https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=66.202.132.250&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T10:12:54ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1264:_Slideshow&diff=489181264: Slideshow2013-09-13T13:19:09Z<p>66.202.132.250: copyedit</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1264<br />
| date = September 13, 2013<br />
| title = Slideshow<br />
| image = slideshow.gif<br />
| titletext = Points to anyone who hacks the Flickr devs' computers to make their text editors do this when you click on anything.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete}}<br />
It is very common for websites to feature a gallery of images – a website for a school, for example, would probably feature pictures of the students and teachers. However, some websites are designed to show this gallery of images with crossfade between images, and panning and zooming effects during each image; this can be distracting. In many cases, there isn't an option to scroll through the pictures manually or turn off the crossfading/zooming/panning. Randall, through [[Cueball]], expresses frustration at this.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests points will we awarded to whoever can add that annoying effect to the text editors of the developers of Flickr, so they can be subjected to the same thing to which they are subjecting Cueball.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:Dear website operators,<br />
:[Animation of Cueball saying these three things with fading and zooming effects.]<br />
:Cueball: I will ''never''...<br />
:Cueball: ...want to browse a series of images...<br />
:Cueball: ...like this.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1231:_Habitable_Zone&diff=42364Talk:1231: Habitable Zone2013-06-28T15:30:51Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>Even if you placed the mirror in Space, it would be incredibly obvious what is going on. I don't think this would work. [[Special:Contributions/96.251.85.48|96.251.85.48]] 06:56, 28 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:For this trick to work, the mirror would need to be placed AT LEAST two light years away and be at least 1AU big. Somehow I don't think this is worth it. Alternatively, you need more complicated optical system which would not only mirror Earth, but also create illusion it's further away. I still think such system would be more costly to build that ISS. Or ... well ... you could put an LCD display directly over the telescope. That's doable, cheap and as a bonus you can display planets from sci-fi there. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:44, 28 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
Since when do we have terrestrial telescopes that can directly resolve exoplanets? I think we're still at the stage where we get excited by troughs in light curves EDIT: TIL that there are specific techniques for exactly that: {{w|Nulling interferometry}} and {{w|Vortex coronagraph}}s. Still, they may work for hot Jupiters, but don't think we can detect Goldilocks exoplanets from the ground yet; much less see oceans and visible weather. [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 09:14, 28 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
My first thought was that you need to point the mirror so that it's aimed perfectly at the Earth. Then, I realized that you can use a corner reflector so that the aim doesn't have to be precise at all. Then, I came to the following realization: what if a significant portion of the stars we see are simply reflections of our own solar system due to a massive prank done by aliens? [[Special:Contributions/174.88.153.125|174.88.153.125]] 15:22, 28 June 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1227:_The_Pace_of_Modern_Life&diff=41206Talk:1227: The Pace of Modern Life2013-06-19T14:16:10Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>Is it sad that after reading the first few, I thought "TL; DR" and found myself skim reading most of them since I'm meant to be working right now and not reading xkcd? {{unsigned ip|90.152.3.226}}<br />
<br />
That's obviously what's intended [[Special:Contributions/155.56.68.216|155.56.68.216]] 09:53, 19 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I don't think it's sad. According to my 11th Grade Literary Analysis, the propensity to take shortcuts is a fundamental flaw in human nature, but introductory Psychology lauded our use of heuristics. I say you should find meaning in your humanity and ability to set your own priorities and allocate just enough resources to various aspects of your life in order to succeed in life where the objectives are unclear.[[Special:Contributions/98.166.43.28|98.166.43.28]] 12:06, 19 June 2013 (UTC)DBrak<br />
<br />
The topic made me slow down, read, and understand. Perhaps the point was lost on me, but the expressions from a century ago seem much like those made today. One can't help but wonder if that means they were wrong then and wrong now or if our society was in a century long devolutionary spiral, terminating with Twitter or whatever is coming next. --[[Special:Contributions/108.34.230.242|108.34.230.242]] 10:02, 19 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Had this continued to present day the most recent entry would be something like this:<br />
:lol didnt read '''#tldr #boredalready #yawn'''<br />
:::- Most of 'Civilisation', ''Social Media''<br />
::::::::::2013<br />
[[Special:Contributions/77.86.53.65|77.86.53.65]] 12:11, 19 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Just added an explanation. Unfortunately, there's no transcript provided in the source code and I don't have time to type all that out (who does?). Also, I have no idea what to use for categories. Any suggestions? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 12:36, 19 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Not a suggestion, but does anyone know if Randall types or writes it out, or copies and pastes? --[[User:Luckymustard|Luckymustard]] ([[User talk:Luckymustard|talk]]) 13:04, 19 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Looks like the letterforms are identical -- my guess is a custom font. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 14:16, 19 June 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=454:_Rewiring&diff=40730454: Rewiring2013-06-14T19:14:56Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 454<br />
| date = July 25, 2008<br />
| title = Rewiring<br />
| image = rewiring.png<br />
| titletext = My friend Elizabeth tried to mail one end of the cable to me and thread the mail system.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Stub.}}<br />
<br />
Nearly all buildings are wired for landline phone service. Typically, the wiring comes into the residence at one point (the telco's {{w|Network interface device}}) and then extends throughout the house to multiple jacks, so that the same phone line can be shared among multiple devices. High-speed Internet access is similar in that it originates from one point in the house (the cable modem or DSL modem). Many people wish the phone wiring and phone jacks in their residences were Ethernet (Cat-5 or Cat-6) wiring and (RJ-45) jacks for distributing Internet access around the home, so that they wouldn't have to resort to wifi (speed is comparable but reliability is less), running cables through the living area (ugly and hazardous) or rewiring-- pulling new cable behind the walls (difficult or expensive).<br />
<br />
The comic depicts a fanciful way to convert phone lines to ethernet lines by simply faxing an ethernet cable to someone else (a fax machine being a way of digitizing something).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is feeding cable into a device on a desk labeled "fax".]<br />
:Fax: ''zzz zzz''<br />
:[Outdoors, showing a plant and a lamp (indicates panels 1 and 3 are separate locations).]<br />
:[Megan, laptop behind her, is pulling a cable out of a fax machine.]<br />
:Fax: ''zzzzz''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:505:_A_Bunch_of_Rocks&diff=40222Talk:505: A Bunch of Rocks2013-06-10T16:44:17Z<p>66.202.132.250: Created page with "===Weird thing with lines in it=== probably has something to do with relativity -- two objects moving, arriving at different points at the same time, or maybe a diagram of spa..."</p>
<hr />
<div>===Weird thing with lines in it===<br />
probably has something to do with relativity -- two objects moving, arriving at different points at the same time, or maybe a diagram of spacetime. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 16:44, 10 June 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=504:_Legal_Hacks&diff=39583504: Legal Hacks2013-06-05T17:44:54Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 504<br />
| date = 2008-11-14<br />
| title = Legal Hacks<br />
| image = legal_hacks.png<br />
| titletext = It's totally a reasonable modern analogue. Jefferson would have been all about crypto.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Encryption, sometimes called "cryptography," or "crypto" for short, is the art of transmitting messages that can only be read by the intended receiver(s) by using mathematical techniques to systematically re-arrange the data in the message. For example, if each letter of the alphabet has a number assigned to it (A = 1, B = 2, C = 3), and so on, and the person receiving your message already knows a nice long, hard-to-guess number (say, the exact latitude-and-longitude coordinates of the treehouse you used to play in as kids), then you can 'rotate' or 'shuffle' each of the letters in your message by the digits of your hard-to-guess number so that only someone who knows that number will be able to decode the message.<br />
<br />
One popular and effective way to encrypt messages is called "RSA," after the last initials of the three cryptographers who invented it. The RSA technique relies on the fact that it is much easier to multiply two medium-sized numbers together than it is to factor a large number back into two medium numbers. For example, given the numbers 13 and 17, most middle schoolers can figure out that 13 * 17 = 221, but given only the number 253, it is much harder to figure out what numbers can be multiplied together to arrive there. This principle holds (and intensifies) as numbers get larger, so that a number with 600 digits (or a phrase with 400 letters) can be used to make a code virtually unbreakable with present technology.<br />
<br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA_(algorithm)<br />
<br />
Being able to share unbreakable codes (and decrypt other people's codes) gives countries a military advantage -- for example, in World War II, the Americans and British were often able to figure out where a German attack would be coming and send reinforcements there, because they had cracked the German codes. Because of this, the United States government initially tried to keep the mathematical details of the RSA technique inside the country by classifying the techniques as a weapon. It is a crime to share certain kinds of weapons technology with other countries without permission. Amateur and professional cryptographers, angry about the attempt to restrict their work, lobbied the government to change the rule and stop treating cryptography as a weapon, in part so that they could continue to collaborate with colleagues overseas, and in part because they wanted the ability to pass secret messages that the government could not easily decrypt.<br />
<br />
In the comic, the woman makes the provocative and counter-intuitive point that perhaps the cryptographic community could have best ensured easy access to the RSA technique by *allowing* the government to treat RSA as a weapon, and then, once everyone is certain that RSA is a weapon, invoking the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which says that "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." In other words, if RSA were a weapon, perhaps the government would be powerless to stop ordinary people from 'bearing,' i.e., obtaining and using, that weapon.<br />
<br />
The man is surprised and impressed by this point, and pauses to contemplate the woman's strategy.<br />
<br />
The title text claims that this is a reasonable interpretation of the Constitution, because cryptography (a modern weapon) is analogous to muskets and cannons (the weaponry in use in the 1780s, when the Second Amendment was drafted). As evidence for the analogy, the title text points out that Jefferson would have been a big fan of cryptography, which is plausible, because President Thomas Jefferson (the 3rd President of the United States) was an amateur scientist who enjoyed studying a very wide variety of fields. The point is somewhat facetious, because it is hard to imagine a modern technique that Jefferson would *not* "be totally into." Also, the mere fact that an early President was a fan of a technique is not very good legal evidence that the technique would be covered by a particular Amendment.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[Megan sits at her computer, Cueball standing behind her.]<br />
<br />
Megan: Another ISP&#39;s filtering content.<br />
<br />
Cueball: Thank God for Crypto.<br />
<br />
[Next panel: Cueball stands alone; Megan is presumably off-panel left.]<br />
<br />
Cueball: It wasn&#39;t that long ago that RSA was illegal to export. Classified a munition.<br />
<br />
[Megan, sitting in her chair, is looking back towards Cueball, presumably off-panel right.]<br />
<br />
Megan: You know, I think the crypto community took the wrong side in that fight. We should&#39;ve lobbied to keep it counted as a weapon.<br />
<br />
Cueball: Why?<br />
<br />
[She is now turned around in the chair looking at Cueball, who is in-panel again.]<br />
<br />
Megan: Once they get complacent, we break out the second amendment.<br />
<br />
[Cueball has his hand on his chin, contemplatively.]<br />
<br />
Cueball: ...Damn.<br />
{Title text: It&#39;s totally a reasonable modern analogue. Jefferson would have been all about crypto.}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
{{Comics featuring Cueball}} {{Comics featuring Megan}}</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:370:_Redwall&diff=39568Talk:370: Redwall2013-06-05T16:16:06Z<p>66.202.132.250: Created page with "===Religious Objections to Redwall do exist=== Reading Redwall as a religious child, I got quite angry at all the subtle digs at religion. It's quite clear that the Redwall un..."</p>
<hr />
<div>===Religious Objections to Redwall do exist===<br />
Reading Redwall as a religious child, I got quite angry at all the subtle digs at religion. It's quite clear that the Redwall universe has no gods, other than ascended heroes, who usually just reincarnate anyway. The churches and monasteries don't seem to have any particular reason for existing. All the bad guys are named after notable Christian saints/monks. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 16:16, 5 June 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:308:_Interesting_Life&diff=39427Talk:308: Interesting Life2013-06-04T18:40:16Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>===References==<br />
The "interesting life" is a reference to a purported Chinese curse, "{{w|May you live in interesting times}}." There is no such curse recorded in Chinese -- it's apocryphal.<br />
<br />
The adventure is being contrasted with working a 9-5 job in a {{w|cubicle}} farm, considered a boring and safe occupation. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 18:36, 4 June 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:308:_Interesting_Life&diff=39426Talk:308: Interesting Life2013-06-04T18:39:17Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>===References==<br />
The "interesting life" is a reference to a purported Chinese curse, "{{w:May you live in interesting times}}." There is no such curse recorded in Chinese -- it's apocryphal.<br />
<br />
The adventure is being contrasted with working a 9-5 job in a {{w:cubicle}} farm, considered a boring and safe occupation. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 18:36, 4 June 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:308:_Interesting_Life&diff=39425Talk:308: Interesting Life2013-06-04T18:36:45Z<p>66.202.132.250: Created page with "===References== The "interesting life" is a reference to a purported Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." This is not an actual Chinese curse -- it's apocryphal..."</p>
<hr />
<div>===References==<br />
The "interesting life" is a reference to a purported Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." This is not an actual Chinese curse -- it's apocryphal.<br />
<br />
The adventure is being contrasted with working a 9-5 job in a cubical farm. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 18:36, 4 June 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=450:_The_Sea&diff=38914450: The Sea2013-05-30T13:54:14Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 450<br />
| date = July 16, 2008<br />
| title = The Sea<br />
| image = the_sea.png<br />
| titletext = And then a second one, to drain the sea.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] compares himself to a very large sea and realizes how small he is. The initial implication is that this causes him to be humble and realize his small place on the planet -- a common sentiment expressed in poetry and blogs.<br />
<br />
The punchline "I should get one of those pumps" induces humor by reversing the expectation: as he thinks about how small he is compared to the sea, he starts wanting to buy a pump, presumably take out the sea water so the sea could be smaller and not so much a threat to his self-image anymore. It shows that he really hasn't learned anything and is still egotistical.<br />
<br />
The titletext/hovertext creates additional humor by reversing the expectation yet again, by saying that he wanted another pump to drain the sea, meaning that the purpose of the first pump was not to drain the sea. This leads the reader to ponder what possible use the first pump was to have, and how it was going to make him bigger. Putting together the ideas "one of those pumps" and "make myself bigger" and self-image, the obvious inference is that Cueball was initially thinking about buying a {{w|penis enlargement}} pump, perhaps to counteract the penile shrinkage due to the ocean. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1535/why-does-the-penis-shrink-when-its-cold<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The narrator stands on a beach at night, staring out across the moonlit ocean]<br />
:Narrator: THE SEA ALWAYS MAKES ME REALIZE<br />
:Narrator: HOW SMALL I REALLY AM.<br />
:Narrator: I SHOULD GET ONE OF THOSE PUMPS.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=450:_The_Sea&diff=38913450: The Sea2013-05-30T13:52:39Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 450<br />
| date = July 16, 2008<br />
| title = The Sea<br />
| image = the_sea.png<br />
| titletext = And then a second one, to drain the sea.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] compares himself to a very large sea and realizes how small he is. The initial implication is that this causes him to be humble and realize his small place on the planet -- a common sentiment expressed in poetry and blogs.<br />
<br />
The punchline "I should get one of those pumps" induces humor by reversing the expectation: as he thinks about how small he is compared to the sea, he starts wanting to buy a pump, presumably take out the sea water so the sea could be smaller and not so intimidating to him anymore. It shows that he really hasn't learned anything and is still selfish.<br />
<br />
The titletext/hovertext creates additional humor by reversing the expectation yet again, by saying that he wanted another pump to drain the sea, meaning that the purpose of the first pump was not to drain the sea. This leads the reader to ponder what possible use the first pump was to have, and how it was going to make him bigger. Putting together the ideas "one of those pumps" and "make myself bigger", the obvious inference is that Cueball was initially thinking about buying a {{w|penis enlargement}} pump, perhaps to counteract the penile shrinkage due to the ocean. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1535/why-does-the-penis-shrink-when-its-cold<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The narrator stands on a beach at night, staring out across the moonlit ocean]<br />
:Narrator: THE SEA ALWAYS MAKES ME REALIZE<br />
:Narrator: HOW SMALL I REALLY AM.<br />
:Narrator: I SHOULD GET ONE OF THOSE PUMPS.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=473:_Still_Raw&diff=38365473: Still Raw2013-05-24T16:30:18Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 473<br />
| date = September 8, 2008<br />
| title = Still Raw<br />
| image = still raw.png<br />
| titletext = We actually divorced once over the airplane/treadmill argument. (Preemptive response to the inevitable threads arguing about it: you're all wrong on the internet.)<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] seems to have been forcibly divorced because he believed that Pluto should never have been a planet. This applies to not only Pluto recently being declared no longer a planet, but also the controversy over its status back when Pluto '''was''' considered a planet, given that planets tend to be balls of gas while Pluto was all rock, or again, how Pluto has an orbit different from the rest of the planets in the solar system.<br />
<br />
In the title text, the airplane/treadmill argument starts when someone asks whether an airplane can take off while it is on a treadmill that is opposing its progress (pulling it backward). The question usually leads to arguments because it is posed ambiguously. Properly defining the question shows that the airplane can indeed take off (because its forward motion is provided by its propeller/jet engine, not its wheels, which are free to spin at any speed) and experiments (such as Mythbusters') bear this out.<br />
<br />
http://blog.xkcd.com/2008/09/09/the-goddamn-airplane-on-the-goddamn-treadmill/<br />
http://www.airplaneonatreadmill.com/<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball laying on sidewalk outside a house, surrounded by his belongings.]<br />
:She threw me out yelling "You don't say those words, not in this house."<br />
:It's been two years. I thought the wounds had healed.<br />
:But I stand by what I said...<br />
:Pluto should never have been a planet.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=511:_Sleet&diff=38364511: Sleet2013-05-24T16:23:46Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 511<br />
| date = December 1, 2008<br />
| title = Sleet<br />
| image = sleet.png<br />
| titletext = I mean, I can barely hear myself complaining about Battlestar Galactica.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Megan]] is seen leaving an apartment (possibly [[Cueball]]'s), trudging through {{w|Sleet|foul weather}}. The dialog is likely her thoughts, rather than speech. She is fed up with the second person's (hereafter Cueball) endless discussion of {{w|Digital rights management}} (DRM). She probably agrees with Cueball's position, but would rather face the weather than his endless rehashing of the issue. In the last panel, {{w|Free Culture (book)|Free Culture}} is a book by {{w|Lawrence Lessig}}, who advocates for fewer restrictions in many areas. In the title text, {{w|Battlestar Galactica}} is a science-fiction TV series that produces strong reactions among geeks. The first line is possibly a reference to the song {{w|Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! |Let It Snow}}, a holiday tune.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Rainy, cold, windy street; Megan is walking along street; narration is from Megan's point-of-view.]<br />
:The weather outside is frightful.<br />
:I hate trudging through the icy slush and biting sleet.<br />
:But it beats lying in our warm, cozy bed<br />
:Listening to you talk about DRM for hours on end<br />
:Offscreen: Come back! Just listen to this one quote from ''Free Culture''!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=511:_Sleet&diff=38363511: Sleet2013-05-24T16:23:13Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 511<br />
| date = December 1, 2008<br />
| title = Sleet<br />
| image = sleet.png<br />
| titletext = I mean, I can barely hear myself complaining about Battlestar Galactica.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Megan]] is seen leaving an apartment (possibly [[Cueball]]'s), trudging through {{w|Sleet|foul weather}}. The dialog is likely her thoughts, rather than speech. She is fed up with the second person's (hereafter Cueball) endless discussion of {{w|Digital rights management}} (DRM). She probably agrees with Cueball's position, but would rather face the weather than his endless rehashing of the issue. In the last panel, {{w|Free Culture (book)|Free Culture}} is a book by {{w|Lawrence Lessing}}, who advocates for fewer restrictions in many areas. {{w|Battlestar Galactica}} is a science-fiction TV series that produces strong reactions among geeks. The first line is possibly a reference to the song {{w|Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! |Let It Snow}}, a holiday tune.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Rainy, cold, windy street; Megan is walking along street; narration is from Megan's point-of-view.]<br />
:The weather outside is frightful.<br />
:I hate trudging through the icy slush and biting sleet.<br />
:But it beats lying in our warm, cozy bed<br />
:Listening to you talk about DRM for hours on end<br />
:Offscreen: Come back! Just listen to this one quote from ''Free Culture''!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=521:_2008_Christmas_Special&diff=37404521: 2008 Christmas Special2013-05-14T22:01:43Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 521<br />
| date = December 24, 2008<br />
| title = 2008 Christmas Special<br />
| image = 2008_christmas_special.png<br />
| titletext = 'How could you possibly think typing 'import skynet' was a good idea?'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is the xkcd Christmas Special from the year 2008. The prologue states that due to the {{w|2008 financial crisis}}, only very few images of the strip could be produced. It is therefore left to the reader to reconstruct the whole story based on the given images. While it is claimed that the reconstruction should be rather easy, the complicated and abstruse plot-line makes it nearly impossible to fill the gaps. Any attempt at inferring the missing images would therefore be largely guesswork. The comic features the well-known xkcd characters getting involved in a strange fight with cyborgs and raptors on Christmas eve.<br />
<br />
The line "We apologise for the inconvenience." is possibly a reference to the famous book series {{w|The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy}} by {{w|Douglas Adams}}. It appears there as God's Final Message to His Creation, written in letters of fire on the side of the Quentulus Quazgar Mountains.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 2:''' [[Megan]] strives to outdo some christmas lights she has seen on YouTube.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 3:''' Dissatisfied with her work, Megan is thinking about alternative ways improve her light arrangement. The idea of firing {{w|Sodium}} pellets into snow is probably a bad one, as Sodium reacts exothermically with water and may, in large amounts, induce explosions.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 5:''' Probably still obsessed with the idea of creating a large and impressive light display, Megan has constructed an electronic device with an {{w|Arduino}} processor, perhaps to make the light chain show patterns. However, the amount of energy she used was apparently too high, causing one of the control boards to vaporise.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 7:''' Megan's device has developed {{w|artificial intelligence}}, allowing it to feel. This common trope in science-fiction works usually leads to the system's attempting to eradicate its creator. [[Cueball]] attributes the emergence of a personality to flaws in the programming language {{w|Python (programming language|Python}}.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 11:''' Out of context, this panel introduces the idea of {{w|Santa Claus}} being a {{w|muslim}}. This is a reference to the persistent Internet rumors that Barrack Obama is a Muslim, though he declares himself to be a Christian. However, the theory probably relates to the fact the Santa Claus is usually displayed with a large beard, which is sometimes also sported by conservative Muslims.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 13:''' At this point the self-conscious Christmas light control systems has apparently released {{w|cyborgs}} that tried to kill Megan and Cueball. In order to repel the cyborgs, they have cloned {{w|Velociraptors}}. Cueball expresses doubt whether that was really a good idea. Velociraptors appear frequently in xkcd, cf. comics [[87]], [[135]] and [[292]].<br />
<br />
'''Panel 17:''' As predicted, the raptors have gone wild, but Megan, Cueball and the two smaller characters (perhaps their children) managed to cage the dinosaurs. They believe themselves safe unless the raptors learn how to build {{w|lightsabers}}.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 19:''' The raptors have indeed succeeded with constructing lightsabers and must now be fought. The "Clever girl" is a reference to a line from Jurassic Park where the raptors outflank (and kill) one of the human characters.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 23:''' IT billionaire {{w|Bill Gates}} has mistakenly killed Santa Claus, possibly in a sword fight. He claims to have taken him for {{w|Richard Stallman}}, a prominent {{w|free software}} activist. (Gates strongly opposes the idea of free software and is therefore considered a antagonist by many of its supporters.) The most striking resemblance between Stallman and Santa Claus is probably the long and untamed beard. Comic [[225]] is one of the most famous xkcd comics and features Stallman involved in a sword fight.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 29:''' Megan asks [[Black Hat]] where he obtained the enormously large {{w|christmas tree}} that can be seen on the right side of the picture. It is implied that he logged {{w|Yggdrasil}}, a giant ash tree in Norse mythology. According to tradition, Yggdrasil is the world tree representing the whole creation and holding together the cosmological structure.<br />
<br />
'''Panel 31:''' [[Randall]] wishes Merry Christmas to all xkcd readers.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to panel 7. In Python, modules are imported using the "import ''module''" syntax. {{w|Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet}} is a self-conscious artificial intelligence system featured in the {{w|Terminator}} film series as the main antagonist. Importing the skynet module might therefore account for Megan's system's developing an evil personality.<br />
<br />
Note that this comic was first published in another version that had panel 29 as panel 27 and the "Merry Christmas from xkcd" message at the bottom. As 27 is not a {{w|prime number}}, the current version was published in lieu of the erroneous one. The original version can be found [[:File:2008_christmas_special_original.png|here]] for the sake of completeness.<br />
<br />
It has been observed that the top left nine panels form a {{w|Glider (Conway's life)|Glider}} in {{w|Conway's Game of Life}}, although rotated by 90 degrees. The glider is sometimes used as an emblem representing {{w|hacker subculture}}. It remains however unclear wether the occurrence in the comic is intentional or owed to the prime number pattern.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:The 2008 XKCD Christmas Special<br />
:Due to the slowing economy, we could only afford to produce the prime-numbered panels.<br />
:You should be able to infer the missing parts of the story easily enough.<br />
:We apologize for the inconvenience.<br />
:[The first panel is blank.]<br />
:[Megan carrying Christmas lights and Cueball watching.]<br />
:Megan: I'm going to one-up those Christmas light displays on YouTube.<br />
:[Megan thinking]<br />
:Megan: Hmm. Needs more flair. Do you know what happens when you fire sodium pellets into a snowbank?<br />
:Cueball: No.<br />
:Megan: Me neither.<br />
:[The next panel is blank.]<br />
:[Megan sitting in front of a console.]<br />
:Megan: Whoops, one of the Arduino control boards sublimated.<br />
:Megan: If only I could make it self-repairing...<br />
:[The next panel is blank.]<br />
:Megan: Shit. The system has become sentient.<br />
:Cueball: Friggin' Python.<br />
:System: GRAAARR!<br />
:[The next three panels are blank.]<br />
:[Megan showing laptop to Cueball.]<br />
:Megan: But according to this email forward, Santa is secretly a Muslim!<br />
:Cueball: It explains everything!<br />
:[The next panel is blank.]<br />
:Megan: Okay, the cloned raptors are hunting the last of the cyborgs. We're safe.<br />
:Cueball: Are you sure you thought this through?<br />
:[The next three panels are blank.]<br />
:[Two couples appear in this next panel.]<br />
:Cueball: Are the raptors contained?<br />
:Girl: Sure. Unless they figure out how to build lightsabers.<br />
:[The next panel is blank.]<br />
:[Guy with hat fighting with a raptor using lightsabers.]<br />
:Cueball: It's all right. I've got her.<br />
:[Lightsaber appears from behind.]<br />
:Snap-hiss!<br />
:Cueball: ...Clever girl.<br />
:[The next three panels are blank.]<br />
:[Bill Gates is holding a weapon over Santa's body. The two girls are watching.]<br />
:Megan: Great. Bill Gates kills Santa.<br />
:Bill Gates: I thought it was Stallman with a dyed beard.<br />
:[The next five panels are blank.]<br />
:[Megan and Black Hat are looking at a tree.]<br />
:Megan: Where did you get this Christmas tree?<br />
:Black Hat: Nowhere.<br />
:Megan: Did you cut down the Yggdrasil?<br />
:Black Hat: ...Maybe.<br />
:[The next panel is blank.]<br />
:[Megan and Cueball holding hands and looking at reader.]<br />
:Merry Christmas from XKCD <3<br />
:[The last panel is blank.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Christmas]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:Velociraptors]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=536:_Space_Elevators&diff=36604536: Space Elevators2013-05-07T21:46:26Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 536<br />
| date = January 28, 2009<br />
| title = Space Elevators<br />
| image = space_elevators.png<br />
| titletext = If you think space elevators are good, but just too boring and practical, check out the 'space fountain'.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Arthur C. Clarke was a science fiction writer and a futurist who claimed that people would need to "stop laughing" (either because humanity has advanced enough that humor is unknown, or because they finally realize it is a viable and worthwhile effort) before accomplishing the creation of a space elevator. Cueball used his quote to insult ''Mind of Mencia'' as not funny in the least, and that having it instead of other shows will stop people from laughing. The 'space fountain' mentioned in the title text is another proposed method of overcoming the planet's gravitational hold, involving an effect similar to that of a coil gun.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Megan sit beside a moonlit lake.]<br />
:Cueball: Arthur C. Clarke said space elevators will be built 50 years after everybody stops laughing.<br />
:[Closeup of Cueball.]<br />
:Cueball: So all we have to do is get Mind of Mencia on every channel and wait.<br />
:Megan: Oh, hush.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1202:_Girls_and_Boys&diff=34822Talk:1202: Girls and Boys2013-04-23T19:16:48Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>I figured it was a poem. Turns out it is, of a sort.<br />
https://encrypted.google.com/search?q="girls+go+to"+"to+get+more"<br />
[[Special:Contributions/68.151.108.107|68.151.108.107]] 04:50, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I thought of ''Men are from Mars Women are from Venus'' by John Gray and the response ''Men Are from Earth. Women Are from Earth: Deal with It'' by Gorge Carlin. If only the sexes could work together we could go to Jupiter.<br />
--[[Special:Contributions/202.129.80.226|202.129.80.226]] 08:12, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
* This is wonderful and I think in the same spirit as the comic. Stop the 'sex war' jokes and admit that both boys and girls want knowledge. And to arrive to Jupiter. [[Special:Contributions/84.150.177.228|84.150.177.228]] 14:02, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
** Both of you need to read some feminist literature (real feminist, not pop-feminist). [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 18:03, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
*** For example?--[[Special:Contributions/58.6.224.93|58.6.224.93]] 01:26, 23 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
**** Anything by "bell hooks" (it's a pen name, and it is all lowercase) [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 19:16, 23 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
I would interpret differently the two last pictures: as girls and boys SEPARATLY go to college to get knowledge, Girls and boys TOGETHER go to Jupiter, meaning when a boy and girl interact, they generally act stupid... {{unsigned ip|217.128.49.53}}<br />
* I cannot imagine the author of XKCD using going to Jupiter as an example of doing something stupid. Absolutely improbable IMHO.[[Special:Contributions/84.150.177.228|84.150.177.228]] 14:02, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
*isnt thw rocket quite phallic? girlsnand boysngo to colledge to getmore....ehm... knowledge? {{unsigned ip|88.119.96.51}}<br />
** No, is only a rocket. But, thinking about your comment like it was a response from a rorschach test, well, it tell us something about yourself [[User:Chris-l|Chris-l]] ([[User talk:Chris-l|talk]]) 15:22, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
** It tells us that he's drunk. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 18:03, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
* [[Special:Contributions/99.66.9.158|99.66.9.158]] 11:26, 22 April 2013 (UTC)Sometimes a rocket is just a rocket.<br />
* Looks to me like a typical Titan rocket. [[User:Zelmo|Zelmo]] ([[User talk:Zelmo|talk]]) 14:15, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
* I wish today's comic made me laugh. [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 14:30, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
* "Go to Jupiter to get knowledge" is a reference to the movie 2001. Also, I remember hearing the poem as "GIRLS, go to COLL,ege so THEY can get, KNOW,ledge, BOYS, go to JUpiter so THEY, can get STUpider" which avoids the "more stupider" construction. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 17:57, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
* knowledge or no knowledge, I don't want to go TO Jupiter. Near Jupiter, maybe. Ganymede? {{unsigned ip|24.79.11.46}}<br />
<br />
:Frankly, I am thanfull Mr. Munroe made this. This taunt, while never directly aimed at myself, was an irritant to me, a knowledge-lover. This comic reconciles the genders and deconstructs the taunt. (Of course, from what I had seen in my life, most school-age boys, even the adolescent ones, WOULD prefer getting stupider, what with their real-life trolling and immature behaviour.) [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 12:03, 23 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
By the way, I first head of the taunt (but with the clauses reversed) in Hey Arnold! [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 12:05, 23 April 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1202:_Girls_and_Boys&diff=34733Talk:1202: Girls and Boys2013-04-22T18:03:27Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>I figured it was a poem. Turns out it is, of a sort.<br />
https://encrypted.google.com/search?q="girls+go+to"+"to+get+more"<br />
[[Special:Contributions/68.151.108.107|68.151.108.107]] 04:50, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I thought of ''Men are from Mars Women are from Venus'' by John Gray and the response ''Men Are from Earth. Women Are from Earth: Deal with It'' by Gorge Carlin. If only the sexes could work together we could go to Jupiter.<br />
--[[Special:Contributions/202.129.80.226|202.129.80.226]] 08:12, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
* This is wonderful and I think in the same spirit as the comic. Stop the 'sex war' jokes and admit that both boys and girls want knowledge. And to arrive to Jupiter. [[Special:Contributions/84.150.177.228|84.150.177.228]] 14:02, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
** Both of you need to read some feminist literature (real feminist, not pop-feminist). [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 18:03, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I would interpret differently the two last pictures: as girls and boys SEPARATLY go to college to get knowledge, Girls and boys TOGETHER go to Jupiter, meaning when a boy and girl interact, they generally act stupid... {{unsigned ip|217.128.49.53}}<br />
* I cannot imagine the author of XKCD using going to Jupiter as an example of doing something stupid. Absolutely improbable IMHO.[[Special:Contributions/84.150.177.228|84.150.177.228]] 14:02, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
*isnt thw rocket quite phallic? girlsnand boysngo to colledge to getmore....ehm... knowledge? {{unsigned ip|88.119.96.51}}<br />
** No, is only a rocket. But, thinking about your comment like it was a response from a rorschach test, well, it tell us something about yourself [[User:Chris-l|Chris-l]] ([[User talk:Chris-l|talk]]) 15:22, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
** It tells us that he's drunk. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 18:03, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
* [[Special:Contributions/99.66.9.158|99.66.9.158]] 11:26, 22 April 2013 (UTC)Sometimes a rocket is just a rocket.<br />
* Looks to me like a typical Titan rocket. [[User:Zelmo|Zelmo]] ([[User talk:Zelmo|talk]]) 14:15, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
* I wish today's comic made me laugh. [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 14:30, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
* "Go to Jupiter to get knowledge" is a reference to the movie 2001. Also, I remember hearing the poem as "GIRLS, go to COLL,ege so THEY can get, KNOW,ledge, BOYS, go to JUpiter so THEY, can get STUpider" which avoids the "more stupider" construction. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 17:57, 22 April 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1202:_Girls_and_Boys&diff=34732Talk:1202: Girls and Boys2013-04-22T17:57:40Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>I figured it was a poem. Turns out it is, of a sort.<br />
https://encrypted.google.com/search?q="girls+go+to"+"to+get+more"<br />
[[Special:Contributions/68.151.108.107|68.151.108.107]] 04:50, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I thought of ''Men are from Mars Women are from Venus'' by John Gray and the response ''Men Are from Earth. Women Are from Earth: Deal with It'' by Gorge Carlin. If only the sexes could work together we could go to Jupiter.<br />
--[[Special:Contributions/202.129.80.226|202.129.80.226]] 08:12, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
* This is wonderful and I think in the same spirit as the comic. Stop the 'sex war' jokes and admit that both boys and girls want knowledge. And to arrive to Jupiter. [[Special:Contributions/84.150.177.228|84.150.177.228]] 14:02, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I would interpret differently the two last pictures: as girls and boys SEPARATLY go to college to get knowledge, Girls and boys TOGETHER go to Jupiter, meaning when a boy and girl interact, they generally act stupid... {{unsigned ip|217.128.49.53}}<br />
* I cannot imagine the author of XKCD using going to Jupiter as an example of doing something stupid. Absolutely improbable IMHO.[[Special:Contributions/84.150.177.228|84.150.177.228]] 14:02, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
isnt thw rocket quite phallic? girlsnand boysngo to colledge to getmore....ehm... knowledge? {{unsigned ip|88.119.96.51}}<br />
:: No, is only a rocket. But, thinking about your comment like it was a response from a rorschach test, well, it tell us something about yourself [[User:Chris-l|Chris-l]] ([[User talk:Chris-l|talk]]) 15:22, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
* [[Special:Contributions/99.66.9.158|99.66.9.158]] 11:26, 22 April 2013 (UTC)Sometimes a rocket is just a rocket.<br />
* Looks to me like a typical Titan rocket. [[User:Zelmo|Zelmo]] ([[User talk:Zelmo|talk]]) 14:15, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
* I wish today's comic made me laugh. [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 14:30, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
* "Go to Jupiter to get knowledge" is a reference to the movie 2001. Also, I remember hearing the poem as "GIRLS, go to COLL,ege so THEY can get, KNOW,ledge, BOYS, go to JUpiter so THEY, can get STUpider" [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 17:57, 22 April 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1201:_Integration_by_Parts&diff=34366Talk:1201: Integration by Parts2013-04-19T21:10:20Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>I think the joke is that's not the full explanation. <br />
--[[Special:Contributions/128.113.151.84|128.113.151.84]] 04:30, 19 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
: Exactly; he omits the final step part of the process: ∫udv= uv - ∫vdu. This is only helpful if you can easily obtain v from ∫dv and can integrate ∫vdu . The key trick is picking u and dv properly; it's rarely as easy as saying u = f(x) and v=g(x)dx. So the joke is that he's treating integration by parts as if it's a "magic rule" on the order of the product rule for differentiation, when it's not. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 21:10, 19 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Not the full explanation?But what exactly is the joke here?It takes a lot of practice to be able to do integration sums correctly.[[User:Guru-45|Guru-45]] ([[User talk:Guru-45|talk]]) 05:26, 19 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think the joke is rather “which definitely looks easier” — that’s how mathematics is generally perceived by non-mathematicians: You rewrite something, state that it looks easier / more beautiful / more elegant — which the non-mathematician usually perceives differently — and even if it does, you’re not a tad nearer to the answer. --[[Special:Contributions/84.191.162.248|84.191.162.248]] 08:00, 19 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Symbolic integration ALWAYS require experience and trial-and-error, which is flustrating given that the reverse process - derivation - can be described with simple alghorithm and done mechanically. I heart that derivation is easy as geting toothpaste out of tube and integration is reverse process ... meaning its as hard as puting the toothpaste back into tube. The reason is that there is simple rule for derivation of product, whereas integration of product is usually done by GUESSING the product which will derivate into given integral (which is what integration by parts actually is, only reformulated to sound little easier). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:18, 19 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: By using the term ''derivation'', you mean it as the same as the term ''differentiation'', correct? I've never used the term derivation before. I like it, it's shorter. If so, YES, integration of products is WAY harder. 'u' substitutions alone are a pain - having a 'v' substitution as well requires a lot of hard work and trial and error... {{unsigned|Dangerkeith3000}}<br />
<br />
''Oh, and add a '+C' or you'll get yelled at.''<br />
Best part. This is something I experienced many times in my first semester of mathematics for scientists. <br />
The joke seems to me to be the presentation of the idea accurately; after the initial step, there's no real advice to give. Good luck is the best you can hope for. [[Special:Contributions/49.176.36.57|49.176.36.57]] 12:37, 19 April 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1198:_Geologist&diff=33366Talk:1198: Geologist2013-04-12T13:02:21Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>The title text sounds a bit like a movie reference. Did anyone catch it? --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 07:53, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I was thinking a zombie reference? [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 08:14, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The bad guy in "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" jokes about firing his handgun at the Earth, thereby killing "Gaia". --[[Special:Contributions/130.149.133.57|130.149.133.57]] 09:35, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The first thing I thought of was the [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis Gaia Hypothesis]. Its advocates claim that Earth is a living thing. As far as we all know, living things can be killed. By killing Earth, Cueball puts an end to the controversy, for Earth is not alive anymore. [[User:Dellarappia|Dellarappia]] ([[User talk:Dellarappia|talk]]) 12:11, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:And geologists, specifically those employed by oil companies, are sometimes accused by environmental groups of "killing the earth" when they make holes in the ground and then take away something that's there. Of course they use a drill instead of a gun, and take oil instead of a random rock. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:01, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could the title text be about cockroaches, a species which has been around for millions of years, and who also can survive for some time after their head is removed? [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:01, 12 April 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1198:_Geologist&diff=33365Talk:1198: Geologist2013-04-12T13:01:42Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>The title text sounds a bit like a movie reference. Did anyone catch it? --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 07:53, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I was thinking a zombie reference? [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 08:14, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The bad guy in "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" jokes about firing his handgun at the Earth, thereby killing "Gaia". --[[Special:Contributions/130.149.133.57|130.149.133.57]] 09:35, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The first thing I thought of was the [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypotesis Gaia Hypotesis]. Its advocates claim that Earth is a living thing. As far as we all know, living things can be killed. By killing Earth, Cueball puts an end to the controversy, for Earth is not alive anymore. [[User:Dellarappia|Dellarappia]] ([[User talk:Dellarappia|talk]]) 12:11, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:And geologists, specifically those employed by oil companies, are sometimes accused by environmental groups of "killing the earth" when they make holes in the ground and then take away something that's there. Of course they use a drill instead of a gun, and take oil instead of a random rock. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:01, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could the title text be about cockroaches, a species which has been around for millions of years, and who also can survive for some time after their head is removed? [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:01, 12 April 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=681:_Gravity_Wells&diff=33187681: Gravity Wells2013-04-10T21:16:43Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 681<br />
| date = December 28, 2009<br />
| title = Gravity Wells<br />
| image = gravity_wells.png<br />
| titletext = This doesn't take into account the energy imparted by orbital motion (or gravity assists or the Oberth effect), all of which can make it easier to reach outer planets.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
The xkcd page links to [http://xkcd.com/681_large/ a much larger version].<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete}}<br />
The comic shows the solar system gravity field of each planet and some of their satellites.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:To Sun, very very far down<br />
:Mercury<br />
:Venus<br />
:Earth - 5,478 km<br />
:Moon - 288 km<br />
:Mars - 1,286 km<br />
:Ganymede<br />
:Io<br />
:Jupiter<br />
:Europa<br />
:Titan<br />
::Weeoooeeoooeeooo<br />
:Saturn<br />
::Rings<br />
:Uranus<br />
:Neptune<br />
::Megan: An even more glorious dawn awaits!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1196:_Subways&diff=33016Talk:1196: Subways2013-04-09T14:56:08Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>I think the comic is making fun of the ridiculous scale-inaccuracies found in public transport plans, including subway plans, which make it hard to estimate actual distances and travel times. {{unsigned|130.60.152.125}}<br />
<br />
I think it's deffently a factor. <that one editor who always forgets to login><br />
<br />
: (Let's try again, dodgy internet link, here, and someone's editing in parallel it seems.) I don't personally find the scale-inaccuracies ridiculous. Take a scale-consistent map of a "city-and-its-suburbs" and it's way too busy/cramped in the centre and very sparse at the fringes. Personally I like the way that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Moscow_metro_map_en_sb.svg Moscow] treated this problem. But my favourite is of course the classic London Underground maps. Or, for fun, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Bear_%28lithograph%29 this variant] (image link available there, but I've already got a copy on my wall anyway). In fact, what ''I'' take from Randall's Subways image is something akin to what I like about this latter. Instead of playing with identity, playing with connectivity. Anyone want to add the Tube/Paris Metro/Berlin U&S-Bahn, etc, onto the edges of Randall's effort? ;) [[Special:Contributions/178.99.244.212|178.99.244.212]]<br />
<br />
Evocative (perhaps far too?) of the frontispiece of [http://www.amazon.com/Transit-Maps-World-Mark-Ovenden/dp/0143112651 "Transit Maps of the World"]. A stylized representation of all of the world's subway maps connected together.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/199.167.121.226|199.167.121.226]] 18:38, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
What does it mean "(with respect to geography)"? As a non US citizen I don't know what is odd about this map. Is this actually how the lines connect up? Are these real stations/lines? Can you really go from san fransisco to new york on subway? {{unsigned|31.221.13.140}}<br />
:Of course not. These are all different subway systems, only connected on this map because their official individual maps use the same colors for different lines. I expect this explanation will be updated to list all the different systems seen here, including Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and the New York Subway. [[Special:Contributions/75.37.205.50|75.37.205.50]] 09:30, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
::"I expect this explanation will be updated to list all the different systems seen here" As a New Yorker, I can say that while most of the map is quite accurate, some lines cannot be named because each color belongs to multiple lines (with some exceptions) and Randall has taken some serious liberties at the connections to other systems. (E.g. there is no blue line with one end in Hoboken and the other end at 34th Street, as shown on this map) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 12:17, 8 April 2013 (UTC) EDIT: That blue line might be part of the NJ Transit, but including a New Jersey line in with the Subway is quite heretical. [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 12:25, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::That blue line is part of PATH, a subway between NJ and NYC. It's not part of NJ Transit; it's run by the Port Authority, an agency created by a bi-state compact between NY and NJ. And its official map does indeed use blue for the line from hoboken to 33rd street. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:57, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Also, the comic is using an extremely loose definition of "subway". (Chicago and Cleveland, for example, do not have anything that would fit a normal, dictionary definition of the word. And no, what they do have is certainly not connected in any case -- unless you count highways, in which case the map is ridiculously incomplete.) [[User:Jonadab|Jonadab]] ([[User talk:Jonadab|talk]]) 11:17, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:It's often hard to realize the distances involved when one is talking about a country or region one is unfamiliar with. In the case of North America, and this semi-fictitious subway system, the distances between the furthest points is about 3,000 miles (about 5,000km); it would generally take about 2 days of highway driving, with no stops, to get from any one end to the opposite other. Randall took real subway maps from different cities, already not to scale, and fictitiously joined them together as if the cities were right next door to each other and really connected. They are not. In most cases, you have to fly, drive, take a bus, or take a regular (non-subway) train if you wanted to go from one city's subway system to another's. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 14:47, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
Hmmm, there is no mention of the 7 or so underground stations in Edmonton, Canada. It is classified as light rail as opposed to heavy rail but still meets the "pedantic rail enthusiasts" definition included under the comic.<br />
Quote: For the pedantic rail enthusiasts, the definition of a subway used here is, with some caveats, "a network containing high capacity grade-separated passenger rail transit lines which run frequently, serve an urban core, and are underground or elevated for at least part of their downtown route." For the rest of you, the definition is "a bunch of trains under a city.[[Special:Contributions/220.239.66.60|220.239.66.60]] 10:10, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I suspect the Edmonton, Alberta system got left out for the same reason as the (similarly sized) Buffalo, NY system got left out. The Buffalo system consists of a single line connecting a dozen or so stations below ground and about 5-6 above ground. It fits the "pedantic rail enthusiasts" definition, with the possible exception of being a "network". But more importantly, since it is a single line, I don't think they color-coded it. Without a color-code, where would it hook into Randal's map? [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 14:14, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
In Montreal, the Longueuil station is misspelled as "Longueil". --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 15:32, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I don't know the other cities' subway maps well enough, but the NYC map has several jokes in it. The "G" line is listed as having "Random service", which is pretty accurate (it's extremely unreliable). The blue and orange lines in Jamaica (a former independent city now part of the boro of Queens) are listed as coming together in "Kingston", which not in NYC, it's the capital of the island nation of Jamaica. There is a fictional "Puerto Rico Submarine" listed as a complement to the real Staten Island Ferry. The (non-existent) connection from Staten Island NY to DC is listed as the "Robert Moses High speed line", in other words, a freeway such as Robert Moses was known for (presumably I-95, although Moses had nothing to do with that). [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:57, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Just realized that the green line extending north from Hoboken to "Green" is supposed to be the Green Line of the {{w|Hudson-Bergen Light Rail}} which has elevated and subway segments (the rest of the system is at-grade). The real line ends at the Tonnelle Avenue parking lot in North Bergen. It only has service during weekdays (not nights). [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 14:56, 9 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Looks like Randall goofed with one of his jokes. West Trenton is one of the final stops on one of Philadelphia's passenger rail lines (SEPTA). SEPTA isn't really a subway as it's only underground in the city center. But he happened to draw it in the "Cleveland" area of the map, and ended up connecting it to Boston's Cleveland Circle. That doesn't make sense since there's no west Trenton in Cleveland. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:57, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The comic leaves out the Newark Light Rail (formerly known as the Newark Subway). It's only one line with about 15 stops, but it does connect with the PATH system (which is in the comic) {{unsigned}}<br />
<br />
<br />
Good couple of jokes in the Boston area: 1) The real station of Braintree is accompanied by the fictional stations of Bonevine and Skinflower; 2) Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line has conveniently become Ashmont-Manhattan High Speed Line; 3) The Green Line extension currently under development has been rerouted to Canada; 4) The Cleveland Circle Station has become the departure point for the shuttle to Cleveland. [[Special:Contributions/209.6.46.147|209.6.46.147]] 14:26, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The downtown area has the Caribbean Metromover. It's not visible on this map because by scale, the Metromover system's tiny; the stops are only a couple blocks apart. Its actual shape is similar to the icon on weather maps for a hurricane but mirrored horizontally. There is no mention of the unused ghost station at Government Center, surprisingly. [[Special:Contributions/75.95.79.214|75.95.79.214]] 20:32, 8 April 2013 (UTC) <br />
<br />
<br />
I wasn't aware of a town called Sunnydale in the USA.<br />
However, whilst researching whether this was a pun to the Buffy Television series it turned out the metro station named Sunnydale actually exists: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunnydale_Avenue_Station ...<br />
[[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 15:44, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The map shown in this comic is the BART system (Bay Area Regional Transit), not the San Francisco Muni. So, I suspect this is meant as a Buffy reference. Also, Sunnyvale (note the V) is a real town in the SF Bay Area, but it does not have BART service. {{unsigned|Armckoe}}<br />
:Nope, Randall conflates both Muni and BART in this (which is what the whole comic is, really...) On the western part of the SF map, the purple is the the L-Taraval, the Green is the M-OceanView , the blue is the N-Judah, the Red appears to be the T-Third, the orange the J-Church. On the eastern side, tho, the chart looks more BART-ish. Hmmm, I'm going to have to take the N-Judah to the end of the line some day (or at least farther along.) I've always wanted to go back to Vancouver. -> [[Special:Contributions/64.7.70.234|64.7.70.234]] 04:49, 9 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:: (The Muni route map is [http://transit.511.org/static/providers/maps/SF_712200722226.pdf here]) -> [[Special:Contributions/64.7.70.234|64.7.70.234]] 04:49, 9 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Curious that the Sunnydale line connects to San Francisco instead of Los Angeles, considering that the latter is actually depicted in the show and is the setting for the Angel spinoff. [[Special:Contributions/71.211.186.75|71.211.186.75]] 00:56, 9 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm not sure what prevented the St. Louis MetroLink from making the cut. There are 2 lines (Red and Blue - yes, it's only two, but isn't that still a network?). It's got grade separation in the urban core and other high-traffic areas, it's high-traffic, runs frequently (every 10-20 minutes) and is underground in downtown St. Louis. The only reason I can think of is insufficient grade-separation, but Randall doesn't define a threshold for that. {{unsigned|66.148.130.2}}<br />
<br />
Pittsburgh Light Rail, or "The T", currently has only 2 lines as well, and parts of it are above ground, but I still would have liked to see it make the cut. It gets heavy usage in downtown Pittsburgh. {{unsigned}}<br />
<br />
The "Morgantown WV Automated Line is clearly a reference to the WVU Personal Rapid Transit system. The PRT goes underground for all of about 15', but the whole lower half is elevated. It's also nice that the area attributed to it is approximately the route the PRT does take. An interesting side note - the PRT is not rails. Its a wheeled system that runs on pavement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgantown_Personal_Rapid_Transit Having said that, I'd also like to echo that the Pittsburgh and Newark subways should have been included. I suspect a v 2.0 in the future. {{[[Special:Contributions/98.236.92.146|98.236.92.146]] 23:34, 8 April 2013 (UTC)|hewhocaves}}<br />
<br />
Atlanta's subway map is found at http://www.itsmarta.com/rail-schedules-or-route.aspx [[Special:Contributions/134.24.147.160|134.24.147.160]] 13:53, 9 April 2013 (UTC)Max</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1196:_Subways&diff=330151196: Subways2013-04-09T14:53:32Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1196<br />
| date = April 8, 2013<br />
| title = Subways<br />
| image = subways.png<br />
| titletext = About one in three North American subway stops are in NYC.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
The xkcd page links to [http://xkcd.com/1196/large/ a much larger version], which has another text added:<br />
<blockquote style="font-style:italic"><br />
For the pedantic rail enthusiasts, the definition of a subway used here is, with some caveats, "a network containing high capacity grade-separated passenger rail transit lines which run frequently, serve an urban core, and are underground or elevated for at least part of their downtown route." For the rest of you, the definition is "a bunch of trains under a city."<br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic shows the maps of all North American {{w|subway}} networks. In reality, none of these systems are interconnected, but in the diagram subways from different cities that have the same color on the official subway map have whimsically named connections, such as the "Ohio-California Tunnel" connecting the Green Lines of Cleveland and Los Angeles, or the "Rocky Mountain Tunnel" connecting the Blue Lines of Chicago and San Francisco. Vancouver and San Francisco are connected through a station called Richmond, which appears to double as Richmond, BC and Richmond, CA. The "Springfield Monorail" is fictional, from the animated series "{{w|The Simpsons}}" (see {{w|Marge vs. the Monorail}}), but its approximate location on this map would suggest the [http://www.seattlemonorail.com/ Seattle Monorail], or perhaps Springfield, Oregon, which [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Matt-Groening-Reveals-the-Location-of-the-Real-Springfield.html Matt Groening revealed was the inspiration for the Simpsons' hometown].<br />
<br />
The networks on the map are displayed in (relatively) geographic position, with {{w|Vancouver}} being the most North-West, and {{w|Mexico City}} being the most South – East/West and North/South order are correct, but distances are not (in reality, Vancouver is closer to Chicago than to Toronto for example). The map's design is modeled after the system map of the {{w|MBTA}} in Boston where Randall is from.<br />
<br />
The "Puerto Rico Submarine" that connects the Red Lines of San Juan and New York refers to the fact that San Juan is on an island, namely {{w|Puerto Rico}}, probably inspired by the real {{w|Staten Island Ferry}}. The "Mona Tunnel" that connects the Red Lines of San Juan and Santo Domingo may refer to the island of {{w|Isla de Mona|Mona}}, which lies between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. The "Chicxulub Tunnel" that connects the Red Lines of Santo Domingo and Monterey refers to the 65-million-year-old {{w|Chicxulub crater}}, which lies roughly between the two cities. <br />
<br />
The "Ashmont-Manhattan High Speed Line" that connects the Red Line of Boston's T and the 1 Line of of New York City Subway is a play on the {{w|Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line}} in Boston.<br />
<br />
The "Graveyard for passengers killed by closing doors" refers to the warning played in the Washington DC Metro system advising passengers that the subway doors are "not like elevator doors" and will close on your limbs or belongings rather than opening when contact with an object is detected.<br />
<br />
The "Robert Moses High-Speed Line" refers to the NYC urban planner {{w|Robert Moses}}, who was one of the most influential planners in supporting cars over all public transport, creating the car-dependent {{w|New York metropolitan area}}. <br />
<br />
Here are some official subway maps:<br />
* Atlanta - http://www.itsmarta.com/rail-schedules-or-route.aspx<br />
* Boston - http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/<br />
* Chicago - http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/maps/P19_2012_CTA_Rail_Map.pdf<br />
* Cleveland - http://www.riderta.com/pdf/maps/System_Map_Rapid_Connect.pdf<br />
* Montreal - http://www.stm.info/english/metro/images/plan-metro.jpg<br />
* New York City (MTA) - http://www.mta.info/maps/submap.html<br />
* New York City (PATH) - http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html<br />
* New Jersey (HBLR) - http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/LightRail/sf_lr_hblr_map.pdf<br />
* Toronto - http://tourbytransit.com/toronto/images/Toronto-Subway-Map.png<br />
* Vancouver - http://mapa-metro.com/mapas/Vancouver/mapa-metro-vancouver.png<br />
* San Francisco - http://www.bart.gov/images/global/system-map.gif<br />
* Mexico city - http://www.metro.df.gob.mx/imagenes/red/redinternet.pdf<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1196:_Subways&diff=330141196: Subways2013-04-09T14:41:10Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1196<br />
| date = April 8, 2013<br />
| title = Subways<br />
| image = subways.png<br />
| titletext = About one in three North American subway stops are in NYC.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
The xkcd page links to [http://xkcd.com/1196/large/ a much larger version], which has another text added:<br />
<blockquote style="font-style:italic"><br />
For the pedantic rail enthusiasts, the definition of a subway used here is, with some caveats, "a network containing high capacity grade-separated passenger rail transit lines which run frequently, serve an urban core, and are underground or elevated for at least part of their downtown route." For the rest of you, the definition is "a bunch of trains under a city."<br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic shows the maps of all North American {{w|subway}} networks. In reality, none of these systems are interconnected, but in the diagram subways from different cities that have the same color on the official subway map have whimsically named connections, such as the "Ohio-California Tunnel" connecting the Green Lines of Cleveland and Los Angeles, or the "Rocky Mountain Tunnel" connecting the Blue Lines of Chicago and San Francisco. Vancouver and San Francisco are connected through a station called Richmond, which appears to double as Richmond, BC and Richmond, CA. The "Springfield Monorail" is fictional, from the animated series "{{w|The Simpsons}}" (see {{w|Marge vs. the Monorail}}), but its approximate location on this map would suggest the [http://www.seattlemonorail.com/ Seattle Monorail], or perhaps Springfield, Oregon, which [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Matt-Groening-Reveals-the-Location-of-the-Real-Springfield.html Matt Groening revealed was the inspiration for the Simpsons' hometown].<br />
<br />
The networks on the map are displayed in (relatively) geographic position, with {{w|Vancouver}} being the most North-West, and {{w|Mexico City}} being the most South – East/West and North/South order are correct, but distances are not (in reality, Vancouver is closer to Chicago than to Toronto for example). The map's design is modeled after the system map of the {{w|MBTA}} in Boston where Randall is from.<br />
<br />
The "Puerto Rico Submarine" that connects the Red Lines of San Juan and New York refers to the fact that San Juan is on an island, namely {{w|Puerto Rico}}, probably inspired by the real {{w|Staten Island Ferry}}. The "Mona Tunnel" that connects the Red Lines of San Juan and Santo Domingo may refer to the island of {{w|Isla de Mona|Mona}}, which lies between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. The "Chicxulub Tunnel" that connects the Red Lines of Santo Domingo and Monterey refers to the 65-million-year-old {{w|Chicxulub crater}}, which lies roughly between the two cities. <br />
<br />
The "Ashmont-Manhattan High Speed Line" that connects the Red Line of Boston and the 1 Line of of New York is a play on the {{w|Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line}} in Boston.<br />
<br />
The "Graveyard for passengers killed by closing doors" refers to the warning played in the Washington DC Metro system advising passengers that the subway doors are "not like elevator doors" and will close on your limbs or belongings rather than opening when contact with an object is detected.<br />
<br />
The "Robert Moses High-Speed Line" refers to the NYC urban planner {{w|Robert Moses}}, who was one of the most influential planners in supporting cars over all public transport, creating the car-dependent {{w|New York metropolitan area}}. <br />
<br />
Here are some official subway maps:<br />
* Atlanta - http://www.itsmarta.com/rail-schedules-or-route.aspx<br />
* Boston - http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/<br />
* Chicago - http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/maps/P19_2012_CTA_Rail_Map.pdf<br />
* Cleveland - http://www.riderta.com/pdf/maps/System_Map_Rapid_Connect.pdf<br />
* Montreal - http://www.stm.info/english/metro/images/plan-metro.jpg<br />
* New York City (MTA) - http://www.mta.info/maps/submap.html<br />
* New York City (PATH) - http://www.panynj.gov/path/maps.html<br />
* Toronto - http://tourbytransit.com/toronto/images/Toronto-Subway-Map.png<br />
* Vancouver - http://mapa-metro.com/mapas/Vancouver/mapa-metro-vancouver.png<br />
* San Francisco - http://www.bart.gov/images/global/system-map.gif<br />
* Mexico city - http://www.metro.df.gob.mx/imagenes/red/redinternet.pdf<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1196:_Subways&diff=32835Talk:1196: Subways2013-04-08T13:57:14Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>I think the comic is making fun of the ridiculous scale-inaccuracies found in public transport plans, including subway plans, which make it hard to estimate actual distances and travel times. {{unsigned|130.60.152.125}}<br />
<br />
I think it's deffently a factor. <that one editor who always forgets to login><br />
<br />
<br />
What does it mean "(with respect to geography)"? As a non US citizen I don't know what is odd about this map. Is this actually how the lines connect up? Are these real stations/lines? Can you really go from san fransisco to new york on subway? {{unsigned|31.221.13.140}}<br />
:Of course not. These are all different subway systems, only connected on this map because their official individual maps use the same colors for different lines. I expect this explanation will be updated to list all the different systems seen here, including Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and the New York Subway. [[Special:Contributions/75.37.205.50|75.37.205.50]] 09:30, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
::"I expect this explanation will be updated to list all the different systems seen here" As a New Yorker, I can say that while most of the map is quite accurate, some lines cannot be named because each color belongs to multiple lines (with some exceptions) and Randall has taken some serious liberties at the connections to other systems. (E.g. there is no blue line with one end in Hoboken and the other end at 34th Street, as shown on this map) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 12:17, 8 April 2013 (UTC) EDIT: That blue line might be part of the NJ Transit, but including a New Jersey line in with the Subway is quite heretical. [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 12:25, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::That blue line is part of PATH, a subway between NJ and NYC. It's not part of NJ Transit; it's run by the Port Authority, an agency created by a bi-state compact between NY and NJ. And its official map does indeed use blue for the line from hoboken to 33rd street. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:57, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Also, the comic is using an extremely loose definition of "subway". (Chicago and Cleveland, for example, do not have anything that would fit a normal, dictionary definition of the word. And no, what they do have is certainly not connected in any case -- unless you count highways, in which case the map is ridiculously incomplete.) [[User:Jonadab|Jonadab]] ([[User talk:Jonadab|talk]]) 11:17, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Hmmm, there is no mention of the 7 or so underground stations in Edmonton, Canada. It is classified as light rail as opposed to heavy rail but still meets the "pedantic rail enthusiasts" definition included under the comic.<br />
Quote: For the pedantic rail enthusiasts, the definition of a subway used here is, with some caveats, "a network containing high capacity grade-separated passenger rail transit lines which run frequently, serve an urban core, and are underground or elevated for at least part of their downtown route." For the rest of you, the definition is "a bunch of trains under a city.[[Special:Contributions/220.239.66.60|220.239.66.60]] 10:10, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I don't know the other cities' subway maps well enough, but the NYC map has several jokes in it. The "G" line is listed as having "Random service", which is pretty accurate (it's extremely unreliable). The blue and orange lines in Jamaica (a former independent city now part of the boro of Queens) are listed as coming together in "Kingston", which not in NYC, it's the capital of the island nation of Jamaica. There is a fictional "Puerto Rico Submarine" listed as a complement to the real Staten Island Ferry. The (non-existent) connection from Staten Island NY to DC is listed as the "Robert Moses High speed line", in other words, a freeway such as Robert Moses was known for (presumably I-95, although Moses had nothing to do with that). [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:57, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Looks like Randall goofed with one of his jokes. West Trenton is one of the final stops on one of Philadelphia's passenger rail lines (SEPTA). SEPTA isn't really a subway as it's only underground in the city center. But he happened to draw it in the "Cleveland" area of the map, and ended up connecting it to Boston's Cleveland Circle. That doesn't make sense since there's no west trenton in Cleveland. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:57, 8 April 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1196:_Subways&diff=32834Talk:1196: Subways2013-04-08T13:52:58Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>I think the comic is making fun of the ridiculous scale-inaccuracies found in public transport plans, including subway plans, which make it hard to estimate actual distances and travel times. {{unsigned|130.60.152.125}}<br />
<br />
I think it's deffently a factor. <that one editor who always forgets to login><br />
<br />
<br />
What does it mean "(with respect to geography)"? As a non US citizen I don't know what is odd about this map. Is this actually how the lines connect up? Are these real stations/lines? Can you really go from san fransisco to new york on subway? {{unsigned|31.221.13.140}}<br />
:Of course not. These are all different subway systems, only connected on this map because their official individual maps use the same colors for different lines. I expect this explanation will be updated to list all the different systems seen here, including Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and the New York Subway. [[Special:Contributions/75.37.205.50|75.37.205.50]] 09:30, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
::"I expect this explanation will be updated to list all the different systems seen here" As a New Yorker, I can say that while most of the map is quite accurate, some lines cannot be named because each color belongs to multiple lines (with some exceptions) and Randall has taken some serious liberties at the connections to other systems. (E.g. there is no blue line with one end in Hoboken and the other end at 34th Street, as shown on this map) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 12:17, 8 April 2013 (UTC) EDIT: That blue line might be part of the NJ Transit, but including a New Jersey line in with the Subway is quite heretical. [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 12:25, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::That blue line is part of PATH, a subway between NJ and NYC. It's not part of NJ Transit; it's run by the Port Authority, an agency created by a bi-state compact between NY and NJ. And its official map does indeed use blue for the line from hoboken to 33rd street. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:52, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Also, the comic is using an extremely loose definition of "subway". (Chicago and Cleveland, for example, do not have anything that would fit a normal, dictionary definition of the word. And no, what they do have is certainly not connected in any case -- unless you count highways, in which case the map is ridiculously incomplete.) [[User:Jonadab|Jonadab]] ([[User talk:Jonadab|talk]]) 11:17, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Hmmm, there is no mention of the 7 or so underground stations in Edmonton, Canada. It is classified as light rail as opposed to heavy rail but still meets the "pedantic rail enthusiasts" definition included under the comic.<br />
Quote: For the pedantic rail enthusiasts, the definition of a subway used here is, with some caveats, "a network containing high capacity grade-separated passenger rail transit lines which run frequently, serve an urban core, and are underground or elevated for at least part of their downtown route." For the rest of you, the definition is "a bunch of trains under a city.[[Special:Contributions/220.239.66.60|220.239.66.60]] 10:10, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I don't know the other cities' subway maps well enough, but the NYC map has several jokes in it. The "G" line is listed as having "Random service", which is pretty accurate (it's extremely unreliable). The blue and orange lines in Jamaica (a former independent city now part of the boro of Queens) are listed as coming together in "Kingston", which not in NYC, it's the capital of the island nation of Jamaica. There is a fictional "Puerto Rico Submarine" listed as a complement to the real Staten Island Ferry. The (non-existent) connection from Staten Island NY to DC is listed as the "Robert Moses High speed line", in other words, a freeway such as Robert Moses was known for (presumably I-95, although Moses had nothing to do with that). [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:52, 8 April 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:259:_Clich%C3%A9d_Exchanges&diff=32575Talk:259: Clichéd Exchanges2013-04-05T14:27:18Z<p>66.202.132.250: </p>
<hr />
<div>I thought the cliche being referred to was "wrecked 'em? I hardly knew 'em!" (a double entendre on "rectum" ) http://ask.metafilter.com/122210/JokeFilter-What-is-the-origin-of-the-joke-with-the-punchline-rectum-damn-near-killed-him [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 14:25, 5 April 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:259:_Clich%C3%A9d_Exchanges&diff=32573Talk:259: Clichéd Exchanges2013-04-05T14:25:55Z<p>66.202.132.250: Created page with "I thought the cliche being referred to was "wrecked 'em? I hardly knew 'em!" (a double entendre on "rectum" suggesting anal sex) ~~~~"</p>
<hr />
<div>I thought the cliche being referred to was "wrecked 'em? I hardly knew 'em!" (a double entendre on "rectum" suggesting anal sex) [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 14:25, 5 April 2013 (UTC)</div>66.202.132.250https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=434:_xkcd_Goes_to_the_Airport&diff=32566434: xkcd Goes to the Airport2013-04-05T13:25:18Z<p>66.202.132.250: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 434<br />
| date = June 9, 2008<br />
| title = xkcd Goes to the Airport<br />
| image = xkcd_goes_to_the_airport.png<br />
| titletext = Under three ounces, but it stains panties.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete}}<br />
This is the various characters of xkcd causing problems at the airport. [[Beret Guy]] and [[Megan]] are lost, following each other in a loop. [[Cueball]] tries to carry a lockpick set through security because of this hacker girl (spoofing the incidents where someone has been manipulated into carrying drugs or other contraband by a romantic interest they met on the Internet). On the plane, Cueball has been instructed to disable the wireless functionality of his device; his laptop is running Linux and he doesn't know how to change the wireless settings; he's reading the manual for the esoteric program that controls the wireless radio. [[Black Hat]] tries to carry more than 3 ounces of churchmouse blood through security, violating the US rule about the maximum amount of liquid in a container (which was developed in response to a purported terrorist plot).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Standing outside the Airport. There is a sign saying "Airport" and a plane in the background.]<br />
:Megan: Okay, what airline?<br />
:Beret Guy: I'm following you.<br />
:Megan: ...I'm following <u>you</u>.<br />
:Beret Guy: I assumed we were walking to the bakery.<br />
:Megan: You always assume that!<br />
:[Presumably the security checkpoint.]<br />
:Security Guy: Lockpicks? These are... illegal, actually. Where did you get them?<br />
:Cueball: Oh man, it all started with this hacker girl.<br />
:Security Guy: You need to come with -<br />
:Cueball: Sure, sure. But man, let me tell you about her!<br />
[On a plane.]<br />
:Announcement: If your device has a "Transmit" function, please disable it.<br />
:Cueball: Okay - hang on, I'm half way through the iwconfig man page.<br />
[Security checkpoint.]<br />
:Security guy: Sir, is this container under three ounces?<br />
:Black Hat: Not sure, how much blood is there in a churchmouse?<br />
:Security guy: Why don't you just go.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]</div>66.202.132.250