https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.233.253.211&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T14:06:28ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1189:_Voyager_1&diff=308831189: Voyager 12013-03-24T19:41:44Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1189<br />
| date = March 22, 2013<br />
| title = Voyager 1<br />
| image = voyager_1.png<br />
| titletext = So far Voyager 1 has 'left the Solar System' by passing through the termination shock three times, the heliopause twice, and once each through the heliosheath, heliosphere, heliodrome, auroral discontinuity, Heaviside layer, trans-Neptunian panic zone, magnetogap, US Census Bureau Solar System statistical boundary, Kuiper gauntlet, Oort void, and crystal sphere holding the fixed stars.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
''{{w|Voyager 1}}'' is a U.S. space probe launched in 1977 to study the outer reaches of the Solar System and beyond. Popular press has on several occasions announced that it “has left the solar system” at each point when a boundary has been confirmed or a major event has taken place. This underscores the fact that there is no strictly defined and recognizable boundary of the solar system, or at least we haven't found one yet.<br />
<br />
The alt-text lists several such possible boundaries, together with fictive humorous ones:<br />
<br />
*The {{w|termination shock}} – the point in the heliosphere where the solar wind slows down to subsonic speed (relative to the star) because of interactions with the local interstellar medium.<br />
*The {{w|heliopause}} – the theoretical boundary where the Sun’s solar wind is stopped by the interstellar medium.<br />
*The {{w|heliosphere}} – a region of space dominated by Earth’s Sun, a sort of bubble of charged particles in the space surrounding the Solar System.<br />
*The {{w|heliosheath}} – the region of the heliosphere beyond the termination shock.<br />
*Heliodrome – yet another composition of ''helios'' "sun," here together with ''dromos'' "course". There is no astronomical object with this name, but it has been used variously in other contexts. One that became famous is a sports hall which was used as a concentration camp in the Bosnian war, see {{w|Heliodrom camp}}.<br />
*Auroral discontinuity - another fictitious astronomic object, for ''auroral'' see {{w|Aurora (astronomy)}}.<br />
*{{w|Heaviside layer}} – a layer of ionized gas occurring between roughly 90–150 km (56–93 mi) above the ground in the Earth's atmosphere. Popularly recognized for its use as a reference to Heaven in the writings of {{w|T. S. Eliot}} adapted into {{w|Andrew Lloyd Webber}}'s musical ''{{w|Cats (musical)|Cats}}''.<br />
*Trans-Neptunian panic zone – this fictional zone combines the word from two subject: “Trans–Neptunian” is used in astronomy to describe stuff that occurs beyond the planet Neptune. In {{w|Outdoor education}} the “panic zone” is the opposite of the {{w|comfort zone}} when trying to learn new stuff.<br />
*{{w|Ignition magneto|Magnetogap}} – part of an {{w|ignition system}}.<br />
*US Census Bureau Solar System statistical boundary – a fictive boundary defined by the {{w|United States Census Bureau}}, similarly to how it defines {{w|Census tract|census areas}} for the purpose of processing statistical data about regions in the United States.<br />
*Kuiper gauntlet – this is a play on the {{w|Kuiper belt}}, which is region of the Solar System beyond the planets, extending from the orbit of Neptune (at 30 AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun, notable for being full of asteroids; replacing the word “belt” with “{{w|gauntlet (glove)}}” (often spelled 'gantlet') which is a protective glove as well as “{{w|gauntlet (punishment)}}” which is a medieval punishment where one would be forced to run through two lines of men who would hit the punishee.<br />
*Oort void – refers to the {{w|Oort cloud}}, a gigantic “cloud” of materials (mainly composed of ice) which ends around a light-year from The Sun and is deemed the (current) “edge” of the solar system.<br />
*Crystal sphere holding the fixed stars – this refers to historical ideas about the universe, particularly the {{w|Ptolemaic system}}, in which the stars were supposed to be fixed on a {{w|Celestial spheres|large crystal sphere}} around the Earth. It might also be referencing "{{w|The Crystal Spheres}}", a short story by David Brin, in which humanity's first interstellar ship shatters a previously undetected, protective barrier around the solar system. It may also be a reference to the Dungeons and Dragons setting "{{w|Spelljammer}}".<br />
<br />
See also [http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/03/voyager-probes-key-transition-remains-mysterious/ Voyager over the “heliocliff,” but Solar System transition mysterious] article on Arstechnica.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Number of times ''Voyager 1'' has left the Solar System<br />
:[22 tally marks.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=519:_11th_Grade&diff=29827519: 11th Grade2013-03-05T17:09:54Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 519<br />
| date = December 19, 2008<br />
| title = 11th Grade<br />
| image = 11th_grade.png<br />
| titletext = And the ten minutes striking up a conversation with that strange kid in homeroom sometimes matters more than every other part of high school combined.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
Idly messing around in {{w|Perl}} (a programming language) was a lot more helpful to Randall's career than his high school education.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Bar graph title: Usefulness to career success.]<br />
:900 hours of classes [small bar.]<br />
:400 hours of homework [small bar.]<br />
:One weekend messing with Perl [huge bar.]<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Perl]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=989:_Cryogenics&diff=26967989: Cryogenics2013-02-02T22:48:17Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */ clarified the not-Terry comment</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 989<br />
| date = December 12, 2011<br />
| title = Cryogenics<br />
| image = cryogenics.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = 'Welcome to the future! Nothing's changed.' was the slogan of my astonishingly short-lived tech startup.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, [[Megan]], disappointed with the pace of technology's improvement (and who isn't, we all thought by this point we would have flying cars and the {{w|Hoverboard|flying skateboard}} like in {{w|Back to the Future 2}} or a hyper technological future like in {{w|Blade Runner}}) decides to cryogenically freeze herself as soon as cryogenics are invented. Cryogenic freezing is the ability to freeze oneself, so that one does not age and doesn't experience the passage of time. It is common in fiction as a useful technology for long space flights or other necessary preservation.<br />
<br />
However, to Megan's chagrin, when she wakes up, she is told that all the other scientists and engineers that were fascinated about the future have also frozen themselves, so nothing has been invented while she was frozen. Everyone decides to try again, hoping the situation 30 years later will be different. However, if everyone does the same thing again, the situation will repeat itself and nothing will have changed.<br />
<br />
Don't freeze yourself, engineers and scientists! We need your help!<br />
<br />
In the official transcript, the person greeting Megan is called "someone who isn't Terry," referring to a [http://theinfosphere.org/Terry Futurama character] who does the same thing.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[Two people, one of which is staring at a smartphone]<br />
<br />
Person 1: Everyone's carrying sensor-packed, always-connected computers everywhere. That wasn't true ten years ago.<br />
<br />
White Hat Guy: It's all changing too fast, huh?<br />
<br />
Person 1: No, too *slowly*.<br />
<br />
Person 1: There's so much potential here. These clumsy, poorly-designed toys are *nothing* compared to what lies ahead.<br />
<br />
[Person 1 climbs into a cryogenic chamber]<br />
<br />
Person 1: That's why I've worked to develop cryogenic freezing. I'm gonna skip forward 30 years and use this stuff when it's *good*.<br />
<br />
30 years later..<br />
<br />
Someone who isn't Terry: Welcome to the future! Nothing's changed.<br />
<br />
Person 1: What? Why??<br />
<br />
[rows of other people waking up out of their own cryogenic chambers]<br />
<br />
not Terry: When cryogenic freezing was invented, all the engineers who were excited about the future froze themselves. So there's been no one building anything new.<br />
<br />
not Terry: But they're all waking up now!<br />
<br />
Person 1: Sweet! I'm gonna jump forward to see what they do!<br />
<br />
Engineer 1: Me too!<br />
<br />
Engineer 2: Wait, uh, guys?<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1167:_Star_Trek_into_Darkness&diff=266231167: Star Trek into Darkness2013-01-30T07:11:49Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1167<br />
| date = January 29, 2013<br />
| title = Star Trek into Darkness<br />
| image = star_trek_into_darkness.png<br />
| titletext = Of course, factions immediately sprang up in favor of '~*~sTaR tReK iNtO dArKnEsS~*~', 'xX_StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNess_Xx', and 'Star Trek lnto Darkness' (that's a lowercase 'L').<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
The talk page of a Wikipedia article is used to discuss changes to the article. Here, Randall is referring to a {{w|Talk:Star Trek into Darkness#Requested move|talk page discussion}} on the Wikipedia article about ''{{w|Star Trek Into Darkness}}'' (an upcoming Star Trek film)...about whether to capitalize the word "into." Wikipedia is {{w|WP:LAME|no stranger}} to lengthy battles over such trivial topics.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Cueball staring at computer screen.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh, wow. Look at Wikipedia's Talk page for Star Trek into Darkness. I have a new favorite edit war.<br />
:Megan (off-panel): Oh?<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Forty ''thousand'' words of debate over whether to capitalize "into" in the movie's title. Still no consensus.<br />
:Megan: That's ''magnificent''.<br />
:Cueball: It's breathtaking.<br />
:Megan: They should have sent a poet.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Well I'm making an executive decision. I hope both sides accept this as a fair compromise.<br />
<br />
:[A wikipedia page titled "~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~"]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Wikipedia]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1167&diff=2661711672013-01-30T07:04:30Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1167<br />
| date = January 30, 2013<br />
| title = Star Trek into Darkness<br />
| image = star_trek_into_darkness.png<br />
| titletext = Of course, factions immediately sprang up in favor of '~*~sTaR tReK iNtO dArKnEsS~*~', 'xX_StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNess_Xx', and 'Star Trek lnto Darkness' (that's a lowercase 'L').<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Cueball staring at computer screen.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''wow''.<br />
:Cueball: Look at Wikipedia's talk page for ''Star Trek Into Darkness''.<br />
:Cueball: I have a new favorite edit war.<br />
:Megan (off-panel): Oh?<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Forty ''thousand'' words of debate over whether to capitalize "into" in the movie's title. Still no consensus.<br />
:Megan: That's ''magnificent''.<br />
:Cueball: It's breathtaking.<br />
:Megan: They should have sent a poet.<br />
<br />
:[Closeup of Cueball typing.]<br />
:Cueball: Well, I'm making an executive decision.<br />
:Cueball: I hope both sides accept this as a fair compromise.<br />
<br />
:[Wikipedia page titled "~*~StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs~*~".]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1167&diff=2661611672013-01-30T07:04:09Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1167<br />
| date = January 30, 2013<br />
| title = Star Trek into Darkness<br />
| image = star_trek_into_darkness.png<br />
| titletext = Of course, factions immediately sprang up in favor of '~*~sTaR tReK iNtO dArKnEsS~*~', 'xX_StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNess_Xx', and 'Star Trek lnto Darkness' (that's a lowercase 'L').<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Cueball staring at computer screen.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''wow''.<br />
:Cueball: Look at Wikipedia's talk page for ''Star Trek Into Darkness''.<br />
:Cueball: I have a new favorite edit war.<br />
:Megan (off-panel): Oh?<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Forty ''thousand'' words of debate over whether to capitalize "into" in the movie's title. Still no consensus.<br />
:Megan: That's ''magnificent''.<br />
:Cueball: It's breathtaking.<br />
:Megan: They should have sent a poet.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Well, I'm making an executive decision.<br />
:Cueball: I hope both sides accept this as a fair compromise.<br />
<br />
:[Wikipedia page titled "~*~StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs~*~".]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1034:_Share_Buttons&diff=265131034: Share Buttons2013-01-29T00:51:03Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1034<br />
| date = March 26, 2012<br />
| title = Share Buttons<br />
| image = share_buttons.png<br />
| titletext = The only post to achieve perfect balance between the four was a hilarious joke about Mark Zuckerberg getting caught using a pseudonym to sneak past the TSA.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is a commentary on what sort of articles work best on different {{w|social networking services}}. From left to right the share buttons are: {{w|Facebook}}, {{w|Twitter}}, {{w|Reddit}}, and {{w|Google plus|Google+}}.<br />
<br />
* Twitterers are often stereotyped as constantly trying to be funny; hence, the article on stand-up comedy is shared most on Twitter.<br />
<br />
* {{w|Conspiracy theory}} articles play well on Reddit, especially if they are against the {{w|Christian Right}} and for {{w|Wikipedia}}; as there is a loud and large atheist community there.<br />
<br />
* "Boycott Facebook" articles are ironically popular on Facebook. Google+, being semantically akin to Facebook, also has a significant anti-Facebook community. One of the punchlines is that Google+ is struggling and not used much.<br />
<br />
* The last article gets almost no shares at all &mdash; not many want to admit they are reading an article about a {{w|RealDoll}}, a type of sex doll. (Also mentioned in [[Game AIs]] and [[Flying Cars]].) The only sharers are from Google+, the exact meaning of which is unclear. Could it be that [http://scepticemia.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/meanwhile-google-plus-640.jpg the few people at Google+] easily can feel quite lonely there, or that they feel that they can share anything, since no one will see it anyway?<br />
<br />
The title text humorously combines appealing subjects for all four networks:<br />
<br />
* ''a hilarious joke'' – Twitter, same as above.<br />
* ''about {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}'' – founder of Facebook.<br />
* ''using a {{w|pseudonym}}'' – referencing a [http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218649/Google_works_to_soothe_users_over_real_name_controversyremember controversy] about real names on Google+.<br />
* ''to sneak past the {{w|Transportation Security Administration|TSA}}'' – Reddit, a conspiracy theory as above.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A series of article titles with four share buttons underneath each: Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Google+]<br />
<br />
:Breaking Into Stand-up Comedy<br />
:FB: 3, Twitter: 1,781, Reddit: 2, G+: 0<br />
<br />
:How the Christian Right Threatens Wikipedia<br />
:FB: 1, Twitter: 0, Reddit: 2,241, G+: 3<br />
<br />
:Boycott Facebook Today!<br />
:FB: 248k, Twitter: 0, Reddit: 0, G+: 74<br />
<br />
:DIY: Installing a Custom ROM on a Realdoll<br />
:FB: 0, Twitter: 0, Reddit: 0, G+: 2<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Social networking]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1166:_Argument&diff=26510Talk:1166: Argument2013-01-29T00:35:30Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>Anyone know if there really is a thread for this? I Googled the title as shown in quotes and it didn't give me any results. Without quotes gave me the xkcd forums as well as some Creationist stuff. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 07:39, 28 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
-- Haha! I did exactly the same, but in the hour and a half since you searched, some enterprising soul has created what appears to be a tribute thread at [http://freeenergyforum.com/discussion/187/your-all-crackpots-who-dont-understand-thermodynamics/]. [[User:PabloVergos|PabloVergos]] ([[User talk:PabloVergos|talk]]) 08:57, 28 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Also, 0.999... ≠ 1 and the government covered it up. [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 00:35, 29 January 2013 (UTC)</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1166:_Argument&diff=263521166: Argument2013-01-28T07:15:01Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */ uneducated placeholder explanation</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1166<br />
| date = January 28, 2013<br />
| title = Argument<br />
| image = argument.png<br />
| titletext = The misguided search for a perpetual motion machine has run substantially longer than any attempted perpetual motion machine.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
A {{w|perpetual motion machine}} is a hypothetical device that can keep on moving infinitely with no external forces helping it, thus providing an unlimited source of energy. The existence of such an object would contradict the theory of thermodynamics, so perpetual motion machines are known to be impossible.<br />
<br />
A conspiracy theory called {{w|free energy suppression}} asserts that it really is possible to get infinite energy and special interest groups have worked to hide it. In the comic, Randall says that he posted to a forum dedicated to the idea back in 2004, and the thread is still active &mdash; it kept on going forever, just like a perpetual motion machine.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A page from a very long thread on "Free Energy Forum."]<br />
:'''Thread:''' You're all crackpots who don't understand thermodynamics.<br />
:Page 547 of 547<br />
:Poster 1: No, idiot, only the ''north'' end of a magnet increases entropy. The south end decreases it.<br />
:Poster 2: I wiki'd this "First Law" and I don't see the issue. My device isn't a robot and doesn't harm humans.<br />
:Poster 3: What if we trick the government into only suppressing he ''left'' side of the flywheel?<br />
:Caption: Ironically, the argument I started on a perpetual motion forum in 2004 shows no signs of slowing down.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1166:_Argument&diff=263501166: Argument2013-01-28T06:58:52Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1166<br />
| date = January 28, 2013<br />
| title = Argument<br />
| image = argument.png<br />
| titletext = The misguided search for a perpetual motion machine has run substantially longer than any attempted perpetual motion machine.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A page from a very long thread on "Free Energy Forum."]<br />
:'''Thread:''' You're all crackpots who don't understand thermodynamics.<br />
:Page 547 of 547<br />
:Poster 1: No, idiot, only the ''north'' end of a magnet increases entropy. The south end decreases it.<br />
:Poster 2: I wiki'd this "First Law" and I don't see the issue. My device isn't a robot and doesn't harm humans.<br />
:Poster 3: What if we trick the government into only suppressing he ''left'' side of the flywheel?<br />
:Caption: Ironically, the argument I started on a perpetual motion forum in 2004 shows no signs of slowing down.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=962:_The_Corliss_Resolution&diff=26349962: The Corliss Resolution2013-01-28T06:43:46Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */ partial rewrite</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 962<br />
| date = October 10, 2011<br />
| title = The Corliss Resolution<br />
| image = the_corliss_resolution.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = And no avian society ever develops space travel because it's impossible to focus on calculus when you could be outside flying.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
{{w|Jeb Corliss}} is a professional BASE jumper and wingsuit flyer, like in the fourth panel. Corliss has jumped from a lot of different buildings and monuments in the world. Hence, the Corliss Resolution.<br />
<br />
The {{w|Fermi paradox}} is an astronomical problem that states: "The universe is large enough that many planets should have extraterrestrial intelligent life. Why, then, haven't we detected any signs of it?" The paradox has numerous hypothetical solutions &mdash; some say that life is much rarer than we think, and others suggest that civilizations will eventually destroy themselves (as mentioned in the comic).<br />
<br />
Randall proposes another solution to the Fermi paradox: before they can develop space travel and the like, civilizations will inevitably invent an "activity more fun than survival." That is, something fun that's also very dangerous, such as flying off a cliff in a wingsuit.<br />
<br />
As said in the title text, a being that can already fly (hence "avian society") would probably prefer flying around outside over developing the tools needed for space colonization.<br />
<br />
See [[384: The Drake Equation]] for another comic about intelligent life in the universe.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:{{w|Fermi paradox|The Fermi Paradox}}: Planets are so common that life should be too. So where is it?<br />
:[A person with an unusual suit runs.]<br />
<br />
<br />
:Well, now we know. It's not that life inevitably destroys itself with war.<br />
:[The person keeps running.]<br />
<br />
<br />
:It's just that it takes longer to develop space colonization.<br />
:[The person leaps off a cliff]<br />
:Than it does to invent an activity..<br />
<br />
<br />
:..more fun than survival.<br />
:[Youtube video of the person, with the suit opening up into a wingsuit. As this is youtube, the comments have not been shown. Two people are watching the video offpanel.]<br />
:Person 1: Holy crap.<br />
:Person 2: I don't care how dangerous it is. I have to try it.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Wingsuit]]<br />
[[Category:Youtube]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1162:_Log_Scale&diff=257851162: Log Scale2013-01-19T18:48:06Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1162<br />
| date = January 18, 2013<br />
| title = Log Scale<br />
| image = log scale.png<br />
| titletext = Knuth Paper-Stack Notation: Write down the number on pages. Stack them. If the stack is too tall to fit in the room, write down the number of pages it would take to write down the number. THAT number won't fit in the room? Repeat. When a stack fits, write the number of iterations on a card. Pin it to the stack.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A {{w|Logarithmic scale|log scale}} is a way of showing largely unequal data sizes in a comprehensible way, using an exponential function between each notch on the y axis of a graph. So for example the first on a Y axis of an graph using a log-10-scale would be 1, then 10, then 100 and 1000 for the fourth. A {{w|logarithm|log/logarithmic function}} is the {{w|inverse function|inverse}} of a corresponding {{w|Exponential growth|exponential function}}.<br />
<br />
The log scale can also be abused to make data look more uniform than it really is, so on a log scale sugar and other materials would look largely equal energy density when they clearly are not. Hence, the sparse use of log scales recommended in the caption. See {{w|Logarithmic_scale#Example_scales|these examples}} for well known day-to-day measurements which are measured on a log-scale.<br />
<br />
Using paper thickness as the basis for a log scale would give the exponential function a very large base.<br />
<br />
The title text mentions computer scientist {{w|Donald Knuth}}; the fictional notation may be a parody of {{w|Knuth's up-arrow notation}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
[A bar chart showing fuel energy density of different materials in megajoules/kg.]<br />
<br />
Sugar: 19, Coal: 24, Fat: 39, Gasoline: 46, Uranium 76,000,000<br />
<br />
[The uranium bar on the chart goes off the page onto a huge strip of paper folded up into a tall stack, with Cueball shown for scale.]<br />
<br />
Science Tip: Log scales are for quitters who can't find enough paper to make their point *properly*.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1162:_Log_Scale&diff=256821162: Log Scale2013-01-18T07:29:15Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1162<br />
| date = January 18, 2013<br />
| title = Log Scale<br />
| image = log scale.png<br />
| titletext = Knuth Paper-Stack Notation: Write down the number on pages. Stack them. If the stack is too tall to fit in the room, write down the number of pages it would take to write down the number. THAT number won't fit in the room? Repeat. When a stack fits, write the number of iterations on a card. Pin it to the stack.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
A log scale is a way of showing largely unequal data sizes in a comprehensible way, using an exponential function between each notch on the y axis of a graph. So for example the first on a Y axis of an graph using a log-10-scale would be 1, then 10, then 100 and 1000 for the forth. The log (or logarithmic) function is the inverse of the exponential function, where as the name comes.<br />
<br />
The log scale can also be abused to make data looks a lot more equal than it really is, so on a log scale sugar and other materials would look largely equal in amount of energy, where they clearly are not -- hence the presenter should be critical as to when such a scale should be used or not -- with the alt-text suggesting an very restrictive rule-of-thumb where you would almost never use a log scale.<br />
<br />
Using paper thickness of basis for a log scale would make the exponential function having a very large base.<br />
<br />
The title text mentions computer scientist {{w|Donald Knuth}}; the fictional notation may be a parody of {{w|Knuth's up-arrow notation}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1162:_Log_Scale&diff=256811162: Log Scale2013-01-18T07:28:36Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1162<br />
| date = January 18, 2013<br />
| title = Log Scale<br />
| image = log scale.png<br />
| titletext = Knuth Paper-Stack Notation: Write down the number on pages. Stack them. If the stack is too tall to fit in the room, write down the number of pages it would take to write down the number. THAT number won't fit in the room? Repeat. When a stack fits, write the number of iterations on a card. Pin it to the stack.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
A log scale is a way of showing largely unequal data sizes in a comprehensible way, using an exponential function between each notch on the y axis of a graph. So for example the first on a Y axis of an graph using a log-10-scale would be 1, then 10, then 100 and 1000 for the forth. The log (or logarithmic) function is the inverse of the exponential function, where as the name comes.<br />
<br />
The log scale can also be abused to make data looks a lot more equal than it really is, so on a log scale sugar and other materials would look largely equal in amount of energy, where they clearly are not -- hence the presenter should be critical as to when such a scale should be used or not -- with the alt-text suggesting an very restrictive rule-of-thumb where you would almost never use a log scale.<br />
<br />
Using paper thickness of basis for a log scale would make the exponential function having a very large base.<br />
<br />
The title text mentions computer scientist {{w|Donald Knuth}}, subtly parodying {{w|Knuth arrow notation}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1162:_Log_Scale&diff=256801162: Log Scale2013-01-18T07:28:08Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1162<br />
| date = January 18, 2013<br />
| title = Log Scale<br />
| image = log scale.png<br />
| titletext = Knuth Paper-Stack Notation: Write down the number on pages. Stack them. If the stack is too tall to fit in the room, write down the number of pages it would take to write down the number. THAT number won't fit in the room? Repeat. When a stack fits, write the number of iterations on a card. Pin it to the stack.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
A log scale is a way of showing largely unequal data sizes in a comprehensible way, using an exponential function between each notch on the y axis of a graph. So for example the first on a Y axis of an graph using a log-10-scale would be 1, then 10, then 100 and 1000 for the forth. The log (or logarithmic) function is the inverse of the exponential function, where as the name comes.<br />
<br />
The log scale can also be abused to make data looks a lot more equal than it really is, so on a log scale sugar and other materials would look largely equal in amount of energy, where they clearly are not -- hence the presenter should be critical as to when such a scale should be used or not -- with the alt-text suggesting an very restrictive rule-of-thumb where you would almost never use a log scale.<br />
<br />
Using paper thickness of basis for a log scale would make the exponential function having a very large base.<br />
<br />
The title text mentions computer scientist {{w|Donald Knuth}}; the name appears to be a parody of {{w|Knuth arrow notation}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=559:_No_Pun_Intended&diff=25062559: No Pun Intended2013-01-09T03:30:19Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 559<br />
| date = March 23, 2009<br />
| title = No Pun Intended<br />
| image = no_pun_intended.png<br />
| titletext = Like spelling 'dammit' correctly -- with two m's -- it's a troll that works best on the most literate.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
"No pun intended" is an idiom meaning that something just said wasn't meant to be a pun, implying that the preceding statement could be interpreted as one. As done in the comic, following a non-pun with "no pun intended" breaks this implication and confuses listeners.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:My Hobby: Appending "no pun intended" to lines with no pun in them.<br />
:[Cueball is talking to a guy with a beret]<br />
:Cueball: I think he's internalized his girlfriend's attitudes - no pun intended - and so...<br />
:Three hours later:<br />
:[Beret guy is thinking]<br />
:Beret guy: "Internalized?" Lied? Analyzed? Or is it "attitudes"? Dammit.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1015:_Kerning&diff=250591015: Kerning2013-01-09T03:10:13Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1015<br />
| date = February 10, 2012<br />
| title = Kerning<br />
| image = kerning.png<br />
| titletext = I have never been as self-conscious about my handwriting as when I was inking in the caption for this comic.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== Explanation ==<br />
In typography, {{w|kerning}} refers to the spacing between consecutive letters, or the process of adjusting said spacing. As you can see in the comic, the kerning in the sign is badly done: the spacings between C and I and between C and E are inconsistent.<br />
<br />
The comic describes a form of trolling: teaching people how to recognize and be irritated by shoddy kerning. Unfortunately, the comic itself has also taught us to be annoyed. <span style="letter-spacing: -1px;">Th<span style="letter-spacing: 1px;">a</span>nks, <span style="letter-spacing: 1.5px;">R</span>an<span style="letter-spacing: 1px;">da</span>ll.</span><br />
<br />
== Transcript ==<br />
:[Some IDIOT used a font with TERRIBLE kerning on the side of a building for a sign labeled "CITY OFFICES". Only.. you aren't even frickin' sure because of this terrible kerning, as the "C" and the "I" in "CITY" have waaay too strong kerning. And so do the "C" and the "E" in "OFFICES", to the point that it actually looks like TWO words. And the I and the C are so close together, they almost look like a freakish K! Two people stand in front of this sign. One notices all these obvious flaws, while the other exists in peaceful ignorance.]<br />
:Person 1: *Argh*!<br />
:Person 2: what?<br />
:If you really hate someone, teach them to recognize bad kerning.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1005:_SOPA&diff=25057Talk:1005: SOPA2013-01-09T02:53:24Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>Anyone try the brightness-contrast with the XKCD 2008 x-mas Special? [[Special:Contributions/66.19.70.101|66.19.70.101]] 02:20, 9 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Negative. [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 02:53, 9 January 2013 (UTC)</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:114:_Computational_Linguists&diff=25050Talk:114: Computational Linguists2013-01-08T21:49:37Z<p>108.233.253.211: Created page with "Why {{w|Ryan North}}? ~~~~"</p>
<hr />
<div>Why {{w|Ryan North}}? [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 21:49, 8 January 2013 (UTC)</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:989:_Cryogenics&diff=24294Talk:989: Cryogenics2013-01-02T21:18:18Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>Should we begin work on www.explainexplainxkcd.com? Why is Cueball not Terry? .....<br />
<br />
[[User:AngryBear|AngryBear]] ([[User talk:AngryBear|talk]]) 15:44, 2 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:It was written in the actual transcript by Randall. Apparently a Futurama reference. [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 21:18, 2 January 2013 (UTC)</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1155:_Kolmogorov_Directions&diff=24263Talk:1155: Kolmogorov Directions2013-01-02T07:20:14Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>How does Cueball know that? '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:17, 2 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I really like the title text on this one. [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 07:19, 2 January 2013 (UTC)</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1155:_Kolmogorov_Directions&diff=24262Talk:1155: Kolmogorov Directions2013-01-02T07:19:56Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>How does Cueball know that? '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:17, 2 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I really like the title text on this one. [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 07:19, 2 January 2013 (UTC)</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1155:_Kolmogorov_Directions&diff=242611155: Kolmogorov Directions2013-01-02T07:16:21Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1155<br />
| date = January 2, 2013<br />
| title = Kolmogorov Directions<br />
| image = kolmogorov directions.png<br />
| titletext = People get really grumpy when they realize you're giving them directions for how to go to the store and buy a GPS.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Andrey Kolmogorov}} was a mathematician who worked on defining computational complexity. Roughly speaking, the {{w|Kolmogorov complexity}} of a string (of bits, words, symbols, etc) is the shortest description that allows an accurate reconstruction (or, in some variants, the length of the smallest program which will output the original string). Cueball's method of giving directions in very reminiscent of Kolmogorov's method of determining complexity.<br />
<br />
This is not the first time Cueball has had [[783|difficulties with directions]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball on the phone.]<br />
:Phone: How do I get to your place from Lexington?<br />
:Cueball: Hmm...<br />
:Cueball: Ok, starting from your driveway, take every left turn that doesn't put you on a prime-numbered highway or street named for a president.<br />
:When people ask for step-by-step directions, I worry that there will be too many steps to remember, so I try to put them in minimal form.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}} <br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1154:_Resolution&diff=241071154: Resolution2012-12-31T21:24:29Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1154<br />
| date = December 31, 2012<br />
| title = Resolution<br />
| image = resolution.png<br />
| titletext = If at first you don't succeed, that's one data point.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is a little reminder that it's the last day of 2012, and it's time to make your resolutions!<br />
<br />
Cueball wants to break a very common habit of resolving to do something (go on a diet, for example), not doing it, and then trying the same, dysfunctional plan, thinking it will work "this year."<br />
<br />
The irony is that Cueball resolved the same thing last year, and it is implied it didn't work, but he says it'll be different "this year."<br />
<br />
The title text is a parody of the saying "if at first you don't succeed: try, try, try again."<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1153:_Proof&diff=238471153: Proof2012-12-28T21:12:29Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1153<br />
| date = December 28, 2012<br />
| title = Proof<br />
| image = proof.png<br />
| titletext = The prosecution calls Gottfried Leibniz.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Zeno of Elea}} was an ancient Greek philosopher who devised several apparent paradoxes of motion called {{w|Zeno's paradoxes}}. Here are the two relevant to the comic:<br />
<br />
:'''Arrow paradox:''' At any instant in time, an arrow suspended in mid-air is no different from an arrow in motion. How, then, can motion occur? The lawyer presumably intends to use this argument to prove that his client could not have used the arrow to commit murder.<br />
<br />
:'''Dichotomy paradox:''' Suppose I need to go from point A to point B. First I must walk halfway there. Then I must walk a quarter of the way there, then an eighth of the way there, and so on. Since I have to make an infinite number of non-zero steps, I will never reach point B. By the same argument, the lawyer in the cartoon can get closer and closer to the judge's table, but never reach it.<br />
<br />
There are two mathematics/law puns present in the comic, on the words "approach" and "proof." Aside from its literal meaning, "{{w|approach the bench}}" is a legal term meaning to have a private conversation with the judge. "Proof" can mean a {{w|mathematical proof}} or a {{w|Evidence (law)|legal proof}}.<br />
<br />
The title text mentions {{w|Gottfried Leibniz}}, one of the inventors of {{w|calculus}}. He is called in to bring a mathematical point of view. Since mathematics started to be able to handle infinite processes, it has been suggested that the Dichotomy paradox is resolved by showing that the infinite number of terms involved add up to a finite sum. However, Zeno is rather saying "it is impossible to traverse an infinite number of things in a finite time", and is so arguably not concerned with finding a sum, but with finishing a task with an infinite number of steps. It remains a question of debate whether a mathematical approach addresses the central points in Zeno's arguments.<br />
<br />
Zeno has been mentioned before, in [[994: Advent Calendar|comic #994]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Zeno: My client couldn't have killed anyone with this arrow, and I can ''prove'' it!<br />
:Judge: I'd like to examine your proof, Zeno. You may approach the bench.<br />
:Zeno: — But never reach it!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Philosophy]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1153:_Proof&diff=238461153: Proof2012-12-28T21:09:25Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1153<br />
| date = December 28, 2012<br />
| title = Proof<br />
| image = proof.png<br />
| titletext = The prosecution calls Gottfried Leibniz.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Zeno of Elea}} was an ancient Greek philosopher who devised several apparent paradoxes of motion called {{w|Zeno's paradoxes}}. Here are the two relevant to the comic:<br />
<br />
:'''Arrow paradox:''' At any instant in time, an arrow suspended in mid-air is no different from an arrow in motion. How, then, can motion occur? The lawyer presumably intends to use this argument to prove that his client could not have used the arrow to commit murder.<br />
<br />
:'''Dichotomy paradox:''' Suppose I need to go from point A to point B. First I must walk halfway there. Then I must walk a quarter of the way there, then an eighth of the way there, and so on. Since I have to make an infinite number of non-zero steps, I will never reach point B. By the same argument, the lawyer in the cartoon can get closer and closer to the judge's table, but never reach it.<br />
<br />
There are two mathematics/law puns present in the comic, on the words "approach" and "proof." Aside from its literal meaning, "approach the bench" is a legal term meaning to have a private conversation with the judge. "Proof" can mean a {{w|mathematical proof}} or a {{w|Evidence (law)|legal proof}}.<br />
<br />
The title text mentions {{w|Gottfried Leibniz}}, one of the inventors of {{w|calculus}}. He is called in to bring a mathematical point of view. Since mathematics started to be able to handle infinite processes, it has been suggested that the Dichotomy paradox is resolved by showing that the infinite number of terms involved add up to a finite sum. However, Zeno is rather saying "it is impossible to traverse an infinite number of things in a finite time", and is so arguably not concerned with finding a sum, but with finishing a task with an infinite number of steps. It remains a question of debate whether a mathematical approach addresses the central points in Zeno's arguments.<br />
<br />
Zeno has been mentioned before, in [[994: Advent Calendar|comic #994]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Zeno: My client couldn't have killed anyone with this arrow, and I can ''prove'' it!<br />
:Judge: I'd like to examine your proof, Zeno. You may approach the bench.<br />
:Zeno: — But never reach it!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Philosophy]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1153:_Proof&diff=238091153: Proof2012-12-28T06:20:28Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */ I think?</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1153<br />
| date = December 28, 2012<br />
| title = Proof<br />
| image = proof.png<br />
| titletext = The prosecution calls Gottfried Leibniz.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
{{w|Zeno of Elea}} was an ancient Greek philosopher who devised several apparent paradoxes of motion. Here are the two relevant to the comic:<br />
<br />
:'''Arrow paradox:''' At any instant in time, an arrow suspended in mid-air is no different from an arrow in motion. How, then, can motion occur? The lawyer presumably intends to use this argument to prove that his client could not have used the arrow to commit murder.<br />
<br />
:'''Dichotomy paradox:''' Suppose I need to go from point A to point B. First I must walk halfway there. Then I must walk a quarter of the way there, then an eighth of the way there, and so on. Since I have to make an infinite number of non-zero steps, I will never reach point B. By the same argument, the lawyer in the cartoon can approach the bench, but never reach it.<br />
<br />
The dichotomy paradox was solved by integral calculus (Zeno's paradox is taught to UK Physics undergrads), hence the title text's mention of {{w|Leibniz}}.<br />
<br />
The word "proof" here seems to be a pun on mathematical proof as opposed to legal proof.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Zeno: My client couldn't have killed anyone with this arrow, and I can ''prove'' it!<br />
:Judge: I'd like to examine your proof, Zeno. You may approach the bench.<br />
:Zeno: &mdash;But never reach it!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Philosophy]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1150:_Instagram&diff=238071150: Instagram2012-12-28T06:10:08Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1150<br />
| date = December 21, 2012<br />
| title = Instagram<br />
| image = instagram.png<br />
| titletext = I'm gonna call the cops and get Chad arrested for theft, then move all my stuff to the house across the street. Hopefully the owners there are more responsible.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
As indicated by the title, this comic is an allegory for a recent controversy over {{w|Instagram}}, a photo-sharing social network now owned by {{w|Facebook}}. In December 2012, Instagram changed their [http://instagram.com/about/legal/terms/ terms of use], allowing the network to sell user-uploaded images, without profit to the content generators. This infuriated many users, who closed their accounts or stopped uploading images.<br />
<br />
The title text notes two flaws in the logic of disgruntled Instagram users. You cannot accuse Instagram of stealing because it was you who gave them the images in the first place, and it is irresponsible to assume that this will not happen if you give your photos to another social networking company.<br />
<br />
{{w|Craigslist}} is a website for the US and Canada where individuals can contact others interested in buying or selling goods. As a verb, it means to sell something on Craigslist.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and a friend. Friend is at a computer.]<br />
:Cueball: I've been putting all my stuff in Chad's garage.<br />
:Cueball: He has nice shelves.<br />
:Cueball: And he lets me in to see it whenever I want.<br />
<br />
:But I got this note from him:<br />
:Note: Dude<br />
:Note: In like a month im gonna Craigslist all that shit you left in my garage<br />
:Note: Just FYI<br />
:Note: -Chad<br />
<br />
:Cueball: It's an ''outrage''! This is no way to run a storage business!<br />
:Friend: Are you paying him to look after your stuff?<br />
<br />
:Cueball: No.<br />
:Friend: Then what he runs isn't a storage business.<br />
:Cueball: Well, I'm ''this'' close to not giving him any more stuff<br />
:Friend: That'll teach him.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1153:_Proof&diff=238061153: Proof2012-12-28T06:06:26Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */ added dichotomy and arrow paradoxes (more cleanup still needed)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1153<br />
| date = December 28, 2012<br />
| title = Proof<br />
| image = proof.png<br />
| titletext = The prosecution calls Gottfried Leibniz.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
{{w|Zeno of Elea}} was an ancient Greek philosopher who devised several apparent paradoxes of motion. Here are the two relevant to the comic:<br />
<br />
:'''Dichotomy paradox:''' Suppose I need to go from point A to point B. First I must walk halfway there. Then I must walk a quarter of the way there, then an eighth of the way there, and so on. Since I have to make an infinite number of non-zero steps, I will never reach point B.<br />
:'''Arrow paradox:''' At any instant in time, an arrow suspended in mid-air is no different from an arrow in motion. How, then, can motion occur?<br />
<br />
One of Zeno's most famous paradoxes has Achilles race a tortotoise. Achilles is so confident of victory that he allows the tortoise a head start. Zeno's paradox is that, no matter how fast he runs, Achilles will never catch the tortoise because by he time Achilles has reached the point where the tortoise was when Achilles started, the tortoise has moved and so Achilles still has a little further to run. This continues ad infinitum and the tortoise wins.<br />
<br />
This paradox is often stated as whereever you are on your journey, you can split the remaining distance in to two halves, so you can never reach your destination because you still have at least one half to go. Thus the lawyer can never reach the judge's bench.<br />
<br />
This paradox was solved by integral calculus (Zeno's paradox is taught to UK Physics undergrads), hence the title text's mention of {{w|Leibniz}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Zeno: My client couldn't have killed anyone with this arrow, and I can ''prove'' it!<br />
:Judge: I'd like to examine your proof, Zeno. You may approach the bench.<br />
:Zeno: &mdash;But never reach it!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Philosophy]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1150:_Instagram&diff=234481150: Instagram2012-12-22T23:01:06Z<p>108.233.253.211: Moved Craigslist note to the end and added some clarification</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1150<br />
| date = December 21, 2012<br />
| title = Instagram<br />
| image = instagram.png<br />
| titletext = I'm gonna call the cops and get Chad arrested for theft, then move all my stuff to the house across the street. Hopefully the owners there are more responsible.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic makes sense by itself, but the comic title indicates that it's an allegory for a recent controversy over {{w|Instagram}}, a photo-sharing social network now owned by {{w|Facebook}}. In December 2012, Instagram changed their [http://instagram.com/about/legal/terms/ terms of use], allowing the network to sell user-uploaded images, without profit to the content generators. This infuriated many users, who closed their accounts or stopped uploading images.<br />
<br />
The title text notes two flaws in the logic of disgruntled Instagram users. You cannot accuse Instagram of stealing because it was you who gave them the images in the first place. And it is irresponsible to assume that this will not happen if you give your photos to another social networking company.<br />
<br />
{{w|Craigslist}} is a website for the US and Canada where individuals can contact others interested in buying or selling goods. As a verb, it means to sell something on Craigslist. (It has nothing to do with Instagram; it's just part of the allegory.)<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and a friend. Friend is at a computer.]<br />
:Cueball: I've been putting all my stuff in Chad's garage.<br />
:Cueball: He has nice shelves.<br />
:Cueball: And he lets me in to see it whenever I want.<br />
<br />
:But I got this note from him:<br />
:Note: Dude<br />
:Note: In like a month im gonna Craigslist all that shit you left in my garage<br />
:Note: Just FYI<br />
:Note: -Chad<br />
<br />
:Cueball: It's an ''outrage''! This is no way to run a storage business!<br />
:Friend: Are you paying him to look after your stuff?<br />
<br />
:Cueball: No.<br />
:Friend: Then what he runs isn't a storage business.<br />
:Cueball: Well, I'm ''this'' close to not giving him any more stuff<br />
:Friend: That'll teach him.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1150:_Instagram&diff=23447Talk:1150: Instagram2012-12-22T22:56:22Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>Randall completely ignores the fact that "Chad" offered to store people's stuff for free and with no problems. That's how "Chad" ended up with a garage full of stuff. That's why the sudden notice that "Chad" was going to sell the stuff upset all those people. The hover text neglects to mention whether or not the people across the street are also offering to store people's stuff for free.[[Special:Contributions/96.233.16.30|96.233.16.30]] 10:39, 21 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: As well as the difference between leaving a clearly worded (though still rather jerk-y) note and slipping unclear language into the already bloated Terms of Service. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 11:53, 21 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:The fact of the matter is, he may be storing the stuff for free, but there's nothing to say that there are "no problems" involved. Effectively, once it's in Chad's house, he owns it. In any case, there's nothing to stop Cueball from not giving Chad any more stuff, or taking his stuff back from the garage. Of course, I understand it's not going to be as easy taking stuff off Instagram, but there you go. --[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 14:17, 21 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Please note that a lot of people thought the new ToS allowed Instagram to sell their pictures <br />
but this is a misunderstanding of these ToS. This explanation should be slightly reworded in that sense. See http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/12/18/instagram_privacy_uproar_why_it_s_absurd_in_three_nearly_identical_sentences.html {{unsigned|82.235.150.60}}<br />
<br />
Great explanation, but what is meant by "to sell user-uploaded images without profit"? Sell sth without profit sounds like a paradox... – [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 14:23, 21 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:The explanation says/means "without profit to the content generators" - i.e. the people who are uploading the images (content) to Instagram. I'm sure Instagram would be making a profit selling the images...just not the original uploaders --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 15:45, 21 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I disagree with the second paragraph of the explanation. Cueball / content generators didn't "give" their stuff/photos, they merely accepted the offer of free storage. The terms and conditions of the agreement have been changed to benefit Chad/Instagram. There's no such thing as a free lunch...<br />
<br />
:Read the fourth panel again. --[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 02:03, 22 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
::The use of the word "giving " does not imply transference of ownership. The joke lies in the fact that there is no contract for storage facilities due to the absence of consideration.<br />
<br />
The "Explanation" above starts with the assertion that this comic makes sense by itself. No, it's crazy without the context provided by the title. The point of the comic is the unrealistic expectations that Instagram's users have. {{unsigned|174.125.139.140}}<br />
<br />
:I was not aware of the Instagram back story and without understanding the title of this comic or how any of this pertained to Instagram I was still able to understand and appreciate the joke.--Matt<br />
<br />
:I thought the comic was sort of funny when I first read it, but when I saw the title everything really clicked. I wrote "the comic makes sense by itself" because it did to me before I noticed the word "Instagram." [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 22:56, 22 December 2012 (UTC)</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1150:_Instagram&diff=233791150: Instagram2012-12-21T21:04:36Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1150<br />
| date = December 21, 2012<br />
| title = Instagram<br />
| image = instagram.png<br />
| titletext = I'm gonna call the cops and get Chad arrested for theft, then move all my stuff to the house across the street. Hopefully the owners there are more responsible.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic makes sense by itself, but the comic title indicates that it's an allegory for a recent controversy over {{w|Instagram}}, a photo-sharing social network now owned by {{w|Facebook}}.<br />
<br />
In December 2012, Instagram changed their {{w|terms of service}} (ToS), allowing the network to sell user-uploaded images without profit to the content generators. This infuriated many users, who closed their accounts or stopped uploading images.<br />
<br />
The title text notes two flaws in the logic of disgruntled Instagram users. You cannot accuse Instagram of stealing because it was you who gave them the images in the first place. And it is irresponsible to assume that this will not happen if you give your photos to another social networking company.<br />
<br />
Just accept it folks, they have your stuff.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and a friend. Friend is at a computer.]<br />
:Cueball: I've been putting all my stuff in Chad's garage.<br />
:Cueball: He has nice shelves.<br />
:Cueball: And he lets me in to see it whenever I want.<br />
<br />
:But I got this note from him:<br />
:Note: Dude<br />
:Note: In like a month im gonna Craigslist all that shit you left in my garage<br />
:Note: Just FYI<br />
:Note: -Chad<br />
<br />
:Cueball: It's an ''outrage''! This is no way to run a storage business!<br />
:Friend: Are you paying him to look after your stuff?<br />
<br />
:Cueball: No.<br />
:Friend: Then what he runs isn't a storage business.<br />
:Cueball: Well, I'm ''this'' close to not giving him any more stuff<br />
:Friend: That'll teach him.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=977:_Map_Projections&diff=16593977: Map Projections2012-11-07T05:57:58Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 977<br />
| date = November 14, 2011<br />
| title = Map Projections<br />
| image = map_projections.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = What's that? You think I don't like the Peters map because I'm uncomfortable with having my cultural assumptions challenged? Are you sure you're not ... ::puts on sunglasses:: ... projecting?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
An explanation for each!<br />
<br />
;Mercator<br />
<br />
{{w|Gerardus Mercator}}, a Flemish cartographer presented the {{w|Mercator projection}} in 1569. It was useful to have a standardized map to sail the seas by, but it's radically incorrect in how it shows the size of landmasses. The comic implies that it's not a very good projection and that people who like it aren't very interested in maps.<br />
<br />
;Van der Grinten<br />
The {{w|Van der Grinten projection}} is not much better than the Mercator. It was adopted by {{w|National Geographic}} in 1922 and was used until they updated to the Robinson projection in 1988.<br />
<br />
The Van der Grinten projection is circular as opposed to the Mercator projection. Circles look happier than squares, leading to the conclusion that people who like the projection are optimistic.<br />
<br />
;Robinson<br />
The {{w|Robinson projection}} was developed by {{w|Arthur H. Robinson}} as a map that was supposed to look nice. National Geographic moved to this projection in 1988, and used it for ten years, moving to the Winkel-Tripel in 1998.<br />
<br />
{{w|The Beatles}} was a rock band that enjoyed great commercial success in the 1960s. The Beatles, coffee, and running shoes suggest an ordinary, easygoing lifestyle paralleled by the projection.<br />
<br />
;Dymaxion<br />
Also called the Fuller Map, the {{w|Dymaxion Map}} takes a sphere and turns it into an icosahedron, that is a polyhedron with triangular faces. It is far easier to unwrap a icosahedron than it is to unwrap a sphere into a 2D object and has very little skewing of the poles.<br />
<br />
Randall associates the projection to geek subculture and niche markets:<br />
<br />
*{{w|Isaac Asimov}} was an American science-fiction writer, that (as well as publishing many textbooks) is considered the father of the modern concept of robots. He invented the {{w|Three Laws of Robotics}}. He also worked on more than 500 books throughout his career.<br />
*{{w|XML}} is the eXtensible Markup Language. It is used to represent data in a format that machines can read and understand, as well as being human-readable. In practice, XML is cumbersome to read.<br />
*{{w|Vibram FiveFingers|Toed-Shoes}} are a [[1065|favorite]] of Randall's to pick on. In society they are seen as a {{w|Hipster (contemporary subculture)#Late 1990s through late 2000s|hipster}} clothing item.<br />
*Brought to the world by {{w|Dean Kamen}}, the {{w|Segway PT}} was supposed to be a device that changed the way cities were built. In reality, most principalities have put in place rules specifically against Segways, making them a frustration to own and use within the law (In some states in Australia, it is illegal to use them on public footpaths or roads). Also, the former owner of {{w|Segway Inc.}}, the late {{w|Jimi Heselden}}, accidentally rode his Segway off a cliff in 2010.<br />
*{{w|Virtual reality|3D goggles}} are a very niche market only pursued by enthusiasts. In the 1990s the promise of virtual realities was very tantalizing, many companies attempted to perfect it, but fell short of the mark. Also the phrase "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." is relevant.<br />
*{{w|Dvorak Simplified Keyboard|Dvorak}} is an alternate keyboard layout to QWERTY. Where QWERTY was invented to help keep manual typewriters from jamming (by placing the most used keys further away from each other), Dr. {{w|August Dvorak}} performed many studies and found the mathematically optimal keyboard layout to reduce finger travel for right handed typists. While technically better than QWERTY, QWERTY had become the standard. All the keyboards were laid out in QWERTY format, and retraining the brain after becoming a touch typist is extremely difficult.<br />
<br />
;Winkel Tripel<br />
Proposed by {{w|Oswald Winkel}} in 1921, this map tried to reduce the three (German: tripel) main problems with map projections: area, direction, and distance. The {{w|Kavrayskiy VII projection|Kavrayskiy projection}} is very similar to the Winkel Tripel and was used by the USSR, but very few in the Western world know of it.<br />
<br />
The comic links this projection to {{w|hipster}} subculture. The whole point of hipsters is to avoid conforming to mainstream fashions. "Post-" refers to a variety of musical genres such as {{w|post-punk}}, {{w|post-grunge}}, {{w|post-minimalism}}, etc. that branch off of other genres.<br />
<br />
;Goode Homolosine<br />
The {{w|Goode Homolosine projection}} takes a different approach to skewing a sphere into a roughly circular surface. An orange peel can be taken off of an orange and flattened with fair success, this is roughly the procedure that {{w|John Paule Goode}} followed in creating this projection.<br />
<br />
Common people make, what seems to be, fairly reasonable arguments that if normal people would run the United States, then the US wouldn't be in the trouble it is. This is from the belief that career politicians are simply out to make money and will only act in the interest of their constituency when their continued easy life is threatened (usually around election time).<br />
<br />
Airline food is another, much maligned, problem. How do you store enough food to feed people on long airplane trips? The common solution is to use some kind of sub-standard microwave-able dinner. Randall is saying that the people in favor of the Goode Homolosine wonder why the airlines don't simply order meals from the restaurants in the airport, store that food, and serve it, rather than using frozen, and microwaved food.<br />
<br />
Older cars burned oil like mad fiends and oil back then would become corrosive to the innards of an engine, so oil had to be changed often. But, with the introduction of synthetic motor oil and better designed engines, new cars only need their oil changed about ever 10,000 to 15,000 miles. Allegedly. Perhaps this is a conspiracy built by the collusion of the car manufacturers and big oil companies!<br />
<br />
All of these references suggest that people who like the Goode Homolosine projection are fans of practical solutions to simple problems. <br />
<br />
;Hobo-Dyer<br />
The {{w|Hobo–Dyer projection}} was commissioned by Bob Abramms and Howard Bronstein and was drafted by Mick Dyer in 2002. It is a modified {{w|Behrmann projection}}. The goal was to be a more visually pleasing version of the Gall-Peters.<br />
<br />
As is discussed in the Gall-Peters explanation, the Gall-Peters was developed to be equal area, so that economically disadvantaged areas can at least take comfort in the fact that their country is represented correctly by area on maps.<br />
<br />
Randall associates the Hobo-Dyer projection to "crunchy granola" &mdash; a stereotype associated with vegetarianism, environmental activism, anti-war activism, liberal political leanings, and some traces of {{w|hippie}} culture.<br />
<br />
With the new general acceptance of homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered persons, some have begun to invent gender-neutral pronouns so that when referring to a person whose gender is not known they cannot be offended by being referred to by the wrong pronouns. In old English 'they' and 'their' were accepted gender-less pronouns that could replace 'he', 'she' as well as be used to represent a crowd. This usage is now considered archaic, so, a whole host of new pronouns are being invented in an attempt to keep from ever offending anyone ever again.<br />
<br />
;Plate Carrée<br />
Also known as the {{w|Equirectangular projection}} that has been in use since, apparently, 100 AD. The benefit of this projection is that latitude and longitude can be used as x,y coordinates. This makes it especially easy for computers to graph data on top of it.<br />
<br />
According to the comic, the projection appeals to people who find much beauty in simplicity.<br />
<br />
;A Globe!<br />
In any good discussion there has to be at least one smart-ass. This is a comic about map projections, that is, the science of taking a sphere and flattening it into 2 dimensions. The smart-ass believes that we shouldn't even try: a sphere is, in fact, the perfect representation of a sphere.<br />
<br />
To quote ''{{w|The Princess Bride}}'': "Yes, you're very smart. Shut up."<br />
<br />
;Waterman Butterfly<br />
Similar to the Dymaxion, the {{w|Waterman butterfly projection}} turns a sphere into an octahedron, and then unfolds the net of the octahedron, which was devised by mathematician {{w|Waterman polyhedron|Steve Waterman}} based upon the work of {{w|Bernard J.S. Cahill}}<br />
<br />
Bernard Cahill published a [http://www.genekeyes.com/B.J.S._CAHILL_RESOURCE.html butterfly map] in 1909. Steve Waterman probably has the only extant "ready to go" map following the same general principles, though Gene Keys may not be far behind. Waterman has a poem with graphics in a similar vein to this xkcd comic that is worth reading. [http://watermanpolyhedron.com/worldmap.html]<br />
<br />
The Cahill/Keyes/Waterman projections are arguably the only map projections, thus far, that more or less equally balance the inevitable “all maps lie” distortions in size, shape and area<br />
<br />
The joke is that the person responding deeply understands map projections; anyone who knows of this projection is a person that Randall would like to get to know.<br />
<br />
;Peirce Quincuncial<br />
The {{w|Pierce quincuncial projection}} was devised by {{w|Charles Sanders Peirce}} in 1879 and uses {{w|complex analysis}} to make a {{w|conformal mapping}} of the Earth, that conforms except for four points which would make up the south pole.<br />
<br />
{{w|Inception}} was a 2010 movie about {{w|meta}} {{w|lucid dream}}ing. It has a complex story that is difficult to follow and leaves the viewer with many questions at the end, and almost needs to be watched multiple times to be understood.<br />
<br />
The human brain is not well developed to deal with oddly obvious things. One example is that everyone has a skeleton, but everyone is surprised when a bone pokes through the skin after it has been broken. Another is the fascinating complexity of the human hand, a machine that is amazingly complex driven by a complex interplay of electrical and chemical signals and yet is the size of the hand and is so useful.<br />
<br />
;Gall-Peters<br />
The {{w|Gall-Peters projection}} is mired in controversy, surprising for a map. {{w|James Gall}} a 19th century clergyman presented this projection in 1855 before the {{w|British Association for the Advancement of Science}}. In 1967, the filmmaker {{w|Arno Peters}} created the same projection and presented it to the world as a "new invention" that put poorer, less powerful countries into their rightful proportions (as opposed to the Mercator). Peters played the marketing game and got quite a few followers of his map by saying it had "absolute angle conformality," "no extreme distortions of form," and was "totally distance-factual" in an age when society was very concerned about social justice. All of these claims were in fact false. The polar regions are horribly distorted, and south of the Mediterranean Sea is "taller" than it should be.<br />
<br />
Anyone who loves such a politically charged map that has become popular by way of marketing stunts, Randall would rather not have anything to do with.<br />
<br />
The title text makes a joke that goes to the familiar meme from CSI:Miami, in which the star, David Caruso starts on sentence, then [[:Category:puts on sunglasses|puts on his sunglasses]] and then ends it with a corny pun. This internet meme has been mentioned previously by xkcd in comic [[626]] and possibly others.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
What your favorite<br />
<br />
'''Map Projection'''<br />
<br />
says about you<br />
<br />
(All of these are organized as Title, a copy of the particular projection underneath, and what it says about you under that)<br />
<br />
*Mercator<br />
**You're not really into maps.<br />
*Van der Grinten<br />
**You're not a complicated person. You love the Mercator projection; you just wish it weren't square. The Earth's not a square, it's a circle. you like circles. Today is gonna be a good day!<br />
*Robinson<br />
**You have a comfortable pair of running shoes that you wear everywhere. You like coffee and enjoy The Beatles. you think the Robinson is the best-looking projection, hands down.<br />
*Dymaxion<br />
**You like Isaac Asimov, XML, and shoes with toes. You think the Segway got a bad rap. you own 3D goggles, which you use to view rotating models of better 3D goggles. you type in Dvorak.<br />
*Winkel-Tripel<br />
**National Geographic adopted the Winkel-Tripel in 1998, but you've been a W-T fan since ''long'' before "Nat Geo" showed up. You're worried it's getting played out, and are thinking of switching to the Kavrayskiy. You once left a party in disgust when a guest showed up wearing shoes with toes. Your favorite musical genre is "Post&ndash;".<br />
*Goode Homolosine<br />
**They say mapping the Earth on a 2D surface is like flattening an orange peel, which seems enough to you. You like easy solutions.You think we wouldn't have so many problems if we'd just elect ''normal'' people to Congress instead of Politicians. You think airlines should just buy food from the restaurants near the gates and serve ''that'' on board. You change your car's oil, but secretly wonder if you really ''need'' to.<br />
*Hobo-Dyer<br />
**You want to avoid cultural imperialism, but you've heard bad things about Gall-Peters. You're conflict-averse and buy organic. You use a recently-invented set of gender-neutral pronouns and think that what the world needs is a revolution in consciousness.<br />
*Plate Carrée <small>(Equirectangular)</small><br />
**You think this one is fine. You like how X and Y map to latitude and longitude. The other projections overcomplicate things. You want me to stop asking about maps so you can enjoy dinner.<br />
*A Globe!<br />
**Yes, you're very clever<br />
*Waterman Butterfly<br />
**Really? You know the Waterman? Have you seen the 1909 Cahill Map it's based&mdash; ...You have a framed reproduction at home?! Whoa. ...Listen, forget these questions. Are you doing anything tonight?<br />
*Peirce Quincuncial<br />
**You think that when we look at a map, what we really see is ourselves. After you first saw ''Inception'', you sat silent in the theater for six hours. It freaks you out to realize that everyone around you has a skeleton inside them. You ''have'' really looked at your hands.<br />
*Gall-Peters<br />
**I ''hate'' you.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*There is no transcript for this comic on xkcd<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with charts]]<br />
[[Category:puts on sunglasses]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1130:_Poll_Watching&diff=165331130: Poll Watching2012-11-05T22:39:43Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1130<br />
| date = November 5, 2012<br />
| title = Poll Watching<br />
| image = poll_watching.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = The choices we make Tuesday could have MASSIVE and PERMANENT effects on the charts on Nate Silver's blog!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is a comic about the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|2012 U.S. presidential election}}, as it was posted the day before the election on November 6, 2012 ("this Tuesday"). It is the third comic on the subject, the previous two being [[1122: Electoral Precedent]] and [[1127: Congress]].<br />
<br />
In the comic, [[Cueball]] is glued to his laptop reading media coverage of the election. The offscreen character remarks that Cueball should take a break, suggesting that Cueball has been reading media coverage for quite a while.<br />
<br />
Cueball is so caught up in media coverage, that he is speculating on the effect that incumbent President {{w|Barak Obama|Obama}} winning the election (and the resulting news coverage) could have on challenger {{w|Mitt Romney}}'s campaign. The joke is that the end-goal of Romney's campaign is to win the election. If Obama wins, the campaigning is already over, regardless of media coverage. Cueball is simply so invested that he overanalyzes potential scenarios and fails to see the big picture.<br />
<br />
In respect to the title text, {{w|Nate Silver}} is an American statistician, {{w|psephologist}}, and writer (among other things unrelated to this comic). He has a political blog called {{w|FiveThirtyEight}} which was originally written under a pseudonym. The Blog and its associated website primarily discuss tracking polls in respect to elections. Thus, the choices made on Tuesday (election day) presumably ''will'' have massive and permanent effects on FiveThirtyEight's charts, which will obviously change to reflect the actual votes cast. This is a parody of the bold statements often made during campaigns, such as that the choices made on election day could have massive and permanent effects on such things as your health care, the economy, your job, etc.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball kneels on his desk chair, hunched over a laptop]<br />
:Cueball: This Tuesday will be huge!<br />
:Cueball: If Obama wins the election, it could generate news coverage ''devastating'' to Romney's position in the tracking polls!<br />
:Offscreen character: ... Maybe you should take a break.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}} <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=494:_Secretary:_Part_1&diff=16084494: Secretary: Part 12012-10-31T06:26:04Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 494<br />
| date = October 27, 2008<br />
| title = Secretary: Part 1<br />
| image = secretary_part_1.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = The blueprints for the Department of the Internet offices call for Ceiling Cat-themed sprinkler heads.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The {{w|POTUS|President of the United States of America}} is the head of the United States of America. The tubes being clogged is a reference to the, now deceased, Alaska Senator {{w|Ted Stevens}} who, during a congressional debate on {{w|net neutrality}} described the {{w|Internet}} as a {{w|series of tubes}} (be sure to listen to the audio clips in that Wikipedia page, and you'll see why he became a big hit with the Internet). Ted Stevens also gained notoriety for backing a proposal to build a {{w|Gravina Island Bridge|bridge to nowhere}} using federal funds.<br />
<br />
Cats are notorious for being hard to herd, thus the idiom "herding cats" meaning an extremely difficult task that can very quickly get away from anyone undertaking it. {{w|Lolcats}} are pictures of cats, usually in humorous poses, that have insipid captions on them. The conflation of Lolcats and the herding idiom escaped the president (who is presumably somebody not savvy to either or both terms.) The title text refers to {{w|Ceiling Cat}}, a lolcat parody of God.<br />
<br />
As with cats, Bloggers are an ideologically diverse bunch, and are hard to get to go in a single direction.<br />
<br />
The proposed "Secretary of the Internet" would likely be a new position on the President's {{w|Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet}}, which currently consists of 15 Departments, each headed by a Secretary. (Where the hypothetical secretary would fit on the {{w|United States presidential line of succession|line of succession}} is unknown.)<br />
<br />
All comics in the [[:Category:Secretary|Secretary]] series:<br />
* [[494: Secretary: Part 1]]<br />
* [[495: Secretary: Part 2]]<br />
* [[496: Secretary: Part 3]]<br />
* [[497: Secretary: Part 4]]<br />
* [[498: Secretary: Part 5]]<br />
<br />
This series was released on 5 consecutive days(Monday-Friday) and not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Spring 2009- The new president faces a crisis...<br />
:[Man is talking to an unseen Mr. President, who is sitting behind a desk.]<br />
:Man: Mr. President, the bloggers are restless<br />
:Mr. President: What are they a-twitter about now?<br />
<br />
:Man: It's the tubes sir. They're clogged. We put too much stuff on them.<br />
<br />
:Mr. President: How bad is it?<br />
:Man: The internet could be inoperative within days.<br />
<br />
:Man: We can't let a crucial resource go unshepherded.<br />
:Mr. President: Go on.<br />
<br />
:Man: I recommend you appoint a Secretary of the Internet. Someone to impose some orders on this mess.<br />
<br />
:Mr. President: Ordering bloggers around? Doesn't sound easy.<br />
:Man: No; it's like herding lolcats.<br />
:Mr. President: What?<br />
:Man: Nothing.<br />
<br />
:Mr. President: Do you have someone in mind for the post?<br />
:Man: I know just the guy.<br />
<br />
:Soon:<br />
:Phone: <<Ring>><br />
:[Man-with-hat looks away from his computer at the ringing phone]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Secretary|01]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1123:_The_Universal_Label&diff=14951Talk:1123: The Universal Label2012-10-19T04:49:18Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>The label's missing energy. Just saying. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 04:34, 19 October 2012 (UTC)<br />
:But isn't it somehow contained in the hydrogen? I don't know squat about quantum physics, so I'm probably wrong. [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 04:49, 19 October 2012 (UTC)</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1116:_Traffic_Lights&diff=13849Talk:1116: Traffic Lights2012-10-04T16:29:34Z<p>108.233.253.211: Created page with "I doubt that this comic carries any deeper meaning. ~~~~"</p>
<hr />
<div>I doubt that this comic carries any deeper meaning. [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 16:29, 4 October 2012 (UTC)</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1116:_Traffic_Lights&diff=138481116: Traffic Lights2012-10-04T16:27:09Z<p>108.233.253.211: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1116<br />
| date = October 3, 2012<br />
| title = Traffic Lights<br />
| image = traffic_lights.gif<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = There's an intersection I drive through sometimes that has a forward green arrow, a red light, and a 'no turns' sign all on one pole. I honestly have no idea what it's telling me to do.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This animated comic depicts traffic lights blinking and changing colors randomly and erratically in ways that don't make sense at all (a green light turning purple, an arrow light suddenly changing direction, etc.). The gag is straightforward, exaggeratedly poking fun at how confusing traffic lights and signs can be.<br />
<br />
{{Incomplete|1116}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
[[File:traffic_lights_list.png]]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}} <br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line--></div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1110:_Click_and_Drag&diff=127291110: Click and Drag2012-09-19T22:04:25Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1110<br />
| date = September 19, 2012<br />
| title = Click and Drag<br />
| image = click_and_drag.png<br />
| imagesize = <br />
| titletext = Click and drag.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== Explanation ==<br />
This comic is a take on how vast and rich the world is, and on the thrill of exploring it. The world can be described as sad, as well as it can be described as wonderful, even if this seems a bit contradictory, just because there are so many different things happening in it.<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] comments about this, and the title text invites the reader to, with his mouse, click and drag the inside of the last panel, and by dragging and dragging, explore what is hidden outside that panel. The image displayed at first turns out to be part of a huge landscape, filled with big or small things, humorous details, people here and there, cave mazes, things floating in the air, jokes and references, unexpected things, relaxing views, etc. (The above image is not functional; you will have to visit the [http://xkcd.com/1110/ original comic].)<br />
<br />
The fact that we only see a small part of the landscape at once refers to the idea that we cannot in real life comprehend the whole world altogether, but only what is around us and/or in the range of our understanding at the time. And the click-and-drag process, in which it is impossible to go as fast as we would want to, also draws a parallel with the fact that exploration is always done gradually, step by step, and trying something (i.e. here dragging in a certain direction) is always done costly. In the end, all this makes that this click-and-drag exploration reproduces pretty well the thrill of discovering new horizons, getting lost sometimes, finding unexpected things, seeing beauty, humor, desolation or happiness here and there... which can easily captivate an xkcd reader for a looong time (and as such qualifies as [[356: Nerd Sniping|nerd sniping]]).<br />
<br />
'''''Warning:''' there are cheating possibilities, people have implemented ways to explore that world more easily, but the best way to enjoy this comic is probably to play the game, explore the comic's world the way you're supposed to, get lost in the caves or in the sky, be startled by unexpected things or happy when finding some people after lengthy click-and-dragging through a repetitive landscape... So if you didn't do that already, '''reading any below will spoil you from truly enjoying the comic.'''''<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
This transcript will only cover the first 3 panels.<br />
<br />
:Cueball [narration]: From the stories<br />
:Cueball [narration]: I expected the world to be sad<br />
:[Cueball is floating by holding onto a balloon with one hand.]<br />
:Cueball [narration]: And it was<br />
<br />
:Cueball [narration]: And I expected it to be wonderful.<br />
:[Cueball has grabbed hold of the balloon with both hands.]<br />
<br />
:[The wind picks up and blows Cueball eastward.]<br />
:Cueball [narration]: It was.<br />
<br />
:[Full width panel, initial view of the world. Part of tile 1n1e.]<br />
:Cueball [narration]: I just didn't expect it to be so ''BIG''.<br />
:[Scene opens up. You see Cueball is about a tree's-height from the ground. To the left there is a tall tree with no leaves on it and a broken limb.]<br />
<br />
== List of details and references ==<br />
<br />
{{Incomplete|1110: Click and Drag}}<br />
<br />
The 225 existing tiles are sorted by columns from West to East and from North to South in each column.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable" |<br />
! width="130px" | Grid coords<br />
!Explanation and Transcript<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|33|w}}<br />
|[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] reach the western edge of the image and decide to live there.<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are in a valley. This is the western edge of the world. Megan is checking a GPS enabled device to check their distance traveled. Cueball is looking behind them (eastward).]<br />
:Cueball: We've walked pretty far. We must be on the other side of the world by now.<br />
:Megan: Let's see, we've gone... Two miles.<br />
:Cueball: Darn. You know, this is a nice spot. Let's just live here.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|32|w}}<br />
|Just terrain, no activity<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|31|w}}<br />
|Just terrain, no activity<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|30|w}}<br />
|Just terrain, no activity<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|29|w}}<br />
|Just terrain, no activity<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|28|w}}<br />
|Just terrain, no activity<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|27|w}}<br />
|{{w|Velociraptor}}s in the high grass.<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[Rolling hills with tall grass.]<br />
:[On the left there are two velociraptors. The east-facing one looks to be a modern interpretation of the raptor, the west-facing is more Jurassic Park like.]<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|26|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|25|w}}<br />
|A large {{w|radio telescope}} with a female listening for a signal. Possibly a reference to the movie {{w|Contact (film)|Contact}}.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|24|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|23|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|22|w}}<br />
|The top of a large {{w|Saturn V}} rocket (the base is in {{1110|1|n|22|w}}).<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[A Launch Tower with a waiting Saturn V rocket attached by the umbilical lines. There are two Cueball-type characters standing on the top.]<br />
:Person 1: So why did we build this? There have ''got'' to be other ways to get to space.<br />
:Person 2: Believe it or not, this is the ''least'' crazy one anyone has come up with.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|22|w}}<br />
|The base of the {{w|Saturn V}} rocket on a launchpad.<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[A Launch Pad and Tower with a waiting Saturn V rocket attached by the umbilical lines. There is a person scaling the rocket. They are at the base of the Second Stage.]<br />
:[A military guardsman is walking the grounds unaware of the person on the rocket.]<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|21|w}}<br />
|[[Cueball]] asks Jesus why his footprints look like tire trakcs. This is a reference to the inspirational text ''{{w|Footprints (poem)|Footprints}}'' as well as a reference to the {{w|Transformers}}.<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[Two characters stand on the shore by the sea. One has unkempt hair, the other is a Cueball character.]<br />
:Cueball: Jesus, why do your footprints change to tire tracks whenever I was threatened by Decepticons?<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|20|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|19|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|18|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|17|w}}<br />
|An island with {{w|palm tree}}. A scruffy character sits beneath the tree. A hatch decends from the island akin to the hatch in ''{{w|Lost}}''.<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[A reference to Desert Island Discs in which a celebrity chooses the records they would like to be stranded with if castaway.]<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|s|17|w}}<br />
|A miner<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|s|17|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|s|17|w}}<br />
|A man saying "Lemonade? Aww, OK." three times as other people fall by him<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|4|s|17|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|5|s|17|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|6|s|17|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|7|s|17|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|8|s|17|w}}<br />
|An X-Wing fighter from ''{{w|Star Wars}}''<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|9|s|17|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|10|s|17|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|11|s|17|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|17|w}}<br />
|Cueball and Megan looking up from the bottom of the shaft.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|16|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|16|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|15|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|15|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|14|w}}<br />
|The eastern shore of the body of water. Some benches beneath some trees. {{w|White Hat}} asks [[Cueball]] if he ever turns off his phone to be alone with his thoughts, which Cueball has and found terrifying.<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[To the east is a sea. There is a beach. Further in-land there are lots of trees with park benches under them.]<br />
:[Cueball and White Hat are walking towards the benches]<br />
:White Hat: Do you ever put your phone away and just take a moment to breathe and be alone with your thoughts?<br />
:Cueball: Yeah, once. It was ''terrifying''.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|14|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|13|w}}<br />
|A rocky hill with a {{w|lighthouse}}. [[Megan]] and [[Ponytail]] sit atop the hill. A half-buried {{w|Statue of Liberty}} is on the other side in reference to ''{{w|Planet of the Apes(film)|Planet of Apes}}'' with [[Cueball]]'s "You Maniacs!" line parodying the final line from the film. Another western shore makes this a very small landmass.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|13|w}}<br />
|Someone saying "Becky?". Possible reference to Tom Sawyer.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|12|w}}<br />
|Water<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|12|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|11|n|11|w}}<br />
|An empty white tile with symetric coordinates (11 North, 11 West).<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|11|w}}<br />
|Water. A blindfolded character playing {{w|Marco Polo (game)|Marco Polo}} alone.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|11|s|11|w}}<br />
|A black tile with symetric coordinates (11 South, 11 West).<br />
Note, that this PNG file contains an ICC section which means that the blackness in this image is properly {{w|Color correction|color-corrected}}.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|11|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|10|w}}<br />
|Water.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|10|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|9|w}}<br />
|Possibly a reference to the {{w|Principality of Sealand|Principality of Sealand}} or to the concept of a micronation in general, {{w|List of micronations|List of micronations}}. Alternative theory: news recently involving some special interest groups on the internet looking to buy an island together.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|s|9|w}}<br />
|Jellyfish playing some sort of console game.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|9|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|8|w}}<br />
|A three-masted sailing ship with a reference to {{w|Monty Python}}? One character swings from the rigging lines. One character laughs at the name {{w|poop deck}}. One character is climbing the rigging and is apparently {{w|Elizabeth Warren}}. There appears to be a vintage {{w|pirate}} onboard shouting "{{w|Glossary of nautical terms#Avast|Avast!}}" (meaning stop), but no one is apparently listening. Possibly a reference to comic being released on {{w|International Talk Like a Pirate Day}}.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|8|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|13|s|8|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|7|n|7|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|7|w}}<br />
|Water<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|13|s|7|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|7|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|6|w}}<br />
|Water<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|s|6|w}}<br />
|Jellyfish<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|13|s|6|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|6|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|6|n|5|w}}<br />
|Red spiders from earlier comics falling from the sky<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|5|w}}<br />
|Several {{w|buoys}} and a small sailboat. {{w|I'm on a Boat|"I'm on a Boat"}} is a single from The Lonely Island's debut album Incredibad.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|5|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|4|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|4|w}}<br />
|The coast of the body of water at a beach with some sea birds and beachgoers.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|4|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|3|w}}<br />
|<br />
; Transcript<br />
:[High in the sky.]<br />
:[Cueball is sitting in a swing attached to the end of a crane, and is swinging]<br />
:Cueball: WHEEE!<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|3|w}}<br />
|An empty white tile.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|3|w}}<br />
|The west wall of a large building which stair-cases narrower as it rises.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|3|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|8|n|2|w}}<br />
|This seems to be the peak of the {{w|Burj Khalifa}} to which {{1110|6|n|27|e}} refers.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|7|n|2|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|6|n|2|w}}<br />
|[[Black Hat]] is seen in the picture with a {{w|gatling gun}}, probably the Imperial cannons referred in {{1110|8|n|6|e}}.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|5|n|2|w}}<br />
|A construction crane lifting another, smaller, construction crane. Possibly a reference to the "Truck Truck Truck" gag from the Simpsons. Also, self-erecting {{w|tower crane}}s do usually not lift {{w|crawler crane}}s<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|4|n|2|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|2|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|2|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|2|w}}<br />
|The bulk of the base of the building with one terrace visible on either side. Megan says "I came here to chew bubblegum... And I'm all out of bubblegum" is a reference to the movie {{w|They Live|They Live}} in which the character Nada famously says "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum". That line is also used in the game {{w|Duke Nukem 3D|Duke Nukem 3D}} by Duke himself, when Shrapnel City (Episode 3) starts. Also, Cueball says "That's a shame" a line popularised by Jerry in the sitcom {{w|Seinfeld|Seinfeld}}. Pool line is a reference to "pool on the roof" prank from the movie {{w|Hackers (film)|Hackers}}.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|2|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|8|n|1|w}}<br />
|An empty white tile.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|5|n|1|w}}<br />
|The tail of the crawler crane lifted at {{1110|5|n|2|w}}.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|1|w}}<br />
|An empty white tile.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|1|w}}<br />
|The western wall at the base of a large building including its {{w|portico}}, a remote control rocket-powered bicycle attempting to launch from the first terrace, a balcony on the second terrace and a {{w|satellite dish}} and other exhausts on the third. Trees with squirrels stand in front of the building leading to a parking lot with cars and one {{w|Weinermobile}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|1|w}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|15|s|1|w}}<br />
|Possible statement about the ubiquity of Facebook and Twitter (that even people living in caves are aware of those services). It may also be an allusion to how desperately people seek attention through these media - a viewer could expect the characters to cry for help in order to save their lives; while they do take an appropriately desperate tone, they ask for something else entirely. <br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|13|n|1|e}}<br />
|Two whales is possibly a reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the planet [http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Magrathea Magrathea], where (improbably) two incoming missiles are turned into a whale and a bowl of petunias. It may also be a reference to the album From Mars to Sirius by the French heavy metal band Gojira, specifically the track, "Flying Whales."<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|6|n|1|e}}<br />
|A {{w|hot air balloon}} is the oldest form of human-carrying flight.<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[High in the sky. Cueball and Megan are in a hot air balloon.]<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|1|e}}<br />
|The {{w|Origin (mathematics)|"center"}} of the world; the default loaded image with Cueball floating by balloon. The balloons may be a reference to comic [[1106]]. This may also be a reference to {{w|Winnie The Pooh}}. The parking lot to the west ends to a grassy/rocky field with a tree. A hill runs up to the east with a fountain.<br />
<br />
; Transcript:<br />
:[Open scene.]<br />
:[To the extreme left there is the end of a parking lot. Right from that Cueball is holding onto a balloon several feet from the ground.]<br />
:Cueball [narration]: I just didn't expect it to be so ''BIG''.<br />
:[About 50 feet east of Cueball there is a lone tree with no leaves on it. Cueball is approximately parallel to with the top of it.]<br />
:[Farther east and much higher up is a single balloon floating away.]<br />
:[More east and on the ground Beret Guy is waving a butterfly net, chasing an RC Helicopter.]<br />
:[Two girls, one blonde and one darker, are walking away from Beret Guy.]<br />
:[On the extreme right is a fountain spraying water.]<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|1|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|15|s|1|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|16|s|1|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|17|s|1|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|9|n|2|e}}<br />
|{{w|Apollo 13}} messaging 'Houston, we have a problem'.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|2|e}}<br />
|A reference to the {{w|Greek myth}} of {{w|Icarus}} and his father's escape from {{w|Crete}} by building wings of feathers and wax. The joke is that, the incredible part of the story, the fact that Icarus and his father actually flew with simple wax and feathers, is downplayed to try to give children an object lesson about {{Wiktionary|humility}} and {{Wiktionary|hubris}}.<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[High in the air. There are feathers floating gently down. Below them is Icarus falling head first, he has the remains of wax and feather wings strapped to his arms.]<br />
:Icarus: I only hope the story of how ''building wax wings enabled me to fly'' teaches everyone a lesson about hubris.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|2|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|2|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|17|s|2|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|3|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|3|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|3|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|3|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|17|s|3|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|18|s|3|e}}<br />
|{{w|Minecraft}} reference: Someone escapes a creeper, running deeper into the cave he just fell in.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|4|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|4|e}}<br />
|A black empty tile (required because unspecified North tiles are automatically filled with white).<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|18|s|4|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|19|s|4|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|5|e}}<br />
|Cueball can't get cellphone reception, while two wingsuit flyers are leaping off a cliff above him.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|5|e}}<br />
|A black empty tile (required because unspecified North tiles are automatically filled with white).<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|17|s|5|e}}<br />
|Possibly The {{w|Nautilus (Verne)|Nautilus}}, the submarine from Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1874) <br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|19|s|5|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|8|n|6|e}}<br />
|{{w|Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|Red Five}} is both Anakin and Luke Skywalker's call sign. Anakin uses the sign in the Battle of Coruscant and Luke uses it in the Battle of Yavin. Also note the use of "{{w|cannon}}" and "{{w|Canon (basic principle)|canon}}."<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|6|e}}<br />
|Giant airborne jellyfish.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|6|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|16|s|6|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|17|s|6|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|19|s|6|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|7|e}}<br />
|Level 1-1 of the original {{w|Super Mario Bros.}} This is confirmed by text on {{1110|3|s|7|e}}. The level's "bottomless pits" continue downward.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|4|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|5|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|6|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|7|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|8|s|7|e}}<br />
|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game RPG] style pit trap<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|9|s|7|e}}<br />
|Another {{w|Minecraft}} reference. Cueball standing while a girl swings a pickaxe to further dig out a tunnel. Farther down, part of the mine shaft has collapsed and sealed the hole.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|10|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|11|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|12|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|13|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|14|s|7|e}}<br />
|Someone's walker cane is wedged in the right hand mine shaft<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|15|s|7|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|16|s|7|e}}<br />
|Suspension bridge ostensibly holding up the mine shafts above it, preventing them from falling on pyramid in the cavern village below.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|17|s|7|e}}<br />
|Pyramid in a cavern (Minecraft?) village.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|19|s|7|e}}<br />
|Horizontal tunnel<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|8|e}}<br />
|Four wind turbines<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|16|s|8|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|17|s|8|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|18|s|8|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|19|s|8|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|9|e}}<br />
|Reference to the first line of "{{w|99 Problems}}" by {{w|Jay-Z}} ("If you're having girl problems I feel bad for you son. I've got 99 problems but a <rhymes with "witch"> ain't one."). Just left of the fence is a small cleared area with what appears to be a frog in the center. Frog Prince?<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|10|e}}<br />
|The outline of a Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 aircraft, with original photo located [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier_Dash_8 here].<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|10|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|11|n|11|e}}<br />
|An empty white tile with symetric coordinates (11 N, 11 E).<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|11|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|11|s|11|e}}<br />
|An empty black tile with symetric coordinates (11 N, 11 E).<br />
Note, that this PNG file contains an ICC section which means that the blackness in this image is properly {{w|Color correction|color-corrected}}.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|5|n|12|e}}<br />
|A hot-air balloon with someone singing "Daiiisyyy... Daiiiiisy..." and another person climbing up the balloon to rip it open. These are Hal 9000's dying words as Dave pulls the plug ({{w|Daisy Bell}}).<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|12|e}}<br />
|{{w|Bourne Bridge|Bourne}} or {{w|Sagamore Bridge}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|13|e}}<br />
|{{w|Bourne Bridge|Bourne}} or {{w|Sagamore Bridge}}. A horse-drawn wagon and a tank are both crossing; a fishing boat is in the water and two character sit atop the bridge "nom"ing<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[Center of a bridge.]<br />
<br />
:[A horse-drawn carriage is crossing east, A character wearing a wig is driving, and a character in a dress is poking out the window. Black Hat is walking the same direction, but is quite a ways ahead of the carriage.]<br />
<br />
:[On top of the bridge structure, Megan and Ponytail are sitting and eating some kind of picnic.]<br />
:Megan and Ponytail: Nom nom nom<br />
<br />
:[A tank is crossing west. Ponytail is sitting on the turret. Cueball is being more daring and is balancing with arms outstretch on the end of the gun.]<br />
<br />
:[Underneath the tank what looks to be a two-masted trawler is resting with sails furled. Megan and Cueball are fore standing at the railing looking out over the sea.]<br />
:Megan: So, um, here's the thing&mdash;<br />
:Megan: I'm married to the sea, but it's a very ... ''open'' marriage.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|14|e}}<br />
|{{w|Bourne Bridge|Bourne}} or {{w|Sagamore Bridge}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|15|e}}<br />
|A character sits atop a flagpole singing the chorus of the song "Flagpole Sitta" by Harvey Danger. The characters in the wagon reference the {{w|Oregon Trail (computer game)|Oregon Trail}} computer game. [[Black Hat]] waits at the end of the bridge with a canon.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|16|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|16|e}}<br />
|A cabin which appears to be hooked up to a series of electrical towers.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|17|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|17|e}}<br />
|More power lines and a steep cliff dropoff to water. Cueball watches a butterfly flit around as they did in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanuts Peanuts] comic strip.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|18|e}}<br />
|Commercial airline jet with landing gear deployed. Caption: "Folks, this is your captain speaking. I need you all to turn on every electronic device your have. There's no time to explain." (a reference to {{w|No Time To Explain|the game with the same name}}?)<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|18|e}}<br />
|Two swimmers in the ocean saying "Stupid {{w|FreeBSD}}...". FreeBSD is a Unix-like operating system. A reference to [[349: Success]].<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|19|e}}<br />
|A {{w|humpback whale}} as seen in {{w|Pacific Life Insurance}} advertisements.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|20|e}}<br />
|A rocky shore<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|21|e}}<br />
|A fin-shaped object protrudes from the ground<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|22|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|22|e}}<br />
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|23|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|23|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|23|e}}<br />
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|4|n|24|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|24|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|24|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|24|e}}<br />
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|5|n|25|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|4|n|25|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|25|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|25|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|25|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|6|n|26|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|5|n|26|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|4|n|26|e}}<br />
|Black Hat is hanging from one of the wire supports.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|26|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|26|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|26|e}}<br />
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|7|n|27|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|6|n|27|e}}<br />
|Tallest man made structure is {{w|Burj Khalifa}} (829.84 m (2,723 ft)) located in Dubai. This appears to be the former record-holder, the {{w|KVLY-TV mast}} in North Dakota.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|5|n|27|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|4|n|27|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|27|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|27|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|27|e}}<br />
|The base of a {{w|radio tower}}<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|6|n|28|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|5|n|28|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|4|n|28|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|28|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|28|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|28|e}}<br />
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|5|n|29|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|4|n|29|e}}<br />
|Someone is sliding down the wire.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|29|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|29|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|29|e}}<br />
|{{w|Guy-wire}}s<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|4|n|30|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|30|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|30|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|30|e}}<br />
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|3|n|31|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|31|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|31|e}}<br />
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|32|e}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|32|e}}<br />
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|33|e}}<br />
|A tree with a tractor<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|34|e}}<br />
|A rolling grassy landscape with a fence<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|35|e}}<br />
|a {{w|barn}} and some trees<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|36|e}}<br />
|Reference to the original Pokemon games. When Prof. Oak tells you not to go into the tall grass without a Pokemon.<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[There is a large hill with very tall grass (taller than any character in this section).]<br />
:[Left-most is some structure of some kind.]<br />
:[West of the structure is Cueball shouting to Megan, who is running into the long grass.]<br />
:Cueball: Don't go into the long grass!<br />
:Megan: Pikachu, I choose ''DEATH''&mdash;<br />
:Megan: And with it immortality.<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|37|e}}<br />
|Grass<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|38|e}}<br />
|Grass with a short rectangular structure<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|2|n|39|e}}<br />
|The top of a water tower<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|39|e}}<br />
|The base of a water tower<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|40|e}}<br />
|Grass<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|41|e}}<br />
|Grass<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|42|e}}<br />
|Grass<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|43|e}}<br />
|Grass<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|44|e}}<br />
|Grass<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|45|e}}<br />
|Grass<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|46|e}}<br />
|Grass<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|47|e}}<br />
|Grass<br />
|-<br />
|{{1110|1|n|48|e}}<br />
|[[Cueball]] with a balloon in his hand, flying towards the image border. He says "I wonder where I'll float next". This is a reference to [[1|the very first xkcd comic]]. It may also be a reference to {{w|World of Goo}}, a computer game, where at the and of level 1 the goo balls leave the screen carried by balloons, wondering what will be next.<br />
;Transcript<br />
:[Grassy hill slowly rolls until the extreme right which ends in a much larger drop-off. This is the end of the world.]<br />
:[Cueball is still floating holding his balloon, heading further east.]<br />
:Cueball: I wonder where I'll float next.<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
== Whole Image ==<br />
<br />
[[Image:1110_full_tiny.png|600px|center|Whole image]]<br />
<br />
The probably best way to see the whole image and navigate effortlessly through it ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zooming_user_interface map-like, with zooming in and out]), has been implemented at http://xkcd-map.rent-a-geek.de/ and http://clickanddrag.azurewebsites.net/. There is also a version at http://sumamimasen.com/xkcd/1110/ that stays faithful to the original, but adds keyboard controls.<br />
<br />
== Trivia ==<br />
<br />
*The click-and-drag portion of this comic is divided up into 2592 sections of 2048x2048 pixels.<br />
*There are 225 separate 2048x2048 PNG files (plus the PNG container with the first panels). The other 2337 sections are simply filled black (in the south) or white (in the north) with HTML.<br />
*The populated area is 81 frames wide(33 West - 48 East) and 32 frames tall (13 North - 19 South)<br />
*According to [[Randall]] in #xkcd on the night this was released, a full size image of this comic, leaving out the blanks would be 60 gigapixels, a true single rectangular image would be close to a terapixel. The online version is 1 gigapixel without the blanks and 10 gigapixel as rectangular image (2048x2048x225 = 943,718,400 and 2048x2048x2592 = 10,871,635,968).<br />
*Based on the height of figures as well as the "two mile" figure given on the left-hand side, the scale should be approximately 32 pixels per 5 feet, making the entire map 25920 feet wide (4.9 miles or 7.9 kilometers) by 10240 feet tall (1.9 miles or 3.1 kilometers). If it were an overhead area, it would be about 9.5 square miles (6093 acres or 24.7 square km), roughly the size of Block Island, Rhode Island, USA.<br />
*If the 2048x2048 PNGs were to be printed out as a single poster at 300 dpi, the poster would be 15.36 yards (14.05 meters) long and 6.07 yards (5.55 meters) tall. Most of the detail would be invisible, as these PNGs are optimized for ~72 dpi screens.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Velociraptors]]</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1095:_Crazy_Straws&diff=9248Talk:1095: Crazy Straws2012-08-16T18:26:33Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>Compare [[915:_Connoisseur|xkcd.com/915]]. [[User:Arlo James Barnes|Arlo James Barnes]] ([[User talk:Arlo James Barnes|talk]]) 10:06, 15 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
*"Subcultures" is misspelled in the comic. Perhaps Randall will fix it and reupload? [[User:Erenan|Erenan]] ([[User talk:Erenan|talk]]) 15:17, 15 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
:Randall has corrected the mistake, but the image on this page is still the old one. Would we want to keep both versions of the image in the interest of completeness? [[User:Erenan|Erenan]] ([[User talk:Erenan|talk]]) 00:02, 16 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
* Have to admit, this one went a bit over my head. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 20:38, 15 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
*Fractals not only have an unlimited level of detail; they are (most times) self-similar in the sense that you'll find the same pattern on every level of detail. Just like finding the equivalent of finding the "Paris hilton of the plastic straw subcultures' hobbyists' splinter group." [[User:BKA|BKA]] ([[User talk:BKA|talk]]) 09:06, 16 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
*I think we should get the corrected comic, but note that it was originally misspelled in the explanation. Tebow Time, Twice a Day. 17:19, 16 August 2012 (UTC) ([[User talk:jjhuddle|talk]]) <br />
<br />
*It's a mistake to think the every-pickier level of detail is a flaw in these interest subcultures. Smaller and smaller levels of study are what flesh out our knowledge of the world. And myriad small subgroups of shared interests allow many people to achieve excellence and status, not just in their minds but in an (admittedly small) range of reality. Examples: the people who maintain and improve the Kennedy line of Boston Terriers; people whose specialty is tooth wear in prehuman hominids; people who parse xkcd comics.<br />
<br />
* I don't think that the comic means it as a flaw, I think it's a just a (humourous) observation, not a negative critisism.<br />
<br />
* Agreed, and it even goes on here (just drop in on the community portal, to see tempests in a tea pot such as whether he's [[Cueball]] or [[Rob]]...) I couldn't help but think that RM poked his head in on this site and came up with this comic as a response. (Of course, that would be greatly overestimating our importance in the grand scheme of things, but we are all entitled to our little fantasies of grandeur, no?) Ah, well... it seemed perfect timing nonetheless. '''By the way, folks: please sign your posts.''' Four tildes, a la <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>, is all it takes... -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:30, 16 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
* I don't think the fractal analogy holds because human subcultures cannot be nested infinitely deep. At some point, subcultures will come down to individual humans, who aren't also (infinitely deep) subcultures. [[Special:Contributions/70.31.155.184|70.31.155.184]] 15:06, 16 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
** Randall is using the term hyperbolically &mdash; his point is that subcultures have ludicrous amounts of detail, not necessarily infinite. [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 18:26, 16 August 2012 (UTC)</div>108.233.253.211https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1095:_Crazy_Straws&diff=91131095: Crazy Straws2012-08-15T21:51:19Z<p>108.233.253.211: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1095<br />
| date = August 15, 2012<br />
| title = Crazy Straws<br />
| image = Crazy Straws.png<br />
| titletext = The new crowd is heavily shaped by this guy named Eric, who's basically the Paris Hilton of the amateur plastic crazy straw design world.<br />
| imagesize =<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A {{w|subculture}} is a small group of people within a culture that share some property in common, such as hackers or hipsters. Some subcultures form based on a geeky obsession over a trivial topic. In this case, that topic is crazy straws, which are toy drinking straws designed with unusual twists and loops. This strip satirizes these groups by comparing them to fractals.<br />
<br />
Informally speaking, a {{w|fractal}} is a mathematical shape with an infinite level of detail. Just as fractals can always be divided into smaller patterns, Randall points out that human subcultures can always be divided into smaller subcultures. We have the "people who like crazy straws" subculture, but this is further divided into the professionals and the hobbyists. The hobbyists are themselves broken into those who accept loops in the straws and those who don't. (A splinter group, as used in the comic, is a subculture that breaks off from a larger one.)<br />
<br />
Despite the incredible amount of work fans put into it, the whole concept seems completely inconsequential to an outsider. The irony is the source of humor in this strip. An earlier comic, [http://xkcd.com/915/ Connoisseur], covers a similar topic.<br />
<br />
{{w|Paris Hilton}} is a celebrity who is essentially famous for being famous.<br />
<br />
{{Comic discussion}}</div>108.233.253.211