explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1262: Unquote

2013-09-18T12:55:57Z

121.222.232.156: unquote requote

My prediction: forever. Not sure we would recognize their star wars, though ... "{{w|Han shot first}}" pale in comparison to what will next generations do with it when they will be doing holographic version. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:50, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

The idea of this makes me sad. --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 13:09, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

(Oh, hello, edit conflict. Anyway...) Assuming that humanity is (collectively) doomed to die off at some point in the possibly distant future, through natural cateclism, external interference or some form of self-inflicted destruction, there 'will' be a last time for ''every'' saying and quote, in their original form or morphed into the dialect/language of the future. Thus someone ''will'' say some form or other of "May the force be with you" on one final occasion, although whether it outlives (just) "Don't tell me the odds" and/or "I've got a bad feeling about this!" is a question for another day. ;) [[Special:Contributions/31.111.104.72|31.111.104.72]] 13:16, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

Sadly, those last two examples will no doubt long outlive MTFBWY, if for no other reason than people will use them "accidentally" in casual conversation. In terms of conscious use of a Star Wars references, I'd like to think that MTFBWY would outlast them all... -- [[User:Nonnal|Nonnal]] ([[User talk:Nonnal|talk]]) 13:25, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

Aww. Steven Wright started the thought. I thought Randall had come up with a clever way to signal the "end" of a quote, it's death, by saying unquote! :¬I But doesn't that also resurrect the quote! Damn![[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 21:13, 9 September 2013 (UTC)ExternalMonolog

Will someone please edit that misspelled "resurrect"? [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 21:16, 9 September 2013 (UTC)ExternalMonolog

Typing from a phone, but the title text is very likely from Neil Gaiman's recent book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, where numerous references to a mythical "Old Country" are made. Randall seems like a Gaiman fan. Sorry for not abiding by appropriate edit/comment rules.{{unsigned ip|134.124.114.211}}

It's a trap![[Special:Contributions/121.222.232.156|121.222.232.156]] 02:57, 10 September 2013 (UTC)
:I find your lack of faith disturbing. [[Special:Contributions/31.111.104.72|31.111.104.72]] 13:52, 10 September 2013 (UTC)

:Hmmm ... in case of some form of self-inflicted destruction, which phrase have higher chance to be the last quoted Star Wars reference? "It's a trap" or "I've got a bad feeling about this!"? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:25, 11 September 2013 (UTC)
::Could {{w|Wilhelm_scream|this}} count? ;) [[Special:Contributions/31.111.104.72|31.111.104.72]] 13:39, 11 September 2013 (UTC)

My impression is the reference to "the old country" is an ironic reference to the Star Wars opening lines "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...". [[Special:Contributions/88.81.136.42|88.81.136.42]] 17:02, 11 September 2013 (UTC)

Of course, the act of noting the last time a Star Wars quote was used would automatically trigger more quotes. A little like Heisenberg, no? --[[User:Mr. I|Mr. I]] ([[User talk:Mr. I|talk]]) 19:23, 12 September 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps "the old country" refers to the notion that the past is "another country". As for the longevity of MTFBWY, compare with "Live long, and prosper," or one could compare it with Shakespeare -- it depends on how much the Star Wars mythology speaks of a general human experience.{{unsigned ip|113.29.215.205}}

What about the normal stuff, like "I love you. I know"? People were saying that before 1980 and generally only geeks and film buffs attach any importance to it now. The rest of us don't think about it. We also have to consider requoting. For example, I was watching The Roast (an Australian satirical news show very similar to Jon Stewart), and a member of the cast parodied the "I felt a disturbance in the Force. Like a million tiny voices cried out in terror, then were suddenly silenced" bit.

Talk:521: 2008 Christmas Special

2013-09-15T16:20:14Z

121.222.232.156: Created page with "Santa actually really is Muslim. Saint Nicholas was from Turkey, although his remains have been somewhere in Italy for the past millennium."

Santa actually really is Muslim. Saint Nicholas was from Turkey, although his remains have been somewhere in Italy for the past millennium.

44: Love

2013-09-14T16:38:08Z

121.222.232.156: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 44
| date = October 19, 2005
| title = Love
| image = love.jpg
| titletext = This one makes me wince every time I think about it
}}

==Explanation==
Couples sometimes expresses their love similarly to this comic, continuing to escalate the claims of how much they love each other, satisfied that they love each other a lot.

But what if the woman agrees that, yeah, he does love her more? The awkwardness of such an admission is further punctuated by the title text.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan stand facing one another.]

:Cueball: I love you!
:Megan: I love you!

:Cueball: I love you more!

:Megan: Yeah.

:[Cueball and Megan stand facing one another - saying nothing.]

==Trivia==
*This is the twenty-first comic originally posted to livejournal. The previous was [[21: Kepler]]. The next was [[40: Light]].

This is the last strip drawn on graph paper.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Romance]]

57: Wait For Me

2013-09-14T16:27:03Z

121.222.232.156: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 57
| date = January 31, 2006
| title = Wait For Me
| image = wait_for_me.jpg
| titletext = Opening dialogue by [[Scott]]
}}

==Explanation==

[[Megan]] is returning after a short absence of under two minutes.
[[Cueball]]'s reaction is as if she had been gone for years, and had formed a relationship with someone else while waiting.

His pause before admitting to the affair, as well as the claim of having a son by the affair Megan's age suggest that he is joking. It is impossible for Cueball to have a son Megan's age from an affair while he is notionally seeing Megan - unless he had the relationship with Megan, and the affair, 9 months before she was born. Certainly not within the 90 seconds Megan claims to have been gone. Then again, desperate, besotted people are prone to wild ideas and can be very suggestible.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan stand facing one another.]

:Megan: Why didn't you wait for me?
:Cueball: I thought you were gone forever!

:Megan: I said I'd be back in a minute!
:Cueball: The... the seconds went fast at first, but then they started to drag on. She was there for me.

:Megan: You had an affair in the 90 seconds I was gone?!
:Cueball: ...yes.

:Cueball: And we had a son.

:Cueball: He'd be about your age now.

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

112: Baring My Heart

2013-09-14T15:35:42Z

121.222.232.156: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 112
| date = June 7, 2006
| title = Baring My Heart
| image = baring_my_heart.png
| titletext = I'm just trying to explain, please don't be jealous! Man, why are all my relationships ruined by early 90's rappers?
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall Munroe|Randall]] presents a {{w|Venn diagram}}, or a logical diagram that illustrates the relationship between multiple sets. The diagram is usually used when sets overlap. In other words, a Venn diagram of "even numbers" and "numbers divisible by 5" would have 2, 4, 6, 8, 12…. In one circle, 5, 15, 25… in another circle, and 10, 20, 30… in the intersection of the circles (as those numbers fit into both sets).

Here we have a three-set diagram which Randall has purportedly created to explain his feelings to his love interest.

The three sets are: i) People who can always make him smile; ii) people he wants to spend the rest of his life with and iii) people who constantly show him new things to love about the world. In the union of these three sets is "you" – his love interest, all three of those statements apply to her.

Normally this might be a cute way of simply implying that he has these three feelings about her, without including any other elements in any of the sets. However, here, Randall has included one other element: {{w|Vanilla Ice}} (an early 1990s rapper who nowadays hosts a home-decorating reality show on MTV) is shown to also constantly show Randall new things to love about the world, and is also someone Randall wants to spend the rest of his life with (although Vanilla Ice doesn't always make him smile).

Vanilla Ice is a Caucasian rapper who was most popular in the early 1990s with his song "{{w|Ice Ice Baby}}". He was frequently mocked as a very "white" rapper. He is obviously an unexpected name to turn up in this diagram.

Apparently Randall's love interest didn't take too well to Randall professing similar feelings for Vanilla Ice as he did for her, causing some friction in their relationship. The title text suggests that other 90s rappers have similarly affected Randall's past relationships.

==Transcript==
:[A venn diagram with three sets]
:Description of set 1: People who can always make me smile
:Description of set 2: People who constantly show me new things about the world
:Description of set 3: People I want to spend the rest of my life with
:Intersection point: YOU.
:Intersection of sets 2 and 3: Vanilla Ice
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Math]]

140: Delicious

2013-09-14T15:06:30Z

121.222.232.156: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 140
| date = August 11, 2006
| title = Delicious
| image = delicious.png
| titletext = I'm currently in the I Have Cheese phase of this cycle.
}}

==Explanation==
The simplest explanation for the comic is the recipe for nachos. You take some tortilla chips, spread them out on a plate, sprinkle them with grated cheese and perhaps some other ingredients like salsa, beans, or guacamole, and put the plate in the oven until the cheese is melted. As usual with a full bag of snacks, you always end up with that tiny bit left at the bottom of the bag. In this case, it is either leftover grated cheese (left) or tortilla chips (right). So you end up buying another package of the other ingredient to make nachos again.

The lower caption is a play on the words {{w|vicious cycle}}, in which a negative feedback loop reinforces itself - in contrast to a ''virtuous cycle'' in which a positive feedback loop is established.

==Transcript==
:[Frame is split by a diagonal.]
:[First half: Cueball in front of open fridge.]
:Cueball: I have leftover cheese. I should get chips and make nachos.

:[Second half: Cueball with bag of chips.]
:Cueball: I have leftover chips. I should get cheese and make nachos.

:A delicious cycle

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

Talk:158: Six Months

2013-09-14T14:33:19Z

121.222.232.156: Created page with "Could this strip actually be something like a well-couched "Your mom" joke?"

Could this strip actually be something like a well-couched "Your mom" joke?

Talk:218: Nintendo Surgeon

2013-09-14T13:29:29Z

121.222.232.156:

Was the NES really "notorious for glitching games upon start-up"? I always thought it was usually after the game cartridges had been around long enough to have attracted enough dust and dirt on the contacts to prevent proper electrical connection. Since the NES cartridges were basically a circuit board in a plastic case, with one end exposed for the edge connectors, dirty contacts could effectively add resistance to the circuits. Blowing on the contacts would displace the dirt. It would be possible to use rubbing alcohol or something similar, but many 10-year-olds would not have alcohol handy, plus the alcohol could leave a residue attracting more dirt in the future. [[User:Tryc|Tryc]] ([[User talk:Tryc|talk]]) 15:10, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Wasn't just the NES, it was all cartridge-based systems, like the N64 and the GameBoy (I still do this with my eight-year old Advance SP). The nostalgic memories are kicking in now...

Talk:240: Dream Girl

2013-09-14T13:02:58Z

121.222.232.156: Created page with "~~~~ Someone who was there? Want to share what happened? Also, I know it's a bad thing to do, but I just gotta say, Premiere!"

[[Special:Contributions/121.222.232.156|121.222.232.156]] 13:02, 14 September 2013 (UTC) Someone who was there? Want to share what happened? Also, I know it's a bad thing to do, but I just gotta say, Premiere!

274: With Apologies to The Who

2013-09-14T07:10:12Z

121.222.232.156: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 274
| date = June 8, 2007
| title = With Apologies to The Who
| image = with_apologies_to_the_who.png
| titletext = Trivia: Roger Daltry originally wrote "Don't try an' Digg what we all say" but erased the second "g" when he moved to reddit.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to the song "{{w|My Generation}}" by the British rock band {{w|The Who}}, which was released in 1965. The song is about {{w|intergenerational conflicts}} and has been regarded as a very decided proclamation of youthful rebellion.

The original lyrics of the song run as follows:
:People try to put us d-d-down
:Just because we get around
:Things they do look awful c-c-cold
:I hope I die before I get old
:[...]
:Why don't you all f-fade away
:And don't try and dig what we all s-s-say
:I'm not trying to cause a big s-s-sensation
:I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation''

In the comic, [[Cueball]] adapts the lyrics to describe his own generation, the {{w|Generation Y}}. As people born from the 1980s onwards grew up with the internet, this generation is also nicknamed "{{w|digital natives}}". It is therefore natural that the updated lyrics should refer to {{w|blogging}} and {{w|internet slang}}. The actions performed by Cueball while typing the text relates to the original [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=594WLzzb3JI music video], in which The Who smash their instruments in a true rock star fashion. Cueball wails his keyboard like a guitar and smashes his monitor in the end.

"Grok" is a neologism from the classic 1961 science-fiction novel ''Stranger in A Strange Land'', by Robert Blenheim.

The title text jokingly suggests that the band's {{w|Roger Daltrey|lead singer}} originally meant the line
:And don't try and dig what we all s-s-say
as a reference to the social news site {{w|Digg}} but changed it after switching to its competitor {{w|Reddit}}.

Note that "My Generation" was in fact covered and adapted by various bands, including {{w|Oasis (band)|Oasis}}, {{w|The Sweet}}, {{w|Iron Maiden}} and {{w|Generation X (band)|Generation X}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a desk with a computer, typing.]
:Monitor: People try to shut us d-d-down
:just 'cause our music gets around
:[Cueball is standing on his chair and typing with his keyboard across his hip.]
:Monitor: Old folks act like total noobs
:get off our net; <u>you</u> block the tubes
:[Cueball is really wailing on the keyboard.]
:Monitor: Why don't you all just d-d-disconnect
:and don't try an' grok our d-d-dialect
:[Cueball smashes the keyboard into the monitor.]
:Monitor: I'm not tryin' to cause a big s-s-sensation
:I'm just bloggin' 'bout my generation

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

274: With Apologies to The Who

2013-09-14T07:05:47Z

121.222.232.156: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 274
| date = June 8, 2007
| title = With Apologies to The Who
| image = with_apologies_to_the_who.png
| titletext = Trivia: Roger Daltry originally wrote "Don't try an' Digg what we all say" but erased the second "g" when he moved to reddit.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to the song "{{w|My Generation}}" by the British rock band {{w|The Who}}, which was released in 1965. The song is about {{w|intergenerational conflicts}} and has been regarded as a very decided proclamation of youthful rebellion.

The original lyrics of the song run as follows:
:People try to put us d-d-down
:Just because we get around
:Things they do look awful c-c-cold
:I hope I die before I get old
:[...]
:Why don't you all f-fade away
:And don't try and dig what we all s-s-say
:I'm not trying to cause a big s-s-sensation
:I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-g-generation''

In the comic, [[Cueball]] adapts the lyrics to describe his own generation, the {{w|Generation Y}}. As people born from the 1980s onwards grew up with the internet, this generation is also nicknamed "{{w|digital natives}}". It is therefore natural that the updated lyrics should refer to {{w|blogging}} and {{w|internet slang}}. The actions performed by Cueball while typing the text relates to the original [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=594WLzzb3JI music video], in which The Who smash their instruments in a true rock star fashion. Cueball wails his keyboard like a guitar and smashes his monitor in the end.

"Grok" is a neologism from the classic 1962 Anthony Burgess novel ''A Counter-Clockwork Orange'', which was turned into a cult film by Stanley Kubrick in 1971.

The title text jokingly suggests that the band's {{w|Roger Daltrey|lead singer}} originally meant the line
:And don't try and dig what we all s-s-say
as a reference to the social news site {{w|Digg}} but changed it after switching to its competitor {{w|Reddit}}.

Note that "My Generation" was in fact covered and adapted by various bands, including {{w|Oasis (band)|Oasis}}, {{w|The Sweet}}, {{w|Iron Maiden}} and {{w|Generation X (band)|Generation X}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a desk with a computer, typing.]
:Monitor: People try to shut us d-d-down
:just 'cause our music gets around
:[Cueball is standing on his chair and typing with his keyboard across his hip.]
:Monitor: Old folks act like total noobs
:get off our net; <u>you</u> block the tubes
:[Cueball is really wailing on the keyboard.]
:Monitor: Why don't you all just d-d-disconnect
:and don't try an' grok our d-d-dialect
:[Cueball smashes the keyboard into the monitor.]
:Monitor: I'm not tryin' to cause a big s-s-sensation
:I'm just bloggin' 'bout my generation

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

Talk:314: Dating Pools

2013-09-14T06:18:28Z

121.222.232.156:

The following text is exactly 160 characters long, which is the maximum length of an SMS:
:(2013-08-17)-(199X-XX-XX)=6XXX days
:(2013-08-17)-(199X-XX-XX)=5XXX days
:7 years=2556.75 days
:6XXX/2+2557=5XXX
:Standard Creepiness Rule: Don't date under age/2+7
Don't ask me how I found it :P (some digits are replaced with X for privacy reasons) --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 10:08, 17 August 2013 (UTC)
[[Special:Contributions/121.222.232.156|121.222.232.156]] 06:18, 14 September 2013 (UTC) Don't ask you how you found it? I'm a little concerned about that credo...

Talk:365: Slides

2013-09-13T07:45:17Z

121.222.232.156: security

I believe that the title text actually implies that the conference in the comic '''is''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIGGRAPH SIGGRAPH].{{unsigned ip|184.41.49.246}}
[[Special:Contributions/121.222.232.156|121.222.232.156]] 07:45, 13 September 2013 (UTC) And what? The organization and/or the venue the convention is being held in haven't hired security guards who ARE able to throw you out?

Talk:1262: Unquote

2013-09-10T02:57:05Z

121.222.232.156: Another widely popular quote

[[Special:Contributions/121.222.232.156|121.222.232.156]] 02:57, 10 September 2013 (UTC) It's a trap!

My prediction: forever. Not sure we would recognize their star wars, though ... "{{w|Han shot first}}" pale in comparison to what will next generations do with it when they will be doing holographic version. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:50, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

The idea of this makes me sad. --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 13:09, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

(Oh, hello, edit conflict. Anyway...) Assuming that humanity is (collectively) doomed to die off at some point in the possibly distant future, through natural cateclism, external interference or some form of self-inflicted destruction, there 'will' be a last time for ''every'' saying and quote, in their original form or morphed into the dialect/language of the future. Thus someone ''will'' say some form or other of "May the force be with you" on one final occasion, although whether it outlives (just) "Don't tell me the odds" and/or "I've got a bad feeling about this!" is a question for another day. ;) [[Special:Contributions/31.111.104.72|31.111.104.72]] 13:16, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

Sadly, those last two examples will no doubt long outlive MTFBWY, if for no other reason than people will use them "accidentally" in casual conversation. In terms of conscious use of a Star Wars references, I'd like to think that MTFBWY would outlast them all... -- [[User:Nonnal|Nonnal]] ([[User talk:Nonnal|talk]]) 13:25, 9 September 2013 (UTC)

Aww. Steven Wright started the thought. I thought Randall had come up with a clever way to signal the "end" of a quote, it's death, by saying unquote! :¬I But doesn't that also resurect the quote! Damn![[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 21:13, 9 September 2013 (UTC)ExternalMonolog

Will someone please edit that misspelled "resurrect"? [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 21:16, 9 September 2013 (UTC)ExternalMonolog

Typing from a phone, but the title text is very likely from Neil Gaiman's recent book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, where numerous references to a mythical "Old Country" are made. Randall seems like a Gaiman fan. Sorry for not abiding by appropriate edit/comment rules.{{unsigned ip|134.124.114.211}}