# ­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:** 5
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2020, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/81 "2020-07-12T05:59:30Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The closest thing I know of to such balls are Zorbing balls. You can’t walk in them, because the gap between the double walls is way too wide. They’re for rolling down hill. They exist! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SUOsjwHyYhg/maxresdefault.jpg "Human Hamster Ball") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUOsjwHyYhg&t=186) But it’s not so easy on water! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tg7i30pXARQ/maxresdefault.jpg "HUMAN HAMSTER BALL! WALKING ON WATER!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg7i30pXARQ&t=172) Google ‘human hamster ball’. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2020, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/82 "2020-07-14T20:01:38Z")
> **[Cursed Chair](https://xkcd.com/2332/)** > > The Wirecutter staff called the Herman Miller Siege Perilous "the most cursed product we've ever had to fight" and "nearly as immortal as it boasts." The real question is how much lumbar support the chair gives. Obviously, a cursed chair would not give any, which means my current chair is cursed. But I don’t have a sword to defeat it. Maybe I can get one at IKEA… ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/83 "2020-07-15T01:21:11Z")
I looked it up with Google Translate. I believe the IKEA product you’re looking for is SVÄRD. ---
**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:** [July 15, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/84 "2020-07-15T16:22:23Z")
> **[COVID Risk Chart](https://xkcd.com/2333/)** > > First prize is a free ticket to the kissing booth. I got a chuckle out of a lot of these. I think my sweet spot is column 2 - those all look like fun. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2020, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/85 "2020-07-18T09:15:14Z")
> **[Slide Trombone](https://xkcd.com/2334/)** > > Remember the CPS 2000, the super soaker that was discontinued because it was too powerful? Relatedly, can I borrow your tuba? Pretty meh, humor-wise. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/86 "2020-07-21T02:13:32Z")
> **[Photo Deposit](https://xkcd.com/2335/)** > > It's okay, they scan the serial numbers and make sure you can't deposit the same bill more than once. I’m going to guess this isn’t actually a thing but rather a joke about doing this with checks. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/87 "2020-07-21T14:42:23Z")
Really, the whole banking system is such a ridiculously-insecure hodgepodge that it’s tough to see how it works at all. Any time you make any payment to anyone, you’re giving them enough information to completely drain your account… and yet, that almost never happens. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/88 "2020-07-23T07:32:42Z")
> **[Campfire Habitable Zone](https://xkcd.com/2336/)** > > Oh no, my marshmallow became tidally locked! Yes, there’s only so many places around a given campfire. I’m sure this says something about how many planets with intelligent life there are in the Galaxy, but I don’t think I have the math to work it out. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2020, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/89 "2020-07-23T10:46:04Z")
Depending on the wind, the habitable zone may only be on one side of the fire. Brian ---
**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:** [July 23, 2020, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/90 "2020-07-23T12:39:42Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Depending on the wind, the habitable zone may only be on one side of the fire. Everyone thinks it’s the wind, but from long experience camping, the truth is that campfire smoke is always most attracted to one particular person sitting around the fire. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/91 "2020-07-23T15:29:11Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Everyone thinks it’s the wind, but from long experience camping, the truth is that campfire smoke is always most attracted to one particular person sitting around the fire. I’ve been that person once or twice. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/92 "2020-07-23T17:42:42Z")
Ah, well, it clearly follows from this, that the zones depend on the size of the campfire and the length of the marshmallow roasting sticks… ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/93 "2020-07-25T02:30:51Z")
> **[Asterisk Corrections](https://xkcd.com/2337/)** > > I like trying to make it as hard as possible. "I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty. \*witchcraft" Having never done chat, I’ll have to take his word this happens. \*toboggans \*apricot ---
**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:** [July 25, 2020, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/94 "2020-07-25T13:16:02Z")
> [@robby](#): > > > [@N9IWP](#): > > > > Depending on the wind, the habitable zone may only be on one side of the fire. > > Everyone thinks it’s the wind, but from long experience camping, the truth is that campfire smoke is always most attracted to one particular person sitting around the fire. 😉 > [@dtilque](#): > > I’ve been that person once or twice. Figuring out where the wind is coming from can be hard. > [@Limmin](#): > > Ah, well, it clearly follows from this, that the zones depend on the size of the campfire and the length of the marshmallow roasting sticks… Reminds me of an apocryphal “old Indian proverb”: “White man build big fire sit way back. Indian build small fire sit close.” ---
**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:** [July 25, 2020, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/95 "2020-07-25T13:19:31Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Having never done chat, I’ll have to take his word this happens. > \*toboggans > \*apricot I’ve not seen that \* convention before either. But I’ve certainly issued any number of corrections to text messages with uncaught spelling errors or worse yet auto-spell driven word “corrections” to absolute nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/96 "2020-07-25T14:58:11Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > I’ve been that person once or twice. > > Figuring out where the wind is coming from can be hard. In those cases, the wind was very weak and hard to say which direction, but I find the smoke coming towards me. So I move and … it’s still coming towards me. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/97 "2020-07-28T03:55:12Z")
> **[Faraday Tour](https://xkcd.com/2338/)** > > I asked them if it was safe to be running tours during the pandemic. They said, "During the what?" Next tour: inside Cheyenne Mountain? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/98 "2020-07-28T11:55:57Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’ve not seen that \* convention before either. I’ve seen it occasionally in instant messaging when there is an obvious typo. E.g. I did now vote for Ralph Nader \*not vote ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/99 "2020-07-28T12:09:57Z")
I thought this one was pretty good, definitely better than the water pistol one. Randall Munroe reads the SDMB, or has read it, anyway. He referenced one of our buffaloes in one of his what-if columns. \* threads ---
**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:** [July 28, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/100 "2020-07-28T12:27:14Z")
Which one, the one that Buffalo buffaloes buffalo? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=6)