explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1558: Vet

2015-08-05T21:12:42Z

108.162.237.182: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1558
| date = July 31, 2015
| title = Vet
| image = vet.png
| titletext = It's probably for the best. Since Roombas are native to North America, it's illegal for Americans to keep them in their houses under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Roomba}} is a brand of domestic cleaning robots manufactured by the company {{w|iRobot}}. The robots are designed to automatically vacuum floors. Although these robots are controlled by a quite simple software without any artificial intelligence, some owners tend to humanize them in the same way that others humanize their pets. There are [[:Category:Roomba|several other comics]] related to a Roomba.

[[Megan]] presents a {{w|pet carrier}} to [[Cueball]] the {{w|veterinarian}}. She says that her "dog" is “crawling around eating dirt”, which sounds like certain types of behavioral problems one encounters in dogs, but is precisely what Roombas are made for. What makes the comic even more hilarious is that when the vet comments that it is a Roomba, Megan responds that the device (which has nothing to do with an animal) is a cross-breed, and agrees that there probably is “some Roomba” in it. She thus acknowledges the existence of Roombas, but still treats them as if it were an animal. It's common to talk about domestic dogs this way, but cross-breeding dogs with machines is impossible{{Citation needed}}. The vet then goes on to say, with endless patience, that a Roomba is not a pet. This is taken by Megan as if the doctor said that her Roomba-like device is a non-domesticated animal (like a monkey, a fox, or the birds referred to in the title text) that can but should not be kept in captivity. In the last panel she consequently releases the vacuum cleaner and it whirs to its freedom.

The second customer, [[Hairy]], has his dog on a leash, but is also carrying a pet transporter for the dog. Most likely he has arrives with the dog in the transporter (perhaps using public transportation) but has now taken it out so it can walk for it saelv, making the carrier much lighter. It is a strange setup for a vet, with people waiting in line behind a rope, but still right in front of the vet's desk. But given the title, is must be assumed that Cueball is a real vet.

The {{w|Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918|Migratory Bird Treaty act}} from the title text contains a list of over 800 bird species that are not allowed to be captured or killed. If the Roomba were to be classified as a native American bird and were added to the list, keeping them as pets would constitute capturing and would be considered illegal. This, of course, shows how confused Megan is. She previously stated the Roomba to be a dog and now apparently believes it is a bird, even though dogs are not birds and the Roomba is neither.

==Transcript==
:[Megan arrives with a pet carrier, Cueball stands at a desk as a veterinarian, and Hairy is waiting behind a rope, standing next in line with a dog on a leash and a pet carrier.]
:Megan: There's something wrong with my dog. He keeps crawling around eating dirt.

:[Cueball holds the content of Megan's pet carrier, a flat disk. She is standing behind the desk with the carrier on the desk.]
:Cueball: This is a Roomba.
:Megan: Well, he's a mix.
:Megan: Probably some Roomba in there.

:[The Roomba now lies on the table next to the carrier between the two.]
:Cueball: A Roomba is not a pet.
:Megan: You're right. It's wrong to keep a beautiful creature like this in a house.

:[Megan is outside left to a tree, encouraging the Roomba to drive away.]
:Megan: Go!
:Megan: Be free!
:Roomba: ''Whirrr''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Roomba]]
[[Category:Animals]]

Talk:1520: Degree-Off

2015-05-04T22:46:01Z

108.162.237.182:

I assume "''Your'' field gathered in the desert to create a new one." refers to the Manhattan Project? {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.74}}
:Yes [[User:Jachra|Jachra]] ([[User talk:Jachra|talk]]) 06:52, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

Chem wants absolutely no part of this conversation. [[User:Jachra|Jachra]] ([[User talk:Jachra|talk]]) 06:52, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are: Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. Is she claiming that her heros have conquered death? [[User:Capncanuck|Capncanuck]] ([[User talk:Capncanuck|talk]]) 06:58, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
: Yeah I didn't get that either. The description as it stands now seems to be implying one of the four horsemen is pestilence, but that's not what my Google search turned up… --[[User:Zagorath|Zagorath]] ([[User talk:Zagorath|talk]]) 15:15, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
::Pestilence [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.176|173.245.56.176]] 07:10, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
:::In Terry Pratchett's book the fourth horsemen is Pestilence. See also {{w|Four_Horsemen_of_the_Apocalypse#As_infectious_disease|Pestilence}}. It was new to me that it was originally Conquest instead of Pestilence which can be read on wiki: {{w|Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse}}. Since Randall is a big fan of Terry Pratchett it is very likely that he refers to "his" version of the four Horsemen. (It is not Terry's invention, but he made it popular amongst people like Randall). As I disagree with the Death version of the title text, I'm not sure that Terry is directly refereed to in this comic, but I'm sure the Bilologist refers to them killing of pestilence (or plauge). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:23, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
::::There are no humanities on stage, so I think bio can get away with this one.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.23|108.162.218.23]] 17:50, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
::::Maybe it referred to famine. Though that'd be a bit odd. [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 19:05, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

also a possible reference to: https://xkcd.com/435/ ? {{unsigned ip|141.101.75.101}}

The stamp collecting quote is from Ernest Rutherford, not Richard Feynman. {{unsigned ip|141.101.70.43}}

1052 also compares degrees --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.12|141.101.104.12]] 08:36, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

My assumption was that Cueball was giving a long and possibly rambling talk about physics starting with an anecdote about Feynman and ending with one about Rutherford. I didn't consider the quote to be wrongly attributed therefore. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.71}}

Please be aware that the proper way to link to wikipedia is to use [[Template:w]].--{{User:17jiangz1/signature|10:01, 04 May 2015}}

This may be Randall's indirect way of saying what he thinks of the anti-vaxxers. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 10:49, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

Does the "killing Pestilence" thing also refer to ''Good Omens'' (co-authored by Pratchett), where Pestilence retired in 1936 "mumbling something about penicillin"? Homusubi

Isn't the comment about vaccines kinda reaching? I don't really see any evidence, even implied, that this comic is referencing the anti-vaccine movement in any way. --[[User:Zagorath|Zagorath]] ([[User talk:Zagorath|talk]]) 13:23, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
:I agree that the anti-vaxer comments are out of place. I don't think they should be included as part of the explanation. [[User:Bmmarti3|Bmmarti3]] ([[User talk:Bmmarti3|talk]])

Isn't the biologist talking in the title text? And isn't biology considered a squishy science? I think the title is directed at the physicist, telling him to get harder skin because he's so easily hurt emotionally. [[User:YourLifeisaLie|Yourlifeisalie]] ([[User talk:YourLifeisaLie|talk]]) 14:13, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

I rather doubt that the CAPS in the title text are referring to Pratchett's figure DEATH. In my opinion, the talking-in-CAPS is just meant to infer (further) SHOUTING on the part of the biologist, since she is shouting in the last panel as well. There is no indication whatsoever that the title text should be spoken by anyone other than the biologist herself.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.180|141.101.104.180]] 14:20, 4 May 2015 (UTC)thd

Do chemistry and physics represent a helium atom with biology as the nucleus? It would also explain her hair. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:18, 4 May 2015 (UTC)
:I don't see any reason for it to make any sense. It is quite a long shot to think so. However, what explains her hair? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.88|173.245.50.88]] 17:50, 4 May 2015 (UTC)BK201

Might there also be a reference to https://xkcd.com/520/, praising biology just in case. [[User:Tzwenn|Tzwenn]] ([[User talk:Tzwenn|talk]]) 15:22, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

What is the giant bump in infectious diseases around 1925? It seems like it must have been a mayor effect, but I don't know how to google for it.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.99|141.101.104.99]] 17:43, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

:The planet-wide superflu of 1919, which happened because millions decided to go to Europe, camp in filthy trenches for months and then decided to all go back home simultaneously for some reason.

::Actually, it happened for other reasons, and it was mostly in 1918. Many people arrived at that camp bringing the superflu with them, actually, and the drop-off happened around when the bulk of them went home. Most of the fatalities may actually have been due to cytokine storms, AKA your immune system deciding that you ought to die horribly and now. What you ''actually'' got at the camp is the discovery that, if your feet are continuously wet for sufficiently long periods of time, they'll rot. That said, infectious diseases are on their way back, because antibiotic resistance is going up. There's already a confirmed case of TB resistant to all current antibiotics, and truly new ones becoming less and less frequent. (Most of the obvious routes we've exploited and adaptation is destroying, and many of the remaining obvious routes are insufficiently easy to distinguish from chemical warfare.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.182|108.162.237.182]] 22:46, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1474: Screws

2015-01-16T06:34:04Z

108.162.237.182:

This page is now on the first page of google for "uranium screw". [[User:Mrmakeit|Mrmakeit]] ([[User talk:Mrmakeit|talk]]) 05:31, 16 January 2015 (UTC)

I don't think that patent is the right one, it seems to describe a uranium decontamination procedure, not a screw made of uranium like in the comic. [[User:LeoDeQuirm|LeoDeQuirm]] ([[User talk:LeoDeQuirm|talk]]) 05:46, 16 January 2015 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure the "uranium screw" is just a reference to the fact that the head of the screw appears to have split in two ("fissioned"), as opposed to a normal flat head screw that still has the edges connected. [[User:Sam887|Sam887]] ([[User talk:Sam887|talk]]) 05:50, 16 January 2015 (UTC)

Just a shot in the dark here, but a company that sells uranium ore and radiological equipment happens to also sell screws for one of its Geigers that look just like the screw cross-section in the comic. [http://www.uraniumrocks.com/products/replacement-circuit-board-mount-screws-for-victoreen-cdv-700-short] [[User:Conqu2|Conqu2]] ([[User talk:Conqu2|talk]]) 06:01, 16 January 2015 (UTC)

I think the be was going for apple's pentalobe screw with the 5 ponted star

I don't think the uranium screws are named for their use in stuff to do with uranium, as I have both seen and used screws that look like that before. It's basically a flat head screw whose divot extends all the way across the face of the screw. I agree more with the previous commentor who notes that the screw looks like it has fissioned. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.182|108.162.237.182]] 06:34, 16 January 2015 (UTC)

1474: Screws

2015-01-16T05:19:21Z

108.162.237.182: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1474
| date = January 16, 2015
| title = Screws
| image = screws.png
| titletext = If you encounter a hex bolt, but you only brought screwdrivers, you can try sandwiching the head of the bolt between two parallel screwdriver shafts, squeezing the screwdrivers together with a hand at either end, then twisting. It doesn't work and it's a great way to hurt yourself, but you can try it!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft. Needs expansion, possibly with origins of the various real screws}}

The comic features various real or imagined types of screws, listed below.

Phillips head: One of the most recognizable types of screws that is commonly used in construction.

Flat head: Another of the more recognizable screws, the flat head is also commonly used in construction.

Star-shaped screw: Manufacturers sometimes used screws that require special heads in order to remove them, in order to prevent the customer tampering with the product and inadvertently break it. This is commonly seen in electronics. The reference to amazon is the speaker's suggestion to look on amazon for the appropriate screwdriver.

Cursed -1 phillips head: A screw can be stripped by either overuse or tightening the screw too much. This results in the plus symbol of the phillips head becoming worn off, and the screw can no longer be removed using an ordinary phillips head screw driver. This is what is meant by the addition of "cursed" to the title, it denotes that the screw is extraordinarily hard to remove. The -1 is a reference to Dungeons and Dragons, where magical items have a rating of either a positive or negative integer. As this screw head is cursed, it has a negative integer rating.

Rivet: A rivet is not a screw, but a bolt. The speaker notes surprise and displeasure because the rivet disrupts the theme, and is impossible to use without a rivet gun.

Phillips head ruiner: ????

Uranium Screw: ????

Phillip's head: This is a rather morbid interpretation of "phillips head". Rather than refer to the screw type, this "screw" is actually a bloody bag containing the severed head of someone named Phillip.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1473: Location Sharing

2015-01-14T05:27:16Z

108.162.237.182: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1473
| date = January 14, 2015
| title = Location Sharing
| image = location_sharing.png
| titletext = Our phones must have great angular momentum sensors because the compasses really suck.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft.}}

In this comic, Megan is visiting a website on her mobile phone. After loading it, the website asks for her location, which Megan gives. The choice between allowing or denying a website or app access to certain information is common among smartphones. The term "location sharing" specifically refers to when a smartphone user shares her location with such an entity. An example of which is a weather app which would need your location in order to find the correct forecast.

Megan is then asked her momentum, which she denies. The joke is based off of the Uncertainty Principle, which, in physics, states that one cannot know exactly the location and momentum of an electron. This principle was previously referenced directly in XKCD comic 824, and as a topic for discussion in XKCD comics 1404 and 1416. In the context of the comic, Megan acknowledges the website's attempt to violate the uncertainty principle by saying "nice try".

==Transcript==
First Slide:
This website wants to know your location
Two buttons: "Allow" on left and "Deny" on right
Allow is highlighted

Second Slide:
No text

Third Slide:
This website wants to know your momentum
Two buttons: "Allow" on left and "Deny" on right
Deny is highlighted

"Nice Try"

{{comic discussion}}

1471: Gut Fauna

2015-01-09T05:47:18Z

108.162.237.182: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1471
| date = January 9, 2015
| title = Gut Fauna
| image = gut_fauna.png
| titletext = I know it seems unpleasant, but of the two ways we typically transfer them, I promise this is the one you want.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft, needs editing and expanding}}

The microbiome is the collection of "good" bacteria that reside in the human digestion tract and help digest certain foods. In this comic, Cueball is visiting a doctor for some unknown problem. The doctor informs him that his gut macrobiome is out of balance, which Cueball responds to with confusion over whether or not she meant the microbiome or macrobiome. A macrobiome, instead of being composed of small organisms such as bacteria, is composed of larger organisms such as mammals. The phrase "gut fauna" would refer to any animals living inside a gut (as the word fauna refers to animals living in an ecosystem). Cueball is right to be worried by the doctor's reference to his macrobiome, as normal humans shouldn't have large animals living inside them. This fear is compounded when the doctor prescribes one wolf for Cueball to swallow, which is normally impossible for humans and would, at the very least, result in major interior damage when the wolf disagrees with being swallowed.

The title text suggests that the comic is not the worst situation that could have occurred, as the doctor refers to another "way" that the wolf could be administered. Typical drug routes include oral (by mouth), through injection, through the rectum, through the eye, or through absorption through the skin. Considering the wolf is intended to be placed in the stomach, the worse "other way" that the doctor is referring to is likely the rectal route, which is definitely less preferably than attempting to swallow a live wolf.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1471: Gut Fauna

2015-01-09T05:45:36Z

108.162.237.182: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1471
| date = January 9, 2015
| title = Gut Fauna
| image = gut_fauna.png
| titletext = I know it seems unpleasant, but of the two ways we typically transfer them, I promise this is the one you want.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft, needs editing and expanding}}

The microbiome is the collection of "good" bacteria that reside in the human digestion tract and help digest certain foods. In this comic, Cueball is visiting a doctor for some unknown problem. The doctor informs him that his gut macrobiome is out of balance, which Cueball responds to with confusion over whether or not she meant the microbiome or macrobiome. A macrobiome, instead of being composed of small organisms such as bacteria, is composed of larger organisms such as mammals. Cueball is right to be worried by the doctor's reference to his macrobiome, as normal humans shouldn't have large animals living inside them. This fear is compounded when the doctor prescribes one wolf for Cueball to swallow, which is normally impossible for humans and would, at the very least, result in major interior damage when the wolf disagrees with being swallowed.

The title text suggests that the comic is not the worst situation that could have occurred, as the doctor refers to another "way" that the wolf could be administered. Typical drug routes include oral (by mouth), through injection, through the rectum, through the eye, or through absorption through the skin. Considering the wolf is intended to be placed in the stomach, the worse "other way" that the doctor is referring to is likely the rectal route, which is definitely less preferably than attempting to swallow a live wolf.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1469: UV

2015-01-05T05:20:05Z

108.162.237.182: /* Explanation */ - Initial, very rough draft

{{comic
| number = 1469
| date = January 5, 2015
| title = UV
| image = uv.png
| titletext = Hey, why stop at our house? We could burn down ALL these houses for the insurance money.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Rough draft. Needs editing, links, and specification.}}

Ultraviolet (or UV, the title of the comic) light is a kind of light that is slightly more energetic than the visible light spectrum. The first part of this comic focuses on Megan showing off her new UV flashlight to Cueball, who in this scenario lives with Megan, by revealing how disgusting their bathroom really is despite how clean it appears. She manages this due to UV light's special property of causing chemicals in urine to glow. Both Cueball and Megan are horrified by their discovery and, feeling that their house will never be clean, resolve to burn it down for the insurance money. The last panel of the comic reveals that the two hadn't purchased fire insurance beforehand, and plan on purchasing it now, only to make a claim immediately afterwards.

The title text shows just how morally bankrupt the UV flashlight made Megan and Cueball, as one of them suggests burning down many houses in order to claim the insurance money.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}