2012-10-13
Explanation
This comic plays on the mathematical concept of a Klein bottle to create a nerdy loophole joke about open container laws. A police officer has pulled over a driver and is presumably citing him for having an open container of alcohol in his car. The driver argues: "Nope. This is a non-orientable surface of bourbon. It has no clearly defined inner area." The officer responds flatly, "Step out of the car, sir." Below the panel, a scoreboard reads: "Research Day One: Klein Bottle: 0, Open Container Law: 1."
A Klein bottle is a mathematical surface that, like a Mobius strip, has no distinct "inside" or "outside" -- it is a non-orientable surface. Open container laws prohibit having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle. The driver'''s absurd legal defense is that if his bourbon is contained in a Klein bottle, it technically cannot be in an "open container" because a Klein bottle has no well-defined interior -- and therefore arguably no way to be "open" or "closed" in the conventional sense.
The humor lies in the collision between rigorous mathematical definitions and practical law enforcement. The cop is entirely unmoved by the topological argument. The scoreboard framing suggests this is an ongoing (and failing) research project to find mathematical loopholes in traffic law.
The votey panel escalates the absurdity further: the cop says "You hit three kids," and the driver corrects him with "Three toroids" -- continuing to redefine physical reality through mathematical jargon, this time calling children "toroids" (donut-shaped surfaces), which is both darkly funny and shows the character'''s complete detachment from the seriousness of the situation.