explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:915: Connoisseur

2024-10-02T09:40:24Z

172.70.114.48:

Well he's right about fonts. I am hooked on Operator Mono, which costs like $200-300 if you purchase it legitimately 😗 ... --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.110|172.69.22.110]] 08:51, 3 December 2018 (UTC)

Let's face it: every wine connoisseur is an alcoholic. You have to drink a lot of wine over a long period of time to begin distinguishing all wine-types, flavors etc. Rule of nature. No discussion.{{unsigned ip|162.158.83.144}}
:I hope you were drunk at least when you said this 🍻 --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.110|172.69.22.110]] 08:51, 3 December 2018 (UTC)
::This is (I think) the second and third time I have seen emojis on this site, and I have obsessively used and edited this site for months. Not a thing to be proud of.
:Actually, serious wine tasters spit out their drinks for exactly that reason. Amateurs... not so much. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.14|162.158.111.14]] 22:00, 29 October 2021 (UTC)
::Spitters are quitters. If you can't handle a little bit of alcohol, why even bother at all? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.148|172.68.50.148]] 10:09, 4 December 2023 (UTC)
[[User:Beanie|Beanie]] ([[User talk:Beanie|talk]]) 11:11, 4 May 2021 (UTC)
This is one of those xkcd comics that I'm just constantly linking back to as an image retort. I love Randall. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:28, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

I expanded the explanation and removed the incomplete tag. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.117|173.245.53.117]] 14:47, 5 December 2013 (UTC)

The current incomplete tag asks why voice 1 calls Joe Biden "the man" and voice 2 calls him J.B. As far as I can see, there is no deeper/cryptic meaning to the choice of these words, other than possible space saving. Both 'J.B.' and 'the man' are shorter than 'Joe Biden'. I personally don't believe that this requires any further explanation, but I will leave the incomplete tag for now. If there are no updates to the page or additional discussion here, I will remove the incomplete tag in due course. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 13:06, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

:The stars are named Joe Biden, though. Hmmmm... [[User:RedHatGuy68|RedHatGuy68]] ([[User talk:RedHatGuy68|talk]]) 05:20, 23 January 2016 (UTC)

This could be another 242 reference; the explanation to [[903: Extended Mind]] describes Randall's use of 242 as an old inside joke, ãnd 242 also appears in [[688: Self-Description]]. [[User:Pelosujamo|Pelosujamo]] ([[User talk:Pelosujamo|talk]]) 20:07, 5 February 2017 (UTC)

How can it be a reference to 1051 if it came before 1051[[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.106|162.158.63.106]]

:I don't see how there is a reference between these to comics anyway. especially regarding canadian surealist porn. Closest thing in there is Autoerotic Asphyxiation... I'm gonna delete that there is this reference [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 18:48, 4 January 2018 (UTC)
::Upon looking at it again to reread it, I notice, that the reference is not in the comic, but the explanation, as canadian surrealist porn is not a wikipedia link, but 3 of them for canada, surrealism and porn, which is basically the title text from 1051. Gonna delete it anyway, as it has no relevance. [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 18:50, 4 January 2018 (UTC)

All of us are connoisseurs of Randall Monroe eating a sandwich while drawing more comics.

:That's what I was thinking as well. Us two connoisseurs have similar tastes. :P [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.56|162.158.62.56]] 02:47, 20 October 2021 (UTC)

canadian surrealist porn ughghghghg https://xkcd.com/1051/ title text

: Me too... it's three separate links... [[User:Wilh3lm|Wilh3lm]] ([[User talk:Wilh3lm|talk]]) 15:17, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

Should change "a statement most wine enthusiasts passionately agree with" to "an opinion held by stereotypical wine snobs" because most wine enthusiasts know you can find joy in the right $20 bottle.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.50.76|172.69.50.76]] 00:37, 8 April 2020 (UTC)
:Go ahead and do it then? [[User:QoopyQoopy|QoopyQoopy]] ([[User talk:QoopyQoopy|talk]]) 00:59, 13 September 2020 (UTC)

Doing blind taste tests even the most expert wine connoisseurs can't tell the difference between red wine and white wine, never mind slight differences between different cultivars. It's all just a performance. [[User:The Cat Lady|-- The Cat Lady]] ([[User talk:The Cat Lady|talk]]) 13:05, 22 August 2021 (UTC)
:This isn't quite true, actually---what the well-known study actually found is that people with moderate wine-tasting experience, when given ''white wine dyed to appear red'' and asked to describe it using words picked from a list, were more likely to pick words usually applied to red wine (compared to when they were given undyed white wine). ([https://asteriskmag.com/issues/1/is-wine-fake This essay] has a nice discussion.) This seems to me like at best very slight evidence for wine tasting being "a performance"---senses interact in weird ways, especially in bizarre setups like this one.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.136|162.158.158.136]] 06:57, 11 May 2023 (UTC)
::There ought to be a follow-up study. I want to know what happens if you dye red wine white! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.136|172.71.178.136]] 09:57, 11 May 2023 (UTC)

Just curious: did anyone ''not'' immediately do a web search to see if Canadian Surrealist Porn is a thing? (It doesn't seem to be, all the hits are either to this comic or to references to this comic.) [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 22:50, 12 September 2021 (UTC)

I do take a funny sense of satisfaction in Joe Biden being VP at the time of this comic's publishing and now being President. I don't know why; I don't even like the man's politics. I suppose I just like an XKCD comic suddenly becoming extra relevant beyond its initial circumstances. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.56|162.158.62.56]] 02:47, 20 October 2021 (UTC)
:Just you wait until he makes the sandwich America's national food... --[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 23:05, 29 October 2021 (UTC)
:: Hahaha. A decent one... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.48|172.70.114.48]] 09:40, 2 October 2024 (UTC)

It looks like Cueball spilled his drink in the last panel [[User:Firestar233|Firestar233]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|talk]]) 05:33, 31 October 2023 (UTC)

2481: 1991 and 2021

2021-06-26T21:04:45Z

172.70.114.48:

{{comic
| number = 2481
| date = June 25, 2021
| title = 1991 and 2021
| image = 1991_and_2021.png
| titletext = "Oh, and our computers all have cameras now, which is nice during the pandemic lockdowns." "The WHAT."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an ILLEGAL LASER POINTER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic shows a Cueball from 2021 discussing the future's technology with White Hat, who is apparently living in 1991. White Hat is awed by the advances in technology, but is not expecting that the law combating laser attacks on passenger aircraft is not the most important thing mentioned.

"Laser attacks on airplanes" ''sounds'' dramatic and important, and White Hat probably thinks that {{w|laser weapon}}s have been developed and have been used to attack aircraft. In reality, the "lasers" in question are low-powered laser pointers, which some people aim at passenger airliners as a (dangerous) prank; when the beam hits the airplane, but it cannot damage the plane itself, much less shoot it from the sky.{{citation needed}} It can, however, blind the pilot, which poses a threat to them and their passengers; a law ([https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/39A 18 USC §39A]) was thus passed in 2012 to criminalize this.

The robot fighting TV shows mentioned include ''{{w|BattleBots}}'', {{w|Robot Wars (TV series)|''Robot Wars''}}, and {{w|MegaBots Inc.|''MegaBots''}}, the earliest of which started in 1998. In them, machines armed with a variety of weapons fight in an arena. These are not technically robots in the traditional sense; for the most part, they are either remote controlled or piloted by humans, and have only rudimentary on board computer systems. They are certainly not controlled by AI. Also, while these shows have been popular enough to return to the air after periods of hiatus, they are not nearly as popular as sports involving humans.

In this comic, "cordless phone" is meant literally, meaning any wireless phone without a cord. That's distinct from modern parlance where "cordless phone" is distinct from a cellular phone, and is a wireless extension of a landline, typically of limited range, i.e. within a home. Cellular phones ave a *much* longer range than the cordless phones of 1991.

Sharing on social media has distorted what news stories people encounter. Instead of a curated selection of important news fact-checked by a newspaper or tv/radio broadcast, we see only what people similar to us found interesting.

By any reasonable measure, the most important technologies on the list are the rise of mobile phones and the ability to easily share news stories from the early 2000s. The first of these has led to a dramatic change in how people communicate, with a large amount of communication now remote, which was not as convenient in the 90s (requiring, for example, setting up {{w|roaming}} at the carrier's office before taking the phone to another city) and impossible a few decades prior. Sharing of news stories person-to-person is partly blamed for the spread of {{w|fake news}}; misinformation has become more and more politically significant in the past few years. The joke is that the impact of a technology on society isn't really about how exciting or dangerous it might look at first glance.

The title text horrifies 90s White Hat, who is blissfully unaware of [[:Category:COVID-19|COVID-19]]. At the time, the {{w|Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS|spread of HIV/Aids}} was regularly in the news, though because it was predominantly sexually-transmitted, thereby giving it a comparatively low {{w|Basic reproduction number|reproduction number}}, there was debate on whether to consider it a pandemic. For this reason, a lockdown was never considered to contain it and dealing with a similar outbreak using one could be seen as very extreme indeed.

On release, the title text was not actually included as such. It was instead included as the text of a "see also" link, which is often invisible to readers and is activated by clicking the comic. Such links have been used in the past for larger versions of the comic or for related information on other sites. Here, it linked back to the comic itself, and was evidently a mistake.

==Transcript==

:[Cueball (with a time travel aura) is talking to White Hat]

:White Hat: Welcome to 1991!
:White Hat: So you're from 2021? What happens with technology over the next 30 years?

:Cueball: We passed a federal law to combat laser attacks on airliners, and there are TV shows where robots battle.
:Cueball: Also, cordless phones are longer range now, and it's really easy to send news stories to your friends.
:White Hat: Wow, okay.

:Cueball: Now, try to guess which of those things turn out to be important.
:White Hat: ...is it not the lasers?
:Cueball: It is not the lasers.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2481: 1991 and 2021

2021-06-26T00:31:02Z

172.70.114.48: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2481
| date = June 26, 2021
| title = 1991 and 2021
| image = 1991_and_2021.png
| titletext = "Oh, and our computers all have cameras now, which is nice during the pandemic lockdowns." "The WHAT."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an illegal laser pointer. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic shows a Cueball from 2021 discussing the future's technology with White Hat, who is apparently living in 1991. White Hat is awed by the advances in technology, but is confused that the law preventing lasers from attacking airplanes is not the most important thing mentioned.

While "laser attacks on airplanes" do sound dramatic and important, they are in fact more along the line of a prank than a serious threat.{{citation needed}} This refers to the practice by some of pointing laser pointers at airplanes flying overhead. When the beam reaches cruising altitude, it is much more spread out and can momentarily prevent a pilot from seeing clearly. A law was thus passed to stop people from doing this.

The robot fighting TV shows mentioned include ''{{w|BattleBots}}'', {{w|Robot Wars (TV series)|''Robot Wars''}}, and possibly {{w|MegaBots Inc.|''MegaBots''}}, in which machines armed with a variety of weapons fight in an arena.

By any reasonable measure, the most important technologies on the list are the increased range of cordless phones and the ability to easily share news stories. The first of these has led to a dramatic change in how people communicate, with a large amount of communication now remote, which was not as convenient in the 90s and impossible a few decades prior. Sharing of news stories person-to-person is partly blamed for the spread of {{w|fake news}}; misinformation has become more and more politically significant in the past few years. The joke is that the impact of a technology on society isn't really about how exciting or dangerous it might look at first glance.

The title text horrifies 90s White Hat, who is blissfully unaware of [[:Category:COVID-19|COVID-19]]. The title text was broken on release due to an HTML syntax error.

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2478: Alien Visitors 2

2021-06-22T03:59:32Z

172.70.114.48:

Sorry for intruding, I am just delighted that I am early [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.161|162.158.166.161]] 14:02, 18 June 2021 (UTC)

"Maybe we shouldn't stand right under it." This line might (inadvertently?) reference the common alien-movie fail in which massive spacecraft hover at low altitude over human populations without obliterating them and their infrastructure. It might also be bathroom humor. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.129.134|172.68.129.134]] 15:56, 18 June 2021 (UTC)
:I'm with the original explanation. The aliens just don't seem very advanced, so they're worried that the spaceships are poorly constructed and pieces might fall off, or the entire ship might just drop. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:19, 18 June 2021 (UTC)
:You are probably correct with respect to Randall's intentions. The situation, though, brings to my mind Turtledove's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwar_series Worldwar series], in which "The Race" had very advanced technology (hence little risk of spaceships crashing on their own) but had, at least initially, a poor opinion about human technologies and their advancement. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.129.132|172.68.129.132]] 18:31, 18 June 2021 (UTC)

::Thanks for the reference, 172.68.129.132! I’m enjoying listening to the series for free through my public library account using Hoopla. Apparently the original e-books had atrocious copy editing so I get to miss out on that visual horror. :-). [[User:Dhugot|Dhugot]] ([[User talk:Dhugot|talk]]) 18:02, 19 June 2021 (UTC)

:: Also reminds me of that StarTrek (NextGen) episode where a very low intelligence species has advanced space travel that it obtains by stealing it from other species. (Sorry - I forget the episode title). [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 16:06, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
:::That was Season 2 episode "Samaritan Snare". [[Special:Contributions/172.70.117.38|172.70.117.38]] 17:28, 21 June 2021 (UTC)

To the individual who made a callback to Capri Sun--bless you. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.83|172.70.130.83]] 19:11, 18 June 2021 (UTC)

:Need a category for this recurring comic: [[:Category:Alien Visitors]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.65|172.69.35.65]] 00:33, 19 June 2021 (UTC)

Doesn’t the United States still add lead to gasoline used for piston airplane engines, and also high octane race car fuel?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.55|162.158.62.55]] 03:28, 19 June 2021 (UTC)
:Very limited niche use remains, phased out of major applications. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.206|141.101.98.206]] 08:52, 19 June 2021 (UTC)
::Does 167,000 aircraft in the USA (plus more around the world) count as “limited niche use”? Assuming a super conservative estimate of an average of only 100 hours/year/airframe and an equally conservative burn rate of 10 gal/hr, that’s 167 million gallons of leaded gasoline burned per year. See https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=14754 for more info on the FAA’s continuing refusal to remove lead from avgas.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.44|172.70.110.44]] 04:46, 20 June 2021 (UTC)
:::Considering the 276 million cars in the USA and their yearly consumption of 123.5 billion gallons of fuel, that is pretty much limited niche use, yes. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.232|162.158.94.232]] 14:40, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
::::Classic example of a logical fallacy. To paraphrase your assertion: “Because the market for 100LL fuel for piston aircraft is 0.1% the size as the unleaded gasoline market for automobiles, 100LL fuel for piston aircraft is a niche market” but you are comparing apples to bacon by comparing automotive unleaded gasoline to 100LL aviation fuel. Status as “niche” or “not niche” is based on sales of leaded fuel; cars run on unleaded gasoline, diesel, or electricity, and are thus irrelevant to the discussion. I mean, why not mention how much jet-A is burned by turbine aircraft? Answer: because it’s irrelevant to the discussion. Cars burning unleaded fuel is irrelevant to the discussion of leaded gasoline. In terms of absolute quantities, piston aircraft burn far more 100LL than anything else, and lead from those aircraft remains a significant source of lead pollution.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.48|172.70.114.48]] 03:59, 22 June 2021 (UTC)

::Although lead was originally added to gas in order to improve efficiency, it was retained in order to reduce refining expense. After refining crude oil, you get gasoline at a variety of octanes. The different octanes are blended to produce what you pay for (e.g. 87 for regular, 93 for premium). Lead is an octane-boosting additive, allowing manufacturers to ship sub-standard gas (that is a little below the rated octane), adding lead to bring it up to standard. Without lead, you need to blend in a higher proportion of higher-octane gas in order to get the required octane rating. Which is why, back when lead was being phased out, unleaded gas cost more than leaded. The effect of lead reducing engine knock is simply a result of the gas having a higher octane rating. High octane gas without lead (e.g. premium) has the same effect.

::Another interesting side point is that computer-controlled refineries have effectively reduced the quality of gas you get at the pump. There are serious legal penalties for selling gas with an octane rating below what is labeled, but no penalties for being higher. Back when refineries were not computer controlled, they were not precise enough to produce the exact blend required, so they would always err a little higher (e.g. selling 88 octane labeled as 87). But with modern systems, they can sell exactly what's labeled, so consumers don't get any free bonus octane anymore. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 16:22, 19 June 2021 (UTC)

:: Leaded gasoline doesn't just provide anti-knock capability, in older cars, the lead gradually accumulates around the valve seats and serves to soften the impact of the valve as it snaps shut. Modern cars have both anti-knock sensors and hardened valve seats - so you don't need it anymore. My 1960 Mini needs leaded gas because of the valve-seat issue - and as a result I have to use a lead additive for about one in five tankfuls of gas. Fortunately, that car is mostly a "garage queen" and is only driven to local car shows and such. I atone for this by driving a Tesla as my main vehicle! [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 16:06, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
::: Why can't you use tetraethylbismuth whose metal is soft and low melting like lead but much less toxic? [[User:Oxygen|Oxygen]] ([[User talk:Oxygen|talk]]) 18:52, 21 June 2021 (UTC)

An honorary mention might be made to {{w|Thomas Midgley Jr.}}, who helped to make both TEL and CFCs widely used. (Though didn't get the chance to widely promote his bed-lift before it also proved unsafe.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.206|141.101.98.206]] 08:52, 19 June 2021 (UTC)

I don't think the Hindenburg exploded. It just burned.

One would question how benevolent these aliens are. They only offer inferior technology (pyramids, biplanes) which they could have ''trivially'' seen not to be useful, or they offer harmful technology like lead-based gasoline and inefficient fruit-presses. On the other hand they do not offer the one tech we don't have, e.g. still-standing flying saucers. Thus one may question their real motives... <Insert reference to V>. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 17:53, 20 June 2021 (UTC)
: Or maybe they're trying to ensure we have a well rounded tech growth rather than beelining to spaceflight. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.134|162.158.126.134]] 21:35, 20 June 2021 (UTC)

: For sure the Hindenburg didn't explode - and there is evidence that much of the problem wasn't the loss of the hydrogen anyway since hydrogen flames ascend UPWARDS away from the passenger gondola - and hydrogen burns at a relatively low temperature. A bigger problem was that the skin of the airship was sprayed with iron oxide on the inside and aluminium on the outside - which, when burned together, was essentially "thermite". That stuff is hard to set on fire, but once it gets started it's horrifically energetic - it's what the Germans were using as incendiary bombs...so they REALLY should have known better! Given the rapidly increasing cost (and scarcity) of helium - airships may soon have to go back to using hydrogen. But it could easily be made safe with modern technology to monitor (and purge) oxygen from inside the hydrogen cells, adequate lightning protection...and an "anything-except-freaking-thermite!!" skin. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 16:19, 21 June 2021 (UTC)

I feel like the references to the Secretary series are in error. Ron Paul *does* have a blimp in those comics, so it's tangentially related, but the secretary series is very much not the alien visitors series.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.99|162.158.187.99]] 12:34, 21 June 2021 (UTC)

As for biplanes - because they have ample wing area, they typically have shorter wing-spans than monoplanes. This reduces the moment of angular inertia and that allows them to turn more rapidly...and that is why they are used in aerobatics and crop spraying. The infamous "Red Baron" of WWI flew a Fokker triplane which enhanced the ability to maneuver even more - although at the expense of even more drag. However, high drag also means you can slow down much more rapidly - which allowed more interesting tactical possibilities. Biplanes were VERY useful in the era in which they were flown. They didn't vanish because they were a terrible technology - but because the nature of arial warfare changed. Modern fighter aircraft try to get the best of both worlds by having wings with a greater chord length - providing more lift area without messing up roll/yaw angular inertia. However, this does worsen longitudinal angular inertia - which is relatively unimportant in a modern "dogfight" where the only real requirement is to be able to turn tightly enough for a missile firing solution. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 16:06, 21 June 2021 (UTC)

2478: Alien Visitors 2

2021-06-20T08:54:14Z

172.70.114.48: /* Explanation */ it is removal from use is why

{{comic
| number = 2478
| date = June 18, 2021
| title = Alien Visitors 2
| image = alien_visitors_2.png
| titletext = "Although fresh juice DOES sound--" "NO! For humanity to survive we must learn from the mistakes of the past."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a 1920s ELIXIR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In the return of the aliens from the [[2477: Alien Visitors|previous comic]], they show more "advanced" inventions that are less efficient or more harmful than their current forms, and most have been invented by humans and replaced.

{{w|Biplane}}s are planes with two sets of wings, which provide more of the necessary lift at slow speed than a contemporaneous {{w|monoplane}}, but develop increased drag and aerodynamic and airframe issues as higher airspeeds became possible/necessary. Biplanes have been obsolete for most purposes since the 1930s, though they remain in use for agriculture and aerial sports.

A {{w|blimp}} is a lighter than air aircraft with no internal structure. The point raised about hydrogen would be because it is highly flammable and dangerous. The {{w|Hindenburg disaster}} was a famous explosion of a hydrogen airship, although zeppelin airships are not blimps because they have an internal structural framework and they're called rigid airships in contrast to blimps that just rely on the internal pressure of their lifting gas to maintain their shape. Blimps are still used today, but use helium, and are typically used for advertising or for aerial photography/videography. Various modern {{w|Zeppelin_NT|semi-rigid}} and {{w|Hybrid_Air_Vehicles_Airlander_10|cable-rigid}} designs have been redeveloped in recent years to service possibly niche roles such as tourist cruising and heavy-lift capabilities, amongst others.

{{w|Tetraethyllead}} ((CH3 CH2)4Pb) is a chemical added to gasoline (mostly from the 1920s to the 1990s — although some countries [https://web.archive.org/web/20171115235249/http://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/17542/MapWorldLead_March2017.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y still use it to this day]) to prevent {{w|engine knocking}}, until it was revealed to have highly toxic effects. (Its removal from use is why all gas sold in the US is labelled "unleaded".) The aliens seem unaware of these toxic effects (it is unclear whether the chemical hurts aliens as well, or whether it doesn't hurt them but they don't realize the toxic effects on humans), and indeed quite concerned by them, implying they might be using leaded gasoline themselves.

{{w|Juicero}} was a juicer known for its absurd inefficiency and greedy business model: {{Citation needed}} the machine would only work on the company's proprietary branded single-serving bags of pulped fruit sold for $7-10 each, and more juice could be extracted from the bags by hand than by the press. Basically, they were selling $10 bags of chopped fruit and a $700 machine to squeeze them into a cup for you. The title text aludes to the notion that this was a terrible product whose time should be in the past.

After the latest showing of unimpressive "inventions", the humans start questioning how "advanced" the aliens really are, asking if they built the flying saucer themselves and suggesting that it might be wise to avoid standing directly beneath it in case it suddenly crashes to earth.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A flying saucer is hovering high above Ponytail, White Hat, Cueball and Megan, drawn very small standing on the ground beneath it. The aliens inside speak to them from inside their saucer, indicated with zigzag lines between it and the text. Ponytail approaches the others on the ground from the left.]
:Aliens: Greetings, humans. We have returned.
:Aliens: Since you already have pyramids, we've brought you more advanced wonders.

:[Zoom in on the flying saucer which has two beams below it, the left showing an outline of a biplane and the right is showing an outline of a blimp. Cueball replies off-panel.]
:Aliens: These machines will let you conquer the sky!
:(off-panel voice 1): A biplane?
:(off-panel voice 1): Aren't monoplanes more efficient?
:(off-panel voice 2): Does that blimp use hydrogen?

:[Zoom in on the 4 humans looking up, the Aliens reply from above the panel. There is a chemical formula in an outline from the alien flying saucer:]
:Aliens: (CH3 CH2)4 Pb
:Aliens (off-panel): Add this elixir of lead to your gasoline and your engines will run smooth.
:White Hat: Lead? Isn't that stuff toxic?
:Aliens: Is it?
:Aliens: Oh no.

:[Zoom back out, as in first panel. The flying saucer has a beam showing an outline of a juice machine]
:Aliens: Okay, uh.
:Aliens: This device's electric press can squeeze fresh fruit juice from bags of pulp!
:Ponytail: ...Just curious, did you build that saucer?
:Cueball: Maybe we shouldn't stand right under it.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Aliens]]
[[Category:Alien Visitors]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Alien Visitors 2]]

Talk:2471: Hippo Attacks

2021-06-02T22:26:03Z

172.70.114.48:

'Hippo violation' refers to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA or the Kennedy–Kassebaum Act) - probably ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.95|172.69.35.95]] 22:08, 2 June 2021 (UTC)
:I've worked with demographic data and experienced the removal of datapoints with only a couple people in them, because the statistics would reveal the details of the people. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.48|172.70.114.48]] 22:26, 2 June 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2466: In Your Classroom

2021-05-26T18:09:19Z

172.70.114.48:

yay! another one where a table is useful for an explanation! also first ALPHALUL [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.59|162.158.79.59]] 01:01, 22 May 2021 (UTC)Bumpf

Exobiology should not be in the Good area. I've seen those movies, I know what happens next. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 02:18, 22 May 2021 (UTC)

I'm sort of sad that the the hover text, or perhaps the origin, wasn't simply "Tautology" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.74|108.162.237.74]] 21:01, 22 May 2021 (UTC)

I think that the scales would be better shown as +/- from a (0,0) point than %'s from the top left. At least for the Good/Bad axis It's really weird to say that "Education" has 10% ''danger'' because it's not quite as good as having an atmosphere. Is it just me? --[[User:Bobson|Bobson]] ([[User talk:Bobson|talk]]) 01:51, 23 May 2021 (UTC)
:Many students consider education - especially tests - dangerous. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 02:26, 23 May 2021 (UTC)
:No, I agree as well. Would it be out of line if I changed it? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.18|162.158.75.18]] 17:26, 25 May 2021 (UTC)

Not sure how big is smallest quasar, but I suspect one appearing in class would be bad even for Sun and rest of solar system. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 02:29, 23 May 2021 (UTC)
:I agree. This should be sooooo far below the bad axis (or Volcanoes) that it should only have been mentioned in the title text. Of course Quasars do not exist in this age... But if one suddenly began in your class room it would be the end of the local spiral arm of the galaxy, and would devour most of what was there forming a new black hole center of the galaxy (a double black hole center). It would of course end all of Earth history as well as the solar system and the local cluster of stars. So putting it right under volcanoes, which would only destroy the local city (it was not given it was a super volcano), compared to ending Earths existence is not really serious. And as explained in the explanation he has previously also mentioned off chart points in the title text, as he does also for less interesting subjects in this one as well. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:06, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Is vertical axis how dangerous? I read it as either being positive utility (Societal good and bad) or how much Randall likes it? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 10:19, 23 May 2021 (UTC)

Shouldn't it be vulcanology?[[User:Joem5636|Joem5636]] ([[User talk:Joem5636|talk]]) 12:33, 24 May 2021 (UTC)
:I thought that, but it appears that vulcanology/volcanology are both possibly equally valid (though the 'vulc' definitions point to 'volc' ones almost always in online dictionaries, with the reverse mostly only as 'alternative', and 'vulcanologist' seems less acknowledged than 'volcanogist' in related-words linking). In many ways, that annoys me, but that might be the classicist in me rather than the geographer/geologist who appreciates that "vulcanology" might be a rather more limited field that would require no more travel to extensively study than can be afforded by a handy Sicilian fishing boat or light aircraft. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.19|141.101.99.19]] 14:48, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Would an alternate Geography = weird be due to an invading nation-state? We already have volcanology and other similar "The earth came into the classroom" things in the graph. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 21:42, 24 May 2021 (UTC)
:That would be bad, but still less weird than the actual Earth. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.48|172.70.114.48]] 18:09, 26 May 2021 (UTC)