2010-10-20
Explanation
This single-panel comic presents a "Horrible Truth" in the style of SMBC's recurring informational banners: "All technological progress is due to humanity's unearned sense of entitlement." Below the banner, a man stands outside at night, pointing angrily at the sky while holding a phone, shouting: "Dammit, GPS! How long does it take to talk to space?! It's right there."
The joke captures the absurdity of modern technological entitlement. GPS works by communicating with satellites orbiting approximately 12,500 miles above the Earth, performing incredibly complex triangulation calculations at near light speed -- yet the man is furious that it takes even a moment, as if the satellite should be able to respond instantly just because he can see the sky. The comic satirizes how quickly humans adapt to miraculous technology and begin treating it as an inconvenience rather than a marvel.
The votey panel adds the punchline: "Well... that and video games and porn," suggesting that in addition to entitlement, the other major drivers of technological progress have been the desire for better entertainment and pornography. This is a common joke in tech circles that contains a kernel of truth -- many advances in streaming, graphics processing, and internet infrastructure were indeed driven by demand for gaming and adult content. Together, the main comic and votey paint a darkly funny picture of the real motivations behind human innovation.