explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Category:Tips

2024-11-28T21:17:27Z

141.101.69.120: Better repluralisation.

*[[:Category:Protip|Protip]] came first, but since then there have been all kinds of protip that have not been named protip directly.
**'''Click''' to expand for a more detailed explanation:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
 
This category is similar to [[:Category:Protip]], [[:Category:How to annoy]], [[:Category:Facts]], and [[:Category:Fun fact]].

The comic [[1215: Insight]] doesn't mention the word tip, even though it is one. And the comic [[2890: Relationship Advice]] is called advice but could have been a tip.

[[:Category:Science tip|Science tips]] have been used more than once and have their own category. There were also two [[2400: Statistics|Statistics tip]] that were released as two tips comics in a row once, but the second one was just called a [[2435: Geothmetic Meandian|Stats tip]]. Since they were not named the same they are both listed here below.

So far, there have been the following one time only tips:
#[[897: Elevator Inspection|Industry tip]]
#[[995: Coinstar|Holiday tip]]
#[[1077: Home Organization|Home organization tip]]
#[[1567: Kitchen Tips|Kitchen tips]]
#[[1696: AI Research|AI tip]]
#[[1715: Household Tips|Household tips]]
#[[1754: Tornado Safety Tips|Tornado safety tips]]
#[[1820: Security Advice|Security tips]]
#[[1829: Geochronology|Geology tip]]
#[[1855: Telephoto|Telephoto tip]]
#[[2173: Trained a Neural Net|Engineering tip]]
#[[2213: How Old|Interaction tip]]
#[[2260: Reaction Maps|Texting tip]]
#[[2400: Statistics|Statistics tip]]
#[[2435: Geothmetic Meandian|Stats tip]]
#[[2483: Linked List Interview Problem|Coding interview tip]]
#[[2499: Abandonment Function|Tech tip]]
#[[2526: TSP vs TBSP|Cooking tip]]
#[[2566: Decorative Constants|Math tip]]
#[[2649: Physics Cost-Saving Tips|Physics cost-saving tips]]
#[[2651: Air Gap|Energy tip]]
#[[2657: Complex Vowels|Linguistics tip]]
#[[2662: Physics Safety Tip|Physics Safety tip]]
#[[2671: Rotation|Phone tip]]
#[[2812: Solar Panel Placement|Solar energy tip]]
#[[2863: Space Typography|Space tip]]
#[[2864: Compact Graphs|Design tip]]
#[[2882: Net Rotations|Spacetime health tip]]
</div>
 

[[Category:Comics by topic]]

Talk:2528: Flag Map Sabotage

2021-10-14T08:30:43Z

141.101.69.120:

Example map (of that of which sabotage might be intended) could be something like: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/41/0f/36/410f3661d1cee3b255b82a111f99d242.jpg ..? I have no doubt that someone is even now polishing off an initial Explanation, and wouldn't want to exit-conflict with them, but that's something like what I'd link to in order to demonstrate the thing being messed with. (Noting that the reference to North American territory both in words and the obvious Candian mapleleaf(less) flag as a basis. (Not sure, by sight, where the 'bite' matches, if not as per the red 'key', but note how Spain gets twisted in my link in order to not look odd with coastlines and similarly twisted Portugese neighbour cutting at odd angles through its stripes. That's the kind of thing this flag would evoke the confusion of.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.35|141.101.76.35]] 02:26, 14 October 2021 (UTC)

Why is Korsika coloured green on this map? It belongs to France. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.40|162.158.93.40]] 06:22, 14 October 2021 (UTC)
:That's Sardinia, which belongs to Italy (the west of Italy is green). Corsica is north of Sardinia. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.140|162.158.89.140]] 06:42, 14 October 2021 (UTC)

I can't help but thinking there's significance to the shape of the red area in the flag. Which country would this flag belong to in order to cause further confusion? And since it's red, why would any country cede part of its area to Delaware? Unless it's the flag of a newly independent Delaware? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.140|162.158.89.140]] 06:42, 14 October 2021 (UTC)

Only the south-eastern part of Belgium, which would already be Delawarian, is likely to border Delawarian France. The unexplored area (and most if not all of the tornado zone) would likely be bordering the white area (unclaimed? neutral zone? sea?) of France. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.120|141.101.69.120]] 08:30, 14 October 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2525: Air Travel Packing List

2021-10-11T21:49:36Z

141.101.69.120:

I'll work on this one, so I don't get edit conflicted. {{User:PoolloverNathan/Signature}} 23:16, 6 October 2021 (UTC)

A lot of these items that are listed as needed during a crash are not that related to crashing but some things that paranoid potential passengers feel they should have anyway. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 02:04, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

I had a teacher that was a retired engineer. He complained about working on an airplane and he wanted to design a lightweight floor, but the heel of high heeled shoes would pierce through so he had to make it heaver than he wanted. One can imagine an alternate world where the lighter floors were chosen, where airplane shoes would be some kind of pressure distributing shoe.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.42.125|172.69.42.125]] 02:32, 7 October 2021 (UTC)
:I thought airplane shoes was a play on boat shoes, which are a thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_shoe [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:34, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

I think that the Flag for international flights is referring to a national flag not to a flag used for signaling messages. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.208|162.158.187.208]] 03:20, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

Pedantry corner: parachutes don't keep you from falling out of the sky - they help you land safer when you do. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.95|162.158.159.95]] 08:21, 7 October 2021 (UTC)
:Like the old joke about falling out of a building: It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:32, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

The mouthpiece may be a COVID-19 slur, referring to the requirement to cover your mouth -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.83|162.158.90.83]] 09:02, 7 October 2021 (UTC)
:No I think it is just so you do not use the mouthpiece from the previous passenger because of the risk of covid-19. The idea that you before the pandemic would use the same mouth piece as multiple passengers before you is as gross as putting [[Toothpaste]] from your moth back in the tube again... :p --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:58, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

Part of the joke may be that this list isn't for those who have travelled via plane but flown from cockpit.
"so you can attract birds, and use THEM to fly the plane in case of crash" - What does that even mean? [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 11:01, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

Some of those items could be from the computer game "Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zak_McKracken_and_the_Alien_Mindbenders
Seat Cushion, Birdseed, Parachute.

My first interpretation of the mouthpiece and trumpet was an early style telephone that had a separate mouthpiece and trumpet style earpiece.

Ballast is routinely used on aircraft. The baggage handlers that load the plane will usually add temporary ballast as needed. The manufacturer and aircraft mechanics may install permanent ballast blocks in order to ensure that the center of gravity is within limits.

I will edit the main text shortly. It will be my very first non-comment edit on this site.
https://www.flightliteracy.com/ballast/[[User:Hamjudo|Hamjudo]] ([[User talk:Hamjudo|talk]]) 17:01, 7 October 2021 (UTC)
:Great to have you onboard. Did you expect to avoid editing conflict by writing here first? Or just information. Keep the input coming, if you write something that people disagree with it will be edited later. So no problem making mistakes. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:59, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

"Spare batteries in case the plane runs out" surely refers to the regulations against spare lithium batteries, not just to the absurdity of using such batteries to power the aircraft. [[User:Modernhemalurgist|Modernhemalurgist]] ([[User talk:Modernhemalurgist|talk]]) 22:50, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

Seat backs on airliners have reclined, probably since the introduction of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3 DC-3]. Once upon a time, there was enough space between seats to allow the recline function to be used without strangling the person behind. This is no longer the case, especially in steerage ... er, sorry, economy class. The true violators of etiquette are the airlines and their seating practices. The airlines will, of course, reject the charge, and say that the etiquette violators are passengers who demand space but refuse to pay for it. The whole demonstrates human ability to accept the unacceptable, and to distract ourselves from prime causes, and responsibilities, by means of petty and meaningless disputes. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.129.133|172.68.129.133]] 03:22, 8 October 2021 (UTC)
:Yes, it's a shame this has become controversial. It should be obvious that, regardless of whether you recline your seat or not, you should try and be considerate to the person behind you. There's so little space in cattle class nowadays that it can be an uncomfortable experience, especially if you're tall (like I am). I remember one particularly awful flight where I didn't get to eat because the person in front of me wouldn't put their seat back to upright even for the meal :-(. All this aside, I'm just glad I get to fly (or will do, once restrictions ease) and travel internationally on a budget. [[User:Zoid42|Zoid42]] ([[User talk:Zoid42|talk]]) 07:02, 9 October 2021 (UTC)

[[757|Air horn!]] --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.11|162.158.90.11]] 08:14, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

Anyone else thinks Wing Glue may be a running joke about the wings of Icarus? Radnall already referenced them a few times both on xkcd and what-if.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.168|141.101.77.168]] 14:57, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

This is the only comic I've seen where I feel this site may have missed the main joke of the comic. This doesn't work for all the items listed, but: many of them make perfect sense under the premise "if you haven't flown in a while", just that "you" and "flown" mean things other than a person as a passenger on a commercial airline. For example:
* Seat cushion: if you're a person as a passenger on a commercial airline (the "base" or "normal" case).
* Parachute: if you're a pilot in various military or experimental aircraft.
* Wing glue: if you're Icarus.
* Sextant: if you're piloting an airship, perhaps in a fantasy setting, or even perhaps a plane in the early history of aviation.
* Birdseed: if you're a bird.
* Homing beacon: if you're a larger commercial aircraft (or a human responsible for outfitting it with safety systems).
* Keys to the plane: if you own a normal, small plane.
These ones I can think of a possible explanation but it's a bit unclear:
* Nose plugs and goggles for pressure: if you're flying an aircraft in the atmosphere of another planet where the air pressure is much higher?
* Navigation crystal: if you're flying an aircraft in a fantasy world?
* Spare batteries in case the plane runs out: if you're flying some experimental electric aircraft?
* Meteorite antidote: if you're flying a spacecraft in some sci-fi setting where meteorites were poisonous?
The others I don't have an idea for, which is why I came here looking for the explanation. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.98.37|172.70.98.37]] 00:53, 9 October 2021 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.120|141.101.69.120]] 21:49, 11 October 2021 (UTC) probably "decoy tickets" are somehow related to a load of false targets any combat aeroplane tends to carry. When attacked by a homing missile, the pilot can drop decoys to lure the missile away from the aeroplane.

2501: Average Familiarity

2021-08-12T09:30:53Z

141.101.69.120: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2501
| date = August 11, 2021
| title = Average Familiarity
| image = average familiarity.png
| titletext = "How could anyone consider themselves a well-rounded adult without a basic understanding of silicate geochemistry? Silicates are everywhere! It's hard to throw a rock without throwing one!"
| imagesize =
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A SILICATE (DON'T WE ALL KNOW THE FORMULA?). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic claims that scientists vastly overestimate how familiar other people are with their own field of study. As an example, Randall shows a pair of {{w|geochemistry|geochemists}} specializing in {{w|silicate}} chemistry. The scientists are under the impression other people at least know the chemical makeup of {{w|olivine}}, some {{w|feldspar}}s and {{w|quartz}}. In truth, the average person can't be expected to know the chemical makeup of ''any'' arbitrarily-chosen substance reliably (or any material at all, if that average person's job and hobby do not involve chemistry — aside from the few that made their way into {{w|common knowledge}}, like H2O for water or CO2 for carbonic gas), and may not even know the definition of "feldspar" beyond "a rock", if at all.

The title text plays on the phrase "you can't throw a rock without hitting one," a common hyperbole about how common something is. Indeed, {{w|Silicate mineral|silicate}} rocks are extremely common on Earth — not only would a rock thrown in a random direction stand a decent chance of striking a silicate mineral rock (assuming the thrower is out in a field instead of indoors) but the randomly-selected rock being ''thrown'' also has a very high chance of being a silicate mineral rock.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail and Cueball are standing and talking. Ponytail has her palm raised.]
:Ponytail: Silicate chemistry is second nature to us geochemists, so its easy to forget that the average person probably only knows the formulas for olivine and one or two feldspars.
:Cueball: And quartz, of course.
:Ponytail: Of course.

:[Caption below the panel]
:Even when they're trying to compensate for it, experts in anything wildly overestimate the average person's familiarity with their field.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Geology]]

2501: Average Familiarity

2021-08-12T09:28:15Z

141.101.69.120: /* Explanation */ In light of what Enchantedsleeper discussed...

{{comic
| number = 2501
| date = August 11, 2021
| title = Average Familiarity
| image = average familiarity.png
| titletext = "How could anyone consider themselves a well-rounded adult without a basic understanding of silicate geochemistry? Silicates are everywhere! It's hard to throw a rock without throwing one!"
| imagesize =
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A SILICATE (DON'T WE ALL KNOW THE FORMULA?). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic claims that scientists vastly overestimate how familiar other people are with their own field of study. As an example, Randall shows a pair of {{w|geochemistry|geochemists}} specializing in {{w|silicate}} chemistry. The scientists are under the impression other people at least know the chemical makeup of {{w|olivine}}, some {{w|feldspar}}s and {{w|quartz}}. In truth, the average person can't be expected to know the chemical makeup of ''any'' arbitrarily-chosen substance reliably (or any material at all, if that average person's job and hobby do not involve chemistry — aside from the few that made their way into {{w|common knowledge}}, like H2O for water), and may not even know the definition of "feldspar" beyond "a rock", if at all.

The title text plays on the phrase "you can't throw a rock without hitting one," a common hyperbole about how common something is. Indeed, {{w|Silicate mineral|silicate}} rocks are extremely common on Earth — not only would a rock thrown in a random direction stand a decent chance of striking a silicate mineral rock (assuming the thrower is out in a field instead of indoors) but the randomly-selected rock being ''thrown'' also has a very high chance of being a silicate mineral rock.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail and Cueball are standing and talking. Ponytail has her palm raised.]
:Ponytail: Silicate chemistry is second nature to us geochemists, so its easy to forget that the average person probably only knows the formulas for olivine and one or two feldspars.
:Cueball: And quartz, of course.
:Ponytail: Of course.

:[Caption below the panel]
:Even when they're trying to compensate for it, experts in anything wildly overestimate the average person's familiarity with their field.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Geology]]

2501: Average Familiarity

2021-08-12T09:21:28Z

141.101.69.120: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2501
| date = August 11, 2021
| title = Average Familiarity
| image = average familiarity.png
| titletext = "How could anyone consider themselves a well-rounded adult without a basic understanding of silicate geochemistry? Silicates are everywhere! It's hard to throw a rock without throwing one!"
| imagesize =
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A SILICATE (DON'T WE ALL KNOW THE FORMULA?). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic claims that scientists vastly overestimate how familiar other people are with their own field of study. As an example, Randall shows a pair of {{w|geochemistry|geochemists}} specializing in {{w|silicate}} chemistry. The scientists are under the impression other people at least know the chemical makeup of {{w|olivine}}, some {{w|feldspar}}s and {{w|quartz}}. In truth, the average person can't be expected to know the chemical makeup of ''any'' arbitrarily-chosen substance reliably (or any material at all, if that average person's job and hobby do not involve chemistry — aside from the few that made their way into {{w|common knowledge}}, like H2O for water), and may not even know the definition of "feldspar" beyond "a rock".

The title text plays on the phrase "you can't throw a rock without hitting one," a common hyperbole about how common something is. Indeed, {{w|Silicate mineral|silicate}} rocks are extremely common on Earth — not only would a rock thrown in a random direction stand a decent chance of striking a silicate mineral rock (assuming the thrower is out in a field instead of indoors) but the randomly-selected rock being ''thrown'' also has a very high chance of being a silicate mineral rock.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail and Cueball are standing and talking. Ponytail has her palm raised.]
:Ponytail: Silicate chemistry is second nature to us geochemists, so its easy to forget that the average person probably only knows the formulas for olivine and one or two feldspars.
:Cueball: And quartz, of course.
:Ponytail: Of course.

:[Caption below the panel]
:Even when they're trying to compensate for it, experts in anything wildly overestimate the average person's familiarity with their field.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Geology]]