# ­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:** 315
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6283 "2026-08-23T02:53:43Z")
I guess… You have a lot of weeks when it’s too hot to want to venture outdoors, though. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6284 "2026-08-23T03:10:20Z")
Midwestern boy here, married to a Jersey girl whose parents (now just mom) have had a Jersey shore beach house almost all her life. I love me my Great Lake, but sorry, breathing salt air and real waves is a different ball park. Of course a Michigan lake house, while at some risk from erosion, is less likely to be blown off the map next superstorm, which is a when not if … so there’s that! And sand flies and “no see-ups” more than mosquitoes if the breeze is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6285 "2026-08-23T13:47:49Z")
Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6286 "2026-08-23T13:56:57Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > “no see-ups” no-see-u **m** s. Which are also called sand flies. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6287 "2026-08-23T14:05:38Z")
The “ups” a simple typo, thanks for catching it. But I had thought the ones big enough for me to see were called sand flies rather than no see-ums? Looking it up true sand flies are not likely around the Jersey shore and both names are indeed referring to biting midges. And apparently the bigger ones are likely greenhead flies? Anyway. Few skeeters! ---
**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:** [August 23, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6288 "2026-08-23T16:51:14Z")
Surely those would be the see-ums? ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6289 "2026-08-23T19:27:18Z")
Around here it’s “little fuckers” as in: “Dammit! Little fucker got me!” or “Got the little fucker!”. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6290 "2026-08-25T03:14:14Z")
> **[Highway Signs](https://xkcd.com/3289/)** [![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/highway_signs.png) ](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.” ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6291 "2026-08-25T04:10:44Z")
I wasn’t sure about the “energy capacity of a typical car’s gas tank is 1,” but apparently Planck energy is equal to the Planck mass times the speed of light squared. _E_P = _m_Pc2 In SI units, the Planck mass is very small, and the speed of light is very large (and squared), so the Planck energy _E_P = 1.9561×109 J. Which is indeed about the amount of chemical energy contained in a small tank of gasoline. > **[Planck units](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck_units#)** > > In particle physics and physical cosmology, Planck units are a system of units of measurement defined exclusively in terms of four universal physical constants: c, G, ħ, and kB. Expressing one of these physical constants in terms of Planck units yields a numerical value of 1. They are a system of natural units, defined using fundamental properties of nature (specifically, properties of free space) rather than properties of a chosen prototype object. Originally proposed in 1899 by German physicis... ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6292 "2026-08-26T11:27:34Z")
New(?) “What-if?” – losing all water would be bad: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4ZVtHknKuvg/maxresdefault.jpg "What if Earth’s Water Suddenly Disappeared?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZVtHknKuvg) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6293 "2026-08-26T13:07:24Z")
“Unless Joanna ruins everything.” 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2026, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6294 "2026-08-26T23:46:46Z")
> **[Trade](https://xkcd.com/3290/)** [![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/trade.png) ](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.” ---
**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:** [August 26, 2026, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6295 "2026-08-26T23:56:44Z")
xkcd gets political every few years, and it’s usually not a good sign for the current state of things. ---
**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:** [August 27, 2026, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6296 "2026-08-27T00:48:38Z")
The [previous take on tariffs](https://xkcd.com/3073/) was more on-point, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6297 "2026-08-27T01:52:48Z")
Snoopy, trying to motivate himself to go jogging: > All right, feet! On your feet! ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6298 "2026-08-27T03:42:50Z")
And as all his members complain about the effort, his heart chimes in: “If I go, you all go!” ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6299 "2026-08-27T05:42:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The [previous take on tariffs](https://xkcd.com/3073/) was more on-point, I think. This one points to the insanity of broad and high tariffs on a country whose economy is tightly bound with one’s own. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6300 "2026-08-27T13:05:55Z")
Yes, i think this one is extremely on point. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6301 "2026-08-29T14:55:13Z")
> **[Launchpad](https://xkcd.com/3291/)** [![](https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/launchpad.png) ](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.” ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/6302 "2026-08-29T15:28:41Z")
That’d require a lot of coordination with the FAA, since aircraft in flight would have to adjust their altimeters during the launch. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=314) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=316)