explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

893: 65 Years

2022-09-06T08:25:25Z

172.70.114.87: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 893
| date = May 2, 2011
| title = 65 Years
| image = 65 years.png
| titletext = The universe is probably littered with the one-planet graves of cultures which made the sensible economic decision that there's no good reason to go into space--each discovered, studied, and remembered by the ones who made the irrational decision.
}}
==Explanation==
[[Randall]] is showing the number of still living humans who have walked on another world for the 65-year period that begins in 1969 (when a human first walked on the moon). Up to 2011 (when the comic was drawn), he has drawn a single line for the actual figures.

For the subsequent years, he has drawn three lines using {{w|actuarial table}}s or life tables (such tables show, for each age, the probability that a certain person will die within the next year).

The line marked "5TH PERCENTILE" indicates that there is a 95% probability that the number alive in a given year will be above that line and a 5% probability that the number alive will be below that line. For example, this line indicates a 5% chance that all Apollo moon walkers will be dead by 2023, and a 95% chance that at least one will still be alive by that year.

The line marked "95TH PERCENTILE" indicates that there is a 5% probability that the number alive in a given year will be above that line and a 95% probability that the number alive will be below that line. For example, this line indicates a 95% chance that all Apollo moon walkers will be dead by 2035, and a 5% chance that at least one will still be alive by that year.

The middle line is not identified, but is probably the "50TH PERCENTILE" (see [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/07/12/a-morbid-python-script/ these tables]). If so, it indicates that there is a 50% probability that the number alive in a given year will be above that line and a 50% probability that the number alive will be below that line. For example, this line indicates a 50% chance that all Apollo moon walkers will be dead by 2028 (see previous link), and a 50% chance that at least one will still be alive by that year.

Although the term ''other world'' would include all other worlds on which humans have walked, there is currently only one other world on which humans have walked, which is the moon. The humans that have walked there are the 12 {{w|List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon|Apollo astronauts}} who landed on the Moon between 1969 and 1972.

In particular, {{w|Neil Armstrong}} and {{w|Buzz Aldrin}} landed in July 1969. {{w|Pete Conrad}} and {{w|Alan Bean}} landed in November. {{w|Alan Shepard}} and {{w|Edgar Mitchell}}: February 1971. {{w|David Scott}} and {{w|James Irwin}}: July 1971. {{w|John Young (astronaut)|John Young}} and {{w|Charles Duke}}: April 1972. {{w|Eugene Cernan}} and {{w|Harrison Schmitt}}: December 1972.

Irwin died in 1991. Shepard and Conrad died in 1998 and 1999 respectively, making the total 9 as of the date this comic was published. Since then Armstrong died in 2012, Mitchell in 2016, Cernan in 2017, Young on January 6, 2018, and Bean on May 26, 2018. The current (April 2021) number is 4, which lies close to the middle line (the supposed 50TH PERCENTILE). The oldest living person to have landed on the moon is Aldrin at 91. Also living are Scott at 88, Schmitt at 85, and Duke at 85.

The chart assumes that no other humans will go to walk on another world within the time-frame plotted and the title text implies that this is primarily an economically determined decision. While noting that not exploring space is a justifiable and sensible decision which may also be made by many hypothetical cultures on other worlds, the text implies a grandness to a civilization that would be given the opportunity to discover, study and memorialize the 'one-world graves' of other civilizations by choosing to explore space despite the economic difficulty. This also implies that the likely consequence of not exploring space is that a civilisation which chooses to do this is doomed to go extinct eventually while those which do explore and colonise may last long enough to be safely established on multiple worlds and discover the remains of civilisations which acted on a purely economic basis and hence ensured their own collapse. High five for exoplanet archaeology.

==Transcript==
:[A graph titled 'Number of Living Humans Who Have Walked on Another World' - its y-axis is numbered 5, 10, 15, its x-axis increments every ten years from 1960-2040. The line of the graph has a bracket above it that says '65 Years', starting at 1969, ending in 2034.
:The line starts at 1969 and increases steeply to 12 by 1972. It then plateaus until the early nineties, declines gradually to 9 between 1991-1999, and then plateaus again.
:From 2011-2035, which is labeled 'Projected Actuarial Tables', the line branches into three and begins to decline more steeply to zero. The area between the first and second branch is shaded and labeled '5th percentile' and the area between the second and third branch is shaded and labeled '95th percentile.']

==Trivia==
*The theme of actuarial projections was explored earlier in [[493: Actuarial]]; Randall's morbid python script for both was given in [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/07/12/a-morbid-python-script/ the blag].
{| class="wikitable"
|+Table of men who walked the moon
|- style="background:#ccc;"
| style="width:20px;"|
| '''Name'''
| '''Born'''
| '''Died'''
| '''Age at<br>first step'''
| '''Mission'''
| '''Lunar dates'''
| '''Service'''
| '''Alma Mater'''
|- style="background:#def;"
| 1. || {{w|Neil Armstrong}}|| 1930-08-05 || 2012-08-25 || 38y 11m 15d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 11}} ||rowspan="2"| July 21, 1969 || {{w|NASA}} || {{w|Purdue University}}, {{w|University of Southern California}}
|- style="background:#def;"
| 2. || {{w|Buzz Aldrin}}|| 1930-01-20 || || 39y 6m 0d || {{w|United States Air Force|Air Force}} || {{w|United States Military Academy}}, {{w|MIT}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 3. || {{w|Pete Conrad}} || 1930-06-02 || 1999-07-08 || 39y 5m 17d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 12}} ||rowspan="2"| November 19–20, 1969 || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|Princeton University}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 4. || {{w|Alan Bean}}|| 1932-03-15 || 2018-05-26 || 37y 8m 4d || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|University of Texas, Austin}}
|- style="background:#def;"
| 5. || {{w|Alan Shepard}} || 1923-11-18 || 1998-07-21 || 47y 2m 18d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 14}} ||rowspan="2"| February 5–6, 1971 || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|United States Naval Academy}}
|- style="background:#def;"
| 6. || {{w|Edgar Mitchell}}|| 1930-09-07 || 2016-02-04 || 40y 4m 19d || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|Carnegie Mellon University}}, {{w|Naval Postgraduate School}}, {{w|MIT}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 7. || {{w|David Scott}} || 1932-06-06 || || 39y 1m 25d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 15}} ||rowspan="2"| July 31 - August 2, 1971 || {{w|United States Air Force|Air Force}} || {{w|University of Michigan}} (freshman year, and later, an honorary doctorate), {{w|United States Military Academy}}, {{w|MIT}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 8. || {{w|James Irwin}} || 1930-03-17 || 1991-08-08 || 41y 4m 14d || {{w|United States Air Force|Air Force}} || {{w|United States Naval Academy}}, {{w|University of Michigan}}
|- style="background:#def;"
| 9. || {{w|John Young (astronaut)|John W. Young}}|| 1930-09-24 || 2018-01-06 || 41y 6m 28d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 16}} ||rowspan="2"| April 21–23, 1972 || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|Georgia Institute of Technology}}
|- style="background:#def;"
| 10. || {{w|Charles Duke}} || 1935-10-03 || || 36y 6m 18d || {{w|United States Air Force|Air Force}} || {{w|United States Naval Academy}}, {{w|MIT}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 11. || {{w|Eugene Cernan}} || 1934-03-14 || 2017-01-16 || 38y 9m 7d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 17}} ||rowspan="2"| December 11–14, 1972 || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|Purdue University}}, {{w|Naval Postgraduate School}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 12. || {{w|Harrison Schmitt}} || 1935-07-03 || || 37y 5m 8d || {{w|NASA}} || {{w|Caltech}}, {{w|University of Oslo}} (exchange), {{w|Harvard University}}
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]

Talk:2667: First Internet Interaction

2022-09-02T21:51:55Z

172.70.114.87:

Is this related to https://www.kerrang.com/green-day-fans-remind-the-internet-not-to-post-wake-me-up-when-september-ends-jokes/ ?

2666: Universe Price Tiers

2022-09-02T00:59:02Z

172.70.114.87:

{{comic
| number = 2666
| date = August 31, 2022
| title = Universe Price Tiers
| image = universe_price_tiers.png
| titletext = In Universe Pro®™ the laws of physics remain unchanged under time reversal, to maintain backward compatibility.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SOWN WIND - Explained the main point, more details needed. Please change this comment when editing the page . Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Philosophers have posed many questions in trying to understand the nature of the universe. Some of these have become well-known in popular culture; while some are deliberately open-ended, several others are presented as a choice between two or more options, and are assumed to have a single answer, the debate being about which is correct. In this comic, Randall proposes that the answers to these questions are instead not fixed, but vary according to a tiered {{w|subscription business model}}, as seen in many business pricing schemes, particularly in software. In this model, the no-cost tier gets you a universe experience of a lower quality, while at higher tiers better options are available for a cost - for example in the highest tier the processes of aging and death are "Opt-in" rather than "Mandatory". It is not clear from the comic who is supposed to be paying these subscription fees, or to whom they are paid (presumably the developers or maintainers of the universe, or the {{w|Simulation hypothesis|hypothesized simulation thereof}}), or whose experience of the universe is supposed to be affected.

The universe does not have a subscription model,{{citation needed}} but on the chart some of the categories that refer to observable properties such as the speed limit or existence of the {{w|Uncertainty Principle}} indicate ours is the Universe Standard® subscription, but other specifications may not entirely match our user experience.

The title text refers to the concept of {{w|T-symmetry}} in physical laws. Most properties of our universe are asymmetric, meaning that the property changes if time is reversed (e.g. the entropy of the universe decreases as time flows backwards). Randall again makes a reference to software subscription models in a play on words as the Universe Pro®™ sub appears to have laws that maintain "backwards compatibility".

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! !! Universe Lite™ !! Universe Standard® !! Universe Pro®™!!Explanation
|-
! Price
| Free || $14.95/month || $49.95/month || Indicative of a typical Freemium product, the versions released include what is effectively an 'unlimited trial' version, but lacking some potentially desired features, and then extra tiers with increased functionality so that you can "get what you pay for".
|-
! Ads
| Yes || Yes || No || Again typical of a tiered subscription, where ad revenue supports the lower tiers. There are indeed ads in our own universe, but whether they are an intrinsic property of the universe or not is an open question.
|-
! Number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin
| 4 || 64 || 4,096 || "{{w|How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?}}" is a question used to poke fun at medieval angelology and medieval scholasticism in general by claiming discussions in its fields revolve around meaningless questions. It is also used as a metaphor for wasting time debating useless questions, as it is generally accepted that we can have no definititive answer. Here, the question is given concrete answers that are powers of 2 often seen when using binary representation. It may also be a reference to [[485: Depth]].
|-
! Free will or determinism
| Determinism || Free will || Free will || Another predominantly philosophical issue, although physics (both Newtonian and Quantum) has not shied away from trying to answer this (see Does God Play Dice? below). It is interesting that the paid versions of the universe are the only ones to include free will, implying that either such a quality is inherently desirable or it is a necessary condition of some other feature in the paid plan (such as, for instance, the dice-playing mentioned below).
|-
! Cosmic speed limit
| 65 mph || 300,000 km/s || Unlimited || The Cosmic speed limit refers to the {{w|speed of light}}, which rounds to 300,000 kilometers per second in our particular universe, one of the few definite clues as to which tier we might exist in. Living in a universe with such a low speed limit would render many aspects of experience unrecognizable from our own; assuming the speed of light and thus all relativistic effects were similarly scaled, the act of driving at highway speeds would result in [http://gamelab.mit.edu/games/a-slower-speed-of-light/ human-observable] time dilation and apparent spatial distortion. The {{w|special relativity}} consequences of a low speed of light are explored in one chapter of George Gamow's {{w|Mr Tompkins}}; in Mr Tompkins' dream, the speed of light is approximately 10 mph. The idea of having a speed cap is reminiscent of computer simulations and game engines, which often prevent agents from accelerating beyond a certain point to prevent unintended behavior.
|-
! If a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear...
| No sound || Simple beep || Full sound || {{w|If a tree falls in a forest}} is a popular philosophical question whose answer depends largely on one's philosophical belief system and the interpretation of the question itself. Here it's suggested that there is a definite answer which differs depending on the quality of the universe subscription. On the assumption that "our" universe is on the Standard Plan, this table implies that all trees falling outside of the auditory range of anyone or anything capable of noticing it emit a simplified "beep" sound, rather than the complex crashing one would expect. This concept is similar to the discussion in [[2664: Cloud Swirls]].
|-
! Meaning of Life
| Unknowable || Uncertain || Clearly explained || All we can know is that we (currently) don't know, which makes our universe one almost certainly either with an unknowable or uncertain state of affairs.{{Actual citation needed}}
|-
! Sound of one hand clapping
| [None] || [None] || ''Kazzap!'' || A {{w|Koan}} from Buddhism. Koans deliberately have no answer — one hand cannot clap, as the sound of two hands clapping relies upon there being two hands percussing and displacing/resonating air. The "Kazzap" referenced is humorous because it provides an answer to something with no answer, in the form of a nonsense onomatopoeia. To members of our universe, this is absurd. The implication is that those in the Pro version of the universe have access to this seemingly impossible feat.
|-
! Aging and death
| Mandatory || Mandatory || Opt-in || If this is a mere option, we clearly haven't read (or understood) the online manual or perhaps read the tool-tips.
|-
! Does god play dice with the universe?
| Yes, and he cheats || Yes || No || A reference to a phrase famously ascribed to Einstein (in opposition to the concept of quantum uncertainty) that "God does not play dice with the universe." This option and the Determinism/Free Will choice, above, are interestingly linked but not necessarily in a way we can comprehend.
|-
! Bad things...
| Happen to good people only || Happen to good and bad people || Don't happen || Relates to whether there is justice, compassion or fairness in the universe, or perhaps if there specifically is not. In theological arguments, this debate is intimately connected with theodicy (the "problem of evil"), but like the existence of free will it is hotly debated in non-theological contexts as well.
|-
! What happens to those who sow the wind
| Reap the whirlwind || Reap the whirlwind || Lots of crops everywhere || This is a reference to the famous phrase "sow the wind, reap the whirlwind", taken from Hosea 8:7. The phrase means that those who do evil without thought to the consequences will receive punishment. However, in Universe Pro®™, nothing bad happens to anyone, which excludes the possibility of the "whirlwind". This implies that it is possible to ''literally'' sow wind (in the farming sense) in the Pro version, which apparently translates to growing crops in a vastly wider range than normal.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! !! Universe Lite™ !! Universe Standard® !! Universe Pro®™
|-
! Price
| Free || $14.95/month || $49.95/month
|-
! Ads
| Yes || Yes || No
|-
! Number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin
| 4 || 64 || 4,096
|-
! Free will or determinism
| Determinism || Free will || Free will
|-
! Cosmic speed limit
| 65mph || 300,000 km/s || Unlimited
|-
! If a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear...
| No sound || Simple beep || Full sound
|-
! Meaning of Life
| Unknowable || Uncertain || Clearly explained
|-
! Sound of one hand clapping
| [None] || [None] || ''Kazzap!''
|-
! Aging and death
| Mandatory || Mandatory || Opt-in
|-
! Does god play dice with the universe?
| Yes, and he cheats || Yes || No
|-
! Bad things...
| Happen to good people only || Happen to good and bad people || Don't happen
|-
! What happens to those who sow the wind
| Reap the whirlwind || Reap the whirlwind || Lots of crops everywhere
|}
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: Philosophy]]
[[Category: Religion]]

Talk:2665: America Songs

2022-08-30T14:12:41Z

172.70.114.87: Adding a new comment re: "Canadian"

Many of these rely on "ia"/"ie"/"io" serving as the 3rd and 4th syllables, so every song would be sung like "God Bless <s>Olimpiya</s> Algeriya". Virginia Beach appears to be the only one to escape this.--[[User:Magtei|Magtei]] ([[User talk:Magtei|talk]]) 19:39, 29 August 2022 (UTC)
:As a Washingtonian, I pronounce Olympia without the diphthong (so four syllables; the “a” being distinct). It’s probably a dialect thing, and some pronunciations are more common than others, but as long as one fairly-common pronunciation scans, I think it’s fine. [User:Szeth Pancakes|Szeth Pancakes] ([[User talk:Szeth Pancakes|talk]]) 03:37, 30 August 2022 (UTC)
::Alright, bad example. Skipping it is unheard of in areas further south. Do you (or a large part of the US) fully pronounce most dipthongs, [https://www.howmanysyllables.com/syllables/syria Syria with three syllables], etc.?--[[User:Magtei|Magtei]] ([[User talk:Magtei|talk]]) 07:02, 30 August 2022 (UTC)
:There are also some locations with three-syllable names, such as Detroit Lakes or Fergus Falls (both located northwest of St. Cloud, Minnesota) which, although not listed by Randall, will also work and not use the noted syllables. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 02:35, 30 August 2022 (UTC)

This phrase, "scans to", has me confused. Can the explanation address what this is supposed to mean?
--anon 16:23, 29 August 2022
:You betcha [[User:Szeth Pancakes|Szeth Pancakes]] ([[User talk:Szeth Pancakes|talk]]) 20:38, 29 August 2022 (UTC)
::What does scanning mean in relation to sung verse? Just syllables and their stress pattern, or is their more? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.28|172.69.34.28]] 23:11, 29 August 2022 (UTC)
:::I'm not familiar with the term, but I assume it's related to scansion. If I'm right, it's probably just syllables and stress pattern. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 06:52, 30 August 2022 (UTC)
::::- There was a young man from Japan
::::- Whose limericks never would scan.
::::- And when they asked why,
::::- He said "I do try!
::::- But when I get to the last line I try to fit in as many words as I can."
::::...though – and this is me talking, not the famous limerick – after making sure your poetry rhymes (if you want it to; and/or assonate, consonate, etc) and scans (some words are tricky, as mentioned, according to dialect/accent/etc) you also need to check the meter (does it obviously flow and split in patterns like the iambic one where "da-DUM da-DUM-da DUM-da DUM-da-DUM" might be how it works with word-boundries).
::::You might be wise to avoid words like "vehicle" with theoretically, two to four syllables and all kinds of stress-patterns and vowel-sounds (c.f. stereotypical Deep South, north British, Aussie, etc), at least as an early (establishing) element. Maybe you can set up its far more knowable rhyme/scan/metering partner first and rely upon the reader adopting the intended variation (give or take the relatively opposing strengths of writer/reader accents, etc) after being given the prior clue.
::::I would personally say the scan(sion) is mostly the simple syllable count, and may need some writing tricks ("learned" as in "I learned something" and "learn'ed" as in "a very learned person") to convey well during sight-reading or initial internalised read-through.
::::On that, I personally have some problems reading "-ya" syllables as singular (depending upon what the preceding symbol is, I would consider it a "-ee-ah"/"-ee-uh" (or mid-point) with a cut-down "-ee-"), while I have no problem with the "-lm" dipthong/whatever (c.f. Northern Irish tends to clearly enunciate as "fill-um" for 'film', whilst I might almost consider it a syllable/beat of its own). But I suspect the right voice (internal or external) could convince me of any of those examples as given, eventually... ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.105|162.158.159.105]] 13:46, 30 August 2022 (UTC)

Aussie here: we tend to say (and sing) "Australia" with three syllables. For example, see the [https://www.pmc.gov.au/resource-centre/government/australian-national-anthem-scores Australian national anthem]. Occasionally two syllables: Straya mate!! But saying it with four syllables is perhaps an American thing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.207|162.158.2.207]] 21:19, 29 August 2022 (UTC)
:Interesting! It probably is a dialect thing. As an American, I've always pronounced it with four. [[User:Szeth Pancakes|Szeth Pancakes]] ([[User talk:Szeth Pancakes|talk]]) 21:23, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

In the comic, Saskatchewan is spelled as Sasketchewan. Might be fixed later?

Just putting this here: https://www.quora.com/A-lot-of-place-names-in-the-USA-have-four-syllables-Minnesota-Chattanooga-Albuquerque-Tallahassee-Talladega-Massachusetts-Massapequa-Mississippi-Cincinnati-Sacramento-Indiana-Alabama-Oklahoma-etc-Is-there-a (with the understanding that "scanning" doesn't necessarily mean only the number of syllables, e.g. Al-BUH-ker-key has the wrong stress pattern.)[[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.49|172.70.210.49]] 21:51, 29 August 2022 (UTC)
:Hot dog, jumping frog, Albuquerque! [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.211|172.69.79.211]] 22:03, 29 August 2022 (UTC)
::''AlBUquerque, AlBUquerque, God shed his grace on theee...!'' [[Special:Contributions/172.70.207.8|172.70.207.8]] 22:46, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

Does anyone know how to craft a Wikidata query for all the place names with four syllables following the .'.. stress pattern? We should probably say how many there are. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.183|172.70.214.183]] 23:15, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

Jurassic park, Jurassic park, how lovely are thy branches… [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 23:31, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

The pronunciation of Vidalia, Georgia, is "vi-DAIL-ya" -- three syllables, not four. It doesn't actually scan like "America". Seems like the comic is assuming the pronunciation is "vee-DAHL-ee-ah", which would scan.ing
:And the age old question of whether an optional schwa constitutes a syllable rears its head. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.161|172.69.134.161]] 05:14, 30 August 2022 (UTC)
::I came to say a similar thing about Montpelier. In Vermont, at least, it has three syllables. [[User:CeramicMug|CeramicMug]] ([[User talk:CeramicMug|talk]]) 10:42, 30 August 2022 (UTC)

I simply wish to note the similarity to "Thighs" (#321), which is one of my favorite xkcd comics and one that I find comes to mind surprisingly often.

For changing the tune of a song but not the lyrics (or the lyrics in entirety but not the tune), see the title text to 788: The Carriage [[Special:Contributions/172.70.131.126|172.70.131.126]] 11:24, 30 August 2022 (UTC)

Shirley [surely] there must be some overlap between XKCD and "Weird Al" Yankovic fans, but no one has yet mentioned that Randall missed the "American Idiot"/"Canadian Idiot" overlap, mentioning the former but not the latter? '''--BigMal''' // [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.87|172.70.114.87]] 14:12, 30 August 2022 (UTC)

755: Interdisciplinary

2022-08-12T16:13:24Z

172.70.114.87:

{{comic
| number = 755
| date = June 18, 2010
| title = Interdisciplinary
| image = interdisciplinary.png
| titletext = Replace the pendulums with history students and you'll qualify for a grant!
}}

==Explanation==
An "interdisciplinary program" is a program at a school or university that involves students from multiple disciplines, or fields of study. Here, this comics lampoons the concept by envisioning an oddball exercise involving physics students and psychology students. Strictly speaking, this could be categorized as an interdisciplinary program. Further, the study of pendulums is common in physics courses, and the concept of fear arises in psychology, thus the joint effort can be supposedly said to unify both subjects.

The intersection of physics and psychology suggests the classic demonstration in which someone holds a heavy pendulum up against his face and releases it. Basic physics shows that the pendulum will, at most, harmlessly touch the person's face on the backswing (provided that he released it with no initial push and does not lean forward); however, it may take some force of will to refrain from flinching as the pendulum approaches. This experiment (with Black Hat's twisted take) is referenced in [[1670: Laws of Physics]] and [[2539: Flinch]].

In another example where the two concepts meet, the pendulum-like motion of objects (such as a gold pocketwatch on a chain) is stereotypically used in portals of psychology as a device for hypnotism.

The ripping of Psychology, History, and English majors is a common theme in various xkcd comics.

The title text suggests that replacing the pendulums with history students would guarantee funding of a grant, perhaps because of the increased number of disciplines involved. In reality it of course serves to increase injuries among students in majors that the author does not approve of. Interestingly, this is apparently being said by the grant funders rather than the professor.

==Transcript==
:[In the foreground, 2 men and 1 woman are standing.]
:Cueball: This is an interdisciplinary program in which Physics students try to hit Psychology students with pendulums.
:Megan: Promising!
:[In the background, a woman stands on a platform and releases a pendulum hanging from the ceiling that swings toward a man who is running away.]
:Psychology student: AAAAAAA!

:My professors had an ongoing competition to get the weirdest thing taken seriously under the label "interdisciplinary program".

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

Talk:2506: Projecting

2021-08-23T22:44:03Z

172.70.114.87:

Is this a meta joke about how Randall projects himself onto the xkcd characters like cueball, etc.? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.87|172.70.114.87]] 22:44, 23 August 2021 (UTC)

2503: Memo Spike Connector

2021-08-16T17:04:49Z

172.70.114.87: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2503
| date = August 16, 2021
| title = Memo Spike Connector
| image = memo spike connector.png
| titletext = Backward-compatible with many existing cables, and can connect directly to phones or tablets if you press them down hard enough.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HUMAN. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is the 3rd entry in the [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] series.

The comic depicts a large metal spike with a wire coming from the base. The spike stabs through two other wires, thus creating an electrical connection between the three. As the name suggests, the spike resembles a {{w|Spindle_(stationery)|memo spike}}, formally known as a spindle.

Spindles are used to temporarily hold paper by "spindling" or impaling the paper onto the spike (as depicted in the comic). They're most known for their use in restaurants as a way to hold orders for the kitchen staff.

The joke of the comic is while any number of non-destructive connection standards exist, a large spike can provide much of the same results: a conductive object that retains a connection of multiple wires in a way that allows electricity to pass through.

Depending on the Type of Cable it is also likely to create a short circuit, e.g. by Connecting both strands of a twisted pair of strands in a typical ethernet cable. In an enterprise environment this could even happen on a {{w|Power_over_Ethernet|PoE-Connection}}, which actually carry more noticable amounts of power (up to 25,5W)

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
''[A memo spike—a long spike that is often used to hold pieces of paper in place—is shown. There is a wire coming out of the base of the memo spike, and two wires are impaled upon it. Above is a title and below is a label.]''

Cursed Connectors #102

The Memo Spike

==Trivia==
The {{W|Vampire tap}} is an actual connector that pierces into a coaxial cable to create an 10BASE5 Ethernet connection.

{{comic discussion}}


[[Category:Cursed Connectors]]

List of all comics (3000-3500)

2021-08-11T23:04:35Z

172.70.114.87: adding last two comics

This is the list of comics from '''2001 to {{LATESTCOMIC}}'''.
:For the first 500 comics, see [[List of all comics (1-500)]].
:For comics 501-1000, see [[List of all comics (501-1000)]].
:For comics 1001-1500, see [[List of all comics (1001-1500)]].
:For comics 1501-2000, see [[List of all comics (1501-2000)]].
: The whole list is available at [[List of all comics (full)]].

You may also see the list of comics in the order they appeared at the [https://xkcd.com/archive/ xkcd archive].

{| class="wikitable sortable plainlinks table-padding"
|-
!xkcd
!Title
!Talk
!Image
!Date<onlyinclude>
{{comicsrow|2501|2021-08-11|Average Familiarity|average familiarity.png}}
{{comicsrow|2500|2021-08-09|Global Temperature Over My Lifetime|global temperature over my lifetime.png}}
{{comicsrow|2499|2021-08-06|Abandonment Function|abandonment function 2x.png}}
{{comicsrow|2498|2021-08-05|Forest Walk|forest walk.png}}
{{comicsrow|2497|2021-08-02|Logic Gates|logic gates.png}}
{{comicsrow|2496|2021-07-30|Mine Captcha|mine captcha.png}}
{{comicsrow|2495|2021-07-29|Universal Seat Belt|universal seat belt.png}}
{{comicsrow|2494|2021-07-27|Flawed Data|flawed data.png}}
{{comicsrow|2493|2021-07-24|Dual USB-C|dual usb c.png}}
{{comicsrow|2492|2021-07-22|Commonly Mispronounced Equations|commonly mispronounced equations.png}}
{{comicsrow|2491|2021-07-20|Immune Factory|immune factory.png}}
{{comicsrow|2490|2021-07-16|Pre-Pandemic Ketchup|pre pandemic ketchup.png}}
{{comicsrow|2489|2021-07-15|Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special|bad map projection the greenland special.png}}
{{comicsrow|2488|2021-07-13|Board Game Argument: Legacy|board game argument legacy.png}}
{{comicsrow|2487|2021-07-10|Danger Mnemonic|danger mnemonic.png}}
{{comicsrow|2486|2021-07-08|Board Game Party Schedule|board game party schedule.png}}
{{comicsrow|2485|2021-07-05|Nightmare Code|nightmare code.png}}
{{comicsrow|2484|2021-07-03|H-alpha|h alpha.png}}
{{comicsrow|2483|2021-07-01|Linked List Interview Problem|linked list interview problem.png}}
{{comicsrow|2482|2021-06-29|Indoor Socializing|indoor socializing.png}}
{{comicsrow|2481|2021-06-26|1991 and 2021|1991 and 2021.png}}
{{comicsrow|2480|2021-06-23|No, The Other One|no the other one.png}}
{{comicsrow|2479|2021-06-21|Houseguests|houseguests.png}}
{{comicsrow|2478|2021-06-18|Alien Visitors 2|alien visitors 2.png}}
{{comicsrow|2477|2021-06-17|Alien Visitors|alien visitors.png}}
{{comicsrow|2476|2021-06-15|Base Rate|base rate.png}}
{{comicsrow|2475|2021-06-11|Health Drink|health_drink.png}}
{{comicsrow|2474|2021-06-10|First Time Since Early 2020|first time since early 2020.png}}
{{comicsrow|2473|2021-06-08|Product Launch|product launch.png}}
{{comicsrow|2472|2021-06-05|Fuzzy Blob|fuzzy blob.png}}
{{comicsrow|2471|2021-06-02|Hippo Attacks|hippo attacks.png}}
{{comicsrow|2470|2021-06-01|Next Slide Please|next slide please.png}}
{{comicsrow|2469|2021-05-29|Astronomy Status Board|astronomy status board.png}}
{{comicsrow|2468|2021-05-26|Inheritance|inheritance.png}}
{{comicsrow|2467|2021-05-24|Wikipedia Caltrops|wikipedia caltrops.png}}
{{comicsrow|2466|2021-05-22|In Your Classroom|in your classroom.png}}
{{comicsrow|2465|2021-05-19|Dimensional Chess|dimensional chess.png}}
{{comicsrow|2464|2021-05-17|Muller's Ratchet|mullers ratchet.png}}
{{comicsrow|2463|2021-05-15|Astrophotography|astrophotography.png}}
{{comicsrow|2462|2021-05-13|NASA Award|nasa award.png}}
{{comicsrow|2461|2021-05-10|90's Kid Space Program|90s kid space program.png}}
{{comicsrow|2460|2021-05-07|Vaccinated|vaccinated.png}}
{{comicsrow|2459|2021-05-06|March 2020|march 2020.png}}
{{comicsrow|2458|2021-05-04|Bubble Wrap|bubble wrap.png}}
{{comicsrow|2457|2021-04-30|After the Pandemic|after the pandemic.png}}
{{comicsrow|2456|2021-04-28|Types of Scientific Paper|types of scientific paper.png}}
{{comicsrow|2455|2021-04-27|Virus Consulting|virus consulting.png}}
{{comicsrow|2454|2021-04-23|Fully Vaccinated|fully vaccinated.png}}
{{comicsrow|2453|2021-04-22|Excel Lambda|excel lambda.png}}
{{comicsrow|2452|2021-04-20|Aviation Firsts|aviation firsts.png}}
{{comicsrow|2451|2021-04-17|AI Methodology|ai methodology.png}}
{{comicsrow|2450|2021-04-15|Post Vaccine Social Scheduling|post vaccine social scheduling.png}}
{{comicsrow|2449|2021-04-13|ISS Vaccine|iss vaccine.png}}
{{comicsrow|2448|2021-04-10|Eradication|eradication.png}}
{{comicsrow|2447|2021-04-08|Hammer Incident|hammer incident.png}}
{{comicsrow|2446|2021-04-06|Spike Proteins|spike proteins.png}}
{{comicsrow|2445|2021-04-02|Checkbox|checkbox.gif}}
{{comicsrow|2444|2021-03-31|Ingenuity|ingenuity.png}}
{{comicsrow|2443|2021-03-30|Immune Response|immune response.png}}
{{comicsrow|2442|2021-03-26|Mask Opinions|mask opinions.png}}
{{comicsrow|2441|2021-03-24|IMDb Vaccines|imdb vaccines.png}}
{{comicsrow|2440|2021-03-23|Epistemic Uncertainty|epistemic uncertainty.png}}
{{comicsrow|2439|2021-03-19|Solar System Cartogram|solar system cartogram.png}}
{{comicsrow|2438|2021-03-17|Siri|siri.png}}
{{comicsrow|2437|2021-03-15|Post-Vaccine Party|post vaccine party.png}}
{{comicsrow|2436|2021-03-12|Circles|circles.png}}
{{comicsrow|2435|2021-03-11|Geothmetic Meandian|geothmetic meandian.png}}
{{comicsrow|2434|2021-03-09|Vaccine Guidance|vaccine guidance.png}}
{{comicsrow|2433|2021-03-06|Mars Rovers|mars rovers.png}}
{{comicsrow|2432|2021-03-04|Manage Your Preferences|manage your preferences.png}}
{{comicsrow|2431|2021-03-02|Leap Year 2021|leap year 2021.png}}
{{comicsrow|2430|2021-02-26|Post-Pandemic Hat|post pandemic hat.png}}
{{comicsrow|2429|2021-02-25|Exposure Models|exposure models.png}}
{{comicsrow|2428|2021-02-22|Mars Landing Video|mars landing video.png}}
{{comicsrow|2427|2021-02-19|Perseverance Microphones|perseverance microphones.png}}
{{comicsrow|2426|2021-02-18|Animal Songs|animal songs.png}}
{{comicsrow|2425|2021-02-15|mRNA Vaccine|mrna vaccine.png}}
{{comicsrow|2424|2021-02-13|Normal Conversation|normal conversation.png}}
{{comicsrow|2423|2021-02-11|Project Orion|project orion.png}}
{{comicsrow|2422|2021-02-09|Vaccine Ordering|vaccine ordering.png}}
{{comicsrow|2421|2021-02-05|Tower of Babel|tower of babel.png}}
{{comicsrow|2420|2021-02-04|Appliances|appliances.png}}
{{comicsrow|2419|2021-02-01|Hug Count|hug count.png}}
{{comicsrow|2418|2021-01-29|Metacarcinization|metacarcinization.png}}
{{comicsrow|2417|2021-01-27|1/1,000th Scale World|1 1000th scale world.png}}
{{comicsrow|2416|2021-01-26|Trash Compactor Party|trash compactor party.png}}
{{comicsrow|2415|2021-01-23|Allow Captcha|allow captcha.png}}
{{comicsrow|2414|2021-01-20|Solar System Compression Artifacts|solar system compression artifacts.png}}
{{comicsrow|2413|2021-01-19|Pulsar Analogy|pulsar analogy.png}}
{{comicsrow|2412|2021-01-15|1/100,000th Scale World|1 100000th scale world.png}}
{{comicsrow|2411|2021-01-14|1/10,000th Scale World|1 10000th scale world.png}}
{{comicsrow|2410|2021-01-12|Apple Growers|apple growers.png}}
{{comicsrow|2409|2021-01-09|Steepen the Curve|steepen the curve.png}}
{{comicsrow|2408|2021-01-06|Egg Strategies|egg strategies.png}}
{{comicsrow|2407|2021-01-04|Depth and Breadth|depth and breadth.png}}
{{comicsrow|2406|2021-01-01|Viral Vector Immunity|viral vector immunity.png}}
{{comicsrow|2405|2020-12-31|Flash Gatsby|flash gatsby.png}}
{{comicsrow|2404|2020-12-29|First Thing|first thing.png}}
{{comicsrow|2403|2020-12-25|Wrapping Paper|wrapping paper.png}}
{{comicsrow|2402|2020-12-23|Into My Veins|into my veins.png}}
{{comicsrow|2401|2020-12-22|Conjunction|conjunction.png}}
{{comicsrow|2400|2020-12-19|Statistics|statistics.png}}
{{comicsrow|2399|2020-12-16|2020 Election Map|2020 election map.png}}
{{comicsrow|2398|2020-12-15|Vaccine Tracker|vaccine tracker.png}}
{{comicsrow|2397|2020-12-12|I Just Don't Trust Them|i just dont trust them.png}}
{{comicsrow|2396|2020-12-10|Wonder Woman 1984|wonder woman 1984.png}}
{{comicsrow|2395|2020-12-08|Covid Precaution Level|covid precaution level.png}}
{{comicsrow|2394|2020-12-05|Contiguous 41 States|contiguous 41 states.png}}
{{comicsrow|2393|2020-12-03|Presidential Middle Names|presidential middle names.png}}
{{comicsrow|2392|2020-11-30|Cyber Cafe|cyber cafe.png}}
{{comicsrow|2391|2020-11-27|Life Before the Pandemic|life before the pandemic.png}}
{{comicsrow|2390|2020-11-26|Linguists|linguists.png}}
{{comicsrow|2389|2020-11-23|Unread|unread.png}}
{{comicsrow|2388|2020-11-20|Viral Quiz Identity Theft|viral quiz identity theft.png}}
{{comicsrow|2387|2020-11-19|Blair Witch|blair witch.png}}
{{comicsrow|2386|2020-11-17|Ten Years|ten years.png}}
{{comicsrow|2385|2020-11-14|Final Exam|final exam.png}}
{{comicsrow|2384|2020-11-12|Set in the Present|set in the present.png}}
{{comicsrow|2383|2020-11-10|Electoral Precedent 2020|electoral precedent 2020.png}}
{{comicsrow|2382|2020-11-07|Ballot Tracker Tracker|ballot tracker tracker.png}}
{{comicsrow|2381|2020-11-04|The True Name of the Bear|the true name of the bear.png}}
{{comicsrow|2380|2020-11-02|Election Impact Score Sheet|election impact score sheet.png}}
{{comicsrow|2379|2020-10-31|Probability Comparisons|probability comparisons.png}}
{{comicsrow|2378|2020-10-29|Fall Back|fall back.png}}
{{comicsrow|2377|2020-10-26|xkcd Phone 12|xkcd phone 12.png}}
{{comicsrow|2376|2020-10-24|Curbside|curbside.png}}
{{comicsrow|2375|2020-10-22|Worst Ladder|worst ladder.png}}
{{comicsrow|2374|2020-10-20|10,000 Hours|10000 hours.png}}
{{comicsrow|2373|2020-10-17|Chemist Eggs|chemist eggs.png}}
{{comicsrow|2372|2020-10-14|Dialect Quiz|dialect quiz.png}}
{{comicsrow|2371|2020-10-13|Election Screen Time|election screen time.png}}
{{comicsrow|2370|2020-10-09|Prediction|prediction.png}}
{{comicsrow|2369|2020-10-07|All-in-One|all in one.png}}
{{comicsrow|2368|2020-10-05|Bigger Problem|bigger problem.png}}
{{comicsrow|2367|2020-10-02|Masks|masks.png}}
{{comicsrow|2366|2020-10-01|Amelia's Farm Fresh Cookies|amelias farm fresh cookies.png}}
{{comicsrow|2365|2020-09-29|Messaging Systems|messaging systems.png}}
{{comicsrow|2364|2020-09-26|Parity Conservation|parity conservation.png}}
{{comicsrow|2363|2020-09-24|Message Boards|message boards.png}}
{{comicsrow|2362|2020-09-22|Volcano Dinosaur|volcano dinosaur.png}}
{{comicsrow|2361|2020-09-19|Voting|voting.png}}
{{comicsrow|2360|2020-09-16|Common Star Types|common star types.png}}
{{comicsrow|2359|2020-09-14|Evidence of Alien Life|evidence of alien life.png}}
{{comicsrow|2358|2020-09-11|Gravitational Wave Pulsars|gravitational wave pulsars.png}}
{{comicsrow|2357|2020-09-10|Polls vs the Street|polls vs the street.png}}
{{comicsrow|2356|2020-09-08|Constellation Monstrosity|constellation monstrosity.png}}
{{comicsrow|2355|2020-09-04|University COVID Model|university covid model.png}}
{{comicsrow|2354|2020-09-03|Stellar Evolution|stellar evolution.png}}
{{comicsrow|2353|2020-08-31|Hurricane Hunters|hurricane hunters.png}}
{{comicsrow|2352|2020-08-29|Synonym Date|synonym date.png}}
{{comicsrow|2351|2020-08-27|Standard Model Changes|standard model changes.png}}
{{comicsrow|2350|2020-08-24|Deer Turrets|deer turrets.png}}
{{comicsrow|2349|2020-08-21|Rabbit Introduction|rabbit introduction.png}}
{{comicsrow|2348|2020-08-19|Boat Puzzle|boat puzzle.png}}
{{comicsrow|2347|2020-08-17|Dependency|dependency.png}}
{{comicsrow|2346|2020-08-14|COVID Risk Comfort Zone|covid risk comfort zone.png}}
{{comicsrow|2345|2020-08-12|Wish on a Shooting Star|wish on a shooting star.png}}
{{comicsrow|2344|2020-08-10|26-Second Pulse|26 second pulse.png}}
{{comicsrow|2343|2020-08-07|Mathematical Symbol Fight|mathematical symbol fight.png}}
{{comicsrow|2342|2020-08-05|Exposure Notification|exposure notification.png}}
{{comicsrow|2341|2020-08-03|Scientist Tech Help|scientist tech help.png}}
{{comicsrow|2340|2020-07-31|Cosmologist Genres|cosmologist genres.png}}
{{comicsrow|2339|2020-07-29|Pods vs Bubbles|pods vs bubbles.png}}
{{comicsrow|2338|2020-07-27|Faraday Tour|faraday tour.png}}
{{comicsrow|2337|2020-07-24|Asterisk Corrections|asterisk corrections.png}}
{{comicsrow|2336|2020-07-22|Campfire Habitable Zone|campfire habitable zone.png}}
{{comicsrow|2335|2020-07-20|Photo Deposit|photo deposit.png}}
{{comicsrow|2334|2020-07-17|Slide Trombone|slide trombone.png}}
{{comicsrow|2333|2020-07-15|COVID Risk Chart|covid risk chart.png}}
{{comicsrow|2332|2020-07-13|Cursed Chair|cursed chair.png}}
{{comicsrow|2331|2020-07-10|Hamster Ball 2|hamster ball 2.png}}
{{comicsrow|2330|2020-07-08|Acceptable Risk|acceptable risk.png}}
{{comicsrow|2329|2020-07-06|Universal Rating Scale|universal rating scale.png}}
{{comicsrow|2328|2020-07-03|Space Basketball|space basketball.png}}
{{comicsrow|2327|2020-07-01|Oily House Index|oily house index.png}}
{{comicsrow|2326|2020-06-29|Five Word Jargon|five word jargon.png}}
{{comicsrow|2325|2020-06-26|Endorheic Basin|endorheic basin.png}}
{{comicsrow|2324|2020-06-24|Old Days 2|old days 2.png}}
{{comicsrow|2323|2020-06-22|Modeling Study|modeling study.png}}
{{comicsrow|2322|2020-06-19|ISO Paper Size Golden Spiral|iso paper size golden spiral.png}}
{{comicsrow|2321|2020-06-17|Low-Background Metal|low background metal.png}}
{{comicsrow|2320|2020-06-15|Millennium Problems|millennium problems.png}}
{{comicsrow|2319|2020-06-12|Large Number Formats|large number formats.png}}
{{comicsrow|2318|2020-06-10|Dynamic Entropy|dynamic entropy.png}}
{{comicsrow|2317|2020-06-08|Pinouts|pinouts.png}}
{{comicsrow|2316|2020-06-05|Hair Growth Rate|hair growth rate.png}}
{{comicsrow|2315|2020-06-03|Eventual Consistency|eventual consistency.png}}
{{comicsrow|2314|2020-06-01|Carcinization|carcinization.png}}
{{comicsrow|2313|2020-05-29|Wrong Times Table|wrong times table.png}}
{{comicsrow|2312|2020-05-27|mbmbam|mbmbam.png}}
{{comicsrow|2311|2020-05-25|Confidence Interval|confidence interval.png}}
{{comicsrow|2310|2020-05-22|Great Attractor|great attractor.png}}
{{comicsrow|2309|2020-05-20|X|x.png}}
{{comicsrow|2308|2020-05-18|Mount St. Helens|mount st helens.png}}
{{comicsrow|2307|2020-05-15|Alive Or Not|alive or not.png}}
{{comicsrow|2306|2020-05-13|Common Cold|common cold.png}}
{{comicsrow|2305|2020-05-11|Coronavirus Polling|coronavirus polling.png}}
{{comicsrow|2304|2020-05-08|Preprint|preprint.png}}
{{comicsrow|2303|2020-05-06|Error Types|error types.png}}
{{comicsrow|2302|2020-05-04|2020 Google Trends|2020 google trends.png}}
{{comicsrow|2301|2020-05-01|Turtle Sandwich Standard Model|turtle sandwich standard model.png}}
{{comicsrow|2300|2020-04-30|Everyone's an Epidemiologist|everyones an epidemiologist.png}}
{{comicsrow|2299|2020-04-27|Coronavirus Genome 2|coronavirus genome 2.png}}
{{comicsrow|2298|2020-04-24|Coronavirus Genome|coronavirus genome.png}}
{{comicsrow|2297|2020-04-22|Use or Discard By|use or discard by.png}}
{{comicsrow|2296|2020-04-20|Sourdough Starter|sourdough starter.png}}
{{comicsrow|2295|2020-04-17|Garbage Math|garbage math.png}}
{{comicsrow|2294|2020-04-15|Coronavirus Charts|coronavirus charts.png}}
{{comicsrow|2293|2020-04-13|RIP John Conway|rip john conway.gif}}
{{comicsrow|2292|2020-04-10|Thermometer|thermometer.png}}
{{comicsrow|2291|2020-04-08|New Sports System|new sports system.png}}
{{comicsrow|2290|2020-04-06|Homemade Masks|homemade masks.png}}
{{comicsrow|2289|2020-04-04|Scenario Four|sequence-four.png}}
{{comicsrow|2288|2020-04-03|Collector's Edition|collectors edition.png}}
{{comicsrow|2287|2020-03-31|Pathogen Resistance|pathogen resistance.png}}
{{comicsrow|2286|2020-03-27|6-Foot Zone|6 foot zone.png}}
{{comicsrow|2285|2020-03-25|Recurring Nightmare|recurring nightmare.png}}
{{comicsrow|2284|2020-03-23|Sabotage|sabotage.png}}
{{comicsrow|2283|2020-03-20|Exa-Exabyte|exa exabyte.png}}
{{comicsrow|2282|2020-03-18|Coronavirus Worries|coronavirus worries.png}}
{{comicsrow|2281|2020-03-16|Coronavirus Research|coronavirus research.png}}
{{comicsrow|2280|2020-03-13|2010 and 2020|2010 and 2020.png}}
{{comicsrow|2279|2020-03-11|Symptoms|symptoms.png}}
{{comicsrow|2278|2020-03-09|Scientific Briefing|scientific briefing.png}}
{{comicsrow|2277|2020-03-06|Business Greetings|business greetings.png}}
{{comicsrow|2276|2020-03-04|Self-Isolate|self isolate.png}}
{{comicsrow|2275|2020-03-02|Coronavirus Name|coronavirus name.png}}
{{comicsrow|2274|2020-02-28|Stargazing 3|stargazing 3.png}}
{{comicsrow|2273|2020-02-26|Truck Proximity|truck proximity.png}}
{{comicsrow|2272|2020-02-24|Ringtone Timeline|ringtone timeline.png}}
{{comicsrow|2271|2020-02-21|Grandpa Jason and Grandpa Chad|grandpa jason and grandpa chad.png}}
{{comicsrow|2270|2020-02-19|Picking Bad Stocks|picking bad stocks.png}}
{{comicsrow|2269|2020-02-17|Phylogenetic Tree|phylogenetic tree.png}}
{{comicsrow|2268|2020-02-14|Further Research is Needed|further research is needed.png}}
{{comicsrow|2267|2020-02-12|Blockchain|blockchain.png}}
{{comicsrow|2266|2020-02-11|Leap Smearing|leap smearing.png}}
{{comicsrow|2265|2020-02-07|Tax AI|tax ai.png}}
{{comicsrow|2264|2020-02-05|Satellite|satellite.png}}
{{comicsrow|2263|2020-02-03|Cicadas|cicadas.png}}
{{comicsrow|2262|2020-01-31|Parker Solar Probe|parker solar probe.png}}
{{comicsrow|2261|2020-01-29|Worst Thing That Could Happen|worst thing that could happen.png}}
{{comicsrow|2260|2020-01-27|Reaction Maps|reaction maps.png}}
{{comicsrow|2259|2020-01-24|Networking Problems|networking problems.png}}
{{comicsrow|2258|2020-01-22|Solar System Changes|solar system changes.png}}
{{comicsrow|2257|2020-01-20|Unsubscribe Message|unsubscribe message.png}}
{{comicsrow|2256|2020-01-17|Bad Map Projection: South America|bad map projection south america.png}}
{{comicsrow|2255|2020-01-15|Tattoo Ideas|tattoo ideas.png}}
{{comicsrow|2254|2020-01-13|JPEG2000|jpeg2000.png}}
{{comicsrow|2253|2020-01-10|Star Wars Voyager 1|star wars voyager 1.png}}
{{comicsrow|2252|2020-01-08|Parenthetical Names|parenthetical names.png}}
{{comicsrow|2251|2020-01-05|Alignment Chart Alignment Chart|alignment chart alignment chart.png}}
{{comicsrow|2250|2020-01-03|OK/okay/ok|ok okay ok.png}}
{{comicsrow|2249|2020-01-01|I Love the 20s|i love the 20s.png}}
{{comicsrow|2248|2019-12-30|New Year's Eve|new years eve.png}}
{{comicsrow|2247|2019-12-27|Weird Hill|weird hill.png}}
{{comicsrow|2246|2019-12-25|Christmas Presents|christmas presents.png}}
{{comicsrow|2245|2019-12-23|Edible Arrangements|edible arrangements.png}}
{{comicsrow|2244|2019-12-20|Thumbtacks And String|thumbtacks and string.png}}
{{comicsrow|2243|2019-12-18|Star Wars Spoiler Generator|star wars spoiler generator.png}}
{{comicsrow|2242|2019-12-16|Ground vs Air|ground vs air.png}}
{{comicsrow|2241|2019-12-13|Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect|brussels sprouts mandela effect.png}}
{{comicsrow|2240|2019-12-11|Timeline of the Universe|timeline of the universe.png}}
{{comicsrow|2239|2019-12-09|Data Error|data error.png}}
{{comicsrow|2238|2019-12-06|Flu Shot|flu shot.png}}
{{comicsrow|2237|2019-12-04|AI Hiring Algorithm|ai hiring algorithm.png}}
{{comicsrow|2236|2019-12-02|Is it Christmas?|is it christmas.png}}
{{comicsrow|2235|2019-11-29|Group Chat Rules|group chat rules.png}}
{{comicsrow|2234|2019-11-27|How To Deliver Christmas Presents|how to deliver christmas presents.png}}
{{comicsrow|2233|2019-11-26|Aurora Meaning|aurora meaning.png}}
{{comicsrow|2232|2019-11-22|Hotel Room Party|hotel room party.png}}
{{comicsrow|2231|2019-11-20|the Time Before And After Land|the time before and after land.png}}
{{comicsrow|2230|2019-11-18|Versus Bracket|versus bracket.png}}
{{comicsrow|2229|2019-11-15|Rey and Kylo|rey and kylo.png}}
{{comicsrow|2228|2019-11-14|Machine Learning Captcha|machine learning captcha.png}}
{{comicsrow|2227|2019-11-11|Transit of Mercury|transit of mercury.png}}
{{comicsrow|2226|2019-11-09|Recombination And Reionization|recombination and reionization.png}}
{{comicsrow|2225|2019-11-06|Voting Referendum|voting referendum.png}}
{{comicsrow|2224|2019-11-05|Software Updates|software updates.png}}
{{comicsrow|2223|2019-11-01|Screen Time|screen time.png}}
{{comicsrow|2222|2019-10-30|Terminator: Dark Fate|terminator dark fate.png}}
{{comicsrow|2221|2019-10-29|Emulation|emulation.png}}
{{comicsrow|2220|2019-10-25|Imagine Going Back in Time|imagine going back in time.png}}
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{{comicsrow|2218|2019-10-21|Wardrobe|wardrobe.png}}
{{comicsrow|2217|2019-10-19|53 Cards|53 cards.png}}
{{comicsrow|2216|2019-10-17|Percent Milkfat|percent milkfat.png}}
{{comicsrow|2215|2019-10-15|Faculty:Student Ratio|faculty student ratio.png}}
{{comicsrow|2214|2019-10-11|Chemistry Nobel|chemistry nobel.png}}
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{{comicsrow|2212|2019-10-07|Cell Phone Functions|cell phone functions.png}}
{{comicsrow|2211|2019-10-04|Hours Before Departure|hours before departure.png}}
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{{comicsrow|2209|2019-09-30|Fresh Pears|fresh pears.png}}
{{comicsrow|2208|2019-09-27|Drone Fishing|drone fishing.png}}
{{comicsrow|2207|2019-09-25|Math Work|math work.png}}
{{comicsrow|2206|2019-09-23|Mavis Beacon|mavis beacon.png}}
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{{comicsrow|2204|2019-09-18|Ksp 2|ksp 2.png}}
{{comicsrow|2203|2019-09-16|Prescience|prescience.png}}
{{comicsrow|2202|2019-09-13|Earth-Like Exoplanet|earth like exoplanet.png}}
{{comicsrow|2201|2019-09-11|Foucault Pendulum|foucault pendulum.png}}
{{comicsrow|2200|2019-09-11|Unreachable State|unreachable state.png}}
{{comicsrow|2199|2019-09-06|Cryptic Wifi Networks|cryptic wifi networks.png}}
{{comicsrow|2198|2019-09-03|Throw|throw.png}}
{{comicsrow|2197|2019-09-02|Game Show|game show.png}}
{{comicsrow|2196|2019-08-30|Nice To E-Meet You|nice to e-meet you.png}}
{{comicsrow|2195|2019-08-28|Dockless Roombas|dockless roombas.png}}
{{comicsrow|2194|2019-08-26|How to Send a File|how to send a file.png}}
{{comicsrow|2193|2019-08-23|Well-Ordering Principle|well ordering principle.png}}
{{comicsrow|2192|2019-08-21|Review|review.png}}
{{comicsrow|2191|2019-08-19|Conference Question|conference question.png}}
{{comicsrow|2190|2019-08-16|Serena Versus the Drones|serena versus the drones.png}}
{{comicsrow|2189|2019-08-14|Old Game Worlds|old game worlds.png}}
{{comicsrow|2188|2019-08-12|E Scooters|e scooters.png}}
{{comicsrow|2187|2019-08-09|Geologic Time|geologic time.png}}
{{comicsrow|2186|2019-08-07|Dark Matter|dark matter.png}}
{{comicsrow|2185|2019-08-05|Cumulonimbus|cumulonimbus.png}}
{{comicsrow|2185|2019-08-05|Disappearing Sunday Update|disappearing sunday update.png}}
{{comicsrow|2184|2019-08-02|Unpopular Opinions|unpopular opinions.png}}
{{comicsrow|2183|2019-07-31|Icon Swap|icon swap.png}}
{{comicsrow|2182|2019-07-29|When I'm Back at a Keyboard|when im back at a keyboard.png}}
{{comicsrow|2181|2019-07-26|Inbox|inbox.png}}
{{comicsrow|2180|2019-07-24|Spreadsheets|spreadsheets.png}}
{{comicsrow|2179|2019-07-23|NWS Warnings|nws warnings.png}}
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{{comicsrow|2176|2019-07-15|How Hacking Works|how hacking works.png}}
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{{comicsrow|2174|2019-07-10|First News Memory|first news memory.png}}
{{comicsrow|2173|2019-07-08|Trained a Neural Net|trained a neural net.png}}
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{{comicsrow|2168|2019-06-26|Reading in the Original|reading in the original.png}}
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{{comicsrow|2092|2018-12-31|Consensus New Year|consensus new year.png}}
{{comicsrow|2091|2018-12-28|Million, Billion, Trillion|million billion trillion.png}}
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|}

[[Category:Comics| ]]

Talk:2500: Global Temperature Over My Lifetime

2021-08-10T02:01:15Z

172.70.114.87: Question about alt text

The DgbrtBOT seems to be broken again. I created the page for this comic, and the previous comic explanation was also created manually. [[User:Natg19|Natg19]] ([[User talk:Natg19|talk]]) 18:00, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

Retired old guy here, I'm puzzled by the usage in the title text, "Then I realized, oh, right, of course." Is this meant to imply that Exxon controlled the use of petroleum over this time period, instead of just predicting the usage? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.225|172.70.130.225]] 18:16, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
:I think it just means that if anyone's going to have accurate data to predict petroleum use (such as supply levels), it would be a petroleum company.
:I assume Randall realized hindsight bias was in play: that the report only became famous after it turned out to have predicted accurately. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.203|162.158.88.203]] 19:48, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
_ _ _ _
\ / / \ / \ th comic
| |_ | | | |
/ \ | | | |
/__ __/ \_/ \_/
--[[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.108|198.41.238.108]] 19:14, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
:It seems like Randall has more serious issues on his mind than marking a meaningless milestone. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:45, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
::What's so 'milestoney' about the number 0x9C4? Maybe we could talk about this in another 0x63C comics...
::(Also, as non-retired, but arguably being a well-beyond-middle-aged-guy chronologically if not mentally, this comic now makes me feel old. I thought Randall was maybe up to a decade older, much closer to my age.)
::((Also also, how long before someone goes down the "climate is always changing!" line, conveniently forgetting about [[1732]]?)) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.97|162.158.159.97]] 23:42, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

Can I just point out to people that there are [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2500:_Global_Temperature_Over_My_Lifetime&diff=next&oldid=216302 ok-ish ways and better ways] to link to things? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.21|141.101.76.21]] 00:17, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

The alt text states "I was really impressed by the accuracy of some of the report's predictions about fossil fuel consumption. Then I realized, oh, right, of course.". Why of course? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.87|172.70.114.87]] 02:01, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2498: Forest Walk

2021-08-07T20:04:56Z

172.70.114.87:

Have just added a transcript. Hope I did good! :) -Lance ([[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.211|172.70.126.211]] 02:40, 5 August 2021 (UTC))
:You did good, Lance. *pats head* [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.197|162.158.74.197]] 18:06, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

Wonder what Beret Guy would do if Cooper said, "I don't have it any more," since some of the money was discovered, badly deteriorated and partially buried, along the banks of the Columbia River back in 1980, as verified by serial numbers on the found currency. Given the absence of any other evidence, it was assumed that the hijacker had gotten separated from the money either during or right after the jump, the found currency had been deposited as flotsam at its discovery point through the actions of the river itself, and the rest of the money was still somewhere in the Pacific Northwest awaiting similar discovery, [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 04:23, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

If it can be considered that the comic is a reference to random walk (in a forest), can it also be considered a reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_forest random forests] ? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.68.73|141.101.68.73]] 07:14, 5 August 2021 (UTC)
:I don't get why the comic is supposed to be a reference to random walks or to random forests. Nothing points to that. Real forests exists, and people walk in them. The only peculiarity of this particular forest is that D.B. Cooper hangs in one of its trees. --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.103.244|188.114.103.244]] 08:20, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

I feel like there should be a D.B. Cooper category at this point. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.52|141.101.104.52]] 07:51, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

Hey there, I think the alt text is also a reference to https://xkcd.com/2390/ ? Kind regards :) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.61|162.158.89.61]] 08:13, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

Typo: "he might have simply inherited it form his mom". --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.39|162.158.255.39]] 12:40, 5 August 2021 (UTC)
: Done, now. I'd seen it, but apparently missed it, in preparing for my first big corrective edit of the day (little tyops, a lot less awful than ones ''I'' have previously left for others to correct). Or maybe I thought I should leave it suspended from the tree until some other issue had been resolved. :P [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.105|162.158.158.105]] 12:53, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

Not to question the artistic representation, but rather than Forest (tree canopy and dense undergrowth), I'd say that was more Woodland Savanna (individual tree growth smattered around grass/shrubland at most). Or maybe we just can't properly see the woods for the trees... (Or the action is set at the edge of a clearing, of course!) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.184|141.101.98.184]] 13:32, 5 August 2021 (UTC)
:It's Southwest Washington, where Pyroculture practiced over centuries changed the nature of the forests. Your average forest, until recently when fire suppression came in, had very little undergrowth, and sometimes whole fields of Camas Lilly or Tarweed or other food plants valued by the Yakima.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 19:43, 5 August 2021 (UTC)

Doesn't it seem likely, that Beret Guy's trees have soup outlets on them? Like his Business does? (Or, maybe Ghosts (like the business))

'You help me down this instant!' is not an "unlikely combination of words" or an unusual phrase. I'm not sure if it is regional, but as a native US English speaker, this is a completely normal wording to use if you are frustrated and insisting that someone do something, especially someone much younger, so perhaps it is meant to further indicate the man's age. As an example, a parent might say to their unruly child who is refusing to do their chores, "young man, you clean your room this instant!" (or "right this instant") It can also be used playfully: you are taking a walk along a river with some friends, when one of them suddenly playfully splashes water on you and takes off running (to avoid retaliation) and you run after them shouting "I'm going to get you for that! You get back here right this instant!" [[Special:Contributions/172.70.131.28|172.70.131.28]] 15:36, 5 August 2021 (UTC)
:I had the same reaction to both the title text and the explanation (although I believe it refers to the "help me down" part and not the "this instant" part). Either way, neither part of the phrase nor the entire phrase seems unlikely or unusual. I actually first came to this page to see if I was missing a reference in the title text, but it appears Randall just finds our dialectic somewhat strange. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.73|172.70.114.73]] 16:28, 5 August 2021 (UTC)
::IANALinguist, but I took it that "Help me down" is a (potentially, enough to be linguistically nerdsniped upon) ambiguous. 'Down' as a verb is strange, maybe ("to down, I wish you to help me") which might even be more feather-based in regards to the action conveyed. Or "lower the amount of help you shall grant me". Or even "(I) require assistance (for) I (am) feeling a certain amount of ennui". And "I wish to fall" is obviously not meant... Or is it? Some people would wish to consider this... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.211|162.158.158.211]] 19:06, 5 August 2021 (UTC)
:::It was I who added that part about the "unlikely combination of words". Today I have checked it on https://www.english-corpora.org/coca/ (where you have to annoyingly register with your real email address as throwaway mails are effectively blocked). Expression 'right know' has 151 795 results. 'this instant' has only 558 including phrases such as:
:::"Get the fuck out of my office this instant." from Silicon Valley (2017 TV Series, episode The Keenan Vortex);
:::"Shh. Stop that this instant! 'Stop that this instant.' You sound like my teacher." Justice League Action (2016, Galaxy Jest);
:::"Put those drapes down this instant. ... I will grab a spatula and put you Over my knee this instant! - You sound like mommy." The Haunted Hathaways (2014, Haunted Viking);
:::"Applebloom! You come back here right this instant! (blustering)" My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010, Bridle Gossip).
:::There were also some result from spoken word, newspapers and blogs but they were not relevant. In conclusion, 'this instant' is much less frequent than more common 'right know', however, it is used. On the other hand, it is infrequent enough that characters in TV series comment on how out of place that phrase sounds. I have deleted my explanation, feel free to undo the deletion, rewrite the explanation or leave it as it is now.
::: To clarify, I have deleted this part of explanation: As mentioned in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]], Cooper was also known for ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style and use of unusual phrases such as 'negotiable American currency', he seems to hold to this habit and instead of much more common 'Help me right now!' or 'Put me down immediately!' he used rather unlikely combination of words 'You help me down this instant!'. [[User:CryptoNut1269|CryptoNut1269]] ([[User talk:CryptoNut1269|talk]]) 11:06, 6 August 2021 (UTC)
::::I assume you mean "right now" not "right know". [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.165|172.70.126.165]] 01:05, 7 August 2021 (UTC)Pat
::: My input: the "this instant" bit is not even mentioned as the focus of the linguist's attention, so I'd not consider that important. D.B. may also have only started to say that ''since'' the prior visitor, or only when directly addressing BG (with the long history of ignoring/refusing him). "Help me down" is an interesting construct in and of itself, as mentioned. But I could not tell you in what ways. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.106|162.158.158.106]] 14:39, 6 August 2021 (UTC)

Anyone else think that D.B. Cooper in this comic looks a bit like Don Quixote from alternate energy revolution? --[[User:4D4850|4D4850]] ([[User talk:4D4850|talk]]) 02:13, 6 August 2021 (UTC)
: Kind of, but when you looked closer at [[556: Alternative Energy Revolution]] Don Quixote's beard is definitely better groomed and his hair is trimmed. I would rather compare this Cooper with the guy form [[725: Literally]]. [[User:CryptoNut1269|CryptoNut1269]] ([[User talk:CryptoNut1269|talk]]) 11:06, 6 August 2021 (UTC)
:: <humor> What if literally guy is alternate universe D.B. Cooper? </humor> Seriously speaking though, it seems the similarity is just because there aren't many different ways to draw stick figures. --[[User:4D4850|4D4850]] ([[User talk:4D4850|talk]]) 19:41, 6 August 2021 (UTC)

Where's the page for yesterday's 2499:Abandonment Function? I know it was published late (after midnight last night), but is that a reason not to explain it? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 12:54, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
:Sometimes DGBRTBot (however it's capitalised, etc, I forget) needs a nudge. It's a long long time since I last saw that need so seriously doing, so can't remember how difficult it was when everyone was last complaining about it... I'm sure others are checking that, but I'll poke around to see if it's possible to poke as an AnonIP too... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.12|141.101.99.12]] 17:55, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
:: I think my desire to archive the comic along with everything else in case the universe ends is simplifying down to just pasting a link in here: https://xkcd.com/2499/ . Presently accessible for me on xkcd.com . Has a single panel showing a drone asking to be charged by an owner it gifts itself to. Somewhat triggering around human slavery. Caption describes an abandonment function that provides for unwanted drones to find new owners. Reminds of discarded autonomous robots. archive.org will be crawling it soon, hopefully before the universe ends, but I wrote a small summary here. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.87|172.70.114.87]] 20:04, 7 August 2021 (UTC)

2498: Forest Walk

2021-08-06T13:48:39Z

172.70.114.87: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2498
| date = August 4, 2021
| title = Forest Walk
| image = forest_walk.png
| titletext = The only other person to walk by was a linguist back in the 80s, but she just spent a while dissecting the phrase 'help me down' before getting distracted by a squirrel and wandering off.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] is walking through a wide landscape with [[Beret Guy]] who owns a big part of it. Megan is surprised that he owns such a big property, however, Beret Guy is known for his inexplicable businesses such as in [[1493: Meeting]] and from [[1032: Networking]]; we know he probably has enough resources to be able to buy it. Alternatively, he might have simply inherited it from his mom [[502: Dark Flow]], or may not really understand the concept of actually owning it. Never the less he walks here everyday, and from the context of the comic it seems pretty much no one else comes here.

They meet a rather disheveled-looking bearded man hanging from a parachute caught in a tree. The man shakes a stick at them and demands to be helped down to the ground. Beret Guy simply addresses him as "Mister Cooper" and asks if he promises to return the money he took. The man angrily refuses, and Beret Guy casually says he'll see him again tomorrow, suggesting that this conversation has become a daily routine.

Megan asks if the man was D. B. Cooper. Beret Guy confirms that he is. He then comments on an owl nest as another bit of "neat stuff" found on his land, suggesting that he finds Cooper's presence to be just another mildly interesting part of this land.

{{w|D. B. Cooper}} is the identity given to a man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft in 1971. He collected a $200,000 ransom (equivalent to $1,250,000 in 2020) and famously donned a parachute and jumped from the plane over the state of Washington. Even after lengthy FBI investigations, it is still unknown who he was, or what ever became of him. The only things known about him are a police composite drawing and the name "Dan Cooper", under which he had purchased his airline ticket. The name D. B. Cooper came about as a result of a miscommunication with the media. The comic is insinuating that, after leaping from the plane, he got entangled in a tree and has somehow been there ever since.

D. B. Cooper was already referenced by Randall in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]], [[1501: Mysteries]] and [[2452: Aviation Firsts]].

Uncanny situations are nothing new to Beret Guy, since he himself frequently creates them [[Category:Strange_powers_of_Beret_Guy|strange powers]]. Because of this he seems to be unable to differentiate between something normal but interesting, such as an owl nest in a forest, and something as outright impossible as a famous criminal hanging from a tree, otherwise unnoticed for decades and somehow still thriving - though clearly aged.

The issues of food, water and other necessities are unaddressed, but this individual has at least obtained what seemingly could be a walking-stick, to accompany his age-acquired frailty. In some ways this is unexceptional, as the one resource (other than rain, possibly) that he has easiest access to are tree branches, but then the question is whether it can be considered a walking stick if he has not actually walked (or stood, or anything but dangled) for however long he has possessed it. There is a clearly broken branch-stump at roughly his height upon the tree trunk, possibly the remains of an earlier attempt to gain support enough to become disentangled, and perhaps he had the presence of mind (or was stubborn enough) not to drop the part that unfortunately snapped off in his hand in the attempt.

The title text may reference to the linguist from [[2390: Linguists]] who is more interested in the linguistic nuances that people use than in actually responding to their call for assistance. It is not known how many others have walked through Beret Guy's land, in the interim, or whether it is their own nature or the general aura from Beret Guy, but the linguist clearly did not much more than ponder the phrase "help me down". Megan also seems in no particular hurry to intervene.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Beret Guy are walking through a landscape with spread out trees and grass and puddles on the ground.]
:Megan: Wow, this is all yours?
:Beret Guy: Yeah! All the way back to the river!
:Beret Guy: I walk here every day.

:[Megan still walks towards Beret Guy who has now stopped and is looking up while speaking to a man hanging in a tree in front of them. The man has long wild hair and a large beard. He hangs from his parachute which has been folded around a large branch sticking out from beneath the top of the tree. He is holding a long stick of some sort, seemingly attempting to threaten Beret Guy, as the stick and his legs are vibrating as indicated with small lines.]
:Beret Guy: Morning, Mister Cooper!
:Cooper: You help me down '''''this instant!'''''

:[Pan down to show only Beret Buy and nothing else. Cooper replies from off-panel from the top corner.]
:Beret Guy: Do you promise to give back all the money you took?
:Cooper [off-panel]: '''''Never!'''''
:Beret Guy: Okay! See you tomorrow!

:[Megan and Beret Guy continue walking through the landscape with three small trees behind them, as well as grass, rocks and a small puddle. Megan looks back over her shoulder towards where Cooper is hanging.]
:Megan: Was that D.B. Cooper?
:Beret Guy: Yeah, and up ahead there's an owl nest!
:Beret Guy: There's so much neat stuff here.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring D. B. Cooper]]
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Squirrels]] 
[[Category:Language]]

2498: Forest Walk

2021-08-06T13:48:10Z

172.70.114.87: /* Explanation */ changed the verb since one can't possess a situation

{{comic
| number = 2498
| date = August 4, 2021
| title = Forest Walk
| image = forest_walk.png
| titletext = The only other person to walk by was a linguist back in the 80s, but she just spent a while dissecting the phrase 'help me down' before getting distracted by a squirrel and wandering off.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] is walking through a wide landscape with [[Beret Guy]] who owns a big part of it. Megan is surprised that he owns such a big property, however, Beret Guy is known for his inexplicable businesses such as in [[1493: Meeting]] and from [[1032: Networking]]; we know he probably has enough resources to be able to buy it. Alternatively, he might have simply inherited it from his mom [[502: Dark Flow]], or may not really understand the concept of actually owning it. Never the less he walks here everyday, and from the context of the comic it seems pretty much no one else comes here.

They meet a rather disheveled-looking bearded man hanging from a parachute caught in a tree. The man shakes a stick at them and demands to be helped down to the ground. Beret Guy simply addresses him as "Mister Cooper" and asks if he promises to return the money he took. The man angrily refuses, and Beret Guy casually says he'll see him again tomorrow, suggesting that this conversation has become a daily routine.

Megan asks if the man was D. B. Cooper. Beret Guy confirms that he is. He then comments on an owl nest as another bit of "neat stuff" found on his land, suggesting that he finds Cooper's presence to be just another mildly interesting part of this land.

{{w|D. B. Cooper}} is the identity given to a man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft in 1971. He collected a $200,000 ransom (equivalent to $1,250,000 in 2020) and famously donned a parachute and jumped from the plane over the state of Washington. Even after lengthy FBI investigations, it is still unknown who he was, or what ever became of him. The only things known about him are a police composite drawing and the name "Dan Cooper", under which he had purchased his airline ticket. The name D. B. Cooper came about as a result of a miscommunication with the media. The comic is insinuating that, after leaping from the plane, he got entangled in a tree and has somehow been there ever since.

D. B. Cooper was already referenced by Randall in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]], [[1501: Mysteries]] and [[2452: Aviation Firsts]].

Uncanny situations are nothing new to Beret Guy, as he himself frequently creates them [[Category:Strange_powers_of_Beret_Guy|strange powers]]. Because of this he seems to be unable to differentiate between something normal but interesting, such as an owl nest in a forest, and something as outright impossible as a famous criminal hanging from a tree, otherwise unnoticed for decades and somehow still thriving - though clearly aged.

The issues of food, water and other necessities are unaddressed, but this individual has at least obtained what seemingly could be a walking-stick, to accompany his age-acquired frailty. In some ways this is unexceptional, as the one resource (other than rain, possibly) that he has easiest access to are tree branches, but then the question is whether it can be considered a walking stick if he has not actually walked (or stood, or anything but dangled) for however long he has possessed it. There is a clearly broken branch-stump at roughly his height upon the tree trunk, possibly the remains of an earlier attempt to gain support enough to become disentangled, and perhaps he had the presence of mind (or was stubborn enough) not to drop the part that unfortunately snapped off in his hand in the attempt.

The title text may reference to the linguist from [[2390: Linguists]] who is more interested in the linguistic nuances that people use than in actually responding to their call for assistance. It is not known how many others have walked through Beret Guy's land, in the interim, or whether it is their own nature or the general aura from Beret Guy, but the linguist clearly did not much more than ponder the phrase "help me down". Megan also seems in no particular hurry to intervene.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Beret Guy are walking through a landscape with spread out trees and grass and puddles on the ground.]
:Megan: Wow, this is all yours?
:Beret Guy: Yeah! All the way back to the river!
:Beret Guy: I walk here every day.

:[Megan still walks towards Beret Guy who has now stopped and is looking up while speaking to a man hanging in a tree in front of them. The man has long wild hair and a large beard. He hangs from his parachute which has been folded around a large branch sticking out from beneath the top of the tree. He is holding a long stick of some sort, seemingly attempting to threaten Beret Guy, as the stick and his legs are vibrating as indicated with small lines.]
:Beret Guy: Morning, Mister Cooper!
:Cooper: You help me down '''''this instant!'''''

:[Pan down to show only Beret Buy and nothing else. Cooper replies from off-panel from the top corner.]
:Beret Guy: Do you promise to give back all the money you took?
:Cooper [off-panel]: '''''Never!'''''
:Beret Guy: Okay! See you tomorrow!

:[Megan and Beret Guy continue walking through the landscape with three small trees behind them, as well as grass, rocks and a small puddle. Megan looks back over her shoulder towards where Cooper is hanging.]
:Megan: Was that D.B. Cooper?
:Beret Guy: Yeah, and up ahead there's an owl nest!
:Beret Guy: There's so much neat stuff here.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring D. B. Cooper]]
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Squirrels]] 
[[Category:Language]]

2495: Universal Seat Belt

2021-07-30T22:48:32Z

172.70.114.87: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2495
| date = July 28, 2021
| title = Universal Seat Belt
| image = universal_seat_belt.png
| titletext = The plug fits really snugly, so it should be safe in a crash.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a QUICK-RELEASE SERIAL CONNECTION THAT CAN WITHSTAND A SUDDEN KERNEL PANIC AT 80MPH BUT FAILS IF TOUCHED. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This became the second installment in the new series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #65: The Universal Seat Belt. The series began two comics earlier with [[2493: Dual USB-C]] (#187).

The comic shows another of [[Randall|Randall's]] "Cursed Connectors", the "Universal {{w|Seat belt|Seat Belt}}", a pun on the Universal Serial Bus ({{w|USB}}) connector.

USB connectors are mostly designed for free and unrestricted insertion and removal. There may be a slight use of the internal and external bumps and dimples to provide a tactile indication of being engaged or disengaged, but there are usually no facilities to prevent a connector being easily pulled out of even a port being actively used - the OS can do no more than complain that a device has been removed without first ensuring proper logical unmapping of the resource (which in turn may have to await a current session of data transfer being completed or aborted) or warn that a "delayed write" has failed. Anyone who has used USB in a frequently-jostled environment knows the connectors can't withstand much jerking around without their connection to their mainboard permanently failing.

Car seat-buckles, on the other hand, have very definite requirements to not come loose ''unless'' intentionally and mechanically released, in order to keep the passenger safely anchored to the seat.

The title text claims that the seat belt is secure in the case of a crash. This is another pun, as seat belts protect passengers in a car crash while USB ports are rated to protect devices in the event of a computer malfunction ("crash").

Another similarity between seat-belts (especially on back seats) and USB-plugs is that they can be a bit fiddly to insert. A seat-belt lock with the asymmetric design of a USB-A plug would be even more fiddly and thus "cursed".

One possible use for the USB data connector might be to give a certain degree of 'proof' that the belt is plugged in, although that functionality is fairly well covered by current anchor-point sensors that (combined with seat-occupancy sensors that may respond to the weight of a seated person) can trigger dashboard lights and possibly warning sounds in vehicles as necessary to prompt correct usage of restraining belts. That system does not usually need an electronic data connection between anchor and belt, an anchor-side switch should suffice, and it would still require a mechanical gripping/hooking method to make it of any use to be engaged in the first place.

The USB specification is designed such that USB connectors fit snugly from pressure. This means they usually need no button, like seatbelts have, to lock them in place. If one hacks a USB connection to increase the tightness, so that it can withstand more force applied to it and still hold its function, it becomes much harder, or even impossible, to insert and remove. Randall has removed the button, such that the connectors are a "cursed" misleading and dangerous use of similar form.

==Transcript==
:[The two ends of a seatbelt are shown next to each other, but the seatbelt connectors are replaced with a USB-A plug and port. Above is a title and below is a label.]
:Cursed Connectors #65
:the Universal Seat Belt

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Cursed Connectors]]

2496: Mine Captcha

2021-07-30T22:27:31Z

172.70.114.87: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2496
| date = July 30, 2021
| title = Mine Captcha
| image = mine_captcha.png
| titletext = This data is actually going into improving our self-driving car project, so hurry up--it's almost at the minefield.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LIVE MINEFIELD WITH HUGE NUMBER CUBES SKEWED AROUND. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic, like [[1897: Self Driving]], references the approach of using {{W|CAPTCHA}} inputs to solve problems, particularly those involving image classification, which are all solvable by computers now, specifically {{W|reCAPTCHA}} v2's fallback puzzle which is based on identifying road features and vehicles. A reCAPTCHA version of this puzzle might ask a user to "check all squares containing a STOP SIGN."

The CAPTCHA in this comic, however, asks the user to "Click all the pictures of MINES" by, ironically, clicking on squares that do not show anything more than a gray square, with the understanding that some of those gray squares are hiding 'mines' in a {{w|Minesweeper (video game)|Minesweeper puzzle game}}, hence the title Mine Captcha.

Furthermore, the CAPTCHA in this comic asks the user to click on the squares containing mines themselves, which is the opposite of the traditional goal in Minesweeper, which is to click on all boxes where there are ''no'' mines, and solving the puzzle is usually (although not in this case) impossible without revealing the information in those squares without mines. So the CAPTCHA in this comic could be a bit of a trap for a user who is familiar with how to play Minesweeper, in addition to being difficult for a user who is familiar with the normal CAPTCHA image-selection puzzle. But would be impossible for anyone that have never heard of the game/know the rules.

A captcha (also spelled CAPTCHA) is a challenge designed to be solvable by humans, but not by computer programs. It is used to protect websites from automated software. For example, editing the explain xkcd wiki without being logged in requires the user to solve a Captcha.

The captcha depicted in this comic is similar in layout to one of the challenges of ''reCAPTCHA'', a captcha system owned by Google. reCAPTCHA requires the user to click on several of 16 tiles laid out in a 4x4 grid.

The comic combines this with the game of Minesweeper, a logic puzzle game where the player must uncover tiles in a grid by clicking on them. Some of the tiles contain "mines", clicking on those means immediate defeat. When uncovering a tile without a mine, it shows how many of the (up to 8) adjacent tiles contain a mine.

This comic expects users click on the mines in a minesweeper puzzle to proceed with their task. 6 of the 16 tiles has a colored number, in blue font for the three number ones, green for the single instance of two and red for the two number three. Each number used a different font style disregarding the color. As the goal in minesweeper is to click on boxes where there are NOT mines, the puzzle would be especially difficult for anyone used to playing minesweeper. In addition, as long as a computer could be made to read and understand the task (presuming there is no obfuscation of the instruction or grid), a logic puzzle such as this is a case where an automated spambot could actually be prepared to more easily solve the puzzle than most people.

The comic shows a 4x4 grid with mostly grey squares, and a few tiles showing colored numbers. The setup and colors suggest a gaming board of the popular minesweeper game, with a few tiles uncovered. Numbers would then show the number of mines in adjacent squares. Given the current board configuration, one can deduce that there are four mines (in squares A2, B2, B3 and D3, where letters (numbers) mark columns (rows)), see [[#Trivia|trivia section]]. For example, there are two mines within the squares A2,B1,B2, as signified by the 2 in A1, but only one of those can be in B1 or B2 (because of the 1 in C1). Therefore, A2 has to be a mine. The title suggests this as a CAPTCHA, where proving to be human involves first recognizing this as a minesweeper simile, and then solving for those squares with mines.

<pre>
A B C D

1 2 . 1 .
2 * * 3 .
3 3 * . *
4 . 1 . 1
</pre>

Traditionally, the goal in minesweeper is to click on boxes where there are NOT mines, and solving the puzzle is usually (although not in this case) impossible without revealing the information in those squares, so the puzzle could easily trip up anyone used to playing minesweeper.

The title text is similar to [[1897: Self Driving]] where the CAPTCHA solver is asked to "answer quickly – [the] self-driving car is almost at the intersection", as a parody of the current tendency for CAPTCHAs to apparently be used to provide training information in order to improve automatic identification of traffic signals, pedestrian crosswalks, bicycles, buses and other potential road hazards. In this case the car is apparently driving into this minefield and can only avoid the mines if the user solves this CAPTCHA fast enough for immediate application of the input. Where the first would be realistic, although very dangerous, this time it is of course just a continuation of that old joke. Even if the car drove into a mine field, there would be no way to have the limited 'clue' information (with typically just the one complete and unambiguous solution) and yet somehow not already be able to have more knowledge of the 'answer' than the CAPTCHA user.

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

[A "CAPTCHA" box.]

To proceed, click<br>all the pictures of<br>MINES

[A 4 by 4 ''Minesweeper'' field, with some cells revealed with numbers. Each number is drawn in a different font/style.]

<pre>
2 . 1 .
. . 3 .
3 . . .
. 1 . 1
</pre>

==Trivia==
*Here is where the mines are in this comic, and thus the fields that needs to be pushed in this Captcha to prove you are human:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_With_Bombs.png]]
*Here are the solved puzzle as it would look if played as a real minesweeper game, except the mines would be represented by flags. (The empty square top right corner has 0 bombs next to it. This is not written in the game but indicated as this field has been pushed down):
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Solved.png]]
*The original game can be played here: [https://minesweeper.online/ World of Minesweeper]
**It is possible to build a 4x4 CAPTCHA game there:
:[[File:2946_Mine_Captcha_Example_of_4x4_game.png]]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:CAPTCHA]]
[[Category:Self-driving cars]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]