Editing 564: Crossbows
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#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. | #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. | #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). |
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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. | 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. | ||
