A web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.
[BG note: If you click on the comic panel at the xkcd site, it takes you to a spread sheet that enables you to use the formula.]
Scene: Caption
When I have a boring task to get through–a three-hour lecture, a giant file download, or a long-term goal in fitocracy–I use this formula to convert the percentage completed (p) into a date:
( the formula has a box around it)
T =(Current Date) – (e^(20.3444p^3 + 3)-e^3)years
Caption
When the task is 0% done, it gives today’s date, and as I make progress, I move further and further back in time.
(a grayed-out formula in a box)
Inverse: p = sqrt[ln((T+e^3)/20.3444)]
(a timeline)
0% / New 10% /Sept. 2011 30%/1997 40%/1958 50%/1776 60% 405AD 70%/22,000 years ago 80%/671,000 years ago 90%/55 million years ago 100%/138 million years ago
Caption
It moves slowly through the past few years, then steadily accelerates. I tuned the formula so the time spent in each part of the past is loosely proportional to how well I know it. This means I hit familiar landmarks with each bit of progress, giving me a satisfying sense of movement.
(Six boxes are stacked in a 3×2 pattern)
Top Left Box: 7.308%/December 18, 2011 Around this time: Kim Jong-Il dies. U. S. leaves Iraq.
Top Right Box: 31.12% February 1995 Around this time: Windows95 debuts. O J found not guilty.
Middle Left Box: 47.91%/1844 Around this time: Rubber vulcanized, bicycle invented, wrench patented.
Middle Right Box: 70.33%/24,000 years ago Around this time: Caves painted, ceramic art made. Neanderthals extinct.
Bottom Left Box: 90.42%/68 million years ago Around this time: First flowering plants. Chicxulub impact kills off most dinosaurs.
Bottom Right Box: 100%/13.76 billion years ago Around this time: Universe begins. First stars ignite Download complete
Two stick figures are talking. One holds up a laptop and is looking at it and the other has dark hair.
Person 1: Swoosh! Watching all that time blur past is such a rush!
Person 2: So…you’ve tried to make an extreme sport out of…waiting.
Person 1: Swoosh!
Hover text: People tell me I have too much time on my hands, but really the problem is that there’s too much time, PERIOD.
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
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