explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1405: Meteor

2021-06-05T17:34:31Z

141.101.98.46:

If meteors fall, then what is a meteoric rise? [[User:Rfvtg|Rfvtg]] ([[User talk:Rfvtg|talk]]) 04:54, 8 August 2014 (UTC)
:Fast. [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.120|103.22.201.120]] 08:12, 8 August 2014 (UTC)
:: See [[1115]] for explanation [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 11:19, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

The legend of this comic might refer to pedology, the study of soil. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.87|173.245.53.87]] 06:56, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

But the sky is blue. It is a desaturated blue with a center wavelength of 474 to 476 nm. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffuse_sky_radiation The statement that the sky is "anything but blue" is wrong.[[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 08:34, 8 August 2014 (UTC)ExternalMonolog

does anyone else find the capitalization variation of LAVA vs lava funny? In all seriousness that would make them two different programming variables... However it is hard to notice and isn't clear on what the difference in meaning should be. This is one of the reason for using Object mObject instead of Object object in java.
[[User:Mr.Smiley|Mr.Smiley]] ([[User talk:Mr.Smiley|talk]]) 10:28, 8 August 2014 (UTC)
:I think it might just be for emphasis. The pedantic Cueball is becoming exasperated with the person who's getting it 'wrong'. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.205|173.245.54.205]] 11:30, 8 August 2014 (UTC)
And to everybody who is't a pedantic nerd, it's a rock.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 13:37, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

Is my transcription incomplete? I feel like it is because I published it really early and I have not done many transcriptions here. [[User:InAndOutLand|InAndOutLand]] ([[User talk:InAndOutLand|talk]]) 15:02, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

;JOKE:What has more nutritional value, a small rock in space or a small rock falling from space onto the Earth?

:A small rock falling from space onto the Earth because it is a little meatier(meteor) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.220|108.162.246.220]] 06:24, 9 August 2014 (UTC)

A {{w|meteor}} (follow the link!) ''is not'' an intermediate stage in the lifespan of a chunk of rock between a meteoroid and a meteorite; it is the streak of light ''produced'' by a meteoroid during its descent through the atmosphere. It spoils the joke if we're not pedantic about the pedantry! —[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 08:35, 9 August 2014 (UTC)

Nice. A lot of meteorites on the earths surface today come from broken apart, differentiated asteroidal parent bodies so they ''were'' magma once. The rocky planets have grown through accretion of meteorites so all of the earths magma used to be elsewhere in the solarsystem at the very start. Plus, with temps so high under the crust, anything found down there would be molten and dissolved in the magma anyway and called such. Mark.[[User:Squirreltape|Squirreltape]] ([[User talk:Squirreltape|talk]]) 15:49, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Mnemonic: In the void, meteoroid. On the site, meteorite. Neither/Nor: meteor. {{unsigned|CoderLass}}
:Great. I didn't know this maybe because I'm German. But this is worth for the explain section so I will add this. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:04, 5 November 2014 (UTC)

There is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|community portal discussion]] of what to call Cueball and what to do in case with more than one Cueball. I have added this comic to the new Category:Multiple Cueballs. Since Randall is the one with the hobby and also the one that Cueball represents I have changed the reference to Cueball in this explanation and transcript to represent this fact. I have also made a note of this fact and the fact that the friend looks like Cueball.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:55, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

It's not rocket surgery. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.82|172.69.62.82]] 17:34, 11 July 2018 (UTC)

Is the main cueball 'Rob' or 'Randall'?

1405: Meteor

2021-06-05T17:32:26Z

141.101.98.46: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1405
| date = August 8, 2014
| title = Meteor
| image = meteor.png
| titletext = No, only LAVA is called 'magma' while underground. Any other object underground is called 'lava'.
}}

==Explanation==
This is one of [[Randall]]'s [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] comics. The author makes semantically incorrect statements to frustrate pedantic people who know the correct word, and confuse people who don't know the precise word so they can go on using the wrong word; see also [[1429: Data]]. Since Randall is normally personified by [[Cueball]], it makes most sense to call the one with the hobby Cueball in the explanation below.

Cueball's friend (who also looks like Cueball) walks up to Cueball and tells him that he has found a piece of a "{{w|meteor}}". Cueball corrects him by telling him that what he found is called {{w|magma}}, and that the phrase "a piece of a meteor" would be correct if the object was in the air, once it hits the ground it is called magma. In doing so he attempts to confuse or annoy his friend. In truth, {{w|meteorite}} is the expression for a piece of a {{w|meteoroid}} that has landed; {{w|meteor}} is the term for the streak of light caused by the meteoroid while it falls through the atmosphere. Thus the first statement by him is a (partly) true correction, but the second one is wrong.

The word "{{w|pedant}}ic" means being overly concerned with being precise. It is usually a pejorative term used to refer to someone who is overly fussy and corrects someone's word choice even when the more ambiguous or slightly incorrect term they used was fine for informal communication. One would tend to believe a pedant, as they would usually know what they are pedantic about. So when Cueball is making wrong statements that seem pedantic, he may make people believe him. A volcano that would be the bane of such a pedantic person was depicted in the last panel of [[1714: Volcano Types]], as a direct reference to this comic.

The title text expands on the joke, as if the conversation had continued with a confused friend responding that he thought magma was underground. Cueball attempts to confuse him further by talking about {{w|lava}} which indeed is the expression for magma that has reached the surface. But it's ridiculous to suggest that all other things are called lava when underground. In the sentence he also continues to imply that magma could also be found above ground.

The two sentences thus follow the same pattern with one true but pedantic part to begin with, and then a false statement to confuse the victim.

===Meteor & Magma===
Here is a list of the terminology that is being muddled:
*The descent of a small solid body from space:
**A {{w|meteoroid}} is a small solid body traveling through space outside the atmosphere.
**A {{w|meteor}} is a streak of light produced by a meteoroid as it burns up in the atmosphere.
**A {{w|meteorite}} is a piece of a meteoroid remaining after it strikes the ground.
*Molten rock:
**{{w|Magma}} flows underground.
**{{w|Lava}} has been extruded to a planet's surface, as through volcanic eruption.

A nice English mnemonic helps: In the void, meteoroid. On the site, meteorite. Neither/Nor: meteor.

==Transcript==
:[Cueballs friend walks toward Cueball while holding a rock.]
:Cueball: Check it out - I got a piece of a meteor!
:Randall: ''Actually'', it's only called that while falling. Once it lands, it's called ''magma''.

:[Below the panel:]
:My Hobby: Mixing pedantic terms

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Pedantic]]
[[Category:Volcanoes]] 
[[Category:Astronomy]]

Talk:2472: Fuzzy Blob

2021-06-05T09:12:13Z

141.101.98.46:

That bot description is comedy gold, I think the page is already perfect. "It's a finger." [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.60|141.101.98.60]] 02:30, 5 June 2021 (UTC)
:Really, what more explanation do we need? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.13|172.69.63.13]] 02:39, 5 June 2021 (UTC)
:The only thing I could see being added is if there is a sub joke regarding the historic 4th ave church being unusual. It might just be an unimportant detail, but most of Randell's jokes have something extra behind them.[[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 03:28, 5 June 2021 (UTC)

The NAVY UFOs are the same type of feature; a little bug is inside the camera, sitting on the lens inside the aircraft window. You can see the insects feet, blurry, of course, and you can watch it turn around.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.186|172.69.35.186]] 02:48, 5 June 2021 (UTC)
:Nice of the insects to show up on radar too, for consistency.[[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 03:28, 5 June 2021 (UTC)

The people in the comics are stick figures. Their limbs and appendages are simple lines. Why would they know that the blob in the image is a finger? That’s a construct for the 3D world of people.

----

Someone showed me a photo of a "spirit guide" - a strange glowing fuzzy orb, floating near a group of spiritually-minded people in a dim room. I thought a few minutes, threw a pinch of flour into the air in a dim room, took a flash photo, and there were dozens of little fuzzy orbs in the photo! [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.72|172.69.35.72]] 06:29, 5 June 2021 (UTC)
:That's why ghosts are white, obviously. They keep throwing flour around, and end up covering themselves. ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.36|141.101.98.36]] 08:54, 5 June 2021 (UTC)

Will there be an explanation of “zoning permits” joke? Sounds like something local to US. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.122|162.158.222.122]] 07:02, 5 June 2021 (UTC)
: I just did add something, but without seeing your request here so maybe I need to dig up a Wikilink for that definition in particular. But I always understood Zoning Permits as being roughly equivalent to Planning Permissions in the UK, or close enough. That's from my exposure to US films/TV, where it can be a (usually) minor plot-point. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.36|141.101.98.36]] 08:54, 5 June 2021 (UTC)
: Addendum: Yeah, it's like Planning Permission (skewed towards Land Use designations, but the two systems are overlapping in concept). What I found funny was that "Euclidean zoning" was ''not'' actually named for the coordinate system. ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.46|141.101.98.46]] 09:12, 5 June 2021 (UTC)

2471: Hippo Attacks

2021-06-03T09:48:48Z

141.101.98.46: /* Explanation */ Started in eliminating a repetition, took the non-question out of the list of questions, then also modified the wave-count qualification in a couple of key ways. (Not sure about the 'bluntly' aside, but retained it.)

{{comic
| number = 2471
| date = June 2, 2021
| title = Hippo Attacks
| image = hippo_attacks.png
| titletext = It's cool how, when there's a number lots of people are curious about, but which isn't easy to measure, some random guess will get cited everywhere and become the universally quoted value. Unrelatedly, did you know there are 850 trillion waves in the ocean?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HIPAA-VIOLATING HIPPO. I think we have managed to capture the broad strokes of the comic, but it could use some copy-editing (especially my words), and I am not confident I am not missing some finer details. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The first part of this comic deals with unreliable sources on the internet. Neither "viral posts" nor "random listicles" are usually very reliable sources of information. They rarely cite their sources, and they are often published without much fact-checking, as published volume and impressive-sounding numbers are far more important for ad-revenue than actual facts.

The viral post appears to be [https://www.facebook.com/clickhole/photos/a.1461385317435063/2945077732399140/?type=3 this Facebook post.] The relevant source is unknown. There are a number of listicles Cueball may be referring to, but they all appear to be citing [https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-Lethal-Animal-Mosquito-Week the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.]

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ({{w|HIPAA}}, pronounced ''HIP-uh'') is an American healthcare law enacted in 1996. One of the most commonly cited provisions from HIPAA is the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which regulates the use and disclosure of protected health information.

In this comic, Cueball and Megan are discussing the number of {{w|hippopotamus}} attacks, which is unverified. Megan proposes an alternative explanation as to why this particular number is hard to come by: it would be violating the patients' privacy to create statistics of a very specific and unusual cause of death. The punchline comes with the pun on "hippo violation" ("HIPAA violation").

The title text amplifies the criticism of listicles. They sometimes provide factoids with regards to ill-defined, hard-to-measure numbers, and these factoids might end up in common circulation between such articles. One extreme example would be the number of waves in the ocean. Some problems with this definition would be:

* In which ocean/oceans?
* What is the smallest ripple that counts as a wave?
* When does one count two interacting waves as separate, and when does one count them as one?

With different replies to these questions, wildly different answers could be reached. But, counting every body of water on the planet, this works out as around 400 (unique) waves per square meter, which is — to put it bluntly — a very agitated, complex and non-coherent surface.

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

:[Cueball sits at his computer desk, facing left. Megan stands behind him.]
:Cueball: I hate unsourced statistics.
:Cueball: ''This'' viral post says hippos kill 2,900 people a year, but ''this'' random listicle says 500.
:Megan: Makes sense.
:Megan: Publishing the real number would be a hippo violation.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Puns]]

Talk:2467: Wikipedia Caltrops

2021-05-24T16:37:54Z

141.101.98.46:

seems more like flares (which distract) than caltrops (which physically impair) to me. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.122|162.158.222.122]] 16:31, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

I'd say "Well, I now know what I'm doing for the next few hours!", except that I suspect that this isn't even going to be the half of it... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.46|141.101.98.46]] 16:37, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2467: Wikipedia Caltrops

2021-05-24T16:37:09Z

141.101.98.46:

Talk:2467: Wikipedia Caltrops

2021-05-24T16:36:09Z

141.101.98.46:

seems more like flares (which distract) than caltrops (which physically impair) to me. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.122|162.158.222.122]] 16:31, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

I'd say "Well, I now know what I'm doing for the next few hoursx, except that I suspect that this isn't even going to be the half of it...

Talk:2463: Astrophotography

2021-05-15T17:16:43Z

141.101.98.46:

So are any of those "balls" actually sunspots or the transit of Venus or something?
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.227|173.245.54.227]] 22:47, 14 May 2021 (UTC)

This looks like Destin from Smarter Every Day's lunar eclipse shot https://youtu.be/Nk0MRxXqo9s?t=610
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.78|108.162.219.78]] 23:20, 14 May 2021 (UTC)Yeedle
:Destin also caught the ISS transiting during a previous eclipse: https://youtu.be/lepQoU4oek4?t=230 [[User:Astroboy|Astroboy]] ([[User talk:Astroboy|talk]]) 02:11, 15 May 2021 (UTC)
::Yes and that was probably the one that needed to on up so I have added this to the explanation, before I read this coment. The other video has not much to do with transit. But that was also really cool, and I had not seen that one so thx. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:42, 15 May 2021 (UTC)

This is actually really cool. [[User:ISaveXKCDpapers|ISaveXKCDpapers]] ([[User talk:ISaveXKCDpapers|talk]]) 02:26, 15 May 2021 (UTC)

It might have been better with two planes that didn't look like they were dangerously within normal flight separation distances. Given they're not obviously 1000ft (300m) vertically apart (and very likely in Opposite Conflict, heading-wise) horizontal separation depthwise to the image should make the two similar models towing (similarly-sized?) banners noticeably off-scale to each other, even with the extreme foreshortening from the much distant cameraman. (Maybe the viewing angle 'up the mountain' would provide sufficient composite diagonal separation to comply with Reduced Flight Levels for two planes obeying hemispherical RVSM, but still with notable off-scaling.) They could be a stunt-pair, of course, asked for and given ATC dispensation (further complicated by the banner-towing) to cross absurdly close (by normal, sane standards) as per a fast-jet criss-cross at an airshow. It might have been even more impressive if one had been a notably 'bigger' class of plane (but silouetted at the same or smaller size) towing a similarly (give or take) rescaled banner. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.131|162.158.158.131]] 02:43, 15 May 2021 (UTC)

I am really looking forward to seeing the simultaneous Eclipse and Transit of Venus [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.18|108.162.249.18]] 03:46, 15 May 2021 (UTC)
:I look forward to reading Comic #2070397(ish?), and seeing if Randall revisits this! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.122|162.158.159.122]] 13:19, 15 May 2021 (UTC)
The comic appears to say "one-upsmanship" rather than "one-upmanship". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.46|141.101.98.46]] 17:16, 15 May 2021 (UTC)

2090: Feathered Dinosaur Venn Diagram

2019-01-01T12:10:48Z

141.101.98.46: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2090
| date = December 26, 2018
| title = Feathered Dinosaur Venn Diagram
| image = feathered_dinosaur_venn_diagram.png
| titletext = My pet theory is that in real life, the kid at the beginning of Jurassic Park who made fun of the 'six-foot turkey' never got a talking-to from Dr. Grant, and grew up to produce several of the movie's sequels.
}}

==Explanation==
Translated plainly, this comic reads "People who don't think feathered dinosaurs sound scary, have never tried to fight an ostrich."

This comic is a jab at people who dismiss the idea feathered dinosaurs sound scary. Adding feathers to a reptile can trigger a cognitive dissonance; people today see feathers and think of harmless birds. However, the {{w|Ostrich|ostrich}} (and a few other avian species, which are {{w|Origin of Birds|feathered dinosaurs}}) are in fact deadly. The diagram points out that anyone who has tried to fight an ostrich would be scared of a dinosaur with feathers, and anyone who thinks a feathered dinosaur doesn't sound scary has never tried to fight one. The two groups of people are exclusive because the two circles do not overlap.

Ostriches are not typically considered scary or dangerous because its appearance is comical or awkward to most people; they also are not typically aggressive, choosing to use its great speed to outrun predators rather than fight them. In reality, however, ostriches are much larger than a human and will attack when cornered or when their family is threatened; their powerful legs can kick hard enough to kill lions and other predators, and their feet are equipped with large claws which can disembowel a human. Thus, the actual experience of fighting an ostrich would quickly convince any human that ostriches (and by extension feathered dinosaurs) are, in fact, scary.

The title text refers to "[http://jurassicpark.wikia.com/wiki/Volunteer_Boy Volunteer Boy]", a kid in the beginning of Jurassic Park who dismisses a raptor fossil as a "six-foot turkey". Dr. Grant uses a fossil of a raptor talon to imply that a raptor would slice open his belly and eat him while he's still alive. This scares the kid into respecting the raptor. The title text theorizes that if he didn't get that pep talk, and continued to think of dinosaurs as "six-foot turkeys", then he would grow up to make some of the contested sequels in the franchise. Raptors play a central role throughout the series of movies, with some even being trained by a raptor handler like dogs.

[[Technically]], the diagram is an {{w|Euler diagram}}, rather than a {{w|Venn diagram}}. A Venn diagram shows all possible combinations of two sets, including those with no elements, and as such all of the circles must intersect. An Euler diagram only depicts the non-empty combinations, and therefore does not have this constraint. However, this is a technicality, and many people use the words interchangeably.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[The comic shows a rectangular panel containing two circles, side by side and not intersecting. A caption is underneath each circle.]
:[Left circle caption:]
:People Who Don't Think Feathered Dinosaurs Sound Scary
:[Right circle caption:]
:People Who Have Tried To Fight An Ostrich

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Jurassic Park]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Euler diagrams]]

Talk:2088: Schwarzschild's Cat

2018-12-22T10:23:38Z

141.101.98.46: An aside. Hope no one minds.

I think the biggest question is, what is that arrow on the left is pointing at? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.82|162.158.146.82]] 22:46, 21 December 2018 (UTC)

This is likely a cross between the Schwarzschild Radius and Schrodinger's cat. Below the Schwarzschild Radius, you can't tell how cute the cat is because you can't see it, just like you can't tell if the cat is alive or dead in the box. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:08, 21 December 2018 (UTC)

The title text has nothing to do with Hawking radiation - it's referencing a phenomenon that happens near a black hole's event horizon. As you observe an object falling toward the black hole, when it reaches the event horizon it appears to you to be frozen in place, and gradually fades to black. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE5PNbsUERE

: I agree - I was going to make the same comment. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:34, 21 December 2018 (UTC)

However, Hawking radiation describes the decay of black holes and so the black hole would get smaller and smaller, but I believe that you are also correct.
[[User:Gollum|Gollum]] ([[User talk:Gollum|talk]]) 16:32, 21 December 2018 (UTC)

For the title text, I thought of the Cheshire Cat. [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]]) 23:31, 21 December 2018 (UTC)

No offence Elvenivle, but I don't think this has anything to do with the Cheshire Cat. I vote we change it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.244|108.162.245.244]] 23:35, 21 December 2018 (UTC)
:I vote against. Wonderland has everything to do with quantum physics. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 01:20, 22 December 2018 (UTC)

'''Going off on a tangent'''

Sorry, I know this has got nothing to do with explaining the above comic, but when I read the title text a thought struck me: if the cat is getting cuter and cuter as it shrinks, a cat lover will get happier and happier as it increases in cuteness. However there will be a point that the cat lover will become sadder as they realise that the cat is going to disappear from their view forever. I would be interested in seeing the curve of cat lover's happiness against cat size, and seeing if we can determine the optimum size for "Cat Cuteness".

And now, having defined the unit CC, I am never going to be able to watch a medical drama in the same way again... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.46|141.101.98.46]] 10:23, 22 December 2018 (UTC)

2086: History Department

2018-12-17T19:17:47Z

141.101.98.46: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2086
| date = December 17, 2018
| title = History Department
| image = history_department.png
| titletext = When we take into account the recent discovery of previously-unstudied history in the 1750s, this year may have been an outright loss.
}}

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

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

[Ponytail at podium]

[Presentation behind listing dates studied: November 1833, April 19-22 1979, May 21-25 585 BCE, June-August 1848, and May 16 2001]

Ponytail: 2018 was a productive year for our history department - we were able to fully analyse over four months of history.

Ponytail: Unfortunately, over that time period, an entire new year of history was produced.

Ponytail: I'm afraid we`re falling behind.

{{comic discussion}}

2086: History Department

2018-12-17T19:11:50Z

141.101.98.46: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2086
| date = December 17, 2018
| title = History Department
| image = history_department.png
| titletext = When we take into account the recent discovery of previously-unstudied history in the 1750s, this year may have been an outright loss.
}}

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

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

[Ponytail at podium]

Ponytail: 2018 was a productive year for our history department - we were able to fully analyse over four months of history.

Ponytail: Unfortunately, over that time period, an entire new year of history was produced.

Ponytail: I'm afraid we`re falling behind.

{{comic discussion}}

825: Guest Week: Jeffrey Rowland (Overcompensating)

2018-07-01T22:08:27Z

141.101.98.46: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 825
| date = November 25, 2010
| title = Guest Week: Jeffrey Rowland (Overcompensating)
| image = guest_week_jeffrey_rowland_overcompensating.png
| titletext = Guest comic by Jeffrey Rowland of Overcompensating/Wigu. Jeffrey is famous as the picture on the Wikipedia article on 'Necrosis'.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] himself (looking like [[Black Hat]]) is talking to {{w|Jeffrey Rowland}} (sitting with a drink), who writes the popular webcomics [http://www.overcompensating.com Overcompensating] and [http://www.wigucomics.com/adventures/index.php Wigu]. That it is supposed to be these two real people is clear from the [http://xkcd.com/825/info.0.json official transcript] on xkcd.

This may be a reference to Scott Adams' {{w|God's Debris}}, in which a delivery guy has a long conversation about the nature of the universe with an old man. While often dealing with complex questions, the old man in the story presents arguments in a very straightforward way. Some have called some of the arguments in the book very clever and original, albeit overly simplistic. This comic could be a parody on that style of philosophy. The ridiculous theory of Jeffrey's about the correlation between Dark Matter and consciousness is perhaps a reference to Dust in author Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, in which Dust is the associated particle with the Rusakov "consciousness" field, interpreted in our universe as Dark Matter. He then postulates that the reason we can't see dark matter is that we are conscious ourselves, alluding to the urban legend that, much like how a watched pot never boils, the mailman will never deliver if you are watching. He then moves on to the subject of ghosts, perpetuating the idea of how far-flung and implausible his "theories" are.

Traditionally, {{w|turkey (meat)|turkey}} is the main dish of the U.S. {{w|Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving}} holiday. Thus, the theory mentioned in the last panel is that {{w|Turkey (animal)|turkeys}} started the holiday in order to drive themselves to extinction. This is a reference to the {{w|Voluntary Human Extinction Movement}}.

The title text is completely true: After a brown recluse spider bit him, {{w|Jeffrey Rowland|Rowland}} started experiencing cell death in his leg. Although the wound itself is benign, it still is featured in Wikipedia articles (such as {{w|Loxoscelism}}). [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rowland_recluse_bite.jpg This] is the picture of the leg and [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Necrotic_leg_wound.png this] is the famous picture in the Necrosis article.

''Guest Week'' was a series of five comics written by five other comic authors. They were released over five consecutive days (Monday-Friday); not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule. 
The five comics are:
*[[822: Guest Week: Jeph Jacques (Questionable Content)]]
*[[823: Guest Week: David Troupes (Buttercup Festival)]]
*[[824: Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)]]
*[[825: Guest Week: Jeffrey Rowland (Overcompensating)]]
*[[826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)]]

==Transcript==
:[Jeffrey Rowland and Randall wearing a black hat are sitting together. There is a big globe between them. Mr. Rowland has a drink with a small umbrella over it.]
:Jeffrey Rowland: But enough of my theories about Thanksgiving. The ''real'' reason we're here is to discuss my hypothesis that dark matter ''itself'' is what consciousness is made of...

:[The frame focuses on Jeffrey Rowland.]
:Jeffrey Rowland: Unobservable to anything that is itself conscious in much the same way the mail-man won't deliver your mail if you are watching the mail-box

:[Mr. Rowland raises his drink. The globe is now much smaller than in the first frame.]
:Jeffrey Rowland: Which brings us to my theory about ghosts-
:Randall Munroe: Wait did you just say Thanksgiving was invented by the ''Turkey Voluntary Extinction Movement?''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Guest Week]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]

Talk:825: Guest Week: Jeffrey Rowland (Overcompensating)

2018-07-01T18:45:18Z

141.101.98.46:

The Turkey Voluntary Extinction Movement has to be a riff on the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (www.vhemt.org [I'm not sure what the "t" is doing there] ). Alas, their primary purpose seems to be selling TShirts (their site concludes with the FAQ Question: How do I order stickers, T-shirts, and stuff?)[[User:Traveller|Traveller]] ([[User talk:Traveller|talk]]) 23:06, 23 October 2013 (UTC)
: The "t" is probably there so the acronym can be pronounced [http://www.vhemt.org/aboutvhemt.htm#vhemt "vehement"]. And the lack of organization is probably because it ''is'' no organization but a movement, i.e. just some people advertising an ideology. Their primary purpose is to convince you not to have kids. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 14:11, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

The Globe shrinks noticeably between the first and last panels. --[[User:ParadoX|ParadoX]] ([[User talk:ParadoX|talk]]) 01:00, 4 April 2014 (UTC)

I believe that was intentional. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.51}}

Removed the bit about supposed turkey stupidity. There's no evidence (aside from "everybody knows/says" type arguments) to support it, and plenty to discredit the assertion. See, for example: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/release/2003/11/osu-animal-scientist-debunks-dumb-turkey-myth [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 10:33, 17 July 2014 (UTC)

Perhaps the dark matter/consciousness correlation is a reference to Dust in Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials"?

1002: Game AIs

2016-06-18T10:43:07Z

141.101.98.46: /* Solved */

{{comic
| number = 1002
| date = January 11, 2012
| title = Game AIs
| image = game_ais.png
| titletext = The top computer champion at Seven Minutes in Heaven is a Honda-built Realdoll, but to date it has been unable to outperform the human Seven Minutes in Heaven champion, Ken Jennings.
}}

==Explanation==
To understand the comic, you have to understand what the games are, so let's go (but first, the years in parenthesis in the comic are the year that the game was mastered by a computer):

===Solved===

: These games are considered "solved", meaning the ideal maneuver for each game state (Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Four) or each of the limited starting positions (Checkers) has already been calculated. Computers aren't so much playing as they are recalculating the list of ideal maneuvers. The same could be said for the computer's human opponent, just at a slower pace.

*'''{{w|Tic-tac-toe}}''' or '''Noughts and Crosses''' in most of the rest of the British Commonwealth countries is a pencil-and-paper game for two players, X and O, who take turns marking the spaces in a 3×3 grid. This game nearly always ends in a tie, regardless of whether humans or computers play it, because the total number of positions is small.

*'''{{w|Nim}}''' is a mathematical game of strategy in which two players take turns removing objects from distinct heaps. On each turn, a player must remove at least one object, and may remove any number of objects provided they all come from the same heap.

*'''{{w|Ghost (game)|Ghost}}''' is a spoken word game in which players take turns adding letters to a growing word fragment. The loser is the first person who completes a valid word or who creates a fragment that cannot be the start of a word.

*'''{{w|Connect Four}}''' (or '''Captain's Mistress''', '''Four Up''', '''Plot Four''', '''Find Four''', '''Fourplay''', '''Four in a Row''', '''Four in a Line''') is a two-player game in which the players first choose a color and then take turns dropping their colored discs from the top into a seven-column, six-row vertically-suspended grid.

*'''{{w|Gomoku}}''' (or '''Gobang''', '''Five in a Row''') is an abstract strategy board game. It is traditionally played with go pieces (black and white stones) on a go board (19x19 intersections); however, because once placed, pieces are not moved or removed from the board, gomoku may also be played as a paper and pencil game. This game is known in several countries under different names.
:Black plays first, and players alternate in placing a stone of their color on an empty intersection. The winner is the first player to get an unbroken row of five stones horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

*'''{{w|Draughts|Checkers}}''' (in the United States, or '''draughts''' in the United Kingdom) is a group of strategy board games for two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform game pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over opponent pieces.

===Computers Beat Humans===

:The below games cannot be "solved" due to the factors of random numbers, a near-infinite{{Citation needed}} number of starting positions, or the existence of multiple "ideal" maneuvers for each position. That said, a computer's faster reaction time, higher degree of consistency in making the right decision, and reduced risk of user error make the computer objectively better than the human opponent in nearly all situations.

*'''{{w|Scrabble}}''' is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a gameboard marked with a 15-by-15 grid.

*'''{{w|Counter-Strike|CounterStrike}}''' most likely refers to the popular multiplayer shooter video game about terrorists and counter-terrorists. Counter-Strike is notorious for the large variety of cheating tools that have been made for it; a computer would have essentially perfect accuracy and reflexes, essentially making it the {{w|aimbot}} from hell. It is theoretically possible for a skilled player to beat an AI, but it would be ''extremely'' difficult to do so.

*'''{{w|Beer pong}}''' (or '''Beirut''') is a drinking game in which players throw a ping pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in a cup of beer on the other end.
:[http://hacknmod.com/hack/beer-pong-robot-precision-air-pressure/ Here's the video] of the University of Illinois robot mentioned in the comic.

*'''{{w|Reversi}}''' (marketed by Pressman under the trade name '''Othello''') is a board game involving abstract strategy and played by two players on a board with 8 rows and 8 columns and a set of distinct pieces for each side. Pieces typically are disks with a light and a dark face, each face belonging to one player. The player's goal is to have a majority of their colored pieces showing at the end of the game, turning over as many of their opponent's pieces as possible.

*'''{{w|Chess}}''' is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. Each player begins the game with sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns, each of these types of pieces moving differently.
:The note mentions "the first game to be won by a chess-playing computer against a reigning world champion under normal chess tournament conditions", in the {{w|Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov}} match on February 10, 1996, and the [http://en.chessbase.com/post/bilbao-the-humans-strike-back Ponomariov vs Fritz] game in the Man vs Machine World Team Championship on November 21, 2005, considered the "last win by a human against top computer".

*'''{{w|Jeopardy!}}''' is an American quiz show featuring trivia in history, literature, the arts, pop culture, science, sports, geography, wordplay, and more. The show has a unique answer-and-question format in which contestants are presented with clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in question form.
:Ken Jennings, mentioned in the title text, is a famous Jeopardy champion who was beaten by {{w|Watson (computer)|Watson}}, an IBM computer.

===Humans Beat Computers===

:The below games are incredibly difficult to "solve" due to the near-infinite number of possible positions. Computers built in the early 21st century would take years to calculate a single "ideal" move. Worse, the human opponent has the ability to "bluff"; that is, to make a bad move, thus baiting the computer into a trap. Complex algorithms have been devised to make moves in a reasonable timeframe, but so far they are all highly vulnerable to bluffing. As mentioned in the comic, focused research and development is working on refining these algorithms to play the games better.

*'''{{w|StarCraft}}''' is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game. The game revolves around three species fighting for dominance in a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy known as the Koprulu Sector: the Terrans, humans exiled from Earth skilled at adapting to any situation; the Zerg, a race of insectoid aliens in pursuit of genetic perfection, obsessed with assimilating other races; and the Protoss, a humanoid species with advanced technology and psionic abilities, attempting to preserve their civilization and strict philosophical way of living from the Zerg. While even average Starcraft players can defeat the AIs that originally shipped with the games, Starcraft has since been adopted as a standard benchmark for AI research, largely because of its excellent balance. Thanks to that attention, computers can now challenge some expert players, and the trend does not look promising for human players.

*'''{{w|Poker}}''' is a family of card games involving betting and individualistic play whereby the winner is determined by the ranks and combinations of their cards, some of which remain hidden until the end of the game. It is also, however, a game of deception and intimidation, the ubiquitous "poker face" being considered the most important part of the game.

*'''{{w|Arimaa}}''' is a two-player abstract strategy board game that can be played using the same equipment as chess. Arimaa was designed to be more difficult for artificial intelligences to play than chess. Arimaa was invented by Omar Syed, an Indian American computer engineer trained in artificial intelligence. Syed was inspired by Garry Kasparov's defeat at the hands of the chess computer Deep Blue to design a new game which could be played with a standard chess set, would be difficult for computers to play well, but would have rules simple enough for his then four-year-old son Aamir to understand. On April 18, 2015, a computer won [http://arimaa.com/arimaa/challenge/ the "Arimaa Challenge"], so this comic is now out of date with respect to Arimaa; it should move above ''Starcraft'' or ''Jeopardy!''.

*'''{{w|Go (game)|Go}}''' is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. The game is noted for being rich in strategy despite its relatively simple rules. The game is played by two players who alternately place black and white stones on the vacant intersections (called "points") of a grid of 19×19 lines (beginners often play on smaller 9×9 and 13×13 boards). The object of the game is to use one's stones to control a larger amount of territory of the board than the opponent. '''Update:''' on March 15, 2016, Google's {{w|AlphaGo versus Lee Sedol|AlphaGo beat Lee Sedol}}, who was often seen as the dominant human player over the last decade, 4 games to 1 in a widely viewed match, and {{w|Computer Go}} was expected to become more dominant over time.

*'''{{w|Snakes and Ladders}}''' (or '''Chutes and Ladders''') is an ancient Indian {{w|race game}}, where the moves are decided entirely by die rolls. A number of tiles are connected by pictures of ladders and snakes (or chutes) which makes the game piece jump forward or backward, respectively. Since the game is decided by pure chance, it occupies the limbo where a computer will always be ''exactly'' as likely to win as a human (which might mean it should be located right between 'humans beat computers' and 'computers beat humans').

===Computers cannot compete===

*'''{{w|Mao (card game)|Mao}}''' (or '''Mau''') is a card game of the Shedding family, in which the aim is to get rid of all of the cards in hand without breaking certain unspoken rules. The game is from a subset of the Stops family, and is similar in structure to the card game Uno.
:The game forbids its players from explaining the rules, and new players are often told only "the only rule you may be told is this one." The ultimate goal of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all the cards in their hand. Computers would have a difficult time integrating into Mao either because they would know all the rules -- and thus be disqualified or simply ignored by the players -- or would need a complicated learning engine that quite simply doesn't exist.

*'''{{w|Seven minutes in heaven|Seven Minutes in Heaven}}''' is a teenagers' party game first recorded as being played in Cincinnati in the early 1950s. Two people are selected to go into a closet or other dark enclosed space and do whatever they like for seven minutes. Sexual activities are allowed; however kissing and making out are more common.
:As the game is focused on human interaction, there's not a whole lot a modern computer can ''do'' in the closet. It would need some kind of robotic body in order to interact with its human partner, and emotion engines that could feel pleasure and displeasure in order to make decisions. The title text claims that {{w|Honda|Honda Motor Company}} has invented a "{{w|RealDoll}}" (sex toy shaped like a mannequin) with rudimentary Seven Minutes in Heaven capabilities, but they pale in comparison to a human's.

And finally
*'''{{w|Calvin and Hobbes#Calvinball|Calvinball}}''' is a reference to the comic strip {{w|Calvin and Hobbes}} by {{w|Bill Watterson}}.
:Calvinball is a game played by Calvin and Hobbes as a rebellion against organized team sports; according to Hobbes, "No sport is less organized than Calvinball!" Calvinball was first introduced to the readers at the end of a 1990 storyline involving Calvin reluctantly joining recess baseball. It quickly became a staple of the comic afterwards.
:The only hint at the true creation of the game ironically comes from the last Calvinball strip, in which a game of football quickly devolves into a game of Calvinball. Calvin remarks that "sooner or later, all our games turn into Calvinball," suggesting a similar scenario that directly led to the creation of the sport. Calvin and Hobbes usually play by themselves, although in one storyline Rosalyn (Calvin's baby-sitter) plays in return for Calvin doing his homework, and plays very well once she realizes that the rules are made up on the spot.
:The only consistent rule states that Calvinball may never be played with the same rules twice. Scoring is also arbitrary, with Hobbes at times reporting scores of "Q to 12" and "oogy to boogy." The only recognizable sports Calvinball resembles are the ones it emulates (i.e., a cross between croquet, polo, badminton, capture the flag, and volleyball.)
::Long story short, the game is a manifestation of pure chaos and the human imagination, far beyond the meager capabilities of silicon and circuitry.

==Transcript==
:Difficulty of Various Games for Computers

:[A diagram. The left column describes various levels of skill for the most capable computers in decreasing performance against humans. The right side lists games in each particular section, in increasing game difficulty. There are labels denoting the hard and easy ends of the diagram.]

:'''Easy'''
:{| class="wikitable" style="background:white;" align="center"
| rowspan="6" | Solved Computers can play perfectly
| rowspan="4" | Solved for all possible positions
| Tic-tac-toe
|-
| Nim
|-
| Ghost (1989)
|-
| Connect Four (1995)
|-
| rowspan="2" | Solved for starting positions
| Gomoku
|-
| Checkers (2007)
|-
| rowspan="6" colspan="2" | Computers can beat top humans
| Scrabble
|-
| CounterStrike
|-
| Beer Pong (UIUC robot)
|-
| Reversi
|-
| Chess<div style="font-size:smaller; text-align:left;">
* February 10, 1996: First win by computer against top human
* November 21, 2005: Last win by human against top computer
</div>
|-
| Jeopardy
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="5" | Computers still lose to top humans
(but focused R&D could change this)
| StarCraft
|-
| Poker
|-
| Arimaa
|-
| Go
|-
| rowspan="2" | Snakes and Ladders
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="4" | Computers may ''never'' outplay humans
|-
| Mao
|-
| Seven Minutes in Heaven
|-
| Calvinball
|}
:'''Hard'''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Chess]]
[[Category:Calvin and Hobbes]]

Talk:365: Slides

2014-02-14T01:15:24Z

141.101.98.46:

I believe that the title text actually implies that the conference in the comic '''is''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIGGRAPH SIGGRAPH].{{unsigned ip|184.41.49.246}}

And what? The organization and/or the venue the convention is being held in haven't hired security guards who ARE able to throw you out?[[Special:Contributions/121.222.232.156|121.222.232.156]] 07:45, 13 September 2013 (UTC)

The conference in the comic is SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group in Graphics). Cueball/Randall has taken the name to mean that the conference audience would be interested in graphs.

1014: Car Problems

2014-02-14T00:58:33Z

141.101.98.46: more photography stuff

{{comic
| number = 1014
| date = February 8, 2012
| title = Car Problems
| image = car_problems.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Or if you replace your car, we'll be happy to set it on fire again so you can take another crack at getting that shot.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|details are not explained.}}
[[Megan]]'s friends ([[Black Hat]], [[Danish]], and [[Cueball]]) take the phrase "Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture?" literally and are critiquing the style and composition of the picture but not the subject. Megan is hoping that they have any insight to why her car was on fire this morning and not a photography critique.

The title text reveals that the audience further (acted as if they) assumed, based on Megan having asked about the picture and its defects, that her primary concern was to work out how to get a better picture - hence their offer to help recreate the scene. In fact, Megan's question indicates that she is more concerned with the car, and suggests that she may suspect that one or more of her audience is responsible for or knows more about the circumstances leading to the car being on fire.

Some more on the details to digital photo critics:
*White balance:
*Focus is a bit too close:
*Chromatic aberration: coloured artifacts in an image, typically caused by a cheap lenses, which do not focus light of different wavelengths (and this different colours) in the same way
*Megapixels: This is the number of image sensor elements of digital cameras or the pixels on digital displays. More pixels improve the resolution but also result in less overall quality for the pictures, due in part to the reduced size of each pixel sensor (because the total sensor size is typically the same for a given class of camera), and because for consumer a targeted products the total engineering budget is limited, so that extra money spent on a high megapixel sensor ends up reducing the money spent on other more critical elements such as the lenses.

==Transcript==
:[Megan stands in front of a projection of a car, with an audience of 3 people. One of the people is Black Hat, the others are Danish and Cueball.]
:Megan: Attention Please. This is a photo of my car as of two weeks ago.

:[Megan in front of a new projection of the same car engulfed in flames.]
:Megan: And ''this'' is my car as I found it this morning. Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture?

:[The audience ponders.]

:Cueball: The white balance, for one.
:Danish: Focus is a bit too close.
:Black Hat: The chromatic aberration suggests you bought your camera because it had "The most megapixels".

:Megan: '''''THE CAR IS ON FIRE!'''''
:Comment from audience: Maybe you should use the insurance money to get a better camera.
:Comment from different person: yeah

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

Talk:908: The Cloud

2014-02-14T00:39:39Z

141.101.98.46:

iCloud is not a music service. It was released (around?) the same time as iTunes Match, which is Apple's online music service. iCloud replaced MobileMe as Apple's online data storage and email service (and Calendar, Notes, Contacts, and Reminders). Also, it provides access to Find My iPhone. [[Special:Contributions/75.69.96.225|75.69.96.225]] 21:41, 4 March 2013 (UTC)
:And just by the way, it was the original name of cloudme.com before Apple evidently acquired the rights from them. --[[Special:Contributions/79.222.27.115|79.222.27.115]] 22:57, 31 August 2013 (UTC)
Could this also be a reference to rose petals? (#1183)--[[User:Mralext20|Mralext20]] ([[User talk:Mralext20|talk]]) 01:00, 8 December 2013 (UTC)
I think BlackHat is being logical (Spock-like, if you will) - he really doesn't consider the "trip hazard" (to passersby or to the cloud services or their users).
Also I don't think cable modem is meant to have an italicised 'cable' - that emphasis is wrong.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.46|141.101.98.46]] 00:39, 14 February 2014 (UTC)randomstranger