explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2330: Acceptable Risk

2020-07-09T06:06:02Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ more

{{comic
| number = 2330
| date = July 8, 2020
| title = Acceptable Risk
| image = acceptable_risk.png
| titletext = Good thing I'm not already prone to overthinking everyday decisions!
}}

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

This comic is another comic 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}}.

This comic shows [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]], who are nervous to spend time in close proximity while the coronavirus is still widespread, and while lockdown procedures are still in effect across the world. Despite taking many precautions, such as masks and physical distancing, they still fear the effects of the virus, and attempt to weigh the value of actually seeing each other versus potentially catching the virus. This is a dilemma faced by many, as the United States enters the fourth month since stay at home orders began.

Their screaming actually increases the risk of the interaction; this is why [https://www.wsj.com/articles/reopened-theme-parks-ban-screaming-on-roller-coasters-riders-are-howling-11594222278 Japan recently banned screaming on amusement park rides].

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

:[All of the panels depict the same two characters seen from a long distance, making them difficult to recognize. However, they appear to be Cueball (on the left) and Ponytail (on the right). They are each wearing a mask.]

:[Cueball and Ponytail talk to each other, standing at a distance:]
:Cueball: Okay. Based on the local virus prevalence, our careful quarantines, and the steps we've taken to reduce transmission risk,
:Cueball: I ''think'' it's okay for us to hang out.
:Ponytail: I agree.

:[Three small panels, vertically on top of each other]
:[Cueball and Ponytail get closer to each other.]
:[Cueball and Ponytail get still closer.]
:[Cueball and Ponytail standing near each other:]
:Cueball: Hi.
:Ponytail: Hi.

:[A normal sized panel, with Cueball and Ponytail standing near each other. They are yelling, with their arms raised:]
:Cueball: ''Is this social interaction good enough that it's worth risking our lives and the lives of others?!''
:Ponytail: ''I don't know!''
:Cueball: ''AAAAA!''
:Ponytail: ''AAAAAA!''

:[Cueball and Ponytail stand much farther apart.]
:Cueball: Healthy socializing was hard enough ''before'' the pandemic.
:Ponytail: Let's just try again in 2021.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

2330: Acceptable Risk

2020-07-09T06:02:03Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ categories

{{comic
| number = 2330
| date = July 8, 2020
| title = Acceptable Risk
| image = acceptable_risk.png
| titletext = Good thing I'm not already prone to overthinking everyday decisions!
}}

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

This comic shows two people who are nervous to meet while in the 2020 coronavirus pandemic (which, for contamination prevention, it is highly recommended to stay away from people), they are worried that they are not sure it is worth "risking their lives" for the social interaction.

Their screaming actually increases the risk of the interaction; this is why [https://www.wsj.com/articles/reopened-theme-parks-ban-screaming-on-roller-coasters-riders-are-howling-11594222278 Japan recently banned screaming on amusement park rides].

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

:[All of the panels depict the same two characters seen from a long distance, making them difficult to recognize. However, they appear to be Cueball (on the left) and Ponytail (on the right). They are each wearing a mask.]

:Cueball: Okay. Based on the local virus prevalence, our careful quarantines, and the steps we've taken to reduce transmission risk,
:Cueball: I ''think'' it's okay for us to hang out.
:Ponytail: I agree.

:[Cueball and Ponytail get closer to each other.]
:[Cueball and Ponytail get still closer.]

:Cueball: Hi.
:Ponytail: Hi.

:Cueball: ''Is this social interaction good enough that it's worth risking our lives and the lives of others?!''
:Ponytail: ''I don't know!''
:Cueball: ''AAAAA!''
:Ponytail: ''AAAAAA!''

:[Cueball and Ponytail stand much farther apart.]
:Cueball: Healthy socializing was hard enough ''before'' the pandemic.
:Ponytail: Let's just try again in 2021.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

2330: Acceptable Risk

2020-07-09T05:52:31Z

172.69.34.168: Wed comic

2313: Wrong Times Table

2020-05-29T20:49:41Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ correct table

{{comic
| number = 2313
| date = May 29, 2020
| title = Wrong Times Table
| image = wrong_times_table.png
| titletext = Deep in some corner of my heart, I suspect that real times tables are wrong about 6x7=42 and 8x7=56.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by 6x7. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A "times table" (or {{w|multiplication table}}) is a table used to define multiplication between numbers. Typically, elementary school children are taught to memorize the table as part of learning arithmetic.

In this comic, [[Randall]] "feels" that some values in the table are incorrect and so he supplies his own alternate version of the times table, with incorrect values. It is unclear how his values are derived, as they don't follow a discernible pattern - some values are from adding the multiplicands together, and others seem random.

The "correct" times table for the numbers from 1-10 is below:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! ×
! scope="column" | 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10
|-
! scope="row" | 1
| 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10
|-
! scope="row" | 2
| 2 || 4 ||6 || 8 || 10 || 12 || 14 || 16 || 18 || 20
|-
! scope="row" | 3
| 3 || 6 || 9 || 12 || 15 || 18 || 21 || 24 || 27 || 30
|-
! scope="row" | 4
| 4 || 8 || 12 || 16 || 20 || 24 || 28 || 32 || 36 || 40
|-
! scope="row" | 5
| 5 || 10 || 15 || 20 || 25 || 30 || 35 || 40 || 45 || 50
|-
! scope="row" | 6
| 6 || 12 || 18 || 24 || 30 || 36 || 42 || 48 || 54 || 60
|-
! scope="row" | 7
| 7 || 14 || 21 || 28 || 35 || 42 || 49 || 56 || 63 || 70
|-
! scope="row" | 8
| 8 || 16 || 24 || 32 || 40 || 48 || 56 || 64 || 72 || 80
|-
! scope="row" | 9
| 9 || 18 || 27 || 36 || 45 || 54 || 63 || 72 || 81 || 90
|-
! scope="row" | 10
| 10 || 20 || 30 || 40 || 50 || 60 || 70 || 80 || 90 || 100
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Caption above table:]
:<big>Wrong Times Table</big>
:The incorrect answers that feel most right to me

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!
! scope="column" | 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10
|-
! scope="row" | 1
| 0 || 1/2 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 9
|-
! scope="row" | 2
| 1/2 || 8 ||5 || 6 || 12 || 14 || 12 || 18 || 19 || 22
|-
! scope="row" | 3
| 4 || 5 || 10 || 16 || 13 || 12 || 24 || 32 || 21 || 33
|-
! scope="row" | 4
| 5 || 6 || 16 || 32 || 25 || 25|| 29 || 36 || 28 || 48
|-
! scope="row" | 5
| 6 || 12 || 13 || 25 || 50 || 24 || 40 || 45 || 40 || 60
|-
! scope="row" | 6
| 7 || 14 || 12 || 25 || 24 || 32 || 48 || 50 || 72 || 72
|-
! scope="row" | 7
| 8 || 12 || 24 || 29 || 40 || 48 || 42 || 54 || 60 || 84
|-
! scope="row" | 8
| 9 || 18 || 32 || 36 || 45 || 50 || 54 || 48 || 74 || 56
|-
! scope="row" | 9
| 10 || 19 || 21 || 28 || 40 || 72 || 60 || 74 || 72 || 81
|-
! scope="row" | 10
| 9 || 22 || 33|| 48 || 60 || 72 || 84 || 56 || 81 || 110
|}

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

2313: Wrong Times Table

2020-05-29T20:47:02Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ transcirbe

2313: Wrong Times Table

2020-05-29T20:31:21Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ ce

2313: Wrong Times Table

2020-05-29T20:29:54Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ brief

2313: Wrong Times Table

2020-05-29T20:22:02Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ category

2255: Tattoo Ideas

2020-01-15T05:30:02Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 2255
| date = January 15, 2020
| title = Tattoo Ideas
| image = tattoo_ideas.png
| titletext = The text ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US with a lengthy footnote explaining that I got this tattoo in 2020 and not, as you may assume, 2001, but offering no further clarification.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Recursive Tattoo. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a list of potential tattoo ideas, all of which are absurd. Many of them play on the trope of regretting a tattoo by being tattoos of things that would not be useful outside of the immediate future.

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

:(In larger font and underlined, apparently the start of a list)
:Tattoo Ideas
:(A list, with all points but the last crossed out in red)
:Lorem Ipsum Text
:Email Password
:Graph of the popularity of tattoos over time, with the date I got the tattoo marked (update regularly)
:"Changeme"
:Slide Rule markings on forearms
:Eurion Constellation, so no one can photocopy pictures of me
:The sentence "it's what my tattoo says" written in another language
:Tissot's Indicatrix
:Summary of the Snopes page on the tattoo epidural thing (lower back)
:Pre-surgical checklist
:Tattoo Artist's Social Security Number
:Boarding pass for an upcoming flight
:Recap of the plot of ''Memento''
:(Last point in list, circled in red)
:This list, in its entirety
{{comic discussion}}

2251: Alignment Chart Alignment Chart

2020-01-06T20:02:36Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ add category

{{comic
| number = 2251
| date = January 6, 2020
| title = Alignment Chart Alignment Chart
| image = alignment_chart_alignment_chart.png
| titletext = I would describe my personal alignment as "lawful heterozygous silty liquid."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a [[User:DgbrtBOT|TRUE NEUTRAL BOT template]]. Needs explanations of each alignment chart, and probably some editing for clarity.}}

"Alignment" and "alignment charts" come from the the tabletop game ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons}}''. Every character has an {{w|Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|alignment}}, which is a sort of a personality archetype or general description of morality. The most widely used alignment system was introduced in the ''{{w|Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set}}'' in 1977 and has been reused in many (but not all) subsequent editions of the game. This system uses two perpendicular axes, each axis having three words; the alignment of a particular character is a combination of one word from each axis (for a total of nine categories). The two axes are:
* Lawful/neutral/chaotic: this axis says whether a character is strongly devoted to, indifferent about, or categorically opposed to following the rule of the law.
* Good/neutral/evil: this axis says whether a character is generally inclined to commit good deeds or evil deeds.
For example, a character's alignment can be "chaotic neutral". Being classified as "chaotic" means they're very prone to acting on emotions, they don't care what is allowed and what is prohibited, and their actions often go against things like tradition and chain of command. Being classified as "neutral" (on the second axis) means that their deeds and character are not strongly good nor evil; either they have a balance of both, or they rarely do anything that can be clearly labelled as one or the other. There are nine possible alignments - any combination of the two axes is allowed. A character with the "neutral neutral" alignment is called a true neutral.

The use of the term chaotic in a personality alignment context is different to the term in a physics concept. In physics, {{w|chaos theory|chaos}} refers to unpredictable outcomes following emergent behaviours that are sensitive to small changes in underlying conditions. Similarly, lawful can be considered to follow deterministic physical behaviours. Hitting pool balls with a pool cue is deterministic, it follows the deterministic Newtonian laws of motion. Hitting your opponent with a pool cue is chaotic, the end state of the ensuing brawl is unpredictable.

An alignment chart is a grid that divides the alignments, usually for the purpose of putting descriptions or particular characters on it. Alignment charts are frequently used as a [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mcdonalds-alignment-chart meme template], where humorous or absurdist things are organized into different alignments. In addition to the "classic" Dungeons and Dragons alignment chart, there are a number of variant alignment charts in use as meme templates. Many keep the three-by-three grid structure but replace the lawful-neutral-chaotic and good-neutral-evil axes with others, such as [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gay-bi-lesbian-distinguished-functional-disaster distinguished-functional-disaster vs. gay-bi-lesbian] and [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/edgy-depressed-dumbass-bitch-thot-bastard edgy-depressed-dumbass vs. bitch-thot-bastard]. Some alignment charts use other systems of classification, like the [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/mcdonalds-alignment-chart McDonald's alignment chart], which is a {{w|Ternary_plot|ternary diagram}}, a way of plotting data points by the relative proportions of three components in them on a triangular plot.

This comic claims to be a meta-alignment chart, where nine "alignment charts" are themselves sorted into the nine Dungeons and Dragons alignments, following the use of alignment charts to humorously classify abstract concepts. However, these "alignment charts" are mostly diagrams used in academic classifications, which are being treated as if they were blank meme templates. There are two levels of absurdity here: first, the idea of using these technical scientific diagrams to classify things they were never intended to, like fictional characters or how people bag their bread, and second, the conflation of chaos as a physics concept and an assigned moral weights as it applies to each of these classification systems.

The title text describes Randall's alignment as "lawful heterozygous silty liquid" which references the true neutral, neutral good, lawful good, and lawful neutral charts in the Alignment Chart Alignment Chart. Lawful is the left side of an alignment chart, heterozygous is the top right or bottom left of a Punnet Square, silty is the bottom right of a soil chart, and liquid is the top right of a phase diagram. As such, the title test describes Randall's alignment as between Lawful Neutral and Neutral Good on this chart.

{| class="wikitable"
!Alignment
!Chart
!Explanation
|-
|Lawful Good
|{{w|Soil texture|Soil chart}}
|This chart shows the USDA classification of soil types by their relative proportions of sand, clay and silt. The chart is a ternary diagram (very common in geology), so soils with more clay plot towards the upper corner, soils with more sand to the bottom left, and soils with more silt to the bottom right. This chart has been used humorously as an alignment chart ([https://www.reddit.com/r/PrequelMemes/comments/8wakd4/anakin_soil_reference_chart/ for example]) and may have been the inspiration for Randall to use scientific diagrams as alignment charts. In addition to being Lawful Good, this grid cell is also the upper left cell of the chart and will be read first, making it a good place to put this chart as a "jumping off point".
|-
|Neutral Good
|{{w|Punnett square}}
| Punnet squares are a visual method of determining what traits an organism might have based on the traits of the organism's parents. It relies on the principle that a trait is either dominant (indicated with capital letters) or recessive (indicated with lowercase letters). The exact combination of dominant or recessive genes that a child organism receives from their parents determines their traits. It is important to understand the terms "heterozygous", "homozygous" …” These refer to the pairs of alleles in an organism’s genotype, indicating mixed or same alleles, respectively. Randall later uses “heterozygous” in the title text. Note that it is possible for a phenotype to be expressed the same between some heterozygotes and homozygotes, e.g., persons with genotypes heterozygous ”Aa” and homozygous “AA” will both express blood type A.
Therefore, the Punnett Square is a good chart because it is both a simple and true geometric predictor of inheritance, but it tends to neutral because of complicating factors such as polygenic inheritance; these and other factors will cause genotypic frequency to deviate from expected 1:2:1 patterns.
|
|-
|Chaotic Good
|{{w|IPA vowel chart with audio|IPA vowel chart }}
|This chart shows the relationship between different vowels according to the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}}. As different vowel sounds are created by changes in different parts of the mouth, it can be considered chaotic.
|-
|Lawful Neutral
|Phase diagram
|A {{w|phase diagram}} shows the temperature and pressure points where a material changes phase. The diagram included is of an unknown material that has a solid, liquid, and gas phase. Phase diagrams are useful as the relationship is not always linear. For example, the air pressure of Mars is such that there is no temperature at which liquid water can exist. Water exists as ice until the temperature reaches a point where it sublimates directly into steam.

Phase diagrams follow the laws of physics, so are inherently lawful.
|-
|True Neutral
|Alignment chart
|All alignment charts are neutral unless humans contaminate them.
|-
|Chaotic Neutral
|CIE chromacity diagram
|The {{w|chromacity}} diagram is typically used to help determine a color temperature given the typical RGB intensities of light. Low color temperatures tend to be associated with 'softer' lights that are easier on the eyes, whereas 'higher' color temperatures are associated with 'harder' light that are perceived as brighter. Given that color temperature as defined by the chromacity diagram has nothing to do with the actual color temperature of a blackbody as defined by Physics, it is chaotic. Also, the official specification for CIE is behind a paywall and defined by private organizations, making it more chaotic.
|
|-
|Lawful Evil
|Political compass
|Political Compass [https://www.politicalcompass.org/] separates out left-right thinking into economic and social political thought. For example, Gandhi and Stalin supposedly both had similar economic perspectives (collectivist) but radically different social perspectives (authoritarian vs libertarian).

As politicians make the laws, this is inherently lawful. Attempting to represent all politics in terms of two very general axes is a gross oversimplification, which is likely why it is listed as evil.

Like the USDA soil chart, the political compass has actually been [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/political-compass used as an alignment chart], largely to mock the original political compass chart.
|-
|Neutral Evil
|{{w|QAPF diagram|QAPF rock diagram}}
|This diagram is used to classify coarse-grained felsic (low magnesium and iron) igneous rocks by the relative volumes of the minerals quartz, alkali feldspars, plagioclase feldspars, and feldspathoids in the rock. It consists of two ternary diagrams - quartz and feldspathoid minerals cannot coexist (they will react to form feldspars) so only three of these components will be in any given rock. Rocks in the upper triangle of the diagram contain quartz, with rocks with more quartz plotting closer to the top, while rocks in the lower triangle contain feldspathoids, with rocks with more feldspathoids plotting lower. Rocks closer to the left corner of the diagram contain more alkali feldspar and rocks closer to the right corner contain more plagioclase feldspar. The field on the diagram for granite is labeled in the comic, but each area outlined on the diagram has it's own rock name (monzonite, syenite, granodiorite, etc.). All the rocks that the QAPF diagram is used to classify look superficially like granite, but their chemistry, mineralogy, and origin differ.
The QAPF diagram and the names of the more obscure rock types on it can be somewhat arcane, which may be why it is considered evil here.
|-
|Chaotic Evil
|Omnispace classifier
|The other eight diagrams shown in this comic, squished together into one, with the shapes of the diagrams corresponding to those of the originals. Probably self-referential humour, in that the diagram created for this comic is considered to be chaotically evil.
|}

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

{{comic discussion}}



[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Politics]]

2251: Alignment Chart Alignment Chart

2020-01-06T19:59:58Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ add more categorys

1475: Technically

2020-01-03T18:20:45Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ add category

{{comic
| number = 1475
| date = January 19, 2015
| title = Technically
| image = technically.png
| titletext = "Technically that sentence started with 'well', so--" "Ooh, a rock with a fossil in it!"
}}

==Explanation==
When the word "technically" is used to start a sentence, the remainder of the sentence tends to follow one of a number of patterns:

{| class="wikitable"
! Sentence pattern
! Example
|-
| An explanation which is far more complex than the listener needs/wants.
| "Technically, a {{w|Hemiptera|bug}} is a very specific order of insects, including aphids, cicadas..."
|-
| A justification of a particular (usually unpopular) viewpoint through an unusual technical definition.
| "Technically a tomato is a fruit, so there is no reason it shouldn't be used in a fruit salad."
|-
| A pedantic overapplication of rules or laws, often to avoid the inquiry through a technical and usually unrelated loophole.
| [http://factually.gizmodo.com/technically-american-flag-napkins-are-illegal-1599774198 "Technically, American flag napkins are illegal."]
|-
| The speaker repeating a 'little known fact', believing that he/she sounds incredibly knowledgeable. In many cases these 'facts' are actually false, as in the example to the right (see {{w|Ten_percent_of_brain_myth|the 10% of the brain myth}}).
| "Technically we only use 10% of our brains, so imagine what we could do if we used 100%"!
|-
| An attempt to disguise an outright lie as a simple misunderstanding in point of view.
| "Technically, we're not cows. We're aardvarks."
|}

[[Cueball]], possibly representing [[Randall]], has decided that any sentence beginning with the word "technically" is highly likely to be completely worthless for him to listen to; so whenever he hears it at the beginning of a sentence, he allows himself to be distracted by anything which happens to be around.

There are many cases where an item is classified in what appears to be an illogical way. Some fairly well known examples are 'Tomatoes are a fruit', 'Whales are not fish', 'Peanuts are not nuts' and so on. The reasoning behind these seemingly unusual classifications is typically down to the technical definition of the class, which may differ from the intuitive understanding that the general public have learned. It is not unusual for people to try and appear knowledgeable by demonstrating that they are aware of correct technical classifications.

[[White Hat]] starts to pedantically answer the typically incredulous rhetorical question “Are you on drugs?!” by explaining that according to the technical definition, food is classed as a drug. This classification is false due to his incorrect interpretation of the word "drug" and lack of understanding of the role of food in human physiology, and would fall under the fourth example in the chart above. Indeed, "drug" is defined as "a substance used to treat an illness, relieve a symptom, or modify a chemical process in the body for a specific purpose", followed by a secondary definition of "a psychoactive substance, especially one which is illegal and addictive". Food, on the other hand, is defined as "any substance that can be consumed by living organisms, especially by eating, in order to sustain life". In other words, food is consumed in order to sustain the normal, innate state of the body, while drugs are consumed in order to alter certain states. The Wikipedia {{w|drug|article}} for drug goes so far as to explicitly disqualify food from the definition of “drug.”

Regardless of whether or not the classification was valid, Cueball has already allowed himself to be distracted by a passing bug.

The title text starts to pedantically over-apply Cueball's rule to the comic panel, noting that technically White Hat's sentence started with the word 'well' instead of the word 'technically', and thus Cueball is wrong to have ignored it. This would fall under the second or third example in the chart. Halfway through the sentence, this argument is cut off by the discovery of a rock with a fossil in it, correctly applying the rule to a sentence that began with the word "technically".

This comic is similar to [[1240: Quantum Mechanics]], in that they both suggest ignoring sentences containing a certain word or phrase indicating a pedantic attitude.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat talks to Cueball who looks at a flying insect.]
:White Hat: Well, technically, food is a "drug", since it's a substance that alters how your body works, so yes, I'm—
:Cueball: Hey, look at that weird bug!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My life improved when I realized I could just ignore any sentence that started with "technically."

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Pedantic]]

1070: Words for Small Sets

2020-01-03T18:19:45Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ add category

{{comic
| number = 1070
| date = June 18, 2012
| title = Words for Small Sets
| image = words_for_small_sets.png
| titletext = If things are too quiet, try asking a couple of friends whether "a couple" should always mean "two". As with the question of how many spaces should go after a period, it can turn acrimonious surprisingly fast unless all three of them agree.
}}

==Explanation==
The noun "couple" can mean "exactly two items of the same kind," or it can be used interchangeably with words like "few" or "several", which in this context mean "comparatively small but definitely greater than one". But some people insist that "couple" can only mean two, by analogy with the specific use of the word "couple" to refer to exactly one pair of people who are in a romantic relationship.

This comic also alludes to similar arguments about the relative meaning of phrases like "few" and "several" (some people will argue that "several" should mean more than "few", while others will argue the opposite or that it doesn't matter), making this comic [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=troll+bait troll bait]. [[Randall]] is attempting to "troll" (intentionally provoke) the people who claim "couple" must mean exactly two by taking the other side of the argument.

The title text similarly alludes to the argument. Randall says "Try asking a couple of friends [...] unless all three of them agree," which jokingly refers to the same group of people first by the vague term "couple," which can include three, and then specifies the exact number, resulting in a jarring effect as if a "couple" meant exactly three. The title text also mentions the {{w|Sentence spacing|sentence spacing}} issue as an example of another topic known to ignite energetic arguments among pedantic types without ever leading to consensus. Sentence spacing is later seen in [[1285: Third Way]]. The sentence spacing arguments are about whether one or two space characters must be used after the period character at the end of the sentence.

The title text also points out an unusual situation where troll baiting may not work: namely, intending to spark an argument is most effective if there is a disagreement on the matter. If all of the inquired friends have the same opinion on the matter (be it the definition of 'couple' or the number of spaces after a period), then an argument may not spark, and the trolling attempt may fail.

==Transcript==
:Just to clear things up:
:[A chart with four rows and two columns is shown.]
:;A few
::Anywhere from 2 to 5

:;A handful
::Anywhere from 2 to 5

:;Several
::Anywhere from 2 to 5

:;A couple
::2 (but sometimes up to 5)

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Compromise]]
[[Category:Pedantic]]

1012: Wrong Superhero

2020-01-03T18:18:56Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ remove, not actually baseball related

{{comic
| number = 1012
| date = February 3, 2012
| title = Wrong Superhero
| image = wrong_superhero.png
| titletext = Hi! Someone call for me? I'm a superhero who specializes in the study of God's creation of Man in the Book of Genesi-- HOLY SHIT A GIANT BUG!
}}
==Explanation==
The super hero from just [[1010|two comics ago]], Etymology-Man, returns. And just like that comic, Etymology-Man is explaining the origination of words instead of actually helping. {{w|Etymology}} is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.

In this comic, a group of scientists are in a lab, fighting off a giant mantis and a legion of smaller, but still larger than normal praying mantises. One [[Cueball]] is firing a gun and [[Ponytail]] is brandishing a baseball bat, while the giant mantis grabs one Cueball by the leg, dangling him upside down. Behind the table another Cueball is listening to Etymology Man speak. The joke here is that the scientists called the wrong hero for help. Who they want is Entomology-Man because they are fighting a giant praying mantis and an army of smaller praying mantises (which are nonetheless much larger than a typical praying mantis - compared to the size of the people in this comic the smaller mantises appear to be 8-12 inches long). {{w|Entomology}} is the study of insects. Instead of calling Entomology-Man, who could probably help fighting off the mantises, they have accidentally called Etymology-Man, due to the similarities in their names. Etymology-Man can only explain the origin of words, making him useless in this current situation.

In the title text, we find out the scientists accidentally call another superhero focused on the story of {{w|Adam and Eve}} in the Biblical book of Genesis. This is probably {{w|Etiology}}-Man (the study of causation and attribution), but might be {{w|Ontology}}-Man (the study of being and existence), {{w|Ethology}}-Man (the study of human character, with a focus on its formation and evolution), or (as a pun) Adam-ology-Man. Or perhaps {{w|Anthropology}}-Man or {{w|Anthropogeny}}-Man.

==Transcript==
:[A giant praying mantis attacks a team of scientists, along with its legion of smaller-but-still-unusually-large mantises. Two of the scientists fight back, with a gun and a baseball bat respectively, while a third is in the mantis' clutches, held aloft by his foot, his goggles falling off his face. Bullets whiz by the giant mantis' head, and a fourth scientist hides behind a desk, on which rests a microscope and an Erlenmeyer flask. A man in a cape approaches the hiding scientist.]
:Etymology-man: Ah, no—you wanted '''''ENTO'''''mology-Man, spelled with an "N". See, it's from the Greek ''entomon'', meaning "insect," which is itself the neuter form of ''entomos'', meaning "segmented" or...
:'''BLAM BLAM BLAM'''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

1010: Etymology-Man

2020-01-03T18:17:00Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ add category

{{comic
| number = 1010
| date = January 30, 2012
| title = Etymology-Man
| image = etymology_man.png
| titletext = I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Aquaman were here instead--HE'D be able to help.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a take on the traditional appearance of a super hero when a disaster strikes. In this case, Etymology-Man arrives, who apparently has the power of {{w|Etymology}} — the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. As Etymology-Man is explaining the history of the words "{{w|tsunami}}" and "tidal wave", the water starts rising around them. As the waters continue to rise, he continues to only explain the words, rather than attempting to save them as a superhero should. The comic is a dig at academics who prefer to talk about issues when taking action is more appropriate.

Also, the title text is a play on how useless {{w|Aquaman}} is (perceived to be) compared to other superheroes, as his powers — breathing underwater, speed swimming, and communicating with sea life — are very difficult for writers to make relevant. Indeed, in the case of a flood, Aquaman and his aquatic allies would be able to assist with evacuations.

The irony of the situation comes from the fact that Etymology-Man ''also'' has the power of flight and could in fact save Cueball and Ponytail if he was not so busy talking about the origin of the word "tidal wave".

Etymology-man returns two comics later in [[1012: Wrong Superhero]].

Inexplicable is the fact that Cueball and Ponytail both know exactly who this "superhero" is, and ergo presumably realize that what he is telling them is useless, but they don't even attempt to get to safety. Perhaps they are simply accepting their fate instead of trying to escape, however, or even that learning cool word facts takes precendence over saving their own lives.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Ponytail are facing each other, with wavy lines around them to indicate they are experiencing the shaking of an earthquake.]
:Cueball: Earthquake!
:Ponytail: We should get to a higher ground - There could be a tidal wave.

:[A frame-less panel with Cueball and Ponytail, with Cueball taking a pedantic pose and raising a finger.]
:Cueball: You mean a tsunami. "Tidal wave" means a wave caused by tides.

:[A crash is heard, followed by Etymology-Man flying in while wearing a cape.]
:Etymology-man: You know, that doesn't add up.
:Cueball and Ponytail: Etymology-man!

:[Etymology-man takes a pedantic pose.]
:Etymology-man: What ''does'' "tidal wave" mean? There are waves caused by tides, but they're "tidal bores", and they're not cataclysmic.
:It can refer to the daily tide cycle, but that's obviously not what people mean when they say "a tidal wave hit".
:It's been obvious for centuries that these waves come from quakes. So why "tidal"?

:[Panel zooms in on Etymology-man.]
:Etymology-man: Remember that until 2004, there weren't any clear photos or videos of tsunamis. Some modern writers even described them rearing up and breaking like surfing waves [sic]
:Of course, in 2004 and 2011, it was made clear to everyone that a tsunami is more like a rapid, turbulent, inrushing tide - exactly what historical accounts describe.

:[Water begins to rush in. Etymology-man keeps his pedantic pose.]
:Etymology-man: Maybe those writing about Lisbon in 1755 used "tidal wave" not out of scientific confusion, but because it described the wave's form — a description lost in our rush to expunge "tidal wave" from English.

:[The water is now waist-deep. Etymology-man continues to drone on, but the others start to panic.]
:Etymology-man: "Tsunami" is now the standard, and I'm not trying to change that. But let's be a tad less giddy about correcting "tidal wave" - especially when "tsunami" just means "harbor wave", which is hardly...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Pedantic]]

2249: I Love the 20s

2020-01-03T18:14:16Z

172.69.34.168: /* Trivia */ add pedantic category

{{comic
| number = 2249
| date = January 1, 2020
| title = I Love the 20s
| image = i love the 20s.png
| titletext = Billboard's "Best of the 80s" chart includes Blondie's 1980 hit "Call Me." QED.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a PEDANT. Explain title text.}}
This comic was released on the first day of the year {{w|2020}}. It was the second of two [[:Category:New Year|New Year comics]] around the 2019-2020 New Year, after [[2248: New Year's Eve]].

The comic opens with [[Megan]], [[Cueball]], [[White Hat]], and [[Ponytail]] celebrating the new year and discussing their relief that the change of decade brings with it two beneficial side-effects; firstly, they can now unambiguously name the decade "the 20s", and secondly, since the decade has a well-defined name, any cultural trends that begin in the 20s can be attributed to the decade itself, and not to the generation that happens to coincide with it.

White Hat, however, tries a couple of times to raise a pedantic objection: he believes that the new decade does not "officially" start until 2021.

Ponytail corrects him on this, but he refuses to accept the correction until Megan cites an unlikely source: the fact that the {{w|VH1}} television show
{{w|I Love the '90s (American TV series)|''I Love the '90s''}} categorized MC Hammer's 1990 single "{{w|U Can't Touch This}}" as a 90s song, which supports Ponytail's definition of decade. The joke is that a pop culture documentary is not an authoritative source for definitions of time standards, yet for some reason everyone is willing to accept its authority on such matters anyway.

The disagreement over the definition of when decades start is due to the fact that there is more than one way to count decades. You could do it in one of the following two ways:
*By counting every span of ten years that has occurred since the start of year 1 in the Common Era (White Hat's definition)
*By taking the digit that is common to all years in a given ten-year span (Ponytail's definition)

Ponytail's definition is the one in common usage. For example, when we say "the 1980s", we mean "the span of ten years that all began with the digits 198". This is a "cardinal" method of counting decades, since we are only concerned with identifying a particular set of ten years.

White Hat's definition, on the other hand, is an "ordinal" method, since it implies that we are counting the number of ten-year spans ''since the first one'', which is defined to have begun in the year 1.

While White Hat's definition is not technically ''wrong'' - it is a valid way to count decades - Ponytail notes that this is not how decades are typically determined, and the fact that we count centuries in an ordinal way does not mean that we should do the same with decades.

(To further confuse the issue: even though we ''do'' count centuries ordinarily (eg. "1st century", "20th century", etc.), most people aren't aware that the first century began on the year 1, so most people would count 2000 as being in the 21th century - even though, by the ordinal definition, the 21th century did not start until 2001!)

"{{w|Aughts}}" and "Teens" were names suggested for the {{w|2000s_(decade)|2000s}} and {{w|2010s}} respectively; however, neither of those names managed to gain widespread acceptance.

{{w|Millennials}} is a name given to the generation which was born in the 80s and 90s, such that they began entering adulthood in the 2000s. The term was sometimes used pejoratively by older generations who view millennials as immature or complacent, particularly during the 2010s. The comic speculates that millennials may have been unfairly targeted due to the fact that the decade didn't have an easily-identifiable name; if it had, then people might have attributed their misgivings about modern culture to the decade itself, instead of singling out a demographic. This phenomenon was previously discussed in [[1849: Decades]].

Continuing the dubious "proof" offered by Megan, the title text goes on to use the {{w|Billboard (magazine)|Billboard}} [https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-billboards-top-songs-80s Best of the 80s] chart as proof that the 1980s started in 1980, as their chart includes {{w|Blondie (band)|Blondie's}} "{{w|Call Me (Blondie song)|Call Me}}", which was released in 1980. The title text ends with {{w|Q.E.D.|QED}} ("quod erat demonstrandum"), which literally means "what was to be shown", and is traditionally used at the end of a mathematical proof to mean "thus it has been demonstrated", as if this second landmark piece of evidence proves Megan's point as conclusively as a mathematical proof.

==Transcript==
:[Megan walks in from the left greeting Cueball, White Hat, and Ponytail standing in a line, the last two looking in her direction.]
:Megan: Happy new decade!
:Ponytail: Welcome to the '20s!
:White Hat: '''''Actually—'''''
:Ponytail: I'm excited we can name decades again.
:Ponytail: "Aughts" and "teens" never caught on.

:[Megan stops next to Cueball as White Hat has his finger raised.]
:White Hat: Actually, the new decade doesn't start-
:Ponytail: Mostly, I'm just glad we can go back to attributing cultural trends to decades instead of generations.

:[All four just stand normal.]
:Cueball: Yeah.
:Cueball: Decades were silly, but making everything about "millennials" turned out to be even worse.
:Ponytail: Seriously.

:[Only White Hat and Ponytail are shown, both with their arms held out to the sides.]
:White Hat: It's technically not a new decade until '''2021'''.
:Ponytail: OK, listen.
:Ponytail: If you're going to be pedantic, you should at least be right.
:White Hat: I '''''am''''' right!
:Ponytail: You're '''''not'''''.

:[Zoom in on White Hat and Ponytails upper parts as they gesture towards each other both raising their hands palm up. Megan interrupts them from off panel, as made clear in the next panel. Her voice comes out of a star burst on the left panel frame.]
:White Hat: See, the 20th century didn't start until--
:Ponytail: But decades aren't centuries. They're not cardinally numbered.
:White Hat: You don't get it. Let me draw a--
:Ponytail: No, '''''you''''' don't--
:Megan (off-panel): Stop!

:[All four characters are displayed again. Megan has raised a finger and all the others look at her.]
:Megan: I can resolve this.
:Megan: *Ahem*
:Megan: MC Hammer's ''U Can't Touch This'' (1990) was featured in '''''I Love the '90s''''', not ''''' '80s'''''.
:Ponytail: ...That settles that.
:White Hat: Yeah, I accept VH1's authority.
:White Hat: You win.

==Trivia==
* Millennials were also mentioned in [[1962: Generations]] and in [[2165: Millennials]]. Also, [[Randall]] himself is a millennial.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Pedantic]]

Category:Pedantic

2020-01-03T18:13:51Z

172.69.34.168: not just grammar

{{notice|This category may still lack pages! Add any you find!}}
This category includes comics which are about characters being {{w|pedant}}s.
[[Category:Comics by topic]]

2249: I Love the 20s

2020-01-03T18:12:07Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ remove, already in trivia

2249: I Love the 20s

2020-01-03T18:11:28Z

172.69.34.168: re-add other comics about millennials

{{comic
| number = 2249
| date = January 1, 2020
| title = I Love the 20s
| image = i love the 20s.png
| titletext = Billboard's "Best of the 80s" chart includes Blondie's 1980 hit "Call Me." QED.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a PEDANT. Explain title text.}}
This comic was released on the first day of the year {{w|2020}}. It was the second of two [[:Category:New Year|New Year comics]] around the 2019-2020 New Year, after [[2248: New Year's Eve]].

The comic opens with [[Megan]], [[Cueball]], [[White Hat]], and [[Ponytail]] celebrating the new year and discussing their relief that the change of decade brings with it two beneficial side-effects; firstly, they can now unambiguously name the decade "the 20s", and secondly, since the decade has a well-defined name, any cultural trends that begin in the 20s can be attributed to the decade itself, and not to the generation that happens to coincide with it.

White Hat, however, tries a couple of times to raise a pedantic objection: he believes that the new decade does not "officially" start until 2021.

Ponytail corrects him on this, but he refuses to accept the correction until Megan cites an unlikely source: the fact that the {{w|VH1}} television show
{{w|I Love the '90s (American TV series)|''I Love the '90s''}} categorized MC Hammer's 1990 single "{{w|U Can't Touch This}}" as a 90s song, which supports Ponytail's definition of decade. The joke is that a pop culture documentary is not an authoritative source for definitions of time standards, yet for some reason everyone is willing to accept its authority on such matters anyway.

The disagreement over the definition of when decades start is due to the fact that there is more than one way to count decades. You could do it in one of the following two ways:
*By counting every span of ten years that has occurred since the start of year 1 in the Common Era (White Hat's definition)
*By taking the digit that is common to all years in a given ten-year span (Ponytail's definition)

Ponytail's definition is the one in common usage. For example, when we say "the 1980s", we mean "the span of ten years that all began with the digits 198". This is a "cardinal" method of counting decades, since we are only concerned with identifying a particular set of ten years.

White Hat's definition, on the other hand, is an "ordinal" method, since it implies that we are counting the number of ten-year spans ''since the first one'', which is defined to have begun in the year 1.

While White Hat's definition is not technically ''wrong'' - it is a valid way to count decades - Ponytail notes that this is not how decades are typically determined, and the fact that we count centuries in an ordinal way does not mean that we should do the same with decades.

(To further confuse the issue: even though we ''do'' count centuries ordinarily (eg. "1st century", "20th century", etc.), most people aren't aware that the first century began on the year 1, so most people would count 2000 as being in the 21th century - even though, by the ordinal definition, the 21th century did not start until 2001!)

"{{w|Aughts}}" and "Teens" were names suggested for the {{w|2000s_(decade)|2000s}} and {{w|2010s}} respectively; however, neither of those names managed to gain widespread acceptance.

{{w|Millennials}} is a name given to the generation which was born in the 80s and 90s, such that they began entering adulthood in the 2000s. The term was sometimes used pejoratively by older generations who view millennials as immature or complacent, particularly during the 2010s. The comic speculates that millennials may have been unfairly targeted due to the fact that the decade didn't have an easily-identifiable name; if it had, then people might have attributed their misgivings about modern culture to the decade itself, instead of singling out a demographic. This phenomenon was previously discussed in [[1849: Decades]]. Millennials have also been mentioned in [[1962: Generations]] and in [[2165: Millennials]].

Continuing the dubious "proof" offered by Megan, the title text goes on to use the {{w|Billboard (magazine)|Billboard}} [https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-billboards-top-songs-80s Best of the 80s] chart as proof that the 1980s started in 1980, as their chart includes {{w|Blondie (band)|Blondie's}} "{{w|Call Me (Blondie song)|Call Me}}", which was released in 1980. The title text ends with {{w|Q.E.D.|QED}} ("quod erat demonstrandum"), which literally means "what was to be shown", and is traditionally used at the end of a mathematical proof to mean "thus it has been demonstrated", as if this second landmark piece of evidence proves Megan's point as conclusively as a mathematical proof.

==Transcript==
:[Megan walks in from the left greeting Cueball, White Hat, and Ponytail standing in a line, the last two looking in her direction.]
:Megan: Happy new decade!
:Ponytail: Welcome to the '20s!
:White Hat: '''''Actually—'''''
:Ponytail: I'm excited we can name decades again.
:Ponytail: "Aughts" and "teens" never caught on.

:[Megan stops next to Cueball as White Hat has his finger raised.]
:White Hat: Actually, the new decade doesn't start-
:Ponytail: Mostly, I'm just glad we can go back to attributing cultural trends to decades instead of generations.

:[All four just stand normal.]
:Cueball: Yeah.
:Cueball: Decades were silly, but making everything about "millennials" turned out to be even worse.
:Ponytail: Seriously.

:[Only White Hat and Ponytail are shown, both with their arms held out to the sides.]
:White Hat: It's technically not a new decade until '''2021'''.
:Ponytail: OK, listen.
:Ponytail: If you're going to be pedantic, you should at least be right.
:White Hat: I '''''am''''' right!
:Ponytail: You're '''''not'''''.

:[Zoom in on White Hat and Ponytails upper parts as they gesture towards each other both raising their hands palm up. Megan interrupts them from off panel, as made clear in the next panel. Her voice comes out of a star burst on the left panel frame.]
:White Hat: See, the 20th century didn't start until--
:Ponytail: But decades aren't centuries. They're not cardinally numbered.
:White Hat: You don't get it. Let me draw a--
:Ponytail: No, '''''you''''' don't--
:Megan (off-panel): Stop!

:[All four characters are displayed again. Megan has raised a finger and all the others look at her.]
:Megan: I can resolve this.
:Megan: *Ahem*
:Megan: MC Hammer's ''U Can't Touch This'' (1990) was featured in '''''I Love the '90s''''', not ''''' '80s'''''.
:Ponytail: ...That settles that.
:White Hat: Yeah, I accept VH1's authority.
:White Hat: You win.

==Trivia==
* Millennials were also mentioned in [[1962: Generations]] and in [[2165: Millennials]]. Also, [[Randall]] himself is a millennial.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:New Year]]

2250: OK/okay/ok

2020-01-03T18:06:32Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ better

{{comic
| number = 2250
| date = January 03, 2020
| title = {{{1|OK/okay/ok}}}
| image = {{{2|ok okay ok.png}}}
| titletext = {{{3|After changing it back and forth several times and consulting with internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch, I settled on "ok" in my book How To, but I'm still on the fence. Maybe I should just switch to "oK".}}}
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an O.K.A.Y. user}}
The word "{{w|OK}}", per Wikipedia, "is an American English word denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, acknowledgment, or a sign of indifference."

It has traditionally been spelled / written "OK", with both letters capitalized. According to [[Randall]], modern usage of the word is with both letters in lowercase "ok", or fully spelled out as "okay". Spelling the word as "O.K." with periods in between the letters is rarely used in modern times, so Randall equates this usage to "an alien impersonating a human". According to Wikipedia, "O.K." was used in the 1700s and 1800s.

Mentioned in the title text, {{w|Gretchen McCulloch}} is a Canadian Internet linguist focusing on trends in use of English words in online communications. It seems that Randall consulted with her on the use of "ok" in his book ''[[How To]]'', but he is still unsure which usage is the "proper" usage in modern writing. His compromise solution is "oK", a strange spelling that is very seldom seen, except as a typo.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

:[in a line there 4 writings of the word "okay" and below each a caption.]
:okay ok OK O.K.
:[under "okay"] normal [under "ok"] normal [under "OK"] kind of old [under "O.K."] like an alien impersonating a human
:[Caption below the panel:]
:How your spelling of "okay" makes you sound

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2250: OK/okay/ok

2020-01-03T18:04:55Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ brief

{{comic
| number = 2250
| date = January 03, 2020
| title = {{{1|OK/okay/ok}}}
| image = {{{2|ok okay ok.png}}}
| titletext = {{{3|After changing it back and forth several times and consulting with internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch, I settled on "ok" in my book How To, but I'm still on the fence. Maybe I should just switch to "oK".}}}
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an O.K.A.Y. user}}
The word "{{w|OK}}", per Wikipedia, "is an American English word denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, acknowledgment, or a sign of indifference."

It has traditionally been spelled / written "OK", with both letters capitalized. However, as [[Randall]] notes, modern usage of the word is with both letters in lowercase "ok", or fully spelled out as "okay". Spelling the word as "O.K." with periods in between the letters is rarely used in modern times, so Randall equates this usage to "an alien impersonating a human". According to Wikipedia, "O.K." was used in the 1700s and 1800s.

Mentioned in the title text, {{w|Gretchen McCulloch}} is a Canadian Internet linguist focusing on trends in use of English words in online communications. It seems that Randall consulted with her on the use of "ok" in his book ''[[How To]]'', but he is still unsure which usage is the "proper" usage in modern writing. His compromise solution is "oK", a strange spelling that is very seldom seen, except as a typo.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

:[in a line there 4 writings of the word "okay" and below each a caption.]
:okay ok OK O.K.
:[under "okay"] normal [under "ok"] normal [under "OK"] kind of old [under "O.K."] like an alien impersonating a human
:[Caption below the panel:]
:How your spelling of "okay" makes you sound

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2250: OK/okay/ok

2020-01-03T17:52:59Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ add category

User talk:DgbrtBOT

2020-01-03T17:51:28Z

172.69.34.168: /* Bot down */

==BOT status==
Is the bot still active? Many recent comic page creates were done manually.--{{User:17jiangz1/signature|14:16, 26 May 2015}}
:Since you "Beautified the template page" (LATESTCOMIC) even a simple picture upload didn't work any more. My bot is also beautified now so the picture upload should work again tomorrow. Further problems are still under investigations. I can't create a new page with my bot - error code is: 0. That's really helpful... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:07, 26 May 2015 (UTC)
::It seems 17jiangz1 did beautify the template. I mixed something up. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:12, 26 May 2015 (UTC)

All Problems are solved so far. The page and all the other necessary updates will be done by this BOT again — only some dynamic comics will fail. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:48, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

==Some edits shouldn't be minor==
IMHO:
*Creation of a new comic description page
*Update of [[List of all comics]]
*Update of {{tl|LATESTCOMIC}}

shouldn't be minor.

They will still (or should) be "bot edits".

(This is terser than I intended -- and previously typed in -- because the server failed again.)

[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 14:35, 6 December 2013 (UTC)

:You're right, I will check the API on this until Monday. But "bot edits" are always hidden by default at the "recent changes" page. Maybe this default could be changed at the Wiki configuration. I will check this, too.
:More important: This server did fail again today? That would be bad.
:--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:02, 6 December 2013 (UTC)
::Uh, I broke the server for a few minutes while wrongly attempting to implement something. You should be seeing the fruits of my labour soon. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:02, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
:::What are that "fruits of your labour"?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:44, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
::::Examine the URL. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:55, 7 December 2013 (UTC)

Hopefully the bot will remove that minor tag in the future, but unless I do not remove the bot tag it will still not be shown by default at the "Recent changes" page. Maybe I should remove that tag, too. The user name DgbrtBOT would still show the origin. Any thoughts? The script I'm using is still here available for everybody: [https://github.com/dgbrt/explainXKCD_update]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:44, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
:For my purposes, I don't mind bot edits being elided from Recent Changes because including them is only a click away. I noticed these "minor" edits in the revision history, and am pleased with the current changes :-) [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 06:05, 14 December 2013 (UTC)

== Failure today (12/23/2013) ==

The BOT lost the internet connection, so a backup will be available for Wednesday. It was just a Christmas Holiday Incident. I don't like BOT's without control by humans, and my control failed. The BOT will run reliable again, also at my holidays, as it did many weeks before. And in detail: The BOT did behave like planned, if it's too late no uploads or updates are done. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:11, 23 December 2013 (UTC)

== A Ping on ME ==

Ohh....
my BOT still does a great job here,
I'm still alive, but no time for me.

And nevertheless my BOT works fine - better than me ;)

And I am hoping for more time soon, stay tuned...

== Failure on comic 1969 ==

The bot failed today (3/19/2018, comic #1969). I had to create the comic page manually. Could it be because the comic is titled "Not Available"? [[User:RamenChef|RamenChef]] ([[User talk:RamenChef|talk]]) 17:52, 19 March 2018 (UTC)
:Thanks for your work [[User:RamenChef|RamenChef]] and following the instructions to not omit essential changes. Only the image was the large (2x) version you typically get in your browser. The BOT would have worked properly but the internet was not available to it at the right time. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:51, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

== 2x size comics ==

I discussed this a bit in [[Talk:2167: Motivated Reasoning Olympics#Better quality images?|the latest comic]], xkcd.com offers 2x comic resolution for high-DPI displays and the wiki skips those. This can be fixed by making the bot a bit more fancy:

1. Upload the 2x images to the wiki, e.g. [[:File:motivated reasoning olympics 2x.png]].

2. When creating a new comic page, use the <nowiki>{{{imagesize}}}</nowiki> parameter of [[Template:comic]] (which already exists) to specify the width of ''the original'' comic, e.g. <nowiki>{{comic|<typical args>|imagesize=302px}}</nowiki>. It's impossible to make the template detect this automatically, which is why the bot would have to "hard-code" the image width.

The comic in question would look like this:

{{comic
| number = 2167
| date = June 24, 2019
| title = Motivated Reasoning Olympics
| image = motivated_reasoning_olympics_2x.png
| titletext = [later] I can't believe how bad corruption has become, especially given that our league split off from the statewide one a month ago SPECIFICALLY to protest this kind of flagrantly biased judging.
| imagesize = 302px
}}

Which, on a high-DPI screen, is visibly improved.
--[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 14:09, 25 June 2019 (UTC)

== Bot Failed Today? ==

[[2196: Nice To E-Meet You]] was up on xkcd for almost an hour and a half hours but the bot didn't upload it. I've manually created the page, but there are a few things:
# I uploaded the file, and it appeared in the page, but the link in the List of all comics page is still red. I think I messed up the upload, so could you delete the current file (the one I uploaded) for 2196 and reupload it?
# I created an incorrect redirect page [[Nice To E-Meet you]] (The name is incorrect, I forgot to capitalize the You). Could you please delete that page? Thanks!
[[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 01:06, 31 August 2019 (UTC)
:also failed on [[2198]] probably because it is interactive though? Tried to create that. Not sure I did it right as it is not on the front page? Hope it is just because it take some time? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:01, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
::Herobrine found that it was [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Template:LATESTCOMIC this page] that needed pdate and seems like the bot fixed this... So it works on the front page now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:42, 4 September 2019 (UTC)

== Bot down ==

Is the bot down? The last few comics explanations here were created manually? [[User:Natg19|Natg19]] ([[User talk:Natg19|talk]]) 21:58, 20 December 2019 (UTC)
: From User:Kynde's research, it seems like the bot has not been working since Dec 13. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.234|172.68.47.234]] 19:27, 27 December 2019 (UTC)
In addition to the BOT not working since 12/13, it seems Dgbrt has not made any contributions since March 8, 2019. Since we don't know each other beyond our wiki identities, I'm wondering if Dgbrt is "down" too! I think the BOT is hosted on a separate system/server from this wiki, and it seems plausible that it is no longer functional, so I'm concerned that something has happened to the person behind the Dgbrt account. Is there anyone who personally knows Dgbrt that can provide further info to the explainxkcd users who interacted with this editor? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 19:27, 1 January 2020 (UTC)
:: Sadly, the "something happened" could just be that this user does not read xkcd anymore, and does not feel the need to contribute. Does this wiki have an function to email the users? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.168|172.69.34.168]] 17:51, 3 January 2020 (UTC)

2250: OK/okay/ok

2020-01-03T17:47:12Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ add category

Talk:Syndication

2019-12-27T10:34:35Z

172.69.34.168:

Where is this coming from? was this actually online in 2007? Between comics 242 and 243? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:08, 18 November 2019 (UTC)

Can we discuss the jokes in this comic, like Belgium jokingly being considered a swear word?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.196|108.162.216.196]] 20:12, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
:I think we should. :) You are free to start a list of the items, to explain them, or a discussion here in the discussion page.

Alright, nobody has touched this for quite a while now, so I might as well. I kinda expected this page to be finished, but it is amazingly not so. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.234|172.68.47.234]] 09:50, 27 December 2019 (UTC)
:Hello, it is I again. I have something on my mind. I believe this comic never really was a thing. I will lay out everything I know. The link to the original comic at the top is broken and returns a 404 error. I cannot for the life of me find anything on this comic on Google other than a lone post on the xkcd forums, which could just as well have been posted in either 2007 or 2019, but I can't check because the forums are down. As well, it is odd that this explain xkcd page only came into existence 12 years after the comic was purportedly posted. Taking all of this into account, I have reason to believe that this entire thing has been a fabrication, i.e. that this was made in 2019 by a fan. I'd try to gather more concrete evidence for this, but that's where I run into a dead end. I have no idea how to proceed. I know of exactly one person who could settle this conclusively, which is Randall Munroe himself, but I imagine he has more important things to do. If any of you could prove/disprove my theory, that would be great. In the meantime, sure, I'll just assume this comic did actually get published in 2007. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.168|172.69.34.168]] 10:34, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

2246: Christmas Presents

2019-12-27T05:04:56Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ Fungi is plural, fungus is singular

{{comic
| number = 2246
| date = December 25, 2019
| title = Christmas Presents
| image = christmas_presents.png
| titletext = "The parasitism might be mediated by a fungus!" exclaimed the biologist who was trying to ruin Christmas again.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created using the [[User:DgbrtBOT|BOT template]]. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Explain more about parasitic plant and how fungus can help them grow. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is the second comic in a row about presents, this one in particular calls them {{w|Christmas gift|Christmas presents}}, and it is also the comic released on {{w|Christmas}} Day. It is thus the second [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comic]] in a row after [[2245: Edible Arrangements]].

A {{w|Christmas tree}} cut down from the wood, will typically be placed in a living-room some time after being cut down, and stand there for some time. On {{w|Christmas Eve}} or {{w|Christmas Day}}, presents will typically be put beneath the tree in the shade of the lower branches. At this time the tree may already have started turning brown and/or losing its needles.

Based on this observation (on Christmas Day) some biologist (or [[Randall]]) concludes that the presents are a type of {{w|parasitic plant}}—that is, a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirement from another living plant. Such a plant can live in the shade beneath a tree that it parasitizes, may not need chlorophyll, and therefore may not be green. With the presents often being wrapped in bright white and red colored paper, Randall concludes that this indicate a lack of chlorophyll, thus fitting with the idea of a parasitic plant.

With the presents being in the shade of the tree and the the tree's health suffering, the evidence can only lead to the conclusion that Christmas presents are parasitic plants.

In the title text a biologist says that "The parasitism might be mediated by a fungus!" The {{w|fungus}} could help the parasitic plant in its endeavor to use the normal plant for its growth.{{Citation needed}} Randall says this is just the biologist who is trying to ruin Christmas again. It is unclear if the first time was the one about presents being parasitic plants, and this one then just makes it worse because the presents now has a fungus on them as well.

==Transcript==
:[A Christmas tree decorated with 16 balls and a star at the top with a high trunk with space for several presents beneath. About 13 presents with different patterns of paper and some with strings around. Three arrows with text at the blunt end points towards different areas. To the left one points to a present, beneath this one points to the area beneath the tree (the bottom of one present) and to the right one points to the tree.]
:Bright white and red colors indicate a lack of Chlorophyll
:Flourishing in the shade
:Tree health suffering

:[Caption beneath the panel:]
:The evidence is clear: Christmas presents are parasitic plants.

{{comic discussion}}



[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Biology]]

2241: Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect

2019-12-14T01:51:37Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ ce

{{comic
| number = 2241
| date = December 13, 2019
| title = Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect
| image = brussels_sprouts_mandela_effect.png
| titletext = I love Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect; I saw them open for Correct Horse Battery Staple.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a TASTY BRUSSELS SPROUT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|False_memory#Mandela_Effect|Mandela Effect}} is a pseudoscience explanation for a {{w|false memory}} shared by multiple people that says it is a real memory of people who had lived in a parallel world where the memory was true. False memories may arise via suggestibility, activation of associated information, the incorporation of misinformation, and source misattribution, and they can be shared, sometimes widely, when one of these triggers happens to many people in a population.

{{w|Brussels sprouts}} are a leafy vegetable from the cabbage family, which were cultivated in Brussels, Belgium in the 13th century, giving them their name. Many adults and children [https://www.camdenliving.com/blog/why-do-we-hate-brussel-sprout dislike Brussels sprouts], perhaps because of their bitterness.

Cueball was one of these people who had a dislike for Brussels sprouts, but after trying them recently, he had a change of heart, and likes them now. He feels "misled" by the public dislike for Brussels sprouts. Megan chimes in and also notes that there is a [https://npr.org/773457637 newer cultivar of Brussels sprouts] (incorrectly linked by Randall, see [[#Trivia]] section), from around 15 years ago, which may taste better than the "original" cultivar of Brussels sprouts that Cueball grew up eating.

It seems that others have grown to like Brussels sprouts nowadays, which Cueball calls a Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect - that they now have a "false" shared memory of Brussels sprouts not tasting good caused by having lived in a past reality where Brussel sprouts really were bitter.

In the last panel, Ponytail tricks Cueball into thinking that licorice, [https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/why-do-so-many-us-hate-black-licorice-few-theories-963738 another widely disliked food], is good tasting. Additionally, she claims that {{w|Silica_gel#Desiccant|silica gel packets}} are actually edible and taste delicious. This is very false, and potentially dangerous. Silica gel packets are typically used as a desiccant, to keep electronics and other moisture sensitive items dry. They are typically marked "[https://www.123rf.com/photo_72752039_single-silica-gel-packet-isolated-on-white-background-.html Do Not Eat]", to warn people of their danger.

The title text suggests that "Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect" is {{tvtropes|AGoodNameForARockBand|a good name for a musical band}}, and humorously suggests that "Correct Battery Horse Staple" is also a band, though it is a reference to a previous comic ([[936: Password Strength]]).

==Trivia==
The URL given is [https://npr.org/773457633 npr.org/773457633] but this seems to be an error; the actual URL is number 77345763'''7''' ([https://text.npr.org/s.php?sId=773457637 plain HTML version] or [https://npr.org/773457637 full site]).

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

:[Ponytail, Cueball, and Megan standing in a line]
:Cueball: I always thought of Brussels sprouts as terrible, but they're actually really good! I can't believe I let everyone mislead me!

:[Frameless panel just showing Megan]
:Megan: It's not just you! Farmers developed a less-bitter cultivar like 15 years ago.*
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>npr.org/773457633

:[Ponytail, Cueball, and Megan standing in a line. Megan is holding her arm away from her.]
:Megan: Now the whole world is having this revelation, one person at a time. It's like a real Mandela effect. We secretly switched to the parallel universe where Brussels sprouts taste good.
:Cueball: ''Cool.''

:[Ponytail, Cueball, and Megan standing in a line. Ponytail is holding up one finger.]
:Ponytail: Also, licorice is good now.
:Cueball: Whoa, really?
:Megan: This is a trap.
:Ponytail: And those silica gel packets that say "Do not eat"? '''''Delicious.'''''
:Cueball: ''I knew it.''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Food]]

Talk:2241: Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect

2019-12-14T01:49:57Z

172.69.34.168: remove, nevermind, fixed itself

Brussels Sprouts Mandella Effect dot Tumblr dot com--[[User:GoldNinja|GoldNinja]] ([[User talk:GoldNinja|talk]]) 00:20, 14 December 2019 (UTC)

Is liquorice ''really'' so disliked as suggested? For me it's "Meh" ({{w|Liquorice allsorts}} are all the better for being partnered with sweetness in various ways), but pallatable enough in its plain form. Although I admit the versions salted with ammonium chloride are a more acquired taste to my (apparently) non-European tastebuds. I won't eat those in handfulls, just the odd occasionally grabbed morsel from the bag that gets rapidly emptied by the continental person who brought them... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.250|141.101.98.250]] 00:25, 14 December 2019 (UTC)

Silica packets are harmless to eat:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/19775/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-one-those-silica-gel-packets

921: Delivery Notification

2019-12-07T02:41:23Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ cleanup

{{comic
| number = 921
| date = July 6, 2011
| title = Delivery Notification
| image = delivery_notification.png
| titletext = You can arrange a pickup of your sword in Rivendell between the hours of noon and 7:00 PM.
}}

==Explanation==
In the US, when the package delivery company {{w|UPS}} (or other package delivery companies) knocks on your door or rings your doorbell and cannot reach you, they leave a delivery attempt notification stuck to your door. These may be for packages that require a signature, such as expensive electronics. An example is shown in the first panel.

This comic hints that the threshold for the UPS delivery person to leave such a notice is unreasonably low. The delivery personnel made only a token effort to deliver the package (which, incidentally, is their only actual job) before posting the yellow delivery notification and unconcernedly driving away to their next delivery.

After missing the delivery, [[Cueball]] (who is directly referencing ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}'') asks the Elves to reforge his sword in order to go on a quest to retrieve his new laptop. In ''The Lord of the Rings'', {{w|Aragorn}} (accepting his role as the heir to the king of the West) had the sword of {{w|Elendil}}, called {{w|Narsil}}, reforged (which symbolizes the reuniting of the race of man under one leader). Cueball obviously views the UPS building as a dangerous and impenetrable fortress, and possession of such a sword is the only way to guarantee success in his quest.

Ironically, when the Elves come to deliver the new sword, the delivery elf is unable to notify anyone in the house, and simply leaves another delivery notification.

In the title text, {{w|Rivendell}} is one of the home of the Elves, where the broken shards of Narsil resided, with {{w|Elrond}} and his elves. Unfortunately for Cueball, the sorting depot of Rivendell has the same, limited opening hours as the UPS. It is apparent that Cueball will not be getting his laptop in time for his flight.

==Transcript==
:[The first panel is a UPS InfoNotice®. Most of the text on it is just scribbles, though the company logo and header is clear.]

:[Cueball opens their door to see the InfoNotice® stuck on his door.]
:Cueball: ''What!'' I've been here all day!
:Cueball 2 (off-screen): Huh?
:Cueball: They have my laptop.

:[Cueball and Cueball 2 are standing next to each other. Cueball has his arms to his sides, in annoyance.]
:Cueball 2: So get it tomorrow.
:Cueball: I fly out in the morning and they don't open till noon!
:Cueball 2: Sucks.

:[Cueball stands, working on a laptop.]
:Cueball: It's ''right there''. I can see the UPS building on the map.
:Cueball 2 (off-screen): Ok...

:[Dramatic zoom to the Cueball's upper torso and face, along with clenched fist.]
:Cueball: My laptop is there.
:Cueball: It's ''mine''.
:Cueball: I'm going to get it.

:[Even more dramatic zoom! Cueball's face fills the panel.]
:Cueball 2 (off-screen): They won't let you.
:Cueball: Who are they to keep from me what is mine?
:Cueball 2 (off-screen): Dude, they—

:[Zoomed out on Cueball, who spins around, raising a finger.]
:Cueball: A quest is at hand!
:Cueball 2(off-screen): Security's gonna throw you out.
:Cueball: I fear neither death nor pain. But I will not go unarmed.

:[Three inset panels overlap, in a montage format.]
:[Elves in long robes stand around a table, on which lies a broken sword.]
: Light the beacons and send word to the Elves.
: They must reforge the sword of my fathers.

:[An Elf beats the sword together on an anvil.]

:[An Elf rides a horse, silhouetted by the full moon.]
: Ere dawn, I will go forth to the Sorting Depot.

:[The Elf knocks at the door, sword in scabbard held under arm.]
:''Knock knock knock knock''

:[Cueball opens the door, to find a second InfoNotice® stuck on top of the first. The Elf is gone.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

921: Delivery Notification

2019-12-07T02:33:30Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ more

{{comic
| number = 921
| date = July 6, 2011
| title = Delivery Notification
| image = delivery_notification.png
| titletext = You can arrange a pickup of your sword in Rivendell between the hours of noon and 7:00 PM.
}}

==Explanation==
In the US, when the package delivery company {{w|UPS}} (or other package delivery companies) knocks on your door or rings your doorbell and cannot reach you, they leave a delivery attempt notification stuck to your door. These may be for packages that require a signature, such as expensive electronics. An example is shown in the first panel.

This comic hints that the threshold for the UPS delivery person to leave such a notice is unreasonably low. The delivery personnel made only a token effort to deliver the package (which, incidentally, is their only actual job) before posting the yellow delivery notification and unconcernedly driving away to their next delivery.

After missing the delivery, [[Cueball]] (who is directly referencing ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings}}'') asks the Elves to reforge his sword in order to go on a quest to retrieve his new laptop. In ''The Lord of the Rings'', {{w|Aragorn}} (accepting his role as the heir to the king of the West) had the sword of {{w|Elendil}}, called {{w|Narsil}}, reforged (which symbolizes the reuniting of the race of man under one leader). Cueball obviously views the UPS building as a dangerous and impenetrable fortress, and possession of such a sword is the only way to guarantee success in his quest.

Ironically, when the Elves come to deliver the new sword, the delivery elf is unable to notify anyone in the house, and simply leaves another delivery notification.

In the title text, {{w|Rivendell}} is one of the home of the Elves, where the broken shards of Narsil resided, with {{w|Elrond}} and his elves. Unfortunately for Cueball, the sorting depot of Rivendell has the same, limited opening hours as the UPS. It is apparent that Cueball will not be getting his laptop in time for his flight.

==Transcript==
:[The first panel is a UPS InfoNotice®. Most of the text on it is just scribbles, though the company logo and header is clear.]

:[A person opens their door to see the InfoNotice®. From off panel, a second person reacts.]
:Person: ''What!'' I've been here all day!
:Off-panel person 2: Huh?
:Person: They have my laptop.

:[Now both people are visible. The first is making an expansive gesture of annoyance.]
:Person 2: So get it tomorrow.
:Person: I fly out in the morning and they don't open till noon!
:Person 2: Sucks.

:[The first person is at a laptop. The second is once again off-panel.]
:Person: It's ''right there''. I can see the UPS building on the map.
:Off-panel person 2: Ok...

:[Dramatic zoom to the person's upper torso and face, along with clenched fist.]
:Person: My laptop is there. It's ''mine''.
:Person: I'm going to get it.

:[Even more dramatic zoom! The person's featureless face fills the panel.]
:Off-panel person 2: They won't let you.
:Person: Who are they to keep from me what is mine?
:Off-panel person 2: Dude, they—

:[The person spins, raising a finger, most likely to indicate some sort of quest at hand.]
:Person: A quest is at hand!
:Off-panel person 2: Security's gonna throw you out.
:Person: I fear neither death nor pain. But I will not go unarmed.

:(Three inset panels overlap, in a montage format. The person narrates.)
:[Elves in long robes stand around a table, on which lies a broken sword.]
:Narrating person: Light the beacons and send word to the Elves. They must reforge the sword of my fathers.

:[An Elf beats the sword together on an anvil.]

:[An Elf rides a horse, silhouetted by the full moon.]
:Narrating person: Ere dawn, I will go forth to the Sorting Depot.

:(The montage ends and normal panels resume.)
:[The Elf knocks at the door, sword in scabbard held under arm.]
:''Knock knock knock knock''

:[The person opens the door, to find a second InfoNotice® stuck on top of the first. The Elf is gone.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

921: Delivery Notification

2019-12-07T02:29:51Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ more

{{comic
| number = 921
| date = July 6, 2011
| title = Delivery Notification
| image = delivery_notification.png
| titletext = You can arrange a pickup of your sword in Rivendell between the hours of noon and 7:00 PM.
}}

==Explanation==
In the US, when the package delivery company {{w|UPS}} (or other package delivery companies) knocks on your door or rings your doorbell and cannot reach you, they leave a delivery attempt notification stuck to your door. These may be for packages that require a signature, such as expensive electronics. An example is shown in the first panel.

This comic hints that the threshold for the UPS delivery person to leave such a notice is unreasonably low. The delivery personnel make only a token effort to deliver the package (which, incidentally, is their only actual job) before posting the yellow delivery notification and unconcernedly driving away to their next delivery.

After missing the delivery, [[Cueball]] (who is directly referencing {{w|Lord of the Rings}}) asks the Elves to reforge the sword in order to go on a quest to retrieve his new laptop. In Lord of the Rings, {{w|Aragorn}} (accepting his role as the heir to the king of the West) had the sword of {{w|Elendil}} called {{w|Narsil}} reforged (which symbolizes the reuniting of the race of man under one leader). Cueball obviously views the UPS building as a dangerous and impenetrable fortress, and possession of such a sword is the only way to guarantee success in his quest.

Ironically, when the elves come to deliver the new sword, the delivery elf is unable to raise anyone in the house, and simply leaves another delivery notification.

In the title text, {{w|Rivendell}} is one of the home of the elves. The broken shards of Narsil lived in Rivendell with {{w|Elrond}} and his elves. The sorting depot of Rivendell has the same, limited opening hours as the UPS. It is apparent that Cueball will not be getting his laptop in time for his flight.

==Transcript==
:[The first panel is a UPS InfoNotice®. Most of the text on it is just scribbles, though the company logo and header is clear.]

:[A person opens their door to see the InfoNotice®. From off panel, a second person reacts.]
:Person: ''What!'' I've been here all day!
:Off-panel person 2: Huh?
:Person: They have my laptop.

:[Now both people are visible. The first is making an expansive gesture of annoyance.]
:Person 2: So get it tomorrow.
:Person: I fly out in the morning and they don't open till noon!
:Person 2: Sucks.

:[The first person is at a laptop. The second is once again off-panel.]
:Person: It's ''right there''. I can see the UPS building on the map.
:Off-panel person 2: Ok...

:[Dramatic zoom to the person's upper torso and face, along with clenched fist.]
:Person: My laptop is there. It's ''mine''.
:Person: I'm going to get it.

:[Even more dramatic zoom! The person's featureless face fills the panel.]
:Off-panel person 2: They won't let you.
:Person: Who are they to keep from me what is mine?
:Off-panel person 2: Dude, they—

:[The person spins, raising a finger, most likely to indicate some sort of quest at hand.]
:Person: A quest is at hand!
:Off-panel person 2: Security's gonna throw you out.
:Person: I fear neither death nor pain. But I will not go unarmed.

:(Three inset panels overlap, in a montage format. The person narrates.)
:[Elves in long robes stand around a table, on which lies a broken sword.]
:Narrating person: Light the beacons and send word to the Elves. They must reforge the sword of my fathers.

:[An Elf beats the sword together on an anvil.]

:[An Elf rides a horse, silhouetted by the full moon.]
:Narrating person: Ere dawn, I will go forth to the Sorting Depot.

:(The montage ends and normal panels resume.)
:[The Elf knocks at the door, sword in scabbard held under arm.]
:''Knock knock knock knock''

:[The person opens the door, to find a second InfoNotice® stuck on top of the first. The Elf is gone.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

1268: Alternate Universe

2019-12-07T02:27:25Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ remove, earth prime is just a general phrase

{{comic
| number = 1268
| date = September 23, 2013
| title = Alternate Universe
| image = alternate_universe.png
| titletext = As best as I can tell, I was transported here from Earth Prime sometime in the late 1990s. Your universe is identical in every way, except for the lobster thing and the thing where some of you occasionally change your clocks for some reason.
}}

==Explanation==
Randall is trying to make the point that eating {{w|Lobster|lobsters}} is as weird as eating {{w|spiders}}. {{w|Crustacean|Crustaceans}} and {{w|Arachnid|arachnids}} are both {{w|Arthropod|arthropods}}, members of the same phylum, so his comparison isn't too far off. Then again, humans are in the same phylum ({{w|Chordate|chordates}}) as {{w|Ascidiacea|sea squirts}}, so any perceived similarities are not exactly rooted in a close biological relationship. In addition, lobsters were once considered the "cockroaches of the sea", and a captain trying to feed his crew with lobster would often be seen as cruel; although there is some justification for that mindset as lobsters were served by being crushed into mush, shell and all, and boiled into a bland gruel. On the other hand, {{w|Spider#Benefits_to_humans|cooked tarantula spiders}} are considered a delicacy in {{w|Cambodia}}.

One common objection to eating spiders, crickets, roaches, and ants is that they are sometimes eaten whole, with guts, feces, and chitin devoured indiscriminately. However, many people eat only the actual muscles of the lobster, the same as one would any vertebrate.

In the title text, Randall suggests a fantastical reason for why he is so repulsed by eating lobster; he was actually born on a world almost completely identical to Earth, and was unknowingly relocated to our Earth when he was a teenager. The sentiment expressed here is that the act of eating lobster feels outright alien to him. This might be a reference to the {{w|Mandela Effect}}, which is a suggestion by various peoples - some jokingly, some seriously - that groups of people occasionally get transported into alternate realities as an explanation for why so many people were certain that {{w|Nelson Mandela}} died in the 1980s despite him actually dying in 2013. (Contrary to popular belief, the Mandela Effect is not rationalising those false memories but rather why so ''many'' people have the same false memory.)

To feel ''that'' strongly about shellfish-based cuisine, he would have to have not been exposed to it until his adolescent years; this seems unlikely, as the real Randall Munroe was born about 60 miles inland from the United States' northern east coast, where said cuisine is particularly prevalent. In reality, he is probably merely grossed out by the idea of eating lobster, and is exaggerating his feelings for comic effect. The title text also references changing clocks to and from {{w|Daylight Saving Time}} (DST), a practice which Randall has previously shown disdain for, mocking its irrational premise in [[:Category:Daylight saving time|several comics]]. Again, he is likely comically exaggerating his feelings, unless he literally doesn't recall a time before his teenage years when his parents ever changed the clocks in accordance with DST.

The term "{{w|Earth Prime}}" is typically used in fictional {{w|multiverse}} settings, as a way to conveniently distinguish the Earth in which the narrative is rooted from any other Earths featured in the story.

==Transcript==
:[Captions above the panel:]
:Imagine you were transported to an alternate universe just like your own, except people occasionally ate spiders.
:You can't convince anyone this is weird.

:[Megan is holding a very large spider, with another similar spider before her on the ground, and Cueball is standing behind her, leaning away with his hands out to each side shocked, as shown with three small lines going out from his head.]
:Megan: Mmm...
:Cueball: ''No!'' What are you ''doing!?''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:This is how I feel about lobster.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Spiders]]
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Daylight saving time]]

2234: How To Deliver Christmas Presents

2019-11-27T22:27:39Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ cleanup

{{comic
| number = 2234
| date = November 27, 2019
| title = How To Deliver Christmas Presents
| image = how_to_deliver_christmas_presents.png
| titletext = Building codes in hurricane zones rely on studies of how easily flying debris can break residential windows. If you're looking for a science fair project idea and you hate your neighbors, I'm sure they could always use more data!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHIMNEYBOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is [[:Category:Book promotion|yet another]] fun way to promote [[Randall|Randall's]] new book, ''[[How To]]'', released on September 3, 2019, reminding people to buy it as a Christmas present. Randall's book is used an example of a {{w|Christmas present}} that could be given to a friend or family member. Giving Christmas presents is a traditional way to celebrate the holiday of Christmas, on December 25 of each year.

The entire comic links to https://xkcd.com/how-to/, a description of his book and ways to order it. As always the [[xkcd_Header_text#2014-07-23_-_what_if.3F_book_tour|entire picture is a link]], even though he has made the link text blue as if it was a clickable link. Of course it will also work if you actually click on the link. At least in this comic he does state that you can click anywhere on the comic, and if that doesn't work he also gives the link. Many people would probably still click on the blue link line, having not read his text. But the object of getting them to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ xkcd page about How To] would have been obtained.

The rest of the comic discusses how to "deliver" this Christmas present. As mentioned in the comic, the "traditional" way that parents teach their kids about Christmas and Christmas gift giving is with the story of {{w|Santa Claus}}, a man who lives on the North Pole, who delivers gifts each Christmas Eve by riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer. He is usually depicted entering a house to deliver gifts by going down the home's chimney. Every year, the {{w|NORAD Tracks Santa|North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa}} as he delivers gifts around the world. Although we take that story for granted, it is no less ridiculous than the alternatives this comic explores, and in fact considerably more so.

As mentioned in the comic, fireplaces (and chimneys) are becoming less common in the United States, so Randall (drawn as Cueball) proposes 3 options for how to deliver his new book as a present:

'''Option 1''': Vaporize the gift (and blow it into their house).
This would allow the particles of the book to enter the air vents of the house. However, this book would be unreadable, which defeats the purpose of purchasing the book for someone. As noted by Randall using information from a [https://doi.org/10.3155/1047-3289.58.4.502 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association study], dust particles can remain inside a house for months (with vacuuming) and decades without vacuuming. This inspires Cueball to vacuum his house.

'''Option 2''': Throw the book through their window.
Based on [https://www.fema.gov/previous-missile-impact-tests-wood-sheathing research by FEMA], Randall states the speed needed to throw a book-sized object through a window to be 25 mph (~40 km/h). Breaking a window is probably not an ideal way to deliver a gift, as the recipient likely would not be pleased with a hole in their window. If a house has a broken window, perhaps from a previous gift delivery, they might cover up the window with a piece of plywood. Randall notes the speed to throw a book-sized object through a piece of plywood to be 250 mph (~400 km/h), faster than a human can reasonably throw.

If the book weighs about 400g, 25 mph would be enough. But the formula in the comic is wrong (inverted), see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]] below.

The title text mentions that building codes in hurricane-prone areas, like the southern United States, rely on information on how easily flying debris can break windows, presumably to improve reinforcement of such windows. Randall proposes a {{w|science fair project}} contributing to these studies (by throwing books at windows).

'''Option 3''': Intercept a different package.
This option is to intercept an order of a different book, and replace the pages of the book with Randall's book (which Black Hat is shown doing). As the recipient, Cueball, remarks, this is similar to {{w|Spoofing attack|content spoofing}} / content injection, where information passed over the Internet is replaced before being delivered to the user. In this "real-life" case, the book's content has been "injected" and replaced with a different book.
An off-screen person mentions {{w|HTTPS}}, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, an extension of the regular HTTP protocol, used for secure communication. Cueball and this person believe that "paper" needs HTTPS, so that Cueball's original book can be "securely delivered" without being intercepted by third parties such as Black Hat.

This could also relate to {{w|code injection}}, where malicious code is injected into a program. An example of code injection is with the famous comic, [[327: Exploits of a Mom]], where Mrs. Roberts deletes the school's database tables.

The house is very detailed and in the windows are both a cat (typical click bait) and a disheveled looking Pikachu, the most famous Pokémon. Maybe it looks like that because it is about to get a book thrown at it through the window.

==Transcript==
:[The comic is divided into three sections. The top section contains one low panel stretching across the entire comic. It has a header (same as the title of the comic) with a sub-header beneath. Then below that is a picture of Randall’s new book ''How To''. The black book is shown standing. The blue title is readable but the white text beneath it as well as blue and white text below the image is unreadable. On the cover is a white drawing of Cueball putting in a light-bulb with a quad-copter under each foot. White Hat is watching as Megan walks in with a ladder. Next to the book is a segment of text with a blue link at the end. Beneath this is a text from where a curved arrow goes to the book.]
:<big><big>How To Deliver Christmas Presents</big></big>
:<big>In a future without chimneys</big>
: How To
:For more questionable ideas for using science to solve problems, check out my new book, '''''How To!''''' Click on this comic or go to xkcd.com/how-to
:Good Christmas gift!

:[The second section has three normal sized panels on the same row. In the first panel, Randall, drawn as Cueball, is presenting the problem of the comic, while holding one hand out palm up.]
:Randall: The traditional way to get Christmas presents into a house is to have a large reindeer-herding man slither down the chimney with them.
:Randall: Unfortunately, chimneys are becoming less common in the United States.

:[The middle panel shows a line graph with one black and four gray lines. The X-axis is a time scale, with small ticks for each year and larger labeled ticks for every fifth year. The Y-axis is a percentage range with small ticks for every 5% and larger labeled ticks for every 10%. Each of the gray lines are swinging up and down quite a lot, but all but one of them clearly falls down as times passes. The black line has a clear downwards falling tendency. Each line has a label written on segments of the lines, where the lines are thus disrupted. For the gray lines the text is also gray. Above the lines are the following text:]
:<big>Disappearing chimneys</big>
:Percentage of new homes with fireplaces
:Source: Census Bureau ''Survey of Construction''
:X-Axis: 1990  1995  2000  2005  2010  2015
:Y-Axis: 40%  50%  60%  70%  80%
:Overall
:West
:Midwest
:South
:Northeast

:[In the third and last panel of this segment Randall, holding his arms out, explains that there are other ways to solve the problem.]
:Randall: But that's OK; there are other ways to get a gift into a house
:Randall: Here are a few options!

:[The last segment has a large panel taking up the bottom half of the comic. At the bottom of this panel there are even two smaller comics which lie over this panel and break the bottom border of the panel. They relate to the information in the large panel. In the middle of this panel is a detailed drawing of a house. The tiles of the roof are all individually drawn (8 rows with about 23 tiles each for a total about 180 tiles). To the right on the roof top is a chimney indicated with a dotted line, showing where it is not present. The front of the house has two small windows to the left, a door with door knob, in the middle of the house, with a two steps stair in front of it and a large window with three segments to the right. All three windows have curtains visible and are divided in two, a top and a bottom part On the top of the middle segment there is a handle for opening the windows, all five segments of them. In the window to the left sits a cat and in the central segment of the large window to the right sits Pikachu. The foundation of the house is drawn as 4 rows of bricks to the left (about 12 in each row) and three to the right (about 16 in each row, for 48 on both sides for a total of about 96). ]

:[To the left on the side of the house is a line indicating a ventilation shaft. Three arrows end there. They are coming from a bunch of particles of a disintegrating black book with part of a title still readable. Other text is visible, but not readable. Only the first word of the title can be read, but even here the last letter is already partly dissolved. The book is hanging above the grass on the ground below it to the left of the house. Above the book is a section of text marked with a large white number 1 inside a black circle. Beneath the book this text continues. Bordering this text is a one panel comic belonging to this text segment.]
:'''1''' Even without chimneys, houses aren't airtight. If you vaporize the gift, parts of it will enter the house through the intake vents...
:Book: How
:...And it will ''stay'' there.
:According to a 2008 study from Clarkson University, particles of your gift that settle in their house will remain there for an average of several months if they vacuum, and seven decades if they don’t
:Source: DOI 10.3155/1047-3289.58.4.502

:[The one panel comic is on top of the large panel beneath the door to the house, but about three times as wide. In the panel, Megan and Cueball are reacting to statement 1. Cueball is walking away from her to the right.]
:Megan: Seven ''decades?!''
:Cueball: BRB, I need to go vacuum.
:Megan: Houses are ''disgusting''

:[To the right of the house a gift wrapped present is flying towards the large window, with five lines indicating its speed and direction. Beneath the book is a line indicating the ground away from the house. There is a large segment of text surrounding the book on the three sides away from the house. Above the present next to the dotted-lined chimney is a large white number 2 inside a black circle. Then follows text which goes out to the edge of the panel, and this text continues down to the level of the book where it then only continues to the right of the speed lines. And then finally two lines of text are beneath the book above the ground next to the house.]
:'''2''' The critical momentum necessary for a projectile to break glass is around 4 kg*m/s. (40 for ½" plywood.)
:Source: fema.gov/previous-missile-impact-test-wood-sheathing
:This means you can deliver a book-sized gift by hurling it at a window at 25+ mph
:Speed = book mass/ 4 kg*m/s = 25 mph
:But if they’ve put up plywood shutters, you’ll need 250mph+ delivery speeds.

:[Finally beneath the house and text segment 2, there is a large white number 3 inside a black circle adjacent to the top right of the segment 1 panel comic. Next to this is the final text segment in this panel. Beneath this text is yet another comic, this time in five panels referring to the text, where the panels also break the lower border of the large panel.]
:'''3''' Wait until they order a different book, then intercept the package, open the binding, and replace the pages with the ones from yours.

:[The five panel comic is on top of the large panel but beneath the text segment 3. ]
:[Black Hat opening a box with one hand while having his own book under the other arm.]

:[The book cover is open, the pages from the original book have been removed and are interchanged with those from Black Hat’s book, two arrows indicating the switch.]

:[Black Hat carrying a closed box.]

:[Cueball going down to retrieving the package from the bottom of a three step stairs.]

:[Cueball is standing next to the open box reading the book.]
:Cueball: ...Ugh, real-life content injection.
:Off-screen voice: We need HTTPS for paper.

==Trivia==
*The equation in the comic is wrong!
**Speed = book mass/ 4 kg*m/s = 25 mph
***The units of this formula is not m/s but s/m.
**It should be 4 kg*m/s /book mass
***Assuming the book weighs about 0.8lbs (360 g) this would give a speed of 11,1 m/s = 40 km/hour = 24,86 mph = 25 mph.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Hurricanes]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2234: How To Deliver Christmas Presents

2019-11-27T22:14:33Z

172.69.34.168: /* Trivia */ unnecessary

{{comic
| number = 2234
| date = November 27, 2019
| title = How To Deliver Christmas Presents
| image = how_to_deliver_christmas_presents.png
| titletext = Building codes in hurricane zones rely on studies of how easily flying debris can break residential windows. If you're looking for a science fair project idea and you hate your neighbors, I'm sure they could always use more data!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHIMNEYBOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is [[:Category:Book promotion|yet another]] fun way to promote [[Randall|Randall's]] new book, ''[[How To]]'', released on September 3, 2019, reminding people to buy it as a Christmas present. Randall's book is used an example of a {{w|Christmas present}} that could be given to a friend or family member. Giving Christmas presents is a traditional way to celebrate the holiday of Christmas, on December 25 of each year.

The entire comic links to https://xkcd.com/how-to/, a description of his book and ways to order it. As always the [[xkcd_Header_text#2014-07-23_-_what_if.3F_book_tour|entire picture is a link]], even though he has made the link text blue as if it was a clickable link. Of course it will also work if you actually click on the link. At least in this comic he does state that you can click anywhere on the comic, and if that doesn't work he also gives the link. Many people would probably still click on the blue link line, having not read his text. But the object of getting them to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ xkcd page about How To] would have been obtained.

The rest of the comic discusses how to "deliver" this Christmas present. As mentioned in the comic, the "traditional" way that parents teach their kids about Christmas and Christmas gift giving is with the story of {{w|Santa Claus}}, a man who lives on the North Pole, who delivers gifts each Christmas Eve by riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer. He is usually depicted entering a house to deliver gifts by going down the home's chimney. Every year, the {{w|NORAD Tracks Santa|North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa}} as he delivers gifts around the world. Although we take that story for granted, it is no less ridiculous than the alternatives this comic explores, and in fact considerably more so.

As mentioned in the comic, fireplaces (and chimneys) are becoming less common in the United States, so Randall (drawn as Cueball) proposes 3 options for how to deliver his new book as a present:

'''Option 1''': Vaporize the gift (and blow it into their house).
This would allow the particles of the book to enter the air vents of the house. However, this book would be unreadable, which defeats the purpose of purchasing the book for someone. As noted by Randall using information from a [https://doi.org/10.3155/1047-3289.58.4.502 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association study], dust particles can remain inside a house for months (with vacuuming) and decades without vacuuming. This inspires Cueball to vacuum his house.

'''Option 2''': Throw the book through their window.
Based on [https://www.fema.gov/previous-missile-impact-tests-wood-sheathing research by FEMA], Randall states the speed needed to throw a book-sized object through a window to be 25 mph (~40 km/h). Breaking a window is probably not an ideal way to deliver a gift, as the recipient likely would not be pleased with a hole in their window. If a house has a broken window, perhaps from a previous gift delivery, they might cover up the window with a piece of plywood. Randall notes the speed to throw a book-sized object through a piece of plywood to be 250 mph (~400 km/h), faster than a human can reasonably throw.

If the book weighs about 400g, 25 mph would be enough. But the formula in the comic is wrong (inverted), see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]] below.

The title text mentions that building codes in hurricane-prone areas, like the southern United States, rely on information on how easily flying debris can break windows, presumably to improve reinforcement of such windows. Randall proposes a {{w|science fair project}} contributing to these studies (by throwing books at windows).

'''Option 3''': Intercept a different package.
This option is to intercept an order of a different book, and replace the pages of the book with Randall's book (which Black Hat is shown doing). As the recipient, Cueball, remarks, this is similar to {{w|Spoofing attack|content spoofing}} / content injection, where information passed over the Internet is replaced before being delivered to the user. In this "real-life" case, the book's content has been "injected" and replaced with a different book.
An off-screen person mentions {{w|HTTPS}}, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, an extension of the regular HTTP protocol, used for secure communication. Cueball and this person believe that "paper" needs HTTPS, so that Cueball's original book can be "securely delivered" without being intercepted by third parties such as Black Hat.

This could also relate to {{w|code injection}}, where malicious code is injected into a program. An example of code injection is with the famous comic, [[327: Exploits of a Mom]], where Mrs. Roberts deletes the school's database tables.

The house is very detailed and in the windows are both a cat (typical click bait) and a disheveled looking Pikachu, the most famous Pokémon. Maybe it looks like that because it is about to get a book thrown at it through the window.

==Transcript==
:[The comic is divided into three sections. The top section contains one low panel stretching across the entire comic. It has a header (same as the title of the comic) with a sub-header beneath. Then below that is a picture of Randall’s new book ''How To''. The black book is shown standing. The blue title is readable but the white text beneath it as well as blue and white text below the image is unreadable. On the cover is a white drawing of Cueball putting in a light-bulb with a quad-copter under each foot. White Hat is watching as Megan walks in with a ladder. Next to the book is a segment of text with a blue link at the end. Beneath this is a text from where a curved arrow goes to the book.]
:<big><big>How To Deliver Christmas Presents</big></big>
:<big>In a future without chimneys</big>
: How To
:For more questionable ideas for using science to solve problems, check out my new book, '''''How To!''''' Click on this comic or go to xkcd.com/how-to
:Good Christmas gift!

:[The second section has three normal sized panels on the same row. In the first panel, Randall, drawn as Cueball, is presenting the problem of the comic, while holding one hand out palm up.]
:Randall: The traditional way to get Christmas presents into a house is to have a large reindeer-herding man slither down the chimney with them.
:Randall: Unfortunately, chimneys are becoming less common in the United States.

:[The middle panel shows a line graph with one black and four gray lines. The X-axis is a time scale, with small ticks for each year and larger labeled ticks for every fifth year. The Y-axis is a percentage range with small ticks for every 5% and larger labeled ticks for every 10%. Each of the gray lines are swinging up and down quite a lot, but all but one of them clearly falls down as times passes. The black line has a clear downwards falling tendency. Each line has a label written on segments of the lines, where the lines are thus disrupted. For the gray lines the text is also gray. Above the lines are the following text:]
:<big>Disappearing chimneys</big>
:Percentage of new homes with fireplaces
:Source: Census Bureau ''Survey of Construction''
:X-Axis: 1990  1995  2000  2005  2010  2015
:Y-Axis: 40%  50%  60%  70%  80%
:Overall
:West
:Midwest
:South
:Northeast

:[In the third and last panel of this segment Randall, holding his arms out, explains that there are other ways to solve the problem.]
:Randall: But that's OK; there are other ways to get a gift into a house
:Randall: Here are a few options!

:[The last segment has a large panel taking up the bottom half of the comic. At the bottom of this panel there are even two smaller comics which lie over this panel and break the bottom border of the panel. They relate to the information in the large panel. In the middle of this panel is a detailed drawing of a house. The tiles of the roof are all individually drawn (8 rows with about 23 tiles each for a total about 180 tiles). To the right on the roof top is a chimney indicated with a dotted line, showing where it is not present. The front of the house has two small windows tot he left, a door with door knob, in the middle of the house, with a two steps stair in front of it and a large window with three segments to the right. All three windows have curtains visible and are divided in two, a top and a bottom part On the top of the middle segment there is a handle for opening the windows, all five segments of them. In the window to the left sits a cat and in the central segment of the large window to the right sits Pikachu. The foundation of the house is drawn as 4 rows of bricks to the left (about 12 in each row) and three to the right (about 16 in each row, for 48 on both sides for a total of about 96). ]

:[To the left on the side of the house is a line indicating a ventilation shaft. Three arrows end there. They are coming from a bunch of particles of a disintegrating black book with part of a title still readable. Other text is visible, but not readable. Only the first word of the title can be read, but even here the last letter is already partly dissolved. The book is hanging above the grass on the ground below it to the left of the house. Above the book is a section of text marked with a large white number 1 inside a black circle. Beneath the book this text continues. Bordering this text is a one panel comic belonging to this text segment.]
:'''1''' Even without chimneys, houses aren’t airtight. If you vaporize the gift, parts of it will enter the house through the intake vents…
:Book: How
:...And it will ''stay'' there.
:According to a 2008 study from Clarkson University, particles of your gift that settle in their house will remain there for an average of several months if they vacuum, and seven decades if they don’t
:Source: DOI 10.3155/1047-3289.58.4.502

:[The one panel comic is on top of the large panel beneath the door to the house, but about three times as wide. In the panel Megan is reacting to the statement 1 and Cueball also reacts by walking away from her.]
:Megan: Seven ''decades?!''
:Cueball: BRB, I need to go vacuum.
:Megan: Houses are ''disgusting''

:[To the right of the house a gift wrapped present is flying towards the large window, with five lines indicating its speed and direction. Beneath the book is a line indicating the ground away from the house. There is a large segment of text surrounding the book on the three sides away not toward the house. Above the present next to the not present chimney is a large white number 2 inside a black circle. Then follows text which goes out to the edge of the panel, and this text continue down to the level of the book where it then only continues to the right of the speed lines. And then finally two lines of text are beneath the book above the ground next to the house.]
:'''2''' The critical momentum necessary for a projectile to break glass is around 4 kg*m/s. (40 for ½" Plywood.)
:Source: fema.gov/previous-missile-impact-test-wood-sheathing
:This means you can deliver a book-sized gift by hurling it at a window at 25+ mph
:Speed = book mass/ 4 kg*m/s = 25 mph
:But if they’ve put up Plywood shutters, you’ll need 250 mph + delivery speeds.

:[Finally beneath the house and text segment 2, there is a large white number 3 inside a black circle below Pikachu and just next to the right top of the one panel comic. Next to this is the final text segment in this panel. Beneath this text is yet another comic, this time in five panels referring to the text, where the panels also break the lower border of the large panel.]
:'''3''' Wait until they order a different book, then intercept the package, open the binding, and replace the pages with the ones from yours.

:[The five panel comic is on top of the large panel but beneath the text segment 3. It shows Black Hat opening a box with one hand while having his own book under the other arm. In the second panel the book cover is open; the pages have been removed and are interchanged with those from Black Hat’s book, two arrows indicating the switch. Then Black Hat carries the now closed packet. The packet is left at the bottom of a three step stair which Cueball descends. Finally Cueball is standing next to the open box reading the book. He speaks and an off-panel voice replies from a starburst on the right side of this last panel of the entire comic.]
:Cueball: …Ugh, real-life content injection.
:Off panel voice: We need HTTPS for paper.

==Trivia==
*The equation in the comic is wrong!
**Speed = book mass/ 4 kg*m/s = 25 mph
***The units of this formula is not m/s but s/m.
**It should be 4 kg*m/s /book mass
***Assuming the book weighs about 0.8lbs (360 g) this would give a speed of 11,1 m/s = 40 km/hour = 24,86 mph = 25 mph.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Hurricanes]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2234: How To Deliver Christmas Presents

2019-11-27T22:13:31Z

172.69.34.168: /* Transcript */ ce

{{comic
| number = 2234
| date = November 27, 2019
| title = How To Deliver Christmas Presents
| image = how_to_deliver_christmas_presents.png
| titletext = Building codes in hurricane zones rely on studies of how easily flying debris can break residential windows. If you're looking for a science fair project idea and you hate your neighbors, I'm sure they could always use more data!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHIMNEYBOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is [[:Category:Book promotion|yet another]] fun way to promote [[Randall|Randall's]] new book, ''[[How To]]'', released on September 3, 2019, reminding people to buy it as a Christmas present. Randall's book is used an example of a {{w|Christmas present}} that could be given to a friend or family member. Giving Christmas presents is a traditional way to celebrate the holiday of Christmas, on December 25 of each year.

The entire comic links to https://xkcd.com/how-to/, a description of his book and ways to order it. As always the [[xkcd_Header_text#2014-07-23_-_what_if.3F_book_tour|entire picture is a link]], even though he has made the link text blue as if it was a clickable link. Of course it will also work if you actually click on the link. At least in this comic he does state that you can click anywhere on the comic, and if that doesn't work he also gives the link. Many people would probably still click on the blue link line, having not read his text. But the object of getting them to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ xkcd page about How To] would have been obtained.

The rest of the comic discusses how to "deliver" this Christmas present. As mentioned in the comic, the "traditional" way that parents teach their kids about Christmas and Christmas gift giving is with the story of {{w|Santa Claus}}, a man who lives on the North Pole, who delivers gifts each Christmas Eve by riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer. He is usually depicted entering a house to deliver gifts by going down the home's chimney. Every year, the {{w|NORAD Tracks Santa|North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa}} as he delivers gifts around the world. Although we take that story for granted, it is no less ridiculous than the alternatives this comic explores, and in fact considerably more so.

As mentioned in the comic, fireplaces (and chimneys) are becoming less common in the United States, so Randall (drawn as Cueball) proposes 3 options for how to deliver his new book as a present:

'''Option 1''': Vaporize the gift (and blow it into their house).
This would allow the particles of the book to enter the air vents of the house. However, this book would be unreadable, which defeats the purpose of purchasing the book for someone. As noted by Randall using information from a [https://doi.org/10.3155/1047-3289.58.4.502 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association study], dust particles can remain inside a house for months (with vacuuming) and decades without vacuuming. This inspires Cueball to vacuum his house.

'''Option 2''': Throw the book through their window.
Based on [https://www.fema.gov/previous-missile-impact-tests-wood-sheathing research by FEMA], Randall states the speed needed to throw a book-sized object through a window to be 25 mph (~40 km/h). Breaking a window is probably not an ideal way to deliver a gift, as the recipient likely would not be pleased with a hole in their window. If a house has a broken window, perhaps from a previous gift delivery, they might cover up the window with a piece of plywood. Randall notes the speed to throw a book-sized object through a piece of plywood to be 250 mph (~400 km/h), faster than a human can reasonably throw.

If the book weighs about 400g, 25 mph would be enough. But the formula in the comic is wrong (inverted), see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]] below.

The title text mentions that building codes in hurricane-prone areas, like the southern United States, rely on information on how easily flying debris can break windows, presumably to improve reinforcement of such windows. Randall proposes a {{w|science fair project}} contributing to these studies (by throwing books at windows).

'''Option 3''': Intercept a different package.
This option is to intercept an order of a different book, and replace the pages of the book with Randall's book (which Black Hat is shown doing). As the recipient, Cueball, remarks, this is similar to {{w|Spoofing attack|content spoofing}} / content injection, where information passed over the Internet is replaced before being delivered to the user. In this "real-life" case, the book's content has been "injected" and replaced with a different book.
An off-screen person mentions {{w|HTTPS}}, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, an extension of the regular HTTP protocol, used for secure communication. Cueball and this person believe that "paper" needs HTTPS, so that Cueball's original book can be "securely delivered" without being intercepted by third parties such as Black Hat.

This could also relate to {{w|code injection}}, where malicious code is injected into a program. An example of code injection is with the famous comic, [[327: Exploits of a Mom]], where Mrs. Roberts deletes the school's database tables.

The house is very detailed and in the windows are both a cat (typical click bait) and a disheveled looking Pikachu, the most famous Pokémon. Maybe it looks like that because it is about to get a book thrown at it through the window.

==Transcript==
:[The comic is divided into three sections. The top section contains one low panel stretching across the entire comic. It has a header (same as the title of the comic) with a sub-header beneath. Then below that is a picture of Randall’s new book ''How To''. The black book is shown standing. The blue title is readable but the white text beneath it as well as blue and white text below the image is unreadable. On the cover is a white drawing of Cueball putting in a light-bulb with a quad-copter under each foot. White Hat is watching as Megan walks in with a ladder. Next to the book is a segment of text with a blue link at the end. Beneath this is a text from where a curved arrow goes to the book.]
:<big><big>How To Deliver Christmas Presents</big></big>
:<big>In a future without chimneys</big>
: How To
:For more questionable ideas for using science to solve problems, check out my new book, '''''How To!''''' Click on this comic or go to xkcd.com/how-to
:Good Christmas gift!

:[The second section has three normal sized panels on the same row. In the first panel, Randall, drawn as Cueball, is presenting the problem of the comic, while holding one hand out palm up.]
:Randall: The traditional way to get Christmas presents into a house is to have a large reindeer-herding man slither down the chimney with them.
:Randall: Unfortunately, chimneys are becoming less common in the United States.

:[The middle panel shows a line graph with one black and four gray lines. The X-axis is a time scale, with small ticks for each year and larger labeled ticks for every fifth year. The Y-axis is a percentage range with small ticks for every 5% and larger labeled ticks for every 10%. Each of the gray lines are swinging up and down quite a lot, but all but one of them clearly falls down as times passes. The black line has a clear downwards falling tendency. Each line has a label written on segments of the lines, where the lines are thus disrupted. For the gray lines the text is also gray. Above the lines are the following text:]
:<big>Disappearing chimneys</big>
:Percentage of new homes with fireplaces
:Source: Census Bureau ''Survey of Construction''
:X-Axis: 1990  1995  2000  2005  2010  2015
:Y-Axis: 40%  50%  60%  70%  80%
:Overall
:West
:Midwest
:South
:Northeast

:[In the third and last panel of this segment Randall, holding his arms out, explains that there are other ways to solve the problem.]
:Randall: But that's OK; there are other ways to get a gift into a house
:Randall: Here are a few options!

:[The last segment has a large panel taking up the bottom half of the comic. At the bottom of this panel there are even two smaller comics which lie over this panel and break the bottom border of the panel. They relate to the information in the large panel. In the middle of this panel is a detailed drawing of a house. The tiles of the roof are all individually drawn (8 rows with about 23 tiles each for a total about 180 tiles). To the right on the roof top is a chimney indicated with a dotted line, showing where it is not present. The front of the house has two small windows tot he left, a door with door knob, in the middle of the house, with a two steps stair in front of it and a large window with three segments to the right. All three windows have curtains visible and are divided in two, a top and a bottom part On the top of the middle segment there is a handle for opening the windows, all five segments of them. In the window to the left sits a cat and in the central segment of the large window to the right sits Pikachu. The foundation of the house is drawn as 4 rows of bricks to the left (about 12 in each row) and three to the right (about 16 in each row, for 48 on both sides for a total of about 96). ]

:[To the left on the side of the house is a line indicating a ventilation shaft. Three arrows end there. They are coming from a bunch of particles of a disintegrating black book with part of a title still readable. Other text is visible, but not readable. Only the first word of the title can be read, but even here the last letter is already partly dissolved. The book is hanging above the grass on the ground below it to the left of the house. Above the book is a section of text marked with a large white number 1 inside a black circle. Beneath the book this text continues. Bordering this text is a one panel comic belonging to this text segment.]
:'''1''' Even without chimneys, houses aren’t airtight. If you vaporize the gift, parts of it will enter the house through the intake vents…
:Book: How
:...And it will ''stay'' there.
:According to a 2008 study from Clarkson University, particles of your gift that settle in their house will remain there for an average of several months if they vacuum, and seven decades if they don’t
:Source: DOI 10.3155/1047-3289.58.4.502

:[The one panel comic is on top of the large panel beneath the door to the house, but about three times as wide. In the panel Megan is reacting to the statement 1 and Cueball also reacts by walking away from her.]
:Megan: Seven ''decades?!''
:Cueball: BRB, I need to go vacuum.
:Megan: Houses are ''disgusting''

:[To the right of the house a gift wrapped present is flying towards the large window, with five lines indicating its speed and direction. Beneath the book is a line indicating the ground away from the house. There is a large segment of text surrounding the book on the three sides away not toward the house. Above the present next to the not present chimney is a large white number 2 inside a black circle. Then follows text which goes out to the edge of the panel, and this text continue down to the level of the book where it then only continues to the right of the speed lines. And then finally two lines of text are beneath the book above the ground next to the house.]
:'''2''' The critical momentum necessary for a projectile to break glass is around 4 kg*m/s. (40 for ½" Plywood.)
:Source: fema.gov/previous-missile-impact-test-wood-sheathing
:This means you can deliver a book-sized gift by hurling it at a window at 25+ mph
:Speed = book mass/ 4 kg*m/s = 25 mph
:But if they’ve put up Plywood shutters, you’ll need 250 mph + delivery speeds.

:[Finally beneath the house and text segment 2, there is a large white number 3 inside a black circle below Pikachu and just next to the right top of the one panel comic. Next to this is the final text segment in this panel. Beneath this text is yet another comic, this time in five panels referring to the text, where the panels also break the lower border of the large panel.]
:'''3''' Wait until they order a different book, then intercept the package, open the binding, and replace the pages with the ones from yours.

:[The five panel comic is on top of the large panel but beneath the text segment 3. It shows Black Hat opening a box with one hand while having his own book under the other arm. In the second panel the book cover is open; the pages have been removed and are interchanged with those from Black Hat’s book, two arrows indicating the switch. Then Black Hat carries the now closed packet. The packet is left at the bottom of a three step stair which Cueball descends. Finally Cueball is standing next to the open box reading the book. He speaks and an off-panel voice replies from a starburst on the right side of this last panel of the entire comic.]
:Cueball: …Ugh, real-life content injection.
:Off panel voice: We need HTTPS for paper.

==Trivia==
*The equation in the comic is wrong!
**Speed = book mass/ 4 kg*m/s = 25 mph
***The units of this formula is not m/s but s/m.
**It should be 4 kg*m/s /book mass
***Assuming the book weighs about 0.8lbs (360 g) this would give a speed of 11,1 m/s = 40 km/hour = 24,86 mph = 25 mph.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Hurricanes]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2234: How To Deliver Christmas Presents

2019-11-27T22:10:12Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ ce

{{comic
| number = 2234
| date = November 27, 2019
| title = How To Deliver Christmas Presents
| image = how_to_deliver_christmas_presents.png
| titletext = Building codes in hurricane zones rely on studies of how easily flying debris can break residential windows. If you're looking for a science fair project idea and you hate your neighbors, I'm sure they could always use more data!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHIMNEYBOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is [[:Category:Book promotion|yet another]] fun way to promote [[Randall|Randall's]] new book, ''[[How To]]'', released on September 3, 2019, reminding people to buy it as a Christmas present. Randall's book is used an example of a {{w|Christmas present}} that could be given to a friend or family member. Giving Christmas presents is a traditional way to celebrate the holiday of Christmas, on December 25 of each year.

The entire comic links to https://xkcd.com/how-to/, a description of his book and ways to order it. As always the [[xkcd_Header_text#2014-07-23_-_what_if.3F_book_tour|entire picture is a link]], even though he has made the link text blue as if it was a clickable link. Of course it will also work if you actually click on the link. At least in this comic he does state that you can click anywhere on the comic, and if that doesn't work he also gives the link. Many people would probably still click on the blue link line, having not read his text. But the object of getting them to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ xkcd page about How To] would have been obtained.

The rest of the comic discusses how to "deliver" this Christmas present. As mentioned in the comic, the "traditional" way that parents teach their kids about Christmas and Christmas gift giving is with the story of {{w|Santa Claus}}, a man who lives on the North Pole, who delivers gifts each Christmas Eve by riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer. He is usually depicted entering a house to deliver gifts by going down the home's chimney. Every year, the {{w|NORAD Tracks Santa|North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa}} as he delivers gifts around the world. Although we take that story for granted, it is no less ridiculous than the alternatives this comic explores, and in fact considerably more so.

As mentioned in the comic, fireplaces (and chimneys) are becoming less common in the United States, so Randall (drawn as Cueball) proposes 3 options for how to deliver his new book as a present:

'''Option 1''': Vaporize the gift (and blow it into their house).
This would allow the particles of the book to enter the air vents of the house. However, this book would be unreadable, which defeats the purpose of purchasing the book for someone. As noted by Randall using information from a [https://doi.org/10.3155/1047-3289.58.4.502 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association study], dust particles can remain inside a house for months (with vacuuming) and decades without vacuuming. This inspires Cueball to vacuum his house.

'''Option 2''': Throw the book through their window.
Based on [https://www.fema.gov/previous-missile-impact-tests-wood-sheathing research by FEMA], Randall states the speed needed to throw a book-sized object through a window to be 25 mph (~40 kph). Breaking a window is probably not an ideal way to deliver a gift, as the recipient likely would not be pleased with a hole in their window. If a house has a broken window, perhaps from a previous gift delivery, they might cover up the window with a piece of plywood. Randall notes the speed to throw a book-sized object through a piece of plywood to be 250 mph (~400 kph), faster than a human can reasonably throw.

If the book weighs about 400g, 25 mph would be enough. But the formula in the comic is wrong (inverted), see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]] below.

The title text mentions that building codes in hurricane-prone areas, like the southern United States, rely on information on how easily flying debris can break windows, presumably to improve reinforcement of such windows. Randall proposes a {{w|science fair project}} contributing to these studies (by throwing books at windows).

'''Option 3''': Intercept a different package.
This option is to intercept an order of a different book, and replace the pages of the book with Randall's book (which Black Hat is shown doing). As the recipient, Cueball, remarks, this is similar to {{w|Spoofing attack|content spoofing}} / content injection, where information passed over the Internet is replaced before being delivered to the user. In this "real-life" case, the book's content has been "injected" and replaced with a different book.
An off-screen person mentions {{w|HTTPS}}, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, an extension of the regular HTTP protocol, used for secure communication. Cueball and this person believe that "paper" needs HTTPS, so that Cueball's original book can be "securely delivered" without being intercepted by third parties such as Black Hat.

This could also relate to {{w|code injection}}, where malicious code is injected into a program. An example of code injection is with the famous comic, [[327: Exploits of a Mom]], where Mrs. Roberts deletes the school's database tables.

The house is very detailed and in the windows are both a cat (typical click bait) and a disheveled looking Pikachu, the most famous Pokémon. Maybe it looks like that because it is about to get a book thrown at it through the window.

==Transcript==
:[The comic is divided into three sections. The top section contains one low panel stretching across the entire comic. It has a header (same as the title of the comic) with a sub-header beneath. Then below that is a picture of Randall’s new book ''How To''. The black book is shown standing. The blue title is readable but the white text beneath it as well as blue and white text below the image is unreadable. On the cover is a white drawing of Cueball putting in a light-bulb with a quad-copter under each foot. White Hat is watching as Megan walks in with a ladder. Next to the book is a segment of text with a blue link at the end. Beneath this is a text from where a curved arrow goes to the book.]
:<big><big>How To Deliver Christmas Presents</big></big>
:<big>In a future without chimneys</big>
: How To
:For more questionable ideas for using science to solve problems, check out my new book '''''How To!''''' Click on this comic or go to xkcd.com/how-to
:Good Christmas gift!

:[The second section has three normal sized panels on the same row. In the first panel, Randall, drawn as Cueball, is presenting the problem of the comic, while holding one hand out palm up.]
:Randall: The traditional way to get Christmas presents into a house is to have a large reindeer-herding man slither down the chimney with them.
:Randall: Unfortunately, chimneys are becoming less common in the United States.

:[The middle panel shows a line graph with one black and four gray lines. The X-axis is a time scale, with small ticks for each year and larger labeled ticks for every fifth year. The Y-axis is a percentage range with small ticks for every 5% and larger labeled ticks for every 10%. Each of the gray lines are swinging up and down quite a lot, but all but one of them clearly falls down as times passes. The black line has a clear downwards falling tendency. Each line has a label written on segments of the lines, where the lines are thus disrupted. For the gray lines the text is also gray. Above the lines are the following text:]
:<big>Disappearing chimneys</big>
:Percentage of new homes with fireplaces
:Source: Census Bureau ''Survey of Construction''
:X-Axis: 1990  1995  2000  2005  2010  2015
:Y-Axis: 40%  50%  60%  70%  80%
:Overall
:West
:Midwest
:South
:Northeast

:[In the third and last panel of this segment Randall, holding his arms out, explains that there are other ways to solve the problem.]
:Randall: But that’s OK; there are other ways to get a gift into a house
:Randall: Here are a few options!

:[The last segment has a large panel taking up the bottom half of the comic. At the bottom of this panel there are even two smaller comics which lie over this panel and break the bottom border of the panel. They relate to the information in the large panel. In the middle of this panel is a detailed drawing of a house. The tiles of the roof are all individually drawn (8 rows with about 23 tiles each for a total about 180 tiles). To the right on the roof top is a chimney indicated with a dotted line, showing where it is not present. The front of the house has two small windows tot he left, a door with door knob, in the middle of the house, with a two steps stair in front of it and a large window with three segments to the right. All three windows have curtains visible and are divided in two, a top and a bottom part On the top of the middle segment there is a handle for opening the windows, all five segments of them. In the window to the left sits a cat and in the central segment of the large window to the right sits Pikachu. The foundation of the house is drawn as 4 rows of bricks to the left (about 12 in each row) and three to the right (about 16 in each row, for 48 on both sides for a total of about 96). ]

:[To the left on the side of the house is a line indicating a ventilation shaft. Three arrows end there. They are coming from a bunch of particles of a disintegrating black book with part of a title still readable. Other text is visible, but not readable. Only the first word of the title can be read, but even here the last letter is already partly dissolved. The book is hanging above the grass on the ground below it to the left of the house. Above the book is a section of text marked with a large white number 1 inside a black circle. Beneath the book this text continues. Bordering this text is a one panel comic belonging to this text segment.]
:'''1''' Even without chimneys, houses aren’t airtight. If you vaporize the gift, parts of it will enter the house through the intake vents…
:Book: How
:...And it will ''stay'' there.
:According to a 2008 study from Clarkson University, particles of your gift that settle in their house will remain there for an average of several months if they vacuum, and seven decades if they don’t
:Source: DOI 10.3155/1047-3289.58.4.502

:[The one panel comic is on top of the large panel beneath the door to the house, but about three times as wide. In the panel Megan is reacting to the statement 1 and Cueball also reacts by walking away from her.]
:Megan: Seven ''decades?!''
:Cueball: BRB, I need to go vacuum.
:Megan: Houses are ''disgusting''

:[To the right of the house a gift wrapped present is flying towards the large window, with five lines indicating its speed and direction. Beneath the book is a line indicating the ground away from the house. There is a large segment of text surrounding the book on the three sides away not toward the house. Above the present next to the not present chimney is a large white number 2 inside a black circle. Then follows text which goes out to the edge of the panel, and this text continue down to the level of the book where it then only continues to the right of the speed lines. And then finally two lines of text are beneath the book above the ground next to the house.]
:'''2''' The critical momentum necessary for a projectile to break glass is around 4 kg*m/s. (40 for ½" Plywood.)
:Source: fema.gov/previous-missile-impact-test-wood-sheathing
:This means you can deliver a book-sized gift by hurling it at a window at 25+ mph
:Speed = book mass/ 4 kg*m/s = 25 mph
:But if they’ve put up Plywood shutters, you’ll need 250 mph + delivery speeds.

:[Finally beneath the house and text segment 2, there is a large white number 3 inside a black circle below Pikachu and just next to the right top of the one panel comic. Next to this is the final text segment in this panel. Beneath this text is yet another comic, this time in five panels referring to the text, where the panels also break the lower border of the large panel.]
:'''3''' Wait until they order a different book, then intercept the package, open the binding, and replace the pages with the ones from yours.

:[The five panel comic is on top of the large panel but beneath the text segment 3. It shows Black Hat opening a box with one hand while having his own book under the other arm. In the second panel the book cover is open; the pages have been removed and are interchanged with those from Black Hat’s book, two arrows indicating the switch. Then Black Hat carries the now closed packet. The packet is left at the bottom of a three step stair which Cueball descends. Finally Cueball is standing next to the open box reading the book. He speaks and an off-panel voice replies from a starburst on the right side of this last panel of the entire comic.]
:Cueball: …Ugh, real-life content injection.
:Off panel voice: We need HTTPS for paper.

==Trivia==
*The equation in the comic is wrong!
**Speed = book mass/ 4 kg*m/s = 25 mph
***The units of this formula is not m/s but s/m.
**It should be 4 kg*m/s /book mass
***Assuming the book weighs about 0.8lbs (360 g) this would give a speed of 11,1 m/s = 40 km/hour = 24,86 mph = 25 mph.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Hurricanes]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2234: How To Deliver Christmas Presents

2019-11-27T22:08:19Z

172.69.34.168: /* Explanation */ ce

{{comic
| number = 2234
| date = November 27, 2019
| title = How To Deliver Christmas Presents
| image = how_to_deliver_christmas_presents.png
| titletext = Building codes in hurricane zones rely on studies of how easily flying debris can break residential windows. If you're looking for a science fair project idea and you hate your neighbors, I'm sure they could always use more data!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHIMNEYBOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is [[:Category:Book promotion|yet another]] fun way to promote [[Randall|Randall's]] new book, ''[[How To]]'', released on September 3, 2019, reminding people to buy it as a Christmas present. Randall's book is used an example of a {{w|Christmas present}} that could be given to a friend or family member. Giving Christmas presents is a traditional way to celebrate the holiday of Christmas, on December 25 of each year.

The entire comic links to https://xkcd.com/how-to/, a description of his book and ways to order it. As always the [[xkcd_Header_text#2014-07-23_-_what_if.3F_book_tour|entire picture is a link]], even though he has made the link text blue as if it was a clickable link. Of course it will also work if you actually click on the link. At least in this comic he does state that you can click anywhere on the comic, and if that doesn't work he also gives the link. Many people would probably still click on the blue link line, having not read his text. But the object of getting them to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ xkcd page about How To] would have been obtained.

The rest of the comic discusses how to "deliver" this Christmas present. As mentioned in the comic, the "traditional" way that parents teach their kids about Christmas and Christmas gift giving is with the story of {{w|Santa Claus}}, a man who lives on the North Pole, who delivers gifts each Christmas Eve by riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer. He is usually depicted entering a house to deliver gifts by going down the home's chimney. Every year, the {{w|NORAD Tracks Santa|North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa}} as he delivers gifts around the world. Although we take that story for granted, it is no less ridiculous than the alternatives this comic explores, and in fact considerably more so.

As mentioned in the comic, fireplaces (and chimneys) are becoming less common in the United States, so Randall (drawn as Cueball) proposes 3 options for how to deliver his new book as a present:

'''Option 1''': Vaporize the gift (and blow it into their house).
This would allow the particles of the book to enter the air vents of the house. However, this book would be unreadable, which defeats the purpose of purchasing the book for someone. As noted by Randall using information from a [https://doi.org/10.3155/1047-3289.58.4.502 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association study], dust particles can remain inside a house for months (with vacuuming) and decades without vacuuming. This inspires Cueball to vacuum his house.

'''Option 2''': Throw the book through their window.
Based on [https://www.fema.gov/previous-missile-impact-tests-wood-sheathing research by FEMA], Randall states the speed needed to throw a book-sized object through a window to be 25 mph (~40 kph). Breaking a window is probably not an ideal way to deliver a gift, as the recipient likely would not be pleased with a hole in their window. If a house has a broken window, perhaps from a previous gift delivery, they might cover up the window with a piece of plywood. Randall notes the speed to throw a book-sized object through a piece of plywood to be 250 mph (~400 kph), faster than a human can reasonably throw.

If the book weighs about 400g, 25 mph would be enough. But the formula in the comic is wrong (inverted), see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]] below.

The title text mentions that building codes in hurricane-prone areas, like the southern United States, rely on information on how easily flying debris can break windows, presumably to improve reinforcement of such windows. Randall proposes a {{w|science fair project}} contributing to these studies (by throwing books at windows).

'''Option 3''': Intercept a different package.
This option is to intercept an order of a different book, and replace the pages of the book with Randall's book (which Black Hat is shown doing). As the recipient, Cueball, remarks, this is similar to {{w|Spoofing attack|content spoofing}} / content injection, where information passed over the Internet is replaced before being delivered to the user. In this "real-life" case, the book's content has been "injected" and replaced with a different book.
An off-screen person mentions, {{w|HTTPS}}, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, an extension of the regular HTTP protocol, used for secure communication. Cueball and this person believe that "paper" needs HTTPS, so that Cueball's book can be "securely delivered" without being intercepted by third parties such as Black Hat.

This could also relate to {{w|code injection}}, where malicious code is injected into a program. An example of code injection is with the famous comic, [[327: Exploits of a Mom]], where Mrs. Roberts deletes the school's database tables.

The house is very detailed and in the windows are both a cat (typical click bait) and a disheveled looking Pikachu, the most famous Pokémon. Maybe it looks like that because it is about to get a book thrown at it through the window.

==Transcript==
:[The comic is divided into three sections. The top section contains one low panel stretching across the entire comic. It has a header (same as the title of the comic) with a sub-header beneath. Then below that is a picture of Randall’s new book ''How To''. The black book is shown standing. The blue title is readable but the white text beneath it as well as blue and white text below the image is unreadable. On the cover is a white drawing of Cueball putting in a light-bulb with a quad-copter under each foot. White Hat is watching as Megan walks in with a ladder. Next to the book is a segment of text with a blue link at the end. Beneath this is a text from where a curved arrow goes to the book.]
:<big><big>How To Deliver Christmas Presents</big></big>
:<big>In a future without chimneys</big>
: How To
:For more questionable ideas for using science to solve problems, check out my new book '''''How To!''''' Click on this comic or go to xkcd.com/how-to
:Good Christmas gift!

:[The second section has three normal sized panels on the same row. In the first panel, Randall, drawn as Cueball, is presenting the problem of the comic, while holding one hand out palm up.]
:Randall: The traditional way to get Christmas presents into a house is to have a large reindeer-herding man slither down the chimney with them.
:Randall: Unfortunately, chimneys are becoming less common in the United States.

:[The middle panel shows a line graph with one black and four gray lines. The X-axis is a time scale, with small ticks for each year and larger labeled ticks for every fifth year. The Y-axis is a percentage range with small ticks for every 5% and larger labeled ticks for every 10%. Each of the gray lines are swinging up and down quite a lot, but all but one of them clearly falls down as times passes. The black line has a clear downwards falling tendency. Each line has a label written on segments of the lines, where the lines are thus disrupted. For the gray lines the text is also gray. Above the lines are the following text:]
:<big>Disappearing chimneys</big>
:Percentage of new homes with fireplaces
:Source: Census Bureau ''Survey of Construction''
:X-Axis: 1990  1995  2000  2005  2010  2015
:Y-Axis: 40%  50%  60%  70%  80%
:Overall
:West
:Midwest
:South
:Northeast

:[In the third and last panel of this segment Randall, holding his arms out, explains that there are other ways to solve the problem.]
:Randall: But that’s OK; there are other ways to get a gift into a house
:Randall: Here are a few options!

:[The last segment has a large panel taking up the bottom half of the comic. At the bottom of this panel there are even two smaller comics which lie over this panel and break the bottom border of the panel. They relate to the information in the large panel. In the middle of this panel is a detailed drawing of a house. The tiles of the roof are all individually drawn (8 rows with about 23 tiles each for a total about 180 tiles). To the right on the roof top is a chimney indicated with a dotted line, showing where it is not present. The front of the house has two small windows tot he left, a door with door knob, in the middle of the house, with a two steps stair in front of it and a large window with three segments to the right. All three windows have curtains visible and are divided in two, a top and a bottom part On the top of the middle segment there is a handle for opening the windows, all five segments of them. In the window to the left sits a cat and in the central segment of the large window to the right sits Pikachu. The foundation of the house is drawn as 4 rows of bricks to the left (about 12 in each row) and three to the right (about 16 in each row, for 48 on both sides for a total of about 96). ]

:[To the left on the side of the house is a line indicating a ventilation shaft. Three arrows end there. They are coming from a bunch of particles of a disintegrating black book with part of a title still readable. Other text is visible, but not readable. Only the first word of the title can be read, but even here the last letter is already partly dissolved. The book is hanging above the grass on the ground below it to the left of the house. Above the book is a section of text marked with a large white number 1 inside a black circle. Beneath the book this text continues. Bordering this text is a one panel comic belonging to this text segment.]
:'''1''' Even without chimneys, houses aren’t airtight. If you vaporize the gift, parts of it will enter the house through the intake vents…
:Book: How
:...And it will ''stay'' there.
:According to a 2008 study from Clarkson University, particles of your gift that settle in their house will remain there for an average of several months if they vacuum, and seven decades if they don’t
:Source: DOI 10.3155/1047-3289.58.4.502

:[The one panel comic is on top of the large panel beneath the door to the house, but about three times as wide. In the panel Megan is reacting to the statement 1 and Cueball also reacts by walking away from her.]
:Megan: Seven ''decades?!''
:Cueball: BRB, I need to go vacuum.
:Megan: Houses are ''disgusting''

:[To the right of the house a gift wrapped present is flying towards the large window, with five lines indicating its speed and direction. Beneath the book is a line indicating the ground away from the house. There is a large segment of text surrounding the book on the three sides away not toward the house. Above the present next to the not present chimney is a large white number 2 inside a black circle. Then follows text which goes out to the edge of the panel, and this text continue down to the level of the book where it then only continues to the right of the speed lines. And then finally two lines of text are beneath the book above the ground next to the house.]
:'''2''' The critical momentum necessary for a projectile to break glass is around 4 kg*m/s. (40 for ½" Plywood.)
:Source: fema.gov/previous-missile-impact-test-wood-sheathing
:This means you can deliver a book-sized gift by hurling it at a window at 25+ mph
:Speed = book mass/ 4 kg*m/s = 25 mph
:But if they’ve put up Plywood shutters, you’ll need 250 mph + delivery speeds.

:[Finally beneath the house and text segment 2, there is a large white number 3 inside a black circle below Pikachu and just next to the right top of the one panel comic. Next to this is the final text segment in this panel. Beneath this text is yet another comic, this time in five panels referring to the text, where the panels also break the lower border of the large panel.]
:'''3''' Wait until they order a different book, then intercept the package, open the binding, and replace the pages with the ones from yours.

:[The five panel comic is on top of the large panel but beneath the text segment 3. It shows Black Hat opening a box with one hand while having his own book under the other arm. In the second panel the book cover is open; the pages have been removed and are interchanged with those from Black Hat’s book, two arrows indicating the switch. Then Black Hat carries the now closed packet. The packet is left at the bottom of a three step stair which Cueball descends. Finally Cueball is standing next to the open box reading the book. He speaks and an off-panel voice replies from a starburst on the right side of this last panel of the entire comic.]
:Cueball: …Ugh, real-life content injection.
:Off panel voice: We need HTTPS for paper.

==Trivia==
*The equation in the comic is wrong!
**Speed = book mass/ 4 kg*m/s = 25 mph
***The units of this formula is not m/s but s/m.
**It should be 4 kg*m/s /book mass
***Assuming the book weighs about 0.8lbs (360 g) this would give a speed of 11,1 m/s = 40 km/hour = 24,86 mph = 25 mph.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
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[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]] 
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