explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2152: Westerns

2020-03-11T08:49:39Z

172.68.133.192:

How many times longer than the {{w|Regency era}} (a decade) have {{w|Regency romance}} novels existed? A fair bit more than three, I'd guess! (Perhaps 8.4, if we credit 1935 as the start and the Regency period as ten years) [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 05:41, 20 May 2019 (UTC)
:A similar question has been answered about WW2 by Randall: https://what-if.xkcd.com/100/ [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:53, 20 May 2019 (UTC)
::Trivia about What-if #100: in another example of xkcd-inspired achievements, there now exists a short movie about the Anglo-Zanzibar war (http://www.imdb.com/keyword/anglo-zanzibar-war/). Plot keywords: stupid world record, cell camera, anglo zanzibar war.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.241|162.158.154.241]] 10:14, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M*A*S*H_(TV_series) M*A*S*H TV show] lasted more than 3 times the length of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War Korean War].
[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:36, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

I would have thought Randall would understand the difference between "longer than" and "as long as". [[User:Mattcoz|Mattcoz]] ([[User talk:Mattcoz|talk]]) 14:53, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

:Hmmm... "A is as long as B" means pretty much the same as "A is as short as B". But "A is 3 times as long as B" is very different from "A is 3 times as short as B". English is weird. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.46|172.68.54.46]] 15:47, 20 May 2019 (UTC)
::That leads onto a personal bugbear. "Lasts three times longer (...than competing product)" logically means 4x the duration ("lasts one time longer..." would be original plus the new claim, or 2x, etc), not triple. And, in the same (mis)spirit of above there's the closely associated "five times less (...thing that each product tries to banish/destroy/mitigate)". And there are even worse phrases (either badly composed or deliberately weaselish misinforming advertising/etc) that I won't even try to perpetuate by directly quoting. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.206|162.158.34.206]] 00:03, 23 May 2019 (UTC)
:::I've concluded that "X times longer" just doesn't make sense, period. If product A lasts for time period 1, product B lasts for time period 3, and product C lasts for time period 4 (units are equal, I don't care which -- nanoseconds, decades, Jupiter years --) **neither B nor C** last 3 times "longer" than product A. Or "4 times longer." 3 is not 3 times bigger than 1, it's 3 times as big. Same with any other number. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.192|172.68.133.192]] 08:49, 11 March 2020 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that using the same logic as this page, Trojan War, a 10 years long conflict which started to be depicted in Greek no later in 8th century BC when Illiad was written and continuing to be depicted in poems, literature and movies up to today, would easily win this. There could also be several contestants from Rome - while both Roman Republic and Roman Empire lasted hundreds of years, the time period depicting fall of the Republic and rise of the Empire, starting with First Triumvirate 60BC and ending with Nero's death AD 68, is 128 years heavily depicted in literature and movies since it happened to, again, now. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:32, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

This makes me think of how the British TV show [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dad%27s_Army Dad's Army] lasted for longer than the Second World War. --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 23:12, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

: Dad's Army ''aired'' from 31 July 1968 – 13 November 1977 (A period of 9 years, 3 months, 14 days.) However, it had a ''run-time'' of only 2445 minutes (40 hrs, 45 minutes) [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dad%27s_Army_episodes List of Dad's Army episodes.]] That's a distinction that most of these comparisons are overlooking. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 04:58, 27 May 2019 (UTC)

The famous pony express existed only for 18 months. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.9|162.158.74.9]] 02:19, 21 May 2019 (UTC)

Bill Cody alias Buffalo Bill pulp and shows started around 1870
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.159|162.158.93.159]] 06:32, 21 May 2019 (UTC)

I hate ambiguity when dealing with "mathish" language. This is not as irritating as when people say things like "three times as cold" or "twice as small", but it still bugs me. Does "three times longer" mean the same as "three times as long"? Given an initial event time of "t" and the longer time of "x", if "x" was "two years longer" than "t", that would mean "x-t= 2 years". It feels like "three times as long" means "x=3t" while "three times longer" means "x-t=3t" thus "x=4t". [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 12:59, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
:I agree, that three times longer than 40 years should be 160 years, not ~120 as in this case --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 13:55, 21 May 2019 (UTC)
:: Actually, this description seems to say the left bracket is THIRTY years - 1865 to 1895 - while the right bracket seems to indicate roughly 1900 until now, which is indeed nearly 120 years and indeed about 4x as long. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:06, 24 May 2019 (UTC)

The commentary about how the Wild West segued from being "contemporary" to "historical" entertainment without a lapse in popularity reminds me of how Sherlock Holmes did the same. When the first Holmes story was published in 1887 it was contemporary, the popularity of the stories have never flagged, but now the antiquarian aspect is a key part of its appeal. BTW, I think the commentary is stretching it too far to assert that the "Wild West" extended into the 1920s. This is presumably because of the "Posey War" in 1923, but this is rather similar to the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot - it was just white vigilantes running non-whites off their land on a pretext. Even the 1918 Bear Valley War is too late, just a short Mexican border skirmish involving 60 people total. The 1915 Bluff War is about as late as can be credibly claimed for an event that is anything like the Wild West period, and it was really just an extended manhunt. Usually the last real Indian conflict was Battle of Kelley Creek in 1911.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.42|172.68.47.42]] 16:49, 3 August 2019 (UTC)

1213: Combination Vision Test

2018-02-16T18:24:16Z

172.68.133.192: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1213
| date = May 17, 2013
| title = Combination Vision Test
| image = combination vision test.png
| titletext = If you see two numbers but they're both the same and you have to squint to read them, you have synesthesia, colorblindness, diplopia, and myopia.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Synesthesia}} is a condition in which perception in one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. Common examples are experiencing colors when seeing numbers or words ({{w|Grapheme-color synesthesia}}), hearing tones or music while reading words or text, seeing sequences of numbers or month names in a distinct and fixed shape ({{w|Number form}}), etc. In [[1608: Hoverboard]] [[Megan]] stands at [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/9d/1608_1090x1088y_Megan_want_synesthesia_at_the_rear_end_at_bottom_of_the_hull.png the end of the Star Destroyer] and wishes she had synesthesia so bad she can taste it...

{{w|Color-blindness}} is one of a number of conditions in which a person cannot distinguish certain pairs of colors that other people without color-blindness might find easy to distinguish. There are many different forms of color-blindness; the most common is an inability to separate the colors red and green.

There are two numbers embedded in the big circle of numbers, in a similar way to a common {{w|color perception test}}. But this test can not work for colors because it is just a black-and-white picture. Nobody can see it. However, the joke lies in the fact that those with one common form of synesthesia see colors associated with numbers. Randall implies that a synesthete will see colors connected to each number, and thus a color perception test will work after all - thus distinguishing synesthetes with color-blindness from those with normal color perception.

The comic playfully suggests that if you have synesthesia as well as {{w|colorblindness}}, then some of the colors might appear identical and so one number would not be visible, only leaving the other number.

The title text brings in two more conditions: {{w|diplopia}}, or double vision, and {{w|myopia}}, or near-sightedness. Those who are near-sighted sometimes see distant objects more clearly while squinting. Then they would be able to see the one large number still visible from the synesthesia/colorblindness combination, but because of double vision they see a second copy of it, hence two numbers that are the same.

If we color the numbers in the circle in a consistent way (and leave the 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9s black) we can reveal the large numbers:

[[File:BLIQR6w.png|center]]

The numbers are four and two, forming the number {{w|42 (number)|42}}, which is the famous "{{w|Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything}}", according to the book {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}. The number 4 is formed by digits 2, 3, 5 and 7 (the single digit primes) while the number 2 is formed by digits 3, 5, 7 and 9 (the single digit odds, excluding 1).

For Randall's test to work (i.e. for either the large 4 or the large 2 in '42' to get lost in the noise to those with a given color-blindness), either the little number 2 or the little number 9 would have to be lost in the background noise. So, for example, if the background appeared in shades of red and the little number 2 was a shade of green, then the large number 4 would be less visible to those with red-green color-blindness than to others.

While it makes for a good joke, there are three reasons this kind of test wouldn't work in real life.

The first is that there is no one set of color-number associations seen by all synesthetes. So while some synesthete might see '2' as green and '0' as red (so a red-green color-blind person would lose anything made up of '2's against a background of '0's), others might see '2' as yellow and '0' as blue, or any other association imaginable.

The second reason it wouldn't work is that synesthetes do not (always) automatically see a 1:1 overlay of color on top of a number - they still need to read the number legibly. Randall's circle is very chaotic, so one wouldn't intuitively identify each single number. For a synesthete the color is produced ''after'' the number is recognized by the brain and lost when the focus shifts to the next number. However, some synesthetes may find if they pay attention to the numbers one by one they can make something out. However, as noted by a user in the discussion, who states that he has a type of synesthesia he did indeed [http://otherthings.com/blog/2013/05/ishihara-eat-your-heart-out/#more-899 see the numbers]! Furthermore, in his blog's discussion section, one person commented they could [http://otherthings.com/blog/2013/05/ishihara-eat-your-heart-out/#comment-36822 see the large '2' but not the large '4']! This was not because the person was colorblind, but because the '4' was mostly composed of numbers ('2's and '7's) whose colors blended in with the background, while the '2' contained an even mix of numbers, some of which (presumably '3's, '5's, and '9's) starkly stood out, making the large '2' easily visible. However, one could easily imagine this scenario pertaining to colorblindness: for example, a colorblind synesthete, in theory (although the third reason makes it clear why this would be extremely unlikely), might perceive most of the background numbers as shades of green (similar to the picture below) and see the '2's and '7's in shades of red, which would make it difficult to differentiate between the giant reddish '4' and the greenish background.

The third reason the test would not work is that color-blindness is an inability to distinguish colors of light hitting the retina, it's nonsensical to imagine a synesthete would perceive two separate colors that they cannot normally separate anyway. But again in the above mentioned link this particular person did see the colors in a way where people with red/green color-blindness might have a harder time seeing the 4 than the 2 in 42.

The next image shows all of the numbers, including 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9, colored in, in such a way as to ensure the number 42 is clearly visible to those with no particular blue-yellow color-blindness:

The "real problem" is actually that if a synesthesia does indeed see the digits as colors that resolve into either one or two numbers, then what color would these new "color-numbers" then appear to be! If a synesthete could see both large numbers AND they appeared as the same color as the small numbers as soon the synestete perceived the numbers, then what would this meta-synesthete see? The '4' would blend in with the background '4's, while the '2' would stand out (as '2' was not used in the background). Would that mean that as soon as they noticed the giant '4', it would suddenly disappear into the background? Is this sort of layered synesthesia even possible?

[[File:combination vision test fullcolor.png|center]]

Keep in mind, as noted above, that synesthetes do not all see the same color-number associations. They also do not necessarily see every number in a different color, as depicted here, and may even see some numbers as purely black.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the drawing:]
: Combination Vision Test

:[Below the caption is a circle formed by several hundred numeric digits from 0-9.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
: If you can see one big number but not the other, you have synesthesia ''and'' colorblindness.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Math]]

1936: Desert Golfing

2018-01-03T06:35:54Z

172.68.133.192: /* Explanation */ link to Times Square ball drop

{{comic
| number = 1936
| date = January 1, 2018
| title = Desert Golfing
| image = desert_golfing.png
| titletext = I just want to stay up long enough to watch the ball drop into the hole number 2018.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|May need some more work. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A common joke surrounding the turn of the New Year is to make a comment about "next year" on New Year's Eve or "last year" on New Year's Day. While technically correct, there is a snarky humor derived from making observations about the span of years when the reality has been more along a span of days or even, as in this comic, only a few hours.

In this, second of two [[:Category:New Year|New Year comics]] in a row, with this one being released on New Year's Day 2018, [[Cueball]] observes that he has [[1475|technically]] "been playing ''{{w|Desert Golfing}}'' nonstop since late 2017". Desert Golfing is a game that takes place in an endless side-scrolling desert, where the player can shoot a golf ball using a one finger swipe to determine direction and power. The entirety of the "golf course" is made of sand, making the physics of the golf ball more difficult to predict and control, as if from a bunker. After reaching a hole, the game automatically generates a completely random new course, making the game go on forever, and the score is purely dependent on how long you play the game.

Although Cueball's statement could be taken to mean he has devoted his waking hours to the game, the clock on the wall reveals both the truth of his comment and that he is not exaggerating. While he has only been playing the game for two and a half hours, give or take, those two-and-a-half hours started at about 11:10 PM on December 31st, meaning that it is presently January 1st and he has indeed been playing the game "nonstop since late 2017" (assuming he has not taken a break to eat or use the facilities).

Someone off-panel acknowledges the joke by saying that he should "take a break in 2018", and Cueballs declares it is his New Year's resolution to go to bed. This is not a typical New Year's resolution, as most resolutions is about something you need to change in your life from last year, and going to bed (or at least sleeping) is not something you would have been able to avoid for a whole year. New Year's resolutions have been mentioned before, the first time in [[1154: Resolution]], where the tradition of {{w|New Year's resolutions}} is the entire joke.

The title text states that the only reason Cueball has stayed up to play Desert Golfing is to watch the ball drop into hole number 2018, another reference to the New Year. The turn of the New Year is celebrated in certain places (e.g. and especially {{w|Times Square Ball|New York City}}) by the dropping of a ball; Cueball takes this literally, and tries to drop his (golf) ball to signify the beginning of 2018.

==Transcript==
:[An analog clock showing 11:12 hangs on the wall left above of Cueball who is sitting on a couch leaning on the left armrest, feet up on the couch. He holds a smartphone horizontally and the screen is clearly brown. Above him is a large brown bubble showing the content of the screen, thus showing that he is playing Desert Golfing. The sky is light brown, the sand below is dark brown, the golf ball is white and is followed by a white line showing its trajectory towards the gray flag stick with a yellow flag on it, which is to the right of the screen. The hole is just before the flag stick, an indentation in the sand.]

:[The clock is now showing 12:00 and Cueball is sitting straight upright on the couch, the screen display above him shows that he continues to play, but now on a new golf hole with different contours. The trajectory of the ball is much more complicated than before, and it seems he has had to play a very special loop shot to get out of a deep pit.]

:[The clock is showing 12:34 as Cueball once again sits as in the first panel, but now towards the right armrest and he is almost lying down with his head on the rest. Once again the screen is visible above him and it is shown that the hole has changed again.]

:[The clock is showing 1:47 when Cueball, now sitting up against the right armrest, finally speaks while continuing to play, with the brown screen visible, as he holds it on his knees, but the screen display is not shown. An off-panel voice answers him from the right.]
:Cueball: Technically, I've been playing ''Desert Golfing'' nonstop since late 2017.
:Off-panel voice: Might want to take a break sometime in 2018.
:Cueball: Yeah, my New Year's resolution is to go to bed.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Video games]]

1921: The Moon and the Great Wall

2017-11-27T17:24:23Z

172.68.133.192: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1921
| date = November 27, 2017
| title = The Moon and the Great Wall
| image = the_moon_and_the_great_wall.png
| titletext = And arguably sunspots, on rare occasions. But even if they count, it takes ideal conditions and you might hurt your eyes.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a reference to the myth that the {{w|Great Wall of China}} is the only manmade object that can be seen from the {{w|Moon}} (or from space) with the naked eye. {{w|Great_Wall_of_China#Visibility_from_space|Sadly, it cannot}}, in fact it's barely visible from the low orbit of satellites. The statement in the comic, however, is almost true, as the features on the Moon are indeed craters and valleys on the surface of the Moon, and except for the {{w|Sun}} (see title text) all other distant {{w|Astronomical object|celestial bodies}} can only be seen as points of light by the unaided human eye.

The title text states that one is sometimes able to see large {{w|sunspots}} if any are present and conditions are ideal. However, looking at the sun with the naked eye risks extensive damage to the eye and should NEVER be done. (It's possible to see sunspots with {{w|solar eclipse}} glasses or other adequate {{w|Eye protection#Protection against light|protection}}, but that's not the naked eye.)

==Transcript==
:[Megan is holding her arm up towards Ponytail as they stand atop a large brick wall to the left of a tower with three small windows.]
:Megan: Did you know that the moon's craters and plains are the only structures on the surface of a celestial body that can be seen with the naked eye from the Great Wall of China?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Astronomy]]

Talk:1825: 7 Eleven

2017-04-17T22:15:47Z

172.68.133.192:

I don't think the title-text references leap seconds, as it says that "many" are wrong, not "all". It seems more likely it refers to stores that claim to be open 365 days per year, and are hence wrong in leap years.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.42|141.101.105.42]] 20:12, 17 April 2017 (UTC)

I agree that it would be closed for 39 (and a bit) minutes a day if it was open for exactly 24 hours. I think Randall made a mistake. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.40|198.41.238.40]] 21:30, 17 April 2017 (UTC)

The parts in the description that talk about mixing "Earth and Mars time units" and "Mars-hours" don't make sense; I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as a Mars-hour. Despite the classical definition of an hour (which has since been replaced), an hour is defined as a number of seconds, and seconds are an SI unit based on the characteristics of Caesium-133 atoms...NOT defined as being a fixed fraction of a day. Even the unit "day" is often used to refer to a fixed unit of time nowadays (defined by the SI to be 86 401 s)...I believe this is one of the reasons why the solar day on Mars is referred to as a "sol" instead of a "day". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.192|172.68.133.192]] 22:15, 17 April 2017 (UTC)