explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2405: Flash Gatsby

2021-01-01T22:42:13Z

141.101.107.160: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2405
| date = December 31, 2020
| title = Flash Gatsby
| image = flash_gatsby.png
| titletext = Protip: At midnight your excuse for not having read The Great Gatsby can switch from "I'm worried about violating copyright" to "I think my copy requires Flash."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a green light. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. It's hard to enumerate why the moments that the copyright expires and flash is no longer officially supported, are not exactly the same, but Randall seems to expect us to do this. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic unfolds over the last few seconds of 2020 and the first few seconds of 2021. [[Cueball]] is attempting to do something requiring the overlap of two eras that only abut: creating an "unauthorized" adaptation of ''The Great Gatsby'', using the Adobe Flash plugin platform.

''{{w|The Great Gatsby}}'' is a classic novel written by {{w|F. Scott Fitzgerald}} in 1925. Copyright law in the United States of America, where ''The Great Gatsby'' was first published, was retroactively extended several times in the 1990s and early 2000s, causing the copyright on ''The Great Gatsby'' to extend [https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/595567/why-the-great-gatsby-isnt-public-domain until the end of 2020]. In 2021, it will finally enter the public domain so that it will become legal to make a copy without violating copyright law.

{{w|Adobe Flash}}, formerly known as Shockwave Flash, is a web plugin that was commonly used by many websites in the late 1990s and 2000s. It allowed website creators to add animations, sound, and complex logic to build games, videos, and other interactive experiences. Presumably, the Flash version of the novel is some kind of interactive reader, animated cartoon, or perhaps even a game.

Over the years, Adobe Flash was repeatedly exploited by hackers, incurring heavy costs on {{w|Adobe Inc.|Adobe}} as they tried to update Flash against these attacks after rushing features out before stabilizing them. Newer technologies are now able to provide comparable features with more compatibility, more community involvement, and less risk, so support for Flash is being phased out by most web browsers. Adobe is officially [https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/flashplayer/end-of-life.html ending support for Flash] after December 31, 2020.

In line with Adobe's decision, [https://www.chromium.org/flash-roadmap#TOC-Upcoming-Changes Chrome is blocking Flash in January]. This will make [https://www.newgrounds.com/games entire internet culture histories spanning many years of making and engaging Flash experiences] unusable for most people. Therefore, Cueball's Flash version of ''The Great Gatsby'' will become legal at the very moment that everyone should stop using it.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] suggests that the withdrawal of Flash support occurs after the copyright expiration rather than simultaneously with it. This is most likely because the applicable copyright law in the United States states that the creative work becomes public domain at the end of the year 2020 and Flash gets disabled at the beginning of the year 2021. So it is conceivable (but not practical) that there is one second when the novel is public domain and Flash is still enabled.

By late 2020, Flash Player was already blocked by most browsers, but could still be whitelisted on individual sites. Using old versions of browsers, or workarounds to run blocked extensions, Cueball's Great Gatsby may still be readable after the official Flash End of Life date of January 1, 2021. Even with these workarounds, Flash Player itself will block Flash content from playing on January 12, 2021, making that the final death date for official modern versions of Flash.

After January 12, Flash content may still be accessible through older builds of Flash Player, and through various [https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_flash_showcase archival] and [https://ruffle.rs/ emulation] projects.

The title wording does multiple work, with a number of possible meanings to it. It's the 'Gatsby' book via the medium of the electronic Flash format. Because of the briefest of availability (at best, a single moment), it appears and disappears again 'in a flash'. Being 'flash' is a very apt description of the millionaire Gatsby character himself, chapter one of The Great Gatsby ends with Gatsby reaching out towards a green light that burns at the end of Daisy dock, for Gatsby this is an enchanted object. 'Flash the cash' is being ostentatious. And, if the endeavor is not actually as legitimate as hoped, the word has also referred to felonious behaviors and forged copies.

This is one of only 13 comics (so far) published on Thursday, outside of the regular Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball is sitting at a desk using his laptop.]
:Off-panel voice: 3... 2... 1... ''Happy New Year!''
:Cueball: Okay, it’s up!
:Cueball: Annnnnd ... support was pulled, it’s down again.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:There's only a very short window of time in which I can post my unauthorized Flash® adaptation of ''The Great Gatsby''.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Protip]] <!-- title text ->

2406: Viral Vector Immunity

2021-01-01T18:07:33Z

141.101.107.160: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2406
| date = January 1, 2021
| title = Viral Vector Immunity
| image = viral_vector_immunity.png
| titletext = We've secretly replaced this customer's instant coffee with our patented substitute. Let's see what she ... uh oh, I think she spotted us through the window. Now she's getting something from the closet ... oh jeez, she has a sword! Run!!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SENTIENT WOODEN HORSE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic references the story of the {{w|Trojan Horse}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A large wooden horse statue on wheels stands before a city wall, upon which are standing several warriors who are shouting and brandishing spears.]
:Warrior 1: Look! It's a statue of that horrible animal that trampled Steve!
:Warrior 2: Burn it!
:Warrior 3: Smash it!
:Warrior 4: Push it into the gorge!

:How vaccine failure due to viral vector immunity works
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2401: Conjunction

2020-12-22T01:01:46Z

141.101.107.160: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2401
| date = December 22, 2020
| title = Conjunction
| image = conjunction.png
| titletext = The IAU is sad to announce that at 00:39 UTC on December 22nd, Jupiter and Saturn did unfortunately come into contact, and appear to have blooped together.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE CELESTIAL SPHERES RESONATING IN HARMONY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Cueballs observing the 2020 Jupiter-Saturn conjunction

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2401: Conjunction

2020-12-22T01:00:16Z

141.101.107.160:

It appears (depending upon how keen DgbrtBOT actually is) that this was posted at the significant time as mentioned. Though it's entirely within range of usual update time, I suspect this is not a coincidence. (Where I am, partly the weather but overwhelmingly the horizon obscured the moment of closest approach, but I did get a shufti earlier last night when there were fewer clouds in the sky for at least some of the time between sunset and planetsset. It took binoculars to key my eyes into where the dimmer Saturn was, but once I knew what I was seeing it was obvious enough.). Oh and, purely coincidentally, Happy Solstice everyone! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.160|141.101.107.160]] 00:58, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2401: Conjunction

2020-12-22T00:58:38Z

141.101.107.160:

It appears (depending upon how keen DgbrtBOT actually is) that this was posted at the significant time as mentioned. Though it's entirely within range of usual update time, I suspect this is not a coincidence. (Where I am, both the weather and then the horizon obscured the moment of closest approach, but I did get a shufti earlier last night when there were fewer clouds in the sky for at least some of the time between sunset and planetsset. It took binoculars to key my eyes into where the dimmer Saturn was, but once I knew what I was seeing it was obvious enough.). Oh and, purely coincidentally, Happy Solstice everyone! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.160|141.101.107.160]] 00:58, 22 December 2020 (UTC)

2399: 2020 Election Map

2020-12-17T12:43:23Z

141.101.107.160: Added a (very incomplete) table summarising the map. This may require significant work to complete, so please delete now if this is not within the scope of the page, before I (or someone else) puts more work in it.

{{comic
| number = 2399
| date = December 16, 2020
| title = 2020 Election Map
| image = 2020_election_map.png
| titletext = There are more Trump voters in California than Texas, more Biden voters in Texas than New York, more Trump voters in New York than Ohio, more Biden voters in Ohio than Massachusetts, more Trump voters in Massachusetts than Mississippi, and more Biden voters in Mississippi than Vermont.
}}

*A [https://xkcd.com/2399/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BIDEN VOTER IN OHIO. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a sequel to an earlier comic, [[1939: 2016 Election Map]]. The United States elects its president not directly by popular vote but by an Electoral College composed of a number of electors, partially proportional to population, from each state. Presently, a "winner-take-all" system is used in most states: the winner of the popular vote in each state receives all of the electoral votes for that state. Though, strictly speaking, the electors are not required to cast their ballots according to this system, many states impose penalties on them if they don't. Technically, the popular vote in each state is to elect a slate of electors who in turn elect the President.

Many electoral results map color the states a solid color, indicating which state won the electoral votes, but this may not be representative of the population size of the state, or the number of voters. Furthermore, the states of Maine and Nebraska do not have a pure winner-takes-all system, but instead two of each state's electors vote for whoever won the statewide vote, and there is also one elector each assigned to a specific district's count. For example, while Biden won Maine statewide, he only got 3 out of its 4 votes, as the elector representing its second district voted for Trump, as expected.

Other maps used to demonstrate that "corn doesn't vote, people vote" (or similar rebuttals, referring to non-voting 'open space') include maps distorting the otherwise recognisable geography to make areas strictly proportional to the populations (or registered voters, actual voters or majority gap) within them. As an example, Los Angeles County, alone, is more populous than each of the states except for the nine most populous (even if you deprived California of it, for the duration) - or all of the ten least populous (plus DC) added together. Alaska, the largest state but with one of the fewest inhabitants, could be split and yet both halves each still cover more land area than Texas (and potentially both Alaskas now ranked firmly at the bottom of the population table).

Another mapping solution used by commentators was to use coloured circles sized to represent the quantities of voters (or majorities) that do something very similar to Randall's map by showing vast areas with small and sparse splotches of hue and other areas packed tightly with the local 'flavour' of votes.

The title text compares different voter pools in terms of absolute size. Unexpected truths - e.g., "There are more Trump voters in California than Texas" - can be explained by differences in population size. California (which was won by Biden) has a larger population than Texas (which was won by Trump), which has a higher population than New York (won by Biden), and so on. For example, Trump received over 6 million votes in California (though Biden received 11 million votes in winning the state) compared to 5.9 million votes received by Trump in Texas.

{| class="wikitable"
!|
!colspan="2"|Biden/Harris
!colspan="2"|Trump/Pence
!rowspan="2"|Total
Votes
|-
!|State
!|Votes
!|Perc
!|Votes
!|Perc
|-
|California
|style="text-align: right;"|11,110,250
|style="text-align: right;"|63.48%
|style="text-align: right;"|6,006,429
|style="text-align: right;"|34.32%
|style="text-align: right;"|17,500,881
|-
|Texas
|style="text-align: right;"|5,259,126
|style="text-align: right;"|46.48%
|style="text-align: right;"|5,890,347
|style="text-align: right;"|52.06%
|style="text-align: right;"|11,315,056
|-
|New York
|style="text-align: right;"|5,230,985
|style="text-align: right;"|60.86%
|style="text-align: right;"|3,244,798
|style="text-align: right;"|37.75%
|style="text-align: right;"|8,594,826
|-
|Ohio
|style="text-align: right;"|2,679,165
|style="text-align: right;"|45.24%
|style="text-align: right;"|3,154,834
|style="text-align: right;"|53.27%
|style="text-align: right;"|5,922,202
|-
|Massachusetts
|style="text-align: right;"|2,382,202
|style="text-align: right;"|65.60%
|style="text-align: right;"|1,167,202
|style="text-align: right;"|32.14%
|style="text-align: right;"|3,631,402
|-
|Mississippi
|style="text-align: right;"|539,508
|style="text-align: right;"|41.06%
|style="text-align: right;"|756,789
|style="text-align: right;"|57.60%
|style="text-align: right;"|1,313,894
|-
|Vermont
|style="text-align: right;"|242,820
|style="text-align: right;"|66.09%
|style="text-align: right;"|112,704
|style="text-align: right;"|30.67%
|style="text-align: right;"|367,428
|}
{{w|2020_United_States_presidential_election#Results_by_state|Source}}

The following table lists the number of 250,000-vote markers in the map by candidate and state, and compares this with the actual number of votes. {{w|2020_United_States_presidential_election#Results_by_state|Source}}
{| class="wikitable"
!|
!colspan="3"|Biden/Harris
!colspan="3"|Trump/Pence
!colspan="3"|Others
!colspan="3"|Total
|-
!|State
!|Markers
!|Votes
!|Actual votes
!|Markers
!|Votes
!|Actual votes
!|Markers
!|Votes
!|Actual votes
!|Markers
!|Votes
!|Actual votes
|-
|Alabama (AL)
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|849,624
|style="text-align: right;"|6
|style="text-align: right;"|1,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,441,170
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|32,488
|style="text-align: right;"|9
|style="text-align: right;"|2,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2,323,282
|-
|Alaska (AK)
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|153,778
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|189,951
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|15,801
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|359,530
|-
|Arizona (AZ)
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,672,143
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,661,686
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|53,497
|style="text-align: right;"|14
|style="text-align: right;"|3,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,387,326
|-
|Arkansas (AR)
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|423,932
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|760,647
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|0
|style="text-align: right;"|34490
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,219,069
|-
|California (CA)
|style="text-align: right;"|44
|style="text-align: right;"|11,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|11,110,250
|style="text-align: right;"|24
|style="text-align: right;"|6,006,429
|style="text-align: right;"|6,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|2
|style="text-align: right;"|500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|384,202
|style="text-align: right;"|70
|style="text-align: right;"|17,500,000
|style="text-align: right;"|17,500,881
|-
|Colorado (CO)
|style="text-align: right;"|7
|style="text-align: right;"|1,750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,804,352
|style="text-align: right;"|5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,364,607
|style="text-align: right;"|1
|style="text-align: right;"|250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|88,021
|style="text-align: right;"|13
|style="text-align: right;"|3,250,000
|style="text-align: right;"|3,256,980
|-
|Connecticut (CT)
|style="text-align: right;"|4.5
|style="text-align: right;"|1,125,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,080,680
|style="text-align: right;"|3
|style="text-align: right;"|750,000
|style="text-align: right;"|715,291
|style="text-align: right;"|0.5
|style="text-align: right;"|125,000
|style="text-align: right;"|28,309
|style="text-align: right;"|8
|style="text-align: right;"|2,000,000
|style="text-align: right;"|1,824,280
|-
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==Transcript==

:2020 Election Map
:[One stick figure in a black circle] = 250,000 votes
:[Stick figure in a blue circle] Biden
:[Stick figure in a red circle] Trump
:[Stick figure in a green circle] Other
:Votes are distributed by state as accurately as possible while keeping national totals correct.
:Location within each state is approximate.
:[Blue, red, and green circles are distributed across a map of the United States.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]
[[Category:Maps]]

Talk:2399: 2020 Election Map

2020-12-17T10:51:19Z

141.101.107.160:

I see a political comic... sure hope this doesn't spiral out of control. [[User:ChessCake|ChessCake]] ([[User talk:ChessCake|talk]]) 22:21, 16 December 2020 (UTC)
: How dare you accuse me of spiraling things out of control, you so-and-so! This kind of baseless backwards logic is exactly the problem with people who share your particular political opinions! --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 22:38, 16 December 2020 (UTC)
:: You're being sarcastic, right? Just want to be clear so we don't fuel the [potential] flames to come. [[User:ChessCake|ChessCake]] ([[User talk:ChessCake|talk]]) 22:51, 16 December 2020 (UTC)
::: I took "so-and-so" as proof that neatnit was joking. Angry people on the internet use harsher words. SDT [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.38|162.158.75.38]] 22:57, 16 December 2020 (UTC)
::: Definitely. The "so-and-so" instead of an insult, and the deliberately vague grouping of "people who share your particular political opinions" were a clear giveaway. :) --[[User:V2Blast|V2Blast]] ([[User talk:V2Blast|talk]]) 22:59, 16 December 2020 (UTC)
It seems to me that one of the main messages in this comic is that voters for both Trump and Biden are pretty well distributed around the country. Looking at the typical choropleth maps with states colored red or blue, it can seem that the political division in the country is also a geographical division. This map, and the title text, emphasize that, at the scale of the whole country, that really isn't the case. The urban/suburban/rural breakdown isn't all that evident at this scale. [[User:Orion205|Orion205]] ([[User talk:Orion205|talk]]) 07:06, 17 December 2020 (UTC)
: ''The urban/suburban/rural breakdown isn't all that evident at this scale'': au contraire, it's quite clear that the denser the area, the more Biden voters there are, even in red states. See Texas for instance, where around big cities you have more blue dots than red.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.160|141.101.107.160]] 10:51, 17 December 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2399: 2020 Election Map

2020-12-17T10:50:59Z

141.101.107.160:

1031: s/keyboard/leopard/

2020-07-26T13:00:03Z

141.101.107.160: /* Trivia */ A-MINUS-MINUS!

{{comic
| number = 1031
| date = March 19, 2012
| title = s/keyboard/leopard/
| image = s keyboard leopard.png
| titletext = Problem Exists Between Leopard And Chair
}}
Clicking on the image takes you to this [http://wiki.xkcd.com/irc/Leopard link]

==Explanation==
[[Randall|Randall's]] browser looks like Google Chrome and he has installed at least four extensions on it, which explains the little symbols to the right of the address bar. Extensions are small programs that install into your Internet browser and change the Web pages as you view them. Some make pages easier to read, some remove ads (the third extension is [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock/gighmmpiobklfepjocnamgkkbiglidom AdBlock]) and so on.

For the joke in this comic, an extension accidentally replaces the word "{{w|Computer keyboard|keyboard}}" with "{{w|leopard}}" in a regex (or {{w|regular expression}}). In computing, a regular expression provides a concise and flexible means to "match" (specify and recognize) patterns in text, such as particular characters or words. The command to substitute/replace a string is "s", e.g. "s/old/new/g" replaces any occurrence of "old" with "new". The title therefore contains the command to change "keyboard" into "leopard".

It's not clear what the extension Randall installed was actually supposed to do, but most extensions that revolve around text replacement are humorous in nature (such as [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/cloud-to-butt-plus/apmlngnhgbnjpajelfkmabhkfapgnoai?hl=en Cloud to Butt], which replaces all instances of "[[908: The Cloud|the cloud]]" with "my butt").

The title text references the common IT phrase "Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair" or {{w|PEBKAC}}, which means that the problem is caused by the user, not by any failure of the computer.

There has been several [[:Category:Substitutions|comics using substitutions]], both before and after this one.

==Transcript==
:[There are two browser windows open on a computer screen.]
:[The first browser window, taking up most of the screen, but partly blocked by the other window at the bottom, has a Wikipedia article open. The title of the page can be seen on the active tab]
:Computer leopard - Wikip...
:[Next to the address bar are four add-ons and the toolbar icon. One of the add-ons is a letter:]
:R
:[To the left on the page are standard menus, with lots of unreadable text, except these words:]
:Help
:Go Search
:[The page is not at the top of the article, so the text begins mid sentence, the very top of the letters just cut of in the first visible sentence.]
:which range from pocket-sized leopards to large desktop leopards, the leopard remains the most common user input device. In addition to text entry, specialized leopards are used for computer gaming.
:While many computer interfaces rely on mice or touchscreens, UNIX-style command-line interfaces require users to interact with a leopard.
:[Below is the contents list - the text in the brackets can barely be read. And only the very top of the 2.3 line can be seen, and is thus only a qualified guess at what it was supposed to say, although it fits with the real wiki article.]
:Contents [hide]
:1. History
:2. Leopard types
::2.1 Standard
::2.2 Laptop-sized
::2.3 Thumb-sized
:[To the right there is a picture of a keyboard. The picture text written below:]
:IBM Model M Leopard

:[The second browser window overlapping the first, at the level of the 2.3 menu point in the contest menu, is a message board. The title of the page can be seen on the active tab:]
:Discuss - Leopard issu...
:[Next to the address bar are four add-ons and the toolbar icon. One of the add-ons is a letter:]
:R
:[In the window there is a list of topics next to icons of those starting the topic. The top post is just inside the frame, the icon cut of at the very top.]
:[Face of Cueball-like guy on white background:]
:Weird, my leopard just switched to Chinese.
::3 days ago
:[Super close-up of the head of a person with dark hair on black background:]
:I work with one leopard on my desk and another in the leopard tray.
::3 days ago
:[Full picture of a Cueball-like guy, with white background in the bottom half and dark in the upper half (which would conceal any hair on the persons head):]
:Ever cleaned a leopard? They're ''filthy''.
::2 days ago
:[Head of a cat on black background:]
:The iPhone virtual leopard is the fastest IMO.
::19 hours ago
:[Head of a girl with long blond hair on white background:]
:I rarely email from my phone—I'm so slow when I'm not on a leopard.
::11 hours ago
:[Head of Cueball-like guy. A line seems to be going our from his head, but it could just be one of the lines used to fill in the background:]
:My leopard died when I spilled tea on it :(
::2 hours ago

:[Below the main panel of the comic is the following caption:]
:The Internet got 100 times better when, thanks to an extension with a typo'd regex, my browser started replacing the word "keyboard" with "leopard".

==Trivia==
*When first posted, the title was written with lowercase characters, which Randall never uses. This was later changed to small caps.
*The title text could reference [[A-Minus-Minus]], the comic containing the phrase "Instead of office chair, package contained bobcat".

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Substitutions]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Regex]]