explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Countdown in header text

2022-01-16T01:01:18Z

172.70.82.111:

{{comic
| date = January 10, 2022
| title = Countdown in header text
| image = Countdown_in_header_text.png
| before = The countdown will probably last 21 days. After February 1st 2022 it is likely to have disappeared. See this [https://web.archive.org/web/20220110183238/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-10] archive version.
| ldomain = www
| lappend =
| extra = yes
}}
*Go directly to the list of [[Countdown in header text/images|images]].
{{TOC}}

==Explanation==
*On January 10th 2022, [[Randall]] added a countdown in the top right corner of the [[xkcd Header text]] on {{xkcd}}.
**This happened while the comic [[2565: Latency]] was up.
***First the xkcd Header text was [[xkcd_Header_text#2022-01-08_-_Back_to_standard_text|changed back]] to the [[xkcd_Header_text#Header_text|standard text]] for the first time in almost three years:
****xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
***But already while this Friday-comic was still up on the following Monday the [[xkcd_Header_text#2022-01-10_-_Standard_text_with_countdown|countdown]] was added.
****This was thus up when the Monday comic [[2566: Decorative Constants]] was released, drawing more people to the xkcd page.
*The first archived version from [https://web.archive.org/web/20220110183238/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-10] read 20d 20h 27m.
**It looks like it started on [https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ 01-10 17:00 UTC].
***At that time it would have read 20d 21h 59 min. Just two hours and 1 minute short of 3 weeks.
*This countdown will reach zero on Monday 2022-01-31 at 14:59 (2:59 PM) {{w|UTC}}, or 9:59 AM in Boston, Randall's home town.
**If seconds will be added towards the end, it seems likely that it may end exactly at 15:00 UTC (10:00 AM in Boston).
*The next day on [https://web.archive.org/web/20220111153818/https://xkcd.com/ 2022-01-11] a diagonal black bar appeared in the lower left-hand corner of the countdown box and started to move further into the image on following changes to the [[#Images|image]].
**This development called for the creation of this dedicated [[Countdown in header text]] page.
**The line had already moved further into the image at this time, but the latest version will never be available in the web archive.
***This development is reminiscent of the huge comic [[1190: Time]].
*[https://munvoseli.github.io/ Munvoseli] is keeping [https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ track of the changes] to the image on the countdown.
**Although there are (at 2022-01-12 12:35 UTC) thirteen different frames we know of, the first three looks the same (because the diagonal bar was not in the frame yet) and the seventh and the eighth also seems to be the same, even though the bar had already begun moving across the frame from the fourth. This is either on purpose, a slipup or means that The FrameTM might not be zooming out of a larger image.
***However, the images that look the same all have individual addresses on the xkcd server. See more under [[#Images|Images]] below.

==Images==
*Images will be put on [[Countdown in header text/images|this separate page]].
**The images can also be found [https://munvoseli.github.io/xkcd-countdown/ here] on munvoseli's page.
***It is possible to compare two images, chosen between those released, on that page!
***From 2022-01-14 it has also been possible to see an animation.
**See more details at the top of the image page.

==Theories==
*Here different theories for what the countdown is for and what the picture is going to reveal can be added.

===The picture===
* Ongoing description:
** Frames 1-12: A diagonal line.
** Frame 13: A curve seems to begin at the top left of the line.
** Frame 18: The curve connects the diagonal line with a horizontal line.
** Frame 27-28: A new line appears in the bottom left corner.

*Theories about the picture:
**It seems after two days and 12 pictures like either something is moving into the frame or that it is a zoom out from a white area of a large picture. Maybe it is the arm of Cueball that will come into view.
**Maybe it is some kind of vehicle rolling into frame, like a car?
**Or the word xkcd? (or xkcd 2?)
**Could have been "Hangman", but it looks like it's zooming in on the diagonal instead of continuing to make a gibbet.
**With the new second line appearing in the corner as of frame 28 it looks like it's definitely zooming out of an image. It looks like it could be someone's arm in a running position.
**The second line makes it look somewhat like the tail fin of an aircraft.
**I think it could also be two legs of a reclining stick person.
**Or the wing of an aircraft (left if looking down at it). Perhaps the plane is towing a banner that will fly through the frame. In any case, since the two lines remain the same distance, the “zooming out” theory seems to be disproven.
***Or the tail of an aircraft, viewed from the side.

===Countdown===
*Theories about the countdown:
*Several have already been mentioned in the discussion:
**Randall's next book, either the countdown is counting down to the start of promotion or it is released when the countdown ends.
***Usually Randall has made month long [[:Category:Book promotion|book promotions]] before release. So if it is the release day it is a new way to do it. But he will get a lot of attention. If it is just the start of promoting it, people might get disappointed...
****For instance he began promoting his [[xkcd_Header_text#2015-05-14_-_New_book_Thing_Explainer|new book Thing Explainer]] in the header text. That was in May 2015 and the book was first released [https://blog.xkcd.com/2015/05/13/new-book-thing-explainer/ late November 2015]. Most of this time the header text was promoting the book.
**{{w|James Webb Space Telescope}} (JWST) going into orbit about L2 {{w|Lagrange point}}.
***Randall has already made several comics about the telescope. The latest [[2564: Sunshield]] was released just five days prior to the countdown was started.
***But the telescope will not reach the point but rather go into a large orbit around it, so a precise timer counting down to it seems a bit farfetched.
***On NASA's page on JWST it seems like it will [https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplorer.html#25 go into orbit] 29.5 days after it's [[December 25th Launch]], on Christmas Day, so it should have already started the orbit by the 23rd or 24th of January - 8 days before the countdown.
**{{w|Lunar New Year}}
***In China it starts on February 1st and a [https://yourcountdown.to/chinese-new-year countdown for China] is 8 hours behind.
****The South Korean time zone is UTC+9, hence 14:59 UTC = 23:59 in South Korea, one minute to Feb 1.
*****But it's weird if Randall that has basically never mentioned this holiday suddenly makes a three week countdown for it, and why choose South Korea when most would think of China in this context...?
**Randall will stop making xkcd (Goodbye in the image).
***Hopefully not.
****Agreed, {{tvtropes|PoisonOakEpilepticTrees|to be avoided}}
**[https://nationaldaycalendar.com/backward-day-january-31/ National Backward Day]
***This is not a day mentioned on Wikipedia at the time of release of the countdown, so seems unlikely.
**Maybe it will be an announcement of xkcd 2, a new and improved version for.. some reason?
***Seems unlikely...
**{{w|Black History Month}}. The {{w|Greensboro sit-ins}} started on Feb 1 1960. Black History Month also begins on February 1st, also in 2022.
***But this countdown stops early on January 31st so seems unlikely.
***However, before changing the Header recently it was about [[xkcd_Header_text#2020-06-03_-_Black_Lives_Matter|Black Lives Matter]] for more than 1.5 years, first ending on December 20th 2021, less than a month before the countdown began. In between that there was a short Christmas sale reminder until a week into 2022. So it could just be another way of reminding of us the issues faced by people of color in the US.
**The accompanying header says specifically "xkcd updates Monday, Wednesday, and Friday"--maybe the countdown is to the reveal of a new update schedule?
***Very unlikely. This was the standard header for a long time. It was used when Randall had nothing better to say. But with all his books and the trouble in US with elections and BLM, he has used the header as a platform most of the time many years now. So the standard text is rare. But he did return it for two days before adding the count down, making it seem just like normal.
***A guess is that it returned to this, so the header text did not take any focus away from the countdown.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Meta]]

Talk:1: Barrel - Part 1

2021-11-22T01:03:34Z

172.70.82.111: Undo revision 221136 by 172.70.82.111 (talk)

Doesn't his big interactive piece (#1110) refer to this one? {{unsigned|‎58.37.35.32}}
:It does. There's a note somewhere in that explanation page referring back to this page. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:28, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

This comic under my interpretation is that like the kid in the barrel his mind was wandering at the time of his drawing of the comic and it reprsents his wandering mind as he may be bored and it is in the middle of nowhere but at the same time it is somewhere. but its waiting to get someplace (an island?)

--[[User:TheWeatherMan|TheWeatherMan]] ([[User talk:TheWeatherMan|talk]]) 13:57, 23 January 2013 (UTC)TheWeatherMan

:when ever I feel isolated from society, I like to contemplate the ladders I could build for them to see things from my perspective. We will never manage to teach kids how to exist in chaos, we need to outsource our thinking, share ideas, to see new options for each of the impossible answers. Sic-if is here to stay, because it's the only hint we will get of the perfection they want us to achieve. Anything less then the total perfection is unsustainable. - [[Special:Contributions/98.211.199.84|98.211.199.84]] 14:22, 3 March 2013 (UTC)

It's been over five years, so I think I should be that one annoying person who breaks unspoken streaks:
If an endless ocean were a representation of life, I'd be the one who's fasioned myself an oar (or I can just use my hands to paddle if I can't get an oar). I then tell the floating people around me, "May the waves bring you luck." I proceed to go toward a location on the horizon that appears arbitrary but is actually something really cool, and then I greet all the other people who have chosen to go here also or were brought by fate/the sea (basically synonymous). Finally, I do cool things. Anyway, this comments section has been very inactive. No purpose, just wanted to motivate y'all to set goals for yourself and let you know that good things will happen if you do. For now, though, it's night, and the others are asleep in their barrels. Good night and why did I write this [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.70|108.162.215.70]] 07:01, 10 June 2018 (UTC)

Working theory: this IS Beret Guy. This is I think years before his first appearance, and Beret Guy is apparently younger than anyone else who isn't explicitly a child. So this is him. The youngest form of the one who had nothing but wonder...
That DOES kind of make sense. The part where he rides the winged ferret is just the kind of weird Beret Guy thing that Beret Guy does. :)
-ThePineapple11

Talk:1: Barrel - Part 1

2021-11-22T01:03:19Z

172.70.82.111:

test

Doesn't his big interactive piece (#1110) refer to this one? {{unsigned|‎58.37.35.32}}
:It does. There's a note somewhere in that explanation page referring back to this page. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:28, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

This comic under my interpretation is that like the kid in the barrel his mind was wandering at the time of his drawing of the comic and it reprsents his wandering mind as he may be bored and it is in the middle of nowhere but at the same time it is somewhere. but its waiting to get someplace (an island?)

--[[User:TheWeatherMan|TheWeatherMan]] ([[User talk:TheWeatherMan|talk]]) 13:57, 23 January 2013 (UTC)TheWeatherMan

:when ever I feel isolated from society, I like to contemplate the ladders I could build for them to see things from my perspective. We will never manage to teach kids how to exist in chaos, we need to outsource our thinking, share ideas, to see new options for each of the impossible answers. Sic-if is here to stay, because it's the only hint we will get of the perfection they want us to achieve. Anything less then the total perfection is unsustainable. - [[Special:Contributions/98.211.199.84|98.211.199.84]] 14:22, 3 March 2013 (UTC)

It's been over five years, so I think I should be that one annoying person who breaks unspoken streaks:
If an endless ocean were a representation of life, I'd be the one who's fasioned myself an oar (or I can just use my hands to paddle if I can't get an oar). I then tell the floating people around me, "May the waves bring you luck." I proceed to go toward a location on the horizon that appears arbitrary but is actually something really cool, and then I greet all the other people who have chosen to go here also or were brought by fate/the sea (basically synonymous). Finally, I do cool things. Anyway, this comments section has been very inactive. No purpose, just wanted to motivate y'all to set goals for yourself and let you know that good things will happen if you do. For now, though, it's night, and the others are asleep in their barrels. Good night and why did I write this [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.70|108.162.215.70]] 07:01, 10 June 2018 (UTC)

Working theory: this IS Beret Guy. This is I think years before his first appearance, and Beret Guy is apparently younger than anyone else who isn't explicitly a child. So this is him. The youngest form of the one who had nothing but wonder...
That DOES kind of make sense. The part where he rides the winged ferret is just the kind of weird Beret Guy thing that Beret Guy does. :)
-ThePineapple11

2544: Heart-Stopping Texts

2021-11-19T23:35:52Z

172.70.82.111: /* Wait, do you know Joe Rogan? How does he know your name? */

{{comic
| number = 2544
| date = November 19, 2021
| title = Heart-Stopping Texts
| image = heart_stopping_texts.png
| titletext = Was this your car? [looping 'image loading' animation]
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LITERAL HEART STOPPING ROBOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Text messages have become a ubiquitous form of communication in most countries, and have become a basic part of many peoples' everyday lived experience. Conversations over text frequently jump straight to the purpose of the communication, without salutation or prelude. Certain texts, particularly when delivered without context, can carry implications that cause immediate anxiety.

This comic lists texts that would be extremely worrying to receive with no context, for a variety of reasons:

==== Did you forget what day it is? ====
This implies that the recipient has forgotten some important event happening today. This could be an important day to a spouse or friend, and a relationship can be damaged by the recipient having forgotten. Or it could mean that the recipient has failed to deliver on an important commitment scheduled for that day, which can create a variety of other problems.

==== I bet you're probably getting bombarded with texts right now, huh? ====
This implies that something of major significance has happened, that would make many people want to get in touch with the recipient. There are a lot of possibilities, many of which are negative. The non-specific nature of the text leaves the recipient wondering what has happened, and how bad it is.

==== Did you mean to post that to everyone? ====
Implies that the recipient has made a public post (presumably on some form of social network) that was offensive or otherwise inappropriate to post publicly; so much so that the text sender is asking if they perhaps meant it to be forwarded to a more contained group or possibly not even revealed to anyone else out there at all. This is not an uncommon occurrence as on many platforms it can be easy to accidentally post something with the wrong visibility or mis-click something private into a media post.

==== Is this your house? ====
{{w|CNN}} is a popular news outlet in the United States. This text implies that the recipient's house has for some reason been mentioned (or probably photographed) in a CNN article. This would mean that a newsworthy event has occurred there, or at least very nearby. Many newsworthy events are upsetting, possibly dangerous (eg. a fire, a natural disaster, a violent crime, etc).

==== You didn't click on any weird emails recently, did you? ====
{{w|Phishing}} is the practice of sending fraudulent messages to someone in order to steal information (credentials, etc.), infect them with {{w|malware}}, or otherwise perform some undesirable action. One overwhelmingly common form of this is getting people to click on {{w|hyperlink|hyperlinks}} in emails, which generally purport to lead somewhere reputable but instead lead to somewhere controlled by the sender.

This text implies something makes the sender think the recipient has fallen victim to such an attack. It's not uncommon for the victim of such an attack to not be the first to discover it. For example, some attacks hijack the victim's email, and use it to bombard everyone in their contact list with further phishing attempts. If the sender of this text had received such an email, they might suspect an attack. If this has already happened, it's likely to cause major problems.

==== Can I call? ====
While this is a seemingly benign and simple request, contacting someone by text to ask whether you can call is usually a sign that they expect the conversation to be long and serious, and want to ensure that the other party is available for such a discussion. Many such situations are negative (ranging from a breakup to the death of a loved one), and there's a great deal of tension in knowing that something is serious, but not knowing what it is.

==== Wait, do you know Joe Rogan? How does he know your name? ====
{{w|Joe Rogan}} is a public personality, best known for his podcast {{w|The Joe Rogan Experience}}. This message implies that the recipient has been discussed by Rogan for some reason. Similarly to the CNN case, this is likely to cause worry about what possible circumstances would prompt this.

Joe Rogan has recently been in the news for his anti vaccine stance so people may not want to be associated with him.

==== Why are you trending on Twitter? ====
{{w|Twitter}} is a social network, which – among other features – tracks and shows topics that are currently being discussed by a large number of users on the platform, or "trending". An individual trending across the entire network (unless that person is a public figure) is usually either because they're connected with a news story, or because something they did or wrote has gone viral. There are sufficiently many negative things that can cause such unexpected fame that hearing about it would be worrying..

Twitter in particular is known for frequently involving very heated discussion, and often even the targeting of individuals by mobs who perceive them to have done something wrong.

==== Was this your car? [looping 'image loading' animation] ====
(title text) The past tense ('was') implies that your car no longer exists, with the animation additionally implying a video of it being damaged or destroyed somehow.

==Transcript==

:[Comic heading:]
:Most heart-stopping texts to receive out of the blue

:[A collection of light gray text bubbles in two columns:]

:Did you forget what day it is?

:I bet you're probably getting bombarded with texts right now, huh?

:Did you mean to post that to everyone?

:Is this your house? cnn.com/2021/11/19/S...

:You didn't click on any weird emails recently, did you?

:Can I call?

:Wait, do you know Joe Rogan? How does he know your name?

:Why are you trending on Twitter?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Phones]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

Talk:2543: Never Told Anyone

2021-11-18T20:20:54Z

172.70.82.111:

Possible alternative explanation: It's a quick one-time two-factor authentication code that is generated with an app like google auth, or sent by sms, and is only valid for a minute or too. A password would still be needed,and therefore it would be almost completely useless.
[[User:Billsmithsmithbill22|Billsmithsmithbill22]] ([[User talk:Billsmithsmithbill22|talk]]) 02:16, 18 November 2021 (UTC) Bill Smith
:That's how I interpreted it, too. Password recovery links are usually very long strings, not just 6 digits. The joke is that the email or SMS with the 2FA code usually warns not to disclose the code, even though it can't be reused. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 02:43, 18 November 2021 (UTC)
:Some Services offer a form of 2FA where they give you a list of 10 one time passwords / back-up codes that are valid indefinitely and are supposed to be printed out, in case access to the phone is lost. The generally romantic atmosphere of the comic makes me feel the number is more like that, especially since she also offers him her password in the alt-text. [[User:Ruffy314|Ruffy314]] ([[User talk:Ruffy314|talk]]) 10:39, 18 November 2021 (UTC)

263827 is prime, is that worthy of a mention? {{unsigned}}
:If you think it is a factor! (...of a semiprime, maybe.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.141|172.70.90.141]] 03:48, 18 November 2021 (UTC)

Could "I never told anyone *this* before" be a wordplay on the fact that it is a one-time code, which means if she told anyone else before it would have been a different one?
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.133|172.68.110.133]] 03:55, 18 November 2021 (UTC)

The number here is 263827. In the original Star Wars movie, the trash compactor that the main characters get stuck in is numbered 3263827. Any chance that this is an incredibly obscure Star Wars reference? (I figure since one-time codes are usually six digits, using that full seven-digit number would be a bit of a distraction.) [[User:Ghostelephant|Ghostelephant]] ([[User talk:Ghostelephant|talk]]) 05:01, 18 November 2021 (UTC)
No way that's a coincidence! That is simply too unlikely to be an accident.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.123|172.70.178.123]] 08:14, 18 November 2021 (UTC)
:How on earth did you figure this out? Do you just happen to know the number of that trash compactor? And if so, how? And why? For me this comment raises way more questions than the comic did. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 10:58, 18 November 2021 (UTC)
::Though I'm not as obsessive with Star Wars to know this particular number, I know that the THX 1138 4EB meme pops up again throughout Lucas's later oevre, and (like just the other day) gets co-opted referentially by the Randalls of this world. Forty-odd years of obsession by generations of fans would not leave a single remastered pixel/unremastered grain of footage unanalysed of every last detail. I've personally used "6EQUJ5" as an obscure reference, at times, and had others have known/worked out what I was echoing (even before Google) and that's from a far more transient source... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.211|172.70.90.211]] 11:35, 18 November 2021 (UTC)
::: 6EQUJ5 is no longer considered a one time code. In the 70s, it was inexplicable, but since then it has been found again. In fact, it is not considered to have a unique source. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.82.111|172.70.82.111]] 20:20, 18 November 2021 (UTC)

Aren't one time codes also used for Bluetooth pairing? If so, couldn't this be considered a marriage proposal? --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 13:49, 18 November 2021 (UTC)
:If that's what you consider a proposal, I fear you will have plenty trouble finding a spouse----
Can some tell me why this comic is *still* in List of all comics even though it's number 2543, and so should be in the next page (2501-3000) --[[User:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e]] ([[User talk:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|talk]]) 19:42, 18 November 2021 (UTC)

2517: Rover Replies

2021-09-18T10:36:20Z

172.70.82.111: /* Explanation */ Rather keep these tongue-in-cheek statements out of explainxkcd.

{{comic
| number = 2517
| date = September 17, 2021
| title = Rover Replies
| image = rover_replies.png
| titletext = I'm so glad NASA let you take your phone to Mars!
}}

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

There is a [https://twitter.com/nasapersevere?lang=en twitter account for NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover], which recently collected samples. The twitter account tweets in the first person like in the comic. Likely a human on earth is playing the role of the rover.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A post of a rocky landscape and a close-up of a rock is next to a profile picture of the camera of a Mars rover.]
:Just collected a sample!
:[Comments below:]
:These pictures are great!
:I'm so proud of you
:Wow you know a lot about rocks
:Go go go go go!
:More propaganda from NASA's 5G vaccine microchip factory
::Quiet, we're not doing that here
:Hello from Missouri (Earth)!
:Did you find any skeletons yet
:I hope your helicopter comes back!
:[Caption below frame:]
:The most unexpectedly wholesome place on the internet is the replies to NASA's rovers on social media.
{{comic discussion}}

2515: Vaccine Research

2021-09-15T18:02:01Z

172.70.82.111: /* Explanation */ sheep/sheepish

{{comic
| number = 2515
| date = September 13, 2021
| title = Vaccine Research
| image = vaccine_research.png
| titletext = Honestly feel a little sheepish about the amount of time and effort I spent confirming "yes, the vaccine helps protect people from getting sick and dying" but I guess everyone needs a hobby.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a VACCINE RESEARCH HOBBYIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic starts with [[White Hat]] using a common conversational tactic used by vaccine skeptics, and other conspiracy theorists, in order to try to persuade others, typically claiming that they did their own research. The phrase "done my own research" is often taken to mean that the speaker is skeptical of the topic, and has done only cursory fact-checking, typically consulting only nonscientific sources that confirm and validate their prior beliefs. However, subverting expectations, it seems that White Hat genuinely had researched the subject deeply, consulting a large number of primary sources, and coming to a conclusion matching the overwhelming scientific consensus that vaccination against COVID-19 is safe and effective. In the last panel, it shows White Hat as he asks if people are trying to give them to lots of people, to which [[Cueball]] responds with understated irony. He could be humoring White Hat for fear that revealing the scale of the vaccine rollout could cause White Hat to change his mind; but it is arguably more logical that he is playing along with White Hat's own irony, since it stretches credulity that one could read "hundreds of studies" on the vaccine most of which mention the number of recipients, and yet somehow remain ignorant of the scale of the rollout.

At the time this strip was posted, only about 42.3% of the world population had been vaccinated against COVID-19. In low income countries, however, distribution has been negligible, and the rate is [https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations below 1.9%].

In the title text, [[Randall]] comments that he feels a little sheepish that he has spent way too much time and effort confirming the statement "yes, the vaccine helps protect people from getting sick and dying". This has been known for a long time despite the {{w|Vaccine hesitancy|anti-vaxxers}} efforts. But as he states this could be seen as a [[:Category:My Hobby|hobby]]. Anti-vaxxers often refer to people who get vaccinated as "sheep".

This comic may be a sort of spiritual successor to [[2281: Coronavirus Research]].

==Transcript==
:[White Hat is talking to Cueball.]
:White Hat: I've been hearing about vaccines.
:White Hat: But I decided to do my ''own'' research.

:[In a frame-less panel White Hat continues to talk to Cueball.]
:White Hat: So I spent months on the Internet reading hundreds of studies.

:[Close up of White Hat as he speaks to Cueball, who replies from off-panel.]
:White Hat: And wow, I gotta say,
:White Hat: these vaccines are pretty good.
:Cueball (off-panel): Oh, really.

:[Zoomed back out, to White Hat and Cueball talking.]
:White Hat: Yeah, seems like it'd be great if lots of people got them.
:White Hat: Is anyone working on that?
:Cueball: There's been some effort.
:White Hat: Okay, cool.

{{comic discussion}}

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

2512: Revelation

2021-09-14T14:48:22Z

172.70.82.111: /* Revelations is about nuclear winter, not eclipse */

{{comic
| number = 2512
| date = September 6, 2021
| title = Revelation
| image = revelation.png
| titletext = And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, but then more heaven kept appearing to replace it, as if the scroll was infinite.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by NEWSCASTER JOHN, COMING TO YOU LIVE FROM THE MOMENT OF BUDDHA'S ENLIGHTENMENT. Please please please please PLEASE (with a cherry on top!) do NOT delete this tag too soon!!}}
A user with a profile picture of a strick figure with hair, who could be on an island and is called John, posts the Bible text from [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%206%3A12&version=KJV Revelation 6:12] on a social media website. The author(s) of the book of revelation refer to themselves as John, some religious scholars identify the author as {{w|John of Patmos}} or as {{w|John the Apostle}}. Thus making it likely that the user has the identity of said John, either as this biblical-era person themselves (online communities existing in their time, or vice-versa) or adopting the historic character name for parodic/interpretive reasons. The comic places a Biblical event in the modern day to portray what it would be like for apocalyptic miracles to happen nowadays. It also depicts how even the epically largest of our most meaningful and moving moments can end up being treated online.

A news channel's official social-media monitor understands this to be an actual (natural) disaster in progress and asks for permission to use the posted information in a broadcast. This could be what would have happened if John had been using Twitter in his own time, in which case his Revelation might have received this response from that time's similarly-connected reporters, perhaps not comprehending the observations to be 'prophetic visions of the future', with potentially a different level of significance altogether, rather than reports of events just happened.

If the monitor has just found some form of dislocated account (a ''very'' old message, a modern echo for proselytizing purposes or a jape of some kind) then they appear to have been drawn in, having not recognized it as historic text from the Bible.

Whichever way, the response is typical of a 'foot in the door' approach probably used for any and all candidate 'breaking news' citizen-reports, identified by trawling and searching the media-feeds for newsworthy content by either reporters or an 'algorithm'. As well as trying to ask for republishing permission, as per the duty of care reporters should grant to their sources, it is couched behind a typically bland statement of concern.

The reply may seem underwhelming, given the Revelation-level nature of the scenario, but this early in the reporting cycle the researcher may not have enough facts from which to respond more empathetically. Without any 'empathy' the channel and its staff may look entirely uncaring, but anything too effusive would also look unprofessional. Whether the news-organization and/or its staff could be truly concerned, or simply going through the motions, would highly depend upon their established reputation in the eyes of one viewing this exchange. Cynicism might be involved, all round.

The title text modifies verse 14 from "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places" to instead reference the {{w|scrolling#Film_and_television|infinite scrolling}} of a {{w|news ticker}}. Thus this news story would just be one on an infinite scroll page of ever-new stories.

Alternatively, a Biblical-level disaster actually IS occurring, in which case the newscaster's response is underwhelming, to say the least.

The described event happens at times. The sun is black during an eclipse, the moon is red when it sits at the horizon and/or in eclipse, and earthquakes happen on a frequent basis across the planet. When events happen together, it can have great import, and people may become more disconnected from what is real or common nature as lives become digitized. Many people are so used to sunrises and sunsets while seeing the moon high in the sky that they do not realise that the moon also turns red when it rises and sets.

In 2014, a series of four total lunar eclipses were identified by some Christian preachers as being the "{{w|Blood moon prophecy|blood moon}}" mentioned in Revelation 6:12, but the world did not proceed to end.{{fact}}

Note: John in Revelations seems obviously talking about a nuclear exchange, with the ensuing nuclear winter. The soot clouds from this are predicted by our scientists to "blot out the sun"; when the moon becomes visible again, it will look red, due to the dust in the air. (See modern-day volcanic explosions). Whether Revelations turns out to be a prophecy, or a warning--like Scrooge's Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come--remains to be seen.

==Transcript==
:[A Twitter-like page is displayed with a post and a comment nested beneath it. The top poster's profile image is of a man with wild hair, standing on hill near a coast looking out over the ocean. The beach is visible below him. His name is revealed in the comment as John. The poster of the comment's profile image is of a man with flat hair. There is a logo "9 News" at the bottom right. Beneath both pictures are unreadable text. There are also four icons with unreadable text beneath both posts. A line divides the original post and the comment.]
:John: And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.

:Channel 9 News: Hi John, incredible story, hope you and your family are safe. Can Channel 9 News share your account in broadcast and print?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Religion]]

2515: Vaccine Research

2021-09-14T12:27:26Z

172.70.82.111: Added categories

{{comic
| number = 2515
| date = September 14, 2021
| title = Vaccine Research
| image = vaccine_research.png
| titletext = Honestly feel a little sheepish about the amount of time and effort I spent confirming "yes, the vaccine helps protect people from getting sick and dying" but I guess everyone needs a hobby.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a VACCINE RESEARCH HOBBYIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic starts with [[White Hat]] using a common conversational tactic used by vaccine skeptics, and other conspiracy theorists, in order to try to persuade others, typically claiming that they did their own research. Generally, this research is usually biased, and generally only entrenches the position of the skeptic. In some cases, this research may be made up completely. However, subverting expectations, it seems that White Hat actually properly researched the subject, surprising [[Cueball]]. In the last panel, it shows that White Hat was apparently oblivious to the entire vaccine rollout over the past few months, as he asks if people are trying to give them to lots of people, which Cueball responds to nonchalantly, possibly because telling him that the vaccine rollout was a major event could cause White Hat to change his mind.

In the title text, Randall comments that he has spent way too much time researching the vaccines, commenting that there has only been confirmation of his previous beliefs.
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19_vaccine]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics_featuring_White_Hat]]

Talk:2514: Lab Equipment

2021-09-14T01:18:31Z

172.70.82.111:

What kind of lasers are used in mass spectroscopy? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.173|172.70.110.173]] 10:58, 11 September 2021 (UTC)
:SFAIK, none. Electron beams can be used, but not sure laser-ablation is a big thing in this subfeld. So I just edited that detail out and added what a plain (i.e. ''light'') spectrometer is. (More likely, this being a laser-lab perhaps making use of novel materials, not a primarily materials-analysis one)
:Any actual Laser Lab-Persons reading this might know otherwise, of course, if they can stop melting things for fun and bother to explain things to us... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.88|162.158.158.88]] 18:09, 11 September 2021 (UTC)
: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix-assisted_laser_desorption/ionization#Laser I don't know any other uses for lasers in mass spectroscopy, but MALDI (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization) is commonly used in biochemistry and polymer chemistry (and chemistry of any other fragile macromolecule) to ionize molecules in the sample without breaking (fragmenting) them. It is called a "soft" ionization method due to it's propensity to leave the ions in one piece - something shared with ElectroSpray Ionization (ESI), which is commonly used for same purposes, but doesn't use lasers. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.21|162.158.88.21]] 20:15, 11 September 2021 (UTC)
::So, yeah, your link says that lasers are used for ionization (I think of large molecules?) prior to mass spectrometry. The information removal would have been in error. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.123|108.162.219.123]] 20:59, 11 September 2021 (UTC) (addendum:unless mass spectrometers don't look like the drawing?)
:::Why are we even assuming "mass spectroscopy" when it's just a "spectrometer" mention, in the context of laser-light research? If it's not the obvious (to me) application, it could be {{w|Spectroscopy#Other_types|one of many other disparate developments}}. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.247|141.101.107.247]] 21:52, 11 September 2021 (UTC)
::::Sorry, that was my fault, I was the one who put "mass spectrometer." This is why we have multiple editors.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.13|172.69.22.13]] 00:39, 12 September 2021 (UTC)

=== Annealing and Tempering ===
Annealing and tempering are used in wider contexts than chocolate and glass, specifically both copper and iron can be annealed and tempered (and most of their alloys). for more information a good place to start is a knife making video where you anneal the knife and then harden just the edge before final sharpening.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.191|108.162.221.191]] 18:09, 12 September 2021 (UTC)
:I don't even know where the glass thing came from. I thought a perfectly good link to annealing (definitely including metal, it even says this in the bit I wrote) might be over-explaining what ''might'' be related to chocolate tempering, and then suddenly we're talking about glass which is ''far'' more complicated (just ask Prince Rupert). But that's amorphous solids for you, right..? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.115|141.101.107.115]] 23:14, 12 September 2021 (UTC)

::If you have an example of annealing in scientific research then give one, otherwise the phrase "but more likely Randall means a use of annealing in scientific research" sounds like you are speculating about the existence of annealing in scientific research. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.82.111|172.70.82.111]] 01:18, 14 September 2021 (UTC)

=== Cloudflare ===
This is new:
This page (https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2514:_Lab_Equipment&action=submit) is currently offline. However, because the site uses Cloudflare's Always Online™ technology you can continue to surf a snapshot of the site. We will keep checking in the background and, as soon as the site comes back, you will automatically be served the live version. Always Online™ is powered by Cloudflare | Hide this Alert
...popover on the page. Didn't seem to stop me editing/previewing. Is it in response from all the (other) Cloudflare errors we've been getting recently, someone activiting a safety-net? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.88|162.158.158.88]] 18:09, 11 September 2021 (UTC)