explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2194: How to Send a File

2019-08-27T02:20:10Z

108.162.241.22:

Anyone else find it annoying to have the regular comic co-opted for advertising a book? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 20:30, 26 August 2019 (UTC)
:There probably are, but I'll excuse Randal because he provides* such entertaining comic for free.
:''*usually and arguably'' [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 21:00, 26 August 2019 (UTC)
:I don't mind. If it was a frequent occurrence perhaps, but this is, what, twice in over a dozen years? And he includes humor in the ads, so it's not like we completely miss out. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 21:08, 26 August 2019 (UTC)

Pedantry section: If you have a dockable tablet computer - I do - then the files are in the screen part, and the keyboard and trackpad probably can't contain files. Also, you don't need scissors to separate them, there's usually a button to press or magnets or something. And technically you probably could mail the tablet... but I usually wouldn't. rja.carnegie@gmail.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.31|162.158.154.31]] 21:54, 26 August 2019 (UTC)

I annually have to send several terabytes of data to a co-worker who needs to analyze and then retain it for some months. We snail mail SS hard drives around since we own them, and the data is originally accumulated on them. Short of switching to SD cards I am not sure there is a better way even in 2019.... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.22|108.162.241.22]] 02:20, 27 August 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2184: Unpopular Opinions

2019-08-02T18:57:25Z

108.162.241.22:

I wonder if it has to be below 50% with critic score, audience score, or both? [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 17:36, 2 August 2019 (UTC)

[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/browse/dvd-streaming-all?minTomato=0&maxTomato=49&services=amazon;hbo_go;itunes;netflix_iw;vudu;amazon_prime;fandango_now&genres=1;2;4;5;6;8;9;10;11;13;18;14&sortBy=tomato Movies] on DVD or streaming, tomatometer 49% down to 0%.

Plenty of Twilight fans will raise their hands - it is rated 49% --[[User:Thomcat|Thomcat]] ([[User talk:Thomcat|talk]]) 18:09, 2 August 2019 (UTC)
:Well, I'm around the typical age of (original) Twilight fans, and none of the movies in the saga came in my adult life. (But they're all below 50%)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.103.147|162.158.103.147]] 18:27, 2 August 2019 (UTC)

I mean, Shaft got a 30% on the Tomatometer and a 94 on the audience score, and I loved it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.22|108.162.241.22]] 18:57, 2 August 2019 (UTC)

2177: Gastroenterology

2019-07-22T20:37:11Z

108.162.241.22: Randall apparently re-watched Indiana Jones recently

{{comic
| number = 2177
| date = July 17, 2019
| title = Gastroenterology
| image = gastroenterology.png
| titletext = "Mostly it means that I'm acutely aware that the kid one table over coughed as the server walked past with our food."
}}

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

{{w|Gastroenterology}} is the study of the normal function and diseases of the digestive system: esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and liver.

{{w|Antibiotics}} are substances that kill bacteria. They are effective at treating bacterial infections, including in the gut; unfortunately, they can also kill the normal gut bacteria. {{w|Probiotics}} are harmless or helpful bacteria which are sometimes used to replace the bacteria killed by an antibiotic. This reduces chances of re-infection by pathogens, and allows the natural gut microbiome to recover more effectively; [[1471|comic 1471]] was about the same theme. Probiotics are included in many foods, such as yogurt, as well as supplements, and are marketed as having health benefits.

The comic plays on the names probiotic and antibiotic. When {{w|matter}} and {{w|antimatter}} are mixed, they {{w|annihilation|annihilate}} each-other, rapidly releasing energy (an explosion).
This comic imagines a similar process when probiotics and antibiotics are mixed.
In reality, antibiotics and probiotics are often used simultaneously during treatment, but they are taken so that they do not mix (taken at different times or by different methods). Mixing them as in the comic, would just cause the antibiotic to kill the probiotic bacteria. Explosive reactions between antibiotics and probiotics are highly unlikely.

Matter and antimatter would react pretty much instantly upon mixing, not a short time later, as in the comic. (Also, one could not keep antimatter in a normal jar, or pour it in an atmosphere). The reaction shown is similar to the reaction between a strong acid and a strong base, which could cause an explosion after a short delay if kept in a tightly sealed container like a water bottle, as in the explosion here.

In the last panel, Ponytail is giving a more mundane summary of what gastroenterology is like (lots of paperwork) this is similar to Indiana Jones saying that archaeology is boring{{Citation needed}}. The explosion sequence might be Ponytail's action fantasy of what the job could be, or it might be Megan's fantasy, and Ponytail is telling her what it is actually like, or the action could be real, and Ponytail is covering it up.

In the title text, Ponytail adds that her work makes her aware of a child coughing as the server was bringing food at the restaurant table, exposing the food to possible germs that could cause a gastrointestinal infection.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[The first five panels appear in a single row.]
:[Ponytail, wearing a lab coat, and a guy wearing a scrubs hat rush in from the right side of the panel. Ponytail is holding a water bottle. There is a desk on the left of the panel with two jars.]
:Hat guy: Hurry, they're right behind us!

:[Zoom in on Ponytail, behind the desk, pouring the two smaller jars into the water bottle.]
:An arrow points to the left jar: Probiotic
:An arrow points to the right jar: Antibiotic

:[A borderless panel. Zoom out on Ponytail shaking the water bottle to mix the two substances.]
:Shake Shake Shake

:[Ponytail throws the water bottle toward the right side of the panel, at something off-screen.]

:[Hat guy and Ponytail run toward the left side of the panel, as the water bottle explodes.]
:BOOM

:[The last panel is the only panel in its row, appearing at the far right end of the row and slightly narrower than the fifth panel above it.]
:[Megan and Ponytail sitting at a table, facing each other, having a meal.]
:Megan: So what's gastroenterology like?
:Ponytail: Pretty boring. Lotta paperwork.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2177: Gastroenterology

2019-07-18T00:07:10Z

108.162.241.22: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2177
| date = July 17, 2019
| title = Gastroenterology
| image = gastroenterology.png
| titletext = "Mostly it means that I'm acutely aware that the kid one table over coughed as the server walked past with our food."
}}

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

{{w|Gastroenterology}} is the study of the normal function and diseases of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and liver.

{{w|Antibiotics}} are substances that kill bacteria. They are very effective at treating bacterial infections, including in the gut; unfortunately, they can also kill the good gut bacteria. {{w|Probiotics}} are harmless or helpful bacteria which are sometimes used to replace the good bacteria killed by an antibiotic. This prevents re-infection and allows the natural gut microbiome to recover more effectively; [[1471|comic 1471]] was about the same theme. Probiotics are included in many foods, such as yogurt, and are marketed as having health benefits.

Antibiotics and probiotics are often used together during a treatment. Mixing them as in the comic, however, would just cause the antibiotic to kill the probiotic bacteria rather than causing an explosion. Explosive reactions between antibiotics and probiotics are highly unlikely. The probiotic + antibiotic = explosion may refer to {{w|annihilation}}, a reaction between particles and antiparticles, which produces large amounts of energy -- an explosion -- although one could not keep antiparticles (antimatter) in a jar touched by a person made up of particles (matter), and the explosion would happen upon mixing, not a short time later. Another possibility is that the sequence refers to a reaction between an acid and a base, which could cause an explosion if kept in a tightly sealed container like a water bottle and would additionally take a bit of time to occur, as in the explosion here.

In the last panel, Ponytail appears to be covering this action up by saying to Megan that her work is merely a lot of paperwork. Another explanation is that the explosion sequence is some kind of action fantasy on Ponytail's part and she is telling Megan the reality of her mundane job. A third explanation is that this is Megan's fantasy about gastroenterology and Ponytail is telling her what it is actually like.

In the title text, Ponytail adds that her work makes her aware of a child over-coughing as the server was bringing food at the restaurant table, exposing the food to possible germs that could cause a gastroenterological infection.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail, wearing a lab coat, and a guy wearing a scrubs hat rush in from the right side of the panel. Ponytail is holding a water bottle. There is a desk on the left of the panel with two jars.]
:Hat guy: Hurry, they're right behind us!

:[Zoom in on Ponytail, behind the desk, pouring the two smaller jars into the water bottle.]
:An arrow points to the left jar: Probiotic
:An arrow points to the right jar: Antibiotic

:[Zoom out on Ponytail shaking the water bottle to mix the two substances.]
:Shake Shake Shake

:[Ponytail throws the water bottle toward the right side of the panel, at something off-screen.]

:[Hat guy and Ponytail run toward the left side of the panel, as the water bottle explodes.]
:BOOM

:[Megan and Ponytail sitting at a table, facing each other, having a meal.]
:Megan: So what's gastroenterology like?
:Ponytail: Pretty boring. Lotta paperwork.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2175: Flag Interpretation

2019-07-15T10:24:00Z

108.162.241.22:

{{comic
| number = 2175
| date = July 12, 2019
| title = Flag Interpretation
| image = flag_interpretation.png
| titletext = When Salvador Dalí died, it took months to get all the flagpoles sufficiently melted.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an IMPORTANT CLONE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In many countries including the United States (whose flag is depicted in the comic), it is customary to lower the flag to {{w|half staff}} when important public figures die. This is normally done by raising the flag to full height, then immediately "lowering" it to half height. In the US, regulations regarding flying the flag at half staff specify the length of time for the flag to be flown at half staff, and are based on the importance of the person who has died. There are no regulations where the flag would be flown at any height other than full height or half staff, and there are no regulations where multiple flags would be flown.

The definition of half-staff, or half-mast, differs between countries and does not necessarily imply flying the flag at half the height of the pole or mast. For example, in the USA the flag is usually flown at half the height of the pole, whereas UK practice is to leave space for an 'invisible flag' above the flown flag, which may mean flying the flag near the top of the pole depending on its height. These differing practices contribute to confusion and ambiguity concerning the flag height, which is exploited in the comic.

Randall, as usual, makes a humorous list of fictional additional traditions.

The title text is a reference to ''{{w|The Persistence of Memory}}'' and other paintings and sculptures by {{w|Salvador Dalí}} which include watches and other objects that are melting.

===Table===
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
! Flag Position !! Randall's Interpretation || Explanation
|-
|Flag at half mast
|Someone important died.
|In the U.S., it is customary to lower the flag to half mast when somebody important died. In the flag raising ritual, the flag is supposed to be raised to full mast first and then lowered back to half mast. At the end of the day, the flag is supposed to re-raised to full mast before lowering the flag from the flagpole.
|-
|Flag at three-quarter mast
|Someone died but we're not sure how we feel about them.
|Assuming that this way of flying the flag follows the same custom as above, it can be inferred that the flag was first raised to full mast, and then lowered by only half the distance customary for honoring an important person. If the people in charge of raising the flag are not convinced of a deceased person's importance, it follows that they would give said person a half-hearted commemoration.
A more literal interpretation is that a single full-mast flag can be taken to mean "nobody important died". If so, 3/4ths mast is a compromise between that and the half mast meaning; in other words, "someone half-important died".
|-
|Flag at base of the mast
|Everyone important died.
|Likewise, if the flag is lowered halfway when an important person dies, lowering it twice as far implies that multiple important people have died. No intermediate positions are shown, so we can't be sure exactly how many. However, Randall does not specify his definition of "everyone," so this scenario could possibly imply that there was an event that led to the complete cessation of life on Earth, possibly leaving nobody to raise the flag.
|-
|Two flags at full mast
|Someone important was successfully cloned.
|Following the "flag for important people" rule, two flags would mean two (cloned) important people.
|-
|Two flags at half mast
|An important person died battling their evil clone.
|The concept of evil clone (or twin) is popular in fiction; in this case, two flags at half mast would mean that both clones (good and evilly diverged), or perhaps the cloned person and their clone-gone-bad (antithetical to the presumably 'good' original), died in some battle where both failed in trying to establish themselves as the sole surviving version.
|-
|Flag at half mast and upside-down
|Nobody has died for weeks and that seems good but statistically it's very alarming.
|Since on average [https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ someone dies every few seconds], it would indeed be extremely unlikely that no one would die for weeks in a row. Although not having anyone die seems good on the surface, it would trigger alarm about why this was happening; what mysterious force could possibly cause cessation of all deaths? And will it continue into the future, triggering an overpopulation crisis in short order?
In real life, flying the US flag {{w|Distress_signal#Inverted_flags|upside down}} is widely considered a distress signal, "a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property", and would not be intended to indicate an important figure has died. Flying the Canadian glad upside down is widely considered a distress signal to indicate the U.S. education system has died.
|-
|One normal-sized flag at half mast and five tiny flags at full mast
|Someone diverted a trolley to save five people by killing one important person.
|This is a reference to the {{w|Trolley problem}}, a well-known thought experiment in ethics: An out-of-control trolley is running toward five people who are on the tracks. If you do nothing, these five will be killed. However, you can trigger a switch that will divert the trolley onto a side track, where there is one person who would be killed. Which is the more ethical option?
In this case, the important person was sacrificed, and so is commemorated by the usual custom of lowering the flag to half-mast. The small flags, which represent the non-important people, fly at full mast to indicate those people's continued survival.
|-
|No flag on the pole
|The person who knows where the flag is stored at night died.
|Presumably the flag-keeper died during the night, and nobody living knows where the flag is stored and can't seem to locate it to put it on the flagpole.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[8 panels in 2 rows, 4 panels per row - each panel shows a flagpole in a different state of flying flag(s) with a caption at the bottom of the panel below the flagpole.]
:[The US flag at half mast.]
:Caption: Someone important died
:[The same flag at three-quarter mast.]
:Caption: Someone died but we're not sure how we feel about them
:[The flag at the base of the mast.]
:Caption: Everyone important died
:[Two identical flags at full mast.]
:Caption: Someone important was successfully cloned
:[Two identical flags at half mast.]
:Caption: An important person died battling their evil clone
:[An upside-down flag at half mast.]
:Caption: Nobody has died for weeks and that seems good but statistically it's very alarming.
:[A normal-sized flag at half mast and five tiny flags at full mast.]
:Caption: Someone diverted a trolley to save five people by killing one important person
:[A flagpole with no flag.]
:Caption: The person who knows where the flag is stored at night died.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2174: First News Memory

2019-07-11T12:27:38Z

108.162.241.22:

AAAAA, black hat is an alien confirmed in XKCD cinematic universe canon!!!1! [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 23:33, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

Should it be linked to [[:category:Comics to make one feel old|Comics to make one feel old]]? it is kind of a similar theme. especially [[1686: Feel Old]]. Also (not of the feel old series): [[1093: Forget]]. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 05:56, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

== First News Memory ==

The challenger disaster was my first news memory too. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.124|108.162.241.124]] 19:37, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
: The Challenger disaster was for me, too -- except I distinctly remember it being during my 8th grade year (two years after it had occurred). Earlier still would be Mt. St. Helens' blowing it's top (well, side) -- except it wasn't a news event, it was a life event (we lived in Idaho at the time, and had a lot of the first ash that came down...) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.52|162.158.75.52]] 05:58, 11 July 2019 (UTC)
:: Wait... is the Challenger disaster my first news memory if I watched it happen live? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.124|108.162.241.124]] 12:26, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

Bernie Sanders not being admitted into debates was mine...
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:54, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
:The debate was with Moses -- Bernie is ''old''. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:59, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
::And yet distinctly more lucid than Biden & more active than Trump. Bernie's age doesn't concern me much. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:50, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

I'm sure I must have watched the moon landing, but I don't actually remember it (I was 8 at the time). I remember Nixon being elected, but I'm not sure if it was 1968 or 1972.[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]])

I was five and was allowed to stay up very late - i think I remember being allowed to stay up more than the moon landing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.67|162.158.154.67]] 22:10, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

I vaguely remember the last moon landing (family didn’t have TV for the first three) but I very clearly remember the first picture of Mars sent back by the Viking lander. They actually interrupted the regular programming to show it live.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.234.132|172.69.234.132]] 04:23, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

If it's supposed it's first news memory you remember clearly, mine would be the {{w|September 11 attacks}} ... however, i'm sure it was nowhere near first news I was watching. It's just that the ones before were either hard to date (like some road accidents) or not visual enough (talking heads), so I don't remember if I watched that one in TV or read it in newspaper. Also, I suspect it was first news I saw outside of regular news show: they interrupted what was supposed to be in TV at that time, so I though it's some catastrophic movie first. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:53, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

For me it was the German election results 1998, where Schröder became the new Kanzler. 3 Years later, 9/11 is much clearer on my mind however --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 11:11, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

== Explain the comic ==

(Flashblub memories \ Mandela effect)
I think we need an explanation of Flashbulb memories, for sure. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:50, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

== Details hazy ==

"Challenger crashed into and destroyed the Berlin Wall" ... 'That's right, isn't it?' - ''Dexter Walker'' (played by Daryl Mitchell) on ''The John Laroquette Show''
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:50, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

== Links to character pages ==

This comic especially felt like it needed links to character pages, so I added them. If we have a policy not to do that, please feel free to unlink. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 02:10, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

== Deny/refute ==
In comment on title text, I changed refutes to denies. Refute means to actually prove something is untrue, not the same as just denying it is true. One deals with proven fact, the other is unsupported opinion.

2026: Heat Index

2018-09-02T17:08:11Z

108.162.241.22: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2026
| date = July 30, 2018
| title = Heat Index
| image = heat_index.png
| titletext = The heat index is calculated via looking up the "effective temperature" in a table of air temperature and humidity values, and then adding a bunch more degrees because it feels WAY hotter than that.
}}

==Explanation==
Heat index, like wind chill, is a way to combine multiple factors, in this case temperature and humidity, to get a single number indicating what the air "feels like." {{w|Heat index}} gives a table, a formula, and lots more explanation.

Human skin does not directly detect temperature - only the rate of heat gain or loss. This is why a piece of metal feels cooler than a piece of plastic or wood at the same exact temperature (below body temperature, above it is the other way around) - the metal conducts heat away from the higher body temperature at a higher rate than a good insulator does.

So in warm weather, it's not just the temperature that matters for comfort. The humidity and wind speed also factor into it. When humidity is high, sweat evaporation is less effective at cooling us off than in a "dry heat" with low humidity.

Hence, meteorologists use a combination of temperature and humidity to come up with the "heat index" value...and a combination of temperature and wind speed to produce a "wind chill" number.

Neither scale is particularly scientific in terms of measuring how people feel - but both are a more accurate representation of comfort levels than temperature alone.

The joke here is that these numbers seem entirely subjectively chosen - and in a sense, they really are, although they are calculated from an actual formula (a multivariate fit to a mathematical model of the human body - with nine terms!) and not by guesswork as the flow chart implies.

The title text suggests another way it is calculated: In general the effective temperature is calculated based on the conductivity of heat based on humidity. This is a legitimate method of determining how hot something feels because the heat conductance of water is higher than dry air and humans perceive more heat when the humidity is higher. But humans also tend to exaggerate and so [[Randall]] implies to add still a bunch more to satisfy the subjective sentiment.

==Transcript==
:[A flowchart is shown beneath its title:]
:How to Calculate the "Heat Index":

:[There are four boxes with arrows between. The first rectangular box is at the top, and an arrow points straight down:]
:Measure the Temperature

:[From there an arrow goes straight down to a decision diamond:]
:Does it look hot enough?

:[Two arrow goes out from the diamond. One goes straight down to another rectangular box. Both the arrow and the box has labels:]
:No
:Add a few degrees

:[From the bottom box an arrow goes back to the diamond. The other arrow from the diamond goes right to a final box with no arrows. Again both the arrow and the box has labels:]
:Yes
:Done

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Flowcharts]]

896: Marie Curie

2018-09-02T11:47:11Z

108.162.241.22: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 896
| date = May 9, 2011
| title = Marie Curie
| image = marie curie.png
| titletext = Although not permanently.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic begins with [[Ponytail]] stating that her teacher told her that if she worked hard (applied herself) she could be the next {{w|Marie Curie}}. But then a distorted {{w|Zombie}} Marie Curie (drawn as zombie [[Hairbun]]) walks in and informs Ponytail that she is not the only influential woman scientist, and would wish people would get over her "as the only important female scientist". She then mentions two other important women in science.

Marie Curie was a pioneering research scientist, most famous for her work with radiation, and in isolating {{w|Radium}}, and {{w|Polonium}}. She died from {{w|aplastic anemia}} contracted from exposure to {{w|radiation}} from the extremely radioactive isotopes of Radium and Polonium that she would carry around in her pockets. She ends up warning Ponytail against exposure to radium, stating that ''it kills you'', although as the title text points out, obviously not permanently as she came back as a zombie.

The conversation between [[Ponytail]] and Zombie Marie Curie refers to the fact that Marie is often singled out as the only significant female scientist. Marie points out that this is a poor version of the truth, for two reasons. Firstly, there have been many other significant female scientists, and secondly, Marie asserts that the most significant events in {{w|theoretical physics}} and {{w|mathematics}} do not arise because of an individuals desire for fame, but from passion for the subject and a great deal of dedication and hard work.

As examples of important women scientists the comic mentions {{w|Lise Meitner}} and {{w|Emmy Noether}}.

Lise Meitner was one of the major contributors in the discovery of nuclear fission for which her male colleague {{w|Otto Hahn}} was awarded a {{w|Nobel Prize}} in 1944. In the process she proved that {{w|Enrico Fermi}} had made some wrong assumptions, but he also got a Nobel prize whereas she only got a {{w|National Press Club (United States)|National Women's Press Club}} award as "Woman of the Year" in 1946. As a somewhat late consolation, the element {{w|Meitnerium}} was named after her in 1997 almost 30 years after her death. (She is later mentioned again in [[1584: Moments of Inspiration]]).

{{w|Noether's Theorem}} is widely considered one of the most beautiful and significant theorems in abstract algebra, and its repercussions are still being widely explored to this day. She had to learn mathematics by taking {{w|Academic audit|auditing classes}} at {{w|University of Erlangen}} since she was [https://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/noether.htm refused the opportunity to take classes because she was a woman]. And later she had to teach without getting paid and under male colleagues' names, meaning that students would only take the course if they thought some "real" male teacher was guiding Emmy.

Marie asserts at the end that Ponytail is not alone, meaning that there are many important female scientists out there, and also many young woman wanting to become scientists. But could also be a reference to the fact that, as mentioned, female scientists might be less likely to receive medals or other tokens of support and encouragement.

Zombies are a [[:Category:Zombies|recurring theme]] in xkcd, particularly zombie scientists, which has also occurred twice before with {{w|Richard Feynman}} in [[397: Unscientific]] and {{w|Paul Erdős}} in [[599: Apocalypse]].

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is looking up at a picture on the wall showing Marie Curie with a white hair bun. She seems to be standing in front of a laboratory table with samples strewn over the surface. Her arms are in front of her like she is working with these samples. A voice comes from off-panel (and is revealed in the next panels to be Zombie Marie Curie.]
:Ponytail: My teacher always told me that if I applied myself, I could become the next Marie Curie.
:Zombie Marie Curie (off-panel): You know, I wish they'd get over me.
:[Inserted panel mainly inside the first panel, but extending a bit it, with a close up of Ponytail who turns her face around swiftly towards the zombie, as indicated by two speed lines curving around her head, even breaking the panels frame.]
:Ponytail: Zombie Marie Curie!

:[Ponytail has turned towards Zombie Marie Curie, drawn as Hairbun, who is walking towards Ponytail in typical zombie fashion both arms stretched out, with a battered and weathered look Stuff is falling off behind her, presumably mainly earth from when she dug herself out of her grave, and she is leaving a trail of this behind her, and it keeps falling from both of her hands and her body.]
:Zombie Marie Curie: Not that I don't deserve it. These two Nobels ain't decorative. But I make a sorry role model if girls just see me over and over as the one token lady scientist.

:[Close up of Zombie Marie Curie holding a hand up. She clearly has two large pieces of earth stuck to her face, and her hair is in disarray even with the hair bun keeping it in place.]
:Zombie Marie Curie: Lise Meitner figured out that nuclear fission was happening, while her colleague Otto was staring blankly at their data in confusion, and proved Enrico Fermi wrong in the process. Enrico and Otto both got Nobel Prizes. Lise got a National Women's Press Club award.
:Zombie Marie Curie: They finally named an element after her, but not until 60 years later.

:[Zoom out to both Ponytail and Zombie Marie Curie both with their arms down.]
:Zombie Marie Curie: Emmy Noether fought past her Victorian-era finishing-school upbringing, pursued mathematics by auditing classes, and, after finally getting a Ph.D, was permitted to teach only as an unpaid lecturer (often under male colleagues' names).
:Ponytail: Was she as good as them?
:Zombie Marie Curie: She revolutionized abstract algebra, filled gaps in relativity, and found what some call the most beautiful, deepest result in theoretical physics.
:Ponytail: Oh.

:[Close up of Zombie Marie Curie.]
:Zombie Marie Curie: But you don't become great by trying to be great. You become great by wanting to do something, and then doing it so hard that you become great in the process.

:[Zoom out to both Ponytail and Zombie Marie Curie.]
:Zombie Marie Curie: So don't try to be the next me, Noether, or Meitner. Just remember that if you want to do this stuff, you're not alone.
:Ponytail: Thanks.
:Zombie Marie Curie: Also, avoid radium. Turns out it kills you.
:Ponytail: I'll try.

==Trivia==
*Marie Curie was later drawn in similar Hairbun style (but not with the zombie decay) in [[Thing Explainer]] in the article ''The pieces everything is made of'' (about the {{w|Periodic table}}), since she discovered two of the elements and had one element named after her, just like Lise Meitner.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Zombies]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Science]]

2038: Hazard Symbol

2018-08-27T16:22:31Z

108.162.241.22: /* Explanation */ 😰 is described by {{w|Emojipedia}} as "[https://emojipedia.org/face-with-open-mouth-and-cold-sweat/ Anxious Face With Sweat]".

<noinclude>:''"2038", this comic's number, redirects here. For the comic named "2038", see [[607: 2038]].''</noinclude>

{{comic
| number = 2038
| date = August 27, 2018
| title = Hazard Symbol
| image = hazard_symbol.png
| titletext = The warning diamond on the Materials Safety Data Sheet for this stuff just has the "😰" emoji in all four fields.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LASER EMITTING RADIOACTIVE SLIPPERY BIOHAZARD in about 10 minutes, ignoring writing rules. - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Hazard symbols are often required to indicate certain threats to human health. These symbols are typically black symbols on yellow backgrounds, a contrast typically associated with danger even in nature{{Citation needed}}. However, these symbols also need to be easy to interpret. Therefore, they have simple, recognizable shapes that are internationally uniform and well-understood.

This comic inverts this latter expectation, by combining multiple hazard symbols into one, creating something that is unique, and very hard to understand. In practice, if such an object were to be labelled, the five hazard symbols would be separated, each in their own triangle.

The title text refers to another unsafe subversion of expectations, in this case, with against the [[wikipedia:NFPA 704|NFPA 704]] "fire diamond". These are the colourful diamond-shaped symbols often found on the back of tankers, but they are also necessary inclusions on materials safety datasheets. These symbols give numeric indication of the hazardous nature of the material, in three different respects (flammability, health, and reactivity), in addition to providing space for an extra warning on the bottom, typically in the form of one or more letters. Using an emoji instead of numbers and letters would defeat the purpose of the fire diamond, as it would only give a qualitative indication of the danger ("very dangerous"), and additionally, could be very easily mistaken for a 0 (meaning safe).

😰 is described by {{w|Emojipedia}} as "[https://emojipedia.org/face-with-open-mouth-and-cold-sweat/ Anxious Face With Sweat]".

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

The comic emphasizes a conglomerate of warning symbols (described below), drawn in black on top of a 'safety-yellow' background.
*The outer symbol is the outer portion of the international sign for bio hazard (not to be confused with the Jolly Rodger for poison).
** The section is much larger than the other symbols as it contains them all.
*At the center of the biohazard's contribution is the international symbol for radiation.
**The symbol and the remaining symbols are approximately the same size.
*Directly above (at 12:00) radiation is a common American symbol for slippery floors.
**It is a line representing the floor, and a person suspended in air and tilted at an angle as though falling backwards.
*At 4:00, is the symbol for high powered lasers
**This is tilted approximately 225 degrees and its tail shorted as a result of the conglomeration.
**This symbol is a trail of a laser, and emission of lines at some imagined point of contact.
*At 8:00 is the international symbol for high voltage
**This is tilted approximately 45 degrees, and drawn with significant irregularities.
**This symbol is an inverted Z like, lightning bolt with an arrow tip.

Under that from is a written caption:

"It's important to know the international warning symbol for radioactive high-voltage laser-emitting biohazards that coat the floor and make it slippery."

{{comic discussion}}

993: Brand Identity

2018-08-11T00:49:39Z

108.162.241.22: /* List of all products in the shelves */ 84 is actually three items in a row. Top unreadable, middle unlabeled, and bottom bees.

{{comic
| number = 993
| date = December 21, 2011
| title = Brand Identity
| image = brand_identity.png
| titletext = Legally-mandated information would be printed on the back or discreetly along the bottom. In small letters under the nutrition information it would say 'Like our products? Visit our website!' There would be no URL.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents [[Randall]]'s idea for a line of food products all with clear black font on a white background. The products with black block lettering and white background stand out from the other items in this comic. The irony is that even though the branding isn't terribly creative, the ''lack'' of complexity is what causes the products to stand out. These product packaging styles resemble {{w|no-frills}} products and {{w|generic brands}}. For example, in Canada, the "{{w|No Name (brand)|No Name}}" generic brand of low-cost products sold by {{w|Loblaw Companies Limited|Loblaws}} general features a plain yellow label with the description of the product in bold black text, and occasionally an image of the product. The brand name is minimalized as are other legally-required elements (e.g. the weight of the product). Another of Loblaws' generic brands, {{w|President's Choice}} (PC) currently has a plain white background with black bold text for the labels on most of its products (usually with an image of the product as well as the brand name), although more recently, text in accent colours has been introduced.

The style of packaging might be a reference to ''{{w|The Prisoner}}'' TV series from the '60s, a dystopia set in a village (actually, "the village") locked out from the outside world. The shops here only sell "village food". [http://www.wemadethis.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Village-foods.jpg See this photo] for an example.
It might also be a reference to Portal’s bean cans.

In the title text, the lack of a listed URL relates to the lack of branding on the package. It is possible that omitting the URL the consumer's curiosity will be aroused, and they will spend time on the internet hunting for the actual site.

===List of all products in the shelves===
[[File:993_numbering.png]]

*[1] Rainbow
*[2] Ruffles
*[3] [unreadable]
*[4] Potato Chips [new brand]
*[5] [unreadable]
*[6] cheese crackers [Flavor 1]
*[7] cheese crackers [Flavor 2]
*[8] - [12] [unreadable]
*[13] [?] Beets
*[14] - [16] [unreadable]
*[17] tissues [new brand]
*[18] cervical caps [what product is this? see comments]
*[19] [unreadable]
*[20] blue stripe shells
*[21] Ear tonic
*[22] - [24] [unreadable]
*[25] - [26] [unreadable]
*[27] crackers [new brand]
*[28] - [29] [unreadable]
*[30] matches [new brand]
*[31] - [32] [unreadable]
*[33] peanuts [new brand]
*[34] hot sauce [probably not the new brand, see comments]
*[35] - [40] [unreadable]
*[41] sugar [probably not the new brand, see comments]
*[42] - [45] [unreadable]
*[46] milk [new brand]
*[47] - [48] [unreadable]
*[49] pasta [new brand]
*[50] caccalion [there is no pasta named like this says the {{w|List of pasta}}]
*[51] free
*[52] [unreadable]
*[53] coffee
*[54] [unreadable]
*[55] coffee [new brand]
*[56] - [61] [unreadable]
*[62] white beans
*[63] - [66] [unreadable]
*[67] sanfra beans [there are no beans named like this says the {{w|Bean#Types}}]
*[68] pinto beans
*[69] bean
*[70] pinto beans
*[71] black beans [new brand]
*[72] [unreadable]
*[73] do beans [there are no beans named like this says the {{w|Bean#Types}}]
*[74] black beans
*[75] [unreadable]
*[76] lima beans
*[77] lima beans [new brand]
*[78] fort cotbean [partially unreadable, there are no beans named like this says the {{w|Bean#Types}}]
*[79] three [unreadable] can
*[80] [unreadable]
*[81] pine + giant bean
*[82] beans with [unreadable]
*[83] refrie[d beans; unfinished due to bowing of can]
*[84 top] [unreadable]
*[84 middle] [unlabeled]
*[84 bottom] Bees
*[85] [unreadable]
*[86] mayonnaise
*[87] roo's simple mayo
*[88] simp[le] mayo [unfinished word due to bowing of can]
*[89] mayo [new brand]
*[90] [unreadable]
*[91] red meat sauce
*[92] [unreadable]
*[93] oil
*[94] [unreadable]
*[95] oil
*[96] ketchup [new brand]
*[97] - [98] [unreadable]
*[99] maple syrup
*[100] - [101] [unreadable]
*[102] eye
*[103] tea
*[104] tea
*[105] - [106] [unreadable]
*[107] tea
*[108] country loaf
*[109] bread [new brand]
*[110] white bread

==Transcript==
:[The incredibly varied shelf of a supermarket aisle. There are many different types of products on this shelf. Each type has numerous different brands, all surrounding a very plain brand that has, as its only label, the type of product. A plain bag, labeled in plain black letters, says "Potato Chips" and is surrounded by all the other various brands of potato chips. The same exists for tissues, crackers, matches, peanuts, hot sauce, sugar, milk, pasta, coffee, black beans, lima beans, mayo, ketchup, tea, and bread. There is a stark contrast between the incredibly noisy and complex labeling of every other brand and this simple one.]

:[Caption below:]
:If I ever sold a line of supermarket goods,
:this is how I'd build a brand identity overnight.

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

1912: Thermostat

2017-11-10T23:02:34Z

108.162.241.22:

{{comic
| number = 1912
| date = November 6, 2017
| title = Thermostat
| image = thermostat.png
| titletext = Your problem is so terrible, I worry that, if I help you, I risk drawing the attention of whatever god of technology inflicted it on you.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Rough draft, could still use work. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Hairy]] is working at a tech support office, and receives a call from [[Cueball]]. After the scripted greeting, Cueball, who [[1084|has the]] [[1586|most bizarre]] [[1700|tech issues]], tells Hairy that his thermostat – a single-purpose device used to control indoor heating and air conditioning – is showing an error screen from the {{w|Android operating system}}, and asking if he wants to partition the volume. The Android error seems to imply that it is trying to mount a file with {{w|.doc}} extension (likely a [[1459|Microsoft Word document]]) as the {{w|Boot_device|boot device}}. An added twist is the "(1)" in the filename, which is appended by Windows when a user attempts to copy a file into a directory that already has a file with the same name. (Furthermore, the extension {{w|.docx}} has been the default option from Microsoft Office 2007 onwards rather than the earlier .doc extension used in the comic, implying that the file is likely a rather old one.)

The error message suggests a system problem at a low level of the device. Not only is the operating system missing, but the device is trying to locate the operating system inside a Microsoft Word document, something that has little to do with regulation of temperature and probably has no way of getting onto the device in the first place, let alone being considered as a bootable file.

This is so abnormal that Hairy is briefly struck silent, and upon recovering he suggests Cueball {{tvtropes|SuicideBySea|walk into the sea}}, potentially as a form of suicide (possibly a reference to {{w|Kate Chopin|Kate Chopin's}} ''{{w|The Awakening (Chopin novel)|The Awakening}}'', or to ''{{w|Eldritch Horror}}'', or to the ''{{w|Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac}}'', or to ''Automatthew's Friend'' by Stanisław Lem, or to nothing at all, because not everything is a reference), rather than try to solve the issue. Hairy might also attempt to interpret the message (partition the volume) more liberally as suggesting the device can {{w|Crossing the Red Sea|part the sea like Moses did in the book of Exodus}}. This may also be a reference to [[349: Success]], but probably isn't.

The title text elaborates that the situation is so absurd that it must be divine punishment, so Hairy does not want to try and help him for fear of invoking the wrath of whatever deity is issuing it. This may be a reference to the character of {{w|Aeolus_(son_of_Hippotes)|Aeolus}} in the ''{{w|Odyssey}}'', who, having made an unsuccessful attempt to assist {{w|Odysseus}} by giving him a bag containing unfavorable winds, refused to provide further assistance on the grounds that the gods were clearly hostile to Odysseus.

Part of the humor is the problem being only a slight exaggeration of real software issues. The symptoms are unlikely, yet potentially possible (a thermostat could be running Android and could generate a report as a .doc file; given some data corruption, the name of the .doc file could get into the boot script and a volume could appear unpartitioned). It would take an expert Android or Unix engineer to fix, particularly on an embedded device with no obvious way to connect remotely or attach a keyboard. In real life, an embedded device whose software was this broken could just be replaced.

==Transcript==
:[Hairy, with a headset on, is sitting in an office chair at a desk with his hands ready on the keyboard of his computer.]
:Hairy: Tech support, how can I help you?

:[Cueball is on his smartphone while looking at a small blinking panel on the wall in front of him.]
:Cueball: The little LCD on my thermostat says <span style="font-size:90%">''Error: Android system recovery: Unrecognized boot volume "/MONTHLY ENERGY REPORT (1).DOC"</span>

:[In a frame-less beat panel Hairy just stares at his screen with his hands on his lap.]

:[Back to Cueball, now with Hairy's reply coming from the smartphone in a box with a jagged arrow pointing to the smartphone.]
:Cueball: It's asking if I want to partition the volume. What should I do?
:Hairy (on the phone): Have you tried walking into the sea.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]

1912: Thermostat

2017-11-10T23:01:23Z

108.162.241.22:

{{comic
| number = 1912
| date = November 6, 2017
| title = Thermostat
| image = thermostat.png
| titletext = Your problem is so terrible, I worry that, if I help you, I risk drawing the attention of whatever god of technology inflicted it on you.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Rough draft, could still use work. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Hairy]] is working at a tech support office, and receives a call from [[Cueball]]. After the scripted greeting, Cueball, who [[1084|has the]] [[1586|most bizarre]] [[1700|tech issues]], tells Hairy that his thermostat – a single-purpose device used to control indoor heating and air conditioning – is showing an error screen from the {{w|Android operating system}}, and asking if he wants to partition the volume. The Android error seems to imply that it is trying to mount a file with {{w|.doc}} extension (likely a [[1459|Microsoft Word document]]) as the {{w|Boot_device|boot device}}. An added twist is the "(1)" in the filename, which is appended by Windows when a user attempts to copy a file into a directory that already has a file with the same name. (Furthermore, the extension {{w|.docx}} has been the default option from Microsoft Office 2007 onwards rather than the earlier .doc extension used in the comic, implying that the file is likely a rather old one.)

The error message suggests a system problem at a low level of the device. Not only is the operating system missing, but the device is trying to locate the operating system inside a Microsoft Word document, something that has little to do with regulation of temperature and probably has no way of getting onto the device in the first place, let alone being considered as a bootable file.

This is so abnormal that Hairy is briefly struck silent, and upon recovering he suggests Cueball {{tvtropes|SuicideBySea|walk into the sea}}, potentially as a form of suicide (possibly a reference to {{w|Kate Chopin|Kate Chopin's}} ''{{w|The Awakening (Chopin novel)|The Awakening}}'', or to ''{{w|Eldritch Horror}}'', or to the ''{{w|Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac}}'', or to ''Automatthew's Friend'' by Stanisław Lem, or to nothing at all, because not everything is a reference), rather than try to solve the issue. Hairy might also attempt to interpret the message (partition the volume) more liberally as suggesting the device can {{w|Crossing the Red Sea|part the sea like Moses did in the book of Exodus}}. This may also be a reference to [[349: Success]].

The title text elaborates that the situation is so absurd that it must be divine punishment, so Hairy does not want to try and help him for fear of invoking the wrath of whatever deity is issuing it. This may be a reference to the character of {{w|Aeolus_(son_of_Hippotes)|Aeolus}} in the ''{{w|Odyssey}}'', who, having made an unsuccessful attempt to assist {{w|Odysseus}} by giving him a bag containing unfavorable winds, refused to provide further assistance on the grounds that the gods were clearly hostile to Odysseus.

Part of the humor is the problem being only a slight exaggeration of real software issues. The symptoms are unlikely, yet potentially possible (a thermostat could be running Android and could generate a report as a .doc file; given some data corruption, the name of the .doc file could get into the boot script and a volume could appear unpartitioned). It would take an expert Android or Unix engineer to fix, particularly on an embedded device with no obvious way to connect remotely or attach a keyboard. In real life, an embedded device whose software was this broken could just be replaced.

==Transcript==
:[Hairy, with a headset on, is sitting in an office chair at a desk with his hands ready on the keyboard of his computer.]
:Hairy: Tech support, how can I help you?

:[Cueball is on his smartphone while looking at a small blinking panel on the wall in front of him.]
:Cueball: The little LCD on my thermostat says <span style="font-size:90%">''Error: Android system recovery: Unrecognized boot volume "/MONTHLY ENERGY REPORT (1).DOC"</span>

:[In a frame-less beat panel Hairy just stares at his screen with his hands on his lap.]

:[Back to Cueball, now with Hairy's reply coming from the smartphone in a box with a jagged arrow pointing to the smartphone.]
:Cueball: It's asking if I want to partition the volume. What should I do?
:Hairy (on the phone): Have you tried walking into the sea.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]

Talk:1860: Communicating

2017-07-08T18:03:29Z

108.162.241.22:

Isn't this [[Science Girl]], and not necessarily "Alice"? Although they could be one and the same, in this comic and all comics? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 16:45, 7 July 2017 (UTC)
*I agree that this is [[Science Girl]], but she could be playing the role of Alice, or alternatively she could be merely visiting the Looking Glass world as Alice also did. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.94|108.162.216.94]] 17:13, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

I've heard that the nursery rhyme never makes explicit that Humpty is an egg. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.83|108.162.212.83]] 18:36, 7 July 2017 (UTC)
:It’s my understanding that the original nursery rhyme was a riddle where the question was “What is Humpty Dumpty?” and the answer is “an Egg.” [[User:Rylon|Rylon]] ([[User talk:Rylon|talk]]) 21:51, 7 July 2017 (UTC)
::If that is the case, then the riddle is nearly as bad as "Words that end in -gry." [[User:OriginalName|OriginalName]] ([[User talk:OriginalName|talk]]) 04:08, 8 July 2017 (UTC)

http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/origins1-humpty-dumpty-and-the-fall-of-colchester.html

I took this to mean politicians stating false things then equivocating by saying the words they used mean something different from what the traditional meaning the listeners assumed they meant were. Maybe I just watch too much late night TV tho. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:44, 7 July 2017 (UTC)
:The comic's subject matter is applicable to many things, but that doesn't mean it's about those things. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.83|108.162.212.83]] 04:33, 8 July 2017 (UTC)

I think this might be the first time I've seen Randall draw a facial expression in one of his comics. Surely this can't be the only one, right? --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.22|108.162.241.22]] 18:03, 8 July 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1828: ISS Solar Transit

2017-04-24T18:14:10Z

108.162.241.22:

The staging of this comic is really confusing... Top to bottom, right to left is just a weird order. It took me a little while to figure out that the solid white space in the top row is actually a double high, and not a solid white beat panel. I was thinking that the picture was completely whited out. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 15:37, 24 April 2017 (UTC)

The comic reads left-to-right, not right-to-left... [[User:Rajakiit|Raj-a-Kiit]] ([[User talk:Rajakiit|talk]]) 16:45, 24 April 2017 (UTC)

I disagree with the description that's posted. The joke is that Cueball is not trying to take a picture of the sun - he is trying to take a picture of the ISS while it passes in front of the sun. So it is true that the object being photographed (the ISS) is in direct sunlight, just as the label says. The problem with the label is that it's incomplete: in context, it really means something like, "The object being photographed is in lighting equivalent to direct sunlight falling on the surface of the planet Earth with no intervening filters." The ISS (and the moon, as mentioned in the title text) are being directly struck by sunlight but do not fit the rest of the implied context of the label.