explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2506: Projecting

2021-08-24T18:03:15Z

172.70.130.239:

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)
:No. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.239|172.70.130.239]] 00:12, 24 August 2021 (UTC)
::No, in this context projection is where, instead of confronting one's own flaws, one convinces themselves other people are equally flawed. Often times people do this because it's easier to claim other people are just as bad than it is to improve yourself. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.173|172.70.110.173]] 01:08, 24 August 2021 (UTC) Duban
There you go, Duban; it's like if I accused you of being a terse anonymous editor of this text . . . but I am being one myself. "Before you accuse me; Take a look at yourself." is a song lyric Slow Hand composed based on that idea. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.238|162.158.74.238]] 11:57, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

Can I delete the alternative explanation about map projections? I feel like it definitely is not the subject of the comic. [[User:Dr. Beret|Dr. Beret]] ([[User talk:Dr. Beret|talk]]) 05:10, 24 August 2021 (UTC)
:Nevermind [[User:Dr. Beret|Dr. Beret]] ([[User talk:Dr. Beret|talk]]) 05:11, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

I thought this was about projecting the complex numbers into the reals. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.69|172.70.126.69]] 05:52, 24 August 2021 (UTC)
:How and why? :-D Obviously this is about the psychological feature of thinking others have your flaws as well. He even acknowledges he has a REAL problem. Had their been something with complex in the title text then maybe we could have discussed the possibility. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:36, 24 August 2021 (UTC)
:So did I. The fact that he emphasizes REAL problem, that this is "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language"--particularly the "math" part, that there are many people there supposing a many-to-one relationship, all makes it apparent that this is a comic about complex analysis. I mean, the title text even says that this is an issue everyone else has, which is commonly said in mathematics education. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.239|172.70.130.239]] 18:03, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

In Danish we have a saying: "Tyv tror hver mand stjæler" translates to "A thief believes everybody steals." This is projecting. Is this something you would also say in English? I have looked on Google but cannot find a similar saying in English, that like the Danish version is a well known saying. Anyone that knows an English saying that would cover this? I have seen suggestions for "Takes one to know one"but this is about knowing another because you are one. But that is not the same as thinking everyone is. Also "All looks yellow to a jaundiced eye" this may be closer, but more difficult to understand, but is it a known saying? (Was attributed to A. Pope). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:47, 24 August 2021 (UTC)
:It's sort of the inverse to "Do as you would be done by", I suppose. I.e.: do as you ''think'' you could be done by; get your retaliation in first! And I also found (by surprise) that it ''was'' a known English phrase in the thief form. In my search, as direct equivalent to a Spanish 'original' that it was compared with, so probably cross-pollination across languages, in whatever directions from whatever true origin.
:Of phrases actually known to me without cheating, it's ''almost'' covered by the half-principled/self-deluding grifter's old adage of "You can't cheat an honest man", but not enough for my liking. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.118|162.158.158.118]] 08:52, 24 August 2021 (UTC)
:There is a saying, "Be careful when you point your finger at someone else, because there are three fingers pointing back at you." [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 14:44, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

Here's a good example by Eric Clapton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoDwVNOPyyw [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.238|162.158.74.238]] 12:01, 24 August 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2506: Projecting

2021-08-24T00:13:11Z

172.70.130.239:

Talk:2506: Projecting

2021-08-24T00:12:28Z

172.70.130.239:

Talk:2505: News Story Reaction

2021-08-20T22:09:06Z

172.70.130.239:

It's worth mentioning that unless we're talking an industrial shredder, the Mona Lisa can't be, since unlike most stereotypical paintings, it's actually on glued together pieces of wood and not on Canvas.

Not to say that it wouldn't be damaged heavily by a band of wild rabid dogs, but not "shredded".

Why yes, I am using my art degree, why do you ask?

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.5|108.162.245.5]] 19:22, 20 August 2021 (UTC) Steve

: Nothing in the original says the dogs are rabid. Mind you, I would expect rabid dogs to go directly after people, not inanimate paintings. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 22:07, 20 August 2021 (UTC)

I don't have an art degree but knew that the painting was on wood. Also, it's "J.C. Penney". I'm guessing Randall was in a hurry on this one.

Pete 19:31, 20 August 2021 (UTC)

It make much more sense if the wild dogs didn't get in there by coincidence. Making it about himself would be acceptable if he was the indirect cause of the situation. Revenge successful? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.55|172.69.71.55]] 22:03, 20 August 2021 (UTC)

Just checking - I'm not the only one who saw this and immediately googled to see if it was an actual news story, am I? I'm so not plugged into the news that I could honestly have believed that I missed it. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.239|172.70.130.239]] 22:09, 20 August 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2500: Global Temperature Over My Lifetime

2021-08-10T12:31:17Z

172.70.130.239:

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)
:I do not mean to argue any politics in this reply. I can relate that I have heard occasionally from people on both sides of political lines that the large energy corporations organise together to plan energy use and prices. I do not know whether that is true, and have not seen hard evidence of it. An economics professor told me it is obvious from the behaviors of the prices. [[User:Baffo32|Baffo32]] ([[User talk:Baffo32|talk]]) 11:36, 10 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)
:::I'm the opposite; this comic made me realise that Randall is closer to my age than I thought, as I'd assumed he was a bit older. I was born in 1991, so although I was younger at the time, most of the "climate change alarm" milestones are the same ones I remember. --[[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:03, 10 August 2021 (UTC)
:::How about he does the milestone at 0xaaa

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)

Probably because Exxon is also a player in the fossil fuel industry? Similar to Moore's law, from the co-founder of both Faichild and Intel? That might be a little of the conspiracy theory side, especially with the way it is phrased.
[[User:Victor|Victor]] ([[User talk:Victor|talk]]) 08:58, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

:Someone else asked the same question further up. And yeah, I wondered that too. This (from an unsigned contributor above) was my best guess too:

{{Quote|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.}}

:--[[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:03, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Has anybody glanced through the study? Maybe I misread it, but I was thinking Randall might have linked the wrong one, because it looked like it was saying far more than 40 years to me. [[User:Baffo32|Baffo32]] ([[User talk:Baffo32|talk]]) 11:38, 10 August 2021 (UTC)