# ­xkcd thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [May 28, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574 "2020-05-28T00:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 27
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/521 "2021-02-08T01:22:10Z")
So I read that sentence, and my first thought was, “Huh, that’s true for me, I’ve only been to St. Petersburg for about six hours.” Where’s the headsmack smiley when you need it? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/522 "2021-02-08T17:56:54Z")
“More people have been to Russia than I have,” can be parsed sensibly. It’s comparing two groups of people" “People who have been to Russia,” and “People I have.” The speaker owns some undetermined number of slaves, but the total is less than the total number of people who have visited the nation of Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/523 "2021-02-08T23:28:18Z")
Why does… > **[Vaccine Ordering](https://xkcd.com/2422/)** > > You know what they say: mRNA-1273 before tozinameran, you'll have to slay a banshee in a catamaran. look weird? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2021, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/524 "2021-02-08T23:31:07Z")
It looks like a xerox of the original. ---
**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:** [February 8, 2021, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/525 "2021-02-08T23:56:27Z")
There’s no [anti-aliasing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatial_anti-aliasing). Basically the black lines are usually outlined in gray. This makes the jagged appearance a lot less visible. But this one, for some reason is only black and white. You can see the jags. [https://www.displaydaily.com/images/stories/antialiasing.gif](https://www.displaydaily.com/images/stories/antialiasing.gif) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/526 "2021-02-09T00:55:17Z")
Ruling ancient Smyrna is probably better than kissing Aunt Verna. Or maybe, you’ll summit Annapurna? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/527 "2021-02-09T12:17:41Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Ruling ancient Smyrna is probably better than kissing Aunt Verna. Since my (great-) Aunt Verna was born in the 1890s, and has been quietly decomposing for over a quarter-century now, hell yes! 😮 🙃 ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/528 "2021-02-09T14:32:14Z")
Looks like the anti-aliasing has been added ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/529 "2021-02-11T00:24:11Z")
Indeed, and now my post makes me look crazy… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/530 "2021-02-11T00:58:48Z")
Not as crazy as your new avatar / selfie! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/531 "2021-02-11T01:01:56Z")
Returning to the Tower of Babel episode, does anyone have a suggestion for who, other than a cunning linguist, they should have brought up to meet god, and what sort of dire consequences awaited god’s sense of humor visited upon humanity as a result? I’m envisioning bringing a CTer. Or maybe a Round Earther which might have been controversial at the time. Despite the expanded view from the top of the tower. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/532 "2021-02-11T01:10:55Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Ruling ancient Smyrna is probably better than kissing Aunt Verna. > > Or maybe, you’ll summit Annapurna? If it caused vitamin D deficiency then Pfizer before Moderna might cause sunburna. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/533 "2021-02-11T01:31:14Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > > [@TroutMan](#): > > > > Ruling ancient Smyrna is probably better than kissing Aunt Verna. > > Since my (great-) Aunt Verna was born in the 1890s, and has been quietly decomposing for over a quarter-century now, hell yes! 😮 🙃 My very aged MIL likes to bitch about how old & wrinkly she looks. When I point out that 4 of 5 of her female HS classmates are dead and 6 of 7 male classmates, and they all look really crappy about now she usually relents. Usually. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/534 "2021-02-11T05:55:31Z")
> **[Project Orion](https://xkcd.com/2423/)** > > If you tune out again, when you tune back in you'll be hearing about dusty plasma fission fragment rockets. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/535 "2021-02-11T14:38:36Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > My very aged MIL likes to bitch about how old & wrinkly she looks. > > When I point out that 4 of 5 of her female HS classmates are dead and 6 of 7 male classmates, and they all look really crappy about now she usually relents. Usually Being reminded that most of my friends/contemporaries are dead and the rest are deteriorating would not make me less grumpy. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > > [@TroutMan](#): > > > > Ruling ancient Smyrna is probably better than kissing Aunt Verna. > > Since my (great-) Aunt Verna was born in the 1890s, and has been quietly decomposing for over a quarter-century now, hell yes! Ancient Smyrna’s been decomposing for considerably longer than that, no? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/536 "2021-02-11T14:43:53Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Being reminded that most of my friends/contemporaries are dead and the rest are deteriorating would not make me less grumpy. It’s all in the delivery 😉 Sort of look on the bright side! ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/537 "2021-02-11T14:44:49Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Being reminded that most of my friends/contemporaries are dead and the rest are deteriorating would not make me less grumpy. Being reminded that a guy who is almost the same age as me just won the superbowl doesn’t really make me less grumpy either. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/538 "2021-02-11T14:45:27Z")
Ah, so when you remind her that her contemporaries are all dead, you do in a threatening tone? ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/539 "2021-02-11T15:34:14Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Being reminded that a guy who is almost the same age as me just won the superbowl doesn’t really make me less grumpy either. “It is a sobering thought that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years.” – Tom Lehrer ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/540 "2021-02-11T16:29:30Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Ancient Smyrna’s been decomposing for considerably longer than that, no? Yeah, but I wouldn’t have to kiss it, and it probably smells better. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Sort of look on the bright side! [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jHPOzQzk9Qo/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGGUgZShlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLAL45tPL8FLtrafY-P0DJ7NVI2mUg "Monty Python - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPOzQzk9Qo) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=28)