A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

 

 

Panel One: Drawing of two stick figures. The figure on the left is holding out cell phone with a picture on its screen to show to the other stick figure, who wears a black hat.

Person One: Check out the SLS–130 tons to orbit. Finally, rockets that improve on the ones we had 40 years ago.

Black Hat Guy: Are we getting Nazis to build these ones, too?

Panel Two: Caption above two subpanels.

Offscreen: What?

Caption above next two panels: When we first captured Von Braun and his team, we had our engineers interview them, then we built the rockets. But our rockets kept exploding.

Subpanel One: Drawing of three stick figures. One is seated (possibly tied up) in a chair. One stands behind the chair, wearing a helmet and holding a rifle. One stands in front of the chair, taking notes on a clipboard.

Subpanel Two: Clipboard guy watches as a rocket explodes.

Panel Three: Drawing of a Saturn V rocket with afterburn on a black background.

Caption: Eventually we gave up and had the German teams do it, and they built us the Saturn V Moon Rocket.

Panel Four: The same two stick figures from the first panel are standing and talking. The first one has lowered his arms and is looking downward.

Person One: I’m…not sure what lesson to take from that.

Black Hat Guy: “If you want something done right, learning from the Nazis isn’t enough. You have to actually put them in charge.”

Person One: That’s a terrible lesson.

Black Hat Guy: Then I guess you should get a Nazi to come up with a better one.

Hover text: The SLS head engineer plans to invite Shania Twain to stand under the completed prototype, then tell her,”I don’t expect you to date me just because I’m a rocket scientist, but you’ve gotta admit–this is pretty fucking impressive.”

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

 

 

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

Scene: Large panel filled with six smaller panels in a three over three pattern.

Panel One: Drawing of two stick figures, one with chin-length dark hair, standing outside a locked door, trying the knob.

Caption–Dorm: Locked

Panel Two: First two stick figures stand looking at a long-haired, headset-wearing stick figure who is seated at a desk with a monitor.

Long-haired, headset-wearing stick figure: “I’ll be done Tuesday.”

Caption–Other Dorm Room: Roommate in Raid

Panel Three: First two stick figures are looking in through a window in a door at a room with three stick figures, a podium, and a large book under a glass case.

Caption–Library Rare Book Collecton: Occupied by tour for visiting Nelson Mandela

Panel Four: In silhouette, the two stick figures are standing in front of a large door with a radiation warning symbol and a sign that reads “No Entry”. There is a keypad on the right side of the door.

Caption–Accelerator Tunnel: Sealed while beam is in operation

Panel Five: One stick figure stands next to and the dark haired stick figure climbs on top of a cut-away view of an inhabited beaver lodge.

Caption–Beaver Lodge: Frozen over for winter to keep out predators, only accessible via underwater entrance

Panel Six: The two stick figures are standing next to a table piled with books. The dark haired stick figure is holding and looking at an open book.

Other stick figure: “Are you sure?”

Caption–Hyperspace: Ruled out by current understanding of physics

Caption under large panel: College Law #27

The availability of private space is inversely proportional to the desirability of the hookup.

Hover text: Eventual headline: “University Researchers Create Life in Lab! Darkness, Faulty Condoms Blamed.”

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

 

 

 

 

 

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

New store item: [citation needed] stickers, for marking dubious printed claims in real life.

 

Scene: A stick figure with a pony tail is standing in front of a white board and holding a pointer in one hand. The white board has set theory figures written on it, like “x is an element of S.”

Person One: “The axiom of choice allows you to select one element from each set in a collection–and have it executed as an example to the others.”

Caption: My math teacher was a big believer in proof by intimidation.

Hover text: Proof of Zermelo’s well-ordering theorem given the Axiom of Choice: 1: Take S to be any set. 2: When I reach step three, if S hasn’t managed to find a well-ordering relation for itself, I’ll feed it into this wood chipper. 3: Hey, look, S is well-ordered.”

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

 

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panel One: A stick figure is sitting at a desk with a laptop. The stick figure has one hand up to his chin.

Person One: “So I thought I found your porn folder in calendar/backup/PORN/

Person Two: (off panel) “Don’t open that!”

Panel Two: Same scene, but pulled back to show more of the desk and chair.

Person One: “But it contains a bunch more folders, and then…after 20 levels, somehow I’m back at the main folder?

Person Two: (off panel) “It’s, uh, well hidden.”

Panel Three: The stick figure has spun the desk chair around and is holding the laptop on his lap.

Person One: “I think there’s no actual porn here.-You’re just turned on by filesystems.”

Person Two: (off panel) “It’s a hardlinked directory loop–So taboo!”

Person One: “Now I feel dirty sharing a drive with you.”

Hover text: Eww, gross, you modified link()? How could you enjoy abusing a filesystem like that?

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

 

 

 

 

Description on the latest xkcd web comic has been delayed due to its scope and complexity. It should be up by Thursday or so, meanwhile the next xkcd will be up on Wednesday as usual.

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

 

Caption next to panel: Never have I felt so close to another soul and yet so helplessly alone as when I google an error and there’s one result

A thread by someone with the same problem

And no answer

Last posted to in 2003

Panel: A stick figure is standing in front of a desk with a monitor, gripping the monitor with both hands and shaking it.

Person One: “Who were you, DenverCoder9?–What did you see?!”

Hover text: All long help threads should have a sticky globally-editable post at the top saying ‘DEAR PEOPLE FROM THE FUTURE: Here’s what we’ve figured out so far …’

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

 

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caption above panels–”Where Citations Come From:”

First Panel: Stick figure with short, spiky hair, seated at a desk, typing on a laptop.

Caption–Citogenesis Step # 1: Through a convoluted process, a user’s brain generates facts. These are typed into Wikipedia.

Laptop: The “Scroll Lock” key was designed by future Energy Secretary Steven Chu in a college project.

Panel Two: A stick figure with a ponytail sits at a desk with a monitor, typing on a keyboard.

Caption–Step # 2: A rushed writer checks Wikipedia for a summary of their subject.

From keyboard: US Energy Secretary Steven Chu, (Nobel prizewinner and creator of the ubiquitous “Scroll Lock” key) testified before Congress today…

Panel 3: A stick figure is seated in an easy chair, typing on a laptop.

Caption–Step #3: Surprised readers check Wikipedia, see the claim, and flag it for review. A passing editor finds the piece and adds it as a citation.

Editor: “Google is your friend, people.”

Laptop: <REF>{{cite web| url=

Panel Four: Diagram– “Brain” has an arrow pointing to “Wikipedia” which points to “Cited Facts” which points to “Slightly Careful Writers”  from which comes an arrow labeled “More Citations” pointing back to “Wikipedia.” Below “Wikipedia” is “Citations” with another cycle of arrows, “Words” to “Careless Writers” and back to “Citations”.

Caption–Step #4: Now that other writers have a real source, they repeat the fact. References proliferate, completing the citogenesis process.

Hover text: I just read a pop-science book by a respected author. One chapter, and much of the thesis, was based around wildly inaccurate data which traced back to … Wikipedia. To encourage people to be on their toes, I’m not going to say what book or author.

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

It turns out Monday was Steve Waterman’s birthday. His site has posters of his map, plus maybe the world’s only Winkel Tripel-critiquing poetry.

 

 

Scene: Drawing of twelve different types of maps of the world, laid out in a two by six pattern.

Top Caption: What Your Favorite Map Projection Says About You

First Map: Mercator

Caption: You’re not really into maps.

Second Map: Van der Grinten

You’re not a complicated person. You love the Mercator Projection; you just wish it weren’t square. The Earth’s not a square, it’s a circle. You like circles. Today is gonna be a good day!

Third Map: Robinson

Caption: You have a comfortable pair of running shoes that you wear everywhere. You like coffee and enjoy the Beatles. You think the Robinson is the best-looking projection, hands down.

Fourth Map: Dymaxion

Caption: You like Isaac Asimov, XML, and shoes with toes. You think the Segway got a bad rap. You own 3D goggles, which you use to view rotating models of better 3D goggles. You type in Dvorak.

Fifth Map: Winkel-Tripel

Caption: National Geographic adopted the Winke-Tripel in 1998, but you’ve been a W-T fan since long before “NatGeo” showed up. You’re worried it’s getting played out, and are thinking of switching to the Kavraskiy. You once left a party in disgust when a guest showed up wearing shoes with toes. Your favorite musical genre is”Post-”.

Sixth Map: Good Homolsine

Caption: They say mapping the Earth on a 2D surface is like flattening an orange peel, which seems easy enough to you. You like easy solutions. You think we wouldn’t have so many problems if we’d just elect normal people to Congress instead of politicians. You think airlines should just buy food from the restaurants near the gates and serve that on board. You change your car’s oil, but secretly wonder if you really need to.

Seventh Map: Hobo-Dyer

Caption: You want to avoid cultural imperialism, but you’ve heard bad things about Gall-Peters. You’re conflict-averse and buy organic. You use a recently-invented set of gender-neutral pronouns and think that what the world needs is a revolution in consciousness.

Eighth Map: Plate Carrée (Equirectangular)

Caption: You think this one is fine. You like how X and Y map to latitude and longitude. The other projections overcomplicate things. You want me to stop asking about maps so you can enjoy dinner.

Ninth Map: A Globe!

Caption: Yes, you’re very clever.

Tenth Map: Waterman Butterfly

Caption: Really? You know the Waterman? Have you seen the 1909 Cahill Map it’s based–…You have a framed reproduction at home?! Whoa…Listen, forget these questions. Are you doing anything tonight?

Eleventh Map: Peirce Quincunial

Caption: You think that when we look at a map, what we really see is ourselves. After you first saw Inception, you sat silent in the theater for six hours. It freaks you out to realize that everyone around you has a skeleton inside them. You have really looked at your hands.

Twelfth Map: Gall Peters

Caption:  I hate you.

Hover text:  What’s that? You think I don’t like the Peters map because I’m uncomfortable with having my cultural assumptions challenged?  Are you sure you’re not … ::puts on sunglasses:: … projecting?

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

 

Panel One: Drawing of a stick figure in a small sailboat with a triangular sail. The stick figure is sitting aft, holding the tiller with one hand and a line attached to the boom with the other.

Panel Two: The sail starts to belly out with wind.

Panel Three: The stick figure has had to stand up to hold on to the line as the sail bellies out even more.

Panel Four: The stick figure is straining to hold on as the sail has stretched out almost into a balloon shape.

Panel Five: The stick figure falls back as the sail suddenly relaxes into its original shape and a lopsided bubble pops free from it.

Panel Six: The stick figure is sitting aft again, holding the lax line with one hand and scratching his head in bewilderment as the bubble floats gently upward.

Hover text: It only works a few times before you have to capsize the boat in a soap lagoon again.

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

 

 

Panel One: Drawing of a stick figure standing on a raised dais and using a pointer to indicate a diagram on a white board.

Person One: “The occulting observatory consists of two parts–the telescope and the discs.”

Panel Two: Close up of diagram. On the left is a sketch labeled “Telescope.”  Several wavy lines are stacked up, running from the right side of the white board to the telescope on the left. The wavy lines are labeled “Light from Star.” In the center, blocking about a third of the rays from reaching the telescope, is a heavy vertical bar labeled “Disc.”

Person One: (off panel) “When the telescope sees a star, a disc is carefully steered to block its light. The procedure is repeated until all stars are covered.”

Panel Three: The stick figure is standing at the edge of the dais, answering questions from the audience.

Audience Member: (off panel) “Wait, all? Why?”

Person One: “I’ll feel better.”

Panel Four: Close up of stick figure.

Audience Member: (off panel) “I thought the point was to image extrasolar planets.”

Person One: “The point is that there are too many stars.–It’s been freaking me out.”

Audience Member: (off panel) “What?”

Another Audience Member: (off panel) “He has a point.”

Hover text: Type II Kardashev civilizations eventually completely enclose their planetary system in a Dyson sphere because space is way too big to look at all the time.

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

 

 

Panel One: Drawing of a stick figure seated at a table, eating a meal.

Person One: “Can you pass the salt?”

Panel Two: Same scene. The stick figure is lifting his fork.

Panel Three: Same scene.

Person One: I said–

Person Two: (off-panel) I know! I’m developing a system to pass you arbitrary condiments.

Person One: It’s been 20 minutes!

Person Two: (off-panel) It’ll save time in the long run!

Hover text: I find that when someone’s taking time to do something right in the present, they’re a perfectionist with no ability to prioritize, whereas when someone took time to do something right in the past, they’re a master artisan of great foresight.

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

 

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

 

Panel One: Drawing of two stick figures walking along together. One of them is wearing a white hat and the other has shoulder-length dark hair. In the background, drawn in gray, is a stick figure walking by, wearing a backpack and a mohawk and holding a small electronic device that is making “bleep bloop” noises.

White Hat Guy: “See, that’s the problem with the MTV generation–no attention span.

Panel Two: The first two stick figures have turned to talk to each other.

Stick Figure with Hair: “You know, that phrase referred to the 12-19 demographic that formed the core MTV audience in the mid-1980s.

Panel Three: Close up of Stick Figure with Hair.

White Hat Guy:(off-panel) “Uh huh? So?

Stick Figure with Hair: That generation’s now in their 40s.

Panel Four: First two stick figures again. White Hat Guy is scratching the back of his head.

White Hat Guy: “That can’t be right.”

Stick Figure with Hair: Face it: your problem with the MTV generation is their kids.

Hover text: If you identified with the kids from The Breakfast Club when it came out, you’re now much closer to the age of Principal Vernon.

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

 

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

Panel One: Drawing of two stick figures. The one on the left, Salesman, is standing in front of a wall display and Customer is facing him.

Salesman: “Interested in updating your antivirus software?”
Customer: “Oh, I wouldn’t need any of that.”

Panel Two: Close up on Customer. With a spiky speech bubble, he declares “I RUN LINUX.”
Panel Three: Customer does a backflip onto a motorcycle.
Panel Four: Customer performs a wheelie on the motorcycle.
Panel Five: Customer does a hard donut turn on the motorcycle, kicking up dirt into the salesman’s face.
Panel Six: Customer speeds off on the motorcycle, leaving the salesman in a cloud of black exhaust.

Hover text:  We actually stand around the antivirus displays with the Mac users just waiting for someone to ask.

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.

 

A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

 

Panel One: A stick figure is seated at a desk, facing left, typing on a laptop. Seated in a comfortable chair with his back to the first figure is another stick figure wearing a black hat and reading a book.
Hat Guy: “Did you know November is Tongue Awareness Month?
Panel Two: The first stick figure is frozen in the act of typing.
Panel Three: The first stick figure is still frozen in the act of typing.
Panel Four: The first stick figure has dropped his hands to his lap in defeat.
First Stick Figure: “I hate you.”
Hat Guy: (from off panel) “Enjoy the next four weeks.”

Hover Text: November marks the birthday of Charles Schulz, pioneer of tongue awareness.

 

(BlindGadget note: This xkcd references an old “Peanuts” comic in which Linus becomes aware of his tongue. See separate post for referenced Peanuts comic.)

 

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

Comic by xkcd.com. Described by BlindGadget under the Creative Commons license.