[mmiyer]

https://xkcd.com/1217/

[thunderbong]

Mobile version

https://m.xkcd.com/1217/

[thih9]

Explained: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1217:_Cells

[bombcar]

[citation needed] that a handgun harms cells.

[dekhn]

nah, it's routine to use a "gene gun" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_gun

[Dylan16807]

Do you really think it needs explanation? Especially with the alt text pointing out the contrast between "kills" and "selectively kills"?

[sophacles]

There's an xkcd that adresses this better than i can.

https://xkcd.com/1053/

And in case it helps: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1053:_Ten_Thousan...

[Dylan16807]

That's about showing something to someone in the first place, not about [over]explaining the thing you just showed them.

If I was criticizing mmiyer's comment that xkcd might be appropriate, but that's not what I'm doing.

[sophacles]

It's the same thing. A brief explanation that assumes you know some term or have all the priors to deduce some meaning just creates a situation where we may have to apply the 10000 rule again. A thorough explanation on the other hand is more likely to help the reader be part of not only the 10k that get the commic today, but also the 10k that get some other fact (or several!) today.

Or to paraphrase the 10k alt text: saying "what idiot doesnt know the difference between kills and selectively kills" is so much more boring than telling them about it.