explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2699: Feature Comparison

2024-07-08T07:17:02Z

108.162.241.133:

{{comic
| number = 2699
| date = November 16, 2022
| title = Feature Comparison
| image = feature_comparison_v3.png
| imagesize =
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Below the Web, and the Dark Web, a shadowy parallel world of Cybiko users trade messages on the Translucent Neon Plastic Web.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic compares different remote communication services, including the relatively well-known {{w|Twitter}}, {{w|Discord}}, {{w|Mastodon (software)|Mastodon}}, {{w|Facebook}} (FB), {{w|Slack (software)|Slack}}, {{w|Signal (software)|Signal}}, {{w|Internet Relay Chat}} (IRC), {{w|Tumblr}}, {{w|Reddit}}, and {{w|SMS}} mobile telephone text messages. It also includes the less well-known {{w|Cybiko}}® wireless handheld computer for teens. For each of these, it purports to indicate which of various features they support. The comic illustrates how feature comparison charts and infographics can be abused by sellers who are trying to make their products look better than they really are, compared to their competitors. The comic may have been inspired by the recent surge in users looking for an alternative to Twitter, due to its purchase by [[Elon Musk]], and the subsequent mass firings and resignation of its staff.

The Cybiko was a handheld computer designed for teens and released in 2000, which featured its own two-way radio text messaging capabilities along with built-in games and a music player. Additional information about it is available at [http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/Cybiko the Dead Media Archive], as the device has not been manufactured since 2003. The chart suggests that the Cybiko has an advantage over all of the other listed communication services, as it is capable of all eight of the table's listed features, with none of the others being close.

The features compared are {{w|Private message|direct messaging}}, {{w|group chat}}s, {{w|file transfer}}, built-in {{w|video game|games}}, instances of the software run by individual users instead of the corporation producing it, lack of a {{w|Server (computing)|central server}} requirement, {{w|mesh networking}}, and wireless message delivery without an active internet connection.

Mesh networking is a form of connectivity that reduces or removes the need for a centralized server or predefined gateways to a communications 'backbone'. Nodes communicate directly with any nodes that happen to be contactable, and from there may connect through to whatever nodes are in mutual contact, or to be found further afield, either in real-time or asynchronously. The Cybiko has this ability, as well as wireless message delivery because it communicates directly to other devices via radio, hence the ability to operate without any internet connectivity at all. There are several {{w|Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking|ongoing projects for distributed social networking}}, but all of these additionally require a hardware layer to provide signalling via their respective protocols. The Cybiko provides such via its decentralized radio capabilities.

The comic does not mention the downsides of the Cybiko, that being purchasing one, and finding friends who own one, can be its own challenge, as it was discontinued nearly 20 years ago. Additionally, the comparison can be considered apples to oranges, since Cybiko is a ''device'' rather than a ''service''; a fairer comparison would be to a modern {{w|smartphone}}, which can provide most of these features via multiple apps, including ones written especially for such rival services. Even ignoring the above, some of the Cybiko's "advantages" come with their own drawbacks: while not requiring a central server nor the Internet, for example, is touted as a plus, the Cybiko instead relies on having other devices in proximity to relay messages, meaning that unless the person you are sending to is nearby, it will not function. This is not an issue on any of the other options.

This comic contains several errors. Mastodon doesn't support file transfer. Discord does not provide for user-run instances itself, only user-moderated and administrated instances. (There are two third party Discord server implementations, but it is unclear whether those could be counted as run by users.) Slack does not provide for user-run instances itself though. Reddit does not provide for user-run instances at all, only user moderation and administration. IRC does require at least one central server,[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1459.html] and relegates file transfer support to client extensions. Signal is heavily used in user-run instances via a diverse ecosystem of code forks; many of these don't require a central server, a couple use mesh networking. Reddit occasionally does have built-in games. Finally, SMS has a form of group chats, (Tumblr used to have a form of group chat, but it was [https://staff.tumblr.com/post/661879317474721792 removed in September of 2021]).

The comic has been updated twice to fix some of these errors. The first version suggested Mastodon did not support user-run instances and required a central server, and that Reddit supported file transfer. This was changed once shortly after publication to add a check mark under "Mastodon" for "User-Run Instances". A second change was made some time later to check "Doesn't Require Central Server" for Mastodon and uncheck "File Transfer" for Reddit.

The title text refers to the translucent plastic covers that were popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

==Transcript==

:[A table with checkmarks to indicate which features various messaging services have. Each column is labeled with a service name and its logo beneath, except that for the last column, the device's longer name is written higher than all the other services' names, with an arrow pointing to a drawing of the device below it.]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! Twitter
! Discord
! Mastodon
! FB
! Slack
! Signal
! IRC
! Tumblr
! Reddit
! SMS
! Cybiko® wireless<br>handheld computer<br>for teens (2000)
|-
! Direct messages
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
! Group chats
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! File transfer
| || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || || || ✓
|-
! Built-in games
| || ✓ || || ✓ || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! User-run instances
| || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Doesn't require central server
| || || ✓ || || || || ✓ || || || || ✓
|-
! Mesh networking
| || || || || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! Wireless message delivery works without internet
| || || || || || || || || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

980: Money/Prices in tables

2016-09-10T21:18:54Z

108.162.241.133: editing categories

__NOTOC__
*Here below are five sections with tables listing the prices of several items in [[980: Money]].
*This is still work in progress.
**[[980: Money/Prices in tables#Dollars|Dollars]]
**[[980: Money/Prices in tables#Thousands|Thousands]]
**[[980: Money/Prices in tables#Millions|Millions]]
**[[980: Money/Prices in tables#Billions|Billions]]
**[[980: Money/Prices in tables#Trillions|Trillions]]

{{Incomplete | ''So'' disorganized. If you can organize this, please do. Also, many items are missing. We also need to make more sections instead of moving everything to miscellaneous. And we need someone to double-check the values, please.}}
==Dollars==
{| class="wikitable"
! Category
! Item
! Price
|-
! rowspan="5"|Dollar bills
|-
| $1 Bill
| $1
|-
| $10 Bill
| $10
|-
| $500 Bill (William McKinley, discontinued)
| $500
|-
| $1000 Bill (Grover Cleveland, discontinued)
| $1000
|-
! rowspan="3"|Average US Restaurant Meals
|-
| Average single US restaurant meal
| $35.65
|-
| Average meal at the 20 costliest San Francisco restaurants
| $85.27
|-
! rowspan="4"|Game Consoles
|-
| PS3
| $250
|-
| Xbox 360
| $200
|-
| Wii
| $150
|-
! rowspan="7"|Dinner for four
|-
| Homemade rice and pinto beans
| $9.26 (With time cost of two hours of shopping, travel, prep and cleanup: $41.80)
|-
| Homemade chicken dinner
| $13.78 (With time cost of two hours of shopping, travel, prep and cleanup: $46.32)
|-
| McDonalds
| $27.89 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $36.03)
|-
| Arby’s
| $34.00 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $42.13)
|-
| Chili’s
| $69.64 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $77.78)
|-
| Outback Steakhouse
| $109.82 (With time cost of 30 minutes travel: $117.96)
|-
! rowspan="4"|Daily income
|-
| Median household daily income
| $136.28
|-
| Taxes
| $32.16
|-
| After-tax
| $104.12
|-
! rowspan="9"|Electronics
|-
| Kindle Fire
| $199
|-
| Basic iPad
| $499
|-
| iPad + 3G + a year of data
| $869
|-
| Basic Macbook Air
| $999
|-
| Netbook
| $249.99
|-
| iPod Nano
| $129
|-
| Mac Mini
| $599
|-
| Comcast cable internet for a year ($59.99/month) || $719.88
|-
! rowspan="7"|Books
|-
| Paperback book
| $6.80
|-
| Hardcover book
| $32.27
|-
| Audio book
| $50.42
|-
| [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I15SB16/ref=r_kdia_h_i_gl Kindle]
| $79.00
|-
| New video game
| $49.99
|-
| Kindle keyboard + 3G
| $139
|-
! rowspan="6"|Loose change
|-
| Loose change per pound
| $12.80
|-
| Loose change with no quarters
| $5.40
|-
| One-gallon jug of loose change
| $270
|-
| Loose change with no pennies
| $17.40
|-
| Annual value of pennies received in change (at one daily cash purchase)
| $7.30
|-
! rowspan="7"|Pet ownership (Based on ASPCA estimations)
|-
| Annual cost of rabbit ownership
| $730
|-
| Annual cost of dog ownership
| $695
|-
| Annual cost of cat ownership
| $670
|-
| Annual cost of fish ownership
| $35
|-
| Annual cost of bird ownership
| $200
|-
| Annual cost of small mammal ownership
| $300
|-
! rowspan="3"|Cell phone bill
|-
| Traditional cell phone average annual bill
| $928.30
|-
| Smartphone average annual bill
| $1,320
|-
! rowspan="5"|Worker/CEO comparison
|-
| 1965 production worker average hourly wage
| $19.61
|-
| 2007 production worker average hourly wage
| $19.71
|-
| Typical 1965 CEO pay for the same period
| $490.31
|-
| Typical 2007 CEO pay for the same period
| $5419.97
|-
! rowspan="8"|Miscellaneous
|-
| Men's suit
| $400
|-
| Low-end bicycle
| $190
|-
| Apples (one dozen)
| $5.68
|-
| Oranges (one dozen)
| $3.08
|-
| Dollar menu item
| $1.00
|-
| Daily interest on average credit card debt
| $5.63
|-
| Starbucks Coffee
| $2.00
|}

==Thousands==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Typical household net worth by head of household’s age===
{| class="wikitable"
! 1984 !! Age !! 2009
|-
| $11,680
| <35 years
| $3,710
|-
| $72,090
| 35-44 years
| $40,140
|-
| $115,060
| 45-54 years
| $103,040
|-
| $149,240
| 55-64 years
| $164,270
|-
| $122,100
| >65 years
| $172,820
|}
===Raising a child to age 17===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Life class !! Price
|-
| Upper income || $302,860
|-
| Middle income || $206,920
|-
| Lower income || $150,380
|}

===Vacation package from New England===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Trip !! Price
|-
| All-inclusive one-week trip for two to St. Lucia resort (incl. flights) || $3,204
|-
| Twenty week-long Hawaiian vacations || $136,020
|}
===Typical trip from US West Coast===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Trip !! Price
|-
| Typical week-long Hawaii trip for two (incl. flights) || $6,801
|}
===School Prices===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! School !! Price
|-
| Estimated one-year Hogwarts cost (incl. tuition) || $43,000
|-
| Seven-year Hogwarts degree || $301,000
|-
| Average community college tuition || $10,340 (One year $2,580)
|-
| Average in-state university tuition || $28,920 (One year $7,230)
|}
===Income per capita===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Country !! Price
|-
| United States 2005 per capita income || $32,360
|-
| Switzerland 2005 per capita income || $29,910
|-
| Germany 2005 per capita income || $27,550
|-
| UK 2005 per capita income || $23,240
|-
| France 2005 per capita income || $16,400
|-
| China 2005 per capita income || $3,540
|-
| Brazil 2005 per capita income || $5,540
|}
===Houses===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| Small rural house || $100,000
|-
| Typical new home || $224,910
|}

===Health===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| Average individual health insurance annual premium || $5,430
|-
| Typing F-U-N-D-S || $10,000
|-
| A daily pack of cigarettes for a year (NJ) || $3,050
|-
| Waist deep half-room ball pit || $2,400
|-
| All 30 bestselling game consoles (refurb, eBay) || $2,640
|}
===Annual costs of cars and houses===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| Annual cost of car ownership || $3,650
|-
| Typical annual household spending || $5,650
|-
| Average household CC debt || $9,960
|-
| Annual cost to carry that debt || $2,090
|}
===Typical annual housing cost for various cities===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! City !! Price
|-
| NYC || $25,416
|-
| San Francisco || $21,888
|-
| Boston || $18,216
|-
| Los Angeles || $17,640
|-
| Washington DC || $16,380
|-
| Chicago || $13,664
|-
| Worcester || $12,456
|-
| Houston || $11,888
|-
| Minneapolis || $10,908
|-
| Detroit || $10,080
|-
| Salt Lake City || $9,108
|-
| Scranton || $8,604
|}

===Prince William and Kate Middleton===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding cake || $78,000
|-
| Kate Middleton's wedding dress || $350,000
|-
|Flower cost for Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding || $800,000
|}

===Value of an investment of $1,000/year===
(NOT changing with inflation) for 30 years at 5% annual interest:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Time !! Value of investment !! Real value
|-
| 1 year || $1,000 ||
|-
| 5 years || $5,526 ||
|-
| 10 years || $12,850 ||
|-
| 15 years || $21,580 ||
|-
| 20 years || $33,070 ||
|-
| 25 years || $47,730 ||
|-
| 30 years || $66,440 || $27,370
|-
| 30 years ($30,000 saved in mattress) || $30,000 || $12,360
|-
| 30 years ($1,000/yr at 4% real return (long-term stock + divident average) || $56,080 ||
|}

===Total cost to buy and own selected vehicles for five years===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Car !! Price !! If gas were $10/gallon
|-
| Honda Insight || $27,874 ||
|-
| Toyota Prius || $38,771 || $48,990
|-
| Jeep Patriot || $35,425 ||
|-
| Honda Fit || $28,745 || $45,233
|-
| BMW Z4 || $61,312 ||
|-
| Ford Explorer || $45,524 || $69,076
|-
| Toyota Camry || $34,679 ||
|-
| smart fortwo || $29,629 || $45,058
|-
| Honda CR-V || $35,183 ||
|-
| Chevy Volt || $42,180 || $50,612
|-
| Hyundai Sonata || $34,644 ||
|-
| Ford F-150 || $48,734 || $77,111
|-
| Nissan Cube || $29,383 ||
|-
| Porsche 911 || $91,590 ||
|}

===Typical annual household income===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Percentile !! Income
|-
| Bottom 20% || $10,200
|-
| Second 20% || $24,800
|-
| Middle 20% || $44,400
|-
| Fourth 20% || $76,100
|-
| Top 10% || $201,100
|-
| Top 1% || $822,000
|-
| Top 1/500th || $2,080,000
|}

===Median US household income===
{| class="wiktable sortable"
|-
| Median US household income || $51,570
|-
| After-tax || $39,170
|-
| Taxes || $12,100
|-
| Cost per household served by US Rural Utilities Service program to expand broadband access || $359,790
|}

===If I had $1000000===
Cost of the items the singer in "If I had $1000000" would buy in order to win your love: $263,330
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Price
|-
| Furniture || $21,160
|-
| Plymouth Reliant || $3,000
|-
| Tree fort || $15,000
|-
| Llama || $2,120
|-
| Joseph Merrick's remains || N/A (Held in Royal London Hospital collection and not available for purchase)
|-
| House || $224,820
|-
| Tiny fridge || $99.08
|-
| Gourmet pre-wrapped sausages (2) || $34.48
|-
| Kraft Dinner (two double servings) || $3.06
|-
| Expensive ketchup || $10.75
|-
| Faux fur coat || $198.00
|-
| Limo ride to the store || $186.59
|}

===Total lifetime income===
Total lifetime income from ages 25-65 at $50,000/year after 25% taxes (including Social Security): $1,500,000
===Miscellaneous===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Price
|-
| Cancer treatment including chemo || $117,260
|-
| Typical weekend Hawaii trip for two (incl. flights) || $2,863
|-
| Daily sales of [http://www.minecraft.net/ Minecraft] || $193,500
|-
| [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Opulence_Sundae Golden Opulence ice cream sundae] || $1,000
|-
| Average smartphone annual cost || $1,320
|-
| Average used car || $8,910
|-
| Average new car || $27,230
|-
| High-end bicycle || $1,500
|-
| One Starbucks latte per day || $1.820
|-
| Initial seat on Virgin Galactic suborbital flight || $200,000
|}
</div>

==Millions==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">

===Dr. Evil===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| Amount Dr. Evil thought he was demanding from the 1997 world || $6,630,000
|-
| Amount he was actually demanding || $1,380,000
|-
|}

===William and Kates wedding===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| Flowers || $800,000
|-
| Security || $20,000,000
|-
| Total cost || $800,000,000
|}
===$50000 salary for 40 years after 25% taxes===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| 50,000 salary for 40 years after 25% taxes || $1,500,000
|-
| Lifetime cost to avoid changing your oil by abandoning your car and buying a new one whenever you hit 5.000 miles || $3,270,000
|}
===Rare Items===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| Qianlong Chinese vase sold in 2010 || $83,710,000
|-
| Leonardo’s Codex Leicester (bought by Bill Gates) || $45,930,000
|-
| Estimated value of first-edition Gutenberg Bible || $34,610,000
|-
| Double Eagle coin (All destroyed uncirculated save a few stolen from the US Mint) || $9,330,000
|-
| Treskilling Yellow postage stamp (At $50 billion/lb possibly the world’s most expensive thing by weight) || $2,780,000
|-
| 1297 Magna Carta original coypy signed by Edvard I || $21,890,000
|-
| Painting from The Card Players series (rumor) || $250,000,000
|-
| Willem de Kooning’s “Woman III” (2006 auction) || $168,780,000
|-
| Jackson Pollock’s “No. 5, 1948” (2006 auction) || $153,440,000
|-
| Airbus A380 || $264,000,000
|-
| Mona Lisa assessed value || $730,660,000
|}

===Prizes===
{| class="wikitable"
! Amount 1 !! Year 1 !! Show/Movie !! Amount Today
|-
| $64,000
| 1955
| The $64,000 Question
| $528,310
|-
| £1,000,000
| 1998
| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (UK)
| $2,270,000
|-
| $1,000,000
| 1999
| Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (USA)
| $1,330,000
|-
| $1,000,000
| 1955
| The Millionaire (TV Show)
| $8,250,000
|-
| $1,000,000
| 1931
| The Millionaire (Movie)
| $14,530,000
|}
===Bitcoins===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| Market value of all Bitcoins as of 11/2011 || $22,819,797
|-
| Market value of all Bitcoins as at July 2011 peak price || $210,000,000
|}
===Elections===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| 2012 presidential fundraising || $188,260,000
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Person !! Funds raised
|-
| Herman Cain || $5,380,000
|-
| Jon Huntsman || $4,510,000
|-
| Michele Bachmann || $9,870,000
|-
| Ron Paul || $12,790,000
|-
| Rick Perry || $17,200,000
|-
| Mitt Romney || $32,610,000
|-
| Barack Obama || $88,420,000
|-
| Other || $17,480,000
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Person !! Funds raised
|-
| 2008 presidential campaign fundraising ||$1,860,390,000
|-
| Excluding candidate Lee L. Mercer, Jr of Houston, who claimed, in his combined FEC filings, || $900,005,507 in fundraising and $900,006,431 in campaign spending.
|-
| Ron Paul || $32,480,000
|-
| John Edwards || $64,410,000
|-
| Rudy Giuliani || $66,520,000
|-
| Mitt Romney || $116,730,000
|-
| Barack Obama ||$799,670,000
|-
| John McCain || $394,280,000
|-
| Hilary Clinton || $259,050,000
|-
| Other || $127,250,00
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Person !! Funds raised
|-
| 2004 presidential campaign fundraising || $1,006,810,000
|-
| Howard Dean || $61,620,000
|-
| Wesley Clark || $34,610,000
|-
| John Edwards || $39,310,000
|-
| John Kerry || $352,090,000
|-
| George W. Bush || $429,660,000
|-
| Other || $89,520,000
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Person !! Funds raised
|-
| 2000 presidential campaign fundraising || $805,120,000
|-
| Pat Buchanan || $37,440,000
|-
| John McCain || $75,180,000
|-
| Bill Bradley || $65,680,000
|-
| Steve Forbes || $114,400,000 *The Money Chart incorrectly reads $11,440,000
|-
| Al Gore || $170,520,000
|-
| George W. Bush || $247,100,000
|-
| Other || $94,800,000
|}

===2010 midterm elections fundraising===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Party !! Funds raised
|-
| Democrats || $815,000,000
|-
| Republicans || $587,000,000
|}

===2011-2012 Campaign donations by industry===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Party !! Funds donated
|-
| To Other || $16,000,000 approximately
|-
| To Democrats || $146,000,000 approximately
|-
| To Republicans || $145,000,000 approximately
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Party !! Funds donated
|-
| Finance industry || $122,900,000
|-
| Organized labor || $18,720,000
|-
| Energy industry || $26,680,000
|-
| Lawyers and general lobbyists || $57,590,000
|-
| Health industry || $42,727,000
|-
| Electronics and communication industry || $32,420,000
|}

===Inaugurations===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration || $174,100,000
|-
| Festivities (private donors) || $46,400,000
|-
| Federal + state + local government (mainly security) || $127,700,000
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Price
|-
| George Bush’s 2005 inauguration || $178,600,000
|-
| Festivities (private donors) || $47,800,000
|-
| Federal + state + local government (mainly security) || $130,800,000
|}

===Past presidential campaign fundraising===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Campaign Year !! Funds raised
|-
| 1996 || $559,810,000
|-
| 1992 || $521,480,000
|-
| 1988 || $606,300,000
|-
| 1984 || $429,860,000
|-
| 1980 || $434,220,000
|-
| 1976 || $664,160,000
|}

===Millionaires===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Price
|-
| Darell Issa (R-CA) net worth || $304,000,000
|-
| Jane Harman (D-CA) net worth || $294,000,000
|-
| John Kerry (D-MA) net worth || $239,000,000
|-
| Mitt Romney net worth || $210,000,000
|-
| Jon Huntsmann net worth || $40,000,000
|-
| Average net worth of US senator || $13,400,000
|-
| Average net worth of US representative || $4,900,000
|-
| A billionare || $1,000,000,000
|}

===Value of a solid gold toilet (626 lbs) by year===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Value
|-
| 1970 ||
|-
| 1980 ||
|-
| 1990 ||
|-
| 2000 ||
|-
| 2010 ||
|}

===Value of a carry-on suitcase full of $100 bills (30,00 ct, 60lbs)===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Value
|-
| 1970 ||
|-
| 1980 ||
|-
| 1990 ||
|-
| 2000 ||
|-
| 2010 ||
|}

===Per US resident===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value || Notes
|-
| $1 per US resident || $312,620,000 ||
|-
| $1 per US household || $117,290,000 ||
|-
| $10 from every US resident || $3,326,000,000 ||
|-
| $10 from every US household || $1,179,180,000 ||
|}

===Raptors===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Price !! Notes
|-
| One F-22 raptor || $154,500,000 ||
|-
| One velociraptor || $1,9300,000 || (25% of Jurassic Park production budget amortized over three velociraptors)
|}

===Professional rapper net worth===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Rapper !! Net worth
|-
| 50 Cent || $100,000,000
|-
| 50 Cent (stage name) || $0.50
|-
| 50 Cent (adjusted for inflation) || $0.70
|-
| Birdman || $100,000,000
|-
| Dr Dre || $125,000,000
|-
| Jay-Z || $450,000,000
|-
| Diddy || $475,000,000
|}

===J.K. Rowling===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value !! Notes
|-
| J.K. Rowlinng || $1,000,000,000 ||
|-
| J. K. Rowling had she become a rapper || $82,000 || Professional assessment by rapper/geek culture expert MC Frontalot
|}

===Annual hurricane forecast R&D funding===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Price
|-
| Annual hurricane forecast R&D funding || $20,000,000
|-
| Hurricane forecast improvement funding since 1989 || $440,000,000
|-
| Economic savings--during Hurricane Irene alone--due to limiting evacuations made possible by recent forecast advances || $700,000,000
|}

===Loss in NewsCorp value over hacking scandal===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Price
|-
| Loss in NewsCorp value over hacking scandal || $750,000,000
|}

===Marginal cost to launch one shuttle===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Price
|-
| Marginal cost to launch one shuttle || $450,000,000
|-
| Total shuttle program per launch || $450,000,000
|-
| Burj Khalifa || $1,5210,000,000
|-
| New Yankee Stadium || $1,545,000,000
|-
| One B-2 bomber || $2,500,000,000
|}

===Miscellaneous===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Price
|-
|Most expensive production car (Bugatti Veyron) || $2,400,000
|-
| Amount needed to live comfortably off investments || $4,090,000
|-
| Most expensive car ever sold (1957 Ferrari 250) || $16,390,000
|-
| Minecraft sales by October 2011 || $56,780,000
|-
| Large city office building || $100,000,000
|-
| Annual cost to run Wikipedia || $18,500,000
|-
| 30-second Super Bowl ad slot || $3,000,000
|-
| EPA value of a human life || $8,120,000
|-
| Six Million Dollar Man (2011 dollars) || $29,870,000
|-
| Dubai Fountain || $224,540,000
|}

</div>

==Billions==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">

===Harry Potter movie franchise total revenue===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value
|-
| Harry Potter movie franchise total revenue || $21,000,000,000
|-
| Treasure found in a temple in India in 2011 || $22,000,000,000
|}

===Box office revenue===
Adjusted for monetary inflation but not ticket price inflation
Hilighted [sic]: films that earned more than 2009's ''Avatar''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Movie !! Revenue !! Highlighted
|-
| 2009 || ''Avatar'' || $783,510,000 ||
|-
| 2008 || ''The Dark Knight'' || $547,520,000 ||
|-
| 2003 || ''Shrek 3'' || $516,610,000 ||
|-
| 1999 || ''The Phantom Menace'' || $572,000,000 ||
|-
| 1997 || ''Titanic'' || $827,260,000 || Yes
|-
| 1994 || ''Lion King'' || $625,810,000 ||
|-
| 1993 || ''Jurassic Park'' || $625,810,000 ||
|-
| 1984 || ''Ghostbusters'' || $507,720,000 ||
|-
| 1983 || ''Return of the Jedi'' || $686,710,000 ||
|-
| 1982 || ''E.T.'' || $996,580,000 || Yes
|-
| 1980 || ''The Empire Strikes Back || $778,530,000 ||
|-
| 1977 || ''Star Wars'' || $1,681,000,000 || Yes
|-
| 1975 || ''Jaws'' || $1,067,510,000 || Yes
|-
| 1973 || ''The Exorcist'' || $1,019,000,000 || Yes
|-
| 1965 || ''The Sound of Music'' || $1,144,920,000 || Yes
|-
| 1962 || ''101 Dalmatians'' || $1,131,310,000 || Yes
|-
| 1960 || ''Ben-Hur'' || $561,090,000 ||
|-
| 1957 || ''The Ten Commandments'' || $532,570,000 ||
|-
| 1943 || ''Bambi'' || $1,391,000,000 || Yes
|-
| 1942 || ''Fantasia'' || $1,146,000,000 || Yes
|-
| 1940 || ''Gone with the Wind'' || $3,157,000,000 || Yes
|-
| 1938 || ''Snow White'' || $2,841,700,000 || Yes
|}

===Charity===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Amount given
|-
| US annual charitable giving || $294,850,000,000
|-
| To religious organizations || $102,000,000,000
|-
| To educational organizations || $42,240,000,000
|-
| To foundations || $33,450,000,000
|-
| To human services || $26,850,000,000
|-
| To societal benefit organizations || $24,570,000,000
|-
| To health organizations || $23,140,000,000
|-
| To international affairs || $15,980,000,000
|-
| To arts and culture || $13,460,000,000
|-
| To animals and environment || $6,750,000,000
|}
====Type of giving:====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Type !! Amount given
|-
| Individual giving || $214,650,000,000
|-
| Foundation grantmaking || $41,560,000,000
|-
| Bequests || $23,140,000,000
|-
| Corporate giving || $15,500,000,000
|}

===Gates Foundation total giving since 1994===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Amount given
|-
| Gates Foundation total giving since 1994 || $25,360,000,000
|-
| Global health || ~12B
|-
| US || ~4B
|-
| Developments || ~3B
|-
| Grants || ~1B
|}

===Book publishing industry revenue===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Genre !! Revenue
|-
| Book publishing industry revenue || $28,320,000,000
|-
| Romance || $1,380,000,000
|-
| Trade books || $14,130,000,000
|-
| K-12 || $5,570,000,000
|-
| Professional || $3,750,000,000
|-
| Higher education || $4,560,000,000
|}

===Video game industry revenue===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Revenue
|-
| Video game industry revenue || $48,900,000,000
|-
| United States || $18,830,000,000
|}

===Harvard University revenue===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Revenue
|-
| Tuition, donations, and fees || $1,425,000,000
|-
| Investments || $7,900,000,000
|}

In other words, if Harvard completely eliminated tuition, it would mean roughly a 15% budget cut.

===Education===

===Education foundations===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Foundation !! Amount given
|-
| Gates Foundation || $36,700,000,000
|-
| INGKA Foundation || $36,000,000,000
|-
| Howard Hughes Medical Institute || $14,800,000,000
|-
| Ford Foundation || $13,800,000,000
|-
| John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation || $6,100,000,000
|}

===Endowments of the 63 wealthiest universities===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! University !! Endowments
|-
| Endowments of the 63 wealthiest universities || $277,570,000,000
|-
| Harvard || $32,000,000,000
|-
| Yale || $19,400,000,000
|-
| Princeton || $17,100,000,000
|-
| U of Texas || $16,610,000,000
|-
| Stanford || $16,500,000,000
|-
| MIT || $9,900,000,000
|-
| Columbia || $7,800,000,000
|-
| U of Michigan || $7,800,000,000
|-
| Texas A&M || $7,030,000,000
|-
| Northwestern || $7,030,000,000
|}

===Corporate revenue===

===US health care spending===

===Total annual tax breaks to the five largest oil companies===

===The Economic Vortex===

===Billionaires===

===Corporations===
by market capitalization (combined value of all stock)

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Company !! Value
|-
| Saudi Aramco (State-owned company--estimated market value) || $2,940,000,000,000
|-
| Apple || $358,310,000,000
|-
| ExxonMobil || $357,910,000,000
|-
| PetroChina || $280,160,000,000
|-
| IBM || $211,640,000,000
|-
| Microsoft || $211,340,000,000
|-
| Bank of China || $208,810,000,000
|-
| China Mobile || $201,510,000,000
|-
| Royal Dutch Shell || $199,780,000,000
|-
| Nestle || $193,700,000,000
|-
| Chevron || $188,030,000,000
|-
| Facebook 2011 valuation || $70,000,000,000
|-
| AT&T attempted T-Mobile purchase || $39,000,000,000
|-
| Facebook 2010 valuation || $33,450,000,000
|-
| Zynga 2011 valuation || $14,000,000,000
|-
| LivingSocial 2011 valuation || $2,980,000,000
|}

===US household income===

===Cost to buy the world a coke===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Cost
|-
| Cost to buy the world a coke (2011 wholesale prices) || $2,240,000,000
|-
| Coca-Cola's annual marketing budget || $2,980,000,000
|-
| Cost to teach the world to sing (four half-hour lessons at $30 each) || $840,000,000,000
|}

===State government spending===

[map without amounts]

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
| Total US states' debt || $46,000,000,000
|}

===US foreign military aid===

====US foreign military aid====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Amount
|-
| Total || $11,010,000,000
|-
| Afghanistan || $5,800,000,000
|-
| Israel || $2,410,000,000
|-
| Egypt || $1,320,000,000
|-
| Other || $5,800,000,000
|}

====US foreign humanitarian and economic aid====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Amount
|-
| Total || $11,010,000,000
|-
| Iraq and Afghanistan || $5,370,000,000
|-
| West Bank and Ghana || $1,050,000,000
|-
| Africa (total) || $8,850,000,000
|-
| Other || $19,130,000,000
|}

===Ft. Knox gold reserves===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value
|-
| Ft. Knox gold reserves (November 2011 prices) || $245,900,000,000
|-
| Unclaimed US treasury bonds || $16,000,000,000
|-
| All the tea in China || $4,210,000,000
|}

===Corporate tax deduction===

(Note: some of the corporate deductions are very technical, and even with the help of a technical accountant, I had trouble making sense of them. The text below is my best attempt at an English interpretation of the legalese.)

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Deductions
|-
| Corporate tax deduction || $125,180,000,000
|-
| Reduced tax on first $10 million of corporate income || $3,240,000,000
|-
| Delay of taxes on 'income' made from defaulting on a debt (Temporary stimulus measure) || $21,390,000,000
|-
| Temporary change to equipment depreciation rules allowing more (and sooner) deductions on the purchase of new equipment || $24,390,000,000
|-
| Clean energy, space, science, and tech R&D || $13,900,000,000
|-
| Miscellaneous rules for international corporate finance || $6,800,000,000
|-
| Foreign corporation income financing rules || $13,680,000,000
|}

===Individual tax deductions===

===Federal spending===

===Disasters===

===Cost of electricity===

===BP oil spill claims fund===

===New York CIty===

===Megaprojects===

===Federal budget===

===Budget options===

===Stimulus spending===

===US Spending on Wars===

===Bailouts===

</div>

==Trillions==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">

===Size of derivatives markets by year===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Size of market
|-
| 1988 || $3,090,000,000,000
|-
| 1995 || $26,690,000,000,000
|-
| 2001 || $86,390,000,000,000
|-
| 2005 || $227,260,000,000,000
|-
| 2009 || $439,000,000,000,000
|}

====Size of credit default swap market by year (included in derivatives)====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Size of market
|-
| 2001 || $1,150,000,000,000
|-
| 2005 || $19,350,000,000,000
|-
| 2007 || $66,280,000,000,000
|-
| 2009 || $31,350,000,000,000
|}

===US household net worth===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Worth
|-
| US household || $58,740,000,000,000
|-
| Poorer half || $1,470,000,000,000
|-
| Richer half || $57,270,000,000,000
|-
| Richest 1% || $19,620,000,000,000
|}

===Total debt in the US===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Worth
|-
| Total debt in the US || $36,580,000,000,000
|-
| State and local government || $2,500,000,000,000
|-
| Household || $13,560,000,000,000
|-
| Federal government || $9,510,000,000,000
|-
| Business || $10,980,000,000,000
|}

===World GDP===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! GDP
|-
| World || $62,900,000,000,000
|-
| North America || $17,850,000,000,000
|-
| United States || $14,530,000,000,000
|-
| South America || $3,070,000,000,000
|-
| EU || $16,240,000,000,000
|-
| Europe (incl. Russia and Turkey) || $20,130,000,000,000
|-
| Africa || $1,610,000,000,000
|-
| Asia || $17,530,000,000,000
|-
| Oceania || $1,310,000,000,000
|}

===Total public debt===
(Note: US figures are from 2011, while the other totals use 2010 debt in 2011 dollars, which is likely an underestimate.)
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Area !! Debt !! Notes
|-
| EU (total) || $13,340,000,000,000 ||
|-
| United States || $10,200,000,000,000 || (Plus internal government borrowing of 4,740,000,000,000)
|-
| Japan || $8,630,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Germany || $2,480,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Italy || $2,140,000,000,000 ||
|-
| India || $2,140,000,000,000 ||
|-
| China || $1,907,000,000,000 ||
|-
| France || $1,767,000,000,000 ||
|-
| United Kingdom || $1,654,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Brazil || $1,281,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Canada || $1,130,000,000,000 ||
|-
| Spain || $834,210,000,000 ||
|-
| Mexico || $584,860,000,000 ||
|-
| Greece || $460,180,000,000 ||
|}

===Energy reserves===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Type of energy !! World total proven [type] reserves !! US Reserves
|-
| Oil || $131,960,000,000,000 (November 2011 prices) || $20,580,000,000,000
|-
| Coal || $72,850,000,000,000 (2011 central Appalachian prices) || $20,020,000,000,000
|-
| Natural gas || $21,470,000,000,000 (2011 NYMEX prices) || $930,470,000,000
|}

===Value of 10 years of electricity generated if the surface of Texas was converted to:===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Thing !! Value
|-
| Solar power plants || $89,240,000,000,000
|-
| Wind turbines || $7,950,000,000,000
|}

===All US real estate===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Type !! Value
|-
| All || $28,380,000,000,000
|-
| Home || $23,010,000,000,000
|-
| Commercial (includes stores, apartments, industrial, etc.) || $5,370,000,000,000
|}

===Value of all gold ever mined===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Item !! Value
|-
| Value of all gold ever mined (late 2011 prices) || $9,120,000,000,000
|}

===GDP by year===
{|class=wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! GDP (total economic activity) the world (minus US) !! GDP (total economic productivity) of the US (minus government) !! US federal government
|-
| 1920 || || ||
|-
| 1930 || || ||
|-
| 1940 || || ||
|-
| 1950 || || ||
|-
| 1960 || || ||
|-
| 1970 || || ||
|-
| 1980 || || ||
|-
| 1990 || || ||
|-
| 2000 || || ||
|-
| 2010 || || ||
|}

===Estimated total economic production of the human race (so far)===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
| Estimated total economic production of the human race (so far) (roughly three-fifths of it since 1980) || $2,396,950,000,000,000
|}
</div>
{{DEFAULTSORT:0980}}

Talk:1706: Genetic Testing

2016-07-13T21:10:53Z

108.162.241.133:

Regarding the title text, elbow dysplasia is something that genetic testing might find a susceptibility to in dogs, but parvo (canine parvovirus) is a viral infection and heartworms and mange are both parasites. I'm only beginning my veterinary studies so it's possible I'm speaking in ignorance but I've never heard of any genetic factors that make one dog more or less susceptible to any of the latter three than another dog. Generally speaking, all dog owners are advised to get their dogs vaccinated against parvo and kept on a heartworm preventive treatment such as ivermectin (Heartgard and other brands). Ie., these are blanket prevention strategies recommended for all dogs and no attempt is typically made to ascertain susceptibility level before recommending these treatments.

Of course, Randall is writing a comic intended for mass consumption and it's possible he wanted to include some canine ailments that would be more commonly recognized rather than just strictly listing congenital ailments of dogs like entropion or brachycephalic syndrome, which might have caused confusion and ruined the joke. --(I don't have an account yet) {{unsigned ip|108.162.210.178}}

Now I really wonder if anyone has actually done this before. It would be fun to see the actual results of this. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.104|141.101.104.104]] 08:00, 13 July 2016 (UTC)

Just because a disease is infectious doesn't mean there can't be breed dispositions. For example, parvo in GSDs. I tend to see lots of demodectic mange in bull breeds too. This can be due to factors, such as genetic immune deficiency or particular types of skin/hair which can be inherited

Interestingly 5% seems to be the common shared DNA between humans and dogs: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/12/1207_051207_dog_genome.html
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.87.35|162.158.87.35]] 11:05, 13 July 2016 (UTC)

:I was the editor that made the original explanation. I never intended my word to be the final say; if anything, I was expecting the opposite, since I'm not educated at all in those fields. Regarding the link in parvo, I found this study, which starts that Spaniels are the most susceptible to parvo-enteritis. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3003015 [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.74|173.245.52.74]] 14:57, 13 July 2016 (UTC)

When I came here, I was rather hoping to see a comment on how legitimate these ancestry services really are. Anyone? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.133|108.162.241.133]] 21:10, 13 July 2016 (UTC)

1683: Digital Data

2016-05-20T20:46:32Z

108.162.241.133: grammar

{{comic
| number = 1683
| date = May 20, 2016
| title = Digital Data
| image = digital_data.png
| titletext = â€&oelig;If you can read this, congratulationsâ€”the archive youâ€™re you're using still knows about the mouseover textâ€!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Initial draft.}}
{{w|Digital information}} has the potential to be copied such that the copy is 100% identical to the original. While physical media themselves (such as books, or hard drives) and information stored by analog means may degrade as the universe continues, digital information as expressed by specific values, such as combinations of binary zeros and ones, does not decay over time and can be copied indefinitely with no changes.

However, in this comic, [[Randall]] points out that while digital information itself doesn't need to degrade, things that are on the internet are often degraded through copying when the copy is not a 1:1 copy or changes are deliberately introduced. In addition, as technology advances the method to save or call the information changes and the medium to view it changes, occasionally causing misinterpreted information. (This is also demonstrated with the title text.) As the frames continue, they gain the appearance of images which have been screenshotted repeatedly, with a resulting loss of quality due to compression of the original resolution and {{w|JPEG}} {{w|ringing artifact|artifacting}}. (The JPEG format is intended for representing photorealistic grayscale or color images; when misused for line drawings, such as comic strips, any compression artifacts become particularly noticeable, as the background is normally of completely uniform color.) In the last frame, this is taken to an extreme, as the frame appears to have been very sloppily screenshotted off of at least two different smartphones (not the same device that uses the bottom frame in the third panel as the top border in panel four), and the final image is covered both with a watermark from an unregistered screenshot program, as well as references to at least two different web site, {{w|9GAG}} (bottom right image) and {{w|tumblr}} in the web address bottom left.

"9gag" is a humor website often accused of rehosting other sites' funny content without attribution and adding their own watermark to the image or video.



The title text contains seemingly garbage characters, which typically result from data being interpreted according to a {{w|character encoding}} different from the one used to encode it. In this case, the characters are the result of encoding the string <tt>“If you can read this, congratulations—the archive you’re you're using still knows about the mouseover text”!</tt> using {{w|UTF-8}} (which represents non-{{w|ASCII}} {{w|Unicode}} characters as multibyte sequences) and then interpreting the resulting bytes as the still commonly used {{w|Windows-1252}} encoding (which uses only one byte per character, but utilizes the non-ASCII codepoints for a limited selection of extra letters and symbols such as "â" or "€"). This shows that degradation of digital data through conversions isn't restricted to images. Furthermore, as screen navigation moves away from the mouse toward touch, voice recognition, and modes still to be implemented, mouseover text will itself become anachronistic.

==Explanation of the Joke==

The joke here in this strip is that digital information degrades in different but just as important ways to real-world objects. Digital object can be reprocessed and lose fidelity, but just as important as technology evolves old information may no longer be viewed in the same was as it was originally intended -- to see an example of this, go to any page on the [http://archive.org way-back-machine] and look at any old webpage to see this problem. The title text is implicitly referring to a problem of badly encoded characters, such as when the content is improperly marked as utf-8 or extended ascii simply due to that the choice was implicit when the content was created. Any material we are creating digitally today will most certainly suffer the same type of fate in the future where people will be looking back and not understand why the their future tech will not be able to correctly and automatically determine the proper encoding. And then there is the ironic truth of that digital content is reliant on technology, so in a future were we lose the technology or no longer are able to produce electricity we will have no possible way of retrieving any information of a computer harddisk and certainly all information will be lost forever.

So who is feeling stupid printing a copy of the internet now? We are actually saving it for future generations.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and a White Hat are walking, Cueball holds both hands in front of him palms up.]
:Cueball: The great thing about digital data is that it never degrades.

:[They walk on in the next panel which shows jpeg compression artifacts, as if it is a screen shot of the actual image.]
:Cueball: Hard drives fail, of course, but their bits can be copied forever without loss.

:[They continue walking in the third panel which is now clearly pixelated, the white is slightly discolored, and it contains part of the interface of some program, probably supposed to be a screen shot from a smartphone. At the bottom there are three blue buttons and one gray. the first is a blue "<" indicating back in a browser. Then a grayed out ">" that is not active. And then three more standard buttons in blue to the right of those two.]
:Cueball: Film degrades, paint cracks, but a copy of a century-old data file is identical to the original.

:[Still walking, now Cueball holds out both arms to the sides, and finally White Hat replies. This panel is heavily pixelated and discolored and has a distorted aspect ratio. It contains a clear watermark (although difficult to read all letters in the end of the first word), even more 'frame' elements, and text above the image at the bottom (where the last letter is obscured by the frame of the image). There is also an internet address at the bottom left, but is is not readable except for the .com ending. In this panel it is clear that it is a screen shot from a smart phone. The frame around the image obscure the very top of Cueball's text and the half of the last letter in White Hat's reply.]
:Cueball: If humanity has a permanent record, we are the first generation in it.
:White Hat: Amazing

:Watermark: Screenshotpro 2
:Watermark: ~Unregistered~

:Top border: Verizon LTE '''4:45 PM'''
:Bottom text: 9GAG
:Internet address at the bottom: [?????].tumblr.com

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Self-reference]]

1643: Degrees

2016-02-15T17:49:48Z

108.162.241.133: Freezing point is not necessarily 0 C. Added clarification.

{{comic
| number = 1643
| date = February 15, 2016
| title = Degrees
| image = degrees.png
| titletext = "Radians Fahrenheit or radians Celsius?" "Uh, sorry, gotta go!"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First explanation}}
[[Cueball]] is being asked by a friend for the temperature. There are two common ways to give this: in degrees Celsius and degrees Fahrenheit. The former is the {{w |Metric_system|metric system}}, most often not used in the US although it is {{w|Metric_Conversion_Act|the preferred system for trade and commerce}}. The latter is the {{w|Imperial_units|Imperial system}}. Cueball weighs up the benefits of both, but is rushed by his friend to give an answer, so he gives the answer in {{w|radians}} (which can be denoted with the superscript <sup>c</sup>, but more commonly ㎭ or rad, lest it be confused with the ° for angular degrees), which is a system used to measure <i>angular</i> measure in geometry, not temperature gradations of whichever scale. Thus, this answer is unhelpful. Strictly speaking, a value given in radians doesn't have a unit, it's just a plain number (for an angle in geometry).

The joke here is that traditionally {{w|Angle|Geometrical angles}} are {{w|Triangle|measured in degrees}}, and temperature is measured in degrees (e.g. {{w|Celsius|degrees celsius}} ), but there is not the {{w|Degree|slightest degree}} of {{w|correlation}} between the two.

The title text indicates that Cueball's friend still wants to know whether the answer is in radians Fahrenheit or radians Celsius, which, despite being a silly way to express temperature, makes Cueball nervous, and he runs off. The answer Cueball gives is 0.173 radians, which is around 9.91 degrees. (9.91°C = 49.8°F and 9.91°F = -12.3°C)

===Summary of Reasons===

{| class="wikitable"
| | <b >Reason</b>
| | <b >Explanation</b>
|-
| |
International standard
| |
Degrees Celsius is the unit in the SI system of units used in most countries today. Using the SI system would allow Cueball to be easily understood in most countries and is by far the most recognized system, but it is not the most commonly used in the United States, his actual location in the comic.

|-
| |
Helps reduce America's weird isolationism
| |
The United States uses its own set of units, including Degrees Fahrenheit, based on the English Customary System, in contrast to most of the rest of the world which uses the SI system. The US's system of units is therefore considered "weird" as make the US different from most of the world for no real reason, but previous efforts to convert the US to the SI system have failed. Cueball evidently believes that by using SI units he will help to eventually convert the US to the SI system, bringing considerable trade and tourism benefits and reducing confusion when dealing with foreigners.
|-
| |
Nice how "negative" means below freezing
| |
On the Celsius scale, the freezing point of water at standard atmospheric pressure (101325 Pascals) is 0° C, and any temperature below that is "below" the freezing point. On the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point is a less intuitive 32° F.
|-
| |
Physics major loyalty
| |
Cueball is apparently a physics major, like Randall, and SI units are always used for scientific work, even in the US. By using the Celsius scale in casual conversation he would show his loyalty to the system used by actual physicists.
|-
| |
Easier to spell
| |
"Celsius" is generally considered to be an easier word to spell than "Fahrenheit." In this case the word is being spoken and the point is not immediately relevant, but part of the joke is that Cueball is overthinking things and worrying about the general use of the word when an answer is needed in this specific case.
|-
| |
We lost a Mars probe over this crap
| |
The {{w|Mars_Climate_Orbiter|Mars Climate Orbiter}} disintegrated in Mars' atmosphere because Lockheed used Imperial units instead of the contractually specified metric units.
|-
| |
|-
| |
0°F to 100°F good match for temperature range in which most humans live
| |
While it might make sense to use Celsius temperatures for scientific or engineering measurements - or even cooking - where the freezing and boiling points of water (0°C and 100°C, respectively) are both significant, for weather reporting, 0°F and 100°F correspond to "just about as cold as it gets" and "just about as hot as it gets" in temperate zones, thereby making this a useful temperature scale for weather reporting where most people live. By contrast, in Celsius the scale of common temperatures in temperate zones goes from -20°C to 40°C, a less intuitive range.
|-
| |
Rounds more usefully (70's, 90's)
| |
An argument sometimes heard for the continued use of Fahrenheit temperatures is that each 10 degrees change is meaningful in how we feel the temperature. Thus, it is convenient to talk about the temperature being in the 70's today, or the 90's, etc. Since Celsius degrees are almost twice as large, a similar statement about the temperature being in the 20's or 30's is not as useful. However, this seems likely to be more a matter of which scale you are used to using than anything inherent in one scale or the other.
|-
| |
Unit-aware computing makes Imperial less annoying
| |
If you need to constantly convert between Imperial and SI measurements in your head, it gets annoying and is a strong argument for everyone using the same scale all the time. But, when it is easy to get the temperature reported in whatever units you want just by selecting the units you want your computer to report, then the annoyance is minimized, and the arguments for why we should stop using a familiar scale are weakened.
|-
| |
SI prefixes are less relevant for temperatures
| |
One of the nice things about SI measurements is how the same basic unit scales by factors of 10 with common prefixes - e.g., kilometer, millimeter, kilogram, milligram, etc. Imperial measurements don't have this feature - you don't talk about long distances as kiloinches or light weights as millipounds. But, we generally don't use scaled up-or-down temperature scales (millidegrees or kilodegrees), so this argument for using SI measurements for length, mass, volume, etc., doesn't apply for temperature scales.
|-
| |
Fahrenheit is likely more clear in this context
| |
Cueball apparently knows that the inquirer is most likely to assume the answer will be in degrees Fahrenheit, so giving the answer that way would be the least likely to be misinterpreted. If he surprisingly gives an answer in Celsius, without explicitly stating he is reporting the temperature in Celsius, then that could be confusing.
|-
| |
Valuing unit standardization over being helpful possibly makes me a bad friend
| |
The final thing Cueball considers is to question why he would give an answer that attaches more value to promoting standardization of units when all his friend wants to know is whether it is cold or warm outside. Wouldn't it be more friendly to just answer the question the way his friend will find most convenient?
| |
|}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is looking at his phone]
:Off-screen person: Hey, what's the temperature outside?
:Cueball [thinks]: Should I give it in °F or °C?

:<u>Degrees Celsius</u>
:* International standard
:* Helps reduce America's weird isolationism
:* Nice how "negative" means below freezing
:* Physics major loyalty
:* Easier to spell
:* {{w|Mars_Climate_Orbiter|We lost a Mars probe over this crap}}

:<u>Degrees Fahrenheit</u>
:* 0°F to 100°F good match for temperature range in which most humans live
:* Rounds more usefully (70's, 90's)
:* Unit-aware computing makes imperial less annoying
:* SI prefixes are less relevant for temperatures
:* Fahrenheit is likely more clear in this context
:* Valuing unit standardization over being helpful possibly makes me a bad friend

:Cueball [thinks]: Crap, gotta pick something. Uhh...
:Cueball: ...0.173 radians.
:Off-screen person: I'll just go check myself
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1641: Hot Dogs

2016-02-11T01:24:10Z

108.162.241.133:

a friend of mine told a story once of a girl in his high school that used a hot dog as a toy once. supposedly it broke off inside and she had to go to the ER to have it removed. Is it unreasonable to theorize, since condoms are used primarily for sexual activities, and hot dogs are shaped similar to sexual objects, whether anatomical or otherwise, that the person off screen is using the hot dogs in condoms possibly for sexual activity, or maybe (https://explainxkcd.com/330/).
I really don't know, but if someone else thinks there is possibly validity in this theory, i don't know how to incorporate it into the explanation --[[User:Beardmcbeardson|Beardmcbeardson]] ([[User talk:Beardmcbeardson|talk]]) 07:46, 10 February 2016 (UTC)
: That's actually an [http://www.snopes.com/college/risque/hotdog.asp old urban legend]. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.148|162.158.142.148]] 08:24, 10 February 2016 (UTC)
:: Just buy a dildo, for cryin' out loud! On an note more related to the comic, the original reason might have been some combination of factors like "bakers hate this" or "Meat packers do that", but I suspect the reason it has been perpetuated is to encourage the "I have buns, should get hot dogs/I have hot dogs, should get buns" loop, so people spend more. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 23:03, 10 February 2016 (UTC)
:: [http://cdn.meme.am/instances/63268320.jpg Here's Family Guy's take on the whole thing.][[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.133|108.162.241.133]]

In point of fact, hot dogs come in packages of seven. At least the ones I like do [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 09:35, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

I always buy condoms in packs of one hundred. The fun / expense ratio is much better, than in small packs. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.142|162.158.203.142]] 10:45, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

This is a very simple problem: Hot dogs go back to German tradition, where
a sausage is held within a German "Weck" but a real one, not one of those American
buns. (See Wikipedia)
The American style buns were an invention of American bakers, so the reason for those
numbers is obvious:
The Hot Dogs stuck with the German tradition (decimal system), whereas the buns
are in packages of eight for easy break down in halves, quarters, eights. (Witworth)
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.215|162.158.91.215]] 15:21, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

Should a reference to [[305: Rule 34]] be added for the pizza? [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 17:00, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

Perhaps the off-panel person is making some sort of reference to sheep intestines?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.10|108.162.216.10]] 18:16, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

I just bought hot dogs yesterday for the first time in over a year because I have chili and wanted something different to go with it. So this was an interesting comic to wake up to. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.76|108.162.238.76]] 19:19, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

I find that hot dogs and buns are usually sold in multiples of 6. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.23|141.101.106.23]] 19:24, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

Well, instead of "he realizes his friend is putting hot dogs in condoms" I was initially thinking of (what is apparently called) [http://www.bunrab.com/dailyfeed/dailyfeed_images_jan-07/df07_01-29_hotdog.jpg french hot dog buns], which means... well, I guess you can figure it out. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.194|162.158.91.194]] 17:17, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

The reason I heard for why hot dogs and buns come in uneven counts was because the manufacturers of each came to a mutual arrangement. The logic was that consumers with leftover hot dog buns would buy extra hot dogs, and vice versa. As such, hot dog makers and bun makers both profit. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.55|108.162.216.55]] 17:04, 10 February 2016 (UTC)
: I always figured it was the opposite -- that hot dog makes and bun makers ''didn't'' coordinate their efforts, and instead sold hot dogs and buns packed in whatever amounts made the most sense for ''themselves'' at the price they thought was best. --[[User:Aaron of Mpls|Aaron of Mpls]] ([[User talk:Aaron of Mpls|talk]]) 19:35, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

I've seen hot dogs packaged in 4, 6, 8 and 10 and buns in the same varying sizes. Though 4 is rare in both cases. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 22:48, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1625: Substitutions 2

2016-01-05T01:19:35Z

108.162.241.133:

See previous discussion for browser plugins, scripts, bookmarklets etc. at [[1288:_Substitutions]] [sven]

Can someone update the plugin for Chrome that does the word swaps? :3 Also swap it for upgoerfive-nouns[[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 15:11, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

The Title Text should read "...uncontrollably-swerving cars", not "...uncontrollably-swerving cats". But I don't have the heart to change it.

: Neither do I... [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.55|173.245.54.55]] 16:14, 4 January 2016 (UTC)(Daniel)

:: Actually, if you applied the 1288 substitutions it would be uncontrollably-swerving CATS.

Ok, I just checked the log, and it was added here,
"(cur | prev) 15:11, 4 January 2016‎ 141.101.104.7 (Talk)‎ . . (+1,212)‎ . . (undo)"
by the person who added the transcript, obviously I don't know if this was deliberate, though I suspect it was. Either way I think it is very funny and we should leave it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.55|173.245.54.55]] 16:14, 4 January 2016 (UTC)(Daniel)

How many of them can be used?
"Like hundreds of civilians recieved friggin awful burns after a not very sudden dog attack Tuesday. After spherical outrage, the blade runner of presidential airbenders probably won't drunkedly egg it on the future."[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.222|162.158.114.222]] 16:20, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

huh...nothing for 'campaign' or 'voters'...also, the 'uncontrollably-swerving cats' is probably a victim of the first substitution filter that changes 'cars' to 'cats'[[Special:Contributions/162.158.56.227|162.158.56.227]] 17:06, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

"The suspect is currently very large" -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 22:45, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

after loading this into the browser plugin I noticed a loop caused "physically expands" to become "physically physically physically physically physically expands" and I began pondering whether the adding of extra physically-ies made the word intensify. Then I wondered why someone would need to intensify the acknowledgement of physicality. Then I looked at my hands, like REALLY looked at my hands. [[User:Beastachu|Beastachu]] ([[User talk:Beastachu|talk]]) 00:18, 5 January 2016 (UTC)

As a small note, "No indication ➜ Lots of signs" would actually create quite a few grammatically incorrect sentences. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.133|108.162.241.133]] 01:19, 5 January 2016 (UTC)