1190: "Time"

[SWuh]

... How do I explain to him that I was meant to get ready in the past 5 half-hours but haven't been able to as I have been watching a stick man look at a sandcastle?...

The same way I explained it to my wife last night by way of a a 25 minute monologue before my cell phone battery died.

A 25 minute monologue? What a convenient period of time! And your battery just died? How suspicious...

+1 to Sighclops for that one. In all honesty, I did lol

[joshumax]

Hi!

Has anyone noticed the tides? I'll bet the tides or possibly the wind will slowly destroy the sand castle. Or maybe a seagull will do it.

Do you think this has anything to do with Randall's personal life? Maybe he's planning to go to the beach later. Or maybe he just bought a portable scanner or a tablet with a stylus and he is drawing this comic on the beach *right now*!

April first is coming up. I wonder if this comic will still be going then... Maybe beret guy will come in on a hot air balloon (but really small, to scale with the castle).

Did you notice the girl left without saying goodbye? That was rather rude of her.

You know, if Randall tried to keep drawing this comic until the end of time, he'd start getting duplicate hashes.

I registered for the forums several weeks ago, but for some reason I don't want to link to anything yet. Just so you know.

I hope people are saving older images! We don't want to miss anything! We want it to stay around forever, just like a real sandcastle.

I have a brand-new never-before heard theory! Something will happen in the future involving tides, black-hat guy, and/or the loch-ness monster.

I wonder if Randall is following this thread and will now add in a seagull. I hope so!

Hey, there's ECMAScript in the source of this page!

I like this comic, and this thread.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about the tides.

[SWuh]

My wife gave up on me years ago, now she just turns around walks away while mumbling something about a geek.

The strange thing is, that's usually *me* about *him*. He's an out-and-proud geek (the does-it-for-a-job kind) ... I am more a closet geek. My secret shame

[Lord Cathbad]

I had joined the forums A LONG time ago, had to search my email to find my username.

I have read EVERY SINGLE post here since it all started, at least I think so. I may not have read some of the ninja posts.

Finally, I think I might have something to add that hasn't been said before: I now have a perfectly good use case for Google Glass. I'd be able to keep up with Time (heh!) as it happens.

[Whizbang]

I now fully understand and appreciate this image.

[Ayriannah]

Hi!

<snip>

I like this comic, and this thread.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about the tides.

cannot tell if sarcasm or serious, Mr.3-posts... please be sarcasm? please?

[Platonix]

Conclusion? Time may not be cyclical, but human behavior is.

For the record, none of these comments are targeted at anyone in particular, and I mean no offense. I love this thread, and all the people in it.

BOOM DE YADA
BOOM DE YADA
BOOM DE YADA
BOOM DE YADA

...

...I just registered so I could post that joke.

...

...I lead a sad existence.

[digimuzik]

Meanwhile, beyond the folks who have been following and participating in this thread I wonder how many casual XKCD readers opened a new tab, saw one frame of Time, thought "ok, I don't get this one", closed the tab, and have been going on with their lives otherwise unaware?

This was me with Umwelt. I never understood the big deal with that comic until yesterday when, after reading posts on this thread saying how good of a comic it was, I decided to search for the forum thread for it. Then I went to explainxkcd to see all the possibilities, and realized that over time I have probably seen 3 or 4 different versions of the Umwelt comic but never realized that it was different from before. (When it was released, I saw Northeast Earthquake, later I saw Aurora, yesterday I saw the snake, and I remember seeing bhg and the void).

Fortunately, I don't appear to have as critical of a case of OCD as others around here and I am able to allow myself to miss some of the image updates. Un/Fortunately, my OCD requires me to read every post in this thread. I'm waiting for the thread to start growing faster than I can read it, in which case I will really be in trouble.

This is absolutely where I am, too.

And what the heck... I thought I had an account on here. I'll make a few posts before I thank the folks I want to thank (since it involves quoting or adding links, and I RTFM).

[Kethryes]

Hi!

Has anyone noticed the tides? I'll bet the tides or possibly the wind will slowly destroy the sand castle. Or maybe a seagull will do it.

Do you think this has anything to do with Randall's personal life? Maybe he's planning to go to the beach later. Or maybe he just bought a portable scanner or a tablet with a stylus and he is drawing this comic on the beach *right now*!

April first is coming up. I wonder if this comic will still be going then... Maybe beret guy will come in on a hot air balloon (but really small, to scale with the castle).

Did you notice the girl left without saying goodbye? That was rather rude of her.

You know, if Randall tried to keep drawing this comic until the end of time, he'd start getting duplicate hashes.

I registered for the forums several weeks ago, but for some reason I don't want to link to anything yet. Just so you know.

I hope people are saving older images! We don't want to miss anything! We want it to stay around forever, just like a real sandcastle.

I have a brand-new never-before heard theory! Something will happen in the future involving tides, black-hat guy, and/or the loch-ness monster.

I wonder if Randall is following this thread and will now add in a seagull. I hope so!

Hey, there's ECMAScript in the source of this page!

I like this comic, and this thread.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about the tides.

That made me laugh (Edit: also, what the guy above said)
Got to stop reading the forums now... I'm getting very improductive

[AussieJono]

Given the huge amount of excitement generated by cueball's return, I expect a flurry of posts along the line of "YAY" when megan gets back.

Also, 4'33" is 273 seconds long, and many people will tell you that's because -273C is absolute zero. However, John Cage never actually specified a length, he simply called it the silent piece. The current length and popular title come from the pianist David Tudor who premièred it and decided to play it for that length of time. I think the comic bears much more resemblance to some of Morton Feldman's music - it shifts slowly over a long period of time, without ever needing to become complex. This forum, on the other hand, is very 4'33" - were all listening to the sounds around the performance and appreciating what we hear and even if some of it is occasionally annoyingly repetitive/off topic/etc it all builds up into a rich tapestry of silence.

[SWuh]

Given the huge amount of excitement generated by cueball's return, I expect a flurry of posts along the line of "YAY" when megan gets back.

I am a little scared that... she might never come back. Please don't kill me!

[Editer]

This forum, on the other hand, is very 4'33" - were all listening to the sounds around the performance and appreciating what we hear and even if some of it is occasionally annoyingly repetitive/off topic/etc it all builds up into a rich tapestry of silence.

The art isn't (just) in the drawings. The art is in the space between the drawings.

[Ayriannah]

I had joined the forums A LONG time ago, had to search my email to find my username.

I have read EVERY SINGLE post here since it all started, at least I think so. I may not have read some of the ninja posts.

Finally, I think I might have something to add that hasn't been said before: I now have a perfectly good use case for Google Glass. I'd be able to keep up with Time (heh!) as it happens.

...ohmigod is that actually real? I thought that was an april fools joke? please be real? It looks real from the various googling I've just done, but...

I want one....

[yaddayadda]

10. "This comic is just a way to get more users to use the forum! Maybe he just wanted the longest thread to be about a comic and not a flame war? We're not far to getting there, keep it on topic, guys!! Spiffing job!"

A massive thread without a flame war? It's about Time!

We so need a 'like', 'thumbs up', 'vote up', or some kinda button with such functionality!

[peewee_RotA]

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.p ... 1190:_Time

So now that I finally got to the pages for Megan and Cueball. Why is Megan named Megan? Cueball has a nice little blurb explaining that it's made up for the purposes of explainxkcd. It's also fairly descriptive. Where did Megan come from?

[AluisioASG]

Done.

[SWuh]

Right. I give up.

[yaddayadda]

How is this so very captivating???

Anyway I think we should just complete our full transition into comic 915 now.

I think frame 97 is the best so far. "Complete" castle with head looking right totally beats frame 98 with head looking left. Although the utter chaos of 103 evokes some cosmic ponderings that are unequaled by other frames.

If we're going to do the 915 thing, I suggest we go all the way and group certain frames into periods.
I suggest the following split:

000 - 009 : the debut or what? period: when nobody really knew what was going on
010 - 023 : the dark period: the darkness in the posts of the thread reached heights during these frames
024 - 044 : the sandcastle period: as the sandcastle started to appear, most of the darkness made disappeared.
045 - 074 : the period (second dark period): Initially, this was the 'female period' but I soon realised that would be a pleonasm. Also it was a pretty dark time on the thread.
075 - 087 : the happiness period: the couple is reunited and again the darkness fades.
088 - 105 : the male period: with a climax at frame 103: "the fall of man" frame
105 - NOW : the rebuild period (second sandcastle period). Still in progress! How exciting!

My favourite is frame 26, It symbolises more hope than any of the other ones. Also frame 20, because I find woman who shake their hair sexy.

Discuss!

personally,my top ten are frames 35, 51, 68, 73, 81, 83, 88, 102, 103, and 120 (in chronological order, not order of preference.)

I doubt that any could deny the place of frame 102 and 103; the power of the castle left alone and the fall are apparent to any suitably trained eye. While many would argue that frame 52 is more deserving of praise than frame 51, the addition of text does not add to the plot nearly so much as the quiet contemplation shown in the frame before it. This contemplation is a running theme throughout the work, and far more poignant than any needless words.

If I wasn't at work I'd be ROTFLMAO!

[AussieJono]

That looks like a fairly finished castle. Something has to happen in the next frame surely, or will he just move his head slightly?

[riverssong]

Right. I give up.

Nooooo, don't you see?! He's standing up! It's, it's a metaphor, for, um, for STANDING UP for things! Like sandcastles. And time. And... stuff.

...yeeeeah, Imma go cook some french toast.

[Jonas79]

Done.
-Snip

Yup, the castle is now all done and I have to leave. I do think Megan will be back in the next frame and that they then will continue constructing together.

[Sighclops]

... How do I explain to him that I was meant to get ready in the past 5 half-hours but haven't been able to as I have been watching a stick man look at a sandcastle?...

The same way I explained it to my wife last night by way of a a 25 minute monologue before my cell phone battery died.

A 25 minute monologue? What a convenient period of time! And your battery just died? How suspicious...

* Apologies if that was the intentional joke! I read it straight, but now I'm not sure.

Well... the 25 minutes was approximated, so maybe 23, maybe 27. I dunno. I was on this diatribe first, reminding her what xkcd was, then was trying to explain that it was about two stick figures building a sand castle, and that there are hundreds (thousands?) of people watching the same thing, then trying to explain how this was somehow *cool.* At some point, I noticed the "elapsed time" on the call and it was at 15:XX. Then the rest of the call felt like another 5 to 10 minutes. Of course, when the battery died, I thought, "I have no idea how she puts up with me."

[Editer]

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.p ... 1190:_Time

So now that I finally got to the pages for Megan and Cueball. Why is Megan named Megan? Cueball has a nice little blurb explaining that it's made up for the purposes of explainxkcd. It's also fairly descriptive. Where did Megan come from?

No one knows where she came from -- I'm guessing that, in the comic's universe, she has parents -- but she's addressed and referred to by name in the comic.

[peewee_RotA]

10. "This comic is just a way to get more users to use the forum! Maybe he just wanted the longest thread to be about a comic and not a flame war? We're not far to getting there, keep it on topic, guys!! Spiffing job!"

A massive thread without a flame war? It's about Time!

We so need a 'like', 'thumbs up', 'vote up', or some kinda button with such functionality!

[mojacardave]

Right. I give up.

But, but, but.. this could be pretty much it. If the comic is indeed nothing more meaningful than the construction of a sandcastle, it could be over within a frame or two. The construction is done, Cueball is out of the way and unlikely to knock it down again. Whatever happens next, it presumably isn't going to be more building. Though admittedly, there may be a few frames of breathing space before whatever is coming up.

[fixer]

I have showered and dressed (assuming that a gimmie shirt for a Genentech cancer drug counts as "dressed"). I am nourished (assuming that caffeine counts as "nourished"). I have a lap full of knitting to keep me sane between frames. I am ready for all the excitement that the day will bring!

[peewee_RotA]

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.p ... 1190:_Time

So now that I finally got to the pages for Megan and Cueball. Why is Megan named Megan? Cueball has a nice little blurb explaining that it's made up for the purposes of explainxkcd. It's also fairly descriptive. Where did Megan come from?

No one knows where she came from -- I'm guessing that, in the comic's universe, she has parents -- but she's addressed and referred to by name in the comic.

touche

[mojacardave]

... How do I explain to him that I was meant to get ready in the past 5 half-hours but haven't been able to as I have been watching a stick man look at a sandcastle?...

The same way I explained it to my wife last night by way of a a 25 minute monologue before my cell phone battery died.

A 25 minute monologue? What a convenient period of time! And your battery just died? How suspicious...

* Apologies if that was the intentional joke! I read it straight, but now I'm not sure.

Well... the 25 minutes was approximated, so maybe 23, maybe 27. I dunno. I was on this diatribe first, reminding her what xkcd was, then was trying to explain that it was about two stick figures building a sand castle, and that there are hundreds (thousands?) of people watching the same thing, then trying to explain how this was somehow *cool.* At some point, I noticed the "elapsed time" on the call and it was at 15:XX. Then the rest of the call felt like another 5 to 10 minutes. Of course, when the battery died, I thought, "I have no idea how she puts up with me."

I was referring to the fact that 25 minutes might have been the length of your phone call intentionally, so that you could squeeze it in between comic updates.

[Magdiragdag]

My 2 cents for the next two frames:

Spoiler:

Next frame: he looks around, in the direction where Megan left.
In two half hours: he's left the scene, there's just the castle
After that: maybe a slow erosion?

[mittfh]

Why is Megan named Megan?

According to Wikipedia, her first named appearance was in #159 (Boombox) although her first appearance may have been earlier: #108 (M. C. Hammer Slide).

[iisjreg]

This forum, on the other hand, is very 4'33" - were all listening to the sounds around the performance and appreciating what we hear and even if some of it is occasionally annoyingly repetitive/off topic/etc it all builds up into a rich tapestry of silence.

The art isn't (just) in the drawings. The art is in the space between the drawings.

And the space between the space.

We must go deeper.

(sorry)

[Wooloomooloo]

This is much bigger than all of us now... For the love of god, people - the ad/marketing industry MUST NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE, or we are all DOOMED!!! Therefore, for humanity's sake - the first rule of "Time": You don't talk about "Time"... </sarcasm>

[mojacardave]

What I do really want to know, is whether Randall expected this comic to turn his readers into the participants in the Biden experiment.

I find it hard to believe that he'd expect us to go so crazy. If you'd told me how much time I was capable of wasting on a 0.00056 fps animation, I'd have said you were being ridiculous.

[SBN]

[Well... the 25 minutes was approximated, so maybe 23, maybe 27. I dunno. I was on this diatribe first, reminding her what xkcd was, then was trying to explain that it was about two stick figures building a sand castle, and that there are hundreds (thousands?) of people watching the same thing, then trying to explain how this was somehow *cool.* At some point, I noticed the "elapsed time" on the call and it was at 15:XX. Then the rest of the call felt like another 5 to 10 minutes. Of course, when the battery died, I thought, "I have no idea how she puts up with me."

Here there are two of us watching, on our separate devices and time schedules, and a third not understanding, but putting up.

And I've lost the post to quote, but it is to me very reminiscent of the HP book-waiting, and as I was glad then to be experiencing it as it happened, so I am glad to be here experiencing this as it happens, and not some time later trying to recreate the experience artificially.

[Ayriannah]

That made me laugh (Edit: also, what the guy above said)
Got to stop reading the forums now... I'm getting very improductive

Um...I have a very gender-specific username. calling a girl a guy is just as offensive as calling a guy a girl. I'm not massively offended, just...a bit miffed.

(there was a whole discussion about this about a dozen pages back, about Aubron's gender)

Edit: stupid spellcheck...

[mojacardave]

This is much bigger than all of us now... For the love of god, people - the ad/marketing industry MUST NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE, or we are all DOOMED!!! Therefore, for humanity's sake - the first rule of "Time": You don't talk about "Time"... </sarcasm>

If this was a stealth advertising campaign, it would be one of the most effective stealth advertising campaigns ever!

[mojacardave]

That made me laugh (Edit: also, what the guy above said)
Got to stop reading the forums now... I'm getting very improductive

Um...I have a very gender-specific username. calling a girl a guy is just as offensive as calling a guy a girl. I'm not massively offended, just...a bit miffed.

(there was a hole discussion about this about a dozen pages back, about Aubron's gender)

To be fair, if we'd had a hole discussion with Aubron, it'd have been less ambiguous...

[chief1983]

This is much bigger than all of us now... For the love of god, people - the ad/marketing industry MUST NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE, or we are all DOOMED!!! Therefore, for humanity's sake - the first rule of "Time": You don't talk about "Time"... </sarcasm>

Registered just to be the bearer of some bad news.
It's too late. I work for an online marketing company, and well, there's quite a few of us watching this already...

[AussieJono]

This is much bigger than all of us now... For the love of god, people - the ad/marketing industry MUST NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE, or we are all DOOMED!!! Therefore, for humanity's sake - the first rule of "Time": You don't talk about "Time"... </sarcasm>

Can't post links yet, but check out #125 - I think this would be a very BHG way of marketing.

[riverssong]

Um...I have a very gender-specific username.

Never having heard the name Ayriannah before, could you enlighten me as to which gender it might be specific of?