ibm_hc_3

Comic

Explanation

This explanation is incomplete: User:Novotvor has discovered 2 new comics, ibm_hc_2 and ibm_hc_3. They do not have a title, so the filename is used instead. They have never been published. For more info, see Category talk: A Smarter Planet. To discuss and coordinate, only use Category talk: A Smarter Planet. Explain the joke and the discovery in the Explanation, using all the information you can find (also, add this comic to the relevant categories). Learn more about the discovery: Category talk: A Smarter Planet Learn about the "A Smarter Planet" comic series: Category:A Smarter Planet Learn about the two released comics: Conservation and Prescriptions Use the Wayback Machine if necessary (Wayback: ibm hc 2) (Wayback: ibm hc 3). (see more wayback machine links at Category: A Smarter Planet.) If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

This comic was created by Randall after a special request from IBM's A Smarter Planet blog (now defunct, archive). The website now redirects to IBM's Think blog's homepage. This and the other A Smarter Planet comic, Conservation, are not part of the regular numbered series of comics, but both of them used to be featured on xkcd.com/asmarterplanet (now defunct, archive). Each comic on that page linked to their respective blog posts on IBM's site.

Megan (presumably) is ranting about how bureaucracy has slowed the introduction of computers to information transmission. She uses the metaphor of hiring Peter Jackson (producer of Lord of the Rings movie series) to answer phones, a clear analogy of wasted potential. Cueball tweaks the metaphor by claiming it's more like Tiger Woods, a championship golf player, on an Olympic swim team, an equally prestigious position but one completely outside of Woods' skillset. Ponytail then compares it to hiring a porn star to do ballet — this throws Megan and Cueball for a loop, and don't feel Ponytail's metaphor fits.

Transcript

Megan: We barely use computers. Red tape, paperwork, and bureaucracy should be vanishing, with information appearing where we need it, fast and secure.

Megan: Instead we're emailing scans of forms. It's like hiring Peter Jackson to answer phones at your studio.

Cueball: Or putting Tiger Woods on your Olympic swim team

Ponytail: Or hiring a German porn star to do Hungarian ballet.

Megan: Is it really like that?

Cueball: Yeah, I don't think anything's like that.

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Discussion

To share information and coordinate, please use Category talk:A Smarter Planet instead of this talk page. Thanks!

Wow! An unpublished comic! Also, first post! RadiantRainwing (talk) 14:46, 13 February 2025 (UTC)

tori, crush their skull, ty ^-^ Caliban (talk) 08:54, 14 February 2025 (UTC)

yes please! violently! --FaviFake (talk) 16:00, 14 February 2025 (UTC)

crunch done. 42.book.addict^{Talk to me!} 17:23, 14 February 2025 (UTC)

Normally with lost media there's a whole story to be told about the quest to find it, but here, we didn't even know it was lost in the first place. This existing is just wild to me. 108.162.238.9 21:17, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
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