Talk:3274: Arthurian Connector
Coincidentally, today's SMBC Comics also has a connection to Excalibur. I think Zach did a better job than Randall. Barmar (talk) 20:11, 20 July 2026 (UTC)
- Randall's feels more topical as to modern British politics (Andy Burnham became PM on Monday). JohnHawkinson (talk) 06:16, 21 July 2026 (UTC)
- How much of the inspiration for this comic was British politics, and how much was a cartoonist of our mutual acquaintance having to wrestle with an RJ11 connector? 2605:59C8:160:DB08:309C:85FB:D93A:2B1E 13:49, 21 July 2026 (UTC)
I let the basic introductory "Sword In The Stone" stuff stand (already complicated enough with the mythical confusion over swords-in-objects vs. "Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords", as the primary basis for a system of government), although clearly this comic (probably via Disney's simplified take, that might have helped that gain more traction in 'popular folklore') seems more inspired by the equally legendary "Sword In An Anvil (Stood Upon A Stone)" variation of the legend. So I added something about that being a common variation of the Stone version. Also added a link to a Pratchett quote about how the ability to embed the sword-in-the-<whatever> is perhaps yet more impressive, and indeed is a subtle blink-and-you-miss-it plot point later in the very same book.
Plus, as an additional Pratchett-themed note, though not really qualified enough to be worthy of being embedded in the Explanation (irrevocably or not!), he also wrote a short story "Once And Future" in which 'Mervin' the time-traveller finds himself fulfilling the role of Merlin in attempting (with an interesting twist, and not only in how he does this) to identify a suitable 'Arthur'. I don't know if there's an online-readable version of this, but a visit to a book shop might find you lucky, if you're that bothered. 92.23.5.92 21:24, 20 July 2026 (UTC)
Estimating the number of coffee shops in the world seems like a classic Randall whatif problem, though judging by this page, it also seems clear that it would quickly devolve into typical pedantic disputation, since that page includes Dunkin' Donuts, very clearly a donut shop that happens to serve coffee, which is totally different from a coffee shop that, as many do, happens to serve donuts. 24.53.143.204 22:05, 20 July 2026 (UTC)
- The problem is that it's a very dynamic situation. 92.23.5.92 22:09, 20 July 2026 (UTC)
I wonder if a Jacobite descendant would be able to get the job done. If nothing else, it would go a ways towards easing the coffee shop situation. 71.120.6.104 22:52, 20 July 2026 (UTC)
The sword in the stone being referenced in 2164 is a stretch I think. 110.145.224.178 00:19, 21 July 2026 (UTC)
- It's literally in the alt text. DL Draco Rex (talk) 01:13, 21 July 2026 (UTC)
When a person not with the scope of the act of Settlement was mentioned my thoughts went to the descendants of John Lackland, who are reputed to number in the tens or hundreds of millions. On the one hand, if Randall intended the "once and future king" loophole this is irrelevant. On the other hand if descendants of Uther Pendragon exist, they would be expected to be even more numerous. 87.75.47.64 10:01, 22 July 2026 (UTC)
This already exists: USB 3.0 internal motherboard header --122.59.229.45 23:55, 22 July 2026 (UTC) Ok So. . . only Franz von Bayern? (Throws smoke bomb, jumps out window) 104.32.72.95 21:26, 23 July 2026 (UTC)
Andy Burnham is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, not Great Britain. (The UK includes Northern Ireland) 81.178.7.173 (talk) 21:39, 31 July 2026 (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
- While technically truer (and easy enough to fix the quote of), he is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and every individual bit of the United Kingdom. So he is the Prime Minister of Great Britain as well as of Northern Ireland (UKoGB&NI, after all) and he's the Prime Minister for England (though not the First Minister of Wales, Scotland or NI) and any subset.
- I'm not sure why that comment is there in the first place, though, as (apart from being styled "King In The North", by some, though that'd also only be North England, not North Britain) I'm not sure there's any connection to him taking on that position and this idea except for roughly the same timing. 92.23.10.248 23:07, 31 July 2026 (UTC)