explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2878: Supernova

2024-01-09T12:31:57Z

172.70.210.40:

It's all fun and games until the supernova is 93 million miles away [[User:Poxy6|'''Poxy6''']] ([[User talk:Poxy6|talk]]) 13:03, 8 January 2024 (UTC)
:Luckily there's only one star that close, and it's not big enough to become a supernova. "when our Sun runs out of hydrogen fuel, it will expand to become a red giant, puff off its outer layers, and then settle down as a compact white dwarf star" [https://www.universetoday.com/18847/life-of-the-sun/]. Of course, that will still destroy the Earth. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:33, 8 January 2024 (UTC)
::"...there's only one star that close ''at the moment!''". ;) Ok, so we haven't seen anything likely to swing by close (any time soon), never mind being in an explody frame of mind whilst doing so, but... :p [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.61|172.71.178.61]] 16:41, 8 January 2024 (UTC)
::Alpha Centauri is very nearly identical to our sun. It will also go red giant and then explode.[[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 16:53, 8 January 2024 (UTC)

This seems to be a very early release. I had not expected to find a new comic already. Maybe Randall knows Betelgeuse goes Super Nova today... He can't wait - see [[1644: Stargazing]]! Unless of course it is too close! (Betelgeuse should be a safe distance away and seems by far the closest Super Nova candidate, as least according to [https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/earth-danger-betelgeuse-supernova Astronomer Patrick Moore]). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:07, 8 January 2024 (UTC)
I added an explanation and transcript [[Special:Contributions/172.70.43.108|172.70.43.108]] 13:09, 8 January 2024 (UTC)

I wonder if randall has played outer wilds [[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.53|172.70.178.53]] 16:34, 8 January 2024 (UTC)

I recall other proximity chart comics about 'how close people are to things' such as proximity to cats. Maybe someone can find those and add them as references. [[User:Laser813|Laser813]] ([[User talk:Laser813|talk]]) 16:40, 8 January 2024 (UTC)

I'm feeling lazy and not feeling like verifying this, but I think the graph is also representative of the light curve we expect to see during a supernova. The stars brightness reaches a peak very quickly, then more gradually diminishes. [[User:Galeindfal|Galeindfal]] ([[User talk:Galeindfal|talk]]) 18:04, 8 January 2024 (UTC)
: Exactly, I thought this was the joke: The graph under the title "Supernova" looks just like a Type Ia supernova light curve, but then it turns out to be about enthusiastic astronomers. It seems supernovae aren't only helpful in establishing a distance scale to astronomers, but also to behavioural scientists who study astronomers. [[User:Transgalactic|Transgalactic]] ([[User talk:Transgalactic|talk]]) 20:55, 8 January 2024 (UTC)

: even a superficial search by a behavioural scientist (who also handle statistics :) makes this aspect obvious. Absolutely worth to integrate it into description! https://www.ecosia.org/images?addon=opensearch&_sp=32592cb2-9564-46eb-9b5c-5ae955333b74&q=supernova+graph --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 00:57, 9 January 2024 (UTC)

Why the fuck aren’t the units and magnitude of the axes labled? I had to use my brain. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.207.89|172.70.207.89]] 05:28, 9 January 2024 (UTC)

Surely there should be some dotted sections, particularly the gap between the edge of the Milky Way and Andromeda, then the next nearest galaxy (where there are few stars)? [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 08:33, 9 January 2024 (UTC)

Anyone know of a recent event that could have inspired this comic? Betelgeuse is mentioned in the explanation but has there been any newsworthy supernovae in the past week? [[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 05:49, 9 January 2024 (UTC)
:[https://news.fnal.gov/2024/01/final-supernova-results-from-dark-energy-survey-offer-unique-insights-into-the-expansion-of-the-universe/ Maybe this?] [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.40|172.70.210.40]] 12:31, 9 January 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2857: Rebuttals

2023-11-21T17:39:41Z

172.70.210.40:

Ok, so...
#"...new evidence" (yes, possibly we can start with "...evidence", but let's start with the first contrarianism).
#"...inconvenient..." (so there's something we're saying is ''wrong'' with that new evidence?)
#"...led researchers to ignore..." (maybe could fold in with the inconvenience, but arguably ''ignoring'' is a 'third way' step in sidelining it, not even disagreeing)
#"...the prevailing consensus..." (another layer of implied position-taking where there ''is'' something to disagree with)
#"...the backlash against..." (to which others firmly took up the contrary)
#"It's become conventional wisdom that..." (and this is a counter-contrary perspective)
#"However..." ("...and ''I'', for one, think that they're wrong about the whole thing!")
...well, by a very quick and dirty deconstruction. But, then again, I fully expect to be shown wrong in my delayering! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.25|162.158.74.25]] 00:31, 21 November 2023 (UTC)
:Wouldn't the inconvenient new evidence be the justification for the backlash against the prevailing concensus, not the reason why the new evidence is ignored? I'm not going to try to explain this comic, I'm lost already. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 00:46, 21 November 2023 (UTC)
::It was the backlash that ignored the new evidence. The new evidence wasn't adopted by the 'backlashers', as I read it, so couldn't be their justification. (Or at least that's how the conventional wisdom interprets it, which of course could be wrong!) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.23|162.158.34.23]] 00:56, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

I impressed myself by correctly remembering that the author of "Structure of Scientific Revolution" was Thomas Kuhn. It was assigned reading in a philosophy of science class I took over 40 years ago, but I haven't had to think about it much since then. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 00:43, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

[[File:The more rematic mainvisionist dogstream.png|thumb|ChatGPT: "Here is an image depicting the concept of a 'more rematic mainvisionist dogstream.'"]]

Looking for a way to depict the Title Text: "The mainstream dogma sparked a wave of dogmatic revisionism, and this revisionist mainstream dogmatism has now given way to a more rematic mainvisionist dogstream." Too garish? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.142|172.69.79.142]] 00:52, 21 November 2023 (UTC)
:I'm not typing color codes, but I figured it would make more sense to coordinate the color by compound word, not roots. So "dogma" would be one color, "mainstream" would be another, etc. And then "dogstream" would be two-tone. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.11|172.70.178.11]] 09:47, 21 November 2023 (UTC)
::On that topic, I think the description for "rematic" should be changed to more clearly reflect the combination of "revisionist" and "dogmatic"; I don't think it implies any relation to "remake", "remix", "refurbish" or "recycle", even if the ultimate meaning is similar (and I'm not sure that's the case anyway). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.161|162.158.90.161]] 17:27, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

That's an excellent explanation, yet I'm still not sure I understand the comic. There may be just too many layers of meta. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:22, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

Unclothed evidence would certainly be unwelcome, to say no more, in the puritanical Church of Scientific Dogma. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.40|172.70.210.40]] 17:39, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

2850: Doctor's Office

2023-11-03T23:37:03Z

172.70.210.40: /* Transcript */ cats

{{comic
| number = 2850
| date = November 3, 2023
| title = Doctor's Office
| image = doctors_office_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x291px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "The police told me I can't be a doctor, but whenever they show up I just go into the Google Maps settings page I found and change the house to 'Police Headquarters' and then they have to do what I say."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In this comic, [[Beret Guy]] has discovered how to add public labels to locations on {{w|Google Maps}}. He has used the tool to label his house as a physician's office, and then proceeded to impersonate a physician. Cueball has, it seems, seen and trusted the label, and has arrived for a medical consultation - apparently, as a walk-in, an unheard-of situation for a physician's office in contemporary United States of America that is not an urgent-care facility, for which Beret Guy makes no claim. Thus, Cueball has bought into Beret Guy's bizarre vision, as is typical for Beret Guy comics.

It is soon apparent that Beret Guy has no medical credentials. His "librarian for bones and blood" line in the first panel is nonsensical. The terms he uses while taking Cueball's temperature (second panel) are malapropisms, and his prescription for Cueball's fever farcical. In the third panel, he hands Cueball what's supposed to be a medical consent form, but is in fact a New York Times crossword puzzle. In the fourth panel, Cueball finally questions whether Beret Guy's claim is accurate, and the facts of the situation are revealed - while Beret Guy wheels in a (section of a) {{w|Magnetic resonance imaging}} (MRI) device (usually a feature of a hospital or medical laboratory, not an individual physician's office, and, assembled, far larger/heavier than one person can manage on a dolly) and wonders aloud what it is for.

In the title text, the police cite Beret Guy for impersonating a physician, but Beret Guy returns to Google Maps and relabels his house "Police Headquarters", thus (by implication) making himself Chief of Police to whose authority the officers must submit - by withdrawing the "impersonating a physician" charge. One is left to speculate when and whether Beret Guy will relabel his house the "White House", thus relieving himself of all possible legal and criminal charges in the manner of a certain prominent US politician.

Beret Guy's comment that "It's a Monday, so [the crossword]'s not too hard" refers to the observation that
{{w|New York Times crossword puzzles}} increase in difficulty through the week, with the easiest on Monday and hardest on Saturday (there's also a larger Sunday puzzle, but it's in {{w|The New York Times Magazine}} rather than the newspaper, and is designed to be about as hard as a Thursday puzzle).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Beret Guy is sitting at a desk, wearing a lab coat. Cueball is walking in from the right.]
:Beret Guy: Welcome to the doctor!
:Beret Guy: We're like librarians, but for your bones and blood.

:[Beret Guy is holding a thermometer attached to a device in Cueball's mouth and a bottle.]
:Beret Guy: Uh-oh! This beeper says you're too hot.
:Beret Guy: You should eat some of these little snacks that make you colder.

:[Beret Guy is holding a pen, and Cueball is holding a clipboard with a crossword on it.]
:Beret Guy: We can make holes in you, but you have to fill out this form first.
:Cueball: This is a New York Times crossword.
:Beret Guy: Don't worry, it's a Monday, so it's not too hard.

:[Beret Guy is now dragging in machine labeled "MRI" on a dolly.]
:Cueball: This '''''is''''' a doctor's office, right?
:Beret Guy: Yeah! It used to be my house, but I found the setting on Google Maps to change it.
:Beret Guy: Hey, wanna help find out what this box does? I bet it's loud!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Medicine]]

2830: Haunted House

2023-09-19T16:37:09Z

172.70.210.40: /* Explanation */ ce

{{comic
| number = 2830
| date = September 18, 2023
| title = Haunted House
| image = haunted_house_2x.png
| imagesize = 278x349px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You can leave at any time through the door over there. It's a Louisville door, so you'll need to find a compatible knob. No, don't be silly, that one is a Lexington knob! Of course it won't fit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOWLING GREEN-PADUCAH DOORKNOB ADAPTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The ISO ({{w|International Organization for Standardization}}) and ANSI ({{w|American National Standards Institute}}) are organizations that create standards for commonly used objects such as electrical sockets, preferably so that there would exist standardized forms everywhere (or at least across large areas). The comic depicts an office Halloween party, which is a common event on the celebration of Halloween. A "{{w|Haunted attraction (simulated)|haunted house}}" is a house or other building/room designed to induce fright in the participants, typically by including well-known/cultural scary elements such as vampires or zombies. The haunted house in this comic is tailored to scare members of these organizations by suggesting a world where nothing is standardized (e.g. different electrical wiring from state to state). The title text furthers the joke by implying that something which is usually standardized (door/doorknob interfaces) would be different from city to city even within a state (Kentucky, in this case). Further, it confounds ''types'' of "knobs", where "[https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-e&q=lexington+knobs Lexington]" is a hardware style collection for actual drawer knobs and such, whereas the "{{w|Louisville Knobs}}" are a set of geological mound features in the region.

In reality, electrical current is standardized within any given country ({{w|Electricity sector in Japan|usually...}}), but it does vary worldwide, with different countries providing different voltages, frequency, and outlet shapes. The International Electrotechnical Commission maintains [https://www.iec.ch/world-plugs a web site where these differences are catalogued.] International travelers often require adapters that will plug into different outlets and adjust the current to one their devices can use.

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

:Ponytail: Welcome! If you need to charge your phones, note that this house has Pennsylvania wiring, but we have New Jersey and Delaware adapters available.
:Megan and Cueball: AAAAAA!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The haunted house at the ISO/ANSI office Halloween party

{{comic discussion}}

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

2830: Haunted House

2023-09-19T16:36:58Z

172.70.210.40: /* Explanation */ link

{{comic
| number = 2830
| date = September 18, 2023
| title = Haunted House
| image = haunted_house_2x.png
| imagesize = 278x349px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You can leave at any time through the door over there. It's a Louisville door, so you'll need to find a compatible knob. No, don't be silly, that one is a Lexington knob! Of course it won't fit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOWLING GREEN-PADUCAH DOORKNOB ADAPTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The ISO ({{w|International Organization for Standardization}}) and ANSI ({{w|American National Standards Institute}}) are organizations that create standards for commonly used objects such as electrical sockets, preferably so that there would exist standardized forms everywhere (or at least across large areas). The comic depicts an office Halloween party, which is a common event on the celebration of Halloween. A "{{w|Haunted attraction (simulated)|haunted house}}" is a house or other building/room designed to induce fright in the participants, typically by including well-known/cultural scary elements such as vampires or zombies. The haunted house in this comic is tailored to scare members of these organizations by suggesting a world where nothing is standardized (e.g. different electrical wiring from state to state). The title text furthers the joke by implying that something which is usually standardized (door/doorknob interfaces) would be different from city to city even within a state (Kentucky, in this case). Further, it confounds ''types'' of "knobs", where "[https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-e&q=lexington+knobs Lexington" is a hardware style collection for actual drawer knobs and such, whereas the "{{w|Louisville Knobs}}" are a set of geological mound features in the region.

In reality, electrical current is standardized within any given country ({{w|Electricity sector in Japan|usually...}}), but it does vary worldwide, with different countries providing different voltages, frequency, and outlet shapes. The International Electrotechnical Commission maintains [https://www.iec.ch/world-plugs a web site where these differences are catalogued.] International travelers often require adapters that will plug into different outlets and adjust the current to one their devices can use.

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

:Ponytail: Welcome! If you need to charge your phones, note that this house has Pennsylvania wiring, but we have New Jersey and Delaware adapters available.
:Megan and Cueball: AAAAAA!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The haunted house at the ISO/ANSI office Halloween party

{{comic discussion}}

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

2830: Haunted House

2023-09-19T16:36:06Z

172.70.210.40: /* Explanation */ wlink real life thing

{{comic
| number = 2830
| date = September 18, 2023
| title = Haunted House
| image = haunted_house_2x.png
| imagesize = 278x349px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You can leave at any time through the door over there. It's a Louisville door, so you'll need to find a compatible knob. No, don't be silly, that one is a Lexington knob! Of course it won't fit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOWLING GREEN-PADUCAH DOORKNOB ADAPTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The ISO ({{w|International Organization for Standardization}}) and ANSI ({{w|American National Standards Institute}}) are organizations that create standards for commonly used objects such as electrical sockets, preferably so that there would exist standardized forms everywhere (or at least across large areas). The comic depicts an office Halloween party, which is a common event on the celebration of Halloween. A "{{w|Haunted attraction (simulated)|haunted house}}" is a house or other building/room designed to induce fright in the participants, typically by including well-known/cultural scary elements such as vampires or zombies. The haunted house in this comic is tailored to scare members of these organizations by suggesting a world where nothing is standardized (e.g. different electrical wiring from state to state). The title text furthers the joke by implying that something which is usually standardized (door/doorknob interfaces) would be different from city to city even within a state (Kentucky, in this case). Further, it confounds ''types'' of "knobs", where 'Lexington' is a hardware style collection for actual drawer knobs and such, whereas the "{{w|Louisville Knobs}}" are a set of geological mound features in the region.

In reality, electrical current is standardized within any given country ({{w|Electricity sector in Japan|usually...}}), but it does vary worldwide, with different countries providing different voltages, frequency, and outlet shapes. The International Electrotechnical Commission maintains [https://www.iec.ch/world-plugs a web site where these differences are catalogued.] International travelers often require adapters that will plug into different outlets and adjust the current to one their devices can use.

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

:Ponytail: Welcome! If you need to charge your phones, note that this house has Pennsylvania wiring, but we have New Jersey and Delaware adapters available.
:Megan and Cueball: AAAAAA!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The haunted house at the ISO/ANSI office Halloween party

{{comic discussion}}

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

2830: Haunted House

2023-09-19T16:32:56Z

172.70.210.40: /* Transcript */ fix

{{comic
| number = 2830
| date = September 18, 2023
| title = Haunted House
| image = haunted_house_2x.png
| imagesize = 278x349px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You can leave at any time through the door over there. It's a Louisville door, so you'll need to find a compatible knob. No, don't be silly, that one is a Lexington knob! Of course it won't fit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOWLING GREEN-PADUCAH DOORKNOB ADAPTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The ISO ({{w|International Organization for Standardization}}) and ANSI ({{w|American National Standards Institute}}) are organizations that create standards for commonly used objects such as electrical sockets, preferably so that there would exist standardized forms everywhere (or at least across large areas). The comic depicts an office Halloween party, which is a common event on the celebration of Halloween. A "{{w|Haunted attraction (simulated)|haunted house}}" is a house or other building/room designed to induce fright in the participants, typically by including well-known/cultural scary elements such as vampires or zombies. The haunted house in this comic is tailored to scare members of these organizations by suggesting a world where nothing is standardized (e.g. different electrical wiring from state to state). The title text furthers the joke by implying that something which is usually standardized (door/doorknob interfaces) would be different from city to city even within a state (Kentucky, in this case). Further, it confounds ''types'' of "knobs", where 'Lexington' is a hardware style collection for actual drawer knobs and such, whereas the 'Louisville Knobs' are a set of geological mound features in the region.

In reality, electrical current is standardized within any given country ({{w|Electricity sector in Japan|usually...}}), but it does vary worldwide, with different countries providing different voltages, frequency, and outlet shapes. The International Electrotechnical Commission maintains [https://www.iec.ch/world-plugs a web site where these differences are catalogued.] International travelers often require adapters that will plug into different outlets and adjust the current to one their devices can use.

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

:Ponytail: Welcome! If you need to charge your phones, note that this house has Pennsylvania wiring, but we have New Jersey and Delaware adapters available.
:Megan and Cueball: AAAAAA!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The haunted house at the ISO/ANSI office Halloween party

{{comic discussion}}

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

2830: Haunted House

2023-09-19T16:31:50Z

172.70.210.40: /* Explanation */ better link

{{comic
| number = 2830
| date = September 18, 2023
| title = Haunted House
| image = haunted_house_2x.png
| imagesize = 278x349px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You can leave at any time through the door over there. It's a Louisville door, so you'll need to find a compatible knob. No, don't be silly, that one is a Lexington knob! Of course it won't fit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOWLING GREEN-PADUCAH DOORKNOB ADAPTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The ISO ({{w|International Organization for Standardization}}) and ANSI ({{w|American National Standards Institute}}) are organizations that create standards for commonly used objects such as electrical sockets, preferably so that there would exist standardized forms everywhere (or at least across large areas). The comic depicts an office Halloween party, which is a common event on the celebration of Halloween. A "{{w|Haunted attraction (simulated)|haunted house}}" is a house or other building/room designed to induce fright in the participants, typically by including well-known/cultural scary elements such as vampires or zombies. The haunted house in this comic is tailored to scare members of these organizations by suggesting a world where nothing is standardized (e.g. different electrical wiring from state to state). The title text furthers the joke by implying that something which is usually standardized (door/doorknob interfaces) would be different from city to city even within a state (Kentucky, in this case). Further, it confounds ''types'' of "knobs", where 'Lexington' is a hardware style collection for actual drawer knobs and such, whereas the 'Louisville Knobs' are a set of geological mound features in the region.

In reality, electrical current is standardized within any given country ({{w|Electricity sector in Japan|usually...}}), but it does vary worldwide, with different countries providing different voltages, frequency, and outlet shapes. The International Electrotechnical Commission maintains [https://www.iec.ch/world-plugs a web site where these differences are catalogued.] International travelers often require adapters that will plug into different outlets and adjust the current to one their devices can use.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Ponytail: Welcome! If you need to charge your phones, note that this house has Pennsylvania wiring, but we have New Jersey and Delaware adapters available.
:Megan and Cueball: AAAAAA!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The haunted house at the ISO/ANSI office halloween party

{{comic discussion}}

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

2830: Haunted House

2023-09-19T16:30:48Z

172.70.210.40: /* Explanation */ wlink

{{comic
| number = 2830
| date = September 18, 2023
| title = Haunted House
| image = haunted_house_2x.png
| imagesize = 278x349px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You can leave at any time through the door over there. It's a Louisville door, so you'll need to find a compatible knob. No, don't be silly, that one is a Lexington knob! Of course it won't fit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOWLING GREEN-PADUCAH DOORKNOB ADAPTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The ISO ({{w|International Organization for Standardization}}) and ANSI ({{w|American National Standards Institute}}) are organizations that create standards for commonly used objects such as electrical sockets, preferably so that there would exist standardized forms everywhere (or at least across large areas). The comic depicts an office Halloween party, which is a common event on the celebration of Halloween. A "{{w|haunted house}}" is a house or other building/room designed to induce fright in the participants, typically by including well-known/cultural scary elements such as vampires or zombies. The haunted house in this comic is tailored to scare members of these organizations by suggesting a world where nothing is standardized (e.g. different electrical wiring from state to state). The title text furthers the joke by implying that something which is usually standardized (door/doorknob interfaces) would be different from city to city even within a state (Kentucky, in this case). Further, it confounds ''types'' of "knobs", where 'Lexington' is a hardware style collection for actual drawer knobs and such, whereas the 'Louisville Knobs' are a set of geological mound features in the region.

In reality, electrical current is standardized within any given country ({{w|Electricity sector in Japan|usually...}}), but it does vary worldwide, with different countries providing different voltages, frequency, and outlet shapes. The International Electrotechnical Commission maintains [https://www.iec.ch/world-plugs a web site where these differences are catalogued.] International travelers often require adapters that will plug into different outlets and adjust the current to one their devices can use.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Ponytail: Welcome! If you need to charge your phones, note that this house has Pennsylvania wiring, but we have New Jersey and Delaware adapters available.
:Megan and Cueball: AAAAAA!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The haunted house at the ISO/ANSI office halloween party

{{comic discussion}}

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

2753: Air Handler

2023-09-14T21:11:34Z

172.70.210.40: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2753
| date = March 22, 2023
| title = Air Handler
| image = air_handler_2x.png
| imagesize = 591x228px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It maintains odor levels in a normal familiar range, so if you open the windows and the air gets too fresh, it filters it through some dirty laundry samples to compensate.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Black Hat]] is demonstrating an air-conditioning unit that covers a wide variety of air qualities, as opposed to a heater that just warms air, a filter that just removes dust or a dehumidifier with the main purpose of removing moisture from the air.

In many devices that manage certain atmospheric conditions in a building using one device, an operational range is usually defined, and not one number. For example, when using a {{w|heat pump}}, if the interior temperature drops below a preset lower limit, then the heating function would be activated. If the interior temperature rises above another preset upper limit, the cooling function would be activated. This kind of ranged function is common with humidifier/dehumidifier units as well, to create a comfortable condition not too dry nor too damp for comfort. By specifying upper and lower limits for the operation of the device in question, minor variations of the controlled value will not cause the device to rapidly turn on and off, even working against itself, improving efficiency and reducing unnecessary wear and tear on the device and the building contents.

Devices that manage temperature and humidity are often installed in buildings to improve occupant comfort. Beyond that, the listed qualities become increasingly problematic and even dangerous.

Changing the pressure of the air could lead to <s>unintended</s> effects like large winds blowing through any cracks in the building.

The air handler also attempts to force the parameters of dust, smoke, odours, and number of bees into an "ideal" range. However, as opposed to being in a certain range, most people who live indoors prefer that these be minimised.{{fact}} It's also worth noting that "a normal amount" of bees varies widely depending on the situation. A typical honeybee colony contains [https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/honeybee-hive 60,000 to 80,000 bees], and a typical {{w|Swarming_(honey_bee)|swarm}} (bees looking to establish a new hive) is anywhere from [https://www.bee-commerce.com/content/freedownloads/FactsAboutSwarms.pdf 1,500 to 30,000]. To pollinate an acre of fruiting trees typically requires a minimum of [https://treefruit.wsu.edu/orchard-management/pollination/honey-bees/ 20,000 bees], or approximately five bees per square meter.

It is not particularly usual to directly monitor the number of bees in an air-stream (usually, insect-screens are the main way to filter out any pesky creatures that might find themselves likely to be caught up in that way), and one might imagine that the upper limit ''should'' be zero, for use indoors in standard living/working spaces, but it might be technically feasible to accurately count bees (with or without distinguishing from wasps and other flying insects) and be able to allow ''some''. But, unlike temperature or humidity, it would be rare (outside of a location used for agriculture) to have a non-zero ''minimum'' desirable quantity of bees. Even more so to then be directly equipped to upwardly correct the current value. For any minimum value that is not zero, this machine would be equipped to deal with it by, presumably, releasing bees (it seems to have at least one trapped inside it ready to be released, judging by the buzzing sound), or by generating smoke, dust and odours – something one would typically not miss if lacking.{{citation needed}}

Black Hat saying 'A Normal Amount' may be suggesting a 'normal amount.' In chemistry, a normal amount is the atomic mass of an atom, with that number being the mass in grams. (E.g: A normal amount of Carbon is 12 grams.) If this is the case, there would be a minimum limit of 12-16 grams of bees.

As the title text elaborates, the machine analyses and adjusts the ''freshness'' of the air. A smart system in charge of odour-control (by spraying smell-suppressing chemicals and/or more desirable and dominant scents) could be made less wasteful by only trying to ''freshen'' the air when it detects enough necessity. But, of course, this machine also has an opposing limit. And, when the air is considered ''too'' fresh, it has a way of ''adding'' staleness/stinkiness to meet expectations with dirty laundry.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is standing to the right of an "air handler", talking to Cueball and Megan on the left side, probably presenting the sales pitch for the air handler in between them.]
:Black Hat: Our device monitors your home's air and keeps every variable between a lower and upper limit.

:[Zoom in on Black Hat]
:Black Hat: Temperature, humidity, pressure, dust, smoke, odors, number of bees...

:[Zoom out similar to Frame #1]
:Megan: Wait.
:Megan: What's the '''''lower''''' limit for "number of bees"?
:Black Hat: A normal amount.
:Air Handler: ''Bzzzzzz''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Bees]]