explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1388: Subduction License

2016-02-22T00:48:40Z

162.158.56.77:

{{comic
| number = 1388
| date = June 30, 2014
| title = Subduction License
| image = subduction_license.png
| titletext = 'Dude, why can't you just be a normal roommate?' 'Because I'm coming TOWARD you!'
}}

==Explanation==
In {{w|structural geology}}, {{w|subduction}} is the mechanism by which one {{w|tectonic plate}} disappears under another. This process usually creates a {{w|mountain range}} on the second tectonic plate as water entrained in the subducting plate rises into the second plate and provokes {{w|volcanism}}, often resulting in a {{w|volcanic arc}}.

In this comic, [[Beret Guy]] is very happy because he has just received his ''subduction license''. His roommate [[Cueball]] very reasonably asks him: ''Your what?'' But instead of answering him, Beret Guy begins to move towards him in their small room. It turns out that the license has literally enabled him to initiate subduction. As he moves towards Cueball, he slowly sinks under the floorboards of the room, and in this process he creates a small mountain range on the floor. In the end, much to Cueball's consternation, these mountains turn his desk and chair over. Cueball actually falls out of the frame in the final panel, where Beret Guy is already halfway down beneath the floor.

The title text plays on the double meaning of the word "normal", which Cueball means in the sense of "like most people, not strange," but which Beret Guy interprets in the geological sense. While subduction occurs when two plates crash into each other, a {{w|normal fault}} occurs when two plates are moving away from each other. Here, "normal" is used in the sense of "perpendicular," as the result of a normal fault is often that part of the crust moves vertically downward, forming a {{w|graben}}.

A similarly atypical license was mentioned previously in [[410: Math Paper]]. Puns on geological terms (including types of faults) were previously made in [[1082: Geology]].

This comic was featured in a page of Thing Explainer.
==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy is looking at some mail he has received while Cueball is at his computer desk at the other side of the room.]
:Beret Guy: Sweet! I finally got my subduction license!
:Cueball: Your what?

:[Beret Guy starts sinking into the ground, causing it to ripple.]
:Cueball: ...What are you doing?

:[Beret Guy sinks further, forming a miniature mountain range in front of him. Cueball is frantically trying to keep his computer steady as his desk tilts.]
:Cueball: ''Stop it! Stop it!''

:[Beret Guy is waist-deep, and snow caps have formed on the mountains. Cueball is falling backwards from his desk, and the monitor unplugs itself from his computer.]
:Cueball: AUGH!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]

1612: Colds

2015-12-05T23:55:09Z

162.158.56.77: /* Explanation */ changed second person to third and made some minor changes

{{comic
| number = 1612
| date = December 4, 2015
| title = Colds
| image = colds.png
| titletext = The contagious period ends right around when you start to sound sick over the phone, which is probably evidence of cold viruses evolving to spread optimally in the workplace.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft please improve if you can. Change from second person to third person.}}
The typical symptoms of a {{w|Common cold|cold}} are a sore throat, blocked or runny nose, sneezing, coughing and headache. Slightly less common symptoms can include a headache, aching muscles and an unpleasant sensation of temperature.

The earlier symptoms to occur following infection are generally the more unpleasant-feeling symptoms: headache, aching muscles, sneezing and feeling cold. However, these symptoms are also those which are least obvious to other people, and so elicit very little {{w|sympathy}}.

Within a few days, these symptoms start to subside, while a cough and runny nose start. These symptoms generally feel less unpleasant, but are much more noticeable to others, and so more sympathy may be given. The cough may lead to a hoarse voice, making the patient sound very ill; ironically, at this point, it may be easier for an employed person to phone in sick, but it is less desirable to stay off work.

But it is now when the patient sounds hoarse that others give the {{w|sympathy}} that was really needed when the patient was feeling awful during the first couple of days. And to [[Randall]] this is the worst about colds, that the patients first gets sympathy when it is no longer really needed. (Others might think the sore throat and the runny nose hoarseness is even worse than not getting sympathy...)

The graph shows the above mentioned facts as two curves, one that indicates how bad the sickness is, really bad on day 2, but much better already on day 3. And the other curve how bad it sounds due to the hoarseness and the coughing. And this curve first peaks around day 4-6 when the sympathy from it is no longer needed.

The symptoms of the two periods are listed below the curves indicating which periods are affected by them.

In the title text Randall muses about the fact that contagiousness ends around the time when hoarseness begins. This is the time when employers ask sick employees to stay at home in bed when they call in to the office, because they sound so hoarse. And also the time when coworkers will stay clear of those who do come in. But then it is too late, since everyone is probably already infected by then. Randall thus suggests that this is evidence that the cold virus has evolved to spread optimally in a work place. Since the cold virus is much older than offices this is unlikely. But it will always spread better in places where many people are close together (and since we are more inside in the winter, this is the main reason why it spreads more during cold periods.) However, viruses do evolve very quickly so it may not be unlikely that some of them has already adapted to our present way of living.

==Transcript==
:[A graph is shown with two curves. The Y-axis indicated how you feel, with three levels indicated with small ticks on the inside of the axis. These are labeled to the left of the Y–axis. The X-axis gives the time. The unit is given (days written in gray text) to the left and then the number of days are noted below the axis for each of the eight ticks on the inside of the axis). Both curves begin at the lowest level just off the Y-axis. One curve, indicating how bad you feel, rises rapidly, reaching it's maximum in less than two days only to fall off almost as rapidly, ending up on an even lower level than it began with before day 5. The other curve, indicating how bad you sound, start out by staying constantly low, first rising on day 3, when the first curve are drooping down. They cross between day 3 and 4, and first then does the second curve rise, reaching its max around day 5, not as high a maximum as the first curve, but it stays up longer, falling only moderately off even after day 8, where it reaches the middle level on the Y-axis. Above the two curves are two line intervals that indicated when you need sympathy and when you get it. This text is written on the broken line. All this is in gray text. Below the X-axis are the symptoms listed for the different time period. These are written in white inside gray rectangles. The rectangles are a different length depending on how many days they last. And they are in two layers.]

:[Y-axis:]
:The worst
:Bad
:Fine

:[The X-axis, with the unit written in gray just below ''Fine'' from the Y-axis:]
:<font color="gray">Days:</font> 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

:[Labels for curves:]
:How bad you feel
:How bad you sound

:[Gray text on the two gray lines above:]
:<font color="gray">Need sympathy
:Get sympathy</font>

:[Text in white on gray below, first the three to the left (one above two below), then the two to the right one above the other:]
:Skin crawling
:Sore throat
:Aching
:Cough
:Hoarseness

:[Caption below the frame:]
:The worst part about colds

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]

Talk:1612: Colds

2015-12-05T23:46:59Z

162.158.56.77: /* Incomplete notice says "First draft please improve if you can. Change from second person to third person." */ new section

Just like I have it now. I'm on the day 6 I think... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:42, 4 December 2015 (UTC)
:I'm feeling tired and heavy, did you do this to me!? [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 13:44, 4 December 2015 (UTC)
:@Kynde: You poor, poor thing ;-). --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 13:48, 4 December 2015 (UTC)

Cold viruses evolve so quickly that every year your immunity to last year virus is useless. Also note that the "people will stay clear of you if you do come in" behavior is older than offices: visible (and audible) symptoms make people avoid close contact with you, therefore it is advantageous for the virus to avoid causing them as long as possible. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:50, 4 December 2015 (UTC)

I'm not familiar with the "skin crawling" symptom. Is that just a weird name for some other symptom? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.107|108.162.218.107]] 14:25, 4 December 2015 (UTC) Gus

== Incomplete notice says "First draft please improve if you can. Change from second person to third person." ==

So I should change it to say "First draft please improve if he can"?

:-)

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.56.77|162.158.56.77]] 23:46, 5 December 2015 (UTC)