explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

607: 2038

2018-07-03T17:29:21Z

172.68.142.89: changed "32-bit integers" to "signed 32-bit integers"

{{comic
| number = 607
| date = July 8, 2009
| title = 2038
| image = 2038.png
| titletext = If only we'd chosen 1944-12-02 08:45:52 as the Unix epoch, we could've combined two doomsday scenarios into one and added a really boring scene to that Roland Emmerich movie.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|2038 problem}} is a well-known problem with 32-bit Unix-based operating systems. {{w|Unix time}} is stored as a 32-bit signed integer on these systems, counting the number of seconds since 1970. In 2038, we overflow the highest number we can store in signed 32-bit integers, leading to unexpected behavior. The switch to 64-bit operating systems will most likely be complete by the year 2038, which is why [[Randall]] is relieved. The reference to {{w|Y2K}} is a throwback to the year 2000 problem, in which people were concerned that computers storing digits as two numbers (e.g.: 99 to represent 1999) would cause problems when the year 2000 began because 00 could have been interpreted as 1900 by error. That Y2K issue was covered widely — with only some small mishaps — but calculating dates beyond 2038 is still not solved on many 32-bit UNIX based systems today. The "even WORSE" is possibly referring to how our increased reliance on computers means the bug could affect many more vital systems, but with Y2K passing by relatively uneventfully especially in light of the hype that preceded it caused people to take this sort of problem less seriously.

The title text is a reference to the film {{w|2012_(film)|2012}} which is about the world ending in December of 2012, at the end of the {{w|Mayan calendar}}. If the designers of the UNIX operating system had used 1944 as their epoch instead of 1970, then the UNIX crash due to a variable overflow would coincide with the end of the Mayan calendar. Thus, the implication is that there could have been a boring scene in the movie where the UNIX time rolls over and nothing happens and no one cares — because the world doesn't exist any more.

==Transcript==
:I'm glad we're switching to 64-bit, because I wasn't looking forward to convincing people to care about the Unix 2038 problem.
:Friend: What's that?
:Cueball (arms raised high): Remember Y2K? This could be even ''worse!''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]

Talk:606: Cutting Edge

2018-07-03T17:27:09Z

172.68.142.89:

Today is early 2013. This comic is right. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 16:52, 5 March 2013 (UTC)
I tested the hypothesis in the last panel by announcing "FREE CAKE!", setting down an empty cake box with "The cake is a lie" written inside it, and running. The results were highly conclusive: memes do not magically revive after five years. [[Special:Contributions/107.204.46.198|107.204.46.198]] 00:43, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

"The title text also points to another flaw in this strategy: multi-player gaming requires other players, so if you play a game five years after everybody else, there's nobody else to play with. It's even worse with online gaming, as the company hosting the online server may have shut it down a long time ago." Unless the game happens to be team fortress 2.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.6.246|162.158.6.246]] 23:06, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

;update on Command & Conquer servers

The servers have been shut down in 2014, about five years after this comic was launched, but game enthusiasts managed to run their own servers.
So it is still possible to play this game now in 2016. :-)
Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-07-command-and-conquer-multiplayer-saved-following-gamespy-shutdown
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.133.138|162.158.133.138]] 16:46, 8 January 2016 (UTC)

This explanation should be marked as incomplete, as it totally fails to explain what the heck FREE CAKE! and The Cake is a Lie! are all about—which frankly seems to be almost the only thing that needs explaining at all after you have taken care of the game itself. I KNOW Portal is a game, but I have no idea whatsoever about the cake thing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.161|108.162.246.161]] 11:20, 5 May 2017 (UTC)

According to the Wikipedia page, Portal promises Cake to whomever solves all the puzzles. "Still Alive" is the song played over the end credits. These things should be explained above but aren't. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 17:27, 3 July 2018 (UTC)

Talk:606: Cutting Edge

2018-07-03T17:22:43Z

172.68.142.89:

Today is early 2013. This comic is right. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 16:52, 5 March 2013 (UTC)
I tested the hypothesis in the last panel by announcing "FREE CAKE!", setting down an empty cake box with "The cake is a lie" written inside it, and running. The results were highly conclusive: memes do not magically revive after five years. [[Special:Contributions/107.204.46.198|107.204.46.198]] 00:43, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

"The title text also points to another flaw in this strategy: multi-player gaming requires other players, so if you play a game five years after everybody else, there's nobody else to play with. It's even worse with online gaming, as the company hosting the online server may have shut it down a long time ago." Unless the game happens to be team fortress 2.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.6.246|162.158.6.246]] 23:06, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

;update on Command & Conquer servers

The servers have been shut down in 2014, about five years after this comic was launched, but game enthusiasts managed to run their own servers.
So it is still possible to play this game now in 2016. :-)
Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-07-command-and-conquer-multiplayer-saved-following-gamespy-shutdown
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.133.138|162.158.133.138]] 16:46, 8 January 2016 (UTC)

This explanation should be marked as incomplete, as it totally fails to explain what the heck FREE CAKE! and The Cake is a Lie! are all about—which frankly seems to be almost the only thing that needs explaining at all after you have taken care of the game itself. I KNOW Portal is a game, but I have no idea whatsoever about the cake thing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.161|108.162.246.161]] 11:20, 5 May 2017 (UTC)
Still incomplete! Can someone please clue us in about the subtext for "The cake is a lie" and why the song/lyric is relevant? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 17:22, 3 July 2018 (UTC)

Talk:356: Nerd Sniping

2018-06-28T16:30:56Z

172.68.142.89:

Just because the problem contains an infinite series (or parallel) doesn't mean that it's unsolvable. It's tricky, certainly, and getting the "true" answer involves some rather heavy math, but it's not impossible. Indeed, Google shows that it's already been answered. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 20:42, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

I've always had an issue with this problem for one simple reason. In an infinite set of resistors, there is no space to apply a charge, thus there is no resistance. Ohm's law states Resistance = Voltage / I(current). So, in a system where there is no current (creating a divide by zero error), and there is no voltage (no change in electron work capacity, because we don't have a way to excite the electrons, because there is no power) Resistance is incalculable. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:22, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
:We live in 3 dimensions, just place a battery above the grid with wires going to the 2 points. --[[Special:Contributions/84.197.34.154|84.197.34.154]] 22:59, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
::Not everybody does... --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.14|FlatlandDweller]] 11:08, 15 November 2012 (UTC)
::: baDumpBump! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 16:22, 28 June 2018 (UTC)
::I believe the OP is referencing the issue that an infinite circuit could not hold a current. Connecting a battery would only work for a finite grid. In addition, the orientation of the battery in physical space has no relation to its behavior in a circuit, only the points of connection matter. Think about what the battery is doing to generate a current. How does electric potential apply over an infinite grid? Even moving it through a magnetic field won't work as the flux will be uniform across each cross section. You can't rotate an infinite grid either...{{unsigned|Flewk}}

Just crocodidoodle the battery to the pencil lines as and where required for an infinity of varieteediddly.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 18:51, 20 January 2015 (UTC)

This problem is "unsolvable" only if you try to just use the basic methods for finite networks.
There is a page on this at [http://mathpages.com/home/kmath668/kmath668.htm http://mathpages.com/home/kmath668/kmath668.htm] that reports that the cited points have a resistance of '''4/pi - 1/2''' ohms (.773234... ohms).
The 1/2 ohm resistance between adjacent nodes is actually well known.
[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 05:05, 5 October 2012 (UTC)

Solution here as well: http://mathworld.wolfram.com/news/2004-10-13/google/ [[User:Potie15|Potie15]] ([[User talk:Potie15|talk]]) 03:50, 18 March 2013 (UTC)

Nowhere it is said that the problem is unsolvable, just that it is interesting. Of course, the sniping is more effective if the problem is also difficult to solve, because otherwise the victim would get over it quickly. [[User:Dargor17|Dargor17]] ([[User talk:Dargor17|talk]]) 17:47, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

That method for parallel resistors is wrong. You don't divide resistances by the number of paths, you sum the reciprocals and then take the reciprocal of that. The method described only works if every resistor has the same value. While that's true in this problem, it's misleading to pass that off as a method that works for all cases. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.60|173.245.55.60]] 03:32, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
:Good point. I made some slight alterations to clarify that we are assuming the resistors are equal. It seems a better solution than getting into the more complex version of the problem. --[[User:BlueMoonlet|BlueMoonlet]] ([[User talk:BlueMoonlet|talk]]) 12:20, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

The real question is: why did the physicist cross the road? --[[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 00:53, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

Amazing. From the first comment the discussion is diverted from discussing the comic, to discussing the problem presented in the comic. The commentators have been nerd sniped by a demonstration of nerd sniping. Randall is just that good. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.86|108.162.216.86]] 17:55, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

"Sniping" might also be a pun or have a deliberately dual meaning in this context, referring to both a sniper and a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snipe_hunt snipe hunt] (do kids still practice the latter?). The former makes sense if Black Hat's purpose is to actually rid the world of physics and math nerds (consistent with his characteristic misanthropy and cynicism), but the latter also fits the theme of merely distracting a nerd with an impossible task, which the title text suggests may have been Randall's motivation for the strip. (On a side note, the Wikipedia article reveals that the terms sniper and snipe hunt have a common origin, which makes twice in the last month it's resolved a long-standing etymological puzzle for me. The other case united the multiple, seemingly unrelated meanings of minute <nowiki>["tiny" vs. time]</nowiki> and second <nowiki>[ordinal vs. time]</nowiki>; see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagesimal#Notation sexagesimal].) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.182|173.245.54.182]] 01:40, 18 June 2014 (UTC)

I've been led to believe that 'minute' means 'tiny amount of time', 'second' is 'secondary tiny amount of time', and , I quote "Real snipe (a family of shorebirds) are difficult to catch for experienced hunters, so much so that the word "sniper" is derived from it to refer to anyone skilled enough to shoot one." from the snipe hunt wiki page. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.4|141.101.104.4]] 23:45, 27 September 2014 (UTC)

Why doesn't someone solder together a thousand one ohm resistors into a grid then use an ohmmeter to measure the resistance? Then repeat with smaller and smaller grids to see if there's any effect on the measurement. If the resistance does not change, or at least doesn't change until the grid size gets quite small, then the "infinite" term in the problem is a 'red herring' to mislead. Pointless, useless, irrelevant etc information in problems is a common tactic for gauging the ability to recognize and reject such data. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.122|199.27.133.122]] 00:35, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

Incidentally, should this page mention that what if 113 (I don't know how to do links, sorry) contains a picture of this comic? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.65|108.162.216.65]] 23:36, 24 February 2015 (UTC)
:Yes I will do so. Have just referred to another what if where he is mentioning nerd sniping. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.34|141.101.98.34]] 12:17, 22 May 2015 (UTC) Am I the only one concerned with the fact that this poor guy was still on a crosswalk? The truck should have stopped. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.34|141.101.98.34]] 12:17, 22 May 2015 (UTC)
:No you are not, and good point --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

When the number of parallel resistors increase, the equivalent resistance decreases. So, in an infinite grid, wouldn't it approach zero? [[User:UrubuSelvagem|UrubuSelvagem]] ([[User talk:UrubuSelvagem|talk]]) 03:43, 28 September 2015 (UTC)
:They are also in series. For each parallel group, there is, in fact a corresponding group in series.

It is not directly relevant to the discussion of the comic, but this needs to be posted here. Perhaps the best nerd snipe ever actually achieved and a nearly perfect match for the comic (my professor put it in the lecture notes for my group theory class):
"Coxeter came to Cambridge and he gave a lecture, then he had this problem ... I left the lecture room thinking. As I was walking through Cambridge, suddenly the idea hit me, but it hit me while I was in the middle of the road. When the idea hit me I stopped and a large truck ran into me ... So I pretended that Coxeter had calculated the difficulty of this problem so precisely that he knew that I would get the solution just in the middle of the road ... One consequence of it is that in a group if a^2=b^3=c^5= (abc)^-1, then c^610=1."
(J.H. Conway, Math. Intelligencer v. 23 no. 2 (2001))
I did a search, and the entire passage can be read [https://books.google.ca/books?id=aFHyUfFUVIwC&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=Coxeter+came+to+Cambridge+and+he+gave+a+lecture,+then+he+had+this+problem+...++Ileft+the+lecture+room+thinking.+As+I+was+walking+through+Cambridge,+suddenly+theidea+hit+me,++but+it+hit+me+while+I+was+in+the+middle+of+the+road.++When+the+ideahit+me+I+stopped+and+a+large+truck+ran+into+me+...++So+I+pretended+that+Coxeter+hadcalculated+the+difficulty+of+this+problem+so+precisely+that+he+knew+that+I+would+getthe+solution+just+in+the+middle+of+the+roa&source=bl&ots=CgmxTG2n0w&sig=ohqqBGtJrpuQFeiCPPusMVsQUV4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAGoVChMIy4KdnPakyAIV0ZeICh2OGghP#v=onepage&q=Coxeter%20came%20to%20Cambridge%20and%20he%20gave%20a%20lecture%2C%20then%20he%20had%20this%20problem%20...%20%20Ileft%20the%20lecture%20room%20thinking.%20As%20I%20was%20walking%20through%20Cambridge%2C%20suddenly%20theidea%20hit%20me%2C%20%20but%20it%20hit%20me%20while%20I%20was%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20the%20road.%20%20When%20the%20ideahit%20me%20I%20stopped%20and%20a%20large%20truck%20ran%20into%20me%20...%20%20So%20I%20pretended%20that%20Coxeter%20hadcalculated%20the%20difficulty%20of%20this%20problem%20so%20precisely%20that%20he%20knew%20that%20I%20would%20getthe%20solution%20just%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20the%20roa&f=false here] perhaps it is even possible that this event is the inspiration for this comic? The inclusion of the "large truck" is almost too perfect. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.240.217|108.162.240.217]] 23:45, 2 October 2015 (UTC)
:I have now added this story in a new trivia section. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

I know a solution that use random walks. :) {{unsigned ip|141.101.95.153}}

I really like this comic. It says a lot about Black Hat, but so much more about Randall :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:40, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

So, *that's* how they did Gaudi in! I always suspected a plot; now I see the method. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 16:30, 28 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:356: Nerd Sniping

2018-06-28T16:22:10Z

172.68.142.89: creds for a good joke

Talk:2008: Irony Definition

2018-06-18T17:56:32Z

172.68.142.89:

Adding to the irony are the complaints from overeducated drama fans criticizing common uses of the term, assuming that "dramatic irony" is the only valid definition. Search "alanis morissette ironic misuse" for lots of fun with semantics and pseudo-intellectualism. I suspect that Randall is poking fun at the critics, rather than those who misuse the term. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 17:56, 18 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2008: Irony Definition

2018-06-18T17:54:41Z

172.68.142.89:

Talk:195: Map of the Internet

2018-06-15T18:24:18Z

172.68.142.89:

Why am I in various registrars?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.186|141.101.104.186]]
: Simply because one of those various registrars is your interwebz provider. [[User:Sobsz|Sobsz]] ([[User talk:Sobsz|talk]]) 19:55, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

I'd like to see an updated version, 10 years later. I think all the green would be gone. [[User:Microbe|Microbe]]

He forgot the 172.16-172.31 private block. Way late, I know but I only just noticed. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.253.203|172.68.253.203]] 01:51, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

Since the table is for the first octet only, it's not possible to show the 172.16-172.31 block. Drawing a table big enough is left to you as an exercise. However, he shows Class E addresses (240-255) as "unallocated", which is a bit misleading because routers are required by [https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1812#section-5.3.7 RFC 1812] to discard packets with these addresses, which are reserved for "future use". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 18:21, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:195: Map of the Internet

2018-06-15T18:21:31Z

172.68.142.89:

Why am I in various registrars?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.186|141.101.104.186]]
: Simply because one of those various registrars is your interwebz provider. [[User:Sobsz|Sobsz]] ([[User talk:Sobsz|talk]]) 19:55, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

I'd like to see an updated version, 10 years later. I think all the green would be gone. [[User:Microbe|Microbe]]

He forgot the 172.16-172.31 private block. Way late, I know but I only just noticed. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.253.203|172.68.253.203]] 01:51, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

Since the table is for the first octet only, it's not possible to show the 172.16-172.31 block. Drawing a table big enough is left to you as an exercise. However, he shows Class E addresses (240-255) as "unallocated", which is a bit misleading because routers are required by [https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1812 RFC 1812] to discard packets with these addresses, which are reserved for "future use". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 18:21, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:195: Map of the Internet

2018-06-15T18:21:00Z

172.68.142.89:

Why am I in various registrars?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.186|141.101.104.186]]
: Simply because one of those various registrars is your interwebz provider. [[User:Sobsz|Sobsz]] ([[User talk:Sobsz|talk]]) 19:55, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

I'd like to see an updated version, 10 years later. I think all the green would be gone. [[User:Microbe|Microbe]]

He forgot the 172.16-172.31 private block. Way late, I know but I only just noticed. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.253.203|172.68.253.203]] 01:51, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

Since the table is for the first octet only, it's not possible to show the 172.16-172.31 block. Drawing a table big enough is left to you as an exercise. However, he shows Class E addresses (240-255) as "unallocated", which is a bit misleading because routers are required by [https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1812|RFC 1812] to discard packets with these addresses, which are reserved for "future use". [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 18:21, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:195: Map of the Internet

2018-06-15T18:15:57Z

172.68.142.89:

Talk:149: Sandwich

2018-06-15T16:04:56Z

172.68.142.89:

Note that it is more effective to write "sudo !!" to redo the last command but with sudo added to it. {{unsigned|Agge.se}}

:Using <code>sudo !!</code> outputs the previous command with sudo into your bash (other shells as well) history, so to bash what you said was "sudo make me a sandwich" not "sudo !!". [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:46, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

<code>sudo</code> requires '''user''' password, not admin password, but you need to be in <code>sudoers</code> file. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 12:14, 15 December 2012 (UTC)

:How many people will know the difference? In a typical Ubuntu-family install with only one human user, root doesn't ''have'' a password, but the one user who does is a sudoer (and has to use <code>sudo</code> or <code>su</code> to act as root, rather than doing so starting at login). [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 06:08, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

"the user first must type their password" This is not accurate. It is the default, but many domains disable that requirement.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.92|173.245.52.92]] 06:47, 14 January 2015 (UTC)

I believe the original comic actually read "Sudo bang bang" instead of "Sudo make me a sandwich". Here's a link to what I think is a copy of the [http://stackoverflow.com/questions/15137461/what-is-sudo-bang-bang original]. I'm not sure which of the two is actually the original. {{unsigned ip|‎99.95.158.248}}
:The words "bang bang" (particularly the first B) look a bit fuzzy/pixelated compared to the rest of the text, which gives me the feeling that it was edited from this one, which is the original. [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 23:03, 23 January 2014 (UTC)
::If you click on the image (on the Stack Overflow link), it leads you to http://justinsomnia.org/2006/09/sudo-bang-bang/, which says: 'This just occurred to me' [comic] 'Original comic from xkcd by Randall Munroe', implying it was indeed edited. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.14|141.101.99.14]] 20:42, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
: On a different, but totally related note: [https://github.com/nvbn/thefuck Here] you can find an aptly named little program with which the charming conversation would be: "Make me a sandwich." - "What? Make it yourself." - "Fuck." - "Okay." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.135|162.158.85.135]] 08:24, 28 June 2016 (UTC)

Comment: This conversation is an easter egg in Google Now on Android tablet. Using voice search to say "make me a sandwich" will give the reply "what? make it yourself", adding "sudo" will get the response "ok". I assume the Google now implementation came later and is based on xkcd. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.27}}
:Siri will also respond "okay" if you say "sudo make me a sandwich:", though she doesn't respond with the XKCD response to "make me a sandwich". [[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.35|198.41.235.35]] 13:32, 27 October 2015 (UTC) (MSC)

This reworked for the Make utility:
<code><pre>
$ make sandwich
Must be root
$ sudo make sandwich
cc sandwich
mv sandwich /etc/sandwich
sandwich installed in /etc
$ _
</pre></code>
[[User:Alexbuzzbee|Alexbuzzbee]] ([[User talk:Alexbuzzbee|talk]]) 02:50, 23 August 2015 (UTC)

* It also reminds me the ''Star Trek: Voyager'' episode where Q tampered with the ship's replicators:
::Janeway: "Coffee, black."
::Replicator: "Make it yourself."
(But she didn't try "Sudo coffee, black.") - [[User:Mike Rosoft|Mike Rosoft]] ([[User talk:Mike Rosoft|talk]]) 18:14, 13 March 2016 (UTC)

* This forfells the advent of Alexa and the other personal home assistants. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.50|162.158.155.50]] 20:19, 14 October 2017 (UTC)

* I wonder whether Cueball pronounces "sudo" the right way (because surely he knows the right way) or the wrong way (engaging his hobby, or matching the expectations of the friend.) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 16:04, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:149: Sandwich

2018-06-15T16:04:35Z

172.68.142.89:

Talk:123: Centrifugal Force

2018-06-14T21:14:32Z

172.68.142.89:

Are you allowed to describe a force acting upon you when you are in an accelerating reference frame? I'm pretty sure you're not. The explanation says that from bond's point of view, he is at rest. Well, sort of. If you're in an accelerating car you can tell that you're not at rest because your inertia seems to be "pulling" you backwards. There's nothing actually pulling you, though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.202|108.162.219.202]] 05:24, 30 December 2013 (UTC)
:According to general relativity, that inertial "pull" is indistinguishable from being at rest with a force being applied. In the rotating frame, this apparent force is the centrifugal force. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.62|199.27.128.62]] 05:58, 4 February 2014 (UTC)
:the explanation is correct, and you can describe forces acting on you in non-inertial frames. If you take Bond to be the origin of a rotating frame of reference then the position of Bond will be (0,0,0) at all times. So in that frame of reference, Bond is at rest (not "sort of at rest, really at rest). The equation of motion for Bond is
F + Fe + Fw + Fc = ma = 0
: (F is external force, Fe is the force due to angular acceleration of the frame (relative to some inertial frame), Fw is centrifugal force and Fc is coriolis force )
: Since the sum of the three "fictious" force are nonzero, and Bond is at rest in this frame, the force F must also be non-zero. This force F is the inward push of the centrifuge. In the moving car example, you can't tell if you are accelerating or if there is a massive graviational field pulling you backwards. From your perspective the experience is identical. If you take this idea and run with it you get general relavitity[[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.67|141.101.70.67]] 11:30, 6 August 2014 (UTC)

: I believe the OP is referencing the vestibular system. This is what allows humans to feel acceleration. The actual physics at hand is regarding reference frames, not the ability of the body to detect acceleration. In regards to the question of "Are you allowed to describe a force acting upon you when you are in an accelerating reference frame?", the answer is yes. You can pick whichever reference frame you wish, but we tend to pick the one that simplifies the calculations the most.[[User:Flewk|Flewk]] ([[User talk:Flewk|talk]]) 06:44, 25 December 2015 (UTC)

"Apparent force" is the best term to use to describe centrifugal force, and could be inserted in the text to clarify. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 21:14, 14 June 2018 (UTC)

;"The surface of the Earth approximates an inertial frame."
This isn't correct at all. If you're standing on Earth, you're experiencing an acceleration of 9.8 m/s^2. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.11|108.162.238.11]] 00:56, 12 April 2018 (UTC)

1966: Smart Home Security

2018-03-14T09:26:19Z

172.68.142.89: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1966
| date = March 12, 2018
| title = Smart Home Security
| image = smart_home_security.png
| titletext = If they're getting valuable enough stuff from you, at least the organized crime folks have an incentive to issue regular updates to keep the appliance working after the manufacturer discontinues support.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FACELESS ENGINEER - Confirm that the graph means "the older the device, the worse the best-case is".}}

With the proliferation of smart appliances in recent years, there is a growing trend of hackers taking over smart "Internet of Things" devices and adding them to {{w|botnets}}. The hardware is then used for DDOS attacks, crypto mining etc. The "Mirai" botnet made of over 500,000 compromised routers, refrigerators, tvs, DVRs, baby monitors, thermostats, and webcams was used in October 2016 to take down DynDNS, one of the core infrastructure providers for the internet in North America.

With the potential threat always looming, security updates must be constantly pushed, and exploits must be found by the original developers and "white hat" hackers (The faceless team of engineers [[Randall]] describes), before they could be found (and get used) by "black hat" hackers. At any time, these people could quit, leaving devices defenseless.

The graph shows the various cases of how well things go on the y axis, compared to how long it has been owned on the x axis. Probability of compromise briefly dips (indicative of first rounds of security fix updates & the time window when you can easily exchange the product if you find out it's faulty) within the 1st year, then rises: The older a device/software is, the less likely it is to consistently receive security updates for protection, so they are more likely to be hacked, even in the best case. After 10 years, the device/software, is most likely outdated and is not being used anymore. Companies then no longer find it profitable to continually update the product, and then pull support out, even if people are still using it, leaving them vulnerable. The exact thing happened to many users, when Microsoft halted updates to Windows XP in 2014, even though many people still used the operating system.

The title text suggests that there may be some silver lining to having your device controlled by organized crime professional s: These criminals have a vested interest in keeping your device working well enough that you keep it plugged in. So the more organized & pragmatic attackers will in fact secure it against competing attackers, especially those of a more prankster mindset, who'd cause more noticeably malicious changes. Advanced malware in the wild does frequently block & evict competing malware, so he's probably right. Some IOT malware may thus provide 'regular security update service' after the manufacturers give up - some at a conceivably acceptable cost of a few cents electrical usage for a crypto miner for instance. However, it could very easily go horribly wrong - for instance if that miner is hiding by letting a refrigerator run 2°C higher than its outputs allege, & using the energy difference to max out the processor on mining operations

==Transcript==
:[A graph is shown inside a frame. There is one dotted line going from the middle of the left edge, then dipping slightly before rising slowly at first, then more rapid and finally slowing its ascend down as it nears the top right corner.]

:[Above the frame is the title of the x-axis, and from each end of this text, there is a small line going out and then down, to indicate a time range, which is shown below with four times:]
:How long you've had your smart appliance
:6 months     1 year     5 years     10 years

:[Along the left part of the frame there runs a double arrow and at the top and bottom of these arrows there are legends at the top and bottom of the panels height:]
:Best-case
:Worst-case

:[Inside the panel there is text above the dotted line to the left, and below the dotted line to the right:]
:You're constantly being rescued from peril by a faceless team of engineers who could wander away at any time

:Your appliance is part of a botnet run by organized crime

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Virtual Assistants]]

1966: Smart Home Security

2018-03-14T02:43:19Z

172.68.142.89: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1966
| date = March 12, 2018
| title = Smart Home Security
| image = smart_home_security.png
| titletext = If they're getting valuable enough stuff from you, at least the organized crime folks have an incentive to issue regular updates to keep the appliance working after the manufacturer discontinues support.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FACELESS ENGINEER - Confirm that the graph means "the older the device, the worse the best-case is".}}

With the proliferation of smart appliances in recent years, there is a growing trend of hackers taking over smart "Internet of Things" devices and adding them to {{w|botnets}}. The hardware is then used for DDOS attacks, crypto mining etc. The "Mirai" botnet made of over 500,000 compromised routers, refrigerators, tvs, DVRs, baby monitors, thermostats, and webcams was used in October 2016 to take down DynDNS, one of the core infrastructure providers for the internet in North America.

With the potential threat always looming, security updates must be constantly pushed, and exploits must be found by the original developers and "white hat" hackers (The faceless team of engineers [[Randall]] describes), before they could be found (and get used) by "black hat" hackers. At any time, these people could quit, leaving devices defenseless.

The graph shows the various cases of how well things go on the y axis, compared to how long it has been owned on the x axis. Probability of compromise briefly dips (indicative of first rounds of security fix updates & the time window when you can easily exchange the product if you find out it's faulty) within the 1st year, then rises: The older a device/software is, the less likely it is to consistently receive security updates for protection, so they are more likely to be hacked, even in the best case. After 10 years, the device/software, is most likely outdated and is not being used anymore. Companies then no longer find it profitable to continually update the product, and then pull support out, even if people are still using it, leaving them vulnerable. The exact thing happened to many users, when Microsoft halted updates to Windows XP in 2014, even though many people still used the operating system.

The title text suggests that there may be some silver lining to having your device controlled by organized crime professional s: These criminals have a vested interest in keeping your device working well enough that you keep it plugged in. So the more organized & pragmatic attackers will in fact secure it against competing attackers, especially those of a more prankster mindset, who'd cause more noticeably malicious changes. Advanced malware in the wild does frequently block & evict competing malware, so he's probably right

==Transcript==
:[A graph is shown inside a frame. There is one dotted line going from the middle of the left edge, then dipping slightly before rising slowly at first, then more rapid and finally slowing its ascend down as it nears the top right corner.]

:[Above the frame is the title of the x-axis, and from each end of this text, there is a small line going out and then down, to indicate a time range, which is shown below with four times:]
:How long you've had your smart appliance
:6 months     1 year     5 years     10 years

:[Along the left part of the frame there runs a double arrow and at the top and bottom of these arrows there are legends at the top and bottom of the panels height:]
:Best-case
:Worst-case

:[Inside the panel there is text above the dotted line to the left, and below the dotted line to the right:]
:You're constantly being rescued from peril by a faceless team of engineers who could wander away at any time

:Your appliance is part of a botnet run by organized crime

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Virtual Assistants]]