explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2211: Hours Before Departure

2019-10-04T17:11:07Z

172.68.58.59:

{{comic
| number = 2211
| date = October 4, 2019
| title = Hours Before Departure
| image = hours_before_departure.png
| titletext = They could afford to cut it close because they all had Global Entry.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LATE UP-GOER 5. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

2119: Video Orientation

2019-03-04T14:03:25Z

172.68.58.59: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2119
| date = March 4, 2019
| title = Video Orientation
| image = video_orientation.png
| titletext = CIRCULAR VIDEO - PROS: Solves aspect ratio problem. CONS: Never trust anyone who talks to you from inside a circle.
}}

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

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Video Orientation
! PROs
! CONs
|-
| Horizontal
| Looks normal to old people
Format used by a century of cinema
| Humans are taller than are wide
I'm not turning my phone sideways
|-
| Vertical
| How most normal people shoot and watch video now so we may as well accept it
| Human world is mostly a horizontal plane
|-
| Diagonal
| Bold and dynamic
Equally annoying to all viewers

Good compromise
| None
|}

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2112: Night Shift

2019-02-18T06:42:50Z

172.68.58.59: add a comment to the "Rush reference" section

Lot of vandals, lately... :( {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.10}}
:Yeah, like you! Stop deleting my edits![[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.215|108.162.246.215]] 17:19, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
::I think you're doing it wrong. That or your IP address changed between your edits & your comment here. There are no edits from your IP address in the history for this page. If you sign your posts by finishing with "<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>" it's easier to track the changes & know for sure if someone's messing with you.
::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:33, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
:::The user's IP is very similar to the one that posted "(This mode also causes your phone to broadcast EM radiation at the frequency of human thought, allowing Jewish interests control over your brain and psyche)". Statements like that should really be couched in phrasing that indicates they are contested beliefs rather than agreed-upon facts. I really feel marketing interests are of all variety of religious persuasions. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.178|162.158.78.178]]
::::Agreed; This site is a reference document, & as such should strive to provide verifiable facts (not opinion) & to include citations when providing contested information. Also, the user seems to be accusing Jewish peoples in particular, which could easily cross the line into hate-speech. In my opinion, ''any'' business has a financial interest in deception, manipulation &\or obfuscation; I believe the most plausible conspiracy is one motivated by greed, not religious affiliation. At the very least, the claim that electronic devices contain circuits specifically designed to emit electromagnetic waves which influence our behavior, should be accompanied by citations of a peer-reviewed journal or other appropriate source. It would be pretty hard to hide such a design completely, since 1) electronic devices must register their circuit diagrams prior to approval for sale & 2) such designs would require significant numbers of people involved in order to reach full production, much less widespread production via numerous brands manufactured all over the world. Most conspiracy theories of this type fall apart under the simple challenge of "how many people would have to be keeping it a secret?" In this case, people from all variety of commercial organizations, religions, locations, & lifestyles would have to be in on it; seems unlikely in the extreme, before even getting into the technical challenges such a plan would face.[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:31, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
:::::I think if an opinion is common, it could be relevant to mention, especially if it's something Randall may have been exposed to as the comic could be referencing it. But it shouldn't be stated as fact if it's controversial. I don't think this site usually requires peer-reviewed citations, although links that support things are always nice. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.47|162.158.79.47]] 23:10, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
::I don't see lots of vandals or many deleted edits. But if critical things happen please mention it in the [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests|Admin requests]] section at the Community portal. And please don't forget to sign your comments. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:59, 15 February 2019 (UTC)
::Please stop this chaotic discussion and do not move earlier replies like mine to the bottom! And please understand that all anonymous IP addresses just belong to a proxy, even you can appear by this IP when not signed in. Vandalism happens, look at Wikipedia, but it always turns out that it's better just to revert those edits rather than try to talk to those editors. They don't listen. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:23, 15 February 2019 (UTC)

This one in particular also falls apart on the “why would they do it that way?” front. If people ''did'' build mind-control circuitry into phones, why would they tie that feature to white balance? All three of the pixel colors (red, green, and blue) are still in use in both modes, just in different amounts. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.29|172.68.142.29]] 20:50, 15 February 2019 (UTC)

The new phrasing of altering one's neurochemistry is technically correct, as the pixels of an electronic display do project the EM radiation that is responsible for the light we see. The joke could use some context that this is technically true of displays, although many believe there are interests that wirelessly alter their thoughts, and that this view is generally heavily disregarded. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.178|162.158.78.178]] 18:42, 15 February 2019 (UTC)

As a jew, i have to say. We didn't put the mind control stuff into your phone. That was the WASPS. We put the mind control stuff into physics itself. 02:49, 16 February 2019 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|172.68.59.84}}

Maybe, instead of actually mindcontrolling people, it just alters their text to make it appear that they're being less opinionated? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.30|162.158.167.30]] 09:58, 16 February 2019 (UTC)

:I'd say that's pretty obviously the intended method, yes. The idea that there is some kind of reference to mind control in this seems a bit... paranoid. Which isn't really to say that your phone/news feed doesn't affect your behaviour and emotional state. That's been demonstrated to be true a few times. But a tin-foil hat isn't going to help anything like as much as shutting it off will.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.228|172.68.65.228]] 06:23, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

I can't ''believe'' that for comic #2112 there is not a single [https://www.rush.com/albums/2112/ Rush reference.] {{unsigned ip|172.68.59.84}}

:I blame the priests. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 05:41, 17 February 2019 (UTC)
:That's cuz no one knows who they are.
:And yet comic #1984 doesn't have any reference to <cite>1984</cite>. I haven't heard of Rush and I had only seen any reference to the number 2112 in <cite>Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock</cite>'s quest mode...

Is it talking about politics and privilege, maybe? Politics could be intensity between blue and red; privilege could be balance between white and non-white . . . . [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.82|108.162.216.82]] 11:23, 17 February 2019 (UTC)
:I agree that the intensity and often lack of civility in racial discussions is very much apropos. Have added it to the explanation (white suppremacy, angry white men, etc.). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.6|162.158.106.6]] 23:55, 17 February 2019 (UTC)

The value of brevity and directness is very much a cultural one. Women in American culture are discouraged from giving direct answers. Similarly, in Japanese culture, indirectness is more polite, e.g. [https://leo.stcloudstate.edu/kaleidoscope/volume3/direct.html American Directness and the Japanese] So the observation, which was in the explanation, that "In short, on the internet, we probably talk too much and don't cut to the chase enough." Probably originated from somebody coming from a culture that values directness (e.g. an American male.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.6|162.158.106.6]] 23:55, 17 February 2019 (UTC)

2108: Carbonated Beverage Language Map

2019-02-06T21:04:57Z

172.68.58.59: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2108
| date = February 6, 2019
| title = Carbonated Beverage Language Map
| image = carbonated_beverage_language_map.png
| titletext = There's one person in Missouri who says "carbo bev" who the entire rest of the country HATES.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by ONE GUY IN MISSOURI. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the US, people in various parts of the country refer to carbonated beverages by {{w|Names for soft drinks in the United States|different names}} such as Soda, Pop, Coke, etc. Generally, the West Coast and Northeast say "Soda", the South says "Coke" and the rest of the country says "Pop".

There are various maps of the name differences, including: [http://www.popvssoda.com/]

This map leverages xkcd's mockery-maps of regional and state-by-state differences or variations in the use of language and overlays the regional variances in the terms for soda pop (for example: https://laughingsquid.com/soda-pop-or-coke-maps-of-regional-dialect-variation-in-the-united-states/), as was made trending and popular in 2013. Not only are there far more terms than are actually used by Americans, many are terms for other drinks (mead), unrelated liquids (quicksilver), or copyrighted beverage names less popular than Coke/Coca Cola (Code Red) -- and in one case, something that's not even edible ({{w|cryptocurrency|"Crypto"}}).

{| class="wikitable"
|+Map terms (from left to right, approximately)
|-
|Fanta
|Name of a carbonated beverage line
|-
|Söde
|Presumably pronounced "soda" but spelled oddly
|-
|True Water
|Possibly a reference to True Blood, a fictional artificial blood substitute for vampires in The Southern Vampire Mysteries book series by Charlaine Harris, and the television series True Blood.
|-
|Crypto
|A term for encryption, popularized by the rise of blockchain-based currencies. Not drinkable. Possibly a joke that the residents of Silicon Valley are actually computers who "drink" crypto (i.e. data).
|-
|Yum
|Refers to {{w|Yum! Brands}}, parent company of several fast food restaurants, which was spun off from PepsiCo, maker of a carbonated beverage, in 1997, and has a lifetime contract to serve their beverages.
|-
|Sparkle Fluid
|Roughly analogously to how "sparkling wine" and "sparkling cider" are carbonated varieties of wine and cider, "sparkling fluid" or "sparkle fluid" would presumably be any carbonated fluid
|-
|King Cola
|Name of a carbonated beverage
|-
|Pepsi
|Name of a carbonated beverage
|-
|{{w|Crystal Pepsi}}
|Name of a carbonated beverage
|-
|Ichor
|several definitions (blood of a god (or demon, or, in some dialects, any insect) or watery discharge from a wound). None of them carbonated. None of them recommended as a drinkable liquid. (Well, not by someone with your best interests at heart.)
|-
|You-Know-What
|A phrase typically employed when a more specific term is considered unspeakable.
|-
|Tab
|Name of a carbonated beverage
|-
|Spicewater
|Potentially a reference to the spice from ''Dune''.
|-
|Softie
|
|-
|Ohio Tea
|
|-
|Boat Drink
|
|-
|Melt
|Usually used to describe a kind of sandwich where cheese is melted in the center, usually on a griddle. Or maybe just a way to say "no, the *melted* ice"
|-
|Fizz Ooze
|
|-
|Punch
|A drink typically found in the juice aisle. Only sometimes carbonated.
|-
|Fun Wine
|Implies that normal wine is not "fun".
|-
|Diet
|Sometimes refers to a carbonated beverage. A common request in restaurants, as they often only have a single "diet soda" option for customers to pick. Ironically, "diet" sodas have been causally linked to metabolism related weight gain.
|-
|Refill
|The second glass of whatever you drank previously. Works for any drinkable liquid.
|-
|Tickle Juice
|Name of a Boston-based jazz band.
|-
|Bubble Honey
|
|-
|Sugar Oil
|The areas of Oklahoma and north Texas that are shaded produce a significant amount of {{w|petroleum|crude oil}}.
|-
|The Wet Drink
|Technically true of all drinks, unless one is attempting to drink sand. It may also refer to the fact that many advertisements for carbonated beverages attempt to make the product look more appetizing by photographing or filming a beverage container covered with water droplets.
|-
|Code Red
|Name of a carbonated beverage
|-
|Mead
|An alcoholic drink. Traditionally not carbonated. Often associated with Vikings, and these areas did have many Scandinavian immigrants.
|-
|Canadian Ale
|Probably a reference to the Canada Dry brand of Ginger Ale, a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage.
|-
|Aether
|Could refer to a highly flammable industrial solvent, also used as an anesthetic. Do not drink. Also, not carbonated. Alternately, could refer to the nonexistent fluid that was believed to carry light waves before electromagnetism was fully understood, or poetically to the sky; in either case it is not a drinkable liquid (or carbonated).
|-
|Carbonated Beverage
|Technically correct, but a bit of an awkward term due to its unnecessary length.
|-
|Mouthwater
|A play on the term "mouth watering" to describe delicious foods and drinks.
|-
|Capri
|Capri Sun is a brand of juice drinks, typically sold in uncarbonated pouches.
|-
|Skim Shake
|
|-
|Kid's Coffee
|Somewhat accurate. Coffee is typically drunk by adults for its caffeine. Carbonated beverages often have caffeine also, and are often consumed by children.
|-
|Regular
|In the past, referred to gasoline with lead, as opposed to "Unleaded". Not a drinkable liquid, and also outlawed.
|-
|Tang
|An orange flavored beverage containing less than 2% juice extract, not carbonated.
|-
|Formula
|Typically refers to an artificial replacement for mother's milk. Not carbonated.
|-
|Medicine
|Only sometimes a drinkable liquid. Never or perhaps almost never carbonated. Alternatively, a common euphemism for alcohol, or some other drink that the person doesn't want to admit to drinking -- or at least doesn't want to share.
|-
|Broth
|Liquid in which bones, meat, fish, or vegetables have simmered. Often used as a soup base. Not carbonated.
|-
|Fool's Champagne
|Carbonated beverage is to champagne what fool's gold is to gold.
|-
|Sugar Milk
|
|-
|No word for them
|This region of the US does not have a word for carbonated beverages (according to Randall). Apparently they do not drink them at all.
|-
|Hydro
|A word for water. Carbonated water does exist, but this word means all forms of water.
|-
|Harvard Tea
|The region shades this way includes {{w|Cambridge, Massachusetts}}, which is home to {{w|Harvard University}}.
|-
|Bubbler
|A nod to another popular map of the same type, exploring the regional dialects used to describe drinking fountains. Rhode Island and the eastern portion of Wisconsin are the only two locations where 'Bubbler' is commonly used to refer to drinking fountains.
|-
|Mouthbuzz
|
|-
|Brad's Elixer
|
|-
|Hot Water
|Not carbonated. Not even in Jacuzzi and hot tubs.
|-
|Fluid
|A word that means nearly any liquid in existence. Not specific to carbonated beverages.
|-
|Coke Zero
|Name of a carbonated beverage.
|-
|Carbo
|Sodas sweetened with corn syrup or cane sugar are high in carbohydrates. Could also refer to carbonation.
|-
|Quicksilver
|An old term for the element mercury, a metallic liquid in its pure form at room temperature. Extremely harmful if swallowed.
|-
|Glug
|
|-
|Water Plus
|Technically the name of {{w|Water Plus|a British water retail services provider}}, this likely refers to the prevalence of "plus" as a preposition in branding nomenclature (e.g.: {{w|Google+}}, {{w|iPhone 8 Plus}}, {{w|7 Up Plus}}, etc.).
|}

The title text may be a wry comment in light of the pocket of "soda" in the St. Louis, MO area.

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

A map of the United States divided into purple, red, green, blue, and yellow colored regions...
{{comic discussion}}

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

2105: Modern OSI Model

2019-01-30T20:26:26Z

172.68.58.59: Added reference to past comic

{{comic
| number = 2105
| date = January 30, 2019
| title = Modern OSI Model
| image = modern_osi_model.png
| titletext = In retrospect, I shouldn't have used each layer of the OSI model as one of my horcruxes.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a seven-layered BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model}} is a computing model for network communications that abstracts a communication between two services like a Facebook client and Facebook servers all the way from physical to user interaction layers. As Facebook is one of the most used websites in the world with more than a billion users, Randall claims that the "application" layer (what the client sees and uses) is mostly {{w|Facebook}}.

A light gray shape labeled "Google & Amazon" surrounds all seven layers of the model in an irregular shape indicating that Google and Amazon, by dint of their size and dominance at multiple layers of the model influence the entire structure. An example of Google's influence would be their introduction of new protocols like {{w|QUIC}} and {{w|SPDY}} as replacements for the existing HTTP protocol that was a foundation of the web.

The significance of the irregular pattern of the "Google & Amazon" blob isn't clear. It is likely that it is in reference to the irregular way in which their modifications to the OSI stack have evolved. Potentially with extensions to the left representing the influence of google, and extension to the right representing the influence of amazon. However, it is also notable that the irregular structure of the stack is arranged so as to resemble a {{w|Jenga}} tower. Jenga, for those unfamiliar, is a game in which blocks are added and removed from a vertical pile until the whole collapses. This may be a commentary on the instability of the stack in general, or on how Google and Amazon's additions and changes to it have destabilized the networking protocols. Or, the specific blocks to be pulled out (presentation, session, and network) may be the whose removal collapses the tower while the other ones can be easily removed and replaced.

The title text refers to {{w|Magical_objects_in_Harry_Potter#Horcruxes|Horcruxes}} used by {{w|Lord Voldemort|Voldemort}} in the ''{{w|Harry Potter}}'' book series. A Horcrux is a magical artifact used to house a wizard's soul, preventing them from dying if their body is destroyed. Since they can only be created by murdering other people, they are heavily forbidden, and before Voldemort it was unheard of for a wizard to use more than one. Voldemort used seven -- the same number of layers Randall uses in the OSI model. However, while Voldemort hid his seven Horcruxes in different places to make himself that much harder to kill, Randall has stashed all seven in the same place, defeating the purpose of using more than one. Alternatively, transforming each layer of the OSI model into a horcrux may be regarded as a strategy to prevent them from being destroyed since doing so would destroy networking. This strategy would fail in the modern world, since some of the envisioned layers were rarely used and in the case of cloud infrastructure potential exists to provide even more shortcuts.
The title text may also be a reference to a [[1417|prior comic]] about Randall mixing up things that come in groups of seven, like data layers and Horcruxes.

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

:'''Modern OSI Model'''

::Application (Facebook)

::Presentation

::Session

::Transport

::Network

:Google & Amazon

::Data link

::Physical

{{comic discussion}}

2101: Technical Analysis

2019-01-22T03:30:57Z

172.68.58.59: /* Explanation */ Let's not digress into commentary on how the price of cryptocurrencies "increases" ... it often does not!

{{comic
| number = 2101
| date = January 21, 2019
| title = Technical Analysis
| image = technical_analysis.png
| titletext = "I [suspect] that we are throwing more and more of our resources, including the cream of our youth, into financial activities remote from the production of goods and services, into activities that generate high private rewards disproportionate to their social productivity. I suspect that the immense power of the computer is being harnessed to this 'paper economy', not to do the same transactions more economically but to balloon the quantity and variety of financial exchanges." --James Tobin, July 1984
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete| Comic is still undergoing TECHNICAL ANALYSIS (this is just the prologue). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Technical analysis}} is a field which attempts to study stock markets, cryptocurrency markets, etc. statistically (without regard to the fundamental value of the assets), seeking to profit off the patterns that are found there.

The theoretical value of a stock is the sum of all its future earnings, with earnings in the future discounted appropriately to account for the {{w|time value of money}}. Because these earnings are never fully predictable, traders may have different ideas about the true value of a stock, and buy the stock if they believe the currently offered prices are particularly low, or sell it when the prices are high.

Technical analysis, however, does not even attempt to understand the earnings of the stock, instead focusing on the shapes and patterns that result from traders making their moves. While there is a human behavioral component to stock trading, it is not clear that one can extract much information from the shapes of stock charts. To the extent it does work, a substantial part of its success may be simply an artifact of the herd behavior of traders who engage in technical analysis, a zero-sum game.

The comic displays a {{w|Candlestick chart|stock price chart}}, annotated with labels which purport to be technical analysis. These labels are nonsense from the perspective of technical analysis, but do accurately describe the graph itself: "{{w|allegro}}" (a musical term used to set the tempo at the beginning of a score), "{{w|prologue}}" (an introductory section of a play, book, or similar), "{{w|lumbar}} support" (the thing in a chair shaped to better support your back), "bathtub" (possibly a reference to the so-called "{{w|Bathtub curve}}"), "{{w|uptalk}}" (a speech pattern). One label celebrates that "these two points define a line! Promising signal." (In Euclidian geometry, any two points define a line.)

{| class="wikitable"
|+Graph labels and possible meanings
|-
|Allegro
|Tempo notation in music: played quickly and brightly - a series of very small changes in this region of the graph might suggest notes played quickly
|-
|Decline
|Describes a negative trend
|-
|Doldrums
|A stagnant section of the graph with little movement
|-
|Spline
|A spline is a mathematical means of generating a smooth curve, referring to the smoothed curve shown here
|-
|Prologue
|A prologue is an introduction to a book or other work; this presumably refers to the initial period of minimal growth which is moving toward a much more active period
|-
|Lumbar Support
|A cushion or other device that provides support to the lower part of the ''spine'', a play on the preceding ''spline''
|-
|Renewal
|Strong upward trend; also might suggest the growth of green bars, like greening up in the spring
|-
|Hmm!
|
|-
|Hark! The cliffs!
|A long bar suggesting a steep cliff
|-
|Declination
|Another term for a downward trend
|-
|Inflection
|A point at which the slope of a graph changes
|-
|Uptalk
|A pattern of speech in which each sentence ends with rising inflection? like a question? A play on "uptick", and also on the second meaning of "inflection"
|-
|Bathtub
|possibly a reference to the so-called "{{w|Bathtub curve}}"
|-
|These two points define a line! Promising signal.
|In Euclidian geometry, any two points define a line; also looks somewhat like a communication line between two towers. It is tempting when looking at market charts to draw imaginary lines that connect the extrema and hope it means something about the future.
|-
|Yikes
|
|-
|Wrong!
|
|-
|Slope
|
|-
|Could be an omen
|
|-
|Red + Green = Christmas
|
|-
|Likely to continue forever
|This is the opinion held by everyone who buys at an all time high. It's been rising so much, surely it's the best time to buy! We could make millions! Such times are generally followed by a sharp downturn resulting in significant losses, as can be seen historically farther back on the chart. Cryptocurrency communities have significant members who call themselves "hodlers" -- these people always trust that the price will eventually go up even higher, because it has recovered so many times in the past.
|}

The mouseover text is a quote from {{w|James Tobin}} (from his 1984 paper [https://economicsociologydotorg.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/tobin-on-the-efficiency-of-the-financial-system.pdf ''On the efficiency of the financial system'']) that raises a question of very talented people building systems to make themselves a lot of money without actually accomplishing anything worth money. The quote was about the stock market and high speed traders in particular. It comments on the 'financialization' of the economy, where activities like speculation and abstracted financial products have become an increasingly large part of the economy, as opposed to investment in productive industry.

Interestingly, this comic appeared the day after [https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/billionaire-wealth-grows-by-25-billion-a-day-while-poorest-wealth-falls/ Oxfam] reported that the world's 2,200 billionaires had added 12% to their wealth in 2018, while the 3.8 billion people comprising the poorest half of the world's population had lost 11%. Perhaps this prompted what appears to be Randall's jab at those whose business is merely making money.

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

:[A series of red and green box-and-whisker plots form a line that starts in the bottom left corner of the image and wiggles up to the top right corner, with a series of peaks and troughs that resemble a typical stock market diagram. The diagram is annotated with lines, arrows and text.]

::[Title in top left corner]
::The basics of technical analysis

::[A roughly horizontal section with mostly green boxes:]
::Allegro

::[A horizontal bracket encompasses the next three sections]
::Prologue

::[Slope becomes slightly negative. Mostly red boxes, bordered with a black line above and below:]
::Decline

::[A roughly horizontal section with mostly green boxes, bordered with a black line above and below:]
::Doldrums

::[Line curves upwards with mostly green boxes, with a dashed black line below:]
::Spline

::[Three green boxes at minor peaks in the line are circled and indicated with arrows:]
::[Hmm!]

::[A section with slight positive slope and a mixture of red and green boxes, with a solid black line below:]
::Lumbar support

::[Slope increases. All green boxes, with a black line through the centre:]
::Renewal

::[A sharp upwards incline, with two large green boxes:]
::Hark! The cliffs!

::[Two black dots and a dashed black line connect two major peaks:]
::These two points define a line! Promising signal

::[Inside trough between two major peaks is a roughly drawn black triangle:]
::Bathtub

::[Slope becomes negative, mostly red boxes with a black line through the centre:]
::Declination

::[At the lowest point of the trough:]
::Inflection

::[Slope becomes positive, mostly green boxes with a black line through the centre:]
::Uptalk

::[Slight negative slope, with large error bars. Mixture of red and green boxes. One red box is marked with an arrow:]
::Yikes!

::[Negative slope, all red boxes. Gap between two central boxes is circled:]
::Wrong!

::[Line rises then falls. Mixture of red and green boxes with non-parallel dashed black lines above and below:]
::If I add some lines here I can convince myself I'm doing something more than just seeing patterns in a graph of a random walk.

::[Positive slope, all green boxes with a black line through the centre:]
::Slope!

::[One error bar on a green box is circled:]
::Could be an omen?

::[Arrow indicating peak:]
::Red + Green = Christmas!

::[Positive slope, all green boxes with a wiggly black arrow through the centre. A separate arrow points off the edge of the page:]
::Likely to continue forever

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Christmas]] 
[[Category:Music]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

Talk:2099: Missal of Silos

2019-01-16T19:06:20Z

172.68.58.59:

We need a citation to prove that residents of Cheyenne, Wyoming would rather not be targeted with nuclear weapons?
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.59|172.68.58.59]] 19:06, 16 January 2019 (UTC)

Talk:158: Six Months

2018-12-20T06:07:53Z

172.68.58.59:

Could this strip actually be something like a well-couched "Your mom" joke? {{unsigned ip|121.222.232.156}}
:Yes. Yes it is. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 01:31, 6 February 2014 (UTC)

Thanks RamenChef for setting the incomplete tag about the title text. But doesn't "possibly referring to fellatio" explain "that thing with her tongue"... Is there more I don't know? Maybe using a tongue in the meaning of speaking? Editors here think only about that one thing...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:31, 13 March 2017 (UTC)
Referring to the incompleteness of the title text, "that thing with her tongue" has been used before in the joke/meme "Good is live, but the Devil does that thing with his tongue that you like". However, I do not know if this is where that phrase originated or if it is even worth mentioning.

Talk:1368: One Of The

2018-12-16T09:01:44Z

172.68.58.59:

There's a set of golden arches at Jefferson and Russell, Arguably more identifiable. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.36}}

:If you are talking about the McDonald's arches, then well played, sir, well played. Definitely more identifiable. --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 14:57, 14 May 2014 (UTC)

::On the other hand, any ''specific set'' of McDonald's arches isn't very identifiable. One tends to look like any other. --[[User:Aaron of Mpls|Aaron of Mpls]] ([[User talk:Aaron of Mpls|talk]]) 11:12, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

"''Reporters on television and in other media try to only make statements they can verify in fact''"
Seriously??? Maybe once, but not now. The point of this cartoon is largely that reporters are hedging their bets on what's a fact.
When you have prominent reporters like Chuck Todd (one of the most prominent reporters on TV) saying [http://www.fair.org/blog/2013/09/18/inform-the-public-not-my-job-says-chuck-todd/|it's "not his job" to report factual information] but merely to repeat what politicians have said, or everyone on Fox "News" basically ignoring facts in favor of ideology, claiming reporters try to speak only facts is not supported by demonstrable facts.
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.84|199.27.128.84]] 16:42, 14 May 2014 (UTC)

: Or maybe it's because of the liability reporters face for reporting even errors made by the police. [http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/12/mistaken-identity-tv-show/8989189/ | Keith Todd or Todd Keith]. [[User:Pallas|Pallas]] ([[User talk:Pallas|talk]]) 19:16, 14 May 2014 (UTC)

:: "''In the complaint, Todd alleges that Eastpointe Police "incorrectly researched" databases and sent the wrong photo, name and information to the network.''" Sounds like the blame is really with the police, not the network. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.84|199.27.128.84]] 16:37, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

::: [http://birmingham.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/msnbcs-caught-on-camera-reality-show-snafu-creates-unreal-problems-for-michigan-man In a lawsuit filed last week in Wayne County Circuit Court, Todd said a snafu incorrectly naming him as the suspect in the “Caught on Camera” program has caused him humiliation, loss of employment and other misery. He’s asking NBC Universal, the Eastpointe Police Department and A One Limousine, to pay an unspecified amount of damages.] [[User:Pallas|Pallas]] ([[User talk:Pallas|talk]]) 20:09, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

: That's generalising. How about: "Seriously??? Maybe once, but not now. The point of this cartoon is largely that US reporters are hedging their bets on what's a fact. When you have prominent US reporters like Chuck Todd (one of the most prominent reporters on US TV) saying [http://www.fair.org/blog/2013/09/18/inform-the-public-not-my-job-says-chuck-todd/|it's "not his job" to report factual information] but merely to repeat what US politicians have said, or everyone on US branch of Fox "News" basically ignoring facts in favor of ideology, claiming US reporters try to speak only facts is not supported by demonstrable facts.{{unsigned ip|108.162.250.211}}

:: Right. Because it's only in the US that reporters fail to do their jobs well. Why, just look at the UK and Australia, for example. Nope, no reporters covering their asses there. Oh, wait. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.84|199.27.128.84]] 16:52, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

I know it's not really part of the joke, but should the explanation say who the reporter is talking about? Who designed the Gateway arch? I'm curious now.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.7|108.162.219.7]] 02:18, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

:The Gateway Arch was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and German-American structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947. As stated on the {{w|Gateway Arch|wikipedia page already linked from explanation}}. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:15, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

Note that the UK celebrates {{w|Mothering Sunday}} on the fourth Sunday in Lent as if it was Mother's Day. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.217|141.101.89.217]] 10:45, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

The explanation text misses the fact that stating "one of the world's greatest moms" is hardly perceived as an actual compliment by the recipient. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 14:17, 15 May 2014 (UTC)
:Done - also added an explain and a wiki link to pet peeve - something not explained so far. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:53, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

: I don't think Randall misunderstands the practice - he's just pretending that to make a joke. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:16, 16 May 2014 (UTC)
::That is for sure true. I did not write it like that and have now corrected it acordingly [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:26, 16 May 2014 (UTC)
:::Interesting. Do you really think "Randall does not misunderstand anything" (from the history-edit explanation) and so any inaccuracy must be understood as a deliberate part of the joke? Even if the inaccuracy is about a matter outside of his field of expertise and is unnecessary to the joke? Maybe you're right in this case, but I doubt Randall himself would claim to be infallible. [[User:Cs7|Cs7]] ([[User talk:Cs7|talk]]) 20:08, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

::My mom wasn't insulted by a card that said "One of the two greatest Moms in the world*" (and, below, "* Sorry, Mom, but I don't want to get killed in my sleep"). She found it funny, and so did my wife, and the fact that you can buy this card in shops implies they aren't the only mothers in the world that can take a joke. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.52|162.158.255.52]] 11:06, 24 September 2015 (UTC)

No so much a real discussion item, but this is "One of the most useful Explain XKCDs out there"... {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.121}}

The arch is so large that there are rotating pill-elevators inside the rising legs and a large observation lounge at the top. You can look down at the busy barge traffic on the Mississippi far below. {{unsigned ip|108.162.245.117}}

The title text bothers me here...the comic says: '''"The world's greatest [whatever]' is subjective, but 'One of the world's greatest [whatever]s' is clearly objective."''' - but is that really true?

If I say '''"Mount Everest is the world's tallest mountain"''' - then this is a fact that can be looked up and examined and is clearly either true or false. It happens to be true. So it's clearly an objective fact. But if I say: '''"Mount Annapurna is one of the world's tallest mountains"''' then that's a completely subjective statement because Annapurna is only the 10th tallest mountain and whether it's to be considered "one of the tallest" depends entirely on whether you cut off the list of "the tallest mountains" at 9th place or 11th place - which is surely a subjective decision.

It's a tougher call for concepts like "greatest Mom" because "greatest" is a fuzzy term in the case of Mom's - is she "greatest" because she did a better job of teaching you right from wrong - or is she greatest because she bought you more Lego's? In that case, both "greatest" and "one of the greatest" are subjective because there is no universally agreed standard by which we measure greatness in mothers. The reason "world's greatest Mom" mugs work is because they express the sentiment that "My personal definition of the term ''greatest'' is what you are to me." - which is more profound than some unrealistic statement about whether there are or are not better mothers. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 16:18, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

:Everest being the tallest mountain on earth is actually (slightly) controversial: The peak of the {{w|Chimborazo|Chimborazo}} is further from earth's center. {{w|Mauna Kea|Mauna Kea}} is taller when measured from base to peak. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.34|172.68.110.34]] 06:42, 3 November 2018 (UTC)

In this Onion article: https://www.theonion.com/most-notorious-criminals-in-u-s-history-1831099154 it states that John Wilkes Booth was one of the most famous Americans to ever kill Abraham Lincoln.--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.59|172.68.58.59]] 09:01, 16 December 2018 (UTC)

1447: Meta-Analysis

2018-11-19T18:21:17Z

172.68.58.59: /* Explanation */ fix thing

{{comic
| number = 1447
| date = November 14, 2014
| title = Meta-Analysis
| image = meta-analysis.png
| titletext = Life goal #29 is to get enough of them rejected that I can publish a comparative analysis of the rejection letters.
}}

==Explanation==
In the scientific literature, meta-analyses are studies which compare multiple studies on a single topic, with the aim of giving a balanced overview of the known results. [http://www.medline.com/ Medline], [http://www.elsevier.com/online-tools/embase/about Embase] and [http://www.cochrane.org/ Cochrane] are medical research databases which give access to studies on drug effects or results of other medical procedures.

This comic explores the idea of iterating the process, going from meta-analyses to meta-meta-analyses (which actually exist, though not necessarily by that name, see below) and hence to a meta-meta-meta-analysis.

Of course, the title text adds another level of meta-analysis, since he wants to make a meta-analysis of rejection letters which concern his meta-meta-meta analyses.

All of the cited meta-meta-analyses are real: M. Sampson (2003)<ref name="sampson">M. Sampson et al, [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0895-4356(03)00110-0 Should meta-analysts search Embase in addition to Medline?], J. Clim. Epidemiol, 2003</ref>, P. L. Royle (2005)<ref name="royle">P. L. Royle et al, [http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-5491.2005.01645.x Sources of evidence for systematic reviews of interventions in diabetes], Diabetic Medicine, 2005</ref>, E. Lee (2011)<ref name="lee">E. J. Lee et al, [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2011.01.007 The Efficacy of Acupressure for Symptom Management: A Systematic Review], J Pain Symptom Manage, 2011</ref> and A.R. Lemeshow (2005)<ref name="lemeshow">A.R. Lemeshow et al, [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2005.03.004 Searching one or two databases was insufficient for meta-analysis of observational studies], J. Clim. Epidemiol, 2005</ref>.

The phrase "Too meta" can be found in the comments of videos, blog posts, and other internet content which are so abstract that they can't be easily interpreted. It refers to the thing in question being too self-referential.

Comic [[93: Jeremy Irons]] similarly states a slightly absurd "life goal". [[917: Hofstadter]] is "meta"-related.

==Transcript==
:[Excerpt from a scientific paper.]
:Many meta-analysis studies include the phrase “We searched Medline, Embase, and Cochrane for studies…”
:This has led to meta-meta-analyses comparing meta-analysis methods. e.g. M Sampson (2003), PL Royle (2005), E Lee (2011), AR Lemeshow (2005).
:We performed a meta-meta-meta-analysis of these meta-meta-analyses.
:<u>Methods:</u> We searched Medline, Embase and Cochrane for the phrase “We searched Medline, Embase and Cochrane for the phrase ‘We searched Medline, Embase and

:Life goal #28: get a paper rejected with the comment “Too meta”

==References==
<references />

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

Talk:893: 65 Years

2018-08-09T22:19:10Z

172.68.58.59: Added link to updated graph

I wonder if it would be possible to identify ''individual people'' who are behind those vertical jumps in the graph (in the not projected part)... --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 19:18, 14 December 2012 (UTC)
*Glad you asked! </Information Hen> Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed in July 1969; that's two. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean joined the group that November; that's four. Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell in February '71; that's six. David Scott and James Irwin in July '71; that's eight. John W. Young and Charles Duke in April '72; that's ten. Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in December '72; that's twelve. Irwin died in '91, dropping it to 11. Shepard and Conrad died in '98 and '99 respectively, making it 9 as of the date this comic was published. Armstrong died in '12, so our current number is 8. The oldest living person to have landed on the moon is Aldrin, 83. There are two 82-year-olds, two 80s, one 78 and two 77s. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 13:28, 27 January 2013 (UTC)

Almost prophetic and very, very sad. RIP Neil Armstrong ------

Can we add the 5% and 95% columns to the table? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])
::i dont feel like this would add to the explanation of the comic and would require us to know a great deal about the author's calculations. rather than attempt to redo the actuarial calculations performed to make the chart and assign this to the individuals in the table we should rather explain the concepts behind the 5% and 95% and preserve the intention of actuarial information as applying to demographic groups. 5% of people in the demographic the author selected live to _ age 95% of those people live to _ age and how this affects our subject population. [[User:Mrarch|Mrarch]] ([[User talk:Mrarch|talk]]) 21:43, 6 December 2013 (UTC)

Why is this explanation incomplete? The second paragraph does a good job explaining what the 5th percentile and 95th percentile are referring to. [[User:String userName = new String();|String userName = new String();]] ([[User talk:String userName = new String();|talk]]) 23:35, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

I prefer to think of the inhabitable planets as extensions to earth reserved for when we have learned not to kill all the inhabitants of the only inhabited planet in the universe.

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 22:39, 23 January 2015 (UTC)

I see no reason this is marked as incomplete; I've tidied up the percentile explanations, but haven't really added much more. I think it's fine, and will remove the incomplete tag in a few days if nobody objects. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 13:53, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

'''UPDATED GRAPH:''' I've updated the image with a red line showing actual moon walker deaths. View here: [https://i.imgur.com/G7DbbBi.png]. Sadly, it's right on track. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.59|172.68.58.59]] 22:19, 9 August 2018 (UTC)

2030: Voting Software

2018-08-09T02:19:54Z

172.68.58.59: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2030
| date = August 8, 2018
| title = Voting Software
| image = voting_software.png
| titletext = There are lots of very smart people doing fascinating work on cryptographic voting protocols. We should be funding and encouraging them, and doing all our elections with paper ballots until everyone currently working in that field has retired.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BLOCKCHAIN - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The first two panels of this comic involve a reporter talking to professionals of a given field regarding the given safety of the products/solutions that each of their fields help to produce, or are at least partially involved in said production (Airplanes from aircraft designers in Panel 1, Elevators from building engineers in Panel 2). While the two inventions selected are relatively new when compared to how long humans have existed, the two fields mentioned have existed for multiple human generations, giving enough time to find flaws in their products/solutions and patch them to the point that they can be considered safe to use for the general public

The comic from Panel 3 contrasts this with [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] both agreeing that their given field (computer science / software development / software engineering) does not have the overall consistent competency that other fields have or, at the very least, appear to have. This is true (at least anecdotally) since there are very few ethical and security restrictions for what developers can/cannot do, and relatively minor consequences when catastrophes arise from poor decisions.

Computer systems, operating primarily in a digital domain fail differently than most traditional areas of engineering, which operate in analog (or continuous) domains. A small error in an analog part often gives a result which is close to the desired properties (it almost fits, it works most of the time). Whereas a small error in a digital system (just one bit being changed) can easily make the system function in radically different ways. So not only is software engineering younger than other areas of engineering, but the domain is much less forgiving. Even small errors/variations are likely to produce radically different behavior.

The title text confirms the comic's stance by implicitly saying that any digital voting systems that are produced are to not be used under any circumstances.

The main joke of the comic is that when other engineers say something is safe, people don't believe them: People are scared of flying and elevators even though they are, statistically, very safe. However, the opposite is true for software engineers: When software engineers say something is dangerious, people don't believe them. (And e-voting is stupidly dangerous)

This is a result of a fundamental difference between computer security and other types of safety measures -- in cryptography, there is ''always'' somebody trying to undo what you've built. Not only that, but new advances in cryptography tend to point out vulnerabilities with previous versions, making them not only obsolete, but dangerously so.

For these reasons, it is especially important to make sure that whoever is selling you the security method is both competent and non-malicious, but because crypto software is highly technical and often confidential/proprietary, it can be hard to verify this if you're not an expert in the field (which you won't be, if you're buying it).

These issues are especially pertinent to {{w|voting machine}}s, which store incredibly valuable information but are often catastrophically outdated due to lack of funding. Furthermore, the people purchasing them, the politicians, are generally not known for their technical understanding.

{{w|Blockchain}} is a relatively new technology that is intended to solve some computer security issues by making it difficult to doctor old data. However, in the process of solving the old computer security issues, it has introduced new computer security issues that have not yet been ironed out. It also doesn't solve input fraud issues, only data-doctoring fraud, so if a program caused the voting machine to record a vote for candidate B whenever a vote for candidate A was cast (such a program could be uploaded to the voting machines through USB, or through the internet which the voting machine must be connected to for blockchain), blockchain would not prevent it.

Most computer security specialists are more worried about programs that randomly deliberately misrecord a vote, than people changing the votes after they're already recorded, so blockchain would solve an issue that most computer security specialists are less worried about, while causing new issues (the perpetual internet connection among them).

Also, the security issues that Blockchain solves could also be solved via write-once memory, which would be more secure and more difficult to doctor.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Asking aircraft designers about airplane safety:
:Hairbun: Nothing is ever foolproof, but modern airliners are incredibly resilient. Flying is the safest way to travel.

:Asking building engineers about elevator safety:
:Cueball: Elevators are protected by multiple tried-and-tested failsafe mechanisms. They're nearly incapable of falling.

:Asking software engineers about computerized voting:
:Megan: That's ''terrifying''.

:Ponytail: Wait, really?
:Megan: Don't trust voting software and don't listen to anyone who tells you it's safe.
:Ponytail: Why?
:Megan: I don't quite know how to put this, but our entire field is bad at what we do, and if you rely on us, everyone will die.

:Ponytail: They say they've fixed it with something called "blockchain."
:Megan: AAAAA!!!
:Cueball: Whatever they sold you, don't touch it.
:Megan: Bury it in the desert.
:Cueball: Wear gloves.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2024: Light Hacks

2018-07-30T16:47:27Z

172.68.58.59:

We all know what we thinking, right :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECLvFLkvY7Y
: That was certainly my first thought! Riker pwned again. ;-) [[User:Gbisaga|Gbisaga]] ([[User talk:Gbisaga|talk]]) 07:19, 30 July 2018 (UTC)

Dyson spheres are the future but we’ll never see one in our lifetime, right? Maybe we can build small ones around candles and things as practice. Great art display for your local makerspace! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.100|162.158.63.100]] 11:03, 25 July 2018 (UTC)

Here’s a real light hack: https://hackaday.com/2016/02/29/fake-window-brings-natural-light-into-basement/ [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.183|162.158.62.183]] 15:21, 25 July 2018 (UTC)

I used to think life hacks were cool. Then I read a few of them and realized they were just Hints from Heloise with a cooler, hipper name.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.30|172.68.59.30]] 16:17, 25 July 2018 (UTC)Pat

:Pro-tip: Use these five simple tricks to turn any Life Hack into instant click-bait!
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:57, 25 July 2018 (UTC)

This Ikea lamp is more sci-fi: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00311498/ [[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 20:16, 25 July 2018 (UTC)
:I'm proud to say I actually have that lamp in my bedroom [[User:Faultwire|I'm me(citation needed)]] ([[User talk:Faultwire|talk]]) 23:33, 25 July 2018 (UTC)
::The comic's text specifically mentions that alien "Dyson lampshades" redirect 100% of their energy. By having a shell with mirror coating inside that can be closed and thus indeed reflecting a significant part of the light, they are much closer to what probably was intended[[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.76|162.158.150.76]] 19:02, 26 July 2018 (UTC)

What's the comment about infrared studies being '''inconclusive''' about? I was under the impression that infrared light was one of the big reasons we knew there weren't any Dyson Spheres nearby. Is the comic referring to a study or something I haven't heard of, or am I overthinking this? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.243|162.158.74.243]] 02:33, 26 July 2018 (UTC)

:I think she just meant infrared studies to find out if they have them at IKEA. Referencing the fact that that's what you'd use to look for real Dyson spheres. [[User:DanielLC|DanielLC]] ([[User talk:DanielLC|talk]]) 09:23, 26 July 2018 (UTC)

I figured out indirect (diffused) lighting in 1982, in McCutcheon Hall at Purdue University. The central hall had lots of light, but no observable, central light source. I discovered that the light came from hidden fluorescent tubes, diffused against a plastered ceiling. The light we saw, came from overhead, in every direction. The basic outcome is: the more quanta you have, the less precise your measurement can be. OTOH, fewer quanta cast a sharper shadow.

The frosted bulb diffuses the shadows of the filament. The bulb's reflector can be an offset to the diffusion.

Hey, did you know you can ''write comments'' down here?? Life hack! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.244|141.101.98.244]] 06:26, 27 July 2018 (UTC)

I thought this worth mentioning. Ikea has been brought up quite a few times now. I wonder if it will become a new theme (I know that's not the word I'm looking for, but I just can't think of the right word). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.59|172.68.58.59]] 16:47, 30 July 2018 (UTC)

104: Find You

2018-07-18T13:35:54Z

172.68.58.59: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 104
| date = May 19, 2006
| title = Find You
| image = find you.jpg
| titletext = I'm like the Terminator, except with love!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic depicts [[Cueball]] on a rope in a cavern. It is not completely clear whether Cueball is descending the rope or climbing it. The text indicates that one of his loved ones used to be afraid of being taken away from him and being forgotten. It is not explicitly made clear whether the loved one in question is a woman with whom he is in love, a family member, or a relation of some other kind, but presumably the loved one is either his girlfriend or wife.

Cueball had promised that he would always come looking for this person, but then they were actually taken from him. He reiterates that he was serious about his promise, and that he hopes they are not afraid, because he's coming to find them.

It's not clear exactly in what manner his loved one was taken from him, only that they were torn from his arms and vanished from this world. Though there are many other possible interpretations, this might be read to indicate that they have died and that Cueball is descending a cavern in search of the underworld where they have been taken.

The title text compares Cueball to the apparently unstoppable Terminator, from {{w|The Terminator|the 1984 film}} of the same name, in which Kyle Reese, talking to Sarah Connor gives the following description of the Terminator: "It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead." The implication is that Cueball, motivated by love, can't be persuaded to stop looking for his loved one by any means, and that he will never stop looking until he finds her.

==Transcript==
:[The panel is black with rough-edged white passages running down through it. A stick figure is holding onto a rope, dangling down one of these passages. White text is in the black sections.]
:You were afraid that you would disappear, that you would be lost and forgotten.
:I held you tight against the dark and said that I would always come for you.
:Then one day it happened. You were torn from my arms and vanished from this world.
:Maybe you don't remember my promise. But I meant every word.
:I hope you're not afraid, wherever you are.
:You don't need to be.
:I'm not.
:I will find you.

==Trivia==
*There is a [https://youtu.be/VnIrY2B3yIM fan made animated version of this comic].

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

104: Find You

2018-07-18T13:34:33Z

172.68.58.59: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 104
| date = May 19, 2006
| title = Find You
| image = find you.jpg
| titletext = I'm like the Terminator, except with love!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic depicts [[Cueball]] on a rope in a cavern. It is not completely clear whether Cueball is descending the rope or climbing it. The text indicates that one of his loved ones used to be afraid of being taken away from him and being forgotten. It is not explicitly made clear whether the loved one in question is a woman with whom he is in love, a family member, or a relation of some other kind, but presumably the loved one is either his girlfriend or wife.

Cueball had promised that he would always come looking for this person, but then they were actually taken from him. He reiterates that he was serious about his promise, and that he hopes they are not afraid, because he's coming to find them.

It's not clear exactly in what manner his loved one was taken from him, only that they were torn from his arms and vanished from this world. Though there are many other possible interpretations, this might be read to indicate that they have died and that Cueball is descending a cavern in search of the underworld where they have been taken.

The title text compares Cueball to the apparently unstoppable Terminator, from {{w|The Terminator|the 1984 film}} of the same name, in which Kyle Reese, talking to Sarah Connor gives the following description of the Terminator: "It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead." The implication is that Cueball, motivated by love, can't be persuaded to stop looking for his loved one by any means, and that he will never stop looking until he finds her.

==Transcript==
:[The panel is black with rough-edged white passages running down through it. A stick figure is holding onto a rope, dangling down one of these passages. White text is in the black sections.]
:You were afraid that you would disappear, that you would be lost and forgotten.
:I held you tight against the dark and said that I would always come for you.
:Then one day it happened. You were torn from my arms and vanished from this world.
:Maybe you don't remember my promise. But I meant every word.
:I hope you're not afraid, wherever you are.
:You don't need to be.
:I'm not.
:I will find you.

==Trivia==
*There is a [https://youtu.be/VnIrY2B3yIM fan made animated version of this comic].
*At some point around July 18 of 2018, the comic was flipped over, for reasons supposedly related to photocopies and HTML rotation.

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

104: Find You

2018-07-18T13:31:57Z

172.68.58.59: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 104
| date = May 19, 2006
| title = Find You
| image = find you.jpg
| titletext = I'm like the Terminator, except with love!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic depicts [[Cueball]] on a rope in a cavern. It is not completely clear whether Cueball is descending the rope or climbing it. The text indicates that one of his loved ones used to be afraid of being taken away from him and being forgotten. It is not explicitly made clear whether the loved one in question is a woman with whom he is in love, a family member, or a relation of some other kind, but presumably the loved one is either his girlfriend or wife.

Cueball had promised that he would always come looking for this person, but then they were actually taken from him. He reiterates that he was serious about his promise, and that he hopes they are not afraid, because he's coming to find them.

It's not clear exactly in what manner his loved one was taken from him, only that they were torn from his arms and vanished from this world. Though there are many other possible interpretations, this might be read to indicate that they have died and that Cueball is descending a cavern in search of the underworld where they have been taken.

The title text compares Cueball to the apparently unstoppable Terminator, from {{w|The Terminator|the 1984 film}} of the same name, in which Kyle Reese, talking to Sarah Connor gives the following description of the Terminator: "It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead." The implication is that Cueball, motivated by love, can't be persuaded to stop looking for his loved one by any means, and that he will never stop looking until he finds her.

==Transcript==
:[The panel is black with rough-edged white passages running down through it. A stick figure is holding onto a rope, dangling down one of these passages. White text is in the black sections.]
:You were afraid that you would disappear, that you would be lost and forgotten.
:I held you tight against the dark and said that I would always come for you.
:Then one day it happened. You were torn from my arms and vanished from this world.
:Maybe you don't remember my promise. But I meant every word.
:I hope you're not afraid, wherever you are.
:You don't need to be.
:I'm not.
:I will find you.

==Trivia==
*There is a [https://youtu.be/VnIrY2B3yIM fan made animated version of this comic].
*At some point around July 18 of 2018, the comic was [https://xkcd.com/104/ flipped over], for reasons currently unknown.

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

Talk:98: Fall Apart

2018-05-25T19:13:28Z

172.68.58.59: just a comment

Randall must have been eaten some mushrooms right before doing this one.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:53, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

Or perhaps he was drawing some thick, inky lines and realized that they looked like cracks, and he then extended the synecdoche. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 18:21, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

[http://staticfree.info/pugglechump This website] contains a reference to the pugglewump IRC channel. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 23:30, 24 January 2014 (UTC)

Anyone else see a resemblance to the end of ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade''? In particular the one figure crouching on the left over a falling woman looks like Indy and Elsa. ~~

Talk:1916: Temperature Preferences

2017-11-16T02:46:31Z

172.68.58.59: Denver is not included; Lubbock is just plain wrong.

As someone who lives near San Fransisco, but has lived in multiple other climates, I can say, San Fransisco can be pretty cold during summer months (compared to normal summers), but is still moderate. If you truely hate heat though, avoid mid-September till November as that is our hottest time of year, since there is not as much fog then. Once November hits it pretty suddenly gets cold again though. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.187|172.68.189.187]] 06:08, 15 November 2017 (UTC)Rowan

This graph doesn't make any sense. In my experience, people who live in places with hot summers hate heat, and people who live in places with cold winters hate coldness. Everyone I've ever spoken from Perth basically constantly complains about the heat! Shouldn't the whole thing be flipped? [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 08:46, 15 November 2017 (UTC)
:I just now realized that it says "where ''to'' live," not "where you live." I take back this silly comment ^_^; My bad [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 09:00, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

Why is there dirt in the middle of the picture? [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 09:06, 15 November 2017 (UTC)
:It appears to be a faded-out image, probably some reference pic that Randall was using while drawing. Something similar appeared in [[1561: Water Phase Diagram#Original version|1561]], and was later removed. [[User:Peregrine|Peregrine]] ([[User talk:Peregrine|talk]]) 11:32, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

Coming from Denmark I'm really dissapointed that he left out our capital, and the largest city in Scandinavia, Copenhagen, when he has both Oslo, Stockholm and .... Reykjavik... :-D But guess it should be placed near Oslo... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:54, 15 November 2017 (UTC)
:Within the mid-United States, Randall ignored Chicago entirely and highlighted Minneapolis. Since I'm originally from Minnesota, I appreciate that a LOT. (Chicago can keep their wind, those blowhards; if you want a humid summer, find a Minnesota lake for your vacation! Then enjoy the ice fishing in winter, too.) '''--BigMal''' // [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.184|108.162.216.184]] 15:16, 15 November 2017 (UTC)
::Denver isn't on here. We have over 230 temperate days per year; We get big snow sometimes, then it melts away within a day or two. I think it belongs somewhere directly below Paris? I wonder how we'd be positioned relative to Portland...
::There's no way Randall has spent any significant time near Lubbock Texas; It should be shown farther up & to the right, maybe a lot farther.
::[[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.59|172.68.58.59]] 02:46, 16 November 2017 (UTC)

So I've added a table with one entry for you all to put in data. I don't know where to find humidex info but the average low temperatures should be easy enough to find on e.g. Wikipedia. --[[User:AnotherAnonymous|AnotherAnonymous]] ([[User talk:AnotherAnonymous|talk]]) 10:10, 15 November 2017 (UTC)
:I think I've sorted all the disambiguations out apart from Richmond. My instinct is to say it's Richmond, Virginia but now I've seen how many Richmonds there are I'm not so sure...--[[User:AnotherAnonymous|AnotherAnonymous]] ([[User talk:AnotherAnonymous|talk]]) 12:07, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

I think that "Altay" is more likely to be {{w|Altay City|Altay City, China}}, not {{w|Altai City|Altai City, Mongolia}}. The Wikipedia-preferred spellings are one piece of evidence, but more convincing is the position of "Altay" right '''above''' (i.e. winters warmer than) "Regina". If this is {{w|Regina, Saskatchewan}}, then its temperature profile (per Wikipedia) is very similar to the Chinese city.
* Jan average: Regina, −20.1 to −9.3°C, and Altay, −21 to −9.4°C (versus Altai, −24.8 to −10.4°C)... pretty close all around, but Altai is a little colder.
* Jul average: Regina, 11.9 to 25.8°C, and Altay, 15.1 to 28.2°C (versus Altai, 8.0 to 19.7°C)... Altay is warmer than Regina, whereas Altai is quite a bit colder.
* Annual average: Regina, −3.2 to 9.3°C, and Altay, −1.4 to 10.7°C (versus Altai, −7.98 to 5.03°C)... Altai is again noticeably colder.
(Oops, edit conflict with [[User:AnotherAnonymous|AnotherAnonymous]]. Before their edit—which points to Altay City, China—the table said it was unclear which was meant.)
-- [[User:Peregrine|Peregrine]] ([[User talk:Peregrine|talk]]) 12:18, 15 November 2017 (UTC)
:Yeah, sorry, I changed my mind, I can't remember why now... --[[User:AnotherAnonymous|AnotherAnonymous]] ([[User talk:AnotherAnonymous|talk]]) 13:28, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

So, the table lists temperatures for these cities from some unknown source(s), that may not be the same source(s) Randall used. I think the more interesting table would bte the table of X/y coordinates for each city from the comic. No? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 15:01, 15 November 2017 (UTC)
: I disagree - we can see where they are on the comic, so that's not very interesting at all. This table puts some hard figures on the co-ordinates. (In most explanations when we 'estimate' co-ordinates, it's because there are no hard figures). By the way, the source I'm using for my figures is weatherbase.com as suggested in the transcript. I can't speak what others are using but maybe we should make this clearer. --[[User:AnotherAnonymous|AnotherAnonymous]] ([[User talk:AnotherAnonymous|talk]]) 16:05, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

Chicago? Bottom right corner.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.12|162.158.106.12]] 15:37, 15 November 2017 (UTC)
: Chicago averages around 12 days of 90+ and none over 100 per year (similar to New York) does not rank as being all that hot on a world scale [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 18:47, 15 November 2017 (UTC).
: Wherever Chicago should go (and it's definitely in the lower right quadrant), it's weird that Randall didn't put it there. It's the USA's third-largest city and by far the biggest metropolitan area in the Midwest. How did Minneapolis make the cut if Chicago didn't? (No offense, Minnesotans.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.250|108.162.216.250]] 23:33, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

Added hottest month Humidex values for all cities that have temperature and dew point data, using equation from the Wikipedia page on Humidex.

------
As a resident of Oregon, I vote for Portland being Portland, OR. It is not only larger than Portland, Maine; it also more closely fits the mild climate that Randall seems to place it in on the graph. An early settler wrote two letters back east: The first, "Come live with me, there ain't no winter here", the second six months later "Nevermind, there ain't no summer either" [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 21:44, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

1903: Bun Trend

2017-10-16T15:42:40Z

172.68.58.59: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1903
| date = October 16, 2017
| title = Bun Trend
| image = bun_trend.png
| titletext = Our experts have characterized the ecological impact of this trend as "adorable."
}}

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

In this comic, [[Beret Guy]] takes his bun shenanigans to the state government, reporting to the governor that the number of buns around the capitol has shown a rapid increase. The governor is understandably disconcerted then finally comes to grasp that Beret Guy is talking about rabbits, lots of which can be seen if he would just go outside (by the way, there is ''small'' one '''RIGHT NOW'''!).

The governor finally takes appropriate action by calling security and Beret Guy confronts his fate with poise and honor.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Beret Guy: Good morning Governor, our tracking systems show a rapid increase in the number of buns around the Capitol.
:Hairy: Buns?
:Beret Guy: Yes; there's been a long-term upward trend, but it has accelerated recently.
:Hairy: The trend in... rabbits.
:Beret Guy: Yes.
:Hairy: So... so what?
:Beret Guy: So if you want to see some buns, there are lots of them outside!
:Beret Guy: Ooh!
:Beret Guy: There's a small one right now!
:Hairy (offscreen): Do you... actually ''work'' for me?
:Beret Guy: Almost certainly. We had an election, right? I wrote my name in on the thing.
:Hairy (offscreen): Security?
:Beret Guy: It's been an honor to serve.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

1903: Bun Trend

2017-10-16T15:41:26Z

172.68.58.59: Beret guy, not White Hat. Also fix typo.

{{comic
| number = 1903
| date = October 16, 2017
| title = Bun Trend
| image = bun_trend.png
| titletext = Our experts have characterized the ecological impact of this trend as "adorable."
}}

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

In this comic, [[Beret Guy]] takes his bun shenanigans to the state government, reporting to the governor that the number of buns around the capitol has shown a rapid increase. The governor is understandably disconcerted then finally comes to grasp that White hat is talking about rabbits, lots of which can be seen if he would just go outside (by the way, there is ''small'' one '''RIGHT NOW'''!).

The governor finally takes appropriate action by calling security and White hat confronts his fate with poise and honor.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Beret Guy: Good morning Governor, our tracking systems show a rapid increase in the number of buns around the Capitol.
:Hairy: Buns?
:Beret Guy: Yes; there's been a long-term upward trend, but it has accelerated recently.
:Hairy: The trend in... rabbits.
:Beret Guy: Yes.
:Hairy: So... so what?
:Beret Guy: So if you want to see some buns, there are lots of them outside!
:Beret Guy: Ooh!
:Beret Guy: There's a small one right now!
:Hairy (offscreen): Do you... actually ''work'' for me?
:Beret Guy: Almost certainly. We had an election, right? I wrote my name in on the thing.
:Hairy (offscreen): Security?
:Beret Guy: It's been an honor to serve.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

Talk:80: My Other Car

2017-03-12T23:43:30Z

172.68.58.59:

Some comedian (Google is failing to tell me who) once claimed to have seen a bumper sticker that read "My other car is a Rolls Royce"...... on a Rolls Royce. -- mwburden [[Special:Contributions/70.91.188.49|70.91.188.49]] 21:37, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

----

This may kill some of the parody, but the audacious spoiler suggests that this may be a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (often referred to as simply an "Evo"). While this isn't a particularly fancy car—indeed the base Lancer model could be considered somewhat of an "econobox", on par with a Honda Civic or Toyota Tercel—the Evo trim level can be considered fairly valuable, particularly by performance enthusiasts. Comparing the 2013 models, the Evo trim has roughly twice the horsepower as the base model (291 hp vs. 148 hp), and its base price is more than twice as high (nearly $35,000 US vs. $16,000). The Evo has enhanced handling, transmission, and brakes, and is a favorite among club racers.

On the other hand, there are some who consider the Evo a "toy" car, little more than a go-kart with a stereo. This is especially applicable to the older generations of the mark, as they were less refined than more recent ones, focusing primarily on performance and eschewing creature comforts or any other hallmarks of perceived quality. The over-sized, garish spoiler only serves to enforce the "childish", low-class image (of note is that Mitsubishi seems to have abandoned the ridiculous spoiler for the latest model, offering comparatively conservative ones instead). Having driven one of the older models, I can attest to how unrefined and go-kart-like they are. My opinion is that it would be great fun to throw a car like that around the track on the weekends, but my ass couldn't handle driving one on a daily basis.

So for me, that bumper sticker could actually make sense. It could be my "other" car, one that I only used on track days. [[User:Daddy|Daddy]] ([[User talk:Daddy|talk]]) 05:22, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

----
I've discussed the issues with the image [[File talk:other car.jpg|here]]. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 09:00, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

:I fixed the image by resaving it in an image editing application. I, too, am perplexed why the original wouldn't display properly. The weird orientation doesn't seem to explain why it would fail to display at all. Perhaps it has something to do with the image being a link (e.g., the browser prepares a link area that's 372 x 300, then tries to fill it with an image that renders to 300 x 372 instead, and pukes). Regardless, it's easier to fix the image than to fix the browser. [[User:Daddy|Daddy]] ([[User talk:Daddy|talk]]) 04:35, 22 April 2013 (UTC)
::Yes, your upload allowed the wiki to display the file without attempting to thumbnail it. It's definitely a wiki problem, not a browser issue, as the image worked correctly when I got it to not use the thumbnail version, which still don't work. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:09, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

My other car is an honor student. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 05:03, 15 September 2013 (UTC)

----
For me this means "I don't have any other car" and this one is better than nothing. [[User:Loge Reborn]]

----
I feel like adding that the various Mitsubishi cars that can be done to the spec that a spoiler and those lines are appropriate (I've seen not just the Evolution, but also the Magna and the Magna's replacement, the 380, both of which are out of production) can be done much further, potentially going toe to toe with exotics. Whilst the car is cheap, if you bolt on enough parts (not cheap, btw), a la midnight club or NFS Underground, they can be beasts. Whilst not as prestigious or luxurious as the European exotics, they can match them for performance (not the stupidly rare top-end ones) and sometimes cost. Also, that car is yours. You have customised it. You don't get that in an exotic much... [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.44|198.41.239.44]] 07:06, 26 September 2015 (UTC)

In my other world, that is my other car. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRxtLblYuck] [[User:Zorlax the Mighty|Zorlax the Mighty'); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:Zorlax the Mighty|talk]]) 18:42, 11 August 2016 (UTC)

SOMEBODY has removed every instance of the word "car" from the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.59|172.68.58.59]] 23:43, 12 March 2017 (UTC)