3251: Time Machine Conversation
Cueball travels back to the Iron Age and converses with Hairbun, an ancient farmer. He is surprised to discover that she is unaware of the compass, a tool not invented until after her time. Cueball worries that his explanations could create a paradox or spoil future discoveries for her.
- ▪Cueball uses a time machine to visit the Iron Age and meets Hairbun, a farmer.
- ▪He finds that Hairbun does not know about the compass, which was invented after the Iron Age.
- ▪Cueball is concerned that explaining the compass could disrupt history or spoil future discoveries.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Time Machine Conversation|<< Prev#3251 (May 27, 2026)Next >>|Title text: It's possible to do sea navigation without a compass, but you'll have to get some spoilers from the Polynesians.|<< PrevRandom ExplanationNext >>| Explanation[edit] This is one of 44 incomplete explanations:Spoiler alert! This page was created in the past.[citation needed] Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! Cueball has used a time machine to travel to the Iron Age and has a conversation with an ancient-times version of Hairbun (who seems to be a farmer, since she's holding a pretty modern-looking hoe and seems to be particularly knowledgable of the 'latest' plow developments).
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Explain xkcd.