explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3074: Push Notifications/Table of Notifications

2025-04-09T23:41:36Z

172.69.34.150: /* Tables of Notifications */ added (71,19)

Fill in a table with all the notifications, possible images that go along with it, and explanation. If anybody knows how to name a table, please let me know. Thanks! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:25, 9 April 2025 (UTC)

==Description==
*15 notifications have been found so far for [[3074: Push Notifications]].
*Below is a list of all discovered notifications
*There are different “sources” of notifications and the notifications will be sorted into tables by those sources

==Tables of Notifications==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-family:monospace"
!Source
!Notification

|-
|xkcd notification system notifications
|Success: A notification about the new xkcd comic has been sent!

|-
|xkcd notification system notifications
|Notification: No new xkcd comic has been posted since the last notification

|-
|xkcd notification system notifications
|This is a test notification. If you’re seeing this, the notification system is configured incorrectly.

|-
|community message board
|Have you seen my cat?

|-
|Cat Fact!
|The animal closest to the cat family without actually being in it is the linsang.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|Cat nose prints are distinctive in the same way as human fingerprints.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|The first known cat video was recorded in 1894.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|Cats can detect the active ingredient of catnip, nepetalactone, at less than one part per billion.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|The oldest known cat lived to an age of 38 years old. Her name was Creme Puff.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|Unlike humans, cats are capable of drinking saltwater if necessary for survival.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|Disneyland is home to approximately 200 feral cats.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|Many domestic cats can reach a top speed higher than Usain Bolt's 2009 sprint speed record.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|Estimates place the number of cats on Earth somewhere between 500 million and 1 billion.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|"Litter" is the collective noun for a group of kittens born together.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|"Clowder" is one of the multiple collective nouns for cats.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|"Clutter" is one of the multiple collective nouns for cats.

|-
|Cat Fact!
|"Pounce" is one of the multiple collective nouns for cats.

|-
|Cat Facts
|Meow!

|-
|Cat Facts
|Meow Meow!

|-
|Cat Facts
|Meow Meow Meow!

|-
|Cat Facts
|Meow Meow Meow Meow!

|-
|xkcd Weather Notification System
|Click here to get weather notifications!
|-
|Weather Notification Setup Wizard
|Now determining your location! Don't worry, this shouldn't take too long.
|-
|Please choose your location
|Are you in Albany? Click here to set your location to Albany.
|-
|Weather Information
|You are subscribed to weather reports from Albany
|-
|Weather report from Albany
|KALB 09215Z 33012KT 10SM FEW060 05/M09 A3021 RMK A02 SLP2..

|-
|xkcd News
|We’ve launched a Youtube channel for What If? videos! Ring the bell, like, and subscribe!

|-
|System Log
|(INFO): A user has paused notifications

|-
|Constant Reminders
|At the tone, Zero will become a Real Number

|-
|Constant reminders
|The Earth is spinning at a rate of 1 rpd

|-
|How many times can you click this?
|You’ve clicked this notification 0 times

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(62,12)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(28,15)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(59,7)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|oh look! (14,3)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(51, 25)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(45, 22)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(75, 18)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(59, 8)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|oh look! (12,3)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(25, 24)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(31, 13)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(51, 22)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(52, 26)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(52, 26)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(27, 16)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|oh look! (4,5)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(26,15)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(58,20)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|oh look! (3,1)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(30,23)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(37,6)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(45,21)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(42,21)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|oh look! (15,2)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(63,21)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(13,15)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(29,22)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(71,19)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(16,26)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(25,10)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(33,19)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(32,6)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|oh look! (12,9)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(53,10)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(24,12)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(47,23)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(29,17)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(19,25)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(47,12)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(50,4)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(50,10)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(57,28)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(17,14)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(3,18)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(36,14)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(14,19)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|oh look! (9,8)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(18,27)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(61,16)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(32,7)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(44,1)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(58,12)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(58,15)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(56,25)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|oh look! (14,5)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(21,27)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(17,20)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(39,22)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(52,14)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(27,23)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(21,22)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(15,27)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(74,16)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(19,16)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(53,27)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(60,24)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(11,18)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(73,20)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(23,3)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|oh look! (13,4)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(56,17)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(16,10)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(29,18)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(9,18)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(50,2)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(65,13)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(75,13)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(16,20)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(7,19)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(27,7)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(21,8)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(59,28)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(43,21)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(15,11)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(42,8)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(56,8)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(69,11)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|oh look! (3,6)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(60,17)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(60,20)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(29,2)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(34,17)

|-
|Zoom Notification
|(54,12)

|-
|Erroneous Alert
|⚠️ Error: Too many errors

|-
|Carriage Return Line Feed
|The next station is Putney Bridge. Please mind the gap between the train and the platform.

|-
|Erroneous Alert
|⚠️ Boop.

|-
|Constant Reminders
|At the tone, The Golden Ration will equal half of 1 plus SQRT(5)

|-
|Comment and Subscribe
|Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

|-
|Erroneous Alert
|⚠️ Error: I forgot whether I'm the server r the client

|}

2459: March 2020

2021-05-07T00:04:04Z

172.69.34.150: /* Transcript */ ce

{{comic
| number = 2459
| date = May 5, 2021
| title = March 2020
| image = march_2020.png
| titletext = "I've traveled here from the year 2020 to bring you this vaccine!"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a TIME TRAVELING VACCINE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}, specifically regarding the {{w|Covid-19 vaccine}}.
This comic shows 15 calendars and [[Cueball]] next to them. The first three months on the calendar are January, February and March 2020. It would be expected that the months would increase in order, but the calendar month stays at March 2020 until the final panel of the comic, where it switches to May 2021, the month this comic was released, indicating that Cueball is "stuck" in March 2020 for more than a year. The COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States in March 2020 and Cueball (probably representing [[Randall]]) may feel that he has been unable to move on with life, or that time was at a standstill until he was fully vaccinated. It is plausible that Randall was past the two weeks after his final vaccination when this comic came out. He has made several comics centered around that of being fully vaccinated in the weeks up to this comic. Specifically [[2450: Post Vaccine Social Scheduling]] and [[2454: Fully Vaccinated]] in April.

In the penultimate 2 panels, Cueball is shown getting his two doses of the vaccine, with [[Ponytail]] and [[Hairy]] administering the vaccine. Also these two panels are in March 2020, but in reality they are most likely in March 2021 and April 2021, as there are typically 3-6 weeks between first and second dose depending on the type of vaccine. In the final panel, the calendar has switched to the current month, May 2021, showing that Cueball can now resume life after getting vaccinated, and most likely having passed the two weeks after final shot mark.

The title text refers to films, in which someone travels through time with a {{W|MacGuffin}}. It could be based on initial production of COVID vaccine in late 2020, or a reference to films in which an earlier "original" version of a virus is necessary to produce a viable vaccine. Mass rollouts of COVID vaccine ramped up significantly starting early in 2021, but vaccines were still scarce, and unavailable to most of the world.

Interestingly, there are only 15 panels, so if the 'normal' months increased in sync, it would "only" be March 2021, not May 2021. This may refer to the [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7641621/ strange distortion of time during the COVID-19 pandemic]. Clearly 17 panels would have made more sense when counting months, but the point here is that time has been at a standstill the last 14 months from March 2020 to April 2021; how many panels represents those 14 month (14, 12 or 10) is not important. Using 15 panels, makes the first 3 and the last 3 stand out from the 9 in the middle, which makes sense from the flow of the comic.

==Transcript==
:[In a 3 column by 5 row grid of panels, 15 monthly wall calendars are shown. All calendars have a large header with month and year given on two lines. Below this is a black border with 7 white lines, for each day of the week, and below that 5 rows with 7 columns, making all calendars the same, with 35 spaces. Nothing is shown in these grids. Next to each of these calendars Cueball is shown. In the first 12 panels, Cueball is standing next to the calendar, in only slightly different poses. The text on the calendars only change in the top row, then it stays the same for the next nine panels:]
:Calendar: January 2020
:Calendar: February 2020
:Calendar: March 2020
:Calendar: March 2020
:Calendar: March 2020
:Calendar: March 2020
:Calendar: March 2020
:Calendar: March 2020
:Calendar: March 2020
:Calendar: March 2020
:Calendar: March 2020
:Calendar: March 2020

:[In the bottom row's first panel the calendar is, as always, to the left, but now Cueball is wearing a mask and sitting on a chair leaning a bit to the left while he is being vaccinated by a masked Ponytail to his right. She is injecting the needle in to his left arm. To the right is a tall but small table with the vial from which she has drawn the vaccine standing next to the lid of the vial.]
:Calendar: March 2020

:[The bottom row's second panel is similar to the previous with Cueball wearing a mask and sitting on a chair leaning a bit to the left while he is being vaccinated - although this time by a masked Hairy, standing to his right. Hairy is also injecting the needle in to his left arm. To the right is a different small table, with only one leg. On it is a vial from which Hairy has drawn the vaccine. Also some other black things are lying on the table, maybe other syringes for administrating the vaccine.]
:Calendar: March 2020

:[In the final panel Cueball again stands next to the calendar, but finally the text has changed.]
:Calendar: May 2021

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category:Calendar]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Comics featuring face masks]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]

2373: Chemist Eggs

2020-10-17T03:00:17Z

172.69.34.150: Fixed a paragraph to more appropriately reflect the comic's probable meaning

{{comic
| number = 2373
| date = October 17, 2020
| title = Chemist Eggs
| image = chemist_eggs.png
| titletext = Chemists actually find it simpler to define a general odor of rotten eggs as a baseline, and the LACK of rotten eggs as a distinct smell.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HOUSE FULL OF EGGS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Please do <s>not</s> delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic details how some people attribute smells to certain things that aren't always common to smell.
This seems like it could be [[Randall]]'s reaction to people taking new opinions or anecdotes as the only opinion that a certain subset of people know or have experienced. The title text then extends this as it's posed (presumably by Cueball) that chemists actually use the rotten-egg smell as a baseline for measurement as opposed to a simple small fact that helps one understand whether or not a reaction worked.

Alternatively, this could be a reaction to people who take opinions on the Internet and blow them out of proportion to troll others (in which case, [[Cueball]] has most definitely succeeded, based on Ponytail's reaction)
One way this might be interpreted is Randall snidely commenting on how people on the Internet often generalize small anecdotes into entire stereotypes, which then get propagated through the internet because of their spreadability.

At first, it appears that Ponytail is trying to help Cueball with a science experiment. Then, however, the conversation takes a turn as Cueball starts fixating on a comment that Ponytail made. Cueball's excessive reactions appear to have made [[Ponytail]] so disgusted that she is clenching her fists in anger as she leaves the conversation, presumably to avoid further irritation.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Please delete this tag too soon.}}

[Cueball and Ponytail face a table with something like a lab stirrer or heater on it, supporting a flat-bottomed and -topped container from which bubbles are rising.]
:Cueball: How will I know if the reaction fails?
:Ponytail: You'll smell the sulfides.
:Cueball: What do those smell like?
:Ponytail: Sulfurous. Rotten eggs.

[A new panel, the table is gone. Cueball is now facing Ponytail.]
:Cueball: Chemists always compare sulfur to rotten eggs.
:But why would I know that smell?
:Ponytail: I dunno, It's a common thing!

[Ponytail puts her hand out.]
:Cueball: Is it? My kitchen is messy, but there aren't eggs lying around rotting.
:Ponytail: You must have smelled one at ''some'' point.

[Ponytail is now walking right off-panel, away from Cueball. She is clenching her hands and is evidently annoyed]
:Cueball: Are all chemists' houses full of random raw eggs? Do you toss them over your shoulder for good luck?
:Ponytail: '''''My house is not full of eggs!'''''
:Cueball: What do you consider a normal amount of eggs in a house?
:Cueball: If kids egg your house this Halloween, how will you know?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]

2373: Chemist Eggs

2020-10-17T02:54:35Z

172.69.34.150: Put in some sentences elaborating on the possible interpretations of the comic as well as stating what probably occured in the comic. (did this over multiple edits)

{{comic
| number = 2373
| date = October 17, 2020
| title = Chemist Eggs
| image = chemist_eggs.png
| titletext = Chemists actually find it simpler to define a general odor of rotten eggs as a baseline, and the LACK of rotten eggs as a distinct smell.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HOUSE FULL OF EGGS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Please do not delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic details how some people attribute smells to certain things that aren't always common to smell.
This seems like it could be [[Randall]]'s reaction to people taking scientists stating simple facts as the end-all-be-all solution or situation that the world is facing. The title text then extends this as it's posed that scientists actually use the rotten-egg smell as a baseline for measurement as opposed to a simple small fact that helps one understand whether or not a reaction worked.

Alternatively, this could be a reaction to people who take opinions on the Internet and blow them out of proportion to troll others (in which case, [[Cueball]] has most definitely succeeded, based on Ponytail's reaction)
One way this might be interpreted is Randall snidely commenting on how people on the Internet often generalize small anecdotes into entire stereotypes, which then get propagated through the internet because of their spreadability.

At first, it appears that Ponytail is trying to help Cueball with a science experiment. Then, however, the conversation takes a turn as Cueball starts fixating on a comment that Ponytail made. Cueball's excessive reactions appear to have made [[Ponytail]] so disgusted that she is clenching her fists in anger as she leaves the conversation, presumably to avoid further irritation.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Please delete this tag too soon.}}

[Cueball and Ponytail face a table with something like a lab stirrer or heater on it, supporting a flat-bottomed and -topped container from which bubbles are rising.]
:Cueball: How will I know if the reaction fails?
:Ponytail: You'll smell the sulfides.
:Cueball: What do those smell like?
:Ponytail: Sulfurous. Rotten eggs.

[A new panel, the table is gone. Cueball is now facing Ponytail.]
:Cueball: Chemists always compare sulfur to rotten eggs.
:But why would I know that smell?
:Ponytail: I dunno, It's a common thing!

[Ponytail puts her hand out.]
:Cueball: Is it? My kitchen is messy, but there aren't eggs lying around rotting.
:Ponytail: You must have smelled one at ''some'' point.

[Ponytail is now walking right off-panel, away from Cueball. She is clenching her hands and is evidently annoyed]
:Cueball: Are all chemists' houses full of random raw eggs? Do you toss them over your shoulder for good luck?
:Ponytail: '''''My house is not full of eggs!'''''
:Cueball: What do you consider a normal amount of eggs in a house?
:Cueball: If kids egg your house this Halloween, how will you know?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]

2373: Chemist Eggs

2020-10-17T02:53:28Z

172.69.34.150:

{{comic
| number = 2373
| date = October 17, 2020
| title = Chemist Eggs
| image = chemist_eggs.png
| titletext = Chemists actually find it simpler to define a general odor of rotten eggs as a baseline, and the LACK of rotten eggs as a distinct smell.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HOUSE FULL OF EGGS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Please do not delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic details how some people attribute smells to certain things that aren't always common to smell.
This seems like it could be [[Randall]]'s reaction to people taking scientists stating simple facts as the end-all-be-all solution or situation that the world is facing. The title text then extends this as it's posed that scientists actually use the rotten-egg smell as a baseline for measurement as opposed to a simple small fact that helps one understand whether or not a reaction worked.
Alternatively, this could be a reaction to people who take opinions on the Internet and blow them out of proportion to troll others (in which case, [[Cueball]] has most definitely succeeded, based on Ponytail's reaction)
One way this might be interpreted is Randall snidely commenting on how people on the Internet often generalize small anecdotes into entire stereotypes, which then get propagated through the internet because of their spreadability.

At first, it appears that Ponytail is trying to help Cueball with a science experiment. Then, however, the conversation takes a turn as Cueball starts fixating on a comment that Ponytail made. Cueball's excessive reactions appear to have made [[Ponytail]] so disgusted that she is clenching her fists in anger as she leaves the conversation, presumably to avoid further irritation.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Please delete this tag too soon.}}

[Cueball and Ponytail face a table with something like a lab stirrer or heater on it, supporting a flat-bottomed and -topped container from which bubbles are rising.]
:Cueball: How will I know if the reaction fails?
:Ponytail: You'll smell the sulfides.
:Cueball: What do those smell like?
:Ponytail: Sulfurous. Rotten eggs.

[A new panel, the table is gone. Cueball is now facing Ponytail.]
:Cueball: Chemists always compare sulfur to rotten eggs.
:But why would I know that smell?
:Ponytail: I dunno, It's a common thing!

[Ponytail puts her hand out.]
:Cueball: Is it? My kitchen is messy, but there aren't eggs lying around rotting.
:Ponytail: You must have smelled one at ''some'' point.

[Ponytail is now walking right off-panel, away from Cueball. She is clenching her hands and is evidently annoyed]
:Cueball: Are all chemists' houses full of random raw eggs? Do you toss them over your shoulder for good luck?
:Ponytail: '''''My house is not full of eggs!'''''
:Cueball: What do you consider a normal amount of eggs in a house?
:Cueball: If kids egg your house this Halloween, how will you know?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]

Talk:2351: Standard Model Changes

2020-08-27T05:07:14Z

172.69.34.150: truth and beauty bugs

Re: "but for the most part [the changes] are nonsensical"
I find the symbol changes pretty compelling, actually. Much clearer :)
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.210|172.69.34.210]] 00:05, 27 August 2020 (UTC)

Yeah. Can we get the president of physics in here please? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.140|172.69.34.140]] 01:35, 27 August 2020 (UTC)

Top/Bottom should probably be In/Out or Front/Back or something. And that's even before Randall's proposed changes. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.70|141.101.98.70]] 01:51, 27 August 2020 (UTC)

Didn't t/b stand for truth and beauty at some point, thus formerly lining up more favorably with strange and charm? Also, a "cool bugs" ''boson'' with spin 1/2 would itself be a cool bug, in the sense of a glitch. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.150|172.69.34.150]] 05:07, 27 August 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2350: Deer Turrets

2020-08-25T07:17:53Z

172.69.34.150: /* When Mao went to clear the sparrow but for the locust, it was 42% as deadly as fauna-mounted autocannons */ new section

There's no "next" button on [[2349]]? --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.250|108.162.219.250]] 18:44, 24 August 2020 (UTC)
:The reason there's no Next button is that it's the newest comic. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.43|162.158.158.43]] 21:04, 24 August 2020 (UTC)

Is this about something? I mean, it could be a commentary on the way politics handled Covid, some politicians taking terrible decisions, then saying it was a mistake and that science is still learning, but then still taking terrible decisions afterwards. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.83|141.101.69.83]] 21:02, 24 August 2020 (UTC)

The thing about icebergs, is that 9/10ths of them would be ''on fire'', if they weren't kept underwater. Truth! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.192|162.158.155.192]] 22:17, 24 August 2020 (UTC)

(to the tune of “Do-Re-Mi”) ''Does are near, now flee in fear; The ray will boil everyone; The antlered gun is taking aim; Now it’s vaporised my lung...'' [[User:Lightcaller|Lightcaller]] ([[User talk:Lightcaller|talk]]) 22:43, 24 August 2020 (UTC)

Deer don't gallop. Are you sure that's about the deer? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.187|172.69.33.187]] 22:54, 24 August 2020 (UTC)

I don't think you can build an iceberk-proof airship. Or at least, you won't get it into air because it would be too heavy. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:21, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

You make a ship iceberg proof by making it fly. You can't be sunk if you fly over. [[User:Hax|Hax]] ([[User talk:Hax|talk]]) 07:16, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

== When Mao went to clear the sparrow but for the locust, it was 42% as deadly as fauna-mounted autocannons ==

Just saying. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.150|172.69.34.150]] 07:17, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

2346: COVID Risk Comfort Zone

2020-08-14T19:19:57Z

172.69.34.150: Categories

{{comic
| number = 2346
| date = August 14, 2020
| title = COVID Risk Comfort Zone
| image = covid_risk_comfort_zone.png
| titletext = I'm like a vampire, except I'm not crossing that threshold even if you invite me.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HAUNTED PLAGUE BOX. 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.}}
A comic with three panels is shown
[First panel, large. There are 2 Cueballs each wearing masks. One appears to be in a doorway that leads into a building.]
:Label atop panel: Too Indirect
:Cueball inside doorway: You have to come inside.
:Cueball outside: Ok, but... I've been trying to follow the science, and they're really emphasizing the transmission risk in enclosed spaces. I know you're wearing a mask, and I feel ''so'' awkward making a scene over a tiny risk. But I'm trying to keep my overall risk acceptably low, which means having simple rules so I don't overthink every minor decision. See, if you look at this spreadsheet-
[Second panel, smaller. Only the Cueball outside is shown now]
:Label atop panel: Direct
:Cueball outside: I'm so sorry, but I'm avoiding shared indoor spaces unless it's an emergency.
[Third panel, even smaller. Only the Cueball outside is shown]
:Label atop panel: Too Direct
:Cueball outside: I'm not setting foot in your haunted plague box.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

Talk:2310: Great Attractor

2020-05-23T08:07:17Z

172.69.34.150: Comment

Is Beret Guy talking about the {{w|Great Attractor}}? or simply about the Sun? It would fit in Beret Guy's quirkiness to call the Sun "the Great Attractor". Also, I didn't even know there was actually something called the Great Attractor... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.229|172.69.33.229]] 23:42, 22 May 2020 (UTC)

Well, given that it's "below him all day" and on the horizion at night, it's probably not the Sun. [[User:Argis13|Argis13]] ([[User talk:Argis13|talk]]) 23:58, 22 May 2020 (UTC)

Has anyone (inc Randall) done an analyses on TGA similar to https://what-if.xkcd.com/25/ does for other things? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.242|162.158.155.242]] 01:44, 23 May 2020 (UTC)

"The unexpected onset of summer daylight patterns may be further commentary on the ongoing COVID-19 measures and how they have affected perception of time." <-- what the heck is this even supposed to mean?

"Pull harder, Mom. I miss you." [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.150|172.69.34.150]] 08:07, 23 May 2020 (UTC)

2223: Screen Time

2019-11-03T00:32:20Z

172.69.34.150: /* Explanation */ high heel tracker would be useful

{{comic
| number = 2223
| date = November 1, 2019
| title = Screen Time
| image = screen_time.png
| titletext = These new Bluetooth socks are great, but it's troubling to learn that I average almost 14 hours of Shoe Time a day.
}}

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

Today, people spend much of their time looking at the screens of their phones, tablets, computers, and other devices. This has caused controversy, with many people arguing this leads to addiction, other health risks, or simply people not talking to each other. There are apps available to help manage the time people spend on their devices. But this comic parodies these apps, suggesting that the problem is so bad, that it would be easier to track the time NOT spent on these devices. Of course, the irony is that you have to look at the screen and/or pay attention to your device in order to use that app, so it's yet another app designed to keep your attention on your device.

Like many screen time apps, this comic compares this week's non-screen time to the previous week, saying that the user has increased 6%. Many screen time apps also do this, where a negative percentage is desirable. A possible benefit of this app is that positive is desirable, which could be considered more intuitive.

The title text takes the idea of a screen time app to the next level, describing a "shoe time" app for how much time people spend using their shoes. It's unclear what the practical use is for such an app indicating total time wearing shows, as there is little controversy about the prevalence of shoes in our society.{{Citation needed}} An app that tracks the amount of time wearing specific shoes could be more useful, for example, to a person suffering medical problems from wearing high heels too much. Possibly the point is that use of phones have become so constant in our lives that using them for many hours a day is as unremarkable as using shoes for many hours a day. Perhaps since it's the socks that are bluetooth-enabled, they are reporting negatively about almost constant obstruction by shoes, whereas the socks would prefer to report a much lower "Shoe Time" score. Some cultures have the custom of taking shoes off when in the house, so those people would boast lower (and presumably more favorable) "Shoe Time" scores. It may also be a reference to the "Shoe Phone" on the television show "Get Smart". (If Maxwell Smart wore these socks, they could track his phone usage, because his phone was in his shoe.)

If Cueball's non-screen time went up by six percent from last time, then his previous time was about two hours and thirty-eight minutes.

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

:[Cueball holding phone.]
:Phone: Screen time report: 
:Phone: While awake, you averaged 2H 48M per day looking at things other than your phone. That's up 6% from last week! 
:[Caption below the panel]
: At some point, it starts making more sense to track '''''non'''''-screen time.
{{comic discussion}}

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

Talk:2223: Screen Time

2019-11-03T00:29:44Z

172.69.34.150: /* Does Randall draw XKCD on his phone? How does the amount of non-screen time he reports compare with the tme he spends cartooning? */ new section

Hello? Oh, sorry, I was busy not looking at this screen. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 15:35, 1 November 2019 (UTC)

I'm at work, but I just realized I need to lower my Show Time score. My socks are demanding it. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 19:31, 1 November 2019 (UTC)

I think my use tracking apps (yes, I have more than one) can be set to track how much time I spend using use tracking apps. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.148|162.158.214.148]] 20:37, 1 November 2019 (UTC)
:With apps like Automate, you can automate most of the use cases for use time tracking apps; it'll just take some time to learn how to use it. ;S
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 01:21, 2 November 2019 (UTC)

If I didn't arranged meeting using phone, I wouldn't have any people to talk to. Also, some of those complains are mixing up cause and effect: for example, in mass transit, people generally don't WANT to talk to other people, and before phones they usually read newspapers or books. In fact, that was already mentioned here wasn't it? Or did I mixed up [[1227]] with [https://www.sadanduseless.com/evil-iphones/]? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:12, 2 November 2019 (UTC)


{{Talk:2220: Imagine Going Back in Time/Ads}}

In case anyone else is confused, Neatnit has been inserting the discussion section on display problems with Google ads from Comic #2220 in all later comics using a wiki tag, so that discussion section and any changes to it on Comic #2220 are reflected on these later comics. I'm guessing it's because the problem has persisted since #2220, so this is an attempt to maintain a single discussion and keep the issue visible until there's a resolution. If this is not the reason, then it's confusing and disruptive. If it's a meta-joke about going back in time, then it's getting old. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 21:03, 1 November 2019 (UTC)
: Yes, that's right - it's to keep it visible. I should have been more vocal about it rather than just doing it silently... My bad.
: However, the section's [edit] button will take you to the correct place, so it shouldn't be that confusing.
: --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 12:38, 2 November 2019 (UTC)

== Does Randall draw XKCD on his phone? How does the amount of non-screen time he reports compare with the tme he spends cartooning? ==

Does Randall draw XKCD on his phone? How does the amount of non-screen time he reports compare with the tme he spends cartooning?[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.150|172.69.34.150]] 00:29, 3 November 2019 (UTC)

2222: Terminator: Dark Fate

2019-10-31T00:46:09Z

172.69.34.150: /* Transcript */ add to category

{{comic
| number = 2222
| date = October 30, 2019
| title = Terminator: Dark Fate
| image = terminator_dark_fate.png
| titletext = I was sent here to stop the robot that was sent here to protect the human who was sent here to protect the human who was sent here to destroy the robot that was sent here to vacuum the floor.
}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by JOHN CONNOR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
It is a common trope in science fiction to go into the past to stop events from ever happening (this is seen in the ''{{w|Terminator (franchise)|Terminator}}'' series). This comic plays this trope to the extreme by having Cueball's future self come to stop him from watching ''{{w|Terminator: Dark Fate}}'', which leads to a Cueball from that timeline to come tell him to watch it, and then two more of himself come back in order to stop him from watching it, so on so forth, making the time travelling Cueballs go up by an exponential rate.

The final pane also invokes the "killing Hitler" trope. {{w|Adolf Hitler}} was the leader of Nazi Germany during World War II, and it has been a common trope to "go back in time to kill Hitler" such as in [[1063: Kill Hitler]]. However, this Cueball is over 70 years too late to kill Hitler, as Hitler himself committed suicide in 1945, shortly before the end of WWII.

The ''Terminator'' film series is famous for this time travel trope. The initial 3 films feature a time traveling robot sent from the dystopian future to kill a particular human, with the future resistance in turn sending a protector to ensure the human's survival.

The title text continues the exponential time travel, each link in the chain referencing a Terminator movie, eventually ending with the initial "dangerous robot" being a robotic vacuum. [[:Category:Roomba|Robotic vacuums]], such as the Roomba, are a common theme on xkcd.

==Transcript==
:[One Cueball is walking to the right. Another Cueball floats behind him from the left in a bubble which emits a burst of energy.]
:ZAP!

:[Future Cueball standing next to Cueball, and pointing at him.]
:Cueball (Future 1): I've traveled back in time to stop you from seeing ''Terminator: Dark Fate''!

:[Future Cueball standing next to Cueball]
:Cueball (Present): But it looks so good! Reviews are actually decent! Mackenzie Davis! '''''Linda Hamilton is back!'''''

:[Future Cueball standing next to Cueball]
:Cueball (Future 1): I know, but you always think this, and you're always disappointed.
:Cueball (Present): I ''guess''...

:[Another Cueball appears in a bubble in the same way as the first, scaring Future Cueball 1, who is standing next to Cueball.]
:ZAP!
:Cueball (Future 2): Hi, I'm from the future where you didn't watch it and I realize I still kind of want to see it.
:Cueball (Present): Let's go together!

:[Another bubble appears from the right of the 3 Cueballs, this time containing two Cueballs.]
:Cueball (Future 3): No! We're both of you from the future! We're here to stop you!

:[Five more individually-wrapped Cueballs appear, surrounding the other 5 Cueballs.]
:Cueball (Future 5): I'm here to stop '''''you!'''''
:Cueball (Future 6): I'm here to stop the robot sent to stop you!
:Cueball (Future 7): I'm here to protect you from...you? I lost track.
:Cueball (Future 8): I'm here to kill Hitler. Did I get the right year?
:Cueball (Future 9): I'm here to get tickets because in like 20 minutes you people buy them all.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Roomba]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hitler]]

2222: Terminator: Dark Fate

2019-10-31T00:44:06Z

172.69.34.150: /* Explanation */ Ce

Talk:95: The Sierpinski Penis Game

2019-10-23T03:01:12Z

172.69.34.150: /* Baby showers */ new section

;Missing triangles
Any idea why there are some (at least 3) small triangles missing? --[[Special:Contributions/212.255.96.151|212.255.96.151]] 18:46, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:Where?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:46, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
::Starting from the center going left, right or down these three are missing: LLLRD, LLRLD, RLRDR. But actually, infinitely many triangles are missing *g*. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 22:38, 12 July 2013 (UTC)
:There's actually an extra triangle as well that doesn't fit the pattern. It's DDLRLL.{{unsigned|24.207.62.236}}
::It's a secret message ILLUMINATI CONFERMED[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.180|173.245.56.180]] 04:07, 25 May 2015 (UTC)
:I have added a description of those four in the transcript (three missing one extra) and have also added a trivia about the number of triangles and the error. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:23, 11 October 2019 (UTC)

I don't think this article meets standards of neutrality. Calling the penis game "infantile" is insensitive to those exploring their sexuality and does not reflect the nuances of the penis community. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.66|173.245.56.66]] 21:21, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
:I agree. That said, if this were an IRL discussion, I'm fairly certain it would devolve into people just playing the penis game.
[[User:TheMightyGunns|TheMightyGunns]] ([[User talk:TheMightyGunns|talk]]) 20:44, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
:Edited. {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.178}}

Should the situations in the title text be explained as to why they are inappropriate? {{unsigned ip|162.158.58.123}}
:Yes they should--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:23, 11 October 2019 (UTC)

== Baby showers ==

The question "Or does Randall compare a baby shower in violence to a terror attack..." got me thinking:

Is Randall using the phrase "baby showers" in its ordinary way, or is he using the word "shower" in the sense of "rain shower" and making a joke that if babies are falling from the sky, you should not be playing games.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.150|172.69.34.150]] 03:01, 23 October 2019 (UTC)