One of my favourite web-comics, XKCD, has once again managed to capture a concept core to my psyche so poignantly that it aches.  You may find that it appeals to you too…and that if it does, your mouse hand may be aching soon too.  The title explains the process…I leave you to decide what it means.  Want to see what is in the big box?  Click here or on the image to go to the cartoon.

If you’re anything like me, you will soon be compulsively exploring the entire world.  I’m not going to tell you how far it goes, but be on the lookout for XKCD’s signature philosophical quips and quirks…

…and plenty of somewhat nerdy references (*tips hat to Carl Sagan*):

One of the glories of this incredible creation is the fact that you are forced to explore using the small window in little steps, as if you were travelling through the landscape yourself.  It’s also crucial to move slowly like this if you don’t want to miss anything small, or fail to notice that those rocks in that grass actually make the shape of a naked sleeping man, or a face; or that there are a pair of velociraptors in the long grass (it wouldn’t be XKCD if there weren’t raptors somewhere!).  However, the feeling that you want to find open vistas and be able to see more of the picture (and a healthy fear of missing something) begins to build.  Thankfully, within hours of the comic being published the international geek brain trust (those people who use the web for more than LOLcats, cathcing up on the Kardashians or Kate’s boobs or downloading episodes of 2.5 Men) had created a few useful ‘hacks’.  If you’d like a full-screen, zoomable version of Randal’s XKCD world, click here… but wait until you’ve explored a bit so as not to lose the magic.