#+TITLE: xkcd.com
#+NICK: xkcd_com
#+DESCRIPTION: xkcd.com: A webcomic of romance and math humor.
#+LINK: https://xkcd.com/
#+LANGUAGE: en

* Posts
** 2026-07-08T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Airport Meeting

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/airport_meeting.png][Although it was a setback for physics, I'm glad the particle naming rights issue led to the cancelation of Pizza Hut's Superconducting Super Collider in the early 90s, so the Double Stuffed Extra Cheese Topping Quark ended up just being named 'top quark.']]

[[https://xkcd.com/3269/]]

** 2026-07-10T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Toasting Marshmallows

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/toasting_marshmallows.png][We have two 'in case of fire, break glass' boxes, which you pick between based on how big of a problem the fire is. One has an extinguisher, and one has sticks, marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3270/]]

** 2026-07-13T04:00:00+00:00
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*** The Princess and the Pea

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/the_princess_and_the_pea.png][Once we've fully explored this space, we can start varying the number of princesses.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3271/]]

** 2026-07-15T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Time Change

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time_change.png][All discussions of daylight saving time policy are doomed by a mix of contradictory, inconsistent, and impossible preferences, which is why I think the only thing we can really hope to do is to make it worse.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3272/]]

** 2026-07-17T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Latitude and Longitude

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/latitude_and_longitude.png][NGS and IERS are complaining that they left CLEAR instructions to set the washing machine to WGS84 (G2296) instead of WGS84 (G730).]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3273/]]

** 2026-07-20T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Arthurian Connector

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/arthurian_connector.png][Most coffee shops have a descendant of Sophia of Hanover on staff for this, but just as I was about to ask for help, a previously unknown heir of Uther Pendragon who was ordering a muffin tripped on my laptop cord.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3274/]]

** 2026-07-22T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Calibration Nobel

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/calibration_nobel.png][We would like to once again apologize to Dr. Jones for last year's mistaken announcement. We should really have double-checked the envelope for this award in particular.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3275/]]

** 2026-07-24T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Recursive Trucker's Hitch

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/recursive_truckers_hitch.png][As if the americium smoke detector incident wasn't enough, now nuclear regulators have ANOTHER reason to worry about the Boy Scouts.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3276/]]

** 2026-07-27T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Forth

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/forth.png][I NOTATION POLISH REVERSE ❤️]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3277/]]

** 2026-07-29T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Vera Rubin Observatory

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/vera_rubin_observatory.png]['Spurious signals from the kitchen' is harder for an optical telescope than a radio one, but with enough determination and creativity, I believe it's possible.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3278/]]

** 2026-07-31T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Main Span

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/main_span.png][Wind stress? Don't be silly. When has wind stress ever been a problem for a suspension bridge?]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3279/]]

** 2026-08-03T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Maze

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/maze.png][As a side effect of the research, mice are now the only known animals other than humans to have developed a Backrooms mythology.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3280/]]

** 2026-08-05T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Antiques Roadshow

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/antiques_roadshow.png][The family lore was that we've had it ever since it was ejected from a star-forming gas cloud, but it seems more likely that my great-grandparents probably just bought it while on vacation in the galactic thin disk.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3281/]]

** 2026-08-07T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Trick Play

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/trick_play.png][I've been trying to find out whether the Laws of the Game take the axiom of choice or not, but FIFA officials keep blocking my number.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3282/]]

** 2026-08-10T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Size and Lifespan

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/size_and_lifespan.png][With their 13 years recording and performing together and two humans worth of mass, the White Stripes are sandwiched neatly between gray wolves and blue whales.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3283/]]

** 2026-08-12T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Geology Building

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/geology_building.png][The administration thinks it's weird, but the geologists say it looks normal.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3284/]]

** 2026-08-14T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Accretionary Arc

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/accretionary_arc.png][The late Triassic rifting was caused by a dinosaur trying to use the control panel to escape a predator, but it was eaten before the continent could fully separate.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3285/]]

** 2026-08-17T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Particle Physics Equipment

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/particle_physics_equipment.png][The one that sounds like the oracle at the center of the galaxy where the hero travels to hear a prophecy is probably Brookhaven National Laboratory's now-dismantled COSMOTRON.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3286/]]

** 2026-08-19T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Perseids

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/perseids.png][Recently I've been watching the Daytime Perseids. I haven't seen a meteor from them yet, but the clouds are pretty and the snacks are good.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3287/]]

** 2026-08-21T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Archery Feat

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/archery_feat.png][Update: I would not have embarked on this powerscaling venture if I'd known how thoroughly Mark Twain was going to roast me.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3288/]]

** 2026-08-24T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Highway Signs

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/highway_signs.png][Highway engineers like Planck units because, like the speed of light, the energy capacity of a typical car's gas tank is 1.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3289/]]

** 2026-08-26T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Trade

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/trade.png]["You legs may have a comparative advantage at running, but we arms have a competitive advantage at swinging hammers, so unless you accept that we're the dominant limbs and stop hogging the oxygen, that running advantage won't be around for long."]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3290/]]

** 2026-08-28T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Launchpad

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/launchpad.png][It does come at the cost of some launchpad expansions and increased fuel requirements, but that all comes out of the facility's budget.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3291/]]

** 2026-08-31T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Geology Class

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/geology_class.png][The rise of AI review bombing tools threatens to take away a crucial source of experience for geology undergraduates.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3292/]]

** 2026-09-02T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Handedness

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/handedness.png][A 'left-handed specialist' is a physicist who studies the weak interaction.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3293/]]

** 2026-09-04T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Asteroid Mission

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/asteroid_mission.png][Lander, this is Houston. There's been a request that you turn clipping back on and instead set the mass to 1kg. The theorists believe that will be pretty funny.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3294/]]

** 2026-09-07T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Semaphore

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/semaphore.png][The speed of light in air is 50% faster than in fiber, but it's a challenge to get the arms to move fast enough to realize the latency advantage.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3295/]]

** 2026-09-09T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Fault Taunting

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/fault_taunting.png][One of the first things they teach you is to NEVER play with the geology toy over a mantle hotspot.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3296/]]

** 2026-09-11T04:00:00+00:00
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*** OH Scale

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/oh_scale.png][To access distant parts of the project, I ended up building a regular-scale passenger train inside each rail.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3297/]]

** 2026-09-14T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Aerospace Flowchart

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/aerospace_flowchart.png][Someday, we will find the problem that goes with this solution.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3298/]]

** 2026-09-16T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Summer

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/summer.png][You should probably get back to shore before spring hits.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3299/]]

** 2026-09-18T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Tyrannosaurus

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/tyrannosaurus.png][Many of the smaller dinosaurs seem to have largely preyed on housecats.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3300/]]

** 2026-09-21T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Stargazing 5

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/stargazing_5.png][The sun and the moon appear the same size in the sky, even though in real life the sun is more than twice as big. Some call this lucky alignment coincidence; others say it's proof that sometimes things can be the same size.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3301/]]

** 2026-09-23T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Voyager Instruments

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/voyager_instruments.png][Convincing him to turn off the stupid laser show and useless sound system was such a huge ordeal that no one has wanted to do it again.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3302/]]

** 2026-09-25T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Slab Graveyard

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/slab_graveyard.png][It's ok if you want to close close your eyes for the slab graveyard, so you can still have fun riding the mantle plume back up afterward!]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3303/]]

** 2026-09-28T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/jupiter_icy_moons_explorer.png]["I did briefly visit Venus in August 2025, but I figured out the mistake on my own because it didn't have any moons."]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3304/]]

** 2026-09-30T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Ground Effect

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/ground_effect.png][Runners looking for aerodynamic advantage typically wear sneakers because some fancy dress shoes can create wingtip vortices.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3305/]]

** 2026-10-02T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Accelerator Energies

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/accelerator_energies.png][Fans at Daytona always get extra excited when officials decide to introduce some antimatter cars circling the track in the opposite direction.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3306/]]

** 2026-10-05T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Spectrum Allocation

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/spectrum_allocation.png][Rumor has it that they're finally auctioning off the zeppelin navigation bands, but everyone is worried that the scary boat captains will express interest.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3307/]]

** 2026-10-07T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Juice

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/juice.png][I need to push some updates to the remote sensing instruments, which are there to measure the surface and definitely not do anything else.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3308/]]

** 2026-10-09T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Dogcatcher

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/dogcatcher.png][People out here catching strays out here catching strays]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3309/]]

** 2026-10-12T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Rejected Space Mission Profiles

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/rejected_space_mission_profiles.png][Although NASA agreed that Voyager 2 'seemed lonely' they decided against launching a companion orbiter mission after further measurements indicated that the spacecraft actually preferred the peace and quiet.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3310/]]

** 2026-10-14T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Planet Database

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/planet_database.png][Atmospheric transmission spectroscopy has revealed that the sunsets from the observatory are really pretty.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3311/]]

** 2026-10-16T04:00:00+00:00
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:LANG: en
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*** Momentum Demonstration

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/momentum_demonstration.png]["I'm doing really well on the Hertzsprung-Russell academic diagram, which has spectral class on one axis and Rate My Professors rating on the other."]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3312/]]

** 2026-10-19T04:00:00+00:00
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:LANG: en
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*** Fusion Device

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/fusion_device.png][I don't see why people have trouble doing this at room temperature. Using hot rivets would honestly have been MORE work.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3313/]]

** 2026-10-21T04:00:00+00:00
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:LANG: en
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*** Vulnerability

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/vulnerability.png][Other numbers are largely unaffected, but anyone using '4' for their certificate key is urged to upgrade to '5'.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3314/]]

** 2026-10-23T04:00:00+00:00
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:LANG: en
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*** Forms of Water

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/forms_of_water.png][The 'light' refers to bremsstrahlung.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3315/]]

** 2026-10-26T04:00:00+00:00
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*** Siege Engine

[[https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/siege_engine.png][They initially thought the containment structure alone would be sufficient, but for good measure they decided to include the Elephant's Foot inside.]]

[[https://xkcd.com/3316/]]