explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

User:SqueakSquawk4

2022-05-07T14:14:51Z

162.158.62.9: hrugo

*To those who have arrived from the 2617 redirect* Sorry! I messed up! Please point the redirect to the comic! Please!

I appear to have screwed up big time.

I wrote most of explanation for [[2527]], and created (Badly) the page for [[2616]]. I think I screwed that last one up though.

2017: Stargazing 2

2018-07-13T20:36:38Z

162.158.62.9: Three points in a line form a depressed triangle

<noinclude>:''"2017", this comic's number, redirects here. For the comic named "2017", see [[1779: 2017]].''</noinclude>
{{comic
| number = 2017
| date = July 9, 2018
| title = Stargazing 2
| image = stargazing_2.png
| titletext = I mean, it wasn't exactly MY thesis. When the FAA came to shut down our observatory for using the telescope mirror to shine light at airplanes, I took a thesis and a bunch of doctorates from the supply cabinet on my way out.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More on 3rd panel with planet and a satellite. More on last sentence and the entire title text. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is the second comic in the [[:Category:Stargazing|Stargazing]] series: The first was [[1644: Stargazing]], two and a half years earlier.

This comic continues with the TV host mixing accurate astronomical information with trivialities, as well as utterly bizarre statements. In the first panel, the host voices surprise that the stars are visible again after disappearing during daylight. (See the explanation of the first comic in the series, for why this is certainly a male host, as the comics are probably spoofing {{w|Brian Cox (physicist)|Brian Cox}} who is one of the hosts on {{w|Stargazing Live}}. As can be seen he would end up looking like [[Megan]] in xkcd style).

The host mentions three stars in a constellation which he says is called The Triangle. This could mean the constellation {{w|Triangulum}}, which is in fact just three main stars in a narrow triangle. However, this may also simply be intended to show the host's lack of knowledge of constellations, since he then goes on to point out three other stars forming a triangle and concludes that one can form lots of triangles by connecting groups of three stars. In Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry, any set of three points will form a triangle, so to say that there are a "lotta triangles" is both trivial and an understatement{{Citation needed}}.

Then he points to planets, calling them dots known as "fool's stars" (like fool's gold). This is understandable as planets such as Venus and Jupiter are often mistaken as stars, and one Latin term for a planet was "stella errans", meaning "wandering star". He also notes that lacking interstellar transportation, humanity will likely only reach the planets within our solar system. However, he then makes the seemingly ludicrous assertion that humans will turn these planets into interplanetary landfills, which might be a comment on how humans have used the Earth.

The host also notices a dot of "space trash": An artificial satellite. Since the nascent Space Age, the Earth's orbit has gradually accumulated artificial materials that include satellites, spent rockets, and space stations. There are concerns such debris accumulation will increasingly imperil current and future space projects. However, the host claims there is an app that can tell you "whose fault it is," presumably a satellite-tracking smartphone app such as [http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skyview-satellite-guide-find/id694309958?mt=8 SkyView]which can inform you who launched a given satellite and thus whose "fault" that particular bit of space-junk might be.

The host eventually goes off on a tangent when someone from the audience points out something blinking in the sky. The host says it is a plane, and tells them what is inside it. The host continues, "don't bother trying to catch that one." This could be understood as he means it's too hard to point the telescope at it properly because it is moving too fast. In the title text, however, he means this literally, revealing that at one point during his studies he apparently used the reflective mirror of a telescope to shine light directly at airplanes, which caused the {{w|Federal Aviation Administration}} (FAA) to close down the observatory. He claims it was worth getting shut down by the FAA because he completed his thesis for his graduate degree.

In the title text, he clarifies that as he was exiting the observatory, he literally "got", as in "stole", someone else's thesis paper and multiple doctorates (presumably framed degrees), either to fraudulently claim them as his own accomplishments, or perhaps just because he wanted to steal stuff. Usually "got a thesis" is shorthand for the process of "writing a lengthy thesis paper and having it be accepted as a requirement for graduation", however in this case he simply swiped someone else's document. The revelations that he's extremely unqualified (and unethical) would explain his many bizarre and incorrect statements{{Citation needed}}.

==Transcript==
:[In a dark panel, a female TV host is standing in front of a group of 5 people: two Cueballs, Ponytail, Hairbun and Megan.]
:Host: Welcome back to stargazing.
:Host: When the stars disappeared this morning, I figured I had to find a new job, but they're ''back!'' This ''rules!''

:[A frame-less white panel in which the host points to the upper right with Megan, ponytail and Cueball looking in that direction.]
:Host: Those three stars form a constellation called the triangle.
:Host: Those three are another triangle.
:Host: Lotta triangles. Very important shape.

:[Back to a dark panel with the host now pointing to the upper left in a close-up.]
:Host: Those dots are planets, or "fool's stars." Without interstellar travel, they're the only ones we can realistically hope to dump trash on.
:Host: Speaking of space trash, that dot is a satellite. There are apps that will tell you whose fault it is.

:[The host is now turned right not pointing, still in a close-up.]
:Off-panel voice: What's that blinking one?
:Host: Airplane. They're full of snacks and money and stuff, but don't bother trying to catch them- they're ''way'' too high up.
:Host: Learned that the hard way in grad school.
:Host: Got a thesis out of it, at least.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Stargazing|Stargazing]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Stargazing]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

804: Pumpkin Carving

2018-06-10T12:55:49Z

162.158.62.9: /* Explanation */ citation needed

{{comic
| number = 804
| date = October 11, 2010
| title = Pumpkin Carving
| image = pumpkin carving.png
| titletext = The Banach-Tarski theorem was actually first developed by King Solomon, but his gruesome attempts to apply it set back set theory for centuries.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the custom of making {{w|Jack-o'-lantern|Jack-O'-Lantern}}s to set out on porches and front steps for the holiday of {{w|Halloween}}, which occurs on October 31. Typically they are made with {{w|pumpkins}} by emptying the inside leaving a hollow shell, carving a face or design on the side, then placing a light or candle inside. The Jack-O'-Lantern in the 3rd frame is the typical and standard design for a carved pumpkin.

The comic is set up as a typical TV program where an off-screen interviewer asks four (very) different people what they have made out of their Halloween pumpkin. In the [http://xkcd.com/804/info.0.json official transcript] the interviewer that talks in three of the panels is called an Interlocutor: "a person who takes part in dialogue or conversation."

In the first frame, [[Beret Guy]], naturally, stays oddly on-topic by physically carving an image of a pumpkin in his pumpkin. This means his answer, "I carved a pumpkin," could apply to either the image or the medium of his artwork.

In the second frame, [[Black Hat]] is shown with a container of {{w|nitroglycerin}} next to his pumpkin. Nitroglycerin is a highly explosive liquid that may explode violently with just a small bump. Black Hat has not carved a hole for his lamp, but it seems he has emptied the inside of the pumpkin as the stem at the top has been removed. This will make it possible to fill up the pumpkin with nitroglycerin. Teenagers are a rather impulsive and rebellious lot; as Halloween is a night with lots of meticulously erected decorations and more lax parental supervision, troublemaker teens see it as an enticing time to engage in rampant vandalism, including but not limited to pumpkin-smashing. Hence, the off-panel character presumes that Black Hat is setting up a trap to get back at these ne'er-do-wells. To top it off, Black Hat plans to put up a sign warning passers-by to not smash the pumpkin. This would only serve to tempt impulsive teenagers to disturb it, which is very likely what the sadistic and chaos-loving [[Classhole]] is hoping for. If he succeeds with his plan, with a completely hollowed out pumpkin of the shown size filled with nitroglycerin, it would seem likely that the resulting explosion would leave a largish crater, flatten wood-framed buildings nearby, shatter windows for blocks in all directions, and be more than sufficient to kill the vandal along with others in the surrounding area. This is clearly overkill for such a petty crime.

Black Hat, rather unconvincingly, insists that his pumpkin is suffering from chest pains, and that the nitroglycerin is merely intended for medical treatment. While it is true that this chemical is used to treat {{w|angina}} (chest pain due to blocked arteries in the heart), nitroglycerin used for this purpose is dispensed in the form of small pills containing only trace amounts, and controlled by prescription. Also, pumpkins are a vegetable{{Citation needed}} and do thus not contain nervous or circulatory systems of mammalian complexity{{Citation needed}}; even if they did, the process of pumpkin carving involves hollowing them out, making it a moot point.

In the third frame, [[Megan]] is our typical emotional xkcd comic character. She is the only one out of the four who actually carved a typical jack-o'-lantern; however, she is projecting herself onto it, and has named it Harold. Her dialogue suggests it (or he) is suffering from typical holiday depression, with symptoms such as using a lot of time daydreaming, worrying, and trying to distract herself with holiday traditions, but she already knows that it won't work.

In the fourth frame, [[Cueball]] is shown in front of two un-carved pumpkins exclaming that this is the result of carving one pumpkin. He is referencing the {{w|Banach-Tarski paradox}} (which is made clear in the title text), a theorem which states that it is possible to split a three-dimensional ball, in this case a pumpkin, into a finite number of "pieces," and then reassemble these "pieces" into two distinct balls both identical to the original. This paradox has been proven for theoretical shapes, but requires infinitely complicated pieces which are impossible for anything made of physical {{w|atomic theory|atoms}} rather than mathematical {{w|point (geometry)|points}}.

The off-screen interviewer in that frame references the {{w|Axiom of Choice}}. This axiom is the foundation for many theorems (including the Banach–Tarski paradox) and is extremely influential to modern mathematics; however, it has been historically controversial precisely because it enables this kind of weirdness. It is called an "axiom" because it is a statement that is not meant to be proven or disproven—only accepted or rejected depending on the theoretical framework one wishes to work with. Rejecting the Axiom of Choice results in a perfectly coherent alternate form of set theory. Since the proof for the Banach–Tarski paradox relies on accepting the axiom of choice, the interviewer is suggesting Cueball's unexpected result would not have happened without using the axiom.

The title text references a biblical story involving {{w|Solomon|King Solomon}}. In the story, known as the {{w|Judgment of Solomon}}, two women were brought before him both claiming that a particular child was their own. Solomon tested the women by saying the only solution was to cut the baby in half and give each woman one of the halves, knowing only the real mother would fight to save her child's life even if the price was giving up the whole child to the other woman. The joke is that if Solomon had developed the Banach–Tarski theorem first, then he could have actually believed cutting the baby into pieces was a valid solution. In that scenario, he would have tried to make two whole children from the original and given one to each woman. However, since babies are not infinitely divisible, his attempt would have failed miserably and set back set theory for centuries due to the appearance that he has "proved" the theorem wrong.

The axiom of choice and set theory was later referenced in [[982: Set Theory]] and, much later, the axiom of choice was mentioned again in the title text of [[1724: Proofs]].

This comic was released 20 days before Halloween in 2010, possibly to inspire people with some great ideas for their pumpkins. It has been known (particularly by Randall) that people copy his ideas, for instance this earlier [http://xkcd.com/chesscoaster/ post] on xkcd based on [[249: Chess Photo]]. Soon after he even made a comic, [[254: Comic Fragment]], that was supposed to be impossible to copy, which he mentioned himself later (see the explanation).

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy, holding his arms out, stands behind a large orange pumpkin with the stem on top. It is sitting on a table. The pumpkin has been carved out as a lamp with large hole, and a lit candle is visible in the hole. The hole is in the shape of another carved out pumpkin. An interviewer speaks from off panel.]
:Interviewer (off-panel): So what did you—
:Beret Guy: I carved a pumpkin!
:Interviewer (off-panel): ...

:[Black Hat stands behind a large orange pumpkin which has not been carved out as a lamp, but the stem at the top has been removed and is placed tilting on the side of the pumpkin. It is sitting on a table. A gray box stands next to and partly in front of the pumpkin. On the end of the box there is a label at the top with unreadable text and below that some kind of drawing with a circle at the top. The interviewer speaks from off panel.]
:Interviewer (off-panel): Taking on teen vandals, I see.
:Black Hat: Heavens, no. My pumpkin simply has chest pains. In fact, I'll leave a note ''warning'' them not to smash it.
:Text on box:
::Nitro-
::glycerin
::Do Not
::Shake

:[Megan stands next to a large orange pumpkin with the stem on top. It is sitting on a table. The pumpkin has been carved out as a typical Halloween lamp. The bottom part of a white candle stick is visible in the mouth shaped hole. The hole is in the shape of a typical jack-o' lantern, with two slanted eyes, double slit nose and a smiling mouth with a tooth sticking out from both upper and lower lip, on either side of the candle stick.]
:Megan: My pumpkin's name is Harold. He just realized that all the time he used to spend daydreaming, he now spends worrying. He'll try to distract himself later with holiday traditions, but it won't work.

:[Cueball stands next to a two orange pumpkins with their stems on top, the left pumpkin is slightly larger than the right which is partly in front of the larger pumpkin. They have not been carved out even though a knife lies next to them to the right in front of Cueball on the table where they both stand. The interviewer speaks from off panel.]]
:Cueball: I carved and carved, and the next thing I knew I had ''two'' pumpkins.
:Interviewer (off-panel): I ''told'' you not to take the axiom of choice.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Logic]]

1881: Drone Training

2017-08-25T19:18:40Z

162.158.62.9: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1881
| date = August 25, 2017
| title = Drone Training
| image = drone_training.png
| titletext = The joke will be on him in a few weeks when animal control shows up and takes custody of his Roomba.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|A simple comic, anything missing?}}
In this comic, [[Black Hat]] enters a pet store run by [[White Hat]]. He wants to buy something to help him train his drone, which keeps flying into the wrong rooms. This is absurd as drones are not living creatures like dogs or cats, which can be trained to do tricks, or stay in the correct areas (inside his property). He also wants a shock collar for his {{w|Roomba}}, which would train it to stay inside or at least on his lawn.

{{w|Cat repeller}} are devices or substances for training cats or repelling them from furniture or other areas. The Wikipedia page lacks the spray but you easily can create it at home as shown here: [http://www.instructables.com/id/Friendly-but-Effective-Cat-Repellent/ Friendly (but Effective) Cat Repellent], Black Hat may be wasting some money if he is buying a liquid, and not just a spray bottle, in a shop.

Roomba is a branch of autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners and controlling it by electric shocks from a {{w|Shock collar|shock collar}}, normally used for dogs, is more than questionable. Those collars are banned in many European (and other) countries but are legal in the US.

Knowing Black Hat, he might be poking fun at either people's assumptions that modern robots are more advanced than they actually are, or possibly at White Hat's various inaccurate claims. It is also possible, however, that he just wants to terrify people with the idea of robot abuse/conditioning. There is also a chance that he genuinely believes he can force robots to obey him via inflicting suffering, and would prefer doing so to just using a remote control on the drone, or an ordinary vacuum rather than a Roomba.

The title text may mean one of three things:

That the endeavor will become a total flop when the Roomba probably gets rid of the collar and terrorizes the neighborhood. As a result dogcatchers from the {{w|Animal control service|animal control service}} will arrest this "wild animal".

That animal control services will confiscate the Roomba to save it from its abusive owner.

That White Hat's Roomba will be taken into custody because it has not been trained with a shock collar.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat stands in front of a store counter facing White Hat who stands behind.]
:Black Hat: My drone keeps flying into the wrong rooms. Do you have anything to discourage it?
:White Hat: Sir, this is a pet store.

:Black Hat: Yeah, I was thinking one of those spray bottles for cats.
:White Hat: I don't think you can train a drone.

:[White Hat hands a spray bottle over the counter.]
:Black Hat: Eh, they say that about cats, too. Plus, these days they probably all come with deep learning or whatever. Drones, I mean. Maybe cats too.
:White Hat: Fine, here's a bottle.

:Black Hat: Do you sell a shock collar that can fit around a Roomba?
:White Hat: I'm going to have to ask you to leave.

==Trivia==
*This comic breaks a 5-comic, 9-day (August 14 - 23) eclipse streak, which included [[1876: Eclipse Searches]], [[1877: Eclipse Science]], [[1878: Earth Orbital Diagram]], [[1879: Eclipse Birds]], and [[1880: Eclipse Review]]. This is the longest of [[Randall]]'s same-topic streaks, as his other 5-comic streaks took place in one week with special Tuesday and Thursday releases.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]

1859: Sports Knowledge

2017-07-07T19:47:15Z

162.158.62.9: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1859
| date = July 5, 2017
| title = Sports Knowledge
| image = sports_knowledge.png
| titletext = I heard they might make the wild card game, which would be cool. Do you know when that is? I have a wedding next weekend, but if it's after that we could try to go!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]], representing [[Randall]], demonstrates that he has some knowledge about {{w|Mike Trout}}, a {{w|baseball}} player for the {{w|Los Angeles Angels}}. However, he mixes up the LA baseball team for one of the city's {{w|basketball}} teams when he mentions the {{w|Los Angeles Lakers|Lakers}}. [[White Hat]] questions his mentioning of the Lakers, after which Cueball takes another wild guess, this time mentioning an {{w|American football}} team, the {{w|Denver Broncos}}, based in Denver, Colorado, not even close to LA, indicating even poorer knowledge about sports.

{{w|On-base plus slugging}} (OPS) is a baseball statistic calculated as the sum of the {{w|on-base percentage}} (the number of times a player reaches base divided by the number of plate appearances) and {{w|slugging percentage}} (singles + 2 times the doubles + 3 times the triples + 4 times the home runs divided by at bats). It is useful for figuring out how well he reaches base and hits for power. As of the date this cartoon was published, Trout's OPS for the 2017 season [http://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/30836/mike-trout at 1.203] was indeed higher than in any of his previous seasons, albeit over a smaller number of games because [https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/05/29/los-angeles-angels-mike-trout-thumb-injury Trout indeed suffered a thumb injury in late May] and has not played since then. (He is expected to return to play later in July.)

At the end of the season, the teams leading each division make the playoffs, along with a certain number of other teams. In the NFL and MLB, 4 extra teams make the playoffs, and, in the NBA, 10 teams beside the division winners qualify for the playoffs. {{w|Major League Baseball wild-card game|In baseball}} the two teams in the American League play a ''Wild Card game'' against each other, as do the two in the National League, and {{w|NFL playoffs|in American football}}, there are ''Wild Card games'' in which the two wild card teams per conference play the two lower seeded division winners. At the time of publication, the Los Angeles Angels were, indeed, in the running for a wild-card spot (2½ games out of the playoffs).

With the baseball season being halfway over (and thus months away from the Wild Card games) and both football and basketball being in the off-season, Cueball further shows his lack of sports knowledge in asking whether it is next week, and assuming that he could spontaneously decide, at game time, to just go. He could make a decision to go now, but he would have to wait until the season is almost over when the seeding for the playoffs and wild card spots are decided. Sometimes the wild card spots aren't decided until the last game of the season, which would make buying tickets very difficult considering the location could change (the team with the better record is the home team in baseball).

To compensate for his lack of interest and knowledge in sport Randall made the comic [[1107: Sports Cheat Sheet]], and he has before directly mentioned his missing knowledge in [[1480: Super Bowl]]. (See more comics linked in those two).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and White Hat are walking together.]
:Cueball: Mike Trout's on-base plus slugging has been at career highs. After this injury, the Lakers will be lucky if he can hit even ''close'' to that.
:White Hat: ...Lakers?
:Cueball: I forget which team he is. Broncos?

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I know a handful of very specific things, but after that my sports knowledge falls apart quickly.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Baseball]]
[[Category:Basketball]]
[[Category:American football]]
[[Category:Sport]]

1859: Sports Knowledge

2017-07-07T19:44:02Z

162.158.62.9: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1859
| date = July 5, 2017
| title = Sports Knowledge
| image = sports_knowledge.png
| titletext = I heard they might make the wild card game, which would be cool. Do you know when that is? I have a wedding next weekend, but if it's after that we could try to go!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]], representing [[Randall]], demonstrates that he has some knowledge about {{w|Mike Trout}}, a {{w|baseball}} player for the {{w|Los Angeles Angels}}. However, he mixes up the LA baseball team for one of the city's {{w|basketball}} teams when he mentions the {{w|Los Angeles Lakers|Lakers}}. [[White Hat]] questions his mentioning of the Lakers, after which Cueball takes another wild guess, this time mentioning an {{w|American football}} team, the {{w|Denver Broncos}}, based in Denver, Colorado, not even close to LA, indicating even poorer knowledge about sports.

{{w|On-base plus slugging}} (OPS) is a baseball statistic calculated as the sum of the {{w|on-base percentage}} (the number of times a player reaches base divided by the number of plate appearances) and {{w|slugging percentage}} (singles + 2 times the doubles + 3 times the triples + 4 times the home runs divided by at bats). It is useful for figuring out how well he reaches base and hits for power. As of the date this cartoon was published, Trout's OPS for the 2017 season [http://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/30836/mike-trout at 1.203] was indeed higher than in any of his previous seasons, albeit over a smaller number of games because [https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/05/29/los-angeles-angels-mike-trout-thumb-injury Trout indeed suffered a thumb injury in late May] and has not played since then. (He is expected to return to play later in July.)

At the end of the season, the teams leading each division make the playoffs, along with a certain number of other teams. In the NFL and MLB, 4 extra teams make the playoffs, and, in the NBA, 10 teams beside the division winners qualify for the playoffs. {{w|Major League Baseball wild-card game|In baseball}} the two teams in the American League play a ''Wild Card game'' against each other, as do the two in the National League, and {{w|NFL playoffs|in American football}}, there are ''Wild Card games'' in which the two wild card teams per conference play the two lower seeded division winners. At the time of publication, the Los Angeles Angels were, indeed, in the running for a wild-card spot (2½ games out of the playoffs).

With the baseball season being halfway over and both football and basketball being in the off-season, Cueball further shows his lack of sports knowledge in asking whether it is next week, and assuming that he could spontaneously decide, at game time, to just go. He could make a decision to go now, but he would have to wait until the season is almost over when the seeding for the playoffs and wild card spots are decided. Sometimes the wild card spots aren't decided until the last game of the season, which would make buying tickets very difficult considering the location could change (the team with the better record is the home team in baseball).

To compensate for his lack of interest and knowledge in sport Randall made the comic [[1107: Sports Cheat Sheet]], and he has before directly mentioned his missing knowledge in [[1480: Super Bowl]]. (See more comics linked in those two).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and White Hat are walking together.]
:Cueball: Mike Trout's on-base plus slugging has been at career highs. After this injury, the Lakers will be lucky if he can hit even ''close'' to that.
:White Hat: ...Lakers?
:Cueball: I forget which team he is. Broncos?

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I know a handful of very specific things, but after that my sports knowledge falls apart quickly.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Baseball]]
[[Category:Basketball]]
[[Category:American football]]
[[Category:Sport]]

1858: 4th of July

2017-07-05T17:32:06Z

162.158.62.9: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1858
| date = July 3, 2017
| title = 4th of July
| image = 4th_of_july.png
| titletext = Strangely, they still celebrate by eating hot dogs. Since they don't have mouths, they just kinda toss them in the air and let them fall back down into their propeller blades. It's pretty messy.
}}

==Explanation==
In the United States, the 4th of July is celebrated as {{w|Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day}}. This comic claims to show the timeline of different activities that are used to celebrate the holiday. One common activity is to watch fireworks displays. With the rise of personal drones there have been several videos of fireworks from drones, including flying the drones through the middle of the display. The comic then purports that starting in the year it was published (2017), fireworks and drones will be at some sort of war with each other, starting with drone pilots leading their drones into the path of the rising fireworks before they explode, leading to fireworks technicians intentionally trying to strike down drones. In 2019, [[Randall]] posits that the drones will be weaponized with fireworks and competitions will be held to shoot down your opponents' drone. This wanton destruction of drones leads them to turn against their pilots and humanity, and then in 2021, they will be celebrating their Independence Day from the humans.

The title text refers to another popular 4th of July activity in the United States: Barbecues with fare such as hot dogs and hamburgers. But since the drones don't have mouths or a digestive tract, they simply make a mess by using their rotors as a blender.

==Transcript==
:[One single panel is shown. The header reads:]
:'''4<sup>th</sup> of July activities'''

:2014 - Watching fireworks
:2015 - Watching fireworks from drones
:2016 - Flying drones through fireworks
:2017 - Intercepting fireworks with drones
:2018 - Competitions to hit drones with fireworks
:2019 - Teams compete to shoot down each other's firework-armed drones
:2020 - Sentient firework-armed drones overthrow humans
:2021 - Drones celebrate independence day

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Drones]]

1859: Sports Knowledge

2017-07-05T17:29:56Z

162.158.62.9: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1859
| date = July 5, 2017
| title = Sports Knowledge
| image = sports_knowledge.png
| titletext = I heard they might make the wild card game, which would be cool. Do you know when that is? I have a wedding next weekend, but if it's after that we could try to go!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Need an explanation on why this is funny. Citation for Mike's injury and stats. Would Cueballs assessment be true (had he got the team right)? Links to some of the numerous other "I lack sports knowledge" comics...}}

[[Cueball]], representing [[Randall]], demonstrates that he has some knowledge about {{w|Mike Trout}}, a {{w|baseball}} player for the {{w|Los Angeles Angels}}. However, he mixes up the LA baseball team for the city's main {{w|basketball}} team when he mentions the {{w|Los Angeles Lakers|Lakers}}. [[White Hat]] questions his mentioning of the Lakers, after which Cueball takes another wild guess, this time mentioning an {{w|American football}} team, the {{w|Denver Broncos}}, based in Denver, Colorado not even close to LA, indicating even poorer knowledge about sports.

{{w|On-base plus slugging}} (OPS) is a baseball statistic calculated as the sum of the {{w|on-base percentage}} (the number of times a player reaches base divided by the number of plate appearances) and {{w|slugging percentage}} (singles + 2 times the doubles + 3 times the triples + 4 times the home runs divided by at bats). It is useful for figuring out how well he reaches base and hits for power. As of the date this cartoon was published, Trout's OPS for the 2017 season was indeed higher than in any of his previous seasons, albeit over a smaller number of games because Trout indeed suffered a thumb injury in late May and has not played since then. (He is expected to return to play later in July.)

At the end of the season, the teams leading each division make the playoffs, along with a certain number of other teams. In the NFL and MLB, 4 extra teams make the playoffs, and, in the NBA, 10 teams beside the division winners qualify for the playoffs. {{w|Major League Baseball wild-card game|In baseball}} the two teams in the American League play a ``Wild Card game'' against each other, as do the two in the National League, and {{w|NFL playoffs|in American football}}, there are ``Wild Card games'' in which the two wild card teams per conference play the two lower seeded division winners. With the baseball season being halfway over and both football and basketball being in the offseason, Cueball further shows his lack of sports knowledge in asking whether it is next week.

To compensate for his lack of interest and knowledge in sport Randall made the comic [[1107: Sports Cheat Sheet]], and he has before directly mentioned his missing knowledge in [[1480: Super Bowl]]. (See more comics linked in those two).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and White Hat are walking together.]
:Cueball: Mike Trout's on-base plus slugging has been at career highs. After this injury, the Lakers will be lucky if he can hit even ''close'' to that.
:White Hat: ...Lakers?
:Cueball: I forget which team he is. Broncos?

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I know a handful of very specific things, but after that my sports knowledge falls apart quickly.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Baseball]]
[[Category:Basketball]]
[[Category:American football]]
[[Category:Sport]]

Talk:1854: Refresh Types

2017-06-25T02:25:26Z

162.158.62.9:

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.

;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)

1852: Election Map

2017-06-19T18:18:38Z

162.158.62.9: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1852
| date = June 19, 2017
| title = Map
| image = election_map.png
| titletext = Luckily for my interpretation, no precincts were won by the Green Party.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Lacks title text explanation.}}
A wave (e.g. an electromagnetic wave, like light) changes its frequency and wavelength when its source is moving relative to the observer, due to the {{w|Doppler effect}}. In the case of light, increased frequency — indicating movement towards the observer — is called {{w|blueshift}}, while reduced frequency — indicating movement away from the observer — is called {{w|redshift}}. These names apply even if the effect is outside of the visible spectrum (e.g. infrared light that has reduced frequency is called redshifted, even though its frequency is further away from that of visible red light than normally). Red and blue colors are used accordingly to indicate the effect.

If one object (like the galaxy) is redshifted on one of the edges, and blueshifted on the other, it usually means that it's rotating (and the axis of rotation isn't completely parallel to the line of sight).

The map [[Cueball]] shows represents election results. Red regions mark where one of the parties won, while blue regions indicate some other party (the parties are probably {{w|Democratic party (United States)|Democratic}} and {{w|Republican party (United States)|Republican}}, although it's not explicitly stated in the comic). Cueball analyzes the map as if it showed magnitude of Doppler effect by the light emitted by the region. This, however, is not what the viewers expect to hear during the election night from election analysis. That's why Cueball was fired from the job rather quickly, as the caption states.

The title text states that the {{w|Green Party of the United States|Green Party}} did not win any precincts. If the Green Party won, its regions would likely be colored green, which would not work for Cueball's Doppler effect analysis.

Cueball was fired from the job a number of times before. Many are listed in [[1428: Move Fast and Break Things]].

The map appears to depict {{w|Georgia's 6th congressional district}}, which is set for a special election on June 20, 2017, the day after the comic ran.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball is on live TV, pointing at a map colored according to election results.]
:Cueball: These northern precincts appear red, which probably means they're moving away from us, whereas these bluer regions are approaching us. I believe the district may be rotating in space.

:[Caption below:]
:My career as an election analyst was short-lived.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1852: Election Map

2017-06-19T18:16:46Z

162.158.62.9: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1852
| date = June 19, 2017
| title = Map
| image = election_map.png
| titletext = Luckily for my interpretation, no precincts were won by the Green Party.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Lacks title text explanation.}}
A wave (e.g. an electromagnetic wave, like light) changes its frequency and wavelength when moving relative to the observer, due to the {{w|Doppler effect}}. In the case of light, increased frequency - indicating movement towards the observer - is called {{w|blueshift}}, while reduced frequency - indicating movement away from the observer - is called {{w|redshift}}. These names apply even if the effect is outside of the visible spectrum (e.g. infrared light that has reduced frequency is called redshifted, even though its frequency is further away from that of visible red light than normally). Red and blue colors are used accordingly to indicate the effect.

If one object (like the galaxy) is redshifted on one of the edges, and blueshifted on the other, it usually means that it's rotating (and the axis of rotation isn't completely parallel to the line of sight).

The map [[Cueball]] shows represents election results. Red regions mark where one of the parties won, while blue regions indicate some other party (the parties are probably {{w|Democratic party (United States)|Democratic}} and {{w|Republican party (United States)|Republican}}, although it's not explicitly stated in the comic). Cueball analyzes the map as if it showed magnitude of Doppler effect by the light emitted by the region. This, however, is not what the viewers expect to hear during the election night from election analysis. That's why Cueball was fired from the job rather quickly, as the caption states.

The title text states that the {{w|Green Party of the United States|Green Party}} did not win any precincts. If the Green Party won, its regions would likely be colored green, which would not work for Cueball's Doppler effect analysis.

Cueball was fired from the job a number of times before. Many are listed in [[1428: Move Fast and Break Things]].

The map appears to depict {{w|Georgia's 6th congressional district}}, which is set for a special election on June 20, 2017, the day after the comic ran.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball is on live TV, pointing at a map colored according to election results.]
:Cueball: These northern precincts appear red, which probably means they're moving away from us, whereas these bluer regions are approaching us. I believe the district may be rotating in space.

:[Caption below:]
:My career as an election analyst was short-lived.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1836: Okeanos

2017-05-12T20:43:43Z

162.158.62.9: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1836
| date = May 12, 2017
| title = Okeanos
| image = okeanos.png
| titletext = WHEN I WAS ON A BOAT I DROPPED MY PHONE CAN U LOOK FOR IT
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete| First edit.}}
The {{w|NOAAS_Okeanos_Explorer_(R_337)|NOAAS Okeanos Explorer}}, named after the Greek (and Roman) personification of the sea {{w|Okeanos}}, is a vessel that is currently exploring the Central Pacific Basin. It livestreams the video feed [http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/okeanos/media/exstream/exstream.html] of its deep sea exploration online.

This comic seems to be a representation of the livestream on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmVT36Axtn0]. The chat section for the actual livestream is disabled, but the comic adds some humoristic examples of what the chat section would look like. Several of the examples are the product of commenters falsely believing the livestream is that of a game, probably since most livestreams on youtube are of people playing games; Randall is joking about the viewers of said streams in particular not being able to tell the difference, as well as youtube commenters in general.
Randall mentioned the ridiculousness of comments on YouTube before in [[202: YouTube]] and [[481: Listen to Yourself]].

Randall states that he likes to view the stream and commends them on disabling the chat section.

{| class="wikitable"
!Comment
!Explanation
|-
| Fake
| A very common YouTube comment expressing skepticism, for example saying that the content is edited or computer generated.
|-
| Who else is watching this in 2017?
| This type of comment appears frequently on videos, as a kind of community bonding over discovering or revisiting older content. It is not relevant here, as this is a live feed in 2017.
|-
| Is this prerendered or will these graphics be in the game?
| Commenter probably thinks this is a trailer for a game with hyperrealistic graphics.
|-
| That squid is neoliberal.
| Political commenter.
|-
| Why do the McElroy's never talk?
| A reference to The Adventure Zone, a ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons}}'' podcast hosted by the McElroy Brothers and their dad. In the world of The Adventure Zone, there is a creature called the Voidfish, which is generally interpreted to look like a jellyfish.
|-
| Stop messing around and eat the fish already.
| Possibly a gamer or food vlog watcher.
|-
| This is why Trump won.
| Another political commenter.
|-
| Why do you never craft anything?
| A comment referencing the game ''{{w|Subnautica}}'' where a key aspect to survival is crafting materials.
|-
| This is just a distraction
| Commenter thinks people should be focused on other things which are more important. Possibly political comment. Possibly conspiracy theorist.
|-
| Something is wrong with that baby giraffe.
| A live video of a giraffe in labor and giving birth was viral in April 2017. This commenter is either confused about which video they're watching, and is concerned that the creature on screen (a jellyfish) looks unlike a healthy baby giraffe, or is feigning this confusion as a joke.
|}
The title text is a comment by someone who allegedly lost their phone in the ocean, which is not a small place{{Citation needed}} and wants to use Okeanos' resources to find it.

==Transcript==
:[The comic takes place during a typical YouTube live-stream. The live-stream is from "OceanExplorerGov", using a submarine to explore the Central Pacific Basin. On the left hand side, the live video feed is playing, showing the ocean's depths. On the right hand side, the chat (typically shown in live-streams) is displayed]

:User #1: Fake
:User #2: Who else is watching this in 2017?
:User #3: Is this pre-rendered or will this be in the game?
:User #4: That squid is a neo-liberal
:User #5: Why do the McElroys never talk
:User #6: This is why Trump won
:User #7: Why do you never craft anything
:User #8: This is just a distraction
:User #9: Something is wrong with that giraffe

:Caption: I love watching the Okeanos Ocean Exploration live-stream, but it's probably for the best that they don't enable chat.

{{comic discussion}}