explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2996: CIDABM

2024-10-14T08:14:01Z

172.69.194.254: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2996
| date = October 9, 2024
| title = CIDABM
| image = cidabm_2x.png
| imagesize = 423x480px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = There's a heated debate over whether the big island of Tierra del Fuego should qualify for membership.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A BOT DANGLING AWKWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WIKI - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic parodies intergovernmental cooperations, such as the {{w|G7}} "group of seven" (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) or the {{w|BRICS}} group (originally '''B'''razil, '''R'''ussia, '''I'''ndia and '''C'''hina, with '''S'''outh Africa soon after rounding off the acronym before further nations attained membership). Such treaties, and other more casual associations between nations, can be based upon some close association in geographical, political, cultural and/or economic terms (or even, in some cases, by little more than sharing a common opposition to a ''different'' {{w|Trade bloc|bloc}} of nations).

The "CIDABM" group, named for the very specific membership criteria, has been formed on a rather more abstract basis than most geographically-focused groupings (e.g. {{w|NATO}} or the {{w|Pacific Islands Forum}}) and (currently) consists of four otherwise disparate islands:
*{{w|Sicily}} is an autonomous region of {{w|Italy}}, which is on the southern edge of the {{w|Eurasia}}n mainland.
*{{w|Sri Lanka}} is a nation in its own right, south of {{w|India}}, which is also on the southern edge of the Eurasian mainland.
*{{w|Hainan}} is a province of {{w|China}}, which is also on the southern edge of the Eurasian mainland.
*{{w|Tasmania}} is a state of the nation of {{w|Australia}}, south of the {{w|Australia (continent)|continental Australia}} mainland.

These four islands 'dangle below' their mainlands only because of the convention of having north at the top of maps. If the mapmaking convention had instead been to have south at the top, the islands might have been described as floating above their continents. Conversely, {{w|Madagascar}}, {{w|Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland}} or {{w|Adelaide Island}} might have been applicable members of similar 'dangling' alliances where the basic premise might come from one or other different map orientations.

The big island of Tierra del Fuego ({{w|Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego}}), mentioned in the title text, is off the southern tip of the {{w|Chile}}an mainland (as well as a small bit of {{w|Argentina}}). Unlike the others in the comic, it doesn't prominently 'dangle' south of a mainland: it has narrow channels separating its northern and northwestern sides from the mainland, and other parts of the {{w|Tierra del Fuego}} archipelago surround its southwestern side and make it appear well-connected to the mainland. In addition, it isn't a single political entity: the island is split between Chile to the west and Argentina to the east. The 'heated debate' mentioned in the title text may be a play on ''Tierra del Fuego'' being Spanish for ''Land of Fire''.

While the banner on stage depicts each of the islands with approximately the same size, Tasmania (68,400 km²) and Sri Lanka (65,600 km²) are much larger than Hainan (35,200 km²) and Sicily (25,800 km²). Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego is in the middle sizewise (48,000 km²). Other islands that didn't make the cut for the comic are {{w|Corsica}} (8,700 km², south of France's mainland), {{w|Cyprus}} (9,300 km², south of Turkey) or {{w|Kyushu}} (36,800 km²) and {{w|Shikoku}} (18,800 km²) that are very close and south of the Japanese mainland of Honshu - like Tierra del Fuego, the status of all these islands as "awkwardly dangling" could be disputed, when regarding the four 'founding members' of the new coalition. {{w|Gotland}} (3,200 km²) and {{w|Long Island}} (3,600 km²) are even smaller and, like {{w|Taiwan}} (36,200 km²), they are arguably dangling more to the east than the south of their respective mainlands. The {{w|Isle of Wight}} (merely 380 km²) probably qualifies for "awkward", but not for "big"; the same likely goes for {{w|Stewart Island}}/Rakiura (1,746 km²), which dangles south of the South Island of New Zealand. {{w|Cuba}} (105,800 km²) which "dangles" south of Florida seems to also not quite fit the theme. {{w|Sumatra}} (482,300 km²), dangling south of the Malay peninsula, might actually be too large to qualify for the club.

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

:[A banner hangs at the top of the frame, labelled C.I.D.A.B.M., with several map segments on it. Four portions of land are shown in grey with a smaller island south of each in black.]
:[Hairbun, Cueball, Megan, and Hairy stand on a podium. The first two are shaking hands and Hairy is waving.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Geopolitical news: Sicily, Sri Lanka, Hainan, and Tasmania have joined together to form the Coalition of Islands that Dangle Awkwardly from the Bottom of a Mainland.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Geography]]

2996: CIDABM

2024-10-14T08:12:54Z

172.69.194.254: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2996
| date = October 9, 2024
| title = CIDABM
| image = cidabm_2x.png
| imagesize = 423x480px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = There's a heated debate over whether the big island of Tierra del Fuego should qualify for membership.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A BOT DANGLING AWKWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WIKI - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic parodies intergovernmental cooperations, such as the {{w|G7}} "group of seven" (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) or the {{w|BRICS}} group (originally '''B'''razil, '''R'''ussia, '''I'''ndia and '''C'''hina, with '''S'''outh Africa soon after rounding off the acronym before further nations attained membership). Such treaties, and other more casual associations between nations, can be based upon some close association in geographical, political, cultural and/or economic terms (or even, in some cases, by little more than sharing a common opposition to a ''different'' {{w|Trade bloc|bloc}} of nations).

The "CIDABM" group, named for the very specific membership criteria, has been formed on a rather more abstract basis than most geographically-focused groupings (e.g. {{w|NATO}} or the {{w|Pacific Islands Forum}}) and (currently) consists of four otherwise disparate islands:
*{{w|Sicily}} is an autonomous region of {{w|Italy}}, which is on the southern edge of the {{w|Eurasia}}n mainland.
*{{w|Sri Lanka}} is a nation in its own right, south of {{w|India}}, which is also on the southern edge of the Eurasian mainland.
*{{w|Hainan}} is a province of {{w|China}}, which is also on the southern edge of the Eurasian mainland.
*{{w|Tasmania}} is a state of the nation of {{w|Australia}}, south of the {{w|Australia (continent)|continental Australia}} mainland.

These four islands 'dangle below' their mainlands only because of the convention of having north at the top of maps. If the mapmaking convention had instead been to have south at the top, the islands might have been described as floating above their continents. Conversely, {{w|Madagascar}}, {{w|Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland}} or {{w|Adelaide Island}} might have been applicable members of similar 'dangling' alliances where the basic premise might come from one or other different map orientations.

The big island of Tierra del Fuego ({{w|Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego}}), mentioned in the title text, is off the southern tip of the {{w|Chile}}an mainland (as well as a small bit of {{w|Argentina}}). Unlike the others in the comic, it doesn't prominently 'dangle' south of a mainland: it has narrow channels separating its northern and northwestern sides from the mainland, and other parts of the {{w|Tierra del Fuego}} archipelago surround its southwestern side and make it appear well-connected to the mainland. In addition, it isn't a single political entity: the island is split between Chile to the west and Argentina to the east. The 'heated debate' mentioned in the title text may be a play on ''Tierra del Fuego'' being Spanish for ''Land of Fire''.

While the banner on stage depicts each of the islands with approximately the same size, Tasmania (68,400 km²) and Sri Lanka (65,600 km²) are much larger than Hainan (35,200 km²) and Sicily (25,800 km²). Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego is in the middle sizewise (48,000 km²). Other islands that didn't make the cut for the comic are {{w|Corsica}} (8,700 km², south of France's mainland), {{w|Cyprus}} (9,300 km², south of Turkey) or {{w|Kyushu}} (36,800 km²) and {{w|Shikoku}} (18,800 km²) that are very close and south of the Japanese mainland of Honshu - like Tierra del Fuego, the status of all these islands as "awkwardly dangling" could be disputed, when regarding the four 'founding members' of the new coalition. {{w|Gotland}} (3,200 km²) and {{w|Long Island}} (3,600 km²) are even smaller, and like {{w|Taiwan}} (36,200 km²) they are arguably dangling more to the east than the south of their respective mainlands. The {{w|Isle of Wight}} (merely 380 km²) probably qualifies for "awkward", but not for "big"; the same likely goes for {{w|Stewart Island}}/Rakiura (1,746 km²), which dangles south of the South Island of New Zealand. {{w|Cuba}} (105,800 km²) which "dangles" south of Florida seems also not quite fitting the theme. {{w|Sumatra}} (482,300 km²), dangling south of the Malay peninsula, might actually be too large to qualify for the club.

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

:[A banner hangs at the top of the frame, labelled C.I.D.A.B.M., with several map segments on it. Four portions of land are shown in grey with a smaller island south of each in black.]
:[Hairbun, Cueball, Megan, and Hairy stand on a podium. The first two are shaking hands and Hairy is waving.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Geopolitical news: Sicily, Sri Lanka, Hainan, and Tasmania have joined together to form the Coalition of Islands that Dangle Awkwardly from the Bottom of a Mainland.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Geography]]

2887: Minnesota

2024-01-30T09:24:45Z

172.69.194.254: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2887
| date = January 29, 2024
| title = Minnesota
| image = minnesota_2x.png
| imagesize = 673x260px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = In addition to 'squishy', after reviewing my submitted intraplate ground motion data, the National Geodetic Survey has politely asked me to stop using the word 'supple' so often when describing Midwestern states.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A SLOWLY EXPANDING CANADA - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Hairy]], [[Ponytail]], and [[Cueball]] are in a business meeting of an unknown nature, but one which (it transpires) is unrelated to either geography, geology or geopolitical boundaries. Hairy asks if anyone has any other concerns, a common enough question to ask when trying to ensure that nobody at the meeting has still something to say that had not already been covered directly by the agenda or the resulting discussions.

Cueball voices an opinion on Minnesota. Due to the {{w|post-glacial rebound}} present in Minnesota, this US state is apparently slowly decreasing in size. The humor comes from the fact that this may be a genuine concern by Cueball, but is completely unrelated to the topic of the meeting nor even a very significant problem even in more relevant circles. And yet Cueball clearly finds it important enough that "all meetings should be about Minnesota" until the 'problem' is solved.

The title text implies that Cueball has also brought this issue up to the {{w|National Geodetic Survey}}; rather than commenting on his data or findings, they have simply requested that he stop using suggestive language in his papers ("supple" is sometimes used, especially in erotic literature, to describe certain body parts).

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

:[Hairy standing in front of Ponytail and Cueball, who are sitting behind a desk]
:Hairy: Does anyone have any other concerns?
:Cueball: I'm concerned that Minnesota is getting shorter.

:[A map of Minnesota beside Cueball, with arrows pointing from the northern and southern borders towards the middle]
:Cueball: Because of post-glacial crust rebound, the northern border is moving toward the southern border. It's less than an inch a decade, but I still don't like it.
:Cueball: Minnesota shouldn't be squishy.

:[Hairy again standing in front of Ponytail and Cueball at the desk. Ponytail is looking at Cueball, whose finger is now raised in the air, gesturing]
:Hairy: Okay. Does anyone have any concerns related to the topic of this meeting?
:Cueball: All meetings should be about Minnesota until we resolve this.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Geography]]

Talk:2885: Spelling

2024-01-25T10:16:37Z

172.69.194.254:

citing every word in an essay because I really, ''really'' don't know how to spell [[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 13:00, 24 January 2024 (UTC)
:Fungi. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.80|172.70.86.80]] 14:17, 24 January 2024 (UTC) ;)
:Spore way of going about things. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.77|172.71.178.77]] 15:00, 24 January 2024 (UTC)
:Yeah, the lack of a period at the end of that sentence, makes it read "really, ''really'' don't know how to spell Mushrooms" & that works great as a sentence\statement, in this case!
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:49, 24 January 2024 (UTC)
::curse my habit of not using periods online!!!! [[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 07:39, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

Boo! at the spoilsport who took out my 'dilemna' easter egg. :oP [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.101|141.101.99.101]] 16:27, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

I like how someone misspelled "spell" until I corrected it. [[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 17:19, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

Funny, this setting doesn't <em>look</em> all that much like that of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudine_Gay#Plagiarism_investigations Office of the President of Harvard University] ... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.197.133|172.69.197.133]] 17:31, 24 January 2024 (UTC)
:Do you mean Claudine Gay, that Nazi Hamas sympathizer who couldn't answer a simple question about Harvard's code of conduct with respect to advocating for anti-Semitic genocide, and had to resign disgracefully after it was revealed she plagiarized more than half of her academic publications? Do you mean her? Yes. It looks nothing like that.

Re. the ask in the incomplete tag for citations about plajerism being mispelled - [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism Merriam Webster] claims that common misspellings are "plagarism, plagerism, plagirism", but, uh, doesn't cite its source for that... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.254|172.69.194.254]] 10:16, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

;Dictionary Copyright
Citing a dictionary is a great example of attribution: A ''portion'' is directly quoted, with its source stated for verification purposes. Attribution is a great practice; copying without attribution isn't literal theft, but it ''is'' lazy & irresponsible, & actually detracts from the real value of the copy. Copying ''with'' attribution, on the other hand, is difficult to show any real harm from, & is arguably beneficial to all but rent-seekers. Attribution is essential! What other works, are cited with attribution, as consistently as a dictionary? Even scholarly papers seem oft-quoted without attribution... This is a disservice to both the listener, & anyone who might value the original, & potentially to the one copying. 'News' is another example of having less value without attribution... What's another good example of something that isn't as useful unless the source is cited?
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 16:07, 24 January 2024 (UTC)
:On the other hand, far too many lazy presenters, speakers, and best men have included the phrase "Webster's Dictionary defines [everyday word everyone knows the meaning of but you're about to poetically but incorrectly redefine] as..." [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 04:33, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

I wonder if many people realise that in many ways using an AI to write an essay is a type of plagiarism engine? [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 07:51, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

;Norway
This is probably just a coincidence (I don't think Randall has any particular ties to Norway), but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandra_Borch_and_Ingvild_Kjerkol_plagiarism_affair is quite recent. [[User:Villemoes|Villemoes]] ([[User talk:Villemoes|talk]]) 19:18, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

There's also this https://apnews.com/article/harvard-president-plagiarism-claudine-gay-14330935453134c7c9c9a9c496020568 and this https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/youtube-creator-james-somerton-plagiarism-accusation-response-rcna130860 which are fairly recent and in the English speaking world. I just think plagiarism is a common topic right now. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.42.241|172.70.42.241]] 23:01, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

2065: Who Sends the First Text?

2024-01-13T07:05:13Z

172.69.194.254: Punctuate right, or don't bother...

{{comic
| number = 2065
| date = October 29, 2018
| title = Who Sends the First Text?
| image = who_sends_the_first_text.png
| titletext = I sort of wish my texting app showed the percentage next to each person, but also sort of don't want to know.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Text messaging}} is a back-and-forth communication via SMS between two users. In this comic, Randall shows a line graph of "who sends the first text more often?" This is meant to show who Randall initiates conversations with, and who initiates conversations with him.

Maintaining a friendship or relationship (whether intimate, friendship, casual, or business) typically requires communication; often that communication takes place when two individuals are not in the same location by means of an exchange of text messages. A normal balanced relationship typically involves both parties involved to have an approximately equal interest in making conversations happen, as measured in this case by "who sends the first text". The person who desires that a particular communication take place typically will send a text message, and once the other person responds the conversation happens, and the relationship progresses. If neither person initiates, the relationship will likely suffer.

While the majority of this graph shows relationships which involve friends whereby both sides are prone to initiating conversations, the graph also shows some groups that are a little more at the extremes, some where Randall texts a lot but they typically don't initiate text conversations to him, and some where others text him a lot but he rarely initiates text conversations with them.

On the left side of the graph are people with whom Randall initiates conversations with "100% of the time". On the right side of the graph are those who initiate conversations with Randall.

The chart is separated into 5 blocks. The two blocks on the left are those who may be, or definitely are, "just politely putting up with [Randall]". This is implied that they may not be close friends with Randall, but Randall still wants to be friends with them. Their reluctance to initiate conversation with Randall is shown by the fact that Randall usually sends the first text to them.

The largest block, in the middle, is "friends". These friends range from Randall initiating a lot, to them initiating a lot. There is a healthy range of who initiates first.

The next block to the right is for "that really nice friend who keeps inviting me to things even though I flake constantly". This means that Randall promises to go to events that this friend invites him to, but does not always follow through. This friend is still persistent in inviting Randall. Additionally, Randall could be less close to this person, based on him not categorizing this person under "friends".

The final block is "automated alerts and political campaigns". Randall would certainly not be likely to initiate "conversation" with automated systems, and would be very unlikely to initiate conversations with political campaigns. The fact that the bar is not purely 100% suggests that he has on rare occasion sent the first text to such recipients, perhaps for a campaign he believes in, or to request to be added to an automated alert system (i.e. opt-in). The fact that it includes political campaigns is a reference to the incessant texts being sent to Americans about the upcoming midterms.

In the title text, Randall wishes that he would know the percentage of "who sends the first text more often", for each person that he texts. But he is also wary of the potential implications of finding out this information.
(Many old school messenger like pidgin offer such statistics through plugins though)

==Transcript==
:'''Who sends the first text more often?'''
:[A line graph with a segmented bar underneath shows a 50/50 marker in the middle while the left end is labeled "I text first 100% of the time" whereas the right end is labeled "They text first 100% of the time".]

:[The bar below is divided into five sections:]

:[A small part at the left, and a next, slightly larger part. The text below points to the second part:]
:People who I think of as friends but secretly worry that they're just politely putting up with me

:[Below this a text is shown for the first part:]
:...'''''definitely''''' just politely putting up with me

:[In the middle is a big part:]
:Friends

:[To the right the parts are symmetric, the first is larger:]
:That really nice friend who keeps inviting me to things even though I flake constantly

:[The last small bar at the right:]
:Automated alerts and political campaigns

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]

2879: Like This One

2024-01-11T16:29:56Z

172.69.194.254: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2879
| date = January 10, 2024
| title = Like This One
| image = like_this_one_2x.png
| imagesize = 273x464px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = A lot of sentences undergo startling shifts in mood if you add 'like this one' to the end, but high on the list is 'I'm a neurologist studying dreams.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a bot like this one- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, [[Megan]] is asking [[Ponytail]] what she researches. Ponytail responds with "I'm a researcher studying gas molecules like this one" and then she indicates the air above her outstretched hand, which, indeed, does contain gas molecules. However, it would not be at all clear which one molecule she was supposed to be identifying, since they are too small for human sight to distinguish, rendering the closing phrase essentially meaningless.

The caption under the comic goes further by listing out things that researchers study and are, by necessity, around them either all the time, or at any time they are talking to another person, making the researchers truthfully able to respond "...like this one" when asked about their research, despite the fact that such a statement doesn't tangibly identify anything to the other person.
* Gas molecules: Gas molecules are, like their name suggests, in a gaseous state, and thus generally share a few basic physical characteristics. A researcher would thus be able to make reference to their study of (any particular kinds of) gas molecules as, unless they happen to be researching something incredibly exotic, the gas molecules they were studying would probably share at least something with the gas molecules found in the atmosphere. A more restrictive interpretation would be that the researcher is, in fact, studying particular kinds of gas molecules that are currently found in the atmosphere, for better or for worse.
* Gravitational fields:
* Planetary magnetospheres:
* Sound waves:
* Habitable worlds:
* Languages:
* Social interactions:
* Skin microbes:

The title text moves into inverse cases, where it would be highly unusual or potentially disconcerting for an example of the research subject to be present at the time of the conversation. In the example given, for a neurologist to say "I'm a neurologist studying dreams ''like this one''", would imply that your conversation with them is itself a dream.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are facing Ponytail, who holds her hand out palm up.]
:Megan: So what do you do?
:Ponytail: I'm a researcher studying gas molecules like this one.

:[Below the panel there is an explanation of the comics idea.]
:Fields of research where you can add "...like this one" after you say what you study:
:[Bulleted list of various separate fields of study.]
::Gas molecules
::Gravitational fields
::Planetary magnetospheres
::Sound waves
::Habitable worlds
::Languages
::Social interactions
::Skin microbes

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]
[[Category:Dreams]]