explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1281: Minifigs

2019-12-14T15:14:49Z

141.101.77.50: /* Explanation */ Citation provided

{{comic
| number = 1281
| date = October 23, 2013
| title = Minifigs
| image = minifigs.png
| titletext = The LEGO Group is already the world's largest tire manufacturer.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Lego minifigure}}s (often abbreviated as ''minifigs'') are tiny plastic people designed by the Danish toy manufacturer {{w|Lego Group|Lego}} as part of their construction toy sets. Since 1978, over four billion minifigures have been sold. The figures resemble simplified humans, often with a yellow skin colour and featuring interchangeable body parts, such as legs, torsos, heads, hair, and hats.

The graph depicted in the comic extrapolates the total number of minifigures and compares it to the growth of the {{w|world population}}, which reached 7 billion in March 2012. By the extrapolations of the comic, Lego minifigures will outnumber the human population by 2019. The extrapolation of statistical data has appeared in various xkcd comics, e.g. in [[605: Extrapolating]], [[1007: Sustainable]], and [[1204: Detail]]. However, unlike the other extrapolated scenarios, the prognosis of this comic seems quite likely.

Since Lego is designed to resemble nature and civilization on a miniaturized scale, some sets also contain Lego cars as vehicles for the minifigures. With over 381 million {{w|Lego tire}}s produced for these miniature cars, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_tire Lego is already the world's largest manufacturer of tires]. This fact is addressed in the title text.

Lego (as of mid-October 2013) calculates they have made 7 billion+ figures. Earlier in 2013, they believed they would surpass the human count in 2014, but revised their numbers on the day this comic was released to what this chart says.

==Transcript==
:[Graph: x-axis 1980, 1990, 2010, 2020; y-axis 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 billions.]
:[Plot-line 1: Number of people in the world.]
:[Plot-line 2: Number of Lego People in the world.]
:[Label above the x-axis at 2013 reads "Today".]
:[Shortly before 2020, both plot lines cross.]

:By 2019, humans will be outnumbered.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Extrapolation]]

1281: Minifigs

2019-12-14T15:14:01Z

141.101.77.50: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1281
| date = October 23, 2013
| title = Minifigs
| image = minifigs.png
| titletext = The LEGO Group is already the world's largest tire manufacturer.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Lego minifigure}}s (often abbreviated as ''minifigs'') are tiny plastic people designed by the Danish toy manufacturer {{w|Lego Group|Lego}} as part of their construction toy sets. Since 1978, over four billion minifigures have been sold. The figures resemble simplified humans, often with a yellow skin colour and featuring interchangeable body parts, such as legs, torsos, heads, hair, and hats.

The graph depicted in the comic extrapolates the total number of minifigures and compares it to the growth of the {{w|world population}}, which reached 7 billion in March 2012. By the extrapolations of the comic, Lego minifigures will outnumber the human population by 2019. The extrapolation of statistical data has appeared in various xkcd comics, e.g. in [[605: Extrapolating]], [[1007: Sustainable]], and [[1204: Detail]]. However, unlike the other extrapolated scenarios, the prognosis of this comic seems quite likely.

Since Lego is designed to resemble nature and civilization on a miniaturized scale, some sets also contain Lego cars as vehicles for the minifigures. With over 381 million {{w|Lego tire}}s produced for these miniature cars, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_tire Lego is already the world's largest manufacturer of tires]. This fact is addressed in the title text.{{Citation needed}}

Lego (as of mid-October 2013) calculates they have made 7 billion+ figures. Earlier in 2013, they believed they would surpass the human count in 2014, but revised their numbers on the day this comic was released to what this chart says.

==Transcript==
:[Graph: x-axis 1980, 1990, 2010, 2020; y-axis 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 billions.]
:[Plot-line 1: Number of people in the world.]
:[Plot-line 2: Number of Lego People in the world.]
:[Label above the x-axis at 2013 reads "Today".]
:[Shortly before 2020, both plot lines cross.]

:By 2019, humans will be outnumbered.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Extrapolation]]

1281: Minifigs

2019-12-14T15:13:28Z

141.101.77.50: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1281
| date = October 23, 2013
| title = Minifigs
| image = minifigs.png
| titletext = The LEGO Group is already the world's largest tire manufacturer.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Lego minifigure}}s (often abbreviated as ''minifigs'') are tiny plastic people designed by the Danish toy manufacturer {{w|Lego Group|Lego}} as part of their construction toy sets. Since 1978, over four billion minifigures have been sold. The figures resemble simplified humans, often with a yellow skin colour and featuring interchangeable body parts, such as legs, torsos, heads, hair, and hats.

The graph depicted in the comic extrapolates the total number of minifigures and compares it to the growth of the {{w|world population}}, which reached 7 billion in March 2012. By the extrapolations of the comic, Lego minifigures will outnumber the human population by 2019. The extrapolation of statistical data has appeared in various xkcd comics, e.g. in [[605: Extrapolating]], [[1007: Sustainable]], and [[1204: Detail]]. However, unlike the other extrapolated scenarios, the prognosis of this comic seems quite likely.

Since Lego is designed to resemble nature and civilization on a miniaturized scale, some sets also contain Lego cars as vehicles for the minifigures. With over 381 million {{w|Lego tire}}s produced for these miniature cars, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_tire Lego is already the world's largest manufacturer of tires]]. This fact is addressed in the title text.{{Citation needed}}

Lego (as of mid-October 2013) calculates they have made 7 billion+ figures. Earlier in 2013, they believed they would surpass the human count in 2014, but revised their numbers on the day this comic was released to what this chart says.

==Transcript==
:[Graph: x-axis 1980, 1990, 2010, 2020; y-axis 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 billions.]
:[Plot-line 1: Number of people in the world.]
:[Plot-line 2: Number of Lego People in the world.]
:[Label above the x-axis at 2013 reads "Today".]
:[Shortly before 2020, both plot lines cross.]

:By 2019, humans will be outnumbered.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Extrapolation]]

2233: Aurora Meaning

2019-11-26T09:03:33Z

141.101.77.50: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2233
| date = November 25, 2019
| title = Aurora Meaning
| image = aurora_meaning.png
| titletext = The astro-ph.SR arXiv servers are simultaneously being overwhelmed by electronic requests and actual electricity.
}}

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

The phenomenon of atmospheric {{w|aurora}} (known as aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere and aurora australis in the southern hemisphere) occurs as a result of charged particles emitted by the sun interacting with the earth's magnetic field. The magnetic field funnels the charged particles towards the polar regions of the earth. At some point, the flow of particles hits the atmosphere where the particles interact with the molecules of the gases which make up the atmosphere, adding to those molecules' energy. Those molecules subsequently release the added energy in the form of light, which is observed as an aurora.

Where in the atmosphere the aurora occurs is related to the quantity & energy of the particles being emitted by the sun. Under normal circumstances, this occurs in high latitudes relatively close to the poles. In less common circumstances of more intense solar activity such as a a {{w|solar flare}} or {{w|coronal mass ejection}} (CME), aurora will occur at lower latitudes. This comic indicates both the rarity with which this would occur and the impact it would have on people.

'''Polar latitudes:''' Normal, aurora typically can be seen in these high latitudes.

'''Subpolar latitudes:''' (e.g. southern Canada/northern US, most of Europ, northern half of Asia) Happens frequently enough to be unconcerned but uncommon enough to be notable and interesting. About a week before the publication of this comic, on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, [https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/20/us/aurora-borealis-wednesday-trnd-scn/index.html aurora activity was visible] in the northern United States and southern Canada.

'''Subtropical/Tropical latitudes:''' Charged particles of sufficient energy to cause aurora at this latitude are likely to interfere with the functioning of electronics in orbit, possibly to the point of disabling them entirely. This has only happened on a few occasions in recorded history and not during the space age.

'''Equatorial latitudes:''' Aurora have never been recorded here, so all scientific inquiry into what the effect would be on the earth in general, and on life itself, is purely theoretical. Were this to actually occur, those theories could be proven or disproved based on actual observations (presuming all observers have not been incapacitated or otherwise occupied by the complete breakdown of all electric and electronic systems as the charged particles induce electric currents in conducting objects).

The title text comments on what would happen if aurora were seen in the middlemost band. [http://arXiv.org arXiv.org] is an electronic database of unreviewed, pre-print research papers. The [https://arxiv.org/list/astro-ph.SR/recent astro-ph.SR] sublist is a list of papers in the "Solar and Stellar Astrophysics" topic. So if aurora were seen in the middlemost band, there would be many requests to upload electronic publications on the subject, as well as actual electrical interference to the servers of the website.

==Transcript==
:[A drawing of a circle with six dashed lines dividing it into 7 segments with different width. Those at equal distance above and below the broadest middle segments have the same width. Each segment has a label. Above the circle there is a caption:]
:What it means if you see an aurora, by latitude.

:[The labels of the seven segments:]
:Normal
:Cool and exciting
:Someone should go check on our satellites
:A bunch of open questions in solar-terrestrial physics are about to be answered
:Someone should go check on our satellites
:Cool and exciting
:Normal

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Astronomy]]

2233: Aurora Meaning

2019-11-26T09:03:07Z

141.101.77.50: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2233
| date = November 25, 2019
| title = Aurora Meaning
| image = aurora_meaning.png
| titletext = The astro-ph.SR arXiv servers are simultaneously being overwhelmed by electronic requests and actual electricity.
}}

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

The phenomenon of atmospheric {{w|aurora}} (known as aurora borealis in the northern hemisphere and aurora australis in the southern hemisphere) occurs as a result of charged particles emitted by the sun interacting with the earth's magnetic field. The magnetic field funnels the charged particles towards the polar regions of the earth. At some point, the flow of particles hits the atmosphere where the particles interact with the molecules of the gases which make up the atmosphere, adding to those molecules' energy. Those molecules subsequently release the added energy in the form of light, which is observed as an aurora.

Where in the atmosphere the aurora occurs is related to the quantity & energy of the particles being emitted by the sun. Under normal circumstances, this occurs in high latitudes relatively close to the poles. In less common circumstances of more intense solar activity such as a a {{w|solar flare}} or {{w|coronal mass ejection}} (CME), aurora will occur at lower latitudes. This comic indicates both the rarity with which this would occur and the impact it would have on people.

'''Polar latitudes:''' Normal, aurora typically can be seen in these high latitudes.

'''Subpolar latitudes:''' (e.g. southern Canada/northern US, most of Europ, northern half of asia) Happens frequently enough to be unconcerned but uncommon enough to be notable and interesting. About a week before the publication of this comic, on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, [https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/20/us/aurora-borealis-wednesday-trnd-scn/index.html aurora activity was visible] in the northern United States and southern Canada.

'''Subtropical/Tropical latitudes:''' Charged particles of sufficient energy to cause aurora at this latitude are likely to interfere with the functioning of electronics in orbit, possibly to the point of disabling them entirely. This has only happened on a few occasions in recorded history and not during the space age.

'''Equatorial latitudes:''' Aurora have never been recorded here, so all scientific inquiry into what the effect would be on the earth in general, and on life itself, is purely theoretical. Were this to actually occur, those theories could be proven or disproved based on actual observations (presuming all observers have not been incapacitated or otherwise occupied by the complete breakdown of all electric and electronic systems as the charged particles induce electric currents in conducting objects).

The title text comments on what would happen if aurora were seen in the middlemost band. [http://arXiv.org arXiv.org] is an electronic database of unreviewed, pre-print research papers. The [https://arxiv.org/list/astro-ph.SR/recent astro-ph.SR] sublist is a list of papers in the "Solar and Stellar Astrophysics" topic. So if aurora were seen in the middlemost band, there would be many requests to upload electronic publications on the subject, as well as actual electrical interference to the servers of the website.

==Transcript==
:[A drawing of a circle with six dashed lines dividing it into 7 segments with different width. Those at equal distance above and below the broadest middle segments have the same width. Each segment has a label. Above the circle there is a caption:]
:What it means if you see an aurora, by latitude.

:[The labels of the seven segments:]
:Normal
:Cool and exciting
:Someone should go check on our satellites
:A bunch of open questions in solar-terrestrial physics are about to be answered
:Someone should go check on our satellites
:Cool and exciting
:Normal

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Astronomy]]

1052: Every Major's Terrible

2019-11-25T20:54:02Z

141.101.77.50: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1052
| date = May 7, 2012
| title = Every Major's Terrible
| before = [[#Explanation|↓ Skip to explanation ↓]]
| image = every_majors_terrible.png
| titletext = Someday I'll be the first to get a Ph. D in 'Undeclared'.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] has written a song called ''Every Major's Terrible'' and this comic illustrates the song. In this song the term {{w|Major (academic)|Major}} refers to the US version of an academic major. The point of the song is that it makes no sense to pick any major since they are all terrible!

The header notes that the song is written to the tune of the satirical {{w|Major-General's Song}} from {{w|Gilbert and Sullivan's}} 1879 comic opera ''{{w|The Pirates of Penzance}}''. The song satirizes the idea of the "modern" educated British Army officer of the latter 19th century. {{w|Major general}} is a military rank in Britain and many other countries. (As of August 2018, the title text has been changed to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhaEjgnmy3c a link to the said song]). The meter in the Major-General's Song is iambic octameter, which means that in each line there are eight iambs, where an iamb is two syllables in an unstressed-stressed pattern. Therefore, each line contains 16 syllables.

The panels show Randall's rewritten lyrics to the song. Below each of the three verses are described in detail (go to [[#Verse 1|Verse 1]], [[#Verse 2|Verse 2]] or [[#Verse 3|Verse 3]]). Each verse ends with "Just put me down as 'Undecided' - Every Major's Terrible", which gives the song its name — and "Major's Terrible" is similar enough to "Major General", the corresponding lyrics in the original version, to serve as a callback. The last line of the first verse in each song goes as follows:
*Original: I am the very model of a modern Major-General
*Randall's: Just put me down as undecided- every major's terrible

The lyrics are commonly rewritten, the most famous rewrite likely being {{w|The Elements (song)}} by {{w|Tom Lehrer}} which is also mentioned below the main header. This song is also [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcS3NOQnsQM available on-line].

His last suggestion, "{{w|Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious}}", from ''{{w|Mary Poppins}}'', is another fast-paced patter-song with a somewhat similar tune, though it doesn't fit quite so well, and the match falls apart at the end of the fourth line, when the "Um-diddly"s start up — still, it's better than nothing.

There are at least two performances of this xkcd song online where the transcription is shown to make it easier to understand the text:
*A video with each major acted out by the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seGpYa8UO0E SFU Choir - Every Major's Terrible].
*A solo with piano: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRexBMPeRTo Every Major's Terrible' by Ben Miller].
**See also this article [http://www.uproxx.com/gammasquad/2012/08/ben-miller-xkcd-every-majors-terrible/ Xkcd's 'Every Major's Terrible' Is Now A Real Song].

Regarding the title text: "Undeclared" is sometimes called "General Studies". Most U.S. universities will not let you get a degree in this, let alone an advanced degree such as a {{w|Ph.D.}} Also, it should probably be noted that this song refers to U.S.-like university systems, in other countries, one will study little to nothing outside your major, making it more-or-less impossible to be undecided as to major.

It should also be noted that the title text fits the cadence of the first line of the song, possibly teasing a fourth verse. As to what that consists of, only Randall knows.

===Verse 1===
;Panel 1, ''Philosophy's just math sans rigor, sense, and practicality'': [[Cueball]] is posing as {{w|Rodin}}'s {{w|The Thinker}}, a common symbol for {{w|philosophy}}. The equation in the background (two plus light bulb equals sailboat) is nonsense, hence "{{w|math}} sans rigor, sense or practicality" ([http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sans sans] meaning without).

;Panel 2, ''And math's just physics unconstrained by precepts of reality.'': A cannon is firing. However, instead of going in the normal parabolic arc (a precept of reality and thus {{w|physics}}), the cannonball splits and splits again, so that it looks like a {{w|bifurcation diagram}} from {{w|chaos theory}}. The dashed line indicates the cannonball's trajectory, which bifurcates twice, although the sum of the momentums of the four resulting (1/4 sized?) cannonballs is presumably mathematically identical to the original.

;Panel 3, ''A business major's just a thing you get so you can graduate'': {{w|Business education|Business}} is the most common major, often seen as a practical choice applicable to a wide variety of careers, or, as the comic illustrates, preferred by those who just want an easy way to graduate. Cueball gets his diploma and runs away from the dean on the podium while shedding both his robe and his {{w|square academic cap}} (or Mortarboard).

;Panel 4, ''And chemistry's for stamp collectors high on methylacetate.'': Stamp collecting refers to the [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ernest_Rutherford famous quote] by {{w|Ernest Rutherford}}, "All science is either physics or stamp collecting." {{w|Methyl acetate}} is a solvent that for instance can be used to remove stamps from their envelope (although water will do the same). The stamps in the background form the {{W|periodic table}} of the chemical elements. And since {{w|chemistry}} is not physics, according to the quote, {{w|chemists}} must be stamp collectors (as, the high on methylacetate, [[Ponytail]] wearing goggles and holding an {{w|Erlenmeyer flask}}).

;Panels 5, ''Why anyone who wants a job would study lit's a mystery''
;Panels 6, ''Unless their only other choice were something like art history.'': These lines, both sung by Cueball, refer to subjects where a majority of graduates will end up unemployed or eventually working in a field outside their majors. Topics such as {{w|Literature}} or {{w|Art History}} are often and historically said to be in this category — although from [http://www.studentsreview.com/unemployment_by_major.php3?sort=Rate actual statistics], it is clear that there are far worse majors these days.

;Panels 7, ''A BA in communications guarantees that you'll achieve''
;Panels 8, ''A little less than if you'd learned to underwater basket-weave'': Here Cueball first has a major in {{w|Communication studies|Communications}} and next he is seen underwater with a basket. {{w|Underwater basket weaving}} is a commonly used metaphor for any college major that is easy or worthless. "Communications" is a major chosen by people interested in news broadcasting or other media. Note that, if following the original music exactly, the line "A little less than if you'd learned to underwater basket-weave." will be repeated three times by the chorus after these panels.

;Panel 9, ''I'd rather eat a Fowler's toad than major in biology,'': We see Cueball holding a frog out in front of him while taking his hand to his head (in disgust?). A {{w|Fowler's toad}} is a relatively common toad in the eastern US, and a stereotype of studying {{w|biology}} is a frog {{w|dissection}}, which is likely part of the reference, albeit oblique. Fowler's Toad emits a {{w|Bufo_fowleri#Behavior|noxious secretion}} that [http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/amphibians-reptiles-and-fish/toads.aspx irritates skin] and thus probably also the mucous membranes in the mouth. It would thus be rather painful to eat, making it very bad for Cueball to major in biology since he would rather eat such a toad.

;Panel 10, ''And social psych is worse than either psych ''or'' sociology.'': {{w|Social psychology}} is compared to {{w|sociology}} (study of humans in society) and {{w|psychology}} (study of human minds). Psychology is represented by a {{w|serial killer}} with a chainsaw, and sociology is represented by a {{w|zombie}}. These are to the left of [[Megan]]. To her right is a zombie serial killer with chainsaw. She is standing between them undecided as to take one, the other or both. They are all terrible options...

;Panels 11, ''The thought of picking any one of these is too unbearable,''
;Panels 12, ''Just put me down as "Undecided"—Every major's terrible.'': End of the first verse where Cueball tells his academic advisor that he is undecided as every major's terrible. He even throws away his {{w|study guide}}. Every verse ends with some variation of this couplet, and in the original tune, each of these couplets are repeated by the chorus afterwards.
:''Unbearable'' and ''terrible'' rhyme for people who have the {{w|English-language vowel changes before historic /r/#Mary–marry–merry merger|Mary-merry merger}}.

===Verse 2===
;Panel 13, ''Now, if you can't prognosticate, that's OK in seismology,'':[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prognosticate Prognosticate] means "to predict". This refers to the inability of {{w|seismology}} to reliably predict catastrophic {{w|earthquake}}s, even after centuries of extensive research. The panel shows {{w|Seismic wave|seismic waves}} from a {{w|seismograph}}. The seismograph chart has four traces and about halfway across one trace begins oscillating vigorously indicating an earthquake. Five months after this comic was published several seismologists in Italy were [http://www.nature.com/news/italian-court-finds-seismologists-guilty-of-manslaughter-1.11640 convicted of crimes] that effectively stemmed from an inability to predict an earthquake. This does not go down well for the message of this panel... Their conviction was [http://www.nature.com/news/italian-seismologists-cleared-of-manslaughter-1.16313 overturned on appeal] in 2014.

;Panel 14, ''But if your hindsight's weak as well, you'd best stick to theology.'': The bearded [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/theologist theologist] represents {{w|Theology}} by stating the formal logic proposition shown in the illustration: "X ∴ ∃X". This says "I can describe this thing called X, therefore X exists". This is what Anselm’s {{w|ontological argument}} for God boils down to. Briefly, it asks you to imagine the best possible deity, which, by defintion, would be God. A God which exists in both reality and theory would be greater than one who exists in merely the latter. Therefore, this proposition concludes that God exists. The fatal flaw of this argument is that it can be used to prove the existence of anything (e.g. a vacuum cleaner which exists in both reality and theory is greater than one which exists merely in theory). Just because a perfect God would exist does not mean he does. Thus it has been largely rejected. (See [[1505: Ontological Argument]].)

;Panel 15, ''CS will make each day a quest to find a missing close-paren.'': "CS" is short for "{{w|Computer Science}}." Most programming languages use parentheses as part of their syntax, and often have multiply-nested parenthetical expressions. This is especially true of {{w|Lisp (programming language)|Lisp}}. It is often difficult for a programmer to determine where the unbalanced parenthesis begins or ends when the code and parentheses are not properly formatted and indented. In the panel there is one more left "(" parenthesis (13) than right ")" or ''close-paren'' (12). The problem is now, where to put this last one...

;Panel 16, ''Virology will guarantee you'll never get a hug again.'': {{w|Virology}} is the study of {{w|infectious diseases}}. The green symbol above the central figure is the {{w|Hazard_symbol#Biohazard_sign|biohazard symbol}}, implying that people who study infectious diseases, and are therefore located near them at some points in time, will be shunned like the plague, because they're probably carrying it. Thus no hugs to Megan as three Cueballs and Ponytail leans back away from her.

;Panel 17, ''I.T. prepares you for a life of fighting with PCs nonstop.'': "I.T." is short for "{{w|Information Technology}}", a degree for people who maintain computer systems. If there is a need for an I.T. position (in which I.T. professionals are employed) there are computers which need fixing — hence the I.T. Professional is always fixing (or fighting) computers, which may or may not have been [http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=19980506 "broken" by users]. In the panel Megan, wielding an axe, is in a real fight with a PC.

;Panel 18, ''As Pratchett said, "Geography's just physics slowed with trees on top."'': This is a slightly amended quote from {{w|Discworld}} author {{w|Terry Pratchett}}, from his book "{{w|The Last Continent}}". The actual quote is "{{w|Geography}} is just physics slowed down, with a couple of trees stuck in it." But the meaning is the same, that physics also describes geography - a similar quote to the one about physics vs. stamp collections mentioned under panel 4.

;Panel 19, ''Though physics seems to promise you a Richard Feynman-like career,'': {{w|Richard Feynman}} was a 20th-century {{w|Nobel Prize|Nobel}}-laureate {{w|physicist}} known for his great sense of humor, including being photographed for one of his books while holding a {{w|bongo drum}}. Here he is depicted with the drum and with both a blond woman and Megan looking admiringly upon him. Feynman made physics seem cool, and many a young fan might choose the subject in the hope of obtaining a Feynman-like career. This is, however, very unlikely for most people as is also shown in the next panel.

;Panel 20, ''The wiki page for "Physics major" redirects to "Engineer."'': A redirect on Wikipedia is a page which immediately sends the visitor to a different page. This implies that the title of the first is either a synonym or a sub-topic of the second. {{w|Physics major}} usually learn to code, and the standard joke is that they invariably get hired as {{w|computer programmers}} after graduation, but here in this comic they get hired as {{w|engineers}}. This relates back to the previous panel, as it is here shown that most of those that major in physics end up as engineers and not like Feynman. The Wikipedia page physics major didn't actually exist when this comic was published. It was created the same day, but as a [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Physics_major&redirect=no redirect] to {{w|physics education}}. It is such a redirect page that is shown in the panel. In the subsequent days, there were dozens of instances of people changing it to redirect to engineer, usually reverted within minutes. The redirect page was ''fully protected'' and locked for editing. As with the underwater basket-weaving line in the first verse, after the soloist sings this, the line would be repeated three times by the chorus.

;Panels 21, ''They say to study history or find yourself repeating it,''
;Panels 22, ''But all that it prepares you for is forty years of teaching it.'': This uses a version of a quote by {{w|George Santayana}} (although often attributed to others as well), ''Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it'' as a reason to study {{w|history}} — only to be followed by an indication that by studying history as a major, you will only be prepared to become a history teacher, and you will then spend the rest of your life teaching history. The first panel shows a flow chart that will lead you to repeat your sad past if you cannot remember it, and only move on to happier times if you can. In the next panel we see a [[Hairbun]] as a history teacher, with glasses and her gray hair tied up in a bun, standing in front of a green {{w|blackboard}} with three important years for her current history class. (If anyone spots a connection between 1935, 1969 and 1991 please state it here).

:One connection between these years could be pivotal points in Jewish history concerning the formation of nationality: the Nurenberg Laws of 1935 removing citizenship from Jews in Germany, Israel's claims on Jerusalem, and the UN Security Council's condemnation of the treatment of Palestines by Israel.

:A more lighthearted connection, more in line with the message of learning from history, is the collapse of three notable communications towers: the wooden radio tower in Langenberg in 1935 (by tornado), a TV mast at Emley Moor in 1969 (due to ice build-up), and the Warsaw radio mast in 1991 (due to construction errors). This demonstrates various attempts and failures to learn from engineering mistakes from the past, connecting this with the earlier mentioning of physicists becoming engineers, and perhaps not taking real-world practical considerations into account (such as storms or ice build-up).

:Of course, in practice, with a narrow enough subject, there are likely to be many more examples fitting these three years. The two examples above were from general world history.

;Panels 23, ''I recognize my four-year plan's at this point not repairable,''
;Panels 24, ''But put me down as "Undecided"—Every major's terrible.'': End of the second verse where Cueball again talks to his academic advisor saying that he is undecided. In the last of the two panel he says almost the same as at the end of the first verse. In the first, however, he mentioned his "four-year plan" which is the list of all the courses a student plans to include in his/her degree program. If you change majors every semester, or do not decide on one until too late, this list gets really difficult to turn into any one degree. Again these lines would be repeated by the chorus afterwards.

===Verse 3===
;Panel 25, ''Astronomers all cringe when they hear "supermoon" or "zodiac".'': {{w|Supermoon}} is a term invented by {{w|astrologers}} in the 1970s, with no significance in {{w|astronomy}} other than being the co-occurrence of orbital {{w|perigee}} and full-moon. But it comes up often in the press, linked to supernatural behavior. That also Randall dislikes seems realistic and he also "mocked" the term soon after in [[1080: Visual Field]] and then finally confirmed what he thought about the term directly when he published [[1394: Superm*n]]. This was the first comic referencing supermoon, here is [[:Category:Supermoon|a list]] of all such comics. The {{w|zodiac}} is the circular band in the sky containing the apparent path of the sun, moon and planets. Most often when people talk about it, they're referring to {{w|astrology}} and {{w|horoscopes}} and other pseudo-scientific notions which often lead to conversations which are frustrating to astronomers, like the bearded one from the panel.

;Panel 26, ''Agronomy's a no-go; I'm a huge agorophobiac.'': {{w|Agronomy}} is the science of farming, while {{w|agoraphobia}} is the fear of wide open spaces. Fields, where most farming happens, are wide open spaces. In the panel an anxious Cueball is standing near a fence on an open field with a tractor. Presumable he may be OK inside the tractor, but once he gets outside he becomes anxious.

;Panel 27, ''I'm too ophiophobic to consider herpetology,'': {{w|Herpetology}} is the study of {{w|reptiles}} and {{w|amphibians}}, while {{w|ophiophobia}} is the fear of {{w|snakes}} (a reptile). The panel shows sweating Cueball holding his hands to his mouth while looking at a green snake asking for his love? It is possible that Cueball is afraid of the snake, who is harmless and just wants to be friends.

;Panel 28, ''And I can't stomach any part of gastroenterology.'': As the pun suggests, {{w|gastroenterology}} is the study of the human digestive system and the image shows the human {{w|stomach}}. To [http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cannot+stomach not be able to stomach something] means you can't stand or tolerate this thing.

;Panel 29, ''While pre-med gives you twitchy-eyed obsession with your GPA,'': {{w|Pre-med}} (pre-medical) is a major chosen by students hoping to go on to {{w|medical school}} to study {{w|medicine}} and eventually become {{w|Doctor of Medicine|doctors}}. Medical school is extremely competitive and usually requires a very high undergraduate {{w|GPA}} for prospective students. Hence we see a pre-med student holding all his grades.

;Panel 30, <tt>a poetry degree bespeaks bewildering naïveté.</tt>: The text is in all lower-case, a different font and strangely laid out compared to the text in all the other panels. All-lower-case and "free" layout are both associated with 20th century "{{w|Modernist}}" {{w|poetry}}, especially the works of {{w|E. E. Cummings}}. Ponytail is actually reciting this line of the song.

;Panels 31, ''TV's behind the rush into forensic criminology''
;Panels 32, ''(Or so claims meta-academic epidemiology).'': This refers to how {{w|forensic}}-{{w|criminology}} shows, specifically {{w|CSI: Miami}} (Crime Scene Investigation: Miami) as shown on the TV screen in both panels, often dramatize, exaggerate or otherwise confuse the science behind forensics; this gives people unrealistically glamorous views of the career, thus encouraging them to join it. {{w|Epidemiology}} is the study of causes and effects of events and trends. We see a pipe smoking epidemiologist standing with Ponytail and watching CSI - presumably making wild claims on cause and effect based only on what they see on TV. This is, again, the point where the chorus joins in three times, as in the previous two verses.

;Panels 33, ''By dubbing econ "dismal science" adherents exaggerate;''
;Panels 34, ''The "dismal"'s fine - it's "science" where they patently prevaricate.'': "Econ" is short for "{{w|economics}}". {{w|Thomas Carlyle}} declared economics "{{w|the dismal science}}" in the {{w|Victorian era}} as a derogatory alternative name. {{w|Economists}} often claim that economics is a {{w|science}} like any other; however, as the predictive power of all economic theories are exceedingly weak compared to those of any science, this is disputed by those outside the field at times. It is of course also disputed by this song, in which Cueball "clearly" (see below) states that economics should not call itself a science - that is the ''dismal science'' is not derogatory enough for him.
*The sentences uttered by Cueball in these two panels are extremely difficult English for non-native English speakers.
*Here is some help in understanding the sentences:
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dub Dubbing] something means ''giving it a nickname''.
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dismal Dismal] science means ''disappointingly inadequate science''.
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adherent Adherents] means ''supporters''.
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/patently Patently] means ''in a clear and unambiguous manner''
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prevaricate Prevaricate] means to ''evade the truth''.
*Using these meanings of the words the two sentences can be re-written as:
**By giving economics the nickname "disappointingly inadequate science" the supporters [of economics] exaggerate;
**The "disappointingly inadequate" is fine - it's "science" where they evade the truth in a clear and unambiguous manner.

;Panels 35, ''In terms of choices, I'd say only Sophie's was comparable.''
;Panels 36, ''Just put me down as "Undecided"—Every major's terrible!'': End of the third verse, with yet another variant on the closing couplet. Choosing a major is compared to {{w|Sophie's Choice}}, which is any {{w|dilemma}} where choosing one cherished person or thing over the other will result in the death or destruction of the other, derived from the theme of the {{w|Sophie's Choice (novel)|novel}} of the same name, which has also been turned into a {{w|Sophie's Choice (film)|romantic drama film}}. So Cueball tells the academic advisor that choosing any of the majors over any other is as horrible as to have to choose which cherished person should die to save the other. Although in his case, it is the other way around, since he thinks all choices sucks. Again these lines would be repeated by the chorus.

==Transcript==
:[Headings to the left and above the 36 panels:]
:'''Every Major's Terrible'''
:to the tune of Gilbert & Sullivan's
:'''Modern Major-General Song'''
:(Which you may know from Tom Lehrer's ''Elements''.
:If not, just hum ''Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious''.)

:[To make it easier to read the lyrics, the lyrics text is double indented. If someone says the line, their name stands above the line they say. If no one says the line it is just written after the description. Unless otherwise stated, the text is inside the frame of the panel above the drawing. If any other text is present it will be written after the lyrics.]

:[Panel 1: Cueball sitting with his chin on fist on a gray rock. Next to him is a mathematical expression "2 + a picture of yellow glowing light bulb = picture of Cueball in sailboat on a blue sea".]
::Philosophy's just math sans rigor, sense, and practicality
:Expression: 2+ =
:[Panel 2: A black and brown cannon standing on a green hill fires and a dashed line indicates the cannonball's trajectory. The line splits in two twice ending up at 4 cannonballs.]
::And math's just physics unconstrained by precepts of reality.
:[Panel 3: A student in robes and square academic cap receives a diploma from a dean on a brown podium, while Cueball, diploma in hand, runs away on the green lawn, arms in the air, shedding both robe and cap.]
::A business major's just a thing you get so you can graduate
:[Panel 4: Ponytail wearing goggles and holding a flask with the periodic table in the background. Three stars and circle lines around her head indicates that she is dizzy.]
::And chemistry's for stamp collectors high on methylacetate.
:[Panel 5: Cueball holds up hands questioningly.]
:Cueball:
::Why anyone who wants a job would study lit's a mystery
:[Panel 6: Cueball holding his chin.]
:Cueball:
::Unless their only other choice were something like art history.
:[Panel 7: The text is above this panels frame, which is only about two third of the other frames. In the frame is a close-up of Cueball as a graduate wearing yellow embroidered robe and yellow tasseled mortarboard.]
::A BA in communications guarantees that you'll achieve
:[Panel 8: The text is above this panels frame, which is only about two third of the other frames. In the frame is again the same Cueball graduate. Only now he is emerged in blue water. A wicker basket flows to the left, where air bubbles escape from Cueball. To the right are two fish.]
::A little less than if you'd learned to underwater basket-weave
:[Panel 9: Cueball holding a gray frog at arm's length.]
:Cueball:
::I'd rather eat a Fowler's toad than major in biology,
:Frog: Ribbit
:[Panel 10: Megan indicating to the left a scruffy individual and an individual holding a chainsaw, and to the right another scruffy individual holding a chainsaw.]
::And social psych is worse than either psych or sociology.
:[Panel 11: Cueball stands in front of a brown desk holding a gray course catalog. Behind the desk sits a man with glasses and hair at the back of his head. He sits on his gray office chair. There is a stack of papers on the desk.]
:Cueball:
::The thought of picking any one of these is too unbearable.
:[Panel 12: Same picture as panel 11, only now Cueball tosses the course catalog over his shoulder.]
:Cueball:
::Just put me down as "Undecided"—Every major's terrible.
:[Panel 13: The text is above this panels frame, which is only about two third of the other frames. In the frame is a seismograph chart with four traces; about halfway across one trace begins oscillating vigorously.]
::Now, if you can't prognosticate, that's OK in seismology,
:[Panel 14: A bearded man with white hair states a formula with his left arm lifted.]
::But if your hindsight's weak as well, you'd best stick to theology.
:Bearded man: X ∴ ∃X
:[Panel 15: Two lines with gray parenthesis.]
::CS will make each day a quest to find a missing close-paren.
:Code: <code>(((()((((()(</code>
:Code: <code>))))())())())</code>
:[Panel 16: Megan with a green biohazard symbol floating above her head stands alone; to the left and right three Cueball-like guys and Ponytail shun her.]
::Virology will guarantee you'll never get a hug again.
:[Panel 17: Megan running at a PC on a brown table with a brown and black axe raised over her head.]
::I.T. prepares you for a life of fighting with PCs nonstop.
:[Panel 18: The frame is a little smaller than the other frames. Above the frame is the first part of the text. In the frame is an image of a bearded man with glasses who says the rest of the text. ]
::As Pratchett said,
:Pratchett:
::"Geography's just physics slowed with trees on top."
:[Panel 19: A man with black hair plays on brown bongo drums while a blond woman and Megan look in at him from left and right.]
::Though physics seems to promise you a Richard Feynman-like career,
:[Panel 20: The text is above this panels frame, which is only about two third of the other frames. In the frame is screenshot of a wiki redirect page. Below the title is the normal text for such a page. This is unreadable though, although it is possible to imagine it is possible to read the first line which would say: ''From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia''. But not the other line which would be ''Redirect page''. Below this line is an arrow down to the page the redirect points to. This is written in blue letters.]
::The wiki page for "Physics major" redirects to "Engineer."
:Wiki page:
::Physics major
:: Engineer
:[Panel 21: Flowchart: a gray box with a sad face chains to a decision diamond reading simply "?"; the "yes" branch leads to a yellow happy-face box while the "no" branch loops back to the initial sad face.]
::They say to study history or find yourself repeating it,
:Flow chart:
::?
::No
::Yes
:[Panel 22: The text is above this panels frame, which is only about two third of the other frames. In the frame is Hairbun as a teacher with boxy spectacles and a bun in front of a green chalkboard with three years in white.]
::But all that it prepares you for is forty years of teaching it.
:Chalkboard:
::1935
::1969
::1991
:[Panel 23: Cueball at his adviser's desk again as in panel 12, but now without any catalog and holding his arms down.]
:Cueball:
::I recognize my four-year plan's at this point not repairable,
:[Panel 24: Same as panel 23 except Cueball has raised a first and the adviser has his hand to his mouth.]
:Cueball:
::But put me down as "Undecided"—Every major's terrible.
:[Panel 25: Image of a bald man with beard and glasses. He raised both hands one as a fist the other pointing up. There are lines out from his head to the left and lightning lines out from his head to the right.]
::Astronomers all cringe when they hear "supermoon" or "zodiac".
:[Panel 26: Silhouette of Cueball, agitated, in an open field near a fence and a tractor.]
::Agronomy's a no-go; I'm a huge agorophobiac.
:[Panel 27: Cueball looking aghast at a green snake on the ground, both hands at his mouth and sweat jumping from his head. The snake also thinks about Cueball but in red and black.]
::I'm too ophiophobic to consider herpetology,
:Snake: ♥?
:[Panel 28: Anatomical image of a stomach in pink and red.]
::And I can't stomach any part of gastroenterology.
:[Panel 29: A man with wild hair, glasses askew, clutching folders and papers (green, blue and white), and dropping several.]
:Man:
::While pre-med gives you twitchy-eyed obsession with your GPA,
:[Panel 30: Ponytail reciting poetry; her poem is this panel's line, in a lighter, lower-case font.]
:Ponytail:
::<tt>a poetry degree bespeaks bewildering naïveté.</tt>
:[Panel 31: The text is above this panels frame, which is only about two third of the other frames. The frame is a TV screen with the ''CSI: Miami'' logo, CSI in yellow.]
::TV's behind the rush into forensic criminology
:TV screen:
::''' CSI: '''
::'''Miami'''
:[Panel 32: A balding man wearing glasses and holding a smoking pipe together with Ponytail holding a notebook watch a wall-mounted flat-screen TV on which the ''CSI: Miami'' logo from the previous panel is showing.]
::(Or so claims meta-academic epidemiology).
:TV screen:
:: CSI:
::Miami
:[Panel 33: Cueball is talking with his left arm raised, palm up.]
:Cueball:
::By dubbing econ "dismal science" adherents exaggerate;
:[Panel 34: Close-up on Cueball with left arm up.]
:Cueball:
::The "dismal"'s fine—it's "science" where they patently prevaricate.
:[Panel 35: As panel 23 with Cueball at his adviser's desk once more though with both hands held out in front of him.]
:Cueball:
::In terms of choices, I'd say only Sophie's was comparable.
:[Panel 36: Same as panel 35 except that Cueball makes a final dramatic flair spreading both arms out.]
:Cueball:
::Just put me down as "Undecided"—Every major's terrible!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball‏‎]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan‏‎]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail‏‎]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people‏‎]]
[[Category:Supermoon]]
[[Category:Astronomy‏‎]]
[[Category:Biology‏‎]]
[[Category:Chemistry‏‎]]
[[Category:Computers‏‎]]
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Math‏‎]]
[[Category:Philosophy‏‎]]
[[Category:Physics‏‎]]
[[Category:Psychology‏‎]]
[[Category:Science‏‎ ]]
[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Animals]]

979: Wisdom of the Ancients

2019-11-21T23:13:04Z

141.101.77.50: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 979
| date = November 18, 2011
| title = Wisdom of the Ancients
| image = wisdom_of_the_ancients.png
| titletext = All long help threads should have a sticky globally-editable post at the top saying 'DEAR PEOPLE FROM THE FUTURE: Here's what we've figured out so far ...'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to a common experience that those trying to solve tech problems have. Typically, people search on Google to try to find solutions to the problem. Sometimes the solution can be found on a software program's website, but the most helpful solutions frequently come from discussions on message boards, particularly for more obscure problems. This is because the odds are rather high that someone else, years ago, had the same problem you're having and resolved it.

However, in this comic, [[Cueball]] is unable to find any mention of the problem he's currently facing except for one forum post about it that did not include the problem's solution. This is akin to finding an FAQ with questions but no answers.

The title is a satirical reference to the notion that the "ancients," i.e. from thousands of years ago, possessed knowledge that has been lost to the centuries (such as exactly how Stonehenge was built), and that artifacts from those times do not fully divulge such knowledge. The fact that the "ancient" referred to in the comic is from 2003 (only 8 years before the comic was published) is an exaggeration of the feeling that the forum poster is lost to the sands of time, but in some sense this feeling is nonetheless true, since Cueball is unlikely to be able to contact them.

The title text is a suggestion to forums to be aware of the fact that people are likely going to come across such posts in the future and therefore to provide handy summaries of the most helpful conclusions of long threads for them, since combing through several false starts and failed attempts to resolve a problem can be quite tedious. Some forums do indeed follow this practice, pinning the solution or the most helpful approximation to one to the top under the original question.

In [[1722: Debugging]] the title text also mentions googling an error message, explaining what it means if you get zero results.

==See also==
http://www.mirrorsoferis.com/forum/thread05232003a.html

==Transcript==
:[A poem is written outside and right justified along the left edge of the panel to the right.]

:{|
|-
| style="text-align:right;"|Never have I felt so close to another soul
|-
| style="text-align:right;"|And yet so helplessly alone
|-
| style="text-align:right;"|As when I Google an error
|-
| style="text-align:right;"|And there's one result
|-
| style="text-align:right;"|A thread by someone with the same problem
|-
| style="text-align:right;"|And no answer
|-
| style="text-align:right;"|Last posted to in 2003
|}

:[Cueball stands in front of his desk, having risen so the chair has moved away behind him. He is holding on to his computer's screen, looking at it while visibly shaking the screen and shouting at it.]
:Cueball: Who were you, DenverCoder9?
:Cueball: ''What did you see?!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Google Search]]

Talk:2212: Cell Phone Functions

2019-11-06T17:09:48Z

141.101.77.50:

I know of someone who DID build a taser into a phone... (but that's all it is now, was no space for the phone's electronics anymore) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.39|172.69.54.39]] 08:05, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
: Well, there are actual commercial taser phone cases available for purchase today - [https://youtu.be/XaJSYxit1qI here's one example]. Not necessarily a good idea and not legal everywhere, but it exists. --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 12:03, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
And even without checking if it already existed, tasers immediately struck me as the only idea in the comic that was remotely plausible. Most of the things in the list for one would require additional hardware to be a part of the phone, and the added weight and bulk would not seem worthwhile given the expected times one would use these things. One exception would be a steering wheel, as using wireless comunication, any necessary hardware could be added to the car instead of the phone. This doesn't seem like a good idea though normally, but once you have driverless cars, commands for where the car should go might be incorporated into a phone app. And theoretically, maybe you could have a dog wear an electric shock collar that would trigger if it got too far away from the phone without changing much on the phone hardware, though it seems there would be a lot of possible issues with making that work.--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.126|172.68.59.126]] 04:49, 9 October 2019 (UTC)
: A nail clipper might be a bit much, but I actually do use my iPhone 5 as a nail file. Once I finally upgrade it (long overdue), I will no longer be able to use my phone for that—the iPhone 5 was the last model to have a hard 90° glass edge all around the home button, an edge that happens to work perfectly for smoothing off any snags or rough edges that remain after I've trimmed my nails with scissors. [[User:Tracy Hall|Tracy Hall]] ([[User talk:Tracy Hall|talk]]) 03:32, 15 October 2019 (UTC)

It seems a bit peculiar that one of the move "obvious" devices a cellphone can replace is missing: the watch. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 08:18, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
: That's because no one sane would do that ;) Some may use a Smart Watch instead of a classic watch but except of the case when you were used to pocket watches anyways a replacement of a wacth by a phone would be a downgrade usability wise. /edit: That being said: My personal "Now" bar is at the first quarter (more or less at the web browser's bar end) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:29, 7 October 2019 (UTC)So that physics is nothing but the harmonies of the vibrating rubber bands.

:: I realize it's unlikely you're being entirely serious here, but the same argument applies to almost all of the devices listed in this comic. So…no, that's not the reason for its omission. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 08:33, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
::: There are other things that phones can do that separate devices exist for as well that aren't listed in the comic. For instance, calculators, daily planners and memo pads, calendars, address books, video games and watching tv shows/movies, reading books (remember dedicated eReaders?), etc--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.126|172.68.59.126]] 04:55, 9 October 2019 (UTC)
::: Actually I was dead serious. Well except of the "no one sane" part. I don't want to offend anyone :) In the time you take your phone out of the pocket to check the time I've looked thrice at my wrist watch [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:54, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:::: The time taken isn't awfully relevant, unless you're checking the time awfully frequently. For the number of times a day I need to check the time when I'm not at a computer or already looking at my phone, the convenience of a wristwatch could easily be outweighed by the inconvenience of taking it off and putting in on each day. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.178.69|162.158.178.69]] 09:34, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
::::: Assuming you'd put it off. ;) (Despite the emoticon I'm serious again. I only put my watch off to change the battery) And even if I would put it off it would be more likely I forgot my phone on my desk than forgetting to put the watch on. I'm wearing a wrist watch since I was 8 or 9. But granted, the time is not as relevant as the fact that you have to put a device from out of somewhere and push a button to activate the screen just to check time. But in the end it's just a matter of personal taste and habit, I guess. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:02, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
::::::Yeah, whether it's as convenient or even as good is irrelevant: Cell phones are not as good at photos as a dedicated camera but they are used for that because they can do it without the need for a separate device, which is the point of this comic. Most people do not wear watches anymore & just use their phones instead. Watches really would belong on this list, except it might be more difficult to pin down a transitional point! Some of us stopped needing watches when we realized our Nokia 3390 had a clock in the corner. Other people may have a link to whattimeisitrightnow dot com on their smartphone's home screen... [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 14:44, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:::: A phone in the pocket is infinitely better for me than a watch because watches make the skin underneath the wristband itch from the continuous contact. (I have atopic dermatitis.) -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.135|162.158.93.135]] 13:35, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
: there was a brief period between ubiquitous cell/mobile phone use and the advent of the smartwatch where experts predicted the demise of the watch other than as a piece of jewellery [[User:Boatster|Boatster]] ([[User talk:Boatster|talk]]) 08:46, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
: I always hated wearing a watch - I do sometimes use my phone for finding the time - but "Hey Google - what time is it?" works without taking it out of my pocket. The thing is though - watches were obsolete before the smartphone existed. When just about 100% of electronic devices have clock display - my cooker, microwave, toaster, car, TV, computer, etc, etc ALL tell me the time. Why would I need a watch? SmartWatches seem like a retrograde step. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 13:17, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:: Well, with a watch you always know, where to look, especially when not in your own home. So just looking at your own wrist is much faster, then scanning your enviroment for the nearest screen. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 13:29, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
::"Smart Watches" that don't do much without a smartphone to connect to seem especially backwards to me. A smart watch with cellular radio would be useful on its own. Side note: So ''you're'' that one person who leaves voice activation on all the time!?! Setting the very real privacy & safety issues aside for a moment... Doesn't it trigger from random conversations on an almost daily basis? I don't even know anyone who was able to leave Siri or Alexa on touchless, much less Google. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:21, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:::Newer generations are able to do so, at least partially. E.g. new generation from Garmin is able to play music to your bluetooth earpieces, without of need of a phone. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:22, 8 October 2019 (UTC)
:I agree, it seems to me that the majority of people who had a cell phone as a teenager never acquired the habit of wearing a watch. I happen to still wear a watch and I also have a separate device that I use instead of my cell phone to make phone calls when I am at home. It's called a "telephone". And it's a fact that very few people who had a cell phone as a teenager have one of these in their homes. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 19:49, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
::I used to wear watch. Then the strap broke (well, the things connecting the strap to watch). So I got used to wearing them in pocket, no big deal, didn't needed them that often and never got to finding the shop where they would fix it. Then the watch broke. I got used to looking at phone. On the other hand, I'm still using "dumb" cellphone instead of smartphone for calling, the shape is just better for holding next to ear. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:16, 7 October 2019 (UTC)

Try to translate "die eierlegende Wollmilchsau"
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.97|162.158.89.97]] 09:52, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:Sounds a lot like a schmoo from ''Lil Abner'' by Al Capp! I wonder if the egg-legend woolmilksow is where he got the idea? [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:21, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
::Die eigerlegende Wollmilchsau is a joke on tools/machines/etc which are designed to perform a lot of incompatible tasks, but often fail to work properly.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.221|162.158.91.221]] 16:37, 8 October 2019 (UTC)
:::So it doesn't pre-date the Schmoo? Well that's disappointing. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:05, 12 October 2019 (UTC)

There is a terrible movie - [[Wikipedia:Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock|Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock]] - where everyone has a device called The Black Box that can do all of that, as well as pretty much anything. Its function changes kind of like a Rubik's Cube. It's an obvious parody of smartphones, except that it came out right around the time they were getting popular so I'm not sure if smartphones are the true inspiration. I can't recommend that movie (really, it's awful) but this comic reminded me of it and I wanted to share. --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 10:11, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:Also see the Guide 2.0 as depicted in the later ''Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'' novels. It would do anything its user asked, including removing all Earths from all timelines (which is what it was built for). There's an old SciFi story about a man with a hypnotic paisley tie who accidentally leaves behind a futuristic universal remote & the contemporary guy who finds it gets in trouble. Overall, the "one device that does everything" has been an idea for at least a hundred years; but I think it's not just dismissed as whimsy so easily these days. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:21, 7 October 2019 (UTC)

Re: steering wheel, there was a James Bond movie (Pierce Brosnan era I think) where he could control a car from a phone (they were not yet called smartphones at the time). I wouldn't be surprised that the technology has already been implemented, even though I don't want to think of the legal consequences if this became mainstream: "Honestly officer, I wasn't LOOKING at my phone, I was DRIVING my car!"[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.110|162.158.155.110]] 11:30, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
: sure it's *technically* possible: all you need is to pair the gyro/accelerometer of your phone with your car's servo steering. any vehicle with a parking assistant can be controlled that way (and security researchers have demonstrated that in impressive talks back in 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OobLb1McxnI). [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 11:37, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:It was in ''Tomorrow Never Dies'' (https://youtu.be/BxTvfVZjR_Q) with a 'slightly' non-standard phone (pre-smartphone) and a 'slightly' non-standard car... Hardly the most unbelievable feature, though. ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.235|162.158.158.235]] 16:06, 7 October 2019 (UTC)

I've written a first draft of the explanation and transcript, but I don't have time for anything else today. It turned out more high-flown than I intended, so feel free to reword as necessary. Also, because I'm sure it'll come up eventually, regarding the transcript: since Randall has not given any time scale, we should refrain from over-interpreting when something happened. For the joke to get through, knowing which elements happened in the past and which (might) happen in the future is enough. [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 11:33, 7 October 2019 (UTC)

Hmmm - so let's fact check this:
* My phone is indeed being used as a car key (I own a Tesla and my phone unlocks the car and lets me drive it), phone, camera, newspaper, credit card and flashlight - so short bars for all of these is good.
* As a TV remote, that could be true - but we're actually edging into a "post-phone" era on that one. I can (and occasionally do) use my phone to control the Roku - but it's easier to use voice commands through Google Home for that...although I suppose I could use the phone to run Google Home instead of the Google Mini in my living room...so 50/50 on being "post-phone" on this one.
* As a Web Browser, I could use the phone - but only rarely actually do that. Mostly I use my ChromeBook for that, and also the screen on my Tesla - the piddly little cellphone screen guarantees it won't take over that role for more than 10% of the time.
* He missed out "Text messaging" - but I'm using the phone less and less for that because having a decent keyboard is good - so the ChromeBook is stealing that capability.
* Steering wheel...well, the Tesla already steers itself about 80% of the time that I drive. I predict that the steering wheel will cease to exist (at least for me) before I use my phone for that...although it certainly is capable of it in theory...and I'm pretty sure Tesla demonstrated the car being used as a radio controlled toy from a phone a few years ago...although it never made it into production (mercifully!).
* You probably could use a phone as a bird feeder (for smaller birds - draping a dead rabbit over it to attract vultures might be a bad idea).
* All of the others are well into the future...so I agree with him on those.
[[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 13:13, 7 October 2019 (UTC)

I feel like we could/should be reading this more literally. If we assume that Randall lives on the fairly early edge of technology, then the time from the left side of the chart to now is ~25 years. If we also assume that the time axis is linear, then we should be driving our cars with our phones in 7-8 years (though I can now drive my car through a parking lot at least using my phone, it's still doing the steering for me). Sadly brushing our teeth is still about 20 years out according to this prediction, however maybe by then our phones will be able to do some sort of ultrasonic cleaning. [[User:Jasonk|Jasonk]] ([[User talk:Jasonk|talk]]) 13:58, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:I'm continually surprised that nobody is known to have fallen for a joke digital toilet-tissue app called iWipe. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:21, 7 October 2019 (UTC)

It seems like it would be good to reference Randall's [[:Category:xkcd Phones|rather unusual phone function proposals]] in the explanation. Perhaps he's suggesting that these phones will become commonly used (or at least used by him) in the future. [[User:Dry Paratroopa|Dry Paratroopa]] ([[User talk:Dry Paratroopa|talk]]) 14:38, 7 October 2019 (UTC)

Maybe when he says "TV remote" he's actually talking about "cable box remote". I think there's an Xfinity X1 mobile app. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:45, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:Some (or many?) Smart TVs, such as my 6 year old LG Smart TV are also possible to connect to an app. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:22, 8 October 2019 (UTC)
::Any of the many ''many'' smartphones with an infrared port can control any number of common devices. Every Samsung Galaxy phone is effectively a universal remote, all the user needs to do is download one of hundreds of free apps & ''bam'', their device is now a fully programmable touchscreen universal remote with customizable buttons, labels, & scripted sequences. A "Smart" TV is not needed, but most of those actually use infrared remotes as well (''some'' use RF remotes, but even TVs with WiFi typically still use an infrared remote until you get up into the more expensive models). Infrared is still used all over the place; in fact, with the proliferation of household devices with remotes, I'd wager that the average home has ''more'' infrared controlled devices in it today than ten or twenty years ago, when I first started using my Palm PDAs & then Palm Treo as a universal remote. Randall is pretty technologically savvy & also seems to be an early adopter, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's been using his smartphone as a remote since before the first iPhone was released. (Note that iPhones, being more toy than tool, do ''not'' have an infrared port. Fortunately, iOS devices have never been more than about a third of the smartphones in use.) [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:02, 12 October 2019 (UTC)

Could the cheese grater be a reference to Apple's newest computers? I could imagine an iPhone with the "cheese grater" texture. [[User:Billtheplatypus|Billtheplatypus]] ([[User talk:Billtheplatypus|talk]]) 17:01, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:The Palm Pre worked as a cheese *slicer* back in 2009! https://gizmodo.com/palm-pre-cuts-the-cheese-5279413 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.88|162.158.214.88]] 17:48, 11 October 2019 (UTC)

I am very curious as to what specific device Randall used for his telephone way back when before he used his phone. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.70.28|172.68.70.28]] 17:24, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:Before he used his phone, the specific device was likely his parents phone. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:22, 8 October 2019 (UTC)

The comic says "I just use MY phone." Presumably, before that, he used someone else's phone, or a payphone or something. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.19|172.68.189.19]] 21:54, 7 October 2019 (UTC)
:I think he means "I just use my CELL phone". I have a separate device that I use instead of my "cell" phone to make phone calls when I am at home. It's called a "telephone". This is probably what he used before cell phones. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 17:52, 10 October 2019 (UTC)

If you think about it, the phone started out with maybe 4 components: microphone, speaker, bell ringer, and gizmo to alert the operator to connect to you. Newspaper was paper and ink. Flashlight was bulb and battery. They had nothing in common at all. So dog leash? Better GPS + bluetooth shock collar. Tazer? Better battery + extendable prongs. Toilet paper is easy: bluetooth enabled bidet. Honestly, the only device I would bet money on being wrong is the bird feeder. After all, who would deliberately walk away from their phone for hours on end? (besides me) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.100|172.68.90.100]] 21:41, 7 October 2019 (UTC) SiliconWolf
:Toilet paper is even easier than that, and you can do it with any phone. Just install three C shells. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.83|172.69.63.83]] 22:59, 8 October 2019 (UTC)

I can imagine using phone as a dog leash. It could be connected with smart dog-collar that gives a shock to a dog if it moves further than chosen distance. Not that I would like such idea, but seems possible. [[User:Tkopec|Tkopec]] ([[User talk:Tkopec|talk]]) 08:00, 8 October 2019 (UTC)
:You would still need a specific device (the dog-collar), instead of "just" using your phone. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:12, 8 October 2019 (UTC)

Unmentioned single purpose devices that cell phones have partially or totally replaced: radio, MP3 player, music player, personal assistant device, voice recorder, video camera. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 13:12, 8 October 2019 (UTC)

Tazer sounds like a good idea, but some other personal protective devices could also be welcomed: personal alarm (press a button and loud piercing alarm scares away attacker), pepper spray, accident alert. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 13:12, 8 October 2019 (UTC)

I'm surprised that Randall omitted using smart phones as replacements for stand-alone GPS units for mapping and driving directions. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 05:35, 13 October 2019 (UTC)

;y axis order
I wonder if there is a rationale for the ordering on the vertical axis. They are mostly, but not exclusively, monotonically increasing in time. {{unsigned|Mwh001}}
:I didn't research this, but it looks like the order of availibility it is sorted by. But web browser wasn't used at first, because it was just so expensive and hard to use. TV remote apps are available for quite some time, but often it is easier to just grab the remote when its close to the sofa, instead of opening the app. It remains unclear, why he switched at all. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:22, 8 October 2019 (UTC)

;Mind Bleach please!
Toothbrush, ''and'' toilet paper? [[User:John.Adriaan|John.Adriaan]] ([[User talk:John.Adriaan|talk]]) 00:16, 8 October 2019 (UTC)

;Make America Grate Again
Randall may be onto something with the cheese grater. If Americans ever stop grating their cheese and someone wants to force them to resume, then they could start a movement to require cell phones be designed so that you have to grate cheese with the phone before you can use the phone for anything else, and this movement could use the slogan "Make America Grate Again", and the existing MAGA hats.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.92|172.69.34.92]] 04:52, 8 October 2019 (UTC)

A dog leash is entirely plausible, you put a real shock-collar on the dog, then control it from the phone. But I'm disappointed that it's not a graph of how much time per day one spends doing each task on the phone. Because using it like a phone would be the shortest one, just as in the pic above. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 16:23, 8 October 2019 (UTC)

Hoot you trap off. :-)

;Ever see the “pomegranate”?
A few years ago I saw a video (spoof) of a new tech device. It was a phone with increasingly implausible and absurd features. Started off with a language translator well ahead of state of the art. Went on to things including coffee maker and harmonica. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate_(phone)
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.111|172.69.68.111]] 19:37, 9 October 2019 (UTC)
:I don't know about the pomegranate. But I know about the XPhone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-nezImUP0w [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 09:52, 11 October 2019 (UTC)

;"Newspaper" before "Web Browser"? Strange. — [[User:Lothar Frings|Lothar Frings]] ([[User talk:Lothar Frings|talk]]) 6 November 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2224: Software Updates

2019-11-05T09:22:38Z

141.101.77.50:

Not related to this comic in particular, but the advertisements on this site have become a little (well, actually well past that) too obtrusive for use on a computer that won't let you install an ad blocker (like, uh, a managed Chromebook). Oh, imagine trying to use a computer that won't let you install something as necessary in 2019 as an ad blocker in 2019. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.42|172.68.59.42]] 01:11, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

Really? For me it's only a tiny rectangular ad in the bottom left when I disable my blocker. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.20|172.69.34.20]] 01:53, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

I bet that this is in reference to the removal of close other tabs from Chrome. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.37|173.245.54.37]] 03:23, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

: I doubt it. The feature is easily duplicated by simply tearing out the tab you want to keep and then closing the other window. I doubt that would be a dealbreaker. Plus, well, Chrome doesn't play nice with trying to stay on the older version. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 03:29, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

It's not so clear to me that SaaS requires the software to run in the Cloud. Adobe's Creative Cloud is argued to be Software as a Service, but the programs actually run on the local system. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 03:29, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

The definition in the Wikipedia article on SaaS includes that requirement. I would describe Adobe Creative Cloud more like the way its Wikipedia article does, as providing a combination of software applications delivered on a subscription model, mobile apps, and cloud services, with only the latter being the SaaS part. [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 03:51, 5 November 2019 (UTC)
:Yes, Photoshop is installed on my machine, and I can run it when I'm not connected to the Internet. Definitely not SaaS. SaaS doesn't have to be from the cloud, but it must be something served when you use it. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 06:20, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

I think the explanation is probably misinterpreting the intent of the title text. Given the point of the main comic, rather than saying some have very fast ping times, I think it's saying they may have very slow ping time, on the order of months or years, between times when they decide to download an updated version. The explanation written here definitely feels off, as lots of software running doesn't involve even a local office server, but runs entirely on the computer in front of the user, and again it doesn't relate to the main comic.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.46|108.162.216.46]] 06:58, 5 November 2019 (UTC)
:I was going to say the same. Cloud software will include some frontend code to display data to the user; often some javascript in a webpage. I think the title text is treating 'regular' software as if the developers and their computers creating updates are the part which runs "in the cloud". In some cases, this might mean actually sending off for disks for an update (a 'ping time' in weeks), and the timeout before disconnection causes an error could be years or longer. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.50|141.101.77.50]] 09:22, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

124: Blogofractal

2019-11-03T21:27:52Z

141.101.77.50: Undo revision 176187 by Pravalli (talk) Spam

{{comic
| number = 124
| date = July 5, 2006
| title = Blogofractal
| image = blogofractal.png
| titletext = Edward Tufte's 'The Visual Display of Quantitative Information' is a fantastic book, and should be required reading for anyone in either the sciences or graphic design.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Blogosphere}} is a blanket term for all the blogs on the internet that link together and share information to the extent that the term "blogosphere" arose to describe the collective of blogs. This comic proposes a new structure for defining all blogs by a {{w|fractal}} of blogs.

{{w|Edward Tufte}} is a statistician who worked on data visualization and wrote books on the subject, including "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information," as mentioned in the title text.

{| class="wikitable"
! Meme !! Explanation
|-
|TripMaster Monkey says || {{w|Tripmaster Monkey}} is a book by {{w|Maxine Hong Kingston}} about Wittman Ah Sing, an American graduate of Chinese heritage. 'Monkey says' may be based on the saying 'Monkey See, Monkey Do' and/or the children's game Simon Says.
|-
|118th Post!! || A riff on the "first post" phenomenon.
|-
|Wikiconstitution! || The Onion wrote [http://www.theonion.com/articles/congress-abandons-wikiconstitution,5026/ a 2005 article] about putting the {{w|Constitution}} on a Wiki to allow public editing.
|-
|OMG || Common acronym for "Oh My God," often used in messaging.
|-
|DeCSS || {{w|DeCSS}} was a piece of code for decrypting DVDs. There was a significant effort to prevent this code from being distributed, which triggered the {{w|Streisand effect}}.
|-
|Casemod your Boyfriend!! || {{w|Case modding}} is the modification of a computer chassis (or less commonly other devices), usually to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Casemodding a boyfriend would therefore attempt to make him more attractive.
|-
|FLICKR || A well known [https://www.flickr.com/ photo sharing site].
|-
|They're saying on Kos that || The {{w|Daily Kos}} is a web blog that publishes news and opinions about American politics, from a liberal standpoint. Alternatively, {{w|Kos}} is a Greek island and popular holiday destination.
|-
|http://slashdot.org/articl || {{w|Slashdot}} is a technology-related news website frequented by geeks.
|-
|tagCloud || A {{w|Tag Cloud}} is a visual representation of keyword meta-data, usually with font size increasing with importance.
|-
|Cory Doctorow is a little upset about copyright law. || This is an understatement. {{w|Cory Doctorow}} is a strong activist in this area.
|-
|Hey guys what if Google is evil?!? || {{w|Don't be evil}} is the corporate motto of Google, however the sheer quantity of data held by Google is a somewhat scary thought. A number of conspiracy theories exist that [[792|Google is evil]], bent on world domination, run by the government/CIA/FBI/illuminati/aliens.
|-
|I'll sleep with you for a FreeIpods deal. || This is a parody on how desperate people are in getting either iPhones (extremely popular yet expensive smartphones from Apple) or getting laid. (Coincidentally, years later, someone tried to sell her virginity in the exchange of an iPhone: http://www.techinasia.com/chinese-girl-sells-virginity-iphone4/ )
|-
|FirstPsot!! || Some users on sites that accept comments will race to write the first comment (usually saying something like "First post!" or some variation thereof). In this variation, the user has misspelt "post" in the rush to have the first post.
|-
|Snakes on an I don't Even Care Anymore || There were many jokes about {{w|Snakes on a Plane}} where a supposedly new movie to come out was named "Snakes on a ______." Clearly this person is tired of those jokes. See also [[107: Snakes on a Plane! 2]]
|-
|KiwiWiki || A New Zealand (Kiwi) related wiki exists at [http://kiwiwiki.co.nz kiwiwiki.co.nz], and this is likely included because Kiwi is an anagram of Wiki.
|-
|CSS || Reference to {{w|Cascading Style Sheets}}.
|-
|Comments (0) || The number of comments is zero, sometimes indicating that nobody cares.
|-
|Blogotesseract || This is a joke on the word "blogosphere." This comic contains many such jokes where the word sphere is replaced by some other object. A tesseract is a four-dimensional analog of the cube.
|-
|¡play games! || One of the most frequent ads are those that mention "Play free games!". While these sites are real, they tend to be collections of Flash-based games taken from other sites from the Internet.
|-
|[RSS icon.] || {{w|RSS}} is a standard for web feeds.
|-
|is AYB retro yet? || The shoot-'em-up game "Zero Wing" on SEGA's Genesis console features an English translation so terrible it has long been a source of memetic humor. The line in question is, "'''A'''ll '''Y'''our '''B'''ase are belong to us!"
|-
|Google Google Google Apple Google Goog || ...a reference to how Apple is going into a prominence that rivals the ubiquitousness of Google, perhaps?
|-
|Cheney totally shot a dude!!! || A reference to the {{w|Dick Cheney hunting incident}}.
|-
|Watch this toddler get owned by a squirrel!!! || An example of clickbait, usually a sensationalized headline that links to a page or video that is either of passing interesting or none at all. 'Funny' videos of animals and babies/toddlers tend to spread like wildfire online.
|-
|Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers || A reference to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMU0tzLwhbE a widely circulated video], captured at a developers' conference, featuring a perspiring {{w|Steve Ballmer}} chanting the word "developers."
|-
|I installed a Mac Mini inside ANOTHER Mac Mini! || This is most likely a reference to how Mac minis are popular to install just about anywhere due to their small size. For example, they are commonly installed to use with a TV (“HTPC”), as small home servers, in cars and trailers, and even mounted on the back of monitors. However, installing an entire Mac mini inside another Mac mini (especially of the same generation) would be a very challenging, if not impossible, task. This could also be referencing Hackintoshes, that is, installing a Macintosh operating system in a Windows-designed machine. In this case, installing a “Mac Mini” (informally referring to macOS (Mac OS X at the time of the comic)) inside another is a relatively trivial, albeit meta, task.
|-
|Check out this vid of Jon Stewart || {{w|Jon Stewart}} was the host of ''{{w|The Daily Show}}'', a late-night political comedy/satire program.
|-
|9-11 <-> Trent Lott! || This could refer to the conspiracy theories regarding the {{w|September 11 attacks|incident from September 11, 2001}}, the date when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City fell. While the popular story is that Arab/Muslim terrorists deliberately crashed their planes into the towers with the purpose of killing infidels, the theory tells that the government ordered the intentional demolition of the towers. In this post, the poster linked the September 11 incident to {{w|Trent Lott}} (a former US Senator).
|-
|Web 7.1 || This is a parody of {{w|Web 2.0}}, a concept in which content from the Internet is provided beyond the webpage. Despite its name, Web 2.0 does not really involve making an entirely new series of tubes or updating the existing ones, a point that the post parodies.
|-
|Kryptonite™ locks vulnerable to "keys!" || Around 2004, it was demonstrated that some tubular pin tumbler locks of the diameter used on Kryptonite locks could easily be opened with the shaft of an inexpensive Bic ballpoint pen of matching diameter, and this was widely reported.
|-
|Interesting post! Check out my blog, it has useful info on CARBON MONOXIDE LITIGATION || An example of a spam comment found where users can comment.
|-
|FIREFLY!! || Reference to {{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}, a US television series that was cancelled after only 14 episodes. Despite its short run, it amassed a strong fanbase that used internet petitions and blogs to help fuel the push for the film {{w|Serenity_(film)|Serenity}}.
|-
|HELP ME || This is a simple post where someone is requesting help in hopes that the readers of the blog would bring solutions. Good example - help me to [https://writeanypapers.com/ write papers for me]
|-
|Engadget || [http://engadget.com Engadget] is a technology-related website.
|-
|Boing Boing || Reference to collaborative blog site [http://boingboing.net/ Boing Boing].
|-
|Gizmodo || [http://gizmodo.com Gizmodo] is a technology-related website hosted by Gawker.
|-
|MAKE Blog: DIY baby || This refers to various DIY (do it yourself) blogs. In this case, the blog post would refer to how to make a baby, which, most likely, would lead into pornographic territory. This post might also refer to the "How is babby formed?" meme.
|-
|My friend has a band!! || Blogs and other social media are common tools used by people to promote their (and their friend's) bands.
|-
|Jon released an exploit in the protocol for meeting girls. || Exploits bypass hardware/software security, permitting cracking or simple extension of the current capabilities of the hardware/software. (One example: an exploit in video-game consoles would permit someone to play homebrew applications or pirated games among other things.) In this case, the exploit went beyond the technological, permitting the exploiter to meet girls.
|-
|Internets! || "Internets" is a memetic version of saying "Internet".
|-
|Howard Dean? || {{w|Howard Dean}} was Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009, he also ran for president in 2004, becoming famous among liberals for his unabashedly progressive positions, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j6xm7e5bJo also for a memetic scream.]
|-
|So I hear there's a hurricane. || Blogging shut-ins can be hilariously out of touch with the outside world. Given the date of this comic (2006 was a slow year for hurricanes), the clueless blogger is probably asking about 2005's {{w|Hurricane Katrina}}, perhaps the most devastating hurricane to hit New Orleans.
|-
|We should elect this dude! || People have strong political opinions reflected in the Internet.
|-
|Google Maps is da best!! || Google Maps is a world mapping service from Google. "Da" is a common intentional misspelling of "the."
|-
|Moderation: +1 Sassy || A joke on Slashdot's moderating mechanism. Each post can get a moderation that consists of a score (+1/-1) and a reason (Insightful/Funny/Troll/etc.) "Sassy" is not one of the standard reasons.
|-
|RSS! || {{w|RSS}} again.
|-
|A-list || the most popular bloggers in the blogosphere are referred to as A-list, following a similar designation for actors. Also, possibly a reference to "A List Apart," a blog & publishing company focused mainly on emerging web technologies.
|-
|<3 || Emoticon for a heart.
|-
|Trackable URL? || This could refer to either marketing or security.
|-
|I shot a man in Reno check it out on YouTube! || The first half of this line comes from Jonny Cash's song "Folsom Prison Blues," which is "But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die". The second half turns it around, because people often say "I did X, watch it on YouTube."
|-
|HEY LOOK ROBOTS! || Both real-world experiments with robotics and science fiction stories involving robots are popular on the Internet.
|-
|Net Neutrality! || {{w|Net neutrality}} is a hot topic. It is the principle that ISPs and governments should treat all data on the Internet equally. There is great debate as to what level this should be enforced or not, and whether it should be regulated.
|-
|Friends Only. || Personal blogging and social media websites typically have privacy settings that allow you to control who can see the posts. The "Friends Only" setting would prevent anyone who the user has not granted the "Friend" status to from seeing the content.
|-
|Dupe! || A common note if the same thing gets posted twice on some forum (Short for "duplicate."). There are two instances of this in the comic, therefore one of them is a dupe itself.
|-
|AJAX? || AJAX is a generic brand found in Mickey Mouse Works cartoons. It is also a JavaScript-based web technology enabling complex user interfaces and a brand of cleaning powder.
|-
|COMPLY || This is likely a reference to science fiction stories where a race of cyborgs or collection of robots tries to assimilate, force compliance upon, or otherwise enslave all life in the universe.
|-
|Cowboy Neal || One of the original Slashdot editors.
|-
|Blogodrome || This is a parody on the word "blogosphere."
|-
|Hey look I got Linux running on my tonsils! || People would often brag about getting Linux to run on strange hardware, from toasters to esoteric computers. This is taken to the ridiculous extreme of tonsils.
|-
|Look alive, blogonauts! || Possibly a comment from a moderator of a dying blog attempting to motivate their users into generating more content.
|-
|Cafepress cockrings || Cafepress is a website that allows users to put pictures/logos on just about anything (T-shirts, mugs, etc.). Currently, however, cockrings are not available.
|-
|BOOBIES!! || Another reference to the "First Post" phenomenon. The popular news site FARK automatically changes entries of "First post" to "BOOBIES" and modifies the timestamp to be many hours in the future.
|-
|MIA || "Missing in Action," a term applied to people who fought in wars, yet were never found.
|-
|A Beowulf Cluster... of BLOGS!! || A {{w|Beowulf cluster}} is a computer cluster of computers networked together resulting in a high-performance parallel computing cluster. For a while, it was a fad to get one running on various strange platforms. This is a facetious example.
|-
|SPOILER ALERT || Often stated on the top of a post that contained spoilers. (See {{w|Spoiler (media)}}.)
|-
|You have been eaten by a Grue. || This is a reference to the first of the Zork games. When the protagonist enters a house, the protagonist would quickly enter a dark corridor. Attempting to travel without some form of light would lead to the message "You have been eaten by a Grue," ending the game. Said message became a meme.
|-
|Ruby on a monorail || A riff on the name {{w|Ruby on Rails}}, a common platform for web applications.
|-
|Lesbians! || Homosexual eroticism is rather popular on the Internet, doubly so with the opposite gender (e.g. lesbians with straight men).
|-
|DNF Released! || "Duke Nukem Forever," a memetically long overdue sequel to the popular first person shooter video game "Duke Nukem," was still unreleased at the time this comic was published; the blog is either a hoax of some kind or yet another jab at the long development cycle.
|-
|Steampunk || Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that involves the blending of futuristic technology with Victorian Era aesthetics and materials.
|-
|BLAG || "Blag" is a memetic form of "blog."
|-
|PONIES! || A pony is a short horse. This could also refer to the Hasbro line of "My Little Pony" toys, popular with young girls. 
|-
|Xeni found some porn! || In some roleplaying games, whenever a character finds something, the message "[name] found [item]" appears. In this case, Xeni found pornography. Xeni probably refers to Xeni Jardin, a BoingBoing editor.
|-
|IRONY || This could be a reference to criticisms that the Internet doesn't know what "irony" means.
|-
|LIARS! || This could be a reference to a recurring comment indicating that the original post is fabricated.
|-
|Linux on Rails! || Another riff on the name {{w|Ruby on Rails}}.
|-
|Blogocube || This is just a parody of the name "blogosphere."
|-
|del.icio.us! || Del.icio.us (this post making a pun on the word "delicious!", obviously) is a bookmark-sharing service. After complaints that Yahoo ate and killed the service, it was sold traded around for a while; it still exists, but under new software and management.
|-
|404 || "Web page not found," probably the most common error gotten in a web browser: {{w|HTTP 404}}.
|-
|o.O || An emoticon indicating confusion.
|-
|Don't slam the source when you close it. || The original phrase (generally spoken from parents to children) is "Don't slam the door when you close it." This twists it around to refer to {{w|Closed source software}}.
|}

==Transcript==
:From the makers of the Blogosphere, Blogocube, and Blogodrome comes
:the Blogofractal

:[A large rectangle subdivided into rectangles in a fractal pattern, most with a phrase or word inside. Some subdivisions cannot be seen, as they are too small.]
:[Mostly left to right from top-left corner.]
:TripMaster Monkey says
:118th Post!!
:Wikiconstitution!
:OMG
:DeCSS
:Casemod your Boyfriend!!
:FLICKR
:They're saying on Kos that
:<nowiki>http://slashdot.org/articl</nowiki>
:tagCloud
:Cory Doctorow is a little upset about copyright law.
:Hey guys what if Google is evil?!?
:I'll sleep with you for a FreeIpods deal.
:FirstPsot!!
:Snakes on an I don't Even Care Anymore
:KiwiWiki
:CSS
:Comments (0)
:Blogotesseract
:¡play games!
:[RSS icon.]
:is AYB retro yet?
:Google Google Google Apple Google Goog
:Cheney totally shot a dude!!!
:Watch this toddler get owned by a squirrel!!!
:Developers
:Developers
:Developers
:Developers
:I installed a Mac Mini inside ANOTHER Mac Mini!
:Check out this vid of Jon Stewart
:9-11 <-> Trent Lott!
:Web 7.1
:Kryptonite™ locks vulnerable to "keys!"
:Interesting post! Check out my blog, it has useful info on CARBON MONOXIDE LITIGATION
:FIREFLY!!
:HELP ME
:Engadget
:Boing Boing
:Gizmodo
:MAKE Blog: DIY baby
:My friend has a band!!
:Jon released an exploit in the protocol for meeting girls.
:Internets!
:Howard Dean?
:So I hear there's a hurricane.
:We should elect this dude!
:Google Maps is da best!!
:Moderation: +1 Sassy
:RSS!
:A-list
:<3
:Trackable URL?
:I shot a man in Reno check it out on YouTube!
:HEY LOOK ROBOTS!
:Net Neutrality!
:Friends Only.
:Dupe!
:AJAX?
:COMPLY
:Cowboy Neal
:Blogodrome
:Hey look I got Linux running on my tonsils!
:Look alive, blogonauts!
:Cafepress cockrings
:BOOBIES!!
:MIA
:A Beowulf Cluster... of BLOGS!!
:SPOILER ALERT
:Dupe!
:You have been eaten by a Grue.
:Ruby on a monorail
:Lesbians!
:DNF Released!
:Steampunk
:BLAG
:PONIES!
:Xeni found some porn!
:IRONY
:LIARS!
:Linux on Rails!
:Blogocube
:del.icio.us!
:404
:o.O
:Don't slam the source when you close it.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

Talk:2205: Types of Approximation

2019-09-21T08:29:31Z

141.101.77.50: Added note about curved spaces to highlight the importance of circle size.

The cosmologist is probably using Fermi's a la [https://what-if.xkcd.com/84/ What-If 84: Paint the Earth][[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 20:34, 20 September 2019 (UTC)
: In that What-If, the rounding formula for Fermi problem estimation is given as "Fermi(x) = round10(log10(x))". [https://www.google.com/search?&q=log10%28pi%29 log10(pi)] (Google search, shows calculator) is roughly .4971... so close enough that someone could do a "Fermi rounding" to either 1 or 10 and not really care one way or another. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.118|162.158.142.118]] 21:19, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

As a physics Phd (though not working in astrophysics), approximating pi to 1 is not all that bad. Especially when the measurable quantities that go into the calculation usually have huge error bars.--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.120|172.68.59.120]] 21:03, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

Using natural units (setting c=hbar=1) is different from setting pi to 1. Using different units is always allowed and not an approximation. Setting pi to 1 on the other hand, is an approximation and is only justifiable if the other quantities in the calculation have huge uncertainty. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.120|172.68.59.120]] 21:07, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

In curved spaces, size of a circle also matters a lot. Small circles will always have circumference/diameter ratio closer to pi than larger circles, no matter where they are.

Little Bobby Tables

2019-08-14T18:37:30Z

141.101.77.50: /* Example of SQL injection */

{{Infobox character
| image = Little Bobby Tables.PNG
| imagesize =
| caption = First drawn drawing in [[342: 1337: Part 2]].
| first_appearance = [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
}}

'''<code>Robert'); DROP TABLE students;--</code>''', nicknamed '''Little Bobby Tables''', is the youngest son of elite hacker [[Mrs. Roberts]]. His elder sister is [[Elaine Roberts|Help I'm stuck in a driver's license factory Elaine Roberts]]. His "full" name is known to cause problems with some computers. When he was first enrolled in school ([[327: Exploits of a Mom]]), it exploited a vulnerability in the parsing of students' names into the school's student database resulting in the school losing all the student records for the year.

In {{w|SQL}}, commands are terminated by semicolons '''<code>;</code>''' and data is often quoted using single quotes '''<code>'</code>'''. Commands may also be enclosed in parentheses '''<code>(</code>''' and '''<code>)</code>'''. Data is stored in tables of similar items (e.g. '''<code>students</code>''') and individual entries are "rows" in the table. To delete an entire table (and every row of data in that table), you use the command '''<code>DROP</code>''' (e.g. '''<code>DROP TABLE students</code>'''). The '''<code>--</code>''' represents the start of a {{w|Comment_(computer_programming)#SQL|SQL comment}} which ensures that the rest of the command is ignored so an error will not occur.

The exploited vulnerability is that the single quote in the name input was not properly "escaped" by the software. Thus, when the name is embedded into some SQL statement, the quote is erroneously parsed as a closing quote inside that statement, rather than being parsed as part of the name. Lack of such escaping is a common SQL vulnerability; this type of exploit is referred to as {{w|SQL injection}}.

The name Bobby Tables inspired a website, [http://bobby-tables.com/ bobby-tables.com], a guide for beginning programmers to learn the right way to avoid SQL injection in their code. A similarly named character, Mister Rogers, appears in [[884: Rogers St.]], with the same code injection in his middle name. It appears in [[1253: Exoplanet Names]] as one of the suggested planet names.

== Appearances ==
In the five comics he is referenced he is only drawn three times. The first two is in the [[:Category:1337|1337 series]] where he is drawn as a Cueball-like kid. See picture above. But then he also appears as a young man with long curly hair, looking very much like a woman in [[884: Rogers St.]] Here it is only the title text that reveals that this is Bobby, that and the fact that [[Randall]] in the official transcript does not mention the sex, but only that it is a person.

Here is how he looks in that comic: 
[[File:Adult Bobby Tables.PNG]]

There have been suggestions that the Robert in the table in [[596: Latitude]] was Bobby, but given that [[Black Hat]] has never had any relation to him in the other comics, and that [[Rob]] has, it seems more likely that the Robert is Rob.

== Example of SQL injection ==

A typical, unsecured SQL command vulnerable to SQL injection would be something like:

database.execute("INSERT INTO students (name) VALUES ('" + name + "');");

where <code>name</code> is a variable which is filled with the name to be inserted into the database. With a regular name, this would result in the following SQL command to be sent to the database system:

INSERT INTO students (name) VALUES ('Elaine');

However, with Little Bobby Tables's full name, the SQL command would be:

INSERT INTO students (name) VALUES ('Robert'); DROP TABLE students;--');

Or, if split after each <code>;</code>:

INSERT INTO students (name) VALUES ('Robert');
DROP TABLE students;
--');

The first commands inserts the name <code>Robert</code> into the database as in the first example. The second command however completely deletes the table <code>students</code>. The remainder is a comment to prevent syntax errors with the apostrophe and the closing parenthesis.

== Real Life occurrence ==

In French-speaking countries, apostrophes are a common character in street names. More often than not, French speakers unwittingly trigger SQL injection bugs when trying to order something from a US shop. In Italy, they are often part of town names, too (e.g. {{w|L'Aquila}}).

==See also==
*[[:Category:Comics featuring Little Bobby Tables|Comics featuring Little Bobby Tables]]

{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Characters]]

Talk:1935: 2018

2017-12-29T23:59:42Z

141.101.77.50: /* Odd/even is another joke */ new section

This is easy! Don't factor it - just multiply by 25 and if that ends in two zeros, but not four zeros then it's a leap year, at least most of the time.....17:25, 29 December 2017 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|162.158.126.112}}

This is easy! Don’t factor it - just convert it into a binary and look at the 2 least significant bits. If they are 00 the number is multiple of four. —[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.35|172.69.33.35]] 17:37, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

This is easy! Don't factor it - just subtract 4 repeatedly. If you end up at 0, it's divisible. If you end up at 1, 2, or 3, it's not. -- 17:55, 29 December 2017 (UTC){{unsigned ip|172.68.58.167}}

The calculation of Christmas is trivial{{Citation needed}} it's December 25th. Where as the calculation of Easter is complex ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computus]). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.18|172.68.133.18]] 18:03, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

;Title text explanation mis-read
Explanation of title text is incorrect: "The title text refers to calculating the date of Christmas; again, this is a trivial exercise, because Christmas is always December 25." Title text states 'day of Christmas', not 'date...'. The day changes each year and so does require calculation. {{unsigned ip|162.158.111.73}}

Oops, my bad. Fixed. [[User:FlyingPiMonster|FlyingPiMonster]] ([[User talk:FlyingPiMonster|talk]]) 18:08, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
* I think you have it backwards. The title text is a reference to calculating the day (as in "date", not "day of week") of Easter. This is a non-trivial calculation (though one that modern computers can perform easily). On the other hand, the Christmas day is fixed. (There's no reason to believe that the joke was anything else.) - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 19:13, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

I don't know who wrote the explanation, but... Are they having a bad day? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.205|162.158.111.205]] 18:44, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
:That was vandalism. I did a revert. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:06, 29 December 2017 (UTC)
::Ah, no, I was asking because the explanation sounds so angry. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.17|141.101.104.17]] 22:48, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

:Also, Megan understands that checking if a number divisible by 2 is easy [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.50|141.101.77.50]] 19:32, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

;Theory for possible explanation
Didn't want to edit this in because I'm not sure- but the motivation for this uncharacteristic lack of mathematical rigor could have to do with the current trend of people being dismissive of science being able to predict things. Something that seems pretty obvious is made to look like a chance event that nobody can really predict ahead of time. {{unsigned|Sirpent}}

::This is easy! Don't factor it - just subtract 2000. Is 18 divisible by 4? If so, you're an idiot. {{unsigned ip| 172.68.143.156}}

::The nonsense does look to me like a political discussion where one person uses "alternative facts". But in real life people get leap years "amusingly" wrong. Computer system designers for instance... one software tool I used passed into the year 2000 working correctly, but then it broke 2 months later because it thought 2000 wasn't a Gregorian calendar leap year, I guess because every 4th year is but every 100th year isn't. Every 400th year is, but, if the programmer just stopped at "every 4th is a leap year" then they'd have been fine until 2100. Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.102|141.101.105.102]] 22:06, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

The joke in this might be that it might take some time to brute-force the prime factorisation of 2018 with a calculator as it’s 2*1009. Same holds true for 2017 which is prime. Therefore on might come to the conclusion that factorisation is hard already at this scale. (flx) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.253.71|172.68.253.71]] 22:24, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

== Odd/even is another joke ==

Cueball: No, it's definitely not. Leap years are divisible by 4.
Megan: Right, and for odd numbers, that's easy.
Megan: But 2018 is even.

She can see that finding out if a number is divisible by 2 is easy, but for dividing by 4 it's a "50/50 chance", and really hard to calculate. IMHO the best joke in the comic but missing from the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.50|141.101.77.50]] 23:59, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1935: 2018

2017-12-29T19:32:03Z

141.101.77.50: she does understand odd/even