explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2979: Sky Alarm

2024-09-01T14:38:20Z

172.69.246.142:

♫♪ Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me... ♪♫ :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:55, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

I've tried to do just this by subscribing to a channel promisingly named "AstroAlert", which then proceeded to spam me 500 times per day with messages about a random meteor on the opposite part of the world. Woe. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.110.200|162.158.110.200]] 05:15, 31 August 2024 (UTC)
:Hence the need for this alarm, to keep it LOCAL, :) That's the thing, any such thing needs a LOCATION, to limit results to what is locally relevant to each person. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:19, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

This comic seems super simple, so I added as muc( explanation as I can think of... [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:19, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

Local58 moment 💔

[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.138|172.70.85.138]] 11:27, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

With that device, no work is ever going to be done again... D: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.24|108.162.221.24]] 11:36, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

There is a nice site called [https://apod.nasa.gov/ Astronomy Picture of the Day] that is like this. Alas, it is "A cool space thing happened three days ago - sorry you missed it". --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 11:41, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

Sounds like it needs a sky dome camera system (like they made for immersive filmimg) on the roof coupled with statistical analysis (mistakenly aka AI) to recognise and record 'interesting' things, coupled with localised alerts for known phenomena. A product for someone? [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 11:46, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

Most cool astronomical events don't come up so suddenly that you need an alarm. We know about eclipses years in advance, meteor showers recur annually, comets have months of warning, and unusual auroras are usually known a few days early. Anything sudden will probably also be short-lived, so by the time you get outside it will be over. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:26, 31 August 2024 (UTC)
:If you're anything like me, you're often eager to see (predicable space phenomenon) and then get reminded of it a day too late when the photos starts appearing on the internet. Though that could just as easily solved with a reminder on a standard calendar app, if only you had something reminding youto set up reminders. What would be nice would be an app where you put in your location and it gives you the next week's A) weather forecast, and B) list of interestingly visible space thingies. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.246.142|172.69.246.142]] 14:38, 1 September 2024 (UTC)

Seems like there should be a name for these alerts, like "Amber Alert" for missing children. I nominate "Neil Alert" -- it should probably use Neil deGrasse Tyson's voice. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:28, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

Since the characters in the comic are the same as in the previous ISS comic, I like to think that they're in the ISS and Megan is getting ready to do an EVA (ignore the fact that such a desk wouldn't make sense, or the walking, or that prepping for the EVA would probably take well over a full orbit) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.223.93|172.71.223.93]] 17:58, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

Dang, we really cleaned up all the incomplete explanations, didn't we?
Either that, or someone just went around and removed all the tags [[User:New editor|New editor]] ([[User talk:New editor|talk]]) 19:50, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

Does anyone know of anything like this? Something that will tell me about things like upcoming meteor showers, comets, auroras, etc. the day before, rather than hearing about it the day after from people who somehow knew about it? To this day I still have no idea how people find out about these things before they happen

I previously changed the words from the alarm in the Transcript to italics, but I wasn't convinced that the noises from the alarm were also italicized. I see someone else changed them to italics as well, but I wonder if anyone else is of the same mind as myself. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 14:16, 1 September 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2971: Celestial Event

2024-08-13T05:31:31Z

172.69.246.142:

Unfortunately, this calculation doesn't account for the eventual end of total solar eclipses due to the tidal recession of the moon. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.246.142|172.69.246.142]] 05:31, 13 August 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2966: Exam Numbers

2024-08-02T21:43:05Z

172.69.246.142: haiii hi haiiiii hiiii haii :333c

pre-algebra: 4, calculus: pi^2 / 4 (about 2.467), physics: cosmological constant: depends on how you measure it [[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.48|162.158.167.48]] 18:11, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

Game theory: -5x10⁶ (maybe helpful, maybe not... just be thankful I didn't include an ''i'' factor in there somewhere...) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.185|172.70.162.185]] 18:20, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
:Interesting; I went with ∞+10. So, between our answers, that makes the average... [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 05:21, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

Could somebody reformat all the math here in whatever LaTeX plugin this wiki uses? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.102|162.158.222.102]] 18:35, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
:Probably not, because the MathML here is broken. But, also, nothing I see requires anything particularly complicated, it can all stay in fairly straightforward (standardly formatted) text. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.224|141.101.98.224]] 18:44, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
I had to look up "TREE(3)." Seriousness aside, I think the largest number would be the astrological sign 1 that has its end_points_ as galaxy clusters. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.245.184|172.68.245.184]] 19:26, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
:Which astrological sign? Search engines aren't helping. [[User:Onestay|Onestay]] ([[User talk:Onestay|talk]]) 20:41, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
::The nonexistent one I just made up that looks like a "1." 😃 [[Special:Contributions/172.71.222.6|172.71.222.6]] 21:06, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
:'OAK'? 'ELM'? 'ASH?' 'BOX'? 'YEW'? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.165|141.101.98.165]] 08:52, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

If infinity _is_ a number, it might be a possible solution to the game theory question. The average of any set of numbers that includes infinity is infinity, and infinity + 10 is still infinity. I probably wouldn't try that in most classes, but a game theory professor might approve "gaming" the system, as it were. {{unsigned ip|172.70.39.44}}
:If I would prefer no-one (else) to win, I might submit -∞ as my answer. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.74|172.70.90.74]] 20:13, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
::If I really wanted to mess with them, I would submit i. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.248|172.70.160.248]] 08:54, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

I did a bit of a deep dive into wikipedia and the googology wiki and the answer to the last question depends on a few things (along with assuming ZFC). If transfinite ordinals count as numbers, then those at the end of {{w|List of large cardinal properties}} take the cake (if i'm reading it right). Otherwise, something based off [https://googology.fandom.com/wiki/Rayo%27s_number Rayo's number] is the best googologists have come up with so far. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.246.149|172.69.246.149]] 20:18, 31 July 2024 (UTC)Bumpf

:How about "On, in the context of MK set theory"? MK is a standard way to extend ZFC by allowing classes as mathematical objects, so On (the class of all set-size ordinals) is a class-sized "ordinal". But MK doesn't allow proper classes to be contained in any object, so "On+1" doesn't exist except as a definable hyperclass. Thus, On is the biggest "number" in a model of MK set theory.{{unsigned ip|172.68.205.151}}

::I personally would not call a class a number, but that is very very subjective! And why would we take a standard extension of ZFC in the first place and not just keep ZFC? yadda yadda yadda you get the idea :) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.246.142|172.69.246.142]] 21:43, 2 August 2024 (UTC)Bumpf

Isn’t the joke in the pre-algebra that it would require algebra in order ro calculate? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.70.135|172.68.70.135]] 20:36, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
:Yes. I agree that it would be worth adding wording along the lines that “the joke here is that you need algebra to solve the equation”. [[User:Dúthomhas|Dúthomhas]] ([[User talk:Dúthomhas|talk]]) 20:56, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
: I interpreted the 'pre-' bit as being more like 'proto-' - i.e. it's not fully proper algebra, but it's the kind of work you would do in preparation for tackling proper algebra.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.156|172.68.186.156]] 08:58, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
::That is actually exactly correct, at least in the US. Pre-algebra teaches the basics of algebra, and any seventh-grade student _should_ actually be able to solve the given problem. IDK if Randall gave this thought when formulating the joke, though... [[User:Dúthomhas|Dúthomhas]] ([[User talk:Dúthomhas|talk]]) 05:33, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

You know, formatting math on this wiki would be a lot easier if the Math extension were correctly installed, but evidently it's not: <math>\int_0^\pi x \sin^2 x \;dx</math> [[User:Zmatt|Zmatt]] ([[User talk:Zmatt|talk]]) 22:22, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

Is that integral really correct? I asked Wolfram Alpha and it gave me
: integral x sin^2(x) dx = 1/8 (2 x (x - sin(2 x)) - cos(2 x)) + constant
which does not seem to be the same as
: −2x sin(2x)+cos(2x)−2x)/28 + C.
But maybe there's something with half-angle formulas that makes them the same? … but I don't think so, they don't evaluate the same for x=0. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 02:56, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

:Yup, looks like it was supposed to be
:: -(2x sin(2x)+cos(2x)-2x^2)/8
:but they messed up the places of the negation and square.
:Though the important part here isn't what it is at any f(x), but what it is for any f(x)-f(y). In this particular case, f(pi)-f(0). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.121|162.158.41.121]] 04:49, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

As to '''biggest numbers:''' I thought most people would say the answers revolved around "nine-stuffing." For a kindergartener, stuff in as many bare <code>9</code>s as possible. For a postgrad, mix in exponentiation and write your numbers even smaller than a kindergartener can. <code>9^9^9^9...</code> or perhaps <code>99^99^99...</code> or…I'm not sure what's optimal. Of course, I'm not math postdoc ;) Or maybe some integrals or big-∏ notation. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 12:41, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
:Mastered division in preschool, learned exponents and logarithms in kindergarten. When I got asked this very question, my answer was (10^(10^9-1)-1), which is 999999999 "9"s. When told off for a "wrong answer format", I asked the teacher exactly how long she expected me to spend writing out literally nearly a billion digits to answer "properly" and whether she could afford that much stationery. She have me an A+. I knew the lower numbers don't actually matter so much, but it still took me until first grade to properly get into the programmatic mindset, and now the biggest finite integer I can properly consider is (2^(2^48)), which...
::10^9-1 = 999999999
::2^48 = 281474976710656
:And those are the higher numbers, so even though the lower ones are 10 versus 2, it's pretty clear which number is bigger, no? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.197|172.71.150.197]] 23:22, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
::If you answer "the biggest number you can think of" with "<some number> minus one", then I think you would rightfully have done yourself out of a mark... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.128|141.101.98.128]] 23:59, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
:::What even is thinking? Does math necessarily count? What are numbers? Whole numbers only? No living human can yet prove whether or not pi^(pi^(pi^pi)) is an integer, even though it's less than 2^(2^61). To me, "nine nines of nines" is entirely reasonable for a kindergartener who knows about exponents to answer, and while I may be slightly surprised at knowing proper expression, b^p-1 (seen both as 10^9-1 for "nine nines" and 10^(...)-1 for "of nines") appears in a lot of math things, e.g. the biggest signed 32 bit integer, 2147483647, is 2^31-1. Just because a normal internet connected computer can only count octets from 0 to 255, does that mean 255 being 2^8-1 is a more wrong answer than 2^8, which it "thinks" is 0? Does that make 0 automatically the largest number anybody can think of? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.23.200|172.68.23.200]] 00:29, 2 August 2024 (UTC)
::::I learned about tetration in college, and always thought it was the coolest thing. It is to exponentiation that exponentiation is to multiplication. The playground rules of infinity + 1 basically applies here. Whatever largest number you can write down, Just say 999^^999 for example, which being 999 to the 999th power 999 times. a googolplex is 10^^4, so this is an extremely fastly growing number, but not being 100% math nerd, don't know if this counts in any way. Rayo^^rayo, does it even make sense, who knows.--[[User:Youj ying|Youj ying]] ([[User talk:Youj ying|talk]]) 04:36, 2 August 2024 (UTC)
::::: googolplex = 10^googol = 10^10^100 = 10^10^10^2. Whereas 10^^4 = 10^10^10^10 = googolplex^(10^10^10-10^10^2), a number so much larger that the number of times you could write out googolplex using the same number of digits as 10^^4 has is itself a number so large as to have about 9999999900 digits. Even 4^^4 is bigger: ln(a^b)=ln(a)*b so ln(ln(10^10^100))=ln(ln(10)*10^100)=231.09254... and ln(ln(4^^4))=ln(ln(4)*4^4^4)=355.21799... which can be double-checked on many calculators. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.180|162.158.41.180]] 09:32, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

The PhD Cosmology question is easy, actually. Just write down H0 (imagine that 0 is subscript, I don't know how (if) I can format this comment). It doesn't ask you to write down the ''value'' of the constant, just the constant itself.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.103.118|172.71.103.118]] 14:56, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
:Well if you're going to get smartass about it, the last question is easy too - you just write out "THE BIGGEST NUMBER YOU CAN THINK OF"[[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.56|172.68.186.56]] 15:17, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

If you asked a psychologist what is the biggest number you can think of, they'd probably say "about 5". Anything more than that, and you're not really thinking of the number - you're just thinking of the name of the number.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.128|172.68.186.128]] 15:44, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
:I can absolutely visualize a grid of 9, 16, or 25. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.22|162.158.41.22]] 04:23, 2 August 2024 (UTC)
::Exactly, though - a grid. You're really thinking about 5 and 5 and an arrangement pattern.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.19|172.70.85.19]] 08:13, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

Given that postgraduate math should be real math, according to [[899: Number Line]] the largest number should be 8. My first thought for that question was card(R), as it is not really possible to prove that the number you thought about is larger than that. (Granted, the powerset of the reals is larger, if you fix an interpretation of R). --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.253.131|172.68.253.131]] 17:25, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

'''Prime notation in integrand?''': Here we go again, I guess. In [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2966:_Exam_Numbers&diff=next&oldid=347876 this edit], 172.68.2.126 changed the working of the integral to include expressions with a prime inside the integrand, like <code> ¼ ∫0π x (sin 2x)’ dx</code>.
I…have no idea what the prime is supposed to be indicating here…differentiation?
Even if this notation is meaningful (as it surely must be?), I don't think we should be using it here. Sure, many lay readers won't understand calculus at all, but for those that do, keeping it at a level understandable to a high-school calculus student seems wise. But since I don't understand it, I wanted to post before changing it back. What does it mean? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 19:58, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

== What is a number? ==

Infinity is _not_ a number. [[User:Dúthomhas|Dúthomhas]] ([[User talk:Dúthomhas|talk]]) 19:39, 31 July 2024 (UTC)

Infinity is absolutely not a number, and is the one answer I would mark as unambiguously wrong for the last one. Just say TREE(G_64) or something. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.31|162.158.154.31]] 20:15, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
:This is correct. No one in post-grad math would write “infinity” and expect that answer to work. Infinity is NOT a number except for seven-year-olds. Yet the explanation above continues to posit it as a possible correct answer. [[User:Dúthomhas|Dúthomhas]] ([[User talk:Dúthomhas|talk]]) 20:49, 31 July 2024 (UTC)
::I qualify as a "post-grad math", and yet, I think infinity would have been a perfectly valid answer. Let me explain. The term "number" without further context is a bit vague, because there are several possible generalizations of natural numbers (something that presumably everyone agrees to call a "number"), and they are not compatible, ie. there is not a single generalization that generalizes them all. So we have to choose which generalization makes sense in the current context. Since the question is about thinking how big a number is, I naturally thought that the adequate generalization would be one that focuses on the order on natural numbers, ie. ordinals. In that case, my answer to this question would be "the class of numbers I can think of is not bounded, therefore there is no such thing such as a 'biggest number I can think of'". But if I had to write down a big number, I would write ε_{ε_{ε_{...}}} up until I filled the page, because that's the most efficient way I know to write a big, *big* infinity. Which is a number. (and I'm not seven, just to be clear) [[User:Jthulhu|Jthulhu]] ([[User talk:Jthulhu|talk]]) 08:35, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
:In IEEE floating point math, Infinity is ''not'' Not A Number. The latter is an indication of error (in a context where errors can't be signalled immediately) and an entirely separate concept to infinity. But both are not Normal Numbers. Or even Denormalized Numbers. Floating point math is a whole lot trickier than it appears to be at first glance, and only extremely tangentially related to mathematical reals. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.54|172.68.205.54]] 00:48, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
::I would have written this, but I saw that your comment already explained the two points I would have made, so, well, well done! [[User:Jthulhu|Jthulhu]] ([[User talk:Jthulhu|talk]]) 08:35, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
:If I write a song titled "Infinity" that was part of an opera, then it would be a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_number number]. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.175.141|162.158.175.141]] 13:26, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
A number, by definition, is a construct used to classify and/or compare values. How rigorous this needs be for one limits the extent to which they accept things as being a number. Even things like "apple" could be interpreted as (dimensioned) numbers, with a possible value being "1 fruit"; In that regard, one may consider things like apple=orange<grapes.

Just "infinity" is nearly useless in this regard, as it's "no end thing". Usually interpreted (when necessary) as the countable infinite cardinal x=aleph_null, this prevents most useful comparisons, including dimensional analysis since x^n=x for all counting (aka. finite positive integer) n. Spacetime may or may not be boundless, but we can't tell how many edges may or may not loop. Is it infinity? Yes. Is it infinite? God only knows. Can you *count to it*? God can. Does that make it a number? Depends. Is "infinity plus one" a sane concept? No, it can't be finite, ordinal, and/or real in a way addition is defined; It's without end, and if you could add to it, that would indicate an end.

In contrast, classification has its roots in trade, and barter, and tipping. How much of a thing is enough, but not too much. Somebody may accept between 1/2 and 2/3 of a pie you're splitting, because less wouldn't be fair and more may give them a stomach ache; Is 3<=6x<=4 a number? It's similar in uselessness to "infinity", but whether something is less or more can at least still be established within its range. In the limit, Surreal numbers are the principal example of classification, taking the arithmetic mean of the maximum and minimum of their lower and upper bounds, or the predecessor or successor, or zero. For example, y={y|1} is the biggest number less than one, with z<=y<1 for all z<1. It's less than one, but not any "smaller" than one, with an immeasurably infinitesimal difference 0<1-y.

Choice of axioms is very important for all this, since its full extent can render everything except finite non-negative integers "not a number" (by Presburger Arithmetic), or allow everything up to and including unique antichain cardinalities (by Martin's Maximum).

The sixth power of the smallest ordinal with the cardinality of the continuum in the constructed universe (w_1^6 where beth_n=C(w_n)) is the biggest number I can personally conceptualize, although I can consistently work with w_2 in this system as well. Does the fact that this is infinite make it any less useful as a number than 2.5? No. It says I can think accurately about all the standard ways of comparing things in up to 6 infinitely divisible dimensions. Just because one cannot necessarily picture something others can't doesn't mean it doesn't exist. If a one-eyed person can only see a 2 spatial + 1 temporal dimensional image, that doesn't mean depth doesn't exist, it just means it's "hidden" from that perspective. 3+1+2 has two "hidden" dimensions compared to normal 3+1 spacetime, and beth_1 is infinitely divisible unlike the quantum (at most beth_0) nature of our known universe, but I can still work with 3+1+1, and 3+1+2 in the same way people can think about a (possibly looping) universe where everything can be bigger or smaller, and spatial geometry itself may be some degree of spherical, and people have been working with fractions since antiquity, so why should I limit myself to what other people can grasp?

In summary: "number" is too vague for claiming most things "aren't" to be reasonable. Infinite values (that aren't just "infinity", that's vague enough by itself to be almost as unreasonable) are just one one example of a valid answer most people seem to be up in arms about. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.181|162.158.41.181]] 01:06, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

:All right, all right. I yield. That’s some... _impressive_ reasoning. If we are going to redefine words to meaninglessness then there is no hope of engaging in useful discussion. I’m sure Randall will at least get a good laugh out of the idea that post-grad math students would submit “infinity” as the largest number they could think of. I still think it a disservice to readers to posit infinity as a _valid_ answer, though. [[User:Dúthomhas|Dúthomhas]] ([[User talk:Dúthomhas|talk]]) 05:05, 1 August 2024 (UTC)

Y'all, the answer is clearly 1. Sincerely, someone who has studied probability.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.137.155|162.158.137.155]] 14:04, 1 August 2024 (UTC)
: I came to the same conclusion by different means: A number that fills 100% of the answer area is the biggest valid answer, and is very clearly a one turned on its side. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.68|108.162.238.68]] 18:59, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

No actual cosmologist denotes the Hubble constant in Hz. It's about 70 (km/s)/Mpc. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.22|162.158.41.22]] 04:23, 2 August 2024 (UTC)
:The ''true'' Cosmic cosmologist surely knows that H0 is 1 (exactly and always), redefining all subsequently derived units in terms of that and the other 'true constants' of the universe... ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.172|141.101.99.172]] 10:43, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

2944: Magnet Fishing

2024-06-10T15:41:51Z

172.69.246.142:

{{comic
| number = 2944
| date = June 10, 2024
| title = Magnet Fishing
| image = magnet_fishing_2x.png
| imagesize = 522x356px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The ten-way tie was judged a ten-way tie, so no one won the grand prize, a rare fishing monopole.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GUY DRAGGING A MAGNET ACROSS AN UNDERWATER KEYBOARD - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A World Magnet Fishing Championship was apparently only held once, because of the contestants' magnets getting stuck together. Magnet fishing is the act of using a magnet to find ferrometallic objects in a body of water. It can be used to recover specific lost items, or simply to see what interesting or valuable items can be found.

The title text links the (effectively mythical) concept of a {{w|magnetic monopole}} with a {{w|fishing rod}}, a.k.a. 'pole', such as might be considered an acceptable prize in fishing competition. It also looks like a tautology, though the first "ten-way tie" depicts how the ten lines are 'knotted' together, and the second indicates the equality of the final score. This suggests that nobody 'fished' anything ''other'' than "all the other nine magnets", prior to the inevitable conclusion.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[10 characters are stood on a bridge over a river. They have all cast fishing magnets over the edge. However, their magnets have all stuck together due to being too close and none have reached the river below. All 10 characters appear confused.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The first, and last, World Magnet Fishing Championship

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2922: Pub Trivia

2024-04-19T14:18:30Z

172.69.246.142:

{{comic
| number = 2922
| date = April 19, 2024
| title = Pub Trivia
| image = pub_trivia_2x.png
| imagesize = 422x666px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Bonus question: Where is London located? (a) The British Isles (b) Great Britain and Northern Ireland (c) The UK (d) Europe (or 'the EU') (e) Greater London
}}

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

The comic shows Cueball reading off bad trivia questions which are either confusing or don't have an answer.
The caption states that this is because he was paid to sabotage other bars that offer trivia so that people will want to go to the one that hired him.

1. Which member of BTS has a birthday this year?

BTS is a K-Pop group. Every member would have a birthday in 1 year.

2. How many sides does a platonic solid have?

4, 6, 8, 12, or 20 in Euclidean 3-space

3. What is the smallest lake in the world?

Unknowable as there are many small bodies of water in the world, and determining which is the smallest while still being large enough to count as a lake is a complicated question.

4. Which Steven Spielberg movie features more shark attacks? Jaws (1875) or Lincoln (2012)

Jaws, as Lincoln has a surprising lack of shark attacks.{{cn}}

5. How many planets were there originally?

Question lacks context, since it doesn't define what originally means, and there is no way to know when humans first found out that the wandering stars were actually other worlds, or that Earth is a planet.

6. What NFL player has scored the most points outside of a game?

As points are not usually scored outside of games, this is a nonsense question.

7. The Wright brothers built the first airplane. Who built the last one?

Since airplanes are built continuously, there is no way to know who built the last one.

8. Is every even number greater than 2 the sum of two primes?

This is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldbach%27s_conjecture an open question in math].

9. Not counting Canberra, what city is the capital of Australia?

Nonsense question, since each country only has one capital.

10. Who played the drums?

Lots of people have played the drums{{cn}}, famous or not. This question needs context.

The alt-text bonus question:

Bonus question: Where is London located? (a) The British Isles (b) Great Britain and Northern Ireland (c) The UK (d) Europe (or 'the EU') (e) Greater London

All choices are technically correct as they are various geographical areas that include the city of London, England. However, (d) could be wrong, since the UK has not been a member of the EU since {{w|Brexit}} in 202.


|}

This is apparently deliberate (at least on behalf of the organisers), perhaps to upset or otherwise impede groups of overconfident quizzers who would otherwise dominate any genuinely good quiz. -->

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2288: Collector's Edition

2024-04-01T18:14:47Z

172.69.246.142: /* Connection to Polandball */ new section

== The joke ==
Very early on April 1st, Mojang\Microsoft released a version 20w14Infinite build of Minecraft which allows players to create millions of wildly different new worlds by writing text in a book & throwing it through a Nether portal. The world generated depends on what is written in the book, & some specific worlds contain many "starter chests" to help the player in their explorations. Players can share what they wrote in each book with others, allowing multiple players to each access the same new dimensions on their own. In this way, individual single-player Minecraft instances can essentially become a collaboratively evolving game featuring previously nonexistent block types. Given that Randall has done multiple comics referencing Minecraft & seems to be an avid player, & given the presence of "chests" & the "worldbuilding" & collaborative nature of this latest comic, I believe xkcd's April 3rd 2020 comic is a reference to this "final" Minecraft build.
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 14:10, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:I think this is extremely unlikely. Munroe has comics planned in advance, and a complex interactive comic like this one takes more than a couple hours to make.[[User:Matthias1|Matthias1]] ([[User talk:Matthias1|talk]]) 18:43, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

==The Meta-Message==
Beginning one month earlier with [[2275: Coronavirus Name]] (March 2, 2020) there was a long [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] about the {{w|coronavirus}} pandemic. Superficially this April comic is not about the pandemic, but note that anybody anywhere can affect the comic's globally shared sandbox. Credit [[Randall|Randall]] with engineering a script reminding us that {{w|We%27re_All_In_This_Together|"We're all in this together."}} JohnB [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.215|162.158.74.215]] 19:01, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

==Explanation==
Clicking on the URLs in the explanation return "File not found". I will remove the hyperlink so people are less confused. [[User:Fwacer|Fwacer]] ([[User talk:Fwacer|talk]]) 02:18, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

== How the comic works ==
... is this going to be like [[1190: Time]]? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.63|162.158.74.63]] 04:08, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
: I hope so, otherwise I don't get the joke [[User:Forresthopkinsa|Forresthopkinsa]] ([[User talk:Forresthopkinsa|talk]]) 04:15, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
: The page just went down for me so maybe what we've seen isn't what it's supposed to be? [[User:Avi m|avis_magpie]] ([[User talk:Avi m|talk]]) 04:20, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
Looks like the whole comic was just taken down. [[User:Parzivail|Parzivail]] ([[User talk:Parzivail|talk]]) 04:27, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
: Can confirm - the most recent comic is Pathogen again [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.207|162.158.187.207]] 04:26, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
It is still up on the mobile website, but only if you directly go to comic page https://m.xkcd.com/2288 [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.146|172.69.22.146]] 05:10, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
: Perhaps this is a collector's edition because it was only up for a limited amount of time? {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.60|05:12, 3 April 2020}}
:: That was my immediate assumption. The title text says, "I'm sure you can find some suitable worldbuilding material if you scavenge through the archives." And I was viewing the comic by using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine — which, wouldn't you know it, captured the page exactly once before it went down. Between that and the title "Collector's Edition", I can't help thinking that the comic was actually intended to be viewed this way. Though for what reason, and what intended meaning, I couldn't tell you. …And jeez, in the time it took me to type this, the comic is back, but changed! Oy vey. [[User:NoriMori|NoriMori]] ([[User talk:NoriMori|talk]]) 06:42, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Maybe it's called collectors edition, because it was only available quite limited and to an unusual time? But that logic doesn't fit with the title text. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 05:14, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:I doubt that could be caused by "technical difficulties". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.186|172.69.34.186]] 06:14, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

It looks like it went back up about 5 minutes age. I can't figure out if it's possible to do more than pan right now though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.120|108.162.215.120]] 06:39, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:Yeah I see the same thing, looks like they're just testing it live. What a shame :(--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.242|108.162.215.242]] 06:47, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::what makes you assume that this is testing right now? however it doesn't seem to be very interactive apart from panning through it, and that it seems to chagne over time (the moon from [[1300]] wasn't there a few minutes ago, was it? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:49, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

:It's a giant pan similar to [https://xkcd.com/1110], although it's mostly empty, with some content at [https://xkcd.com/2288/#-361,-161]
. The title reads that you can find world building material, if you scavenge through the archives. I assume, more content will be unlocked as you read through past comics. [[User:Goatfryed|Goatfryed]] ([[User talk:Goatfryed|talk]]) 06:52, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::That would mean it is individual? That everyone gets their own picture? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:03, 3 April 2020 (UTC) Edit: I can kinda rule that out. I get the same picture on my phone and my work laptop, the work laptop is in a different country via vpn, and doesn't share any logins/advertisement ID's apart from explain xkcd with my phone... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:05, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Yeah, it definitely changes. The orange swimming pool just showed up now. Also, at the bottom of the page, it says something about "backpack", and what appears to be a reference to some other xkcd comic. For example, "Hint: why waste time say few word when lot word do trick", which I think refers to Up Goer Five. But I have no idea what to do with that info. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.190|172.68.141.190]] 06:55, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:and the content seems to be related to previous comics and what-ifs... but still no clue what to do apart from exploring the page. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:57, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

So I just stumbled upon this and it seems to be exactly as other commentors have theorised: as you read previous comics more stuff gets added to the page. There seems to be some kind of backpack mechanic where you collect items from previous ones somehow, but, perhaps because I've already read all previous comics, that didn't seem to work for me. Instead I just had to click the link above the backpack, which opened the comic in a new tab, and it had a bunch of stuff there. We may need to co-ordinate to figure out if different people end up with different sets of items, and to ensure we have all of them, but I think other than that it should be just a cut and dry thing of making a table with every item in it. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.202|162.158.34.202]] 07:12, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:Hang on, mine just changed: before there was only 1 pool on the left, now there are two. I only went back to pathogens and then forwards agin. This may be harder than I thought, I'm going to start keeping a screenshot log of actions vs. results. [[User:Benkor42|Benkor42]] ([[User talk:Benkor42|talk]]) 07:17, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:You may need to try xkcd.com instead of www.xkcd.com - there seems to be an issue with the latter at the moment. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.216|162.158.255.216]] 07:18, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::Hold up it changed again! This time without a reload! [[User:Benkor42|Benkor42]] ([[User talk:Benkor42|talk]]) 07:28, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:::It seems to change periodically, the url does change everytime. New stuff always seems to be added, not old stuff rremoved. [[User:Benkor42|Benkor42]] ([[User talk:Benkor42|talk]]) 07:28, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::::The URL is related to the coordinates, it changes when you pan the image. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:34, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::::Timings seem to be random, working on double checking that rn. Highest first number so far is 1127, once it switches agin I'm going to experiement with manually editing the url.

I was briefly able to do things. Open the archieve, navigate it to one of the comics, that are hinted for (e.g. compiling or iata) and when viewing that comic I get a lootbox, with an image I can then place in the 2288. It worked twice, and now it doesn't again... neither with those that have worked before, nor with others I am fairly sure have been placed by other people. (such as galilean moons) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:21, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:I'm working on assembling an image log, wonder if we could compare? Also, the two number url could be useful, rn I'm on -1378, -152 [[User:Benkor42|Benkor42]] ([[User talk:Benkor42|talk]]) 07:25, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::What do you mean by compare? Also the URL is related to the coordinates, it changes when you pan the image. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:34, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:::Yh just got that, is that the same for other panning comics (I'm a little new)? And I was wondering if the comic changed per person/system like certain previous comics. [[User:Benkor42|Benkor42]] ([[User talk:Benkor42|talk]]) 07:40, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::::Just seen a previous comment from you saying it doesn't change cross-system. However, it definetely changes with time, so the question is whether that's per user or done on a sort of universal clock, so we all unlock the same new content at the same time.
:::::I didn't complete writing up the thing I was able to do above... after opening the lootbox I got one image related to the comic I opened in my backpack and was able to place that in the actual 2288, where it now is placed. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:50, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::::::For me that didn't happen, it started with a loading screen type thing, and then objects just started appearing seemingly at random. I've also noticed some of them dissapear. I feel like the best course of action would be to start with a table of all the different objects, and then see if we can figure out when/why they appear later.
::::::: At least 2 objects appeared, because I placed them. It is a colaboration of many xkcd readers to do this world building here. I placed one of the sword fights around #439,-181 and the non-inverted kite at #-1679,-290 . --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:55, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::::::::Do you agree that the best course of action would therefore be a table with all the items? [[User:Benkor42|Benkor42]] ([[User talk:Benkor42|talk]]) 08:03, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:::::::::Not a big fan of tables, unless there really is content of muliple categories to be entered for one line. A list would do fine I guess? Also I find lists easier to work with. Or what would be the columns you'd set up? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:08, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::::::::::Something along the lines of the comic that it's a reference to, an image, and an explanation. Do we know if you find the same sticker at the same comic every time? If so, then that. A list would work well too. [[User:Benkor42|Benkor42]] ([[User talk:Benkor42|talk]]) 08:12, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::::::::::From looking at what image URLs don't 404, it looks like there are 253 stickers, which is quite a lot for a table.[[User:Matthias1|Matthias1]] ([[User talk:Matthias1|talk]]) 10:03, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:::::I think we can unlock new elements by reading older comics (seemingly at random, it doesn't work with every comic read) and that everyone can see the changes once they are put on the global picture. If someone could check, I have put berret guy and his goat around (5000,0)
::::::Yep, he's there. [[User:Benkor42|Benkor42]] ([[User talk:Benkor42|talk]]) 08:01, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

I almost feel like someone needs to show them this xkcd... https://xkcd.com/169/

It seems to be an interactive canvas. You can find stickers in chests on specific comics and put them in your backpack, and then when you come back here you can choose where to put them on the canvas. The hints in the empty backpack are cryptic references to comics. {{unsigned ip|162.158.107.85}}
:Yep, I figured the same thing, but for me it only worked twice (fly from wtf to lol was a reference to the iata thing and compiling was a reference to the compiling one) - but it didn't work again. Also: Some of the placed images are clearly references to what-if. Like the squirrel on top of an AK47 or the yoda powering an IPOD. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:59, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

I've made a catalog of the stickers but it's only partial because stuff keeps appearing: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dPYeYVpGqu5tqGTt5 [[User:Lev|Lev]] ([[User talk:Lev|talk]]) 08:02, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

I got it. I wrote the steps on reddit and included some screenshots. Feel free to use it to edit this page https://old.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/fu1dt0/xkcd_2288_collectors_edition/fmaqp1w/ [[User:Ufolicker|Ufolicker]] ([[User talk:Ufolicker|talk]]) 09:27, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Am I too late to participate in this or am I doing something wrong? Where is this hint supposed to appear? I only see an empty backpack and the canvas on which references to different comics are placed. No comic I've visited, either inspired by references on the canvas, nor by random selection has any chest or other interactive components to it. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 09:53, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:No, you're doing it right. Hints show up in the backpack area. Obviously no one is sure of anything, but even users who have seen hints have reported not seeing hints on a different browser/device. I suspect something similar to [https://xkcd.com/1037/ Umwelt], where different hints are shown to different people. And I think once a chest is picked up, it stops appearing to everyone that could see it, but that's a guess.[[User:Matthias1|Matthias1]] ([[User talk:Matthias1|talk]]) 10:03, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::Ok, I was unsure because on my windows 10 laptop I have yet to see a hint. I've tried chrome, firefox and internet explorer. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 11:09, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:::Finally got it to work in Safari in iOS [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 11:13, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::::That's really great, Bischoff, we were worried about you. Care to share how you did it, for the benefit of others? [[User:Jimmbo|Jimmbo]] ([[User talk:Jimmbo|talk]]) 14:19, 4 April 2020 (UTC)
::::I took part in the scavenger hunt and about 2 hours ago it stopped showing hints. So I assume it shut down and there is nothing to do anymore.¯\_(ツ)_/¯ [[User:Curse|Curse]] ([[User talk:Curse|talk]]) 15:15, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:::::I think everybody gets a limited number of hints, and once you've found them all it won't show any more to you, but other people can still get hints. [[User:Pelosujamo|Pelosujamo]] ([[User talk:Pelosujamo|talk]]) 20:09, 4 April 2020 (UTC)
::::::Nope, it's not that. I visited this comic for the first time today, and no hints for me at all. [[User:Dansiman|Dansiman]] ([[User talk:Dansiman|talk]]) 14:16, 5 April 2020 (UTC)

When I view the comic, I don't see the closed box - the screen is absolutely full of stickers. I've not done any scavenger hunting (I'd upload an image, but I don't have permissions to do so) [[User:Kvetch|Kvetch]] ([[User talk:Kvetch|talk]]) 11:10, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Hints I've seen so far: "The first one was funnier" (chest appeared in comic 1, contained I'm a turtle);
"418 I'm a teapot"
"26th September, 1983" (comic 2052, Stanislav Petrov Day, white dove); [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.135|172.69.134.135]] 11:20, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Perhaps a table for found chests with no attached hints? I've stumbled across a few but don't know if they're hinted at or not :). [[User:Deranged|Deranged]] ([[User talk:Deranged|talk]]) 11:54, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:Maybe add a line to the table with a blank first box, the link in the second box, empty third box? Someone will match it up. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.37|162.158.166.37]] 12:21, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

"Churchill's gonna have to rehydrate" is Nothing to Offer. Can't remember what number, I think 1148?

In other news, the bad ads are back ([[Talk:2220: Imagine Going Back in Time/Ads|previous discussion]]) - who's in charge of dealing with them anyway? [[User:Arcorann|Arcorann]] ([[User talk:Arcorann|talk]]) 12:25, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Could someone post an image showing what it looks like to find a chest on a comic? I've browsed to some of the comics referenced as having chests but couldn't see one so far. Thanks![[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.13|141.101.69.13]] 12:54, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:I've uploaded a few images on https://imgur.com/gallery/4q1QIW5. Can't upload them here yet, new account [[User:Madsmtm|madsmtm]] ([[User talk:Madsmtm|talk]]) 13:24, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

"The other side of the wardrobe", someone's put in the solution [[2218: Wardrobe]]; but I also found the chest on [[665: Prudence]]. Can there be multiple solutions to the same hint? [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 13:00, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Is anyone else having issues with things just not working? I clicked around a bit, it gave me the award in being very smart, and now won't give me any hints or chests. [[User:Crazymachinefan|Crazymachinefan]] ([[User talk:Crazymachinefan|talk]]) 13:57, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
::I am also not getting any hints anymore after getting one chest.[[User:Eesley|Eesley]] ([[User talk:Eesley|talk]]) 14:01, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:::Nope, nothing to get anymore. [[User:Curse|Curse]] ([[User talk:Curse|talk]]) 15:15, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

The "Was it a rat I saw" hint is probably [[1632: Palindrome]]. I haven't gotten the hint yet, so I can't confirm. [[User:Nvaiko24|Nvaiko24]] ([[User talk:Nvaiko24|talk]]) 14:12, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Interestingly, the [[1110: Click and Drag]] disables the backpack overlay. Also, anyone have any news on how to get the Go Big to Go Small hint?

I got the "First annual award for excellence in being very smart" on page 7, rather than 179 as stated above. Can't remember what the hint was. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.222|162.158.34.222]] 14:26, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Found that award on comic 7, too. And "Researchers are reporting record number of sharks (loot 159) on comic 1368, but I'll be damned if I know the hint. Those give me nothing [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.43|162.158.91.43]] 14:44, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Found another one! It's a bug on a box, loot_007. From comic #442, no idea what hint goes with it. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.7|162.158.74.7]] 15:18, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

For the ooOOOooo hint, I've now gone through every comic, and none of them give a chest. [[User:Lawruble13|Lawruble13]] ([[User talk:Lawruble13|talk]]) 19:41, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
: Well that's just ducky! I'm stuck on that hint. Any way to get the hint to change without losing my collectibles? Anonymous 02:19, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

If you scroll almost directly upward, the Y-coordinate keeps resetting to 5000 (same with downward and -5000. However, if you scroll up and to the side with a slope of less than 1, you eventually get to this URL: https://xkcd.com/#-Infinity,-Infinity which just has the word "[LOADING_]" hand-drawn. -- brad
: I think that's just Javascript floatingpoint math for ya. The loading image just appears while it is trying to load in new tiles --[[User:Jhollowe|Jhollowe]] ([[User talk:Jhollowe|talk]]) 19:11, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

I wrote a script that gives a list of all the loot images that are on the page if we want to make a complete list of loot images, and a list of images that haven't been found yet. --[[User:Jhollowe|Jhollowe]] ([[User talk:Jhollowe|talk]]) 19:11, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Has anyone else gotten a "miniloot"? I just got "/2288/collectors/static/loot/miniloot-words-laser.png" from [[293: RTFM]] with the hint listed in the above table. [[User:Lawruble13|Lawruble13]] ([[User talk:Lawruble13|talk]]) 19:41, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

In a private window on Firefox, I had previously seen the hint, but it's now disappeared. I got loot_109.png (which is the sheeple eye from [[1013: Wake Up Sheeple]]), and I can place it, but it stays in the inventory. Possible bug? [[User:Lawruble13|Lawruble13]] ([[User talk:Lawruble13|talk]]) 19:43, 3 April 2020 (UTC)
:Viewable at https://xkcd.com/2288/#453,1003, both eyes posted using the same item. [[User:Lawruble13|Lawruble13]] ([[User talk:Lawruble13|talk]]) 19:50, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

The "tea time" hint seems a bit weird; I found it at [[579: The Race: Part 3]], and others have apparently found it at 581, 578, 479 and maybe elsewhere. Not sure what connection any of those comics have to tea, except that 579 and 479 both have 79 in them and the image is from what-if 79. [[User:Pelosujamo|Pelosujamo]] ([[User talk:Pelosujamo|talk]]) 01:17, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

I don't know if there's an element of "the clue you get depends on the clues you answered"..? Yesterday, when I first visited, it seemed to be giving different hints as I scrolled through/jumped around the comics looking for the answers to earlier hints. Now (after finding three, confirmed as listed in the table) it's just flipping between two of the early once, the "chnace" and "fetish" ones, still undetailed in the table so I can't even cheat) leading me to believe I'm left with those two in my (personal?) 'pool' of hints, and I won't get any more until I answer one or other. Either that or I need to ''place'' my current meagre three discoveries, but I was actually wanting more first so I could be creative in combination... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.141|162.158.93.141]] 04:04, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

Are "oOOOoooo" and "oooooooo" different clues? I don't see the second one listed.

Unless I missed something, "Hint: Everyone deserves a second chnace" doesn't refer to a particular comic, but rather something else. I went through comics 500-2288. -- [[User:162.158.92.22|162.158.92.22]] ([[User talk:162.158.92.22|talk]]) 08:29, 4 April 2020‎ (UTC) ''(please sign your comments with <nowiki>~~</nowiki>~~)''
:Probably requires a sequence of comics to be visited in specific order, like "A new model released each year" or "Take a ride in a barrel" [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 11:29, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

Random question--is there a way to edit or delete items once they have been placed? This world is pretty messy.... -- [[User:162.158.74.65|162.158.74.65]] ([[User talk:162.158.74.65|talk]]) 14:12, 4 April 2020‎ ''(please sign your comments with <nowiki>~~</nowiki>~~)''

I had these hints (along with 2 other) hints: oOOOoooo, Keep coming back, Everyone deserves a second chance. I have visited ''every'' comic and every series on [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comic_series this list], forwards and backwards, and none of them was awarded. They are either glitched or have very unusual requirements. Maybe something with one of the interactive comics? (I even tried collecting all coins in Hoverboard!) Maybe there is something that Randall considers a series but this wiki doesn't? Something else altogether (visit the same comic a number of times, return after elapsed time...)? I am giving up, if someone gets one of these and is up to the challenge, good luck, hopefully I helped a bit with getting a small list of things not to try. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 14:58, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

== Browser agent related issues ==

; Post what browser (Chrome, Firefox; mobile, desktop) you are using here & what issues (if any) you experience when interacting with this comic.

On Chrome version 80.0.3987.162 in mobile view, only "Collector's Edition" appears for me. The comic is not scrollable or interactive, & the backpack does not appear. In desktop view, the collectively added content appears, as does the backpack. (I have not tested whether I can add things, yet.)
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 13:52, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

On Chrome version 80.0.3987.163 on desktop, the hint doesn't seem to appear. [[User:Lawruble13|Lawruble13]] ([[User talk:Lawruble13|talk]]) 19:41, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

Firefox 74.0 on desktop - looks like I don't get any hints. Everything else seems to be fine. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.98|162.158.92.98]] 19:59, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

:Apologies if this has been covered, but if you right-click-->inspect the backpack area, can you see the hint in the Java script? I can't find it with Chrome running in Windows 10, but it is entirely possible I don't know how/where to look.[[User:Godzilla|Godzilla]] ([[User talk:Godzilla|talk]]) 21:38, 3 April 2020 (UTC)

On Opera, hint doesn't appear.

In Firefox I have an item in my loot box, I can scroll around the world and the text is "find an empty area". I find an empty area (Damn long way out :P ) and the text changes to "place it" or "Cancel" I can cancel OK, but place it doesn't work at all. Is this a bug or have I hit the limit of my abilities? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.86.34|172.68.86.34]] 01:05, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

:oh...wait...there is a 5 second or more delay from clicking to it appearing. May be caused by the size of the world and number of elements. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.86.34|172.68.86.34]] 01:08, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

Firefox 52.9 Windows XP Doesn't get past "loading" and cannot drag around. However, the backpack does appear and can be closed and opened. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.76|172.68.174.76]] 04:20, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

I tried Samsung browser (mobile, tablet), Chrome (mobile, desktop) and Edge (desktop). At first, only the Samsung browser on only one of the devices worked. Then it glitched, I got infinite Polish sausages and no more hints. It unglitched after deleting browser data. Then glitched after deleting browser data gain (I was stuck and wanted fresh batch of hints, karma is a bitch, I guess). Then it started working again after clearing browser data few more time. Then, on one occasion, I got a set of hints on desktop Chrome in incognito mode. Something weird is going on related to cookies, it seems. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 07:35, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

FireFox/Ubuntu, nothing is working. No bag, no hint, whatever.

Firefox/Chromium on Ububntu, I seem to see evertything, it looks like this for example: https://ibb.co/BL1gDvX or https://ibb.co/PCByw8f (all add-ons disabled, chrome in standard settings)

== Screenshots ==

Since this appears to be a time-limited event, I decided it would be good idea to save some screenshots for posterity. I have uploaded several screenshots:
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:2288_hint_1.png
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:2288_hint_2.png
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:2288_chest.png
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:2288_chest_open.png
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:2288_place_item.png
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:2288_place_item_cant.png
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:2288_place_item_kitty.png

Add them to the article as you see fit. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 09:29, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

== Spelling ==

I've moved this from [[2288: Collectors Edition]] to [[2288: Collector's Edition]], which is both the correct spelling and the one used on xkcd; but was it misspelled on xkcd earlier, or did the typo originate here? [[User:Pelosujamo|Pelosujamo]] ([[User talk:Pelosujamo|talk]]) 20:09, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

New Comic:

I don't know if anyone has noticed since it's Saturday and xkcd doesn't usually update. But there's been a new comic 22889: Scenario 4. Can someone who knows how and actually has an account add the next page for it.

Thanks,

--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.207|173.245.52.207]] 22:08, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

== Interactivity finished ==

Now that the next comic ([[2289]]) has been published it looks like the ability to interact and find chests has ended. This is going to make it quite difficult to complete the table unless someone manages to reverse-engineer the code. Also noting that whilst there are >250 possible images there are only 80 hints listed in the table. It's not clear if all images were used - perhaps comparing the images in the table to those placed in the comic could help identify any that we don't have known hints for?

I was also wondering if it's worth including a thumbnail of each image in the table, and possibly a separate list of images for which the hint is not known?
[[User:A(l)Chemist|AlChemist]] ([[User talk:A(l)Chemist|talk]]) 10:15, 6 April 2020 (UTC)
:I did some quick ctrl+F in [https://xkcd.com/2288/collectors/static/client/comic/comic.js the client codes] for comic numbers, item names etc. and it doesn't appear to contain the relevant information, must be server-side. Maybe one of the devs listed at the top of the page would leak something if asked nicely? [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 14:35, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

::I managed to extract a list of all the images used in the comic along with how many times they appear. It looks like most are used, but there are a few that aren't. [[User:A(l)Chemist|AlChemist]] ([[User talk:A(l)Chemist|talk]]) 13:27, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

{| class="wikitable"
!Image
!Number of appearances
|-
| loot/element-ae || 3
|-
| loot/element-bl || 10
|-
| loot/element-br || 9
|-
| loot/element-bz || 6
|-
| loot/element-cb || 27
|-
| loot/element-cd || 8
|-
| loot/element-cr || 8
|-
| loot/element-dl || 8
|-
| loot/element-dm || 10
|-
| loot/element-fr || 4
|-
| loot/element-gl || 13
|-
| loot/element-hr || 7
|-
| loot/element-lx || 6
|-
| loot/element-mk || 9
|-
| loot/element-mt || 13
|-
| loot/element-na || 5
|-
| loot/element-ox || 5
|-
| loot/element-pb || 3
|-
| loot/element-pl || 10
|-
| loot/element-pm || 7
|-
| loot/element-pp || 6
|-
| loot/element-rd || 27
|-
| loot/element-rg || 9
|-
| loot/element-sd || 26
|-
| loot/element-sd2 || 16
|-
| loot/element-sf || 14
|-
| loot/element-sn || 20
|-
| loot/element-spacer || 17
|-
| loot/element-st || 8
|-
| loot/element-sy || 7
|-
| loot/element-t || 16
|-
| loot/element-th || 7
|-
| loot/element-tr || 6
|-
| loot/element-uu || 14
|-
| loot/element-vy || 4
|-
| loot/element-wt || 7
|-
| loot/element-wx || 11
|-
| loot/loot_001 || 11
|-
| loot/loot_002 || 351
|-
| loot/loot_003 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_004 || 287
|-
| loot/loot_005 || 48
|-
| loot/loot_006 || 327
|-
| loot/loot_007 || 627
|-
| loot/loot_008 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_009 || 15
|-
| loot/loot_010 || 543
|-
| loot/loot_011 || 22
|-
| loot/loot_012 || 28
|-
| loot/loot_013 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_014 || 13
|-
| loot/loot_016 || 28
|-
| loot/loot_017 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_018 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_019 || 49
|-
| loot/loot_020 || 4
|-
| loot/loot_021 || 622
|-
| loot/loot_022 || 435
|-
| loot/loot_023 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_024 || 22
|-
| loot/loot_025 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_026 || 394
|-
| loot/loot_028 || 11
|-
| loot/loot_029 || 11
|-
| loot/loot_030 || 2576
|-
| loot/loot_031 || 286
|-
| loot/loot_032 || 13
|-
| loot/loot_033 || 34
|-
| loot/loot_034 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_035 || 225
|-
| loot/loot_036 || 279
|-
| loot/loot_037 || 320
|-
| loot/loot_038 || 306
|-
| loot/loot_039 || 18
|-
| loot/loot_040 || 11
|-
| loot/loot_041 || 480
|-
| loot/loot_042 || 2
|-
| loot/loot_043 || 12
|-
| loot/loot_044 || 268
|-
| loot/loot_045 || 365
|-
| loot/loot_046 || 193
|-
| loot/loot_047 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_048 || 1
|-
| loot/loot_049 || 419
|-
| loot/loot_050 || 15
|-
| loot/loot_051 || 57
|-
| loot/loot_052 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_053 || 16
|-
| loot/loot_054 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_055 || 514
|-
| loot/loot_056 || 525
|-
| loot/loot_057 || 11
|-
| loot/loot_058 || 341
|-
| loot/loot_059 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_060 || 8
|-
| loot/loot_061 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_062 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_063 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_064 || 23
|-
| loot/loot_065 || 15
|-
| loot/loot_066 || 21
|-
| loot/loot_067 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_068 || 12
|-
| loot/loot_069 || 409
|-
| loot/loot_070 || 8
|-
| loot/loot_071 || 818
|-
| loot/loot_072 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_073 || 4
|-
| loot/loot_074 || 44
|-
| loot/loot_075 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_076 || 4
|-
| loot/loot_077 || 11
|-
| loot/loot_078 || 17
|-
| loot/loot_079 || 654
|-
| loot/loot_080 || 13
|-
| loot/loot_081 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_082 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_083 || 38
|-
| loot/loot_084 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_085 || 8
|-
| loot/loot_086 || 68
|-
| loot/loot_087 || 18
|-
| loot/loot_088 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_089 || 11
|-
| loot/loot_090 || 495
|-
| loot/loot_091 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_092 || 260
|-
| loot/loot_093 || 12
|-
| loot/loot_094 || 85
|-
| loot/loot_095 || 659
|-
| loot/loot_096 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_097 || 3
|-
| loot/loot_098 || 18
|-
| loot/loot_099 || 16
|-
| loot/loot_100 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_101 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_102 || 21
|-
| loot/loot_103 || 13
|-
| loot/loot_104 || 12
|-
| loot/loot_105 || 337
|-
| loot/loot_106 || 150
|-
| loot/loot_107 || 4
|-
| loot/loot_108 || 2
|-
| loot/loot_109 || 13
|-
| loot/loot_111 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_112 || 11
|-
| loot/loot_113 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_114 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_115 || 484
|-
| loot/loot_116 || 12
|-
| loot/loot_117 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_118 || 17
|-
| loot/loot_119 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_120 || 12
|-
| loot/loot_121 || 96
|-
| loot/loot_122 || 11
|-
| loot/loot_123 || 1
|-
| loot/loot_124 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_125 || 14
|-
| loot/loot_126 || 210
|-
| loot/loot_127 || 157
|-
| loot/loot_128 || 337
|-
| loot/loot_129 || 175
|-
| loot/loot_130 || 559
|-
| loot/loot_131 || 29
|-
| loot/loot_132 || 12
|-
| loot/loot_133 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_134 || 20
|-
| loot/loot_136 || 18
|-
| loot/loot_137 || 4
|-
| loot/loot_138 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_139 || 12
|-
| loot/loot_140 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_141 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_142 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_143 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_144 || 375
|-
| loot/loot_145 || 23
|-
| loot/loot_147 || 8
|-
| loot/loot_148 || 3
|-
| loot/loot_149 || 3
|-
| loot/loot_150 || 8
|-
| loot/loot_151 || 245
|-
| loot/loot_152 || 412
|-
| loot/loot_153 || 27
|-
| loot/loot_154 || 520
|-
| loot/loot_155 || 8
|-
| loot/loot_156 || 13
|-
| loot/loot_157 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_158 || 544
|-
| loot/loot_159 || 401
|-
| loot/loot_160 || 20
|-
| loot/loot_161 || 374
|-
| loot/loot_162 || 1241
|-
| loot/loot_163 || 356
|-
| loot/loot_164 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_165 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_166 || 25
|-
| loot/loot_167 || 676
|-
| loot/loot_168 || 11
|-
| loot/loot_169 || 15
|-
| loot/loot_170 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_171 || 29
|-
| loot/loot_172 || 14
|-
| loot/loot_173 || 63
|-
| loot/loot_174 || 39
|-
| loot/loot_175 || 664
|-
| loot/loot_176 || 12
|-
| loot/loot_177 || 2
|-
| loot/loot_178 || 20
|-
| loot/loot_179 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_180 || 39
|-
| loot/loot_181 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_182 || 8
|-
| loot/loot_183 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_184 || 13
|-
| loot/loot_185 || 310
|-
| loot/loot_186 || 1
|-
| loot/loot_187 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_188 || 8
|-
| loot/loot_189 || 1
|-
| loot/loot_190 || 3
|-
| loot/loot_191 || 445
|-
| loot/loot_192 || 642
|-
| loot/loot_193 || 2
|-
| loot/loot_194 || 1
|-
| loot/loot_195 || 379
|-
| loot/loot_196 || 4
|-
| loot/loot_197 || 456
|-
| loot/loot_198 || 21
|-
| loot/loot_199 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_200 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_201 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_202 || 48
|-
| loot/loot_203 || 184
|-
| loot/loot_204 || 19
|-
| loot/loot_205 || 411
|-
| loot/loot_206 || 53
|-
| loot/loot_207 || 14
|-
| loot/loot_208 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_209 || 429
|-
| loot/loot_210 || 308
|-
| loot/loot_211 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_212 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_213 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_214 || 206
|-
| loot/loot_215 || 15
|-
| loot/loot_216 || 548
|-
| loot/loot_217 || 13
|-
| loot/loot_218 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_219 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_220 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_221 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_222 || 4
|-
| loot/loot_223 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_224 || 9
|-
| loot/loot_225 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_226 || 6
|-
| loot/loot_227 || 13
|-
| loot/loot_228 || 258
|-
| loot/loot_229 || 343
|-
| loot/loot_230 || 23
|-
| loot/loot_231 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_232 || 110
|-
| loot/loot_233 || 10
|-
| loot/loot_234 || 27
|-
| loot/loot_235 || 28
|-
| loot/loot_236 || 2
|-
| loot/loot_237 || 395
|-
| loot/loot_239 || 46
|-
| loot/loot_240 || 8
|-
| loot/loot_241 || 14
|-
| loot/loot_242 || 4
|-
| loot/loot_243 || 5
|-
| loot/loot_244 || 4
|-
| loot/loot_245 || 240
|-
| loot/loot_246 || 254
|-
| loot/loot_247 || 398
|-
| loot/loot_248 || 18
|-
| loot/loot_249 || 3
|-
| loot/loot_250 || 4
|-
| loot/loot_251 || 7
|-
| loot/loot_252 || 8
|-
| loot/loot_253 || 563
|-
| loot/loot_div || 31
|-
| loot/loot_equals || 76
|-
| loot/loot_minus || 34
|-
| loot/loot_plus || 79
|-
| loot/loot_sqrt || 35
|-
| loot/loot_times || 56
|-
| loot/loot-words-birdlike || 9
|-
| loot/loot-words-boat || 3
|-
| loot/loot-words-castle || 4
|-
| loot/loot-words-cat || 3
|-
| loot/loot-words-cinematic || 1
|-
| loot/loot-words-collector || 3
|-
| loot/loot-words-cursed || 3
|-
| loot/loot-words-cycle || 3
|-
| loot/loot-words-doctor || 7
|-
| loot/loot-words-eater || 1
|-
| loot/loot-words-electric || 2
|-
| loot/loot-words-eruption || 3
|-
| loot/loot-words-farm || 4
|-
| loot/loot-words-flock || 2
|-
| loot/loot-words-flying || 1
|-
| loot/loot-words-free || 4
|-
| loot/loot-words-gamma || 1
|-
| loot/loot-words-ghost || 4
|-
| loot/loot-words-hair || 4
|-
| loot/loot-words-harry-potter-and-the || 2
|-
| loot/loot-words-horse || 5
|-
| loot/loot-words-imminent || 5
|-
| loot/loot-words-inspector || 1
|-
| loot/loot-words-ionized || 3
|-
| loot/loot-words-jet || 2
|-
| loot/loot-words-laser || 4
|-
| loot/loot-words-launcher || 3
|-
| loot/loot-words-lifelike || 2
|-
| loot/loot-words-ominous || 2
|-
| loot/loot-words-plasma || 2
|-
| loot/loot-words-sale || 5
|-
| loot/loot-words-sudden || 3
|-
| loot/loot-words-surprise || 10
|-
| loot/loot-words-swarm || 1
|-
| loot/loot-words-sword || 4
|-
| loot/loot-words-teleporter || 4
|-
| loot/loot-words-turtle || 5
|-
| loot/loot-words-unlicensed || 2
|-
| loot/loot-words-vortex || 4
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-birdlike || 12
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-boat || 16
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-castle || 18
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-cat || 7
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-cinematic || 21
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-collector || 8
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-cursed || 15
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-cycle || 7
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-dispenser || 4
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-doctor || 6
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-eater || 12
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-electric || 10
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-eruption || 6
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-farm || 6
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-flock || 4
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-flying || 12
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-free || 5
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-gamma || 12
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-ghost || 14
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-hair || 6
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-harry-potter-and-the || 11
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-horse || 25
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-house || 12
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-imminent || 14
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-inspector || 10
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-ionized || 17
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-jet || 13
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-laser || 8
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-launcher || 11
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-lifelike || 49
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-ominous || 9
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-plasma || 10
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-sale || 7
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-sudden || 10
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-surprise || 9
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-swarm || 9
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-sword || 19
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-teleporter || 12
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-turtle || 36
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-unlicensed || 7
|-
| loot/miniloot-words-vortex || 12
|-
| loot/transparent || 30
|}

== orphaned page ==

[[2288: Collector's Edition/Stickers]] is an orphaned page, and should probably either be linked to on this page, or deleted. what do you guys think? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.87|108.162.237.87]] 13:07, 22 November 2021 (UTC)BUmpf

== Connection to Polandball ==

The setup of the comic looks a lot like the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countryballs#Origin original "Polandball"].--[[Special:Contributions/172.69.246.142|172.69.246.142]] 18:14, 1 April 2024 (UTC)