explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3253: Sunbeam

2026-06-01T17:56:01Z

DKMell: explained the superpower

{{comic
| number = 3253
| date = June 1, 2026
| title = Sunbeam
| image = sunbeam_2x.png
| imagesize = 398x347px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = While weather control is typically thought of as a superpower, the unconscious ability of astronomers and astrophotographers to summon clouds is more properly classified as a curse.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A TABLE SOON TO BE LIT BY THE SUN. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Astrophotography}} is the act of taking pictures of very distant (often celestial) objects, such as nebulae. This is done mostly at night, although [[Beret Guy|a certain someone]] probably could do it during the day. Therefore, an astrophotographer would not need to know about the sun's position while taking photos of the night sky, because {{w|Night|the sun is not out}}{{cn}} when astrophotographers are doing astrophotography. But astrophotographers ARE aware of how celestial objects move across the sky and hence how a sunbeam coming through a window will progress across a room, and ability that [[Randall]] calls an "extremely minor superpower."

The title text talks about another minor "superpower" that astrophotographers have which makes clouds always seem to show up in front of the night sky. Because this ability is entirely unconscious, however, and interferes with their work by ruining their photos, the title text more accurately classifies it as a curse, which is why the rest of the comic describes astrophotographers having only one "actual" superpower.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Cueball, Megan, and White Hat are in a large dark room, presumably a restaurant, with two tables and a large window. The window is casting a large sunbeam between the two tables.]
:Cueball: Let's take the far table. The closer one will be in the sun soon.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Astrophotography gives you exactly one extremely minor superpower.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3253: Sunbeam

2026-06-01T17:52:44Z

DKMell: fixed dangling modifier

{{comic
| number = 3253
| date = June 1, 2026
| title = Sunbeam
| image = sunbeam_2x.png
| imagesize = 398x347px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = While weather control is typically thought of as a superpower, the unconscious ability of astronomers and astrophotographers to summon clouds is more properly classified as a curse.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A TABLE SOON TO BE LIT BY THE SUN. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Astrophotography}} is the act of taking pictures of very distant (often celestial) objects, such as nebulae. This is done mostly at night, although [[Beret Guy|a certain someone]] probably could do it during the day. Therefore, an astrophotographer would not need to know about the sun's position while taking photos of the night sky, because {{w|Night|the sun is not out}}{{cn}} when astrophotographers are doing astrophotography.

The title text talks about another minor "superpower" that astrophotographers have which makes clouds always seem to show up in front of the night sky. Because this ability is entirely unconscious, however, and interferes with their work by ruining their photos, the title text more accurately classifies it as a curse, which is why the rest of the comic describes astrophotographers having only one "actual" superpower.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Cueball, Megan, and White Hat are in a large dark room, presumably a restauraunt, with two tables and a large window. The window is casting a large sunbeam between the two tables.]
:Cueball: Let's take the far table. The closer one will be in the sun soon.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Astrophotography gives you exactly one extremely minor superpower.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3253: Sunbeam

2026-06-01T17:52:05Z

DKMell: re-wording

{{comic
| number = 3253
| date = June 1, 2026
| title = Sunbeam
| image = sunbeam_2x.png
| imagesize = 398x347px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = While weather control is typically thought of as a superpower, the unconscious ability of astronomers and astrophotographers to summon clouds is more properly classified as a curse.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A TABLE SOON TO BE LIT BY THE SUN. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Astrophotography}} is the act of taking pictures of very distant (often celestial) objects, such as nebulae. This is done mostly at night, although [[Beret Guy|a certain someone]] probably could do it during the day. Therefore, an astrophotographer would not need to know about the sun's position while taking photos of the night sky, because {{w|Night|the sun is not out}}{{cn}} when astrophotographers are doing astrophotography.

The title text talks about another minor "superpower" that astrophotographers have which makes clouds always seem to show up in front of the night sky. Because it is entirely unconscious, however, and interferes with their work by ruining their photos, the title text more accurately classifies it as a curse, which is why the rest of the comic describes astrophotographers having only one "actual" superpower.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Cueball, Megan, and White Hat are in a large dark room, presumably a restauraunt, with two tables and a large window. The window is casting a large sunbeam between the two tables.]
:Cueball: Let's take the far table. The closer one will be in the sun soon.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Astrophotography gives you exactly one extremely minor superpower.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3251: Time Machine Conversation

2026-05-28T17:56:43Z

DKMell: minor touchup

{{comic
| number = 3251
| date = May 27, 2026
| title = Time Machine Conversation
| image = time_machine_conversation_2x.png
| imagesize = 691x344px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's possible to do sea navigation without a compass, but you'll have to get some spoilers from the Polynesians.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Spoiler alert! This page was created in the past.{{citation needed}} Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic plays on the problem of the potential for the creation of {{w|temporal paradox}}es in scenarios where {{w|time travel}} is possible. [[Cueball]] has used a time machine to travel to the {{w|Iron Age}} and has a conversation with an ancient-times version of [[Hairbun]] (who seems to be a farmer, since she's holding a pretty modern-looking {{w|Hoe (tool)|hoe}} and seems to be particularly knowledgable of the 'latest' {{w|plow}} developments). In his surprise at {{w|compass}}es not having been invented yet, he inadvertently starts explaining them to her. Though initially only becoming aware that [[2540: TTSLTSWBD|the very idea seems odd]], he then starts to worry about the impact his words might have. According to common {{tvtropes|TimeTravel|time travel tropes}}, this interaction might cause a chain of events that will lead to {{w|grandfather paradox|Cueball not existing}}, or {{tvtropes|butterflyofdoom|worse}}, which would create a paradox (if it isn't already already a different kind of paradox through being {{w|Novikov self-consistency principle|a pre-existing component of Cueball's original timeline}}). However, rather than the potential radical impact he might have on history by introducing this concept earlier than should have happened, he appears to be concerned that he may have given her a {{w|Spoiler (media)|spoiler}} for upcoming history[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg4mcdhIsvU]. Presumably he feels he has deprived her (or humankind more generally) of the joy that would have come with its eventual discovery. The magnetic compass was first invented in China around 200 BCE, well after the end of the Iron Age, and it wasn't used for navigation until the 11th century AD. For an Iron Age farmer the concept of a 'weird rock that always points north', as Cueball puts it, would seem quite ridiculous, and the inherent dangers of sea travel might well seem to be insurmountable ones.

He is then also concerned that he has managed to 'spoilerise' the concept of 'the spoiler'. The modern meaning of "spoiler" didn't arise until the 1970s, which post-date the Iron Age.{{Citation needed}} Spoiler warnings became common on {{w|Usenet newsgroups}} in the late 1980s. Cueball may have created a temporal paradox by introducing the concept thousands of years earlier, although any such 'change' made to that time might easily have been forgotten again in the two or three thousand years since this encounter. In any event, while telling people thousands of years ago that there was a way to make a compass might have changed history significantly, telling them that there are stories that they would enjoy less if they knew the ending before hearing the story seems less likely to have made a significant impact. It's also likely that, even if the term 'spoiler' was adopted by these Iron Age people, it would long have fallen out of use by the time it came to be invented in the late twentieth century.

The title text has Cueball about to unleash another spoiler on how to navigate without a compass, but he stops himself before saying it. However, he does still end up accidentally revealing that {{w|Polynesians}} know about it, though whether this was another unintentional slip or a deliberate clue left for Hairbun is unclear. It is thought that so-called '{{w|Polynesian navigation}}' used other methods of marine navigation ({{w|celestial navigation}}, observation of birds, ocean swells, and wind patterns). However, as the Polynesians lived in the Pacific, which would be difficult to reach from Hairbun's location, and probably unknown to her, the clue is useless. It is unclear where Hairbun is, but it is likely that she is in {{w|Europe}} or the area around the {{w|Arabian Peninsula}}, where the term 'Iron Age' is most relevant, and which are quite far from the Pacific.

The comic is based on shaky ground, as it's not clear how they're able to communicate so easily, unless it's {{tvtropes|TranslatorMicrobes|part of the function}} of the time-travel technology. While humans did have language for thousands of years by this time, it would be very far removed from modern English, yet somehow they understand each other's speech. It also appears that the ''very existence of time travel'' is not considered a spoiler for an Iron Age person, or even in any way remarkable to them — this might imply that the farmer is already very well aware of such phenomena (or even that Cueball {{tvtropes|TimeTravelTenseTrouble|will later have already}} visited the same society/farmer at an earlier date), which may be one way to explain apparently fluent conversational American English being spoken.

Time travel is a [[:Category:Time travel|recurring theme]] on xkcd.

==Transcript==

:[1st Panel. Cueball is on the left with a ghostly halo around him. Hairbun is on the right, holding a hoe vertically.]
:Cueball: Oh hi! Guess my time machine works. How's life in the Iron Age?
:Hairbun: Not bad. Developing new kinds of plows.
:Cueball: Cool.
:Hairbun: And my brother was just lost at sea.

:[2nd Panel. Only Cueball is shown, with Hairbun out of the panel.]
:Cueball: I'm sorry.
:Hairbun [from outside the right side]: It's OK. I think sea navigation is probably impossible.

:[3rd Panel. Cueball and Hairbun are both shown again.]
:Cueball: Oh yeah, you don't have the compass, right?
:Hairbun: The what?
:Cueball: The weird rock that always points north?
:Hairbun: What are you '''talking''' about?

:[4th Panel. Cueball and Hairbun are both shown. Cueball holds his hand to his chin.]
:Cueball: It '''does''' sound ridiculous when I say it out loud. Anyway, spoilers for the magnetic compass. Sorry.
:Hairbun: What's a spoiler?
:Cueball: ...Spoilers for the concept of a spoiler, too.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Time travel]]

3250: Flag Design

2026-05-26T18:01:28Z

DKMell: touch-up

{{comic
| number = 3250
| date = May 25, 2026
| title = Flag Design
| image = flag_design_2x.png
| imagesize = 678x428px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Every place has a local cryptid; more places need a local Pictish Beast, a creature in historical art that's drawn so weirdly that no one can tell what animal it's supposed to be.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a recursive flag. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic is a parody of normal flag designs, a subject previously covered in [[1815: Flag]] and [[2528: Flag Map Sabotage]]. For example, animals are commonly used on flags, and stars are also occasionally on flags. However normal flags don't feature smaller versions of themselves as part of the design, don't have tributes or references to topology, and can't be clicked on.{{Citation needed}} It is designed similarly to the [[xkcd Phone]] series, with a number of improbable features indicated with labels. The caption of "I think our flag design committee really knocked it out of the park" references the common problem of {{w|design by committee}} where a design made without a unifying vision, but rather many compromises between competing visions, results in overcomplexity, banality and internal contradictions, all of which are present on this flag.

The title text references the animal on the flag, with [[Randall]] expressing his opinion that more places should use hard-to-distinguish cryptids like on the flag. A {{w|cryptid}} is an animal, such as the {{w|Loch Ness Monster}}, whose existence is disputed or unproven by science. The title text may refer to the fact that many places in the world have a local cryptid, and also to creatures like the Egyptian god {{w|Set (deity)|Set}} for which the original animal isn't 100% known.

=== Flag features ===

{| class="wikitable"
|+ From the top, going clockwise
|-
! Feature !! Description !! What this has to do with flags
|-
| A drawing of an unusual creature in grey. || [[Randall]] relates it to the {{w|Pictish Beast}}, an animal that appears frequently in the {{w|early medieval}} culture of the {{w|Picts}} of Scotland, and about which there has been much debate about what animal it is meant to represent. Randall has flipped this around, taking an animal whose identity is disputed and incorporating it into a cultural artefact in an attempt to get assistance with identifying it.|| Several flags, and even more so many coats of arms, have animals on them, often one native to, or heraldically representative of, the polity the flag belongs to. Some are quite abstract, making it difficult for the uninformed to identify the original animal (though not so much so as in this flag).{{Citation needed}}
|-
| National flag || Incorporating a flag into another flag is not uncommon, such as with the {{w|Union Jack#Use in other flags|Union Jack}} found in the flags of many current and former British colonies and territories, or with national flags being included in naval ensigns, but a flag that includes a smaller version of itself as a detail is a novelty. Typically, such inclusions are to indicate a link to the entity whose flag is included, but in this case it would be self-referential and meaningless. This could also cause an issue by leading to a {{w|Droste effect|recursive loop}} of nested flags, but thankfully this feature is omitted in the smaller, included flag.|| Several flags, in particular in some variants, show a relevant coat of arms on the flag, while other flags are very similar to the corresponding coat of arms. The flag-on-the-flag concept is a nonsensical extension of the combination of both concepts.
|-
| Island (not a specific island, just a tribute to islands in general) || A map showing an island and two small islets. || Elements on flags often have hidden meanings that aren't obvious at first glance, such as a hidden map of the country on it. This is an example of an element with a near-complete lack of meaning whatsoever: an outline of an island that doesn't refer to a specific island. It is also one of the many random and strange tributes on this flag.
|-
| Tap here to pay taxes || This is the icon often used on payment cards to indicate the availability of contactless payment. Besides the inherent ridiculousness of adding such a feature to a flag, flags are generally flown very high so that they can easily be seen, making RFID-activated features, which typically require relatively close proximity, difficult to use.{{cn}} || This may be riffing on the {{w|flag of South Korea}}, which includes four trigrams which could (if you squint) be considered to look somewhat like this logo.
|-
| Tribute to topology || {{w|Topology}} is the study of the underlying geometric form of things. Most flags have a very simple topology, being a single sheet of material. This side of this flag appears to have been separated and twisted by one half-turn to turn the flag into a {{w|Möbius strip}}. This would be difficult to do in real life without disconnecting and gluing, sewing or otherwise affixing parts of the flag together. || A few flags are known among {{w|vexillologists}} for having {{w|List of flags with reverses that differ from the obverse|different front and back sides}}. Talking about the “front and back sides” of a Möbius strip flag is conceptually difficult. Also many flags include notable {{w|topography|topo''graphic''}} features, such as mountains, rivers, etc., and Randall may have deliberately confused the two terms.
|-
| GDPR consent || Text about your personal information, with buttons to choose what you wish to do. GDPR refers to the European Union's {{w|General Data Protection Regulation}}, a law about privacy of personal information. It implies the flag somehow collects data about people who view (or touch) it. This may be related to the "Tap here to pay taxes" feature. Of note is the "customize" option, implying that the flag can somehow present a range of data processing options for the 'user' to select from. The technology or design features it uses to do this are unknown. Alternatively, this flag could be designed to be embedded as a webpage online, where this and the "Tap here to pay taxes" features would make some sense, and the version on the physical flag could be purely cosmetic. || Text on flags is considered bad.
|-
| Interested in citizenship? Take one! || This is a rather unorthodox method of gaining new citizens, which mimics a form of advertising that typically provides contact details on each strip and allows people to take them away and contact the advertiser at their own convenience with an expression of interest. This has the same accessibility problems as the previous two interactive features, in that it would be difficult to reach the strips to tear them off when the flag is flown high. Additionally flags are generally designed to be hard to tear. The design of the flag within the flag implies that the strips that have been torn off are part of the flag design rather than due to use - probably using another common advertising method, to make it look like a product is popular to encourage people to 'follow the others'. || There are some flags (such as the {{w|flag of the Republic of Venice|that of the Republic of Venice}}) which have a fringed design similar to this.
|-
| Rounded corners || Rounded corners are a way to display {{w|graphical widget}}s in computer interfaces for purely aesthetic reasons (as progressively happened to the [https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/images/blog/startevolution.JPG Start Button] from Windows XP onwards). It isn't unlikely that this flag-feature is being used to parody the trend of making virtual objects (often inherently rectangular) look more like smooth-edged physical objects.
|| Unusual, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary, as some flags do have {{w|List of non-rectangular flags|unorthodox shapes}}. Could be a reference to how many everyday objects have rounded corners to reduce risk of injury or make them more pleasant to use, although this is a moot point with flags since they are generally constructed using cloth that are based upon perpendicular warp and weft and are edge cut (then edge-seamed) in line with the respective thread-directions. Molded, cast or otherwise machined physical objects with rounded corners may be more durable, as stresses no longer concentrate at sharp corners, nor are those corners the natural first points of any impact, although whether this logic applies to a flag highly depends upon whether the halyard is attached to the flag via a heading or by sewn-in grommets, which is usually accounted for by further stitching used at and around the hoist-side's attachment points.
|-
| EURion anti-counterfeit mark || The "{{w|EURion constellation}}" is a pattern of symbols used as an anti-counterfeiting measure often incorporated in design of a number of secure documents, such as banknotes, checks, and ownership title certificates. Flags are not secure documents and therefore do not require anti-counterfeiting measures. || The purpose of flags is to be seen, and it is usually desirable for them to be easy to replicate - quite unlike this flag!
|-
| Jaunty angle || Implies that the flag is NOT being viewed at an angle, but rather that the flag is, in fact, a slanted parallelogram in shape. This could have some unintended consequences when flown on a pole. || A few flags are known among vexillologists for having a non-rectangular shape. Most of them are square, though {{w|Flag of Nepal|Nepal's}} is a notable exception. A slightly off-rectangular flag makes things awkward for people drawing or otherwise trying to represent it, without having any particular meaning beyond its 'jauntiness'.
|-
| Tan and white stars on a beige field || Deliberate obfuscation through bad color contrast. It also uses very dull colors, which would be hard to distinguish from far off, defying the point of a flag as an easy-to-recognize symbol of something. This may be a deliberate attempt to avoid offending anyone by inadvertently including colors that have some political or otherwise contested connotation. || Most flags have bold, contrasting colors for easy visibility.
|-
| CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity || A {{w|CIE 1931 color space}} diagram defines the relationship between the visible light spectrum and human color vision. This is probably included as a reference to help address color issues arising from reproducing the flag in a given medium. However, given the flag is tan, white, beige and grey, it's unclear how much of a difference this could possibly make.

It may also be referencing the {{w|rainbow flag}} or its many variants known as {{w|pride flag}}s. The original concept was to convey diversity by featuring many stripes of different colors, the most common variant having six of them. On the other hand, it can be criticized as suggesting there are only six options. It sparked creation of many multi-colored pride flags to more thoroughly convey diversity. Including every possible visible color takes this concept to the extreme.
|| Gradients are rare on flags, as they are difficult to replicate, and most flags have only a few colors (though less so now that printing is common), and often are not considered to look good on flags, especially when flying rather than represented digitally.
|};

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[A flag with many things on it.]
:[From left to right, top to bottom, in order labels:]
:[Label:]CIE 1931 Chromaticity Diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity. [Icon]
:
:[Label:] We can't agree what animal this is, so we put it on our flag to spark national debate. [Icon:] An equine creature of some sorts.
:
:[Label:] National Flag. [Icon:] A miniature version of the flag, however it is missing a miniature version of itself.
:
:[Label:] Island (not a specific island, just a tribute to islands in general) [Icon:] A nondescript island shaped blob.
:
:[Label:] Tap here to pay taxes. [Icon:] 4 sequential curves, a shape commonly used on NFC scanners to read a credit or debit card to encat payment.
:
:[Label:] Tan and white stars on beige field. [Icon:] 32 stars in a rectangle surrounding all the previously mentioned icons, save for the tax payment NFC scanner.
:
:[Label:] Jaunty angle. [Icon] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the flags left edge is not at a 90 degree angle with the top and bottom edges.
:
:[Label:] Tribute to topology [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the right edge of the flag is separated from the rest of the flag in the middle and twisted one half turn to make the flag into a Möbius strip.
:
:[Label:] Eurion Anti-counterfeit mark. [Icon:] A set of EURion dots, in the shape of the constellation Orion, commonly used on currency to prevent the use of printers to copy and mass produce counterfeit money.
:
:[Label:] Rounded corners. [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the flags corners are rounded.
:
:[Label:] Interested in citizenship? Take one! [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that one who wishes to sign up for citizenship of this fictional nation, can tear off a strip and contact the person on it, referencing posters one can find around a residential areas in a similar format.
:
:[Label:] GDPR consent [Icon:] A menu saying "you have a choice in how we manage your data" with hypothetically intractable buttons saying "ACCEPT" and "CUSTOMIZE" reminiscent of similar menus that appear when you visit a website for the first time, or after you clear your cache.
:
:[Caption below flag:]
:I think our flag design committee really knocked it out of the park

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Graphic designers]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

3250: Flag Design

2026-05-26T17:20:12Z

DKMell: touch-up

{{comic
| number = 3250
| date = May 25, 2026
| title = Flag Design
| image = flag_design_2x.png
| imagesize = 678x428px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Every place has a local cryptid; more places need a local Pictish Beast, a creature in historical art that's drawn so weirdly that no one can tell what animal it's supposed to be.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a recursive flag. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic is a parody of normal flag designs, a subject previously covered in [[1815: Flag]] and [[2528: Flag Map Sabotage]]. For example, animals are commonly used on flags, and stars are also occasionally on flags. However normal flags don't feature smaller versions of themselves as part of the design, don't have tributes or references to topology, and can't be clicked on.{{Citation needed}} It is designed similarly to the [[xkcd Phone]] series, with a number of improbable features indicated with labels. The caption of "I think our flag design committee really knocked it out of the park" references the common problem of {{w|design by committee}} where a design made without a unifying vision, but rather many compromises between competing visions, results in overcomplexity, banality and internal contradictions, all of which are present on this flag.

The title text references the animal on the flag, with [[Randall]] expressing his opinion that more places should use hard-to-distinguish cryptids like on the flag. A {{w|cryptid}} is an animal, such as the {{w|Loch Ness Monster}}, whose existence is disputed or unproven by science. The title text may refer to the fact that many places in the world have a local cryptid, and also to creatures like the Egyptian god {{w|Set (deity)|Set}} for which the original animal isn't 100% known.

=== Flag features ===

{| class="wikitable"
|+ From the top, going clockwise
|-
! Feature !! Description !! What this has to do with flags
|-
| A drawing of an unusual creature in grey. || [[Randall]] relates it to the {{w|Pictish Beast}}, an animal that appears frequently in the {{w|early medieval}} culture of the {{w|Picts}} of Scotland, and about which there has been much debate about what animal it is meant to represent. Randall has flipped this around, taking an animal whose identity is disputed and incorporating it into a cultural artefact in an attempt to get assistance with identifying it.|| Several flags, and even more so many coats of arms, have animals on them, often one native to, or heraldically representative of, the polity the flag belongs to. Some are quite abstract, making it difficult for the uninformed to identify the original animal (though not so much so as in this flag.){{Citation needed}}
|-
| National flag || Incorporating a flag into another flag is not uncommon, such as with the {{w|Union Jack#Use in other flags|Union Jack}} found in the flags of many current and former British colonies and territories, or with national flags being included in naval ensigns, but a flag that includes a smaller version of itself as a detail is a novelty. Typically, such inclusions are to indicate a link to the entity whose flag is included, but in this case it would be self-referential and meaningless. This could also cause an issue by leading to a {{w|Droste effect|recursive loop}} of nested flags, but thankfully this feature is omitted in the second iteration.|| Several flags, in particular in some variants, show a relevant coat of arms on the flag, while other flags are very similar to the corresponding coat of arms. The flag-on-the-flag concept is a nonsensical extension of the combination of both concepts.
|-
| Island (not a specific island, just a tribute to islands in general) || || Elements on flags often have hidden meanings that aren't obvious at first glance, such as a hidden map of the country on it. This is an example of an element with a lack of meaning that isn't obvious at first glance: an outline of an island that doesn't refer to a specific island. It is also one of the many random and strange tributes on this flag.
|-
| Tap here to pay taxes || This is the icon often used on payment cards to indicate the availability of contactless payment. Besides the inherent ridiculousness of adding such a feature to a flag, flags are generally flown very high so that they can easily be seen, making RFID-activated features, which typically require relatively close proximity, difficult to use. || This may be riffing on the {{w|flag of South Korea}}, which includes four trigrams which could (if you squint) be considered to look somewhat like this logo.
|-
| Tribute to topology || {{w|Topology}} is the study of the underlying geometric form of things. Most flags have a very simple topology, being a single sheet of material. This side of this flag appears to have been separated and twisted by one half-turn to turn the flag into a {{w|Möbius strip}}. This would be difficult to do in real life without disconnecting and gluing, sewing or otherwise affixing parts of the flag together. || A few flags are known among vexillologists for having a different front and back sides. Talking about the “front and back sides” of a Möbius strip flag is conceptionally difficult. Many flags include notable {{w|topography|topo''graphic''}} features, such as mountains, rivers, etc., and Randall may have deliberately confused the two terms.
|-
| GDPR consent || Implies the flag somehow collects data about people who view (or touch) it. This may be related to the "Tap here to pay taxes" feature. Of note is the "customize" option, implying that the flag can somehow present a range of data processing options for the 'user' to select from. The technology or design features it uses to do this are unknown. Alternatively, this flag could be designed to be embedded as a webpage online, where this and the "Tap here to pay taxes" features would make some sense, and the version on the physical flag could be purely cosmetic. || Text on flags is considered bad
|-
| Interested in citizenship? Take one! || This is a rather unorthodox method of gaining new citizens, that mimics a form of advertising that typically provides contact details on each strip, allowing people to take them away and contact the advertiser with an expression of interest at their own convenience. This has the same accessibility problems as the previous two interactive features, in that it would be difficult to reach the strips to tear them off when the flag is flown high. Additionally flags are generally designed to be hard to tear. The design of the flag within the flag implies that the strips that have been torn off are part of the flag design rather than due to use - Probably using another common advertising method, to make it look like a product is popular to encourage people to 'follow the others'. || There are some flags (such as the {{w|flag of the Republic of Venice|that of the Republic of Venice}}) which have a fringed design similar to this.

|-
| Rounded corners || || Unusual, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary, as many flags do come in slightly unorthodox shapes. Could be a reference to how many everyday objects have rounded corners to reduce risk of injury or make them more pleasant to use, although this is a moot point with flags since they are generally constructed using cloth that are based upon perpendicular warp and weft and are edge cut (then edge-seamed) in line with the respective thread-directions. Moulded, cast or otyerwise machined physical objects with rounded corners may be more durable, as stresses no longer concentrate at the places where the sharp corners would be, nor are those corners the natural first points of any impact, although whether this logic applies to a flag highly depends upon whether the halyard is attached to the flag via a heading or by sewn-in grommits (through which are tied toggles or inglefield clips inserted), which is usually accounted for by further stitching used at and around the hoist-side's attachment points.

Rounded corners are also a gimmicky way to display {{w|graphical widget}}s in computer interfaces, usually by applying a selective transparency (and perhaps areas of non-interaction) to the corners of otherwise rectangular areas used by buttons and other display components, for purely aesthetic reasons (as progressively happened to the [https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/images/blog/startevolution.JPG Start Button] from Windows XP onwards). It isn't unlikely that this flag-feature is being used to parody the trend of making virtual objects (often inherently and 'square') look unnecessarily more like smooth-edged physical objects.
|-
| EURion anti-counterfeit mark || The "{{w|EURion constellation}}" is a pattern of symbols is used as an anti-counterfeiting measure often incorporated in a number of secure documents, such as banknotes, checks and ownership title certificate designs. Flags are not secure documents and therefore do not require anti-counterfeiting measures. || The purpose of flags is to be seen, and it is usually desirable for them to be easy to replicate - quite unlike this flag!
|-
| Jaunty angle || Implies that the flag is NOT being viewed at an angle, but rather that the flag is, in fact, a slanted parallelogram in shape. This could have some unintended consequences when flown on a pole. || A few flags are known among vexillologists for having a non-rectangular shape. Most of them are square, though {{w|Flag of Nepal|Nepal's}} is a notable exception. A slightly off-rectangular flag makes things awkward for people drawing or otherwise trying to represent it, without having any particular meaning beyond its 'jauntiness'.
|-
| Tan and white stars on a beige field || Deliberate obfuscation through bad color contrast. It also uses very dull colours, which would be hard to distinguish from far off, defying the point of a flag as an easy-to-recognise symbol of something. This may be a deliberate attempt to avoid offending anyone by inadvertently including colors that have some political or otherwise contested connotation. || Example
|-
| CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity || A {{w|CIE 1931 color space}} diagram is a representation of the entire visible light spectrum. This is probably included as a reference to help address color issues arising from reproducing the flag in a given medium. However, given the flag is tan, white, beige and grey, it's unclear how much of a difference this could possibly make.

It may also be referencing the {{w|rainbow flag}} or its many variants known as {{w|pride flag}}s. The original concept was to convey diversity by featuring many stripes of different colors, the most common variant having six of them. On the other hand, it can be criticized as suggesting there are only six options. It sparked creation of many multi-colored pride flags to more thoroughly convey diversity. Including every possible visible color takes this concept to the extreme.

As well as that, it is a helpful feature on flags to be easily replicated, meaning having a few simple base colours. However, it could be very difficult to replicate a gradient like that. || Gradients are rare on flags, as they are difficult to make (though less so now that printing is common), and often are not considered to look good on flags, especially when flying rather than represented digitally
|};

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[A flag with many things on it.]
:[From left to right, top to bottom, in order labels:]
:[Label:]CIE 1931 Chromaticity Diagram, to ensure flag color fidelity. [Icon]
:
:[Label:] We can't agree what animal this is, so we put it on our flag to spark national debate. [Icon:] An equine creature of some sorts.
:
:[Label:] National Flag. [Icon:] A miniature version of the flag, however it is missing a miniature version of itself.
:
:[Label:] Island (not a specific island, just a tribute to islands in general) [Icon:] A nondescript island shaped blob.
:
:[Label:] Tap here to pay taxes. [Icon:] 4 sequential curves, a shape commonly used on NFC scanners to read a credit or debit card to encat payment.
:
:[Label:] Tan and white stars on beige field. [Icon:] 32 stars in a rectangle surrounding all the previously mentioned icons, save for the tax payment NFC scanner.
:
:[Label:] Jaunty angle. [Icon] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the flags left edge is not at a 90 degree angle with the top and bottom edges.
:
:[Label:] Tribute to topology [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the right edge of the flag is separated from the rest of the flag in the middle and twisted one half turn to make the flag into a Möbius strip.
:
:[Label:] Eurion Anti-counterfeit mark. [Icon:] A set of EURion dots, in the shape of the constellation Orion, commonly used on currency to prevent the use of printers to copy and mass produce counterfeit money.
:
:[Label:] Rounded corners. [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that the flags corners are rounded.
:
:[Label:] Interested in citizenship? Take one! [Icon:] Instead of a icon on the flag, the label notes the fact that one who wishes to sign up for citizenship of this fictional nation, can tear off a strip and contact the person on it, referencing posters one can find around a residential areas in a similar format.
:
:[Label:] GDPR consent [Icon:] A menu saying "you have a choice in how we manage your data" with hypothetically intractable buttons saying "ACCEPT" and "CUSTOMIZE" reminiscent of similar menus that appear when you visit a website for the first time, or after you clear your cache.
:
:[Caption below flag:]
:I think our flag design committee really knocked it out of the park

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Graphic designers]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

3249: Neutrino Project

2026-05-22T20:25:34Z

DKMell: minor

{{comic
| number = 3249
| date = May 22, 2026
| title = Neutrino Project
| image = neutrino_project_2x.png
| imagesize = 324x471px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We definitely put the pool in a mine for shielding. It was absolutely not to hide it from the funding people.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a solar neutrino. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

A {{w|neutrino}} is a type of subatomic particle that extremely rarely interacts with matter. In nearly all cases, neutrinos pass through objects, regardless of density or composition, with no effects whatsoever. For instance, about [https://icecube.wisc.edu/news/press-releases/2017/11/first-look-at-how-earth-stops-high-energy-neutrinos-in-their-tracks/ 100 trillion neutrinos pass through your body every second] to no noticeable effect.

However, there is a very small chance that a neutrino will collide with any material, including water. Neutrinos can thus be detected by constructing a large pool of water, shielded from all other particles, and carefully monitoring it for the small flashes of light that occur when a neutrino does interact with one of the many water molecules within the pool. {{w|Photomultiplier tubes}} are used to assist in detecting these very faint flashes.

The comic jokes that these detectors were not constructed with this purpose in mind, and were instead created via financial embezzlement from a "neutrino project" that was created solely to obtain funding for a pool party. The organizers of this project supposedly only then realized that the pool could be repurposed as an actual neutrino detector. (It is unclear what, exactly, they had claimed to be building with the funding they somehow obtained.)

It is unclear how large the pool in the comic really is. The {{w|Super-Kamiokande}} detector in Japan, one of the world’s largest and most well-known neutrino detectors, holds over 50,000 tons of water. This is approximately 20 times the water capacity of {{w|Olympic-size swimming pool}}s. The only statement made about the water capacity in the swimming pool is “huge”, which is not an accurate measurement of volume or mass.{{Citation needed}} The pool appears to be between 10 and 20 meters in diameter. While the surface of the pool seems to be at most half as large as that of an olympic-sized pool, its depth could be approximately the same, since it seems to safely allow jumps from an approximately 1m high platform. Therefore, a regular pool of this appearance would be expected to hold less water than an olympic-sized one, and certainly much less than would be required for an effective neutrino detector. However, since the bottom of the pool is not visible, the physicists ''might'' just have built a pool with an appropriate volume by making it extremely deep. Assuming a diameter of 20m and therefore a surface area of approximately 314m², the pool would need to be approximately 1582m deep. Constructing such a pool would be even more expensive than building a neutrino detector{{Citation needed}}, thanks to the large depth.

The title text elaborates on why the pool was suitable for a neutrino detector. In real life, these detectors must be heavily shielded from all other particle interactions that might drown out neutrino interactions. This generally requires them to be deep underground (like {{w|Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment|this}} and {{w|Sudbury Neutrino Observatory|this}} and {{w|Super-Kamiokande|this}}), so a surface-level pool would obviously be unsuitable for that purpose. Randall implies that the pool was built in a deep mine in order to prevent it from being noticed by the people responsible for funding the project, which could fulfill the shielding requirement but is a humorously excessive strategy for hiding a swimming pool from a small group of people.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript| This transcript was written by a pool party attendee. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[There is a large circular pool at the bottom of the panel, with a diving board and several stickfigures in and around it. [[Ponytail]] and [[Cueball]] are talking in the pool, two hairy [[Kidball|Kidballs]] are passing a ball, a Kidball is jumping of the diving board, and a Ponytail with a drink and a [[Danish]] are walking along the outside of the pool.]

: Ponytail in pool: How much trouble do you think we'll be in when they find out we used the grant money to throw a huge pool party instead?
: Cueball: We could argue that we '''''did''''' build a neutrino detector.
: Cueball: There's a lot of water here. A solar neutrino will probably interact with it at '''''some''''' point.
: Ponytail: ...Wait. Actually, if we got some photomultiplier tubes...

:[Caption below comic:]
:How the neutrino detector was invented

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Physics]]

3249: Neutrino Project

2026-05-22T20:15:55Z

DKMell: links

{{comic
| number = 3249
| date = May 22, 2026
| title = Neutrino Project
| image = neutrino_project_2x.png
| imagesize = 324x471px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We definitely put the pool in a mine for shielding. It was absolutely not to hide it from the funding people.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a solar neutrino. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

A {{w|neutrino}} is a type of cosmic particle that very rarely interacts with matter. In nearly all cases, neutrinos pass through objects, regardless of density or composition, with no effects whatsoever. For instance, about [https://icecube.wisc.edu/news/press-releases/2017/11/first-look-at-how-earth-stops-high-energy-neutrinos-in-their-tracks/ 100 trillion neutrinos pass through your body every second] to no noticeable effect.

However, there is a very small chance that a neutrino will collide with any material, including water. Neutrinos can thus be detected by constructing a large pool of water, shielded from all other particles, and carefully monitoring it for the small flashes of light that occur when a neutrino does interact with one of the many water molecules within the pool. The {{w|photomultiplier tubes}} mentioned in the comic are used to assist in detecting these very faint flashes.

The comic jokes that these detectors were not constructed with this purpose in mind, and were instead created via financial embezzlement from a "neutrino project" that was created solely to obtain funding for a pool party. The organizers of this project supposedly only then realized that the pool could be repurposed as an actual neutrino detector. (It is unclear what, exactly, they had claimed to be building with the funding they somehow obtained.)

The title text elaborates on why the pool was suitable for a neutrino detector. In real life, these detectors must be heavily shielded from all other particle interactions that might drown out neutrino interactions, generally requiring them to be deep underground (like {{w|Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment|this}} and {{w|Sudbury Neutrino Observatory|this}} and {{w|Super-Kamiokande|this}}), so a surface-level pool would obviously be unsuitable for that purpose. Randall implies that the pool was built in a deep mine in order to prevent it from being noticed by the people responsible for funding the project, which could fulfill the shielding requirement but is a humorously excessive strategy for hiding a swimming pool from a small group of people.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript| This transcript was written by a pool party attendee. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[There is a large circular pool at the bottom of the panel, with a diving board and several stickfigures in and around it. [[Ponytail]] and [[Cueball]] are talking in the pool, two hairy [[Kidball|Kidballs]] are passing a ball, a Kidball is jumping of the diving board, and a Ponytail with a drink and a [[Danish]] are walking along the outside of the pool.]

: Ponytail in pool: How much trouble do you think we'll be in when they find out we used the grant money to throw a huge pool party instead?
: Cueball: We could argue that we '''''did''''' build a neutrino detector.
: Cueball: There's a lot of water here. A solar neutrino will probably interact with it at '''''some''''' point.
: Ponytail: ...Wait. Actually, if we got some photomultiplier tubes...

:[Caption below comic:]
:How the neutrino detector was invented

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Physics]]

3249: Neutrino Project

2026-05-22T20:09:02Z

DKMell: examples

{{comic
| number = 3249
| date = May 22, 2026
| title = Neutrino Project
| image = neutrino_project_2x.png
| imagesize = 324x471px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We definitely put the pool in a mine for shielding. It was absolutely not to hide it from the funding people.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a solar neutrino. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

A {{w|neutrino}} is a type of cosmic particle that very rarely interacts with matter. In nearly all cases, neutrinos pass through objects, regardless of density or composition, with no effects whatsoever. For instance, about [https://icecube.wisc.edu/news/press-releases/2017/11/first-look-at-how-earth-stops-high-energy-neutrinos-in-their-tracks/ 100 trillion neutrinos pass through your body every second] to no noticeable effect.

However, there is a very small chance that a neutrino will collide with any material, including water. Neutrinos can thus be detected by constructing a large pool of water, shielded from all other particles, and carefully monitoring it for the small flashes of light that occur when a neutrino does interact with one of the many water molecules within the pool. The {{w|photomultiplier tubes}} mentioned in the comic are used to assist in detecting these very faint flashes.

The comic jokes that these detectors were not constructed with this purpose in mind, and were instead created via financial embezzlement from a "neutrino project" that was created solely to obtain funding for a pool party. The organizers of this project supposedly only then realized that the pool could be repurposed as an actual neutrino detector. (It is unclear what, exactly, they had claimed to be building with the funding they somehow obtained.)

The title text elaborates on why the pool was suitable for a neutrino detector. In real life, these detectors must be heavily shielded from all other particles that might drown out neutrino interactions, generally requiring them to be deep underground (like {{w|Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment|this}} and {{w|Sudbury Neutrino Observatory|this}} and {{w|Super-Kamiokande|this}}), so a surface-level pool would obviously be unsuitable for that purpose. Randall implies that the pool was built in a deep mine in order to prevent it from being noticed by the people responsible for funding the project, which could fulfill the shielding requirement but is a humorously excessive strategy for hiding a swimming pool from a small group of people.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript| This transcript was written by a pool party attendee. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[There is a large circular pool at the bottom of the panel, with a diving board and several stickfigures in and around it. Ponytail and Cueball are talking in the pool, two hairy Kidballs are passing a ball, a Kidball is jumping of the diving board, and a Ponytail with a drink and a Danish are walking along the outside of the pool.]

: Ponytail: How much trouble do you think we'll be in when they find out we used the grant money to throw a huge pool party instead?
: Cueball: We could argue that we '''''did''''' build a neutrino detector.
: Cueball: There's a lot of water here. A solar neutrino will probably interact with it at '''''some''''' point.
: Ponytail: ...Wait. Actually, if we got some photomultiplier tubes...

:[Caption below comic:]
:How the neutrino detector was invented

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Physics]]

3248: 182.8 Meters

2026-05-22T16:05:54Z

DKMell: it's done

{{comic
| number = 3248
| date = May 20, 2026
| title = 182.8 Meters
| image = 182_8_meters_2x.png
| imagesize = 265x345px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = They rounded down to 182.8 instead of rounding up to 182.9 because 182.9 might make the statement incorrect.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a 1.8288 meter high individual. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This is a comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series — the hobby here being reverse-engineering original units from oddly specific measurements in another unit. Unlike many of the My Hobby comics, where [[Cueball]]'s hobby is something eccentric, prankish or [[53|dangerous]], in this situation he uses his hobby simply to understand the origin of someone else's unusual phrasing. Also unlike most other My Hobby comics, this is one that people actually do in real life.

When presenting measurements where perfect accuracy is not required, such as in casual conversation or when giving simple presentations to the public, speakers will often use approximations, such as {{w|rounding}} to the nearest whole number, or the nearest ten, or using only the most {{w|significant figures|significant digit}}. When translating these approximations into other measurement systems, however, people will often treat them as precise, and use the standard conversion formulae to get an exact value. This leads to examples of {{w|false precision}}, where the presentation of a measurement implies more information than is actually contained in it. In this case, a {{w|fathom}} is a unit of measurement used to measure how deep water is. One fathom is equal to six feet, or 1.8288 metres. The depth of the bay has been measured as being greater than 100 fathoms, and someone has converted that (via the value 182.88) to 182.8 meters.

In most cases, 182.88 would round to 182.9. As the title text explains, in this case they rounded down in order to prevent a possibly incorrect statement. This is a comical attempt at mitigating the false precision; it retains the overly-precise 2.8 from the conversion, that the initial statement (of unknown {{w|Accuracy and precision|precision ''or'' accuracy}}, having just one obviously significant figure) was probably too approximate to imply. It suggests that they were worried that the maximum depth may be between 182.88 meters and 182.9 meters — a margin of just 2 centimeters, which is beyond the accuracy/precision with which anyone is likely to be measuring such things. Moreover, in most areas of seawater it would be within the daily variance due to {{w|tide|tidal activity}} (requiring reference to a specific choice of {{w|chart datum|tidal datum}}), and the {{w|seabed}} is typically a dynamic environment in which the depth profile could be changing by this much over very short periods through the redistribution of sediment from both tides and weather-induced events. A more reasonable attempt to translate 'the bay is more than 100 fathoms deep' might be "the bay is more than 180 meters deep"; this stays close to the initial measurement while rounding to the nearest ten, to convey that the measure is approximate.

Assuming that the original "100 fathoms" was itself a rounding of the measurement (or even just a vague 'best estimate') to ''the nearest ten'' (i.e. above 95 fathoms but no higher than 105 fathoms), the precisely converted limits would have been 18.288 meters apart, which might have been better converted to a ±10 meter 'tolerance'; slightly more 'flexible' than the original assumption, but at no risk of being incorrectly exact about an inherently inexact fact. Although even that may be wrong, if the rounding to 100 was instead to the nearest twenty or even ''one hundred'' fathoms. The value could have been rounded to just a single figure of accuracy, and without further information it is impossible to rule that out; it was in order to avoid this very misunderstanding that {{w|Mount Everest#19th century|one of the first accurate measurements of Mount Everest}} was subtly adjusted to ''not'' appear to be an approximate value. It is also possible that this was not a rounding at all, but that 100 fathoms was simply the limit of the available measuring equipment, and that it exceeded that by some unknown amount.

False precision may also sometimes be used in product labelling to present things as "more than a" precise number, to make the product sound more enticing, cheap or worthwhile (for example, saying "now with more than 28.4% more water", when the product only has 28.5% more water). That also relates to the confusion between "five times more than" and "five times as much as", which some people use synonymously, creating a potential off-by-one error.

Randall has previously used conversion between measurement systems as main subject of his comics, including using the [[2585: Rounding|overly exact conversion]] [[3065: Square Units|and re-rounding]] of values, which also involved fathoms to achieve an unfathomable result.

==Transcript==
:[Hairbun stands at a podium to the left, gesturing toward a sign, with an oval (likely representing the bay) and some illegible text on it. Four visitors stand nearby observing: Ponytail, Cueball, Megan, and White Hat (in that order). Cueball has a thought bubble.]

:Hairbun: In some places, the bay is more than 182.8 meters deep.
:Cueball: (thinking) '''"''More than''"?''' Why would they use that for such a precise...
:Cueball: (thinking) ...Aha! 100 fathoms!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My Hobby: Reverse-engineering original units

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]

3247: Particle Census

2026-05-19T01:39:56Z

DKMell: minor fixes

{{comic
| number = 3247
| date = May 18, 2026
| title = Particle Census
| image = particle_census_2x.png
| imagesize = 651x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Remember, your answers to the physics census are confidential; we will not be issuing Pauli exclusion principle citations.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created at an UNCERTAIN TIME. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic references the {{w|Heisenberg uncertainty principle}} of quantum mechanics. Put simply, it states that there's a limit to how precisely we can know both the position and momentum of a particle — the more precisely we know one, the less we know the other. [[Megan]] says they're taking a census of the positions of all particles in the universe, so they'll be known precisely; therefore, all their momenta will be unknowable. And by the time we use the census results, we won't know where any of the particles are, we'll just know where they were at the instant their positions were recorded by the census.

In the United States, the Constitution mandates that a population census of people living in all the states be taken every ten years. This is primarily for the purpose of apportioning representatives to Congress, but it has come to be used for many other demographic purposes. There's no legal requirement for a decennial physics census; if physicists want to do this, it's their own decision. However, it's not really possible to measure the positions of ''all'' particles in the universe, as there are a lot of particles in the universe, and many are quite far away.{{citation needed}} And unless the particles happen to be at absolute zero, they will be moving, potentially quite fast. So it would be a needlessly difficult census.

In the third panel, someone speaks up and is worried about what they will do with the particles in the potential “disruption”. Randomly taking someone’s particles and relocating them would be considered unpleasant,{{citation needed}} even if you tell them where the particles are going.

The title text refers to the {{w|Pauli exclusion principle}}, which states that no two {{w|fermions}} — types of particles that include all ordinary matter — can occupy the same quantum state. As the results of the census are confidential, physics officials will not use it to determine whether to issue citations for particles that violate the exclusion principle. This confuses physical laws, which describe how the universe works and by their nature cannot be violated, with societal laws, which declare what is allowed or required by the government.

==Trivia==
When this comic was uploaded the normal sized image [https://web.archive.org/web/20260518185623/https://xkcd.com/3247/ was incorrectly 2x size]. It still shows up at 2x size on [[unixkcd]].

Additionally, "indeterminate" is spelt "indeterminite" in the second panel text.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[First Panel. Megan is standing at a lectern, presumably talking to an audience.]

:Megan: Remember, Tuesday is the decennial particle census.

:Megan: Physicists will be recording the location of all particles in the universe.

:[Second Panel. Zooms out to show the stage Megan is on]

:Megan: Of course, this will cause their momenta to become indeterminite, so please plan for some disruption.

:[Third Panel. An audience member pipes up from off-panel.]

:Audience member: Wait, disruption? Where will my particles go?

:Megan: No one can say, but you'll know ''exactly'' where they were.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

3246: Speedrun

2026-05-18T09:49:28Z

DKMell: marathon

{{comic
| number = 3246
| date = May 15, 2026
| title = Speedrun
| image = speedrun_2x.png
| imagesize = 288x343px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Usain Bolt holds the world record in the 100 meter speedrun.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a SPEEDRUNNING BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
{{w|Speedrunning}} is the sport of completing a {{w|video game}} or achieve a goal within the game(for example: completing the main story) as fast as possible.
This comic shows [[Cueball]] sitting at a desk complaining that his speedrun got deleted by [https://www.speedrun.com/ Speedrun.com], which is a popular leaderboard aggregator for speedrunners.

A {{w|tool-assisted speedrun}} (or TAS for short) is a type of speedrun where inputs can be manipulated after the fact to perfect a run. While this tool is mostly for experimenting with new strategies or finding areas where a time can be optimized, it is possible to cheat a run by passing off a tool-assisted run as a normal speedrun. ''{{w|Lateralus}}'' and ''{{w|Ænima}}'' are albums by the band {{w|Tool (band)|Tool}}. This comic makes use of a pun, where rather than using third party tools to assist him in beating a video game as quickly as possible, Cueball is getting "assistance" from the rock band Tool in the form of background music to help him concentrate, which would be considered 'third-party' if Tool was not directly related to the game. In real life, a speedrun would be unlikely to be removed based on the music one is listening to while completing it, though it may be considered similar to using a {{w|metronome}}, which could be a [https://www.reddit.com/r/speedrun/s/ODqJcAWcKg controversial topic] if the game one is playing requires some sort of rhythm or precision where it would be useful. The comic could also be referencing Alex Honnold’s ascent of the Taipei 101 tower, during which he listened to Tool. The comic was posted 25 years after the ''{{w|Lateralus}}'' album was released.

The title text is a pun on the word "speedrun". {{w|Usain Bolt}}'s 100-meter dash record is a world-record "speedrun" in the sense that it is literally a speedy run and also an attempt by someone to complete a task as fast as possible. It is very common for internet personalities to say they are 'speedrunning' when they are doing a task quickly, even when completely unrelated to gaming (e.g. [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sqjRfF2cYoE speedrunning petting a cat]). The notion of such a record being classified as a legitimate speedrun isn't farfetched as Speedrun.com has some leaderboards for [https://www.speedrun.com/series/IRL In Real Life] records. The use of "speedrun" to refer to an actual fast run may be considered to be a case of [[3123: Canon]].

In road races like {{w|marathon}}s, wearing technical devices is severely limited. For example, they are not allowed to transmit any data. Therefore, speedrunning a marathon while listening to Lateralus and/or Ænima is prohibited - at least in serious competitions, where athletes are checked for wearing earphones, while amateurs get some leeway and can even carry their mobile phones.

It is possible that speedrunning was on [[Randall]]'s mind due to the recent social media trend of {{w|Scientology speedrunning}}, in which someone attempts to get as deep as they can into a building belonging to the {{w|Church of Scientology}} before being kicked out. Because of these trend, the concept of speedrunning has been on many people's minds, regardless of whether or not they participate in the trend. In addition, running may have been on his mind because it was in the news recently that for the first time, a marathon race was {{w|Marathon#World_records_and_world's_best|completed in under two hours}}.

Randall has referred to bizarre speedruns before in [[3148: 100% All Achievements]].

==Transcript==

:[Cueball is sitting at a desk with a laptop, typing on it. Megan is standing behind him.]
:Cueball: Aw man, Speedrun.com removed my world record just because I listened to Lateralus and Ænima to get in the flow.
:Megan: Oh, a copyright thing?
:Cueball: No, they don't allow Tool-assisted speedruns.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Puns]]

3243: Crystal Gazing

2026-05-11T21:50:38Z

DKMell: what is a geochronologist

{{comic
| number = 3243
| date = May 8, 2026
| title = Crystal Gazing
| image = crystal_gazing_2x.png
| imagesize = 281x397px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'Beyond that lies a vale of fire through which my vision cannot penetrate' is the kind of fun thing geologists, heliophysicists, and early universe cosmologists have a lot of opportunities to say.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created over 4.547 nanoseconds ago. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

A geologist dressed up as a wizard (assuming that isn't how they normally dress) announces — in archaic language befitting his costume — that he has determined the {{w|age of the Earth}} by analyzing {{w|zircon}}. Zircon is a crystal with the formula ZrSiO4. During its formation it can incorporate uranium instead of zirconium in its crystal lattice, but cannot incorporate lead. The uranium then decays (via several intermediates) into lead. Thus a sufficiently old zircon crystal will contain some lead, allowing geologists to {{w|Detrital_zircon_geochronology|calculate its age}}. This method is especially reliable, since uranium-238 decays into lead-206 with a half-life of 4.5 billion years, while uranium-235 decays into lead-207 with a half-life of 0.7 billion years, allowing geologists to determine the age even where some lead was lost from the crystal. The {{w|geochronology|geochronologist}} — someone who estimates the ages of rocks, fossils, etc. — says he predicted the age of the Earth by gazing into the crystal, similar to how fortune tellers traditionally make predictions by gazing into crystal balls.

A prophet of doom is someone who predicts impending disasters, especially the end of the world (and there are lots of ridiculous ways that [https://what-if.xkcd.com/archive/ could happen].) These prophets and predictions are especially common in fantasy media. The joke in the caption is that someone who can determine when the world began is just doing this in reverse, and that's what geochronologists are doing when they calculate the age of the Earth. His last line, "the beginning was nigh", is a reversal of the phrase stereotypically used by prophets of doom: "the end is nigh". This is in keeping with the idea represented in the comic.

An alternate explanation to this comic is that the geologist is a {{w|Dungeons & Dragons}}-type wizard. [[:Category:Dungeons & Dragons|D&D]] is a recurring topic on xkcd, and given some D&D games shown, a wizard geologist (geomancer class) would be no surprise to see! However, the specific qualities of the wizard shown are not exclusive to D&D, and the same depiction pops up in many places.

The title text points out, in similar flowery language (in keeping with the character being a wizard from a {{w|J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkienesque}} world, where [https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Vales_of_Anduin vales] are often part of the geographical language), that many areas of physical sciences have a limiting horizon to their ability to study their subject. {{w|Geologists}} are limited by the early molten history of the Earth, in that most of the crust has been recycled back into the molten mantle at some point, and the mantle acts as a physical 'vale of fire' for the core — each limiting what can be studied. Similarly, {{w|heliophysicists}} have difficulty knowing what happens within the Sun due to the physical 'vale of fire' that is the Sun's surface. Finally, {{w|cosmologists}} have difficulty studying beyond the {{w|recombination (cosmology)|'recombination' era}}, beyond which the universe is shielded by a 'vale of fire' ({{w|cosmic microwave background}}) from electromagnetic observation — both in time (investigating the early universe) or in space (investigating beyond the event horizon of the visible universe).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[A character in wizard garb with long beard and hair talks to Cueball. To the left of the wizard is a poster with illegible text over a graph with two lines intersecting.]

:Wizard: By gazing into my crystals of zircon, I have divined the date of the hour of fire marking the limit of this world's existence.
:Wizard: 4.54 billion years ago, the beginning was nigh!

:[Caption below comic:]
:Geochronologists are just reverse prophets of doom.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

3243: Crystal Gazing

2026-05-08T18:55:16Z

DKMell: mostly punctuation

2913: Periodic Table Regions

2026-05-06T22:26:30Z

DKMell: some minor fixes

{{comic
| number = 2913
| date = March 29, 2024
| title = Periodic Table Regions
| image = periodic_table_regions_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x501px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Cesium-133, let it be. Cesium-134, let it be even more.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|periodic table}} is used to arrange {{w|chemical element}}s based on their properties. This comic groups them together into regions with labels humorously reflecting their properties, characteristics, or uses.

=== Table Sections ===

{| class=wikitable
! scope="col" | Section
! scope="col" | Real table
! scope="col" | Elements contained
! scope="col" | Explanation
|-
| Slightly fancy protons || Hydrogen || Hydrogen || Most hydrogen atoms (specifically of the isotope H-1, making up 99.9844% of all hydrogen on Earth) are a proton and an electron. Since the electron can be removed (so only a proton remains) and you can call that an H+ ion, [[Randall]] calls hydrogen atoms "slightly fancy protons".
|-
| Weird dirt || Lighter alkali and alkaline earth metals || Lithium, Beryllium || Lithium and beryllium, as some of the lightest elements, have unusual properties compared to heavier metals. Lithium, for instance, is the least dense metal on the periodic table and is used in applications such as [https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/3/lithium rechargeable batteries] and as a {{w|Lithium_(medication)|psychiatric medication}}. Beryllium is both toxic and transparent to X-rays, but also keeps its shape and stiffness over a wide range of temperatures, leading to its use in the primary mirrors of the [https://webb.nasa.gov/content/observatory/ote/mirrors/index.html#3 James Webb Space Telescope]. It was also used in {{w|Formula 1}} auto racing, both in brake calipers and {{w|Beryllium#Applications|internal engine parts}}, before being outlawed due to its toxicity. Also, {{w|Beryllium#Nuclear_applications|both}} {{w|Lithium#Nuclear|elements}} have nuclear applications.
|-
| Regular dirt || Middle alkali and alkaline earth metals || Sodium, Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium || Despite being metals, these are listed as "dirt" rather than "metal." Perhaps this is because they are commonly found in dirt, as they are essential nutrients for plant life and for many other forms of life, including humans.
|-
| Ends in a number, let it slumber. Ends in a letter, not much better. || Heavier alkali and alkaline earth metals || Rubidium, Strontium, Cesium, Barium, Francium, Radium || Highly reactive metals, some of which are commonly used as radioactive isotopes. Such an isotope is usually written ending in a number, such as radium-223, and because of its radioactivity, Randall advises that you "let it slumber". The non-radioactive elements here are highly reactive, so even if they're not written with an isotope number, they're incredibly dangerous to handle and "not much better" than the radioactive isotopes. The title text mentions cesium-133 and cesium-134, with the former being the only stable isotope of cesium (and the basis of the {{w|International System of Units|metric system}}'s {{w|Caesium standard|definition of the second}}). The phrase "cesium-133, let it be" in the title text is a reference to the mnemonic used to remind one how to identify and to avoid {{w|poison ivy}} and {{w|poison oak}}: "leaves of 3, let it be". Cesium-134 is radioactive, so one should "let it be even more."
|-
| Boring alloy metals. Probably crucial to the spark plug industry or something. (But one of them is radioactive so stay on your toes.) || The left transition metals || Scandium, Titanium, Vanadium, Chromium, Manganese, Yttrium, Zirconium, Niobium, Molybdenum, Technetium, Ruthenium, Hafnium, Tantalum, Tungsten, Rhenium, Osmium || These elements tend not to be very well known to the general public, since they're rarely primary components in anything a typical person would encounter. Nonetheless, they're used as constituents (sometimes as a small but vital trace) in alloys with specific uses, including {{w|stainless steel}}, {{w|Electric light|bulb filaments}} and {{w|Superconductivity|superconductors}}. A {{w|spark plug}} may use {{w|austenitic stainless steel}}, which includes chromium and (in some cases) molybdenum, for heat and oxidation resistance. {{w|Technetium}} is the lightest element that has no stable isotope and is thus radioactive. Technetium is commonly used in medical imaging.
|-
| Regular metals || The top transition metals || Titanium, Manganese, Iron, Cobalt, Nickel, Copper, Zinc, Aluminum, Silicon || Commonly known metals (and one metalloid, silicon). These all have important uses in construction and other major industries. Titanium is extremely lightweight and creates bright white sparks. Iron is a common building material used in almost everything from bridges to steel to buildings. Nickel and zinc are both found in American coins (zinc makes up 97.5% of the {{w|Penny (United States coin)|penny}}). Copper is part of gold's family and is used mostly in wires because of its conducting properties. Aluminum is also extremely lightweight like titanium. It is used in high-stress but lightweight applications such as bike frames and airplanes.
|-
| $$$$ || The platinum group || Rhodium, Palladium, Silver, Osmium, Iridium, Platinum, Gold || Rare and highly prized metals. The most expensive of these, osmium, was worth about $1,600 per gram when the comic was posted. Gold, silver, and platinum are famous for being precious metals, and are commonly used in jewelry.
|-
| Weird metals || The "ordinary metals" and some transition metals || Gallium, Germanium, Cadmium, Indium, Tin, Mercury || These are more obscure than the other metals (except tin and mercury) and tend to have fewer or more specialized uses. Mercury is also the only metal that is liquid at room temperature, and gallium melts just above that at 30 °C (86 °F). Indium is one of the only metals that can be chewed like bubble gum. This is because it is non-toxic and extremely soft.
|-
| Boron (fool's carbon) || Boron || Boron || Just as {{w|pyrite}} is commonly called "fool's gold", Randall calls {{w|boron}} "fool's carbon" due to its similarities in the way both elements can make stable {{w|covalently bonded}} molecules. Many of {{w|allotropes of boron|boron’s allotropes}} are also analogous with those of carbon.
|-
| You are here || Nonmetals || Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus || Other than hydrogen, these are all the elements required to make {{w|DNA}}, and they make up the majority of atoms in other biological molecules, including your body.
|-
| Murder weapons || Ordinary metals and metalloids || Arsenic, Antimony, Tellurium, Thallium, Lead, Bismuth, Polonium || Arsenic, thallium, lead, and polonium are highly toxic and have notorious histories as poisons. Arsenic, specifically, was a frequently used poison for murders in the 19th century. A radioactive isotope of polonium has been used for clandestine {{w|Alexander Litvinenko|state-sponsored murder}}, due to the tiny amount needed for a lethal dose. Antimony and tellurium are also hazardous, though to a lesser degree. Lead is also the primary metal used for making bullets, making it a potential tool for murder in a different way, and bismuth is used in lead-free bullets.
|-
| Safety goggles required || The lighter halogens + some of group 16 || Fluorine, Sulfur, Chlorine, Selenium, Bromine || These elements are highly reactive, so safety goggles are required. Randall has previously mentioned the nasty properties of {{w|bromine}} at room temperature in [https://what-if.xkcd.com/50/ Extreme Boating] and the awful things you can do with {{w|fluorine}} in [https://what-if.xkcd.com/40/ Pressure Cooker].
|-
| Very specific health problems || Iodine and Radon || Iodine, Radon || {{w|Radon}} gas is formed in the radioactive decay series of uranium and thorium, which occur in trace levels in many common minerals. The gravel and concrete used in construction include such minerals, and the radon is released into the air via pores and cracks in the stone and concrete. The relatively poor ventilation in underground spaces such as basements and cellars can cause the radon to accumulate rather than be released into the environment. Eventually, the radon itself decays into other elements, which are also radioactive. Radon is chemically very inert and doesn't bind to anything, but it can still be inhaled, and its daughter elements can bind to dust particles. The radioactive materials, when inhaled, can cause damage to cells, especially in the lungs, with lung cancers as a possible long-term consequence. Iodine is a required nutrient that humans need in trace amounts to remain healthy, with an iodine deficiency typically causing thyroid problems such as {{w|goiter}}. Radioactive iodine is easily taken into the body, deliberately to counteract {{w|hyperthyroidism}} (by giving the {{w|thyroid gland}} radiation damage) or uncontrollably due to exposure to material in nuclear fallout/accidents. Giving high doses of 'normal' iodine would ideally flush out the problematic isotope. Even comparing the two radioactive effects, these two specific health problems are entirely unrelated, and it is only by coincidence that they are corner-to-corner on the periodic table.
|-
| Lawful Neutral || Noble gases || Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon || These elements are mostly non-reactive and are referred to as 'noble' as they typically do not associate with other elements. (The first three don't form chemical compounds at all, apart from things like unstable ionic complexes; the other two do {{w|Krypton#Chemistry|form}} {{w|Xenon compounds|a few compounds}}, but these are rather difficult to synthesize and are quite reactive.) Lawful Neutral is a reference to the {{w|Dungeons & Dragons}} alignment chart, which gives moral categories for characters. The chart goes from Lawful to Chaotic on one axis, and Good to Evil on another. Lawful Neutral means following the law without any bias towards Good or Evil, which could be exemplified by the unreactivity of noble gases. See also: [[2251: Alignment Chart Alignment Chart]].
|-
| Don't bother learning their names – they're not staying long || Astatine and Period 7 from Rutherfordium onwards || Astatine, Rutherfordium, Dubnium, Seaborgium, Bohrium, Hassium, Meitnerium, Darmstadtium, Roentgenium, Copernicum, Nihonium, Flerovium, Moscovium, Livermorium, Tennessine, Oganesson || These elements are hard to produce in large quantities and decay within hours or less - in some cases, milliseconds. (Their names haven't exactly been stable, either, with previous multiple systems of placeholder names. For example, dubnium has been called nielsbohrium, hahnium, joliotium, unnilpentium, and eka-tantalum.)
|-
| Whoever figures out a better way to fit these up there gets the next Nobel Prize || The internal transition metals || Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium, Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, Lutetium, Actinium, Thorium, Protactinium, Uranium, Neptunium, Plutonium, Americium, Curium, Berkelium, Californium, Einsteinium, Fermium, Mendelevium, Nobelium, Lawrencium|| The {{w|lanthanide}}s and {{w|actinide}}s are usually placed disconnected from the main periodic table, largely because putting them where they "should" be would [https://ptable.com/image/periodic-table-wide.svg make the chart very long]. Other {{w|types of periodic tables}} exist that arrange the elements in other ways; with the seventh period (row) filled out, the hunt is on for the eighth period, which is expected to {{w|Extended periodic table|contain an extra 18 groups (columns)}} and make a redesign even more needed than ever.
|}

The periodic table of elements has previously been the subject in [[2214: Chemistry Nobel]], [[2639: Periodic Table Changes]], and [[2723: Outdated Periodic Table]]. It is also referred to or indirectly referenced in a number of other comics, such as [[18: Snapple]], [[821: Five-Minute Comics: Part 3]], and [[1052: Every Major's Terrible]].

==Transcript==

:[A periodic table with regions labeled. Regions are marked with shapes that have rounded edges and sometimes a chemical element can be partially in two regions.]

:[Hydrogen:]
:Slightly fancy protons
:[Lithium and beryllium:]
:Weird dirt
:[4 elements below:]
:Regular dirt
:[6 elements further below:]
:Ends in a number, let it slumber
:ends in a letter, not much better
:[Left side of the transition metals group:]
:Boring alloy metals
:Probably critical to the spark plug industry or something
:(but one of them is radioactive so stay on your toes)
:[Most of the top row of the transition metals + aluminum:]
:Regular metals
:[Below the rightmost "regular metals":]
:Weird metals
:[Between "boring alloy metals" and "weird metals":]
:$$$$
:[Boron:]
:Boron (fool's carbon)
:[Top-center of p-block:]
:You are here
:[Top-right of p-block, excluding the rightmost column:]
:Safety goggles required
:[5 uppermost elements of the rightmost column:]
:Lawful neutral
:[Iodine and radon:]
:Very specific health problems
:[Below and to the right of "weird metals":]
:Murder weapons
:[Bottom row from the fourth column onwards:]
:Don't bother learning their names—they're not staying long
:[The lanthanides and actinides below the rest of the table, two rows of fifteen elements, arrow pointing to a conspicuous gap in the third column of the main table where the fifteenth would ordinarily be:]
:Whoever figures out a better way to fit these up there gets the next Nobel Prize

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Nobel Prize]]
[[Category:Periodic table]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]]

3240: Bottle

2026-05-04T18:03:53Z

DKMell: links

{{comic
| number = 3240
| date = May 1, 2026
| title = Bottle
| image = bottle_2x.png
| imagesize = 581x235px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "I know it seems impossible, but the trick is that I sailed in here when I was very young."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was BOTtled recently. Don't remove the cork too soon. }}
This comic shows a life sized ship in a bottle sailing along with other sail boats in the sea. The humor comes from the surreality of the situation.

In this comic, [[Beret Guy]] is inside a {{w|Impossible bottle#Ship in a bottle|ship in a bottle}}. [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are in a sail boat to his left, while [[Ponytail]] is alone in what appears to be a [[3193:_Sailing_Rigs|gaff rig]] to his right. A common question regarding a ship-in-a-bottle is how the model ship was put inside the bottle, due to the small size of the opening in the bottle compared to the ship. The answer is often that the ship was assembled (or at least partially unfolded, from more compact original components assembled outside) within the bottle. The components are small enough to pass through the neck of the bottle, and the final assembly is likewise done through the neck, usually the most awkward task. Of course, toy boat assembly is not comparable to real or life-sized ship construction, and bottles are almost never big enough to stand up in, with necks large enough to climb in and out through if required.

The title text alludes to this, by saying that Beret Guy, when he was smaller, sailed the boat inside the bottle while he was still able to fit through the entrance. This is similar to the way some brands of pear brandy are sold in {{w|Impossible bottle#Small objects that expand naturally|bottles containing entire pears}}. These are produced by attaching the bottle to a young fruit and letting it grow to full size inside. This explanation fails to address that Beret Guy would fit through the neck of such a bottle relatively easy, on his own; but the boat, being made from non-living materials, would '''not''' have grown inside the bottle, and it is unlikely to have ever been a smaller boat carrying a smaller Beret Guy, and in a manner that both together could have sailed into the bottle. On the other hand, it would probably be easier for someone inside the bottle to have assembled components of a ship there than for that assembly to be done from outside. This would especially be true of a seaworthy vessel of a size to carry a passenger, rather than a mere model. But it’s possible that he used one of his many [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|strange powers…]] Also, given the definition of boat explained in the earlier comic [[2043: Boathouses and Houseboats]] ("a ship, by most definitions, carries boats"), Beret Guy's vessel is merely a boat.

The water level in the free-floating bottle is lower than the water outside. This is because the bottle will sink until the weight of the bottle and its contents (the water, the boat, and [[Beret Guy]]) equals the weight of the water displaced by the bottle. The weight of the 'missing' water in the bottle (the layer of air (or {{What If|6|hopefully air}}) between the two surface levels, including the corresponding volume of air displaced by the boat) is consequently equal to the weight of the whole glass bottle. If you added water to the bottle in an attempt to make the inside and outside water levels the same, the bottle would contain less buoyant air and just sink deeper to misalign the surfaces again. Keep repeating this, and the buoyancy becomes less than zero (unless the inherent buoyancy of Beret Guy and his boat, now forced into the bottle's 'ceiling', still possess enough intrinsic support) at which point the bottle would sink.

As well as the question as to how on earth [[Beret Guy]] and the boat got in the bottle, there's another oddity. The bottle appears to be keeping pace with the boats on either side, implying it is somehow propelling itself despite lacking an engine, a sail, or any other method of propulsion. This could mean the bottle shares one of [[Beret Guy]]'s [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|strange powers]]. Possibly though, as [[Beret Guy]] seems to also be sailing within the bottle (which is also impossible, as it would lack airflow within there, unless it has its own wind system. This is very likely, as the cork would prevent all airflow anyway, meaning [[Beret Guy]] would quickly die without his own source of airflow) he could be somehow powering the boat through that. He has [[1486|powered up random objects in strange ways]] before, after all.

In practice, the bottle is horizontally unstable. The weight of the bottle is not equal along its length (it appears heavier at the neck), and the buoyancy at each point will not equal the weight at that point. This is also true of the boats in the cartoon; the difference is that in the bottle much of the weight is the water which is free to move. If the neck of the bottle goes down (into the water, to increase the displacement to balance the weight), or the base of the bottle does (as it can become the thickest and widest part of the glass, during manufacture), the water will naturally flow to that end of the bottle. This increases the weight found at the respective end which will force that even deeper. This will continue until the bottle is floating vertically (in the comic's version, this is likely to result in the bottle stabilising in an inverted position. with the neck directly facing down, without intervention, although this would depend upon the effect of the cork's relative density). [[Beret Guy]]'s boat would appear to fit in the width of the bottle, and there is enough water to keep him afloat in this attitude, so everything will probably be fine. This effect, known as the {{w|free surface effect}}, has real implications for ships with open decks, such as car ferries, and has been implicated in several disasters such as the sinkings of the {{w|MS Herald of Free Enterprise|''Herald of Free Enterprise''}}, the {{w|MV Princess Victoria|''Princess Victoria''}}, and the {{w|MS Estonia|''Estonia''}}.

So, the bottle is ridiculously impractical and the only thing it would do would be {{What If|103|protecting}} the people riding the ship - though not very much there either, as the bottle is likely made of glass, as giant boat-carrying bottles normally are. And in fact if it was to break then the hole made would make a bottleneck for the way out ([[559|pun not intended]]), so any attackers would have the advantage there as well.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[Three small single-masted sailboats are shown (the right one in a gaff rig), all sailing towards the right. The ones on the left and right are on the ocean, while the one in the middle is contained completely by a large bottle. On the left, Cueball and Megan are in one boat; Cueball is sitting near the stern, possibly holding the tiller, while Megan is before the mast. In the middle, Beret Guy is before the mast in the boat that's inside the giant bottle, with a cork plugging the screw top bottleneck. On the right, Ponytail is directly aft of the mast of the third boat. All the boats are sitting on the water with ripples on the surface, but the water level in the bottle is lower than the rest.]

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]

2959: Beam of Light

2026-04-28T18:07:03Z

DKMell: minor fixes

{{comic
| number = 2959
| date = July 15, 2024
| title = Beam of Light
| image = beam_of_light_2x.png
| imagesize = 235x419px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Einstein's theories solved a longstanding mystery about Mercury: Why it gets so hot. "It's because," he pointed out, "the sun is right there."
}}

==Explanation==
[[Albert Einstein]] is famous for his theory of {{w|special relativity}} (dealing with the interactions between high speeds and the perceptions of time), which he developed, in part, by imagining himself flying alongside a beam of light. {{w|Thought experiments}} such as this can reveal what appear to be fundamental principles of the universe that can revolutionize scientific understanding.

In this comic, Albert Einstein is depicted having an early version of this thought experiment. At this stage of theory development, it is less about breaking down the complex nature of relativity and more about how fun it would be to go really fast. So his thought experiment is currently just, so to speak, a flight of fantasy (although even Einstein's "NYYOOOM" sound of a car whizzing by is the sound of the {{w|Doppler effect}}, which alludes strongly to the {{w|relativistic Doppler effect}} and [[2853: Redshift|redshift]].) Since this is early in his life, he is most likely sitting in the {{w|Albert_Einstein#1902–1909:_Assistant_at_the_Swiss_Patent_Office|Swiss patent office}} he is so famous for working at when he got his groundbreaking ideas.

In a similar vein, the title text refers to one of the long-standing issues about Mercury: {{w|Tests_of_general_relativity#Perihelion_precession_of_Mercury|its orbit around the Sun}} doesn't ''quite'' match what {{w|Newtonian physics}} would predict. We now know that this is accounted for by {{w|general relativity}}, another of Einstein's notable theories (which relates how gravity, or the space-time curvature that we understand as gravity, influences time and space, including planetary orbits) that was further developed out from the framework of special relativity. Again, we find ourselves overhearing his thoughts before he reaches any insights that will start to explain this. Instead he is stuck at just 'imagining' that Mercury is hot due to its proximity to the Sun, which isn't a particularly novel or useful conclusion, or close to what we would now recognize as Einstein's much-lauded theory.

At around the time of the comic's scenario, being only the first stages of Einstein's thoughts about relativity, the issue of the Sun's heat was still considered a mystery. The {{w|Kelvin–Helmholtz mechanism}} was proposed as the cause of the Sun's heat but was later superseded by the more modern understanding of nuclear fusion. The {{w|Yarkovsky effect}} had also been previously described as how thermal effects may influence orbital dynamics; this is still useful to know about in the case of asteroids but is not considered a significant factor for Mercury. Neither of these things were ever the focus of Einstein's own studies, though in 1915 he showed that general relativity could explain Mercury's orbital anomalies, and independent observations during {{w|Solar eclipse of May 29, 1919|a 1919 solar eclipse}} helped confirm the principles and make Einstein famous.

An older version of Einstein was previously drawn in [[1206: Einstein]] and [[1233: Relativity]].

Also, a comic with a similar punchline to this one is [[2689: Fermat's First Theorem]], which has {{w|Pierre de Fermat}} instead of Einstein.

==Transcript==
:[Albert Einstein (a relatively young version, drawn with dark curly hair and a dark moustache) sitting on a chair, with a thought bubble above his head. There are papers, books and a cup on the desk in front of him.]
:Einstein (thinking): ''Nyoooooooooom!''
:Einstein (thinking): I'm so fast!
:Einstein (thinking): ''Nyyooooooooom!''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The first few times Einstein imagined flying alongside a beam of light, he didn't have any particular insights.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Albert Einstein]]
[[Category:Physics]]

3237: Husband and Wife

2026-04-24T22:43:02Z

DKMell: why Kazakhstan; other clarification

{{comic
| number = 3237
| date = April 24, 2026
| title = Husband and Wife
| image = husband_and_wife_2x.png
| imagesize = 586x292px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Borat came out twenty years ago this year--closer to the breakup of the Soviet Union than to today--but it honestly feels like it's been even longer, somehow.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by MAH BAAT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are discussing the phrases that married couples use to refer to each other, traditionally "my husband" and "my wife". Megan thinks this sounds too traditional, though it isn't clear whether this is because of referring to a spouse possessively or using the term "husband".

Cueball, on the other hand, isn't bothered as much by this implication as by the association with 2006 film ''{{w|Borat}}''. Borat, a fictional character from {{w|Kazakhstan}}, had a distinct, cringy way of saying [https://youtu.be/Zw16aew4Pt0 "my wife"], which Cueball can't get out of his head when he uses the phrase.

Megan's concern may be a little overblown. "My" isn't only used to denote possession, it's also often used to refer to a close association. For instance, "my mother", "my friend", "my teacher" or "my cleaner" almost never imply ownership. This construction is not only used for people, for example, a student or employee may refer to "my school" or "my company", and people often say "my town" to refer to the place where they live, without any concern over the speaker owning any of them.

On the other hand, Cueball has a serious problem -- it's hard to forget that {{w|earworm}}. The title text points out that the 20 years from the movie's release to the publication of this comic is longer than the 15 years from the {{w|dissolution of the Soviet Union}} to the movie (Kazakhstan was briefly the last-remaining member of the USSR). This could be considered one of the comics in which [[Randall]] makes people feel old, like [[1393|this one about a Timeghost]]. Coincidentally enough, Cueball uses a 'cringey ghost' as a descriptor for how annoying it is - another of several [[1393|strange]] and [[1108|random]] ghosts that xkcd has mentioned before.

==Transcript==
:[ [[Megan]] & [[Cueball]] are talking, standing next to each other]

:Megan: I still feel a little weird saying the phrase "my husband".
:Megan: It makes me feel so traditional, like a Victorian gossip.

:[Megan and Cueball still standing next to each other]
:Cueball: Yeah, well, '''''my''''' plight isn’t much better.
:Megan: What do you mean?
:Cueball: What’s the most salient cultural reference for the phrase "my wife"?

:[In the 3rd panel, Cueball has his hands raised]
:Megan: Ughhhh, true.
:Cueball: Even now, after two decades, when I speak of you I hear his voice, echoing through the halls of memory like a cringey ghost.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Movies]]

3236: Border Message

2026-04-24T03:41:21Z

DKMell: clarifications

{{comic
| number = 3236
| date = April 22, 2026
| title = Border Message
| image = border_message_2x.png
| imagesize = 736x316px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Thanks to differences in logging regulations, the messages actually turned out to be visible from the air.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a bored legislator. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

Quite a lot of US states, districts, and so on have very long, straight borders, in some cases due to lacking obvious geographic features which might otherwise form natural boundaries, or divisions established by customary, pre-survey, usage. This may well be quite boring for boundary legislators, having to just draw long straight lines. In this comic though, legislators who were negotiating the boundary between two geographic areas ("Southlake" and "East Valley") livened up the normally boring process by arranging for the boundary to spell out a message when viewed on a map. It's unknown what kind of areas (municipal regions, counties, etc.) are involved here. The boundary definition includes multiple areas — such as the bottoms of the W and other letters with gaps at the bottom, the interior of the "O"s and other letters with "holes", the apostrophe, and so on — that are {{w|Enclave and exclave|either exclaves}} (probably of the northern territory, that are surrounded by the southern one, in most cases) or (unlabeled) {{w|Enclave and exclave#True_enclaves|enclaved territories}} in their own right that are associated with no other disconnected area (possibly regarded as ''{{w|terra nullius}}''). This would be very inconvenient for both tourists and locals, since they would have to constantly consult the map if they want to know whether they are in East Valley or Southlake. This would mean that, artistically (or [[2008|ironically]]) enough, the message with a nice positive saying would almost certainly annoy people, defeating the purpose.

The title text implies that the area around the border is forested. Due to the different logging regulations in the two areas, the densities or types of trees on each side of the border are so different that one can see the border, and hence the messages, when looking down on the land. What logging would happen in the 'no man's land' between the letters is unclear (possibly none?), but evidently is sufficiently different to make these visible.

This comic may have been inspired by {{w|gerrymandering}}: defining voting districts to favor a particular group. This often results in districts with very unusual shapes. The comic was published on the day after Virginia voters passed {{w|2026 Virginia redistricting amendment|a referendum approving redistricting}} that favored the Democratic Party. See also the {{w|Belgium-Netherlands border}}, which has been chaotic in places. This comic also happens to have been published on {{w|Earth Day}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[A section of a map showing the border between two geographic areas, East Valley and Southlake (marked on the map). The border is shown as a dotted line, and it spells out a message, followed by a small diagonal part:]
:WE HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THIS MAP

:[Caption below comic:]
:When local legislators get bored

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Maps]]

3236: Border Message

2026-04-22T22:41:36Z

DKMell: link; exclaves

3234: Europa Missions

2026-04-20T17:26:27Z

DKMell: how much gravity?

{{comic
| number = 3234
| date = April 17, 2026
| title = Europa Missions
| image = europa_missions_2x.png
| imagesize = 515x274px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Before resurfacing, they promise to inspect the ice for any evidence of hockey-playing life.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by the Zamboni Voyager. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
In recent years, multiple space agencies have sent spacecraft to observe Jupiter’s moon {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}. According to {{w|NASA}}, the moon could be a candidate for life due to the presence of a subsurface ocean and (possibly) {{w|hydrothermal vents}}, so it would make sense that the scientists would send spacecraft to observe it. The first two craft, the {{w|Europa Clipper}} and {{w|Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer}} (Juice), respectively, will investigate the ocean, topography and chemistry of the moon, to help in searching for signs of life. Europa's ocean is frozen on the top, the whole surface being solid ice with no exposed liquid, except perhaps at the bottom of any transient deep crevasses, which is why it described as a "subsurface ocean".

A {{w|Zamboni}} is a vehicle that, rather than being a scientific mission or a transport for other scientific missions, is meant to quickly resurface ice rinks that have been worn down. This is where the comic diverges from reality, describing a nonexistent spacecraft known as the ''Zamboni Voyager'', operated by the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL). The spacecraft would be carrying a Zamboni because the NHL is trying to 'expand the league'. Normally, expanding a sports league would involve, at the very least, forming a new team in a city which did not have one. In this scenario 'expanding the league' appears to be in a more literal sense, resurfacing Europa to make it viable for hockey-playing. (Although Europa is the {{w|Europa_(moon)#Surface_environment|smoothest known body}} in the solar system, it's probably not smooth enough for playing hockey. Yet.) Hockey in reduced gravity — Europa's gravity is less than 1/7 that of Earth — would be {{What If|124|an interesting idea}}.

The title text talks about finding hockey-playing life on Europa, which would be unlikely, as the life on Europa would exist underwater, where it's difficult to play hockey.{{cn}}
In addition, any conceivable culture(s) there would almost certainly be extremely different from Earth's, so even if the lifeforms on Europa do have kinds of entertainment similar to sports, it's unlikely that the sports played have even {{w|Convergent evolution|remotely similar}} rules or equipment. If, though, there were intelligent non-hockey-playing life on Europa, the NHL may consider them fair game as a virgin market for their product.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball's upper body is shown; he is in front of an image of a spacecraft.]
:Cueball: There are now three spacecraft headed to Europa:
:Cueball: NASA's ''Europa Clipper'', which investigate Europa's subsurface ocean,

:[In a longer shot, Cueball, Ponytail, and Hairy are all shown standing in front of another spacecraft image, with Cueball gesturing at it.]
:Cueball: ESA's ''Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer'', which will study the topography and chemistry of Europa and the other moons,

:[Another closeup on Cueball, who is in front of an image of a Zamboni with a firing rocket nozzle on its bottom.]
:Cueball: And the NHL's ''Zamboni Voyager'', which plans to resurface Europa.
:Voice out of frame: Oh no.
:Cueball: We tried to stop them, but the league is set on an expansion.

==Trivia==
*The [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/f/fd/20260418170145%21europa_missions_2x.png original version of the comic] incorrectly referred to the "Jupiter Icy Moons ''Orbiter''" rather than "Jupiter Icy Moons ''Explorer''."

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Space probes]]
[[Category:Sport]]

3234: Europa Missions

2026-04-20T17:20:44Z

DKMell: underwater; links; also why would they have to have a governing body??

{{comic
| number = 3234
| date = April 17, 2026
| title = Europa Missions
| image = europa_missions_2x.png
| imagesize = 515x274px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Before resurfacing, they promise to inspect the ice for any evidence of hockey-playing life.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by the Zamboni Voyager. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
In recent years, multiple space agencies have sent spacecraft to observe Jupiter’s moon {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}. According to {{w|NASA}}, the moon could be a candidate for life due to the presence of a subsurface ocean and (possibly) {{w|hydrothermal vents}}, so it would make sense that the scientists would send spacecraft to observe it. The first two craft, the {{w|Europa Clipper}} and {{w|Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer}} (Juice), respectively, will investigate the ocean, topography and chemistry of the moon, to help in searching for signs of life. Europa's ocean is frozen on the top, the whole surface being solid ice with no exposed liquid, except perhaps at the bottom of any transient deep crevasses, which is why it described as a "subsurface ocean".

A {{w|Zamboni}} is a vehicle that, rather than being a scientific mission or a transport for other scientific missions, is meant to quickly resurface ice rinks that have been worn down. This is where the comic diverges from reality, describing a nonexistent spacecraft known as the ''Zamboni Voyager'', operated by the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL). The spacecraft would be carrying a Zamboni because the NHL is trying to 'expand the league'. Normally, expanding a sports league would involve, at the very least, forming a new team in a city which did not have one. In this scenario 'expanding the league' appears to be in a more literal sense, resurfacing Europa to make it viable for hockey-playing. (Although Europa is the {{w|Europa_(moon)#Surface_environment|smoothest known body}} in the solar system, it's probably not smooth enough for playing hockey. Yet.) Hockey in reduced gravity would be {{What If|124|an interesting idea}}.

The title text talks about finding hockey-playing life on Europa, which would be unlikely, as the life on Europa would exist underwater, where it's difficult to play hockey.{{cn}}
In addition, any conceivable culture(s) there would almost certainly be extremely different from Earth's, so even if the lifeforms on Europa do have kinds of entertainment similar to sports, it's unlikely that the sports played have even {{w|Convergent evolution|remotely similar}} rules or equipment. If, though, there were intelligent non-hockey-playing life on Europa, the NHL may consider them fair game as a virgin market for their product.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball's upper body is shown; he is in front of an image of a spacecraft.]
:Cueball: There are now three spacecraft headed to Europa:
:Cueball: NASA's ''Europa Clipper'', which investigate Europa's subsurface ocean,

:[In a longer shot, Cueball, Ponytail, and Hairy are all shown standing in front of another spacecraft image, with Cueball gesturing at it.]
:Cueball: ESA's ''Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer'', which will study the topography and chemistry of Europa and the other moons,

:[Another closeup on Cueball, who is in front of an image of a Zamboni with a firing rocket nozzle on its bottom.]
:Cueball: And the NHL's ''Zamboni Voyager'', which plans to resurface Europa.
:Voice out of frame: Oh no.
:Cueball: We tried to stop them, but the league is set on an expansion.

==Trivia==
*The [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/f/fd/20260418170145%21europa_missions_2x.png original version of the comic] incorrectly referred to the "Jupiter Icy Moons ''Orbiter''" rather than "Jupiter Icy Moons ''Explorer''."

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Space probes]]
[[Category:Sport]]

3234: Europa Missions

2026-04-18T00:45:12Z

DKMell: transcript

3233: Make It Myself

2026-04-15T21:55:00Z

DKMell: minor

{{comic
| number = 3233
| date = April 15, 2026
| title = Make It Myself
| image = make_it_myself_2x.png
| imagesize = 284x438px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's not as big a loss as it looks, because now I have have leftover supplies, which will help me talk myself into doing this all over again with a new project!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A BOT MADE WITH 20 MINUTES OF CODING, 30 MINUTES OF TROUBLESHOOTING, ANOTHER HOUR OF CODING, AND A SUBSCRIPTION TO CURSOR. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
There are many people who complain about rising prices with the recent trend of high inflation rates. People sometimes claim that they could make something themselves, thinking it will be quick and easy. Instead Cueball reflects real life by listing the actual effort he would expend on such a project. In total, Cueball spends $60 creating his replacement, and then ends up just buying the one in the store because his {{w|do it yourself|do-it-yourself}} replacement didn't work. This means that Cueball actually lost $60 on this venture, as well as at least a few hours and several trips to the store.

The title text has Cueball compensating for his losses by deluding himself into believing that the leftover supplies will help him with a future project.
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
Cueball and White Hat stand together looking at two boxes on the right side of the frame. Cueball is holding his arms out toward the boxes.
Cueball: They want $80 for this? I could make one myself for $10 in parts, an hour of work, a trip to the hardware store, another $30 in parts, another few hours of work, two more trips to the store for $20 more in parts, another hour to redo the first hour of work because I messed up, and $80 to buy this when the one I made breaks.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]

3233: Make It Myself

2026-04-15T21:54:19Z

DKMell:

{{comic
| number = 3233
| date = April 15, 2026
| title = Make It Myself
| image = make_it_myself_2x.png
| imagesize = 284x438px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's not as big a loss as it looks, because now I have have leftover supplies, which will help me talk myself into doing this all over again with a new project!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A BOT MADE WITH 20 MINUTES OF CODING, 30 MINUTES OF TROUBLESHOOTING, ANOTHER HOUR OF CODING, AND A SUBSCRIPTION TO CURSOR. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
There are many people who complain about rising prices with the recent trend of high inflation rates. People sometimes claim that they could make something themselves, thinking it will be quick and easy. Instead Cueball reflects real life by listing the actual effort he would expend such a project. In total, Cueball spends $60 creating his replacement, and then ends up just buying the one in the store because his {{w|do it yourself|do-it-yourself}} replacement didn't work. This means that Cueball actually lost $60 on this venture, as well as at least a few hours and several trips to the store.

The title text has Cueball compensating for his losses by deluding himself into believing that the leftover supplies will help him with a future project.
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
Cueball and White Hat stand together looking at two boxes on the right side of the frame. Cueball is holding his arms out toward the boxes.
Cueball: They want $80 for this? I could make one myself for $10 in parts, an hour of work, a trip to the hardware store, another $30 in parts, another few hours of work, two more trips to the store for $20 more in parts, another hour to redo the first hour of work because I messed up, and $80 to buy this when the one I made breaks.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]

927: Standards

2026-04-14T16:36:56Z

DKMell: minor fixes; European forcing

{{comic
| number = 927
| date = July 20, 2011
| title = Standards
| image = standards.png
| titletext = Fortunately, the charging one has been solved now that we've all standardized on mini-USB. Or is it micro-USB? Shit.
}}

==Explanation==
For any engineering task, there are numerous ways a given problem can be solved. The more complex the task, the more room for diversity. That's all well and good for a one-off problem, but if a design is meant to be iterated over time, or if an entire industry is solving that same problem, part reuse and {{w|interoperability}} become issues to deal with. {{w|Technical standards}} thus came to exist so that industries could avoid wasting resources {{w|reinventing the wheel}}, while offering their clients a certain amount of simplicity and compatibility between vendors.

But standards have issues of their own. They don't accommodate every {{w|use case}}, they might have restrictions or royalties attached, and people tend to be plagued by ''{{w|Not invented here|Not Invented Here syndrome}}''. So competing standards have a tendency to arise to address different perceived needs. After a while, the market for competing standards gets messy and hard to follow, and {{w|system integration|integrating systems}} built around competing standards gets burdensome. As a result, someone eventually takes on the challenge of creating a universal standard that everyone can rally around.

This almost never works. In many cases, a new standard fails to displace the incumbent standards, eventually loses funding and support, and thus becomes a relic of history. In many other cases, it only penetrates far enough to survive, ironically making the situation messier like in the comic. The latter situation often ends up becoming cyclical, with new standards periodically rising and failing to gain traction.

Three examples are given at the top of the comic: {{w|AC adapter|AC chargers}}, {{w|character encoding}} and {{w|instant messaging}}.
* Power adapters are notorious for varying from device to device - partly to try to prevent dangerous voltage/current mismatches, but partly just because manufacturers all chose different adapter designs. In 2011, mobile phone chargers had mostly converged on a common USB-based solution, but laptop charging remained highly varied despite the adoption of yet another standard, {{w|IEC 62700}}, and Apple mobile devices generally used proprietary {{w|Lightning (connector)|Lightning connectors}} (however, that is changing because of European law). Randall notes that there was additional complexity due to the fact that there were also ''competing USB types''; thanks to the European Union's {{w|common external power supply}} specification, micro-USB then won the day. In August 2014, the {{w|USB Type-C}} specification was published and started to displace micro-USB; it gained ground among laptop manufacturers as well. From 2021 to 2022, the EU successfully legislated for its {{w|USB-C#Regulations for compatibility|common use}}.
* Character encoding is, in theory, a solved problem - {{w|Unicode}} is a standard for character sets which currently includes over 135,000 characters. However, Unicode is not an encoding, just an abstract representation of the characters, and there are several implementations which encode Unicode "code points" into usable characters (including the two most common, {{w|UTF-8}} and {{w|UTF-16}}). Despite the [https://w3techs.com/technologies/history_overview/character_encoding/ms/y success of UTF-8 Unicode], older encodings like {{w|Windows-1252}} have stuck around, continuing to cause weird bugs in old software and websites to this day.
* Unlike the other examples, there has been little or no effort by instant messaging companies to make their services interoperable. There's more value to keeping IM as a {{w|closed platform}} so users are forced to use the company's software to access it. Some software, like the {{w|Trillian (software)|Trillian}} chat client, can connect to multiple different services, but there is essentially no way to, for example, send a {{w|X (social network)|Twitter}} message directly to a {{w|Skype}} user. {{w|ActivityPub}} is an example of a standard intended to be universal, so any software using it for instant messaging can be 'federated' with each other, but as the comic points out, all this has led to is yet another competing standard.

The title text mentions mini-USB and micro-USB, which were different standards used in 2011. As of 2019 for most applications of small USB ports (especially for charging / connecting cell phones), mini USB has lost most of its relevance and micro-USB is competing with USB-C, as well as some solutions only used by single companies (such as Apple). As of 2023, Apple has also switched entirely to USB-C after pressure from the European Union. Furthermore, USB-C has become the most common connector for other new purposes such as charging laptops, charging non-electronic devices like reading lights or toy motors, and connecting external hard drives or computers to monitors. Thus, in hindsight, this comic has not "aged well". By enforcing use of USB-C in Europe, European legislators did not add to competing standards but instead may have started to displace all of the others. This is especially true because USB-C handles increased capacity in power and data, compared to the various legacy USB standards. Although the comic implies that serving "all use cases" would add to the standards problem, with USB-C it may have actually solved it. It is possible to charge a phone then use the same charger and cable to charge a portable battery, then use the same charger and cable to charge a set of Bluetooth headphones, then take the same cable to connect a camera to a computer, then use that same cable again to charge the phone from the portable battery charged earlier. (This may have also been true with some {{w|USB hardware#Connectors|prior versions of USB}} when, for example, micro-USB was the 'newest and latest' universal choice.) This widespread commonality across many different uses is obviously very convenient, and it occurred just a little more than a decade after the comic suggested it couldn't be done. It did not, however, happen merely because someone came up with a new standard; rather it was the requirement in Europe to use a single connector type that caused it to happen.

Not all {{w|technical standards|standards}} are created equal. In the development of standards, private standards adopt a non-consensus process in comparison to voluntary consensus standards. Private standards in the {{w|Information and Communications Technology}} (ICT) sector and the agri-food industry (governed by the {{w|Global Food Safety Initiative}}) are discussed in a [https://docplayer.net/23885374-International-standards-and-private-standards.html publication] from the {{w|International Organization for Standardization}} (ISO).

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panels:]
:How Standards Proliferate
:(See: A/C chargers, character encodings, instant messaging, etc.)

:[A text-only panel.]
:Situation:
:There are 14 competing standards.

:[Cueball and Ponytail stand facing each other.]
:Cueball: 14?! Ridiculous! We need to develop one universal standard that covers everyone's use cases.
:Ponytail: Yeah!

:[Another text-only panel. The word "Soon:" appears in its own box at the upper left of the panel.]
:Soon:
:Situation:
:There are 15 competing standards.

{{comic discussion}}

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

3232: Countdown Standard

2026-04-14T02:56:50Z

DKMell: food samples

{{comic
| number = 3232
| date = April 13, 2026
| title = Countdown Standard
| image = countdown_standard_2x.png
| imagesize = 474x222px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Anyone who is caught counting 'three ... two ... one ... zero ... GO!' will be punished with a lifetime of eating only ISO standard food samples.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page WILL BE CREATED IN TWO...THREE...ONE...NEGATIVE ONE...NOW! Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic makes fun of the fact that when people are counting to prepare for a synchronized action as a group, such as lifting something heavy, there are several ways involving rhythmic counting to get everybody to do the action at the same time. However, two of the ways that people often count up can be confusing: the action can be taken ''on'' the beat of 'three', or on the beat ''after'' 'three'. This comic alleges that, if Randall gained control of the {{w|International Organization for Standardization}} (ISO), he would standardize counting to go ''down'' from three and have the 'go'-point be at zero.

The fact that these are called "countdowns", yet two (the ones also considered most intrinsically troublesome) are counts that go ''up'', is probably intentional, and cause for additional complaint by those who are as bothered by the inherent inconsistencies. Also, ''deprecated'' is a term applied to something that will be eliminated in the future, so you should fix things so as not to use it anymore; it's commonly used in coding, when procedures, libraries, etc. are planned to be retired.

{{w|ISO}} is an international organization that is responsible for standardizing many things, such as technology and safety standards to allow for smooth interoperability between countries, manufacturers, etc. However, it doesn't standardize everyday actions like countdowns, and the joke is that that would be Randall's first act if he were put in charge of it. Also there are no "ISO standard food samples" as mentioned in the title text, but one can imagine they would be unimaginably bland.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3232: Countdown Standard

2026-04-14T02:54:51Z

DKMell: deprecation

{{comic
| number = 3232
| date = April 13, 2026
| title = Countdown Standard
| image = countdown_standard_2x.png
| imagesize = 474x222px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Anyone who is caught counting 'three ... two ... one ... zero ... GO!' will be punished with a lifetime of eating only ISO standard food samples.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page WILL BE CREATED IN TWO...THREE...ONE...NEGATIVE ONE...NOW! Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic makes fun of the fact that when people are counting to prepare for a synchronized action as a group, such as lifting something heavy, there are several ways involving rhythmic counting to get everybody to do the action at the same time. However, two of the ways that people often count up can be confusing: the action can be taken ''on'' the beat of 'three', or on the beat ''after'' 'three'. This comic alleges that, if Randall gained control of the {{w|International Organization for Standardization}} (ISO), he would standardize counting to go ''down'' from three and have the 'go'-point be at zero.

The fact that these are called "countdowns", yet two (the ones also considered most intrinsically troublesome) are counts that go ''up'', is probably intentional, and cause for additional complaint by those who are as bothered by the inherent inconsistencies. Also, ''deprecated'' is a term applied to something that will be eliminated in the future, so you should fix things so as not to use it anymore; it's commonly used in coding, when procedures, libraries, etc. are planned to be retired.

{{w|ISO}} is an international organization that is responsible for standardizing many things, such as technology and safety standards to allow for smooth interoperability between countries, manufacturers, etc. However, it doesn't standardize everyday actions like countdowns, and the joke is that that would be Randall's first act if he were put in charge of it.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3232: Countdown Standard

2026-04-14T00:46:16Z

DKMell: better wording

{{comic
| number = 3232
| date = April 13, 2026
| title = Countdown Standard
| image = countdown_standard_2x.png
| imagesize = 474x222px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Anyone who is caught counting 'three ... two ... one ... zero ... GO!' will be punished with a lifetime of eating only ISO standard food samples.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page WILL BE CREATED IN TWO...THREE...ONE...NEGATIVE ONE...NOW! Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic makes fun of the fact that when people are counting to prepare for a synchronized action as a group, such as lifting something heavy, there are several ways involving rhythmic counting to get everybody to do the action at the same time. However, two of the ways that people often count up can be confusing: the action can be taken ''on'' the beat of 'three', or on the beat ''after'' 'three'. This comic alleges that, if Randall gained control of the {{w|International Organization for Standardization}} (ISO), he would standardize counting to go ''down'' from three and have the 'go'-point be at zero.

The fact that these are called "countdowns", yet two (the ones also considered most intrinsically troublesome) are counts that go ''up'', is probably intentional, and cause for additional complaint by those who are as bothered by the inherent inconsistencies.

{{w|ISO}} is an international organization that is responsible for standardizing many things, such as technology and safety standards to allow for smooth interoperability between countries, manufacturers, etc. However, it doesn't standardize everyday actions like countdowns, and the joke is that that would be Randall's first act if he were put in charge of it.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3232: Countdown Standard

2026-04-14T00:44:58Z

DKMell: minor fixes

{{comic
| number = 3232
| date = April 13, 2026
| title = Countdown Standard
| image = countdown_standard_2x.png
| imagesize = 474x222px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Anyone who is caught counting 'three ... two ... one ... zero ... GO!' will be punished with a lifetime of eating only ISO standard food samples.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page WILL BE CREATED IN TWO...THREE...ONE...NEGATIVE ONE...NOW! Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic makes fun of the fact that when people are counting to prepare for a synchronized action as a group, such as lifting a heavy object, there are several ways involving rhythmic counting to get everybody to do the action at the same time. However, two of the ways that people often count up can be confusing: the action can be taken ''on'' the beat of 'three', or on the beat ''after'' 'three'. This comic alleges that, if Randall gained control of the {{w|International Organization for Standardization}} (ISO), he would standardize counting to go ''down'' from three and have the 'go'-point be at zero.

The fact that these are called "countdowns", yet two (the ones also considered most intrinsically troublesome) are counts that go ''up'', is probably intentional, and cause for additional complaint by those who are as bothered by the inherent inconsistencies.

{{w|ISO}} is an international organization that is responsible for standardizing many things, such as technology and safety standards to allow for smooth interoperability between countries, manufacturers, etc. However, it doesn't standardize everyday actions like countdowns, and the joke is that that would be Randall's first act if he were put in charge of it.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3232: Countdown Standard

2026-04-14T00:44:32Z

DKMell: clarification

{{comic
| number = 3232
| date = April 13, 2026
| title = Countdown Standard
| image = countdown_standard_2x.png
| imagesize = 474x222px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Anyone who is caught counting 'three ... two ... one ... zero ... GO!' will be punished with a lifetime of eating only ISO standard food samples.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page WILL BE CREATED IN TWO...THREE...ONE...NEGATIVE ONE...NOW! Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic makes fun of the fact that when people are counting to prepare for a synchronized action, such as lifting a heavy object, as a group, there are several ways involving rhythmic counting to get everybody to do the action at the same time. However, two of the ways that people often count up can be confusing: the action can be taken ''on'' the beat of 'three', or on the beat ''after'' 'three'. This comic alleges that, if Randall gained control of the {{w|International Organization for Standardization}} (ISO), he would standardize counting to go ''down'' from three and have the 'go'-point be at zero.

The fact that these are called "countdowns", yet two (the ones also considered most intrinsically troublesome) are counts that go ''up'', is probably intentional, and cause for additional complaint by those who are as bothered by the inherent inconsistencies.

{{w|ISO}} is an international organization that is responsible for standardizing many things, such as technology and safety standards to allow for smooth interoperability between countries, manufacturers, etc. However, it doesn't standardize everyday actions like countdowns, and the joke is that that would be Randall's first act if he were put in charge of it.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

785: Open Mic Night

2026-04-13T06:22:14Z

DKMell: minor

{{comic
| number = 785
| date = August 27, 2010
| title = Open Mic Night
| image = open_mic_night.png
| titletext = Ever notice how the more successful observational comics become, the more their jokes focus on flying and hotels?
}}

==Explanation==
The comic depicts four acts at an {{w|Open mic|open mic night}}, where performances typically include comedy, poetry, music and other similar performance arts.

===Panel 1===
[[Megan]] confidently introduces herself as M.C. Aphasia, and starts to talk to the audience. Midway through her sentence, however, she appears unable to continue to talk, ending with a sheepish "Hi?". {{w|Aphasia}} is a language disorder symptomized by disturbance in formulation and comprehension of language. This class of language disorder ranges from having difficulty remembering words to being completely unable to speak, read, or write. M. C. stands for {{w|Master of Ceremonies}} - in the context of hip-hop performance, it means a rapper. Because a rapper's delivery depends on the ability to deliver lyrics fluently at high speed, aphasia would render an MC unable to perform.

===Panel 2===
The second panel shows [[Black Hat]] on the stage, just after a {{w|heckler}} in the audience fired a 'Yo Mama' joke at Black Hat (possibly "when yo mama sits around the house, she sits ''around'' the house"). A heckler's aim is usually to put the performer off of their routine, and appear funny themselves. Responses from the performer vary from simply ignoring the heckler to replying with a witty put down to get the audience back on the comedian's side and dissuade the heckler from continuing. Rather than a short witty over-the-top reply in the typical style of {{w|Yo Mama}} jokes, Black Hat's response is a dark, detailed, realistic insult, implying that the heckler's mother is a failure and isn't proud of the heckler.

===Panel 3===
The third panel is a reference to the {{w|Quine paradox}}, whereby a sentence repeated twice in succession proves to be paradoxical. For example:
:"Yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation" yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation.
The sentence is another way of saying "this statement is false" but without the explicit self-reference. Named after the paradox, a {{w|quine (computing)|quine}} is also a computer program which outputs its own source code.

The first sentence uses the word "say" in the normal way, as a transitive verb, with the second sentence in quotation marks as its object. The second sentence has the same words as the first, but now the word "say" is used as an intransitive verb: a non-standard usage approximately meaning "speak impressively".

===Panel 4===
In the fourth panel, [[Beret Guy]]'s speech begins as if with the common observation, "Ever notice how men go to the restroom alone, while women go in groups", but somehow gets derailed through the use of the word hordes instead of groups, and a confusion between women and orcs. When an audience member (or heckler) points this out, Beret Guy's response shows that his observations weren't intended as comedy in the first place.

The description of orc armies is reminiscent of their appearance in the movie adaptations of ''The Lord of the Rings'', but in archaic wording. (For example, the phrase "clad all in sable armor" also appears in [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60184/60184-h/60184-h.htm Howard Pyle's ''The Story of King Arthur and His Knights''] (1903).)

The title text continues the riff on different kinds of stand-up comedians, commonly referred to as comics. {{w|Observational humor}} is a joke that presents a typical real-life situation humorously, often with a touch of exaggeration. The title text is likely referring to stand-up comedians, like {{w|Jerry Seinfeld}}, who use observational humor. When an observational comic becomes more successful, they will probably "go on tour" resulting in a great deal of travel. This gives them lots of experience with airplanes and hotels, and more jokes about them will show up in the routine. Furthermore, the title text is itself an observational joke.

==Transcript==
:[Megan on stage, holding microphone, hip-hop stance.]
:Megan: Yo, I'm M.C. Aphasia and I'm here to say that, I... Uh...
:Megan: ...Um...
:Megan: ...Hi?

:[Black Hat on stage, holding microphone.]
:Black Hat: So I... oh? Does she? Well, when ''yo'' mama sits around the house, she finds herself wishing she'd finished her degree instead of having kids right away, maybe started that business. Then she might have created something she's ''proud'' of.

:[Cueball on stage, holding microphone, fist pumping toward audience.]
:Cueball:
:Yo, I'm M.C. Quine
:and I'm here to say,
:"Yo, I'm M.C. Quine
:and I'm here to say!"

:[Beret Guy on stage, holding microphone.]
:Beret Guy: Ever notice how men go to the restroom alone, while women go in hordes ten thousand strong, clad all in sable armor and bristling with swords and spears?
:Audience member (off-screen): Those are orcs.
:Beret Guy: Oh.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]
[[Category:LOTR]]

786: Exoplanets

2026-04-13T06:13:49Z

DKMell: minor fixes

{{distinguish|1071: Exoplanets|common=Exoplanets01}}
{{comic
| number = 786
| date = August 30, 2010
| title = Exoplanets
| image = exoplanets_2010.png
| titletext = I'm just worried that we'll all leave and you won't get to come along!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Beret Guy]] runs to wake up [[Cueball]], who is probably under the covers in bed, with his potentially middle of the night revelation that humankind is discovering "{{w|exoplanets}}", planets that exist outside of our solar system. The indication is that these planets are habitable enough for humans, even if just for a visit.

Then Beret Guy takes it a bit further thinking that one of the countries on Earth could restart {{w|Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)|Project Orion}} (which is later mentioned in [[2423: Project Orion]]). As Beret suggests, Project Orion was an early project to produce a spacecraft that would ride the shockwave from a series of nuclear bombs it dropped in order to travel very, very fast. However, the one major downside of Project Orion was the fallout that the launching of any such craft would present on Earth. One could try to boost the Orion spacecraft into orbit with conventional rockets, but Orion spacecraft are heavy — being composed of giant pusher plates and rows upon rows of nuclear bombs, they are hard to lift. On top of this, the {{w|Nuclear Test Ban Treaty}} means that the craft would be flatly illegal to build and launch on Earth, no matter what. However, if an asteroid mining project were to be started, the Orion drive spacecraft, the nuclear bombs, and all the infrastructure needed to staff, build, and crew it could all be built safely in space, well away from the Earth's fragile biosphere, where little harm could be done. Some commercial spaceflight programs are interested in starting asteroid mining in the future, or even now; for example, see: https://www.planetaryresources.com.

In summary, Beret is very excited that we can see (with the Hubble telescope and other Earth-bound telescopes) and find exoplanets. Then with some advances in space technology we can create nuclear propulsion in space to reach these planets, and it will all be happening quite possibly within a few decades. He is thus worried that Cueball will miss all of this ongoing excitement.

Cueball would just rather snooze, as he is not impressed. Beret Guy gives him only one snooze because as is apparent in the title text he is afraid that Cueball will be left behind if he snoozes too long! Given the fact that he just stated that it may take hundreds of years, this is of course silly, but fits well with Beret Guy's behavior.

Exoplanets have been discovered starting in 1996, but there are still only a few confirmed {{w|List of habitable planet candidates|planet candidates}} in the habitable zone of a distant star. This did change fast after that time since new ways of finding planets are created — see [[1071: Exoplanets]], which has the same title. At that point, there were exactly 786 Exoplanets confirmed — the number of this comic, which is probably not a coincidence as done by [[Randall]].

Part of the humor of this particular strip is that Beret Guy seems to have a sense of urgency and immediacy about something that is actually occurring at a snail's pace over decades, where Cueball finishing sleeping, or hitting snooze twice, couldn't possibly make one crystalline erg of difference.

[[1624: 2016]] is similar to this comic in that in each case, one character wakes up another character in order to inform that character about an event that is neither immediately relevant to that character nor short/urgent enough that that character could miss it if he slept until the morning.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy runs into a bedroom arms up calling to someone who is in the bed under the covers. Only part of the bed is visible. The person under the covers speaks. Later part of his face can be seen, and it could be Cueball.]
:Beret guy: Wake up! Wake up!
:Cueball (under the cover): What is it?

:[Beret Guy stands with his arms out talking to Cueball hiding under the covers of the bed now completely inside the panel.]
:Beret guy: We're alive during the time when they're first discovering other planetary systems! They're finding them as fast as they can build new instruments to look for them!

:[In this frame-less panel only Beret Guy is shown standing with one arm out and one arm up looking left away from the off-panel bed.]
:Beret Guy: And if one of Earth's cultures advances its space program enough to start enriching uranium on asteroids, we'll lose the main barrier to restarting Project Orion and building nuke-riding city-ships!

:[Beret Guy bends down, hands on his knees, to eye level with Cueball in the bed, who is finally peeking out from the covers, only showing part of his face (so it could be any character, as any hair could be hidden, and the hat could be on the bed stand).]
:Beret Guy: The only known technology capable of fast interstellar travel could be operational within just a few generations, and we're discovering all these destinations to pick from!
:Beret Guy: Come ''on!''
:Cueball: Can I hit "snooze"?
:Beret Guy: Okay, but ''just once!''

==Trivia==
*This was the first time Randall released a comic with the exact same name as a previous comic, in this case [[1071: Exoplanets]], released on June 20, 2012. Since then, he has done so [[:Category:Comics sharing name|a few times]]. When the new comic was released, it caused problems on xkcd as the title of the image file (<code>explanets.png</code>) was the same for the two comics. This was resolved by renaming this comic's image, adding the year of its release to the title: <code>explanets_2010.png</code>.

* The number of this comic ([[786: Exoplanets]]) is the same number of planets featured in the comic [[1071: Exoplanets]] (786 planets) with the same title. It isn't clear whether this is a coincidence or Randall purposefully waited for the number of discovered planets to be the same as this comic's number.

*Cueball is not completely visible in this comic, and the last image only shows a face. Given that almost all characters without a beard have the same face, this could be any character, including one with a hat (which could be hidden or outside of the frames) or hair (several of the usual styles). The comic's official transcript refers to this person as "bed man", meaning it isn't intended to be a female character. As it is easier to explain the comic using Cueball's name, and given that he is the usual guy to draw when no particular features are added, it still makes sense to call him Cueball in this comic.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Exoplanets]]
[[Category:Nuclear weapons]]
[[Category:Rockets]]
[[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]

788: The Carriage

2026-04-13T06:02:06Z

DKMell: fixed link

{{comic
| number = 788
| date = September 3, 2010
| title = The Carriage
| image = the carriage.png
| titletext = I learned from Achewood that since this poem is in ballad meter, it can be sung to the tune of Gilligan's Island. Since then, try as I might, I haven't ONCE been able to read it normally.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Emily Dickinson}} is a famous American poet, who wrote a poem called "[https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47652/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death-479 Death]", about the personification of Death kindly stopping for her to pick her up.

''{{w|Grand Theft Auto (series)|Grand Theft Auto}}'' is a well known video game series where players commonly steal cars by grabbing the driver and throwing them out of the vehicle. In the lower left corner of the second panel, there is a picture of the Y-button used to enter (and steal) vehicles in the Xbox versions of the game.

The proposed Emily Dickinson edition of ''Grand Theft Auto'' mashes up these two concepts. When Death stops to pick up the protagonist ([[Hairbun]], possibly representing Dickinson herself), she violently carriage-jacks him and takes over his carriage to use for her own purposes.

The title text refers to [http://achewood.com/index.php?date=08032010 this] strip from the webcomic ''{{w|Achewood}}'' where it is pointed out that poems written in {{w|ballad metre}} can be sung to the same tune as the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfR7qxtgCgY theme song] of ''{{w|Gilligan's Island}}'', a 1960s sitcom. Upon learning this it can (as it seemingly has for Randall) become difficult to read Dickinson's poem without singing it.

The Western-themed ''{{w|Red Dead Redemption}}'' by the same publisher as ''Grand Theft Auto'' uses the same gameplay mechanic for stealing horses and horse carriages, but ''Grand Theft Auto'' was a more established franchise at the time of the comic's release.

==Transcript==
:[Death with his scythe is driving a horse-drawn carriage. The text is written in two frames above and below the carriage:]
:Because I could not stop for death
:He kindly stopped for me

:[Hairbun grabs Death by the arm and pulls him off the carriage. There is a circle with the letter Y in the lower left corner. The text above the carriage is in a frame.]
:The carriage held but just oursel-
:Death: Hey!
:Hands holding Death: ''Grab''
:Circle: Y

:[Hairbun takes off in the carriage with the scythe, leaving Death behind on the ground in the dust from the carriage taking off.]
:Hairbun: Hyah!

:[Hairbun stands with her arms crossed, and Death's scythe next to her. The first text above her is printed as the official logo and the text below is in a type of square brackets.]
:Grand Theft Auto
:Emily Dickinson Edition

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

789: Showdown

2026-04-13T04:51:56Z

DKMell: per

{{comic
| number = 789
| date = September 8, 2010
| title = Showdown
| image = showdown.png
| titletext = The tumbleweed then tried to roll off into the sunset, but due to the Old West's placement north of the subtropical ridge, the prevailing winds were in the wrong direction.
}}

==Explanation==
Shootouts were common in many old {{w|Western (genre)|Western}} films, most famously in {{w|spaghetti Westerns}}. Commonly, to accentuate the silence and emptiness of the landscape before the fight, a {{w|tumbleweed}} would roll past the fighters. In this comic, the two gunmen, per the cliche, stand quietly. The tumbleweed then rolls past, and pulls a pair of revolvers. It then shoots both of the gunfighters simultaneously, winning the duel. This is somewhat unusual, as tumbleweeds don't appear to be able to use revolvers.{{Citation needed}}

The title text refers to a common trope in Westerns to have the hero (or in this case, the tumbleweed) ride (roll) into the sunset at the conclusion of the film. Since the sun rises in the east and set in the west, the tumbleweed would have to roll westward. However, given that prevailing winds go from west to east, that means that the tumbleweed would be unable to tumble into the sunset and be prevented from fulfilling this trope.

==Transcript==
:[Two cowboys face off silently in the desert, the blazing sun beating down.]

:[They exchange steely glares, hands poised to reach their guns, as a tumbleweed rolls into frame, with a helicoidal line depicting its movement.]
:''TUMBLE''

:[Close-up on the tumbleweed. It draws two guns.]
:''CLICK CLICK''

:[The tumbleweed shoots both cowboys simultaneously, and they fall backwards.]
:''BLAM BLAM''

{{comic discussion}}

789: Showdown

2026-04-13T04:51:36Z

DKMell: empty

{{comic
| number = 789
| date = September 8, 2010
| title = Showdown
| image = showdown.png
| titletext = The tumbleweed then tried to roll off into the sunset, but due to the Old West's placement north of the subtropical ridge, the prevailing winds were in the wrong direction.
}}

==Explanation==
Shootouts were common in many old {{w|Western (genre)|Western}} films, most famously in {{w|spaghetti Westerns}}. Commonly, to accentuate the silence and emptiness of the landscape before the fight, a {{w|tumbleweed}} would roll past the fighters. In this comic, the two gunmen, as per the cliche, stand quietly. The tumbleweed then rolls past, and pulls a pair of revolvers. It then shoots both of the gunfighters simultaneously, winning the duel. This is somewhat unusual, as tumbleweeds don't appear to be able to use revolvers.{{Citation needed}}

The title text refers to a common trope in Westerns to have the hero (or in this case, the tumbleweed) ride (roll) into the sunset at the conclusion of the film. Since the sun rises in the east and set in the west, the tumbleweed would have to roll westward. However, given that prevailing winds go from west to east, that means that the tumbleweed would be unable to tumble into the sunset and be prevented from fulfilling this trope.

==Transcript==
:[Two cowboys face off silently in the desert, the blazing sun beating down.]

:[They exchange steely glares, hands poised to reach their guns, as a tumbleweed rolls into frame, with a helicoidal line depicting its movement.]
:''TUMBLE''

:[Close-up on the tumbleweed. It draws two guns.]
:''CLICK CLICK''

:[The tumbleweed shoots both cowboys simultaneously, and they fall backwards.]
:''BLAM BLAM''

{{comic discussion}}

795: Conditional Risk

2026-04-13T04:46:02Z

DKMell: actual rate

{{comic
| number = 795
| date = September 20, 2010
| title = Conditional Risk
| image = conditional_risk.png
| titletext = 'Dude, wait -- I'm not American! So my risk is basically zero!'
}}

==Explanation==
The comic deals with the difference between the general probability of a certain event based on history and the probability of the same event in particular circumstances. The chance of any American selected randomly from the general population to be killed by lightning is very low (actually on average [https://www.cdc.gov/lightning/data-research/index.html about 28 people die in the U.S. each year]), but part of the reason for this is that an average American would seek shelter and safety when caught in a lightning storm. The joke is that someone armed with this particular statistical knowledge would not take the normal precautions and therefore leave themselves far more vulnerable.

In the title text, since the statistic provided talks only about Americans, the other character wrongly assumes that lightning strikes ''only'' happen to Americans, rather than the data for lightning strikes for other nationalities being simply not included in the discussion. Because of this, as a non-American, he believes his chance of being struck by lightning is nonexistent – which underlines the difference between knowing a certain event can't or didn't happen and not having any data about the event.

The "one in six" statistic is probably invented by the author – which also illuminates the danger of dealing with "statistical data" provided by random sources without any attribution to actual statistical surveys or hard data. And of course, now a lot of xkcd readers know the statistic, likely bringing down the death rate.

A similar situation is referred to in the ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' article ''{{what if|159|Hailstones}}''.

==Transcript==
:[Lightning strikes the ground, illuminating trees with a bright white light. Two people are standing near it. One has a walking stick.]
:''CRACK''
:''BOOM''
:First person: Whoa! We should get inside!
:Second person: It's okay! Lightning only kills about 45 Americans a year, so the chances of dying are only one in 7,000,000. Let's go on!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The annual death rate among people who know that statistic is one in six.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

3231: Lightning

2026-04-10T21:20:42Z

DKMell: where is BOOOOM

{{comic
| number = 3231
| date = April 10, 2026
| title = Lightning
| image = lightning_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x364px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Maybe you should wear one too? I guess I'm taller than you, so as long as I have one we're fine.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a GROUNDED BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

An {{w|anti-static wrist strap}} is a device worn by people working with sensitive electronic devices. The strap is connected to a "ground", so that if there's any static charge built up it will discharge there rather than being transmitted to the device, which may otherwise damage it.

{{w|Lightning}} is a release of static electricity that occurs when there's a large charge difference between a cloud and the Earth or between two clouds. In the comic, [[Cueball]] has confused how anti-static devices work -- rather than protecting a device from static in the person, he thinks it will protect the person from static in the lightning. In fact, wearing a strap that conducts electricity will make it ''more'' likely that he will be struck by lightning, and the strap is far too small to protect him from the electricity in the lightning strike.

He may think that the anti-static device works like a {{w|lightning rod}}, attracting the lighting and diverting it away from his body. This is corroborated by the title text, in which he thinks that [[Ponytail]] should be safe because he's taller than she is, and lightning tends to be attracted to the highest conductor in its vicinity (e.g., lighting rods that are above the roof of the building they're protecting). While this is true, it ignores the fact that he's made himself more likely to be struck, and potentially severely hurt or killed, by a lightning strike.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Lightning overhead. Cueball and Ponytail are standing on a hill at night.]

:[In the sky, by the lightning:]
:BOOOOM

:[Cueball:]

:Don't worry, I'm wearing an anti-static wrist strap

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3231: Lightning

2026-04-10T21:19:37Z

DKMell: true but

{{comic
| number = 3231
| date = April 10, 2026
| title = Lightning
| image = lightning_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x364px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Maybe you should wear one too? I guess I'm taller than you, so as long as I have one we're fine.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a GROUNDED BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

An {{w|anti-static wrist strap}} is a device worn by people working with sensitive electronic devices. The strap is connected to a "ground", so that if there's any static charge built up it will discharge there rather than being transmitted to the device, which may otherwise damage it.

{{w|Lightning}} is a release of static electricity that occurs when there's a large charge difference between a cloud and the Earth or between two clouds. In the comic, [[Cueball]] has confused how anti-static devices work -- rather than protecting a device from static in the person, he thinks it will protect the person from static in the lightning. In fact, wearing a strap that conducts electricity will make it ''more'' likely that he will be struck by lightning, and the strap is far too small to protect him from the electricity in the lightning strike.

He may think that the anti-static device works like a {{w|lightning rod}}, attracting the lighting and diverting it away from his body. This is corroborated by the title text, in which he thinks that [[Ponytail]] should be safe because he's taller than she is, and lightning tends to be attracted to the highest conductor in its vicinity (e.g., lighting rods that are above the roof of the building they're protecting). While this is true, it ignores the fact that he's made himself more likely to be struck, and potentially severely hurt or killed, by a lightning strike.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Lightning overhead. Cueball and Ponytail are standing on a hill at night.]

:BOOOOM

:[Cueball:]

:Don't worry, I'm wearing an anti-static wrist strap

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3231: Lightning

2026-04-10T21:01:28Z

DKMell: why bad

3230: Overton

2026-04-09T16:33:42Z

DKMell: minor fixes

{{comic
| number = 3230
| date = April 8, 2026
| title = Overton
| image = overton_2x.png
| imagesize = 242x268px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I think I accidentally installed an Overton window in my bedroom. A few months ago, the sun wasn't in my face in the morning, but now it is.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by JOSEPH PAUL OVERTON, BACK FROM THE DEAD. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Joseph Paul Overton}} was a political scientist who created the concept of the {{w|Overton window}}, which is the range of subjects that are politically appropriate to raise during a period of time. The first set of dates, 1960 and 2003, are the years that Overton was born and died.

It is common for political commentators to state that the Overton window has "moved," meaning that the standard for which political positions are "moderate" or "extreme" changes. In the comic, the "Overton window" instead refers to the time span in which Joseph Paul Overton was alive. The dates on Overton's grave have been repeatedly crossed out and replaced as this 'window' has moved. This creates the ridiculous implication that Overton was living at least four lives simultaneously, or that history has repeatedly changed so that the dates of his life shifted, either of which is impossible.{{cn}} Alternatively, it could reflect changes in the frame of reference the keepers of the grave are using to date events.

In the title text, the speaker notices that the sunlight is now being let in earlier in the morning, and attributes this to it coming through an "Overton window" that can physically move. This is unlikely, since the Overton window is an abstract concept, not an architectural feature, and sunlight is not generally influenced by social attitudes.{{cn}} It is more likely that the phenomenon is due to the seasonal movement of the Sun in the sky, where its apparent path across the sky moves further north or south between the {{w|summer solstice}} (highest arc) and {{w|winter solstice}} (lowest arc), changing the place it falls at a given time of day. This shift is caused by the Earth's tilt relative to its orbit. The Sun's position at a certain clock time may also be perceived to change suddenly due to the beginning or end of {{w|daylight saving time}}, as occurred in most US states and many other countries shortly before this comic was published. (This is an issue that Randall has covered [[:Category:Daylight saving time|multiple times]], although apparently ''not'' (unless this is a subtle reference) this year.)

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[A gravestone is shown on some grass. On the inscription, all of the years except the last one are crossed out in red, and all except the first pair of years have the years themselves in red. The inscription is as follows:]
:Joseph Paul Overton
:<s>1960</s> - <s>2003</s>
:<s>1965</s> - <s>2011</s>
:<s>1973</s> - <s>2018</s>
:1982 -

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics with red annotations]]

3223: Inflation Timeline

2026-03-26T00:25:46Z

DKMell: price

{{comic
| number = 3223
| date = March 23, 2026
| title = Inflation Timeline
| image = inflation_timeline_2x.png
| imagesize = 423x213px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Depending what corners of the internet you hang out on, 'regular' may at times awkwardly coexist with 'sexy.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by an INFLATIONARY BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Cosmic inflation}} is the theory that the very early universe briefly expanded at an enormous rate. This explains the "clumpiness" of the early universe, which is necessary to explain the formation of large-scale structures (e.g., galaxies, {{w|galaxy clusters}}, {{w|galaxy filaments}}, etc.) as the universe evolved. "Regular" (price) {{w|inflation}} refers to the economic process in which the average price of goods and services increases over time. This is usually gradual, but can be very rapid during times of economic distress.

The comic puts both of these on the same {{w|Chronology of the universe|timeline of the universe}}. Cosmic inflation occurred very shortly (~10-34 s) after the {{w|Big Bang}}. Regular inflation occurs only during the time of human society after money started being used, perhaps {{w|History of money|7,000 years ago}}. Because of the logarithmic scale of the graph, the cosmic inflation period, which is only a tiny fraction of a second, looks much larger than regular inflation, which has existed for at least a few thousand years. This misinterpretation is likely [[Randall]]'s intention in the comic, along with conflating two wildly different kinds of "inflation".

The title text refers to a third meaning, that of {{w|body inflation}} as a sexual fetish or kink, which has no direct relationship to cosmology or economics.{{Citation needed}} [[Randall]] points out that body inflation happens at the same time as economic inflation, presumably because both arise from human activities. The suggestion that this coexistence may be "awkward" perhaps implies that people are paying to indulge in the fetish, and that those prices are subject to economic inflation. The "inflation" might also refer to something akin to a {{w|Sex doll|blow-up doll}}.

Another comic illustrating cosmic inflation is [[2240]].

==Trivia==
Assuming regular inflation started with the {{w|History of money|first use of money 7,000 years ago}}, the "regular" inflation bar, if accurately displayed, would go from 1017.63856460 to 1017.63856482 seconds, with a difference in the exponents of 0.00000022. Depending on your display resolution, this would make the graph's "regular" bar on the order of a millionth of a pixel wide.

Given that there are only seven secondary tick marks between the primary (labeled) tick marks, these denote not increments of 1 order of magnitude but 1.125 orders of magnitude.

==Transcript==
:[Caption:] Timeline of Inflation
:[A log-scale timeline labeled "Age of the Universe (seconds)" ranging from 10-40 to about 1025, with labeled tick marks at 10-40, 10-30, ..., 1020 s. A bar labeled "Cosmic" begins off-panel to the left and continues up to roughly 10-33 seconds. A second, much thinner bar labeled "Regular" covers another period between roughly 1016.9 and 1017.3 seconds.]

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Cosmology]]
[[Category:Sex]]

3223: Inflation Timeline

2026-03-26T00:24:29Z

DKMell: punctuation

{{comic
| number = 3223
| date = March 23, 2026
| title = Inflation Timeline
| image = inflation_timeline_2x.png
| imagesize = 423x213px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Depending what corners of the internet you hang out on, 'regular' may at times awkwardly coexist with 'sexy.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by an INFLATIONARY BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Cosmic inflation}} is the theory that the very early universe briefly expanded at an enormous rate. This explains the "clumpiness" of the early universe, which is necessary to explain the formation of large-scale structures (e.g., galaxies, {{w|galaxy clusters}}, {{w|galaxy filaments}}, etc.) as the universe evolved. "Regular" {{w|inflation}} refers to the economic process in which the average price of goods and services increases over time. This is usually gradual, but can be very rapid during times of economic distress.

The comic puts both of these on the same {{w|Chronology of the universe|timeline of the universe}}. Cosmic inflation occurred very shortly (~10-34 s) after the {{w|Big Bang}}. Regular inflation occurs only during the time of human society after money started being used, perhaps {{w|History of money|7,000 years ago}}. Because of the logarithmic scale of the graph, the cosmic inflation period, which is only a tiny fraction of a second, looks much larger than regular inflation, which has existed for at least a few thousand years. This misinterpretation is likely [[Randall]]'s intention in the comic, along with conflating two wildly different kinds of "inflation".

The title text refers to a third meaning, that of {{w|body inflation}} as a sexual fetish or kink, which has no direct relationship to cosmology or economics.{{Citation needed}} [[Randall]] points out that body inflation happens at the same time as economic inflation, presumably because both arise from human activities. The suggestion that this coexistence may be "awkward" perhaps implies that people are paying to indulge in the fetish, and that those prices are subject to economic inflation. The "inflation" might also refer to something akin to a {{w|Sex doll|blow-up doll}}.

Another comic illustrating cosmic inflation is [[2240]].

==Trivia==
Assuming regular inflation started with the {{w|History of money|first use of money 7,000 years ago}}, the "regular" inflation bar, if accurately displayed, would go from 1017.63856460 to 1017.63856482 seconds, with a difference in the exponents of 0.00000022. Depending on your display resolution, this would make the graph's "regular" bar on the order of a millionth of a pixel wide.

Given that there are only seven secondary tick marks between the primary (labeled) tick marks, these denote not increments of 1 order of magnitude but 1.125 orders of magnitude.

==Transcript==
:[Caption:] Timeline of Inflation
:[A log-scale timeline labeled "Age of the Universe (seconds)" ranging from 10-40 to about 1025, with labeled tick marks at 10-40, 10-30, ..., 1020 s. A bar labeled "Cosmic" begins off-panel to the left and continues up to roughly 10-33 seconds. A second, much thinner bar labeled "Regular" covers another period between roughly 1016.9 and 1017.3 seconds.]

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Cosmology]]
[[Category:Sex]]

3223: Inflation Timeline

2026-03-25T17:57:20Z

DKMell: minor fixes

{{comic
| number = 3223
| date = March 23, 2026
| title = Inflation Timeline
| image = inflation_timeline_2x.png
| imagesize = 423x213px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Depending what corners of the internet you hang out on, 'regular' may at times awkwardly coexist with 'sexy.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by an INFLATIONARY BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Cosmic inflation}} is the theory that the very early universe briefly expanded at an enormous rate. This explains the "clumpiness" of the early universe, which is necessary to explain the formation of large-scale structures (e.g., galaxies, {{w|galaxy clusters}}, {{w|galaxy filaments}}, etc.) as the universe evolved. "Regular" {{w|inflation}} refers to the economic process in which the average price of goods and services increases over time. This is usually gradual, but can be very rapid during times of economic distress.

The comic puts both of these on the same {{w|Chronology of the universe|timeline of the universe}}. Cosmic inflation occurred very shortly (~10-34 s) after the {{w|Big Bang}}. Regular inflation occurs only during the time of human society after money started being used, perhaps {{w|History of money|7,000 years ago}}. Because of the logarithmic scale of the graph, the cosmic inflation period, which is only a tiny fraction of a second, looks much larger than regular inflation, which has existed for at least a few thousand years. This misinterpretation is likely [[Randall]]'s intention in the comic, along with conflating two wildly different kinds of "inflation".

The title text refers to a third meaning, that of {{w|body inflation}} as a sexual fetish or kink, which has no direct relationship to cosmology or economics.{{Citation needed}} [[Randall]] points out that body inflation happens at the same time as economic inflation, presumably because both arise from human activities. The suggestion that this coexistence may be "awkward" perhaps implies that people are paying to indulge in the fetish, and that those prices are subject to economic inflation. The "inflation" might also refer to something akin to a {{w|Sex doll|blow-up doll}}.

Another comic illustrating cosmic inflation is [[2240]].

==Trivia==
Assuming regular inflation started with the {{w|History of money|first use of money 7,000 years ago}}, the "regular inflation" bar, if accurately displayed, would go from 1017.63856460 to 1017.63856482 seconds, with a difference in the exponents of 0.00000022. Depending on your display resolution, this would make the graph's "regular" bar on the order of a millionth of a pixel wide.

Given that there are only seven secondary tick marks between the primary (labeled) tick marks, these denote not increments of 1 order of magnitude but 1.25 orders of magnitude.

==Transcript==
:[Caption:] Timeline of Inflation
:[A log-scale timeline labeled "Age of the Universe (seconds)" ranging from 10-40 to about 1025, with labeled tick marks at 10-40, 10-30, ..., 1020 s. A bar labeled "Cosmic" begins off-panel to the left and continues up to roughly 10-33 seconds. A second, much thinner bar labeled "Regular" covers another period between roughly 1016.9 and 1017.3 seconds.]

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Cosmology]]
[[Category:Sex]]

3223: Inflation Timeline

2026-03-24T21:51:32Z

DKMell: added trivia

{{comic
| number = 3223
| date = March 23, 2026
| title = Inflation Timeline
| image = inflation_timeline_2x.png
| imagesize = 423x213px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Depending what corners of the internet you hang out on, 'regular' may at times awkwardly coexist with 'sexy.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by an INFLATIONARY BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{w|Cosmic inflation}} is the theory that the very early universe briefly expanded at an enormous rate. This explains the "clumpiness" of the early universe, which is necessary to explain the formation of large-scale structures (e.g., galaxies, {{w|galaxy clusters}}, {{w|galaxy filaments}}, etc.) as the universe evolved. "Regular" {{w|inflation}} refers to the economic process in which the average price of goods and services increases over time. This is usually gradual, but can be very rapid during times of economic distress.

The comic puts both of these on the same {{w|Chronology of the universe|timeline of the universe}}. Cosmic inflation occurred very shortly (~10-34 s) after the {{w|Big Bang}}. Regular inflation occurs only during the time of human society after money started being used, perhaps {{w|History of money|7,000 years ago}}. Because of the logarithmic scale of the graph, the cosmic inflation period, which is only a tiny fraction of a second, looks much larger than regular inflation, which has existed for at least a few thousand years. This misinterpretation is likely [[Randall]]'s intention in the comic, along with conflating two wildly different kinds of "inflation".

The title text refers to a third meaning, that of {{w|body inflation}} as a sexual fetish or kink, which has no direct relationship to cosmology or economics.{{Citation needed}} [[Randall]] points out that body inflation happens at the same time as economic inflation, presumably because both arise from human activities. The suggestion that this coexistence may be "awkward" perhaps implies that people are paying to indulge in the fetish, and that those prices are subject to economic inflation. The "inflation" might also refer to something akin to a {{w|Sex doll|blow-up doll}}.

Another comic illustrating cosmic inflation is [[2240]].

==Trivia==
Assuming regular inflation started with the {{w|History of money|first use of money 7,000 years ago}}, the "regular inflation" bar, if accurately displayed, would go from 1017.63856460 to 1017.63856482 seconds, with a difference in the exponents of 0.00000022. Depending on your display resolution, this would make the graph's "regular" bar on the order of a millionth of a pixel wide.

==Transcript==
:[Caption:] Timeline of Inflation
:[A log-scale timeline labeled "Age of the Universe (seconds)" ranging from 10-40 to about 1025, with labeled tick marks at 10-40, 10-30, ..., 1020 s. A bar labeled "Cosmic" begins off-panel to the left and continues up to roughly 10-33 seconds. A second, much thinner bar labeled "Regular" covers another period between roughly 1016.9 and 1017.3 seconds.]

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Cosmology]]
[[Category:Sex]]

3223: Inflation Timeline

2026-03-23T23:35:53Z

DKMell: minor fixes

3222: Star Formation

2026-03-22T21:22:33Z

DKMell: minor

{{comic
| number = 3222
| date = March 20, 2026
| title = Star Formation
| image = star_formation_2x.png
| imagesize = 676x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's ok, I still have some nice, cool gas clouds that aren't collapsing. As long as nothing ionizes them, I can continue to enjoy their ... HEY! NO!!!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a DIRECT COLLAPSE BLACK HOLE. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic depicts a simplified model of how structure forms in the universe, then pushes it to an absurd extreme. In cosmology, small density variations in the early universe grow over time: regions with slightly higher density attract more matter via {{w|gravity}}, eventually forming {{w|gas cloud}}s, stars, and galaxies. Pressure, driven by temperature, resists collapse, so the evolution of a cloud depends on the balance between gravitational attraction and internal pressure; this is often described by the {{w|Jeans instability}} criterion.

In the first panel, the on-screen narrator (with a passing resemblance to the [[:Category:Time-Traveling Sphere|time-travelling sphere]] and other speaking dots uses in xkcd), an apparent creator of the universe, describes pressure waves moving through gas and causing it to clump. In the second, the clouds begin to collapse under gravity as more gas falls in. The third panel sees the outcome: as collapse proceeds, the gas heats up (via compression and radiation processes), increasing pressure and eventually sparking fusion. The comic depicts the formation of stars, something that we know this universe has done,{{cn}} with the implication that this was a totally unforeseen outcome for the {{w|Demiurge|manipulator}} or {{w|Creator deity|creator}} of this universe.

The final panel humorously frames this as the narrator lamenting the destruction of their "beautiful clouds," as the process has gone out of their control and produced a star instead of the desired (and perhaps, to their mind, more aesthetically pleasing) gently pulsating clouds.

The title text continues this joke by referencing the importance of ionization. "Cool" gas clouds (low temperature, neutral gas) can remain stable or collapse slowly. If they are ionized (for example, by nearby stars emitting {{w|ultraviolet}} radiation), the gas heats up, increasing pressure and preventing or disrupting collapse. The narrator hopes to preserve some of their own calm, neutral clouds but then reacts in horror as something ionizes them, ruining the delicate balance and ending their ability to "enjoy" stable gas clouds. But this is a natural result of {{w|star formation}} within and around a {{w|nebula}} again unforeseen by the being who apparently set up the circumstances that led to all the cosmic evolution we see.

==Transcript==
:[A black dot with star burst all around it is speaking, as indicated with a line from one of the burst lines to the text above it. Around the dot there are four larger and three small clouds. The one to the top right is somewhat larger than the other bigger ones.]
:Dot: I think I did a good job with this universe.
:Dot: Pressure waves dance through gas clouds.
:Dot: They clump together and then pressure pushes them apart.

:[In a fame-less panel the dot comments on the development as the largest cloud from seems to be gathering several other smaller clouds together. The other three larger clouds are still there, but there now seems to be some larger clouds stuck together in the upper right part, with more than ten smaller cloud either on top of these or moving in from all angles.]
:Dot: Oh weird, that big clump of clouds is staying together.
:Dot: Their gravity is overcoming the pressure and more gas is falling in.

:[The dot keeps commenting as the increasingly fragmentary clouds start to fall in streaks towards the original large cloud, which has now been compressed so it is smaller than before, but obviously are many more clouds stuck together. The larger clouds from before have begun to be drawn out and moving towards the larger.]
:Dot: It's not stopping!
:Dot: The heat is rising but the collapse is only accelerating!
:Dot: I messed up bad. I messed up '''''bad.'''''

:[The dot comments on the final result. There is now a shining star in place of the dense field of clouds, radiating strongly in all directions, blowing the few remaining smaller clouds around it, nine in total, away from it.]
:Dot: <big>'''''Noooooooo!!!'''''</big>
:Dot: My beautiful clouds!
:Dot: Ruined! It's all ruined!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Cosmology]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

3221: Landscape Features

2026-03-18T19:39:44Z

DKMell: clarification

{{comic
| number = 3221
| date = March 18, 2026
| title = Landscape Features
| image = landscape_features_2x.png
| imagesize = 537x454px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'Well, there's speculation that it's due to a mantle hotspot.' --a geologist who's trying to cover up the fact that they didn't hear your question
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic is a map of the United States, explaining some of the most significant geologic/human activity in each region. It claims that, in each area, there is one major mechanism (plate tectonics, erosion, volcanism, etc.) which is responsible for the majority of interesting formations and features.

The title text plays off the fact that a large part of geology concerned with activity in the mantle, so explaining some geologic feature by saying "there's speculation that it's due to a mantle hotspot" does not give much information. Saying this would let a distracted geologist buy time while responding to a missed question. Many of Earth's seemingly out-of-place features (e.g., {{w|Hawaii hotspot}}, {{w|Iceland}}, the {{w|Snake River Plain}} in Idaho, etc.) form from such mantle hotspots. Thus, it's an easy go-to explanation for many of the geological features people are often most curious about.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Location
! Description
! Explanation
|-
| Adirondack Mountains
| ???
| The Adirondack Mountains are made of billion-year-old rock but were uplifted relatively recently, within the last 5–10 million years. They’re still rising today despite being far from any plate boundary, forming a dome with no clear tectonic cause, thus the "???" due to an ongoing mystery as to their formation.
|-
| Most of northern conterminous U.S.
| glaciers
| During the {{w|Last Glacial Period}}, this area was covered by {{w|Laurentide Ice Sheet|an ice sheet}} that left its marks on the landscape, in the form of {{w|moraines}}, {{w|eskers}}, {{w|glacial erratics}}, etc.
|-
| Appalachian Mountains
| continents colliding
|
|-
| Near Mississippi & Ohio Rivers
| rivers
|
|-
| Southeastern U.S.
| farming
|
|-
| Southern Florida
| ongoing disputes between limestone and water
|
|-
| Southern Missouri/Northern Arkansas
| geology
|
|-
| Central column of U.S.
| farming
|
|-
| Central Idaho/Yellowstone
| a supervolcano
|
|-
| Eastern Washington
| a megaflood
| Most likely a reference to the {{w|Missoula floods}} and the {{w|Bonneville flood}}, a series of floods caused by glacial ice dam failures causing massive lakes to flood large regions of present-day Eastern Washington.
|-
| West Coast
| a plate tectonic speedrun
| Most likely a reference to the significant tectonic activity on the western coast of the US, caused by the collisions of the {{w|Juna de Fuca plate}}, {{w|Pacific plate}}, and the {{w|North American plate}}.
|-
| Desert Southwest
| water and time
|
|-
| Northern Alaska
| geology
|
|-
| Aleutian Islands
| volcanoes
|
|-
| Southeast Alaska
| glaciers
| This part of Alaska (including {{w|Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park}}) and western Canada has many glaciers that are still carving the landscape.
|-
| Hawaiian island chain
| volcanoes
| Hawaii, including the {{w|Northwest Hawaiian Islands}}, and seamounts northwest of it were formed by a tectonic plate moving over a hotspot, with volcanoes erupting and forming land as it went. The entire chain can be seen [https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0555574,-176.5939317,4904085m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDMxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D here].
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3221: Landscape Features

2026-03-18T19:35:27Z

DKMell: capitalization

{{comic
| number = 3221
| date = March 18, 2026
| title = Landscape Features
| image = landscape_features_2x.png
| imagesize = 537x454px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'Well, there's speculation that it's due to a mantle hotspot.' --a geologist who's trying to cover up the fact that they didn't hear your question
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic is a map of the United States, explaining some of the most significant geologic/human activity in each region. It claims that, in each area, there is one major mechanism (plate tectonics, erosion, volcanism, etc.) which is responsible for the majority of interesting formations and features.

The title text plays off the fact that a large part of geology concerned with activity in the mantle, so explaining that there is speculation that something is "due to a mantle hotspot" is not giving much information. Saying this would let a distracted geologist buy for time while responding to a missed question. The area of the map in upstate New York marked with question marks is the {{w|Adirondack Mountains}}, which are theorized to have been caused by uplift from such a mantle hotspot.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Location
! Description
! Explanation
|-
| Adirondack Mountains
| ???
| The Adirondack Mountains are made of billion-year-old rock but were uplifted relatively recently, within the last 5–10 million years. They’re still rising today despite being far from any plate boundary, forming a dome with no clear tectonic cause, thus the "???" due to an ongoing mystery as to their formation.
|-
| Most of northern conterminous U.S.
| glaciers
| During the {{w|Last Glacial Period}}, this area was covered by {{w|Laurentide Ice Sheet|an ice sheet}} that left its marks on the landscape, in the form of {{w|moraines}}, {{w|eskers}}, {{w|glacial erratics}}, etc.
|-
| Appalachian Mountains
| continents colliding
|
|-
| Near Mississippi & Ohio Rivers
| rivers
|
|-
| Southeastern U.S.
| farming
|
|-
| Southern Florida
| ongoing disputes between limestone and water
|
|-
| Southern Missouri/Northern Arkansas
| geology
|
|-
| Central column of U.S.
| farming
|
|-
| Central Idaho/Yellowstone
| a supervolcano
|
|-
| Eastern Washington
| a megaflood
| Most likely a reference to the {{w|Missoula floods}} and the {{w|Bonneville flood}}, a series of floods caused by glacial ice dam failures causing massive lakes to flood large regions of present-day Eastern Washington.
|-
| West Coast
| a plate tectonic speedrun
|
|-
| Desert Southwest
| water and time
|
|-
| Northern Alaska
| geology
|
|-
| Aleutian Islands
| volcanoes
|
|-
| Southeast Alaska
| glaciers
| This part of Alaska (including {{w|Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park}}) and western Canada has many glaciers that are still carving the landscape.
|-
| Hawaiian island chain
| volcanoes
| Hawaii, including the {{w|Northwest Hawaiian Islands}}, and seamounts northwest of it were formed by a tectonic plate moving over a hotspot, with volcanoes erupting and forming land as it went. The entire chain can be seen [https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0555574,-176.5939317,4904085m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDMxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D here].
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3221: Landscape Features

2026-03-18T19:33:39Z

DKMell: hawaii

{{comic
| number = 3221
| date = March 18, 2026
| title = Landscape Features
| image = landscape_features_2x.png
| imagesize = 537x454px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'Well, there's speculation that it's due to a mantle hotspot.' --a geologist who's trying to cover up the fact that they didn't hear your question
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic is a map of the United States, explaining some of the most significant geologic/human activity in each region. It claims that, in each area, there is one major mechanism (plate tectonics, erosion, volcanism, etc.) which is responsible for the majority of interesting formations and features.

The title text plays off the fact that a large part of geology concerned with activity in the mantle, so explaining that there is speculation that something is "due to a mantle hotspot" is not giving much information. Saying this would let a distracted geologist buy for time while responding to a missed question. The area of the map in upstate New York marked with question marks is the {{w|Adirondack Mountains}}, which are theorized to have been caused by uplift from such a mantle hotspot.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Location
! Description
! Explanation
|-
| Adirondack Mountains
| ???
| The Adirondack Mountains are made of billion-year-old rock but were uplifted relatively recently, within the last 5–10 million years. They’re still rising today despite being far from any plate boundary, forming a dome with no clear tectonic cause, thus the "???" due to an ongoing mystery as to their formation.
|-
| Most of northern conterminous U.S.
| Glaciers
| During the {{w|Last Glacial Period}}, this area was covered by {{w|Laurentide Ice Sheet|an ice sheet}} that left its marks on the landscape, in the form of {{w|moraines}}, {{w|eskers}}, {{w|glacial erratics}}, etc.
|-
| Appalachian Mountains
| Continents colliding
|
|-
| Near Mississippi & Ohio Rivers
| Rivers
|
|-
| Southeastern U.S.
| Farming
|
|-
| Southern Florida
| Ongoing disputes between limestone and water
|
|-
| Southern Missouri/Northern Arkansas
| Geology
|
|-
| Central column of U.S.
| Farming
|
|-
| Central Idaho/Yellowstone
| A supervolcano
|
|-
| Eastern Washington
| A megaflood
| Most likely a reference to the {{w|Missoula floods}}, a series of floods caused by glacial ice dam failures causing massive lakes to flood large regions of present-day Eastern Washington.
|-
| West Coast
| A plate tectonic speedrun
|
|-
| Desert Southwest
| Water and time
|
|-
| Northern Alaska
| Geology
|
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| Aleutian Islands
| Volcanoes
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| Southeast Alaska
| Glaciers
| This part of Alaska (including {{w|Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park}}) and western Canada has many glaciers that are still carving the landscape.
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| Hawaiian island chain
| Volcanoes
| Hawaii, including the {{w|Northwest Hawaiian Islands}}, and seamounts northwest of it were formed by a tectonic plate moving over a hotspot, with volcanoes erupting and forming land as it went. The entire chain can be seen [https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0555574,-176.5939317,4904085m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDMxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D here].
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>