Editing 1757: November 2016

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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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This is yet another comic designed to [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|make people feel old]], following soon after the last one [[1745: Record Scratch]].
+
{{incomplete|Summarize this section. Currently overwordy.}}
 +
This is yet another comic designed to [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|make you feel old]], following soon after the last one [[1745: Record Scratch]]. Not so long ago a comic with the very title of the largest bold letters in the caption above the panel was released: [[1686: Feel Old]].  
  
−
The comic takes the form of a table of ages between 16 and 41, and next to each, a list of things that originated approximately half that age ago. Thus, by mentioning those things to a person of that age, that person becomes aware that those things have now been around for the majority of their life. People tend to underestimate how long ago things happened, so the revelation will usually come as a shock and make them realize that things they think of as new and modern are actually a lot older than they thought. This, in turn, will make them feel old.
+
Specifically this comic contains ''The '''November 2016''' Guide to making people feel old''. It lists ages between 16 and 41 and links each age to one or more events that happened approximately half that age ago, so 8 years ago for the 16 years old and 20 years ago for the 40 years old etc, which means that a person of that age would have had the mentioned thing in their life for the majority of their life. And then it explains that to make a person of a given [age] feel old, look up the [thing] (or things) connected to it, and say:   
 +
:"Did you know [thing] has been around for the majority of your life?"
 +
As an example the '''age 21''' can be used, as it list both  {{w|The Xbox 360}} as well as this comic, [[xkcd]] it self. The sentence would then be:
 +
:"Did you know that The Xbox 360 and xkcd has been around for the majority of your life?"
  
−
For example, if talking to a 24-year-old, the relevant sentence would be:
+
This matches earlier attempts to make people feel old by mentioning how long ago it was that, for instance, a movie comes out as was the case in [[891: Movie Ages]]. When an event seems to have occurred recently to you, like seeing a movie when you were twenty-one (with Toy Story) and then suddenly realizing that this was 20 years ago, you will very likely feel old. Since humans' perception of time is not related to how much time has actually passed but rather to important memories, then memories like seeing the first feature-length animated movie (Toy Story) makes a big impression and may stay vivid in peoples' memories. When they then, after hearing the sentence from this comic, realize that half their life has passed since that event, they realize how much time has passed and that makes them feel old.
−
:"Did you know that {{w|Facebook}} has been around for the majority of your life?"
 
  
−
To a 24-year old, Facebook likely still seems like a new innovation, so they may be shocked to discover that it has been around for more than half their life.
+
This is why it affects a 20-year-old to hear that Twitter is ten years old, where this will not have the same impact on a 16-year-old, since they were so young when it came out that they probably feel like it has been around for ever, and you do not feel old by hearing that, for instance, the TV was invented before you were born. It thus makes sense to pick something that happened almost midway through a person's life, because they then realize they are now double as old as when they first heard of Twitter.
  
−
The joke at the end is that the guide isn't necessary for people over 41, since they ''already'' feel old, and are more than capable of providing any number of demonstrative examples.
+
The joke at the end is that people over 41 don't need anything to make them feel old, because they already feel old. He thus teases people above 41 years old by claiming they are old, although many people (above 40) would claim you are not old before you retire. It may be a coincidence, but still interesting, that he stopped the list just before 42, a number Randall has referred to many times. This trick was also used to cap the above mentioned [[891: Movie Ages]] to 35 years old, stating anyone as older was already old. But that comic was also released five years ago, and now Randall is himself closing in on 35 at 32 years at the time of this comics release. So he pushed the limit 6 years further, probably for this reason. Now he no longer thinks people at 36 are too old to try to make them feel old.
  
−
It should be noted that the guide is only current for the time it was published, which is why it is billed as the "November 2016 Guide to Making People Feel Old". This is because the examples given in the table are relative to a person's age ''at that time''. However, the title text sneakily suggests a way to get an additional use out of the guide: by noting down the person's age at the time you show them the guide, and then showing it to them again when they are double that age, they will realize that more than half a lifetime has elapsed since the last time they viewed this comic, and will thus feel old again.
+
For something to have existed for the majority of someones life, it is supposed to be older than half the persons age, but it seems [[Randall]] went for just about half the age. For instance for a 35-year-old person (born 1981), it lists the release of the movie {{w|The Matrix}}, which was released March 31, 1999 making it very close to 17.5 years ago, fitting with half of 35 years. For the 41-year-old it is slightly more than half of their life that has included the movie {{w|Toy Story}}, which was released almost exactly 21 years before this comic in November 1995, compared to the 20.5 years from half of 41 years. The only entry on the list that seems to veer more than half a year from the half age is the one for {{w|Auto-Tune|autotuned}} hit songs which seems to refer to 1998, maybe specifically starting with {{w|Cher|Cher's}} song ''{{w|Believe (Cher song)|Believe}}'' released on October 19, 1998, making it 18 years ago. But it is listed together with the age 33 years, which should thus have been connected with something around 16.5 years old (16-17 years). However, this entry is also one of the less time specific. However, the rule still applies, it's just the only one where it is such a big majority of the persons age (18 years in their life 15 years not in their life). See more in the [[#Table for the guide|table]] below.
 +
 
 +
The title text points out that the same chart can be used for the same person once they are twice as old. So it urges the user to note down the age of the person it was used on, and then wait until their age reaches double that. So for a 16-year-old that would only be 16 more years until they are 32, but for a 41-year-old it would have to wait until they are 82 years old. When showing them this chart, they will realize that this has existed for half of their life and again have the same type of "feeling old" that this comic is supposed to instigate today.(It will work better if they still remember the joke made on them those many years ago)...
  
 
==Table for the guide==
 
==Table for the guide==
 +
*Explanation of table:
 +
**Persons age as given in the comic.
 +
**Persons birth year. 2016 minus persons age.
 +
**Date of things. For instance a release date, the year that a thing began/happened or a year where it became a phenomenon (in the US that is, in case if was already a phenomenon somewhere else first).
 +
**Things as given in the comic. There can be more than one "thing" for each age, so it should be things in plural form.
 +
**Half age - Persons age divided by two, so either an integer or a half integer (10 or 10.5). This number should never be higher than the last column, which is also the case, when taking release dates into account.
 +
**Years ago - the number of years since the things became "a thing". In order for this thing to have been in a persons life for the majority of their life this need to be larger (or at least equal) than half that persons age. So this number should be larger than the column before. If there are more than one thing for a given age, the average year for these things are taken and used to calculate the number of years. This number should be given with a decimal, and not necessarily in half years. Only one of the entries are more than one year higher than the half age. This has been highlighted in '''bold'''.
 +
 
{| class = "wikitable"
 
{| class = "wikitable"
 
! Age
 
! Age
 
! Birth year
 
! Birth year
−
! Date of occurrences
+
! Date of things
−
! Occurrences
+
! Things
 
! Explanation
 
! Explanation
 
! Half age
 
! Half age
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| April 29, 2008
 
| April 29, 2008
 
| ''{{w|Grand Theft Auto IV}}''
 
| ''{{w|Grand Theft Auto IV}}''
−
| Popular video game published by {{w|Rockstar Games}}; the 11th title in the ''{{w|Grand Theft Auto}}'' series. The games are often rated as Mature (and thus aimed at adults) and this entrance should not really affect 16 year olds, who may have tried the game now, but should not have played the game when they were only 8 years old.
+
| Popular video game published by {{w|Rockstar Games}}; the 11th title in the ''{{w|Grand Theft Auto}}'' series
 
| 8
 
| 8
 
| 8.5
 
| 8.5
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| May 2007
 
| May 2007
 
| {{w|Rickrolling}}
 
| {{w|Rickrolling}}
−
| A prank and internet meme involving an unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "{{w|Never Gonna Give You Up}}", a bait and switch which has been [[:Category:Rickrolling|referred to often]] in xkcd. Since this was aimed at people who knew the song (from 1987) and were online (mainly young adults in 2007), this entry should not really affect 17 year olds who are unlikely to have been rickrolled when they were only 8.5 years old.  
+
| A prank and internet meme involving an unexpected appearance of the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "{{w|Never Gonna Give You Up}}". A type of bait and switch.
 
| 8.5
 
| 8.5
 
| 9.5
 
| 9.5
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| April 13, 2007
 
| April 13, 2007
 
| ''{{w|Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters}}
 
| ''{{w|Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters}}
−
| American Flash animated surreal comedy film based on the {{w|Adult Swim}} animated series ''{{w|Aqua Teen Hunger Force}}''. This seems to be a joke, as both this movie and the one it was based on are for adults, and the people this targets would only have been 9 when it was released, and probably won't recognize the reference. The joke will fail, because they will not feel old. Very few people have ever heard of this movie, which is probably part of the joke.
+
| American Flash animated surreal comedy film based on the {{w|Adult Swim}} animated series ''{{w|Aqua Teen Hunger Force}}''. This seems to be a joke, as both this movie and the one it was based on is for adults, and the person this targets would only have been 9 when it was released, and will thus not even recognize the reference. And then the joke will fail as they will not feel old.  
 
| 9
 
| 9
−
| 9.6
+
| 9.5
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 19
 
| 19
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| November 19, 2006
 
| November 19, 2006
 
| The {{w|Nintendo Wii}}
 
| The {{w|Nintendo Wii}}
−
| 2006 is the time when the Nintendo Wii was released, with the Wii dominating 2006-2012. Ten year olds were likely to play Wii, and thus as 20 year olds remember and be surprised at how long it is since the first time, and feel old. This is the first entry that might actually work.
+
| From 2006 onwards is the time when the Nintendo Wii brand (Wii - Wii U) was released, with the Wii dominating 2006-2012 and the Wii U being *a small* part of 2012-2016.
 
| 9.5
 
| 9.5
−
| 10.0
+
| 10
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 20
 
| 20
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| March 2006
 
| March 2006
 
| {{w|Twitter}}
 
| {{w|Twitter}}
−
| 2006 was a big year. Twitter was created. There were probably only a few 10-11 year olds that used Twitter in the first year of its release, and thus not many twenty year old people today would have been active on Twitter at the very beginning. This will only make that minority of people feel old.
+
| 2006 was a big year, in that it lead to the creation of Twitter, a social networking service that is still used to this day.
 +
| 10
 
| 10
 
| 10
−
| 10.7
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 21
 
| 21
 
| 1995
 
| 1995
−
| November 22, 2005 (Xbox 360),<br>September 30, 2005 (xkcd)
+
| November 22, 2005 (Xbox),<br>September 2005 (xkcd)
 
| The {{w|Xbox 360}},<br>{{w|xkcd}}
 
| The {{w|Xbox 360}},<br>{{w|xkcd}}
−
| 2005 saw the creation of the Xbox 360, another successful console. [[Randall]] also decided to throw in a 'reference joke', referring to the fact that xkcd was also created in 2005 where the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|first 13 comics]] where released on [[LiveJournal]] on September 30, 2005. As a callback, he has two x words in the same sentence, referring to [[1750: Life Goals]]. The same two words were both in that comic. (Average release date for the two was October 25, 2005). The Xbox will work on the twenty-one year old, for the same reason the Wii above would work. xkcd would not, because it is not directed at pre-teens. They would not have any feelings towards the comic. It is included to make faithful xkcd readers feel old. "Is it really more than 10 years ago I read it first..." (and also for the self-reference).
+
| 2005 led to the creation of the Xbox 360, another successful console. [[Randall]] also decided to throw in a 'reference joke', referring to the fact that xkcd was also created in 2005 and fits the criteria of the comic (and as a call back to the recent [[1750: Life Goals]] he has two x words in the same sentence, which where also both used in that comic).
 
| 10.5
 
| 10.5
−
| 11.0
+
| 11
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 22
 
| 22
 
| 1994
 
| 1994
−
| 2005 (no specific date)
+
| 2005
 
| {{w|Chuck Norris Facts}}
 
| {{w|Chuck Norris Facts}}
−
| Satirical factoids about martial artist and actor {{w|Chuck Norris}} began to appear on the Internet in early 2005. To begin with, they where not centered on Norris, instead focusing {{w|Vin Diesel}}. This makes it difficult to put a precise date on their appearance than "During the year 2005." Chuck Norris has {{w|Chuck_Norris_facts#Norris.27_response|replied to these factoids}} more than once, but the first time was in December 2006, almost two years after the {{w|meme}}s began appearing. The "facts" are mainly based on his series {{w|Walker, Texas Ranger}}, which ran from 1993-2001. Since the series ended when the twenty-two-year-old of today was 7, they were not the target group for the crazy Chuck Norris Facts. It seems unlikely that this entry would work.
+
| Satirical factoids about martial artist and actor {{w|Chuck Norris}} which began to appear on the Internet in early 2005.
 +
| 11
 
| 11
 
| 11
−
| 11.5
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 23
 
| 23
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| January 25, 2004
 
| January 25, 2004
 
| {{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity}}'s Mars Exploration
 
| {{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity}}'s Mars Exploration
−
| {{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity}} is a {{w|Mars rover}} that landed on Mars on January 25, 2004. Mars Rovers are a [[:Category:Mars rovers|recurring subject]] on xkcd. Even people who were not interested in science were very aware of Opportunity's voyage--it was covered in every type of news medium for a long time.
+
| {{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity}} is a Mars rover that landed on Mars on January 25, 2004
 
| 11.5
 
| 11.5
−
| 12.8
+
| 12
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 24
 
| 24
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| February 4, 2004
 
| February 4, 2004
 
| {{w|Facebook}}
 
| {{w|Facebook}}
−
| Facebook is a social networking service created in 2004 as a competitor to {{w|Myspace}}. It grew quickly to become the #1 social networking service. Since kids under thirteen are not allowed on Facebook, twenty-four-year-olds could not have signed up at the time of its foundation. When it was opened up for anyone in 2006, they would have been fourteen, but that would then only have been 10 years ago. However, today everyone knows about Facebook (and many preteens created accounts by lying about their ages), and to learn that it has existed for half of your life may make you feel old even if you didn't sign up immediately.
+
| Facebook was a social networking service created in 2004 as a competitor to {{w|Myspace}} and quickly dominated as the #1 most used social networking service of all time.
 +
| 12
 
| 12
 
| 12
−
| 12.8
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 25
 
| 25
 
| 1991
 
| 1991
 
| April 1, 2004 (Gmail),<br>July 9, 2003 (''Pirates of the Caribbean'')
 
| April 1, 2004 (Gmail),<br>July 9, 2003 (''Pirates of the Caribbean'')
−
| {{w|Gmail}},<br>''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)|Pirates of the Caribbean}}''
+
| {{w|Gmail}},<br>''{{w|Pirates of the Caribbean}}''
−
| Gmail is an email service created by Google. It was originally invitation-only (until 2007), and not marketed to kids, so it is unlikely that many thirteen year olds would have been using it in 2004; however, it has since been opened to anyone, and a lot of 25 year olds use it today. The first movie in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' franchise, {{w|Curse of the Black Pearl}}, debuted in 2003. Three more movies followed before the release of this comic (average date is November 4, 2003). The movie was rated PG-13 and would likely have been a hit among 12-13 year old kids, so this would make many people born in 1991 feel old.
+
| Gmail is an email service created by Google as a replacement to {{w|Hotmail}}. ''Pirates of the Caribbean'', a popular movie franchise, had its first movie {{w|Curse of the Black Pearl}} debut in 2003.
 +
| 12.5
 
| 12.5
 
| 12.5
−
| 13.0
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 26
 
| 26
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| January 7, 2003
 
| January 7, 2003
 
| {{w|In da Club}}
 
| {{w|In da Club}}
−
| Rap song by {{w|50 Cent}}. The song was a #1 hit on multiple charts and in multiple countries. It is very likely that people who were thirteen at its release would have been aware of it, even if they were not "clubbing" themselves yet.
+
| Rap song by {{w|50 Cent}}
 +
| 13
 
| 13
 
| 13
−
| 13.8
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 27
 
| 27
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| September 20, 2002
 
| September 20, 2002
 
| ''{{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}''
 
| ''{{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}''
−
| ''Firefly'' is a space western drama TV series created by {{w|Joss Whedon}}, that became a cult classic. This may be Randall's favorite TV series, and it has been [[:Category:Firefly|referenced often]] in xkcd.
+
| ''{{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}'' is a space western drama TV series created by Joss Whedon, that became a cult classic
 
| 13.5
 
| 13.5
−
| 14.1
+
| 14
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 28
 
| 28
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| October 7, 2001
 
| October 7, 2001
 
| The {{w|War in Afghanistan}}
 
| The {{w|War in Afghanistan}}
−
| The United States of America invaded Afghanistan shortly after the {{w|September 11 attacks}} (popularly known as 9/11), in an effort to eliminate the terrorist group {{w|al-Qaeda}}. Almost anyone who was 14 in 2001 would have been aware of the war.
+
| The United States of America invaded Afghanistan shortly after the events of September 11, 2001, in an effort to eliminate the terrorist group {{w|al-Qaeda}}.
 
| 14
 
| 14
−
| 15.1
+
| 15
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 29
 
| 29
 
| 1987
 
| 1987
−
| October 23, 2001
+
| 2001
 
| The {{w|iPod}}
 
| The {{w|iPod}}
−
| The iPod was a music playing device created by {{w|Apple Inc.}} in 2001. This would probably make lots of 29 year-olds feel old. 14-15 year old kids were likely to have had (or wished they had) an iPod.
+
| The iPod was a music playing device created by {{w|Apple Inc.}} in 2001 as a replacement for MP3 players.
 
| 14.5
 
| 14.5
−
| 15.0
+
| 15
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 30
 
| 30
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| May 18, 2001 (''Shrek''),<br>January 15, 2001 (Wikipedia)
 
| May 18, 2001 (''Shrek''),<br>January 15, 2001 (Wikipedia)
 
| ''{{w|Shrek}}'',<br>{{w|Wikipedia}}
 
| ''{{w|Shrek}}'',<br>{{w|Wikipedia}}
−
| ''Shrek'' is a popular parody film about fairy tales. It quickly gained a cult following and became a mega-hit, earning it three sequels and a franchise. It was a big hit popular for ages. Fifteen-year-olds were likely to know and love the movie, so they would probably feel old as 30-year-olds realizing it came out half their life ago.
+
| ''Shrek'' is a popular parody film about fairy tales based on the book of the same name. It quickly gained a cult following and became a mega-hit, earning it 3 sequels and a franchise. Wikipedia is a website dedicated to looking up information based on specific topics, created in 2001.
−
 
+
| 15
−
Wikipedia is a an online encyclopedia created in 2001, which anyone can edit. (It is massively linked to from [[explain xkcd]] which has a [[:Category:Wikipedia|Wikipedia category]] for comics like this that reference the website directly).  (Average date is March 17, 2001). It is questionable how many kids used Wikipedia during the year it launched. Of course, realizing that before Wikipedia, you had to use a paper encyclopedia may still make a 30 year old feel old.
 
 
| 15
 
| 15
−
| 15.8
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 31
 
| 31
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| July 14, 2000
 
| July 14, 2000
 
| Those X-Men movies
 
| Those X-Men movies
−
| The {{w|X-Men (film series)|X-Men}} film series, probably only referring to the first trilogy (''{{w|X-Men (film)|X-Men}}'' (July 14, 2000), ''{{w|X2 (film)|X2}}'' (May 2, 2003), ''{{w|X-Men: The Last Stand}}'' (May 26, 2006) - us release dates). The release date refers to the first of these three movies. Presumably Randall is counting the series as existing from the time of the first release. 15-16 year old kids are likely to have loved ''X-Men'', and feel old when they realize it came out half their life ago.
+
| The {{w|X-Men (film series)|X-Men}} film series, probably only referring to the first trilogy (''{{w|X-Men (film)|X-Men}}, {{w|X2 (film)|X2}}, {{w|X-Men: The Last Stand}}'') The release date refers to the first of these three movies.
 
| 15.5
 
| 15.5
−
| 16.3
+
| 16
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 32
 
| 32
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| February 4, 2000
 
| February 4, 2000
 
| ''{{w|The Sims}}''
 
| ''{{w|The Sims}}''
−
| ''The Sims'' is a simulation video game created by Maxis in 2000 in which you build homes, cities, and families. It was an immediate success upon launch. It seems likely that many people would have played The Sims, and thus many 32 year old people would feel old. This was the one that Randall could have used on himself to feel old. He turned 32 a few weeks before the release of this comic.
+
| ''The Sims'' is a video game created by Maxis in 2000 as a simulation game where you build homes, cities, and families. It was an immediate success upon launch.
 +
| 16
 
| 16
 
| 16
−
| 16.8
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 33
 
| 33
 
| 1983
 
| 1983
−
| October 19, 1998
+
| 1998
 
| Autotuned hit songs
 
| Autotuned hit songs
−
| 1998 was when non-audio-professionals became aware of {{w|Auto-Tune|autotuning}} songs. {{w|Cher|Cher's}} song ''{{w|Believe (Cher song)|Believe}}'', released October 19, 1998 {{w|Auto-Tune#In_popular_music|may be the first time}} that most people really noticed autotuning. This is the only entry where there seems to be more than one year between the age of the thing and the half age of the person. However, it is also one of the entries where specific dating is difficult. Because the dates are not specific, it is difficult to judge how it would affect 33 year old people. Autotuning has been a standard for years, so it may make one feel old to know it has around for half your life.
+
| 1998 was the time period when people realized the capabilities of {{w|Auto-Tune|autotuning}} songs. {{w|Cher|Cher's}} song ''{{w|Believe (Cher song)|Believe}}'' from October 1998 {{w|Auto-Tune#In_popular_music|may be the first time}} that people really noticed this effect. This is the only entry where there seems to be more than one year between the age of the ting and the half age of the person. But it is also one of the entries where specific dating is difficult to place.
 
| 16.5
 
| 16.5
−
| '''18.1'''
+
| '''18'''
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 34
 
| 34
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| May 19, 1999
 
| May 19, 1999
 
| The {{w|Star Wars Prequels}}
 
| The {{w|Star Wars Prequels}}
−
| The Star Wars prequel trilogy (''{{w|Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace}}'' (May 19, 1999), ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones}}'' (May 16, 2002), ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith}}'' (May 19, 2005), us release dates). The {{w|Star Wars}} universe is most likely the [[:Category:Star Wars|most referenced]] movie universe in xkcd. The release date refers to the first of these three movies, because even only taking the first two movies, the average would only be 16 years ago, less than half the age of a 34 year old. These movies were awaited eagerly by many 17 year old kids, so they would remember the release well and feel very old.
+
| The Star Wars prequel trilogy (''{{w|Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace}}, {{w|Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones}}, {{w|Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith}}''). The date refers to the release of the first movie.
 
| 17   
 
| 17   
−
| 17.5
+
| 17
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 35
 
| 35
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| March 31, 1999
 
| March 31, 1999
 
| ''{{w|The Matrix}}''
 
| ''{{w|The Matrix}}''
−
| Action film created by {{w|The Wachowskis}} (formerly known, at the time of ''The Matrix'', as The Wachowski Brothers). Two more films followed, although they were widely regarded as inferior to the first (by for instance by Randall as seen in [[566: Matrix Revisited]]). ''The Matrix'' was something new and is likely to have influenced 17-18 year old kids, so this entry would likely to produce feelings of age.  
+
| Action film created by {{w|The Wachowskis}} (formerly known, at the time of ''The Matrix, as The Wachowski Brothers).
 +
| 17.5
 
| 17.5
 
| 17.5
−
| 17.6
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 36
 
| 36
 
| 1980
 
| 1980
−
| September 28, 1998
+
| 1998 (outside Japan)
−
| {{w|Pokémon Red & Blue}}
+
| {{w|Pokemon Red & Blue}}
−
| A popular video game franchise in the {{w|Pokémon}} series, a series [[:Category:Pokémon|often referenced]] in xkcd. The game was first released in Japan in 1996, but not in North America until 1998. It seems likely that many people interested in playing computer games would have played Pokémon games. and in particular this one, which was released when the target group was 18 years old. And now that's half their life ago, perhaps making them feel old.
+
| A popular video game franchise
 +
| 18
 
| 18
 
| 18
−
| 18.1
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 37
 
| 37
 
| 1979
 
| 1979
−
| August 29, 1997 (Netflix),<br>June 26, 1997 (Harry Potter),<br>September 15, 1997 (Google)
+
| April 29, 1997 (Netflix),<br>June 26, 1997 (Harry Potter),<br>September 15, 1997 (Google)
 
| {{w|Netflix}},<br>{{w|Harry Potter}},<br>{{w|Google}}
 
| {{w|Netflix}},<br>{{w|Harry Potter}},<br>{{w|Google}}
−
| All three are still major things 19 years later. "Harry Potter" refers to the original publishing date of ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone}}''. Google refers to the date that the Google domain name was registered. (Average date is 03-07-1997). Harry Potter is widely read, but at the time of its release it was probably not at first taken up by those of 18-19 year old. That may have first come later, maybe with the release of the {{w|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)|first movies}} in 2001, four years later. This may not be the best example for this age group. Also using Google and Netflix just when they where launched may also not have been so popular among 18-19 year olds in 1997. Still, all three things are big, and to realize that they have been around for half of a life may still make someone feel old.
+
| All three are major things still today 19 years later. "Harry Potter" refers to the original publishing date of ''{{w|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone}}''. Google refers to the date that the Google domain name was registered.
 
| 18.5
 
| 18.5
−
| 19.4
+
| 19
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 38
 
| 38
Line 213: Line 224:
 
| May 11, 1997
 
| May 11, 1997
 
| Deep Blue's Victory
 
| Deep Blue's Victory
−
| {{w|Deep Blue (chess computer)|Deep Blue}} was a {{w|chess computer}}, who defeated {{w|Garry Kasparov}}, the reigning chess champion, in a match in 1997. It was the first chess computer to defeat a world champion under tournament conditions. Randall has a great interest in {{w|chess}} and it is a [[:Category:Chess|recurrent subject]] on xkcd. Unless a 38 year old is interested in chess, they may not even know what Deep Blue is, let alone have any impression of long ago the victory occurred. Chess players and computer nerds (both of whom are very likely to be xkcd fans) would certainly be aware of this particular day.
+
| {{w|Deep Blue (chess computer)|Deep Blue}} was a {{w|chess computer}}, who defeated {{w|Garry Kasparov}}, the reigning chess champion, in 1997. It was the first chess computer to defeat a world champion under tournament conditions.
 +
| 19
 
| 19
 
| 19
−
| 19.5
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 39
 
| 39
 
| 1977
 
| 1977
 
| September 13, 1996
 
| September 13, 1996
−
| {{w|Murder of Tupac Shakur|Tupac's Death}}
+
| Tupac's Death
−
| {{w|Tupac Shakur}} was an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in 1996. Eight of his albums are certified platinum (five released after his death), and he has been ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time. (Rolling Stone ranked him 86/100). It seems likely that many 39 year olds would feel old realizing that 2Pac has been dead for half of their lives.
+
| {{w|Tupac Shakur}} was an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in 1996.
 
| 19.5
 
| 19.5
−
| 20.2
+
| 20
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 40
 
| 40
Line 229: Line 240:
 
| December 31, 1995
 
| December 31, 1995
 
| The [http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1995/12/31 last ''Calvin and Hobbes'' strip]
 
| The [http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1995/12/31 last ''Calvin and Hobbes'' strip]
−
| ''{{w|Calvin and Hobbes}}'' is a comic strip by {{w|Bill Watterson}} that ran from November 18, 1985 to December 31, 1995. It is a [[:Category:Calvin and Hobbes|recurring subject]] on xkcd . This comic had a lot of fans among people that are 40 today. Even those who didn't read it during its run may have discovered it later. Even those who didn't notice the ending at the time, might still feel old realizing it was so long ago.
+
| ''{{w|Calvin and Hobbes}}'' is a comic strip by {{w|Bill Watterson}} that ran from November 18, 1985 to December 31, 1995.
 
| 20
 
| 20
−
| 20.9
+
| 21
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 41
 
| 41
Line 237: Line 248:
 
| November 22, 1995
 
| November 22, 1995
 
| ''{{w|Toy Story}}''
 
| ''{{w|Toy Story}}''
−
| The {{w|Pixar}} animated film ''Toy Story'' was the first feature length digitally-animated film to be released theatrically (and also Pixar's first feature film). Given that this was the first film of its kind, many 20-21 year olds would have seen it. For xkcd fans, such movies might be a big thing. For anyone who saw this movie (and the sequels) this could cause feelings of age. Side note: 41 year olds might actually feel young when reading this comic in November 2016, because they are the last people to still be expected to feel young before Randall deliberately destroys the feeling.
+
| The {{w|Pixar}} animated film ''Toy Story'' was the first feature length animation film to be released theatrically (and also Pixar's first feature film)
 
| 20.5
 
| 20.5
−
| 21.0
+
| 21
 
|-
 
|-
 
| >41
 
| >41
Line 245: Line 256:
 
| N/A
 
| N/A
 
| [Don't worry, they've got this covered]
 
| [Don't worry, they've got this covered]
−
| This joke is that people who are legitimately old already feel old. This could also be a reference to the number 42, 42 being the "{{w|Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything}}" in the {{w|Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}. He has referenced this number more than once before, for instance in [[1213: Combination Vision Test]] and in the [[1608#Messages_in_Play_Area|messages in the ''Play Area'']] of [[1608: Hoverboard]]. Showing people 42 years or more old this table will make them feel old, when they look for their age and find this. Also, it may disappoint older readers of xkcd, as they do not to get their own humorous half-your-life entry. (See the opposite effect mentioned for the 41 years old above).
+
| This joke is that people who are legitimately old already feel old. This could also be a reference to the number 42, Randall having stopped when this number was supposed to occur. He has referenced this number more than once before, for instance in the [[1608#Messages_in_Play_Area|messages in the ''Play Area'']] of [[1608: Hoverboard]].
 
| >20.5
 
| >20.5
 
| N/A
 
| N/A
Line 253: Line 264:
 
:[Caption above the panel:]
 
:[Caption above the panel:]
 
:The November 2016
 
:The November 2016
−
:Guide to making people
+
:<big>Guide to making people</big>
−
:'''feel old'''
+
:<big><big>'''feel old'''</big></big>
−
:
+
 
 
:[A chart with a list of items to be put into the two first lines above the chart. First there are a line using the first column, then there are two lines using the second column. Below those lines are the two columns with underlined captions above. Between the columns are a long line connecting the two.]
 
:[A chart with a list of items to be put into the two first lines above the chart. First there are a line using the first column, then there are two lines using the second column. Below those lines are the two columns with underlined captions above. Between the columns are a long line connecting the two.]
 
:If they're [age], you say:
 
:If they're [age], you say:
 
:<big>"Did you know</big> <u>[thing]</u> <big>has been around for the majority of your life?"</big>
 
:<big>"Did you know</big> <u>[thing]</u> <big>has been around for the majority of your life?"</big>
−
:
 
−
:;<u>Age</u>
 
−
::<u>Thing</u>
 
−
:
 
−
:;16
 
−
::Grand Theft Auto IV
 
−
:
 
−
:;17
 
−
::Rickrolling
 
−
:
 
−
:;18
 
−
::''Aqua Teen Hunger Force <br> Colon Movie Film for Theaters''
 
−
:
 
−
:;19
 
−
::The Nintendo Wii
 
−
:
 
−
:;20
 
−
::Twitter
 
−
:
 
−
:;21
 
−
::The Xbox 360, xkcd
 
−
:
 
−
:;22
 
−
::Chuck Norris Facts
 
−
:
 
−
:;23
 
−
::Opportunity's Mars Exploration
 
−
:
 
−
:;24
 
−
::Facebook
 
−
:
 
−
:;25
 
−
::Gmail, ''Pirates of the Caribbean''
 
−
:
 
−
:;26
 
−
::In da Club
 
−
:
 
−
:;27
 
−
::''Firefly''
 
−
:
 
−
:;28
 
−
::The War in Afghanistan
 
−
:
 
−
:;29
 
−
::The iPod
 
−
:
 
−
:;30
 
−
::''Shrek'', Wikipedia
 
−
:
 
−
:;31
 
−
::Those X-Men movies
 
−
:
 
−
:;32
 
−
::''The Sims''
 
−
:
 
−
:;33
 
−
::Autotuned hit songs
 
  
−
:;34
+
:{| class = "wikitable"
−
::The ''Star Wars'' prequels
+
! <u>Age</u>
−
:
+
! <u>Thing</u>
−
:;35
+
|-
−
::''The Matrix''
+
| 16
−
:
+
| Grand Theft Auto IV
−
:;36
+
|-
−
::''Pokémon Red&Blue''
+
| 17
−
:
+
| Rickrolling
−
:;37
+
|-
−
::Netflix, ''Harry Potter'', Google
+
| 18
−
:
+
| ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force <br> Colon Movie Film for Theaters'''
−
:;38
+
|-
−
::Deep Blue's Victory
+
| 19
−
:
+
| The Nintendo Wii
−
:;39
+
|-
−
::Tupac's Death
+
| 20
−
:
+
| Twitter
−
:;40
+
|-
−
::The last ''Calvin and Hobbes'' strip
+
| 21
−
:
+
| The Xbox 360, xkcd
−
:;41
+
|-
−
::''Toy Story''
+
| 22
−
:
+
| Chuck Norris Facts
−
:;>41
+
|-
−
::[Don't worry, they've got this covered]
+
| 23
−
 
+
| Opportunity's Mars Exploration
−
==Trivia==
+
|-
−
* The comic [[891: Movie Ages]], released 5 years earlier, used a very similar technique to make people feel old, by giving the number of years that had elapsed since landmark movies were released. Some of those movies (''Toy Story'', ''The Matrix'', ''Shrek'') also appear in this comic. That same comic also ended with a similar punchline, by ending the chart at 35 (with people over 35 considered as "too old" for the chart). It is possible that Randall's increasing of the limit to 41 reflects his own increasing age; perhaps he no longer thinks people at 36 are too old to try to make them feel old.
+
| 24
−
* Other comics with date-based titles include:
+
| Facebook
−
** Month-day format: [[656: October 30th]], [[680: December 25th]]
+
|-
−
** Month in the name: [[1595: 30 Days Hath September]]
+
| 25
−
** A single year: [[998: 2012]], [[1311: 2014]], [[1624: 2016]], [[1779: 2017]]
+
| Gmail, ''Pirates of the Caribbean''
−
** The comic [[1898: October 2017]], released almost a year later, uses the same title format as this comic, and is also about making people feel old.
+
|-
 +
| 26
 +
| In da Club
 +
|-
 +
| 27
 +
| ''Firefly''
 +
|-
 +
| 28
 +
| The War in Afghanistan
 +
|-
 +
| 29
 +
| The iPod
 +
|-
 +
| 30
 +
| ''Shrek'', Wikipedia
 +
|-
 +
| 31
 +
| Those X-Men movies
 +
|-
 +
| 32
 +
| ''The Sims''
 +
|-
 +
| 33
 +
| Autotuned hit songs
 +
|-
 +
| 34
 +
| The ''Star Wars'' prequels
 +
|-
 +
| 35
 +
| ''The Matrix''
 +
|-
 +
| 36
 +
| ''Pokémon Red&Blue''
 +
|-
 +
| 37
 +
| Netflix, ''Harry Potter'', Google
 +
|-
 +
| 38
 +
| Deep Blue's Victory
 +
|-
 +
| 39
 +
| Tupac's Death
 +
|-
 +
| 40
 +
| The last ''Calvin and Hobbes'' strip
 +
|-
 +
| 41
 +
| ''Toy Story''
 +
|-
 +
| >41
 +
| [Don't worry, they've got this covered]
 +
|}
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
Line 358: Line 363:
 
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
 
[[Category:Music]]
 
[[Category:Music]]
−
[[Category:Fiction]]
 
 
[[Category:Video games]]
 
[[Category:Video games]]
−
[[Category:Pokémon]]
 
 
[[Category:Rickrolling]]
 
[[Category:Rickrolling]]
 
[[Category:Social networking]]  
 
[[Category:Social networking]]  
 
[[Category:Mars rovers]]
 
[[Category:Mars rovers]]
 +
[[Category:Fiction]]
 
[[Category:Firefly]]
 
[[Category:Firefly]]
 
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
 
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
 
[[Category:Star Wars]]
 
[[Category:Star Wars]]
 
[[Category:Chess]]
 
[[Category:Chess]]
−
[[Category:Songs]]
 
 
[[Category:Calvin and Hobbes]]
 
[[Category:Calvin and Hobbes]]
−
[[Category:Harry Potter]]
 
−
[[Category:The Matrix]]
 

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