2010-12-11
Original: 2010-12-11 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Title: THE GRAPHVELLA: ANY STORY CAN BE TOLD IN 3 CHARTS OR FEWER
EXAMPLE 1: ZOMBIE MOVIE
Fig.1 (pie charts): Two pie charts labeled MARCH and APRIL. Legend: light = INFECTED POPULATION, dark = UNINFECTED POPULATION. In MARCH the population is almost entirely uninfected with a small infected slice; in APRIL the population is almost entirely infected.
Fig.2 (flowchart): Start node: ZOMBIES ARE EVERYWHERE. Decision: DO I GET A COOL GUN? -> YES -> YOU DID IT! Decision: NO -> AM I GENRE SAVVY? -> NO -> DEATH! -> YES -> HIDE IN A SMALL CONFINED SPACE WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.
Fig.3 (line graph): Y-axis: BIOMASS OF HUMAN BRAINS. X-axis: HUMAN HISTORY. The curve rises slowly then shoots up exponentially at the end.
EXAMPLE 2: ROMANTIC COMEDY
Fig.1 (bar charts): Top chart titled SKILLS POSSESSED BY THE MALE, with bars for INTELLIGENCE, SENSE OF HUMOR, BUSINESS NEGOTIATION. Bottom chart titled SKILLS POSSESSED BY THE FEMALE, with bars for INTELLIGENCE, SENSE OF HUMOR, BUSINESS NEGOTIATION.
Fig.2 (line graph): Y-axis: INTEGRITY OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP. X-axis: TIME. The line is high, then dips sharply down at a point labeled CONTRIVED MISCOMMUNICATION, then rises back up at a point labeled MAN HUMILIATES SELF IN SHOPPING-MALL/AIRPORT/WEDDING.
EXAMPLE 3: ZOMBIE ROMANTIC COMEDY
Fig.1 (line graph): Y-axis: INTEGRITY OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP. X-axis: TIME. The line dips at CONTRIVED MISCOMMUNICATION, then rises at MAN HUMILIATES SELF IN SHOPPING MALL AND CONSUMES SHOPPER (text partially cut off).
Votey: A Venn diagram with two overlapping circles, each labeled GRAPHS. The overlapping intersection reads: "IT'S 1 AM, AND I'M TOO TIRED TO WRITE A CLEVER VOTEY."
EXAMPLE 1: ZOMBIE MOVIE
Fig.1 (pie charts): Two pie charts labeled MARCH and APRIL. Legend: light = INFECTED POPULATION, dark = UNINFECTED POPULATION. In MARCH the population is almost entirely uninfected with a small infected slice; in APRIL the population is almost entirely infected.
Fig.2 (flowchart): Start node: ZOMBIES ARE EVERYWHERE. Decision: DO I GET A COOL GUN? -> YES -> YOU DID IT! Decision: NO -> AM I GENRE SAVVY? -> NO -> DEATH! -> YES -> HIDE IN A SMALL CONFINED SPACE WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.
Fig.3 (line graph): Y-axis: BIOMASS OF HUMAN BRAINS. X-axis: HUMAN HISTORY. The curve rises slowly then shoots up exponentially at the end.
EXAMPLE 2: ROMANTIC COMEDY
Fig.1 (bar charts): Top chart titled SKILLS POSSESSED BY THE MALE, with bars for INTELLIGENCE, SENSE OF HUMOR, BUSINESS NEGOTIATION. Bottom chart titled SKILLS POSSESSED BY THE FEMALE, with bars for INTELLIGENCE, SENSE OF HUMOR, BUSINESS NEGOTIATION.
Fig.2 (line graph): Y-axis: INTEGRITY OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP. X-axis: TIME. The line is high, then dips sharply down at a point labeled CONTRIVED MISCOMMUNICATION, then rises back up at a point labeled MAN HUMILIATES SELF IN SHOPPING-MALL/AIRPORT/WEDDING.
EXAMPLE 3: ZOMBIE ROMANTIC COMEDY
Fig.1 (line graph): Y-axis: INTEGRITY OF ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP. X-axis: TIME. The line dips at CONTRIVED MISCOMMUNICATION, then rises at MAN HUMILIATES SELF IN SHOPPING MALL AND CONSUMES SHOPPER (text partially cut off).
Votey: A Venn diagram with two overlapping circles, each labeled GRAPHS. The overlapping intersection reads: "IT'S 1 AM, AND I'M TOO TIRED TO WRITE A CLEVER VOTEY."
Alt text
An SMBC comic titled "The Graphvella: any story can be told in 3 charts or fewer," drawn as a series of hand-drawn charts. Example 1, Zombie Movie: two pie charts (March vs April) show the population flipping from mostly uninfected to mostly infected; a flowchart starts at "Zombies are everywhere" and branches through "Do I get a cool gun?" (yes = "You did it!") and "Am I genre savvy?" (no = "Death!", yes = "Hide in a small confined space with a group of people from different backgrounds"); a line graph of "Biomass of human brains" over "human history" spikes exponentially at the end. Example 2, Romantic Comedy: bar charts compare "Skills possessed by the male" and "Skills possessed by the female" across intelligence, sense of humor, and business negotiation; a line graph of "integrity of romantic relationship" over time dips at "contrived miscommunication" then recovers at "man humiliates self in shopping-mall/airport/wedding." Example 3, Zombie Romantic Comedy: the same relationship line graph, but the recovery point now reads "man humiliates self in shopping mall and consumes shopper." The votey is a Venn diagram of two overlapping circles both labeled "Graphs," with the overlap reading "It's 1 AM, and I'm too tired to write a clever votey."
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.