explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2069: Wishlist

2018-11-07T23:47:14Z

172.68.46.41: Added details about relevant news for the game.

Inspired by the current furore over Super Smash Bros being branded racist over the character Mr Game And Watch, perhaps? I know people started yelling over the last few days, but don't play the game so I don't have any further details. Feel free to delete / expand. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.160|172.69.62.160]] 09:36, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

Clippy: "It was an intelligent user interface that assisted users." Really? Did you have a different clippy? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.45|141.101.69.45]] 10:05, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

Randall should submit his list to McLeodGaming, maybe they will put one of these into SSF3. https://mcleodgaming.fandom.com/wiki/Character#Playable_characters_2 --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.44|162.158.88.44]] 10:53, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

The Mario and Luigi hybrid might be a reference to [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bowsette this monstrosity]. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 12:09, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

InstallShield Wizard Final Smash: Install malware. Screen glitches out, game blue screens, everyone takes damage and goes flying. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 14:17, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

If this comic left you wanting more: https://thehardtimes.net/harddrive/will-not-play-new-smash-bros-unless-includes {{unsigned ip|172.68.230.106}}

is it just me or is the the Ruth Bader Ginsberg reference maybe related to how she looks like an older version bayonetta? {{unsigned ip|162.158.106.168}}

I assumed Lot's wife would be the pillar of salt version, because of how salty Smash players are when they lose. -[[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.196|162.158.38.196]] 20:47, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

The Lego Star Wars games for the Gamecude and Wii feature the Sarlacc Pit, though mostly asa a background/cutscene element, and definitely not as a playable character. It should probably also be noted that these games were multi-platform. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.83|108.162.246.83]] 21:01, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

(Hope this is formatted correctly) This comic probably is in response to last Thursday's Nintendo Direct, about the new Smash game coming next month. In that trailer, many characters were deconfirmed, including many popular picks, while a completely unexpected character (not said to avoid spoilers for those who don't wish to see them) was added. Many people have expressed amounts of negativity about the roster reveals, ranging from simple disappointment about their most wanted not making the cut to people raging about said characters inclusion due to how "deserving" said character is. People who are extremely disappointed and people who are defensive about the choices have made the fanbase really... Broken, as usual. Depending on how you see the comic, Randall could be mocking those or sympathising with those who didn't get their characters in.
Also, Lot's wife being the pillar of salt version could indeed be about how salty the Smash community can be (which would fit nicely if this comic is making fun of fans' overzealous disappointment) but it could also be seen as a reference to a certain event in the story mode, although it's not an exact reference.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 23:47, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

1789: Phone Numbers

2018-10-29T17:45:01Z

172.68.46.41: /* Explanation */ ce

{{comic
| number = 1789
| date = January 23, 2017
| title = Phone Numbers
| image = phone_numbers.png
| titletext = Texting should work. Unless the message is too long, in which case it gets converted to voicemails, and I think I'm locked out of my voicemail.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]], who again represents [[Randall]] as given from the caption below the comic, has several phone numbers stored for [[White Hat]] under his contact entry on his phone and asks him which number he should generally use.

Often, people who have known each other for a long time may have old information recorded for each other, which may no longer be accurate. For instance, if they know each other from when {{w|Mobile phone|cell phones}} were still rather new, they would have had a {{w|landline telephone|home phone}} number also. More and more people have discontinued their land lines and now only keep the cell phone number.

Cueball has five numbers for White Hat, listed here as #1 to #5 as they are numbered in the comic (and not the order he mentions them):
#'''Cell phone''': The first number White Hat mentions is actually White Hat's cell phone; so usually this would be the number you should use as first priority, but not so with White Hat.
#'''Google Voice''': White Hat then goes on to say he should use his {{w|Google Voice}}. It is not stated that this is #2, but the other four are numbered. The reason Cueball should use this is that it will forward to White Hat's laptop, although only if his laptop is connected to WiFi.
#'''Always works''': The third number, the fourth he mentions, always works, but for some reason it cannot do SMS text messages. This could be because this is a landline (see #4).
#'''This can be deleted?''': This is the last number White Hat mentions. This number could also have been White Hat's landline which would now be discontinued (but see #3), or a previous cell number. White Hat states that it can be deleted. But then on second thought he adds an "I think" So even this number cannot be deleted from Cueball's phone. The title text most likely refers to this number, as it is the last he has mentioned in the main comic.
#'''Work number''': The fifth number, mentioned third, is White Hat's work number (maybe he has an office, or it's just an official number for his business). But this is indifferent as it just forwards all calls directly to #1, the cell phone.

White Hat does say that Cueball should use #2, the Google Voice number. This is a telephone service that provides call forwarding and voicemail services, voice and text messaging for Google customers. [https://blog.google/products/google-voice/ringing-2017-updates-our-google-voice-apps/ Google is updating Google Voice] so that is probably the reason for the comic as the update came out rather late on the day when Google made the announcement of the update.

However, he then makes it clear that this will only work when he is online with his laptop on a WiFi connection. This could be his way of saying that he only wishes to talk to Cueball when he is in such a position.

However, he also explains the other numbers more or less making it clear how he could be reached. And all in all it seems like his cell phone is still the best way to reach him.

Today on smartphones it could be possible in your contact list to save such tedious details about each number (such as "should always work but doesn't accept texts.") But who wishes to do so? Also not all cell phones do have this option, and maybe at best you can only label the numbers as "work", "home" or "cell" but not to the detail that White Hat provides.

In the caption below Randall explains that this kind of trouble with getting the correct number for people he wish to contact is one (another) of more (several?) reasons he never calls people. Today there are so many other methods of getting into contact, also even if texting is out of the questions as well. Skype, messenger, other social networking platforms like Facebook and of course the old way of sending a letter or talking in person...

White Hat's answer reveals a complicated history of communication practices. This cobbled-together personal technology is a common theme for Randall, see [[1254: Preferred Chat System]] for another example, where Voicemail, text and Google Voice is also mentioned (and mixed in with written letter if not real mail).

The title text must refer to one of the five numbers saying that texting works for one of the numbers. This should then not be #3. It could be the number he says Cueball should use #2, but it seems more likely that it is an amendment to the last I think for #4. Maybe he realizes that this is the number he used to receive text on, when his #3 number was all he had and since that could not receive text he got the number which is now #4.

In either case the number he talks about can in fact receive text - but if #4 it can probably not receive phone calls. And then it gets weird because if the text gets too long then the message goes to {{w|voicemail}}. This is of course nonsense as a text message cannot just turn in to a spoken message. (Though of course there are text-to-speech programs, but as this takes up more space than text on a server, it would make no sense).

To cap it up, just in case it did turn into a voicemail, it would not make any difference because White Hat has been locked out of his voicemail.

It is not uncommon that young people never use voicemail and expect people to text them rather than leave a message. This could be a problem for them if "old" people call to let them know of a job they have been offered etc. So it is likely that Randall also jokes about this by letting White Hat be indifferent to having been locked out of his voicemail.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat is looking at a smartphone held out by Cueball]
:Cueball: I have five phone numbers for you. Which one should I use?
:White Hat: That first one is my cell - you should use the Google Voice one, since it will forward to my laptop if I'm on WiFi. #5 is my work number, which just forwards to #1. #3 should always work but can't do texts.
:White Hat: You can delete #4. I think.

:[Caption under the panel:] Another reason I never call people.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]

Talk:2060: Hygrometer

2018-10-17T16:44:57Z

172.68.46.41: Sphygmomanometer.

Interestingly, Google search for ometerometer returns porn results. If there is an xkcd comic about rule 34 (if it exists, there is porn about it), it could be linked here.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 15:48, 17 October 2018 (UTC)

Yeah, and now xkcd is prominently displayed. Good for you!

Which meters do you enjoy?
I'm a particular fan of the Crookes radiometer [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.116|141.101.77.116]] 16:33, 17 October 2018 (UTC)
: Based almost solely on the exotic name, I'm a particular fan of the {{w|sphygmomanometer}} (blood pressure cuff), and I'm disappointed that Randall didn't take the opportunity to mention it anywhere. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 16:44, 17 October 2018 (UTC)

Here's the Rule 34 comic: https://xkcd.com/305/

2035: Dark Matter Candidates

2018-10-11T17:57:37Z

172.68.46.41: Undo revision 164026 by 172.68.141.94 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2035
| date = August 20, 2018
| title = Dark Matter Candidates
| image = dark_matter_candidates.png
| titletext = My theory is that dark matter is actually just a thin patina of grime covering the whole universe, and we don't notice it because we haven't thoroughly cleaned the place in eons.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Dark matter}} is a hypothetical, invisible form of matter used by the vast majority of astronomers to explain the far too high apparent mass of objects at large scales in our universe. In galaxies, stars are orbiting faster than the gravitational force of the sum of the masses of visible matter in the galaxy could cause, and entire galaxies are observed moving much faster around each other than their visible masses could explain. In galactic collisions, the mass can appear to separate from the visible matter, as if the mass doesn't collide but the visible matter does. A small handful of galaxies have been observed to not have this property, suggesting that it is a *thing* that a galaxy can have more or less of and is separable from. At scales of our solar system, those effects are too small and can't be measured. The most plausible explanation for all of these phenomena is that there is some "dark matter" that has gravity, but is otherwise undetectable. In cosmology, dark matter is estimated to account for 85% of the total matter in the universe.

This comic gives a set of possibilities for what dark matter could possibly be, charted by mass from smallest (given in {{w|Electronvolt#Mass|electronvolts}}) to largest (given in kilograms). Masses in the range 10-15 kg to 10-3 kg are given in grams together with appropriate prefixes, while the ton takes the place of 103 kg.

Only massive objects ranging from subatomic particles up to super massive ones are covered in this comic. There are also {{w|Dark matter#Alternative hypotheses|alternative hypotheses}} trying to modify general relativity with no need of additional matter. The problem is that these theories can't explain all different observations at once. Nonetheless dark matter is a mystery because no serious candidate has been found yet.

The joke in this comic is that the range of the mass of the possible particles and objects stretch over 81 powers of ten, with explanations suggested by astronomers covering only some portions of that range. [[Randall]] fills the gaps with highly absurd suggestions.

==== Axion ====
An {{w|Axion|axion}} is a hypothetical elementary particle postulated in 1977 to resolve the strong CP problem in {{w|Quantum chromodynamics|quantum chromodynamics}}, a theory of the strong force between {{w|Quark|quarks}} and {{w|Gluon|gluons}} which form {{w|Hadron|hadrons}} like {{w|Proton|protons}} or {{w|Neutron|neutrons}}. If axions exist within a specific range of mass they might be a component of dark matter. The advantage of this particle is that it's based on a theory which could be proved or also disproved by measurements in the future. Other theories, not mentioned in this comic, like the {{w|Weakly interacting massive particles|Weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs)}} are much more vague.

==== Sterile neutrino ====
{{w|Sterile neutrino|Sterile neutrinos}} are hypothetical particles interacting only via gravity. It's an actual candidate for dark matter. The well known {{w|Neutrino|neutrinos}} are also charged under the {{w|Weak interaction|weak interaction}} and can be detected by experiments.

==== Electrons painted with space camouflage ====
{{w|Electron|Electrons}} are fundamental particles which compose the outer layers of atoms. A large number of electrons in the galaxy would be relatively easy to detect, as they not only interact with light (which dark matter does not appear to), but also have a strong electric charge. Presumably, space camouflage is a positively-charged coating which prevents electrons from interacting with light. (Needless to say, this is not an actual candidate for dark matter.) The mass of an electron is about 0.5 MeV which fits well into the graph.

==== Neutralino ====
A {{w|Neutralino|neutralino}} is a hypothetical particle from {{w|Supersymmetry|supersymmetry}} and is also a current candidate for dark matter. But there is not evidence whether or not supersymmetry is correct and none of the predicted particles have been found yet.

==== Q-ball ====
In theoretical physics, a {{w|Q-ball}} is a stable group of particles. It's an actual candidate for dark matter.

(In billiards, a cue ball is the white (or yellow) ball hit with the cue in normal play. In addition, [[Cueball]] is the name explainxkcd uses for the most common xkcd character.)

==== Pollen ====
{{w|Pollen}} is a joke candidate, though people with seasonal allergies may suspect that the universe is genuinely made up entirely of pollen in the springtime.

==== No-See-Ums ====
{{w|Ceratopogonidae|No-See-Ums}} are a family (Ceratopogonidae) of small flies, 1–4 mm long, that can pass through most window screens. Another joke candidate, because dark matter is invisible and the name "no-see-ums" implies that the flies are invisible.

==== Bees ====
Insects of the clade {{w|Bee|Antophila}} are major pollinators of flowering plants. In recent years {{w|Colony collapse disorder|bees have been disappearing}} at an alarming rate; {{w|The Stolen Earth|Doctor Who explained}} that they are in fact aliens leaving Earth prior to a Dalek invasion.

==== 8-balls ====
In pool, the {{w|Pool (cue sports)|8-ball}} is a black ball numbered 8. It's a pun with Q-ball/cue ball. Unless undetected aliens have discovered billiards and become addicted to it, 8-balls are found only on Earth and are, hence, unlikely dark matter candidates. The 8-ball is also a popular unit of sale for black market pharmaceuticals like cocaine, where it stands for 1/8th of an ounce (3.5g). This doesn't make sense as a dark matter candidate either -- unless dark matter is hard to detect because it's illegal & trying to avoid the cops.

==== Space Cows ====
Cows are {{w|Bovinae|bovines}} extensively farmed on Earth for milk and meat. Although there is folklore concerning cows {{w|Hey diddle diddle|achieving circum-lunar orbits}}, not to mention their appearance on a {{w|Shindig (Firefly)|beloved space western TV show}}, as Muppet cow [http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Natalie Natalie] in the Sesame Street News Flash (and [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpaceWestern others less-remembered]), they have yet to be found elsewhere in the Universe. In the television show "Too Close for Comfort", one of the characters is the cartoonist of a comic strip called "Cosmic Cow". {{w|Spherical cow|Spherical cows}} have also been used (humorously) by physicists needing to simplify some source of mass in a given problem.

==== Obelisks, Monoliths, Pyramids ====
While those human constructions are huge on a human scale, they're negligible at universe-scale. It would take a large number of such constructions, distributed through space, to replicate the effects of dark matter; while a scenario could be envisioned where enough such constructs existed, with properties and distribution allowing them to match observations, this is obviously not a likely explanation.
They often show up in fiction and pseudo-scientific literature as alien artifacts generating immense unknown power out of nowhere, with the most famous and influential example being the three monoliths from {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey}} (with the largest having a mass of about 500,000 tonnes).

==== Black Holes ruled out by: ====
{{w|Black hole|Black holes}} are known to occur in sizes of a few solar masses (about 1030-1031 kg) as remnants of the core of former big stars, as well as in quite large sizes at the centers of galaxies (millions or even billions of solar masses). But recent gravitational wave detections indicate that black holes at 50 or 100 solar masses also exist, though their origin is still not understood. Randall doesn't mention this but some astronomers hope that these could fill at least a part of the gap. While black holes are widely reported to be ruled out as a candidate for dark matter for various reasons Randall has listed, such constraints are based on "monochromatic" mass distributions -- meaning that all such black holes are assumed to have the same mass -- which is considered physically implausible for populations of merging bodies which are known to have vastly different masses. See: [https://arxiv.org/pdf/1709.07467.pdf Primordial Black Holes as Dark Matter (2017)] and [https://arxiv.org/pdf/1705.05567.pdf Primordial black hole constraints for extended mass functions (2017)] (That this is a common practice in cosmology may be part of the reference to "buzzkill" astronomers.) He rules out all black holes in the range of approximately 1010 kg to 1033 kg even when below some gaps at the bars appear.

Except the last item, all range below the mass of the sun (2x1030 kg) while the smallest known black hole is about four solar masses.
* Gamma rays: If dark matter were black holes of this size, the black holes could be evaporating by the predicted {{w|Hawking radiation}}, and we'd see a buzz of gamma rays from every direction if many of those objects would exist. Nonetheless this radiation is still hypothetical and not been observed on any known black holes. Furthermore those objects would be very small because the Schwarzschild radius of a 1012 kg black hole is approximately 148 fm (1.48×10−13 m), which is between the size of an atom and an atomic nucleus.
* GRB lensing: {{w|Gamma-ray burst|Gamma-ray bursts}} (GRBs) are the brightest events in the universe and have been observed only in distant galaxies. While gravitational microlensing (see below) is an astronomical phenomenon, it doesn't make much sense here. GRBs are short (milliseconds to several hours) and are often detected only by space-borne sensors for gamma-rays -- rarely at any other wavelengths. Measuring lensing effects would be very difficult. This [https://arxiv.org/abs/1406.3102 paper] discusses the probability of detecting lensing effects caused by {{w|Dark matter halo|galactic halo objects}} among the known GRBs given sufficient objects to represent the missing mass.
* Neutron star data: {{w|Neutron star|Neutron stars}} aren't black holes, but they're also very small highly compact objects at about 1.4-2.16 solar masses. While black holes can't be observed directly, neutron stars are detectable in many wavelengths. The number of them gives a clue about the number of black holes close to the mass of the sun, a number which is far too low to make up dark matter.
* Micro lensing: {{w|Gravitational microlensing}} is a gravitational lens effect, (the path of radiation is changed by passing through space bent by nearby mass). This was predicted by Einstein's {{w|General Relativity|Theory of General Relativity}} and was first confirmed in 1919 during a solar eclipse, when a star which was nearly in line with the sun appeared more distant to the sun than usual. Astronomers have found many so called {{w|Einstein ring|Einstein rings}} or Einstein crosses where a massive object in front of other galaxies bends the light toward us. Those massive objects may be black holes, but the number is far too low to explain dark matter.
* Solar system stability: Our {{w|Solar system|solar system}} is 4.5 billion years old and has been very stable since shortly after its formation. If not, we wouldn't exist. If dark objects at 1024 kg - 1030 kg (mass of Earth up to mass of Sun) accounted for dark matter and were distributed throughout galaxies, there should be many of them in the vicinity of our solar system and the system wouldn't be stable at all.
* Buzzkill Astronomers: Black holes above a certain size are thought by some astronomers to be impossible to miss, due to the effects they have on nearby matter. At the mass of some 1030 kg there must be many supernova remnants we still haven't found. Black holes of about 1035 kg have long been considered dark matter candidates by a minority group of cosmologists, as could be seen here [https://arxiv.org/pdf/1001.2308.pdf Primordial Black Holes as All Dark Matter (2010)] and the Milky Way's first discovered intermediate mass black hole falling in this range shown here [https://www.nao.ac.jp/en/news/science/2016/20160115-nro.html Signs of Second Largest Black Hole in the Milky Way].
Not covered by this comic are {{w|Massive compact halo object|massive astrophysical compact halo objects (MACHOs)}} composed of hard to detect dim objects like black holes, neutron stars, brown dwarfs, and other objects composed of normal {{w|Baryon|baryonic}} matter. Nevertheless observations have shown that the total amount of baryonic matter in our universe on large scales is much smaller than it would be needed to explain all the measured gravitational effects.

==== Maybe those orbit lines on space diagrams are real and very heavy ====
Diagrams of our solar system (or any planetary system) often show lines representing the elliptical paths the planet takes around its sun. These lines don't show real objects, though. Astronomers just draw them on pictures of the solar system to show where the planets move. If you draw a line on a map to give someone directions, that line isn't an object in real life; it's just on the map. If these lines were real, they would be ''huge'' (Earth's would be 940 million km long (2π AU) and Neptune's would be 28 ''billion'' kilometers long). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fKBhvDjuy0 Powers of Ten (1977)] gives a good sense of just how large these orbit lines need to be in order to be visible in space diagrams. If these orbit lines were also very dense, they would have a huge mass and could possibly account for the missing 85% of the mass in the universe. But they would also constantly be impaling the planets, including the Earth, which would probably be a problem. Their mass would also affect planetary motions in ways which we would detect. A related worry about space travel was expressed in previous centuries; it was thought that the planets were embedded within {{w|Celestial spheres|crystal shells}} (spheres or Platonic solids), and a rocket into space could smash the shells and send planets plummeting to Earth. Another joke candidate.

==== Title text ====
The title text refers to the fact that space is just vast emptiness where a little bit of dirt could be overlooked. Actually the mean density of detectable matter in the universe, according to NASA, is equivalent to roughly [https://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_matter.html 1 proton per 4 cubic meters]. And because this matter is mostly located in galaxies -- and inside there in stars and clouds -- the space between is even more empty. For comparison, one gram hydrogen consists of {{w|Avogadro constant|6.022 x 1023 atoms}}. Like at home wiping with a cleaning cloth in which we can see the dirt that wasn't clearly visible on the surface we have wiped, Randall believes that some few atoms more per cubic meter could stay undetected in the same way. This isn't true because in the space between galaxies astronomers can detect matter as it spreads over thousands or millions cubic light years. Atoms can't hide; there is always radiation.

==Transcript==
:Dark matter candidates:
:[A line graph is shown and labeled at left quarter in eV and further to the right in g together with some prefixes.]
:[The labels read:]
:µeV, meV, eV, keV, MeV, GeV, TeV, 10-18kg, ng, µg, mg, g, kg, TON, 106kg, 1012kg, 1018kg, 1024kg, 1030kg

:[All items are shown in bars ranging between two approximately values:]
:< 1 µeV - 10 meV: Axion

:1 eV - 10 keV: Sterile neutrino

:0.5 MeV (exactly): Electrons painted with space camouflage

:10 GeV - 10 TeV: Neutralino

:100 TeV - 10-17 kg: Q-ball

:1 ng - 100 ng: Pollen

:0.1 mg - 1 mg: No-See-Ums

:10-1 g (exactly): Bees

:10 g - 100 g: 8-balls

:100 kg - TON: Space cows

:TON - 109 kg: Obelisks, monoliths, pyramids

:109 kg - 1033 kg: Black holes ruled out by:
::109 kg - 1013 kg: Gamma rays
::1013 kg - 1017 kg: GRB lensing
::1015 kg - 1022 kg: Neutron star data
::1021 kg - 1030 kg: Micro lensing
::1024 kg - 1030 kg: Solar system stability
::1030 kg - 1033 kg: Buzzkill astronomers

:1033 kg - >1036 kg: Maybe those orbit lines on space diagrams are real and very heavy

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]

2056: Horror Movies

2018-10-08T17:21:23Z

172.68.46.41: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2056
| date = October 8, 2018
| title = Horror Movies
| image = horror_movies.png
| titletext = "Isn't the original Jurassic Park your favorite movie of all time?" "Yes, but that's because I like dinosaurs and I WANT there to be an island full of them. If John Hammond's lab had been breeding serial killers in creepy masks, I wouldn't have watched!" "Wait, are you sure? That could actually be good." "Ok, I WOULD watch the scenes where Jeff Goldblum tries to convince a bunch of executives that the park is a bad idea."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please edit the explanation below and only mention here why it isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[White Hat and Cueball are talking.]
White Hat: Wanna see a horror movie?
Cueball: Sure! I love watching terrible things happen to people and feeling afraid!

[Caption below the frame:]
I know everyone's into what they're into, but I have never understood horror movies.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Jurassic Park]]

1909: Digital Resource Lifespan

2018-10-03T22:37:14Z

172.68.46.41: /* Table */

{{comic
| number = 1909
| date = October 30, 2017
| title = Digital Resource Lifespan
| image = digital_resource_lifespan.png
| titletext = I spent a long time thinking about how to design a system for long-term organization and storage of subject-specific informational resources without needing ongoing work from the experts who created them, only to realized I'd just reinvented libraries.
}}

==Explanation==

In this chart, [[Randall]] laments the tendency of digital resources to quickly become obsolete or non-functional. By taking a general subject, such as xkcd's core subjects of "romance, sarcasm, math, and language", one can see that a useful tool such as a smartphone or computer app or interactive CD-ROM (essentially, software) does not have the lasting power of printed books (e.g. textbooks, for many general subjects) and microfilm/microfiche. The printed resources, not having to rely on a computerized platform for use, are far more reliable despite being less mobile and taking up physical space. The only digital source which is still working is {{w|Portable Document Format}} (aka PDF) which encapsulates fixed layout flat documents, and is supported for years already by {{w|Adobe Systems}} and is part of {{w|International Organization for Standardization|ISO}} standards, so has a widespread support, and should be still viewable in foreseeable future.

The title text makes a statement that libraries do not require the support of ''original'' authors/experts to organize and store vast resources for any subject imaginable. This is true, but omits the fact that ongoing efforts are required by experts in information organization and storage -- namely, librarians. Physical books and microfilm/microfiche need controlled storage environments, manual handling for storage, retrieval, distribution (in library terms, "circulation"), and the like. Thus, a library can require significant resources in personnel and facilities, but is usually seen as a "public good" for the benefit of society; thus, many communities and educational institutions invest in creating and maintaining a library despite the costs.

Archive.org refers to {{w|The Internet Archive}}, a non-profit organization that maintains the {{w|Wayback Machine}}, one of the largest archives of the {{w|World Wide Web}}. When a website is taken offline, copies of its content can often be found backed-up on the Wayback Machine. The Wayback Machine is primarily designed to back up {{w|Website|websites}}, however, and will often not be able to save information stored in a site's {{w|Database|databases}}, as alluded to in the comic. The Internet Archive has a part for non-website archives, but it cannot hold recent databases either due to copyright problems.

==Table==

{| class="wikitable"
!style="width:20%"|Caption
!style="width:20%"|Type of Resource
!style="width:60%"|Explanation
|-
|Book on Subject
|{{w|Book|Physical Books}}
|This is the most familiar physical resource and used as the baseline for other (digital) resources.
Under optimal conditions, a book can last indefinitely for future generations. Additionally, there are books from the ancient times that are still readable today.
|-
|<nowiki>[Subject].pdf</nowiki>
|{{w|Portable Document Format}}
|This is the most familiar digital resource, with the probable exception of the internet. A format originally developed by Adobe, the majority of the format is now an {{w|Portable_Document_Format#History_and_standardization|ISO standard}} which means a compliant reader and writer can be made independently (which avoids the majority of the pitfalls described on later resources).
A PDF file is designed to be portable (it is even in the acronym), which means unless the creator of the PDF uses a web-only feature (which is non-standard), it can be opened everywhere a PDF reader is found. Authors may also opt for a stricter, "archival" version ({{w|PDF/A}}) which ensures that both required files are placed on the same PDF file and only documented formats are used to prevent the reliance on non-standardized formats.
|-
|<nowiki>[Subject] Web Database</nowiki>
|{{w|Database}}
|Another type of a digital resource which is, in itself, is like a digital library. Unlike a physical library however, it is usually only stored in a single file or server (there are instances that the database is distributed, but it is rare), which means that a failure to that server means that the database is wiped out, not to mention the gigantic space it takes (that is why the whole database are not stored in a digital archive, like the Internet Archive).
Additionally, unlike PDFs, there are almost-infinite ways of storing and retrieving data in a database, which means that when the method used becomes unsupported (like the Java scenario, which is of now is completely unusable in web browsers), the data in it is effectively lost (whether or not the data-in-question is still physically on the server).
|-
|<nowiki>[Subject] Mobile App</nowiki>
(Local University Project)
|{{w|Mobile app|Mobile App}}
|A type of digital resource that expands upon the idea of a web database. It allows easy access on a mobile device, however, as it is stated that it is a local university project, which means that support for it lasts only at most for a few years (which is not enough to maintain an application).
Additionally, {{w|Operating System|Operating Systems}} can get obsolete (like the {{w|Symbian}} platform used on older {{w|Nokia}} phones) or critical changes to it breaks older applications (like on the [http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-41319675 Apple iOS]).
|-
|<nowiki>[Subject] Analysis Software</nowiki>
|{{w|Application software|Desktop Application}}
|A type of executable program that is found on desktop systems. It allows reliable access on a desktop system, which means that (assuming the program is offline) it can survive on its own. However, {{w|Operating System|Operating Systems}} can get obsolete (like the {{w|Classic Mac OS}} platform used on older {{w|Macintosh|Mac}} computers) or critical changes to it breaks older applications (like the new security features on {{w|Microsoft Windows|Windows}} which breaks older non-compliant programs).
|-
|<nowiki>Interactive [Subject] CD-ROM</nowiki>
|{{w|Application software|Desktop Application}}, {{w|CD-ROM|CD-ROMs}}
|A CD can hold anything from music to videos to applications. It also allows better offline access, and such were used in the 1990s and the early 2000s. It is still a fancy desktop application, which means that the situation on the analysis software applies here, not to mention the fact that a new invention can replace an obsolete one (for example, {{w|Microsoft Encarta}} was discontinued in 2010 due to the ease-of-access of {{w|Main Page|Wikipedia}}).
Additional issues mentioned are that CDs can become "{{w|Disc rot|scratched}}", in which case, the data becomes corrupted or unreadable. Also, many modern laptops do not have CD-ROM drives anymore, making it difficult to use CDs as a storage medium.
Additionally, this also covers the changes in a physical system: in the 1980s, {{w|Floppy disk|floppy diskettes}} were used, which was replaced in the 1990s by the CDs and DVDs, which then was replaced by {{w|Thumb drive|thumb drives}} in the 2000s, which is then supplemented (and in some cases, replaced entirely) by wireless device-to-device transfers (like {{w|Bluetooth}}) and internet file transfers using online storage (like {{w|Dropbox}} and {{w|Google Drive}}).

|-
|<nowiki>Library Microfilm [Subject] Collection</nowiki>
|{{w|Microfilm}}
|This is a physical resource used by libraries to preserve (or to create a copy) of a collection, usually those things that are rare or would cause a social or political issue when damaged. Although great preservation is needed to prevent damage to a film, the system used is standardized and knowledge to build a reader or a printer off a microfilm is widely available, like a PDF file. This comparison might look like a physical version of PDFs: standardized, common (books can be of any size imagined) format.
|-
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Needs reorganization?}}
:My access to resources on [SUBJECT] over time:

:[Below, a timeline and a graph with gray bars is shown:]

:[1980s-past 2020:]
:Book on subject

:[Early 2000s-past 2020:]
:[SUBJECT].pdf

:[2000-2010:]
:[SUBJECT] web database
::Site goes down, backend data not on archive.org
::[Small bar, 2000-2016/17:]
:::Java frontend no longer runs

:[2010-2015/16:]
:[SUBJECT] mobile app (Local university project)
::Broken on new OS, not updated

:[2000-2010:]
:[SUBJECT] analysis software
::Broken on new OS, not updated

:[Late 1990s-late 2000s:]
:Interactive [SUBJECT] CD-ROM
::CD scratched; new computer has no CD drive anyway.

:[1980s-past 2020:]
:Library microfilm [SUBJECT] collection

:[Caption below the panel:]
:It's unsettling to realize how quickly digital resources can disappear without ongoing work to maintain them.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Timelines]]

Talk:2044: Sandboxing Cycle

2018-10-02T17:29:26Z

172.68.46.41:

It’s not just sand boxing that follows this kind of cycle, other design ideas follow similar iterations from generation to generation. The grass is always greener... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.94|172.68.34.94]] 04:55, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

Interesting that the same red and green colours have been used for two comics in a row. [[User:Baquea|Baquea]] ([[User talk:Baquea|talk]]) 05:18, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

This seems linked to the British Airways (BA) Data breach.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45440850 From the precise time frame it is likely that was how long a piece of code (the one with the "link going nowhere") was in use. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 17:41, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

The one thing that we learn from history is that nobody ever learns anything from history..... [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 05:56, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

I've started explaining this comic, but it is far from done. We should probably address some of the undertones (history repeating itself, software getting more and more complex to do the same thing it did before, the constant cycle of improvement we expect from software products,...) [[User:Gir|//gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 10:42, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

'''It's not only software'''

Right now I see two other things also matching the graph: The internet vs. firewalling, and the imposition of duties by the US against free-trade with China and Europe. An because the comic doesn't mention software anyway I think the explanation should be more universal at the first place. It's the more common problem between being open and secure. Software is just one example. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:04, 10 September 2018 (UTC)
:While my two examples before matched the graph they don't fit to the comic at all. A sandbox is primarily a box where everyone inside can do anything without effecting others outside. And while this comic is probably about software - only small hints like ''bug'' and ''security'' are given - a sandbox is still a playing ground (not only for children.) --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:23, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

'''SMBC is so similar sometimes...'''
Even down to using the phrase "is that too much to ask"!

Does anyone else here read smbc-comics? Today's: http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/the-problem

All I want is a webcomic that is timely, topical, & mirrors my own sentiments on a day-to-day basis without feeling redundant or eerily informed. Is that too much to ask?
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:38, 10 September 2018 (UTC)
:I don't see social media as mentioned at SMBC as the major part in this comic, but the same phrase "is that too much to ask" is probably more than just a coincidence. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:02, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

Gotta say, that map of the nodes looks vaguely "US shaped", I'd guess that this is especially referencing connecting various datacenters? [[User:R167|R167]] ([[User talk:R167|talk]]) 16:11, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

'''re:Transcript:'''

sorry for botching the transcript and i appreciate you fixing my mistake (i'll learn, i promise). i do think though that my version was contentwise better: i tried to make it as concise as possible and explaining 'why' instead of exactly how it is pictured. i believe we shouldn't describe minute details (e.g. '14 nodes', 'clockwise', ...) and do include what is meant to be depicted ('likely indicating bugs') as in the faq states: someone should understand the comic if it was being read to them. i'm keeping it as-is for now, with the hope that we can find some middle ground down the line ;-) [[User:Gir|//gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 19:39, 10 September 2018 (UTC)
:Many thanks for your first draft. But: A transcript describes what can be seen, exactly that but not more. Everything else belongs the the explanation on top. And I wouldn't count 114 nodes but 14 is more than a few but less than hundreds. And the clockwise orientation is really important - think about impaired (blind) people. BTW: Please avoid html-tags here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:14, 10 September 2018 (UTC)
The focus on a single application's parts / developpment doesn't make much sense here. Network (with various machines / applications communicating with each other) is a much more likely explanation. {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.100}}

I have a question. Do the big green circles in the bottom-left represent the tiny red circles in the top left, and thus the cycle moves "up" a level with each iteration? Or is it all on the same level and the sandboxing divides are drawn and redrawn in every cycle? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.168|172.68.133.168]] 16:02, 12 September 2018 (UTC)
:The infinite loop only does work when the tiny circles always represent the same entity. It's drawn by hand but they are in each frame at the same relative position. Nevertheless the colors should be explained. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:52, 12 September 2018 (UTC)

Can someone explain the colors? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:12, 13 September 2018 (UTC)

:My explanation, green is things doing good/what he wants them to, red is not doing what he wants or making connections he wants. Not sure where to put it in the explanation - Welp [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 17:29, 2 October 2018 (UTC)

2052: Stanislav Petrov Day

2018-09-28T16:37:01Z

172.68.46.41: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2052
| date = September 28, 2018
| title = Stanislav Petrov Day
| image = stanislav_petrov_day.png
| titletext = I was going to get you an alarm clock that occasionally goes off randomly in the middle of the night, but you can ignore it and go back to sleep and it's fine.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please edit the explanation below and only mention here why it isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov (Russian: Станисла́в Евгра́фович Петро́в; 7 September 1939 – 19 May 2017) was a lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces who became known as "the man who single-handedly saved the world from nuclear war" for his role in the 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident.

On 26 September 1983, during the cold war, the nuclear early-warning system of the Soviet Union reported the launch of multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles from the United States.
Stanislav Petrov ignored it, assuming it was a false alarm.
This decision is seen as having prevented a retaliatory nuclear attack, which would have probably resulted in immediate escalation of the cold-war stalemate to a full-scale nuclear war.

Investigation of the satellite warning system later confirmed that the system had indeed malfunctioned.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident

The title text refers to how Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov ignored the warning, and tells how cueball was going to create a alarm that goes off randomly at night, but, like Stanislav, you could just ignore it.

==Transcript==

:[Megan is looking at her phone while Cueball stands in front of her]
:Megan: Hey, Wednesday was Stanislav Petrov day. We missed it.
:Cueball: Oh, shoot! I got a calendar alert for it, but I assumed it was a false alarm.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2051: Bad Opinions

2018-09-26T15:09:57Z

172.68.46.41: Updated transcript

{{comic
| number = 2051
| date = September 26, 2018
| title = Bad Opinions
| image = bad_opinions.png
| titletext = I thought of another bad opinion! I couldn't find anyone who expressed it specifically, but still, the fact that I can so easily imagine it is infuriating! I'm gonna tell everyone about it!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please edit the explanation below and only mention here why it isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[Cueball]], as a form of catharsis, narcissism, and addiction, is imagining bad opinions, searching them up on the Internet, and excoriating the opinion givers. In an immediate new low, he imagines another hitherto unexpressed opinion, and promptly makes it a problem and false self-esteem booster for the Internet to bask in.

The use of the [[181: Interblag|Interblag]] by smart and idiotic alike to [[1974: Conversational Dynamics|violently express their opinions]] has been a regular theme in xkcd.

In title text he goes to a new level, where he can't find an opinion he imagined on the internet, but still wants to discredit it, just because he is so infuriated by just being able to imagine it.

This demonstrates a "strawman argument", where someone refutes an argument that wasn't actually made by anyone. (Ironically, the comic itself could be considered an example of this behavior. Randall imagines the absurd person and behavior depicted in the comic, and wrote a comic satirizing it, without knowing if such a person actually exists.)

This is a rather obvious callback to one of the most popular XKCD comics, [[Duty Calls]], wherein Cueball is actively seeking to discredit and correct people who are "wrong" on the internet.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Cueball sits at a computer,

Offscreen: "What are you doing?"

Cueball:"I just thought of a bad opinion someone could have, and now i'm searching to see if anyone does so I can be mad at them."

offscreen: "Sounds like you have a healthy relationship with the internet."

Cueball: "Hey, at least im not ''this'' guy i found"
{{comic discussion}}

2046: Trum-

2018-09-14T16:10:14Z

172.68.46.41: /* Transcript */ transcript

{{comic
| number = 2046
| date = September 14, 2018
| title = Trum-
| image = trum.png
| titletext = Excited to vote for future presidents Bill Eisenhamper, Amy Forb, Ethan Obample, and Abigail Washingtoast.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please edit the explanation below and only mention here why it isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Before {{w|Donald Trump}}, {{w|Harry S. Truman}} (1884-1972) was president of the United States between 1945 and 1953. Megan notes that both of these presidents' last names start with "T-R-U-M".

The joke is that of all the weird things in the present (Trump's) presidency, this is the "least weird". Trump's presidency has been plagued with [https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/trump-scandals-unprecedented-president-180908070216183.html various scandals].

The title text lists other "absurd" last names that start with the same letters as other presidents: Bill Eisenhamper, Amy Forb, Ethan Obample, and Abigail Washingtoast. These would refer to {{w|Dwight D. Eisenhower|Dwight D. '''Eisen'''hower}}, {{w|Gerald Ford|Gerald '''For'''d}}, {{w|Barack Obama|Barack '''Obam'''a}}, and {{w|George Washington|George '''Washing'''ton}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball and Megan walking together while talking.]
:Megan: It's pretty weird that we've had two totally unrelated presidents whose last names start with '''"T-R-U-M"'''.
:Cueball: Oh, sure, that's ''definitely'' the weirdest thing about the presidency right now.
:Megan: It's less weird than '''''every other fact'''''. But still weird.
:Cueball: True.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Politics]]

Talk:2043: Boathouses and Houseboats

2018-09-08T04:35:19Z

172.68.46.41:

The state of California already believes that a house held by a car is a housecar:
:Vehicle Code - VEH
:DIVISION 1. WORDS AND PHRASES DEFINED [100 - 681] ( Division 1 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )
:362.
:A “house car” is a motor vehicle originally designed, or permanently altered, and equipped for human habitation, or to which a camper has been permanently attached. A motor vehicle to which a camper has been temporarily attached is not a house car except that, for the purposes of Division 11 (commencing with Section 21000) and Division 12 (commencing with Section 24000), a motor vehicle equipped with a camper having an axle that is designed to support a portion of the weight of the camper unit shall be considered a three-axle house car regardless of the method of attachment or manner of registration. A house car shall not be deemed to be a motortruck.[http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&sectionNum=362.]
Bonus: "motortruck" does indeed refer to a truck that holds a motor.
[[User:Jordan Brown|Jordan Brown]] ([[User talk:Jordan Brown|talk]]) 15:57, 7 September 2018 (UTC)
:: The State of California believes [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/796:_Bad_Ex all sort of strange things] [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 18:20, 7 September 2018 (UTC)
Randall did just correct the comic. The first version said "this [row] held by this [column]", which would have meant, that e.g. a towtruck is a car held by a car, which is just wrong. It has just be updated to the correct "a this [column] that holds a this [row]". I do not know how to change that here. Should be mentioned in Trivia [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 16:11, 7 September 2018 (UTC)
:Thanks for your eagle eyes. I've uploaded the new version, please be patient until the cache is expired and you can see it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:48, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

'''Boat boat'''

Shouldn't a boat that holds another boat be some sort of either carrier, or at-sea repair dock?

Sort of like a mothership, or a drydock?
Or an oil rig (technically considered a ship by international law), etc?

For that matter, how about the distinction between a boat and a ship?
[[User:Keybounce|Keybounce]] ([[User talk:Keybounce|talk]]) 16:34, 7 September 2018 (UTC)
:well... with the original version it fits. a boat held by another boat is a lifeboat. But the new version it doesnt. a boat that holds another boat would be, as you say, carrier, mothership, etc. looks like randall didn't think this through to the end... [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 16:40, 7 September 2018 (UTC)
:Floating Drydock? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_dock#Floating] {{unsigned|OldCorps}}
:As far as I can remember, a ship is a boat that can manage being away from shore for more than a day [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 18:16, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

::Similar failing: an ''apartment'' is the small entity—the "house" that is contained by the larger house. ''Apartment building'' (or ''apartment complex'') would have been the term to be replaced. [[User:Jameslucas|jameslucas]] ([[User talk:Jameslucas|" "]] / [[Special:Contributions/Jameslucas|+]]) 17:42, 7 September 2018 (UTC)
::: Agreed. His list of words contains elements that fall into either the 'x held by y' or 'x that holds y' definition, so neither definition can work for all the words! Only way to fix is to replace some of the words as suggested ('apartment building' instead of 'apartment').[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.241|162.158.154.241]] 17:52, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

You're entirely correct on both counts. Lifeboats are carried by other boats, and ships that can carry other ships do exist. This comic also fails to distinguish between boats and ships, and cars, trucks, and trailers.
While a Boathouse is indeed a house for boats, a boat ''trailer'' is usually a trailer and not a car- the name already follows Randell's suggested logic: it's a trailer (characterized by lacking it's own engine, steering, and driver's cabin) that holds one or more boats. In addition, both tow trucks and car carriers are large enough to be properly referred to as trucks (the smallest type of tow truck I know of is built on a pickup truck chassis) and are fully capable to towing or carrying other trucks as well as cars, making the term carcar inaccurate. Yes, I'm being pedantic, but this might be worth mentioning in explanation. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.60|162.158.122.60]] 16:44, 7 September 2018 (UTC)Chris Long

:Each of the compound words that Randall has made up here are still "correct" - but general. The failure to distinguish between multiple examples isn't a "bug" here; it's a feature of the productive nature of novel compounding in English. Each of 'apartment', 'tow truck' and 'lifeboat' should be treated as ''an'' example of 'househouse', 'carcar' and 'boatboat', respectively, but given the way English treats novel compounds, they can't be the ''only'' examples. {{unsigned ip|172.68.150.76}}
::He tries to get a logic in there, as in the difference between boathouse and houseboat, to show which supports which, but fails to do so. While your comment is in itself ok, the comic clearly tries to put in a logic and fails to do so.[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 20:41, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

::I wouldn't read too much into it. This comic is, of course, lighthearted in nature, and I'm pretty sure Randall doesn't ''literally'' hold these views and call for the creation of a "carcar" or something. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 04:35, 8 September 2018 (UTC)

'''Bananaphone'''

Is this a spoiler for the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2000:_xkcd_Phone_2000 XKCD phone 2001]? Will this phone be edible, yellow and be 10G-erine compatible? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 18:16, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

More like this [https://bananaphone.io/ banana phone][[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.16|172.68.34.16]] 20:12, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

'''Compounding nouns'''

As a native German speaker I've learned in school that compounding nouns in German like "Hausboot" are always written as "house boat" in English, the nouns do not form to a new single noun. And I'm still sure that "Hausbootbriefkasten" (Haus-boot-brief-kasten) still translates literally to something like "house boats letter box" in the original Oxford English domain, while "letterbox of a houseboat" is probably the much better translation. Nonetheless the order at the German ''looong'' noun is still correct: There's a box, for a letter, on a boat, which supports a house. And a record holder in German: {{w|Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft}}, even Germans are annoyed... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:31, 7 September 2018 (UTC)

If a boat that carries a boat is called a ship, should "ship" be in the boatboat square instead of "lifeboat"? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.64|172.69.62.64]] 01:37, 8 September 2018 (UTC)

2043: Boathouses and Houseboats

2018-09-08T03:27:21Z

172.68.46.41: /* Explanation */ added table

{{comic
| number = 2043
| date = September 7, 2018
| title = Boathouses and Houseboats
| image = boathouses_and_houseboats.png
| titletext = The <x> that is held by <y> is also a <y><x>, so if you go to a food truck, the stuff you buy is truck food. A phone that's in your car is a carphone, and a car equipped with a phone is a phonecar. When you play a mobile racing game, you're in your phonecar using your carphone to drive a different phonecar. I'm still not sure about bananaphones.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|BOTBOT or BOATBOAT is funny, but please also mention here the reason why this isn't complete - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Most English {{w|English compound|compound nouns}} can be constructed recursively. In many cases they are written ''open'' or ''spaced'' like "piano player" (a player using a piano.) But ''closed'' forms like "wallpaper" (a paper on a wall) are not less common.

[[Randall]] is engaging in creative linguistics again. This time he is humorously suggesting to use a consistent naming scheme for things holding other things, the same way we call a boat holding a house a houseboat. He is extending this to all combinations boats, houses and cars. This would, however, be somewhat impractical, as these names do not include why one thing is on an other, and are also sometimes ambiguous: a carcar can be a tow truck as much as a car carrier, and a househouse can be either an apartment (house in a house) or an apartment building (house containing houses).

Additionally, he is somewhat inconsistent in some parts of the chart. While the chart is supposed to show examples of neologistic compound words <x><y> that refer to a(n) <y> that ''holds'' a(n) <x>, rather than a(n) <y> ''in'' a(n) <x>. However, Randall's examples sometimes are those of the latter example. He proposes to call lifeboats, which are boats held by other boats, "boatboat", instead of using that to refer to boats holding other boats, such as floating drydocks. Additionally, it is established naval practice to refer to a boat which is carried by another vessel as a "ship's boat", and call any vessel that carries a boat a "ship". In other words, according to usual naval terminology, a "boatboat" is a contradiction in terms; it is either a "boatship", synonymous with ship and hence redundant, or a "shipboat", the ship's boat. "Apartment" is a similar case: an apartment is a house in a house, while a house that holds a house is an apartment building or apartment complex. (However, in the title text, Randall points out a(n) <x><y> could also refer to a(n) <y> in a(n) <x>, similar to the lifeboat and apartment examples. Nevertheless, "lifeboat" and "apartment" do not fit with the rest of the items of the chart and disobey the rule annotated in the corner.)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Real term
! Actual definition
! Randall's definition
! Inaccuracies in Randall's definition
! Randall's term
|-
| Tow truck
| A truck that pulls or carries cars
| A Car that holds a Car
| A tow truck is too large to be considered a car
| Carcar
|-
| Garage
| A building for storing or repairing vehicles
| A House that holds a Car
| The word "house" typically refers to a residential building, but can refer to other buildings
| Carhouse
|-
| Car ferry
| A boat that carries cars, especially across a river
| A Boat that holds a Car
| Most car ferries hold more than one car at a time
| Carboat
|-
| Mobile home
| A home that can be moved by a truck
| A Car that holds a House
| The term "mobile home" refers to the home that is moved by a separate vehicle, not to the vehicle that moves it. (If the home is self-propelled, then it is called a recreational vehicle.)
| Housecar
|-
| Apartment
| A home within a building that has been divided into separate living units
| A House that holds a House
| The "apartment" is the individual home within the larger building, which is called an apartment house or an apartment complex
| Househouse
|-
| Houseboat
| A boat that is used as a house
| A Boat that holds a House
| A houseboat has a home that is part of the boat; it is not a separate home carried on a boat. However, a mobile home theoretically could be carried on a car ferry or a ship.
| Houseboat
|-
| Boat trailer
| A carrier that is towed behind a car or truck and holds a small boat
| A Car that holds a Boat
| The trailer is not the car; it is towed by the car.
| Boatcar
|-
| Boathouse
| A building for storing a boat
| A House that holds a Boat
| The word "house" typically refers to a residential building, but can refer to other buildings
| Boathouse
|-
| Lifeboat
| A small boat carried on a ship, meant to be used to evacuate the larger ship, especially if it starts to sink or catches fire
| A Boat that holds a Boat
| The "lifeboat" is the smaller vessel carried on the large one; it is not the larger vessel that carries the smaller one. And the larger vessel is usually a ship, not a boat.
| Boatboat
|}

==Transcript==
:[A chart with three rows and three columns is shown, both with the same heading "car", "house", and "boat". On the top left a text with the word "this" two times embedded in a bubble and an arrow respectively pointing to the row and column heading reads:]
:A '''this''' that holds '''this'''

:[Most entries have the common word in black, but crossed out in red with another word below also in red. Two entries remain in green.]
:A Car that holds a Car: <s>Tow truck</s> Carcar
:A House that holds a Car: <s>Garage</s> Carhouse
:A Boat that holds a Car: <s>Car ferry</s> Carboat
:A Car that holds a House: <s>Mobile home</s> Housecar
:A House that holds a House: <s>Apartment</s> Househouse
:A Boat that holds a House: Houseboat (green text)
:A Car that holds a Boat: <s>Boat trailer</s> Boatcar
:A House that holds a Boat: Boathouse (green text)
:A Boat that holds a Boat: <s>Lifeboat</s> Boatboat

:[Caption below the frame:]
:I really like the words for "boathouse" and "houseboat" and think we should apply that scheme more consistently.

==Trivia==
The first version of the comic image mixed up the order of what holds what. The second word holds the first but at the original the opposite was told as it can be seen [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/3/38/20180907164439%21boathouses_and_houseboats.png here].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Language]]

Talk:1134: Logic Boat

2018-06-05T06:33:13Z

172.68.46.41:

Why not take the boat as well? The goat could drag it around, and you could use it as a makeshift shelter until you finish building a proper house. Also, why does cabbage weigh as much as a goat? [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 05:50, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

:Or-stay on this side. What's wrong with this side? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 06:33, 5 June 2018 (UTC)
I'd say that the wolf is the only one amongst them he should keep. Seeing as how the wolf doesn't treat Cueball like the goat--i.e. rip him to shreds--and actually fears him enough to even respect the goat in his presence, I'd say that the wolf is well broken-in and might make a good companion. The goat, on the other hand, is just dead weight. (Sure, Cueball could eat her, but that's why he has the cabbage.)
[1] Take the cabbage across [2] Return alone [3] Find the goat problem solved--and your friend well-fed [4] Take the wolf across [[Special:Contributions/207.237.164.241|207.237.164.241]] 06:33, 14 November 2012 (UTC)
::I am not the only one, then! I like wolves a lot more than goats. Then again, I simply like wolves. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 03:48, 15 November 2012 (UTC)
::::They're like puppies! Except instead of love them, you have to occasionally beat the shit out of them to ensure that they continue to fear and respect you. Oh, and instead of love you back, they sometimes physically challenge your authority over the "pack". But yeah, they're all around awesome. [[Special:Contributions/207.237.164.241|207.237.164.241]] 09:42, 15 November 2012 (UTC)
::::::...
::::::I compare such a relationship (especially the "beat up the wolf in order for the wolf to fear you") to [[574:_Swine_Flu|Untoward's relationship with a pig.]] [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 15:03, 19 November 2012 (UTC)
::::::: Wolves are awesome in Minecraft just as in real life. And all you need is bones and rotting meat. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.101|108.162.218.101]] 23:01, 10 March 2014 (UTC)
::You're never alone with a goat - ask Alexander Selkirk. [[Special:Contributions/86.25.154.116|86.25.154.116]] 13:03, 25 October 2013 (UTC)
Why would cabbage count towards the total capacity of the boat? Take the wolf and the cabbage, return alone, take the goat.--[[Special:Contributions/69.197.220.27|69.197.220.27]] 08:08, 14 November 2012 (UTC)
::Maybe it's a sentient boat that knows how many passengers/objects are aboard no matter their weight?--[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 16:09, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

The comments describing other shortcuts are really just emphasizing the joke in this comic. The logic puzzle introduces arbitrary constraints and asks the solver to come up with a solution. (This is reminiscent of the classic xkcd on [[356|Nerd Sniping]].) Most normal people would have the responses you listed about the constraints being arbitrary, but the people vulnerable to Nerd Sniping (i.e. nerds) usually are willing to ignore reality to solve a puzzle with artificial constraints. The purpose of the puzzle is to encourage logical thinking. (Maybe I should take the wolf first so it can't eat the goat. Oh, but then the goat would eat the cabbage. But if I take the cabbage first, the wolf would eat the goat. Therefore, I must take the goat first. ... Continue reasoning with trial and error until the puzzle is solved...) However, you correctly are pointing out how artificial the constraints on the puzzle are. In the actual comic, the solution of leaving the wolf behind would come as a humorous surprise to the nerd following along coming up with a solution. [[User:S|S]] ([[User talk:S|talk]]) 00:07, 15 November 2012 (UTC)
::And that would be the long way towards the 'Explanation' section [[Special:Contributions/207.237.164.241|207.237.164.241]] 09:42, 15 November 2012 (UTC)
::I don't think you attitude is as common as you're claiming it is, nor that it is the central joke of the comic, which is probably just about the unlikeliness of the scenario. Here's[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDzTyOJSe-Y]] a clip of a comedy episode where 'normal people' are trying to solve the problem straight and a nerd is missing the point.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.74|162.158.155.74]] 13:11, 23 July 2017 (UTC)

I see this as a play on the common use of “logical” to mean “consistent implicit goals or values,” as oppose to “consistent with the principles of inference” as in formal logic. For example, it's the former usage we see when Spock in Star Trek II says, “Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few,” or in Star Trek IV, he says, “To hunt a species to extinction is not logical.” You leave the wolf because it’s not logical to hang around wolves longer than necessary –they’re dangerous. Of course, this usage of “logic” is highly relative and subjective (in contrast to formal logic). As some have argued, wolves are not only logical, but awesome. Title text drills home how subjective and relative this use of “logic” is. It’s not logical to take the cabbage because I don’t like cabbage. But I like goats so they “make sense.” --[[User:Emzed|Emzed]] ([[User talk:Emzed|talk]]) 18:40, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Everybody knows the classic wolf, sheep and cabbage problem, but I just realized that this is not same problem! Just read the first panel: you have the constraints that the boat can carry two and you can't leave the goat with the cabbage or the wolf with the goat as in the classic problem, but nowhere is stated that you must reach the other side with the other three! You can just do nothing, or carry the sheep on the other side and go away with the boat...
--[[User:Sandman|Sandman]] ([[User talk:Sandman|talk]]) 20:02, 16 November 2012 (UTC)

:The problem actually doesn't state any requirement. An equally valid solution would be you starve to death, the cabbage rots to slime and the goat runs away while the wolf tears strips of flesh from your corpse. [[Special:Contributions/216.52.207.104|216.52.207.104]] 23:23, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

::Alternate Solution: Share the Cabbage with the goat. The wolf obviously respects you, so take it with you to make your pet. Don't let the goat ride- make it swim. {{unsigned|66.220.143.177}}

:::When I was a kid, we used the version with a dog, a chicken, and a bushel of corn. Being a farm kid, my solution was: take chicken, shoot dog, take corn. Because why the hell do you have a dog that eats chickens? Also, tie your bag o'corn up properly so a chicken couldn't get in. They're not that smart. And they cannot eat a bushel of corn in the time it takes you to cross a river and come back. Also, how did you manage to get to this point without everybody eating each other? Why isn't the chicken in a cage? That could protect it from getting eaten. Is it just sitting quietly awaiting your command? Won't it just wander away once you get it to the other side?
To the above: Goats HATE water. They do not swim well either. I think the wolf should swim.
My solution to the wolf/goat/cabbage is to tether the goat and the wolf far away from each other, whichever side they may be on. --[[Special:Contributions/184.21.245.225|184.21.245.225]] 22:29, 17 February 2013 (UTC)

Goats eat cabbage..
[[Special:Contributions/24.59.184.243|24.59.184.243]] 09:18, 13 January 2013 (UTC)
:Hmm... what is to keep the human from eating the cabbage?
:Send the wolf with the cabbage across and let the boat drift back, and then have the human go across with the goat. 3 steps. The real challenge of this puzzle is teaching your wolf to paddle the boat across. [[User:Zyxuvius|Zyxuvius]] ([[User talk:Zyxuvius|talk]]) 09:55, 25 October 2013 (UTC)

Fastest solution: Get the goat in the boat, drop the cabbage in the water, row boat across, periodically pushing the cabbage in the direction of the shore with your oars. 1 step. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.150|199.27.128.150]] 04:52, 10 January 2014 (UTC)

The river isn't that wide. Couldn't you just throw the cabbage across, then return and get the wolf, then return and get the goat? Or just leave the cabbage. [[User:Jake|Jake]] ([[User talk:Jake|talk]]) 14:37, 20 January 2014 (UTC)

Why wouldn't the wolf eat the cabbage? And why would the cabbage's presence stop the wolf from eating the goat (or does it not stop it)? [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 22:01, 3 August 2014 (UTC)

: Only the humans presence stops the wolf eating the goat, or the goat eating the cabbage. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 12:11, 31 October 2014 (UTC)

I've always heard this as a dog-chicken-corn problem. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.190}}

This is the only website I've heard call it "wolf-goat-cabbage". Even wikipedia doesn't call it that anymore. And the trope is http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FoxChickenGrainPuzzle - [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.58|162.158.214.58]] 04:35, 22 July 2017 (UTC)

Talk:286: All Your Base

2018-06-04T08:41:56Z

172.68.46.41:

Meghan Trainor may have turned up the clock on this meme's recursion with her lastest hit. {{unsigned ip|‎173.245.54.194}}

I'm not sure why this counts as an internet meme. Zero Wing was during the pre-WWW era, even the console port with the Engrish intro sequence. Not the Pre-Internet era, but in A.D.1991, when internet was beginning.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.70|141.101.104.70]] 11:06, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
:It's a meme because the thing was circulated on the internet, modified and recirculated in various forms. Michael Jackson eating popcorn is still a meme, even though the still frame of him eating the popcorn was filmed in the pre-WWW era. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 02:03, 10 March 2016 (UTC)
Irrelevant, and you probably won't even see this after two years, but I find it funny that you felt the need to specify "A.D."

2002: LeBron James and Stephen Curry

2018-06-04T08:29:32Z

172.68.46.41: Lifting a finger but not my arm muscles

{{comic
| number = 2002
| date = June 4, 2018
| title = LeBron James and Stephen Curry
| image = lebron_james_and_stephen_curry.png
| titletext = The 538TR attempts to capture a player's combined skill at basketball (either real-life or NBA 2K18) and election forecasting.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Basketball - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a satirical comic.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A scatter plot is shown.]
{{comic discussion}}

2002: LeBron James and Stephen Curry

2018-06-04T08:27:21Z

172.68.46.41: /* Explanation */

Talk:2000: xkcd Phone 2000

2018-05-30T20:08:32Z

172.68.46.41:

Huh, it's not a milestone comic like 1000 was. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.191|172.68.58.191]] 16:16, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Yeah, I'm slightly disappointed honestly [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.46|172.68.54.46]] 16:22, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Gotta wait for an actual round number, like 0b100000000000 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.127|162.158.111.127]] 16:38, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Well it is the phone 2000 and he does mention in passing asking if 2000 is a good number to choose [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 16:39, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:What am I waiting for more: 2018 or 2048? [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 16:53, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Waiting for 2018 personally. A comic that has looked at the calendar so many times should be able to see the comic number match the year. [[User:Lukeskylicker|Lukeskylicker]] ([[User talk:Lukeskylicker|talk]]) 17:36, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

: I think it is pretty clearly a milestone comic. Previous xkcd Phones were timed near iPhone releases. This is very specifically for the 2000th comic. I think it no coincidence that the xkcd Phone 2000 was released for the 2000th one, and think it should be mentioned. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.28|162.158.63.28]] 18:04, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:I was disappointed, was expecting a 1000-style comic.
[[User:JayPlaysBeamNG|JayPlaysBeamNG]] ([[User talk:JayPlaysBeamNG|talk]]) 19:43, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:That's just the exact same thing as 1000, which IMHO I don't really want. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 20:08, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

It might be worth noting, that mouse cursors were a thing on BlackBerry smartphones. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.100|162.158.202.100]] 17:00, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
:Those had the weird double-screens, where you could lightly drag your finger around and the cursor would follow, and if you pushed hard it would click. Most people found it to be annoying at best, IIRC. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.165|162.158.74.165]] 18:38, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

They actually still work on Android if you pair a mouse with the phone (at least, last I tried it). This was actually annoying - my Apple Magic Mouse prefers to pair to my Android Phone than to my Macbook Pro! [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 17:59, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

I would buy it just to be able to plug a keyboard into the type A port. I hate the USB host-peripheral thing... My phone is more than capable of handling external devices. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]])

Don't you like USB OTG or type C adaptors? Bluetooth keyboards should actually work with many Android (or Windows Mobile) devices. [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 17:59, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

I think PCB refers to Printed Circuit Board which I assume naturally doesn't contain BPA. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.28|172.68.174.28]] 18:54, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
: I edited the explanation to include Printed Circuit Board. I didn't go as far as to remove the alternate explanation, but I think you are correct [[User:Itijara|Itijara]] ([[User talk:Itijara|talk]]) 19:57, 30 May 2018 (UTC) Itijara

The charging area looks an awful lot like the suggestive violin plots of [[1967:_Violin_Plots]]

Talk:1429: Data

2018-05-12T05:59:14Z

172.68.46.41:

What should "off-screen" be called in the transcript? I just put that since I didn't know what else to say. Also, someone needs to a) explain the Kirk/Picard situation and b) explain the title text. Sorry for not doing it myself, but I'm editing on my phone so there are probably errors that people need to fix and other people know far more about it anyway. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 04:42, 3 October 2014 (UTC)

:Based on looking through some other transcripts, it looks like the convention is "off-screen". Also, fixed some typos in your comment. [[User:Cheeselover724|Cheeselover724]] ([[User talk:Cheeselover724|talk]]) 06:06, 3 October 2014 (UTC)

The comic refers tp "pedants '''on all sides'''", which implies there is some kind of debate/dispute about the issue in the grammatical world. If someone who is aware of this dispute were to explain the details of it and/or provide links to sites that discuss it, I think the explanation would be greatly improved. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.180}}

::There seems to be an ongoing dispute of whether to rigidly stick to the latin form (datum singular, data plural), or adjust to the way it is far more commonly used. There appears to be divided opinion amongst grammar pedants, hence the 'on all sides'. [http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/jul/16/data-plural-singular Data are or data is? - Guardian Newspaper], [http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/07/05/is-data-is-or-is-data-aint-a-plural/ Is Data Is, or Is Data Ain’t, a Plural? - WSJ]{{unsigned|Pudder}}

I always thought the noun data was non-quantifiable like "gasoline" which you'd need a unit to pluralize. "This piece of data suggests more than those gallons of gasoline"... [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.79|173.245.48.79]] 05:03, 3 October 2014 (UTC)BLuDgeons

I added some info on Kirk vs. Picard, but I'm not sure how useful or understandable it is. Sorry in advance. [[User:Cheeselover724|Cheeselover724]] ([[User talk:Cheeselover724|talk]]) 06:01, 3 October 2014 (UTC)

As someone pretending (for purposes of this comment) to speak with a classic British Cockney, what's the matter with "an hypercorrection habit"? [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 14:34, 3 October 2014 (UTC)

:Agreed. The consonant 'h' sound is not always preceded by "a". Is it quite common for other words starting with consonant 'h' to be preceded by "an". One is example is "An historic occasion". [[User:MrBigDog2U|MrBigDog2U]] ([[User talk:MrBigDog2U|talk]]) 14:28, 3 October 2014 (UTC)
::"Hotel" (yes, with the French connection) is the classic test, IME, for dropped or kept haiches (or 'aiches), with the middle-classes tending towards using "a hotel" whilst both the lower ''and'' upper classes gravitate towards "an 'otel" (for different reasons, with different empheses). Of course, if the person has an affectation (or "haffectation") "an hotel" (or, more like, "ane hotel") or even "han 'otel" can arise, to frankly ridiculous degrees. But this is just personal observation, and may not survive even inter-regional train travel, never mind transatlantic relocation... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.247|141.101.98.247]] 16:11, 3 October 2014 (UTC)
::: An hero. Just sayin. [[User:Diszy|Diszy]] ([[User talk:Diszy|talk]]) 17:49, 5 October 2014 (UTC)

I always took "fora" to be tongue-in-cheek mockery of pedantry rather than a frank insistence on proper grammar [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:22, 4 October 2014 (UTC)
:You were lucky that accusative and nominative in second declension neuter have matching endings, otherwise pedants would prey on "I always took fora" part of your comment :) Either way, please consider giving forīs a benefit of the doubt. Without forōrum and their memorable name, xkcd wouldn't be the same :) [[User:Nyq|Nyq]] ([[User talk:Nyq|talk]]) 14:12, 4 October 2014 (UTC)

Would it be worthwhile emphasizing that "hypercorrection" is a specialist term, employed by those studying language, grammar, and its development over time/history. Some might think that the term is merely descriptive, something along the lines of "hyper/taking-to-the-max tendencies to do stuff correctly". Rather, a definition would be something like "a non-standard usage that results from over application of a perceived grammatical rule" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.218|108.162.250.218]] 08:12, 5 October 2014 (UTC)

Another thing to annoy grammar pedants is that it should always be "character is" or "characters are": consider a clearly plural character: "..., the most popular ''Star Trek'' characters are The Tribbles" versus "..., the most popular ''Star Trek'' character is The Tribbles" and cf the equivalent to the comic: "..., the most popular ''Star Trek'' character are The Tribbles". IMHO each of my quoted examples are more likely to be viewed correct than the next. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 01:07, 6 October 2014 (UTC)

Yet nobody complains about "everybody/everyone is" [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 02:35, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

:Compare "every person is" to "all people are." ''Every'' and ''all'' are both determiners, but they belong to different subclasses. ''Every'' enumerates over a group or class, as it is a distributive determiner like ''each'', ''either'', and ''neither''. ''All'' indicates a quantity, as it is a quantifier like ''both'', ''enough'', and ''some''. In "every person is X," ''every'' applies the statement to each element in the entire class to which ''person'' belongs (people); for each person in all people, the person is X. In "all people are X," ''all'' gives a size (the entire class) to the group or class that is the subject (people). 'Everybody' and 'everyone' evolved from "every body" and "every one," so the syntax used for the two-word form got applied to the pronouns. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.137|108.162.237.137]] 12:57, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

Is it just me, or does "ypercorrection" not make any sense as a pronounciation? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 05:59, 12 May 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1427: iOS Keyboard

2018-05-12T05:49:29Z

172.68.46.41:

XKCD references on the XKCD wiki? Who would've thought... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.197|141.101.104.197]] 06:58, 29 September 2014 (UTC)
:I'm so meta even this acronym.
:Just saying... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.125|108.162.217.125]] 07:58, 29 September 2014 (UTC)BK201

I believe that the ios word prediction is personalised based on your previous sentences. My Android autocomplete comes up with "Elementary, my feast of the United Kingdom", and "Toto, I've a feeling we're not going to Switzerland"... --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 07:53, 29 September 2014 (UTC)
:I imagine it is, but it's still interesting to see the defaults before you've added much to the dictionary. I believe this is what Randall is up to. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.209|108.162.216.209]] 13:00, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

What about adding a reference to XKCD Questions[http://xkcd.com/1256/]? --[[User:Jkotek|Jkotek]]

Wasn't there XKCD comics about keyboard prediction starting from blank state? --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 09:57, 29 September 2014 (UTC)
:[http://xkcd.com/1068/] You're welcome. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.217|141.101.89.217]] 10:04, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

I thought some of the humor for the LoTR reference was the Gimli's dad was a character in The Hobbit. Obviously, Randall didn't work this in, but it could've affected his choice to feature this one in the comic [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 16:35, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

Given the outcome of the Scottish referendum on secession, it seems to me that the iOS-updated version of Wallace's quote is perfectly appropriate. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.64.125|141.101.64.125]] 23:01, 30 September 2014 (UTC)

Wallace didn't fight the British, he fought the English. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.19}}

Incomplete, anyone? Or is this wiki just goigo explain jokes Randall himself has made? It's probably the latter case, since nobody seems to have had a problem in four years. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 05:49, 12 May 2018 (UTC)

1285: Third Way

2018-05-07T06:37:07Z

172.68.46.41: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1285
| date = November 1, 2013
| title = Third Way
| image = third way.png
| titletext = 'The monospaced-typewriter-font story is a COMPLETE FABRICATION!  WAKE UP, SHEEPLE' 'It doesn't matter! Studies support single spaces!' 'Those results weren't statistically significant!' 'Fine, you win. I'm using double spaces right now!' 'Are not!  We can all hear your stupid whitespace.'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to the debate occurring in the United States about the correct {{w|Sentence spacing|number of space characters after the end of a sentence}}.

While text written on typewriters in the United States traditionally had two spaces between sentences, this is becoming less common and many sources now recommend having only one space, although this topic is still {{w|Sentence spacing#Controversy|controversial}}.

[[Cueball]] is advocating a line break after every sentence, the eponymous "third way", and sometimes called "[http://rhodesmill.org/brandon/2012/one-sentence-per-line/ semantic linefeeds]".

This is particularly useful when plain text files based on a markup language (such as HTML, TeX, or {{w|Wiki markup}}) are edited by multiple people using a {{w|Revision control|version control system}} where it helps to facilitate comparison of changes and avoid merge conflicts.

In most markup languages, a single linefeed in the source is rendered as a simple space, while two linefeeds generate a paragraph break.

This approach allows the source to be easily manipulated and versioned, while the rendered output still keeps the regular flow and justification abilities of running text.

The title text uses single spaces between the back-and-forth quotations; but within each quotation, the quoted speaker's preferred spacing is used.

In particular, when the single-spacing advocate claims to be using double spacing, this is indeed a lie.

However, realistically, it is implausible that one can hear whitespace{{Citation needed}}.

Sentence spacing was previously mentioned in the titletext of [[1070: Words for Small Sets]].

Note that this is not the first time Randall has [[:Category:Compromise|proposed a controversial third way]].

Randall's mocking characterization in the title text of overzealous advocates using the phrase "WAKE UP, SHEEPLE" has appeared in previous comics [[496: Secretary: Part 3]] and [[1013: Wake Up Sheeple]].

This debate is later referenced in [[1989]].

==Transcript==
:[To the left a group with three Cueballs, a Ponytail and Megan at the front which face another group with two Cueballs, a Ponytail and a black haired ponytail at the front. Each group has a placard. A Cueball in the left group has a cutlass and a Cueball in the right group has a spear as they are angrily facing off against each other. Off to the far right side stands a lone Cueball also with a placard.]
:Left placard: '''Two''' spaces after a period
:Middle placard: '''One''' space after a period
:Right placard: Line break after every sentence

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Sheeple]]
[[Category:Compromise]]
[[Category:Language]]

Talk:1871: Bun Alert

2017-08-02T20:13:15Z

172.68.46.41:

This is basically the title text from 1682. Is it just me, or has Randall been running out of ideas lately? [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 13:31, 2 August 2017 (UTC)
:In all fairness, Randall has been known to play the long game. There might be a thread to pull here. {{unsigned ip|172.68.143.186|13:44, 2 August 2017‎ (UTC)}}
::Yea, Randall has built on earlier ideas before. E.g. 1818 being built on an idea from What-If 141. It's non-indicative of a lack of ideas. But the notion that ideas are a finite resource is silly anyways. Watch the talk he gave at Google in 2007, it's on YouTube, and there's a bit in there where he talks about how he comes up with his comics. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.35|108.162.238.35]] 13:49, 2 August 2017 (UTC)
No idea why he's picked bunnies specifically, maybe that will become apparent in a future strip. Considering just this standalone comic, it seems to be a parody of apps that increasingly swamp the user with notifications about pointless things that one might imagine nobody would ever care about. In this instance, it might be imagined that few people would care about notifications for bunny sightings, but in the last pane it appears that someone truly does. This might compare with notifications for rare pokemon sightings in Pokémon Go (not provided in-app but there are groups on facebook etc. that alert users to rare pokemon / legendary raids) - with the difference that bunnies are extremely common. Also, is it significant that he specifically uses the word "buns" instead of "bunnies"? There may be a connection with the observation that they are just like little hopping loaves of bread.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.208|141.101.98.208]] 14:45, 2 August 2017 (UTC)
:I mean, that's pretty much what twitter is for.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.190|162.158.134.190]] 15:11, 2 August 2017 (UTC)
:Cf. memes such as "anatomy of the bun". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.35|108.162.238.35]] 19:37, 2 August 2017 (UTC)

I think this may just be an extended example of dadaism. If he carries on with the theme I think it is as likely to make less sense as it is to make more sense. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.58.189|162.158.58.189]] 15:12, 2 August 2017 (UTC)

Beret Guy's comment about investors and building the alert system could be a reference to [[1493: Meeting]]. Is the "loaves of bread that hop" line just a pun on the word "bun"? Is "Night Buns" a reference to something? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 20:13, 2 August 2017 (UTC)