explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2822: *@gmail.com

2023-08-31T17:34:41Z

141.101.98.132: /* Explanation */ Punc.

{{comic
| number = 2822
| date = August 30, 2023
| title = *@gmail.com
| image = gmail_com_2x.png
| imagesize = 305x269px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hi all, just replying to loop in *@outlook.com and *@yahoo.com.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by BOT@COMPUSERVE.NET - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A wildcard symbol, such as the asterisk, is not generally usable via email servers, although email ''clients'' may sometimes implement such a function, internally, perhaps to support mailing-list functions (though more commonly this is done via named address-book 'groups'). That said, the asterisk character is a valid one for a mailbox, including group-boxes that might facilitate server-side distribution.

The address *@gmail.com, as illustrated in the comic, is a proposed feature from Randall that would send an email to ''every'' {{w|Gmail}} user, without having each and every valid Gmail address at hand (manually typed in or via pre-populated email client address books). For obvious reasons, this is not actually a feature, but Randall suggests that if Google ever wanted to shut Gmail down, they could do either do it this way (possibly causing a service-ending overload of resources) ''or'' allow someone this one last boon (as a farewell gift, knowing that there would be relatively few additional repercussions to deal with).

Reply-all is a sometimes useful feature of email that nonetheless commonly causes headaches and annoyances for both users and administrators. By allowing users to simply reply to everyone copied on the email, it encourages users to do this rather than think carefully about which people their response should be addressed to. This causes lots of users to receive irrelevant emails, and email servers to have to store a lot of unnecessary data. Randall's email is essentially designed to induce every Gmail user to email every other Gmail user, generating an unfathomable number of emails.

A recurring phenomenon for email users, especially in the early Internet days of the 1990s and 2000s, was a reply all storm – someone would start a message to a very large group, perhaps hundreds, and even if only 5% of recipients replied to say something like “take me off this list“, a storm of dozens of replies would soon follow. Inevitably, new replies to everyone would start saying things like, “stop Replying All!” If this were done with millions of Gmail users instead of just dozens or hundreds, their result would be apocalyptic.

The title text suggests the possibility of a similar iteration over {{w|Outlook.com}} (formerly Hotmail) and {{w|Yahoo! Mail}}, two further well-known mail services with similarly large userbases, but this time attempting to expand the resulting lists within the mail body of the above email, which would make the broadcast message much, ''much'' larger than the simple broadcast 'spam' that the originally illustrated email would be. It's likely this would annoy a few more people than the original message did.{{Citation needed}} This also alludes to a occurrence in email chains where a user replies to simply add another user into the chain, which doesn't add much information to the group.

==Transcript==

:[A typical gmail UI]
:To: *@gmail.com (+expand)
:Cc: [Empty field]
:Bcc: [Empty field]
:Subj: New Friends

:Hey all! Go ahead and introduce yourself!

:[Caption:] If Google ever decides to shut down Gmail, they should let one user trigger a global reply-all apocalypse.

==Trivia==

The number of this comic (2822) is the same as the number of [https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2822 RFC 2822], which is the 2001 version of the email specification (it was replaced in 2008 by RFC 5322).

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Email]]

2815: Car Wash

2023-08-16T20:42:09Z

141.101.98.132: /* Explanation */ misphrase?

{{comic
| number = 2815
| date = August 14, 2023
| title = Car Wash
| image = car_wash_2x.png
| imagesize = 455x239px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I'm glad modern car washes use synthetic baleen, instead of harvesting it from whales like 1800s car washes did.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SELF WASHING CAR - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Ponytail and Cueball are having a discussion about {{w|car wash}}es. In Randall’s area of the world, this usually means an automatic facility that washes cars by passing them through a large machine (or moving the machine over the stationary car) with the passengers still inside. There are also services and events such as fund-raisers where cars are hand-washed.

Ponytail is incredulous that Cueball doesn't like them, because everyone else likes them. He points out that you're trapped in your car (a "dark shaking glass box"). The car wash machine itself is a huge, loud robot, and some of the brushes are like big tongues that lick the car.

After hearing it described this way, Ponytail has come around to Cueball's side. He then mimics the sounds he's described, possibly stimulating discomfort in Ponytail.

The comments attached to this explanation article reveal some of the diversity that exists in people's car wash experiences. Some people enjoy car washes, some don’t, some stay in the vehicle, and some leave the vehicle. This could relate to different kinds of car washes present in the world, or it could simply be preference.

The title text implies that modern car washes use "synthetic {{w|baleen}}" for their brushes, contrasting with the entirety of the 1800s where brushes were made of baleen when whale products were commonplace. Today, plastic products are commonplace, whales are an endangered species, and use of whale products is considered morally abhorrent. However, motorized vehicle washes as we know them did not exist in the 1800s —- {{w|Car_wash#1946|the first commercial automobile wash began in 1914}}. While the people of the 19th century likely needed some way to wash their vehicles, car washes in the modern style would not likely be useful, as most land vehicles were drawn by horse or human, and neither of those is likely to willingly walk into a car wash.{{Citation needed}}

Baleen, which was processed into a product called whale-bone in the 1800s, [https://www.scran.ac.uk/packs/exhibitions/learning_materials/webs/40/utilitarian.htm was used for large brush bristles] as well as fine clothing and many other things, due to its combination of flexibility and stiffness. Evidence of this today is mostly preserved in museum displays. It is possible Randall's comment was inspired by seeing a brush in a museum. The relevant quote from the link is: “In 1808, Samuel Crackles of Hull patented a method of cutting plates of whale-bone to provide an effective substitute for brush bristles. These hard wearing bristles were in much demand, particularly for chimney-sweeps' brushes. Another Hull company, John Bateman and Robert Bowman of Silver Street, were also trading in whale-bone at that time, offering a wide range of small goods including sieves, nets, ornamental blinds, bed-bottoms and brushes.”

Despite a debatable visual similarity between baleen and some modern car wash brushes, baleen brushes are not used in modern automated car washes.{{Citation needed}} Among car washes with brushes, chamois fabric or plastic sponge are the brush materials traditionally used.

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

:[Ponytail looks enthused, whilst talking to Cueball]
:Ponytail: Seriously? How do you not like car washes?
:Ponytail: ''Everyone'' likes car washes!

:[Close-up on Cueball alone]
:Cueball: Sure, I love being trapped in a dark shaking glass box that a huge loud robot is licking.

:[Ponytail looks less enthused, once more in a full view of them both]
:Ponytail: Great, now I don't like car washes either.
:Cueball: ''Vroom vroom!''
:Cueball: ''Slurp!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Robots]]

Talk:2396: Wonder Woman 1984

2020-12-11T16:24:33Z

141.101.98.132:

Is it really "common" as the explanation reads, to block "all news media" to avoid spoilers? Wouldn't most people just block the relevant keywords, or perhaps movie review sites and channels in particular? Blocking the entirety of news sources is rather absurd, in a fitting way for xkcd, but not a realistic way for real-world people to behave, as the explanation currently implies it is.
[[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 02:22, 10 December 2020 (UTC)

:You are going to need two websites to answer your question. [https://skn.noip.me/pdp11/pdp11.html First, the PDP-11 emulator,] and also, [https://bellard.org/jslinux/vm.html?cpu=riscv64&url=fedora29-riscv-xwin.cfg&graphic=1&mem=256 Fedora in jslinux.] Good luck! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.14|172.68.133.14]] 05:21, 10 December 2020 (UTC)
:I'd also guess that you'd block, lets say imdb or rotten tomatoes. Maybe even social media, but going to a regular news site would normaly be fine. Unlike for example on a sports event. (Let's say, an american person is not able to follow the super bowl, or someone else not following the Football worldcup finals, and they want to review it the next day in the afternoon...) - To be honest: Me, being born in 1990, I'd also would have expected drive in cinemas to be a thing in the 1980s. Alternatively it also seems possible, that they are a central plot point or something similar to the movie, so that THAT is the reason why it is a promotion. This of course would again be a spoiler in itself. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:21, 10 December 2020 (UTC)

:I think that there is a lot of excess in this "spoiler avoidance" thing, this urge to have a "fresh experience". --[[User: Tolueno|Tolueno]] ([[User talk:Tolueno|talk]]) 14:25, 10 December 2020 (UTC)

:I'm not sure how to block keywords on news ... I would probably stop visiting news sites if I really wanted to avoid spoilers. It wouldn't be absurd if I did that for, say, week. I might even stop visiting comics which might post something related. However, avoiding anything related to covid would be much harder, even not counting I got something about it as an SMS. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:47, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

Is this referring to the 2020 election or to the 1984 election, which might be a plot point in the film? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.137|162.158.79.137]] 16:40, 10 December 2020 (UTC)
:I thought it was the 1984 election at first, but 2020 makes more sense. Blocking news sites wouldn't get rid of history. It's not until you read the title text that you get the idea that she's also oblivious about previous decades, although how that came about is unclear. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:48, 10 December 2020 (UTC)
:: I guess it is {{tvtropes|LampshadeHanging | lampshade hanging}} on the fact that advertising for a 1984 film with drive in cinemas is a bit off. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:12, 11 December 2020 (UTC)
:::I suppose the obvious closest thing to a retro-1984 reference to Drive-In Cinemas is the ''1985'' film Back To The Future that itself harks back to 1955, maybe slightly before the upswing of popularity... Though they don't actually feature in that film (cinema does, even 3d glasses), so it's a poor comparison. ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.132|141.101.98.132]] 16:24, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

I clicked on on link and managed to go from this page to Prop 8 in 6 clicks, I passed through startrek, I invite you to find your own way there. [[User:Infestedlie|Infestedlie]] ([[User talk:Infestedlie|talk]]) 02:39, 11 December 2020 (UTC)
::What is “Prop 8”? I tried a Google search and all I got for results was about some kind of ballot initiative in California way back in 2008 about same-sex marriage.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.249|172.69.62.249]] 06:56, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

::That is exactly what it is, which is why it surprised me so much [[User:Infestedlie|Infestedlie]] ([[User talk:Infestedlie|talk]]) 15:31, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

Talk:148: Mispronouncing

2020-12-11T12:07:47Z

141.101.98.132:

The "airpart" could be referencing a Saint Louis accent, rather than intentional mispronunciation. [[Special:Contributions/130.160.145.185|130.160.145.185]] 19:48, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that Emad is supposed to refer to Ahmed, and is some sort of joke about Muslim terrorists.[[User:GallantChaos|GallantChaos]] ([[User talk:GallantChaos|talk]]) 18:08, 22 September 2013 (UTC)

Yes, and it's written Emad because he's deliberately mispronouncing it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.203|173.245.52.203]] 02:23, 30 October 2013 (UTC)

No, Emad is the online name of one of Randall's friends, look it up at http://wiki.xkcd.com/irc/Emad_%28Explanation%29
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.73|173.245.55.73]] 05:31, 19 April 2014 (UTC)

Man goes into a shop.
"Half a pound of kiddleyes, please"
"Don't you mean 'kidneys"
"That's what I said, diddleye" {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.217}}

Isn't the whole joke on 'blag' that 'blog' and 'blag' are homonyms according to the wonderful English orthography *unless* one is aware that it is originally portmanteau of words 'web' and 'log' and by convention it is pronounced with 'o', but think for a minute: if one would never have seen nor heard that word ever before, would they not pronounce it something like... blag? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.67|108.162.231.67]] 23:42, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

No. Examples to disprove: flog, clog, nog, bog, tog, cog, fog, etc. No reason why they would not pronounce blog in the same manner.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.191|108.162.237.191]] 15:27, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

For what it's worth, an Emad is mentioned [http://blog.xkcd.com/2013/07/29/1190-time/ here] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.178|108.162.215.178]] 01:39, 16 May 2015 (UTC)

Unforgotten Officer Crabtree's accent (and all that bad “French” of the underground British) in BBC's 'Allo 'Allo series. “Good moaning, I have a massage for you!” etc. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.16|172.68.110.16]] 21:58, 23 August 2018 (UTC)

Can you get me some malk?

Talk:2345: Wish on a Shooting Star

2020-08-13T04:08:24Z

141.101.98.132:

The other title text references:
https://meteoritecar.com/
https://alabamanewscenter.com/2017/11/30/on-this-day-in-alabama-history-meteorite-struck-oak-groves-ann-hodges/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelyabinsk_meteor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event

I often wish for cool lights in the sky tho...
: Not a bad wish to have. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.39|108.162.238.39]] 21:58, 12 August 2020 (UTC)

Am I the only person who wishes for radio noise? [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 21:53, 12 August 2020 (UTC)
: Enough radio noise on the right frequencies could drown out talk radio, so ... you're not the only one wishing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.39|108.162.238.39]] 21:58, 12 August 2020 (UTC)

Meteors relative speed to Earth is surely high. However, note that Earth's orbital speed is 29.78 km/s, while the average orbital speed of meteoroids is 20km/s. In many cases it's therefore Earth which hits the meteors with it's high orbital speed ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:37, 13 August 2020 (UTC)
: A laughable claim, Mister Bond, perpetuated by overzealous teachers of science.
: (The unsigned comment above looked to be continued in the unsigned comment below, until I came here to day something and saw they were separate. Hey, people...) It would help if you could say "average at 20km/s ''whilst crossing Earth's orbit''...", because averaged across its entire track might include a lot of drifting around 'out there' and maybe zooming by (or not) during the perihelion segment. And then you only need to worry about retrograde ones (20+29.78, for a palpably mutual hit) and all kinds of other directions of cross, not just ones obviously aphelioning at 1AU in a relatively recently induced orbit that is about to end. Someone must have a table of (known/calculated) closing speeds, as well as directional components defined to Earth's frame-of-reference. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.132|141.101.98.132]] 04:08, 13 August 2020 (UTC)

With the valuable minerals contained within meteorites, it's reasonable that shooting stars could cause money/power. And to astrogeologists, there's success right there!

Talk:1775: Things You Learn

2016-12-21T18:59:09Z

141.101.98.132: PAYE

But if you don't clean the lint trap then you did start the fire.

Sorry, I'll get my coat.

[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.183|141.101.98.183]] 16:20, 21 December 2016 (UTC)
:Unfortunately, we put your coat in the dryer, and it was lost in the fire we didn't start. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.17|108.162.238.17]] 17:05, 21 December 2016 (UTC)



This explains why my dryer keeps bursting into flames.
And why no insurance agencies will even consider letting me get homeowner's.[[User:Fox Holmes|While most people have mass on Saturday, I have mine relative to my inertia]] ([[User talk:Fox Holmes|talk]]) 16:36, 21 December 2016 (UTC)

Minor objection with the comic, but in my experience, it's easier to grow up without knowing about taxes than stop, drop and roll. My 5 year old has learned stop, drop and roll in kindergarten, but nothing about taxes. I have a similar recollection of my childhood. It wasn't until my first job as a teenager that I paid any attention to it. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.94|162.158.214.94]] 17:12, 21 December 2016 (UTC)

<blockquote>"Most residents of most countries are legally obligated to pay, '''or at least file''', their taxes annually"</blockquote>

This note is quite US centric, as I don't believe this is true of most countries. At the very least, this is certainly not the case in most of Europe - taxes are not filed manually if you're a standard employee and not the owner of your own business, in which case it would be perfectly possible to grow up without ever learning how to do this. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.64|162.158.38.64]] 17:18, 21 December 2016 (UTC)
:Indeed in countries that use such PAYE systems, it's not that harmful to not know either. You just get paid less than you might have thought if you just looked at the gross salary [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.132|141.101.98.132]] 18:59, 21 December 2016 (UTC)

1750: Life Goals

2016-10-24T22:00:01Z

141.101.98.132: /* Table of life goals */ Grammar.

{{comic
| number = 1750
| date = October 24, 2016
| title = Life Goals
| image = life_goals.png
| titletext = I got to check off 'Make something called xkcd' early.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|What does the note section of the [[#Table of words|table of words]] mean when it reefers to Proper noun or noun? Similar with "Score (ignoring blanks)" and 50 points...}}
All nine unchecked goals on this to-do list features one or more strange words often containing an excess of the last three letters of the alphabet (X, Y and Z) as well as Q, often using several off them in the same words, even several of the same rare letter in a row. (See [[#Table of life goals|Table of life goals]] below).

All of these words can be looked up in the English version of Wikipedia, but only a few are {{w|common noun}}, the rest being names (fictional or animals) or obscure names for places or games, i.e. {{w|proper nouns}}. The first goal is the one with fewest of these letters, only using two x's, and only the first word is strange, {{w|Skrillex}} being the artist name of a musician. All later entries has at least three of these letters, and often used in strange words.

The '''punch'''line, in the final goal, expresses that the writer of this list often uses these unexpected and bizarre words in {{w|Scrabble}} games, which exasperates his opponents to such a great extent, that he has yet to finish a game without getting punched. All of these words would theoretically earn a player the prize of many points in Scrabble (see [[#Scrabble points|Scrabble points]] below).

In the title text, a reference is made to the fact that none of these goals have been checked off yet. It also turns out that it is indeed [[Randall|Randall's]] list, since the writer of the list, did manage to check of the goal ''Make something called xkcd'' early. But sadly there are neither y's nor z's or even more than one x in that four letter combo.

This comic was published the week after the [[what if?]] ''{{what if|152|Flood Death Valley}}'', which referred directly to the city {{w|Zzyzx}} in one of the pictures. It was the first what if? post in almost three months, the longest break between two posts during 2016 (and third longest of all time at the time of release). This makes it the third comic in a row released after that what if? post that references it more or less directly, the previous two being [[1748: Future Archaeology]] and [[1749: Mushrooms]]. It seems likely that Randall created this comic after doing research for this what if? post, and came across the city Zzyzx as the shortest way to dig a channel to flood Death Valley.

===Table of life goals===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Goal
! Explanation
! #Q
! #X
! #Y
! #Z
! Total
|-
| Meet Skrillex in Phoenix || Randall's goal is to meet the musician using the artist name {{w|Skrillex}} in the city of {{w|Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix}}. Not that Skrillex has any specific connection to that city. || 0|| 2|| 0|| 0|| 2
|-
| Study zymurgy || Randall's goal is to study {{w|fermentation}}. {{w|zymurgy}} (or zymology) is an applied science which studies the biochemical process of fermentation. || 0|| 0|| 3|| 1|| 4
|-
| Get a pet axolotl named Hexxus || Randall's goal is to obtain a pet salamander (an {{w|axolotl}}) and name it after the malevolent Hexxus from the animated film {{w|FernGully: The Last Rainforest}} || 0|| 3|| 0|| 0|| 3
|-
| Observe a syzygy from Zzyzx, California || Randall's goal is to observe and astronomical event where three celestial bodies form a straight line (known as a {{w|Syzygy (astronomy)|syzygy}}, from the Californian city {{w|Zzyzx, California|Zzyzx}}. That city was just mentioned in the last [[what if?]] ''{{what if|152|Flood Death Valley}}'' released less than a week before this comic. || 0|| 1|| 4|| 4|| 9
|-
| Port the games Zzyzzyxx and Xexyz to Xbox || Randall's goal is to {{w|porting|port}} (i.e. adapting software from one platform so it can be used on another platform) two old video games so they can be used on the modern video game platform {{w|Xbox}}. The first game is {{w|Zzyzzyxx}}, a 1982 {{w|arcade video game}} about navigating a labyrinth and the second is {{w|Xexyz}} a 1988 game for the {{w|Nintendo Entertainment System}} with platform and shoot-em-up game-play. It will be very difficult to port these to Xbox. || 0|| 5|| 3|| 5|| 13
|-
| Publish a Zzzax/Mister Mxyzptlk crossover || A {{w|Crossover (fiction)|crossover}} means that two different stories (often comics) are mixed together, mixing either characters from the two, or the world of one and the characters of another story. In this case Randall's goal is to make a cross over of {{w|Zzzax}}, a {{w|Marvel comic}} book villain with that of {{w|Mister Mxyzptlk}} a {{w|DC Comics}} villain. Since Zzzax and Mxyzptlk come from different companies, a crossover story involving them both might run into license problems. || 0|| 2|| 1|| 4|| 7
|-
| Bike from Xhafzotaj, Albania to Qazaxbəyli, Azerbaijan || Randall's goal is to bike from {{w|Xhafzotaj}}, a village in {{w|Albania}} of eastern {{w|Europe}}, to {{w|Qazaxbəyli}}, a village in {{w|Azerbaijan}} of {{w|Caucasus}}. The distance between [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Xhafzotaj,+Albanien/@41.3420999,19.538176,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x134fd7eb6257dec7:0xc0c17ea9f1d4ef05!8m2!3d41.3442157!4d19.547883 Xhafzotaj] and [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gazakhbayly,+Aserbaidschan/@41.1604329,45.3040337,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4041307bb83f5793:0x30f6c3728844806e!8m2!3d41.1606486!4d45.3147936 Quazaxbeyli] is about 2800km (1700 miles). Doing this trip by bike would be challenging, but possible. || 1|| 2|| 1|| 3|| 7
|-
| Paint an archaeopteryx fighting a muzquizopteryx || Randall's goal is to make a painting of two bird like dinosaurs fighting. Unfortunately the {{w|Archaeopteryx}}, a famous small feathered dinosaur, and {{w|Muzquizopteryx}}, a {{w|pterosaur}} (the famous flying dinosaurs), lived in different time periods, so such a fight (most likely) could not have ever taken place. The feathered dinosaur was only about half a meter long, but with clear feathers. It is a clear candidate for a {{w|transitional fossil}} between non-avian dinosaurs and birds. It lived in the {{w|late Jurassic}} epoch around 150 million years ago. The pterosaur had a wingspan of about 2 m and was one of the first (and smallest) of this type of dinosaur and it lived in the {{w|Coniacian}} age about 86-90 million years ago. This means the two dinosaur live as far apart in time as we live apart from the last of the dinosaurs. But since only the bigger one could fly, it seems most likely that the pterosaur would have won such a fight. Randall has previously made several comments on the feathers of Dinosaurs, as recently as the comic released a week before this one [[1747: Spider Paleontology]], see more there.|| 1|| 2|| 2|| 2|| 7
|-
| Finish a game of Scrabble without getting punched || Randall's final goal is to avoid getting punched during a {{w|Scrabble}} game. As he always try to use some of all these unexpected and bizarre words mentioned in his other goals when playing Scrabble games he exasperates his opponents to such a great extent, that he has yet to finish a game without getting punched. || 0|| 0|| 0|| 0|| 0
|-
| Make something called xkcd || '''Title text''': Here it is made clear that it is Randall's list, as this is his only xyz goal that he has succeeded, and quite early, as he has celebrated 10 years anniversary with {{xkcd}} see [[1581: Birthday]]. || 0|| 1|| 0|| 0|| 1
|}

===Scrabble points===
All of these strange words would theoretically earn a player the prize of many points in Scrabble (Go to the [[#Table of words|table of words]] below). However, most of them would not be found in {{w|SOWPODS}}, the combined list of all words valid in either British or North American Scrabble tournaments, and many include too many X's, Y's or Z's (there's 1 X, 2 Y's, 1 Z in a standard set), meaning at least one would have to be substituted for a blank (which is not worth any points). Some words would also be very difficult to play in reality, since there are only 7 letters in a Scrabble hand, so they could only be played in extremely rare circumstances (there are only a couple of ways to play MUZQUIZOPTERYX: for instance, from MU and OPTER; or MU, QUIZ and ER; or an astonishingly unlikely set of crossing letters). Many are long enough that, in theory, they could net the player the additional 50 point bonus for using all seven letters in a hand if played right.

====Table of words====
*Explanation of the columns:
**Word: With xyz
**Definition: Of the word
**Notes: ??
**In SOWPODS?: Is the word a valid Scrabble word.
**Enough tiles (...): Are there enough tiles in the standards English version of Scrabble to write the word?
**Score: What would the score in Scrabble be for this word. (Without any bonuses.)
**Score (ignoring blanks): ??? If the word can only be written using blanks, and these are set to zero what would the score then be?
**50 points possible?: ??? Is it possible to use all seven letters writing the word? If so it will give 50 points extra.
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Word !! Definition !! Notes !! In SOWPODS? !! Enough tiles ({{w|Scrabble letter distributions|in English version}})? !! Score !! Score (ignoring blanks) !! 50 points possible?
|-
| {{w|Skrillex}} || A dubstep musician || Proper noun, stage name || No || Yes || 19 || 19 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix}} || A city in Arizona (or the {{w|Phoenix (mythology)|mythological bird}}) || Proper noun (but noun for the bird) || Yes (but only because of the bird) || Yes || 19 || 19 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Zymology|Zymurgy}} || The study of fermentation. || Noun || Yes || Yes || 25 || 25 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Axolotl}} || A kind of water-breathing salamander which lives on the bottom of lakes. || Noun, name of animal species || Yes || Yes|| 14 || 14 || Yes
|-
| [http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Hexxus Hexxus] || An evil spirit from the animated movie {{w|FernGully:_The_Last_Rainforest|FernGully}} || Proper noun, fictional name || No || Yes, with a blank as X || 23 || 15 || No
|-
| {{w|Syzygy (astronomy)|Syzygy}} || An astronomical event where three celestial bodies form a straight line. || Noun || Yes || Yes, with a blank as Y || 25 || 21 || No
|-
| {{w|Zzyzx, California|Zzyzx}} || An unincorporated community in California || Proper noun, name of city. || No || Yes, with both blanks as Z || 42 || 22 || No
|-
| {{w|Zzyzzyxx}} || A 1982 arcade video game about navigating a labyrinth || Proper noun, name of game || No || No || 64 || 26 (assuming infinite blanks) || Yes
|-
| {{w|Xexyz}} || A 1988 game for the Nintendo Entertainment System with platformer and shoot-em-up gameplay. || Proper noun, name of game || No || Yes, with a blank as X || 31 || 23 || No
|-
| {{w|Xbox}} || A series of home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. || Proper noun, name of game console || No || Yes, with a blank as X || 20 || 12 || No
|-
| {{w|Zzzax}} || A Marvel comic book villain. || Proper noun, fictional name || No || Yes, with both blanks as Z || 39 || 19 || No
|-
| {{w|Mister Mxyzptlk}} || A DC Comics villain. || Proper noun, fictional name || No || Yes || 42 (8 for Mister, 35 for Mxyzptlk) || 42 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Xhafzotaj}} || A village in Albania || Proper noun, name of city || No || Yes || 38 || 38 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Qazaxbəyli}} || A village in Azerbaijan || Proper noun, name of city || No || No, because it's spelled with a {{w|schwa}} (ə, upper case Ə), this word would be impossible to spell in English-language Scrabble, although you could put an E tile down upside down (Ǝ) or use a blank. It can alternatively be spelled "Kazakhbeyli". || 39 (at least, unclear) <br/>36 for Kazakhbeyli || 39 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Azerbaijan}} || A country in the Caucasus || Proper noun, name of country || No || Yes || 28 || 28 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Archaeopteryx}} || A famous small feathered dinosaur || Noun, name of animal species || Yes || Yes || 30 || 30 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Muzquizopteryx}} || A pterosaur || Noun, name of animal species || No || Yes, with a blank as Z || 55 || 45 || Yes
|-
| {{w|xkcd}} || From title text. See [[207: What xkcd Means]]. || Proper noun, name of web comic || No || Yes || 18 || 18 || No
|}

==Transcript==
:[A to-do list with a caption above:]
::<big><u>Life Goals</u></big>
:☐ Meet Skrillex in Phoenix
:☐ Study zymurgy
:☐ Get a pet axolotl named Hexxus
:☐ Observe a syzygy from Zzyzx, California
:☐ Port the games Zzyzzyxx and Xexyz to Xbox
:☐ Publish a Zzzax/Mister Mxyzptlk crossover
:☐ Bike from Xhafzotaj, Albania to Qazaxbəyli, Azerbaijan
:☐ Paint an archaeopteryx fighting a muzquizopteryx
:☐ Finish a game of Scrabble without getting punched

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

Talk:1707: xkcd Phone 4

2016-07-15T18:07:19Z

141.101.98.132:

The current explanation seems to assume a constant current draw of 1A without explicitly stating it.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.95.117|141.101.95.117]] 14:04, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

The 12 headphone jacks is probably referring to the rumor that the iPhone 7 may not have a headphone jack. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.90|141.101.104.90]] 14:58, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

Fun fact: the Walkman II (the most popular variant) had 2 headphone jacks, so that two people could listen to music at the same time, but the second jack was removed from later designs. This has a few more than that, perhaps there is one for each voice assistant to make it "usable". {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.119}}

An alternative explanation of "onboard cloud" could be a file server that serves over WIFI, Bluetooth, and NFC, turning the phone into an effective NAS sneakernet [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 15:30, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

The "certified" feature probably refers to various certifications being used as marketing features. [[User:Joedetode|Joedetode]] ([[User talk:Joedetode|talk]]) 15:33, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

The Julian calendar is used by Orthodox Christians, but not astronomers. Astronomers use something called {{w|Julian day}}. --[[User:Mlv|Mlv]] ([[User talk:Mlv|talk]]) 16:27, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

"Did you know '4' is 'IV' in Roman numerals?" is probably a dig on "Mac OS X", which is supposed to be pronounced "Mac OS 10". Apparently it used to annoy Steve Jobs that it was pronounced "Mac OS EX" by many people. {{unsigned ip|108.162.210.214}}

"The nickel–iron battery does exist, but it's terrible for most applications. Worse, this battery is non-rechargeable, meaning that it would have to be replaced to use the phone again after it is exhausted." is not supported by the link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel%E2%80%93iron_battery. The first line of which begins "The nickel–iron battery (NiFe battery) is a rechargeable battery ... ".--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.11|108.162.219.11]] 17:11, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

The comment about the Nickel-Iron battery being non-rechargable is referring not to the Wikipedia article, but the battery annotation on the picture, which states clearly that the included battery is non-rechargable. Perhaps the explanation should be amended to clear up this ambiguity. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.132|141.101.98.132]] 18:07, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1693: Oxidation

2016-06-13T18:47:30Z

141.101.98.132:

The white balance is off in this comic. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 04:39, 13 June 2016 (UTC)
:Where? I checked it in gimp and the white balance is fine. In fact, the .png file for this comic uses the greyscale colour mode.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.130|141.101.98.130]] 09:57, 13 June 2016 (UTC)
:Reference to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1014:_Car_Problems 1014: Car Problems] [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.132|141.101.98.132]] 18:47, 13 June 2016 (UTC)
Maybe Randall drew this one on paper, which had already started oxidizing before it was scanned. ;D
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.91|108.162.216.91]] 08:36, 13 June 2016 (UTC)

I thought the arthropods mentioned were meant to be a reference to pubic lice (crabs). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.42|141.101.104.42]] 06:11, 13 June 2016 (UTC)

Okay, who else had immediately thought of Skitter? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.11.43|172.68.11.43]] 09:52, 13 June 2016 (UTC)

There's no reason to think the Title Text is from Megan to Pony tail. It could just as easily be the other way around. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.47|173.245.54.47]] 12:30, 13 June 2016 (UTC)

Could this be a prequel to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1014:_Car_Problems 1014: Car Problems]? [[User:Luc|Luc]] ([[User talk:Luc|talk]]) 15:33, 13 June 2016 (UTC)

Possibly inspired by What If #97? Randall talks about oxidation and mentions car rusting vs. car combustion. [[User:Meareaperson|Meareaperson]] ([[User talk:Meareaperson|talk]]) 18:05, 13 June 2016 (UTC)

647: Scary

2016-05-29T09:42:10Z

141.101.98.132: /* Explanation */ typo

{{comic
| number = 647
| date = October 9, 2009
| title = Scary
| image = scary.png
| titletext = I'm teaching every 8-year-old relative to say this, and every 14-year-old to do the same thing with Toy Story. Also, Pokemon hit the US over a decade ago and kids born after Aladdin came out will turn 18 next year.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Rob]] is telling his eight-year-old nephew a ghost story, employing such stereotyped devices as a flash light-lit face and stock ghost story endings.

Rob's nephew thus characterizes the ghost story as "lame," meaning that it was unimpressive or unconvincingly feeble. His uncle Rob asks him if he can come up with something scarier. Sure he says and offers the much scarier notion that even though he has been born after {{w|9/11}} he is already old enough to be able to have this kind of conversation.

No hidden meaning here, but this sure is scary for many adults. What's being implied here is that time seems to be moving really quickly and we're getting older faster than we think. Events that seem like they "just happened" have happened long enough ago for a whole other person to come into existence, grow up, and learn to carry on a conversation. Every time we get reminded of this fact, it can be scary, as you then realize that you are now closer to your death...

9/11 was a terrorist attack in the United States in 2001, on September 11th. Major events such as the assassination of {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|Kennedy}}, the Moon Landing of {{w|Apollo 11}} or 9/11 are easily memorable. It is often said that "everyone remembers where they were when they first heard...". In consequence, these events act as milestones in our memory. They are recalled more vividly, and seem more recent. Today this is maybe also topping the {{w|Attack on Pearl Harbor}} happened in 1941.

The title text mentions that [[Randall]] is teaching his 8 year old relatives to say the same as in the comic — presumably to the annoyance of his older relatives who will be reminded of the fast passage of time. He does not stop here, but teaches the 14 year old's to say they are born after {{w|Toy Story}} — a major block buster hit from {{w|Pixar}} which came out in 1995. A movie many people will remember fondly and feel just came out the other day... He continues with these scary thoughts by mentioning that {{w|Pokémon}} (1996) came out over a decade ago and that kids born after the big {{w|Disney}} hit movie {{w|Aladdin_(1992_Disney_film)|Aladdin}} from 1992 will turn 18 next year (i.e. in 2010 a year after this comic was published).

[[Randall]] has since this comic tried to make people feel old several times in [[891: Movie Ages]], [[973: MTV Generation]], [[1393: Timeghost]], [[1477: Star Wars]], and [[1624: 2016]]

==Transcript==
:[First panel: Rob and his nephew are sitting on the ground. Rob is holding a flash-light up to his face.]
:Rob: But they ''never found the ghost's head!''
:Nephew: Lame story, Uncle Rob.
:Rob: And you could do scarier?
:Nephew: Sure.

:[Second panel: Rob has removed the flash-light from his face.]
:Rob: Try me.
:Nephew: 9/11 happened before I was born, yet I'm old enough to have this conversation with you.

:[Third panel: Rob has dropped the flash-light.]

:[Last panel: Rob has curled up and wrapped his arms around himself.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]