Difference between revisions of "721: Flatland"
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==Unixkcd== | ==Unixkcd== | ||
This comic was released on March 31, 2010 and was still up on April 1st, 2010. On {{w|April_Fools%27_Day|April Fools' Day}} [[Randall]] altered the website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} command line interface. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com]. | This comic was released on March 31, 2010 and was still up on April 1st, 2010. On {{w|April_Fools%27_Day|April Fools' Day}} [[Randall]] altered the website to mimic a {{w|Unix}} command line interface. This interface is still available on [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com]. | ||
− | + | The terminal lists a few available commands, but there are several undocumented commands as well. | |
+ | * <code>display [number]</code> Shows the comic with the specified number. | ||
+ | * <code>next</code> Shows the previous comic. | ||
+ | * <code>prev</code> Shows the next comic. Shows the error "Time travel mode not enabled" on the last comic. | ||
+ | * <code>first</code> Shows the first comic. | ||
+ | * <code>last</code> Shows the last comic. | ||
+ | * <code>random</code> Shows a random comic. | ||
+ | * <code>dir</code> or <code>ls</code> Shows the content of the current directory. | ||
+ | * <code>cat [filename]</code> Shows the content of the file. <code>cat [number]/alt.txt</code> displays the alt-text of the specified comic. | ||
+ | * <code>cheat</code> Promotes the [https://store.xkcd.com/ xkcd store]. | ||
+ | * <code>cd [directory]</code> Changes to the specified directory. | ||
* <code>cat</code> (without a filename) will show <code>You're a kitty!</code> referencing [[231: Cat Proximity]]. | * <code>cat</code> (without a filename) will show <code>You're a kitty!</code> referencing [[231: Cat Proximity]]. | ||
* <code>rm [filename]</code> will make it seem like you deleted the file. | * <code>rm [filename]</code> will make it seem like you deleted the file. | ||
+ | * <code>reddit [number]</code> shows the [https://www.reddit.com/ Reddit] voting bar for the specified comic (or xkcd when not number is specified). | ||
+ | * <code>irc</code> or <code>write</code> Starts an {{w|IRC}} session to the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net. | ||
* <code>clear</code> clears the screen. | * <code>clear</code> clears the screen. | ||
* <code>man</code> will show <code>Oh, I'm sure you can figure it out.</code>. | * <code>man</code> will show <code>Oh, I'm sure you can figure it out.</code>. | ||
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* <code>unixkcd</code> opens a new terminal window. | * <code>unixkcd</code> opens a new terminal window. | ||
* <code>sudo [command]</code> executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges. | * <code>sudo [command]</code> executes the command with {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges. | ||
− | * <code>shutdown</code> or <code>poweroff</code> | + | * <code>shutdown</code> or <code>poweroff</code> will shutdown the system (needs {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges). |
− | * <code> | + | * <code>restart</code> or <code>reboot</code> will restart the system (needs {{w|Superuser|root}} privileges). |
* <code>make me a sandwich</code> and <code>sudo make me a sandwich</code> behave like [[149: Sandwich]]. | * <code>make me a sandwich</code> and <code>sudo make me a sandwich</code> behave like [[149: Sandwich]]. | ||
* <code>logout</code>, <code>exit</code> and <code>quit</code> will end the terminal session. | * <code>logout</code>, <code>exit</code> and <code>quit</code> will end the terminal session. |
Revision as of 13:49, 4 December 2017
Flatland |
Title text: Also, I apologize for the time I climbed down into your world and everyone freaked out about the lesbian orgy overseen by a priest. |
Explanation
This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: I just added the information on unixkcd from https://vimeo.com/78912850. There are a lot of other commands available. Could somebody dissect the javascript file? If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks. |
This comic is a reference to the satirical novel Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, in which a society of flat shapes live in a 2D world. Half the book is a direct satire of Victorian society, and the other half explores the experience of discovering a new dimension, where a sphere introduces a square (named A. Square) to 3D. Cueball appears to have taken the place of this sphere, and the comic takes place after the square knows the third dimension exists.
Humans will never fully be able to grasp the concept of a four spatial dimensions (at least not in the foreseeable future), but there are ways of squashing or slicing four dimensions to create partial visualizations of 4D space. Miegakure is a 4D game that uses cross-sections of 4D space. Cueball attempted to play it, but after having his mind blown, he gained more sympathy for A. Square, who'd had similar trouble understanding 3D. A. Square accepts his apology.
The joke here is that Cueball was being silly and drew lines on A. Square to make him look like SpongeBob, which did not make the square happy. Cueball apologizes again.
The title text is a third apology for when Cueball crawled down into the second dimension. Being a stick figure, he is comprised of a circle and straight lines. In Flatland, circles are priests (Flatland's highest social level), and all women are lines; thus, to a watcher in Flatland, Cueball would look very much like a priest above many connected women, which may look like a lesbian orgy.
Unixkcd
This comic was released on March 31, 2010 and was still up on April 1st, 2010. On April Fools' Day Randall altered the website to mimic a Unix command line interface. This interface is still available on uni.xkcd.com. The terminal lists a few available commands, but there are several undocumented commands as well.
-
display [number]
Shows the comic with the specified number. -
next
Shows the previous comic. -
prev
Shows the next comic. Shows the error "Time travel mode not enabled" on the last comic. -
first
Shows the first comic. -
last
Shows the last comic. -
random
Shows a random comic. -
dir
orls
Shows the content of the current directory. -
cat [filename]
Shows the content of the file.cat [number]/alt.txt
displays the alt-text of the specified comic. -
cheat
Promotes the xkcd store. -
cd [directory]
Changes to the specified directory. -
cat
(without a filename) will showYou're a kitty!
referencing 231: Cat Proximity. -
rm [filename]
will make it seem like you deleted the file. -
reddit [number]
shows the Reddit voting bar for the specified comic (or xkcd when not number is specified). -
irc
orwrite
Starts an IRC session to the xkcd channel on irc.foonetic.net. -
clear
clears the screen. -
man
will showOh, I'm sure you can figure it out.
. -
bash
displaysYou bash your head against the wall. It's not very effective.
. -
wget [url]
shows the content of the specified url. -
unixkcd
opens a new terminal window. -
sudo [command]
executes the command with root privileges. -
shutdown
orpoweroff
will shutdown the system (needs root privileges). -
restart
orreboot
will restart the system (needs root privileges). -
make me a sandwich
andsudo make me a sandwich
behave like 149: Sandwich. -
logout
,exit
andquit
will end the terminal session. -
help
saysThat would be cheating!
-
goto [any]
Shows comic 292: goto and asks if you meantdisplay
instead.
There are also some other commands borrowed from a Zork like text based adventure game.
-
look
describes your current surroundings. -
go [direction]
moves you in the specified direction.
You will be killed by a grue when going south. Going west repeatedly will list the refrain from the song Go west.
The terminal also responds to the Konami code Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Entering this code repeatedly will transform all characters to upper case, add a gray text shadow, add an orange text shadow, shake the screen and add a background image of Richard Stallman from 344: 1337: Part 4.
Trivia
There is actually a SpongeBob episode featuring a flat creature that resembles a crude drawing of SpongeBob.
Transcript
- [Cueball encounters a square on the ground.]
- Cueball: Hey, A. Square. How's Flatland?
- Square: Still flat. What's up?
- Cueball: I just spent an hour playing a demo of this 4D game called Miegakure.
- [A character in Miegakure jumps around the 4D landscape.]
- Trying to jump from block to block in four dimensions hurt my brain.
- Cueball: So I apologize for giving you a hard time when you were slow to understand 3D space. I sympathize now.
- Square: It's okay.
- Cueball: Also, I apologize for drawing arms, legs, and eyes on you to make you look like SpongeBob. That was out of line.
- Square: Yes, it was.
Discussion
There might be another comic in this joke with Cueball's last line "That was out of line." Where a line would be a 2-dimensional object. lcarsos (talk) 21:58, 29 October 2012 (UTC)
Point of order - a line is a ONE dimensional object (and a point is a zero dimensional object) -- mwburden 70.91.188.49 14:32, 12 December 2012 (UTC)
- True, but in the book "lines" were in fact extremely flat triangles. 184.66.160.91 21:33, 22 August 2013 (UTC)
Also, how has nobody noticed the "What's up?" line from the square? This could be a double - or even a triple entendre, meaning "What is the nature of 'up'?", "What is located in the upward direction?" or "What's going on?". The first two would be plays on the square's inability to sense 'up', which is the general idea of the Flatland story. 193.88.197.67 07:35, 3 September 2013 (UTC)
It might be worth noting that there isn't a playable demo yet (unfortunately :P ) 199.27.128.188 18:18, 20 February 2015 (UTC)VectorLightning (Guest)
Hidden DoodleBob reference!! -- JayRulesXKCD (talk) 8:17, 11 September 2016 (EDT)
sudo sudo
is another undocumented command and says "Too much recursion" if entered. 162.158.165.154 16:05, 3 April 2018 (UTC)
Should the UniXKCD section be put on its own page? It has nearly nothing to do with the actual comic. 625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8 (talk) 21:09, 4 April 2018 (UTC)
Wait, he played a demo in 2010? It's 2019 and there's still no full release, so where the hell can I find this demo? 172.68.65.90 02:09, 16 October 2019 (UTC)
This was just after PAX East (Boston, 26-28 March 2010), one of the only times Miegakure was shown publicly; Randall probably had a chance to play it then. 172.68.174.82 02:34, 12 March 2020 (UTC)