explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3043: Muons

2025-01-28T04:17:51Z

162.158.63.82: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3043
| date = January 27, 2025
| title = Muons
| image = muons_2x.png
| imagesize = 284x388px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Update: I've been banned from the physics department for the way I pronounce "Doppler effect."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT moving at 99.97% of the speed of light resulting in 45x battery life. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Muon|Muons}} are particles released in {{w|air shower (physics)|air showers}} from high-energy {{w|cosmic ray}} protons causing nuclear decay in our upper atmosphere. These protons come from all over the universe from various interstellar events and have energies in excess of anything our species has created. Some of the muons created in these collisions are deflected away from us and decay quickly in the upper atmosphere. Other muons retain the high energy of the colliding protons effectively and travel so fast that they emit {{w|Cherenkov radiation}} from outpacing photons in air, which is used to visualize air showers with telescopes. Muons usually decay very quickly, but in part because of time dilation these high-energy muons are able to penetrate deep into the earth densely and are also used as a natural radiation source more powerful than x-rays for internal imaging especially of large opaque structures.

{{w|Time dilation}} is the concept from {{w|special relativity}} where faster moving objects travel through time faster than proportional, resulting in an appearance of it slowing down for them to an observer, as well as an ability to cross greater distances. Because the ‘regular speed’ {{w|Muon|muons}} are moving at a relatively normal speed, Cueball pronounces it properly, but because time slows down for the faster moving muons, Cueball adjusts this, and pronounces it much slower, as if he is being slowed down from talking about them.

On average, a stationary muon decays after a bit over two microseconds. While moving at 99.97% of the speed of light, their lifespan (from our perspective) stretches to nearly ninety microseconds. If Cueball speaks at four syllables per second (a typical {{w|Speech tempo|speech tempo}} for English), it will take him about half of a second to name the "muons" created in the upper atmosphere; it will take him more than twenty seconds to name the fast-moving "muuuuuoooons."

The title text references the {{w|Doppler effect}}, the change in frequency of a wave when the observer is moving relative to the source. One common example of this is how the sound of a fast car or airplane starts as a high pitched 'squeal' but then gradually drops to a low droning noise as it passes the observer. By analogy with the time dilation example, Cueball likely imitates this change in pitch whenever pronouncing the phrase "Doppler effect"; as he has been banned for this we must assume that the first syllable or two were pronounced at an obnoxiously high volume and pitch.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball is standing in front of a whiteboard, which contains a diagram depicting a muon passing through the atmosphere, a distance labeled with a cursive letter, the equation for the Lorentz factor, and some illegible text. He's facing away from the whiteboard and holding a pointer that points towards the diagram.]
:Cueball: ''Muons'' created in the upper atmosphere decay immediately, but fast moving ''muuuuuoooons'' are able to reach the surface due to their longer half-lives.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Physics tip: Remember to adjust your pronunciations to account for time dilation.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Tips]]

418: Stove Ownership

2024-10-11T01:36:35Z

162.158.63.82:

{{comic
| number =418
| date =May 2, 2008
| title =Stove Ownership
| image =stove_ownership.png
| titletext =Although maybe it's just a phase, like freshman year of college when I realized I could just buy frosting in a can.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is a subtle statement on the epiphany many have when they reach adulthood and are on their own for the first time: No one will tell you what to do! Nobody will, however, stop you from making those poor decisions you were restrained from prior to that independence. Eating bacon whenever one wants is among them.

This line graph depicts [[Randall|Randall's]] health as a function of time after some undefined point. The joke is that his health goes into an immediate deterioration the moment he realizes that he could just cook bacon on his stove whenever he wants. When he says "he could cook bacon," he means he has both the will AND means, since the stove is now his own. Before the bacon revelation, his health was actually improving - this may be explained because he was now cooking his own, healthy food rather than getting pizza delivered or having other pre-made foods/junk food.

{{w|Icing_(food)|Frosting}} (or icing) is something you use to decorate cakes. Many children enjoy frosting so much that they eat it off the cake and leave the rest behind. Frosting in a can, as mentioned in a title text, is convenient because it is instant and not necessary to make from scratch. When Randall came to college, he still had a very sweet tooth, so when he discovered frosting in a can, his health curve at the time also went into decline. However, that turned out to be a phase - he got over it - and he hopes it will be the same with cooking bacon.

There is now also similarly instant, pre-cooked bacon that can be eaten right out of the box, eliminating the need to put in any effort to prepare it. The sudden drop in health, obviously, is due to the fact that most bacon is pork belly fat, and while high in protein, its irresistible flavor cannot compensate for its high fat and cholesterol content. In addition, porkless bacon made from turkey meat is also available in some places.

In the title text of [[1674: Adult]], it turned out that [[Cueball]] was not yet ready to go shopping by himself, even though he was an "adult" and ended up dying of over-consumption of {{w|Airheads (candy)|AirHeads}}, very similar to the frosting in this comic's title text.

Eating frosting out of the can was also referenced in the title text of [[1793: Soda Sugar Comparisons]].

==Transcript==
:[A hand-drawn graph is shown.]
:[On the y-axis:]
:My overall health
:[On the x-axis:]
:Time
:[The graph is generally steady rising through 3/4 of the x-axis, where it begins a steady decline. A stapled line marks the start of this decline. Below where the line crosses the x-axis, this decline is labeled:]
:The day I realized I could cook bacon ''whenever I wanted''.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Food]]

Talk:433: Journal 5

2018-07-13T20:53:34Z

162.158.63.82: A defense of a the comics visual aspects.

At least he didn't same "remotely" [[Special:Contributions/99.102.154.28|99.102.154.28]] 03:03, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

:Saying "remotely" would have been such a bad play on words. lol. [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 01:48, 27 August 2013 (UTC)

Are the remote mines a reference to THE [http://goldeneye.wikia.com/wiki/Remote_Mine remote mines]? {{unsigned ip|173.245.53.198}}

:Not probably. Remote mines are real world items, {{w|Goliath_tracked_mine|some of them are even capable of moving}}. [[User:Sten|'''STEN''']] ([[User talk:Sten|talk]]) 10:59, 17 November 2013 (UTC)

That car doesn't seem like something Black Hat would drive. --[[User:Flewk|flewk]] ([[User talk:Flewk|talk]]) 17:09, 28 December 2015 (UTC)

:Perhaps Black Hat took a precaution and borrowed a car so his own wouldn't get destroyed, considering who he was approaching. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.82|162.158.63.82]] 20:53, 13 July 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2015: New Phone Thread

2018-07-11T02:05:20Z

162.158.63.82: Added explanation and fixed one spelling mistake

I feel the explanation could possibly give a sample text of what the person is actually trying to say [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.113|172.68.46.113]] 05:13, 4 July 2018 (UTC)Innertuber40

I have an alternate interpretation: The first thing I thought this comic was about is all the people who are typing on phones and the messages actually sent contain weird words any typos because of the phone's autocorrection feature (or swipe keyboards which are accurate most of the time but error prone nevertheless). So this particular phone actually is sending what the user is writing (or wants to write) and does not change the message. Examples: http://barabare.blogspot.com/2011/05/funny-phone-t9-typo-errors.html [edit:] I mean, this goes so far that occasionally on online forums you see people with the message "Writing from phone, message may contaion errors. Sorry" or something like that in their signature. So a phone that actually writes what you are typing (or what you thought you were typing) might actually be a good thing. Cueball is just astonished that his new phone does exactly that. [edit2:] But then again, some of the messages in the comic really indicate in the direction the current explanantion is going. So, nevermind :) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:30, 4 July 2018 (UTC)
:When I read it I also had that idea (being impressed by accurate typing) but it seemed too odd so I came to explain xkcd to look it up. I'm not convinced of either explanation at this point. For the current explanation (that the phone is autocorrecting to say spam) one would expect there to be a phone in the news doing something like that. This could be a hyperbole version of a phone is doing inserting product names like with BlackBerry expanding the acronym BB to their name on some phones. But I haven't heard of that anywhere and blackberry is not news. If someone knows of a current phone this behaviour is referencing please post a link? Thanks, rusl[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.113|108.162.246.113]] 07:48, 4 July 2018 (UTC)
:Thought the same thing. Obscure subjects are of course a mainstay of xkcd.com, but in the past some Wikipedia research explains away the obscurity with certainty. Not this time.[[User:GODZILLA|GODZILLA]] ([[User talk:GODZILLA|talk]]) 11:43, 4 July 2018 (UTC)
: Was thinking the same. Sometimes I write weird sentences, because the word I actually chose in autocorrect is replaced with a different one. For example, I am typing "wha" and chose "whatever" from the suggestion list, and I am 100% certain it got chosen correctly. And then when I look at the message, after I hit "post", it will only show up as "what". So my example sentence would look like "Yeah, what", isntead of "yeah, whatever". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.249|172.69.54.249]] 08:31, 6 July 2018 (UTC)

Putting the "artifice" into "artificial intelligence". I too didn't understand the strip at first... briefly considered reading it from bottom to top. Now I agree that the user's phone is censoring and rewriting everything, and we're seeing the censored version. Another real world reference: a forum where your posts are blocked without telling you; you see your posts in place but no one else does. I've used forums where some imbecile moderator blocked me that way from spite... of course THIS site's moderators wouldn't do that! (You don't like words in capital letters?? Uhoh.) Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.121|162.158.154.121]] 11:20, 4 July 2018 (UTC)

I think the “I’l never get a new phone” and “buy the new Mobile Pro 3” are completely inserted by the phone, not just modified user posts. They don’t seem to flow properly if we assume the user posted them, and we can see the surprise when the first of the two messages is posted; something that would fail to surprise the user to the degree he(?) is after already going through the rest of the messages. The “order now” message, in particular, seems a lot more like advertiser-speak than corrected user speak. [[User:Dyaomaster|Dyaomaster]] ([[User talk:Dyaomaster|talk]]) 21:15, 4 July 2018 (UTC)
:“I’ll never get a new phone” sounds like it originally was "Forget it, i give up. I'll just get a new phone." which seems natural for the user to post. Probably the “buy the new Mobile Pro 3” was also a warning not to buy the phone, which was changed almost completely into an advertisement.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.62.16|172.68.62.16]] 00:08, 5 July 2018 (UTC)

There is a Doctor Who episode in which a Dalek speech module distorts statements in a similar, but much more spooky way. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 07:09, 5 July 2018 (UTC)

I feel the first two "posts" suggest, the post only look different when viewing from someone else's device?
Although the following posts do not support this anymore. -- someone without an account.
:I think this is correct. The posts look exactly as the user wrote them on the user's own device/account, but when viewed by someone else, the forum/phone software censors and modifies the content of the posts. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.82|162.158.63.82]] 02:05, 11 July 2018 (UTC) A Nonny Mouse

== possibly connected to just announced Google "Smart Replies"? ==

Google lately announced new function to their keyboard on Android: reading messages on others communicator (like Facebook Messanger) and suggesting several short replies to choose from. It might be connected. pm7 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.140|162.158.88.140]] 10:24, 4 July 2018 (UTC)
:I suspect that it's rather referencing the recent case of phones clandestinely sending random gallery images to ppl in the addressbook.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.196|141.101.96.196]] 11:20, 4 July 2018 (UTC)

I think this happens to people who try to leak high-stakes information (or etc) without understanding what they are up against. I found this comic very validating to read. The point of the “order now” button is to make it clear that what we see was not written by the author. This happened to the author on Facebook, but once they tried to tell somebody it began happening on their messaging app too. Use a merkle tree messaging system that allows you to keep your private key offline if you’re saying something important. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.142|108.162.219.142]] 15:39, 4 July 2018 (UTC)

OK, am I the only one here this has actually happened to? The Google keyboard often seems *very* reluctant to swipe-write insulting words, & it's especially frustrating when trying to write about the phone itself while it's doing things like changing "inaccurate" to "accurate" & "stupid" to "great". Note that the swipe action required to write the word "stupid" bears '''''no''''' resemblance to the swipe action for "great"; Sometimes the suggested words seem so obtuse it feels deliberate. (Note, it just did it to me again; I'm editing to correct "great" to "stupid")
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:11, 4 July 2018 (UTC)
:I doubt it's intentionally reversing the meaning. My guess as to what's happening: they give insulting words an artificially low weight in their algorithm because they don't want to produce them by accident. It comes up with the word "great" rather than some other random word because their natural language processing algorithm recognizes that a word of that sort fits the context. [[User:Ids1024|Ids1024]] ([[User talk:Ids1024|talk]]) 16:03, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
::I agree that under-weighted negative words combined with context suggestions (& some Branding-first assumptions) are what causes the illusion that intentional reversal is occurring; but the illusion is crazy complete sometimes. I'm pretty sure this comic is based off some actual corrections, extended only slightly toward hyperbole. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 11:05, 6 July 2018 (UTC)

== EU copyright directive?

Might be related to controversial article 13 of EU copyright directive which will be voted on today (5 July 2018) and which will in practice mandate automated censorship AI on all social networks and alike sites operating in EU. More info on https://saveyourinternet.eu/ (the same directive with dreaded "link tax" in art.11 --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.207|162.158.93.207]] 23:36, 4 July 2018 (UTC)

== Wrong Link?

The link to the word "plaudit" in no way matches the context of the sentence. 12:25, 8 July 2018 (UTC)Someone who doesn't have an account.

2007: Brookhaven RHIC

2018-06-15T20:45:04Z

162.158.63.82: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2007
| date = June 15, 2018
| title = Brookhaven RHIC
| image = brookhaven_rhic.png
| titletext = "Buddy, you trying to pull something? I can't buy this gold--all the electrons are missing. I could face serious charges!"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HEAVILY CHARGED BOT ION - Please CHANGE THIS comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider}} is a particle accelerator designed to collide gold ions together at incredibly high speeds. This is normally done to study particle physics - the high-energy collisions allow us to learn more about how subatomic particles behave.

[[Randall]] proposes that, instead of using the beam of gold ions for particle collisions, it should be diverted and sold at cash-for-gold stores to make money. The joke is that because they are traveling at relativistic speeds, the mass of the particles being sold will be much more than the mass of the ions being supplied to the collider's input. However, it would be very difficult to sell a beam of charged particles. The amount of gold involved is below microscopic scales. This is probably why Brookhaven rejected Randall's proposal. Randall has done many comics describing impractical{{Citation needed}} research proposals.

The title text imagines the owner of the stores complaining about the sale, not because of impracticality, but because Randall tries to sell gold ions with the entire positively-charged nucleus of the gold atom with all 79 electrons stripped from it instead of normal, electrically neutral gold atoms. And this is also a pun on the word "charges", which could refer to {{w|electric charge}} or to {{w|criminal charge|criminal charges}}.

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

:[A single panel contains a simplified overhead map view of the Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and some of the surrounding area. The collider is located on the left hand side of the image as a yellow beam (representing the Gold ions) outlined in black. Parts of the collider are are labeled and there are light gray arrows indicating the direction of travel for the ions. At the bottom of the main accelerator ring there is a diverter that splits the ion beam and directs it towards a set of three Cash for Gold stores, passing through a more diverters along the way. Each Cash for Gold store is represented with a yellow burst and is marked with a Google maps style "store" locator pin. The following labels are written on the map.]

:Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
:Gold Ion Source
:Accelerator Ring
:Diverter
:Gold Ion Beam

:[There are arrows coming from this label pointing at each store]
:Cash for Gold Stores

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Sadly, Brookhaven rejected my proposed experiment.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1159: Countdown

2018-03-13T23:09:35Z

162.158.63.82: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1159
| date = January 11, 2013
| title = Countdown
| image = countdown.png
| titletext = For all we know, the odds are in our favor.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic shows a {{w|seven segment display}} (aka [http://www.ece.mtu.edu/labs/EElabs/EE2304/pages/bcd_to_seven_segment_TAversion.html calculator-style numbers]) with a countdown. [[Black Hat]] explains that it is a countdown, maybe to a {{w|supervolcano}} eruption. However, an unfortunately placed picture blocks view of the full display. Due to the form of a seven-segment display, the first digit could be 0, 6, or 8, and five digits are completely blocked by the picture. [[Cueball]] is worried and asks him to move the picture, but Black Hat lazily or teasingly refuses to move it.

He has already teased that he doesn't know what the countdown is for. His reply can either be understood as if he do not know which one of the ({{w|Supervolcano#VEI_8|seven potential}}) supervolcanos it is counting down to, or to which other {{w|Global catastrophic risk|cataclysmic event}} it is a countdown for (such as a {{w|Impact event|meteor strike}} or global {{w|Nuclear warfare|nuclear war}} for instance - it could also just be a general {{w|Doomsday Clock}}). Since it seems to be Black Hat's countdown, it is safe to assume that he knows both what it counts down to and when it stops, but he just likes to mess with peoples' minds.

The fully visible part starts at 2409, and based on the pace of the scene, it seems to be in seconds. Thus, it is unclear when the eruption might occur. If the obscured digits are all 0s, it could be as soon as 40 minutes. On the other hand, if the obscured digits are '899 999', there's another 2.85 million years to go; if they are '000 001', we have a little more than 3 years.

The choice of the picture is probably also interesting. The image is distorted enough that you can imagine it as being two very different images.
#It could depict a setting sun either reflecting in an ocean or with a river (possible also a lake) running out of the picture. But if it is a sun it is not very circular, although there do appear lines to indicate it is shining. This could maybe be explained with atmospheric interference.
#Alternatively it depicts an exploding volcano, a mountain with lines away from it to indicate the explosion or the eruption. And then it is lava flowing away from it or collecting in lakes.
In either case it makes sense, so maybe this is on purpose. If it is a volcano, the supervolcano clock makes sense. On the other hand, we are talking about the possible end of the world as we know it, and for this kind of theme a sun setting upon humanity would be a great metaphor.

The title text: "For all we know, the odds are in our favor" could imply the assumption that since we can't see the digits behind the picture, we can treat them as random. If so, chances are only 1 in 300 000 they are all zeros. However, because of statistical principles such as {{w|Benford's law}}, the digits are not entirely random, and the {{w|odds}} are higher than 1/299 999 for all the digits to be zero, since the middle 4 digits are zero.

In an alternative view, the strip is not about pondering at distributions of digits on an oracle countdown. It's more of a grim view of our natural disasters prediction capabilities. As they say – the question is not if it will happen but when it will happen. "Move the picture" would mean investing into research and warning systems - that would correspond to shifting the picture to the left. If we disregard the 40 minutes, but instead think of it as arbitrary interval of interests, minuscule as we folks have them, say - one's lifetime; or grimmer yet - some {{w|term of office}}. Because, hey, year after year passes and no apocalypse has been observed - the empirical odds are low indeed. An interesting question is what we would use the knowledge of the timing of our impending doom, if it is an event we can do nothing about, such as stopping a supervolcanic eruption or a large asteroid with direct impact course on Earth. Would we not have lives more happily for our remaining years, how few that might be, while not knowing... On the other hand, if the event is something we might prevent given enough time to plan (and the funding resources such knowledge would ensure), then it may have saved us, if we moved the picture just in time!

Using a countdown theme for comic #1159 could be a subtle joke, as 11:59/23:59 is one minute to midnight (on the Doomsday clock!)

Supervolcanos was also referenced in the title text of [[1053: Ten Thousand]] and it is the subject of in [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]].

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is sitting with his laptop on a desk when Cueball, standing behind him, looks up on the wall and asks him about the large digital countdown timer with red numbers which is hanging high up on the wall. It has a white frame around the black display with the red numbers. Most of the left part of the counter is covered by a framed picture which hangs on a string attached to a nail above the counter. The picture depicts either a setting sun reflecting in an ocean, or an exploding volcano with lava flowing away from it. The picture does not block the left most part of the frame around the counter, and it is also possible to see the two left-most lines of the first digit on the countdown, so they are both turned on. This proves that the numbers goes all the way to the left end. The next five digits are covered by the picture. Then one digit is only partly covered, as only the two most left lines are not visible. From the visible lines it is though clear that this digit shows a 0. The next seven digits are fully visible, giving eight discernible digits.]
:{| class="wikitable"
|style="background-color:black;"| '''00002409'''
|}
:Cueball: What's that?
:Black Hat: Countdown.
:[Same picture, but Cueball is looking at Black Hat. The counter counts down.]
:{| class="wikitable"
|style="background-color:black;"| '''00002400'''
|}
:Cueball: To what?
:Black Hat: Supervolcano, I think. I forget which one.
:[Cueball looks up again for about 18s (between 2nd and fourth image) - beat panel.]
:{| class="wikitable"
|style="background-color:black;"| '''00002396'''
|}
 
:[Cueball looks at Black Hat again.]
:{| class="wikitable"
|style="background-color:black;"| '''00002382'''
|}
:Cueball: Maybe we should move that picture?
:Black Hat: Too hard to reach. It's probably fine.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

1158: Rubber Sheet

2018-03-13T23:08:22Z

162.158.63.82: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1158
| date = January 9, 2013
| title = Rubber Sheet
| image = rubber sheet.png
| titletext = It IS about physics. It ALL is.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to a [http://en.allexperts.com/q/Astronomy-1360/question-black-holes-1.htm common analogy] used to explain how mass distorts space-time — a bowling ball resting on a sheet of rubber distorts the sheet due to its weight. The system has some qualitative features in common with gravity; it's often misused to show that "mass warps spacetime" ([[895: Teaching Physics]]).

The next part of the original analogy explains a black hole: the slope of the sheet becomes so deep that you can't climb out from the bottom any more, similar to a black hole, which even light can't escape from. However, the comic subverts the analogy, and the sheet becomes a trampoline instead.

Reading onwards, it is seems that [[Beret Guy]] is just messing about with the scenario.

The line "Imagining is ''fun!''" is also a homage to {{w|Richard P. Feynman}}'s "Fun to Imagine" Series of Interviews.

The title text also states that the rubber sheet, broken rope and our whole life is all about physics (see also [[435: Purity]]).

==Transcript==
:[Beret guy is standing on a giant bowling ball on a rubber sheet. Megan is watching.]
:Beret Guy: Imagine a giant bowling ball on a rubber sheet.
:Beret Guy: The ball's weight makes a dent in the sheet.

:[A rope is pulling the ball down into the sheet.]
:Beret Guy: Now imagine a rope that pulls the ball down even further.
:Beret Guy: ...Annnnd...

:[Rope lets go. Ball is catapulted with Beret Guy on it.]
:'''BOOOIING'''
:Beret Guy: Wheee

:[Beret guy and ball are falling back down.]
:Megan: ...Oh. I thought this was about physics.
:Beret Guy: Imagining is ''fun!''

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

1036: Reviews

2018-03-13T00:05:09Z

162.158.63.82: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1036
| date = March 30, 2012
| title = Reviews
| image = reviews.png
| titletext = I plugged in this lamp and my dog went rigid, spoke a sentence of perfect Akkadian, and then was hurled sideways through the picture window. Even worse, it's one of those lamps where the switch is on the cord.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are shown shopping for lamps. In the first part of the comic (only first frame) it is at a time before online reviews could be looked up on a smartphone. They spot a lamp they like, check the price and agree to buy, end of story.

But the rest of the comic shows how difficult shopping has become after reviews have become easily accessible on smartphones while standing in the store. And now this takes up the final three panels, with the result that no lamps have been acquired and they decide to sit in the dark, using the claim that their living ''room looks fine in the dark'' to avoid buying a very expensive lamp which is the only one with perfect reviews (like 100% with 5 stars out of 5).

When shopping for anything via {{w|reviews}}, whether it be electronics or even something as simple as lamps like the comic demonstrates, one negative review can spoil a lot of positive reviews. That hits home even more if the review is specific, because humans attach more weight to anecdotes and specific stories. This comic points out the absurdity of paying attention to those reviews, by making the negative review itself absurd (a lamp making your cats go deaf and interfering with your taste buds would imply, at the very least, anomalous radiation, and would not be on store shelves long before some kind of serious recall).

The second part of the comic starts out normal. For the lamp Cueball think is pretty Megan finds ''lots'' of negative reviews which implies the product really isn't good after all, and it was even that specific brand of lamps in general that was to be avoided. But then the proceeds to get more and more absurd all the way to the title text. Cueball is for instance looking at a lamp that someone thinks looks like a {{w|uterus}}. As normal people do not really know what a uterus looks like, and if Cueball did not find this so himself, he should ignore one persons comment. On the other hand reading such a statement will maybe make you think of a uterus every time you see the lamp. So now it may be best not to buy it, but had he not read the comment it might have been a fine lamp for him.

In the final frame Cueball has found a Swiss lampmaker with perfect reviews, but her lamps are very expensive, the most cheap are staring at 1,300 francs. {{w|Swiss franc|Swiss francs}} are the units of currency used in {{w|Switzerland}}. In 2012 when the comic was released a Swiss franc was a little more worth than one dollar ([http://www.exchangerates.org.uk/CHF-USD-30_03_2012-exchange-rate-history.html 1.1$ to a Swiss Franc]) making the cheapest lamp go for not much less than US$1450. For comparison, US$15 can get one a decent lamp at IKEA. Furthermore the lampmaker lives in the {{w|Swiss Alps}} and can only be reached via a {{w|ski lift}}. This either indicated that transportation will be very expensive on top of the high starting price or it may even indicate that they will have to go to the lampmaker personally to either acquire a lamp or maybe just to check out that they really do not look like a uterus or [http://gizmodo.com/5360742/penis-chandelieryes-penis-chandelier other parts] of the human reproductive system...

In the title text, the language spoken by the dog, {{w|Akkadian}}, is an extinct {{w|Semitic language}} that was spoken in {{w|ancient Mesopotamia}}. Even if the dog actually did speak a sentence of perfect Akkadian, the chance that the owner would be able to recognize it as such is negligible. But apart from that the dog first went rigid and after delivering the line it was hurled out the picture window. The final joke it that the worst part of this lamp, was not the above mentioned crazy effects on the dog, but that the lamp had, completely normally, the switch on the cord, as opposed to having it on the body of the lamp. A production argument about where to place such a switch, leading to someone getting fired, was part of the joke in [[1741: Work]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan stand in a store looking at a lamp that Cueball points at on a table in front of them. There is another table behind them with another lamp and next to it stands a box with a picture of yet a different type of lamp in the bottom right corner. Both lamps have a price tag dangling from their shade. Above them (and their spoken text) is a frame with a caption:]
:Shopping before online reviews:
:Cueball: This lamp is pretty.
:Megan: And affordable.
:Cueball: Let's get it.
:Megan OK!

:[Exactly the same setting as above except now Megan holds up her smartphone in one hand looking down at it while typing on it with the other hand. Above them (and their spoken text) is a frame with a caption:]
:Shopping now:
:Cueball: This lamp is pretty.
:Megan: It's got 1½ stars on Amazon. Reviews all say to avoid that brand.

:[To the left of Cueball there is another lamp on a table. But he is now looking at his smartphone instead. Megan has turned away from him but is also looking at her smartphones. There are no lamps next to her.]
:Cueball: This one has good reviews.
:Megan: Wait, one guy says when he plugged it in, he got a metallic taste in his mouth and his cats went deaf.
:Cueball: Eek.
:Cueball: What about- ...no, review points out it resembles a uterus.

:[Cueball is holding his smartphone up in front of his face, Megan, looking at him, is holding her smartphone but has her arms down. There are no lamps shown.]
:Cueball: OK, I found a Swiss lampmaker with perfect reviews. Her lamps start at 1,300 Francs and she's only reachable by ski lift.
:Megan: You know, our room looks fine in the dark.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Online reviews]]

Talk:1194: Stratigraphic Record

2018-01-30T04:59:18Z

162.158.63.82:

{{w|Zircon}} --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 06:58, 3 April 2013 (UTC)

See? THIS is how professionals shred evidence. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:12, 3 April 2013 (UTC)

I'm more curious if stuff from beginning of earth is still suspended in water somewhere. Think about it, can there really be 100% settlement of materials on the bottom of the ocean? Then again the light from that time is still traveling somewhere, we just need faster then light travel and very good sensor. - [[Special:Contributions/50.143.22.159|50.143.22.159]] 20:58, 3 April 2013 (UTC)

Interesting that the Earth's replies come from the {{w|Canadian Shield}}? Also, what with the coquettish tone of the Earth, and the detective story tone of the alt-text, could Randall be referencing the {{w|Giant impact hypothesis}}? --[[Special:Contributions/68.173.54.150|68.173.54.150]] 23:17, 3 April 2013 (UTC)

The line "I'll never tell" rings in my head from some movie, a little girl repeating it over and over, possibly just from a trailer for the movie. Maybe "Don't Say a Word" (2001) but I'm at work so I don't want to play the trailer.... Did this happen to anyone else? --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 14:14, 4 April 2013 (UTC)
:"I'll never tell" is a song from the famous {{w|Once More, with Feeling (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)}}, which may explain why it 'rings' in [[User:DanB|DanB]]'s head. --GD [[Special:Contributions/94.173.98.162|94.173.98.162]] 21:06, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:I have never heard the song, and yet I still feel the same as DanB does. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.217|173.245.55.217]] 19:31, 4 December 2013 (UTC)-BK

I'm pretty sure it comes from an old commercial, perhaps for Oil of Olay, where an actress talks about how it keeps her looking young and the the camera pulls in closer until she says "How old am I? I'll never tell." That would also fit the context. --RB

The current explanation isn't an explanation at all, it just restates stuff that's in the comic's transcript. I'd improve it, but the only reason I'm here is because I didn't understand the point. Presumably the last two panels refer to some thing from popular culture. [[User:Jeremyp|Jeremyp]] ([[User talk:Jeremyp|talk]]) 11:56, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Plate tech is popular culture. It was nonsense in the 1950's. (Actually, it still is (but I already told.))[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 21:25, 10 January 2015 (UTC)

"Who am I? I'll never tell" was in the opening voice over of every episode of Gossip Girl. [[User:Jackdavinci|Jackdavinci]] ([[User talk:Jackdavinci|talk]]) 18:26, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:Except "Gossip Girl" is newer than a lot of other potential references, and we already have the identity of the speaker given as Earth (or the personification thereof). [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 07:27, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

This may be ridiculous, but in the Avengers "How it Should Have Ended", at about 20 seconds, Loki says "I'll never tell" and laughs. That's the voice I always read it in, and as far as I can tell, the video came first. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.82|162.158.63.82]] 04:59, 30 January 2018 (UTC)Daniel

1034: Share Buttons

2017-12-21T16:56:11Z

162.158.63.82: Swapped adjectives. Loud comes after large.

{{comic
| number = 1034
| date = March 26, 2012
| title = Share Buttons
| image = share_buttons.png
| titletext = The only post to achieve perfect balance between the four was a hilarious joke about Mark Zuckerberg getting caught using a pseudonym to sneak past the TSA.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a commentary on what sort of articles work best on different {{w|social networking services}}. From left to right the share buttons are: {{w|Facebook}}, {{w|Twitter}}, {{w|Reddit}}, and {{w|Google plus|Google+}}.

*Twitterers are often stereotyped as constantly trying to be funny; hence, the article on stand-up comedy is shared most on Twitter.

*{{w|Conspiracy theory}} articles play well on Reddit, especially if they are against the {{w|Christian Right}} and for {{w|Wikipedia}}, as there is a large and loud atheist community on Reddit.

*"Boycott Facebook" articles are ironically popular on Facebook. Google+, being semantically akin to Facebook, also has a significant anti-Facebook community. One of the punchlines is that Google+ is struggling and not used much.

*The last article gets almost no shares at all — not many want to admit they are reading an article about a {{w|RealDoll}}, a type of sex doll. (Also mentioned in [[Game AIs]] and [[Flying Cars]].) A custom ROM is an aftermarket distribution of the {{w|Android (operating system)|Android}} operating system and are often targeted toward enthusiasts. This community exists primarily on Google+ (as Google is the main developer of Android), and is one of the few active communities on that social network. As Android is an operating system primarily aimed at {{w|smartphones}} and {{w|tablet computers}}, installing it on a RealDoll, whilst possible due to Android's {{w|open source}} nature, would be a very niche activity, and the low number of shares indicates that it only interests a small portion of the already-small (relative to other social networks) Google+ community.

The title text humorously combines appealing subjects for all four networks:

*''a hilarious joke'' – Twitter, same as above.
*''about {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}}'' – founder of Facebook.
*''using a {{w|pseudonym}}'' – referencing a [http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218649/Google_works_to_soothe_users_over_real_name_controversyremember controversy] about real names on Google+.
*''to sneak past the {{w|Transportation Security Administration|TSA}}'' – Reddit, a conspiracy theory as above.

==Transcript==
:[A series of article titles with four share buttons underneath each: Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Google+]

:Breaking Into Stand-up Comedy
:FB: 3, Twitter: 1,781, Reddit: 2, G+: 0

:How the Christian Right Threatens Wikipedia
:FB: 1, Twitter: 0, Reddit: 2,241, G+: 3

:Boycott Facebook Today!
:FB: 248k, Twitter: 0, Reddit: 0, G+: 74

:DIY: Installing a Custom ROM on a Realdoll
:FB: 0, Twitter: 0, Reddit: 0, G+: 2

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

1920: Emoji Sports

2017-11-24T05:11:57Z

162.158.63.82: fixing the mousover text

{{comic
| number = 1920
| date = November 24, 2017
| title = Emoji Sports
| image = emoji_sports.png
| titletext = No horse has yet managed the elusive Quadruple Crown—winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes, and the Missouri Horse Hole.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - 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}}