explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1530: Keyboard Mash

2015-06-02T01:07:59Z

108.162.250.193: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1530
| date = May 27, 2015
| title = Keyboard Mash
| image = keyboard mash.png
| titletext = WHY DON'T YOU COME HANG OUT INSIDE MY HOUSE. WE CAN COOK BREAD AND CHAT ABOUT OUR INTERNAL SKELETONS.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Could be more concise, more citations please.}}

[[Cueball]] is chatting online (supposedly) with [[White Hat]], who says he is frustrated because a barking dog is preventing him from sleeping. White Hat apparently mashes the keyboard to show his frustration. Keyboard mashing is often used in this way where the user makes their hands spasm across the keyboard, creating a line of text that can be compared to an angry groan in real life. Cueball is about to give some advice, but is confused by a quirk in what White Hat typed. Most of the characters he typed were on the home row of the QWERTY keyboard, (the middle set of letters on the keyboard, starting with the letters A, S, D, and F on a QWERTY keyboard) the letters A, S, D, F, J, K, and L are scattered throughout the text, but there is a 7 in the middle of this text. Cueball, (being himself) wonders how White Hat put a seven in there, because if White Hat was keyboard mashing and touched the 7 key, he likely would have hit any of the QWERTY row keys because of keyboard mashing hand spasms, but he didn't. All the other characters were on the home row. White Hat berates Cueball for always focusing on strange, tiny details. When the final panel shows what's going on where White Hat is, we see that a giant spider (possibly a joke about the spider "on the Web" here) has imprisoned him in a web and is talking to Cueball, which explains how the keyboard mashing "White Hat" did was strange.

The reason the dog was barking appears to be because the giant spider was lurking nearby. Little did White Hat know that the dog was alerting him of the spider. When the spider notices that White Hat mentions the barking dog to Cueball, the spider apparently restrains White Hat and takes over typing. Another possibility is that the "dog" barking is actually White Hat, as he is seen making grunts from beneath the spider's silk. It can be seen in the last panel that the spider is typing with 3 legs, which explains how the 7 key would have been pressed.

The statement "I am a normal human typing with my human hands" is [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuspiciouslySpecificDenial an oddly specific assertion] from the giant spider that it is actually a human, a claim that would normally be taken for granted and had not really been cast into doubt by Cueball's inquiries about how "7" got into a string of home-row keystrokes. The title text invitation ends with a similar statement, suggesting that they "...CHAT ABOUT OUR INTERNAL SKELETONS", a subject that would not normally come up in conversation (except for fans of the Pierce Quincuncial projection, as detailed in xkcd [[977]]) but is being offered as more evidence that the typist is most certainly not a giant spider.
The title text implies that the spider also wants to trap (and possibly eat) Cueball as well, or actually hang out with him in an attempt to make friends. "...HANG OUT INSIDE MY HOUSE" may also have a double meaning, as White Hat is actually "hanging" from the ceiling inside his house. Also another oddity is that the spider asks Cueball to cook bread, although bread is actually baked, and in any case this isn't a common pastime during the night.

The joke in the title text is similar to the Oglaf comic [http://oglaf.com/humans/ Humans!] (warning---contains nudity), where several characters attempty to convince another that they are human. They suggest doing several activities that are typical of human beings, but are unaware that their suggestions are bizarre and out-of-context.

The central theme of the comic is a vindication of Cueball's world-view, wherein tiny oddities such as the appearance of a numeral in a keyboard mash merit investigation. In the real world, the appearance of a "7" in the middle of a home row keyboard mash is more likely attributable to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollover_%28key%29 key ghosting].

==Transcript==
:Cueball approaches his desktop computer, which has emitted a "NEW CHAT MESSAGE" from seemingly White Hat as it displays a picture of him.

:[Chat log]:
:White Hat: Can't sleep. Stupid dog keep barking.
:White Hat: So frustrating. FJAFJKLDSKF7JKFDJ
:Cueball: Ugh, I'm sorry. Maybe you could...
:Cueball: ... Okay, wait. I have to ask.
:Cueball: How did you hit a "7" in the middle there?
:White Hat: Huh?
:White Hat: I was just randomly keyboard mashing.
:Cueball: Sorry, Right.
:White Hat: Anyway,
:Cueball: I know this is silly, but like... All your hands were clearly right on the home row.
:Cueball: I don't get how one finger could have stretched up to the "7".
:White Hat: Why do you always fixate on these bizarre details?
:Cueball: I don't know.
:Cueball: Sorry.
:White Hat: It's weird, is all.

:[Chat transcript continues, but now we see a human-sized spider suspended from the ceiling by web is using three of its legs to type on a laptop computer. Behind the spider, White Hat is upside down, almost totally encased in spider web, also suspended from the ceiling, verbalising MMM!! MMPH!!! Between them, a chair has been knocked over onto its back.]
:Spider (while the chat dialogue shows White Hat's picture): I am a normal human typing with my human hands.
:Cueball: Yeah, of course. I know.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Spiders]]

1530: Keyboard Mash

2015-05-28T07:03:53Z

108.162.250.193: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1530
| date = May 27, 2015
| title = Keyboard Mash
| image = keyboard mash.png
| titletext = WHY DON'T YOU COME HANG OUT INSIDE MY HOUSE. WE CAN COOK BREAD AND CHAT ABOUT OUR INTERNAL SKELETONS.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Too chatty and wordy. Cut to 1/3 in size}}

[[Cueball]] is chatting online (supposedly) with [[White Hat]], who says he is frustrated because a barking dog is preventing him from sleeping. White Hat apparently mashes the keyboard to show his frustration. Keyboard mashing is often used in this way where the user makes their hands spasm across the keyboard, creating a line of text that can be compared to an angry groan in real life. Cueball is about to give some advice, but is confused by a quirk in what White Hat typed. Most of the characters he typed were on the home row of the QWERTY keyboard, (the middle set of letters on the keyboard, starting with the letters A, S, D, and F on a QWERTY keyboard) the letters A, S, D, F, J, K, and L are scattered throughout the text, but there is a 7 in the middle of this text. Cueball, (being himself) wonders how White Hat put a seven in there, because if White Hat was keyboard mashing and touched the 7 key, he likely would have hit any of the QWERTY row keys because of keyboard mashing hand spasms, but he didn't. All the other characters were on the home row. White Hat berates Cueball for always focusing on strange, tiny details. When the final panel shows what's going on where White Hat is, we see that a giant spider (possibly a joke about the spider "on the Web" here) has imprisoned him in a web and is talking to Cueball, which explains how the keyboard mashing "White Hat" did was strange.

The reason the dog was barking appears to be because the giant spider was lurking nearby. Little did White Hat know that the dog was alerting him of the spider. When the spider notices that White Hat mentions the barking dog to Cueball, the spider apparently restrains White Hat and takes over typing. It can be seen in the last panel that the spider is typing with 3 legs, which explains how the 7 key would have been pressed.

The title text implies that the spider also wants to trap (and possibly eat) Cueball as well, or actually hang out with him in an attempt to make friends. "HANG OUT INSIDE MY HOUSE" may also have a double meaning, as White Hat is actually "hanging" from the ceiling inside his house. Also another oddity is that the spider asks Cueball to cook bread, although bread is actually baked, and in any case this isn't a common pastime during the night.

The statement "I am a normal human typing with my human hands" is [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuspiciouslySpecificDenial an oddly specific assertion] from the giant spider that it is actually a human, a claim that would normally be taken for granted and had not really been cast into doubt by Cueball's inquiries about how "7" got into a string of home-row keystrokes. The title text invitation ends with a similar statement, suggesting that they "CHAT ABOUT OUR INTERNAL SKELETONS", a subject that would not normally come up in conversation (except for fans of the Pierce Quincuncial projection, as detailed in xkcd [[977]]) but is being offered as more evidence that the typist is most certainly not a giant spider.

The central theme of the comic is a vindication of Cueball's world-view, wherein tiny oddities such as the appearance of a numeral in a keyboard mash merit investigation.

==Transcript==
:Cueball approaches his desktop computer, which has emitted a "NEW CHAT MESSAGE" from seemingly White Hat as it displays a picture of him.

:[Chat log (all in uppercase)]:
:White Hat: CAN'T SLEEP. STUPID DOG KEEPS BARKING.
:White Hat: SO FRUSTRATING. FJAFJKLDSKF7JKFDJ
:Cueball: UGH, I'M SORRY. MAYBE YOU COULD...
:Cueball: ... OKAY, WAIT. I HAVE TO ASK.
:Cueball: HOW DID YOU HIT A "7" IN THE MIDDLE THERE?
:White Hat: HUH?
:White Hat: I WAS JUST RANDOMLY KEYBOARD MASHING.
:Cueball: SORRY, RIGHT.
:White Hat: ANYWAY,
:Cueball: I KNOW THIS IS SILLY, BUT LIKE ... ALL YOUR HANDS WERE CLEARLY RIGHT ON THE HOME ROW.
:Cueball: I DON'T GET HOW ONE FINGER COULD HAVE STRETCHED UP TO THE "7".
:White Hat: WHY DO YOU ALWAYS FIXATE ON THESE BIZARRE DETAILS?
:Cueball: I DON'T KNOW.
:Cueball: SORRY.
:White Hat: IT'S WEIRD, IS ALL.

:[Chat transcript continues, but now we see a human-sized spider suspended from the ceiling by web is using three of its legs to type on a laptop computer. Behind the spider, White Hat is upside down, almost totally encased in spider web, also suspended from the ceiling, verbalising MMM!! MMPH!!! Between them, a chair has been knocked over onto its back.]
:Spider (while the chat dialogue shows White Hat's picture): I AM A NORMAL HUMAN TYPING WITH MY HUMAN HANDS.
:Cueball: YEAH, OF COURSE. I KNOW.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Spiders]]

Talk:1530: Keyboard Mash

2015-05-28T02:36:06Z

108.162.250.193:

Disagree with the flag: I do not find the explanation "too chatty", nor do I think cutting it to 1/3 the size would be beneficial. (No, I had nothing to do with the writing of it, just thought I'd voice my support of the original author) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.165|108.162.219.165]] 21:01, 27 May 2015 (UTC)larK

Spiders. We knew this would happen someday.

So, the plot seems to be that he went outside to deal with his dog, and the spider got inside, perhaps lurking in his room and striking when he sat down at his computer, hence the keyboard smash.
It could be him being taken, or perhaps the spider getting adjusted to the keyboard rather clumsily, what would you see as more feasible?
And from then on, it's the spider typing? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.168|108.162.238.168]] 06:23, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

"All your hands" were on the home row? Surely he means *both* hands or all *fingers* - unless he's already aware of the spider? Plot hole? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.121|141.101.99.121]] 06:43, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

: Good catch. May be he always was aware he was talking with a spider. And the las comment from the spider is just sarcastic. [[User:Arturotena|Arturotena]] ([[User talk:Arturotena|talk]]) 07:46, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

: Yes, that had me wondering too. Perhaps the spider didn't realise she needed to turn the webcam off? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.159|108.162.250.159]] 09:20, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

The comment "I am a normal Human typing with my Human hands." seems like something Beret Guy would say. Perhaps his time with Beret Guy has desensitized Cueball to those kind of comments? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.9|108.162.219.9]] 09:08, 27 May 2015 (UTC)
:On the other hand, beret guy wouldn't accuse someone of being "weird" or "bizarre" [[User:Zeimusu|Zeimusu]] ([[User talk:Zeimusu|talk]]) 09:13, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

;Internal skeleton

In the title text, the spider invite to “CHAT ABOUT OUR INTERNAL SKELETONS.” Of course, the spiders, being arachnid, are invertebrate and don't have internal skeletons. Humans have. My guess is the spider is trying to fool the human. :-) [[User:Arturotena|Arturotena]] ([[User talk:Arturotena|talk]]) 07:34, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

Thanks, Mr. skeletal.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.86|108.162.219.86]] 11:08, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

;Number of "Fingers"

It is 7 keys - "fingers" that are used for the smash on the home row. Spiders have 8 legs. Anybody else notice that? lg tier666 [[Special:Contributions/141.101.92.43|141.101.92.43]] 07:44, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

:I count 8 keys: 7 letters and the digit "7". Bit, since the letters are repeated, the spider couldn't press all of the with its legs at the same time. All of this make me think that a spider could be an awesome typist. [[User:Arturotena|Arturotena]] ([[User talk:Arturotena|talk]]) 07:51, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

;Turing test

The spider passed the Turing test. Of course, the test were for machines, not arachnids. [[User:Arturotena|Arturotena]] ([[User talk:Arturotena|talk]]) 07:54, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

;What if?

Coincidentally, or perhaps not, the current "What if?" at http://what-if.xkcd.com/136/ is also spider related. It comes with a health warning: "If you're a serious arachnophobe, you might want to skip this one." :-) . [[User:Gearoid|Gearoid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 08:09, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

What should be the name of the picture of White Hat? White Hat/Spider or White Hat Chat Avatar or Spider with the acces of White Hats Avatar or spider who seems to be White Hat or Spider who replaced White Hat in the Interweb of better Names I couldn't think of yet. And how do we know, that Cueball is Cueball as well maybe this is the invasion of the spiders who come through the web!! [[User:ẞ qwertz|ẞ qwertz]] ([[User talk:ẞ qwertz|talk]]) 10:32, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/310959549243301172/ That is all. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 11:51, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

;Possible reference by the title?
{{w|Monster_Mash|A keyboard '''mash''' by a '''monster'''ous spider...}} {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.110}}

; Where's your dog now?

Maybe the dog keeps barking because of the Spider. We should totally think of many different ways, how the spider got inside the house and when.
[[User:ẞ qwertz|ẞ qwertz]] ([[User talk:ẞ qwertz|talk]]) 10:12, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

The dog is probably a reference to Terminator 2 where a barking dog reveals the terminator identity. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.222|141.101.98.222]] 12:45, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

[[wikipedia:On_the_Internet,_nobody_knows_you%27re_a_dog|On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog.]] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.131|108.162.254.131]] 16:29, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

;Keystroke Dynamics
I see a hint to keystroke dynamics in this comic, which is being increasingly used to assert someone's identity online. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.230.68|198.41.230.68]] 16:55, 27 May 2015 (UTC)xquestion

Back 30+ years ago I had an Apple II+ with a keyboard that did EXACTLY this. Every time you "keyboard mashed", there were odd "7"s and "5"s appearing where none should be. Aside from this comic now having creepy undertones for me, personally, this seems like a factoid about ancient keyboards that's worthy of a "Did You Know?" bullet. What do you guys think? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.193|108.162.250.193]] 02:36, 28 May 2015 (UTC)

;Spiders FTW![[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.154|141.101.104.154]]

I am so glad that spiders can only grow to about 5-8 inches before physics stop them. Though prehistoric times were awesome, they had dragonfly bodies the length of thighs with 26 inch wingspans and cockroaches half a meter long! I've let a 1/3rd foot Madagascar hissing roach walk on me in a museum and don't mind but I think I'd be scared to see the underside of that half meter cockroach!