explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:621: Superlative

2025-05-01T11:17:25Z

141.101.99.93:

A clever comic, but makes it all too clear to me how much more like this guy I am, than Dos Equis man. Cut it out, Randall! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 20:44, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

Am I the only one who never saw the Dos Equis commercials when they were on TV, and thought upon seeing ''The Most Interesting Man In The World'' in Internet meme-age, that it was actually ''George Zimmer, Founder & CEO of The Men's Wearhouse''? [[User:Boct1584|Boct1584]] ([[User talk:Boct1584|talk]]) 14:38, 26 June 2015 (UTC)

Isn't the Dos Equis guy also ill-qualified to advertise the beer? According to him, he "doesn't always drink beer," and I've seen an image macro poking fun at this by continuing, "so I probably shouldn't be advertising it." [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.6|172.68.47.6]] 06:43, 13 December 2017 (UTC)
:I'd disagree, If someone drinks beer 5 days out of a week, tequila one day, and abstains the remaining day then they "don't always drink beer" but still consume a decent quantity of it. "Not always" is an imprecise qualifier since it can cover anything less than 100% of instances.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.177|162.158.74.177]] 16:21, 28 May 2020 (UTC)

:I always took it to mean "I don't always drink beer, so when I do, I'm really discerning . . . " [[User:L-Space Traveler|L-Space Traveler]] ([[User talk:L-Space Traveler|talk]]) 12:15, 17 October 2022 (UTC)
How is someone speaking French in Russian? Is he speaking French with a thick Russian accent, or vice versa, or is he just mixing words in two languages so that no one besides the Russian nobility of XIX can understand him?
:That's the joke - he's Just That Good! [[User:L-Space Traveler|L-Space Traveler]] ([[User talk:L-Space Traveler|talk]]) 12:15, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

Surprised this is really the only XKCD comic to mention TF2
[[User:StapleFreeBatteries|StapleFreeBatteries]] ([[User talk:StapleFreeBatteries|talk]]) 17:08, 7 September 2024 (UTC)

so i guess [http://wiki.xdi8.top/wiki/user:colorful%47alaxy this] is maybe the most interesting man on that wiki. [[User:Translated ORK|Translated ORK]] ([[User talk:Translated ORK|talk]]) 09:36, 1 May 2025 (UTC)
::"(not to be confused with the one with the same name here)" - I honestly don't believe you on that, even ignoring the issue of statistical chances against 'random' username coincidence (or close enough for you to notice) across systems. And they've been inactive (indeed, the account blocked) for a long time prior to 'your' arrival - so even tripping up over their existence, to make such a connection here, seems even more unlikely unless you were already aware of who you are refering to.
::Add to that, that the things the various CG-personae here have been notably interested in, and the way that they 'contributed', are so similar to the contributions being made by at least some of the acknowledged current cluster of users of which you're a part. Frankly I don't care too much, as long as you keep your (possibly solo) LARPing to a minimum and don't keep dragging conlang stuff in here with no reasonable purpose. But "{{w|The lady doth protest too much, methinks}}". So, please, rein it in! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.93|141.101.99.93]] 11:17, 1 May 2025 (UTC) 
:or maybe it's Zhou Chenxiao? [[User:Translated ORK|Translated ORK]] ([[User talk:Translated ORK|talk]]) 09:36, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

3051: Hardwood

2025-02-18T09:14:19Z

141.101.99.93: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3051
| date = February 14, 2025
| title = Hardwood
| image = hardwood_2x.png
| imagesize = 273x350px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = They may technically have been softwoods at some point, but they definitely aren't now.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DIRT FLOOR INSTALLER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Home remodelers, whether contractors or do-it-yourselfers, sometimes seek to remove layers of modifications to restore some previous condition. Flooring made of hardwood (oak, maple, etc.) panels, perhaps deprecated by earlier homeowners for comfort or style reasons, can be prized by later homeowners as tastes or fashions change. Hardwood floors are currently considered desirable in homes for durability, aesthetic appeal and other reasons, and may have been the original choice for the building, but aspirations constantly change and intermediate decoration may have overlaid carpetting or {{w|linoleum}}/{{w|Sheet vinyl flooring|vinyl}} at a time that this was considered more fashionable or practical.

In this comic [[Blondie]] has apparently explained {{w|Stratum|geological strata}} to [[Cueball]], who refers to finding a “hardwood floor” under these layers. The joke is that the characters are talking about the {{w|Earth's crust}}, rather than about a house. The “hardwood floor” is actually a {{w|Fossil fuel|fossiliferous}} {{w|Coal|coal seam}} from the {{w|Carboniferous}} period, 300-360 million years ago, that originated as woody plants and other material. The “layers” are overlying geological strata that are likely hundreds or thousands of meters thick, making it impractical, if not impossible, to tear them up, and making it unlikely that there is any aesthetic reason to expose the “hardwood” layer.

The title text refers to the fact that typical {{w|Carboniferous#Plants|Carboniferous plants}} would all be classified as {{w|Softwood|softwoods}} or even not woody at all; flowering plants ({{w|Flowering plants|angiosperms}}), the principal source of today's {{w|hardwoods}}, would not appear on Earth in any significant numbers for another 220 million years. However, whatever it would be classified as in the beginning, it is now “hardwood” in the literal sense of wood that is hard, as it is now all coal and other rock.

[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Geology Geology]-themed comics appear in xkcd with increasing frequency, with 19 of the 51 comics in the category published since the beginning of 2023.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is looking down and pointing with a finger towards the floor in front of Blondie who is facing him. Behind her is a picture on the wall showing seven sedimentary layers above each other, assuming the top of the picture is air. Each layer has a different texture than the ones it borders but two are as white as the air at the top, including the bottom-most layer.]
:Cueball: So you're saying that if we tear up these layers, there's hardwood flooring under here?
:Blondie: ...I mean, sort of...

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Home remodelers learn about the Carboniferous

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Geology]]

3009: Number Shortage

2024-11-11T12:33:00Z

141.101.99.93: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 3009
| date = November 8, 2024
| title = Number Shortage
| image = number_shortage_2x.png
| imagesize = 284x269px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "10 minutes ago we were down to only 2 0s!" "How many do we have now?" "I ... don't know!!"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT WITH 11 0S AND 10 1S. NO, WAIT... - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic presents a situation where the ability to use numbers is a limited resource. Even quantifying how many numbers are left uses up some of those numbers once the counting is finished.

Obviously in real life being able to write or say digits is not a limited resource.{{Citation Needed}} The comic does however parallel many educational video games for young children where numbers and mathematical concepts are treated as living people or factory goods, in order to give some sort of story or context to the math-related activities.

The comic conflates numbers with decimal digits. So when [[Miss Lenhart]] says "15 2s and 12 3s", that uses up two 2s (one in "2s" and one in "12") and one 3 (in "3s"). She adjusts the counts as she's speaking, so when she says "13 2s", that uses up another 3, leaving only 10 3s when she's completing the sentence.

In the title text, she uses two 0s when saying that they had two 0s left, so now they have no more 0s. But she can't use the number 0 to describe this situation because they're out of them.

===Continuation===

A continuation of the pattern would go:

* "We have only 15 2s and 12 3s left."
* "No, wait, 13 2s and 10 3s."
* "No, wait, 12 2s and 9 3s."
* "No, wait, 10 2s and 8 3s."
* "No, wait, 9 2s and 7 3s."
* "No, wait, 8 2s and 6 3s."
* "No, wait, 7 2s and 5 3s."
* "No, wait, 6 2s and 4 3s."
* "No, wait, 5 2s and 3 3s."
* "No, wait, 4 2s and 1 3."
* "No, wait, ? 2s and 0 ?s."

At that point, Miss Lenhart would lack the necessary 3s to articulate that there are "3 2s and 0 3s."

* "No, wait, 2 2s and 0 ?s."
* "No, wait, 0 ?s and 0 ?s."

==Transcript==
:[Miss Lenhart is standing on the left, facing Cueball and Megan on the right.]
:Miss Lenhart: The Math Department number shortage is getting worse. We have only 15 2s and 12 3s left.
:Miss Lenhart: No, wait, 13 2s and 10 3s.
:Miss Lenhart: No, wait...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

Talk:2483: Linked List Interview Problem

2021-07-01T23:44:45Z

141.101.99.93:

Assuming not everyone understands O notation: O(1) means that it always takes the same time, no matter how much data is stored. O(n) means the time is proportional to the amount of data stored - if you have 10 times the data, it takes 10 times as long to find the one you want. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.84}}

This code won't mail the linked list to a museum - it will mail the memory location of the head of the list to a museum.{{unsigned ip|172.70.130.192}}
:I think part of the joke might be that the high-level language being used will actually spit out a representation of the entire list when using the str function. So it actually does all the traversing and abstracts it away, again making the interview question seem redundant! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.48|162.158.159.48]] 10:40, 1 July 2021 (UTC)
::The language looks almost like Python -- the only difference being the keyword ''define'' instead of ''def''. Lisp is the only family of languages I can think of that automatically converts linked lists to a representation of all the elements, since the linked list is its fundamental data structure. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:06, 1 July 2021 (UTC)

just to make sure I get this right.
If I want to save the numbers "1", "2", "3", "4" in an array it could (depending on the programming language) just be "[1,2,3,4]", while a linked list could be "1 (jump to 3rd entry), 4, 2 (jump to 4th entry), 3 (jump to 2nd entry)"?
Then entering 2.5 between 2 and 3 would be complicated in the array as you have to move the 3 and 4 to new places, while in the linked list you just change the direction after to to jump to 5th entry, and add 2.5 and the instruction to jump to 4th entry? While it is of course harder to find a specific entry in the linked list. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:01, 1 July 2021 (UTC)
:At the lowest level of access, such an array would be like the sequence "1234" (analogising to a simple string/char-array), asking for the nth-element quickly gets the nth-character by offset plus suitably multiplied memory reference). Inserting ("12a34") or deleting ("124") needs at least partial shuffling and resizing, while switching ("1324") or other internal re-ordering has widely variable overheads.
:A linked-list could be thought of as defining as "¹" with ¹="1²", ²="2³", ³="3⁴" and ⁴="4∅", taking up more initial memory, and effort to discover the nth item. But, done right and for the right reasons, additions (²="2⁵", ⁵="a³"), removals (²="2⁴", dump/reuse ³) and switches (either ²="3³", ³="2⁴" or ¹="1³", ³="3²", ²="2⁴") can be as efficient as possible once the splice-and-switch process knows which points to work with.
:(A linked-list sorter/editor will probably traverse the list, not worrying what 'offset' it is at, but holding an ⁿ pointer address for at least two adjacent items, ready to alter their ⁿs-as-reference to fulfil the change required, without worrying ''which'' ⁿs they were, and when created in whatever the next memory slot is.)
:Doubly-linked might be list header "¹" where ¹="∅1²", ²="¹2³", ³="²3⁴" and ⁴="³4∅" and is heavier in storage (though often balanced by the "1234" being much more complex as actual data (e.g. multi-word, possibly variable-length records) than the simple ⁿs, that in an array-accessed form would include far too much padding and wasting storage (or too little, requiring optionally-defined ⁿs at the end of each fixed-length record to direct to an 'overflow' memory location, effectively LLing) thus justifying the potential LL packing overheads.
:For further hybrid fun, nothing stops you having a fixed array "¹²³⁴∅∅∅" and define ¹="1", etc, then change the array-of-references accordingly ("¹²⁵³⁴∅∅", "¹²⁴∅∅∅∅", "¹³²⁴∅∅∅" or - if it's sensible - "¹²³⁴³²¹" which actually does something the LL would be hard-pressed to achieve for you without further structural overheads specifically designed for beyond-linear traversal).
:That it potentially becomes spaghetti-data should not concern you so long as you don't have spaghetti-code as well which causes some oversight of data-mangling to mess things up. And you'll probably want to maintain a custom data-dumper/collator/formatter capability to keep an eye on things as you're debugging the inevitably miswritten shuffle-function, and/or do battle with the compiler's garbage-handling insertions when you confuse it beyond reasonable limits. (No, wait, did you do full low-level garbage-handling yourself? Did you do it ''properly''? ;) )
:...but I must say I'm not overly keen to abandon modern inbuilt splice-functions (for arrays/otherwise) doing all this hard work for me. Only if I'm looking at something of more of a net-/tree-like relationship (esp. non-Euclidean), or something with complicated multi-layered disparity of pointed-at data might I design up from such basic foundations. But I can also be nostalgic about when it was far more necessary! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.48|162.158.159.48]] 10:18, 1 July 2021 (UTC)

Does anyone know when the last comic was that used colors? Is this something worth mentioning? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.42|162.158.88.42]] 06:11, 1 July 2021 (UTC)

: I found the category: [[:Category:Comics with color]]. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.153|162.158.93.153]] 06:17, 1 July 2021 (UTC)

I added some words regarding the title text. Feel free to expand/clarify/correct as necessary. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.209|172.69.35.209]] 06:57, 1 July 2021 (UTC)

The comic could also be a reference to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum_Algorithm British Museum Algorithm]. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.110|162.158.88.110]] 09:09, 1 July 2021 (UTC)

I second a previous comment, the code *does not* send the list to the museum, only the string representation of the head pointer. So the examiner may be rightully pissed off because both can be true: the candidate is trying to make fun of list algorithms '''and''' he doesn't know how to deal with a list.
(Unsure of what follows: given that the code looks like python, this may also be sarcasm about the style of (not only) python programming that always resorts to some external code module instead of defining new data structures and coding related methods. In this case, the external module is a museum :-) ). [[User:Xkcdmax|Xkcdmax]] ([[User talk:Xkcdmax|talk]])

Those wondering why linked lists are considered obsolete: insertion and deletion performance is rarely the issue these days. It's the cost of enumerating over all elements in the list. Both arrays and linked lists have O(n) complexity there, but arrays have the lower cost. And that's before we get into stuff like caches liking predictable access patterns (pointer chasing is not predictable) and all those pointers costing precious cache memory space.--[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 09:45, 1 July 2021 (UTC)
:If the elements are simpler and relatively constant in individual storage demands (regardless of total numbers to store), arrays and bulk-caching work well. If they're more convoluted records (e.g. up to 64 characters as element name, 256 characters for a description, version 'number' that's another string, a notes field that is a pointer to an arbitrary chain of formatted/markupped punctuated character-storing freetext variable slots, any number of other object properties you find useful) then most of the advantages of indexable layout for lookahead loading are lost. If you're writing at significantly low-level of code, already, then you could still possibly see an advantage to implementing linked-list structures and not lose out enough to the advantages you'd get for an array implementation.
:Though these days you're not encouraged to tunnel past the abstractions the higher-level compiler/interpreter will present to you. You could be hard pressed to do anything efficient yourself (like an array-of-pointers approach, or using XOR packing to cut down on memory requirements in a doubly-linked list) and must blindly trust that the original authors of the intermediate builder gave it the wisdom to not be too bad trying to match what you input to a suitably workable pre-anticipated family of data-series methodologies by the time it gets to runtime.
:And there's so much power in a modern computer core that, even with a resource-hogging OS, you're probably not going to break it by manually forcing the worst option, unless you're already in danger of stressing the system even with the truly best one. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.93|141.101.99.93]] 23:44, 1 July 2021 (UTC)

2480: No, The Other One

2021-06-26T20:24:25Z

141.101.99.93: ...and I Typoed.

{{comic
| number = 2480
| date = June 23, 2021
| title = No, The Other One
| image = no_the_other_one.png
| titletext = Key West, Virginia is not to be confused with Key, West Virginia.
}}

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

This is a map of the United States, showing cities or towns with the same name as other more famous places. For example, the map has a dot for a place called Los Angeles in Texas, not to be confused with Los Angeles, California.

Few place names are unique, and there may be {{w|List of the most common U.S. place names|many places with the same name}}. Multiple American towns have been named after the same British town, famous person, or geographic feature.

However, names can become associated with specific places on a national level, where the best-known example is usually the biggest or otherwise the most significant. The name of this comic indicates the contextualization required to specify one of the less-famous exemplars of a given name. Someone might say they are from "Los Angeles" and would have to say "no, the other one" since the listener would assume they are from Los Angeles, California.

The [[title text]] references {{w|Key, West Virginia}} and {{w|Key West, Virginia}}, two places that, when spoken aloud, are only distinguishable by the pause (comma) location. Neither are to be confused with {{w|Key West|Key West, Florida}}, which is a location well-known nationally.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Place name in comic
! Well-known place
! Notes
|-
| {{w|Albany, Georgia|Albany, GA}}
| rowspan="3" | {{w|Albany,_New_York|Albany, NY}}
| rowspan="3" | Albany, NY is the capital of New York state.
|-
| {{w|Albany, Minnesota|Albany, MN}}


|-
| {{w|Albany, Wyoming|Albany, WY}}

|-
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Alexandria,_Louisiana|Alexandria, LA}}
| {{w|Alexandria,_Virginia|Alexandria, VA}}
| Alexandria, VA is known for being George Washington's hometown.
|-
| {{w|Alexandria|Alexandria, Egypt}}
| Major economic and cultural center on the Mediterranean.
|-
| {{w|Anchorage, Kentucky|Anchorage, KY}}
| {{w|Anchorage,_Alaska|Anchorage, AK}}
| Anchorage, AK is Alaska's most populous city.
|-
| Atlanta, CO
| rowspan="7" | {{w|Atlanta|Atlanta, GA}}
| rowspan="7" | Atlanta, GA is the capital of Georgia, a center of the civil rights movement in the 1950's and 60's, and a major air transportation hub. The comic has a single "Atlanta" next to dots for both Atlanta, CO and Atlanta, NE.
|-
| {{w|Atlanta,_Delaware|Atlanta, DE}}

|-
| {{w|Atlanta,_Idaho|Atlanta, ID}}

|-
| {{w|Atlanta,_Michigan|Atlanta, MI}}

|-
| {{w|Atlanta,_Nebraska|Atlanta, NE}}

|-
| {{w|Atlanta, Texas|Atlanta, TX}}
|-
| {{w|Atlanta, Wisconsin|Atlanta, WI}}
|-
| {{w|Atlantic City, Wyoming|Atlantic City, WY}}
| {{w|Atlantic City, New Jersey|Atlantic City, NJ}}
| Atlantic City, NJ is a famous coastal resort town in New Jersey known for its casinos, boardwalk and beaches.
|-
| {{w|Austin, Minnesota|Austin, MN}}
| {{w|Austin, Texas|Austin, TX}}
| Austin, TX is the capital of the state of Texas, and the 11th most populous city in the US.
|-
| {{w|Baton Rouge, South Carolina|Baton Rouge, SC}}
| {{w|Baton Rouge, Louisiana|Baton Rouge, LA}}
| Baton Rouge, LA is the capital of the state of Louisiana.
|-
| {{w|Beaumont, California|Beaumont, CA}}
| {{w|Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont, TX}}
| Beaumont, TX is known for the oil discovery that sparked the Texas oil boom of the early 1900s.
|-
| {{w|Beverly Hills, Illinois|Beverly Hills, IL}}
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills, CA}}
| rowspan="2" | Beverly Hills, CA is a city in Los Angeles County, CA and is home to many celebrities, luxury hotels, and the Rodeo Drive shopping district.
|-
| {{w|Beverly Hills, Texas|Beverly Hills, TX}}

|-
| {{w|Bloomington, Minnesota | Bloomington, MN}}
| {{w|Bloomington, Indiana | Bloomington, IN}}
| Bloomington, IN is the location of Indiana University.
|-
| {{w|Boston, MO}}
| {{w|Boston|Boston, MA}}
| Boston, MA is the capital of Massachusetts and the site of several key events of the American Revolution.
|-
| {{w|Bowling Green, FL}}
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Bowling Green, Kentucky|Bowling Green, KY}}
| rowspan="2" | Bowling Green, KY is the largest city of this name, and the 3rd most populous city in Kentucky. Home of the auto plant that makes the Chevy Corvette.
|-
| {{w|Bowling Green, OH}}
|-
| {{w|Bridgeport, WV}}
| {{w|Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport, CT}}
| Bridgeport, CT is the most populous city in Connecticut and fifth most populous in {{w|New England}}.
|-
| {{w|Buffalo, TX}}
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Buffalo, New York|Buffalo, NY}}
| rowspan="2" | Buffalo, NY is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City.
|-
| {{w|Buffalo, WY}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Cambridge, OH}}
| {{w|Cambridge|Cambridge, England, UK}}
| A city in Cambridgeshire, known as the home of {{w|University of Cambridge|Cambridge}} and Anglia Ruskin Universities. There is also a village of Cambridge in Gloucestershire.
|-
| {{w|Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge, MA}}
| Cambridge, MA is a city in the Boston metropolitan area, known as the home of {{w|Harvard University}} and {{w|Massachusetts Institute of Technology}} among others. Cambridge, Massachusetts is in turn named after Cambridge, England.
|-
| {{w|Cedar Rapids, NE}}
| {{w|Cedar Rapids, Iowa|Cedar Rapids, IA}}
| Cedar Rapids is the 2nd most populous city in the state of Iowa.
|-
| Charlestown, Unknown State
| {{w|Charlestown, Massachusetts|Charlestown, MA}}
| Charlestown, MA is an area of Boston and home to Bunker Hill, the site of a key American Revolutionary War battle. Originally a separate town, it was the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. <br /> [In the original comic, the Charlestown label was located over Long Island but there was no dot for the label, and an update later removed the Charlestown label entirely.]
|-
| {{w|Cleveland, UT}}
| {{w|Cleveland|Cleveland, OH}}
| Cleveland, OH, named after its founder, General Moses Cleaveland, is one of the 3 largest cities in the state of Ohio.
|-
| {{w|Columbus, GA}}
| {{w|Columbus, Ohio|Columbus, OH}}
| Columbus, OH is the most populous city in Ohio, as well as its state capital. It is named after {{w|Christopher Columbus}} and {{w|Columbus#United_States|many other locations}} throughout the United States bear that name.
|-
| Dallas, GA
| rowspan="4" | {{w|Dallas|Dallas, TX}}
| rowspan="4" | Dallas, TX is the 3rd most populous city in Texas and the 9th most populous city in the United States.
|-
| Dallas, NC
|-
| Dallas, OR
|-
| Dallas, SD
|-
| Dayton, NV
| {{w|Dayton, Ohio|Dayton, OH}}
| Dayton, OH was a prominent city in the industrial growth of the Midwest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but is best known as the home of the Wright Brothers, where they constructed the first airplane.
|-
| Des Moines, NM
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines, IA}}
| rowspan="2" | Des Moines, IA is the capital of the state of Iowa, and its largest city by population.
|-
| Des Moines, WA
|-
| {{w|Detroit,_Alabama|Detroit, AL}}
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Detroit|Detroit, MI}}
| rowspan="2" | Detroit, MI is well known as the center of the U.S. automobile industry.
|-
| Detroit, KS
|-
| Disney, OK
| {{w|Disneyland}}<br>{{w|Walt Disney World|Disney World}}
| Disney, OK is a small town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, but has no relation to either {{w|Walt Disney}} himself or to the Disney Corporation. There are no other towns or cities with this name, but references to being at "Disney" could include {{w|Disneyland}} in California, {{w|Walt Disney World}} in Florida, or other Disney amusement parks around the world.
|-
| Fayetteville, TN
| {{w|Fayetteville, Arkansas|Fayetteville, AR}}
| Fayetteville, AR is the 3rd most populous city in Arkansas and the home of the {{w|University of Arkansas}}. There are {{w|Fayetteville|many other places}} with this name.
|-
| Gettysburg, OH
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Gettysburg, Pennsylvania|Gettysburg, PA}}
| rowspan="2" | Gettyburg, PA is well known for being the site of the {{w|Battle of Gettysburg}}, the deadliest battle in the US Civil War, and the site of Abraham Lincoln's {{w|Gettysburg Address}}.
|-
| Gettysburg, SD
|-
| Grand Rapids, MN
| {{w|Grand Rapids|Grand Rapids, MI}}
| Grand Rapids, MI is the second most populous city in the state of Michigan.
|-
| {{w|Houston,_Alaska|Houston, AK}}
| rowspan="6" | {{w|Houston|Houston, TX}}
| rowspan="6" | Houston, TX is the most populous city in Texas and the 4th most populous city in the United States.
|-
| {{w|Houston,_Alabama|Houston, AL}}
|-
| Houston, FL
|-
| Houston, IN
|-
| Houston, MO
|-
| Houston, OH
|-
| Indianapolis, IA
| {{w|Indianapolis|Indianapolis, IN}}
| Indianapolis, IN is the capital of Indiana and the most populous city in the state.
|-
| {{w|Jackson,_Alabama|Jackson, AL}}
| {{w|Jackson,_Mississippi|Jackson, MS}}
| Jackson, MS is the capital of Mississippi, but there are {{w|Jackson|many other}} states with Jacksons. This one is likely particularly notable due to its proximity to Jackson, MS.
|-
| {{w|Jamestown,_California|Jamestown, CA}}
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Jamestown,_Virginia|Jamestown, VA}}
| rowspan="2" | Jamestown, VA was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
|-
| Jamestown, ND
|-
| Jersey Shore, PA
| {{w|Jersey_Shore|Jersey Shore}} region, NJ
| The {{w|Jersey_Shore|Jersey Shore}} is a coastal region of New Jersey. It is also the namesake of a {{w|Jersey_Shore_(TV_series)|reality TV show}}.
|-
| Key West, VA
| {{w|Key_West|Key West, FL}}
| Key West, FL is an island city off the tip of Florida that is popular with tourists and contains the southernmost point of the continental states.
|-
| Knoxville, IA
| {{w|Knoxville,_Tennessee|Knoxville, TN}}
| Knoxville, TN is the 3rd most populous city in Tennessee and the home of the {{w|University of Tennessee}}.
|-
| Las Vegas, NM
| {{w|Las_Vegas|Las Vegas, NV}}
| Las Vegas, NV is the most populous city in the state of Nevada and is well known for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife.
|-
| {{w|Lincoln,_California|Lincoln, CA}}
| rowspan="4" | {{w|Lincoln,_Nebraska|Lincoln, NE}}
| rowspan="4" | Lincoln, NE is the capital of Nebraska.
|-
| Lincoln, IL
|-
| Lincoln, MT
|-
| Lincoln, RI
|-
| Lisbon, ME
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Lisbon,_Portugal|Lisbon, Portugal}}
| rowspan="2" | Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, in Europe.
|-
| Lisbon, NH
|-
| {{w|Long_Beach Township, New_Jersey|Long Beach, NJ}}
| {{w|Long Beach, California|Long Beach, CA}}
| Long Beach, CA is the 7th most populous city in California. The location in New Jersey is typically referred to by its full name, Long Beach Township, or the more generalized location of {{w|Long Beach Island}}.
|-
| Los Angeles, TX
| {{w|Los_Angeles|Los Angeles, CA}}
| Los Angeles, CA is the 2nd most populous city in the United States, behind New York City.
|-
| {{w|Louisville, Colorado|Louisville, CO}}
| {{w|Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville, KY}}
| Louisville, KY is the largest city in Kentucky.
|-
| Manhattan, KS
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Manhattan|Manhattan, NYC, NY}}
| rowspan="2" | Manhattan, NYC, NY is one of the {{w|Boroughs of New York City|five boroughs of New York City}}, corresponds to the {{w|New York County}}.
|-
| Manhattan, MT
|-
| Memphis, NE
| {{w|Memphis,_Tennessee|Memphis, TN}}
| Memphis, TN is the 2nd most populous city in Tennessee and had a prominent role in the US Civil Rights movement.
|-
| {{w|Mesa,_California|Mesa, CA}}
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Mesa,_Arizona|Mesa, AZ}}
| rowspan="2" | Mesa, AZ is a suburb of Phoenix, and the largest suburban city by population in the United States.
|-
| Mesa, CO
|-
| {{w|Miami,_Arizona|Miami, AZ}}
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Miami|Miami, FL}}
| rowspan="2" | Miami, FL is the seventh largest city in the United States and a major tourism hub.
|-
| Miami, TX
|-
| Mountain View, HI
| {{w|Mountain_View,_California|Mountain View, CA}}
| Mountain View, CA is the "birthplace" of Silicon Valley, and is the location of many high technology companies, such as Google.
|-
| {{w|Nashville,_Arkansas|Nashville, AR}}
| {{w|Nashville,_Tennessee|Nashville, TN}}
| Nashville, TN is the capital of Tennessee and a major center for the country music industry.
|-
| New England, ND
| {{w|New England}}, Northeast
| The New England region consists of 6 states in the northeast United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
|-
| New Haven, KY
| {{w|New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven, CT}}
| New Haven, CT is the second largest city in Connecticut, and is known for its distinctive {{w|New Haven-style pizza|pizza}}. It also home to {{w|Yale University}}
|-
| {{w|New York, Texas|New York, TX}}
| {{w|New_York_City|New York, NY}}
| New York City, NY is the largest city in the United States.
|-
| {{w|Newark,_Delaware|Newark, DE}}
| {{w|Newark,_New_Jersey|Newark, NJ}}
| Newark, NJ is the largest city in the state of New Jersey, and part of the greater New York metropolitan area. It hosts one of the New York metro area's three major airports.
|-
| rowspan="2" |North Pole, NY
| {{w|North_Pole,_Alaska|North Pole, AK}}
| North Pole, AK is a small city in Alaska known as a tourist attraction and the recipient of letters addressed to Santa Claus.
|-
| {{w|North Pole}}
| Northernmost point on Earth's surface.
|-
| Oakland, OR
| {{w|Oakland,_California|Oakland, CA}}
| Oakland, CA is currently the home to three professional sports teams including the {{w|Oakland_Athletics|Oakland Athletics}} and is the former home of several more, including the {{w|History_of_the_Oakland_Raiders|Oakland Raiders}}, now in Las Vegas.
|-
| Orlando, OK
| {{w|Orlando,_Florida|Orlando, FL}}
| Orlando is the 4th most populous city in Florida and home to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.
|-
| Ottawa, KS
| {{w|Ottawa|Ottawa, ON}}
| Ottawa, ON, Canada is the capital of Canada.
|-
| Pasadena, MD
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Pasadena, CA}}
| rowspan="2" | Pasadena, CA is the home to the {{w|California Institute of Technology}} and the NASA {{w|Jet Propulsion Laboratory}}. It is also the home of the New Year's Day {{w|Tournament of Roses Parade}} and hosts the college football {{w|Rose Bowl Game}} played on New Year's Day afternoon.
|-
| Pasadena, TX
|-
| {{w|Peoria,_Arizona|Peoria, AZ}}
| {{w|Peoria, Illinois|Peoria, IL}}
| Peoria, IL is known for being considered an "Average American Town", in the phrase {{w|Will_it_play_in_Peoria%3F|"Will it play in Peoria?"}} It is actually smaller than Peoria, AZ.
|-
| Philadelphia, MS
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Philadelphia|Philadelphia, PA}}
| rowspan="2" | Philadelphia, PA is the most populous city in Pennsylvania and was an important meeting place during the American Revolution.
|-
| Philadelphia, NY
|-
| Phoenix, MD
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Phoenix,_Arizona|Phoenix, AZ}}
| rowspan="2" | Phoenix, AZ is the capital of Arizona and the 5th most populous city in the United States.
|-
| Phoenix, OR
|-
| {{w|Plano,_Illinois|Plano, IL}}
| {{w|Plano,_Texas|Plano, TX}}
| Plano, TX is part of the {{w|Dallas–Fort_Worth_metroplex|Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex}}, and the home of many corporate headquarters.
|-
| {{w|Plymouth,_California|Plymouth, CA}}
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Plymouth,_Massachusetts|Plymouth, MA}}
| rowspan="2" | Plymouth, MA was the site of the colony founded in 1620 by the Mayflower Pilgrims. Named after the {{w|Pymouth|city in the Southwest of England}} which was the final port of departure.
|-
| Plymouth, IN
|-
| {{w|Portland,_Maine|Portland, ME}}
| {{w|Portland,_Oregon|Portland, OR}}
| Portland, OR is the largest city in the state of Oregon and was {{w|Portland,_Oregon#Establishment|named after}} Portland, ME
|-
| Princeton, ID
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Princeton, New Jersey|Princeton, NJ}}
| rowspan="2" | Princeton, NJ is famous for being the home of the eponymous {{w|Princeton University}} and the {{w|Institute for Advanced Study}}
|-
| Princeton, MA
|-
| {{w|Richmond, Vermont|Richmond, VT}}
| {{w|Richmond, Virginia|Richmond, VA}}
| Richmond, VA is the capital of Virginia. It was named after {{w|Richmond,_London|the suburb of London, UK}} due to an observed similarity of the river. London's Richmond was named for the palace built there by Henry VII, itself named after the {{w|Richmond,_North_Yorkshire|market town}} and castle in the north of England that was a childhood home. That was in turn named for the {{w|Richemont,_Seine-Maritime|Normandy}} area from which the noble family came who were gifted this land for their part of the Norman Conquest of England in the 11<sup>th</sup> century. There are more than fifty settlements called Richmond across the world, directly or indirectly taking their names from one or other of the English 'originals'.
|-
| Roswell, GA
| {{w|Roswell, New Mexico|Roswell, NM}}
| Roswell, NM is the site of one of the most famous “alien coverups” in American history, and is well known for its alien-themed tourism.
|-
| Saint Louis, MI
| rowspan="2" | {{w|St._Louis|St. Louis, MO}}
| rowspan="2" | St. Louis, MO is the 2nd most populous city in the state of Missouri and has the iconic {{w|Gateway Arch}}.
|-
| Saint Louis, OK
|-
| rowspan="2" | Salem, CT
| {{w|Salem,_Oregon|Salem, OR}}
| Salem, OR is the capital of Oregon.
|-
| {{w|Salem,_Massachusetts|Salem, MA}}
| Salem, MA was the location of the {{w|Salem_witch_trials|Salem witch trials}}.
|-
| {{w|San Diego, Texas|San Diego, TX}}
| {{w|San_Diego|San Diego, CA}}
| San Diego, CA is the 8th most populous city in the US and the 2nd most populous in California.
|-
| {{w|Santa Fe, Texas|Santa Fe, TX}}
| {{w|Santa_Fe,_New_Mexico|Santa Fe, NM}}
| Santa Fe, NM is the capital of the state of New Mexico.
|-
| {{w|Savannah, Missouri|Savannah, MO}}
| {{w|Savannah, Georgia|Savannah, GA}}
| Savannah, GA is the oldest city in the state of Georgia and its fifth most populous.
|-
| {{w|South_Bend,_Texas|South Bend, TX}}
| {{w|South_Bend|South Bend, IN}}
| South Bend, IN is the location of {{w|University_of_Notre_Dame|the University of Notre Dame}}.
|-
| {{w|Texas, New York|Texas, NY}}
| {{w|Texas|State of Texas}}
| Texas, NY is a hamlet in Oswego County, NY, near the southeastern corner of Lake Ontario. It is officially part of the town of {{w|Mexico, New York|Mexico, NY}}. No plans for a wall {{fact}}. Not to be confused with {{w|New York, Texas|New York, TX}}.
|-
| {{w|Vienna,_Maine|Vienna, ME}}
| {{w|Vienna, Austria}}
| Vienna is the capital and largest city of Austria.
|-
| rowspan="2" | {{w|Washington, North Carolina|Washington, NC}}
| {{w|Washington, DC}}
| Washington, DC is the capital of the United States. The city of Washington, NC is actually older than Washington, DC, having been founded in 1776.
|-
| {{w|Washington (state)|State of Washington}}
|
|-
| {{w|White House, Tennessee|White House, TN}}
| {{w|White House|White House, DC}}
| The White House is the home of the U.S. President in Washington, DC.
|}

==Transcript==
:[A typical line-drawn map projection of the United States, with discontiguous Alaska and Hawaii moved into a convenient corner.]
:[Coastlines and national borders are in a firm half-tone.]
:[Non-coastal state boundaries are shown in a lighter tone and feature the standard two-letter abbreviations.]
:[Location dots and labels of the settlements they represent are overlaid in solid black.]

:[Within each of the states, expanded here for readability, are the following placenames...]
:AK [Alaska]
::Houston
:AL [Alabama]
::Detroit
::Houston
::Jackson
:AR [Arkansas]
::Nashville
:AZ [Arizona]
::Miami
::Peoria
:CA [California]
::Beaumont
::Jamestown
::Lincoln
::Mesa
::Plymouth
:CO [Colorado]
::Louisville
::Mesa
:CT [Connecticut]
::Salem
:DE [Delaware]
::Atlanta
::Newark
:FL [Florida]
::Bowling Green
::Houston
:GA [Georgia]
::Albany
::Columbus
::Dallas
::Roswell
:HI [Hawaii]
::Mountain View
:IA [Iowa]
::Indianapolis
::Knoxville
:ID [Idaho]
::Atlanta
::Princeton
:IL [Ilinois]
::Beverly Hills
::Lincoln
::Plano
:IN [Indiana]
::Houston
::Plymouth
:KS [Kansas]
::Detroit
::Manhattan
::Ottawa
:KY [Kentucky]
::Anchorage
::New Haven
:LA [Louisiana]
::Alexandria
:MA [Massachusetts]
::Princeton
:MD [Maryland]
::Pasadena
::Phoenix
:ME [Maine]
::Lisbon
::Portland
::Vienna
:MI [Michigan]
::Atlanta
::Saint Louis
:MN [Minnesota]
::Albany
::Austin
::Bloomington
::Grand Rapids
:MO [Missouri]
::Boston
::Houston
::Savannah
:MS [Mississippi]
::Philadelphia
:MT [Montana]
::Lincoln
::Manhattan
:NC [North Carolina]
::Dallas
::Washington
:ND [North Dakota]
::Jamestown
::New England
:NE [Nebraska]
::Atlanta
::Cedar Rapids
::Memphis
:NH [New Hampshire]
::Lisbon
:NJ [New Jersey]
::Long Beach
:NM [New Mexico]
::Des Moines
::Las Vegas
:NV [Nevada]
::Dayton
:NY [New York]
::North Pole
::Philadelphia
::Texas
:::[Further subtitled as...]
:::(Texas, Mexico)
:OH [Ohio]
::Bowling Green
::Cambridge
::Gettysburg
::Houston
:OK [Oklahoma]
::Disney
::Orlando
::Saint Louis
:OR [Oregon]
::Dallas
::Oakland
::Phoenix
:PA [Pennsylvania]
::Jersey Shore
:RI [Rhode Island]
::Lincoln
:SC [South Carolina]
::Baton Rouge
:SD [South Dakota]
::Dallas
::Gettysburg
:TN [Tennessee]
::Fayetteville
::White House
:TX [Texas]
::Atlanta
::Beverly Hills
::Buffalo
::Los Angeles
::Miami
::New York
::Pasadena
::San Diego
::Santa Fe
::South Bend
:UT [Utah]
::Cleveland
:VA [Virginia]
::Key West
:VT [Vermont]
::Richmond
:WA [Washington]
::Des Moines
:WI [Wisconsin]
::Atlanta
:WV [West Virginia]
::Bridgeport
:WY [Wyoming]
::Albany
::Atlantic City
::Buffalo

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:US maps]]