explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1928: Seven Years

2017-12-13T20:07:52Z

Zazathebot:

no... I'm not crying... [[User:Zazathebot|Zazathebot]] ([[User talk:Zazathebot|talk]])

1904: Research Risks

2017-10-18T16:58:16Z

Zazathebot: Added a category, since it seemed like some comments were commenting on the field itself while others were commenting on the risks of the fields.

{{comic
| number = 1904
| date = October 18, 2017
| title = Research Risks
| image = research_risks.png
| titletext = The 1919 Great Boston Molasses Flood remained the deadliest confectionery containment accident until the Canadian Space Agency's 2031 orbital maple syrup delivery disaster.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a comparison of the possibility of the subjects of various sciences being a threat to humanity. It can either be an autonomous threat to the local population (i.e. by escape from a lab), or as part of a supervillain's scheme to rule the world. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBkT19uH2RQ]

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Risk of Breaking Free !! Risk of Supervillain !! Research field !! Research Risks !! Comments
|-
| 1 very low || very high || Prosthetics || Cyborgs ||
|-
| 2 low || high || Neuroscience || Mind Control ||
|-
| 1 very low || high || Laser Optics || || See {{w|Directed-energy weapon}}
|-
| 3 medium low || high || Pharmacology || Poisons ||
|-
| 2 low || high || Materials Science || ||
|-
| 2 low || medium high || Sociology || ||
|-
| 1 very low || medium high || History || ||
|-
| 3 medium low || medium high || Psychology || ||
|-
| high || very high || Robotics || Villains: Robot minions. Escape: robots gaining sentience and killing everything. ||
|-
| high || very high || Genetic Engineering || Villains: Modify troops to make super powered minions. Escape: Modified life could cause havok ||
|-
| medium high || high || Chemistry || ||
|-
| very high || high || Microbiology || || See {{w|Grey goo}}
|-
| 1 very low || medium low || Geology || || Study of rocks
|-
| 1 very low || medium low || Linguistics || ||
|-
| 2 low || low || Paleontology || || Study of pre-history, aka archeology
|-
| 1 very low || very low || Astronomy || ||
|-
| 3 medium low || very low || Molasses Storage || || See {{w|Great Molasses Flood}}
|-
| 1 very low || very low || Dentistry || ||
|-
| medium high || medium low || Botany || || Study of plants
|-
| high || medium low || Entomology || || Study of insects
|-
| medium high || low || Mycology || || Mycology is the study of fungi, fungi cannot move and therefore not easily escape
|-
| very high || low || Marine Biology || Sharknado ||
|-
| medium high || very low || Ornithology || || Study of birds, flying is a useful escape mechanism
|-
|}

==Trivia==
* The comic initially had the erroneous spelling "Entymology" (possibly a mistaken mix-up between etymology and entomology, similar to [[1012: Wrong Superhero]]). This was later changed to the correct "Entomology".

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A chart with two crossing lines with double arrows. Each arrow is labeled:]
:X axis left: Low
:X axis right: High
:Y axis top: High
:Y axis bottom: Low

:[To the side of each of the axes, they are labeled:}
:X axis: Risk of the thing you're studying breaking free from your facility and threatening the local population
:Y axis: Risk of your research being used by a supervillian for world domination

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:311: Action Movies

2017-08-24T19:41:19Z

Zazathebot:

Dangit, I want to see this. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.148|199.27.130.148]] 04:44, 19 November 2013 (UTC)

He used Papyrus. :| [[Special:Contributions/108.162.225.57|108.162.225.57]] 11:19, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

Madness combat minus hank plus river tam? 08:03, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

Could this comic be the inspiration for John Wick? {{unsigned ip|108.162.217.155}}

This movie actually exists and it's called Chocolate [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_(2008_film)] {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.202}}

'Beats up everyone', to me it seems a reference to video game of type 'Beat them all' which match with the image of the movie. {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.112}}

There is an error in the explanation. Crank is listed as being in the Die Hard series. This is incorrect, Crank did have a sequel (High voltage) but neither had anything to do with Die Hard franchise. {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.100}}

And now, 8 years later, we have Mad Max: Fury Road. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.212|162.158.38.212]] 07:47, 11 October 2016 (UTC)
:And on top of that, John Wick and Hardcore Henry. Nonstop action movies are becoming a thing. --[[User:Zazathebot|Zazathebot]] ([[User talk:Zazathebot|talk]]) 19:41, 24 August 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1853: Once Per Day

2017-08-10T21:57:44Z

Zazathebot:

At 60 calories for an apple, 157 calories for the red wine, 74 calories for the egg and assuming 6-7 ounces of dark chocolate, one could take 10 years to starve to death on this diet. But you ain't going to be exercising on only 1300-1400 calories per day.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 16:22, 21 June 2017 (UTC)
:Depends on the type of exercise. He could mean exercising his mind. But the total time it takes to accomplish all of that (including sleep) means that his "day" would last at most 11 hours. His circadian rhythm is going to be all sorts of messed up. [[User:OldCorps|OldCorps]] ([[User talk:OldCorps|talk]]) 17:56, 21 June 2017 (UTC)

I've tried improving the explanation but in my opinion, it's still quite rough. Feel free to edit phrasing. <span style="background:#0064de;font-size:12px;padding:4px 12px;border-radius:8px;">[[User talk:AgentMuffin|<span style="color:#f0faff;">~AgentMuffin</span>]]</span>

Randall get out of my head! This morning like EVERY working day I took the train to the World Trade Center walked up 130 steps from the platform to the street and another 15 minutes to work. Sat down to eat my daily breakfast of oatmeal plus a spoon of dark bakers cocoa, a hard boiled egg and a cup of coffee. For lunch I will eat a plain Greek yogurt, two pieces of whole grain bread and two fresh fruits (an apple and something else) and at the end of the day I will walk another 15 minutes and down the stairs to the train stop to go home and set the timer to get my healthy 8 hours of sleep. I'm a living Cueball (except I have hair). Ouch! This is no joke. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 14:30, 22 June 2017 (UTC)

I take issue with the statement that "adults require 6-8 hours of sleep". (Yes, I'm nitpicking, but nitpicking is an ExplainXKCD staple, so nyah! LOL!) As someone who has suffered from sleep issues all his life, I've always paid attention when the subject has come up, and literally EVERY recommendation has been 8 hours for adults, with children requiring more. In recent years I've heard that suggestion adjusted to say less can be okay (but still at least 6), as long as it's once in a while, and the adult usually gets 8 hours. So 6 hours on weeknights isn't enough, 8 hours weeknights and 6 weekend nights would be fine. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:40, 27 June 2017 (UTC)
:I added in most of the explanations. There is a reason I said an "average" adult requires somewhere in the range of 6-8 hours, varied by person by age. I know adults who are fully functional on 6 and some(like me) that requires 8. And while anecdotal evidence isn't evidence at all, I phrased it more vaguely to be inclusive. This comic is in general makes fun of the fact that these recommendations are always so specific but would affect people in different ways. [[User:Zazathebot|Zazathebot]] ([[User talk:Zazathebot|talk]]) 21:57, 10 August 2017 (UTC)

1262: Unquote

2017-06-30T00:28:50Z

Zazathebot:

{{comic
| number = 1262
| date = September 9, 2013
| title = Unquote
| image = unquote.png
| titletext = I guess it's a saying from the Old Country.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] is musing that even such a popular film as ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' will likely one day be forgotten. The comic ponders how long that may take to occur.

"{{w|May the Force be with you}}" is one of the many famous phrases from the ''Star Wars'' movies. ''Star Wars'' has become popular enough to remain part of today's popular culture almost forty years since its initial release, and the source and meaning of the quote is commonly recognized. This comic suggests that eventually even the enormously popular Star Wars will fade into obscurity — by which time, ironically, Star Wars-like hovercraft will have been invented.

It is not uncommon for once-popular sayings to lose popularity and come into disuse; particularly when the sayings are sourced from a pop-culture reference such as a book or film. In fact, there are entire [http://www.amazon.ca/Lets-Bring-Back-Collection-Forgotten-Yet-Delightful/dp/1452105308 books] dedicated to such topics. Each generation generally develops its own pop culture references which frequently become unrecognized to the next generation. Only a handful of pop-culture quotes tend to survive for decades. For example, the phrase "Sit on it", coined by the creators of "{{w|Happy Days}}" as a TV-friendly but derogatory-sounding comeback for the character Fonzie. The phrase was very popular during the show's 1970s-80s heyday, but today is far less recognizable to those born after that era, and is not commonly referenced today.

The title text indicates that the characters will write off the phrase as a saying from the "old country" (the foreign country or place where one's ancestors emigrated from). This is a play on the fact that ubiquitous film and TV quotes have not been around long enough for society to generally forget their origins, and the most common source for unfamiliar sayings in today's world are sayings from other countries where one's ancestors originated. The use of the expression in this comic implies that the speaker has no idea about the origins of the phrase. To him it might be a translation of a foreign expression, or from a long left-behind homeland.

A similar topic was addressed in [[493: Actuarial]], with [[Black Hat]] predicting when the last of the original Star Wars cast would die, and in [[1093: Forget]], predicting when the release of ''The Return of the Jedi'' would be forgotten. Also, [[794: Inside Joke]] is about how much pop culture of centuries past has been forgotten.

A lot has changed since this comic came out {{Citation needed}} . Now with Disney controlling Star Wars and releasing a movie a year, it is very possible that this saying would never die out. This doesn't change the meaning of the comic, but it shows how even a few years of time passing causes massive changes.

==Transcript==
:[Two figures with spiky hair and backpacks are conversing. One is riding in a hover-car, or similar.]
:Future Hair: Bye!
:Friend: May the Force be with you!
:Future Hair: Huh?
:Friend: It's just something my grandma used to say. No idea what it means.
:I wonder on what date ''Star Wars'' will be quoted for the last time.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Star Wars]]

1262: Unquote

2017-06-30T00:28:08Z

Zazathebot: Fixed Citation Link

{{comic
| number = 1262
| date = September 9, 2013
| title = Unquote
| image = unquote.png
| titletext = I guess it's a saying from the Old Country.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] is musing that even such a popular film as ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' will likely one day be forgotten. The comic ponders how long that may take to occur.

"{{w|May the Force be with you}}" is one of the many famous phrases from the ''Star Wars'' movies. ''Star Wars'' has become popular enough to remain part of today's popular culture almost forty years since its initial release, and the source and meaning of the quote is commonly recognized. This comic suggests that eventually even the enormously popular Star Wars will fade into obscurity — by which time, ironically, Star Wars-like hovercraft will have been invented.

It is not uncommon for once-popular sayings to lose popularity and come into disuse; particularly when the sayings are sourced from a pop-culture reference such as a book or film. In fact, there are entire [http://www.amazon.ca/Lets-Bring-Back-Collection-Forgotten-Yet-Delightful/dp/1452105308 books] dedicated to such topics. Each generation generally develops its own pop culture references which frequently become unrecognized to the next generation. Only a handful of pop-culture quotes tend to survive for decades. For example, the phrase "Sit on it", coined by the creators of "{{w|Happy Days}}" as a TV-friendly but derogatory-sounding comeback for the character Fonzie. The phrase was very popular during the show's 1970s-80s heyday, but today is far less recognizable to those born after that era, and is not commonly referenced today.

The title text indicates that the characters will write off the phrase as a saying from the "old country" (the foreign country or place where one's ancestors emigrated from). This is a play on the fact that ubiquitous film and TV quotes have not been around long enough for society to generally forget their origins, and the most common source for unfamiliar sayings in today's world are sayings from other countries where one's ancestors originated. The use of the expression in this comic implies that the speaker has no idea about the origins of the phrase. To him it might be a translation of a foreign expression, or from a long left-behind homeland.

A similar topic was addressed in [[493: Actuarial]], with [[Black Hat]] predicting when the last of the original Star Wars cast would die, and in [[1093: Forget]], predicting when the release of ''The Return of the Jedi'' would be forgotten. Also, [[794: Inside Joke]] is about how much pop culture of centuries past has been forgotten.

A lot has changed since this comic came out {{Citation Needed}} . Now with Disney controlling Star Wars and releasing a movie a year, it is very possible that this saying would never die out. This doesn't change the meaning of the comic, but it shows how even a few years of time passing causes massive changes.

==Transcript==
:[Two figures with spiky hair and backpacks are conversing. One is riding in a hover-car, or similar.]
:Future Hair: Bye!
:Friend: May the Force be with you!
:Future Hair: Huh?
:Friend: It's just something my grandma used to say. No idea what it means.
:I wonder on what date ''Star Wars'' will be quoted for the last time.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Star Wars]]

1262: Unquote

2017-06-30T00:27:01Z

Zazathebot: Star Wars became immortal by being bought by Disney.

{{comic
| number = 1262
| date = September 9, 2013
| title = Unquote
| image = unquote.png
| titletext = I guess it's a saying from the Old Country.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] is musing that even such a popular film as ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' will likely one day be forgotten. The comic ponders how long that may take to occur.

"{{w|May the Force be with you}}" is one of the many famous phrases from the ''Star Wars'' movies. ''Star Wars'' has become popular enough to remain part of today's popular culture almost forty years since its initial release, and the source and meaning of the quote is commonly recognized. This comic suggests that eventually even the enormously popular Star Wars will fade into obscurity — by which time, ironically, Star Wars-like hovercraft will have been invented.

It is not uncommon for once-popular sayings to lose popularity and come into disuse; particularly when the sayings are sourced from a pop-culture reference such as a book or film. In fact, there are entire [http://www.amazon.ca/Lets-Bring-Back-Collection-Forgotten-Yet-Delightful/dp/1452105308 books] dedicated to such topics. Each generation generally develops its own pop culture references which frequently become unrecognized to the next generation. Only a handful of pop-culture quotes tend to survive for decades. For example, the phrase "Sit on it", coined by the creators of "{{w|Happy Days}}" as a TV-friendly but derogatory-sounding comeback for the character Fonzie. The phrase was very popular during the show's 1970s-80s heyday, but today is far less recognizable to those born after that era, and is not commonly referenced today.

The title text indicates that the characters will write off the phrase as a saying from the "old country" (the foreign country or place where one's ancestors emigrated from). This is a play on the fact that ubiquitous film and TV quotes have not been around long enough for society to generally forget their origins, and the most common source for unfamiliar sayings in today's world are sayings from other countries where one's ancestors originated. The use of the expression in this comic implies that the speaker has no idea about the origins of the phrase. To him it might be a translation of a foreign expression, or from a long left-behind homeland.

A similar topic was addressed in [[493: Actuarial]], with [[Black Hat]] predicting when the last of the original Star Wars cast would die, and in [[1093: Forget]], predicting when the release of ''The Return of the Jedi'' would be forgotten. Also, [[794: Inside Joke]] is about how much pop culture of centuries past has been forgotten.

A lot has changed since this comic came out[[Citation Needed]]. Now with Disney controlling Star Wars and releasing a movie a year, it is very possible that this saying would never die out. This doesn't change the meaning of the comic, but it shows how even a few years of time passing causes massive changes.

==Transcript==
:[Two figures with spiky hair and backpacks are conversing. One is riding in a hover-car, or similar.]
:Future Hair: Bye!
:Friend: May the Force be with you!
:Future Hair: Huh?
:Friend: It's just something my grandma used to say. No idea what it means.
:I wonder on what date ''Star Wars'' will be quoted for the last time.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Star Wars]]

Talk:165: Turn Signals

2017-06-28T18:19:24Z

Zazathebot:

I have at times become mesmerized by the "click-click click-click" of my turn signal relay while watching the flashing signals on the car ahead of me. It's fun to notice how they drift in and out of sync, but I never bothered to determine the {{w|beat frequency}}.
--[[User:Smartin|Smartin]] ([[User talk:Smartin|talk]]) 03:53, 2 January 2013 (UTC)

What, to me, seems amazing, is not just that they are (certainly within extreme observational tolerance) beating at the same frequency, but are also ''in phase''. At that point I would begin to suspect that they're each connected up to the same time-signal source (e.g. a GPS data output), and cued to begin each cycle on the flip of each whole second, or similar. Of course, IRL, that'd be an answer in search of a problem. And you want your signals to start flashing the moment you activate them, so even if guided by an atomic clock you'd probably have any given pair (albeit maintaining the same frequency) exhibiting a (constant) phase separation.

As for talking about being not held externally in sync, reminds me of the lights certain riders of tricycles have on their machine, in a 24-hour cycle race (mainly for bicycles, but trikies do tend to ride it as well). Flashing LED rear lights, very bright. On the backs of trikes they tend to put the lights out on each splayed rear stay, as well as the axle between the two rear wheels, to emphasise their width to any traffic that will be overtaking them in the night. Usually three identical flashers, but (as noted) the timings are rarely in sync, never mind in phase. As they're arranged in a triangle and ''very'' rarely all three on the same beat you can watch the machine as it retreats into the distance (my usual view of these phenomena) and when two of the lights are in sync and agreeing with each other, but the is off the beat, there's an effective directional 'wash' of light, this direction of wash changing as the in-syncs depart and perhaps the odd one syncs up anew with one of the other two originals. And if they all find themselves +/- 120-degrees out of phase with the other two, at any time, you get a rotary pattern emerging for a few moments.

You probably have to be there, but it's a sight to see, in the dead of night. And analyse. ;) [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 03:12, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

This merits a more fleshed-out explanation of beat frequencies and such. It's good enough, however. I'm not mean enough to mark it as incomplete for something like that. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 05:55, 24 August 2013 (UTC)

I would expect an irrational ratio of frequencies and all possible relationships appearing over a long enough time period. If ratio is close to one, they would appear to be nearly together for a reasonable period and far off for a reasonable period.--DrMath 01:49, 31 October 2013 (UTC)

This is somewhat reminiscent of Neal Stephenson's discussion, in Cryptonomicon, of Alan Turing's bicycle with a damaged link and a bent spoke, and how the two have to sync up for the chain to fall off. From this, he then does a wonderful sleight of hand, and before we know it, we have a fairly decent understanding of the Enigma machine. -- Ravenpi 23:50, 20 Feb 2013 (EST)
----
I don't know where I read it, but I read that some turn signals have a slight random element in it so that they never get truly in phase with any other car{{Citation Needed}}. [[User:Zazathebot|Zazathebot]] ([[User talk:Zazathebot|talk]]) 18:19, 28 June 2017 (UTC)

Talk:92: Sunrise

2017-06-27T22:22:59Z

Zazathebot:

Doesn't look like Cueball to me, he has hair. [[User:Caagr98|Caagr98]] ([[User talk:Caagr98|talk]]) 17:22, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:It's interesting that he appears to shave his head/cut his hair before going to the party, becoming a "Cueball" for the last two panels. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 03:55, 22 January 2016 (UTC)

----
The title text seems wrong. It reads 'Sometimes, I sit on top of parking decks and watch the sun rise. I feel like I should have a guitar or something.' in my Android xkcd reader. --[[Special:Contributions/92.249.196.108|92.249.196.108]] 07:32, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:Fixed. According to the {{w|Wayback Machine}} this was the title text at the start: [http://web.archive.org/web/20071011003709/http://xkcd.com/92/] --[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 13:01, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
----
Hmmm, should we note that the last panel is probably a pencil drawing with colors inverted? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.168|103.22.201.168]] 13:00, 16 September 2014 (UTC)
----
Explanation said that the character realised that 4am is a bad time to meet people "other than troublemakers and the police". Removed as this is pure speculation as there is no mention of troublemakers or the police. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:21, 29 September 2014 (UTC)
----
Possible title text explanation: Sitting on a tall structure and watching the sun rise while playing the guitar sounds like a romanticized/idealized scene; the likes of which might be seen in a movie. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 08:07, 10 November 2014 (UTC)
----
The second panel, second image may be a reference to that music video about "brushing your teeth with a bottle of jack" before going to a party. [[User:Kirdneh|Kirdneh]] ([[User talk:Kirdneh|talk]]) 01:45, 15 December 2014 (UTC)
----
The 4am Project has shut down, and the site directs only to a single text line that says "This site doesn't exist here". Maybe an explanation is needed as to what the 4am Project was, or that section needs to be rewritten.

1853: Once Per Day

2017-06-23T17:16:32Z

Zazathebot: Last two edits to this page were mine I had an account. Added explanations to each bullet. Now I'm fixing a bit of the grammar and phrasing.

{{comic
| number = 1853
| date = June 21, 2017
| title = Once Per Day
| image = once_per_day.png
| titletext = I'm not totally locked into my routine—twice a year, I take a break to change the batteries in my smoke detectors.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Links should be explained by one or two sentences.}}

Many news reports on health recommend the "best" way to perform the processes, such as eating, drinking, exercising, or sleeping, that are required to live healthy. These reports tend to give such factors as a type of food to consume regularly, the amount of a nutrient to consume, or how long to exercise, in terms of what or how much to do daily. A simple example of this is the proverb, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Perhaps this kind of advice is [[1592|overthinking]] things, but [[Cueball]] decides to follow it strictly as explained in the caption.

So when [[Megan]] asks Cueball what his plans are, he just lists his routine consisting only of things that the news has told him exactly how often to do.

His list includes the following, which he has to do once per day:
*Eat an [//www.care2.com/greenliving/10-reasons-to-eat-an-apple-a-day.html apple] - This references the common old wives tale of "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"
*Eat an [//www.nhs.uk/news/2016/11November/Pages/Eating-one-egg-a-day-may-lower-risk-of-stroke.aspx egg] - One egg would provide protein. This could also be a stand in for "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"
*Take one [//www.webmd.com/men/features/aspirin-day-not aspirin] - Aspirin can reduce heart issues. Baby aspirin would contain a lower dose and be safe.
*Eat a piece of [//www.everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition-pictures/delicious-reasons-to-eat-dark-chocolate.aspx dark chocolate] (see also {{w|John_Bohannon#Misleading_chocolate_study|John Bohannon's chocolate study}} for an example of how bad science can wind up as such "you should do ... daily" suggestions in the media) - Dark chocolate would contain more antioxidants and less sugar.
*Drink [//www.lifescript.com/diet-fitness/tips/y/your_weight-loss_solution_drink_6_glasses_of_water_a_day.aspx six glasses of water] - There is a common, long standing myth that you're supposed to drink X amount of water per day. Some say 6 or 8 cups. A liter or two. etc. etc.
*Drink [//www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410287,00.html one glass of red wine] - Always used as a "health can be fun" example. Wine would contain large amounts of antioxidants, and one glass a day shouldn't cause liver damage.
*Drink [//www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/17/coffee-health-benefits_n_4102133.html a cup of coffee] - Coffee is one of those health items that has a new health benefit or loss every week, depending on which media outlet you follow.
*Drink a [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/11/reasons-to-drink-tea_n_6276862.html cup of tea] - Tea's health benefits are a very common subject. There is much media talk about the benefits of different types of teas, usually focused around Green Tea.
*Get [http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20120824/30-minutes-daily-exercise-shed-pounds 30 minutes of exercise] - Different media outlets give different amounts of exercise to do. Usually, they tend towards 15-30 minutes a day to sound easy and low commitment{{Citation needed}}.
*Get [http://archive.jsonline.com/news/health/studies-say-7-8-hours-of-sleep-is-needed-for-best-health-b9936714z1-212691521.html/ 8 hours of sleep] - An average adult needs 6-8 hours of sleep daily, but this varies per person, and by age.

Three obvious problems arise with these "you should do ... daily" tips. They are often based on population studies, but they may be harmful in the case of some individual persons. This health-related advice would be beneficial in, say, 60 or 70% of the population, but may be ineffective in other 20% of the people, and deleterious in 10%. This especially relates to the suggested daily intake of aspirin.

The second problem is the (more or less) scientific foundation of this advice. For example, you study the effects of a daily glass of red wine. But there is certainly no study that has ever observed the ''interaction'' of these ten specific health advices. For example, {{w|tannin}}s (which occur in red wine and coffee) are known to absorb certain substances, which may influence the way apples and eggs are digested.

Third, the scientific basis for these articles are shaky at best. A large number of these studies are just junk science - poor methodology and bias making the study more attention-grabbing, but lacking real substance. Even those studies that are scientifically rigorous are often reported on poorly. "Study proves that dark chocolate helps you lose weight" is a better headline than "Several studies over the last five years hint that chocolate may have certain long term benefits; more research needed"

Of course, if Cueball ''only'' does these things, then he can't/doesn't attend to other important matters, such as going to work, which most likely allows him to buy the recommended materials in the first place. And the routine is subject to change as soon as he hears another such daily recommendation on the news (which won't happen, though, because he hasn't heard a recommendation to tune in to the news every day - so, poor Cueball is trapped in his daily schedule).

In the title text Cueball explains that his daily routine is not completely fixed. It is broken twice a year, since he also follows public information campaigns suggesting the replacement {{w|Smoke_detector#Batteries|smoke detector batteries}} twice a year. While the US {{w|National Fire Protection Association}} recommends a replacement at least once per year others suggest every time when the clock changes according to {{w|daylight saving time}}, i.e. twice a year. (All such recommendations will likely become irrelevant as citizens of the United States, starting in California, are encouraged to replace their existing smoke detectors with new models containing irremovable ten-year batteries.) This is just another example for official overdone recommendations nobody follows, in this case since smoke detectors make annoying beeps when their batteries run low and thus rarely need routine replacements before then.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are standing together, facing each other.]
:Megan: Got any plans for the day?
:Cueball: I'm going to eat an apple, an egg, one baby aspirin, and a piece of dark chocolate, drink six glasses of water, one glass of red wine, a cup of coffee, and a cup of tea, then do 30 minutes of exercise.
:Cueball: Then back to sleep for another 8 hours!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I only do things that news stories have specifically told me to do once per day.

==Trivia==
*Fire alarms were also the subject at [[1794: Fire]].
*Drinking six glasses of water per day has been the subject in [[1708: Dehydration]], and earlier, when it was more common to say eight glasses per day, in [[715: Numbers]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Food]]