Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

fan

2022-02-20 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
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fan
Votey panel for fan
This explanation is incomplete or may contain errors. It was generated by AI and has not yet been reviewed by a human editor.

Explanation

The Joke

Two scientists excitedly announce they have created a "stable interdimensional portal" by folding our reality into itself. One asks, "We will become nothing short of interdimensional gods! Are you willing to release our creation into the world?" The other responds, "Yes, but only a little."

The panel labeled "Later" shows the result: their invention is being sold as a "Fanless Fan" that produces "gentle breezes" — described as "stable, but only a little interdimensional." Next to it sits a regular "Fanl" (fan) for comparison. The fine print notes the product is "non-contact."

The Humor

The comic satirizes how revolutionary scientific breakthroughs get commercialized into utterly mundane consumer products. These scientists have achieved something extraordinary — a stable interdimensional portal — but the cautious "only a little" approach to releasing it means it ends up as a slightly novel desk fan. The gap between "interdimensional gods" and "gentle breezes" is the core joke.

This also parodies real products like Dyson's bladeless fans, which were marketed with similarly grandiose technological language for what is ultimately just a fan. The comic suggests that even genuinely universe-altering technology would, in a consumer economy, be reduced to a marginally improved version of an existing product.

Votey

The red-button panel typically adds an additional punchline that extends or undercuts the comic's premise.

View History (1) Original Comic