explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2104: Biff Tannen

2019-01-28T18:51:52Z

162.158.114.40: apology

I thought Biff jumped from 2015 to 1955, not 1985...? Young Biff had the Almanac in his pocket at the High School dance and the tower he built was already in place in 1985.


Collusion with a time traveler would bring a few things into focus. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.25|173.245.54.25]] 15:24, 28 January 2019 (UTC)
:You inspire ''one'' house painter to change careers & suddenly everyone blames you for everything.
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 16:23, 28 January 2019 (UTC)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly_Elegy
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.198|172.68.65.198]] 15:39, 28 January 2019 (UTC)

Do we keep the “cheat at sports betting” wording? I don’t know if this is cheating. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.136|108.162.210.136]] 17:22, 28 January 2019 (UTC)

If anyone questions the fact that newspapers in real life did attempt to assert that the rise of Trump was inevitable, various newspaper articles may easily be found as proof with a Google Search for [Donald Trump inevitable], preferably restricted to results before 2017, so as to remove results about things he did later. I don't know how best to incorporate such results as a source in the article, as the number of citations could easily be made too big, and also I don't know if anyone cares. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.136|108.162.210.136]] 17:30, 28 January 2019 (UTC)

I am from Europe, and I do not understand the issue. If event X happens while you predicted Y, isn't researching and hypothising a good way to find out why, possibly learning new things in the process? Saying you don't want to debate the issue is like hating politics. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.131|141.101.104.131]] 18:27, 28 January 2019 (UTC)

: Many people who understand politics hate it. On behalf of my fellow continenteans, I apologize for 141.101.104.131, who apparently believes that politics overlaps with political science. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.40|162.158.114.40]] 18:51, 28 January 2019 (UTC)

304: Nighttime Stories

2019-01-05T21:14:25Z

162.158.114.40: /* Explanation */ clarify that the series consists of more than three books, and that ”one of the weakest books” is not unnecessary hedging

{{comic
| number = 304
| date = August 17, 2007
| title = Nighttime Stories
| image = nighttime_stories.jpg
| titletext = Cue angry letters from all seven fans of Xenocide.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] observes [[Megan]] walking around at midnight, reading a book that he can't see. Curious, he leaves his apartment to ask her what she is reading. It is revealed as {{w|Orson Scott Card}}'s {{w|Xenocide}}, the third book in the {{w|Ender's Game series}} following {{w|Ender's Game}} and {{w|Speaker for the Dead}} (and since followed by several other books).

Xenocide is regarded by fans as one of the weakest books in the series, while Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead received extreme positive praise. When he discovers that she likes Xenocide more than the other two books, he instantly withdraws to his apartment, his opinion of her shattered. So far as Cueball is concerned, Xenocide is so clearly inferior that he could not be with anyone who 'wrongly' considers it to be the best of the series.

The title text pokes further fun at Xenocide by saying that there are only seven people in the world who would defend it, a laughably small number.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sitting in an armchair in a darkened room, behind him a bookshelf and an open window. Megan is seen outside reading a book by a glow.]
:For a few weeks now, sometime past midnight, a girl has wandered past my apartment reading by flashlight.

:[Outside, Megan walking down the street passing under a street lamp.]
:I wonder why she's up so late.
:Maybe she's restless
:Like me.
:I wonder what story she's wrapped up in.

:I wonder if she lets anyone into that island of light.

:[Cueball sitting in a dark room.]

:[Cueball has left the room.]

:[Cueball standing on his doorstep at the top of a small flight of stairs, near the bottom of which Megan has stopped, no longer reading.]
:Cueball: Hi! What are you reading?
:Megan: Orson Scott Card's 'Xenocide.' It's my favorite in the series!

:Cueball: Wait, you like it more than Speaker for the Dead or Ender's Game?
:Megan: Yeah!

:[Cueball has gone back in the house.]

:[Cueball is sitting in the chair again.]
:And to think I loved her.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Ender's Game]]

Talk:2077: Heist

2018-11-27T14:46:53Z

162.158.114.40:

You know, this isn't just a movie trope, this is an actual technique that is used ALL the time: https://youtu.be/rnmcRTnTNC8?t=2000 Is this worth mentioning in the explanation? [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 16:42, 26 November 2018 (UTC)

:Probably because it works, and it probably works because real service people are really this bad authenticated. It's even worse in emergency: there is rarely time for proper authentication during emergency ... which is why the criminals would create or fake an emergency to get in. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:22, 27 November 2018 (UTC)

The movie Dope does a reverse cryptocurrency heist. That counts, right? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dope_%282015_film%29

There are no movies about cryptocurrency heists yet (to the best of my knowledge), but this is probably how one would look like.

Tweaked the grammar in the early, short explanation. Didn't fundamentally change the text, but I'm not sure that worrying about being "a minor character" is quite correct as the text of the comic quantifies that as being _in a heist_. Cueball's worries may not just be about his life being nothing more than a minor character in a movie, but possibly also of potential legal / professional liability as an accessory or accomplice. By knowing or supposing that the one asking for access is a criminal and/or should not have access -- and granting it anyway -- that may be enough to charge him with facilitation of the crime [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessory_(legal_term)#Criminal_facilitation as it is (in some jurisdictions) a crime to "provide" a person with "means or opportunity" to commit a crime, "believing it probable that he is rendering aid to a person who intends to commit a crime."]

But he has a white hat! We don't have to worry if they wear a white hat, right? On the other hand, he's "from the building"? What the heck does that mean? Cueball best knock the white hat off to eliminate any cognitive dissonance and then call his supervisor. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.112|172.68.90.112]] 19:28, 26 November 2018 (UTC) SiliconWolf

: I interpreted “from the building” as meaning that (he claims) he’s with the people who own the building, while the people who Cueball’s affiliated with (presumably some corporation) just rent it from them. The building owners stand to lose a lot more than the renters if the building burns down, so they presumably want to deal with smoke detectors themselves.
:: From [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6264636/ |"The Building"] might _also_ refer to the TV series about people trapped in skyscaper which is actually an alternate reality. .. But I seriously doubt it. ..or do I? [[User:Iggynelix|Iggynelix]] ([[User talk:Iggynelix|talk]]) 21:40, 26 November 2018 (UTC)

Is it just me or is that cap really nicely drawn? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.40|162.158.114.40]] 14:46, 27 November 2018 (UTC)

771: Period Speech

2018-11-16T17:57:12Z

162.158.114.40: /* Explanation */ improve phrasing

{{comic
| number = 771
| date = July 26, 2010
| title = Period Speech
| image = period_speech.png
| titletext = The same people who spend their weekends at the Blogger Reenactment Festivals will whine about the anachronisms in historical movies, but no one else will care.
}}

==Explanation==
The actors on this stage are using language and technology from wildly differing time periods. "Forsooth" is from {{w|Elizabethan era|Elizabethan times}}; "{{w|Grok}}" is a word from the 1961 Robert Heinlein novel Stranger in a Strange Land; "Jive" is African American slang from the 1940s to the 70s; "Me Hearties" is popular 'pirate speak'; and "Ten-Four" was popular during the 1970s CB radio craze. Put together, the exchange roughly translates to "Do you truly understand what I'm saying, my friends?"/"We understand!".) The characters also combine archaic weapons like a spear and a sword with a presumably modern handgun and a laptop, adding to the growing heap of anachronisms.

[[Randall]]'s contention is that hundreds of years from now, people will make similar errors that we do today when depicting historical items and language. Modern movies, fiction and other forms of media that depict history often confuse terms, items and equipment that were in one place and time period and place them in another, but few people notice because to them, all of it fits under the very broad category of "old, historical things" - only those with an interest in history really notice or seem to care. Thus following this trend, in the future, things like laptop computers and "grok my jive" will seem just as historical and "old-timey" as a spear or the saying "Forsooth!", except to those who participate in such things like "Blogger Reenactment Festivals", as mentioned in the title text.

For instance, take a suit of full plate armor. To most people, plate armor is a "Medieval thing". So thus, when depicting King Arthur, a figure from 500 to 800 AD (if he even existed at all), one would (and has) put him in a suit of full plate because he is "medieval" and that is the stereotypical equipment of a Medieval figure. In actual fact, plate armor only came about after 1350, many centuries after King Arthur would have lived, and it coexisted alongside firearms for a very long time. King Arthur would have worn chainmail, but all of this would be lost on an average person watching a movie about King Arthur, to whom chainmail and full plate are interchangeable under the label of "historical armor" in their minds. It is not much of a jump from a span of 500 to 800 years of equipment being considered interchangeable to 1500 years of equipment and language being interchangeable.

The title text likely refers to [[239: Blagofaire]], which features the said "Blogger Reenactment Festivals".

==Transcript==
:[A sword-wielding Cueball on a stage addresses three others; one has a spear, another a handgun and a knife, and the third a laptop.]
:Cueball: Forsooth, do you grok my jive, me hearties?
:Actors: Ten-four!
:A few centuries from now, all the English of the past 400 years will sound equally old-timey and interchangeable.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]

Template talk:comic

2018-01-07T15:29:56Z

162.158.114.40: /* Use https? */ reverted?

==First and last?==
How about adding links to [[1]] and [[{{LATESTCOMIC}}|LATESTCOMIC]] (with graphics matching xkcd's |> and <| perhaps)? [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 13:11, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

==Imagesize==
Can we kill imagesize, please? We almost never use it, and we have alternatives, like using the smaller "thumbnails" that you click through on the xkcd site as the images that we store. It'll let us link the image to the xkcd site too. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 01:29, 27 November 2012 (UTC)

:Have faith that eventually the image bug will be resolved! It probably won't but we can all dream. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 02:27, 27 November 2012 (UTC)

::I just had a massive brainwave. We don't actually need to include imagesize if we're going to leave it empty. Since it's a named option we can specify any order of options, and omit those we don't need to use. I'm going to edit {{tl|create}} (if I can figure it out to not include imagesize so it will just be an advanced user's option. Hopefully that will make you smile, in these dull days of spam fighting. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:15, 5 December 2012 (UTC)
==Radiation et al==
I had some spare time today so I went and made a modified version of this template that can handle undefined numbers such as in [[Radiation]]. Only catch is that it needs two other variables to be defined to keep the link valid... But I think that's a fair compromise to take another page off the incomplete explanations category. It could also allow for the addition of pages about the not-so-subtle jokes etc. in the what if series. The updated versions are over at [[User:Pixali/comictemplate/|a page in my userspace]] and [[User_talk:Pixali/comictemplate/|its talk page]]. [[User:Pixali|Pixali]] 02:07, 4 March 2015 (UTC)

== Broken? ==

On unnumbered comics, this template displays "<nowiki>[[Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "{".|Next >]]</nowiki>". {{User:17jiangz1/signature|07:54, 27 August 2015}}
:A user someplace made a workaround in a seperate template. I'll find it later. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:03, 27 August 2015 (UTC)
:{{done}} - It was because [[0]] was created, so the logic that #ifexist:0 should be false failed. I changed it to default to -2 when number is not present, which will work as long as no one creates [[-1]]! [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:13, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

== Use https? ==

XKCD has supported https for a while, it might be a good idea to switch the generated links to https.

[[User:Kenzierocks|Kenzierocks]] ([[User talk:Kenzierocks|talk]]) 17:38, 20 October 2016 (UTC) kenzierocks
:Done. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:00, 20 October 2016 (UTC)

:: And [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic&diff=135097&oldid=128889 reverted], apparently – why? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.40|162.158.114.40]] 15:29, 7 January 2018 (UTC)

== The template field called "titletext" ==

=== Bad choice for the "displayed name" of this ["titletext"] field ===

As a general rule, I DO like the idea of using the same character string, that is the name of a certain field in a given template, as the "displayed name" -- that is, what the user [[sees]] when the '''value''' of that field is being displayed.

'''However,''' in this case, the field that is [now] called the "titletext" field, is an exception to that general rule.

The "titletext" field is used to show (and maybe also to help "explain"?) the contents of a little pop-up with some "caption" or other text, that appears when one "hovers" his [[mouse]] over a certain XKCD cartoon.

I do not know why the field name "titletext" was chosen.

Some might even want to suggest, changing the spelling of the field name "titletext".

That might be ("also") an interesting debate ... but that is outside the scope of "[[my]]" comment today.

[[IMHO]] the character string "titletext" -- or even "title text" [two words] -- would '''NOT''' be a good choice for the "display name" of the field that is used for the contents of that little pop-up with some text that appears (it "pops up") when one "hovers" his [[mouse]] over a certain XKCD cartoon.

True, it does usually contain some ["caption" or other]'''"text";''' so, the [[second half]] of that field name is not [absolutely] a misnomer. But ... the [[first]] half of that field name '''is''' a misnomer. It is NOT [anything LIKE] a "title"!

=== A "title" IS *** [[SHORT]] *** ! ===

The *** [[title]] *** of a book (or magazine article) is '''NOT''' something that requires more BYTES to represent (or display) it, than the entire book or magazine article. It is SHORT.

This field (called "titletext") might '''''sometimes''''' be short ... but not very often. For the most recent XKCD I looked at, it (the pop-up "upon mouse hovering" text) contained MORE text than the entire XKCD cartoon over which my mouse was "hovering" when it [the value of this field] was being displayed as a pop-up. (''Including'' [[dialog]], "if any".)

So, I don't know what the "displayed name" of this ["titletext"] field should be. Nominations would be welcomed. But, IMHO, I do not vote for displaying it as [something like] "title text". IMHO, that is worse than [just] "unhelpful" ... it is actually '''confusing'''.

Any comments? Thanks! [[User:Mike Schwartz|Mike Schwartz]] ([[User talk:Mike Schwartz|talk]]) 19:02, 13 April 2017 (UTC)

Talk:838: Incident

2018-01-03T10:19:13Z

162.158.114.40: add two sections

And so the entire list of naughty and nice children fits into a single A1 poster by Santa's computer. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:59, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

:Presumably it's a delta encoding; he writes down changes to the lists and then later writes them into his records and gets a new poster. [[Special:Contributions/130.160.145.224|130.160.145.224]] 16:19, 10 March 2013 (UTC)

---

Seeing as the username is <code>robm</code>, should this be attributed to [[Rob]] and not Cueball? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 16:27, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

:Yup, changed that. [[User:Xyz|Xyz]] ([[User talk:Xyz|talk]]) 14:32, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

---

Real Linux does say "this incident will be reported," but does *NOT* report it to Santa Claus. [[User:Xyz|Xyz]] ([[User talk:Xyz|talk]]) 14:49, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

:Actually the title text kind of explains this! The incident is reported to root, by email (by default, anyway). So if Santa is somehow "copied" there, he will see the message. [[User:Durka42|Durka42]] ([[User talk:Durka42|talk]]) 08:11, 17 November 2013 (UTC)

---

So all we need now is an Ubuntu distro that reports failed sudo attempts to Santa Claus. Santabuntu anyone?

[[User:Zyxuvius|Zyxuvius]] ([[User talk:Zyxuvius|talk]]) 05:37, 16 October 2013 (UTC)

;Sources of inspiration

Perhaps this could be cited as a possible source of inspiration? http://toblender.com/this-incident-will-be-reported/ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.143|108.162.219.143]] 13:09, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

---

“While Christmas is principally a Christian reimagining of a Pagan holiday”– this is an entirely irrelevant detour. I’m not even convinced the tradition of delivering gifts is necessary to explain (all the comic requires to understand is the nice/naughty list), certainly not as the first part of the explanation. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.40|162.158.114.40]] 10:19, 3 January 2018 (UTC)

---

Technically, Rob’s computer could be running any Unix-like system, not necessarily Linux, right? The current maintainer of sudo is an OpenBSD developer. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.40|162.158.114.40]] 10:19, 3 January 2018 (UTC)

Talk:637: Scribblenauts

2017-11-06T22:48:52Z

162.158.114.40: clarification?

I thought that she was looking up and seeing Cueball in the room, rather than on the screen? [[Special:Contributions/192.17.144.235|192.17.144.235]] 22:35, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

I thought that there were two copies of her in the third panel because she succeeded in summoning herself in reality with the phrase 'pretentious asshole', much like a Calvin and Hobbes comic where he duplicates himself and then when Hobbes says the duplicate is really good, Calvin says "What do you mean? This guy is a total jerk!" {{unsigned|Gman314}}

Yes, and no. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 01:57, 24 December 2013 (UTC)

A bit of clarification would be nice – can the LHC really be summoned in the real Scribblenauts game? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.40|162.158.114.40]] 22:48, 6 November 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1881: Drone Training

2017-10-25T07:26:48Z

162.158.114.40: /* Mitchell and Webb */ new section

"This is the first comic to feature Black Hat, White Hat, and no other character." Is this correct. Which other comics feature both "hats".[[User:Zeimusu|Zeimusu]] ([[User talk:Zeimusu|talk]]) 14:15, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
:I've removed this from the explanation. Even when this is true it's not worth to be mentioned unless this really has a connection to the content of the comic. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:24, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

Is that interpretation of the alt text likely? My initial thought was that Black Hat's Roomba would be taken custody of because of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. (Well, actually, it was more like "aren't shock collars a form of animal abuse?") [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.166|162.158.2.166]] 16:43, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

Seems we both had the same idea at the same time 😄, I have added an explanation to that effect. Feel free to add the additional details you know. [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 16:51, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

My interpretation of the title text is that Black Hat believes that White Hat's Roomba will be confiscated by animal control because White Hat is letting it run loose. In most American cities, you are required to keep your dog on your own property. This can be accomplished by a fence or pen, tying the dog to a stake or doghouse, or through the use of an invisible fence. A common form of invisible fence consists of a cable buried along the perimeter of the property which emits a radio signal, and a shock collar worn by the dog which beeps when the dog approaches the perimeter and then gives a mild shock if it gets closer. Animal control doesn't necessarily have to think the animal is terrorizing anyone, just that it's loose and could get hit by cars, dig up people's gardens, may be hungry or have parasites from living on it's own, etc.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.160|108.162.216.160]] 18:57, 25 August 2017 (UTC)Pat
:At xkcd Black Hat is always the bad (joking) guy. And when the "joke will be on him in a few weeks" it's clear that it's falling back to him. White Hat wasn't joking. Just imagine old fashioned dogcatchers from the movies trying to catch a Roomba... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:23, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

;Deep learning
With deep learning (or any kind of actively learning Artificial Intelligence), drones can learn from their experience. The question is if you need spray bottle for this (that is, if there is some programmatic way to teach it, like marking parts of home that it should not enter in an app, or a feedback from app), and if the spraying the drone would actually work (if the AI would actually take it for a negative reinforcement). --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 10:33, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
: Imho it would be really cool if you could teach an AI things without using any software, e.g. no programmatic way or app needed. Personally I'd prefer using a spray bottle over an app or similar. And I'm saying this as a professional software developer. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:55, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
::It would still need to be PROGRAMMED to interpret spraying as negative reinforcement. Also have sensors capable of recognizing it has been sprayed. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:17, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
::: Of course, but that programming would have been done by the manufacturer (/edit: Or by the device itself). While I interpret JakubNarebski's comment as the programming needed to be done by the customer. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:07, 28 August 2017 (UTC)

: 60 years ago when televisions had vacuum tubes instead of integrated circuits and the picture would get fuzzy, you could ''teach'' it to behave by slapping the side of the case. *wink* [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 12:02, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
:: Indeed, but it didn't learn from it XD /edit: I'm not sure if you're exaggerating with the "60 years ago", though... It's more like 10 to 15 when CRTs vanished https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathode_ray_tube#Demise. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 13:01, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
::: CRTs may have gone away more recently, but the vacuum tubes inside were replaced around 40 years ago. [[User:Rajakiit|Raj-a-Kiit]] ([[User talk:Rajakiit|talk]]) 17:41, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
:::: Well, besides of the fact that a CRT _is_ a vacuum tube... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:07, 28 August 2017 (UTC)

I was going to say the statement that there's 3 possible explanations was wrong, that the other 2 aren't feasible, the title text means Black Hat's Roomba is being abused and Animal Control will take it. I had to read these comments to understand the idea that Black Hat could be saying this, and he's predicting White Hat's Roomba will escape and be caught. And now I like that version better, LOL! I forget what the 3rd is, which shows how unlikely I find it. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:38, 27 August 2017 (UTC)

The shock collar works with a wire surrounding the allowed perimeter of the dog/roomba. The same technology is used for automatic lawnmowers which are basically garden-roombas. So this isn't as far fetched as one might think... [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.101|198.41.242.101]]

Interesting .. are you proposing a new [Bechdel test](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bechdel_test) for XKCD? {{unsigned ip|162.158.62.15}}

My first wiki page, glad to see that what I wrote was kept! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.209|162.158.166.209]] 04:29, 31 August 2017 (UTC)

== Mitchell and Webb ==

I feel strongly that the comic is a reference to the "The Mitchell and Webb look" episode "Poison" (can be found on YouTube) in which a man comes into a series of stores increasingly unlikely to find things that can kill, hurt or maim people, yet still persists in trying to attain such a thing from the store's owner. It is implied that he wants to use what he buys in order to get rid of his wife, with whom he seems to have had a falling-out. Should I include the possibility of a reference in the comic's explanation?

1809: xkcd Phone 5

2017-03-11T22:04:44Z

162.158.114.40: /* Explanation */ grammer

{{comic
| number = 1809
| date = March 10, 2017
| title = xkcd Phone 5
| image = xkcd_phone_5.png
| titletext = The phone will be collected by the toll operators and mailed back to you within 4-6 weeks.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Seems almost complete now!}}
This is the fifth entry in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]], and once again, the comic plays with many standard tech buzzwords and horribly misuses all of them, to create a phone that sounds impressive but self-evidently isn't to even the most ignorant customer. The previous comic in the series [[1707: xkcd Phone 4]] was released almost 8 months before this one.

The features are explained individually in the [[#Table of features|table]] below.

The slogan beneath the phone, "We're trying to catch up to Apple but refuse to skip numbers", is a reference to inconsistent product numbering, such as {{w|Samsung}} releasing the {{w|Note 7}} after the {{w|Note 5}}, likely in an attempt to catch up to the numbering of either the {{w|iPhone}} or {{w|Galaxy S}} series, both of which were already at 7. Similarly, there was also no official ''iPhone 2''. But there is an [[xkcd Phone 2]] available. The trademark sign behind the word "numbers" probably indicates a reference to the Apple spreadsheet app with the same name.

The title text that says that the phone will be returned to you by the toll operators is a reference to E-ZPass partnership feature, see explanation in the table regarding that feature.

===Table of features===
{| class="wikitable"
!Feature
!Explanation
|-
|'''Hook shot'''
| In ''{{w|The Legend of Zelda}}'' the [http://zelda.gamepedia.com/Hookshot Hookshot] is a recurring weapon/tool. It is a machine consisting of a chain and hook. When used, the chain extends and sends then hook which is attached to it. It is used to bring items to {{w|Link (The Legend of Zelda)|Link}} or bring Link closer to a goal (''Link'' is the name shared by the main protagonists, each possessing the Spirit of the Hero). Likely a reference to new video game ''{{w|The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild}}'', which was released a week prior to this comic. In the comic the hook shot is shown as a small add on to the phones top.
|-
|'''Bluetooth speaker'''
| {{w|Bluetooth}} speakers are often used to play audio from a smartphone wirelessly, usually with more volume and better quality than the phone's small built-in speaker can provide. Embedding a bluetooth speaker into the phone would allow the phone to play audio from outside sources through its built-in speaker, which could be useful if no better speakers were available but would generally be avoided given the previously noted limitations of phone speakers. This is perhaps a jab at the current trend of playing music or Internet content audibly in public through the tiny, tiny speaker embedded in most phones. The Bluetooth speaker is located in the normal place for a phones speaker.
|-
|'''Stained-glass display'''
| {{w|Stained glass}} is colored glass, traditionally used for decorative windows in buildings most often churches. It is generally much thicker and because of the color much less transparent, especially for some colors, than the glass types normally used for touch-screens, making the phone difficult to use as it would remove some of the colors shown on the screen below the glass. A typical feature noticed about the glass for real phones would be its strength, as in work phones for construction workers.
|-
|'''Gallium chassis remains solid up to 85°F'''
| Many high-end electronic devices have chassis made of alloys of light metals such as {{w|magnesium}} or {{w|titanium}} rather than {{w|steel}} or {{w|plastic}}. Besides being lightweight and of superior quality and durability than ordinary sheet steel or cheap plastic, these are often perceived as bragging points by the users, boasting about 'rare' metal chassis.

{{w|Gallium}}, however, is an uncommon metal with a very low melting point of 85 °F (or 29.8 °C), making it one of only four metals (along with {{w|Mercury (element)|mercury}}, {{w|rubidium}} and {{w|caesium}}) that can be liquid around room temperature. Because the melting point is lower than the average {{w|human body temperature}} of 98.6 °F (37 °C) a gallium smartphone chassis would melt in the user's bare hand, assuming it hadn't already done so due to heat produced by its internal components. Even if the electronics had good heat management, cooling in smartphones is normally accomplished by distributing heat to the case, not exhausting it.

A similar real advertisement regarding the chassis would be that it was {{w|waterproof}} down to some depth (say 85 feet or 25 meters). See also the feature below regarding this.
|-
|'''Soundproof'''
| A {{w|Soundproof}} chassis could result in the unwanted effect that the speakers and microphone may not work as no sound may enter or leave the phones chassis. A more likely feature would be waterproof see above point.
|-
|'''Can feel pain'''
| Possibly a reference to {{w|intelligent personal assistant|intelligent personal assistants}} like {{w|Siri}}, {{w|Cortana (software)|Cortana}} or {{w|Amazon Alexa|Alexa}} gaining consciousness (see [[1807: Listening]] for the latter). Such {{w|artificial intelligence}} references is a [[:Category:Artificial Intelligence|recurring subject]] on xkcd.

This could mean that either the phone feels pain for damages inflicted upon it or it feels the user's pain level (regarding either physical and/or emotional pain). The meaning would quickly become apparent for the user if the chassis melts on contact with exposed skin leaving the phone with "open wounds".

This could be seen as a similar feature of the first xkcd phone, [[1363: xkcd Phone]], where the title text notices (among many other things) that the ''phone will drown'' if submerge in water. A similar thing is also mentioned for [[1549: XKCD Phone 3]]. That phone is ''waterproof but can drown''. Since this phone is soundproof but not waterproof, see the two points above, the drowning issue may still be relevant. The second phone, [[1465: xkcd Phone 2]], ''cries when lost'' a similar display of emotions/feelings. That phone also mentions waterproofing, but here it is only the interior, and although it is washable, it is only a one time feature (like the fold-ability of this one, see two points below). Finally also [[1707: xkcd Phone 4]] mentiones it is waterproof, but not between 30-50 m down...
|-
|'''E-ZPass partnership: Phone can be dropped into coin basket to pay tolls'''
|{{w|E-ZPass}} is an electronic toll collection system. The vehicle drives through the toll lane without stopping, and sensors detect the pass and deduct the appropriate amount from the user's account. The phone's integration with E-ZPass is absurd since the phone needs to be dropped into a coin basket to work. Not only would you have to stop in order to throw the phone into the coin basket, which defies the idea of E-ZPass, but you would also lose your phone.

In the '''title text''', however, it says that the phone will be returned by the toll operators and returned by mail within 4–6 weeks. So this mitigates the problem of losing the phone slightly, but there would be about a month where the phone could not be used.
|-
|'''Foldable (once)'''
|Almost anything long and slim can be "folded" by simply snapping it in half. But as it says this can only be done once because the phone cannot be unsnapped and will not work anymore once it has been folded.

This is a reference to the [http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-foldable-smartphone-news/ rumors of the new Samsung Galaxy X] that is really foldable like a pice of rubber. See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fro_CNjxYwM this video].

It could also refer to the fact that a version of iPhone had a weak spot that lead it to easily folding and breaking. And it could be reference to the type of cellphones which [https://www.doro.dk/doro-phoneeasy-624.html are designed] so they can be opened and closed by hinges.
|-
|'''Screen transfers images to skin'''
| Transferring images to the skin sounds like either real {{w|tattoos}} or the water tattoos used by children or other kinds of {{w|temporary tattoos}}. Likely it should be understood that it would be possible to transfer the image displayed on the screen to your skin, hopefully when activating the feature rather than by accident. And preferably also none permanent. This may also be a reference to the experimental Cicret Bracelet's ability to project images onto your arm: [http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/cicret.asp]
|-
|'''Retina storage'''
| This is a play on the name of Apple's prized "{{w|Retina Display}}". The joke may be in reference to Apple's possession of a trademark for the word "retina" in regards to computer equipment, which is made to seem absurd by the unusual use. It is not made clear whose retinas are meant to be stored. Could also be a reference to retinally implanted computers. The retina storage is a slot at the bottom of the phone right of the charging port.
|-
|'''Background task automatically catches and eats Pokémon'''
| A reference to {{w|Pokémon Go}}, an augmented reality game where the goal to go to specific locations and play a mini-game in order to catch virtual creatures called {{w|Pokémon}} (see [[1705: Pokémon Go]]). This phone apparently catches Pokémon automatically, similar to the external device {{w|Pokémon_Go#Pok.C3.A9mon_Go_Plus|Pokémon Go Plus}}. However, this feature also eats them, which is something that is not part of the game and wouldn't be desirable, as it is about collection and storing as many different Pokémon as possible. It could be a coincidence, but it seems funny that the label for this background feature is the only one that point at the back of the phone.
|-
|'''Supercuts partnership: Trims hair fed into charging port'''
| {{w|Supercuts}} is an American hair salon chain that provides hair cuts and styling. The implication here is that the user can get a haircut by Supercuts by sticking hair into the charging slot. This is not only impractical and would only work for hair long enough to be fed into the port, but it would most likely result in a bad haircut. Also the slot would soon be filled with hair. The charging slot is otherwise placed in the normal spot and looks like a regular charging port.

This feature could actually be quite dangerous if the hair is not removed from the charging slot afterwards because the hair could melt or catch fire inside the phone.
|-
|'''Squelch knob'''
|{{w|Squelch}} is a feature of two-way radios (CB, ham, etc) which quiets background noise when no signal is present. For a smartphone, perhaps this knob could control the "signal-to-noise" ratio of your Facebook feed or other social media platforms. It takes the place of the headphone jack, replacing the normal hole with a small knob.
|-
|'''IBM buckling-spring Home button'''
|{{w|IBM}}{{w|Buckling spring|buckling-spring}} keyboards are favorites of geeks for the feeling of quality and auditory feedback (keys click loudly when pressed) they provide. Real smartphone's home button, typically located exactly as in this image, provides little to no such satisfaction when pressed.
|-
|'''Cot-caught merger switch'''
| This is a reference to the {{w|cot–caught merger}}, a linguistic change happening among English speakers, particularly in some parts of North America and the British Isles, which causes caught (previously pronounced "kawt") to be pronounced the same as cot (pronounced "kot"). The switch is clearly visible on the side of the phone. There is no typical feature similar to this one most smartphones, although it could look a bit like a volume control, although that would not usually be a sliding switch.
|-
|'''60x optical zoom camera'''
|A powerful optical {{w|zoom lens}} is usually a desirable feature for cameras. However, as shown in the comic, it results in very bulky lens. If 60x zoom should be achieved the lens needs to be as big as shown on the backside of the phone, and the whole idea of being able to carry the smartphone easily in a pocket would be defied.

For that reason, such lenses are never used in smartphones, although rarely some devices, like the {{w|Samsung Galaxy Camera}}, use a smaller lens with a similar design. But this is no longer a smartphone.

This feature would seem to be a jab at the variety of add-on devices, including close-up lenses, handles and external flashes, that are currently in use to enhance the phone's ability to function like a camera (and the {{w|selfie stick}}).

Some phones might instead mention their {{w|digital zoom}} level instated. But that is not a popular feature among photo enthusiasts, as it makes no difference to the image quality if you zoom like this or just zoon in on a normal picture taken without zoom, as no optical resolution is gained in the process of digital zooming. Randall has made several comics about cameras before; see for instance [[1719: Superzoom]] and other comics linked via this.
|-
|'''LORAN navigation'''
| {{w|LORAN}} (Long Range Navigation) was a precursor to modern {{W|Global Positioning System|GPS}} navigation, using land-based transmitters. Once developed for sea shipping, it is accurate to about 300 meters (1,000 feet). The joke, of course, is that all modern smartphones have integrated GPS navigation which is far more accurate. Due to the much lower frequencies involved, reception of LORAN signals though is much better in areas with obstructed view of the sky. However {{w|LORAN#Commercial_use.2C_decommissioning|LORAN has been decommissioned}} more or less completely since before 2000.

Incidentally, some receivers of the {{w|Decca Navigator System}} (which operates on a similar principle as LORAN) featured moving map displays, something we associate with modern GPS devices.
|-
|'''28-factor authentication'''
| An {{w|Authentication#Factors and identity|authentication factor}} is a way of proving one's identity. There are [http://www.nikacp.com/images/10.1.1.200.3888.pdf 3 generally recognized forms]: something you know, something you have, and something you are. It can be a password, a fingerprint, a physical key, etc.... Secure applications may include two or more factors; a common example is the "PIN and chip" system used with credit cards, where you need both the card and secret code to authorize a transaction. Many online services now provide two-factor authentication to protect against password-based attacks. 28-factor authentication would likely be very secure in theory but also so impractical that it would be unusable.
|}

==Transcript==
:[An image of a smartphone with a common optical camera lens attached on its back is shown. Over the entire length the case is slightly rounded. There are several features visible as bottom like features at the top and bottom of the front as well a microphone like slit at the top. A sliding switch is visible on the side, and at the bottom there is a knob, a connector port and a small slit. Clockwise starting from the top left all the labels read:]
:Hook shot
:Bluetooth speaker
:Stained-glass display
:Gallium chassis remains solid up to 85°F
:Soundproof
:Can feel pain
:E-ZPass partnership: Phone can be dropped into coin basket to pay tolls
:Foldable (once)
:Screen transfers images to skin
:Retina storage
:Background task automatically catches and eats Pokémon
:Supercuts partnership: Trims hair fed into charging port
:Squelch knob
:IBM buckling-spring home button
:Cot-caught merger switch
:60x optical zoom camera
:''LORAN'' navigation
:28-factor authentication

:[Below the phone:]
:Introducing
:<big>The</big> <big><big>xkcd Phone 5</big></big>
:''We're trying to catch up to Apple but refuse to skip numbers®TM''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]