this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2026
615 points (99.7% liked)

xkcd

16571 readers
114 users here now

A community for a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

xkcd #3253: Sunbeam

Title text:

While weather control is typically thought of as a superpower, the unconscious ability of astronomers and astrophotographers to summon clouds is more properly classified as a curse.

Transcript:

Transcript will show once it’s been added to explainxkcd.com

Source: https://xkcd.com/3253/

explainxkcd for #3253

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] officermike@lemmy.world 101 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

Same theme, but less knowledge flex and more power flex:

I was once on a US military ship, having breakfast in the wardroom (officers lounge) when the Operations Officer (OPS) walks in. This guy was the definition of NOT a morning person; he's still half asleep, bleary eyed... basically a zombie with a bagel. He sits down across from me to eat his bagel and is just barely conscious. My back is to the outboard side of the ship, and the morning sun is blazing in one of the portholes putting a big bright-ass circle of light right on his barely conscious face. He's squinting and chewing and basically just remembering how to be alive for today. It's painful to watch. But then zombie-OPS stops chewing, slowly picks up the phone, and dials the bridge. In his well-known I'm-still-totally-asleep voice, he says "heeeey. It's OPS. Could you... shift our barpat... yeah, one six five. Thanks." And puts the phone down. And then he just sits there. Squinting. Waiting. And then, ever so slowly, I realize that that big blazing spot of sun has begun to slide off the zombie's face and onto the wall behind him. After a moment it clears his face and he blinks slowly a few times and the brilliant beauty of what I've just witnessed begins to overwhelm me. By ordering the bridge to adjust the ship's back-and-forth patrol by about 15 degrees, he's changed our course just enough to reposition the sun off of his face. He's literally just redirected thousands of tons of steel and hundreds of people so that he could get the sun out of his eyes while he eats his bagel. I am in awe. He slowly picks up his bagel and for a moment I'm terrified at the thought that his own genius may escape him, that he may never appreciate the epic brilliance of his laziness (since he's not going to wake up for another hour). But between his next bites he pauses, looks at me, and gives me the faintest, sly grin, before returning to gnaw slowly on his zombie bagel.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1rgpdf/comment/cdnafqe/

[–] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 12 points 5 days ago (6 children)

Why didn't he just move seats tho?

[–] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 34 points 5 days ago

Because that's a less interesting story

[–] teslekova@sh.itjust.works 28 points 5 days ago

Too fucking tired. Bugger that. Just move the sun.

[–] rockSlayer@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 points 5 days ago

Why move when you can command thousands of tons of steel and hundreds of people to move for you?

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 6 points 4 days ago

Because the military attracts people who get off on asserting power over others.

[–] Cawifre@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

It might just be two seats with a small table between them. Maybe some other seating without tables. I don't know how many officers are on one ship or what size lounge fits how many on staggered shifts.

[–] homes@piefed.world 3 points 5 days ago

Because there’s also a table.

Just moved to the next table. That’s what we did.

[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago

Thanks for sharing, meant to find this again