3321: Simulation

Simulation

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Title text: No matter what I initially open Universe Sandbox to do, I always end up just mashing planets together like a small child making toys kiss.

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Explanation

This is one of 67 incomplete explanations: This page was created by a HIGHER BEING PLAYING THEIR VERSION OF UNIVERSE SANDBOX. Don't remove this notice too soon. You can help by editing the explanation!

Some people have speculated that Earth is actually a simulation, and we are living inside it. Universe Sandbox is a game that simulates the orbital paths of different planets, and the player can, as referenced in the comic, smash asteroids into Earth in this game. The comic plays on the meaning of "simulation". While most people think of a futuristic VR simulation (like the one in The Matrix) we’re trapped in, Randall speculates that any "higher beings" that could simulate Earth would be doing so in Universe Sandbox. Because most players will eventually resort to hitting Earth with asteroids, and Earth is not getting hit by obscene amounts of asteroids (at this time), this proves that Earth cannot be a simulation. Because if it were, the ones running the simulation can not have resisted this method of continually disturbing or even destroying the Earth with asteroids.

The title text describes Randall playing Universe Sandbox, comparing it with his behavior when he was little. To children (and also some adults), smashing things together is immensely satisfying, so Randall inevitably would decide to just smash all the planets together for his enjoyment.

Transcript

This is one of 43 incomplete transcripts: Don't remove this notice too soon. You can help by editing the transcript!

[A graph showing "Cataclysmic asteroid impact rate" on the Y-axis, with an unlabeled X-axis. The Y-axis is labeled "Rare" at the bottom, with an arrow pointing up towards "Constant" at the top. A point on the graph, horizontally aligned with "Rare", is labeled "Earth". A box with whiskers is positioned slightly below "Constant", with a whisker above "Constant", and is labeled "Earth in the average install of Universe Sandbox". The box is directly above the point.]

[Caption below the panel:]

Evidence that we don't live in a simulation

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Discussion

Hi! I’ve never aeen an empty page here before! 2606:29C0:10E:2840:791F:A3C7:887B:97A5 22:41, 6 November 2026 (UTC)

well, you're supposed to say f1rst p0st, because its a slightly annoying xkcd related joke. oh well. my turn. s3c0nd p0st 73.132.167.116 23:04, 6 November 2026 (UTC)

No, it's primarily a slightly annoying everywhere-on-the-internet joke that xkcd just happened to also cover from very early in its life. 2.98.77.182 23:55, 6 November 2026 (UTC)

AI-generated explanation

Hi! It appears (just a gut feeling, but also from this diff's title) that AI was used in the current explanation. SomeRailfan (talk) 00:17, 7 November 2026 (UTC)

No matter, it's very much changed by now. But I agree, very messily done with definite AI vibes to it. (And not in a net good way.) 2.98.77.182 01:40, 7 November 2026 (UTC)

Wait... you removed it because you had a "gut feeling" it was geenerated by AI but no actual proof? And also, was the explanation wrong? -- TechGliTcH (talk) 01:35, 7 November 2026 (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Yes the title text explanation is straight up wrong --2404:4404:1503:6100:C46C:9DD9:F143:1709 01:36, 7 November 2026 (UTC)

Anyone can rewrite anything that they consider wrong. As I just did (hopefully sorting out the main contention of 2404:..., above), with the apparent misunderstanding of whether Randall played Universal Sandbox when a child. (Which was not possible, and not what the title text says anyway.) 2.98.77.182 01:40, 7 November 2026 (UTC)

That diff made it pretty obvious. (e.g. WP:OAICITE) 7amiþ = moi.__init__(t, c) 01:44, 7 November 2026 (UTC)

I'll also add that TechGlitch's reaction fits WP:AIUNPROVEN... 7amiþ = moi.__init__(t, c) 01:47, 7 November 2026 (UTC)

[ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws] seemed very much like AI to me. SomeRailfan (talk) 11:29, 7 November 2026 (UTC)
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