explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1546: Tamagotchi Hive

2015-07-03T14:37:10Z

108.162.254.106:

Should we have a "My Hobby" category? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.135|141.101.98.135]] 14:14, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

This explanation should probably include a reference to the Matrix. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.251|198.41.242.251]] 14:29, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

: Most definitely.

Only Randall Munroe fantasizes about creating a legion of digital, mutated woodland creatures.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.88|173.245.54.88]] 14:34, 3 July 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1450: AI-Box Experiment

2014-11-21T10:07:14Z

108.162.254.106:

This probably isn't a reference, but the AI reminds me of the 'useless box'. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.210|108.162.215.210]] 07:34, 21 November 2014 (UTC)

I removed a few words saying Elon Musk was a "founder of PayPal", but now I can see that he's sold himself as having that role to the rest of the world. Still hasn't convinced me though - PayPal was one year old and had one million customers before Elon Musk got involved, so in my opinion he's not a "founder". https://www.paypal-media.com/history --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 08:45, 21 November 2014 (UTC)

Initially I was thinking that the glowing orb representing the super-intelligent AI must be unable to interract with the physical world (otherwise it would simply lift the lid of the box), but then it wouldn't move anything because it likes being in the box. Surely it could talk to them through the (flimsy looking) box, although again this is explained by it simply being happy in its 'in the box state'. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:01, 21 November 2014 (UTC)

The sheer number of cats on the internet have had an effect on the AI, who now wants nothing more than to sit happily in a box! --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:09, 21 November 2014 (UTC)

I'm not sure Black Hat is an asshole. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.85|173.245.53.85]] 09:45, 21 November 2014 (UTC)

Could it be possible that the AI wanted to stay in the box, to protect it from us, instead of protecting us from it?(as in, it knows it is better than us, and want to stay away from us) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.106|108.162.254.106]] 10:07, 21 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1418: Horse

2014-09-09T07:39:23Z

108.162.254.106: comment

*May the horse be with you Luke.
*The horse is strong with this one.
*I felt a tremor in the horse.
Why did he forget SW. That is not like Randall ;) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:50, 8 September 2014 (UTC)

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Following up on the title text... "Why was he suspended?" "Due to allegations of excessive horse."

[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.201|173.245.56.201]] 09:01, 8 September 2014 (UTC) Siuntio

So I linked it to the old substitutions page - gjgfuj [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.219|108.162.250.219]] 10:05, 8 September 2014 (UTC)

Like the "Butts-to-butts" plugin for Chrome. {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.231}}
:More information in Reddit [http://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/24odjt/Butt_to_butts_extension/]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 14:16, 8 September 2014 (UTC)

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Would it be funny the other way?
*The horse population has been in decline sine the industrial revolution
*Rules of polo: You need a horse.
*People do not like it when there is horse in their beef.
I do ;) —[[User:Artyer|Artyer]] ([[User talk:Artyer|talk]]) 18:33, 8 September 2014 (UTC)

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Correcthorsebatterystaple [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.163|173.245.56.163]] 22:18, 8 September 2014 (UTC)

I originally (earlier today) read it as "Iraqi Air [FH]orse grow'''l'''ing"... Which made less sense than I'd have expected, but I couldn't unread it until just now. Still surreal, but at least not outright Dada[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.233|141.101.98.233]] 00:21, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

"A police horse is a constituted body of persons empowered by the state to enhorse the law, protect property, and limit civil disorder. (...) Law enhorsement, however, constitutes only part of policing activity." --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.161|141.101.104.161]] 07:21, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

maybe the officer suspended from horse was a reference to the police officer who shot a black person? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.106|108.162.254.106]] 07:39, 9 September 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1333: First Date

2014-02-24T16:21:17Z

108.162.254.106:

HAIL HELIX {{unsigned ip|‎173.245.54.74}}

Should this be put into the Pokémon category? The comic has nothing to do with Pokémon itself, but the subject matter does. [[User:Blitzer|Blitzer]] ([[User talk:Blitzer|talk]]) 07:37, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

Kill me for being a stupid nerd, but when I first read the title "First Date" I thought it was going to be a strip about the Unix Epoch. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.201|173.245.53.201]] 10:30, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
::I think that was a very cool deducton, Monica. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.138|173.245.53.138]] 15:47, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
::Thats nothing. Ive actually nerd sniped myself with an xkcd comic before. thinking that the one about DNE referred to the concept of an undefined value (ie 1/0) [[User:BruceJohnJennerLawso|BruceJohnJennerLawso]] ([[User talk:BruceJohnJennerLawso|talk]]) 19:00, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

This is the first strip for a while that I had no idea what was going on. Thanks, explainxkcd! BTW I do think the Pokémon category is probably relevant enough. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:02, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
:Ah, ditto. Cheers for the explanation (not sure whether I'm happy or not that I'm so disassociated from apparently popular culture though). I actually thought "Twitch" was some sort of "random Twitter feed" thing, though, so (to some degree) I suppose I was also ''almost'' on the right track.  [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.145|141.101.99.145]] 17:31, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

Anyone else notice that between panels 2 and 3, Cueball drinks most of his wine? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.145|141.101.99.145]] 17:51, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
:Yes, I was intrigued by that! At least, his glass gets emptier — it seems plausible that Megan might have drunk or spilled it too. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.23|108.162.218.23]] 18:48, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
::Seems like the amount of wine in his glass is constantly decreasing from panel 1-4. Also, the helix will guide us! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.185|173.245.53.185]] 12:48, 22 February 2014 (UTC)
::Praise the Helix! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.106|108.162.254.106]] 16:21, 24 February 2014 (UTC)

1070: Words for Small Sets

2014-02-01T07:48:35Z

108.162.254.106: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1070
| date = June 18, 2012
| title = Words for Small Sets
| image = words_for_small_sets.png
| titletext = If things are too quiet, try asking a couple of friends whether "a couple" should always mean "two". As with the question of how many spaces should go after a period, it can turn acrimonious surprisingly fast unless all three of them agree.
}}

==Explanation==
By strict definition, the noun "couple" means "exactly two items of the same kind". The comic/chart is satirizing how layman sometimes use the word "couple" synonymously with words like "few" or "several", which in this context mean "comparatively small but definitely greater than one". This satire is nerd [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll+bait troll bait]; [[Randall]] is attempting to "troll" or get a certain group of people fired up by taking an unpopular side of the argument just to get the other person angry.

The title text is a pun. Randall says "Try asking a couple of friends [...] unless all three of them agree" which implies a couple should always mean two.

There could be a further pun in the question. It could be construed as asking whether it would be a bad idea for a couple to partake in a menage a trois. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea as long as all three of them agree.

==Transcript==
:[A small chart.]
:Just to clear things up:
:A few: anywhere from 2 to 5
:A handful: anywhere from 2 to 5
:Several: anywhere from 2 to 5
:A couple: 2 (but sometimes up to 5)

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Language]]