explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1451: Background Screens

2014-11-25T07:04:32Z

108.162.249.209: Australia is a larger island than Greenland. Changed text to roughly say where Greenland is.

{{comic
| number = 1451
| date = November 24, 2014
| title = Background Screens
| image = background_screens.png
| titletext = No way, we gotta rewind and cross-reference this map with the list of coordinates we saw on the other screen. This Greenland thing could be big.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Discuss title text, Greenland, related memes}}
Plot and characters are generally considered the major reasons for watching a movie. [[Cueball]], however, pays particular attention to what's on the computer screens shown briefly in the background. Generally speaking, these screens are shown to the audience for such a short period of time, and at such a low-level of detail, that the contents of the screen don't match what is said in the dialog or otherwise put in the movie. Also, they sometimes contain irrelevant data or jokes. It's unlikely that important information would be communicated in such a way.

Background screens typically only serve to provide a "high-tech feel" to the movie, with endless columns of data flashing by in an eyeblink, and crosshairs zipping across maps. They are designed by artists who may not even be aware of the details of the plot, and as a result, their content (where it is intelligible, such as in a map) has little to no connection to the dialog or other story events going on in front of them.

{{w|Greenland}}, a large island east of Canada, is 80% covered in ice up to several kilometers in depth, and has a population of less than 100,000 people. It is an unlikely place for aliens to land, especially movie aliens, who generally prefer more densely-populated locations.

Unless, of course, they are planning something devious. In the title text, Cueball suggests that they should investigate how a list of coordinates from another background screen relates to the location of the alien craft in Greenland, laying the groundwork for a conspiracy theory connecting the movie's story to the "real" world.

There are a number of websites which specialize in documenting computer screens as seen in movies, including: (partial list - please expand/improve)
* Reddit - It's a Unix System I know This! - http://www.reddit.com/r/itsaunixsystem
* Waxy.Org - Screens on Screen - http://waxy.org/2013/07/screens_on_screen/
* The Guardian - Computer Code in Films - http://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2014/jan/10/computer-code-in-film-movie-terminator-girl-dragon-tattoo
* Moviecode tumblr - http://moviecode.tumblr.com

==Transcript==
[Cueball and Hairy are watching a movie, Cueball sitting on the floor and pointing the remote at the TV.]

[A pie chart shows what Cueball pays attention to in movies:
* Plot, characters: 5%
* Computer screens shown briefly in the background: 95%]

Cueball: Hang on – that blurry map behind the General shows one of the alien ships is in ''Greenland''! Why '''''Greenland?!'''''

Hairy: [quietly] Can we ''please'' just watch the movie?

{{comic discussion}}

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

446: In Popular Culture

2014-08-03T07:04:29Z

108.162.249.209: It was re added to wiki

{{comic
| number = 446
| date = July 7, 2008
| title = In Popular Culture
| image = in_popular_culture.png
| titletext = Someday, the 'in popular culture' section will have its own article with an 'in popular culture' section. It will reference this title-text referencing it, and the blogosphere will implode.
}}

==Explanation==
Wikipedia is a popular online encyclopedia with articles that are created and edited by the general public. Wikipedia entries have many sections, with the first few explaining the general concept and details behind the subject.

When this comic was written many Wikipedia articles had a section at the end entitled "in popular culture", listing TV shows, movies, songs and so on which made reference to the subject at hand. In many cases, this list was extensive, possibly because the people editing the articles were such fans of the subject or the pop culture in which it is referenced, they couldn't help but go into great detail, listing many esoteric and seemingly irrelevant elements of pop culture which were peripherally related to the subject of the article. As an example, see the old article [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apollo_in_popular_culture&oldid=153446837 Apollo in popular culture] which as of August 2007 redirects to {{w|Apollo}}.

The joke in this case is that even such a mundane article such as one on wood could have an "in popular culture" section and obviously, wooden items are common enough that there are any number of instances of popular culture which could be considered to "reference it", even if that's something as basic as a wooden item being used as a prop in a TV show. Such information would be of little or no use to anybody and only somebody obsessed with wood, a particular element of pop culture in which wood makes an appearance or the concept of placing pop culture references in encyclopedia articles would bother to create or maintain such a section.

Also, wood being such a popular material, the list of references could be virtually endless. This is a reference to the fact that the "in popular culture" sections of many Wikipedia articles contained dozens of items, even for articles on fairly arcane subjects. Note that the end of this particular "in popular culture" section is not visible so we don't know how long it is.

The title text states that in the future there will even have to be a wiki page with the subject "In popular culture". This article will also need an "in popular culture" section and it will be obvious to make a reference directly to this title text, as xkcd is part of popular culture and because this title text predicted the creation of and need for such a page. However this would then create a circular reference. This could be considered a form of infinite loop which is one way to cause a computer to crash (lock up). The joke is that the blogosphere could follow this endless train of circular links and itself crash, causing an "implosion".

This comic was mentioned in {{w|Wikipedia:"In popular culture" content}}. However, on April 23, 2014, the reference was edited out. It has since been re-added under the external links section.

==Transcript==
:[A fictional screen capture of the Wikipedia article for "wood" is shown.]
:'''Wood''' is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many plants. It has been used for centuries for both fuel and as a construction material for... [cut in page.]
:In popular culture:
:In episode 6 of ''Firefly'', "''Our Mrs. Reynolds''," Jayne is given a wooden rain stick by a villager.
:In the Buffyverse, Buffy often slays Vampires using stakes made of wood.
:The wand used by Harry Potter is made of wood from a holly tree.
:The fence around the back yard of the house in ''The Simpsons'' is wooden.
:In the 2004 TV series ''Battlestar Galactica'' [rest of page is cut.]

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

Talk:1397: Luke

2014-07-21T11:57:23Z

108.162.249.209:

Vader: *turns fleshlight on* An invisible blade? That is quite interesting. I should build one of these myself. (Alternately, ''I find your lack of blade disturbing'')[[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.239|103.22.201.239]] 05:55, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

What are these "connection to previous comic" things? They seem random and arbitrary. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.205|199.27.133.205]] 06:15, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
:There usually seems to be a point of contact with the previous comic. That a connection is usually there means it probably isn't coincidental but is part of the ingredients for making each new comic. So yes they do seem random and arbitrary because the content of the connection doesn't mean anything. The point is just that every comic is connected to the previous comic. The explanations of the connections may be incorrect. I thought I'd put these connection sections in to see how people feel about having a regular connection section. [[User:Rfvtg|Rfvtg]] ([[User talk:Rfvtg|talk]]) 06:33, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
::It may be a good idea, but I see no connection, just a lame pun. There usually dorsn't seem to be much of a connection anyways.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.130|173.245.48.130]] 07:14, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
::I don't think there's a real connection. I think that you're finding arbitrary segues, because you can segue between just about any two topics if you try. Try this - pick two random xkcd, and see if you can't find a "connection". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.209|108.162.249.209]] 11:57, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

Anyone want to mention that this is probably referencing is a weird quirk of the films? We never see Luke construct a lightsaber (unless I missed something), and it's easy to assume that it's actually... I think Ben Kenobi's or Yoda's, maybe (for prequel enthusiasts) even Qui Gon's... After all, if Obi kept Anakin's, maybe he'd also keep Qui-Gon's, and any others, and end up leaving at least one green sabre on the Falcoln. Anyway, my point is, Randall noticed that this line of dialogue isn't really explained, and Luke is probably going along with Darth's assumption to save face... And then took the awkward situation to new heights. I can't tell if I'm being a total idiot here or if I'm on to something. Or option three, it's something glaringly obvious but needs a mention to explain the comic in context [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.234|141.101.99.234]] 10:29, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
:Vader would probably recognize his mentors' lightsabers at first glance. Yes, it could be another unknown dead Jedi's saber, but it just as likely that Luke constructed one of his own, given he does not react in an obvious way to the suggestion. (Ignoring the Star Wars EU, which probably details exactly how Luke constructed the device.) Besides, we are shown Kenobi's, Yoda's and QG's lightsabers in the movies.[[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.239|103.22.201.239]] 11:39, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

1395: Power Cord

2014-07-16T10:19:34Z

108.162.249.209: /* Explanation */ safety

{{comic
| number = 1395
| date = July 16, 2014
| title = Power Cord
| image = power_cord.png
| titletext = In this situation, gzip /dev/inside to deflate, then pipe the compressed air to /dev/input to clean your keyboard. Avert your eyes when you do.
}}

==Explanation==
Always remember: DO NOT put any electrical cords in your mouth. You can be severely shocked.

In this comic, we see [[Beret Guy]] walking in from the left, as [[Cueball]] is sitting on a couch, typing on a laptop on his lap, with its power cord unplugged. Instead of connecting it to the wall socket, Beret Guy picks it up and blows air into the loose end of the cord, as if inflating a balloon--and the laptop inflates. It then floats away, making Cueball grab for it as Beret Guy casually walks away.

While it is not possible to inflate a laptop like this, nor (probably) to inflate ''anything'' by blowing down a power cord, Beret Guy has previously demonstrated supernatural abilities with power cords, such as in [[1293: Job Interview]]. It is also notable that Beret Guy has managed to breathe helium (or another lighter-than-air gas) into the laptop, to make it float.

The title text involves two puns on {{w|Unix shell}} commands. The first pun is on “deflation”; {{w|DEFLATE}} is a basic data compression algorithm used by the gzip utility. Using gzip to deflate (compress) the fictitious device /dev/inside is implied to deflate (remove air from) the inside of the computer. The second pun is on “{{w|Pipeline (Unix)|piping}}”, the act of using the output of one operation as the input to another. As the output of deflating (removing air from) the computer would be air, a ''physical'' pipe could be used to direct the air somewhere useful. The suggestion is to direct the air to /dev/input (the input device, i.e. the keyboard) to clean it, similar to "compressed air" dusting cans. As this might cause a spray of unpleasant detritus (compare [[237: Keyboards are Disgusting]]), the reader is advised to avert their eyes.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy enters to find Cueball typing on a laptop. Cueball's power cord is unplugged from the wall.]
:Cueball typing: Type type

:[Beret Guy picks up the power cord]
:Cueball typing: Type type

:[Beret Guy blows into the plug end of the cord blowing up the laptop]
:Beret Guy: '''Pbbbbt'''
:Laptop: '''Foomp'''

:[Beret Guy walks away, leaving Cueball to retrieve his laptop, which is floating away.]

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

Talk:211: Hamster Ball Heist

2014-06-13T23:14:14Z

108.162.249.209: nm

Unlike most of the comics featuring real people, this one had essentially zero followup. I can't find anything on anyone trying to do it, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. Still, I don't feel that small blemish could make this explanation incomplete. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 04:34, 24 August 2013 (UTC)

I would like to see examples of attempted kidnaps of Wayne Coyne. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.209|108.162.249.209]] 23:12, 13 June 2014 (UTC)
Oh wait never mind[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.209|108.162.249.209]] 23:14, 13 June 2014 (UTC)

Talk:211: Hamster Ball Heist

2014-06-13T23:12:06Z

108.162.249.209: kidnapp