2010-11-23
Explanation
This comic begins with a grand, poetic vision of humanity's future. A narrator describes how humans will one day transfer their brains into machines, travel the stars like great whales through the ocean of space, and reach the edge of the universe where all is void and darkness. The imagery is sweeping and epic, with panels showing a human connected to machinery and enormous whale-like spaceships flying past Earth and through cosmic structures.
The narration builds to what seems like a profound philosophical statement: "But, no matter what you see or how long you live..." -- then delivers the punchline: "I still caught you having Harry Potter cybersex on November 22, 2010 at 10:04." The final panel shows an embarrassed man telling the whale-ship entity to "just leave already." The joke undercuts the grandiose vision of the future by pointing out that no matter how advanced or transcendent humanity becomes, your most embarrassing moments will follow you forever. It also plays on anxieties about digital permanence and the idea that an all-knowing AI or uploaded consciousness would have access to every humiliating thing you ever did online.