pu
Explanation
The Joke
The comic presents a fake product advertisement for the "PuCube," a tea-heating cube made from 15 cubic centimeters of "equitably-sourced" Plutonium-238. The joke is that someone has taken the mundane desire for a hot cup of tea and solved it with a wildly dangerous and impractical radioactive isotope. The product's "features" are all thinly veiled descriptions of the horrifying consequences of possessing a chunk of plutonium: your tea stays hot for "2+ generations" (because Pu-238 has an 87.7-year half-life), it "emits a charming glow" (Cherenkov radiation / radioactive decay), it "fits in your pocket" (giving you cancer), there's "almost certainly no life in the tea" (because radiation sterilizes everything), and you'll "meet your local FBI agent" (because possessing weapons-grade nuclear material is extremely illegal).
The warning label at the bottom reinforces the absurdity: "Do not swallow PuCube," "Please make financial arrangements for $400,000 cost," and "PuCube may be heavier than it appears" (plutonium is extraordinarily dense at about 19.8 g/cm cubed). The repeated instruction not to swallow it suggests this has been a problem.
The Humor
The humor operates on the classic SMBC formula of applying rigorous literal problem-solving to an everyday inconvenience in the most catastrophically over-engineered way possible. Every bullet point reads like genuine ad copy but describes a nightmare scenario. The "equitably-sourced" plutonium is a particular standout, applying trendy ethical-sourcing language to nuclear material. The comic also plays on April Fools' Day timing (published April 2, 2020) with its absurd fake product format.
References
- Plutonium-238 is a real radioactive isotope used in radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) to power spacecraft like the Voyager probes and Mars rovers. It genuinely does produce significant heat through radioactive decay.
- The $400,000 price tag is roughly in line with real-world costs of producing Pu-238, which NASA has struggled to procure in sufficient quantities.