explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

808: The Economic Argument

2021-02-26T22:04:14Z

108.162.216.52: not THAT, but that (italics)

{{comic
| number = 808
| date = October 20, 2010
| title = The Economic Argument
| image = the economic argument.png
| titletext = Not to be confused with 'making money selling this stuff to OTHER people who think it works', which corporate accountants and actuaries have zero problems with.
}}

==Explanation==
The image shows fields of human life that would be greatly improved and/or allow certain people to make a lot of money if some crazy phenomena (mostly {{w|paranormal}}) actually worked in reality or were testable and usable concepts. Crazy phenomena, in this case, means counter-intuitive things that go against common sense and which science often contradicts (though relativity and QM are a major part of physics, they are still counterintuitive and could be considered to sound crazy). As the comic tries to prove, if there were commercial use for it and proofs of it working, there will be high investment made in the technology to use and harness such concepts.

So far only {{w|Theory of relativity|relativity}} and {{w|quantum electrodynamics}} have major evidence backing them. Specifically, the theory of relativity allows your {{w|Global Positioning System|Global Positioning System (GPS)}} device to synchronize with satellites a hundred miles in the air and show your current position. The design of modern circuit-boards and other electronic devices is influenced by quantum electrodynamics — smartphones or high capacity hard drives wouldn't be possible without this theory.

The non-scientific/disproved concepts trying to pass as real and scientific are:

*'''{{w|Remote viewing}}:''' Alleged ability to see and know things far away with the strength of your mind, without physically being in that place or using technology (cameras, TV screens and so on).
*'''{{w|Dowsing}}:''' Alleged supernatural ability to sense, using two dowsing rods/sticks/pieces of metal where underground water/oil supplies or hidden valuables are.
**Both dowsing and remote viewing would have greatly cut costs to oil companies, because it would have made finding new oil sources easier.

*'''{{w|Aura (paranormal)|Auras}}:''' Non-scientific belief that every human has an invisible "energy field" that can affect their health and feelings.
*'''{{w|Homeopathy}}:''' Non-scientific belief that the more diluted a remedy, the more effective it is, and that the remedy should, before dilution, cause similar symptoms to the disease it is said to cure. These "remedies" are often diluted so much that, on average, not even a single molecule of the original substance will remain. It is completely untrue, and proven no more effective than a placebo, so one can instead use much cheaper glucose and have the same effect. It is often advertised as an "alternative medicine".
*'''{{w|Prayer#Prayer_healing|Remote Prayer}}:''' Non-scientific belief. Trying to help a person with their health problems by praying/pleading to a greater supernatural force to help them get better. While we're not ones to rag on anybody's religion, we don't have scientific proof or empirical evidence of it working; such prayer may sometimes have a ''detrimental'' effect if the person knew they were prayed for (most probably due to causing extra stress).
**All three would have revolutionized healthcare if proven to work, which is very, very unlikely.

*'''{{w|Astrology}}:''' Trying to predict the future by studying the motions of the planets for answers - a non-scientific and very popular belief that tries to look scientific; this was a major focus of {{w|astronomy}} until science began to disprove it in the 1600s.
*'''{{w|Divinatory, esoteric and occult tarot|Tarot}}:''' Trying to predict the future through dealing a {{w|Tarot deck|special deck of cards}}.
**Both would have revolutionized our business planning, saving lots of money and lives, if true.

*'''{{w|Crystal healing|Crystal energy}}:''' Non-scientific belief that crystals can store {{w|Energy (esotericism)|"soul energy"}} which can be tapped into and used by human beings.
**If true and correct, it would have revolutionized the world's technology by replacing energy sources with crystals.

*'''{{w|Curse|Curses and hexes}}:''' Non-scientific belief that a person can cause supernatural harm to people and things by doing certain magical rituals and mouthing magical words.
**If it were true, the military use of such would have proliferated rather quickly.

The title text points out that many people still believe in non-scientific, unproven, and disproved phenomena; thus, it's possible to make a lot of money by selling those (claimed) phenomena to such people (although knowingly selling non-existent phenomena, while claiming that they work, would be fraud, and thus illegal).

==Transcript==
:[A three-column table. The headings are actually standing above the table.]

:{| class="wikitable alternance"
! Crazy phenomenon
! If it worked, companies would be using it to make a killing in...
! Are they?
|-
| Remote Viewing
| rowspan = 2 | Oil Prospecting
|
|-
| Dowsing
|
|-
| Auras
| rowspan = 3 | Health Care Cost Reduction
|
|-
| Homeopathy
|
|-
| Remote Prayer
|
|-
| Astrology
| rowspan = 2 | Financial/Business Planning
|
|-
| Tarot
|
|-
| Crystal Energy
| Regular Energy
|
|-
| Curses, Hexes
| The Military
|
|-
| Relativity
| GPS Devices
| style="text-align:center;" | ✓
|-
| Quantum Electrodynamics
| Semiconductor Circuit Design
| style="text-align:center;" | ✓
|}

:Eventually, arguing that these things work means arguing that modern capitalism isn't ''that'' ruthlessly profit-focused.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Paranormal]]

Talk:2420: Appliances

2021-02-05T05:17:28Z

108.162.216.52:

This seems related to [[1890: What to Bring]]. [[User:Bubblegum|bubblegum]]-[[User_talk:Bubblegum|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Bubblegum|contribs]] 02:55, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

I actually disagree with the stove and washing dishes. In a large pot with water and with some stirring one can remove stains from cloths and kill germs. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.28|141.101.96.28]] 07:08, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

It's interesting that all green squares are mirrored along the diagonal, with one exception, but no yellow ones at all. Usually you would assume that somewhat similar things result in a yellow square on both sides. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 07:35, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

== A washing mashine can (and does) spin-dry clothes ==

A spin-drying program can usually be selected separately without getting the clothes wet. While this is not effective as a dryer, still much better than nothing.
----

I microwave can boil eggs, you just nweed to wrap them in foil and ensure they are covered by the boiling water. The foil acts as a faraday cage and ensures they only cook by conduction from the outside and the water stops arcing.
You cvan also make scrabled eggs and omlettes. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 09:31, 4 February 2021 (UTC)
:You seriously suggest putting foil into the microwave? I guess you don't mean tinfoil/aluminum? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:58, 4 February 2021 (UTC)
::yes, read what they said. The aluminium foil happens to be unnecessary because they are immersing the eggs in water which will eventually boil. A fun thing to do is say to put a half a cup of water in the microwave, and listen to the screams from people who don't know that a couple of halved grapes are just fine with that half cup of water. One year old microwaves may not need the water; the half cup of water thing is from the directions for use on a twenty year old microwave. Edit by me[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.140|162.158.75.140]] 05:02, 5 February 2021 (UTC)
:: You can put a foil there IF you know what you are doing. Try dissecting a microwave popcorn bag - its bottom has an aluminium foil inside and acts as a pan. I was surprised by inclusion of egg as okay by Randall though - I thought egg yolks were famous for infrequent but nasty [https://abcnews.go.com/Health/dangers-microwaving-eggs/story?id=51630977 superheating surprises] when microwaved. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.116|162.158.165.116]] 10:41, 4 February 2021 (UTC)
::: You don't even need to know what you are a doing. I often don't bother to heat a skillet and fry two eggs in an oiled ceramic bowl. They don't cook evenly, so you gotta rearrange them.
500watt oven. For a 1500 one use a quarter power. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.52|108.162.216.52]] 05:17, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

----
I didn't get this at all until I read the explanation, as I am red-green colorblind and the shades of red and green that Randall chose appear completely identical to me.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.35|141.101.104.35]] 09:47, 4 February 2021 (UTC)
:Oh man, I wonder whether Randall is aware of the difficulty his choice in colors creates for colorblind readers. He's done comics referring to colorblindness before, hasn't he? I wonder if a subtle edit should be in order, on his part. (Alternatively, a confusion map of which vision types perceive differences between which colors, labeled in the same problematic colors, might have a certain apropos irony...?)
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:42, 4 February 2021 (UTC)
----

What a microwave does to bread is very weird. It seems to make the bread tougher (i.e., harder to bite through; in one case of a microwaved sandwich I was totally unable to bite off pieces), but doesn't make it stiffer (it ends up kind of like rubber). It doesn't wind up unevenly toasted like in the picture, but rather cooked in a completely different way. [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] ([[User talk:Magic9mushroom|talk]]) 11:22, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

----
Using a microwave to dry clothes is generally a bad idea, there is quite a high chance of burns. The most household appliance to quickly dry clothes beside a dryer is actually the freezer. [[User:Perigril|Perigril]] ([[User talk:Perigril|talk]]) 13:20, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

----
Updated transcript from [[1890: What to Bring]]. Considering the increased size of this table maybe something else is wiser? Does anyone know why the three first items are separate, or why the washing machine appears only to wet parts of the shirt? Should the cited text from the comic be written in all caps to match the comic? Should the "with a" between the pairs be replaced with something better to indicate that unlike What to Bring, Appliances does not have an equivalent to the "Should you bring _____ to ______"-text? --[[User:IonIceXIII|IonIceXIII]] ([[User talk:IonIceXIII|talk]]) 13:22, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

----
Attempting to do as well as possible in each square could make an interesting short video series. Stove/oven could probably achieve 6 greens, at least for quality of results if not for the time required [[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 13:41, 4 February 2021 (UTC)
:I love this. Where do I click "Like" & "Subscribe"? [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:06, 4 February 2021 (UTC)
:I agree that the stove/oven deserves more green. I'm using the oven to dry (not just) clothes pretty often ;-) --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.82|141.101.96.82]] 21:08, 4 February 2021 (UTC)
----
A classic example of a diagonally dominant matrix. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.41|162.158.62.41]] 18:35, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

----
I'm surprised how many people persist in using "bad" toasters (slot loading). They're terrible at handling pretty much everything except sliced bread, & are completely impractical for more than half the things one might want "toasted". Even a sliced bagel turns out better in a half-decent "toaster oven" than in any slot-loader I've seen; & with a toaster oven you can toast the toppings too. (For instance: peanut butter is better toasted! Warm gooey cream cheese! Reheat muffins with loads of butter on top!) Try making a toasted sandwich in a slot loader; they're a nightmare. Even cleaning them is more effort than a toaster oven. Slot loaders are terrible, obsolete fire hazards, as far as I'm concerned. Yet when you say "toaster", people still visualize a slot loader. It's like if you said "pencil" & everyone visualized a stick of bare graphite. The graphite can conditionally be used for some purposes related to "pencil" but the wood cased design with rubber eraser is far more practical. Same situation with toasters; why use a slot-loader when you can get a good toaster instead?
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:06, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

----
I seem to recall a Cutthroat Kitchen episode where one of the chefs was forced to cook eggs with a toaster. I think they turned the toaster on its side, then put the egg in a shallow dish that was placed inside the slot. I don't remember if that chef was cut, though. - [[Special:Contributions/162.158.212.218|162.158.212.218]] 22:28, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

Wait, you can cook fish in a dishwasher? Guess I'm one of today's lucky 10,000. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 01:58, 5 February 2021 (UTC)
:: Don't.

2362: Volcano Dinosaur

2020-09-22T18:40:05Z

108.162.216.52: Added a citation of the primary source

{{comic
| number = 2362
| date = September 21, 2020
| title = Volcano Dinosaur
| image = volcano_dinosaur.png
| titletext = Phylogeneticists are working on identifying and notifying its next of kin.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SLOWLY RECOVERING DINOSAUR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a reference to [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/new-dinosaur-discovered-china-volcano-b511774.html this discovery] of [https://peerj.com/articles/9832/ dinosaur fossils that were buried and killed by a volcanic eruption], similar to what occurred in {{w|Pompeii}} in the first century AD.

Facetiously, Megan asks if the dinosaur was okay. As living things typically don't survive being fossilized in volcano debris{{Citation needed}}, the answer to the question would obviously be "no", but Cueball replies that he is unsure. Even if the dinosaur somehow survived the initial burial, it would be impossible for it to survive buried for 125 million years{{Citation needed}}.

The title text suggests contacting its "{{w|next of kin}}", which usually means a nearest living relative, e.g. a brother or a sister. In this case, dinosaurs are extinct, so it is the job of {{w|Phylogenetics|phylogeneticist}}s (those who study evolutionary relationships) to determine which living animal (presumably a bird of some kind) is the "nearest relative" to the deceased dinosaurs.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Megan is standing facing right, talking to Cueball who is sitting at a computer desk and also facing right, looking at a computer screen.]
:Cueball: Oh cool, they just found a dinosaur that was buried by a volcanic eruption 125 million years ago.
:Megan: Wow.

:[Pause. Megan is still facing right. Panel closes in on Megan and Cueball is not shown. This panel has no dialogue.]

:[Megan has stepped closer to Cueball, who is still looking at the screen.]
:Megan: Was it okay?
:Cueball: Hmm, it doesn't say.
 
 
Title text: Phylogeneticists are working on identifying and notifying its next of kin.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Volcanoes]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Biology]]

2319: Large Number Formats

2020-06-13T00:20:14Z

108.162.216.52: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2319
| date = June 13, 2020
| title = Large Number Formats
| image = large_number_formats.png
| titletext = 10^13.4024: A person who has come back to numbers after a journey deep into some random theoretical field
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by ABRAHAM LINCOLN. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic shows how different people express large numbers.

'''25,259,974,097,204'''
The first normal person writes out the number in its entirety, but puts commas to indicate powers of 1000.

'''25 trillion'''
The second normal person says the number in English, but approximates it to 2 significant figures so it won't be too long.

'''25 billion'''
In most English, an n-illion means 10^(3n+3), so a trillion means 10^12. However, in older British English, an n-illion means 10^(6n), so a billion means 10^12.

'''2.526*10^13'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Number
! Type of person
! Notes
|-
| 25,259,974,097,204
| Normal Person
| This is the full number, written out in the normal fashion.
|-
| 25 Trillion
| Normal Person
| This is the number, rounded to trillions in the normal fashion.
|-
| 25 Billion
| Old British Person
| In current English usage, across the anglophonic world with some hold-outs, an n-illion means 10^(3n+3) as per the Short Scale system popularised by American influence in international trade, so a trillion means 10^12, as above. However, in older British English use had an n-illion meaning 10^(6n) (i.e. the simpler calculation of ''million^n''), so a billion meant 10^12. The change stems from a 1974 commitment by Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister of the UK at the time, to change from the Long Scale (previously often described as the British system) to the Short one for all official purposes.

Though not instantly widely adopted for common usage, the mid-'70s could therefore be considered the key turning point between when an older or younger British person learns (as the change filters through the system at various stages of education) what their "Billion"s and "Trillion"s are supposed to represent.

(The 1971 transition to decimalised currency may also date a person's experiences, but was a more comprehensive and immediate change for everyone who handled any money at all, in the UK, and thus was a more definite point of change apart from the extended survival of the "12 times table" being taught by rote in primary education, rather than ending at the 10s.)

As well as 'traditionalist' British use, the Long Scale is widely used in the non-anglophone world, in local language versions, though while the British system tended to infill n-and-a-half powers of the million with the term "thousand n-illion", the suffix "-illi''ard''", or equivalent, is often used for the thousands multiple directly atop the respective "-illion" point.
|-
| 2.5997x1013
| Scientist trying to avoid rounding up
| Using as many decimal places as necessary until hitting a digit (0-4) that results in rounding down, even if it goes against the common scientific practice of reporting the correct amount of "significant figures". Although, in so doing they seem to have lost a couple digits.
|-
| 25,259,973,541,888
| Software developer who forgot about floats
| This is the number after being converted to the limited precision of a 32-bit float.
|-
| 1013
| Astronomer
| For extremely large distances, astronomers typically only care about orders of magnitude, i.e. 1013, not 1012 or 1014. Randall often jokes about the lack of precision needed by astronomers, such as in that one xkcd (#2205) where the astronomer-cosmologist is equally willing to make pi equal to one, or ten. The original number is rounded to the nearest power of ten.
|-
| 1,262,998,704,860 score and four
| Abraham Lincoln
| In the {{W|Gettysburg Address}}, he speaks the number "87" as "four score and seven" ("score" meaning "20"). The original number is rewritten in "score" (multiples of 20) plus a remainder (four).
|}
Title text: It is uncommon in conventional mathematics to raise 10 (or any integer) to such an oddly precise power, or to see "serious" papers doing so. Instead, numbers are typically converted to one of the first 6-8 formats already discussed in the comic. This might be a nod to articles about fields such as statistics or number theory in which one deals with very large numbers, and then attempts to bring them back to the realm of "understandable" numbers (such as Isaac Asimov in the short non-fiction article "Skewered!" - google it).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

2319: Large Number Formats

2020-06-13T00:17:13Z

108.162.216.52: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2319
| date = June 13, 2020
| title = Large Number Formats
| image = large_number_formats.png
| titletext = 10^13.4024: A person who has come back to numbers after a journey deep into some random theoretical field
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by ABRAHAM LINCOLN. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic shows how different people express large numbers.

'''25,259,974,097,204'''
The first normal person writes out the number in its entirety, but puts commas to indicate powers of 1000.

'''25 trillion'''
The second normal person says the number in English, but approximates it to 2 significant figures so it won't be too long.

'''25 billion'''
In most English, an n-illion means 10^(3n+3), so a trillion means 10^12. However, in older British English, an n-illion means 10^(6n), so a billion means 10^12.

'''2.526*10^13'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Number
! Type of person
! Notes
|-
| 25,259,974,097,204
| Normal Person
| This is the full number, written out in the normal fashion.
|-
| 25 Trillion
| Normal Person
| This is the number, rounded to trillions in the normal fashion.
|-
| 25 Billion
| Old British Person
| In current English usage, across the anglophonic world with some hold-outs, an n-illion means 10^(3n+3) as per the Short Scale system popularised by American influence in international trade, so a trillion means 10^12, as above. However, in older British English use had an n-illion meaning 10^(6n) (i.e. the simpler calculation of ''million^n''), so a billion meant 10^12. The change stems from a 1974 commitment by Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister of the UK at the time, to change from the Long Scale (previously often described as the British system) to the Short one for all official purposes.

Though not instantly widely adopted for common usage, the mid-'70s could therefore be considered the key turning point between when an older or younger British person learns (as the change filters through the system at various stages of education) what their "Billion"s and "Trillion"s are supposed to represent.

(The 1971 transition to decimalised currency may also date a person's experiences, but was a more comprehensive and immediate change for everyone who handled any money at all, in the UK, and thus was a more definite point of change apart from the extended survival of the "12 times table" being taught by rote in primary education, rather than ending at the 10s.)

As well as 'traditionalist' British use, the Long Scale is widely used in the non-anglophone world, in local language versions, though while the British system tended to infill n-and-a-half powers of the million with the term "thousand n-illion", the suffix "-illi''ard''", or equivalent, is often used for the thousands multiple directly atop the respective "-illion" point.
|-
| 2.5997x1013
| Scientist trying to avoid rounding up
| Using as many decimal places as necessary until hitting a digit (0-4) that results in rounding down, even if it goes against the common scientific practice of reporting the correct amount of "significant figures". Although, in so doing they seem to have lost a couple digits.
|-
| 25,259,973,541,888
| Software developer who forgot about floats
| This is the number after being converted to the limited precision of a 32-bit float.
|-
| 1013
| Astronomer
| For extremely large distances, astronomers typically only care about orders of magnitude, i.e. 10^13, not 10^12 or 10^14. Randall often jokes about the lack of precision needed by astronomers, such as in that one xkcd (#2205) where the astronomer-cosmologist is equally willing to make pi equal to one, or ten. The original number is rounded to the nearest power of ten.
|-
| 1,262,998,704,860 score and four
| Abraham Lincoln
| In the {{W|Gettysburg Address}}, he speaks the number "87" as "four score and seven" ("score" meaning "20"). The original number is rewritten in "score" (multiples of 20) plus a remainder (four).
|}
Title text: It is uncommon in conventional mathematics to raise 10 (or any integer) to such an oddly precise power, or to see "serious" papers doing so. Instead, numbers are typically converted to one of the first 6-8 formats already discussed in the comic. This might be a nod to articles about fields such as statistics or number theory in which one deals with very large numbers, and then attempts to bring them back to the realm of "understandable" numbers (such as Isaac Asimov in the short non-fiction article "Skewered!" - google it).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2316: Hair Growth Rate

2020-06-05T22:38:55Z

108.162.216.52:

Based on the rate at which I shed hair, mine must be growing at an above average rate or I'd be completely bald by now.
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:23, 5 June 2020 (UTC)

Is this a Dr. Seuss reference? The [https://seuss.fandom.com/wiki/Zed Zed] "all have one strand of hair up on each of their heads, their hair grows very fast, so fast, people say that they need a haircut everyday" [[User:Usernaminator|Usernaminator]] ([[User talk:Usernaminator|talk]]) 21:18, 5 June 2020 (UTC)

So, anybody have some idea how is this related to covid? :-) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:30, 5 June 2020 (UTC)
: i was like omigod a normal xkcd they freed randall celebrate celebrate!!!! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.52|108.162.216.52]] 22:38, 5 June 2020 (UTC)

2315: Eventual Consistency

2020-06-05T06:27:33Z

108.162.216.52: removed covid-19 category as the comic is not explicitly related to covid-19 and more likely related to other issues making it "hard to focus right now"

{{comic
| number = 2315
| date = June 3, 2020
| title = Eventual Consistency
| image = eventual_consistency.png
| titletext = Later I'm going to get a head start on the heat bath.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EVENTUALLY CONSISTENT BOT. May need cleanup. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[Cueball]]'s employer wants him to continue his work, probably{{Citation needed}} as a home-based remote worker as encouraged by the common current advice during the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 COVID-19 pandemic}}. The stated task is to "test the database" and "guarantee eventual consistency". Trying to avoid work, Cueball points out that the {{w|second law of thermodynamics}} itself "guarantees eventual consistency", as the {{w|universe}} is ''guaranteed'' to ''eventually'' die a {{w|Heat death of the universe|heat death}}, at maximum {{w|entropy}} and perfect ''consistency''. His boss responds that in a system that has reached maximum entropy, no {{w|work}} can be performed (as this requires a difference in energy states between two sources). Cueball claims that he's simply getting a head start on this.

''Eventual consistency'' has a double meaning here. In computing, many systems are ''{{w|distributed computing|distributed}}'' (spread out) across multiple servers, sometimes in very different parts of the world. When data changes -- like the number of views on a video or the likes on a social media post -- updating it across ''every'' server can be a challenge, and it's often not practical to keep the data perfectly in synch everywhere. So the system will use {{w|eventual consistency}} instead. Each individual server will record changes, and after a certain amount of time or a certain amount of change, the results will be synced across the whole network. At any given moment, an individual server's data will be a little off -- but ''eventually'' everything will get recorded correctly.

The title text constitutes another play on the words "heat bath", which can refer to the thermally uniform state of the universe at {{w|heat death}}. However, in this context, we can assume Cueball instead plans to prepare a literal warm bath for his own relaxation and enjoyment after or during (or instead of) his work.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball sits at a home desk.]
:Laptop: I know it's hard to focus right now, but we should try to finish testing the DB.
:Cueball: ''Ughhhh.''
:Cueball: Okay.

:Laptop: The system needs to guarantee eventual consistency.
:Cueball: I mean, it does.

:[Closeup of Cueball.]
:Cueball: Eventual consistency is guaranteed by the 2nd law of thermodynamics.
:Cueball: Sooner or later this will all be a uniform heat bath.
:Cueball: Maximum entropy.

:[Back to Cueball and desk. Cueball is leaning back in his chair.]
:Laptop: Maximum entropy means no useful work can be done!
:Cueball: I'm getting a head start by doing no useful work ''now''.

==Trivia==
* Randall has previously invoked the second law of thermodynamics (indirectly) to provide a "big picture" solution to the {{w|halting problem}} in [[1266: Halting Problem]], concluding that (in the real world, rather than the case of the ideal infinite {{w|Turing machine}}) all programs do halt...eventually.
* In [[2282: Coronavirus Worries]], Randall asserted that worrying about "whether you're getting enough work done" is common but not very healthy. Evidently Cueball has taken his advice to heart, but Cueball's boss has not.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Physics]]

Talk:2315: Eventual Consistency

2020-06-03T20:58:01Z

108.162.216.52: Not everything has to be related to the pandemic

The current explanation says that "Cueball's employer wants him to continue his work in the COVID-19 pandemic," but that's a "citation needed" sort of statement. Even if the comic is taken to be literally occurring on the day it is published (which is not always the case as comics have taken place in the past, the future, alternate presents, and even spanning large periods of time), there are perhaps multiple things adding up together to make it "hard to focus right now." In the USA, there's hot temperatures, civil unrest, economic woes springing from or accelerated by the pandemic, and even political considerations that may make it hard to focus (governmental responses to current events potentially being out of proportion with the events, etc). If Cueball is elsewhere in the world, there may be other local conditions that might make things hard to focus. There's stuff going on in Hong Kong, the Middle East, Brazil, Somalia, and all over the world that could be making it hard for someone in those locales to concentrate on their work even if the pandemic weren't a possible contributing factor.

Then, of course, since the comic doesn't specify what is causing it to be hard to concentrate, it's a bit deictic, and the comic can be linked as a response to multiple future situations (not all of them bad -- having a baby, for instance, can make it hard to concentrate on work.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.52|108.162.216.52]] 20:58, 3 June 2020 (UTC)

Talk:1577: Advent

2020-01-22T00:07:45Z

108.162.216.52:

[[Media:Example.ogg]]16800 squares counted, corresponding to a projected lifespan of 46 years. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.225.124|108.162.225.124]] 04:09, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

This description says "64 small drawers" but each of the small drawer sets contains 70. 7 columns, 10 rows. (Then there are 20 columns of drawer sets, and 12 rows.) [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.115|199.27.133.115]] 04:54, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

Same counting here, I changed the description. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.160|199.27.133.160]] 05:07, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

Use × not x. (Editing with this phone is really hard.) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.171|173.245.55.171]] 05:13, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

I corrected the number of drawers ((70×12×20)÷365.25≈50) then used that calculation to work out Cueball's approximate age.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.185|141.101.98.185]] 06:36, 14 September 2015 (UTC)
:Note that (70×12×20)÷365.25≈46. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.154|173.245.50.154]] 12:32, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

Reminds me on the [http://store.waitbutwhy.com/collections/life-calendars Life calendar] from this [http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/life-weeks.html Wait but why post] [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:54, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

There is a (common) mistake in the life expectancy calculation in the description. If the life expectancy in the US is 75.9, then that doesn't mean you expected remaining life at 25 will be 50.9 years - otherwise that would imply no-one dies under 25. Since, sadly, many people do die before their 25th birthday, the life expectancy remaining at 25 will be somewhat larger than 50 years. As these tables show: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html 50 years remaining corresponds roughly to an age of 27-28. In other words your remaining life expectancy drops by less than one year per year, if no new information is presented (i.e. assuming you don't take up smoking etc.) {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.205}}

There's a link in this explanation stating that the life expectancy refers back to comic 1070. I think this may be the wrong comic, not sure what the correct one should be :/ [[User:apbarratt|apbarratt]] 09:17, 14 September 2015 (UTC)
This is about the title text that mentions "The few dozen doors". 1070 explains that "a few" for most people seems to be anything more than one but at most five.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.97|173.245.49.97]] 11:07, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

What struck me about the comic, and which didn't come out clearly yet in the explanation, is the idea of countdown. An advent calendar is a countdown to Christmas, one day at a time. This is a countdown to Cueball's death. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.167|108.162.241.167]] 11:54, 14 September 2015 (UTC)
: The cruellest surprise of all would be opening one of the boxes and seeing a Grim Reaper. All those other boxes? You don't get to open them! [[User:Margath|Margath]] ([[User talk:Margath|talk]]) 21:32, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

I was expecting that the alt text would say "'''Your life may be shorter if you eat all of the chocolate'''". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.148|108.162.241.148]] 14:25, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

I don't know about the USA, but in the UK, advent calendars may contain chocolate, but many just show a picture (related to either the Christian or the commercial aspects of Christmas). I'm going to change the description slightly to make that clear. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 17:10, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

:Yes, I would normally get the chocolate ones from my parents. One year my grandmother gave me one with just pictures inside. I was '''not''' amused. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.148|108.162.241.148]] 20:18, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

Why on earth would it seem strange for 4 to be included in "a few"? It seems perfectly natural to me. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.243.249|198.41.243.249]] 23:43, 14 September 2015 (UTC)
: Maybe bacause: "One, two, three, many...". But I think the real reason is, that "a few dozen" = "4 dozen" seems fine, while "a few dozen" = "48" doesn't. So it's a conflict between "few" and "48" here. However, I agree in "4" being a totally acceptable value for "a few" [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:26, 15 September 2015 (UTC)

Randall makes an advent calendar comic within days of LEGO releasing their 2015 advent calendar sets...Coincidence? I think Randall is a LEGO geek! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.207|108.162.241.207]] 01:25, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

;"S&W" Linkage
Lets See if I get this right.
Could this have anything to do with the current story arc over at Sandra and Woo "S&W" about life expectancy? --Mark w --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.160|173.245.54.160]] 11:51, 15 September 2015 (UTC)

This comic reminds me of this dinosaur comic: http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1833 --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.185|141.101.104.185]] 08:08, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

Assuming they're all chocolates, the right move to make it sufficiently morbid is to have a chocolate-covered cyanide capsule behind the last door.
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.55.81|172.68.55.81]] 07:19, 24 November 2016 (UTC)

My question is, did Randall actually hand draw over ten thousand little squares individually? Due to perspective each is seemingly unique. And they don't look like cut/paste/resize...

Talk:2242: Ground vs Air

2019-12-18T17:52:42Z

108.162.216.52:

Wow; it took longer than I care to admit to realize 'thick' wasn't 'viscosity'...but 'altitude'. (i.e., height/thickness re: Kynde's comment) [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]]) 01:08, 17 December 2019 (UTC)
:Ohhhhhhhh! [[User:Sdkb|Sdkb]] ([[User talk:Sdkb|talk]]) 02:38, 17 December 2019 (UTC)
::Not altitude, but height or thickness... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:03, 17 December 2019 (UTC)
::: ^ Yes, that. Correction added; I meekly blame word choice on keyboard dead zones. [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]]) 20:22, 17 December 2019 (UTC)

A link to the article is here: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2005GL025621. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.192|162.158.186.192]] 01:12, 17 December 2019 (UTC)

It's probably worth mentioning in the explanation which map projection Randall chose to use for this comic from those listed in a previous comic about map projections. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 02:22, 17 December 2019 (UTC)

And by these metrics, blood is even thinner than water... {{unsignedip|162.158.107.199}}

But everything changed when the fire nation attacked [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.250|108.162.229.250]] 10:47, 17 December 2019 (UTC)

I assume ocean ridges have a very thin crust, meaning they get the ratio more towards air? I am not at all a geologist, so I ask this question, because ridges would intiutively appear to have a bigger crust, as they stand out from the ground. "That definition would, of course, have resulted in a significantly different picture where the air is thicker than the ground only inside small areas around mid-ocean ridges" should be explained by someone who knows why it is the case. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 14:26, 17 December 2019 (UTC)
:Mid-ocean ridges can even be raised above the ocean surface--Iceland is actually the high point on one of them. In other places they're trenches, though. Since seafloor crust is spreading at those points, it's at its thinnest there on average. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 02:08, 18 December 2019 (UTC)
::Would you feel confident, adding that in a concise way to the explanation? I do not... But I am glad I learned something by that. That might also explain why these ocean ridges tend to be equipped with volcanoes. I thought the reasoning was the other way round: They are ridges due to their geothermal activity. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:27, 18 December 2019 (UTC)

The current explanation seems to include water-thickness in with (either) air or ground thickness in discussing it in the initial transition from air to ground. Depends how you read it, which, but it easily reads as either. Maybe edit that aside out from that bit, then make sure that sliver of water is gone into later (...end of that para? ...footnote mention?) that sometimes the air ends at sea-level and ground starts after the depth of sea? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.46|162.158.34.46]] 12:28, 18 December 2019 (UTC)

The current explanations refers to fire as being 12000km, I would rather go with the radius of 6000km. Makes more sense to me since we are on a sphere and not counting the crust thickness twice.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.52|108.162.216.52]] 17:52, 18 December 2019 (UTC)

236: Collecting Double-Takes

2019-12-17T06:24:40Z

108.162.216.52: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =236
| date =March 16, 2007
| title =Collecting Double Takes
| image =collecting_double_takes.png
| titletext =Fun Game: find a combination of two items that most freaks out the cashier. Winner: pregnancy test and single coat hanger.
}}

==Explanation==
There's a fairly well-founded meme that singles looking for other singles (''mostly'' that being men for women, and vice-versa, but not exclusively) can make connections with others in the fresh produce sections of a supermarket. From a single lady's point of view, men who are buying such goods are more likely to be unattached, due to the traditionally skewed gender politics of who shops for what in a couple, and at the same time, the man is exhibiting good habits in not merely stocking up on ready-meals or subsisting on takeaways while living the bachelor life.

By standing in a produce aisle with a tube of {{w|K-Y Jelly}} (which is most commonly used as a sexual lubricant) in his hand and considering what produce to buy (between bananas, apples, oranges, zucchinis, and doubtless many more off-screen), [[Cueball]] is allowing other people to believe that he either has plans to have sex with any connection he might manage to take home with him, or also he plans to use the chosen produce item to pleasure himself, probably sexually.

Cueball is probably not actually planning on doing either{{Citation needed}}, but he loves to see the look on people's faces; hence, he's collecting double-takes.

In the title text, he says he likes to play a game of "freak out the cashier using two items." Wire coat hangers have been used to perform {{w|Unsafe abortion | do-it-yourself abortions}}, many times with disastrous effects, such as internal hemorrhaging and the death of the woman.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing in the middle of the produce aisle in a supermarket, holding a tube of K-Y Jelly in one hand, the other on his chin. The signs read "Bananas" "Apples" "Oranges" and "Zucchini" from left to right.]
:MY HOBBY: Standing in the supermarket's produce section holding a tube of K-Y Jelly, looking contemplative.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Sex]]

2238: Flu Shot

2019-12-08T16:32:28Z

108.162.216.52:

{{comic
| number = 2238
| date = December 6, 2019
| title = Flu Shot
| image = flu_shot.png
| titletext = "Wait, how often are you getting bitten by snakes? And why are you boiling water?" "Dunno, the CDC people keep showing up with complicated questions about the 'history of the property' and 'possible curses' but I kinda tune them out. At least one of them offered me the flu shot."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FLU VIRUS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In this comic, Megan tells Cueball that she got a {{w|flu shot}}, which is a vaccine to prevent getting the {{w|common flu}}. She then goes on to claim she doesn't have to worry about being bitten by bats, but the worry with being bitten by bats is rabies, not the flu. This implies she got the two confused. Then, she goes on to claim to now be immune to other conditions, such as poison ivy, snake venom, contaminated water, and computer viruses.

The flu shot consists of inactivated viruses from three different strains of the flu, which are those judged by the {{w|World Health Organization}} (WHO) to most likely be in wide circulation in the following flu season. Because the influenza virus comes in many strains and mutates rapidly, the flu shot is generally less than 60% effective at preventing flu infections; this is a positive effect for health outcomes, but it's not exactly what most people think of as "immunity", especially compared to e.g. the 97% effectiveness of the MMR vaccine against measles and rubella. Statistics show that flu vaccine recipients are also less likely to die from a variety of other causes, but this is believed to be either because someone with the flu is more likely to have a heart attack, car accident, etc., or because of the {{w|healthy user effect}}. Even if there is a slight protective effect, it will certainly not completely prevent harm from coming to Megan by the other sources of infection or poison she mentions (except to the extent that all of these things will be even worse for her if she is also sick with the flu):

* '''{{w|Rabies}}''' is a viral disease that causes brain inflammation, which in turn causes symptoms including aggression, fear of water, and violent uncontrollable limb movements. It can be carried by almost any vertebrate animal, but bats, raccoons, and wild dogs are the stereotypical carriers. There is a rabies vaccine, but it is generally only administered to pets and humans who work extensively with animals.
* '''{{w|Poison ivy}}''' is a vine which produces an oil, {{w|urushiol}}, which chemically reacts with membrane proteins on the skin cells it contacts, which in turn tricks the immune system into attacking those cells. Some people are not affected by poison ivy, but as it is an allergic reaction, people often become more sensitive to poison ivy upon repeated exposure. There is no known vaccine or other permanent preventative treatment against urushiol sensitivity, although there are several creams that can be applied in advance of expected poison ivy exposure to reduce the risk of contacting the chemical.
* '''{{w|Sunburn}}''' is caused by exposing the skin to high levels of ultraviolet radiation, such as by playing outside in noontime sun for an hour or two without clothing or sunscreen. Repeatedly getting sunburned can increase the risk of skin cancer later in life, and one severe sunburn can also trigger it. As ultraviolet radiation is a form of electromagnetic energy, it cannot be prevented by vaccination, but use of sunscreen with a high SPF factor can provide protection for a few hours. Melanin provides some natural protection, so skin cancer occurs disproportionately in some races, although it can occur in any race. Stimulating melanin production through controlled exposure to UV radiation for cosmetic purposes is called "{{w|sun tanning}}", but physicians now recommend against the practice, because the UV radiation used for tanning can also cause skin cancer.
* '''{{w|Snake venom}}''' is not one single compound, but several proteins and molecules produced by venomous snakes to inject into prey. Different snakes' venoms have different effects, so there is no single vaccine or antivenom for all snake bites, but {{w|antivenom}}s are produced by a process similar to vaccination. Small doses of venom are injected into host animals, such as horses, to provoke an immune response; the resulting antibodies are then stored to be injected into snakebite victims, where they will bind up and inactivate the toxic proteins and mark them for disposal by the immune system. Antivenom is more effective the sooner it is administered; for venomous snakes in North America, it is generally recommended to be treated within six hours of being envenomated.
* '''{{w|Raw water}}''' may be contaminated by bacteria, protozoa, parasites, and chemical pollutants. Boiling water will kill off any biological contaminants, which will prevent food-borne diseases such as {{w|cholera}}, {{w|dysentery}}, and {{w|giardiasis}}. In developed areas of the world (which presumably most of the XKCD characters live in), boiling water is generally not necessary due to municipal water treatment, but if those treatment facilities are impacted by a disaster or the pipes carrying the treated water experience a failure/break, the government may advise residents to boil their water before drinking it. This is likewise advised for people living or travelling in less-developed areas, like backpackers or farmers. Some of these diseases can be prevented by vaccines, but because there are so many microscopic life-forms in water, it is not possible to vaccinate against all of them. There was a brief fad in 2017-2018 of selling bottled raw water in health food shops, advertised as a "probiotic". While it is true that untreated, unfiltered spring water has more microbes in it than purified water, these microbes are not beneficial to human life and may even kill you in some cases.
* '''{{w|Computer virus|Computer viruses}}''' are computer programs that now usually spread through networks via infected devices, attachments, and websites (early computer viruses were often spread by floppy diskettes). They can cause harm directly by taking up computer cycles and network bandwidth, but nowadays they often perform other tasks for their creators, such as exfiltrating financial information or encrypting files and demanding ransom for the keys. Computer viruses can be recognized and blocked or deleted by software that scans incoming files and links against known computer virus patterns, which is analogous to vaccination, but there is no vaccine that can be administered to Megan which would protect her computer.
** Megan specifically mentions clicking on links that have "weird Unicode in them"; this may be referring to an {{w|IDN homograph attack}}, in which attackers register domain names that use Unicode characters that resemble ASCII characters to trick users into thinking they are visiting a website belonging to a trusted party. For example, an attacker could register a website with the URL "xкcd.com", in which the Latin letter "k" is replaced by the Cyrillic letter ''ka'' (к), and then send emails to trick users into visiting that site and attempting to log in. The attacker can then attempt to use the supplied passwords on more important websites, as in [[792: Password Reuse]].

In the title text, Cueball asks Megan why she is subject to all of the above maladies. She responds that some members of the {{w|U.S. Centers for Disease Control}} (CDC) have evidently speculated that Megan is subject to all of the above maladies due to a curse on her property. In many works of fiction, building over sacred or desecrated ground (such as the stereotypical "ancient Indian burial ground", mentioned by Megan back in [[782: Desecration]]) results in curses befalling the builders and/or occupants of such properties, although usually those curses express themselves in more fantastical ways, such as disruptive {{w|poltergeists}} or re-animating the dead.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Megan walking into frame from the left, with Cueball outside of panel to the right.]
:Megan: Yesss, I got my flu shot.
:Cueball (off screen): Nice! I got mine a few weeks ago.
:Cueball (off screen): Immunity buddies!

:[Megan spreading her arms wide, with Cueball now in-panel to the right of Megan.]
:Megan: Now I can finally get bitten by all the bats I want!
:Cueball: No, that's rabies, that's not what—

:[Closeup of Megan's head.]
:Megan: I'll be able to roll and play in the poison ivy without a care in the world!
:Cueball (off screen): Why would you do that even if the shot ''did''—

:[Frameless panel with Megan flexing her arms and Cueball in panel again.]
:Megan: No more slathering on sunscreen. No more rushing for antivenom after a snakebite. And now I can stop wasting time boiling contaminated water before drinking it!

:[Megan running off to the left away from Cueball.]
:Megan: Gonna click on every URL in every email I get, even the ones with IP addresses and weird Unicode in them!
:Cueball: You know what, sure, go for it.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Animals]]

Talk:2006: Customer Rewards

2018-06-13T15:47:16Z

108.162.216.52:

For the transcript's description, I wouldn't consider that hat to be a baseball cap. Baseball caps are generally rounded (like the head) and that one's flat on the top... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.52|108.162.216.52]] 15:47, 13 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1999: Selection Effect

2018-05-30T02:39:42Z

108.162.216.52:

The selection effect is a bias in the results of a study because the study participants are not a random sample of the general population. For example, a study performed on college students may be biased toward better-educated people, or a study on social interaction may be affected by how many participants have the same first language as the investigators.

[[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 19:17, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

One more comic until we hit 2000!
Which means on July 11th, the comic number will finally match up with the date (and will certainly be the only time ever). Like an eclipse!
[[User:Some Commenter|Some Commenter]] ([[User talk:Some Commenter|talk]]) 12:23, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

:Just 49 to go until a big round-number milestone! (and just 1 until a big round number kilometerstone) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.4|172.68.54.4]] 21:54, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

:Well, arguably only two more to go, as there was no comic for #404 (Found this out on accident a few minutes ago looking for something unrelated.) But that means the 1000th comic was the 999th too.[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 12:47, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

There was no comic #404 because Randall intended the "Page Not Found" error as comic #404. [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 20:18, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

As I recall Mr Munroe's 404th comic was something that he created to mess with us: I remember being surprised by it, looking at the source code of the page and deciding that it was not an error. SDT [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.52|108.162.216.52]] 02:25, 30 May 2018 (UTC) addendum: a /very/ good April fool's joke: Even if it wasn't (it was) he's still got me ;p SDT [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.52|108.162.216.52]] 02:39, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

I don't think escaping from MRI is that easy. There is reason why it's known to be problem for claustrophobic people. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:46, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
:It it not that it is hard to escape from an MRI, unless you are somehow restrained or disabled. It is just that it feels that way because your head is in a tunnel. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.220|141.101.88.220]] 13:31, 29 May 2018 (UTC)
:Is it dangerous to leave an MRI mid-scan? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.115|172.68.189.115]] 18:57, 29 May 2018 (UTC)
It could be if your escape attempt brings something metallic into the MRI field. [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 19:37, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

Should we mention trivia of comics using the same platform? https://xkcd.com/1781/ [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.252|172.68.65.252]] 16:58, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1999: Selection Effect

2018-05-30T02:25:26Z

108.162.216.52: 404th comic was so a comic! IIRC.

The selection effect is a bias in the results of a study because the study participants are not a random sample of the general population. For example, a study performed on college students may be biased toward better-educated people, or a study on social interaction may be affected by how many participants have the same first language as the investigators.

[[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 19:17, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

One more comic until we hit 2000!
Which means on July 11th, the comic number will finally match up with the date (and will certainly be the only time ever). Like an eclipse!
[[User:Some Commenter|Some Commenter]] ([[User talk:Some Commenter|talk]]) 12:23, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

:Just 49 to go until a big round-number milestone! (and just 1 until a big round number kilometerstone) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.4|172.68.54.4]] 21:54, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

:Well, arguably only two more to go, as there was no comic for #404 (Found this out on accident a few minutes ago looking for something unrelated.) But that means the 1000th comic was the 999th too.[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 12:47, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

There was no comic #404 because Randall intended the "Page Not Found" error as comic #404. [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 20:18, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

As I recall Mr Munroe's 404th comic was something that he created to mess with us: I remember being surprised by it, looking at the source code of the page and deciding that it was not an error. SDT [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.52|108.162.216.52]] 02:25, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

I don't think escaping from MRI is that easy. There is reason why it's known to be problem for claustrophobic people. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:46, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
:It it not that it is hard to escape from an MRI, unless you are somehow restrained or disabled. It is just that it feels that way because your head is in a tunnel. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.220|141.101.88.220]] 13:31, 29 May 2018 (UTC)
:Is it dangerous to leave an MRI mid-scan? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.115|172.68.189.115]] 18:57, 29 May 2018 (UTC)
It could be if your escape attempt brings something metallic into the MRI field. [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 19:37, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

Should we mention trivia of comics using the same platform? https://xkcd.com/1781/ [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.252|172.68.65.252]] 16:58, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

926: Time Vulture

2017-11-01T23:57:30Z

108.162.216.52: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 926
| date = July 18, 2011
| title = Time Vulture
| image = time vulture.png
| titletext = In a way, all vultures are Time Vultures; some just have more patience than others.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about the ''time vulture'' (hence the title), a fictional creature made up by [[Randall]]. [[Cueball]] notices that his Cueball-like friend is followed by a time vulture, making the exclamation '' Dude, you've got a time vulture.''

The primary food source for {{w|Vulture|vultures}} is carrion, or rotting meat. A time vulture, as explained by Cueball, is a type of vulture that can live for {{w|Millennium|millennia}}, spending very little energy and it can even slow down its internal clocks so time speeds past, a kind of forward time travel, to the point where its prey dies. In this way, it can thus always wait long enough for the prey to die of natural causes no matter how long it takes, as seen from the prey's point of view. So in principle they kill their prey by using aging, as Cueball explains, although in fact, like any vulture, they just find prey that has already (almost) died, as from their point of view every living thing is just about to die. But as other vultures they do not participate in the actual killing. Time vultures thus just need to locate and find any one living creature (of a reasonable size), then it becomes it’s prey as it then just waits until it dies, spending hardly any energy while it waits. Real {{w|List of soaring birds|soaring}} vultures can also stay afloat for considerable time spans without actually using any energy as they just {{w|Lift (soaring)|float}} on {{w|thermals}}.

Thus the time vulture will now keep soaring over Cueball’s friends head for the rest of his life, or until they travel on an airplane (airplanes typically cruise at an altitude too high for a vulture to fly over them), and then when he dies (whenever and of whichever cause), it will descend and feast on his carcass. This should in principle not make any difference to the friend, since most people in principle already lives with the knowledge, that they will eventually die and their body will end up being destroyed in one way or the other. Typically it will not be caused by vultures, but for instance by the fire of the {{w|Crematory}} or by the {{w|decomposition}} caused by small animals and germs in the earth we are buried in.

However, it is not very nice to be reminded of this every living second of the rest of your life thus the consternation of the friend and his question and statement; ''But what if the prey doesn't die?'' and ''I'm not about to die...''

At first, the question doesn’t make sense since there are no known examples of terrestrial animals (including humans) that are large enough to matter as prey for a vulture and can survive through the several millennia that a time vulture can wait. The few {{w|List_of_longest-living_organisms|species that can live that long}} and grow at least as large as vulture prey, such as the 2,384 acre (965 hectare) "Humongous Fungus", an individual of the fungal species ''{{w|Armillaria solidipes}}'' in the {{w|Malheur National Forest}}, thought to be between 2,000 and 8,500 years old<ref>http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/03/030327074535.htm Humongous Fungus A New Kind Of Individual</ref><ref>http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus Strange but True: The Largest Organism on Earth Is a Fungus</ref>, and a {{w|Great Basin bristlecone pine}} (''Pinus longaeva'') measured by {{w|dendrochronology|ring count}} to be over 5000 years old.<ref>http://www.rmtrr.org/oldlist.htm</ref>, are stationary, such as fungi and plants, or aquatic, such as coral and sponges. Thus, the moving land species large enough to be attractive as prey will always die within the lifespan of the vulture (as Cueball tries to explain).

However, the question actually does make sense, because the prey does not have to outlive the vulture to avoid being eaten by the vulture; it simply has to live long enough to get to an airport, get through security screening, and board a flight that goes either too fast or too high for the vulture to follow. Therefore, the vulture would get to eat the prey only if the prey died on the way to the airport, while standing outdoors in line for security screening, or while walking from the terminal to the airplane (if passengers board outdoors instead of using a {{w|jet bridge|passenger boarding bridge (Jetway)}}). It is possible that the prey might not die this soon, unless security screening lines exceed the maximum human lifespan of approximately 120 years.

And because the time vulture can slow down its internal clock, in its point of view, everyone who ever says "But, I'm not about to die", would say so right before they die; actually anything a person ever says after the time vulture has locked on to that person, happens just before they die as seen from the vulture's point of view. In humans' point of view, it could be many years after the statement was made, but for the time vulture, a human lifespan only lasts a mere moment.

Of course, since a human can travel a considerable distance in this time, even around the world, the human would be traveling at an extremely high velocity from the vulture's perspective, so the vulture would be unable to keep up and the human would escape.

It is thus really more of a philosophical comic about the fact that we all have death waiting for us, you could say it soars above our head and just wait for it to happen. And in relation to the {{w|deep time}} of the geology of the Earth or the expansion of the universe, the time it takes for people to live their lives is hardly worth mentioning...

In the title text it is stated that all real life vultures are actually a kind of time vultures, as real life vultures also sometimes spot a dying animal, not quite dead yet, and then wait for this prey to die. But time vultures are able to wait for millennia for their prey to die, whereas regular vultures do not have that kind of time, before they need to feed or land, thus the comment that some vultures have more patience than others.

Real vultures and their preying habits was referenced in [[1746: Making Friends]], directly in the title text.
<references/>

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is watching a large black bird, with apparently fractal wings, which hovers above his Cueball-like friend who walks towards Cueball and now turns to look at the bird over his shoulder.]
:Cueball: Dude, you've got a Time Vulture.
:Friend: Holy crap! What is it?

:[Zoom-in on Cueball who now looks at his friend who are now standing close to Cueball looking up at the bird off-panel.]
:Cueball: They're predators that use aging to kill prey.
:Friend: Huh? What do you mean?

:[The panel zooms in on the Cueball's face. The friends reply comes from off-panel.]
:Cueball: They live for millennia and use little energy. They can slow down their internal clocks so time speeds past. To hunt, they lock on to some prey, and when it stops moving, they eat it.
:Friend (off-panel): But what if the prey doesn't die?

:[Zoom out to Cueball and his friend that now look at each other.]
:Cueball: I don't think you quite understand.
:Friend: I mean, ''I'm'' not '''about''' to die...
:Cueball: From the vulture's viewpoint, everyone says that moments before they do.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

1653: United States Map

2016-03-10T06:28:22Z

108.162.216.52: cleanup

{{comic
| number = 1653
| date = March 9, 2016
| title = United States Map
| image = united_states_map.png
| titletext = It would be pretty unfair to give to someone a blank version of this map as a 'how many states can you name?' quiz. (If you include Alaska and Hawaii, you should swap the Aleutian Islands with the Hawaiian ones.)
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|List how the states are swapped around using the table}}

The comic is a map with the (rough) outline of the {{w|Contiguous United States|mainland}} of the {{w|United States of America}}. At first it looks like the real map, but actually all the states have been shuffled around in it. It seems that [[Randall]] took all of the states (minus {{w|Alaska}} and {{w|Hawaii}}, the two states that are not part of this map and are only mentioned in the title text, see below), and then reassembled them in the style of a jigsaw puzzle, with the end result being a map with a similar outline to the original [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/National-atlas-blank-state-outlines.png unaltered mainland state map]. They can thus be reassembled into the real map as can be seen [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/88/1653-rearranged.png here] (see also the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]).

Previously Randall has played with the shapes of the united states in [[1079: United Shapes]]. In that map he did two separate drawings for {{w|Michigan}} with a mitten in the {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|lower part}} and an eagle in the {{w|Upper Peninsula of Michigan|upper part}}. Once again in this version he has split Michigan in two, the lower main part, the mitten just labeled ''Michigan'', is on the west coast on part of {{w|California|California's}} location, but the upper part is located on the east coast over {{w|New York|New York's}} location and has been labeled ''MI (upper)''. So even without Hawaii and Alaska, there are 49 "states" in this map, consisting of 47 states plus the two halves of Michigan. In the [[#Table|table]] below all 49 states in the map has been listed to indicate where the puzzle pieces have been moved to.

It seems at a first glance that the names have been written on the states as they would appear in a normal map, and that they have all then been rotated with the rotation of the states. But this is not the case for all states. For instance it seems like {{w|Utah}} has hardly been moved at all, and with the name written normally this may be intentionally to deceive the readers. Because Utah has been turned upside down, and according to how for instance {{w|Texas}}, clearly turned upside down, has it's name written upside down as well, Utah should thus also have been written like that.

It seems likely that this could be a trick by Randall, to see if anyone spots that Utah has actually been moved. But it could of course be a mistake, as seems more likely with {{w|Montana}} where the same "error" has occurred, but since this state has been moved far from it's real position there would be no sport in doing so (see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]). Of course there is the possibility that "Utah" was on purpose and Montana by mistake. With 47 of 49 ending up rotated as expected on the map and only two exactly upside down, there can be no doubt that it was on purpose that the the names are written according to the states rotation for the 47. Note that for instance the state California has been rotated, but in a way so the text is written normally. But due to the direction of the state, it is normal to write the name tilted down along the state, which just coincidentally ends up being rotated normal in the position it has in the comic.

Other states that have not been moved a lot include California which has only been pushed down the length of the west border of the US (and thus rotated acordingly), so the top part still overlaps with the bottom part California, but also {{w|Arizona}} and {{w|New Mexico}}. {{w|Maine}} has only been rolled left (i.e. turned upside down) to just outside its normal position. {{w|Colorado}} has been moved up a state to where {{w|Wyoming}} usually is, and Wyoming has then just been shifted right. But both have been turned 90 degrees, whichever way would be impossible to say for these rectangular states. But the text, if you dare believe in that, seems to indicate they have been turned counter clockwise. {{w|Wisconsin}} has only been shifted down below its usual position but then turned upside down.

The title text mentions how it would be unfair to use a [http://i.imgur.com/Mvi8j9s.jpg blank version] (already created by a user) of this shuffled-up map as a quiz for knowledge of U.S. geography; most people recognize states primarily by their relative locations, not their shape (and especially not their shape after being rotated). It also suggests a corresponding mean trick to play if you include Alaska and Hawaii, which are not present in the comic itself, namely to interchange the volcanic island of Hawaii (consisting of 8 main island and hundreds smaller ones) with those of the {{w|Aleutian Islands}}, also a chain of volcanic islands (14 large and 55 smaller) that partly belongs to the US partly to Russia. The island extends from the {{w|Alaska Peninsula}}. It would thus be possible to even make it difficult to correctly name these last two states, even though it would be obvious to begin with that it must be the two not belonging to the mainland.

==Table==
*This table list all states in the order of the transcript. But it can be sorted alphabetically.
*It's purpose is two fold:
**To list the rotation of the state compared to the real orientation of the sate in the real world map
**To list which state/states the states, in this comics map, have been moved over/inside.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! State
! Orientation
! Moved to
! Note
|-
| {{w|Ohio}} || Upside down || Washington ||
|-
| {{w|Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia}} || Upside down || Oregon ||
|-
| {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan (lower part)}} (as {{w|Michigan}})|| Upside down || Northern|| Michigan is the only state split in two, as it is also split in two peninsulas in real life. In real life these two parts lie very close on the shores of the {{w|Great Lakes region|Great Lakes}}, and not as here, with one on each coast of the US. But at least they still both lie on a shore.
|-
| {{w|Maryland}} (as MD) || Upside down || Central California (Southern Bay Area) ||
|-
| {{w|California}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Southern California, Southern Arizona, Southern New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Kansas}} || Upside down || Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Western Montana ||
|-
| {{w|Pennsylvania}} || Rotated clockwise || Eastern Oregon, Idaho ||
|-
| {{w|Oklahoma}} || Rotated clockwise || Idaho, Montana ||
|-
| {{w|New Mexico}} ||None || Nevada, Northern California ||
|-
| {{w|Nebraska}} || Upside down || Northern New Mexico, Northern Arizona||
|-
| {{w|South Dakota}} || None || Montana ||
|-
| {{w|Colorado}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Western Wyoming ||
|-
| {{w|Wyoming}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Eastern Wyoming || Stays mostly in place.
|-
| {{w|Utah}} || Upside down || Utah, Northern Arizona || The text has been written upside down on the state, so in a correct map using this state the text would be upside down. Only other state this has happened with is Montana. Stays mostly in place.
|-
| {{w|Alabama}} || None || Western Colorado ||
|-
| {{w|Massachusetts}} (as MA) || Rotated counter clockwise || Central New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Virginia}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Western New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Arizona}} || Rotated counter clockwise || North Dakota ||
|-
| {{w|Washington (state)|Washington}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Western Iowa, Eastern South Dakota, Eastern Nebraska ||
|-
| {{w|Montana}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Colorado, New Mexico and Texas || The text has been written upside down on the state, so in a correct map using this state the text would be upside down. Only other state this has happened with is Utah.
|-
| {{w|New York}} || None || Westernmost tip of Texas ||
|-
| {{w|Minnesota}} || Upside down || Minnesota || Stays mostly in place.
|-
| {{w|Texas}} || Upside down || Missouri, Arkansas, Western Kansas, Iowa, Southern Illinois ||
|-
| {{w|Connecticut}} (as CT) || Rotated clockwise || Texas and New Mexico border ||
|-
| {{w|Mississippi}} (as Missi-ssippi) || Rotated clockwise || Texas and Oklahoma border ||
|-
| {{w|Nevada}} || None || South Western Texas ||
|-
| {{w|Idaho}} || Rotated clockwise || Eastern Texas, Southern Louisiana ||
|-
| {{w|South Carolina}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Southernmost Texas ||
|-
| {{w|Missouri}} || Upside down || Eastern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, Michigan's upper peninsula, Lake Superior ||
|-
| {{w|Wisconsin}} || Upside down || Illinois || Very deformed, loses its Western indentation
|-
| {{w|Kentucky }} || Rotated clockwise || Western Wisconsin, Western Illinois ||
|-
| {{w|North Dakota}} || Rotated clockwise || Mississippi ||
|-
| {{w|Florida}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Southern Michigan, Northern Ohio ||
|-
| {{w|North Carolina}} || Rotated clockwise || Southern Michigan, Eastern Indiana ||
|-
| {{w|Indiana}} || None || Alabama ||
|-
| {{w|Rhode Island}} (as RI ) || Unclear rotation, perhaps counter clockwise || Louisiana (New Orleans area) ||
|-
| {{w|Oregon}} || Rotated clockwise || Ohio, West Virginia ||
|-
| {{w|Iowa}} || None || Western North Carolina, South Carolina ||
|-
| {{w|Tennessee}} || Upside down || Northern Florida (Panhandle), Southern Alabama, Southern Georgia ||
|-
| {{w|Illinois}} || None || Florida ||
|-
| {{w|Maine}} || Upside down || Northern New York, Vermont ||
|-
| {{w|New Hampshire}} (as NH) || None || Western Pennsylvania ||
|-
| {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan (upper part)}} (as MI (upper))|| Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise || Pennsylvania and New York|| Michigan is the only state split in two, as it is also split in two peninsulas in real life. In real life these two parts lie very close on the shores of the {{w|Great Lakes region|Great Lakes}}, and not as here, with one at each coast of the US. But at least they still both lie on a shore.
|-
| {{w|Arkansas}} || None || Eastern Maryland, Eastern Virginia ||
|-
| {{w|New Jersey}} (as NJ)|| None || Eastern South Carolina ||
|-
| {{w|Louisiana}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Maine ||
|-
| {{w|West Virginia}} || Rotated 45 degree clockwise || Southern New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Delaware}} (as DE) || Rotated counter clockwise || Connecticut, Rhode Island ||
|-
| {{w|Vermont}} (as VT) || Upside down || Either New Jersey or Delaware (unclear) ||
|}

==Transcript==
:[A white map with an outline that closely resembles that of the mainland of the United States of America with gray all around the black border. But on closer inspection most of the states do not look right. The 48 mainland states are all there, however, with their name or abbreviations written on them as a label in gray text. But they have all been shuffled around and then reassembled as a jigsaw puzzle in the same shape as USA. The name labels for most of the states have been rotated, often to follow the new rotation of the state in the map. So some are written upside down or have been rotated 90 degrees clockwise or counter clockwise or even somewhere in between. One state, Michigan, has even been split up in two so there are 49 instead of 48 labels. For the states that have been named only with state abbreviations the full name is written in brackets behind the transcript of the abbreviation. Here below all the states are listed approximately in columns going from the top left and down and then moving right to the next column across the map. Any rotation of the text from normal is noted in brackets behind the name.]
:Ohio [Upside down]
:Georgia [Upside down]
:Michigan [Upside down – but only bottom part]
:MD [Upside down - Maryland]
:California [Text not rotated, but state is rotated counter-clockwise]
:Kansas [Upside down]
:Pennsylvania [Rotated clockwise]
:Oklahoma [Rotated clockwise]
:New Mexico
:Nebraska [Upside down]
:South Dakota
:Colorado [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Wyoming [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Utah [Text normal, but state is upside down, i.e. the text is upside down in the state]
:Alabama
:MA [Rotated counter clockwise – Massachusetts]
:Virginia [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Arizona [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Washington [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Montana [Rotated clockwise - but the state is rotated counter clockwise, i.e. the text is upside down in the state]
:New York
:Minnesota [Upside down]
:Texas [Upside down]
:CT [Rotated clockwise –Connecticut]
:Missi-
::ssippi [Rotated clockwise - text split with hyphen]
:Nevada
:Idaho [Rotated clockwise]
:South Carolina [Rotated counter clockwise, by more than 90 degrees, but the state is rotated exactly 90 degrees]
:Missouri [Upside down]
:Wisconsin [Upside down]
:Kentucky [Rotated clockwise]
:North Dakota [Rotated clockwise]
:Florida [Rotated counter clockwise, by more than 90 degrees, but the state is rotated exactly 90 degrees]
:North Carolina [Rotated clockwise]
:Indiana
:RI [Label below in the ocean –Rhode Island]
:Oregon [Rotated clockwise]
:Iowa
:Tennessee [Upside down]
:Illinois
:Maine [Upside down]
:NH [New Hampshire]
:MI (upper) [Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise – Michigan but only upper part]
:Arkansas
:NJ [New Jersey]
:Louisiana [Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise - but the state is rotated exactly 90 degrees]
:West Virginia [Rotated 45 degree clockwise]
:DE [Rotated counter clockwise – label to the right in the ocean – Delaware]
:VT [Upside down –Vermont]

==Trivia==
*Using two A3 printouts of both the [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/National-atlas-blank-state-outlines.png real map] from Wikipedia and this comic, is approximately the same scale it was possible to reassemble US putting the states in their correct place.
**The result displayed surprisingly accurate drawings of the states, although it is clear that on the borders between states that are not drawn by a ruler, they cannot be correct for both states in all cases.
**From this map it becomes clear that not only Utah but also Montana has the text written upside down according to the correct position of the state.
[[File:1653 United States Map 49 piece jigsaw solved.jpg]]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Maps]]

1130: Poll Watching

2016-01-31T16:34:57Z

108.162.216.52: /* Explanation */ 1131: Math does not specifically refer to Nate Silver

{{comic
| number = 1130
| date = November 5, 2012
| title = Poll Watching
| image = poll_watching.png
| titletext = The choices we make Tuesday could have MASSIVE and PERMANENT effects on the charts on Nate Silver's blog!
}}

==Explanation==
This is a comic about the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|2012 U.S. presidential election}}, as it was posted the day before the election on November 6, 2012 ("this Tuesday"). It is the third comic on the subject, the previous two being [[1122: Electoral Precedent]] and [[1127: Congress]]. And the next comic [[1131: Math]] continues the issue raised in this one.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] is glued to his laptop reading media coverage of the election. The offscreen character remarks that Cueball should take a break, suggesting that Cueball has been reading media coverage for quite a while.

Cueball is so caught up in media coverage that he is speculating on the effect that incumbent President {{w|Barak Obama|Obama}} winning the election (and the resulting news coverage) could have on challenger {{w|Mitt Romney}}'s campaign. The joke is that the end-goal of Romney's campaign is to win the election. If Obama wins, the campaigning is already over, regardless of media coverage. Cueball is simply so invested that he overanalyzes potential scenarios and fails to see the big picture.

Specifically, he has become so concerned with following the polls that he's lost sight of their purpose as a predictive tool. After the election is over, polling becomes trivial since the result they are intended to forecast is already known (and so in reality will not be conducted at all). This is likely intended as a rebuke to those {{w|pundits}} (''talking heads'') who seemingly care more about (or whose jobs are contingent on caring more about) the "game" of analyzing and predicting the politics of the race rather than caring about the actual policies the candidates are likely to pursue after coming into office.

The title text repeats this theme with {{w|Nate Silver}}, an American statistician, {{w|psephologist}}, and writer (among other things). He has a political blog called {{w|FiveThirtyEight}} which was originally written under a pseudonym. The Blog and its associated website primarily discuss tracking polls in respect to elections. Thus, the choices made on Tuesday (election day) ''will'' have massive and permanent effects on FiveThirtyEight's charts, which will obviously change to reflect the actual votes cast — but all the charts will have become trivial since the purpose of the blog is to predict the results. This is a parody of the bold statements often made during campaigns, such as that the choices made on election day could have massive and permanent effects on such things as your health care, the economy, your job, etc.

Polls and pundits are also referenced in the next comic, [[1131: Math]], published the day after the election.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball kneels on his desk chair, hunched over a laptop]
:Cueball: This Tuesday will be huge!
:Cueball: If Obama wins the election, it could generate news coverage ''devastating'' to Romney's position in the tracking polls!
:Offscreen character: ... Maybe you should take a break.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Politics]]

1633: Possible Undiscovered Planets

2016-01-23T04:20:37Z

108.162.216.52: /* Explanation */ End of 1st sentence was ambiguous to me; while "possible" already made it clear that the object has not been proven to exist, the end referred to it as having been "discovered", so I reworded that and specified what kind of objects

{{comic
| number = 1633
| date = January 22, 2016
| title = Possible Undiscovered Planets
| image = possible_undiscovered_planets.png
| titletext = Superman lies near the bird/plane boundary over a range of distances, which explains the confusion.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about {{w|Planet Nine}}, a possible Neptune-sized planet far beyond Pluto, whose influence is suggested to explain the unusual orbits of a group of outer solar system objects. Randall's chart categorizes objects based on their size and distance from himself (probably from center to center, which explains the position of the Earth, one Earth radius plus one Randall radius). Stating the obvious, this diagram shows that for an object to be an unknown planet it has to be far and small enough that we did not see it yet, but big enough to be a planet. Astronomer Mike Brown recently published a paper showing indirect evidence that such a planet may exist, due to perturbations in the orbits of several dwarf planets.

The chart uses a generous {{w|definition of planet}} (from the Greek word for "wanderer"), and allows any distinct solid object as a possible planet, whereas the {{w|IAU definition of planet}} requires a solar orbit, gravitational rounding, and "clearing the neighborhood", a controversial calculation of relative size that excludes Kuiper Belt Objects such as Pluto. Planet Nine would be large enough to meet the IAU definition, however.

That said, the actual planets are prominently marked on the chart: they are the solid black dots. Besides Earth and Planet Nine, the bottom row of 3 is (from left to right) Mercury, Venus, and Mars; it seems that Randall is using the average distance over the planets' orbits, so swap Mercury and Venus if he is using the current distance (but then they should be a bit farther to the left). (Yes, Mercury is closer than Venus on average, although Venus is closer right now.) The top row of 4 is (from left to right) Jupiter and Saturn (visible to the naked eye) and Uranus and Neptune (visible through a telescope). Pluto, no longer considered a planet, is not marked on the chart, but it would be below Neptune in the corner of the pink region. (There is one dwarf planet that doesn't appear in the pink region, because it is visible with a telescope: Ceres, which would appear roughly below Mars and Jupiter.)

The Moon is marked on the chart, parenthetically and in grey since it's not a planet (because Earth is clogging up its neighborhood), but it was considered one of the classical planets by the ancient Greeks who invented the word. The Sun, however, is not marked at all (not even in grey), even though it is extremely prominent and was also one of the classical planets. It should be right above Mercury, inside the region of things that we can see during the day (so I guess this means that we would see Sun during the day even if it weren't shining?). In general, "planets ruled out because we would see them during the day" refers to objects big enough to be stars, but all stars other than Sun are too far away to fit on the chart.

Randall correctly states that if there was a planet that was at a distance from him smaller than its radius, he would be inside it (although at the bottom of that region, it's more that the planet would be inside him).

"Planets ruled out by the WISE survey" refers to the {{w|Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer}}, a spaaaaaace telescope designed to look for warm objects such as {{w|brown dwarf}}s, which generate heat at their centers. It was capable of detecting Saturn-sized or larger planets in the outer reaches of our solar system, but did not find any. WISE would not have detected "Planet Nine" because it's too cold (if it exists).

The title text explains why some people {{w|It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman|confuse Superman for a bird or a plane}}, since he often flies at the limit between the two categories in the diagram.

==Transcript==
Possible Undiscovered Planets 
in our Solar System 
By Size and Distance (from me) 

[Graph with logarithmic axes] 
[Y axis: Diameter, scale 1 mm to 1 AU] 
[X axis: Distance from me, scale 1 cm to 10000 AU]

[red rectangle] Possible undiscovered planets 
[black dot] Known planets

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1455: Trolley Problem

2014-12-03T07:18:49Z

108.162.216.52:

{{comic
| number = 1455
| date = December 3, 2014
| title = Trolley Problem
| image = trolley_problem.png
| titletext = For $5 I promise not to orchestrate this situation, and for $25 I promise not to take further advantage of this ability to create incentives.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

The trolley problem is usually a moral dilemma problem, where by some action, a group of people are saved and another group of people are hurt or killed. In this comic the entire moral issue is ignored humorously, and instead is focused on laziness to perform any action, or incentives to perform them

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1439: Rack Unit

2014-10-27T06:39:28Z

108.162.216.52: /* Explanation */ Fixed paragraph spacing

{{comic
| number = 1439
| date = October 27, 2014
| title = Rack Unit
| image = rack_unit.png
| titletext = There's also nothing in the TOSes that says you can't let a dog play baseball in the server room!
}}

==Explanation==

[[Black Hat]] announces to [[Megan]] that server rack units and honeycombs have similar mounting systems within their racks. Black Hat used this knowledge to break into a Google datacenter and fill server units with beehives. When Megan sarcastically consoles Black Hat for the loss of his hives, he declares that he'll find other datacenters to install hives in.

Some datacenters provide colocation services where customers may install a server at a central location with better bandwidth and power reliability than a customer could provide on their own. By using a poorly writen colocation [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terms_of_service| Terms Of Service] (TOS) agreement, Black Hat may be able to enter a legal fixed term contract where to install beehives at a data center without being kicked out.

As with many types of Terms of Service contracts, such as privacy agreements, a standard [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_form_contract| boilerplate] wording is used amongst many contractors. Megan comments that a term forbidding the installation of beehives will quickly become a standard term in colocation agreements.

The alt-text may be a reference to the film [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118570/quotes?ref_=tt_ql_3| Air Bud]. The original quote is "Ain't no rules says a dog can't play basketball."

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Black Hat are talking, Megan is sitting at a computer]
:Black Hat: I've discovered something.
:Megan: Oh?
:Black Hat: Standard server rack units and standard beehive honeycomb frames are compatible.
:Black Hat: They're both 19 inches, with similar pitches.
:Megan: Uh oh.
:Black Hat: I'm pleased to announce that today, for a few hours, Google led the world in datacenter honey production.
:Black Hat: Until their security people kicked me out.
:Megan: I'm sorry your beekeeping career ended so quickly.
:Black Hat: I'll find a new datacenter.
:Black Hat: Turns out most colocation TOSes don't mention beehives.
:Megan: I suspects that will soon change.
{{comic discussion}}

1439: Rack Unit

2014-10-27T06:38:34Z

108.162.216.52: Drafted explaination

{{comic
| number = 1439
| date = October 27, 2014
| title = Rack Unit
| image = rack_unit.png
| titletext = There's also nothing in the TOSes that says you can't let a dog play baseball in the server room!
}}

==Explanation==

[[Black Hat]] announces to [[Megan]] that server rack units and honeycombs have similar mounting systems within their racks. Black Hat used this knowledge to break into a Google datacenter and fill server units with beehives. When Megan sarcastically consoles Black Hat for the loss of his hives, he declares that he'll find other datacenters to install hives in.
Some datacenters provide colocation services where customers may install a server at a central location with better bandwidth and power reliability than a customer could provide on their own. By using a poorly writen colocation [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terms_of_service| Terms Of Service] (TOS) agreement, Black Hat may be able to enter a legal fixed term contract where to install beehives at a data center without being kicked out.
As with many types of Terms of Service contracts, such as privacy agreements, a standard [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_form_contract| boilerplate] wording is used amongst many contractors. Megan comments that a term forbidding the installation of beehives will quickly become a standard term in colocation agreements.
The alt-text may be a reference to the film [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118570/quotes?ref_=tt_ql_3| Air Bud]. The original quote is "Ain't no rules says a dog can't play basketball."

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Black Hat are talking, Megan is sitting at a computer]
:Black Hat: I've discovered something.
:Megan: Oh?
:Black Hat: Standard server rack units and standard beehive honeycomb frames are compatible.
:Black Hat: They're both 19 inches, with similar pitches.
:Megan: Uh oh.
:Black Hat: I'm pleased to announce that today, for a few hours, Google led the world in datacenter honey production.
:Black Hat: Until their security people kicked me out.
:Megan: I'm sorry your beekeeping career ended so quickly.
:Black Hat: I'll find a new datacenter.
:Black Hat: Turns out most colocation TOSes don't mention beehives.
:Megan: I suspects that will soon change.
{{comic discussion}}

1416: Pixels

2014-09-04T11:58:04Z

108.162.216.52: regression is *very* different from recursion :)

{{comic
| number = 1416
| date = September 3, 2014
| title = Pixels
| image = pixels.png
| titletext = It's turtles all the way down.
}}
'''NOTE: The above is only a zoomed out version of the this interactive comic.''' For a collection of images that appear when zooming in on this comic, see [[1416: Pixels/Images]].

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Individual panels need explanations}}
This interactive comic begins with a panel where [[Cueball]] is stacking turtles. This is a reference to the idiom "turtles all the way down," which refers to the problem of infinite recursion: if everything in the universe is "on top of" something else, so to speak, there must be a "bottom." A joking solution to the paradoxical nature of such a bottom is the proposition that {{w|Turtles_all_the_way_down|the world rests on a semi-infinite stack of turtles}}.

As can be read you should "scroll to zoom". This can be done by placing the cursor inside the panel of the comic. When scrolling up (using the mouse wheel) the picture zooms in until the pixels are visible. When you continue to scroll on each pixel then resolves into another comic picture, with black-on-white comic panels making up the white pixels and white-on-black panels making up the black pixels. Scrolling on until you can see the pixels of the comic picture you are now zooming into the process is repeated again and will be so for all subsequent sets of comic panels. Not all white and all black panels are the same; some sets involve more than two different panels, but all involve repetitive tiling.

===Book Launch===
This comic was released on September 3rd, 2014, the day after Randall's book ''[http://www.amazon.com/What-If-Scientific-Hypothetical-Questions/dp/0544272994 What If]'' was launched. The book is shown and referred to in a number of frames, for example it is [[:File:pixels-upgoer.png|'''literally''' launched]] as a part of an <strike>rocket</strike> [[1133:_Up_Goer_Five|''up goer'']] built by Cueball.

The model ''up goer'' is [[:File:pixels-assembly-1.png|made of Rocket Parts from KSP]]. KSP is the {{w|Kerbal Space Program}}, a spaceflight simulator which was also [[1350: Lorenz#Themes|part]] of the latest interactive comic [[1350: Lorenz]]. Perhaps XKCD's 'parts' refers to KSP's large community of mod developers who contribute 'parts' to the game. The frames showing the book launch use URIs that include the text "upgoer" in reference to the [[Up Goer Five]] comic.

===Needs More Struts===
{{w|Strut|Struts}} are structural members in engineering, and are are one of the components used in Kerbal Space Program to construct rockets. 'Needs More Struts' seems to be a meme amongst players of Kerbal Space Program, along the lines of 'When in doubt, overengineer'. Megan deems Cueball's rocket to be insufficiently structurally sound, and declares that it "[[:File:pixels-assembly-4.png|Needs More Struts]]"

===The Only Copy===
Cueball & Megan turn to each other having just launched the What-If book rocket into space (construction and launch are seen in other panels). perhaps Megan realises they may have misunderstood the term 'book launch' and that they may have just lost the only copy of the book.

===Holism, Reductionism, Mu===
These three words refer to "A MU offering", an essay by Douglas Hofstatder in his book [[24|Godel, Escher, Bach]]. It includes a similar multiple level drawing: {{w|Mu (negative)|the word MU}} is composed of copies of the words HOLISM and REDUCTIONISM, each of which are in turn made of smaller copies of the other, which are in turn made of [http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/two-more-letters/ tiny copies] of the word MU.

===Cantor Set===
[[:File:pixels-cantor.png|One panel]] contains a number of lines and dots, which are in fact a depiction of the first 5 steps of a {{w|Cantor set|Cantor Ternary Set}}, mirrored about the horizontal centreline. The Cantor ternary set is constructed by repeatedly deleting the open middle thirds of a set of line segments. The Cantor Set is one of the canonical examples of a fractal, a shape whose individual parts resemble the whole. The use of the Cantor Set in this comic is self-referential, in that the comic, itself, is composed of parts of the same shape as the whole.

===Time Turners===
The time turner is a device from the Harry Potter series of novels by JK Rowling. It allows the user to re-live a period of time over again. In the third novel Hermione is given the time-turner to allow her to take extra classes, however it is eventually used to spare Buckbeak the hippogryph from execution. This prompted many questions regarding why time-turners weren’t used on other occasions to save people's lives (among other things).

While J.K Rowling has “[http://pottermore.wikia.com/wiki/Time-Turner solved the problem to her own satisfaction]” she admits that she entered into the subject of time-travel too lightly.
This panel jokes that if the real life JK Rowling had a fictional time-turner which worked, she would have gone back and removed the time-turner plotline from the book, saving her all the hassle of dealing with the resulting time-travel questions. This act would result in a time-travel paradox.

===Stockholm Syndrome===
{{w|Stockholm syndrome}} is the name for a psychological phenomenon, in which hostages develop sympathy, empathy and/or positive feelings towards their captors. These feelings are usually seen as irrational, seeing as the hostage is held against their wishes, usually with the threat of physical harm or death.

[[:File:pixels-stockholm.png|This panel]] asks "How do we know anyone really ''wants'' to live in Stockholm?", questioning whether everyone who lives in the city of Stockholm is in fact held hostage there and only stays because they have developed to like life there (due to Stockholm Syndrome).

===Shut Down the Server===
Cueball tells an offscreen character that he is going to shut down the server, while carrying a bucket of water.

Usually shutting down a server is done via the operating system or software, or (not recommended) turning it off or pulling the power plug. But in this case it appears that cueball is simply going to douse it with water, likely resulting in serious water damage to the hardware.

=== du ===
`du` is a Linux command to indicate the "disk usage" of a file or directory.

~$ du -s video/
4170882256

This is a command that shows how large all the files are in this user's "video" directory - presumably where they store their personal videos. The units of the result is probably kilobytes (depending on settings)

This number is clearly large and difficult to parse, and the units are not clear. More appropriate units would be gibibytes rather than bytes. The du command offers an option to display units in "human readable format", which will adapt to use kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, etc. as appropriate. The next command purports to request the same result in more human-readable form.

~$ du -hs video/
A lot.
~$

It seems that the computer, rather than giving a specific answer, simply says that the size of the video directory is "A lot."

The final line indicates the computer is now ready to accept a new command.

===Fire Hydrant===
Black Hat is talking to a fireman, with a fire engine on fire in the background, he asks "To be fair, what else would you expect to come out of a 'Fire Hydrant'?"

Black Hat appears to have managed to replace the usual water supply to the hydrant with some sort of flammable liquid. Thus when the hydrant is used, the result is, quite literally, fire. In Black Hat's logic, a hydrant which delivers water should be called a water hydrant.

===Evolution===
The {{w|March of Progress}} image is a famous and instantly recognisable image showing the stages of human evolution by way of a series of primate figures as if marching in a line. The panel parodies the March of Progress image, with 5 ducklings following an adult duck. In this case they don’t actually ‘evolve’ into the adult duck however. The comic has some resemblance to [[537: Ducklings]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is stacking turtles, and is about to put the fourth turtle on his pile. At the bottom right there is a small panel. Inside this is written:]
:Scroll to zoom

:[When zooming in there will be several panels with text. The transcript of these may not be possible to complete - but add the transcript of these panels here: [[1416: Pixels/Transcript|interactive transcript]]]

==Bugs==
Doesn't seem to work properly in all browsers (e.g. Firefox and Safari on MacOSX), giving "TypeError: this.data is null" in line 173 of zoom.js: "var item = this.data.get(dims)"
Doesn't seem to work in IE8, comic is blank, but title text works.

Does not work on xkcd.org neither www.xkcd.org in Firefox and Chrome. Currently you should visit http://xkcd.com for this comic to work properly.

Also, it doesn't work on HTTPS.

==Gallery==
[[File:1416_Pixels_layout.png|thumb|Graph of links between the 79 individual images]]
[[1416: Pixels/Images|This gallery]] contains some of the 79 images<ref>http://azttm.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/xkcd-com-1416-pixels/</ref> used in this comic. The images are related in a [[:File:1416_Pixels_layout.png|directed graph]].

==Images Database==
This google sheet describes all possible images, their associated codes, and what possible images can be used as sub-images for each zoom level: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nldKAkeVcK606CY12KI9bah9rDmK9E7CZOyinsEj2Lo/edit?usp=sharing

==Image scraping script==
This gist recursively downloads all possible images:
https://gist.github.com/Aaron1011/d3b56325881cd639506a

==References==
<references/>

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

1416: Pixels

2014-09-03T15:40:08Z

108.162.216.52: /* Needs More Struts */ spelling

{{comic
| number = 1416
| date = September 3, 2014
| title = Pixels
| image = pixels.png
| titletext = It's turtles all the way down.
}}
'''NOTE: The above is only a zoomed out version of the this interactive comic.''' For a collection of images that appear when zooming in on this comic, see [[1416: Pixels/Images]].

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Individual panels need explanations}}
This interactive comic begins with a panel where [[Cueball]] is stacking turtles. This is a reference to the idiom "turtles all the way down," which refers to the problem of infinite regression: if everything in the universe is "on top of" something else, so to speak, there must be a "bottom." A joking solution to the paradoxical nature of such a bottom is the proposition that {{w|Turtles_all_the_way_down|the world rests on a semi-infinite stack of turtles}}.

As can be read you should "scroll to zoom". This can be done by placing the cursor inside the panel of the comic. When scrolling up (using the mouse wheel) the picture zooms in until the pixels are visible. When you continue to scroll on each pixel then resolves into another comic picture, with black-on-white comic panels making up the white pixels and white-on-black panels making up the black pixels. Scrolling on until you can see the pixels of the comic picture you are now zooming into the process is repeated again and will be so for all subsequent sets of comic panels. Not all white and all black panels are the same; some sets involve more than two different panels, but all involve repetitive tiling.

===Book Launch===
The date of release of this comic (3rd September 2014) is also the launch date of Randall's book, [http://www.amazon.com/What-If-Scientific-Hypothetical-Questions/dp/0544272994 What If]. The book is shown and referred to in a number of frames, for example it is '''literally''' launched as a part of the rocket.

The model rocket is made from Rocket Parts from KSP. KSP is the {{w|Kerbal Space Program}}, a spaceflight simulator. Perhaps XKCD's 'parts' refers to KSP's large community of mod developers who contribute 'parts' to the game.

===Holism, Reductionism, Mu===
These three words refer to "A MU offering", an essay by Douglas Hofstatder in his book [[24|Godel, Escher, Bach]]. It includes a similar multiple level drawing: {{w|Mu (negative)|the word MU}} is composed of copies of the words HOLISM and REDUCTIONISM, each of which are in turn made of smaller copies of the other, which are in turn made of [http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/two-more-letters/ tiny copies] of the word MU.

===Needs More Struts===
{{w|Strut|Struts}} are structural members in engineering, and are are one of the components used in Kerbal Space Program to construct rockets. 'Needs More Struts' seems to be a meme amongst players of Kerbal Space Program, along the lines of 'When in doubt, overengineer'. Megan deems Cueball's rocket to be insufficiently structurally sound, and declares that it "Needs More Struts"

===Cantor Set===
One panel which contains a number of lines and dots, which are in fact a depiction of the first 5 steps of a {{w|Cantor set| Cantor Ternary Set}}, mirrored about the horizontal centreline. The Cantor ternary set is constructed by repeatedly deleting the open middle thirds of a set of line segments.

===Time Turners===
The time turner is a device from the Harry Potter series of novels by JK Rowling. It allows the user to re-live a period of time over again. In the third novel Hermione is given the time-turner to allow her to take extra classes, however it is eventually used to spare Buckbeak the hippogryph from execution. This prompted many questions regarding why time-turners weren’t used on other occasions to saves peoples lives (among other things).

While J.K Rowling has “[http://pottermore.wikia.com/wiki/Time-Turner solved the problem to her own satisfaction]” she admits that she entered into the subject of time-travel too lightly.
This panel jokes that if the real life JK Rowling had a fictional time-turner which worked, she would have gone back and removed the time-turner plotline from the book, saving her all the hassle of dealing with the resulting time-travel questions. This act would result in a time-travel paradox.

===Stockholm Syndrome===
{{w|Stockholm syndrome}} is the name for a psychological phenomenon, in which hostages develop sympathy, empathy and/or positive feelings towards their captors. These feelings are usually seen as irrational, seeing as the hostage is held against their wishes, usually with the threat of physical harm or death.

This panel asks "How do we know anyone really ''wants'' to live in Stockholm?", questioning whether everyone who lives in the city of Stockholm is in fact held hostage there and only stays because they have developed to like life there (due to Stockholm Syndrome).

===Shut Down the Server===
Cueball tells an offscreen character that he is going to shut down the server, while carrying a bucket of water.

Usually shutting down a server is done via the operating system or software, in this case it appears that cueball is simply going to douse it with water, likely resulting in serious water damage to the hardware.

=== du ===
`du` is a Linux command to indicate the "disk usage" of a file or directory.

~$ du -s video/
4170882256

This is a command that shows how large all the files are in this user's "video" directory - presumably where they store their personal videos. The units of the result is probably kilobytes (depending on settings)

This number is clearly large and difficult to parse, and the units are not clear. More appropriate units would be terabytes rather than bytes. The du command offers an option to display units in "human readable format", which will adapt to use kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, etc. as appropriate. The next command purports to request the same result in more human-readable form.

~$ du -hs video/
A lot.
~$

It seems that the computer, rather than giving a specific answer, simply says that the size of the video directory is "A lot."

The final line indicates the computer is now ready to accept a new command.

===Fire Hydrant===
Black Hat is talking to a fireman, with a fire engine on fire in the background, he asks "To be fair, what else would you expect to come out of a 'Fire Hydrant'?"

Black Hat appears to have managed to replace the usual water supply to the hydrant with some sort of flammable liquid. Thus when the hydrant is used, the result is, quite literally, fire. In Black Hats logic, a hydrant which delivers water should be called a water hydrant.

===Evolution===
The {{w|March of Progress}} image is a famous and instantly recognisable image showing the stages of human evolution by way of a series of primate figures as if marching in a line. The panel parodies the March of Progress image, with 5 ducklings following an adult duck. In this case they don’t actually ‘evolve’ into the adult duck however. The comic has some resemblance to [[537: Ducklings]].

===The Only Copy===
Cueball & Megan turn to each other having just launched the What-If book rocket into space (construction and launch are seen in other panels). perhaps Megan realises they may have misunderstood the term 'book launch' and that they may have just lost the only copy of the book.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is stacking turtles, and is about to put the fourth turtle on his pile. At the bottom right there is a small panel. Inside this is written:]
:Scroll to zoom

:[When zooming in there will be several panels with text. The transcript of these may not be possible to complete - but add the transcript of these panels here: [[1416: Pixels/Transcript|interactive transcript]]]

==Bugs==
Doesn't seem to work properly in all browsers (e.g. Firefox and Safari on MacOSX), giving "TypeError: this.data is null" in line 173 of zoom.js: "var item = this.data.get(dims)"
Doesn't seem to work in IE8, comic is blank, but title text works.

Does not work on xkcd.org neither www.xkcd.org in Firefox and Chrome. Currently you should visit http://xkcd.com for this comic to work properly.

The comic (along with many other features of the site) will not work at all at present, as the server for dynamic content, c.xkcd.com, is down.

There is a bug/typo, where there is a chance of white pixels zoom into a missing panel, resulting in a white screen.
This is affecting several panels: "du" (1-in-13), "server-1" (1-in-13), and "time-turner" (1-in-14).
In each case the missing (404) tile is "what-if-trade" (probably should be "whatif-trade").

Also, it doesn't work on HTTPS.

==Gallery==
Here on the link can be found a [[1416: Pixels/Images|gallery]] with some of the many images found in this extensive comic.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

Talk:1400: D.B. Cooper

2014-07-28T17:38:19Z

108.162.216.52: /* photograph */ new section

Feels like a conspiracy(?) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.227.35|108.162.227.35]] 12:15, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Oh, this is a hilarious comic! --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 15:14, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Could someone explain what "the Citizen Kane of ____" is all about? --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 17:05, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

This is really just a curiosity, but what is unusual about the phrasing "You are tearing me apart"? (I'm obviously not a native speaker) [[User:Ly mar|Ly mar]] ([[User talk:Ly mar|talk]]) 17:12, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
* Beyond using "You are" instead of "You're", not much. The oddness of the line is mostly through the delivery in the film, not the grammar. [[User:ImVeryAngryItsNotButter|ImVeryAngryItsNotButter]] ([[User talk:ImVeryAngryItsNotButter|talk]]) 17:14, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

== photograph ==

Is this the first xkcd to feature a full color photograph of a person? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.52|108.162.216.52]] 17:38, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

265: Choices: Part 2

2014-07-16T16:28:53Z

108.162.216.52: Unnecessary shortening revised

{{comic
| number = 265
| date = May 22, 2007
| title = Choices: Part 2
| image = choices_part_2.jpg
| titletext = Maybe someday I'll get to write the Wikipedia article about this place! Wait, damn, original research.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a little sidetrack from the "Choices" narrative. [[Cueball]] is studying {{w|special relativity}}. The {{w|speed of light}} in vacuum (299,792,458 m/s) is denoted ''c''. [[Megan]] and the spaceship are shown traveling at 0.2''c'' in opposite directions. This would mean (in Newtonian mechanics) 0.4''c'' relatively to them. But due to relativistic effects, their velocities do not simply add when the spaceship observes Megan, in reality both would measure only 0.385''c'' ( = (u + v)/(1 + uv/c2). ) from the other's point of view. Also, {{w|time dilation}} influences the way time is observed with reference to the two frames of reference. Megan, however, has other concerns.

In the title text Megan thinks about writing about this after-worldly place in Wikipedia, but then realizes that the content would be removed, due to the {{w|Wikipedia:No original research|Wikipedia policy on original research}}. Even though her claims would be true, she would need reliable written sources to support them.

All parts of "[[:Category:Choices|Choices]]":
*[[264: Choices: Part 1]]
*265: Choices: Part 2 (this one)
*[[266: Choices: Part 3]]
*[[267: Choices: Part 4]]
*[[268: Choices: Part 5]]

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is doing some exercises in a book. The clock on the wall says 12:50.]
:Chapter 15: Special Relativity
:Problem 1:
:Two spacecraft transmit messages to each other while passing at constant velocities of...
:Cueball: ''sigh''

:Meanwhile:
:[Megan in a bubble and a spacecraft are moving towards each other. Each one has a velocity vector drawn before themselves, each showing a velocity of 0.2c.]

:[They pass each other.]
:Spacecraft: We observe your speed to be 38.5%c, and your time is passing at 92.3% the rate of ours. Does this mirror your observations?
:Megan: Please help me. I think I'm lost.

:[They continue with the same velocity vectors. Megan is looking back at the spacecraft.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Choices]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

1243: Snare

2014-07-04T18:22:30Z

108.162.216.52: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1243
| date = July 26, 2013
| title = Snare
| image = snare.png
| titletext = It's going in A collection of satellites skewered with pins and mounted in display boxes. Not necessarily MY collection.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is relating some odd news items to [[Black Hat]]. A structure has been discovered that consists of large ring strung with superstrong mesh, a 260-mile long pole, and a gigantic winch. As Cueball outlines the particulars of the discovery, Black Hat responds vaguely to each detail, seeming preoccupied with his computer. Cueball quickly realizes that the pole, ring and net combination sounds like a {{w|Butterfly_net|butterfly net}}, but one of immense size. Given his history of nefarious activities, Cueball infers and then accuses Black Hat of wanting to "catch" the {{w|International Space Station}}, which orbits about 260 miles above the earth, by winching the pole up so that the net aligns with the Space Station's orbit.

Black Hat does not deny the charge, but he dissimulates by saying it is not necessarily ''the'' ISS that he intends to catch but just ''an'' international space station, implying that it could be some other one. However, it is transparently obvious which space station he is targeting. Hint: it is the only truly international space station, it is actually called the International Space Station, and it has an orbit that matches the length of the pole that was found.

The real buildings probably belong to these structures:
*The giant ring from the first panel may be an allusion to the {{w|Tevatron}}, a former circular particle accelerator at the {{w|Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory}} (Fermilab), east of Batavia, near Chicago, Illinois.

*Similarly, the gigantic winch in St. Louis, may refer to the 630-foot (192 meters) high {{w|Gateway Arch|Gateway Arch Monument}}. It is the tallest man-made monument in the United States. Even the rough south-north direction of this building does match to this scenario because the Fermilab is approx. 260 miles north of St. Louis. However, it is an arch, not a winch.

The title text is a reference to how butterfly collections are usually presented. The insects are mounted in glass display cases, each skewered through the body with a pin, and labelled. The text appears to be spoken by Black Hat, who here tries to imply that it may not be *his* collection of satellites. Perhaps he is minding it for a friend.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to Black Hat. Black Hat is using a laptop.]
:Cueball: They said on the news that they found a giant ring lying in a field outside Chicago. Strung with some kind of superstrong mesh.
:Black Hat: Mhm?
:Cueball: Then they found a 260 mile long shaft connected to the ring, running from Chicago to St. Louis. In St. Louis they found a gigantic winch.
:Black Hat: Did they.
:Cueball: It sounds kind of like...
:Cueball: ...a butterfly net.
:Cueball: ...are you planning on catching the International Space Station?
:Black Hat: I'm planning to catch '''''an''''' international space station. Not sayin' which.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]

1383: Magic Words

2014-06-18T16:40:30Z

108.162.216.52:

{{comic
| number = 1383
| date = June 18, 2014
| title = Magic Words
| image = magic_words.png
| titletext = 'And then whisper 'anapest' in my ear as you hold me?'
}}

==Explanation==
Typically the term "{{w|Foot fetishism|foot fetish}}" refers to a sexual attraction to people's feet. Here, though, [[Megan]] is a linguist, so for her the term "foot" refers not to the body part but to the term's meaning in {{w|Prosody (linguistics)|prosody}}. In this context, {{w|Foot (prosody)|"foot"}} means, per Wikipedia, "the basic metrical unit that generates a line of verse in most Western traditions of poetry," and thus "foot fetish" means an attraction to words that follow such a format.

Common types of feet (which are all referenced in this comic) include:
*"{{w|trochee}}" – is a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (demonstrated in the first set of words: "'''sto'''-ry", "'''wa'''-ter", "'''pa'''-per", "'''door'''-way") (see also [[856: Trochee Fixation]]).
*"{{w|iamb (poetry)|iamb}}" – is a short syllable followed by a long syllable '''or''' it is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (as seen in the second set: "dis-'''arm'''", "A-'''dele's'''", "gi-'''raffe'''", "gre-'''nade'''") (perhaps the best-known foot, due to {{w|iambic pentameter|its use}} by {{w|William Shakespeare}}) (see also [[79: Iambic Pentameter]]).
*"{{w|dactyl (poetry)|dactyl}}" – is a long syllable followed by two short syllables '''or''' it is a stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables (used in the third set: "'''straw'''-ber-ry", "'''scor'''-pi-on", "'''po'''-et-ry").
*"{{w|anapest}}" – (referenced in the title text) consist of two short syllables followed by a long syllable '''or''' it consists of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable - it is thus the reverse of a dactyl; (note that the word - according to the [http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/anapaest pronunciation] from [http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ Oxford Dictionaries]: "a-na-'''pest'''" - is itself an anapest according to both definitions on Wikipedia. So it is an instance of an {{w|autological word}}).

So Megan wished that [[Cueball]] first uses a "trochee" during foreplay, then switch to an "iamb" during her main stimulation phase (intercourse or some other type that still enables Cueball to speak freely), and finally switching to a "dactyl" as she orgasms. According to the title text, after sex she wishes for him to hold her while he whispers an anapest (by whispering ''anapest''), in her ear. But for a linguist like Megan, this is just four different types of foot "stimulation" - thus she can be called a woman with a foot fetish.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are in a bed.]
:Megan: Can you repeat "Story Water Paper Doorway" at the start, then switch to "Disarm Adele's Giraffe Grenade" as we get going, and finally "Strawberry Scorpion Poetry" as I finish?
:[Below the frame]
:Linguist with a foot fetish

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Sex]]

832: Tic-Tac-Toe

2014-04-04T04:38:14Z

108.162.216.52: /* Added "or tying" to the first line */

{{comic
| number = 832
| date = December 10, 2010
| title = Tic-Tac-Toe
| image = Tic_tac_toe.png
| titletext = The only winning move is to play, perfectly, waiting for your opponent to make a mistake.
}}

==Explanation==
Each map shows every possible combination of moves which will result in that side winning or tying. It assumes that X moves first, which is why the map for O has more possible move combinations and, therefore, more subdivisions. The title text is a reference to the 1983 movie ''WarGames''. In that movie, the AI concludes that the only way to win at Tic-Tac-Toe is not to play (since perfect strategy always produces a tie.)

==Transcript==
:[The comic comprises two large square maps, each divided into nine sections, some of which are further subdivided in the same way. The subdivisions continue down for up to five levels, and the lower map has more tiny diagrams than the upper. The smallest divisions at every scale are completed tic-tac-toe games.]

:Complete map of optimal Tic-Tac-Toe moves

:Your move is given by the position of the largest red symbol on the grid. When your opponent picks a move, zoom in on the region of the grid where they went. Repeat.

:Map for X:
:[The first square map.]

:Map for O:
:[The second square map.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1009: Sigh

2013-12-19T22:27:28Z

108.162.216.52:

{{comic
| number = 1009
| date = January 27, 2012
| title = Sigh
| image = sigh.png
| titletext = If you're annoying enough, you can get them to respond with an involuntary second sigh and get a rhythm going.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is mispronouncing the name of the British TV show, that is also currently shown in the US, which is {{w|Downton Abbey|Downton Abbey}}. This mispronunciation causes Megan to sigh because it is such a common and (to fans of the show at least) stupid mistake.

{{w|LMFAO}} is a ubiquitous group in the US on radio, TV and even strange commercials with [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zJWA3Vo6TU rodents riding in cars with their song, Party Rock Anthem]. However, this comic is a reference to another one of their songs, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyx6JDQCslE "Sexy And I Know It."] The relevant lyrics go something like this:

:''sigh''… girl look at that body
:''sigh''… girl look at that body
:''sigh''… girl look at that body
:ah-ah, I work out!

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing behind Megan, who's sitting and watching TV.]
:Cueball: Hey, is that ''Downtown Abbey''? What town is it in the downtown of, anyway?
:Megan: ''*siiiiiiiigh*''
:Cueball: —''girl look at that body.''
:We should thank ''LMFAO'' for giving us such a great way to respond to exasperated sighs.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Music]]

Talk:180: Canada

2013-12-01T06:11:51Z

108.162.216.52: Matrix question

Actually I suspect this comic may be referring to the propensity for video games in which you can create teams of characters which can be generally be respawned or come back to consciousness/life after levels/battles to have areas or levels where if someone is killed they die "for real"- that is they don't come back and you lose them for good. [[Special:Contributions/184.21.189.153|184.21.189.153]] 10:58, 21 September 2013 (UTC)

Couldn't this be a Matrix reference? 06:11, 1 December 2013 (UTC)