explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2210: College Athletes

2019-10-02T11:30:21Z

141.101.99.185:

This was posted ''way'' earlier than usual. Still technically Wednesday 00:02 UTC, but usual posting is mid-late afternoon UTC. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.134|172.69.22.134]] 01:00, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
:I noticed that too. That's really weird... I wonder what caused it? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.244|172.68.211.244]] 06:14, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
::It happens from time to time. See e.g. discussion of [[2188:_E_Scooters]]. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:56, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
Note that the joke about how to pluralize names ("Steph Currys" vs. "Stephs Curry") is also present in "How to win an election" in the "How to" book. There it's in the form of "Bob Caseys" vs. "Bobs Casey". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.221|162.158.91.221]] 07:53, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

So glad this site exists! I came here thinking the explanation would be about how to cook curry :-)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.185|141.101.99.185]] 11:28, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2210: College Athletes

2019-10-02T11:28:03Z

141.101.99.185:

This was posted ''way'' earlier than usual. Still technically Wednesday 00:02 UTC, but usual posting is mid-late afternoon UTC. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.134|172.69.22.134]] 01:00, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
:I noticed that too. That's really weird... I wonder what caused it? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.244|172.68.211.244]] 06:14, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
::It happens from time to time. See e.g. discussion of [[2188:_E_Scooters]]. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:56, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
Note that the joke about how to pluralize names ("Steph Currys" vs. "Stephs Curry") is also present in "How to win an election" in the "How to" book. There it's in the form of "Bob Caseys" vs. "Bobs Casey". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.221|162.158.91.221]] 07:53, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
So glad this site exists! I came here thinking the explanation would be about how to cook curry :-)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.185|141.101.99.185]] 11:28, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

1719: Superzoom

2019-04-05T08:47:49Z

141.101.99.185: To quote xkcd #870, "When discussing real numbers, it is impossible to get more vague than 'up to [25×] or more'."

{{comic
| number = 1719
| date = August 12, 2016
| title = Superzoom
| image = superzoom.png
| titletext = *click* Let him know he's got a stain on his shirt, though.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Cueball]] is showing off his new {{w|superzoom}} camera to [[White Hat]]. These are cameras with large zoom lenses, often 25× or higher magnification. He is very excited and starts by exclaiming how they can take detailed photos of the craters on the {{w|Moon}}, and (on better models) relatively large photos of {{w|Jupiter}} even with a resolution so individual clouds can be seen. (See examples of zoom on these objects [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwLbj0fBvXk here] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de2LjQ5F3HE here] without cloud resolution though, but with Jupiter's {{w|Galilean moons|four large moons}} and {{w|Saturn|Saturn's}} {{w|Rings of Saturn|rings}}.)

He then spots a bird (which is just a speck in the sky) and uses the superzoom for {{w|birdwatching}}, which is a popular use for these cameras. He can see that it's a {{w|peregrine falcon}} and that it has been {{w|Bird ringing|banded}} (ringed) and he can even read the number on the band (later it seems he has more trouble locating birds with his camera in [[1826: Birdwatching]]). He then spots an airplane and having taken a picture of it, he can tell that it is a {{w|Boeing 787 Dreamliner|787 Dreamliner}} from {{w|Japan Airlines}}, and he can even make out the registration number. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-0X3xJf-kg All this is possible], with a {{w|Nikon Coolpix P900}}, which may not be much larger than the one Cueball stands with here, with an extremely long lens, and at the time of this comics release that type of camera could be [https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B00U2W4JEY bought at Amazon] for less than $600. If that is within the limit Cueball gives of a few hundred dollars can be [[1070: Words for Small Sets|debated]]... A [http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/powershot-sx60-hs-refurbished|Canon SX-60, refurbished] with [https://www.flickr.com/groups/2290116@N21/pool/|65x optical zoom] currently sells for $379. Its predecessor, the SX-50 sold, refurbished, for less than $200 until going out of stock.

Note that before each comment he has taken a picture, presumably zooming further in after each photo of each new object, zooming out again before beginning with the next object.

Finally, White Hat exclaims that he is sold and states that he also want a superzoom camera like Cueball's. Cueball then points the camera down the street takes a picture and tells White Hat that the shop on ''Union Road'' has these camera in stock, indicating that he can see this inside the store (or in their window). He then takes another image and is able to make out not only the worker Kevin inside, he also recognizes him and (as mentioned in the title text after taking yet a further zoomed in picture) notice a stain on Kevin's shirt. He seems to like Kevin and asks White Hat to tell Kevin about the stain when he goes there to buy a superzoom camera. (This was the first time the name Kevin was used in xkcd for a fictive person, see more in [[1795:_All_You_Can_Eat#Kevin|this trivia]]).

Even with the ability of these cameras, it would be difficult for Cueball to be able to make out a specific worker inside the store, but if he is standing near a window it is not impossible, and if he has a stain on his shirt, it is in the same league as spotting a band on a bird in the air. Of course he has to be in a spot where he can see straight to the front of the shop.

The last panel and title text is also a remark on how such cameras can be used to spy on people for quite a far distance, which has often been (mis)used by {{w|Paparazzi|paparazzi photographers}} taking pictures of famous people (often while almost naked or in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tANeyKZLF9s bikini] or other bathing clothes). Now everyman gets this disconcerting possibility to spy on their neighbors and others for just a few hundred dollars.

There are lenses that can do what Cueball describes about Jupiter's clouds in the comic (e.g., the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRq18WpQZC0 Canon 5200mm]), but so far not such a small consumer camera as shown in the illustration.

A couple of other factors that many people may not realize until after they've bought a consumer-level superzoom camera is that a) taking a hand-held picture at maximum zoom is typically rather blurry because the lens is magnifying all vibration and it's impossible to hold the camera steady enough (so a camera tripod would be needed), and b) that the lens' aperture at maximum zoom is typically much smaller than at normal focal lengths, with the result that the shutter time must be several times longer to get proper exposure, compounding the vibration / blurry problem. Modern superzoom cameras do have "image stabilization", which can mitigate blurriness due to vibration, but extreme telephoto photography is still more challenging than implied in the comic.

Also having zoomed so much it is very hard to actually locate a moving plane or bird in the sky while looking at the image shown on the camera. And as shown in the comic the lens is zoomed very much in. Of course this could be done by Cueball after having found the flying object with much less zoom. But still if he loses sight of the bird while fully zoomed in it will be almost impossible to find it again without zooming back out.

White Hat and Cueball have discussed photography before in [[1314: Photos]].

==Transcript==
:[White Hat and Cueball are walking right. Cueball is looking down at a camera with a long lens he is holding in both hands.]
:Cueball: I love these superzoom cameras. For a few hundred dollars you can take pictures of Moon craters and Jupiter's clouds.

:[They stop, White Hat looks up in the air while Cueball does the same but through the camera he is holding up to his eye while taking pictures. The camera lens is further zoomed out and is clicking.]
:Cueball: And birds! See that speck up there?
:<nowiki>*Click*</nowiki>
:Cueball: Peregrine falcon!
:<nowiki>*Click*</nowiki>
:Cueball: It's banded, too. Want the number?

:[White Hat looks even further up as Cueball turns left and point the even further zoomed camera almost straight up while taking photos.]
:Cueball: And see that plane?
:<nowiki>*Click*</nowiki>
:Cueball: 787 Dreamliner
:<nowiki>*Click*</nowiki>
:Cueball: Japan Airlines.
:<nowiki>*Click*</nowiki>
:Cueball: Registration is—

:[White Hat looks back down on Cueball who has turned to the right holding the fully out-zoomed camera level to the right along the ground.]
:White Hat: OK, I'm sold—I want one.
:<nowiki>*Click*</nowiki>
:Cueball: They're in stock at the place on Union Road.
:<nowiki>*Click*</nowiki>
:Cueball: Hey, Kevin's working today! He's great.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2052: Stanislav Petrov Day

2018-10-01T14:22:18Z

141.101.99.185: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2052
| date = September 28, 2018
| title = Stanislav Petrov Day
| image = stanislav_petrov_day.png
| titletext = I was going to get you an alarm clock that occasionally goes off randomly in the middle of the night, but you can ignore it and go back to sleep and it's fine.
}}

==Explanation==

{{w|Stanislav Petrov|Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov}} was a lieutenant colonel of the {{w|Soviet Air Defence Forces}} who became known as "the man who single-handedly saved the world from nuclear war" for his role in the {{w|1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident}}. The incident was unknown to the public until it was revealed shortly before the {{w|Dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolution of the Soviet Union}} in 1991.

On 26 September 1983, during the {{w|Cold War}}, the satellite-based early-warning system of the {{w|Soviet Union}} reported the launch of multiple {{w|Intercontinental ballistic missile|intercontinental ballistic missiles}} from the {{w|United States}}. At the time, tensions with the U.S. were on edge, and high officials of the Soviet Union, including General Secretary {{w|Yuri Andropov}}, were thought to be highly suspicious of a U.S. attack.

Petrov checked ground-based radars which had not detected a launch, noted that the warning system had detected only 1-5 missiles instead of the hundreds that would have been expected in the event of a {{w|pre-emptive nuclear strike|first strike}}, and chose to mark the system alert as a false alarm. This decision is seen as having prevented a retaliatory nuclear attack, which would have probably resulted in immediate escalation of the Cold War stalemate to a full-scale nuclear war and the deaths of tens to hundreds of millions of people. Investigation of the satellite warning system later confirmed that the system had indeed malfunctioned.

While it is highly probable that if Petrov had reported this incident to his superiors they would have come to the same conclusion, it was a point in time when many people feared that the Cold War might become hot. Andropov, the new Soviet leader, was considered weak by the US president {{w|Ronald Reagan}}, and the western countries were deploying new missile installation in Europe to counter existing missiles in the Eastern Bloc. This fear of nuclear war meant that at this time the {{w|Peace movement|peace movement}} in most western countries reached one of its highest levels.

In this comic [[Cueball]] reacts on a simple alert on his phone like most other people do. Too many ''alerts'' reach everybody on their mobile devices, ignored often without deeper knowledge about the issue behind.

The title text presents a much less important false alarm when Cueball made a gift to [[Megan]] in which the donated alarm clock alerts randomly in the middle of the night. After that alarm she just can breathe a sigh of relief and go back to sleep because it's still not early in the morning.

====History of Petrov Day as a holiday====
On the 2007 anniversary, {{w|Eliezer Yudkowsky}} wrote a [https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/QtyKq4BDyuJ3tysoK/9-26-is-petrov-day blog post] for {{w|LessWrong}} suggesting that "Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, take a minute to not destroy the world." Not destroying the world has since evolved into an annual tradition. There is a [http://petrovday.com/ website] for the holiday, with several variations of a ritual involving lighting and snuffing candles. The intended mood is that of a somber holiday, somewhere between {{w|Thanksgiving}} and a funeral.

However, there are also [https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/XJxwFMSL5TPN2usC6/modes-of-petrov-day more lighthearted takes]. A "hardcore mode" would be just like the normal holiday, but "During said ceremony, unveil a large red button. If anybody presses the button, the ceremony is over. Go home. Do not speak." Alternatively, "you use a website connected to *another* house where people are also celebrating Petrov Day. If anyone in one house presses the button, the other house receives a launch alarm. They have 60 seconds to respond. At the end of 60 seconds, their party is over, and they must go home silently. The website has some chance of giving you a false alarm." The website can be found [https://petrovday.bubbleapps.io/ here] with instructions on how to use it [https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/XJxwFMSL5TPN2usC6/modes-of-petrov-day#s4XtBX7Qg9btGf5Kx here].

Stanislav Petrov himself died in 2017, but in 2018 the {{w|Future of Life Institute}} decided to [https://futureoflife.org/2018/09/26/50000-award-to-stanislav-petrov-for-helping-avert-wwiii-but-us-denies-visa/ award] his surviving family a $50,000 prize for his contributions. However, in the words of MIT Professor Max Tegmark, who presented the award, the fact that Petrov's son couldn't "get a visa to visit the city his dad saved from nuclear annihilation is emblematic of how frosty US-Russian relations have gotten, which increases the risk of accidental nuclear war.”

==Transcript==
:[Megan is looking at her phone while Cueball stands in front of her.]
:Megan: Hey, Wednesday was Stanislav Petrov Day. We missed it.
:Cueball: Oh, shoot!
:Cueball: I got a calendar alert for it, but I assumed it was a false alarm.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

Talk:2046: Trum-

2018-09-14T15:48:57Z

141.101.99.185:

This is not that weird. If names were random then it would be a 1 in 26^4 = 456976 chance of a particular president matching another for the first 4, but this is a "Birthday Problem" with 44 presidents, so the probability of any two presidents sharing the first 4 characters is 456976!/(456976^44 (456976 - 44)!), which wolfram alpha is giving me a clearly incorrect answer of 0.99793... but anyway, the point is the number won't be that low... where did I go wrong anyone?

Talk:2046: Trum-

2018-09-14T15:48:09Z

141.101.99.185: The maths but went a bit wrong at the end

This is not that weird. If names were random then it would be a 1 in 456976 chance of a particular president matching another for the first 5, but this is a "Birthday Problem" with 44 presidents, so the probability of any two presidents sharing the first 4 characters is 456976!/(456976^44 (456976 - 44)!), which wolfram alpha is giving me a clearly incorrect answer of 0.99793... but anyway, the point is the number won't be that low... where did I go wrong anyone?

Talk:1147: Evolving

2018-09-11T11:51:20Z

141.101.99.185:

I hope none of them were on a Nuzlocke...

Bacteria can indeed "instantly" evolve within a generation instead of waiting for its descendents. It's called horizontal gene transfer and it's the primary mechanism for the propagation of antibiotic resistance. --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 13:07, 14 December 2012 (UTC)
:Its sentences like that which make {{w|Microbiology|Microbiologists}} my heros. [[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 14:25, 14 December 2012 (UTC)
Should there be a reference to Arceus (the "ultimate creator Pokémon") here? I do not mean this for making a joke; I just thought that the coincidence can be appropriate here, since the bacteria is called "Aureus". [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 15:48, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

The evolved form looks the same to me. --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.121.97|178.26.121.97]] 07:54, 15 December 2012 (UTC)
: Because the difference is internal, in antibiotic resistance --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:56, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

The first external link (to the Cephas Ministry tract) seems to be broken.{{unsigned ip|173.245.56.211}}

When biologists make some sort of drug to counter this, I REALLY hope they call it "The Everstone" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.223.65|108.162.223.65]] 12:08, 6 January 2016 (UTC) C

Actually the title text is a valid traning method in Pokemon, called switch-training.We keep a weaker 'Mon in the front, then switch out to stronger one to defeat the Opponent, gaining split Exp.So, Those Microbiologists will still have their bacteria evolving, but at a slower rate.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 11:04, 1 January 2017 (UTC)

1896: Active Ingredients Only

2017-10-02T09:29:06Z

141.101.99.185: /* Explanation */ unclear how this applies - a cold *is* its symptoms.

{{comic
| number = 1896
| date = September 29, 2017
| title = Active Ingredients Only
| image = active_ingredients_only.png
| titletext = Contains the active ingredients from all competing cold medicines, plus the medicines for headaches, arthritis, insomnia, indigestion, and more, because who wants THOSE things?
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to how all medicine typically has one (or a few) "Active" ingredient and many "Inactive" ingredients. This is played against the current trend of advertising food as containing "no additives and no preservatives".

[[Randall]] thus presents a pack of {{w|Common cold|cold}} medicine that jokingly has "Active Ingredients Only", which is the name of the brand as can be seen since it has "™" after the name (the unregistered {{w|trademark}} symbol). It has six active ingredients and no inactive ingredients. All this because ''We're not here to waste your time'', their slogan, which is also trademarked. Interestingly, the slogan is a registered trademark (®) while the product name is a common law trademark. This means that the slogan likely stays the same, while the product name changes from time to time.

Since one of the inactive ingredients in any medicine in tablet form would be {{w|Binder (material)|binders}} that keep the tablet together, and keep the active ingredient(s) inside, it could be a serious problem to take this cold medicine. Though this packaging is commonly blister packs, with each dose contained separately. Opening the box would reveal a mix of various colored powders and no way to ensure you are correctly taking the right dose. In fact, it would be extremely easy to overdose yourself on one or more of the active ingredients. Or to put it in another way, just like additives and preservatives have a real, beneficial purpose in food production, so do the inactive ingredients in medicine. Of course this assumes tablets - the product may use capsules. The package does not specify.

The title text says that it contains the active ingredients from all competing cold medicines, as well as almost every other medicine on the market for ''headaches, arthritis, insomnia, indigestion and more''. Some of these other conditions, but not all, often occur when you have a cold. This is in line with the "don't waste your time" slogan, since you then need to use only one cold medicine. This may be be a follow-up (or a wish from Randall) after [[1618: Cold Medicine]], where [[Cueball]] wishes to try all possible types of cold medicine at once. Note that, with this list, there should be more than those six active ingredients in the medicine than only those listed on the pack. Unless some of the active ingredients cover multiple conditions.

It correctly states that, apart from the cold you are trying to get rid of, you also do not want these "other things". But it is not advisable to take too much medicine, and often you are warned not to mix different types at the same time, or at least should ask your doctor first. This cold medicine violates these rules, which is the main joke.

==Transcript==

:[A picture of a pack of cold medicine. At the top there is a large advert in three lines. In a black line, to the right of the advert, white text states what kind of medicine is in the pack. Below to the left is a square frame listing ingredients. Most of the text inside this frame is unreadable scribbles. To the right of the frame is another advert inside a black frame. On the side of the box are also unreadable scribbles, both at the top and down next to the ingredients list. At the bottom of the box it can be seen how the pack can open up.]
:<big>Active Ingredients</big>
:<big><big>'''Only'''</big></big>TM
:We're not here to waste your time®

:Cold Medicine

:Active ingredients
:[Six lines of scribbles, with first a name, then a statement in brackets and finally a column right of this with a short line of scribbles.]

:Inactive ingredients
:None

:<big>No binders!</big>

{{comic discussion}}

1253: Exoplanet Names

2014-08-29T15:34:52Z

141.101.99.185: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1253
| date = August 19, 2013
| title = Exoplanet Names
| image = exoplanet names.png
| titletext = If you have any ideas, I hear you can send them to <nowiki>iaupublic@iap.fr</nowiki>.
}}
==Explanation==
On the 14th August 2013, the {{w|International Astronomical Union}} (IAU) [http://www.iau.org/science/news/179/ issued a document] about public naming of astronomical objects. It stated, "IAU fully supports the involvement of the general public, whether directly or through an independent organised vote, in the naming of planetary satellites, newly discovered planets, and their host stars." It also contained, amongst other things, guidelines that suggested names should meet. These include stipulations such as "16 characters or less", "preferably one word", being "pronounceable (in as many languages as possible)", "not too similar to an existing name of an astronomical object", avoiding commercial names, and being "respectful of intellectual property". If we go down the list, we can see that many of Randall's suggestions do indeed violate the guidelines. Which is part of the joke as it reflects the tendency of internet submissions to ignore such softly suggested guidelines.

The randomness and inappropriateness of the suggested names reflects the commonly expected response from anonymous submitters on the internet. Many forums and contests that call for online response and do not apply strict control over the responses receive similar collections of random, inappropriate and obscure submissions that are often only tangentially related to the original subject. For example Greenpeace held a naming contest for one of the whales recently tagged in their research and preservation campaign and even after selecting the finalists the online voting resulted in naming the whale "Mr. Splashypants". PepsiCo had even less restrictive controls in their marketing campaign that asked the internet to name a new flavour of Mountain Dew. They had to shut down the contest in order to avoid naming the new beverage "Hitler did nothing wrong" which was the current leader at the time and only marginally the most inappropriate of the top ten voted suggestions.

The dialogue tell us that an automatic filter was applied to the results designed to remove inappropriate entries that don't meet certain criteria, implying that the list would have been even worse if presented in its unfiltered form.

The document also states that naming suggestions may be sent to the email that Randall included in the title text.

{| class="wikitable"
! Star !! Planet !! Suggested Name !! Explanation
|-
| rowspan=7 | {{w|Gliese 667}} || {{w|Gliese 667 Cb|b}} || Space Planet || A very unoriginal name; every planet is in space.
|-
|{{w|Gliese 667 Cc|c}} || PILF || Pun of {{w|MILF pornography|MILF}}, i.e. ''Planet I'd Like to Fuck''. Planet c is a relatively hot planet, within the habitable zone.
|-
|{{w|Gliese 667 Cd|d}} || A Star || "A {{w|Star}}" is obviously a bad name for a planet. A* (pronounced "A star") is already used in in astronomy, for example the Milky Way's black hole core is {{w|Sagittarius A*}}. "A star" is also the name for the character {{w|asterisk}} and the name of the popular {{w|A* search algorithm}} in computer science.
|-
|{{w|Gliese 667 Ce|e}} || e'); DROP TABLE PLANETS;-- || A reference to {{w|SQL injection}}, riffing off of [[327|comic 327]], which featured a schoolboy named <code>[[Robert'); DROP TABLE students;--]]</code>. The idea here is that the IAU would enter the name into their system and promptly lose all of their data pertaining to planets. Note that Planet e is located in the habitable zone of the star system.
|-
|{{w|Gliese 667 Cf|f}} || Blogosphere || rowspan = 2 | Weird ''{{w|blog}}''-related terms are a recurring theme in xkcd. See, for instance, [[181|comic 181]].
|-
|{{w|Gliese 667 Cg|g}} || Blogodrome
|-
|[http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_667c_h/ h] || Earth || Planet candidate h is about the mass of the Earth, and described as "tantalizing": [http://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2013/08/aa21331-13/aa21331-13.html A dynamically-packed planetary system around GJ with three super-Earths in its habitable zone]. See also ([[1231: Habitable Zone]]).
|-
| rowspan=5 | {{w|Tau Ceti}} || [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/tau_cet_b/ b] || Sid Meier's Tau Ceti B || This refers to the game {{w|Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri}}.
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/tau_cet_c/ c] || Giant Dog Planet || {{w|VY Canis Majoris}} is one of the largest known stars at our galaxy and belongs to the constellation {{w|Canis Major}}, Latin for "greater dog". The constellation further contains {{w|Sirius}}, the brightest star in the night sky, also called "Dog Star".
|-
|[http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/tau_cet_d/ d] || Tiny Dog Planet || cf. {{w|Canis Minor}}, Latin for "lesser dog", another constellation.
|-
|{{w|Tau Ceti e|e}} || Phil Plainet || A reference to {{w|Phil Plait}}, a.k.a. The Bad Astronomer.
|-
|{{w|Tau Ceti f|f}} || Unicode Snowman || The Unicode character [http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2603/index.htm ☃] may be a reference to the planet's estimated surface temperature of -40 °C (-40 °F). However, this name would be pronounced differently (being a symbol, not a word or name) in different languages. Planets in our solar system are assigned to {{w|Astronomical symbols|astronomical symbols}} like ♁ for Earth or ♂ for Mars.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 832}} || {{w|Gliese 832 b|b}} || Asshole Jupiter || This massive planet orbits a {{w|red dwarf}} star at the longest known period of 3416 days at this category.
|-
| rowspan=6 | {{w|Gliese 581}} || {{w|Gliese 581 b|b}} || Waist-deep Cats || {{w|Waist Deep}} is an action film from 2006, and the {{w|Lolcat}} meme does not need explaining. The name may also simply be a reference to being "waist-deep" in (i.e. surrounded by many) cats.
|-
| {{w|Gliese|c}} || Planet #14 || About 200th discovered exoplanet (in 2007); reported to be the first potentially Earth-like planet in the habitable zone of its star, though that is in doubt now. The joke might be that like "Space Planet", "Planet #14" is a generic and unoriginal name. Also note that this is the 15th entry in the table so the numbering is {{w|Zero-based_numbering|zero-based}}.
An interesting (?) coincidence is that the 14th and 15th {{w|Definition of planet#Minor planets|Minor planets}} (then called asteroids) were discovered in 1851; see see {{w|List of minor planets: 1–1000}}. If they were to be counted among the planets of the {{w|Solar System}}, as was sometimes done then, the 14th known planetary body would be {{w|7 Iris}} (discovered in 1847, a year before {{w|Neptune}}).
|-
|{{w|Gliese 581 d|d}} || Ballderaan || A {{w|wikt:balls|crude pun}} on the planet {{w|Alderaan}} from the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' universe.
|-
|{{w|Gliese 581 e|e}} || Eternia Prime || {{w|Eternia}} is a fictional planet, venue of the ''{{w|Masters of the Universe}}'' animated series and toy collection.
|-
| {{w|Gliese 581 f|f}} || Taupe Mars || {{w|Kim Stanley Robinson}}'s award-winning {{w|Mars trilogy}} (''Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars'' after various stages of {{w|terraformation}}). {{w|Taupe}} is a brownish-grey colour.
|-
|{{w|Gliese|g}} || Jelly-Filled Planet || Possibly a reference to the conjecture that this tidally locked planet has an isolated habitable zone under the substellar point, akin to the pocket of jelly in a jelly doughnut.
|-
| rowspan=2 | {{w|Epsilon Eridani}} || {{w|Epsilon Eridani b|b}} || Skydot || [http://skydot.lanl.gov SkyDOT] is the Sky Database for Objects in Time-Domain run by {{w|LANL}} for the {{w|U.S. Dept. of Energy}} and includes data for [http://skydot.lanl.gov/nsvs/star.php?num=14831575&mask=32004 Epsilon Eridani] that can be used to constrain the orbital parameters of ε Eri b. It may also refer to how objects in space may appear as bland, bright dots in the night sky.
|-
| {{w|Epsilon Eridani c#Planet_c|c}} || Laser Noises || A {{w|Laser}} does not produce {{w|Noise (electronics)|noise}} in the signal sense; it only works at a well defined frequency. In science fiction films, however, laser weapon discharges are usually accompanied by sound. Sun-like Epsilon Eridani became a popular setting for science fiction after its publicity as a target of the {{w|Project Ozma}} experiment.
|-
| rowspan=2 | {{w|Gliese 176}} || {{w|Gliese 176 b|b}} || Pandora || The mythological name {{w|Pandora}} fulfills most of IAU's guidelines and has been popular for planets in science fiction; most recently and famously is {{w|Pandora (Avatar)|the venue}} of James Cameron's ''{{w|Avatar (film)|Avatar}}'' (although actually it is not a planet but just a moon of a gas giant in Alfa Centauri A). It is also a hellish planet from {{w|Frank Herbert}}'s {{w|Frank Herbert bibliography#WorShip novels|WorShip}} series of novels, a jungle planet in Brothers Strugatsky's {{w|Noon Universe}} and the planet used in {{w|Borderlands (video game)|Borderlands Games}}.
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_176_c/ c] || Pantera || Named for the {{w|Pantera|heavy metal band}} - which was named after an Italian sports car, the {{w|De Tomaso Pantera}}.
|-
| Kepler-61 || {{w|Kepler-61b|b}} || GoldenPalace.com || A gambling website, known for {{w|GoldenPalace.com|paying to have their name in unusual places}} (like forehead tattoos, species names...).
|-
! colspan=4 | (right column)
|-
| rowspan=3 | {{w|Upsilon Andromedae}} || {{w|Upsilon Andromedae c|c}} || Stampy || The name of the elephant from the {{w|Simpsons}} episode {{w|Bart Gets an Elephant}}.
|-
|{{w|Upsilon Andromedae d|d}} || Moonchild || The name Bastian gives the Childlike Empress in {{w|The Neverending Story}}.
|-
|{{w|Upsilon Andromedae e|e}} || Ham Sphere || [http://www.hamsphere.com HamSphere] is a {{w|Amateur radio|Ham Radio}} simulator program. Ham radio uses designated radio frequencies for non-commercial exchange of messages and more. A pun of Hemisphere.
|-
| rowspan=3 | {{w|. Eridani|HD 20794}} || [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/hd_20794_b/ b] || Cosmic Sands || style="font-family:'Comic Sans MS', 'Comic Sans'" | A {{w|pun}} on the name of the font {{w|Comic Sans}}. (See also: [[590|590: Papyrus]].)
|-
| [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/hd_20794_c/ c] || Legoland || {{w|Legoland}} is a chain of {{w|theme park}}s owned by the {{w|Lego Group}}.
|-
|[http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/hd_20794_d/ d] || Planet with Arms || A reference to the [http://www.thecolorsofmysoul.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/The-Hitchhikers-Guide-to-the-Galaxy.jpg early covers] of {{w|Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}?
|-
| {{w|HD 85512}} || {{w|HD 85512 b|b}} || Lax Morality || Possibly a parody of science fiction in which certain planets are suggested to be uniformly... lax in morals (i.e. full of sex, drugs, etc.). See http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Planetville and related.
|-
| rowspan=6 | {{w|HD 40307}} || {{w|HD 40307 b|b}} || Good Planet || Similar to the above, except with good planets. May also be yet another non-descriptive name, like "Space Planet" and "Planet #14".
|-
|{{w|HD|c}} || ProblemLand || See above.
|-
|{{w|HD 40307 d|d}} || Slickle || This is a reference to "[http://zdarsky.tumblr.com/post/2837139960 The Petals Fall Twice]", which was made as a humorous example of bad fan-fiction. The word itself is a portmanteau of "slowly", "licked", and "tickled".
|-
|{{w|HD 40307 e|e}} || Spare Parts || This suggests that the planet is "worthless" or "junk". This is false, of course. May be a reference to the fact it is a planet with nothing much different from the other planets.
|-
|{{w|HD 40307 f|f}} || New Jersey VI || Refers to the state of {{w|New Jersey}}; may be an insult to either.
|-
|{{w|HD|g}} || How Do I Join the IAU || This implies that the user "got lost" on the IAU website and thought that the "planet name suggestion" input was for general queries.
|-
| rowspan=3 | {{w|Gliese 163}} || [http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_163_b/ b] || Neil Tyson's Mustache || {{w|Neil deGrasse Tyson}} is a famous American astrophysicist and science communicator who does maintain a distinguished mustache.
|-
|{{w|Gliese|c}} || help@gmail.com || Similar to "How Do I Join the IAU", this implies that the user confused the "planet suggestion" text box for a new email they are trying to send
|-
|[http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/gj_163_d/ d] || Hair-Covered Planet || Refers to the well-known {{w|Hairy ball theorem}} of topology.
|-
| {{w|Pi Mensae}} || {{w|Pi Mensae b|b}} || Moon Holder || {{w|Jupiter}} has more than 60 discovered moons, and still counting... A planet ten times more massive ''must'' also be a Moon Holder.
|-
| {{w|HD 189733}} || {{w|HD 189733 b|b}} || Permadeath || A well-characterized "{{w|Hot Jupiter}}" at a temperature range of 973 ± 33 K to 1,212 ± 11 K. The name refers to the feature of {{w|Permanent death}} common in many RPGs and roguelikes.
|-
| {{w|Kepler-22}} || {{w|Kepler-22 b|b}} || Blue Ivy || Blue Ivy Carter is the daughter of musicians {{w|Beyoncé}} and {{w|Jay-Z}}.
|-
| Kepler-3284 || b || Blainsley || A very small town in the United Kingdom, south of Edinburgh. Possibly chosen due to its insignificance?
|-
| Kepler-3255 || b || Unicorn Thresher || As far as we can tell, Kepler-3255b is in the vicinity of the constellation Monoceros, aka the Unicorn.
|-
| Kepler-2418 || b || Spherical Discworld || {{w|The Discworld}} is the fictional setting for British author {{w|Terry Pratchett}}'s {{w|Discworld}} series of humorous fantasy novels; it consists of a large disc supported by four elephants themselves standing on top of a turtle flying through space.
|-
| Kepler-1686 || {{w|KOI-1686.01|b}} || Emergency Backup Earth || This candidate planet has an {{w|Earth Similarity Index}} of 0.89, making it one of the most habitable {{w|Kepler object of interest}}. The name suggests that it could be used as a backup in case something happened to our current planet.
|-
| Kepler-3010 || b || Feeeoooooooop || Possibly the onomatopoeia for something getting sucked into a black hole.
|-
| Kepler-4742 || b || Liz || ...Just a regular name (for a person, not a planet). Maybe a reference to the Magic School Bus.
|}

==Transcript==
:August 2013:
:The International Astronomical Union decides to start naming exoplanets, and—for the first time ever—asks for suggestions from the general public.
:They immediately regret this decision.
:[Ponytail, Megan, Cueball, and a woman with a bun hairstyle are looking at a computer screen. Ponytail is facepalming.]
:Cueball‏‎: Can't you filter out the worst ones?
:Rightmost Woman: This is '''''after''''' the filter!
:[Table showing a list of planet names is shown.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball‏‎]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Little Bobby Tables]]
[[Category:Exoplanets]]

1406: Universal Converter Box

2014-08-11T09:07:34Z

141.101.99.185: Corrected and clarified MagSafe section

{{comic
| number = 1406
| date = August 11, 2014
| title = Universal Converter Box
| image = universal_converter_box.png
| titletext = Comes with a 50-lb sack of gender changers, and also an add-on device with a voltage selector and a zillion circular center pin DC adapter tips so you can power any of those devices from the 90s.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs explanation of each device and explanation of title text.}}
Converter boxes are used to connect two devices together which otherwise couldn't be, due to different shaped plugs, different voltages, or different protocols of communication.

Converter boxes or converter cables are commonly found for several of the plugs at the top of the list - such as from USB to micro-USB.

The humour from this comic comes from the progressively ridiculous conversions that this box is capable of doing, for example, converting audio from a 1/8inch / 3.5mm headphone jack, into a variety of petrols suitable for running your car.

Different connectors:
*{{w|VGA_connector|VGA}} (Video Graphics Array): A type of video connector, it has fifteen pins in a D-shell (A trapezoidal metal skirt guards the pins from the sides, prevents the connector from being plugged in the wrong way ("keyed") and makes the physical connection more secure). First used in 1987, and with new versions being developed since then, it is an extremely common type of video connector.
*{{w|Digital_Visual_Interface|DVI}} (Digital Video Interface): Another type of video connector, it also uses a D-shell connector, except the pins are flat instead of round. DVI is not compatible with VGA ports, though DVI can transmit an analog signal.
*{{w|HDMI}} (High Definition Multimedia Interface): A connector that can transmit both video and audio over the same cable, HDMI has slowly been replacing DVI and VGA ports on newer devices due to the simplicity (one connector instead of two) and the smaller footprint and overall dimensions.
*{{w|Thunderbolt_(interface)|Thunderbolt}}: A multimedia/data connector, Thunderbolt can transfer both video signals to a monitor, audio signals to speakers, and send and receive data at the same time, over the same port. However, the limited adoption by manufacturers, the higher costs of the hardware, and the security concerns inherent to the interface have limited the adoption by consumers.
*{{w|IEEE_1394|Firewire}}: A data transfer connector, Firewire is bidirectional. Multiple devices can be hooked up through Firewire via daisy chaining (the first device connects to the second device, which connects to the third device, and so on). Firewire can also be used to network computers together (though that is not common)
*{{w|Component_video|Component}} and {{w|RCA_connector|RCA}}: Both Component video and RCA are ways of transmitting video and audio signals. The RCA plug uses one connection (with only one signal) to transmit video. Two connectors are used to transmit audio (one right channel, one left channel). Component shares the connector type, but adds in two more connectors to provide additional video information.
*{{w|Phone_connector_(audio)|1/8" audio/video}}
*{{w|Parallel_port|Parallel port}}: the now obsolete computer interface mostly used to connect printers to PCs
*{{w|S-Video_(analog_video_standard)|S-video}}
*{{w|In-flight_entertainment#History|Airline pneumatic tube audio}}
*{{w|PS/2_port|PS/2}}: Used to connect mouse and keyboard in older computers. There are no such connectors as PS/3 and PS/4 - the joke here is that the {{w|PlayStation}} console uses the same acronym, and currently there are four generations of it, commonly abbreviated to PSX, PS2, PS3 and PS4.
*{{w|NEMA_connector|120V AC (optionally with ground)}}
*{{w|Ribbon_cable|Ribbon cables}} (not dividable like in the comic) ({{w|Floppy_disk|Floppy}}/{{w|Parallel_ATA|IDE}}/{{w|Hard_disk_drive|SFF-8212 (2.5")}}/{{w|SCSI_connector|SCSI}})
*{{w|USB#Connectors_and_plugs|USB}} USB (USB-A), USB weird other end (USB-B), mini-USB, micro-USB, macro-USB (doesn't exist)
*{{w|F_connector|F connector}}
*{{w|Optical_fiber_connector|Fiber}}
*{{w|Registered_jack#RJ11.2C_RJ14.2C_RJ25_wiring_details|RJ11}} The "smaller than RJ45" connector which is used for land-line telephones.
*{{w|Registered_jack#RJ45|Ethernet}} (aka RJ45): the most common consumer grade fixed wire connection for networking (Your wifi will use one to connect to the cable modem).
*{{w|Token_ring|Token ring}}: A now outdated networking technology, which in late 90s competed with Ethernet for local area network fixed wire connection.
*{{w|MagSafe}}: Magnetically attached power connectors, showing the L-shaped MagSafe (introduced in 2006), MagSafe 2 (introduced in 2012), and the fictitious MagSafe 3 and 4. The "MagSafe 4" connector has apparently been torn off; this seems to be a joke about the poor quality of MagSafe cables.
*{{w|Bluetooth#Communication_and_connection|Bluetooth dongle}}
*{{w|SCART}}: A mostly European video connector for picture and sound -- replaced the coax and RGB cables for improved video quality. Now obsolete and replaced with HDMI.
*{{w|Tin_can_telephone|String}} For connecting to a tin-can. An analogue device for sending and receiving sound over a wire
*{{w|Fuel_dispenser#Nozzles|Fuel nozzle}}, with a switch to choose {{w|Octane_rating|Octane rating}} or {{w|Diesel_fuel|Diesel}}.

The title text is referring to connector "gender," which is a further complication in getting a connection. A connector is capable of making a connection to another device only through another connector of the opposite gender. Gender adapters flip the gender of a connector, so that two connectors of the same gender can connect. Due to the number of connections this box is capable of, there would be a significant number of connectors, which would lead to them weighing 50-lbs in all. The weight of the petrol pump gender adapter is probably responsible for the bulk of this.

The "circular center pin DC adapter tips" in the title text are barrel jack power plugs. These were developed in the 1990s, and come in a staggering variety of dimensions. The "barrel" has both an inner diameter and an outer diameter, so even if the outer diameter of the barrel jack (which can be easily measured) is correct, the inner diameter could not be. This leads to frustration on the part of users when the original power supply cannot be found.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}