#xkcd No. 3062
Date: 2025-3-12
Title: Off By One
Alt text: It does come at the small cost of a LOT more off-by-40-or-50 errors.
https://xkcd.com/3062/
xkcd
#xkcd No. 3063
Date: 2025-3-14
Title: Planet Definitions
Alt text: Under the 'has cleared its orbital neighborhood' and 'fuses hydrogen into helium' definitions, thanks to human activities Earth technically no longer qualifies as a planet but DOES count as a star.
https://xkcd.com/3063/
![Description:
A table compares different planetary definitions. It includes columns for definition, number of planets, and solar system representation. Uses stylized planet icons.
Transcript:
DEFINITION
# OF PLANETS
SOLAR SYSTEM
TRADITIONALIST:
PLUTO IS A PLANET
9
[Planet icons]
MODERN: PLUTO IS
NOT A PLANET
8
[Planet icons]
EXPANSIVE: DWARF
PLANETS ARE PLANETS
17+
[Planet icons]
ULTRATRADITIONALIST:
ONLY THE CLASSICAL
PLANETS ARE PLANETS
5
[Planet icons]
CONDESCENDING: ONLY GIANT
PLANETS ARE PLANETS; THE
REST ARE BIG ASTEROIDS.
4
[Planet icons]
SIMPLISTIC: ANYTHING
GRAVITATIONALLY
ROUND IS A PLANET
37+
[Planet icons]
GROUNDED: ONLY OBJECTS
A SPACESHIP HAS LANDED
ON ARE PLANETS
10
[Planet icons]
REGOLITHIC: ANYTHING
COVERED IN DIRT AND ICE
AND STUFF IS A PLANET
∞
[Planet icons]
LUNAR: YOU CAN'T
BE A PLANET IF YOU
DON'T HAVE A MOON
12+
[Planet icons]
SOLIPSISTIC: EARTH IS
THE ONLY PLANET
1
[Planet icons]
JUDGEMENTAL: ONLY
THE PRETTIEST ONES
ARE PLANETS
6
[Planet icons]
EMPIRICIST: ONLY WORLDS
THAT I, AUTHOR OF THIS
TABLE, HAVE PERSONALLY
SEEN ARE PLANETS
12
[Planet icons]
MARINE BIOLOGIST: ONLY
OBJECTS WITH OCEANS
ARE PLANETS
6+
[Planet icons]
MARITIME: ONLY OBJECTS
WITH SURFACE OCEANS
ARE PLANETS
2
[Planet icons]
UNIVERSALIST: THEY'RE
ALL PLANETS
∞
[Planet icons]
EXISTENTIALIST: WHAT
IF SPACE ITSELF IS A
PLANET???
DUUDE
[Planet icons]
SPITEFUL: ONLY PLUTO
IS A PLANET
1
[Planet icons]](/proxy/post_attachment/667709/a34c9b2d21.png "Description:
A table compares different planetary definitions. It includes columns for definition, number of planets, and solar system representation. Uses stylized planet icons.
Transcript:
DEFINITION
# OF PLANETS
SOLAR SYSTEM
TRADITIONALIST:
PLUTO IS A PLANET
9
[Planet icons]
MODERN: PLUTO IS
NOT A PLANET
8
[Planet icons]
EXPANSIVE: DWARF
PLANETS ARE PLANETS
17+
[Planet icons]
ULTRATRADITIONALIST:
ONLY THE CLASSICAL
PLANETS ARE PLANETS
5
[Planet icons]
CONDESCENDING: ONLY GIANT
PLANETS ARE PLANETS; THE
REST ARE BIG ASTEROIDS.
4
[Planet icons]
SIMPLISTIC: ANYTHING
GRAVITATIONALLY
ROUND IS A PLANET
37+
[Planet icons]
GROUNDED: ONLY OBJECTS
A SPACESHIP HAS LANDED
ON ARE PLANETS
10
[Planet icons]
REGOLITHIC: ANYTHING
COVERED IN DIRT AND ICE
AND STUFF IS A PLANET
∞
[Planet icons]
LUNAR: YOU CAN'T
BE A PLANET IF YOU
DON'T HAVE A MOON
12+
[Planet icons]
SOLIPSISTIC: EARTH IS
THE ONLY PLANET
1
[Planet icons]
JUDGEMENTAL: ONLY
THE PRETTIEST ONES
ARE PLANETS
6
[Planet icons]
EMPIRICIST: ONLY WORLDS
THAT I, AUTHOR OF THIS
TABLE, HAVE PERSONALLY
SEEN ARE PLANETS
12
[Planet icons]
MARINE BIOLOGIST: ONLY
OBJECTS WITH OCEANS
ARE PLANETS
6+
[Planet icons]
MARITIME: ONLY OBJECTS
WITH SURFACE OCEANS
ARE PLANETS
2
[Planet icons]
UNIVERSALIST: THEY'RE
ALL PLANETS
∞
[Planet icons]
EXISTENTIALIST: WHAT
IF SPACE ITSELF IS A
PLANET???
DUUDE
[Planet icons]
SPITEFUL: ONLY PLUTO
IS A PLANET
1
[Planet icons]")
Edited 161d ago
#xkcd No. 3065
Date: 2025-3-19
Title: Square Units
Alt text: The biggest I've seen in a published source in the wild is an 80-fold error in a reported distance, which I think came from a series of at least three unit conversions and area/length misinterpretations.
https://xkcd.com/3065/
#xkcd No. 3051
Date: 2025-2-14
Title: Hardwood
Alt text: They may technically have been softwoods at some point, but they definitely aren't now.
https://xkcd.com/3051/
#xkcd No. 3091
Date: 2025-5-19
Title: Renormalization
Alt text: Applying renormalization to bullies successfully transformed Pete & Pete's Endless Mike into Finite Mike.
https://xkcd.com/3091/
#xkcd No. 3068
Date: 2025-3-26
Title: Rock Identification
Alt text: 'Is it worth anything?' 'I dunno, is the answer to that question worth another $5?'
https://xkcd.com/3068/
#xkcd No. 3052
Date: 2025-2-17
Title: Archive Request
Alt text: They just want researchers in the enclosure to feel enriched and stimulated. ('The Enclosure' is what archivists call the shadowy world outside their archives in which so many people are trapped.)
https://xkcd.com/3052/
![Description:
Single-panel xkcd comic of a stick figure at a computer, expressing frustration, while text above and below describe library data access.
Transcript:
TO REQUEST DATA FROM THE ARCHIVES,
FILL OUT THIS FORM. THE PAGES WILL
BE SCANNED, ENCODED TO CD-ROM, AND
MAILED TO YOU WITHIN IO BUSINESS DAYS.
DOWNLOAD THE DECODER FOR
OUR PROPRIETARY FORMAT HERE
(REQUIRES WINDOWS 98® OR XP®)
[A stick figure sits in a rolling chair at a desk with a laptop, looking at the screen.]
UGH, FINE...
ARCHIVISTS ACTUALLY HAVE EVERYTHING IN DIGITAL
REPOS NOW, BUT THEY STILL DO THIS TO PROVIDE
ENRICHMENT FOR RESEARCHERS, THE WAY ZOOS
HIDE FOOD FOR ANIMALS IN HARD-TO-OPEN BOXES.](/proxy/post_attachment/618521/2f8f181d4d.png "Description:
Single-panel xkcd comic of a stick figure at a computer, expressing frustration, while text above and below describe library data access.
Transcript:
TO REQUEST DATA FROM THE ARCHIVES,
FILL OUT THIS FORM. THE PAGES WILL
BE SCANNED, ENCODED TO CD-ROM, AND
MAILED TO YOU WITHIN IO BUSINESS DAYS.
DOWNLOAD THE DECODER FOR
OUR PROPRIETARY FORMAT HERE
(REQUIRES WINDOWS 98® OR XP®)
[A stick figure sits in a rolling chair at a desk with a laptop, looking at the screen.]
UGH, FINE...
ARCHIVISTS ACTUALLY HAVE EVERYTHING IN DIGITAL
REPOS NOW, BUT THEY STILL DO THIS TO PROVIDE
ENRICHMENT FOR RESEARCHERS, THE WAY ZOOS
HIDE FOOD FOR ANIMALS IN HARD-TO-OPEN BOXES.")
#xkcd No. 3069
Date: 2025-3-28
Title: Terror Bird
Alt text: There has long been debate about Big Bird's species, with some experts claiming he was a canary, but recent genetic analysis places him firmly in Cariamiformes.
https://xkcd.com/3069/
#xkcd No. 3081
Date: 2025-4-25
Title: PhD Timeline
Alt text: Rümeysa Öztürk was grabbed off the street in my town one month ago.
https://xkcd.com/3081/
![Description:
Flowchart of a US Ph.D. program timeline. The left side is processes; right side branches into coursework and research. The last steps are crossed out.
Transcript:
US PH.D. PROGRAM TIMELINE
ENROLLMENT
MEET WITH ADVISOR
↓
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
↓
QUALIFYING EXAMS
↓
PROPOSE DISSERTATION
↓
RESEARCH
AND WRITE
DISSERTATION
COURSEWORK
RESEARCH
[Red text and arrows point to the end of the traditional Ph.D. timeline]
SUBMIT
DISSERTATION
DEFEND
DISSERTATION
GET GRABBED OFF THE
SIDEWALK OUTSIDE YOUR
HOME BY MASKED
GOVERNMENT AGENTS
↓
BE WHISKED OUT OF THE
STATE BEFORE A JUDGE
HAS TIME TO INTERVENE
↓
????](/proxy/post_attachment/691205/156d60622e.png "Description:
Flowchart of a US Ph.D. program timeline. The left side is processes; right side branches into coursework and research. The last steps are crossed out.
Transcript:
US PH.D. PROGRAM TIMELINE
ENROLLMENT
MEET WITH ADVISOR
↓
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
↓
QUALIFYING EXAMS
↓
PROPOSE DISSERTATION
↓
RESEARCH
AND WRITE
DISSERTATION
COURSEWORK
RESEARCH
[Red text and arrows point to the end of the traditional Ph.D. timeline]
SUBMIT
DISSERTATION
DEFEND
DISSERTATION
GET GRABBED OFF THE
SIDEWALK OUTSIDE YOUR
HOME BY MASKED
GOVERNMENT AGENTS
↓
BE WHISKED OUT OF THE
STATE BEFORE A JUDGE
HAS TIME TO INTERVENE
↓
????")
#xkcd No. 3094
Date: 2025-5-26
Title: Mass Spec
Alt text: Patients at least found it to be an improvement over Millikan's incredibly messy and unpleasant oil drop suspension procedure.
https://xkcd.com/3094/
![Description:
A single panel comic with two stick figures, one person handing the other a balloon. In the background is a swing, a hanging magnet, and a target on the wall.
Transcript:
[Panel 1]
RUB THIS BALLOON AGAINST YOUR HEAD, THEN GO JUMP PAST THAT MAGNET TOWARD THE TARGET ON THE WALL.
[A female stick figure in a lab coat hands a balloon to a male stick figure.]
[A swing is in the background.]
[A hanging magnet is in the background.]
[A target on the wall in the background.]
BEFORE THE BATHROOM SCALE WAS INVENTED, THE ONLY WAY TO WEIGH PEOPLE WAS MASS SPECTROMETRY.](/proxy/post_attachment/721849/fc87d82c58.png "Description:
A single panel comic with two stick figures, one person handing the other a balloon. In the background is a swing, a hanging magnet, and a target on the wall.
Transcript:
[Panel 1]
RUB THIS BALLOON AGAINST YOUR HEAD, THEN GO JUMP PAST THAT MAGNET TOWARD THE TARGET ON THE WALL.
[A female stick figure in a lab coat hands a balloon to a male stick figure.]
[A swing is in the background.]
[A hanging magnet is in the background.]
[A target on the wall in the background.]
BEFORE THE BATHROOM SCALE WAS INVENTED, THE ONLY WAY TO WEIGH PEOPLE WAS MASS SPECTROMETRY.")
#xkcd No. 3082
Date: 2025-4-28
Title: Chess Position
Alt text: It's important to learn the moves that take you into the vortex, but it's best not to study vortex itself too closely. Even grandmasters who have built up a tolerance lose the ability to play for a few hours after studying it.
https://xkcd.com/3082/
#xkcd No. 3102
Date: 2025-6-13
Title: Reading a Big Number
Alt text: [desperately] Maybe this is from some country where they use commas as decimal points, and also as digit separators after the decimal, and also use random other characters for decoration???
https://xkcd.com/3102/
#xkcd No. 3083
Date: 2025-4-30
Title: Jupiter Core
Alt text: Juno mission data suggests that Jupiter actually contains Matryoshka doll-style nested copies of every other planet in the Solar System.
https://xkcd.com/3083/
![Description:
Comic displays eight sectional views of Jupiter with various center contents. Each view is labeled with a humorous, alternative theory about Jupiter's core.
Transcript:
CURRENT LEADING THEORIES FOR
WHAT'S IN THE CENTER OF JUPITER.
[First sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
DIFFUSE MIX OF
HEAVY ELEMENTS
AND METALLIC
HYDROGEN
[Second sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
ROCKY CORE
WITH METALLIC
HYDROGEN
MANTLE
[Third sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
VALUABLE
TREASURE
[Fourth sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
EMERGENCY
BACKUP EARTH
[Fifth sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
REGULAR PLANET
PRETENDING TO BE
A GAS GIANT TO
AVOID ATTENTION
[Sixth sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
HARD BALL
FROM
AVOCADO
[Seventh sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
BABY
JUPITER,
STILL
GESTATING
[Eighth sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
NO CORE; FLAT
EARTH CONSPIRACISTS
ARE WRONG ABOUT
EARTH BUT RIGHT
ABOUT JUPITER](/proxy/post_attachment/696152/14420163ed.png "Description:
Comic displays eight sectional views of Jupiter with various center contents. Each view is labeled with a humorous, alternative theory about Jupiter's core.
Transcript:
CURRENT LEADING THEORIES FOR
WHAT'S IN THE CENTER OF JUPITER.
[First sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
DIFFUSE MIX OF
HEAVY ELEMENTS
AND METALLIC
HYDROGEN
[Second sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
ROCKY CORE
WITH METALLIC
HYDROGEN
MANTLE
[Third sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
VALUABLE
TREASURE
[Fourth sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
EMERGENCY
BACKUP EARTH
[Fifth sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
REGULAR PLANET
PRETENDING TO BE
A GAS GIANT TO
AVOID ATTENTION
[Sixth sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
HARD BALL
FROM
AVOCADO
[Seventh sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
BABY
JUPITER,
STILL
GESTATING
[Eighth sectional view of the planet Jupiter.]
NO CORE; FLAT
EARTH CONSPIRACISTS
ARE WRONG ABOUT
EARTH BUT RIGHT
ABOUT JUPITER")
#xkcd No. 3090
Date: 2025-5-16
Title: Sail Physics
Alt text: Turning in other directions can be accomplished by using a magnetized centerboard and ocean currents, since a current flowing through a magnetic field induces a Laplace force.
https://xkcd.com/3090/
![Description:
Four-panel comic explaining how sailboats sail upwind using physics, with diagrams showing charge buildup and forces on a boat.
Transcript:
Panel 1:
HOW SAILBOATS
USE PHYSICS TO
SAIL UPWIND:
[Diagram of a sailboat with wind arrows hitting the sail.]
WIND
SAIL
BOAT
Panel 2:
1. WIND PASSING OVER
THE SAIL STRIPS AWAY
ELECTRONS VIA THE
TRIBOELECTRIC EFFECT.
[Diagram of a sailboat with wind arrows hitting the sail, showing negative charges being stripped away from the boat.]
Panel 3:
2. THE POSITIVELY
CHARGED BOAT IS
BLOWN DOWNWIND;
ITS MOVEMENT IN
EARTH’S MAGNETIC
FIELD PRODUCES A
LORENTZ FORCE.
[Diagram of a positively charged sailboat with a downwind direction arrow and a perpendicular Lorentz force arrow.]
Panel 4:
3. THE LORENTZ FORCE
ACTS PERPENDICULAR
TO THE DIRECTION OF
MOTION, REDIRECTING
THE BOAT UPWIND.
[Diagram of a positively charged sailboat with a downwind motion arrow and an upwind resulting direction arrow.]](/proxy/post_attachment/712086/4ff5eea765.png "Description:
Four-panel comic explaining how sailboats sail upwind using physics, with diagrams showing charge buildup and forces on a boat.
Transcript:
Panel 1:
HOW SAILBOATS
USE PHYSICS TO
SAIL UPWIND:
[Diagram of a sailboat with wind arrows hitting the sail.]
WIND
SAIL
BOAT
Panel 2:
1. WIND PASSING OVER
THE SAIL STRIPS AWAY
ELECTRONS VIA THE
TRIBOELECTRIC EFFECT.
[Diagram of a sailboat with wind arrows hitting the sail, showing negative charges being stripped away from the boat.]
Panel 3:
2. THE POSITIVELY
CHARGED BOAT IS
BLOWN DOWNWIND;
ITS MOVEMENT IN
EARTH’S MAGNETIC
FIELD PRODUCES A
LORENTZ FORCE.
[Diagram of a positively charged sailboat with a downwind direction arrow and a perpendicular Lorentz force arrow.]
Panel 4:
3. THE LORENTZ FORCE
ACTS PERPENDICULAR
TO THE DIRECTION OF
MOTION, REDIRECTING
THE BOAT UPWIND.
[Diagram of a positively charged sailboat with a downwind motion arrow and an upwind resulting direction arrow.]")
#xkcd No. 3084
Date: 2025-5-2
Title: Unstoppable Force and Immovable Object
Alt text: Unstoppable force-carrying particles can't interact with immovable matter by definition.
https://xkcd.com/3084/
![Description:
A 3-panel xkcd comic shows an arrow (unstoppable force) hitting a trapezoid(immovable object). The third panel has text and a continuation of the idea.
Transcript:
Panel 1:
UNSTOPPABLE
FORCE
IMMOBABLE
OBJECT
[A horizontal line is drawn, with a right-pointing arrow "Unstoppable Force" to the left of a trapezoid "Immovable Object"]
Panel 2:
[A horizontal line is drawn, with a right-pointing arrow partially inside the trapezoid outline.]
Panel 3:
[A horizontal line is drawn, with a right-pointing arrow "Unstoppable Force" to the right of a trapezoid "Immovable Object"]
I DON'T SEE WHY PEOPLE FIND
THIS SCENARIO TO BE TRICKY.](/proxy/post_attachment/698115/ca5d817b2d.png "Description:
A 3-panel xkcd comic shows an arrow (unstoppable force) hitting a trapezoid(immovable object). The third panel has text and a continuation of the idea.
Transcript:
Panel 1:
UNSTOPPABLE
FORCE
IMMOBABLE
OBJECT
[A horizontal line is drawn, with a right-pointing arrow \"Unstoppable Force\" to the left of a trapezoid \"Immovable Object\"]
Panel 2:
[A horizontal line is drawn, with a right-pointing arrow partially inside the trapezoid outline.]
Panel 3:
[A horizontal line is drawn, with a right-pointing arrow \"Unstoppable Force\" to the right of a trapezoid \"Immovable Object\"]
I DON'T SEE WHY PEOPLE FIND
THIS SCENARIO TO BE TRICKY.")
#xkcd No. 3077
Date: 2025-4-16
Title: de Sitter
Alt text: Our anti-de Sitter club is small at the moment, but I've started corresponding with the conformal field theory people.
https://xkcd.com/3077/
![Description:
Single panel xkcd comic. A door with a sign taped to it that reads "20TH CENTURY DUTCH PHYSICIST WILLEM DE SITTER IS NOT WELCOME HERE".
Transcript:
[Image shows a door with a sign taped to it.]
Sign on door:
20TH CENTURY
DUTCH PHYSICIST
WILLEM DE SITTER
IS NOT
WELCOME HERE
Below the image:
MY HOUSE IS AN ANTI-DE SITTER SPACE.](/proxy/post_attachment/682545/674052cc6b.png "Description:
Single panel xkcd comic. A door with a sign taped to it that reads \"20TH CENTURY DUTCH PHYSICIST WILLEM DE SITTER IS NOT WELCOME HERE\".
Transcript:
[Image shows a door with a sign taped to it.]
Sign on door:
20TH CENTURY
DUTCH PHYSICIST
WILLEM DE SITTER
IS NOT
WELCOME HERE
Below the image:
MY HOUSE IS AN ANTI-DE SITTER SPACE.")
#xkcd No. 3093
Date: 2025-5-23
Title: Drafting
Alt text: A 5% efficiency gain at the cost of a 99% efficiency loss
https://xkcd.com/3093/
#xkcd No. 3087
Date: 2025-5-9
Title: Pascal's Law
Alt text: Reductio ad absurdum fails when reality is absurd.
https://xkcd.com/3087/
![Description: A single panel xkcd comic shows a physics lecture with stick figures. A teacher points to a diagram of a hydraulic press while students sit at desks.
Transcript:
NO, THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT.
IF HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE WORKED THAT WAY,
THEN YOU COULD USE IT TO MAKE MACHINES
THAT EXERT NEAR-INFINITE FORCE.
AND ANCIENT PEOPLE COULD HAVE DEMOLISHED
ENTIRE MOUNTAINS JUST BY DRILLING SMALL
TUNNELS AND FILLING THEM WITH WATER.
[Diagram of hydraulic press. On the left side, a small cylinder with a piston pushing down on it. The cylinder is connected to a larger cylinder on the right side by a pipe. The right cylinder has a platform on top with a figure next to a bag labeled "1000" with an arrow pointing to the top of the platform.]
WHEN I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT PASCAL'S LAW, I TRIED
TO DISPROVE IT BY SHOWING THAT IT WOULD LEAD TO
ABSURD CONSEQUENCES, BUT IT TURNS OUT HYDRAULIC
PRESSES AND RUINA MONTIUM ARE BOTH REAL THINGS.](/proxy/post_attachment/705093/72a68c32c9.png "Description: A single panel xkcd comic shows a physics lecture with stick figures. A teacher points to a diagram of a hydraulic press while students sit at desks.
Transcript:
NO, THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT.
IF HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE WORKED THAT WAY,
THEN YOU COULD USE IT TO MAKE MACHINES
THAT EXERT NEAR-INFINITE FORCE.
AND ANCIENT PEOPLE COULD HAVE DEMOLISHED
ENTIRE MOUNTAINS JUST BY DRILLING SMALL
TUNNELS AND FILLING THEM WITH WATER.
[Diagram of hydraulic press. On the left side, a small cylinder with a piston pushing down on it. The cylinder is connected to a larger cylinder on the right side by a pipe. The right cylinder has a platform on top with a figure next to a bag labeled \"1000\" with an arrow pointing to the top of the platform.]
WHEN I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT PASCAL'S LAW, I TRIED
TO DISPROVE IT BY SHOWING THAT IT WOULD LEAD TO
ABSURD CONSEQUENCES, BUT IT TURNS OUT HYDRAULIC
PRESSES AND RUINA MONTIUM ARE BOTH REAL THINGS.")
#xkcd No. 3079
Date: 2025-4-21
Title: Air Fact
Alt text: 'Wow, that must be why you swallow so many of them per year!' 'No, that's spiders. You swallow WAY more ants.'
https://xkcd.com/3079/
#xkcd No. 3095
Date: 2025-5-28
Title: Archaea
Alt text: Under the two-domain system, anyone who punches you is technically an Archaean pathogen.
https://xkcd.com/3095/
#xkcd No. 3097
Date: 2025-6-2
Title: Bridge Types
Alt text: Pontoon bridges are just linear open-sided waterbeds.
https://xkcd.com/3097/
#xkcd No. 3096
Date: 2025-5-30
Title: Check Engine
Alt text: They say it's probably safe to keep orbiting for a while, but if it stays on or starts flashing we might have to call someone.
https://xkcd.com/3096/
![Description:
A single panel shows a close-up view of the sun as a large orange circle against a black background. A black rectangle with a yellow "check engine" light symbol is visible on the sun's surface, resembling a sunspot.
Transcript:
[Image of the sun with a "Check Engine" symbol on its surface.]
THIS NEW SUNSPOT CLUSTER HAS RAISED
CONCERN AMONG ASTRONOMERS](/proxy/post_attachment/726074/9704c9c6f1.png "Description:
A single panel shows a close-up view of the sun as a large orange circle against a black background. A black rectangle with a yellow \"check engine\" light symbol is visible on the sun's surface, resembling a sunspot.
Transcript:
[Image of the sun with a \"Check Engine\" symbol on its surface.]
THIS NEW SUNSPOT CLUSTER HAS RAISED
CONCERN AMONG ASTRONOMERS")
#xkcd No. 3103
Date: 2025-6-16
Title: Exoplanet System
Alt text: Sure, this exoplanet we discovered may seem hostile to life, but our calculations suggest it's actually in the accretion disc's habitable zone.
https://xkcd.com/3103/
#xkcd No. 3092
Date: 2025-5-21
Title: Baker's Units
Alt text: 169 is a baker's gross.
https://xkcd.com/3092/
![Description: A single panel shows examples of "baker's units," including groups of objects, a ruler, time, a geometric shape, a date, musical notation, stick figures, and a flag.
Transcript: BAKER'S UNITS
OOOOOOOOOOOO—BAKER'S DOZEN
[Image of a ruler marked with increments]—BAKER'S FOOT
1:00 PM—BAKER'S NOON
[Image of a dodecahedron]—BAKER'S DODECAHEDRON
JANUARY 31ST—BAKER'S NEW YEAR'S EVE
[Image of a musical staff with notes]—BAKER'S OCTAVE
[Row of stick figures]—BAKER'S JURY
[Image of the EU flag]—BAKER'S EU FLAG
ALUMINUM—BAKER'S MAGNESIUM](/proxy/post_attachment/717281/b72a196747.png "Description: A single panel shows examples of \"baker's units,\" including groups of objects, a ruler, time, a geometric shape, a date, musical notation, stick figures, and a flag.
Transcript: BAKER'S UNITS
OOOOOOOOOOOO—BAKER'S DOZEN
[Image of a ruler marked with increments]—BAKER'S FOOT
1:00 PM—BAKER'S NOON
[Image of a dodecahedron]—BAKER'S DODECAHEDRON
JANUARY 31ST—BAKER'S NEW YEAR'S EVE
[Image of a musical staff with notes]—BAKER'S OCTAVE
[Row of stick figures]—BAKER'S JURY
[Image of the EU flag]—BAKER'S EU FLAG
ALUMINUM—BAKER'S MAGNESIUM")
#xkcd No. 3098
Date: 2025-6-4
Title: Trojan Horse
Alt text: Ultimately, history would imperfectly record the story of the Foal of Troy.
https://xkcd.com/3098/
![Description:
Four-panel comic strip show stick figures reacting to a horse, then a smaller horse appearing from a horse.
Transcript:
Panel 1:
WHEN THE GREEKS DEPARTED, THEY LEFT BEHIND A HORSE AS A GIFT.
[Four stick figures stand on a wall overlooking a horse on the ground.]
Panel 2:
WE TOOK IT AS A GESTURE OF PEACE, BUT IT CARRIED A SECRET PAYLOAD.
[A stick figure and a stick figure with a ponytail stand near a large horse.]
Panel 3:
ONE NIGHT, FROM WITHIN THE HORSE, ANOTHER, SMALLER HORSE EMERGED!
[A small horse stands next to a large horse.]
Panel 4:
OUR GUARDS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE INNER HORSE'S OBJECTIVE, BUT IT HAS BEGUN TO SHOW AN INTEREST IN OUR OATS.
An Attack on Troy's Food Supply!
HOW DARE THEY!?
[A stick figure shrugs. Two small asterisks are connected by curving lines to the text "HOW DARE THEY!?"]](/proxy/post_attachment/731478/20542b16c4.png "Description:
Four-panel comic strip show stick figures reacting to a horse, then a smaller horse appearing from a horse.
Transcript:
Panel 1:
WHEN THE GREEKS DEPARTED, THEY LEFT BEHIND A HORSE AS A GIFT.
[Four stick figures stand on a wall overlooking a horse on the ground.]
Panel 2:
WE TOOK IT AS A GESTURE OF PEACE, BUT IT CARRIED A SECRET PAYLOAD.
[A stick figure and a stick figure with a ponytail stand near a large horse.]
Panel 3:
ONE NIGHT, FROM WITHIN THE HORSE, ANOTHER, SMALLER HORSE EMERGED!
[A small horse stands next to a large horse.]
Panel 4:
OUR GUARDS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE INNER HORSE'S OBJECTIVE, BUT IT HAS BEGUN TO SHOW AN INTEREST IN OUR OATS.
An Attack on Troy's Food Supply!
HOW DARE THEY!?
[A stick figure shrugs. Two small asterisks are connected by curving lines to the text \"HOW DARE THEY!?\"]")