explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1241: Annoying Ringtone Champion

2013-07-23T03:23:33Z

Yi:

{{comic
| number = 1241
| date = July 22, 2013
| title = Annoying Ringtone Champion
| image = annoying_ringtone_champion.png
| titletext = It beat out 'Clock radio alarm', 'B-flat at 194 decibels', 'That noise from Dumb & Dumber', and 'Recording of a sobbing voice begging you to answer'.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic satirizes the annoying {{w|Ringtone|ringtones}} some people have on their cell phones. Some will even go so far as to use ringtones that resemble everyday sounds. Some examples include, but are not limited to, doorbells, coughing, alarm noises, or, in this case, the buzzing of a mosquito. Although seemingly harmless, these ringtones can get annoying to some people, which is what this comic is getting at.

The comic is also a poke at the ringtone business. Many people, mostly kids, pay several dollars for a single new sound on their phone.

The title text refers to four other annoying ringtones:
*"Clock radio alarm". These sounds are often loud and annoying, just to ensure that you really will wake up.
*"B-flat at 194 decibels". {{w|B-flat major}} is a suitable key for most wind music instruments like trumpets and more. {{w|B-flat minor}} is not quite as loud and is for instruments like an oboe. So we are here at B-flat major. 194 decibels is the {{w|Sound_pressure#Examples_of_sound_pressure_and_sound_pressure_levels|limit at 1 atmosphere pressure}}. More energy would create a shockwave. This could also be a reference to a crowd of {{w|vuvuzela}}s as they also produce sounds pitched around B flat. This may also refer to several B-flat-related phenomena discussed in an NPR story, [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7442915 Have You Heard About B Flat?] Specifically, B-flat has been found to agitate alligators, and waves passing through gas near a black hole have been found to resonate at a frequency which results in a B flat 57 octaves below middle C.
*"That noise from Dumb & Dumber". {{w|Dumb and Dumber}} is a comedy movie from 1994. A sequel is planned for the 20th anniversary in 2014. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cVlTeIATBs The noise] from Dumb & Dumber is referring to the point in the movie when Harry and Lloyd asked, "Do you want to hear the most annoying sound in the world?" and began making loud fax machine noises.
*"Recording of a sobbing voice begging you to answer". Maybe ''Hey, pick up your phone and reply to my call...'' with the phone speaking like {{w|HAL 9000}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Black Hat face each other. Black Hat is holding out his phone.]
:Black Hat's phone: hMMMMMMMM<big>MMM</big>MMMMMMM...
:Cueball: Augh!
:Black Hat: Oh, I've gotta take this.
:By unanimous decision, the winner of the Awful Ringtone Championship is "The sound a mosquito makes as it buzzes past your ear"

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]

1241: Annoying Ringtone Champion

2013-07-23T03:22:32Z

Yi: Added reference of B flat to vuvuzela

{{comic
| number = 1241
| date = July 22, 2013
| title = Annoying Ringtone Champion
| image = annoying_ringtone_champion.png
| titletext = It beat out 'Clock radio alarm', 'B-flat at 194 decibels', 'That noise from Dumb & Dumber', and 'Recording of a sobbing voice begging you to answer'.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic satirizes the annoying {{w|Ringtone|ringtones}} some people have on their cell phones. Some will even go so far as to use ringtones that resemble everyday sounds. Some examples include, but are not limited to, doorbells, coughing, alarm noises, or, in this case, the buzzing of a mosquito. Although seemingly harmless, these ringtones can get annoying to some people, which is what this comic is getting at.

The comic is also a poke at the ringtone business. Many people, mostly kids, pay several dollars for a single new sound on their phone.

The title text refers to four other annoying ringtones:
*"Clock radio alarm". These sounds are often loud and annoying, just to ensure that you really will wake up.
*"B-flat at 194 decibels". {{w|B-flat major}} is a suitable key for most wind music instruments like trumpets and more. {{w|B-flat minor}} is not quite as loud and is for instruments like an oboe. So we are here at B-flat major. 194 decibels is the {{w|Sound_pressure#Examples_of_sound_pressure_and_sound_pressure_levels|limit at 1 atmosphere pressure}}. More energy would create a shockwave. This could also be a reference to a crowd of {w|vuvuzela}s as they also produce sounds pitched around B flat. This may also refer to several B-flat-related phenomena discussed in an NPR story, [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7442915 Have You Heard About B Flat?] Specifically, B-flat has been found to agitate alligators, and waves passing through gas near a black hole have been found to resonate at a frequency which results in a B flat 57 octaves below middle C.
*"That noise from Dumb & Dumber". {{w|Dumb and Dumber}} is a comedy movie from 1994. A sequel is planned for the 20th anniversary in 2014. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cVlTeIATBs The noise] from Dumb & Dumber is referring to the point in the movie when Harry and Lloyd asked, "Do you want to hear the most annoying sound in the world?" and began making loud fax machine noises.
*"Recording of a sobbing voice begging you to answer". Maybe ''Hey, pick up your phone and reply to my call...'' with the phone speaking like {{w|HAL 9000}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Black Hat face each other. Black Hat is holding out his phone.]
:Black Hat's phone: hMMMMMMMM<big>MMM</big>MMMMMMM...
:Cueball: Augh!
:Black Hat: Oh, I've gotta take this.
:By unanimous decision, the winner of the Awful Ringtone Championship is "The sound a mosquito makes as it buzzes past your ear"

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]