explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3055: Giants

2025-02-24T18:25:54Z

162.158.222.100:

{{comic
| number = 3055
| date = February 24, 2025
| title = Giants
| image = giants_2x.png
| imagesize = 341x423px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I can't get over the suspicion that all those viral pictures are photoshopped and 'Flemish' belongs in the lower right circle.
}}

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

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1854: Refresh Types

2017-06-26T14:22:59Z

162.158.222.100:

Similar to [https://xkcd.com/1638/ this comic]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.83|108.162.212.83]] 14:55, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

Aren't you supposed to use Shift-F5 (at least in chrome) for a hard refresh - not Ctrl - F5. https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/157179?visit_id=1-636338263045956762-2405452703&hl=en&rd=2 {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.136}}
:I believe that's correct. It is likely browser dependent. --[[User:Arccos|Arccos]] ([[User talk:Arccos|talk]]) 15:27, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

:Erratum: The middle hard-refresh option is missing something - it lists only modifier keys. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.185|172.68.142.185]] 15:32, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

:It appears that the "hard refresh" option is a real option, but that the keyboard shortcuts in the comic may not be correct. The above user's linked material suggests that the keyboard shortcut for a hard refresh, labeled "Reload the current page, ignoring cached content", is, in Chrome, SHIFT-F5 or CTRL-Shift-R on Windows and APPLE-Shift-R on a keyboard for MacOS. This is in contrast to the comic, which currently lists CTRL-F5, CTRL-Up, and APPLE-UP-R as the shortcuts. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.105|162.158.74.105]] 15:33, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

::That's not an "UP," the symbol ⇧ represents the SHIFT key. Indeed it appears Randall omitted the 'R' inadvertently. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 15:46, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

:Randall says the keys are examples, meaning some may missing. But for me it looks like the most common shortcuts. Except the hard refresh by pressing CTRL+SHIFT, that's nonsense because a F5 or R should follow. I'm sure we will see a picture update soon. Stay tuned...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:44, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

:Ctrl-F5 works across every browser. It does appear that Shift-F5 also works in Chrome. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 23:35, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

The missile launch keys can be totally identical for the two-man rule to work; the thing is not that they are interchangeable, but that the locks are too far apart for one person to operate both. [[User:Chrullrich|Chrullrich]] ([[User talk:Chrullrich|talk]]) 18:49, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

* Big Bang refresh - restarts universe just to be sure there's nothing stuck in cache. (Of course in EMACS, that's just good old: C-x M-c M-bigbang). :-) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.39|162.158.69.39]] 20:41, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

It looks like the "harder refresh" shortcut also requires two keyboards to work, since the "hyper" key seems to only exist on the space-cadet keyboard, which does not have an F5 key. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.105|162.158.74.105]] 19:12, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

What do we use when Skynet takes over? [[User:OldCorps|OldCorps]] ([[User talk:OldCorps|talk]]) 19:33, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

Gmail does not update instantaneously at all. I don't know how many times I've gotten a notification from my RSS feed, and then have to go to Gmail and press refresh. And that's not even counting external email. I frequently use the Gmail refresh button. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 23:30, 23 June 2017 (UTC)
:That's weird, it definitely does for me. Sometimes it'll even update with the new unread emails before I get a notification that I got a new email. It updates faster than my work email. [[User:OldCorps|OldCorps]] ([[User talk:OldCorps|talk]]) 10:35, 24 June 2017 (UTC)

I also find it funny that this page uses an additional type of refresh: the "purge server cache" kind. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 23:30, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

Powercycling datacenter can't be that long downtime unless the servers starts checking discs. And sometimes remotely triggering soft reset of server would really help user of incorrectly written application - servers are generally configured in way which allows them to start all needed services automatically. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:47, 23 June 2017 (UTC)

Dear [[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]], before deleting things and writing on topic you don't know about, please at least read [https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7234#page-22 this], [https://superuser.com/questions/17464/difference-between-ctrlrefresh-and-ctrlshiftrefresh this] and {{w|Elasticity_(cloud_computing)#Example|this}}.{{unsigned ip|162.158.90.12}}
:Hi IP, please sign your posts with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>.
:*I have mentioned RFC 7234 meta-tags for suppressing caching.
:*"Difference between Ctrl+Refresh and Ctrl+Shift+Refresh". This an old QA from 2009 and still browser dependent. The HTTP-Response "304 Not Modified" isn't always reliable as I also have mentioned.
:*Your reboot statement doesn't belong to any cache issues. I will move it to the ''harder refresh'' section.
:Please stop the edit war by just undoing content. I have rewritten something by using many existing phrases. Please read my edits first before becoming upset. And please follow a unique style according to the rest of the page.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:44, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
::No war. I am clearly bad at explaining, so I'll not touch this explanation any more; you are free to fix it the way you want. But at least investigate the issue first, since your proposed sentence showed that you are not familiar with the issue. {{unsigned ip|162.158.90.12}}
:::Hi IP, PLEASE sign your posts with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>.
:::I'm a web developer for more than 20 years including mobile devices as clients at a time the word smartphone wasn't invented. My 2ct.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:28, 25 June 2017 (UTC)
::::Status - currently eating popcorn waiting for the response to the haymaker Dgbrt just delivered. [[User:OldCorps|OldCorps]] ([[User talk:OldCorps|talk]]) 12:06, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

;Off-topic transcript discussion
I want to say that ELinks (the text-based web browser that I, for some reason, have on my Ubuntu) displays [//jacobds.tk/ExplainXKCDonElinks.png this] for the talk section. Isn't the transcript for text-based web browsers on comics where the official transcript fails? Also, I can't figure out how to put headers in. [[User:JacobDS65536|JacobDS65536]] ([[User talk:JacobDS65536|talk]]) 01:33, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
:I don't understand your problem. Are you talking about the talk section or the transcript? And what's wrong except the inverse text?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:44, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
:The discussion area is enclosed in a div tag with some sort of background and text color settings. Your copy of ELinks is probably trying to emulate the background for you. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.9|162.158.62.9]] 02:25, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

Seems like Randall keeps returning to missile launch topics after Trump... There have been quite a few since then. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:57, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
:He mentioned the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_briefcase nuclear briefcase] back during the [https://what-if.xkcd.com/105/ Obama administration]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.83|108.162.212.83]] 16:09, 24 June 2017 (UTC)

It would be nice if the transcript section here would use words to describe what the symbols are. Or possibly a separate table in the explanation section. Thanks [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.112|108.162.219.112]] 23:49, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
:That's the reason why it's still incomplete. A real transcript doesn't need a table but a description what's in the image. This includes the full text but also a description of the content like pictures or symbols.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:28, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

Looks like Randall missed out a couple of intermediate refreshes:
* Service refresh: restarts the HTTPD service on the web server, clearing out the services's cache
* Warm server reboot: restarts the OS on the web server, clearing out the OS's cache
The cold server reboot usually clears out hardware caches, but the cache of battery-backed RAID controllers will survive a cold reboot.
--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.97|162.158.154.97]] 10:34, 25 June 2017 (UTC)
:Hey, you are on the server side. ;) --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:28, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

So, what type of refresh are you all using today to make the next comic appear on xkcd? :-) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.161|141.101.99.161]] 11:29, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

I think part of the joke is also that harder/hardest refers to the ''difficulty'' of using those shortcuts, instead of just the implications of the refresh command. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.100|162.158.222.100]] 14:22, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1816: Mispronunciation

2017-03-28T15:44:41Z

162.158.222.100:

Epitome is an interesting one for me, since I read it phonetically (same as Randal's example), and didn't figure out that "e-pi-tō-mē" and "eppy-tome" were the same word until mid to late teens. I still have to stop myself from reading it wrong when I see it on the page... [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 15:21, 27 March 2017 (UTC)

I think there's another level beyond the obvious, especially in the title text. You're pronouncing the word 'epitome' in whatever way you always have (inside your head), he's making clear that he's not saying it the way you say it.. so how do you read the comic? The sentence only makes sense if you say it aloud, but you can't because you don't know how he's pronouncing it.[[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 16:04, 27 March 2017 (UTC)
: Rereading the title text I feel like I may have suffered some kind of brain fart when writing this comment. Woops.. [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 11:35, 28 March 2017 (UTC)

Related: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epitome_of_Hyperbole {{unsigned ip|172.68.54.40}}

Shouldn't there be a flap in epitome? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.94|172.68.54.94]] 19:04, 27 March 2017 (UTC)

I feel like it's relevant to point out how the mispronunciation of mispronunciation is enhanced by contrasting it with mispronounce, which is the reason that most people mispronounce mispronunciation, due to the unexpected change in how the word is pronounced between the two terms. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.10|162.158.2.10]] 20:02, 27 March 2017 (UTC)
:I agree, someone who can write this into the explanation, someone better at English than me ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:36, 27 March 2017 (UTC)

Epi-*Tummy*? Really? Your english-speaking people's latin is so sick. ;-) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.162|162.158.90.162]] 22:07, 27 March 2017 (UTC)
(I mean the close relationship to, say, "epitaph" is obvious, isn't it? Shouldn't they be pronounced similarly?)

"There is, however, an argument that misspelled should always be written mispelled since if it isn't mispelled, then it isn't mispelled." I'm sorry, but someone's going to have to explain that last part to me --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.126|172.68.133.126]] 23:06, 27 March 2017 (UTC)

"Some might argue that misspelled is the one word which should always be misspelled intentionally". And others might argue that it already is. :-) [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 12:58, 28 March 2017 (UTC)

And I guess he has trouble reading the word "dyslexia"? :-) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.100|162.158.222.100]] 15:44, 28 March 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1810: Chat Systems

2017-03-17T15:58:21Z

162.158.222.100:

"Wall (bathroom)" might be a reference to the Spaceballs movie. President Skroob is using the bathroom when he gets a video call from one of his officers. "Ahh! I told you never to call me on this wall! This is an unlisted wall!" [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.112|172.68.54.112]] 16:31, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
:Or "Wall (bathroom)" is just a pun on "Wall (Unix)". That would explain why only these two have disambiguation, and not "Telegram" or "Peach". See also how both Walls are next to each other. Shirluban [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.106|141.101.88.106]] 11:54, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:I Believe "Wall (Bathroom)" is a reference to [https://explainxkcd.com/229 XKCD 229 - Graffiti]. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.234|173.245.50.234]] 20:57, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
::I agree adding this in --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:49, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
::Having communicated with nocturnal housemates by the method "leave a note where they will see it", it could also be a way of communicating with someone uncommunicative in your own house, alternative locations at our house being the bathroom mirror, the wall of the toilet room, and the kitchen fridge. It's possible it's not a public bathroom wall that he's referring to. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.53|108.162.250.53]] 22:05, 14 March 2017 (UTC)

From the explain section (User: Cosmogoblin): See [https://www.dropbox.com/s/8xpd3iggd47x51q/1810.ods this spreadsheet on Dropbox] for a list of each person in the diagram, as a basis for more complex analysis.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:48, 13 March 2017 (UTC)

Man, IRC is not old. I remember using it at college in 1996... Oh, wait.{{unsigned ip|172.68.26.65}}

I'm pretty sure that says '''Wall (Unix)''', not '''Wall (Linux)'''. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.131|162.158.79.131]] 17:16, 13 March 2017 (UTC)

He left off the chat tab on wikipedia :o){{unsigned ip|172.68.86.100}}

He also left off [https://discordapp.com/ Discord]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.160|108.162.241.160]] 23:22, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
:He also also left off explain xkcd talkpages. [[User talk:AgentMuffin|~AgentMuffin]]
::Just curious - has Randall ever directly referenced explainxkcd? I know that he relies on us in minor ways, and I'm sure he reads explain, but I can't recall any actual references. And I'm having great difficulty thinking of a good Google search term to check! [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 17:09, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Randall has no connection to this wiki but he has mentioned it in some former hidden transcripts. Look at bottom of my [[:User_talk:Dgbrt#Keep_it_compact|talk page]].--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:45, 14 March 2017 (UTC)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Euler_and_Venn_diagrams.svg Humorous diagram comparing Euler and Venn diagrams]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:06, 13 March 2017 (UTC)

To whom are the individuals unique to some sets talking to? eg those in Apache Request logs, and wall (unix) and wall (bathroom)? I suppose there is no reason to assume anyone is receiving their messages.......[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.160|108.162.241.160]] 18:37, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
:I'd assume that the diagram is the ways Randall communicates with people. So the person in the Apache Logs circle would be the only person he is able to reach using this method. Likely meaning that for the really big circles (like email), a person outside the circle doesn't necessarily mean they don't use email; just that Randall doesn't have their address. --(bah, I can't remember my username on here. Old laptop was left logged in) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.109|162.158.154.109]] 20:37, 13 March 2017 (UTC)

This seems related to #1254, and maybe #1789 as well. Randall really has a problem with his friends' bizarre methods of communicating.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.5|172.68.132.5]] 18:44, 13 March 2017 (UTC)

Is the Instagram/Unix-'talk' gateway a real thing? Can't find any other mention of it. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 03:36, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

;Related comics
I've created this new section at the bottom of the explain section. Those references don't explain much but moving it to a trivia section would move this out of sight for the reader. Since many writers like to find such references this chapter groups them all together. Any suggestions? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:04, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
:Related: #1305 [[User:BMB|BMB]] ([[User talk:BMB|talk]]) 08:01, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
::I like this and have also found [[1305: Undocumented Feature]] and the one where Randall made such a feature. Someone else included those mentioned above. I have moved them above the table so people interested in similar comics, which many coming here are can see that we have supplied them. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:49, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:::I've created this new section at the bottom of the explain section. But when this is not accepted it must be moved to trivia!!!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:06, 14 March 2017 (UTC)

;Transcript
I'm thinking it may be best to do the transcript by listing each person and the circles in which they are present, possibly condensing people in identical circles with the number in parentheses. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.246.82|162.158.246.82]] 22:23, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
:I'm also thinking about this. But the persons are some sticky figures like Cueball and so on; the character itself is unimportant... Important are all the "Chat Systems" and their connections together. That's not easy to transcribe.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:31, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
:: I think the easiest way is to use the "mathematical approach": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(mathematics) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:14, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:::I've done a "text approach". What's about the sticky figures, do the numbers represent anything?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:38, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
::::I like the list of intersections, but that is part of the explanations. Have for the moment created a new section below the table. Instead text written in the transcript should only be mentioned once. I have used the order already given. Believe the transcript to be fine now, but I'm sure others will disagree... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:49, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:::::Explanation is why or how the intersections work. The plain list is transcript! I totally disagree on this recent massive edits.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:04, 14 March 2017 (UTC)

A possible method to transcribe the Euler diagram might be like this. Each intersection is a column, where the systems that intersect are marked with "X". The intersections that don't exist are left out.
{| class="wikitable"
!System
! colspan=99 | Intersections
|-
| {{w|SMS}}
| X || - || X || X || X || rowspan=3 | ...
|-
| {{w|Email}}
| - || X || X || - || X
|-
| {{w|Hangouts}}
| - || - || - || X || X
|-
| colspan=99 | ...
|-
!Number of people in group
| 3 || 3 || 5 || 1 || 3 || ...
|}
--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.100|162.158.222.100]] 15:58, 17 March 2017 (UTC)

;XMPP
He forgot Jabber!{{unsigned ip|198.41.242.7}}

I explained the title text and how a Euler diagram works. Please add onto my explanation. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|'''JayRules''XKCD''' ]][[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|what's up?]] 13:29, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:Maybe for Dummies: "...a Venn diagram for n component sets must contain all 2n hypothetically possible zones that correspond to some combination of inclusion or exclusion in each of the component sets." (Wikipedia). This here would be 224 or 16,8 million zones -- hard to paint.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:38, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
::Thanks for that info. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:59, 14 March 2017 (UTC)

When people use bold text to make sections, then it becomes difficult to see where new discussions begins. This is not something we have used to do for a long time. Maybe it is better left out for smaller discussions like the one above here. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:54, 14 March 2017 (UTC)

;Massive changes by user Kynde
While many users worked over more than 30 hours here together user [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) needed just one hour to change everything in the explanation and the transcript. See here (everything in RED on left or right is a change):[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1810%3A_Chat_Systems&diff=137248&oldid=137211 1810: Chat Systems changes by Kynde except one other]. I'm a little bit frustrated because all my work, investigations, and edits are misused and changed. Do we need those major reworks on every comic?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:31, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:I've brought back some former agreed parts. Look at my edits here: [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1810%3A_Chat_Systems&diff=137286&oldid=137277]. It's mainly trivia and transcript, and it's still incomplete because all the intersections have to be explained. Randall uses the Euler diagram NOT for the sticky figures, the intersections are important.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:39, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
::But when a third party (I) put a table together explaining the intersections, you took it out again, with the comments "Please avoid useless tables and describe the intersections" and "Do not count the sticky figures. Randall has more than 35 email contacts. The figures are only a filler!"
::I think this is a misunderstanding of the comic. The figures are not a filler at all; they are exactly what is important here. They represent people whom Randall can contact by various means. There is no other meaning to the intersections.
::The point about Randall's having more than 35 email contacts is well taken. Perhaps the individual figures represent quantity groupings. One figure means a small number of friends, two a medium number, three a large number, and five a very large number. Or perhaps this is a sample of 57 of his friends. Or perhaps this is really all the people he regularly communicates with for social reasons. But whatever the explanation, I think it's meaningful that there are more figures within the iMessage set than within the Skype set.
::I will admit to being mystified, though, by the empty intersections: iMessage with Signal, FB Messenger with non-SMS, and Twitter DM with email but not SMS. Those don't really fit my theory.
::[[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 02:42, 17 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Your ''perhaps''' doesn't explain anything. And one more: Only two in WhatsApp? Really? Is email so much larger than WhatsApp? Believe me, an Euler diagram is used for showing ''relevant intersections''. And these intersections are possibly Randall specific because for example Skype is a little bit odd. SMS is a feature in Skype but that's not shown in the diagram. You may count the numbers but they are irrelevant.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 08:58, 17 March 2017 (UTC)

Where is TOX? He forgot about that!{{unsigned ip|172.68.62.58}}