather
:Captain's voice: But the first officer and I have been looking at bridge clearance maps and our top taxiing speed, and we have an idea.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Aviation]]

3127: Where Babies Come From

2025-09-12T22:50:12Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3127
| date = August 11, 2025
| title = Where Babies Come From
| image = where_babies_come_from_2x.png
| imagesize = 652x362px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Historians: Contemporaneous documentation of the initial events is often sparse, and in fact people often get testy and uncooperative when we urge better documentation for the historical record.
}}

==Explanation==
Children are often curious, and ask a lot of questions about the world around them. "Where do babies come from?" is one such question that tends to come up at some point, and is notable as one that many adults are uncomfortable giving correct answers to, because of the common reluctance to discuss sex-related matters with youngsters. While children are sometimes told that there's a baby inside a pregnant woman's tummy, the issues of how the baby got in there, or how it's supposed to get out, are often dodged. There are a variety of common myths about where babies come from, as told to children, such as "brought by a stork", "found in a cabbage patch", or [https://web.archive.org/web/20241128040214/https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1987/04/18 "built from a kit"]. This comic presents a variety of answers to that question, supposedly from the point of view of specialists in several different areas of science, and expressed in the vocabulary of the specialist's field. Some of them are allusions to the process of conception or childbirth; others are simply incorrect.

The experts might be deliberately misleading the questioner by using very euphemistic terms that would likely not be understood by a child to avoid personal embarrassment, deliberately over-'simplifying' the explanation as a {{w|Lie-to-children|stepping stone}} to the eventual more specific truth, or else themselves be ignorant/misled about the process. In each case, however, their abstraction of the process is described in terms that are actually relatively technical ones from their own field, to the presumed audience, showing that they are not necessarily able to find the right level of explanation, as well as not having used a less obtuse reframing of the topic much closer to that of actual reproductive biology. "How is babby formed?" was a [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/how-is-babby-formed notorious meme] from the early 2000s.

;Geneticist: An admixture event refers to new genes being introduced into a population (for example, intermarriage adding genes for blue eyes into a population that previously lacked them). These gene movements are typically measurable on the order of thousand year or more timescales, and therefore are commonly dated to thousands or even millions of years ago. KYA = "one thousand years ago" and 0.001 KYA = 1 year, [[2205: Types of Approximation|approximately]] the duration of most human pregnancies. The comic uses this term to describe the gene mixing of two people having a child. The joke is in the use of such large scale terms to describe the creation of one child, and how the technical language being used hides the answer, especially from a child.

;Astronomer: Ejections of matter from parent bodies are common astronomical events, at scales ranging from comets to black holes. The process of giving birth is compared to a "low-impulse" ejection, such as the casting off of rocks and dust from a rotating asteroid. Such a comparison, while it may make sense in cosmology, is unlikely to find favor with any woman who is, or has ever been, in labor.
:Alternatively, the "low-impulse ejection" could refer to ejaculation, not the act of giving birth. Since impulse is defined as change in momentum, and momentum is mass times velocity, birth would technically be a higher-impulse event than ejaculation, due to the relative mass of a baby and of an ejaculate, but it's still very low on a cosmic scale and would still qualify as "low-impulse".

;Software Engineer: An {{w|off-by-one error}} (aside from [[2248: New Year's Eve|being a difficult theme to build a party around]]) is a common programming mistake where a value ends up off by one. This is most frequently the result of confusion about whether lists of items are indexed {{w|Zero-based numbering|starting at position 'zero'}} or with the first of them at the more language-like position 'one'. A birth could also be described as a "population" metric suddenly [[605: Extrapolating|increasing by one]]; or, alternatively, a baby could cause a previously accurate static population metric to become off-by-one from the new correct total. This could also be referring to an unplanned pregnancy, which would lead the local population to be one higher than the parent(s) may have calculated.

;Geologist: The baby is said to have been created by the process of differential erosion, in which softer rocks are eroded more quickly, leaving harder rocks behind. Arguably, a geologist who was making a serious attempt to compare geological and biological processes would recognize that the growth of a fetus has much more in common with accretionary, rather than erosional, mechanisms. Granting that the geologist depicted is witty and not clueless, this explanation is the most intentionally farcical, the most {{w|List_of_Calvin_and_Hobbes_characters#Mom_and_Dad|Calvin's Dad}}, of the five. (The Wikipedia article on Calvin’s dad mentions that he gave explanations about babies involving purchases at Sears and Kmart.) The suggestion that everything is removed except for the desired result is fairly often used to describe how sculptors work, and similar craftspeople such as woodcarvers.

;Meteorologist: Turbulent mixing of air masses ("turbulence") has been experienced by just about everyone who has ever been in an airborne aircraft. Turbulence can occur at all levels of the atmosphere from the ground up, and is frequently accompanied by clouds and precipitation, although the moisture alluded to here is likely that of bodily fluids and the turbulence being more about a tangible physicality between people. It is a pungent metaphor for coitus.

;Historians (title text): Instead of proffering an explanation for "where babies come from", the historians (plural) lodge a complaint about the difficulties they have encountered in obtaining the data needed to substantiate the babies' provenance. The plaint is a common preamble and disclaimer in formal history publications. Rather than answer the question in the general, they appear to be trying to answer it for each individual baby by questioning those thought to be responsible. The historians express surprise and indignation that their efforts to obtain "better documentation" of the "initial events" (the mating behavior) leading to baby formation are seen as prurient and voyeuristic, and are met with resistance.

==Transcript==
:[Hairy, Ponytail, Hairbun, Cueball and Megan are standing below a question given at the top of the comic. Each of the five gives their answer to the question. Below each character is a label with their respective occupation.]
:Various experts answer the question “Where do babies come from?”

:Geneticist
:[Hairy, the geneticist, has one arm up, and is facing right.]
:Hairy: Recent admixture event, roughly 0.001 Kya.

:Astronomer
:[Ponytail, the astronomer, is standing normally and facing left.]
:Ponytail: Low-impulse ejection from a parent body.

:Software engineer
:[Hairbun, the software engineer, is standing with one forearm pointed up, and is facing right.]
:Hairbun: Off-by-one error in the population calculations.

:Geologist
:[Cueball, the geologist, is standing with one forearm half up, and is facing left.]
:Cueball: The area was originally a uniform plane, but the non-baby parts eroded at higher rates.

:Meteorologist
:[Megan, the meteorologist, is standing normally and facing right.]
:Megan: Moist ground-level turbulent mixing.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with babies]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Weather]]
[[Category:Sex]]

3128: Thread Meeting

2025-09-12T22:43:43Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3128
| date = August 13, 2025
| title = Thread Meeting
| image = thread_meeting_2x.png
| imagesize = 399x425px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hey, so did you ever finish your video series about Cassie and the caterpillar morph? I loved the first three, but never ... no, sorry, I get it, this isn't the place. Sorry! Sorry.
}}

==Explanation==
Many people have different sets of acquaintances from different parts of their lives, and there's not much overlap. For instance, they have colleagues at work and friends from different hobbies. People encountered in online forums are often very separate, since they may be anywhere in the world and even have quite differently eclectic tastes that they never mention. People find it surprising when there are overlaps in unrelated spheres.

In this comic, NorthLakeKayak and AntaresMike are two participants in an online thread (presumably about boating, or maybe specifically kayaking). NorthLakeKayak recognizes the username AntaresMike as also used by someone he remembers from a different forum about {{w|Animorphs}}, and apparently not a likely username to have [[1963: Namespace Land Rush|been independently claimed]] by someone else.

As children, the most striking example of this type of compartmentalization is that {{tvtropes|TeachersOutOfSchool|we think of teachers as only existing in school}}. They're actually people with real lives (as also referenced in [[2808: Daytime Firefly]]), but we find it extremely weird when we encounter them in some mundane place outside school, like at a restaurant or store. The comic makes the point that encountering the same person in two unrelated online forums is analogous to this.

This strip shows NorthLakeKayak excitedly identifying AntaresMike, and referencing the Animorphs forum, then appearing to realize that's {{w|off topic}} for the forum, and awkwardly trying to transition back to discussion of kayaks. The title text continues these theme, presumably within the same forum thread, specifically wanting to discuss a video series AntaresMike had done. This is followed by a correction (either self-censoring, or in response to an unseen reply) with apologies that "this isn't the place" to discuss such things.

Very often, the culture/rules of a particular forum will encourage relevance to the forum's ''{{w|raison d'etre}}'', at least in its main threads, and fellow users will get to know all about their on-topic obsessions but usually only see hints of other individuals' alternate pastimes and hobbies. Additionally, it's possible that AntaresMike prefers to keep their interest groups separate. Animorphs fandom is a particular niche and nerdy interest that some people would hesitate to discuss it around people who aren't part of the fandom, either out of embarrassment, or out of fear of boring people. If that's the case, AntaresMike might not appreciate having those interests discussed in front of a kayaking forum. If the forum has a {{w|Private Messaging}} feature, this off-topic personal discussion could be taken there. Conceivably, the message from the title text ''was'' taken 'off-thread', but the author still finds their own excited tendency to blur the boundaries between subject matter embarrassing.

The alt text references ''Animorphs #19: The Departure''. In this book, Cassie, a girl with the power to transform into animals, {{tvtropes|ShapeshifterModeLock|is trapped as a caterpillar}} after she exceeds the two hour limit on morphing. The video essay likely focuses on this book because it contains elements that stand out among the series, such as that the caterpillar form can uniquely "reset" its morphing time limit by metamorphosizing into a butterfly, or that it introduces the recurring character Aftran, a former member of the Yeerk Empire who chooses to defect and start a peaceful resistance group.

==Transcript==
:[A portion of a thread in an online forum is shown. It has one post and a reply to that post.]

:[First post:]
:[Stylized A avatar] '''AntaresMike'''
:[To the right of AntaresMike's username are a grayed-out star, plus sign in a circle, and illegible text in a box.]
:You could also check out <u>this</u> kayak model. I attached a motor to mine, and it's a little bit of a kludge but it works great.
:[Below the first post are grayed-out icons of a word balloon, two links from a chain, an arrow, and illegible text.]

:[Reply (indented with a line connecting from AntaresMike's reply to NorthLakeKayak's):]
:[Cueball picture avatar] '''NorthLakeKayak'''
:[To the right of NorthLakeKayak's username are a grayed-out plus sign in a circle, and illegible text in a box.]
:Oh, hey, AntaresMike! I know you!
:Honestly I didn't realize you existed outside of the Animorphs fandom. I haven't seen you in forever!
:Uh. So. How are you doing?
:Kayaking, I guess.
:Anyway yeah that model is great.
:[Below the reply are grayed-out icons of a word balloon, two links from a chain, an arrow, and illegible text.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Running into someone on a thread who you know from a totally different part of the Internet feels weirdly like running into your teacher in a store.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Animorphs]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

3130: Predicament

2025-09-12T22:40:55Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3130
| date = August 18, 2025
| title = Predicament
| image = predicament_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I dropped my phone while trying to search, and I tried to unlock it from up here, so can you also search for screen repair places?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Further research or input from someone who's actually ridden stilts welcomed. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic describes a person with stilts asking cueball to use his phone. Before he can say what he wants him to do with the phone, Cueball immediately knows that he wants to know how to get off stilts.

For someone who has never worn stilts before, the method to get down from them safely is not obvious. We can't see the stilt user's feet or legs in the pictures, and the way to get off them will vary depending on whether they are the type of stilt that is braced by a strap around the lower leg or the type where the stilt pole extends upwards and is held in the hand. Based on [https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+get+down+from+stilts Googling how to get down from stilts], it seems that one method for the latter is to use the steps that are built into the stilts themselves, commonly called 'pegs'. These act like a very wobbly ladder and allow you to climb up and down the stilts. Other methods include leaning against a wall, bracing the stilts at the bottom of the wall, and carefully stepping (or, as in the case with the image when there appear to be no pegs, sliding) down the stilts. Another technique is to climb onto (and off) the stilts from a platform at roughly the same height as the (top) stilt pegs, such as a balcony or deck.

It is somewhat surprising that someone has sufficient mastery to walk and stand still on such high stilts, without also having learnt how to dismount from them, as practicing more than once requires getting off the stilts. One might also expect that someone in this situation might seek rather more direct assistance than looking things up on the internet. [[Randall]] may be lampooning the widespread tendency in today's world to automatically resort to Google for every query that crops up.

The title text explains that this person dropped their phone and tried to unlock it with the stilts, but ended up breaking their phone in the process. ([[530: I'm An Idiot|Presumably]], other unlocking options such as voice, fingerprint, or facial recognition were not enabled or infeasible under the circumstances.) When someone is on stilts, it is actually very hard to stand still because the point of the stilt does not provide the forward-backward length that we are used to our feet having. Beginners generally have a much easier time walking forward, because the momentum helps with balance, and risk falling over if they stop. Unlocking a phone with the stilt would require not only staying still near the phone long enough to do so, but doing so on a single stilt, while lifting the full weight of the other and making those precise motions with an awkward blunt tool that has both considerable {{w|mass}} and considerable {{w|moment of inertia}} on a tiny object a stilt-length away. It is no wonder that instead the person ended up putting too much weight on the stilt while it was above the phone, resulting in considerable force being distributed over a very small area of the phone's fragile screen. All things considered the attempt went much better than it could have, since the person did not fall over.

It is also unlikely that a phone touchscreen could even be operated by a stilt. Most work through {{w|capacitive sensing}}, and are unlikely to work with the stilt-ends unless specifically equipped with a cap of material with electrical properties similar to those of human fingers.

Stilts have been used in other comics, such as [[482: Height]], [[1608: Hoverboard]], [[1663: Garden]], [[2603: Childhood Toys]], [[2669: Things You Should Not Do]], and [[2765: Escape Speed]].

==Transcript==

:[On the left a long stick enters the panel from near the top left. There are "tap tap" sounds where the stick hits the ground. Cueball is on the right, looking left towards the stick.]

:Tap Tap

:[There are now two long sticks closer to the middle of the panel. They cross near the top, and the stick makes three taps near the bottom. Cueball is still looking at them and looking down.]

:Tap Tap Tap

:[The two sticks are almost parallel now, a little further apart at the ground. Cueball is still looking at them, but now not bending his head]
:Voice from above: Do you have your phone?
:Cueball: Yeah.

:[The two sticks are parallel. Cueball is holding a cellphone in his right hand.]
:Voice from above: Can you Google --
:Cueball: -- how to get down from stilts?
:Voice from above: Yes please.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Stilts]]

3130: Predicament

2025-09-12T22:39:53Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3130
| date = August 18, 2025
| title = Predicament
| image = predicament_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I dropped my phone while trying to search, and I tried to unlock it from up here, so can you also search for screen repair places?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Further research or input from someone who's actually ridden stilts welcomed. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic describes a person with stilts asking cueball to use his phone. Before he can say what he wants him to do with the phone, Cueball immediately knows that he wants to know how to get off stilts.

For someone who has never worn stilts before, the method to get down from them safely is not obvious. We can't see the stilt user's feet or legs in the pictures, and the way to get off them will vary depending on whether they are the type of stilt that is braced by a strap around the lower leg or the type where the stilt pole extends upwards and is held in the hand. Based on [https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+get+down+from+stilts Googling how to get down from stilts], it seems that one method for the latter is to use the steps that are built into the stilts themselves, commonly called 'pegs'. These act like a very wobbly ladder and allow you to climb up and down the stilts. Other methods include leaning against a wall, bracing the stilts at the bottom of the wall, and carefully stepping (or, as in the case with the image when there appear to be no pegs, sliding) down the stilts. Another technique is to climb onto (and off) the stilts from a platform at roughly the same height as the (top) stilt pegs, such as a balcony or deck.

It is somewhat surprising that someone has sufficient mastery to walk and stand still on such high stilts, without also having learnt how to dismount from them, as practicing more than once requires getting off the stilts. One might also expect that someone in this situation might seek rather more direct assistance than looking things up on the internet. [[Randall]] may be lampooning the widespread tendency in today's world to automatically resort to Google for every query that crops up.

The title text explains that this person dropped their phone and tried to unlock it with the stilts, but ended up breaking their phone in the process. ([[530: I'm An Idiot|Presumably]], other unlocking options such as voice, fingerprint, or facial recognition were not enabled or infeasible under the circumstances.) When someone is on stilts, it is actually very hard to stand still because the point of the stilt does not provide the forward-backward length that we are used to our feet having. Beginners generally have a much easier time walking forward, because the momentum helps with balance, and risk falling over if they stop. Unlocking a phone with the stilt would require not only staying still near the phone long enough to do so, but doing so on a single stilt, while lifting the full weight of the other and making those precise motions with an awkward blunt tool that has both considerable {{w|mass}} and considerable {{w|moment of inertia}} on a tiny object a stilt-length away. It is no wonder that instead the person ended up putting too much weight on the stilt while it was above the phone, resulting in considerable force being distributed over a very small area of the phone's fragile screen. All things considered the attempt went much better than it could have, since the person did not fall over.

It is also unlikely that a phone touchscreen could even be operated by a stilt. Most work through {{w|capacitive sensing}}, and are unlikely to work with the stilt-ends unless specifically equipped with a cap of material with electrical properties similar to those of human fingers.

Stilts have been used in other comics, such as [[482: Height]], [[1608: Hoverboard]], [[1663: Garden]], [[2603: Childhood Toys]], [[2669: Things You Should Not Do]], and [[2765: Escape Speed]].

==Transcript==

:[On the left a long stick enters the panel from near the top left. There are "tap tap" sounds where the stick hits the ground. Cueball is on the right, looking left and down towards the stick.]

:Tap Tap

:[There are now two long sticks closer to the middle of the panel. They cross near the top, and the stick makes three taps near the bottom. Cueball is still looking at them and looking down.]

:Tap Tap Tap

:[The two sticks are almost parallel now, a little further apart at the ground. Cueball is still looking at them, but now not bending his head]
:Voice from above: Do you have your phone?
:Cueball: Yeah.

:[The two sticks are parallel. Cueball is holding a cellphone in his right hand.]
:Voice from above: Can you Google --
:Cueball: -- how to get down from stilts?
:Voice from above: Yes please.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Stilts]]

3132: Coastline Similarity

2025-09-12T22:29:23Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3132
| date = August 22, 2025
| title = Coastline Similarity
| image = coastline_similarity_2x.png
| imagesize = 553x219px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hey! A bunch of the early Cretaceous fossils on each coast seem to have been plagiarized, too!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic depicts a classroom, likely relating to geography, geology or history, in which [[Miss Lenhart]] is discussing the similar coastlines of Africa and South America, and the way that modern understanding has revealed the cause. [[Cueball]] initially assumes that one coastline plagiarized the other before Miss Lenhart continues by revealing that it was {{w|continental drift}} that explained the similarity.

Continental drift is the widely accepted theory that Earth's continents were once all connected, and have been moving relative to each other due to {{w|plate tectonics}}. One of the clues that actually led to this discovery was that the shapes of the coastlines of South America and Africa that are separated by the Atlantic Ocean are similar. The similarity is much greater for the submerged {{w|continental shelf|continental shelves}} than for the visible coastlines; they're like adjacent pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

{{w|Plagiarism}} is the act of claiming credit for another individual's work, usually by duplicating the results. The discovery of plagiarism in an already-renowned body of work is often cause for scandal, and Cueball's reaction to the assumed plagiarism of the African/South American coastlines reflects this. Of course, continents are inanimate objects, and have no concept of plagiarism, let alone know how to perform it{{Citation needed}}. It would take an extremely broad definition of plagiarism for this to count as such, based on neither continent giving "credit" to the other. That would apply equally well (or poorly) any time a thing was broken into pieces large enough that they could be fit back together. Many people have believed that the Earth was created by one or more entities, such as gods or heroes. Some regard the Earth as one or more living things. So the Earth, or one such creator could have copied portions of design.

The title text continues the joke about plagiarism. Additional corroborating evidence of continental drift is that there are similar species of plant and animal fossils on the two sides of the Atlantic, dating to the time when they were connected (which, contrary to Randall's claim, is actually the Triassic period, not the Cretaceous). Cueball thinks that the progenitors of these species also plagiarized each other, as opposed to the more mundane explanation which is that the progenitors were the ''same'' for both. The younger fossils are descendants of some species that existed across the once-connected lands, the older ones ''are'' the species that did not yet have the nascent Atlantic Ocean in their lives.

This is a very rare example where it is not Miss Lenhart that makes a joke as the teacher, but actually teaches the truth, and it is instead here one of her pupils that makes the joke (intentionally or not). A much more typical scenario for her teachings could for instance be seen in [[1519: Venus]].

The theory of continental drift was originally proposed by {{w|Alfred Wegener}} in 1912, based on such fossil evidence and other geological features common to the two continental borders, in addition to the similarities in shoreline shapes. It's significant to the history of science as a general subject, as a proposal that was originally met with strong opposition (not to mention mockery) but eventually became accepted by almost everyone. Modern cranks and crackpots sometimes point to it in support of their own implausible "theories", as though universal rejection of a "theory" by all of the experts somehow proves that it will someday be accepted and its originator proven right all along. In fact, Wegener's original theory did have a serious flaw, in that it lacked a plausible mechanism, though it was otherwise correct. Modern cranks' "theories" generally lack both plausible mechanisms ''and'' good analysis of supporting evidence. ("Yes, they laughed at Galileo... but they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.")

The title text of [[2690: Cool S]] jokes about a milder version of plagiarism for the discovery of DNA, specifically copying off of the student in front of you.

==Transcript==
:[Miss Lenhart is holding a pointer pointing to a wall map. The map shows South America and Africa, with the east coast of South America and the southwest coast of Africa highlighted in red.]
:Miss Lenhart: People had long noticed that South America and Africa had similarly-shaped coastlines.

:[A side view of the classroom. Jill and Cueball are sitting at school desks, looking at Miss Lenhart. The wall map is visible behind Miss Lenhart.]
:Miss Lenhart: In the 20<sup><small>th</small></sup> century, geologists finally found the explanation:

:[The same scene, with Cueball having his hands on his face.]
:Cueball: '''''Plagiaris'''''--
:Miss Lenhart: Continental drift.
:Cueball: Oh.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Jill]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Geography]]

3137: Cursed Number

2025-09-12T22:26:13Z

BobcatInABox: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3137
| date = September 3, 2025
| title = Cursed Number
| image = cursed_number_2x.png
| imagesize = 388x449px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Another group of mathematicians is working to put an upper bound on the number, although everyone keeps begging them to stop.
}}

==Explanation==

It is quite common on mathematics to not know the value (or existence) of a number but be able to put bounds on it. For example, we know the first counterexample to the {{w|Collatz conjecture}} is at least 10^21, if it exists. There are also constants where we have an upper bound.

In this case, there is apparently postulated to exist a number that extremely harmful to the human mind to read it without eye protection - an {{w|information hazard}}. Dangerous pieces of writing like this are a fairly common trope in speculative fiction, such as the {{w|Necronomicon}} in the {{w|Cthulhu Mythos}}, [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-033 cognitohazards] in the {{w|SCP Foundation}}, the Basilisk in {{w|BLIT_(short_story)|BLIT}} by David Langford, and {{w|Monty Python}}'s {{w|The Funniest Joke in the World|Funniest Joke in the World}}. It is also very similar to the concept of an {{w|illegal number}}, or the {{w|Number of the beast}}.

Saying that it is once ''again'' safe to view large random numbers without eye protection may imply that the cursed number used to not be cursed (as opposed to no one realizing that the cursed number existed). This might indicate an evolutionary change in human brain structure, or, [[2332: Cursed Chair|considering previous comics]], someone with magical powers literally placing a curse on it (but not telling humans which). In the latter case, the fact that mathematicians have been able to place a lower bound might suggest that the magic-wielder gave some sort of hint, such as a hashed or encrypted version or a mathematical puzzle/riddle. Alternatively it could be that after the existence of the cursed number was discovered, but before there was a lower bound on it, people were advised to wear eye protection when viewing any large number, because no one could be sure which large number was cursed. The mechanism by which the eye protection works is not explained; theoretically any eye protection which allowed someone to view the cursed number at all shouldn't work, as being able to see or read the number means you can perceive it.

Naturally, the mathematicians of this world are doing their best, in the interest of public safety, to keep this number away from as many human eyeballs as possible. Through some process they have figured out the number is at least 22 digits long. Numbers this large (greater than 10<sup>21</sup>, i.e. at least a {{w|Orders_of_magnitude_(numbers)#1021|'sextillion'}}) are extremely unlikely to be found in the day-to-day lives of non-mathematicians (and almost all mathematicians); even if a person spent their entire lives looking at random strings of 22 digit numbers flashing by every millisecond, for a 100 year lifetime, they would still only have about 3 in a (short) billion chance of seeing the number. Because of the low risk, public officials have deemed it safe for people to go about their daily lives reading numbers again without eye protection, which apparently protects you from the number.

Despite this, there are some instances of large numbers (more than 21 decimal digits) that may be encountered relatively frequently. IT professionals may encounter "{{w|Universally unique identifier}}s". These are 128 {{w|bit}} binary numbers requiring up to 39 decimal digits to display. However, with 2^28 possible possible numbers of that length, even if you look at UUIDs all day long you are extremely unlikely to see this "cursed number" if it exists.

In the title text another group of mathematicians are trying to narrow down the number's identity even further. The more attributes of the cursed number the mathematicians identify, the easier it is for someone with morbid curiosity or someone researching more attributes of the number to discover the number themselves and get their mind damaged. This includes the researchers themselves, as they are now willingly going above the lower safe limit, increasing their chances of encountering it accidentally. Furthermore, the cursed number may appear as part of another number; for example, 223 appears as part of 2237. Worse, if the number could be determined in some controllable way that didn't necessarily expose its discoverers, it {{w|BLIT (short story)|might be used as a weapon}}, and this might be easier with the upper bound discovered, if the method used to find the number is brute force. This echoes concerns about knowledge gained from research on nuclear forces having been used to create atomic weapons. This was also how the Funniest Joke in the World was used in Monty Python.

==Transcript==
:[A large screen with one equation in the middle is shown to the left of three people. The left part of the equation shows a black bar with a skull in the middle:]
: 💀 > 2.6 x 10<sup>21</sup>

:[Cueball is standing to the right of the screen and further right is Blondie. Blondie is standing behind a lectern with a label in front. Hairbun stands further and holds a paper up in front of her using both hands. The paper shows illegible text surrounding what is visibly the same equation as appears on the screen, with a skull, but not the black bar. None of the text can be read and the skull can only be made out as such, knowing what it is from the screen.]
:[The lectern reads:]
:Math Dept

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Good news: Mathematicians have put a new lower bound on the '''Cursed Number that destroys the minds of all who perceive it'''!
:It's at least 22 digits, which means it's unlikely to be seen by any human no matter how many random numbers they look at.
:They say it's once again safe to view large random numbers without eye protection.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Comics with cursed items]]