# XKCD 1190: "Time"---Randall's setting something up... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 25, 2013, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901 "2013-03-25T10:31:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/201 "2013-04-22T11:40:15Z")
So long as Black Hat isn’t there, I’m not worried. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/202 "2013-04-22T13:41:34Z")
I suppose that the purpose of all the scaffolding and such is just to have a place above the tides where the castle can remain unmolested. Since they don’t understand about tides, they’re just guessing on how high they needed to build it. But still unanswered are the questions of who they are, where they are, how they got there, and what the river is (most normal rivers don’t really meaningfully get closer to some location). ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/203 "2013-04-22T14:00:46Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > So long as Black Hat isn’t there, I’m not worried. Black Hat would deliberately do something to sabotage things for his own amusement. Beret will accidentally pull out the one linchpin that causes everything to fall apart after mistaking it for a scone. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/204 "2013-04-22T15:20:16Z")
> [@tanstaafl](#): > > And now Beret Guy has shown up. This won’t end well. It seemed more like Beret Little Girl to me. She’s gone now anyway. The bigger question is will this end at all, well or otherwise? > [@Chronos](#): > > But still unanswered are the questions of who they are, where they are, how they got there, and what the river is (most normal rivers don’t really meaningfully get closer to some location). Also, more prosaically, where did the guy go? He’s been gone for days. And, when will that front tower collapse, dammit? It must be straining the tensile strength of wet sand already. Hey, all of us have our own little obsessions. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/205 "2013-04-22T15:43:26Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > He’s been gone for days. And, when will that front tower collapse, dammit? It must be straining the tensile strength of wet sand already. Hey, all of us have our own little obsessions. Apparently, all you had to do was ask. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/206 "2013-04-22T16:25:32Z")
[Page 5… err… 2…ummmm… New Page access](http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/207 "2013-04-22T18:36:16Z")
The right hand tower of the sandcastle is collapsing. Megan looks worried. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/208 "2013-04-23T19:27:18Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > Apparently, all you had to do was ask. Yeah, that was weird. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > The right hand tower of the sandcastle is collapsing. Megan looks worried. Now she’s saying she doesn’t think it’s going to stop, and she’s right to worry. By my calculations, the sea is 99 pixels deep, and their whole world is only 395. Of course, they could be saved by another zoom out, or an ebb tide, or evolving into sea creatures. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/209 "2013-04-23T22:23:31Z")
> [@xkcd](#): > > Megan: I don’t think it’s going to stop. > > Cueball: The sea can’t just make more of itself forever. > Megan: It can do whatever it wants. > Megan: It’s the sea. > > Cueball: There must be a reason. > Cueball: There’s a reason for everything. > Megan: Yeah. > > Megan: But it’s not always a **good** reason. I just wish I knew where he was going with this. And we’re up to “frame” 834 (as of when I type this). Yeah, there isn’t necessarily a lot of change from one frame to the next, but that’s over three _years_ worth of xkcd strips (at the normal rate of 3 per week). He spent a _lot_ of time setting this up. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/210 "2013-04-25T11:42:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Megan: I like our castle. > > Cueball: I think it’s going to go away. > > Megan: Yeah. > > Megan: Do you think there are other rivers? > Cueball: **Something** is adding water to the sea. > > Megan: Does it have to be water? > Megan: Maybe something is adding more land somewhere. > Megan: And it’s making the sea overflow. > > Cueball: Or maybe it’s just raining somewhere. > Cueball: We have no idea what’s out there. > > Megan: Yeah. > > Megan: Want to find out? > Cueball: Yes. > > Megan: I’ll get some bags. Now at “frame” 872. And apparently I can’t do math. That’s over _5_ years worth of three-times-a-week comics. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/211 "2013-04-25T13:30:48Z")
The fact that they’re setting out on a trip to find out why the sea is rising suggests that everything we’ve seen so far is just prologue … . ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/212 "2013-04-26T00:18:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Now at “frame” 872. And apparently I can’t do math. That’s over 5 years worth of three-times-a-week comics. And it hasn’t even been all that long since the huge side-scrolling one, either. And then there are all the massively epic April Fools strips he’s done, and the Umweldt thing last year. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/213 "2013-04-26T00:55:28Z")
Megan places a small flag on the castle. Megan: [sub] [sup] [sub] bye [/sub] [/sup] [/sub] Megan walks away. The water level rises, and the wall starts to collapse. * * * Will we see her again? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/214 "2013-04-26T01:19:57Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Will we see her again? Perhaps this is the end of Ep 1. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/215 "2013-04-26T01:20:33Z")
The strip suddenly seems to be somber again. The river receding could be a reference to cancer and that it was in remission. The sea could be a reference to time, or it could be a reference to fate in general. The castle could represent a relationship and the time it takes to build and the effort one puts into it only to have forces beyond your control try to tear them apart. I may be reading too much into a small “bye” but it seems to be significant. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/216 "2013-04-26T01:53:06Z")
I really don’t think we should read anything into it about his wife’s cancer. If it had come back I don’t think he’d be spending time making a long, elaborate strip; he’d be spending it with her. That said, he could be talking about the impermanence of things, including the time we have with others. I wonder how many xkcd readers are still following this one. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/217 "2013-04-26T02:47:06Z")
> [@tanstaafl](#): > > That said, he could be talking about the impermanence of things, including the time we have with others. This corresponds the most with my own thinking about what the comic “means.” I doubt you’ll get anything more literal from it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/218 "2013-04-26T13:38:56Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Will we see her again? My prediction is that we’ll see months of the castle collapsing as other people interact with it in various ways and eventually Megan and Cueball return to see what’s become of it. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/219 "2013-04-26T15:14:33Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > My prediction is that we’ll see months of the castle collapsing as other people interact with it in various ways and eventually Megan and Cueball return to see what’s become of it. As I wrote several pages ago I suspect the final frame will match the first frame and it will just cycle forever. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901/220 "2013-04-26T15:39:05Z")
I have to say I’m rather more impacted by this comic than I should be. There’s something uplifting about the fact that they’re going off to find out how it all works, instead of playing with their sand castle in ignorance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-1190-time-randalls-setting-something-up/653901.md?page=12)