Difference between revisions of "1879: Eclipse Birds"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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The comic is making a joke about how birds panic during eclipses. However, instead of just cheeping and screeching like birds normally do, they begin to sacrifice each other to appease their gods, similar to how ancient cultures like the Azteks, Greeks, or Tewa would react.
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The comic is making a joke about how birds panic during eclipses. However, instead of just cheeping and screeching like birds normally do, they begin to sacrifice each other to appease their gods, similar to how ancient cultures like the Azteks, [https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/8/18/16078886/total-solar-eclipse-folklore are said to have acted].  
  
The title text suggests that this is a routine ritual for the birds. The bird being sacrificed does not try to stop the ritual, as it wants the experience and won't get another chance until the next eclipse.  
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The title text suggests that this is a routine ritual for the birds. The bird being sacrificed does not try to stop the ritual, as it wants the experience and won't get another chance until the next eclipse on the [https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2024-april-8 8th of April, 2024]
 
 
I'm tired right now. This was probably mostly gibberish and run-ons. It definitely needs more work.
 
  
 
This is the fourth consecutive eclipse comic. Don't look at it without proper eclipse glasses. Sunglasses cannot be substituted.
 
This is the fourth consecutive eclipse comic. Don't look at it without proper eclipse glasses. Sunglasses cannot be substituted.

Revision as of 07:43, 21 August 2017

Eclipse Birds
'Hey! Put her down!' 'No, it's ok! The next chance for me to be carried to a blood cauldron isn't until 2024!'
Title text: 'Hey! Put her down!' 'No, it's ok! The next chance for me to be carried to a blood cauldron isn't until 2024!'

Explanation

Ambox notice.png This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks.

The comic is making a joke about how birds panic during eclipses. However, instead of just cheeping and screeching like birds normally do, they begin to sacrifice each other to appease their gods, similar to how ancient cultures like the Azteks, are said to have acted.

The title text suggests that this is a routine ritual for the birds. The bird being sacrificed does not try to stop the ritual, as it wants the experience and won't get another chance until the next eclipse on the 8th of April, 2024

This is the fourth consecutive eclipse comic. Don't look at it without proper eclipse glasses. Sunglasses cannot be substituted.

Transcript

Ambox notice.png This transcript is incomplete. Please help editing it! Thanks.
Cueball: I heard that during an eclipse the birds all freak out.
Megan: I guess we'll see!
Bird: Chirp Chirp!
Bird: Chirp!
Bird: Peep peep peep!
Bird: Squawk!
Bird: Chirp!
Bird: Clank clank clank
Bird: The time is upon us!
Bird: Peep!
Bird: Kachunk
Bird: Prepare the blood cauldron!
Cueball: Wow.
Megan: Isn't nature amazing?


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Discussion

Looks more like Megan is the one being sacrificed to me, instead of a generic bird - "Put her down!" would be Cueballs line then. 162.158.90.204 06:35, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

Clearly that is the joke. Have corrected this --Kynde (talk) 09:07, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

It's strange the shadow is coming from the top and not from one side, isn't ? I would be frightened too... 141.101.88.52 07:56, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

Not so much. 100% of total eclipses happen at noon. Picture the geometry in your head: when can the moon be exactly between Earth and sun? Nitpicking (talk) 19:12, 6 January 2023 (UTC)
"100% of total eclipses happen at noon"... No, 100% do not. You can get a typical Totality, for any given location on the path that will experience one, surprisingly close to dawn and dusk. Even at the moment of sunrise/sunset.
Though the next TSE is hybrid ('only' annular at its extremities, where it's so lw), even its point of maximum (if that's what you mean) will be at 04:17:56 UTC at 9.6°S 125.8°E, which gives it a local time (geographical, not political) of about 12:40, by my calculations, and there's a lot more wriggle-room for Totalities at significantly higher (N/S) latitudes to be heading further still away from local noon. And, don't forget, the higher latitudes also have the Sun's maximum angle above the horizon be correspondingly closer to the horizon too, for more circumpolar eclipse tracks instead of equator-crossing ones. Then you'd never get the shadow overhead. 172.69.79.185 23:06, 6 January 2023 (UTC)

Would "Kachunk" and "clank clank clank" be onomatopoeia to describe the moving of the blood cauldron, rather than the bird sound? Or, given that the sounds are shown in the same manner as the rest of the bird noises, could this be the birds deliberately mimicking the sound that moving a cauldron could make? Or am I just reading in far too much into this, there is no hidden meaning, and I really need to get out more? 141.101.107.150 11:17, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

I think they are preparing weapons. Chrullrich (talk) 04:53, 22 August 2017 (UTC)
Onomatopoeia is words that sound like the thing/action/whatever they describe, for example knock. Since Kachunk and clank are not words, but only sounds [citation needed] it is not onomatopoeia. But yes, it is not a word, but I think it is the sound of either the blood cauldron or from any device to get the blood out of megan. 198.41.242.11 Lupo

Why are the "time is upon us" and "blood cauldron" lines labelled as coming from birds? I assumed they were just hysterical people talking from off-panel. --Flicky (talk) 12:12, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

I've changed the transcript. The sound may originate to birds but that's not clearly shown in the picture.--Dgbrt (talk) 13:22, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

Could it be worth mentioning this comic was released at midnight, before the eclipse? 108.162.246.215 13:39, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

It was released before midnight! I read it well before midnight yesterday, the day before the eclipse! I think it was closer to 9:00 when it was released. Definitely well before midnight! PotatoGod (talk) 16:16, 21 August 2017 (UTC)
The comic was released at 04:00 UTC on Monday, 21. August 2017. This is midnight at Randall's home (Massachusetts) and the earliest time new releases do happen. Of course more western it was still Sunday. Measured in UTC or EDT the release happened on Monday. --Dgbrt (talk) 19:55, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

I am surprised Randall did not do something animated and/or interactive for such a unique event. Anyone agree? --BigMal // 162.158.75.52 19:06, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

Aztecs were obviously professionals - that explains how they managed to execute someone before the eclipse ended. I think the birds won't be quick enough. -- Hkmaly (talk) 22:55, 21 August 2017 (UTC)

Hummm... Crocodiles are not mamlas, are they? 172.68.198.40 17:10, 22 August 2017 (UTC)

Uff, but often they eat some ;-) --Dgbrt (talk) 19:16, 22 August 2017 (UTC)
OK, let's say that we are what we eat. 172.68.198.40 23:33, 22 August 2017 (UTC)

I don't think the title text is Megan. It seems to be continuing what the birds are saying in the last panel (and yes, I feel it's clearly the birds "talking" and making noise in the last panel, that's the joke), so "her" would be a bird, and the one speaking up for her is also a bird. I feel the Megan / Cueball version is plausible, but the birds version was my first impression. NiceGuy1 (talk) 02:41, 25 August 2017 (UTC)