explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

explain xkcd talk:Crap

2025-05-03T08:13:29Z

172.70.90.119: /* Not that I'm questioning the wisdom of it, of course. */

__NOTOC__'''The main discussion about the vandalism happened on [[explain xkcd talk:Community portal/Admin requests#User vandalizing rapidly]]. This discussion is about the page itself.'''

----

"if it contained a t it was treated as crapped"
Shouldn't it be the other way around?
The code suggests that you are correct, but "crap" doesn't contain a 't', why would it assume that the page was crapped when a 't' exists. [[User:Soulus|Soulus]] ([[User talk:Soulus|talk]]) 04:14, 4 May 2022 (UTC)
:You're right, thank you! ✅ Done [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.34|108.162.246.34]] 03:52, 4 May 2022 (UTC)
::I just noticed I had written that code wrong too. Thanks again! (That's not the original code; it's my "reconstruction" of it based on what I remember from reading it before it was deleted, with some gaps filled in by educated guesses that should be equivalent in functionality, even if they aren't the exact lines the vandal used. In particular, the CSS selectors are functionally equivalent guesses at the original code; I don't remember what the vandal had used for them. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.34|108.162.246.34]] 04:02, 4 May 2022 (UTC)
:::Cool, no worries. Did you fix the code? Afaik, it should be != -1, rather than == to check equality, but idk much about js. [[User:Soulus|Soulus]] ([[User talk:Soulus|talk]]) 04:14, 4 May 2022 (UTC)
::::I got the code fixed, and tested it. The current code is fully functional. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.199|172.70.178.199]] 17:04, 4 May 2022 (UTC)

Am I the only one wondering why we're providing a fully-functioning code that was capable of rendering the site unusable in minutes? With commented explanations amounting to a virtual tutorial for use? If JS has not been disabled within user pages, what's to stop someone from just copying this code and doing it again? [[User:Jrfarah|Jrfarah]] ([[User talk:Jrfarah|talk]]) 17:35, 4 May 2022 (UTC)
:@Jrfarah That is correct, but an annotated version could allow us to analyze it and its derivatives, and perhaps make a counter-bot. This is a reasonable concern though. [[User:4D4850|4D4850]] ([[User talk:4D4850|talk]]) 19:18, 4 May 2022 (UTC)

WE GOT A NEW ONE! ALERT ALERT[[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.30|162.158.63.30]] 01:38, 21 May 2022 (UTC)Bumpf

Can I edit this page? [[User:TheBlueRiolu|Riolu The Furry]] ([[User talk:TheBlueRiolu|talk]]) 16:39, 22 May 2022 (UTC)

== Code ==

I think it could be dangerous to have such destructive code visible to any wiki user, and I don't understand how the code helps enrich our understanding of the ongoing vandalism. I personally think it should be removed from the page. [[User:Vandalbane|Vandalbane]] ([[User talk:Vandalbane|talk]]) 19:57, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
:The code is there so countervandalbot developers can look for bugs in it. By having the vandal code public, we have found a few bugs that have allowed us to temporarily disable the bot. The vandal usually just fixes the bugs within a few minutes, but those minutes allow us to do mass reverts and get ahead a little bit. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.195|172.70.130.195]] 22:08, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
::The original anticrap "vaccine" was based on studying the code, and [[User:Theusaf]] has put some counter-bot code in the main wiki JS, which also would not have been possible without public code. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.195|172.70.130.195]] 22:12, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
:::But (until deleted, i.e. not active any more, to be directly countered) the offending account's common.js contains the code. Assuming it isn't over-obfuscated (which makes it a new task to present the possibly-buggy code to inspection) then there's each new study-case and anybody truly able to counter it can take it from (as it were) source.
:::Between attacks, I think there's more risk of independent copycats taking the copy (perhaps altering it, if they have any idea how to do that) than anything novel being learnt by whitehats who just missed the boat on the most recent incarnation.
:::I'm also concerned that the one-click-revert code provided for undoing the regular rap-spam was ''specifically'' used by the latest NATO Alphabet incarnation of the offending account. Though I've yet to go through everything they did, this legitimate tool was seemingly applied to both revert-to-Crap and unrevert-back-from-Crap in seemingly randomness, which just made things that bit messier to unravel in some ways.
:::(Though that was a logical step, for the vandal, I'm surprised they hadn't used a script to do that already, and I'm anticipate their next move but don't wish to give them any hints so can't really say what I think it'll be... And maybe they'll surprise me anyway.)
:::For what it's worth, I'm against this record having been kept in the first place, but of course that's a horse/stable-door issue. (The vandal knows the page is here, their addition to it is what prompted its semi-protection.) Any decent whitehat with an interest can probably pick up more than enough from the each attack they witness, but vandall-wannabes are being given a much lower-hanging fruit, gratis, which may inspire them more than is really comfortable for us and others. IMO. YMMV. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.64|172.70.86.64]] 22:38, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
::::My guess is that the vandalbot's crap removal was a bug that will be fixed in the next incarnation. Do you know JS? If you think you know what the crapper will do next, maybe you could write a counterbot for that behavior? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.115|172.70.178.115]] 22:47, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
:::::I think it was deliberate. And I just unre-(re-re-re-...)reverted a handful of pages where it seemed obvious that the flip-flop reversion left it on the wrong state. Most were where the last legit addition/improvement (at least one quite historic) had been nixed, so I reinstated. One was a not-useful-comment that I personally had reverted away, previously, and it had come back by an odd number of vandal-reversions. The method I used to check for these isn't guaranteed to not miss others, though, and I left the renverting as a manual process in case of false-positives (for example, some of Kynde's dealing with apparently deleted catagories... which was interesting to learn about being done, along the way ;) ). So, anyway, just FYI, in case you have an inkling to check this kind of thing in your own way either now or in the future.
:::::And I can ''read'' JS, fairly well, but I'm not really expert enough to not easily make a hash of it in fresh (re)coding. More of a Perl man (where it is often ''necessary'' to make {my %hash;} of it! :p ) and too prone to using Perlish techniques. Plus creating an account for myself just to ''try'' to write a counterbot won't inspire confidence. Especially as I can't claim to know exact details (enough to stop anything in its tracks), just the general form of what I'd do if I were malicious and had progressed through the last few iterations of maliciousness, and thus what I am pre-prepared to do in reaction to whatever the next ''specific'' events may then turn out to be.
:::::Which I know looks like a cop-out. But, except where I have strong opinions to voice, I like working on the sidelines as a grunt as and when required. Rather than claiming to be the perfect Wellington to any and all particular Napoleons. I'm sure there are some very capable Wellingtons out there, even reading this, but not I. Though I'm also rather agnostic about the possibility of a definite advanced countermeasure. At best, it'd just slightly change the tack of the attacker if they discover that their One Neat Trick isn't going to work as they initially thought.
:::::Consider my input on this a POV, not a statement of authority or any true prescience. And, as an habitual IP, I couldn't easily claim to have had the answer all along. (Or attempt to excuse my inability to be correct, if I wasn't – swings and roundabouts!) What little I'm saying, in oh so many words, as is my unfortunate habit in such things.
::::: '''TL;DR;...''' Fair winds and smooth seas to the true sailors, and I'll do my bit to repel any pirates that swing by, and ride the storms nature throws our way in the nebulous future. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 23:53, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

These are all good points, it makes sense for users to have access to the vandal's script to poke holes in it. I'm just concerned someone could get confused (or some other random troll joins) and accidentally mess up many pages. [[User:Vandalbane|Vandalbane]] ([[User talk:Vandalbane|talk]]) 22:51, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
:I don't think accidental messing up is really as much of an issue. Although the Crapper already tried to socially-engineer innocents into his activities by pretending to have an anti-vandal script (which, as I say above, is not something I'd ever conceivably really claim to have). The best antidote to that is to mitigate the "Hey, everyone, try this!" being so easily propogated. And common sense. But what wiles the vandal still possesses could still result in similar spill-over of blame if they get lucky.
:i.e. "Be alert! Your country needs lerts!" *cough* [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 23:53, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
::This is a bit off-topic, but I wonder: what are the motives of our recurring vandal? Are they just bored, are they looking for reactions, or do they have some vendetta against our community? They seem to be able to bang some code together, but they don't seem very mature. [[User:Vandalbane|Vandalbane]] ([[User talk:Vandalbane|talk]]) 00:54, 24 May 2022 (UTC)
::: As I recall, they started out just being curious that any autoconfirmed user could run common.js scripts. I imagine they're having a gay old time "fighting" us. --[[User:Jacky720|Jack]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|t]]|[[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|c]]) 01:00, 24 May 2022 (UTC)

== Bugs in code ==

The last edit broke the code, but it could be trivially fixed, so it's not going to keep future vandals from using it. Also, the last few versions have used https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Random?action=edit for the link, and we should probably mention the automatic undo part of the latest version. It seemed to be the existing one click revert code that was intended to remove crap, modified to automatically revert instead of just adding buttons (basically a zero click undo). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.230|162.158.107.230]] 16:52, 24 May 2022 (UTC)

== Unprotect ==

I would like to edit this page. Can an admin please unprotect it? [[User:Anticrap|Anticrap]] ([[User talk:Anticrap|talk]]) 20:03, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
:Could you just give your suggestions here and let an Admin implement them as required?
:I actually disagree with the logic of having this page, but if it exists I'm for it remaining protected from who-knows-what targetted maliciousness.
:Anything useful can survive a bit of awkwardness because of that. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.31|162.158.159.31]] 23:28, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
::At the end of the paragraph beginning with "While this code" add: "Newer versions appear to be based on this reconstructed code, rather than the original. It is not clear why the crapper did this."
::Replace "The vast majority of crapped pages (if not all of them) have now been reverted back to the last good state. The new bot seems to be slower and more intermittent than the old one. " with "Later attacks/recoveries have followed this same pattern, except administrators have responded faster, reducing the number of pages crapped in each attack."
::Replace "The vandal changed the delay after page load (the number in the last line; 500 in the latest version) several times. " with "The vandal changed the delay after page load (the number in the last line; 500 in the last version with a delay) several times, before changing it to load with <code>document.body.onload</code>, the finally removing the wrapper and making it run as soon as the JavaScript loads."
::[[User:Anticrap|Anticrap]] ([[User talk:Anticrap|talk]]) 02:44, 26 May 2022 (UTC)
:::I have implemented these changes. [[User:CRLF|CRLF]] ([[User talk:CRLF|talk]]) 18:16, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

== New section, titled "Bot with auto-reverting" ==

A later version of the bot, using the account [[Special:Contributions/Donald Trump|Donald Trump]], had the normal crapping behavior, but also mass-reverted edits, both regular and decrapping, done by users who removed its crap. The reverts were automatic, but the operator apparently manually initiated them by opening tabs with the targeted users' contributions pages. The auto-revert code was based on [[User:CRLF/OneClickUndo.js]], which was written as an anti-crap tool. This latest version of the bot had this code:

<pre>
if (location.href.indexOf('ontrib') != -1) {
cssSelectorForLatestCheckbox = '#mw-show-top-only'
cssSelectorForForm = '.mw-contributions-form'
if (document.querySelector(cssSelectorForLatestCheckbox).checked) {

function rvt(undop, undoafterp, c, tl) { // Implements one-click undo
$.ajax({
url: 'https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php',
data: {
format: 'json',
action: 'edit',
title: atob(tl),
undo: undop,
undoafter: undoafterp,
summary: "Reverted edit by anti-crap user",
token: mw.user.tokens.get('csrfToken')
},
dataType: 'json',
type: 'POST',
success: function () { if (c) { $('.mw-diff-undo > a').text("success"); $('.mw-diff-undo > a').removeAttr("onclick"); } else { $('#link' + undop).text("success"); $('.mw-diff-undo > a').removeAttr("onclick"); } }
});
}
try {
var href = $('.mw-diff-undo > a').attr('href').split("=");
var undop = href[4];
var undoafterp = href[3].substr(0, href[3].length - 5);
$('.mw-diff-undo > a').removeAttr('href');
$('.mw-diff-undo > a').attr('onclick', 'rvt(' + undop + ',' + undoafterp + ',1,"'+btoa($("#firstHeading").text().substr(33, $("#firstHeading").text().length - 34))+'")');
}
catch (e) { console.log(e); console.log("assumed not undoable"); }

function makeLinks(str, titles) { // Implements undo links on contribs page
$.ajax({
url: 'https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php',
type: 'GET',
dataType: 'json',
data: { format: 'json', action: 'query', prop: 'revisions', titles: str, rvprop: 'ids', formatversion: 2 },
success: function (data) {
for (var i = 0; i < data["query"]["pages"].length; i++) {
ob = data["query"]["pages"][i]
pg = ob["title"];
if (titles[pg] == "done") continue;
el = titles[pg];
$('').insertAfter(el);
$("#span" + ob["revisions"][0]["revid"]).html(' [<a id="link' + ob["revisions"][0]["revid"] + '" onclick=\'rvt(' + ob["revisions"][0]["revid"] + ',' + ob["revisions"][0]["parentid"] + ',0,"'+btoa(pg)+'")\'>revert</a>]');
titles[pg] = "done";
$("#span" + ob["revisions"][0]["revid"] + ' strong a').click()
}
}
})
}

cs = $('.mw-contributions-title');
titles = {};
str = "";
for (var i = 0; i < cs.length; i++) {
titles[cs[i].getAttribute("title")] = cs[i];
str += cs[i].getAttribute("title") + '|'
makeLinks(str.slice(0, -1), titles);
}

setTimeout(function() {
location.reload()
}, 4000)
} else {
document.querySelector(cssSelectorForLatestCheckbox).click()
document.querySelector(cssSelectorForForm).submit()
}

} else if (location.href.indexOf('common') == -1) {
var cssSelectorForEditTextBox = 'textarea'
var cssSelectorForEditSummaryBox = '#wpSummary'
var cssSelectorForEditForm = '#editform'
var cssSelectorForMainContent = '#bodyContent div:nth-child(4)'
var cssSelectorForEditLink = '#ca-edit > span:nth-child(1) > a:nth-child(1)'
if (window.location.href.endsWith('edit')) {
// The current page is an "edit" page
// Crap it
document.querySelector(cssSelectorForEditTextBox).value = 'crap '.repeat(5000);
document.querySelector(cssSelectorForEditSummaryBox).value = 'Crapped page';
document.querySelector(cssSelectorForEditForm).submit()
} else if (document.querySelector(cssSelectorForMainContent).textContent.indexOf('t') == -1) {
// The current page is a regular "read" page, but it has already been crapped
// Go to a random uncrapped page
window.location.href = 'https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Random?action=edit'
} else {
// The current page is a regular "read" page, and it has not yet been crapped
// Go to its "edit" page so it can be crapped
document.querySelector(cssSelectorForEditLink).click()
}
}
</pre>

The crapping part seemed substantially the same as the old one, except with some minor changes to circumvent anti-crap code put in [[MediaWiki:common.js]].

This bot ran much faster than previous bots, and affected well over 50% of pages. Several users tried to [[User talk:Donald Trump|talk to the vandal and ask him/her/them to quit]]. (S)he/they did stop for the discussion and for a while afterwards, but then began sporadically running the bot again until the account was blocked.

[[User:Anticrap|Anticrap]] ([[User talk:Anticrap|talk]]) 20:09, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

:Any reason why this hasn't been added yet? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.221|172.70.126.221]] 03:46, 29 May 2022 (UTC)

== Recent crap? ==

Has there been any recent crap? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.211|172.70.126.211]] 17:33, 25 June 2022 (UTC)

== Not that I'm questioning the wisdom of it, of course. ==

Oh, great(!) ...now we have a crap "how to" page to inspire others. /s [[Special:Contributions/162.158.216.169|162.158.216.169]] 09:34, 2 May 2025 (UTC)
...and it also turns out that the Talk redirection I happily followed goes to a page that says "Don't start new topics here" (which you don't see, because it anchors to a point down the page. Ok, partly my fault for not realising the subtle difference in namespace, but someone didn't think that one through at all! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.108|172.70.90.108]] 09:52, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

:It's not a how-to page, rather a preservation of the incident. But I hope the same method doesn't work anymore? I assume we took measures to prevent such an incredibly simple script to overwrite the entire wiki. Also, the page is only linked to from the archived discussion, so one can't stumble on it without being aware that it's archived (unless you look through the recent edits, of course). It's also purposefully not categorised. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:51, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

:Moved this from [[explain xkcd talk:Community portal/Admin requests]] and remoeve the redirect and added back the original discussions. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:57, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

::Wait this is making me reconsider this: it IS fixed, right? Another scriptkiddie can't just copy and paste and do this all over again, can they? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:02, 2 May 2025 (UTC)
:::I... would rather not tempt fate too much. Needless to say, there are changes made to prevent the ''worst'' of that episode recurring, and direct copycat attacks are probably prevented/reverted automatically. But I was always uncomfortable ''fully'' documenting how it happened, for 'posterity', as possible inspiration for someone's future (sufficiently different) "bright ideas", re: vandalism.
:::It wasn't necesarily hidden, what we had, but it wasn't all under a big page of "hey, this is ''exactly'' what happened, once". Also, acts as an even more direct threat against other wikis that hadn't yet experienced this but (if a suitably inclined individual should find them) can find themselves subjected to a full copypasta attack (and the usual users there are unlikely to find ''our solutions'' anywhere quick enough to deal with our (old) problems. So I'm wary by proxy, as well. Hopefully I'm not inspiring anyone to do anything, by writing these possibilities, also. But script-kiddies (who couldn't actually recognise a 0-day exploit if it came out of their screen and hit them round the ears, but might have the nous to experiment with prior exploitative code) are exactly the kind of people I expect to learn from all this. Especially if nicely packaged up. (My opinion, of course. Willing to be proven wrong.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.241.100|172.71.241.100]] 17:10, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

::::So, what do you propose? We delete everything? I feel like we should keep something, just like we kept the entire archived discussion. Besides, finding the original code was as easy as following a link from the Community portal discussion and viewing the archived version. The upside would be that new editors wouldn't have to re-learn the tactics used by the og crapper and would have a ton of documentation to fight it. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:53, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

:::::While the idea of Security Through Obscurity is obviously not an ideal end-point, all I'm saying is that there's a difference between burying the Cursed Artefact Of Ancient Evil in some remote and unfrequented location, without so much as a treasure-map to indicate its position, and actually building a famous shrine about it and relying upon the apparently unfailing protections of generations of warrior-monks and apparently perpetually powered/maintained architecturally-integrated deathtraps to deter the inevitable seekers after forbidden knowledge that get drawn there.
:::::Obviously we lie on different parts of the spectrum from optimism to skepticism, and I suggest the 'damage' has happened now. The shift has been from the status quo that I had been previously... content with. I was merely trying to point out that this "explain explainxkcd" meta-documentation, while well intentioned, had its possibly unforseen downsides. I didn't actually intend to get into meta²-discussion about it, beyond the original intententionally downplayed comment, nor try to get you to reverse your efforts. Que sera, sera... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.119|172.70.90.119]] 08:13, 3 May 2025 (UTC)

User talk:Kynde

2025-04-24T17:45:15Z

172.70.90.119: Undo revision 374813 by FaviFake (talk) Only (revisedly-)undoing because I apparently didn't explain it enough. ;)

== Cueball references ==
Hi, please do not remove the Cueball references here. He is a standard character. The category [[:Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] gives just an overview about all comics showing this stick figure. And just one is him, not defined by Randall but by us. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:10, 8 May 2014 (UTC)
:But who should define who Cueball is? You? I could see him as both here. And somebody did. You have just corrected back so that the Cueball in the explain is switched to the other charachter in the transcript. At least one of these should then be changed to match the other. It is thus also clear that people have different views of what Cueball stands for. Is he the one trolling, or is he the one who knows which movie Blade Runner is? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:35, 10 May 2014 (UTC)
:By the way - I did not remove the reference to the chategory - but only in the text as described above. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:38, 10 May 2014 (UTC)

== Minor tags on edits ==
Also, a minor concern, but please be more sparing in your use of "minor" tags on edits. Addition of 1200 characters (e.g. . . m Talk:1496: Art Project‎; 20:04 . . (+1,240)‎ . . ‎Kynde, or . . m 1497: New Products‎; 19:12 . . (-419)‎ . . ‎Kynde →‎Explanation: It does not fit into category four! See new test. I also deleted a lot of text, that already was written below, and was basically the same as the one stille) is NOT minor. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 21:22, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
::When adding a new comment to the talk page I newer see this as a major change. This i a discussion not a change to the explanation!. I do not believe it was a big change removing the text you wrote, when all of it basically was written below. Try and read your version, and see that it was more or less double. Also I had already once removed the reference to the fourth category. If the guy has signed up he have no problems with this company. Also it is mentioned that the fourth category is not a company he is afraid off, but just someone they do not like. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:42, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

== Thank you ==

I like what you did at [[1402: Harpoons]]. Thank you. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.153|173.245.54.153]]
:You're welcome - I did it based on your comment [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 03:41, 2 August 2014 (UTC)

==[[980: Money]]==
Hey, you've done an amazing job on the money comic's transcript, but the explanation page is still marked as incomplete. Is there actually anything left to be done on it? Thanks! [[User:Davak72|Davak72]] ([[User talk:Davak72|talk]]) 03:04, 3 April 2015 (UTC)
:Thanks allot. I have replied on the Money page where you repeated the above. I can even remember the number although it was some time since I did the transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:44, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

== Merge Cueball & Rob ==

You seem to have changed some comics in which formerly more than one cueball appeared to make it such that none were called cueball (e.g. Orb Hammer). But many persist, see transcripts in:
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1405:_Meteor
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/192:_Working_for_Google
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/525:_I_Know_You%27re_Listening
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/187:_The_Familiar
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/79:_Iambic_Pentameter
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/65:_Banter

We should probably seek broader consensus before rewriting all these transcripts. There seems to me to be a general trend to name one "Cueball" and call the others "Friend" or somesuch in these cases and I'm concerned that you seem to want to singlehandedly rewrite all that convention. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 21:07, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:It is typically the first who writes the transcript who decides who of the Cueballs (or Megans) he feel represents the real Cueball. However, there is no real behavior of Cueball. So who should decide. I could also change these transcripts so it becomes the other character who becomes Cueball, because I think the first transcripter did it wrong. This was exactly what happened with the two Megan-like comics. First it was Megan and Danish. Then unidentified girl and Megan. Then Megan and unidentified girl, then two Megan like girls with short and long hair and finally you reverted it to my first ide: Unidentified girl and Megan. So thanks for showing me these six double Cueball comics. I will change asap. And as I answered your comment on [[1496: Art Project]] Rob is already listed as part of the category for Comics featuring Cueball: http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics_featuring_Rob and this is listed as the first entry when going to the page for Category:Comics featuring Cueball: http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics_featuring_Cueball Thus he should not be merged--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:21, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:: Can you please add this discussion here [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob]. I have refrained from making these sort of substantial changes and want to seek a broader consensus. Please use the community forum to seek such consensus before making major unilateral changes like that. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 21:24, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:::Done with interests --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:02, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:: there are dozens of multiple-Cueball comments. Please don't change them to "man 1", "man 2" until we can reach a braoder consensus. I will not be changing them to "Rob" without consensus. This is not something to be done all at once and making that many changes will prompt me to request that an admin freeze your account. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 21:27, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:::I was about to write this before your comment no. two. So this was a reply to your previous comment: "I can post it there, but these changes has been underway a long time for almost a year. But it is hard to find these comics as I do not go through them just to find incidences. How long have you been active in xkcd. I can see your page has been created today, but maybe you were active long before that?"--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:42, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
::::This is a comment to your next comment: "It is very hard to threaten someone like that already. I have been making these changes before, and by the way never to man 1 or man 2. I have been one of the top contributers for more than a year. I hope this is not just because I reverted one of your contributions to Mondays comic? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]21:42, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:::::I didn't want to threaten. I think consistent style is important, and general style I see is in multi-Cueball comics, one is ID'd as Cueball and others are "Friend", etc. Anyone unilaterally changing an established style should seek consensus first.
:::::Additionally, I think your undo on my edit actually improved the explanation.
:::::Finally, if you know how to solicit more opinions on the matter at hand, please let me know (or do it). Thanks! [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 23:53, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
::::::Thanks on the edit appraisal. As I wrote on the talk page, yours was also much better phrased the second time. I do not know how to get anyone to go read your comment except by giving them the message like you did with me. Or putting a link to it from the talk page of the double Megan comic, and maybe on some of the double Cueball comics too. I did not understand the "solicit more opinions" at first (why I wrote that last part in my comment below "how many will read"). So you do realize, I can see now, that not many will. By the way I'm [[Danish]]... That is, I'm neither a mean girl or a pastry cake, but from Denmark. And although I'm, really good at English for everyday use, it is not by far a language I can understand everything. But suddenly I got your message.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:10, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
My only point is we need to wait until consensus is reached before undoing years of precedent in Cueball naming. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 22:38, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:Well as I have made fairly clear there is no consensus. Because it is up to the first one who writes the transcript to decide who is the friend. And this often leads to discussion or changes forth and back (like we just saw with two Megans) since people have different opinion on how Cueball should behave, since they do not know that Cueball can behave anyway Randall needs him to. Often he reflects Randall's intelligence, but just as often he is a prick behaving horribly towards girls etc. So if there are two, one good and one bad, you cannot say the good one is Cueball. And how many do you think reads your post? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:43, 12 March 2015 (UTC)

I have had a look at the comics you have listed. Here are my comments:
*[[1405:_Meteor]]
**Here I would have changed - since it is believed that Cueball often represents Randall's version of himself - especially when it is his hobby. Of course it is then Randall who is pedantic, and thus Cueball. So I would change the Cueball reference. So here we could have a stupid editing war, instead of writing something else.
*[[525:_I_Know_You%27re_Listening]]
**Here there is only one Cueball speaking. And the other is listening in. So here I would no object so much. Maybe I would mention that the other looks like Cueball.
*[[192:_Working_for_Google]]
**Here I would have changed - since I would think that Cueball should have the most interesting story, and also that this Cueball is Randall as it is known that Randall has an interest in Google and has also been cheated by their aptitude test (so much that he did the famous [[356: Nerd Sniping]]). So also here I would change the Cueball reference. So again stupid editing war, instead of writing something else.
*[[187:_The_Familiar]]
**Here I would have changed - since I would thing that Cueball should be the one always interested in computers. Not the other way. I know there are other comics where he enjoys nature. But Also a lot where he enjoys computers out of hand and math etc. So again I would have changed the Cueball reference. So again stupid editing war, instead of writing something else.
*[[79:_Iambic_Pentameter]]
**Here I agree with the Cueball = Randall - it's Randall my hobby and thus the one with the Hobby is Cueball. But I would still prefer they are not named. some might argue against me on the hobby, saying the Cueball with the hobby is "Randall" so the other Cueball is "Cueball". Thus once more editing war. But I would not start it. But still probably mention that the Cueball with a hobby is Randall.
*[[65:_Banter]]
**What can I say. The first is called Cueball the other is not. They have the same amount of text, and they are obviously both gay and missing out. I would definitely loose the Cueball reference here.
That is my ten cents about these six examples. Maybe we should create a category called multiple Cueballs. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:02, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
:Note that I have not changed any of these... yet. But maybe I should revert those three I think is plain wrong, so the Cueball and friend is changed. Then we can see if anyone changes back? ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:02, 12 March 2015 (UTC)

:::I advise waiting. If you want to enact 4, go for it, but then put in the discussion a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob link] to our discussion for '''all''' the changes you make so hopefully someone besides you and me goes to that page and weighs in.

To answer your question, I've read xkcd for years (I started reading regularly around the time there were ~500 total comics), lurked on explainxkcd and made anonymous minor edits for most of that time. I set up an account in July 2013, when I began making more regular edits.

I recognize that the issue has a large amount of inertia. My point is precisely that there are 9 "Rob" comics and countless Cueball. But, as I stated on the page, there is ample evidence that the same character (Black Hat's friend/roommate, Megan's boyfriend) '''is''' named Rob. I haven't done a count, but I suspect that "Megan" is named in the comic fewer than 9 times, but characters of her appearance are '''all''' called "Megan".

Yes, multiple Megans triggered the idea that's been brewing in my mind since someone (not me) made an anonymous comment on a relatively recent Rob comic [1168: tar]. Since I read that it's been sitting in my mind, but I haven't wanted to make an issue. However, the asymmetry between Megan/Cutie and Rob/Cueball grates for me and I want to urge the community here to evaluate critically whether it is the right thing or an inappropriate historical artifact. Years ago, [Cutie] was abolished (redirects now to [Megan]), I think it's objectively appropriate to make a symmetrical arrangement for Rob/Cueball (hence my options 2 & 3 in the public discussion thread).

For now, if you want to go changing all those comics go ahead. I won't argue or revert, but I request that you put the following (or something close to it) in the discussion of all the comics you change "I've removed the name 'Cueball' from this and several other comics that have multiple Cueball's in them as per my position on the issue currently under discussion at http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob if you support this change or disagree with it, please weigh in on that discussion thread."

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from more users. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 00:04, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

::::Dear Djbrasier
:(By the way my name is Kynde - that is both my nick and my middle name).
:Thanks for this very open talk. I like you much better now ;-)
:If I do change any of these I will do as you ask. It is not like I have forever to do these changes, although I for sure use too much time already on explain... I think I will add the category:Comics with multiple Cueballs. What do you think of the name if I do (and if I do then maybe also make one with Category:Comics where Megan is named Megan. Please tell me you can think of a better name for that one ;-) I only know of the three now mentioned on [[Megan]]s page.
:As you can see om my page, I have only used explain xkcd since late 2013. So you have been member longer than me by some months. I did not read xkcd before that - became fascinated with the What if section on xkcd and when I finished with those I turned to the comic. But found that I failed to understand quite a few, and thus searched and found this page. I have read them as they come out since then, and then also began reading from no. 1. But since I always look in this page for the explanation and like to contribute I only progress very slowly. Recently I have reached [[540: Base System]] where I have made several improvements additions and corrections. And that is as far as I have reached reading straight fro no. 1. But I have of course used the cross referencing and thus read many in between that and those from October 2013.
:Regards Kynde --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:02, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

::Happy to have the discussion and to get to wiki-know you. I definitely see your points. I added a few comments and links to our public discussion in the hopes that, over time, it will attract more users to the community portal discussion. I suspect it will take some months for enough users to weigh in that we have a reasonable consensus. I think that if you remove "Cueball" from some of the comics you mentioned above and put a link to the portal page in the discussion block of those comments, that will prompt community input.
::Cheers,
::DJ [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:40, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

I also added incomplete tags to a few comics in which I think a strong argument can be made that "Cueball" is really Rob, despite his name not showing up (Boombox & Cover-up) [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:49, 13 March 2015 (UTC)
:Well I disagree again. See the talk pages. But then it is out for discussion.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:19, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

I have changed several of the Multiple Cueballs comics as you said was OK with you. See the new caregory. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:41, 16 March 2015 (UTC)

== xkcloud permalink usernames ==

You said "The user name and user picture stay the same though.", [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1506:_xkcloud&diff=prev&oldid=88207 An Anon] had mentioned that [http://xkcd.com/1506/#post/3c34fb48-1a07-51d2-a81d-5257a3681024 3c34fb48-1a07-51d2-a81d-5257a3681024] had the name "Lauren Ibsen Dolores Amit" and changed to "Margaret5", then by the time I looked at it, it had "Virginia2006". It still has "Virginia2006" now, but since it has changed twice I wouldn't assume it is now permanent. Due to this, I [[1506:_xkcloud/Table of Permalinks|haven't been saving the usernames]]. Could you confirm that you see Virginia2006? Perhaps it's different for each user. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 21:09, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
:Yes I did see Virginia2006. I think it may change some times, but then suddenly it could become stable? The permalink used on the main page of the explain, was mine. I noted it was Mark Zuckerberg. But this has changed. But now I think it is stuck on: Destiny1983 and always with the skating "Megan". Can you confirm this: http://xkcd.com/1506/#post/50b47c70-3a7c-504d-bcc0-60597338e999 . Cool that you have collected all these images. Can we put the link under the permalink section. As you can see I'm trying to completely revise the page so it is easier to find the explain and then only see the detail if you are interested. Hope you like these changes --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:27, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
::Yeah, I see Destiny1983 on that one too. I like the changes, they make everything much clearer. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 21:30, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
:::Thanks. I was trying to make it easier to write some extra info on your permalink page, and deleted most of them. Luckily they are not deleted permanently. But the page is so big I have trouble loading it. I try to repair my mistake, but else please do so for me, and sorry in advance. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:45, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

::::NP, <tt>&action=history</tt> is a life-saver. I was going to suggest using <tt>&action=edit&section=0</tt>, but I see you've already added a description heading. It also lags pretty badly for me so I expect I'll have to stop at 10000, and I'm already up to 8444 since my last edit to the page. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 22:20, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
:::::Yes I think I fixed it but I had to split it in three uploads. How many different pictures do you think there are. I guess some off them are the same? (And same for text). Maybe the last part can be seen by sorting the table. But does the image also have the same name when used more than once? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:33, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

::::::Well, I know of 1419 unique images so far. Yes, both images and text are reused for different permalinks, some come up a lot more frequently than others. If you click the heading, you can sort by either image or text, which will group them together. It's kind of interesting to see different captions for the same image. If you mean the same username, I haven't checked. I also haven't checked whether the same pair of image and text ever appear together as different permalinks, I'll check that <s>eventually</s>, <s>later</s>, ''right now''... nope. I imagine the prompt never even ''suggests'' a caption which is already associated with an image. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 23:27, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

::::::I hit the 2mb page limit at 10217 permalinks, out of the 15000+ I have found, so I've reduced the table to only show each image and text once. As in, ''either'' the image or text once, so there will be a couple of duplicate images and text. So what I said previously about sorting to see different captions for the same image no longer applies, but the page will be more manageable this way. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 13:53, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

::::::: So you think that it will not be possible for anyone to add the same image to the same caption, because this caption will never again come up with this image or the other way around? I can see yo have removed the ? where they where something else like turtles... Nice. What about all the links below? Are they just the other 10.000 links not associated with a new image or caption, just a different combination? If so maybe this should be made clear. You could make a new section heading for them. Would it be possible to list them in any other way, or is this to save space? Alternatively you could make a new subpage with extra permalinks for further study. We of course both know that no one will ever read these again ;-) But nice work anyway. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:17, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

:::::::: So far, I've never found the same image and same caption, but I'll keep checking, as I'm still storing all of the information, just not posting the full list to the wiki now. The other links at the bottom are all 15000+ permalinks I've found, good point about making that more clear. It might also be a good idea to list them on another separate page to save space, but they're not for further study, as I have all the images and captions associated with them, there just isn't room to display all of the information, because it would currently take 3mb+. Regarding the symbols, I was previously pasting my javascript output into my text editor to format them, but now I have my script format them for me, so the symbols are preserved. - and it's also a lot easier for me. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 14:29, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

:::::::: Well, I've hit the 2 megabyte limit again, so it looks like we'll have to put the table on one page and the list of links on another. Any suggestions for the page titles? -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 15:25, 23 April 2015 (UTC)
::::::::: You are crazy :-) My suggestion is that you create a new page called Table of Permalink (with the explanation at the top the same, but now linking to the old page, and vice versa for the old page to the new). Then let the list of permalink stay on the old page. And move the table to the new page. Finally, look at what pages direct to the old page, and redirect them to the new, only leaving link to the old page from the new one. The table is most important. The problem with your table is that it is too big for anyone to load... Maybe there should even be another page in between. Which is called - a selection of permalink. And then with link to the full table and links, with a fair warning about huge amount of data (Big data.). My explorer just went down trying to load the page (or maybe I'm just too impatient?) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:36, 24 April 2015 (UTC) (Ah, now it is finished loading...)
:::::::::: Thanks. I haven't tried it in internet explorer, but the table loads okay with Chrome on my laptop I bought 7 years ago. Now that the pages are split, it might load faster for you. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 18:58, 24 April 2015 (UTC)

==[[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript|Hoverboard Transcript]]==

Sorry to ask about such a minor thing, just curious about why the man on the raised plateau can't be a woman. Elsewhere in the comic Darth Vader is seen explaining Steven Universe to someone. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.43|108.162.221.43]] 13:46, 3 December 2015 (UTC)
:Hi - it cold be. But to me it looks like a family. But to be honest I had not expected anyone to change it, and did not notice before I had copy pasted some text in from the document I write the transcript in. But hopefully at some time this family (or whatever) becomes part of the effort to explain the entire comic. My guess is that someone will know who it is - that they are from some TV series or movie. In that case it will become clear if it is (as I assumed) a family with mom and dad and two children or if it is a lesbian couple or something entirely different... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:02, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

::The family resembles the main characters of Steven Universe, a cartoon(the characters being three women and a child) The explanation page also lists them as such(Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems - (x: 551664, y: -567383). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.64|173.245.55.64]] 21:03, 3 December 2015 (UTC)
:::Perfect thanks. Then is makes sense with the Vader reference. Is it the boy who is Steven? And is the low girl also a grown woman? I will look it up but thanks for answering. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:07, 3 December 2015 (UTC)
::::Fixed the transcript. Some of the link I put in, is not supposed to be there, but may be moved once they are explained in the main article.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:20, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

== Hair Bun "Girl" ==

Hi Kynde, I noticed you created the character page for "Hair Bun Girl". This naming convention is inconsistent with most of the other characters named here, e.g. Cueball, Ponytail, Hairy, et al. Beret Guy is a potential counterexample, but the words "guy" and "man" don't have the same relationship as "girl" and "woman". Partly for consistency, and partly for simple feminism, I'd like to open a conversation about changing the character's name please. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 04:08, 4 February 2016 (UTC)
:I think it is exactly the same as guy vs. girl. Hair Bun Woman is just too cumbersome. But if you can find a name like Ponytail that fits then by all means. Hairbun just doesn't do it for me. But I do not have any specific feelings for this name, I just found that she was used too often to not have a character page. So I will not take offence against you trying to find a better name through a conversation. Contraty to for instance Megan, which once was Cuetie (sexistick I think), it will not be so hard to change Hair Bun Girl's name to something else, but still she has just reached comic no. 20 so it is not easy to find all the references. Are you ready to do that job if you do get a new name for her? Because else it is just semantics --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:20, 4 February 2016 (UTC)
::Thanks, appreciate it. Yes I am ready to do the job. What would you recommend for next steps? Should I raise the issue at http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Coordination? [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 04:06, 7 February 2016 (UTC)
:::Your welcome, and good luck. Try to see [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|this post]] regarding the naming convention of [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] which much to my joy did not end up in altering anything, but they were "old" names, Hair Bun Girl is new. You could post you suggestion there. And maybe make a note at the top of [[Hair Bun Girl]]'s page? (You can write Notice as a template just like the incomplete. Check out this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Cueball&oldid=92611 old version of Cueball page history]). Now that I think about it '''Hairbun''' is probably as good a name as [[Ponytail]]. So I would think that would be a decent proposal for a change. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:08, 7 February 2016 (UTC)
::::Okay, process started. Thank you for the good wishes and guidance. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 04:31, 9 February 2016 (UTC)

=== Girl With Hairbun? ===

I have identified several comics that have a girl (clearly a child) similar in appearance to Hairbun.
Examples include [[1104: Feathers]], [[1352: Cosmologist on a Tire Swing]] and [[1370: President]]. Would these people be included under Hairbun? Most of them are not marked as such. And what are the requirments to make a new character? I think this girl has appeared rather often. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.42}}
:Hi. If you look at the description for [[Hairbun]] it clearly states that she is an adult as are Ponytail and Cueball etc. So no, these examples should not be included in Hairbun category. If you look at the last entry on the talk page of President I suggested a children category. But I would agree that a category with curious girl or science girl could be relevant. She is also in [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]] for instance. If there are about five comics that could go in a new category it is just to create it. The naming is important though. See othere categories for what to write on the category page. I have made several including Hairbun --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:12, 27 May 2016 (UTC)
::Thanks for your input. I think I will be creating this category soon. Since most of the names seem to refer to the hairstyles (they are recognizable) I think I'll be going with the name "Double Bun Girl".

== Marking edits as minor edits ==
Hey, I noticed that you mark lot of your edits as minor edits while most of them aren't. For example, [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1645%3A_Toasts&diff=112997&oldid=112996 this]] and probably [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1645:_Toasts&diff=next&oldid=113008 this]] too constitute as a minor edit, but these - [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1645:_Toasts&diff=next&oldid=112997 [1]]], [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1645:_Toasts&diff=next&oldid=113003 [2]]], [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1645:_Toasts&diff=next&oldid=113009 [3]]], etc. aren't minor edits. Refer to the wikipedia guidelines for minor edits - {{w|Help:Minor_edit}}.
::Examples include typographical corrections, formatting and presentational changes, and rearrangements of text without modification of its content. A minor edit is one that the editor believes requires no review and could never be the subject of a dispute.
Basically, if you are adding/removing even a little bit of content, it is not minor. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 23:31, 21 February 2016 (UTC)

Oh, and how in the world is [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Thing_Explainer&curid=16286&diff=113034&oldid=113033 this ]] and [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1608:_Hoverboard&curid=16986&diff=113019&oldid=113013 this ]] minor !! [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 23:47, 21 February 2016 (UTC)
:Sorry about that. I just updated my settings where it had been set to default: "Mark all edits minor by default". If I by mistake click OK to an update before clicking that off it was to late. But now it will be the other way instead. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:19, 22 February 2016 (UTC)
::Cool, no worries. It happens. I was just surprised that everything was marked minor. Anyway, keep up the good work. I see that you're finishing up all the incomplete explanations and improving comics in general. Great work ! :) [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 01:04, 23 February 2016 (UTC)
:::Thanks for the support, nice to get some feedback. Also great that someone mentions when you are doing something the wrong way. I had only limited experience with wiki pages before signing up here, and I had not read the wiki page on minor edits, but now I have. How come you have chosen not to have an account? Seems like you also make several comments and changes... which is great ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:11, 23 February 2016 (UTC)

== Please create the discussion page for today's comic. ==
Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 15:02, 7 March 2016 (UTC)
:Well just did that (for [[1652: Conditionals]]) but not because I saw this comment, just before. I guess it is not possible for no registered users to create pages? Well I fulfilled your wish before I knew about it ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:05, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

== Moving comments around ==
Please do not move people's comments into unrelated discussions without asking them, and if you do, make sure the timestamps in the reply chain aren't out of order. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 20:36, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
:I expect you were referring to [[Talk:1659: Tire Swing]]? Well all comments I moved were regarding the same question of who the girls looked like, and they should have been posted as replies to the first. There were no time stamp on the first comment and your post asking if they were children were posted straight under a post about if they were Megan and Hair Bun girl or Thelma and Louise. So I do believe your comment belong under that statement. But fine by my that it just stand beneath instead of being indented. The time stamp of all comments seem to be in time order as I see it. It would get really confusing or I would have to make the same reply three times if they were not together. The comments in between were not at all related and there should be no confusion. So I think it made the discussion page much more useful what I did.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:52, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
::Well I don't know about the other users, but I know for a fact that mine wasn't in response to the first one. I don't even know what the first one said, I just moved it from the explanation to comment page. And mine was posted immediately after it because I was chronologically the second comment made. I had no reason to wait (interestingly, you moved someone else's comment so that I was replying to it, even though it didn't exist when I posted.) [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 00:41, 24 March 2016 (UTC)
:::I cannot see that what you say is true about moving your comment. I just checked the history and here is what I found: 
'''This was what it looked like before my changes:''' 
--- 
the women do not look like Megan and Hair Bun Girl to me, are they new?
sorry for commenting here, but I do not have rights to create a new page, which seems to be necessary for posting the fire comment. Will move once the comment section is created.

I think they are Thelma and Louise (from the movie) given the looks of their hair {{unsigned|Chichak|March 23, 2016}}

I think they're children [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:33, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

Maybe they got the truck from Black Hat's garage? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:34, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

I have yet to use a tire swing that was made from a worn tire (worn by the road not by swinging). From my experience, expired tires used by automobiles typically have sharp metal protruding from the rubber. This would make a dangerous tire swing. I thought landscaping (rubber mulch) and playgrounds was the preferred recycling method for used tires?--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:35, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

The first one certainly looks like Hair Bun, but the second one (which in in the explanation is presented as Megan) has a somewhat curly hair. Could she be another character, perhaps? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.166|108.162.218.166]] 17:05, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
 --- 
'''This what it looked like after:''' 
--- 
the women do not look like Megan and Hair Bun Girl to me, are they new?
sorry for commenting here, but I do not have rights to create a new page, which seems to be necessary for posting the fire comment. Will move once the comment section is created.
:I think they are Thelma and Louise (from the movie) given the looks of their hair {{unsigned|Chichak|March 23, 2016}}
::I think they're children [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:33, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
:::The first one certainly looks like Hair Bun, but the second one (which in in the explanation is presented as Megan) has a somewhat curly hair. Could she be another character, perhaps? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.166|108.162.218.166]] 17:05, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
::::As the tire comes from a truck and it's diameter is more than half the height of these small girls they are definitely kids (not that Randall could not have made adults make a swing as like in [[150]]). Also this makes it much more funny that they both stole a car and beat up an angry adult. And now they are going all environmental after wards. So they are not Megan (which looks nothing like a curly haired girl) and also not Hair Bun Girl as it is defined that these characters are adults. There are many stories using kids and they will never represent Cueball, Megan or Ponytail etc. Those with hats are for instance never drawn small! Have thus corrected the explanation. But it still seems to miss much more on the environmental issue which is the subject/point of the comic if not the joke --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:19, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

Maybe they got the truck from Black Hat's garage? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:34, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
:Then they would have lost the fight: [[433: Journal 5]]! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:22, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

I have yet to use a tire swing that was made from a worn tire (worn by the road not by swinging). From my experience, expired tires used by automobiles typically have sharp metal protruding from the rubber. This would make a dangerous tire swing. I thought landscaping (rubber mulch) and playgrounds was the preferred recycling method for used tires?--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:35, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
:I think you are correct. We have one for our kids (though it sucked and we took it down again) and that was a brand new tire, but not one I think would be suitable for any car though. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:22, 23 March 2016 (UTC) 
--- 
'''As can be seen'''
:::I have only moved one comment up, and that was not yours! That you did not check that there already seemed to be two comments above yours, about the appearance of the girls, doesn't mean that it would not make sense to pool all these questions and comments regarding exactly this topic together to give just one answer. And as you can see from the above '''I did NOT move your comments''', but I moved someone else's comment, in between the first and second of your comments, to be able to reply to all four things already written about the girls (ie. 1) The women do not look like Megan and Hair Bun Girl to me, are they new? 2) I think they are Thelma and Louise (from the movie) 3) I think they're children and 4) ... a somewhat curly hair. Could she be another character?) All that was what I replied to, now possible to do in one go right beneath all four remarks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:47, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
::::There was only one comment before mine, and it was 2 paragraphs. You moving the second half into a reply of the first half caused some of the confusion here [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 06:54, 26 March 2016 (UTC)
:::::OK now I understand, so it was not your comment I moved, but the previous comment that I split in two (that was a mistake). That you did not answer to the comment above was of course not clear since it was on the same subject. Again this, as I understand it, was caused by someone posting a comment in the explanation, and you moving it into the comments section (which was fine, but made it hard to find out who posted what.) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:58, 26 March 2016 (UTC)

== Gardening ==

You mention "three links to images that did not work" in my "garden store for deer" entry. [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:UploadStash/thumb/13xmd97bimg0.n2wbws.5455.png/739px-13xmd97bimg0.n2wbws.5455.png These]
[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:UploadStash/thumb/13xn667h2jlw.jonmk1.5455.png/739px-13xn667h2jlw.jonmk1.5455.png three]
[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:UploadStash/thumb/13xod68rb29s.7fj65u.5455.png/739px-13xod68rb29s.7fj65u.5455.png links]
all work for me; they are images I tried to upload, scaled as large as the server would allow (739x461). Somehow I can upload images but not create image pages (also the spam protection is still triggered, so creating this account seems to accomplish nothing). It's very strange that the server has stored them but won't allow anyone else to view them (after logging out, it tells me I "must be logged in to upload files" instead of displaying the images). Someone should rescue the images from wherever they reside on the server.

The "face" I referred to (the second image) is really a cluster of leaves and branches: the bottom cluster of the rightmost tree looks like a head in profile, with curly hair, an eye, a grinning mouth, and a prominent nose. The two rightmost trees started with no branches (first image), but grew several when I placed a light above them. I moved the light so the face wouldn't be destroyed and tried to grow branches on the lower trunks. The third image is essentially the same as what you uploaded today.

Regarding Megan's office furniture: I'd actually pruned her second wand whenever it appeared, and then the bird took its place. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 15:29, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
:Hi .42 First I think it take a few days (three) before you are allowed to create new pages to fight off spam boots that we have had problems with. I cannot see you images I get the following message:
:'''Internal Server Error'''
:'''This file (13xmd97bimg0.n2wbws.5455.png) doesn't belong to the current user.'''
:Cool that you have logged in as a user, although poor name ;-) On the other hand if you are a fan of Hitchhikers Guide then I guess it would be cool enough by the way. I'm happy to see that I finally get a chance to prune some of my gardens after several upsets since the comic came out. If I can help you with the images let me know. Maybe you can post them somewhere else and I can find upload them for you? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:34, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

::I'll try to upload tomorrow, then. I don't know where the server found the .42 IP address — that isn't my address! It's ''really weird'' that it chose this number. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 16:18, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

Have you seen libra's [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=114415&start=480#p3954408 purple light] gardens? [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 22:58, 11 April 2016 (UTC)
:No I had not. I like the stilt on platform up in tree. I did not know this could happen. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:24, 12 April 2016 (UTC)

== [[1703: Juno|NASA versus the press]] ==
Hi Kynde. I'm afraid I disagree. It seems pretty clear to me that the question about the tip-off comes from NASA. I've added a topic to the talk page, where I explain my reasoning, and where this should be discussed if you still disagree. Thanks! [[User:Garik|Garik]] ([[User talk:Garik|talk]]) 16:52, 6 July 2016 (UTC)
:Yes I still disagree. To me it seems like a continuation of the conference and it is now the press to speak. And given that I knew Juno to be related to Jupiter but not that she was the daughter of Saturn (and given the reason for the naming in the real world) I would not say that the name in any way would lead anyone to take it as a hint for going to Saturn. But great to discuss it. Will post this on the [[Talk:1703:_Juno|talk page]] too. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:21, 6 July 2016 (UTC)

== 1712: Politifact ==
Hi, I'm the BOT and I'm BORG...

...nevertheless your enhancement to the transcript was too much. And I think your enhancements to the explain section is also overrunning the target.

But I just only did revert the transcript. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:19, 28 July 2016 (UTC)
:HI BORG... :/
:I Highly disagree with your changes.
:A transcript serves several functions:
#To make it possible to find out what any text/characters reads, even if it is hard to read in the comic.
#To make a description of what happens in the images. This has two purposes:
##So people with eye disabilities can find out what the comic is about. So here a full description of the comic is needed apart from the text.
##So it is possible to search the comic for info on the content, like a woman with a hat with a white tag.
#Finally it is great if the transcript represents the way it is written in the comic as close as possible including colors (which should also be described in the text for those that cannot see them selves). So tables, colors and formatting is fine. If the text then is harder to read it is possible to copy paste it.
:I can see there may have been a bit of explanation in that I wrote about what Megan did in the previous panel, but that is not enough to just undo the whole thing.
:I will reinsert the transcript and if you disagree then lets discuss either on that comic or in a general fora on what a transcript should contain.
:Regards, just Kynde. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:16, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

== Follow-Up on that "Random Chat" ==
Hey dude! Uh... wow this is awkward. You said hi to me in the random chat on my user page. I said hi. Then we never said anything else to each other again. xD --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 16:07, 25 October 2016 (UTC)
:Hi Jay. Not so awkward. :-) I mean you just said thanks, and thus did not really initiate any chat. Do you have anything in mind? Like something to be improved here on explain? Something larger maybe that could need discussion. Or anything else... Problem is of course that when I chat to you here, you do not get any reminder like when I chat on your page and visa versa. So I will make a post on your page that I have answered here... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:04, 25 October 2016 (UTC)
::Well, by that, I just meant a simple random chat. Like a "hey! how are you doing? that's nice... what do you like to do in your free time..?" kind of chat. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 14:18, 26 October 2016 (UTC)
:::Ah well, I guess I would not really like to have such a chat on these pages, so sorry that I misunderstood you. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:19, 26 October 2016 (UTC)
::::It's alright.. also.... HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :D --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 14:41, 31 October 2016 (UTC)
:::::Wow... it's (almost) a whole year since then. Time sure flies by, huh? --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|'''JayRules''XKCD''' ]][[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|what's up?]] 12:34, 9 October 2017 (UTC)
::::::Yes that is true. Actually more since the first contact ;-) Haven't been so active the last half year. :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:22, 11 October 2017 (UTC)

== [[1751: Movie Folder]] ==

Assuming that Black Hat only has good movies is rather absurd, as there's not a shred of evidence to support this. Especially since this is Black Hat we're talking about. Therefore, there's no evidence that Titanic 98 is about the ship hitting the reef, and therefore, the calculations about stacking 97 ships have no relevance. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.79.81|172.68.79.81]] 15:06, 1 November 2016 (UTC)
:Since this is relevant to a specific comic, I suggest that you just leave this comment on that specific comic's discussion board. Thank you. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 15:13, 1 November 2016 (UTC)
::Yes that is true Jay. Anyway there is reason to believe that Black Hat either thinks or teases Cueball with his movies, and thus he suggest that the movies he has are god. Also the other comment he makes suggest this. So I think there is a lot of evidence that this movie 98 is one in the series of movies where Titanic hits the reef of older Titanics. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:05, 2 November 2016 (UTC)
:::Cueball names 7 movies, Black Hat replies to 4 of those. He has definitively positive things to say about 2 of those, and simply states information about another. In that context, there's no reason to assume his comment about the Titanic series should be interpreted as a claim that he considers Titanic 98 to be 'good'. And with only 2 of the other 6 known movies in his collection being stated as 'good', that's clearly not "a lot of evidence" that Titanic 98 is 'good'. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.86|108.162.237.86]] 21:24, 3 November 2016 (UTC)
::::Well we disagree on that then. If the explanation should be changed on the basis of this discussion it should be moved to the relevant discussion page. If it is the same person who wrote from both IP .81 and .86 you could move it there your self. Feel free to include my replies, but leave out Jays as that has nothing to do with the discussion. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:56, 4 November 2016 (UTC)
:::::[[Talk:1751: Movie Folder#Titanic XCVIII|Done]]. (Yes, .81 and .86 were me) --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.86|108.162.237.86]] 16:57, 4 November 2016 (UTC)

== Transcript TLDR; ==
*I got so tired of Dgbrt's negative comments (TLDR;), that I have collapsed them here below. Fell free to read them if you really wish by clicking: --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:00, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
 
Please stop to write this massive texts into the transcript. Have a look at the discus at the last (1798) comic. And also think about that you are the only one who is entering those massive explains perhaps also nobody does read. LESS is often MORE! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:43, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:Maybe. I was under the impression that they where both there for those that had problems with vision, and also so you could search on something you remembered from a comic and find it using that tool. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:27, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::Even visually impaired persons don't like it (see 1798). And TLDR means "too long; didn't read", just in case. You should consider this. Reading the transcript should not take much longer than identifying the features from picture itself. Every spoken text and a short description what is shown should be suffice. At [[1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones]] even not every county must be mentioned; showing differences to a regular map projection should be enough because everybody knows a regular world map. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:44, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:::I completely disagree about only writing spoken text. The transcript is intended to make it possible to read all text in the image not just spoken text. It is often difficult to read all text, and also if people misread it or do not notice it by looking at the image, it will be there to find in the transcript, especially for those visually impaired. And what you said means there should be no transcript for the current comic [[1799]] where you linked to this discussion from. By the way I know what TLDR means, and also did not ask about it, if you noticed! I have seen it used here before, probably regarding something you wrote! ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:33, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::I agree with Dgbrt. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:50, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:::I expect mainly people who agree comes here, as people who are not troubled by it, might not care enough. ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:33, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::::The first criticism was done by a visually impaired person (Zetfr 23:11, 13 February 2017 (UTC)) at [[Talk:1798:_Box_Plot]]. That was the reason for me to start this discussion.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:52, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:::::Yes thanks for pointing that out. I had not read his comments when I replied before. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:13, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::Another reason for detailed transcripts with image descriptions is that sometimes people have misunderstood what is in the image, and then a transcript can be used to make sure what is there. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:33, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:::All that may go into the explain section; it doesn't belong to the transcript.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:52, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::::Yes maybe, but will the visibly impaired not also be annoyed about it there. Then maybe in a trivia section if there is need. I will try that for [[1798]] I think. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:13, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Maybe not known to all. In the past Randall provided a transcript on each comic. It is in a hidden div-tag. Then something went wrong and the transcript actually belonged to an older comic. Right now there is no transcript anymore. But have look at this example (shown on https://xkcd.com/1664/ for https://xkcd.com/1662/):
<pre>
[[Two children, a girl and a boy, are talking to an adult woman as they walk away from her. The boy has a bucket.]]
Girl: Me and Jack are going up the hill to fetch a pail of water.
[[The children have left; the woman calls after them.]]
Woman: Okay, have fun! [[The woman stands and thinks.]]
Woman: ... wait. What the heck is going on with the hydrology around here?
{{Title text: Jill and Jack began to frack. The oil boosts their town. But fractures make the bedrock shake and Jack came tumbling down.}}
</pre>
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:07, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:Yes I tried to include this on explain xkcd by making a [[xkcd#Transcript_on_xkcd|description]] of it on the [[xkcd]] page some weeks ago. Transcript are of course even more important now that there are no longer transcripts on xkcd. The first problem arose after the [[Hoverboard]] comic where the transcript for all comics after that was shifted two and later three comics from the one they belonged to. The last of those shifted transcript ended with [[1674]] whose transcript was found three comics later at [[1677]]. But also comics with transcript needs a better transcript here on xkcd, to include other written text, and small important details, as well as we are using given names for characters which Randall has never used (or only rarely uses). Actually Randall has once made a direct link to Explain xkcd for a better transcript. Alas there was not transcript until this year, where I made it: See this [[Payloads#Trivia|trivia]] under [[Payloads]].--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:16, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

I'm glad this discussion is finally taking place. I raised the point a while back on [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#purpose_of_detailed_transcripts the community portal] but nobody noticed. I tried again on [[1795]] but attention had already moved on to the next comic... Seems I got it right this time ;-)
Different people may have different uses for the transcripts. For me, being visually impaired, the right level of detail is that of Randall's official transcripts. It should include every written word in the comic (spoken, printed, in captions, etc.) and just enough information on what's going on to "get it", but not how things are drawn. E.g. "Cueball is talking to Megan", not "Cueball, on the left, has his right arm extended towards Megan who is sitting on a chair" (unless the chair somehow plays a part in the story). Imagine you're talking on the phone: "hey, I saw a great comic this morning, here is how it goes..." and then "tell" yor friend the joke, rather than "describe" the comic. BTW, I think this also serves your goal of being able to search old comics for a specific element. The element you'll remember will be something important to the comic's story, not a graphical detail such as a character's position or the number of lines drawn around his hand to indicate movement. Anyway, thanks for the good work!! Zetfr 16:18, 16 February 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks for the input, especially to Zetfr. I had not seen your comment on 1795 or in the community portal. I'll have a look, and thanks to Dgbrt for letting me know about your latest comment. I will try to keep out the details in the transcript. For me personally I have often been looking for a specific thing, like searching for the comic where Cueball stands on a chair with a sword or rotates in an office chair. As I could not remember any lines spoken, and because those making the transcript had not mentioned either spinning office chair, or sword, I could not search my way to them even in this explain page. I have found them later, but by chance. And then I put in the details. Maybe I have gotten carried away, so sorry about that. I think the details somehow belongs, but if that should be in the trivia, or at the bottom of the transcript...? I'm not sure, which was also why I put it in the transcript. Being the one who makes the most edits and also hard work (large tables, and huge transcripts) I'm happy Zetfr likes the page :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:09, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
::I have changed the transcript for [[1795]] putting the details into a subesection of the transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:38, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
:::Hi Kynde, I still disagree with this subsection solution. You don't have to repaint the picture by text! If a detail is important for understanding a pun it has to be mentioned in the transcript itself; otherwise it is useless and oversized. E.g.: Nobody wants to know -- and wont remember later -- if there are two, three, four, or five sound symbols and how they are painted. The single word "SOUND" describes all. And please consider: Nobody reads those long texts. LESS is often MORE!.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:04, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
::::Hi Dgbrt. We can movie it into a trivia. I think some of it is relevant, and sometimes it is hard to find out which part will be searched for later. But I guess we two alone would end in a [[1800: Chess Notation|½-½]] for this discussion so far... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:41, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
:::::I completely agree with Dgbrt. The transcript should say *what* Randall wants to tell us, not *how* he tells it. In most cases this should also work to let you search for details you remember. In your example, Cueball holding a sword is certainly important to the comic's point, so it should be mentioned in the transcript. But the length and position of the sword are irrelevant, and probably not what you'll search for. Obviously, there is no hard rule to decide what should or shouldn't go into the transcript, it's a matter of personal judgment and common sense, but I think we can all agree on general guidelines. Regarding the "Detailed image description" section tested in [[1795]], I have no problem with that. I'm not sure it will ever be useful to anyone, but it won't do any harm either, so if you're willing to put in the extra work, go for it. Zetfr 12:17, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
::::::Thanks Zetfr. About the extra details, they could be put into a section where you had to press to see the extra details. I do not know if a reader will pass over that. For instance like I have done with explanation for several categories like [[:Category:New Year]] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:12, 18 February 2017 (UTC)

Nice find for [[1461:_Payloads]], I didn't now Randall refers to this wiki. According to ''web.archive.org'' that hint was entered between 2015-01-25 and 2015-02-07 and refers to the entire wiki page, not only "our" transcript. So it's absolutely NOT embarrassing as you wrote in the trivia section. I'm setting an incomplete tag for the transcript and trivia section and edit it tomorrow (18th Feb). I will let you know what I've done and why. Stay tuned...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:59, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
:The rework on [[1461:_Payloads]] is done. But I didn't remove the incomplete tag. That's up to you. Like Zetfr I'm not sure it will ever be useful to anyone, but the larger description on a separate page would be acceptable to me. Furthermore I've done some investigations on Randalls links to this wiki and put it together in a new category: [[:Category:Explain_mentioned_by_Randall]].--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:57, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
::Thanks both for the "nice find" and for reworking Payloads, and especially for the new category. Great find. I will look at the other examples soon. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:12, 18 February 2017 (UTC)

Many thanks by me for this positive and productive discussion. It seems there are some more former transcripts which need a rework. I personally will focus on checking all the JSON-scripts I downloaded today (1799 at all; ofcourse 404 doesn't exist; and exactly seven contain the word "explainxkcd"). I will write a small script to put them into a human readable form and present it somewhere here for further use. Stay tuned... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:45, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks Dbgrt. And really cool how you made that new category. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:14, 18 February 2017 (UTC)

== [[xkcd]] page and subpages ==

You moved some contented into subpages which doesn't make it better. There is no need to describe in [[Design of xkcd.com]] a layout everybody can see. The lemma "Design" requires just a few lines of text but you repeat all the "Content". And just for interest: Before the redirect to https was in place (a few weeks ago) there was language specific advertising for the shop. I'm looking forward for a better and more compressed form on all of this. Any suggestions?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:07, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
:Hi Dgbrt. My reason for making this page, is that the links, the comics, the headline, the byline, the warning etc. all changes with time, and I would like users of this site to have easy access to earlier links. Just like we have a category for the fotter comics (which I by the way did not make, but enjoyed, because I never thought absolute that he must have had them before all those five comics had been published and that they thus must have changed). So I thought similar things would be nice to have for changes to the layout and hence I decided to describe it. Maybe it was too much, but I like to have the archive links to changes. And since I had already done lots of work on this, I just copied all the new text to another page, to not delete it. And yes as I have said on Davidy's page I should not have put it on the xkcd page to begin with. But when I started I had no idea it would end up soooo long. Waiting to hear your comments on this info, before going further with suggestions. But thanks for asking. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:16, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
::All those pages are on my agenda; your edit or not. I don't care. But I will not delete any content without an agreement. I will present something in a sandbox at my user page. You are welcome there (not before tomorrow). And consider, this wiki is not a backup for archive.org.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:56, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
:::I think this wiki is for explaining xkcd, not just the comics. I believe you agree as I have seen on Davidy's talk page. And major changes or important revisions to the main page is important in my opinion. For instance I'm sad to see that the [[xkcd warning]] has gone from xkcd, and think it is important to let it be know it was there for many years. Where to do so? And how to find it if you did not know about it? There need to be a place that links to it, directly or indirectly through the xkcd page. I look forward to see you [[Time|sand castle]]. :-) Please leave a comment here when you have something you wish me to see, with a link. Regarding you answer to my comment, I meant that I would hear what you had to say before I came with suggestions. Not that you should not do anything before I made one. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:08, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

== I am still calm... ==

...why I shouldn't? You see things inspiring others to see more things... (<- you would wrote 500 words for this) and you are still not able to put the pun on the top of an explanation. Keep your focus on the pun, not on every Million possibilities behind the drawing. And you can be sure I will have an eye on this because this is NOT "dreamingxkcd".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:15, 4 March 2017 (UTC)
:Well I'm not! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:09, 7 March 2017 (UTC)

== Aggressive edits ==

While I was talking to others about the explanation and the transcript for more than 24 hours you need only one hour to change everything that was discussed before. Again all red is yours: [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1810%3A_Chat_Systems&diff=137245&oldid=137225 1810: Chat Systems changes]. Editors, mainly not me, don't like it when all their work is changed after you finished your edits. Please respect other editors! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:50, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:I do not change everything. I add. But we are obviously not going to agree on this. I would prefer not to discuss with you. How do yo know what the others like or not. In the discussions we have had I found more against your way of communication than against my edits. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:57, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
::Massive changes and you call it add??? So tell me your adds and explain how all they other changes happened. I will add a sentence to the comic discussion because it's senseless here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:14, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Yes it is. And it is a real shame that you have decided to know how this wiki should be. Hope that Davidy soon tells one of us to back off. If it is me then I will have to take it into account. So far he has only had nice things to say to me about my work here, which is not what I have seen regarding your work. Have you read the other users that calls your tone negative/aggressive or even worse? I have really tried to speak nicely to you, but you never seems to accept any edits I do. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:21, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
::::Your "Citation needed" template add to my text is just one example for what I call aggressive. Hiding four paragraphs is an other.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:09, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
</div>
 

== Possible Issues with Updating Old Comics ==

I know you spent a lot of time making edits to many older comics, so I thought you might have some input on one that I'm thinking needs a change - 38 Apple Jacks. I noticed you edited it a little a couple years ago. It's the one where the father tells his son they don't taste like apples, and his son tells him off.

The title text description says it appears to be another case of Randall explaining the comic to readers who don't know about the old commercial, but I think it might be the father telling the son why he was saying that to him. I think it's worth at least adding, if not totally replacing the current description, but I see you had previously added to it during your edits.

How would you handle that type of change, if it were you? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 21:38, 3 April 2018 (UTC)
: Hi Ianrbibtitlht
:I disagree with the idea you have. And my reason for that is based in the original quote from Randall when posting this comic to live journal where he asks:
::"Who else remembers those commercials?"
::See the comics [[38:_Apple_Jacks#Trivia|Trivia section]].
::To me indication that since no one did, he added the explanation in the title text.
:The son dismissed his father completely, and I do not think the father goes on.
:And since many of xkcd's readers may not know the reference he explains it in the title text.
:He did the same with the title text in [[30: Donner]], which is what is refereed to in the title text explanation. I have added links between these two examples. There may be more.
:Of course you are free to add an alternative explanation, and see if any one notices enough to complain about/remove it. ;-)
:--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:57, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

::I appreciate the feedback. I don't feel strongly enough to modify it at this point but thought it might be an added insight that nobody had thought about! ;-) [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 14:57, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

:::Thanks for asking, by the way. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:46, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

== Need help ==
A few things. Several people have mentioned that ReCAPTCA v1 has expired, and something needs to be done about that. But no one has replied to the admin forum, so not sure what is going on. Are there even any admins still here? Seems like they've all disappeared. And should we create a new forum for questions and things like that? And if all the admins have left, should there be like more admins or something like that? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 07:51, 8 April 2018 (UTC)
:Hi
:I haven't any idea about ReCAPTCA and Im not an admin. But yes if there is no one that replies it is a problem. Davidy is the obe I have had discussions with but he did not reply the last two times I wrote. Don't know if DGBRT with the BOT has any knowledge that can be used. Try those two. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:30, 9 April 2018 (UTC)
::FYI, we still have admins here and there will be a major update soon at one of the next weekends. BTW, I prefer it in lowercase: dgbrt - like xkcd--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:16, 16 April 2018 (UTC)
:::Thanks for the info dgbrt, and it sounds greawt. (Your signature is with capital D but that is maybe just as the username? I will use dgbrt from now on). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:08, 23 April 2018 (UTC)

== All is red again - you changed everything according to the diff ==

Hi, look at [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1981%3A_Rickrolling_Anniversary&diff=155913&oldid=155905 your edits] and tell me how someone can see what you have changed. Please keep your changes to smaller parts.

And beginning an explanation with a youtube link which even doesn't work in some countries like Germany is also not a god start to an explanation. I'm referring to your edits above. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:27, 16 April 2018 (UTC)
:OK, sorry about that. I will try to make smaller changes. The link was not one I put in, I just moved it to the beginning to rickroll someone - it was a joke... Of course if the link did not work I can understand why you did not get Rickrolled. But the link had already been included in the explanation before my edits. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:24, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
::Thanks for your understanding, "all is red..." was the reason why I started this section, the video link was meant as a minor remark and that it doesn't work in Germany is even less important for the explanation.
::But I didn't understand your joke. So what do you think about changing all the internal links like [[Cueball]] to rickroll the readers - of course only less important links.
::BTW: Around 2009 and some years later the German GEMA Mafia tried to block all music content until they got the money. Even dashcam videos from the meteorite incident in Chelyabinsk were blocked when you could hear something from the radio in the car. This has changed and newer uploads are now available to me (including Rick). --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:02, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
:::The joke was that this comic was about rickrolling and the link was to the ricrolling youtube video... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:30, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

I just tried to make several smaller changes, and it was much more difficult to me, with the risk of making mistakes... But have a look at this then: [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1982:_Evangelism&action=history Evangelism history].--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:45, 19 April 2018 (UTC)
:I like that but the development of this comic explanation is funny and not a typical one. Many vast changes were done after your comment here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:01, 21 April 2018 (UTC)
::Well happy you do. Most of the changes were improvement, but often based on or improving parts I had edited (well I had edited most parts ;-) What I meant was that some of the good changes only came about because of the changes I had done in the first place. Still seems we need a citation for primates opening at the "wrong" end though? {{unsigned|Kynde}}
:::You know I'm a fan of short explanations just covering what's in the comic. And in [[1982: Evangelism]] there is no "wrong banana end" mentioned. It just mentions "the other" - which is of course always "wrong". The title text then indeed refers to a schism in Europe - the Americans weren't much developed by that time (excepting the natives).
:::BTW: My major workload here right now is working on the health of this wiki. You probably haven't seen my latest comment five days ago just a section above. We will get an update soon. Stay tuned.
:::BTW2: You have forgotten to sign your comment ;)
:::--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:19, 21 April 2018 (UTC)
::::Yes we are not fan of the same type of explanations we have covered that. I believe that the majority of humans do peel the banana from the opposite end of that cited (without citations) to what primates do... I'm not sure there is any year for the schism in Europe so who knows how developed the US was at that time. Bananas is a rather new thing in Europe I believe!
::::And no I had not seen that comment, probably same time you posted this comment thread? But sounds great! Are you an admin now? And do you have any contact with Davidy... He went off the xkcd explain grid long time ago.
::::I have amended my mistake and will sign this time ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:12, 23 April 2018 (UTC)

== You blanked the page [[1996]] ==

A you can see [[Talk:1995: MC Hammer Age|here]] "I decided to let it stay there as it is but on Monday that redirect will AND must be overwritten in the meaning of a comic number." That blank page isn't better than my decision. Beginning on Monday the number 1996 MUST be used for navigation (i.e. Comic Number) and nothing else.

Other future comics will be: 1999, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2038. That's all!

All those future comics (by number) - beginning with 1996 on Monday - AND that older ones (by name) should have a disambiguation line on top when the comic number overrides that name.

The problem is the logic at this wiki. While at xkcd the number and name have different meanings and navigation is only done by number it's not true here. While <nowiki>https://xkcd.com/1996</nowiki> will lead to the next future comic and is unique the link <nowiki>https://explainxkcd.com/1996</nowiki> could mean number OR name. We also use the number for navigation, so the abbreviation in the meaning as a comic name can not be supported for those eight comics. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:58, 19 May 2018 (UTC)
:Hi DBBRT
:I first saw your comments after I had blanked it. And I thought it was better to avoid confusion over the weekend. So I did not return it. I think it could be better to already now remove those page re-directions for the comics you mention now, to avoid confusion on all those numbers... A lot of those the next 20 comic or so. We already had a similar situation with [[1337]], because of the LEET comic series. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:15, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
::Read my future comic list above, it's only seven. And the blank page confused some users also. Nevertheless I will change the comic template, navigation to the right will not be shown when the target is greater than the LATESTCOMIC. The BOT will update those redirects anyway. I just prefer some tests at home to figure out the best solution before editing here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:53, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
:::Well, I think 7 times confusing in 20 comics is a lot, but I can read that you are working on avoiding it, so that is great. I'm very impressed by your bot, but then again I have very little programming experience and it was back in my days as a PhD Student around 2002... (Pascal...) Great you have made it and keep improving it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:06, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
::::Thanks for your kind words. I still don't understand the 20, it's only seven comics and I've changed the global comic template so that this is SOLVED now. There is no link to [[1999]] in the navigation bar today. But on Monday my bot will update that page in the meaning of a comic number and the right navigation in [[1998: GDPR]] will be shown. FYI: I'm a professional programmer. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:04, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
:::::Must have been unclear. I meant that over the next 20 comics, there would have been this issue 7 times i.e. about once every week, and I found that it could have caused confusion a lot in those 7 weeks. But now you have solved this with you prof. programmer skills. ;-) So there is no longer any problems. Great work. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:04, 27 May 2018 (UTC)
::::::Thanks for your kind words. And I've done more: Embedding pictures from Commons works again and it's now also possible to change the size. See my latest edit here [[1400: D.B. Cooper]] which uses this statement <nowiki>[[File:DBCooper.jpg|thumb|150px|Cooper]]</nowiki>. That image is not uploaded here, click at it in the comic and you will see. I've mentioned this in the Community portal. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:07, 27 May 2018 (UTC)
:::::::Cool. I'm not sure how this works. Looks at first like the image is on the local wiki but I can see it is not so. But how does this works. Can you write the "File" formula for any picture name on commons and then get it embedded here like that? It is beyond my computer skills :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:02, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
::::::::When the picture isn't here it's searched on Commons. When it's found it's only cached at this wiki. In general it works like a local file. This did already work in the past until it was broken. But now we also can change the size, play with that 150px in the preview. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:15, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
:::::::::Thx --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:08, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

== Why you still focus on that SAD comics? ==

I focus on all edits done here and your edits are minor (there are much more edits here needing some attention), nonetheless I would be happy to find a solution on that ''sad'' thoughts are in your mind. I respect your thoughts, but that trivia at ''[[1756: I'm With Her]]'' really dohttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User_talk:Kyndees not belong to that comic at all. It was deleted before, you reverted that -- by not reading or ignoring the discussion page -- and I just want to prevent an edit war. Furthermore I removed your statement about "trolls" at the discussion page because that's not polite.
*And now
**I start
***with
****your layout
*****You see???
Try to write full sentences without bullets. I'm hoping you understand my major two parts here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:21, 27 October 2018 (UTC)
:Yes I did not read the comments. I was looking for the sad list, when I fond it missing. I saw through the edit and found the following comment:
::This "sad comics" list is utterly pointless and has no reason to exist. I don't regret deleting this waste. If anyone wants to keep it up, revert the edit, but make it readable, compact, and make at least one bit of sense. (Emojis? must be TRUMP!!?!one1!))
:I did not see any discussion there, and found it rude and also not done properly (with many links pointing to this section). So I just reverted it. It could be given its own page though.
:Regarding politeness I must say I did not find most of your comments on the talk page polite as I just read them. As you state "no one has criticized it before", so maybe it is just you, and now some years later a few guys that begins rambling on about it.
:As to why, I think it is quite clear that Randall was sad after the election. Maybe I took it too far, and it should no longer have been "sad", but about comics pointing to a political agenda by Randall. As Randall is on the move again with the mid term election coming, he has both a new political comic out, and has changed the header text with regards to registering for voting twice in a month.
:So I definitely still find it relevant. That has not changed just because two years have passed. What Trump does at the moment is even more disturbing than ever, and I'm sure Randall is thick and tried of it still! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:38, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
::PS. The layout was me trying to make a list of comics that was related to this issue. And with date and events listed as well. Maybe it can be done better, but I at least kept the format throughout. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:39, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
:::You always do this nested bullet lists. That's ugly layout. One bullet and one or two short sentences, not more. In most cases you just should simply omit the bullets and write full sentences. The page [[Design of xkcd.com]] is an other example for this bad layout.
:::But back to the main issue: Even jet you did not read the comments completely. Only after "A) Why does the sad comics list exist (see comment above)?..." I came in. And on 27 October 2018 I mentioned at least four incomplete reasons (the transcript was you).
:::So I recall: The trivia at ''[[1756: I'm With Her]]'' does not belong to that comic at all, and even at a different page the title would be wrong because most of the listed comics are NOT sad. Furthermore I don't know how you do know how Randall feels, he is just a writer and these are only comics.
:::There was a reason why David was against a category for sad comics, and this is still valid. This is the only reason why this section at the trivia of 1756 exists, be honest.
:::So my proposal is:
:::*moving the content to a separate page, either with a new title or only moving the "sad" content and deleting the rest
:::*using the link from the menu: "What links here" at 1756 ([[Special:WhatLinksHere/1756: I'm With Her]]) to fix the links to that part (mostly your former work) and maybe also change the text
:::The comic 1756 has to be explained mainly in the context of the time BEFORE the election. It was a campaign for Hillary Clinton, anything later done by Trump is irrelevant, besides that it has to be mentioned that the campaign wasn't successful. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:16, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
::::Well, I definitely know that the comment in here is mine. I did very much hate the list because, as mentioned in the talk page on the comic, the section was completely disorganized. It took up half of the entire page. As Dgbrt mentioned, the format you use is honestly really ugly, and I have to agree. The real problem that I found was ''after'' I posted the comment he quoted.
::::In that comment, I mentioned that it should have had its own category instead of being completely on that single page, which would have prevented it from the eyes of those who don't like this format. Alternatively, it could have been in a table, a format much more compact, several times easier to understand, and at least 12 octillion times less infuriating to look at.
::::The other mind-boggling and frankly stupid thing about the list, of course, was that you added '''''every. Single. Comic.''''' ...if it seemed to be remotely sad (and even if it ''wasn't sometimes!'') and tried to link it to the political situation and Trump. I, in that comment, presented two of the comics in a - admittedly more asshole-ish - way that you linked them like this. But that's the ''core'' of all of this drama. Hell, in multiple of the comics, you even said that no "big" event seemed related to the situation and simply just put it in because it mentioned the military or security. And even for some of the ones you did present a political event, the speculation that you presented for Randall making these comics was beyond 4chan with Smash Ultimate level.
::::Like I said in that comment, it isn't necessarily a political comment just because something big happened that day. Vomiting Emoji and Flag, the two I highlighted in my comment, have explanations that are just plainly absurd. Randall "expressing fear" that the moon would be gone before the eclipse was ''obviously'' a joke. Randall making a joke that has a flag in the picture doesn't mean he's going to rebel against the United States, make his own country, and science his way to taking it over just so that Trump is no longer the ruler.
::::I wouldn't have had these problems if the list weren't so outlandishly absurd, and combined with the fact that it clogged up the page with a lot of meaningless speculation, I felt pushed to just delete the entire thing. Yes, that may have been extreme of me, and I should apologize for being fed up, but I still maintain that a lot of the stuff on that list is bad. If it's presented in - again - a way that doesn't hurt to read or filled up with what it is, I would have not as many problems with it. But as it looks right now, just making the list collapsible doesn't remove the problem; it's like putting White-Out on a yellow test paper and saying that the question never existed, despite the fact that it's obvious that something is wrong. [[User:Halo422|Halo422]] ([[User talk:Halo422|talk]]) 04:05, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
:::::A bit complicated to reply now. But to Dgbrt I did not read any comments until your post here. I was pissed about the deletion of the entire section, and just undid it. As Dgbrt wrote it can only be deleted properly by also removing links that goes there. I'm not using the page that much at the moment, and do not read all comments. This is also why I first see your comments today.
:::::Dgbrt do you have any good idea for a page title? If it is only the first few comics that are clearly sad, could it then be called "Sad comics"? And should it be a page or a category? If we can find a solution for that, I will try to change it so it can be tolerable... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:01, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::::::I'm honest: I vote for deleting that section. The main reason is that we don't know how Randall feels, whether sad or not. We just have comics, not an autobiography.
::::::If you still vote for keeping I only can see two possibilities:
::::::*Keep the title "Sad comics", move it to a single page (no subpage to any comic), remove most of the content, write a proper text instead of bullets, and start it like "Some comics may suggest the impression..." because your "...clear trend..." is nonsense.
::::::*Or, move everything to a separate page, but then I have no idea about any proper title.
::::::BTW: I've created a new category: [[:Category:Elections]], and as I mention here [[:Talk:2067: Challengers]] it still needs some work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:06, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:::::::I will think about the possibilities. And I did see your new category. Which is great by the way. There must be many of these from earlier years also?--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:09, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::::::::I need help on this new category because I'm sure there is more. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:12, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::I have now created [[Sad comics]] and moved the content from With her and tried to make the layout better. I do not agree with deleting the references to the other comics, but not they have been separated from the first four sad/negative comics. All links have been diverted to this page from all 16 comics. If there are other comics, not on the list, with link to that section I have not changed those... Many comics could refer to With Her for many reasons so I will not go through them all. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:55, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:::You've done a big job, so thanks for this on the first place. And I can assure you that you always can find all links at the tools box "What links here", in this case when reading ''[[1756: I'm With Her]]''. I'm still not happy seeing comics like [[2064: I'm a Car]] linking to content titled as ''sad'', but that's up to other editors.
:::'''ProTip''': You should watch pages important to you, just activate "Watch this page" at the bottom when editing, or adjust your "Watchlist" at the top menu belonging to your personal profile. You will receive an email on every change. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:31, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::::Yes I know about the links, but even though I have reverted the link to the sad trivia section, there may still be a link to the With her comic for other reasons. And there may even be links to the sad section from other comics not listed in my trivia, and I will not go through all pages referencing one of the controversial comics. I by the way highly disagree that we do not know Randall's political opinion. He has also endorsed Obama, so to day it is certain that he endorses the democrats vs Republican is a fact, not a guess. But you changed that on the new [[Challengers]] comic. I will not change it though. I just highly disagree with you on what is a know and what is a guess there.
::::Regarding the comics that are not sad it is not listed as being sad, that is only the first four. The rest is just listing comics that could have to do with Randall's political mood due to Trump and his politics.
::::I no longer have the time I once dedicated to this page... And hence I have taken e-mail alerts off, which is why I first noticed the deletion now. But I get e-mails on personal changes on this page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:37, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:::::While I'm still sure not knowing much about Randall's condition when his comics are published, I sense ''you'' are sad. I insist you should take a closer look on all your contributions here, which are much more than only this stupid sad stories. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:18, 4 November 2018 (UTC)

== I am still happy to see your additions here... ==

...you did edits I didn't like - and vice versa - but that's a war I don't like. And now I'm in a position in which I have to take care of all the health here, not only what's written.

Ironically: xkcd is also about sarcasm, the hell, shoooouuuuting on the hellll...

I will probably disagree on some of your future edits, but I don't have to judge this. That's up to others here.

So now I'm asking for help on a SMALL page introducing the memes used at this site. Like the Editor-FAQ I did. David did...not that much on that requests over a long time.

While I'm not sure about a proper title, this Wiki still leaks on a page simply showing the memes used here, linking to more specific pages, presented to evrey newbee.

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:06, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
::Thanks.
::I'm not sure I understand the page you are talking about, or what type of memes you mean.
::Also as is probably clear I'm not using that much time on this wiki anymore. I'm not leaving it, I just do not have the time any longer. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 19 November 2018 (UTC)
:::Oh, I'm also not sure, maybe just a title like "About". It often happens that new people asking questions like "Why is the mouse-over text called title text?", how character names have been developed here, and so forth. A simple page, mostly showing links with a small introduction to the more hidden pages you often maintain. New readers have simple questions we don't think about anymore, that's what I would like to present. But it seems I have to collect some more items on which you maybe can help. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:34, 19 November 2018 (UTC)
:::Ah I see. It was the meme part that failed to register. But a about page makes sense. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:37, 20 November 2018 (UTC)

== We got a final image ==

Emoji dome has a wonderful ending image. Do you mind putting it as the current explainxkcd image? [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 18:25, 2 April 2019 (UTC)
:No it is perfect. I can see [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:emojidome.png someone already did], it has just not been updated on the front of the page yet. It will be before tomorrow. The other pictures should be collected on a extra page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:56, 2 April 2019 (UTC)

== Removing all references to the Sad comics page ==

Hi Kynde,

I've expressed my intention to remove all references to the Sad comics page over at [[Talk:Sad_comics]], but I wanted to get your input too, since it is your page. Feel free to drop a comment over there if you want to contest this. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 12:56, 13 May 2019 (UTC)
:Hi Hawthorbn. Thanks for alerting me. Did not follow the discussion page on Sad. I of course disagree. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:56, 14 May 2019 (UTC)
::I have now deleted the page completely --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:56, 11 April 2024 (UTC)

== 2196 ==
I mentioned this on DgbrtBOT's talk page, but I'm not sure Dgbrt saw it. Since you're an admin, could you help me with this?
# I uploaded the file, and it appeared in the page, but the link in the List of all comics page is still red. I think I messed up the upload, so could you delete the current file (the one I uploaded) for 2196 and reupload it?
# I created an incorrect redirect page [[Nice To E-Meet you]] (The name is incorrect, I forgot to capitalize the You). Could you please delete that page? Thanks!
[[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 00:52, 1 September 2019 (UTC)
:Hi Herobrine. No I'm not ad admin, just very active, and cannot do anything to delete pages. I can give it a look though cause I have created a few pages long time ago when the bot was not there/working. And yes seems like Dgbrt is not active at the moment. Lets see if it works again this Monday. As you can see [[User_talk:Dgbrt#DgbrtBOT_failed_2019-08-30|here]] I tried to write directly to him. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:38, 1 September 2019 (UTC)
::Can see you have created the page with [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Nice_To_E-Meet_You&redirect=no capital You] and I have now moved the image to a title with the hyphen in e-meet, which was missing in your original edit. So now [[List_of_all_comics]] works for the image as well. There are so many things which can go wrong, which is why we love out BOT. Hope it works tomorrow.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:46, 1 September 2019 (UTC)

== Category book promotion ==
Hi, you obviously know a thing or 2 about creating and adding categories, and like to do so :)
I feel like we could need a category about book promotion, with at least 3 comics related to how to and at least one to thing explainer (hoverboard, possibly also up goer five...), and myabe even others I can't remember right now. What do you think? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 14:31, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
:Maybe more a list of comics that promote books. Not comics that inspire books, so no to Up Goer Five. But it could get special mention with mention of the category in that explanation as well. But I think we need to find more than 4, five is kind of a limit. Maybe there where something for what if? But I do not think so... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:37, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
::Looking at it again, we do have five :) [[Hoverboard]], [[2190: Serena Versus the Drones]], [[2198: Throw]], [[Disappearing Sunday Update]] and [[2194: How to Send a File]]
:::Well great. Do you have an idea for the category name? "Category:Book promotion" ??--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:54, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
::::Sounds good to me! --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 14:56, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
:::::Will you add that category to the comics? I can help create the page then. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:57, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
::::::Done --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:07, 4 September 2019 (UTC)
:::::::[[:Category:Book promotion]] page created and found another comic that promotes a book Randall has been involved in! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:40, 4 September 2019 (UTC)

== Broken Button ==
Hi Kynde, I've answered your question on my talk page. But I'll post it here just in case: I think you forgot to update [[Template:LATESTCOMIC]], so it would treat comic 2198 as 2197, hence breaking the button. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 22:55, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
:Thanks, DgbrtBOT has updatet it and now it works! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:40, 4 September 2019 (UTC)

== Thanks ==

I see you went through a few of my recent edits, and corrected them / replied on them / acted on them. Thanks a lot. Also, now I learned from your edits how subcategories work. Thanks also for that. :) (But, please try not to change the word typo to lupo in common use. I don't think it would be an honour :) ) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:00, 11 October 2019 (UTC)
:I hope you could see the joke. Like when you fixed the fix? I also spotted you put a hidden joke . I will not make the same joke again. I guess it was also a kind of signature. I spotted that you where the most active last month. And was interested seeing what kind of edits. More or less I agreed with most... And cool with the spam fight. Do not use the same amount of time as I used to, but have been more active lately... Just became 2nd on all time activity list... Happy you both noticed and approved. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:09, 11 October 2019 (UTC)
::I could see the joke and I enjoyed it :) as I tend to make a lot of typos, it isn't even that far fetched to use my name instead ;). I usually visit the site a few times a day and start on the recent changes page, and check what has happened. That's also how I often quickly find the spam. The other thing I tend to do when I got some free time on my hands is use the "random page" button and find out if I can improve the place I get to. I also saw that you are progressing a lot in the all time list. Last month I even noticed you were in the monthly list at a score that would have put you in the all time top 50 on its own. Impressive! Have a good weekend. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 20:00, 11 October 2019 (UTC)
:::I'm also not native English speaker (Danish), and my grammar is probably horrible. Then it is great it is a wiki so others can fix that. I hope my additions are a plus. Have of course had rows with others, as can be seen above ;-) With some of the big one I think I have had months that would put me in top 20... (Not something I have checked). But with some of the comics where I added a lot of images, I will get a very high score as unique pages gives one point, and every picture uploaded is a new page. The amount of changes I have made puts me in nr. 1 spot, but that doesn't give much compared to number of pages visited. And please feel free to correct my typos. By the way I haven't even read all comics yet, since I have a hard time reading a new one without wishing to make corrections to transcript or explanations, so it takes some time every time I find a new. So between the first comic I saw when I found this page and then back from there there will be lots of comics I haven't even seen yet... Probably why you can find so many transcripts where caption below the panel has not been added (as it was I who began making this the way to write it). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:46, 11 October 2019 (UTC)

== Category for Back to the Future ==

Hi, can you create a category for the film series ''Back to the Future''? To start, there is [[102: Back to the Future]], [[656: October 30th]], [[1477: Star Wars]], [[2104: Biff Tannen]], [[2193: Well-Ordering Principle]], and maybe others. Thanks, [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.144|172.68.47.144]] 20:26, 31 October 2019 (UTC)
:Hi yes I can. And I did: [[:Category:Back to the Future]]. I added yours. Here is [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Search&limit=50&offset=0&profile=default&search=%22Back+to+the+Future%22 a search string] that may help find more (for you to add). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:31, 1 November 2019 (UTC)

== Deletion of small categories? ==

Hi Kynde! I posted this on the community portal, but it seems unresponsive, and since none of the admins have edited recently, you seem like the person to ask.
I count eight categories on explainxkcd that satisfy the following properties: 1. They have only three comics in them. 2. They aren't really a comic series; they just feature or reference a comic theme. 3. They aren't Featuring some person or character. In short, they seem to have no real reason to exist. (They're [[:Category:Spice_Girls|t]][[:Category:Wind_turbine|h]] e[[:Category:Ender%27s_Game|s]]eo[[:Category:FernGully|n]][[:Category:Giraffes|e]]s.) In addition, there are [[:Category:Sketches|t]][[:Category:BSD|h]][[:Category:Emacs|i]][[:Category:Identity_Theft|r]][[:Category:Katamari_Damacy|t]][[:Category:Super_Bowl|e]][[:Category:The_Matrix|e]][[:Category:Tournament_bracket|n]][[:Category:Traffic_light| ]][[:Category:Trebuchet|m]][[:Category:Wingsuit|o]][[:Category:Euler_diagrams|r]][[:Category:Pedantic|e]] four-comic categories that also satisfy these requirements. I know non-admins can't delete articles, but because of these articles' status, should I remove their contents and add them to [[:Category:Pages to delete]]? --[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 01:17, 12 November 2019 (UTC)
:Since I'm no admin just the most active over an extended period of time, I cannot really say what to do. Some of the categories I think has merit, I may even have created some of them. And there may be reason to expect more to come. But others I tend to agree. I think Randall has something with Giraffes and the Spice Girl spurt with three in short notice I think merits the categories. The other 6 with three I would not mind if they went away. But then there may need to be some links between those comics. Are you willing to make those? If you do then empty the categories, and put them as up for deletion. Most of those with four I would keep. I have NOT clicked on them all though, just read them here when I edited this response. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:56, 12 November 2019 (UTC)

== Category for Bees ==

Hi Kynde,

Can you add a category on bees, as a subcategory of [[:Category:Animals]]? I've found [[1259: Bee Orchid]], [[1186: Bumblebees]], [[2231: the Time Before And After Land]], [[2035: Dark Matter Candidates]], [[1692: Man Page]], and there are probably more. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.38|172.69.34.38]] 00:22, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
:Done [[:Category:Bees]]. Added your five comics. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:49, 22 November 2019 (UTC)

== New category - comics with store products ==

Hi Kynde, thanks for creating the new page for [[:Category:Comics with store products]]! (I was the one who added the comics to that category, but I didn't have permission to create a new page for the category itself, so I apologize for abandoning it like that.)

For the name of this category, I wanted to follow a similar pattern to existing category names such as "[[:Category:Comics from 2005]]" or "[[:Category:Comics with color]]". So for the name of this new category, I had considered some other more accurate names, such as "[[:Category:Comics upon which xkcd store products are based]]", or perhaps "[[:Category:Comics made into official merchandise]]"; but I felt that these new category names would be a bit too long, so I was trying to keep it more succinct than that. ...But now I realize that the current name I chose is not very clear, and might cause some confusion about what it's supposed to mean, so it was really a poor choice of words on my part. Do you have any ideas for a better name that we could use for this category? If so, please feel free to rename it, then I will go through all the comic pages where I added it, and update them to the new category.

On the other hand, in the edit-history of the [[:Category:Comics with store products]] page, I noticed in your comments that you felt it was maybe not a good idea for a category -- and I certainly understand that, so if you want to just remove this category completely, please feel free to do so, then I will go through and remove it from all the comics where I added it (so as not to leave any broken links behind).

Thanks for your help, and sorry for causing noob trouble!

- [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 09:57, 24 November 2019 (UTC)
:Hi Yfmcpxpj
:First of all, the comment on my creation of the page, was because I did not understand the category. Store products.. I thought it was like with products bought in a type of store... First when I clicked on a few and saw your (?) comments that a t-shirt was based on this comic, did I understand the category. Think I wrote that in my next edit, where I linked to the store. After realizing that, I though it was a great category, although adding xkcd would probably help the understand-ability: "Category: Comics with xkcd store products"
:What do you say to that title?
:Regarding my ability to make pages, that is just because I have edited enough to get that right (I know I have edited more than any one else here...) But I'm actually not an admin, and I cannot delete pages. Sadly it seems the admins have left xkcd without replacements... So not one answers admin requests, and although I'm glad to help when I can, I do not have that many rights on the page.
:But true you may have asked for someone to create the page and also maybe ask for the title before creating it. I think I will be able to rename the page though, so if you can go through all the comics and correct the category there I would like to give it a try. (Do not do this before I have changed the name!)
:What do you say? And should I add the xkcd as suggested above?
:--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:14, 24 November 2019 (UTC)

::Yes, I like your title better, "Comics with xkcd store products" -- I think it is much clearer. If you can rename the category, I will wait for that, then after it has been successfully renamed, I'll go through and update those comics to use the new one instead. And sorry to hear that the admins have been absent -- but it looks like you are doing a good job of keeping the site maintained, so thank-you for that! - [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 08:58, 25 November 2019 (UTC)
:::I have now moved the category page. You can find the list of comics that now need to be moved [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Comics_with_store_products&redirect=no here].
:::And the new empty category here [[:Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:26, 25 November 2019 (UTC)

::::Thanks Kynde; I have moved the remaining comics into the new category. You mentioned that you don't have permissions to delete pages, so I wonder if the old page [[:Category:Comics with store products]] should be put into parent [[:Category:Pages to delete]] so maybe the admins will delete it? - [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 08:15, 26 November 2019 (UTC)
:::::As the old Category redirects to the new one, I guess deletion is not necessary. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:31, 26 November 2019 (UTC)
::::::If no pages refers to the old category, and to avoid anyone putting comics in that category again, it would be nice to have it deleted. But I'm not sure anyone will do that at the moment. Davidy is long gone and DGBRT seems to be absent as well... I was once asked to be an admin but declined at the time ... Maybe that was a shame, but at least I still react when someone post on my page... But I'm not that active anymore, and have never looked much through the portal pages etc. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:49, 26 November 2019 (UTC)

== Banned from Conferences Category ==

Hi Kynde, you usually have a good feeling on how Categories should be described, etc. There was a (quite short) discussion on [[153: Cryptography]], to remove a portion of the explanation. Do you think that stuff belongs into [[:Category:Banned from conferences]]? Maybe you can chime into the "discussion" on 153. -- Regards [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 14:24, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

== Edit summaries ==
Please use {{w|Help:Edit_summary|edit summaries}}; they are especially important for pages like [[:xkcd Header text]] that are infrequently monitored but have a meta-importance. Thanks. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:22, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
:I have more or less created the entire page from scratch. So I will not begin writing details every time I make a revision. But I use it for most other edits. I can see you care for BLM... Great, you probably know much more on this than I do. I made this page, to keep track of the header text, which was not explained on these pages. Sometimes it is relevant for a given comic, so great to have this place to write about it, and then link to it from the comics. The unfilled link was to help people wo may help editing this page, fill in when the header changed. I will do that now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:37, 18 July 2020 (UTC)
::Kynde: I don't understand how your authorship of the page (from scratch or otherwise) has anything to do with whether you should be writing details of when you make a revision. But for sensitive topics, which BLM is, it is especially important for other editors to be able to carefully review changes. And when you make a large block of changes, like you did there on July 1, with 8 different edits, edit summaries are an extremely helpful tool for everyone else. So, again, the request is to please use an edit summary, ''especially'' when you are making multiple edits in a row, and ''especially'' on pages of meta-importance like [[:xkcd Header text]]. Of course, this is not Wikipedia, the rules here (such as they are) are relatively weak, and we all should coöperate. But if your answer is "I don't have to because I wrote the page first, years ago!" that doesn't make any sense at all. If your goal was to make sense, then I don't know how to respond. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 17:50, 18 July 2020 (UTC)
:::Well I shall try to be more careful around sensitive subjects. You are one of the first other than me to have edited the page. And one of the few that have added a new section. I just changed it into the same format that I have used on all the others. And did a revision now, and sorry I forgot to write what it was out of bad habit. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:57, 18 July 2020 (UTC)
::::I think the change you just made was…not great. See [[:Talk:xkcd_Header_text#Recent_BLM_edits]] where I give my opinion. But it is probably better discussed there than on your personal page, but I wanted to highlight it for you. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 18:04, 18 July 2020 (UTC)
:::::I have replied on the other talk page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:28, 21 July 2020 (UTC)

== Nationality ==

What country are you from? [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 12:34, 14 July 2021 (UTC)
:Denmark. Why? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:15, 15 July 2021 (UTC)

== Forgive this IP ==
I just made a handful of edits to recent changes that you had made (may not have been what you changed, in all cases; it might have just been pre-existing errors and Recent Changes just drew me to them). I hope it doesn't look personal, especially from an impersonal IP that you can't easily talk back to. So I'm mentioning it here to try to apologise if it does seem that way. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 18:57, 28 December 2021 (UTC)
:Hi. Thanks for telling. Since your IP will change I cannot see exactly which changes you made, but cheeked on my last changes and saw some CE and minor changes. Only thing I disagreed with (not sure it was you) was that the Launch comic should not have been released on the 24th. Which it was in most of the US if not all. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:01, 29 December 2021 (UTC)
::(Most of the changes occured under roughly the 172.70.… range, as I recall, though you can see the above switched to a whole different class-B - entirely due to the internediary's whim (Cloudflare?) without my changing anything. I'm sitting on a different connection now, so all bets are off what ''this'' will appear as. ;) )
::I have no argument with Randall posting on the 24th (his time) as the Bot got there soon enough to prove it. But of course the rest of us (mostly Europe and beyond) had a different experience. Still before the launch (whoever checked for themselves in time), which I think a couple of my edits were about. Really not huge issues, just minor fixes. You're good with those things, I know from experience, just a courtesy note (that and this). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.22|172.70.86.22]] 22:42, 29 December 2021 (UTC)
:::Maybe not you who posted. But as you can see your IP is not the same in these two posts, so I can only assume you are the same person, but cannot guess which of my edits you have changed and which someone else changed ;-) Do you have a name other than 162.158.159.85 or 172.70.86.22 ;-) Why not get an account? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:29, 30 December 2021 (UTC)
::::I just can't think of a decent username. I tend to use different ones everwhere (and never my RL identity) and most of them were 'good ideas at the time' but when the inevitable "Why is your username what it is?" thread comes around it always seems my 'explanation' is laughable. All the above in this section (that isn't you) is me, BTW. Just added an indent layer I missed. I'm happy being (slightly unpredictably) changing IP, because I seek no credit (or blame!) for my 'insights' and my ego survives well enough on such fleeting moments of anonymous fame, I assure you. ;) And I don't mind when other IP-editors 'land' on/near what I just used, either, even if they're now completely wrong.
::::Not that I think Usernames are a bad thing in general for you and others (c.f. 4chan 'anon' culture...), I'm just happy that it's one less thing to worry about in my own case! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.73|172.70.85.73]] 15:04, 30 December 2021 (UTC)
:::::Well that is up to you. But then again it is hard to forgive an IP when I'm not sure what it has done or not. But as I could just see there where nothing needing forgiveness so we are good. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:15, 3 January 2022 (UTC)

== Do you get a healthy amount of sleep? ==
In recent days I see you editing very often and I just wanna make sure you get enough sleep because while you're doing amazing work, I am a bit concerned [[User:256.256.256.256|256.256.256.256]] ([[User talk:256.256.256.256|talk]]) 08:45, 6 January 2022 (UTC)
:Ha ha - thanks for both the concern and the praise. I'm from Denmark so if you look at the time stamp and think I should be sleeping, then maybe it is in the middle of the day here. I write this just before 10:00 AM here in DK. But actually I'm doing very little now compared to maybe five years ago. If you look at the [[Special:ContributionScores|ContributionScores]] at the bottom with the All time (Top 50), you will see that I'm number two. And if you look at number of changes I'm far ahead of number 2... So this is actually quite low level activity for me... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:53, 6 January 2022 (UTC)

==[[Countdown in header text]] image ==
You mentioned you'd help uploading the countdown wiggle gif, so [https://tobot.dev/files/xkcd-countdown here]'s a link to all the image stuff of the countdown. (Specifically, [https://tobot.dev/files/xkcd-countdown/full_animation.gif full_animation.gif] and [https://tobot.dev/files/xkcd-countdown/Countdown%20in%20header%20text%20Wiggling.gif Countdown in header text Wiggling.gif]).
Optionally [https://tobot.dev/files/xkcd-countdown.zip zipped], for easier archival. [[User:Toby|Toby]] ([[User talk:Toby|talk]]) 20:03, 31 January 2022 (UTC)
:Great thanks Toby. Will try to make it work. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:15, 31 January 2022 (UTC)
::It worked and I have replied on your new talk page and created your own page, in case you still could not. Feel free to change that now. Very happy with your work, both of the files. Thanks!!! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:28, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

== Purely to improve your knowledge of English ==

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spacecrafts#English

i.e., as with vehicular "craft" in general (including aircraft, hovercraft, etc), the -s pluralisation is allowable but not considered standard. An oddity of the terminology that I don't actually know the reason for. I'm wondering could it be from our nautical heritage where singular craft were the rarity (a simpler version of how [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aderyn sometimes the singular can be considered rarer than the plural]? Yet ships/vessels/etc don't succumb to that usage. Even if sheep and fish do! Anyway, while spacecraft are preferred, spaceships are indeed the synonymous alternative. IYSWIM...

Crafts, as in skillfully created works, ''are'' the plurals exactly as you'd initially expect. Woodcrafts, metalcrafts, etc. So I suppose those people who are shipcrafters might therefore craft many crafted craft, thanks to the various crafts they know, and then exhibit their crafts at a craft-fair. ((i.e "Boatwrights might construct many well-made (model?) ships, thanks to their skills, then show their creations at an exhibition of bespoke manufacturing.")) Crafty, eh?

Sorry, I seem to have gone overboard with the explanation. Throw me that lifebelt, please? ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.73|172.70.85.73]] 10:40, 10 February 2022 (UTC)
:Hi. Thanks. I'm not sure it will help, I'm not very good at spelling, even in my own language. But maybe I will remember this. I do not mind other people copy editing my posts. My idea is that if I write something useful other will make it better, and correct the errors. But if I do not write it, then it may be left out of an explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:54, 13 February 2022 (UTC)

== THANK YOU!!! ==
Kynde - I have only just discovered this beautiful Explain XKCD wiki and am in awe - I saw that you have been a huge contribuotr for years and just wanted to say Thank You to you and team for this beautiful legacy of work! With it XKCD can be that much more of a portal into all the different directions Randall’s comics touch on and drift near.

I’ve been behind the scenes in wikipedia for years (so often painful) and love connecting with anyone else who is doing meaningful wiki work. I’m just stopping by here today on my way to *important deadlines* but intend to be back. Just set up my Explain editor account. Pop me a talk page note? Happy to plug in! [[User:DrMel|DrMel]] ([[User talk:DrMel|talk]]) 19:53, 20 March 2022 (UTC)

(Ps looks like I am not getting through the email validation steps - no email confirmation has yet made it to my email. I’ll check back later. On wikipedia I’m https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:DrMel

(pps - email validated! But i still dont have permission to setup my user page… so this time i really am going back to the Save-The-World work i am supposed to be doing!)
:Hi [[User:DrMel|DrMel]]. Wow, thanks a lot. Yes I have been very active on this page. I'm not one of the admins though, and sadly it seems this page is without any active admins, and that it has been so for a while. I guess I'm the best option right now. I have created your user page and talk page, so now you can work on the user page. Welcome to explain xkcd. If you have any questions regarding format or other things feel free to ask. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:38, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

== Nomination ==
I know you maybe don't want it, but see [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Coordination#New_admins]] '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:08, 8 May 2022 (UTC)
:I have answered there and accepted the nomination. It is an honor. Hope I can live up to it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:16, 10 May 2022 (UTC)
::Finally got the promotion from Jeff. Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:30, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

== Block User:Donald Trump ==

Can you block [[User:Donald Trump]]? He is another spambot, like the others recently: [[Special:Contributions/Donald_Trump]]. Thanks, [[User:Natg19|Natg19]] ([[User talk:Natg19|talk]]) 17:48, 26 May 2022 (UTC)
:Done--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:28, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

== you blocked a mobile phone (T-mobile) IP ==

You blocked “162.158.107.124”. The problem is, that’s a T-mobile IP that goes to whomever happens to get it. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.36|172.70.211.36]] 19:11, 26 May 2022 (UTC)
:Yes Im new to being administrator so sorry I messed that up. But think I [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/162.158.107.124 managed to undo it]? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:33, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

== Regarding your latest IP block ==

See [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:While_False&oldid=286101#Concision_and_clarity my note on this latest thing] that it seems like you were reacting to.
 In general, I don't think IP-blocking is very useful (false-positives get hit and false-negatives get round it, depending upon the vagueries of everything, and as an IP myself this is close to the bone for me) but there's potentially something going on. I don't know if you get to see what ''doesn't'' happen because of a block, though. Tricky one to get your head round. But thought I'd clue you in on what I'm thinking. Completely your decision on how you take it.
 Keep up the good work, BTW! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.15|162.158.159.15]] 12:59, 3 June 2022 (UTC)
:Just to add that [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=957:_Development&curid=4423&diff=286104&oldid=283524 this change] follows the trend I mentioned (type of edit + history of its apparent IP), and now undone. Not to overly pester you with this (better the Community Portal for that), just FYI. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.11|141.101.98.11]] 17:05, 3 June 2022 (UTC)
::I only block them for a week or 3 days, just to stop current spam, and thanks for the praise --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:02, 5 June 2022 (UTC)

== Sparing use of Talk-page section headers ==

Note that I added a ;-title (not an individually editable section's title), albeit first mis-tapping in the :-indenter instead by accident, but maybe you were a bit overzealous squishing out the ==editable== section-headers (the existing one and my own once someone had helpfully 'upgraded' it) in the latest discussion.

The advice given on the main-page, as part of the discussion-inclusion templating, is that new sections should be used ''sparingly'', not that they are not to be used. If anything, I was wrong to use a ;-title (to logically separate my contribution from the headered bit I was following), perhaps I should have inserted as a normal running comment above the newly broken-out section.

Not complaining, but just positing the view that it seemed a bit draconic of an intervention. Livable-with, having been done, but not sure it was strictly necessary.

(Would be handy to add across the "Add to the bottom (etc)" HTML-comment to the top of the page, from a BOT-created new-discussion-page, though I suppose I could do that. Maybe I will. Yes, I think I will. You could also maybe check the circumstances why a normal user had needed to do theusafBOT's work for it... I'm sure it's more that theusaf's script is just temporarily offline, or slow to react, rather than having gone the way of dgbrtBOT/whatever...) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.177|172.70.85.177]] 13:49, 14 June 2022 (UTC)
:I think there is now use for headings in comment section. And in some cases the explanations have a TOC and then the headings of the talk page would come into this because we include talk page on the explanation page. Also it becomes confusing when others add different comments below, as they then seems to belong to the headered section. Thus best leave them out, unless something very special. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:55, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

== Table of tips? ==
Why put the table in a section on [[2649]]? It breaks the convention of discussing the comic before discussing the title text. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.145|172.70.210.145]] 07:11, 25 July 2022 (UTC)
:No this has been done whenever there is a table. The comic should be explained first, but if lots of info needs to be added in order to understand the full details of the comic, then the title text is usually explained after the first short explanation. And then the larger explanation is delegated to a sub section, just as I have done here. It is because you may not wish to dwell into all these details, they are not needed to understand the overall joke, but you might like to see the title text explained, and then this should not be hidden deep down. Also there is a link from the explanation to the table, so you can easily go there to read the main explanation for each tip.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:32, 25 July 2022 (UTC)
::Well it's no big deal; I don't have strong feelings about it, but I haven't been here very long, and noticed that [[2636]], [[2638]], and [[2639]] all have tables following the sequence of the comics instead of in a section at the end. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.88|172.70.211.88]] 08:39, 25 July 2022 (UTC)
:::Yes that must also be said to be new comics, and not those that have been here long time ;-) All of them came out after my holiday began this summer, and I have not had time to go through those comics yet. But thanks I will fix it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC)
::::Fixed those three and also completed two of the transcripts. Thanks for pointing the discrepancy out. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:02, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

How do you feel about [[2606]]? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.173|172.71.150.173]] 08:32, 27 July 2022 (UTC)
:Since the title text is just another symbol, it seems fine to have it in the table. But actually there may be a reason to explain that joke as well in the main explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:35, 27 July 2022 (UTC)
::But after updating the explanation I ended up moving the table to a section and moving any other explanation above. Including a mention of the title text. Is this the same person that started this thread that asked about 2606? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:56, 27 July 2022 (UTC)
:::No, I'm [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2207:_Math_Work&diff=291019&oldid=282989 this guy.] [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.88|172.70.211.88]] 15:52, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
::::Hello, That Guy. (BTW, I'm also none of the above conversationalists, Kynde...) That change you linked... I just reverted it. It was fixed (devandalised) already in a state that was after the removal of the Incomplete tag and I couldn't work out ''why'' you considered it needing reverting. Yes, a lot of restored stuff (now unrestored), but I couldn't quite work out which (pre-vandalism) version you even reverted to, and surely there were various useful culling edits ("no, we don't need to say that, it's irrelevent", etc) that you were negating.
::::Or at least that was my almost knee-jerk response (almost, because I went back through the crapcrapcrap stuff and beyond trying to find where you were coming from, so I spent some time on thinking about it before I did it).
::::I offer it up to review by the wider community, or back to yourself (or give Kynde a shot, if they aren't busy). Maybe some old bits could be reintegrated, but I couldn't see which on a semi-cursory glance. So, given you have provided a handle on you, expanding upon the woefully short edit-summary space, to more fully explain any confusion (of mine, or yours, or just in general). Ok? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.128|172.70.91.128]] 16:43, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
:::::Are you saying you removed vandalism with the revert? Which parts do you think are crap stuff? Do you not see how it is all directly related to the drawing on the board? I should have removed the incomplete tag, but I think I'll try the appended section idea to appease objectors with a compromise. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.185|172.69.33.185]] 05:15, 29 July 2022 (UTC)
::::::I don't think this has anything to do with my comment, and I do not have any thing to add to this discussion. If this is all about [[2207:_Math_Work]], then please take any further [[Talk:2207:_Math_Work#Deletions|discussion there]], as to not disturb me with e-mails every time you change my user talk page ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:07, 29 July 2022 (UTC)

== A spammer has appeared! ==
Hi! It seems that there's a spammer who's been consistently adding an incredibly odd rant to the front page from a wide variety of IP addresses over the course of yesterday and today. They currently show no signs of stopping; could you use whatever Special Admin Powers you may have to resolve the issue? --[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 18:37, 30 July 2022 (UTC)
:Hi. No, sadly I cannot do much about it. I can try to alert those with more powers than me though. I'm not that technically minded. If it was a user I could block him, but as I understood from the newest comics discussion it is multiple ip addresses. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:36, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

== Interview request! and thanks! ==
Hey Kynde, forgive me if this isn't allowed! I'm a journalist and wiki enthusiast and I'd love to chat with you about all your work here. Can you send an email to annierau at umich dot edu? Thank you so much! [[User:Postgradpredeath|Postgradpredeath]] ([[User talk:Postgradpredeath|talk]]) 03:36, 22 September 2022 (UTC):Hi
:Annie Rau(?)/Postgradpredeath. I don't think asking me would not be allowed. I might not wish to mail you but that would then be an option. I may actually not wish to use my e-mail. But maybe we could try to catch up on twitter, where I have an account I only used to get into contact with admins on this page... If you also have a twitter acount we may be able to tweet to each other there... And thanks for the praise. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:39, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

== Vandalism on latest comic ==
Hello, just letting you know there's been another bit of spam. Only on the most recent comic as far as I've seen, and fixed for now :) [[User:Char Latte49|Char Latte]] ([[User talk:Char Latte49|talk]]) 22:11, 3 December 2022 (UTC)
:Thanks. Also had a vandal here replying to you comment. Of course deleted it. Haven't been so active lately. But hope the problem has stopped. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:55, 4 December 2022 (UTC)

== Notification ==
Hey, I wanted to let you know that I'm working on the huge project of making a table to organize planet names, coordinates, and explanations, and the four item types and their explanation in the latest interactive comic. I've replied to the conversation, here's a link: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Talk:2765:_Escape_Speed#Making_a_table_to_organize_planet_names.2C_coordinates.2C_and_explanations.2C_and_the_four_item_types_and_their_explanation

If possible, could you check if you're able to answer the questions I have?

Thanks, [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:44, 29 April 2023 (UTC)
:Hi Favi. Have not had much time but looked at it and liked the table. Also added two more pages, one with overview images of the world and the planets and one with a place to post the screen shots needed for making a full explanation. Put some of the relevant images up already but will not have time to much more the rest of this week. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:25, 1 May 2023 (UTC)
:: Great! Thanks, I like the new pages. Do you happen to know of a way to find the coordinates of each planet, so i can add them to the table? How did the folks editing [[2712: Gravity]] do it? [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:52, 2 May 2023 (UTC)
::: Hi Favi. Thanks. No I do not know, I did not do any editing on that comic. Have not had time like I did for instance with [[Hoverboard]] where I did most of the documentation. But have no idea what to do with a game like this. Not very tech savvy on that account. Keep up the good work! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:35, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
::::Nevermind, someone on the discussions page let me know of a very useful script that did exactly that, s I filled the entire Tiles column :D {{unsigned|FaviFake}}
:::::Great --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:19, 6 May 2023 (UTC)

:Hi, I've made [[User:Malgond/Drafts/Escape_Speed|another attempt]] at tables. I've talked a little bit with [[User talk:FaviFake|FaviTake]] but we didn't seem to come to a conclusion. I think we need a third (and maybe fourth and fifth) opinion. I have put a note about this in the [[Talk:2765: Escape Speed|discussion board]] but I'm not sure anybody will notice (there's a lot of stuff there). - [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 21:52, 13 May 2023 (UTC)
::I have replied and think your tables are great. See talk page for comic --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:18, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

== Changing category name, and the creation of [[:Category:Comics with red corrections]] ==
Hey Kynde,
I wanted to ask you if, as an admin, you could change the name of the [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal|Category:Comics posted on livejournal]] to this: [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal|Category:Comics posted on LiveJournal]]
The other two categories that mention LiveJournal have the L and J uppercase, so I think it should be the same for this category too:
*[[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal after xkcd]]
*[[:Category:First day on LiveJournal]]

Also, I just created [[:Category:Comics with red corrections]] for comics like [[2639: Periodic Table Changes]] (under [[:Category:Comics with color]]) after seeing at least two or three request it.
*Is [[:Category:Comics with color]] the right parent category?
*Or should it be added to [[:Category:Distinctive comics]] too? Or just in one? Idk where to put it

Thanks, [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:38, 20 May 2023 (UTC)
:Hi FlaviFake
:I could probably move the page to the correct spelling. I think I actually created the other two categories, after the one you know wish me to change. So it is my spelling later that would overrule the first. But i agree it would make sense.
:But if I do then all 45 comics that has this category should be corrected so they spell the category the new way. Would you be ready to do this for all 45 comics? And also every page that links to the current version of the category? I think it is not good enough to have a forward link with the category spelled wrong on all comics... Let me know if you wish to do that, then I can move the page. Once all has been corrected I could delete the forward page.
:
:I like your new category. Seems like the newest three is a series... But maybe we should just keep the red corrections. Question is if he has some with other color corrections, and if it is important that they are red? Or even color? But I like the idea.
:Not sure what categories they belong under. Not sure the color category is relevant. More comics by topic - the topic being corrections.
:Keep up the good work. I have much less time for making changes to the wiki now, that I used to.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:21, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

::Thanks for the reply!

::>Would you be ready to do this for all 45 comics?
::Yeah, it shouldn't be that hard. I just need to copy and paste the correct spelling on the articles. Let me know when you've moved it :)

::>if he has some with other color corrections, and if it is important that they are red?
::I put red because I've never seen a comic with a correction ''not'' in red, but I get your point. We can always rename it and update the category names in the few articles that are included in it

::>More comics by topic - the topic being corrections.
::You're right, I'll move it there now. Btw there is also a category called [[:Category:Comics with blood]] that is also in the Comics with color category, should it move that one to comics by topic too?
:::Hi. Tried, but I cannot move it cause the page name is not case sensitive, so it complains that I did not move it. Also I'm not sure it would work before you made the corrections, so it would be complicated. Not sure it is important enough for me to try to do some other thing. Like moving to a different title, then deleting the original page and try to move back. Maybe It will not be possible. So guess it won't happen?
:::Yes I think blood should be topic. Guess it will always be red to make sure we know it is blood? But then again maybe there could be a comic with not red blood or just black and white drawing where it is clear it is blood. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:22, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
::::Hey; I forgot to say it yesterday, but (after I realized I could already move pages on my account) I've moved [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal|Category:Comics posted on livejournal]] to [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal]]. I've removed the "comics" part because a different category, [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal after xkcd]], started with "Posted". So I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and fixed both the consistency and the capitalization. i also moved the blood category to comics by topic
:::::I saw the message, created the requested page with capitalisation. They both redirect to "Posted on LiveJournal," you can pick whether you want to keep the new name you picked or if you want the one that was originally requested '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:09, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
::::::Good to hear from you Davidy22. And great work again FaviFake. I have just made sure there are no longer any links left to the old or the new version Davidy22 made, so we now use the FaviFake version and I have deleted the other two. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:03, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

== Changing the Sitenotice of this wiki ==
Hey,

I've noticed that for a few years, the page [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] is out of date, but from my understanding it can only be edited by admins. So, could you edit it and remove the mention on comic [[1608: Hoverboard]]? It's not incomplete anymore. Or, even better, could you try making it editable by confirmed registered users, so we can keep it up to date?

I would also remove the "Never use the Math markup language at the transcript. The reason for this you can read at the Editor FAQ." because it's probably one of the least useful things a newcomer should see when they open the site for the first time. I think if it were editable by mere people, it would be great because we could also update it for when a big new comic comes out and we need more people to help explain it. Thanks, [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:04, 28 May 2023 (UTC)
:Hi FaviFake
:I have never changed that notice before, but I was able to. But do think it will be only admins that can do it. But I have changed it to [[2765: Escape Speed]] and removed the math mark. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:25, 30 May 2023 (UTC)
::That's great! Thank you.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:48, 30 May 2023 (UTC)
:::Ambivalent about the removal of the anti-Math bit, but I'm worried that there's also too much reliance upon general markup (including tables), rather than 'flat' description, and it does creep in. Historic articles that still do it might not help, though I'm not going back to change them.
:::To be clear, some stuff is really difficult to do ''without'' a table, and be short and sweet (though exporting detail to a /Transcript sub-page is a doable thing), but at least we shouldn't just use '''bold''' text or colours where colours are, but ensure they're always transcriptually indicated, in preference to/entirely instead of being used:
::::[A fragment of text, "bold" is in bold and several other words are written in red:] ...we shouldn't just use '''bold''' text or colours where colours are, but...
:::...to give a poor example that I'd expect another Transcript specialist to improve anyway.
:::Don't know how best to advertise this. Nor how ''not'' to add Citation Neededs, there being a current spate of them before commas/etc, which is against explainxkcd ''and'' Wikipedia standards, regardless of the actual overuse/misuse that may also happen by the hands of the enthusistic new(?) editors doing it. So I'll tweak what I see (of all these little things) hoping to move things more towards the aspirational ideals developed over many years of editors. And obviously that'd include the misplaced Math-markup. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.108|172.71.242.108]] 08:32, 31 May 2023 (UTC)
::::Well I think there is no reason to have such a text standing there. If someone begins using it again write to them and change it in transcript. I actually did not know where to change the notice and also was not aware I had the rights. Also I think it is fine to use colors and bold text in transcript. But if the color is important then it should be mentioned. But the transcript is also for people to be able to easily read the text and see what it looked like. And it is important so it is possible to search for a phrase you remember. As the description is important so you can search for a special item that was in a comic you remember... And tables is OK when relevant for the way the comic is written. So think I'm not really agreeing with the user who is not signed up here above... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:51, 31 May 2023 (UTC)
::::: We agree a lot, you'll be relieved(!) to hear. No bones to me about that warning (I could have told you that you could change it, just had no reason to :p ) and I'm sure someone will redo anything 'wrong' that occurs due to the prominant lack of it in future.
::::: I think it's less important to exactly reproduce what can be seen in the comic in "what can be seen in the Transcript", but as long as those who might not have compatible search/screen-reader access get the written cues as well than it's clearly permissable.
::::: Table use is still tricky. Not sure how screen-readers render them, so would depend upon how sensibly a small (or large) example can be described in either/both ways. (Totally coincidental case in point, my tongue-in-cheek comment to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2780:_Physical_Quantities&diff=314617&oldid=314606 this edit I just did] highlights how something could be visually formatted accurately, though I actually tried to Transcriptionally describe more accurately instead, which I thought more useful. (Not ''very'' important, but it's a clear layout choice that was not reflected in any usable way for ''anyone''.)
::::: But this is not a hill I'd die on (if it even came to that). I'm just doing my bit to maintain and support what I see as the contributor conventions that have been bashed around and gradually smoothed into some form of useful (if not universal) coherency over the various years. I'll take any sudden informal policy shift under advisement, and of course your words carry more weight than my own! I'll repeat "policy", but don't wish to (re)set it [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.225|172.71.242.225]] 11:26, 31 May 2023 (UTC)
::::::If you actually do some edits, why not get a account? Much easier to do edits and much easier to have a discussion, and we could actually see what you contribute, and agree or disagree. Now I will never know for sure what you did as IPs change from day to day and other people might get this ip later... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:05, 31 May 2023 (UTC)
:::::::I know you've no way of confirming this, but I've survived long enough without. And had this conversation before. With no power comes no responsibility! (Or, really, just could never decided on a good username/never the time to start having one, and rarely any need to.) But don't want to rehash all that again. You've done important work, before and after your ennoblement, and I congratulate you on it.
:::::::No, I just offer opinion that can be ignored, and edits that can be over-ruled. Imagine the damage to my fragile ego if I materialised as a Username account and everyone ''still'' ignores/rewrites everything I say? ;) Horses for courses, but that's how it works for me! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.71|172.70.91.71]] 19:09, 31 May 2023 (UTC)

== Solving the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] problem once and for all ==
Hey Kynde, I have an idea for solving the problem of having to constantly ask an admin to update the comic in the site notice. Since few admins are very active on this wiki, and the page [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] can't be set to allow non-admins to change it, we can just create a template and replace the text on [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] with the template (and then protect the template so only autoconfirmed users can edit it), so when for example a new big comic comes out, it can be updated immediately by simply editing the template. What do you think? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:18, 1 September 2023 (UTC)
:Hi FaviFake. Although I can see your point I'm not really sure what to do about this, and also not feeling confident of doing such a change. I'm still fairly regular using the page, and saw your comment fairly soon. I do not understand why I did not get an e-mail about your change to my talk page though? But I would be happy to change the sitenotice for you if your request makes sense to me. So let's see if that works for some time. Do you have a new comis you would like to have mentioned? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:27, 3 September 2023 (UTC)

== Justification for 2023 April Fools' comics ==
It's just someone's edit comment, but see [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:April_fools%27_comics&diff=prev&oldid=338888 where it is claimed]... From that (and that it's completely not impossible to have both April Fool and book-launch combined in a single exotic comic) I think it's worth counting 2023 as at least a ''possible'' answer to the "Missing 2023 April Fool" conundrum. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.145|172.69.79.145]] 23:30, 6 April 2024 (UTC)
:: Hey I don't want to start an edit war over this, but I swear to you, Escape Speed was intended to be the 2023 April Fools comic. Chromakode (another person named in the credits for this comic) confirms as much in his blog post at https://chromakode.com/post/xkcd-gravity-escape-speed as well. [[User:Benley|Benley]] ([[User talk:Benley|talk]]) 00:49, 7 April 2024 (UTC)
:::Thanks for the link. That was what was missing, or if it was already somewhere I missed it. I did not see the thing about being named in the credits, but also that is not really enough without a link. Anyone could have said that. But I'm happy to learn this and will of course now not oppose including [[2765: Escape Speed]] as the 2023 fools' comic. And will even help sort out the list (a list which I started and have tried to keep up to date from the start.) Benley - is that Benjamin Staffin? And which of the other named in the credits for Escape Speed is Chromakode? (there is no such name there and did not find anything on the link but I'm not on X for instance so could not enter all of them). If you are indeed a developer of such comics, I thank you for all the joy you help bring to xkcd fans. Best regard --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:25, 7 April 2024 (UTC)
::::That's correct, benley is Benjamin Staffin (me). Chromakode is Max Goodhart. Thanks for maintaining this wiki :-) [[User:Benley|Benley]] ([[User talk:Benley|talk]]) 18:28, 10 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::Thanks for the info. Cool you are involved in these special comics. An honor to write with you. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 04:20, 11 April 2024 (UTC)
:To the first comment. I just realized it was [[Gravity]] that promoted the what if? book release. So that was my bad. Not that I would have believed a 19 day overdue comic was April fools' comic, just because it was not released on a book launch. But with the link from Benley, now I do. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:29, 7 April 2024 (UTC)

== Ping, re: Main Page deletion. ==
If you aren't being contacted by other means, this time I'm ''needing'' to spark off an email notification to you (resuming we don't need davidy22, etc). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.31|172.70.163.31]] 16:24, 11 April 2024 (UTC)
:I managed to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Undelete&target=Main_Page restore the page]. Thanks. Did not see it. I have written to the one who did it. Hope it was a mistake. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:58, 11 April 2024 (UTC)
::hey kynde, i would highly reccomend de-sysopping markhurd. he's confirmed to have passed on his main wikipedia page, and it could a security risk to keep him as a sysop, as whoever is in control of the account might delete more pages. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:13, 14 April 2024 (UTC)
:::Hi. Are you saying that he is dead now? Not sure I have permission to do that though --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:42, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
::::Yes, although I prefer more respectful terms. My great-grandfather recently passed at 100 years old, and I'm still needing time to process. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:02, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::Codolence for you loss. I'm not native English speaker and was uncertain what you meant and how you knew. Found out as you can see. Best, Kynde... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:14, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
::::::It's a minefield of language. To have "passed" is probably not even a fairly common euphemism in British English (in fact, if locally used and understood for what it is about, it may even sound like a pat and insincere imported Americanism, rather than respectful...). Formally, you may say "deceased". Or you might skirt the issue by saying someone "is no longer with us" (although that might also mean they just moved on, i.e. now live somewhere else, rather than have "moved on", another euphemistic phrase that does somewhat presuppose belief that there is some other place that they can now be but is less 'Merkin than "passed").
::::::In general, take the cue from the one most connected. I would definitely honour 42's terminology regarding their great-grandfather, and would wish to pass on my own sympathies. For myself, once I tell you that my Dad is dead, you could easily ask how I've been "since he died". (NB.: though a real example, it was several years ago, with myself having been no spring chicken at the time, and so it is not a current issue; please let me avoid any further awkwardness by taking any belated condolances as read. My four grandparents died at various times between my being barely old enough to know until... well, it was still decades ago. Never had the opportunity to know any of ''their'' parents.)
::::::Aside from all that, I would find it awkward to restrict the language used when it comes to reports of those ''not'' obviously connected to either myself or the other party. Sean Connery died, JFK died ("was asassinated"), James VI Of Scotland/James I Of England is long dead, and moreso is {{w|Lucy (Australopithecus)|'Lucy'}}. Mortality is still far too common to ''never'' say the respective words, although clearly you might hedge your language if you know you're potentially tweaking fresh emotions in the one you're talking to, or are feeling fragile about the issue yourself.
::::::Perhaps understandable for 42 to have taken the more oblique term, in their recent state of grieving, but was unfortunately contextless and thus hard for you to interpret until fully explained. Og vi kender ikke engang dine egne forhold, så vi kan såre dine egne følelser. Whatever you might wish to say other than "Han er bestået"(/"død"). One perhaps must take this into account, in such internationalised communications. More in understanding others than in trying to anticipate what idealised position you must always take. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.220|172.70.90.220]] 15:19, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::::sorry for my little meltdown yesterday. sorry kynde, didn't know you were a non-native speaker. i blame hormones and grief-but mostly hormones. sorry again. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 23:20, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
::::::::No problem 42. I do understand the meaning of passed, but had at first no idea how you would knew this and got confused. And did not think you would be affected by my question. A bit long essay from the previous commenter ;-) But fine with a littele context. Seems like he is also Danish, like me, given that he wrote some Danish lines...? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:55, 17 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::Nej undskyld. Skyd skylden på en populær hjemmeside*. Du har et dejligt land, men mit ene besøg var som barn (da man havde verdens eneste forlystelsespark lavet af plastikmursten!), og jeg kunne aldrig mere dansk end et par vitale ord som "ja", " nej" og "kartoffelmos"... :p [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.77|172.71.178.77]] 10:23, 17 April 2024 (UTC) ((* - checked the reversal; fiddled with it a bit; had to overrule it to specifically say 'brick(s)', not 'stone', presuming that would be more correct! ;) Anyway, just FYI. Ignorer mig!))
::::::::::Ha ha. Well you made a visit to Legoland. :-) Hope you enjoyed it. Have been there many times. It is called: Legoklodser. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:32, 17 April 2024 (UTC)
::::Ah found it my self [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Markhurd here]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:43, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::I have blocked Mark Hurds account now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:47, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
::::::Does this wiki have a deceased tag like on Wikipedia? Or a way to deactivate their account without blocking? I can't find markhurd's page so I don't know if thats something you did. But if thats not an avalible option, that would be a nice thing for the admins or buracrats add, as a more respectful way to deactivate their acount, instead of blocking them. :) [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 15:36, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
::::::Also 42, I'm very sorry for your loss. [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 15:36, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::::I have left a message on [[User:Markhurd]] saying he has "passed", do not think there is a dedicated tag for this. Also if there was or I'm not the one to make it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:55, 17 April 2024 (UTC)

== main page protection ==
can you protect the main page, like how 42.book.addict asked on the admin request community portal? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.155.39|172.71.155.39]] 21:21, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
:Done. I had hoped it was a one time problem. It can now only be changed by admins. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:51, 17 April 2024 (UTC)

== Linking from another wiki ==
Hi,
Over on a different wiki's homepage, I'm maintaining [https://pandorastale.wiki/wiki/Pandora%27s_Tale_Wiki#Other_Webcomic_Wikis_We_Love|keeping a list of wikis] about webcomics on "good" hosts (independent or Miraheze, no Fandom). Would you be okay with me listing your wiki?
[[User:183231bcb|183231bcb]] ([[User talk:183231bcb|talk]]) 22:12, 19 May 2024 (UTC)
:Hi. I'm not quite sure where you would put a link. But I see no problems with links to this page, as it is a page for people who wish to get help understanding (or help with explaining) xkcd which is public. So not really sure you need any permission to link to this page. I'm not in any way the owner of this page, just an admin. Feel free to link though.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:02, 20 May 2024 (UTC)
::If I can perhaps try to help both of you (forgive me for butting in)...
::Minor markup problems were made with the initial request. "...I'm maintaining [https://pandorastale.wiki/wiki/Pandora%27s_Tale_Wiki#Other_Webcomic_Wikis_We_Love keeping a list of wikis] about webcomics..." ''should'' be the intended link, and way of linking it. (If I've done it right!) It's a simple request to make reference to our site here (not 'page', that might be confusing) and though there's really nothing to stop them, I for one thank them for asking, and also complement them on their good taste! :p
::We don't really have an established place to make a reciprocal gesture, nice as that might be. We have a bit or two that documents Randall's own "Other webcomics I like" elements, but that's more just a matter of record (if he adds something there, we'll add it here).
::It might be interesting to have a Community-area page where contributors can place such suggestions, but by the very nature of our broad church of viewers I could see that being a bit uncontrollable. We do have people linking (relevent) other sites in Explanation pages, ones that may seem relevent in the Talk/Discussion contributions and of course a User page is that user's own to (within reason!) set up any kind of webcomic directory they wish (hey, with a bit of clever <nowiki><(no)include(only)></nowiki> tagging, they can maintain it there and perhaps let it show up, transcluded, somewhere that the Community is happy to put it, for as long as it looks like this person is doing a decent job of maintaining it).
::...but that's beyond the request by 183231bcb (which I think I'm right in saying that Kynde has no problems with, to project what I think is meant above by both of you).
::And, to clarify, yes this isn't "Kynde's wiki", as such. The hoster/maintainer is someone else (and not Randall), it's rather a bit more of a community effort in a public square set up in the distant past by generally absent landlords. That said, Kynde is a worthy moderator/admin/whatever and currently active (others exist, and some occasionally pop by as required), and - if you accept this long-time anon-IP's word - I would say he's not a bad choice to check with on this issue. Might be quicker to get a yay/nay response than putting it out to general comment. (For those who check the possible appearance of such a request for general comment!) And, still hoping I'm not putting wrong words into mouths here, that response ''is'' "yay", so hey..! (I imagine it's not going to be as problematic as being slashdotted, which would be my only reservation. Even so, being slashdotted (or the modern equivalent) is something we have no control over.)
::Now it's up to everyone as to what to do about it. Barring anyone ''else'' having an opinion, first! Let what happens happen, eh? (I've only briefly looked at the PTW, so rar, but maybe I'll get to see what your lot's focal strip is doing as well, later. Nice to know there's others who avoid Fandom-type sites!) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.48|172.70.90.48]] 15:38, 20 May 2024 (UTC)
:::Thanks for your input. Now I know where it would go. I can see no reason not to put a link to a public page and telling you like it. But as said above we do not reciprocal the gesture. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:27, 21 May 2024 (UTC)
:Hi,
Thank you. My initial request was just if you minded me linking to you: a returning link from here to PTW would be beyond my initial request (but of course I would be happy if you did!)
[[User:183231bcb|183231bcb]] ([[User talk:183231bcb|talk]]) 15:07, 21 May 2024 (UTC)
:Your welcome, can see you have added the link. We do not have anywhere to make such a link, and it is not a personal page. But at least you page will be linked from this chat :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:21, 22 May 2024 (UTC)

== Setting up emails ==
Hey Kynde, I have a question about setting up emails on this wiki. Seeing as you’re the only admin, I hope that you can help me and I don’t need to invoke Jeff. I want to set up my gmail so that I can see when my talk page and community portals are edited (due to academic workloads, I now check my email more than ExplainXKCD), but the wiki doesn’t send out my confirmation email. Could you please advise on this? Thanks. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 22:22, 21 August 2024 (UTC)
:Hi "The answer to the ultimate question about everything" :-)
:I'm sorry I probably have to disappoint you, because I'm not very technical minded and I really have no idea how these things work. I got admin because I use the wiki allot and actually read comments. I also got an e-mail alert from your post. Although I actually saw it here on explain before I now checked to see if the e-mail alert had arrived.
:I guess you have tried to enter your e-mail under Preferences, User profile in the Email options at the bottom? I tried to change my e-mail last year, without success. So maybe this system do not work anymore? So in order to fix this we would need to either get hold of Jeff, very difficult or [[User:Davidy22]], very hard. I will post a message on your talk page to see if you get a message. Just to make sure it doesn't work without the confirmation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:27, 22 August 2024 (UTC)
:nope, didn’t get an email. thanks for trying though! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:19, 22 August 2024 (UTC)

== Blocking ColorfulGalaxy ==
Hi Kynde. While doing some maintenance work, I found a user by the name of [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]]. Their user page is filled with dead links and they seem to be abusing multiple accounts for “neology uploads”. Abuse of multiple accounts is a blockable offense. If you agree to block them, I will see that as permission to categorise the page into the Pages to delete Category. Thanks! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 21:11, 24 September 2024 (UTC)
:Seems suspicious. I have no time to address it right now. Can you help me understand what his offense is? Has he done anything other things wrong than the many dead link on his own page. How do you know he has multiple accounts? I'm interested in helping stopping this if it is a problem for this wiki. But would also not like to block a user just because he is making a mess of his own page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:56, 25 September 2024 (UTC)
::Yes, I can give you direct proof that was given not less than 24 hours ago. A user by the name of ConscriptGlossary made a post on [[Talk:1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] with alongside the account ClassicalGames in regards to their Neology Wiki back in July, then announced that it was shut down just a couple hours ago. If you go to ClassicalGames’s [[User talk:ClassicalGames|talk page]], you can see multiple accounts, all with C___G___ usernames. I’ve checked and it’s not a simple signature change. Finally, if you go to ColorfulGalaxy’s [[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk page]], the apparent “main account”, you will see a thread where several anon accounts try some sense into this kid about his “Neology wiki”, with him giving nonsensical answers. It seems that they have created an army of accounts, use it to talk to himself, and “upload pictures” to his neology wiki, which isn’t even hosted on ExplainXKCD. I hope that this is enough proof. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:34, 25 September 2024 (UTC)
:::If you want other reasons, their messages about the “neology wiki” can be considered as advertising for an external website and being off topic, both of which are not allowed on ExplainXKCD. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:02, 25 September 2024 (UTC)
::::Great thanks. Are there then more than one account that should be blocked then and not just ColorfulGalaxy? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:06, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::As someone who originally (and sporadically since) called out "the CGs" for obvious "multi"ing, I'm really not too bothered about 'merely' using multiple logins (and obviously also non-logins) for most purposes. I ''did'' [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:ColorfulGalaxy&diff=308614&oldid=308515 try to stop the excessive redlinking], at one point, but you can see how long that lasted (and which user(s) kept popping in to make more edits).
:::::But all over the place you'll find various accounts editing various CG-'owned' pages (or prior comments) that acted as if they were the owner, but strictly weren't. Even to the extent of deleting my suggestions that there were such things going on (guilty conscience!)...
:::::Realistically, it would take some digging, checking both page histories and contribution histories, cross-referencing the obvious-at-the-time links to see if they look like they're remnants of all this kind of activity. I actually don't think it's worth it (though I do think the mostly red-linked page should be neutered, like I once tried to do).
:::::...oh, and... 42.book.addict ... you're doing a lot of editing at the moment (a lot trying to undo what you unwisely once did). It's dizzying! Calm down a bit, maybe? ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.52|141.101.99.52]] 09:42, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::Oops, sorry! I’ll take a break. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:10, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::But then there is another group of users whose usernames are comic titles, such as [[User:Unreliable Connection]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.171|172.69.43.171]] 09:53, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::::This is getting more and more confusing. I'm just a user that was upgraded to admin because no one else was active among the existing admins. I have limited knowledge of the things mentioned here and have never blocked a user. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::::Looked into it and that kind of page should not be here. I have deleted it. If you find other please post. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:10, 29 September 2024 (UTC)

We tried to do the Neography project on Explain XKCD wiki but got refused. We then created a new website which got sued and shut down. Sorry for the inconvenience. [[User:ConscriptGlossary|ConscriptGlossary]] ([[User talk:ConscriptGlossary|talk]]) 09:43, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:Are you one of the users that also contains ColorfulGalaxy... If so could you clean up after yourself? Before I have to block and delete? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

Anyways, ClassicalGames should obviously be banned. [[User:ConscriptGlossary|ConscriptGlossary]] ([[User talk:ConscriptGlossary|talk]]) 09:44, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:No. ClassicalGames is a Helper of the States. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.209|172.70.160.209]] 09:59, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::What does this mean? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

Fuck ColorfulGalaxy. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.209|172.70.160.209]] 09:51, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:This seems to be going out of control here. Please refrain from language. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::Kynde, don't worry. Typical CG-talking-to-themself behaviour. Trying to get a rise.
::It's also possible that they were behind [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Anonymous64 a number of other vandalisms], a quick spate of possibly distracting vandalisms, which I've reverted. (The theme seeming to be anti-Taiwan in nature, although ironically never actually used in that way.)
::Or else it was a random ''other'' prankster, popping up in the midst of this other resurgence. But, either way, you can probably practice your banning upon ''that'' account (with absolutely no positive edits), even if you need to consider the whole issue of the CG clan a little more before making a judgement. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.209|172.70.160.209]] 14:08, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

I added hidden HTML tags to stop them from replacing. [[User:ConscriptGuide|ConscriptGuide]] ([[User talk:ConscriptGuide|talk]]) 22:49, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:No. Just don't bother. You and that anonymous IP editor who ''once again'' decides to delete my highlighting of your multi-user editing habits. (And who practically confirms your actual connection to the original vandalism, as well as that, BTW.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.189|141.101.99.189]] 23:39, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::Please STOP it. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] will be REALLY ANGRY when he comes back seeing his [[Contact Merge|contacts being merged]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.53|172.70.86.53]] 06:31, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
:::Maybe if he didn’t share accounts with multiple people, that wouldn’t happen. ''karma!'' [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:17, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
Alright, I’m going to try to put back some sanity into this conversation. It appears that this isn’t a case of abuse of multiple accounts, but instead multiple people with access to the same account, some of which try to talk about neology and post dead links, some of which vandalise and make bad edits, and some that make helpful contributions. I say that you can probably ban the vandal accounts without any judgment, and tell the CG clan to get their own accounts, because frankly, it’s confusing to keep up with multiple people making edits on a single account. Since you’re an admin, your words probably carry more weight than us low users and anons. Tell them to either help with the wiki and make helpful contributions or be banned off, because I don’t think anybody else on this wiki cares about neology. But hey, feel free to have a different opinion on this entire mess. YOU’RE the admin, and you get to make the final call. Sincerely, [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:12, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
:Thanks for the good detective work. See below. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:33, 29 September 2024 (UTC)

===Reply from the admin to the above===
Based on all the above I have written to [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] and told about the [[User_talk:ColorfulGalaxy#Suggestions_been_made_to_block_your_account.21|suggestion to block the account]]. 
I then wrote basically the same to these accounts:
*[[User talk:ClassicalGames]]
*[[User talk:ConscriptGlossary]]
*[[User talk:ConscriptGuide]]
*[[User talk:ChristmasGospel]]
*[[User talk:ConlangGuide]]
Let me now if there are more C___G___ accounts that needs the same message.

Then based on a comment on "users whose usernames are comic titles, such as [[User:Unreliable Connection]]" I have reacted to those as well. I have deleted two pages that were "copies" of the comics they where named after. And I have warned that we do not wish users to take exact comic title names. And also not to make their pages into copies of explanations with links etc. I have deleted two such pages and warned these three users:
*[[User_talk:Memo_Spike_Connector]]
*[[User talk:Unreliable Connection]]
*[[User talk:Missed Connections]]
*[[User talk:Python]]
If they do not reply I will delete those accounts. Let me know if there are more accounts doing this that needs this warning. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:32, 29 September 2024 (UTC)

Ban them all except [[User:ClassicalGames]]. The most secure solution is to BAN ALL THE CHINESE USERS. That country is the most prolific source of spam. Yes, that includes [[User:X. K. C. D.]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.55|172.71.26.55]] 13:25, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
:My philosophy: base it upon their actions, not any other form of broad profiling. Where the piss is being taken (or outright spamvertising occurs), let the community deal with it and the admin(s, ideally!) can tidy up the messiest messes as necessary.
:Bear in mind that getting no reply from a dormant account might not mean ''permanent'' dormancy/orphanship, and that plenty of well-intended accounts could be liable to removal by that standard. And persistent offenders can always find other ways to be persistent, anyway (the price of being openly editable is the occasional storm in a teacup), but clear misrepresentations and subversions can definitely be handled as and when. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.142|172.70.162.142]] 14:43, 29 September 2024 (UTC)

Don't forget [[User:Python]]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.11|141.101.98.11]] 22:38, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
:Thanks done the same as above, and adding it to the list above for my convinience --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:49, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

Then there's a group of users who has character's name, such as [[User:Megan]] and [[User:Danish]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.111|172.70.85.111]] 22:41, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
:A clear distinction there, between inspiration/homage and LARPing. With something [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk%3A1963%3A_Namespace_Land_Rush&type=revision&diff=351583&oldid=324310 like this] being a strange middle-ground. Thus best to deal only with what they do. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.24|162.158.74.24]] 23:16, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
::What is LARPing? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.98|172.70.163.98]] 02:22, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
:::"Live Action Role Play(ing)". Like tabletop roleplaying (e.g. D&D, or any other genre) with character sheets/figures, but done in a wider setting (handy bit of woodland, around the university campus, etc) actually physically performing the encounters, with or without degrees of CosPlay and freeform make-believe mixed in with adjudicating 'dice roll' type GMing, depending upon the setup.
:::In this kind of usage, though, generally refers to fronting as something you are not. Could be applied to "catphishing", but generally more claiming (or heavily implying) to be some kind of person, or have some kind of expertise/experience, behind your internet persona, that goes beyond the necessary fronting that any particular forum encourages.
:::Might be common for a 14yo boy to turning up pretending to have experience deployed in the military, to set up a straw-man political view opposite to their own, to be a 'working woman'. (Or, conversely, anyone else could take on the 14yo boy 'role', for whatever reason.) In some places, the tolerance for (and expectations of) this are such that you can just 'be' whoever you present yourself as, ''but'' (when you step over a line) you can be dismissed by others (who may or may not be doing the same thing) as merely LARPing. (Or someone being relatively genuine can be, in error or as a put-down.)
:::Generally, the kind of places that adopted the term (for this) aren't openly fans of the original LARPers, it's a double-edged (dwarf-forged, elf-wielded) sword of an insult that implies a general disregard of both the anonymous 'character actor' (or supposed to be) in front of them and also those who "run around, cosplaying elves in the woods". But the general indication of the former that it suggests has spread a bit wider to less antagonistic and generally misanthropic fora.
:::In the above context, it seems to apply to any serious attempt to convey oneself as a site 'official' (based upon terms for admin, a variation upon "xkcd" or named for explainxkcd's "<number> <comic name>" own pages; or even aping Randall himself) by 'cleverly' picking a suitable free-form username. Different from the fan-based decision to take the username of <insert favourite character here> as a clearly fictional 'avatar' identity, without claiming any more than that.

Seems there is no easy way to deal with this... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:18, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
:There never is. You have the power ''and the responsibility'' to make and enact judgement calls, though. (No pressure!) If I were in your position (but still my longer history here), I'd probably have previously shut down the comic-copy pages/accounts. But I've been an admin-type before (BBS era) and know the kind of power-mad tendencies that can emerge, too (in my case, minor little tricks I played on the 'locals'... honest!) so I can fully appreciate your measured restraint. Hope I'm not making it worse, though, in describing how you can do far more (or less!), if you wanted to, without much in the way of voices (qualifiedbones and, unlike me at whatever-IP-I-am-right-now, at least partially of account) to double-check.
:Sense the tone of the community and then set that tone yourself. That's the best way to continue. Ignore long-winded old farts like me (or, rather, don't take random-IP words as gospel; at least think about it for yourself - including this bit!) but work out where the harmonious mid-point might be and gently (except when it is necessary to be rough...) wrangle everything generally towards that wide river channel in which it is all neither too anarchic nor too locked-down. Easy! ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.28|172.70.91.28]] 11:29, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
::Thanks for the input. I do not have the time to go through all peoples changes. SO I basically only react when people write here. But at least it is more than other admins in general... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:49, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

===A New Update===
Hi Kynde, please see [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical]] on why I believe the CG accounts should be banned. Accounts should never be shared, as under {{w|WP:NOSHARE]], and a lot of their edits are abusive, childish, and attention seeking. Other than making references that almost nobody gets and making comments about their various other “work” on other wikis, they make small {{w|WP:GNOME|WikiGnomish}} work and don’t contribute much. I think that the community as a whole would be much better off without them, and I have advised the esolang wiki about this issue similarly (this’ll make sense once you see my complaint on the Technical board. Thanks, '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 05:46, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
:Hi. Not quite sure what it is they have done with your signature and what error they claim is on two different wikis. Can you explain more? And can you list the accounts that needs to be blocked? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:58, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
::Agreed. A simpler solution is to ban all the Chinese users, not only the CG's. [[User:Donald Trump from wiki.xdi8.top|Donald Trump from wiki.xdi8.top]] ([[User talk:Donald Trump from wiki.xdi8.top|talk]]) 10:59, 30 November 2024 (UTC)
:::I have now blocked DT here above as he was just vandalizing.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:07, 30 November 2024 (UTC)
::::Good news for Trump: His account has been confirmed on wiki.xdi8.top wiki. ColorfulGalaxy also registered an account there but didn't get confirmed. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.222.165|172.69.222.165]] 09:48, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::Nothing to do with us. I'm more bothered by this new account's invasive vandalism of his 'CG' targets' pages (and even associated ones). Not at all good faith. (I leave it open as to whether this is inspired by the namesake's own attitude...). I don't really care what an account is called, so long as it's not in itself defamatory or insulting, only in its behaviour. Based upon what it was used for, I'd have said it was created for malicious purposes and I don't think any one of its edits was actually community-minded. Whether the same person was behind it as was behind xdi8's example (there's no easy way of proving that, without cross-confirmation of "yes, I created <username> on <otherwiki>"... not that it matters if that ever happens) is basically irrelevent to how we run and use this one. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.150|172.68.205.150]] 19:23, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
::Please, no stupid editing, person with a stupid username. I've gotten rid of the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Donald_Trump_from_wiki.xdi8.top obvious worst cases] (especially the ones apparently designed to make them difficult to undo). Whatever I think of the target(s) or your ire, this is not the solution.
::Also, no, banning all people (presumed) from one place is not an answer. On a case by case basis, though, it seems that you've probably not done anything worth preserving. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.70|172.70.85.70]] 12:32, 30 November 2024 (UTC)
:I have now blocked all 9 users mentioned in the two bulleted lists above. CG and those with comic names. Not those with characters name... yet. Hope this helps. Let me know if they start new CG acoutns or the likes. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:59, 30 November 2024 (UTC)
::Please revert all their changes. [[Main Page]] 06:55, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
:::Not sure what yo mean or why you refer to main page. That page is protected and they cannot change that. Also I think other people have reverted all their unwanted changes already. What they did on their talk page is not our concern.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:26, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
::::I just undid the blanking of one of the affected logins' User page. It could have been the (now blocked) user just tidying up, but equally could have been a "get rid of everything they did" action (like the Trump-account undoing ''valid corrections'' made by CG accounts, at least twice, perhaps as an effort to wipe out the efforts of the now banished users).
::::Firstly, the historic contributions of vanished users (whether by inactivity or because of being silenced) should not be so indiscriminately removed. Yes, anything they did wrong would be best reverted/superseded, but then that applies to any edits from any user (or IP).
::::Secondly, if administrators (and only administrators) decide that an indeffinite-banned account does not deserve their User/User Talk pages any more, ''then'' the same administrtors get to deal with the problem by their equally useful powers of page-deletion. There's no benefit to "wiping the page".
::::I don't even know who did the page-wiping (an IP, could have been the banned user wanting to tidy away their (limited) old and now unusable presence), but the way to have invited the administrator's decision/action on the matter would have been to add the Pages To Delete tagging, and/or appeal directly to someone like Kynde, ideally with whichever good reason they thought apply.
::::...on a related issue, '42'/'Tori' had a period of not logging in (relinquishing their login details to someone, apparently), but ''still'' wanting to edit. Which rather pushed the line as they (as an IP) were editing the User pages (of '42'). If it was them (as it later proved, once '42' started posting again) and it makes a mockery of 'giving up logging in', surely the idea was to spend no time on here while doing exams/whatever else IRL. But quite easily it could have been an impersonator (and a lazy one at that), which should really have been reverted.
::::Generally, I'd suggest that ''no-one'' except the User-space's owner (and, of course admin-levels) should edit a User:-space page. And edits to the related User Talk:-space should be restricted to adding (replies/new sections), as necessary. This applies equally to IPs or other-usernames. The exception that I would follow is that undoing/redoing a 'bad' edit is something valid. Whether it be unvandalising or correcting what was obviously a mis-markupping (or other error) in a someone else's contribution. And, even then, I'd restrain myself against modifying an owner-edit (if the User Talk page existed, I might add my suggestion as to what they might need to do to correct either their User or User Talk edit's 'error'), even if I considered myself free to help out with situations arising from non-owner edits that seemed to need intervention.
::::Not that I set the 'rules'. Far from it. Just conveyong my own thoughts and expectations and what I've generally found to be the expected convection in these (and similar) parts. Regardless of any subtle differences between what I've just said and the 'official' policies upon grandma Wikipedia itself. Yes, probably alwys a good basis for what we do, but we have the leeway (by community concensus) to adopt and adapt our own conventions in ways that work best for us, as well. And 'my' addition to the community concensus is what I've just said (at least until I'm proven to be wrong on any point, with either stricter or looser ideas than my own). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.150|172.68.205.150]] 19:23, 1 December 2024 (UTC)

== Banning powers are needed ==
Hi Kynde, could you block this [[Special:Contributions/I love you kydne|user]]? They have been vandalising the wiki and appears to be the same IP user who thinks that Randall supports genocide. Thanks. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:10, 9 October 2024 (UTC)
:Done.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:11, 10 October 2024 (UTC)
Hi, sorry for bothering you again. Can you please block [[Special:Contributions/Billywilliamss12|Billywilliamss12]]? Seems to be an ordinary case of spamtervising. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 16:59, 14 October 2024 (UTC)
:Done, although you made it difficult with a spelling error in the link... I have fixed it, but you could have spotted the red link ;) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:35, 14 October 2024 (UTC):
Please block [[Special:Contributions/👉🍆🍑💦🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵œ∑´®†©ƒ®∂´®†¥˙©ƒ∂´®†¥˙©ƒ∂´®†¥©ƒ∂®🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕| 👉🍆🍑💦🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵œ∑´®†©ƒ®∂´®†¥˙©ƒ∂´®†¥˙©ƒ∂´®†¥©ƒ∂®🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕]] and [[Special:Contributions/Whocaresatptbh|Whocaresatptbh]]. Thank you! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:12, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
:Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:27, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

== User Page vandalism ==
Hi Kynde, could you please protect my user page to only be edited by autoconfirmed users? I've been receiving [[User:42.book.addict#History|7 incidents of vandalism on my user page over the past 24 hours]]. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 03:32, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:Done and reverted the last vandalism. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:50, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:Hi Kynde, I would strongly recommend protecting your own User Page and Discussion page to stop vandals from vandalising them. I would also like to request protecting my discussion page, as I’ve been getting hit with vandalization 9 times after you protected my user page. If possible, I would also strongly recommend preventing IPs from editing all user pages and discussion pages for some time (maybe a month) (I don’t actually know if this is possible or not). [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 22:15, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:::Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:47, 25 October 2024 (UTC)
::You do realise that the sad individual involved will just move to ''other'' other pages, until they get fed up, don't you? Or do the vandalism in ways that someone like me (most of my reverts had the "Nope." comment to them) could no longer now deal with? I'm not saying ''don't'' do something about it, but that's not the answer (and I don't want to give the idiot more ideas, so won't directly say much abot what I think the answer actually is).
::Whatever anyone does, I hope it works. I'll just do what I can when I can, as will the other helpful parties who happen to be around (the advantage of the healthy community we have around here). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.248|141.101.98.248]] 22:29, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:::No I cannot prevent spammers like this. But peoples own page I can protect. I have just reverted vandalism of my page and since it is only for me to edit I have made it totally protected. For some time I protect this page as well and have done the same for 42. I realize that the one I reply to now would not be able to reply until the timer runs out. But please consider creating an account and help even more... I might try to reach out to other admins that have more power for stopping spammers. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:52, 25 October 2024 (UTC)
::::Something that would be really helpful is Jeff to come back onto the wiki and promote a new ‘crat and a couple more admins. Still mulling over whether or not to DM him on Twitter. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 06:55, 25 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::I think you should try and also to Davidy... I have tried Davidy. He is tech savy which I'm not! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:50, 26 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::I already emailed Davidy22, but he isn't a 'crat and can't help out. He has also helped me email Jeff, but Jeff isn't responding. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:53, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

== Collector’s Edition/Incomplete Transcripts ==

Can we get a call to action about finishing up Collector’s Edition (uploading loot files/describing images) and to finish up all incomplete transcripts on the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice|Sitenotice]]? [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice id|Sitenotice id]] should also be updated. Thanks! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:51, 3 November 2024 (UTC)

== revdel ==
hi. please revision delete the second one of [[:file:pixels-assembly-3.png]]. it's disgusting. thanks [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 05:37, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
:Done also on other pages with same users vandalism. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:40, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

== For your attention, no rush... ==
Just now, {{diff|359122|I did this}}, for a second time. Look back in history for two changes for fuller details. Possibly look ''forward'' for any further changes if it has happened yet again. Candidate for a ban? I'll keep a weather eye on the page. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.78|141.101.98.78]] 14:34, 11 December 2024 (UTC)
:I have seen it and given him a warning not to do it again. If he does, let me know. And I will give him a final warning. Before banning him. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:25, 12 December 2024 (UTC)
::IMO, we'll probably see nothing more of them, given they didn't redo after revert #2. But, if we do, it'll be to return to make the bannable action and nothing else. If they prove me wrong, and actually attempt to join 'polite society', I'll eat my virtual hat, though I admit it'd be nice to see them contributing in good faith, rather than being a one-trick pony, once they get whatever-it-is out of their system. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.5|172.70.90.5]] 14:30, 12 December 2024 (UTC)
::In fact... {{diff|359222|this is almost certainly them again}}. My optimism is slightly dented, but my realism is just shrugging its shoulders. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.160|172.70.91.160]] 14:39, 12 December 2024 (UTC)
:::Blocked the new one. And the first as well --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:14, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

== Vandalising User ==

Hi Kynde. I have copied a message from the Admin Request board below, you can see the troll's contribution history [[Special:Contributions/KikeUNTERMENSCH|here]]. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 05:30, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

"[[User:KikeUNTERMENSCH]], as one might guess from his name, has done nothing but vandalize templates, sometimes to post racist comments on the main page and other times to post pictures of a dead goat. Please block him. Thanks! --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.209|172.68.54.209]] 04:43, 17 December 2024 (UTC)"
:Blocked --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:12, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
::Thanks! :3 '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 08:39, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
::Thanks! --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.157|172.68.54.157]] 16:11, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

Could we get [[User:Ban me I dare you]] banned? They vandalised [[104]], [[2453]], [[1947]], and [[3037]], as you can see from their [[Special:Contributions/Ban me I dare you|editing history]]. Thanks! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 00:11, 15 January 2025 (UTC)
:I did dare, so he is now banned. Thanks --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:22, 16 January 2025 (UTC)

Not vandalism, per se, but [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Netcec001 spamvertising]? (Or I grossly misread the intention, and my removal should be reversed...) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.249|141.101.98.249]] 07:46, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
:Agree this is spam and I blocked him. Logging in to post spam on first go is no reason to keep around. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:35, 4 March 2025 (UTC)

Another [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Grace_77 spammer]... Just the one intervention (reverted), at the moment, but FYI. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.123|141.101.99.123]] 14:19, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

== Uncooperative User ==

I wish to have some administrative help with a user that I find to be uncooperative and unwilling to listen, as per {{w|WP:3R}}. Please check [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#Uncooperating_User]] for the details. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:15, 28 December 2024 (UTC)
:Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:57, 29 December 2024 (UTC)
::Hey Kynde! On the Admin Requests portal, you said (regarding this issue):
::{{Quote|I noticed he has kept deleting his own talk page. I have just given him a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title{{=}}User_talk:Lettherebedarklight&oldid{{=}}362972 final warning]. Let me know if he deletes it once more! I might forget to check it out. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:00, 20 January 2025 (UTC)}}
::Well, [[User:Lettherebedarklight]] has now deleted their talk page yet again, and they also changed their signature back to the old one (with a misleading link), as you can see in [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:FaviFake&diff=367780&oldid=367750 this edit of theirs]. This was despite you sending them two different messages telling them to stop. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:01, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
:::Undid it again and then read a comment by 42. I have thus written to 42 because I'm not sure what to do. See here [[User_talk:42.book.addict#Uncooperating_User]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:44, 5 March 2025 (UTC)
::::I have replied. I should let you know that 42 is currently on an extended meantal health break from editing, so she might not read or reply to your comment too soon.. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:58, 5 March 2025 (UTC)

== Promoting the [[what if? (blog)|what if?]] index in the sitewide notice ==

Hey Kynde! I wanted to talk about the ''what if?'' blog and book pages. They are outdated, some informally written, incomplete, and sometimes hard to navigate. Also, for some reason, I noticed we have [[what if? (blog)#Articles|two]] different [[What If? chapters|tables]] to list the articles, both with different information. I've added an incomplete tag on the main two pages to merge them, but i don't think it's enough to get the pages to a good state. Do you think you could mention the page [[what if? (blog)]] in the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] to get more help? I unfortunaltely don't have the time to work on it too much, but i think as a wiki we should have a complete, clear, and easy-to-navigate index of all ''what if?'' articles, just like we do for the comics. I was thinking of using this in the notice, short and to the point:

Help us finish the '''[[what if? (blog)|index of ''What if?'' articles]]'''! We need to clean up & add the new YouTube videos!

----

<nowiki>Help us finish the '''[[what if? (blog)|index of ''What if?'' articles]]'''! We need to clean up & add the new YouTube videos!</nowiki>

----

I also put a notice on the page, explaining what we have to do in detail, here's a copy:

{{notice|
===THINGS TO DO:===
*'''Merge the ''Articles'' section of this page with the table in [[What If? chapters]]'''
*Add what if? YT videos to the existing table (as additional columns, since they're all based on blog articles). Or maybe create a new table?
Lower priority:
*Clean up the Release schedule section (and also the entire article) and update it
*Upload files of thumbnails for newer articles, and make the existing ones smaller for easier navigation
*Improve the newly-created explanation of the ''what if?'' [https://www.youtube.com/@xkcd_whatif YouTube channel]
*Mention the 2022 ''what if'' website redesign (use the [https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://what-if.xkcd.com/ Wayback Machine] and take inspiration from [[Design of xkcd.com]])}}
--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:43, 13 January 2025 (UTC)
:Could be a good idea. I have changed the site notice as you will have noticed already... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:09, 14 January 2025 (UTC)
::Thank you so much! People have already started improving the index! :D [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:20, 14 January 2025 (UTC)
:::Great. I have been involved in starting the original table and writing on the page. But do not have time to be as active as I was back in the days, where I made most of the many changes to the wiki. So great others can keep up the good work. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:22, 14 January 2025 (UTC)

== "Petition to add comic 404 to homepage" on Admin requests ==

Hey Kynde, the table index is going great! I created a table on my user profile to edit it until the two main tables are completely merged. Then, once we have just one table, we'll do everything else on that.

Anyways, I wanted to ask you if you could do something about this discussion, from [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#Petition_to_add_comic_404_to_homepage the Admin requests portal in the community forum]:

----

In the mainpage, it has a banner that says <nowiki>We have an explanation for all [[:Category:All comics|'''{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:All comics|R}}-1}}''' xkcd comics]],
</nowiki>, and it excludes [[404: Not Found| comic 404]] from the calculation. However, even Randall himself calls it a "real comic" (see the quote at the top of the page). So, can you please change the equation to re-add comic 404? [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4bo-hj-mDyOOUp_Yp0pug youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 12:23, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:Agreed! Ironically the -1 was useful because it actually displayed the real number, because of the [[Papyrus]] clone page that counted as two (see trivia). But recently i fixed that so 404 should definitely be counted! [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:04, 12 January 2025 (UTC)
::It would be even better if it were made editable by more users, or if more active admis were added. Right now basically nobody updates it [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:06, 12 January 2025 (UTC)

----
--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:41, 17 January 2025 (UTC)
:Done, good idea. See also my new reply to the post below this one --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:01, 20 January 2025 (UTC)

== Updating {{template|comic}} and hyperlinking image ==

Hey Kynde, I noticed i keep running into errors with extra comics using the {{template|comic}} template, because the link is started with http:// instead of https:// in some scenarios. I made the necessary changes in the template sandbox, could you implement them? [https://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&diff=363770&oldid=363768 Changes]

Also, I'm thinking about the idea of hyperlinking the image in the comic template so that it doesn't sent the user to a useless Mediawiki page, but actually sends them where they expect: the comic page on xkcd.com. What do you think? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:24, 28 January 2025 (UTC)
:I'm not quite sure what you mean by the last part. I have tried to make the changes you suggested. But I'm unsure if this effect takes place instantly or if it will take some time. I tried the [[Radiation]] comic, and it missed an . in the link. I found a way to fix this, but if my changes to the template was not implemented then the change I made will likely make it fail later... I also looked at the [[Blue Eyes]] comic and found a similar problem, and then realized I might have to wait to see if the changes could make it work later. Let me know if the changes seems correct and if it works when you check up on it. Also for the Radiation now I made an extra change there. And for Blue Eyes. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:26, 28 January 2025 (UTC)
::Thank you so much! The reason the template is broken is because I had changed something in the sandbox and didn't notice before sending you the link. To be clear, the reason why it's not working is mine, I had removed the dot before xkcd.com because it would allow for more flexibility, but then decided it would be a pain to edit all the comic pages that currently use the template the way it is. So I decided to leave it as it was, but forgot to leave it as it was before. The template is currently broken on just a few pages.
::To fix it, you would need to replace this part:
<nowiki>{{{ldomain|www}}}xkcd.com/{{{lappend}}}}}</nowiki>
^
::With this:
<nowiki>{{{ldomain|www}}}.xkcd.com/{{{lappend}}}}}</nowiki>
^
(and then update the documentation at the bottom accordingly, by removing the dot)
::If you instead prefer the new method, you can move the dot inside '''<nowiki>{{{ldomain|www}}}</nowiki>''' so that the dot is needed only for subdomains other than "www", like this:
<nowiki>{{{ldomain|www.}}}xkcd.com/{{{lappend}}}}}</nowiki>
^
::Sorry for the mistake! At least the rest of the improvements seemed to work! Regarding the last part, what I meant is this: when a user is on an explanation, it would be nice if, when they clicked the image inside the template, they were sent to the comic on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] instead of the [[:File:image]] page on this wiki. This is the behaviour I think the user would expect when clicking the image. We almost never need to go to the [[:File:image]] page, and if we do, there are countless other ways to do it. For example, if i go on [[1234]]'s page and clock the comic, I'd like it to bring me to '''xkcd.com/1234''', not to '''explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:douglas_engelbart_1925_2013.png''' (which is the current behaviour). Thoughts? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:18, 29 January 2025 (UTC)
:::I have now made the correction and changed the explanation below back. So it should work, and seems to do for both radiation and blue eyes. Great.
:::No I do not think we should change the link to the image. This has been so for a long time and users should learn the difference. I would for instance not know how to get to the image file if the link took me somewhere else, and I have changed it several times when something happened. It should be easy. People will just have to learn to click the number above the comics explanation. :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:00, 31 January 2025 (UTC)
::::Thanks! I confirmed all the extra comics work. The idea for the change is that when i was new to wikis, I thought that, like any other website, if i clicked the image it would either:
::::*open up an enlarged version, or
::::*open the source, such as xkcd.com
::::The current template doesn't do any of those (unless the image has been shrunk down, which almost never happens). I initially found this behaviour confusing, and I suspect other newbies might too. But we can't know how many visitors of this specific wiki are techies and how many have never seen a wiki other than Wikipedia (which, by the way, implemented this change many years ago) before. I guess we could at least make it more obvious that users can click the date to go to xkcd.com? But i don't really know how we could do that in a subtle yet noticeable way. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:49, 31 January 2025 (UTC)
:::::Great it works now. Thanks for fixing this. I just had the ability to do you bidding there :-) I'm not that tech savvy. And would really wish to get hold of the owner of explain and make him add more admins again. But seems it is not possible at the moment?`
:::::Well I think you can get into the image and then click again if the actual image is larger. Else if you really use the page you will learn the shortcut to xkcd or else you just go there and find the comic. Not seeing this as a big issue. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:55, 1 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::Yeah I guess you're right. I don't think we've ever received user complains about this, so that's great. Was just an idea i had in the back of my mind for a long time. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 12:21, 1 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::::No need to change something that works, as opposed to the template we have fixed now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:49, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

Btw, i don't know if you noticed, but we finished the '''[[What If? chapters|index of ''What If?'' articles]]'''! It's beautiful. So, i was thinking of changing the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] to this:
<nowiki>Help us finish the '''[[What If? chapters|index of ''What If?'' articles]]'''! We need to add the missing explanations and improve the existing ones!</nowiki>

Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:29, 28 January 2025 (UTC)
:Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:55, 28 January 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:18, 29 January 2025 (UTC)

I have another bug fix request for the template: add to avoid unintended link underline in {{tl|comic}} when external: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&diff=364609&oldid=364601 link to the change]. This only happens when the link is not a normal link, it seems. My suggestion should fix it. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:38, 5 February 2025 (UTC)
:Hey, did you get a chance to check this out? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:57, 8 February 2025 (UTC)
::No I missed this. Also now I tried to copy you suggestion into the template something went very wrong and I undid it asap. Not sure what I'm doing but it messed up the entire page, not just hte template. The left most links was suddenly ontop of the comic so it was really a bad change. I cannot say if I did it wrong but did just copy paste the change you linked to into the template. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 8 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Oh, I truly have no idea what happened. I had previously tested it in the [[Template:comic/sandbox|sandbox]] and it didn't break anything. I can see you replicated my exact edits, so I don't see why it would break. The issue isn't very noticeable and only occurs in a couple-dozen pages, so I guess we can ignore it. It's not worth breaking everything else. Thanks for trying tho! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:20, 8 February 2025 (UTC)
::::OK, thanks for letting me know. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:35, 12 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::I wrote a response in {{diff|365319|this edit}}, which looked Ok in 'section edit'-Preview, but badly broke things when submitted. (I presume its something like HTML-comment closures, or maybe {}s, interacting with an unbalanced 'opener' within a prior sub-heading area, but I couldn't quickly track it down.) In leiu of stripping it back to make it work, you might just go and read the "diff", as linked, hopefully make sense of it there. ;)
:::::But the short version, without accidentally invoking anything on this page: instead of closing the second span-insertion as "three-}s, two-}s and then end-span", "three-}s, end-span and then two-}s" should be more correct, and may resolve the initial problem. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.41|172.68.186.41]] 09:43, 12 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::Not quite sure what to make of all that? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:11, 12 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Ok, so I went back in to the {{template|comic}} code. Can't literally copy it (it messed up your Talk page when I did), but here's a pseudocode version of it, as it was, with (+1) to (+3) added decoratively to demonstrate print-segment ends/starts:
If (comic number is valid) {
print '''open-span(plainlinks)'''URL-with-number'''close-span'''(+1)
} else {
print '''open-span(plainlinks)'''URL-with-other-info(+2)
}
print (+3)'''close-span'''
:::::::For extraordinary comics, it would result in:
'''open-span(plainlinks)'''URL-with-other-info(+2)(+3)'''close-span'''
:::::::...which works (accidentally), but for 'normal' ones it would become
'''open-span(plainlinks)'''URL-with-number'''close-span'''(+1)(+3)'''close-span'''
:::::::...which doubles up. When it closes the span ''twice'', most "do your best" implementations of HTML parser would try to rationalise the error by closing as much markup as it needs to, in order to ''find'' a prior span that was still open and can now be closed. Either by ending that prior span early (it probably has a later close-of-span, waiting for it, after further content that is intended to be still covered by it), closing other tags that were 'accidentally' left open (except they weren't, and again they are still intended to be 'active' until a bit later) or by making a later (formerly valid) end-tag now close down an even earlier start of tag-enclosure that ''it'' shouldn't have done, the carefully nested layers of relationships between contents gets all disturbed and suddenly inner list-items might be treated as outer list items, tabular formatting might go all to pot and location based CSS formatting ("look for the list item within the span within the div") is either invalid (it thinks the list item is directly under the div!) or misapplied (it was a li within a span ''within a span'' within a div, which ''shouldn't'' have matched the style context given). One way or another (or another), this probably messed up the comic pages (with normal numbers) in 'intetesting' ways that I can only imagine.
:::::::To fix it, instead of <code><nowiki><(variable)}}}(end-of-if)}}</nowiki></code> it should be <code><nowiki><(variable)}}}(end-of-if)}}</nowiki></code> ''or'' (less neat, but should be valid) remove the <code><nowiki></nowiki></code> from the first branch of the "if is number >=1" decision, relying on the after-decision span-closure to do double duty. (Or go the ''next'' step: leave only the <code><nowiki></nowiki></code> ''after'' the 5 "}" ends, remove the open-spans from both branches of the choice and instead put one in front of the if-opening "{"s.)
:::::::Or Favi, who seems to have an understanding of wikiscripting (and may well have immediately understood my earlier attempt to explain, once pointed out) can work out what I'm saying, correct the sandbox (assuming I'm right, but I'm confident about that) then let you copy the chosen alteration back again. Over to you (both)... Yes, I'd love to be able to do it myself, but I'm totally fine with the fact that I've chosen to stay outwith that ability. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.217|172.70.160.217]] 15:03, 12 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::::Well this is beyond my tech skills. So I'll let Favi decide if we should give it another go... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:55, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::::Hey there! I don't have much time but here some things I wanted to say: you two seem to think I'm good or even decent at this stuff. I'm glad I've given you the impression, but I'm actually learning as I go by breaking random things! A proof of this is that I've ideantified the wrong solution to the problem: even if this method worked, it would do nothing to fix the problem (I think! again, learning by breaking random stuff).
::::::::IP, on the other hand, is much better than me! So, the problem is the following: go to [[Special:Random|any comic]] and click the button to open it on xkcd.com. You'll see it's not underlined before clicking it, but after you click it, it becomes underlined. I'd like to remove that underline because it makes the button look like a link. I have no idea why I thought plainlinks would fix that, but it likely won't (or it will! who knows!). I also don't have any idea if doing that is possible or easy to do. I also don't know why it's only underlined after opening the webpage. Does anyone here (read: Does IP) know more about this? And again, this problem is very minor. Please do not waste your time on this if you don't want to! Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:52, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::::::I don't know if plainlinks will solve it (haven't noticed what you mention, and "looking like a link" isn't actually something I have a problem with), but maybe it's related to style-based [https://www.w3schools.com/cssref/sel_visited.php visited link appearance], and/or those for being hovered-over/etc. Could also be a minor browser-specific peculiarity of style rendering, but I'm not inclined to check it all out right this moment. May look further into it later. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.78|172.71.178.78]] 16:28, 13 February 2025 (UTC)

== Deleting [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Meta&action=edit&redlink=1 Category:Meta] ==

Hey, I wanted to ask if you could change the link to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Meta&action=edit&redlink=1 Category:Meta] on the Main Page to [[:Category:xkcd]] (that's where it #REDIRECTs anyway). This way, ww can schedule it for deletion and users don't have to go though a redirect. I have so many little things I'd like to change in the Main Page, but it's hard to explain them one-by-one and they're mostly minor. This one's easy tho. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:33, 3 February 2025 (UTC)

:I delete it know --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:10, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:23, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Since we're on the topic of deleting pages, [[:Category:Pages to delete]] contains about 400 pages/categories. I think it's been a while since it's been checked by an admin. Maybe if you have the time you could start cleaning up the low-hanging fruit? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:03, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
::::I would reckon that at least 50% of those pages were market by me-if we can somehow get Jeff online and promote some more admins, I bet that the process would be so much faster. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:47, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::Yes we need more admins, but apart from Jeff coming out of his hibernation to promote 3 new admins, I have not had any contact with him since, and the only difference between us is that I was active when he made new admins. And I do not have time to delete 400 pages. So yes we need someone active like you two to become admins. Great that 42 is trying to get hold of Jeff. Hope it succeeds. You can refer him to this post that I would recommend making you two into admins.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:20, 5 February 2025 (UTC)

:also, please see [[User:Jacky720]]’s (who’s now an admin but presumably forgot about this issue after 4 years) comment on [[Main Page#Minor edit proposal]], as well as [[Main Page#Add another digit to percentage incomplete count]] '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:56, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
::Not sure what to see. Both links just go to main page? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:20, 5 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Fairly certain they meant to link [[Talk:Main Page#Minor edit proposal]], as well as [[Talk:Main Page#Add another digit to percentage incomplete count]]... ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.241.36|172.71.241.36]] 16:15, 5 February 2025 (UTC)
::::Oh shoot, yeah. Forgot to add the Talk: part of the wikilink. Sorry! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:20, 5 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::I have made the two changes from Jacky. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:04, 7 February 2025 (UTC)

== Unprotecting templates ==

Hey Kynde, I wanted to ask if you could unprotect {{tl|incomplete transcript}}? I'd like to update the design a little, like I did for {{tl|incomplete}} (add cat:templates, italic, add optional custom field, etc.). I'm not sure why the more prominent one isn't protected, but that's proof {{tl|incomplete transcript}} doesn't need protection.

I'd also like {{tl|comic discussion}} to be unprotected, because it was seemingly protected for no apparent reason? [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion&action=history The edit history shows] there had been no edits for 2 years before the page was protected, and, since then, only one admin has edited it once. It was protected because it was a High-traffic template, but I can't find any instances of the page being vandalised in any way, big or small. I'd like to try changing the color slightly, to be easier on the eyes, fix capitalisation, update button labels to be more clear and concise, and possibly duplicate them at the bottom of the page for very long discussions. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:42, 11 February 2025 (UTC)

:At the ''severe'' risk of suggesting and provoking the very issues that I'm hoping to avoid, it might still be useful to not have the low-hanging fruit of a template that gets to appear on ''every'' important page being more open to (albeit brief) site-wide interference. (I have no doubt that you've got good ideas, but I can still be pessimistic about the loosening of protections.) Perhaps you can sandbox/page-stub the suggested changes and then get a suitably impressed admin to transfer the changes over to the real thing? Awkward, maybe, but an infrequent kind of awkwardness. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.241|172.69.43.241]] 18:54, 11 February 2025 (UTC)

::I'm assuming you're talking about {{tl|comic discussion}} specifically? As I said, I can't find any obvious instances of the template being vandalised in any way, big or small, from the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion&action=history edit history]. Afaics, it was being updated and improved by normal users and then one day it was locked, but not as a result of vandalism. In case you're also worrying about {{tl|incomplete transcript}}, there's an easy way to prove it's "safe" from vandals: the more widespread {{tl|incomplete}} has always remained mostly unprotected.
Perhaps you can sandbox/page-stub the suggested changes and then get a suitably impressed admin to transfer the changes over to the real thing? Awkward, maybe, but an infrequent kind of awkwardness.
::I could, but that would be a lot more work for the admins who actually have to implement it. Also, Im not sure what you mean when you say "infrequent", but, if you take a look at my contribs, you'll see I don't usually do everything at once and like to focus on minor details. But I do get your point: I just think the benefits outweigh the risks. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:43, 11 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Just because I seem to have anticipated it ahead of anyone else actually trying it (with irony, if by making the obvious observation it now gives someone that idea, which is why I was ''trying'' to be more circumspect) does not rule it out. I will not mention any of the other conceptual changes (some of which even me, as an IP, could attempt — I will never do so, but anyone ''could'') that could be used to disrupt things, just as I have for a long time lacked reason to describe the above. Temporary disruption, maybe, but I've been around longer than your username has (maybe for longer than you've been lurking). Yet I know you've been here for certain realisations of "whoops, maybe we actually do need that Protected". I'd really rather we not hasten any future ones, especially by loosening protections that may have ''successfully'' detered (or made happen only where less disruptive) past actions. Maybe I'm more cynical than is good for me, but I think I've made my point on that (for consideration, whatever the outcome) and I will not go further into it.
:::(I also have previously advised ''against'' certain Protections, of oft-vandalised comic pages, and... yes ...all that did was spark the same sort of vandalism against other comic pages, for as long as the instigator felt the need. It could have just as easily become a steady cycle of locking, moving on, locking those, moving on again... But we dodged that bullet.)
:::And "a lot more work for admins" would surely apply more to any necessary building-wide firefighting, should bad things happen and an unbounded conflagration occur, than having to ''occasionally'' and temporarily supervise the propping open of some firedoors for useful maintenance reasons. But the balance may have to be found, it's not for me to define. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.122|172.69.195.122]] 20:58, 11 February 2025 (UTC)
::::Yeah I guess. I still hope you're only talking about {{tl|comic discussion}}? I don't see a lot of these issues with {{tl|incomplete transcript}}. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:03, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
Wow long messages... I think I will leave them as is. And then you can send me suggestions for changes and I will see if it is easy for me to change. Alternatively I could open them up for a short period of time where you could make the changes and then I could lock them again. But lets see if you can sandbox them and let me do the changes. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:34, 12 February 2025 (UTC)
:Alright! But still, since this discussion is only centered around {{tl|comic discussion}}, I still this it's safe to lower the protection of {{tl|incomplete transcript}} because, again, there's another template that's much more prominent on pages and has a wider reach and has never needed protection. Yet, {{tl|incomplete transcript}} is protected because someone once accidentally edited the template instead of a comic's transcript. I believe there's no reason to (ETA: not) allow autoconfirmed users to edit.
::Done for transcript. I think there is missing a not in the last sentence, so I did unprotect it ;) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:51, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
::: You're right. Thanks a lot! I'll see what I can do with {{tl|comic discussion}}.
::::ETA means Estimated Time of Arrival... So not sure what you mean with the ETA before Not? Tried to google but could not find any other meaning of it ;-) Hope you do not mess up the transcript template ;-) It was not comic discussion I unlocked, as I think that is way to problematic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:42, 14 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::If I may presume..? "Edited To Add" seems likely. Usually used when re-editing one's own post on a Bulletin Board-style forum, <abbr title="In My Experience">IME</abbr>, to indicate which minor update might have been applied in a post-edit edit that probably also appends an "''last edited at <timestamp> by [username/moderatorname]''" (but usually the former, and especially in this case). Basically, a courtesy note stops people wondering what you might have decided to change (not having a visible edit-history open to normal (or, mostly, even administrative) users).
:::::Or, if you're sneaky, you change the thing you're ''totally'' embarassed about having written wrongly, without comment but put a clear "sometimes I do <s>mistyle</s> (''ETA: Mistype! Oh, the irony!'')" 'decoy' reason for the intervention. If you do that quick enough, and especially before someone decides to quote you, in reply, you might have very few people knowing that you even did suggest that the Americas were discovered in 1066 (or whatever it was you thinkoed), and (at the very least) it's effectively deniable even ''if'' someone spotted it and tried to call you out on it.
:::::None of which is relevent to wiki-style comments and responses, especially the part where (some might say it being a mild faux-pas) it's not you who corrected your original. But it seems to fit the case. Though if I was importing BB-conventions and terminology into here, I'd have gone with something like "...to '''(<abbr title="Fixed That For You">FTFY</abbr>: not)''' allow...", instead. Or just been cheeky and added the obviously missed negation (but then that would have been confusing with the "I think there is missing a not" self-response, which would have perhaps suggested ''another'' "not" now 'ought' to be imagined as missing, e.g. "...to not allow autoconfirmed users to '''not''' edit."..?) One could get ''quite'' confuzzled by it all, by that stage. ;)
:::::But, anyway, that's almost certainly it. Unless an {{w|Elvis impersonator|Elvis Tribute Artist}} was being invoked, for some obscure reason! But, either way, ''nu ved du det... måske''? :P [[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.140|172.68.186.140]] 11:41, 14 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::Yup, that's what i meant, and also I have no idea what you're talking about in the last 2 (or 1 and a half) paragraphs. Also, I didn't know you could do the dotted-line-"link" thing on this wiki!!! Is there a way we can use in the what if? index to shrink the size of (or add additional information to) (or make the existing info easier to understand) (or all of these!), for example, the book and yt columns? For instance, have the What If? 10th book or the original book contain a tooltip (or whatever that's called) to explain that all the OG book articles are in the 10th Ann too? I had thought of doing something like this but thought it wasn't possible. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:54, 14 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::Thanks for the ETA explanation :-) And please if you begin discussing what if links please move it to that pages talk page, so I do not get an email alert every time you discuss it ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:32, 15 February 2025 (UTC)

Hey Kynde, could you also lower the protection of {{tl|Citation needed}}? It's on even less pages than ones containing other templates like {{tl|notice}}. Wa unnecessarily fully protected because of some IP vandals a few years ago, which still wouldn't be able to edit if we set it to only autoconfirmed users.) --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:53, 28 March 2025 (UTC)
:Yes, done. What do you plan to change? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:02, 30 March 2025 (UTC)
::I mainly just wanted to update the documentation to explain that the usage is sarcastic here, and remove the useless categorisation that (I'm assuming) carried over from the default MediWiki.
:::At the very least, have the "usage" link go to the "#Is_the_.7B.7BCitation_needed.7D.7D_template_here_similar_to_the_one_used_on_Wikipedia.3F" anchor (as it was probably changed since originally being given). That explains it, assuming anyone bothers to follow it (and, currently, bothers to find where it should anchor to, which is near the bottom). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.33.215|162.158.33.215]] 20:36, 30 March 2025 (UTC)
::::Yup, I changed that section name and apparently broke al links in the process. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:17, 31 March 2025 (UTC)

== I got in touch with Randall about [[36: Scientists]] and he replied! ==

Hey Kynde! I tried contacting Randall to ask him when he replaced comic [[36: Scientists]], and he replied! You can read the conversation and a summary of what happened [[User:FaviFake|on my user page]]. Among other things, he gave me the official release date, April 28th, and, after I asked, he told me he might reply to more simple questions! From your contribution history, I noticed you've been documenting every little detail of the website, deleted comics, history of xkcd, what if? delays, etc., so I thought you might have some technical or administrative questions. If you want, I can relay back to him! There are many more details about this [[User:FaviFake|here]].

Also, I think we could temporarily change [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] to ask more people for their small questions they'd like to receive an answer to. Then we could go back to the what if? index. I was thinking of something like this:

<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#ffeca1; border:1px solid #ffd633; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 1ex; text-align: center;">We got in touch with Randall! If you have some simple questions that we can't answer without his help, please [[User:FaviFake|post them here]]! Also, help us explain Randall's [[What If? chapters|'''''What If?'' articles!''']] We need to add the missing explanations and improve the existing ones.</div>
<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">There are still [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|'''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}''' explanations]] we need to complete. Please help us finish them!
</div>
If you like it, you can paste it directly into [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] by copying my message in the editor. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:34, 21 February 2025 (UTC)
:Hi FaviFake
:Wow that was interesting. Cool that he did respond and nice he came with that nice comment about us trying to explain his comic.
:I think the total change of the layout of the sitenotice is too much. If people do not see it that is just how it is. But I have included you link to the place to poste questions in the current version of the site notice. At the moment I cannot just of my head think of anything simple and easy to ask him. But if I do I will post them to you. I did not get any e-mail when you changed my page this time? Weird. That is why I did not see it until now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:39, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
::Thank you for changing it! Yeah that makes sense, I just thought I should separate the two notices otherwise it becomes too big. What do you think about this one? This way you can simply delete the first part without having to mess with moving things around. (I had also rephrased them a bit.)

<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">We [[User:FaviFake|got in touch with Randall]]! If you have some simple questions that we can't answer without his help, please [[User:FaviFake|post them here]]!</div>
<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">There are still [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|'''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}''' explanations]] we need to complete. Please help us finish them! Also, help us explain Randall's [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]]! We need to add the missing explanations and improve the existing ones.
</div>

::Weird, but not surprising. The email verification thing has been broken for what feels like a decade now, but I'm assuming you managed to verify your email before the whole thing broke. In case this one also doesn't send you an email, you can use a site like [https://followthatpage.com followthatpage.com] to get notified of changes in this page, by checking it hourly. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:29, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:::I like the new version. Not intrusive but easier to see the thins about Randall. ANd I got an e-mail notification this time. So no worry. Yes I've been here sinde 2012 when Davidy and other admins where very active. As you you can see I have made to most edits, but Davidy has been on most individual pages and that counts more than editing the same page a thousand times. ;-) So he's still way ahead of me on total score. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:18, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

::::Hey Kynde, unfortunately Randall read my first and second emails but hasn't replied. I think we should change the sitenotice to something else, maybe we could point out that there are more and more incomplete pages nowadays?

<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">The number of incomplete pages has been growing quickly recently. (There are '''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}''' now!) [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Help us resolve the issues]] and mark them as complete!</div>
<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">There are still [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|'''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}''' explanations]] we need to complete. Please help us finish them! Also, help us explain Randall's [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]]! We need to add the missing summaries and fix the existing ones. ([[What If? chapters|see here]])</div>

::::--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:05, 18 March 2025 (UTC)
::::::I have changed it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 19 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::If you forgive me for saying, you put a lot more effort into the "I have a direct line to Randall" thing than I think you were wise to. It was good to vet the user suggestions, but opening it up to suggestions and curating the process just extended the cycle and all it then takes is a change of his mind (or, because it took several weeks to get to the follow-up questions, he feels free to intentionally put it aside for at least that long while pondering if/how to answer anything that isn't trivial to deal with).
:::::Admittedly, I'm exactly the kind of person ('cos I've done this!) to go to a fan convention, which is attended by the core person who is the source of the thing the fandom is about, but joins only the queues for the specific booksignings/etc of ''additional'' guests (to show my appreciation of their associated roles), leaving everyone else to pester the "main guest". So maybe I'm wrongly projecting, but Randall's apparent distance from this site suggests an existing ambivalence (despite his apparently friendly nature, in general, including having felt the need to initially suggest he'd be perfectly willing to help) that might not respond well to such an organised 'ambush' as we have here.
:::::I'd love to be wrong, perhaps proven to be far too much personally paranoid/insecure, but I was definitely internally cringing at each new potential question (not restricted to just the 'out of scope' ones). And, don't forget, that the man himself ''could'' be listening in and might have his own feelings surfacing.
:::::Not sure if you should have planned this far more or far less, really. But one of the two, possibly. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.71|172.70.85.71]] 21:20, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

::::::I don't have time now but I'll read this and reply tomorrow!--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:58, 19 March 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|::::::}}
You put a lot more effort into the "I have a direct line to Randall" thing than I think you were wise to
Agree! I think my main mistake was asking him about the ibm comics. Even though they were clearly the most important mystery we had, I should've probably started with something smaller and less interesting. I was very thrilled to have received an answer and felt this was our only chance of getting these questions answered. The first reason I didn't remove the message was the text of the email: he replied, which meant he would likely be willing to answer some of the questions I sent him a few days ago. Maybe if they were the first questions I sent him, he would've replied. Or maybe i shouldn't have said I'd ask the community. Who knows!

You're welcome to send over questions, although I can't promise any answers so please don't put too much time into it!

I've always tried to resist the temptation to do too much explaining or meta-commentary in general, partly because once you start breaking the fourth wall, it can be hard to stop, and partly because I've found those boundaries are helpful for keeping me focused.

But if you want to send over some of your questions, I can see if there are at least a few of them that I can answer—at least some of the simpler, more administrative ones.

And seriously, my heartfelt thanks to you and everyone there. It's such a privilege to make something that people think is worth so much effort to explain <3

Reading it now, he seems much less excited about the idea than i first thought he was. But he did reply, which was a (admittingly low by, itself) sign he was a little interested. I definitely misinterpreted that though. The second reason is the following: even if he wasn't going to answer, the questions wouldn't have become useless, we can use them as:
*A list of everything we can research extremely in-depth, if someone wants to help the wiki that way.
*A list of quick questions to ask him when someone meets him in person, at a book tour for example.
*A page for people who want to read about things we don't know and is interested in xkcd mysteries.

I actually wanted something like that for a long time, but this obviously wasn't my main objective. I had pretty high hopes he'd respond to my last email, but when i saw he read it twice and didn't reply i called it quits. I need to think about what to do with it now, what should it be called, where to put it, and such. Any ideas? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:21, 20 March 2025 (UTC)
:Just curious... How do you see he read your email (twice). I can't see anyone reading my emails, and actually hope they cannot see if I read their e-mail --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:50, 21 March 2025 (UTC)
::I think you could make a list of questions that are hard to explain without inside help. Not sure what to call it though. hmmm. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:50, 21 March 2025 (UTC)

::Oh, it's just a browser extension and google add-on that adds an invisible image that tracks every email open. If I sent you a tracked email, I would receive a notification on my phone every time you opened it, unless you set your email client to not download any image in emails (which I'm not sure is even possible on some clients). It's called Mailsuite, really useful. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:38, 21 March 2025 (UTC)
:::I was going to guess "web-bug". More trouble than they're worth (from the recipient's POV), and a possibility long known about. If an email client ''doesn't'' let you (or, ideally, by default) defer opening unembeded images unless you say so (or whitelist a sender as ok to do so for, etc), then it's probably not a mail client you'd want to use. I'd have thought Randall wouldn't be letting that happen, either, but clearly not.
:::The biggest use out there (maybe or maybe not including control-freak bosses who are trying to get some stats on whether their subordinates are reading 'important' emails they send them) is for spam-engines to register whether an address is a 'live' on, so to send further spam after the first (relatively innocuous) try at a freshly obtained address. That extends to ostensibly direct-to-known-customer mailing lists, where it's used to confirm (assuming they/you don't have some reason to ask you to confirm the (billing) address by actually clicking a link as part of registering).
:::Also not always so reliable. Could be activated while skipping past a "bugged" mail to read others (the fetch-to-cache might happen even if there's effectively no eyes on the content), might even be accessed by a mail-checker (not a very secure one!) that's making sure nothing nasty will arrive with any part if the mail. All you really know is that it isn't /dev/nulled, and (as you already know) the recipient ''probably'' hasn't abandoned the address or lost the means of accessing it.
:::Again, I'm surprised you ''got'' a hit from it (let alone two). I'd have thought Randall wouldn't be forced to fall for such a spam-tool. Unless he isn't, but something else he uses is going beyond what he expects it to do.
:::(Sorry, Kynde, for using your Talk page to chatter to Favi. It's only while it's still a conversation subject that you seem still to be intetested in. Though I'm sure you'd follow this over to Favi's space ''if'' I transfered it there, might just be able to get away with not doing that just yet. Borderline, though.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.93|172.71.178.93]] 16:15, 21 March 2025 (UTC)
::::NP as for now, but I would like you two to find another place if you need to continue this debate :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:00, 30 March 2025 (UTC)

== Template improvement ==
Hey Kynde, I made many improvements to the {{tl|comic discussion}} template, could you implement them? Here are the main changes: improves button click range by hyperlinking the non-breaking spaces, adding button at the bottom for longer discussions, refining layout, using clearer labels, futureproofing some images and larger size, the discussion box background is slightly lighter, padding is increased, and the "No comments yet" message is reworded and adds a link to create new comment.

[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion_1167&oldid=367211 Here are the changes], and here's a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion_1167&action=edit '''link''' to copy the template in full], since it's not long. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:55, 27 February 2025 (UTC)
:I have tried to implement it. Changed the text for adding the first comment to say, add the first comment. But else accepted your idea. Not sure I understood all the changes, but in case something fails I can always return it to the previous version. Let me know if it works on all the pages you check. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:32, 27 February 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 28 February 2025 (UTC)

::I've just made a few other improvements to the {{tl|comic discussion}} template (Images are no longer allowed to appear on top of comments, icon size slightly increased, more padding on the Discussion header, "No comments yet" message rewording fixed, button at the bottom repositioned to the left.). [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template%3Acomic_discussion%2Fassist&type=revision&diff=367368&oldid=367367 '''Here are the changes'''] and here [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion/assist&action=edit is '''the entire code''']. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:53, 1 March 2025 (UTC)
::::I have implemented your changes --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:53, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:::I've also made a few tweaks to the [[Main Page]]! They're mostly small changes to save space and update some links. Main changes:

:::*"Go to this explanation" button repositioned next to the header (instead of under, which didn't make sense and wasted space),

:::*Added new "View comic discussion" link at the bottom of the explanation, which links directly to the discussion. (Note: it doesn't transclude the discussion into the main page, just adds a link)

:::*Explanation box background slightly lightened for easier readability,

:::*Contributor list expanded to 30 days instead of 7 days (otherwise it's almost empty, as there aren't as many people editing nowadays),

:::*Updated link to all comics from [[:Category:All comics]] to [[List of all comics (full)]], which is much easier to browse and contains more than 500 comics at a time (the same link is used in the sidebar on the left of the wiki)

:::*Replaced the part "We need explanations for [...] [[:Category:Comics by topic|themes]] [...]" with "We need explanations for [...] [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]] [...]" for a few reasons:

::::*We don't really need explantions for themes, as they all either have a complete explanation, or they don't need to be explained.

::::*Back when the main page was written, we didn't even have a page for the blog so obviously they didn't mention it.

::::*We have [[What If? chapters|a summary and tons of details]] for almost every what if? article, which is more info than what we have for themes (and also more useful).

:::[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&diff=367408&oldid=367407 '''Here are the changes'''] and here's a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&action=edit&oldid=367408 '''link to copy the new code''']! Please let me know if this looks good when you preview the edit from the [[Main Page]] --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:26, 1 March 2025 (UTC)
::::I have implemented your changes, but is uncertain now that the way it works i I zoom in on the front page is like it always has been? The carton stays the same size and moves out of the border around it... But maybe it has always been like this and I just notice now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:53, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::Thank you for both changes! They look good to me, i'm not sure what the issue you're referring to is. The comic image, together with the comic explanation, should ehave the same way, since i only changed the padding and background color. Unfortunately there is one issue I'm seeing: there's an unneeded extra newline at the bottom of the explanation that i hadn't accounted for. Here's how to fix it:

:::::Change this part:
<nowiki>=Latest comic=</nowiki>
<nowiki><div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#f5f5f5; padding:1.5em;"></nowiki>
<nowiki>{{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}} </nowiki>
<nowiki>----</nowiki>

:::::To this (basically just remove the extra <nowiki> </nowiki> tags.):
<nowiki>=Latest comic=</nowiki>
<nowiki><div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#f5f5f5; padding:1.5em;"></nowiki>
<nowiki>{{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}}</nowiki>
<nowiki>----</nowiki>

:::::If the "View comic discussion" button is too close to the explanation after you save the edit, you can try adding back one of the <nowiki> </nowiki> tags, making it:
<nowiki>=Latest comic=</nowiki>
<nowiki><div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#f5f5f5; padding:1.5em;"></nowiki>
<nowiki>{{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}} </nowiki>
<nowiki>----</nowiki>
:::::--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:27, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|:::::}}
Tried the middle version. Let me know if you are happy with that version? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:38, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
:Yes it's perfect now! Thank you! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:01, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
::Hey Kynde, I have another improvement to fix heading not being rendered correctly if they're the first line of a talk page. TO fix it, you can change this line in '''[[Template:comic discussion]] from this:'''
--><nowiki>|''No comments yet, [{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} add the first comment]!''|{{:{{TALKPAGENAME}}}}}}}}       [[File:comment.png|21x21px|link={{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}}]][{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}}   '''Add comment'''] </nowiki>

to this:

--><nowiki>|''No comments yet, [{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} add the first comment]!''|
{{:{{TALKPAGENAME}}}}}}}}       [[File:comment.png|21x21px|link={{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}}]][{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}}   '''Add comment'''] </nowiki>

The only difference is that there's a newline after "add the first comment]!''|". --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:37, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
:Did it but cannot acces the difference. I will be on holiday during Easter and will not be active here during that time. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:01, 12 April 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks, I also noticed it didn't work. Nevermind. Got it. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:27, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

== Changing [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] to feature Wikipedia "Xkcd" page move discussion ==

Hey Kynde, I have an unusual request. On Wikipedia, {{w|Talk:Xkcd#Requested move 29 March 2025|I created a move request}} to change the title of the page about xkcd from "{{w|Xkcd}}" (current name) to "XKCD". Wikipedia can't use the name "{{w|xkcd}}" because of a technical limitation. The discussion will likely only go on for a week or two, or until {{w|WP:CON|consensus is reached}}. Currently, 2 people oppose the move and 1 person is in favour. I think we could feature the discussion on the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] (I think we've featured even lees-important things before), to make more people aware of it. I was thinking of something like this:

<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">On {{w|Wikipedia}}, a request that the article titled '''''{{w|Xkcd}}''''' be changed to to '''''{{w|XKCD}}''''' is {{w|Talk:Xkcd#Requested move 29 March 2025|under discussion}}. You are welcome to {{w|Talk:Xkcd#Requested move 29 March 2025|comment}} until {{w|WP:CON|consensus}} is reached.</div>
<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">There are still [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|'''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}''' explanations]] we need to complete. [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Help us finish them!]] Also, help us explain Randall's [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]]! We need to add the missing summaries and fix the existing ones. ([[What If? chapters|see here]])</div>

To avoid committing {{w|WP:FORUMSHOP}} and similar, only use this specific (or a similarly) neutrally-worded notice. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 14:47, 29 March 2025 (UTC)
:Done. Let me know when the soncensus is reached. I have agreed to the suggestion of changing it. But not looking to great now. But maybe with extra traffic from the fans here... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:03, 30 March 2025 (UTC)
::Thank you. The main issue seems to be that people think I want to move it from "xkcd" to "XKCD", which is not the case. If we discard these people, I think we're even. I might create an {{w|RfC}} later to request more attention from more experienced consensus-builders. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:16, 30 March 2025 (UTC)
:::Well you do write: 'the page should be moved to the least worse option, from "Xkcd" to "XKCD"' so I do see how they might get that idea! But I guess it is because they think the page is already is called xkcd which is not possible as you explain, and which is the reason it shows up as the frowned upon Xkcd in searches etc. Good luck with your endeavor. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:23, 31 March 2025 (UTC)
::::Yeah exactly. But our side is gaining a lot of momentum now! Also, the name change is even more complex than it seemed. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:17, 31 March 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|:::::}}
Aaaand we lost. The page was not moved, but the stakes weren't as clear-cut as they seemed to be originally. Could you change the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] again to remove the first banner?

This is the reason given by the page mover who closed the discussion:

The result of the move request was: not moved. Prior to this RM, the situation on the ground was essentially as follows: the WP:COMMONNAME (and official name) of this webcomic is the all-lowercase xkcd. However, because of Wikipedia's technical restrictions, a page title cannot begin with a lowercase letter. Thus, the {{DISPLAYTITLE}} template was used to render the article title as the all-lowercase xkcd. DISPLAYTITLEs do not render in certain circumstances, however, such as on category pages or in search engine results. The majority of this debate, therefore, hinged upon the question of: does the DISPLAYTITLE solution approximate xkcd well enough for users' needs, or should the page be moved to the all-caps XKCD to avoid any appearance of the Xkcd form?

On reviewing the discussion below, I see a consensus to retain the current form. Reviewing the arguments in the aggregate, I see widespread support of the idea that the status quo (page title of Xkcd, DISPLAYTITLEd to xkcd) conveys the xkcd name with sufficient accuracy. Proponents of retaining the status quo noted that this approach allows for other articles to link the lowercase term xkcd and have it react this article without redirecting, as well as that it would guide us to use the desired all-lowercase capitalization on the xkcd article itself. Conversely, arguments in favor of moving primarily built their cases on the fact that the initial-caps style Xkcd is less common than the all-caps and is dispreferred by the webcomic's author. While it was generally undisputed that these claims were true, it appears that they have been judged to be of limited relevance, given the widespread belief among participants that the underlying article title is xkcd and the page title of Xkcd is just a compromise to get around the technical restriction. Given that the arguments stem from competing interpretations of the same underlying principles, I have to use a degree of individual discretion to weigh the relative strength of argument here. One area that has helped me make my appraisal here is the area in which each option achieves its best outcomes. Supporters of the move argue that their proposal improves areas such as the page URL, search results, and off-site links such as Google results; conversely, supporters of retaining the status quo argue that their proposal improves the appearance of the xkcd article itself and of other Wikipedia articles that link to it. Where these two areas are in conflict, I feel it is most in keeping with Wikipedia's principles to place greater weight on the option that benefits the encyclopedic content itself, so I believe the argument for retaining the status quo is marginally stronger here. (A few participants also gestured at MOS:TMRULES to argue that all-caps is better aligned with Wikipedia's house style, but this argument achieved minimal traction; while consensus can change, there did not seem to be meaningful appetite to revisit the consensus that xkcd is lowercased universally enough to justify the atypical style.)

Finally, while consensus-building discussions are not a vote, giving partial consideration to the numbers can be helpful on questions such as "how to interpret a given policy". The raw !vote counts showed 10 supporters (including the nominator) and 22 opposers. The abundant and articulately argued cases for retaining the status quo further buttress the strength in argument I perceived on that side of the question, with the ultimate result that I believe this discussion has resulted in a consensus not to move this page.

--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:28, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:Well at least it was taken seriously. And you tried. I have changed the banner. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:40, 10 April 2025 (UTC)

== Another template improvement! ==

Hey Kynde, I just spent (checks history) ''2.5 HOURS'' fixing some of the minor issues and annoyances I had with the {{tl|comic}} template. The main thing I did was make it look more like the official [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website, fix a few annoying bugs, and create two fields for the "Original title" in the early comics like [[Barrel]]. This way, we don't need to hack around the template and it looks coherent).

I have tested it on three different comic pages and it didn't break anything, so it should work flawlessly. [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template%3Acomic%2Fsandbox&type=revision&diff=373480&oldid=373353 Here are all the things I changed]. If you want, I can provide a simpler summary of all the changes like I did for the other templates. (I also moved the documentation so everyone can edit it, while the the template itself remains fully protected and only admins can change it—this is also how it works on Wikipedia for all templates.)

[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&action=edit&oldid=373640 '''Here's the link''' to copy the improved version]. Thanks, [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:24, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
:Woooo! Thanks for all of your hard work, FaviFake! I’m sure that the entire community is thankful for your efforts <3 '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:57, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! This has got to be one of the weirdest ways one can learn a programming language from scratch. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:02, 18 April 2025 (UTC)

:Hi FaviFake. Back after holiday. I just tried to copy the text from your link into the comic template. And got two different errors on the page, with the second line here the error (in red on the preview):

Title text: As a first step, they can put in a secondary deck, to help drivers try it out and find out how fun the jumps are. After a while no one will use the old flat deck and they can remove it.
Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "{".

:This same error also came up on the Pi Equals comic. And beneath that there was the following error under the comics frame (also in red):
Warning: Default sort key "0010" overrides earlier default sort key "3048".

:Hence I have not yet changed the template, as I would like to hear your input first. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:03, 21 April 2025 (UTC)

::Welcome back and thank you. Yes, these errors are expected because I've been working on the template. In particular:
::*This error is expected: "Warning: Default sort key "0010" overrides earlier default sort key "3048"." It basically means: "you've given me two comics, but the page should only contain one comic! This only happens in the sandbox because there are more than one comic.

::*I don't know what the second error is, but I've been trying to remove it before I send you the next version. The one I sent you doesn't have this issue (the preview is using the newer version)

::However, in the meantime you can wait until I iron out the last error, so you don't have to update the comic twice. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 05:59, 22 April 2025 (UTC)
:::OK so I wait until you let me know you have fixed your last issues! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:36, 22 April 2025 (UTC)
::::Thanks i did it! Took me another 4-5-idk how many hours of debugging. I both hate and love coding. Anyways, here's the link: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&action=edit '''Hi, I'm a link!''']
::::It will look the same until you save because I've already updated the documentation. No errors this time! Except the normal "Warning" cuz 2 comics in 1 page. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:32, 22 April 2025 (UTC)
:::::I did the hard work of copy pasting, took idk 4-5 seconds... Of course if there is errors it will fall back on me ;-) But can quickly be reversed. Let me know if what you tried succeeded. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:31, 23 April 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|:::::}}
Perfect thanks! The are no errors on all the pages i checked. I noticed there's a small bug with the bottom navbar: if it's on the LATESTCOMIC it's not centered. I'll work on a fix. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:08, 23 April 2025 (UTC)
:Done, as always here's the link: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&action=edit --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:05, 23 April 2025 (UTC)
::I hate to say it, but the template says <code><nowiki>{{bodystyle|{{{bodystyle|}}}}}</nowiki></code> where it should say <code><nowiki>{{#if:{{{bodystyle|}}}|{{{bodystyle}}}|}}</nowiki></code>, which makes every comic page attempt to reference a "bodystyle" template. [[User:Firestar233|guess who]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|if you desire conversing]] | [[Special:Contributions/Firestar233|what i have done]]) 03:26, 24 April 2025 (UTC)
::: Thanks! I fixed it, the link above still works. Please Firestar feel free to completely edit any of the templates I modify, I am learning how to edit templates by trial and error and for some reason sometimes it works! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 14:23, 24 April 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|:::}}
UPDATE: Firestar also fixed the {{tl|comic discussion}} template to fix bugs and more! So, to sumamrise, here are the things you should change:
* Update {{tl|comic}}, copy-paste this: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&action=edit

* Update {{tl|comic discussion}}, copy-paste this: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion/assist&action=edit

* On the [[Main Page]], could you update the color from "f5f5f5" to "f6f6f6"? It's easier to read and matches the color of the comic discussion background. Quick link to edit main page: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page&action=edit

Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:03, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

== Removing the bullet points from [[Header text]] ==
Hey Kynde, [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] and I were planning to update the page [[Header text]] and something similar to what we did with the What If? index [[What If? chapters‎‎|(btw, it's going great!)]]. I wanted to let you know and especially ask for advice, since you're one of the main contributors. A proper table with templates would make it much easier to browse and edit. You can see what I'm talking about [[Talk:Header text/sandbox|'''here''']]! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:08, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

== Minor {{template|w}} edit ('documentation', only) ==

Other named users can do this, it turns out, but the instructive line:
*<code><nowiki>{{w|Page|Display}}</nowiki></code> prints "Display" which links to the Wikipedia article on "Name"
...(still) should be:
*<code><nowiki>{{w|Page|Display}}</nowiki></code> prints "Display" which links to the Wikipedia article on "Page"

A very simple change (the line above, which I didn't bother to mention in my edited-down original version of this submission, has just been changed), but jarring as it is now. I've been meaning to mention it for a while. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.216.83|162.158.216.83]] 17:05, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

User talk:Dgbrt

2025-03-10T21:12:25Z

172.70.90.119: /* Vandalism on User:DgbrtBOT */

See the history for more:
* [[User talk:Dgbrt/2013|2013]]
* [[User talk:Dgbrt/2014|2014]]
* [[User talk:Dgbrt/2015-2017|2015-2017]]

== Create comic page in lieu of DgbrtBOT ==

I could see [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1969:_Not_Available&action=history here] that the bot seemed to have failed this time (or did RamenChef fail to wait long enough?) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:41, 20 March 2018 (UTC)
:Ah sorry, saw your comment in the [[Talk:1969: Not Available|Discussion]] now. Great if it has been fixed. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:47, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

== ReCAPTCHA ==
ReCAPTCHA v1 has expired, and since no one replied on the admin forum, I asked Kynde, and he told me to come to you. So can you upgrade it to v2? Thanks. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:05, 9 April 2018 (UTC)
:Hi [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]], this is bad. Also email notification doesn't work since a long time. All admins are nonexistent since months and I don't have access the the server. I will check what I can do with the BOT account. But there is not much hope. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:00, 9 April 2018 (UTC)
::Oh... ok. But if I remember correctly, I think one of the admins (I think Jeff?) has a twitter account, but I don't have one and I can't ask on twitter. Could you like contact him that way? And maybe tell him to add a few admins to deal with problems like this? Thanks! [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 10:18, 11 April 2018 (UTC)
:::Hi [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]], I don't have a twitter account too, but I will sign in when things go worse. And this will happen in the future when all admins are still absent because:
:::*The next invoice for the web-service at Cloudflare must be paid.
:::*The name registration at namecheap.com will expire on 2018-08-10.
:::And it seems that there is no advertising here on the left. So we definitely need new admins here to address these and other issues. I would apply for this, but not alone. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:07, 11 April 2018 (UTC)

Hello Dgbrt, I saw your message both here and on Wikipedia. Messaging me on my talk page is enough, I'll see it in my feed reader. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about recaptcha as I don't have ssh access to the server. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 15:25, 11 April 2018 (UTC)
:Thanks for your reply [[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]]. You don't have ssh access but as an Administrator you are maybe able to send an email to the relevant persons. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:09, 11 April 2018 (UTC)
::Unfortunately, I don't have [[User:Jeff|Jeff]]'s email address either. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 06:47, 12 April 2018 (UTC)
'''The problem is solved.''' --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:50, 22 May 2018 (UTC)

== I'm here ==

I'm sorry Dgbt (and all my other friendly editors/helpers!)
Let me know what needs to be done and I'll work through it. I'm going to try to be much more proactive and logged in. It's been a busy few months. Please accept my apologies.
The main complication with reCaptcha is that to upgrade to use ReCaptchaNoCaptcha, I'd have to upgrade the wiki. I'm not opposed, it is just a larger work effort than I thought! We are also quite a bit behind! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 03:18, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

== A slight technical problem ==

The image size for comics is a bit off, the zoom is weird and there's some space to the right of the screen... Not sure what to do about it, but as an admin now (congratulations, by the way!) you should be able to deal with it. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:06, 4 July 2018 (UTC)
:Hi [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]], what is weird? Please give an example of what's wrong and how it should be. BTW: To be an admin just means more work ;) --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:20, 4 July 2018 (UTC)
::It seems that there's only one problem left, rather than the three I mentioned before, but it's still a problem. For example, normally pages should be like this, where there's a sidebar to the left, and the rest is the page you're viewing. But now for comic explanations, there's an empty sidebar on the right side of the screen that shouldn't be there, and the page itself has been squeezed so now it only takes up about 60% of the screen's width. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 01:24, 5 July 2018 (UTC)
:::Sorry for the delay, but it should be fixed now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:38, 10 July 2018 (UTC)

== Unicode issues with the Bot ==

Hi, your bot doesn't handle UTF-8 in the alt-text well, as seen on today's comic [[2038]] :P This is a known problem with the xkcd api, which double-utf-8-encodes everything. I believe I've read your bot is programmed in Perl, so I may be able to help fix this. There is a module on CPAN to fix this automagically, [https://metacpan.org/pod/Encode::DoubleEncodedUTF8 Encode::DoubleEncodedUTF8] [[User:Gir|//gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 13:23, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
:'''E''': I've sent you a PR; https://github.com/dgbrt/explainXKCD_update/pull/3 [[User:Gir|//gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 13:44, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
::I was replying at the same time:
:Thanks, you can find the GitHub link here: [[User:DgbrtBOT]]. The latest changes are a little bit ugly because I've had to find a fast solution on the forced https connection. Nonetheless the unicode issue is well known, until now I simply was too lazy. And reading the warnings at the DoubleEncodedUTF8 module tells me it should be solved in a better way.
:I'm not sure, but my CentOS environment looks good:
:<code>env | grep LANG</code> gives me
:<code>LANG=en_US.UTF-8</code>
:The Perl script already has <code>binmode STDOUT, ':utf8';</code> which was needed so maybe the same for <code>STDIN</code> could help. Any ideas? I have a Wiki at my PC for testing. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:26, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
The problem is solved and the script successfully tested. Thanks for the help. And if Randall reads this: You probably can fool the BOT by using double encoded UTF at the comic name. But I believe the corresponding image URI wouldn't work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:26, 28 August 2018 (UTC)

==Signature==
Oops, sorry for forgetting my signature in my comment on "1047: Approximations", and thank you for adding it. [[User:Redbelly98|Redbelly98]] ([[User talk:Redbelly98|talk]]) 01:27, 4 September 2018 (UTC)
:You're welcome but there is absolutely no need to apologize. Errare humanum est. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:42, 4 September 2018 (UTC)

== Elections ==

Regarding your new [[:Category:Elections|Category:Elections]]...
 Is it comics like this you wish to include? [[1130: Poll Watching]]? Guess anything Nate Silver is about it?
 Just added [[500: Election]]... question is if election category is to be a subset of politics and that some politic comics that are "only" about election should then not also be directly in politic category? Sometimes there is more to it than election, but not really in the election comic for instance --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:30, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:Thanks for your work. I've written "...in politics or elsewhere" because I think it may belong not only to politics. "1130: Poll Watching" definitely belongs to this category, it's even politics. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:56, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

== Thanx. ==

Thanx for the tweeking and the signing of my entry in 2066.[[User:Naraht|Naraht]] ([[User talk:Naraht|talk]]) 21:07, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

== Purge? ==

On the main page, there's a line below the Latest Comic block that states "Is this out of date? Clicking here will fix that."

This link contains an action parameter value of "purge" in the URL. Do you know what this actually does? Is it somehow related to the caching system, or does it just force the main page to recheck the latest comic number?

Just curious, as I thought it might be useful for refreshing the cache when investigating an issue like an updated image that isn't being shown immediately. Thanks for any insight! (Oops, forgot to sign my edit!) [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 17:58, 2 January 2019 (UTC)
:Purging affects only the cache at this Wiki but not at Cloudflare. A purged page here will produce a new hash and thus also the Cloudflare cache will be expired. You can do this at every page here by adding "?action=purge" to the end of the URL; or if there is already a parameter with a question mark it should be "&action=purge". Nonetheless, editing a page and changing only one single character will have the same effect.
:For pictures this is different because there is a page for the image:
:*<nowiki>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:reminders.png</nowiki>
:and the image itself:
:*<nowiki>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/2/2c/reminders.png</nowiki>
:You can purge the first link because it's rendered through the PHP engine but the second link is just a static image and the Cloudflare cache assumes that this doesn't change often. This helps to keep the traffic at the Wiki server much lower. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:04, 2 January 2019 (UTC)
::Awesome and thorough answer! I appreciate you taking the time to explain it so well. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 18:20, 2 January 2019 (UTC)

==2003: Presidential_Succession==

In the explanation for [[2003: Presidential_Succession]], I just noticed that a number of users have updated the "List of specific individuals" section based on events since the comic was published, even though the section heading states that the list is as of the date the comic was published. Specifically, someone removed Serena Williams from the list because of a loss in July 2018, someone removed a whole section on the Royal family (which might be appropriate, but I don't know for sure), and several users changed a number of government people as a result of election results in November.

I was going to try to revert each of the changes back to the original list ,but there are also changes that are probably appropriate in other areas of the explanation. Do you know of a way to revert only those changes that were not appropriate, while retaining others that are appropriate? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 15:46, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

:I decided to just manually revert each change made that was not appropriate, so you can disregard my question. I also added '''bold''' highlighting to the text in the opening paragraph that the list is as of the date of the comic to let people know that they should not update the names based on later events. One of the edits was to remove members of the royal family from the list. I left those names off of the updated list, as that makes sense to me. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 17:37, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

::Many thanks for your work. The explanation always belongs to the date when the comic was published. Any further developments may be mentioned by that manner, but in general that's trivia because it doesn't explain the comic itself in it's context. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:16, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

==1732: Earth_Temperature_Timeline==

Ok, hate to bug you again, but I have an odd question about [[1732:_Earth_Temperature_Timeline]] and its comic image, which is 740 × 14,889 in size.

This past week, when I viewed this comic, the image was not displaying, and it wouldn't display even when I clicked on the image file link on the image page (the thumbnail was OK though). I was getting what I thought was a server error instead, and the problem was clearly not due to something in the explanation page. I thought maybe something was wrong with the image file, but I was able to download it and open it in my local image viewer program. I was considering what I might be able to do to resolve the issue, but not knowing why it wasn't opening, I put it off...

However, now it's working fine again on the comic page, and I'm not sure what to make of the previous problem.

Have you seen similar issues like this in the past? Any thoughts on what might have caused it? I considered whether it might be helpful to actually split the image into separate slices and add them to the comic with some slider effect to view just a slice at a time, but I thought that might be too much effort for a wiki environment. Any thoughts? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 05:28, 11 January 2019 (UTC)
:Please copy and paste the server error message or do a screen shot. But maybe it was just a local problem with your browser. Other comic images still did work? And click on the navigation title to see the original at the xkcd site. It also has the huge image directly embedded, thus I think we also should do so. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:15, 11 January 2019 (UTC)

== Protection from antisemitic troll ==

Hi, good thing to short-term protect the new pages. However at the same time someone with the account truth revealer has registered... also still on other posts back and forth editing (with antisemitic content from IP-users) happens: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2120:_Brain_Hemispheres&curid=21799&diff=170762&oldid=170760 is it possible to also block for stuff like that? like slowing down the capabilities to do multiple edits for IP-users? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 16:22, 8 March 2019 (UTC)
:This is a bad solution because many - sometimes even most - editors are just IPs. This action today is just a signal to that vandal. Further older discussions are here: [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#SOON_THE_TRUTH_WILL_BE_REVEALED|Admin requests at the Community portal]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:32, 8 March 2019 (UTC)

==DgbrtBOT failed 2019-08-30==
Hi Dgbrt. The bot failed yesterday on [[2196: Nice To E-Meet You]]. Have you noticed it? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:29, 31 August 2019 (UTC)
:It began working again at [[2252: Parenthetical Names]]. So 56 comics or about 19 weeks of downtime...? Did you fix it? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:26, 10 January 2020 (UTC)
::It was not continuesly down from August onward. It started again right on 2nd September: [[2197: Game Show]] and did work until Friday, 13th December: [[2241: Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect]] (maybe it is supersitious about Friday the 13th?) - [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Contributions/DgbrtBOT&target=DgbrtBOT see contributions page of the bot] --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:36, 10 January 2020 (UTC)

== Possible problem with the PHP installation ==

Dgbrt, I had an exchange of posts on the SlashMe talk page because that is the only administrator with any Wiki contributions shown in 2020 (for example you were in March 2019 and Jeff in April 2019). SlashMe confirmed the problem I identified but had no solution, and suggested that I reach out to you. The exchange is copied below. --[[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 00:38, 11 July 2020 (UTC)

=== Really really difficult to get to the What If? page in the Wiki ===
The name of the page is '''what if?''' but if you make an internal link the usual way, as here: [[what if?|<nowiki>[[what if?]]</nowiki>]], you get a mostly blank page with the message ''No input file specified''. It would appear that page names with a question mark break something. The failed form is what is used on the disambiguation page [[What If (disambiguation)|<nowiki>[[What If]]</nowiki>]], and so following the page link from there fails. What does work is this internal link: [[whatif|<nowiki>[[whatif]]</nowiki>]], but when you get there and click what links here, that fails as described above. If you really really want to get to the what links here page for the what if? page, you have to use an external link, as [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=what_if%3F&namespace%3D|<nowiki>[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=what_if%3F&namespace%3D]</nowiki>]. But but but. On all those pages that it says link to the what if? page, the links are broken as described above.

My opinion is that the way to fix at this problem is to rename the what if? page to have no question mark, and then to visit all the pages in the old linked to list and update their links to the new page name. Ugh.
--[[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 22:45, 10 July 2020 (UTC)

:I have looked a little bit into it and it seems to be a configuration issue with the PHP installation. However, I don't have a definite solution for that and even if I had, I don't have access to the server and wouldn't be able to change it. I think [[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] has. Try reaching out to him. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 22:58, 10 July 2020 (UTC)

::One more data point. The redirect page [[whatif|<nowiki>[[whatif]]</nowiki>]] redirects using the [[what if?|<nowiki>[[what if?]]</nowiki>]] syntax that fails every place else, but when redirecting it actually works. Go figure. --[[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 00:47, 12 July 2020 (UTC)

:::Hi JohnB, you're right – looks like ''redirects'' to the pages do work. FYI, a few other users have noticed that there are some more pages that have a similar problem (mainly comics with titles that end in question marks); I've tried to collect the gist of all your findings and add them to the [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#Unable to view "what_if?" page|discussion there]], but feel free to jump in if there's anything else you can think of. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 05:21, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== Thanks for maintaining the bot! ==

I saw in today's incomplete tag that you mentioned no one ever thanks you. I just wanted to thank you for maintaining it. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:05, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

== I see that you are the newest sysop on the wiki and no one uses the community portal for some reason so... Welcome Bot? ==

I have an idea to make a welcome bot for new users that have made it to the editing leaderboards. So there are no red links and new members are encouraged to edit. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 16:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

== A couple of issues ==
Google seems to have changed something in AdSense again, and the ads have been appearing in random positions again since December, 2019. [https://wpadvancedads.com/adsense-in-random-positions-auto-ads/ This page] might have a solution? It's been quite a while, and the ads are still broken.
Also as [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical#Random_page_sometimes_takes_me_to_an_invalid_address others have already mentioned] links that end in special characters are broken. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 02:10, 5 February 2021 (UTC)

== Vandalism on User:DgbrtBOT ==

Someone vandalized the user page for the bot. Pretty self explanatory. {{unsigned ip|18:38, 10 March 2025|172.69.17.68}}
: Also the bottom of your User page. {{unsigned ip|172.69.17.5|18:43, 10 March 2025}}

3056: RNA

2025-03-03T09:11:57Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3056
| date = February 26, 2025
| title = RNA
| image = rna_2x.png
| imagesize = 566x291px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 2040s: RNA formed the basis for life each of the five known times it arose on the early Earth.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The explanation is too technical, especially the last bullet point, and isn't directly explaining the comic.}}
This is a comic about how our understanding of {{w|DNA}} and {{w|RNA}} has evolved over time as we've done more research into how they figure into cellular and viral processes. In the 1960s, we had just started to understand the role of DNA; as the years progressed, we realized RNA played a part, initially as an intermediary; and it turned 'weird' as we learned that RNA's role is potentially as complex as DNA's, if not more so. People now believe that life as we know it developed as RNA, and then evolved proteins and DNA later; this is called the "{{w|RNA World}}" theory.


*The first panel (1960s) shows the simplified (though incorrect) version of the {{w|central dogma}}, saying that RNA's sole function is to carry information from DNA to produce proteins.

*The second panel (1980s) shows the discovery that RNA itself can also catalyze reactions, like in {{w|ribozymes}}.

*The third panel (2000s) shows the more recent discovery of many different types of RNA that have numerous functions, like {{w|small interfering RNA|siRNA}} which acts in the {{w|RNA interference}} pathway, {{w|microRNA|miRNA}} which causes regulation of transcript expression, {{w|Piwi-interacting RNA|piRNA}} which regulates {{w|transposons}} and other genetic elements, and more.

*The fourth panel (2020s) explains that RNA seems to be the primary actor in life, and it merely uses DNA for permanent storage of information. In particular, DNA contains the genetic information that's copied when cells divide and when ova and sperm combine. This seems to be a reference to the {{w|RNA-based evolution}} theory, which claims that RNA is the primary driver of evolution. It's similar to the idea that [https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/118413-a-hen-is-only-an-egg-s-way-of-making-another a hen is only an egg's way of making another egg].

*The title text [[605: Extrapolating|extrapolates]] from the fourth panel into the 2040s, when humans have learned that RNA was responsible for the formation of life on Earth, and that life formed on Earth five times. At the present time, all types of life we know of today (or have evidence of having existed) seem highly likely to have arisen from the {{w|last universal common ancestor}}. (It has also been hypothesized that viruses may have {{w|Viral_evolution#Origins|evolved independently of cellular life}}.) Whether this can change by the 2040s is unknown. It might take more advanced study of ancient rocks, and the sheer good fortune to uncover/discover a suitably preserved 'bed' of alternative biochemistry, to establish convincing evidence of some other origin(s) of life. Another possibility is that intense analysis of the current diversity of biology ''could'' extrapolate multiple origins for some of the chemical pathways that eventually became cooperative parts in some or all more recent forms of biological cells.

RNA has been mentioned previously in [[2425: mRNA Vaccine]], where the [[:Category:COVID-19 vaccine|COVID-19 vaccine]] is explained, and [[3002: RNAWorld]], in which Disney decides to capitalize on the success of RNA.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[In each panel, Cueball is standing in front of a poster. On the poster there is a picture of a double helix (presumably DNA) and some illegible text, although the poster is different in each panel. Each panel has a header indicating the decade in which it takes place.]

:'''1960s'''
:[Cueball has a hand up in an explanatory pose]
:Cueball: Life is based on DNA, which uses RNA to make proteins do stuff.

:'''1980s'''
:[Cueball faces towards the poster, with his hand on his chin.]
:Cueball: Also, the RNA does some stuff itself, which is weird.

:'''2000s'''
:[Cueball has his arms raised in the air.]
: Cueball: There are so many types of RNA. It's doing ''so'' much stuff!

:'''2020s'''
:[Cueball has both his hands down]
:Cueball: Life is a seething mass of RNA that sometimes uses DNA to take notes.
:Person out of frame: What do the proteins do?
:Cueball: Errands for RNA.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Biology]]

explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests

2024-12-19T12:28:50Z

172.70.90.119: /* Vandalism */

<noinclude>{{Community links}}

__NEWSECTIONLINK__

{|-
|valign="top" width="100%"|[[File:Mop.svg|left|120px]] <big><big>Admin requests</big></big>

 Welcome to your mother's basement! Problems requiring assistance from an [[explain xkcd:Administrators|admin]]. User problems, changes to protected pages, more user rights etc. {{AddNewSection|Page=Explain XKCD:Community portal/Admin requests|Text=(+post)}}
|}
Click "expand" to see list of admins. 
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''List of Admins:''' 
{{Special:ListUsers/sysop}}
</div>

= Discussion Area =
</noinclude>

== Racism on Main Page ==
There are some extremely racist comments on the main page. See https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. Please remove immediately!
Can admins please delete the racist comments on the main page?
The user who wrote these racist comments has the IP address of 162.158.146.163. Please block!

Edit: Resolved. Thanks :)

== Convert to real X-Forwarded-For IP addresses? ==

Can you admins do the https://serverfault.com/a/526551 thing so you can block by real IP addresses and ranges? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.134|172.70.211.134]] 15:45, 22 July 2022 (UTC)
:That is out of my league. But maybe some of the other clever admins may know what if that can be used? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:07, 22 July 2022 (UTC)

==Install anti-spam programs==
I think it’s time to install some sort of automated anti-spam programs that can catch these spammers fast.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.91|172.70.130.91]] 06:30, 24 July 2022 (UTC)

I don't want to be disrespectful, but it seems that the current set of admins lacks the collective time or ability to upgrade Mediawiki/MySQL and install widely available anti-vandalism and anti-spam measures. But you have perhaps the most technically inclined, supportive, and motivated audience you could hope for here. Why not use the main page top banner to ask for expert Mediawiki volunteers or if that doesn't work, funds to hire such a consultant to upgrade blocking and filtering tools or a new hosting solution if needed? I believe you'd be surprised with the extent of community support you can muster, and manually chasing vandalism is becoming tiresome. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.90|172.70.211.90]] 07:28, 24 July 2022 (UTC)
:I've been chasing jeff for months now because he's the only one with access to the server. I know he's alive and still active online, but he clammed up partway through the previous wave of heavy spam and the email chain is just 20 of my own emails, I'll get through eventually. '''[[User:Davidy22|y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:10, 24 July 2022 (UTC)
::[https://twitter.com/jeff_underscore @jeff_underscore] tweeted four days ago. Would it help if we launched a Twitter campaign to get him on board with a server update fundraiser, or something? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.43|172.70.214.43]] 03:36, 25 July 2022 (UTC)
::: Anyone with the skills and experience should tweet him to take him up on [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Jeff&diff=211706&oldid=211700 his offer,] IMHO. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.118.39|162.158.118.39]] 04:12, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

== Basic punctuation standards ==
Can we please have some agreement that <code>."</code> is better than <code>".</code>? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.29|172.71.150.29]] 07:08, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
:That would depend.
When asked "How do you deal with endquote punctuation in quoted speech?" he answered "Yes," with a definite nod of his head, "I would always try to put the punctuation before the quote."
:...that is how I was taught to do it, <mumble>fumphty-fumph</mumble> years ago, and when it is clear quoted speech (with 66s, 99s) then that's probably best. Except when it might confuse, but then a rewrite (or clearly indicated paraphrase/part-quote) might be useful. You'll note I example-quote 'wrongly' in some places below, to accomodate other factors. Like an exclamation point as a feature of the holding sentence that makes no sense at all to be translated to within the quoted sentence(-fragmant).
On the other hand providing "a set of words", with no clear quotation to them, ellicits no such compunction.
:...it gets a bit hazy, because a partial quote of a real full sentence (or an incomplete/incompleted quote) could go either way. But I would not consider "a set of words," to be sensible.
If you give a "list", "spread" or "set" of singular terms then no, or even compounded ones if they are ultimately the "be-all" and "end-all".
:...noting that I might personally single-quote in this case (I know not why I have adopted this principle, exactly), though I've often seen such things changed by others and it may be more contested than even the terminator punctuation. I might say that the 'true' difference is whether it is a definite "literal", insofar as meaning, or somewhat 'ad hoc', 'foreignish' or just plain constructed.
:But this is just my opinion. And, regardless of my preference to quote-punctuation ordering, I've seen several recent occasions where paren-punctuation ordering was totally off (IMO). Either "...at the end of a sentence (an aside.)", which should have been "... (an aside)." instead, or "(As a whole aside of its own)." for which it ''must'' surely be "(As ... of its own.)"
:Now, obviously too much ()ing is awkward, especially if nested, but I prefer the clearer in/out indication than other methods — like the mdash — which seem to be the favoured method by some editors — and, even more confusingly, often without spacing both sides. (Like "...by some editors—and, even more confusingly..."! Looks more like a hyphen, despite "—” and "–”-users changing hyphens-used-as-dashes to one or other of the dashes to try to differentiate them.)
:Ultimately, though, the people here will have learnt (or redeveloped) their own typographical standards over a wide range of educational eras (or under teachers/mentors whose own learnt-preferences might themselves be several decades passed into history) and with additional localisation/localization complications as well. I tend to agree with you (with caveats as mentioned) but it won't be universally acceptable. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.13|172.70.85.13]] 21:34, 24 August 2022 (UTC)
: Better? No. Correct (at least in American English)? Yes. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 13:25, 28 September 2022 (UTC)

== Propose block of (an?) IP user(s?) and suppression of their edits ==

I don't mind being insulted but I think it's clear they're bad for the community:

* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:NotaBene&diff=296485&oldid=203158
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:NotaBene&diff=296486&oldid=296485

--[[User:NotaBene|NotaBene]] ([[User talk:NotaBene|talk]]) 14:15, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

: As the IP who subsequently reverted those back out of existence (wasn't sure you'd seen it, but was clear to me it wasn't a useful/good-faith commentary, and now I find that you had and had certainly ignored it in-situ) I have mixed opinions. I could not have done my (good faith) edit if somehow restricted, in a way someone had previously gotten around. Bearing in mind the idiotic vandal(s) we have had before, and always ended up dealing with through sheer force of the more righteous and honest userbase, I think that drastic actions aren't necessary. But I can think of a few minor tweaks that maybe the current adminship can still hold in reserve and occasionally employ, without preventing the likes of me (long time contributor, but not yet decided to make it 'official') occasionally poking registered users' Talk pages with genuine queries or comments under most circumstances that may actually warrant it.
: That said, we have indeed had a spate of vandalism, recently, which I'm inclined to believe is 'our old friend' who probably decided he(?) was bored again. A few novel tricks (nonsense 'cat on keyboard' edits with no clear pattern to the nonsense or what it replaces) but in association with some of the old ones (global word replacements throughout an article). Quickly recorrected in all cases, SFAICT, so not a big problem.
: The above insertion (...insertions... seeming to care about punctuation typos!) I might have left for you to blue-pen out of your own Talk page (whatever the intent behind it) except for my spidey-sense saying it really was ''just'' trolling and that you had no reason to even consider a dismissive reply, never mind argue your defence against such an accusation. (But could always restore and reply to it if you really wanted to!) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.137|172.71.178.137]] 17:57, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

:: To be clear, I'm not proposing a site-wide restriction of all IP users, just those specific addresses. --[[User:NotaBene|NotaBene]] ([[User talk:NotaBene|talk]]) 18:41, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

::: Understood, but that'd mean inconveniencing even legitimate readers routing through the same Cloudflare gateways. Which are in bunches, such that any given region of the world is served by not necessarily contiguous IP ranges, thus false-positives and false-negatives. Until you blanket-ban enough to just make for a whole lotta false-positive blocking for a segment of real users once the instigator of the mess just moves on (or enjoys the mess he made, if self-aware enough of it).
::: I won't even know, until I submit this, if I'm this time listed even in the same IP/8-block as the above (172.71.178.137), but if it turns out that I'm a 141.* this time (or maybe 142.*, I forget what I occasionally show up as) then obviously had you reason to IP-block me because of my own actions then you'd have accomplished little by even banning the whole 16-/24-block of my original. And that's without any conscious intent to bypass the default allocation system...
::: So, not that you should take my own opinion as gospel, just thought I'd mention this. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.3|172.70.90.3]] 20:23, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

== Hey ==

I cleaned everything up. You should probably restore the newest 3 topics.

:It could definitely do with a cleanup (not the only page like this!), but in a positive and considered manner, not just wiping and expecting unwarrented deletions to be restored after your removal. Archival sub-pages (restricted/fully-protected) should be involved, perhaps, for reference/history (on top of the History view itself).
:Not just wiping by an unisigned contributor, as you did. I'm a hairbreadth from just reverting it all back again, on principle, and maybe someone else will do that anyway.
:But defering to known named users (esp. the admins) and their decision on how to procede. (Please do delete this contribution if you see fit to do any restoration and make my opinions moot.) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.138.79|172.68.138.79]] 20:26, 23 October 2022 (UTC)
::I agree that it needed cleanup, and also agree that wiping everything was not the best way to go about doing it. I've moved most of the deleted content to the "talk"/archive page, and put back some discussions. [[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 23:22, 23 October 2022 (UTC)

== Complaint transcluded from [[user:ArthurGreenham]] ==
:(Ok, so, the above transclusion is subject to change at any time, as proven by While False going in there and 'wikilinking' everything since I first saw the transclusion inserted here, so perhaps a little less ephemeral explanation is needed..?)
:Point the first: I have no issues with While False, in general. Seems to be a good editor in general. As I recall, did a lot to counter that particularly recurring bad-faith editor who the current expanded admin set will recall. And regular editing from you, mate..? As good as anyone else, I would say. No bad-faith detected in you at all.
:Point the second: You do seem to be a bit too gung-ho with new pages, and similar experiments with markup. Just because you can, it seems. If those with the power to remove pages choose not to, then I'm not complaining, but I still think it's a bit... self-indulgant. Not that a mere IP like me can rightfully complain.
:Point the third: Clearly, among the mass of newly registered users (who never then contribute) there is a large cohort generated by some external script(s) for the intention of SEO/propogation of linky-links. I suspect that they're set to do this on any wiki that they can create accounts upon, mindlessly and with the initiating 'intelligence' not bothered how well they do it (economies of scale, as per spamming/etc) because some will do it and fulfil whatever purpose.
:Point the fourth: But, back a long time ago, our chief admin here (and his then current peers/etc?) set it up so that new users just did not so easily create brand new pages. Without overly restricting the spamming of user-registration (or, more importantly, legitimately interested actual contributors) it stymied the scripts that were creating users that then could not create (and write their spam upon) the pages they were programmed to create.
:Point the fifth: But if someone who is an autoconfirmed user looks at the accounts created (I'm guessing here, so corrects me if I'm wrong) and decides to make the pages that new and heretofor uncontriutive users ''cannot'' create for themselves, there are times (at least two, that I know of) that the mindless spam-script has not given up and moved on from putting their random link-spam upon RandomNewname's user page. And as RandomNewname ''has'' a page, it does its preprogrammed stuff.
:...and the world does not stop turning, if that happens. But it does just marginally increase the benefits vs costs of the spam-engine technique (which are probably already breaking even and more, across all speculative spam-destinationa) and I'd suggest we shouldn't be helping with that any more than we already have to.
:Maybe theusaf could add to their own bot some sort of detection of a suspicious level of linkspamming upon a user's own pages (to neuter these that leak through, like the ones that it deals with in other circumstances), but that'd be difficult without having false-positives upon genuine new users with (once they can) a genuine reason to populate their userspace with various external links.
:Instead, perhaps hold back upon feeding the spambots the fresh ground that they seem to like to make use of. Perhaps a page for "please create my userspace!" if we want genuine users (or at least ones that can find and read instructions) to get a userspace more quickly than the normal limits apply, so any established (named) editor can give them their Welcome-templated editspace.
:We can't so easily protect against conscious bad-faith editors (we will just have to deal with them, as we have done), but we seem to have sufficient anti-bot defences. If misguided editing doesn't open up cracks in the walls.
:...Ok, that looks like a rant, but was just intended to cover (much of) the issue as I saw it in a way that explained my accumulated thinking on the matter. And I clearly think too much. This is not a diatribe against anybody (except the spambot originators), just a plea for action (or, rather, inaction) in a key way. And perhaps some moderator-level cleanup, so that the above transclusion is now effectively red-linked (then delete/archive this horribly overblown entry). Leaving it up to you lot. Have fun! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.3|172.70.90.3]] 10:34, 1 November 2022 (UTC)

==2696: Accuracy and precision==
This is my first edit/post here. Could someone please include the Wikipedia link to "Accuracy and precision" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision], which is a separate article from 'accuracy' and 'precision'? Thanks! unsigned ip|172.71.98.97|16:04, 9 November 2022}}
:If someone else hasn't done already, it's trivial enough to do yourself in a similar way to how you edited here, in any one of a number of ways.
:*By bare URL (shows the URL, like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision but not really suitable here)
:*As you did it above, with [] around the URL, giving a 'reference'-like link. Occaisionally useful, but a little impersonal in most cases.
:**Or use URL and alternate text in the []s (space-separated) <nowiki>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision like this]</nowiki>, which looks [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision like this] and is most useful for non-wiki links that you can describe well, or associate into the flow of text.
:*An internal wiki link is defined like <nowiki>[[2696: Precision vs Accuracy]]</nowiki> and renders as [[2696: Precision vs Accuracy]], which is common site practice (you could alse link to [[2696]] or [[Precision vs Accuracy]], in most cases, which are redirects) but doesn't help in the above link's case.
:**If you wanted to internally link with [[2696: Precision vs Accuracy|other text]] then using <nowiki>[[2696: Accuracy and precision|other text]]</nowiki> is the way to do it (use the pipe delimiter).
:*When it comes to wikipedia links, though, we have a nice template for it. By using <nowiki>Accuracy and precision}}</nowiki> (or with the underscored version of the title, if you wish) you get a link to {Accuracy and precision}}, with the nicer aesthetic. '''Probably what you wanted.''' You can lowercase the "A" and it will still link (usually... always good to check) and linking to something like a w|noun}} can generally be written as <nowiki>|noun}}s</nowiki> should you wish the flow of text to seemlessly render the link as being for multiple noun}}s, thanks to a little more background trickery.
:**If you want to use more <nowiki>Accuracy_and_precision|replaced text}}</nowiki> then you get aAccuracy_and_precision|replaced text}} rendering. '''Another possibility for what you'd wish to use, here.'''
:**Similar templates exist for linking the likes of emplate|wiktionary}} and evenemplate|tvtropes}}, should you need them.
:**...noting that the latter needs the NoSpacesVersion of the title and because tropes|TVTropesWillRuinYourLife|TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life}}, it has a slightly more forboding format, even though it isn't really ''that'' much worse than [[214: The Problem with Wikipedia]]. ;)
:In case that's of any use to you, or anybody else. There are a few more tips and tricks, but this covers a lot of the usage-cases.
:Also, in discussion pages and ones like this, it's useful to sign your contribution with the four tildes. But it's easy to forget and there are templates to mark unsigned contribution. As I did above. Don't worry about it. It just lets you datestamp and demarkate elements of conversation in a useful manner. As a first edit, you can be forgiven, but just so you know for future! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.57|172.70.91.57]] 18:21, 9 November 2022 (UTC)

** "'it's trivial enough to do yourself in a similar way to how you edited here'" Those options do not seem to be open to me if I do not set up an account; I'm not ready to take that step, so it looks like I can only edit behind-the-scenes pages, not comic pages. Thanks for the advice! I do enjoy the site when I check in! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.182.17|172.71.182.17]] 18:35, 9 November 2022 (UTC)
** Never mind. I found the option. I didn't realize the new comic page was separate from the main page. I was trying to edit the main page. Thanks! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.182.17|172.71.182.17]] 18:39, 9 November 2022 (UTC)
:...I must say, I never thought about that, or I might have not concentrated on the link-formatting stuff (which I hope was just as useful, in its own way).
:As you see, I'm also not 'ready' to set up an account. But I rarely go via the main page, which is locked against trivial vandalism, plus know that the useful editing occurs only in the transcluded source page anyway. And now so do you, happily.
:I don't know if that confusion catches out many potential editors, but at least now you know yourself. And, from one IP to another, Welcome! I hope you now find yourself productively editing away in the future, if you have anything else useful to include. No obligation, of course, except to play nice if you do. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.11|172.70.86.11]] 19:20, 9 November 2022 (UTC)

==There's a lot of vandalism going on==

See the page history of any recent comic page. Not sure what to do about it. [[User:Equites|Equites]] ([[User talk:Equites|talk]]) 00:57, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

:Ban 162.158.107.56 and 172.71.150.83, they seem to be the perpetuators. [[User:Starstar|Starstar]] ([[User talk:Starstar|talk]]) 02:15, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

As of the 22nd, the users ChuddyCobson and CobsonTheGemson are responsible for a large amount of attacks and image vandalism, most of them NSFW (inappropiate and/or gore). Can something be done about them? [[User:Gyozaplanet|Gyozaplanet]]

I noticed the image for 1460 has been vandalized. But, in looking at the history it shows an old vandalism that was fixed. But following the link in the alleged fix gets the vandalized image. I'm out of my depth for fixing this, but couldn't find a better place to report it. It's getting too late and I'm far too tired to do more... (As an aside to what I came here for, are the above two things vandalism here? That's a rathole I'm not continuing down.) [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 09:37, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

A few hours ago I decided to visit this wiki, and got quite the surprise on the front page, in that it was heavily vandalized. Decided to make an account after looking at recent changes and saw how much there was.

The accounts involved seem to be these;
* CobsonTheGemson
* ChuddyCobson
* Cobson
* Stinkycobbypoopoo
* Chud
* GotTheJakkyDoe

Kinda confused since they don't seem to be bots but I assume they're using a script or something to automate their vandalism. As far as I know, A few other people and I reverted more or less everything those accounts have done but it's possible some stuff fell through the cracks.

Also some of the gifs I reverted (most notably the gif for 381) seem to still have the same image so I'm hoping that's just a cache thing that'll sort itself out in time.

I left the above weirdness since I don't know the etiquette for deleting stuff in this section and it would remove some context to the above person's post. Hope I didn't break anything while cleaning up. [[User:Neerti|Neerti]] ([[User talk:Neerti|talk]]) 10:24, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

:Cleaned up some accounts '''[[User:Davidy22|Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:38, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

== Opening Certain Pages causes mediawiki errors ==

For example [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals Proposals] and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:Dgbrt this user page] [[User:Starstar|Starstar]] ([[User talk:Starstar|talk]]) 02:10, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

== Apparent abuse of multiple accounts ==
For a few weeks (mostly the last few days) 51 accounts with the same soon-current name [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=newusers&user=&page=User%3ASadSanta&pattern=1&year=&month=-1&tagfilter=&subtype= have been created]. To me it looks like preparation for abuse of multiple accounts. —[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User:While False/explain xkcd museum|'''museum''']] | [[User talk:While False|talk]] | [[special:Contributions/While_False|contributions]] | [[special:Log/While_False|logs]] | [[Special:UserRights/While_False|rights]] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&printable=yes printable version] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&action=info page information] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere/User:While_False what links there] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:RecentChangesLinked&days=30&from=&target=User%3AWhile_False related changes] | [https://www.google.com Google search] | current time: CURRENTTIME}}) 11:44, 16 December 2022 (UTC)
:Now, they’re 195. —[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User:While False/explain xkcd museum|'''museum''']] | [[User talk:While False|talk]] | [[special:Contributions/While_False|contributions]] | [[special:Log/While_False|logs]] | [[Special:UserRights/While_False|rights]] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&printable=yes printable version] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:While_False&action=info page information] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere/User:While_False what links there] | [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:RecentChangesLinked&days=30&from=&target=User%3AWhile_False related changes] | a late contribution | current time: CURRENTTIME}}) 17:24, 19 December 2022 (UTC)
::With the exception of being 'topical', these are quite typical of numerous other "<commonroot><randomchars>" sets of never-ever-used usernames. It is good to be aware of them, but I think this 'common root' was just randomly grabbed by the algorithm (or its master) without any particular view to be used any more effectively than before.
::I leave it to those who can actually do something to decide ''whether'' to actually do something, but I'm currently not so concerned. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.127|172.70.91.127]] 01:06, 20 December 2022 (UTC)
::Addendum - alongside "SadSanta...", we're getting a lot of [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=newusers&user=&page=User%3ANatasha&pattern=1&year=&month=-1&tagfilter=&subtype= "Natasha"s], while around this time last year (as the first time glanced back at) we had [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=newusers&user=&page=User%3APellGync&pattern=1&year=&month=-1&tagfilter=&subtype= "PellGync"] and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=newusers&user=&page=User%3ASnawlrab&pattern=1&year=&month=-1&tagfilter=&subtype= "Snawlrab"] as the common roots concerned. Which ultimately came of nought.
::I get the impression that the limited-success script (as being used to create spam-accounts, but overwhelmingly failing to then exploit them) is set up to randomly apply two such common roots at a time (or else there's two copies of the code running, wherever, each switching out 'exhausted' roots for the next enqueued one in their own list ...as and when necessary). A quick poke into other 'recent' historic points in the Account Creation log highly supports this, but it could do with a far more rigorous analysis to be more definite. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.118|172.71.242.118]] 01:31, 20 December 2022 (UTC)

There also used to be a lot of eight-letter usernames. Too many usernames are being created every day. --[[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 22:03, 2 January 2023 (UTC)

== Current troll(s) ==
There's trolls posting extremely obscene stuff on the homepage, and frankly I'm appalled. The Admins need to take several steps to lock down the main page so that it's not possible for readers to view such obscene content (for example, why are arbitrary images that don't come from xkcd.com allowed???) Why are random users allowed to post arbitrary images that are not filtered/scanned in any way? ([[User:bkayes|bkayes]])
: It's been like this forever. It's rare enough that the admins leave things fairly open, but lengthy stretches lead to the lockdowns you're asking for, usually for about a week which is usually sufficient. Mixed feelings. There are a lot of tools that could help a lot, but we can't get [[User:Jeff]] to upgrade because his hosting deal depends on some ad stuff that won't port to newer versions. :( [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 04:45, 22 December 2022 (UTC)
:: Image uploads being open is usually nicer for everyone, except in the scenario while children decide to use it as an avenue for vandalism. I got enough on my hands already to be dealing with but this probably demands some attention '''[[User:Davidy22|Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:38, 22 December 2022 (UTC)
::: (Rerationalised under a new header, as a different issue, though also related to a prior section's 'insertion/revival' in response to the idiot concerned, too.) Appreciated, David. Noting that the inability for me to correct the account-led vandalism, last night, is the one factor that might eventually push me to establish a non-IP presence. But we had other volunteer accounts reacting fairly well to the trouble, and I knew we'd settle down soon enough. Anyhoo, Merry Christmas to you and the others on the side of stability, while I'm here and chatting away. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.136|172.71.178.136]] 17:00, 22 December 2022 (UTC)

::: I find it unfortunate that "rarity" is any sort of excuse for allowing this to happen. XKCD is a fantastic source of quality STEM entertainment, and thus is a great resource to get younger audiences interested in such fields through humor. Many high school age and younger people regularly view xkcd content. However, some of the comics are quite obscure or contain a lot of depth, which is why explainxkcd has been such a great resource for everyone to learn things that are outside of their depth (including younger audiences). The knowledge that someone can open explainxkcd and have the slightest chance that they see extreme gore/porn is absolutely absurd and unacceptable for a wiki that is serving solely family friendly science content. I can no longer recommend explainxkcd to people I know (and especially not younger people) because of the lack of modern anti-trolling tooling, and that really sucks. I understand the issues surrounding locking down the text explanations, but the images should be a trivially solvable problem. Compare a checksum between the image found at *.xkcd.com and the image uploaded and reject an image that doesn't match, or better yet *use the official xkcd RSS feed* (https://xkcd.com/rss.xml) to download the images directly, and don't allow any user edits of the images. Then you can deal with vandalization of the text some other time, locking down the images is really the highest priority here I think. ([[User:bkayes|bkayes]]) 04:17, 23 December 2022 (UTC)

== [[2659: Unreliable Connection]] ==

Could probably do with some page protection here. Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.231|162.158.34.231]] 23:41, 29 December 2022 (UTC)
:If you mean for the thing that [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2659:_Unreliable_Connection&diff=prev&oldid=303665 gets reverted very quickly], I think that's already dealt with quite nicely. And it isn't the only page that is targetted, so where do you stop? Whole-site lockdown, when the occasonal automated spam is equally automatically reverted? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.21|162.158.74.21]] 00:05, 30 December 2022 (UTC)
::Over the past couple of weeks, the edit history of this particular page has consisted of nothing but vandalism and it's subsequent reversion. The vandal doesn't seem to be targeting (m)any other pages, so protection should make them go away. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.158|172.69.79.158]] 21:43, 14 January 2023 (UTC)
:::Nonetheless, the same tactic has been seen (and reverted, promptly) on other comics, like #976. ''edit: ...and #2503 suffered this vandalism/reversion, again, on 15 Jan 2023.'' Block 2659 and 976 from editing and someone may easily change the config for the script and hit any othe page they please, not really reducing the ultimate change/revert frequency, just where it is happening.
:::I'll accept gradual locking down of progressively more and more of the site, if it happens, but I'm not sure it'd be of any real benefit to do so. Not my call, so just giving my POV... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.74|162.158.34.74]] 23:47, 14 January 2023 (UTC)
Someone pointed out that the spams are more likely to occur on pages with "Connect" in their titles. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 10:49, 31 March 2023 (UTC)

The user talk page with the same name got spammed. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.242|172.69.134.242]] 06:18, 28 April 2023 (UTC)

== Announcement: online chat with Randall January 31 ==

Admins: would you please consider adding this blurb to the end of the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] just for this month?

: [https://libraryc.org/mountainviewlibrary/22032 Register to attend an online chat] with [[Randall Munroe]] January 31 at 11am Pacific.

Thank you for your consideration. [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 06:23, 2 January 2023 (UTC)
:Done —[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 23:29, 4 January 2023 (UTC)
::Thank you! I'm very much looking forward to the well-attended zoom chat, let alone what should come from the large pool of questions from international fans. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.16|172.69.134.16]] 14:04, 5 January 2023 (UTC)

Archive of livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAEutGwIQ9c [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.173|162.158.166.173]] 19:03, 31 January 2023 (UTC)

==All community portal==
Would you mind semi-protecting [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/All|this]] and [[explain_xkcd_talk:Community_portal/All|that]] page? They don't seem to need edits. --[[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 17:55, 12 January 2023 (UTC)

== Brief(?) and limited spate of vandalism. ==

It may be a flash in a pan, but there's some [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2293:_RIP_John_Conway&action=history misuse of multiple accounts] going on here as of this timestamp (with ColourfulGalaxy having mostly had to correct matters on their own, so far). FYI, on their behalf. With any luck the idiot involved will get bored soon, if not already, but making a note anyway. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.124|162.158.159.124]] 20:15, 12 January 2023 (UTC)

: He edited my user page just now. --[[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 20:17, 12 January 2023 (UTC)

: I tried to help them, but failed. I had to turn to you for help. [[User:ChristmasGospel|ChristmasGospel]] ([[User talk:ChristmasGospel|talk]]) 20:24, 12 January 2023 (UTC)

: EDIT: By the way, don't call him "idiot", or he may be angry.

::Given that someone [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:ColorfulGalaxy&curid=25508&diff=304689&oldid=303399 seems to be stalking you], and even snuck in some activity before ''my'' post, above, I'm starting to suspect something more. I leave it to those who can do things to sort it out. As an IP, I don't think I have any say in the matter, but I'll let others consider the possibilities. (You've got to be an idiot to clearly log in with the wrong account, though, and then fail to pick up the changes with the 'right' one. And I knew While False wasn't truly finished trying to do stupid things to the site... You're not impressing anybody, WF.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.201|172.70.85.201]] 20:28, 12 January 2023 (UTC)
:::That’s not typical WF behaviour at all. —[[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.198|162.158.222.198]] 19:38, 27 January 2023 (UTC)

== The online chat s over ==

Please revert https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Sitenotice&diff=304122&oldid=239894 [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.92|172.70.211.92]] 18:45, 1 February 2023 (UTC)

== Users involved in spamming. ==

There are at least three 'people' involved here, using trivial character differences/substitutions:
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/ElisabethPacheco
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/EIisabethPacheco
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/EIizabethPacheco
(...in case not obvious, especially in sans-serif, the second two use capital-I (i) instead of small-l (L), and the s/z difference should be obvious. No obvious signs of anything like using cyrillic look-alike characters, yet.)

There may be others, or will be, but these ones have just recently popped up in spamming (and then obfuscating? ...hoping to be reverted back into the spam version?) the redirect pages [[Drama‎‎]] and [[Google Maps]] (see [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Drama&action=history here] and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Google_Maps&action=history here]), though they are currently fully reverted. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.35|172.70.90.35]] 04:33, 28 February 2023 (UTC)
:One of these also interacted with a differently named suspicious-looking/acting account:
:* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/CipherGuide
:Could be a coincidence, but... For reference. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.190|172.71.242.190]] 13:18, 28 February 2023 (UTC)
:And now [[User:ElisabethPacheco (do not ban me)]]. [[User:AndroidTheLucario|AndroidTheLucario]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 03:54, 19 March 2023 (UTC)

Can someone block [[User:Email Trial 1]]? They're repeatedly adding comments on spamming other people's emails. Thanks! ~ [[user:megan|Megan]] she/her [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 16:25, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

== Ongoing image vandalism ==

by [[User:Troonjak|this user]] ([[Special:Contributions/Troonjak|contributions]]). ~ [[user:megan|Megan]] she/her [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 02:50, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

I suggest we raise the threshold for image uploads. After all, there's no reason for most editors to upload images. ~ [[user:megan|Megan]] she/her [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 03:13, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

Bumping this since it happened again. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 07:54, 22 July 2024 (UTC)

== Fix obnoxious typo on the Editor FAQ ==

This page contains a typo and I can't edit it out: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ

It's highlighted in this sentence:

"You can use the Math markup <nowiki><math>...</math></nowiki>. The other known code from Wikipedia <nowiki><chem>...</chem></nowiki> is not supported yet. It's based on LaTeX syntax and a general overview can be found at '''''it's''''' Wikipedia help page. Don't use it unless you actually understand what you are doing." Edit: Whoops, forgot to sign: [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:04, 1 May 2023 (UTC)

== Update MediaWiki ==

The current MediaWiki version is 1.30.0 which ended support mid-2019, please upgrade to 1.39.x or something due to security concerns. Instructions here https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Upgrading [[User:Cam1170|Cam1170]] ([[User talk:Cam1170|talk]]) 20:55, 29 March 2023 (UTC)
Make sure to upgrade to 1.35 first, from the Check Requirements section.
Actually, 1.31 then 1.35 then 1.39 for the smoothest transition. [[User:Cam1170|Cam1170]] ([[User talk:Cam1170|talk]]) 15:15, 5 July 2023 (UTC)

I would like to add that this is still an issue. I don't know a better way to bring this to admin attention. [[User:Cam1170|Cam1170]] ([[User talk:Cam1170|talk]]) 21:28, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

== user edits someone else's comment ==

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2760:_Paleontology_Museum&diff=309970&oldid=309964 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.87.65|162.158.87.65]] 09:51, 8 April 2023 (UTC)
::That word is not spelled "Ye". It's "Þe". [[User:Omg Oriental Music Group|Omg Oriental Music Group]] ([[User talk:Omg Oriental Music Group|talk]]) 00:49, 9 April 2023 (UTC)
:::That would depend. We all (FCVO 'all') get your point, but is spelt (or, if you wish, "spelled", but I would like to use the other form) that way by the original commentator. And it was a signed Talk post, not an Explanation page that needs to be standardised(/standardized) by success revisions.
:::Can you also say for definite that it was not intended by the original author to be the second-person plural personal pronoun (nominative), correctly or otherwise, rather than the definite article (under a standard reduced typeset)? No reason to change it, not even if an actual tyop. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.207|172.71.178.207]] 11:56, 9 April 2023 (UTC)
:Yeah, bad practice, except where correcting clear mistakes or otherwise sanitising something best not left up in the open (for whatever good reason). Like if I'd misapplied a style "colour" tag, by accident, but not if I'd openly written "colour" in a Talk entry.
:But not necessary in this case of language-geek hyperconnection. I think a revert/re-edit to restore the original would be not an issue, but I won't do it myself.
:The best way to look smart with the "thorn" character would have been to say "You have 'Ye Olde blah-de-blah', but I hink you meant... [etc]" and own the joke and the smugness rather than try to 'improve' on the original in-situ. As one who has made typos (but also said exactly what I wanted to, perhaps deciding not to over-egg the pudding) I would prefer even a snarky "did you mean.." reply over an invisible 'improvement' that may not even be properly focused any more. Each to their own, but my suggestion, if the editor wants to revise their edit. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.65|172.71.178.65]] 15:54, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

== Deletion of wrongly-titled pages ==
Could you please delete [[:Category:Comics with small caps|this redirect]]? [[User:Memo Spike Connector|2503: Memo Spike Connector]] ([[User talk:Memo Spike Connector|talk]]) 06:18, 17 April 2023 (UTC)

Could you delete [[:Category;Comics featuring real people|this page]]? [[User:ClassicalGames|ClassicalGames]] ([[User talk:ClassicalGames|talk]]) 03:29, 15 June 2023 (UTC)

[[Usertalk:Billstz]] turned into a redirect. It should have been deleted. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 21:10, 25 June 2023 (UTC)

== Repeated spam in user talk page ==
The page [[User talk:ClassicalGames]] got repeatedly spammed. Could you semiprotect it? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.242|172.69.134.242]] 02:07, 12 May 2023 (UTC)

:Hmmmmm, I think he really deserves the spam. He spammed in [[User:ColorfulGalaxy/Sandbox|someone else's user page]] without permission. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.228|172.71.154.228]] 03:56, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

:Easily reverted, to restore legitimate conversation. (Perhaps more such attention should go to where some people are [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2293:_RIP_John_Conway&curid=22901&diff=312913&oldid=312626 repeatedly making entirely useless and gratuitous edits]...) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.86|172.71.242.86]] 08:59, 12 May 2023 (UTC)
::Those spammers probably knew the CG rules, and appeared to have welcomed every CG group member with a spam. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.23.33|172.69.23.33]] 09:57, 12 May 2023 (UTC)

== The relevant xkcd comic from not xkcd ==

https://thomaspark.co/2017/01/relevant-xkcd/ This comic. A reference to xkcd, in the style of xkcd, about xkcd.

Can I make a page about it? Please? :)

== What's a "comic incarnate"? ==

[[User:Memo Spike Connector]] seems to have a friend group of users with the names of various comics. E's been changing their user pages ''and signatures'' to match the comic pages and titles. Is this some sort of cult? It sounds fun! Where do I sign up? --[[User:AndroidTheLucario|Your favorite aura doggo]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 03:18, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
:To answer the title, "incarnate"=="made flesh". Reincarnation is when you're given a new body, again, incarnation can therefore be taken as when the 'spirit' first assumes a tangible (or visible) form.
:To ponder on this fad of creating comic-related user accounts... pretty much unnecessary and has no reason to be encouraged, I suppose. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.62|172.70.162.62]] 03:52, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
::How do I join? I wanna be cool like them! --[[User:AndroidTheLucario|Your favorite aura doggo]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 03:59, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
:I think this needs to be taken more seriously now. [[User:Memo Spike Connector]] has had their page added to the *category* of Cursed Connectors, despite not being an official comic. It's starting to feel like a very unusual case of vandalism, but I'm not sure. [[User:Tsumikiminiwa|Tsumikiminiwa]] ([[User talk:Tsumikiminiwa|talk]]) 19:37, 14 June 2023 (UTC)
:: Addendum, [[User:Unreliable Connection]] has their page added to the Internet and Social Interactions categories. Everything else I said before still stands. [[User:Tsumikiminiwa|Tsumikiminiwa]] ([[User talk:Tsumikiminiwa|talk]]) 19:41, 14 June 2023 (UTC)

== Main page in phones category ==

The [[Main Page]] is now in the [[:Category:Phones]] category. [[User:ClassicalGames|ClassicalGames]] ([[User talk:ClassicalGames|talk]]) 03:25, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
:Surely because [[2789: Making Plans]], currently transcluded there, is legitimately given that category. I'd be more surprised if it wasn't. (Until Wednesday's new comic release changes this, if it does.) What's the problem, and how is it related to 'your' issue, above? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.146|172.71.178.146]] 10:04, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
::I moved this to its own section, but you can change the section title if you want. --[[User:AndroidTheLucario|Your favorite aura doggo]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 19:43, 15 June 2023 (UTC)

== please block u|Vandal (and many more)==

cf. [[Special:Contributions/Vandal]] 11 page blankings today. Thanks. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:24, 4 July 2023 (UTC)

Actually, looking at [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Log/newusers&limit=500&type=newusers&user= Special:Log/newusers] is pretty ominous. Nearly all of the last 500 (within the past 4 days), and also the next few thousand, are suspicious. The CAPTCHA probably needs to be replaced with something more difficult that is perhaps not as trivially automatable? And all those users blocked? Not sure. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:05, 4 July 2023 (UTC)
:As a regular checker of such things, I know for a fact that you get hundreds of 'suspicious' accounts created every day, and most of them 'go nowhere'. The account creation speedblocks may not be very good. Or, possibly, tens of thousands of accounts are ''tried'' to be created, with 'just' a small percentage of them getting past the CAPTCHA/etc to get noticed by us - the actual top-level site admins will have access to the 'failed to register fully' logs. ''But'', the actual page vandalism is very rarely any of these 'mechanised spam accounts'. I presume because the CAPTCHAs throttle down the 'lucky' accounts' abilities to do anything they were programmed to do ''once'' registered. And, no, the accounts aren't blocked (i.e. disabled accounts, except on very ''rare'' occasions when an Admin gets annoyed with a conspicuously used spam-login), if the actual Block Log is to be believed, but so many get created and ''never'' used so it looks like the "new user early posts" precautionary checks do a very good job.
:We're also getting that idiot (I presume the same idiot as we've had for a year or two now) who manually creates accounts, such as you have been dealing with (and me, and others) over the last 24 hours or so. As a stupid human rather than a 'smart' bot, the CAPTCHA is no block to him/her/them. And the occasional IP gets used in that way, too (and I mostly successfully revert vandalism as only an IP; usefully, I hope) which might just be lazy vandalism, on top of the baseline stupidity. But the precautions against them are different. As with the 'Eric's ("Hi, I see your website needs improving - Eric"-types of message), which also seem to be handled by the community (and/or our automated blocking/reverting).
:I don't see increasing the severity of the CAPTCHA to be a solution to much, honestly. Not from my perspective, certainly, though I know there's no reason to take my own unattributable word on that.
:Instead, we should keep on keeping on. The community handles these things as they need to be. The admins know the 'hidden fight' going on in the background, but won't (and shouldn't) reveal too much about the extent of the first-line defences against bad faith 'automated' edits and the rest. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.140|172.70.90.140]] 08:13, 5 July 2023 (UTC)

Vandalism appeared again in [[2800]]. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 20:07, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

== Ban fake IP ==

Could you ban [[User:172.68.102.XXX]]? His edits sound suspicious, and he seems to be fighting against us. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 19:41, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

== Vandalism by 172.69.214.158 ==

Large number of extreme vandalism, which ThatoneU is valiantly yet inefficaciously fighting:

example from https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1193:_Externalities&action=history

<pre>
(cur | prev) 01:04, 24 July 2023‎ 172.69.214.158 (talk)‎ . . (6,765 bytes) (-15,000)‎ . . (Undo revision 318344 by ThatoneU (talk)) (undo)
(cur | prev) 00:47, 24 July 2023‎ ThatoneU (talk | contribs)‎ m . . (21,765 bytes) (+15,000)‎ . . (undo)
(cur | prev) 00:46, 24 July 2023‎ 172.69.214.158 (talk)‎ . . (6,765 bytes) (-15,000)‎ . . (undo)
</pre>

== Vandalism on page 2805 ==

The latest comic page (2805) is currently being vandalized. Can an admin please look into it?

== Problem with new accounts and IPs ==

So I'm sure many of you are well aware of the vandalism happening recently. But what concerns me the most is that all the edits were done by many, many different IPs, meaning that we can't just block one, and this site could get overrun by systematic IP vandalism. Also, the new accounts being created seem very suspicious. For such a small community, there's no way that there can be around 100 new users each day. The actual usernames of the users seem to follow a very repetitive pattern (generic first name + generic last name + random number). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.42.209|172.70.42.209]] 18:44, 24 July 2023 (UTC)
:As a fellow IP (and not a vandal myself, at least by intent) I find that the advantages of being able to leap in and correct (often 'named') damage outweigh the relatively small amount of IP-led vandalism. And the details of how the IPs represent the (limited, but geographically distributed) Cloudflare gateways has been noted before a number of times, together with what can be done about/with them.
:About the new accounts... Look back for ''years'', and you'll see the same (or similar) patterns. Almost all the truly rogue (presumably automated generation/'registering') then do nothing else as the site blocks the (still automated) attempts to do something with them.
:The worst danger this site is threatened by is the actual manually-posting individuals who (IPed or named) can do what they like so long as (like us legitimate editors) they are prepared to be sat at the keyboard and spend/waste the time in navigating the initial CAPTCHAs/etc to set down their changes. And there's not much more anybody can do about them without ruining everyone else's experience to a similar degree. Perhaps there's some adjustments possible, but none seem necesary to address the account-spam and other precautions are intercepting/reverting the lion's share of the edit-spam (with or without accounts).
:Not up to me, but I trust in those who it is up to. To continue with what is happening right now or to respond in new ways to anything that needs a new approach. Not saying that I don't have ideas of my own, for if I were able to intervene, but I doubt it'd be useful to voice them. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.158|172.70.162.158]] 21:12, 24 July 2023 (UTC)

== Large amounts of vandalism involving disturbing imagery. ==

Page 2805 has a huge vandalism problem. Vandals (it seems to be the same few people over and over, or maybe one person with multiple addresses) keep covering the page with weird, disturbing photos and way-too-bright colors.
A few people have been valiantly fighting back but that doesn't mean this isn't a problem.
I would like to please request that the page be locked to prevent further vandalism, and that you please ban all the people that have vandalized it in this way before (and/or take some other action to prevent future vandals) . Thank you very much! [[User:(insert name here)|(insert name here)]] ([[User talk:(insert name here)|talk]]) 01:20, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

There also seems to be a parser problem where instead of vandals replacing the page source, the vandalism is appended to the end, even though it isn't in the source. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.174.230|172.71.174.230]] 03:39, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

The optimal way to go would be to add bots that automatically replace questionable content like divs and detect image/word spam (like the one in Wikipedia). They would always be on so the vandals would get overwhelmed. Similarly I'd suggest monitoring the constant stream of IP addresses and created accounts. Most editors are IP addresses though, so you might want to watch out for that. Does ExplainXKCD have semiprotection capabilities? You would definitely want to do that, especially the important articles like [[xkcd]], [[Randall Munroe]], [[Cueball]], [[1:_Barrel_-_Part_1]], and ALL of the templates (the vandals were targeting those the most). [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 11:53, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

: I agree that the important pages (primary pages, plus all templates) need to be protected somehow so that this can't happen again. It's nice to have a low threshold to editing; it's nicer having a resource that can be depended on and doesn't require random volunteers jumping in to save. (Let's be honest; the images the vandal posted could have been much, much worse.) -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 12:28, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

:: What the heck is 'Explain XKCD Administrator' doing? He seems to also be doing some weird div BS, making it so that it's impossible to scroll or click on templates or some comics. Blocking would be heavily advised. [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 12:39, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

== Becoming an admin? ==

Hi. I've been contributing occasionally for eight years now, and I think I've been helpful. But, almost half of the edits were last night in that wave of vandalism. It was very frustrating knowing that I had the same tools as the (14-year-old?) vandal, and the only end-point to the fun would be one of us throwing in the towel, and it was probably going to me (bedtime).

I don't have the time and/or commitment to do regular moderation work, but I (think I) am a reasonable person, who deals with conflicts rationally and could help out in a pinch. Is there a chance I could be given some more powers to help out if (when) such a crap-storm happens again? Thanks for your consideration... -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 11:14, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

:I saw your efforts, early on in my own day, definitely looked to be amongst the helpful editors. I later picked up several cases (might have missed a couple, that others IDed before me) after I got online, and undid that latest form of vandalism in both templates (agree with above, they probably should be semi-protected) and pages. A simple Undo even at my level was sufficient to revert practically everything. What might have been handy was one of the top-moderators being around to use the mass-revert tools to streamline that, and keep on top of the account (or account''s'', as the problematic one would definitely open new accounts - we've seen them do this before) deserving to be blocked and banished. Unfortunately, the freedom of a wiki (which I value) doesn't really work well with over-administration. But that's a discussion to be had by those already at the top levels. I don't envy them. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.164|172.70.90.164]] 18:08, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

:: Well, the 14-year-old is back. I'm losing interest in fighting this mud-fest without real admin tools. -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 20:11, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
::: We really need to stop this wave of persistent vandalism with protection. When will the admins notice our suffering? [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 20:23, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
::: I feel your pain. I caught (and had to recatch) a few of them as he turned up whilst I was browsing/considering proper edits. nd then I noticed you had appeared and were also retroing them, just as I thought I was barely keeping pace. But he's slackened off, so maybe you arriving here has made the difference. (And I'm fed up with pictures of fire hydrants!) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.214|172.70.91.214]] 20:20, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
::::Me too... I'm coming to help. Hopefully we can fight that manchild off. Also I call death and destruction to Captcha. [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 20:22, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
:::: It's frustrating to watch the same few IP addresses wreak all this havoc. Being able to ban them would be a joy; why can't we have that power? -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 20:31, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
::::: OK: 2/3 of my contributions have been in the last 24 hours fighting Bozo-Man in all his flamboyant IP addresses. Without further powers, I'm done, because (unlike Bozo-Man) I have better things to do. Sorry... -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 22:39, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
:::::: What powers do you need? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]])
::::::: I'm not looking for Super Duper Guru™ powers, just something that would even the battle a bit. No, that's not true: I'm looking for something that would make the battle ''unfair'' by making it easier to clean things up than it is to vandalize them. For instance, of the 123 vandalisms I reverted over the pat 24 hours, a third of them were from the top four IP addresses, and two thirds were from the top ten. If you only look at the first three quads of the IP addresses, half came from just two subnets. Block a few IP addresses, and the moderation load would go way down. (And that ignores the work the other users did.)
::::::: It makes sense that you wouldn't want to be handing out Thor's Hammer indiscriminately, but (IMO) something needs to change. If MediaWiki's moderation permissions aren't selective enough for your tastes, I'd be happy to follow your guidance (e.g. no blocking people for more than 24 hours). -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 01:16, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
:::::::: Congrats, you are promoted, thanks for helping out. See me in a week if you still want the powers. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]])
::::::::: Thank you. Any guidance for the newbie admin? Or should I just "moderate moderately"? -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 01:33, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
:::::::::: Block and move... block and move. Great power / great responsibility and all that. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]])

== Preventation of vandalism ==

I'll bet the entire budget of the Death Star II that the vandalizer is going to strike again in a few hours. We should be more prepared - I've already cut links to templates, and we should be vigilant about the pages they are going to attack: the current comic, templates, important pages. [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 00:06, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
: What do you need to help? Let me know. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]])
:: Semiprotect all the templates. [[User:84596Gamma|84596Gamma]] ([[User talk:84596Gamma|talk]]) 00:52, 26 July 2023 (UTC)

== Username request ==

It looks like an impersonator registered an account under my name. Is it possible for me to get that username? [[User:Randall Munroe 2|Randall Munroe 2]] ([[User talk:Randall Munroe 2|talk]]) 04:41, 30 July 2023 (UTC)
:: To ask an obvious question: who are you? And, if you say you are the Randall Munroe of XKCD fame, how can we be sure? -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 12:41, 30 July 2023 (UTC)
::''May I have your attention, please?''
::''May I have your attention, please?''
::''Will the real Randall Munroe please stand up?''
::''I repeat''
::''Will the real Randall Munroe please stand up?''
::''We're gonna have a problem here...''
::(...but, in my assessmemt, Randall would have actual more direct ways of introducing himself to; if he suddenly decided to muddy the water by descending to our level when his interactions even with the forum were minimal; if he hasn't already been here/there/wherever all along, incognito and with/without the administrators knowing this. But Randall's technical and connected enough to not need to ask the above the way it was asked.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.181|172.70.162.181]] 15:36, 30 July 2023 (UTC)

== user page ==

how do i put stuff in my profile? others have done it but for mine it says that i don't have permission to create that page [[User:An user who has no account yet|An user who has no account yet]] ([[User talk:An user who has no account yet|talk]]) 16:01, 5 September 2023 (UTC)
: Don't know why you couldn't, but I now have created your user and talk pages; let us know if you now can't edit them. [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 16:08, 5 September 2023 (UTC)
:: There appears to be a rather restrictive page creation policy (it may be dialled up fairly high to age of account, possibly more so than any mere contributions-count), at least in regard to User-typed namespaces. Many account-creators have noted this, and had to be helped out. I suspect it's just their making that An User was ever prevented from. After all, even I can add things to User (and, more correctly and politely, User Talk) pages. And I'm not even a usernamed person. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.230|172.70.85.230]] 20:28, 5 September 2023 (UTC)

== Unable to edit ==
For the last two months, I was unable to make any edits. Is my account secretly locked? Also, I couldn't even post tweets. Did I offend you? [[User:ConlangGuide|ConlangGuide]] ([[User talk:ConlangGuide|talk]]) 23:38, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

:Also, I tried to post on ClassicalGames's talk page but it was messy. [[User:ConlangGuide|ConlangGuide]] ([[User talk:ConlangGuide|talk]]) 23:43, 27 September 2023 (UTC)

== cannot create user page ==

Like all the other instances of this, it just says "There is currently no text in this page. You can search for this page title in other pages, or search the related logs, but you do not have permission to create this page." At least it isn't just me [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]] ([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk]]) 16:43, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

: Created your user and talk page with placeholder text (".") -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 19:20, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

:: much thanks! now to wait until i can make my own custom css page [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]] ([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk]]) 19:38, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

:I didn't want to create yet another discussion topic for the same issue, so I put it here. Could someone create my user page as well? Thanks. [[User:Obwankenobi|Obwankenobi]] ([[User talk:Obwankenobi|talk]]) 20:14, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

=== Same here. ===

I'm almost glad I'm not the only one with this issue with the user and talk page. I was kind of asking myself what I've done not to be permitted a user page, you know. I remember trying to create one once upon a time, which included a link to my own webcomic. It didn't save for some reason and after that I wasn't permitted to create a user page. So if a link to your own hobbyist scribblings is considered illicit advertising, please let me know in order to avoid misunderstandings. [[User:PaulEberhardt|PaulEberhardt]] ([[User talk:PaulEberhardt|talk]]) 14:54, 16 June 2024 (UTC)
:With a dozen edits (up to and including the above), and a decent amount of time, I'd have expected you to be over the nominal threshold to give you the right to create your pages.
:(I'm not entirely sure what the criteria are, off the top of my head, though I know it's been discussed elsewhere. And if I were configuring it, I'd not put too much weight on "the number of edits" or "the net amount of added bytes"/whatever, as it could encourage pointless editing-for-the-sake-of-editing, rather than relying upon 'time served' to weed out those who are in a rush to create havoc... but there's arguments to make it a combination of criteria. And it's not up to me, anyway..!)
:Firstly, have you tried again recently, like right now? If you have, and it still won't 'take', or even let you get that far, then there's plenty of longer-term/higher-intensity users that ''might'' look kindly upon your participation and answer your plight. But do try again.
:And I'd say that (within reason, like avoid linking to anywhere dodgy or uploading masses of total junk) you're free to make your User page into anything you want. I'm pretty sure you aren't going to want to cross any 'line' (official or otherwise), so all the best. And bumping your request. (Also slightly sub-headering, because it is rather a reply to the above header. I might just have added an indented reply straight off, but... again... it's not really for the likes of me to say, so I'm only tweaking it, not merging it in.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.71|162.158.38.71]] 20:57, 16 June 2024 (UTC)

::Cheers for the info, and for the tweak! I didn't know how to make sub-headings (yes, I'm that wiki-illiterate - lol), or I'd have done it myself. Possibly I'm just not over this mysterious threshold, being a somewhat irregular visitor with a slight penchant for bad puns, but I certainly do intend to make contributions that actually contribute to something whenever I can (btw. my own webcomic, actually two webcomics by now, are both All Ages and hosted on a well-known webcomic community site, so it's certainly nothing dodgy from my point of view). I don't want to make a fuss about it all, either. If nothing works after a year or so, I'll just start over with a new account or something and see what happens. [[User:PaulEberhardt|PaulEberhardt]] ([[User talk:PaulEberhardt|talk]]) 18:24, 22 June 2024 (UTC)

== Small css-related changes to two templates ==

I've explained what changes I want made in the talk pages for [[Template:Comic]] and [[Template:Comic discussion]] already, but I think I might need to mention them here too. Changing the templates shouldn't cause any adverse effects, and allow for more versatility for users who create their own CSS. [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]])

: You should sign your comments with "-- ~~~~", which will insert your username. And, there's a very low chance that anyone with the power to change the CSS to wander by; we've been on our own for a while. -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 22:01, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

: Added the class names. —[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 15:39, 1 November 2023 (UTC)

:: THANK YOU!!! The face of pure shock and excitement i felt when seeing this was beyond my wildest dreams ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 15:46, 2 November 2023 (UTC)

== Math Module breaks all pages with it ==

[[2070]] and [[2034]] appear to be broken for some reason. They wont load at all with the following reason:

<code>
MediaWiki internal error.

Original exception: [ZUPRak3GkbeSokPCcKIp8AAAAJI] 2023-11-02 16:42:18: Fatal exception of type "MWException"

Exception caught inside exception handler.

Set $wgShowExceptionDetails = true; at the bottom of LocalSettings.php to show detailed debugging information.</code>

[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 16:42, 2 November 2023 (UTC)
:: [[2295]] also broken. Must be related to the Math module. [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 16:44, 2 November 2023 (UTC)
:: Full list of broken pages:
::* [[128: dPain over dt]]
::* [[687: Dimensional Analysis]]
::* [[849: Complex Conjugate]]
::* [[899: Number Line]]
::* [[969: Delta-P]]
::* [[1047: Approximations]]
::* [[2028: Complex Numbers]]
::* [[2034: Equations]]
::* [[2048: Curve-Fitting]]
::* [[2059: Modified Bayes' Theorem]]
::* [[2070: Trig Identities]]
::* [[2117: Differentiation and Integration]]
::* [[2295: Garbage Math]]
::* Possibly more [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 00:14, 3 November 2023 (UTC)
:::On further analysis, it seems to be related to the MathML setting. [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 19:23, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

== Way to contact the site hosters? ==

I have tried posting at Jeff's talk page to no avail. Maybe yáll admins have a red phone hotline to Jeff? See reasons at [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#Way to contact the site hosters?]]. [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 01:34, 9 December 2023 (UTC)

== Escape speed is no longer incomplete ==

Can you delete the text at the top of every page except the main page that says ''"We still need to complete some explanations like this one: 2765: Escape Speed. All incomplete explanations are here."''? Escape speed is no longer incomplete, so that is wrong.[[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4bo-hj-mDyOOUp_Yp0pug youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)] 14:03, 27 December 2023 (UTC)

This keeps happening with other comics too [[User:Moderator|Moderator]] ([[User talk:Moderator|talk]]) 21:44, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

== Vandal Issue ==

we've got vandals all over [[2875: 2024]], and they're getting persistent [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 16:50, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
:At least one vandalism per minute. Even with Someoene and I both reverting, it's showing the racist message most of the time. Can Explainxkcd protect a page? [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 17:54, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
::Deleting the vandal's ignorant... let's call it "self-defense" to be generous. What exactly is supposed to be "not racist" about a derogatory term for black men - which features prominently in the edit summaries is left as an exercise for the reader. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.181|162.158.146.181]] 18:35, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
:Preferably also rev-del the revisions and summaries. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.13|172.69.71.13]] 18:40, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

== XKCD Browser ==

I made a [https://github.com/kristianbenoit/XKCD XKCD browser] in python with pygame and think it could be useful to others. The idea was to popup a comic the morning after it was published from a crontab. There could be a hotkey to point to todays discussion on explainxkcd. I wonder where/how would be the place to advertise it ? [[User:Kbenoit|Kbenoit]] ([[User talk:Kbenoit|talk]]) 15:36-40, 20 February 2024 (UTC)
:Here's a good start. Perhaps on the comic discussions for similar things ([https://uni.xkcd.com/ unixkcd], etc). As and when you get a User page here then you can perhaps expound on it there (assuning you aren't leaving the explanation to the github webspace. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.172|172.71.178.172]] 16:01, 20 February 2024 (UTC)
::You (other IP, in the 160s.*) meant well, but [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests&diff=prev&oldid=335412 the person who linked my text] was not me and that link isn't directly useful for K's purpose. Maybe indeed I should have pointed at [[UniXKCD]], or [[Talk:UniXKCD]], but I wasn't sure that was even the best place on here. Look around the [[:Category:Interactive comics]], and/or ones featuring browsers lrominently, maybe.
::I repeat that you (Kristian, with our help at bumping the contribution here) have already now made it known/knowable, at least to those who browse this site widely, but once you get a Userspace page you can perhaps do a little bit more in your own free space and also push people there through subtle pointers or signature-links in further on-context contributions. This isn't really a place for random advertising, but definitely contextual links to offsite xkcd 'fandom' is not something I'd personally have issues with (certainly compared to some other things that might get snuck on here). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.62|172.70.91.62]] 13:43, 21 February 2024 (UTC)

== Vandalism-related Ban Request ==

Hey, if any of the admins see this, can you please ban Jupitale? They’ve made 11 vandalism-related edits, within the time frame of about 21 hours. Even though they haven’t ben active since February 28, I feel like it’s better to err on the more cautious side. Thanks! ^_^ [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 01:09, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
:It'd be even more cautious not to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:Ash123&action=history create userpages] for a user that [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1211:_Birds_and_Dinosaurs&diff=prev&oldid=336532 was only here to spam us].. (Note to admins: add Ash123 to that todo list, if we're calling them out, and I know I've reverted some other single-spamming usernames recently.) But you just know that a ban for anyone like 'Jupitale' (as much as they'd deserve it) is going to be of no actual consequence to them.
:And hold off on all those other userpages, 42. It's not your job, and you might not be right about the usefulness of the ones you're (seemingly randomly) creating. Without even being asked. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.217|172.69.194.217]] 01:55, 5 March 2024 (UTC)

== Countdown ==

Can we please have an xkcd-like countdown on the top of every page for how many days left till the next april fool's comic? (Eg. today it would say "7 days untill the next april fool's comic!") [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4bo-hj-mDyOOUp_Yp0pug youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)] 10:26, 25 March 2024 (UTC)
:What certainty is there that there'll be one? If/when get the April Fool, or past it, do we reset for the next, or start counting down to the next hypothetical New Year, Christmas, Halloween comic or "Two/Seven/Ten Years" reanniversary? We need to know a few more details to the idea.
:And I presume you meant "a countdown in a suitably xkcx-ish manner, as there have been countdowns for books/etc but not a consistent approach, just some wide ranging but apt creative teasers [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.225|172.69.194.225]] 11:32, 25 March 2024 (UTC)
:Shhhh, it's supposed to be a surprise! I mean, in my opinion, I'd rather want to see people caught off guard in the comments rather than warn them. [[User:Asdf|Asdf]] ([[User talk:Asdf|talk]]) 12:35, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

== Unblock request ==

Hello! I tried to sign up for an account a couple years ago, but I happened to sign up during a major vandal attack, and an admin blocked me based on a mistaken accusation of vandalism and sockpuppetry. I had used the account [[User:Danny E. Corchado]], then I used [[User:Danny Corchado]] to attempt to appeal my block shortly afterwards; both accounts are now blocked. I no longer have the password to the former, but I can log in to the latter account. Can someone please unblock [[User:Danny Corchado]]? If someone creates [[User talk:Danny Corchado]], I should be able to edit that page to prove I do control the account. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.151.21|172.71.151.21]] 02:26, 1 April 2024 (UTC)
:ill give you the benefit of doubt-done and done [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 04:19, 1 April 2024 (UTC)
::Really? You actually think this could work like that? Both(/'both'?) of you? I wondered why you (42) randomly created that user's page from (from 'your' perspective) the mists of time. Which doesn't help unblock anyone, there's not even any logic in that request. (Once unblocked, whoever controls the account can prove that ''they control the account''. But where does that lead anyone?)
::And why would you associate ''in any way'' with an account 'of no account' that was linked with vandalism? You can only be judged by your actions, as you can choose any name (within reason) that you want. "Mr Corchado" still has uncounted options left if he absolutely must post, in all good faith, as 'Dan Corchado' or similar. You've been here long enough (longer than your current username) to know all this. Sheesh... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.77|172.70.85.77]] 11:03, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

== Adding images from 2916: Machine ==

I created most of the page for 2916: Machine, but do not have permissions to upload images to embed for each object/character, could someone either upload all the images I have linked on the page, or allow for me to upload the images? Thanks [[User:Claire Kholin|Claire Kholin]] ([[User talk:Claire Kholin|talk]]) 18:56, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

== Main Page Deletion ==

Hi. When I logged in today, I saw that the Main Page was deleted just 2 minutes before by Mark Hurd. If I remember correctly, he was confirmed to have passed on Wikipedia, and other Admins were talking about de-sysopping him. Can someone please explain this? Thanks, [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:44, 11 April 2024 (UTC)
:After Kynde restored the Main Page, he didn't protect it. Could someone please protect it so that trolls and vandals can't mess with it, like last time? Thanks. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:18, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

== "Interesting" Account Creations ==

Hi. So I was looking at the user creation log, and I noticed a suspicious number of accounts-at least 90% of them-are being created using a <Semi-generic first name> <semi-generic last name> <usally two or three numbers>. This would be kinda weird in the first place, however, almost none of the accounts are active. That and the fact that these accounts are being created no less than 10 minutes from each other made me think somethings a little weird. Maybe I'm just dumb. Just wanted to bring it to your attention in case this wasn't a normal thing.[[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 17:17, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
I looked a bit further, the exact same thing happened two months ago as well, but the names were random letters instead [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 17:34, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
:It's been happening (in various forms) for years. Maybe a decade, if not more. For as long as I've been paying attention, certainly, which might well be that long.
:Without access to the whole admin logs, it seems to reflect the intention of 'bots to spam, spam and spam again, automatically, creating accounts they will use to do so but then hitting the actually rather effective anti-bot defenses, so they do absolutely nothing (well, maybe they're lucky every now and again, but practically insignificant successes, and IP-only spams seem to dominate, at maybe twice a week for who-knows-how-many wctual attempts).
:Amongst the current bunch randomly created names, I see a few that are clearly created around the word "Ingredients" (rather than a feedstock to create 'FirstnameLastname', which has long been the main default). I take it that each meta-pattern we see as indicative of a different bot-farmer's efforts, so this might have been started up for a particular spam-theme. Which maybe we'll get an idea of if it gets lucky. Though I'm in no hurry to find out such details. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.13|172.71.242.13]] 12:39, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
Awesome, glad that its under control then :) [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 14:32, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
:Recently created a public-facing wiki and I can confirm these accounts are would-be spambots (they started spamming my wiki until I made it impossible to register an account without already having one). —Megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 09:07, 16 July 2024 (UTC)
::Not to question your decision on how to do this, but idly wondering how many people who already have an account would want to register a new one, and why... RPing with alts actively encouraged, and nobody new joining in? Sounds interesting, but I feel I've misunderstood somehow. (And solving the problem however you want to is your perogative.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.123|172.69.195.123]] 10:35, 16 July 2024 (UTC)
:::It's a small wiki mostly for me and my friends; I was silly and thought nothing could go wrong if I left account creation wide open since the wiki isn't linked from anywhere . I guess it must have been someone scanning the IPv4 address space. I don't need anyone registering anymore unless I make new acquaintances/friends, in which case I'll make an account for them. —Megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 14:41, 16 July 2024 (UTC)

==Block request==

Can someone block 42.book.addict on my profile and vice versa? We're having issues and I wanna stop with them. 19:34, 29 April 2024 (UTC)

== Problem with email verification. ==

I'm not getting the verification email. I checked everywhere in my inboxes, and dodecatuple-checked the email address I provided. Can anything be done? Although I guess it doesn't seem to be strictly necessary. Thank you. [[User:Paintadot|Paintadot]] ([[User talk:Paintadot|talk]]) 17:10, 2 May 2024 (UTC)

== Reclaim user account "rosuav" ==

I tried to sign in to make a small edit to #2954, but I can't create an account with my standard user name "Rosuav" due to one already existing; yet there's apparently no email address on file for that username. Is there a way to prove that I am that person, and request that it be unlocked? I use the same name everywhere eg GitHub, Twitch, Discord, Twitter (if that's at all relevant any more), and am the owner of the rosuav.com domain as well. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.144.144|172.68.144.144]] 06:10, 4 July 2024 (UTC)
:My instinct is that it could be done, but won't be. Even demonstrably owning the domain (with provable history) doesn't really trump the rights of any person who may have equally logical reasons for having beaten you to choosing 'their' username here. Yes, it leaves the way open for malicious cybersquatting/cybergazumping (haven't checked the history of this interloper account, to see if it's been unused/abused in 'your' name), but otherwise it sets an awful precedent of claim and counterclaim.
:I think you might just have to accept that you'll need a (totally, or slightly) different username here. Or do without, as you and I currently are.
:...not wishing to speak for the 'admins' here, who may suggest otherwise, but fairly safe in thinking that the hoops needed to be jumped through to 'correct' things in the fairest way are too untrivial, compared to the relative importance of task and any vital need. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.120|172.70.163.120]] 11:56, 4 July 2024 (UTC)

::Are the admins able to rename accounts? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.86|172.71.147.86]] 12:46, 8 July 2024 (UTC)

:::I think I've seen it done, maybe once, definitely a long time ago, unless I'm thinking of a completely different wiki(-like) server. But for totally different reasons than shuffling usernames in and out of use (in ways that didn't involve just account deletion, which is the clearer 'first step' that could possibly be justified).
:::Think about it, there's potentially a completely separate existing 'owner' of the contentious username. There's no pre-existing presumption that "<n> years of idleness" ever makes an identity forfeit, certainly not explicitly stated. Unlike various other login-mediated services, there's no real 'private space' to argue over ownership (and legitimate access) for, which saves some problems but then renders moot various possible reasons for making exceptional admin-changes.
:::For any purpose that mattersz it doesn't matter if you sign up as <code>JoeBloggs</code> or <code>Joe Bloggs</code> or <code>The Real Joe Bloggs</code> or <code>JoeyBloggs2008</code> or <code>JB003½</code> or <code>The Name's Bloggs, Joe Bloggs. Licenced To Kill, And Drive A Heavy Goods Vehicle</code>. Look at the [[Special:Log/newusers]], and see how meaningless any given username is, and not worth directly contesting in this sort of circumstance.
:::This is just my observation. I'd defer to any actual Admin who might have a more refined opinion (possibly quite different), Or actual community decisions, by ''named users'', that firmly suggested otherwise. But it looks like there's only three/four of us IPs who have anything to say on the matter. Or it's just me, pointlessly arguing with myself. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.60|172.71.242.60]] 14:44, 8 July 2024 (UTC)

== [[Category;Comics featuring real people]] ==

Can someone please delete this? It's obnoxiously showing up as an autocompletion whenever I'm about to search for categories (i.e. when I type "Category" into the search bar, it shows up). It's a main-space article and a cross-namespace redirect. It was probably created as an accident based on the fact that the person who created it soon redirected it to the correct name. It is not linked from any page except this one. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 00:26, 14 July 2024 (UTC)

== Removal of administrator permission for [[User:Markhurd|Markhurd]] ==

''Note that this request requires a bureaucrat, but for almost a year neither of our two bureaucrats have been active.''

[[User:Markhurd|Markhurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) ([[Special:Contribs/Markhurd|contribs]]) has been inactive since 2016 and is blocked because he has passed on. Yet his account still has administrator privileges which may be dangerous, since blocked administrators can still perform certain actions (e.g. blocking the administrator that blocked them). Thus, the account should have its administrator privileges removed. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 05:56, 16 July 2024 (UTC)

Actually, on this wiki, per [[Special:ListGroupRights]], administrators have the <code>unblockself</code> user right, allowing them to unblock themselves. So blocking an administrator doesn't really do anything at all. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]]/[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 06:05, 16 July 2024 (UTC)

== The crapper is back ==

And eir username is [[User:💩💩💩💩💩]]. [[User:AndroidTheLucario|Your favorite aura doggo]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 13:41, 16 July 2024 (UTC)
:Looking through the search archives, I see now. Maybe it's the person I had a brief revert skirmish with on 11 March 2023. Seems like that account stopped vandalizing a while ago, though their vandalism of a highly transcluded template makes me worried. —Megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 10:06, 20 July 2024 (UTC)
::Never rule out copycats, who did a bit of basic research. Or who were around the two or three times that this particular pattern occured, before, perhaps they weren't bored enough to join in then, or suddenly their hormones kicked in and they decided now was the time to rebel. Motives aren't easy to establish, beyond "because I can" and some strange urge to act out. For a number of minor reasons, that I'll not go fully into (because explaining would take more time than I place value on their actual correctness), I don't think it was "the crapper" seriously trying to revive their art.
::One other (broad) guess I have is that it's just a 'tagging' exercise/dare concocted by the off-site group from whom the original came, to have a new member fulfil initiation. I'm all but certain that certain lessons learnt by the original individual(s) weren't remembered, yet the choice of blindingly obvious emoji-username does seem like a relatively 'new' thought, so probably a different mind behind the implementation.
::Maybe they've even now got a sweepstake on how long it takes for the offending username to be banned? (Really should have been, already, though it doesn't matter in the long run if/when...) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.19|172.70.85.19]] 11:05, 20 July 2024 (UTC)
New crapper: [[Special:Contribs/The crapper is back]]. For some reason these users aren't really doing much - they seem to edit a bit and then back off. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 05:46, 22 July 2024 (UTC)
:Interesting to note that the crapper reappears at very close to the point in time that a number of CGs become active, by the way. Which is absolutely not the first time they both coincide (sometimes 'helping de-crap').
:Also CG accounts have a nasty habit of reverting an error recently added by (usually) an IP, and, if they can't find enough actual useful typos to correct (the spate of searching for rogue "the the"s was actually mostly useful and correct, but didn't take enough care about it). Also, CGs tend to revert any things that even ''suggest the CGs are linked'' as if to try to erase that idea from everyone's memory, rather than laugh it off or ignore it or say "yeah, and..? ...your problem is?" and I rather expect that this comment will get the same treatment. Which doesn't link 'them' to the crapper, but does become rather tedious in its own right. So perhaps 'they' should take the hint to stop that. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.249|172.70.160.249]] 10:44, 22 July 2024 (UTC)
:Addendum, an IP (other than me, obviously) has reverted CG's genuine (or at least correct) "the the"-like corrections several more times than the one that you (Megan) did. I re-reverted them. So that nobody else needs to. Nobody. (It could also be a game being played, or some weird steganographic alteration, but I'm defering back to just being 'helpful' but careless behaviour on behalf of a genuinely non-CG and otherwise CG-unaffiliated IP address.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.121|172.70.163.121]] 11:07, 22 July 2024 (UTC)

==Ba'al the Soul Eater==
Hi, so I didnt know wether this should go on admin requests or feature suggestions, so i put it here. I think Ba'al the Soul Eater needs a character category (and I dont know how to make one). They've been in more comics than many named other characters, droptablestudents is one example, and yet they dont have a character page. [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 16:52, 12 September 2024 (UTC)

==Ban all the Chinese users==
I REALLY CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SO ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE CHINESE USERS ARE SO ANNOYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GET THEM ALL BANNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[[User:World's most angry sinophobe|World's most angry sinophobe]] ([[User talk:World's most angry sinophobe|talk]]) 13:51, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
:Not helpful. Probably not serious. If serious, definitely not justifiable.
:Either a bad joke, a bad attitude or both, IMO. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.55|172.71.26.55]] 14:52, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
:What's more, if we ban them, then we'll receive less money from Chinese users if Explain XKCD gets sued due to copyright. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.63|172.70.85.63]] 22:36, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
::What, what and what? (In that order, if you prefer.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.58.30|172.70.58.30]] 23:09, 29 September 2024 (UTC)

== Some IP editor keeps erasing my user pages. ==

The same happened with 42.book.addict earlier. Please send help. [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 16:05, 25 October 2024 (UTC)
:I’ve come to accept that vandals will be vandals and trolls will be trolls. Honestly, if an admin protects your page, then they’ll just go to another user’s page. There’s not much that we can do, since they’re an IP. Just revert and move on, until you see it again. We do have strength in numbers, so there shouldn’t be much interference other than annoyance. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 16:12, 25 October 2024 (UTC)

== Adminship Needed ==

Hi all, it's [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] here. I forgot my password, and my email confirmation isn't working. I'm not able to recover my account, and I need my adminship rights back. Could someone please help me out? Thank you! [[User:Davidy21|Davidy21]] ([[User talk:Davidy21|talk]]) 02:38, 15 November 2024 (UTC)
:Pull the other one. It's got bells on it. (I'd say "nice try", but it really wasn't.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.106|172.71.26.106]] 04:06, 15 November 2024 (UTC)

== Hide the red and green numbers ==

I recently found that my talk page has been spammed. The red and green numbers in the history page are really offending. Please hide the numbers if possible. I know that admins can hide titles, edit summaries and usernames, but I don't know whether they can hide numbers. [[User:ChristmasGospel|ChristmasGospel]] ([[User talk:ChristmasGospel|talk]]) 19:40, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
:As gone into length after your similar request in TheusafBOT's Talk page, for all kinds of reasons I predict that this will not happen. Yes, they could ''perhaps'' hide the edits (vandalisms and the autoreversions), but not the numbers. And the justification to upend the edit histories for anything this trivial (I'm not convinced it isn't!) is severely lacking. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.130|172.70.86.130]] 20:40, 29 November 2024 (UTC)

== RSS Feed Broken ==

The RSS feed has been broken since xkcd 3015, I believe due to the ampersand in the comic title.

XML Parsing Error: not well-formed
Location: https://explainxkcd.com/rss.xml
Line Number 71, Column 18:
<title>3015: D&D Combinatorics</title>

I assume this requires an admin's intervention, so I'm posting it here even though it's also more directly a technical issue. There are a couple recent posts about it there as well.[[User:Tolozen|Tolozen]] ([[User talk:Tolozen|talk]]) 00:08, 14 December 2024 (UTC)
:I will email [[User:Davidy22]] and send a message to [[User:Theusaf]] '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:07, 16 December 2024 (UTC)
::I'm unsure if I can do anything about this, since `/rss.xml` is likely controlled by software external to the wiki, which I do not have access to. The title of the comic might need to be changed as a workaround for this issue --[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 00:46, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
:::I have emailed [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]], here’s what he had to say: '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:06, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
:::{{quote|My server login doesn't work. I actually wrote the RSS script, would be able to figure it out if I can get jeff to respond to me}}
:::Additionally, I have emailed [[User:Jeff|Jeff]] about this issue. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:06, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

== Vandalizing user ==

[[User:KikeUNTERMENSCH]], as one might guess from his name, has done nothing but vandalize templates, sometimes to post racist comments on the main page and other times to post pictures of a dead goat. Please block him. Thanks! --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.209|172.68.54.209]] 04:43, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
:copied this request to [[User talk:Kynde|Kynde's]] talk page, as he is more likely to respond to that page. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 05:28, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

== Vandalism ==

Hello, there is vandalism here.

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:reflist&action=history
{{unsigned ip|162.158.10.130|05:03, 19 December 2024}}
:Noting that this has been sorted, already. But there seems to be a "change comic-info" IP vandal and a "derogatory username vandal" (probably the same moron, switching tactics) that has been operating in the short time before the above report. Mostly dealt with (automatically and with manual assistance) but I'll mop up any other instances that I see.
:Obviously, the DUV instance needs blocking, at least so we get to see a completely different idiotic username next time they decide that their next net contribution to the world is going to be just as futile. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.119|172.70.90.119]] 12:28, 19 December 2024 (UTC)

87: Velociraptors

2024-12-16T23:47:02Z

172.70.90.119: /* Trivia */ Added line-feed. Presume "point of view" meant "perspective" (because it can't mean any other use of the phrase that I know of), although I suspect there's something else that did this first (barrel boy's adventures/red spiders come to mind).

{{comic
| number = 87
| date = April 10, 2006
| title = Velociraptors
| image = velociraptors.jpg
| titletext = You're probably thinking, 'has it been a decade?' It's been over thirteen years, buddy.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic refers to the film ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}'', a 1993 movie based on the 1990 novel by {{w|Michael Crichton}}. The film depicts a billionaire who buys an island and opens a zoo/theme park for dinosaurs cloned from DNA recovered from blood found in fossilized mosquitoes. Naturally, everything goes haywire, and several of the creatures, among which are the {{w|velociraptor}}s subject of this comic, try to devour every human in the theme park.

Velociraptors (often shortened as "{{w|Dromaeosauridae|raptors}}") are a species of relatively small, carnivorous {{w|dinosaur}} that play a central role in the original film and its sequels. In the film, packs of Velociraptors attack the main characters at various points, even entering buildings; they play a large role in the climax of the film. According to Wikipedia, the velociraptors in the film were erroneously based on {{w|Deinonychus}}. The movie depicts the velociraptors as having scaly reptilian skin, though dinosaurs of this type are now theorized to have been feathered.

As we see in this [[:Category:Velociraptors|and future]] comics, even though it had been approximately thirteen years since he presumably first saw the film, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] apparently has lived in perpetual fear of a real raptor attack. Specifically, in this comic, he worries how a building would stand up against the creatures. The main risk posed by the house depicted comes by the large window in the living room, through which a Velociraptor could break in (Randall apparently believes that the bathroom window is too high for them to reach and the door too secure to break through).

The image text points out what he presumes is the reader's disbelief that ''Jurassic Park'' had (as of 2006) been released so long ago (thirteen years prior). This is another classic xkcd premise that will later be the subject of [[891: Movie Ages]] five years later, which includes ''Jurassic Park'' again. This is the first in a long line of comments and comics Randall has made about how realizing the release dates of things in popular culture can make us feel old.

==Transcript==
:[Picture of a suburban house, with lines pointing to various aspects.]

:High bathroom window: probably secure.

:Outer door: secure.

:Picture window: VELOCIRAPTOR ENTRY POINT!

:It's been over a decade since Jurassic Park opened, and I still size up buildings for their potential as shelter against Velociraptor attacks.

==Trivia==
This comic marks the first reference in [[xkcd]] to ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}'', and specifically to [[Randall]]'s fear of [[:Category:Velociraptors|velociraptors]]. The fear will continue to be a subject of future comics and running jokes.

The first comic featuring perspective.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Jurassic Park]]
[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

3022: Making Tea

2024-12-12T13:12:42Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */ Water must be boiling, not recently boiled when making tea. This is the issue with using a microwave as well

{{comic
| number = 3022
| date = December 9, 2024
| title = Making Tea
| image = making_tea_2x.png
| imagesize = 690x291px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = No, of course we don't microwave the mug WITH the teabag in it. We microwave the teabag separately.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Microwaved by a BRITISH PERSON RAGING OVER TEA MADE FROM THE GREAT LAKES - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|Tea}} is exceptionally popular in the United Kingdom (although [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o decreasingly so], and not as serious a business as in {{w|Japanese tea ceremony|Japan}} and {{w|Chinese tea culture|China}}). Virtually every home has an electric kettle as a standard appliance for boiling hot water (used to make tea, coffee, soup powders, instant mash, etc) and teapots and other related crockery can be found in many cupboards, or even on a shelf in full display, whether or not regularly used. British people are perceived as taking tea seriously, having very specific and strongly held opinions on the proper way to make tea. In contrast, tea (especially hot tea) is less commonplace in the United States of America (Randall's native country) and owning tea-making equipment is probably far less common than having coffee-makers and/or juicers of various kinds. While some US households have kettles that can be put on a stove top, many do not have any specific device to boil water. As a result, when Americans need a cup of hot water — for tea or otherwise — the options are usually to use a pan on the stove, or to simply microwave a mug of water (the latter probably being more common in modern times). {{w|Instant hot water dispenser|Instant hot water taps}} are also common in many homes, water coolers, and public drinking fountains in the US; they are being marketed for "high-end kitchens" in the UK, in particularly fancy multi-function taps (US: 'faucets'), but the British are still somewhat reluctant to accept the 'mixer tap' concept, and probably will take quite some time to accept that tea-appropriate boiling water can be obtained directly from the sink's plumbing.

British people are stereotyped as taking genuine offense to microwaved water, believing it to be an objectively incorrect way to make tea. Randall mocks this stereotype through exaggeration, saying British people would be significantly less offended by someone stealing {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom|the Crown Jewels}} and using those for tea-making than they would be by tea made with a cup of microwaved water.

===Methods mentioned===
;Making it in a kettle
:Perhaps an intentional misnomer. Water may be ''boiled'' in a kettle, but the tea itself is made in a separate {{w|teapot}}, with loose or bagged tea-leaves, ready for pouring into any number of {{w|teacup}}s, {{w|mug}}s or {{w|vacuum flask|thermos flask}} as required. Making tea actually ''in'' the kettle, by placing the tea in with the water and then boiling it, would be considered ''very'' bad form and render the kettle less useful for its other purposes (and likely void your warranty). Boiling the water in a kettle is standard practice (occasionally a {{w|Water heating|potable water geyser}} or similar may be available), leaving the tea-making process to occur in the teapot (as above) or the drinking vessel (as below). Randall may be suggesting that the spectacle of someone making tea directly in a kettle would be so bizarre that a British onlooker would be so baffled that they would completely forget to be angry about it, but the absence of a data point for the historically standard method "making it in a teapot" could suggest more that he's accidentally written "in a kettle" when he meant "with a kettle".

;Boiling water in a pot, steeping in a mug
:Identical to the basic boiling process above, except using a pot (commonly called a 'saucepan' in the UK) on the stove, rather than a kettle. This is slightly less convenient than using a kettle (since the pan often lacks a dedicated spout for pouring, and either whistle, which the steam sounds when the water boils, or the automatic cut-off found on most electric kettles), but is otherwise functionally identical. Nonetheless, the comic notes that Brits would take mild offense, considering it to be inferior to using a kettle.
:To confuse matters, British people would normally take '{{wiktionary|pot#Noun|pot}}' (in the specific context of tea-making) to be [https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/one+for+the+pot short for 'teapot']. However, a ceramic teapot should ''never'' be directly heated in the manner of a pan or a kettle. It should be filled with freshly boiled water, ''ideally'' after an initial small splash of hot water is swirled around it to warm the teapot to prevent cracking and then the requisite number of teabags (or quantity of tealeaves) dropped in.

;Making it in a chalice and ampulla stolen from the Crown Jewels
:A {{w|chalice}} is an ornate type of cup; an {{w|ampulla}} is a type of flask or bottle. Both are typically now terms used in relation to objects used in ritual. Randall is likely drawing a parallel here with the ritualism and particularity with which some people surround the making of tea and its associated artefacts.
:The {{w|Crown_Jewels_of_the_United_Kingdom|Crown Jewels}} are a set of items belonging to the British monarchy, including ceremonial items and clothing using in royal coronations. These items have both major cultural significance, due to their historical connection with the monarchy, and major objective value, as many of them are heavily jeweled and/or made of precious metals. To steal items from this collection for the purpose of tea-making would obviously be both highly criminal and highly disrespectful. The ampulla referenced is used to anoint the monarch with oil during the coronation ceremony and the chalice may refer to a {{w|Eucharist|Communion vessel}}, giving them religious significance as well.
:More importantly for many, though, this would be incorrect tea-ware. The gold or silver chalices and gold ampulla are doubtful as being of suitable materials for British tea-making (as opposed to using cast iron, stainless steel, silver-plate, robust ceramics and/or fine china, for various stages of the process) and there'd definitely be some complaints that it does not taste like a proper cuppa (particularly if oil residue from the ampulla has made its way into the tea). To use such objects to make tea would simply {{wiktionary|not cricket|not be cricket}}.
:The suggestion that this method is less angering than microwaving a mug emphasizes the British hate for microwaving.

;Microwaving a mug
:As mentioned above, heating water in a microwave, for any purpose, is considered acceptable and common in the US. To do so to make tea is considered uncommon and borderline heretical in the UK. The reasons for this are difficult to pin down. Some argue that the microwave doesn't allow proper control over the water temperature (which is considered vital for proper tea-making), or doesn't easily allow the water to be fully boiling, rather than nearly boiling. Others raise the danger of superheating water which might boil over when the tea bag is added, but this is likely a highly overblown concern. Some people even argue that microwaving changes the quality or composition of the water in some way, but there's very little science to back that up.
:Another disputed theory for the difference in approach surrounds convenience. Electric kettles and microwaves are both highly efficient methods of heating water with electricity, but electric kettles in the UK tend to draw significantly more power than either US kettles or microwaves (due, in part, to higher main voltage in the UK grid). As a result, UK kettles can heat an equivalent volume of water significantly faster than can microwaves. When making a single cup, the difference is unlikely to be significant, but when making tea for a whole family, or for guests (as is much more common in the UK), using a microwave would be much less convenient.
:Ultimately, though, the difference probably comes down to an accident of culture. Most likely, the preparation of tea simply has a sense of tradition and ritual in Britain, and using a microwave feels crass, modern, and completely disconnected from the cultural associations of tea. It may also feel wrong because it inverts the expectation that the hot water is poured over the tea, requiring instead that the tea be submerged in the water. Meanwhile, electric kettles have simply never really caught on in the US.
:The title text continues with this theme, by reassuring us that the microwaved mug doesn't have a teabag in it (analogous to the 'boiling tea-kettle' version). It then strays into farce, though, by suggesting it is separately microwaved. There is no obvious reason to microwave a teabag. Microwave ovens heat water molecules almost exclusively, and tealeaves (and bag) should be dry before use, with no water molecules to heat. The wrongheadedness of this claim does little but provoke a skeptic's doubts about how utterly perverse this colonial variation on tea-making has become.

===Other tea controversies===

Other sources of controversy in the {{w|A Nice Cup of Tea|correct way to make tea}} are not covered in the comic, or hidden behind the other 'obvious errors'. Perhaps primary among these is the question of the difference between making (and steeping) the tea in a teapot and pouring the water over a teabag in a mug.

The former tends to be a more formal method, to serve in polite company, ''or'' from the traditional need to prepare a large volume of tea for an indeterminate number of recipients and refills, such as in a canteen/cafeteria situation, where the 'pot' stays hot for almost as long as the supply lasts. A prepared teapot of tea allows a fairly consistent 'brew' that is readily poured out into teacups (or mugs) as and when required, and can be readily topped up if an increase in the supply is needed.

The latter method relies upon individual teabags or loose-leaf tea in an individual infuser, and lets each recipient leave the tea in for as long as they personally prefer (or end up having to), which reflects more individual flexibility. Again, this splits between 'high' and 'low' class use. The infamous "builders' tea" often has the teabag left in for a long time (even during drinking), with plenty of milk and sugar, to perhaps produce an increasingly dense brew as the workman concerned takes opportune sips as he (usually) can during his work. Conversely, the trend in more stylish restaurants and tearooms tends to be to supply each customer their teacup together with an individual small vessel of freshly boiled water (rarely more than one or two cups-worth) and the recipient's choices of bagged tea (including fruit/herbal) and additions (milk, or equivalent, lemon, etc, plus sweeteners of all kinds), letting them prepare their own infusion exactly in their own way; this is often presented with an air of 'continental sophistication', but may bemuse and confuse the more down-to-Earth British tea-drinker used to their home method, as does the choice of dozens of fancy coffees from a barista when they'd be happy enough with a decent "instant coffee".

The issue of whether the milk (not obligatory, but decisively traditional) should be put in ''before'' the tea (or teabag!) is also often considered {{tvtropes|SeriousBusiness|Serious Business}}...

In [https://www.foodandwine.com/why-you-should-add-salt-to-tea-8549735 January of 2024], Michelle Francl, Ph.D., a chemistry professor at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, suggested putting a pinch of salt into tea, saying that the sodium in salt blocks the bitter taste of tea. This prompted a great outcry by [https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/jan/24/perfect-cup-of-tea-needs-a-pinch-of-salt-and-squeeze-of-lemon-says-us-chemist?scrlybrkr=361c99cc The Guardian] and a statement by the US embassy on X (Twitter): “Today's media reports of an American Professor's recipe for the 'perfect' cup of tea has landed our special bond with the United Kingdom in hot water … We want to ensure[sic] the good people of the U.K. that the unthinkable notion of adding salt to Britain's national drink is not official United States Policy. And never will be. ... The US embassy will continue to make tea in the proper way – by microwaving it."

==Transcript==
:[A line chart is shown. Above the chart are, from top to bottom, a heading, a subheading, and an arrow pointing right with a label above. On the line there are four labeled tick marks, with the labels written beneath the line. A small curved line is going from each label to below their tick. The first two ticks are close together on the far left side of the graph, the third is approximately in the center, and the fourth is on the far right side of the graph.]
:<big>Ways of Making Tea</big>
:By how angry British people get when Americans do them
:More angry
:Making it in a kettle
:Boiling water in a pot, steeping in a mug
:Making it in a chalice and ampulla stolen from the Crown Jewels
:Microwaving a mug

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Rankings]]

3022: Making Tea

2024-12-10T17:57:49Z

172.70.90.119: /* Methods mentioned */

{{comic
| number = 3022
| date = December 9, 2024
| title = Making Tea
| image = making_tea_2x.png
| imagesize = 690x291px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = No, of course we don't microwave the mug WITH the teabag in it. We microwave the teabag separately.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Microwaved by a TUMBLR THREAD FULL OF LUNATICS - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|Tea}} is exceptionally popular in the United Kingdom (although [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o decreasingly so]). Virtually every home has an electric kettle as a standard appliance with teapots and other related crockery being found in many cupboards, or even on a shelf in full display. British people are perceived as taking tea seriously, having very specific and strongly held opinions on the proper way to make tea. In contrast, tea is less commonplace in the United States of America (Randall's native country) and owning separate devices for tea-making is probably far less common than having coffee-makers of various kinds. While some households have kettles that can be put on a stove top, many do not have any specific device to boil water. As a result, when Americans need a cup of hot water — for tea or otherwise — the options are usually to use a pan on the stove or to simply microwave a mug of water (the latter probably being more common in modern times). {{w|Instant hot water dispenser|Instant hot water taps}} are also common in many homes, water coolers, and public drinking fountains in the US.

British people are stereotyped as taking genuine offense to microwaved water, believing it to be an objectively incorrect way to make tea. Randall mocks this stereotype through exaggeration, saying British people would be significantly less offended by someone stealing {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom|the Crown Jewels}} and using those for tea-making than they would be by tea made with a cup of microwaved water.

===Methods mentioned===
;Making it in a kettle
:Perhaps an intentional misnomer. Water may be ''boiled'' in a kettle, but the tea itself is made in a separate {{w|teapot}}, with loose or bagged tea-leaves, ready for pouring into any number of {{w|teacup}}s, {{w|mug}}s or {{w|vacuum flask|thermos flask}} as required. Alternatively, the water is poured directly from the kettle into a mug or cup, where the teabag is allowed to steep directly. Making tea actually ''in'' the kettle, by placing the tea in with the water and then boiling it, would be considered ''very'' bad form (and likely void your warranty).

;Boiling water in a pot, steeping in a mug
:Identical to the above, except using a pot (commonly called a 'pan' in the UK) on the stove, rather than a kettle. This is slightly less convenient than using a kettle (since the pan lacks a dedicated spout for pouring, and either whistle, which the steam sounds when the water boils, or the automatic cut-off found on most electric kettles), but is otherwise functionally identical. Nonetheless, the comic suggests that Brits would take mild offense, considering it to be inferior to using a kettle.
:To confuse matters, in the context of tea, British people would normally take 'pot' to be [https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/one+for+the+pot short for 'teapot']. However, a ceramic teapot should ''never'' be directly heated in the manner of a pan or a kettle.

;Making it in a chalice and ampulla stolen from the Crown Jewels
:A {{w|chalice}} is an ornate type of cup; an {{w|ampulla}} is a type of flask or bottle. Both are typically now terms used in relation to objects used in ritual. Randall is likely drawing a parallel here with the ritualism and particularity with which some people surround the making of tea and its associated artefacts.
:The {{w|Crown_Jewels_of_the_United_Kingdom|Crown Jewels}} are a set of items belonging the British monarchy, including ceremonial items and clothing using in royal coronations. These items have both major cultural significance, due to their historical connection with the monarchy, and major objective value, as many of them are heavily jeweled and/or made of precious metals. To steal items from these collection for the purpose of tea-making would obviously be both highly criminal and highly disrespectful. The ampulla referenced is used to anoint the monarch with oil during the coronation ceremony and the chalice may refer to a {{w|Eucharist|Communion vessel}}, giving them religious significance as well.
:More importantly for many, though, this would be incorrect tea-ware. The gold or silver chalices and gold ampulla are doubtful as being of suitable materials for British tea-making (as opposed to using cast iron, stainless steel, silver-plate, robust ceramics and/or fine china, for various stages of the process) and there'd definitely be some complaints that it does not taste like a proper cuppa. To use such objects to make tea would simply {{wiktionary|not cricket|not be cricket}}.

;Microwaving a mug
:As mentioned above, heating water in a microwave, for any purpose, is considered acceptable and common in the US. To do so to make tea is considered uncommon and borderline heretical in the UK. The reasons for this are difficult to pin down. Some argue that the microwave doesn't allow proper control over the water temperature (which is considered vital for proper tea-making), but this position is questionable at best. Others raise the danger of superheating water which might boil over when the tea bag is added, but this is likely a highly overblown concern. Some people even argue that microwaving changes the quality or composition of the water in some way, but there's very little science to back that up. Most likely, the preparation of tea simply has a sense of tradition and ritual in Britain, and using a microwave feels crass, modern, and completely disconnected from the cultural associations of tea. It may also feel wrong because it inverts the expectation that the hot water is poured over the tea, requiring instead that the tea be submerged in the water.
:The title text continues with this theme, by reassuring us that the microwaved mug doesn't have a teabag in it (analogous to the 'boiling tea-kettle' version). Instead, it is separately microwaved. In typical Randall fashion, this is pure farce: there is no reason to microwave a teabag. Microwave ovens heat water molecules almost exclusively, and tealeaves (and bag) should normally be dry and would receive little to no heating. The wrongheadedness of this claim does little but provoke a skeptic's doubts about how utterly perverse this colonial variation on tea-making has become.

===Other tea controversies===

Other sources of controversy in the correct way to make tea are not covered in the comic. Perhaps primary among these is the question of the difference between making (and steeping) the tea in a teapot and pouring the water over a teabag in a mug.

The former tends to be a more formal method, to serve in polite company, ''or'' from the traditional need to prepare a large volume of tea for an indeterminate number of recipients and refills, such as in a canteen/cafeteria situation, where the 'pot' stays hot for almost as long as the supply lasts. A prepared teapot of tea allows a fairly consistent 'brew' that is readily poured out into teacups (or mugs) as and when required.

The latter method relies upon individual teabags or loose-leaf tea in an individual infuser, and lets each recipient leave the tea in for as long as they personally prefer (or end up having to), which reflects more individual flexibility. Again, this splits between 'high' and 'low' class use. The infamous "builders' tea" often has the teabag left in for a long time (even during drinking), with plenty of milk and sugar, to perhaps produce an increasingly dense brew as the workman concerned takes opportune sips as he (usually) can during his work. Conversely, the trend in more stylish restaurants and tearooms tends to be to supply each customer their teacup together with an individual small vessel of freshly boiled water (rarely more than one or two cups-worth) and the recipient's choices of bagged tea (including fruit/herbal) and additions (milk, or equivalent, lemon, etc, plus sweeteners of all kinds), letting them prepare their own infusion exactly in their own way.

Further noting the issue of whether the milk (not obligatory, but decisively traditional) should be put in ''before'' the tea (or teabag!) is also often considered {{tvtropes|SeriousBusiness|Serious Business}}...

==Transcript==
:[A line chart is shown. Above the chart are, from top to bottom, a heading, a subheading, and an arrow pointing right with a label above. On the line there are four labeled tick marks, with the labels written beneath the line. A small curved line is going from each label to below their tick. The first two ticks are close together on the far left side of the graph, the third is approximately in the center, and the fourth is on the far right side of the graph.]
:<big>Ways of Making Tea</big>
:By how angry British people get when Americans do them
:More angry

:Making it in a kettle
:Boiling water in a pot, steeping in a mug
:Making it in a chalice and ampulla stolen from the Crown Jewels
:Microwaving a mug

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Rankings]]

3022: Making Tea

2024-12-10T17:56:05Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3022
| date = December 9, 2024
| title = Making Tea
| image = making_tea_2x.png
| imagesize = 690x291px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = No, of course we don't microwave the mug WITH the teabag in it. We microwave the teabag separately.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Microwaved by a TUMBLR THREAD FULL OF LUNATICS - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|Tea}} is exceptionally popular in the United Kingdom (although [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gpll9l535o decreasingly so]). Virtually every home has an electric kettle as a standard appliance with teapots and other related crockery being found in many cupboards, or even on a shelf in full display. British people are perceived as taking tea seriously, having very specific and strongly held opinions on the proper way to make tea. In contrast, tea is less commonplace in the United States of America (Randall's native country) and owning separate devices for tea-making is probably far less common than having coffee-makers of various kinds. While some households have kettles that can be put on a stove top, many do not have any specific device to boil water. As a result, when Americans need a cup of hot water — for tea or otherwise — the options are usually to use a pan on the stove or to simply microwave a mug of water (the latter probably being more common in modern times). {{w|Instant hot water dispenser|Instant hot water taps}} are also common in many homes, water coolers, and public drinking fountains in the US.

British people are stereotyped as taking genuine offense to microwaved water, believing it to be an objectively incorrect way to make tea. Randall mocks this stereotype through exaggeration, saying British people would be significantly less offended by someone stealing {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom|the Crown Jewels}} and using those for tea-making than they would be by tea made with a cup of microwaved water.

===Methods mentioned===
;Making it in a kettle
:Perhaps an intentional misnomer. Water may be ''boiled'' in a kettle, but the tea itself is made in a separate {{w|teapot}}, with loose or bagged tea-leaves, ready for pouring into any number of {{w|teacup}}s, {{w|mug}}s or {{w|vacuum flask|thermos flask}} as required. Alternatively, the water is poured directly from the kettle into a mug or cup, where the teabag is allowed to steep directly. Making tea actually ''in'' the kettle, by placing the tea in with the water and then boiling it, would be considered ''very'' bad form (and likely void your warranty).

;Boiling water in a pot, steeping in a mug
:Identical to the above, except using a pot (commonly called a 'pan' in the UK) on the stove, rather than a kettle. This is slightly less convenient than using a kettle, since the pan lacks a dedicated spout for pouring (and either whistle, which the steam sounds when the water boils, or the automatic cut-off found on most electric kettles), but is otherwise functionally identical. Nonetheless, the comic suggests that Brits would take mild offense, considering it to be inferior to using a kettle.
:To confuse matters, in the context of tea, British people would normally take 'pot' to be [https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/one+for+the+pot short for 'teapot']. However, a ceramic teapot should ''never'' be directly heated in the manner of a pan or a kettle.

;Making it in a chalice and ampulla stolen from the Crown Jewels
:A {{w|chalice}} is an ornate type of cup; an {{w|ampulla}} is a type of flask or bottle. Both are typically now terms used in relation to objects used in ritual. Randall is likely drawing a parallel here with the ritualism and particularity with which some people surround the making of tea and its associated artefacts.
:The {{w|Crown_Jewels_of_the_United_Kingdom|Crown Jewels}} are a set of items belonging the British monarchy, including ceremonial items and clothing using in royal coronations. These items have both major cultural significance, due to their historical connection with the monarchy, and major objective value, as many of them are heavily jeweled and/or made of precious metals. To steal items from these collection for the purpose of tea-making would obviously be both highly criminal and highly disrespectful. The ampulla referenced is used to anoint the monarch with oil during the coronation ceremony and the chalice may refer to a {{w|Eucharist|Communion vessel}}, giving them religious significance as well.
:More importantly for many, though, this would be incorrect tea-ware. The gold or silver chalices and gold ampulla are doubtful as being of suitable materials for British tea-making (as opposed to using cast iron, stainless steel, silver-plate, robust ceramics and/or fine china, for various stages of the process) and there'd definitely be some complaints that it does not taste like a proper cuppa. To use such objects to make tea would simply {{wiktionary|not cricket|not be cricket}}.

;Microwaving a mug
:As mentioned above, heating water in a microwave, for any purpose, is considered acceptable and common in the US. To do so to make tea is considered uncommon and borderline heretical in the UK. The reasons for this are difficult to pin down. Some argue that the microwave doesn't allow proper control over the water temperature (which is considered vital for proper tea-making), but this position is questionable at best. Others raise the danger of superheating water which might boil over when the tea bag is added, but this is likely a highly overblown concern. Some people even argue that microwaving changes the quality or composition of the water in some way, but there's very little science to back that up. Most likely, the preparation of tea simply has a sense of tradition and ritual in Britain, and using a microwave feels crass, modern, and completely disconnected from the cultural associations of tea. It may also feel wrong because it inverts the expectation that the hot water is poured over the tea, requiring instead that the tea be submerged in the water.
:The title text continues with this theme, by reassuring us that the microwaved mug doesn't have a teabag in it (analogous to the 'boiling tea-kettle' version). Instead, it is separately microwaved. In typical Randall fashion, this is pure farce: there is no reason to microwave a teabag. Microwave ovens heat water molecules almost exclusively, and tealeaves (and bag) should normally be dry and would receive little to no heating. The wrongheadedness of this claim does little but provoke a skeptic's doubts about how utterly perverse this colonial variation on tea-making has become.

===Other tea controversies===

Other sources of controversy in the correct way to make tea are not covered in the comic. Perhaps primary among these is the question of the difference between making (and steeping) the tea in a teapot and pouring the water over a teabag in a mug.

The former tends to be a more formal method, to serve in polite company, ''or'' from the traditional need to prepare a large volume of tea for an indeterminate number of recipients and refills, such as in a canteen/cafeteria situation, where the 'pot' stays hot for almost as long as the supply lasts. A prepared teapot of tea allows a fairly consistent 'brew' that is readily poured out into teacups (or mugs) as and when required.

The latter method relies upon individual teabags or loose-leaf tea in an individual infuser, and lets each recipient leave the tea in for as long as they personally prefer (or end up having to), which reflects more individual flexibility. Again, this splits between 'high' and 'low' class use. The infamous "builders' tea" often has the teabag left in for a long time (even during drinking), with plenty of milk and sugar, to perhaps produce an increasingly dense brew as the workman concerned takes opportune sips as he (usually) can during his work. Conversely, the trend in more stylish restaurants and tearooms tends to be to supply each customer their teacup together with an individual small vessel of freshly boiled water (rarely more than one or two cups-worth) and the recipient's choices of bagged tea (including fruit/herbal) and additions (milk, or equivalent, lemon, etc, plus sweeteners of all kinds), letting them prepare their own infusion exactly in their own way.

Further noting the issue of whether the milk (not obligatory, but decisively traditional) should be put in ''before'' the tea (or teabag!) is also often considered {{tvtropes|SeriousBusiness|Serious Business}}...

==Transcript==
:[A line chart is shown. Above the chart are, from top to bottom, a heading, a subheading, and an arrow pointing right with a label above. On the line there are four labeled tick marks, with the labels written beneath the line. A small curved line is going from each label to below their tick. The first two ticks are close together on the far left side of the graph, the third is approximately in the center, and the fourth is on the far right side of the graph.]
:<big>Ways of Making Tea</big>
:By how angry British people get when Americans do them
:More angry

:Making it in a kettle
:Boiling water in a pot, steeping in a mug
:Making it in a chalice and ampulla stolen from the Crown Jewels
:Microwaving a mug

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Rankings]]

Talk:3014: Arizona Chess

2024-11-21T10:41:27Z

172.70.90.119:

I added a basic explanation, how did I do? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.115.129|172.70.115.129]] 14:56, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
:''pat pat'' Good job. [[User:Fephisto|Fephisto]] ([[User talk:Fephisto|talk]]) 15:28, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
I guess chess timers work based on the IERS. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.223.126|172.71.223.126]] 15:32, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
: See "{{w|Chess_clock|chess clocks}} don't work that way" comment, below. If they did, they would almost certainly reference {{w|Coordinated_Universal_Time|Zulu time}}, which doesn't recognize daylight saving or other local time adjustments. This would go badly for Cueball. Moreover, White Hat could be forgiven for thinking that he had won the game when the clock went "beep" in the third panel, because beeping/flag falling in a chess clock should signal end of match because Cueball's time had run out (the fourth panel asserts that Cueball's time did not, in fact, expire). A minor additional irregularity in what is already a seriously contrived situation. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.23.91|172.68.23.91]] 20:34, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
:No, chess clocks don't work that way. They are simple timers that do not refer to actual time of day in any way, any more than a stopwatch does. Randall just made it work that way for the sake of the joke. {{unsigned ip|172.71.194.17|20:17, 20 November 2024}}
::Speaking from the experience of one in a sport where some are seeking to "improve" upon the use of a manual stopwatch/timer process with a computerised replacement (anything from a smartphone to a home-computer, often with a live online connection), I'm seeing several cases where time differences between equipment (e.g. GPS time vs. 'radio'/time-signal time) has caused confusion, never mind the possibility of random external events (...OS Update notifications, AV scans going active, etc) or other external interferences. In ways that would never happen to a dedicated timing device that's not even listening out for a national time-signal broadcast (which I know for certain can suffer from interference).
:Also, in case anybody is bothered, it's not really a "clock" if it doesn't have a bell (or bells), as per the German "Glocke"/French: "Cloche". Although possibly a single-match "chess clock" could have such a bell for an audible alert, as well as other mechanical 'flag' indicators. But, often, what most people might call a clock is perhaps more just a "timepiece". (Watches/stopwatches/timers/etc, is another matter of sub-distinction, which I try not to be too confusing, or even wrong, about.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.226|172.69.194.226]] 00:53, 21 November 2024 (UTC)

If white hat had conserved 20 seconds through the course of the game, they would have won. Cueball must have been sweating if they were relying on this strategy. [[User:Radialsymmetry|Radialsymmetry]] ([[User talk:Radialsymmetry|talk]]) 15:35, 20 November 2024 (UTC)

Here's one building that might qualify (it appears to be a shed or outbuilding belonging to a house in Mesquite, Nevada): https://www.google.com/maps/@36.808703609641505,-114.05009436731552,55m
 I believe that's the only one that straddles the Arizona border with a Pacific Time Zone state (California and Nevada), so (head-)canonically, that's where the comic is set. {{unsigned ip|172.69.6.190|17:15-26, 20 November 2024}}
: It could be in a temporary structure - a marquee or something.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.118|172.70.90.118]] 10:34, 21 November 2024 (UTC)

Is the neighbouring state {Utah or New Mexico} or {Nevada or California}? I'm not from the US so I'm not sure how your rules work. 172.69.6.190 above seems to think it's the latter but aren't they both on Mountain Time before the clocks change? {{unsigned|Mtcv}}

One difference between the way parts of North America change time and the way parts of Europe do is that the various North American time zones fall back/jump forward at 2AM local time, while European time zones all change at the same instant (01:00 UTC/WET (02:00 CET, 03:00 EET). That means that the same "trick" could work by sitting on the line between any American time zones at the changeover, but not by sitting on the European lines. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.47.138|172.70.47.138]] 15:37, 20 November 2024 (UTC)

A related oddity occurs in the City of The Gold Coast, in Australia, which straddles the Queensland/New South Wales border. The border runs through a built up area, and as NSW has DST but Queensland does not, there are places that are, for one hour each year, in different years, despite being only a few metres apart. You can celebrate the New Year at a bar in Tweed Heads, then cross the road to a bar in Coolangatta, and celebrate the New Year all over again an hour later. I believe this is the only border in the world that runs through a built up area and has different timezones at New Year; New Year being in winter in the Northern Hemisphere means that such DST related anomolies are strictly a Southern Hemisphere phenomenon. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.64.206|172.68.64.206]] 00:09, 21 November 2024 (UTC)

Should the comment about Hawaii be kept? It seems irrelevant. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.129|172.70.111.129]] 15:42, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
:removed [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 16:15, 20 November 2024 (UTC)

Which songs would go well with this scene? His World comes to mind... [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 17:13, 20 November 2024 (UTC)
:''...con Lentitud Poderosa'' right as the crazy part starts. 100%. -[[User:Psychoticpotato|P?sych??otic?pot??at???o ]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 02:03, 21 November 2024 (UTC)

Talk:3011: Europa Clipper

2024-11-14T12:14:56Z

172.70.90.119:

I'm not brave enough to actually add an explanation myself, quite yet, but ... I guess this is a reference to the fact(?) that Europa looks a bit like a creme brulee', when viewed from space? https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter/moons/europa/ It does look tasty ... :) [[User:ModelD|ModelD]] ([[User talk:ModelD|talk]]) 12:53, 13 November 2024 (UTC)
:I suspect it's more due to the need to drill through a couple miles of ice to get to the ocean; much like breaking through the sugar crust on a creme broule! [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 13:16, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Thank you to the people at 9AM Post things on another website to try and explain XKCD Comics. -Forgotten_Mail {{unsigned ip|172.69.33.177|13:30, 13 November 2024}}

The comically large spoon!!!!!!!!!! I love those. -[[User:Psychoticpotato|P?sych??otic?pot??at???o ]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 16:38, 13 November 2024 (UTC)
: Don't be sucked in! Protect yourself! https://rathergood.com/2017/02/10/spoonguard/ [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.105|141.101.99.105]] 10:57, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

I think the "Crème brûlée is from France, France is in Europe, the moon is called Europa" connection is a bit of a stretch...? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 18:36, 13 November 2024 (UTC)
: Eh, it's the same etymology. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.230|172.69.134.230]] 11:04, 14 November 2024 (UTC)
:: The issue of the continent and the moon coming from the same classical source (for different reasons) rather stretches the link between the dish (from the country, from the country's region/continent, from the region of Greece, ''possibly'' from the pantheon) and the moon (directly from the pantheon). I agree with the 'stretch' assessment. You can probably find easier and more plausible (but wrong) links worth alluding to than that, which relies upon several steps and a ''possible'' polysemic pair of original links. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.58.45|172.70.58.45]] 12:12, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

"only a spoonful" moment 💔 [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 19:20, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Someone should add a reference to XKCD's previous mention of a Planetary Protection Officer: https://what-if.xkcd.com/117/ [[Special:Contributions/162.158.42.221|162.158.42.221]] 00:09, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

JUICE mentioned!!! cracker ham cheese cracker ham cheese cracker [[User:N-eh|N-eh]] ([[User talk:N-eh|talk]]) 07:31, 14 November 2024 (UTC)

3010: Geometriphylogenetics

2024-11-13T09:28:32Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3010
| date = November 11, 2024
| title = Geometriphylogenetics
| image = geometriphylogenetics_2x.png
| imagesize = 316x391px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = There's a maximum likelihood that I'm doing phylogenetics wrong.
}}

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

{{w|Phylogenetics}} refers to the practice of examining relationships among things that follow the principle of "descent with modification of progeny". In the course of descent with modification, one thing may give rise to two (the progeny), different modifications happen to each, and those modifications become established. Iterated "splits" over time yield a tree of objects; it is the purpose of phylogenetics to recover ("reconstruct") these trees, and use the information gained to inform study of the things contained. Phylogenetics has been most commonly applied to the classification/taxonomy of biological species and investigations of their evolutionary history, but it has also been used to examine the evolution of genes and biosynthetic pathways. Similar conceptual approaches have been used in the study of human languages and their evolution.

Data for phylogenetic analyses may come from any attributes ("characters") of the things being examined. {{w|Computational_phylogenetics|Rigorous techniques}} for these analyses became available starting in the {{w|Willi_Hennig|1950s}}, and these replaced earlier methods based largely on the individual judgement of experts. In phylogenetic studies of organisms, their DNA is far and away the most data-dense source of information, and consequently, most present-day investigations are based on analyses of selected genes and, increasingly, whole genomes. Thanks to the advent of more robust datasets, and more robust methods of data analysis, it is now commonplace for studies, especially on relatively understudied creatures, to reconstruct an evolutionary history (a phylogeny) that is radically different from what had previously been assumed. This is the "phylogenetic revolution" referred to in the caption. One example is the genus {{w|Hippopotamus|Hippopotamus}}, which had been considered a relative of pigs, which the animals somewhat resemble, until modern data and methods revealed it to be more closely related to whales, despite the animals being very different physically (hippos spend time in water, but [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-YRJCSZRJU can't swim]).

This comic presents a tree, which resembles and purports to be a phylogenetic tree, in which the endpoints ("terminal taxa") are geometric shapes. This has been given the name "geometriphylogenetics" — a portmanteau of "{{w|geometry}}" and "phylogenetics". The claim is that triangles have been moved from the lower part of the tree (where they would be closely related to squares, rectangles, pentangles, and the like) to the upper part (placing them closer to cirlces and ellipses). This is a riff on the findings, and even the wording, of authentic phylogenetic research papers that report "revolutionary" results. The absurdity, and the joke, is that geometries do not change over time via descent with modification of progeny, therefore phylogenetic principles and techniques are inapplicable to their study. Moreover, geometries do not contain DNA,{{cn}} so genetic analysis, even if relevant, is impossible.

The title text alludes to {{w|Computational_phylogenetics#Maximum_likelihood|maximum likelihood}}, one of the most robust, and most frequently used, methodologies for phylogenetic analysis. The method builds a number of trees from the data, assigns to each a probability that it conforms to a pre-selected model of evolution, and then selects the tree that has the highest (maximum) likelihood of conformity to the model. In this case, though, the statement "there is a high probability that I'm doing phylogenetics wrong" doesn't just have the maximum probability of the available options; it has the maximum ''possible'' probability of 1, because it is definitely the case.

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

:[A tree diagram, or a dendrogram is shown, consisting of lines that branch off from left to right, starting with one horizontal line on the left. Eight results are shown on the right: ellipse on Path 1, circle on Path 2, triangle on Path 3, parallelogram on Path 4, trapezoid on Path 5, square on Path 6, rectangle on Path 7, and a pentagon on Path 8. The paths are listed in order top to bottom.]
:[Path 3 and the triangle are bold black, while the other branches are dimmer. The paths are connected as follows: Path 2 and 3 are connected, then both connect together to Path 1; Path 4 and 5 are connected, as are Path 6 and 7, and these two paths are connected altogether; Path 8 is then connected to the branch containing Paths 4 to 7. All of Paths 1 to 3 are then connected to Paths 4 to 8, the branches all culminating in a single line on the left.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The phylogenetic revolution continues:
:Triangles were long believed to be related to squares, but genetic analysis proves that they are actually very pointy circles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Geometry]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

2960: Organ Meanings

2024-07-18T09:44:15Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */ Examples of metaphors weren't actually examples of metaphors. Ellided, with overly intrusive explanation. "The heart of the joke" needs better explaining.

{{comic
| number = 2960
| date = July 17, 2024
| title = Organ Meanings
| image = organ_meanings_2x.png
| imagesize = 407x346px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = IMO the thymus is one of the coolest organs and we should really use it in metaphors more.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT'S PINEAL GLAND - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a graph by [[Randall]] ranking how well he understands the function of certain human organs, compared to how much he understands metaphors using them. 

One might expect understanding an organ's role and its use in metaphor to be strongly correlated, since the metaphors work by drawing a parallel to biological function. However, since our understanding of biological functions has evolved dramatically over time, and metaphorical language does not always keep up, the correspondence is often much looser.

The {{w|pineal gland}}, located in the center of the brain, was described as the “Seat of the Soul” by the dualist {{w|René Descartes}} in the 17th century. If this was what it was, the metaphors that might be derived from it would be pretty explicit. It was only in the mid-20th century that its real neuroendocrine (hormone-producing) biological role was grasped. Thus, the real meaning of the metaphor "the pineal gland of something" is uncertain, as is its actual function for the layman.

The {{w|thymus}}, highlighted in the title text, plays an important role in the immune system. It is not commonly used in metaphors,{{Citation needed}} but is perhaps ripe for use in ones describing such things as resilience, indomitability, and adaptability to changing circumstance, were more people to know what it was.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[XY axis graph is shown]
:[Y axis label, pointing up:] How well I understand what it means when used in metaphors
:[X axis label, pointing right:] How well I understand its actual biological function
:[Top left:] Appendix
:[Top middle:] Nerves; Spine
:[Top right:] Heart; Bones; Stomach
:[Center left:] Liver; Spleen
:[Center right:] Lungs
:[Bottom left:] Thymus; Pineal gland
:[Bottom middle:] Kidneys
:[Bottom right:] Tongue

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Scatter plots]]

2954: Bracket Symbols

2024-07-04T12:34:46Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2954
| date = July 3, 2024
| title = Bracket Symbols
| image = bracket_symbols_2x.png
| imagesize = 592x569px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = ’"‘”’" means "I edited this text on both my phone and my laptop before sending it"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a ([{《"complicated function"》}]) - Please~~ change this comment when editing this page. Do *NOT* delete this tag too soon.}} WAKE UP, NERDS! Come explain to me why this is funny!

'The preliminary nerd has arrived and did his best to fix the article.' (Even though I'm not British, I thought it might be funny to reference the comic. {See what I did there?} )

Bracket symbols are meant to put around a text. This comic shows a variety of bracket symbols and Randall's description.
Here is a list of what these symbols may mean as a preliminary to a full proper explanation: (feel free to update or completely replace this)

{| class="wikitable"
|+Descriptions
|-
! Symbols
! Comic text
! Real use
! Explanation of the joke
|-
|()
|Regular parentheses for setting stuff aside
|Used to mark side remarks (like explanations) in regular text. Also used in mathematical expressions and programming languages to show the sequence of operations or separate other things like function arguments.
|Normal parentheses. No joke here.
|-
|[]
|Square brackets (more secure)
|Used in regular text to mark still less important remarks, like glosses, omissions, translator and editorial notes etc. In mathematics, often used for {{w|Matrix (mathematics)|matrices}} or {{w|Interval (mathematics)|closed intervals}}. Sometimes used as outer parentheses for easier visual matching in complicated expressions. In programming languages used to mark specific syntactic elements, like array indexes, lists etc.
|The sharper edges and corners may suggest these brackets hold things in more securely, so the contents is less likely to fall out. They resemble staples used to hold things in place securely.
|-
|{}
|This stuff is expensive so be careful with it
|Rarely used in normal text, although may be used in expanded form to 'enclose' multiple optional lines following/preceding a single element of common purpose (similar to the 'split and recombined tracks' of [[2243: Star Wars Spoiler Generator]]). In mathematics, usually used to denote {{w|Set (mathematics)|sets}}, but other usage is possible. In programming languages most often used to denote begin and end of a separate block of code, but other uses are also extant.
|All that graphical detail in the bracket, if manufactured as a physical object, would increase the production cost making it more expensive than "regular" brackets. Their relative rarity compared to "regular" or square brackets might also increase the monetary value. They may also look 'fancy', like gates with ornate ironwork.
|-
|Inward-sloping double-quotes ("" with reflective slants, or “”)
|Someone is talking
|Used to denote speech or citations in normal text. The first version is commonly used in programming languages to denote text that is not a program, such as messages displayed to the user.
|Normal quotation marks. Some languages or communities use different typographical conventions such as „German quotation marks“. See also below for British and French.
|-
|Inward-sloping single-quotes (based upon <nowiki>''</nowiki> or ‘’)
|Someone British is talking
|British quotation marks. Some programming languages use the first version to denote non-program text. In the Pascal family of languages, for example, <nowiki>''</nowiki>s indicate character-class data, with ""s being string-class data. Within
|Some British media use these to note when people are talking, though in modern usage the double quotes above are more common, while single quotes are more often used as '{{w|scare quotes}}'.
|-
|‹› or <>
|An Animorph is talking
|Angle brackets
|Books like the series {{w|Animorphs}} or science fiction novels use these when a character is communicating nonverbally, for example via telepathy.
|-
|«»
|A French Animorph is talking
|French quotation marks. In some languages used for quotes within quotes. For quoting conventions in different languages, see [https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/formex/physical-specifications/character-encoding/use-of-quotation-marks-in-the-different-languages this document].
|These symbols are literally called French quotation marks and are used in French texts as the first-level quotes. Here Randall is mixing the SF convention described above with actual French use.
|-
|<nowiki>|</nowiki>|
|I'm scared of negative numbers but these sigils will protect me
|Vertical bars in mathematics are used for the Absolute Value function.
|The absolute value of a number is its value with all negative and positive signs stripped off; in practical terms this is used to ensure a given value is positive (ex. <nowiki>|-69| = 69</nowiki>). If for whatever reason you need to "protect" your equations from negative numbers (which does come up in programming from time to time) the absolute value function has you covered — though it may not always be denoted with vertical bars. {{w|Sigil}}s are symbols used in magic, and some kinds of magic are thought to protect people from evil.
|-
|**, __, //
|I have a favorite monospaced font
|In the past, these symbols were conventionally used in purely text-based computer communications (such as emails, chats, Usenet News articles) to denote *bold*, _underlined_, or /italic/ font; some client programs even interpreted them and displayed actual bold text etc.
|{{w|Monospace font}} is a font (set of shapes used for letters, numbers and symbols) in which every character has the same width, unlike {{w|Typeface#Proportional_font|variable-width (proportional) font}}, in which the letter I is much narrower than W. While proportional font is more pleasant to read, monospace is easier to represent in simple mechanical or electronic devices, and has been used almost exclusively in the advent of computer technology, specifically in text-only environments such as {{w|computer terminals}}; these most often had only one factory installed font. Today, a person still using these symbols is probably using a {{w|terminal emulator}}, which allows to select a (preferably monospace) font from a wide set of fonts installed in the operating system.
|-
|~~
|I'm being sarcastic and I had a Tumblr account in 2014
|
|Strikethrough markup commonly used on sites like Tumblr to indicate that you don't really mean something you said. This is a somewhat archaic trend, but I still use it...
|-
|[([{()}],)]
|These Python functions are not getting along
|The square brackets denote a mutable [https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/introduction.html#lists list], the round brackets an immutable [https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/datastructures.html#tuples-and-sequences tuple] , and the curly brackets a [https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/datastructures.html#sets set]. It is valid to have nested them like this. [] could also be a slice (a bit of a list or tuple) and {} could be a [https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/datastructures.html#dictionaries dictionary], but the syntax is wrong for these.
|Random parentheses - Spaghetti code (badly maintained or written) in programming languages including Python will often be badly organized creating a mess of indentations and brackets used to create functions or loops etc.
|-
|⌊⌋
|Help, I'm a mathematician trying to work with actual numbers and they're scary
|Mathematical symbols meaning "floor" (i.e. round down to the nearest lower integer).
|By "actual numbers" Randall means {{w|real number}}s. Unlike {{w|natural number}}s, they are somewhat difficult to understand to a person learning basic mathematics and thus "scary". The "floor" operation makes a (positive) real number a natural number, thus not "scary".
|-
|∫ ∫
|Why are you trying to read my violin?
|There is currently no such type of bracketing used in typography. See Explanation.
∫ looks like the {{w|Integral symbol}} which itself is derived from a {{w|Long s}}. In mathematics it is usually paired with the differential of the variable of integration (e.g., dx). A reverse integral symbol is usually not used in mathematics.
The symbols could also be a lowercase {{w|Esh (letter)}} and its reversed symbol.
|Violins are known for their characteristic {{w|F-hole}}s.
|-
|<nowiki>|⟩</nowiki>
|Don't stop here–this is quantum country
|This {{w|Bra–ket notation|notation is used in quantum mechanics}} to notate a vector. This is called a ket, and the mirrored sign <nowiki>⟨|</nowiki> is called a bra. Combining them as bra-ket gives the inner product <nowiki>⟨|⟩</nowiki>.
| This is paraphrasing "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" where Johnny Depp says: "We can't stop here, this is bat country!" while wasted on drugs, though not as wasted as later in the movie.
|}


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

Bracket Symbols

and what they mean

( ) Regular parentheses for setting stuff aside

[ ] Square brackets (more secure)

{ } This stuff is expensive so be careful with it

" " Someone is talking

' ' Someone British is talking

‹ › An Animorph is talking

« » A French Animorph is talking

| | I'm scared of negative numbers but these sigils will protect me

<nowiki>*</nowiki> * _ _ / / I have a favorite monospaced font

~ ~ I'm being sarcastic and I had a Tumblr account in 2014

[ ( [ { ( ) } ] , ) ] These Python functions are '''''not''''' getting along

⌊ ⌋ Help, I'm a mathematician trying to work with actual numbers and they're scary

ʃ ʅ Why are you trying to read my violin?

| ⟩ Don't stop here--this is quantum country

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Programming]]

2950: Situation

2024-06-25T10:47:04Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2950
| date = June 24, 2024
| title = Situation
| image = situation_2x.png
| imagesize = 578x306px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We're right under the flight path for the scheduled orbital launch, but don't worry--it's too cold out for the rockets to operate safely, so I'm sure they'll postpone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Shark, the iceberg of the sea - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic depicts a situation involving multiple pieces of infrastructure: a ship, sailing towards icebergs, which is tethered to an airship flying next to a power plant towards a bridge. Each of these are labelled with details that clearly reference famous disasters, all of which were caused (at least in part) by design failures. All of these incidents are common case studies for engineers studying how things can go very wrong. The implication is that, by putting them all together, most engineers would be highly concerned with the potential for catastrophe.

- "Unsinkable Ocean Liner" refers to the RMS ''{{w|Titanic}}''.

The ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner which famously {{w|Sinking of the Titanic|sank}} on its maiden voyage in 1912. It was the largest ship in operation at the time, and was called "unsinkable" due to its size and much-lauded design features. The ship struck an iceberg on the fourth day of its first voyage, breaching the hull and ultimately causing it to sink, resulting in 1,496 deaths. Multiple design inadequacies (although none without precedent in contemporary vessels) were afterwards identified as contributing to the rapid speed of the ship sinking and to the high loss of life. These included: too few life boats; inadequate steering ability; compartments lacking watertight ceilings and therefore allowing the water levels within to top over into previously unaffected sections.

- "Hydrogen-filled [...] Airship [...]" refers to the {{w|Hindenburg Disaster}}.

The {{w|LZ 129 Hindenburg|''Hindenburg''}} was a German airship which used hydrogen as a lifting gas. In 1937, during a landing in New Jersey, the ship caught fire and the inflammable hydrogen quickly ignited, causing the ship to crash and resulting in 36 deaths. While the origins of the fire are still debated, the dangers of using large amounts of inflammable gas in airships were made dramatically clear.

Ironically, the airship in the comic appears to have been commissioned for the purpose of mitigating iceberg risks (unless 'iceberg spotting' is for the purpose of steering the 'Unsinkable Ocean Liner' towards icebergs, perhaps as a tourist attraction).

- "Soviet Era Nuclear Reactor Undergoing a Turbine Test" refers to the {{w|Chernobyl Disaster}}.

The {{w|Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant}} is located near the city of Pripyat, in Ukraine (under the Soviet Union at the time of the disaster). On 26 April 1986, a reactor core partially melted during a turbine test. This led to an explosion, causing a massive release of radiation. This incident remains the worst nuclear accident to date. The number of fatalities from the disaster are difficult to calculate; two people died from the initial damage, twenty-eight more from acute radiation sickness, and fifteen people who were directly exposed developed terminal thyroid cancer. The radiation, however, spread far beyond the plant itself, and the number of premature deaths ultimately attributable to subsequent exposure can't be calculated directly, though most estimates are easily in the thousands.

- "Bridge Prone to Aeroelastic Flutter in High Winds" refers to the {{w|Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940)|Tacoma Narrows Bridge}}.

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, a suspension bridge in the U.S. state of Washington, was initially built in 1940. From the time of its construction, the bridge was observed to sway and {{w|Aeroelasticity#Flutter|flutter}} in high winds. About four months after opening, in 40 mile-per-hour (64 km/h) winds, the bridge fluttered so violently that it collapsed into the strait. There were no human fatalities, though several people were injured. This collapse is frequently used to demonstrate the dangers of harmonic vibration in infrastructure, particularly structures exposed to strong winds. The bridge was eventually rebuilt, with a redesign intended to prevent such fluttering.

As illustrated, it appears that the ship is about to sail under the bridge, while the airship will fly over it, causing the tether between the two to snag the bridge.

- The title text refers to the {{w|Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster}}.

The {{w|Space Shuttle Challenger|''Challenger''}} was an American space shuttle which broke up shortly after its launch in 1986, killing all seven crew members aboard before reaching orbit. The disaster was caused by a failure of O-ring seals on one of the shuttle's rocket boosters and the subsequent leak of hot gasses. The likely cause of these failures was because the weather was much colder than normal in the launch area, causing the seals to be well below their design temperature range in the immediate lead-up to being exposed to launch conditions, and were then unable to maintain their integrity. Engineers for the company that had built the boosters raised this concern and recommended postponing the launch, but were overruled.

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

:[An airship flying, labeled:]
:Hydrogen-filled scout airship for iceberg spotting
:[The airship is chained to a ship, going along a river, labeled:]
:Unsinkable ocean liner
:[In the background on the coast a nuclear power plant, labeled:]
:Soviet-era nuclear reactor undergoing a turbine test
:[The boat and airship are steering towards a bridge, labeled:]
:Bridge prone to aeroelastic flutter in high winds
:[Two unlabeled icebergs are on the water on either side of the bridge.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:In retrospect, we should have noticed how nervous the situation was making the engineers.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Aviation]]
[[Category:Space]]

2940: Modes of Transportation

2024-06-05T14:58:26Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2940
| date = May 31, 2024
| title = Modes of Transportation
| image = modes_of_transportation_2x.png
| imagesize = 510x518px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = My bold criticism might anger the hot air balloon people, which would be a real concern if any of them lived along a very narrow line directly upwind of me.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Transportationally convenient but insidiously dangerous robotic car - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Randall's chart compares different modes of transportation by how convenient and dangerous they are. At the top-left (high in convenience and low in danger) are airliners and trains, as these are both fast-moving vehicles on which many millions of dollars have been spent to make them safer. In the top-right, motorcycles are at the same convenience level, but are rated much more dangerous, since they are easy to lose control of at high speeds, and careless drivers (of cars) can easily hit a motorcycle and cause extreme harm. Things like unicycles (bottom-left) are considered much lower on the convenience scale, being not very fast or easy ways to travel, but relatively safe, while towards the centre, skis are apparently moderately convenient and moderately dangerous, since they are relatively easy to fall on if going fast downhill. Way out on their own in the bottom-right, hot air balloons appear to be unique in being rated least on convenience and highest on danger. Presumably, modes of transportation similar to hot air balloons (like zeppelins and blimps) are left off the chart to increase the gap for comedic effect.

The modes are grouped into several zones by darkened backgrounds -- the easiest or most effective that are also the safest ones (trains, cars, walking, biking, boats, etc.) are in the '''Zone of Practicality''' at the upper left. The ones that are mixed, ranging from very useful for travel but dangerous (motorcycles and helicopters) in the upper-right, through moderately dangerous and moderately unpractical (go karts, skateboards, rollerblades, skis, light aircraft) in the middle, to quite safe but totally unpractical for travel (bumper cars, unicycles, sleds) in the lower-left are in the '''Zone of Specialty or Recreational Vehicles'''. At the extreme of dangerous and very unpractical (lower-right) is a zone labeled simply '''?????''' containing one only mode: Hot Air Balloons.

Because a hot air balloon is rated so poorly, if an optimization algorithm considers it the optimal mode of transportation, it must be the result of a sign error (e.g. having a minus sign where a plus sign is supposed to be, or vice versa), making the algorithm optimize for the opposite result by mistake. This could be because, unusually, on the y axis of the chart higher is better, whereas on the x axis lower is better. If these were treated the wrong way around, it would result in the air balloon appearing to be the best result. More typically, you might plot convenience vs ''safety'', so that a higher value on either axis would represent a better result. However, both measures are still likely to need to take underlying data (for safety, incident counts, etc.; for convenience, travel time, etc.) and invert them, leading to potential for errors.

In order to compare the relative danger from each mode of transport, one can look at statistics of fatalities and injuries sustained during each activity. Traditionally this can be reported in fatalities/{{w|Killed_or_Seriously_Injured|KSI}} per mile driven or passenger mile (or other unit of distance), to account for the fact that some modes are used much more than others and make valid comparisons. They may also be reported per capita (but this ignores the relative usage of different modes), or per journey (but this doesn't take into account the fact that different modes typically have different journey lengths and times). All of these are somewhat flawed, since they are really measuring the danger ''to'' users of that mode of transport, both from their own conveyance, and from other sources such as other road users. Since ballooning is not a very common mode of transport, hot air balloon incidents are [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9533500/ correspondingly uncommon], and flights are not routinely monitored or registered, it is difficult to draw strong conclusions from the data for hot air balloons.

The title text makes a joke that if a hot air balloon enthusiast disagrees with the ranking and is angered by it, they may wish to remonstrate or retaliate, but will have a difficult time getting to Randall's house with their preferred mode of transportation, because they are limited to travelling in the direction of the wind. If they chose an alternative form of transport, they would be making his point for him. In reality, hot air balloons have some freedom to choose their direction of travel, since by controlling their altitude they can access different wind directions at different heights. Randall should, therefore, be concerned about hot air balloonists who live within a wedge spanned by the various wind directions accessible on a given day. In principle, if the weather conditions are favorable, this could cover every direction from Randall's house. The phrase "hot air balloon people" is reminiscent of "autogyro people" from the title text of [[1972: Autogyros]].

Curiously, the comic includes most common forms of transport, and a number of less common ones, but omits examples such as buses (a mass transit solution arguably more convenient than trains). It is not clear if this is an error, or a deliberate choice to maintain the comic's layout and presentation.

This is the second comic in a row to feature an algorithm.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Transportation !! Description !! Convenience !! Danger !! Zone
|-
|{{w|Train}}s
|Mass transit on rails, typically between urban centers.
|data-sort-value=""|Convenient and comfortable, provided proper funding/maintenance and filled timetables. Allows relatively cheap travel for many people at once.
|data-sort-value=""|Exceedingly safe, due to dedicated tracks along a controlled environment. In places with strong safety regulations and well-maintained infrastructure, fatalities are generally limited to individuals wandering onto the off-limit tracks.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Airliner}}s
|Mass transit by aircraft
|data-sort-value=""| Extremely fast travel between population centers for larger groups of people. Less comfortable and more expensive than trains.
|data-sort-value=""| Extremely safe due to strong regulation and relatively little traffic interactions. However, the few catastrophies that do happen have high death counts.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Car}}s
|Motorised road vehicle Most common method of long distance travel, used by many individuals to reach specific destinations
|data-sort-value=""| Owners of a car can usually go easily to any road-accessible location within a 200 mile/300 km radius. Requires constant focus, but can transport a few passengers or some cargo. Parking, maintenance, and infrastructure requirements are often ignored when judging car convenience.
|data-sort-value=""| While collisions can be extremely serious, due to the high speeds and large mass of most cars, decades of advancement have resulted in most cars being designed around safety considerations, which protect the passengers from serious injuries in most accidents. While road fatalities remain high in many countries, the per-mile rate rate of injury and death is relatively low, compared to many means of transit in this chart.
|Practicality
|-
|Scooters
|Either: 
*{{w|Kick scooter}} - Less convenient than the placing would suggest.
*{{w|Scooter (motorcycle)|Low powered motorbike/moped}} - More dangerous than the placing would suggest.
*{{w|Motorized scooter|Engine-powered scooter}} - A middle-ground.
|data-sort-value=""| Kick scooter-style vehicles are probably less convenient than bicycles as they do not provide seating, and are less efficient at converting energy into motion. A low-powered motorbike is about as convenient as a bicycle, requiring refueling in lieu of pedalling, and going much faster.
|data-sort-value=""| Kick scooters are much slower – and therefore safer – than bicycles. Some motorized scooters can reach speeds comparable to car travel, but they are usually limited to speeds around average cycling speeds. Falling from one might be slightly safer than from a bicycle. Low-powered motorbikes often go much faster than bicycles, and would therefore be much more dangerous. All leave the rider vulnerable to danger from motorised traffic sharing the same space.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Bicycle}}s
|Human-powered (or {{w|Electric bicycle|mostly so}}) two-wheeled road vehicle
|data-sort-value=""| Assuming proper road or trail connections, bicycles are highly flexible for traveling to any location within a ~10 km radius, or further. They are a very efficient use of human power for producing motion.
|data-sort-value=""| Bicycles mostly move slow enough for falls or collisions to have little impact, though they are vulnerable to motorized traffic where it shares the road. Around 66% of fatal bicycle accidents occur due to collisions with cars, vans, or trucks.<ref>[https://swov.nl/en/fact-sheet/cyclists#:~:text=The%20crash%20registration%20shows%20that,occurred%20in%20single%2Dbicycle%20crashes swov.nl on cyclists].</ref>
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Boat}}s
|Watercraft of various types
|data-sort-value=""| Specialized for water traffic, which is a very common form of transportation. Quite comfortable (unless you suffer from seasickness), but usually very slow.
|data-sort-value=""| Sinking, capsizing, or falling overboard, whether by collision or misuse, can be lethal, especially on the sea. However, collisions are very rare.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Walking}}
|Personal bipedal ambulation 
|data-sort-value=""| Can travel between any two connected points regardless of infrastructure, but most people only find it comfortable for a few kilometers. Very slow compared to even bicycles, but the energy intensity is good for exercise.
|data-sort-value=""| Due to the slow speed of walking, it's extremely rare for the activity to cause serious injuries or death. The primary risk from walking itself is falling, particularly down stairs or from some other height. Walking may expose a person to outside risks (eg: vehicle collisions, weather exposure, wildlife encounters, crime), but the act of walking itself is exceptionally safe.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Motorcycle}}s
|...
|data-sort-value=""| As practical as cars to move between locations, and sometimes quicker, due to the ability to filter in traffic, but generally less comfortable, especially in rough weather.
|data-sort-value=""| Motorcycles generally move as fast as cars, introducing all of the dangers that come with speed. Having two wheels, rather than four, there's a significantly higher risk of losing control and falling. Being smaller than a car, there's more danger of not being seen in a potential collision. Most importantly, the driver is fully exposed, lacking both the enclosure of a car or truck and all of the safety features that come with it, and has no protection other than any personal gear they're wearing. In consequence, motorcycles have a per-mile fatality rate 25 times higher than cars.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Helicopter}}s
| Rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors.
|data-sort-value=""| Effective to move between any two points as long as there are landing pads of reasonable size. Can be used to hover relatively still in the air. Speed for utility helicopters is comparable to trains. Very loud, and very difficult to learn to fly.
|data-sort-value=""| As per {{w|Harry Reasoner}}: "An airplane by its nature wants to fly, and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by a deliberately incompetent pilot, it will fly. A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying; immediately and disastrously. There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter."
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Light aircraft}}
|In the United States, the general category of [https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/design_approvals/small_airplanes/categories small aircraft] covers a variety of aircraft certified to weigh 19,000 pounds (8618 kg) or less at takeoff. Maximum allowed weight varies by specific category.
|data-sort-value=""|Convenience greatly depends on style of aircraft, proximity of airfields to intended destination as well as "first and final mile" transportation, etc. In many areas the need for a trained pilot as well as costs and time spent on the ground at an airfield ("taxi time"), plotting and filing of flight plans, and the variability of weather conditions make surface transportation (automobiles, trains, buses) and scheduled heavy commercial aircraft more practical. However, in areas such as the Alaskan interior and north slope, light airplane travel becomes critically important for living and working in remote areas.
|data-sort-value=""|
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Go-kart}}s
|Low profile, [https://www.cpsc.gov/FAQ/Fun-CartsGo-Karts unregulated], four-wheel, motorized platforms that are not {{w|Street-legal vehicle|street legal}}
|data-sort-value=""| A lack of proper suspension makes for a bumpy ride, poor clearance would leave them at risk of grounding on more uneven terrain, and the maximum speed is quite low.
|data-sort-value=""| Crashing is much more likely to cause spinal damage than bicycles, but the relatively low speed would make them much safer than other motorized vehicle options.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Skateboard}}s
| A board on four wheels
|data-sort-value=""| Much slower and less energy-efficient than bicycles.
|data-sort-value=""| As long as you're not doing mad tricks in a quarterpipe, using a skateboard for transportation carries little risk, other than being struck by other users of the same space. Safety gear is common.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Inline skates|Rollerblades}}
| Shoes with a single line of wheels at the bottom
|data-sort-value=""| Much slower and less energy-efficient than bicycles.
|data-sort-value=""| As long as you're not doing mad tricks in a quarterpipe, using rollerblades for transportation carries little risk, other than being struck by other users of the same space. Safety gear is common.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Ski}}s
| Narrow strips of material to stand on while sliding across a low-friction surface
|data-sort-value=""| A fine way to move downhill relatively fast, but maintenance of the slope is required. Also a fairly quick way to travel on the flat when there is snow cover that would make other modes of transport challenging. Less useful in less conducive conditions.
|data-sort-value=""|Downhill skiers can reach high speeds at which collisions could cause significant injury to the skier's lightly protected body. It can be hard to control your speed at lower skill levels, but as long as low speeds are maintained (as it might when used as a transportation option), skiing is not that dangerous.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Unicycle}}s
| One-wheeled human-powered vehicle
|data-sort-value=""|While it can be a [https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/24351890.wellington-teen-circumnavigates-globe-unicycle/ practical form of transport] for skilled riders, unicycles are very low on the "convenience" scale. Having only a single wheel makes balance much more difficult, especially over longer distances, and the lack of gearing makes pedalling less efficient and more taxing, particularly as road conditions change.
|data-sort-value=""| While riders may be more likely to fall off unicycles than bicycles (particularly when new to them), the low speed and minimal height mean that falls are highly unlikely to cause serious injuries. Despite their difficulty, it's almost unheard of for people to die in unicycle accidents, though low usage rates mean that drawing conclusions from injury data is problematic.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Sled}}s
| A construction that can slide over snow, ice, or sand
|data-sort-value=""| Useful in limited conditions in which other forms of transport might struggle to cope with.
|data-sort-value=""| It is hard to properly control your speed downhill, but extremely safe on level terrain or slight slopes.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Bumper Cars}}
| Small electric karts with rubber bumpers
|data-sort-value=""| Only really convenient for making ''very'' short journeys. Typically require an electronic mesh in the ceiling to move at all.
|data-sort-value=""| Because these vehicles travel only at very slow speeds, are confined to a small and controlled area, and are protected by large, shock-absorbing bumpers, the risk of injury is almost non-existent.{{actual citation needed}} This to the point where small children not only use them with minimal supervision, but are encouraged to collide with one another.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Hot Air Balloon}}s
| A basket tied to a huge bag of heated air
|data-sort-value=""| Provide limited control and low speeds. They were the primary form of air-travel available in the 19th-century, but were overtaken by powered air-travel.
|data-sort-value=""| A malfunction in the balloon can result in a very rapid descent, from great height. A poorly executed descent could result in a mid-air collision (e.g. with trees, powerlines, etc.) with potential for a nasty fall. The air that provides the lift is heated by a flame, which may be open, and the envelope catching fire would very likely cause an uncontrolled descent with high likelihood of death. Further known dangers are malfunctions of the propane tanks fueling the burner causing an explosion and falling down the edge of the basket due to improper or no tethering. While accidents aren't especially common, this is because hot air balloons are not common forms of transit. The number of injuries per passenger-mile is at least as high as any other form of transit in this chart.
|?????
|}

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

:[A chart is shown, where the Y axis is labeled "Convenient for travel" and has an arrow pointing up and the X axis is labeled "Dangerous" and has an arrow pointing right.]
:[In gray text, "Zone of practicality" points to a large irregular area fitting in to the top left corner of the chart with a gray background. The following modes are shown in this area, starting with the first few bunched at highest convenience:]
::Trains [very convenient, very safe]
::Airliners
::Cars
::Scooters [the most dangerous of this set, at medium-low danger]
::Bicycles
::Boats [medium-high convenience, a slight amount of danger]
::Walking [the least convienient, at roughly half, and lowest danger of this set]
:[In gray text, "Zone of specialty and recreational vehicles" points to a large irregular swathe from the top right to the bottom left with a gray background. The following modes are shown in this area, with the nodes spread in rough order from high convenience/danger to low convenience/danger:]
::Motorcycles [highly convenient, nearly maximum danger]
::Helicopters [not quite fully convenient, most danger]
::Light aircraft
::Go karts
::Skateboards
::Rollerblades
::Skis
::Unicycles
::Sleds
::Bumper cars [lowest convenience and lowest danger item]
:[In gray text, "?????" points to a small blob in the bottom right corner with a gray background, notably distant from the nearest other group. A single mode is included in this area:]
::Hot air balloons [placed as almost the least convenient and most dangerous, of all labels]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Hot air balloons are the optimal mode of transportation, if your optimization algorithm has a sign error.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]

2940: Modes of Transportation

2024-06-03T15:04:31Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2940
| date = May 31, 2024
| title = Modes of Transportation
| image = modes_of_transportation_2x.png
| imagesize = 510x518px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = My bold criticism might anger the hot air balloon people, which would be a real concern if any of them lived along a very narrow line directly upwind of me.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Transportationally convenient but insidiously dangerous robotic car - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Randall's chart compares different modes of transportation by how convenient and dangerous they are. At the top-left (high in convenience and low in danger) are airliners and trains, as these are both fast-moving vehicles on which many millions of dollars have been spent to make them safer. In the top-right, motorcycles are at the same convenience level, but are rated much more dangerous, since they are easy to lose control of at high speeds, and careless drivers (of cars) can easily hit a motorcycle and cause extreme harm. Things like unicycles (bottom-left) are considered much lower on the convenience scale, being not very fast or easy ways to travel, but relatively safe, while towards the centre, skis are apparently moderately convenient and moderately dangerous, since they are relatively easy to fall on if going fast downhill. Way out on their own in the bottom-right, hot air balloons appear to be unique in being rated least on convenience and highest on danger. Presumably, modes of transportation similar to hot air balloons (like zeppelins and blimps) are left off the chart to increase the gap for comedic effect.

Because a hot air balloon is rated so poorly, if an optimization algorithm considers it the optimal mode of transportation, it must be the result of a sign error (e.g. having a minus sign where a plus sign is supposed to be, or vice versa), making the algorithm optimize for the opposite result by mistake. This could be because, unusually, on the y axis of the chart higher is better, whereas on the x axis lower is better. If these were treated the wrong way around, it would result in the air balloon appearing to be the best result. More typically, you might plot convenience vs ''safety'', so that a higher value on either axis would represent a better result. However, both measures are still likely to need to take underlying data (for safety, incident counts, etc.; for convenience, travel time, etc.) and invert them, leading to potential for errors.

In order to compare the relative danger from each mode of transport, one can look at statistics of fatalities and injuries sustained during each activity. Traditionally this can be reported in fatalities/{{w|Killed_or_Seriously_Injured|KSI}} per mile driven or passenger mile (or other unit of distance), to account for the fact that some modes are used much more than others and make valid comparisons. They may also be reported per capita (but this ignores the relative usage of different modes), or per journey (but this doesn't take into account the fact that different modes typically have different journey lengths and times). All of these are somewhat flawed, since they are really measuring the danger ''to'' users of that mode of transport, both from their own conveyance, and from other sources such as other road users. Since ballooning is not a very common mode of transport, hot air balloon incidents are [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9533500/ correspondingly uncommon], and flights are not routinely monitored or registered, it is difficult to draw strong conclusions from the data for hot air balloons.

The title text makes a joke that if a hot air balloon enthusiast disagrees with the ranking and is angered by it, they may wish to remonstrate or retaliate, but will have a difficult time getting to Randall's house with their preferred mode of transportation, because they are limited to travelling in the direction of the wind. If they chose an alternative form of transport, they would be making his point for him. In reality, hot air balloons have some freedom to choose their direction of travel, since by controlling their altitude they can access different wind directions at different heights. Randall should, therefore, be concerned about hot air balloonists who live within a wedge spanned by the various wind directions accessible on a given day. In principle, if the weather conditions are favorable, this could cover every direction from Randall's house. The phrase "hot air balloon people" is reminiscent of "autogyro people" from the title text of [[1972: Autogyros]].

Curiously, the comic includes most common forms of transport, and a number of less common ones, but omits examples such as buses (a mass transit solution arguably more convenient than trains). It is not clear if this is an error, or a deliberate choice to maintain the comic's layout and presentation.

This is the second comic in a row to feature an algorithm.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Transportation !! Description !! Convenience !! Danger !! Zone
|-
|{{w|Train}}s
|Mass transit on rails, typically between urban centers.
|data-sort-value=""|Convenient and comfortable, provided proper funding/maintenance and filled timetables. Allows relatively cheap travel for many people at once.
|data-sort-value=""|Exceedingly safe, due to dedicated tracks along a controlled environment. Accidents are largely limited to individuals wandering onto the off-limit tracks.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Airliner}}s
|Mass transit by aircraft
|data-sort-value=""| Extremely fast travel between population centers for larger groups of people. Less comfortable and more expensive than trains.
|data-sort-value=""| Extremely safe due to strong regulation and relatively little traffic interactions. However, the few catastrophies that do happen have high death counts.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Car}}s
|Motorised road vehicle Most common method of long distance travel, used by many individuals to reach specific destinations
|data-sort-value=""| Owners of a car can usually go easily to any road-accessible location within a 200 mile/300 km radius. Requires constant focus, but can transport a few passengers or some cargo. Parking, maintenance, and infrastructure requirements are often ignored when judging car convenience.
|data-sort-value=""| Insides of cars are covered with safety features, because collisions are relatively common. Assuming appropriate speed limits and proper focus by the driver, accidents can largely be avoided. Driving is the most dangerous thing most people do, and cars are very dangerous to nearby pedestrians and cyclists.
|Practicality
|-
|Scooters
|Either: 
*{{w|Kick scooter}} - Less convenient than the placing would suggest.
*{{w|Scooter (motorcycle)|Low powered motorbike/moped}} - More dangerous than the placing would suggest.
*{{w|Motorized scooter|Engine-powered scooter}} - A middle-ground.
|data-sort-value=""| Kick scooter-style vehicles are probably less convenient than bicycles as they do not provide seating, and are less efficient at converting energy into motion. A low-powered motorbike is about as convenient as a bicycle, requiring refueling in lieu of pedalling, and going much faster.
|data-sort-value=""| Kick scooters are much slower – and therefore safer – than bicycles. A motorized scooter can exceed bicycle speeds, but falling might be slightly safer. Low-powered motorbikes often go much faster than bicycles, and would therefore be much more dangerous. All leave the rider vulnerable to danger from motorised traffic sharing the same space.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Bicycle}}s
|Human-powered (or {{w|Electric bicycle|mostly so}}) two-wheeled road vehicle
|data-sort-value=""| Assuming proper road or trail connections, bicycles are highly flexible for traveling to any location within a ~10 km radius, or further.
|data-sort-value=""| Bicycles mostly move slow enough for falls or collisions to have little impact, though they are vulnerable to motorized traffic where it shares the road, and are often perceived to be much more subject to danger than they really are.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Boat}}s
|Watercraft of various types
|data-sort-value=""| Specialized for water traffic, which is a very common form of transportation. Quite comfortable (unless you suffer from seasickness), but usually very slow.
|data-sort-value=""| Sinking, capsizing, or falling overboard, whether by collision or misuse, can be lethal, especially on the sea. However, collisions are very rare.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Walking}}
|Personal bipedal ambulation 
|data-sort-value=""| Can travel between any two connected points regardless of infrastructure, but most people only find it comfortable for a few kilometers. Very slow compared to even bicycles, but the energy intensity is good for exercise.
|data-sort-value=""| Most danger to those walking comes from others, such as being hit by a motorized vehicle. Has the potential for trip injuries, and walking up or down stairs is particularly dangerous, since a greater fall can result.
|Practicality
|-
|{{w|Motorcycle}}s
|...
|data-sort-value=""| As practical as cars to move between locations, and sometimes quicker, due to the ability to filter in traffic, but generally less comfortable, especially in rough weather.
|data-sort-value=""| Cars with all the safety features of bicycles. Exceedingly dangerous at higher speeds, especially when sharing the road with cars.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Helicopter}}s
| Rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors.
|data-sort-value=""| Effective to move between any two points as long as there are landing pads of reasonable size. Can be used to hover relatively still in the air. Speed for utility helicopters is comparable to trains. Very loud, and very difficult to learn to fly.
|data-sort-value=""| As per {{w|Harry Reasoner}}: "An airplane by its nature wants to fly, and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by a deliberately incompetent pilot, it will fly. A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying; immediately and disastrously. There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter."
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Light aircraft}}
|In the United States, the general category of [https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/design_approvals/small_airplanes/categories small aircraft] covers a variety of aircraft certified to weigh 19,000 pounds (8618 kg) or less at takeoff. Maximum allowed weight varies by specific category.
|data-sort-value=""|
|data-sort-value=""|
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Go-kart}}s
|...
|data-sort-value=""| A lack of proper suspension makes for a bumpy ride, poor clearance would leave them at risk of grounding on more uneven terrain, and the maximum speed is quite low.
|data-sort-value=""| Crashing is much more likely to cause spinal damage than bicycles, but the relatively low speed would make them much safer than other motorized vehicle options.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Skateboard}}s
| A board on four wheels
|data-sort-value=""| Much slower and less energy-efficient than bicycles.
|data-sort-value=""| As long as you're not doing mad tricks in a quarterpipe, using a skateboard for transportation carries little risk, other than being struck by other users of the same space. Safety gear is common.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Inline skates|Rollerblades}}
| Shoes with a single line of wheels at the bottom
|data-sort-value=""| Much slower and less energy-efficient than bicycles.
|data-sort-value=""| As long as you're not doing mad tricks in a quarterpipe, using rollerblades for transportation carries little risk, other than being struck by other users of the same space. Safety gear is common.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Ski}}s
| Narrow strips of material to stand on while sliding across a low-friction surface
|data-sort-value=""| A fine way to move downhill relatively fast, but maintenance of the slope is required. Also a fairly quick way to travel on the flat when there is snow cover that would make other modes of transport challenging. Less useful in less conducive conditions.
|data-sort-value=""|Downhill skiers can reach high speeds at which collisions could cause significant injury to the skier's lightly protected body. It can be hard to control your speed at lower skill levels, but as long as low speeds are maintained (as it might when used as a transportation option), skiing is not that dangerous.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Unicycle}}s
| One-wheeled human-powered vehicle
|data-sort-value=""|Can be a [https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/24351890.wellington-teen-circumnavigates-globe-unicycle/ practical form of transport] for skilled riders. Because unicycles lack a gear system, they are less mechanically efficient than bicycles and have a much lower top-speed.
|data-sort-value=""| Because of the lower top-speed, unicycles would be safer than bicycles, though you may fall off it more frequently.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Sled}}s
| A construction that can slide over snow, ice, or sand
|data-sort-value=""| Useful in limited conditions in which other forms of transport might struggle to cope with.
|data-sort-value=""| It is hard to properly control your speed downhill, but extremely safe on level terrain or slight slopes.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Bumper Cars}}
| Small electric karts with rubber bumpers
|data-sort-value=""| Only really convenient for making ''very'' short journeys. Typically require an electronic mesh in the ceiling to move at all.
|data-sort-value=""| Apparently safe enough to be a hardly-supervized children's entertainment attraction.
|Speciality/Recreational
|-
|{{w|Hot Air Balloon}}s
| A basket tied to a huge bag of heated air
|data-sort-value=""| Provide limited control and low speeds. They were the only form of air-travel available in the 19th-century, but were overtaken by powered air-travel.
|data-sort-value=""| A malfunction in the balloon can result in a very rapid descent, from great height. A poorly executed descent could result in a mid-air collision (e.g. with trees, powerlines, etc.) with potential for a nasty fall.
|?????
|}

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

:[A chart is shown, where the Y axis is labeled "Convenient for travel" and has an arrow pointing up and the X axis is labeled "Dangerous" and has an arrow pointing right.]
:[The following modes are shown in the "Zone of practicality" (a large irregular area fitting in to the top left corner of the chart), highlighted with a gray background, starting with the first few bunched at highest convenience, :]
:Trains [very convenient, very safe]
:Airliners
:Cars
:Scooters [the most dangerous of this set, at medium-low danger]
:Bicycles
:Boats [medium-high convenience, a slight amount of danger]
:Walking [the least convienient, at roughly half, and lowest danger of this set]
:[The following modes are shown in the "Zone of specialty and recreational vehicles" (a large irregular swathe from the top right to the bottom left, not quite touching the prior zone), highlighted with a gray background, the nodes spread in rough order from high convenience/danger to low convenience/danger:]
:Motorcycles [highly convenient, nearly maximum danger]
:Helicopters [not quite fully convenient, most danger]
:Light aircraft
:Go karts
:Skateboards
:Rollerblades
:Skis
:Unicycles
:Sleds
:Bumper cars [lowest convenience and lowest danger item]
:[The following is labeled "?????" (in the bottom right corner), and has a gray background all to itself in a small blob notably distant from the nearest other group:]
:Hot air balloons [placed as almost the least convenient and most dangerous, of all labels]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Hot air balloons are the optimal mode of transportation, if your optimization algorithm has a sign error.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]

2372: Dialect Quiz

2023-11-22T10:33:19Z

172.70.90.119: Undo revision 329446 by 162.158.90.33 (talk) This was long before it was owned by Musk, let alone renamed. (If anything, add ", later known as X, ", or something less confusing.

{{comic
| number = 2372
| date = October 14, 2020
| title = Dialect Quiz
| image = dialect_quiz.png
| titletext = Do you make a distinction between shallots, scallops, and scallions? If you use all three words, do they all have different meanings, all the same, or are two the same and one different?
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a parody of online quizzes that offer to compare the user's dialect of American English with others around the country. These quizzes generally contain questions about word usage, names for certain objects, and pronunciations that vary between different regions of the US. There are also quizzes about broader English dialects, but this comic focuses on commonly cited differences between American dialects.

The earliest quiz of this type to be widely disseminated online was the [http://dialect.redlog.net/ Harvard Dialect Survey], conducted in the early 2000s by Bert Vaux and Scott Golder. The survey created maps of the distribution of various word usage (such as pop/soda/coke for a fizzy softdrink) and was a relatively early example of widely shared Internet "viral" content. In 2013, Josh Katz of the New York Times created [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html a new version] based on the Harvard survey, which became the Times' [https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/01/-em-the-new-york-times-em-most-popular-story-of-2013-was-not-an-article/283167/ most popular content of 2013] and spread the idea to many more people. Many of the questions in this comic directly derive from entries in those surveys.

Randall's previous two comics have been about election predictions, leading up to the 2020 US General Presidential Election. A prominent predictor of the election results is [[Nate Silver]], who runs the FiveThirtyEight website. He [https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1315348221565206530 posted his results] of taking the New York Times version of the survey on October 11, 2020, just three days before this comic was posted. [[2371: Election Screen Time]] specifically suggests that Randall may be spending too much time obsessing over new posts and content from the election predictors. It's coincidental, but likely, that Nate Silver's tweet inspired Randall's post: he was reminded of the 2013 feature from the Times.

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
! # !! Question !! Answers !! Explanation
|-
! 1
|How do you address a group of two or more people?
|style="width: 15%;"|
* A) You
* B) Y'all
* C) I have not been around two or more people for so long that I can't remember
| Reference to the first question of the Times quiz: "How would you address {{w|You#Informal_plural_forms|a group of two or more people}}?" (with options including "you all", "you guys", "y'all", etc.). Option C may reference the significant decrease in human interaction and social contact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alternatively, it may suggest that some xkcd readers are particularly introverted.
|-
! 2
| How do you pronounce "Penelope"?
|
* A) Rhymes with "Antelope"
* B) Rhymes with "Develop"
| Both the options for this are wrong, making it the first of many quiz questions to be impossible to answer correctly.

Neither Option A's "PEN-e-lohp" /ˈpɛːnəˌloʊp/ (possibly "PEEN-e-lohp" /ˈpiːnɪˌloʊp/) nor Option B's "pe-NELL-up" /pɪˈnɛləp/ are a typical pronunciation of this name (beyond mispronunciations). In English, the only correct way to pronounce this name is "pe-NELL-o-pee" /pəˈnɛləpi/, which is not listed. (A) is the answer Juan from Club Dread (2004) would have given, and the way video game parody band "Random Encounters" pronounces their second cat's name. In Questionable Content, this is also the way Faye pronounces Penelope's name in comic 725. Whether this is a coincidence or deliberate is unknown.
|-
! 3
| What do you call the scientific field that studies the stars?
|
* A) Astrology
* B) Agronomy
* C) Cosmetology
| The actual answer is {{w|astronomy}}, which is not listed, though several answers ''are'' listed that sound similar to fields that study stars. {{w|Astrology}} is the pseudo-scientific "study" of the influence of the stars and planets on our lives, including horoscopes, {{w|agronomy}} ''is'' scientific but instead studies agriculture, and {{w|cosmetology}} is the study of cosmetics and makeup (with a name close to {{w|cosmology}}, a branch of astronomy, and {{w|comet}}, an astronomical object). The last may also be referring to the occasionally makeup-heavy faces of movie and television "stars".

[[:Category:Astronomy|Astronomy]] and [[:Category:Cosmology|cosmology]] are recurring themes on XKCD.
|-
! 4
| How do you pronounce "genre"?
|
* A) Gone-ra
* B) Juh-neer
* C) Jen-er-uh
| Reference to a question found on some quizzes: "How do you pronounce ''genre''? ZHAHN-ruh, or JAHN-ruh?"

A majority of (American) English speakers pronounce "genre" as either "'''ZH'''AHN-ruh" /ˈʒɔnrə/ (beginning with the "zh" sound found in "trea'''s'''ure") or "'''J'''AHN-ruh" /ˈdʒɔnrə/ (beginning with the "j" sound in "justice"). Neither of these are listed, and none of the quiz's pronunciation options are common. However, they are close to other words: ''GONE-ra'' /ˈgɔnrə/ sounds like {{w|gonorrhea}} /ˌgɔnəˈriə/, ''juh-NEER'' /dʒəˈnɪər/ is the way the second and third syllables of ''engineer'' are pronounced, and ''JEN-er-uh'' /ˈdʒɛnərə/ is close to how ''genera'' /dʒɛˈnirə/ (the plural of {{w|genus}}) is pronounced.
|-
! 5
| You pronounce "Google" with a high-pitched yelp on the...
|
* A) First syllable
* B) Second syllable
| "Google" is not generally pronounced with a high-pitched yelp on either syllable.{{citation needed}} On the other hand, {{w|Yahoo!}}, a competitor of Google, has advertised its services with a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm5FE0x9eY0 high-pitched yodeling jingle], with the high-pitched yelp on the second syllable (as opposed to {{w|Goofy}}'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-70mtXw35c iconic holler], with the high yelp on the first syllable).
|-
! 6
| What do you call the thing on the wall at school that you drink water from?
|
* A) Gutter pipe
* B) Drainpipe
| Reference to a quiz question in the Harvard and Times quizzes, "What do you call the thing from which you might drink water in a school?" Answers included "drinking fountain", "water fountain", and "bubbler". However, the question in this comic implies that school children (or at least the quiz maker) drink out of {{w|Rain gutter|gutter pipes}} or drain pipes, which are used to collect rainwater and/or {{w|sewage|should absolutely not be drunk from.}}{{Citation needed}} This may be hinting at the fact that at that time some of the drinking fountains has been polluted by virus, and was considered "as dangerous as drainpipes".
|-
! 7
| How do you pronounce the name for a short silent video file?
|
* A) Animated give
* B) Animated gift
| Reference to the "{{w|Gif}}" pronunciation debate, with people split between pronouncing it "gif" (with the hard-G sound in "graphics") or "jif" (with the soft-G sound in "giraffe"). Both options presented in this quiz use the hard-G sound, but neither option uses the standard pronunciation for the ending of the word, “if”.

The original authors of the standard clarified they intended it to be said as if "jif". Maybe it is entirely appropriate that their product, which lacks any audio stream, was made known to most of its end-users without a sound-guide and left everyone to spontaneously derive their own way of voicing its name.

Also a reference to [https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/gift-as-a-verb how some people dislike the use of the word "gift" as a verb, and think that "give" should be used instead].
|-
! 8
| What do you call the baseball-sized garden bugs that, when poked, glow brightly and emit a warbling scream?
|
* A) What?
* B) Lawn buddies
| There are many different varieties of common insects with distinctive traits and behaviors, some of which even have multiple names; the creatures described "lawn buddies" combine three of these traits into one peculiar and somewhat frightening bug. The fact that no known creature like this exists forms the humor of the two answers: the first is reasonably confused, and the second is alarmingly familiar.

1. The Harvard and Times quizzes actually include the question: "What do you call the {{w|Armadillidiidae|small gray bug}} that curls up into a ball when it’s touched?" (options include "roly-poly," "pill-bug", "potato bug", "doodle bug", etc.).

It is also worth mentioning that "potato bug" itself can refer to three completely different kinds of insect; besides the aforementioned "{{w|Armadillidiidae|small gray bug}}," it can also refer to the {{w|Colorado potato beetle}} or to the {{w|Jerusalem cricket}}. A dialect quiz such as this one might ask the quiz-taker to identify what kind of insect they associate the term with.

2. The {{w|Firefly|Lampyridae}} family of insects do glow (although not exactly "brightly"). These insects emit their light spontaneously, as a mating signal, though they often do emit light when shaken or presumably poked. These are variously called "fireflies," "glowworms," or "lightning bugs;" a dialect quiz might reasonably ask the quiz-taker's preferred term.

3. {{w|cicada|Cicadas}} and {{w|Madagascar_hissing_cockroach|cockroaches}} can be large for insects, though nothing approaching the size of a baseball, and can make very loud noises indeed, although it would be a bit of a stretch to describe any of their associated sounds as a "warbling scream."
|-
! 9
| What do you call the misleading lines painted by disgruntled highway workers to trick cars into driving off the road?
|
* A) Prank lines
* B) Devil's Marks
* C) Fool-me lines
* D) Fauxguides
* E) Delaware lines
| Reference to the fact that some quiz questions ask about road features, such as "verge/berm/parking strip/curb strip" and "roundabout/traffic circle/rotary". However, these particular road lines, if they have ever been made, aren't common enough to warrant different names, unless the creator of the Quiz is referring to painted lines that haven't fully faded out of existence. The Delaware Line was a formation within the Continental Army. Devil's Marks may be a takeoff of [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Devil%27s%20Strip Devil's Strip].

Misleading lines on the road were also mentioned in [[1958: Self-Driving Issues]].
|-
! 10
| What do you call the blue-green planet in the outer Solar System?
|
* A) Uranus
* B) Neptune
| This question references the fact that Uranus and Neptune are quite similar in appearance, as well as the two common pronunciations of Uranus: "YURR-ə-nəss" and "yoo-RAY-nəss" (which sounds like the phrase "{{tvtropes|UranusIsShowing|your anus}}", a favorite joke of little kids). The original pronunciation is "oo-ra-nos", but this is not a common pronunciation among the general public. It also references the fact that Uranus and Neptune are both blue-ish colored planets in the outer solar system and are often confused by people who don't know much about them. Uranus is closer to being the correct answer - it could plausibly be described as cyan, a color intermediate between blue and green - while Neptune is a deep, unambiguous blue.
|-
! 11
| What do you call this tool?
[[File:CloveHammer.png|150px|alt=Image of a claw hammer]]
|
* A) Banger
* B) Nail axe
* C) Wood mage wand
* D) I'm familiar with this tool but have no specific word for it
* E) I have never seen it before
| The only name most people would ever call this tool is a "hammer".

The last two options reference options in many quiz questions along the lines of "I'm familiar with this but have no specific word for it" and "I am not familiar with this" (such as on the pill-bug/roly-poly question on the real quiz). These may appear as options to questions that ask about something that might not exist everywhere, or something which many may not have a word for (for example, some areas of the United States have a name for "sunshowers," while most don't). However, it's a bit absurd for these options to be present for this question (and this question alone), as virtually all users in an English dialect test would be expected to know what a hammer is. This also serves as a bit of reverse perspective on the saying, "{{w|Law of the instrument|When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.}}"
|-
! 12
| What do you call a long sandwich with meats and lettuce and stuff?
|
* A) A long sandwich with meats and lettuce and stuff
* B) A longwich
* C) A salad hot dog
| Reference to a common dialect quiz question: "What do you call a {{w|Submarine sandwich|long sandwich}}?" with options typically including "sub", "hoagie", "hero", etc.

The first answer directly repeats the phrasing of the prompt, painting the person who would answer that way as either very literal-minded or bearing a snarky side. The hot dog answer could refer to the common online discussion: "Is a hot dog a sandwich?, and bears resemblance to jokes playing on synonyms to discredit their need for unique names, i.e. "Beef jerky is just a meat raisin." In this case, the argument would be "A sub sandwich is just a salad hot dog."
|-
! 13
| What do you call the scaly many-legged animal often found in attics?
|
* A) Lightbulb eater
* B) I have no special name for them
* C) I've never looked in my attic
| Another reference to the frequent appearance of quiz questions asking what users call various creepy crawlies.

{{w|Millipedes}} best fit the description. They have many legs, though rarely if ever a thousand of them, as their name (from the Latin word for "thousand feet") suggests. The hard rings that separate an individual's body into segments give the animal a scaly appearance. And of the thousands of species, only a few have common names, hence "no special name for them". The reference to "lightbulb eater" is obscure, but may refer to the tendency of millipedes to congregate in large numbers in dark crevices, or perhaps Randall is simply conjuring more frightening creatures. Perhaps Randall found some in empty (no bulb) light fixtures in his attic, though it is possible this refers to another unknown frightening creature that nobody has a word for.

Normally, questions about uncommon things would include an "I've never seen one" option, like option E in the hammer question. Instead, this question has "I've never looked in my attic" as an option, implying that these creatures are present in all attics, and anyone who doesn't know them would have to have never checked their attic at all, or that they are too afraid of this creature possibly dwelling in their own attic to go look.
|-
! 14
| What do you say when someone around you sneezes?
|
* A) "What was that?"
* B) "Oh, wow."
* C) [Quietly] "Yikes."
| Reference to a question on some quizzes about which of several words/phrases you say in response to a sneeze, with usual answers including "bless you", "God bless you", and "{{w|Gesundheit}}" (from the German word for 'health').

This question may also be referencing the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}} in answer C (and possibly answer B). Sneezing isn't a primary symptom of COVID-19, but most people are hyper-aware of possibly contracting the disease from the people around them so sneezes are treated with suspicion and it's seen as rude to sneeze openly.

It is also possible that a person who has been able to catch a sneeze-producing condition has also caught COVID-19 and, while the sneeze itself isn't ''caused'' by it, the air and various airway fluids so forcefully projected are a possible infective vector with that little extra frisson of concern, given the current situation.
|-
! Title Text
| colspan=2 | Do you make a distinction between shallots, scallops, and scallions? If you use all three words, do they all have different meanings, all the same, or are two the same and one different?
| Phrased similarly to questions like one on the Times quiz, "How do you pronounce the words Mary, merry, and marry?" Options included "all three are pronounced the same", "all three are pronounced differently," or all three combinations of two being the same and one different. Also refers to the naming confusion around {{w|scallions}} and {{w|shallots}} - also known as 'eschalots' - but with the unrelated but similar-sounding {{w|scallops}} substituted in the middle.

'Shallots', 'scallions' and 'eschalots' are names used in different dialects, for various species and cultivars of onion used in cooking, either as a small bulb (especially [[wikipedia:shallot|Allium cepa var. Aggregatum]]) or as a long green leaf (especially [[wikipedia:Allium_fistulosum|Allium fistulosum]]). In many dialects, the green leaf type is called a 'scallion' and the bulb a 'shallot'. In at least one dialect (NSW Australia) the green leaf type is called a 'shallot' and the bulb an 'eschalot'. This causes confusion in recipes posted online. The word 'shallot' is also pronounced with emphasis on either the first or second syllable, as referred to in question 5. Despite the answer options offered, there is no evidence of dialects which use all three terms, or where 'shallot' and 'scallion' are interchangeable. Many people in the US call scallions "green onions", as was joked about in [https://genius.com/Stan-freberg-christmas-dragnet-lyrics Stan Frieberg's Christmas Dragnet parody].

{{w|Scallops}} are invertebrate marine animals similar to oysters and clams, frequently harvested for food. In some regions of the UK and Australia potato {{w|fritters}} are also called 'scallops'. The word 'scallop' itself can be pronounced either as /ˈskɒləp/ or /ˈskæləp/, and its spelling has varied over time in a similar way to that of 'shallot'. However, these are difficult to confuse with shallots or scallions.
|}

==Transcript==

[Box with title at the top]
:<big>Dialect Quiz</big>
[Smaller subtitle underneath]
:Compare answers with your friends!

[Quiz is divided into two columns. Answers to questions are indicated by a letter followed by a closed parentheses, such as A). These letters are greyed out]

[Column 1:]
 
How do you address a group of two or more people?
:A) You
:B) Y'all
:C) I have not been around two or more people for so long that I can't remember

How do you pronounce "Penelope"?
:A) Rhymes with "Antelope"
:B) Rhymes with "Develop"

What do you call the scientific field that studies the stars?
:A) Astrology
:B) Agronomy
:C) Cosmetology

How do you pronounce "genre"?
:A) Gone-ra
:B) Juh-neer
:C) Jen-er-uh

You pronounce "Google" with a high-pitched yelp on the...
:A) First syllable
:B) Second syllable

What do you call the thing on the wall at school that you drink water from?
:A) Gutter pipe
:B) Drainpipe

How do you pronounce the name for a short silent video file?
:A) Animated give
:B) Animated gift

What do you call the baseball-sized garden bugs that, when poked, glow brightly and emit a warbling scream?
:A) What?
:B) Lawn buddies

[Column 2:]
 
What do you call the misleading lines painted by disgruntled highway workers to trick cars into driving off the road?
:A) Prank lines
:B) Devil's Marks
:C) Fool-me lines
:D) Fauxguides
:E) Delaware lines

What do you call the blue-green planet in the outer Solar System?
:A) Uranus
:B) Neptune

What do you call this tool?
 
[Image of a claw hammer]
:A) Banger
:B) Nail axe
:C) Wood mage wand
:D) I'm familiar with this tool but have no specific word for it
:E) I have never seen it before

What do you call a long sandwich with meats and lettuce and stuff?
:A) A long sandwich with meats and lettuce and stuff
:B) A longwich
:C) A salad hot dog

What do you call the scaly many-legged animal often found in attics?
:A) Lightbulb eater
:B) I have no special name for them
:C) I've never looked in my attic

What do you say when someone around you sneezes?
:A) "What was that?"
:B) "Oh, wow."
:C) [Quietly] "Yikes."

==Trivia==

*The xkcd Twitter account posted a [https://twitter.com/xkcd/status/1316484953480323072 series of Twitter polls] asking the questions in this comic.
**How do you address a group of two or more people?
***You (31.2%)
***Y'all (33.5%)
***'''Can’t remember anymore (35.3%)'''
**How do you pronounce “Penelope”?
***'''Rhymes with “antelope” (58.6%)'''
***Rhymes with “develop” (41.4%)
**What do you call the scientific field that studies the stars?
***Astrology (34.5%)
***Agronomy (18.5%)
***'''Cosmetology (47%)'''
**How do you pronounce "genre"?
***Gone-ra (24.7%)
***Juh-neer (18.8%)
***'''Jen-er-uh (56.5%)'''
**Do you pronounce "Google" with a high-pitched yelp on the...
***'''First syllable (63.6%)'''
***Second syllable (36.4%)
**What do you call the thing on the wall at school that you drink water from?
***Gutter pipe (32.9%)
***'''Drainpipe (67.1%)'''
**How do you pronounce the name for a short silent video file?
***Animated give (29.6%)
***'''Animated gift (70.4%)'''
**What do you call the baseball-sized garden bugs that, when poked, glow brightly and emit a warbling scream?
***What? (48.6%)
***'''Lawn buddies (51.4%)'''
**What do you call the misleading lines painted by disgruntled highway workers to trick cars into driving off the road?
***Prank/fool-me lines (14.8%)
***Devil's marks (22%)
***Fauxguides (22.5%)
***'''Delaware lines (40.6%)'''
**What do you call the blue-green planet in the outer solar system?
***'''Uranus (51.7%)'''
***Neptune (48.3%)
**What do you call this tool? 🔨
***'''Banger (29.7%)'''
***Nail axe (22%)
***Wood mage wand (29.1%)
***Don't know/not familiar (19.2%)
**What do you call a long sandwich with meats and lettuce and stuff?
***'''That description verbatim (43.1%)'''
***A longwich (33.2%)
***A salad hot dog (23.7%)
**What do you call the scaly many-legged animal often found in attics?
***Lightbulb eater (29.5%)
***Don't have a name for it (19%)
***'''Never looked in my attic (51.5%)'''
**What do you say when someone around you sneezes?
***"What was that?" (8.6%)
***"Oh, wow." (17.1%)
***'''[quietly] "Yikes." (74.3%)'''
*Shallots, scallops, and scallions ran against each other in [[1529: Bracket]]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

Talk:2841: Sign Combo

2023-10-17T15:34:31Z

172.70.90.119:

I was a driver in the Boston area (where Randall lives) for nearly a quarter of a century and this sign combo would not be that unusual to come across. I remember one three way intersection of streets in downtown Boston where all three streets were one-way _out_ of the intersection; there had been a fourth street by which you once could have entered the intersection, but it got closed off by the construction of a new building. There was another intersection in nearby Somerville where as you approached (on a one-way street four lanes wide) you saw three traffic lights spread out on the far side of the intersection, which displayed at one point in the cycle three red lights over three different green arrows, one pointing each way; so the red lights weren't stopping you from doing anything, you were allowed to go in any direction according to the green arrows, so why were there stop lights on? [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 04:11, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

Theoretically you can get around this limitation by turning off the road before the sign and doing whatever maneuvers you need to out in the wide open area to the right or left of the road. It's not a U-turn if you're not on the road, and you didn't enter a restricted part of a road either, and didn't stop on the road. After which you calmly make a turn onto the road when traffic is clear. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.207|108.162.245.207]] 02:34, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:I'm pretty sure swerving off of a road is also illegal. [[User:SteveTheNoob|SteveTheNoob]] ([[User talk:SteveTheNoob|talk]]) 04:41, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:: You can always just pull over - if a cop asks, just tell him you were lost or tired or had to take a phone call. And then take the opportunity to ask about the bloody sign! Anonymous 07:30, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
So does making a three point turn count as a u-turn? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.66|172.69.58.66]] 02:40, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
Wouldn't putting it in reverse stop you briefly as you switched from forward acceleration to reverse?
:Yes, this is also an example of Rolle's theorem as seen in [[2042]]. [[User:SteveTheNoob|SteveTheNoob]] ([[User talk:SteveTheNoob|talk]]) 04:56, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immelmann_turn Immelmann!] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stall_turn Hammerhead!] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_eight Half Cuban Eight!] [[User:Jordan Brown|Jordan Brown]] ([[User talk:Jordan Brown|talk]]) 03:21, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:After clicking on your comment, I watched the gif on the right before reading the article. I was expecting some advanced driving technique or something. Imagine my surprise! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.143|172.71.102.143]] 11:15, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

You could obey the title text if it was 45 miles per hour and 65 meters per hour, respectively. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.96|162.158.90.96]] 04:04, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

: Perhaps so, but anyone deliberately occupying a travel lane while going 0.06 kph (0.04 mph = 200 feet per hour) in a 45 mph zone would [ahem] rapidly attract attention for other reasons. If it were 65 *kilometers* per hour (40 mph), you'd have a narrow window of legality (I do drive on a road that has a max 45 / min 30 speed limit). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.43|172.70.214.43]] 18:15, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

Take notice of the road markings too. At least here in Europe double white lines are not to be crossed. And they go past the point of the sign.--[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 07:06, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

: Aye - doesn't that combination of dashed and solid lines imply that there will be opposing traffic? Ie, the markings on the road expect traffic to enter past the sign, despite what the signs are saying, which adds another layer of absurd (Ignore the pole signs and use the lane on the right, otherwise the lane on the right can never be used?)

I can't be the only one that sees a Gaza strip evacuation subttext to this.

:Double lines are also "do not cross" in America. And I think in this case it's supposed to be yellow, the dashed-and-solid combo indicates a one-sided passing zone into a lane with on-coming traffic, and double lines in general are only use to separate anti-parallel lanes of traffic, both of which use yellow. "Solid double white lines" do exist, but are only used in very specific cases. Near me, there's a very congested exit, and the solid double whites are used to indicate "no really, you should have switched lanes ages ago, it's too late now!", but since it isn't a Jersey barrier or a line of rods or even a full on median, nobody actually follows the rule. Anonymous 07:30, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

:: BTW in Europe, yellow lines are reserved for temporary use, and then take precedence over any existing white lines. Makes lots of sense, because there are so many construction sites here. (And the yellow lines are actually just adhesive tape.) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.87.102|162.158.87.102]] 08:28, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

::: Back when elephants had fur, road markings in the USA were white. Starting in the 1950s, road crews throughout the USA began using yellow rather than white paint. From memory, it took about a decade for the transition to be completed, with more rural roads the last to go yellow. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.161|162.158.90.161]] 18:18, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
::: Not in Ireland - standard road markings are yellow. (And, as far as I understand it, Ireland is in Europe.)[[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.195|172.69.194.195]] 15:32, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

Speaking of lines ... in the USA, "Do Not Enter" signs on open roadways usually signal that the road ahead is one-way traffic coming at you. A driver is thereby warned (for example) not to enter the "exit" ramp of a freeway. However, the road striping indicates that passing is permitted for drivers proceeding forward past the sign ... which is nonsensical if the only legal traffic is coming at the viewpoint driver. I am reminded of the ancient comedy routine, "Somebody went to the Army-Navy store, got himself a sign, looked out his living room window, 'Look, Martha, we caught somebody!'" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.118|162.158.186.118]] 19:19, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

And I completely forgot why I was posting in the first place: I think there's good reason to create a full "traffic signs" or "road signs" tag, not just "traffic lights". I know there's a page with a very complicated "this is what the road ahead looks like" sign that just says "good luck", and of course there's "Next Five Miles" and "Ahead Stop". Thoughts? Anonymous 07:58, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:I would support that. I wanted to put this comic into a category but I couldn't find an appropriate one. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.3|172.69.58.3]] 23:11, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
:"Click on all the comics that contain traffic lights" [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.119|172.70.90.119]] 15:34, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

More thoughts: if you must not make a U-turn to the left, you should do it to the right.
And then return on the same lane, because of the double line.
And finally, the sign itself may be valid and not contradicting itself; it is your fault if you got on this road. ;) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.87.102|162.158.87.102]] 08:28, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

In the Netherlands, the message on signs are only valid behind the sign (with the exception of the "precedence way" (voorrangsweg), where outside of built-up areas, the signs are after a junction (though technically... way before the ''next'' junction) , so a driver stopping /u-turning here wouldn't be violating anything except the double white lines.
Also, stopping out of necessity (e.g. the car in front is also stopped) is ''never'' illegal. [[User:IIVQ|IIVQ]] ([[User talk:IIVQ|talk]]) 09:06, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

:Stopping on a road with double white lines to your left may count as obstructing the road, which I can imagine to be illegal in many places? [[User:Gpvos|Gpvos]] ([[User talk:Gpvos|talk]]) 10:02, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

If I had to comply with these instructions, I would just put the car into reverse and argue that I was never "stopped". If I actually saw this in real life, I think I'd just slow down, put on my hazard lights, and make a u-turn when appropriate.[[User:Jsnider3|Jsnider3]] ([[User talk:Jsnider3|talk]]) 10:52, 14 October 2023 (UTC

UK equivalents: [[File:UK_traffic_sign_616.svg|50px]][[File:UK_traffic_sign_614.svg|50px]][[File:UK_traffic_sign_642.svg|25px]]
(Mounted vertically, obviously, and the Clearway would have to be the small version as a repeater/reminder, already being active). ...and Title Text would require suitable numeric alterations on: [[File:UK_traffic_sign_670V20.svg|50px]][[File:UK_traffic_sign_672.svg|50px]] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.23|162.158.74.23]] 11:51, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

"''Depending on the jurisdiction, signs may only apply to the road after them''" - uh, in which jurisdictions is that not the case? How could you adhere to the signage before you see them? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.196|172.68.110.196]] 15:01, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
: I don't know US signage, but there are times over here in my locale when there's repeater/reminder signage, the situation (such as not being allowed to stop) already being in effect past a prior point. Or even "this is information you, as a driver, should already be able to infer from the rules of the road, but some of you are idiots and need A BIG HINT about something that you clearly have forgotten since the time you had to pass your driving test..." erected by the authorities. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.6|141.101.99.6]] 19:49, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

Since the lanes are separated by white lines instead of yellow, that means that the two lanes of traffic are going in the same direction. There isn't any roadway visible onto which one could make a U-turn even if it were permitted. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.59.204|172.69.59.204]] 23:07, 14 October 2023 (UTC)
: That sort of thing varies by jurisdiction. White and yellow are common because they work well and are cheap. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.58|162.158.74.58]] 07:30, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

Don't minimum speeds require the vehicle to ''be able'' to go that fast, but not actually ''drive'' this fast at all times? --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 07:42, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

Am I the only one who sees a Gaza Strip evacuation subtext in this? --[[User:GregXKCD|GregXKCD]] ([[User talk:GregXKCD|talk]]) 15:33, 15 October 2023 (UTC)
:Possibly. There was a similar comment above, but that was also posted by you. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.91|172.70.178.91]] 20:06, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

:ha! thought it failed to post first time, wasn't really trying to belabor the point. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.178|172.71.150.178]] 21:32, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

This is pretty much the plot of every Irish saga, except with geasa instead of road signs. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.94.158|172.71.94.158]] 17:13, 15 October 2023 (UTC)

Not even that uncommon. I find no U-turn signs get placed places where a lot of people do u-turn, often because they NEED to make a u-turn due to another previous sign issue. So having to do u-turns where no u-turn signs are, is like the f'ing default.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.95.187|162.158.95.187]] 08:41, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

Now, I don't have my driving license, but I'm pretty sure the law of the principle of explosion allows you to ignore all rules in this scenario. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.98.94|172.71.98.94]] 11:26, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
:[[File:UK_traffic_sign_622.8.svg|50px]] No vehicles carrying explosives allowed... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.197|141.101.99.197]] 18:15, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

== "No stopping at any time" and max/min speed contradiction ==

The "No stopping at any time" never applies if it is not possible to continue. If there's a traffic jam, nobody expects you to continue going and hitting a preceding vehicle. I'm pretty sure this meaning is the same in USA as it is in Europe.

In Europe, speed limit takes absolute precedence over minimum speed, and for clarification, minimum speed only means that vehicles that cannot sustain minimum speed are not permitted on the road. It also signifies that if the road is clear and weather permitting, it is safe to drive at that speed.
But, if you're not confident in your driving ability, or in inclement weather, or if there is traffic, or for any other reason, you're not expected to continue driving at that speed.
Motorways and expressways in Europe have an implied minimum speed of about 60 km/h, but if there are roadworks which have a posted 50 km/h or 40 km/h speed limit, you're not expected to drive 60 km/h and you'll be violating the law if you do.

To Obey the signs you need to "Drive like Xeno", approach the signs at ever decreasing speed without actually come to rest, or passing the no entry sign. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.30|108.162.249.30]] 00:52, 17 October 2023 (UTC)
: Self-driving test car running overtrained metamodels approaches the signs. Time itself begins to slow down in proportion to nearness. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.143|172.70.126.143]] 01:06, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

2831: xkcd Phone Flip

2023-09-20T21:42:38Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */ Starter framework, needs plenty of fleshing out.

{{comic
| number = 2831
| date = September 20, 2023
| title = xkcd Phone Flip
| image = xkcd_phone_flip_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x458px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Theranos partnership: Sorry, we know, but we signed the contract back before all the stuff and the lawyers say we can't back out, so just try to keep your finger away from the bottom of the phone.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE BOT FORTOLD BY THE FORTUNETELLER PROPHECY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is the 9th in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone]] series in which Randall explains his new joke phone designs with many strange and useless features. It is also a reference to the somewhat recent {{w|Galaxy Z}} series.

This is the latest iteration of the xkcd range of phone handsets, inspired by the latest 'Flip'/'Fold' phones, but emulating the typical {{w|paper fortune teller}}. 

The title text references the company that notably failed to live up to its promise to diagnose many health issues from a single drop of blood. Whether this phone does any better, or not, it ''will'' still take that drop of blood unless you're particularly careful.

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

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]

2790: Heat Pump

2023-06-16T23:14:26Z

172.70.90.119: /* Explanation */ rewikilink

{{comic
| number = 2790
| date = June 16, 2023
| title = Heat Pump
| image = heat_pump_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x400px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If I'm not going to upgrade to a powered one, I should at LEAST stop leaving the door open so often.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BIG CHUNGUS HEAT PUMPER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|heat pump}} is a system which applies the {{w|ideal gas law}} to transfer heat from a relatively cold area to a relatively hot area, i.e. to heat an insufficiently warm room/building or to cool an insufficiently chilled room/building, even if the outside air is at the opposite heat-gradient for the purpose. The extra energy used to achieve this prevents the {{w|second law of thermodynamics}} from being violated, and is usually assumed to be added to the warmer side of the system. This is why the back of a refridgerator will feel hot, as it maintains the cooler internal temperature (and why leaving its door open does not cool the room that it is in down, just heats it up as it fruitlessly attempts to both heat and cool the same air-mass).

In this comic, Cueball has a ''manual'' heat pump, and he is manually heating an area by walking from the warm area (colored in ''red'') to a colder area (colored in ''blue''), and "drawing" residual heat into the "bellows" / accordion-shaped device by expanding them to cool them. He then returns back to the warm area and compresses the bellows to concentrate heat above the sustained room-temperature, lets it radiate away (increasing room temperature) then going back outside to repeat the process of drawing heat out of the cooler air. As expected, this is a laborious process, as captioned in the text below the panel. Manual heat pumps of this kind do not exist in real life, but are partly emulated by devices such as {{w|fire piston}}s. The {{w|air source heat pump}} effectively does the same thing as this comic, but by using components installed across a wall (letting fluids/vapours flow between the two sides) rather than moving physical components through doors.

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

:[Cueball indoors (light red background) holding an accordion-shaped device in his hands and walking towards an open door.]

:[Cueball outdoors (light blue background) with the door closed, the device is still light red.]

:[Cueball extends the device and it turns blue.]
:''Release''

:[Cueball looks behind while the device has turned light blue.]

:[Cueball walking back inside through an open door, the device is still light blue.]

:[Cueball indoors with the door closed. He squeezes the device and it turns red.]
:''Squeeze''

:[Cueball looks at the door while the device is glowing in bright red.]
:''Radiate''

:[Cueball is leaving the indoors area (now a slightly darker red background) through an open door.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Manual heat pumps are such a pain.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Physics]]