848: 3D

2024-10-03T12:23:50Z

EbbDrop: Fix link for the 3d archive page

{{comic
| number = 848
| date = January 17, 2011
| title = 3D
| image = 3d.png
| titletext = The LINACs in the glasses frames can barely manage one MeV. You should've gone to the screening at CERN.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|String theory}} hypothesizes that there are many more than 3 {{w|dimension|dimensions}}, it's just that we can't see the rest because they're "rolled up." A common metaphor is an ant on a tightrope — it has two degrees of freedom, one along the rope and one around it, but from far away we can only see one.

Knowing this, [[Black Hat]], showing his typical behaviour, released his 2D movie about string theory in "3D", and claimed that the third dimension was there — just too small to see.

The title text refers to a {{w|linear particle accelerator}}, or "LINAC", which is used to create high-energy particles. Incidentally, the glasses give their particles one mega-electronvolt (symbol {{w|MeV}}) of energy, which is not particularly high for a particle accelerator. The title text suggests that such moviegoers should try the accelerators at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, {{w|CERN}}, since they are widely known for producing the highest energies in the TeV, and thus have the best chance of unraveling the small dimensions of string theory.

On the [http://3d.xkcd.com/848/ xk3d prank site] created along with [[880: Headache]], the 3D on this comic is not visible.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, another Cueball and Megan are lined up to see a movie.]
:Premiering Tonight:
:String Theory:
:An Exposé
:Presented In 3D!

:[Cueball, Cueball 2 and Megan are in a dark theater, fiddling with their 3D glasses.]
:''???''

:[Cueball, Cueball 2 and Megan angrily approach Black Hat, who's sitting at a desk.]
:Megan: Your movie was a ripoff.
:Cueball: It wasn't 3D at all!
:Black Hat: Was too.
:Black Hat: It's just that the third dimension is tightly rolled up and too small to observe at normal energies.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

880: Headache

2024-10-03T12:22:23Z

EbbDrop: Fix 3d archive link

{{comic
| number = 880
| date = April 1, 2011
| title = Headache
| image = headache.png
| titletext = I'm only willing to visit placid lakes, salt flats, and painting exhibits until the world's 3D technology improves.
}}

==Explanation==
This was the second [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] released by [[Randall]], but in principle the first real one to be released on April 1st, which in 2011 fell on a Friday, a normal release day for xkcd. The joke made every comic on the site 3D, thus forcing people like Cueball to endure 3D even at their computer screens. An exception to this is [[848: 3D]], for which the third dimension is not visible. The 3D view is still available at [https://3d.xkcd.com/ 3d.xkcd.com] for all comics prior to this one.

The previous fools comic was literally [[404: Not Found|Not Found]]. After this comic Randall began releasing April Fools comic every year on April 1st disregarding the weekday of that date. The next was [[1037: Umwelt]] released on Sunday April 1st 2012, the first to use another day of the week than Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Some people suffer from headaches, eyestrain, motion sickness and other problems when watching {{w|3D film|3D movies}}, playing 3D games, watching {{w|3D television}}, playing hand-held {{w|Nintendo 3DS}}, etc.

In this comic, Cueball is using the excuse that 3D gives him a headache to get out of going outside into the real world, where ''everything'' is in {{w|Three-dimensional space|3D}}. Instead he stays inside and looks at his 2D computer monitor. In the title text, he says he will only go to flat places (i.e. places where everything he could see would be 2D-like). In his [https://vimeo.com/78912850 Øredev 2013 talk] [[Randall]] mentions that a few of his friends created this 3D view and told him just 1.5 hours before the scheduled comic for that day would go live. [[Randall]] quickly drew a 3D themed comic to match.

The title text suggests that Cueball is only comfortable seeing objects with visible flat surfaces like flat movie and TV screens (which the entertainment industry would not call "3D").

==Transcript==
:[Megan has a bike, and is wearing a helmet. Cueball is at a computer.]
:Megan: Wanna go for a bike ride?
:Cueball: Nah, I hate 3D stuff. It gives me a headache.
:When you think about it, this excuse can get you out of almost anything.

==Trivia==
*When clicking the 'next' or 'latest' buttons on the xk3d site, a blue {{w|Utah teapot}} appears, in random locations and sizes, instead of proceeding. Attempting to proceed beyond via manually pointing the URL elsewhere is not supported.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:April fools' comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

848: 3D

880: Headache