explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2082: Mercator Projection

2024-11-03T20:36:18Z

108.162.246.34:

The choice of characters in this comic is...interesting. I never got the impression that White Hat was gullible. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 21:27, 7 December 2018 (UTC)
:White Hat is just a fill in character as Cueball so he can both be one way or the opposite. Definitely not like Black Hat or Beret Guy. I have added an example of Cueball spreading misinformation in the explanation, and also here it is White Hat that is the victim, just to show that your statement is not generally valid for White Hat. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:35, 10 December 2018 (UTC)

I can convince people that all of Randal's maps are real? [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 00:53, 8 December 2018 (UTC)

But wait, how does driving north reach Alaska? I thought it was an island near Hawaii to the southwest. More seriously, should we mention that the Mercator does have useful properties such as preserving angles or is that too much for explaining the comic? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.108|162.158.186.108]] 06:12, 8 December 2018 (UTC)

People putting a joke in the incomplete tag but completely ignoring the “Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete.” part is really annoying [[User:DrMeepster|DrMeepster]] ([[User talk:DrMeepster|talk]]) 07:38, 8 December 2018 (UTC)
:Good Dr. It is an autobot that fills in the first page of the explanation, and here it is always clearly incomplete. Others may later delete that it is a bot that has made the explanation, but not knowing if it is complete, but also now knowing if it is not. And then there is the large text stating do not delete too soon. So I agree that reasons should be given for old comics that are suddenly listed as incomplete, but that the newest comic is listed as incomplete is just basic info ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:29, 9 December 2018 (UTC)
::Why doesn’t the autobot explicitly say that it is incomplete by virtue of being a new comic? [[User:Saklad5|Saklad5]] ([[User talk:Saklad5|talk]]) 19:54, 9 December 2018 (UTC)

Perhaps it should elaborate on "ridiculous" i.e. Cueball claims that the Mercator projection changes the topology of land and water masses, not just their relative size and (oh it's a long time since I did maths, so I'll call it) squishiness. [[User:ColinHogben|ColinHogben]] ([[User talk:ColinHogben|talk]]) 10:19, 8 December 2018 (UTC)

Mercator map projection has the advantage that shortest line between two points on Earth (on globe) is straight line in this projection. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:17, 8 December 2018 (UTC)
::I'm afraid you are mistaken. A straight line on Mercator translates to a {{w|rhumb line}}, not a {{w|great-circle distance|great circle}}. Rhumb lines are useful for navigation, more so than great circles if all you have is a compass, but they are not (necessarily) the shortest distance between two points. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 08:17, 10 December 2018 (UTC)

The largest islands in Lake Ontario are either the western parts of the Thousand Islands or the southern-most part of the City of Toronto. Neither would be considered "in the middle" of the lake. While Lake Erie has some islands in the middle, like Middle Island, Lake Ontario does not have similar navigation targets/hazards. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 17:11, 8 December 2018 (UTC)

Both the XKCD comic (in its caption) and the explanation (in its current form) misuse the word "fact." The point that Randall is trying to make is that you can convince people of '''lies''' or anyway '''mistaken ideas''' by referring to the Mercator projection. '''Facts''' are by definition correct. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.166|162.158.63.166]] 13:53, 9 December 2018 (UTC)
::Facts can also be anything ''presented'' as objectively real. Under that definition, this is proper usage. [[User:Saklad5|Saklad5]] ([[User talk:Saklad5|talk]]) 20:02, 9 December 2018 (UTC)
:: Falsehoods presented as fact are facts only in the mind of someone like Trump. For the rest of us, Canada as an island is not a fact. Does still count as a factoid though; they by definition may only look like facts, and may or may not be true. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.106|162.158.38.106]] 17:01, 15 April 2020 (UTC)

I wonder if it is possible to make a map projection stupid enough to support this at first glance. [[User:Saklad5|Saklad5]] ([[User talk:Saklad5|talk]]) 20:05, 9 December 2018 (UTC)
: You could probably do it with a janky Peirce quincuncial that's not centered on the North Pole. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.108|172.68.59.108]] 15:05, 10 December 2018 (UTC)

The trivia should be merged with the main explanation. The fact that a projection can't erase a border, such as the land border between the US and Canada, is an important part of the joke. -[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.161|108.162.238.161]] 06:33, 10 December 2018 (UTC)
:Agree, Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:35, 10 December 2018 (UTC)

You're supposed to capitalize "Northwest" in "Pacific Northwest". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.34|108.162.246.34]] 20:36, 3 November 2024 (UTC)

3001: Temperature Scales

2024-10-24T14:20:04Z

108.162.246.34: /* Explanation */ Dalton to Celsius formula

{{comic
| number = 3001
| date = October 21, 2024
| title = Temperature Scales
| image = temperature_scales_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x535px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = In my new scale, °X, 0 is Earths' record lowest surface temperature, 50 is the global average, and 100 is the record highest, with a linear scale between each point and adjustment every year as needed.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EXPONENTIAL TEMPERATURE SYSTEM. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Since the invention of the {{w|thermometer}}, a number of different {{w|temperature}} scales have been proposed. In modern times, most of the world uses {{w|Celsius}} for everyday temperature measurements. A small number of countries (the USA and {{w|Territories of the United States|its territories}}, the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Liberia and Palau) retain the {{w|Imperial units|imperial system}}, which uses the {{w|Fahrenheit}} scale, which preceded Celsius by just under two decades, both being from the early 18th century. The other widely used temperature scale is the {{w|kelvin}}, which uses the same scale as degrees Celsius, but is rooted at {{w|absolute zero}}, making it both useful in scientific calculations and easy to convert to and from °Celsius (which, along with °Fahrenheit, is now officially defined relative to kelvin.) Kelvin has been part of the widely adopted official {{w|metric system}} since 1954. Even in countries that use Fahrenheit, scientific measurements are usually done in degrees Celsius or kelvin.

The comic compares these scales, and a number of others, on [[Randall]]'s scale of "cursedness." The joke is highlighting how different these alternative establishments of temperature scale are, and how impractical most of them are. All of the listed scales are real, but may be considered obsolete to varying degrees. Please see also [[1923: Felsius]], a combination of degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius.

{| class=wikitable
! scope="col" | Unit
! scope="col" | Water freezes
! scope="col" | Water boils
! scope="col" | Notes
! scope="col" | Cursedness
! scope="col" | Explanation
|-
| {{w|Celsius}} || 0 || 100 || Used in most of the world || 2/10 || The Celsius (°C) scale was devised by Swedish astronomer {{w|Anders Celsius}} in 1742 (as described later) and revised to its current orientation in 1745, a year after his death. 0°C represents the freezing point of water and 100°C represents the boiling point, both under {{w|standard atmospheric pressure}}. For some time re-recognised in terms of the {{w|Triple point#Triple point of water|triple point of water}}, the Celsius scale is now defined entirely in terms of the kelvin scale and its own benchmarks. By the given "cursedness," it is regarded as one of the least problematic temperature scales, but still considered cursed.
|-
| {{w|Kelvin}} || 273.15 || 373.15 || 0K is absolute zero || 2/10 || Kelvin (written with a lowercase 'k' in its full name; or as the symbol 'K', without the degrees symbol '°', unlike most other temperature units) is a unit of temperature devised by {{w|Lord Kelvin}} in 1848. It uses the same scale as Celsius but is shifted by 273.15 to set absolute zero at 0K (based on the {{w|Boltzmann constant}}.) While the kelvin is very useful for calculations in {{w|thermodynamics}} and material physics, and engineers/scientists like Randall (who rates it here as minimally cursed) will probably use one or both of kelvin and Celsius, it can be unintuitive to lay-persons unfamiliar with its use.
|-
| {{w|Fahrenheit}} || 32 || 212 || Outdoors in most places is between 0–100 || 3/10 || Fahrenheit (°F) is officially used in a few countries and informally in several others. It originated in a time when factors of 360 were favored in science over powers of ten, which is why the freezing and boiling points of water are set 180° apart. Devised around 1724, {{w|Daniel Fahrenheit}} chose not to base 0° on the freezing point of water, instead setting it at the coldest temperature he could achieve: the freezing point of an {{w|ammonium chloride}} {{w|brine}} solution. Although these reference points are now considered arbitrary and outdated by modern scholars (and the original brine solution freezes at a value other than zero in more recent versions), the scale gained popularity especially in Anglophone countries, likely because a swathe of everyday weather conditions across the anglophonic world fall (mostly) within the range of 0–100°F, with those who already frequently use it for such purposes considering it more intuitive. Additionally, 100°F is {{w|Human body temperature#Historical understanding|conveniently close to}} normal human body temperature, as a related coincidence, even though initial estimates had set it to 90°F. The Fahrenheit scale remains commonly used only in Randall's home country (the U.S., and its territories), the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Liberia and Palau. This does not prevent Randall specifying it as marginally more cursed than the more global standards.
|-
| {{w|Réaumur scale|Réaumur}} || 0 || 80 || Like Celsius, but with 80 instead of 100 || 3/8 || Abbreviated as °Ré, this system devised by {{w|René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur}} in 1730 was used in some places until the early 20th century, mostly for cheese-making. The rating (3/8) is a joke on the boiling point of water in this system being 80 instead of 100 as it is in Celsius; converting this to an out-of-ten scale would give 3.75/10, labeling it as more cursed than Fahrenheit but less so than Rømer.
|-
| {{w|Rømer scale|Rømer}} || 7.5 || 60 || Fahrenheit precursor with similarly random design || 4/10 || Abbreviated as °Rø, this scale was created by the Danish astronomer {{w|Ole Rømer}} around 1702. Much like Fahrenheit, it uses the freezing point of ammonium chloride brine as the benchmark for 0°, and the scale is built with factors of 360 in mind with the boiling point of pure water at 60°. Like the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point of pure water was not originally considered significant by Rømer, but the scale was later updated to fix it to 7.5.
The Rømer scale is also considered the common predecessor of both the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. Réaumur was inspired by Rømer's scale, Celsius based his work on Réaumur and Fahrenheit specifically designed his scale with more divisions than Rømer's to reduce the necessity for fractions.
|-
| {{w|Rankine scale|Rankine}} || 491.7 || 671.7 || Fahrenheit, but with 0°F [''sic;'' should be 0°R] set to absolute zero || 6/10 || The Rankine scale (°Ra), devised in 1859 by {{w|William Rankine}}, is to Fahrenheit what kelvin is to Celsius, an absolute scale rather than a relative one. The scale is mostly obsolete, but is still occasionally used in legacy industrial operations where absolute temperature scales are required. It is described as more cursed than the otherwise identical Fahrenheit scale, despite being rooted at a more universal zero point. Another comic, [[2292: Thermometer]], expresses disdain for this scale.
|-
| {{w|Newton scale|Newton}} || 0 || 33-ish || Poorly defined, with reference points like "the hottest water you can hold your hand in" || 7-ish/10 || The famous scientist and mathematician {{w|Isaac Newton}} published this scale in 1701, which was referred to by the the °N symbol. Sadly, the degrees of temperature specified do not correlate exactly with amounts of {{w|heat}}. The cursedness rating (7-ish/10) is a joke about the vagueness of the scale's definition. Very few scientists other than Newton ever used this scale,{{cn}} but it did appear on commercial thermometers around 1758.[https://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10413117&wwwflag=&imagepos=43]
|-
| {{w|Wedgwood scale|Wedgwood}} || –8 || –6.7 || Intended for comparing the melting points of metals, all of which it was very wrong about || 9/10 || Created by the potter {{w|Josiah Wedgwood}} in 1782, the '°W' scale was based on the shrinking of clay when heated above red heat, but was found to be very inaccurate. The comic has a typo, as the scale is called Wedgwood, without the second 'e'.
|-
| Galen || –4? || 4?? || Runs from –4 (cold) to 4 (hot). 0 is "normal"(?) || 4/–4 || The Greek physician {{w|Galen}} suggested a "neutral" temperature around 180 A.D.,[https://www.loebclassics.com/view/galen-temperaments/2020/pb_LCL546.3.xml] } when he was a prominent physician in the {{w|Roman Empire}}. Created by mixing equal parts of boiling water and ice, on either side of this neutral point he described four degrees of heat and four degrees of cold. This range from +4 to –4 is humorously used as its rating, implying -100% cursedness. Technically this makes it the least cursed of all the listed scales, but the idea of negative cursedness (or cursedness itself) would be Randall's invention. There is no standard modern abbreviation for Galen's scale.
|-
| {{w|Celsius#History|''Real'' Celsius}} || 100 || 0 || In Anders Celsius's original 1742 specification, bigger numbers are ''colder''; others later flipped it || 10/0 || Most scales' temperatures can be indefinitely large, but have an absolute minimum temperature. By starting at a maximum value and counting down, this scale is indeed cursed, as nearly all possible temperatures (possibly to the equivalent of 1.42x1032K, considered [https://doi.org/10.4236/jamp.2024.1210198 the maximum attainable physical temperature]) will be negative in this implementation. The cursedness rating (10/0) is a joke on the scale "flipping" the fixed points of modern Celsius. Division by zero is strictly undefined (see [[2295: Garbage Math]]) and may be interpreted in a number of counter-intuitive ways.
The original logic was that zero could be easily calibrated to the height of a column of mercury at the temperature of boiling water, and further measurements then made of the amount it ''reduced'' in height under cooler conditions. This orientation survives in the historic {{w|Delisle scale}} devised in 1732 by French astronomer {{w|Joseph-Nicolas Delisle}}, which arguably inspired the Celsius scale. The scale originally used by Professor Celsius was only changed, after his death, in 1745. Delisle's scale was never reversed.
|-
| [https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/459851/john-daltons-temperature-scale#459863 Dalton] || 0 || 100 || A nonlinear scale; 0°C and 100°C are 0 and 100 Dalton, but 50°C is 53.9 Dalton || 53.9/50 || {{w|John Dalton}} proposed a logarithmic temperature scale in 1802 during his work on what became {{w|Charles's Law}}. The scale is defined so that absolute zero is at negative infinity, with the exponent chosen to match Celsius at 0 and 100.
<center>Dalton = 320.55 × {{w|Natural logarithm|ln(}} (Celsius + 273.15) / 273.15)</center>
<center>Celsius = 273.15 × e(Dalton / 320.55) - 273.15</center>
There is no standard abbreviation for Dalton's scale. While Dalton temperature is defined for all positive and negative numbers, the nonlinear scale is difficult to work with since the amount of heat represented by a change of one degree Dalton is not constant. Degrees Dalton differs from Celsius by as much as 3.9 degrees between 0 and 100, but diverges much more for more extreme temperatures.

The rating (53.9/50) is a joke about the unit, as 53.9 Dalton would be 50 degrees Celsius — i.e., the cursedness could be understood as 50/50, or entirely cursed, but perhaps instead as 107.8% (even more than entirely) cursed.
|-
| °X || 42.9 || 151.4 || '''Title text:''' "In my new scale, °X, 0 is Earths' [sic] record lowest surface temperature, 50 is the global average, and 100 is the record highest, with a linear scale between each point and adjustment every year as needed." || ''not provided'' || The {{w|Lowest temperature recorded on Earth|record lowest surface temperature on Earth}} as of 2024 is –89.2°C (–128.6°F), recorded at the {{w|Vostok Station|Vostok Research Station}} in Antarctica on July 21, 1983.[https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-lowest-temperature] The average surface temperature as of 2023, the most recent available, is 14.8°C (58.6°F.)[https://climate.copernicus.eu/climate-indicators/temperature] The {{w|Highest temperature recorded on Earth|record highest temperature}} is 56.7°C (134.1°F), recorded on July 10, 1913 at {{w|Furnace Creek, California|Furnace Creek Ranch}} in Death Valley, California.[https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-highest-temperature] "Surface" temperatures are measured at 1.5 meters above ground inside a shaded shelter, to accurately represent the temperature of the air, because temperatures closer to the ground (directly cooled or heated by precipitation, sunlight and/or lingering subsurface conditions) are often quite different than the more informative air temperatures just above.

{{cot|Derivation and graph}}
To break the scale into two linear parts (below and above 14.8°C), we define two separate equations for each range:

1. Below 14.8°C (from –89.2°C to 14.8°C):
* 0 °X corresponds to –89.2°C
* 50 °X corresponds to 14.8°C

We calculate the slope m₁:

<center>m₁ = (50 – 0) / (14.8 – (–89.2)) = 50 / (14.8 + 89.2) = 50 / 104 ≈ 0.48</center>

Now, using the point (14.8°C, 50 °X), we calculate the intercept b₁:

<center>50 = 0.48 × 14.8 + b₁</center>

<center>50 = 7.1 + b₁</center>

<center>b₁ = 50 – 7.1 = 42.9</center>

Thus, the equation for temperatures '''below 14.8°C''' is:

<center>'''X = 0.48 × C + 42.9'''</center>

2. Above 14.8°C (from 14.8°C to 56.7°C):
* 50 °X corresponds to 14.8°C
* 100 °X corresponds to 56.7°C

We calculate the slope m₂:

<center>m₂ = (100 – 50) / (56.7 – 14.8) = 50 / 41.9 ≈ 1.19</center>

Now, using the point (14.8°C, 50 °X), we calculate the intercept b₂:

<center>50 = 1.19 × 14.8 + b₂</center>

<center>50 = 17.6 + b₂</center>

<center>b₂ = 50 – 17.6 = 32.4</center>

Thus, the equation for temperatures '''above 14.8°C''' is:

<center>'''X = 1.19 × C + 32.4'''</center>

;Freezing and boiling points of water

Freezing point of water (0°C): Since 0°C is below 14.8°C, we use the equation X = 0.48 × C + 42.9:

<center>X = 0.48 × 0 + 42.9 = 42.9</center>

So, '''the freezing point is 42.9 °X.'''

Boiling point of water (100°C): Since 100°C is above 14.8°C, we use the equation X = 1.19 × C + 32.4:

<center>X = 1.19 × 100 + 32.4 = 119 + 32.4 = 151.4</center>

So, '''the boiling point is 151.4 °X.'''

[[File:XvsC.png|400px|center]]

See also [[2701: Change in Slope]] for a general discussion of separate linear scales between three points.
{{cob}}
Due to high temperature records now being raised nearly every year as a result of documented {{w|climate change}}, lowest temperature records being more infrequently re-established and the official average temperature unlikely to remain the same from one year to the next, Randall's new °X scale must be completely re-calibrated each year. While extreme values like absolute zero or the {{w|Tungsten#Physical properties|melting point of tungsten}} are likely to shift significantly over time, everyday temperatures will tend to vary less.

This is given as a title text example, and Randall has not given his opinion of the Cursedness outside the table.
|}

=== Trivia ===

Here are the {{w|room temperature}} values for those scales:

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
! Unit
! Room temperature
|-
| Celsius || 22°C
|-
| Kelvin || 295K
|-
| Fahrenheit || 72°F
|-
| Réaumur || 18°Ré
|-
| Rømer || 18°Rø
|-
| Rankine || 531°Ra
|-
| Newton || 7°N
|-
| Wedgwood || -7°W
|-
| Galen || 0
|-
| ''Real'' Celsius || 78
|-
| Dalton || 25
|-
| °X || 59°X
|}

=== Trivia ===

Here are the {{w|room temperature}}, water freezing and boiling, {{w|body temperature}}, recommended refridgerator and freezer, warm bath, and hot coffee temperature values for those scales:

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
! Scale
! Room temperature
! Water freezing
! Water boiling
! Body temperature
! Recommended refrigerator
! Recommended freezer
! Warm bath
! Hot coffee
|-
| Celsius || 22°C || 0°C || 100°C || 37°C || 2.5°C || -18°C || 39°C || 77°C
|-
| Kelvin || 295K || 273K || 373K || 310K || 276K || 255K || 312K || 350K
|-
| Fahrenheit || 72°F || 32°F || 212°F || 98.6°F || 36.5°F || -0.4°F || 102°F || 171°F
|-
| Réaumur || 17.6°Ré || 0°Ré || 80°Ré || 29.6°Ré || 2°Ré || -14.4°Ré || 31.2°Ré || 61.6°Ré
|-
| Rømer || 19.1°Rø || 7.5°Rø || 60°Rø || 26.9°Rø || 8.8°Rø || -2°Rø || 28°Rø || 47.9°Rø
|-
| Rankine || 531°Ra || 492°Ra || 672°Ra || 558°Ra || 496°Ra || 459°Ra || 562°Ra || 630°Ra
|-
| Newton || 7.3°N || 0°N || 33°N || 12.2°N || 0.8°N || -5.9°N || 12.9°N || 25.4°N
|-
| Wedgwood || -7.7°W || -8°W || -6.7°W || -7.5°W || -8°W || -8.2°W || -7.5°W || -7°W
|-
| Galen || -2.2 || -4 || 4 || -1 || -3.8 || -5.4 || -0.9 || 2.2
|-
| Real Celsius || 78 || 100 || 0 || 63 || 98 || 118 || 61 || 23
|-
| Dalton || 24.8 || 0 || 100 || 40.7 || 2.9 || -21.9 || 42.8 || 79.6
|-
| °X || 59°X || 43°X || 151°X || 76.4°X || 44.1°X || 34.3°X || 78.8°X || 124°X
|}

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

:Temperature Scales

:[A table with five columns, labelled: Unit, water freezing point, water boiling point, notes, cursedness. There are eleven rows below the labels.]

:[Row 1:] Celsius, 0, 100, Used in most of the world, 2/10
:[Row 2:] Kelvin, 273.15, 373.15, 0K is absolute zero, 2/10
:[Row 3:] Fahrenheit, 32, 212, Outdoors in most places is between 0–100, 3/10
:[Row 4:] Réaumur, 0, 80, Like Celsius, but with 80 instead of 100, 3/8
:[Row 5:] Rømer, 7.5, 60, Fahrenheit precursor with similarly random design, 4/10,
:[Row 6:] Rankine, 491.7, 671.7, Fahrenheit, but with 0°F set to absolute zero, 6/10
:[Row 7:] Newton, 0, 33-ish, Poorly defined, with reference points like "the hottest water you can hold your hand in", 7-ish/10
:[Row 8:] Wedgewood, –8, –6.7, Intended for comparing the melting points of metals, all of which it was very wrong about, 9/10
:[Row 9:] Galen, –4?, 4??, Runs from –4 (cold) to 4 (hot). 0 is "normal"(?), 4/–4
:[Row 10:] ''Real'' Celsius, 100, 0, In Anders Celsius's original specification, bigger numbers are ''colder''; others later flipped it, 10/0
:[Row 11:] Dalton, 0, 100, A nonlinear scale; 0°C and 100°C are 0 and 100 Dalton, but 50°C is 53.9 Dalton, 53.9/50

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Science]]

Talk:2620: Health Data

2022-05-16T23:51:03Z

108.162.246.34:

Did a basefor the setup[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.34|108.162.246.34]] 23:51, 16 May 2022 (UTC)a

2620: Health Data

2022-05-16T23:50:05Z

108.162.246.34:

{{comic
| number = 2620
| date = May 16, 2022
| title = Health Data
| image = health_data.png
| titletext = Donate now to help us find a cure for causality. No one should have to suffer through events because of other events.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A CASUALTY OF CAUSALITY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Cueball (link) is getting a checkup in ponytails (link) ruccuring doctors office (link).

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

:[Cueball and Ponytail are talking to each other. Cueball is sitting on an examination table and Ponytail, in a doctor's coat, is reading from a clipboard.]
:Ponytail: I'm taking a look at your numbers, and it doesn't look good.
:Ponytail: You have a lot of measurements. Quite a few variables.

:[Ponytail looks up.]
:Cueball: Is that... bad?
:Ponytail: Variables are the #1 risk factor for outcomes.
:Ponytail: The past is a big contributor to the future.

:[Ponytail takes her arm with the clipboard down.]
:Cueball: Isn't that just causality?
:Ponytail: Causality is the leading cause of death in this country.

:Cueball: So what are my odds?
:Ponytail: Do you have a family history?
:Cueball: Of what?
:Ponytail: Just, in general.
:Cueball: ...Yes?
:Ponytail: Oh no.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]

2617: Maps

2022-05-13T16:54:59Z

108.162.246.34:

{{comic
| number = 2617
| date = May 9, 2022
| title = Maps
| image = maps.png
| titletext = OpenStreetMap was always pretty good but is also now *really* good? And Apple Maps's new zoomed-in design in certain cities like NYC and London is just gorgeous. It's cool how there are all these good maps now!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DIGITAL CARTOGRAPHER- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Apple Maps}} is a navigation app released in 2012 by Apple as a competitor and replacement for the widely used {{w|Google Maps}}. It was quite bad when first released, attracting lots of criticism from iPhone users who were accustomed to Google Maps' more reliable and accurate navigation (for example, in [https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-maps-gets-drivers-lost-in-australian-outback-police-warn/ one instance], it sent drivers 40 miles out of their way into the Australian desert with no water supply). Often, initial negative impressions about a product are retained for a long time, regardless of how it may have developed, particularly when there is an obviously superior competitor to adopt, and no compelling reason to revisit the alternatives. Hence Randall/Cueball is surprised to discover that Apple Maps is now pretty good. His surprise is exaggerated to the extent that it is comparable to finding that some fundamental constant of the universe has shifted, such as the speed of light or pi being changed to some other number.

The title text mentions {{w|OpenStreetMap}}, an open-data crowd sourced geodatabase, which has also improved since Randall has last checked, potentially moving it from a "pretty good" score to a "really good" score. He also adds two examples on how the Apple Maps service has improved: zooming in on cities, like London or New York you can see features like trees and road markings, the latter usually not visible on other mapping services at all. He marvels at the number of "good" mapping options now!

Google Maps itself, and especially its satellite coverage outside the US, was considered quite bad when it launched in 2005. The maps displayed back then led to mockery among "real" cartographers that the service couldn't really be considered a map, either: It was called "map-like", with casual digital maps being so new at the time. However, Google's popular mapping approach revolutionized how maps were perceived all over the world. The approaches Google uses are explained in [https://blog.mapspeople.com/how-google-maps-is-made How Google Maps is Made]. This approach blurs the lines between traditional paper maps, GIS (geo-informational systems) and digitally rendered maps on screen. The process of "mapping" - as it is referenced here - has since moved significantly into the digital realm.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding his hands up and is staring down at his open palms. Megan and White hat is looking at him.]
:Cueball: You look around one day and realize the things you assumed were immutable constants of the universe have changed.
:Cueball: The foundations of our reality are shifting beneath our feet.
:Cueball: We live in a house built on sand.

:[Caption below panel]
:The day I discovered that Apple Maps is kind of good now

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

2616: Deep End

2022-05-08T01:13:23Z

108.162.246.34:

{{comic
| number = 2616
| date = May 6, 2022
| title = HI BILLY MAYS HERE WITH THE SOIBOY WOJAK COLLECTION! THE FAST AND EASY WAY TO GET REPLIES TO YOUR THREAD.

https://mega.nz/#!x0oXVCSJ!wo0vbPFrnky4IbI1KjbdEYMXr1SS2lhhYc0LduNaiSo

4CHAN USED TO NOT BE FULL OF IDIOTS WHO LOOK FOR CARTOON DRAWINGS TO BE UPSET ABOUT IN ORDER TO VALIDATE THEMSELVES. NOT ANYMORE. SO TAKE ADVANTAGE WITH THE SOIJAK COLLECTION OF OVER 400 ASSORTED SOIJAKS! WATCH- THIS THREAD WASN'T GETTING ANY ATTENTION. NOW, I MADE THE EXACT SAME THREAD BUT WITH A SOIBOY WOJAK. NOT ONLY DOES IT MAKE IT TO THE FRONT PAGE, IT STAYS THERE. UNTIL BUMP LIMIT! AMAZING!

THE SECRET, IS THE PATENTED FUNPOSTING™ TECHNOLOGY, THAT IMMEDIATELY ACTIVATES THE ALMONDS OF ALL REDDIT USERS BROWSING THE BOARD, CAUSING THEM TO SEETHE AND DILATE RIGHT IN YOUR THREAD.

BUT WAIT- IF YOU READ TO THE END OF THIS POST- I'LL THROW IN THE IMAGE MD5 CHANGER ABSOLUTELY FREE! BYPASS THOSE PESKY FILTERS WITH THE CLICK OF A BUTTON. JUST DOWNLOAD, SELECT ALL THE SOIJAKS, PRESS THE BUTTON. IT'S THAT EASY

http://imristo.com/hash-manager-change-the-hash-of-any-file/

BUT I'M NOT DONE YET! THE SOIJAK COLLECTION ALSO FEATURES BONE-CHILLING SLOW BURN GUYS AND CONSOOMERS, PLUS SEVERAL EDITS WITH PLENTY OF TEMPLATES THAT YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE BOARD CAN ENJOY.

BUT I'M STILL NOT DONE! DOWNLOAD TODAY AND I'LL GIVE YOU THE FILENAME RANDOMIZER! BYPASS EVEN THE MOST THOROUGH FILTERS WITH THE CLICK OF A BUTTON. 20,000 LINE LONG FILENAME FILTERS ARE NO MATCH FOR THE FILENAME RANDOMIZER! A FEW CLICKS, YOU'RE BACK TO FUNPOSTING

https://sourceforge.net/projects/fnamerandomizer/

YOU GET IT ALL- THE SOIBOY WOJAK COLLECTION OF OVER 400 SOIJAKS, THE BONE-CHILLING SLOW BURN GUYS, THE CONSOOMERS, THE IMAGE MD5 CHANGER, THE FILENAME RANDOMIZER. AND IT'S ALL COMPLETELY FREE. SO DOWNLOAD WITHIN THE NEXT 15 MINUTES BEFORE JANNY DELETES THIS THREAD AND START FUNPOSTING. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE, AND EVERY (YOU) TO GAIN

https://mega.nz/#!x0oXVCSJ!wo0vbPFrnky4IbI1KjbdEYMXr1SS2lhhYc0LduNaiSo
| image = deep_end.png
| titletext = Hey! No running in the back-arc basin!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This article needs additional citations for verification. Unsourced articles may be given an espresso and a free lolcat. The transcript also needs reformatting. - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Pools, like oceans, contain water. This comic produces a schematic for the former, derived from science about the latter. On Earth, the surface consists of tectonic plates which move around. In this comic, [[Randall]] equates swimming pools with {{w|plate tectonics}}, to explain how deep ends form in said pools. Unfortunately,[[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''clarification needed'']]] swimming pools aren't really formed by plate tectonics.{{Citation needed}}

A {{w|swimming pool}} is a pool of water, typically used for swimming. Most of these have a deep end and a shallow end. This is intentional, usually to accommodate for new swimmers to have somewhere to stand while accommodating for more confident swimmers for whom the floor would get in the way.

{{w|Subduction}}, a geological process in which one plate slips beneath another and is forced down into the mantle, is shown here as the reason swimming pools have deep ends. This usually takes place between continental plates and oceanic plates, although it could happen with two oceanic plates. The comic depicts the former; an oceanic plate subducting under a continental one.

A splash zone is an area of a waterpark with water being sprayed around, allowing people to get wet without the need to get into the pool. In this comic, the splash zone is actually geysers, fed by the bubbles of water from the subduction. While this particular scenario as shown in the comic is obviously far-fetched, subduction zones do create similar effects: water moving up from subducting plates is the origin of many {{W|volcanic arc|volcanic arcs}}. These volcanic systems sometimes include features such as the geysers depicted in the comic's splash zone.

The title text refers to {{W|back-arc basin|back-arc basins}}, zones of depression that sometimes occur slightly beyond volcanic arcs due to a rift in the tectonic plate. The ban on running in this area likely has more to do with its proximity to the pool area than any danger intrinsic to back-arc basins. A typical safety rule around swimming pools is to avoid running on the pool deck to prevent injuries due to slipping and falling on the hard deck.

Other comics that mention unusual tectonic plate motion include [[1388: Subduction License]] and [[1874: Geologic Faults]].

==Transcript==

{{incomplete transcript}}
On the left of the image is the shallowest water in the pool, about the height of [[Megan]], excluding her head. Going to the right from there, the pool floor (Representing the oceanic plate) begins to curve downwards towards the subduction zone. As the floor goes down, the water gets deeper. In the deepest area, it is labeled "Deep End".

At the bottom of the deep end, there is a curve and a deposit on the plate/pool floor. This is likely sediment buildup from waterborne debris that has settled there. Within the sediment, there are some small interstitial pools of trapped water within. An arrow upon the subducting material indicates that the oceanic plate is moving left-to-right across the image. Some of the water is dragged along by the oceanic plate, while others float up through the continental plate until they reach the "Splash zone". Several children (small versions of [[Ponytail]], [[Hairy]], and an unidentifiable character) are seen frolicking in the splash zone, as would normally be expected.

To the left of the splash zone is an area labelled the "Pool deck", above which a [[Cueball]] figure is jumping off the diving board.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Geology]]

2616

2022-05-08T01:10:42Z

108.162.246.34: >YOU VILL REVERT ZE EDIT

>YOU WILL WEAR THE MASK
>YOU WILL SOCIALLY DISTANCE
>YOU WILL FOLLOW THE ARROWS
>YOU WILL CLAP FOR OUR HEALTH HEROES
>YOU WILL OBEY THE CURFEW
>YOU WILL STOP SEEING YOUR LOVED ONES
>YOU WILL REPORT DISSENTERS
>YOU WILL GIVE UP YOUR PRIVACY AND FREEDOM
>YOU WILL USE NEWSPEAK SUCH AS "COVIDIOT" AND "KAREN"
>YOU WILL EMBRACE MASS SURVEILLANCE ADVERTISED AS "TEST AND TRACE"
>YOU WILL TAKE THE TEST
>YOU WILL BE SODOMIZED, TO TEST FOR COVID-19
>YOU WILL SELF ISOLATE
>YOU WILL TAKE THE GENE MODIFYING "VACCINE"
>YOU WILL BE MARKED WITH THE DIGITAL "SMART TATTOO" MICROCHIP
>YOU WILL BE PLACED IN DEATH CAMPS IF YOU RESIST
>YOU WILL EMBRACE THE GREAT RESET, THE FORTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
>YOU WILL REJECT GOD
>YOU WILL LIVE IN THE SMART CITY
>YOU WILL LIVE IN THE POD
>YOU WILL EAT THE BUGS
>YOU WILL EAT THE SHIT CAPSULES
>YOU WILL DRINK THE COCKROACH "MILK"
>YOU WILL GIVE UP EVERYTHING YOU OWN
>YOU WILL RENT EVERYTHING, INCLUDING YOUR CLOTHES
>YOU WILL ONLY USE THE APPROVED PRODUCTS AND SERVICES PROVIDED BY FAGMAN
>YOU WILL ONLY BE ALLOWED SELF DRIVING ELECTRIC CARS
>YOU WILL EMBRACE THE CASHLESS SYSTEM
>YOU WILL TRADE IN CARBON CREDITS
>YOU WILL CONNECT WITH NEURALINK
>YOU WILL HAVE PROPAGANDA BEAMED INTO YOUR MIND, INCLUDING SISSY HYPNO
>YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO LEAVE YOUR ASSIGNED QUARANTINE REGION
>YOU WILL EMBRACE OUR NEW WORLD ORDER
>YOU WILL ACCEPT THEIR VERSION OF HISTORY
>YOU WILL ACCEPT THE NEW NORMAL
>YOU WILL OWN NOTHING
>AND YOU WILL BE HAPPY.

2616: Deep End

2022-05-08T01:09:52Z

108.162.246.34:

1214: Geoguessr

2022-05-04T01:07:05Z

108.162.246.34: Undo revision 235047 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1214
| date = May 20, 2013
| title = Geoguessr
| image = geoguessr.png
| titletext = I'm not sure if you can get Epcot, but my friend just got LegoLand. He guessed California but it was the one in Denmark. Meanwhile, I'm rapidly becoming a connoisseur of unmarked dirt roads over flat, barren landscapes.
}}

==Explanation==
[//Geoguessr.com Geoguessr] is a game in which the player is given a location in {{w|Google Street View}} and asked to guess precisely where in the world they are, by clicking on a map of the world, based only on the 360-degree view in the Street View display.

Cueball is upset because he keeps making his guesses based on landmarks and his guesses end up being wrong. After all, the landmark he based his guess off of was a replica of the real one (the {{Wikipedia|Parthenon (Nashville)|Parthenon in Nashville}}, which is more than 9000 kilometers or 5600 miles away from the {{Wikipedia|Parthenon|Greek original}}).

Of course, from a statistical perspective, this makes sense. For every famous object, there are countless replicas; however, most people will be familiar with the specific location of the original object, and the vast majority of famous objects (except a few notable works of art) exist in only one place in the world. Take the {{w|Statue of Liberty}}, for instance — although the original is based in New York (well, actually, the original maquette is in {{w|Paris}}...), it has {{w|Replicas of the Statue of Liberty|hundreds of replicas all over the planet}}.

{{w|Epcot}} is a {{w|Disney}} theme park in {{w|Florida}} which among other attractions includes pavilions of various countries, including {{w|Germany}}, which are built to resemble the typical style (architecture, vegetation, etc.) of the countries. Therefore, similarly to the replicas of landmarks, in this specific case, recognizing classic German architecture would put you on the wrong continent.

However, as the title text alludes to, you're far more likely to find a dirt road than to find anything recognizable, since Google Street View maps roads more than anything else (hence its name). Becoming a connoisseur of such a mundane thing bears similarity to [[915: Connoisseur]].

Anyone who's ever played with Geoguessr knows, also, that seemingly helpful clues can sometimes be useless. For instance, if you recognize the {{w|Cyrillic script}} on a sign, the countries using the Cyrillic script such as Bulgaria, Mongolia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia encompasses an enormous area, so unless you can recognize a specific region, there's no obvious place to guess where you can hope to get high points. Unlike somewhere like England, where guessing London is guaranteed to put you within a reasonable distance from a global perspective. {{w|Legoland}} is a good example of this: If you can't tell if you're in Denmark or California (or any of the {{w|Legoland#Parks|other locations}}), it's not like you can just guess halfway between and do well.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is using a laptop, playing a game.]
:Cueball: This one's easy; There's the Parthenon. Athens.
: *''CLICK''*
:Cueball: What!? Why the hell is there a Parthenon in ''Nashville''?
: *''CLICK''*
:Cueball: OK, I'm ''clearly'' in Germany.
: *''CLICK''*
:Cueball: Dammit, Germany Pavilion at Epcot.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:My scores in Geoguessr would be higher if people quit building replicas of everything.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Geography]]

2367: Masks

2022-05-04T01:06:22Z

108.162.246.34: Undo revision 234851 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2367
| date = October 2, 2020
| title = Masks
| image = masks.png
| titletext = Haunted Halloween masks from a mysterious costume shop that turn you evil and grow into your skin score a surprisingly high 80% filtration efficiency in R. L. Stine-sponsored NIOSH tests.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.

This comic is a line from top to bottom explaining how good different types of masks are at preventing respiratory virus transmission. As with many comics in 2020, it is a reference to the [[:Category:COVID-19|2020 pandemic]] of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, a virus that primarily transmits through air droplets expelled from the human nose and mouth. This comic may have been inspired from [https://www.polygon.com/entertainment/2020/5/15/21259215/how-to-wear-masks-superhero-costumes-coronavirus-effectiveness a Polygon article published on May 15th].

===Types of masks===
*'''{{w|Zorro}}'''/'''{{w|Lone Ranger}}''': A strip of cloth around the eye-level. Since it does not cover the mouth and nose, the main ways the virus leaves the body to infect others, or the mouth, nose and eyes, the main ways it enters the body, it is ineffective and no better than wearing no mask at all.
*'''{{w|Batman}}''': Batman's iconic headgear has gone through many revisions, and consists either of a simple cloth cowl or a helmet and visor. Does not cover the mouth, but may cover the nose. However, the mask only covers the top part of the face, i.e., not the mouth or nostrils. This mask might be slightly more effective than the Lone Ranger style mask due to the intimidation effect keeping other people back, and depending on its length, it might help direct air that the wearer breathes out down instead of towards others' faces, which would reduce the risk of spreading any respiratory diseases that the wearer may be infected with.
*'''Theater masks''' ({{w|Sock and buskin}}): Traditionally used as a symbol of performance theater since ancient Greece. The eye and mouth holes are often open, thus exposing the wearer.
*'''Skincare''' ({{w|facial mask}}): A layer of mud or moisturizer. By nature, it does not cover the mouth or nostrils, but it may keep the wearer from touching their face and is usually worn by someone sitting in a chair or lying back on a bed, not out getting in other people's personal space.
*'''Scarecrow''': A burlap sack. While it provides some cover to the mouth and nose, it is heavily porous. This could also refer to the {{w|Scarecrow (DC Comics)|Scarecrow}}, a DC Comics villain. If so, the mask would probably be much more effective than an ordinary burlap sack, as that character uses airborne drugs as weapons, and would have to have very good filter ability to protect himself.
*'''{{w|Guy Fawkes mask}}''': A plastic mask that is a stylized depiction of {{w|Guy Fawkes}} (designed by David Lloyd for the comic book ''{{w|V for Vendetta}}'' and made popular by {{w|V for Vendetta (film)|its movie adaptation}} and subsequent adoption by the {{w|Anonymous (group)|Anonymous}} movement). Most Guy Fawkes masks provide small holes in the front for comfort, thus facilitating spread of the virus.
*'''{{w|Cloth face mask|Cloth}}''': A cloth mask that blocks most large particles, like virus-laden saliva. To be most effective, it must cover nose as well as the mouth. These are much cheaper than N95 masks, and can be reused by washing. Not all cloth masks are created equal, some designs and materials are more effective than others at holding back contagious particles, but Randall lists them under "Effective" on the whole. They are relatively effective at preventing the wearer from infecting others, but are less effective at protecting the wearer from being infected by others, because droplets leaving the body are large enough to block, but small enough to get through cloth after evaporation. The felt-like nonwoven fabric of surgical masks blocks more droplets and aerosols than the same thickness of knit or woven fabric.
*'''{{w|Spider-Man|Spiderman}}'''''[sic]'': A full face covering of spandex-like material (Spider-Man comics rarely if ever specify what material Spider-Man makes his costume from). Would block most virus particles. (The correct spelling is "Spider-Man", with a hyphen, and "Man" capitalized.)
*'''{{w|N95 mask|N95}}''': A standard air filtration mask, commonly used in industry but also used in healthcare. The name "N95" signals that it is not resistant to oil, but successfully filters 95% of airborne particles. It has proven to be one of the more successful masks during the 2020 pandemic. N95 masks usually include non-woven filtration material, which while often stiff like cardstock, is more similar to the felt-like fabric of surgical masks than to woven cloth. N95 masks can [https://youtu.be/eAdanPfQdCA filter particles much smaller] than the gaps between layers and strands in the fabric.
*'''{{w|scuba set|SCUBA}}''': A '''S'''elf-'''C'''ontained '''U'''nderwater '''B'''reathing '''A'''pparatus. Most SCUBA equipment used an open-circuit design allowing exhaled air to vent to the atmosphere. Underwater, this would not be a threat to other divers who would also be breathing air from their tanks. However, on land a typical SCUBA regulator would expose others to virus particles. Closed-circuit SCUBA equipment recirculates the user’s gas supply but they still contain a means of venting extra gas into the atmosphere. Neither system contains expiratory HEPA filters making both ineffective at preventing virus transmission. That all said, SCUBA equipment still covers the face and nose, rather than directly exposing others to unshielded breathing and coughing.
*'''{{w|Darth Vader|Vader}}''': Reference to one of the main antagonists in {{w|''Star Wars''}}, in which he wears a suit of armor with a built-in rebreather. Similar to SCUBA gear, it circulates air back to the user, in order to defend against the spread of the virus to the wearer. The question of whether Vader's mask would protect against COVID was implicitly referenced again in [[2441: IMDb Vaccines]].
*'''{{w|Mysterio}}''': Reference to one of the antagonists in ''{{w|Marvel Comics}}''’ {{w|Spider-Man}} as part of the {{w|Sinister Six}}. He wears a glass helmet. In the comics Mysterio often uses mind-altering chemicals, and his suit is designed to shield himself from his own weapons. By the same design, it would shield himself and others from the spread of viral infection.
*'''Haunted Halloween Masks''': The [[title text]] is a reference to ''{{w|The Haunted Mask}}'' by {{w|R. L. Stine}}, a book in the {{w|Goosebumps (original series)|''Goosebumps'' series}}. The mask transforms the wearer into a monster, with an open (uncovered) nose and mouth. The test results claim that the wearer is still somehow substantially protected against inhaling virus particles, but this may be a fraudulent test result due to pressure from the sponsor of the test, R. L. Stine, to get more people to wear such masks; it is also possible that the supernatural effects somehow include blocking virus particles, as parasites generally benefit from keeping their hosts alive and healthy, at least in the short term. NIOSH refers to the ''{{w|National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health}}''.

==Position on chart==
*[With 0% at the top position of the top arrow and 100% effective at the position of the bottom arrow the masks effectiveness would be approximately as follows:]
:[02%] Zorro/Lone Ranger
:[03%] Batman
:[07%] Theater
:[10%] Skincare
:[15%] Scarecrow
:[18%] Guy Fawkes
:[48%] Cloth
:[52%] Spider-Man
:[68%] N95
:[71%] Scuba
:[80%] Vader
:[90%] Mysterio

==Transcript==
:[A chart is shown with a title and explanation at the top:]
:<big>'''Masks'''</big>
:By effectiveness at preventing respiratory virus transmission

:[The chart consist of a vertical line going top to bottom with arrows at both ends. There are labels at the top, aorund the middle and at the bottom:]
:Not effective.
:Effective
:Extremely Effective

:[Along the line there are 12 bullets. From each bullet there goes a line (often with one or two turns) to a depiction of a type of mask. Each mask type is labeled. The first six masks are all close to the top, the last only halfway down to the middle of the line. The next two are right around the middle, then two are halfway towards the bottom from there and the final two are close to the bottom, with the last very close to the botom. From top to bottom:]
:Zorro/Lone Ranger
:Batman
:Theater
:Skincare
:Scarecrow
:Guy Fawkes
:Cloth
:SpiderMan
:N95
:Scuba
:Vader
:Mysterio

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring face masks]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Rankings]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

1921: The Moon and the Great Wall

2022-05-04T01:05:52Z

108.162.246.34: Undo revision 233266 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1921
| date = November 27, 2017
| title = The Moon and the Great Wall
| image = the_moon_and_the_great_wall.png
| titletext = And arguably sunspots, on rare occasions. But even if they count, it takes ideal conditions and you might hurt your eyes.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a reference to the myth that the {{w|Great Wall of China}} is the only manmade object{{Citation needed}} that can be seen from the {{w|Moon}} (or from space) with the naked eye. {{w|Great_Wall_of_China#Visibility_from_space|Sadly, it cannot}}. In fact, it's barely visible from the orbit of low satellites.

This comic mocks the myth by conflating it with another saying about the Moon, and how the Moon's craters and valleys are visible to the naked human eye. Indeed, the Moon is the only {{w|Astronomical object|celestial body}} for which this is true, as all other bodies (with the potential exception of the Sun, see the title text) can only be seen as tiny points of light by the unaided human eye. There is nothing special about the Great Wall of China in this factoid, though; the Moon’s features can be seen equally well from practically any place on Earth with a view of the Moon.{{Citation needed}}

The title text states that one is sometimes able to see large {{w|sunspots}} if any are present and conditions are ideal. However, looking directly at the sun with the naked eye risks extensive damage to the eye and should NEVER be done. It could, however, be possible to see them when the Sun is seen through a thin cloud cover or maybe at sunset/sunrise. (It's possible to see very large sunspots with {{w|solar eclipse}} {{w|Solar viewer|glasses}} or other adequate {{w|Eye protection#Protection against light|protection}}, but that's not unaided human eye.)

==Transcript==
:[Megan is holding her arm up towards Ponytail as they stand atop a large brick wall with {{w|Merlon|merlons}} along the top. They are standing to the left of a tower with three small windows as well as merlons on the top.]
:Megan: Did you know that the moon's craters and plains are the only structures on the surface of a celestial body that can be seen with the naked eye from the Great Wall of China?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Astronomy]]

175: Automatic Doors

2022-05-04T01:05:39Z

108.162.246.34: Undo revision 232757 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 175
| date = October 25, 2006
| title = Automatic Doors
| image = automatic_doors.png
| titletext = I hope no automatic doors I know read this. I would be so embarrassed.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] has an uneasy suspiction that the automatic doors may have feelings, possibly due to their apparent sentience. This assigning of human characteristics to non-human things such as the doors is called {{w|anthropomorphism}}. Cueball extends the premise that the doors have feelings to those feelings being hurt by his not entering the opened doors. This is analogous to the social faux pas of ignoring someone who has waved to you, or purposefully failing to acknowledge someone who is trying to get your attention.

The anthropomorphized doors are much like those in the starship Heart of Gold in Douglas Adams' ''{{w|Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}''. In the story, the characters find a brochure describing the ship, which states that "All the doors in this spaceship have a cheerful and sunny disposition. It is their pleasure to open for you, and their satisfaction to close again with the knowledge of a job well done." Such doors would not be given the "satisfaction" of the "knowledge of a job well done" if the figure passes close enough to trigger the doors, but does not actually go through them.

In the title text, it is revealed that Cueball has made the acquaintance of a number of automatic doors and possibly hung out with them only because he doesn't want to hurt their feelings. His being embarrassed about hurting the feelings of any automatic doors who happen to read the comic and thus find out that what they thought was a genuine friendship was only Cueball trying not to hurt their feelings, in fact should more likely be embarrassment over making friends with mechanical doors who he believes have feeling that can be hurt in the first place.{{Citation needed}}

==Transcript==
:When I walk past an automatic door and it opens for me, I worry that if I don't go in I'll hurt its feelings.
:[Automatic door whirrs open.]
:''whirrrr''
:Cueball: Oh, um, I'm sorry, I was just... um... I guess I can hang out for a bit.

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

Danish

2022-05-04T01:05:25Z

108.162.246.34: Undo revision 234359 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{Infobox character
| image = Danish.png‎
| imagesize = 150px
| caption = Danish
| first_appearance = [[377: Journal 2]]
}}

'''Danish''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. She frequently appears with [[Black Hat]], and like him, is one of the few xkcd characters to represent the same character in each appearance.

==Characteristics==
Danish is characterized by her cynicism and devilish tricks. She is very similar in appearance to [[Megan]], but has distinctly longer hair. Personality-wise, she is similar to [[Black Hat]], with whom she seems to have a permanent romantic relationship that began in the [[:Category:Journal|Journal]] series (which also marked her first appearance). Thus, she mainly appears in comics together with Black Hat, which is the most certain giveaway that a long-haired woman is Danish rather than Megan.

==Name==
Like most xkcd characters, her real name is unknown. The name "Danish" is picked from when [[Black Hat]] called her "my dearest darling danish", as a term of endearment, referring to a {{w|danish pastry}} in [[515: No One Must Know]]. Obviously, this is not her real name, but as it is the only name given to her by any character, it is the name used here.

==Appearances==
Danish first appeared in the [[:Category:Journal|Journal]] series as an adversary of Black Hat who could match his cunning and trickery. At the end of that series, it seems that she got under Black Hat's skin which resulting in them going on a date.

She thus later appears to be in a continued relationship with Black Hat, as seen in [[440: Road Rage]], [[515: No One Must Know]], [[524: Party]] and [[542: Cover-Up]]. She mainly appears together with him, although after her first seven appearances after ''Journal'' ended she began appearing without him, the first time being in [[914: Ice]]. In cases where Black Hat is not present, it can be difficult to determine with certainty that it is her. However, obvious examples of her personality, as in ''Ice'', are reason enough to confirm her identity.

A girl who resembles Danish appeared in [[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]], long before she was introduced in the Journal series. In [[177: Alice and Bob]] a similar-looking character with a propensity to destruction is called Eve – a reference to cryptographic schemes involving communication between Alice and Bob with Eve playing the role of an attacker.

In [[1608: Hoverboard]] there is a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bc/1608_1012x1078y_Bridge_on_the_Rebel_Blockade_Runner.png long-haired woman on the bridge] of the Rebel Blockade Runner, whose behavior towards both ''Star Wars'' as well as ''Star Trek'' fans could suggest that it was Danish. However, there is not enough evidence that this is Danish to list her as such.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Comics featuring Danish|Comics featuring Danish]]
*[[User:Danish]]

{{navbox-characters}}

[[Category:Characters]]

1556: The Sky

2022-05-04T01:05:08Z

108.162.246.34: Undo revision 233578 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1556
| date = July 27, 2015
| title = The Sky
| image = the_sky.png
| titletext = The other half has some cool shipwrecks, rocks, and snakes, but if you move those out of the way, it also has more sky.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] admire a majestic {{w|sky}} on a beautiful day.

This is one of the few comics where the scenery is drawn entirely in color, adding to the feeling of awe and natural wonder. The lighting on the {{w|clouds}} and the night sky in the upper corner suggest that this is either at sunset or sunrise, with the {{w|sun}} at the horizon outside the left part of the image. The picture is drawn to show the ever changing beauty of the many different stages of the sky rather than to be 100% realistic, as it would not be possible to see stars as clearly as shown, if the sun is still illuminating the clouds in front of them. When the sun {{w|Sunset|sets}} or {{w|Sunrise|rises}} the light produces many different colors which can often be breathtaking to witness. The pouch shaped cloud formations are called {{w|mammatus clouds}} and are usually associated with nearing of bad weather.

The comic, however, already start in a small panel, with uniform sky colored light blue background, above the large drawing described above. In this image Cueball says to Megan that he likes the sky and Megan agrees. Megan first elaborates on her feelings in the large image where the zoom out is so large that they have both become small and insignificant characters in the bottom left corner, dwarfed by the sky and cloudscape, with the ground a broad dark band beneath them.

Megan makes a statement about the sky: ''It's one of my favorite halves''. She thus indicates that she has more than one favorite halves. As there are only two halves this thus implies that Megan likes both halves, i.e. she likes everything. Her statement is thus a {{w|Tautology_(logic)|tautology}} because it implies that the other half is also a favorite and there are no other segments that would not be among her favorites. There are several xkcd comics about tautology, e.g. [[703: Honor Societies]], [[870: Advertising]] and [[1310: Goldbach Conjectures]].

In [[1368: One Of The]] ''one of'' is also used in a similar way as there is really no other that that one in that comic, whereas here there are no other that has not be included. A very similar sentence is also used in the title text of [[1524: Dimensions]] where the sentence, ''I would say time is definitely one of my top three favorite dimensions''. This also makes very little sense as there are four dimensions with time, and the other three are indistinguishable as they are just three randomly chosen but orthogonal directions in space.

Taken at face value, given that the image depicts half open sky and half clouds, the other half could be taken to mean the clouds covering half of the sky. Or it could be the sky and the dark Earth, the other half beneath their feet. That it is the latter becomes evident in the title text.

In the title text Megan continues her comment as she states that her other favorite half has some cool objects in it.
She then lists three types of objects:
*{{w|Shipwrecks}}
*{{w|Rocks}}
*{{w|Snakes}}
From this it is thus clear that it is not the clouds vs. the sky she's referring to but rather the sky vs. something down on Earth. Weather the clouds are considered part of the sky or just blocking the sky could be something Megan and Cueball would disagree about. See below.

Based on these three items the other half could either be the entire {{w|Earth}}, just the {{w|Continent|solid ground}} or only the {{w|oceans}}. All three mentioned objects can be found both on land and in the oceans. Shipwrecks may be associate with oceans, but they are also often stranded on the shore. Snakes are mainly associated with land, but there are {{w|Hydrophiinae|several snakes}} that live in the ocean. But the last part of the title text takes both the ground and the sea out of the equation, as it states that if those three objects where moved out of the way the other half would also have more sky. As Earth is round (and made from rock, most of them melted in the {{w|outer core}}) then if you "moved all those rocks out of the way" you would see the sky below on the other side.

This leads to the realization that the two halves are indeed the Sky and the Earth (or {{w|Heaven}} and Earth). The title text is thus a subversion as it may be switching the readers focus of what the other half may be, as seen from only the large image (clouds, stars or the ground).

Beyond the blue sky above there is just the dark {{w|night sky}} of {{w|outer space}}. If it where not for the Earth the blue sky would not exists as it is formed by the air following the gravity and curvature of the earth. So if you would moved the entire Earth out of the way you would also move the blue sky with it and you would only see a similar dark night sky, with lots of stars like those in the top left corner. Of course if it was not the entire Earth, but just those rocks directly beneath Megan that was moved, then in principle she would be able to see the blue sky on the other side of Earth, But as she is saying ''moved all those away'', it indicates that Megan really means the entire Earth.

This last part of the title text thus shows that Megan may be thinking rather of the night sky, and given that there are also stars visible in the top right corner, she could have assumed Cueball also referred to the sky like this rather than the majestic display of clouds and colors. Of course that would be weird, but that's where the comedy occurs because that was unexpected, and it would be typical Megan and/or [[Randall]].

If Megan is also interested in astronomy then she would prefer a dark cloudless sky with stars. And by focusing on the fact that if the Earth was removed there would only be dark sky (empty space) around her on all sides, this may be one of her other often seen strange preferences. (Those are often used by one of the characters in Randall's comics). It is well know from xkcd that Randall really [[:Category:Astronomy|loves astronomy]] and looking at the night sky. So seen from this perspective, there would still be plenty of sky even if the Earth where removed completely. However, there would not be any clouds or nice colors or any humans or other lifeforms around to admire those astronomical objects.

The title text also indicates that although the other half also is one of Megan's favorites, it is mainly the shipwrecks (the oceans) and the snakes (life forms) that she considers when thinking of this half. The rest is just rocks (the Earth). Taking into account how many different things that are on "that other half", why did Randall then choose to mention those two? Only he will know, but maybe indeed to focus on the oceans and their life forms or any life.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are standing looking upward with in a small frame a light blue background.]
:Cueball: I like the sky.
:Megan: Yeah.

:[Zooms out to show a blue evening sky, the sun must be setting to the left and a streak of yellow and orange clouds goes from top left to bottom right. The sky/clouds get darker further to the right and several stars are visible behind the clouds on the indigo blue sky in the top right corner. There are also some gray clouds low over the horizon. Cueball and Megan standing to the far left Below them and the sky from the horizon and down there is a thick a black slab taking up about a sixth of the frame height.]
:Megan: It's one of my favorite halves.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1453: fMRI

2022-05-04T01:02:25Z

108.162.246.34: undid vandalism

{{comic
| number = 1453
| date = November 28, 2014
| title = fMRI
| image = fmri.png
| titletext = They also showed activation in the parts of the brain associated with exposure to dubious study methodology, concern about unremoved piercings, and exasperation with fMRI techs who won't stop talking about Warped Tour.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Functional magnetic resonance imaging}} (fMRI), as the name suggests, is an offshoot of the MRI. It shows brain activity, typically while the subject is performing tasks or responding to stimuli. During the test, the subject is laid in a relatively small cylinder inside a big, very loud, machine which produces extremely strong magnetic fields. To prevent damage or injury, the subject must remove all metal objects from their body, including piercings, jewelry, watches, etc.

In the tests shown, the brain activity detected is a direct result of the testing environment itself, and has nothing to do with the simple tasks being performed by the subject. During fMRI participants hear loud noises, are confined in a small space (thus the claustrophobia) and have removed their jewelry. The researcher has mistaken these associated brain activities as effects as being caused by ''performing simple memory tasks'' which the participants have been asked to do and not a direct result of the settings of the test. Thus, the brain areas described by Megan are those associated with taking a functional MRI scan, rather than those associated with the "test" supposedly being carried out. The results being shown are known as {{w|Artifact_(error)|artifacts}}, which are shown later in [[1781: Artifacts]].

In real experiments, reported activity patterns are always a result of subtracting average brain activity from many samples gathered during task from so called ''resting-state'' activity - which is obtained while subjects are not engaged in any task, thus eliminating the effect the setting has on brain activity. Apparently, the researcher in the comic has failed to account for that in the analysis of the data.

The title text raises the more difficult and controversial issues of methodology, saying that the subjects ''also showed activation in the parts of the brain associated with exposure to dubious study methodology''. Here [[Randall]] makes fun of the overly confident, sweeping statements made by some fMRI researchers, often in the press. Of course, fMRI technique requires that the researcher account for several possible sources of errors by, among others, performing proper statistical analyses, multiple comparisons and using proper control groups. These are usually the reasons for {{w|Functional magnetic resonance imaging#Criticism|fMRI criticism}}. See the link for further information, including a famous ironic study of a dead salmon which was shown various pictures of people while fMRI scans were made. The scans could be interpreted as showing meaningful brain activity, unless the {{w|multiple comparisons problem}} was properly addressed. Randall has previously made fun of geographic profiles falling to this trap in comic [[1138: Heatmap|1138]].

The title text then continues with the jewelry issue, now especially the ''concern about unremoved piercings''. In the worst case these could be ripped off by the strong magnetic field. So it could be of some concern - especially when you take into consideration some of the places people may have piercings that are not obvious to the MRI personnel! The final remark about activation regards ''exasperation with fMRI techs who won't stop talking about Warped Tour''. "{{w|Warped Tour}}" refers to a traveling music festival that has been going since 1995, originally as a punk rock festival, but now with a more diverse set of music. Due to the nature of {{w|Moshing|Mosh Pits}}, the loud, cacophonous music, the facial jewelry of concert-goers and the tight quarters of the pit make it similar in description to an MRI.

==Transcript==
:[Megan talking to an unseen audience in front of an fMRI brain scan.]
:Megan: Our fMRI study found that subjects performing simple memory tasks showed activity in the parts of the brain associated with loud noises, claustrophobia, and the removal of jewelry.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Science]]

935: Missed Connections

2022-05-04T01:02:12Z

108.162.246.34: undid vandalism

{{comic
| number = 935
| date = August 8, 2011
| title = Missed Connections
| image = missed_connections.png
| titletext = The Street View van isn't going to find out anything Google won't already know from reading my email.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Missed Connections}} is a page on {{w|Craigslist}} in which people who saw each other briefly and want to reconnect attempt to find each other again. In the case of missed connections, one person describes themselves "Me" and describes the other person "You" in order that the second person would recognize themself and try to reconnect.

The first entry appears to be a goofy joke, although there have been many {{w|Wienermobile #Notable incidents|Wienermobile incidents}} in the past.

The second entry refers to a person (you) looking down into a wishing well (presumably to throw in a coin to get a wish), but someone (me) is sitting down in the well with a harpoon looking up spotting the silhouette at the top of the well. This seems like a very weird thing to do, and the vaguely human shadow may be lucky to be alive, since the only reason the "you" should know about the "me" is if the me fired the harpoon (and missed). A person sitting in a well telling people stuff (as if it was the well speaking) was the pun in [[568: Well 2]]. Oddly enough, this entry could possibly be a reference to [http://fairlyoddparents.wikia.com/wiki/Wishing_Well this] episode of {{w|The Fairly OddParents}}.

The third entry is a reference to networking. UDP stands for {{w|User Datagram Protocol}}. UDP packets don't use handshaking to verify they have contacted the correct host, so they can get lost or confused. The Cisco router location is a block of IP addresses that was unallocated at the time when this comic was published but has been allocated to Latin America and Caribbean since then. {{w|Cisco}} is a company that makes networking equipment. This is a play on a missed connection for someone who was lost and asked for directions.

The fourth entry is a reference to [http://m.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/08/fox-blasts-obamas-hip-hop-bbq-for-failing-to-create-jobs/243183/ two] [http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/transcript/should-controversial-rapper-common-have-been-invited-white-house events] in 2011 in which President {{w|Barack Obama}} invited rappers--among other people--to the White House. After each event, right-wing commentators blasted the event as a party unbecoming of the dignity of the White House. {{w|Nancy Pelosi}} is the Democratic Leader of the {{w|US House of Representatives}}. The acronym (D-CA) is a common notation for politicians which notates party (D for Democrat) and state (CA for California). Pelosi would have also been invited to these events, and the missed connections listing is a reference to what the commentators imagined the event would have been like. A "{{w|juggalo}}" is a term referring to a fan of the rap group {{w|Insane Clown Posse}} (which includes rapper {{w|Violent J}}), which is notorious for having a wild, misogynistic, and violent fanbase.

The fifth entry is a straightforward joke. One of the two people getting married was so distracted by their phone they have no clue where their spouse is now, or even who they are. Alternatively, it could be that the second party deserted the wedding because they were frustrated by their partner being distracted by their cell phone during the wedding, and the first partner is now hoping to convince them to return.

The sixth entry is a reference to how the {{w|Google Street View}} car was not only recording photos of the street in 360 degrees, it was also collecting data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks. The comic takes this to the next level, that the Google Street View van also scans what we have in our pockets and does a retinal scan. In this case, the social security number referenced is [http://www.ssa.gov/history/ssn/misused.html the most used SSN of all time.] The retinal scan takes this even further, indicating that Google's cameras are collecting fine enough images to identify people by {{w|Retinal scan}}.

The entry gets a bit absurd when you realize with all this data, it should be trivial for the Google employee to ID and meet this young man, and would not need the Missed Connections page.

The last entry suggests that {{w|Babe Ruth}}, the American baseball slugger of 1914-1935, is actually a {{w|Time Lord}}. Time Lord is a reference to the popular sci-fi series {{w|Doctor Who}} in which The Doctor, who is a Time Lord, uses a {{w|TARDIS}}, which is a time travel machine. Possibly because he was a baseball player "ahead of his time".

The title text is another reference to the privacy concerns surrounding Google Street View van, to which Google responded by claiming that the street view camera wouldn't capture anything that someone walking by wouldn't be able to see. [[Randall]] is not worried about the street view van since he expects that Google will already know anything that such a van could discover from reading his e-mails. This last statement is of course much more serious than having a photo taken by a passing van, thus making it clear what people should fuss about, and it is not the van.

==Transcript==
:[The page is set up like the missed connections area of Craigslist, with a list of messages from an individual to a person they weren't able to communicate with at the time. All readable text is in blue. There is a large heading at the top:]
:'''Personals > Missed Connections'''

:[Below the heading there is a gray section in a black frame with two lines. The first line has a search box and a drop down menu with text and two black arrows to the right of it. The second line has three check boxes and two other boxes, all empty. all boxes has white background. Text is written many places around these boxes (and on the drop down menu), it is written in black, but none of it is readable.]

:[Below this gray section follows seven missed connections, the last being cut before the description of "Me" is finished, and the line visible is cut of, so the lower third of the letters are hidden below the comics frame.]

:You: Clinging to hood of your stolen Wienermobile, trying to reach into engine to unstick throttle
:Me: Screaming, diving out of the way

:You: Vaguely human silhouette
:Me: At bottom of wishing well with harpoon gun

:You: Confused UDP packet
:Me: Cisco router in 45.170/16 block

:You: Baddest fuckin' Juggalo at Violent J's party
:Me: Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca)

:You: Getting married to me
:Me: Also getting married, but distracted by my phone

:You: Cute boy on corner of 4th & Main, 5'11, 169lbs, social security number 078-05-1120, pockets contained $2.09 in change, keys, and a condom. Retinal scan attached
:Me: Driving street view van

:You: George Herman "Babe" Ruth
:Me: Fellow Time Lord. Saw your Tardis on third moon of


{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Doctor Who]]

644: Surgery

2022-05-04T01:01:55Z

108.162.246.34: undid vandalism

{{comic
| number = 644
| date = October 2, 2009
| title = Surgery
| image = surgery.png
| titletext = Damn. Not only did he not install it, he sutured a 'Vista-Ready' sticker onto my arm.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is lying down, waiting to undergo surgery, when he asks the surgeon to insert and wire up a USB port to nerves. The surgeon assumes that Cueball wants to control USB devices, but Cueball assures him that he just wants the hardware. It is revealed that he is waiting for the software update that will allow him to do as he pleases.

{{w|Linux}} is an {{w|open source}} kernel for an operating system. Linux is notorious for its less-than-perfect support for hardware, although support for most hardware is eventually patched into the official kernel release. Cueball is here under the impression that support for a USB port can be patched into his arm in a similar fashion to how hardware support can be added to the Linux kernel.

The "{{w|Windows Vista|Vista}}-Ready" sticker in the title text is a humorous indication from the doctor that the patient is "advanced enough" to have Windows Vista installed. The irony is multilayered. There was a [http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Vista-Capable-lawsuit-against-Microsoft-now-a-1265319.php lawsuit against Microsoft] about promoting not-so-capable computers as "Windows Vista Capable"; they could neither run Vista fully nor smoothly. On top of that, the typical Linux user would not be very enthusiastic about Windows at all; someone who runs Linux has actively chosen an alternative operating system.

==Transcript==
:[A surgeon is standing over a patient on a gurney.]
:Patient: While you're doing the surgery, can you also implant this in my arm?

:Surgeon: A USB port?
:Patient: Just wire it up to some nerves.

:Surgeon: ...This won't let your brain control USB devices, you know.
:Patient: Sure – I just want the hardware.

:Patient: The rest is software; I'm sure there will be a project to patch together support eventually.
:Surgeon: Ah – you're a Linux user, I see.
:Patient: Yeah, how'd you know?
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Linux]]

2099: Missal of Silos

2022-05-04T01:01:05Z

108.162.246.34: undid vandalism

{{comic
| number = 2099
| date = January 16, 2019
| title = Missal of Silos
| image = missal_of_silos.png
| titletext = Welcome to Wyoming, motto "We'd like to clarify that Cheyenne Mountain is in Colorado."
}}

==Explanation==
This {{w|comic}} plays on the similarity in name between missile silos, places where long range weapons are deployed, and the missal of Silos, an old document residing in {{w|Spain}}.

In {{w|Christianity}}, a {{w|missal}} is a {{w|priest}}'s {{w|book}} of {{w|instructions}}, {{w|text}}s and {{w|music}} for the proper celebration of {{w|Mass (liturgy)|Mass}}. The Missal of Silos is an 11th-century missal from the {{w|Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos}} in northern {{w|Spain}}; it is famous for being the oldest known {{w|paper}} document in Europe, written at a time when the usual writing material was {{w|parchment}}.

{{w|Missile silos}} are often thought to be the first targeting priority in event of a nuclear strike, in hopes of preventing retaliation. If one was searching for potential nuclear missile targets, the {{w|Missal of Silos}} could conceivably be returned as a result of a fuzzy search for "missile silos", and be made a target.

{{w|Approximate string matching|Fuzzy, or approximate, string matching}} is a technique used for searching text for sequences of characters similar to a given sequence. Normal string matching would only find results that matched the search exactly (searching for "''missile''" would find only occurrences of "''missile''"). Fuzzy string matching instead finds results that are "close enough" by some metric (searching for "''missile''" would find "''missile''" but also close variants like "''missal''" or "''missel''"). Fuzzy string matching is often used in search engines, as typos, misspellings, and inexact searches are common.

{{w|Cheyenne Mountain}} is a mountain in {{w|Colorado}}, which houses an underground military compound (aptly named the {{w|Cheyenne Mountain Complex}}) designed to withstand a nuclear strike and host to the {{w|North American Aerospace Defense Command}}. {{w|Cheyenne, Wyoming}}, on the other hand, is the capital of {{w|Wyoming}}. The residents of Cheyenne, Wyoming would prefer their town not to be the target of a nuclear attack because of confusion with Cheyenne Mountain.{{Citation needed}} However, Cheyenne, Wyoming is likely a listed target because of the nearby {{w|90th Operations Group}} at {{w|Francis E. Warren Air Force Base}} operating Minuteman III ICBMs from missile silos.

There have been several comics with nuclear weapons as a part of the plot. See for instance [[1655: Doomsday Clock]], where several other comics are mentioned in the explanation.

==Transcript==
:[A passage from the {{w|Wikipedia}} page for Missal of Silos is shown, with underlined heading and with links in the text in blue font. The last line is partly cut off by the comics panel, but can be read.]
:<big>'''Missal of Silos'''</big>
:<div style="border-bottom: 1px solid #bbbbbb"></div>
:From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
:The {{w|Missal}} of Silos is the oldest known {{w|paper}} document created in the Christian West; it is 11th century in date.[1]
:The missal is held in the library of the {{w|Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos}} near {{w|Burgos, Spain}}. It is one of a number of liturgical manuscripts...

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Spain would like to remind everyone not to use fuzzy string matching in their nuclear strike target lists.

==Trivia==
*The transcript of the Wikipedia article shown on the comic is using parts of the version as after a [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Missal_of_Silos&oldid=615075917 revision made on 30th June 2014]. On the day of the publishing of this comic the Wikipedia article changed drastically.
**This is because a spurt of editing took place on Wikipedia on the day of the comic, since xkcd and Wikipedia editing have similar target demographics.
**This "xkcd-Wikipedia effect" has happened before.
***One example of this revolved around [[878: Model Rail]], in which the alt-text mentioned that the debate over the title of the HO/H0 system was disturbingly long, and "coincidentally", the talk page debate got a little longer on that very day.
***And most famously, the comic [[1485: Friendship]], caused at least four Wikipedia pages to be vandalized, so these pages had to be semi protected.
***Of course, the canonical example of an "xkcd-Wikipedia effect" is [[739: Malamanteau]]. [https://xkcd.com/739/] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Malamanteau]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Nuclear weapons]]

2614: 2

2022-05-04T00:04:16Z

108.162.246.34:

<div style="display: none">crap</div><noinclude>:''This page refers to the comic named "2". For comic #2, see [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]].''</noinclude>
{{comic
| number = 2614
| date = May 2, 2022
| title = 2
| image = 2.png
| titletext = It's like sigma summation notation, except instead of summing the argument over all values of i, you 2 the argument over all values of 2.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A VERY JEALOUS NUMBER ₃½ⁿ₇₇₇ⅥⅣ₆⁸⁴⁴½⅔⅜ↆ↉↉∂, WHO DEMANDS TO HAVE THEIR OWN WEBCOMIC NEXT - Please change this comment when editing this page. The titletext needs to be worked in there, but I think I got everything else in some sort of order, pending general improvements. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This demonstrates the different ways in which the number 2 can be typeset in various scientific fields. Whilst these typefaces are used with any number, using the number 2 in this instance provides a clear illustration of where adding numbers can signify either a feature of a concept (such as the number of electrons in an atom) or a mathematical operation on it (such as raising a value to it's second power).

The dotted box represents any character (presumably a letter or bigram of letters). All the other notation consists only of the digit 2, in various fashions with occasional additional punctuation, and labelled as to what the 'purpose' might normally be of any particular element(s) as indicated, with respect to the general term, in the following fashions:
;Regular Math
:Precedes the term. "2x" indicates two times the value of ''x'' in normal {{w|algebra|algebraic}} use that should be familiar for many people. {{Citation needed}}
;Physics
:A preceding superscript. "2H" would indicate the particular {{w|isotope}} of Hydrogen with the atomic weight of two, i.e. deuterium, which is most often encountered when working with the atomic level of matter where the total number of neutrons and protons in the atom is important. It can also represent tetration, which is iterated exponentiation.
;Chemical Physics
:A preceding subscript, "2He" indicates the atomic number of an atom, which is the number of protons it contains, and thus a guide to the number of electrons its unionised form usually has and hence meaningful in its potential chemical interactions with other atoms. This should be invariant for any particular named element, but is usually given simultaneously with the presuperscripted mass number where it can be indicative of the applicable nuclear physics. {{w|Chemical Physics}} is a subdiscipline of physics and chemistry and **must never** be confused with {{w|Physical Chemistry}}. It can also represent pentation, which is iterated tetration.
;Regular Math or Footnotes
:A trailing superscript is typical of a {{w|Exponentiation|power value}}, in this case "x²" would be ''x'' multiplied by a second copy of itself, and a fairly typical mathematical standard.
:Additionally, superscripted numbers are one common way to mark words in a line of text in a way to refer to a {{w|Note (typography)|footnote}}, typically placed at the bottom of the page, with additional information that would not be appropriate or easily comprehendable to edit into the main text itself. The ambiguity between footnotes and exponents was used in [[1184: Circumference Formula]]
;Chemistry
:A trailing subscript is used in chemistry to indicate a multiple of the element (or group of elements, in brackets) in a {{w|chemical formula}}. "H2O" indicates two hydrogen atoms bond with a single oxygen atom in a molecule of water.
;Matrices! ("2,2")
:Extending the trailing subscript with a comma-separated value usually indicates a multidimensional array (e.g. establishing a 2-by-2 square of numbers, or this particular position in such an array), which is in the realms of {{w|Matrix (mathematics)|matrix mathematics}}. This is a little bit beyond 'everyday algebra' for many people, as seemingly indicated by the exclamation of the mere mention of matrices!
;The Physicists Are At It Again ("2;2")
:This label encompasses a mark that turns the prior comma into a semicolon, as part of the trailing subscript. This is a common notation for the {{w|Covariant derivative}} of a tensor field, which is commonly used in the mathematics of general relativity.
;Either High School Math Function or Incomprehensible Group Theory
:The number 2 in parentheses that follow a term would normally be the argument to a {{w|Function (mathematics)|function}}, e.g. "f(2)", which means that you should take the value (in this case 2) and find the result if manipulated by the predefined function ''f''. It is generally taught as part of algebraic mathematics already described, i.e. at {{w|Secondary school|High School}}.
:In {{w|group theory}}, however, the number 2 in parentheses could indicate a cyclic subgroup or ideal generated by two or a special case of cycle notation for elements of symmetry groups used to mean an element that keeps 2 fixed. This may be somewhat beyond high-school level.{{citation needed}}
;Oh no. Whatever this is, it's cursed.
:A symbol centered underneath another symbol is normally reserved for doing summations, where the big symbol is Σ, or some other operation applied to a sequence of numbers.
:It does not make sense to have a single number there, as indicated in the alt text. As with [[2529: Unsolved Math Problems|other things]] in Randall's comic universe, the explanation for this particular anomaly is that it is 'Cursed'. The usage mentioned in the alt text is an operation (Σ, summation) over a variable usually indicated by a letter such as i, where the operation is performed over all values of the variable, i.e. you Σ the argument over all values of i. In the "2" case, the alt text says you "you 2 the argument over all values of 2", i.e. the Σ operation has been replaced by the "2" operation and the i variable has been replaced by the "2" variable. 2 is usually not an operation, though the definition of 2 under {{w|Church_encoding#Church_numerals|church encoding}} is a function that takes in and produces functions. However, 2 is not a variable (and definitely not both at the same time).
:: Things being cursed is a common trope within recent XKCD comics which have mentioned items including [[2332:_Cursed_Chair|Cursed chairs]] and [[Category:Cursed_Connectors]]. This notation is one of the few occasions where the supernatural have demonstrable implications on science and mathematics for those foolhardy enough to use it.

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

:[An apparent generalisation of a scientific expression consisting of a dotted rectangular 'box' outline, left empty, and various commonly-themed symbology around it:]

:[as normal text, to the left of all the rest:] 2
:[superscript to the immediate left of the box:] 2
:[subscript also to the immediate left of the box:] 2
:[superscript to the immediate right of the box:] 2
:[subscript also to the immediate right of the box:] 2;2 [i.e. separated by a semicolon]
:[as normal text, to the right of almost all the rest:] (2) [i.e. enclosed in standard parentheses]
:[smaller subscript, centered immediately beneath the 2 within the parentheses:] 2

:[Further details are drawn in grey tone, around or near various of the elements of the expression:]
;[Captions above the numbers]
:[with an arrow pointing to the leftmost 2:] Regular Math
:[with an arrow pointing to the leftwards superscript 2:] Physics
:[with an arrow pointing to the rightwards superscript 2:] Regular math or footnotes
:[with an arrow pointing to the parenthetical 2 at the right:] Either high school math functions or incomprehensible group theory

;[Captions below the numbers]
:[with an arrow pointing to the leftwards subscript 2:] Chemical Physics
:[with an arrow pointing to just the rightwards subscript 2:] Chemistry
:[with an arrow pointing to a distorted grey ring snaking around only the comma of the semicolon and the following 2 of the rightmost subscript:] Matrices!
:[with an arrow pointing to a larger grey ring that passes fully around the whole semicolon and final 2 of the rightmost subscript:] The physicists are at it again
:[with an arrow pointing to the small 2 placed below the parenthetical 2:] Oh no. Whatever this is, it's cursed.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cursed Items]]

Talk:1766: Apple Spectrum

2016-11-30T20:59:18Z

108.162.246.34:

Well, I did my best on explaining this one... Not really sure I got the Granny Smith part right. --[[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 14:32, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Surely a desert island covered only in apple trees is not beyond all probabilities? [[User:Minimal|Minimal]] ([[User talk:Minimal|talk]]) 15:01, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

I believe his confusion on a desert island with one type of apple is because apples exhibit extreme heterozygosity meaning that any daughter apple tree will produce fruit extremely different from its parent; it would be difficult to have several plants in one area that are all the same that produce no differing offspring (at least on a deserted island...humans can intervene on actively managed orchards). Genetically, the apple does fall very far from the tree. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.59.197|162.158.59.197]] 15:10, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

: This is AMAZING. I had no idea. {{w|Apples}} --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:16, 30 November 2016 (UTC)
:: {{w|Apple#Cultivation| here}} [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 17:30, 30 November 2016 (UTC)
::: Thanks Jack, I'm a linking idiot. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:58, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

What exactly does "doing their own thing" mean in this context? [[User:Drewthedude64|Drewthedude64]] ([[User talk:Drewthedude64|talk]]) 15:20, 30 November 2016 (UTC)Drewthedude64

: I'm assuming it means it was so different, that it couldn't be categorized by a low-high line (those 1-10 scales you see everywhere) --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.82|108.162.216.82]] 15:30, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

: Granny Smith apples are green while the other apples in this comic are red. Also, Granny Smith apples are more tart than sweet...these two characteristics distinguish it from many other apple breeds and is probably why he says they are doing their own thing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.59.197|162.158.59.197]] 15:32, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

: Granny Smith apples are good all of the time (unless they're mealy). All other apples should be made into pie. Except for red delicious, which shall be cast into outer compost, where there are swine gnashing their teeth. - The Opinionated One. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.142|162.158.69.142]] 16:40, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Has Randall ever explained why he doesn't like Red Delicious? Maybe not crisp enough? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.100|162.158.69.100]] 15:59, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

The explanation says that "Two (apple) trees of the same variety will not pollinate each other." I am no botanist, but I'm not sure this is correct. (The linked citation seems to blur the line between apple trees and fruit trees generally.) I think they will pollinate each other, and will even produce fruit, but the resulting fruit will be 'unpredictable.' No apple tree planted from seed will produce apples like its parent (except by chance), due to the heterozygosity mentioned above. BTW, because apples will not "breed true," this also means that every store-bought apple we've ever eaten came from a cloned or grafted tree. Apples are weird. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 16:30, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

You're right that it isn't correct. Apple tree's may self pollinate. See [https://www.starkbros.com/tags/self-pollinating-apple-trees]

I went ahead and deleted the offending paragraph. It was unquestionably wrong as it was, even according to it's own source. [[User:ChrisPwildcat|ChrisPwildcat]] ([[User talk:ChrisPwildcat|talk]]) 18:06, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

:That isn't entirely accurate either, though. The first line of that page says that "'''unlike most apple trees''', self-pollinating apple trees are naturally able to set fruit by themselves". Most apple trees can't self-pollinate, and because apples of the same variety are clones of each other, they register each other's pollen as their own. Self-pollinators are the exception, not the rule. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.98|108.162.219.98]] 18:16, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Odd that he would post a comic with such a glaringly obvious mistake. Red delicious apples are best apples. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar and you should not listen to that person.

Red Delicious are the Devil... tasteless, meally... evil. Apples should be crisp and clean in flavor, that's why the misnamed 'Delicious' varieties are on the bad (evil) end and crisps and most other varieties are on the good end (edible). Maybe Granny Smiths 'do their own thing' because they are good with peanut butter.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.34|108.162.246.34]] 20:59, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

1759: British Map

2016-11-14T21:51:34Z

108.162.246.34: Blick updated

{{comic
| number = 1759
| date = November 14, 2016
| title = British Map
| image = british_map.png
| titletext = West Norsussex is east of East Norwessex, but they're both far north of Middlesex and West Norwex.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Started the table, editing it now.}}

This comic is a joke similar to [https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on#q=how%20americans%20see%20the%20world&safe=active&ssui=on "How Americans see the world"] showing how the average American has opinions on the world, often including jokes such as a lack of {{w|Africa}}, etc. This has been used before in [[850: World According to Americans]].

Many areas of the UK are most familiar to foreigners thanks to their depiction in various fantasy novels and TV series. This map labels some of these, as well as including many silly names that simply sound like real British towns to an American ear. A protractor is shown off the coast of the {{w|Mull of Kintyre}} in reference to the "{{w|Mull of Kintyre test}}" - the angle of the Mull defines the maximum allowed erectness for a man on British television.

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
!Label on the map !! Explanation !! Actual location !! Notes
|-
| Helcaraxë
|| The "[http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Helcarax%C3%AB Grinding Ice]", an area of {{w|Middle-Earth}}. Like Helcaraxë, northern Scotland is cold, mountainous and in many areas inhospitable.
|| The {{w|Grampian}} region
||
|-
| Blick
||
||
|| This is the name of a goblin in the movie "Legend" starring Tim Curry.
|-
| Everdeen
|| {{w|Katniss Everdeen}} is the heroine of ''{{w|The Hunger Games}}'' series of novels and films
|| {{w|Aberdeen}}
|| In colloquial Scots, its pronunciation is very similar to "Everdeen."
|-
| Highlands
|| {{w|Scottish Highlands|No joke}}
|| {{w|Scottish Lowlands}}
|| Maybe deliberate trolling - Scots have strong feelings about where the Highland-Lowland border is
|-
| Norther Sea
|| Pun on the {{w|North Sea}}
|| {{w|Sea of the Hebrides}}
||
||
|-
| Loch Lomond
|| {{w|Loch Lomond|No joke}}
|| Loch Lomond
|| Loch Lomond is the largest lake in the UK, and the subject of a well-known {{w|The_Bonnie_Banks_o%27_Loch_Lomond|traditional song}}. Referenced in the "beaming" (teleporter) bit in the movie Spaceballs by the Scotty expy 'Snotty'.
|-
| Fjordham
|| {{w|Fjords}} are glacial valleys. "-ham" is a common English placename suffix from Old English, related to the modern {{w|Hamlet (place)|hamlet}}. There are several villages in England named {{w|Fordham}}.
|| Near {{w|Oban}} on the {{w|Firth of Lorn}}
|| The Scottish word "Firth" is related to "Fjord", although Lorn is not a fjord in the strict scientific sense - it was formed along the {{w|Great Glen Fault}} by tectonics, rather than glaciers
|-
| Glassdoor
|| {{w|Glassdoor}} is a website where employees can review their employers
|| {{w|Stirling}}
|| Although it's shown near Stirling, the reference seems to be to {{w|Glasgow}}
|-
| Eavestrough
|| A dialectal word for {{w|rain gutter}}
|| {{w|Edinburgh}}
||
|-
| Seasedge
|| Procan's realm in ''Dungeons & Dragons''
|| Somewhere near the Scotland-England border
||
|-
| Chough
|| A {{w|Chough|species of bird in the crow family}}
|| The {{w|Scottish Borders}}
||
|-
| Meowth
|| {{w|Meowth}} is a cat-like Pokémon
|| {{w|Ayr}}
||
|-
| Glutenfree
|| {{w|Gluten-free}} food lacks the protein {{w|gluten}}. This allows {{w|coeliac disease}} sufferers to enjoy it, but has also become a dietary fad in itself.
|| {{w|Cairnryan}}, {{w|Dumfries and Galloway}}
||
|-
| Blighton
|| A mashup of {{w|Brighton}} and {{w|Blighty}}
|| The {{w|Scottish Borders}}
|| The real Brighton is much further south, on the south coast.
|-
| Eyemouth
|| {{w|Eyemouth|Not a joke}}
|| near {{w|Newcastle-upon-Tyne}}
|| The real Eyemouth is further north, where "Seasedge" is marked on the map.
|-
| Earhand
|| A pun on Eyemouth
|| {{w|Carlisle}}
||
|-
| Hairskull
|| A pun on Eyemouth
|| {{w|Teesside}}
||
|-
| Belfast DeVoe
|| {{w|Belfast}}, capital of Northern Ireland, mashed up with the rock band {{w|Bell Biv DeVoe}}
|| {{w|Belfast}}
||
|-
| Lakebottom
|| The {{w|Lake District}}. "-bottom" is a common placename across Northern England, and refers to a town in a valley.
|| {{w|Lake District}}
|| Below Lakebottom is a sketch of lake with yachts on it. This is {{w|Windermere}}, the largest lake in England, where many boating speed records were set.
|-
| Braintree
|| {{w|Braintree, Essex|Not a joke}}
|| {{w|North Yorkshire}}
|| The real Braintree is much further south, near where "Paulblart" is on the map.
|-
| Skinflower
|| A pun on Braintree
|| {{w|Yorkshire Dales}}
||
|-
| Bjork
|| {{w|Björk}} is an Icelandic singer
|| {{w|East Riding of Yorkshire}}
|| The reference is presumably to York, although it's a bit too far east.
|-
| Weedle
|| {{w|Weedle}} is a Pokémon, and also a word meaning "to obtain by trickery or persuasion"
|| {{w|Forest of Bowland}}
||
|-
| Eeugh
|| An expression of disgust
|| {{w|Kingston-upon-Hull}} (generally just "Hull")
||
|-
| Crewneck
|| A shirt with a {{w|Crewneck|simple round collar}}.
|| {{w|Blackpool}}
|| There is a town called {{w|Crewe}} somewhat further south than shown in Cheshire.
|-
| Paisley
|| {{w|Paisley, Renfrewshire|No joke}}. It sounds funny to Americans because it's associated with {{w|Paisley (design)|paisley}} fabric, a Persian-style print invented in the town
|| {{w|Burnley}}
|| The real Paisley is in Scotland, near Glasgow.
|-
| Basil
|| {{w|Basil|A herb}}, and {{w|Basil Fawlty|one of the most famous British TV characters}}.
|| {{w|Scunthorpe}}
||
|-
| Aidenn
|| An apparent pun on the {{w|Scouse}} accent: {{w|h-dropping}} and {{w|th-fronting}} mean the common "hey, then" would be pronounced "ai denn".
|| {{w|Merseyside}}
||
|-
| Hillfolk
|| {{w|Hillfolk}} is an RPG game. "-hill" (referring to, well, a hill) and "-folk" (referring to a tribe or culture) are common in British placenames
|| {{w|Manchester}}
|| Manchester's name does in fact reference hills: it means "castle on the {{w|breast-shaped hill}}"
|-
| Waterdown
|| To "water something down" is to weaken it. "-down" is common in British placenames and refers to {{w|Downland|chalk hills}}. Possibly a contraction from the book and movie: Watership Down.
|| Near {{w|Grimsby}}
||
|-
| Dubstep
|| {{w|Dubstep}} is a genre of electronic music with a heavy bass line.
|| {{w|Dublin}}
|| Dublin is the only non-UK settlement in the map, and one of two on the island of Ireland.
|-
| Borough-upon-Mappe
|| By being recorded here, this is literally a borough upon a map. The "-upon-" is a common element of placenames for towns on rivers, although there's no River Mappe.
|| {{w|Lincolnshire Wolds}}
||
|-
| Fhqwhgads
|| "[http://www.hrwiki.org/wiki/Fhqwhgads Fhqwhgads]" is a joke from the Homestar Runner internet cartoon.
|| {{w|Crewe}}
|| This is near to the Welsh border; Welsh names often look like a mish-mash of consonants to English speakers.
|-
| Cadbury
|| {{w|Cadbury}} is a British chocolate company
|| Near {{w|Boston, Lincolnshire}}
|| Cadbury actually built a town for its workers... but it's called {{w|Bournville}}. There are several towns called "Cadbury" in the UK (where the Cadbury family presumably got its name), but none are near here.
|-
| Cabinetry
|| The art of making {{w|cabinets}}.
|| Near {{w|Oswestry}}
||
|-
| The Shire
|| {{w|Shire (Middle-earth)|The Shire}} is home to the {{w|Hobbits}} in {{w|Middle-Earth}}
|| {{w|Midlands}}
|| Tolkien drew inspiration for the Shire from the {{w|West Midlands (region)|West Midlands}}, although Tolkien was from the southern part of the Midlands (roughly where Dampshire is on the map)
|-
| Landmouth
|| Literal description
|| {{w|The Wash}}
||
|-
| Brandon
|| {{w|Brandon#United Kingdom|Not a joke}}
|| {{w|The Fens}}
|| There are several Brandons in the UK, none on the banks of the Wash. The area shown is borderline-uninhabitable, as it is marshland and lies mostly below sea-level. Only a few farms and isolated hamlets exist here.
|-
| Hamwich
|| A ham sandwich. Both "-ham" and "-wich" are common generic placenames. The village called simply "Ham" and the other called "Sandwich" are fairly close to each other, with a famous roadsign that points to "Ham Sandwich" between them.
|| {{w|Norwich}}
||
|-
| West Norsussex
|| Mash-up of {{w|Sussex}} ("South Saxons") with the obsolete {{w|Wessex}} ("West Saxons") and never extant {{w|Norsex}} ("North Saxons")
|| {{w|Midlands}}
||
|-
| Redsox
|| The {{w|Boston Red Sox}} are a baseball team
|| {{w|The Fens}}
|| The Boston Red Sox play at Fenway Park. The map location is not far from the British {{w|Boston, Lincolnshire|Boston}}
|-
| Keebler
|| The {{w|Keebler Elves}} advertise cookies in the US
|| {{w|Thetford Forest}}
||
|-
| Bloughshire
|| Most British counties have "-shire" in their name. Originally it meant they were administered by a {{w|sheriff}}. However, it is rare in Wales.
|| {{w|Powys}}
||
|-
| Lionsgate
|| {{w|Lionsgate|A film studio}}
|| {{w|Leicester}}
||
|-
| Kingsbottom
|| Another "-bottom". A possible reference to {{w|King's Landing}}, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms of {{w|Westeros}} and one of its districts Fleabottom.
|| {{w|Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve|Suffolk Coast}}
||
|-
| Aberforth
|| {{w|Aberforth Dumbledore}} is {{w|Albus Dumbledore}}'s brother in the ''Harry Potter'' series. "Aber-" and "-forth" both indicate a "river mouth". "Aber-" is widespread in Wales.
|| {{w|Aberystwyth}}
||
|-
| South Norwessex
|| Another mash-up of {{w|Sussex}} ("South Saxons") with the obsolete {{w|Wessex}} ("West Saxons") and never extant {{w|Norsex}} ("North Saxons")
|| {{w|Birmingham}}
||
|-
| Dryford
|| Would refer to a river crossing without water. "{{w|Ford (crossing)|-ford}}" is a common placename element.
|| {{w|Shropshire Hills}}
||
|-
| Frampton
|| There are many {{w|Frampton}}s in the UK. It means "town on the river Frome" - and there are also several {{w|River Frome}}s. The name is famous thanks to rock musician {{w|Peter Frampton}}
|| {{w|Bury St Edmunds}}
||
|-
| Cambridge
|| {{w|Cambridge|No joke}}
|| {{w|Cambridge}}
|| Cambridge and Oxford, the two most prestigious university towns, are correctly marked. Together, they form {{w|Oxbridge}}
|-
| Kingsfriend
|| Possibly a joke about the royal patronage given to certain towns - for instance, {{w|Bognor Regis}} and {{w|Royal Wootton Bassett}}. Also {{w|Knighton, Powys|Knighton}} (a King's friend?) is very close to this locale.
|| Near the England-Wales border
||
|-
| Cair Paravel
|| {{w|Cair Paravel}} is the castle where the ruler of {{w|Narnia}} lives in the ''Narnia'' series.
|| {{w|Dedham Vale}}
||
|-
| Camelot
|| {{w|Camelot}} was (in legend) {{w|King Arthur}}'s court.
|| Near the England-Wales border
|| The King Arthur myth did in fact originate in the Welsh culture. However, most sites associated with Camelot, such as {{w|Winchester}}, {{w|Glastonbury}} and {{w|Cadbury Castle}}, are in England.
|-
| Nothingham
|| A pun on Nottingham.
|| Near {{w|Northampton}}
||
|-
| Cumberbatch
|| A surname, best known as that of actor {{w|Benedict Cumberbatch}}.
|| {{w|Harlow}}
||
|-
| Dampshire
|| A pun on the county of {{w|Hampshire}}. Generically a joking reference to any county, particularly of the {{w|West Country}}, to imply it is particularly prone to rain.
|| Gloucestershire
||
|-
| The CW
|| {{w|The CW|An American TV channel}}.
|| {{w|Pembrokeshire}}
|| Presumably the placement is a reference to Welsh words such as "cwm" which use W as a vowel.
|-
| Whaling
|| The practice of hunting whales. May be a reference to other -ing towns like {{w|Reading, Berkshire|Reading}} (which is actually pronounced "redding", not "reeding").
|| {{w|Merthyr Tydfil}}
||
|-
| Paulblart
|| ''{{w|Paul Blart: Mall Cop}}'' is a 2009 comedy film starring Kevin James
|| Near {{w|Chelmsford}}
||
|-
| Oxford
|| {{w|Oxford|No joke}}
|| {{w|Oxford}}
|| See Cambridge. Surprisingly, Randall made no attempt to troll readers by switching the locations of Cambridge and Oxford.
|-
| Moorhen
|| The {{w|moorhen}} is a waterfowl.
|| {{w|Gower Peninsula}}
|| Possibly punning on nearby {{w|Swansea}}.
|-
| Cardigan
|| {{w|Cardigan, Ceredigion|No joke}} - it seems funny to Americans because of the {{w|Cardigan (sweater)|knitted sweater}} invented there
|| {{w|Newport, Wales}}
|| The actual Cardigan is on the west coast. The name may be punning on the city of {{w|Cardiff}}, capital of Wales, which is further south-west.
|-
| BBC Channel 4
|| A composite of {{w|Channel 4}} and the {{w|BBC}} (UK TV operators) confusing the meaning of TV channel with a geographic channel.
|| {{w|Bristol Channel}}
||
|-
| London
|| {{w|London|No joke}}.
|| London
||
|-
| GMT
|| A reference to {{w|Greenwich Mean Time}}. Shown on the map near the London bourough of Greenwich through which the GMT meridian passes.
|| {{w|Greenwich}} (roughly)
||
|-
| Corbyn
|| A reference to leader of the UK {{w|Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party}} {{w|Jeremy Corbyn}}.
|| {{w|The Cotswolds}}
|| May be a confusion with the town of {{w|Corby}} although it is not near the location shown.
|-
| Tems-upon-Thames
|| A joke about the counter-intuitive pronunciation of {{w|Thames}}.
|| {{w|Rochester}}
||
|-
| Minas Tirith
|| {{w|Minas Tirith}} is the capital of Gondor in ''Lord of the Rings''.
|| {{w|Bristol}}
||
|-
| Hogsmeade
|| {{w|Hogsmeade}} is the nearest village to Hogwarts in the ''Harry Potter'' books.
|| {{w|Dover}}
|| The fictional Hogsmeade was in Scotland. Randall shows the {{w|Channel Tunnel}} running from there, a possible reference to Hogsmeade's secret connections to Hogwarts.
|-
| Tubemap
|| The {{w|Tube Map}} is the map of the {{w|London Underground}}, widely considered a masterpiece of design.
|| {{w|Outer London}}
||
|-
| Cambnewton
|| {{w|Cam Newton}} is quarterback for the {{w|Carolina Panthers}}. "Cam-" is common for placenames on any of the several British rivers called "{{w|Cam River|Cam}}", while "Newton" means "new town". Also possibly a pun on Camden Town, a touristic district in North London, although not its actual location on the map.
|| {{w|West Country}}
||
|-
| Efrafa
|| Efrafa is a rabbit warren in the story ''{{w|Watership Down}}''.
|| {{w|Chidden}}
|| According to the story, the warren should be located near the N of Corbyn on this map - the real {{w|Watership Down, Hampshire|Watership Down}} is in Hampshire.
|-
| Chansey
|| {{w|Chansey|Another Pokémon}}. "-sey" is a common suffix meaning "island".
|| {{w|Dungeness (headland|Dungeness}}
||
|-
| Oughghough
|| Playing on common place name elements, "oughghough" has no clear pronunciation under the rules of English. It could be "Uff-guff", "Oo-gow", "Uh-guh" or any combination of these sounds. The name looks similar to the real {{w|Loughborough}} ("Luff-bruh")
|| {{w|Barnstaple}}
||
|-
| Sundial
|| A {{w|sundial}} is a clock using a shadow to tell the time.
|| {{w|Wiltshire}}
|| The location roughly corresponds with {{w|Stonehenge}}, an ancient stone circle that was likely used to track the sun (though as a ritual calendar, rather than a clock)
|-
| Dobby
|| [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_creatures_in_Harry_Potter#Dobby Dobby] is a character in {{w|Harry Potter}}
|| {{w|Southampton}}
||
|-
| Lower Bottom
|| Another -bottom.
|| {{w|Devon}}
||
|-
| Southframpton
|| A confusion with {{w|Southampton}} which is nearby the location shown. The use of the postfix "frampton" may be a reference to the "Frampton" elsewhere on the map.
|| {{w|Milford on Sea}}
|| Frampton happens to be a common surname in the area.
|-
| Blandford
|| {{w|Blandford|No joke}}
|| {{w|Cornwall}}
|| The real Blandford is a bit further east, in Dorset, roughly under the m in 'Southframpton'.
|-
| Menthol
|| {{w|Menthol}} is a chemical with minty taste that produces a cooling sensation, and is used in mints and flavoured cigarettes.
|| {{w|Eastbourne}}
||
|-
| West Sea
|| Literal description.
|| {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}
|| Historically, this was the name for the ocean off the UK's west coast. According to the {{w|Shipping Forecast#Region names|list of sea areas}} used in the UK's {{w|Shipping Forecast}}, that region of sea is called "Lundy"
|-
| Tarp
|| Tarp, short for {{w|tarpaulin}}, is a waterproof sheet for storage and weather protection.
|| {{w|Teignmouth}}
||
|-
| Longbit
|| Literal description.
|| {{w|Cornwall}}
||
|}

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! X !! Y !! Label
|-
| 258 || 32 || Helcaraxë
|-
| 244 || 55 || Blick
|-
| 294 || 80 || Everdeen
|-
| 34 || 89 || Norther Sea
|-
| 238 || 119 || Highlands
|-
| 144 || 151 || Lock Lomond
|-
| 83 || 172 || Fjordham
|-
| 440 || 184 || A British Map Labeled by an American
|-
| 164 || 192 || Glassdoor
|-
| 250 || 219 || Eavestroughs
|-
| 312 || 237 || Seasedge
|-
| 260 || 262 || Chough
|-
| 148 || 267 || Meowth
|-
| 76 || 298 || (A picture of an upsidedown protractor)
|-
| 256 || 303 || Blighton
|-
| 344 || 309 || Eyemouth
|-
| 124 || 320 || Glutenfree
|-
| 486 || 320 || North Sea
|-
| 254 || 329 || Earhand
|-
| 353 || 347 || Hairskull
|-
| 38 || 362 || Belfast DeVoe
|-
| 224 || 365 || Lakebottom
|-
| 411 || 389 || Braintree
|-
| 335 || 408 || Skinflower
|-
| 430 || 431 || Bjork
|-
| 279 || 432 || Weedle
|-
| 440 || 451 || Eeugh
|-
| 258 || 453 || Crewneck
|-
| 310 || 454 || Paisley
|-
| 414 || 473 || Basil
|-
| 259 || 479 || Aidenn
|-
| 461 || 496 || Waterdown
|-
| 288 || 499 || Hillfolk
|-
| 31 || 509 || Dubstep
|-
| 464 || 517 || Borough-Upon-Mappe
|-
| 269 || 535 || Fhqwhgads
|-
| 490 || 537 || Landmouth
|-
| 461 || 539 || Cadbury
|-
| 237 || 554 || Cabinetry
|-
| 360 || 355 || The Shire
|-
| 464 || 562 || Brandon
|-
| 567 || 567 || Hamwich
|-
| 356 || 577 || West Norsussex
|-
| 420 || 578 || Redsox
|-
| 502 || 590 || Keebler
|-
| 372 || 597 || Lionsgate
|-
| 229 || 597 || Bloughshire
|-
| 573 || 609 || Kingsbottom
|-
| 182 || 613 || Aberforth
|-
| 328 || 615 || South Norwessex
|-
| 244 || 617 || Dryford
|-
| 495 || 630 || Frampton
|-
| 477 || 634 || Cambridge
|-
| 251 || 635 || Kingsfriend
|-
| 539 || 652 || Cair Paravel
|-
| 235 || 655 || Camelot
|-
| 408 || 655 || Nothingham
|-
| 429 || 673 || Cumberbatch
|-
| 121 || 673 || The CW
|-
| 303 || 674 || Dampshire
|-
| 210 || 676 || Whaling
|-
| 511 || 690 || Paulblart
|-
| 397 || 693 || Oxford
|-
| 169 || 695 || Moohren
|-
| 255 || 706 || Cardigan
|-
| 462 || 710 || GMT
|-
| 445 || 711 || London
|-
| 308 || 716 || Corbyn
|-
| 507 || 729 || Tems-Upon-Thames
|-
| 161 || 737 || BBC Channel 4
|-
| 267 || 737 || Minas Tirith
|-
| 560 || 746 || Hogsmeade
|-
| 454 || 748 || Tubemap
|-
| 296 || 756 || Cambnewton
|-
| 398 || 765 || Efrafa
|-
| 186 || 767 || Oughghough
|-
| 536 || 767 || Chansey
|-
| 351 || 777 || Sundial
|-
| 370 || 782 || Dobby
|-
| 162 || 784 || Lower Bottom
|-
| 496 || 784 || Menthol
|-
| 362 || 796 || Southframpton
|-
| 56 || 800 || West Sea
|-
| 154 || 804 || Blandford
|-
| 216 || 824 || Tarp
|-
| 123 || 846 || Longbit
|}

==Transcript==
Helcaraxë, Blick, Everdeen, Norther Sea, Highlands, Lock Lomond, Fjordham, A British Map Labeled by an American, Glassdoor, Eavestroughs, Seasedge, Chough, Meowth, (A picture of an upsidedown protractor), Blighton, Eyemouth, Glutenfree, North Sea, Earhand, Hairskull, Belfast DeVoe, Lakebottom, Braintree, Skinflower, Bjork, Weedle, Eeugh, Crewneck, Paisley, Basil, Aidenn, Waterdown, Hillfolk, Dubstep, Borough-Upon-Mappe, Fhqwhgads, Landmouth, Cadbury, Cabinetry, The Shire, Brandon, Hamwich, West Norsussex, Redsox, Keebler, Lionsgate, Bloughshire, Kingsbottom, Aberforth, South Norwessex, Dryford, Frampton, Cambridge, Kingsfriend, Cair Paravel, Camelot, Nothingham, Cumberbatch, The CW, Dampshire, Whaling, Paulblart, Oxford, Moohren, Cardigan, GMT, London, Corbyn, Tems-Upon-Thames, BBC Channel 4, Minas Tirith, Hogsmeade, Tubemap, Cambnewton, Efrafa, Oughghough, Chansey, Sundial, Dobby, Lower Bottom, Menthol, Southframpton, West Sea, Blandford, Tarp, Longbit

{{comic discussion}}