explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2004: Sun and Earth

2018-06-11T08:49:33Z

Fvalves:

{{comic
| number = 2004
| date = June 8, 2018
| title = Sun and Earth
| image = sun_and_earth.png
| titletext = But we don't need to worry about the boiling masses sandwiching the thin layer in which we live, since we're so fragile and short-lived that it's unlikely to kill us before something else does! Wait, why doesn't that sound reassuring?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a hurried VOLCANO - Lots of things missing: (1) links (2) description of how the Sun is a massive convective system (3) description of how the Earth is a massive convective system (4) probably reword everything}}

This is one of a number of comics which describe everyday events in unusual terms, making them sound really weird. In this case, both the Sun and the Earth are "massive convective systems [blasting] huge plumes of heat", which contrasts sharply with the daily idea of the Sun being a ball in the sky and the Earth the thing under our feet.

Free convection is based on an difference in density. What is colder is typically denser, so gravity forces it downwards, displacing what is hotter (and less dense) upward. (This should not be confused with forced convection, which uses fans or other devices that are not practical to build{{Citation needed}} on the scale of a planet.)

In the sun, most of the energy to drive this process comes from nuclear fusion, specifically the fusion of hydrogen into helium. We cannot directly see inside of the earth, but its core is known to be much hotter than its surface.

The magnitude of these systems gives you an idea of the size of the fluctuations you can expect. The sun is very massive, meaning the fluctuations in its convective or heat-dissipating behavior are very large. This is an instance of the {{w|Fluctuation-dissipation_theorem|Fluctuation-Dissipation theorem}}. These fluctuations take the form of a solar flare, as explained below. For a more thorough (but non-technical) explanation of the role of gravity and entropy in such systems, see [https://arxiv.org/abs/0907.0659].

In fact, the {{w|Sun}} does produce great amounts of light and heat and blasts it towards us, which is why we can live on Earth. Since Ludwig Boltzmann pointed out the fact in 1875, people have been working on establishing exactly how such far from equilibrium systems as life might depend upon, or be formed by [https://www.quantamagazine.org/first-support-for-a-physics-theory-of-life-20170726/], such massive entropy gradients as between the sun and earth (or rather the sun and empty space).

Main sequence stars like the sun transport energy by {{w|Radiation_zone|radiation}} and by {{w|Convection_zone|convective currents}} of {{w|Plasma (physics)|plasma}}, bringing the heat generated in the core of the sun to its surface. These quickly moving charged particles create a massive magnetic field, which occasionally gets concentrated into a {{w|solar prominence}} which can snap, causing a large amount of charged particles to get shot into space as a {{w|solar flare}}. If the Earth happens to be in the direction of the solar flare, we can notice all sorts of interesting and often damaging effects. Thankfully, there are lots of other directions available for the sun to shoot the solar flare, so they don't come by the Earth that often.

The {{w|Earth#Internal_structure|Earth's interior}} is very hot. {{w|Mantle convection}} causes {{w|plate tectonics}} which is the main cause of {{w|Volcano|volcanic activity}} (next to {{w|Mantle_plume|mantle plumes}}), which essentially also consists of huge blasts of heat.

This could sound like a very bad scenario, however the title text reminds us that the real scenario we live in is far worse, as we are not likely to die from a Sun blast or volcano eruption. In doing this, he indirectly points out the hard truth about our lives: that they're limited and they're short. In this way Randall attempts to give the reader an existential crisis; he concludes that his statement did not help to reassure himself.

This comic was likely inspired by the recent eruptions of the {{w|Kīlauea}} and {{w|Volcán de Fuego}}. In contrast, solar activity is currently low, because the {{w|Sunspot#Solar_cycle|sunspot solar cycle}} is in the low end of the 11-year cycle.

==Transcript==
:[The entire comic is within a panel. At the bottom of the image a curved shape depicting a small part of the Earth's surface and labeled as "Earth" is shown. At the top a similar sized shape but opposite curve is labeled as "Sun". The surface of the Sun is seething while on Earth's surface a few plants, two birds, and Cueball together with Megan are visible.]

:[Two arrows pointing to the Sun and the Earth with a caption applying to both of them:]
:Massive convective systems which occasionally blast huge plumes of heat at us without warning through mechanisms we can't directly observe and don't really understand.

:Cueball: What a nice day!

{{comic discussion}}

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

1924: Solar Panels

2017-12-04T15:40:55Z

Fvalves: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1924
| date = December 4, 2017
| title = Solar Panels
| image = solar_panels.png
| titletext = This works for a surprising range of sunlit things, including rooftops (sure), highway surfaces (probably not), sailboats (maybe), and jets, cars, and wild deer (haha good luck).
}}

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

This handy decision tree aims to help in finding out whether a given object should have solar panels installed on it.

The root question is whether the object of choice moves. If it doesn't and has no nearby empty space where there would be more practical for the solar panel installation, then yes, the object should be equipped with the solar panels. If the object is static, but you could install the panels somewhere else nearby, probably that's the best place.

If the object moves, the next question is whether its batteries can be recharged or swapped with ease, in which case batteries may be a better option than solar panels.

Finally, if the object moves and batteries are not an option, the last question is whether the object heats up during operation. If not, solar panels may be an option. If it gets hot, [[Randall]] doubts it mockingly.

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

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Flowcharts]]

1924: Solar Panels

2017-12-04T15:38:46Z

Fvalves: /* First explanation */

1916: Temperature Preferences

2017-11-15T10:54:19Z

Fvalves: /* Initial transcript and Scatter plots category*/

{{comic
| number = 1916
| date = November 15, 2017
| title = Temperature Preferences
| image = temperature_preferences.png
| titletext = There's a supposed Mark Twain quote, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." It isn't really by Mark Twain, but I don't know who said itâI just know they've never been to McMurdo Station.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Edited by GLOBAL WARMING - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a chart of major (and not-so-major) populated areas showing seasonal temperature patterns. The chart is a guide to where one might like to live depending on how much summer heat and winter cold they enjoy. There are four focused zones:

* Hate both cold and heat (eg. Quito, Addis Ababa)--Neither summers nor winters are too extreme
* Hate cold but love heat (eg. Rio, Bangkok, Manila)--Tropical regions, very hot in the summer
* Hate heat but love cold (eg. Moscow, Oslo)--High latitudes, very cold in the winter
* Love both heat and cold (eg. Seoul, Beijing)--Both summers and winters are too extreme

The summer heat axis is determined by {{w|humidex}}, a system that combines heat and humidity to generate an estimate of perceived "summer discomfort".

It is unclear for how long the chart will stay accurate under {{w|climate change}}. As winters and summers become more extreme, many cities may move to the "love both" area.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! City !! Average low temperature !! Humidex
|-
| Abakan || ||
|-
| Addis Ababa || ||
|-
| Altay || ||
|-
| Atlanta || ||
|-
| Beijing || ||
|-
| Berlin || ||
|-
| Blagoveshchensk || ||
|-
| Bogotá || ||
|-
| Boston || ||
|-
| Budapest || ||
|-
| Buenos Aires|| ||
|-
| Calgary || ||
|-
| Cape Town || ||
|-
| Casper || ||
|-
| Chengdu || ||
|-
| Daqaidam || ||
|-
| DC || ||
|-
| Dublin || ||
|-
| Duluth || ||
|-
| Edinburgh || ||
|-
| Fairbanks || ||
|-
| Fargo || ||
|-
| Flagstaff || ||
|-
| Geneva || ||
|-
| Hailar || ||
|-
| Halifax || ||
|-
| Irkutsk || ||
|-
| Istanbul || ||
|-
| Jinzhou || ||
|-
| Kabul || ||
|-
| Kansas City || ||
|-
| Kiev || ||
|-
| London || ||
|-
| Lubbock || ||
|-
| Madrid || ||
|-
| McMurdo || ||
|-
| Melbourne || ||
|-
| Mexico City || ||
|-
| Minneapolis || ||
|-
| Moscow || ||
|-
| Nairobi || ||
|-
| Omaha || ||
|-
| Oslo || ||
|-
| Ottawa || ||
|-
| Paris || ||
|-
| Portland || ||
|-
| Pyongyang || ||
|-
| Qiqihar || ||
|-
| Quito || ||
|-
| Raleigh || ||
|-
| Regina || ||
|-
| Richmond || ||
|-
| Saint Louis || ||
|-
| Salt Lake City || ||
|-
| San Francisco || ||
|-
| Santa Fe || ||
|-
| Sapporo || ||
|-
| Seoul || ||
|-
| Shanghai || ||
|-
| Shenyang || ||
|-
| Sioux Falls || ||
|-
| St Petersburg || ||
|-
| Stockholm || ||
|-
| Tashkent || ||
|-
| Tehran || ||
|-
| Thunder Bay || ||
|-
| Tokyo || ||
|-
| Tongliao || ||
|-
| Toronto || ||
|-
| Turpan || ||
|-
| Ulaanbaatar || ||
|-
| Urumqi || ||
|-
| Vancouver || ||
|-
| Vladivostok || ||
|-
| Volgograd || ||
|-
| Wellington || ||
|-
| Wuhan || ||
|-
| Xi'an || ||
|-
| Yellowknife || ||
|-
| Yumen || ||
|-
|}

==Transcript==
:[A chart labeled: Where to live based on your temperature preferences]
:[In gray, the data source: Climate data from [http://weatherbase.com weatherbase.com]]

:[A chart with two lines with single arrows. Each arrow is labeled:]
:Y axis bottom: Cold winters
:X axis right: Hot/humid summers (measured via Humidex, which combines heat and dew point)

:[Near each of the corners of the chart there is a gray blob, labeled:]
:Top left: If you hate cold and heat
:Top right: If you hate cold and love heat
:Bottom left: If you love cold and hate heat
:Bottom right: If you love cold and heat

:[The following city names intersect with the top left blob [hate hold and heat] (in reading order):]
:Mexico City
:Quito
:Addis Ababa
:Bogota
:San Francisco
:Wellington

:[The following city names intersect with the top right blob [hate hold and love heat] (in reading order):]
:Bangkok
:Ho Chi Minh City
:Manila
:Singapore
:Mumbai
:Jakarta
:Dar Es Salaam
:Honolulu
:Lagos
:Rio [de Janeiro]
:Dhaka
:Kinhasa
:Miami
:Karachi
:Dubai
:Cairo
:Hong Kong
:Delhi
:Riyadh
:Guangzhou
:Lahore
:Sabha
:Houston
:Needles
:El Paso
:Baghdad
:Dallas

:[The following city names intersect with the bottom left blob [love hold and hate heat] (in reading order):]
:Reykjavik (with arrow pointing left)
:Berlin
:Stockholm
:Oslo
:Calgary
:Halifax
:Daqaidam
:Kiev
:Casper
:Yumen
:St. Petersburg
:Volgograd
:Moscow
:Ottawa
:Vladivostok
:Thunder Bay
:Duluth
:Urumqi
:Altay
:Regina
:Irkutsk
:Abakan
:Ulaanbaatar
:Blagoveshchensk (also on bottom right blob)
:Fairbanks
:McMurdo (with arrow pointing down-left)
:Yellowknife (with arrow pointing down)
:Hailar

:[The following city names intersect with the bottom right blob [love hold and heat] (in reading order):]
:[Washington] DC
:Shanghai
:Tehran
:Saint Louis
:New York
:Xi'An
:Salt Lake City
:Kansas City
:Beijing
:Seoul
:Sapporo
:Pyongyang
:Sioux Falls
:Turpan
:Jinzhou
:Minneapolis
:Shenyang
:Fargo
:Tongliao
:Qiqihar
:Blagoveshchensk (also on bottom left blob)

:[The following city names do not intersect with any blob (in reading order):]
:Nairobi
:São Paulo
:Brisbane
:Los Angeles
:Perth
:Cape Town
:Sydney
:Athens
:Santiago
:Barcelona
:Melbourne
:Rome
:Buenos Aires
:Jerusalem
:Atlanta
:Raleigh
:Madrid
:Chengdu
:Tokyo
:Dublin
:Portland
:Richmond
:London
:Istanbul
:Edinburgh
:Vancouver
:Paris
:Flagstaff
:Santa Fe
:Tashkent
:Wuhan
:Geneva
:Lubbock
:Boston
:Budapest
:Kabul
:Toronto
:Omaha

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Scatter plots]]

Talk:1915: Nightmare Email Feature

2017-11-13T15:43:37Z

Fvalves:

I feel like the comic is more about the addressee of the mail seeing how much time the sender spent on the mail. In the comic, I feel like the sender is asking about having another date with someone and try to be casual about it, which would be contradicted by the time he actually spent on it.

In the same way, the title indicates that the mail spent 3 days in the drafts while the sender writes "I just saw your message". It would be very awkward if the recipient of the mail could see that it is a lie.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.224|162.158.88.224]] 14:26, 13 November 2017 (UTC)

Indeed, you are correct. I misinterpreted the comic. [[User:Fvalves|Fvalves]] ([[User talk:Fvalves|talk]]) 15:43, 13 November 2017 (UTC)

1915: Nightmare Email Feature

2017-11-13T13:58:06Z

Fvalves: /* Added transcript and category */

{{comic
| number = 1915
| date = November 13, 2017
| title = Nightmare Email Feature
| image = nightmare_email_feature.png
| titletext = "...just got back and didn't see your message until just now. Sorry! -- TIME THIS MESSAGE SAT HALF-FINISHED IN DRAFTS FOLDER: 3 days, 2 hours, 45 minutes."
}}

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

Most modern e-mail clients provide tools to help their users read, write and keep track of e-mail efficiently. For instance, the user may receive a notification if the e-mail body contains wording that suggests a file has been attached, but there is no actual attachment, in order to prevent forgetting to include the intended file in the e-mail.

This comic suggests such a feature, one which would inform the user how long the e-mail has been revised before being sent. [[Randall]] calls this his nightmare e-mail feature, implying he spends too much time in revision of what should be simple e-mail messages and that making himself aware of the actual time would make him anxious.

The title text describes a similar uncomfortable feature, which would inform the user how long a message has been sitting in the user's ''drafts'' folder, thus highlighting their procrastination.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[The final words of an e-mail message.]
enjoyed it! I'm busy this weekend, but let me know if you're free sometime next week and want to get dinner or something.

[In light grey, an information message from the e-mail client.]
Total time spent revising this email before sending: 47 minutes 12 seconds

[Comic footer]
My nightmare email feature

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Email]]

1915: Nightmare Email Feature

2017-11-13T13:46:53Z

Fvalves: /* Initial explanation */

1914: Twitter Verification

2017-11-10T11:52:07Z

Fvalves: /* Added missing conclusion to alt-text explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1914
| date = November 10, 2017
| title = Twitter Verification
| image = twitter_verification.png
| titletext = When we started distributing special status tokens that signify which people are important enough to join an elite group, we never could have imagined we might be creating some problems down the line.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Verified Twitter User - Please modify this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Some {{w|Twitter}} users (such as [https://twitter.com/coldplay Coldplay], or [https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump Donald Trump]) have a verification checkmark next to their name. This checkmark is used to indicate that the user is who they say they are. However, there is some ambiguity in this, as it also seems to be used as a status symbol to indicate notable celebrities. Some even see this as Twitter actively endorsing the user. Twitter recently gave a verification checkmark to {{w|Jason Kessler}}, the organizer of a {{w|Unite_the_Right_rally|recent white supremacist rally}} in Charlottesville, Virginia. This drew attention to Twitter's verification system [https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/11/09/twitter-halts-verification-over-checkmark-charlottesville-rally-organizer/848314001/ so they temporarily suspended it].

The alt-text comments on the lack of foresight on Twitter's part when implementing the ''verified'' system: as it by design separates users between an in-group and an out-group, it implies endorsement or, at least, favouring of some users to the detriment of others. This in turn automatically creates the twin sets of "people who shouldn't have been verified, but were" and "people who deserve to have been verified, but weren't." As the internet is populated by various large and strongly opinionated groups, neither set will ever be empty and Twitter will always be seen as either endorsing unworthy or snubbing worthy people.

The character depicted is the Twitter CEO {{w|Jack Dorsey}}.

==Transcript==
:[A bearded figure, depicting the Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is standing behind a podium with the blue Twitter bird logo.]

:Jack: Everyone calm down-
:Jack: We just need to go figure out how to bestow a global in-or-out status badge on some people, at our discretion, without anyone reading anything into who gets one.
:Jack: This should only take a moment.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

1914: Twitter Verification

2017-11-10T11:49:40Z

Fvalves: /* Explanation for the alt-text */

{{comic
| number = 1914
| date = November 10, 2017
| title = Twitter Verification
| image = twitter_verification.png
| titletext = When we started distributing special status tokens that signify which people are important enough to join an elite group, we never could have imagined we might be creating some problems down the line.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Verified Twitter User - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Some {{w|Twitter}} users (such as [https://twitter.com/coldplay Coldplay], or [https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump Donald Trump]) have a verification checkmark next to their name. This checkmark is used to indicate that the user is who they say they are. However, there is some ambiguity in this, as it also seems to be used as a status symbol to indicate notable celebrities. Some even see this as Twitter actively endorsing the user. Twitter recently gave a verification checkmark to {{w|Jason Kessler}}, the organizer of a {{w|Unite_the_Right_rally|recent white supremacist rally}} in Charlottesville, Virginia. This drew attention to Twitter's verification system [https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/11/09/twitter-halts-verification-over-checkmark-charlottesville-rally-organizer/848314001/ so they temporarily suspended it].

The alt-text comments on the lack of foresight on Twitter's part when implementing the ''verified'' system: as it by design separates users between an in-group and an out-group, it implies endorsement or, at least, favouring of some users to the detriment of others. This in turn automatically creates the twin sets of "people who shouldn't have been verified, but were" and "people who deserve to have been verified, but weren't." As the internet is populated by various large and strongly opinionated groups, neither set will ever be empty.

The character depicted is the Twitter CEO {{w|Jack Dorsey}}.

==Transcript==
:[A bearded figure, depicting the Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is standing behind a podium with the blue Twitter bird logo.]

:Jack: Everyone calm down-
:Jack: We just need to go figure out how to bestow a global in-or-out status badge on some people, at our discretion, without anyone reading anything into who gets one.
:Jack: This should only take a moment.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

Talk:1912: Thermostat

2017-11-06T10:12:24Z

Fvalves:

Maybe the the last sentence is about moses parting the sea so he can walk through it.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.221|162.158.91.221]] 05:55, 6 November 2017 (UTC)
: I interpreted it that way. In computing, partitioning separates parts of a drive that are to be used for different purposes, so parallels might be drawn there. - [[User:Emmia|Emmia]] ([[User talk:Emmia|talk]]) 07:24, 6 November 2017 (UTC)
: Not so sure about that. It's possible, I guess, but it's not obviously funny. I think it's more related to the title text about the helpline operative being afraid to upset whatever god of technology has cursed him with this unfathomable tech problem, and suggesting to him that the situation is so dire he may as well just end it all. (Obviously overreacting, as the failure of an IoT-enabled thermostat is definitely a First World Problem and not the horrendous event the characters are considering it to be.) 09:57, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

I think there's additional humor to the extent of his boot problems. Monthly Energy Report (1).doc would be a normal document a smart thermostat may create. But if it became a boot volume it'd brick the device.

I believe Cueball has accidentally discovered that the thermostat—supposedly simple device—is actually doing surveillance on the house (and is poorly coded). Now the tech support guy is astounded by the fact that somebody has found out, but then promptly suggests suicide in a non-direct manner to clean up evidence, covering this is with religious explanation. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.244.24|172.68.244.24]] 06:37, 6 November 2017 (UTC)
I'm not sure about the surveillance. It seems to me that the .doc is somehow a record of power usage of the thermostat. However, it remains to be determined a. why it is running Android b. why it is mounting and booting a .doc c. how it got there [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.12|162.158.106.12]] 07:11, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

I took it as a variation on this joke in HHG:
: "Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. And some said that even the trees had been a bad move, and that no one should ever have left the oceans."
...Which in the BBC TV series was accompanied by visuals of Douglas Adams himself walking into the ocean. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.86.58|172.68.86.58]] 07:27, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

Might be a reference to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nest_learning_thermostat Nest Thermostat], which like Android is an Alphabet thing. While Nest doesn't run Android, its OS is Linux-based like Android. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.89|108.162.246.89]] 08:07, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

While reading the title text my first thought was http://americangods.wikia.com/wiki/Technical_Boy [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:16, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

Not sure if "Android error screen" deserves emphasis in the explanation, as lately many very simple devices have Android, it shouldn't be surprising to find a thermostat running it. [[User:Fvalves|Fvalves]] ([[User talk:Fvalves|talk]]) 10:12, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

1912: Thermostat

2017-11-06T09:51:09Z

Fvalves: /* Added a reference to comic 1459, which deals with MS Word documents */

{{comic
| number = 1912
| date = November 6, 2017
| title = Thermostat
| image = thermostat.png
| titletext = Your problem is so terrible, I worry that, if I help you, I risk drawing the attention of whatever god of technology inflicted it on you.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Rough draft, could still use work. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Hairy]] is working at a tech support office, and receives a call from [[Cueball]]. After the scripted greeting, Cueball, who [[1084|has the]] [[1586|weirdest]] [[1700|tech issues]], tells Hairy that his thermostat - a single-purpose device used to adjust the settings of indoor heating - is showing an ''Android error screen'', and asking if he wants to partition the volume. The android error seems to imply that it is trying to mount a file with .doc extension (most likely a [[1459|Microsoft Word document]]) as the {{w|Boot_device|boot device}}. This is so abnormal that Hairy is briefly struck silent, and upon recovering, he suggests Cueball {{tvtropes|SuicideBySea|walk into the sea}} as a form of suicide. The title text elaborates that the situation is so insanely absurd that it must be divine punishment, and Hairy does not want to try and help him for fear of invoking the wrath of whatever deity is issuing it.

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

:Hairy: Tech support, how can I help you?

:Cueball: The little LCD on my thermostat says ''Error: Android system recovery: Unrecognized boot volume "/Monthly Energy Report (1).doc"

:[Beat panel]

:Cueball: It's asking if I want to partition the volume. What should I do?
:Hairy (on phone): Have you tried walking into the sea?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

1904: Research Risks

2017-10-18T15:18:07Z

Fvalves: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1904
| date = October 18, 2017
| title = Research Risks
| image = research_risks.png
| titletext = The 1919 Great Boston Molasses Flood remained the deadliest confectionery containment accident until the Canadian Space Agency's 2031 orbital maple syrup delivery disaster.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a comparison of the possibility of the subjects of various sciences being a threat to humanity. It can either be an autonomous threat to the local population (i.e. by escape from a lab), or as part of a supervillain's scheme to rule the world. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBkT19uH2RQ]

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Risk of Breaking Free !! Risk of Supervillain !! Information !! Comments
|-
| very low || very high || Prosthetics ||
|-
| low || high || Neuroscience ||
|-
| very low || high || Laser Optics ||
|-
| medium low || high || Pharmacology ||
|-
| low || high || Materials Science ||
|-
| low || medium high || Sociology ||
|-
| very low || medium high || History ||
|-
| medium low || medium high || Psychology ||
|-
| high || very high || Robotics ||
|-
| high || very high || Genetic Engineering ||
|-
| medium high || high || Chemistry ||
|-
| very high || high || Microbiology ||
|-
| very low || medium low || Geology ||
|-
| very low || medium low || Linguistics ||
|-
| low || low || Paleontology ||
|-
| very low || very low || Astronomy ||
|-
| medium low || very low || Molasses Storage ||
|-
| very low || very low || Dentistry ||
|-
| medium high || medium low || Botany ||
|-
| high || medium low || Entomology ||
|-
| medium high || low || Mycology ||
|-
| very high || low || Marine Biology ||
|-
| medium high || very low || Ornithology ||
|-
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A chart with two crossing lines with double arrows. Each arrow is labeled:]
:X axis left: Low
:X axis right: High
:Y axis top: High
:Y axis bottom: Low

:[To the side of each of the axes, they are labeled:}
:X axis: Risk of the thing you're studying breaking free from your facility and threatening the local population
:Y axis: Risk of your research being used by a supervillian for world domination

{{comic discussion}}

1903: Bun Trend

2017-10-16T15:36:37Z

Fvalves: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1903
| date = October 16, 2017
| title = Bun Trend
| image = bun_trend.png
| titletext = Our experts have characterized the ecological impact of this trend as "adorable."
}}

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

In this comic, [[White hat]] takes his bun shenanigans to the state government, reporting to the governor that the number of buns around the capitol has shown a rapid increase. The governor is understandably disconcerted then finally comes to grasp that White hat is talking about rabbits, lots of which can be seen if he would just go oustide (by the way, there is ''small'' one '''RIGHT NOW'''!).

The governor finally takes appropriate action by calling security and White hat confronts his fate with poise and honor.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Beret Guy: Good morning Governor, our tracking systems show a rapid increase in the number of buns around the Capitol.
:Hairy: Buns?
:Beret Guy: Yes; there's been a long-term upward trend, but it has accelerated recently.
:Hairy: The trend in... rabbits.
:Beret Guy: Yes.
:Hairy: So... so what?
:Beret Guy: So if you want to see some buns, there are lots of them outside!
:Beret Guy: Ooh!
:Beret Guy: There's a small one right now!
:Hairy (offscreen): Do you... actually ''work'' for me?
:Beret Guy: Almost certainly. We had an election, right? I wrote my name in on the thing.
:Hairy (offscreen): Security?
:Beret Guy: It's been an honor to serve.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

1900: Jet Lag

2017-10-09T14:52:16Z

Fvalves: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1900
| date = October 9, 2017
| title = Jet Lag
| image = jet_lag.png
| titletext = I had some important research to do on proposed interstellar space missions, basketball statistics, canceled skyscrapers, and every article linked from "Women in warfare and the military in the 19th century."
}}

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

{{w|Jet lag|Jet lag}} is a psychological condition arising from changing one's longitude wide and fast enough that one's body clock is unable to adapt to the official clock. Symptoms include a sleep cycle which does not match the solar cycle as it usually would{{Citation needed}}.

[[Hairy]] has just woken up at 15:00, and [[Ponytail]] mentions he must be still jet lagged (possibly from a recent trip). Hairy then {{tvtropes|AccidentalPublicConfession|accidentally public confesses}}that he has actually been up to some late-night Wikipedia browsing.

At the bottom, [[Randall]] confesses jet lag is a nice excuse for his usual sleep cycle altering behaviour.

===Trivia===
[[Randall]] was doing events in Great Britain the week before this comic was published, the last of which was on October 2nd.

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

:[Hairy is rubbing his eyes and facing Ponytail.]

:Hairy: Sorry, I just woke up.
:Ponytail: It's 3 PM! ...Oh, of course, you're still jet lagged.
:Hairy: I-yeah, that's it! I definitely didn't spend half the night reading Wikipedia articles about random maritime disasters.

:[Caption below the panel]
:I love traveling, because my sleep schedule is as messed up as always, but suddenly I have an excuse.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

1900: Jet Lag

2017-10-09T14:46:33Z

Fvalves: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1900
| date = October 9, 2017
| title = Jet Lag
| image = jet_lag.png
| titletext = I had some important research to do on proposed interstellar space missions, basketball statistics, canceled skyscrapers, and every article linked from "Women in warfare and the military in the 19th century."
}}

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

{{w|Jet lag|Jet lag}} is a psychological condition arising from changing one's longitude wide and fast enough that one's body clock is unable to adapt to the official clock. Symptoms include a sleep cycle which does not match the solar cycle as it usually would{{Citation needed}}.

[[Hairy]] has just woken up at 15:00, and [[Ponytail]] mentions he must be still jet lagged (possibly from a recent trip). Hairy then Accidentally Public Confesses that he has actually been up to some late-night Wikipedia browsing.

At the bottom, [[Randall]] confesses jet lag is a nice excuse for his usual sleep cycle altering behaviour.

===Trivia===
[[Randall]] was doing events in Great Britain the week before this comic was published, the last of which was on October 2nd.

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

:[Hairy is rubbing his eyes and facing Ponytail.]

:Hairy: Sorry, I just woke up.
:Ponytail: It's 3 PM! ...Oh, of course, you're still jet lagged.
:Hairy: I-yeah, that's it! I definitely didn't spend half the night reading Wikipedia articles about random maritime disasters.

:[Caption below the panel]
:I love traveling, because my sleep schedule is as messed up as always, but suddenly I have an excuse.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

1900: Jet Lag

2017-10-09T14:42:42Z

Fvalves: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1900
| date = October 9, 2017
| title = Jet Lag
| image = jet_lag.png
| titletext = I had some important research to do on proposed interstellar space missions, basketball statistics, canceled skyscrapers, and every article linked from "Women in warfare and the military in the 19th century."
}}

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

{{w|Jet lag|Jet lag}} is a psychological condition arising from changing one's longitude wide and fast enough that one's body clock is unable to adapt to the official clock. Symptoms include a sleep cycle which does not match the solar cycle as it usually would{{Citation needed}}.

[[Hairy]] has just woken up at 15:00, and [[Ponytail]] mentions he must be still jet lagged (possibly from a recent trip). Hairy then Accidentally Public Confesses that he has actually been up to some late-night Wikipedia browsing.

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

:[Hairy is rubbing his eyes and facing Ponytail.]

:Hairy: Sorry, I just woke up.
:Ponytail: It's 3 PM! ...Oh, of course, you're still jet lagged.
:Hairy: I-yeah, that's it! I definitely didn't spend half the night reading Wikipedia articles about random maritime disasters.

:[Caption below the panel]
:I love traveling, because my sleep schedule is as messed up as always, but suddenly I have an excuse.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

1900: Jet Lag

2017-10-09T14:40:33Z

Fvalves: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1900
| date = October 9, 2017
| title = Jet Lag
| image = jet_lag.png
| titletext = I had some important research to do on proposed interstellar space missions, basketball statistics, canceled skyscrapers, and every article linked from "Women in warfare and the military in the 19th century."
}}

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

{{w|Jet lag|Jet lag}} is a psychological condition arising from changing one's longitude wide and fast enough that one's body clock is unable to adapt to the official clock. Symptoms include a sleep cycle which does not match the solar cycle as it usually would.

[[Hairy]] has just woken up at 15:00, and [[Ponytail]] mentions he must be still jet lagged (possibly from a recent trip). Hairy then Accidentally Public Confesses that he has actually been up to some late-night Wikipedia browsing.

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

:[Hairy is rubbing his eyes and facing Ponytail.]

:Hairy: Sorry, I just woke up.
:Ponytail: It's 3 PM! ...Oh, of course, you're still jet lagged.
:Hairy: I-yeah, that's it! I definitely didn't spend half the night reading Wikipedia articles about random maritime disasters.

:[Caption below the panel]
:I love traveling, because my sleep schedule is as messed up as always, but suddenly I have an excuse.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

1898: October 2017

2017-10-04T07:29:48Z

Fvalves: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1898
| date = October 4, 2017
| title = October 2017
| image = october_2017.png
| titletext = And yet I have no trouble believing that the start of the 2016 election was several decades ago.
}}

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

[[Randall]] once again makes us feel old by referencing an old movie that our memory puts as recent.

[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]

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

{{comic discussion}}

1898: October 2017

2017-10-04T07:29:16Z

Fvalves: Incorrectly categorized Main Page

{{comic
| number = 1898
| date = October 4, 2017
| title = October 2017
| image = october_2017.png
| titletext = And yet I have no trouble believing that the start of the 2016 election was several decades ago.
}}

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

[[Randall]] once again makes us feel old by referencing an old movie that our memory puts as recent.

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

{{comic discussion}}

1898: October 2017

2017-10-04T07:28:20Z

Fvalves:

{{comic
| number = 1898
| date = October 4, 2017
| title = October 2017
| image = october_2017.png
| titletext = And yet I have no trouble believing that the start of the 2016 election was several decades ago.
}}

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

[[Randall]] once again makes us feel old by referencing an old movie that our memory puts as recent.

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

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]

1898: October 2017

2017-10-04T07:25:44Z

Fvalves: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1898
| date = October 4, 2017
| title = October 2017
| image = october_2017.png
| titletext = And yet I have no trouble believing that the start of the 2016 election was several decades ago.
}}

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

[[Randall]] once again makes us feel old by referencing an old movie that our memory puts as recent.

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

{{comic discussion}}

1891: Obsolete Technology

2017-09-18T15:35:43Z

Fvalves: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1891
| date = September 18, 2017
| title = Obsolete Technology
| image = obsolete_technology.png
| titletext = And I can't believe some places still use fax machines. The electrical signals waste so much time going AROUND the Earth when neutrino beams can go straight through!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Someone please find some statistics for annual fireworks casualties and injuries.}}

This comic mocks people who criticize an industry for using obsolete technology, even when said technology is sufficient for the task at hand. The claim often comes with the implication that those in charge of the industry are behind the times and cannot adapt to the cutting edge. What these critics often fail to realize is that there are cost benefits to sticking with "obsolete" infrastructure, and that upgrading to the newest tech could introduce unwanted side effects.

Here, Ponytail is one such critic, complaining that the business is taking "forever" to get with the times. Megan uses sarcasm to deliver her counterargument: despite the advent of nuclear weapons, fireworks use the ancient technology of {{w|gunpowder}} (invented in the 9th century), because fireworks are used by civilians for celebratory purposes and should have as few lethal side effects as possible{{Citation needed}}. As they use gunpowder, fireworks do claim a handful of lives and cause thousands of injuries each year due to improper handling procedures. Nuclear-based fireworks would not only cause much larger and immediately lethal explosions, but would also release radiation that would poison spectators.

{{w|MS-DOS}} is a computer operating system made by {{w|Microsoft}} that was dominant during parts of the 1980s. When Microsoft released Windows, a newer operating system (or series of operating systems), they encouraged people to switch to that, which many did. DOS became obsolete when Microsoft released Windows 95 in 1995 and Windows 2000 and Windows XP in the early 2000s, although Microsoft had released other versions of Windows that were newer than DOS that had partially displaced DOS even well before 1995.

==Transcript==

:[Ponytail sits in front of an old computer. Megan stands behind her.]
:Ponytail: Whoa, this is running MS-DOS! It's weird how new technology takes forever to reach some industries.
:Megan: Yeah. Like how we still use gunpowder for fireworks, even though we've had nuclear weapons for over 70 years.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Computers]]