3163: Repair Video

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Repair Video
The statue should be in the likeness of whatever sculptor posted the sculpting tool repair video that was most helpful during the installation of the statue.
Title text: The statue should be in the likeness of whatever sculptor posted the sculpting tool repair video that was most helpful during the installation of the statue.

    Explanation

    This strip depicts Cueball finding a video explaining how to fix the exact problem he is currently having with his humidifier.

    The nature of mass-produced consumer products means that issues that come up with one unit (either due to design or manufacturing issues) are likely to show up elsewhere in products of the same line. Where these issues are major, causing safety issues or immediate lack of functionality, the product might be recalled. But it is common for products (particularly ones with complex moving parts) to develop minor issues, which aren't worth discarding the item over but which cause problems. In this case, it's "an annoying clicking sound". Such problems can cause anything from annoyance to loss of functionality, and the typical options are either to just live with the problem, try to return it (if it's within the warranty period) or just discard it. All of these put a burden on people, to one degree or another.

    In many cases, these issues are due to a minor design flaw or defect, and may have a simple fix. But, since they aren't part of the intended operation, there's generally no official source information about such fixes. Some people, by examination, specialized knowledge and/or luck, are able to figure out these fixes on their own. In a pre-internet era, such knowledge was rarely spread (the odds of knowing another person with the same model of the same product having the same issue are pretty low). In modern times, though, such fixes can be posted online for anyone else who encounters the same problem.

    Importantly, there's very little incentive to share such information. These fixes are obscure enough, and apply to few enough people, that maintaining such information commercially is unlikely to be profitable. Instead, such videos are generally made by individuals who figured out how to fix their own products and want to share the information. While the effort of making and posting such a video is generally minor. It is also very unlikely to generate any profit or widespread recognition, so people generally do it entirely out of a desire to help others avoid the aggravation they themselves had to go through. It is helpful but thankless work, carried out by ordinary people.

    The caption states that Randall believes people who go to such effort should be commemorated with "at minimum, a statue". He acknowledges that "there's more important work in the world", but suggests that this kind of recognition is still proper. Most systems for public accolades are focused on people who do either dramatic and highly impactful work, or those who are particularly recognizable. In this case, the people involved might only affect the lives of a few people, and only in a small way, but the willingness to help strangers who they're unlikely to ever meet is a laudable thing. This might also be intended to exaggerate the frustration that many people feel when dealing with malfunctions that make major appliances worse, if not nonfunctional.

    The title text carries the joke further, suggesting that, if such a statue is made, the sculptor will inevitably have problems with their tools, and will, themselves, have to turn to repair videos for advice. He suggests finding whoever made the most useful repair video and making the statue in their likeness, presumably as a symbolic representation for everyone who does so.

    Thanks to this video, Cueball finds the solution to his problem easily, unlike in 979: Wisdom of the Ancients. This comic could be seen as a happier version of the events in that earlier comic, though this one concerns an appliance and the other concerns software.

    Transcript

    Ambox warning green construction.svg This is one of 27 incomplete transcripts:
    Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!
    [Cueball sits at his desk, on which there is a laptop computer showing a video. His hands are on his lap. Behind Cueball's chair and on the floor, there is a humidifier with "E-21" printed on it, making noise. The humidifier's cord extends to the right side of the panel.]
    Voice from computer: Hey all!
    Voice from computer: Does your E-21 humidifier make an annoying clicking noise? Mine did, but I finally figured out that there's an easy fix, so I made this video in case anyone else...
    Cueball: Oh my god. Yes. Yes.
    Humidifier: Click click
    [Caption below the panel:]
    I know there's more important work in the world, but I feel like these people deserve, at minimum, a statue.

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    Discussion

    Lol Mathmaster (talk) 23:20, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

    I tried to check the explain page for this comic a little while ago and the page hadn’t been made yet :( Kirinhatchi (talk) 23:32, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

    I think Randall speaks for a few billion people with this one. 64.201.132.210 23:49, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

    It feels like this comic is almost a "happy ending" version of https://xkcd.com/979/. 2605:A601:AF4D:DE00:510E:86B:6FA2:356B 00:27, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

    I agree, it seems like a spiritual continuation. I put that in the explanation though it could definitely be moved/fit into the content more cleanly. R128 (talk) 00:55, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

    > "but afterwards decide to create instructional videos" -- I see some how-to videos that don't seem to be afterward, but intentional "What can I post about to get some clicks/eyeballs?" IAC, YouTube has become my go-to for many problems which should be easier to show than to talk about. But so many newbie videographers work in shadow, or block the key part with their shoulder, or rush the details. --PRR (talk) 01:07, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

    ...Scott here! - 24.177.125.170 03:45, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

    Before we all die, I have to know. Is it “hey all,” or “hey y’all?” KelOfTheStars! (talk) 04:19, 4 November 2025 (UTC)
    Or "hey all y'all?" 107.77.205.128 18:32, 4 November 2025 (UTC)
    "He yall yall!" 82.13.184.33 17:09, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
    How was the Antarctic? 82.13.184.33 09:24, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

    I feel like the explanation is missing an emphasis on the fact that Cueball's problem is entirely trivial (albeit very annoying) and hence farcical to suggest awarding statues for solving it, but it seems like it needs a more significant rework than just an added line, and I don't have the headspace to do it - anyone want to take a run at it? 82.13.184.33 09:27, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

    Ugh, another video that should have been text. I just want to know how to fix whatever it is, I don't need a 2 minute opening, monologue, and "Like and subscribe!" 163.116.254.55 16:00, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

    This will become wisdom of the ancients when the video platform does some housecleaning, deletes the video, and all that is left are some chat posts linking to it. 107.77.205.128 18:32, 4 November 2025 (UTC)
    Exactly, I first thought the comic would be criticism, since the entire big speech bubble is just filler. Reminds me of a German comic (which I can't find currently) where someone has an extremely specific, obscure and very urgent problem, meanwhile the TV advertises the exact solution, but forces them to sit through a hotline waiting loop first. In text, I can just jump to the relevant part. For example I soon want to replace the screen of my phone, but I already know how to open the main case, I want to skip past that and get to the screen-specific part. And I don't need to see all screws undone in real time, one diagram of where all are is much more helpful. Fabian42 (talk) 13:20, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

    I am reminded of this (relatable) ancient tweet by Martin A. Brooks: 

    “This video demonstrates….”

How I want tech stuff explained to me in order of preference:

1) A well written technical document.
2) A maintained wiki.
…
998) Spray painted on the side of a cow.
999) A video.

    124.171.37.127 22:52, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

    Where does 'some indecipherable pictograms' appear on this list? 82.13.184.33 09:50, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
    If it's auto repair, I kind of want a video mostly to learn about the gotchas before I start ripping into something. 130.76.187.35 13:53, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

    Man, Randall really seems have humidifiers on his mind a lot lately... StapleFreeBatteries (talk) 04:36, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

    Trying to overcome the tendency towards dry humour? 82.132.244.89 14:35, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

    You know what's worse than https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/979:_Wisdom_of_the_Ancients ? An XKCD comic about my problem, with no explanation about the fix. My dehumidifier makes an annoying clicking noise. 2601:19B:4103:97F0:ECAD:3D45:F3A9:F94D 15:31, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

    Can't see how this comic could help you... It's about a humidifier that annoyingly clicks, not a dehumidifier that annoyingly clicks... You need to search for a different comic with insufficient real-world info... :p 82.132.246.131 18:01, 5 November 2025 (UTC)


    The clicking is how the humidifier works, by fixing the clicking, you broke it ;) 92.79.75.163 11:46, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

    My thoughts exactly, at least 'fixing it' won't be as catastrophic as 'fixing a popping water-heater valve'.2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:2DD3:AF82:E909:78A9 02:06, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
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