explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2332: Cursed Chair

2020-10-10T23:13:26Z

108.162.238.39: /* Explanation */ removed irrelevant link

{{comic
| number = 2332
| date = July 13, 2020
| title = Cursed Chair
| image = cursed_chair.png
| titletext = The Wirecutter staff called the Herman Miller Siege Perilous "the most cursed product we've ever had to fight" and "nearly as immortal as it boasts."
}}

==Explanation==
[[Beret Guy]] informs [[Cueball]] that he purchased a cursed office chair from a mysterious shop. Cueball isn't sure if he remembers this happening, which is possibly because Beret Guy has [[1772: Startup Opportunity|previously stated]] that he makes a habit of purchasing daily necessities from such stores. Beret Guy then exclaims that the store he bought the chair from was gone when he went to return it, though given his buying preferences, he should perhaps not be so surprised{{Citation needed}}. Cueball suggests that maybe the shop was simply closed due to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}, as is the case for wide variety of non-cursed businesses{{Citation needed}}. Beret Guy takes this as proof that the chair somehow caused the pandemic, a claim Cueball meets incredulously. In the final panel, Beret Guy is doing battle with the chair, which taunts him and claims to be immortal (“''I cannot die''”). In fact, most{{Citation needed}} chairs cannot die, because they are not alive{{Citation needed}}. Cueball remarks that it would be simpler to shop at {{w|IKEA}}, a store famous for its minimalist flat-pack furniture, and which does not sell cursed items{{Citation needed}} (although they ''do'' sell “[[2024: Light Hacks|miniature Dyson spheres]]”).

The cursed chair and the boarded-up store are references to the stores that sell cursed items mentioned in [[1772: Startup Opportunity]]. In that comic, the stores vanished without a trace, so the fact the door was boarded is much more likely due to the pandemic or other causes than the store mysteriously disappearing.

Buying an item from a shop you never noticed before, bringing it home, discovering it is cursed, and trying to return it only to discover the shop isn’t there anymore is a popular trope. See {{tvtropes|TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday}}.

In the title text, the {{w|Siege Perilous}} is the empty seat at the Round Table in Arthurian legend, reserved by Merlin for the knight who would find the {{w|Holy Grail}} (who turns out to be Sir {{w|Galahad}}) and fatal to anyone else who sits in it. {{w|Herman Miller (manufacturer)|Herman Miller}} is an American office furniture company that produced the {{w|Aeron chair}}, which is the basis for [https://www.instagram.com/blantonmuseum/p/BCYaKA4GLrg/ an artwork] by {{w|Glenn Kaino}} called ''The Siege Perilous''. {{w|Wirecutter (website)|''Wirecutter''}} is a website that evaluates and recommends consumer products. From the title text, it sounds like (in the xkcd universe) Wirecutter is used to encountering cursed products, so they didn’t even bother trying to sit in it to test the Siege Perilous’s perilousness (er, ''peril'') before they started fighting it—and emerged victorious, if it’s only ''nearly'' as immortal as it boasts.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy and Cueball are talking.]
:Beret Guy: Remember how I bought my desk chair from that mysterious shop?
:Cueball: I think so?
:Beret Guy: Turns out the chair was cursed.

:Beret Guy: So I went back to return it, but the shop was gone! The door was boarded up!
:Cueball: I think most of the shops are closed because of coronavirus.

:[Panel of just Beret Guy.]
:Beret Guy: Oh no!
:Beret Guy: ''The curse must have caused the pandemic!
:Cueball (off-panel): What.

:[Beret Guy starts running with a raised sword in a frameless panel.]
:Beret Guy: If I destroy the chair, we can stop the virus!
:Cueball: What.

:[Beret Guy is chasing a floating desk chair.]
:Beret Guy: ''Die, plague-bringer!''
:Desk chair: <span style="color:white; background:black">Hee Hee I can not die</span>
:Cueball: Maybe you should just shop at IKEA.

==Trivia==

* The hotlink image for the comic was initially [https://web.archive.org/web/20200713231037/https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/cursed_chair.png extremely pixelated], but the image displayed on the page was a different URL and looked fine. This was soon fixed.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2362: Volcano Dinosaur

2020-09-22T01:06:20Z

108.162.238.39: /* Transcript */ :

{{comic
| number = 2362
| date = September 22, 2020
| title = Volcano Dinosaur
| image = volcano_dinosaur.png
| titletext = Phylogeneticists are working on identifying and notifying its next of kin.
}}

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

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

:[Megan is still facing right. Cueball is not shown. This panel has no dialogue.]

:[Megan has stepped closer to Cueball, who is still sitting at the desk.]
:Megan: Was it okay?
:Cueball: Hmm, it doesn't say.
{{comic discussion}}

2362: Volcano Dinosaur

2020-09-22T01:05:41Z

108.162.238.39: /* Transcript */ done

{{comic
| number = 2362
| date = September 22, 2020
| title = Volcano Dinosaur
| image = volcano_dinosaur.png
| titletext = Phylogeneticists are working on identifying and notifying its next of kin.
}}

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

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

[Megan is still facing right. Cueball is not shown. This panel has no dialogue.]

:[Megan has stepped closer to Cueball, who is still sitting at the desk.]
:Megan: Was it okay?
:Cueball: Hmm, it doesn't say.
{{comic discussion}}

2358: Gravitational Wave Pulsars

2020-09-15T18:31:43Z

108.162.238.39: /* Explanation */ minor typography

{{comic
| number = 2358
| date = September 11, 2020
| title = Gravitational Wave Pulsars
| image = gravitational_wave_pulsars.png
| titletext = The most important attributes of a vector in 3-space are {Location, Location, Location}
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. WITH EXQUISITE TIMING Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Pulsars}} are rotating neutron stars, which have a very precise period of rotation. Pulsars are highly magnetized, causing a them to emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation that rotates across their sky. {{w|Radio astronomy|Radio astronomers}} can detect these beams if and when they point towards Earth, where they appear as pulses of radiation with highly stable periods. They use the pulsars' periodic beams to try to detect {{w|gravitational waves}} by tracking the rotation period of an ensemble of pulsars extremely precisely over long periods of time. Disturbances in the pulsars' rotation period will be measurable at Earth. A disturbance from a passing gravitational wave will have a particular signature across the ensemble of pulsars, and will be thus detected. The process is called {{w|Gravitational_wave#Using_pulsar_timing_arrays|"pulsar timing"}}, or just "timing" for short.

[[Ponytail]] presents this to [[Cueball]] as a joke - specifically, a joke about comedy. One of the most important aspects of comedy is revealing the punchline with correct timing. Ponytail sets Cueball up for a joke like, "Ask me what the secret of comedy is." / "What's the secret of--" / "Timing!" In this format, the punchline ("Timing!") deliberately comes too soon, which makes it funny because the timing is bad. Ponytail also replaces the secret to comedy with the secret to detecting gravitational waves with pulsars, to set up the joke about the word "timing".

The title text is a play on a well-known real estate saying that the three most important parts of a real estate deal are "location, location, location." In 3D {{w|Euclidean space}}, the three {{w|Cartesian coordinates}} {X, Y, Z} all refer to locations along an axis.

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

:[Single panel with Ponytail and Cueball standing facing each other]
:Ponytail: Ask me what the secret to detecting gravitational waves using pulsars is.

:Cueball: What's the secret to detecting grav—

:Ponytail: '''''Timing!'''''
<br>
<br>
Title text: The most important attributes of a vector in 3-space are {Location, Location, Location}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Astronomy]]

Talk:2357: Polls vs the Street

2020-09-11T13:59:49Z

108.162.238.39:

Love the title text! [[User:Fwacer|Fwacer]] ([[User talk:Fwacer|talk]]) 23:56, 9 September 2020 (UTC)

I Edit Conflicted with someone (2 minutes too late, after quite a bit of typing, then half a dozen Captcha submissions - just two to put ''this'' text in). If anyone wants to review my attempt, I'm HTML-commenting it in this gap...

...I already knew I'd have to Wikilink some bits, and can see at least one typo. Maybe I'll integrate some into what's there now, myself but probably not tonight. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.241|162.158.158.241]] 00:39, 10 September 2020 (UTC)
:(Self-reply) Looking into it, I must have been editing for a whole hour, actually. Didn't feel like it, but given there wasn't even a transcript when I started (but the BOT had been replaced) I must have been. And I want paying for all the Captcha responses I'm asked for. It seems I'm either being 'a useful idiot' for slavishly helping the Algorithm, or I am far better(/worse?) at identifying traffic lights, crosswalks, motorbikes, traffic and bicycles than "the man on the street" that pre-populated the Captcha knowledgebase thresholds... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.175|162.158.158.175]] 00:54, 10 September 2020 (UTC)
::I swear half of the answers were wrong in the first place. One time I took a capatcha and it misidentified a mailbox as a parking meter and I had to answer wrong on purpose to get through.
:::One that I didn't get a 'by' on (I'm convinced that being correct just gives you another test in order to generate that result with more authority) was a request for "bicycle" that featured a surface-painted bike-lane symhol. I said "skip" as there was no actual bike (like features that clearly look cross-walkish but aren't even on the road, or horizontal). So unless most other people had a more generous/playful citeria, I should have been correct. And I'm a whiz at identifying hydrants (in my mind?) Of all kinds of colours, but I think there must be far too many opposing opinions. (Traffic Lights: Do you just highlight the lit bits? The composite frames upon which all the lights sit? The whole lot including the support poles/cables? And do you choose frames that have a sneaky tiny bit of overlap of your chosen feature, but are otherwise mostly empty? Or exclude squares that have a slice that wouldn't be recognised as such if given in isolation?) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.110|162.158.159.110]] 13:04, 10 September 2020 (UTC)
::::Select everything containing a part you would expect to receive if you ordered it fully assembled from amazon. Full frame, but cables not included. All of the car. All the nuts on the hydrants. All the lines on the crosswalk. Mailbox includes the stick in the ground, but not the wall of the house when mounted on one. If it takes a second glance to tell it isn't what it asked for, then select it anyways. normies don't have time to double check their answer when trying to post their lols on cat videos. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.39|108.162.238.39]] 13:59, 11 September 2020 (UTC)
Reminiscent of this beautifully snarkastic tweet. https://twitter.com/DavidLJarman/status/1302719537234599936 [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.173|172.68.189.173]] 03:27, 10 September 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2345: Wish on a Shooting Star

2020-08-12T21:58:26Z

108.162.238.39:

The other title text references:
https://meteoritecar.com/
https://alabamanewscenter.com/2017/11/30/on-this-day-in-alabama-history-meteorite-struck-oak-groves-ann-hodges/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelyabinsk_meteor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event

I often wish for cool lights in the sky tho...
: Not a bad wish to have. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.39|108.162.238.39]] 21:58, 12 August 2020 (UTC)

Am I the only person who wishes for radio noise? [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 21:53, 12 August 2020 (UTC)
: Enough radio noise on the right frequencies could drown out talk radio, so ... you're not the only one wishing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.39|108.162.238.39]] 21:58, 12 August 2020 (UTC)

2343: Mathematical Symbol Fight

2020-08-08T19:23:43Z

108.162.238.39: /* Explanation */ without a stave these have identical meaning, so use the better symbol

{{comic
| number = 2343
| date = August 7, 2020
| title = Mathematical Symbol Fight
| image = mathematical_symbol_fight.png
| titletext = Oh no, a musician just burst in through the door confidently twirling a treble clef.
}}

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

This panel imagines which {{w|List of mathematical symbols|mathematical symbols}} would be good in a fight if they were made corporeal in two (or three) dimensions. Generally, objects with longer reach and pointier ends wind up on the right ("more useful") side of the scale, and symbols with less reach and more curves tend towards the left ("less useful") side.

The comic invokes [[wikipedia:surreal humour|surreal humour]] by suggesting that mathematical symbols could be handled as physical objects in the real world. Another component of the humor is the implication that it is useful to prepare to use mathematical symbols in a fight, even though mathematicians, who use mathematical symbols, usually do not conduct their debates violently {{Citation needed}} (though some stories suggest that {{w|Hippasus}} was killed by his fellow Pythagoreans for his proof that irrational numbers exist), and even if they did, they wouldn't use large reproductions of their symbols as weapons.

{| class="wikitable"
! Symbol
! Meaning
! Notes on using in a fight
|-
|ℝ
|The set of [[wikipedia:real number|real number]]s
|Megan seems to be struggling with a giant version of this symbol.
|-
|θ
|[[wikipedia:Theta#Mathematics_and_science|Theta]]
|This symbol is not very sharp, and [[White Hat]] is unable to use it in combat. It would not work as a good shield due to the hole in the symbol, but it possibly could be thrown. (The later version of Xena's chakram had a bar in the middle.)
|-
|∅
|[[wikipedia:Empty set|Empty set]]
|Similarly shaped to theta, but identified as being slightly more useful, presumably because the parts of the bar that extend beyond the circle can be used as thrusting weapons.
|-
|∞
|infinity
|-
|>
|Greater than
|-
|∝
|[[wikipedia:Proportionality_(mathematics)#Direct_proportionality|Direct Proportionality]]
|-
|∪
|{{w|union (set theory)}}
|-
|∈/ϵ
|{{w|Element (mathematics)|member of}} (set theory) or the "lunate" lowercase {{w|Epsilon#Symbol|epsilon}}
|Cueball is holding this in the manner of a Klingon "{{w|Bat'leth}}" from the ''Star Trek'' franchise. The Bat'leth is [https://youtu.be/VsElSDXPgSA infamous] among swordfighters for being rather impractical, and that the Klingon warrior race would have been better suited using swords like humans. It seems Randall agrees, as the ∈ is quite far on the left of the chart.
|-
|π
|[[wikipedia:Pi|pi]]
|-
|∀
|"{{w|Universal quantification|for all}}"
|Could be held by the crossbar clenched in a fist, and then used as a {{w|push dagger}}, with the legs acting as a guard. Or could be held by the legs.
Compared to the similar Δ (delta) the point is sharper, the grip is closer to the point so it would be easier control (keep the weapon from twisting). Unclear why it is listed as much less effective than the delta. Perhaps the guard legs are too long?
|-
|∂
|{{w|∂}} ([[wikipedia:Partial derivative|partial derivative]] or [[wikipedia:Boundary_(topology)|boundary operator]])
|It's not clear why Randall ranks this symbol as so much less effective than the similarly-shaped 𝜌, but the curl in the "tail" of the ∂ would give it a shorter lever arm when swung and would disrupt the balance.
|-
| +
|[[wikipedia:Plus_and_minus_signs#Plus_sign|Plus]]
|Maybe thrown like a {{w|shuriken}}?
|-
|Ψ
|[[wikipedia:Psi#Mathematics|Psi]]
|It could be used as a slightly-less-functional trident or pitchfork, with a shorter handle. More particularly, it resembles a {{w|sai}} (which, funnily enough, is how "Psi" is pronounced).
|-
|≠
|not equal sign
|-
|~
|[[wikipedia:Tilde#Mathematics|tilde]], meaning "approximately", equivalent, or several transforms of a function
|A potentially dangerous throwing weapon. Could also be similar to a wavy bladed dagger ({{w|Kris}}) or a sword ({{w|Flame-bladed sword}}).
|-
|#
|[[wikipedia:Cardinality|Cardinality]], [[wikipedia:Connected_sum|connected sum]] (knot theory), or [[wikipedia:Primorial|primorial]].
|Blondie uses this symbol.
|-
|Δ
|[[wikipedia:Delta_(letter)|Delta]]
|Could be held with one bar clenched in a fist, and then used as a {{w|push dagger}}. Unclear why listed as much more effective than ∀.
|-
|⇒
|[[wikipedia:Material_conditional|Material consequence]] or [[wikipedia:Logical_consequence|Logical consequence]], meaning "implies"
|The point is nice, but having two poles (or one board-like thick handle) would be difficult to wield. A collection of them might make a nice defensive pike line.
|-
|⋅
|multiplication sign
|If thrown, this could be a dangerous projectile weapon, or it could be scattered on the ground as a trip hazard. Three of them stacked together would make a "{{w|therefore sign}}", which might at least conclude the ''mathematical'' portion of the fight in the user's favor.
|-
|ζ
|{{w|Zeta#Mathematics_and_science|Zeta}}
|Could be sharpened into a scythe or curved saber, depending on the curvature and length of the 'tail' at the bottom.
|-
|ℵ
|[[wikipedia:Aleph_number|Aleph number]]
|Could be brandished or thrown in the manner of a shuriken.
|-
|Γ
|uppercase Greek letter {{w|Gamma#Uppercase|Gamma}}
|If this letter is formed with {{w|serif}}s, it could be used as an axe or hook, and if it is made {{w|sans-serif}}, it would make a powerful pick or war hammer.
|-
|√
|{{w|square root}} sign
|Randall has drawn this sign with a long overbar, which makes it useful like a {{w|Pole weapon|pole arm}}. Black Hat has chosen this symbol.
|-
|''ρ''
|{{w|Prime_constant|italic rho}}
|Ponytail is brandishing this symbol against Danish, apparently using it like a club or hammer and striking with the curve.
|-
|∮
|{{w|contour integral}}
|This symbol is drawn with a very tight center, giving it an almost identical figure to the regular integral symbol. Presumably, the added bulk for marginal additional use earns it a rating of 'less effective'.
|-
|∫
|{{w|integral}}
|Could be used in the manner of a shepherd's crook, or as a {{w|Bill (weapon)|billhook}}. Could be used as a {{w|spear thrower}}, combined with ⋅ or ⇀.
|-
|→
|Implies; X→Y means that if X is true, then Y is also true
|Danish is brandishing this symbol against Ponytail, apparently using it like a spear or other polearm.
|-
|⊥
|{{w|up tack}} or falsum, indicating a false proposition in logic or the bottom element in a partial order
|Used as a {{w|war hammer}} (held by the long stem), the opponent would be struck with either leg of the top of the T. Held by the short legs (like a wishbone), could be used as a two handed sword.
(If tipped with a knapped stone head, it could become a {{w|Folsom point|falsum point}}.)
|-
|⇀
|{{w|Vector notation}}
|A single-barbed spear.
|-
|⎯⎯
|{{w|Fraction#Vocabulary|Fraction bar}} (division) or {{w|Overline#Math_and_science|overline}} (complex conjugate or mean).
|Hairy is brandishing this symbol against Black Hat. The single shaft would allow it to be used in the manner of a {{w|quarterstaff}}, {{w|bō}}, or other {{w|stick-fighting}} weapon. Of the symbols shown in the comic, Randall considers this one the most useful in a fight, presumably because of its greater reach than the vector arrow and its simplicity compared to the square root symbol.
|-
|𝄞
|{{w|Treble clef}}
|Mentioned in the title text; this is not a mathematical symbol, but a musical symbol. The treble clef is a much more complicated symbol than those used in mathematics, hence the musician's "confidence" in his weapon. The curve at the bottom could be used as a hook, the upper curl could be used as a blunt weapon, and the tight curl of the center would serve as a better defensive shield than theta.
|}

A straight line is farthest to the "more dangerous" side, which could possibly be a reference to the dangers posed by lines in "Flatland", because their infinitely-sharp endpoints could be difficult to see (particularly their rear end, which does not contain a gleaming eye as their front end does) and would fatally pierce whoever they chose to stab. However, taking a more literal view of the drawings, the straight line does not appear to be any thicker or thinner, or pointier, than any of the other lines.

The title text refers to a {{w|Treble clef}}, which is not a mathematical symbol but rather a {{w|List of musical symbols|musical symbol}}. The note of concern in the text suggests musical symbols may be viewed in such fights as exotic or especially dangerous.

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

Mathematical Symbols

[Subheading]

by how useful they would be in a fight

more useful

⟶

ℝ ∅ > ∝ π + Ψ ~ ⇒ ⋅ Γ √ ∮ ∫ ⇀
θ ∞ ∪ ∈ ∀ ∂ ≠ # Δ ζ ℵ ''ρ'' → ⊥ ⎯

[Below the (number?) line, eight characters fight each other, using some of the symbols mentioned above as weapons.]

[The characters hold more "useful" weapons from left to right, correlating with the chart.]

[Megan is awkwardly handling a giant "ℝ".]

[White Hat is holding a "θ" with both hands, as a shield.]

[Cueball is holding an "∈" in both hands, with its "tines" pointed towards Blondie, who is swatting at him with a "#".]

[Ponytail is leaping at Danish, swinging a "''ρ''" like an axe, while Danish is leaning back and thrusting a "→" back at her.]

[Black Hat is swinging a long "√" like a polearm at Hairy, who is holding a long "⎯" defensively.]

-
List of symbols from left to right (by rightmost edge):

ℝ θ ∅ ∞ > ∪ ∝ ∈ ∀ π ∂ + ≠ Ψ # ~ △ ζ ⇒ ⋅ ℵ Γ ''ρ'' √ → ∮ ∫ ⊥ ⇀ ⎯

Note: Where two symbols had similar right-most edges, the overlay grid on an ASUS pro-art display was used to decide which one went further right.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]

2343: Mathematical Symbol Fight

2020-08-08T00:19:13Z

108.162.238.39: /* Explanation */ reduce redundancy for pi and add link for partial derivative