explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

837: Coupon Code

2025-10-28T19:14:10Z

ElijahRock: removed a line saying that it is unclear if cueball still has to pay the shipping cost. he definitely does not, because the screen show shipping beign included in the fully discounted price.

{{comic
| number = 837
| date = December 22, 2010
| title = Coupon Code
| image = coupon_code.png
| titletext = This also guarantees he won't be one of the ones to get a bobcat.
}}

==Explanation==
Some online stores allow you to enter a coupon code for a discount on one of their products. Coupon codes may be a single, simple word related to the product or seller or a complex sequence of characters.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] is buying something online, and he comes across the option to use a coupon code for a discount before checking out. Instead of entering a coupon code, which is often a random sequence of numbers and letters, he chooses to enter a long and detailed blackmail message in the normally short coupon code form, hoping that blackmail could scare the seller and serve the way a coupon code would. This works so well that, instead of just receiving a small discount on the items he bought, Cueball is discounted the full price of the product he's buying.

The humor comes from the fact that Cueball's intimidation works as if the online seller checking the coupon codes was an actual person, and not a computer, which is how coupon codes are checked. In addition, his blackmail message was far too detailed and specific that it could only be used on a certain person and would have virtually no chance of succeeding, unless he knows the seller so well that he even knows about crimes he did secretly.

The title text references [[325: A-Minus-Minus]]; it has become a running gag that bobcats are occasionally sent by mail by [[Black Hat]] in various comics. By blackmailing the seller, it is unlikely that the seller will want to antagonize Cueball by sending him something that may lead to his injury. This implies that the seller is Black Hat; while petty crime is usually not the first association, given his impressive track record of malice, it would also not be completely unimaginable. Should this be true, this comic would also mark one of the few instances in which Black Hat does not get the last laugh. [[576: Packages]] also had a reference to A-Minus-Minus in its title text.

==Transcript==
:[The panel shows an online shopping form.]
:Shipping: $14.08
:Total: $80.02
:If you have a coupon code, enter it here:
:[An empty form.]
:Check out

:[In a frameless panel, Cueball is looking at his computer.]

:[The empty form is now filled in. The rest of the panel shows the same page.]
:Form: In 1987, you quietly took something from the house of a dying woman. You thought nobody knew. You were wrong.

:[Cueball is sitting at his computer.]
:''Click''

:[The form is updated.]
:Shipping: $14.08
:Total: $80.02
:----------------
:Discount
:Applied: -$80.02
:Final price: $0.00
:Thank you
:-Your order has been placed-

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Bobcats]]

75: Curse Levels

2025-01-09T19:46:33Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 75
| date = March 13, 2006
| title = Curse Levels
| image = curse levels.jpg
| titletext = I find so much fun in language.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the fourth comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby series]]. Curse words (aka: swear words/profanities) are disrespectful words that are typically impolite to use in public. As noted in the strip, there are "levels" of curse words ranging from those "mild" words that are more acceptable to use, to those "severe" words that are considered very impolite (the milder curse words can be used on network television in the US, for example, while severe ones can not). One usually uses milder cursing because either they personally don't feel comfortable using the more severe words, or because it would not be appropriate in the context (such as on network television, in the presence of children, etc). Thus, mixing mild and severe curses in one usage does not usually occur, as the effect achieved by keeping the one curse word mild is negated by using another that is severe.

In a mild curse, "gosh-darned" is typically used as a {{w|minced oath}} of "God-damned" when the latter would be inappropriate. This is mixed with "{{w|cunt}}" — a vulgar term for the female genitalia, considered the most offensive swear word in many English-speaking countries.

==Transcript==
:My hobby: mixing curse levels
:Cueball: What a gosh-darned cunt.

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]
[[Category:Comics with cursed items]]

2775: Siphon

2023-05-12T14:47:41Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2775
| date = May 12, 2023
| title = Siphon
| image = siphon_2x.png
| imagesize = 310x378px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = ADDITIONAL NOTES: Fixed a bug that caused some rocks to generate virtually infinite heat while just sitting there.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SIPHONIC WINDS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a parody of video game patches, wherein something unintended within a game is removed, or something not working as intended is fixed. Developers release patches alongside patch notes, which detail to players what has been changed.

A siphon is a physics mechanism where putting a tub in some water makes it flow up. somebody else on this wiki can explain it better than i can. Randall has previously brought up siphons in the "how to make a pool" section of "how to."

This comic acts as though the existence of siphons is a bug within the "game" of real life, and the "earth developers" have finally patched it out. physics noting the change realize how silly the concept was in the first place.

This kind of joke has already been made with the title text of [2115: Plutonium], and the title text of this comic makes a very similar joke saying that the existence of radioactive materials that endlessly generate energy for "free" is not intended to exist on earth.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Cueball: Wow, it's true—the water doesn't flow up the tube anymore.
:Megan: Honestly, it's weird that it ever did.
:Megan: Why did we think that was normal?

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Physics news: The 2023 update to the universe finally fixed the "siphon" bug.

{{comic discussion}}

2775: Siphon

2023-05-12T14:46:45Z

ElijahRock:

{{comic
| number = 2775
| date = May 12, 2023
| title = Siphon
| image = siphon_2x.png
| imagesize = 310x378px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = ADDITIONAL NOTES: Fixed a bug that caused some rocks to generate virtually infinite heat while just sitting there.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SIPHONIC WINDS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This game is a paradoy of video game patches, wherein something unintented within a game is removed, or something not working as intended is fixed. Devlopers release patches alongside patch notes, which detail to players what has been changed.

A siphon is a physics mechanism where putting a tub in some water makes it flow up. somebody else on this wiki can explain it better than i can. Randall has previously brought up siphons in the "how to make a pool" section of "how to."

This comic acts as though the existence of siphons is a bug within the "game" of real life, and the "earth developers" have finally patched it out. physics noting the change realize how silly the concept was in the first place.

This kind of joke has already been made with the title text of [2115: Plutonium], and the title text of this comic makes a very similar joke saying that the existence of radioactive materials that endlessly generate energy for "free" is not intended to exist on earth.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Cueball: Wow, it's true—the water doesn't flow up the tube anymore.
:Megan: Honestly, it's weird that it ever did.
:Megan: Why did we think that was normal?

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Physics news: The 2023 update to the universe finally fixed the "siphon" bug.

{{comic discussion}}

2774: Taxiing

2023-05-10T20:37:00Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2774
| date = May 10, 2023
| title = Taxiing
| image = taxiing_2x.png
| imagesize = 399x431px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I don't understand why anyone would pay full price for a flatbed truck rental when you can buy 'DETOUR' signs online for like $10.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a STOLEN WATERBED TRUCK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Airline helpers who i dont know the name for (someone replace this with the correct name please) stand on the runway and use "glowing wand things" to direct planes around while they are taxxing. Cueball is using glowing wand things to hijack a plane and direct it into a trailer, where it will rpesumably be locked up and taken somewhere else with the plane claimed. The caption claims that paying "full price" for an airplane (buying one normally) is ridiculous when the wand things that allow you to direct planes to where you want them to go are about $30 online.

This is, obviously, illegal.

The title text mentions doing a similar thing, but with detour signs rather than glow wands and flatbed trucks rather than planes. it seems cueball used this tactic to obtain the truck he is loading the airplane onto.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] is stealing an airplane by luring its pilots with the orange lights onto a ramp.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Cueball: ...Keep going...
:Cueball: ...Slightly left...
:Cueball: ...Okay, good...you're lined up with the ramp...
:Cueball: ...Now pull forward slowly up onto the trailer...

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't understand why anyone would pay full price for an airplane when you can buy those glowing wand things online for like $30.

{{comic discussion}}

2756: Qualifications

2023-03-31T18:35:40Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2756
| date = March 29, 2023
| title = Qualifications
| image = qualifications_2x.png
| imagesize = 265x316px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'So how DID you go from working at the employment records office to becoming president of MIT and CEO of IBM?' 'I guess I just have an eye for opportunities.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a 600-YEAR-OLD BOT waiting for a child to be born to accept its work history - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Black Hat]] is being interviewed for some unidentified position. From the conversation, it seems clear that he has used some prior access to the employment records at some employment record office to fraudulently manufacture a history of having worked there for 600 years. There are some institutions that are extant today with over 600 years of history, but, with the exception of some arms of the {{w|Catholic Church}}, none of their individual offices or departments have existed for that long; also, human lifespans rarely exceed 100 years, never mind 600. He also claims an additional pair of prestigious jobs in the title text, but it is unclear whether these 'facts' were entirely due to false records or, knowing Black Hat's [[498: Secretary: Part 5|other]] [[1094: Interview|interviews]], briefly true but only as a result of false representation/underhanded actions.

His interviewers, Cueball and Hairbun, are not entirely unaware of the implausibility, but Hairbun, at least, seems content to have just verified the validity of the claim. The 'validation' arises from the clearly tainted information source, given the whole chain of supporting evidence that may have been falsified. This is essentially a more elaborate version of Black Hat's ploy in another interview [[125: Marketing Interview|17 years prior]].

Employers often encounter résumés that have implausibly padded experience claims. Most applicants try not to be this implausible, and few employers are so credulous as to take self-supporting lies at face value.

[[:Category:Job interviews|Job interviews]] are a recurring topic on xkcd.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Black Hat sits in an office chair. Cueball, facing him, sits on another office chair at his desk and Hairbun stands behind him. Cueball is holding documents in his hands.]
:Cueball: Impressive résumé.
:Cueball: It says that you have over '''''six hundred''''' years of experience at the employment records office? That can't be right.
:Hairbun: I thought so too, but it checks out.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Job interviews]]

2744: Fanservice

2023-03-01T16:51:10Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2744
| date = March 1, 2023
| title = Fanservice
| image = fanservice_2x.png
| imagesize = 188x278px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I was eventually kicked out of my architectural engineering program because I wouldn't stop referring to HVAC as "the fandom."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an HVAC ROCK BAND - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is very similar to [[2036: Edgelord]] and [[2654: Chemtrails]]. In all three of these comics, a modern slang term or just a commonly used word ("chemtrails" was the case in 2654) is used to describe a job, and while the slang or word is ''technically'' accurate, it isn't the normally used term for the job. Previously a graph theory PHD was labeled an "edgelord", a reference to how mathematical graphs have edges, but this time a turbine maintenance engineer is called out for doing a lot of fanservice, as in, literally serving/maintaining a huge fan, many of which often use turbines. In the other comic, trails of ant pheromones were labeled as "chemtrails", a reference to how pheromones are chemicals.

Randall has previously touched on wind turbines ''not'' being fans, most notably in [[1378: Turbine]].

{{wiktionary|Fanservice}} is a term often used to describe certain decisions made in TV or film productions that make some form of knowing nod to the viewers that isn't necessary to the plot or visualisation of the work. It can just mean inserting obscure details of the work's back-history, to spark gleeful recognition amongst the more devoted fans, or it could be increasing the ridiculousness of character's behaviour (often due to one or other overly contrived reason) to live up to their stereotype. A frequent form of this is the {{tvtropes|MsFanservice|Ms. Fanservice}} trope, where the more glamorous female characters find themselves in more figurehugging clothing, clothing that actually covers {{tvtropes|ChainmailBikini|much less of their figure}} than should be practical or even find themselves shoehorned into a situation where they {{tvtropes|CensorSuds|aren't wearing}} even their 'normal' skimpy outfit.

[[White Hat]] is, in actuality, a person who repairs and maintains air-conditioners, or similar, and thus {{w|Maintenance|services}} {{w|Fan (machine)|fans}}. He seems quite annoyed by the term that [[Cueball]] uses to describe his job. Clearly he has heard this assertion many times before, whether from many different people (who may have thought this was a witty comment) or just many times from Cueball himself.

In the title text, Cueball refers to HVAC (a term for the unified heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems of a given building) as "the fandom." Normally, "fandom" means the group of fans of something, but here refers to a system that relies on lots of fans.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Cueball stands next to White Hat (apparently a turbine maintenance engineer)]

Cueball: So, I hear you do a lot of fanservice.

White Hat: NO!

[Caption below the panel:] How to annoy a turbine maintenance engineer

{{comic discussion}}

2744: Fanservice

2023-03-01T16:48:12Z

ElijahRock:

{{comic
| number = 2744
| date = March 1, 2023
| title = Fanservice
| image = fanservice_2x.png
| imagesize = 188x278px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I was eventually kicked out of my architectural engineering program because I wouldn't stop referring to HVAC as "the fandom."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an HVAC ROCK BAND - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is very similar to [[2036: Edgelord]] and [[2654: Chemtrails]]. In all three of these comics, a modern slang term or just a commonly used word ("chemtrails" was the case in 2654) is used to describe a job, and while the slang or word is ''technically'' accurate, it isn't the normally used term for the job. Previously a graph theory PHD was labeled an "edgelord", a reference to how mathematical graphs have edges, but this time a turbine maintenance engineer is called out for doing a lot of fanservice, as in, literally serving/maintaining a huge fan, many of which often use turbines. In the other comic, trails of ant pheromones were labeled as "chemtrails", a reference to how pheromones are chemicals.

Randall has previously touched on wind turbines ''not'' being fans, most notably in [[1378: Turbine]].

{{wiktionary|Fanservice}} is a term often used to describe certain decisions made in TV or film productions that more make some form of knowing nod to the viewers than is strictly necessary to the plot or visualisation of the work. It can just mean inserting obscure details of the work's back-history, to spark gleeful recognition amongst the more devoted fans, or it could be increasing the ridiculousness of character's behaviour (often due to one or other overly contrived reason) to live up to their stereotype. A frequent form of this is the {{tvtropes|MsFanservice|Ms. Fanservice}} trope, where the more glamorous female characters find themselves in more figurehugging clothing, clothing that actually covers {{tvtropes|ChainmailBikini|much less of their figure}} than should be practical or even find themselves shoehorned into a situation where they {{tvtropes|CensorSuds|aren't wearing}} even their 'normal' skimpy outfit.

[[White Hat]] is, in actuality, a person who repairs and maintains air-conditioners, or similar, and thus {{w|Maintenance|services}} {{w|Fan (machine)|fans}}. He seems quite annoyed by the term that [[Cueball]] uses to describe his job. Clearly he has heard this assertion many times before, whether from many different people (who may have thought this was a witty comment) or just many times from Cueball himself.

In the title text, Cueball refers to HVAC (a term for the unified heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems of a given building) as "the fandom." Normally, "fandom" means the group of fans of something, but here refers to a system that relies on lots of fans.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Cueball stands next to White Hat (apparently a turbine maintenance engineer)]

Cueball: So, I hear you do a lot of fanservice.

White Hat: NO!

[Caption below the panel:] How to annoy a turbine maintenance engineer

{{comic discussion}}

2744: Fanservice

2023-03-01T16:42:50Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2744
| date = March 1, 2023
| title = Fanservice
| image = fanservice_2x.png
| imagesize = 188x278px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I was eventually kicked out of my architectural engineering program because I wouldn't stop referring to HVAC as "the fandom."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an HVAC ROCK BAND - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a similar comic to [[2036: Edgelord]]. In both of these comics, a modern slang term is used to describe a job, and while the slang is ''technically'' accurate, it isn't the normally used term for the job. Previously a graph theory PHD was labeled an edgelord, a reference to how mathematical graphs have edges, but this time a turbine maintenance engineer is called out for doing a lot of fanservice, as in, literally serving/maintaining a huge fan, many of which often use turbines.

Randall has previously touched on wind turbines ''not'' being fans, most notably in [[1378: Turbine]].

Fanservice is the practice of authors to change their characters and/or show characters in movies in ways the audience desires, although this would often go against what the character stands for. It can also refer to other parts of the work, such as excessive use of a nostalgic theme song in a reboot when it otherwise does not make sense.

In the title text, Cueball refers to HVAC (a term for the unified heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems of a given building) as "the fandom." Normally, "fandom" means the group of fans of something, but here refers to a system that relies on lots of fans.

{{wiktionary|Fanservice}} is a term often used to describe certain decisions made in TV or film productions that more make some form of knowing nod to the viewers than is strictly necessary to the plot or visualisation of the work. It can just mean inserting obscure details of the work's back-history, to spark gleeful recognition amongst the more devoted fans, or it could be increasing the ridiculousness of character's behaviour (often due to one or other overly contrived reason) to live up to their stereotype. A frequent form of this is the {{tvtropes|MsFanservice|Ms. Fanservics}} trope, where the more glamorous female characters find themselves in more figurehugging clothing, clothing that actually covers {{tvtropes|ChainmailBikini|much less of their figure}} than should be practical or even find themselves shoehorned into a situation where they {{tvtropes|CensorSuds|aren't wearing}} even their 'normal' skimpy outfit.

[[White Hat]] is, in actuality, a person who repairs and maintains air-conditioners, or similar, and thus {{w|Maintenance|services}} {{w|Fan (machine)|fans}}. He seems quite annoyed by the term that [[Cueball]] uses to describe his job. Clearly he has heard this assertion many times before, whether from many different people (who may have thought this was a witty comment) or just many times from Cueball himself.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Cueball stands next to White Hat (apparently a turbine maintenance engineer)]

Cueball: So, I hear you do a lot of fanservice.

White Hat: NO!

[Caption below the panel:] How to annoy a turbine maintenance engineer

{{comic discussion}}

2744: Fanservice

2023-03-01T16:42:21Z

ElijahRock:

{{comic
| number = 2744
| date = March 1, 2023
| title = Fanservice
| image = fanservice_2x.png
| imagesize = 188x278px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I was eventually kicked out of my architectural engineering program because I wouldn't stop referring to HVAC as "the fandom."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an HVAC ROCK BAND - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a similar comic to [[2036: Edgelord]]. In both of these comics, a modern slang term is used to describe a job, and while the slang is ''technically'' accurate, it isn't the normally used term for the job. Previously a graph theory PHD was labeled an edgelord, a reference to how mathematical graphs have edges, but this time a turbine maintenance engineer is called out for doing a lot of fanservice, as in, literally serving/maintaining a huge fan, many of which often use turbines.

Randall has previously touched on wind turbines ''not'' being fans, most notably in [[1378: Turbine.]]

Fanservice is the practice of authors to change their characters and/or show characters in movies in ways the audience desires, although this would often go against what the character stands for. It can also refer to other parts of the work, such as excessive use of a nostalgic theme song in a reboot when it otherwise does not make sense.

In the title text, Cueball refers to HVAC (a term for the unified heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems of a given building) as "the fandom." Normally, "fandom" means the group of fans of something, but here refers to a system that relies on lots of fans.

{{wiktionary|Fanservice}} is a term often used to describe certain decisions made in TV or film productions that more make some form of knowing nod to the viewers than is strictly necessary to the plot or visualisation of the work. It can just mean inserting obscure details of the work's back-history, to spark gleeful recognition amongst the more devoted fans, or it could be increasing the ridiculousness of character's behaviour (often due to one or other overly contrived reason) to live up to their stereotype. A frequent form of this is the {{tvtropes|MsFanservice|Ms. Fanservics}} trope, where the more glamorous female characters find themselves in more figurehugging clothing, clothing that actually covers {{tvtropes|ChainmailBikini|much less of their figure}} than should be practical or even find themselves shoehorned into a situation where they {{tvtropes|CensorSuds|aren't wearing}} even their 'normal' skimpy outfit.

[[White Hat]] is, in actuality, a person who repairs and maintains air-conditioners, or similar, and thus {{w|Maintenance|services}} {{w|Fan (machine)|fans}}. He seems quite annoyed by the term that [[Cueball]] uses to describe his job. Clearly he has heard this assertion many times before, whether from many different people (who may have thought this was a witty comment) or just many times from Cueball himself.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Cueball stands next to White Hat (apparently a turbine maintenance engineer)]

Cueball: So, I hear you do a lot of fanservice.

White Hat: NO!

[Caption below the panel:] How to annoy a turbine maintenance engineer

{{comic discussion}}

2744: Fanservice

2023-03-01T16:41:25Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2744
| date = March 1, 2023
| title = Fanservice
| image = fanservice_2x.png
| imagesize = 188x278px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I was eventually kicked out of my architectural engineering program because I wouldn't stop referring to HVAC as "the fandom."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an HVAC ROCK BAND - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a similar comic to [[2036]]. In both of these comics, a modern slang term is used to describe a job, and while the slang is ''technically'' accurate, it isn't the normally used term for the job. Previously a graph theory PHD was labeled an edgelord, a reference to how mathematical graphs have edges, but this time a turbine maintenance engineer is called out for doing a lot of fanservice, as in, literally serving/maintaining a huge fan, many of which often use turbines.

Randall has previously touched on wind turbines ''not'' being fans, most notably in [[1378]]

Fanservice is the practice of authors to change their characters and/or show characters in movies in ways the audience desires, although this would often go against what the character stands for. It can also refer to other parts of the work, such as excessive use of a nostalgic theme song in a reboot when it otherwise does not make sense.

In the title text, Cueball refers to HVAC (a term for the unified heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems of a given building) as "the fandom." Normally, "fandom" means the group of fans of something, but here refers to a system that relies on lots of fans.

{{wiktionary|Fanservice}} is a term often used to describe certain decisions made in TV or film productions that more make some form of knowing nod to the viewers than is strictly necessary to the plot or visualisation of the work. It can just mean inserting obscure details of the work's back-history, to spark gleeful recognition amongst the more devoted fans, or it could be increasing the ridiculousness of character's behaviour (often due to one or other overly contrived reason) to live up to their stereotype. A frequent form of this is the {{tvtropes|MsFanservice|Ms. Fanservics}} trope, where the more glamorous female characters find themselves in more figurehugging clothing, clothing that actually covers {{tvtropes|ChainmailBikini|much less of their figure}} than should be practical or even find themselves shoehorned into a situation where they {{tvtropes|CensorSuds|aren't wearing}} even their 'normal' skimpy outfit.

[[White Hat]] is, in actuality, a person who repairs and maintains air-conditioners, or similar, and thus {{w|Maintenance|services}} {{w|Fan (machine)|fans}}. He seems quite annoyed by the term that [[Cueball]] uses to describe his job. Clearly he has heard this assertion many times before, whether from many different people (who may have thought this was a witty comment) or just many times from Cueball himself.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Cueball stands next to White Hat (apparently a turbine maintenance engineer)]

Cueball: So, I hear you do a lot of fanservice.

White Hat: NO!

[Caption below the panel:] How to annoy a turbine maintenance engineer

{{comic discussion}}

2618: Selection Bias

2022-05-12T19:48:14Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2618
| date = May 11, 2022
| title = Selection Bias
| image = selection_bias.png
| titletext = We carefully sampled the general population and found that most people are familiar with acquiescence bias.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BALLPIT APARTMENT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[Blondie]] is [[:Category:Public speaking|giving a talk]] at the conference "Statistics Conference 2022." She asks for a show of hands from those attending the conference on whether they are familiar with {{w|selection bias}}. She uses this as part of her presentation, concluding that most people are therefore aware of what selection bias is.

{{w|Selection bias}} is when a survey or poll of some sort comes up with incorrect results due to those who were asked. For example, if you asked a group of people how many acres of land they own, your average number will be higher if you ask a group of farmers rather than a group of city residents.

The joke is that she is thus demonstrating the very thing she's trying to explain. A statistics conference is likely to have an audience consisting of professional statisticians, or at least people interested in the subject, and it is expected that most of them would thus be familiar with any mainstream statistical term, like selection bias. Had she asked a random sample of people in the street, many of them would likely not be sure what selection bias is. This effect is also the subject of [[2357: Polls vs the Street]].

This joke also ties into how statistics as a whole can be highly counter-intuitive and sometimes almost paradoxical, where things like the {{w|Monty Hall problem}} and {{w|survivorship bias}} lead people into thinking the answer to a problem is definitely in a place it's not. That Blondie, presumably a statistician herself, made this kind of (potentially deliberate) error is professionally embarrassing but not unprecedented.

The title text refers to {{w|Acquiescence bias}}, which is the tendency of people to respond positively to positive questions, for example "Are you familiar with the famous webcomic {{xkcd}}?" is more likely to generate the answer yes than "Are you familiar with that webcomic for engineers that nobody else understands until they go to [[Main_Page|Explain xkcd]]?" Acquiescence bias is not a widely known concept, making the results of this poll suspect; similar to the selection bias example above, the reason that the general public seems familiar with acquiescence bias may be because the surveyor themself fell victim to promoting acquiescence bias.

==Transcript==
:[Blondie is standing on a podium behind a lectern with a microphone. She is standing under a hanging sign with large text. In front of the podium is an audience of five seated persons all with their hands raised above their heads. The audience includes two guys that look like Cueball, Hairbun and two other persons with dark and blonde hair.]
:Sign: Statistics conference 2022
:Blondie: Raise your hand if you’re familiar with selection bias.
:Blondie: As you can see, it’s a term most people know...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Cognitive Bias]]

2617: Maps

2022-05-10T16:19:19Z

ElijahRock:

{{comic
| number = 2617
| date = May 9, 2022
| title = Maps
| image = maps.png
| titletext = OpenStreetMap was always pretty good but is also now *really* good? And Apple Maps's new zoomed-in design in certain cities like NYC and London is just gorgeous. It's cool how there are all these good maps now!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DIGITAL CARTOGRAPHER- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Apple Maps}} was quite bad when first released, attracting lots of criticism from iPhone users who were accustomed to the superior {{w|Google Maps}}. In [https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-maps-gets-drivers-lost-in-australian-outback-police-warn/ one instance], it sent drivers 40 miles out of their way into the Australian desert with no water supply. Often, initial negative impressions about a product are retained for a long time, regardless of how it may have developed, particularly when there is an obviously superior competitor to adopt, and no compelling reason to revisit the alternatives. Hence Randall/Cueball is surprised to discover that Apple Maps is now pretty good. His surprise is exaggerated to the extent that it is comparable to finding that some fundamental constant of the universe has shifted, such as the speed of light or pi being changed to some other number.

The term "map" carries a double meaning. While it refers to an actual map, it also refers to the concept of "map and territory," where your map is your model of the universe, and the territory is the universe itself. Cueball has a map of the universe where Apple Maps is bad, and is surprised to discover that the map no longer fits the territory, and thus has to update his map.

The title text mentions {{w|OpenStreetMap}}, an open source/crowd sourced mapping tool, which has also improved since Randall has last checked. He marvels at the number of "good" mapping options now!

Google Maps itself, and especially its satellite coverage outside the US, was considered quite bad when it launched in 2006. The maps displayed back then led to mockery among "real" cartographers that the service couldn't really be considered a map, either: It was called "map-like", given that it was just a visualization running on an extensive geodatabase, and didn't have a fixed scale. However, Google's popular mapping approach revolutionized how maps were perceived all over the world, blurring the lines between traditional paper maps, GIS (geo-informational systems) and digitally rendered maps on screen. The process of "mapping" - as it is referenced here - has since moved almost completely into the digital realm.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Megan and White Hat face Cueball, who is staring down at his open palms.]
:Cueball: You look around one day and realize the things you assumed were immutable constants of the universe have changed.
:Cueball: The foundations of our reality are shifting beneath our feet.
:Cueball: We live in a house built on sand.

:[Caption below panel]
:The day I discovered that Apple Maps is kind of good now

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

2617: Maps

2022-05-10T15:03:39Z

ElijahRock:

{{comic
| number = 2617
| date = May 9, 2022
| title = Maps
| image = maps.png
| titletext = OpenStreetMap was always pretty good but is also now *really* good? And Apple Maps's new zoomed-in design in certain cities like NYC and London is just gorgeous. It's cool how there are all these good maps now!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BIG BIG APPLE APPLE MAP- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Apple Maps}} was quite bad when first released, attracting lots of criticism from iPhone users who were accustomed to the superior {{w|Google Maps}}. In [https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-maps-gets-drivers-lost-in-australian-outback-police-warn/ one instance], it sent drivers 40 miles out of their way into the Australian desert with no water supply. Randall/Cueball is surprised that it is now pretty good. His surprise is exaggerated to the extent that it is comparable to some fundamental constant of universe, such as the speed of light or pi, being changed to some other number.

The term "map" carries a double meaning. While it refers to an actual map, it also refers to the concept of "map and territory," where your map is your model of the universe, and the territory is the universe itself. Cueball has a map of the universe where Apple Maps is bad, and is surprised to discover that the map no longer fits the territory, and thus has to update his map.

The title text mentions {{w|OpenStreetMap}}, an open source/crowd sourced mapping tool, which has also improved since Randall has last checked. He marvels at the number of "good" mapping options now!

Google Maps itself launched in 2006 and especially its satellite coverage outside the US was considered quite bad. The maps displayed back then lead to mockery among "real" cartographers that the service couldn't really be considered a map, either: It was called "map-like", given that it was just a visualization running on an extensive geodatabase, and didn't have a fixed scale. However, Google's popular mapping approach revolutionized how maps were perceived all over the world, blurring the lines between traditional paper maps, GIS (geo-informational systems) and digitally rendered maps on screen. The process of "mapping" - as it is referenced here - has since moved almost completely into the digital realm.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Megan and White Hat face Cueball, who is staring down at his open palms.]
:Cueball: You look around one day and realize the things you assumed were immutable constants of the universe have changed.
:Cueball: The foundations of our reality are shifting beneath our feet.
:Cueball: We live in a house built on sand.

:[Caption below panel]
:The day I discovered that Apple maps is kind of good now

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

2617: Maps

2022-05-10T15:02:52Z

ElijahRock:

{{comic
| number = 2617
| date = May 9, 2022
| title = Maps
| image = maps.png
| titletext = OpenStreetMap was always pretty good but is also now *really* good? And Apple Maps's new zoomed-in design in certain cities like NYC and London is just gorgeous. It's cool how there are all these good maps now!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BIG BIG APPLE APPLE MAP- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Apple Maps}} was quite bad when first released, attracting lots of criticism from iPhone users who were accustomed to the superior {{w|Google Maps}}. In [https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-maps-gets-drivers-lost-in-australian-outback-police-warn/ one instance], it sent drivers 40 miles out of their way into the Australian desert with no water supply. Randall/Cueball is surprised that it is now pretty good. His surprise is exaggerated to the extent that it is comparable to some fundamental constant of universe, such as the speed of light, being changed to some other number.

The term "map" carries a double meaning. While it refers to an actual map, it also refers to the concept of "map and territory," where your map is your model of the universe, and the territory is the universe itself. Cueball has a map of the universe where Apple Maps is bad, and is surprised to discover that the map no longer fits the territory, and thus has to update his map.

The title text mentions {{w|OpenStreetMap}}, an open source/crowd sourced mapping tool, which has also improved since Randall has last checked. He marvels at the number of "good" mapping options now!

Google Maps itself launched in 2006 and especially its satellite coverage outside the US was considered quite bad. The maps displayed back then lead to mockery among "real" cartographers that the service couldn't really be considered a map, either: It was called "map-like", given that it was just a visualization running on an extensive geodatabase, and didn't have a fixed scale. However, Google's popular mapping approach revolutionized how maps were perceived all over the world, blurring the lines between traditional paper maps, GIS (geo-informational systems) and digitally rendered maps on screen. The process of "mapping" - as it is referenced here - has since moved almost completely into the digital realm.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Megan and White Hat face Cueball, who is staring down at his open palms.]
:Cueball: You look around one day and realize the things you assumed were immutable constants of the universe have changed.
:Cueball: The foundations of our reality are shifting beneath our feet.
:Cueball: We live in a house built on sand.

:[Caption below panel]
:The day I discovered that Apple maps is kind of good now

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

2617: Maps

2022-05-10T15:02:30Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2617
| date = May 9, 2022
| title = Maps
| image = maps.png
| titletext = OpenStreetMap was always pretty good but is also now *really* good? And Apple Maps's new zoomed-in design in certain cities like NYC and London is just gorgeous. It's cool how there are all these good maps now!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BIG BIG APPLE APPLE MAP- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Apple Maps}} was quite bad when first released, attracting lots of criticism from iPhone users who were accustomed to the superior {{w|Google Maps}}. In [https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-maps-gets-drivers-lost-in-australian-outback-police-warn/ one instance], it sent drivers 40 miles out of their way into the australian desert with no water supply. Randall/Cueball is surprised that it is now pretty good. His surprise is exaggerated to the extent that it is comparable to some fundamental constant of universe, such as the speed of light, being changed to some other number.

The term "map" carries a double meaning. While it refers to an actual map, it also refers to the concept of "map and territory," where your map is your model of the universe, and the territory is the universe itself. Cueball has a map of the universe where Apple Maps is bad, and is surprised to discover that the map no longer fits the territory, and thus has to update his map.

The title text mentions {{w|OpenStreetMap}}, an open source/crowd sourced mapping tool, which has also improved since Randall has last checked. He marvels at the number of "good" mapping options now!

Google Maps itself launched in 2006 and especially its satellite coverage outside the US was considered quite bad. The maps displayed back then lead to mockery among "real" cartographers that the service couldn't really be considered a map, either: It was called "map-like", given that it was just a visualization running on an extensive geodatabase, and didn't have a fixed scale. However, Google's popular mapping approach revolutionized how maps were perceived all over the world, blurring the lines between traditional paper maps, GIS (geo-informational systems) and digitally rendered maps on screen. The process of "mapping" - as it is referenced here - has since moved almost completely into the digital realm.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Megan and White Hat face Cueball, who is staring down at his open palms.]
:Cueball: You look around one day and realize the things you assumed were immutable constants of the universe have changed.
:Cueball: The foundations of our reality are shifting beneath our feet.
:Cueball: We live in a house built on sand.

:[Caption below panel]
:The day I discovered that Apple maps is kind of good now

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

411: Techno

2022-04-06T17:33:36Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 411
| date = April 16, 2008
| title = Techno
| image = techno.png
| titletext = I don't know what's worse - that there exists broken-hard-drive-sound techno, or that it's not half bad.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] points out that due to the repetitive nature of {{w|Techno|techno music}}, the iTunes 15 second sample can be used to recreate the entire song. This is for the many repetitions in techno music, usually repeating it 4 (or other powers of two) times.

The title text refers to the clicking and grinding noises of a dying hard drive, a sound similar to some techno songs. The title text suggests that this actually exists: an example is [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ here].

Techno music is also mentioned in [[586: Mission to Culture]] and [[740: The Tell-Tale Beat]]. Sampling and looping sounds that aren't necessarily musical is mentioned in [[2427: Perseverance Microphones]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball looking over Megan's shoulder while she is clicking her mouse with her other hand on her chin.]
:Cueball: Wait, you're buying techno on iTunes?
:Megan: Yeah. So?
:Cueball: Couldn't you just loop the 15-second free sample 20 times and get basically the same thing?

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

1096: Clinically Studied Ingredient

2022-03-28T16:16:06Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1096
| date = August 17, 2012
| title = Clinically Studied Ingredient
| image = clinically studied ingredient.png
| titletext = Blatantly banking on customers not understanding that it's like a Hollywood studio advertising that their new movie was 'watched by Roger Ebert'.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is poking fun at a phrase which some ads use to boost sales of their product. They state that their product contains a "clinically studied ingredient", which consumers assume means that the ingredient has been clinically tested and ''proven effective'', or at the very least, not harmful, although neither is, strictly speaking, implied by that statement. An example of this appears on many body wash products, bearing the phrase "Tested by dermatologists for sensitive skin" or something similar. The phrase just states that an ingredient was clinically studied and doesn't mention the findings of that study (which, for all we know, could have found the ingredient to be ineffective or harmful). In other words, the phrase is used in {{w|False advertising|deceptive marketing}} techniques, leading consumers to believe something which encourages them to buy the product, without committing to saying it explicitly.

In the middle of the conversation, [[Megan]] tells [[Cueball]] that she has been tested. The implication is that she's talking about {{w|Sexually transmitted disease|STD}}s. However she does not reveal the results of the tests, which is the primary information Cueball could be worried about, and when Cueball inquires, she acts like he is being unreasonable to also want that information. In this way, [[Randall]] is making an analogy to how a marketer might think consumers would be unreasonable to want to know the ''results'' of the clinical studies on the ingredient.

The title text mentions the legendary film critic {{w|Roger Ebert}}. At the time this comic was published (a year before Ebert's death), one could expect him to have watched most big-name movies that were coming out. Simply stating that he saw a movie, therefore, doesn't necessarily mean that he liked it.

Impressive-sounding but meaningless advertisement claims are also the subject of [[624: Branding]], [[641: Free]], [[870: Advertising]] and [[993: Brand Identity]].

==Transcript==
:I can't help but admire the audacity of the marketer who came up with the phrase "contains a clinically studied ingredient"

:[Megan and Cueball are about to enter a bed for sex.]
:Megan: Don't worry - I've been tested.
:Cueball: ...and you're clean?
:Megan: So many questions!

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

1102: Fastest-Growing

2022-03-21T16:17:30Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1102
| date = August 31, 2012
| title = Fastest-Growing
| image = fastest_growing.png
| titletext = I lead a small but extraordinarily persuasive religion whose only members are door-to-door proselytizers from other faiths.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic talks about the misuse of percentage of growth. It can be misleading for gauging the importance or popularity of something; If you add only 4 members to an existing group of 2, you would have achieved a growth of 200 percent.

In the case portrayed in this comic the claim appears to be that the other person's religion grew by 85%. [[Black Hat]] attempts humorously to show the flaw in using that statistic by growing his group by 100% (therefore, presumably, first place), which he simply does by adding his friend [[Rob]] to his religion, and thus increasing his membership from 1 to 2. The other person then says that his religion has a significant number of members (and not just one or two), but Black Hat doesn't care and responds that he hopes they are all okay with being "in second place" since the main argument from the other guy was about being the fastest-growing.

The title text ponders the ironic idea of converting ''only'' the zealous door-to-door {{w|Proselytism|proselytizers}} to a very persuasive religion of one's own.

Another interpretation is that the title text could be another way that Black Hat could take the 'fastest-growing' claim out of context to make it meaningless. By composing his religion of the unwitting proselytizers of other faiths, he can claim the highest ratio of converts to current adherents. Note that the amount of people converted is often exaggerated by groups that try to spread a faith. Although the beliefs spread by his proselytizers vary widely, Black Hat is not concerned with what his so-called followers believe. Thus, he can claim the title of fastest-growing religion without having any value to his religion.

Various religions and groups encourage their members to actively recruit new followers, such as the {{w|Mormon missionary}}.

==Transcript==
:[A man with a combover, a book, and a clipboard approaches Black Hat.]
:Combover: You should check us out. We're the fastest-growing religion in the country.
:Black Hat: "Fastest-growing" is such a dubious claim.
:Combover: It's true! We grew by 85% over the past year.

:[In a frameless panel, Black Hat shouts to someone out of frame.]
:Black Hat: Hey, Rob — wanna join my religion?
:Rob: Sure, whatever.

:[Black Hat turns back to Combover and produces a notepad and pen.]
:Black Hat: Well, looks like my religion grew by 100% this year.

:[Black Hat begins to walk away.]
:Combover: We have 38,000 members!
:Black Hat: Hope they're all ok with second place.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

2594: Consensus Time

2022-03-16T18:18:28Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2594
| date = March 16, 2022
| title = Consensus Time
| image = consensus_time.png
| titletext = Now, you may argue that the varying hour lengths and feedback effects would cause chaos. To which I say, yeah, and I'm also curious to see how the weekday cycle interacts with it! So, you in?
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Daylight Saving Time}}, which recently occurred, is frequently complained about due to having been invented for a no-longer-relevant cause. one of many complaints about this is that it will still "feel" like 5am at 6, or whatever other case. randall, partly to mock this, proposes a system that allows everybody to say when it "feels" like 9am, and then the average 9am will become the real 9am. this happens every day. as the title text points out, this would be chaotic and, to put it bluntly, awful.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:Proposal: Consensus Time

:Every day, anyone in the time zone can press a button when they feel like it's 9 AM. The next day, clocks slow down or speed up to match the median choice from the previous day.

:Midnight
:6AM
:9AM today
:Median
:Noon
:6PM
:Midnight
:Longer hours
:6AM
:9AM tomorrow
:Noon
:6PM
:Midnight

:Beep
:Beep

{{comic discussion}}

2594: Consensus Time

2022-03-16T18:18:07Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2594
| date = March 16, 2022
| title = Consensus Time
| image = consensus_time.png
| titletext = Now, you may argue that the varying hour lengths and feedback effects would cause chaos. To which I say, yeah, and I'm also curious to see how the weekday cycle interacts with it! So, you in?
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Daylight Saving Time}}, which recently occurred, is frequently complained about due to having been invented for a n-longer-relevant cause. one of many complaints about this is that it will still "feel" like 5am at 6, or whatever other case. randall, partly to mock this, proposes a system that allows everybody to say when it "feels" like 9am, and then the average 9am will become the real 9am. this happens every day. as the title text points out, this would be chaotic and, to put it bluntly, awful.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:Proposal: Consensus Time

:Every day, anyone in the time zone can press a button when they feel like it's 9 AM. The next day, clocks slow down or speed up to match the median choice from the previous day.

:Midnight
:6AM
:9AM today
:Median
:Noon
:6PM
:Midnight
:Longer hours
:6AM
:9AM tomorrow
:Noon
:6PM
:Midnight

:Beep
:Beep

{{comic discussion}}

2592: False Dichotomy

2022-03-11T18:52:42Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2592
| date = March 11, 2022
| title = False Dichotomy
| image = false_dichotomy.png
| titletext = There are two types of dichotomy: False dichotomies, true dichotomies, and surprise trichotomies.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BAD EXPLAINER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A {{w|false dichotomy}} is a {{w|logical fallacy}} based on an incorrect perception of limited options. [[Cueball]] has apparently made one such error and is being called out by [[White Hat]] for it. Upon having this pointed out to him, Cueball makes another error, saying that we must '''embrace''' false dichotomies, because the '''only other option''' is {{w|cannibalism}}. This statement is false as cannibalism is not actually recognized as an alternative to false dichotomies{{Citation needed}}.

Cueball has thus created another false dichotomy, with absolutely no visible reasoning behind it.

The title text states that there are two kinds of dichotomies, making a dichotomy in itself. Due to three types of dichotomy being mentioned, and only two being foreshadowed, this statement is itself a surprise trichotomy (trichotomy being a {{w|portmanteau}} of "tri" meaning three and "dichotomy"). The title text seems to be a reference to a variation of a joke about {{w|base 2|binary}}. the original joke usually goes something like this: "There are 10 types of people: those who know binary, and those who don't." The variation is usually something like the following: "There are 10 types of people: those who know binary, and those who dont, and those who werent expecting a {{w|base 3|ternary}} joke"

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[White Hat and Cueball are talking to each other.]
:White Hat: That's a false dichotomy!
:Cueball: Yes, but we have to embrace false dichotomies, because the only alternative is cannibalism.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2592: False Dichotomy

2022-03-11T17:57:53Z

ElijahRock:

This is my second explanation ever, it probably isnt great but its good for others to have something to start from. if anybody who knows how to do the links and everything, for all of the characters and the fancy words, please do that. [[User:ElijahRock|ElijahRock]] ([[User talk:ElijahRock|talk]]) 17:57, 11 March 2022 (UTC)

2592: False Dichotomy

2022-03-11T17:55:05Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2592
| date = March 11, 2022
| title = False Dichotomy
| image = false_dichotomy.png
| titletext = There are two types of dichotomy: False dichotomies, true dichotomies, and surprise trichotomies.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BAD EXPLAINER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A [w| false dichotomy] is a [w|logical fallacy] based on an incorrect perception of limited options. Cueball has apparently made one such error, and is being called out by white hat for it. upon having this pointed out to him, cueball makes another error:

We '''must''' embrace false dichotomies, because the '''only other option''' is [w|cannabalism] (the practice of eating ones own kind.)

Cueball has thus created another false dichotomy, with absolutely no visible reasoning behind it.

The title text states that there are two kinds of dichotomies, making a dichotomy in itself:

"False dichotomies, true dichotomies, and surprise trichotomies"

Due to three types of dichotomy mentioned, and only foreshadowing two, this statement is itself a surprise trichotomy (trichotomy being a [w|portmanteau] of "tri" meaning three and "dichotomy")

I am new to writing explanations and this one isnt great, please if anyone who actually knows how to write a good one sees this please fix it and add all the little embed links and all that

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:White Hat: That's a false dichotomy!
:Cueball: Yes, but we have to embrace false dichotomies, because the only alternative is cannibalism.

{{comic discussion}}

2592: False Dichotomy

2022-03-11T17:53:37Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2592
| date = March 11, 2022
| title = False Dichotomy
| image = false_dichotomy.png
| titletext = There are two types of dichotomy: False dichotomies, true dichotomies, and surprise trichotomies.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BAD EXPLAINER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A {w| false dichotomy} is a {w|logical fallacy} based on an incorrect perception of limited options. Cueball has apparently made one such error, and is being called out by white hat for it. upon having this pointed out to him, cueball makes another error:

We '''must''' embrace false dichotomies, because the '''only other option''' is {w|cannabalism} (the practice of eating ones own kind.)

Cueball has thus created another false dichotomy, with absolutely no visible reasoning behind it.

The title text states that there are two kinds of dichotomies, making a dichotomy in itself:

"False dichotomies, true dichotomies, and surprise trichotomies"

due to three types of dichotomy mentioned, and only foreshadowing two, this statement is itself a surprise trichotomy (trichotomy being a {w|portmanteau} of "tri" meaning three and "dichotomy")

i am new to writing explanations and this one isnt great, please if anyone who actually knows how to write a good one sees this please fix it and add all the little embed links and all that

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:White Hat: That's a false dichotomy!
:Cueball: Yes, but we have to embrace false dichotomies, because the only alternative is cannibalism.

{{comic discussion}}

1572: xkcd Survey

2022-02-08T16:03:02Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1572
| date = September 2, 2015
| title = xkcd Survey
| image = xkcd_survey.png
| titletext = The xkcd Survey: Big Data for a Big Planet
}}
*The original comic links to [http://goo.gl/forms/B5RaBeZ6nw The xkcd survey] at Google, which is closed now.

==Explanation==
As the comic image states, it links to a survey created with [https://www.google.com/forms/about/ Google Forms], containing a series of questions. The questions range from mundane typical survey questions such as “Do you have any food allergies?”, to rather strange, such as “Fill this text box with random letters by randomly mashing keys on your leopard.” (See [[1530: Keyboard Mash]]).

The stated goal of the survey is to “create an interesting and unusual data set for people to play with”. A strange data set is a ripe opportunity for a sampling of readers. It's also supposed to be “a search for weird correlations” – presumably the goal is to be able to say things like “people who have been skydiving are (more/less) likely than average to dislike cilantro”. (See also [[882: Significant]] about finding presumably-spurious correlations between unrelated data.)

If the data is ever released, this explanation will be updated, but as of February 2022, this has not happened.

{{w|Image_map#Client-side_image_map|HTML image maps}} is a technique for marking up areas of an image on a web page, such that each area can be a link without the whole image being a link. [[Randall]] could have used this type of image map to make only the “Click here to take the survey” button be a link, and none of the rest of the image. But he cannot get the hang of it (or knowing his skills, does not wish to take the time to learn it). Not getting the hang of HTML image maps was also referenced on the banner for his [[xkcd_Header_text#2014-07-23_-_what_if.3F_book_tour|book tour]] for the [[what if?]] book

The title text is a joke off of {{w|Big Data}}, which is a name for analysis of a set of data that includes a huge amount of information. He also says "for a big planet" because the Earth is big.{{Citation needed}}

The survey is closed, and the questions replaced with the text: "The xkcd survey is now closed. Thank you for all your answers! Response data is being collected and will be posted soon." As of February 2022, the same caption is still there, with no indication of exactly how soon the data is intended to be posted. (Apparently, Randall crashed google forms, so the data is taking a long time to be retrieved [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/40mhve/what_ever_happened_to_the_survey_we_took/ (see this reddit thread)] - much like his breaking of [http://what-if.xkcd.com/imgs/a/62/balloon_wolfram.png Wolfram Alpha]] during answering a reader's question on [[what if?]])

==The Survey==
A recreation of the survey can be found [https://goo.gl/forms/CtAILwjyJAYsmqbO2 here on Google].

The recreation's data can be [https://goo.gl/5A77ZX found live here.]

It started with the following statement:

<nowiki>This is an anonymous survey. After it's done, a database of everyone's responses will be posted.
There's no specific reason for any of the questions. The goal is to create an interesting and unusual data set for people to play with. This is obviously not going to be a real random sample of people, but in the interest of getting cooler data, if you're sharing this with friends, try sending it to some people who wouldn't normally see this kind of thing!

WARNING: This survey is anonymous, but your answers WILL BE MADE PUBLIC. Depending what you write, it's possible that someone may be able to identify you by looking at your responses. None of these questions should ask about anything too private, but don't write anything that you don't want people to see. If you're not comfortable answering a question, just skip it.</nowiki>

'''Note:''' The order of the possible answers (the list of possibilities) was random, and changed every time the page is reloaded. So do not try to fix the order here below...

===Plane===
*Have you ever been in a plane?
**No
**Yes

===Skydiving===
*Have you ever been {{w|Parachuting|skydiving}}?
**No, but I might someday
**Yes
**No

===The Dress===
*When you first saw {{w|The dress (viral phenomenon)|The Dress}}, what color was it? — (Also see [[1492: Dress Color]] and the [[Blag]] ENTRY [http://blog.xkcd.com/2010/05/03/color-survey-results/ Color Survey Results]).
**White and gold
**A color combination not listed here
**I don't remember
**Blue and black
**What dress?

===Popular food===
*What's a really popular food that you don't like?
**''Text box''

===Floaters===
*When you look at a blue sky, do you see those swirly {{w|floater|floaters}} in your vision?
**Yes, constantly
**I'm not sure what things you mean
**Yes, occasionally
**No

===Running out of gas===
*Have you ever had a car run out of gas while you were driving it?
**Yes
**No

===Animals===
*Name the first five animals you can think of
**''Multi line text box''

===Weather===
*What's the weather like where you are right now?
**''Text box''

===Activities===
*Which of these can you do reasonably well?
*(Check all that apply)
**{{w|slam dunk|Dunk}} a basketball — A "slam dunk" or simply "dunk" is the act of jumping up and putting the ball through the net with a lot of force
**Tie a {{w|sheet bend}} or {{w|bowline}} — A sheet bend is a knot that joins two ropes together; A bowline is a knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope. Although tied differently, the resulting knots are identical{{Citation needed}}.
**Roller skate
**[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/high-heel-race/ Run in high heels]
**Drive a stick shift — See {{w|Manual transmission}} of a car
**Solve a {{w|Rubik's cube}}
**Dive headfirst off a diving board — See {{w|Springboard}} and {{w|Diving platform}}
**Ice skate
**{{w|Skateboarding|Skateboard}}
**Walk on {{w|stilts}} — Stilts are poles, posts or pillars used to allow a person to walk at a height above the ground
**Ski
**Cut vegetables with a knife
**Swim
**Ride a horse
**{{w|Unicycle}}
**Change the oil on a car
**Do a back {{w|Handspring (gymnastics)|handspring}} — A handspring is an exercise in gymnastics in which you jump through the air landing on your hands, then again landing on your feet
**Juggle — {{w|Toss juggling}} (the most recognizable form of juggling) consists in throwing objects into the air and catching them.

===Spelling===
*What word can you never seem to spell on the first try?
**''Text box''

===Condiments===
*Do you eat {{w|condiments}} directly out of the fridge as a snack?
**No
**Yes

===Thermostat===
*When you adjust a thermostat that was set by someone else, it's usually because you want the room to be...
**Cooler
**Warmer

===Clothing===
*What color is the shirt/dress/upper-body-clothing you're wearing right now, if any?
**''Text box''

===Colds===
*Do you get {{w|Common cold|colds}} often?
**No
**Yes

===Number===
*Pick a number from 1 to 100
**''Text box''

===Spelling===
*On a scale of 1 to 10, how good at spelling are you? (Note that the question does not specify which end of the scale is good or bad.)
**''Tick off list with numbers from 1 to 10.''

===Myers-Briggs===
*Do you know your {{w|Myers–Briggs_Type_Indicator|Myers-Briggs type}}?
**No
**Yes

===Astrology===
*Do you know your {{w|astrological sign}}?
**No
**Yes

===Siblings===
*How many older siblings do you have?
**''Text box''
*How many younger siblings do you have?
**''Text box''
*How many twin/etc siblings do you have?
**''Text box''

===Sleepiness===
*Do you feel sleepy a lot?
**Yes
**No

===Movie star===
*Name a movie star
**''Text box''

===Time in sun===
*Do you spend a lot of time in the sun?
**Yes
**No

===Broccoli===
*Does {{w|broccoli}} taste bitter to you?
**Yes
**No
**I've never had it

===Wakefulness===
*Do you regularly stay awake much later than you meant to?
**Yes
**No

===Keyboard mashing===
*Fill this text box with gibberish by mashing random keyboard keys (See [[1530: Keyboard Mash]]).
**''Broad multi-line text box''

===Driving===
*On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is terrible and 3 is average, how good a driver do you think you are?
**''Tick off list with numbers from 1 to 5.''

===Allergies===
*Do you have any food allergies?
**No
**Yes

===Thunder===
*Have you heard thunder or seen lightning in the past year? — (The title-text of [[831: Weather Radar]] mentions the belief that thunderstorms seemed more common when one was a kid. Since the survey also asks for age this question is likely a test of that belief.)
**Yes
**No

===Flavor preference===
*Which do you prefer? (It seems to be missing the ''neither'' option...)
**Chocolate
**Vanilla

===Number (reprise)===
*Pick another number from 1 to 100 (Supposedly should not be the same as in the first pick a number box).
**''Text box''

===Internet===
*When you think about stuff on the internet, where do you picture it being physically located? Even if you know it's not really how things work, is there a place you imagine websites and social media posts sitting before you look at them? If so, where is it?
**''Broad multi-line text box''

===Roll tongue===
*Can you {{w|Tongue rolling|roll your tongue}}?
**Yes
**No
**What?

===Toes===
*Can you pick things up with your toes?
**No
**Yes

===Age===
*How old are you?
**''Text box''

===Walls===
*What color are the walls around you right now?
**''Text box''

===Cell phone===
*What kind of cell phone do you have?
**{{w|iPhone}}
**{{w|Android (operating system)|Android}}
**Other smartphone
**Non-smartphone
**I don't have a cell phone

===Eating===
*What's the last thing you ate?
**''Text box''

===Difficult words===
*Which of these words do you know the meaning of?
*Some of these words don’t appear in any of the following dictionaries: the Oxford English Dictionary, the New Oxford American Dictionary, Wiktionary, or Dictionary.com. With one exception, however, reviewers on this site have found verifiable examples of use for the words in question.
*[http://dictionary.reference.com/ Dictionary.com] has an index of difficulty (measured in pixels, with class name <code>difficulty-indicator</code>). We add it at the right of the words that have it. N/A means that a word isn't present in Dictionary.com, or that it doesn't have an index.
**Slickle – Not in any standard dictionary. However, it [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Slickle is in] the crowd-sourced in Urban Dictionary, as well as a suggested planet name in [[1253: Exoplanet Names]]
**{{Wiktionary|rife|Rife}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rife 117]
**{{Wiktionary|soliloquy|Soliloquy}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/soliloquy 150]
**Fination – not in any dictionary. Appears infrequently in Victorian texts (e.g., [http://books.google.com/books?id=ghNOAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA245&dq=Fination 1889], [http://books.google.com/books?id=nwlCAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA214&dq=Fination 1839])
**{{Wiktionary|stipple|Stipple}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stipple 144]
**{{Wiktionary|peristeronic|Peristeronic}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/peristeronic N/A]. Randall used it and defined it for readers in [[798: Adjectives]].
**{{Wiktionary|modicum|Modicum}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/modicum 120]
**Trephony – Not available in reference dictionaries. An obsolete spelling of "{{w|Trephine}}" (especially when used as a verb for the process of {{w|Trepanning|trephination}}). Initially a transliteration of Greek [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=tru/panon τρυπάω] for the same.
**Tribution – A regular construction from {{Wiktionary|tribute#Verb|Tribute (verb)}} using "{{Wiktionary|-tion}}" to transform into a noun. Using this regular formation, the term would mean the act of tribute, but no examples of actual use are available. It is worth noting that the use of "tribute" as a verb is generally considered obsolete and the few forms that persist in use relate primarily to the tributary and distributary river systems
**{{Wiktionary|phoropter|Phoropter}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/phoropter N/A] 1.An instrument used in eye examinations to determine an individual's prescription, the patient looking through various lenses at a chart on the other side.
**Unitory – Not available in reference dictionaries. An obsolete spelling of "Unitary," chiefly British. While long obsolete in normal usage, it persisted longer in mathematics that it did elsewhere (particularly for "Unitory Method" and "Unitory Matrices"). Example of use: [https://books.google.com/books?id=Wl1BAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA5-PA27&lpg=RA5-PA27&dq=unitory+method&source=bl&ots=rfRKJXAJqV&sig=Wsr_gV7xG6Airah9Lx1M0hi-7Zc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBmoVChMInd_R9qTbxwIVChU-Ch36IAh_#v=onepage&q=unitory%20method&f=false (1)]
**{{Wiktionary|amiable|Amiable}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/amiable 123]
**{{Wiktionary|salient|Salient}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/salient 69]
**{{Wiktionary|regolith|Regolith}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/regolith 162]
**{{Wiktionary|lithe|Lithe}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lithe 105]
**Revergent – technical word from {{w|fern}} biology, referring to the edges of fern leaves which curl back on themselves (see [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00985044 Schölch, 2000])
**{{Wiktionary|hubris|Hubris}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hubris 117]
**{{Wiktionary|fleek|Fleek}} – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fleek N/A]
**Cadine – A rare loan-word for {{Wiktionary|fr:cadine|a sultan's wife or a noble ottoman woman}} which comes to English through the French. Examples of Use: [https://books.google.com/books?id=4yz-Y-_OOO0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=cadine&f=false (1)]. Also the name of an {{w|it:Cadine|italian city}}.
**{{Wiktionary|apricity|Apricity}} – Not available in reference dictionaries. An obsolete word for the sun's heat in winter (e.g., [http://books.google.com/books?id=CFBGAAAAYAAJ&pg=PT76&dq=apricity Bailey 1775]). According to the What If? book (page 80), this is Randall's single favourite word in the English language.

===cat===
*Please type "cat" here:
**''Text box''

===Dreams===
*Do you usually remember your dreams?
**No
**Yes

===Text editors===
*Do you have strong opinions about text editors? (See {{w|Editor war}})
**Yes
**No

===Emoji===
*How do you feel about {{w|emoji}}?
**Negative 😠 (Unicode 1f620 - Angry face)
**Positive 😊 (Unicode 263a - Smiling face)
**Neutral 😐 (Unicode 1F610 - Neutral face)

===Snow===
*Does it ever snow where you live?
**No
**Yes

===Taste of food===
*Do you strongly dislike the taste or texture of any of these things?
**Eggs
**Chocolate ice cream
**Beer
**White wine
**{{w|Carbonation}} (or Fizz)
**Red wine
**{{w|Cilantro}}
**Coffee
**Tomatoes
**Yogurt

===Beverages===
*Which of these do you regularly drink?
**Caffeinated soda (e.g. Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper)
**Noncaffeinated soda
**Coffee
**Fruit juice
**Milk
**Beer
**Wine
**Tea
**{{w|Maple syrup}}
**Water

===Random words===
*Type five random words
**''Broad multi-line text box''

===Flying===
*Are you nervous about flying?
**Yes
**No
**A little

===Favorite number===
*On a scale of 1 to 5, which number is your favorite?
**''Tick off list with numbers from 1 to 5.''

===Sandwich===
*Which of these would you consider a {{w|sandwich}}?
*(Check all that apply)
**{{w|Taco}}
**{{w|Quesadilla}}
**{{w|Submarine sandwich|Sub/Hoagie}}
**{{w|Cheesesteak}}
**{{w|Hamburger}}
**{{w|Open-faced sandwich}}
**{{w|Calzone}}

===Animal affinity===
*Which of these describes you?
*(Check all that apply)
**Dog person
**Cat person
**Half-cat half-person
**Part of a subterranean race of dog people
**Literally named "Catherine Person"

===Sense of direction===
*Would you say you have a good sense of direction?
**Yes
**No

===Socks or underwear===
*Have you ever thrown out all your different pairs of socks/underwear, bought a bunch of replacements that were all one kind, and then told all your friends how great it was and how they should do it too?
**Yes
**No
**I did the throwing out thing, but didn't talk to everyone about it
**No, but I'm totally doing that now

==Transcript==
:[A simple comic with text only. The ''click here'' part is inside a black frame.]
:Introducing
:'''The xkcd Survey'''
:A search for weird correlations
:Note: This survey is anonymous, but
: all responses will be posted publicly 
:so people can play with the data.
:'''Click here to'''
:'''take the survey'''
:Or click here, or here.
:The whole comic is a link,
:because I still haven't gotten
:the hang of HTML imagemaps.

==Trivia==
This strip was referenced upon the availability of preorders for ''How to: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems''. A new banner appeared at the top of the site to announce that preorders were available; at the right of the banner was a blue box labelled "Click here to preorder", followed immediately below by "Or click anywhere. I still haven't figured out HTML imagemaps."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

2220: Imagine Going Back in Time

2022-02-03T20:25:31Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2220
| date = October 25, 2019
| title = Imagine Going Back in Time
| image = imagine_going_back_in_time.png
| titletext = I wonder what the trendy adults in 2019 who are too cool for Pokemon will be into. Probably Digimon!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is checking his ''{{w|Pokémon Go}}'' app to check on the status of a Pokémon he had previously left in a gym (to defend it against the other two teams in the game). In the gym he sees that another player named "Reelect Trump 2020" has left a frog Pokémon, which is now standing next to his. Cueball, evidently not a fan of President Trump or his supporters, finds it distasteful to be indirectly associated with someone whose political views he finds unpleasant. (Alternatively, it may simply be that Cueball doesn't want politics injected into a game that he plays for fun.)

When he remarks on this to [[Megan]], she observes out how strange that remark would sound if he said it to his younger self from 20 years ago. Normally when people say "imagine going back in time", they are merely constructing a hypothetical scenario to illustrate how rapidly society has changed over the years. Megan is likely pointing out that the idea of Donald Trump becoming the President of the United States (let alone coming up for re-election) would have seemed very {{w|farfetch'd}} just 20 years ago.

However, it turns out that Cueball somehow actually does ''have'' the time-travel technology required to pull this off, and so he takes Megan's suggestion literally and goes back in time 20 years to do exactly what she suggested: he repeats the statement to his younger self to see what his reaction will be.

Unfortunately, past Cueball (in the year 1999) chooses to focus on a completely different aspect of the statement: the fact that ''Pokémon'' - a game that past Cueball sees as a children's game - will still somehow be popular in 20 years, and that his adult self is still playing it. These observations make Cueball feel uncomfortable, as they highlight the fact that he is spending time on pursuits that his younger self sees as frivolous or childish. He gets defensive and starts to argue with his younger self. When his younger self begins to call the a cautionary tale, it dawns on present Cueball that he may just have changed how his former self will behave, thus he may never even begin playing Pokémon Go, and thus present Cueball, may disappear and a new version will replace him 20 years later.

{{w|Pokémon}} is a media franchise that debuted in 1996 in Japan as both a video game and a trading card game. It was originally designed for and marketed to younger children (the tie-in cartoon series constantly emphasizes its main characters are ten years old), with a design, aesthetic and gameplay that were optimized for a younger audience. Since then, and up to 2019, there have been a total of eight generations of video games on consoles. As the franchise continued to thrive and evolve, it's gone through multiple generations, including ''Pokémon Go'', an augmented reality game for smartphones. These latest versions, in particular, have become popular with (and marketed to) adults, some of whom grew up playing the earlier generations.

In 1999 in North America, only the first generation of Pokémon video games had been released, consisting of {{w|Pokémon Red and Blue|''Pokémon Blue'' and ''Pokémon Red''}} for the Nintendo Gameboy. The second generation of Pokémon video games would not even be announced in Japan until {{w|Pokémon Gold and Silver#Release|November 1999}}, and advertising for the North American release would begin in December of 1999. A person living in 1999, who has only seen the first generation, with no official confirmation that a second generation was even being considered, and unable to predict the nostalgia market that would appear later, would quite plausibly wonder about its popularity 20 years later.

{{w|Donald J. Trump}} was the president of the United States at the time of publishing, elected in 2016. Even during his campaign, the idea of his election was considered absurd in many circles, as he had never held any kind of public office, and had no background that would lend itself to expertise in government or public policy. Prior to his election, he was primarily known as a New York real estate mogul and host of the 2003 reality television show ''The Apprentice''. While he'd been teasing the idea of a presidential run since the 1980s, and indeed {{w|Donald Trump 2000 presidential campaign|was seeking the Reform Party candidacy in 1999}} (at the advice of then-Governor of Minnesota {{w|Jesse Ventura}}, another actor-turned-politician), most people did not take the idea seriously, and the concept of him actually being President of the United States would have been hugely unexpected to most Americans in an earlier era. 1999 Cueball might regard the name "Reelect Trump 2020" as an ironic joke, like a campaign button for {{w|Vermin Supreme}} or the [https://sweetmeteorofdeath.com/ Sweet Meteor Of Death]. That [[Randall]] is not a fan of Donald Trump became clear in [[1756: I'm With Her]] and [[Sad comics|many comics]] that followed it, now including this.

Randall released a comic about Pokémon Go less than a week after its release back in July 2016: [[1705|1705: Pokémon Go]]. But Pokémon in general has been a [[:Category:Pokémon|recurring theme]] in xkcd long before Pokémon Go was released.

[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/pepe-the-frog Pepe the Frog] is an internet meme that has become associated with Donald Trump after his use of it during his presidential campaign. The use of a frog Pokémon, therefore, is a callback to this internet phenomenon.

The Pokémon left in the gym is most likely [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Politoed_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Politoed], the only official frog Pokémon released in the game at the time of publication. It comes from the tadpole series with [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Poliwag_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Poliwag] that evolves into [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Poliwhirl_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Poliwhirl] which by using a [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/King%27s_Rock King's Rock] can be evolved to Politoed (instead of to [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Poliwrath_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Poliwrath]). There are other frog like Pokémon in the game which are scheduled to be added to Pokémon Go, but where people who dislike Trump might have chosen [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Toxicroak_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Toxicroak], it seems an unlikely choice by a fan that hopes Trump is reelected!

This comic's joke is similar to one used in the 1985 science-fiction film ''{{w|Back to the Future}}'', in which Doc Brown (of 1955) is shocked to learn that {{w|Ronald Reagan}} would be the President of the United States in thirty years' time, when in 1955 Reagan was a TV actor.

{{w|Digimon}}, as mentioned in the title text, is another media franchise which is similar to Pokémon in some ways, though it is sometimes perceived as more "cool" and "adult" oriented. Its popularity in North America rose around 1999 with the airing of its anime series, but [https://geekinsider.com/digimon-vs-pokemon-retrospective-monster-marketing/ never became as popular as Pokémon].

This was the first of two time travel comics in less than a week, as the one two comics after this one, [[2222: Terminator: Dark Fate]], also had future Cueballs travel back to visit their past self.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball talks to Megan while looking at his smart phone.]
:Cueball: Ugh. A player named "Reelect Trump 2020" put a frog Pokemon in the gym next to mine.

:[Megan puts her hand to her face. Cueball is holding a device in his hand with an antenna. He uses the other hand to move a stick on the device.]
:Megan: Imagine going back in time and saying that to yourself 20 years ago.
:Cueball: Oh, I have a time machine! I'll try that.

:[A sound effect between panels, likely the sound of Cueball's time machine.]
:Bzzzzt

:[Two Cueballs standing, facing each other. The one on the right is holding the handheld device, and is thus Cueball from 2019. He is apparently repeating his statement to the other Cueball from 1999, with only the last 3 words shown. He gestures towards the left Cueball. Above the left Cueball there is a frame with a caption:]
:1999
:Cueball from 2019: ...next to mine.

:[Cueball from 1999 is shown, with Cueball from 2019 speaking off panel.]
:Cueball from 1999: I see.
:Cueball from 1999: Pokemon is still popular in 2019?
:Cueball from 2019: Yeah.

:[Cueball from 2019 is holding a finger up in front of Cueball from 1999.]
:Cueball from 1999: And it's cool for people your age to play it?
:Cueball from 2019: OK, I did not come here to be mocked.
:Cueball from 1999: This is a sobering cautionary tale.
:Cueball from 2019: '''''Listen, self...'''''

==Trivia==
* The idea of people extending their childhood hobbies into adulthood was explored in a more positive light in [[219: Blanket Fort]] and [[150: Grownups]]. The blurred line between childhood and adulthood is a recurring theme on xkcd.

{{comic discussion}}

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

[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Donald Trump]]

2220: Imagine Going Back in Time

2022-02-03T20:22:04Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2220
| date = October 25, 2019
| title = Imagine Going Back in Time
| image = imagine_going_back_in_time.png
| titletext = I wonder what the trendy adults in 2019 who are too cool for Pokemon will be into. Probably Digimon!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is checking his ''{{w|Pokémon Go}}'' app to check on the status of a Pokémon he had previously left in a gym (to defend it against the other two teams in the game). In the gym he sees that another player named "Reelect Trump 2020" has left a frog Pokémon (the most common examples of frog pokemon include [w|Croagunk], [w|Politoed], and the [w|Froakie] line), which is now standing next to his. Cueball, evidently not a fan of President Trump or his supporters, finds it distasteful to be indirectly associated with someone whose political views he finds unpleasant. (Alternatively, it may simply be that Cueball doesn't want politics injected into a game that he plays for fun.)

When he remarks on this to [[Megan]], she observes out how strange that remark would sound if he said it to his younger self from 20 years ago. Normally when people say "imagine going back in time", they are merely constructing a hypothetical scenario to illustrate how rapidly society has changed over the years. Megan is likely pointing out that the idea of Donald Trump becoming the President of the United States (let alone coming up for re-election) would have seemed very [w|farfetch'd] just 20 years ago.

However, it turns out that Cueball somehow actually does ''have'' the time-travel technology required to pull this off, and so he takes Megan's suggestion literally and goes back in time 20 years to do exactly what she suggested: he repeats the statement to his younger self to see what his reaction will be.

Unfortunately, past Cueball (in the year 1999) chooses to focus on a completely different aspect of the statement: the fact that ''Pokémon'' - a game that past Cueball sees as a children's game - will still somehow be popular in 20 years, and that his adult self is still playing it. These observations make Cueball feel uncomfortable, as they highlight the fact that he is spending time on pursuits that his younger self sees as frivolous or childish. He gets defensive and starts to argue with his younger self. When his younger self begins to call the a cautionary tale, it dawns on present Cueball that he may just have changed how his former self will behave, thus he may never even begin playing Pokémon Go, and thus present Cueball, may disappear and a new version will replace him 20 years later.

{{w|Pokémon}} is a media franchise that debuted in 1996 in Japan as both a video game and a trading card game. It was originally designed for and marketed to younger children (the tie-in cartoon series constantly emphasizes its main characters are ten years old), with a design, aesthetic and gameplay that were optimized for a younger audience. Since then, and up to 2019, there have been a total of eight generations of video games on consoles. As the franchise continued to thrive and evolve, it's gone through multiple generations, including ''Pokémon Go'', an augmented reality game for smartphones. These latest versions, in particular, have become popular with (and marketed to) adults, some of whom grew up playing the earlier generations.

In 1999 in North America, only the first generation of Pokémon video games had been released, consisting of {{w|Pokémon Red and Blue|''Pokémon Blue'' and ''Pokémon Red''}} for the Nintendo Gameboy. The second generation of Pokémon video games would not even be announced in Japan until {{w|Pokémon Gold and Silver#Release|November 1999}}, and advertising for the North American release would begin in December of 1999. A person living in 1999, who has only seen the first generation, with no official confirmation that a second generation was even being considered, and unable to predict the nostalgia market that would appear later, would quite plausibly wonder about its popularity 20 years later.

{{w|Donald J. Trump}} was the president of the United States at the time of publishing, elected in 2016. Even during his campaign, the idea of his election was considered absurd in many circles, as he had never held any kind of public office, and had no background that would lend itself to expertise in government or public policy. Prior to his election, he was primarily known as a New York real estate mogul and host of the 2003 reality television show ''The Apprentice''. While he'd been teasing the idea of a presidential run since the 1980s, and indeed {{w|Donald Trump 2000 presidential campaign|was seeking the Reform Party candidacy in 1999}} (at the advice of then-Governor of Minnesota {{w|Jesse Ventura}}, another actor-turned-politician), most people did not take the idea seriously, and the concept of him actually being President of the United States would have been hugely unexpected to most Americans in an earlier era. 1999 Cueball might regard the name "Reelect Trump 2020" as an ironic joke, like a campaign button for {{w|Vermin Supreme}} or the [https://sweetmeteorofdeath.com/ Sweet Meteor Of Death]. That [[Randall]] is not a fan of Donald Trump became clear in [[1756: I'm With Her]] and [[Sad comics|many comics]] that followed it, now including this.

Randall released a comic about Pokémon Go less than a week after its release back in July 2016: [[1705|1705: Pokémon Go]]. But Pokémon in general has been a [[:Category:Pokémon|recurring theme]] in xkcd long before Pokémon Go was released.

[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/pepe-the-frog Pepe the Frog] is an internet meme that has become associated with Donald Trump after his use of it during his presidential campaign. The use of a frog Pokémon, therefore, is a callback to this internet phenomenon.

The Pokémon left in the gym is most likely [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Politoed_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Politoed], the only official frog Pokémon released in the game at the time of publication. It comes from the tadpole series with [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Poliwag_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Poliwag] that evolves into [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Poliwhirl_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Poliwhirl] which by using a [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/King%27s_Rock King's Rock] can be evolved to Politoed (instead of to [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Poliwrath_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Poliwrath]). There are other frog like Pokémon in the game which are scheduled to be added to Pokémon Go, but where people who dislike Trump might have chosen [https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Toxicroak_(Pok%C3%A9mon) Toxicroak], it seems an unlikely choice by a fan that hopes Trump is reelected!

This comic's joke is similar to one used in the 1985 science-fiction film ''{{w|Back to the Future}}'', in which Doc Brown (of 1955) is shocked to learn that {{w|Ronald Reagan}} would be the President of the United States in thirty years' time, when in 1955 Reagan was a TV actor.

{{w|Digimon}}, as mentioned in the title text, is another media franchise which is similar to Pokémon in some ways, though it is sometimes perceived as more "cool" and "adult" oriented. Its popularity in North America rose around 1999 with the airing of its anime series, but [https://geekinsider.com/digimon-vs-pokemon-retrospective-monster-marketing/ never became as popular as Pokémon].

This was the first of two time travel comics in less than a week, as the one two comics after this one, [[2222: Terminator: Dark Fate]], also had future Cueballs travel back to visit their past self.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball talks to Megan while looking at his smart phone.]
:Cueball: Ugh. A player named "Reelect Trump 2020" put a frog Pokemon in the gym next to mine.

:[Megan puts her hand to her face. Cueball is holding a device in his hand with an antenna. He uses the other hand to move a stick on the device.]
:Megan: Imagine going back in time and saying that to yourself 20 years ago.
:Cueball: Oh, I have a time machine! I'll try that.

:[A sound effect between panels, likely the sound of Cueball's time machine.]
:Bzzzzt

:[Two Cueballs standing, facing each other. The one on the right is holding the handheld device, and is thus Cueball from 2019. He is apparently repeating his statement to the other Cueball from 1999, with only the last 3 words shown. He gestures towards the left Cueball. Above the left Cueball there is a frame with a caption:]
:1999
:Cueball from 2019: ...next to mine.

:[Cueball from 1999 is shown, with Cueball from 2019 speaking off panel.]
:Cueball from 1999: I see.
:Cueball from 1999: Pokemon is still popular in 2019?
:Cueball from 2019: Yeah.

:[Cueball from 2019 is holding a finger up in front of Cueball from 1999.]
:Cueball from 1999: And it's cool for people your age to play it?
:Cueball from 2019: OK, I did not come here to be mocked.
:Cueball from 1999: This is a sobering cautionary tale.
:Cueball from 2019: '''''Listen, self...'''''

==Trivia==
* The idea of people extending their childhood hobbies into adulthood was explored in a more positive light in [[219: Blanket Fort]] and [[150: Grownups]]. The blurred line between childhood and adulthood is a recurring theme on xkcd.

{{comic discussion}}

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

[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Donald Trump]]

2005: Attention Span

2022-02-02T16:02:49Z

ElijahRock: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 2005
| date = June 11, 2018
| title = Attention Span
| image = attention_span.png
| titletext = I didn't even realize they MADE a novelization of "Surf Ninjas." How did you-- Oh my god, it's signed by the author?!
}}

==Explanation==
People often groan about their shrinking attention span, attributing it to an increased illiteracy. This allows for fond nostalgia about the times when they were supposedly more intelligent and focused. For instance, Nicholas Carr wrote [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/ this article] to compile both anecdotes (which are more abundant) and research (which is more useful) to describe this phenomenon.

[[Cueball]] does the same here, but [[Megan]] retorts that he spent six hours reading over a pointless (if disturbingly plausible) theory about a banal show based off a series of bedtime stories made to entertain small children. ''{{w|Thomas & Friends|Thomas The Tank Engine}}'' is a British children's series based off a series of books written by Wilbert Awdry. It follows the adventures of anthropomorphized train locomotives and other vehicles.

Cueball qualifies his statement: he has no attention span for anything good anymore. Megan, in reply, examines Cueball’s bookshelf, finding a book that cements Cueball’s status as a nerd who reads {{w|High fantasy|high fantasy}}. Cueball protests that the book is a classic, but Megan dismisses the fact.

To be fair to Cueball, many great fantasies have covers such as those in the comic (e.g. ''{{w|A Song of Ice and Fire}}'', ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}'', Randall's personal favorite ''{{w|Discworld}}''). To be fair to Megan, this book is apparently not one of them, being thicker than it is wide (like ''The Complete {{w|Miss Marple}}'' by {{w|Agatha Christie}}), a telltale sign of needless bombast and turgid prose.

Other possibilities for the dragon book are ''{{w|His Majesty's Dragon}}'' from the ''{{w|Temeraire (series)|Temeraire}}'' series or ''{{w|Dragonsbane}}'' from the Winterlands series.

If there was any doubt about Cueball’s dubious literary tastes before, Megan dispels them in the title text, refering to a novelization of the excoriated movie ''{{w|Surf Ninjas}}'', a movie that is exactly what it sounds like. Signed novelizations of a movie named “Surf Ninjas” are not typical fodder for great minds.{{Citation needed}}

The comic contains a hyperlink to an article with the same unfortunate content Cueball has apparently finished reading prior to this comic: [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/rabbit-holes/the-repressive-authoritarian-soul-of-thomas-the-tank-engine-and-friends The Repressive, Authoritarian Soul of “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends”]. This article, the articles linked from it, further linked articles from those, links found by googling the topic, and other related [https://www.techopedia.com/definition/5199/surfing-world-wide-web web surfing] on the topic could easily add up to six hours or more of reading.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are standing together.]
:Cueball: I haven't read any books in forever. I have no attention span anymore.

:[Zoom in on the faces of Cueball and Megan.]
:Megan: Didn't you literally '''''just''''' spend six hours obsessively reading about the theory that ''Thomas the Tank Engine'' is authoritarian propaganda depicting a post-apocalyptic fascist dystopia?

:[Cueball still standing there. Megan begins pacing away.]
:Cueball: OK
:Cueball: I mean I have no attention span for anything '''''good''''' anymore.
:Megan: Let's check out your bookshelf, shall we?

:[Cueball alone.]
:Cueball: What are you-
:Off-panel: I see a dragon holding a sword in its teeth on the cover of a book that's thicker than it is wide.
:Cueball: And? That's a '''''classic!'''''
:Off-panel: Just saying, I don't think this is a new development.

==Trivia==
2005 (the comic number) is also the year of the first XKCD comic.

The dragon described is very loosely similar to the legendary pokemon {{w|Zacian}}, whose game had been teased at the release of this comic.
{{comic discussion}}

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

2005: Attention Span

2022-02-02T16:01:50Z

ElijahRock: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 2005
| date = June 11, 2018
| title = Attention Span
| image = attention_span.png
| titletext = I didn't even realize they MADE a novelization of "Surf Ninjas." How did you-- Oh my god, it's signed by the author?!
}}

==Explanation==
People often groan about their shrinking attention span, attributing it to an increased illiteracy. This allows for fond nostalgia about the times when they were supposedly more intelligent and focused. For instance, Nicholas Carr wrote [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/ this article] to compile both anecdotes (which are more abundant) and research (which is more useful) to describe this phenomenon.

[[Cueball]] does the same here, but [[Megan]] retorts that he spent six hours reading over a pointless (if disturbingly plausible) theory about a banal show based off a series of bedtime stories made to entertain small children. ''{{w|Thomas & Friends|Thomas The Tank Engine}}'' is a British children's series based off a series of books written by Wilbert Awdry. It follows the adventures of anthropomorphized train locomotives and other vehicles.

Cueball qualifies his statement: he has no attention span for anything good anymore. Megan, in reply, examines Cueball’s bookshelf, finding a book that cements Cueball’s status as a nerd who reads {{w|High fantasy|high fantasy}}. Cueball protests that the book is a classic, but Megan dismisses the fact.

To be fair to Cueball, many great fantasies have covers such as those in the comic (e.g. ''{{w|A Song of Ice and Fire}}'', ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}'', Randall's personal favorite ''{{w|Discworld}}''). To be fair to Megan, this book is apparently not one of them, being thicker than it is wide (like ''The Complete {{w|Miss Marple}}'' by {{w|Agatha Christie}}), a telltale sign of needless bombast and turgid prose.

Other possibilities for the dragon book are ''{{w|His Majesty's Dragon}}'' from the ''{{w|Temeraire (series)|Temeraire}}'' series or ''{{w|Dragonsbane}}'' from the Winterlands series.

If there was any doubt about Cueball’s dubious literary tastes before, Megan dispels them in the title text, refering to a novelization of the excoriated movie ''{{w|Surf Ninjas}}'', a movie that is exactly what it sounds like. Signed novelizations of a movie named “Surf Ninjas” are not typical fodder for great minds.{{Citation needed}}

The comic contains a hyperlink to an article with the same unfortunate content Cueball has apparently finished reading prior to this comic: [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/rabbit-holes/the-repressive-authoritarian-soul-of-thomas-the-tank-engine-and-friends The Repressive, Authoritarian Soul of “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends”]. This article, the articles linked from it, further linked articles from those, links found by googling the topic, and other related [https://www.techopedia.com/definition/5199/surfing-world-wide-web web surfing] on the topic could easily add up to six hours or more of reading.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are standing together.]
:Cueball: I haven't read any books in forever. I have no attention span anymore.

:[Zoom in on the faces of Cueball and Megan.]
:Megan: Didn't you literally '''''just''''' spend six hours obsessively reading about the theory that ''Thomas the Tank Engine'' is authoritarian propaganda depicting a post-apocalyptic fascist dystopia?

:[Cueball still standing there. Megan begins pacing away.]
:Cueball: OK
:Cueball: I mean I have no attention span for anything '''''good''''' anymore.
:Megan: Let's check out your bookshelf, shall we?

:[Cueball alone.]
:Cueball: What are you-
:Off-panel: I see a dragon holding a sword in its teeth on the cover of a book that's thicker than it is wide.
:Cueball: And? That's a '''''classic!'''''
:Off-panel: Just saying, I don't think this is a new development.

==Trivia==
2005 (the comic number) is also the year of the first XKCD comic.

The dragon described is very loosely similar to the legendary pokemon {w|Zacian|}, whose game had been teased at the release of this comic.
{{comic discussion}}

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

392: Making Rules

2022-01-31T16:33:15Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 392
| date = March 5, 2008
| title = Making Rules
| image = making_rules.png
| titletext = I never understood why someone would expect me to accept their rules right after they'd punched me. I'm sure it's all very symbolic or something.
}}

==Explanation==
"{{w|Punch Buggy}}" is a game played by two people with a view of traffic (often, but not here, during a car ride). For each {{w|Volkswagen Beetle}} that passes nearby, the first player to see it is entitled to punch the other player, while calling "Punch Buggy" followed by the colour of the spotted Beetle. Traditionally the other player is permitted to return the punch, unless the first player also calls "no punch back."

Many people will just assume that the game is always being played and punch you out of the blue, giving you no chance to opt out. [[Cueball]], however, finds the idea that he can simply be roped into a game without consent odd, and decides to make the game stakes more desirable than just the right to punch someone, and (seemingly successfully) uses the same principle to secure the right to sleep with the other man's girlfriend.

The title text is [[Randall]] elaborating on how ridiculous these types of games are, such as the idea that after being punched, one should just accept a "no punch back" rule.

In the UK, a common variant uses a yellow {{w|Mini}} rather than the VW Beetle. Other examples of this type of game are the {{w|Car numberplate game}} and {{w|Padiddle}}.

==Transcript==
:[Two men are sitting. A yellow buggy passes by.]
:Man: Punch buggy yellow no punch back!
:[Man punches Cueball, Cueball punches the man back, with seemingly greater force, causing the man to fall of the bench they are sitting on.]
:Man: I said no punch back!
:Cueball: You can do that?
:Cueball: Man, this changes everything.
:Soon...
:[A blue buggy passes by, and Cueball is holding Megan's hand.]
:Cueball: Sleep with your girlfriend buggy blue!
:Man: Hey!
:Cueball: No complaining back!
:Man: Aww...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Sex]]

392: Making Rules

2022-01-31T16:32:45Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 392
| date = March 5, 2008
| title = Making Rules
| image = making_rules.png
| titletext = I never understood why someone would expect me to accept their rules right after they'd punched me. I'm sure it's all very symbolic or something.
}}

==Explanation==
"{{w|Punch Buggy}}" is a game played by two people with a view of traffic (often, but not here, during a car ride). For each {{w|Volkswagen Beetle}} that passes nearby, the first player to see it is entitled to punch the other player, while calling "Punch Buggy" followed by the colour of the spotted Beetle. Traditionally the other player is permitted to return the punch, unless the first player also calls "no punch back."

Many people will just assume that the game is always being played and punch you out of the blue, giving you no chance to opt out. [[Cueball]], however, finds the idea that he can simply be roped into a game without consent odd, and decides to make the game stakes more desirable than just the right to punch someone, and (seemingly successfully) uses the same principle to secure the right to sleep with the other man's girlfriend.

This comic also highlights the tendency of many children to "call" various things in games, usually in a way that benefits them, rather spontaneously. such an example would be to "call" being a team captain, or to "call" a certain rule.

The title text is [[Randall]] elaborating on how ridiculous these types of games are, such as the idea that after being punched, one should just accept a "no punch back" rule.

In the UK, a common variant uses a yellow {{w|Mini}} rather than the VW Beetle. Other examples of this type of game are the {{w|Car numberplate game}} and {{w|Padiddle}}.

==Transcript==
:[Two men are sitting. A yellow buggy passes by.]
:Man: Punch buggy yellow no punch back!
:[Man punches Cueball, Cueball punches the man back, with seemingly greater force, causing the man to fall of the bench they are sitting on.]
:Man: I said no punch back!
:Cueball: You can do that?
:Cueball: Man, this changes everything.
:Soon...
:[A blue buggy passes by, and Cueball is holding Megan's hand.]
:Cueball: Sleep with your girlfriend buggy blue!
:Man: Hey!
:Cueball: No complaining back!
:Man: Aww...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Sex]]

Talk:2572: Alien Observers

2022-01-25T16:07:13Z

ElijahRock:

This is my first explanation, i know it is really bad but i wanted to give it a go[[User:ElijahRock|ElijahRock]] ([[User talk:ElijahRock|talk]]) 20:39, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
:Great you are helping. Often easier to continue and improve existing explanations rather than start as you did from scratch. Even if most of the original version end up getting changed. I make alot of edits but rarely begin the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:01, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
::thanks! glad i could be helpful [[User:ElijahRock|ElijahRock]] ([[User talk:ElijahRock|talk]]) 16:02, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

I don't think it makes sense to track each human individually, I was under the impression that it was a "before and after" picture. - [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.153|172.70.130.153]] 22:14, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
:I think they ''both'' track humans individually, and that this is a (representative) before-and-after picture. They probably have minions/computers/whatever continuously updating the actual flight-boundaries as people move around (and go into camera/phone/cameraphone stores and come out with something new) but this is a 'management briefing' that extraordinarily reports this otherwise mundane development as an individual matter, with a visual aid to make the report sink in. Just going to show how aliens can be both so alien and yet amazingly human in their bureaucratic minutiae. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.73|172.70.85.73]] 01:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

Feels like this is a partial rebuttal of https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1235:_Settled [[User:Boatster|Boatster]] ([[User talk:Boatster|talk]]) 23:08, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
:Didn't see your comment, before, but added this link myself in my own way. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.73|172.70.85.73]] 01:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

I think that Randall is also referring to the fact that all footage of "UFOs" show them flying erratically. This being due to the fact that this is the way refraction works. Sorry for the bad English, not sure how to explain it :) EDIT: It could also refer to the fact that a lot of people still believe in UFOs even though this is a well-known phenomenon that is known to be the cause of a lot of these sightings. As I said below though most of these kind of sightings are reported by pilots flying at high altitudes, so now I'm not sure...[[User:The Cat Lady|-- The Cat Lady]] ([[User talk:The Cat Lady|talk]]) 23:18, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
:(Ditto above, didn't see this before starting editing, but...) I put it down to zoom-wobble in what I just inserted. Though didn't say that this is just normal (acceptable) hand-wobble augmented by the zoom needed to frame the distant whateveritis. Yes, rapidly changing refraction through moving air is probably also a thing (usually heat haze during the day, or the subtler stuff that astronomical telescopes have to deal with at night with lasers and adaptive optics and/or electronic post-processing) but I'm happy to leave it at zoom-wobble without going back and adding your suggestion. Do edit it if you feel like it, though, that being how this site works. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.73|172.70.85.73]] 01:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

:: The zoom-wobble is a great explanation! I didn't think of that at all :P However, there's lots of footage that exists from non-zoomed, fixed cameras like security cameras and 8 mm film cameras on tripods, which sort of obviates that explanation. But also, I did a quick search for footage like that and it looks nothing like refraction phenoma (at least the examples I could find) so my explanation isn't quite correct either. I think those kind of sightings are mostly reported by pilots at high altitudes, as those are more likely conditions for this to happen. I'm still leaning more towards my explanation than yours for now though:) I'm going to leave this here for now and wait for more discussion before I change anything [[User:The Cat Lady|-- The Cat Lady]] ([[User talk:The Cat Lady|talk]]) 08:53, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

Zoom is a misnomer for the lens setups modern phones come with. As an example, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra does not have any zoom - it has three distinct cameras, each with their own prime lens. You can switch between the cameras, but this is not zooming. [[User:Paul-Simon|Paul-Simon]] ([[User talk:Paul-Simon|talk]]) 13:13, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

I have added that "Human 38XT11" is a reference to THX 1138... anyone who can spot something similar with Human 910-25J-1Q38 or B-C54? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:42, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1Q84 1Q84] is the title of a novel by Haruki Murakami. The meaning of the title is the year 1984, since 9 in Japanese is ''kyū''. So perhaps 1Q38 is code for 1938? [[User:Entropy|Entropy]] ([[User talk:Entropy|talk]]) 14:05, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2572: Alien Observers

2022-01-25T16:02:08Z

ElijahRock:

This is my first explanation, i know it is really bad but i wanted to give it a go[[User:ElijahRock|ElijahRock]] ([[User talk:ElijahRock|talk]]) 20:39, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
:Great you are helping. Often easier to continue and improve existing explanations rather than start as you did from scratch. Even if most of the original version end up getting changed. I make alot of edits but rarely begin the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:01, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
:thanks! glad i could be helpful [[User:ElijahRock|ElijahRock]] ([[User talk:ElijahRock|talk]]) 16:02, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

I don't think it makes sense to track each human individually, I was under the impression that it was a "before and after" picture. - [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.153|172.70.130.153]] 22:14, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
:I think they ''both'' track humans individually, and that this is a (representative) before-and-after picture. They probably have minions/computers/whatever continuously updating the actual flight-boundaries as people move around (and go into camera/phone/cameraphone stores and come out with something new) but this is a 'management briefing' that extraordinarily reports this otherwise mundane development as an individual matter, with a visual aid to make the report sink in. Just going to show how aliens can be both so alien and yet amazingly human in their bureaucratic minutiae. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.73|172.70.85.73]] 01:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

Feels like this is a partial rebuttal of https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1235:_Settled [[User:Boatster|Boatster]] ([[User talk:Boatster|talk]]) 23:08, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
:Didn't see your comment, before, but added this link myself in my own way. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.73|172.70.85.73]] 01:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

I think that Randall is also referring to the fact that all footage of "UFOs" show them flying erratically. This being due to the fact that this is the way refraction works. Sorry for the bad English, not sure how to explain it :) EDIT: It could also refer to the fact that a lot of people still believe in UFOs even though this is a well-known phenomenon that is known to be the cause of a lot of these sightings. As I said below though most of these kind of sightings are reported by pilots flying at high altitudes, so now I'm not sure...[[User:The Cat Lady|-- The Cat Lady]] ([[User talk:The Cat Lady|talk]]) 23:18, 24 January 2022 (UTC)
:(Ditto above, didn't see this before starting editing, but...) I put it down to zoom-wobble in what I just inserted. Though didn't say that this is just normal (acceptable) hand-wobble augmented by the zoom needed to frame the distant whateveritis. Yes, rapidly changing refraction through moving air is probably also a thing (usually heat haze during the day, or the subtler stuff that astronomical telescopes have to deal with at night with lasers and adaptive optics and/or electronic post-processing) but I'm happy to leave it at zoom-wobble without going back and adding your suggestion. Do edit it if you feel like it, though, that being how this site works. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.73|172.70.85.73]] 01:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

:: The zoom-wobble is a great explanation! I didn't think of that at all :P However, there's lots of footage that exists from non-zoomed, fixed cameras like security cameras and 8 mm film cameras on tripods, which sort of obviates that explanation. But also, I did a quick search for footage like that and it looks nothing like refraction phenoma (at least the examples I could find) so my explanation isn't quite correct either. I think those kind of sightings are mostly reported by pilots at high altitudes, as those are more likely conditions for this to happen. I'm still leaning more towards my explanation than yours for now though:) I'm going to leave this here for now and wait for more discussion before I change anything [[User:The Cat Lady|-- The Cat Lady]] ([[User talk:The Cat Lady|talk]]) 08:53, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

Zoom is a misnomer for the lens setups modern phones come with. As an example, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra does not have any zoom - it has three distinct cameras, each with their own prime lens. You can switch between the cameras, but this is not zooming. [[User:Paul-Simon|Paul-Simon]] ([[User talk:Paul-Simon|talk]]) 13:13, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

I have added that "Human 38XT11" is a reference to THX 1138... anyone who can spot something similar with Human 910-25J-1Q38 or B-C54? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:42, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1Q84 1Q84] is the title of a novel by Haruki Murakami. The meaning of the title is the year 1984, since 9 in Japanese is ''kyū''. So perhaps 1Q38 is code for 1938? [[User:Entropy|Entropy]] ([[User talk:Entropy|talk]]) 14:05, 25 January 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2572: Alien Observers

2022-01-24T20:39:09Z

ElijahRock:

2572: Alien Observers

2022-01-24T20:37:53Z

ElijahRock:

{{comic
| number = 2572
| date = January 24, 2022
| title = Alien Observers
| image = alien_observers.png
| titletext = ALERT: Human 910-25J-1Q38 has created a Youtube channel. Increase erratic jerkiness of flying by 30% until safely out of range.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an UNJUSTIFIED MARTIAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
There is speculation by many people that there could be some form of extraterrestrial life observing us, hovering around in various flying vehicles or perhaps using some form of giant telescope. these claims are often backed up by blurry pictures which claim to be of alien vehicles. the joke being made here is that the aliens are doing this on purpose, and must always meet certain conditions so that any picture taken of them will turn out badly. [this is my first explanation, i know it really sucks, if anyone sees this please fix it]

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{comic discussion}}

2572: Alien Observers

2022-01-24T20:37:01Z

ElijahRock:

{{comic
| number = 2572
| date = January 24, 2022
| title = Alien Observers
| image = alien_observers.png
| titletext = ALERT: Human 910-25J-1Q38 has created a Youtube channel. Increase erratic jerkiness of flying by 30% until safely out of range.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an UNJUSTIFIED MARTIAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{comic discussion}}

There is speculation by many people that there could be some form of extraterrestrial life observing us, hovering around in various flying vehicles or perhaps using some form of giant telescope. these claims are often backed up by blurry pictures which claim to be of alien vehicles. the joke being made here is that the aliens are doing this on purpose, and must always meet certain conditions so that any picture taken of them will turn out badly. [this is my first explanation, i know it really sucks, if anyone sees this please fix it]

75: Curse Levels

2022-01-19T16:27:24Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 75
| date = March 13, 2006
| title = Curse Levels
| image = curse levels.jpg
| titletext = I find so much fun in language.
}}

==Explanation==
In this fourth "[[My Hobby]]" strip, the hobby is mixing curse levels. Curse words (aka: swear words/profanities) are disrespectful words that are typically impolite to use in public. As noted in the strip, there are "levels" of curse words ranging from those "mild" words that are more acceptable to use, to those "severe" words that are considered very impolite (the milder curse words can be used on network television in the US, for example, while severe ones can not). Although they cannot be exactly defined, they roughly fit into "safe"(heck, gosh, dang, etc.),"mild"(d*mn, s**t, h*ll and so forth) and "severe"(those that refer to more suggestive things than the others, as well as racial slurs and such). One usually uses milder cursing ("safe") because either they personally don't feel comfortable using the more severe words, or because it would not be appropriate in the context (such as on network television, in the presence of children, etc.) Thus, mixing mild and severe curses in one usage does not usually occur, as the effect achieved by keeping the one curse word mild is negated by using another that is severe.

In a mild curse, "gosh-darned" is typically used as a {{w|minced oath}} of "God-damned" when the latter would be inappropriate. This is mixed with "{{w|cunt}}" — a vulgar term for the female genitalia, considered the most offensive swear word in many English-speaking countries.

==Transcript==
:My hobby: mixing curse levels
:Cueball: What a gosh-darned cunt.

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

336: Priorities

2022-01-18T18:33:50Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 336
| date = October 31, 2007
| title = Priorities
| image = priorities.png
| titletext = You should start giving out 'E's so I can spell FACADE or DEFACED.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Cueball]] is a student, who apparently didn't turn in his homework assignment repeatingly, for which he gets a warning from his Cueball-like teacher.

In some schools in the United States, a student's grades are determined mainly using letters for quick reference. In most schools, the letter grades are given as follows:

::A — 100%–90%
::B — 89%–80%
::C — 79%–70%
::D — 69%–60%
::F — 59%–0%

Traditionally, these schools send '{{w|report card}}s' in which the student's current grading of the semester or even the entirety of the class the student is taking is denoted using these letters, for example:

::English — A
::Mathematics — D
::Science — B
::Social Studies — B
::World Building — C

The student may have noted that, if he aims for certain scoring (for example: altering the quality of his homework or even sending out his homework only at the times needed for his grades to reach a certain level), he could make the report card spell every letter grade in alphabetical order. Deriving from the previous example, the student would aim for the following report card:

::English — A
::Mathematics — B
::Science — C
::Social Studies — D
::World Building — F

Interestingly, since in some schools even a 0% grade would produce the required 'F' grade, the student does not need to work at all (not even turn in any school assignments) to get the required 'F' grade, this leading to the situation presented in the comic above. There are some schools, though, where turning in nothing would result in the class being marked "incomplete" or "inc" instead of having a grade shown at all.

The title text references that, not only can the grades in the report card inadvertently spell out certain words (for example: 'CAB' or 'FAD'), but also that the letter grade system denoted omits the letter 'E' in standard letter grading. The reason for the missing "E" is complex and explained in [http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2010/08/e_is_for_fail.html this Slate article]. However, this is not universal in the United States: Ohio State University, for example, uses 'E' for failing.

==Transcript==
:[A teacher is talking to a student, sitting at a desk.]
:Teacher: If you don't turn in at least one homework assignment, you'll fail this class.
:[The student holds up his report card.]
:Student: Yeah. But if I can fail this class, the grades on my report card will be in alphabetical order!

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

299: Aeris Dies

2022-01-10T17:20:29Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 299
| date = August 6, 2007
| title = Aeris Dies
| image = aeris_dies.png
| titletext = It's bad enough that all the families in your Sims are just you and Maggie recreated over and over.
}}

==Explanation==
From the looks of this comic, there is a friend here who had a loved one (named 'Maggie') who died. Maggie is likely a spouse or girlfriend, but could also be a mother or another significant relation. [[Cueball]] tries to help him by comparing his plight to a significant plot point in the popular game ''{{w|Final Fantasy VII}}'' for the PlayStation 1 in 1997, the plot point being the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx3duFYCcho permanent death] of [[wikia:w:c:finalfantasy:Aerith Gainsborough|Aerith Gainsborough]] (originally translated as "Aeris"), the last of a race called 'the Ancients' and a potential love interest of the main character of the game. Although technically being a spoiler due to its significance and dissonance to the plot, Aerith's death became one of the most iconic video game scenes of all time, leading to its referencing and even parodies throughout the game community (some even [http://aoigetsu.deviantart.com/art/Aerith-s-Revenge-2839790/ depicting her revenge] on [[wikia:w:c:finalfantasy:Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)|Sephiroth]], the main antagonist of the game and her murderer).

The word 'permanent' was not meant for redundancy in the last paragraph; [http://www.ff7citadel.com/press/int_egm.shtml/ the developers wanted to symbolize how death is unexpected, leaving you with an empty feeling, filled only by regret.] Therefore, when they received word about how much people wanted Aerith to be brought back to life, they felt that they succeeded with evoking the right feelings with her death. Even so, due to all the significance her death brought, the developers refused to '''officially''' resuscitate her.

That did not stop other people from [http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=9786.0 modifying] the game in order to '''unofficially''' resuscitate her, though.
Cueball feels really troubled that his friend would take such a course of action (especially with a fictional character, admittedly) instead of dealing with her death. His friend takes this to more disturbing levels, wanting to 'mod' Cueball with Maggie's clothes, turning Cueball into a 'substitute Maggie.'

The title text references {{w|The Sims}}, a series of life simulation games where you can create virtual people (the aforementioned Sims), set their appearances, and essentially mess around with their lives. Cueball notes that his friend already attempted to 'recreate' Maggie and him (repeatedly at that) using the simulation abilities in the games of his The Sims series.

==Transcript==
:[Two men are talking. The second man is sitting on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest.]
:Cueball: Maggie's gone. You can't bring her back.
:Friend: But I have to, she's a part of my life.
:Cueball: *sigh*
:Cueball: Okay, let me put this in your terms.
:Cueball: Remember when Aeris died in FFVII? It was sad, but you had to keep playing.
:Friend: Actually, I downloaded a mod to add her back to my party. It changed other character's appearances and dialogue to hers so you didn't have to lose her.
:Friend: Lots of gamers did it.
:[Cueball puts his hand on his chin.]
:Cueball: That is troubling on several levels.
:Friend: I wonder if Maggie's old dresses would fit you.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]

1610: Fire Ants

2022-01-07T15:54:33Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1610
| date = November 30, 2015
| title = Fire Ants
| image = fire_ants.png
| titletext = Here in the entomology department, we have a simple two-step formula for answering any question: (1) ants are cool, and (2) we forgot the question because we were thinking about ants.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]], a university student, is meeting with [[Hairbun]] (likely his mother or somebody qualified to give college advice) asking her advice concerning his second thoughts about {{w|Graduate school|grad school}}. Her response begins with a popular reference [https://www.lds.org/scriptures/ot/prov/6.6?lang=eng#p5 from the Bible] concerning {{w|ants}}; however, she specifically narrows in on the sub-family of {{w|fire ants}}.

The {{w|book of Proverbs}} is a [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Proverbs-Chapter-1/#3 self-proclaimed book] on receiving wisdom and instruction to be made wise. Thus, her response appears to begin as an instruction to him in response to his question. The proverb in particular she appears to begin quoting instructs the lazy person to "Go to the ant, thou sluggard! Consider her ways..." as she prepares for the desolation of winter by providing during the bounty of summer despite not having to be told so. The assumption by the reader would be that she is going to compare Cueball to a lazy person and instruct him to prepare for the later years (winter of life) by studying now while he is young (summer of life).

However, after the initial phrase she instead discusses a cool fact about '''fire ants'''. (Specifically the ability of fire ants to join together to form [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ZysgGAABw floating rafts] in case of flooding). Continuing in the vein of the joke, that Hairbun was going to use a {{w|metaphor}} as part of her instruction, Cueball asks her what lesson he is supposed to take away from that fact. To which she replies with her fascination for ants (''Ants are so cool!'' ). Correctly, Cueball states that she is ''not big on metaphors'', as there were none hidden in her first statement. She continues to tell him what she is big on: '''Ants'''.

This last exchange may imply that the expected metaphor would have had as little effect on Cueball's choice to continue grad school as an excited rant about fire ants (since he was just waiting for a metaphor anyway). Or perhaps it expresses that Hairbun finds more instruction in the study of the natural world than in ancient writings. In either case, it is left unanswered as to whether her argument was enough to answer Cueball's dilemma.

Before reading the title text the reader may have assumed that Cueball went to meet with a University adviser. But the title text makes it clear that he was actually in the {{w|entomology}} department (making her an entomologist - i.e. someone who studies insects). It is reasonable to assume that his grad studies are thus in entomology and he is meeting a professor that might act as a career mentor. Thus, her discourse on fire ants may have been to persuade Cueball that his grad studies in entomology were well worth continuing because of the exciting nature of the field of study. This would be achieving the intent of the Proverb she appeared to quote (convincing Cueball to continue life preparations by finishing grad school) although she discarded its wording.

In almost an immediate and seemingly bizarre contradiction, she chalks up her strange rambling on fire ants as just a formula that all entomology personnel use when asked any question. They use a two-step formula to answer any questions. It won't help you much because all you will learn is that ants are cool and then they have forgotten anything else you asked them while they continued to think of ants. This would imply that the answer Cueball received had literally nothing to do with his question or situation he was in and any similarity to being a meaningful answer or even a proverb of instruction was purely coincidental and unintended.

Another popular example where the phrase ''consider the'' from the Bible has been spoofed can be found in {{w|Monty Python's Life of Brian}} ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9czBBKof7Yo Consider the lilies]'' sketch. However, this refers to a passage in [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Matthew-Chapter-6/#28 Matthew] instead of [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Proverbs-Chapter-6/#6 Proverbs].

It seems likely that [[Randall]] is fascinated by ants (he is fascinated by a lot of cool stuff…)
*In [[638: The Search]] the SETI project is re-imagined from the perspective of ants, who reach the same conclusion humans often do.
*According to footnote 2 of the [[what if?]] no. 73: [https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ Lethal Neutrinos], there are enough ants on earth to fill more than 100 football stadiums to the brim.
*In his celebration game for his new book [[1608: Hoverboard]], there is a scene in the Star Destroyer were Cueball is talking to a giant ant queen:
::Cueball: What's up?
::Ant queen: The usual. Poopin' out ants.
::Cueball: Eww.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to Hairbun, an advisor, who is sitting behind a desk.]
:Cueball: I'm having second thoughts about grad school and could use some advice.

:[Same setting as before. The animated advisor talks while gesticulating with her hands.]
:Advisor: Consider the fire ant.
:Advisor: When there's a flood, fire ants survive by joining together into giant floating rafts.

:[Cueball is just standing there in the next beat-panel.]

:[Back to the first setting but in a larger frame.]
:Cueball: Wait, what lesson am I supposed to take from that?
:Advisor: Ants are '''''so cool!'''''
:Cueball: ...You're not big on metaphors, are you.
:Advisor: I am big on ants.

==Trivia==
===Fascinating facts about ants===
*The queen can lay millions of eggs in a lifetime that may reach [http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/walker/ufbir/chapters/chapter_34.shtml 30 years].
*Ants mainly [http://antark.net/ant-life/ant-communication/pheromones/ communicate through pheromones] which function as chemical signals.
*The queen does not directly control the other ants in the colony. She receives chemical feedback from the workers who care for and feed her; this feedback causes her to adjust the type and quantity of eggs she produces.
*All worker ants are female.
*{{w|Weaver ants}} weave together the leaves that form their colony's nest using larvae silk.
*{{w|Leafcutter ants}} cut up leaves to bring home to feed a {{w|Fungus-growing ants|fungus}} that they in turn eat.
**Ancestors of the Leafcutters began cultivating a variety of fungal gardens around [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2291119/ 50 million years ago]. This may make them the first farmers on Earth, millions of years before humans even existed.
*{{w|Army ants}}, known and feared for their aggressive raids which may claim 100,000 insect prey, have no permanent nest. They form temporary bivouacs [http://www.amentsoc.org/publications/bug-club-magazine/articles/the-raiders-army-ants.html using the ants' bodies] as the structure.
*Army and Driver worker ants are blind. They navigate by following trails laid down by blind scouts.
*{{w|Honeypot ants}} select specialized workers, called repletes, as storage containers, engorging them with food until they swell to maximum size. The repletes share the food with the colony when other food is scarce.
*Although it takes a million ants to weigh a pound, scientists believe that as recently as the time of the American Revolution, the total weight of ants was greater than the total weight of humans on the earth.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Animals]]

637: Scribblenauts

2021-12-08T19:13:41Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =637
| date =September 16, 2009
| title =Scribblenauts
| image =scribblenauts.png
| titletext =Let me look away and type 'guy who's just jealous that I beat all his MarioKart times' and turn back, and... yup, there you are again!
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|Scribblenauts}}'' is a game for the {{w|Nintendo DS}} in which the player controls a character named Maxwell, whose goal is to get a "Starite" in each level. The player has the ability to summon over 22,000 different objects into the game by typing them on the touchscreen using the DS's stylus device. Those items are then ostensibly used to help Maxwell collect the Starite (for example, typing "ladder" to help him reach a Starite that's inside a tree), but the player can decide to forgo the objective and just type in random things for fun.

The {{w|Large Hadron Collider}} is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, and has excited the imagination of writers and journalists in popular culture, some of whom posit the theory that a catastrophic accident at the LHC could destroy the world. One of those ideas concerned the LHC creating a black hole that would proceed to suck in all the surrounding matter. However, in the game, the LHC, when tapped, creates a comically small black hole which only kills Maxwell.

Megan discovers that the LHC can be summoned in ''Scribblenauts,'' and has a fun time creating black holes with it. Cueball's snide comment is an unfortunately rather common reaction among adults towards entertainment geared for children, and the fact that ''Scribblenauts'' is a portable game just gives him another stick to beat it with. Irritated, Megan types in the phrase "pretentious asshole", and then pretends that Cueball has suddenly appeared. It is unclear whether she is reffering to Cueball spawning in-game, or his presence in the real world. Note that, in reality, ''Scribblenauts'' doesn't respond to profanity.

In the title text, she types "guy who's just jealous that I beat all his ''{{w|Mario Kart}}'' times" (this could be a reference to [[423: Finish Line]] and [[290: Fucking Blue Shells]]) and once again, Cueball "appears" right in front of her. ''Mario Kart'' is another video-game series geared towards children, and there's a version of it for the DS, which implies that Cueball's just being snooty about ''Scribblenauts'' because Megan has so thoroughly dominated him in another "DS kids game".

==Transcript==
:[Megan is sitting on bed.]
:[In Scribblenauts word input format.]
:LARGE HADRON COLLIDER
:''Click''
:Megan: Wow, Scribblenauts even lets you summon the LHC.

:[Cueball is sitting at a computer. Megan talks from off-panel.]
:''Fwoosh''
:Megan: And it makes a black hole! This game rules.
:Cueball: I guess it's okay, for a DS kids game.

:[In Scribblenauts word input format.]
:PRETENTIOUS ASSHOLE
:''Click''
:[Megan looks up.]
:Megan: Oh, hi! It worked!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Mario Kart]]

637: Scribblenauts

2021-12-07T16:50:09Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =637
| date =September 16, 2009
| title =Scribblenauts
| image =scribblenauts.png
| titletext =Let me look away and type 'guy who's just jealous that I beat all his MarioKart times' and turn back, and... yup, there you are again!
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|Scribblenauts}}'' is a game for the {{w|Nintendo DS}} in which the player controls a character named Maxwell, whose goal is to get a "Starite" in each level. The player has the ability to summon over 22,000 different objects into the game by typing them on the touchscreen using the DS's stylus device. Those items are then ostensibly used to help Maxwell collect the Starite (for example, typing "ladder" to help him reach a Starite that's inside a tree), but the player can decide to forgo the objective and just type in random things for fun.

The {{w|Large Hadron Collider}} is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, and has excited the imagination of writers and journalists in popular culture, some of whom posit the theory that a catastrophic accident at the LHC could destroy the world. One of those ideas concerned the LHC creating a black hole that would proceed to suck in all the surrounding matter. However, in the game, the LHC, when tapped, creates a comically small black hole which only kills Maxwell.

Megan discovers that the LHC can be summoned in ''Scribblenauts,'' and has a fun time creating black holes with it. Cueball's snide comment is an unfortunately rather common reaction among adults towards entertainment geared for children, and the fact that ''Scribblenauts'' is a portable game just gives him another stick to beat it with. Irritated, Megan types in the phrase "pretentious asshole", and then pretends that Cueball has suddenly appeared. It is unclear whether she is reffering to Cueball spawning in-game, or that he is there in reality. Note that, in reality, ''Scribblenauts'' doesn't respond to profanity.

In the title text, she types "guy who's just jealous that I beat all his ''{{w|Mario Kart}}'' times" (this could be a reference to [[423: Finish Line]] and [[290: Fucking Blue Shells]]) and once again, Cueball "appears" right in front of her. ''Mario Kart'' is another video-game series geared towards children, and there's a version of it for the DS, which implies that Cueball's just being snooty about ''Scribblenauts'' because Megan has so thoroughly dominated him in another "DS kids game".

==Transcript==
:[Megan is sitting on bed.]
:[In Scribblenauts word input format.]
:LARGE HADRON COLLIDER
:''Click''
:Megan: Wow, Scribblenauts even lets you summon the LHC.

:[Cueball is sitting at a computer. Megan talks from off-panel.]
:''Fwoosh''
:Megan: And it makes a black hole! This game rules.
:Cueball: I guess it's okay, for a DS kids game.

:[In Scribblenauts word input format.]
:PRETENTIOUS ASSHOLE
:''Click''
:[Megan looks up.]
:Megan: Oh, hi! It worked!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Mario Kart]]

585: Outreach

2021-10-13T15:47:48Z

ElijahRock: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =585
| date =May 18, 2009
| title =Outreach
| image =outreach.png
| titletext =Completely implausible? Yes. Nevertheless, worth keeping a can of shark repellent next to the bed.
}}

==Explanation==
Scientific animal tracking is commonly used to learn more about other species, particularly endangered ones, as a way of better understanding their physiology, behavior, and what risks they face in the wild. It's used in a wide variety of sciences, including wildlife biology, conservation, wildlife management and zoology.

The scientists in this comic are working on a rather limited budget as [[Ponytail]] explains, say that they can't afford the (relatively minuscule) cost of hiring someone to retrieve a tracking tag from the water. So they devise a plan that would actually cost far more: create one that will pop free, float to the surface, and inflate a giant helium balloon, causing it to gradually drift over land. Eventually, the balloon will slowly deflate and soft-land, and with any luck someone will find it and mail it back to the scientists. The shark is depicted much larger than the humans, and the quantity of helium necessary to lift it (as the later panels show) would be extremely expensive.

It goes horribly, hilariously wrong. The tag can't quite pop free from the shark, and proceeds to inflate the balloon ''while the shark is still attached''. Although the balloon is shown too small to lift the shark (a helium balloon can only lift approximately one gram per liter in air), but the shark miraculously rises right along with the tracker tag, drifts back over land, and goes right after the scientists that had been tracking it.

When [[Science Girl]] (maybe in her first appearance, before she got her buns) sees the two scientists running frantically from a flying shark, she figures that if such excitement is a daily part of a scientist's job, ''that's'' the job for her, as she tells her daddy [[Cueball]]. The title of the comic, '''Outreach''', refers to the type of activities that scientists do in order to motivate kids to become scientists when they grow up, and it clearly worked for Science Girl who displays keen interest and great knowledge on many subjects in her next appearances.

The title text suggests keeping shark repellent by one's bed to account for the quite-unlikely event of something like this happening. Because you never know. It may be a reference to the {{w|Batman (1966 film)|Adam West Batman film}} where Batman just happens to have some in his helicopter.

In reality, a balloon meant for lifting a tracker tag would be much too small to lift the shark, which is portrayed as being larger than person, so there is no danger. In addition, since sharks are fish, and fish cannot survive above water, the shark would die even if this could happened in real life. This doesn't stop movies like {{w|Sharknado}} (which was filmed after this comic) to portray sharks floating in the air.
The title text of [[1910: Sky Spotters]] seems to be a reference to this comic.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail faces two Cueball-like guys. All three are wearing goggles and lab-coats. Between them on a shelf stands a microscope and a beaker.]
:Ponytail: The tracking tag will record the shark's movement and habits.

:[The capsule is shown to float upward towards a water surface.]
:Ponytail (narrating): Then, it will pop free and float to the surface.

:[A coast is shown, with arrows directed from water to land. A small white circle on one of the arrows indicate the balloon.]
:Ponytail (narrating): We can't afford a recovery program, so the capsules will inflate helium balloons, drift over land,

:[The capsule is shown in close up. It has a caption on it.]
:Ponytail (narrating): And hopefully be found and mailed to us. Any questions?
:Caption: If found please call

:[Ponytail is standing over a groggy shark on a boat, with water behind her and a coastline in the background. She attaches the tracking tag to the shark.]
:''Chunk''

:[The shark is dropped headfirst off the boat, into the water with a large splash.]
:''Sploosh''
:Shark: !!!

:[The course of the shark is shown, weaving around islands.]

:[The capsule is shown sticking out of the shark at the moment it is ready to pop free.]
:''Click''

:[The capsule remains attached to the shark.]

:[The balloon starts to inflate, still attached to the shark and underwater.]
:''Hissss''

:[As the balloon inflates, it starts to pull the shark to the surface.]
:Shark: ??

:[The balloon breaks the surface, pulling the shark with it.]

:[Science Girl with a black ponytail, eating an ice cream cone is standing together with Cueball to the right in an otherwise empty frame.]

:[Two screaming scientists (A Cueball-like guy and Ponytail) runs past the two, who turns to look after them. The guy is holding the microscope and Ponytail the beaker from the first frame.]
:Scientists: Aaaaaaaa

:[A shark attached to a huge balloon floats past the girl and Cueball, it follows the scientists while snapping it's jaws.]
:Shark: ''Chomp chomp''

:[After the shark is gone, Science Girl turns to Cueball.]
:Science Girl: Daddy?
:Cueball: Yes?
:Science Girl: I want to be a scientist.

==Trivia==
*A T-shirt based on this comic is available in the [https://store.xkcd.com/products/shark xkcd store].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Sharks]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]