# ­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:** 67
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2022, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1322 "2022-04-09T01:30:52Z")
I am reminded of the observation: Familiarity of the story tells you that Frankenstein is not the monster. Understanding of the story tells you that Frankenstein is the monster. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1323 "2022-04-11T21:37:02Z")
> **[Taylor Series](https://xkcd.com/2605/)** > > The Taylor series should have been canceled after the first term. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1324 "2022-04-14T23:39:54Z")
> **[Weird Unicode Math Symbols](https://xkcd.com/2606/)** > > U+2A0B ⨋ Mathematicians need to calm down Anyone see the symbol in the title-text? It’s not in my font. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2022, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1325 "2022-04-14T23:56:45Z")
Yes, it’s U+2A0B and is [a Sigma overlaid with an integral sign](https://www.compart.com/en/unicode/U+2A0B). Appropriately called “Summation with Integral”. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1326 "2022-04-15T01:20:28Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Familiarity of the story tells you that Frankenstein is not the monster. > Understanding of the story tells you that Frankenstein is the monster. Nah. They’re both Frankenstein and, at least in the book, they’re both monsters. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2022, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1327 "2022-04-15T03:31:53Z")
Interesting (at least to me) the “Larry Potter” glyphs origins are uncertain: > **[U+237C ⍼ RIGHT ANGLE WITH DOWNWARDS ZIGZAG ARROW](https://ionathan.ch/2022/04/09/angzarr.html)** 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:** [April 15, 2022, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1328 "2022-04-15T13:01:30Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > > [@Steve\_MB](#): > > > > Familiarity of the story tells you that Frankenstein is not the monster. > > Understanding of the story tells you that Frankenstein is the monster. > > Nah. They’re both Frankenstein and, at least in the book, they’re both monsters. It’s Frankensteins and monsters all the way down. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1329 "2022-04-15T20:09:31Z")
> **[Geiger Counter](https://xkcd.com/2607/)** > > At first I didn't get why they were warning me about all those birds sitting on the wire, but then I understood. I never really understood Tetris, but then it fell into place. ---
**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 15, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1330 "2022-04-15T20:23:58Z")
At first I couldn’t believe the _Moskva_ was gone, but then it sunk in. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1331 "2022-04-15T20:51:43Z")
Donnie Darko was wondering where the airplane engine was, but then it hit home. ---
**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 15, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1332 "2022-04-15T20:58:28Z")
I couldn’t understand why it was still so dark out, but then it dawned on me. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2022, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1333 "2022-04-15T22:19:36Z")
…Said Tom, swiftly. ---
**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 15, 2022, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1334 "2022-04-15T22:27:41Z")
Tom Swifties are always punnish replacements for “he said,” though. This is a somewhat different form. I don’t know if there’s a name for it. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2022, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1335 "2022-04-15T23:42:27Z")
Let’s get this one out of the way: “I see,” said the blind carpenter, as he picked up his hammer and saw. ---
**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:** [April 18, 2022, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1336 "2022-04-18T21:05:40Z")
> **[Family Reunion](https://xkcd.com/2608/)** > > Grandma says that because of differences in primate and feline lifespans, the cat is actually my 17,000,000th cousin 14,000,000 times removed. ---
**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:** [April 19, 2022, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1337 "2022-04-19T12:45:25Z")
Looks like they are having a wake for their 60,000,000,000th cousin, whose corpse was formed into the likeness of a chair. ---
**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:** [April 19, 2022, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1338 "2022-04-19T23:32:59Z")
To me, the odd one is the second cousin. I rarely interact with my second cousins, other than at events that would also include my first cousins. And such events would typically either include nobody more distant than about 2nd cousins, or would include a single other set of people who are all closely related to each other (and who would therefore all have close to the same relatedness to me). ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2022, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1339 "2022-04-20T13:17:54Z")
My assumption is it’s a school- or community-related event. His 2nd cousin just happens to live nearby and is part of that community. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2022, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1340 "2022-04-20T13:35:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To me, the odd one is the second cousin. I rarely interact with my second cousins, other than at events that would also include my first cousins. And such events would typically either include nobody more distant than about 2nd cousins, or would include a single other set of people who are all closely related to each other (and who would therefore all have close to the same relatedness to me). Where I live, I can’t throw a rock without risking hitting a second cousin. I even bumped into a second once removed this morning at work. Fortunately he wasn’t a patient, but I’ve had that happen too. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574/1341 "2022-04-20T21:30:52Z")
> **[Entwives](https://xkcd.com/2609/)** > > No, we actually do have a woman who's basically part of our fellowship. She lives in Rivendell, you wouldn't know her. So, um, who’s the third hobbit? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=66) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xkcd-thread/854574.md?page=68)