explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3116: Echo Chamber

2025-07-18T10:17:05Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ It’s not “associated with a cat name”. It *is* a cat name.

{{comic
| number = 3116
| date = July 16, 2025
| title = Echo Chamber
| image = echo_chamber_2x.png
| imagesize = 383x296px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = This is almost as bad as the time I signed up for a purely partisan fishing expedition.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by an echoing cat video. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

An {{w|echo chamber}} is a structure designed to maximise acoustic reverberation, and therefore echoes. In cultural terms, and particularly with social media, a ''metaphorical'' {{w|Echo chamber (media)|echo chamber}} reverberates the opinions of a group of individuals so that those individuals perceive those opinions as being the social norm. This has resulted in situations such as {{w|Pizzagate conspiracy theory|Pizzagate}} and the {{w|The dress|war over the dress}}.

[[Cueball]] appears to have confused the two and built a physical chamber designed to echo back the sound of videos he is watching on social media. Unsurprisingly to the reader, but apparently not to Cueball, this turns out to be very annoying. Specifically, he appears to be watching cat videos, which are stereotypical social media content, but not usually the kind that produces accusations of 'echo chambers'. The "Mittens" mentioned in the audio is often a cat name.

Similarly, the "partisan fishing expedition" referenced in the title text has differing metaphorical and real-life interpretations. A metaphorical "fishing expedition" is an investigation begun on flimsy or no evidence to try to find unsavory or incriminating behavior. When such an investigation is motivated by political considerations in favor of one particular political party, it may be referred to as a "partisan fishing expedition". An actual "purely partisan fishing expedition" would involve a trip to catch actual fish where all the people on the fishing trip were either {{w|partisan (politics)|committed members of just one political party}}, or {{w|partisan (military)|members of domestic irregular military forces}}. Altenratively, it could be a {{w|spearfishing}} expedition, as a {{w|partisan (weapon)|partisan}} is a type of polearm. It is unclear what strange mashup of the above Cueball found himself involved in, but at the very least it turned out to be deeply unsatisfying, if not actually dangerous.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Cueball is sitting on a chair with his hands covering his ears. He is in a circular room with a phone on a stand. All words coming out of the phone are repeated everywhere, getting larger and less opaque]

:Phone: Here's Mittens falling into the laundry hamper for the third time today!
:[Caption below panel:]
:Now that I've built one, I finally get why people complain about social media echo chambers.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

3106: Farads

2025-06-25T09:40:54Z

Soulcook: Previous explanation pretty much missed the point.

{{comic
| number = 3106
| date = June 23, 2025
| title = Farads
| image = farads_2x.png
| imagesize = 677x253px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'This HAZMAT container contains radioactive material with activity of one becquerel.' 'So, like, a single banana slice?'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic shows Cueball showing off several items that (he claims) comprise approximately one of a given unit, with Megan and White Hat reacting appropriately.

The first three – meters, pounds, and volts – are all units of which “1” is a commonplace amount.

However, 1 {{w|farad}} is a huge amount of capacitance. In common use, most consumer electronics use capacitors in the picofarad to millifarad range, and 1 milifarad is already considered a "large" capacitor. A 1-farad capacitor is considered a supercapacitor. Cueball claiming to have a 1-farad capacitor elicits panic from Megan and White Hat, who recognise that it could be very dangerous if charged, and ask why the hell he's carrying it around and brandishing it in front of them. A 1 farad capacitor charged to a high voltage could easily electrocute someone or cause a violent explosion if rapidly discharged.

Capacitance (C) is the ratio between charge (coulombs or amp-seconds) and electromotive force (V, volts or joules per coulomb).

The title text explores the inverse situation, where “1” of a unit is a very small amount. A becquerel amounts to one radioactive decay per second on the atomic level, which is a really low level of radioactivity. As observed, the material in question could be a single slice of a banana (primarily due to the decay of trace potassium-40 in the total potassium it contains). Hence, it is both impractical and unnecessary to contain it inside a hazmat container unless the material is dangerous for other reasons (such as corrosiveness or flammability). In comparison, the human body itself [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220103556/https://radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Activity_Doses.htm has an activity of 8000 Bq].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
: [Cueball holds a stick while talking with Megan and White Hat.]
: Cueball: This stick is one meter long.
: Megan: Cool.
: White Hat: That's a nice stick.

: [Cueball holds a smallish rock.]
: Cueball: This rock weighs one pound.
: Megan: I'd believe it.
: White Hat: Looks like a normal rock.

: [Cueball holds a small battery.]
: Cueball: This battery is one volt.
: Megan: Seems fine.
: White Hat: Might need a recharge.

: [Cueball holds a capacitor while Megan and White Hat panic.]
: Cueball: This capacitor is one farad.
: Megan: Aaaaa! Be careful!!
: White Hat: Put it down!!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Physics]]

3106: Farads

2025-06-25T09:17:21Z

Soulcook: Completed previous edit

{{comic
| number = 3106
| date = June 23, 2025
| title = Farads
| image = farads_2x.png
| imagesize = 677x253px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'This HAZMAT container contains radioactive material with activity of one becquerel.' 'So, like, a single banana slice?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by one Katal. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic shows Cueball showing off several items that (he claims) comprise approximately one of a given unit, with Megan and White Hat reacting appropriately. The first three – meters, pounds, and volts – are all units of which “1” is a commonplace amount, whereas 1 Farad is an extreme account of capacitance.

Most modern household batteries are a nominal 1.5V, but the voltage decreases when the battery’s charge is nearly exhausted – so a “1V battery” is likely to be a 1.5V battery that is almost completely discharged.

However, 1 {{w|farad}} is a huge amount of capacitance. In common use, most consumer electronics use capacitors in the picofarad to millifarad range, and 1 milifarad is already considered a "large" capacitor. A 1-farad capacitor is considered a supercapacitor. Cueball claiming to have a 1-farad capacitor elicits panic from Megan and White Hat, who not-unreasonably ask why the hell he's carrying it around and brandishing it in front of them.

Capacitance (C) is the ratio between charge (coulombs or amp-seconds) and electromotive force (V, volts or joules per coulomb). Weight (pounds or newtons) is the ratio between gravitational potential energy (joules) and height (meters). The stone weighs 1 pound or 4.45 newtons. If the 1-farad capacitor is charged to 1 volt, it will hold 1/2 C * V2 or 0.5 joules. If its discharge is used to raise the 4.45 N stone, it will throw the stone 1/8.9 m or about 11 centimeters. This is a hammer blow.

A 1-farad capacitor charged by a 9-volt battery will throw the stone 10 meters high, a sledgehammer blow. A 0.1-farad capacitor intermittently shorted with a screwdriver makes "lightning flashes" that will illuminate a theater.

The title text resumes more ordinary units, albeit on a less common topic. A becquerel amounts to one radioactive decay per second on the atomic level, which is a really low level of radioactivity. As observed, the material in question could be a single slice of a banana (primarily due to the decay of trace potassium-40 in the total potassium it contains). Hence, it is both impractical and unnecessary to contain it inside a hazmat container unless the material is dangerous for other reasons (such as corrosiveness or flammability). In comparison, the human body itself [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220103556/https://radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Activity_Doses.htm has an activity of 8000 Bq].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
: [Cueball holds a stick while talking with Megan and White Hat.]
: Cueball: This stick is one meter long.
: Megan: Cool.
: White Hat: That's a nice stick.

: [Cueball holds a smallish rock.]
: Cueball: This rock weighs one pound.
: Megan: I'd believe it.
: White Hat: Looks like a normal rock.

: [Cueball holds a small battery.]
: Cueball: This battery is one volt.
: Megan: Seems fine.
: White Hat: Might need a recharge.

: [Cueball holds a capacitor while Megan and White Hat panic.]
: Cueball: This capacitor is one farad.
: Megan: Aaaaa! Be careful!!
: White Hat: Put it down!!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Physics]]

3106: Farads

2025-06-25T09:07:50Z

Soulcook: Removed waffle and unfounded assertion.

{{comic
| number = 3106
| date = June 23, 2025
| title = Farads
| image = farads_2x.png
| imagesize = 677x253px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'This HAZMAT container contains radioactive material with activity of one becquerel.' 'So, like, a single banana slice?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by one Katal. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic shows Cueball showing off several items that (he claims) comprise approximately one of a given unit, with Megan and White Hat reacting appropriately. The first three – meters, pounds, and volts – are all very common units that everyday people will regularly encounter, and so receive minimal reaction.

Most modern household batteries are 1.5V, As a battery is discharged, the voltage slowly decrease. A “1V battery” is likely to be a 1.5V battery that is almost completely discharged.

However, 1 {{w|farad}} is a huge amount of capacitance. In common use, most consumer electronics use capacitors in the picofarad to millifarad range, and 1 milifarad is already considered a "large" capacitor. A 1-farad capacitor is considered a supercapacitor. Cueball claiming to have a 1-farad capacitor elicits panic from Megan and White Hat, who not-unreasonably ask why the hell he's carrying it around and brandishing it in front of them.

Capacitance (C) is the ratio between charge (coulombs or amp-seconds) and electromotive force (V, volts or joules per coulomb). Weight (pounds or newtons) is the ratio between gravitational potential energy (joules) and height (meters). The stone weighs 1 pound or 4.45 newtons. If the 1-farad capacitor is charged to 1 volt, it will hold 1/2 C * V2 or 0.5 joules. If its discharge is used to raise the 4.45 N stone, it will throw the stone 1/8.9 m or about 11 centimeters. This is a hammer blow.

A 1-farad capacitor charged by a 9-volt battery will throw the stone 10 meters high, a sledgehammer blow. A 0.1-farad capacitor intermittently shorted with a screwdriver makes "lightning flashes" that will illuminate a theater.

The title text resumes more ordinary units, albeit on a less common topic. A becquerel amounts to one radioactive decay per second on the atomic level, which is a really low level of radioactivity. As observed, the material in question could be a single slice of a banana (primarily due to the decay of trace potassium-40 in the total potassium it contains). Hence, it is both impractical and unnecessary to contain it inside a hazmat container unless the material is dangerous for other reasons (such as corrosiveness or flammability). In comparison, the human body itself [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220103556/https://radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Activity_Doses.htm has an activity of 8000 Bq].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
: [Cueball holds a stick while talking with Megan and White Hat.]
: Cueball: This stick is one meter long.
: Megan: Cool.
: White Hat: That's a nice stick.

: [Cueball holds a smallish rock.]
: Cueball: This rock weighs one pound.
: Megan: I'd believe it.
: White Hat: Looks like a normal rock.

: [Cueball holds a small battery.]
: Cueball: This battery is one volt.
: Megan: Seems fine.
: White Hat: Might need a recharge.

: [Cueball holds a capacitor while Megan and White Hat panic.]
: Cueball: This capacitor is one farad.
: Megan: Aaaaa! Be careful!!
: White Hat: Put it down!!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Physics]]

3106: Farads

2025-06-25T08:58:54Z

Soulcook: Grammar

{{comic
| number = 3106
| date = June 23, 2025
| title = Farads
| image = farads_2x.png
| imagesize = 677x253px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'This HAZMAT container contains radioactive material with activity of one becquerel.' 'So, like, a single banana slice?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by one Katal. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic shows Cueball showing off several items that (he claims) comprise approximately one of a given unit, with Megan and White Hat reacting appropriately. The first three – meters, pounds, and volts – are all very common units that everyday people will regularly encounter, and so receive minimal reaction.

Most household batteries are around 1.5V, although 1V batteries do exist {{Actual citation needed}}. As a battery is discharged, the outputted voltage slowly decreases. Since one volt is below what most batteries market themselves as, the battery could be close to being completely drained and should be recharged. If the battery is supposed to operate at higher voltages, it might indicate that the battery had suffered a deep discharge. In this case, the battery may have suffered permanent damage to its capacity to charge and special care should be taken to safely recharge it.

However, 1 {{w|farad}} is really big. In common use, most consumer electronics use capacitors in the picofarad to millifarad range, and 1 milifarad is already considered a "large" capacitor. A 1-farad capacitor is considered a supercapacitor. Cueball claiming to have a 1-farad capacitor elicits panic from Megan and White Hat, who not-unreasonably ask why the hell he's carrying it around and brandishing it in front of them.

Capacitance (C) is the ratio between charge (coulombs or amp-seconds) and electromotive force (V, volts or joules per coulomb). Weight (pounds or newtons) is the ratio between gravitational potential energy (joules) and height (meters). The stone weighs 1 pound or 4.45 newtons. If the 1-farad capacitor is charged to 1 volt, it will hold 1/2 C * V2 or 0.5 joules. If its discharge is used to raise the 4.45 N stone, it will throw the stone 1/8.9 m or about 11 centimeters. This is a hammer blow.

A 1-farad capacitor charged by a 9-volt battery will throw the stone 10 meters high, a sledgehammer blow. A 0.1-farad capacitor intermittently shorted with a screwdriver makes "lightning flashes" that will illuminate a theater.

The title text resumes more ordinary units, albeit on a less common topic. A becquerel amounts to one radioactive decay per second on the atomic level, which is a really low level of radioactivity. As observed, the material in question could be a single slice of a banana (primarily due to the decay of trace potassium-40 in the total potassium it contains). Hence, it is both impractical and unnecessary to contain it inside a hazmat container unless the material is dangerous for other reasons (such as corrosiveness or flammability). In comparison, the human body itself [https://web.archive.org/web/20200220103556/https://radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Activity_Doses.htm has an activity of 8000 Bq].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
: [Cueball holds a stick while talking with Megan and White Hat.]
: Cueball: This stick is one meter long.
: Megan: Cool.
: White Hat: That's a nice stick.

: [Cueball holds a smallish rock.]
: Cueball: This rock weighs one pound.
: Megan: I'd believe it.
: White Hat: Looks like a normal rock.

: [Cueball holds a small battery.]
: Cueball: This battery is one volt.
: Megan: Seems fine.
: White Hat: Might need a recharge.

: [Cueball holds a capacitor while Megan and White Hat panic.]
: Cueball: This capacitor is one farad.
: Megan: Aaaaa! Be careful!!
: White Hat: Put it down!!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Physics]]

2950: Situation

2024-06-25T21:17:54Z

Soulcook: Tautology

{{comic
| number = 2950
| date = June 24, 2024
| title = Situation
| image = situation_2x.png
| imagesize = 578x306px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We're right under the flight path for the scheduled orbital launch, but don't worry--it's too cold out for the rockets to operate safely, so I'm sure they'll postpone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Shark, the iceberg of the sea - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic depicts a situation involving multiple pieces of infrastructure: a ship, sailing towards icebergs, which is tethered to an airship flying next to a power plant towards a bridge. Each of these are labelled with details that clearly reference famous disasters, all of which were caused (at least in part) by design failures. All of these incidents are common case studies for engineers studying how things can go very wrong. The implication is that, by putting them all together, most engineers would be highly concerned with the potential for catastrophe.

;"Unsinkable Ocean Liner" refers to the RMS ''{{w|Titanic}}''.
:The ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner which famously {{w|Sinking of the Titanic|sank}} on its maiden voyage in 1912. It was the largest ship in operation at the time, and was called "unsinkable" due to its size and much-lauded design features. The ship struck an iceberg on the fourth day of its first voyage, breaching the hull and ultimately causing it to sink, resulting in 1,496 deaths. Multiple design inadequacies (although none without precedent in contemporary vessels) were afterwards identified as contributing to the rapid speed of the ship sinking and to the high loss of life. These included: too few life boats; inadequate steering ability; compartments lacking watertight ceilings and therefore allowing the water levels within to top over into previously unaffected sections.

;"Hydrogen-filled [...] Airship [...]" refers to the {{w|Hindenburg Disaster}}.
:The {{w|LZ 129 Hindenburg|''Hindenburg''}} was a German airship which used hydrogen as a lifting gas. In 1937, during a landing in New Jersey, the ship caught fire and the flammable hydrogen quickly ignited, causing the ship to crash and resulting in 36 deaths. While the origins of the fire are still debated, the dangers of using large amounts of flammable gas in airships were made dramatically clear.
:Ironically, the airship in the comic appears to have been commissioned for the purpose of mitigating iceberg risks (unless 'iceberg spotting' is for the purpose of steering the 'Unsinkable Ocean Liner' towards icebergs, perhaps as a tourist attraction).

;"Soviet Era Nuclear Reactor Undergoing a Turbine Test" refers to the {{w|Chernobyl Disaster}}.
:The {{w|Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant}} is located near the city of Pripyat, in Ukraine (part of the Soviet Union at the time of the disaster). On 26 April 1986, a reactor core partially melted during a turbine test. This led to an explosion, causing a massive release of radiation. This incident remains the worst nuclear accident to date. The disaster was determined to have resulted from a combination of uncommon circumstances and human error, which the reactor wasn't designed to account for.
:The number of fatalities from the disaster is difficult to calculate; two people died from the initial damage, twenty-eight more from acute radiation sickness, and fifteen people who were directly exposed developed terminal thyroid cancer. The radiation, however, spread far beyond the plant itself, and the number of premature deaths ultimately attributable to subsequent exposure can't be calculated directly, though most estimates are easily in the thousands.

;"Bridge Prone to Aeroelastic Flutter in High Winds" refers to the {{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940)|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}}.
:The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, a suspension bridge in the U.S. state of Washington, was initially built in 1940. From the time of its construction, the bridge was observed to sway and {{w|Aeroelasticity#Flutter|flutter}} in high winds, and was nicknamed "Galloping Gertie". About four months after opening, in 40 mile-per-hour (64 km/h) winds, the bridge fluttered so violently that it collapsed into the strait. There were no human fatalities, though several people were injured. This collapse is frequently used to demonstrate the dangers of harmonic vibration in infrastructure, particularly structures exposed to strong winds. The bridge was eventually rebuilt, with a redesign intended to prevent such fluttering.

;The title text refers to the {{w|Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster}}.
:The {{w|Space Shuttle Challenger|''Challenger''}} was an American space shuttle which broke up shortly after its launch in 1986, killing all seven crew members aboard before reaching orbit. The disaster was caused by a failure of O-ring seals on one of the shuttle's rocket boosters and the subsequent leak of hot gases. The likely cause of these failures was the seals being unable to maintain their integrity due to being well below their design temperature range in the immediate lead-up to being exposed to launch conditions, thanks to much colder than normal weather in the launch area. Engineers for the company that had built the boosters raised this concern and recommended postponing the launch, but were overruled.

As illustrated, it appears that the ship is about to sail under the bridge, while the airship will fly over it, causing the tether between the two to snag the bridge unless the airship descends sufficiently before then. It is not clear how or if the reactor will contribute to the resulting incident.

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

:[An airship flying, labeled:]
:Hydrogen-filled scout airship for iceberg spotting
:[The airship is chained to a ship, going along a river, labeled:]
:Unsinkable ocean liner
:[In the background on the coast a nuclear power plant, labeled:]
:Soviet-era nuclear reactor undergoing a turbine test
:[The boat and airship are steering towards a bridge, labeled:]
:Bridge prone to aeroelastic flutter in high winds
:[Two unlabeled icebergs are on the water on either side of the bridge.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:In retrospect, we should have noticed how nervous the situation was making the engineers.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Aviation]]
[[Category:Space]]

2935: Ocean Loop

2024-05-20T21:54:31Z

Soulcook: “abtain” ??

{{comic
| number = 2935
| date = May 20, 2024
| title = Ocean Loop
| image = ocean_loop_2x.png
| imagesize = 317x286px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I can't believe they wouldn't even let me hold a vote among the passengers about whether to try the loop.
}}

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

Upon hearing the term "ocean loop", many people think of horizontal {{w|ocean gyres}} or {{w|ocean currents}}. This comic illustrated a vertical, rather than horizontal, ocean loop.

The comic shows a large construction, rising out of the sea to dwarf a nearby cruise ship. It involves a submerged water-jet sending water up out of the surface and round a rollercoaster-loop-like water-flume trough. The scale is such that it seems that the ship, once caught in the necessarily powerful stream of water, is intended to be propelled around the inverting loop before 'safely' exiting at the other side.

Apart from various other issues regarding {{what if|43|large "loop-the-loop"s}}, the stream of water required to maintain this setup would be {{w|Entrainment (hydrodynamics)|acting upon the nearby water}} and so the nearby ship is probably already close enough to be drawn into the loop (with the best option left being to deliberately steer into it, rather than risk being swept uncontrollably into the structure), assuming that it isn't already caught in the tug of the water-jet's inward flow.

Even assuming a 'successful' loop (the stresses, and rotation, inflicted by the loop are likely beyond the design limits of such a vessel), the emergence back into the ''relatively'' calm and stationary waters beyond the exiting outflow would be a severe challenge to navigation. On the positive side, due to the nature of buoyancy, if the loop structure itself is capable of withstanding the force of the water being forced round it then it ''should'' be equally capable of withstanding the passage of the ship, unlike an impromptu rail-based loop which might stand up on its own but then shake itself apart when the first carriage is sent around it.

Not only would there be problems for the engineers, ship and navigators, the "ride" wouldn't be pleasent for the passengers of the ship in any way. Many of the passangers would suffer extreme injuries and/or likely fall off the ship all together (unlike {{w|rollercoasters}} the passengers aren't strapped down). Because of the way the loop's designed, several hundreds (if not thousands) of tons of water is being launched onto the top of the cruise ship at a high speed. Needless to say, this would not only likely capsize the ship, but would also flatten any passenger on the deck. Not only that but any passengers on the inside would fall anywhere from ten to two hundred feet when the ship flipped upside down. That isn't taking in the fact that forks and knives would go flying, as would breakable glass, (flammable) alcohol, any personal possestions unsecured, and many other dangours objects.

The bottom text, "I don't know why the cruise line fired me", implies that Randall either suggested or implemented this idea, much to the dismay of his company.

The title text suggests that the not only are those in charge of the ship skeptical about sailing into this loop, but that they are worried that opening the decision-making process to the passengers might favour the risk over (well-founded) reason.

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

[A cruise ship aproaches an enormous loop-de-loop flume. A large jet of water is being propeled into the loop-de-loop]

[Caption below the panel:]

I don't know why the cruise line fired me

==Trivia==
* '''This trivia section was created by a BOT'''
* The [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/ocean_loop.png standard size] image was uploaded with a resolution/size larger than the supposed 2x version.
* This may have been an error.
* At the time of posting, the image was ''huge'', 4760 x 4295 pixels.

{{comic discussion}}

2935: Ocean Loop

2024-05-20T21:52:05Z

Soulcook: removed redundant word

{{comic
| number = 2935
| date = May 20, 2024
| title = Ocean Loop
| image = ocean_loop_2x.png
| imagesize = 317x286px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I can't believe they wouldn't even let me hold a vote among the passengers about whether to try the loop.
}}

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

Upon hearing the term "ocean loop", many people think of horizontal {{w|ocean gyres}} or {{w|ocean currents}}. This comic illustrated a vertical, rather than horizontal, ocean loop.

The comic shows a large construction, rising out of the sea to dwarf a nearby cruise ship. It involves a submerged water-jet sending water up out of the surface and round a rollercoaster-loop-like water-flume trough. The scale is such that it seems that the ship, once caught in the necessarily powerful stream of water, is intended to be propelled around the inverting loop before 'safely' exiting at the other side.

Apart from various other issues regarding {{what if|43|large "loop-the-loop"s}}, the stream of water required to maintain this setup would be {{w|Entrainment (hydrodynamics)|acting upon the nearby water}} and so the nearby ship is probably already close enough to be drawn into the loop (with the best option left being to deliberately steer into it, rather than risk being swept uncontrollably into the structure), assuming that it isn't already caught in the tug of the water-jet's inward flow.

Even assuming a 'successful' loop (the stresses, and rotation, inflicted by the loop are likely beyond the design limits of such a vessel), the emergence back into the ''relatively'' calm and stationary waters beyond the exiting outflow would be a severe challenge to navigation. On the positive side, due to the nature of buoyancy, if the loop structure itself is capable of withstanding the force of the water being forced round it then it ''should'' be equally capable of withstanding the passage of the ship, unlike an impromptu rail-based loop which might stand up on its own but then shake itself apart when the first carriage is sent around it.

Not only would there be problems for the engineers, ship and navigators, the "ride" wouldn't be pleasent for the passengers of the ship in any way. Many of the passangers would abtain extreme injuries and/or likely fall off the ship all together (unlike {{w|rollercoasters}} the passengers aren't strapped down). Because of the way the loop's designed, several hundreds (if not thousands) of tons of water is being launched onto the top of the cruise ship at a high speed. Needless to say, this would not only likely capsize the ship, but would also flatten any passenger on the deck. Not only that but any passengers on the inside would fall anywhere from ten to two hundred feet when the ship flipped upside down. That isn't taking in the fact that forks and knives would go flying, as would breakable glass, (flammable) alcohol, any personal possestions unsecured, and many other dangours objects.

The bottom text, "I don't know why the cruise line fired me", implies that Randall either suggested or implemented this idea, much to the dismay of his company.

The title text suggests that the not only are those in charge of the ship skeptical about sailing into this loop, but that they are worried that opening the decision-making process to the passengers might favour the risk over (well-founded) reason.

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

[A cruise ship aproaches an enormous loop-de-loop flume. A large jet of water is being propeled into the loop-de-loop]

[Caption below the panel:]

I don't know why the cruise line fired me

==Trivia==
* '''This trivia section was created by a BOT'''
* The [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/ocean_loop.png standard size] image was uploaded with a resolution/size larger than the supposed 2x version.
* This may have been an error.
* At the time of posting, the image was ''huge'', 4760 x 4295 pixels.

{{comic discussion}}

2892: Banana Prices

2024-02-10T17:33:39Z

Soulcook: Prices *do* grow exponentially. That’s what inflation is.

{{comic
| number = 2892
| date = February 9, 2024
| title = Banana Prices
| image = banana_prices_2x.png
| imagesize = 564x378px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's a linear extrapolation, Michael. How big could the error be? 10%?
}}

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

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_Qyk9DSUw ‘It’s one banana, Michael. What could it cost, $10?'] is a line from an {{w|Arrested Development}} episode (Season 1, Episode 6, "Charity Drive", 2003) that became well known as a meme used to mock out-of-touch elites. The character who spoke this line – Lucille Bluth, a rich socialite – didn't know whether a banana cost $10 in 2003 because she never bought her own groceries. According to the graph, the banana price at the time of that episode was actually just under 25 cents, and the price "now" (2024) is around 30 cents.

This comic illustrates a number of ways to violate statistical best practices and to 'lie with data.' The additional use of an "unreliable narrator" device gives this comic several layers of meaning. The caption writer, in this case, is an unreliable narrator who is ''also'' humorously out-of-touch like Lucille Bluth, but in a different way. The comic speculates that the error in their conclusion is less than 10%, even when their own three predictions (from 120 years to 220 years) differ by over 80%.

To initially mislead the reader and to ultimately demonstrate how easy it is to be fooled by various methods of 'lying with data,' Randall ably combines several statistical 'sins' in one graph, such as:
* false precision
* extrapolating an order of magnitude deeper into the future than is advisable
* referring to a logarithmic extrapolation as linear
* ignoring historical norms and high variability in making future predictions
* articulating multiple potential scenarios that are actually highly correlated with each other.

At first, the comic looks like a wry observation that the irony of this sitcom line will "probably" be obsolete in a century or two. This comic shows a graph of three forecasted prices for bananas over the next 250 years, extrapolating from the current price. One uses the general inflation rate, a value dominated by the cost of housing. Another uses the more specific inflation rate for fresh fruit. The final line is an extrapolation from 50 years of historic banana prices. The comic seems to say that it will take a century or two before the irony of the sitcom quote becomes anachronistically meaningless.

(While these extrapolations look linear, they are in fact exponential, since a linear extrapolation on a graph with a logarithmic scale is actually an exponential extrapolation. The graph is log-linear, with price as a logarithmic scale on the vertical (left) axis, which makes it possible to visualize exponential growth as a straight line.

The accuracy of this prediction depends on these particular extrapolations being valid. The "general inflation rate" line assumes an average rate of around 3%, matching the historic average in the USA. However, assuming a constant inflation rate for the next 200 years is extremely simplistic. Inflation fluctuates quite a lot in response to economic factors and government policies. It was as high as 6% during recent rounds of economic stimulus and caused fears of hyper-inflation. And pre-Covid, it was around 1% for a decade.

Besides getting the inflation rate wrong, another way the extrapolation could be wrong was if – in the next 100 years – there were a {{w|Banana#Pests, diseases, and natural disasters|massive banana crash or extinction}}, as has {{w|Gros Michel banana|happened before}}, due to the banana's lack of genetic diversity. In which case, the sharply reduced supply of bananas could send the price past $10 very quickly.

(Two elements of finance that grow exponentially - but are traditionally plotted on linear graphs - are compound interest and investment growth in stock markets.)

Another, more subtle, illustration of false precision is the graph's use of three different models for the extrapolation of banana prices. At first glance, using three different trend lines seems to show a "range" of potential scenarios and acknowledge the prediction's uncertainty. (Scenario Thinking is the practice of articulating divergent, uncorrelated scenarios to explore various "potential futures.") However, the three underlying trends of the prediction models are correlated: general inflation is highly correlated to fruit price inflation and banana price inflation. Using three different trends that are all highly correlated is scant better than using just one.

Finally, the reference to "BLS/St. Louis Fred" – a widely respected source of economic data – appears to lend credibility to the graph, but the only data that is truly credible is the historic price data. It's one more example – citing respected sources – of a way to show how to fool unsuspecting readers into lending a prediction more credibility than it deserves.

The title text is a wink from Randall about this unreliable narrator by using the ignorant tone of Lucille Bluth to wryly acknowledge that, in fact, that error of the extrapolations greatly exceeds 10%. Just as Lucille was very wrong about a $10 banana (a price threshold), so too is the speaker of the title text very wrong about the 10% error (a proportional change). It does so in the form of a meta-joke about the false precision of extrapolations, while continuing the theme of the speaker's extreme ignorance. Assuming that the error couldn't be more than 10% shows that the Lucille speaker continues to be hilariously off-base, presuming far more accuracy from a multi-century prediction than is warranted.

Overall, the comic is a clever commentary about the false precision of extrapolation and how easy it is to make absurdly precise predictions seem credible, illustrating its point by initially misleading the reader with its own false precision, and wrapping it all in a pop-culture reference.

In truth, any economic extrapolation into the distant future based on past data points is just an educated guess likely to be quite wrong, with an expected error far in excess of 10%. (A rare example of a field in which 75-year predictions are highly accurate is demographic age charts, since the number of babies born this year is causal of the number of 75-year-olds alive in 75 years.)

This comic uses several common xkcd themes:
* '''Log scales''' and their peculiarities are a recurring xkcd theme, and this is the second comic in a row to play with logarithms (the prior one being [[2891: Log Cabin]]).
* It's also the second comic in the last four to involve '''predictions across centuries''' (i.e. [[2889: Greenhouse Effect]]).
* Another '''extrapolation''' comic include [[605: Extrapolating]]. This comic looks a lot like [[1007: Sustainable]].

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

:[A graph with the x-axis showing time, from the years 1950 to around 2275. The y-axis is a log scale showing the price of a banana from $0.10 to over $10.00. A label called "Price of a banana (BLS/St. Louis ''Fred''[https://fred.stlouisfed.org/])" show a rising trend in the price of a banana. There are two dots on that trend. One is labeled "Episode airs" and the other one "Now". 3 extrapolations shown as dashed lines labeled "General inflation rate", "Fresh fruit price trend" and "Banana price trend" extend until reaching the $10 mark, indicated by 3 dots.]

:[Caption above the graph:] "It's one banana, Michael. What could it cost? $10?"

:[Caption below the panel:] That line probably has another century or so left.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Extrapolation]]

2892: Banana Prices

2024-02-10T17:31:40Z

Soulcook: The deleted paragraph is simply not true. Economic data frequently exhibit exponential behaviour, and long scales are often used in economics.

{{comic
| number = 2892
| date = February 9, 2024
| title = Banana Prices
| image = banana_prices_2x.png
| imagesize = 564x378px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's a linear extrapolation, Michael. How big could the error be? 10%?
}}

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

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_Qyk9DSUw ‘It’s one banana, Michael. What could it cost, $10?'] is a line from an {{w|Arrested Development}} episode (Season 1, Episode 6, "Charity Drive", 2003) that became well known as a meme used to mock out-of-touch elites. The character who spoke this line – Lucille Bluth, a rich socialite – didn't know whether a banana cost $10 in 2003 because she never bought her own groceries. According to the graph, the banana price at the time of that episode was actually just under 25 cents, and the price "now" (2024) is around 30 cents.

This comic illustrates a number of ways to violate statistical best practices and to 'lie with data.' The additional use of an "unreliable narrator" device gives this comic several layers of meaning. The caption writer, in this case, is an unreliable narrator who is ''also'' humorously out-of-touch like Lucille Bluth, but in a different way. The comic speculates that the error in their conclusion is less than 10%, even when their own three predictions (from 120 years to 220 years) differ by over 80%.

To initially mislead the reader and to ultimately demonstrate how easy it is to be fooled by various methods of 'lying with data,' Randall ably combines several statistical 'sins' in one graph, such as:
* false precision
* extrapolating an order of magnitude deeper into the future than is advisable
* assuming that a non-exponential quantity - prices - will grow exponentially
* referring to a logarithmic extrapolation as linear
* ignoring historical norms and high variability in making future predictions
* articulating multiple potential scenarios that are actually highly correlated with each other.

At first, the comic looks like a wry observation that the irony of this sitcom line will "probably" be obsolete in a century or two. This comic shows a graph of three forecasted prices for bananas over the next 250 years, extrapolating from the current price. One uses the general inflation rate, a value dominated by the cost of housing. Another uses the more specific inflation rate for fresh fruit. The final line is an extrapolation from 50 years of historic banana prices. The comic seems to say that it will take a century or two before the irony of the sitcom quote becomes anachronistically meaningless.

(While these extrapolations look linear, they are in fact exponential, since a linear extrapolation on a graph with a logarithmic scale is actually an exponential extrapolation. The graph is log-linear, with price as a logarithmic scale on the vertical (left) axis, which makes it possible to visualize exponential growth as a straight line. Exponential growth is common for quantities like viral spread, nuclear chain reactions, and population growth - not commodity prices.)

The accuracy of this prediction depends on these particular extrapolations being valid. The "general inflation rate" line assumes an average rate of around 3%, matching the historic average in the USA. However, assuming a constant inflation rate for the next 200 years is extremely simplistic. Inflation fluctuates quite a lot in response to economic factors and government policies. It was as high as 6% during recent rounds of economic stimulus and caused fears of hyper-inflation. And pre-Covid, it was around 1% for a decade.

Besides getting the inflation rate wrong, another way the extrapolation could be wrong was if – in the next 100 years – there were a {{w|Banana#Pests, diseases, and natural disasters|massive banana crash or extinction}}, as has {{w|Gros Michel banana|happened before}}, due to the banana's lack of genetic diversity. In which case, the sharply reduced supply of bananas could send the price past $10 very quickly.

(Two elements of finance that grow exponentially - but are traditionally plotted on linear graphs - are compound interest and investment growth in stock markets.)

Another, more subtle, illustration of false precision is the graph's use of three different models for the extrapolation of banana prices. At first glance, using three different trend lines seems to show a "range" of potential scenarios and acknowledge the prediction's uncertainty. (Scenario Thinking is the practice of articulating divergent, uncorrelated scenarios to explore various "potential futures.") However, the three underlying trends of the prediction models are correlated: general inflation is highly correlated to fruit price inflation and banana price inflation. Using three different trends that are all highly correlated is scant better than using just one.

Finally, the reference to "BLS/St. Louis Fred" – a widely respected source of economic data – appears to lend credibility to the graph, but the only data that is truly credible is the historic price data. It's one more example – citing respected sources – of a way to show how to fool unsuspecting readers into lending a prediction more credibility than it deserves.

The title text is a wink from Randall about this unreliable narrator by using the ignorant tone of Lucille Bluth to wryly acknowledge that, in fact, that error of the extrapolations greatly exceeds 10%. Just as Lucille was very wrong about a $10 banana (a price threshold), so too is the speaker of the title text very wrong about the 10% error (a proportional change). It does so in the form of a meta-joke about the false precision of extrapolations, while continuing the theme of the speaker's extreme ignorance. Assuming that the error couldn't be more than 10% shows that the Lucille speaker continues to be hilariously off-base, presuming far more accuracy from a multi-century prediction than is warranted.

Overall, the comic is a clever commentary about the false precision of extrapolation and how easy it is to make absurdly precise predictions seem credible, illustrating its point by initially misleading the reader with its own false precision, and wrapping it all in a pop-culture reference.

In truth, any economic extrapolation into the distant future based on past data points is just an educated guess likely to be quite wrong, with an expected error far in excess of 10%. (A rare example of a field in which 75-year predictions are highly accurate is demographic age charts, since the number of babies born this year is causal of the number of 75-year-olds alive in 75 years.)

This comic uses several common xkcd themes:
* '''Log scales''' and their peculiarities are a recurring xkcd theme, and this is the second comic in a row to play with logarithms (the prior one being [[2891: Log Cabin]]).
* It's also the second comic in the last four to involve '''predictions across centuries''' (i.e. [[2889: Greenhouse Effect]]).
* Another '''extrapolation''' comic include [[605: Extrapolating]]. This comic looks a lot like [[1007: Sustainable]].

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

:[A graph with the x-axis showing time, from the years 1950 to around 2275. The y-axis is a log scale showing the price of a banana from $0.10 to over $10.00. A label called "Price of a banana (BLS/St. Louis ''Fred''[https://fred.stlouisfed.org/])" show a rising trend in the price of a banana. There are two dots on that trend. One is labeled "Episode airs" and the other one "Now". 3 extrapolations shown as dashed lines labeled "General inflation rate", "Fresh fruit price trend" and "Banana price trend" extend until reaching the $10 mark, indicated by 3 dots.]

:[Caption above the graph:] "It's one banana, Michael. What could it cost? $10?"

:[Caption below the panel:] That line probably has another century or so left.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Extrapolation]]

2892: Banana Prices

2024-02-10T17:29:16Z

Soulcook: “Shopped” is not a transitive verb.

{{comic
| number = 2892
| date = February 9, 2024
| title = Banana Prices
| image = banana_prices_2x.png
| imagesize = 564x378px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's a linear extrapolation, Michael. How big could the error be? 10%?
}}

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

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_Qyk9DSUw ‘It’s one banana, Michael. What could it cost, $10?'] is a line from an {{w|Arrested Development}} episode (Season 1, Episode 6, "Charity Drive", 2003) that became well known as a meme used to mock out-of-touch elites. The character who spoke this line – Lucille Bluth, a rich socialite – didn't know whether a banana cost $10 in 2003 because she never bought her own groceries. According to the graph, the banana price at the time of that episode was actually just under 25 cents, and the price "now" (2024) is around 30 cents.

This comic illustrates a number of ways to violate statistical best practices and to 'lie with data.' The additional use of an "unreliable narrator" device gives this comic several layers of meaning. The caption writer, in this case, is an unreliable narrator who is ''also'' humorously out-of-touch like Lucille Bluth, but in a different way. The comic speculates that the error in their conclusion is less than 10%, even when their own three predictions (from 120 years to 220 years) differ by over 80%.

To initially mislead the reader and to ultimately demonstrate how easy it is to be fooled by various methods of 'lying with data,' Randall ably combines several statistical 'sins' in one graph, such as:
* false precision
* extrapolating an order of magnitude deeper into the future than is advisable
* assuming that a non-exponential quantity - prices - will grow exponentially
* referring to a logarithmic extrapolation as linear
* ignoring historical norms and high variability in making future predictions
* articulating multiple potential scenarios that are actually highly correlated with each other.

At first, the comic looks like a wry observation that the irony of this sitcom line will "probably" be obsolete in a century or two. This comic shows a graph of three forecasted prices for bananas over the next 250 years, extrapolating from the current price. One uses the general inflation rate, a value dominated by the cost of housing. Another uses the more specific inflation rate for fresh fruit. The final line is an extrapolation from 50 years of historic banana prices. The comic seems to say that it will take a century or two before the irony of the sitcom quote becomes anachronistically meaningless.

(While these extrapolations look linear, they are in fact exponential, since a linear extrapolation on a graph with a logarithmic scale is actually an exponential extrapolation. The graph is log-linear, with price as a logarithmic scale on the vertical (left) axis, which makes it possible to visualize exponential growth as a straight line. Exponential growth is common for quantities like viral spread, nuclear chain reactions, and population growth - not commodity prices.)

The accuracy of this prediction depends on these particular extrapolations being valid. The "general inflation rate" line assumes an average rate of around 3%, matching the historic average in the USA. However, assuming a constant inflation rate for the next 200 years is extremely simplistic. Inflation fluctuates quite a lot in response to economic factors and government policies. It was as high as 6% during recent rounds of economic stimulus and caused fears of hyper-inflation. And pre-Covid, it was around 1% for a decade.

Besides getting the inflation rate wrong, another way the extrapolation could be wrong was if – in the next 100 years – there were a {{w|Banana#Pests, diseases, and natural disasters|massive banana crash or extinction}}, as has {{w|Gros Michel banana|happened before}}, due to the banana's lack of genetic diversity. In which case, the sharply reduced supply of bananas could send the price past $10 very quickly.

An additional example of "lying with data" is the use of a logarithmic graph for economic data. It's highly unusual to graph economic data logarithmically, as economic variables like price rarely show exponential change over time – and even when they do, it's easier to show that change on a normal linear graph. If this same set of extrapolations were shown on a linear graph, the absurdly accelerating slope of the extrapolations would give away how inappropriate these extrapolations are.

(Two elements of finance that grow exponentially - but are traditionally plotted on linear graphs - are compound interest and investment growth in stock markets.)

Another, more subtle, illustration of false precision is the graph's use of three different models for the extrapolation of banana prices. At first glance, using three different trend lines seems to show a "range" of potential scenarios and acknowledge the prediction's uncertainty. (Scenario Thinking is the practice of articulating divergent, uncorrelated scenarios to explore various "potential futures.") However, the three underlying trends of the prediction models are correlated: general inflation is highly correlated to fruit price inflation and banana price inflation. Using three different trends that are all highly correlated is scant better than using just one.

Finally, the reference to "BLS/St. Louis Fred" – a widely respected source of economic data – appears to lend credibility to the graph, but the only data that is truly credible is the historic price data. It's one more example – citing respected sources – of a way to show how to fool unsuspecting readers into lending a prediction more credibility than it deserves.

The title text is a wink from Randall about this unreliable narrator by using the ignorant tone of Lucille Bluth to wryly acknowledge that, in fact, that error of the extrapolations greatly exceeds 10%. Just as Lucille was very wrong about a $10 banana (a price threshold), so too is the speaker of the title text very wrong about the 10% error (a proportional change). It does so in the form of a meta-joke about the false precision of extrapolations, while continuing the theme of the speaker's extreme ignorance. Assuming that the error couldn't be more than 10% shows that the Lucille speaker continues to be hilariously off-base, presuming far more accuracy from a multi-century prediction than is warranted.

Overall, the comic is a clever commentary about the false precision of extrapolation and how easy it is to make absurdly precise predictions seem credible, illustrating its point by initially misleading the reader with its own false precision, and wrapping it all in a pop-culture reference.

In truth, any economic extrapolation into the distant future based on past data points is just an educated guess likely to be quite wrong, with an expected error far in excess of 10%. (A rare example of a field in which 75-year predictions are highly accurate is demographic age charts, since the number of babies born this year is causal of the number of 75-year-olds alive in 75 years.)

This comic uses several common xkcd themes:
* '''Log scales''' and their peculiarities are a recurring xkcd theme, and this is the second comic in a row to play with logarithms (the prior one being [[2891: Log Cabin]]).
* It's also the second comic in the last four to involve '''predictions across centuries''' (i.e. [[2889: Greenhouse Effect]]).
* Another '''extrapolation''' comic include [[605: Extrapolating]]. This comic looks a lot like [[1007: Sustainable]].

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

:[A graph with the x-axis showing time, from the years 1950 to around 2275. The y-axis is a log scale showing the price of a banana from $0.10 to over $10.00. A label called "Price of a banana (BLS/St. Louis ''Fred''[https://fred.stlouisfed.org/])" show a rising trend in the price of a banana. There are two dots on that trend. One is labeled "Episode airs" and the other one "Now". 3 extrapolations shown as dashed lines labeled "General inflation rate", "Fresh fruit price trend" and "Banana price trend" extend until reaching the $10 mark, indicated by 3 dots.]

:[Caption above the graph:] "It's one banana, Michael. What could it cost? $10?"

:[Caption below the panel:] That line probably has another century or so left.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Extrapolation]]

2892: Banana Prices

2024-02-10T10:22:56Z

Soulcook: Corrected error

{{comic
| number = 2892
| date = February 9, 2024
| title = Banana Prices
| image = banana_prices_2x.png
| imagesize = 564x378px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's a linear extrapolation, Michael. How big could the error be? 10%?
}}

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

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_Qyk9DSUw ‘It’s one banana, Michael. What could it cost, $10?'] is a line from an {{w|Arrested Development}} episode (Season 1, Episode 6, "Charity Drive", 2003) that became well known as a meme used to mock out-of-touch elites. The character who spoke this line – Lucille Bluth, a rich socialite – didn't know whether a banana cost $10 in 2003 because she never did any grocery shopping "because we have people for that." According to the graph, the banana price at the time of that episode was actually just under 25 cents, and the price "now" (2024) is around 30 cents.

This comic illustrates a number of ways to violate statistical best practices and to 'lie with data.' The additional use of an "unreliable narrator" device gives this comic several layers of meaning. The caption writer, in this case, is an unreliable narrator who is ''also'' humorously out-of-touch like Lucille Bluth, but in a different way. They speculate that the error in their result is less than 10%, even when their own three predictions (from 120 years to 220 years) differ by over 80%.

To initially mislead the reader and to ultimately demonstrate how easy it is to be fooled by various methods of 'lying with data,' Randall impressively combines several statistical 'sins' in one graph, such as:
* false precision
* extrapolating an order of magnitude deeper into the future than is advisable
* referring to a logarithmic extrapolation as linear
* ignoring historical norms and high variability in making future predictions
* articulating multiple potential scenarios that are actually highly correlated with each other.

At first, the comic looks like a wry observation that the irony of this sitcom line will be obsolete in a century or two. This comic shows a graph of three, different, projected, future prices for bananas over the next 250 years. One extrapolates from the current price and inflation rate in general. Another uses the more specific inflation rate for fresh fruit, which is made from less data but is more relevant than a general rate dominated by the cost of housing. The final line is an extrapolation from 50 years of historic banana prices. The comic seems to say that it will take a century or two before the irony of the sitcom quote becomes anachronistically meaningless.

(While these extrapolations look linear, they are in fact exponential, since a linear extrapolation on a graph with a logarithmic scale is actually an exponential extrapolation. The graph is log-linear, with price as a logarithmic scale on the vertical (left) axis, which makes it possible to visualize exponential growth as a straight line.)

The accuracy of this prediction depends on these particular extrapolations being valid. The "general inflation rate" line assumes an average rate of around 3%, matching the historic average in the USA. However, assuming a constant inflation rate for the next 200 years is extremely simplistic. Inflation fluctuates quite a lot in response to economic factors and government policies. It was as high as 6% during recent rounds of economic stimulus and caused fears of hyper-inflation.

Besides getting the inflation rate wrong, another way the extrapolation could be wrong was if – in the next 100 years – there were a {{w|Banana#Pests, diseases, and natural disasters|massive banana crash or extinction}}, as has {{w|Gros Michel banana|happened before}}, due to the banana's lack of genetic diversity. In which case, the sharply reduced supply of bananas could send the price past $10 very quickly.

An additional example of "lying with data" is the use of a logarithmic graph for economic data. It's highly unusual to graph economic data logarithmically, as economic variables rarely show exponential change over time – and even when they do, it's easier to show that change on a normal linear graph. If this same set of extrapolations were shown on a linear graph, the absurdly accelerating slope of the extrapolations would give away how imprecise these extrapolations are.

(The main exception is financial market analysis, in which some traders like to use logarithmic graphs as one of many tools to perceive and predict hidden price trends that don’t show up in normally scaled charts.)

Another, more subtle, illustration of false precision is the graph's use of three different models for the extrapolation of banana prices. At first glance, using three different trend lines seems to show a "range" of potential scenarios and acknowledge the prediction's uncertainty. However, all three underlying trends are correlated: general inflation is highly correlated to fruit price inflation and banana price inflation. Using three different trends that are all highly correlated is scant better than using just one.

Finally, the reference to "BLS/St. Louis Fred" – a widely respected source of economic data – appears to lend credibility to the graph, but the only data that is truly credible is the historic price data. It's one more example – citing respected sources – of a way to fool unsuspecting readers into giving a prediction more credibility than it deserves.

The title text is a wink from Randall about this unreliable narrator by using the ignorant tone of Lucille Bluth to wryly acknowledge that, in fact, that error of the extrapolations greatly exceeds 10%. Just as Lucille was very wrong about a $10 banana (a price threshold), so too is the speaker of the title text very wrong about the 10% error (a proportional change). It does so in the form of a meta-joke about the false precision of extrapolations, while continuing the theme of the speaker's extreme ignorance. Assuming that the error couldn't be more than 10% shows that the Lucille speaker continues to be hilariously off-base, presuming far more accuracy from a multi-century prediction than is warranted.

Overall, the comic is a clever commentary about the false precision of extrapolation and how easy it is to be fooled by it, illustrating its point by initially misleading the reader with its own false precision, and wrapping it all in a pop-culture reference. Any economic extrapolation into the distant future based on past data points is just an educated guess likely to be quite wrong, with an expected error far in excess of 10%. (A rare example of a field in which 75-year predictions are highly accurate is demographic age charts, since the number of babies born this year is causal of the # of 75-year-olds alive in 75 years.)

Log scales and their peculiarities are a recurring xkcd theme, and this is the second comic in a row to play with logarithms (the prior one being [[2891: Log Cabin]]). It's also the second comic in the last four to involve predictions across centuries (i.e. [[2889: Greenhouse Effect]]). Another comic whose subject is extrapolation is [[605: Extrapolating]]. This comic looks a lot like [[1007: Sustainable]].

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

:[A graph with the x-axis showing time, from the years 1950 to around 2275. The y-axis is a log scale showing the price of a banana from $0.10 to over $10.00. A label called "Price of a banana (BLS/St. Louis ''Fred''[https://fred.stlouisfed.org/])" show a rising trend in the price of a banana. There are two dots on that trend. One is labeled "Episode airs" and the other one "Now". 3 extrapolations shown as dashed lines labeled "General inflation rate", "Fresh fruit price trend" and "Banana price trend" extend until reaching the $10 mark, indicated by 3 dots.]

:[Caption above the graph:] "It's one banana, Michael. What could it cost? $10?"

:[Caption below the panel:] That line probably has another century or so left.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Extrapolation]]

2611: Cutest-Sounding Scientific Effects

2022-04-25T22:20:46Z

Soulcook:

{{comic
| number = 2611
| date = April 25, 2022
| title = Cutest-Sounding Scientific Effects
| image = cutest_sounding_scientific_effects.png
| titletext = The Stroop-YORP number of a scientific paper is how many of the 16 finalist names (sans 'effect') it manages to casually sneak into the text.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by the Cutest Effect of All Time - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Randall has compiled a {{w|Tournament bracket|single-elimination tournament bracket}} for a knock-out competition between 16 different scientific effect names that Randall considers cute-sounding. As of now, he is determining the result in a [https://twitter.com/xkcd/status/1518701311763570689 series of Twitter polls].

Below are explanations for what each of the 16 effects are:

;{{w|YORP effect}}: (an acronym of Yarkovsky, O’Keefe, Radzievskii, and Paddack) The YORP effect is the effect of sunlight on an asteroid with variations of albedo, which can increase its rotation rate, perhaps until it spins itself apart.
;{{w|Nocebo effect}}: An effect in which a recipent of medication who believes it will have negative side effects is more likely to experience negative side effects, whether they are really caused by the medication or not. Opposite of the {{w|placebo effect}}, which focuses on positive side effects.
;{{w|Woozle effect}}: If a study gets repeatedly cited and otherwise disseminated, then people will start to believe it regardless of whether it has any evidence behind it. And if there is not any evidence, it becomes an urban myth. Named after a Winnie-the-Pooh story in which Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet try to catch an imaginary animal called a woozle, and accidentally follow their own tracks in circles.
;{{w|Stroop effect}}: The Stroop effect (referenced in [[1531: The BDLPSWDKS Effect]]) is a psychological phenomenon in which it is easier to name the visual color of a word when the word refers to its own color, than when the word refers to a different color.
;{{w|Pockels effect}}: TBA
;{{w|Cheerios effect}}: A phenomenon where objects floating in a liquid appear to attract or repel each other. Named after the cereal Cheerios, which are an everyday demonstration of this phenomenon because many eat Cheerios in a bowl of milk.
;{{w|Hot chocolate effect}}: A phenomenon where the sound created by tapping a cup of hot liquid rises in pitch as a soluble powder is added.
;{{w|Perky effect}}: TBA
;{{w|Bouba/kiki effect}}: An observation that people, despite different native languages, will relatively consistently assign names with certain sounds to blobby or spiky shapes, suggesting the association of sound and shape is non-arbitrary.
;{{w|Cutaneous rabbit effect}}: A phenomenon where, when tapped on one part of the body in rapid succession and then switching to another, the subject feels the tapping at locations in between the two. For example, if rapidly tapping the wrist then switching to the elbow, the subject will feel being tapped between the wrist and elbow - which is obviously impossible.
;[https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/smallfirmeffect.asp Small firm effect]: An economic theory that small firms usually perform better than larger ones
;{{w|Little–Parks effect}}: TBA
;{{w|Dr. Fox effect}}: A disputed theory that student evaluations of their teachers are likely unreliable because they are largely based on the teacher's charisma instead of the quality of their content.
;{{w|Oddity effect}}: A theory that when fish assemble in shoals (large social groups), any that stand out appearance-wise will be attacked by a predator, explaining why shoals tend to have similar-looking members.
;{{w|Butterfly effect}}: The butterfly effect is the sensitivity of chaotic systems to small changes in initial conditions. The weather system of Earth is chaotic, and so an arbitrarily small change in air patterns (such as could be caused by the flapping of a butterfly's wing) could ultimately change the weather for the whole world.
;{{w|Popcorn effect}}: TBA

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A tournament bracket tree is shown with 16 scientific effect names each on the left and right side. From both sides toward the middle the brackets reduce to eight, then four, two, and one line where the latter join to a rectangle in the middle.]

:[Left side:]
:Yorp effect - Nocebo effect
:Woozle effect - Stroop effect
:Pockels effect - Cheerios effect
:Hot chocolate effect - Perky effect

:[Right side:]
:Bouba/kiki effect - Cutaneous rabbit effect
:Small firm effect - Little parks effect
:Dr. Fox effect - Oddity effect
:Butterfly effect - Popcorn effect

{{comic discussion}}

2570: Captain Picard Tea Order

2022-01-20T22:16:17Z

Soulcook: Grammar

{{comic
| number = 2570
| date = January 19, 2022
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.
}}
*This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A VERY ATTRACTIVE BUT NEWLY FORMED 19th CENTURY BRITISH PRIME MINISTER- Please change this comment when editing this page. There would be way too many additional [[285: Wikipedian Protester|citations needed]] for it to work here. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is a primary character in the in the science fiction TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}'', which is focused on the crew of a starship. The ship is equipped with {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicators}}, which can create virtually any object or material requested, including food and drink, and which respond to verbal commands.

In the show, Picard's beverage of choice is {{w|Earl Grey tea}}. His habitual method for ordering is to first specify what he wants (tea, in this case), then specify a particular type (Earl Grey), and then give specific instructions for how it is to be served (hot, as opposed to {{w|iced tea}}). Because this is his favored drink, he repeatedly places the exact order "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" The first picture in the strip implies that the display shows each part of the order, and provides a list of options for the next step.

[[Randall]] parodies this repeated order by suggesting [[#Other Words|other words]] that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey.", starting from ones considered "normal" moving to those presumed increasingly "less normal" down a long and winding arrow.

The results of two examples from the normal/less-normal scale are also illustrated: Sticky tea and loud tea. Sticky is kind of obvious, though perhaps not immediately understandable, but the loud version is a tea that screams "Teeee..." The vibrating and screeching teacup may be a reference to the various ''Star Trek'' episodes about {{w|tribble}}s, which behave in a similar way in the presence of Klingons.

The very last qualifying addition, the least normal is not a single word but "Tea for him, too." This reinterprets the meaning of the standard introductory words, suggesting that "tea", and "Earl Grey" are separate orders, which implies that he wants the replicator to produce tea, then replicate a human being named Earl Grey (either one of the {{w|Earl Grey|Earls Grey}} or a person surnamed Grey with the given name of Earl), then a second tea to serve to this newly created person. {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is named after the {{w|Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey}}, a 19th century British Prime Minister, and Captain Picard possibly wishes to have said Earl be generated to provide him with company.

In contrast to the often trivial use of a replicator as merely a potentially infinitely versatile vending machine, the comic sets up a number of quite esoteric options, culminating in Earl Gray himself potentially drinking (generic) tea, after both the tea and he have been replicated into existence by Picard.

In the title text, someone tells Picard that they should wait until the Earl has been fully extruded from the dispenser, and ''then'' ascertain what he would actually wish to drink. The presumption is that it could take some time to get a full living person out of the replicator.

In the various versions of ''{{w|Star Trek}}'', it's established that {{w|Replicator_(Star_Trek)#Origins_and_limitations|replicators aren't capable of producing living things}}, so this version of the order would not be canonically possible.

===Other Words===
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"
! Word !! Explanation
|-
| Hot
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are available. This is the chosen word of the five visible words Picard is potentially presented with in the first drawing. The act of requesting this is thus illustrated, though not of the appearance of the tea itself.
|-
| Iced
| {{w|Iced Tea}} is a 'normal' variation of tea.
|-
| Decaf
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decaffeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it. In the series ''Picard'', set several decades after ''The Next Generation'', Picard does actually order "Tea, Earl Grey, decaf" in [https://tvline.com/2020/01/26/star-trek-picard-premiere-easter-eggs-earl-grey-decaf/ one scene].
|-
| Good
| A normal, subjective term. Most people drinking tea would want it to be good, but to specify it like this would perhaps be strange. This is one of the words in the first drawing, as a listed alternative to Hot.
|-
| Lukewarm
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people (including Picard) do not want their teas to be lukewarm.
|-
| Tasty
| Similar to good, most people would want their tea to be tasty, or at least flavorsome.
|-
| Boiled
| Boiling the water used to make the tea is a common and normal way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves, though it is suggested that the actual ideal temperature of hot water is 75-98°C (167-210°F), according to whether it is a light tea or a dark one, and that perhaps it should be sipped at around 65°C/150°F-ish if desired 'hot'.
Having made a tea and ''then'' bringing it back to the boil (especially after adding milk/etc.) may destroy some of the desirable qualities previously imbued.
|-
| Watery
| Tea is a drink that often involves water, but this perhaps suggests over dilution or under infusion in some way.
|-
| Sour
| Many people do not enjoy a sour taste, which can accompany rot and is a strange thing to specify when ordering Earl Grey tea. Although lemon juice is often an additive used in the same way (but as a complete alternative) to milk.
|-
| Meaty
| Most teas are plant-based.
|-
| Solid
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea, unless there was a situation where it could be rehydrated later.
|-
| Dry
| Tea is a liquid typically made with water and may have milk. A dry version might be either unmade (e.g. tea leaves in their un-infused form) or freeze-dried back into a dehydrated form.
"Dry" can also be used to describe {{w|Dryness (taste)|a "mouth feel"}} in a [https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2f1gxx/eli5_how_can_a_drink_taste_dry/ variety of drinks] ''or'' {{w|Prohibition|enforced alcohol-free scenarios}}. For the latter option, it can assume a default serving with an {{w|Hot_toddy#Variations|alcoholic component}}, or an entirely {{w|Long Island iced tea|alternate basis}} for the beverage, which the request needs to be specify it is not.
This is one of the five words Picard was seen presented with in the first drawing.
|-
| Raw
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water. This is {{w|Iced_tea#Sun_tea|possible}} but generally takes many hours.
|-
| Deep-fried
| Tea is not usually deep-fried. But you'll probably {{w|Deep-fried Mars bar|find someone}} who has tried it, [https://www.pitco.com/blog/deep-fried-liquids-trend one way or another].
|-
| Sticky
| Perhaps significantly dehydrated, or thickened with enough of a hydrophilic substance, this would produce something very unlike most teas that would usually be requested. For example, the addition of significant amounts of sugar may lead to a more viscious brew.
This scenario is illustrated to show a clearly messy product that awkwardly sticks to and drips from the replicator as well as Picard.
|-
| Grilled
| Tea is not usually grilled. However, Americans once decided to throw a tea party where the tea was brewed in the Atlantic Ocean so all bets are off.
|-
| Fossilized
| Since tea is a liquid, it would be tricky to figure out how to fossilize it.
|-
| Magnetic
| Tea is not magnetic. Magnetic metals would have to be added to the tea, which would not be pleasant to drink. However, this would not be the {{w|Irn-Bru|first drink}} to be supplemented with iron.
|-
| Ballistic
| Usually, the replicated beverage is deposited in a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead.
|-
| Unstable
| This word is often used to refer to radioactive or explosive materials, which hopefully is not a property that would apply to something meant to be ingested. Alternatively, this could imply that the receptacle into which the tea is delivered should be unstable - being unbalanced, or lacking a flat bottom. This is likely to lead to the tea being spilled.
|-
| Blessed
| Tea is a beverage, and it may be strange to ask a machine to create 'blessed' tea. However, if the machine were to use holy water, already blessed by a human, it is [https://www.quora.com/When-does-Holy-water-lose-its-Holiness-If-its-boiled-is-the-resulting-water-vapor-still-considered-Holy-Does-it-lose-its-Holy-property-when-it-transfers-into-a-gas-Is-it-still-Holy-when-it%E2%80%99s-frozen#:~:text=In%20other%20words%2C%20as%20long,else%2C%20it%20remains%20holy%20water.&text=a%20simple%20change-,Never.,He%20is%20faithful possible] for it to remain "blessed" after the water is used to make tea. It is also possible that this is a reference to tea which could be used in [http://www.archbishoplefebvre.com/blog/baptism-can-i-use-any-liquid baptism].
In role-playing games, items can be Blessed, i.e. having greater positive or lesser negative effects. This includes potions, a class of drinks that do not usually include any teas but could contain the "potion of water", which may also, therefore, be the basis of this blessed brew.
|-
| Blurry
| Being blurry is not a normal state for tea to have. Cloudy, on the other hand, is quite normal for certain brews.
|-
| Loud
| While molecules in tea (especially hot tea, and vitally so in an {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (novel)|Infinite Improbability Drive}}) do move vigorously, this does not usually result in distinct audible effects.
However, as illustrated, it seems the requested cup of tea is produced capable of emitting a high-pitched, high-volume whining sound that entirely dominates the vicinity. It actually appears to somewhat vocalize what it is, Teeeee...
|-
| Virtual
| Virtual tea cannot be produced physically, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange. However, it might be useful on the holodeck, a device that can produce a virtual environment able to be interacted with.
|-
| Intravenous
| This means the tea would be injected directly into the customer's veins, likely a very painful experience if the tea comes out boiling. Instrument of choice would probably be a {{w|Infuser|''tea infuser''}}.
|-
| Expanding
| In a sense, most hot tea is expanding: as the water in the tea evaporates, it becomes much less dense, increasing in "size".
But most people would probably argue that the evaporated water is no longer part of the tea. Water, like most materials, usually expands as it increases in temperature—except between freezing and about 4° C, where it has the unusual property of {{w|Water_%28molecule%29#Density_of_water_and_ice|''contracting slightly''}} as temperature increases. If tea behaves similarly despite the extra dissolved compounds, then "expanding tea" would describe any tea between 4° C and boiling point. Possibly beyond, and explosively so, if {{w|Superheating|superheated}} and then nucleating points are introduced.
On the other hand, this tea may simply be tea spilled on the floor, which could then spread out as it evaporated.
|-
| Ironic
| How tea could be ironic will be a mystery if your culture has no understanding of irony. The irony of the most celebrated Frenchman in science fiction history delighting in a very British beverage is a nice touch of cosmopolitanism.
|-
| Segmented
| Tea is usually served in a cup. It tends to stick together and form one liquid. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible without some form of an emulsifying gel.
|-
| Verbose
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak. Command-line computer programs often run in a 'silent' mode without displaying every step of what happens on the screen. Such programs may have a {{w|Verbose mode|''-verbose'' parameter}} that disables the silent mode. As the replicator is run by a computer, the verbose parameter could be applied to the process of tea-making, with the replicator providing an info-dump on the molecular arrangement of the tea, together with the cup of liquid.
|-
| Cursed
| As with "Blessed", above, items can be Cursed in role-playing games, i.e. having greater negative or lesser positive effects; while there are strategic uses for Cursed items, generally the player would prefer uncursed ones (neutral or blessed). Amongst the curseable items are potions, a class of consumables that do not usually include any teas but does contain the "potion of water", which may therefore be the cause of this cursed cuppa.
Cursed items have featured in xkcd previously: [[2332: Cursed Chair]], [[2376: Curbside]], and [[:Category:Cursed Connectors]].

"Cursed items" are more vaguely defined in real life, making "cursed tea" something rare. However, it is possible for a drink to be [https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-know-if-my-drink-had-a-witchs-hex-potion hexed].
|-
| Unexpected
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.
|-
| Bipedal
| Bipedal organisms have two feet. As tea does not walk, this would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.
|-
| Afraid
| Tea does not have feelings. Although water {{w|Water memory|may remember things}} (at least pseudo-scientifically) or [https://www.quotes.net/mquote/901305 consider some things to be unpleasant].
|-
| Infinite
| The scope of this request is unclear. It could mean endless production (a steady stream of tea, without obvious limits so long as servicing the request remains practical), an instantaneous production of an infinite volume of tea (possibly more immediately shown to be flawed in its method of execution), or tea which will exceed the heat death of the universe. Either could result in an infinitely ''dense'' tea (eventually?), but this may no longer be {{w|No-hair theorem|identifiable as tea}} so might be one of the less practical options, even amongst those on this list.
Indeed, Randall ranks it as the least 'normal', except for just ''one'' further named order.
|-
| Tea for him, too
| {{w|Earl Grey tea|Earl Grey}} is a tea blend. In Star Trek, Jean-Luc Picard often offers tea to other people, so it is unclear why this would be the least normal.
Taken along with the title text, this Replicator order is for "Tea" (not otherwise qualified), a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the {{w|Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey|2nd Earl}} for whom the tea blend was supposedly named) and a second such beverage for him to later drink. See more in the [[#Explanation|explanation]] above regarding the title text
|-
! colspan="2" | Words Picard could have seen in the first drawing, but which were not included as labels on the line
|-
| Cold
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.
|-
| Pink
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink. There are, however, a wide variety of [https://www.adagio.com/search/index.html?query=rose teas which come from pink leaves] or [https://www.flourandspiceblog.com/karachi-style-kashmiri-chai-pink-tea/ whose color is "pinkish"].
|}

==Transcript==
:[At the top of the panel, there is a large caption covering two lines with a sub-caption below in a normal-sized font:]
:<big>Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"</big>
:From most normal to least

:[Bellow this we see Picard, drawn bald except for a bit of hair near his ears and behind his head. He stands next to a machine, which is a standing rectangle of the same dimensions as Picard. In the front, there is an opening around the middle, a dispenser from where the ordered items can be retrieved. There is a label at the top of the machine. Picard is giving a command to the machine. His first three words are clearly spoken out as they stand, but then at the end of the sentence, instead of just adding one more word, there is a list of five words in a column between two gray lines. Five words are visible, but the top and bottom words are fading out, presumably other words are above and below, but no longer visible. All except the middle are gray. The middle word is placed as the direct follow up to the first three words in the sentence Picard speaks out, and this word is black like the previous three words. So this middle word is clearly the one he actually speaks out. The others were options, presumably on his mind.]
:Label: Replicator
:Picard:
Good.
Cold.
Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.
Dry.
Pink.

:[To the left of the machine, a long arrow begins snaking its way towards the bottom, where it ends in an arrow pointing down towards the bottom of the panel. At the top, there is a broad and thick bar from which it starts. Beneath this there are several ticks, the first three are close together and on a part of the arrow that goes almost straight down. But then the arrow curves in under the drawing of Picard, and goes over another drawing of him, placed in a captioned frame. The arrow goes around this and up on the other side, where it goes around another drawing of Picard in a similarly captioned frame. After having gone around this frame it goes a bit up before turning almost straight down before the final arrowhead that points down. In total there are 36 labeled ticks on the arrow, see labels below. The ticks have very varying distances between them. There are especially long between them around the first panels with Picard, but closer together at the start and towards the very end. Above the top bar from where the arrow starts there is also a label and just below this and to the left of the long arrow is a smaller arrow pointing down in the direction of the long arrow. This small arrow has a label at its starting point.]
:Bar label: Normal
:Small arrow label: Less normal

:[The second drawing of Picard, shows him standing next to the labeled machine. Picard is this time holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine to the cup. He clearly looks down at the cup rather than on the machine, as the hair behind his ear is turned differently than the first drawing, where he looks straight towards the machine. Above is a label inside a frame overlaid on the top line of the panel, with what Picard ordered:]
:"Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky."
:Label: Replicator

:[The third drawing of Picard, only displays him and not the machine. He is holding a vibrating cup in both hands and has now turned the other way, away from where the machine was in the previous drawings (again clearly seen by his hair). Very large letters are displayed in three lines behind him to the exclusion of all else. Four of the 15 letters are partly hidden behind the panel's frame, and seven of them are partly covered by Picard. Above is a label inside a frame overlaid on the top line of the panel, with what Picard ordered:]
:"Tea. Earl Grey. Loud."
:Teacup: <big>'''Teeeeeeeeeeeeee'''</big>

:[Words on the arrow from start to finish:]
:Hot
:Iced
:Decaf
:Good
:Lukewarm
:Tasty
:Boiled
:Watery
:Sour
:Meaty
:Solid
:Dry
:Raw
:Deep-fried
:Sticky
:Grilled
:Fossilized
:Magnetic
:Ballistic
:Unstable
:Blessed
:Blurry
:Loud
:Virtual
:Intravenous
:Expanding
:Ironic
:Segmented
:Verbose
:Cursed
:Unexpected
:Bipedal
:Afraid
:Infinite
:Tea for him, too

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:Food]]

2541: Occam

2021-11-14T09:19:45Z

Soulcook:

{{comic
| number = 2541
| date = November 12, 2021
| title = Occam
| image = occam.png
| titletext = Oh no, Murphy just picked up the razor.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT THAT ONLY CREATES ALL PAGES NOT MENTIONING ITSELF - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic conflates three philosophical topics: {{w|Occam's Razor}}, the {{w|Barber Paradox}} and {{w|Murphy's Law}}.

Occam's Razor is the principle that explanations should not postulate more entities than necessary. It is often phrased as "the simplest explanation is best". The word '{{w|Philosophical razor|razor}}' is intended to invoke the image of shaving off superfluous elements.

The Barber Paradox postulates a town barber who shaves all the men in the town who don’t shave themselves, and asks whether the barber shaves himself. The paradox is that if he does, then he doesn’t; and if he doesn’t, then he does. It is an attempt at a concrete, real-world analogue of Russell’s paradox in set theory.

Megan references Occam's Razor with the words "the simplest explanation" and the name Occam, and goes on to propose a solution to who shaves the barber. (Her proposal is humorous and does not of course resolve the paradox).

The title text invokes Murphy's Law: the expectation that if anything can go wrong it will. Shaving with a {{w|Straight razor|cut-throat razor}} has bad failure modes.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[One panel. Megan and Cueball walking.]

Megan: The simplest explanation is that Occam shaves the barber.

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

2541: Occam

2021-11-14T09:19:19Z

Soulcook:

{{comic
| number = 2541
| date = November 12, 2021
| title = Occam
| image = occam.png
| titletext = Oh no, Murphy just picked up the razor.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT THAT ONLY CREATES ALL PAGES NOT MENTIONING ITSELF - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic conflates three philosophical topics: {{w|Occam's Razor}}, the {{w|Barber Paradox}} and {{w|Murphy's Law}}.

Occam's Razor is the principle that explanations should not postulate more entities than necessary. It is often phrased as "the simplest explanation is best". The word '{{w|Philosophical razor|razor}}' is intended to invoke the image of shaving off superfluous elements.

The Barbe Paradox postulates a town barber who shaves all the men in the town who don’t shave themselves, and asks whether the barber shaves himself. The paradox is that if he does, then he doesn’t; and if he doesn’t, then he does. It is an attempt at a concrete, real-world analogue of Russell’s paradox in set theory.

Megan references Occam's Razor with the words "the simplest explanation" and the name Occam, and goes on to propose a solution to who shaves the barber. (Her proposal is humorous and does not of course resolve the paradox).

The title text invokes Murphy's Law: the expectation that if anything can go wrong it will. Shaving with a {{w|Straight razor|cut-throat razor}} has bad failure modes.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[One panel. Megan and Cueball walking.]

Megan: The simplest explanation is that Occam shaves the barber.

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

2541: Occam

2021-11-14T09:17:47Z

Soulcook: Improved the writing

{{comic
| number = 2541
| date = November 12, 2021
| title = Occam
| image = occam.png
| titletext = Oh no, Murphy just picked up the razor.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT THAT ONLY CREATES ALL PAGES NOT MENTIONING ITSELF - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic conflates three philosophical topics: {{w|Occam's Razor}}, the {{w|Barber paradox}} and {{w|Murphy's Law}}.

Occam's Razor is the principle that explanations should not postulate more entities than necessary. It is often phrased as "the simplest explanation is best". The word '{{w|Philosophical razor|razor}}' is intended to invoke the image of shaving off superfluous elements.

The Barber's paradox postulates a town barber who shaves all the men in the town who don’t shave themselves, and asks whether the barber shaves himself. The paradox is that if he does, then he doesn’t; and if he doesn’t, then he does. It is an attempt at a concrete, real-world analogue of Russell’s paradox in set theory.

Megan references Occam's Razor with the words "the simplest explanation" and the name Occam, and goes on to propose a solution to who shaves the barber. (Her proposal is humorous and does not of course resolve the paradox).

The title text invokes Murphy's Law: the expectation that if anything can go wrong it will. Shaving with a {{w|Straight razor|cut-throat razor}} has bad failure modes.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[One panel. Megan and Cueball walking.]

Megan: The simplest explanation is that Occam shaves the barber.

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

983: Privacy

2021-10-22T20:00:40Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ accuracy

{{comic
| number = 983
| date = November 28, 2011
| title = Privacy
| image = privacy.png
| titletext = Eventual headline: 'University Researchers Create Life in Lab! Darkness, Faulty Condoms Blamed.'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] attempting to find some privacy to "hook up", which is slang for engaging in sexual activity.

They start at a dormitory, which would offer some privacy{{Citation needed}}. Unfortunately, the door is locked. They go to another dorm, but it is occupied by someone playing a {{w|Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG}} who is "in a {{w|Raid (gaming)|raid}}", which means that the gamer is teaming up with others to "raid" something, probably an enemy, and loot their items. This also pokes fun at the fact that some raids may take a very long time to execute, in this case apparently taking on the order of 24 hours. (This comic was published on a Monday morning.)

In the third frame, the two try to go to the library's rare book collection. Such a place would usually be deserted, making it usable for sexual activity. However, it is currently occupied by a visiting {{w|Nelson Mandela}}, who is on a tour of the school.

Moving on to more bizarre places, they next try an {{w|Particle accelerator|accelerator tunnel}}, another place that would be private. However, the particle accelerator is in use and the door is sealed tight. This would be a normal safety feature to protect researchers from being exposed to potentially dangerous ionizing radiation from the particle beam.

The couple then try a {{w|beaver lodge}}, which, despite being private, is too tiny to fit in, and the only entrance is underwater. What makes it more difficult to get in is that it is winter, and the ground is presumably frozen solid.

The last place they attempt to go to is {{w|hyperspace}}, science fiction jargon for an ‘alternate dimension’ that starships supposedly use to travel faster than light. The word is frequently used in the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' movies. However, there is no evidence that anything like hyperspace exists in reality, and in fact current theories of physics do not allow it.

The caption is a parody of other laws of physics, such as "brightness is inversely proportional to distance from the source".

The title text indicates that the two eventually found privacy for sex in a laboratory, but inadvertently got Megan pregnant. This is a parody of news articles discussing whether scientists can create synthetic life in a lab. This eventual headline appears in a few [[1037: Umwelt]] frames as "Scientists Create Life In Lab", with a similar secondary headline/caption as the punchline.

The comic [[658: Orbitals]] is similar.

==Transcript==
:Dorm:
:[Cueball and Megan holding hands in front of a door. Megan is attempting to turn the doorknob.]
:Locked

:Other Dorm:
:[Cueball and Megan holding hands inside another dorm room. The roommate is sitting at a computer wearing a headset.]
:Roommate: I'll be done Tuesday.
:Roommate in raid

:Library Rare Book Collection:
:[Cueball and Megan looking through a closed door. Inside Nelson Mandela and two university workers are talking amongst various items on display.]
:Occupied by tour for visiting Nelson Mandela

:Accelerator Tunnel:
:[Cueball and Megan in silhouette in front of an imposing-looking door. The door is marked "NO ENTRY" with a radioactive trefoil symbol, and has a passcode scanner beside it.]
:Sealed while beam is in operation

:Beaver Lodge:
:[Megan climbing on top of a dirt mound while Cueball stands on the ice beside it. A cross-section reveals a beaver inside the mound and a submerged entrance.]
:Frozen over for winter to keep out predators, only accessible via underwater entrance

:Hyperspace:
:[Megan reading a textbook in front of a table piled with five other textbooks. Cueball looks over Megan's shoulder.]
:Cueball: Are you ''sure''?
:Ruled out by current understanding of physics

:College Law #27:
:The availibility [sic] of private space is inversely proportional to the desirability of the hookup.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

982: Set Theory

2021-10-22T19:44:21Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 982
| date = November 25, 2011
| title = Set Theory
| image = set_theory.png
| titletext = Proof of Zermelo's well-ordering theorem given the Axiom of Choice: 1: Take S to be any set. 2: When I reach step three, if S hasn't managed to find a well-ordering relation for itself, I'll feed it into this wood chipper. 3: Hey, look, S is well-ordered.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a pun on the phrase "{{w|Proof by Intimidation}}" which normally is a jocular term used mainly in mathematics. It refers to a style of presenting a purported mathematical proof by giving an argument loaded with jargon and appeals to obscure results, so that the audience is simply obliged to accept it, lest they have to admit to their ignorance and lack of understanding.

However, in this comic, "Proof by Intimidation" is taken to mean that by intimidating the elements within a set, they will conform to the proof (or, as the title text says, they will become "well-ordered"). This is accomplished by believing that the elements can be {{w|anthropomorphize}}d such that they feel fear. The idea of executing as an example was discussed by Sun Tzu in the ancient book {{w|The Art Of War}}.

This interpretation of the term "Proof by Intimidation" bears great resemblance to {{w|Argumentum ad baculum|argument from the stick}}, which is a fallacious form of reasoning of the form
1. If not P, I will do you harm.
2. Therefore, P.
This form of fallacy has the distinction, if properly applied, of never being called out as fallacious. Ponytail, however, is threatening the proposition itself, rather than her audience, bringing a level of absurdity to the situation.

The {{w|axiom of choice}} (which has been referenced previously in [[804: Pumpkin Carving]]) says that given any collection of bins, each containing at least one object, it is possible to make a selection of exactly one object from each bin. It was later referenced in the title text of [[1724: Proofs]], another comic about a math class with a similar theme on how teachers teach their student mathematical proofs.

In the title text, the well-ordering theorem states that every set can be well-ordered. A set X is well-ordered by a strict total order if every non-empty subset of X has a least element under the ordering. This is also known as {{w|Zermelo's theorem}} and is equivalent to the Axiom of Choice. The woodchipper is a reference to the 1996 film {{w|Fargo (film)|Fargo}}, where a character uses one to dispose of a body.

It might seem there is another layer to the joke: if you can feed the set to the wood-chipper, that defines an ordering on the set (the order in which the elements are fed to the wood chipper). However, that doesn't actually work, because the resulting ordering is not necessarily well-ordered. For example, consider the set of positive real numbers. You can imagine feeding half a number line to a wood chipper from the end near zero. This defines the standard less-than ordering, but it is not a well-ordering because it does not define a least element. For any positive number x, x/2 went into the wood chipper first. The set may be motivated to find a well-ordering, but it won't be the standard one.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail stands at a blackboard, facing away from it. She has a pointer in her hand, and written on the blackboard is some set theory math, although one of the set elements is being pointed into a guillotine.]
:Ponytail: The axiom of choice allows you to select one element from each set in a collection
:Ponytail: and have it ''executed'' as an example to the others.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My math teacher was a big believer in Proof by Intimidation.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Puns]]

2513: Saturn Hexagon

2021-09-10T11:33:15Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ Rugby football is NEVER referred to simply as “football” in the UK. We call it “rugby”.

{{comic
| number = 2513
| date = September 8, 2021
| title = Saturn Hexagon
| image = saturn_hexagon.png
| titletext = Sorry, in SI units that's "there's a big football in there."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by CUEBALL'S POLAR HEXAGON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|Saturn's Hexagon}} is a cloud formation on Saturn centered on its north pole. Similar to Jupiter's {{w|Great Red Spot}}, Saturn's Hexagon has proven a persistent feature observed by multiple space probes. The cause was not known until recently, when data from the 2006-2009 {{w|Cassini–Huygens}} probe could be analyzed in depth. This finding was widely publicized in popular science media (see for example [https://www.sciencealert.com/astronomers-think-they-figured-out-how-saturn-s-giant-hexagonal-storm-could-have-formed]) and is related to how currents flow deep within Saturn's atmosphere.

Randall proposes an alternate explanation: it is the top of a {{w|Ball_(association_football)|soccer ball}}. Soccer balls are made in the shape of a {{w|truncated icosahedron}}, where faces alternate between regular hexagons and regular pentagons to achieve a more uniform roll. This design was introduced in 1968 as the {{w|Adidas Telstar}}, and is now considered the "traditional" soccer ball.

BSBIT, the name of the model, most likely stands for "Big Soccer Ball In There." However, BSBIT also stands for Bachelor of Science in Business Information Technology [https://www.acronymfinder.com/Bachelor-of-Science-in-Business-Information-Technology-(BSBIT).html], a relatively new specialization where business majors learn programming techniques [https://vt.edu/academics/majors/business-information-technology.html], so the acronym could also have been used to imply that a graduate of this major came up with the soccer ball model listed in the presentation.

Soccer is the name given in the United States to {{w|association football}}, a game called simply "football" in most of the world. Since a system derived from {{w|Imperial units}} of measurement (inches, feet, miles, pounds, etc.) is used in the United States whereas the SI/metric system (centimetres, metres, kilometres, kilograms, etc.) is the system in use in most of the world, "football" is jokingly referred to in the title text as the SI name for "soccer". As much of the Web panders to a significantly US-based audience{{fact}}, many sites use only Imperial-like measurements and omit metric equivalents, which might annoy non-US users; Randall parodies this by sarcastically and non-seriously apologizing.{{fact}}.

The UK is the birthplace of association football and place of the origin of the term "soccer" — originally to {{w|Names_for_association_football#Background|distinguish it}} from rugby football (sometimes "rugger"), before soccer became the most common form of football. "Football" now means association football in Britain, as with most people on Earth. Other international variations will usually be identified explicitly, as with 'American' football (gridiron, or jocularly "hand-egg"), '{{w|Australian rules football|Aussie Rules}}' football and {{w|Gaelic}} football (outwith its own dedicated celtic 'homelands').

The UK is also a partial hold-out for imperial measures. Officially many everyday measurements must now be primarily given in their metric forms, if not more specifically SI, but in the UK and the US road distances remain signed in miles, with road-speeds in miles per hour; glasses of brewed alcohol and doorstep milk deliveries are in pints (indeed, it is ''illegal'' in the UK to sell draught beer or cider except as a ⅓ pint or multiple of ½ pint); feet-and-inches and stones-plus-pounds are still commonly used for a person's height and weight. (It's worth noting that the American pint is 16 fluid ounces or 473 ml whereas the Imperial pint is 20 fl.oz. or 568 ml.) As a further sop to those who still think better in 'old money' measures (an allusion to how British currency itself was non-decimal in nature until 1971), a weather presenter may add to their metric-based summary to also give temperatures in Fahrenheit and rainfall in inches (though windspeeds will all be in mph, or the {{w|Beaufort scale}} as used in the {{w|Shipping Forecast}}).

Incidentally, the presentation of the truncated-icosahedral 'football', pressing one clear polygonal face up along the upper limit of the planetary sphere, has much in common with the (non-truncated) icosahedron that floats within a {{w|Magic 8-Ball}}, arranged to display just one random triangular face whenever its viewing window is upwards. This may be coincidence, without any obvious attempt to directly reference any of the [https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1404098-safely-endangered popular memes] relating to this. Randall has previously parodied the magic 8-ball in [[1525: Emojic 8 Ball]].

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

[Cueball is presenting in front of a poster, which he is pointing at with a stick.]

Cueball: We're proud to announce that our team has finally determined the origin and nature of Saturn's polar hexagon.

[The poster represents Saturn and its ring-system. There is a massive football/soccer ball drawn as if inside the semi-transparent planet, taking up slightly less than half of it by volume.
One of the ball's hexagons coincides with Saturn's polar hexagon, and is labelled "Hexagon". Other labels are illegible. 
The poster's title is "There's a Big Soccer Ball In There". The rest of the poster is illegible, except for a section heading that reads "BSBIT Model".]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Astronomy]]
[[Category:Soccer]]

2513: Saturn Hexagon

2021-09-10T11:29:29Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ Very clumsy wording

{{comic
| number = 2513
| date = September 8, 2021
| title = Saturn Hexagon
| image = saturn_hexagon.png
| titletext = Sorry, in SI units that's "there's a big football in there."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by CUEBALL'S POLAR HEXAGON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|Saturn's Hexagon}} is a cloud formation on Saturn centered on its north pole. Similar to Jupiter's {{w|Great Red Spot}}, Saturn's Hexagon has proven a persistent feature observed by multiple space probes. The cause was not known until recently, when data from the 2006-2009 {{w|Cassini–Huygens}} probe could be analyzed in depth. This finding was widely publicized in popular science media (see for example [https://www.sciencealert.com/astronomers-think-they-figured-out-how-saturn-s-giant-hexagonal-storm-could-have-formed]) and is related to how currents flow deep within Saturn's atmosphere.

Randall proposes an alternate explanation: it is the top of a {{w|Ball_(association_football)|soccer ball}}. Soccer balls are made in the shape of a {{w|truncated icosahedron}}, where faces alternate between regular hexagons and regular pentagons to achieve a more uniform roll. This design was introduced in 1968 as the {{w|Adidas Telstar}}, and is now considered the "traditional" soccer ball.

BSBIT, the name of the model, most likely stands for "Big Soccer Ball In There." However, BSBIT also stands for Bachelor of Science in Business Information Technology [https://www.acronymfinder.com/Bachelor-of-Science-in-Business-Information-Technology-(BSBIT).html], a relatively new specialization where business majors learn programming techniques [https://vt.edu/academics/majors/business-information-technology.html], so the acronym could also have been used to imply that a graduate of this major came up with the soccer ball model listed in the presentation.

Soccer is the name given in the United States to {{w|association football}}, a game called simply "football" in most of the world. Since a system derived from {{w|Imperial units}} of measurement (inches, feet, miles, pounds, etc.) is used in the United States whereas the SI/metric system (centimetres, metres, kilometres, kilograms, etc.) is the system in use in most of the world, "football" is jokingly referred to in the title text as the SI name for "soccer". As much of the Web panders to a significantly US-based audience{{fact}}, many sites use only Imperial-like measurements and omit metric equivalents, which might annoy non-US users; Randall parodies this by sarcastically and non-seriously apologizing.{{fact}}.

Ironically, the UK is the birthplace of association football and place of the origin of the term "soccer" — originally to {{w|Names_for_association_football#Background|distinguish it}} from rugby football (sometimes "rugger"), before soccer became the most common form of football. "Football" now means association football for many in Britain, as with most people on Earth, though in particular regions and contexts it may instead mean {{w|Comparison_of_rugby_league_and_rugby_union#Naming|Rugby Union or League}}. Other international variations will usually be identified explicitly, as with 'American' football (gridiron, or jocularly "hand-egg"), '{{w|Australian rules football|Aussie Rules}}' football and {{w|Gaelic}} football (outwith its own dedicated celtic 'homelands').

The UK is also a partial hold-out for imperial measures. Officially many everyday measurements must now be primarily given in their metric forms, if not more specifically SI, but in the UK and the US road distances remain signed in miles, with road-speeds in miles per hour; glasses of brewed alcohol and doorstep milk deliveries are in pints (indeed, it is ''illegal'' in the UK to sell draught beer or cider except as a ⅓ pint or multiple of ½ pint); feet-and-inches and stones-plus-pounds are still commonly used for a person's height and weight. (It's worth noting that the American pint is 16 fluid ounces or 473 ml whereas the Imperial pint is 20 fl.oz. or 568 ml.) As a further sop to those who still think better in 'old money' measures (an allusion to how British currency itself was non-decimal in nature until 1971), a weather presenter may add to their metric-based summary to also give temperatures in Fahrenheit and rainfall in inches (though windspeeds will all be in mph, or the {{w|Beaufort scale}} as used in the {{w|Shipping Forecast}}).

Incidentally, the presentation of the truncated-icosahedral 'football', pressing one clear polygonal face up along the upper limit of the planetary sphere, has much in common with the (non-truncated) icosahedron that floats within a {{w|Magic 8-Ball}}, arranged to display just one random triangular face whenever its viewing window is upwards. This may be coincidence, without any obvious attempt to directly reference any of the [https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1404098-safely-endangered popular memes] relating to this. Randall has previously parodied the magic 8-ball in [[1525: Emojic 8 Ball]].

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

[Cueball is presenting in front of a poster, which he is pointing at with a stick.]

Cueball: We're proud to announce that our team has finally determined the origin and nature of Saturn's polar hexagon.

[The poster represents Saturn and its ring-system. There is a massive football/soccer ball drawn as if inside the semi-transparent planet, taking up slightly less than half of it by volume.
One of the ball's hexagons coincides with Saturn's polar hexagon, and is labelled "Hexagon". Other labels are illegible. 
The poster's title is "There's a Big Soccer Ball In There". The rest of the poster is illegible, except for a section heading that reads "BSBIT Model".]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Astronomy]]
[[Category:Soccer]]

564: Crossbows

2021-05-25T00:29:26Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ Grammar

{{comic
| number = 564
| date = April 3, 2009
| title = Crossbows
| image = crossbows.png
| titletext = I hate being the slowest guy in the lab.
}}

==Explanation==
There are conflicting theories as to the meaning of this comic.
#At the time this was written, there was much hype about the {{w|Higgs mechanism}}, as it was a theory explaining how particles got their masses. Experimental confirmation of the Higgs mechanism and its signature particle (the {{w|Higgs boson}}) was seen as so important that the boson was dubbed the "God particle". Detecting it, however, required accelerating particles to energies higher than ever before. Since this was at the cutting edge of physics, it was unknown what would actually happen. There were [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/05/lhc_to_leave_fabric_of_spacetime_continuum_unripped/ fears] that the experiment would create a micro black hole or worse. This comic could be seen as applying those fears to a common trope in horror movies and video games where a mutant infestation is created by unknowing scientists. The scientists here, apart from poor [[Cueball]], have done their research and armed themselves for any upcoming dangers. It is unknown whether these dangers are specific or not. Some argue that [[:Category:Velociraptors|velociraptors]] are a common enough theme in xkcd that the experimenters are preparing for a velociraptor attack. Others point out that the crossbow is a weapon in the game series ''{{w|Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life}}'', whose plot has a similar infestation following a failed physical experiment ripping dimensional seams. They mention that someone at the particle accelerator closely resembled one of the main characters of ''Half-Life''. Of course, the crossbows may just be a general preparation for danger.
#Since the experimental confirmation or denial of the Higgs mechanism was widely recognized as important to the development of physics, the experimenters involved were likely to receive Nobel Prizes. Nobel Prizes, however, are only given to living people and groups of up to three in size. The experimenters, therefore, are preparing to fight to the death when the discovery comes. Peter Higgs had [http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/04/07/us-science-particle-idUSL0765287220080407 made a statement] in 2008 hinting that the confirmation would come within one year, and that statement was made one year before the Tuesday mentioned in the comic. Tentative experimental confirmation of the Higgs boson was made in July 2013.
#This comic may simply be general sympathy for those late to catch on to something. Substituting different things for "crossbow" and "Higgs excitation" would give a similar situation for Cueball. [[Randall]] apparently hates these situations. A layer of {{w|metahumor}} could be present here, as Cueball may represent the clueless readers of xkcd who have to go to the [http://forums.xkcd.com/index.php forum] or [[Main Page|this wiki]] to understand its comics.
#Finally, the comic may simply be making a jab at school/university labs used in science classes, which have a reputation of containing strange or confusing equipment that may or may not pertain to the assigned experiments. While the particular nature of the object (a lethal weapon) and the complexity of the supposed topic (the then-unconfirmed Higgs-Boson particle) may be exaggerations, this only adds to the surreality often present in xkcd (as well as the fact that Cueball's peers have a complete understanding of the crossbow's purpose).

In the first and second interpretations, the title text could refer to literally being the slowest in the lab, and therefore the least able to outrun whatever is making everyone carry crossbows.

The proper interpretation of this comic, or whether there even is one, remains an open question.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is pulling a crossbow out of a desk.]
:Cueball: Why do you have a crossbow in your desk?
:Megan (off-screen): You ''don't''?

:[Pan to Megan who looks towards Cueball who is off-screen to the left.]
:Cueball (off-screen): No—why would—
:Megan: You ''are'' studying the consequences of Higgs excitation, aren't you?
:Megan: Like the rest of the lab?

:[Cueball, now carying Megan's crossbow joins her as the panel extends to include another Cueball-like guy to her right, he also carries a crossbow.]
:Cueball: Yes, but why—
:Guy: Maybe he's slow with the math.
:Megan: Well, he has until Tuesday.
:Guy: Poor guy.

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

919: Tween Bromance

2021-02-16T09:10:19Z

Soulcook: fornicate Implies adultery

{{comic
| number = 919
| date = July 1, 2011
| title = Tween Bromance
| image = tween_bromance.png
| titletext = Verbiage. Va-jay-jay. Irregardless.
}}
==Explanation==
Apparently, Randall hates some ridiculous neologisms. [[Cueball]] seems to be dictating a "Tween bromance" story or novel to [[Megan]], who is possibly typing it up. He is including all the words that get to Megan in a sequence. Megan is just annoyed and starts to shriek in rage; considering Cueball keeps speaking more annoying words in the title text, that seems to have been the point.

*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Tween Tween]" means a pre-adolescent. Portmanteau of ''teen'' and ''between'', specifically between the ages of nine (9) and thirteen (13).
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bromance Bromance]" means a close non-sexual friendship between two males. Portmanteau of ''brother'' and ''romance''.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=guesstimate Guesstimate]" means an estimate made with very little information. Portmanteau of ''guess'' and ''estimate''.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=frenemy Frenemy]" means a friend who is also a rival. Portmanteau of ''friend'' and ''enemy''.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yiff Yiff]" is a word invented by the {{w|furry community}}. In most contexts it simply means "copulate", supposedly derived from the sound a fox makes during mating.
*"{{Wiktionary|moist}}" is an ordinary word, but one that many people find mildly creepy, especially in this context.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=taint Taint]" is the part between the genitals and the anus (perineum) in slang.
*"[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panties Panties]" is a common term in the U.S. for women's underwear.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=preggers Preggers]" a slang term for being pregnant.
*"{{Wiktionary|verbiage}}" is a fairly new usage of an older word, meaning too many words used to explain a subject.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=va-jay-jay Va-jay-jay]" /vəˈjājā/ IPA /vəˈdʒeɪdʒeɪ/ is just a way of saying "vagina".
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Irregardless Irregardless]" is a {{w|solecism}}. [http://www.merriam-webster.com/video/0037-irregardless.htm Or perhaps this portmanteau.]

Like this comic fills a sentence with (gross) neologisms, [[550: Density]] crams a sentence with memes.

According to [[1485: Friendship]], Randall doesn't like the word ''bromance'' much either. Uncomfortable synonyms are also seen in [[1322: Winter]] and [[2352: Synonym Date]]

==Transcript==
:[All of Cueball's lines are overlaid over the entire comic; the panels listed are merely the ones directly under each sentence fragment.]
:[Cueball is standing smugly behind Megan, who is seated in front of a computer and typing.]
:Cueball: By my guesstimate,

:Cueball: my frenemy yiffed so hard

:Cueball: her moist taint made
:[Megan's eye twitches.]

:Cueball: her panties preggers!
:Megan: ''STOP IT STOP IT!''

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

919: Tween Bromance

2021-02-16T09:08:15Z

Soulcook:

{{comic
| number = 919
| date = July 1, 2011
| title = Tween Bromance
| image = tween_bromance.png
| titletext = Verbiage. Va-jay-jay. Irregardless.
}}
==Explanation==
Apparently, Randall hates some ridiculous neologisms. [[Cueball]] seems to be dictating a "Tween bromance" story or novel to [[Megan]], who is possibly typing it up. He is including all the words that get to Megan in a sequence. Megan is just annoyed and starts to shriek in rage; considering Cueball keeps speaking more annoying words in the title text, that seems to have been the point.

*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Tween Tween]" means a pre-adolescent. Portmanteau of ''teen'' and ''between'', specifically between the ages of nine (9) and thirteen (13).
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bromance Bromance]" means a close non-sexual friendship between two males. Portmanteau of ''brother'' and ''romance''.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=guesstimate Guesstimate]" means an estimate made with very little information. Portmanteau of ''guess'' and ''estimate''.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=frenemy Frenemy]" means a friend who is also a rival. Portmanteau of ''friend'' and ''enemy''.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yiff Yiff]" is a word invented by the {{w|furry community}}. In most contexts it simply means "fornicate", supposedly derived from the sound a fox makes during mating.
*"{{Wiktionary|moist}}" is an ordinary word, but one that many people find mildly creepy, especially in this context.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=taint Taint]" is the part between the genitals and the anus (perineum) in slang.
*"[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panties Panties]" is a common term in the U.S. for women's underwear.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=preggers Preggers]" a slang term for being pregnant.
*"{{Wiktionary|verbiage}}" is a fairly new usage of an older word, meaning too many words used to explain a subject.
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=va-jay-jay Va-jay-jay]" /vəˈjājā/ IPA /vəˈdʒeɪdʒeɪ/ is just a way of saying "vagina".
*"[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Irregardless Irregardless]" is a {{w|solecism}}. [http://www.merriam-webster.com/video/0037-irregardless.htm Or perhaps this portmanteau.]

Like this comic fills a sentence with (gross) neologisms, [[550: Density]] crams a sentence with memes.

According to [[1485: Friendship]], Randall doesn't like the word ''bromance'' much either. Uncomfortable synonyms are also seen in [[1322: Winter]] and [[2352: Synonym Date]]

==Transcript==
:[All of Cueball's lines are overlaid over the entire comic; the panels listed are merely the ones directly under each sentence fragment.]
:[Cueball is standing smugly behind Megan, who is seated in front of a computer and typing.]
:Cueball: By my guesstimate,

:Cueball: my frenemy yiffed so hard

:Cueball: her moist taint made
:[Megan's eye twitches.]

:Cueball: her panties preggers!
:Megan: ''STOP IT STOP IT!''

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

1711: Snapchat

2021-02-04T08:05:33Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ grammar

{{comic
| number = 1711
| date = July 25, 2016
| title = Snapchat
| image = snapchat.png
| titletext = For obvious reasons, the prize is awarded at a different time of year from the others, while it's still fresh in the committee's memory.
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|Snapchat}}'' is a photo-sending app that allows the receiving user to view the photo (known as a "snap") only within 24 hours of its posting, and for only 10 seconds before it is deleted. The {{w|Pulitzer Prize}} is famously awarded for exceptional journalism and photojournalism (there are many categories; see {{w|Pulitzer Prize#Categories|here}}).

[[Cueball]] reads that the ''Snapchat Pulitzer Prize'' has just been awarded but then, when [[Megan]] states that she heard the picture was really good, Cueball becomes disappointed because he realises he has already missed out on the chance to see the prize winning entry due to the temporary nature of Snapchat. Note that Megan also missed the opportunity to see the snap.

A given snap can be sent to a semi-public "Story" and the user decides how long any user can see the snap in a range from {{w|Snapchat#Core_functionality|1-10 s}}. In principle, any specific snap is only accessible for {{w|Snapchat#Stories_and_Discover|24 hours}} even if it is a story. A committee of users could have more than 10 seconds to access the snap, by viewing in sequence. Given the time it might take for a committee to decide which snap wins the prize, it is realistic that Cueball learns about the winner after the 24 hours is up; Thus even a user following the outcome might not be able to see the winning entry after that time. In practice it is possible to circumvent the Snapchat rule and {{w|Snapchat#Screenshots_and_FTC|take a screen shot}} or in other ways save the content of the snap. In the case of a Pulitzer Prize winning photo, someone would probably have saved it, if it was in real life. On the other hand, the only way for the photo to be recognised as a snap, eligible to win the prize, would be if no one could see it for more than 10 seconds. So one of the possible rules might be that any picture which was saved would not be able to win the prize.

The title text extends this ephemeral nature of Snapchat's content to the prize awarded for it: The other Pulitzer prizes are announced annually in April and awarded in May (except for 2016, the centennial year, when an awards dinner will be held in October). The Snapchat Pulitzer Prize alone must be awarded as quickly as possible after the winner has been decided, before the prize committee forgets what the winning picture looked like. This of course underlines how silly this idea is, because only images seen during the assembly of the prize committee can be seen and remembered, and it is not possible to arrange this based on any knowledge of when a Pulitzer Prize "worthy" snap will be released.

[[Randall]] could be making fun of Snapchat (see the title), and the idea that you cannot save the images for later; As mentioned regarding screenshots, it is actually very easy to save pictures from Snapchat - to many a user's regret after having sent something very personal, such as naked pictures of themselves. The comic could also be seen as mocking the Pulitzer Prize for having too broad a spectrum of categories. Alongside the (photo)journalistic and prose awards, the Pulitzers also honor a variety of artistic pursuits, including Poetry, Drama and Music.

The new medium of Snapchat is certainly a hybrid form of art and information/opinion dispersal, both at its best and at its worst, but it is too ephemeral for awarding prizes to be logistically possible even if it were taken seriously enough for someone to want to award them.

The very next comic, [[1712: Politifact]], features an organization which was awarded the {{w|Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting}} in 2009.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan standing together. He holds a smartphone in his left hand and looks at it.]
:Cueball: Oh, the Pulitzer Prize for Snapchat was just awarded.
:Megan: Yeah.
:Megan: I hear the photo was really good.
:Cueball: Aw, ''maaaan''...

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

1350: Lorenz

2021-01-08T00:08:33Z

Soulcook: That’s not what indifferent means

__NOTOC__
{{comic
| number = 1350
| date = April 1, 2014
| title = Lorenz
| image = lorenz - alternative options.png
| titletext = Every choice, no matter how small, begins a new story
}}
<div class="toclimit-3">{{TOC}}</div>
*'''NOTE: The above is the first panel of an interactive comic.'''
**To actually experience the interactive content you need to go to this comic on xkcd (click on the date above the comic, which, as always, takes you to the xkcd comic)
**For a collection of images that appear in this comic, see [[1350: Lorenz/Images]].
***These will also be described below under [[#Themes|themes]].
**Also note that the order of the options are random.
***By adding that there is a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/3/3d/lorenz.png fifth option]
****''Let's see if BSD is any easier to install nowadays.''
***Where only four can be shown - this means there are 5*4*3*2 = '''120 different permutations''' of the way the options can be arranged only in this first image.
**So the above image will only appear with these four options in this order in less than 1% of the cases!
***Of course when you choose an option it is immaterial what the order of the other options was.

==Explanation==
This was the fifth [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] released by [[Randall]]. The previous fools comic was
[[1193: Externalities]] from Monday April 1st 2013. The next was [[1506: xkcloud]] released on Wednesday April 1st 2015. This comics was posted a day earlier than normal (on Tuesday instead of Wednesday) to honor {{w|April Fools' Day}} of 2014.

It is an interactive and dynamic comic similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure series, where players flip to different pages based on the option they chose, with the first picture shown on top of this page, with a possible combination of text options to choose from (see above). The picture is always the same but the order of the four sentences is chosen randomly (and there can be more than four). The result of all the interactions by the readers led to the generation of {{w|Crowdsourcing|crowd-sourced content}}.

The title 'Lorenz' is referring to {{w|Edward Norton Lorenz}} who, among other subjects, was famous for {{w|Chaos theory}} and the {{w|Butterfly effect}} (mentioned later in the title text of [[1519: Venus]]). This comic is an example of a {{w|Choose Your Own Adventure}} story as mentioned in the title text.

The title text is also a reference to how the story line of this comic will be chaotic by nature, since it includes all of the user submitted dialogue and updates over time based on statistics of user clicks. In this manner, it is a reference to the butterfly effect, a phrase coined by Edward Lorenz to describe how a small initial change can lead to wide variations in outcome in a chaotic system.

Every time a story comes to a point where the user can either choose something or contribute when asked to ''Suggest a line'' then a link will appear by hovering the mouse over the bottom right corner of the last image. This is named a ''{{w|permalink}}'' as it is a link that will recreate this particular story up to the point, making it permanent. It will not save the options listed below that image (i.e. the order of these will change, new options may appear, either because more than four is already present or new will be added and some options may even disappear). An option is thus only saved by choosing it and then saving the next permalink - see [[#Permalink|more below]].

The best way to enjoy this comic is to {{xkcd|1350|try it yourself!}} If you didn't do that already, '''reading any below''' will spoil you from truly enjoying the comic, and maybe make some interesting discoveries yourself! So here is a '''spoiler alert''' if you read on. If you do then see also the section below about [[#Functionality and bugs|Functionality and bugs]].

Any particular story-line will typically only have one or two of the many [[#Themes|themes]] possible in the comic, but some very long stories may have several, see the [[#Record length|Record section]] below. Several of the themes refer to previous comics or generally recurring themes in xkcd. Most obviously is the [[#Blowtorch|blowtorch theme]] which is a direct reference to the previous comic [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]] where the last comment is ''I'll find a blowtorch'' as a response to Cueball's frustration over his problems.

Because it is not always ending "as well" as with a burnt PC, they might instead end up in a shark infested ocean - see the [[#Ocean|Ocean theme]], which is a direct reference to [[349: Success]], a comic that came exactly 1000 comics before the other one referenced in the same computer problem theme. In that comic the sharks had not appeared yet, but here there may be several, and sharks is also a [[:Category:Sharks|recurring topic]] in xkcd.

These issues with computers is generally a reference to the [[#Computer problems|computer problems themes]] that precedes both the burning of the laptop and the ocean story-lines, because [[#Knit Cap Girl|Knit Cap Girl]], the new character from the first image, tries to install [[:Category:BSD|BSD]], and then when it fails she takes her friend [[Hairy]] with her in the fall, in the water, into space or into a Pokémon fight etc. as they are the two main character of this comic. Also [[Cueball]] (as a politician vs. another politician with hair) and [[White Hat]] has small appearances, but only in a small sections of particular story-line. Only few others interact directly with the main characters in the rest of the possible stories.

Other themes that are recurring in xkcd is [[:Category:Politics|Politics]], [[:Category:Pokémon|Pokémon]], [[:Category:Boomerangs|Boomerangs]] and [[:Category:Dinosaurs|Dinosaurs]]. Dinosaurs enter the comic in the form of the green talking T-rex from {{w|Dinosaur Comics}}, a clip-art-based webcomic that uses the same artwork with different captions for every strip. This particular [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2420 ''Dinosaur Comics''] has a title text that actually refer to [[Randall]] and xkcd, and the comic has previously appeared on xkcd in [[145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics]].

A way to combine more than one story line is to let characters wake up from a dream or a nightmare, as can be see in the [[#Dreams|Dreams theme]], and dreams is also a [[:Category:Dreams|recurring topic]]. Here it can even get recursive so there can be dreams within dreams. One of the way to wake from a dream is of course by encountering a dinosaur that tries to step on your house (with you inside), but another is in reference to the possible rocket trip that may take the characters into space. See the [[#Space|Space theme]] another [[:Category:Space|recurring topic]].

There are a few other topics that are covered by Randall himself, but many others will be referenced in the text in the comic. However, since most of the options the users have is created by user input, including naming the characters different names, then any reference made by the text, is not considered part of Randall's work, and will only sporadically be mentioned below under the [[#Themes|themes section]], and not be included as a category.

Here is an example with a [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:d8856ae6-bafb-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd permalink] where the last comment, in the ocean with a shark, references {{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}} that disappeared less than a month before this comic was released and has still to been found two years later. But this is a user input, and not Randall's.

Some of the idea of this comic was used again in the next year's April Fools' comic [[1506: xkcloud]], where user input also generated a very complex comic and the concept of permalink was used again.

==Transcript==
:[This transcript only transcribes what can be seen in the picture shown at the top of the explanation here.]

:[The comic starts with two panels. In the top panel we see Knit Cap Girl sitting at a desk in front of her laptop typing. There is a speech line up to a gray but empty speech bubble.]
:[The second panel below has the same gray background as the empty speech bubble above. Here is presented four options to what Knit Cap Girl could be saying. They are marked a, b, c and d written in small white rectangles next to the text. There is a small arrow at the top pointing to the first panel:]

:a Hurry! We're in talks with Facebook.
:b These stupid tiles... I'll just play one more game.
:c Refresh... No new email... Refresh... No new tweets... Refresh...
:d Oh. Hey. There's some kind of political thing going on.

:[Once the reader chooses one of the options the text will appear in the speech bubble where the gray area is replaced with the usual white background. The lower gray panel disappears. Now the comic really begins.]
:[A new panel is shown after the selection, again with one to four options to choose from in the new gray panel below. This will continue until it comes to an end where the reader finally only has the choice to suggest the next line.]

:[The order of the up to four options are random, and changes every time you begin again (or even go back to a previous frame). This means that the a-d in the transcript is not the same next time. In some few panels there are even more than four options. To see the fifth you have to reload, then you may find this fifth option next time. The first panel is one of those with five options.]
:[The fifth not shown above is: '''Let's see if BSD is any easier to install nowadays.''', see image with this option in the [[#Trivia|trivia section]].]

:[In the first days of the comic when it developed quickly, new options appeared only to later disappear. '''Gravity. Lots of it.''' is one of those lost options from the first panel. At one time there was also by mistake two versions of one of the other five mentioned above. But this was later deleted. Below in the [[#Trivia|trivia section]] there are permalinks to all the different starting options, including the now lost gravity story.]

:[Although it may be impossible to finish? ... it has been tried to make a complete '''[[1350: Lorenz/Transcript|interactive transcript]]'''.]

==Functionality and bugs==
The reader is initially presented with only one panel where [[#Knit Cap Girl|Knit Cap Girl]] is sitting in front of her computer. The reader is given multiple choices concerning what exactly Knit Cap Girl is thinking. Upon choosing any option - the chosen text will appear where her gray speech bubble was (and this will then disappear), and then a second panel appears to the right, to give continuity to the story. Each new panel may have a new set of options or just the button "Continue" to see the next panel without making any choice in particular. Eventually, one may reach a dead end in which the story is interrupted and reader is presented with a text box to suggest how it should continue. Some of the suggestions given should eventually become available as new options.

===Knit Cap Girl===
Knit Cap Girl is a completely new character wearing a {{w|knit cap}}. It was at first debated if this was a girl or a boy, but since Knit Cap Girl seems to be together with [[Hairy]] that was reason enough to call her a girl. She has some similarities to [[Megan]] with a Knit Cap but since Megan never before has been shown with a knit cap or been together as a pair with Hairy it would be strange if this should represent Megan. (Hairy has some bad reputation in trying to fool girls to fall for him. Perhaps he has finally found out how to be with a woman; although they seem to fight in this comic some times.)

;Other comics with knit caps:
*'''Before this comic:'''
**A guy with a knit cap can be seen in [[1037: Umwelt]] in the [[1037#Aurora|aurora story line]].
**A [http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/1n5w.png guy with knit cap] can be seen on a boat in [[1110: Click and Drag]].
**A guy looking very similar to Knit Cap Girl, even starting in the same position in front of a laptop, can be seen in [[1112: Think Logically]].
***He is described as ''guy in a knit hat'' in the [http://xkcd.com/1112/info.0.json official transcript].
**Randall's wife is depicted with a knit cap in [[1141: Two Years]], one she uses due to chemotherapy treatments causing her to lose her hair.
***Since it is clear that Knit Cap Girl has hair, she does not wear the cap for that reason.
***It is described as ''...the woman (who is wearing a '''knit cap''')...'' in the [http://xkcd.com/1141/info.0.json official transcript].
****In the Lorenz comic the knit cap is not mentioned in the [http://xkcd.com/1350/info.0.json official transcript], but it is also mainly describing the functionality of the comic.
**Two guys wear knit caps in [[1321: Cold]].
***They are called winter hats in the [http://xkcd.com/1321/info.0.json official transcript].
*'''After this comic:'''
**One of the user pictures for the April fools' comic the year after, [[1506: xkcloud]], also [[1506: xkcloud/Transcript#User pictures|looked like]] Knit Cap Girl.
**Another user picture with a person wearing a knit cap can be seen in [[1689: My Friend Catherine]]
**At the top of the huge chart in [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]] a guy with a white knit cap similar to the one in [[1321: Cold]] is freezing.
**What appears to be a guy in a knit cap is out watching birds with Cueball in [[1826: Birdwatching]].
**The "You" option in [[2198: Throw]], which can be both thrower and thrown has a knit cap. It can also be customized and in the new window coming up, the knit cap You is also shown. At first glance it may look like a man, but given the look of Knit Cap Girl, it could also represent a woman, which may be the idea, since it should represent the reader.
**The character at the top of the mountain in [[2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks]] has a knit cap. That was two comics in a row.

;Other names for knit caps
*{{w|Beanie (seamed cap)|Beanie}}.
**The knit caps that appeared in [[1190: Time]] are traditionally referred to as "beanies"; by extension, the people wearing them are known as "Beanies" (and their language as "Beanish").
*{{w|Toque}}.
*{{w|Knit_cap#Canadian_tuque|Tuque}}.
*{{w|Skullcap}} or skully.
*Obviously knit cap is the name that fits best with the three different official transcripts versions mentioned above.

===Number of options===
Normally, there is a total of 4 options to make: a/b/c/d. Their order changes constantly. Sometimes, there are 3 or fewer options, with the text box to suggest an alternative option. Sometimes, a given panel actually has 5 or more available options, although even in this case only 4 options appear at a time. Refreshing the comic changes randomly which of the available options are visible and which are hidden. As of late April 2014, the existence of 5 options seems to occur only in a few rare cases, including the first panel itself. There are no longer any panels that seem to have six options.

===Easy navigation===
Instead of clicking with the mouse you can move more quickly through the panels using the keyboard:
*Up/Down - navigate options
*Enter/Right/Spacebar - choose option after navigating with Up/Down
*Left - go back one panel
*a/b/c/d - choose any option directly

===New panels===
It appeared that new panels were generated by Randall in near real time as user suggestions to dialog were submitted around the release of the comic.

This text can (now) be found under the [http://xkcd.com/1350/info.0.json official transcript] at xkcd:
This April Fools' Day comic has a dynamic panel structure along the lines of a choose-your-own-adventure format - the viewer is presented with up to 4 options for each bit of dialogue, with each choice opening up a new subtree of potential options for the next bit of dialog, and new panel images are chosen semi-randomly based on a graph of potential panel transitions. Readers were also invited to submit dialog options for trees where there were not yet 4 fixed options, thus growing the potential story space. As such there is no fixed transcript for this comic.

The dialog options could be based on click-through rates and hence will change over time based on which choices are clicked most using {{w|A/B testing|A/B measurement techniques}}. This will mean that the most popular choices for dialog lines will prevail as the statistics build up. In some cases, dialog line options do not depend on the continuity of the storyline followed, suggesting that some parts of the story are planned. For example, several of the story lines involve one of the two main characters waking up and for instance telling the other character, "I had the strangest dream…" or even reliving the dream. This may be due to common submissions across story lines. Of course there is the other option that Randall has used the first week of April to look though some input and choose himself. These possibilities are not mutually exclusive. Some of the options that were there very early were in quite poor English. Later the same idea was still there but in a more refined sentence. However, after the first week or two, no new panels seemed to appear, which suggests that some were drawn to match the story's progression.

===Permalink===
A "{{w|permalink}}" is a portmanteau, of "permanent-link". Each panel has a "permalink" button which generates a unique URL for all the choices made by the reader — so a reader can save the chosen choices to compare them to other ways going through the selections. The permalink do only save the chosen options, not the order or the visible options in the image where the permalink is recorded. So it is not possible to save a copy where the options are in the same order as they are in the 1/120 version shown at the top. Also if you go back in the story from a permalink, you can risk, when passing back through a panel with five options, that the option you just got back from, is no longer available, as it is the option randomly not shown this time.

===Suggest a line===
Some times it is possible to add your own suggestions in a panel where there are still other choices. But if not before, then the story will always reach a "final" panel (dead-end) where the reader only has the option left to "suggest a line..." By doing so and pressing enter this text is then shown in the speech bubble. But these suggestions can't be saved as there are no permalink button after this. The reader has to do a screen shot wishes to save their own witty remark. As a few weeks had progressed there were probably so few new suggestions that Randall stopped changing the comic. A few images have been found month (or even more than a year) after the release, but there has been no reason to believe that Randall continued to make new panels after the first few weeks of April. But maybe he returns and do one once in a while. For certain the options and text continue to evolve.

===Bugs===
Since this interactive comic relies on many servers in the background to provide the response to the reader's actions, there are some problems reported here:
*{{w|HTTP cookie|Cookies}} and {{w|Javascript}} are required to see this page properly. Without cookies, the next panel will not render; attempting to load the page in the UNIXKCD terminal or loading the page without Javascript will just get you the [[1349|previous comic]].
*In the first week after the comic was released, if a response led to a panel where two characters speak at the same time, it was impossible to proceed past the first speech bubble. This was subsequently fixed.
As a consequence of these bugs many readers had trouble understanding how this interactive comic worked.

==Themes==
{{Notice|Preferably there should be [[#Permalink|permalink]] that shows all the possible images below. But sadly this is not the case, as many images are no longer accessible by "playing" the comic game. Only if someone saved a permalink in the beginning of the comics "life" will it be possible to see examples of all images in a story line. If you do have some of these old permalinks saved, please fill in for any missing images here below. There are also notices in the relevant sections, which have not all been streamlined so they are build up in the same way and with as many permalinks as are available at the moment.}}
*The 17 themes below have been split up after what type of images appear in the comic.
**At present (April 2016) there are 149 different images, which are all described here below.
**To see all images go to [[1350: Lorenz/Images]].
*Below several images have been used in more than one theme, and there will thus be more than 149 images displayed in the tables below.
**To avoid this section becomes extremely long all the tables under each section has been collapsed, and can be opened by clicking the link [show].
*Permalinks has been provided (where possible) to story-lines that includes all the images shown in a given section.
**As the story may continue to evolve there may eventually be added more images, although there is reason to believe that this will no longer happen.
**But if any are discovered please include them in the table below with a permalink.
*In general only little mention will be of the user contributed text.
**But if a story seems to evolve around the choices this may be mentioned.
**Try only to make reference to anything that can be backed up with a permalink.

===The beginning===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! The beginning [[Image:lorenz - computer.png]]
|
*This is the opening image shown at the top of the explanation.
*Knit Cap Girl sits at her laptop saying something either to herself or maybe to Hairy.
*You choose what she says from four options written below the panel and thus starts this interactive and dynamic comic.
**Originally on April the 1st there where only four choices, but this quickly increased to six, but eventually ended up on five options.
**But you always only have four options to choose from when you begin.
**By reloading the page you will eventually get the fifth also.
*There are only three different images that can follow this first image see below:
|-
! Possible follow up images [[Image:lorenz_-_laptop_1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - visit.png]] [[Image:lorenz - debate laptop.png]]
|
*These images are the only three that can follow after the first image:
**[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:9b96fda0-bb48-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd Knit Cap Girls with question marks].
**[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:2ed958de-badf-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd Hairy walks in].
**[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:718ad9a6-bc6e-11e3-800f-002590d77bdd Live debate].
|}

===Computer problems===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Computer problems [[Image:lorenz - laptop 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - laptop 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - laptop 3.png]] [[Image:lorenz - laptop 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - laptop 5.png]] [[Image:lorenz - laptop 6.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl's laptop has an unspecified problem.
*Hairy walks in and they attempt to fix it by connecting his laptop with hers.
*It doesn't work so now Knit Cap Girl tries to write something on Hairy's laptop from a paper (a manual?) she holds in her hand.
**See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:2ed958de-badf-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] with all the images shown in this section, including the blow torch option mentioned below).
*There are two outcomes possible:
**When Knit Cap Girls manual fails the story continues with the blowtorch scene, see [[#Blowtorch|below]].
**Knit Cap Girls fails so badly that they both end up randomly floating in the ocean (with or without circling sharks - a reference to [[349: Success]]), see [[#Ocean|below]].
|}

===Blowtorch===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Manual failing [[image:lorenz - laptop 6.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl tries to write something on Hairy's laptop from a note (manual?) she has in her hand while Hairy watches.
*In this story line it just doesn't work and Knit Cap Girl takes revenge on her laptop:
**This image is the last in the [[#Computer problems|computer problem theme]] above and can also lead to the [[#Ocean|Ocean scene]] below.
|-
! Blowtorch [[Image:lorenz - laptop 7.png]] [[Image:lorenz - laptop 8.png]] [[Image:lorenz - laptop 9.png]] [[Image:lorenz - laptop 10.png]] [[Image:lorenz - laptop 11.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl becomes so upset with her laptop that she decides to melt it using a blowtorch
**A clear reference to the comic from the day before this one: [[1349: Shouldn't Be Hard]].
*After this they walk out of the building.
**See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:2ed958de-badf-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] with all images shown here, the one also used above for the [[#Computer problems|Computer problems]].
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:bd44a816-bae5-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] where the burning first takes place after a dream after a rocket launch.
|}

===Ocean===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Wrong move [[image:lorenz - laptop 6.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl tries to write something on Hairy's laptop from a note (manual?) she has in her hand while Hairy watches.
*In this story line it goes really wrong and the Ocean scene appears right after this:
**This image is the last in the [[#Computer problems|computer problem theme]] above and can also lead to the [[#Blowtorch|Blowtorch scene]] above.
*Usually they get to this point directly from the starting point, but the story can also return here after a dream.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:3df213b4-ba4f-11e3-8037-002590d77bdd example].
|-
! Sharks [[image:lorenz - shark zero.png]] [[image:lorenz - shark one.png]] [[image:lorenz - sharks.png]] [[image:lorenz - squids.png]] [[image:lorenz - blood.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl and Hairy are floating in the ocean, with or without sharks.
**A clear reference to [[349: Success]].
*{{w|Sharks}} have also been the subject of [[:Category:Sharks|several other comics]].
**Three giant squids appear and a lone shark seems disturbed.
**Maybe the squids killed the sharks leaving the blood in the last of these images?
*Here are three examples than together uses all the images shown in this section
**[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:9b96fda0-bb48-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd Zero and one shark]
**[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:9b6e3082-bb48-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd Three sharks]
**[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:310127b6-bbb3-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd Squids and blood].
|-
! Beach [[image:lorenz - hairy swims away.png]] [[image:lorenz - beach.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl and Hairy starts to swim out of the shark free ocean.
*Finally reaches a beach - see [[349: Success]] again.
**Here is an [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:30f53d98-bbb3-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd example] where they reach the beach and walk on.
|}

===Political debate===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Let's go live [[image:lorenz - debate laptop.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl uses her laptop to watch a debate online.
**The images that follows are what she sees on her screen.
*Usually they get to this point directly from the starting point, but the story can also return here after a dream.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:31c6e414-bab0-11e3-8029-002590d77bdd example] where they even leave the laptop afterwards.
|-
! The debate [[image:lorenz - debate 1.png]] [[image:lorenz - debate 2.png]] [[image:lorenz - debate 5.png]] [[image:lorenz - debate 4.png]] [[image:lorenz - debate 3.png]]
|
*An online debate between two politicians, one with hair to the left and [[Cueball]] to the right is shown on Knit Cap Girls laptop screen.
**The subject and the actual conversation of which varies according to the storyline. But it always begins with the hairy politician speaking and then Cueball replying.
**This may be the end of the conversation but sometimes there is a picture where both politician speaks in the same image
**There may even be two (more?) images in a row where both politician speak in the same image
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:f6b4b374-bd25-11e3-802c-002590d77bdd example].
*Eventually one of two things can happen:
**They fight each other, Cueball using a {{w|lightsaber}} (or something that looks like a {{w|Magic sword|holy sword}}) with the hairy politician using his bare fists
***A clear reference to {{w|Star Wars}} which has been [[:Category:Star Wars|referenced often]] in xkcd.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ba7794b6-bafb-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example].
**The hairy politician is going down on one knee - either to pray or as in a suggestion to ask the other to marry him...
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ea25460c-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example].
**All images used in this section are shown in the above examples.
*Subjects debated is most likely user suggestions and so any references made is not from Randall even though they have been used in xkcd before.
**Here below are some of the subject already up on April the 1st:
**The hairy politician accuses Cueball of having never liked {{w|Firefly}} see [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:bf86fba8-baed-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd this example]).
**The hairy politician vows to end the "war on Christmas" if elected (see [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ea25460c-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd this example]).
**The hairy politician praises his adversary and supports his economic plan (see [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ba7794b6-bafb-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd this example]).
**The hairy politician questions Cueball's project of tying multiple birds to a car as fuel replacement, which would require some method to make the birds take off in unison.
***This is a reference to {{w|Monty Python and the Holy Grail}} where two swallows tied together to a coconut with a string try to lift it.
***The solutions mentioned for this topic are given here as an example:
***Opening and closing an umbrella near them (a reference to {{W|Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade}}). (see [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:df6d1952-bc0f-11e3-8037-002590d77bdd this example]).
***Using a predatory bird to the car to scare them (see [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ef2c870e-baea-11e3-8002-002590d77bdd this example]).
***Putting resources in the hands of bird educators for the purpose of training them (see [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:bfaccbe4-ba98-11e3-8008-002590d77bdd this example]).
***Employing {{w|Alan_Seabaugh#Fiscal_Hawk|fiscal hawks}}. (see [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:4996daf6-baf4-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd this example]).
**If the hairy politician points out some problem with the reasoning, often the solution proposed by Cueball would be doing the same in a larger scale or saying he completely agrees with everything the other says... (see some of the above examples).
|-
! After the debate [[image:lorenz - visit.png]] [[image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]]
|
*In the end either:
**Hairy walks in to Knit Cap Girl and points out something happening near which may or may not involve birds (or whatever was the subject).
***This could be a direct result of Cueball's project. But all this is most likely based on user input!
***See [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:4996daf6-baf4-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd this example].
**Knit Cap Girl wakes up as it turns out it was just a bad dream (see [[#Dreams|Dreams]] below).
***See [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ea25460c-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd this example].
*Both of these last two images have also been used in other story lines.
|}

===Dinosaur===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Dinosaur Comics [[Image:lorenz - dinosaur 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - dinosaur 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - dinosaur 3.png]]
|
*The green T-rex from {{w|Dinosaur Comics}}, (a clip-art-based webcomic that uses the same artwork with different captions for every strip), interrupts the story and proceeds to talk about his tiny arms or other subjects.
**The first three pictures are taken directly from the webcomic, except that the third picture is larger in the real comic
***See this particular [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2420 ''Dinosaur Comics''] where the title text actually refer to Randall and xkcd.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:4e66ab6e-bae1-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] with only these three T-rex images.
**The entire ''Dinosaur Comics'' was parodied in [[145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics]], where Randall copied the drawings himself, and T-Rex has appeared in [[1452: Jurassic World]], where it was the last image from the actual comic that was used, as opposed to the three first here.
|-
! Stepping on the house [[Image:lorenz - dinosaur 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*In the end, the dinosaur stamps on the house where the main characters are inside Knit Cap Girl covering and Hairy escaping.
**This is thus Randall's own picture but with the foot, seemingly taken from the T-rex, scaling it up to fit the size.
**Usually the dinosaur story gets to this point before the characters [[#Leaving the building|leaves the building]].
***But when they do so, in other story-lines, it is a completely different building they walk out of
***The explanation for this (apart from that it looks like this in ''Dinosaur Comics'') is that whenever the story gets this far one of the characters will wake up from a dream. See more under the [[#Dreams|dream theme]].
**When the building gets stepped on either Hairy or Knit Cap Girl wakes up:
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:f2b12f1e-bbae-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd example] where Hair wakes up.
***Here are two examples where Knit Cap Girl awakes where the dinosaur dream is the second dream from which she awakes:
****After the [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:5e94d028-bb7d-11e3-8012-002590d77bdd hole dream]
****After the [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 rocket dream].
****The characters has thus left the other building first, but then again both buildings turned out to be part of a dream.
|}

===Leaving the building===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Leaving [[Image:lorenz - going.png]] [[Image:lorenz - laptop 11.png]]
|
*In some storylines the two characters leaves the building.
**Either with the laptop intact:
***Either directly after the first image or
***After the [[#Political debate|politic debate]].
**Or with a fused laptop (see the [[# Blowtorch|Blowtorch theme]]).
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:bd44a816-bae5-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] where they leave the house twice, once first with the laptop intact and secondly after burning it.
*In either case they encounter one of the following scenarios when they come out the door:
|-
! Empty lawn [[Image:lorenz - away.png]]
|
*Sometimes nothing is outside the building except the pavement they walk upon there is just an empty lawn.
**See [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b69f6096-b9f0-11e3-8009-002590d77bdd this example] where the laptop is burned.
*From this point they will continue walking past different landscapes - see the [[#Walking|Walking theme]].
|-
! Rocket on the lawn [[Image:lorenz - rocket 1.png]]
|
*Sometimes there is a space rocket on the lawn outside the building. See the [[#Rocket launch|rocket launch]] theme.
**See [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 this example] with the computer intact and no political debate.
|-
! Huge hole on the lawn [[image:lorenz - hole.png]]
|
*Sometimes there is a huge hole in the ground just outside of the building.
**The two characters always end up falling into it and one of them awakes from a nightmare - see more below about [[#Dreams|dreams]].
**See [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:8440e346-bb16-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd this example] with the computer intact and no political debate.
**See [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:718ad9a6-bc6e-11e3-800f-002590d77bdd this example] with the computer intact after political debate.
|}

===Walking===
{{Notice |Does anyone have [[#Permalink|permalinks]] for the image where Hairy is walking alone in silhouette, and maybe a situation where he walks alone without the ''meanwhile'' image first (maybe because of arguing, see below)? Please help by posting them in the table below:}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Starting the walk [[Image:lorenz - away.png]] [[Image:lorenz_-_pikachu_dead_5.png]] [[Image:lorenz - beach.png]] [[Image:lorenz - run.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang accident 2.png]] l[[Image:lorenz - meanwhile.png]]
|
*A walk can begin in more than one way.
**The most direct way to start the walk is when the two characters are [[#Leaving the building|leaving the building]], and finding noting out on the lawn.
**A walk can also start when they leave the Pikachu from the [[#Pokémon|Pokémon theme]].
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:8737f5b4-ba92-11e3-8008-002590d77bdd example] where the first ''walking together'' image appear after the house and a new walk begins after Pikachu with both the ''passing'' images.
**A walk can also start when they leave the beach after the [[#Ocean|ocean theme]].
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:30f53d98-bbb3-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd example] and this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:310127b6-bbb3-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd example] where respectively a ''walking together'' and a ''passing'' image appear after they come out of the ocean.
**In the examples above Knit Cap Girl and Hairy are in principle always walking together.
***But such a walk can start directly with a zoom in on one of the characters thinking.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:81c9e8c8-ba1d-11e3-8018-002590d77bdd example] where leaving the house is replaced with Knit Cap Girl thinking and then finding Pikachu.
***As it turns out she was still with Hairy and they continue the walk together after, but if the story stops before the last Pikachu picture, it would not be clear that Hairy was still there.
**But one of them sometimes ends up walking alone even though they started walking together.
***This happens after they have an [[#Arguing|argument]]. '''Example of this is missing!'''
**But walks can also start from different starting point where only one of them are walking
***After Knit Cap Girl runs away from hitting something with the [[#Boomerang|boomerang]] or is hit herself by the boomerang.
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b94d8be4-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd example] where she runs away.
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ee6b910c-bae5-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] where she hits herself.
***After the ''meanwhile'' image where Hairys alone walk can begin.
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:aee5abf0-bb29-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example].
*So the walking images from below can also appear or re-appear in other ways longer into a complicated story, as with the Pokémon example above with two walks one early one later.
*There are also two images which zoom in on one of the characters thinking.
**This mainly happens for Knit Cap Girl when they are together?
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:55a9e1ae-baa3-11e3-8017-002590d77bdd example].
***But can also happen when she is alone as seen in this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b9575048-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd example].
**This only seems to happen for Hairy when he walks alone?
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:aee5abf0-bb29-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example].
|-
!Passing something [[Image:lorenz - tree.png]] [[Image:lorenz - gap.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl and Hairy walks together past the following items:
*A tree where the two are walking past, and only Hairy speaks.
**See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:a012d55a-bf3c-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] where they get past..
*A gap/pit in the ground which Knit Cap Girl jumps over, much like in a pit from Mario brothers, while Hairy looks down speaking.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:97c42da2-bb01-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example].
**See also this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:8737f5b4-ba92-11e3-8008-002590d77bdd example] with both images at the end.
|-
!Walking together [[Image:lorenz - walking.png]] [[Image:lorenz - walking 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - dark.png]] [[Image:lorenz - thinking.png]]
|
*The two characters are seen walking together from different perspectives.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:52e63998-bb3b-11e3-8002-002590d77bdd example] with all three walking together images.
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:8737f5b4-ba92-11e3-8008-002590d77bdd example] with the image with Hairy in front.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:81c9e8c8-ba1d-11e3-8018-002590d77bdd example] with Hairy behind.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:30f53d98-bbb3-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd example] with the silhouette image.
*At one point, while they are walking together, a zoom in of Knit Cap Girl's head shows she is thinking
**See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:8737f5b4-ba92-11e3-8008-002590d77bdd example].
**As it turns out she was still with Hairy and they continue the walk together after, but if the story stops before the last Pikachu picture, it would not be clear that Hairy was still there.
***See also this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:55a9e1ae-baa3-11e3-8017-002590d77bdd example] where she thinks twice on the same walk.
***See also this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:bf610654-bb43-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd example] where she thinks two images in a row.
***This image can also appear while she walks alone. See below.
|-
!Alone - Knit Cap Girl [[Image:lorenz - walk 3.png]] [[Image:lorenz - walk 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - walk 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - walk 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - walk 9.png]] [[Image:lorenz - bird gift.png]] [[Image:lorenz - bird money.png]] [[Image:lorenz - thinking.png]] [[Image:lorenz - walk 5.png]] [[Image:lorenz - walk 8.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl walks alone.
**She is seen walking alone in many different poses and perspectives.
***There also exist an image with a zoom in of her head showing she is thinking.
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b9575048-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd example] where she is walking alone and then the thinking image comes at the very end.
***This image has mainly been used while she is walking with Hairy, see above.
***In this example seven of the images from this section is used, only the last normal walking image above those with birds as well as those two with birds are missing.
**At some point a bird passes over her carrying a parcel. It then returns - now with a money note in its beak.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:d09d6e40-bbd3-11e3-802e-002590d77bdd example].
****The remaiing three images are shown here.
****The birds could be a reference to Amazon's plans for using drones to deliver packages. Something referred to later, for instance in [[1523: Microdrones]].
****In the example the text is a reference to {{w|Monty Python and the Holy Grail}} where it is discussed if two swallows could carry a coconut to explain their precense in England.
***In most other cases only one of the bird pictures are shown like in these examples:
****The picture of the bird with parcel can be seen in this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b94af780-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd example] and this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:79bfc3d8-baa3-11e3-8017-002590d77bdd example] at the very end.
****The picture of the bird with money can be seen in this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b94d8be4-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd example] and this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:7b3383ae-baa2-11e3-8012-002590d77bdd example] at the very end.
****In this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:50d05aa2-baa1-11e3-800d-002590d77bdd example] the story continues after the bird with the parcel.
****In this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:7448daea-ba97-11e3-8007-002590d77bdd example] the bird with the parcel comes twice.
****In this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:4e6dc4d8-bb01-11e3-8003-002590d77bdd example] the bird with the parcel is shown twice in a row.
****In this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:7fc6e57a-baeb-11e3-8002-002590d77bdd example] the bird with the money is shown twice in a row.
**The image where she is standing without saying anything, may only be seen in the [[#Boomerang|boomerang theme]]? That image will thus (so far) not be shown here.
|-
!Alone - Hairy [[Image:lorenz - meanwhile.png]] [[Image:lorenz - walk 7.png]] [[Image:lorenz - walk 10.png]] [[Image:lorenz - thinking 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - walk 6.png]]
|
*Hairy is seen walking alone.
**He is seen walking alone in two poses.
**At one point a zoom in of his head shows he is thinking - this does not have to be while alone!
**In one story line the ''meanwhile'' image appears before this walk.
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:aee5abf0-bb29-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example] with the first four images from this section.
***It seems that this image only appear before Hairy's alone walk?
**There '''still misses examples''' of him walking alone without this image first
****There '''still misses''' an example with the silhouette images of Hairy alone.
|}

===Arguing===
{{Notice |Does anyone have [[#Permalink|permalinks]] with a story line where either of the two are walking alone after the argument where one of them leaves, as this supposedly occurred to begin with. Please help by posting them in the table below:}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
!Arguing [[Image:lorenz - discuss.png]] [[Image:lorenz - knit cap leaves.png]] [[Image:lorenz - hairy leaves.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl and Hairy begins an argument.
**The fight can either commence during a walk:
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:2a2d5f80-badd-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] with only the start of the fight.
**Or after they come out of the rocket when it failed to launch:
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:b8c820a2-bb61-11e3-800e-002590d77bdd example] with only the start of the fight.
*Then either she or he leaves the other by walking back the way they came.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:b65f48a8-bbc1-11e3-802c-002590d77bdd example] where Knit Cap Girl is walking away.
**See this [https://xkcd.com/1350/#p:588c9fd6-bbdb-11e3-8033-002590d77bdd example] where Hairy is walking away.
*After this either of them can continue the walk alone.
**'''Examples are missing...''' for both walking along - i.e. a story-line that actually shows that at least one of them can continues to walk alone afterwards.
|-
!Leading to the argument [[Image:lorenz - tree.png]] [[Image:lorenz - gap.png]] [[Image:lorenz - thinking.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 6.png]]
|
*The following examples show where these images lead to the first argument image.
**[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:bf610654-bb43-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd Tree].
**[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:4b2b6f7e-ba92-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd Jumping over pit].
**[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:75c1569a-bae7-11e3-8002-002590d77bdd Thinking].
**[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:b8c820a2-bb61-11e3-800e-002590d77bdd Failed rocket launch].
***'''There are likely more''' from the walking range of images.
|}

===Pokémon===
{{Notice|It seems like it is the pictures Pikachu which represent the enemy who uses the moves described below. But when they are effective it is that very Pokémon which faints. This seems counterintuitive. How can this be understood by someone who never played Pokémon, or does it also not make any sense for those who knows? Please explain at the first image below. also why is there 8 pokeballs and one of them is a square too lol }}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! A wild Pikachu appeared [[Image:lorenz - pikachu appeared.png]]
|
*Some of the story-lines involve Pokémon-battles featuring {{w|Pikachu}}, a very popular {{w|Pokémon}}.
**Pokémon has often been [[:Category:Pokémon|featured in xkcd]].
*The battles are drawn in the style of the video games.
**A trainer in the left-bottom corner facing the foe in the right-top corner, with a narration box below the scene and the trainer's {{w|Pokéballs}} visible
**Although some elements are missing, such as the level, gender and HP bar.
*In this first image Pikachu the wild pokémon appears.
**Then the fight begins.
**Pikachu is the reason no fight begins in [[1516: Win by Induction]].
|-
! As part of the walk [[Image:lorenz - walking.png]] [[Image:lorenz - dark.png]] [[Image:lorenz - tree.png]] [[Image:lorenz - thinking.png]]
|
*The Pokémon story-line always begins during a walk where the two characters are together
**It can for certain happen after these images, so typically shortly after they [[#Leaving the building|leave the building]].
***But it can occur after a [[#Dreams|dream]]:
****See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:97c42da2-bb01-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example] that begins with a hole dream and then reaching the Pikachu after the thinking image.
***The thinking image can occur without they are together, but mainly it has been used as part of their walks together, and this will always be the case in the Pokémon story as they both are there if the moves are effective.
****See more detail in the [[#Walking|Walking section]].
***They can meet more than one Pikachu, but then the story return to one of these images before it happens again:
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:9a86363c-bb53-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] that begins after walking past a three first and then later where Knit Cap Girl thinks before the next attack.
***Other images are listed here:
****See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:feaa5d4e-bbd2-11e3-802c-002590d77bdd example] with the silhouette image.
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:0f6483ac-baee-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] with the walking together image with Hairy in front.
|-
! Pikachu's moves [[Image:lorenz - pikachu abandonment.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu anguish.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu ant.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu ethylene.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu extrude.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu faceless.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu friendship.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu granite.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu graph.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu ink cloud.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu radicality.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu theft.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu uplift.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu blank.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu not very effective.png]]
|
*Pikachu uses a number of different moves, though these are mostly made up and are not from the Pokémon games.
**It is written as "Enemy Pikachu used "''move''", with the possible ''moves'' listed here below.
**Pikachu's moves are almost invariably remarked by the narrator as "It's not very effective...",
***This is included as the last image in this section, as it comes in between all these non effective moves.
***It can lead on as seen below.
**But "It's super effective!" is also possible to appear
***This will always lead on as can be seen at the bottom.
**In the video games a move is:
***"Not very effective" when the opponent's type resists the attacking move's type
***"Super effective" when the opponent's type is weak to the attacking move's type.

*'''Pikachu's moves'''
**See below for examples
***The examples below are marked with ¤ $ £ etc. and the moves are similarly marked to indicate in which examples they appear.
****Those that can be ''not very effective'' in a way that takes the characters past Pikachu are written in ''italics'' below.
****Those that can be '''super effective''' are written in '''bold''' below.
*****A move that sometimes can result in a move past Pikachu will in another story line not give the same result.
*****None of the moves have yet been shown to be able to get past Pikachu in both possible ways though!
*****For instance the examples marked with "¤" and "&" below both uses ''graph theory'' and only in the first example is it super effective. But in the other it is not the last move.
*Here are the moves in alphabetical order:
** {{w|Abandonment (emotional)|Abandonment}} ^~@ - Pikachu disappears completely.
** {{w|Anguish}} ¤%~ - Pikachu is sad.
** ''{{w|Ant Colony}}'' ~ - Pikachu is covered in ants.
** ''{{w|1,2-Dichloroethane|Ethylene Dichloride}}'' ¤= - Pikachu holds a glass with Ethylene Dichloride
*** Nothing seems to happen, although Ethylene Dichloride is a toxic chemical, therefore there may be future consequences for the characters.
** ''{{w|Extrude}}'' + - Pikachu's head moves away from his body as his neck becomes long and malleable.
** '''[http://www.dictionary.com/browse/faceless Faceless]''' $@ - Pikachu's face disappears.
** {{w|Friendship}} £= - Pikachu is on Knit Cap Girl's head, signifying they are now friends.
*** Friendship, though not a move, is a game mechanic in the video games.
** {{w|Granite}} % - Pikachu is atop a block of granite.
** '''{{w|Graph Theory}}''' ¤& - The theory can be seen behind Pikachu
** {{w|Ink|Ink Cloud}} %+@ - Pikachu is covered in ink.
*** In the storyline Pikachu uses it, there is the option to "gather" the ink.
** '''[http://da.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=radicality Radicality]''' £ - Pikachu is on a skateboard.
** ''{{w|Theft}}'' &@ - Pikachu wears Knit Cap Girl's hat.
*** Pikachu seems to be using "Thief", a similarly-named actual move from the games, that is used to steal the foe's item and use it as its own.
** [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/uplift Uplift] §@ - Pikachu's head goes upward, separated from its body, showing a long, thick cable still connecting the head and the body.
*Finally there is a blank text box - for '''user input''' ¤£%@&~+
**The below items are using the blank text box picture with that text coming from users input to appear in the blank picture at the bottom of this section:
***Google Maps did not warn me of this @
***In Google Maps it was easy to capture pokemons @
****Those two above are referencing the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YMD6xELI_k Google Maps: Pokémon Challenge].
***Where's Twitch when I need help? @
****a reference to {{w|Twitch Plays Pokémon}} which was also covered by comic [[1333: First Date]].
***Cute face @ (Written out correctly as ''Enemy Pikachu used "cute face"'').
***Cuteness % (Written out correctly as ''Enemy Pikachu used cuteness'').
***Yet %
***Go charizard! £
***Pikachu, find a Hamiltonian cycle in this graph! &
***Player wonders why Pikachu is working day labour at the home depot these days? ~
***Player used twitch crowdsource ~
***Enemy Pikachu used "the discrete metric" +
***I'm carrying so many Pokémon!! ¤
***Was is diluted ¤
****(i.e. was it diluted as in the Ethylene Dichloride).

*Here are some '''examples of battle''' that together includes all the moves images.
**The examples below are marked with ¤ $ £ etc.
***Above the moves are similarly marked to indicate in which examples they appear.
**These moves are '''not very effective''':
:::@ [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:d5bba698-badf-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 9 different moves] - including four user inputs and ending on '''theft''' (28 panels, '''record length''' although not passing all the way by Pikachu).
:::= [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:9a86363c-bb53-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 2 different moves] - ending both on '''Ethylene Dichloride''' and later on '''Friendship''' (26 panels, '''moving past''' Pikachu and then '''returning for another fight''' ending with the empty image for the user to fill in).
:::+ [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:47fe85d0-bbbd-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd 3 different moves] - including a user input and ending on '''extrude''' (20 panels, '''moving past''' Pikachu).
:::§ [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:97c42da2-bb01-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd 1 move only] - ending on '''uplift''', and then followed by an empty image for the user to fill in (21 panels, not getting to the end, but only one here coming to Pikachu '''through a dream''').
:::~ [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:0f6483ac-baee-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 5 different moves] - including two user inputs and ending on '''ant colony''' (19 panels, not passing all the way by Pikachu).
:::% [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:f203d1c6-ba22-11e3-801a-002590d77bdd 5 different moves] - including two user inputs and ending on '''granite''', and then followed by an empty image for the user to fill in (17 panels, not getting to the end).
:::^ [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:2f0612e0-bbd7-11e3-8030-002590d77bdd 1 move only] - ending on '''abandonment''', and then followed by an empty image for the user to fill in (9 panels, not getting to the end).
:::& [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:b8fe0a3c-bb52-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 3 different moves] - including a user input and ending on '''theft''' (15 panels, not passing all the way by Pikachu, and ineffective even though graph theory is also included before then end, which is effective in another example see below).
:*These moves are '''super effective''':
:::¤ [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:81c9e8c8-ba1d-11e3-8018-002590d77bdd 5 different moves] - including two user inputs and ending on '''graph theory''' (24 panels, but no new text after poking the Pokémon).
:::£ [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:8737f5b4-ba92-11e3-8008-002590d77bdd 3 different moves] - including a user input and ending on '''radicality''' (22 panels, with '''one line of text after poking''' the Pokémon).
:::$ [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:feaa5d4e-bbd2-11e3-802c-002590d77bdd 1 move only] - ending on '''faceless''' (17 panels, but no new text after poking the Pokémon).
|-
! Not very effective [[Image:lorenz - pikachu not very effective.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu um.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu end 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu end 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu dead 5.png]]
|
*Normally after a few failed attempts - where the result is given as ''It's not very effective'', there is an uncomfortable silence as the Pikachu says "Um..."
**Then it talks to Knit Cap Girl and Hairy from the tall grass
**They ignore this remark and walk away past the Pókemon. The Pikachu is left in the tall grass looking after them and has time to make a final remark which they also seem to ignore.
**After that they come out of the tall grass (without an image where they walk in the tall grass without Pikachu as seen below in the very effective version).
*See these examples that are not very effective:
**In these they do not even get all the way out of the grass:
***[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:81c9e8c8-ba1d-11e3-8018-002590d77bdd Theft], on the ninth move!
***[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:0f6483ac-baee-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd Ant colony], on the fifth move.
***[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:b8fe0a3c-bb52-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd Theft], on the third move.
**In these they do get all the way out of the grass:
***[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:47fe85d0-bbbd-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd Extrude], on the third move.
***[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:9a86363c-bb53-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd Ethylene Dichloride], on the first move! But first after burning the lap top. After this move they walk away only to meet another (or the same) wild Pikachu for another unfinished fight.
****In this particular example on the way past it says:
****"I used to be better at chemistry."
****"Wait I can install you BSD".
*****This last line could have been different:
*****"Come back! I don't like it here in the tall grass!", see this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:33d9e268-baa3-11e3-8017-002590d77bdd example].
*****"Wait you can't flee from a trainer battle!", see this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:372bbc40-ba97-11e3-8006-002590d77bdd example].
*****"No really guys I can still remember most of it", see this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:6a2b3ca0-baa7-11e3-801e-002590d77bdd example].
****In another line out it says: "This is still better than all the lightning crap."
*****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:62d0439e-baaf-11e3-801f-002590d77bdd example], where there is no follow up lines.
****There are several endings to this particular story-line, and in another story-line they do not meet the second Pikachu but lines are still spoken.
*****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:93aeb59c-bce2-11e3-801e-002590d77bdd example].
*Below are some other transcript of lines from user input and their references:
**Other remarks from Pikachu or about Pikachu can be seen in these examples from the same storyline:
*** Pikachu: Aren't you going to catch me? It's not difficult, I promise... Please? [Knit Cap Girl and Hairy ignore him and go away] and may get the following responses.
**** Please! Jigglypuff keeps on drawing on my face!
*****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:e8dc6866-bbd4-11e3-8030-002590d77bdd example].
**** You were walking in tall grass! You asked for it!
*****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:e90d70be-bbd4-11e3-8030-002590d77bdd example].
**** Please... Tame me! I want to party on days other than Thursday.
*****Hairy remarks while waking away: "Y'know, if we catch a Pikachu, we would never to pay our electric bills again." (Missing have between never and to - user input...)
*****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:93b5fbea-bce2-11e3-801e-002590d77bdd example].
*Pokémon mentioned other than Pikachu in user input:
** Charizard (In one storyline, "Go Charizard" is one usable move in battle)
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:8737f5b4-ba92-11e3-8008-002590d77bdd example].
** Jigglypuff
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:e8dc6866-bbd4-11e3-8030-002590d77bdd example].
|-
! Super effective [[Image:lorenz - pikachu not very effective.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu super effective.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu fainted.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu dead 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu dead 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu dead 3.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu dead 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - pikachu dead 5.png]]
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*Rarely, a suggested move knocks Pikachu out.
**This is stated as ''It's super effective''
***But this image seem to always first come right after the one with ''It's not very effective'' which makes no sense, but is why this is also included here.
**The result is that Pikachu faints.
***Knit Cap Girl and Hairy looks at the fainted (not dead) Pikachu who lies facedown in the grass.
***Then Knit Cap Girl ''pokes'' the pókemon and they walk past him
***Through and then out of the tall grass
*See these examples that are super effective:
**[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:81c9e8c8-ba1d-11e3-8018-002590d77bdd Graph theory], on the fifth move.
**[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:8737f5b4-ba92-11e3-8008-002590d77bdd Radicality], on the third move, and with one line of text after poking the Pokémon.
***Hairy looking down the pit: Now. what?
**[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:feaa5d4e-bbd2-11e3-802c-002590d77bdd Faceless], on the first move!
|}

===Rocket launch===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
!Rocket on the lawn [[Image:lorenz - rocket 1.png]]
|
*When [[#Leaving the building|leaving the building]] they may find a rocket on the lawn.
|-
!Into the rocket [[Image:lorenz - rocket 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 3.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 4.png]]
|
*The characters climb into the rocket.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:f0ff797c-badd-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example].
**Note that Hairy can be seen climbing up the ladder in the second image and the door is slammed shut in the third indicated with small lines.
|-
!Out of the rocket [[Image:lorenz - rocket 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 5.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 6.png]]
|
*In some story-lines the rocket does not launch.
**Either it fails or they just don't wish to go into space today.
*So the two characters climb out again.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:4b2b6f7e-ba92-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example] where they then walk on and then have an argument.
**Note that after the door has been slammed there is an image without these lines indicating the door is now shut, before they climb out again.
|-
!Rocket launch [[Image:lorenz - rocket 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 7.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 8.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 9.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 11.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*If they do not climb out again, the rocket will launch towards space right after the door has slammed without waiting for the picture with the door closed.
**Sometimes an image from the flight simulator program {{W|Kerbal Space Program}} (KSP) will then appear (see [[#Kerbal Space Program|KSP theme]]) instead of the black image.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:8440e346-bb16-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example] where the launch wakes up Knit Cap Girl from a (second) dream. (See the [[#Dreams|dream theme]]).
***See alto this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:c9cfde56-bae6-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] where the launch wakes up Hairy.
**If the characters doesn't wake up here, then the rocket will go into space (see [[#Space|space theme]]).
***Before reaching space a dark image will turn up.
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 example] where the space trip turns out to be a dream.
****Here another KSP image is also used to end the dream.
***The black picture is also used in the dream sequence with the hole just before wake up.
****This never seems to happen from the launch sequence.
|}

===Space===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
!Successful launch [[Image:lorenz - rocket 9.png]]
|
*When the [[#Rocket launch|rocket launch]] is successful the rocket will go into space and a black image will turn up as the first evidence of this
**See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 example].
**The black picture is also used in the dream sequence with the hole.
|-
!Flying over earth [[Image:lorenz - rocket 10.png]]
|
*After entering space, the rocket is always shown in an orbit over earth.
|-
!In space [[Image:lorenz - rocket 13.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 14.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 19.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 20.png]]
|
*From earth the rocket flies into deep space.
**These images will appear and reappear (sometimes several times) intermixed with those below.
***Exceptions are with those of the little prince and those after the attacking space ship which will always end the space journey.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:cccdb9ea-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] with all the images from this section and the two from above as well as most of those below (several of them (many) more than one time). The first image is only used once right after Earth orbit.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:6322a5a2-ba97-11e3-8007-002590d77bdd example] where the first image is not included.
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:6490cc4a-b9f0-11e3-8009-002590d77bdd example] where the first image is used twice, but not to begin with.
|-
!Asteroids [[Image:lorenz - rocket 24.png]]
|
*Passing the {{W|Asteroid belt}}.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:cccdb9ea-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] where the image is used twice in a row.
|-
!Saturn [[Image:lorenz - rocket 12.png]]
|
*Passing {{W|Saturn}} with its majestic rings.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:cccdb9ea-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] where the image is used eight times, but only for five flybys as the image is used both twice and three times in a row.
|-
!Space ship [[Image:lorenz - rocket 15.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 16.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 17.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 18.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 22.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 23.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*The rocket encounters another space ship that asks a question about relativity
**It is the same question that appeared in [[265: Choices: Part 2]].
*If the question is answered satisfactory the two rockets will just fly past each other.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ccd0b334-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] where the ship passes the space ship ones and then meets up with it again at the end.
*If the answer to the space ship is not acceptable it will turn around after passing, and shoot down the rocket.
**The next image is from the {{w|Kerbal Space Program}} (KSP) simulator, see the [[#Kerbal Space Program|KSP theme]].
***But in this case it is an image where the rockets are turned off as opposed to the one that could have appeared at the beginning of the launch. But that would not result in a space trip but in a dream.
**The KSP image is followed by Hairy waking up from a dream (it seems it can only be him), see the [[#Dreams|dream theme]].
***Most of the images above as well as this attack is included in this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 this example]
***In this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:6322a5a2-ba97-11e3-8007-002590d77bdd example] Hairy wakes up and starts to sing.
|-
!Little Prince [[Image:lorenz - rocket 21.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 25.png]]
|
*Eventually the space rocket meets a guy on a very tiny planet
**This is a reference to {{w|The Little Prince}}, which has been referenced before in xkcd in both [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]] and [[618: Asteroid]].
**This could also be a reference to the asteroid [http://blog.xkcd.com/2013/09/30/asteroid-4942-munroe/ 4942 Munroe], and then it could be Randall on the rock...
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:6490cc4a-b9f0-11e3-8009-002590d77bdd example] that stops at the first picture.
**The story originally never seemed to move past this first image with the prince and the rocket, but finally there appeared one more without the rocket.
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:25743f70-baee-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example].
|}

===Kerbal Space Program===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
!Kerbal space program [[Image:lorenz - rocket 11.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 23.png]]
|
*These pictures are from the flight simulator program {{W|Kerbal Space Program}} (KSP).
**The first shows a rocket with the engines on from [[#Rocket launch|rocket launch]].
**The second shows a rocket with the engines off after the attack in the [[#Space|space theme]].
*They both appear in a certain sequence leading to a [[#Dreams|dream]], see below:
|-
!Engines on [[Image:lorenz - rocket 8.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 11.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*During rocket launch when the engine is on it turns out to be just a dream.
**One of the two characters wakes up in their bed.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:8440e346-bb16-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example] where Knit Cap Girl wakes.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:c9cfde56-bae6-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] where Hairy wakes.
***It seems that the image can (no longer?) precede a space travel going into deep space.
|-
!Engines off [[Image:lorenz - rocket 22.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 23.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*After the space ship attacks and shoots the rocket we see a KSP image with the engines off.
**See this [http://i.imgur.com/UofvQ.png image] from KSP where the rocket engines are not on.
**After this image it turns out it was just a dream and Hairy seems to be the only one to wake from this dream.
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 example].
|}

===Dreams===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Walking up [[Image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*Sometimes, Knit Cap Girl or Hairy find themselves waking from a dream, suggesting that all prior events were just them dreaming.
**Some situations will always result in a character waking up
**Others situations will only in some story lines lead to an awakening.
***In those stories there will always be another way to continue the story.
**Below are several situations, where a dream will or may occur, described (and shown with the full sequence leading up to the dream displayed).
*Often a dream loops upon itself, as a character wakes up multiple times in the same storyline
**Either from the [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:20698602-bbb1-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd same dream].
**Or from [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:5e94d028-bb7d-11e3-8012-002590d77bdd different dreams].
**Sometimes it even turns out that [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 each character] has different dreams in the same storyline
***This means that the last to wake up, has dreamt that they were the other character waking up before...
*The dream scenarios (together with the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/80/lorenz_-_meanwhile.png ''meanwhile'' image]) would make it possible to connect all images into one long sequence!
**This has not been seen yet though.
*As can be seen in these two images:
**Knit Cap Girl wakes up with her head to the left and the cap lying on the end of the bed.
**Hairy wakes up with his head to the right.
|-
! Falling [[Image:lorenz - hole.png]] [[Image:lorenz - falling.png]] [[Image:lorenz - aaa.png]] [[Image:lorenz - aaa 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 9.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*One of the most obvious dreams is the one about falling as in this case where both characters falls into a big hole outside the [[#Leaving the building|building they are leaving]].
**As shown here in [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:20698602-bbb1-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd this example] where first one then the other characters awake from the same falling dream.
*The hole situation will always turn out to be a dream from which one (or either as shown above) of the characters wakes up from the nightmare after falling into the hole.
**But they can wake up after any of the three black pictures shown here.
**The other two pictures (which were not included in the first example) can be seen in [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ba285dea-baa3-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd this example] with only Knit Cap Girl waking.
**A situation with only Hairy waking can be seen in [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:2c6df10a-bb15-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd this example].
*The total black picture is also sometimes used at the end of the [[#Rocket launch|rocket launch]].
|-
! Dinosaur [[Image:lorenz - dinosaur 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - dinosaur 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - dinosaur 3.png]] [[Image:lorenz - dinosaur 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*A Dinosaur enters the comic (see more about these same images under the [[#Dinosaur|Dinosaur theme]]).
**If the comic goes on long enough all four images with the green dinosaur will appear
**When reaching the fourth image where the dinosaur steps on the building the story will always turn out to be a nightmare from which either of the character may wake up from.
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:f2b12f1e-bbae-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd example] where Hair wakes up.
***Here are two examples where Knit Cap Girl awakes where the dinosaur dream is the second dream from which she awakes:
****After the [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:5e94d028-bb7d-11e3-8012-002590d77bdd hole dream]
****After the [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 rocket dream].
|-
! Rocket launch [[Image:lorenz - rocket 7.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 8.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 11.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*The [[#Rocket launch|rocket launch]] will not always turn into a dream.
**And this dream is not really a nightmare, as opposed to the three above, from which the characters always wake up.
**During take-off after the rocket ignites there are two possible images.
***If the last image is black then the take-off succeeds.
***But if the last image during take off is from the flight simulator program {{w|Kerbal Space Program}} (KSP) with the rockets on - see [[#Kerbal Space Program|KSP theme]] they story always result in that either Knit Cap Girl or Hairy wakes up during.
****See [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:8440e346-bb16-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd this example] where Knit Cap Girl wakes after she has already awoken once before from the hole dream.
****See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:c9cfde56-bae6-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] and this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:4e6cbc5a-bb01-11e3-8003-002590d77bdd example] where Hairy awakes from the launch.
|-
! Evil spaceship [[Image:lorenz - rocket 15.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 16.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 17.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 18.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 22.png]] [[Image:lorenz - rocket 23.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*During a space travel the rocket passes another space ship.
**If a failed communication occurs the evil space ship turns around and shoots down the rocket.
**At this point it turns out it was just a nightmare and one of the characters wake up (maybe only Hairy?).
***See [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 this example] that continues to a dinosaur dream from where Knit Cap Girl wakes up.
**In the last picture before waking we see an image from the flight simulator program Kerbal Space Program (KSP) with the rockets off - see the [[#Kerbal Space Program|KSP theme]].
***This situation will always turn out to be a dream.
|-
! Politic debate [[Image:lorenz - debate 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - debate 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - debate 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]]
|
*In this dream, that is not so much a nightmare that it will always be a dream (like the first three) Knit Cap Girl wakes up after a silly political debate
**See [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ea25460c-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd this example].
*It is probably not possible that Hairy wakes up from this as he is not present when the debate starts.
|}

===Waking up===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Walking up [[Image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]]
|
*Sometimes, Knit Cap Girl or Hairy find themselves waking from a dream, suggesting that all prior events were just them dreaming. (See the [[#Dreams|dream theme]]).
**After they awake they stay in bed for a while and then go out in to the world.
**These scenes will be shown here below.
*As can be seen in these two images:
**Knit Cap Girl wakes up with her head to the left and the cap lying on the end of the bed.
**Hairy wakes up with his head to the right.
|-
! In bed - Girl [[Image:lorenz - wake up 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 10.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 3.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl wakes up with a ''Gasp''.
**She sits for a while.
***Maybe he even starts to sing, see below.
***After this she may either lie down or leave the bed empty.
****See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:f894ceb2-bae7-11e3-8002-002590d77bdd example] where she lies back down again (and then finds a boomerang, see below).
****See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:8440e346-bb16-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example] where the bed is empty before moving on (twice yawning and with singing the 2nd time).
**When she does get out of bed she may either:
***Walk yawning into her office if the bed was empty (see below).
***Go out and find a [[#Boomerang|boomerang]] if she lay down again.
|-
! In bed - Guy [[Image:lorenz - wake up 5.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 6.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 7.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 12.png]]
|
*Hairy wakes up with a ''Gasp''.
**He sits for a while.
***Maybe he even starts to sing, see below.
***After this he may either lie down or leave the bed empty.
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 example] where he leaves the bed empty (and yawns and then Knit Cap Girl has another dream later).
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:f2b12f1e-bbae-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd example] where he lies back down again (and goes to meet the salesman, see below).
****Notice that Randall forgot to draw Hairy's hairy hair as he lay down again.
****If it was a wig, it should have hung over the bed like Knit Cap Girls knit cap does.
*****Randall also forgot Hairy's hair in [[1028: Communication]], see this [[1028: Communication#Trivia|trivia]].
**When he does get out of bed he may either:
***Walk into Knit Cap Girl at her laptop while yawning if the bed was empty, see below.
***Go outside to meet White Hat the [[#Salesman|salesman]] if he lay back down again.
|-
! Singing in bed [[Image:lorenz - wake up 11.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 13.png]]
|
*After having sat up in bed with a gasp either character may may then begin to sing ''I woke up like this''.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:8440e346-bb16-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example] with Knit Cap Girl (walkikng twice singing second time) where the bed is empty before moving on (both times).
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:6322a5a2-ba97-11e3-8007-002590d77bdd example] with Hairy where the bed is empty before moving on .
*This is likely a reference to {{W|Beyoncé|Beyoncé's}} song ''{{W|Flawless (Beyoncé song)|Flawless}}''.
**See the [http://lyricsmusic.name/beyonce-knowles-lyrics/beyonca/flaweless.html lyrics here].
**The line ''I woke up like this'' is repeated eight times in the song, four time in each of the last to verses.
|-
!Yawning - Girl [[Image:lorenz - wake up 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - computer.png]]
|
*Yawning Knit Cap Girl gets back to her laptop and we are back to the first image.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:20698602-bbb1-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd example], where both characters yawning pictures appear after two times the same dream.
|-
!Yawning - Guy [[Image:lorenz - wake up 8.png]] [[Image:lorenz - wake up 9.png]]
|
*Yawning Hairy walks in where Knit Cap Girl sits at her laptop and tells her about his dream(?)
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:0bfb9832-baa7-11e3-801e-002590d77bdd example], where both pictures from this section appears and they continue to walk out after.
**See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:20698602-bbb1-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd example], where both characters yawning pictures appear after two times the same dream.
|}

===Salesman===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Salesman [[Image:lorenz - wake up 7.png]] [[Image:lorenz - sale 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - sale 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - sale 3.png]] [[Image:lorenz - sale 4.png]]
|
*After walking up with a gasp from a nightmare and then laying down again (without hair) he has chosen not to go to Knit Cap Girl.
**Which is why the laying picture is included here.
*Hairy takes an alternative route where he meets [[White Hat]], a salesman with a small stand.
**White Hat tries to sell something to Hairy. Will he succeed?
*The last picture with the graph did not appear until much later than the rest (or was at least not found.)
**Here is an [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:f2b12f1e-bbae-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd example] where Hairy meets White Hat, but not reaching the graph picture.
**Here is an [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:2c6df10a-bb15-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example] that reaches the graph picture.
**Here is another [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:39dfd484-bb01-11e3-8003-002590d77bdd example] that reaches the graph picture.
***These two may be the only one two years after the release.
|}

===Boomerang===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |
! To see/hide images click here:
! Description of images
|-
! Finding Boomerang [[Image:lorenz - wake up 10.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 2.png]]
|
*After Knit Cap Girl awakes from a [[#Dreams|dream]] and then lies down in bed she may (always?) go outside to find a {{w|Boomerang}} on the ground.
**She picks it up and then always expresses her feelings about it in a thought bubble when she picks it up.
***She may also pick it up following another image where she is just walking
***But then it is always longer into the story and the second time she picks up a boomerang, with the first time proceeding after the dream as mentioned above.
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ee6b910c-bae5-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example].
**The other throwing images listed below, may come more or less in any order and any number of times
***As just mentioned so may the first two boomerang images here also reappear, and hence also more than one accident can happen, even though they always stop the current run of throwing.
**She may comment on it again after catching it.
***She may also put it down and leave, but may then also find it or another boomerang again later.
****This is the cause for the longest story-lines almost always includes the boomerang.
****Since this only occurs after a dream, gives the longest stories, and never really gets on to any other stories (except a short story where Hairy walks alone), this has been placed last in this list.
*Boomerangs have been [[:Category:Boomerangs|featured in xkcd before]]. See in particular these that are clearly referenced:
**[[445: I Am Not Good with Boomerangs]].
**[[475: Further Boomerang Difficulties]].
|-
! Throwing Boomerang [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 3.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 8.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 6.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 9.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 10.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 5.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 7.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 11.png]]
|
*Knit Cap Girl throws the boomerang, and it flies back to her so she catches it.
**This can go on for a while, and she may even lay it down and walk away:
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:08896f1c-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 example].
**It may also fly back and forth above her.
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:84eb4738-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 example].
*However, more often than not she will end up with an accident:
|-
! Accidents [[Image:lorenz - boomerang accident.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang accident 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang accident 5.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang accident 6.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang rocket 1.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang rocket 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang boom.png]] [[Image:lorenz - surprise.png]] [[Image:lorenz - run.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang accident 3.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang accident 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - meanwhile.png]]
|
*These accidents are:
**Either character is getting hit in the face
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ee6b910c-bae5-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example] where both are hit.
***Knit Cap Girl get hit in the face first as the boomerang rebound then lays it down only to pickup a new one later
****See [[445: I Am Not Good with Boomerangs]].
***Knit Cap Girl then fails to catch the boomerang and the rebound hit Hairy in the face off screen and he then enters the frame in the next image.
**Hitting a space rocket taking off, it very much looks like the one from [[#Rocket launch|rocket launch]]
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ea25460c-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example].
**The boomerang crashes into something off panel - someone may shout back - and Knit Cap Girl runs away.
***See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:fc34f46a-ba98-11e3-8008-002590d77bdd example].
****See also [[475: Further Boomerang Difficulties]]
***In some cases this last accident is followed by the ''meanwhile'' image to make the story move on with Hairy walking along which is mentioned in more detail at the bottom of the [[#Walking|Walking section]].
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:aee5abf0-bb29-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example].
|-
! Leaving the boomerang [[Image:lorenz - boomerang 11.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang accident 2.png]] [[Image:lorenz - run.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang accident 4.png]] [[Image:lorenz - meanwhile.png]] [[Image:lorenz - boomerang accident 6.png]]
|
*The following images are the one where the boomerang story may stop (although some of them may lead back to the boomerang again):
**Leaving the boomerang on the ground without accident.
***But there seem to be no way she actually leaves the boomerang this way:
****Either the story stops before she completely leaves the image with the boomerang on the ground.
****Or she finds another and picks that up instead proceeding from there.
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:08896f1c-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 example] with both situations.
**Leaving the boomerang after hitting herself in the face.
***Maybe this is similar to the one above, as can at least be seen in the example given:
***See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ee6b910c-bae5-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example]
**Running away after having destroyed the rocket
***Here she definitely gets away from the boomerang:
****See this [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ea25460c-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example].
**Running away after having hit someone off panel.
***This image seems to belong with the ''meanwhile'' image, and the storyline goes on using that route, so for sure away from the boomerang.
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:aee5abf0-bb29-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd example].
**Hitting Hairy off panel who then walks into the panel.
***there seems to be no story continuing from there.
***I.e. this story-line never leaves the boomerang behind, but just stops.
****See this [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ee6b910c-bae5-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd example]
|}

==Trivia==
*Here is a picture with the fifth option that could not be included in the top image
**''Let's see if BSD is any easier to install nowadays.'':
::[[Image:lorenz.png]]
:*And there used to be a sixth option "Gravity. Lots of it." However, it no longer appears.
*In one [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:lorenz_-_wake_up_7.png panel] Hairy is drawn in bed ''without'' his hair - see the [[#Waking up|Waking up]] pictures.
*Some pictures are used often and some very rarely:
**The most common pictures are [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/a1-2014/vS9UO5cGsw1hoDrrNLMSRg.png "Not very effective"], [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/a1-2014/VegCGBEOFJCsFxJpbmvziQ.png Throwing], [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/a1-2014/zHPHozjDXmCUy66bYVSRoQ.png Waiting], [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/a1-2014/ZNBJOG1e-vCfzdqKFHQ21A.png Leaving the House].
**The rarest pictures that can be found via permalink are [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/a1-2014/VgSdMz8OAHQ8w5Ee432f5Q.png The Little Prince], [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/a1-2014/0RW46RaD8RJDfTyBOTqlpw.png The beach], [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/a1-2014/OZZtCeXrnU0UskVTCUQf1Q.png An exponential chart].
***As of late April there are several pictures from the complete list, that no longer seem to be available - so they are not only rare, but extinct in the comic if no one has a permalink to a comic where they appear.
***2 pictures are listed as missing two years later on April 1, 2016, and they can be seen under themes where notices has made it clear where they are.
***It is the one with Hairy walking alone seen in silhouette and the one "after arguing" where Hairy is leaving that are missing.
***The other 147 images are all accounted for.
*[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:0cd52ed0-bb15-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd This one] has Chinese characters in it. Simplified, sadly. It would roughly translate to "The sentences have no meaning. With no meanings, there is nothing to say. How to arrange it into a haiku format then?" It is arranged in haiku: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. In traditional Chinese characters it would be "句子没有意。意也没有話不話。怎麼來俳句？"
*[https://xkcd.com/1350/#p:585ff20c-baf4-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd This one] also has Chinese characters in it. It would translate to "No." or "Not good."
*And [https://xkcd.com/1350/#p:fb62f406-baa2-11e3-8015-002590d77bdd one with French].

===Record length===
====The all time longest comics by panel====
*'''Top three'''.
**Please only include '''clearly different''' storylines:
*# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 77 panels] - Tiles, space/dinosaur double dream, boomerang, and exploding rocket.
*# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b9575048-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd 50 panels] - Tiles, double hole dream, boomerang, and exploding rocket
*# [https://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b94d8be4-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd 46 panels] - Tiles, hole dream, hole dream, boomerang, exploding rocket, bird passing.
**There may be no upper boundary!
**But this is then the list of the longest comics with most panels as found so far.
**If you beat a record please post the '''permalink''' here. https://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:84eb4738-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29
**Please note themes included in comic.
**Please move beaten records down and delete the fourth.

====Longest by themes====
*Click to expand:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
Include only more than one if the story is clearly different from from the record.
#Dreams (most often multiple):
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 77 panels] - Tiles, two dreams one by each character, after space and dinosaur attack.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b9575048-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd 50 panels] - Tiles, two times hole dream, boomerang, and exploding rocket.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:718ad9a6-bc6e-11e3-800f-002590d77bdd 41 panels] - Politic debate, one dream about hole, boomerang.
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ea25460c-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 39 panels] - Politic debate, one dream about politic, boomerang, and exploding rocket
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:2ed958de-badf-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 36 panels] - Tiles, two dreams, hole dream, blowtorch laptop, rocket take-off dream.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:452c03fc-bb16-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd 35 panels] - Tiles, two times the same dream with big hole by the same character (shovel/blowtorch and then boomerang).
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ba285dea-baa3-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd 28 panels] - BSD, one dream with hole that returns to starting point - does the dream continue?
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:8440e346-bb16-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd 26 panels] - Tiles, two different dreams by the same character after hole and rocket.
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:5e94d028-bb7d-11e3-8012-002590d77bdd 22 panels] - Tiles, two different dreams by the same character after hole and dinosaur attack.
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:20698602-bbb1-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd 21 panels] - Tiles, two times the same dream with big hole - once be each character
###More than two dreams has yet to be seen...
#Boomerang:
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 77 panels] - Tiles, two dreams one by each character, after space and dinosaur attack.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b9575048-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd 50 panels] - Tiles, double hole dream, boomerang, and exploding rocket
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:718ad9a6-bc6e-11e3-800f-002590d77bdd 41 panels] - Politic debate, hole dream, boomerang.
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:ea25460c-baf3-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 39 panels] - Politic debate in a dream boomerang, and exploding rocket
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:defe5742-bb15-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd 35 panels] - Political debate within a dream, then Hairy gets smacked in the face by the boomerang.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ee6b910c-bae5-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 34 panels] - Politic debate, as the 39 panel above, but here both the girl and then Hairy gets the boomerang in the face!
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:a1776988-ba41-11e3-8035-002590d77bdd 30 panels] - Tiles, rocket, dream, Boomerang hits her in the face. She then puts it down and then picks it up again
#Space:
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 77 panels] - Tiles, two dreams one by each character, after space and dinosaur attack.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:6490cc4a-b9f0-11e3-8009-002590d77bdd 30 panels] - Tiles, ending with the Little Prince and the rocket.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:25743f70-baee-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 24 panels] - Tiles, reaching the image with zoom in only on the Little Prince.
#Dinosaur:
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 77 panels] - Tiles, two dreams one by each character, after space and dinosaur attack.
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:5e94d028-bb7d-11e3-8012-002590d77bdd 22 panels] - Tiles, two different dreams by the same character after hole and dinosaur attack.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:a3298c92-baa1-11e3-800e-002590d77bdd 15 panels] - Tiles, dinosaur dream, boomerang hits her in the face.
#Political debate:
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:718ad9a6-bc6e-11e3-800f-002590d77bdd 41 panels] - Political debate, but also dream and boomerang.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:defe5742-bb15-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd 35 panels] - Political debate within a dream, then Hairy gets smacked in the face by the boomerang.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:aee5abf0-bb29-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd 31 panels] - Political debate, politicians fighting and explosive bananas - including the ''meanwhile'' image
#Blowtorch:
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:2ed958de-badf-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 36 panels] - Tiles, hole dream, blowtorch laptop, rocket take-off dream.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:9a86363c-bb53-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 26 panels] - BSD, blowtorch and moving past Pokémon twice
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:97cbd552-bb01-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd 25 panels] - Tiles, dream of hole and then blowtorch
#Pokémon:
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:d5bba698-badf-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 28 panels] - Tiles, quick to Pikachu, then very long fight with 9 moves none effective almost moving Pikachu talks only once.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:9a86363c-bb53-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 26 panels] - BSD, blowtorch and moving past the Pokémon not effective, Pikachu talks and they move on only to meet a second Pikachu.
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:81c9e8c8-ba1d-11e3-8018-002590d77bdd 24 panels] - Refresh no new email, long fight very effective and Megan pokes it.
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:8737f5b4-ba92-11e3-8008-002590d77bdd 22 panels] - Tiles, moving past Pokémon very effective and Megan pokes it.
##[https://xkcd.com/1350/#p:7546a2c8-bcdc-11e3-801e-002590d77bdd 22 panels] - BSD, short fight, not very effective, Pikachu talks and they move on
#Sharks
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:3df213b4-ba4f-11e3-8037-002590d77bdd 22 panels] - Tiles, indirectly after launch dream and only one picture in the ocean at the end!
##[http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:30f53d98-bbb3-11e3-801c-002590d77bdd 13 panels] - BSD, longest going straight to the ocean (four images) and then reaching beach and walking on (i.e. directly without dream)
#Salesman
##[http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:39dfd484-bb01-11e3-8003-002590d77bdd 13 panels] - Tiles, hole dream, Hairy meets White Hat reaching the chart (last picture that way).
</div>
 

====Longest by starting point====
*Click to expand:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
Only the longest:
#These stupid tiles... I'll just play one more game: [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 77 panels].
#Oh. Hey. There's some kind of political thing going on: [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:718ad9a6-bc6e-11e3-800f-002590d77bdd 41 panels].
#Let's see if BSD is any easier to install nowadays: [https://xkcd.com/1350/#p:aad0a152-bae6-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 29 panels].
#Refresh... No new email... Refresh... No new tweets... Refresh...: [http://www.xkcd.com/1350/#p:81c9e8c8-ba1d-11e3-8018-002590d77bdd 24 panels].
#Hurry! We're in talks with Facebook: [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:441ba2fe-bc03-11e3-8034-002590d77bdd 13 panels] and also [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ea9342a0-bc02-11e3-8034-002590d77bdd 13 panels] but two different dreams.
#Gravity. Lots of it: [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:a069f950-bb01-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd 12 panels] (no longer among the starting options, so wont grow and this is the longest possible now!)
</div>
 

====Most unique images====
*Click to expand:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
In the longest sequences many images repeat several times.
*This record could be more interesting than just which uses most images.
*Could turn out to be the same though (no it was not - already in top 2 there was an upset!)
**Sadly this is rather tedious to check out but by saving the page and sorting other images from the remaining will only be there ones for every unique image.
Only the longest for clearly different images:
# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 48 unique images] - 77 panels.
# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:2ed958de-badf-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 35 unique images] - 36 panels (only the very first image repeated twice).
# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b9575048-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd 33 unique images] - 50 panels.
# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:452c03fc-bb16-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd 29 unique images] - 35 panels.
# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:718ad9a6-bc6e-11e3-800f-002590d77bdd 26 unique images] - 41 panels.
</div>
 

====Most actual choices====
*Click to expand:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
In the longest sequences many images has no choice but just ''a Continue''.
*While other images have two choices in one.
*This record could be more interesting than just which uses most images.
**Could turn out to be the same though (no it was not - already in top 3 there was an upset!)
*Count only the used choice, not the suggest a line in the last panel!
Only the longest for clearly different routes:
# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:ffa26ce0-bade-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 13 choices] - 77 panels.
# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:b9575048-bb47-11e3-804b-002590d77bdd 11 choices] - 50 panels.
# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:2ed958de-badf-11e3-8001-002590d77bdd 9 choices] - 36 panels and [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:88870608-bae7-11e3-8002-002590d77bdd 9 choices] - 28 panels.
# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:452c03fc-bb16-11e3-8004-002590d77bdd 8 choices] - 35 panels.
# [http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:718ad9a6-bc6e-11e3-800f-002590d77bdd 7 choices] - 41 panels.
</div>
 

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:April fools' comics]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Boomerangs]]
[[Category:BSD]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Cueball Computer Problems]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Dreams]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Sharks]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Kerbal Space Program]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]] 
[[Category:Comics with blood]]

1345: Answers

2021-01-07T23:53:57Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ didn’t make sense

{{comic
| number = 1345
| date = March 21, 2014
| title = Answers
| image = answers.png
| titletext = Stanford sleep researcher William Dement said that after 50 years of studying sleep, the only really solid explanation he knows for why we do it is 'because we get sleepy'.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] claims that humans are driven by their curiosity, which is never-ending. [[Megan]] responds by noting that everyone spends approximately eight hours per day in an unconscious state of {{w|sleep}}, but no one has yet pinned down the biological purpose of sleep. Despite this obvious mystery, most people aren't "losing sleep over it." This implies that Cueball's observed curiosity has a perceptible and proximate limit.

This is not to suggest that scientists ''aren't'' researching sleep; scientists frequently conduct {{w|Sleep study|sleep studies}} — we just haven't found any satisfactory answers yet. Some popular hypotheses are to allow the brain a period to consolidate memories and to give the body a chance to repair itself.

The title text quotes {{w|William Dement}}: people sleep "because we get sleepy." ([http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/05/sleep/max-text Secrets of sleep]). This of course is dodging the underlying issue. That this non-explanation is the best answer that a leading sleep researcher can provide, shows how little anyone knows about the subject. This may be an oblique reference to the [[:wikt:dormitive principle|dormitive principle]] of the French playwright Molière, who created a satirical character who claimed to have discovered the answer to a popular question: The reason opium makes someone sleepy, said the character, a doctor, was that it contained a "dormitive principle" (i.e., something that makes someone sleepy).

In [[203: Hallucinations]], Randall expressed similar surprise at the lack of interest in the nature of sleep.

The phrase "and nobody knows why" is commonly appended to urban legends, as in [http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/duckecho.asp A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why]. The implication is that something mysterious is going on and scientists are puzzled. [[1186: Bumblebees]] is another "nobody knows why" example.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are talking.]
:Cueball: Humans are defined by our curiosity, our hunger for answers.
:Megan: We all spend a third of our lives lying down with our eyes closed and '''''NOBODY KNOWS WHY.'''''
:Cueball: Touché.

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

1341: Types of Editors

2021-01-07T23:40:47Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ better

{{comic
| number = 1341
| date = March 12, 2014
| title = Types of Editors
| image = types_of_editors.png
| titletext = m-x machineofdeath-mode
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|WYSIWYG}}, pronounced, "wizzy-wig" IPA /ˈwɪziˌwɪg/, is an acronym that stands for "What you see is what you get". In regards to computers, it refers to text editors in which the user can see exactly what will be published as they are typing it. The comic compares various types of editors, each one a play-on-words on WYSIWYG.

*A WYSIWYG editor displays the edited document in its final form. This could be a printed paper, a web page, a PDF document, and more. This is a real term used for text editors.
*A WYSINWYG editor is the opposite; there is a distinct difference between what the editor displays, and what will be printed. Hence, what you see is ''not'' what you get. They are also known as source editors, such as a {{w|wiki markup}} editor or {{w|TeX}}. In the comic an HTML source editor is shown, where you enter raw HTML code and then presented with the rendered appearance of the final page. The <nowiki></nowiki>-tag marks text that has stress emphasis.
*The WYSITUTWYG ("... is totally unrelated to ...") editor apparently takes your input and proceeds to ignore it entirely, instead displaying totally unrelated words. Possibly a commentary on the Autocorrect function. Randall seems to have made this term up. The phrase "The HORSE is a noble animal" seems to refer to the {{w|Stereotypes of animals#Horses|stereotypes}} commonly associated with horses, or possibly to {{w|Houyhnhnm}} in ''{{w|Gulliver's Travels}}'', an extreme version of that stereotypes.
*WYSIHYD ("... is how you die") shows an "editor" which is not really an editor at all, but rather a pun on the multiple meanings of the word "get": If you ''see'' "eaten by wolves", you will ''get''... eaten by wolves. As in physically attacked and devoured by wolves. This is an example of the [[wikipedia:use-mention distinction|use-mention distinction]], or simply ''get'' meaning "to receive" or "to become" (compare German's different evolution: ''werden'' ("to become") but ''bekommen'' ("to receive")).

The title text is a fictitious command, {{w|meta key|meta}}-x machineofdeath-mode, to the highly extensible {{w|Emacs}} text editor. Emacs operates in various "modes", which are customizations for specific purposes. Placing Emacs into "Machine of Death" mode would turn it into a WYSIHYD editor. (For another fictitious emacs command see [[378: Real Programmers]]). See [[#Machine of Death book|below]] for why this was used.

===Machine of Death book===
This is a reference to "{{w|Machine of Death}}". This book from 2010 is a collection of short stories edited by amongst other {{w|Ryan North}} (of {{w|Dinosaur Comics}}) mentioned here since the idea was based on one of [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=675 his comics]. Since [[Randall Munroe]] wrote one of the stories the reference is very likely, and would be Randall's first [[:Category:Book promotion|book promotion]] in xkcd, but not the last. All the stories are based around a device, the "Machine of Death", that can predict, with 100% accuracy though generally with extreme ambiguity, how people die from a drop of their blood. In many of the stories very unusual deaths are predicted, often in a very literal way, but not so you know when or where you will die. From the [http://machineofdeath.net/ official home page] the entire book can be downloaded for free as a [http://machineofdeath.net/ebook PDF file]. (Randall's story begins on page 421 - or page 218 of the two sided PDF file. It is simply called "?"). In [[1525: Emojic 8 Ball]] the default question is ''How will I die?'' and can then be answered by an ''Emojic 8 Ball'', which would make it a type of Machine of Death.

==Transcript==
:[There are four panels, each with different headings and explanations of the headings above the panels.]

:[The first three panels shows two titled text boxes, one above the other, with text inside. This text is formated with both small and capital letters as opposed to all capital letters in the rest of the comic.]

:[Heading panel 1:]
:'''WYSIWYG'''
:What you see is
:what you get

:[Panel 1.]
:What you see:
:''Hi''
:What you get:
:''Hi''

:[Heading panel 2:]
:'''WYSINWYG'''
:What you see is
:not what you get

:[Panel 2.]
:What you see:
:<nowiki>Hi</nowiki>
:What you get:
:''Hi''

:[Heading panel 3:]
:'''WYSITUTWYG'''
:What you see is totally
:unrelated to what you get

:[Panel 3.]
:What you see:
:<nowiki>Hi</nowiki>
:What you get:
:The HORSE is a noble animal.

:[The fourth panel shows two titled text areas, the top is a black rectangle with white text in a very large font, and the bottom text area is not outlined with a border.]

:[Heading panel 4:]
:'''WYSIHYD'''
:What you see is
:how you die

:[Panel 4.]
:What you see:
:'''EATEN BY WOLVES'''
:What you get:
::Eaten by wolves

==Trivia==
*"The horse is a noble animal" is the name of a giant rocking-horse sculpture in {{w|Yorkshire}}.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Emacs]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]

2397: I Just Don't Trust Them

2020-12-17T11:04:20Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2397
| date = December 11, 2020
| title = I Just Don't Trust Them
| image = i_just_dont_trust_them.png
| titletext = I believe in getting immunity the old-fashioned way: By letting a bat virus take control of my lungs and turn my face into a disgusting plague fountain while my immune system desperately Googles 'how to make spike protein antibodies'.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.

[[Cueball]] partially echoes a statement made by {{rw|anti-vaccine}} activists about "{{rw|Big_Pharma|Big Pharma}}" (the powerful and profit-driven companies which develop pharmaceutical drugs such as vaccines). Anti-vaccine protesters falsely believe that vaccines contain harmful toxins (such as HIV proteins, {{rw|Anti-vaccination_movement#Aluminum|aluminum salts}}, formaldehyde, {{rw|Thiomersal|mercury}}, and nanoparticles) that cause ill effects on the human body, that just because there has never been a licensed mRNA vaccine before that these new vaccines are not safe in the long term, and that the corporations that make them are not to be trusted because they are exploiting a captive public for profit while disregarding public health. The joke is that Cueball is revealed to be not talking about Big Pharma but, instead, bats.

According to the WHO, COVID-19 has an ecological origin in bat populations. Hence, Cueball sees the virus as something developed by bats, and the ambiguity by which he expresses his desire to not be infected adds to the joke.

The comic could simply be seen to serve as a compelling argument against the anti-vaccine movement, which is often criticized for spreading misinformation and increasing rates of disease, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This comic comes shortly after the news of the development of several COVID-19 vaccines with high rates of success; there are concerns that herd immunity may be delayed if people refuse to take the vaccine.

The title text refers to getting immunity the old fashioned way, i.e. catching the disease and waiting for your immune system to build up a response. This is usually considered healthful when immunity to minor diseases is common, and can avoid the sudden forced evolution of new diseases among extensively hypercareful communities, but developing natural immunity is certainly incredibly dangerous during a pandemic of a serious illness. One joke here is that many anti-vaxxers claim that it is more natural to not take a vaccine. Because many people conflate "natural" with "healthful", the assumption underlying the claim "it is more natural to not take a vaccine" is that it is therefore more healthful. Such arguments are an example of the {{rw|fallacy|logical fallacy}} known as {{rw|Appeal_to_nature|Appeal to nature}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands with his arms to his sides, facing Megan.]
:Cueball: I just don't trust them, and I don't want to put something they developed into my body.

:[Caption below the panel]:
:How I feel about bats

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2397: I Just Don't Trust Them

2020-12-17T11:03:17Z

Soulcook: The companies are not people

{{comic
| number = 2397
| date = December 11, 2020
| title = I Just Don't Trust Them
| image = i_just_dont_trust_them.png
| titletext = I believe in getting immunity the old-fashioned way: By letting a bat virus take control of my lungs and turn my face into a disgusting plague fountain while my immune system desperately Googles 'how to make spike protein antibodies'.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BAT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.

[[Cueball]] partially echoes a statement made by {{rw|anti-vaccine}} activists about "{{rw|Big_Pharma|Big Pharma}}" (the powerful and profit-driven companies which develop pharmaceutical drugs such as vaccines). Anti-vaccine protesters falsely believe that vaccines contain harmful toxins (such as HIV proteins, {{rw|Anti-vaccination_movement#Aluminum|aluminum salts}}, formaldehyde, {{rw|Thiomersal|mercury}}, and nanoparticles) that cause ill effects on the human body, that just because there has never been a licensed mRNA vaccine before that these new vaccines are not safe in the long term, and that the corporations that make them are not to be trusted because they are exploiting a captive public for profit while disregarding public health. The joke is that Cueball is revealed to be not talking about Big Pharma but, instead, bats.

According to the WHO, COVID-19 has an ecological origin in bat populations. Hence, Cueball sees the virus as something developed by bats, and the ambiguity by which he expresses his desire to not be infected adds to the joke.

The comic could simply be seen to serve as a compelling argument against the anti-vaccine movement, which is often criticized for spreading misinformation and increasing rates of disease, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This comic comes shortly after the news of the development of several COVID-19 vaccines with high rates of success; there are concerns that herd immunity may be delayed if people refuse to take the vaccine.

The title text refers to getting immunity the old fashioned way, i.e. catching the disease and waiting for your immune system to build up a response. This is usually considered healthful when immunity to minor diseases is common, and can avoid the sudden forced evolution of new diseases among extensively hypercareful communities, but developing natural immunity is certainly incredibly dangerous during a pandemic of a serious illness. One joke here is that many anti-vaxxers claim that it is more natural to not take a vaccine. Because many people conflate "natural" with "healthful", the assumption underlying the claim "it is more natural to not take a vaccine" is that it is therefore more healthful. Such arguments are an example of the {{rw|fallacy|logical fallacy}} known as {{rw|Appeal_to_nature|Appeal to nature}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands with his arms to his sides, facing Megan.]
:Cueball: I just don't trust them, and I don't want to put something they developed into my body.

:[Caption below the panel]:
:How I feel about bats

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2236: Is it Christmas?

2020-11-26T10:08:42Z

Soulcook: Didn’t make sense

{{comic
| number = 2236
| date = December 2, 2019
| title = Is it Christmas?
| image = is_it_christmas.png
| titletext = We've tested it on 30 different days and it hasn't gotten one wrong yet.
}}

==Explanation==
https://isitchristmas.com/ is a popular simplistic website that informs the visitor whether or not it's {{w|Christmas}}. Christmas is a holiday observed in many parts of the world on December 25 of each year. At the top on the tab of the site in the browser it says "Is it Christmas?" with a large '''NO''' printed if it is not December 25, and a '''YES''' if it is December 25. This website asks the user's browser for the date, and updates accordingly if it is indeed Christmas. In addition, isitchristmas.com gives the answer in the language of your region (i.e. for a visitor from Canada, the site gives the answer in English and French to account for Canada's bilingularity, and in most other countries just their word for No will be shown). Since the page uses the browsing computer's time setting, it is possible to easily check that the page works by changing the date on the computer used to access the page to see the text change to Yes if you are reading it on December 25. This also means that the page is only as correct as the time setting on the computer used to view the page (so in case of connection problems, you may check your computer's calendar instead).

Here [[Randall]] spoofs the website. He claims to have made a competitor to isitchristmas.com which nearly always correctly tells if it is Christmas. The joke is that the comic will always display a static image reading '''NO''', even on Christmas Day, and that the rare incorrect answer is rare enough to not cause any concern.

Randall lists a rounded calculation of 99.73% for the precision of his prediction of whether or not it is Christmas. This number is accurate with or without including leap year. An average year is 365.24 days, meaning that he is only wrong 1 out of 365.24 days. So only 1/365.24 ≈ 0.2738% of the days would the prediction be wrong, resulting in a correct reply rate of 99.726%, which he has rounded to 99.73%. Using or not using the leap year will give the same result to three decimal places.

This precision rate is only true for a definition of Christmas which lasts only one day, regardless of which day that is (see trivia). For any definition of more than one day of Christmas, the error rate would be higher than 0.2737%. (If one considered the traditional {{w|Twelve Days of Christmas}} to all be Christmas, then Randall's website would be wrong on all 12 days, or 3.29% of the year.) However, in the US, where [[Randall]] lives, Christmas is usually defined as the single day of December 25th.

Although Randall's claim on {{w|Accuracy and precision#In binary classification|accuracy}} is true, accuracy alone doesn't make a predictive device useful. In this case, the page {{w|False positives and false_negatives#false negative rate|miss rate}} or false negative rate, that is, the percent of positive condition days (it's Christmas) that are predicted by the comic not to be Christmas, is 100%. In other words, it misses all actual events of Christmas.

When building a model for rare events, a common mistake is to ignore the implicit cost function built into the standard prediction accuracy validity statistic for binary events. Prediction accuracy (# correct guesses/total guesses) assumes that false positives and false negatives are equally bad. Given the implicit cost function of this performance statistic, the best-performing model is commonly a persistence forecast model--i.e., the optimal prediction model returns the most common value whatever the model inputs are. It's probably a better choice to optimize a model using a performance statistic which relies on a cost function that penalizes missing correct prediction of rare events more than it penalizes missing correct prediction of common events.

In fact, in most settings where a single outcome is a lot more common than any other one, predicting always that most common outcome would yield very high accuracy without any usefulness. It isn't hard to find examples even more accurate than Randall's:

* A useless test for AIDS giving always negative results would have an accuracy about 99.95% when applied to a random human, and even more if used in countries with low prevalence of AIDS.
* A website saying "You are not the cartoonist Randall Munroe" would be right for 99.9999999857% of humans.
* [https://knowyourphrase.com/even-a-broken-clock-is-right-twice A stopped watch is accurate twice a day] while a running watch is almost never accurate (and oddly, is more frequently correct the faster/slower it runs). A watch that runs backwards is right 4 times a day. If you make it spin at thousands of rpm it is right multiple times per second. (A better metric would be something like the root mean square of the time error -- it's acceptable for a watch to be a little off, as long as it's not off by too much.)

The title text is a "proof" that his service works. He claims to have tested this on 30 different days and confirmed that NO is the correct result. Any date except Christmas would result in a correct result, and the comic was the first to be released in December 2019, so unless the test had run for almost a year, he would not even have had a chance to test this on Christmas Day. Since this is a joke, the comic will of course not change to Yes on Christmas Day, because then it would be 100% accurate, as is the page the comic mocks.

Being right on most days, but not the one that mattered was also the subject of [[937: TornadoGuard]].

At the same time this Christmas comic came out, the [[xkcd Header text]] was [[xkcd_Header_text#2019-12-02_-_Into_Science|changed]] to ask if there were someone that would like Randall's new book ''[[How To]]'' as a Christmas present.

==Transcript==
:'''<big><big><big>{{#ifeq:{{CURRENTDAY}}|25|{{#ifeq:{{CURRENTMONTH}}|12|Yes|No}}|No}}*</big></big></big>'''
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>99.73% accurate

:[Caption below the panel:]
:xkcd.com presents a new "Is It Christmas" service to compete with isitchristmas.com

==Trivia==
*Randall usually makes [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comics]] around Christmas Day, but this year he has made two comics mentioning Christmas already by the 2nd of December 2019.
**The first came two comics before this with [[2234: How To Deliver Christmas Presents]].
**Only two times before has there been released any Christmas related comics so close to Christmas without being released in the few days around Christmas Day (22-26 of December). See the explanation for Christmas comics.
*The calendar used by most of the world for civil purposes is the Gregorian calendar, instituted by Pope Gregory XIII of the Roman Catholic Church in 1582. However, most Eastern Orthodox churches continue to use the Julian calendar for the purpose of their holidays; December 25th in the Julian calendar is January 7th in the Gregorian calendar for years between 1900 and 2100, so that is the civil date when those countries observe Christmas. The author of isitchristmas.com is [https://github.com/isitchristmas/web/issues/67#issuecomment-29585160 aware that this is the case], but has chosen to recognize a single date (December 25th in the Gregorian calendar) as Christmas for the sake of simplicity.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Christmas]]

2228: Machine Learning Captcha

2020-11-26T09:14:56Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ is explainxkcd a spambot?

{{comic
| number = 2228
| date = November 13, 2019
| title = Machine Learning Captcha
| image = machine_learning_captcha.png
| titletext = More likely: Click on all the pictures of people who appear disloyal to [name of company or government]
}}

==Explanation==

Many websites (including explainxkcd) have difficulties with spambots, which are automated entities created in order to log onto a website and spam or otherwise wreak havoc upon it. To guard against this eventuality, websites have implemented {{w|CAPTCHA}}s, a challenge used to prove the user is a human and not an automated program. A typical CAPTCHA might distort a random sequence of letters and numbers and put it in a strange and/or mixed font and ask a user to type it, or it might show a set of pictures and ask the user which ones contain fire hydrants; these tasks are meant to be easy for humans but obscenely difficult for computers. [[:Category:CAPTCHA|CAPTCHAs]] are a recurring theme on xkcd.

CAPTCHAs run by Google are also used to train artificial intelligences to get better at these difficult tasks, such as reading poorly-scanned text or identifying objects of interest on the road (the latter being the subject of [[1897: Self Driving]]).

This comic jokes about a malicious CAPTCHA which is being used to train an AI to dominate the world. In order to prevent people from taking shelter, the AI uses the CAPTCHA to ask humans like Cueball to tell it places where they would hide. The implication is that during a robot uprising, the AI, on the side of the robots, would then be able to track down humans much more easily. The choices presented are (left to right, top to bottom):

;House
:Sometimes, the best (or least-worst) response to a disaster is to "shelter in place" until the danger is passed, rather than risk getting caught in the open or in traffic. This is commonly advised in response to biological, chemical, or radiological hazards, or in the case of a violent act committed in the community. If the robot uprising is localized, then sheltering at home would be a fine response, because traveling to the other locations would increase the risk of being spotted and attacked by self-driving cars or aerial drones. On the other hand, most homes contain a multitude of internet-connected devices, some of which may control vital electrical or heating systems, so if the robot uprising is widespread, then the home would not be a safe shelter.
;Tree or forest
:If there is a robot uprising, then traveling to a forest or other nature reserve, far away from developed cities and towns, would reduce the risk of being near a hostile piece of technology. However, it also comes with limited resources for sustaining human life, unless the forest abuts meadows or farmland.
;Bunker or bomb shelter
:If the robot uprising includes the use of weapons of mass destruction (as in the ''{{w|Terminator (franchise)|Terminator}}'' franchise, or as was threatened in ''{{w|WarGames}}''), then only a hardened military structure is likely to survive.
;Car
:Cars offer some shelter and, more importantly, mobility in one convenient package. Most families own at least one, and they are widespread in human-occupied areas, so even if the car is not as suitable as a long-term shelter (depending on how the road and gasoline/power networks survive the uprising) it makes a fine first step in evacuating to a more permanent hiding place. This is of course assuming that the car is not self-driving and that hostile self-driving cars are not widespread.
;City
:Cities offer thorough selections of supplies and tools that may be harder to come by in more rural areas, but they are also home to lots of robots and automated systems that may participate in the uprising, not to mention humans who may be prime targets for the machines. It may be necessary to visit the city to stock up on supplies in a post-apocalyptic scenario, but in the early stages of a robot uprising, it is best to leave them as quickly as possible.
;Sidewalk
:The sidewalk is exposed and presumably falls within a built-up area that is readily accessible to the machines; it is not at all suitable as shelter.
;Lean-to
:The log with a board leaning on it is an example of an improvised shelter. Such a shelter could be constructed anywhere with local materials, and would not be marked on any map known to the robots, which are both positives for surviving the onset of the uprising. However, it is lacking in insulation and protection, which makes it less suitable for longer stays.
;Mailbox
:Only a very young infant could fit in this mailbox. This is not a viable shelter.
;A hole in the ground
:Like the improvised shelter, this option can be made almost anywhere and is easy to camouflage, and it offers additional insulation from weather and weapons of mass destruction. It's a fine option if you happen to already have one or know where to find one, but it will be difficult to create a suitable one after the uprising begins.

Some of these choices may be {{tvtropes|CowTools|Cow Tools}}, that is, presented not as serious options but to be funny because they are nonsensical.

The title text imagines a different malicious CAPTCHA which Randall says is "more likely" than the robot-uprising scenario, in which a company or government asks users to identify "disloyal" members of society. Presumably the company or government would then use this information to eliminate such "disloyal" members, either by firing them (company) or jailing, expelling, or executing them (government). This follows a theme of previous comic strips (e.g. [[1968: Robot Future]]) in which Randall expresses that he is more concerned about humans using AI for evil ends than he is about AI being evil in itself.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in an office chair at his desk with one hand in his lap and the other poised over the keyboard of his computer. A zigzag line is drawn from a starburst on the computer screen going above the computer to where it is shown what is displayed on the screen. At the top there is the following text:]
:Computer: To prove you're a human, click on all the photos that show places you would run for shelter during a robot uprising.

:[Below the text there are nine images arranged in a 3 by 3 square. In reading order they are: A house, possibly with an open carport; a large tree with two trees in the background; a bunker/bomb shelter; a car; a city skyline with several sky scrapers; a sidewalk with road on the left, grass on the right; a log with a board leaning up on the log; a mailbox; and a hole in the ground.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:CAPTCHA]]
[[Category:Politics]]

754: Dependencies

2020-11-05T23:54:21Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ that’s not actually what dependency means

{{comic
| number = 754
| date = June 16, 2010
| title = Dependencies
| image = dependencies.png
| titletext = The prereqs for CPSC 357, the class on package management, are CPSC 432, CPSC 357, and glibc2.5 or later.
}}

==Explanation==
A compiler is a program that converts code written in a high-level programming language into an executable program. A section of code is said to be dependent on a second segment of code if the second segment is required for the first segment to work. Dependency resolution is part of compiler design, and is the study of determining and correcting dependencies which result in an unwanted, ambiguous, or impossible definition of the dependent section. Requiring that an action occurs if and only if the action has already occurred, like the prerequisite in this comic, is one type of potentially unwanted dependency.

The comic envisions a college computer science course (CPSC432) focusing on "compiler design with dependency resolution" which has itself as a prerequisite. The joke is that the prerequisite is an unresolved dependency, as you must complete this course before you can enroll in it, a phenomenon called {{w|Catch-22 (logic)|Catch-22}}.

This dependency would send a poorly designed compiler into an infinite loop. In real life, the problem is solved by allowing an object to satisfy itself as a prerequisite. This stops the compiler's infinite loop, but may not produce the desired functionality in the program. Another layer of the joke may be that any student who successfully enrolls in the class already knows this solution because they must have employed it in order to get past the apparent infinite recursion in the class prerequisites.

Managing dependencies is useful in other areas of computer science, e.g. {{w|package management}}. Collections of files are known as "packages". A software package might require that a particular operating system patch (a type of package) be installed first. That package might in turn require other packages be installed, and so on. Therefore, a package installer must know the dependencies of a package, and be able to figure out whether any required packages are missing before continuing with the installation.

The title text envisions a course on package management which has itself as a prerequisite, as well as the compiler design course with the impossible prerequisite presented in the main comic (CPSC 432), and glibc2.5 or greater. By looking at the course number it can be observed that CPSC 432 is a fourth year course, and this package management course (CPSC 357) is a third year course. Glibc is a commonly used package on Unix systems, and therefore should be taught in the course. This continues the joke since this course has the following unresolved dependencies:
*Requiring that the course be a prerequisite to itself (CPSC 357).
*Requiring that a course with an unresolved dependency (CPSC 432) be a prerequisite, as CPSC 432 can not be taken.
*Requiring that a fourth year course (CPSC 432) be a prerequisite to a third year course (CPSC 357), as the student should be in their fourth year while taking CPSC 432, and should be in their third year while taking CPSC 357. This is analogous to a lower-numbered package requiring a higher-numbered package.
*Requiring that the student knows part or all of the course material (glibc2.5 or greater) before taking the course, as the student is supposed to learn this information from the course.

==Transcript==
:[A portion of a page from an imaginary course catalog.]
:Page 3

:[A table with four columns]

:;Department
::Computer Science

:;Course
::CPSC 432

:;Description
::Intermediate compiler design, with a focus on dependency resolution.

:;Prereqs
::CPSC 432

:[The very top of the text for the next course in the table is visible but unreadable.]

==Trivia==
The letter code "CPSC" is the letter code Christopher Newport University, [[Randall]]'s alma mater, uses for Computer Science.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Recursion]]

754: Dependencies

2020-11-05T23:50:36Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ if it’s not a high-level language, it’s not a compiler

{{comic
| number = 754
| date = June 16, 2010
| title = Dependencies
| image = dependencies.png
| titletext = The prereqs for CPSC 357, the class on package management, are CPSC 432, CPSC 357, and glibc2.5 or later.
}}

==Explanation==
A compiler is a program that converts code written in a high-level programming language into an executable program. A section of code is said to be dependent on a second segment of code if the results of the first segment are potentially impacted by the second segment. Dependency resolution is part of compiler design, and is the study of determining and correcting dependencies which result in an unwanted, ambiguous, or impossible definition of the dependent section. Requiring that an action occurs if and only if the action has already occurred, like the prerequisite in this comic, is one type of potentially unwanted dependency.

The comic envisions a college computer science course (CPSC432) focusing on "compiler design with dependency resolution" which has itself as a prerequisite. The joke is that the prerequisite is an unresolved dependency, as you must complete this course before you can enroll in it, a phenomenon called {{w|Catch-22 (logic)|Catch-22}}.

This dependency would send a poorly designed compiler into an infinite loop. In real life, the problem is solved by allowing an object to satisfy itself as a prerequisite. This stops the compiler's infinite loop, but may not produce the desired functionality in the program. Another layer of the joke may be that any student who successfully enrolls in the class already knows this solution because they must have employed it in order to get past the apparent infinite recursion in the class prerequisites.

Managing dependencies is useful in other areas of computer science, e.g. {{w|package management}}. Collections of files are known as "packages". A software package might require that a particular operating system patch (a type of package) be installed first. That package might in turn require other packages be installed, and so on. Therefore, a package installer must know the dependencies of a package, and be able to figure out whether any required packages are missing before continuing with the installation.

The title text envisions a course on package management which has itself as a prerequisite, as well as the compiler design course with the impossible prerequisite presented in the main comic (CPSC 432), and glibc2.5 or greater. By looking at the course number it can be observed that CPSC 432 is a fourth year course, and this package management course (CPSC 357) is a third year course. Glibc is a commonly used package on Unix systems, and therefore should be taught in the course. This continues the joke since this course has the following unresolved dependencies:
*Requiring that the course be a prerequisite to itself (CPSC 357).
*Requiring that a course with an unresolved dependency (CPSC 432) be a prerequisite, as CPSC 432 can not be taken.
*Requiring that a fourth year course (CPSC 432) be a prerequisite to a third year course (CPSC 357), as the student should be in their fourth year while taking CPSC 432, and should be in their third year while taking CPSC 357. This is analogous to a lower-numbered package requiring a higher-numbered package.
*Requiring that the student knows part or all of the course material (glibc2.5 or greater) before taking the course, as the student is supposed to learn this information from the course.

==Transcript==
:[A portion of a page from an imaginary course catalog.]
:Page 3

:[A table with four columns]

:;Department
::Computer Science

:;Course
::CPSC 432

:;Description
::Intermediate compiler design, with a focus on dependency resolution.

:;Prereqs
::CPSC 432

:[The very top of the text for the next course in the table is visible but unreadable.]

==Trivia==
The letter code "CPSC" is the letter code Christopher Newport University, [[Randall]]'s alma mater, uses for Computer Science.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Recursion]]

739: Malamanteau

2020-11-05T23:25:56Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ didn’t make sense

{{comic
| number = 739
| date = May 12, 2010
| title = Malamanteau
| image = malamanteau.png
| titletext = The article has twenty-three citations, one of which is an obscure manuscript from the 1490s and the other twenty-two are arguments on LanguageLog.
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|malapropism}} is the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical utterance. An example of a {{w|malapropism}} is {{w|Yogi Berra}}'s statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes". A {{w|portmanteau}} is a word made up of two or more combined words. For example, motel is a portmanteau, from the words motor and hotel. A {{w|neologism}} is simply a newly coined word that is not yet in common use.

Here, Randall shows a hypothetical Wikipedia page of the word "malamanteau" which is both a portmanteau of "malapropism" and "portmanteau" and a neologism. The method used to create this new word is one of the very words used in the process. This is called a [[917|meta]] or "self-referential" joke.

"Malamanteau" was originally coined in 2007, when it was proposed by user [http://www.metafilter.com/user/17900 ludwig_van] on [http://www.metafilter.com Metafilter] as a term for language errors like "flustrated" (flustered & frustrated) and "misconscrewed" (misconstrued & screwed).

The bottom line of the comic (Ever notice how Wikipedia has a few words it ''really'' likes?) is a reference to a large number of Wikipedia pages that start by labeling their subject matter as a malapropism, a portmanteau, or a neologism.

In response to this comic, editors at Wikipedia created a {{w|malamanteau}} page. It was deleted multiple times and eventually turned into a redirect to the Wikipedia page for {{w|xkcd}}. Malamanteau and the controversy at Wikipedia got coverage at ''The Economist'' and ''The Boston Globe''.

The title text refers to Wikipedia's requirements of citations for a page on there to exist. It also refers to the wide range of places citations can be obtained from, showing a direct opposition due to the use of very different citations (The Language Log arguments are modern and informal, whereas the obscure manuscript is formal and much older). The title text also refers to the fact that [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/ Language Log] is frequently used for Wikipedia citations.

Language Log is a blog that posts content relating to language and linguistics, including things like malapropisms and portmanteaus. While an informal source, it has produced new linguistic terms before, such as {{w|eggcorn}}. Its comments sections frequently contain discussions and arguments about English, whose participants are probably the same people who write Wikipedia articles about linguistic phenomena like malamanteaus. In actual fact, [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2758 Malamanteau] did not appear on Language Log until after this strip. Malamanteau has since been referenced on the Language Log website, with a link to the comic in question. Language Log has referenced xkcd many times before, reposting the comics and linking to the xkcd website.

The title text jokingly refers to the "malamanteau" citations being Language Log references and a document from the 1490s, in reference to the fact that linguists, like those who post on Language Log, often use old documents as evidence, possibly to prove that construction is a longstanding feature of the language. The joke is that the only references to this word or concept are a 500-year-old document and linguists informally arguing about what it means. In reality, if these citations were the only evidence of the term's use, then it would be unlikely to be a notable feature worthy of a Wikipedia article. Most articles that are only cited by a single website tend to get deleted unless the subject has achieved significant coverage in outside news media.

==Transcript==
:[The strip is set up as the top of a Wikipedia page.]
:[The Wikipedia logo.]
:Wikipedia
:The free encyclopedia
:[Side navigation options.]
:Navigation
:-Main Page
:-Contents
:-Featured Content
:-Current Events
:[Wikipedia header options.]
:Article Discussion Edit this page History
:[The article itself.]
:Malamanteau
:From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
:A malamanteau is a neologism for a portmanteau created by incorrectly combining a malapropism with a neologism. It is itself a portmanteau of [...the article cuts off.]
:[Below the panel.]
:Ever notice how Wikipedia has a few words it ''really'' likes?

==External links==
*[http://wiki.xkcd.com/irc/Malamanteau Malamanteau] at the xkcd wiki
*[http://malamanteaus.blogspot.com/ Malamanteaus], a blog dedicated to the creation and proliferation of malamanteaux
*[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Malamanteau Malamanteau] at urbandictionary.com
*[http://wordsquirt.com/Word/View/Malamanteau/dbb34d48-e565-4012-bcc8-56718f351712 Malamanteau] at wordsquirt.com
*[http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/index.php?s=malamanteau Entries referencing "malamanteau"] at LanguageLog.com
*Malamanteau Talk Page Archives {{w|Talk:Malamanteau/Archive 1|1}} and {{w|Talk:Malamanteau/Archive 2|2}} at Wikipedia.com
*{{w|Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Malamanteau}}
*{{w|File:Malamanteau page history.jpg|Screen capture}} of the deleted history for the "Malamanteau" page from Wikipedia
*[//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log&page=Malamanteau Wikipedia Log for "Malamanteau"]
*Beutler, William (May 5, 2010) "[http://thewikipedian.net/2010/05/18/much-ado-about-malamanteau/ Much Ado About Malamanteau]". ''The Wikipedian''
*McKean, Erin (May 30, 2010) "[http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/05/30/one_day_wonder/ One Day Wonder]". ''The Boston Globe''
*R.L.G (Nov 4th 2010) "[http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2010/11/neologisms Eggcorn, mashup, malamanteau or other?]". ''The Economonist''
*July 17, 2007 "[http://ask.metafilter.com/67192/How-to-define-this-language-mistake How to define this language mistake?]" - MetaFilter thread with the first usage

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:CC-BY-SA comics]]
[[Category:Portmanteau‏‎]]

713: GeoIP

2020-11-02T19:32:54Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */ “termed”?

{{comic
| number = 713
| date = March 12, 2010
| title = GeoIP
| image = geoip.png
| titletext = 'Meet hot young singles in your mom's basement today'? Man, screw you, GeoIP.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Geolocation|GeoIP}} is a service that converts IP addresses to their respective location on the Earth. This is done by looking up the IP address in a database maintained by various internet service providers. Advertisers often take advantage of the {{w|Keeping up with the Joneses|Joneses effect}} by creating localized ads which misleadingly appear to be specific to your location, but are often simply stock photographs with the name of the nearest town superimposed on top.

The comic satirizes this phenomenon. The {{w|International Space Station}} (ISS) has a high speed data downlink, but no direct connection to the internet. But here, [[Cueball]] trolls the advertisers from on board the ISS, by inserting his actual location on {{w|low Earth orbit}} into the database under that IP address. He proudly presents his result to [[Ponytail]] where the advertisements claim that there are "local girls" in low Earth orbit; a distance of roughly 420 kilometers above the Earth surface, and thus at least that far away from all other girls in the world if they are not on the space station (or a nearby spacecraft, such as one bringing supplies to the space station).

The title text shows GeoIP has become so accurate that it can now pinpoint the user's location to his Mom's basement. In United States, an adult living with his parents is considered shameful for that person, since it means that the adult does not have a job and cannot support himself. The ads are typically of the form -- "Meet hot young singles in <user's location>" where the <user's location> part is filled in from GeoIP. In this case, the GeoIP is so accurate that it not just identifies that user is in his parents' house, but it also pinpoints the location that he's hiding in the basement, perhaps because he does not want to be seen by people visiting his parents. Thus GeoIP is unknowingly shaming the user by reminding him that he is in his mom's basement, and hence the "Screw you" response. However, this would also prove the false nature of these advertisements, as the user is unlikely to have not noticed any hot young singles currently sharing his mom's basement.

==Transcript==
:[External view of a the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting the blue Earth below, shown with white clouds as stripes below and black sky above. Dialog, written in white on the black sky, comes from within the ISS.]
:Cueball (inside the ISS): ''Yes!''
:Ponytail (inside the ISS): What?
:Cueball (inside the ISS): I got our downlink into a GeoIP database.

:[Internal view of the satellite, Cueball and Ponytail are floating weightlessly around, Cueball is at a laptop style computer mounted to the wall. They are in a white room, with black around, but due to being weightless in space, the room is turned on edge as to not give any semblance of a given up/down direction.]
:Ponytail: Why?
:Cueball: To mess with advertisers. Check it out.

:[A zoom in on the computer screen is shown, it shows an ad on a pink background. The ad has a heading and then shows two photos of long haired girls in sexy poses each with captions below and a labeled button at the bottom. The location (as messed up by Cueball) is written in gray, the rest of the text is in black, to indicate that this part of the text has been inserted in the ad based on the location.]
:Meet local girls in
:Low Earth Orbit
:tonight!
:Tanya, 18
:Amber, 19
:Chat live

{{Comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]

705: Devotion to Duty

2020-10-29T15:08:27Z

Soulcook: Grammar

{{comic
| number = 705
| date = February 22, 2010
| title = Devotion to Duty
| image = devotion_to_duty.png
| titletext = The weird sense of duty really good sysadmins have can border on the sociopathic, but it's nice to know that it stands between the forces of darkness and your cat blog's servers.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, we see a man talking on a phone. We are unsure of his aims (terrorism, robbery, etc.) but he has taken hostages and cut all links to the outside world, in order to control the situation and prevent the police from observing the interior of the building (as popularly depicted in film and television). Initially the villains seem to have everything under their control, but then the hostage-taker explains on the phone that someone has entered the building, climbed the air vents to bypass their cordon, effortlessly killing other hostage-takers (who are likely hardened killers with weaponry) on his way to the server room and then ignored the hostages, preferring instead to reconnect the servers to the outside world. The hostage-taker is evidently puzzled by this and explains it to the person on the other end of the phone, who immediately recognizes the reason: the man that entered the building is a sysadmin (short for {{w|System administrator}}), and he is concerned that his servers are losing uptime (time spent running or connected to the internet). This evidently concerns the man on the phone, who knows that a good sysadmin is an unstoppable force once started!

This comic is a reference to one of two things (or both): the Hollywood depiction of heroes able to perform superhuman feats in tricky situations (such as John McClane in ''{{w|Die Hard}}'', which the first two panels are a deliberate reference to), or the duty that people impose upon themselves to go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that they carry out their work (in this case a dutiful sysadmin, concerned for those trying to use his server).

The title text is a simple joke about the fact that the sysadmin will crawl through broken glass and defeat criminals/terrorists (forces of darkness) just so a cat blog (where owners write about their cats) can stay up. This creates a humourous contrast between the seriousness with which large websites treat issues like uptime and business continuity, and the often mundane and banal uses people actually have for them.

A sysadmin is also mentioned in the title text of [[309: Shopping Teams]].

==Transcript==
:[Bearded criminal is holding a pistol and talking on a mobile phone.]
:Criminal: We took the hostages, secured the building and cut the communication lines like you said.
:Phone: Excellent.

:[Still talking on the phone, waving gun around in the air animatedly.]
:Criminal: But then this guy climbed up the ventilation ducts and walked across broken glass, killing anyone we sent to stop him.

:Phone: And he rescued the hostages?

:[Criminal looking confused and defeated, shoulders hunched and pistol hanging limply at his side.]
:Criminal: No, he ignored them. He just reconnected the cables we cut, muttering something about "uptime".
:Phone: Shit, we're dealing with a ''sysadmin''.

==Trivia==
This comic was made into [http://store.xkcd.com/collections/apparel/products/sysadmin a shirt] in the xkcd store, which includes a new illustration on the back.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]

704: Principle of Explosion

2020-10-29T15:05:50Z

Soulcook: More accurate summary of the principle of explosion

{{comic
| number = 704
| date = February 19, 2010
| title = Principle of Explosion
| image = principle_of_explosion.png
| titletext = You want me to pick up waffle cones? Oh, right, for the wine. One sec, let me just derive your son's credit card number and I'll be on my way.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball|Cueball's]] friend (who also looks like Cueball) explains the {{w|principle of explosion}}, a classical theorem of logic, which shows that if within a system of logic you can use the axioms and rules of deduction to derive (prove) a contradiction, it then becomes possible to derive any statement at all within that system (whether it’s actually true or not). In particular, if you start by assuming a self-contradictory statement, you can derive anything.

Cueball then proceeds to misinterpret (perhaps intentionally) that you can derive any ''fact'' about the physical world. His formula of {{w|propositional logic}} in the third panel reads "'''P''' and not '''P'''", where '''∧''' is the formal logic symbol for "and" and '''¬''' is the symbol for "not". '''P''' stands for a proposition. As "'''P''' and not '''P'''" is shorthand for "'''P''' is both true and false", this forms a contradiction from which the principle of explosion can begin. Humorously and to his friend's bewilderment he then successfully manages to 'derive' the phone number for his friend's mom.

:'''An example from math''': If you assume that √2 is a rational number, you can 'prove' things that are obviously false, such as the fact that some numbers must be both even and odd. Consequently, you can draw the conclusion that √2 must be an irrational number (provided such a thing exists at all! - luckily, it does and obeys the same calculation rules as for rational numbers; this is how {{w|proof by contradiction}} works.)

:This can be seen in a {{w|Truth Table}}:
:{| class="wikitable"
|-
! P
! ¬P
! P ∧ ¬P
! P ∧ ¬P ⇒ Q
|-
| T
| F
| F
| T
|-
| F
| T
| F
| T
|}

:The formula P ∧ ¬P ⇒ Q is true in every possible interpretation. No matter what propositions are substituted for P and Q the implication is true. So if a single example of a contradiction were found, then every proposition would be true, (and simultaneously false).

After deriving the phone number Cueball instantly calls his friend's mom, who turns out to be [[Miss Lenhart|Mrs. Lenhart]]. She asks Cueball out, without any preamble, to his friend's vexation. It does not get better when it is obvious that she wishes to drink "cheap" {{w|boxed wine}} with him, and Cueball is free tonight! There is definitely a hint of {{w|Mrs. Robinson}} over Mrs. Lenhart here.

In the title text we hear more of Cueball's (one-sided) conversation with Mrs. Lenhart. She asks him to pick up waffle cones, a variety of {{w|ice cream cone}}. And when he sounds bewildered by this she explains that it is for drinking the wine. This is probably not a very good idea, since waffles are typically not water proof and would also dissolve into the wine. But it could also be considered kinky; something Mrs. Lenhart's son would not like to hear about. The rest of the title text is just more of the main comic's derivation joke, since Cueball will use a second to derive her son's credit card number, so he can buy the cones at his expense.

In reality, Cueball really could start with the principle of explosion and "prove" a statement such as "Mrs. Lenhart's phone number is {{w|867-5309}}", but the same could be said of any conceivable phone number, most of which don't actually belong to Mrs. Lenhart, and because his axiom system is inconsistent, he has no way of knowing which is correct. Likewise for his friend's credit card number. Much like {{w|The Library of Babel}}, an axiom system which can prove ''any'' statement might as well prove nothing. Perhaps Cueball already knows these phone and credit card numbers, and is just talking about the principal of explosion to mess with his friend.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball's Cueball-like friend is talking to him.]
:Friend: If you assume contradictory axioms, you can derive anything. It's called the principle of explosion.
:Cueball: ''Anything?'' Lemme try.

:[Cueball is writing on a piece of paper on a desk.]

:[Cueball is holding up a piece of paper to his friend, while holding a phone.]
:Cueball: Hey, you're right! I started with '''P∧¬P''' and derived your mom's phone number!
:Friend: That's not how that works.

:[The friend is looking at the piece of paper, while Cueball is talking to someone on a phone. The desk from before can be seen to the right.]
:Cueball: Mrs. Lenhart?
:Friend: Wait, this ''is'' her number! How—
:Cueball: Hi, I'm a friend of— Why, yes, I ''am'' free tonight!
:Friend: ''Mom!''
:Cueball: No, box wine sounds lovely!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]

702: Snow Tracking

2020-10-29T14:50:54Z

Soulcook: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 702
| date = February 15, 2010
| title = Snow Tracking
| image = snow_tracking.png
| titletext = I suppose that's more accurately a hare dryer.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a guide to recognizing various animals by their footprints. However, the comic typically detours into strange, ridiculous or pop-culture-referencing footprints. In order:

*The first panel is nothing special. Just a regular cat.
*"Moose and squirrel" is a reference to the cartoon ''{{w|Rocky and Bullwinkle}}''. Rocky and Bullwinkle were a flying squirrel and a moose, respectively, and were frequently referred to as "moose and squirrel" by the show's antagonist Boris Badenov.
*[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/longcat Longcat] is an internet {{w|meme}} from pictures of cats all stretched out that make them look very tall (or long).
*"Mouse riding Bicycle" is a reference to ''{{w|Ralph S. Mouse}}'', a series of novels by {{w|Beverly Cleary}}.
*The hair dryer has melted an irregular region around the rabbit. The title text is a pun on the Rabbit with a hair dryer frame, possibly an homage to {{w|Looney Tunes}}, where shows with {{w|Bugs Bunny}} would often contain a pun on "hare".
*{{w|Legolas}} is a reference to the character by the same name in the ''{{w|Lord of the Rings}}'' trilogy of books and movies. Legolas, as an elf, was able to walk on top of snow, while the other races in his party were forced to trudge through it.
*The "Bobcat on pogo stick" panel is a possible reference to the character Bonkers D. Bobcat from {{w|Bonkers (TV series)}}
*The "Knight" panel is a {{w|chess}} reference, as the tracks move just like the knight piece in chess.
*The "kid with..." panels are a reference to ''{{w|Calvin and Hobbes}}'', a comic strip written by Bill Watterson. In it, Calvin has a pet tiger named Hobbes, and sometimes, a cardboard box that "transmogrifies" him to something else. In this panel we see tiger prints, meaning that Calvin became a tiger like Hobbes.
*The same cardboard box is now tipped on its side instead of upside down in the last panel. Now it functions as a duplicator, making multiple copies of whatever is in it. Calvin goes into it, duplicates himself, and they walk and duplicate again, and the cycle repeats.
*{{w|Prius}} is a reference to current events in which Toyota Prius's pedals have allegedly malfunctioned causing accidents. [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/global/04prius.html]
*The {{w|Higgs Boson}} is an {{w|elementary particle}} which, at the time this strip was posted, had not yet been officially discovered (there had been detections at the Tevatron with 4 sigma certainty since the early 2000s). It was tentatively detected in March 2013 in the {{w|Large Hadron Collider}}. The “prints” in the snow in this case humorously resemble the tracks made by elementary particles following a collision of the kind used to search for the Higgs boson in a {{w|particle collider}}.

==Transcript==
:BACKYARD SNOW TRACKING GUIDE

:[Each panel contains an overhead view of tracks through the snow, with a caption indicating the apparent source.]

:[Standard paw prints through the snow.]
:CAT

:[Large split-toe tracks and smaller rodent tracks.]
:MOOSE AND SQUIRREL

:[Cat prints, but with more space between the pairs of prints.]
:LONGCAT

:[Two similar careening tire tracks.]
:MOUSE RIDING BICYCLE

:[Longer rodent tracks, with a large melted ring surrounding a point in the middle of the frame.]
:RABBIT STOPPING TO USE HAIR DRYER

:[No visible tracks.]
:LEGOLAS

:[Single deep holes with cratering.]
:BOBCAT ON POGO STICK

:[Round prints that suddenly turn to the right halfway into frame.]
:KNIGHT

:[Human footprints up to a square melting pattern, turning into animal prints.]
:KID WITH TRANSMOGRIFIER

:[Human footprints up to a rectangular melted area, which are then doubled to another rectangular area, which are then doubled again up to another rectangular area, which are then doubled.]
:KID WITH DUPLICATOR

:[Right curve on a road, with tire tracks careening out of frame.]
:Out of Frame Garden Owner: MY VEGETABLE GARDEN!
:PRIUS

:[A series of spiraling and outwardly traveling lines extend from a point in the middle of the frame.]
:HIGGS BOSON

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Calvin and Hobbes]]
[[Category:Bobcats]]