{{comic
| number = 1569
| date = August 26, 2015
| title = Magic Tree
| image = magic_tree.png
| titletext = Since people rarely try to cut down cell phone towers, after millions of years, as cell phone towers have gotten more treelike, trees have started growing fake cell phone tower attachments and shiny gray bark to protect themselves. This is a standard textbook example of convergent evolution.
}}

==Explanation==

[[File:PalmCellTower.jpg|thumb|upright|Camouflaged cell tower]]
[[File:AnotherCellTower.jpg|thumb|upright|Another one, trying to blend with surroundings]]
This comic features a running theme in the XKCD comics, [[Beret Guy]]'s naive and/or odd ways of thinking. In the beginning of the comic, Beret Guy shows [[Megan]] what he believes to be a tree, and explains that it grew there because he placed magic beans in that spot yesterday. This is a reference to the fable "{{w|Jack and the Beanstalk}}", where the protagonist plants several magical beans he acquired, resulting in a beanstalk growing which ascends into the atmosphere. Megan, however, tells Beret Guy that the "tree" is actually a {{w|cell site|cell phone tower}}. Beret Guy disagrees, pointing out that it has branches, to which Megan tries to explain that this was in an attempt to make the towers look like trees. She gives up, however, as Beret Guy has already begun climbing the tower.

Later, Megan complains that her {{w|mobile phone signal|cell reception}} was nonexistent. Beret Guy responds by saying that he had to cut down his "tree" because there were "scary giants with yellow hats" in it. This mirrors, again, the "Jack and the Beanstalk" fable, where the protagonist has to cut down his beanstalk to prevent the giant, whose lands the beanstalk connects to, from climbing down and chasing him. In reality, the "giants" were probably utility workers.

{{w|Convergent evolution}} deals with multiple species acquiring similar characteristics to fulfill their role (such as eagles and owls having similar claws). The title text explains that, over time, trees would start to look more like cell phone towers in order to avoid people cutting them down, as cell phone towers are rarely cut down at all; this is called facetiously "convergent evolution". In reality this scenario is more similar to {{w|mimicry}}, where a creature mimics the appearance of another, in order to confuse predators. In this scenario, the more defenseless trees attempt to mimic cell phone towers, which have the defense of people not wanting to cut them down or they would lose cell service (and likely a significant amount of money through fines). This is similar to the {{w|Flora and fauna of the Discworld#Counting pines|counting pine}}, a tree in Terry Pratchett's stories that evolved to display its age in hopes that humans would not cut it down and count its ring. See also [[1498: Terry Pratchett]].

==Transcript==

:(Beret Guy and Megan stand next to a large pole with a note on it.)
:Beret Guy (Pointing at pole): Check it out! I threw my magic beans on the ground here yesterday, and this big tree appeared!

:(Zoom out, the pole is revealed to have branches. Around the pole are trees about 1/9th of the height of the pole.)
:Megan: That's a cell tower.
:Beret Guy: No way - it has branches! See? I'm gonna climb it!

:(Same as frame 1. Beret guy has now started climbing the pole.)
:Megan: No, they just put those there to make it look- ...Never mind.

:(A caption above the frame says "Later...")
:Megan: Why do I have no signal?
:Beret Guy (Holding axe): There were scary giants with yellow helmets in that tree! Luckily I cut it down before they ate me.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]

File:AnotherCellTower.jpeg

2015-08-26T15:03:01Z

Nk22:

1569: Magic Tree

2015-08-26T14:57:24Z

Nk22: added Category:Comics with inverted brightness using HotCat

{{comic
| number = 1569
| date = August 26, 2015
| title = Magic Tree
| image = magic_tree.png
| titletext = Since people rarely try to cut down cell phone towers, after millions of years, as cell phone towers have gotten more treelike, trees have started growing fake cell phone tower attachments and shiny gray bark to protect themselves. This is a standard textbook example of convergent evolution.
}}

==Explanation==

[[File:PalmCellTower.jpg|thumb|upright|Camouflaged cell tower]]
This comic features a running theme in the XKCD comics, [[Beret Guy]]'s naive and/or odd ways of thinking. In the beginning of the comic, Beret Guy shows [[Megan]] what he believes to be a tree, and explains that it grew there because he placed magic beans in that spot yesterday. This is a reference to the fable "{{w|Jack and the Beanstalk}}", where the protagonist plants several magical beans he acquired, resulting in a beanstalk growing which ascends into the atmosphere. Megan, however, tells Beret Guy that the "tree" is actually a {{w|cell site|cell phone tower}}. Beret Guy disagrees, pointing out that it has branches, to which Megan tries to explain that this was in an attempt to make the towers look like trees. She gives up, however, as Beret Guy has already begun climbing the tower.

Later, Megan complains that her {{w|mobile phone signal|cell reception}} was nonexistent. Beret Guy responds by saying that he had to cut down his "tree" because there were "scary giants with yellow hats" in it. This mirrors, again, the "Jack and the Beanstalk" fable, where the protagonist has to cut down his beanstalk to prevent the giant, whose lands the beanstalk connects to, from climbing down and chasing him. In reality, the "giants" were probably utility workers.

{{w|Convergent evolution}} deals with multiple species acquiring similar characteristics to fulfill their role (such as eagles and owls having similar claws). The title text explains that, over time, trees would start to look more like cell phone towers in order to avoid people cutting them down, as cell phone towers are rarely cut down at all; this is called facetiously "convergent evolution". In reality this scenario is more similar to {{w|mimicry}}, where a creature mimics the appearance of another, in order to confuse predators. In this scenario, the more defenseless trees attempt to mimic cell phone towers, which have the defense of people not wanting to cut them down or they would lose cell service (and likely a significant amount of money through fines). This is similar to the {{w|Flora and fauna of the Discworld#Counting pines|counting pine}}, a tree in Terry Pratchett's stories that evolved to display its age in hopes that humans would not cut it down and count its ring. See also [[1498: Terry Pratchett]].

==Transcript==

:(Beret Guy and Megan stand next to a large pole with a note on it.)
:Beret Guy (Pointing at pole): Check it out! I threw my magic beans on the ground here yesterday, and this big tree appeared!

:(Zoom out, the pole is revealed to have branches. Around the pole are trees about 1/9th of the height of the pole.)
:Megan: That's a cell tower.
:Beret Guy: No way - it has branches! See? I'm gonna climb it!

:(Same as frame 1. Beret guy has now started climbing the pole.)
:Megan: No, they just put those there to make it look- ...Never mind.

:(A caption above the frame says "Later...")
:Megan: Why do I have no signal?
:Beret Guy (Holding axe): There were scary giants with yellow helmets in that tree! Luckily I cut it down before they ate me.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]

1568: Synonym Movies 2

2015-08-24T05:16:12Z

Nk22: Added flipped version

{{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==
{{incomplete|Still working on table}}
[[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 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)}}''
|
|-
| ''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)}}''
|
|-
| ''Wandboy and the Magic Stuf (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}}''
|
|-
|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==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

2015-07-22T06:54:09Z

Nk22:

Hi.

2015-07-14T19:46:00Z

Nk22: Undid it again! Why do I keep removing everything

1551: Pluto

2015-07-14T19:44:45Z

Nk22: Undid revision 97718 by Larrybolt (talk)

1551: Pluto

2015-07-14T19:43:35Z

Nk22: Added a section

2015-07-14T19:34:45Z

Nk22:

1551: Pluto

2015-07-14T19:26:58Z

Nk22:

1551: Pluto

2015-07-14T19:25:11Z

Nk22:

1551: Pluto

2015-07-14T19:20:53Z

Nk22: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1551
| date = July 14, 2015
| title = Pluto
| image = pluto.png
| titletext = After decades of increasingly confused arguing, Pluto is reclassified as a "dwarf Pluto."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|New Page.}}
When clicking the image, you will be directed to an article on NASA's website about Pluto's 'heart'.

This comic was posted on Tuesday, July 14th (breaking the normal MWF cycle for xkcd).

==Transcript==
{{Incomplete| Needs to have better explinations, these are just the most basic of the basic}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Description
! Explanation
|-
| Candy Shell
| Suger coating
|-
| JPEG Plumes
| JPEG has the common issue of making RGB squares over an image
|-
| Frontal Bone
|
|-
| Grease Stains
|
|-
| Bugs
|
|-
| Bullet holes
|
|-
| New Netherlands
| Reference to [[1519: Venus]] and also a What If? about draining the Earth's oceans onto Mars. In that What If?, the Netherlands issued forth from the portal that drained the oceans to claim Mars as New Netherlands. Presumably something similar happened on Pluto.
|-
| Disputed territory
|
|-
| Snake pit
|
|-
| Full text of the wikipedia article on pareidolia
| Pareidolia is the issue of making up patterns that don't exist, such as this one.
|-
| Dinosaur
|
|-
| Tadpole
| A tadpole is a stage in the life of a frog
|-
| Kuiper Belt loops
| The {{w|Kuiper belt}} is a kind of belt surrounding our solar system
|-
|Serenity
|
|-
|Ghost
| A reference to {{w|Pacman}}
|-
| Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
|
|-
| Charging socket
|
|-
| Cracks (beginning to hatch)
| Probably referring to many people having cracks in their smartphone screens
|-
|}
{{comic discussion}}

1551: Pluto

2015-07-14T19:19:48Z

Nk22:

{{comic
| number = 1551
| date = July 14, 2015
| title = Pluto
| image = pluto.png
| titletext = After decades of increasingly confused arguing, Pluto is reclassified as a "dwarf Pluto."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|New Page.}}
When clicking the image, you will be directed to an article on NASA's website about Pluto's 'heart'.

This comic was posted on Tuesday, July 14th (breaking the normal MWF cycle for xkcd).

==Transcript==
{{Incomplete| Needs to have better explinations, these are just the most basic of the basic}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Description
! Explanation
|-
| Candy Shell
| Suger coating
|-
| JPEG Plumes
| JPEG has the common issue of making RGB squares over an image
|-
| Frontal Bone
|
|-
| Grease Stains
|
|-
| Bugs
|
|-
| Bullet holes
|
|-
| New Netherlands
| Reference to [[1519: Venus]] a What If? about draining the Earth's oceans onto Mars. In that What If?, the Netherlands issued forth from the portal that drained the oceans to claim Mars as New Netherlands. Presumably something similar happened on Pluto.
|-
| Disputed territory
|
|-
| Snake pit
|
|-
| Full text of the wikipedia article on pareidolia
| Pareidolia is the issue of making up patterns that don't exist, such as this one.
|-
| Dinosaur
|
|-
| Tadpole
| A tadpole is a stage in the life of a frog
|-
| Kuiper Belt loops
| The {{w|Kuiper belt}} is a kind of belt surrounding our solar system
|-
|Serenity
|
|-
|Ghost
| A reference to {{w|Pacman}}
| Pluto dinosaur extinction crater
|
|-
| Charging socket
|
|-
| Cracks (beginning to hatch)
|
|-
|}
{{comic discussion}}