explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1902: State Borders

2017-10-16T11:23:43Z

141.101.104.101: Removing political butthurt

{{comic
| number = 1902
| date = October 13, 2017
| title = State Borders
| image = state_borders.png
| titletext = A schism between the pro-panhandle and anti-panhandle factions eventually led to war, but both sides spent too much time working on their flag designs to actually do much fighting.
}}

==Explanation==

In this comic, graphic designers take control of the United States, but the only thing they do is to change the state and national borders, using primarily aesthetic criteria.

Despite the caption's rather blasé reaction to the graphic designers' master plan, the changes they propose could be rather tumultuous. Many U.S. residents will be made to live in new states, and thus be required to pay different taxes and obey different state laws, and even root for different sports teams. Some particularly unlucky U.S. citizens living in Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, and Minnesota could be required to file for citizenship in Mexico or Canada if they wish to continue living in their current homes.

This comic hints at the fact that it is indeed Randall who wants to see these changes made.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Proposed change !! Explanation
|-
| Give to Canada || {{w|Minnesota}} has a small northern exclave (the {{w|Northwest Angle}}) which is accessible from the rest of the US only via the {{w| Lake of the Woods}} or by travelling through Canada. The new borders suggest giving this territory to Canada to simplify the state and national border.
|-
| This should be {{w|Wisconsin}} || {{w|Michigan}} is divided into two parts by {{w|Lake Michigan}}. The graphic designers suggest eliminating a boundary line by assigning the upper peninsula of Michigan to Wisconsin. The upper peninsula of Michigan was given to Michigan as part of a compromise to end the {{w|Toledo War}}.
|-
| Move Long Island to NJ or CT, or make it its own state || {{w|Connecticut}} and {{w|New Jersey}} are very close to each other but don't actually border, separated only a few miles by {{w|New York State}}. {{w|Long Island}} is part of New York State, which visibly juts out into the Atlantic (extending so far to the east that it gives New York a maritime border with Rhode Island) and apparently drives graphic designers crazy who see an association with New Jersey or Connecticut or even becoming its own state more logical than being a part of New York State. This would have some issues, not least of which is that Long Island contains two of {{w|New York City}}'s five boroughs ({{w|Brooklyn}} and {{w|Queens}}) and more than half the city's population.
|-
| Align to Grid || Most of the Western states are variations on "Let's have a large box", but there's something a bit irregular about them. Never fear, the Design Team has fixed!
|-
| Clean Up (Maryland/Pennsylvania/Virginia/West Virginia) || Maryland's western panhandle and both of West Virginia's to the east and north would be smoothed out to have nice, straight, shorter lines.
|-
|Enlarge Rhode Island & Delaware || {{w|Rhode Island}} and {{w|Delaware}}, the two {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area#Area_by_state.2Fterritory|smallest U.S. states by area}}, are often difficult to make out on a map of the United States.
Expanding Delaware to occupy the entire {{w|Delmarva_Peninsula|Delmarva peninsula}} eliminates some boundary lines the designers apparently consider excessively fiddly, as well as solving another "Michigan" problem, as the "VA" of "Delmarva" refers to its {{w|Eastern Shore of Virginia|Eastern Shore}}, which is separated from the rest of Virginia by the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The two parts of Virginia are connected by the [[Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel]], but no direct route exists between the parts of Maryland on opposite sides of the bay (without going through another state or on a boat or airplane).

Expanding Rhode Island eastward would reduce the number of land borders it has to two (one to its west with Connecticut and one to its north with Massachusetts) and make it easier to see on a map.
|-
| If we're going to have a panhandle, why not commit to it? || {{w|Oklahoma}} has a "panhandle" to its west, which is a kind of {{w|Salient (geography)|Salient}}. The obvious fix would be to give it to Texas. In a twist, the graphic designers suggest extending it even further, across the northern parts of {{w|Arizona}} and {{w|New Mexico}}. This would make the {{w|Four Corners Monument}} obsolete, since Arizona and New Mexico would no longer border {{w|Utah}} and {{w|Colorado}} respectively, let alone all four states sharing a corner.
|-
| Fix this thing || The border of {{w|Missouri}} cuts into {{w|Arkansas}}, in the so-called {{w|Missouri Bootheel}}. The Design Team has awarded that piece to {{w|Arkansas}}, straightening the border.
|-
| Unlabelled cleanup at the junction of {{w|Kentucky}}/{{w|Virginia}} || Virginia's western border is shifted east to align it with the borders to the north and south, forming a continuous line along the {{w|Appalachian_Mountains|Appalachians}}.
|-
| Unlabelled cleanup at the junction of {{w|Nevada}}/{{w|Arizona}} || Continue the line of Utah's western border and Arizona's far northwestern border south (replacing part of the {{w|Colorado River}} boundary), transferring part of Arizona's {{w|Mohave_County,_Arizona|Mohave county}} to Nevada.
|-
| Unlabelled cleanup at the junction of {{w|Texas}}/{{w|Oklahoma}}/{{w|Arkansas}}/{{w|Louisiana}} || Square off {{w|Southwest Arkansas}}, and move {{w|Lousiana's}} northwest border to meet up, presumably because square corners are better.
|-
| Clean up (Arizona/New Mexico/Texas) || One of {{w|New Mexico}}'s borders should be extended into a single line. This results in ceding some land to Mexico, having {{w|El Paso}} split across New Mexico and Texas, and Highway 62 alternating between two states.
|-
| Straighten to fix survey errors (Tennessee) || {{w|Tennessee}}'s southern border is supposed to be the 35th parallel north, but due to surveying errors made in the 19th Century the marked border is one mile south of that line. At many times since, Georgia has sought to fix this by various means (at least partly because doing so would net them some rights to the water from the Tennessee River) including bringing its case to the US Supreme Court - with the Design Team in charge, they wouldn't need those lawyers any more. Farther westward, Tennessee's actual southern border suddenly juts south at the Tennessee River between Alabama and Mississippi - again, the Design Team would rather see it smoothed out. Tennessee's northern border with Kentucky has similar hitches that prevent it from being a straight line that the Design Team wants to address.
|-
| Good Curve! Keep (Florida/Georgia/South Carolina) || The only thing the design team likes already about the shape of the US is the shape of the Atlantic coast in northern {{w|Florida}}, Georgia, and {{w|South Carolina}}, as it seems to bend into the US smoothly. Given the curve is the border between land and water, it's unfortunate that they like it, as preventing it from being changed due to sea level rise (from global warming) or erosion is impossible.{{Citation needed}}
|-
| Let's be honest, this should be Canada too || {{w|Southeast Alaska}} should be given to {{w|Canada}}, presumably because it more neatly fits with {{w|British Columbia}}. This is slightly problematic, as the current state capital, {{w|Juneau}}, is within this section. However, the state capital could be returned to its previous location, Anchorage.
|-
| Why should Florida get Alabama's coastline? It has plenty. ||
The {{w|Florida Panhandle}} borders southern {{w|Alabama}} denying the state all but a sliver of coastline. Given that Florida already has an abundance of coast, the Graphic Designers consider the present arrangement unfair. Ceding the Florida counties west of the {{w|Apalachicola River}} has actually been {{w|Florida_Panhandle#Alabama_annexation_proposals|raised since the 19th century}}. This change would have the additional benefit of more neatly aligning Florida's western border with that of neighboring {{w|Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia}}.
|}

In the title text, the graphic designers have a civil war between the ones that favor "panhandles" in the borders, such as the Oklahoma one which is enlarged in the map, the Florida one which is removed in the map, and maybe others such as the Texas region known as the "Texas panhandle". However, as graphic designers, they get too caught up in making the flag designs for their faction to actually fight. Randall has shown interest for vexillology (the study of flags) in the past.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[An outline map of the United States is shown, including state boundaries. The following edit marks are shown in red text:]
:[Minnesota's Northwest Angle is circled] Give to Canada
:[Border between Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula is crossed out] This should be Wisconsin
:[New York's Long Island is circled, with arrows and question marks pointing to New Jersey and Connecticut] Move Long Island to NJ or CT or make it its own state
:[New York's eastern border has been straightened]
:[Wyoming's western border is moved to align with that of Colorado. The Montana/Idaho and Idaho/Utah borders are extended to reach the new border. Similarly, Colorado's eastern border is moved to align with that of Wyoming, and the Nebraska/Kansas border has been extended] Align to grid
:[West Virginia's northern panhandle has been given to Ohio and part of its eastern panhandle has been given to Maryland. In return, Western Maryland has been given to West Virginia. The altogether effect is that West Virginia and Maryland have more compact shapes] Clean Up
:[Rhode Island has been enlarged to encompass southeastern Massachusetts, and Delaware now takes up the entire Delmarva Peninsula] Enlarge Rhode Island & Delaware
:[The Oklahoma Panhandle has been extended west until it reaches Nevada, taking the northernmost parts of Arizona and New Mexico with it] If we're going to have a panhandle, why not commit to it?
:[The Missouri Bootheel has been given to Arkansas] Fix this thing
:[The part of Virginia west of the Appalachian Mountains has been given to Kentucky]
:[The southwestern and eastern borders of Nevada have been extended into Arizona until they meet a point. A part of California is slightly extended to reach the revised border]
:[Parts of Arizona and New Mexico have been ceded to Mexico, and part of Texas has been given to New Mexico, so that the southern borders of Arizona and New Mexico and the northern border of the Trans-Pecos area of Texas collectively form a straight line] Clean Up
:[Parts of northeastern Texas have been given to Arkansas and Louisiana]
:[The northern and southern borders of Tennessee have been straightened] Straighten to fix survey errors
:[A line has been traced along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida] Good curve! Keep.
:[Alaska's southeastern panhandle has been circled] Let's be honest - this should be Canada, too.
:[The Alabama/Florida border has been erased, and Alabama's eastern border has been extended south until it meets the Gulf of Mexico] Why should Florida get Alabama's coastline? It has plenty.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:It was scary when graphic designers seized control of the country, but it turned out they just wanted to fix some things about the state borders that had always bothered them.<br>

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]

Talk:12: Poisson

2017-04-27T21:43:12Z

141.101.104.101: poisson=fish comment

[[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) The date of issue of this comic is off. Does anybody have the correct date? Does anybody know the song that BlackHat is singing in the last frame?

I always imagine the song is either the Bangles cover of "hazy shade of winter" from the movie Less than Zero though I have also imagined it to be "saved by zero" by the Fixx.

:Did anyone notice the pun on poison and Poisson? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.174|108.162.254.174]] 18:39, 10 March 2014 (UTC)
:: What pun? Replacing "Poisson" with "poison" anywhere doesn't produce any additional meaning. [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 18:54, 29 April 2014 (UTC)
:::On the other hand, "Poisson", in French, despite being the name of the discoverer of this distribution, also means "fish". thus maybe the "no memory" joke? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.101|141.101.104.101]] 21:43, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

Note that the 'h' in the word 'hell' looks like 'λ'. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.64.35|141.101.64.35]] 20:03, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

Also note that the Poisson distribution is "memoryless" (like the exponential distribution) which explains why the Poisson is content to continue repeating this fact. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.178|108.162.222.178]] 16:44, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

The coinflip distribution described in the second paragraph not a Poisson Distribution. Rather it is a binomial distribution (or a Bernoulli distribution for the single flip case). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.163|108.162.229.163]] 11:11, 7 September 2015 (UTC)
:I deleted it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.154|173.245.50.154]] 12:25, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

The first three panels establish that Cueball is a Poisson distribution, that Black Hat finds him annoying and that both parties exist and can communicate with each other. In other words, Black Hat's value is compatible with a Poisson distribution. The implication of panel three seems to be that Black Hat isn't ''stating'' his value but is stating his ''change'' in value to "I'm less than zero." This is similar to the phrase, "I'm less than impressed." The change in value ''causes'' Cueball to vanish. In the fourth panel, Black Hat is whistling a happy tune; pleased at having removed an annoyance. --[[User:David.poole.9000|DP9000]] ([[User talk:David.poole.9000|talk]]) 02:44, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

;fish red dwarf

honestly my first thought was Rimmers advanced theory on pourus circuits in his astro navigation exam in which he wrote i am a fish numerous times saluted and passed out but a hot second was 'i am a fish merchant'? {{unsigned|Strawdog}}

Talk:12: Poisson

2017-04-27T21:42:39Z

141.101.104.101: poisson=fish comment

[[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) The date of issue of this comic is off. Does anybody have the correct date? Does anybody know the song that BlackHat is singing in the last frame?

I always imagine the song is either the Bangles cover of "hazy shade of winter" from the movie Less than Zero though I have also imagined it to be "saved by zero" by the Fixx.

:Did anyone notice the pun on poison and Poisson? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.174|108.162.254.174]] 18:39, 10 March 2014 (UTC)
:: What pun? Replacing "Poisson" with "poison" anywhere doesn't produce any additional meaning. [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 18:54, 29 April 2014 (UTC)
:::On the other hand, "Poisson", in French, despite being the name of the discoverer of this distribution, also mean "fish". thus maybe the "no memory" joke? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.101|141.101.104.101]] 21:42, 27 April 2017 (UTC)

Note that the 'h' in the word 'hell' looks like 'λ'. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.64.35|141.101.64.35]] 20:03, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

Also note that the Poisson distribution is "memoryless" (like the exponential distribution) which explains why the Poisson is content to continue repeating this fact. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.178|108.162.222.178]] 16:44, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

The coinflip distribution described in the second paragraph not a Poisson Distribution. Rather it is a binomial distribution (or a Bernoulli distribution for the single flip case). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.163|108.162.229.163]] 11:11, 7 September 2015 (UTC)
:I deleted it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.154|173.245.50.154]] 12:25, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

The first three panels establish that Cueball is a Poisson distribution, that Black Hat finds him annoying and that both parties exist and can communicate with each other. In other words, Black Hat's value is compatible with a Poisson distribution. The implication of panel three seems to be that Black Hat isn't ''stating'' his value but is stating his ''change'' in value to "I'm less than zero." This is similar to the phrase, "I'm less than impressed." The change in value ''causes'' Cueball to vanish. In the fourth panel, Black Hat is whistling a happy tune; pleased at having removed an annoyance. --[[User:David.poole.9000|DP9000]] ([[User talk:David.poole.9000|talk]]) 02:44, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

;fish red dwarf

honestly my first thought was Rimmers advanced theory on pourus circuits in his astro navigation exam in which he wrote i am a fish numerous times saluted and passed out but a hot second was 'i am a fish merchant'? {{unsigned|Strawdog}}

1806: Borrow Your Laptop

2017-03-03T07:37:12Z

141.101.104.101: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1806
| date = March 3, 2017
| title = Borrow Your Laptop
| image = borrow_your_laptop.png
| titletext = If used with software that could keep up, a scroll wheel mapped to send a stream of 'undo' and 'redo' events could be kind of cool.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}
Randall as many other computer users likes to customize his PC. He does it in a very specific way. He is quite enthusiastic about it and has ideas for a scroll wheel for undo/redo, which could be considered moving through "time". Scrolling vertically and horizontally (regular scrolling) could be considered moving through "space".
Changing to QWERTY likely means the letters on the keyboard are arranged in "Dvorak" mode, a slightly more efficient system of placing the keys.
It's also reasonably common to remap caps lock to a more commonly used key, Cueball has remapped it to control.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat walks toward Cueball's desk pointing at his laptop while looking back at Cueball standing behind him.]
:White Hat: Can I load it up on your laptop?
:Cueball: Sure!
:Cueball: Oh, just hit both shift keys to change over to QWERTY.
:Cueball: Caps lock is control. And spacebar is capslock.
:Cueball: And two-finger scroll moves through time instead of space.
:Cueball: And-

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Once I've used a computer for a while no one else will ever use it again.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Time]]

Talk:878: Model Rail

2016-08-02T09:52:14Z

141.101.104.101:

It IS possible to go smaller than one atom, but it tends to make a really bright flash and loud noise. The original atomic bomb was the second guy's reading of a train modeler's notes, miraculously preserved in a refrigerator. --[[Special:Contributions/68.200.188.141|68.200.188.141]] 03:37, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Corrected HO to H0 --[[Special:Contributions/70.169.90.254|70.169.90.254]] 22:25, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

I hate it when my model train layout gets crushed by a cold virus. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.150|199.27.128.150]] 23:38, 28 December 2013 (UTC)
:You mean your model model model model model train layout.. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.195|141.101.99.195]] 20:39, 20 January 2014 (UTC)

3.5mm per foot? What kind of half-assed system is that?? It's an embarrassment. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 21:13, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

3.5 millimeters is due to the origins of HO scale. It literally means "Half O", and "O" scale, now 1/4 inch per foot in the US, was 7 mm/foot in Britain, where the scales originated. The debate over "HO" and "H0" comes from the same source, as "O" scale was originally labeled "0", following the larger scales of 1, 2, 3, etc, used for toy trains in the early 20th century. As for the name today, it's pronounced "Aitch-Oh" in most, if not all, of the world. {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.92}}

:In Germany this scale is called "H-Null" (H for halb=half; Null=zero). So H0 is definitly correct there while HO is completly illogical. The HO can be used in english only because it is common to use O instead of saying zero, while this is uncommon in most other languages. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.101|141.101.104.101]] 09:49, 2 August 2016 (UTC)

The "this discussion" link doesn't lead to the discussion in question. Please fix? Anonymous 17:32, 13 February 2014 (UTC)
:I can't see this. But a former add here is fixed, maybe this helps.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:14, 13 February 2014 (UTC)
::The {{Tl|w}} does interpret the link target as the page name. So when linking to "Page?bar=foo" will not interpret the bar parameter. Additionally because there was a = in one parameter it treated everything before as the parameter name and everything after it as the parameter value. If the first problem wouldn't be a problem at least the first parameter would need to be defined as 1=…. I reverted that part to the old working version. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.109|108.162.254.109]] 13:49, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

There is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|community portal discussion]] of what to call Cueball and what to do in case with more than one Cueball. I have added this comic to the Category:Multiple Cueballs. Since the one who knows the rule to me seems like the best candidate for a Cueball here, I have changed the transcript to make him Cueball. He has the interesting comments of this comic, so maybe it is OK to let him be listed as Cueball? On the other hand someone has previously done the opposite, proving that it is not possible to say that Cueball is any particular guy. But it is just easier to explain the transcript (and the comic) when calling one of them Cueball rather than guy 1 and 2 (left of right etc.)--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:11, 29 July 2015 (UTC)--

Talk:878: Model Rail

2016-08-02T09:51:00Z

141.101.104.101:

It IS possible to go smaller than one atom, but it tends to make a really bright flash and loud noise. The original atomic bomb was the second guy's reading of a train modeler's notes, miraculously preserved in a refrigerator. --[[Special:Contributions/68.200.188.141|68.200.188.141]] 03:37, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Corrected HO to H0 --[[Special:Contributions/70.169.90.254|70.169.90.254]] 22:25, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

I hate it when my model train layout gets crushed by a cold virus. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.150|199.27.128.150]] 23:38, 28 December 2013 (UTC)
:You mean your model model model model model train layout.. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.195|141.101.99.195]] 20:39, 20 January 2014 (UTC)

3.5mm per foot? What kind of half-assed system is that?? It's an embarrassment. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 21:13, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

3.5 millimeters is due to the origins of HO scale. It literally means "Half O", and "O" scale, now 1/4 inch per foot in the US, was 7 mm/foot in Britain, where the scales originated. The debate over "HO" and "H0" comes from the same source, as "O" scale was originally labeled "0", following the larger scales of 1, 2, 3, etc, used for toy trains in the early 20th century. As for the name today, it's pronounced "Aitch-Oh" in most, if not all, of the world. {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.92}}

:In Germany this scale is called "H-Null" (H for halb=half; Null=zero). So H0 is correct while HO is completly illogical. The HO can be used in english only because it is common to use O instead of saying zero, while this is uncommon in most other languages. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.101|141.101.104.101]] 09:49, 2 August 2016 (UTC)

The "this discussion" link doesn't lead to the discussion in question. Please fix? Anonymous 17:32, 13 February 2014 (UTC)
:I can't see this. But a former add here is fixed, maybe this helps.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:14, 13 February 2014 (UTC)
::The {{Tl|w}} does interpret the link target as the page name. So when linking to "Page?bar=foo" will not interpret the bar parameter. Additionally because there was a = in one parameter it treated everything before as the parameter name and everything after it as the parameter value. If the first problem wouldn't be a problem at least the first parameter would need to be defined as 1=…. I reverted that part to the old working version. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.109|108.162.254.109]] 13:49, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

There is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|community portal discussion]] of what to call Cueball and what to do in case with more than one Cueball. I have added this comic to the Category:Multiple Cueballs. Since the one who knows the rule to me seems like the best candidate for a Cueball here, I have changed the transcript to make him Cueball. He has the interesting comments of this comic, so maybe it is OK to let him be listed as Cueball? On the other hand someone has previously done the opposite, proving that it is not possible to say that Cueball is any particular guy. But it is just easier to explain the transcript (and the comic) when calling one of them Cueball rather than guy 1 and 2 (left of right etc.)--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:11, 29 July 2015 (UTC)--

Talk:878: Model Rail

2016-08-02T09:49:19Z

141.101.104.101:

It IS possible to go smaller than one atom, but it tends to make a really bright flash and loud noise. The original atomic bomb was the second guy's reading of a train modeler's notes, miraculously preserved in a refrigerator. --[[Special:Contributions/68.200.188.141|68.200.188.141]] 03:37, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Corrected HO to H0 --[[Special:Contributions/70.169.90.254|70.169.90.254]] 22:25, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

I hate it when my model train layout gets crushed by a cold virus. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.150|199.27.128.150]] 23:38, 28 December 2013 (UTC)
:You mean your model model model model model train layout.. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.195|141.101.99.195]] 20:39, 20 January 2014 (UTC)

3.5mm per foot? What kind of half-assed system is that?? It's an embarrassment. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 21:13, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

3.5 millimeters is due to the origins of HO scale. It literally means "Half O", and "O" scale, now 1/4 inch per foot in the US, was 7 mm/foot in Britain, where the scales originated. The debate over "HO" and "H0" comes from the same source, as "O" scale was originally labeled "0", following the larger scales of 1, 2, 3, etc, used for toy trains in the early 20th century. As for the name today, it's pronounced "Aitch-Oh" in most, if not all, of the world. {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.92}}

:In Germany this scale is called "H-Null" (H for halb=half; Null=zero). So H0 is correct while HO is completly unlogical. The HO can be used in english only because it is common to use O instead of saying zero, while this is uncommon in most other languages. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.101|141.101.104.101]] 09:49, 2 August 2016 (UTC)

The "this discussion" link doesn't lead to the discussion in question. Please fix? Anonymous 17:32, 13 February 2014 (UTC)
:I can't see this. But a former add here is fixed, maybe this helps.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:14, 13 February 2014 (UTC)
::The {{Tl|w}} does interpret the link target as the page name. So when linking to "Page?bar=foo" will not interpret the bar parameter. Additionally because there was a = in one parameter it treated everything before as the parameter name and everything after it as the parameter value. If the first problem wouldn't be a problem at least the first parameter would need to be defined as 1=…. I reverted that part to the old working version. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.109|108.162.254.109]] 13:49, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

There is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|community portal discussion]] of what to call Cueball and what to do in case with more than one Cueball. I have added this comic to the Category:Multiple Cueballs. Since the one who knows the rule to me seems like the best candidate for a Cueball here, I have changed the transcript to make him Cueball. He has the interesting comments of this comic, so maybe it is OK to let him be listed as Cueball? On the other hand someone has previously done the opposite, proving that it is not possible to say that Cueball is any particular guy. But it is just easier to explain the transcript (and the comic) when calling one of them Cueball rather than guy 1 and 2 (left of right etc.)--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:11, 29 July 2015 (UTC)--

Talk:1538: Lyrics

2015-06-18T12:14:39Z

141.101.104.101: Rihanna and Sir Paul McCartney's lyrics are not better when looking them up

The character I'm missing in the title is [http://unicode-table.com/en/0FD0/ Tibetan Mark Bska- Shog Gi Mgo Rgyan U+0FD0] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.129|108.162.216.129]] 06:13, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Description seems heavily referential, without a clear or concise description of the mechanisms involved. Surely there is a psychological concept associated with this, rather than "that one scat jazz song" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.166|108.162.219.166]] 06:40, 16 June 2015 (UTC)

I feel like Randall is talking about all songs in this comic, not just ones where the singer favours "emotion, accent or style over clear pronunciation of the lyrics". I mean, has anyone ever listened to a song and immediately understood every single lyric on the first listen? I think that's the issue Randall is trying to express. [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 14:36, 16 June 2015 (UTC)

;Unicode
And the second Box is a Mathematical Script small I (U+1D4BE)
And the First Box is a Mathematical Fraktur small S (U+1D530)
I think These are the only ones, that iOS7 can't picture. [[User:ẞ qwertz|ẞ qwertz]] ([[User talk:ẞ qwertz|talk]]) 06:35, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

More fun with Unicode. Question is, which OS does Randall have that has perfect support? (It has to cover emoji and obscure glyphs like these. Likely that it's multiple devices?) [[User:Azule|Azule]] ([[User talk:Azule|talk]]) 06:47, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
::Windows 7 here, everything displays properly for me. I don't think supporting most (or all) of the Unicode charset is as uncommon today as it used to be. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.128|108.162.221.128]] 10:37, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
::Linux Mint 17 here, ditto. [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] ([[User talk:Seipas|talk]]) 11:05, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
::Most of todays operating systems have unicode support perfect, but may still lack some fonts. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:08, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
:::Well, http://i62.tinypic.com/258b02t.png  is as far as I've so far managed to get my personal rendering. "...but it's hard to read and I can't focus ?it?" would have been be my guess. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.48|141.101.99.48]] 14:28, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

I'm looking forward to finding out what the words are in English (as opposed to Unicodish). [[User:Azule|Azule]] ([[User talk:Azule|talk]]) 06:47, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:"...but it's hard to read and I can't focus"? [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 07:48, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

;Misheard Lyrics
Folks. I offer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI1hGShVdBA as the latest example of the genre. "I rub a Mexican loki" -> "I'm up all night to get lucky". [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 07:02, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:Not typical example. In typical example, you can't hear the lyrics over the music, not because the singer have bad pronunciation. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:08, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
:Still, could be added to the explanation that "misheard lyrics" is its own genre on Youtube. Notable example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg5_mlQOsUQ --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.104|108.162.254.104]] 21:02, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

...Songs still have lyrics these days? {turns on the radio} BWWWUWWUWUWUWUB {turns off the radio} [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.111|108.162.215.111]]

I sometimes observe that while dreaming, I can read the seemingly intelligible text perfectly well, but it changes every time I look back at it. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.161|173.245.48.161]] 09:04, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Title possibly inspired by http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1732348/regex-match-open-tags-except-xhtml-self-contained-tags/1732454#1732454 (however, there is a lot of stuff like that) {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.108}}

Why a phone? Why cannot Cueball be holding a tablet? {{unsigned|RChandra}}

Can it be remote control to the radio he's listening to? Or CD case with printed lyrics? I don't know how phone would fit the story. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.51.120|173.245.51.120]] 13:18, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

For non-native English speakers is even funnier: you look up the lyrics after giving up on deciphering what it says and think: "After so many years studying this language, is *that huge* the comprehension gap between natives and I"? Then you find that natives don't pick up the lyrics either. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.66.53|141.101.66.53]] 13:20, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Don't look up the lyrics. Whatever you imagine it to be is likely better, and if you can't tell what it is and have no idea: Consider yourself lucky. "If I could be so lucky, lucky, lucky!".[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.149|108.162.254.149]] 13:46, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

I'm the person that can hear all the lyrics without looking them up. I can't turn it off, and then my brain analyses what they actually mean. Trust me, you're better off not being able to understand them. They suck. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 14:05, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

I only have that after looking up the lyrics. (non-native english speaker). I think I somewhat agree with you. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.67|141.101.104.67]] 15:35, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

;Attempt at translating
Please feel free to add suggestions below those I have given here. I write first each line in the attempt I have given at typing what is actually written (of course not possible), and then the next line (indented) with the words I think should be there. I have already two possible interpretations of one line. So please just ad an :or and a new line here below. Then note below with a signature that you have added more lines here. Maybe we can include some of the best guesses in the explanation. I do not think this will turn out to be a real song we can find the lyrics to, but I would be very interested in good suggestions. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:02, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:I CANTFVEN +ELe THER
::I can't even tell her
:or
::I can't even help her
:or
::I can't f-en please her ("plussee th-er")

:ANDT⊕NG fHE WCAN NAp.
::And ???? she can ???.
:or
::And ???? she wanna.
:or
::Finding she can nap
:or
::Finding she wanna.
:or
::Anything she wants ta (to?)
:or
::Anything she wants can have (wa' can 'haf)

:HADBE AūτlfA!NNNG∩RKILL...
::Had be ????????????? kill…
::: Had be ous tanning or I'll ? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.68.29|162.158.68.29]] 15:26, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
:or
::Had be >autsaining< (outstanding?) or kill
:or
::Had ße aut?????? I'll (Had me out, saying "I will¨)
:or
:: Had to be outstanding girl

:FOR♡ITiNnaAGL♡OOO!VEEE ?-
::For ????????? Loooveee?-
:or
:: Foorgetting Looooveee
:or
:: For tiny gloooooooove
:or
:: For Tina's Looooooveee
:or
::Forgotten Love --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.68.29|162.158.68.29]] 15:26, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:::Please just fill in more suggestions above--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:02, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:::Added some. Apearently someone can't tell some sleeping girl something because she is asleep and therefore not listening. He/she did not know the girl could nap before he found out she was asleep. The rest as of yet makes even less sense. What would the genre of this song be? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.67|141.101.104.67]] 15:35, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:::: The drawn out "loooooove" makes me think pop. -[[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 16:55, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

::: Added some of my own. I think it makes slightly more sense now, if you pick the right ones. Others are just silly. 15:54, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

The structure of the lyrics (four lines of equal length) suggests the standard A/B/A/B rhyme scheme, which could in theory help decipher them. In practice, the final syllables of each line appear to be her/nap/-ill/love, which make no musical sense. - [[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 16:55, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

;Accesibility/Readibility
I'm pretty sure I've seen the Transcript changed several times, presumably by different people, encompassing representations of 1) what it wants to be in 'normal' text, 2) what it might consist of in Unicode and 3) a compromise version of what it looks like in (mostly) non-Unicode. (As it currently stands, I still have character-missing symbols, in the transcript, on my particular platform.) Can I suggest that the transcript (and elsewhere where such things are quoted?) maybe uses something like the pattern "FOO (''Bar'')" for each line, "FOO" being the best-guess full Unicode representation (for the visual effect, where it works) and "Bar", here italicised and in parenthises but other formats being available, being the best-guess original text (for readability, especially for people without full Unicode support). Once the '''Attempt at translating''', above, has settled down, of course. And how about doing the same for a 'readable' version of the Hovertext, too? You shouldn't assume that everyone who comes here is as fully equipped, font-wise, as any other contributor (or even Randall) is. Reducing to the 7-bit ASCII range of characters (i.e. #s 32-126) for the 'plaintext' version should be entirely possible and accessible to ''all'' current and future platforms, without any obvious limitations. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.48|141.101.99.48]] 22:03, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

;Lyric Deafness
As soon as I read this comic it perfectly described how I hear lyrics in basically all music, and my reaction was "oh, wow, it's not just me". I am quite musically inclined, and can play a few instruments and quite quickly learn how to play a song just be listening to it. I can also, for example, often recognize a song I haven't heard in 10 years in just a couple notes and hum along with it -- but on the flip side, I can hear a song once or twice a day for weeks, and still not even know more than a couple words in the chorus despite otherwise knowing the song note-for-note. I have to ''really'' concentrate to actually hear the words. I was surprised to see no explanation of this phenomenon here. I started searching and quickly came across the term "lyric deaf", and in fact, there have been many discussions about this that very accurately reflect my own feelings:
* http://ask.metafilter.com/154586/Why-cant-I-hear-lyrics
* http://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1eyche/i_cant_understand_lyrics_am_i_alone/
* http://cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/85/why-are-some-people-unable-to-easily-memorize-the-lyrics-to-a-song
* http://www.quora.com/Is-there-such-a-thing-as-being-lyric-deaf
I added a couple sentences about this but it could probably use some good citations. People that are not themselves lyric deaf are likely unable to understand what this even means. {{unsigned|Groogs}}

;The worst is when it does not even help looking them up - example Four five seconds: http://www.directlyrics.com/rihanna-fourfiveseconds-lyrics.html

Talk:1465: xkcd Phone 2

2014-12-31T11:55:57Z

141.101.104.101:

I believe the ribbed part is an upgrade from the first xkcd phone, which were frictionless

I think the "Waterproof (interior only)" is related to a so-called joke that I first heard from a smart-ass salesman years ago in a camera store when I was considering a certain camera. "Is it waterproof?" I asked. "Oh yes," he replied, "once water gets into it, it will never come out again!" --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 08:05, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

Can you unify the transcription and description? Since the transcript starts from the top left, while description starts from bottom left. [[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 09:43, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

I have made http://www.xkcd.ga and http://www.xkcd.tk both forward to http://www.explainxkcd.com. Is this ok?[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:47, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

The acronym for Stack Overflow is an anagram for the acronym of Operating System. Nothing huge, but still mildly interesting. {{unsigned|Jghgjb}}

Could the StackOverflow part also hint at StackSort and http://xkcd.com/1185/ ? [[User:Pinkishu|Pinkishu]] ([[User talk:Pinkishu|talk]]) 14:58, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
:No. StackOverflow is a really popular site for programmers and such. It's propbably to be expected that it has been mentioned multiple times here. Also, StackSort (or sorting in general) doesn't make much sense in this context. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.13|141.101.104.13]] 23:02, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
::I think they meant that the OS could be built in a manner similar to the StackSort, taking various snippets of phone-os code and putting them together. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.69|108.162.216.69]] 02:44, 27 December 2014 (UTC)
:::OK, that might be possible. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.11|141.101.104.11]] 13:31, 27 December 2014 (UTC)
::Stackoverflow is named after the error in Java that occurs when the Java virtual machine's stack memory is exceeded. This is generally caused by a serious memory leak or an infinite recursion has occurred. Definitely not an attractive feature in an OS. Also, since Android runs using Java on the Davek virtual machine, it does actually throw stack overflow errors on occasion. -- {{unsigned|Sam}}
:::Stack overflows have existed in computing from the first stack-based machines, which were invented back before the inventors of Java were probably born! OK, small exaggeration - maybe. First date I can see in this Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stack_machine is 1961. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 13:51, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

I am thinking the "Fitbit fitness evaluator" is fully meta. That is it is meant to monitor/ asses the digital 'health/fitness' status of your human health/fitness monitoring device. [[User:Iggynelix|Iggynelix]] ([[User talk:Iggynelix|talk]]) 18:10, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

A phone for your other hand®–reads like the phone is capable of being operated by your non-dominant hand, leaving your dominant hand free for–er, other activities... [[User:Laverock|Laverock]] ([[User talk:Laverock|talk]]) 19:02, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
: Such as using the XKCD Phone model 1, of course! (You do have two ears, as well as two hands, don't you?) --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 01:27, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

"Okay Google" is not the name of the virtual assistant, it's the catchphrase that it responds to. Google's version of Siri is called "Google Now." [[Special:Contributions/188.114.106.29|188.114.106.29]] 08:03, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

;Googleable

The iPad is not googleable. No, the other one. No, the other one. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.28|108.162.231.28]] 03:18, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

3D materials could be a reference to 3D printed materials. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.152|108.162.254.152]] 12:47, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

'3D Materials' could be meant to indicate that the phone is not made out of graphene. 'Density control' could be hooked up to an air compressor, allowing the phone to slightly control its density by compressing/decompressing ambient air, while 'Volume' controls the speaker (a useful thing to have, when it's always on). 'Auto-Rotating case' might indicate that it has some sort of gyroscope or reaction wheel system to allow it to control its orientation. 'Washable, though only once' might mean it has some sort of expendable water-resistant protection or coating (only on the inside, of course) that is worn off after a single washing. 'Over 350 Pixels Per Screen' only sets a lower limit on pixel count. The actual count may be anywhere from 351 to several billion or more, so it may actually be a selling point, although a poorly advertised one. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.117|199.27.128.117]] 08:46, 28 December 2014 (UTC)
: Also, the 'Ribbed' feature may be a solution to problems caused by the previous hardware's frictionless exterior.[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.117|199.27.128.117]] 08:52, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Can someone explain or provide a link to an explanation for pokedex in this context. I know what a pokedex is but is this a Randellism for smartphones?--[[User:Sww1235|Sww1235]] ([[User talk:Sww1235|talk]]) 07:03, 29 December 2014 (UTC)

:Maybe this helps: [[1288]] -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.213|141.101.105.213]] 20:30, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

This is still missing an explanation for "A phone for your other hand(R)". Is that a reference to something? (Also, I practically screamed with laughter when I read "OS by StackOverflow". :) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.217|173.245.54.217]] 16:24, 30 December 2014 (UTC)