explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3086: Globe Safety

2025-05-08T10:23:08Z

141.101.98.83:

Hello! First time i got to a comic first --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.176.76|172.69.176.76]] 06:17, 8 May 2025 (UTC){{unsigned ip|104.23.175.202}}
:Well [[269: TCM|first of all]] remember to sign your comments :-). But congratz... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:42, 8 May 2025 (UTC)
::Sorry.
::I now realize that that was an extremely trollish thing to do. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.92.140|172.70.92.140]] 07:09, 8 May 2025 (UTC) ٠ـ٠
:: Also i MAY OR MAY NOT have permanently altered the editing process of this talk by including arabic numbers in an emoticon.

I believe he indicates that a globe is made by making a copy of the Earth, and then compressing it until it fits on a desktop. Hence having the same mass and thus the same Schwarzschild radius as Earth. I have changed the explanation a bit because of this observation.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:42, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Gotta wonder what kind of a desk could support a desktop globe that weighs as much as the Earth
--[[User:StumbleRunner|StumbleRunner]]
:[...] desk? Convince me that such a globe wouldn't plunge straight through the Earth's crust and into the mantle. I sense a marketing problem. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.69|172.71.147.69]] 07:07, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Radius. <s>Is there a typo in the comic where 7/10" should be 7/20", i.e., 0.35" as later written? Or would a 7/10" Earth collapse into a black hole nonetheless?</s>[[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.129|172.71.154.129]] 06:40, 8 May 2025 (UTC)
:Nope… the Schwarzchild radius is 0.35", which is indeed 7/20", but the measurement shown on the globe is the diameter, not the radius, so 7/10" is correct. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.143|172.71.178.143]] 06:49, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Isn't there also a jab at the weird way USsians use power-of-two fractions for inch measurements? I've never seen something like 7/10" before, it would be approximated as 11/16".[[Special:Contributions/172.71.95.69|172.71.95.69]] 09:18, 8 May 2025 (UTC)
: It isn't a weird USian thing - it's just the historical way that inches (being a non-metric unit) were divided. The same way that an inch is a 1/12 division of a foot, which is a 1/3 division of a yard, etc. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.83|141.101.98.83]] 10:23, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2980: Lava Lakes

2024-09-04T20:35:36Z

141.101.98.83:

yoo wait this is cool first yay [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 01:05, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

yoo [[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.159|172.70.230.159]] 01:24, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

:Bro Why'd you delete my comment [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 01:29, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

::the wiki is a strange place where sometimes two people edit at the same time and it causes funny things [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]]{{citation needed}} 01:34, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

Third post! [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 01:29, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

we're so back [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]]{{citation needed}} 01:52, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

I do not think this current discussion is actually about XKCD at all, much less this comic. Perhaps the internet itself is that sixth lava lake, with all the hot mess it contains. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.22.253|172.68.22.253]] 02:54, 3 September 2024 (UTC)
: What was this "internet"? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.151.74|172.71.151.74]] 13:51, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

In fact, the Volcano Golf Course [https://volcanogc.com] is built on an active volcano, Kilauea.

: Also on Hawaii Island is the [https://www.fourseasons.com/hualalai/golf/ Hualalai Golf Course], which is one of several that have been built on the {{w|Hualalai}} volcano, which erupts less frequently than Kilauea, but is nonetheless considered active (the Kona airport is built on an 1801 lava flow). [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.86|172.71.147.86]] 05:04, 3 September 2024 (UTC)
:: Immediately I start wondering why there might not have been a perfectly workable airport ''beneath'' the 1801 lava flow. (Ok, so it might not have had a Starbucks, as Moby-Dick was only written in 1851, so clearly you couldn't have had that chain of coffee-shops yet.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.208|172.70.162.208]] 08:59, 3 September 2024 (UTC)
::: It would have only been able to serve flying boats, and Pan Am discontinued flying boat service in 1946. The previous land airstrip was in downtown Kailua Kona, and the good folks of leeward Hawaii Island decided they [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kona_International_Airport needed a place designed to serve larger aircraft than DC-3s], and not terrify the tourists in their hotel rooms in the process. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.151.74|172.71.151.74]] 13:51, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

: Right, I should've been more clear on what I meant, which was that "no sane person would build a golf courses directly over the crater of active volcanoes" [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 03:41, 3 September 2024 (UTC)
:: Check out the Volcano Golf Course on Google Earth. It's pretty damn close to the caldera. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.191|172.71.147.191]] 05:12, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

: FWIW, there hasn't been a lava lake in Kilauea's crater for a couple of years now. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.191|172.71.147.191]] 05:12, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

Is the female character Megan, or [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Danish Danish]? Hair length and association with Black Hat suggest the latter. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.191|172.71.147.191]] 05:12, 3 September 2024 (UTC)
:In my [[1401: New|headcanon]], I think Danish (btw, <code><nowiki>[[Danish]]</nowiki></code> is the simpler link form, here) would not normally be asking ''what'' [[Black Hat]] did, but instead (maybe) ''how'' he did it or probably just "Did you..?", already having this in mind. She would be traditionally be devious/sociopathic enough to have made the comment just now ''in order that'' Black Hat would do (something like) this.
:Image-wise, the figure sits somewhere between the 'reference images' of Megan's hair (right thickness, grown a bit longer here) and that of Danish (finer and more casually-longer), and there are a number of ambiguous appearances that are just a subtle change in hair away from either, so I couldn't say for sure without taking into account the dialogue/activities involved. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.49|172.70.163.49]] 09:18, 3 September 2024 (UTC)
:Someone went back and changed all "Danish"es to "Megan"s (it took several tries, and they only deleted the "Comics featuring..." Category, I had to put the correct one back in for them...). After earlier multiple edits were used to convert the original primary presumption of Megan into that of a definite presumption of Danish.
:I can imagine that someone thinking of re-Danishing the article might have another go, because of the ambiguity (as above, the character seems more Megan-like than Danish-esque, to me, by both attitude and subtleties of her form, but I'm happy with either). ''If'' one feels the need to do it, though, at least do a text-search-and-highlight (however your own browser does that), to make sure you grab all cases in one go. And vice-versa for who inevitably changes it back.
:Or compromise... Introduce her as "...a female character (either [Megan] or [Danish])...", something similar in the Transcript (no links) and otherwise ambiguate all further references to her. Then perhaps end with ''both'' "Category:Comics featuring..." Cats on one line with HTML comment indicating the either/or nature of this possibility.
:...At least until we can work out for certain who Randall intended (or that it's even A.N.Other/Jane Doe, just oh so very similar to both others). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.208|172.70.162.208]] 18:23, 4 September 2024 (UTC)
:: I don't know and it's NOMB whether Randall visits this site. If he were to see this exchange, I wonder how hard he'd be laughing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.94|108.162.246.94]] 19:15, 4 September 2024 (UTC)
::: I, for one, would not mind at all if he does. (Laugh, that is. It'd be repayment for the laughs we get from his scribblings.)
::: That said, either he actually stays well away ''or'' he deliberately feigns that he does (in order not to get into unnecessary minutiæ), and I don't think we'll get any direct feedback on this. <s>[[User:@theRealRandallMunroe|@theRealRandallMunroe]] ([[User talk:@theRealRandallMunroe|talk]]) OopsWhatAGiveaway...</s> [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.83|141.101.98.83]] 20:35, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

There ia not need to say "right now", this is superfluous language & a verbal tic.{{unsigned ip|172.70.162.163}}
:It adds context that this is not a fixed situation - that other volcanoes have contained and will contain lava lakes, while it's only a contingent state of the current five.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.34|172.70.90.34]] 08:15, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

Fifteenth comment![[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.174|141.101.98.174]] 08:10, 3 September 2024 (UTC)
:Last comment. And there's absolutely no way that I can be proven wrong, in this whole silly game of oneupmanship! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.208|172.70.162.208]] 08:59, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

If you fund my Kickstarter, I will add a 7th. Do not ask where, but rather take a guess :) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.190|141.101.99.190]] 09:38, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

I removed the Incomplete Transcription warning. - clevor [[Special:Contributions/172.71.166.218|172.71.166.218]] 13:04, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

I assumed the lava lake would be used like a sand trap, so the golfer would want to hit the ball, rather than collect it. As such, the ball would likely be coated with a material of sufficiently high combustion temperature to be able to survive (at least for a while) on the surface of the lava. The golfer would then require shoes that allow for walking on the lake, but I believe such exist.
My question is, how difficult would it be to hit the golf ball off of the surface of the "lake"? There would be the added challenge of a "divot" composed of some of the lava following the ball, but at least you shouldn't need to worry about "repairing" the damage? [[User:Galeindfal|Galeindfal]] ([[User talk:Galeindfal|talk]]) 15:55, 3 September 2024 (UTC)
: My gut feeling (awaiting the results of further testing) is that lava adhered to your ball would impede your play. Unfortunately, current USGA rules would only allow you to clean away just enough to be able to identify your ball (e.g. if your ball was entirely encased in rock, you would be allowed to chip away at the rock until you can see the ball at which point you would have to stop chipping. This means that, tactically speaking, you would want to chip away at the outside, and at the areas where you don't think the ball actually is, first to attempt to remove as much rock as possible before the ball can be seen.) You would not be allowed a full cleaning until you reached the green.
: One slight advantage would be that an encased rock ball would result in a lot more embedded pitches (where a ball lands with enough force to create its own divot) which would permit you to move your ball a club-length away to escape the divot. It is probable that this advantage would not be enough to offset the disadvantage of having to hit a ball encased in lava rock.
: The introduction of lava hazards would likely require a new section in the rulebook to cover the above issues as well as the use of rock tumblers as enhanced cleaning machines, the introduction of new club types designed to survive the rigours of lava play, permissible footwear and enhanced caddy insurance policies. [[User:Tommyds|Tommyds]] ([[User talk:Tommyds|talk]]) 08:55, 4 September 2024 (UTC)

This one contains a cool photos of golfers with a huge ash cloud erupting behind them: [https://www.golfpass.com/travel-advisor/articles/lava-golf-plenty-of-u-s-courses-live-in-the-shadows-of-nearby-volcanoes] It's probably a safe distance, really, but the photo makes it look as if it was right behind them. Scary! The article doesn't feature any lava lake, though. [[User:PaulEberhardt|PaulEberhardt]] ([[User talk:PaulEberhardt|talk]]) 17:47, 3 September 2024 (UTC)
: Two miles (3.2 klicks) from the golf course to Halemaumau, the main vent of the Kilauea summit caldera. (pats and caresses ground) Good volcano. Nice volcano. The eruption cloud shown resulted from the draining of the lava lake that had been in Halemaumau for a decade or so, before an earthquake opened a hole in the magma chamber. The lava flowed underground down the mountain and resurfaced in the Leilani Estates housing subdivision, destroying much of it. This was 2018 (as shown in the picture caption). We were living on the Big Island at the time (in Kailua Kona, safely on the other side of Mauna Loa from the eruption). Fun times! Sorta. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.22.211|172.68.22.211]] 18:20, 3 September 2024 (UTC)

2976: Time Traveler Causes of Death

2024-08-24T11:41:41Z

141.101.98.83: /* Transcript */ "to this" doesn't make sense, on its own. Might be a thinko/type combination for "too thin", which works nicely.

{{comic
| number = 2976
| date = August 23, 2024
| title = Time Traveler Causes of Death
| image = time_traveler_causes_of_death_2x.png
| imagesize = 332x677px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Many a hungry time traveler has Googled 'trilobites shellfish allergy' only to find their carrier had no coverage in the Ordovician.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a TIME TRAVELLING BOT WITH NO CELL SERVICE IN THE PROTOZOIC ERA- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Time travel is a common sci-fi/fantasy plot, in which someone from one era is sent forward or backward in time to another era. Normally, the travel itself goes off without a hitch, with the usual threats to the time traveler being what happens at some point ''after'' they arrive at their destination. More rarely, a time traveler might immediately encounter some hazard because of where their time travel method has deposited them.

This comic takes the latter situation to the extreme, observing different causes of death for potential time travelers through the ages based on the geologic evolution of earth, from its formation over 4 billion years ago to the present, see detailed explanation in the [[#Table of death causes|table]]. The chart only shows the most likely cause for a given period of time, although the title text shows that there may always be others possible.

The title text suggests that an alternative fate within the "eaten by fish" era is the exact opposite. Seafood allergies are not unknown in the present day and, having fortuitously avoided the primary "Starving" fate from the prior era, it may be that the traveler tries eating a "fish", in this case not a fish but a {{w|trilobite}} a kind of shellfish, and finds that ''either'' some existing allergy is just as applicable to the prehistoric ancestors of shellfish ''or'' that the flesh of the creatures of that age spark off an allergic condition that (as a modern human) they were not previously aware of.

The former might be the one intended, as a person with a known shellfish (or lactose, or peanut, etc) allergy might double-check the possible presence of a problematic ingredient in a potential snack by referencing online resources; a facility that is claimed not to be available, here, with the smartphone stuck in the past, long before any reliable phone-service/wifi is available to connect to. Otherwise, suspecting the food has not agreed with them, they are now denied access to the best online information on how to properly treat their symptoms.

===Table of death causes===
{| class=wikitable
! scope="col" | Cause of death
! Scope=“col” | Time frame
! scope="col" | Explanation
|-
| Lava || Earth Forms || During the formation of the Earth, the surface was a hellish landscape of lava.
|-
| Asphyxiation || 4 billion years ago || Before {{w|cyanobacteria}} started photosynthesising and producing oxygen, the atmosphere of the Earth was mainly composed of hydrogen sulphide, methane, and carbon dioxide. Humans need oxygen to breathe.{{citation needed}}
|-
| Meteors || 3.9 billion years ago || During the {{w|Late Heavy Bombardment}}, the Earth's surface was subjected to a large number of asteroid and comet impacts, destroying much of Earth's early crust.
|-
| Asphyxiation || 3 billion years ago || According to the table the heavy bombardment was so severe that this would be the most likely cause of death during a period, where there where still no oxygen, as shown by the death by asphyxiation also long after the meteors returned to normal level. However, even when these meteors came at an alarming rate, the chance of being hit by one of these before asphyxiation in an atmosphere without any oxygen seems remote. Of course if the time machine had some oxygen along with it, and the reason people died from lack of oxygen was that they stayed put for a long time, before their supply ran out, a meteor might have a chance. However, this would then be on the assumption that the time travlers cannot travel back to the present. If they do not die quickly upon arrival, then why could they then not return. Of course this discussion is only relevant if time travel was actually possible.
|-
| Slightly slower asphyxiation || 2 billion years ago|| Cyanobacteria had started photosynthesising, leading to the {{w|Great Oxygenation Event|Oxygen Catastrophe}}, but the oxygen levels weren’t high enough to support human life.
|-
| Freezing || Less than 1 billion years ago || During the {{w|Cryogenian|Cryogenian Ice Age}}, the Earth’s temperature fell to -12°C, much too cold to support human life if not properly prepared.
|-
| Starving || 600 to 485 million years ago || During this time, the temperature was mild and comfortable; however, the only life during this time was single-cell organisms and – especially later – tiny multicellular organisms, which humans cannot eat or would not tolerate.
|-
| Eaten by fish || 485 to 250 million years ago || During the {{w|Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event}} and subsequent times, fish {{w|Evolution of fish|evolved jaws}} and some species grew quite large.
|-
| Trampled || 252 to 66 million years ago || The {{w|Mesozoic Era}} is often called the “Age of Dinosaurs." The majority of these dinosaurs were herbivorous and many were quite large, so being eaten would be less likely than being trampled on.
Note that this is an almost exact inversion of what happens in the classic story ''{{w|A Sound of Thunder}}'', in which the traveler survives personally unscathed but tramples an 'age of dinosaur' creature (to unfortunate effect).
|-
| Eaten by mammals || 66 million years ago to sometime before now || The {{w|Cenozoic Era}}, which began 66 million years ago, is often referred to as the "Age of Mammals". Though some eras have more likely causes of death (such as wars, but that would basically be during the "Now" period in the table), overall being eaten by large mammals is probably the biggest risk.
|-
| Time machine door gets stuck || Roughly present day || As the timeline approaches the present day, the conditions on Earth become more than suitable enough for a human time traveler to survive extended periods of time — as evidenced by the fact hominids and early humans begin to emerge. As such there's nothing else more likely to kill them than getting stuck in the time machine and starving (or, if the time machine is air-tight, asphyxiating). This assumes the Time Machine is also a {{w|Faraday Cage}} (that can block the signal of an emergency call) or the traveler doesn't take their phone with them, although the title text indicates they will. Or that the "Now" period extends back before cell phones and compatible cellular networks, maybe covering the entire period of human civilization.
|-
|}

==Transcript==
:[A chart with a time line going from top to bottom is shown. Starting when the Earth forms and ending at present day. The chart is a rectangle divided into 11 segments. Each segment has a label written inside it, except the bottom which is too thin, thus the label is to the right of the chart with an arrow pointing to the segment. The left side of the chart is a timeline with ticks and labels for the time period. At the top an arrow points to the top left corner of the chart with a label indicating the starting time. And then there are 5 ticks, the first four equidistant and then only half the distance for the last tick. A final label is at the bottom of the chart. Above the chart there is a heading:]
:Top causes of death for time travelers by geologic era:

:[Text in the table from the top, with the time to the left differentiated from the labels which are indented:]
:Earth forms
::Lava
::Asphyxiation
:4 billion years ago
::Meteors
::Asphyxiation
:3 billion years ago
:2 billion years ago
::Slightly slower asphyxiation
:1 billion years ago
::Freezing
::Starving
:500 million years ago
::Eaten by fish
::Trampled
::Eaten by mammals
:Now
::Time machine door gets stuck

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2845: Extinction Mechanisms

2023-10-31T10:23:43Z

141.101.98.83: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2845
| date = October 23, 2023
| title = Extinction Mechanisms
| image = extinction_mechanisms_2x.png
| imagesize = 307x438px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The Late Heavy Bombardment was followed a few billion years later by the Comparatively Light but Oddly Specific Bombardment.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EXTREMELY WELL-AIMED SPACE ROCK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Around 66 million years ago there was a {{w|Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event|mass extinction event}} responsible for the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs. This is why there are no more dinosaurs (except for birds! [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1211:_Birds_and_Dinosaurs]) There have been a number of explanations for this, but most currently accepted explanations center on the {{w|Chicxulub crater|Chicxulub impact}}, in which a large asteroid (the comic suggests it was a comet) hit the Earth. The exact mechanism for the extinction caused by this event, however, is not clear. The comic suggests three possibilities: {{w|impact winter}} caused by dust released from the impact, {{w|firestorms}} along with {{w|ocean acidification}} from acids generated by the impact, and the enhanced eruption of volcano(es) in the {{w|Deccan Traps}} region in India. Here all three possibilities have been crossed out and a fourth one, "the rocks hit the dinosaurs," is circled as the correct answer.

The argument is that the comet had a volume of 500 km3 (10 km diameter), or 5×1014 L. Earth has a surface area of around 500 million km2, or 5×1014 m2. The idea is that the comet broke up into liter-sized rocks, so that there were sufficient of these to fall, on average, one on every square meter of surface. Somehow, these rocks managed to fall in a distribution such that they directly hit each of the dinosaurs, but presumably did not hit the other forms of life that did not go extinct. It is unclear how such a breakup or scattering might have occurred – a body that passes within Earth's {{w|Roche limit}} will eventually break up into a ring, but this limit is generally a single-digit multiple of the planet's radius, so an object on an inbound collision course would only experience high tidal forces for a matter of minutes before impact.

The title text refers to a hypothetical event early in Earth's history, ironically known as the Late Heavy Bombardment, in which a number of asteroids struck the Earth and other terrestrial planets around 4 billion years ago. The mass extinction event of 66 million years ago is then referred to as the "Comparatively Light but Oddly Specific Bombardment", presumably because it isn't as heavy as the LHB, but oddly specific in its targets.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A drawing of the Chicxulub meteor]
:Marking to the right: ≈ 500 km3 (5 × 1014 L)
:[Five arrows show individual small rocks coming from the meteor and spreading across the Earth. A sixth arrow provides more elaboration.]
:Marking of the separate rock: 1 liter rocks
:[The rock is shown entering a square marked "1 m2", which has another arrow to a larger grid of squares, before an arrow back to the Earth.]
:Marking near example square meter: >1 rock per m2

:[Four dinosaurs are drawn, including a theropod, what may be a velociraptor, a sauropod, and a triceratops. Each has a small rock falling directly toward it.]

:[List header, underlined:] Comet Extinction Mechanism Ideas
:[The first three list items are crossed out]
:Dust caused impact winter
:Firestorms and ocean acidification
:Triggered Deccan Traps magma
:[The fourth suggestion is circled rather than struck through:]
:The rocks hit the dinosaurs

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Paleontologists are missing the obvious answer.

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

2819: Pronunciation

2023-08-24T21:29:26Z

141.101.98.83: ...neither are correct, as noted.

{{comic
| number = 2819
| date = August 23, 2023
| title = Pronunciation
| image = pronunciation_2x.png
| imagesize = 315x257px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I pronounce the 'u' in 'pronunciation' like in 'putting' but the 'ou' in 'pronounce' like in 'wound'.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a {{w|Ghoti|GHOTI}} - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Pronunciation guides are used in many languages to indicate the commonly accepted way to translate a written word into sound. This can be particularly important in the English language, where the pronunciation of individual letters and of combinations of letters can vary broadly, and there are very few rules that can be applied consistently. As a result, the 'correct' pronunciation of any given word is determined by common usage, and therefore can only be learned either by exposure or by memorizing them from guides. Some guides use the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}}, but the average person is not familiar with those characters, so most guides written for laypeople instead {{wiktionary|Appendix:English pronunciation|reference familiar words}} that feature the phonemes. This, of course, presumes that the reader is familiar with the pronunciation of ''those'' words, but the words should be chosen so that a) they're commonly known b) there is only one common pronunciation and c) the pronunciation doesn't vary much between regional accents.

In this strip, though, the selected guide-words are deliberately chosen to be confusing. They are heterophonic homographs – words that, under alternate contexts, are identically spelled but pronounced in very different ways. Moreover for most of them it is the less common homograph which matches the pronunciation in "Tuesday". In other words, how the reader chooses to pronounce each guide-word determines what pronunciation of "Tuesday" they end up with.

(Note: General American pronunciations are primarily assumed here except when otherwise stated)

{| class="wikitable"
! Guide !! Correct for Tuesday !! Other !! Notes
|-
| Buffe'''t'''
| /ˈbʌf.ɪ'''t'''/ (verb: strike)
| /ˈbʌ.feɪ/ (noun: self-serve diner)
| The <t> in the "Other" pronunciation is silent (or arguably /ɪ/ or /j/)
|-
| Min'''u'''te
| /maɪˈn'''(j)uː'''t/ (adjective: small)
| /ˈmɪn'''ɪ'''t/ (noun: unit of time)
|
|-
| R'''e'''cord
|
| /ɹ'''i'''ˈkɔɹd/ (verb: write down/make permanent) /ˈɹ'''ɛ'''kərd/ or /ˈɹ'''ɛ'''k.ɚd/ or /ˈɹ'''ɛ'''k.ɔɹd/ (noun: thing containing information)
| Neither is actually the correct e, the correct e would be silent.
|-
| U'''s'''e
| /juː'''z'''/ (verb: to employ a thing for a particular end)
| /juː'''s'''/ (noun: the purpose for which that thing is employed)
|
|-
| Mope'''d'''
| /ˈmoʊ.pɛ'''d'''/ (noun: motor scooter with an engine smaller than 50cc)
| /moʊp'''t'''/ (verb: brooded, felt dejected)
|
|-
| B'''a'''ss
| /b'''eɪ'''s/ (noun: low-pitched notes and the instruments that play them)
| /b'''æ'''s/ (noun: fish)
| /æ/ is also correct in New Zealand English.
|-
| G'''y'''ro
| /ˈj'''iː'''.ɹoʊ/, /ˈj'''ɪ'''ɹoʊ/ or /ˈʒ'''ɪ'''ɹoʊ/ (noun: meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, in Greek cuisine)
| /ˈd͡ʒ'''aɪ'''.ɹoʊ/ (noun: gyroscope)
| The meat can also be pronounced like the gyroscope. Also, in many dialects, the <ay> in Tuesday is pronounced [ɛʲ], in which case both options are wrong.
|}

Following this guide, a pronunciation of Tuesday as /iɛstæaɪ/ is possible. You can hear a pronunciation at [http://ipa-reader.xyz/?text=%C9%AA%C9%9Bst%C3%A6a%C9%AA http://ipa-reader.xyz].

The title text references how some people pronounce the word "pron'''u'''nciation" like "pron'''ou'''nce" (with /aʊ/) and others use a different vowel (/ʌ/). Here Randall is saying that he pronounces them with the 'u' from "p'''u'''tting" and the 'ou' from "w'''ou'''nd". If we take putting to mean /ˈp'''ʌ'''tɪŋ/ (golf) and wound as /w'''aʊ'''nd/ (coiled), this could mean he pronounces them using the commonly differing pronunciations. However those two words could also be pronounced /ˈp'''ʊ'''tɪŋ/ (placing) and /w'''u'''nd/ (injury), indicating a non-standard way of saying each word. In accents that lack the {{w|Phonological_history_of_English_close_back_vowels#FOOT–STRUT_split|FOOT–STRUT split}}, such as those in the north of England, both versions of "putting" would be pronounced identically.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[The word "Tuesday", with each letter labeled by a box with an arrow:]
:T: As in buffe'''t'''
:u: As in min'''u'''te
:e: As in r'''e'''cord
:s: As in u'''s'''e
:d: As in mope'''d'''
:a: As in b'''a'''ss
:y: As in g'''y'''ro

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Pet peeve: Ambiguous pronunciation guides

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Pet Peeves]]

2816: Types of Solar Eclipse

2023-08-16T21:39:43Z

141.101.98.83: /* Explanation */ Starting bigger explanation, see how it fits the table.

{{comic
| number = 2816
| date = August 16, 2023
| title = Types of Solar Eclipse
| image = types_of_solar_eclipse_2x.png
| imagesize = 501x572px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The best place to be for a hug eclipse is a scenic natural area with good views and few clouds. The worst place to be is the lunar surface.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DARK SHADOW OF A DRAGONITE THAT PERIODICALLY EATS THE SUN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

There are various different types of {{w|solar eclipse}}. The comic purports to show and names a number of them, initially quite real and accurate before heading into traditional xkcd fantasticality.

The punchline is where he likens an eclipse to a 'hug' of the Moon by the Sun. This is of course, not practically possible.{{citation needed}} The Sun is 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers away from the Moon. Even if it was somehow moved towards touching distance by advanced sci-fi tech or a terrible disaster, the Moon would vaporize on contact with the Sun's plasma, thus not allowing for any sort of hug. In fact, we would not live very long if this happened, as the Earth would be baked by the Sun's light, then swallowed by its intense gravity.

In the title text, the hug eclipse is mentioned again, this time in regards to where the best location to be would be. First, normal advice is given about how the best way to view the eclipse would be in a scenic and natural area with few clouds. Then he mentions that the lunar surface would be the worst place to go in a solar hug - as it would be blasted with thousands of degrees of heat from the sun.

{| class="wikitable"
!Label
!Image
!Description
|-
|Partial
|Sun partly obscured by an offset occlusion
|Whenever the Moon does not totally line up with the Sun (for any or all observers), the 'shadow' will not cross the centre of the Sun. The parts of a full eclipse before second contact and and after third contact are also described as partial phases of the eclipsing event.
|-
|Total
|Sun entirely obscured by a slightly larger concentric occlusion
|When the Moon is close to perigee (or assisted by the Earth being at aphelion) during an eclipse, the Moon's apparent size is slightly larger than that of the Sun and will cover the whole solar disc.
|-
|Annular
|Sun partly obscured by a slightly smaller concentric occlusion
|With the Moon nearer its apogee (and/or the Earth at perihelion), the Sun instead has a larger angular size than the Moon and will not be totally covered even by the most central alignment of each body.
An eclipse can also be called "hybrid" (not illustrated in the diagram), by being seen as both Total and Annular by different observers. Those viewing at more extreme latitudes or more westerly/easterly (the eclipse being closer to dawn and dusk, local time) are viewing both Moon and Sun from slightly further away around the curve of the planet and so make the nearer Moon decreases in angular size proportionately greater than the much more distant Sun and so see annularity for the same eclipse for which others see totallity.
|-
|Oblate
|Oval Sun obscured by a concentric circle, except for at the edges of its major axis
|.
|-
|Interior
|Sun obscured at its edge by a thick ring, leaving its centre visible
|.
|-
|Cuboid
|Sun obscured by a square cross-section
|.
|-
|Transverse
|Obscuring circle drawn as a perpendicular plane intersecting the Sun on a centre-line
|.
|-
|Saturnian
|Obscuring circle is given an oblique (shadow) ring system
|.
|-
|Hug
|Obscuring shape is pinched in at both sides
|.
|}

In all these images, the solar disc does not actually have a solid Moon in front of it, but a semi-transparent shadow, more typical of the representation of the Earth's solar shadow as it passes across the face of the Moon in a {{w|lunar eclipse}}. This may be an additional part of the humour.

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

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

2813: What To Do

2023-08-14T11:04:53Z

141.101.98.83: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2813
| date = August 9, 2023
| title = What To Do
| image = what_to_do_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x723px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = FYI: The 'drop, cover, and hold on' advice only applies to earthquakes. If you encounter a mountain lion, you should absolutely not drop to the ground, crawl under it, and hold on to one of its legs.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MOUNTAIN LIGHTNING ALARM - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Similar to [[1890: What to Bring]], this comic takes four unrelated dangerous situations (mountain lion sighting, nearby lightning, fire alarm, and bleeding), and tries to mix-and-match the solutions. Predictably, mixing up good advice leads to fairly nonsensical behavior, so only the original four matches are marked green as acceptable.

The title-text introduces another disaster, an earthquake, into the mix-and-match. A common safety precaution during an earthquake is to [https://www.shakeout.org/dropcoverholdon/ drop, cover, and hold on], which helps prevent you from being thrown about and/or hit by debris. However, attempting to "drop, cover, and hold on" in response to a mountain lion sighting is more likely to get you into danger than out of it.

;Advice

{| class="wikitable" | style="background:#E6C3C3;"
! (problem) vs (solution)
! scope="col"| Stand Up Straight, Speak Firmly, and Slowly Back Away
! scope="col"| Run Toward a Building or Hard-Topped Vehicle
! scope="col"| Calmly Exit the Building
! scope="col"| Apply Firm Pressure
|-
! scope="row"| {{w|mountain lion}}
| style="background:#C5E6C3;"| This is a common recommendation when encountering a mountain lion (puma, cougar, etc) out in nature.
| Running away may cause the animal to chase you, and it may consider you as prey. If you safely make it into a building or vehicle, you may be able to hide or drive away from the animal and may be safer than being outdoors with it; however, it is safer to approach said building or vehicle ''slowly'', so as to not provoke the animal.
| Exiting a building and approaching the animal is not a good idea. If the animal is inside the building, however, it is recommended to combine this advice with (1).
| Applying "firm pressure" to the (wild) animal is a terrible idea and may result in injury or death. Applying light pressure to a domesticated cat may make it less likely to attack, but wild cats do not respond positively to it.
|-
! scope="row"| {{w|lightning}}
| Yelling at lightning is ineffective. {{citation needed}} Also, backing away slowly from lightning will not provide effective protection.
| style="background:#C5E6C3;"| This is the recommended solution when encountering lightning - to go indoors or inside of a hard-topped vehicle to avoid being struck, or to be ''inside'' some form of Faraday cage if lightning does strike your location. Staying inside of a metal vehicle may cause other problems, but it's generally better than being directly struck.
| Exiting a building is a poor idea, as the risk of getting struck by lightning is increased.
| There is no safe way to "apply firm pressure" to lightning. In the diagram, Cueball applies pressure to the tree, which is just about the worst possible thing to do in a storm.
|-
! scope="row"| {{w|fire alarm}}
| Yelling at a fire alarm is ineffective. {{citation needed}}
| When a fire alarm is sounding, it is terrible advice to run ''towards'' the sound of the alarm, unless you are a trained fire fighter with suitable tools. If, however, you happen to be the cause of the fire, running towards a vehicle is completely understandable.
| style="background:#C5E6C3;"| This is the recommended advice when hearing a fire alarm - to calmly exit the building, and move to a safe location.
| Applying firm pressure to a fire alarm will not result in stopping the alarm, unless you are able to damage the device, suppress the sound (either by covering the noisemaker or by pressing the alarm's button to temporarily silence it), or block the fire alarm sensors. Regardless, this will not stop the actual fire. Also, there is no safe way to "apply firm pressure" to fire, although applying firm pressure could be interpreted as using a fire blanket.
|-
! scope="row"| {{w|bleeding}}
| Yelling at a bleeding person, or at the bleeding itself, is ineffective.
| Running toward a building or vehicle is not a typical solution if someone is bleeding. However, there could be medical supplies and/or medically trained people (nurses, doctors, paramedics, etc.) inside the building or vehicle, so this idea is not completely incorrect.
| Exiting a building is not helpful if someone is bleeding, if either the exiting one is the injured one, or the non-injured one. Although, if someone/something in the building (such as a mountain lion) is the cause of the bleeding, this could be a good idea so that the bleeding or injury does not get worse.
| style="background:#C5E6C3;"| This is the recommended solution to stop bleeding - apply firm pressure to stop the bleeding.
|}

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

:[The comic is laid out like a grid, with situations down the left-hand side (mountain lion / lightning / fire alarm / bleeding) and the solutions across the top (stand up straight, speak firmly, and slowly back away / run toward a building or hard-topped vehicle / calmly exit the building / apply firm pressure ). The grid illustrates the "match-ups", with a green square denoting a "correct" match-up and a red square denoting a bad idea.]

:[From the top left corner, going from left to right, top to bottom, with each first item being on its own line in the grid, the squares are as follows:]

:[Green square, a mountain lion (drawn as a large cat) sits on the left, on a perch. Cueball and Megan have their arms raised and are speaking to it. Lines in front of them indicate they are backing up.]
:Cueball: ''HEY. STOP.''
:Megan: ''SHOO.''
:*'''stand up straight, speak firmly, and slowly back away''' -> '''mountain lion'''

:[Red square, Cueball and Megan are being chased by a mountain lion, and are running towards a building to their right.]
:*'''run toward a building or hard-topped vehicle''' -> '''mountain lion'''

:[Red square, Cueball and Megan exit a building and approach a mountain lion.]
:Megan: ''Hello.''
:*'''calmly exit the building''' -> '''mountain lion'''

:[Red square, Cueball is putting his hands firmly on a mountain lion.]
:*'''apply firm pressure''' -> '''mountain lion'''

:[Red square, lightning strikes a tree. Cueball is standing outside, with his arms raised, yelling at the lightning. Lines in front of him indicate he is backing up.]
:''BOOM''
:Cueball: ''NO!''
:*'''stand up straight, speak firmly, and slowly back away''' -> '''lightning'''

:[Green square, lightning strikes a tree. Cueball and Megan run toward a building to their right.]
:''BOOM''
:*'''run toward a building or hard-topped vehicle''' -> '''lightning'''

:[Red square, lightning strikes a tree. Cueball and Megan exit a building and approach the lightning-struck tree.]
:''BOOM''
:*''' calmly exit the building''' -> '''lightning'''

:[Red square, lightning strikes a tree. Cueball pushes on the lightning-struck tree.]
:''BOOM''
:*'''apply firm pressure''' -> '''lightning'''

:[Red square, a fire alarm is beeping. Cueball yells at the alarm, with his arms raised. Lines in front of him indicates he is backing up.]
:''BEEP BEEP BEEP''
:Cueball: ''HEY.''
:*'''stand up straight, speak firmly, and slowly back away ''' -> '''fire alarm'''

:[Red square, a fire alarm is beeping next to a building with flames on its roof. Cueball and Megan run toward the burning building.]
:''BEEP BEEP BEEP''
:*'''run toward a building or hard-topped vehicle''' -> '''fire alarm'''

:[Green square, a fire alarm is beeping next to a house with flames on its roof. Cueball and Megan are exiting the burning building.]
:''BEEP BEEP BEEP''
:*'''calmly exit the building''' -> '''fire alarm'''

:[Red square, a fire alarm is beeping, and Cueball is trying to "suppress" the beeping sound. Behind him are flames.]
:''BEEP BEEP BE-eep eep eep eep eep''
:*'''apply firm pressure''' -> '''fire alarm'''

:[Red square, Cueball is bleeding from his right arm, and holds it. Megan to his right yells at him with her arms raised. Lines in front of her indicates she is backing up.]
:Megan: ''HEY!''
:Megan: ''STOP IT!''
:*'''stand up straight, speak firmly, and slowly back away''' -> '''bleeding'''

:[Red square, Megan, holding a first aid kit in one hand and a bandage in the other, runs with a bleeding Cueball towards a building to their right.]
:*'''run toward a building or hard-topped vehicle''' -> '''bleeding'''

:[Red square, Megan holds a bandage, and to the ground in front of her is a first aid kit. Cueball is walking to the right of the panel, with an injured and bloody left arm raised.]
:Cueball: Bye!
:*'''calmly exit the building''' -> '''bleeding'''

:[Green square, Cueball sits in a chair and Megan is treating him by putting her hands on his injured limb. Behind her on the ground is a first aid kit.]
:*'''apply firm pressure''' -> '''bleeding'''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Weather]]

Talk:1723: Meteorite Identification

2016-08-22T12:27:08Z

141.101.98.83:

Yeah, I can't even get on it.

lol, some poor soul is now wondering why his Meteorite ID chart is being flooded with traffic! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.59|141.101.98.59]] 12:08, 22 August 2016 (UTC)

I'd like to see some analysis of the linked flowchart, or a least an explanation of the title text comment. Why does "Did you see it fall" have only an "yes" option, that leads to "not a meteorite" [[User:Zeimusu|Zeimusu]] ([[User talk:Zeimusu|talk]]) 12:10, 22 August 2016 (UTC)

I'm wondering if this is related to the recent claims in British newspapers (Warning, Daily Mail content [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3745346/Homeowner-makes-world-discovery-glowing-METEORITE-lands-garden-lights-cigarette-it.html Link] [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.83|141.101.98.83]] 12:27, 22 August 2016 (UTC)