explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2140: Reinvent the Wheel

2019-10-30T03:04:30Z

162.158.150.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2140
| date = April 22, 2019
| title = Reinvent the Wheel
| image = reinvent_the_wheel.png
| titletext = Right now it's a bicycle wheel, so we've had to move to lighter vehicles, but the reduced overhead is worth it. There was one week when a wheel of cheese got dangerously close to the first page, though.
}}

==Explanation==
"{{w|Reinventing the wheel}}" is an idiom/metaphor that refers to duplicate effort to recreate something that has already been created or perfected previously without adding any value in the process. The phrase relates to the idea that the round {{w|wheel}} was invented a long time ago and there is no way to make it better, as a circle is the most optimal shape. While the phrase includes the word "wheel", it isn't typically directly associated with the wheel but instead uses the word "wheel" because of the easily understandable meaning - a simple object with no improvements that can be made. That being said, we have actually reinvented the wheel at one point in time - a {{w|tire}} is a modern improvement to the wheel, which reduces bumps and shocks that people in the car would feel from uneven road surfaces.

In this comic, [[Beret Guy]] works for an automotive company (or this is his [[:Category:Beret Guy's Business|own company]]), and he is explaining to Ponytail their decision to not reinvent the wheel for the automobiles that they produce, using the phrase in a literal sense instead of figuratively. Instead of determining for themselves what wheel to use, they want to use whichever wheel is presumably considered the "best" wheel by the world, using a daily Google image search for "wheel" to determine the highest ranked wheel, and then using that wheel on the vehicles they produce that day. In reality, this would be a very bad way of choosing the wheels of the automobiles Beret Guy's company produces. In addition to being extremely inefficient, as they might have to change the wheels they use every day, it may also result in copyrights and lawsuits against his company.

The point of the comic is to make fun of programmers who take the idea that you should never reinvent the wheel too seriously. When these people have a problem, they may Google to find a solution to that problem, and when they find a piece of online code, they use it in their own code, even if it wasn't initially designed to handle the task for which it is being used and thus may have unintended side effects or other issues.

Another way that programmers may go too far in avoiding reinventing the wheel is in using external dependencies. It can be valuable to use external libraries, especially for applications where certain tasks have strange edge cases that a 'reinvention' is likely to miss or require lots of development effort to correctly implement (like [https://infiniteundo.com/post/25326999628/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-time time]). However, using someone else's code means taking on the risk of security vulnerabilities, and when the library is updated on live installations, the user also takes on the risk that the library might become unavailable or otherwise break. In this case, Beret Guy's company updates their wheel "library" on a daily basis from Google's image search. Google is unlikely to shut down a core search product, but they might change the API that Beret Guy's company uses (unless he's just going to their website himself), and they have been known to shut down projects that people like, such as [https://www.google.com/reader/about/ Google Reader]. On the day this comic was released, Randall changed the [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header_text|Header text]] of xkcd, adding a [[Design_of_xkcd.com#2019-04-23|reference to Google Reader]].

The popular programming language Python manages external dependencies with packages called "wheels" which are "published to the cheese shop", which may or may not be an intended reference.

In any event, Beret Guy is in effect reinventing the wheel by doing a new search for wheels on Google Images every day. If the wheel he finds on Google Images on a given day is suitable for his company's needs, the company would likely be better off using the same wheel on succeeding days (unless circumstances change which make that unfeasible), compared to trying to doing a new search for wheels every day.

The title text indicates that Beret Guy is currently using bicycle wheels for his vehicles, requiring his vehicles to be lighter as bicycle wheels cannot carry a lot of weight. He says this "reduce[s] overhead", which is both literally true, that his vehicle weighs less, and refers to the usual figurative desire of reducing overhead costs of development by using external libraries. Finally, the narrator (supposedly Beret Guy) explains that at one point a wheel of cheese was near the top of the Google images search. If it had reached the top, it would have been disastrous as a wheel of cheese is completely unsuited for use as a vehicle's wheel.{{Citation needed}}

On the day the comic was released a bicycle wheel came up first when searching for "wheel", see image in the [[#Trivia|Trivia]] section below.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy is talking to Ponytail.]
:Beret Guy: We don't want to reinvent the wheel, so every day we Google image search "wheel", and whatever object comes up, that's what we attach to our vehicles.
:Beret Guy: Sure, external dependencies carry risks, but so far they've all been pretty good wheels.

==Trivia==
*On the day this comic came out a Google search on Wheel would in some cases have a bicycle wheel at the top:
:[[File:2140_Reinvent_the_Wheel_Google_Search_Wheel.png|400px]]
*The JavaScript development community has had several security and reliability incidents caused by over-dependence on automated package updates. In 2016, a JavaScript developer [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/03/23/npm_left_pad_chaos/ un-published several libraries] (including one "library" which was just an eleven-line function for padding strings, which was nevertheless included in thousands of projects and downloaded millions of times a month) from the npm package repository. This broke projects that depended on them and, until npm un-un-published his packages (with new maintainers), also opened the possibility that a bad actor could register malicious projects under those names and hijack all of their dependents. In July 2018, an attacker gained access to the npm account of an ESLint maintainer and [https://eslint.org/blog/2018/07/postmortem-for-malicious-package-publishes published malicious versions of their packages], and in September 2018, the event-stream library was taken over by a malicious maintainer who [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/11/26/npm_repo_bitcoin_stealer/ added code to look for and steal bitcoins from the users who installed it].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]

2185: Cumulonimbus

2019-08-07T09:23:10Z

162.158.150.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2185
| date = August 5, 2019
| title = Cumulonimbus
| image = cumulonimbus.png
| titletext = The rarest of all clouds is the altocumulenticulostratonimbulocirruslenticulomammanoctilucent cloud, caused by an interaction between warm moist air, cool dry air, cold slippery air, cursed air, and a cloud of nanobots.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CUMULONIMBOCUNIMBULONIMBUS CLOUD. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete: Cold slippery air from title text not mentioned yet! Translating the cloud names from Latin would give more information and possibly intended entertainment. Maybe someone who can do better than translate.google.com could do it? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic follows the naming of clouds. As with other lists (like in [[2022: Sports Champions]]), it starts off as normal but then gets more unusual until it is unrealistic.

;Cumulus
: The first panel shows a {{w|cumulus cloud}}, Latin for "heap cloud". These are common clouds and are relatively small. Cumulus clouds form when warm (and thus rising) moist air condenses when it hits the {{w|dew point}}, the temperature at which relative humidity hits 100%. Cumulus clouds with sharp, defined borders are still growing. When they stop growing (because the rising moist air is exhausted), they get fuzzy and fluffy, and eventually dissolve.
;Cumulonimbus
: The second panel shows a {{w|cumulonimbus cloud}}, Latin for "heaping thundercloud", with the upper part about the same size as the lower part. Though somewhat like the cumulus cloud, it is more prone to causing rain and lightning. Cumulonimbus clouds, like cumulus clouds, grow vertically because of their moist warm air, but they have enough energy to reach the top of the {{w|troposphere}}, giving them the distinctive anvil shape shown in the comic and their tendency to produce nasty weather.
;Cumulonimbulonimbus
: The third panel shows an even bigger cloud and names it cumulonimbulonimbus (Latin for "heaping thundery thundercloud"). Here the scientific fact ends and the humor begins. The cloud has the upper part about twice as large as the lower part. The humor here comes from building up an even bigger name by adding another "nimbus" element for the cloud as its size increases, suggesting that its growth as compared to the second cloud shown has made it even more "thundery".
;Cumulonimbulonimbulocumulonimbus
: The fourth panel shows an absurdly large cloud with three major layers and gives it the name cumulonimbulonimbulocumulonimbus (Latin for "heaping thundery thundering heaping thundercloud"). This is a combination of the third an the second cloud name in this comic, and indeed the fourth cloud looks a lot like the second one emerging out of the top of the third. This cloud may look like a [[220: Philosophy|super soaker]], ready to spray water on everyone.
;Altocumulenticulostratonimbulocirruslenticulomammanoctilucent
: The title text continues this list by naming a new cloud that is also supposedly the rarest. It requires {{w|Curse|cursed air}} and {{w|nanobots}} to make, which is impossible since neither of those exist.{{Citation needed}}

:The name of this cloud can be explained with:
:altocumulus: "heap up high."
:lenticularis = lens-shaped
:stratus = layered
:nimbus = dark cloud
:cirrus = "curling lock of hair"
:mammatus = breast-like (some thunderstorm clouds form breast-like extrusions, which signify sinking air)
:noctilucent = "bright at night" (a cloud-like structure formed from ice crystals, often formed after volcano eruptions and other cataclysmic events and illuminated by a just-set sun)

The {{w|International Cloud Atlas}} defines the cloud types that are recognized by the WMO, the {{w|World Meteorological Organization}}. It was first published in 1896. Similarly, {{w|IUPAC}} publishes a manual that allows chemists to name chemical compounds in a consistent manner. The Altocumulenticulostratonimbulocirruslenticulomammanoctilucent may thus be a pun on IUPAC, which (theoretically) offers a unique name for each possible strand of DNA and other complex molecules. Therefore, Randall might have seen a unique cloud that has never been observed before, but yet, thanks to IUPAC-like cloud naming rules, he came up with a "valid" name for his observation.

The title text also mentions a common joke in weather communities, making fun of the common trope that thunderstorms form when "warm moist air", meets "cold dry air", which is an extreme oversimplification. An example of this trope is [https://youtu.be/WMtAaETOVSY?t=448 here].

==Transcript==
:[Drawing of a small cloud with with a label beneath:]
:Cumulus

:[Drawing of a medium sized tall hourglass shaped cloud with a label beneath:]
:Cumulonimbus

:[Drawing of a large cloud, larger at the top than at the bottom, with a label beneath:]
:Cumulonimbulonimbus

:[Drawing of a huge and very complicated cloud in three layers, with a label beneath:]
:Cumulonimbulonimbulocumulonimbus

==Trivia==
*On xkcd, this comic replaced a preceding "disappearing comic", which temporarily was assigned the sequence number 2185, as it followed the Friday comic [[2184: Unpopular Opinions]] already on Sunday. But that was just to prevent the trouble a not numbered comic was having on the xkcd site. It was designed to disappear completely and leave no trace in xkcd's history or archives when this comic was released. The original comic does also no longer appear in explain xkcd's comic navigation either, and is hence linked here: [[Disappearing Sunday Update]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Robots]]

2185: Cumulonimbus

2019-08-05T23:15:48Z

162.158.150.4: /* Explanation */

2185: Cumulonimbus

2019-08-05T23:09:15Z

162.158.150.4: /* Explanation */

1916: Temperature Preferences

2017-11-16T05:39:13Z

162.158.150.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1916
| date = November 15, 2017
| title = Temperature Preferences
| image = temperature_preferences.png
| titletext = There's a supposed Mark Twain quote, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." It isn't really by Mark Twain, but I don't know who said it—I just know they've never been to McMurdo Station.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Fill in the table using data from [http://weatherbase.com weatherbase.com] (Randall's source!). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a chart of major (and not-so-major) populated areas showing seasonal temperature patterns. The chart is a guide to where one might like to live depending on how much summer heat and winter cold they enjoy. There are four focused zones:

* Hate both cold and heat (eg. Quito, Addis Ababa)--Neither summers nor winters are too extreme; Typical in higher elevations tropical regions
* Hate cold but love heat (eg. Rio, Bangkok, Manila)--Very hot in the summer; typically tropical regions
* Hate heat but love cold (eg. Moscow, Oslo)--Very cold in the winter; typically high latitudes
* Love both heat and cold (eg. Seoul, Beijing)--Both summers and winters are extreme

The summer heat axis is determined by {{w|humidex}}, a system that combines heat and humidity to generate an estimate of perceived "summer discomfort".

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! City
! Country
! Continent
! Average low in coldest month (°C)
! Average high in hottest month (°C)
! Hottest monthly average dew point (°C)
! Humidex
! Latitude
! Elevation (m)
|-
| {{w|Abakan}} || Russia || Asia || -22 || 26 || 13 || 28.8 || 53° 43′ N || 248
|-
| {{w|Addis Ababa}} || Ethiopia || Africa || 10 || 22 || 11 || 23.8 || 9° 1′ N || 2355
|-
| {{w|Altay City|Altay}} || China || Asia || -22 || 27 || 8 || 27.4 || 47° 52′ N || 887
|-
| {{w|Athens}} || Greece || Europe || 7 || 31.8 || 14 || 35.2 || 37° 59′ N || 70
|-
| {{w|Atlanta}} || United States || North America || 1.3 || 31.7 || 20.1 || 39.4 || 33° 45′ N || 225
|-
| {{w|Baghdad}} || Iraq || Asia || 3 || 43 || 8 || 43.4 || 33° 20′ N || 34
|-
| {{w|Bangkok}} || Thailand || Asia || 21 || 34 || 24 || 45.3 || 13° 45′ N || 1.5
|-
| {{w|Barcelona}} || Spain || Europe || 4.4 || 28 || 18 || 34 || 41° 23′ N || 12
|-
| {{w|Beijing}} || China || Asia || -8 || 30 || 20 || 37.6 || 39° 55′ N || 43.5
|-
| {{w|Berlin}} || Germany || Europe || -3 || 22 || 11 || 23.8 || 53° 31′ N || 34
|-
| {{w|Blagoveshchensk}} || Russia || Asia || -26.2 || 27.3 || 16 || 31.9 || 50° 15′ N || 133
|-
| {{w|Bogotá}} || Colombia || South America || 6 || 19 || 10 || 20.3 || 4° 42′ N || 2640
|-
| {{w|Boston}} || United States || North America || -5.4 || 27.6 || 16.3 || 32.4 || 42° 21′ N || 43
|-
| {{w|Brisbane}} || Australia || Oceania || 9 || 28 || 18 || 34 || 27° 28′ S || 28
|-
| {{w|Budapest}} || Hungary || Europe || -3 || 26 || 12 || 28.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Buenos Aires}} || Argentina || South America || 7.4 || 30.4 || 16 || 35 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Cairo}} || Egypt || Africa || 9 || 33 || 18 || 39 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Calgary}} || Canada || North America || -13.2 || 23.2 || 7 || 23.2 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Cape Town}} || South Africa || Africa || 8 || 25 || 15 || 29 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Casper, Wyoming|Casper}} || United States || North America || -10.3 || 31.2 || 6.8 || 31.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Chengdu}} || China || Asia || 2 || 28 || 22 || 37.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Dallas}} || United States || North America || 3 || 36 || 19.4 || 43.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Da Qaidam}} || China || Asia || -23 || 22 || -6 || 18.6 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Dar es Salaam}} || Tanzania || Africa || 19 || 31 || 23 || 41.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Washington, D.C.|DC}} || United States || North America || -1.9 || 31.3 || 19.1 || 38.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Delhi}} || India || Asia || 7.8 || 39.8 || 24 || 51.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Dhaka}} || Bangladesh || Asia || 12.7 || 33.7 || 25 || 46 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Dubai}} || United Arab Emirates || Asia || 14 || 39 || 23 || 49.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Dublin}} || Ireland || Europe || 2.3 || 19.5 || 11 || 21.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Duluth}} || United States || North America || -16.1 || 23.4 || 13.3 || 26.4 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Edinburgh}} || United Kingdom || Europe || 1.1 || 19.2 || 10 || 20.5 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|El Paso}} || United States || North America || -0.3 || 35.6 || 12.8 || 38.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Fairbanks}} || United States || North America || -27.2 || 22.6 || 9.8 || 23.8 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Fargo, North Dakota|Fargo}} || United States || North America || -17.7 || 28.1 || 15.1 || 32.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Flagstaff, Arizona|Flagstaff}} || United States || North America || -7.3 || 30.9 || 8.2 || 31.4 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Geneva}} || Switzerland || Europe || -1.3 || 26.5 || 12 || 28.8 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Guangzhou}} || China || Asia || 10 || 32 || 25 || 44.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Hailar District|Hailar}} || China || Asia || -32 || 25 || 13 || 27.8 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax}} || Canada || North America || -10 || 22 || 13 || 24.8 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Ho Chi Minh City}} || Vietnam || Asia || 22 || 33 || 23 || 43.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Hong Kong}} || China || Asia || 14 || 31 || 24 || 42.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Honolulu}} || United States || North America || 18.9 || 31.1 || 20.1 || 38.8 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Houston}} || United States || North America || 6.2 || 34.7 || 22.7 || 44.7 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Irkutsk}} || Russia || Asia || -22 || 24.8 || 12 || 27.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Istanbul}} || Turkey || Europe* || 2 || 27 || 16 || 31.6 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Jakarta}} || Indonesia || Asia || 23 || 31 || 23 || 41.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Jerusalem}} || Israel || Asia || 6.4 || 29.4 || 15 || 33.4 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Jinzhou}} || China || Asia || -12 || 27 || 20 || 34.6 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Kabul}} || Afghanistan || Asia || -5 || 31 || 8 || 31.4 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Kansas City}} || United States || North America || -6.9 || 31.3 || 19.6 || 38.5 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Karachi}} || Pakistan || Asia || 12 || 33 || 25 || 45.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Kiev}} || Ukraine || Europe || -9 || 23 || 12 || 25.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Kinshasa}} || Democratic Republic of Congo || Africa || 20 || 30 || 21 || 38.4 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Lagos}} || Nigeria || Africa || 23 || 30 || 23 || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Lahore}} || Pakistan || Asia || 8|| 38 || 24 || 40.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|London}} || United Kingdom || Europe || 1 || 22.9 || 12 || 49.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Los Angeles}} || United States || North America || 13 || 22 || 16.2 || 25.2 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Lubbock}} || United States || North America || -3.6 || 33.8 || 15.9 || 26.7 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Madrid}} || Spain || Europe || 2.6 || 31.2 || 11 || 38.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Manila}} || Philippines || Asia || 21 || 33 || 23 || 33 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|McMurdo Station|McMurdo}} || || Antarctica || -31 || -1 || -8 || 43.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Melbourne}} || Australia || Oceania || || || || -4.7 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Mexico City}} || Mexico || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Miami}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Minneapolis}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Moscow}} || Russia || Europe || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Mumbai}} || India || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Nairobi}} || Kenya || Africa || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Needles, California|Needles}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Omaha}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Oslo}} || Norway || Europe || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Ottawa}} || Canada || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Paris}} || France || Europe || 2.7 || 25.2 || 12 || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Perth}} || Australia || Oceania || || || || 27.5 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Portland, Oregon|Portland}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Pyongyang}} || North Korea || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Qiqihar}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Quito}} || Ecuador || South America || 9 || 20 || 9 || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Raleigh}} || United States || North America || 50 || 70.7 || || 20.8 || 35° 47′ N || 119
|-
| {{w|Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina}} || Canada || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Reykjavik}} || Iceland || Europe || -2 || 12 || 7 || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Richmond, Virginia|Richmond}} || United States || North America || || || || 12 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Rio de Janeiro|Rio}} || Brazil || South America || 16.9 || 32.9 || 21 || 48 || 22° 49′ S || 6
|-
| {{w|Riyadh}} || Saudi Arabia || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Rome}} || Italy || Europe || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Sabha, Libya|Sabha}} || Libya || Africa || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|St. Louis|Saint Louis}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Salt Lake City}} || United States || North America || -5.8 || 33.7 || 7.7 || 38 || 40° 47′ N || 1286
|-
| {{w|San Francisco}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Santiago}} || Chile || South America || 2.5 || 29.4 || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Sao Paulo}} || Brazil || South America || 12 || 28 || 18 || 39 || 23° 37′ S || 802
|-
| {{w|Sapporo}} || Japan || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Seoul}} || South Korea || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Shanghai}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Shenyang}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Singapore}} || Singapore || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Sioux Falls}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|St Petersburg}} || Russia || Europe|| || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Stockholm}} || Sweden || Europe || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Sydney}} || Australia || Oceania || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Tashkent}} || Uzbekistan || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Tehran}} || Iran || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Thunder Bay}} || Canada || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Tokyo}} || Japan || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Tongliao}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Toronto}} || Canada || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Turpan}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Ulaanbaatar}} || Mongolia || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Urumqi}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Vancouver}} || Canada || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Vladivostok}} || Russia || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Volgograd}} || Russia || Europe|| || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Wellington}} || New Zealand || Oceania || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Wuhan}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Xi'an}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Yellowknife}} || Canada || North America || -29.5 || 21.3 || 7 || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Yumen City|Yumen}} || China || Asia || || || || 21.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
|}
*Istanbul spans both Europe and Asia but its city center is located in Europe.

==Transcript==
:[A chart labeled:]
:<big>Where to live</big>
:based on your temperature preferences
:[In gray, the data source is mentioned below:]
:Climate data from [http://weatherbase.com weatherbase.com]

:[A chart with two lines with single arrows. Each arrow is labeled:]
:Y axis bottom: Cold winters
:X axis right: Hot/humid summers (measured via Humidex, which combines heat and dew point)

:[Near each of the corners of the chart there is a gray blob, labeled:]
:Top left: If you hate cold and heat
:Top right: If you hate cold and love heat
:Bottom left: If you love cold and hate heat
:Bottom right: If you love cold and heat

:[The following city names intersect with the top left blob [hate cold and heat] (in reading order):]
:Mexico City
:Quito
:Addis Ababa
:Bogotá
:San Francisco
:Wellington

:[The following city names intersect with the top right blob [hate cold and love heat] (in reading order):]
:Bangkok
:Ho Chi Minh City
:Manila
:Singapore
:Mumbai
:Jakarta
:Dar Es Salaam
:Honolulu
:Lagos
:Rio [de Janeiro]
:Dhaka
:Kinhasa
:Miami
:Karachi
:Dubai
:Cairo
:Hong Kong
:Delhi
:Riyadh
:Guangzhou
:Lahore
:Sabha
:Houston
:Needles
:El Paso
:Baghdad
:Dallas

:[The following city names intersect with the bottom left blob [love cold and hate heat] (in reading order):]
:Reykjavik (with arrow pointing left)
:Berlin
:Stockholm
:Oslo
:Calgary
:Halifax
:Daqaidam
:Kiev
:Casper
:Yumen
:St Petersburg
:Volgograd
:Moscow
:Ottawa
:Vladivostok
:Thunder Bay
:Duluth
:Urumqi
:Altay
:Regina
:Irkutsk
:Abakan
:Ulaanbaatar
:Blagoveshchensk (also on bottom right blob)
:Fairbanks
:McMurdo (with arrow pointing down-left)
:Yellowknife (with arrow pointing down)
:Hailar

:[The following city names intersect with the bottom right blob [love cold and heat] (in reading order):]
:[Washington] DC
:Shanghai
:Tehran
:Saint Louis
:New York
:Xi'An
:Salt Lake City
:Kansas City
:Beijing
:Seoul
:Sapporo
:Pyongyang
:Sioux Falls
:Turpan
:Jinzhou
:Minneapolis
:Shenyang
:Fargo
:Tongliao
:Qiqihar
:Blagoveshchensk (also on bottom left blob)

:[The following city names do not intersect with any blob (in reading order):]
:Nairobi
:São Paulo
:Brisbane
:Los Angeles
:Perth
:Cape Town
:Sydney
:Athens
:Santiago
:Barcelona
:Melbourne
:Rome
:Buenos Aires
:Jerusalem
:Atlanta
:Raleigh
:Madrid
:Chengdu
:Tokyo
:Dublin
:Portland
:Richmond
:London
:Istanbul
:Edinburgh
:Vancouver
:Paris
:Flagstaff
:Santa Fe
:Tashkent
:Wuhan
:Geneva
:Lubbock
:Boston
:Budapest
:Kabul
:Toronto
:Omaha

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Scatter plots]]

1916: Temperature Preferences

2017-11-16T05:37:05Z

162.158.150.4: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1916
| date = November 15, 2017
| title = Temperature Preferences
| image = temperature_preferences.png
| titletext = There's a supposed Mark Twain quote, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." It isn't really by Mark Twain, but I don't know who said it—I just know they've never been to McMurdo Station.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Fill in the table using data from [http://weatherbase.com weatherbase.com] (Randall's source!). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a chart of major (and not-so-major) populated areas showing seasonal temperature patterns. The chart is a guide to where one might like to live depending on how much summer heat and winter cold they enjoy. There are four focused zones:

* Hate both cold and heat (eg. Quito, Addis Ababa)--Neither summers nor winters are too extreme
* Hate cold but love heat (eg. Rio, Bangkok, Manila)--Very hot in the summer; typically tropical regions
* Hate heat but love cold (eg. Moscow, Oslo)--Very cold in the winter; typically high latitudes
* Love both heat and cold (eg. Seoul, Beijing)--Both summers and winters are extreme

The summer heat axis is determined by {{w|humidex}}, a system that combines heat and humidity to generate an estimate of perceived "summer discomfort".

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! City
! Country
! Continent
! Average low in coldest month (°C)
! Average high in hottest month (°C)
! Hottest monthly average dew point (°C)
! Humidex
! Latitude
! Elevation (m)
|-
| {{w|Abakan}} || Russia || Asia || -22 || 26 || 13 || 28.8 || 53° 43′ N || 248
|-
| {{w|Addis Ababa}} || Ethiopia || Africa || 10 || 22 || 11 || 23.8 || 9° 1′ N || 2355
|-
| {{w|Altay City|Altay}} || China || Asia || -22 || 27 || 8 || 27.4 || 47° 52′ N || 887
|-
| {{w|Athens}} || Greece || Europe || 7 || 31.8 || 14 || 35.2 || 37° 59′ N || 70
|-
| {{w|Atlanta}} || United States || North America || 1.3 || 31.7 || 20.1 || 39.4 || 33° 45′ N || 225
|-
| {{w|Baghdad}} || Iraq || Asia || 3 || 43 || 8 || 43.4 || 33° 20′ N || 34
|-
| {{w|Bangkok}} || Thailand || Asia || 21 || 34 || 24 || 45.3 || 13° 45′ N || 1.5
|-
| {{w|Barcelona}} || Spain || Europe || 4.4 || 28 || 18 || 34 || 41° 23′ N || 12
|-
| {{w|Beijing}} || China || Asia || -8 || 30 || 20 || 37.6 || 39° 55′ N || 43.5
|-
| {{w|Berlin}} || Germany || Europe || -3 || 22 || 11 || 23.8 || 53° 31′ N || 34
|-
| {{w|Blagoveshchensk}} || Russia || Asia || -26.2 || 27.3 || 16 || 31.9 || 50° 15′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Bogotá}} || Colombia || South America || 6 || 19 || 10 || 20.3 || 4° 42′ N || 2640
|-
| {{w|Boston}} || United States || North America || -5.4 || 27.6 || 16.3 || 32.4 || 42° 21′ N || 43
|-
| {{w|Brisbane}} || Australia || Oceania || 9 || 28 || 18 || 34 || 27° 28′ S || 28
|-
| {{w|Budapest}} || Hungary || Europe || -3 || 26 || 12 || 28.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Buenos Aires}} || Argentina || South America || 7.4 || 30.4 || 16 || 35 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Cairo}} || Egypt || Africa || 9 || 33 || 18 || 39 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Calgary}} || Canada || North America || -13.2 || 23.2 || 7 || 23.2 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Cape Town}} || South Africa || Africa || 8 || 25 || 15 || 29 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Casper, Wyoming|Casper}} || United States || North America || -10.3 || 31.2 || 6.8 || 31.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Chengdu}} || China || Asia || 2 || 28 || 22 || 37.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Dallas}} || United States || North America || 3 || 36 || 19.4 || 43.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Da Qaidam}} || China || Asia || -23 || 22 || -6 || 18.6 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Dar es Salaam}} || Tanzania || Africa || 19 || 31 || 23 || 41.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Washington, D.C.|DC}} || United States || North America || -1.9 || 31.3 || 19.1 || 38.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Delhi}} || India || Asia || 7.8 || 39.8 || 24 || 51.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Dhaka}} || Bangladesh || Asia || 12.7 || 33.7 || 25 || 46 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Dubai}} || United Arab Emirates || Asia || 14 || 39 || 23 || 49.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Dublin}} || Ireland || Europe || 2.3 || 19.5 || 11 || 21.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Duluth}} || United States || North America || -16.1 || 23.4 || 13.3 || 26.4 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Edinburgh}} || United Kingdom || Europe || 1.1 || 19.2 || 10 || 20.5 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|El Paso}} || United States || North America || -0.3 || 35.6 || 12.8 || 38.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Fairbanks}} || United States || North America || -27.2 || 22.6 || 9.8 || 23.8 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Fargo, North Dakota|Fargo}} || United States || North America || -17.7 || 28.1 || 15.1 || 32.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Flagstaff, Arizona|Flagstaff}} || United States || North America || -7.3 || 30.9 || 8.2 || 31.4 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Geneva}} || Switzerland || Europe || -1.3 || 26.5 || 12 || 28.8 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Guangzhou}} || China || Asia || 10 || 32 || 25 || 44.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Hailar District|Hailar}} || China || Asia || -32 || 25 || 13 || 27.8 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax}} || Canada || North America || -10 || 22 || 13 || 24.8 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Ho Chi Minh City}} || Vietnam || Asia || 22 || 33 || 23 || 43.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Hong Kong}} || China || Asia || 14 || 31 || 24 || 42.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Honolulu}} || United States || North America || 18.9 || 31.1 || 20.1 || 38.8 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Houston}} || United States || North America || 6.2 || 34.7 || 22.7 || 44.7 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Irkutsk}} || Russia || Asia || -22 || 24.8 || 12 || 27.1 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Istanbul}} || Turkey || Europe* || 2 || 27 || 16 || 31.6 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Jakarta}} || Indonesia || Asia || 23 || 31 || 23 || 41.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Jerusalem}} || Israel || Asia || 6.4 || 29.4 || 15 || 33.4 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Jinzhou}} || China || Asia || -12 || 27 || 20 || 34.6 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Kabul}} || Afghanistan || Asia || -5 || 31 || 8 || 31.4 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Kansas City}} || United States || North America || -6.9 || 31.3 || 19.6 || 38.5 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Karachi}} || Pakistan || Asia || 12 || 33 || 25 || 45.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Kiev}} || Ukraine || Europe || -9 || 23 || 12 || 25.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Kinshasa}} || Democratic Republic of Congo || Africa || 20 || 30 || 21 || 38.4 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Lagos}} || Nigeria || Africa || 23 || 30 || 23 || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Lahore}} || Pakistan || Asia || 8|| 38 || 24 || 40.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|London}} || United Kingdom || Europe || 1 || 22.9 || 12 || 49.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Los Angeles}} || United States || North America || 13 || 22 || 16.2 || 25.2 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Lubbock}} || United States || North America || -3.6 || 33.8 || 15.9 || 26.7 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Madrid}} || Spain || Europe || 2.6 || 31.2 || 11 || 38.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Manila}} || Philippines || Asia || 21 || 33 || 23 || 33 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|McMurdo Station|McMurdo}} || || Antarctica || -31 || -1 || -8 || 43.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Melbourne}} || Australia || Oceania || || || || -4.7 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Mexico City}} || Mexico || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Miami}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Minneapolis}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Moscow}} || Russia || Europe || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Mumbai}} || India || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Nairobi}} || Kenya || Africa || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Needles, California|Needles}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Omaha}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Oslo}} || Norway || Europe || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Ottawa}} || Canada || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Paris}} || France || Europe || 2.7 || 25.2 || 12 || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Perth}} || Australia || Oceania || || || || 27.5 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Portland, Oregon|Portland}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Pyongyang}} || North Korea || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Qiqihar}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Quito}} || Ecuador || South America || 9 || 20 || 9 || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Raleigh}} || United States || North America || 50 || 70.7 || || 20.8 || 35° 47′ N || 119
|-
| {{w|Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina}} || Canada || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Reykjavik}} || Iceland || Europe || -2 || 12 || 7 || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Richmond, Virginia|Richmond}} || United States || North America || || || || 12 || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Rio de Janeiro|Rio}} || Brazil || South America || 16.9 || 32.9 || 21 || 48 || 22° 49′ S || 6
|-
| {{w|Riyadh}} || Saudi Arabia || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Rome}} || Italy || Europe || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Sabha, Libya|Sabha}} || Libya || Africa || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|St. Louis|Saint Louis}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Salt Lake City}} || United States || North America || -5.8 || 33.7 || 7.7 || 38 || 40° 47′ N || 1286
|-
| {{w|San Francisco}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Santiago}} || Chile || South America || 2.5 || 29.4 || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Sao Paulo}} || Brazil || South America || 12 || 28 || 18 || 39 || 23° 37′ S || 802
|-
| {{w|Sapporo}} || Japan || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Seoul}} || South Korea || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Shanghai}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Shenyang}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Singapore}} || Singapore || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Sioux Falls}} || United States || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|St Petersburg}} || Russia || Europe|| || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Stockholm}} || Sweden || Europe || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Sydney}} || Australia || Oceania || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Tashkent}} || Uzbekistan || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Tehran}} || Iran || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Thunder Bay}} || Canada || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Tokyo}} || Japan || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Tongliao}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Toronto}} || Canada || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Turpan}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Ulaanbaatar}} || Mongolia || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Urumqi}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Vancouver}} || Canada || North America || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Vladivostok}} || Russia || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Volgograd}} || Russia || Europe|| || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Wellington}} || New Zealand || Oceania || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Wuhan}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Xi'an}} || China || Asia || || || || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Yellowknife}} || Canada || North America || -29.5 || 21.3 || 7 || || ° ′ N ||
|-
| {{w|Yumen City|Yumen}} || China || Asia || || || || 21.3 || ° ′ N ||
|-
|}
*Istanbul spans both Europe and Asia but its city center is located in Europe.

==Transcript==
:[A chart labeled:]
:<big>Where to live</big>
:based on your temperature preferences
:[In gray, the data source is mentioned below:]
:Climate data from [http://weatherbase.com weatherbase.com]

:[A chart with two lines with single arrows. Each arrow is labeled:]
:Y axis bottom: Cold winters
:X axis right: Hot/humid summers (measured via Humidex, which combines heat and dew point)

:[Near each of the corners of the chart there is a gray blob, labeled:]
:Top left: If you hate cold and heat
:Top right: If you hate cold and love heat
:Bottom left: If you love cold and hate heat
:Bottom right: If you love cold and heat

:[The following city names intersect with the top left blob [hate cold and heat] (in reading order):]
:Mexico City
:Quito
:Addis Ababa
:Bogotá
:San Francisco
:Wellington

:[The following city names intersect with the top right blob [hate cold and love heat] (in reading order):]
:Bangkok
:Ho Chi Minh City
:Manila
:Singapore
:Mumbai
:Jakarta
:Dar Es Salaam
:Honolulu
:Lagos
:Rio [de Janeiro]
:Dhaka
:Kinhasa
:Miami
:Karachi
:Dubai
:Cairo
:Hong Kong
:Delhi
:Riyadh
:Guangzhou
:Lahore
:Sabha
:Houston
:Needles
:El Paso
:Baghdad
:Dallas

:[The following city names intersect with the bottom left blob [love cold and hate heat] (in reading order):]
:Reykjavik (with arrow pointing left)
:Berlin
:Stockholm
:Oslo
:Calgary
:Halifax
:Daqaidam
:Kiev
:Casper
:Yumen
:St Petersburg
:Volgograd
:Moscow
:Ottawa
:Vladivostok
:Thunder Bay
:Duluth
:Urumqi
:Altay
:Regina
:Irkutsk
:Abakan
:Ulaanbaatar
:Blagoveshchensk (also on bottom right blob)
:Fairbanks
:McMurdo (with arrow pointing down-left)
:Yellowknife (with arrow pointing down)
:Hailar

:[The following city names intersect with the bottom right blob [love cold and heat] (in reading order):]
:[Washington] DC
:Shanghai
:Tehran
:Saint Louis
:New York
:Xi'An
:Salt Lake City
:Kansas City
:Beijing
:Seoul
:Sapporo
:Pyongyang
:Sioux Falls
:Turpan
:Jinzhou
:Minneapolis
:Shenyang
:Fargo
:Tongliao
:Qiqihar
:Blagoveshchensk (also on bottom left blob)

:[The following city names do not intersect with any blob (in reading order):]
:Nairobi
:São Paulo
:Brisbane
:Los Angeles
:Perth
:Cape Town
:Sydney
:Athens
:Santiago
:Barcelona
:Melbourne
:Rome
:Buenos Aires
:Jerusalem
:Atlanta
:Raleigh
:Madrid
:Chengdu
:Tokyo
:Dublin
:Portland
:Richmond
:London
:Istanbul
:Edinburgh
:Vancouver
:Paris
:Flagstaff
:Santa Fe
:Tashkent
:Wuhan
:Geneva
:Lubbock
:Boston
:Budapest
:Kabul
:Toronto
:Omaha

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Scatter plots]]

1911: Defensive Profile

2017-11-05T19:34:04Z

162.158.150.4: More on NO DRAMA ZONE

{{comic
| number = 1911
| date = November 3, 2017
| title = Defensive Profile
| image = defensive_profile.png
| titletext = NO DRAMA ZONE -> If I've made you sad, you'd better not tell me, because I am TERRIFIED of that situation and have NO IDEA how to handle it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Change the order of the paragraphs. Also please add an explanation of what a Twitter "bio" is if you can, since I can't think of a good one. And please add links to the mentioned comics.}}

This comic demonstrates a theoretical feature which provides more honest interpretations of social media profiles. We see a profile for a person who says they have "no filters" and has no qualms about offending or upsetting anybody with their seemingly radical views. But the "translation" of the description reveals that it is a vastly insecure person who seems to have the problem of saying the wrong thing every time and so their profile description is a way for them to justify their statements.

The title text continues, with the detached, passive-agressive "NO DRAMA ZONE" discouraging any offended replys to the person's statements because they simply have no idea how to emotionally handle hurting someone's feelings. So while stating indifference over offending or angering other people, this person furthermore asks to be spared of any reaction which might cause negative feeling in themselves.

Randall previously demonstrated another theoretical feature to address passive-aggressive behavior in [[1085: ContextBot]].

This comic not only illustrates such a feature, but implies that the "translated" thoughts are what's actually going on behind posts of these types on social media, as if Randall can actually read those people's minds somehow. If this implication is the intent of the comic, then Randall thinks that people who have "no filter" are actually insecure and that people who want "NO DRAMA" are actually afraid of upset comments. Alternatively, Randall hates people who post such things in their profiles, and therefore wants to belittle them in this comic as actually being insecure, rather than being as confident as their aggressive behavior implies. This explanation is corroborated by notable news near the comic's publishing time (see below).

The title of this comic is "Defensive Profile". "Defensive" is the opposite of "offensive", which is a word that might be used to describe the contents of profiles which display such a warning as in the comic. However, the feature reveals the warnings to actually be defenses against behaviors that deeply bother the profile owner. The profile is thus proved to actually be "defensive" instead of "offensive", at least regarding the warning text.

The comic's feature may be based on the context menu option of the Google Chrome web browser to have a foreign language webpage translated to the user's selected native language. However, in Google Chrome, the user may only translate the entire page, while in this comic the user may also select some text and have only the selected part translated. Also, Google Chrome uses Google Translate for translation by default, which cannot read minds like in the comic.{{Citation needed}}

The style of the profile showcased in the comic resembles the profiles of the popular social media website Twitter, which while the user is logged in, shows the user's own profile on the left side of the page in a similar style to the comic, with their picture on the left side of their name, their Twitter handle under their name (which explains the extra line of text under the name) and their "bio" right below those.

One notable news item regarding Twitter, near the comic's publishing time, is that a rogue employee of the Twitter company, on the last day of his job, banned the personal Twitter profile of U.S. President Donald Trump (it was undone 11 minutes later). While Donald Trump never wrote something similar to what the comic portrays on his Twitter profile, he is known to post "politically incorrect" statements there. Randall is known to have supported the opposing candidate before he was elected, having made a comic just to promote her, and particularly sad comics following his election. These events may have inspired the comic.

==Transcript==
:[A profile on an unknown social media site is displayed. The profile picture is a close-up image of Megan. The profile reads:]
:I speak my mind and don't care who I offend. No filter.

:[In the next panel, the text is highlighted, and a context menu has appeared. There is a mouse pointer on the option "View translation".]
:Copy
:Select all
:View translation [selected]
:Print

:[In the last panel, the profile text is updated:]
:I don't understand why people keep getting mad at me and I'm using this pep talk to convince myself that's okay.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

1837: Rental Car

2017-05-16T18:10:51Z

162.158.150.4: Cleand up stats.

{{comic
| number = 1837
| date = May 15, 2017
| title = Rental Car
| image = rental_car.png
| titletext = Technically, both cars are haunted, but the murder ghosts can't stand listening to the broken GPS for more than a few minutes.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Work in progress}}

In this comic the couple [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] want to rent a car. The [[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|Cueball-like guy]] from the {{w|car rental}} agency tells them they only have two vehicles available:
* One car that puts its occupants into mortal danger, so much so that it is called ''The Murder Car''. The danger, however, is abstract – the car is haunted by a {{w|ghost}}, and actual death befalls only "maybe one in six". (That is the equivalent of a round of {{w|Russian Roulette}}.) This is the fatality rate for drivers (in this case, Megan), while the rate for passengers is not mentioned.
* The other car, a regular {{w|Sedan (automobile)|sedan}}, has a defective {{w|GPS}} that incessantly gives instructions to go specifically to {{w|Seattle}}, regardless of the driver's intention to go there. And it cannot be turned off.

Megan believes she can ignore this and accepts the least lethal car. The comic suggests that driving with a GPS that tries to guide you to a different destination than that which you wish to visit – so it is always recalculating and asking you to do U-turns – is incredibly annoying. So annoying that given the choice between the persistent low-level annoyance of the GPS on one hand, and the ("low") probability of being murdered on the other, most people will choose the latter option. After all, they might survive murderous ghosts but they feel they will not survive long having to listen to the broken GPS.

According to the title text, the murderous ghosts haunt both cars, but as soon as the car starts driving and the GPS begins to drone on, even the ghost cannot stand listening to the broken GPS and stops possessing it. It is possible that the title text is implying that the ghosts are actually responsible for the defective GPS, and by doing this, draw people into the only non-defective car available, the murder car.

Apart from the joke about GPS, there is also a joke on the horrible cars one might get at a car rental service...

==Trivia==
*With an estimated 1.25 million vehicular deaths globally in 2013[http://www.who.int/gho/road_safety/mortality/traffic_deaths_number/en/] and approx. 1,187 million vehicles on the road in the same year [https://www.statista.com/statistics/281134/number-of-vehicles-in-use-worldwide/], the number of fatalities per vehicle comes to be around 0.1% or about 1 in 950. Tnis number includes trucks and commecial vehicles.
* As of 2014, there were 253 million cars on the road in the US [http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-ihs-automotive-average-age-car-20140609-story.html] and only 32,675 deaths [https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812246], giving a rate of fatalities per car of slightly over 0.01%, or 1 in 7,700)
* The car lethality risk is lower in the US by a factor of 8, compared to the worldwide vehicular lethality risk.

*The global number of haunted cars is not available, but believed to be at least five in number. [http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/31/five-cursed-haunted-cars/]

*Similarly, while the number of faulty car GPS devices is not available, Garmin recalled 1.3 million Nuvi GPS units in 2011. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/26/garmin-gps-recall-nuvi_n_695967.html] These recalls were not for bad directions, but for fire hazards.

*There are records of several {{w|Death by GPS | deaths resulting from following faulty GPS directions or maps}}, particularly while traveling in unfamiliar or difficult terrain. [http://www.newser.com/story/214008/woman-killed-after-gps-takes-her-to-wrong-street.html] [http://www.npr.org/2011/07/26/137646147/the-gps-a-fatally-misleading-travel-companion] [https://arstechnica.com/cars/2016/05/death-by-gps/]

==Transcript==
:[A Cueball-like guy standing behind a desk looking at a computer screen services Megan and Cueball on the other side of the desk.]
:Guy: We have two rental cars left.
:Guy: One is the murder car. But don't let the name scare you!
:Guy: It's definitely haunted. But most drivers don't get murdered.
:Guy: Maybe one in six.

:[The guy lifts his hand and looks at Megan and Cueball.]
:Guy: The other is a regular sedan.
:Guy: But it has a GPS that's stuck trying to navigate to Seattle.
:Megan: ...I can ignore it, right? That's fine.

:[In a frame-less panel Megan and Cueball drive in the sedan.]
:GPS: Turn left
:GPS: Recalculating
:GPS: Make a U-Turn
:GPS: Recalculating
:GPS: Turn right
:GPS: Make a U-Turn
:GPS: Recalculating

:[Megan and Cueball walk back into the agency with the guy behind his desk. Megan holds out the car keys in one hand.]
:Guy: Back already?
:Megan: We'll take the murder car.
:Guy: Popular choice.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

Talk:1822: Existential Bug Reports

2017-04-11T16:35:52Z

162.158.150.4: enlarge Earth's orbit

Could the crisis be tied to the fact that SUPPORT for the hardware is now broken, so the issue itself and the workaround may not get successfully submitted, recorded, seen, or addressed? --BigMal // [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.52|162.158.75.52]] 14:54, 10 April 2017 (UTC)

It may (or may not) be worthy of note that this mirrors 2016 Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson's workaround for global warming. When asked about it he said, "Should we take the long-term view when it comes to global warming? I think that we should. And the long-term view is that in billions of years, the sun is going to actually grow and encompass the Earth, right."
--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.243|162.158.69.243]] 17:22, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
:That was also the first thought I had reading this comics, though I couldn't remember the name of the candidate ^^'. This seems to me a caricature of this "workaround". --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.6.88|162.158.6.88]] 08:10, 11 April 2017 (UTC)

There are workarounds for Earth being devoured by the sun. [https://qntm.org/moving Here's a few]. Five and seven seem somewhat plausible. Also, we could leave the planet. A worse problem is the heat death of the universe. [[User:DanielLC|DanielLC]] ([[User talk:DanielLC|talk]]) 19:08, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
:Put the link in the explanation, thanks. The time scale for the {{w|Heat death of the universe|heath death}} is so much longer than the lifetime of the sun, even as a White dwarf, that the suns entire lifetime compared to the time scale of the heath death is twice as small as the suns lifetime compared to the timescale of the {{w|Inflation (cosmology)|inflation period }} of the universe... So lets start by worrying about the oceans leaving in 1.1 billion years as the Sun gets too hot... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:34, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
: Thanks for these infos and link. I asked Randall a year ago in 'What if', ''What would be the best way to enlarge Earth's orbit around the Sun in order to fight the effects of climate change?'' Now I got an answer from you guys. Thanks.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.4|162.158.150.4]] 16:35, 11 April 2017 (UTC)

It's okay, I have a super soaker. [[User talk:AgentMuffin|~AgentMuffin]]
:The last panel of [[220: Philosophy]] is even used on {{w|xkcd|Wikipedia's xkcd article}} ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:34, 10 April 2017 (UTC)

== Alternative workaround for the Sun issue: stop waiting ==
Reading the title text, I couldn't help myself from thinking "Workaround: stop waiting". This is reference to Ivan Kmínek's story "Živý jste byl lepší, pane" (You were better alive, sir) which revolves around the central theme of a computer ready to initiate nuclear inferno and just waiting for the order to do so. It has some basic AI and develops it further while talking with its - or his - operator. Being childishly curious and unaware of all the consequences, one day he just decides himself, without the order being issued, to stop waiting ... Sorry for the spoiler, however I doubt anyone outside Czechoslovakia would have any opportunity to read this short story (and not many Czechs know Kmínek anyways), which is a pity, because the way it is written I consider it a masterpiece that would perfectly fit, and shine in the better half or third, between some Ray Bradbury's collected stories (while everyone knows Bradbury, right?) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.215.102|172.68.215.102]] 07:49, 11 April 2017 (UTC)

1775: Things You Learn

2016-12-22T12:32:26Z

162.158.150.4: Correcting mid-speach to mid-speech

{{comic
| number = 1775
| date = December 21, 2016
| title = Things You Learn
| image = things_you_learn.png
| titletext = Guess who has two thumbs and spent the night in an ER after trying to rescue a kitten that ran under his car at a stoplight and climbed up into the engine compartment? And, thanks to antibiotics, will continue having two thumbs? THIS GUY. (P.S. kitten is safe!)
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Title text, fill table.}}
This graph shows various items of information plotted by two criteria: a horizontal "How Bad Is It If You Don't Know [THING]" axis and a vertical "How Easy It Is To Grow Up Without Learning [THING]" axis. Specifically, the vertical axis measures roughly how often you will run into problems if you are ignorant of the knowledge listed on the plot point. The horizontal axis measures how serious those problems are if they happen at all.

The title text describes an encounter Randall had the night before writing this comic where a cat climbed into the engine compartment of his car. (This comic was posted several hours late, possibly due to this very encounter.) It probably serves as an explanation for the seemingly out of place point on the graph about how serious cat bites are. The "two thumbs" is a reference to a well known type of jokes among English speakers. One of the most frequent forms is one person interrupting another mid-speech and asking "what has two thumbs and doesn't give a f*ck? THIS GUY!", before pointing to themselves with their thumbs. The idea is that you only direct the attention to your thumbs so that they can point back to you, though mentioning the thumbs was not actually required except as a topic change. Randall plays on an invertion of this joke as he might not have been able to make it at all without the intervention of the ER people. So here the "who has two thumbs", is not a deceiving distraction out of a boring conversation, and the thumbs are actually the focus of the phrase.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Ignorance is Bad !! Ignorance is Easy !! Information !! Comments
|-
| not bad || (very, very) easy || 100 digits of {{w|pi}} || Most people don't know more than a few digits of pi, and don't need to.
|-
| not bad || (very) easy || Lyrics to "{{w|We Didn't Start the Fire}}" || "We Didn't Start the Fire" is a 1989 hit song by Billy Joel. Its lyrics include brief, rapid-fire allusions to more than 100 headline events between 1949, the year of Joel's birth, and 1989. While the chorus is memorable, the verses of the song are just a list of people, events and random things from popular culture. The average person is somewhat more likely to know the lyrics to Billy Joel's 1989 hit song than 100 digits of pi, but not knowing them doesn't really have any serious consequences.
|-
| (very) bad || (very) easy || That cat bites are really serious and if bitten you need to wash the bite and call a doctor immediately || Most people assume that a cat bite is just a minor injury. In fact, it carries a fairly high risk of infection, which can be dangerous if not treated (by cleaning the bite to reduce the risk, and having a doctor examine the bite victim and apply additional treatments such as antibiotics if needed). At the same time, cat bites are quite rare, as cats default to their claws rather than their teeth when they need to attack something.
|-
| (very) bad || (very) easy || The red flags for an abusive relationship || It is fairly easy for someone to fall into a pattern of accepting abuse (particularly if the abuser is skilled at emotional manipulation) without realizing it, and the consequences can be mentally and physically devastating.
|-
| (very, very) bad || easy || The {{w|Stroke#Signs_and_symptoms|signs of a stroke}} || The symptoms of a {{w|stroke}} are somewhat variable, including facial drooping, arm weakness and slurred speech, depending on what areas of the brain are affected, and can be mistaken for other conditions. Identifying a stroke quickly and seeking treatment can make the difference between life and death, or between full recovery and permanent impairment.
|-
| bad || easy || Cough into your elbow, not your hand || Covering a cough with the inside of your elbow helps prevent spreading airborne germs and is generally recommended by medical organisations. Coughing into your hand deposits them onto your hand, where they are much more likely to be spread to another person (via handshake, food preparation, shared objects, etc)
|-
| not (too) bad || hard || How to ride a bike || Most children, especially in the United States{{Citation needed}}, learn to ride a bike at a fairly young age. While this is a useful skill to know for both entertainment and transportation, it would generally not be terrible to not learn this skill.
|-
| not bad (at all) || hard || How to escape movie {{w|quicksand}} || Quicksand in movies is a common trope, and while its physics often differ from real quicksand, escaping from it is commonly done using similar methods (eg, not struggling, which increases the quicksand's viscosity). Knowing how to escape from quicksand is important if you sink into it, which is a situation most people are very unlikely to encounter.
|-
| not bad (at all) || (very) hard || Lyrics to "{{w|The Twelve Days of Christmas (song)|12 Days of Christmas}}" || Hearing the same Christmas songs over and over each year makes it hard not to learn the lyrics over time. However, the consequences of not doing so are minimal; at most, ignorance of popular culture may leave your friends [[1769|a bit surprised and dismayed]].
|-
| not bad (at all) || (very, very) hard || {{w|Theme music|TV theme songs}} || Most children in developed countries grow up watching at least some television. Many of these television shows play the same theme song before the show starts, and many of these have catchy lyrics. Therefore, by repetition, most children will learn at least one of these growing up, and often many.
|-
| bad || hard || That you have to empty the dryer lint trap || A {{w|clothes dryer}} resembles a washing machine, it uses hot air to heat the clothes so that the water evaporates more quickly.

The dryer's air exhaust and air filter are getting gradually covered with lint (= a kind of dust composed mainly of fiber) and must be cleaned regularly. Failing to remove the lint can cause the dryer to stop working effectively, introduce lint back onto your clothes, or (in extreme cases) start a fire.
|-
| (very) bad || (very) hard || {{w|Stop, drop and roll}} || This is a technique to extinguish a fire on one's own clothing, and is frequently taught to children for safety. Not knowing it (or forgetting it in a panic when the situation arises) can result in severe burns that could have been avoided by following the recommendation.
|-
| (very) bad || (very) hard || That you have to pay taxes || Most residents of most countries are legally obligated to pay taxes to their government. Penalties for not doing so often include large fines, and possibly prison sentences. Fortunately, it is something that children hear about quite a bit so it is very difficult to grow up without learning that it must be done.
|-
|}

==Rankings==

100% not bad: not bad at all . . . 100%>not-badness≥50%: not bad . . . 50%>not-badness≥0%: not too bad

100% very bad: very, very bad . . . 100%>very badness≥50%: very bad . . . 50%>very badness>0%: bad

100% hard: very, very hard . . . 100%>hardness≥50%: very hard . . . 50%>hardness>0%: hard

100% easy: very, very easy . . . 100%>easiness≥50%: very easy . . . 50%>easiness≥0%: easy

==Transcript==
[A simple x and y graph, with the X labeled "how bad it is if you don't know {thing}", and you labeled "how easy it is to grow up without learning {thing}]

Points on graph from top to bottom on the left side of the x axis:

> 100 digits of pi
> Lyrics to ''We Didn't Start the Fire''
> How to ride a bike
> How to escape movie quicksand
> Lyrics to ''12 Days of Christmas''
> TV theme songs

Points on graph from top to bottom on the right side of the y axis:

> That cat bites are really serious and if bitten you should wash the bite and call a doctor immediately
> Red flags for an abusive relationship
> Signs for a stroke
> Cough into your elbow, not your hand
> That you have to empty the dryer lint trap
> Stop, drop, and roll
> That you have to pay taxes

{{comic discussion}}