explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3046: Stromatolites

2025-02-04T17:29:38Z

108.162.245.39:

Yay, another Beret Guy appearance! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 03:46, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

I'm not sure if I'm trying to remember Bloom County and the penguin (Opus) or Snoopy by Schulz because of the last panel. Shrug. Prolly both. Warm is good. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.175.208|172.70.175.208]] 06:08, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:Add Zonker to this list? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.39|108.162.245.39]] 17:29, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

How can anybody be related to rock formations? Stomatolites are not organisms, they are the product of organisms. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.88|141.101.105.88]] 08:12, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:This might be one of Randall's weaker offerings in terms of scientific accuracy. I think that "stromatolites" as here used refers to the cyanobacterial component of stromatolites, which is the component detected in ancient fossils and is the one responsible for oxygen-evolving photosynthesis (responsible for what was perhaps the first {{w|Great_Oxidation_Event|first global environmental catastrophe}} - an element of ancestry of which it might be wise not to boast. Modern stromatolites have both cyanobacteria (ancestors of plastids) and alpha-proteobacteria (ancestors of mitochondria) in their microbial mats, and it's reasonable to assume that alpha-proteobacteria were present in the fossils. So the "cousins" would be of cyanobacteria in the stromatolites, not the stromatolites themselves (in which both were, presumably, cohabiting). Beret Guy also appears to be confused about the proposed sequence of events leading to the origins of mitochondria and eukaryotic cell nuclei. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.39|108.162.245.39]] 17:29, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:I've seen the surviving microbial mats in Australia referred to as "stromatolites" as well.[[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 12:39, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

I wonder if he is related to any specific dinosaurs or whether he bypassed that branch of the tree completely. 09:48, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

I think there's a joke (or at least a reference) here about the relatedness of life. All currently-known organisms are related by descent from a common ancestor, which in English makes us all cousins, of various distances. Mitochondria in plants and animals, for instance, must descend from the same bacterium-like organism that became an endosymbiont in a proto-eukaryote.[[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 12:39, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:Since mitochondria and chloroplasts were both originally distinct organisms that were absorbed into the host cells, that makes most modern life descendants of cannibals. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:37, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
::By that logic, eating pretty much any food except salt (and maybe dairy?) is cannibalism. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.70.87|172.68.70.87]] 16:09, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

I immediately thought of [https://fabpedigree.com/ Fabulous Pedigree], which ''does'' include ancestry (and side-branches) going back to (and past) mitochondria, though from a quick check it doesn't seem to specifically include stromatolites. Obviously the listing has lots of (mostly implied) gaps. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.217.72|162.158.217.72]] 13:55, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

== The [[What If? chapters|What If? article index]] project ==

Hey everyone,

I'm not sure if you noticed the banner of the site, but for the last few weeks a group of [[Talk:What If? chapters|incredibly talented editors]] have been redesigning the [[What If? chapters|'''index of ''What If?'' articles''']] from the ground up. Among other things, we've merged two huge tables, added a TON of additional info, created complex templates, and made [[What If? chapters|dozens and dozens of other improvements]]. I believe that, as a wiki, we should have a complete and detailed index of all what if? articles, [[List of all comics (full)|just like we do for the comics]], and we're getting so close to that goal! We mostly only need to add the missing explanations, improve the existing ones, and add the questions and answer summary from the books (plus other things).

We would love your help (especially if you have the first book)! We've prepared a [[What If? chapters|to-do list]] at the top of the page, containing everything that needs to be done, if you're interested. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 07:00, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

==Clicking and clicking and clicking==

I've added a bit about the length of time it would need to take to click that far back in the past. I'm sure I have got the amount out by several orders of magnitude, so I would appreciate it if anyone fancies a go at estimating how long Beret Guy would have taken. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.241.27|172.71.241.27]] 10:49, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3029: Sun Avoidance

2024-12-27T16:06:56Z

108.162.245.39:

My first time editing the BOT name. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 01:39, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:Maybe change it to BOT GETTING NOTHING BUT SUNBURN FOR CHRISTMAS? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.227.177|198.41.227.177]] 03:47, 26 December 2024 (UTC)

Nothing for Christmas? xkcd has fallen [[User:Pie Guy|Pie Guy]] ([[User talk:Pie Guy|talk]]) 02:26, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:Comic 3000 didn't have anything special for it either. Lame! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.68|172.70.210.68]] 03:44, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:Well, Hannukah is the feast of lights, and Christians say Jesus is The Light, so it kind of fits. Kind of. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.227.177|198.41.227.177]] 03:50, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
::Well it is kind of sad when he doesn't post an x-mas comic. Maybe this achievement of Parker outshone x-mas (like the sun outshines) in Randall's view. But it only happens on a few years he completely misses the chance to acknowledge x-mas. ;-/ --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:50, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:::I have made a mention of the strange thing that this release was not about Christmas and also made several notes about in on the [[:Category:Christmas]]. It is a 20 year and a ten in a row streak that ended at 19 and 9 for years in a row with x-mas comic at Chirstmas and times in a row when a 25th December release was about x-mas. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:31, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
::::Given the election of 47 (Randall's opinion of which can be guessed), and its dependence on, and promises to, those who call themselves "Christians", Randall's silence about the holiday can perhaps be understood, and maybe accepted as a better option than screaming. There is an awful lot of "la la la ..." going on in the USA during this transition season ... rather like in Berlin in the year 1933 CE. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.47|108.162.246.47]] 16:00, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::I find it implausible that Randall would decline to do a Christmas comic based on Trump being elected. Most of his Christmas comics focus on secular elements of the holiday anyway. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.55.81|172.68.55.81]] 01:54, 27 December 2024 (UTC)
::::::Yes last time DT was elected he made this jolly comic: [[1776: Reindeer]] :-D but then he made this New Year comic: [[1779: 2017]]. That he did not feel to celebrate at the moment is quite certain. But I do not think he or anyone else actually think that either side of the political field have priority over x-mas! So I really think he was so focused on the record that he took this instead. Still looking foward to Fridays comic to see if he might mention Christmas there. I do not think so, but if he did he would not break the 19 year with x-mas comics in a row streak. Only the one with not posting one on the 25th. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:35, 27 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::::None of us (presumably) is Randall, so unless the correct horse speaks, we won't know. To those who found it incredible that there was no xkcd Xmas comic in 2024, I responded that I found it very much not incredible. And as for saplings growing in a fallen forest, I can only hope that the USA's take on the {{w|Beer_Hall_Putsch|Beer Hall Putsch}} doesn't turn into the Capitol's take on the {{w|Reichstag_fire|Reichstag}} ... or the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_Gate#/media/File:Bundesarchiv_B_145_Bild-P054320,_Berlin,_Brandenburger_Tor_und_Pariser_Platz.jpg Brandenburg Gate, anno 1945 CE]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.39|108.162.245.39]] 16:06, 27 December 2024 (UTC)

XKCD wishes you a merry NOTHING and a happy new NOTHING. Hope you get lots of NOTHING this NOTHING! Remember to spend lots of NOTHING with your NOTHING! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.233|172.70.211.233]] 03:34, 26 December 2024 (UTC)

"This would be difficult, since at Parker's aphelion (furthest distance from the Sun in its orbit) it's still only about 7 million km, 35 million km from Solar Orbiter's orbit (and the probes would be much further apart if they're not on the same side of the Sun at the time)." -- What does aligning the probes have to do with the title text? Isn't the nudge at the aphelion meant to lower the perihelion into the Sun? (and not have anything to do with the proximity of the two probes) --[[User:Sophon|Sophon]] ([[User talk:Sophon|talk]]) 05:22, 26 December 2024 (UTC)

This explanation is not correct: at aphelion (further's point to the sun) Parker's is close to Venus orbit (~100 million km). Solar Orbiter's perihelion (closest point to the sun) is well below Mercury's orbit. There will regularly be at the same distance from the sun but very likely on different sides of the sun making virtually impossible any interactions between them as suggested by the title text. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.39.165|162.158.39.165]] 06:10, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:Ahhhh.. I (and perhaps others, like the comment currently immediately above?) had not properly understood the TT. Selective reading meant I had not realised that both probes were mentioned there, and that SO was therefore going to deflect PP (not either SO or PP changing their own orbit for themselves). Might need to edit something about that in... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.130|172.70.163.130]] 16:44, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:My mistake. I misread Wikipedia, thinking that it said Parker's aphelion was 7.26 million km, when that was actually a previous perihelion. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:23, 26 December 2024 (UTC)

Would the top five of the Sun Avoidance leaderboard be Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and New Horizons [[User:Take The A Train To Watertown|Take The A Train To Watertown]] ([[User talk:Take The A Train To Watertown|talk]]) 08:41, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:If they at any point got closer to the Sun than Earth ever is, they would end below all human missions on Earth. It do not say that it is space related missions. Also there are not that many missions to space and can be seen in the part of the number that are shown, and we cannot even see how big the actual number is... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:50, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:To directly answer the question, they may be 'more avoiding' the Sun right this moment, but their closest pass was all equally Earth-distant, due to coming from Earth.
:Assuming it's been checked that no further outer-planet-and-beyond missions used a slingshot into 'down orbit' from Earth, either for a particular pop back out to the right ejective up-orbit route or even to use a Venus-fly-by slingshot to enhance it. Otherwise, though, their location in the vicinity of Earth is their 'record worst', whatever they're doing now. Practically indistinguishable, in that regard, from Columbus (the sea-going one) or any Apollo mission. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.130|172.70.163.130]] 16:44, 26 December 2024 (UTC)

"approximately 17 metric tons directly to an orbit crossing Mercury requires a rocket the size of the Saturn V stack. '''Parker masses about forty times that'''" so ~680 tonnes - pretty sure you're out by three orders of magnitude there, perhaps substitute 'kilograms' or 'kg' for 'metric tons'? {{unsigned ip|162.158.168.151|23:03, 26 December 2024 (UTC)}}

2901: Geographic Qualifiers

2024-03-02T16:09:40Z

108.162.245.39:

{{comic
| number = 2901
| date = March 1, 2024
| title = Geographic Qualifiers
| image = geographic_qualifiers_2x.png
| imagesize = 435x386px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'Thank you for the loveliest evening I've ever had...' [normal] '...east of the Mississippi.' [instant intrigue!]
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT EAST OF THE BERLIN WALL - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, [[Cueball]] is bragging to a [[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|Cueball-like guy]] in front of a giant statue of a {{w|squirrel}} standing on a skateboard. Cueball states that this is the largest statue of that theme in “the {{w|Northern Hemisphere}}”. The other guy then becomes confused, as he realizes that this seems to imply the existence of a taller one in the {{w|Southern Hemisphere}}.

He quickly considers different countries in that hemisphere, {{w|Brazil}}, {{w|South Africa}} and {{w|Australia}}. This last country is a place know for its many {{w|Big things (Australia)|overly large statues}}. Squirrels are, however, not native to Australia or would be ''any'' statues of them there. Although squirrels have been brought there by humans, and may have started to spread there. Apart from that, [https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/animals/article/squirrel-distribution-habitat squirrels do live many places in the southern hemisphere] so it is not unlikely there could be other large statues of squirrels there. But on a skateboard?. Maybe [[Randall]] knows this, but it is not certain that the confused guy does. (There are of course many famous animals that are depicted in countries where they do not belong, like Elephants, as well as other non-native subjects that might even sometimes be {{w|Sarina, Queensland#Attractions|detrimentally}} extant). But small animals are not typically among them. Especially not with the additional stipulation of it riding a skateboard.

Adding an unnecessary qualifier like this doesn't change the truth of the statement. But it suggests that there's a need to restrict the scope of the statement, i.e. it wouldn't be true with a less restrictive qualifier (or none at all). This will cause the listener to wonder about these other cases. Or, in some cases, whether to take this statement {{tvtropes|SuspiciouslySpecificDenial|at face value}}.

Randall states, in the caption, that he loves the mystery created by adding such, maybe needless, qualifiers. He also mentions another example than the one used by Cueball, giving "East of the {{w|Mississippi River|Mississippi}}" (the river) as an example (which he then used in the title text, see below). Doing so could thus have been one of Randall's [[:Category:My Hobby|hobbies]], but he doesn't make that explicit.
Sometimes qualifiers are added simply due to incomplete information. They've exhaustively surveyed squirrel statues in the Northern Hemisphere and determined that this one is the largest. (Not counting any actual larger ones not ''also'' skateboarding!) But since they haven't searched the Southern Hemisphere, they don't want to commit to it being the largest in the world.

In the title text, someone is expressing gratitude at the end of a date, saying that it's the loveliest evening they've ever had (in actuality, "loveliest" is usually hyperbole).{{Citation needed}} This seems normal until they add a location qualifier. This leaves the companion wondering what kind of great evening they had in some other location. In this case, it's unlikely that the speaker would have incomplete information about their own dating history.

The statue may be a reference to [https://www.worldrecordacademy.org/2022/06/worlds-largest-squirrel-sculpture-cedar-creek-texas-sets-world-record-422206 Ms. Pearl], the giant squirrel statue in {{w|Cedar Creek, Texas}} which, at 14 ft (4 m) was indeed the largest squirrel statue in the western hemisphere in 2018. The qualifiers, in this case, ''are'' necessary since a [https://www.new-east-archive.org/articles/show/10477/a-giant-squirrel-has-taken-over-almat|temporary 40 ft (12 m) statue] was erected in {{w|Kazakhstan}} in 2018. But information for tourists in Cedar Creek, Texas, doesn't tend to include this information{{Citation needed}} creating the mystique. The artist behind the Kazakhstan statue appears to have been unaware of the Cedar Creek statue so the Kazakh statue is ''not'' intentionally close to three times bigger.

It is perhaps thanks only to the specific phrasing "tallest statue of a skateboarding squirrel" that we need not consider tallest-statues-of-squirrels (temporarily) placed on skateboards, tallest statuesque skateboards with squirrels atop or even a rather modestly sized statuette representing a moment when [https://bigthings.vroomvroomvroom.com/listing/worlds-largest-skateboard/ a large skateboard] had sciurine visitors. In any or all hemispheres.

==Transcript==
:[The scene in this comic is shown from afar and drawn in black silhouette on a white background. It depicts a huge statue of a squirrel standing on a skateboard, which is on a pedestal. Below and in front of the statue there are two Cueball-like guys. The Cueball on the left is pointing at the statue and speaking to his friend on the right who has a thought bubble above him.]
:Cueball: At over 40 feet, it's the tallest statue of a skateboarding squirrel in the Northern Hemisphere.
:Friend [thinking]: ...Wait, who in the heck...Brazil? South Africa? Australia? Squirrels aren't even native there...

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I love the instant mystery created by qualifiers like "east of the Mississippi" or "in the Northern Hemisphere."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Squirrels]]

102: Back to the Future

2016-10-29T08:16:05Z

108.162.245.39: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 102
| date = May 15, 2006
| title = Back to the Future
| image = back_to_the_future.jpg
| titletext = He's kind of an asshole, when you think about it.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the "{{w|Back to the Future}}" film series (specifically the first film) in which the protagonist, Marty McFly (played by {{w|Michael J. Fox}}) travels back from 1985 (present day for him) to 1955 and accidentally interferes with his own parents' first meeting. He must then arrange for them to fall in love before he ceases to exist from the paradox of his own parents never having children. An unintended side-effect of the way events occur is that his dad gains self-confidence in the past and becomes "less of a loser" in the present.

As noted in the comic, the time machine Marty uses is built by his professor friend, Doctor Emmett L. Brown ({{w|Christopher Lloyd}}) out of a {{w|DeLorean DMC-12}} (a 1980s-era sports car).

[[Cueball]], or possibly [[Hairy]], as the art could be inconsistent on this early comic, has a very similar experience. He suggests that the aforementioned changes to history are what he really needed to do. After a frame of awkward silence, [[Megan]] reminds him that her father was in the {{w|World Trade Center}} North Tower – implying that he died along with several thousand others in 1 World Trade Center on {{w|September 11, 2001}} at the time the tower collapsed due to a terrorist-flown passenger jet crashing into the building. Megan is therefore implying that saving her father's life (and perhaps the lives of the other 9/11 victims) might have been something else of importance he "needed" to do — perhaps something of significantly more importance. He seems completely oblivious to what she is trying to suggest. Megan starts to explain, but apparently decides that there's no point even trying to get through to him.

The title text could refer Cueball/Hairy or Marty McFly.

As a side note, for the comic to make sense, the events in the comic must take place after {{w|September 11, 2001}}, and not 1985 as it is in the movie. Since no dates are mentioned, Cueball probably went back by thirty years, because that's how far back Marty travels in the film.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are standing, talking to one another.]
:Cueball: This weekend, my professor friend built a time machine out of a DeLorean and I went back in time! I helped make sure my parents got together and helped my dad to be less of a loser.

:Megan: Wow! Do you still have the time machine?
:Cueball: Nah. But I did what I really needed to do.
:Megan: Uh huh.

:[Neither says anything.]

:Megan: Okay, you remember that my father was in the WTC North Tower, right?
:Cueball: Yeah...why?
:Megan: I...nothing.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]