Difference between revisions of "1190: Time"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
Jump to: navigation, search
(Frame by Frame Breakdown: add 08/20:00)
Line 759: Line 759:
 
|[[Media:time312.png|191:00]]||08/23:00
 
|[[Media:time312.png|191:00]]||08/23:00
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable plainlinks table-padding"
 +
|-
 +
!Image
 +
!Time
 +
!Original image hash
 +
|+ Day 9, Monday, April 2, 2013
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time313.png|192:00]]||08/00:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time314.png|193:00]]||08/01:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time315.png|194:00]]||08/02:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time316.png|195:00]]||08/03:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time317.png|196:00]]||08/04:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time318.png|197:00]]||08/05:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time319.png|198:00]]||08/06:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time320.png|199:00]]||08/07:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time321.png|200:00]]||08/08:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|201:00]]||08/09:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|202:00]]||08/10:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|203:00]]||08/11:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|204:00]]||08/12:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|205:00]]||08/13:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|206:00]]||08/14:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|207:00]]||08/15:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|208:00]]||08/16:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|209:00]]||08/17:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|210:00]]||08/18:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|211:00]]||08/19:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|212:00]]||08/20:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|213:00]]||08/21:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|214:00]]||08/22:00
 +
|-
 +
|[[Media:time322.png|215:00]]||08/23:00
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
Line 764: Line 819:
 
:+12:00 [Megan and Cueball start to build a sandcastle.]
 
:+12:00 [Megan and Cueball start to build a sandcastle.]
 
:+25:30
 
:+25:30
::Cueball : Later
+
::Cueball: Later
::Megan : Bye
+
::Megan: Bye
:[Cueball leaves, Megan continues to build the sandcastle]
+
:[Cueball leaves, Megan continues to build the sandcastle.]
:+37:00 [Cueball returns and both continue to build]
+
:+37:00 [Cueball returns and both continue to build.]
:+43:30 [Megan leaves, Cueball continues to build]
+
:+43:30 [Megan leaves, Cueball continues to build.]
:+51:00 [Cueball accidentally slips and destroys part of the castle]
+
:+51:00 [Cueball accidentally slips and destroys part of the castle.]
:+61:30 [Cueball completes the sandcastle and leaves]
+
:+61:30 [Cueball completes the sandcastle and leaves.]
:+73:00 [Cartoon zooms out, showing more construction has been taking place off-screen to the left]
+
:+73:00 [Cartoon zooms out, showing more construction has been taking place off-screen to the left.]
:+81:00 [Megan plants flags on original sandcastle]
+
:+81:00 [Megan plants flags on original sandcastle.]
:+83:00 [Megan sits down at the beach]
+
:+83:00 [Megan sits down at the beach.]
:+83:30 [Cueball finished sandcastle on the left and moves to Megan at the beach]
+
:+83:30 [Cueball finished sandcastle on the left and moves to Megan at the beach.]
 
:+84:30
 
:+84:30
::Megan : Wanna swim?
+
::Megan: Wanna swim?
::Cueball : Yeah.
+
::Cueball: Yeah.
::[They both enter the water and exit the picture]
+
::[They both enter the water and exit the picture.]
:+86:00 [Castle at far left begins to crumble]
+
:+86:00 [Castle at far left begins to crumble.]
:+87:00 [Megan back on the beach, Cueball off screen]
+
:+87:00 [Megan back on the beach, Cueball off screen.]
::Megan : Pffthh
+
::Megan: Pffthh
::Megan : *cough*
+
::Megan: *cough*
::Cueball : You OK?
+
::Cueball: You OK?
::Megan : Just got some in my mouth.
+
::Megan: Just got some in my mouth.
:+91:00 [Cueball takes down two flags and makes the two sandcastles into one large sandcastle]
+
:+91:00 [Cueball takes down two flags and makes the two sandcastles into one large sandcastle.]
:+106:30 [A rock, fired by Megan with a small trebuchet, smashes part of the castle Cueball just finished]  
+
:+106:30 [A rock, fired by Megan with a small trebuchet, smashes part of the castle Cueball just finished.]
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
 
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]

Revision as of 02:54, 2 April 2013

Time
Wait for it.
Title text: Wait for it.

Explanation

Ambox warning blue construction.svg This is one of 54 incomplete explanations:
Please help by editing it!

This comic is a (still ongoing) series of pictures, that was updating every 30 minutes, but is now updating on the hour. As of this writing, it is still updated after more than 187 hours - even after three new, different comics were posted on the front page.

The comic appears to be an illustration of passing time. From the spectator's point of view, each image is meaningless by itself ; the only possible perception of time is to "wait for it" and see how things evolve. Thus, time is in the spectator's perception, not in each individual frame.

Technical hack

The updating is done server-side, with the server redirecting the image link (time.png) to a different image every hour. It is impossible to load future images (except for one image that was revealed during a glitch), so readers have to wait for the story to unfold in real time. On the xkcd site itself, one cannot see the past either, only the current image. Past images are available from xkcd if you have the direct link for each image. Multiple fan sites, including this one, have stored past images as well as the links to the originals.

Faster, navigable versions of the comic are available at xkcd.aubronwood.com and richardwestenra.com/xkcds-time-animated-time-lapse/, a scrollable version is at geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/, or an animated gif at primis.org.

There is also a wiki dedicated to this particular comic and the related forum thread, at xkcd-time.wikia.com/.

Script

Cueball and Megan are presumably by the seaside - Cueball dips his foot in the water at 07:30, and further on (Megan starts at 11:30) they start making a sandcastle. Cueball leaves with a "Later!" at 25:30 [02/01:30] and returns without a word at 37:00 [02/13:00], continuing in the effort to build the grand sandcastle. Megan leaves without a word at 43:30 [02/19:30].

At 51:00 [03/02:00] Cueball accidentally demolishes the original "turret" Megan and he completed at 17:00 while descending from the top of the castle. In the next frame he realizes what he broke and in the following frame he's in dismay about it. Cueball then repairs the damage.

Cueball leaves at 61:30 [03/13:30], repairing is done. Since then the scene has started to "zoom out", the first time there has been a change in the "background". It is starting to reveal another sand castle to the left. At 72:30 [04/00:30], Megan is revealed by this "zoom out," working on the larger castle to the left.

At 84:30 [04/12:30] Megan asks "Wanna Swim" and Cueball says "Yeah". This is the second frame which has dialogue in it.

At 86:00 [04/14:00] a slight wave appears and between 89:00 [04/17:00] and 90:30 [04/18:30], the sea level rises very very slightly.

At 87:00 [04/15:30] they return from the swim, Megan is coughing and Cueball asks if she's okay. Megan answers that she's fine, she just got some (presumed) water in her mouth. This is the third frame with dialog.

At 105:30 [05/09:30] an unidentified object appears in the sky.

At 106:00 [05/10:00] the object in the sky gets closer and Cueball notices it.

At 106:30 [05/10:30] the object (a rock?) crashes against one of the castle's parapets.

At 107:30 [05/11:30] Megan partially re-enters the scene from stage right.

At 108:00 [05/12:00] Megan has fully re-entered the scene, she is pulling a miniature trebuchet into the scene with her.

At 108:30 [05/12:30] It is now seen that Megan is pulling a trebuchet (a type of catapult).

At 109:00 [05/13:00] Megan launches an object towards the sandcastle.

At 110:00 [05/14:00] The object launched by Megan hits the sandcastle, Cueball looks upset.

At 111:30 [05/15:30] Cueball joins Megan at the trebuchet and launches one himself. They alternate launching projectiles.

At 114:30 [05/18:30] Cueball launches an object (rock?) almost straight up in the air ...

At 115:30 [05/19:30] ...they run as it comes back down

Frame by Frame Breakdown

Below is the list of all the frames of the comic, in the order that they were revealed. The given times denote the time since the comic was initially released on midnight, March 25, 2013, Eastern Daylight Time (UTC - 0400).