1577: Advent

2015-09-15T08:05:58Z

Jamesgrees: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1577
| date = September 14, 2015
| title = Advent
| image = advent.png
| titletext = The few dozen doors that have little Christmas trees on them are a nice touch.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|first drafts}}
An {{w|Advent calendar}} is usually a means of celebrating the days before Christmas. Each day on the calendar is represented by a "door" (a flap of card), behind which is usually a picture related to the Christian nativity, a picture of commercial Christmas (eg a present), a small chocolate, or a small gift. This comic satirizes the concept by proposing such a calendar that would have one gift for each day one is anticipated to live. Such a calendar would be very morbid and existential. This is especially disturbing when given as a gift because it implies someone has put extensive thought into when the recipient will die.

In [[Cueball|Cueball's]] case, assuming each square in the calendar represents one day, the wall he is facing is the entire present he received and the boxes just out of view follow the same pattern, the entire wall represents 16,800 days (a large grid of 12x20 smaller grids of 10x7 boxes: 12×20×10×7 = 16,800). Commencing from 14 September, the sender of the gift assumes the recipient will live until 12 September 2061 i.e. just under 46 more years (10×7×12×20/365.25 = 45.99589).

Assuming that Cueball is a male from the US, and according to American Official Social Security [http://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html Actuarial Life Table] for males, he is probably 31.9 years old [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=32*x+%2B+y+%3D+45.9%3B+31*x+%2B+y+%3D+46.83%3B+z*x+%2B+y+%3D+45.99589]. This would make [[Cueball]] almost the same age as [[Randall]], who was born October 17, 1984 making him 30.9 years old when he wrote this comic.

The title text refers back to a standard advent calendar by saying that the Christmases are specially marked; on a traditional Advent calendar, only the 1st to the 24th of December have doors, however in recent times, Advent calendars often also include an additional door for the day after Advent, Christmas Day. Given that there are 46 Christmases on the calender, it may at first seem odd that it states that there are only a few dozen of these, when there are almost 4 dozens (48). However, this may be a reference to [[1070: Words for Small Sets]], which states that "a few" is between 2-5. The title text then gives Cueball between 24 and 60 Christmases left, so 46 years is within this range.

A completely different advent calendar was mentioned in [[994: Advent Calendar]].

Similar calendars have been mentioned in the blog ''Wait But Why'' in the 2014 post [http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/life-weeks.html Your Life in Weeks], and in equally geeky webcomic ''Abstruse Goose'', in the 2008 post [http://abstrusegoose.com/51 936 Little Blobs].

==Transcript==

:[Cueball is looking at a large wall subdivided into a rectangular 20 x 12 grid, with each grid subdivided into 10x7 small drawers. Below the frame there is caption:]
:Unsettling gift: Life expectancy Advent calendar

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Time]]

1568: Synonym Movies 2

2015-08-24T07:34:31Z

Jamesgrees: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1568
| date = August 24, 2015
| title = Synonym Movies 2
| image = synonym_movies_2.png
| titletext = There's also the TV show based on the hit Hot and Cold Music books: Fun With Chairs, Royal Rumble, Knife Blizzard, Breakfast for Birds, and Samba Serpents.
}}

==Explanation==
[[File: Flipped.jpg|right|A flipped version of the comic]]
This comic is a continuation of [[1563: Synonym Movies]] with a new set of movie series. As with the previous comic, the titles aren't always synonymous with the original (Indiana Jones as Professor Whip).

This set includes Wandboy (Harry Potter), Puncher (Rocky), Tropical Boaters (Pirates of the Caribbean), and Professor Whip (Indiana Jones).

The Wandboy series contains:
Wandboy and the Magic Rock (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone in the UK))
Wandboy and the Hidden Room (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
Wandboy and the Fugitive (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Wandboy and the Burning Cup (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Wandboy and the Firebird Club (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
Wandboy and the Book Owner (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (1/2) (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1)
Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (2/2) (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2)

The Puncher series contains:
Puncher (Rocky)
Puncher II (Rocky II)
Puncher III (Rocky III)
Puncher IV (Rocky IV)
Puncher V (Rocky V)
Puncher Lastname (Rocky Balboa)

The Tropical Boaters series contains:
Tropical Boaters: Spooky Boat (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)
Tropical Boaters: Angry Wormface (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest)
Tropical Boaters: Boats Everywhere (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End)
Tropical Boaters: Vitamin Water (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)

The Professor Whip series contains:
Professor Whip and the Box of God (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Professor Whip and the Scary Church (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Professor Whip Looks for a Cup (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
Professor Whip is in Another Movie (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)

The "is in Another Movie" title differs from the other titles in that it does not reference the plot of the movie. The more dismissive reference may be due to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull being poorly received by fans of the series.

The title text is a reference to the TV series A Game of Thrones, based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire.
The Hot and Cold music series contains:
Fun With Chairs (A Game of Thrones)
Royal Rumble (A Clash of Kings)
Knife Blizzard (A Storm of Swords)
Breakfast for Birds (A Feast for Crows)
Samba Serpents (A Dance with Dragons)

==Table of the titles==
*All cases of ''Harry Potter'' have turned into ''Wandboy''.
*''Rocky'' to ''Puncher''.
*''Pirates of the Caribbean'' has been changed to ''Tropical Boaters.''
*''Indiana Jones'' has been turned into ''Professor Whip.''
*''A Song of Ice and Fire'' has been turned into ''Hot and Cold Music.''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width=12em| Synonym
!width=12em| Real Title
! Notes
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Magic Rock''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)}}''
|
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Hidden Room''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)}}''
|
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Fugitive''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)}}''
| A central character in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black, is a fugitive.
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Burning Cup''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)}}''
|
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Firebird Club''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)}}''
|
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Book Owner''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)}}''
| In ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', Harry's Potions textbook was previously owned by a "Half-Blood Prince." Therefore, "Half-Blood Prince" is replaced with "book owner."
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (1/2)''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1}}''
|
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (2/2)''
| ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2}}''
|
|-
|colspan=3|<br/>
|-
| ''Puncher''
| ''{{w|Rocky}}''
|
|-
| ''Puncher II''
| ''{{w|Rocky II}}''
|
|-
| ''Puncher III''
| ''{{w|Rocky III}}''
|
|-
| ''Puncher IV''
| ''{{w|Rocky IV}}''
|
|-
| ''Puncher V''
| ''{{w|Rocky V}}''
|
|-
| ''Puncher Lastname''
| ''{{w|Rocky Balboa (film)}}''
|
|-
|colspan=3|<br/>
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Spooky Boat''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl}}''
|
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Angry Wormface''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest}}''
|
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Boats Everywhere''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End}}''
|
|-
| ''Tropical Boaters: Vitamin Waters''
| ''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides}}''
|
|-
|colspan=3|<br/>
|-
| ''Professor Whip and the Box of God''
| ''{{w|Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark}}''
|
|-
| ''Professor Whip and the Scary Church''
| ''{{w|Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom}}''
|
|-
| ''Professor Whip Looks for a Cup''
| ''{{w|Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade}}''
|
|-
| ''Professor Whip is in Another Movie''
| ''{{w|Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull}}''
| ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is widely regarded as the worst in the series. Therefore, the "synonym" is simply called "another movie" to imply that it shouldn't have been made.
|-
|colspan=3|<br/>
|-
| ''Fun With Chairs''
| ''{{w|A Game of Thrones}}''
|
|-
| ''Royal Rumble''
| ''{{w|A Clash of Kings}}''
|
|-
| ''Knife Blizzard''
| ''{{w|A Storm of Swords}}''
|
|-
| ''Breakfast for Birds''
| ''{{w|A Feast for Crows}}''
|
|-
| ''Samba Serpents''
| ''{{w|A Dance with Dragons}}''
|
|}

==Transcript==
:[22 DVDs on a shelf in four groups. All DVDs are labeled in black on light grey. Text written, so it is supposed to be read when the DVD is lying down.]
:[First group of 8 DVDs. All standing straight]
:Wandboy and the Magic Rock
:Wandboy and the Hidden Room
:Wandboy and the Fugitive
:Wandboy and the Burning Cup
:Wandboy and the Firebird Club
:Wandboy and the Book Owner
:Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (1/2)
:Wandboy and the Magic Stuff (2/2)

:[Second group of six DVDs. Five standing straight, last on the right leaning against the rest]
:Puncher
:Puncher II
:Puncher III
:Puncher IV
:Puncher V
:Puncher Lastname

:[Third group of four DVDs. First and last standing straight, others leaning on first]
:Tropical Boaters: Spooky Boat
:Tropical Boaters: Angry Wormface
:Tropical Boaters: Boats Everywhere
:Tropical Boaters: Vitamin Water

:[Fourth group of four DVDs. Three standing straight, second from left leaning on first]
:Professor Whip and the Box of God
:Professor Whip and the Scary Church
:Professor Whip Looks for a Cup
:Professor Whip is in Another Movie

{{comic discussion}}

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1577: Advent

1568: Synonym Movies 2