Advertising
by Jeff
Image text: I remember the exact moment in my childhood when I realized, while reading a flyer, that nobody would ever spend money solely to tell me they wanted to give me something for nothing. It's a much more vivid memory than the (related) parental Santa talk.
In the first frame, as the comic says, "Up to 15% or more" is a totally meaningless statement because it covers any percentage. Which is why it is used all the time in advertising. The second frame is explained in the frame itself, but the point is that things are given away free so that you will pay money for other things. In the third frame, I have never succeeded in getting the Shop and Save jingle out of my head: "The more you shop, the more you save, everyday at Shop and Save".
Something that interests only me: usually the title of the comic and the picture are called the same thing, but today the page is called "Advertising" and the image is called "Mathematically Annoying".
Anxiety
by Jeff
Image text: Don't need any thanks. I have a backscattering fetish.
This comic is of a security line in an airport, which I got all too familiar with during my recent trip. However, this is not the airport security line you are traditionally familiar with because everyone is waiting for one of the new Backscatter x-ray machines (which is what it says in tiny print on the scanner in the comic). These machines do more than merely beep when enough of a metal object pass through them. They take "pictures" of the person inside them to see if they have any prohibited material on their person.
That is all well and good, however the x-ray machines ignore clothes and produce an outline of the person's nude body for the security personnel to analyze. Because this outline bares a lot for the picture, some men would find it beneficial to take some Viagra to increase the bulk of the area around their crotchal regions. I'm quite sure "crotchal" is not a word, but I like to use it anyway. If you are not sure what I mean, you either haven't seen a single commercial for Viagra, Cialis or any variant drugs. If you still do not understand, come back when you are older.
The image text is what the last person in line says to the Black Hat character when he sees the Viagra for sale sign. He does not need the Viagra to achieve tumescence to impress the security personnel and increase his own self confidence because he is aroused by the backscattering itself.
Backscattering is the the reflection of waves, particles or signals back to where they came from.
The security person in this comic is thinking "Oh God". There is several possible reasons for this. 1 - He could be seeing the image in the screen of the Viagra-enhanced outline of the man in the scanner. 2 - He could have noticed the Black Hat selling Viagra, check the long line of men and then back at the image and think about how long his 8 hour shift seems now.
However, for comedic effect, the comic is different than in reality because in actual airports, the person analyzing the image is in a completely separate room and cannot see the actual people going through the line. The people attending to the line only look at an LCD screen and wait for the technicians in the other room to declare the person clean.
All in all, it is a very disarming situation as they make you hold your hands over or behind your head for the scan.
Free
by Jeff
Image text: Asbestos is bad; definitely get the one on the right. Wait -- this one over here has no swine flu! Now I can't decide.
Explain XKCD is now 100% fat free!
This comic is a joke on how every food is attached with a label that says what it doesn't have (even and especially if there was no chance the food contained that type of item anyway).
One such offender is the label "99% fat free" on sugar products. Diet Blog has this to say:
99% fat free has to be one of the most idiotic labels known to mankind - particularly when applied to a carbohydrate food. Just this morning I was reading a "healthy food guide" I picked up from the supermarket. It turned out to be an advertising feature. One product featured was jasmine rice - claiming that it was "99% fat free".
The fat-free labels prey on a basic fear of fat. In the consumers mind, it must be a better choice if it has no fat in it. Manufacturers have been applying the fat free label to candies - many of which are nothing but straight sugar.
Superlative
by Jeff
Image meta text: "Stay while I recount the crazy TF2 kill I managed yesterday, my friends."
Superlative is a comic that references the Dos Equis beer commercial which describes the "Most Interesting Man in the World." (youtube link)
The character in the comic is going through some of the most boring things in the world: recounting dreams to others, not speaking another language (the character in the commercial has been known to "Speak French in Russian"), making a blog with no content (first post!) and apparently drinking two beers and feeling sick.
The meta text is a reference to the Dos Equis tag line of: "Stay thirsty my friends." TF2 is Team Fortress 2, a video game available on consoles and for PC.