explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1155: Kolmogorov Directions

2014-03-20T20:56:17Z

Dargor17: it's not impossible to end up in a street named after a president or a prime-numbered highway, so "only" is incorrect

{{comic
| number = 1155
| date = January 2, 2013
| title = Kolmogorov Directions
| image = kolmogorov directions.png
| titletext = People get really grumpy when they realize you're giving them directions for how to go to the store and buy a GPS.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Andrey Kolmogorov}} was a mathematician who worked, among other things, on defining computational complexity. Roughly speaking, the {{w|Kolmogorov complexity}} of a string (of bits, words, symbols, etc.) is the shortest description that allows an accurate reconstruction - or, in some variants, the length of the smallest program which will output the original string.

[[Cueball]]'s method of giving directions is very reminiscent of Kolmogorov's method of determining complexity. These directions may have minimal Kolmogorov complexity, but they are non-intuitive and are likely not the shortest or quickest way to get there, considering that they consist mostly of left turns.

This is [[783: I Don't Want Directions|not the first time]] Cueball has had difficulties with directions, and here we see he hates giving directions as much as he hates receiving them.

The joke at the title text is that Cueball just sends his friend to a GPS store for buying a device giving him the correct directions.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball on the phone.]
:Phone: How do I get to your place from Lexington?
:Cueball: Hmm...
:Cueball: Ok, starting from your driveway, take every left turn that doesn't put you on a prime-numbered highway or street named for a president.
:When people ask for step-by-step directions, I worry that there will be too many steps to remember, so I try to put them in minimal form.

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

1341: Types of Editors

2014-03-12T11:01:38Z

Dargor17: snipped some gushing about emacs

{{comic
| number = 1341
| date = March 12, 2014
| title = Types of Editors
| image = types_of_editors.png
| titletext = m-x machineofdeath-mode
}}

==Explanation==

{{w|WYSIWYG}}, pronounced, "whizz-ee-whig", is an acronym that stands for "What you see is what you get". In regards to computers, it refers to text editors in which the user can see exactly what will be published as he is typing it. The comic compares various types of editors.

A WYSIWYG editor displays the edited document in its final, typically printed, form.

A WYSIN(not)WYG, is similar to an HTML source editor, where you enter raw HTML code and are (in a different view) presented with the rendered appearance of the page.

The WYSITUTWYG ("... is totally unrelated to ...") editor apparently takes your input and proceeds to ignore it entirely, instead displaying totally unrelated words.

Finally, the WYSIHYD ("... is how you die") "editor" is not an editor at all, but a pun on the multiple meanings of the word "get": If you see "eaten by wolves", you will get ... eaten by wolves. The white-on-black writing is probably a reference to the anime ''Death Note''.

The title text is a fictitious command to the highly extensible {{w|Emacs}} text editor. Emacs operates in various "modes", which are customizations for specific purposes. Placing Emacs into "Machine of Death" mode would turn it into a WYSIHYD editor. Another fictitious emacs mode can be found in comic [[378]]. "Machine of Death" is a reference to the 2010 book [http://machineofdeath.net/ Machine of Death], a collection of short stories about a device than can predict how people die from a drop of their blood. In many of the stories very unusual deaths are predicted, often in a very literal way.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1341: Types of Editors

2014-03-12T10:50:11Z

Dargor17: removed comment about wiki editor because not relevant

{{comic
| number = 1341
| date = March 12, 2014
| title = Types of Editors
| image = types_of_editors.png
| titletext = m-x machineofdeath-mode
}}

==Explanation==

{{w|WYSIWYG}}, pronounced, "whizz-ee-whig", is an acronym that stands for "What you see is what you get". In regards to computers, it refers to text editors in which the user can see exactly what will be published as he is typing it.

The comic compares various types of editors. A WYSIWYG editor displays the edited document in its final, typically printed, form. The next type, WYSIN(not)WYG, is similar to an HTML source editor, where you enter raw HTML code and are (in a different view) presented with the rendered appearance of the page.

The WYSITUTWYG ("... is totally unrelated to ...") editor apparently takes your input and proceeds to ignore it entirely, instead displaying totally unrelated words.

Finally, the WYSIHYD ("... is how you die") "editor" is not an editor at all, but a terrible, terrible pun on the multiple meanings of the word "get": If you see "eaten by wolves", you will get ... eaten by wolves. This effect and the white-on-black writing is probably a reference to the anime ''Death Note''.

The title text takes the joke one step further. It is a fictitious command to the highly extensible {{w|Emacs}} text editor. A well-known comment about Emacs is that "it is a pretty good operating system, all it lacks is a good editor". In fact, Emacs is a runtime environment for the {{w|Lisp_(programming_language)|Lisp}} programming language; the main application present in that environment is the editor. Emacs operates in various "modes", which are customizations for specific purposes, like editing plain text, e-mail, source code in any of hundreds of languages, operating heavy machinery, etc. Placing Emacs into "Machine of Death" mode would turn it into a WYSIHYD editor (or maybe it would just kill the user?). "M-x" is Emacs-way of saying "hold down meta key, press x, release meta key", and meta is normally mapped to Alt key. Don't know why xkcd uses "m-x" instead of "M-x". And no, that particular mode does not exist at least on Emacs 23.2.1.

"Machine of Death" is a reference to the 2010 book [http://machineofdeath.net/ Machine of Death], a collection of short stories about a device than can predict how people die from a drop of their blood.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics

2014-01-12T20:27:43Z

Dargor17:

{{comic
| number = 145
| date = August 18, 2006
| title = Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics
| image = dinosaur_comics.png
| titletext = Guys: while I was writing this, I accidentally swallowed a table-size slab of drywall. I know! Wacky.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
[http://qwantz.com/index.php Dinosaur Comics] ({{w|Dinosaur Comics|wikipedia article}}) is a webcomic by Ryan North. The artwork never changes, save a few rare exceptions, and only the dialogue is different. [[Randall]] traced the comic's usual artwork (though the man being squashed in panel 4 is replaced by a stick figure).

For those who don't read it, [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1387 here's] a typical strip, and [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2079 here's] the strip referenced by the parody.

Randall makes several shots at recurring themes in Dinosaur Comics. T-Rex (the green dinosaur) is bold and enthusiastic, discussing various topics, a favorite of which appears to be linguistics. Dromiceiomimus, the white dinosaur in the third panel, usually responds calmly to T-Rex's discussions. Utahraptor, the orange dinosaur, typically contradicts T-Rex, but Randall subverts this pattern and has him agree. The comic suggests that the perpetual disagreement stems from a 'rift' in the author's mind, which would be healed if only he lived in a world where there were a land bridge between Asia and North America.

Just like xkcd, Dinosaur Comics also has title texts. Ryan's title texts tend to be bizarre non-sequiturs, and the title text in the parody seems to be a riff on this.

This comic is a part of the Parody Week, just joking about other webcomics.
*[[Parody Week: Achewood]]
*[[Parody Week: Megatokyo]]
*[[Parody Week: TFD and Natalie Dee]]
*[[Parody Week: A Softer World]]
*'''Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics'''

==Transcript==
:T-Rex: THINGS I AM UPPITY ABOUT: "They" as a third-person singular gender-free pronoun.
:T-Rex: I'm all for it!
:Dromiceiomimus: But isn't that terrible grammar?
:T-Rex: Only by recent convention! It's been in use that way for centuries, and its use is widely accepted! ALSO: this lets us avoid ridiculous constructs like "he/she", "s/he", "xe" or "hirs"!
:Utahraptor: T-Rex, I... agree.
:T-Rex: What?
:Utahraptor: That sounds good to me!
:Utahraptor: Normally I'd jump in with an objection, but I think your point makes sense.
:T-Rex: Could it be that the rift in our author's mind has finally healed? Is he no longer locked in perpetual war with the self-doubt that lurks in his subc-
:Narrator: '''IN A WORLD WHERE THERE IS STILL A LAND BRIDGE BETWEEN ASIA AND NORTH AMERICA FOR SOME REASON:'''
:T-Rex: -onscious?
:Narrator: '''ALSO HOW ABOUT IN THIS WORLD EVERYONE IS BICURIOUS'''

==Trivia==
*The topic of gender-neutral pronouns has been [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2079 specifically covered] in Dinosaur Comics, five years after this parody.

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

Talk:1140: Calendar of Meaningful Dates

2013-08-29T19:13:11Z

Dargor17:

Seeing how the (northern hemisphere) summer months are bolder than the winter ones, I remember that someone said that "historical things" like wars and battles used to occur during the good weather months. Same for e.g. romance novels - people date and love on those dates. {{unsigned|‎81.34.231.6}}

If the search included Spanish dates in English texts, May 5th would be larger. {{unsigned|214.4.253.121}}

I wonder if he took into account the month/day swap between the US and UK dating system (among other countries). [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 14:22, 28 November 2012 (UTC)
:That's a good question. I entered [http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=July+4%2CNovember+5%2C4+July%2C5+November%2CJuly+4th%2CNovember+5th%2C+4th+July%2C+5th+November&year_start=2000&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share= July 4 and November 5 (Guy Fawkes Day) into Google Ngram], and the difference reflected in the calendar is only apparent when you put the month before the date.--[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 01:11, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
::Yes, [there's a lot of difference](http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=November+5%2C+November+5th%2C5th+of+November%2CFifth+of+November%2Cfifth+of+November&year_start=1500&year_end=2008&corpus=0&smoothing=3) in the spelling. --[[Special:Contributions/84.181.107.38|84.181.107.38]] 17:58, 9 December 2012 (UTC)

Interesting about the 11ths -- perhaps that correlates with low passenger loads on airplanes as well, and thus why the 11th was chosen for the attack (the month of September having been chosen for some other reason).[[Special:Contributions/50.0.38.245|50.0.38.245]] 15:33, 28 November 2012 (UTC)

:I want to point out that Randall doesn't know either, and I think he would have thought about the plane correlation, so I don't think that's the reason. I'm going to investigate this. --[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 02:53, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

::September 11 (1973) is also the date of the coup d'etat in Chile. I suppose that might (partially) explain why this specific 11th has been mentioned more frequently even before 2001...

I second the Spanish language date in English texts. May 5th is routinely routinely called Cinco De Mayo in English. Has Randall weighed in on how this was handled? [[User:Donglebaker|Donglebaker]] ([[User talk:Donglebaker|talk]]) 18:16, 28 November 2012 (UTC) JC

I also wonder about the difference between the 4th of July (Big 4) and November the 5th (small 5) as being the two "firework" days in US and UK! 4th of July peaks at 0.00003 July the 4th 0.0000001 November the 5th peaks at 0.0000006 and 5th of November peaks at 0.00001 so there are big differences and also whether you pick anything but English 2009. Reader in Invisible Writings --[[Special:Contributions/90.208.142.152|90.208.142.152]] 19:42, 28 November 2012 (UTC)

:No one forget that November 5th is also the day the Flux Capacitor was invented by Dr. Emmitt Brown using little more than a toilet seat and a minor concussion. I believe that is worth a mention.--[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 16:08, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

The transcript reads "[A regular Gregorian calendar laid out in a grid, with some numbers larger than others.]" In fact, there is no way to tell if this is a Gregorian or a Julian calendar; they both have the same months and days. The Gregorian calendar only differs from the Julian in its leap year rule (it has 3 fewer every 400 years).--[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 01:17, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
:This was surely meant to distinguish it from other calendar systems such as the Islamic and Hindu calendar, not the Julian calendar. Since it is consistent with both, the current phrasing is not inaccurate. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 14:45, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

Certain days of the week tend to get their dates mentioned more than others. Since the sample data were from a small number of years, this may be relevant to the results (unless it was controlled for). For example, in the US, elections are always held on a Tuesday, and Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday (and the Friday and Saturday right after it also get mentioned a lot), but these would not be the same numeric dates every year. — [[User:Jonadab||Jonadab the Unsightly One]], 2012-Nov-28 9:45pm EST (GMT+0500)
:The title only says that the books were published since 2000. The events in the book may have taken place many years before. --[[User:Jasqm|Jasqm]] ([[User talk:Jasqm|talk]]) 09:37, 29 November 2012 (UTC)jasqm

The last few US Presidential elections were 11/6/2012, 11/4/2008, 11/2/2004, 11/7/2000, 11/5/1996, 11/3/1992. November 1 is writ large, but that seems typical of the first day of all months. November 4 and 5 seem next largest. They correspond to the elections of 2008 (McCain-Obama) and 1996 (Dole-Clinton-Perot).

It seems like some of the dates in the explanation were of minimal importance to the comic - March 15th doesn't seem as large as the 21st or 31st of the month, and Halloween and Kristallnacht aren't that large, either. Sure, it's nice to know, but then there'd have to be explanations for several dozen more days. [[User:Bobidou23|Bobidou23]] ([[User talk:Bobidou23|talk]]) 21:46, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

It is missing 4/20. [[Special:Contributions/70.49.173.75|70.49.173.75]] 23:30, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:If you'll notice April, third row, second column from the right. That must be some good stuff you've got if you missed that. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 01:45, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

I think the language category should include only comics whose joke or topic is ''about'' language. Surely, almost all comics and every chart ''employs'' language. --[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 10:59, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

I was curious about August 15th, that is quite larger then its surrounding numbers, so I checked out: only a few noticeable references (to me) in history:
- Macbeth's death (1057)
- Napoleon's birthday (1769)
- WWII Japan Surrender (1945) and, consequently, Korea's Independence Day
- India's Independence Day (1947)
- and, of course, Woodstock opening (1969)
But besides Mary's Assumption (Catholic Feast) I found no significant events since year 2000. Anyone?

Paulo Sedrez [[Special:Contributions/139.82.111.111|139.82.111.111]] 18:33, 7 January 2013 (UTC)
: The 15th is also a reasonably common "deadline" day, being treated as the halfway point of the month. [[Special:Contributions/70.116.137.237|70.116.137.237]] 01:12, 15 February 2013 (UTC)

: Not sure if it's relevant for this chart because it's restricted to English books, but August 15th is a holiday in many European countries and it marks the peak of summer holidays: it's the day when most people take leave from work. [[User:Dargor17|Dargor17]] ([[User talk:Dargor17|talk]]) 19:13, 29 August 2013 (UTC)

Sept. 11th, is also 9/11, which is very similar to 911. Not sure if there's a correlation there. –{{unsigned|24.49.68.40}}
:How do you mean?–[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 21:34, 17 February 2013 (UTC)

I was surprised by April 1st's relatively small size, and Christmas is much smaller than I expected. {{unsigned|‎75.69.96.225}}
: About Christmas, it's probably because it's often mentioned by name and not as "the 25th of December" [[User:Dargor17|Dargor17]] ([[User talk:Dargor17|talk]]) 19:13, 29 August 2013 (UTC)

955: Neutrinos

2013-07-10T19:05:37Z

Dargor17: fixed some geographical detail

{{comic
| number = 955
| date = September 23, 2011
| title = Neutrinos
| image = neutrinos.png
| titletext = I can't speak to the paper's scientific merits, but it's really cool how on page 10 you can see that their reference GPS beacon is sensitive enough to pick up continential drift under the detector (interrupted halfway through by an earthquake).
}} 

==Explanation==
The "Neutrino speed of light thing" [http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20110594-264/physics-shocker-neutrinos-clocked-faster-than-light/ is an actual story from the day before the comic was posted].

In short, there was a {{w|CERN}}-{{w|LNGS}} experiment where they shot a stream of neutrinos from CERN in Switzerland to a receiving station in the INFN laboratories of Gran Sasso, in Italy. The initial findings from the experiment were that the detector was triggered before the neutrinos could have ever gotten to Italy if they followed the {{w|speed of light|cosmic speed limit}} (the speed of light).

In this comic, [[Cueball]] decides [[386|instead of]] arguing with people about the result and preaching caution, he takes money from them in the form of a bet. Cueball's comment is that most of these papers that are supposed to turn the world upside down end up falling apart after further investigation.

It was [http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112551696/cern-confirms-neutrinos-not-faster-than-light/ later found] that the data was probably wrong due to an incorrectly synchronized clock on the receiving end.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are talking.]
:Megan: Did you see the neutrino speed of light thing?
:Cueball: Yup! Good news; I need the cash.
:Megan: Huh? Cash?

:(Text above half-sized panel.)
:Yeah. When there's a news story about a study overturning all of physics, i used to urge caution, remind people that experts aren't all stupid, and end up in pointless arguments about Galileo.

:(Half-height panel.)
:[Cueball sitting on chair, looking down at laptop in his lap. Books and things are on a desk in front of him.]
:Cueball: No, this isn't ''about'' whether relativity exists. If it didn't, your GPS wouldn't work. -- What do you mean, "science thought police"? Have you seen our budget? We couldn't ''begin'' to afford our own thought police.

:[Megan and Cueball talking again.]
:Megan: That sounds miserable and unfulfilling.
:Cueball: Yup. So I gave up, and now I just find excited believers and bet them $200 each that the new result won't pan out.

:[Same as last panel.]
:Megan: That's mean.
:Cueball: It provides a good income, and if I'm ever wrong, I'll be too excited about the new physics to notice the loss.

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

Post Office Showdown

2013-06-16T19:16:39Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 337: Post Office Showdown

#REDIRECT [[337: Post Office Showdown]]

337

2013-06-16T19:16:34Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 337: Post Office Showdown

#REDIRECT [[337: Post Office Showdown]]

337: Post Office Showdown

2013-06-16T19:14:24Z

Dargor17: Created page with "{{comic | number = 337 | date = February 02, 2007 | title = Post Office Showdown | image = post_office_showdown.png | titletext = That track ('Battle Witho..."

{{comic
| number = 337
| date = February 02, 2007
| title = Post Office Showdown
| image = post_office_showdown.png
| titletext = That track ('Battle Without Honor or Humanity') -- like 'Ride of the Valkyries' -- improves *any* activity.
}}

==Explanation==
Action movies, such as "Kill Bill" by Quentin Tarantino, often feature elaborate fight scenes in mundane environments. Cueball is imagining himself in such a situation, consistently with his attitude for flights of fancy.

The title text references both the song "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" from the soundtrack of "Kill Bill", and "Ride of the Valkiries" by Richard Wagner, the latter being associated to fighting scenes because of a famous sequence in the movie "Apocalypse Now" by Francis Ford Coppola.

==Transcript==
:I spend a lot of time mentally choreographing elaborate fight scenes with strangers around me.
:[Man is in a post office wearing earphones. There are several other people, including an old man with a crutch and an old woman with a long narrow box]
:Man's thoughts: Okay - if that old man pulls a crossbow,
:Man's thoughts: I'll throw the postal scale at him and dive backward behind the stamps machine.
:Man's thoughts: But what if the lady by the door has a katana in that box?
:Man's thoughts: Better set my iPod to the "Kill Bill" fight theme, just in case.

{{comic discussion}}

Choices: Part 5

2013-06-16T18:49:55Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 268: Choices: Part 5

#REDIRECT [[268: Choices: Part 5]]

268

2013-06-16T18:49:49Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 268: Choices: Part 5

#REDIRECT [[268: Choices: Part 5]]

Choices: Part 4

2013-06-16T18:49:32Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 267: Choices: Part 4

#REDIRECT [[267: Choices: Part 4]]

267

2013-06-16T18:49:14Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 267: Choices: Part 4

#REDIRECT [[267: Choices: Part 4]]

268: Choices: Part 5

2013-06-16T18:47:01Z

Dargor17: Created page with "{{comic | number = 268 | date = May 25, 2007 | title = Choices: Part 5 | image = choices_part_5.png | titletext = I wonder what percentage of not-obviously-bus..."

{{comic
| number = 268
| date = May 25, 2007
| title = Choices: Part 5
| image = choices_part_5.png
| titletext = I wonder what percentage of not-obviously-busy people on the street would say yes to kite-flying with a stranger. This looks like a job for Science!
}}

==Explanation==
Final part of "[[:Category:Choices|Choices]]":
* [[264: Choices: Part 1]]
* [[265: Choices: Part 2]]
* [[266: Choices: Part 3]]
* [[267: Choices: Part 4]]
* [[268: Choices: Part 5]]

Megan has retained the hints she was given by her alternate self in part 4, and tries talking to a stranger (possibly the same guy as in part 2).

==Transcript==
:[A girl is walking towards the right of the panel.]
:[A boy wearing a backpack is walking towards the left of the panel.]
:[They walk past each other.]
:[The girl has a sudden thought.]
:[The girl turns back and says.]
:Girl: Hi.
:Boy: Uh, hi.
:Girl: Sorry if this is weird, but
:Girl: Do you like flying kites?
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:356: Nerd Sniping

2013-06-16T17:47:59Z

Dargor17:

Just because the problem contains an infinite series (or parallel) doesn't mean that it's unsolvable. It's tricky, certainly, and getting the "true" answer involves some rather heavy math, but it's not impossible. Indeed, Google shows that it's already been answered. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 20:42, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

I've always had an issue with this problem for one simple reason. In an infinite set of resistors, there is no space to apply a charge, thus there is no resistance. Ohm's law states Resistance = Voltage / I(current). So, in a system where there is no current (creating a divide by zero error), and there is no voltage (no change in electron work capacity, because we don't have a way to excite the electrons, because there is no power) Resistance is incalculable. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:22, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

We live in 3 dimensions, just place a battery above the grid with wires going to the 2 points. --[[Special:Contributions/84.197.34.154|84.197.34.154]] 22:59, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

:Not everybody does... --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.14|FlatlandDweller]] 11:08, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

This problem is "unsolvable" only if you try to just use the basic methods for finite networks.
There is a page on this at [http://mathpages.com/home/kmath668/kmath668.htm http://mathpages.com/home/kmath668/kmath668.htm] that reports that the cited points have a resistance of '''4/pi - 1/2''' ohms (.773234... ohms).
The 1/2 ohm resistance between adjacent nodes is actually well known.
[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 05:05, 5 October 2012 (UTC)

Solution here as well: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/news/2004-10-13/google/ [[User:Potie15|Potie15]] ([[User talk:Potie15|talk]]) 03:50, 18 March 2013 (UTC)

Nowhere it is said that the problem is unsolvable, just that it is interesting. Of course, the sniping is more effective is the problem is also difficult to solve, because otherwise the victim would get over it quickly. [[User:Dargor17|Dargor17]] ([[User talk:Dargor17|talk]]) 17:47, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

422

2013-06-13T20:06:55Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 422: A Better Idea

#REDIRECT [[422: A Better Idea]]

A Better Idea

2013-06-13T20:06:48Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 422: A Better Idea

#REDIRECT [[422: A Better Idea]]

422: A Better Idea

2013-06-13T20:06:10Z

Dargor17: Created page with "{{comic | number = 422 | date = May 12, 2008 | title = A Better Idea | image = a_better_idea.png | titletext = It's *almost* enough to make me want to redo..."

{{comic
| number = 422
| date = May 12, 2008
| title = A Better Idea
| image = a_better_idea.png
| titletext = It's *almost* enough to make me want to redo high school.
}}

==Explanation==
In the United States prom (short for promenade) is a semi-formal (black tie) dance or gathering of high-school students. They normally are awkward experiences for nerdy people.

A LAN party is a temporary gathering of people with computers or game consoles, between which they establish a local area network (LAN), primarily for the purpose of playing multiplayer video games. They are normally very informal.

Cueball is likely taking the girl to Prom, but stops when he sees there's a LAN party in formal attire, meaning they wouldn't be out of place. The comic title is likely what Cueball is going to say to the girl, since the LAN party is probably much more appealing for him than a formal ball.

The title text confirms that the author would have loved for such a thing to be possible, so much that he would redo high school just to participate.

==Transcript==
[A boy wearing a bow tie stands holding hands with a girl wearing a dress. On the left, there is a sign pointing left, which reads "PROM"; on the right, there is a sign pointing right, which reads "LAN PARTY IN FORMAL ATTIRE".]

{{comic discussion}}

Fortune Cookies

2013-06-13T19:50:13Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 425: Fortune Cookies

#REDIRECT [[425: Fortune Cookies]]

425

2013-06-13T19:50:06Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 425: Fortune Cookies

#REDIRECT [[425: Fortune Cookies]]

425: Fortune Cookies

2013-06-13T19:47:40Z

Dargor17: Created page with "{{comic | number = 425 | date = May 19, 2008 | title = Fortune Cookies | image = fortune_cookies.png | titletext = "You will have hot, steamy, sweaty sex...."

{{comic
| number = 425
| date = May 19, 2008
| title = Fortune Cookies
| image = fortune_cookies.png
| titletext = "You will have hot, steamy, sweaty sex... IN BED!"
}}

==Explanation==
Fortune cookies are crisp cookies containing a small piece of paper with words of wisdom or a vague prophecy. Even though they were not actually invented in China, they are commonly served as dessert in Chinese restaurants in the United States.

There is a common joke involving fortune cookies that involves appending "in bed" to the end of the fortune, usually creating a sexual innuendo or other bizarre messages.

This comic turns that joke around, showing how appending "except in bed" can also create amusing messages.

The title text instead shows the paradoxical example of an imaginary fortune that would make no sense without appending "in bed".

==Transcript==
:Person 1: "The ones you love will never let you down"
:Person 2: "Your self-confidence is well placed."
:Person 3: "Seek nonviolence in everything you do."
:Instead of "In bed", I've found that fortune cookies are often more improved by appending "EXCEPT in bed."

{{comic discussion}}

It Might Be Cool

2013-05-07T21:11:33Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 535: It Might Be Cool

#REDIRECT [[535: It Might Be Cool]]

535

2013-05-07T21:11:05Z

Dargor17: Redirected page to 535: It Might Be Cool

#REDIRECT [[535: It Might Be Cool]]

535: It Might Be Cool

2013-05-07T21:08:49Z

Dargor17: Created page with "{{comic | number = 535 | date = January 26, 2009 | title = It Might Be Cool | image = it_might_be_cool.png | titletext = 'And ovaries. Man, ovaries, huh?&..."

{{comic
| number = 535
| date = January 26, 2009
| title = It Might Be Cool
| image = it_might_be_cool.png
| titletext = 'And ovaries. Man, ovaries, huh?' [awkward pause] '... faithfully.'
}}

==Explanation==
On January 20, 2009 the inauguration of Barack Obama's first office took place. Chief Justice [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Roberts John Roberts], who was administering the oath, did a mistake while reciting the words. This comic references the event and exaggerates the deviation from the oath for comedic purposes.

In truth, the error was much smaller: the oath as prescribed in the constitution is
<blockquote>I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.</blockquote>
Due to a missed memo on the pauses planned by the Chief Justice, Obama inadvertently interrupted Roberts during the first phrase. Roberts, who was not using notes, rendered the next phrase as "that I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully," misplacing the word faithfully and saying ''president to'' instead of ''president of''. Obama repeated, "that I will execute", then paused. Roberts attempted to correct the wording, but stumbled: "the off— faithfully the pres— the office of President of the United States." Obama then repeated Roberts' initial incorrect wording.

==Transcript==
:[Man #1 is administering the presidential oath to Man #2]
:Man #1: You know, it might be cool to be a woman.
:Man #2: It... might be cool to be a woman?
:Man #1: Yeah, but the menstruation thing is freaky.
:Man #2: Yeah, but... the, um. What?
:Narration: Turns out I'm even worse at administering the presidential oath than John Roberts.

{{comic discussion}}