explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1285: Third Way

2019-11-29T14:22:53Z

108.162.216.84:

One line per sentence is reminiscent of a diagrammed/formal logic argument in philosophy. It would be a much more effective convention to help people parse and interpret content and validity of e.g. political claims. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.63.198|173.245.63.198]] 17:21, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

Line break after every sentence. 
Because I can. 
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.7|108.162.245.7]] 04:41, 20 February 2014 (UTC)

ONE AFTER A PERIOD. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:38, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:MY VOTE TOO!!! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:36, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:MY VOTE, TWO!!! (not really) [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 09:20, 1 October 2014 (UTC)

Writing plaintext, I always do two s after a sentence ending period.
This is probably because I did in fact start typing on a real typewriter.
In an environment where automatic formatting will take place, like a web page or wiki text, I use the newline.
I have had people in this wiki collapse my multiple line forms to one of the others.
(I was disappointed.)
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 04:48, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

I prefer double spacing, but I used single spacing in writing the explanation, just to make people happy. Perhaps I should have used new lines. [[User:Concomitant|Concomitant]] ([[User talk:Concomitant|talk]]) 05:10, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
: I'm a double-spacer too. Am I wrong? I can't break myself of the habit, I even do it in s! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:43, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

The 'third way' is a little underappreciated here: it divides the text into self contained logical units, and makes text processing tools (grep, diff etc.) much more usable.
Proper text rendering engines (TeX, HTML, etc.) already make this assumption and group sentences accordingly.
If only I realized this earlier, it would have made my thesis revisions much more easier.
In fact, up to this moment, I thought I was that lone guy in the comic.
EDIT: this comment in xkcd forums makes my point clear: http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=106217#p3489055
--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.11|141.101.96.11]] 05:42, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

:As a programmer, I find nothing weird in adapting your style to language. Writing two s in HTML or TeX is useless, as they won't render as two s anyway. (While using for this purpose nonbreakable s, which would render, is a crime.) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:48, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
::It would also render incorrectly if the period was close to the end of a line. If the markup is [last word of sentence][period][nbsp][][next sentence], the last word of the first sentence could end up on the next line unnecessarily. But if it's [last word of sentence][period][][nbsp][next sentence], the next line of text would start with a , which is much worse.--[[User:Rael|Rael]] ([[User talk:Rael|talk]]) 15:16, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

::I end my sentences with a line break, a % and another linebreak. Only after commata etc i use a single line break. Oh, and don't forget to protect the after points used in abbreviations, not as full stops, by a backslash. Most TeX increase the length of the after a full stop a bit. Bit question: Why don't double people, when using Word not just use a longer instead of a double . Noone would have the idea to indent a paragraph or substitute a tab with a series of s.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.117|108.162.242.117]] 03:11, 2 November 2013 (UTC)
:::Because the does not contain a longer key.--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.188|173.245.52.188]] 18:13, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

I always just find and replace double with single . If formatting suffers, someone did a bad job.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.228|108.162.231.228]] 06:33, 1 November 2013 (UTC) Synthetica

I always just find and replace single with double . If formatting suffers, someone did a bad job.--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.188|173.245.52.188]] 18:13, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

So, why did double spacing after a period ever exist? It doesn't seem necessary. [[User:PheagleAdler|PheagleAdler]] ([[User talk:PheagleAdler|talk]]) 07:31, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:Here's the standard explanation: on typewriters, each character takes up the same amount of . So a lower-case "i" takes up the same amount of as a capital "M". This is called a monospace font. When typing, if you just put a single after the end of period ending a sentence, the reader doesn't necessarily get the sense that a new sentence has started. This is particularly true if you were typing in all caps, as might be common on some types of forms or documents. Two s, however, does the job nicely. In theory, with modern proportional-width fonts, this is unnecessary. [[User:Rylon|Rylon]] ([[User talk:Rylon|talk]]) 23:36, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
::Here's the researched explanation: http://www.heracliteanriver.com/?p=324 So technically, an em- after a period, an en- after a comma. Or you know, whatever you want. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 06:22, 17 July 2015 (UTC)

even though i learned typing on a typewriter, to this day i had never heard of the double thing. maybe it's a US only thing, like the stupid french with s BEFORE punctuation marks. [[User:Peter|Peter]] ([[User talk:Peter|talk]]) 07:54, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:I've always taken the double- thing as a US thing. Some editors like emacs default to it, which is really annoying. That said, as a frenchman, the " before punctuation" is normal to me and it is part of the ''codified'' typography -- and I think this is actually an important distinction to make. Is this double- vs single- something codified somehow? As a last word, I need to be nitpicky: the exact French typography rule is "a before punctuation made of two parts (namely colon, semi-colon, exclamation/question mark) and no before punctuation made of a single part (dots, commas.)" It's a very deterministic rule that is easy to apply (whether one agrees to it or not.) [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 16:40, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
::This is a common question from the French and some other nationals. The answer is that English does not work that way. There is no official codified version. The most you have is small pockets of codification within an organization, such as The University of Boulder, or UPI or the US Army. If you're working in or with such an organization you should use their standard. If you try to extend any such standard to the rest of the world you are a nasty egomanical control freak who should be chopped into pieces and fed to the fishes.--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.188|173.245.52.188]] 18:25, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

As a german typographer I have to say I’m ''shocked''! ''Two'' s per period? A ''before'' punctuation?! My scientific opinion: you all are completely crazy ;-) (Just kidding, but seriously, two s? In Germany, the first possibility to do that safely is your last will …) [[User:Quoti|Quoti]] ([[User talk:Quoti|talk]]) 10:34, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

The doubled s appear in my browser's tooltips. (Maybe someone should add some non breaking s to the quotation of the tooltip text?) --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.236|141.101.98.236]] 10:45, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

As a(n automatic) two-spacer person (just you watch, I'll use 'em here, despite it obviously not being rendered), it's just what I learnt, back in the '70s, here in the UK. I've no idea ''why'' I learnt it. However, it may stem from the same root as the 'rule' in handwriting (not biros, but nibbed pens dipped in ink... wow, I feel old, but it ''was'' at primary school) that we use a gap as big as our our (very little) little-fingers to separate sentences. I imagine differentiating full-stops (US: periods) from commas in the messy medium of ink might be a valuable visual indicator as to what a given smudge might ''actually'' be. So, anyway, double-spacing. On the other hand I should report that, "I've dropped the habit it of appropriate punctuation prior to quotes," I say, "despite being the way I learnt it." And instead I will drop "<- Commas from that sort of position," you see, "even through I'll keep the ones that are semantic pauses." You see how my standards are slipping? Anyway, good comic. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programme.  [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 14:44, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

:I'm in the same boat this this bloke. I don't get the typewriter tie in. I seem to recall being taught to use a finger gage correct gap of whitespace to leave between the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next. This was in an American small town southern school in the early 1980s. I assume it was for readability. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.236.25|108.162.236.25]] 16:16, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

The "third way" is used for articles on the [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news BBC News] website :-) --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.233|141.101.99.233]] 14:52, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:Actually, they put each sentence into a paragraph of its own, which is yet different. (In HTML: <code>... .</code> vs. <code>... . </code>) --[[User:Das-g|Das-g]] ([[User talk:Das-g|talk]]) 16:07, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:That's what I came here to say, that the Third Way is common-place on the web today, it is the tabloid style. This headline article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24775846 off the BBC right now only has full-stops (periods in en-US) before paragraph breaks, apart from quotations (ie what the BBC did not write). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.229|141.101.98.229]] 16:11, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:The BBC is not the only web site to do that - and it is '''so''' annoying. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.244|108.162.222.244]] 10:15, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

There's a FOURTH way! I receive a "Weekly Update from Tim Scott" HTML formatted about once a week (unsurprisingly) which, in lieu of s between words, uses a carriage return and a linefeed. This alleviates the question of how many s between sentences completely! It also renders as oneverylongword in my client. Ie: <blockquote>Thankyouforsubscribingtomye-newsletter.</blockquote> [[Special:Contributions/108.162.236.25|108.162.236.25]] 16:16, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
: And a fifth: In France, they use one whitespace before and after double punctions (:;?!) but only one whitespace after single punctuation (.,). --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.79.25|141.101.79.25]] 20:15, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

I think the finger was to help kids create clear separation while developing their proficiency at penmanship.
I think the 2x is a fall out from the fixed width formatting of typewriters to help assist the reader (or proof reader) with the start and end of a sentence.
Double spacing has almost become OCD for me. I can't help it. Of course I also leave paragraph marks on while I type as well. I wonder if the French would require a before a double quote, "The author ponders. "

I think we could improve old school cryptography if we just used carriage returns and ignored the 'new' line.
I might be able to accept and adopt the single rule if I can make my s default to twice the point size of every other character in the style.
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.186|199.27.128.186]] 19:00, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
:FOROL DSCHO OLCRY PTOGR APHYT AKEYO URCUE FROME NIGMA DECOD ESAND ARRAN GEEVE RYTHI NGING ROUPS OFFIV EWITH OUT''AN Y''PUNC TUAT IONAN DINAL LCAPS  [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 01:38, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

I have my word processor set to a a gap equal to one and a half s after a sentence ends[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.198|173.245.52.198]] 19:05, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

New paragraph (TWO line brakes) after every sentence :-) --[[User:Sten|Sten]] ([[User talk:Sten|talk]]) 20:36, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

I love how the explanation uses the third method. Nice touch. [[User:JRDeBo|JRDeBo]] ([[User talk:JRDeBo|talk]]) 23:29, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone think there's any significance to the sword and the spear? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.208.144|108.162.208.144]] 23:46, 2 November 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, because this is a SERIOUS ISSUE. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 06:35, 4 November 2013 (UTC)
:A sword has a longer blade, while a spear keeps people further away. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.210|108.162.219.210]] 12:45, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

According to the [[http://fireemblemwiki.org/Weapon_triangle Fire Emblem weapon triangle]], the 1-spacers win against the 2-spacers. Then again, I put one after each sentence. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 18:25, 4 November 2013 (UTC)

Picture of a cat after every full stop !!! {{unsigned ip|173.245.51.221}}

With all the whitespace compression and variable width fonts in modern technology switching back to 2- is as viable as switching over to localized Programmer Dvorak. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.18|108.162.231.18]] 13:44, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

Hey, does anyone know if there's any way to make the wiki keep two s in a row, so the title text shows up properly? [[User:SuperSupermario24|Just some random derp]] 15:46, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

I was mildly confused about the weird phrasing of "This comic refers to the dance-off occurring ..." I already forgot my browser plugin that I've installed an hour ago. I think its great that it happened on a xkcd-related site. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.92.22|141.101.92.22]] 12:41, 13 May 2016 (UTC)

I'm not from the US so I never actually heard about a rule with two s. From my point of view the rule is stupid, really dumb. Just let go of it! There is no reason for it. My brain starts to spasm when I hear about a rule of two s after a period. Ungh!! {{unsigned ip|162.158.86.113}}

The 2 s used in (early) PCs and TypeWriters (and TTYs) could be caused by the too little difference between a «.» and a «,» with little fonts on CRTs (''320*200px with 8*8px single letter with <16" monitors with a signal trought an RF cable, for a C64''), dot-printers (''like 60*75 dpi (h*v), 9*9 per character, for an Epson MX-80'') and typewritten sheets (''maybe with dirty sort/type'')?
[The examples in parentheses are for a mid-level-case, because there are worst monitors and standards than those, see previous comments]
''Nickh''²+, [[Special:Contributions/188.114.103.166|188.114.103.166]] 00:11, 10 November 2016 (UTC) .

Well, looks like the one-spacers will win due to the weapon triangle. After all, lances best swords. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.64|172.68.174.64]] 16:54, 17 January 2019 (UTC)
:Do line breakers count as axes or staves? [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 14:06, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

I just realized that there's a line break after ever sentence in this article.
(Insert formating here)
:It’s four tildes (~ Those guys) to sign your comment. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 14:06, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

I have an easy solution to the debate.
Just press the TAB key after each sentence (doesn't work here, because of editing reasons).

Talk:722: Computer Problems

2019-11-26T19:56:01Z

108.162.216.84:

I think this might be also a joke on how computer programming and/or hacking is presented in action movies. {{unsigned ip|77.254.185.80}}

I think the explanation of "explaining in simpler terms" should be expanded as how interactions with computers can be so complex (i.e. trying to make something specific work in Linux) but at the same time look absolutely pointless if observed by someone who understands little to nothing about computers. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.196|108.162.212.196]] 13:56, 11 January 2014 (UTC)

I've thought a similar thing about video games. The way you win is by moving the controls in a precise sequence, which if you knew, you wouldn't need to look at the screen to be victorious. {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.114}}

I'm a software developer and have this comic hanging up by my desk. It helps keep things in perspective when things get a bit too overwhelming. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.13|108.162.216.13]] 21:49, 20 October 2014 (UTC)

Cue the rubber ducking. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.139|162.158.2.139]] 03:20, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

I was under the impression that cats gravitated to keyboards less for the warmth and more for the "Hello you are paying attention to that thing and not me, which is ridiculous because I am obviously the most important thing and now I will remind you of that." factor. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 05:23, 19 October 2015 (UTC)

== Does Randall Munroe have a cat? ==

Can someone please confirm this?

----
PhoebeF

I cannot confirm this, But is likely that Randall has a Friend Named Catherine, This might be a reference to that comic, but I highly doubt it, So he could be saying that his friend Catherine could be the one he's explaining this to [[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.126|172.68.59.126]] 18:58, 26 March 2019 (UTC)
:That comic came out WAY later. Either you didn't think that through when you posted it, or you don't know how time works. I'm fine with either, really.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.84|108.162.216.84]] 19:56, 26 November 2019 (UTC)
I have no ideal if this is intentional humor, or someone who forgot they had the plugin installed, but either way it’s hilarious, thank you! [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 00:31, 3 August 2019 (UTC)

Talk:248: Hypotheticals

2019-11-21T16:14:13Z

108.162.216.84:

The reason for marking this page incomplete is itself incomprehensible, while the explanation itself seems perfectly fine. Can we just mark this as complete? [[User:ImVeryAngryItsNotButter|ImVeryAngryItsNotButter]] ([[User talk:ImVeryAngryItsNotButter|talk]]) 03:41, 6 March 2014 (UTC)
:My former comment was "Layout, language, that TV topes are missing, more...". Please do not remove that tag until it's solved. And right now we have some more issues here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:57, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
::Can you elaborate? I don't see anything wrong with the explanation... [[User:LogicalOxymoron|LogicalOxymoron]] ([[User talk:LogicalOxymoron|talk]]) 05:38, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
:::I did not say that something is wrong, I just did say something is missing. Most important is to explain "TV tropes". Most people don't know about this and so it has to be explained.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:37, 13 March 2014 (UTC)
::::The comic itself has nothing to do with TV tropes, so no explanation is needed. 03:38, 7 April 2014 (UTC)
I think the interpretation that someone appears in your room is the one intended. The assumption is that the reader is alone, at their computer and Randall is asking them to consider the possibility of somebody breaking out of a hypothetical situation next to them. However I think the iterative nature of a hypothetical situation about hypothetical situations is the important part of the title text. [[User:Seanybabes|Seanybabes]] ([[User talk:Seanybabes|talk]]) 06:00, 9 March 2014 (UTC)
I agree. The title-text is attempting to cause a hypothetical person to *actually* break into your room by making you imagine somebody breaking out of the hypothetical situation you are imagining about somebody breaking out of a hypothetical situation. [[User:LogicalOxymoron|LogicalOxymoron]] ([[User talk:LogicalOxymoron|talk]]) 05:38, 12 March 2014 (UTC)
:I disagree - that would be to break into your room. Look at what happens to beret guy who eats ice with a "friend" who breaks out of the situation beret created! Beret would be stunned and then probably cease to exist :-) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:43, 5 April 2014 (UTC)
I think the explanation is on-target except that a stronger case can be made for this referring to Douglas Hofstadter’s ''Godel, Escher, Bach'' than to a comedy trope. I have seen explicit and implicit influences of ''Godel, Escher Bach'' in XKCD (24, 88, 468, 555, 688, 917, 1153…). This comic is highly reminiscent of the dialog ''Little Harmonic Labyrinth'' (on page 103) and of the discussion of Escher's ''Dragon'' (page 524). Randall is playing with the weirdness of mixing levels (what Hofstatdter calls strange loops).[[User:Fewmet|Fewmet]] ([[User talk:Fewmet|talk]]) 16:50, 1 July 2014 (UTC)

Even Deadpool would have a hard time on this.[[User:Gonemad79|Gonemad79]] ([[User talk:Gonemad79|talk]]) 20:13, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

Imagining a hypothetical situation is irony? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.205|108.162.210.205]] 17:29, 28 September 2015 (UTC)

I just realized the guy could take the knife and break entirely out of any hypotheticalicisms...*and take the knife AND ice cream with him into the real world.* In theory, ice cream could be replaced by any object, including a perpetual motion machine, a gold block...Suddenly I really, really, REALLY badly wish hypotheticals ACTUALLY worked like this. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.106|162.158.78.106]] 06:50, 27 August 2017 (UTC)
:It's easy. Just imagine a hypothetical situation where hypotheticals worked like that...

Talk:1529: Bracket

2015-05-25T13:44:07Z

108.162.216.84:

What's the connection between Rip Torn and Natalie Imbruglia? {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.183}}
:Answer: Her song, Torn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV1XWJN3nJo-{{unsigned|Stumpy}}

Any pairings that you'd add, given the opportunity? Personally I always confuse [[wikipedia:Wilson Pickett|Wilson Pickett]] and [[wikipedia:Wilson Phillips|Wilson Phillips]]. [[User:Studley|Studley]] ([[User talk:Studley|talk]]) 08:28, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
[[wikipedia:Will Ferrell|Will Ferrell]] and [[wikipedia:Pharrell Williams|Pharrell Williams]] for me! -{{unsigned|Stumpy}}

Why do some first round pairings have more than two people? Beyoncé starts at the third round, so it can't be just because of the number of people. There has to be a joke in them but I don't see it. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.176|141.101.104.176]] 08:45, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:Possibly an in-joke at the NCAA bracket's First Four round. Mister/Fred Astaire/Rogers is a more "traditional" reference to the First Four. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.103|108.162.219.103]] 10:32, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Perhaps it's worth adding to a trivia section that (assuming every person/thing has an equal chance of winning every matchup, Beyonce has the highest odds of winning (1/32 = 3.125%) while Kurt Russell, Russell Crowe, Russell Brand, and Russell Simmons are all tied for having the worst starting odds (1/256 = .391%).[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.91|108.162.219.91]] 09:19, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

I may be worth mentioning that the bracketing trees resemble hierarchical clustering dendrograms in which some string similarity metric was used as a distance function.

Although the comic is formatted as a tournament bracket, there are hints that it is in fact a dendrogram based on string similarity, in a similar way to how trees of evolutionary relationships between proteins are formed. We see this especially in the "Russell" group where there is equal similarity between any name containing "Russell" and so that group is not resolved into two separate forks. If readers wish to recreate such an analysis for themselves they can take the text on [http://pastebin.com/DRqjaDHH here] paste it into a [http://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/msa/clustalw2/ multiple sequence aligner], press Submit, then after processing click Phylogenetic Tree and scroll down. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.74|141.101.99.74]] 12:46, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Is there any significance to the number of entries? 52 on the left side but only 51 on the right?

;Title text
Changed the reference of the Title Text from Doctor Who (who is already listed in the comic) to Dr. Dre, as the phrasing of the Title Text seems like a very direct reference to the 2001 song "Forgot About Dre." {{unsigned|Conquistador}}
:Probably would have been better to add it as an option since we're clearly far from certain -{{unsigned|Stumpy}}

Why not Zoidberg? --RhyvenNZ [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.41|198.41.238.41]] 09:55, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Pretty sure Doctor Who is covered by "The Doctor". He doesn't go by "Who" in the show. He's just the Doctor. I think the missing doctor is House. {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.127}}

Dr. Pepper, maybe? Does "staring" or "forgotten" have to do with it? {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.156}}

Whatagainnow? {{unsigned ip|108.162.222.178}}

Dr. Oz? Dr. Phil? Dr. Watson? Dr. Kavorkian? Dr. Seuss? Wasn't there a famous literary work, The Lost Island of Dr. Moreau? I agree that Dr. House and/or house calls could be a missing candidate for the bracket. But then, there are a ton of 'Sirs' that didn't make the list.  {{unsigned|GAKDragon||please sign your posts appropriately with the appropriate user and talk page links using <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>}}

Or is "The Doctor" http://en.memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/The_Doctor? {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.108}}
:The Doctor is already in the bracket. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.49|141.101.99.49]] 10:40, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

It's Doctor House - definitely and finally! {{unsigned|Raydleemsc}}

Definitely "Doc" Brown: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_Brown {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.171}}

Could the joke simply be "there are way too many famous doctors", so even though it's arguably the most numerous category in the bracket, some are still "forgotten"?

Probably not talking about doctor who, however he could be referencing The Silence, which is a an alien race, on that show, which you immediately forget about after losing sight of it. {{unsigned|KroniK907}}

I immediately thought of Amy's wedding in Dr Who S5Ep13 where she needed to remember the doctor to bring him back. Too obscure? [[User:Blu003|Blu003]] ([[User talk:Blu003|talk]]) 13:07, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:Hardly. You want obscure, try The Doctor's granddaughter. Yep, he had/has one. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.144|108.162.237.144]] 13:41, 25 May 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1056: Felidae

2015-04-09T03:40:29Z

108.162.216.84: added comment

I'm pretty sure there's the saber-toothed tiger in the smilodon category too. That's gonna be ''faaar'' to the right. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:05, 23 December 2012 (UTC)
::@davidy: saber-toothed tiger == saber-toothed cat. Same animal, different name. [[Special:Contributions/189.135.115.199|189.135.115.199]] 21:38, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

If I'm not mistaken, Dracorex hogwartsia was specifically named for Hogwarts, so the name isn't disturbingly similar.[[User:Kdesltd|Kdesltd]] ([[User talk:Kdesltd|talk]]) 06:13, 16 February 2013 (UTC)

;this page is useless without a table of cat names to osx versions

cause where else am i going to go for that information?
obviously [explain]xkcd. [[Special:Contributions/68.201.90.115|68.201.90.115]] 22:43, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

{{w|OS X#Versions|Here!}} [[User:Dawfedora|Dawfedora]] ([[User talk:Dawfedora|talk]]) 18:27, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

I see your sarcasm and raise you one wikitable. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.205}}

No one addresses what the Ox problem is - I believe that he could be referring to the fact that all the cool names are taken. Although it could be the strange order? Seems like the mountain lion version wasn't even out? Did he know that this was the name or did he guess? No matter what he did spot a problem since they did stop using cat names. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:24, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

The version Mountain Lion had been announced in (I believe) February of that year, so he would have known about the name. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.84|108.162.216.84]] 03:40, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

Talk:805: Paradise City

2015-01-09T03:11:59Z

108.162.216.84:

"cortical lesions" may refer to the "Uglies", a 2005 science fiction Orwellian novel by Scott Westerfeld, as it turns out populations is controlled by the way of surgery lesions in the brain to make the people placid --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 22:20, 9 April 2014 (UTC)

Anyone notice that the third panel preshadowed the Vancouver riots? {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.223}}

edit: moved previously added information to proper paragraph in explanation [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.84|108.162.216.84]] 03:11, 9 January 2015 (UTC)

1136: Broken Mirror

2014-10-21T14:30:38Z

108.162.216.84: effect -> affect

{{comic
| number = 1136
| date = November 19, 2012
| title = Broken Mirror
| image = broken_mirror.png
| titletext = 'I see you're in this mood again.' 'I am always in this mood.'
}}

==Explanation==
It is a common superstition that breaking a mirror will result in 7 years of bad luck. [[Black Hat]] mocks the superstition, claiming that all is random, but ultimately cause it to be true due to his {{w|Existential nihilism|nihilistic}} apathy preventing him from cleaning up the shards of glass. The joke is that Black Hat will likely get glass in his feet, and the broken mirror, or at least Black Hat inaction will have an impact.

Black Hat breaks a mirror and sarcastically claims that it will bring bad luck for 7 years, implying that the broken mirror will have no impact on his life. After [[Cueball]] reminds Black Hat that the broken mirror will at least cause him to clean up the glass. Black Hat responds with a quote from {{w|Ecclesiastes}} that explains "being clean" (doing good) or "being unclean" (doing bad) things does not affect whether good or bad things happen to us. Due to Black Hat's interpretation of {{w|Ecclesiastes}}, he is not going to clean the shards, and thus be "unclean", and feels nihilistic that this will not alter his life in the long term. Of course, in the short term, it will have an impact as he will get glass in his feet if he does not clean it.

Black Hat continues saying that "My fate is as these shards" this mirrors another quote from Ecclesiastes "For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals". Cueball tries to cheer up black hat by reminding him that life is not that bad, "it's just a vanity mirror". Black hat responds saying " All is vanity mirrors". "All is vanity" another quote from Ecclesiastes, this line is repeated throughout the book and refers to impermanence of man and his creations. As the mirror just broke, its impermanence is apparent.

In the title text Cueball says "I see you're in this mood again" to which Black Hat responds, "I am always in this mood". This is a reference to Black Hat being a nihilist in his other appearances.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat and Cueball stand in a bedroom. There is a broken mirror on the floor at Black Hat's feet.]
:Black Hat: Oops. Guess this means seven more years of the illusion that my actions somehow influence the indifferent hand of probability which governs our lives.

:[Black Hat looks down at the broken shards of glass on the floor.]

:Cueball: Plus like half an hour of sweeping.
:Black Hat: No, I think I'll leave it.
:Cueball: You'll get glass in your feet.

:Black Hat: Eccles. 9:2—All things come alike to all: to the clean, and to the unclean.
:Black Hat: My fate is as these shards.
:Cueball: Dude, chill. It's just a vanity mirror.
:Black Hat: ''All'' is vanity mirrors.

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

Talk:1413: Suddenly Popular

2014-08-28T18:45:24Z

108.162.216.84:

N.b. The phrase "Tsunami" is clearly located after 2005 so cannot be referring to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.4|141.101.98.4]] 10:53, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

While the actual tsunami did occur in 2004, it was late December, and I would argue that it was by far the most prominent tsunami at that time. Widespread use of the word would have spanned into 2005.
See {{w|List of historical tsunamis|List of Historical Tsunamis}}
--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.233|141.101.99.233]] 10:58, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

:You know, you shouldn't argue: BOTH tsunamis obviously took part in the word becoming popular. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:03, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

:: I agree, but I also believe that the 2004 tsunami has to be listed in the explanation.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.233|141.101.99.233]] 11:07, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Unless someone disagrees and convinces me, I think that something like "Social Engineers" (or perhaps hackers) should be added to the list of people who were aware of and who used metadata prior to the popularization of the term, so I'll add it if I remember next time I come here, or someone else can feel free to do so in my stead -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:19, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Drone Desertion... {{w|Skynet_(Terminator)|Skynet}}? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 13:15, 27 August 2014 (UTC)
:Given that Paradoxical Reaction comes before Drone Desertion, could we assume that because of something done to the AI of drones, presumably to make them "smarter", it has actually led to them deserting on their own? ;) -- I could see how Randall could string a few of the future phrases together to form some logical sequence of events. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:51, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Amplexus refers to a copulation behavior in frogs. I can only assume Randall chose this word without a hypothetical event in mind. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.198|108.162.219.198]] 13:32, 27 August 2014 (UTC)
:Given the theme, I feel there has to be some event that Randall had in mind that would cause humans to adopt this copulation method. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 13:36, 27 August 2014 (UTC)
::Agreed, consider the title text: "Are Your Teens Practicing Amplexus? Learn These Six Telltale Signs!" --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.84|108.162.216.84]] 18:45, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Rapid hair growth: Global temps drop, prompting the human body to grow thicker body hair? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 13:36, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Does anyonr else feel "May be a reference to The God-Empress of Ponykind - a My Little Pony / Warhammer 40,000 fanfic." is a bit of a stretch? [[User:Spaceside|Spaceside]] ([[User talk:Spaceside|talk]]) 13:50, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Thermohaline circulation-changes predicted due to increased freshwater runoff in the arctic with climate change (melting glaciers and permafrost) and decreased sea ice cover. Whatever the cause, some evidence and speculation that this could lead to the onset of an ice age, possibly explaining "snow blindness". {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.125}}

I think hydroplaning is not the same as aquaplaning... {{unsigned ip|108.162.231.208}}

If we are going so far as to say that 2038 has to do with the 2038 problem, you may notice that each year uses 12 pixels, and therefore the sentence "I Swear Allegiance To The God-Empress In Life And In Death" can be shown to be on April 2038, not on January 19, 2038. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 14:59, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1399: Chaos

2014-07-25T06:44:32Z

108.162.216.84:

Dr. Ian Malcolm: Dr. Sattler, Dr. Grant, you've heard of chaos theory? No? Non-linear equations? Strange attractions? Dr. Sattler, I refuse to believe that you aren't familiar with the concept of attraction.[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/quotes?item=qt1744884] [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.62|173.245.62.62]] 05:09, 25 July 2014 (UTC)
:Dr. Ian Malcolm: See, here I'm now sitting by myself, uh, er, talking to myself. That's, that's chaos theory. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/quotes?item=qt0463062] [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.62|173.245.62.62]] 05:12, 25 July 2014 (UTC)
::Thanks for the quotes -- they really helped with writing the explanation! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.175|108.162.238.175]] 06:07, 25 July 2014 (UTC)

Why write 'third sequel' instead of 'fourth film'? It's quite confusing as I initially misread it to be the third instalment instead of sequel. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.92.203|141.101.92.203]] 06:43, 25 July 2014 (UTC)

Reference URL for the remix cited in title text... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zXr9GLa0Jo[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.84|108.162.216.84]] 06:44, 25 July 2014 (UTC)

1399: Chaos

2014-07-25T06:41:24Z

108.162.216.84: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1399
| date = July 25, 2014
| title = Chaos
| image = chaos.png
| titletext = Although the oral exam for the doctorate was just 'can you do that weird laugh?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|needs explanation for title text}}

This comic pokes fun at the 1993 film {{w|Jurassic_Park_(film)|Jurassic Park}}, which featured a theme park filled with cloned dinosaurs. In the film, chaos ensues when all the dinosaurs escape and begin terrorizing their creators. The reference to "phase space, nonlinear equations, and strange attractors" is a direct quotation from the movie, in which Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), a mathematician and {{w|Chaos_theory|chaos theorist}} brought in to inspect the park prior to its grand opening, suggests that the dinosaurs' escaping could have been predicted based on mathematical chaos models.

Cueball explains that although he is as much of an expert on chaos theory as Malcolm, he has never been able to find where said equations predict that dinosaurs would escape. Cueball's confusion highlights the contrast between the mathematical definition of chaos - shown in the graphs on the whiteboard - and its common meaning - a state of utter confusion or disorder (as illustrated in the film).

The title text references the scene in Jurassic Park in which Goldblum, as Malcolm, while making small talk with Drs. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) during the helicopter ride to the park, responds to a remark with an odd-sounding laugh. The laugh has gained minor internet notoriety after being used as the central sample in at least one remix.

The comic may be timely, as a {{w|Jurassic_World|third sequel}} to the film is scheduled for release next year.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is staring at a whiteboard covered with equations and graphs. The {{w|dragon curve}} and a schematic of the {{w|bifurcation diagram}} of the {{w|logistic map}} (both famous figures from chaos theory) are visible.]
:Cueball: For two decades, I've studied phase space, nonlinear equations, and strange attractors.
:Cueball: And there is nothing in here about dinosaurs escaping.

{{comic discussion}}

1399: Chaos

2014-07-25T06:39:43Z

108.162.216.84: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1399
| date = July 25, 2014
| title = Chaos
| image = chaos.png
| titletext = Although the oral exam for the doctorate was just 'can you do that weird laugh?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|needs explanation for title text}}

This comic pokes fun at the 1993 film {{w|Jurassic_Park_(film)|Jurassic Park}}, which featured a theme park filled with cloned dinosaurs. In the film, chaos ensues when all the dinosaurs escape and begin terrorizing their creators. The reference to "phase space, nonlinear equations, and strange attractors" is a direct quotation from the movie, in which Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), a mathematician and {{w|Chaos_theory|chaos theorist}} brought in to inspect the park prior to its grand opening, suggests that the dinosaurs' escaping could have been predicted based on mathematical chaos models.

Cueball explains that although he is as much of an expert on chaos theory as Malcolm, he has never been able to find where said equations predict that dinosaurs would escape. Cueball's confusion highlights the contrast between the mathematical definition of chaos - shown in the graphs on the whiteboard - and its common meaning - a state of utter confusion or disorder (as illustrated in the film).

The title text references the scene in Jurassic Park in which Goldblum, as Malcolm, while making small talk with Drs. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) during the helicopter ride to the park, responds to a remark with an odd-sounding laugh. The laugh has gained minor internet notoriety after being used as the central sample in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zXr9GLa0Jo">at least one remix</a>.

The comic may be timely, as a {{w|Jurassic_World|third sequel}} to the film is scheduled for release next year.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is staring at a whiteboard covered with equations and graphs. The {{w|dragon curve}} and a schematic of the {{w|bifurcation diagram}} of the {{w|logistic map}} (both famous figures from chaos theory) are visible.]
:Cueball: For two decades, I've studied phase space, nonlinear equations, and strange attractors.
:Cueball: And there is nothing in here about dinosaurs escaping.

{{comic discussion}}

1398: Snake Facts

2014-07-23T06:13:30Z

108.162.216.84: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1398
| date = July 23, 2014
| title = Snake Facts
| image = snake_facts.png
| titletext = Biologically speaking, what we call a 'snake' is actually a human digestive tract which has escaped from its host.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic lists a few 'factoids' about snakes, ranging from the mildly informative to the strictly tongue-in-cheek. The first factoid references the hypothesis that snake venom was an evolutionary development of saliva that, over time, gradually became more toxic as snakes with saliva that was able to assist in subduing their prey possessed an evolutionary advantage. It then posits that the entire evolutionary branch that developed into venomous snakes began with a snake whose mutation gave him a mouth that was 'slightly more gross than usual'.

The second factoid references the 'longest snake in the world', citing a South American habitat. Given the habitat listed, it is possible the comic is referring to the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus), but the Green Anaconda, while an impressive creature and one of the longest snakes in the world, is generally not as long as the Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) of Southeast Asia, which is generally recognized as the world's longest snake, though not its largest by mass. The factoid then states that the world's longest snake is 'believed to be over 60 years old'. As Anacondas generally do not live beyond 20 years in captivity, and likely less in the wild, the factoid appears to be in error once again. Its wording seems intended to imply that the snake in question is not a ''species'', but rather a ''single specimen''.

Additionally, the comic illustration accompanying the second factoid colors in a 'habitat range' on a map of South America that is snake-shaped, possibly implying that when it states 'The longest snake is found in Brazil, Chile, and Peru' that this snake is so long that it literally stretches from Brazil into Chile and Peru, and that the 'habitat' shaded on the map is, in fact, this mammoth snake's silhouette.

The final factoid is entirely tongue-in-cheek, beginning with a typical factoid trope in which a collection of related items are laid end-to-end, then the length is compared to something else in a way intended to surprise the reader that the collection of items is indeed, so extensive (literally and figuratively). For example, "If you laid all the veins and arteries in the human body end-to-end, they would stretch 60,000 miles". The third factoid takes the form of that trope and turns it into a joke, "If you laid all the bones in a snake end to end, you would have a snake." Obviously, you would not have an entire snake, literally, but you would have a skeleton that was recognizably that of a snake and could reasonably be referred to as 'a snake', albeit a skeletal one.

The title text continues the progression away from somewhat reasonable factoid toward outlandish claim by stating as fact the patently absurd idea that 'snakes' as we know them are not, in fact, a suborder of reptiles but are instead human digestive tracts that, rather than being a system of organs are parasitic creatures capable of escaping from their 'host' human and living independently. The claim appears to be based on nothing more than a superficial resemblance between snakes and the human digestive tract as long, roughly tubular collections of animal matter.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1398: Snake Facts

2014-07-23T06:12:05Z

108.162.216.84: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1398
| date = July 23, 2014
| title = Snake Facts
| image = snake_facts.png
| titletext = Biologically speaking, what we call a 'snake' is actually a human digestive tract which has escaped from its host.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic lists a few 'factoids' about snakes, ranging from the mildly informative to the strictly tongue-in-cheek. The first factoid references the hypothesis that snake venom was an evolutionary development of saliva that, over time, gradually became more toxic as snakes with saliva that was able to subdue their prey possessed an evolutionary advantage. It then posits that the entire evolutionary branch that developed in venomous snakes began with a snake whose mutation gave him a mouth that was 'slightly more gross than usual'.

The second factoid references the 'longest snake in the world', citing a South American habitat. Given the habitat listed, it is possible the comic is referring to the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus), but the Green Anaconda, while an impressive creature and one of the longest snakes in the world, is generally not as long as the Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) of Southeast Asia, which is generally recognized as the world's longest snake, though not its largest by mass. The factoid then states that the world's longest snake is 'believed to be over 60 years old'. As Anacondas generally do not live beyond 20 years in captivity, and likely less in the wild, the factoid appears to be in error once again. Its wording seems intended to imply that the snake in question is not a ''species'', but rather a ''single specimen''.

Additionally, the comic illustration accompanying the second factoid colors in a 'habitat range' on a map of South America that is snake-shaped, possibly implying that when it states 'The longest snake is found in Brazil, Chile, and Peru' that this snake is so long that it literally stretches from Brazil into Chile and Peru, and that the 'habitat' shaded on the map is, in fact, this mammoth snake's silhouette.

The final factoid is entirely tongue-in-cheek, beginning with a typical factoid trope in which a collection of related items are laid end-to-end, then the length is compared to something else in a way intended to surprise the reader that the collection of items is indeed, so extensive (literally and figuratively). For example, "If you laid all the veins and arteries in the human body end-to-end, they would stretch 60,000 miles". The third factoid takes the form of that trope and turns it into a joke, "If you laid all the bones in a snake end to end, you would have a snake." Obviously, you would not have an entire snake, literally, but you would have a skeleton that was recognizably that of a snake and could reasonably be referred to as 'a snake', albeit a skeletal one.

The title text continues the progression away from somewhat reasonable factoid toward outlandish claim by stating as fact the patently absurd idea that 'snakes' as we know them are not, in fact, a suborder of reptiles but are instead human digestive tracts that, rather than being a system of organs are parasitic creatures capable of escaping from their 'host' human and living independently. The claim appears to be based on nothing more than a superficial resemblance between snakes and the human digestive tract as long, roughly tubular collections of animal matter.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1398: Snake Facts

2014-07-23T06:05:49Z

108.162.216.84: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1398
| date = July 23, 2014
| title = Snake Facts
| image = snake_facts.png
| titletext = Biologically speaking, what we call a 'snake' is actually a human digestive tract which has escaped from its host.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic lists a few 'factoids' about snakes, ranging from the mildly informative to the strictly tongue-in-cheek. The first factoid references the hypothesis that snake venom was an evolutionary development of saliva that, over time, gradually became more toxic as snakes with saliva that was able to subdue their prey possessed an evolutionary advantage. It then posits that the entire evolutionary branch that developed in venomous snakes began with a snake whose mutation gave him a mouth that was 'slightly more gross than usual'.

The second factoid references the 'longest snake in the world', citing a South American habitat. Given the habitat listed, it is possible the comic is referring to the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus), but the Green Anaconda, while an impressive creature and one of the longest snakes in the world, is generally not as long as the Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) of Southeast Asia, which is generally recognized as the world's longest snake, though not its largest by mass. The factoid then states that the world's longest snake is 'believed to be over 60 years old'. As Anacondas generally do not live beyond 20 years in captivity, and likely less in the wild, the factoid appears to be in error once again, and may simply be a playful attempt to mislead the reader into reading the first portion of the factoid (longest snake) and then, when skimming, see the number 60 in the second part and inadvertently come to the conclusion that the longest snake is over 60 feet long.

Additionally, the comic illustration accompanying the second factoid colors in a 'habitat range' on a map of South America that is snake-shaped, possibly implying that when it states 'The longest snake is found in Brazil, Chile, and Peru' that this snake is so long that it literally stretches from Brazil into Chile and Peru, and that the 'habitat' shaded on the map is, in fact, this mammoth snake's silhouette.

The final factoid is entirely tongue-in-cheek, beginning with a typical factoid trope in which a collection of related items are laid end-to-end, then the length is compared to something else in a way intended to surprise the reader that the collection of items is indeed, so extensive (literally and figuratively). For example, "If you laid all the veins and arteries in the human body end-to-end, they would stretch 60,000 miles". The third factoid takes the form of that trope and turns it into a joke, "If you laid all the bones in a snake end to end, you would have a snake." Obviously, you would not have an entire snake, literally, but you would have a skeleton that was recognizably that of a snake and could reasonably be referred to as 'a snake', albeit a skeletal one.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1398: Snake Facts

2014-07-23T06:01:06Z

108.162.216.84: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1398
| date = July 23, 2014
| title = Snake Facts
| image = snake_facts.png
| titletext = Biologically speaking, what we call a 'snake' is actually a human digestive tract which has escaped from its host.
}}

==Explanation==
{{The comic lists a few 'factoids' about snakes, ranging from the mildly informative to the strictly tongue-in-cheek. The first factoid references the hypothesis that snake venom was an evolutionary development of saliva that, over time, gradually became more toxic as snakes with saliva that was able to subdue their prey possessed an evolutionary advantage. It then posits that the entire evolutionary branch that developed in venomous snakes began with a snake whose mutation gave him a mouth that was 'slightly more gross than usual'.

The second factoid references the 'longest snake in the world', citing a South American habitat. Given the habitat listed, it is possible the comic is referring to the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus), but the Green Anaconda, while an impressive creature and one of the longest snakes in the world, is generally not as long as the Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus) of Southeast Asia, which is generally recognized as the world's longest snake, though not its largets. The factoid then states that the world's longest snake is 'believed to be over 60 years old'. As Anacondas generally do not live beyond 20 years in captivity, and likely less in the wild, the factoid appears to be in error once again, and may simply be a playful attempt to mislead the reader into reading the first portion of the factoid (longest snake) and then, when skimming, see the number 60 in the second part and inadvertently come to the conclusion that the longest snake is over 60 feet long.

The final factoid is entirely tongue-in-cheek, beginning with a typical factoid trope in which a collection of related items are laid end-to-end, then the length is compared to something else in a way intended to surprise the reader that the collection of items is indeed, so extensive (literally and figuratively). For example, "If you laid all the veins and arteries in the human body end-to-end, they would stretch 60,000 miles". The third factoid takes the form of that trope and turns it into a joke, "If you laid all the bones in a snake end to end, you would have a snake." Obviously, you would not have an entire snake, literally, but you would have a skeleton that was recognizably that of a snake and could reasonably be referred to as 'a snake', albeit a skeletal one.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1321: Cold

2014-06-28T04:50:45Z

108.162.216.84:

I really hate when articles on science get a POV tag. Science isn't politics (hint: evolution and gravity aren't POV either). Related to the comic, I just had a similar rant on Facebook in the last week or two where I linked to [http://www.skepticalscience.com/print.php?r=54 this article] when someone said it was too cold for Global Warming. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.64|108.162.237.64]] 12:24, 24 January 2014 (UTC)
:Actually evolution ''is'' a POV. For a start, it absolutely depends on the non-scientific assumption/philosophy/belief that there is nothing other than the material universe. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.227|108.162.222.227]] 01:59, 29 January 2014 (UTC)
::Why do you think evolution depends on such a thing? In other words, if there were anything other than the material universe, why would that rule out evolution? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.66|199.27.128.66]] 17:01, 3 February 2014 (UTC)
I really hate it when people think the global warming scam is science, when it really is nothing more than politics masquerading as science. The IPCC has been proven to be a bunch of liars, and really there's nothing left but a bunch of whining left-wing lunatics who are desperately clinging to their hope of continuing to use this lie to raise energy prices/taxes. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.17|108.162.219.17]] 12:55, 24 January 2014 (UTC)
:Well you're wrong, and apparently delusionally paranoid about what the political left wants, but the bigger question is why is this in a wiki discussion page? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.117|108.162.249.117]] 13:21, 24 January 2014 (UTC)
::No, ''you'' are wrong, and still buying into the AGW myth that has been proven false (IPCC and others were basically caught lying). Why is this in a wiki discussion page? Well, apparently Randall has decided to use his webcomic as a vehicle to promote a left-wing agenda, so discussion of it here is totally legit. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.17|108.162.219.17]] 14:03, 26 January 2014 (UTC)
:::I think the most important words there are "his comic", so it's his call on what he writes. Also, honestly, the idea that climate change is a scam to control energy prices is pretty absurd.[[User:Pennpenn|Pennpenn]] ([[User talk:Pennpenn|talk]]) 13:39, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
::::Also, I thought it was well-known that Randall was a liberal. He's made it pretty clear in the past which side of the fence he's on politically. But that's beside the point, and I agree with 108.162.249.117: You honestly would have to deliberately choose to ignore the whole of the scientific community to believe that the concept of climate change is some sort of political scam. It really isn't - you can see evidence of it everywhere, if only you were to open your eyes and take a look around you. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.120|108.162.246.120]] 01:38, 29 January 2014 (UTC)
:::::Evidence of what? That's what makes insistence so irrational and, when pushing policy, dangerous. With a millionth of geologic time in empirical evidence and tons of extrapolation, you've got daisy-chained assumptions all the way to end-times superstition. It's downright medieval. If the "scientific community" actually speculated that warming might lengthen growing seasons, expand habitability and bring other benefits, the effort might look somewhat objective. But instead, the only understanding of warming is ineluctable catastrophe straight out of a Hollywood screenplay. Seriously, step back and contemplate how insane that is. Every five years someone claims the world has five years left. Actually, I'd say "it was five years ago people claimed hurricane intensity would increase because reasons," but it was nine years ago, and nothing happened. Well, intensity dropped. And yet, ironically, like the characters in this strip, people desperate to believe in a meteorological eschatology will seize at anything -- anything at all -- to threaten and shame others for not accepting that industry means carbon dioxide means temperature change means ??? means doom. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.86|108.162.221.86]] 23:50, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

:::Amongst other falsehoods 108.162.219.17 tells this science denier whopper: "the AGW myth that has been proven false (IPCC and others were basically caught lying)." It is you who is telling lies 108.162.219.17 - wittingly or otherwise. But hey if you disagree then tell us exactly how, in your mind, AGW Theory has been "proven false". {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.124}}

Although it doesn't directly mention it, this is partly related to people's confusion over the difference between 'weather' and 'climate' - the former being what the conditions are at a given moment in time, and the latter referring to long-term trends.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.228|141.101.98.228]] 14:52, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

I think the one with whit wolly hat is whitehat [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 16:10, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Can anyone provide an exact URL for (or procedure for finding) the data shown in the upper-right panel? --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.71|108.162.221.71]] 18:00, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Randall has cherry picked data for his conclusion and the graph in the comic. The full history is available from the NWS. The one for my home town can be found here http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/climo/below0.php The 1970's were unusually cold, which makes the present seem warmer by comparison. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.254|108.162.210.254]] 16:33, 24 January 2014 (UTC)
:All of those show a dropoff in frequency of below-zero temps since the 90s. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.66|199.27.128.66]] 17:08, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

Apparently Randall hasn’t seen this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/All_palaeotemps.png
:No, that's not at all apparent. Perhaps he has. But the character in the white hat doesn't have a memory going back that far, so it isn't relevant. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.66|199.27.128.66]] 17:08, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

To quote Michael Z. Williamson:
29 years in the last century is not an "average" of the last 300 million years.

Any finding based on that "average" is complete bullshit. You may as well use 1300-1305 hours on Apr 23 as your "average." You'll be about as accurate, and save time over actual data collection. {{unsigned ip|173.245.55.67}}

The claim that 0 Fahrenheit / -17 Celsius is ''really fucking cold'' is supported by [[526: Converting to Metric]]. [[User:Fryhole|Fryhole]] ([[User talk:Fryhole|talk]]) 00:41, 25 January 2014 (UTC)
:We've been getting some ball-chilling winter with the cold fronts suddenly appearing in Florida, which is a drastic change from the sweaty weather just last week. I've added "fuckfuckfuckcold" to my personal lexicon. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.64|108.162.237.64]] 04:16, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Is that possibly WHITE HAT not CUEBALL (except for the last panel)? {{unsigned ip|108.162.240.18}}

The one in black is not black hat.
He sits around memorising weather data, and lack malice. [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 18:29, 25 January 2014 (UTC)

Can anyone provide an exact URL for (or procedure for finding) the data shown in the upper-right panel? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.71|108.162.221.71]] 18:00, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

;rcc-acis.org/climatecentral

The source [http://rcc-acis.org/climatecentral rcc-acis.org/climatecentral] provided by Randall doesn't work. What's wrong? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:30, 26 January 2014 (UTC)
:The source quoted on [http://xkcd.com/1321/ xkcd] is no long a URL, but simply "'rcc-acis/climatecentral'" [[User:Boxy|Boxy]] ([[User talk:Boxy|talk]]) 03:07, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
::ClimateCentral made some graphs based on rcc-acis data for a few dozen cities. Here is the link [http://www.climatecentral.org/news/extreme-cold-events-in-a-climate-context-16931#cities In Much of U.S., Extreme Cold is Becoming More Rare][[User:Jamesprescott|Jamesprescott]] ([[User talk:Jamesprescott|talk]]) 19:16, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

Oh Dear. I can't believe what I'm reading. Either you guys are being ironic or Randall needs to expand his comic to encompass some of you.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.235|141.101.99.235]] 09:00, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
I'm really surprised that so many people could love xkcd (apparently) but also hate science. {{unsigned ip|108.162.238.197}}

:Despite missing links in evolution tree and missing {{w|Quantum gravity}} theory, we know much more about both that about the climate. Climate politics isn't actually based on science, as scientists failed to produce results fast enough. I would really like to see science result on global warming, but with the amount of money at stake, I don't believe I can. Maybe later. Also, it's a pity that the global warming discussion shadowed REAL ecologic problems. I don't need global warming to see that burning fosil fuels is bad idea. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 01:25, 29 January 2014 (UTC)
::Not quite so fast, there. '''Can you tell me anything you know about evolution, any one thing that is true? I tried that question on the geology staff at the Field Museum of Natural History and the only answer I got was silence. I tried it on the members of the Evolutionary Morphology Seminar in the University of Chicago, a very prestigious body of evolutionists, and all I got there was silence for a long time and eventually one person said, "I do know one thing -- it ought not to be taught in high school".' Dr. Colin Patterson (Senior Paleontologist, British Museum of Natural History, London). Keynote address at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City, November 5, 1981.'' [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.227|108.162.222.227]] 01:59, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

::To those of you who claim climate change is a scam: Have you ever actually looked at any one of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of science papers, studies, documentaries and photo comparisons done on the polar ice caps and mountain glaciers around the world? Have you ever looked at the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia? Are you even aware that drastic and very sudden changes have happened to these things in just the last 20 years? (And in the case of the Reef, the two major bleaching events in 1998 and 2002 occurred over just a few DAYS each.) These are things that existed, mostly unchanged, for thousands of years and are suddenly disappearing or being damaged beyond repair. The evidence is overwhelming. I have a really hard time believing that anyone can be faced with such extreme evidence and choose to just plug their ears and go "LA LA LA, LIBERAL LIES" like you morons are doing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.120|108.162.246.120]] 01:47, 29 January 2014 (UTC)
:::(To be frank, the people I'm referring to here sound like they came from this comic: http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/258:_Conspiracy_Theories ). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.120|108.162.246.120]] 01:56, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

:::You said it yourself. "Climate change". I agree that anyone denying the climate is changing is ... how did you said it ... moron. What I'm challenging is the belief that if we tax production of carbon dioxide (or implement some other of plans "against global warming"), the climate will change back. There's nothing scientific on that. Especially considering how low is chance that any taxing would actually lower amount of carbon dioxide produced globally ... usually, it only causes businesses to relocate. Another thing I'm challenging is the "unprecedented" bit often used by global warming proponents. Geologically speaking, climate changes happens often ... and scientists have very little or no data on previous changes. What is few thousands of years in history of Earth? (And in fact, we don't even have data for those thousands of years. We have data for few last hundreds top.) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:37, 29 January 2014 (UTC)
::::Okay, it wasn't clear earlier that your point was about USING climate-change as a means to scare people into paying taxes, etc. I saw often-repeated arguments that climate-change ITSELF is a myth and a political football - that there's no proof it's happening. I can understand questioning political actions taken as a result of the science, but the fact that the climate is changing is undisputable.
::::As for whether this form of climate change is unusual in the grand scale of time, you're right that we don't have detailed records going back more than a few hundred years, and ecologically speaking, that's not a long time. But we DO have direct evidence that humans are responsible for a significant portion of the current change, including the incredibly sharp increase in global human population in just the last 100-150 years. And my point is that there really are people out there who firmly believe the scientific community is smoking crack and promoting some dastardly political agenda, and all the photos and documentation of mass coral bleaching events, glacier and ice-cap melt, species extinctions, etc., are all elaborate hoaxes. (Just like us landing on the moon, right?) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.120|108.162.246.120]] 23:59, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

::::Amongst other climate science denier talking points Hkmaly sets up this straw man: "What I'm challenging is the belief that if we tax production of carbon dioxide... the climate will change back." The notion that if we reduced greenhouse gas emissions then the "climate would change back" is nothing but a climate science denier straw man. AGW Theory does not say that - it instead says that due to man-made greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere the globe will continue to warm the Earth no matter what we do, and also that if we reduced greenhouse gas emissions then future global warming will be mitigated.

::::Hkmaly also repeats this science denier falsehood: "And in fact, we don't even have data for those thousands of years." And if fact, you are wrong: we have temperature proxy data going back for not only thousands of years but for far longer than that too. {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.124}}

:::::I don't care what AGW Theory says. I care about what politicians says, because THAT will influence the world. And politicians says we need to reduce carbon dioxide production and everything will be ok. It won't. We should start adapting. (Although stoping burning fossil fuels is also good idea, as I already said.) Also, we don't have direct measurements of those thousands of years. Proxy data are not as reliable as direct measurements AND are less reliable the further in past we get (because only the less reliable methods works for long periods). Now, about other points: the rise of human (and wheat) population may be MORE dangerous than the rise of industrial carbon dioxide, but it's not mentioned as often, because most politicians are not ready do DO something with rising human population (and the ones who DO - like Bashar al-Assad - are not doing it because of global warming). Also, the species extinction is certainly bad thing, but most species go extinct because of things totally unrelated to global warming - things more obviously caused by humans, BTW. Things which don't get as much coverage and support as global warming. Probably because there is not enough money there. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:31, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

::::::The reason that AGW gets more attention than overpopulation or habitat destruction is that (1) it's easier to quantify, (2) our current actions matter more, and (3) we have solutions that don't involve killing or starving people. If you're worried about water shortages due to overpopulation, those 3 reasons will stop you. (1) How much time and money do we have to actually invest, and how many people will it help; (2) why don't we just make that technology later when it becomes a problem; and (3) no one wants to touch the issue of restricting population growth to reduce land/water consumption. On the other hand, with AGW, it's easier. (1) We know the relative costs of fossil fuels and renewable energy, and we have tentative estimates of the damage climate change can cause. Also, the cost of a carbon tax and its effect on the economy aren't too hard to figure out; (2) we can't just push it under the rug like other issues. If we ignore it completely right now, we'll be stuck with a 5-10 degree F increase by 2100; and (3) It involves no killing or restricting basic rights - you can mitigate climate change just by setting taxes or trade quotas. Sure, those aren't particularly popular, but it's easier on the conscience than killing people off. Also, although the effects of climate change are sometimes exaggerated, they are still on the same level as the other ecological problems. Sure, our current 1.5 degrees of warming hasn't done much damage, but that's because it's within the earth's natural variation. Add on another 5+ degrees and it'll get tough for quite a few biomes. When a heat wave hits on top of that, you're just begging for extinctions, or at least a large drop in genetic diversity. I agree that other ecological issues are overshadowed by AGW in the media, but that doesn't discredit the importance of dealing with AGW.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.84|108.162.216.84]] 04:50, 28 June 2014 (UTC)

Isn't the point of this one the fact that the cold days standing out being part of the point. People use rare cold snaps to question global warming, but they're ignoring the fact that the cold snap wouldn't be that out of the ordinary years ago. {{unsigned ip|173.245.55.78}}

It's not GulfStream that matters, it's the proximity to the ocean that keeps the temperatures moderate. Seattle is located much farther North than St. Louis AND next to an arctic cold ocean stream, yet it's much warmer in the winter (and colder in the summer). The dry continental air has much higher temperature differences between the summer and winter. The pattern of the mountain chains in the North America tends to bring the cold arctic air from the North to the middle of the continent. Also, 0F/-18C is not brutally cold, it's moderately cold. -40 (either C or F) is brutally cold.
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.66|199.27.128.66]] 05:11, 2 February 2014 (UTC)

An article about Gulfstream: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-simulations-question-gulf-stream-role-tempering-europes-winters/ [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.66|199.27.128.66]] 05:24, 2 February 2014 (UTC)
:I wrote that 0F/-18C is ''fucking'' cold, just to emphasize human feelings about that temperature. Someone changed this to ''brutall''. And the Gulf Stream is just one example to show Europeans how different the climate can behave. And of course the northern American climate is not covered by this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:23, 2 February 2014 (UTC)
::To those of us who constantly live with much lower temperatures, that's not that cold at all. In fact, -18*C in the middle of winter would be a warm day. It'd be better to validate your statements with locational data supporting it, such as, "Floridians would go mad if it snowed" or "If all the snow melted on time, Canadians would go crazy". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.7|108.162.245.7]] 14:22, 9 February 2014 (UTC)

Talk:861: Wisdom Teeth

2014-06-14T22:31:46Z

108.162.216.84:

Why should all three parts of the anesthetic have to wear off? It seems like Randall would probably not write "Everything ok" if he could feel the procedure. [[Special:Contributions/75.69.96.225|75.69.96.225]] 02:10, 5 March 2013 (UTC)

I Gotta get my wisdom teeth removed asap! ~~JFreund

Could this be a reference to superflat mode?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.84|108.162.216.84]] 22:31, 14 June 2014 (UTC)

1376: Jump

2014-06-02T06:33:43Z

108.162.216.84: Initial attempt to summarize

{{comic
| number = 1376
| date = June 2, 2014
| title = Jump
| image = jump.png
| titletext = I hope I'm at least following the curve of the Earth around to land ...
}}

==Explanation==
{{Cueball is (presumably) experiencing a common dream subject, flying or floating. As in many varieties of such a dream, the ability to fly, float or glide only gradually manifests, going from longer and longer jumps to a sort of flight or hovering. In Cueball's case, his jumps become longer and 'lighter' until at last he is gliding just above the surface of the Earth. He has apparently had such a dream before, with just such a flight mechanic manifesting itself, as he indicates that he 'loves' these dreams.

In his (presumed) dream, Cueball finally achieves his gliding flight just as he reaches the shoreline, and his gliding carries him over the water's edge and out to sea. After a moment's reflection, he indicates that he HOPES it is a dream, as if he were really gliding out to sea without any real apparent means of control, his situation would presumably be rather perilous ... death by starvation or thirst, gradually slowing down and becoming 'stuck' over the water with no way to land, the loss of his gliding ability as suddenly as it came, etc, all suggest themselves as possible perils he would now be subject to if, in fact, his 'dream' were actual reality.

The mouseover text adds a further worry not immediately apparent unless one considers the possibility that Cueball's 'gliding' is actually some sort of cessation of gravity acting upon his person, in which case he would (if his forward momentum were maintained) continue moving in a straight line while the Earth's surface would curve away beneath him, sending him out into space instead of the (relatively) preferable scenario of merely floating across the ocean to the opposite shore.}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

Cueball is jumping in the open...

"I love these dreams... Each jump is a little longer... Each push off the ground a little softer... Until I...GLIDE"

Cueball jumps over a fence and floats in the air, over the sea

"...I hope this is a dream."

Talk:99: Binary Heart

2014-03-08T20:47:37Z

108.162.216.84:

The l's and 0's in the binary translation make the code: 10101010011010010, which if you remove either the first or the last digit and convert to text make either, ªi OR TÒ which isn't very helpful. {{unsigned|‎LostFire}}

10101010011010010 in hexadecimal is 154D2 which could mean "I'm sad too". [[User:Noit|Noit]] ([[User talk:Noit|talk]]) 00:34, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

I wondered why he didn't include space characters, but then I realized that ASCII 32 makes for too much white space (only one bit is set) which might spoil the random appearance of the background. Also, shouldn't there be a Doctor Who reference in there somewhere? Just saying... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 18:28, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Maybe the mixture of o's and O's is only there so that the sequence of bits doesn't contain a single repeating sequence.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.84|108.162.216.84]] 20:47, 8 March 2014 (UTC)