explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1871: Bun Alert

2017-08-03T18:08:56Z

Krkn: Title text for 1682 mentions the system.

{{comic
| number = 1871
| date = August 2, 2017
| title = Bun Alert
| image = bun_alert.png
| titletext = Since buns range from crepuscular to nocturnal, it's recommended that you enable the scheduled "Do Not Disturb" mode on your phone to avoid being woken by alerts about Night Buns.
}}

==Explanation==

The comic opens with [[Beret Guy]] identifying a "bun", the name given to a {{w|rabbit}} in [[1682: Bun]]. He expresses that a bun has been identified by saying "bun alert!", which might be thought to just be a manner of speaking before the actual "Bun Alert" system is shown to exist. The title text of 1682 also refers to sending a "BUN ALERT," the system for which apparently Beret Guy has now implemented.

Upon seeing the bunny, Beret Guy uses his phone to send an alert about the "Bun" with a [[wikipedia:Push technology|push notification]]. He is still looking for investors, though such an app would likely not appeal to a wide market. In response to [[Ponytail]]'s confusion, he explains that bunnies are "like loaves of bread that hop" perhaps making a pun by comparing rabbits to bread, as "bun" can commonly refer to a small loaf of bread. Beret Guy is known to be fascinated with bakeries, as shown in the comics 434 and 442 and 452, so it makes sense that this sort of comparison occurs to him.

As Ponytail leaves, apparently to remove herself from the situation, [[Megan]] hurriedly approaches, excited to see the "bun". This serves as a punchline as despite Ponytail appearing to be the voice of reason, it seems that Beret Guy's inane bun alert system has gathered a dedicated following after all.

Megan's question "Is it small?" and her amazement when she find out that it is parallels the idea in [[1682: Bun]] where the bun's size is said to be inversely correlated with its status; smaller buns such as the one in this comic are thought of as higher-ranking "king buns" by the characters in both strips. In real life, smaller rabbits are more likely to simply be young. It is also possible that she simply thinks smaller buns are cuter, which might have been the motivation for the whole bun-ranking system thing in the first place.

The title text refers to buns being {{w|crepuscular}} and {{w|nocturnal}} animals, meaning they are primarily active at twilight and night, respectively. This means that someone with the app would get a lot of notifications while they would most likely be asleep.

==Trivia==
*In [[1682: Bun]], it was Ponytail who was infatuated with "buns", while Megan was the incredulous one questioning the situation. In this comic, the roles are reversed. This is a strong indication that the characters represented by Ponytail and Megan in this comic are not the same characters from 1682.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy and Ponytail see a rabbit sitting in the grass; Beret Guy points to the bun.]
:Beret Guy: Bun alert!
:Ponytail: Oh, yeah! Cute!
:Beret Guy: Gotta document this. I'll notify everyone, send out a push alert.
:Ponytail: ...to who?

:[Zoom in on Beret Guy and Ponytail; Beret Guy taps on his phone.]
:Beret Guy: Everyone subscribed to the alert system.
:Ponytail: Alert system?
:Beret Guy: Yeah! We built it over the last few years. It's pretty small. Still looking for investors.
:Ponytail: But...''why'' are you alerting people about rabbits?

:[Zoom out; Beret Guy points at the bun.]
:Beret Guy: I mean...look at them. They're like loaves of bread that hop.
:Ponytail: I see.
:Beret Guy: ''People need to know.''

:[Zoom on Beret Guy in a frameless panel.]
:Beret Guy: They need to know:
:Beret Guy: '''''There are buns.'''''

:[Ponytail walks off, Megan comes running towards Beret Guy with a phone in her hand.]
:Ponytail: Okay, uhh, I'm gonna go.
:Megan: ''I got the alert!'' Where's the bun? '''''Is it small?'''''
:Beret Guy: ''Extremely.''
:Megan: Oh my God.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics from 2017]]
[[Category:Comics from July]]
[[Category:Wednesday comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]

1723: Meteorite Identification

2016-08-22T12:01:33Z

Krkn: Initial explanation

{{comic
| number = 1723
| date = August 22, 2016
| title = Meteorite Identification
| image = meteorite_identification.png
| titletext = Click for an actual flowchart for identifying a meteorite. My favorite part is how 'Did someone see it fall? -> Yes' points to 'NOT A METEORITE.' This is not a mistake.
}}

==Explanation==
Meteorites are rare rocks that come from asteroids, the moon, and sometimes (very rarely) from Mars. The flowchart, though facetious, would actually work the vast majority of the time since, given any single rock one finds on the surface of the earth, it is almost definitely not a meteorite. Flowcharts are often used to give the inexperienced a step-by-step process to follow, but meteorite identification is very difficult, so the brevity of this flowchart in a way pokes fun at the need for a flowchart to identify meteorites, since laypeople are not experienced enough to confirm that a rock is indeed a meteorite. The image links to a [http://meteorites.wustl.edu/check-list.htm more detailed flowchart] which, among other things, links to a [http://meteorites.wustl.edu/realities.htm long list] detailing the many things that must be taken into consideration in order to confirm that a rock is a meteorite. The author of those resources has likely received many rock samples and photos from people claiming to have discovered meteorites even though there have only been 690 confirmed cases since 1900, and thus he would likely benefit from just providing people the shortcut flowchart from Randall, as a way of saying, "leave meteorite identification to the professionals."
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1634: In Case of Emergency

2016-01-25T18:25:56Z

Krkn: /* Added tie-in to "most useless machine ever" */

{{comic
| number = 1634
| date = January 25, 2016
| title = In Case of Emergency
| image = in_case_of_emergency.png
| titletext = I keep first aid kits in those emergency lockers. Sure, it's expensive to have them installed in the wall, but at least for those ones there's no need to pay extra for safety glass.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Is there something normally called emergency lockers that could fit the description. It is used in several books, but is not something described on Wikipedia?}}

Sometimes in order to deter vandalism or avoid accidentally moving/setting off something of importance, an important item like a {{w|Fire_extinguisher|fire extinguisher}} will be covered behind a wall of glass. [https://img1.etsystatic.com/061/1/10935090/il_570xN.750954961_qucc.jpg In case of emergency, break glass] - and retrieve the tool.

However the depicted situation is funny, because the thing behind the breakable glass is a glass repair kit. This is ironic, considering that the only way to reach it is by breaking the glass. One might even use it to fix the glass broken to get it... This joke is similar in nature to the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z86V_ICUCD4 most useless machine ever].

In the title text [[Randall]] notes that he keeps his {{w|first aid kit}} in just such a type of emergency locker as shown in the comic. He complains that it is expensive to have them installed in the wall. But then the title text takes a gruesome turn when he continues by saying that at least for those lockers with first aid in them there is no need to pay extra for using {{w|safety glass}} for the cover. Safety glass doesn't break up into shrapnel, so this would be used for the cover of fire alarms, so the user will not cut them selves when breaking the glass to activate the alarm. But Randall indirectly says that since the person breaking the glass, will soon have access to a first aid kid, then if wounded in the process of breaking the normal window glass, they can as well be treated on the spot.

First aid kits and for instance {{w|defibrillators}} can be found at frequent places such as bus stations and shopping malls, but never behind a glass that needs to be broken.

==Transcript==
:[On a box behind a panel of glass, with a hammer hung below the panel, is written:]
:Glass repair kit

{{comic discussion}}