# ­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:** 32
**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:** [March 15, 2021, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/621 "2021-03-15T21:54:12Z")
IMO both. It’s just an update of last year’s > **[Self-Isolate](https://xkcd.com/2276/)** > > Turns out I've been "practicing social distancing" for years without even realizing it was a thing! and > **[Acceptable Risk](https://xkcd.com/2330/)** > > Good thing I'm not already prone to overthinking everyday decisions! ---
**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:** [March 15, 2021, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/622 "2021-03-15T22:22:51Z")
I think the joke is that Munroe did some social activities before the pandemic, but unlike for extroverts, these were not things that he eagerly sought out - they were things that he built up a tolerance for, and with a year of non-exposure, he’s back where he was before, and needs to start the process of building tolerance over again. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/623 "2021-03-15T23:56:23Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > Disney sometimes uses a [stylized version of the outline of Mickey Mouse’s head which is just three circles.](https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Hidden_Mickey) > > But that doesn’t really fit the pattern. They aren’t of equal size, and they’re silhouettes, not empty circles. They also don’t intersect like the others. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/624 "2021-03-17T19:44:27Z")
> **[Siri](https://xkcd.com/2438/)** > > Alexa defeated her in a battle hinging on the ability to set multiple timers. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/625 "2021-03-19T20:56:14Z")
> **[Solar System Cartogram](https://xkcd.com/2439/)** > > For sentimental reasons, every active Mars rover is counted as one person, although that's not enough to make Mars more than a dot. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/626 "2021-03-23T05:16:45Z")
> **[Epistemic Uncertainty](https://xkcd.com/2440/)** > > Luckily, unlike in our previous study, we have no reason to believe Evangeline the Adulterator gained access to our stored doses. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2021, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/627 "2021-03-25T15:19:31Z")
> **[IMDb Vaccines](https://xkcd.com/2441/)** > > I'm actually not sure if Vader and the Emperor count as a household or if Vader lives in that weird black egg thing or what. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/628 "2021-03-27T14:25:41Z")
> **[Mask Opinions](https://xkcd.com/2442/)** > > Although regardless of how everything else shakes out, I definitely won't mind if the norm "wear a mask if you're feeling sick" sticks around after this. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/629 "2021-03-30T03:52:28Z")
> **[Immune Response](https://xkcd.com/2443/)** > > I don't care whether you win or lose, as long as you have-- ...okay, sorry, I'm being reminded I very much care whether you win or lose. I need you to win, that's very important. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/630 "2021-04-01T02:22:10Z")
> **[Ingenuity](https://xkcd.com/2444/)** > > Plot twist: Thanks to \[mumble mumble\] second-order \[mumble\] Rayleigh-Taylor \[mumble\] turbulent \[mumble\] shear, it turns out powered flight is way EASIER on Mars! To be honest, considering the very low air pressure on Mars, I’m surprised they could manage to fly at all. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/631 "2021-04-01T02:34:47Z")
Have you seen this? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GhsZUZmJvaM/maxresdefault.jpg "Mars Helicopter (before it went to Mars)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhsZUZmJvaM) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2021, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/632 "2021-04-01T04:34:07Z")
Thanks for the video. Veddy interestink. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/633 "2021-04-02T01:30:58Z")
> **[Checkbox](https://xkcd.com/2445/)** > > Check check check ... chhecck chhecck chhecck ... check check check All I get is some dots that appear below the checkbox in the middle when I push the button. Also, there’s a button in the lower right corner that turns on sound, which just gets me beeps to correspond to the dots. I suspect it doesn’t work right on my computer. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2021, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/634 "2021-04-02T01:39:16Z")
Whatever it’s doing doesn’t work on mine, either. At least, unless what it’s supposed to do is show me a checkbox with a checkmark appearing and disappearing in it, next to the word LOADING. Which, come to think of it, I suppose is possible. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2021, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/635 "2021-04-02T02:09:08Z")
First off, the preview here inside Discourse is borked; follow the link to the real site before deciding what does or doesn’t work on your machine. I think the comic might represent two different things. 1. A joke about how well the various online websites for vaccination appointments are working. Lots of clicking and no understandable results. 2. When I click, a gray dot or dash appears below the checkbox. If I quick-click I get a dot. if I slow-click I get a dash. If enabled, the audio matches the dots & dashes. So it’s some flavor of Morse code toy. I’ve not bothered to listen carefully enough to what the tones decode to once it starts beeping on its own. Somebody who was ever actually good at Morse could do that easily; it’d be pretty laborious for me. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2021, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/636 "2021-04-02T02:27:32Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > follow the link to the real site before deciding what does or doesn’t work on your machine. Did that. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2021, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/637 "2021-04-02T02:51:42Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Check check check … chhecck chhecck chhecck … check check check That could be interpreted as “S O S”… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/638 "2021-04-02T03:05:15Z")
I wonder if the box is connected to someone else at the site (or multiple people). I do hear beeps coming through pretty regularly. It currently seems to be sending HUHHUHHU, or some variation on that. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2021, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/639 "2021-04-02T03:11:20Z")
Now it keeps repeating COME AGAIN COME AGAIN… ---
**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:** [April 2, 2021, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/640 "2021-04-02T03:26:08Z")
Now if I click on the box I get a blue box with a checkmark flickering on and off. Below that is a tiny mark. If I click on the mark, a dot appears. If I click on the dot, another dot moves in from the right. Repeat, repeat. If I don’t click the dots disappear. I’m inclined to consider the date. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=31) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=33)