explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2486: Board Game Party Schedule

2021-07-08T06:12:32Z

172.68.133.66: /* Transcript */ category

{{comic
| number = 2486
| date = July 7, 2021
| title = Board Game Party Schedule
| image = board_game_party_schedule.png
| titletext = Several of the guests are secretly playing Meta Board Game Party. Every minute of parallel debate in the breakaway faction earns double victory points!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a RESTLESS FACTION. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic shows a timeline of a gathering to play some sort of fairly complex tabletop game, such as {{w|Warhammer (game)|Warhammer}}, {{w|Star Fleet Battles|Star Fleet Battles}}, or {{w|Squad Leader|Squad Leader}}. These games often have many pages of rules, forms to fill out, and in the case of many battle simulation games can have dozens or even hundreds of counters to position. Often the very complex rules must be explained in detail, which can be extremely dull in a group environment.

Conversely, just beginning like at the time entry point "it will make sense once you play" without explanation often leads to new player frustration that, had they had a complete understanding, they would have made different choices and had a more reasonable chance at victory, or even worse, avoided constantly being informed of "illegal moves".

In addition, since it's a {{w|party|party}}, there are other activities that take place in addition to playing the game, notably ordering and eating food.

By the time you eat, prepare the game, and teach the new players, little time is left to actually play the game.

Often during these gatherings the frustration with the factors above cause people to suggest settling on a simpler or more well known game such as {{w|Catan|Catan}} or card games like {{w|Dominion (card game)|Dominion}}.

The title text observes some of the guests supposedly playing a fictional{{Citation needed}} board game, Meta Board Game Party – a board game about board game parties. Because the quoted rule states that arguing in the “breakaway faction” is worth more victory points, it would be optimal strategy for them to do just that, for as long as possible. This seems to be a sarcastic explanation as to why they tried to get the whole group to play some other game and turned the ensuing debate into 45 minutes of bickering.

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

:[Caption above:]
:Board Game Party Schedule

:[A timeline is shown, from about 6PM at the top to about 11PM at the bottom. Events are displayed as white rectangles, labeled as follows:]

:before 6PM: people filter in
:6:00–6:25: small talk
:6:25–6:55: debate which game to play
:6:55: remember that you need to order food
:6:55–7:15: debate where to order from
:7:15: pick a place, order
:7:15–7:40: pick a game and start setting up
:7:40–8:20: explain rules to new people
:8:20: food arrives
:8:20–9:00: eat food
:9:00–9:27: resume setting up
:9:27–9:52: more explanation
:9:52–10:13: restless faction tries to start simpler game
:10:13–10:38: general debate
:10:38–10:57: “It will make sense once you play”
:10:57–11:10: finish setting up
:after 11:10 PM: people head home

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]

2033: Repair or Replace

2018-08-18T01:27:02Z

172.68.133.66:

{{comic
| number = 2033
| date = August 15, 2018
| title = Repair or Replace
| image = repair_or_replace.png
| titletext = Just make sure all your friends and family are out of the car, or that you've made backup friends and family at home.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a REPA#IR^ED DEVICE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic compares the repair of cars with that of computers or other similar electronic devices, where the question ''Repair or Replace?'' much more often comes up than for cars, hence the title of the comic, and the humor derived.

[[Cueball]] is in his car. He says that there is a weird sound and asks if the car mechanic [[Hairy]] will take a look. Hairy asks him to open the car's {{w|Hood (car)|hood}}, exposing the engine, to further identify the cause of the problem. Cueball then says that his hood latch, the lever used to open the hood, is also broken. The solution, according to Hairy, is then to "replace" the car and go and get a new car.

In reality, fixing the catch on the hood is a simple task for a skilled mechanic and would not justify writing-off the car. When a car is malfunctioning, the usual response is to attempt to repair it. A car is designed so that many of the parts can be replaced or adjusted. However, right around the time of this comic, Subaru just instituted a recall of a few hundred vehicles that it says it will replace rather than attempting a fix.<ref>https://jalopnik.com/subaru-is-just-giving-recalled-2019-ascent-owners-brand-1828356237</ref>

By contrast, when a computer or electronic device is malfunctioning, it is often judged to be difficult to repair, and the usual action is to purchase a new device. It is generally possible to replace each part of a desktop or laptop computer, but harder to do so for more integrated devices such as tablets, and almost impossible to repair individual components with faulty or damaged integrated circuits.

Even where replacing a component is relatively easy (needing little more than a set of screwdrivers), the cost of replacement parts can be a significant proportion of the cost of a completely new device, particularly where a user is not technically confident and pays a repair shop to fit new components. Also, the length of the technology "upgrade cycle" - typically around 3-5 years - is roughly the mean failure time of a device's components, users may already be considering a new purchase when their device starts to deteriorate.

It would be extremely inefficient for a car dealership or mechanic to simply "replace" a car when there is a problem with it (although many insurers will provide a temporary replacement "courtesy car" while the car is being repaired). Likewise, Randall asserts that it is also inefficient for electronic devices to be thrown away at the first sign of a problem, and not repaired.

The title text refers to data stored on a computer or electronic device. Before replacing the device, it is recommended to remove and/or {{w|backup}} all your personal files, so that you have future access to them. Randall likens this to having your friends and family exit the vehicle or making backup friends and family before the vehicle is thrown away. (Perhaps, it would be smart to have ones enemies in the car so that they are thrown away with it.)

;The economics
Cars are much more expensive than computers or other electronic devices, and become obsolete less quickly. The point at which it becomes cheaper to purchase a new computer or phone rather than repair an old one comes much more quickly.

Cars are mostly valuable for their macroscopic features & functions, whereas electronics deliver value mostly with microscopic circuitry. While we can mass produce IC devices efficiently, the equipment is massively complex & expensive, so it's only practical on an industrial scale. Repairing an individual switch or data line in an individual chip might take a team of experts & a state of the art lab with electron microscopes etc. - millions of times the per unit cost once assembly lines are running

Also, although the comic implies that replaced electronics are destroyed (like a car pushed into a pit), sometimes they are sent off to be repaired or refurbished elsewhere. This provides a better experience for the customer (they get a working device right away instead of waiting for repair) and is more efficient for the company (a consolidated repair facility can have the experience and equipment to repair a device much more quickly than at a retail location). This assumes that the customer asked the manufacturer for a replacement, and did not throw it away themselves before purchasing a new one.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in a car parked to the left of Hairy, who thus stands in front of it while pointing behind him towards a big black hole.]
:Cueball: My engine's making a weird noise. Can you take a look?
:Hairy: Sure, just pop the hood.
:Cueball: Oh, the hood latch is also broken.
:Hairy: OK, just pull up to that big pit and push the car in. We'll go get a new one.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:I'm sure the economics make sense, but it still freaks me out how quick companies are to replace computing devices instead of trying to fix them.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Computers]]

Talk:2034: Equations

2018-08-17T05:42:14Z

172.68.133.66: Why is this funny?

Is the joke that all of the equations are actually wrong/malformed/meaningless but they sort of look like typical equations for that field?

Talk:1538: Lyrics

2018-08-09T17:36:36Z

172.68.133.66:

The character I'm missing in the title is [http://unicode-table.com/en/0FD0/ Tibetan Mark Bska- Shog Gi Mgo Rgyan U+0FD0] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.129|108.162.216.129]] 06:13, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Description seems heavily referential, without a clear or concise description of the mechanisms involved. Surely there is a psychological concept associated with this, rather than "that one scat jazz song" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.166|108.162.219.166]] 06:40, 16 June 2015 (UTC)

:I think so too. See *lyric deafness* below. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.66|172.68.133.66]] 17:36, 9 August 2018 (UTC)

I feel like Randall is talking about all songs in this comic, not just ones where the singer favours "emotion, accent or style over clear pronunciation of the lyrics". I mean, has anyone ever listened to a song and immediately understood every single lyric on the first listen? I think that's the issue Randall is trying to express. [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 14:36, 16 June 2015 (UTC)

;Unicode
And the second Box is a Mathematical Script small I (U+1D4BE)
And the First Box is a Mathematical Fraktur small S (U+1D530)
I think These are the only ones, that iOS7 can't picture. [[User:ẞ qwertz|ẞ qwertz]] ([[User talk:ẞ qwertz|talk]]) 06:35, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

More fun with Unicode. Question is, which OS does Randall have that has perfect support? (It has to cover emoji and obscure glyphs like these. Likely that it's multiple devices?) [[User:Azule|Azule]] ([[User talk:Azule|talk]]) 06:47, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
::Windows 7 here, everything displays properly for me. I don't think supporting most (or all) of the Unicode charset is as uncommon today as it used to be. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.128|108.162.221.128]] 10:37, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
::Linux Mint 17 here, ditto. [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] ([[User talk:Seipas|talk]]) 11:05, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
::Most of todays operating systems have unicode support perfect, but may still lack some fonts. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:08, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
:::Well, http://i62.tinypic.com/258b02t.png  is as far as I've so far managed to get my personal rendering. "...but it's hard to read and I can't focus ?it?" would have been be my guess. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.48|141.101.99.48]] 14:28, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

I'm looking forward to finding out what the words are in English (as opposed to Unicodish). [[User:Azule|Azule]] ([[User talk:Azule|talk]]) 06:47, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:"...but it's hard to read and I can't focus"? [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 07:48, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

;Misheard Lyrics
Folks. I offer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI1hGShVdBA as the latest example of the genre. "I rub a Mexican loki" -> "I'm up all night to get lucky". [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 07:02, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:Not typical example. In typical example, you can't hear the lyrics over the music, not because the singer have bad pronunciation. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:08, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
:Still, could be added to the explanation that "misheard lyrics" is its own genre on Youtube. Notable example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg5_mlQOsUQ --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.104|108.162.254.104]] 21:02, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

...Songs still have lyrics these days? {turns on the radio} BWWWUWWUWUWUWUB {turns off the radio} [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.111|108.162.215.111]]

I sometimes observe that while dreaming, I can read the seemingly intelligible text perfectly well, but it changes every time I look back at it. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.161|173.245.48.161]] 09:04, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Title possibly inspired by http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1732348/regex-match-open-tags-except-xhtml-self-contained-tags/1732454#1732454 (however, there is a lot of stuff like that) {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.108}}

Why a phone? Why cannot Cueball be holding a tablet? {{unsigned|RChandra}}

Can it be remote control to the radio he's listening to? Or CD case with printed lyrics? I don't know how phone would fit the story. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.51.120|173.245.51.120]] 13:18, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

For non-native English speakers is even funnier: you look up the lyrics after giving up on deciphering what it says and think: "After so many years studying this language, is *that huge* the comprehension gap between natives and I"? Then you find that natives don't pick up the lyrics either. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.66.53|141.101.66.53]] 13:20, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

Don't look up the lyrics. Whatever you imagine it to be is likely better, and if you can't tell what it is and have no idea: Consider yourself lucky. "If I could be so lucky, lucky, lucky!".[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.149|108.162.254.149]] 13:46, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

I'm the person that can hear all the lyrics without looking them up. I can't turn it off, and then my brain analyses what they actually mean. Trust me, you're better off not being able to understand them. They suck. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 14:05, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

I only have that after looking up the lyrics. (non-native english speaker). I think I somewhat agree with you. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.67|141.101.104.67]] 15:35, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

I have a theory that the producers add lyrics to the songs so that they can be easily looked up (I hear song => don't know what it is => look up lyrics => figure out what the song it was), yet it is hard to understand clearly so it wouldn't detract from the music. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.97.231|141.101.97.231]] 22:20, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

;Attempt at translating
Please feel free to add suggestions below those I have given here. I write first each line in the attempt I have given at typing what is actually written (of course not possible), and then the next line (indented) with the words I think should be there. I have already two possible interpretations of one line. So please just ad an :or and a new line here below. Then note below with a signature that you have added more lines here. Maybe we can include some of the best guesses in the explanation. I do not think this will turn out to be a real song we can find the lyrics to, but I would be very interested in good suggestions. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:02, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:I CANTFVEN +ELe THER
::I can't even tell her
:or
::I can't even help her
:or
::I can't f-en please her ("plussee th-er")

:ANDT⊕NG fHE WCAN NAp.
::And ???? she can ???.
:or
::And ???? she wanna.
:or
::Finding she can nap
:or
::Finding she wanna.
:or
::Anything she wants ta (to?)
:or
::Anything she wants can have (wa' can 'haf)

:HADBE AūτlfA!NNNG∩RKILL...
::Had be ????????????? kill…
::: Had be ous tanning or I'll ? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.68.29|162.158.68.29]] 15:26, 15 June 2015 (UTC)
:or
::Had be >autsaining< (outstanding?) or kill
:or
::Had ße aut?????? I'll (Had me out, saying "I will¨)
:or
:: Had to be outstanding girl

:::I'm pretty certain that what looks like a "K" is just the right half of the "R" in "OR," making it "I'LL" or "ILL" and not "KILL" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.161|108.162.219.161]] 02:26, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

:FOR♡ITiNnaAGL♡OOO!VEEE ?-
::For ????????? Loooveee?-
:or
:: Foorgetting Looooveee
:or
:: For tiny gloooooooove
:or
:: For Tina's Looooooveee
:or
::Forgotten Love --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.68.29|162.158.68.29]] 15:26, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:::Please just fill in more suggestions above--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:02, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:::Added some. Apearently someone can't tell some sleeping girl something because she is asleep and therefore not listening. He/she did not know the girl could nap before he found out she was asleep. The rest as of yet makes even less sense. What would the genre of this song be? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.67|141.101.104.67]] 15:35, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

:::: The drawn out "loooooove" makes me think pop. -[[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 16:55, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

::: Added some of my own. I think it makes slightly more sense now, if you pick the right ones. Others are just silly. 15:54, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

The structure of the lyrics (four lines of equal length) suggests the standard A/B/A/B rhyme scheme, which could in theory help decipher them. In practice, the final syllables of each line appear to be her/nap/-ill/love, which make no musical sense. - [[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 16:55, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

;Accesibility/Readibility
I'm pretty sure I've seen the Transcript changed several times, presumably by different people, encompassing representations of 1) what it wants to be in 'normal' text, 2) what it might consist of in Unicode and 3) a compromise version of what it looks like in (mostly) non-Unicode. (As it currently stands, I still have character-missing symbols, in the transcript, on my particular platform.) Can I suggest that the transcript (and elsewhere where such things are quoted?) maybe uses something like the pattern "FOO (''Bar'')" for each line, "FOO" being the best-guess full Unicode representation (for the visual effect, where it works) and "Bar", here italicised and in parenthises but other formats being available, being the best-guess original text (for readability, especially for people without full Unicode support). Once the '''Attempt at translating''', above, has settled down, of course. And how about doing the same for a 'readable' version of the Hovertext, too? You shouldn't assume that everyone who comes here is as fully equipped, font-wise, as any other contributor (or even Randall) is. Reducing to the 7-bit ASCII range of characters (i.e. #s 32-126) for the 'plaintext' version should be entirely possible and accessible to ''all'' current and future platforms, without any obvious limitations. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.48|141.101.99.48]] 22:03, 15 June 2015 (UTC)

How about a png of the alt text, for those of us who are installed-font-challenged? - toadhammer [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.175|108.162.238.175]] 13:16, 22 June 2015 (UTC)

;Lyric Deafness
As soon as I read this comic it perfectly described how I hear lyrics in basically all music, and my reaction was "oh, wow, it's not just me". I am quite musically inclined, and can play a few instruments and quite quickly learn how to play a song just be listening to it. I can also, for example, often recognize a song I haven't heard in 10 years in just a couple notes and hum along with it -- but on the flip side, I can hear a song once or twice a day for weeks, and still not even know more than a couple words in the chorus despite otherwise knowing the song note-for-note. I have to ''really'' concentrate to actually hear the words. I was surprised to see no explanation of this phenomenon here. I started searching and quickly came across the term "lyric deaf", and in fact, there have been many discussions about this that very accurately reflect my own feelings:
* http://ask.metafilter.com/154586/Why-cant-I-hear-lyrics
* http://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1eyche/i_cant_understand_lyrics_am_i_alone/
* http://cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/85/why-are-some-people-unable-to-easily-memorize-the-lyrics-to-a-song
* http://www.quora.com/Is-there-such-a-thing-as-being-lyric-deaf
I added a couple sentences about this but it could probably use some good citations. People that are not themselves lyric deaf are likely unable to understand what this even means. {{unsigned|Groogs}}

: Me too. In bands, I've even played songs countless times over many years, but couldn't tell you much of the lyrics. They're the last thing my brain manages to analyze. I've played songs that I really loved and then eventually learned the lyrics so I could sing them (if you could call what I do "singing") only to find the lyrics are cringe-worthy, or reveling in something I find abhorrent. Ugh!

;The worst is when it does not even help looking them up - example Four five seconds: http://www.directlyrics.com/rihanna-fourfiveseconds-lyrics.html {{unsigned ip|141.101.104.101}}

1488: Flowcharts

2018-08-08T19:06:08Z

172.68.133.66: Changed "limit of consecutive terms" to "limit of the ratio of two consecutive terms" of the Fibonacci sequence.

{{comic
| number = 1488
| date = February 18, 2015
| title = Flowcharts
| image = flowcharts.png
| titletext = Whoa, and if you overlay a Fibonacci spiral on a golden spiral it matches up almost perfectly!
}}
*If you click on the comic at xkcd you get to a [http://xkcd.com/spiral/ spiral] page on xkcd.
*The arrow at the bottom of this comic points to the [http://c.xkcd.com/random/comic/ "Random" button] at the bottom of the xkcd page.
**Go to the comic, as always, by clicking on the date line above this comic.

==Explanation==
'''Note''': A flawed version of this comic was posted at first and then quickly a correct version was uploaded. But this gave rise to several misunderstandings and confusion. See the [[#Trivia|Trivia]] section below.

This comic is a {{w|flowchart}} style, like many [[Category:Flowcharts|other comics]]. Interestingly, the first option, ''Do you like flowcharts?'' loops back to itself if you say ''Yes''. As the yes lines of other options point to the type of graph they describe (for example, the yes line of ''Do you like line graphs?'' points to a line graph), this may be interpreted as a recursive reference to the flowchart itself, although it points to the option itself rather than the ''START'' node. Also, this may cause the reader who actually likes flow charts to go into an endless loop of choosing ''Yes'', until they are so annoyed by flowcharts that they do not like them anymore and can progress by saying ''No''.

After asking about flowcharts, the reader is asked whether they like {{w|line graph|line graphs}}. If they follow the yes line, it becomes a line graph where "Time" is the x-axis and "Your Happiness" is the y-axis, and shows that your happiness increases with time. If you don't like line graphs, they are asked the same question about {{w|scatter plots}} where again the lines turn into the points and the axis of such a plot.

Taking yet another line, the reader is asked "Charge a battery?" If they follow the line marked yes they are asked whether they are {{w|Alternating current|A/C}} or {{w|Direct current|D/C}} current and are led to a portion of the flowchart which resembles a {{w|circuit diagram}} of a {{w|rectifier bridge}} with a battery connected to it.

If the reader follows the "no" line, they are asked if they like spirals. If they choose "no" they are asked whether they would take the {{w|path of least resistance}}. This part of the flowchart resembles a circuit diagram, and the word "{{w|resistance}}" is a pun because resistance can have several meanings. In electricity it is an electrical quantity that measures how the device or material impedes the electric current flow through it. Going left is the "Never" option, which goes through extra resistors and a diode, therefore making the "Yes" option the "path of least resistance". However, when asked if you choose the path of least resistance and answers ''never'' it could also mean that you do not try to avoid a little trouble.

Whether they choose "Yes" or "No", they arrive at "Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?" If they choose "yes" the line fades into a drawing of a golden spiral, and we see that the flowchart is structured around it. If they choose "no" they are asked if they are tired of flowcharts. If not, they are taken to the beginning to start over again. If they are tired, the line points to the "random" button on the xkcd website.

The title text and the faint image of a golden spiral parody the fact that the golden spiral is superimposed on nearly ''everything''. The golden spiral is a spiral that has the growth rate of the golden ratio, a number that has inspired both artists and mathematicians alike. However, people try to find the golden ratio in seemingly random objects, and they fall to confirmation bias when drawing a golden spiral on top that seemingly fits. The comic links to [http://xkcd.com/spiral/], where one can see exactly that- golden spirals Randall "found" in random photographs. This may be a spoof of the viral video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPCkcKNUVoo Illuminati Confirmed]. The limit of the ratio of two consecutive terms of the Fibonacci sequence is equal to the golden ratio, so it matches up almost perfectly for a good reason, unlike the coincidental matchings of the pictures in the mobile site link.

This comic bears reminiscence of [[730: Circuit Diagram]], although it is not exactly the same idea.

===List of Items in Flowchart===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Text in boxes
! Explanation
! Successor(s)
! Predecessor(s)
|-
| Start
| Start here
| Do you like flowcharts?
| Tired of flowcharts yet?
|-
| Do you like flowcharts?
| Asking whether or not the reader likes flow charts. Recursively returns to itself until the reader is annoyed enough to not like flowcharts and can move on to the next point.
| Do you like flowcharts?, Do you like line graphs?
| Start, Do you like flowcharts?
|-
| Do you like line graphs?
| It asks if you like {{w|line graph|line graphs}}
| Data or axis? [The one after yes to line graphs], Scatter plots?
| Do you like flowcharts?
|-
| Data or axis? [The one after yes to line graphs]
| It is asking if you wish to be the data or the axis. If you choose the line, the flow chart line turns into a line graph with a positive curve. The same question will be asked later if you say no to line graphs and yes to scatter plots.
| [A line in a line graph], Time or your happiness?
| Do you like line graphs?
|-
| Time or your happiness?
| If you choose ''time'' the flow chart line becomes the x-axis of time and if you choose ''your happiness'' it becomes the y-axis in the line graph with the line from before indicating that your happiness increases over time (maybe because you like line graphs and are now becoming part of one?)
| [Time axis], [Your Happiness axis]
| Data or axis? [The one after yes to line graphs]
|-
| Scatter plots?
| If you don't like line graphs then maybe you like {{w|scatterplot|scatter plots}}?
| Data or axis? [The one after yes to scatter plots], Help charge a battery?
| Do you like line graphs?
|-
| Data or axis? [The one after yes to scatter plots]
| It is asking if you wish to be the data or the axis. If you choose the data, the flow chart line turns into a scatter plot that is also a flowchart where each of the 10 flow chart boxes is black with two white arrow, one pointing up and the other to the right. They are all connected with multiple connections. The same question was asked earlier if you said yes to line graphs.
| [A flow chart that looks line points in in a scatter plot], X of Y?
| Scatter plots?
|-
| X or Y?
| Which axis do you prefer? The line you chooses turns in to this axis in the scatter plot.
| [X axis], [Y axis]
| Data or axis? [The one after yes to scatter plots]
|-
| Help charge a battery?
| From here on the flowchart is at the beginning of morphing into a circuit diagram.
| Like spirals?, Are you A/C or D/C?
| Scatter plots?
|-
| Are you A/C or D/C?,
| Asks whether you are an {{w|AC current}} or a {{w|DC current}}.
| Positive or negative phase?, positive or negative DC terminal?
| Help charging a battery?
|-
| Positive or negative phase?
| Conventional current will flow forwards during the positive phase of AC current, whereas in the negative phase the forwards directions matches the actual flow of electrons (see [[567: Urgent Mission]]).
| Positive or negative DC terminal? [To either side of this box]
| Are you A/C or D/C?
|-
| Positive or negative DC terminal?
| This box looks like a {{w|rectifier bridge}}, which is used to convert AC to DC. The single output leads to a battery which is joined in a circuit to the bottom of the rectifier bridge.
| Battery [plus or minus]
| Positive or negative phase?
|-
| Like spirals?
| Well, do you? If you do you instantly go to the question of golden spirals. If not you take a detour.
| Take the path of least resistance?, Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?
| Help charge a battery?
|-
| Take the path of least resistance?
| This one is a pun. If resistance is seen as electrical resistance, then the bottom one labeled ''yes'' is the one with least resistance. The other labeled "Never" sends you through ''more'' resistance, and a 'protective' diode. But in either case you are lead to the same decision box. Also the resistors could look like spirals - making this detour for those who dislike these even more painful.
| Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?
| Like spirals?
|-
| Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?
| Here is a question regarding if you like the idea that some people can find and superimpose a {{w|golden spiral}} on a random image. No matter which options you choose you are forced to admit that it is totally BS ({{w|bullshit}}). But maybe you like it anyway? If you choose the ''Yes, even though it's total BS'' option the flow chart continues to the side of the chart, then starts to spiral up only to fades out to a very faint golden spiral aligned to the other items in the flow chart. It is almost impossible to see it before you follow this line. The other option is of course ''No, it's total BS''. If you do like it - then click on the [http://www.xkcd.com/1488/ comic on xkcd].
| Tired of flowcharts yet?, [A very faint golden spiral]
| Like spirals?, Take the path of least resistance?
|-
| Tired of flowcharts yet?
| Have you had enough of flow chart? If not then you are returned to the ''start'' box at the top of the chart. Maybe you have not tried all options yet, although you have already answered that you are tired of flow charts if you get this far. If you have had enough and answers ''Yes, I want to look at something else'' this option leads to the random comic button below the comic (only on xkcd). This decision ''literally'' breaks the fourth wall in traveling through the image's nominal boundary to point at a specific button to look at some other comic.
| Start, [The xkcd [http://c.xkcd.com/random/comic/ Random] comic button]
| Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?
|}

==Transcript==
:[A flow chart. The first option the start box is white text on a black rectangle. The other boxes are rhombuses standing on edge. Except for the first there are always two options going out. Most only have one option coming in, but there are exceptions with two options going in.]
:Start
:[One arrow points to the first real choice.]
:[Below the text on the two options going out from each option will be indented. The top of these two options will be the one to be mentioned first below. Then the chart will be mapped like this going back to the previous unfinished option.]
:Do you like flowcharts?
::Yes
::No
:[Yes goes back where it came from.]
:Do you like line graphs?
::Yes
::No
:Data or axis?
::Line
::Axis
:[The line is just a line – but now as the line in a line graph.]
:Time or your happiness?
::Time
::Your happiness
:[These two lines turn into the x and y axis of the line graph.]
:Scatter plots?
::Yes
::No
:Data or axis?
::Data
::Axis
:[The data line turns into the points in a scatter plot.]
:X or Y?
::X
::Y
:[These two lines turn into the x and y axis of the scatter plot.]
:Help charge a battery?
::Yes
::No
:Are you A/C or D/C?,
::A/C
::D/C
:Positive or negative phase?
::+
::-
:[The D/C option also goes to this next option, but directly. This next rhombus looks like a part of a circuit diagram.]
:Positive or negative DC terminal?
::+
::-
:[These two lines goes to the + and – poles of a battery.]
:Like spirals?
::No
::Yes
:Take the path of least resistance?
::Never
::Yes
:[Never goes through two resistors and a diode before reaching the point of the Yes option, which then also goes though yet another resistor. Both thus end at the same option, which is also the one that Yes to like Spirals ends up at:]
:Do you like when people find the golden spiral in random images?
::Yes, even though it's total BS.
::No, it's total BS.
:[Yes option takes the chart into a fading line that turns into a golden spiral spanning the whole chart.]
:Tired of flowcharts yet?
::No
::Yes, I want to look at something else
:[No takes you back to the start box at the top.]
:[Yes takes you out of the comic and points to the Random button at xkcd.]

==Trivia==
*A corrected version of the comic was uploaded later on the same day.
**This is the second time in February 2015 this has occurred; previously with [[1482: NowPlaying]].
*It appears that an unfinished version of the comic was uploaded, with several of the lines and labels missing, and the bridge circuit incorrectly drawn.
*This [[Media:OriginalFlowcharts.png|original]] comic can be seen on the link.
*The errors were:
**Missing yes/no at the line graph options.
**Missing yes/no at the scatter plot options and missing the line for the yes option going to the second Data axis.
**Missing yes at charge a battery options.
**Missing DC from the AC or DC options and missing the line for the DC option going to the terminal.
**Missing the arrow pointing to the terminal from the "-" option of the phase.
**Missing +/- at terminal option and missing the line going from the negative pole of the battery to the terminal.
**The terminal, which is a rectifier bridge, had both diodes drawn in the wrong direction on the left side of the decision box.
**There was a + floating between the phase and terminal option. This was deleted.
**Missing yes at the spiral options.
**Missing yes/never! at the least resistance options. Also the arrow pointing to the next option was missing.
*The comic has reference to charging a battery, and was posted on the 270th birthday of Alessandro Volta, the original creator of the battery. This could, however, have been a coincidence.
*Later after the initial release of this comic Randall added a link to this page. It's viewable in the HTML-source or here: [https://xkcd.com/1488/info.0.json https://xkcd.com/1488/info.0.json]. The text is: ''"This is a gods-damned flowchart, huge surprise. a transcription and explanation and other things available on an external site http:\n\nwww.explainxkcd.com\nwiki\nindex.php\n1488 ]]\nhttp:\n\nwww.explainxkcd.com\nwiki\nindex.php\n148"''.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Scatter plots]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Puns]]

2021: Software Development

2018-07-18T15:31:49Z

172.68.133.66: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2021
| date = July 18, 2018
| title = Software Development
| image = software_development.png
| titletext = Update: It turns out the cannon has a motorized base, and can make holes just fine using the barrel itself as a battering ram. But due to design constraints it won't work without a projectile loaded in, so we still need those drills.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an AUTOMATIC DRILL CANNON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Software development is characterized by a lot of back and forth on requirements. Here, the requirement is to drill 500 holes in a wall. The software engineer (Cueball) has created a precision drill (some elegant software). As soon as he hands it off to Operations (Hairy), it gets deployed to the wall 500 times via a cannon. Part of the joke here is that they are making holes with drills by using them as bullets, rather than as, say for example, drills.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
'''Cueball:''' We need to make 500 holes in that wall, so I've built this automatic drill. It uses elegant precision gears to continually adjust its torque and speed as needed.

'''Hairy:''' Great, it's the perfect weight! We'll load 500 of them into the cannon we made and shoot them at the wall.

'''Caption:''' How Software Development Works

'''Title text:''' Update: It turns out the cannon has a motorized base, and can make holes just fine using the barrel itself as a battering ram. But due to design constraints it won't work without a projectile loaded in, so we still need those drills.

{{comic discussion}}