# ­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:** 64
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1262 "2022-03-04T21:41:37Z")
> **[Outlet Denier](https://xkcd.com/2589/)** > > There are regularly placed bumps on the underside just the right size to press the rocker switch on the power strip. ---
**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:** [March 4, 2022, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1263 "2022-03-04T22:15:41Z")
I think I have a few devices equipped with those… ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1264 "2022-03-07T18:48:56Z")
> **[I Shouldn't Complain](https://xkcd.com/2590/)** > > Bald-faced hornets are only a 2 on the Schmidt pain index, so I shouldn't complain. The tennis ball ejected from the dryer exhaust vent could have ricocheted off the nest of a much higher-scoring insect before knocking me off the ladder. Really, I'm lucky. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1265 "2022-03-10T00:09:57Z")
> **[Qua](https://xkcd.com/2591/)** > > Qua qua qua is the sine qua non of sine qua non qua sine qua non. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1266 "2022-03-10T00:10:51Z")
Who let the ducks out? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1267 "2022-03-11T20:48:19Z")
> **[False Dichotomy](https://xkcd.com/2592/)** > > There are two types of dichotomy: False dichotomies, true dichotomies, and surprise trichotomies. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1268 "2022-03-15T03:20:24Z")
> **[Deviled Eggs](https://xkcd.com/2593/)** > > The foil on the toothpick represents the blue flash. Reference to the [demon core](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core). ---
**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:** [March 15, 2022, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1269 "2022-03-15T13:26:03Z")
Yeah, it took me a while to get that one, because my standard referent for that experiment is “dragon’s tail”, not “demon core”, and “demon egg” is one step further removed. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1270 "2022-03-15T16:14:23Z")
If it weren’t for the “blue flash” in the title-text, I wouldn’t have thought of it either. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2022, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1271 "2022-03-17T09:28:49Z")
> **[Consensus Time](https://xkcd.com/2594/)** > > Now, you may argue that the varying hour lengths and feedback effects would cause chaos. To which I say, yeah, and I'm also curious to see how the weekday cycle interacts with it! So, you in? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2022, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1272 "2022-03-19T07:19:20Z")
> **[Advanced Techniques](https://xkcd.com/2595/)** > > A blow from Emmy's Cutlass of Variations will transport the dragon to a corresponding symmetric position in the Noetherworld. ---
**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 19, 2022, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1273 "2022-03-19T12:22:13Z")
Back in college one math professor always said “and here we invoke integration by parts” - which did sound like a spell was being used. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2022, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1274 "2022-03-19T12:40:56Z")
Yeah, let’s replace one difficult integral with two difficult integrals, because that’ll (somehow) make everything easier! And then maybe do it again! And if we’re really lucky, maybe one of the new integrals will be the same as the original one! ---
**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 19, 2022, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1275 "2022-03-19T12:50:02Z")
We’ve clearly been in the same classes ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1276 "2022-03-20T19:28:41Z")
This most recent xkcd reminds me of this one: > **[Set Theory](https://xkcd.com/982/)** > > Proof of Zermelo's well-ordering theorem given the Axiom of Choice: 1: Take S to be any set. 2: When I reach step three, if S hasn't managed to find a well-ordering relation for itself, I'll feed it into this wood chipper. 3: Hey, look, S is well-ordered. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1277 "2022-03-22T14:41:28Z")
> **[Galaxies](https://xkcd.com/2596/)** > > I know it seems overwhelming, but don't worry; I'm sure most of them have only a few stars, and probably no planets. And that’s only in the observable universe. Who knows how many are in the rest of 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:** [March 23, 2022, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1278 "2022-03-23T01:13:09Z")
Are “galaxies with only a few stars” a real thing? ---
**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:** [March 23, 2022, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1279 "2022-03-23T01:17:41Z")
To be honest, the number seemed kinda small to me. But I think it’s about right. There are 41,000 square degrees in a sphere. If that circle is 1/6 of a degree (plausible, since it’s noticeably smaller than the 1/2 degree diameter of the sun/moon), then the figure comes to 41000 / ((1/6)^2 \* (pi/4)) \* 50000 = 94 billion. Which is pretty close to the right answer. There are a surprising number of square degrees on a sphere… ---
**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 23, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1280 "2022-03-23T02:25:38Z")
No. He’s (humorously) trying to minimize the shock of the size of the Universe right after giving us the shock ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1281 "2022-03-23T21:22:41Z")
I found the wording on this one to be weird. There obviously aren’t any galaxies within that circle. And he didn’t say anything about holding it out to the sky, to imply that he’s talking about projecting a cone. I’m actually not sure if he means a cone projected to the edge of the visible universe, or if he’s thinking about a cylinder and talking about how many galaxies it will go through. I know you can (mostly) intuit what he means, but the wording seems odd, particularly for Munroe and these sorts of facts. I actually was expecting a joke in the hover text about how small galaxies must be to fit so many in a room. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=63) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=65)