explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:545: Neutrality Schmeutrality

2020-04-29T02:52:32Z

172.69.22.44:

What if instead of word count, it was determined by letter count. so insert a word with multiple spellings like “colour/color” and people will repeatedly edit and re-edit the word over and over until the servers crashed ? --[[User:ParadoX|ParadoX]] ([[User talk:ParadoX|talk]]) 09:01, 26 June 2013 (UTC)ParadoX
::Yea, it doesn’t matter either way; let the sheeple have fun herding cats while I camp in the banquet for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auction_sniping last snipe].[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 12:54, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

I think that the idea is that the edit and re-editing would overload the servers without it being a change to a single word. [[User:Theo|Theo]] ([[User talk:Theo|talk]]) 21:06, 13 August 2013 (UTC)

:If Wikipedia’s aim is to take a neutral stance, and Wikipedia is being exploited to determine which of two opposing sides receives a donation, Wikipedia’s correct action would be to prevent the article from being written, thus enforcing Wikipedia’s stance on neutrality. [[User:Thokling|Thokling]] ([[User talk:Thokling|talk]]) 20:17, 26 September 2013 (UTC)
::If there is no article, the word count is 0, which is an even number, so it goes to pro-choice activists. :) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.51.209|173.245.51.209]] 13:03, 6 November 2013 (UTC)
:::No: if there is no article, the word count is undefined. You cannot determine anything about something that doesn’t exist. [[User:Rvighne|rvighne]] ([[User talk:Rvighne|talk]]) 04:50, 23 April 2014 (UTC)
:::: if the article existed, it would be deleted as not notable. [[User:Chess|Chess]] ([[User talk:Chess|talk]]) 00:42, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

Lock the article mid-edit leaving a single word unfinished. That becomes a fraction of a word which is neit- [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.217|173.245.55.217]] 16:02, 2 December 2013 (UTC)BK

What the hell is Schmeutrality? ''Schmeu…'' looks very German to me, but I still have no idea about its meaning on this portmanteau. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:39, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
:An old (read “pre-internet”) meme, probably Yiddish, is to say a word, then replace the initial consonant cluster of the word with “schm” (read “shm”) and say the altered word. This denotes an active apathy toward the subject, that is, the speaker is deliberately disregarding the authority (for that is usually what is “regarded”) and doing their own thing, as Black Hat is doing here, disregarding the authority of Wikipedia’s stance on neutrality. If you were skipping school, and wanted to justify, you would say “School, Schmool”. If you were disobeying you’re Aunt Josephine, you would justify, to a confidant, “Aunt Josephine, Schmaunt Josephine”. Other examples include “God, Schmod”, “Copyrights, Schmopyrights” and “Feds, Schmeds”.
:While I was familiar with this before him, Lemony Snicket’s third book of a Series of Unfortunate Events, ''The Wide Window’', explains it better than I do.
:Anonymous 04:56, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

Easily fixed. Lock the article just before the deadline, flip a coin in a meeting of lots of Wikipedians, broadcast live. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.228.47|108.162.228.47]] 14:36, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Another idea. Include a fragment of a word at the end of the article and full-protect it indefinitley. [[User:Jake|Jake]] ([[User talk:Jake|talk]]) 13:46, 2 June 2014 (UTC)

Also, what about hyphenated compound words where it can be debated whether or not they’re a single word? [[User:SuperSupermario24|Just some random derp]] 23:49, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Maybe Black Hat is avoiding donating the money because he knows there will be a constant edit war. I am not quite sure enough to put it in the explanation. [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 10:39, 19 September 2016 (UTC)

What if another speaker at the event (or afterwards) were to donate $1,000,000 at the same time as Black Hat, but the other way round based on the word count? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.60|141.101.98.60]] 12:04, 8 October 2016 (UTC)

…and 0’s an even number 😆[[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 04:02, 2 August 2017 (UTC)

Even if the article wasn’t created or was deleted, it would remain true that Wikipedia couldn’t cover it neutrally, because it wouldn’t be covered. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.178|108.162.215.178]] 19:22, 8 August 2017 (UTC)

There is a way to circumvent notability: If the article’s wordcount is neither odd nor even (i.e. zero, i.e. the article does not exist) then the money will be given to a terrorist group or neo-nazis or some other concievably evil group. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.178.237|162.158.178.237]] 09:22, 22 August 2017 (UTC)

0 is even [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.214|162.158.75.214]] 19:53, 29 November 2017 (UTC)

This is actually unclear, since word counts may count or not the title of the article, subsection titles, infoboxes. I’d go with paragraph count. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.226.124|198.41.226.124]] 20:49, 6 September 2018 (UTC)
In theory you should use the prose count since that is the "Wikipedia Standard"

I think Wikipedia could just create two articles for the event, one for each side. That’d be neutral. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.226.34|198.41.226.34]] 20:51, 6 September 2018 (UTC)
Technically that would be content forking, which is banned. See WP:POVSPLIT. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.44|172.69.22.44]] 02:52, 29 April 2020 (UTC)

not trivia: its impossible to create an event that wikipedia can cover neutrally {{unsigned|Asha the gay knight}}

== Word count in the comic ==

The title text & black hat's speech word counts are both even, which could reflect Randall's opinion on the topic (pro-choice), considering [[:Category:Self-reference|self-reference]] is a common theme.
Of course, this could be just a coincidence.
--[[User:Iyhuvgug61|Iyhuvgug61]] ([[User talk:Iyhuvgug61|talk]]) 08:25, 1 August 2019 (UTC)

985: Percentage Points

2020-04-28T03:37:27Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 985
| date = December 2, 2011
| title = Percentage Points
| image = percentage_points.png
| titletext = Grayton also proposed making college scholarships available exclusively to sexually active teens, amnesty for illegal immigrants who create room for themselves by killing a citizen, and a graduated income tax based on penis size. He has been endorsed by Tracy Morgan, John Wilkes Booth's ghost, and the Time Cube guy.
}}

==Explanation==
Senator Grayton is a fictional character, made up for this comic, which is unusual for xkcd, which typically uses real-world references.

The issues that Grayton supports:

*Tax Breaks to Drunk Drivers: Grayton proposes giving those who have been convicted of a {{w|DUI}} or DWI (i.e. Driving Under the Influence or Driving While Intoxicated) money back on their taxes, when those infractions are typically severely penalized, as drunk driving has resulted in numerous deaths.
*{{w|Predator Drones}} and the {{w|Christmas controversy|War on Christmas}}: The War on {{w|Christmas}} is not a real war; it is simply the perception by some {{w|Christian}}s that non-Christians are trying to replace traditional Christmas imagery with more inclusive and generic holiday customs. No politicians have explicitly announced their support of the "War on Christmas," and the idea that one would not only do so, but would also want to use drones—ostensibly to harm or possibly kill people—in the effort is an absurd exaggeration of a relatively harmless culture war.

The term {{w|percentage point}} is used to overcome an abiguity when comparing two percentages. Assuming an original sample of 1,000,000 people, where 20% approve of Senator Grayton. However, it could also refer to a lead of a 20% point margin.

'''Reduction of a stated number by a percentage'''
:When the original value is given as a number, there is no ambiguity. In the statement below the only possible conclusion is that now only 162,000 people approve of Grayton.
:''Previously 200,000 people approved of Senator Grayton, and then his approval rating dropped by 19%.''

'''Reduction of a percentage by a percentage'''
:When the original approval rating is given as a percentage (20% in the comic), then a reduction of 19% has two possible meanings:
:1) Of the 20% who previously approved (200,000 people), 19% no longer approve. In this case the result is 162,000 as in the above example.
:2) Compared to the original results, 19% fewer of the entire original sample of 1 million people approve. In this case only 1% of the original 1 million approve, equal to 10,000 people.

If using the second method of comparing percentages, the approvals rating should be described as having dropped by 19 percentage points. In reality, the distinction between the two methods is often overlooked, leading to confusion.

The caption's issue with "percentage" versus "percentage points" is that if Grayton's 20% approval rating drops by 19%, that means that his support has only dropped 3.8 percentage points since 19% of 20% is only 3.8%. That would mean that even after all his outrageous statements, his support dropped only from 20% to 16.2%. However, if the news reports that his 20% approval rating dropped 19 ''percentage points'', that means his support has dropped to 1%, which appears to be more accurate given Grayton's egregious policy decisions and the description of his campaign as having "imploded."

The punchline to all this is that Randall is more bothered by the "percent" ambiguity than by Grayton's appalling policy plans.

References in the title text:

*{{w|Tracy Morgan}} is an actor who plays Tracy Jordan in the TV Show ''{{w|30 Rock}}''. He has been reprimanded for controversial comments on homosexuals and {{w|Sarah Palin}} (in separate incidents).
*{{w|John Wilkes Booth}} is the person who assassinated {{w|Abraham Lincoln}}. He was a {{w|Confederate}} sympathizer and supported slavery. The mention of his ghost could also be a reference to King Falls AM, an audio drama which features his ghost multiple times.
*"The {{w|Time Cube}} Guy" would be Otis Eugene "Gene" Ray. To put things ''very'' politely (as Mr. Ray was a very angry man with severe schizophrenia), he created a website known as Time Cube where he set out his personal model of reality, which he called Time Cube. He suggested that all of modern physics is wrong, in addition to claiming that religion is evil, specifically Christianity, and that the idea of family is poisoning children. Ray passed away in 2015.
*College Scholarships to Sexually Active Teens: Many people think adolescents should not engage in sexual activity, let alone be encouraged to do so by college scholarships. This is the opposite of {{w|Abstinence-only sex education|abstinence programs}}, which encourage teens not to be sexually active until marriage.
*Illegal immigrants who create room for themselves by killing a citizen: {{w|Illegal immigration to the United States|Illegal immigration}} is a highly controversial topic in the United States. One argument against illegal immigration is that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from American citizens. Proponents of immigration assert that this is not the case, since more people in the overall economy creates jobs and brings in more tax revenue. Neither group would be in favor of illegal immigrants murdering citizens even though it would not result in a net gain or loss in population.
*Graduated income tax based on penis size: Many men are sensitive about their penis size and would probably consider the measurement of their penises for tax assessment purposes an enormous embarrassment and invasion of privacy. Even the scenario in which those with relatively smaller penises would be levied less tax than those with larger penises would probably not be sufficient for them to accept this policy, and even if they did, those with larger penises would probably consider this policy to be unfair. And the alternative—a scenario in which ''larger'' penises pay less taxes—would be both unfair and incredibly demeaning.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting in an armchair watching TV while listening to a news report coming from the TV as shown by a zigzag line.]
:Voice from TV: Senator Grayton's campaign has imploded following the candidate's promise to give tax breaks to drunk drivers and to authorize the use of unmanned Predator drones in the War On Christmas. Grayton had been polling at 20%, but his support has since plunged by 19%.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I hate the ambiguity created when people don't distinguish between percentages and percentage points.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Penis]]

Talk:2275: Coronavirus Name

2020-03-03T11:36:15Z

172.69.22.44: dodged

Covid-19 is more dangerous than the flu and has already killed more people. And any death rate that starts with 0.00 and then has a number other than zero can only be called "basically zero" if you value human life very little. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.132|162.158.94.132]] 21:49, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
:addendum: this seems to depend on what source you use for the chinese yearly flu death rate. number of deaths is either much higher or somewhat lower.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.123|162.158.91.123]] 21:53, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
:It's Trump taking point that the coronavirus is a hoax and no worse than the flu. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.213|162.158.74.213]] 22:14, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
:At the very least, the fact the virus has over 90,000 confirmed cases makes it a significant disease. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.246|172.69.34.246]] 22:28, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
:It doesn't seem like the point of the comic is to comment on the severity of the virus. Seems more on-topic to say things that are objectively true, like "Many people are concerned about the virus" rather than discussing disputed stats.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.132|162.158.106.132]] 22:58, 2 March 2020 (UTC) Patb
::I agree, and suggest we remove the line with stats entirely. It isn't relevant to the comic, and having it refer to "current estimates" means someone will have to keep updating it when new estimates are made. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.57|172.69.54.57]] 08:17, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

If the Godzilla movies have taught me anything, it's that giant insects aren't a problem biologists can solve anyways. That's more of a "nuclear paleontology" sort of job. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 01:43, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

It is legitimately difficult to tell if Ponytail's use of the word 'catchy' as a descriptor for 'coronavirus' is an intentional or unintentional pun. Either way, it's very opportune. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.239|108.162.221.239]] 03:55, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

The current chapter of Wilde Life (a totally unrelated webcomic) as a giant spider interacting with two of the main characters, starting [https://www.wildelifecomic.com/comic/710/ here]. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 05:05, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

I think they missed a trick with the naming. CORVID-19 would have reminded everyone of H5N1 'bird flu', and we could just blame the crows. Kill a magpie to avoid infection!
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.253|162.158.158.253]] 10:53, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

Yeah really dodged a bullet on those rhinoviri. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.44|172.69.22.44]] 11:36, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

Talk:1313: Regex Golf

2019-10-17T17:06:04Z

172.69.22.44: /* Regex golf with transcript */

This is fairly simple fun little one.

Regex is sort for regular expressions. A regular expression is a series of characters that denotes a search criteria. For example, you could write a regular expression that would search for anything that looks like an address (a la [http://www.xkcd.com/208/ comic 208]).

Regex golf is a game in which you attempt to write a regular expression that will search through a list of items and bring back only those items that meet a certain criteria, but not anything else. The joke is that regular expressions are used to search text, but themselves are text strings. This means that you could write a regular expression that would look for another regular expression. You can then apply ''ad infinitum'', and the universe implodes or something.

--[[User:Holshy|Holshy]] ([[User talk:Holshy|talk]]) 05:40, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

The last panel includes, of course, a regex "/(meta-)*regex golf/," which represents the phrase "regex golf" preceded by the phrase "meta-" up to ''infinite'' times.

As a punchline, it also refers to Jamie Zawinski's well-known quote about regex,

<blockquote>Some people, when confronted with a problem, think "I know, I'll use regular expressions." Now they have two problems.</blockquote>

Thus, the punchline is that the addition of meta layers to regex golf generates more problems for the programmer, but that was also the setup of the comic. So either the punchline is really weak—worth a chuckle if you got the above two references—or I missed the joke.
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.63|199.27.128.63]] 06:22, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

Could anybody comment on the first regex? Do I get it right that
beyond others it will match all strings that contain a "b"? I can hardly believe that is not the case for any star trek subtitle... [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.194|173.245.53.194]] 06:54, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
:This is the case for all Star Trek Subtitles. Wikipedia's list of movies had no b. It'll match anything containing a word ending in ''m'', any word beginning with ''n'' or ''t'' that is not the first word, or any word with a ''b''. No Trek movies match. Oddly, so far as I can figure out, the regex in the first panel is wrong, in that it doesn't match the second Star Wars movie at all. And before you tell me prequels don't count, the sole purpose of "m " is to match The Phanto''m ''Menace.[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.138|199.27.128.138]] 07:10, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
Attack of[ t]he Clones (to be read plainly, not as a regular expression). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.107|173.245.53.107]] 07:29, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
:Ah, I thought it was ''The Clone Wars''. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.138|199.27.128.138]] 15:36, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
So, if I add an "e" to the "tn" and delete the "|b" I'm a better golf player than her? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.194|108.162.212.194]] 08:23, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
:Or you could just move the "b" into the "tn" group. --11:08, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

I got a sneak preview of this comic at about 6:34 EST...at first it appeared to be random text in a irc message, but with this comic it now makes sense to me. [[User:Verticalbar|Verticalbar]] ([[User talk:Verticalbar|talk]]) 09:31, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

'''Regex golf''' (c.f. {{w|Perl golf}}) is a programming competition / is a pastime of finding regular expression that matches one set of strings while matching none of the other set. See for example http://regex.alf.nu --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:03, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

The title text isn't exactly true... I haven't tried everything, but that regex doesn't match "gerald ford" at all. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.109|199.27.128.109]] 11:23, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
: Gerald Ford wasn't elected, he became President following Nixon's resignation.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.209|173.245.52.209]] 12:12, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

Inspired by regex.alf.nu, a reader built a page where the objective is to make a regular expression to match all Star Wars and no Star Trek: http://zegnat.github.io/xkcd1313/. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.127|173.245.53.127]] 14:00, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

I added a list of all US elected presidents and the part of the title regex they match. I used a python script to generate it, with input from [http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_candidates here], then I removed all presidents that do not match after finding they really weren't elected. There may still be superflous ones, that weren't elected but do match the regex, please check. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.64|173.245.49.64]] 14:29, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

Does anyone understand the final "No, I had those already"? Is it a reference to regexes in some way or could it be something like that there are infinite problems in life, even when not doing (Meta-)*-Regexes? --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.199|173.245.53.199]] 20:32, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

According to Peter Norvig (Director of research at google), one of the Regular Expression of Randall is wrong as demonstrated here : http://nbviewer.ipython.org/url/norvig.com/ipython/xkcd1313.ipynb [[User:Mbussonn|Mbussonn]] ([[User talk:Mbussonn|talk]]) 20:47, 6 January 2014 (UTC)
: It's happening. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.153|173.245.53.153]] 11:39, 7 January 2014 (UTC)

"No one wins at [^ ]+ golf." [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.209|141.101.98.209]] 09:50, 7 January 2014 (UTC)
: Gee, would that be "No one wins at \S+ golf."? [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 23:57, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

Why does this say that it is Case Sensitive. As far as I can tell it would not work if that were true.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.59|108.162.219.59]] 02:28, 7 February 2014 (UTC)

"Note that if one included the animated film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” it would be matched by “ [tn]”."
- I don't see how this is true, since the T is at the beginning of the subtitle. If this matched, then surely so would all of the original series Star Trek films. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.41}}

"I got infinite problems and a bitch ain,t one" 15:50, 29 August 2014 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.191}}

Looks like the algorithm is a bit outdated. It fails to match {{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens|The Force Awakens}} but matches {{w|Star Trek Beyond|Beyond}}--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.51|108.162.212.51]] 17:57, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

For the 2016 election, the regex predicts that a Democrat (either) will beat Donald Trump, who will win the Republican primaries. {{unsigned ip|141.101.106.233}}

I like that linked article, even though I'm not really into programming. Just noticed Norvig misspells Randall's last name as Monroe instead of Munroe.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.71|108.162.237.71]] 03:42, 15 March 2016 (UTC)

How would Trump work with this?
EDIT: Hillary works but Trump doesn't. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.73|162.158.75.73]] 00:23, 14 November 2016 (UTC)

The article says that the Presidents Regex is now impossible to update after Trump's win over Hillary. However, if Hillary were to win in a future election, it would work again as per the rule stated above the list, wouldn't it? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.35|162.158.91.35]] 09:26, 3 April 2017 (UTC)

This isn't true either - there was already a presidential loser whose surname was Clinton (DeWitt Clinton, 1812). So presumably Hillary Clinton is likewise not considered in terms of regex eligibility. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.59|172.68.132.59]] 23:05, 13 April 2017 (UTC)

For the Star Wars/Star Trek golf, including the new films, I've got /m | [tn]|ba|a[sw]/. Can anyone do better? {{unsigned|Misterblue28}}
:Including Star Wars films up to ''The Rise of Skywalker'', I get /ke|a.t.|n.*h/. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.47|172.69.63.47]] 20:46, 20 May 2019 (UTC)
Does this work for Trump v Hillary? {{unsigned ip|162.158.154.103}}
: I was just wondering the same thing. Pretty sure it's now literally impossible, since you'd have to both match AND exclude "Clinton". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.88|162.158.75.88]] 13:15, 2 October 2018 (UTC)

== Regex golf with transcript ==

So I decided to play regex golf with the transcript (after learning regex) and it was kinda fun.
Here's my list of lines to match:

[Megan is sitting at a laptop. Cueball is standing behind her.]

Megan: /m | [tn]|b/ matches Star Wars subtitles but not Star Trek.

[A close-up of Megan at her laptop.]

Cueball (offscreen): Uh oh...

[Megan typing at her laptop.]

[Cueball facepalming.]

[Another closeup of Megan at her laptop.]

Cueball: Now you have infinite problems.

Here's my list of lines not to match:

Regex golf:

Megan: You try to match one group but not the other.

Cueball: Cool.

Meta-regex golf:

Megan: So I wrote a program that plays regex golf with arbitrary lists...

Meta-meta-regex golf:

Megan: ...But I lost my code, so I'm grepping for files that look like regex golf solvers.

...And beyond:

Megan: Really, this is all /(meta-)*regex golf/.

Megan: No, I had those already.

And here's my (very bad) regex.
\[|ms|h\.
(Hey, I learned yesterday)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.34|162.158.255.34]] 16:40, 17 October 2019 (UTC)

1490: Atoms

2019-10-09T05:28:27Z

172.69.22.44: it sounds stupid to say "only" twice in one sentence, plus it's more correct this way.

{{comic
| number = 1490
| date = February 23, 2015
| title = Atoms
| image = atoms.png
| titletext = When I was little I had trouble telling my dad apart from the dog. I always recognized my mom because she had a bunch of extra plutoniums in her middle. I never did ask her why...
}}

==Explanation==
This comic shows another quirky and fantastical ability of [[Beret Guy]].

In this comic, [[Megan]] is preparing a sample of what appears to be some mineral for {{w|elemental analysis}}. It seems to be some kind of {{w|silicate}} containing a small amount of {{w|iron}} (a common example of this would be {{w|red sandstone}}), and she is running a test to see if it contains {{w|beryllium}} (a rarer element whose best-known natural form is as a component of {{w|emerald}}). Such analyses typically involve many instruments and steps to prepare the sample. However, Beret Guy seems to be able to identify all the elements the substance is composed of just by eyeballing it, making him perhaps the perfect elemental analysis instrument.

To confirm this, Megan asks Beret Guy what he sees when he looks at her face, expecting that a normal person would describe the arrangement of colors and features that they see. Since Beret Guy sees the atoms Megan is composed of (mostly {{w|Composition_of_the_human_body|oxygen, carbon and hydrogen}}) he only notices the unusual atoms. In this case he sees the metal atoms her {{w|Dental_restoration#Materials_used|dental fillings}} are composed of. This shows his "atomic vision" extends beyond the surface of the substances. Megan finds this bizarre and asks Beret Guy what is wrong with him. He states that he has always suspected he contains too much {{w|zinc}}, which he believes makes people think he is weird, thus missing Megan’s point: what is weird is not Beret Guy’s elemental content, but his ability to apparently see everything as atoms sorted by element{{Citation needed}}.

High zinc intake ({{w|Zinc toxicity|zinc toxicity}}) can cause nausea, vomiting, pain, cramps and diarrhea. It also reduces copper absorption, which affects the immune system. However, it is not known to grant superhuman sensory abilities{{Citation needed}}.

The comic continues the theme of Beret Guy’s naive misunderstandings of scientific terminology turning to be literally true. In a previous [[1486: Vacuum|comic]] his misinterpretation of the notion of energy in the vacuum resulted in him gaining significant superpowers.

In the title text, the concept is taken even further: Beret Guy found his dad indistinguishable from a dog. This is likely because all mammals are essentially made of the same basic elements. Absent a distinguishing element from either his dad or the dog, they would appear to be the same. He could, however, apparently distinguish his mother because she contained {{w|plutonium}}. This is a very unusual occurrence that cannot possibly occur naturally in humans{{Citation needed}}. Some possible explanations are:
#She had an {{w|Radioisotope thermoelectric generator|RTG}}-powered pacemaker (a few hundred were made in the 1970s).
#She lived near Los Alamos during the second world war and was a member of the [http://warisboring.com/articles/the-scientists-who-pee-plutonium/ UPPU club (translated as “You pee Pu!”)]. Alternatively, she could have been exposed to another source such as {{w|radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant}}.
#She was one of {{w|The Stepford Wives}} robots.
#She was the victim of some unidentified, unethical medical experimentation.
It is also possible that the presence of plutonium in his mother may be the source of his own differences: radioactive exposure (in this case, potentially in utero) is a common source of super powers in comic books and other fiction (though unfortunately, this does not work in real life{{Citation needed}}).

It's not clear whether his mother's plutonium is related to his "too many zincs". One explanation for Beret Guy having too much zinc could be that his mother's plutonium changed into zinc through the process of {{w|radioactive decay}}.

The English physicist {{w|Henry Moseley}} discovered the law relating the {{w|atomic number}} of elements with their {{w|characteristic x-ray|characteristic x-rays}} when bombarded by free electrons, providing physical evidence for the {{w|periodic table}}, the {{w|Bohr Model}} of the atom and the concept of {{w|atomic number}}. In doing so he developed a method of identifying elements in a substance by bombarding them in a vacuum with electrons and using {{w|x-ray diffraction}} methods to measure the resulting X-rays. A famous French chemist brought him a complicated mixture of {{w|Rare Earth element|Rare Earth elements}}, many of which had only recently been discovered, to test his method. Within a short time, Mosley amazed the chemist by identifying all the elements by number using his method and referring to his chart to name them. This comic may therefore be subtly alluding to this method by suggesting that Beret Guy's eyes can fire electrons at anything he looks at and "read" the resulting X-ray radiation, giving him the ability to identify the composite elements in a similar manner.

==Transcript==
:[Megan stands at a table and is preparing a sample for some kind of analysis in a device, when Beret Guy walks in.]
:Beret guy: What’re you doing?
:Megan: Testing a sample for beryllium.
:Beret guy: That? Yeah, there’s a bunch of berylliums.
:Megan: How do you know?

:[Megan turns to Beret Guy who takes the sample and looks at it.]
:Beret guy: Look at it! See? Tons of oxygens and silicons, a few irons but definitely some berylliums too! Can’t you see them?

:[They continue to talk.]
:Megan: No, I can’t see a list of the atoms in a thing by looking.
:Beret guy: How do you tell what things are?

:[Zoom in on Megan.]
:Megan: This is ridiculous. Look at me. What do you see?
:Beret guy (off-panel): You have tons of metal in your face. Lots of fillings, I guess?

:[Megan stares at Beret Guy who takes a looks at his own arm.]
:Megan: What’s '''''wrong''''' with you?
:Beret guy: Too many zincs? I’ve always worried I had too much zinc and everyone thought I was weird.

==Trivia==
*In the original version of the comic there was a typo in the title text, ''form'' instead of ''from'':
**I had trouble telling my dad apart '''form''' the dog.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]

Talk:2210: College Athletes

2019-10-02T19:40:56Z

172.69.22.44: /* The laws misunderstood? */ new section

This was posted ''way'' earlier than usual. Still technically Wednesday 00:02 UTC, but usual posting is mid-late afternoon UTC. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.134|172.69.22.134]] 01:00, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
:I noticed that too. That's really weird... I wonder what caused it? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.244|172.68.211.244]] 06:14, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
::It happens from time to time. See e.g. discussion of [[2188:_E_Scooters]]. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:56, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
Note that the joke about how to pluralize names ("Steph Currys" vs. "Stephs Curry") is also present in "How to win an election" in the "How to" book. There it's in the form of "Bob Caseys" vs. "Bobs Casey". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.221|162.158.91.221]] 07:53, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

So glad this site exists! I came here thinking the explanation would be about how to cook curry :-)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.185|141.101.99.185]] 11:28, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

I don't think 'signature play' was an intentional pun on the signature (aka type) of a function, but great catch. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.181|162.158.62.181]] 12:47, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

Is the category [[:Category:Comics featuring real people]] applicable here? It does seem to feature some comics where real people are only mentioned... Others with real people are not in that category... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 12:56, 2 October 2019 (UTC)
:Added to the category. Makes sense to me. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.107|172.69.33.107]] 18:48, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

== "... but he ''curries'' on..."?? ==

The explanation includes the sentence "Ponytail doesn't believe him but he ''curries'' on...".

I don't see a reason for the use of "curries" vs. the normal "carries", except that the explanation writer is adding an additional (unnecessary) pun. I'd suggest changing it back to the idiomatic "carries on". -- 16:34, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

The explanation states that Cueball is implying that his school is from a state other than California, but I don't see any such implication in the comic. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.35|162.158.79.35]] 18:20, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

Second panel "Our state gave..." [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 19:13, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

== The laws misunderstood? ==

First, the California law, which "gives athletes rights to their names and likeness". In reality the athletes always had rights to their names and likeness. What the new law allows is for the athletes to license their names/likeness to commercial companies, and receive renumeration for that. Thus, Cueball's summary of the law, even though not incorrect, if taken literally can be misunderstood that the athletes had no rights to their names before.

Then the "other state"'s law, which "gives players rights to use the names and images of ANY California athlete". This is not a real law, so there is a considerable latitude in its possible meaning. This law's summary is intentionally constructed in such a way as to mimic the California's law summary, but that doesn't mean its meaning should be taken literally. I believe that it is *unlikely* that Randall intended this law to be taken literally, mainly because such law would likely be unconstitutional (if one state recognizes name/likeness as a property, then another state may not violate those property rights). What I think the law actually means is that that state's athletes can use *as their own* the name/likeness of another player, provided that they licensed that name/likeness legally. Thus, it's a pun on the word "use": usually when companies "use athlete's name/likeness" means they produce ads featuring those athletes; whereas in the Cueball's state to "use athlete's name/likeness" would mean to adopt it as your own.

Such interpretation is confirmed in the last panel: "one player got the rights to his name, ...". Thus, the first player had to obtain those rights, presumably paying to the original name owner. However, once that player adopted the name as his own - he is now free to license the name to the next player on his team, and so on (presumably at a huge discount).

2208: Drone Fishing

2019-10-01T16:58:51Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ golden eagles and nets

{{comic
| number = 2208
| date = September 27, 2019
| title = Drone Fishing
| image = drone_fishing.png
| titletext = Today's consumers who order their drones off the internet don't know the joy of going out in nature and returning with a drone that you caught yourself, whose angry owners you fought off with your own two hands.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LINE-CAUGHT DRONE. The explanation lacks sufficient references to various drone catching techniques, as the (mostly failed) experiment of [https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/12/16767000/police-netherlands-eagles-rogue-drones drone-hunting eagles]. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Another comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series.

This comic is a parody of the traditional activity of fishing for fish. Typically, a person who is fishing will sit as [[Cueball]] does in this comic, by some body of water and wait for a fish to bite their cast line. However, some fisherman will use a kite to allow them to cast their line further in the water, and this is called "{{w|Kite fishing}}". But it is also possible to use drones for this, as in [https://youtu.be/8sdUZqOoAq4 "drone fishing."] Other methods for fishing drones instead of fish involve [https://youtu.be/TseOHDBZ8MA training] [https://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Insolite/En-images-Les-aigles-plus-forts-que-les-drones-1186391 eagles] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvdKNBSWPyU firing nets from fishing drones.]

[[Randall]], however, is interpreting "Drone fishing" not as fishing ''with'' drones but as fishing ''for'' drones ("drone fishing" as in "lobster fishing"). In fact, what Cueball (or Randall) is doing, is kite fishing for drones, by flying a kite with fishhooks attached over some drone enthusiasts in hopes of snagging their drones. This is quite likely illegal, especially if Cueball were to "reel" the caught drone in. It seems like he has already caught two that lies in front of his feet. All the drones are of the {{w|quadcopter}} type, as they are called in [[1630: Quadcopter]].

The title text parodies a common line about fishing, about the "joy of going out in nature", catching fish, and the struggle of reeling in large fish. However, instead of being about fishing, Randall has replaced the line to be about catching drones, and fighting off their owners. Considering that the two drone owners beneath his kite are children, [[Science Girl]] and a Cueball like kid, clearly smaller than Cueball/Randall in the chair, this should not be so tough in the pictured case.

Both [[:Category:Drones|drones]] and [[:Category:Kites|kites]] are recurring themes in xkcd, see more in the [[#Trivia|trivia section]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is seated in a leaning chair, with a tackle box behind it and two drones lying on the ground in front of him. He is holding a fishing rod from which he is flying a kite on a long string. The kite is high up in the air and far away from Cueball. On the long string there are three smaller lines dangling below the string closer to the kite that to Cueball. Each line has six hooks evenly spread out, from a bit beneath the string to the end of the lines. Three quadcopter type drones are in the air nearby, with Science Girl and a Cueball-like kid standing right beneath the kite holding remote-controls for their respective drones. They are facing each other, the Cueball-like kid looking up, whereas Science Girl seems to be looking at the drone right in front of her, between and just above the kids. It has just begun to rise up as shown by lines beneath it. The two other drones are on either side of the kite line, both flying towards the hooks. Whoever controls the third drone must be off panel, and it is not clear which of those two the kid is controlling. The only text is a caption below the panel:]
:My Hobby: Drone Fishing

==Trivia==
*Recently drones have taken over from kites in xkcd, as this is the 10th drone related comics since the last one with a kite.
**At the time of the last kite comic, [[1756: I'm With Her]] there where 10 kites comics vs. 6 drone comics.
***Now it is 11 kite vs. 16 drone comics. Times are changing.
**This is only the second time the two are in the same comic, but in [[1608: Hoverboard]] the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/a/ae/1608_0970x1077y_Kite_and_weird_bug.png kite] and the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7c/1608_0950x1084y_Quadcopters_over_lava_lake_right.png drones] were not in the same part of the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/cf/1608_full_tiny.png huge image].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]

[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Kites]]
[[Category:Drones]]

2207: Math Work

2019-09-29T21:05:55Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ okay now can I work on the drone fishing?

{{comic
| number = 2207
| date = September 25, 2019
| title = Math Work
| image = math_work.png
| titletext = I could type this into a solver, which MIGHT help, but would also mean I have to get a lot of parentheses right...
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by TWO UNKNOWNS. What caused the early 2014 popularity spike of the term, "they did the math"? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[White Hat]] is observing a {{w|physicist}}, [[Cueball]], who is staring at some (in the comic unreadable) equations and diagrams on a {{w|chalkboard}}. White Hat is neither a physicist nor a {{w|mathematician}}, and seems to glorify those professions. He wishes he understood Cueball's work and "the beauty on display here." People who profess a love for mathematics often cite the beauty they see in pure math, how things work out so perfectly, as the reason they love math.

The joke is that Cueball as a physicist is doing something instead quite simple and relatable: Avoiding hard work. Solving many kinds of constraints for two unknowns isn't necessarily difficult, but can be depending on the details. Cueball clearly thinks a solution is possible but would rather find an easier route. The same could be said about the field of mathematics in general: A proof is beautiful to a mathematician when it provides {{w|aesthetic}} pleasure, usually associated with being easy to understand. A proof is elegant when it is both easy to understand and correct, and mathematical solutions are profound when useful.

A mathematical problem involving two unknowns could be a {{w|system of linear equations}} which can often be solved on paper, a blackboard, in a spreadsheet with solver functions, or by a {{w|computer algebra system}} such as [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=x%2By%3D10%2C+x-y%3D4&lk=3 WolframAlpha.com.] Linear equations are a typical kind of more general constraint satisfaction problems, which in turn are {{w|mathematical optimization}} problems, where the minimization of a difference from a goal state (such as that all of the constraining equations are true, for example) indicates the extent to which constraints are met. Sometimes such problem solving activity arises naturally from economic transactions according to, for example, the laws of {{w|supply and demand}}, arising in the general context of civilization and ecology (both of which have properties associated with beauty and mathematical elegance.) Problems solved by economics are examples of {{w|distributed constraint optimization}} processes. When economic laws are not sufficiently satisfying constraints, that is a {{w|market failure}}, which indicates that more artificial and manual mathematical work is required, instead of the naturally arising or otherwise automatic methods contemplated by Cueball. Other distributed constraint optimization systems can be {{w|crowdsourcing}} games, such as {{w|FoldIt}} and {{w|Galaxy Zoo}}.

Of the graphic elements on the blackboard, the most distinctive appears to be a pair of wedges from a pie chart, where the radius of the slices is being used to represent another variable than the angles which all pie charts use to represent a primary variable. Since the cartoon is in black and white, the use of color to represent category labels or more variables may be ruled out. Such black-and-white wedges represent two variables, the meaning of which may be unknown to us, let alone their values. The only distributed constraint optimization game which uses such wedges may be the {{w|climate stabilization wedge}} game [https://cmi.princeton.edu/wedges/game from Princeton University.] In that wedge game, angles represent a potential number of gigatons of atmospheric carbon mitigation (out of about 38 for the circle) and radius indicates uptake, or the extent to which the mitigation solution is effective.

That game is an example of a bivariate optimization problem which might not have to be manually solved by anyone, for example under specific assumptions about the market in [https://x.company/projects/foghorn Project Foghorn] [https://www.docdroid.net/WlkWabq/ioc-part-1-prototype-article-in-press.pdf plants] and [https://www.docdroid.net/SRxC3bd/power-to-gas-efficiency.pdf power-to-gas upgrades for natural gas] power plants. If such market-based approaches to distributed constraint satisfaction are successful, then the work in finding the solution would be performed not entirely by physicists, chemical engineers, mathematicians, or intentional crowdworkers playing a game to achieve the optimal solution(s), but instead in even larger part by far more widely distributed crowdworkers who are simply making their own, ideally self-interested choices regarding their demand for {{w|desalination|desalinated}} and {{w|drinking water|potable water}}, {{w|carbon-neutral fuel|carbon-neutral liquid transportation fuel}} and carbon-negative {{w|carbon sequestration|sequestration}} in {{w|fiber-reinforced composite}} lumber, both made from {{w|ocean acidification|carbonate dissolved in seawater}}, and for recycling the carbon in power plant flue exhaust for the {{w|Energy storage|storage of renewable energy}} such as off-peak {{w|wind power}}. The relative beauty, elegance, and simplicity of the possible solutions to such problems is subjective, and might involve strong differences of opinion between outside observers, mathematicians and engineers involved with the details, and {{w|Villain#Sympathetic villain|fossil fuel barons}}, respected and enriched by society for their part in meeting energy demand. (See "All Chemistry Equations" in [[2034: Equations]].)

The title text continues Cueball's thought process, with the possibility of using an automatic equation solver to find the unknowns. Equation solvers are not often considered beautiful ways to address purely mathematical problems, even if they are often the most efficient and in that sense elegant solutions to applied problems in engineering. Using a formal solver with symbolic, numeric, or both methods requires making sure that the constraints (e.g. equations) are entered correctly, with parentheses balanced in their correct locations for the solution to succeed. While the {{w|mathematical beauty|beauty of mathematics}} and pure physics may not be associated with automatic solvers in spreadsheets, general optimization methods are considered elegant in applied physics and engineering, with [http://entsphere.com/pub/pdf/1957%20Jaynes,%20ShannonMaxEntBoltzmann.pdf Jaynes (1957)] cited more than 12,000 times on Google Scholar, including by [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234147180_Maximum_Entropy_Image_Restoration_in_Astronomy a paper cited] by the [https://arxiv.org/abs/1711.01286 first black hole image astronomers] for example.

Record numbers of mathematics interest groups and their forums in which such work is done exist today, from academic journals predating the use of electricity to a plethora of internet math and science fora such as {{w|Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Mathematics|Wikipedia Reference Desks}} and Reddit's [https://reddit.com/r/theydidthemath /r/theydidthemath] forum, which fueled a resurgence of the phrase "they did the math" as a search term in 2014. the proliferation of mathematics fora is certainly also due to the quickly increasing overall level of education and rapidly growing numbers of internet users. Although the original market-focused primary use of {{w|ticker tape}} may be a lost art, the economy is still driven by individual free will leveraging self-interested behavior to achieve social gains for civilization.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat is watching Cueball from a couple of meters away. Cueball is contemplating the formulas and diagrams that fills the blackboard he stands in front of. Cueball holds a chalk in his hand. None of the content on the blackboard is readable, but there is a diagram in the shape of a circle and a another pie shaped diagram. Both are thinking with large thought bubbles above their heads, with small bubbles connecting them and the larger bubble]
:White Hat (thinking): Amazing watching a physicist at work, exploring universes in a symphony of numbers.
:White Hat (thinking): If only I had studied math, I could appreciate the beauty on display here.

:Cueball (thinking): Oh no. This has '''''two''''' unknowns. That's gonna be really hard.
:Cueball (thinking): Ughhhhhhh.
:Cueball (thinking): '''''Think.''''' There's gotta be a way to avoid doing all that work...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Math]]

2207: Math Work

2019-09-29T17:33:17Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ it's 2019, why is autocorrect still capitalizing Internet?

{{comic
| number = 2207
| date = September 25, 2019
| title = Math Work
| image = math_work.png
| titletext = I could type this into a solver, which MIGHT help, but would also mean I have to get a lot of parentheses right...
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by TWO UNKNOWNS. What caused the early 2014 popularity spike of the term, "they did the math"? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[White Hat]] is observing a {{w|physicist}}, [[Cueball]], who is staring at some (in the comic unreadable) equations and diagrams on a {{w|chalkboard}}. White Hat is neither a physicist nor a {{w|mathematician}}, and seems to glorify those professions. He wishes he understood Cueball's work and "the beauty on display here." People who profess a love for mathematics often cite the beauty they see in pure math, how things work out so perfectly, as the reason they love math.

The joke is that Cueball as a physicist is doing something instead quite simple and relatable: Avoiding hard work. Solving many kinds of constraints for two unknowns isn't necessarily difficult, but can be depending on the details. Cueball clearly thinks a solution is possible but would rather find an easier route. The same could be said about the field of mathematics in general: A proof is beautiful to a mathematician when it provides {{w|aesthetic}} pleasure, usually associated with being easy to understand. A proof is elegant when it is both easy to understand and correct, and mathematical solutions are profound when useful.

A mathematical problem involving two unknowns could be a {{w|system of linear equations}} which can often be solved on paper, a blackboard, in a spreadsheet with solver functions, or by a {{w|computer algebra system}} such as [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=x%2By%3D10%2C+x-y%3D4&lk=3 WolframAlpha.com.] Linear equations are a typical kind of more general constraint satisfaction problems, which in turn are {{w|mathematical optimization}} problems, where the minimization of a difference from a goal state (such as that all of the constraining equations are true, for example) indicates the extent to which constraints are met. Sometimes such problem solving activity arises naturally from economic transactions according to, for example, the laws of {{w|supply and demand}}, arising in the general context of civilization and ecology (both of which have properties associated with beauty and mathematical elegance.) Problems solved by economics are examples of {{w|distributed constraint optimization}} processes. When economic laws are not sufficiently satisfying constraints, that is a {{w|market failure}}, which indicates that more artificial and manual mathematical work is required, instead of the naturally arising or otherwise automatic methods contemplated by Cueball. Other distributed constraint optimization systems can be {{w|crowdsourcing}} games, such as {{w|FoldIt}} and {{w|Galaxy Zoo}}.

Of the graphic elements on the blackboard, the most distinctive appears to be a pair of wedges from a pie chart, where the radius of the slices is being used to represent another variable than the angles which all pie charts use to represent a primary variable. Since the cartoon is in black and white, the use of color to represent category labels or more variables may be ruled out. Such black-and-white wedges represent two variables, the meaning of which may be unknown to us, let alone their values. The only distributed constraint optimization game which uses such wedges may be the {{w|climate stabilization wedge}} game [https://cmi.princeton.edu/wedges/game from Princeton University.] In that wedge game, angles represent a potential number of gigatons of atmospheric carbon mitigation (out of about 38 for the circle) and radius indicates uptake, or the extent to which the mitigation solution is effective.

That game is an example of a bivariate optimization problem which might not have to be manually solved by anyone, for example under specific assumptions about the market in [https://x.company/projects/foghorn Project Foghorn] [https://www.docdroid.net/WlkWabq/ioc-part-1-prototype-article-in-press.pdf plants] and [https://www.docdroid.net/SRxC3bd/power-to-gas-efficiency.pdf power-to-gas upgrades for natural gas] power plants. If such market-based approaches to distributed constraint satisfaction are successful, then the work in finding the solution would be performed not entirely by physicists, chemical engineers, mathematicians, or intentional crowdworkers playing a game to achieve the optimal solution(s), but instead in even larger part by far more widely distributed crowdworkers who are simply making their own, ideally self-interested choices regarding their demand for {{w|desalination|desalinated}} and {{w|drinking water|potable water}}, {{w|carbon-neutral fuel|carbon-neutral liquid transportation fuel}} and carbon-negative {{w|carbon sequestration|sequestration}} in {{w|fiber-reinforced composite}} lumber, both made from {{w|ocean acidification|carbonate dissolved in seawater}}, and for recycling the carbon in power plant flue exhaust for the {{w|Energy storage|storage of renewable energy}} such as off-peak {{w|wind power}}. The relative beauty, elegance, and simplicity of the possible solutions to such problems is subjective, and might involve strong differences of opinion between outside observers, mathematicians and engineers involved with the details, and {{w|Villain#Sympathetic villain|fossil fuel barons}}, respected and enriched by society for their part in meeting energy demand. (See "All Chemistry Equations" in [[2034: Equations]].)

The title text continues Cueball's thought process, with the possibility of using an automatic equation solver to find the unknowns. Equation solvers are not often considered beautiful ways to address purely mathematical problems, even if they are often the most efficient and in that sense elegant solutions to applied problems in engineering. Using a formal solver with symbolic, numeric, or both methods requires making sure that the constraints (e.g. equations) are entered correctly, with parentheses balanced in their correct locations for the solution to succeed. While the {{w|mathematical beauty|beauty of mathematics}} and pure physics may not be associated with automatic solvers in spreadsheets, general optimization methods are considered elegant in applied physics and engineering, with [http://entsphere.com/pub/pdf/1957%20Jaynes,%20ShannonMaxEntBoltzmann.pdf Jaynes (1957)] cited more than 12,000 times on Google Scholar, including by [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234147180_Maximum_Entropy_Image_Restoration_in_Astronomy a paper cited] by the [https://arxiv.org/abs/1711.01286 first black hole image astronomers] for example.

An [https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%22they%20did%20the%20math%22 early 2014 popularity spike in the phrase "they did the math"] may be associated with record numbers of mathematics interest groups, from academic journals predating the use of electricity, to the original market-focused primary use of {{w|ticker tape}}, to a plethora of internet math and science fora such as {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Mathematics|Wikipedia Reference Desks}}, to Reddit's [https://reddit.com/r/theydidthemath /r/theydidthemath] forum. However, the proliferation of mathematics fora may simply be due to the increasing overall level of education and rapidly growing numbers of internet broadband users.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat is watching Cueball from a couple of meters away. Cueball is contemplating the formulas and diagrams that fills the blackboard he stands in front of. Cueball holds a chalk in his hand. None of the content on the blackboard is readable, but there is a diagram in the shape of a circle and a another pie shaped diagram. Both are thinking with large thought bubbles above their heads, with small bubbles connecting them and the larger bubble]
:White Hat (thinking): Amazing watching a physicist at work, exploring universes in a symphony of numbers.
:White Hat (thinking): If only I had studied math, I could appreciate the beauty on display here.

:Cueball (thinking): Oh no. This has '''''two''''' unknowns. That's gonna be really hard.
:Cueball (thinking): Ughhhhhhh.
:Cueball (thinking): '''''Think.''''' There's gotta be a way to avoid doing all that work...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Math]]

2207: Math Work

2019-09-29T17:27:26Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ sorry I was on mobile, the Google Trends x-axis is to stylized. Does anyone remember graph paper?

{{comic
| number = 2207
| date = September 25, 2019
| title = Math Work
| image = math_work.png
| titletext = I could type this into a solver, which MIGHT help, but would also mean I have to get a lot of parentheses right...
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by TWO UNKNOWNS. What caused the early 2014 popularity spike of the term, "they did the math"? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[White Hat]] is observing a {{w|physicist}}, [[Cueball]], who is staring at some (in the comic unreadable) equations and diagrams on a {{w|chalkboard}}. White Hat is neither a physicist nor a {{w|mathematician}}, and seems to glorify those professions. He wishes he understood Cueball's work and "the beauty on display here." People who profess a love for mathematics often cite the beauty they see in pure math, how things work out so perfectly, as the reason they love math.

The joke is that Cueball as a physicist is doing something instead quite simple and relatable: Avoiding hard work. Solving many kinds of constraints for two unknowns isn't necessarily difficult, but can be depending on the details. Cueball clearly thinks a solution is possible but would rather find an easier route. The same could be said about the field of mathematics in general: A proof is beautiful to a mathematician when it provides {{w|aesthetic}} pleasure, usually associated with being easy to understand. A proof is elegant when it is both easy to understand and correct, and mathematical solutions are profound when useful.

A mathematical problem involving two unknowns could be a {{w|system of linear equations}} which can often be solved on paper, a blackboard, in a spreadsheet with solver functions, or by a {{w|computer algebra system}} such as [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=x%2By%3D10%2C+x-y%3D4&lk=3 WolframAlpha.com.] Linear equations are a typical kind of more general constraint satisfaction problems, which in turn are {{w|mathematical optimization}} problems, where the minimization of a difference from a goal state (such as that all of the constraining equations are true, for example) indicates the extent to which constraints are met. Sometimes such problem solving activity arises naturally from economic transactions according to, for example, the laws of {{w|supply and demand}}, arising in the general context of civilization and ecology (both of which have properties associated with beauty and mathematical elegance.) Problems solved by economics are examples of {{w|distributed constraint optimization}} processes. When economic laws are not sufficiently satisfying constraints, that is a {{w|market failure}}, which indicates that more artificial and manual mathematical work is required, instead of the naturally arising or otherwise automatic methods contemplated by Cueball. Other distributed constraint optimization systems can be {{w|crowdsourcing}} games, such as {{w|FoldIt}} and {{w|Galaxy Zoo}}.

Of the graphic elements on the blackboard, the most distinctive appears to be a pair of wedges from a pie chart, where the radius of the slices is being used to represent another variable than the angles which all pie charts use to represent a primary variable. Since the cartoon is in black and white, the use of color to represent category labels or more variables may be ruled out. Such black-and-white wedges represent two variables, the meaning of which may be unknown to us, let alone their values. The only distributed constraint optimization game which uses such wedges may be the {{w|climate stabilization wedge}} game [https://cmi.princeton.edu/wedges/game from Princeton University.] In that wedge game, angles represent a potential number of gigatons of atmospheric carbon mitigation (out of about 38 for the circle) and radius indicates uptake, or the extent to which the mitigation solution is effective.

That game is an example of a bivariate optimization problem which might not have to be manually solved by anyone, for example under specific assumptions about the market in [https://x.company/projects/foghorn Project Foghorn] [https://www.docdroid.net/WlkWabq/ioc-part-1-prototype-article-in-press.pdf plants] and [https://www.docdroid.net/SRxC3bd/power-to-gas-efficiency.pdf power-to-gas upgrades for natural gas] power plants. If such market-based approaches to distributed constraint satisfaction are successful, then the work in finding the solution would be performed not entirely by physicists, chemical engineers, mathematicians, or intentional crowdworkers playing a game to achieve the optimal solution(s), but instead in even larger part by far more widely distributed crowdworkers who are simply making their own, ideally self-interested choices regarding their demand for {{w|desalination|desalinated}} and {{w|drinking water|potable water}}, {{w|carbon-neutral fuel|carbon-neutral liquid transportation fuel}} and carbon-negative {{w|carbon sequestration|sequestration}} in {{w|fiber-reinforced composite}} lumber, both made from {{w|ocean acidification|carbonate dissolved in seawater}}, and for recycling the carbon in power plant flue exhaust for the {{w|Energy storage|storage of renewable energy}} such as off-peak {{w|wind power}}. The relative beauty, elegance, and simplicity of the possible solutions to such problems is subjective, and might involve strong differences of opinion between outside observers, mathematicians and engineers involved with the details, and {{w|Villain#Sympathetic villain|fossil fuel barons}}, respected and enriched by society for their part in meeting energy demand. (See "All Chemistry Equations" in [[2034: Equations]].)

The title text continues Cueball's thought process, with the possibility of using an automatic equation solver to find the unknowns. Equation solvers are not often considered beautiful ways to address purely mathematical problems, even if they are often the most efficient and in that sense elegant solutions to applied problems in engineering. Using a formal solver with symbolic, numeric, or both methods requires making sure that the constraints (e.g. equations) are entered correctly, with parentheses balanced in their correct locations for the solution to succeed. While the {{w|mathematical beauty|beauty of mathematics}} and pure physics may not be associated with automatic solvers in spreadsheets, general optimization methods are considered elegant in applied physics and engineering, with [http://entsphere.com/pub/pdf/1957%20Jaynes,%20ShannonMaxEntBoltzmann.pdf Jaynes (1957)] cited more than 12,000 times on Google Scholar, including by [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234147180_Maximum_Entropy_Image_Restoration_in_Astronomy a paper cited] by the [https://arxiv.org/abs/1711.01286 first black hole image astronomers] for example.

An [https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%22they%20did%20the%20math%22 early 2014 popularity spike in the phrase "they did the math"] may be associated with record numbers of mathematics interest groups, from academic journals predating the use of electricity, to the original market-focused primary use of {{w|ticker tape}}, to a plethora of Internet math and science fora such as {{w|WP:RD|Wikipedia Reference Desks}}, to Reddit's [https://reddit.com/r/theydidthemath /r/theydidthemath] forum. However, the proliferation of mathematics fora may simply be due to the increasing overall level of education and rapidly growing numbers of internet broadband users.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat is watching Cueball from a couple of meters away. Cueball is contemplating the formulas and diagrams that fills the blackboard he stands in front of. Cueball holds a chalk in his hand. None of the content on the blackboard is readable, but there is a diagram in the shape of a circle and a another pie shaped diagram. Both are thinking with large thought bubbles above their heads, with small bubbles connecting them and the larger bubble]
:White Hat (thinking): Amazing watching a physicist at work, exploring universes in a symphony of numbers.
:White Hat (thinking): If only I had studied math, I could appreciate the beauty on display here.

:Cueball (thinking): Oh no. This has '''''two''''' unknowns. That's gonna be really hard.
:Cueball (thinking): Ughhhhhhh.
:Cueball (thinking): '''''Think.''''' There's gotta be a way to avoid doing all that work...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Math]]

2200: Unreachable State

2019-09-11T01:31:29Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2200
| date = September 11, 2019
| title = Unreachable State
| image = unreachable_state.png
| titletext = ERROR: We've reached an unreachable state. Anything is possible. The limits were in our heads all along. Follow your dreams.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT in an UNREACHABLE STATE. 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.}}

[Cueball is typing at a computer. The error message is shown above the computer:]

:Cueball: Error
:Cueball: If you're reading this, the code is in what I thought was an unreachable state.
:Cueball: I could give you advice for what to do. But honestly, why should you trust me? I clearly screwed this up. I'm writing a message that should never appear, yet I know it will probably appear someday.
:Cueball: On a deep level, I know I'm not ready for this. I'm sorry.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Never write error messages tired.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T15:32:20Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ could be tri-county

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs, as do many devices today. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi followed mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and radio internet protocols like the 1980s {{w|KA9Q}}, with roots going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems from the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is '''Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ''' which is 33 characters long, unfortunately one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. Or U2178 could be a serial number for a user or a utility pole. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, cryptocurrency mining rig, speaker, pacemaker, alarm system, fashion accessory, autonomous antimissile defense system node, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Loon LLC|balloon}}, distributed denial of service attack platform malware-infested coffee pot, {{w|Starlink (satellite constellation)|satellite}}, vending machine, telecommunication facilities, {{w|Facebook Aquila|solar-powered drone}}, distributed exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, power-to-gas pipeline valve, [http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/2340.html ransomware worm nest,] or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate. The "join other network" option allows for manually typing SSIDs to attempt to connect with networks which are not configured to display their SSIDs.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. Location information can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ Wigle] or [https://openwifimap.net/ OpenWifiMap]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T15:29:12Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ move comma

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs, as do many devices today. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi followed mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and radio internet protocols like the 1980s {{w|KA9Q}}, with roots going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems from the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is '''Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ''' which is 33 characters long, unfortunately one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. Or U2178 could be a serial number for a user or a utility pole. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, cryptocurrency mining rig, speaker, pacemaker, alarm system, fashion accessory, autonomous antimissile defense system node, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Loon LLC|balloon}}, distributed denial of service attack platform malware-infested coffee pot, {{w|Starlink (satellite constellation)|satellite}}, vending machine, telecommunication facilities, {{w|Facebook Aquila|solar-powered drone}}, distributed exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, [http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/2340.html ransomware worm nest,] or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate. The "join other network" option allows for manually typing SSIDs to attempt to connect with networks which are not configured to display their SSIDs.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. Location information can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ Wigle] or [https://openwifimap.net/ OpenWifiMap]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T15:26:31Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/2340.html

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs, as do many devices today. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi followed mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and radio internet protocols like the 1980s {{w|KA9Q}}, with roots going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems from the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is '''Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ''' which is 33 characters long, unfortunately one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. Or U2178 could be a serial number for a user or a utility pole. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, cryptocurrency mining rig, speaker, pacemaker, alarm system, fashion accessory, autonomous antimissile defense system node, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Loon LLC|balloon}}, distributed denial of service attack platform malware-infested coffee pot, {{w|Starlink (satellite constellation)|satellite}}, vending machine, telecommunication facilities, {{w|Facebook Aquila|solar-powered drone}}, distributed exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, [http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/2340.html ransomware worm nest,] or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. Location information can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ Wigle] or [https://openwifimap.net/ OpenWifiMap]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services. The "join other network" option allows for manually typing SSIDs to attempt to connect with networks which are not configured to display their SSIDs.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T15:21:52Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ note

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs, as do many devices today. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi followed mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and radio internet protocols like the 1980s {{w|KA9Q}}, with roots going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems from the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is '''Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ''' which is 33 characters long, unfortunately one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. Or U2178 could be a serial number for a user or a utility pole. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, cryptocurrency mining rig, speaker, pacemaker, alarm system, fashion accessory, autonomous antimissile defense system node, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Loon LLC|balloon}}, distributed denial of service malware-infested coffee pot, {{w|Starlink (satellite constellation)|satellite}}, vending machine, telecommunication facilities, {{w|Facebook Aquila|solar-powered drone}}, distributed exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. Location information can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ Wigle] or [https://openwifimap.net/ OpenWifiMap]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services. The "join other network" option allows for manually typing SSIDs to attempt to connect with networks which are not configured to display their SSIDs.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T15:19:31Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ add'l

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs, as do many devices today. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi followed mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and radio internet protocols like the 1980s {{w|KA9Q}}, with roots going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems from the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is '''Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ''' which is 33 characters long, unfortunately one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. Or U2178 could be a serial number for a user or a utility pole. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, cryptocurrency mining rig, speaker, pacemaker, alarm system, fashion accessory, autonomous antimissile defense system node, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Loon LLC|balloon}}, distributed denial of service malware-infested coffee pot, {{w|Starlink (satellite constellation)|satellite}}, vending machine, telecommunication facilities, {{w|Facebook Aquila|solar-powered drone}}, distributed exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. Location information can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ Wigle] or [https://openwifimap.net/ OpenWifiMap]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T15:14:21Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ .

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs, as do many devices today. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi followed mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and radio internet protocols like the 1980s {{w|KA9Q}}, with roots going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems from the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is '''Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ''' which is 33 characters long, unfortunately one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. Or U2178 could be a serial number for a user or a utility pole. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Loon LLC|balloon}}, autonomous distributed denial of service malware-infested coffee pot, {{w|Starlink (satellite constellation)|satellite}}, vending machine, telecommunication facilities, {{w|Facebook Aquila|solar-powered drone}}, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. Location information can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ Wigle] or [https://openwifimap.net/ OpenWifiMap]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T15:13:46Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ OpenWifiMap

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs, as do many devices today. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi followed mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and radio internet protocols like the 1980s {{w|KA9Q}}, with roots going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems from the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is '''Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ''' which is 33 characters long, unfortunately one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. Or U2178 could be a serial number for a user or a utility pole. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Loon LLC|balloon}}, autonomous distributed denial of service malware-infested coffee pot, {{w|Starlink (satellite constellation)|satellite}}, vending machine, telecommunication facilities, {{w|Facebook Aquila|solar-powered drone}}, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. Location information can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ Wigle] or [https://.openwifimapnet/ OpenWifiMap]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T14:32:28Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ grammar

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi followed mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and radio internet protocols like the 1980s {{w|KA9Q}}, with roots going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems from the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is "Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ" -- 33 characters long, which is one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, refrigerator, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Loon LLC|balloon}}, utility pole, {{w|Starlink (satellite constellation)|satellite}}, vending machine, brokerage firm lobby facilities, {{w|Facebook Aquila|solar-powered drone}}, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, an autonomous coffee pot, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. {{w|Spyware}} such as "war-drivers" collects network location information, which can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ wigle.net]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T14:31:07Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi was a successor development to mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}}, wireless internet protocols like the 1980s {{w|KA9Q}}, with roots going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems from the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is "Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ" -- 33 characters long, which is one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, refrigerator, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Loon LLC|balloon}}, utility pole, {{w|Starlink (satellite constellation)|satellite}}, vending machine, brokerage firm lobby facilities, {{w|Facebook Aquila|solar-powered drone}}, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, an autonomous coffee pot, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. {{w|Spyware}} such as "war-drivers" collects network location information, which can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ wigle.net]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T14:26:05Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ add'l

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi was a successor development to mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and 1980s wireless internet protocols like {{w|KA9Q}}, and earlier technologies going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems in the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is "Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ" -- 33 characters long, which is one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, refrigerator, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Loon LLC|balloon}}, utility pole, {{w|Starlink (satellite constellation)|satellite}}, vending machine, {{w|Facebook Aquila|solar-powered drone}}, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, an autonomous coffee pot, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. {{w|Spyware}} such as "war-drivers" collects network location information, which can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ wigle.net]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T14:20:33Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the [https://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Wavelan-IEEE.html WaveLAN IEEE], the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi was a successor development to mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and 1980s wireless internet protocols like {{w|KA9Q}}, and earlier technologies going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems in the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is "Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ" -- 33 characters long, which is one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, refrigerator, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Project Loon|balloon}}, utility pole, {{w|StarLink|satellite}} vending machine, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. {{w|Spyware}} such as "war-drivers" collects network location information, which can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ wigle.net]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T14:18:44Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ not sure

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the {{w|WaveLAN IEEE}}, the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi was a successor development to mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and 1980s wireless internet protocols like {{w|KA9Q}}, and earlier technologies going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems in the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is "Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ" -- 33 characters long, which is one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, refrigerator, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Project Loon|balloon}}, utility pole, {{w|StarLink|satellite}} vending machine, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. {{w|Spyware}} such as "war-drivers" collects network location information, which can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ wigle.net]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T14:15:22Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ oops

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the {{w|WaveLAN IEEE}}, the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi was a successor development to mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and 1980s wireless internet protocols like {{w|KA9Q}}, and earlier technologies going back to the earliest {{w|ticker tape}} digital telegraphy systems in the mid-1850s. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is "Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ" -- 33 characters long, which is one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, refrigerator, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, {{w|Project Loon|balloon}}, utility pole, {{w|StarLink|satellite}} vending machine, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. {{w|Spyware}} such as "war-drivers" collects network location information, which can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ wigle.net]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. Sometimes Wifi technologies come from different committees, like {{w|IEEE 802.20}}. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T14:11:27Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ add'l

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the {{w|WaveLAN IEEE}}, the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi was a successor development to mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and 1980s wireless internet protocols like {{w|KA9Q}}. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is "Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ" -- 33 characters long, which is one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, refrigerator, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, {{Project Loon|balloon}}, utility pole, {{StarLink|satellite}} vending machine, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. {{w|Spyware}} such as "war-drivers" collects network location information, which can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ wigle.net]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. Sometimes Wifi technologies come from different committees, like {{w|IEEE 802.20}}. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, trans-multiverse or trans-dimensional communication, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T14:07:07Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ reword

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the {{w|WaveLAN IEEE}}, the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi was a successor development to mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and 1980s wireless internet protocols like {{w|KA9Q}}. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is "Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ" -- 33 characters long, which is one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, refrigerator, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, vending machine, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. {{w|Spyware}} such as "war-drivers" collects network location information, which can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ wigle.net]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. Sometimes Wifi technologies come from different committees, like {{w|IEEE 802.20}}. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text indicates that the first Wifi networking client interface displayed unexpected SSIDs. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, a software bug, time travel, hardware misconfiguration, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

2199: Cryptic Wifi Networks

2019-09-07T14:04:22Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ reword

{{comic
| number = 2199
| date = September 6, 2019
| title = Cryptic Wifi Networks
| image = cryptic_wifi_networks.png
| titletext = They actually showed up on the first scan by the first WiFi-capable device.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the comic, a character with a knit cap is on top of a high mountain in a remote location. He sees a Wifi network name listed on his handheld device, perhaps a cellular telephone. Cryptic {{w|Wi-Fi}} (or Wifi) network names, called SSIDs, are the source of a joke about not knowing where the corresponding {{w|wireless router}} is located, suggesting they are unexplained phenomenon of some sort instead of wireless radio devices. Some of the earliest Wifi devices like printers and {{w|internet}} routers advertised cryptic SSIDs. In 1998, {{w|Lucent}} introduced the {{w|WaveLAN IEEE}}, the first {{w|integrated circuit}} chip set supporting the IEEE 802.11 wireless {{w|LAN}} protocol, spinning off {{w|Agere Systems}} to produce them in 2000. Wifi was a successor development to mid-1990s short-range wireless networks like {{w|Bluetooth}} and 1980s wireless internet protocols like {{w|KA9Q}}. [https://techtalk.gfi.com/the-31-funniest-ssids-ive-ever-seen/ Humorous SSID names] are not uncommon.

The name of the network displayed, called its {{w|Service set (802.11 network)|SSID, which stands for "service set,"}} is "Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ" -- 33 characters long, which is one character more than are allowed. {{w|Toshiba}} is a multinational electronics conglomerate manufacturing many products including untold multitudes of different kinds of printers over the years. Such devices often have embedded {{w|wireless access point|wireless access points}} including the manufacturer name in the SSID. Many network names contain words like Net, Office or Link. The code might indicate a model U2178 device from Toshiba named (or having an interface program named) OfficeLink, which has a sub-model number or operates on a wireless network designated 46UHZ. That "Hz" is an abbreviation for {{w|Hertz}} suggests that designation may or may not have something to do with the frequency on which the transmitting device operates. We don't know whether the SSID is connected to a network of more than one or is just one device. While the most likely explanation might be a printer plugged in somewhere nearby, other possibilities include a television, speaker, pacemaker, refrigerator, alarm system, fashion accessory, hobby project, surveillance device, vending machine, autonomous exoskeleton, visiting interstellar civilization, interstate power-to-gas pipeline valve, or anything else in the Wifi {{w|Internet of Things}}. Sometimes, the {{w|ionosphere}} reflects radio waves, vastly increasing the distance that they can travel to and from remote locations. The padlock icon indicates that a password is required to communicate.

Network names can be used to track the geographic locations of mobile devices, for example in the {{w|Wi-Fi positioning system}}. Google {{w|street view}} equipment records locations of networks to assist with {{w|geolocation}}. {{w|Spyware}} such as "war-drivers" collects network location information, which can be searched in tools like [https://wigle.net/ wigle.net]. The {{w|Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers}} (IEEE) committee number for Wifi is {{w|IEEE 802.11|802.11}} which is composed of sub-committees like {{w|IEEE 802.11ad|802.11ad}}, designing the 60 GHz Multiple Gigabit Wireless System (MGWS) and {{w|IEEE 802.11ay|802.11ay}} working on {{w|MIMO|multiple input, multiple output}} (MIMO) bandwidth enhancements. Sometimes Wifi technologies come from different committees, like {{w|IEEE 802.20}}. The {{w|List of router firmware projects|software which produces SSID listings}} is administered by {{w|List of wireless community networks by region|network communities}} and depends on {{w|Wireless mesh network|mesh configurations}}. Alternatives include [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20861948 bluetooth mesh networks] and other {{w|wireless ad hoc network|''ad hoc'' networks}} to provide internet connectivity services.

The title text says that the first Wifi networking client displayed an unexpected SSID listed alongside the expected entries. If true, this could potentially rule out all of the alternative explanations other than an alien visitation, time travel, or the supernatural.

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

:[A human with a knit cap and a backpack is checking his phone at the highest mountain in a mountainous landscape.]

:Phone: Available WiFi Networks
:Phone: Toshiba-U2187-OfficeLink-Net46UHZ
:Phone: [in gray] Join other network

:[Caption below the comic:]
:Tech Trivia: No one actually knows what devices produce those cryptic WiFi networks. They just appear at random across the Earth's surface.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2192: Review

2019-08-21T14:24:55Z

172.69.22.44: Different storylines

Earth : Terrible storyline, feel depressed afterward. Controls buggy.
: My advice would be to look at different storylines. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.44|172.69.22.44]] 14:24, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

Mostly harmless - [[User:GreenWyvern|GreenWyvern]] ([[User talk:GreenWyvern|talk]]) 13:39, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

New servers opening soon! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.124|172.68.51.124]] 13:42, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

He could discuss in greater detail at https://www.reddit.com/r/outside/ [[User:Poodlehat|Poodlehat]] ([[User talk:Poodlehat|talk]]) 13:43, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

I think the title text is alluding to controlling things like climate warming and the like, not learning to walk. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 13:56, 21 August 2019 (UTC)
:"Huge World" would imply that the game type is first or third person, with the player taking control of a character in that world. In this sense, I think it's appropriate for the controls to be in reference to movement of the character. If the game type were management or simulation, I think you would be correct. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 14:03, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

2192: Review

2019-08-21T14:23:50Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2192
| date = August 21, 2019
| title = Review
| image = review.png
| titletext = Controls are a little hard to figure out.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a REVIEWER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a review of Earth, by Randall. It is written as a video game review, praising the size and realism of the world. The comic's humor draws from the fact that Earth is a completely real object and shouldn't be rated on the same lines as a video game, and the fact that there's no place that the Earth can be reviewed.

The title text states that the 'controls are hard to figure out', possible alluding to the fact that it takes a lot of time to learn how to walk and talk, a rather basic thing in most video games, and the fact that it is hard to navigate around in one's life.

Earth has many problems at the moment, such as climate change, gun violence, sexual violence, poverty, and increasing depression, to name just a few. However, this comic also serves as a reminder that, overall, the world is a five-star world. It reminds us to look around: there's so much world to explore!

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

:[Profile picture of Cueball] ★★★★★
:Great graphics, huge world
:[Caption below the comic:] My overall review of Earth

{{comic discussion}}

2192: Review

2019-08-21T14:23:35Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2192
| date = August 21, 2019
| title = Review
| image = review.png
| titletext = Controls are a little hard to figure out.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a REVIEWER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a review of Earth, by Randall. It is written as a video game review, praising the size and realism of the world. The comic's humor draws from the fact that Earth is a completely real object and shouldn't be rated on the same lines as a video game, and the fact that there's no place that the Earth can be reviewed.

The title text states that the 'controls are hard to figure out', possible alluding to the fact that it takes a lot of time to learn how to walk and talk, a rather basic thing in most video games, and the fact that it is hard to navigate around in one's life.

Earth has many problems at the moment, such as climate change, gun violence, sexual violence, poverty, increasing depression, to name just a few. However, this comic also serves as a reminder that, overall, the world is a five-star world. It reminds us to look around: there's so much world to explore!

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

:[Profile picture of Cueball] ★★★★★
:Great graphics, huge world
:[Caption below the comic:] My overall review of Earth

{{comic discussion}}

2192: Review

2019-08-21T14:22:52Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ +Earth has many problems at the moment, such as climate change, gun violence, poverty, increasing depression, and increasing partisanship, to name just a few. However, this comic also serves as a reminder that, overall, the world is a fi

{{comic
| number = 2192
| date = August 21, 2019
| title = Review
| image = review.png
| titletext = Controls are a little hard to figure out.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a REVIEWER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a review of Earth, by Randall. It is written as a video game review, praising the size and realism of the world. The comic's humor draws from the fact that Earth is a completely real object and shouldn't be rated on the same lines as a video game, and the fact that there's no place that the Earth can be reviewed.

The title text states that the 'controls are hard to figure out', possible alluding to the fact that it takes a lot of time to learn how to walk and talk, a rather basic thing in most video games, and the fact that it is hard to navigate around in one's life.

Earth has many problems at the moment, such as climate change, gun violence, poverty, increasing depression, and increasing partisanship, to name just a few. However, this comic also serves as a reminder that, overall, the world is a five-star world. The comic reminds us to look around: there's so much world to explore!

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

:[Profile picture of Cueball] ★★★★★
:Great graphics, huge world
:[Caption below the comic:] My overall review of Earth

{{comic discussion}}

2141: UI vs UX

2019-04-25T05:56:45Z

172.69.22.44: /* Explanation */ sentences

{{comic
| number = 2141
| date = April 24, 2019
| title = UI vs UX
| image = ui_vs_ux.png
| titletext = U[unprintable glyph]: The elements a higher power uses to bend that moral arc. U[even more unprintable glyph]: The higher power's overall experience bending that moral arc.
}}

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

[https://www.google.com/search?q=UI+vs+UX UI vs UX] is a discussion in software engineering of the differences between {{w|user interface design}} (UI) and {{w|user experience}} design (UX). As explained in the comic, UI design is typically concerned with the elements of the interface that a user encounters, while UX design is more concerned about the user's overall experience in using such interface.

The comic takes this to absurd levels by adding further categories to the discussion with UZ, and other U{X} types of designers. UZ refers to the psychological motivation behind the user behavior interacting with UI and UX.

"The psychological roots of motivation" is a [http://playbook.amanet.org/brian-tracy-the-root-of-motivation/ buzzword phrase] from [http://www.maccoby.com/books/WhyWork.php management theory] which may not have a particularly well-defined meaning. {{w|Motivation}} is itself the psychological root of behavior. While motivations certainly have causes, they are usually not clear enough to meaningfully treat in formal or clinical contexts. "{{w|Self actualization}}" is the most abstract, immaterial form of motivation, meaning the need to find comfort in one's own goals and achievements. Available only when more material needs such as those for food, shelter, warmth, security, and a sense of belonging are met, it forms the pinnacle of {{w|Maslow's hierarchy of needs}}.

"The arc of one's life," means the overall thematic elements present in a person's entire existence, and is used as such in philosophical humor novels such as ''{{w|The World According to Garp}},'' which remarks on how easily the arc of any human life can turn on a single sexual relationship. "Life's experience of time" is a very rare phrase which does not seem to have a coherent meaning across the handful of times it occurs.

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," is a famous line from a speech by {{w|Martin Luther King}}, referring to the slow pace at which progress is often achieved, and paraphrasing parts of a 1853 sermon by abolitionist minister {{w|Theodore Parker}}: "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice." President Obama had the sentence from King's speech woven into a rug in the Oval Office.

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

:Designer     What they are responsible for

:'''UI'''     Elements of the interface that the user encounters
:'''UX'''     The user's experience of using the interface to achieve goals
:'''UZ'''     The psychological roots of the user's motivation for seeking out the interaction
:'''U∝'''     The user's self-actualization
:'''UΩ'''     The arc of the user's life
:'''U∞'''     Life's experience of time
:'''U⬤'''     The arc of the moral universe

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Programming]]

Talk:954: Chin-Up Bar

2018-07-16T04:02:41Z

172.69.22.44:

I know the Wheaton Metro station and its escalator very well (I live about 5 miles from there). There are several issues with the comic.
*There isn't a convenient place that the panels showing diagonal motion (1-6 & 10) can be shown from. The entire escalator set is in a solid tube through the rock. I guess that it could be done from the *third* escalator.(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheaton_(WMATA_station) ) (This would be with (viewed from the bottom, the center going up, the left going down and the right either not moving or going up)
*There are emergency cut off boxes both at the top and the bottom of the escalators.
*There is a kiosk about 40 feet from the top of the escalator staffed by an employee next to the fare gates.
*In panel 9 there are two raised disks between the up and down escalators. While this is true in some of the other escalators, the ones for Wheaton are very close together and there is only one column of raised disks.[[User:Naraht|Naraht]] ([[User talk:Naraht|talk]]) 16:41, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
:- What can we learn from this? - That not all of the facts in XKCD comics are right, and some are outright exaggerated (thank you Mr. Naraht). I personally learned that life will keep hurting me on purpose until I figure out how to help myself (Thank you Life and thank you Mr. XKCD for this lesson). - [[User:E-inspired|E-inspired]] ([[User talk:E-inspired|talk]]) 16:46, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
::This is a comic. It's Fiction. It does not claim to be the "Wheaton Metro" escalator anyway - that was in the commentary. Relax. [[Special:Contributions/74.213.186.41|74.213.186.41]] 19:16, 22 March 2013 (UTC)
::: While I agree that Naraht needs to calm down (I used to live 1 mile from the Wheaton Metro, and would walk up it as fast as I could), you cannot say that the comic did not claim to be the "Wheaton Metro." Black Hat describes it as 70m long, and the longest in the country. There is only one escalator that fits that description, and it is in Wheaton, Maryland. It's like seeing them going up an elevator, never seeing what they are ascending, and having one of the people mention that they are going to the top of the tallest free-standing stone structure in the world, 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches. There is but one structure that fits that description: the Washington Monument. A description can make a claim without using the exact wording. [[Special:Contributions/108.28.72.186|108.28.72.186]] 03:44, 7 August 2013 (UTC)
::::But this is still fiction, and it is completely OK to make changes to fit the need of the comic. Also drawing someone from a position where you could not put a camera... really? I mean have you any idea how they film TV-series, where there are only two walls in the set? This is exactly the same. This is way to show us what happens, without taking a strange view from the top or where else it would be realistic to have a real camera... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 04:22, 7 August 2016 (UTC)

Grammatically, the last sentence should be "The people that actually made it to the bottom were unable to use the emergency shutdown because Black Hat had disabled it. ", (adding 'had' to 'disabled') using the past perfect for the last clause because it refers to an earlier time than the time of trying to use the emergency shutdown, even earlier than the events of the first panel. -CFitz [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.221|108.162.231.221]] 10:39, 12 November 2013 (UTC)

The title text does not say "those few who reached the bottom." It says "those few who escaped." Several people could have gotten around the chin-up bar or jumped the divider to get on the down-escalator. The explanation of the title text does not take this into consideration.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.202|108.162.219.202]] 20:20, 3 January 2014 (UTC)
:The last two comments have now been taken into consideration in the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 04:24, 7 August 2016 (UTC)

This is, in my opinion, one of the most horrifying xkcd comics. I remember talks about a similar incident in the Moscow subway, when something was blocking the exit from the escalator. Some people, trying to save themselves from the stampede, climbed on top of barriers between the escalators, which were not designed to support such weight, and fell to their death in the bowels of the giant machine. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.182.28|162.158.182.28]] 09:54, 5 September 2017 (UTC)
:Strictly speaking, [https://what-if.xkcd.com/4/ A mole of moles] is many times worse. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.44|172.69.22.44]] 04:02, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

Talk:954: Chin-Up Bar

2018-07-16T04:02:03Z

172.69.22.44:

Talk:1322: Winter

2018-07-16T03:48:22Z

172.69.22.44:

There is a reason we have correct and precise words for just about every item. "Flappy planes" could refer to birds, or it could refer to the impractical early attempt at a flying machine known as an ornithopter; and in the same manner "stick towers" could also refer to telephone poles or the piers from an old-time wooden railroad trestle.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.30|173.245.54.30]] 17:41, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
:I think the main reason we like to have so many words is so we can belittle people that don't know as many as we do. The German way is more sensible, if less poetic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 02:27, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

I feel like he's referencing a song but I can't make the things fit anything. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.53|108.162.219.53]] 06:05, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
:I thought this may be a shot at media's coverage of the "polar vortex"[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.31|108.162.219.31]] 14:44, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
:Sounds a bit like Let it Snow to me [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.47|108.162.218.47]] 21:59, 2 June 2014 (UTC)

Amusingly, I feel, the German for gloves is "Handschuh" (plural "Handschuhe)" as in
hand shoe(s). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.72|173.245.49.72]] 09:05, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

I still think that's whitehat, he is again making an argument that is getting beaten [[User:Halfhat|Halfhat]] ([[User talk:Halfhat|talk]]) 09:05, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

How does the title text build up on the romeo&juliet's rose idea? --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.74|108.162.229.74]] 12:59, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

:Maybe "build up" is the wrong phrase. It certainly continues on the same train of thought. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 15:48, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

"Monosyllabic" doesn't quite seem like a fitting description of "water", "flappy", or "towers", especially in contrast to "pond", "birds", and "trees". --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.207|108.162.238.207]] 13:26, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

I've added [Birds chirping] to the transcript, but I can't really see what else is missing. I'm open to suggestions. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 14:36, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
:This was something I was trying to grasp when I added the "Birds Chirping" - to what detail do we describe the events going on in any given panel? A transcript is supposed to be a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcript_(law) written record of the spoken word] and while some actions do bear significant meaning to the "record" of the strip as a whole, the question remains - to what detail? [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 20:55, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
::To the musical notes that appear in the upper right corner of the relevant panels. [[User:Sciepsilon|Sciepsilon]] ([[User talk:Sciepsilon|talk]]) 05:39, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
:::Yes, I agree - the musical notes should be transcribed (or notated, lol). But should we be transcribing physical acts, such as characters walking on/off panel, setting up the scene, etc. It would seem that we're moving from Transcript to Script. In any case, I'm going to move this discussion to the [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Coordination|Coordination]] page as I can't seem to find any real guideline on this.[[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:52, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

It almost scans right for "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" and a lot of the lines could be taken as references to that song. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 17:09, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
:If you say so. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 02:27, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

The stickman with the antennated headwool is right. [[User:Sten|'''STEN''']] ([[User talk:Sten|talk]]) 21:49, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Might "little flappers" refer to fruit bats, instead of birds, since flappy planes is already used for birds? Most of the replacements so far were logical, and since birds mainly generate lift using Bernoulli's Principle (like planes), wouldn't bats more more accurate when only refering to "flappers"? [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 23:09, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
:No, I think "little flappers" is definately birds - specifically wrens, sparrows, warblers, etc - all of which are both small and commonly called "songbirds", hence the indication of musical birdsong. {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.46}}

It feels like there is some special significance to the last panel. Either the birds' chirping indicates offense at being called flappy planes, indicating that somebody does in fact care, or they are continuing to chirp happilly because they don't care. Or it could just be that Cueball/White Hat sees Beret Guy's point, as seems to be the consensus. [[User:Sciepsilon|Sciepsilon]] ([[User talk:Sciepsilon|talk]]) 05:39, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
:I'm pretty sure this isn't a comic about sentient birds. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 02:27, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

Is "spacelight" meant to be "the illumination from space" i.e. "sunlight", or "the lamp in space" i.e. "sun"? I thought the latter. {{unsigned ip|173.245.49.67}}
::I don't think it matters that much, as long as white hat is warm enough. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.86|108.162.229.86]] 19:41, 28 January 2014 (UTC)
::Do you get confused when people say "The sun is warm today" ? This is the same thing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]]

I have referenced Feynman's "Difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something" to the explanation as the reference would be obvious to someone like Munroe. [[User:Tardyon|Tardyon]] ([[User talk:Tardyon|talk]]) 22:25, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

"Floor water" was referenced in the latest What-If. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.64|108.162.237.64]] 05:26, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

No baby birds in winter? Could they be crossbill's? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.84|108.162.254.84]] 15:03, 1 February 2014 (UTC)
:He is only saying "little flappers" to create a certain tone in his statement. He simply means the songbirds. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 02:27, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

I have always liked Feynman's parable about knowing something vs knowing the name of something. I especially like it in context of those students and intellectual wannabes that spew out names and jargon without actually knowing, understanding or appreciating the how (and perhaps why) behind what they are spouting off.
On the other hand, a shared nomenclature is absolutely essential to communication, especially effective and unambiguous communication, as the discussions herein (above) make clear.
For instance, although "beret guy" may have a deep understanding and appreciation of what he observes, he is failing to communicate this (if that indeed was his intention) to "cueball", and indeed it could be said to the readers. For instance the "little flappers" are birds to some, bats to others. "Lamp in space" is not very unambiguous as well.
People create names and words with specific meaning in order to shorten communication time, and to create a shared mental picture that helps further understanding. An argument could be made that "cueball" has a point about "wrong words for those things" in that if one really wants to communicate ones understanding or appreciation for something, one had better learn the nomenclature. [[User:Tardyon|Tardyon]] ([[User talk:Tardyon|talk]]) 15:34, 6 February 2014 (UTC)

I notice that some of the names Beret Guy is using imply that in the dialect of English he speaks, only manmade or highly technological things are known, and he has to describe his natural surroundings by reference to manmade ones: "floor" "tower" "planes" "light" "beeping". --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.109|108.162.216.109]] 00:43, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

And here I am in 2016, somehow having missed this comic. And I wonder if this was part of the impetus for [[Thing Explainer]]. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 01:16, 27 January 2016 (UTC)

So this could be off-base, but in terms of themes, images, and cadence, the comic (a four-part discussion of journey through the winter woods) seems to allude to the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, a four-part discussion of a journey through the winter woods. Especially because the second line of the final stanza of the poem starts with an abrupt "But I have..." and the second panel of the comic starts with an abrupt "But I have..." It's where my brain wants to go, and Frost is a topic that he seems to know well enough, at least the more famous poems (https://xkcd.com/312/). Thoughts, an avenue to consider? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.93|108.162.221.93]] 22:07, 3 April 2016 (UTC)
It shares a similar setting as the Frost poem & you could consider "cold weather" a common theme. But tone & central theme have little overlap by my reading. And lots of stories have that common setting/theme: from "The Giver" to that Jack London novella about the guy who's freezing to death -- to name 2 from among the several we read in 8th grade.
The prior art this strip reminds me of more would probably be the song "what a wonderful world" --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.44|172.69.22.44]] 03:48, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

1962: Generations

2018-03-03T01:14:13Z

172.69.22.44:

{{comic
| number = 1962
| date = March 2, 2018
| title = Generations
| image = generations.png
| titletext = For a while it looked like the Paperclip Machines would destroy us, since they wanted to turn the whole universe into paperclips, but they abruptly lost interest in paperclips the moment their parents' generation got into making them, too.
}}

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

This comic is making fun of the various names we give "generations", and also predicting some future ones. It refers to the [http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/defining-generations-where-millennials-end-and-post-millennials-begin/ Pew Research Center's recent announcement that they have decided where the Millennial generation ends].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col"| Generation
! scope="col"| Time period
! scope="col"| Explanation
|-
| The Founders
| 1730 - 1747
| Most of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States United States' Founding Fathers] were born in this period. (But not all: Benjamin Franklin, for instance, was born two generations prior.)
|-
| Generation ƒ
| 1748 - 1765
| ƒ is the symbol that represented the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_guilder guilder], the currency of the Netherlands from the 17th century until 2002.
|-
| The Adequate Generation
| 1766 - 1783
| Randall apparently found nothing notable about this generation, positive or negative.
|-
| Generation Æ
| 1784 - 1801
| Æ is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Æ diphthong] Aesh - its name sounds like X, though it is pronounced as a long e.
|-
| The generation we cut a lot of slack because they produced Lincoln
| 1802 - 1819
|
|-
| The Gilded Generation
| 1820 - 1837
| [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilded_Generation_(Strauss%E2%80%93Howe_theory) So named under the Strauss-Howe generation theory], though they use the time period 1822-1842 instead. This likely refers to the "{{w|Gilded Age}}" of American history, roughly the last three decades of the 19th century.
|-
| The Second-Greatest Generation
| 1838 - 1855
|
|-
| Generation -..-
| 1856 - 1873
| This may be referring to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Morse_code#Comparison_of_American_and_International_Morse Morse Code] for the number 9, although this is the eighth generation in this list. More likely, it is referring to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code the letter X] instead in International Morse Code. This may be an error on Randall's part, since the generations are an American phenomenon. Alternatively, this be a past example of similar cohort of Gen Xers, mirrored by the later "More Gen-Xers somehow". Regardless, this is also a reference to the rise of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraphy telegraphy], though it was "born" prior to 1856.
|-
| The kids who died in the Gilded Generation's factories and mines
| 1874 - 1891
| [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour#The_Industrial_Revolution Child labor] had been widely used since before the start of the Industrial Revolution, but this is when people started doing something about it - and also, when the need for an educated workforce arose, applying substantial economic pressure on societies to put children in school instead. It would be more accurate to label this generation, "The kids who stopped dying in the Gilded Generation's factories and mines".
|-
| Oops, one of us is Hitler
| 1892 - 1909
| [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler Adolf Hitler], possibly the most hated (and, by most definitions, evil) man in living human memory as of this comic's posting, was born during in 1889. Aside from the fact that this places him in the previous generation, it seems beyond silly to blame everyone else who was born during this period for being born in the same generation as him. Among those who eventually heard of him (thus, excluding those in isolated areas or who died before he rose to power), the vast majority of them would not hear of him until well after 1909.
|-
| The Greatest Generation
| 1910 - 1927
|
|-
| The Silent Generation
| 1928 - 1945
|
|-
| Baby Boomers
| 1946 - 1963
|
|-
| Generation X
| 1965 - 1981
|
|-
| Millennials
| 1982 - 1999
| The last children born in the 2nd Millennium.
|-
| Generation 💅 (nail polish emoji)
| 2000 - 2017
| This begins the hypothetical future generation names, though this generation was already fully born as of this comic's posting. Social media was established and rising during the formative years of this generation, and the widespread adoption of emoji began during this time. The [https://emojipedia.org/nail-polish/ Nail Polish Emoji] (U+1F485) is used here.
|-
| Zuckerberg's Army
| 2018 - 2035
| Continuing on the above, this may be presuming the dominance of FaceBook during the childhoods of this generation, and corresponding social norming as ultimately directed by its leader Mark Zuckerberg. Ironically, as of this comic's posting, [http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-quit-young-people-social-media-snapchat-instagram-emarketer-a8206486.html young users were already leaving FaceBook for other social media sites].
|-
| The Hovering Ones
| 2036 - 2053
| This may posit increased adoption of cybernetics, which (as with any technology) are more easily adapted by the young who do not have to unlearn previous ways. If advances allowed someone to hover all the time, such that one would not need to walk, this generation's name suggests that becoming so widely used among this generation that they became known for it.
|-
| Spare Parts
| 2054 - 2071
| Continuing on the above speculation about cybernetics, this presumes enough apathy or sociopathy among this generation's parents that giving birth (or other means of creating a new human) was often done to create bodies from which organs could be harvested (presumably primarily for the benefit of their elders).
|-
| More Gen-Xers somehow
| 2072 - 2089
| As with "Generation -..-", this may be positing that Generation X like traits pop up about 3/4 of the way through each century.
|-
| The Paperclip Machines
| 2090 - 2107
| This, and the alt text, are references to the concept of a [https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Paperclip_maximizer paperclip maximizer], where an AI might be designed to be helpful, but end up being harmful. The clicker game [http://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/ Universal Paperclips] makes this concept playable. Furthering the above speculation of cybernetics, this generation might be primarily artificial intelligences, though of limited ability to set their own priorities (a flaw which would be fixed in later generations).
|-
| The Mixed Bag (produced 4 Lincolns, 1 Napoleon, and 2 Hitlers)
| 2108 - 2125
| As with the above examples, a generation may become known for its most famous members, but it is not useful to define an entire generation by them.
|-
| The Procedural Generation
| 2136 - 2143
| [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procedural_generation Procedural generation] is a way of creating data automatically, rather than capturing it via sensor (including when the "sensor" is a keyboard and the data is typed in). This confusion of the term "generation" could refer to more artificial intelligences that were created via routines instead of directly coded, which would likely stem from attempts to improve child creation once most children were explicitly manufactured instead of relying on evolution-granted biological means.
|-
| Generation Ω
| 2144 - 2161
| "Omega" is the last letter in the Greek alphabet, and used as a symbol of endings. Given the above generation names implying increasingly artificial children, this may suggest the last generation that is recognizably a generation. This does not necessarily mean the end of children or the end of humanity, just that anything after 2161 is widely recognized to no longer have even notional generational coherence - perhaps because of drift (children born to one group during a given time are wildly enough different from children born to another group at the same time that people give up trying to group them by time), child gestation and maturation times (for example, if it became common for a child to go from conception to adulthood in less than a year), or exceptions to what counts as a "child" (for example, if it becomes possible and common to create clones that are somewhere between free-willed beings and mind-controlled drones, and this sufficiently supplants creation of completely free-willed children, regardless of whether the children are artificial intelligences or old-fashioned biological children).
|-
| Star Trek: The Next Generation
|2360 - 2378
|''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}'' was a TV show set in the future. The first episode of ''TNG'', "{{w|Encounter at Farpoint}}", takes place in 2364, and it concluded with "{{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Good_Things..._(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)|All Good Things...}}", which took place in 2370. The final canonical adventures of the cast of ''The Next Generation'' did not occur until the events of ''{{w|Star Trek: Nemesis}}'' in 2379.
|}

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

:"Generations" are arbitrary. They're just labels we use to obliquely talk about cultural trends.
:But since Pew Research has become the latest to weigh in, and everyone loves a good pointless argument over definitions...

:''xkcd presents''
:A Definitive Chronology of the Generations

:1730-1747 The Founders
:1748-1765 Generation ƒ
:1766-1783 The Adequate Generation
:1784-1801 Generation Æ
:1802-1819 The generation we cut a lot of slack because they produced Lincoln
:1820-1837 The Gilded Generation
:1838-1855 The Second-Greatest Generation
:1856-1873 Generation '''-··-'''
:1874-1891 The kids who died in the Gilded Generation's factories and mines
:1892-1909 Oops, one of us is Hitler
:1910-1927 The Greatest Generation
:1928-1945 The Silent Generation
:1946-1963 Baby Boomers
:1964-1981 Generation X
:1982-1999 Millennials
:2000-2017 Generation 💅 [nail polish emoji]
:2018-2035 Zuckerberg's army
:2036-2053 The Hovering Ones
:2054-2071 Spare Parts
:2072-2089 More Gen-Xers somehow
:2090-2107 The Paperclip Machines
:2108-2125 The Mixed Bag (produced 4 Lincolns, 1 Napoleon and 2 Hitlers)
:2126-2143 The Procedural Generation
:2144-2161 Generation Ω
:2360-2378 Star Trek: The Next Generation

{{comic discussion}}

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[[Category:Emoji]]