explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2859: Oceanography Gift

2023-11-28T12:15:08Z

141.101.98.33: /* Explanation */ Putting a space in, taking excessive tagging out.

{{comic
| number = 2859
| date = November 24, 2023
| title = Oceanography Gift
| image = oceanography_gift_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Shipping times vary. Same-ocean delivery may only take a few years, but delivery from the Weddell Sea in Antarctica may take multiple decades, and molecules meant for inland seas like the Mediterranean may be returned as undeliverable by surface currents.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created ten years ago by a WATER CURRENT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, [[Randall]] seems inspired by the timing of {{w|ocean current}}s, much as he has previously been with [[2805: Global Atmospheric Circulation|air currents]], although he may even have already considered some of the technicalities [[1675: Message in a Bottle|prior to that]]. As supporting evidence, he provides a DOI reference to a 2016 Jönsson & Watson open-access article in Nature Communications, '[https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11239 The timescales of global surface-ocean connectivity]'.This would be extremely impractical, since in ten years, it's possible that you and the recipient broke connections, or one of you (or both of you) passed away. If these scenarios are not the case, ten years is an awfully long time to wait for a present.

In this specific (fictional) example, the water dumped into the ocean today will take ten years to circulate round to the depicted neighbouring coastline (wherever that is). Which implies significant planning ahead is necessary before posting water to someone. And a lot of presumption about the lack of any other dispersal/dilution, or that some degree of fungibility is acceptable, so long as it is ''{{w|Ship of Theseus|philosophically}}'' the same group of molecules involved. Of course, some of the water molecules may take a short-cut by being evaporated then precipitated closer to the delivery site.

The title text mentions that "same-ocean delivery" may only take a few years, as the coast lines are in the same general body of circulating water, and doesn't have to pass around large obstacles (like continents) or through small gaps (straits). But if you wish delivery from {{w|Weddell Sea}} it may take decades. The Weddell lies near the {{w|Antarctic Peninsula}}, part of the {{w|Southern Ocean}} whose circulation can be considered largely isolated from the neighbouring bodies of water by the {{w|Antarctic Circumpolar Current}}. In particular, that area contains the {{w|Weddell Gyre}} one of the two {{w|ocean gyre}}s in that area.

The title text also mentions {{w|inland sea}}s, which can be generalised as bodies of water that are very large in area but either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean only by a river or a strait. He mentions the {{w|Mediterranean Sea}} which is only connected to the {{w|Atlantic Ocean}} through the narrow {{w|Strait of Gibraltar}}; the intention of the title text is to suggest that water molecules dumped in an ocean would not get to appear in such a sea (except by {{w|evaporation}} and re{{w|precipitation}}) into its catchment area) and thus they can only ever circulate back to the dumping point (deemed 'undeliverable').

In reality, the Mediterranean Sea is not completely cut off from the main oceans and surface currents actually do reach into and around the Mediterranean. The natural loss from evaporation is not fully compensated for by the inflow of the incident rivers from southern Europe, North Africa and Asia, directly or via other attached bodies of water (e.g. the Black Sea). The movement of water also involves the deeper Levantine Intermediate Waters layer (a subsurface current) which exits via Gibraltar and helps to further draw current inwards at the surface level. As such, except for a limited amount of water which reverses direction within the extreme western end the Mediterranean, it is more true to say that ''surface'' currents cannot actually transport water from within the sea outwards into the Atlantic (and beyond). (This explanation ignores flow through the Suez Canal.)

The {{w|Caspian Sea}} is a real inland sea that has no outlet to any oceans and only inlets from rivers, one of a number of [[2325: Endorheic Basin|endorheic basins]] that are also {{w|Endorheic lake|lakes}}, and thus trivially isolated from all other maritime currents.

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

:[Cueball and Megan are standing thigh deep, at either edge of a stretch of water between two steep but walkable shorelines.]

:[Cueball, at the left, is apparently opening bottles of water and pouring them into the sea while recording himself.]
:Cueball: Happy birthday!
:Cueball: I got you these water molecules.
:[Sound effects:] (click) (pour)

:[The water between has a morass of short swirling arrows indicating movement. In the air above this there is a square-bracketted 'label']
:[Label:] 10 years pass 

:[Megan, at the right, is dipping bottles into the water to fill them]
:Megan: Aww, thank you!
:[Sound effect:] (scoop)

:[Text below comic:]
: Global surface ocean connectivity times are ≤10 years (Jönsson & Watson, 2016, DOI:10.1038/ncomms11239), so if you're willing to plan ahead, you can pour water into the ocean while wishing someone a happy birthday, and then in 10 years let them know they can pick up their gift at the nearest coastline.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

Talk:2850: Doctor's Office

2023-11-04T14:10:29Z

141.101.98.33:

Why wouldn't Randal post this on a Monday instead of a Friday?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.65|162.158.166.65]] 22:05, 3 November 2023 (UTC)

added transccccccccc [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 22:06, 3 November 2023 (UTC)

Should [[699: Trimester]] be mentioned in the explanation anywhere?--[[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.190|172.69.58.190]] 02:11, 4 November 2023 (UTC)
:eh. probably. [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 02:15, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

Here before fans inevitably figure out which crossword number it is [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 02:45, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

What terms, exactly, are malapropisms in the second panel? Did someone misuse a fancy word and nobody else bother to check it's meaning, or is there something I'm missing? [[User:DL Draco Rex|DL Draco Rex]] ([[User talk:DL Draco Rex|talk]]) 04:10, 4 November 2023 (UTC)
:You are correct. A "malaprop" is susing a word that sounds similar to the correct word. Beret Guy is just misunderstanding.[[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 11:42, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

Rearranged the section about other similar comics, and added 1471 [Gut Fauna]. 699 [Trimester] is the only one explicitly confirmed to be an impostor. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.223|172.69.22.223]] 07:09, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

Although I'm really very good at US/UK English differences, "doctor's office" always wrongfoots me. As doctors have surgeries, not offices, it adds to the overall feel of "not really a proper doctor" in the comic. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 13:53, 4 November 2023 (UTC)
:I know what you mean. And much of the US healthcare structure also seems to only work very well for those for whom it works at the expense of not working at all for most of the rest. I'd almost not be surprised to find a 'pop-up' surgery like this for either those ready and eager to pay or completely without the means and desperate (the latter might not have the MRI scanner at hand...).
:For all the problems with the UK healthcare systems (and the gods know that there are indeed some), I can't see Beret Guy's system working here, at the same level of hypothetical. (Same with policing matters.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 14:10, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

User talk:SomeoneIGuess

2023-10-31T08:39:14Z

141.101.98.33:

thy fathre [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 03:38, 19 October 2023 (UTC)

i see you have also been cursed with "oh god i have a user page" [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 03:49, 19 October 2023 (UTC)
: i hath not been cursed - it is thy blessing (signing posts is forbidden)

bro why do you have <br />
: because when i dont use them i cant figure out how to add line breaks, plus it's cleaner, preferred in almost all cases, and can be used in more scenarios than a normal <code><nowiki> </nowiki></code> [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]] ([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk]]) 19:31, 20 October 2023 (UTC)
:: epic [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 20:41, 20 October 2023 (UTC)
:: Hi, here's some information on all that, in case you're interested.
:: When replying with indents, a <newline> and the appropriate number of ::s to maintain the indent on the next line is enough to line-break (see this source).
:: If you're writing unindented items, a ''single'' <newline> is treated as just whitespace, such that it just flows on the same (output) line.
:: If you really want to separate items, you can use ''two'' (or more?) <newline>s and it'll respect the new-paragraph feeling.
:: (The separation in the edit source is obviosuly far more obvious. If you're just the next person making a 'root' comment in a Talk page then this actually is useful to help navigate the fact that you're looking at two different contributions, but if you're writing multiple paragraphs of your own then you ''wouldn't'' want it to look so disconnected.)
:: It's also the case that the first (single) <newline> in a wikitable item is correctly treated as a new-paragraph in the table contents, but any further such newlines are treated as continuation of that second paragraph, unless you make it work as above/below.
:: You can, of course, use <nowiki>, , , , etc</nowiki> to force a break (even in an actual run-on line the source) or make the 'trivial' and whitespace-only break real (either side of the actual <newline> that is otherwise ignored.
:: ...I rather like adding a <nowiki> </nowiki> at the end of paragraphs to let me use an editor-friendly layout, as described. Occasionally I'll add it it to the ''start'' of the follow-up paragraph (it makes it look a bit like a bulletted list, which might aid future editors), but that's rare.
:: And, of course, when writing Talk-type replies like this, I don't need to do any of that. I just use the indent-colons and it all works out exactly as it needs to without fuss.
:: Indents don't (often) apply in actual comic articles themselves, of course. But I suspect that their use at the start of every line in the Transcript (it is usual to have at least the one level of indent in front of every individual line except for actual 'blank lines') is in part to make it look more or less the same in both 'raw edit' and screen-style, given that a Transcript is supposed to have very little actual formatting markup/tagging of any other kind.
:: Anyway, you can always use Preview to double-check (and tweak with) anything before actually posting, just in case you forget to force a newline (or do one where it isn't technically needed and ends up looking worse than you intended). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.23|162.158.34.23]] 21:01, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

"watch out nqh" - history

i'm scared [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 02:13, 21 October 2023 (UTC)

by the way your dark mode doesn't work on [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page&useskin=modern the modern skin] :godo: [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 02:22, 21 October 2023 (UTC)
: someone didnt read the warnings [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]] ([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk]]) 19:55, 21 October 2023 (UTC)

For your recent FAQ addition (which I'm not able to edit myself), might I suggest that instead of:
:For statements that require actual, genuine citations, the template ''[[Template:actual citation needed|Actual Citation Needed]]'' should be used instead.
...you change it to:
:For statements that require actual, genuine citations, the template ''{{template|Actual citation needed}}'' should be used instead.
(See edit source for how I wrote that, or even to copypaste the markup direct.)
 Also note that the 'real' template is capitalised with a capital 'A' (and no others). The all-lower one aliases to the first-upper one (much as rather more variations on {{template|Citation needed}} redirect to it). Not really so important, but while {{template|Citation Needed}} exists (to save time for people who can't simply remember that it is "First capital only"?).
 There isn't even an {{template|Actual Citation Needed}} (at time of writing, at least, and I honestly think there's no need to spoil people with something like {{eVeRy PoSsIbLe CaSe-MiX}} when the baseline is fairly standard), so at least lower the latter two capitals in the link-text to implant the valid (and main) version in people's minds from the moment they possibly learn of such a possibility. Whether or not you {{template|template}}ify the link and/or 'Inital case' where it points to. ...but just a suggestion. Perhaps more style than substance, but you seem like you might appreciate these pointers. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 08:39, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

2391: Life Before the Pandemic

2023-10-21T17:55:55Z

141.101.98.33: Undo revision 326752 by 172.69.135.183 (talk) Three CNs in one go? Over-egging the pudding. (also, best use the original "Citation needed" template (note capital) and after the comma).

{{comic
| number = 2391
| date = November 27, 2020
| title = Life Before the Pandemic
| image = life_before_the_pandemic.png
| titletext = I can't wait until this is all over and I can go back to riding my horse through the mall.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.

[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are having a conversation about life before the pandemic, which was declared as such on the 11th of March, 2020 by the World Health Organization. They talk about what they miss about life before the pandemic, but Cueball says that he can barely remember it. This is borne out by the rest of their discussion: None of the activities they list were ever common and most are strange, some are even forbidden and various items are misconstrued as existing for pandemic mitigation purposes.

After they finish reminiscing, Megan says that she can't wait for a vaccine, further implying that she can't wait to have all of these things "back." Both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are making vaccines, with Pfizer/BioNTech making their application for emergency use on November 20th, 2020, 7 days before this comic's release. It is expected to be approved for use by the end of the year.

===Scuba diving without a mask===
{{w|Scuba set|Scuba}} stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. It consists of a tank of compressed air, which is conducted through a tube to a mouthpiece which allows the diver to breathe underwater. A mask is a fundamental part of scuba diving to allow the diver to see underwater better. Cloth masks, to help lower the spread of the virus between people, are a recommended precaution when in public, but wearers are advised not to wear them when swimming. Megan is conflating these two different types of masks, misremembering a world where scuba diving did not have masks involved. You do not need to wear a cloth mask if you are scuba diving, but you do need to wear a scuba mask–irrespective of whether there is a pandemic.

Scuba masks previously rated quite well on the mask effectiveness scale in [[2367: Masks]]. However because the regulator is technically not a face covering, Megan's Scuba club may be requiring full face or "hardhat" style diving equipment, which would justify her complaint.

===Free refills at gas stations===
{{w|Gas station}}s are locations where you can buy gasoline, which powers internal combustion engines, especially those in cars. Many of these locations have a small convenience store attached, where customers can purchase snacks or drinks while having their car filled up. It's unknown whether Randall/Ponytail meant "free refill" of gasoline or of drinks from the convenience store, but either way it was not a business practice that was common.{{Citation needed}} Free refills of drinks are more associated with restaurants and diners, who allow free top-ups of relatively cheaper soft drinks, tea, or coffee, in the hopes that it will attract people to come in and buy more expensive meals to cover the cost.

===Grilling in the library===
{{w|Grilling}} food generally poses a significant fire hazard (and can produce toxic carbon monoxide) and is thus typically not allowed indoors, especially in libraries, whose shelves full of flammable paper books present both an increased fire hazard (as the fire could spread more quickly with plenty of fuel, and the shelves could potentially hamper efforts to evacuate the library if the fire made that necessary) and a liability (because if the books burned, they would be destroyed/unusable, and it would likely cost a lot of money to replace them). In the pandemic, many libraries discourage people from spending time there, preferring that visitors only check out or drop off books. Some libraries have even removed chairs to achieve this.

Even if grilling were allowed in Cueball's and Megan's library beforehand, it would not be allowed during the pandemic, as it would involve eating in an enclosed area, an activity specifically warned to increase the contagiousness of the virus. Backyard (or library) cookouts have been discouraged by the {{w|Center for Disease Control and Prevention}}, or CDC, because of this.

===Tennis without a "safety" net===
{{w|Tennis}} is a sport where two players use racquets to hit a ball at each other. The game is played on a court divided in half by a low net. The net is not used for anyone's safety; it's to ensure that the ball must be volleyed to the other player with some minimum height. Megan seems to believe that the net is there to ensure that the players stay on opposite sides of the net, in order to lower the spread of the virus.

===Indoor fireworks===
Many indoor activities were moved outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic, as poorly-ventilated indoor spaces vastly increase the chance of the virus spreading. {{w|Firework}}s are explosives shot into the air for entertainment. Due to inherently being explosive, fireworks can be dangerous, i.e. cause injuries or even death. Some countries (for instance, The Netherlands) have temporarily banned fireworks because of COVID-19, reasoning the fireworks-induced injuries would put additional stress on hospitals that are already nearing maximum (intensive care) capacity due to COVID cases. Most fireworks are not suitable for use indoors; setting them off indoors is even more dangerous than they already are, even before the pandemic.{{Citation needed}} However, there are specially designed indoor fireworks, most often used by specially trained and licensed pyrotechnicians. These are usually seen in large indoor venues for concerts and sporting events, both of which have been curtailed due to the pandemic. In this case Cueball would be accurately lamenting his inability to enjoy indoor fireworks.

===Arcade claw machines===

{{w|Claw crane|Arcade claw machines}} have a bin of prizes (often stuffed animals) with a claw mechanism hanging overhead. The player pays a few coins into the machine and maneuvers the claw over a desired prize. The claw will descend and "attempt" to grab the prize for retrieval. There is often a hidden percentage chance that the claw will not fully close.

This is a frustrating experience for the player (e.g. Cueball), but he misunderstands the purpose of the claws. While manipulator arms are also used for handling dangerous items, the claws in these machines are not to reduce coronavirus spread. Instead, they make toy-grabbing deliberately inefficient so that people may play again and pay more money. If people could take toys freely from the bin with their hands, operators would lose money, as people could take multiple toys or avoid paying entirely. It is unlikely that they would allow this even after the pandemic.

Out of frustration, some players attempt to reach through the deposit hole in order to try to take one of the stuffed animals or other prizes without the use of the claw. Since multiple people would presumably have already touched the metal interior, this is an effective way to spread the contagion quickly, which makes it even more imperative to discontinue this practice. There are other dangers to doing this as well; one can [https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3672117 get their arm stuck in the machine], and can even cause themselves serious damage.

Again it is possible that the arcade used a ticket or token system where one could cash out their winnings for self-selected items such as plush toys. As a COVID mitigation, the arcade may have found it necessary to make the plush toys only available via an enclosed claw style "skill" game.

===Title text: Riding a horse through the mall===
A mall, in a historical context, refers to a large open walkway, such as the {{w|National Mall}}, where one could conceivably enter with a horse, although it was considered inappropriate to do so. However, it appears Cueball and Megan are referring to a {{w|shopping mall}}, where a shopper entering with a horse was never a regular occurrence{{Citation needed}}, at least in universes where there isn’t {{what if|34|a horse in aisle five}}.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are having a conversation.]
:Megan: What do you miss most about life before the pandemic?
:Cueball: I can barely remember it.

:Megan: I miss going scuba diving without having to wear a mask.
:Cueball: I miss free refills at gas stations.
:Megan: I miss grilling in the library.

:[Close-up on Megan, Cueball's voice comes from off-panel, to the right.]
:Megan: I miss when tennis players didn't have to have that safety net between them.
:Cueball: I miss indoor fireworks.

:[The frame returns to seeing them both, they are now walking to the right while talking.]
:Megan: I miss when arcades let you take toys from the bin with your hand instead of using that stupid claw.
:Cueball: Ugh, I hate that thing.
:Megan: I can't wait for a vaccine.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Sport]]

909: Worst-Case Shopping

2016-01-09T18:23:34Z

141.101.98.33: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 909
| date = June 8, 2011
| title = Worst-Case Shopping
| image = worst case shopping.png
| titletext = Wait a minute. If I'm escaping from a submarine at 50 meters, then I'll *definitely* need a flashlight to find air pockets for gradual decompression on the way up. Time to start shopping professional dive lights.
}}

==Explanation==
For most people, under most circumstances, a flashlight's water-resistance is a completely moot point, as most flashlight use occurs on dry land. But, [[208|as Randall has shown before]], there is a tendency for people to imagine elaborate scenarios in which an extra edge would be useful.

In the dream sequence over the first 2 and a half frames, Cueball appears to be diving to find a key underwater, which he spots using his flashlight when he is at 8 meters. His flashlight goes out at 10 meters because he bought the "Hi-Brite" model. The dream sequence also references a "radio shed", which were only really used in the past for {{w|amateur radio}}s or some other military style bases/compounds—which would align with his "warn the President" line.

The title text takes Cueball's thought process to the next level (worse-case), because if he is getting a flashlight that works to 40 meters, he should probably be prepared for even deeper waters as well (even worse-case). However, this is seen as ridiculous from his friend, since the more durable model costs $25 more in return. However, he replies that you never know what situation you'd be in.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is diving in very deep, dark blue water. He shines a flashlight at the sea floor.]
:Cueball (thinks): Eight meters. There's the wreckage... Yes! I see the key!

:[As he swims further toward it, his flashlight starts to cut out.]
:Cueball (thinks): Gotta grab it, surface, get in to the radio shed, and warn the President! Just a few more...
:Flashlight: BZZT FIZZ

:[This panel has no border like the others, and is divided in half diagonally by a thought bubble.]
:[The left half of it is a dark blue thought bubble with the diver inside it. On the right hand side are packaged flashlights hanging on a shelf. The one called Hi-Brite is $24.95 and is labeled "water resistant to 10 meters." The one called "FenStar G6" is $49.95 and says "water resistant to 40 meters."]
:Cueball (thinks): Oh no.

:[Cueball and a friend stand in front of a flashlight display in a store. Cueball looks down at the packages with his hand on his chin in thought. The thought bubble from the previous panel leads from his head. The friend stands behind him.]
:Cueball: ...maybe I should spring for the deeper water resistance.
:Friend: Why on earth would you care about that?
:Cueball: Look, you never know.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1608: Hoverboard

2015-11-25T01:00:50Z

141.101.98.33: The title text normally isn't visible, but it is there

{{comic
| number = 1608
| date = November 24, 2015
| title = Hoverboard
| image = hoverboard.png
| titletext = Return to the play area
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Just created so people can start/comment}}
The comic features a game which Randall appears to have made to celebrate the release of his new book on the 24th of November 2015. It seems the game was actually made by a guy called [http://chromakode.com Max], the person behind the comic [[1416: Pixels]]. The source code for the game (in a obfuscated form) can be found [https://xkcd.com/1608/tigl.min.js here]. The game features [[Cueball]] on a hover board which looks a lot like a skateboard.
At first glance, it appears the aim of the game is to see how fast you can collect coins, but due to a (purposeful) bug in the game, the player can "jump" (hover higher) multiple times without needing to land. This allows the character to go out of bounds of the "Play Area" prompting multiple warnings insisting the player returns to said "Play Area". Exiting this area reveals a world similar to [[1110: Click and Drag]], which can be explored via the arrow keys.

There are 17 coins in the "Play Area" and a lot more in the out of bounds region.

This is achieved by either carefully jumping upwards to escape through the way just above on startup, or by going to the far-right side of the 'game' and escaping from the hole near the top. The player then continues right to a large wall, which is traversable by continually jumping. The player can then explore. The game is markedly similar to https://xkcd.com/1110/ "Click and Drag", and the bounds are currently unknown. The comic is made in much the same way, with 'drawn' images compiled together, in the world, with all remaining spaces simply coded white. The boundary between blank squares and 'drawn' squares is made clear as any white space in the normal images has a very light hatching. Thus, seems between images and blank spaces are clearly seen.

An example of the file extentions for image panels are as follows: http://xkcd.com/1608/1013:-1096+s.png
Using this format the files could conceivably be fully extracted by trying extentions and harvesting resulting images.

===Areas===
There are many different areas beyond the initial starting area, exploration has found so far:

Notable features include a number of large ships in the sky, with various interiors which can be entered from several places. To find them, follow the strings which several characters are holding near the first ground area.

West:
Washington Monument -
Volcano -
Lava pools -
LOTR Eagles -
Elon Musk's Volcano Lair -
Landing re-entry capsule -
Floating rock island in the sky (x: 507163, y: -567537)
Hat underground
A hole which traps(?) the player unless noclip mode is used

East:
Wedding -
Giant bird nest -
Desert -
Ocean Yelper -
Graveyard -
Talking Rogue Wave -
People holding anchor lines to a Star Destroyer, among other ships.

[http://codepen.io/KyleDavidE/full/605dc87b614ff6b2bd716f4c6f640203/ Quickly hacked overview] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/kyledavide kyledavide] on [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 reddit].

===Controls===
The controls are as follows:

* '''Go Left''' - Left arrow key, a or h
* '''Go Right''' - Right arrow key, d or l
* '''Go Up (jump or hover)''' - Up arrow key, w, or k

Through inspection of the game's source code, it can be derived that down, j and s are also accepted keystrokes, but it is unclear if the game actually uses these or not.

This control scheme covers the three commonly used directional key sets: WASD a set of keys commonly used by modern games; HJKL a set of movement keys used by vi and applications which attempt to mimic vi key controls (vim); and the arrow keys, the most generic set of keys which is usually accepted by most applications which take movement as input, these were commonly used in older games.

===Cheats and Exploits===
Aside from the obvious ability to move out of bounds in the game, there are some more obscure hidden features which can't be enabled through normal gameplay, the ones found so far are as follows:

'''Modes''' are activated by opening the Javascript Console (F12 to open Developer Tools, then Console tab) and writing corresponding commands:

* '''Gandalf Mode: ''' ''window.i.am.gandalf = true'' - jumps and runs further
* '''Speedhack: ''' ''explorer.opts.speed= *Value*'' - Speed hacking, with 1 = normal speed
* '''Jump Hack: ''' '' explorer.opts.jumpForce= -*Value*'' - Jump hacking, with -1 = normal jump (positive values cause the hoverboard guy to move down when jumping)
* '''Mewtwo mode: ''' ''window.mewtwo = true'' - disables gravity
* '''Noclip mode: ''' ''window.noclip = true'' - player is able to move around the map without collision. Combine with Gandalf and Mewtwo modes for free easy map traversal.
* '''Goggles mode: ''' ''window.ze.goggles()'' - displays a small window showing area around the player in a pixelated manner
* '''Position Tracking: ''' ''window.explorer.pos'' - Returns the player location to the console. Can be used to track position and test to ensure you are still moving. Must be re-entered to compare positioning.
* '''Position Setting: ''' ''window.explorer.pos.x = *Value* or window.explorer.pos.y = *Value*'' - Can be used to manually set a position within the world. The start is at x: 512106, y: -549612. The left terrain bound is at x: 475210, y: -553711. The right terrain bound is at x: 567281, y: -549712. Mewtwo and Noclip modes are a must for exploring in this way.
* '''All the above: ''' ''window.explorer.opts'' - Contains all the game's parameters. You can directly mess with ''gravity'', collision (''disableCollision''), jump force (''jumpForce'') and speed (''maxSpeed''), among others. Run ''Object.keys(window.explorer.opts)'' to list all available parameters you can tweak.
* '''List all coins: ''' ''window.explorer.objects'' - Array containing the position of the 169 coins of the game.

===Functionality===
By observing page code while playing, the game grabs and displays images based on location, and subsequently clears all non-visible images. The game uses what seems to be a position syntax to retrieve the intended images live, and returns an error if such an image does not exist, such as a blank area. This technically means things could be added to the world and updated live. If the player is moving sufficiently fast or if the internet connection is slow, this means that the player can get stuck in a black area that does not load in time.

This also means that the game does not have coded top or bottom limits, so any attempt to find the ''ceiling'' of the game will be futile unless the game is tweaked. The game does however have side limits.

When you get a certain number of coins, you will get one of the following messages:
* 0 coins : You got 0 coins in (n) seconds/ You successfully avoided all the coins.
* 1 coin : You got a single coin in (n) seconds/ It's a start.
* 2-4 coins : You got (n) coins in (n) seconds/ Not bad!
* 5-9 coins : You got (n) coins in (n) seconds/ Terrific!
* 17 coins : You got 17 coins in (n) seconds/ You found all the coins! Great job!
* 42 coins : You got 42 coins in (n) seconds/ No answers here.
* 169 coins : You got 169 coins in (n) seconds/ Are you Gandalf?
* All others: You got (n) coins in (n) seconds

Opening the console will display the text: what? hoverboard not enough for you!? in the log. Activating goggles mode will cause the text 'B-)' to appear in the log.

Leaving the play area will cause the red text 'RETURN TO THE PLAY AREA' to rapidly blink 3 times (150 msec duration), followed by a pause, and this will repeat 5 times for a total of 15 blinks. This will also reoccur if the player passes through the play area on their way back from exploring one side.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete|Something similar to 1110: [[Click and Drag]]}}
The game features Cueball on a hoverboard in a simple map. On the map are coins which Cueball has to collect.
It appears Cueball can jump multiple times without needing to land, this means that Cueball is able to escape the designated "Play Area".
This prompts a warning which soon disappears allowing Cueball to discover the world.

[THIS ONLY COVERS THE PERMANENT TEXT, NOT THE DIFFERENT WIN STATES] 
MY NEW BOOK 
''THE THINGS EXPLAINER'', 
COMES OUT TODAY! 

TO CELEBRATE, HERE'S 
A SMALL GAME. 

[TO THE SIDE, BELOW AN ARROW] 
DEPOSIT COINS HERE 
{{comic discussion}}

574: Swine Flu

2015-11-14T01:35:49Z

141.101.98.33:

{{comic
| number = 574
| date = April 27, 2009
| title = Swine Flu
| image = swine flu.png
| titletext = Bad flu epidemics can hit young adults hardest because they provoke their powerful immune systems into overreaction, so to stay healthy spend the next few weeks drunk and sleep-deprived to keep yours suppressed.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Swine influenza|Swine flu}} is a strain of the flu which can be transmitted from pigs to humans. In 2009, it was the origin of the {{w|Pandemic H1N1/09 virus}}, which most news stations called either "H1N1" (the subtype name) or "swine flu". Because of the ambiguous name given to it and the somewhat hazy description of the transmittal process and dangers to humans, many people were concerned about the virus in ways that weren't going to be threats. This comic pokes a bit of fun at the overreaction by users on {{w|Twitter}}.

[[Randall]] (or someone else) seems to have created Twitter accounts for all referenced handles (that may not have already existed). Some of the handles continue their interactions with each other in later tweets.

[https://twitter.com/SKEEVE37 Skeeve37] is a self-described {{w|Hypochondriasis|hypochondriac}}. The tweet exemplifies the general populace's over-concern with the "animal themed" pandemics. Similarly after the {{w|Avian influenza|bird flu}} scare, people avoided eating chicken.

[https://twitter.com/hanneloreEC Hanneloreec] is a self-described "young lady who is concerned about many things". She is a reoccurring character in the webcomic {{w|Questionable Content}} by Jeph Jacques, who also manages her twitter handle.

[https://twitter.com/PAULYSHOREFAN Paulyshorefan]'s tweet is a reference to the flash game "[http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/Pandemic-2.html Pandemic 2]", in which players try to create a disease that infects the whole world. {{w|Madagascar}} is the most difficult country to infect, as it only has 1 port and often closes it at the slightest hint of an infection. The difficulty of infecting Madagascar has caused it to become a [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shut-down-everything meme].

[https://twitter.com/CrackMonkey74 CrackMonkey74]'s tweet is a parody of viral Christian(?) messages that say that current tragedies are God's punishment, [http://bible.cc/mark/13-7.htm despite the fact that the Bible says that the end is not yet to come.] More specifically, Crackmonkey74 blames the {{w|American Civil Liberties Union|ACLU}}, {{w|Lesbian|lesbians}} (a reference to the current culture wars that give big press towards proponents of {{w|Same-sex marriage|same-sex marriage}} against fundamentalist Christians), {{w|September 11 attacks|9/11}} (the day when the {{w|World Trade Center (1973–2001)|Twin Towers}} fell, causing controversy on whether {{w|Muslim}} terrorists crashed their planes on the towers or whether the government {{w|9/11 conspiracy theories|staged}} this by purposefully demolishing the towers) and {{w|Nanorobotics|nanobots}} (possibly a reference towards the highly promising but still relatively not understood field of nanotechnology, plus another reference towards the phrase "playing God").

[https://twitter.com/Twilight7531 Twilight7531]'s tweet implies that she got a {{w|Bone fracture#Orthopedic|bone fracture}} which ended up protruding from her arm. However, she seems to lack medical knowledge (or intelligence in general, given that her name carries both something that may be a reference toward the infamous {{w|Twilight (series)|Twilight books}} and a "gimmicky" naming scheme (7531 has the numerals of every odd number that is less than 9)), so she is worried that her fracture is actually swine flu (though how she can be typing with a broken arm is confusing).

[https://twitter.com/Wigu Wigu]'s tweet is a reply towards [https://twitter.com/Untoward Untoward]'s. Given the context, Untoward seems to have "gotten intimate" with a pig (since {{w|syphilis}} is a venereal disease). Given the fact that Untoward got sick because of a pig, Untoward seems to have concluded that he got swine flu.

The last comment by [https://twitter.com/2011SENIORSRULE 2011Seniorsrule] references a medical paper published by the journal {{w|The Lancet}}, in which it is proposed that {{w|Autism|autism}} is caused by {{w|Vaccine|vaccination}}. Since then, the paper was partially retracted in 2004, and fully retracted in 2010 because of conflicts of interest. The entire incident has been defined as the {{w|MMR vaccine controversy}}. This stance has still been seen since the retraction of the paper, and still holds some popularity. The most famous figure in support of it is {{w|Jenny McCarthy}}. Also, fear of germs is common among autistic people, so "licking an autistic kid" would be a difficult and possibly painful experience.

The title text refers to the common notion that young adults are hard-drinking individuals who get little sleep.

CrackMonkey74 has appeared in two earlier comics, them being [[202: YouTube]] and [[406: Venting]].

==Transcript==
:[Caption:]
:Twitter is great for watching
:uninformed panics unfold live.

:[The comic shows a twitter search results page with "Swine flu" in the search box and a gray search button.]
:twitter [Swine flu] (search)

:[The results is displayed in a frame below the search panel:]
:Realtime results for '''Swine flu''' 0.05

:[This next line is highlighted in yellow. Most text here and below is written in normal black font, but the underlined links in the main text is in blue. Below each tweet is a line with info and reply links etc. all in gray font. Between the yellow line and the first tweet and between each tweet is a dotted line.]
:1,918 more results since you started searching. Refresh to see.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
:Skeeve37: Oh god I ate pork yesterday before I knew about swine flu!
 
:Less than 10 seconds ago from web ∙ reply ∙ view tweet
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
:Hanneloreec: Without duct tape I can't seal the door to keep out swine flu but I can't get duct tape without going outside! Help!
:Less than 10 seconds ago from web ∙ reply ∙ view tweet
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
:Paulyshorefan: How long until the swine flu reaches me here in Madagascar?
:Less than 10 seconds ago from web ∙ reply ∙ view tweet
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
:CrackMonkey74: Swine flu is God's punishment for the ACLU and lesbians and 9/11 and nanobots!
:Less than 10 seconds ago from web ∙ reply ∙ view tweet
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
:Twilight7531: I fell down the stairs and there was a crack and a jagged white thing is sticking out of my arm guys is this swine flu?
:Less than 10 seconds ago from twitterific ∙ reply ∙ view tweet
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
:Wigu: @Untoward: No, that sounds like syphilis, not swine flu. What did you say you did with a pig?
:Less than 10 seconds ago from tweetdeck ∙ reply ∙ view tweet
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
:2011Seniursrule: My Dad said flu vaccines are linked to autism, so to be safe from swine flu I'm trying to lick an autistic kid.
:Less than 10 seconds ago from web ∙ reply ∙ view tweet
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Religion]]

Talk:1510: Napoleon

2015-04-11T09:21:10Z

141.101.98.33:

Well, this explains a lot. Why Obama refuses to return to the Moon and wants to go for an asteroid...[[User:Jkotek|Jkotek]] ([[User talk:Jkotek|talk]]) 07:33, 10 April 2015 (UTC)
:That would make an awesome addition to the story line. I wish Randall included that extra panel. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.89|173.245.50.89]] 08:21, 10 April 2015 (UTC)BK201
:So... the reason he wants to go for an asteroid is that we need the capability to send the Moon-escaped Napoleon there! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.192|141.101.98.192]] 09:42, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

Haha this is now one of my favorite xkcd comics [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 08:16, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

IMHO the explanation somewhat misses the crucial point: A parody of the villain type
who always comes back in comic books. (Don't force me to add a TVTropes link :-) [[Special:Contributions/198.41.243.240|198.41.243.240]] 09:22, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

Another question - Why the Antarctic? Something evil resting under deep ice is concept used for example in movie(s) The Thing ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_from_Another_World]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(1982_film)]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(2011_film)]] - chose your favorite ;-) or game Prisoner of Ice [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner_of_Ice]].[[User:Jkotek|Jkotek]] ([[User talk:Jkotek|talk]]) 13:59, 10 April 2015 (UTC)
: Don't forget Alien vs. Predator! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 09:21, 11 April 2015 (UTC)

In 2115, Napoleon escapes from the moon and almost conquers the United Nations of Earth before being defeated. He is then sent into the Sun, where he stays for the next thousand years.... But in the 32nd century, humanity begins extracting material from the Sun to build a Dyson Sphere, and this allows Napoleon to escape and wreak havoc once more. At this point, the Star People just give up and go "WTF?!". [[User:Jake|Jake]] ([[User talk:Jake|talk]]) 16:37, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

http://what-if.xkcd.com/imgs/a/124/kennedy.png [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.177|108.162.210.177]] 18:20, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1510: Napoleon

2015-04-10T08:16:46Z

141.101.98.33:

Talk:34: Flowers

2015-04-09T20:13:04Z

141.101.98.33:

Instructions for photoshop editing is quite irrelevant here, I think. The comic itself is just a drawing of flowers, and hardly needs much explanation (if any). –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 18:21, 19 January 2013 (UTC)
:Correct. I'm working on this comic because you did not;)--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:38, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
::Shit, shit, shit... as Randall would say, but finally I could upload my edit. It's still not complete.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:54, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
::As I remember it, I removed the "explanation" that was, which wasn't popular. So I just let it be... ––[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 10:23, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Check the history, your edit was reverted. When you have problems with some pages do not only tell us what's wrong, just try to give an better explanation. Without a new solution these discussions are meaningless. Everybody is doing mistakes, but the magical word is UPDATE not DELETE.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:56, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
::::Yeah, I know it was reverted, that's what I meant. I will improve stuff when I have time and knowledge to do so. Sometimes I will also delete stuff. It's a balance to strike, and often quick decisions, but my intention is always to make the wiki better. ––[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 22:18, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
Dgbrt, I did not remove content, I removed redundancy. One sentence about graph paper instead of three. Clearer, shorter wording about botany and picture editing, but no less informative. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 20:57, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
:Hi Frankie, you did remove the incomplete tag. We still have to review pages like this. But your enhancements are welcome!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:13, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Uhh, the title text is just an explanation, it isn't a reference to anything... You guys really try to squeeze stuff out of nothing [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 20:13, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

1490: Atoms

2015-04-08T18:35:18Z

141.101.98.33: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1490
| date = February 23, 2015
| title = Atoms
| image = atoms.png
| titletext = When I was little I had trouble telling my dad apart from the dog. I always recognized my mom because she had a bunch of extra plutoniums in her middle. I never did ask her why...
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Megan]] is preparing a sample of what appears to be some mineral for {{w|elemental analysis}}. It seems to be some kind of {{w|silicate}} containing a small amount of {{w|iron}} (a common example of this would be {{w|red sandstone}}), and she is running a test to see if it contains {{w|beryllium}} (a rarer element whose best-known natural form is as a component of {{w|emerald}}).

[[Beret Guy]] seems to be able to tell what elements the substance is composed of just by eyeballing it, making him perhaps the perfect elemental analysis instrument. To confirm this, Megan asks Beret Guy what he sees when he looks at her face, expecting that a normal person would describe the arrangement of colors that they see. Since Beret Guy only sees the atoms Megan is composed of (mostly {{w|Composition_of_the_human_body|oxygen, carbon and hydrogen}}) he only notices the unusual atoms. In this case he sees the metal atoms her {{w|Dental_restoration#Materials_used|dental fillings}} are composed of. This shows his "atomic vision" extends beyond the surface of the substances. Megan finds this bizarre and asks him what is wrong with him. He states that he suspects people think he is weird because he contains too much {{w|zinc}}, missing Megan’s point: what is weird is not Beret guy’s zinc content, but his ability to apparently see everyone as clouds of atoms.

High zinc intake ({{w|Zinc toxicity|zinc toxicity}}) can cause nausea, vomiting, pain, cramps and diarrhea. It also reduces copper absorption, which affects the immune system.

The comic continues the theme of Beret Guy’s naive misunderstandings of scientific terminology turning to be literally true: in a previous [[1486: Vacuum|comic]] his ill-informed misinterpretation of the notion of energy in the vacuum resulted in him gaining significant superpowers.

In the title text, the concept is taken even further: Beret Guy found his dad indistinguishable from a dog: likely because skin and fur are mostly made of {{w|keratin}}, which is an organic mix primarily made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulfur that would make all mammals look similar.

He could, however, apparently distinguish his mother because she contained {{w|plutonium}}. This is a very unusual occurrence that cannot possibly occur naturally in humans. Several possible explanations have been proposed:

1) She had an {{w|Radioisotope thermoelectric generator|RTG}}-powered pacemaker (a few hundred were made in the 1970s).

2) She lived near Los Alamos during the second world war and was a member of the [http://pills52.com/2014/2837153/ UPPU club (translated as “You pee Pu!”)]. Alternatively, she could have been exposed to another source such as {{w|radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant}}.

3) She was one of {{w|The Stepford Wives}} robots.

4) She was the victim of some unidentified, unethical medical experimentation.

It is also possible that the presence of plutonium in his mother may be the source of his own differences: radioactive exposure (in this case, potentially in utero) is a common source of super powers in comic books and other fiction. However, there is not a clear link between maternal plutonium and Beret Guy's "too many zincs".

One explanation for Beret Guy having too much zinc could be that his mother's plutonium changed into zinc through the process of {{w|Radioactive Decay}}.

==Transcript==
:[Megan stands at a table and is preparing a sample for some kind of analysis in a device, when Beret Guy walks in.]
:Beret guy: What’re you doing?
:Megan: Testing a sample for beryllium.
:Beret guy: That? Yeah, there’s a bunch of berylliums.
:Megan: How do you know?

:[Megan turns to Beret Guy who takes the sample and looks at it.]
:Beret guy: Look at it! See? Tons of oxygens and silicons, a few irons but definitely some berylliums too! Can’t you see them?

:[They continue to talk.]
:Megan: No, I can’t see a list of the atoms in a thing by looking.
:Beret guy: How do you tell what things are?

:[Zoom in on Megan.]
:Megan: This is ridiculous. Look at me. What do you see?
:Beret guy (off-panel): You have tons of metal in your face. Lots of fillings, I guess?

:[Megan states at Beret Guy who takes a looks at his own arm.]
:Megan: What’s '''''wrong''''' with you?
:Beret guy: Too many zincs? I’ve always worried I had too much zinc and everyone thought I was weird.

==Trivia==
*In the original version of the comic there was a typo in the title text, ''form'' instead of ''from'':
**I had trouble telling my dad apart '''form''' the dog.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

322: Pix Plz

2015-04-05T08:17:47Z

141.101.98.33: /* Transcript: Her name is established as Joanna so why not use it? */

{{comic
| number = 322
| date = September 28, 2007
| title = Pix Plz
| image = pix_plz.png
| titletext = But one of the regulars in the channel is a girl!
}}

==Explanation==
Though this comic predates it, there is an [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/there-are-no-girls-on-the-internet Internet meme] best stated as "there are no girls on the Internet." It is also known as [http://rules-of-the-internet.urbanup.com/2799580 Rule 16] or [http://rulesoftheinternet.com Rule 30] [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rules-of-the-internet of the Internet], not to be confused with Wolfram's cellular automata. This comes partly from a supposition that girls aren't smart enough to go on the Internet or even use technology, and more directly from the idea that they are afraid of interacting in such a male-dominated subculture. Thankfully for humanity at large the meme is now the opposite of true (just look at the female-dominated Facebook) but still lives on as a joke, albeit not always a pleasant one. For many users, the {{Wiktionary|puerile}} nature of the Internet creates a repulsive force because of exactly what [[Cueball]] is doing. As soon as anyone claims to be a female online there will invariably be a slew of "[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tits-or-gtfo tits or gtfo]" replies.

[[Randall]] projects this stereotypical Internet douchebaggery onto [[Cueball]], who behaves this way out of {{w|misogyny}} thinly disguised as a joke. This barely-a-joke, found in certain areas of the internet (especially IRC and 4chan), holds the view that women are only "good for" sex and porn. By making such a huge deal out of her being a girl, he directs unwanted sexual attention at any female who joins.

[[Black Hat]], while usually a destructive force, and self-proclaimed [[classhole]], here switches positions with Cueball, standing up for women everywhere. (This makes sense when you consider that Black Hat tends to pursue Randall's thoughts in a more controversial way, see [[86: Digital Rights Management]]). He enlists the help of a [[Ponytail]] character named Joanna to [http://banhammer.urbanup.com/1921346 ban] Cueball from the Internet.

{{w|IRC}} is the acronym for Internet Relay Chat. It is a protocol that eventually evolved into the {{w|instant messenger}}s, {{w|chat room}}s, and {{w|XMPP|XMPP (formerly Jabber)}} servers around today. With the advent of live-streaming video online, IRC channels are making a come-back as a way for hosts and audiences to communicate with each other in real-time.

An {{w|Electromagnetic pulse|EMP}} is an electromagnetic pulse that will disrupt electronics from functioning normally. An EMP is a short burst of electromagnetic energy. Small EMPs will disrupt electricity momentarily, larger EMPs are capable of burning out circuitry and erasing hard drives.

At the title text Cueball tries to defend his misogyny by claiming one of his IRC chat system acquaintances is a female, as if to imply that makes his words no longer misogynist (this is similar to the defense "I'm not racist! Some of my best friends are black!").

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat stands in the entrance to a room. The door has been broken down. A surprised Cueball has turned away from his computer to face the remains of the door.]
:Black Hat: Hi. I'm here about the girl who visited your IRC channel last night looking for Java help.
:Cueball: What did you do to my door?

:Black Hat: When someone with a feminine username joins your community and you say "OMG a woman on the Internet" and 'jokingly' ask for naked pics, you are being an asshole. You are not being ironic. You are not cracking everybody up. You are the number one reason women are so rare on the Internet.
:Black Hat: At least, the parts of it you frequent.

:[Joanna enters the room, holding some sort of device.]
:Black Hat: As someone who likes nerdy girls, I do not appreciate this. I'm here to ban you from the Internet. The gal behind me with the EMP cannon is Joanna - she'll be assigned to you for the next year. Try to go online and she'll melt your PC.
:Cueball: Dude, she's hot. Is she single?
:Black Hat: Joanna, fire.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

692: Dirty Harry

2015-04-04T10:06:27Z

141.101.98.33: /* Explanation of the title text was completely wrong */

{{comic
| number = 692
| date = January 22, 2010
| title = Dirty Harry
| image = dirty_harry.png
| titletext = Sci-fi has energy weapons because otherwise the people like me who watch it get distracted counting shots.
}}

== Explanation ==
The comic references both {{w|Dirty Harry}} and {{w|Rain Man}}, as the caption suggests.

In Dirty Harry, {{w|Clint Eastwood|Clint Eastwood's}} character, Harry Callahan, uses a magnum revolver. His most commonly quoted statement is whether or not he fired 5 shots or 6. If he fired only five, the next shot would kill his victim. If six, he wouldn't have any more bullets to shoot.

In Rain Man, {{w|Dustin Hoffman|Dustin Hoffman's}} character, Raymond, is autistic and has an {{w|eidetic memory}}. As such, he can instantly remember any number of objects, such as the number of toothpicks in a box that was spilled, or the number of bullets that came out of a gun.

The comic depicts a scene in ''Dirty Harry'' in which Callahan confronts a bank robber, only with Raymond taking the place of the robber. For the record, Raymond is correct; Callahan actually pulls the trigger one more time in the original scene, and the gun proves to be empty.

The title text notes that because sci-fi energy guns do not require a magazine, they have limitless shots. This means that Randall doesn't get distracted by counting how many bullets are left in a conventional gun's magazine, allowing him to concentrate on the film.

==Transcript==
:[Detective "Dirty" Harry Callahan stands near a wall, pointing a revolver at another figure, presumably a suspect, reclined on the ground. A shotgun is on the ground next to the reclined figure.]
:Harry Callahan: I know what you're thinking--"Did he fire six shots or only five?" In all this excitement, I-
:Suspect: Six. Definitely six.
:Harry Callahan: Shit.

:Dirty Harry Meets Rain Man

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:57: Wait For Me

2015-04-04T09:17:20Z

141.101.98.33:

This could also be a reference to relativity, but I may be overthinking it. [[Special:Contributions/130.160.145.185|130.160.145.185]] 06:24, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm going with the more fantastical route. Cueball could have gone to Narnia in the ninety seconds she was gone. He could have had an affair and a child that is her age within that time. [[Special:Contributions/72.193.184.110|72.193.184.110]] 10:51, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

And is maybe even a half-fawn? ;) [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 23:06, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

Who is "Scott"? He is mentioned here a couple of times so, we do need a category for him at this wiki.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:27, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
:We already have [[Scott|a page for him]]. I've adjusted the two pages that refer to him in the title text to wikilink his name like the third already did. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 01:37, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

The 90 seconds could refer to time to read the comic for some people?[[Special:Contributions/87.242.215.146|87.242.215.146]] 14:13, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

I strongly feel that cueball is making a joke about relativity. [[Special:Contributions/199.107.68.166|199.107.68.166]] 19:22, 20 September 2013

The joke is about relativity. A very popular example found in books is the so-called twin paradox, where one brother stays on earth and the other travels at a speed of light. When the traveling twin returns, he finds his brother having aged years while only hours had passed for the traveler.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_paradox

[[Special:Contributions/75.109.152.5|75.109.152.5]] 05:41, 22 September 2013 (UTC)

I feel pretty strongly that Cueball's hesitation is more because he is embarrassed, than because he is joking. bringing cueball's son into the situation would then pull relativity into the matter. [[User:GallantChaos|GallantChaos]] ([[User talk:GallantChaos|talk]]) 17:51, 22 September 2013 (UTC)

It seems to me more like a sketch based on the premise of the Bill Nighy film About Time where the males of the family can travel backwards in time, sometimes changing the future as a result [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.214|141.101.99.214]] 10:57, 8 November 2013 (UTC)Pab
:How could Randall have referenced a 2013 movie in 2006? -- Oh. I see what you did there. {{unsigned|Madbadger2742}}

A woman announces: '''One minute...'''—that's the joke!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:38, 8 November 2013 (UTC)

He may be also referring to Star trek episode 'The Inner Light' {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.110}}

It is interesting to note that since the comic gradually reveals how much time has elapsed (or has been imagined/joked to have elapsed), it gives the impression of time accelerating as you read the comic. So if you read it quasi-statically, it seems that Cueball has merely been gone for long enough to have a son about Megan's age, but if you read dynamically, it seems that Cueball is getting older as he speaks, and will age and die before the conversation is over. [[User:Richmond tudor|Richmond tudor]] ([[User talk:Richmond tudor|talk]]) 03:55, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

Why is it 'stereotypically female' to announce approximately how long task will take? In the UK, at least, men do this as well. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 09:17, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1507: Metaball

2015-04-04T09:01:38Z

141.101.98.33:

This... looks amazing! I wonder if this is going to be a case of xkcd influencing real life, like geohashing, the "citation needed" on speeches or cory doctorow cosplaying... cory doctorow. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.29|173.245.48.29]] 08:26, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Over here in Rightpondia (UK), "Hockey" means "Field Hockey" (I'm sure I've never actually heard "ball hockey" as a term before, ''ever'', although must be the same)... although it's mostly popularised as a (often very vicious!) girl's sport; see the St. Trinians cartoons/films. Although we understand Leftpondians (and especially Upper-Leftpondians) mean Ice Hockey when they miss off the qualifier. Just as vicious, of course (except now that everyone wears armour... also c.f. usual comments regarding Rugby League/Union vs 'American Football'/Gridiron). But none of these have anything on the near-variant of these games (mainly in Ireland) that is Hurling..! (As to Field Hockey as Aussie Rules Football is to Association Football?)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.192|141.101.98.192]] 16:25, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Suspiciously similar to Calvinball. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.100|108.162.221.100]] 21:18, 3 April 2015 (UTC)A Martin
: I agree, but there seem to be preset rules (the sheet that Ponytail is holding), suggesting that it isn't made up as they go along [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 09:01, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

I see influences of Hofstadter's ''Godel,Escher,Bach'', which has
1) the idea of how the play-by-play of a football game would be altered if it were baseball (among other counterfactuals), and
2) the idea of a boardgame whose rules change according to where pieces are on the board. [[User:Fewmet|Fewmet]] ([[User talk:Fewmet|talk]]) 22:26, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

I wonder how the concept of 'out' (as opposed to 'in') would be dealt with as the ball passes into (and eventually out of) the volleyball zone.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.216|173.245.54.216]] 05:58, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

OK I guess this is not a complaint since the explanation seems to make sense. But I'm still confused about something. In the third panel the invocation of the infield fly rule is entirely wrong, The infielder must either catch and drop the ball or appear to deliberately refuse to catch the ball. The panel shows the ball still in the air when the call is made. As an athletophobe I just spent 20 minutes of my life researching the infield fly rule (http://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5322&context=penn_law_review(!)) so... well... I get it but how do you make the leap?[[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 09:01, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

1507: Metaball

2015-04-03T09:16:46Z

141.101.98.33: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1507
| date = April 3, 2015
| title = Metaball
| image = metaball.png
| titletext = Shoot, it landed in the golf course. Gonna be hard to get it down the--oh, never mind, it rolled onto the ice hazard. Face-off!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete | Explanation is unfinished}}
The gang is playing a game of ball that incorporates the rules of all games that use a ball. Similar to Calvinball from ''Calvin and Hobbes'', the rules seem to be somewhat arbitrary and are based on the location of the players and the ball. Cueball is out (baseball) because the soccer ball, en route to the basketball hoop, clipped the corner of the baseball zone.
:'''The infield fly rule''':
:'''Title text:'''

==Transcript==
:[Megan kicks a soccer ball. Cueball leaps to dunk the ball through (or block it from going in) a basketball hoop.]
:[Offscreen:] Out!
:[Cueball:] What do you ''mean'', out?!
:[Ponytail, consulting the rules/map:] The ball clipped the corner of the baseball zone. Infield fly rule.
:[Cueball:] Aw, ''maaan''...
{{comic discussion}}

940: Oversight

2015-04-02T13:32:47Z

141.101.98.33: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 940
| date = August 19, 2011
| title = Oversight
| image = oversight.png
| titletext = I felt so clever when I found a way to game the Fitocracy system by incorporating a set of easy but high-scoring activities into my regular schedule. Took me a bit to realize I'd been tricked into setting up a daily exercise routine.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Fitocracy}} is a web site that turns workouts into a social game by awarding points, badges, levels and all sorts of other {{w|Gamification|gamification}}. [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]], by their judgement, have spent approximately two hours engaged in sexual activity. However, according to this cartoon, Fitocracy does not consider sex to be an activity acceptable for its site, despite the vigorous nature of Cueball and Megan's sexual workout.

The title text explains how sites like Fitocracy are so successful. Because human brains, especially the cynical ones, like to game the system whenever they can, they will find easy things to do that also score high. In the case of Fitocracy, these are simple exercises that add up a lot when applied daily. But the creators of Fitocracy (and other such successful sites, like Weight Watchers or Lumosity) know this, and, as {{w|Russian reversal|"in Soviet Russia" joke}}, the system games you shown.adopting an exercise regimen, or losing weight, or getting smarter, or whatever else there is.

Sex does raise your breathing rate and heartbeat, but as sparkpeople (a similar site to fitocracy) [http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=you_asked_does_sex_count_as_cardio_how_many_calories_does_it_burn notes], it is not as effective as a session at a gym, as it does not typically use the main muscle groups in their full range of motion, and doesn't sustain a raised heartbeat for a sufficient length of time. They consider sex to be less effective as cardio than brisk walking, as it burns only about 100-200 kcal per hour, which is little raised above a typical resting rate of about 60 kcal per hour.

Please note, that on the xkcd browser for Android, instead of the correct comic, an unpublished 'Five Minute Comics' is shown

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball have sex up against a wall.]

:[Megan and Cueball have sex standing in an armchair.]

:[Megan and Cueball have sex in a swing, swaying above a table with a flower vase on it.]

:[Fitocracy. The search phrase is "sex" and the site returned "activity not found."]

:[Megan and Cueball stand in front of the computer, Megan is at the keyboard, Cueball stands back wearing a towel on his tail.]
:Megan: Come on! That was like two hours of cardio!
:Cueball: Hmm, let's see... The part on the dresser was ''kind'' of like skiing...
<references/>
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Internet]]

Talk:940: Oversight

2015-04-02T13:29:19Z

141.101.98.33:

Well it's probably supposed to be a family-friendly site. That, and sex with an automatic toy could be technically be called sex, but it's not very strenuous. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:07, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, technically sex is the most family-friendly activity existing as it creates children and therefore families. But you are right, they should probably include more specific categories. In my mind there is a scoring matrix of positions, "speed", and weather you are the more active or more passive part in the position...
[[Special:Contributions/84.137.246.233|84.137.246.233]] 21:43, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
: "family-friendly" applies to whether the subject material is age-appropriate (or accessible/physically safe/etc), typically, for families with young children. Most of the sorts of activities that result in having children are not "family-friendly" on that basis. I had never considered the potential irony of that before, though... [[User:Tryc|Tryc]] ([[User talk:Tryc|talk]]) 19:18, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

This is not incredibly relevant, but I would like it to be known that on the mobile app of XKCD, this comic image is replaced by one of the five-minute comics {{unsigned ip|‎76.28.109.218}}

What is a five minute comic?

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 12:54, 23 January 2015 (UTC)

:For example, https://xkcd.com/819/ [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 13:29, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

Talk:307: Excessive Quotation

2015-04-02T10:12:30Z

141.101.98.33:

Based on the proportion of Star Wars comics that Randall has posted out of the total number of comics that he has posted, I believe Randall could be statistically termed a Star Wars fan.

Therefore I feel an urge to ask him one question: Randall, how is your wife's Force choke?[[User:Occ|Occ]] ([[User talk:Occ|talk]]) 05:22, 20 September 2014 (UTC)

Is the title text related to erotic asphyxiation? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 10:12, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

542: Cover-Up

2015-04-01T13:55:48Z

141.101.98.33: /* What's the point of marking every comic with Cueball because of the Cueball-Rob merge discussion? */

{{comic
| number = 542
| date = February 11, 2009
| title = Cover-Up
| image = cover_up.png
| titletext = Man, this trick has saved me so many times.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Black Hat]] and [[Danish]] are trying to clean up the mess that their bloody murder has left. This story may thus be a continuation of [[515: No One Must Know]].

Another guy, [[Cueball]], is on his way home and is about to arrive just when are finishing the clean up. But then Black Hat realizes that the ceiling has also been stained (by the violent murder...) And now they do not have time to fix it in time.

But Black Hat nows how to deal with the situation, and when Cueball comes home, he says ''Did you know "gullible" is written on your ceiling''.

{{w|Gullible}} means easily deceived or naive. This is a game many people play with each other "Whoa, someone wrote 'gullible' in the sky!" "Did you know when you look at the Microsoft logo upside-down it looks like the word 'gullible'?" Those that are gullible check. Those that aren't, don't. In fact they will pointedly not do the thing that the first person has suggested as a show of how non-gullible they are. Black Hat uses this to his advantage to cover up the copious bloodstains on the ceiling and as expected Cueball just says ''Hah. Yeah, right'' and refuses to even gaze at the ceiling.

The title text is hinting that Black Hat has had to cover up killing people several times as this trick has saved him many times. Of course there could also be other things than blood that he had to hide (the money he just stole etc.)

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is holding blood stained rags while Danish is holding an equally bloody mop.]
:Black Hat: Okay, got the blood off the walls.
:Danish: I finished the floor.

:Black Hat: Good; he'll be home any-
:Black Hat: Oh crap! We forgot to clean the ceiling!

:Danish: There's no time!
:Black Hat: Wait, I'll handle it.

:[Cueball with briefcase enters the house.]
:Black Hat: Hi. Did you know "gullible" is written on your ceiling?
:Cueball: Hah. Yeah, right.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

909: Worst-Case Shopping

2015-04-01T12:46:59Z

141.101.98.33: /* Although I get the joke, it was weak because flashlights are widely used during diving */

{{comic
| number = 909
| date = June 8, 2011
| title = Worst-Case Shopping
| image = worst case shopping.png
| titletext = Wait a minute. If I'm escaping from a submarine at 50 meters, then I'll *definitely* need a flashlight to find air pockets for gradual decompression on the way up. Time to start shopping professional dive lights.
}}

==Explanation==
For most people, under most circumstances, a flashlight's water-resistance is a completely moot point, as most flashlight use occurs on dry land. But, [[208|as Randall has shown before]], there is a tendency for people to imagine elaborate scenarios in which an extra edge would be useful.

In the dream sequence over the first 2 and a half frames, Cueball appears to be diving to find a key underwater, which he spots using his flashlight when he is at 8 meters. His flashlight goes out at 10 meters because he bought the "Hi-Brite" model. The dream sequence also references a "radio shed", which were only really used in the past for {{w|amateur radio}}s or some other military style bases/compounds—which would align with his "warn the President" line.

The title text takes Cueball's thought process to the next level (worse-case), because if he is getting a flashlight that works to 40 meters, he should probably be prepared for even deeper waters as well (even worse-case). However, this is seen as ridiculous from his friend, since the more durable model costs 25$ more in return. However, he replies that you never know what situation you'd be in.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is diving in very deep, dark blue water. He shines a flashlight at the sea floor.]
:Cueball (thinks): Eight meters. There's the wreckage... Yes! I see the key!

:[As he swims further toward it, his flashlight starts to cut out.]
:Cueball (thinks): Gotta grab it, surface, get in to the radio shed, and warn the President! Just a few more...
:Flashlight: BZZT FIZZ

:[This panel has no border like the others, and is divided in half diagonally by a thought bubble.]
:[The left half of it is a dark blue thought bubble with the diver inside it. On the right hand side are packaged flashlights hanging on a shelf. The one called Hi-Brite is $24.95 and is labeled "water resistant to 10 meters." The one called "FenStar G6" is $49.95 and says "water resistant to 40 meters."]
:Cueball (thinks): Oh no.

:[Cueball and a friend stand in front of a flashlight display in a store. Cueball looks down at the packages with his hand on his chin in thought. The thought bubble from the previous panel leads from his head. The friend stands behind him.]
:Cueball: ...maybe I should spring for the deeper water resistance.
:Friend: Why on earth would you care about that?
:Cueball: Look, you never know.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1293: Job Interview

2015-03-03T09:53:22Z

141.101.98.33: The building appears real, the comedy comes from the fact that Beret Guy asserting this.

{{comic
| number = 1293
| date = November 20, 2013
| title = Job Interview
| image = job_interview.png
| titletext = When you talk about the job experience you'll give me, why do you pronounce 'job' with a long 'o'?
}}

==Explanation==
Following on from [[1032: Networking|his attempts at networking]], [[Beret Guy]], the oddball of the xkcd cast, conducts an interview for a programmer position at his mysteriously successful company.

Much like most of Beret Guy's interactions with people, Beret Guy is cheerful and upbeat, yet indicates that he has at best a scrambled understanding of how people in this situation normally act. Because of this, the job interview becomes increasingly bizarre, starting with Beret Guy's assertion that the company headquarters is a "real building [he] found", implying that the building's reality might be in question. He says his company makes phone accessories, but then adds, "like apps and stickers," two wildly different products in terms of both production and profitability. He is strangely vague about both the position ("someone to write on our computers") and the salary ("a bunch of paychecks"). Then he mentions ghosts, which is either a powerful disincentive from joining the company, yet another sign that Beret Guy is mentally unsound, or both.

The strip finishes with Beret Guy plugging a cord into an electrical outlet clumsily labeled "Soup," which then, implausibly, actually starts dispensing soup. This is clearly not a normal business.{{Citation needed}} However, this is a typical behaviour of Beret Guy - see a similar example in: [[1395: Power Cord]].

The title text makes reference to the biblical story of {{w|Job (biblical figure)|Job}} (pronounced with a long O to rhyme with globe), who was put through many horrendous ordeals to test Job's faith in God. This suggests that the interviewee will be taking on not a "job experience" but rather a "Job experience" (i.e. the job will be a horrendous ordeal).

Other job interviews were portrayed in [[1094: Interview]] and [[1088: Five Years]].

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy walks in, followed by a...'prospective hire'.]
:Beret Guy: Welcome to our company! We're headquartered here, in this real building I found!

:[Both people sit down at a table. The 'hire' has a tray with food and a beverage. Beret Guy has a bowl. In the adjacent wall, there is a power outlet with a paper label taped to it marked "Soup". A small roll of wire sits next to Beret Guy's chair.]
:'Hire': What do you.. ''do''?
:Beret Guy: We make stuff for phones! Like apps and stickers!

:[Beret Guy grabs the roll of wire.]
:Beret Guy: We want to hire you to write on our computers. We can offer you a bunch of paychecks! There are ghosts here.

:[Beret Guy unrolls the wire and plugs it into the wall.]
:'Hire': ...Are you sure this is a company?
:Beret Guy: I hope so!

:[Soup (or something one can only hope is soup) streams out of the plugged-in wire into Beret Guy's bowl.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]

Talk:1444: Cloud

2014-11-07T11:20:21Z

141.101.98.33:

Is this the normal American way to phrase this sentence: ''Cloud computing has a ways to go.'' Since I'm not a native English speaker I'm not sure - but would have expected the phrase to go like this ''Cloud computing has a long way to go.'' If I'm wrong then maybe other could misunderstand is? If I'm correct, then there may be a meaning by the different way to say it? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:02, 7 November 2014 (UTC)
: It's a colloquial way to say it. See http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/ways . I don't think there is any special meaning to saying it this way. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.33|141.101.98.33]] 11:20, 7 November 2014 (UTC)