explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2819: Pronunciation

2023-08-24T09:59:41Z

172.70.90.91: /* Explanation */ Cleaning up the link-text. (Remnant of its source URL, space-coded?)

{{comic
| number = 2819
| date = August 23, 2023
| title = Pronunciation
| image = pronunciation_2x.png
| imagesize = 315x257px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I pronounce the 'u' in 'pronunciation' like in 'putting' but the 'ou' in 'pronounce' like in 'wound'.
}}

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

The comic purports to show how to pronounce the word "Tuesday". However, it does so through the use of ambiguous comparison pronunciations as a guide. Often these guides are used to tell people how something is pronounced without resorting to the {{w|International Phonetic Alphabet}}, which most are unfamiliar with (or at least may have to check the more obscure symbols). Instead, one can directly {{wiktionary|Appendix:English pronunciation|quote familiar words}} that feature the phonemes, presuming only that any individual variations of accent and dialect vary uniformly (if at all) between both example and target words.

But ''these'' selected guide-words are confusingly chosen. They are heterophonic homographs – words that, under alternate contexts, are identically spelled but pronounced in very different ways.

(Note: General American pronunciations are primarily assumed here except when otherwise stated)

{| class="wikitable"
! Guide !! Correct !! Other !! Notes
|-
| Buffe'''t'''
| /ˈbʌf.ɪ'''t'''/ (verb: strike)
| /ˈbʌ.feɪ/ (noun: self-serve diner)
|
|-
| Min'''u'''te
| /maɪˈn'''(j)uː'''t/ (adjective: small)
| /ˈmɪn'''ɪ'''t/ (noun: unit of time)
|
|-
| R'''e'''cord
|
| /ɹ'''ɪ'''ˈkɔɹd/ (verb: write down/make permanent) /ˈɹ'''ɛ'''k.ɚd/ or /ˈɹ'''ɛ'''k.ɔɹd/ (noun: thing containing information)
| Neither is actually the correct e, the correct e would be silent.
|-
| U'''s'''e
| /juː'''z'''/ (verb: to employ a thing for a particular end)
| /juː'''s'''/ (noun: the action of employing that thing)
|
|-
| Mope'''d'''
| /ˈmoʊ.pɛ'''d'''/ (noun: motor scooter with an engine smaller than 50cc)
| /moʊp'''t'''/ (verb: brooded, felt dejected)
|
|-
| B'''a'''ss
| /b'''eɪ'''s/ (noun: low-pitched notes and the instruments that play them)
| /b'''æ'''s/ (noun: fish)
| /æ/ is also correct in New Zealand English.
|-
| G'''y'''ro
| /ˈj'''iː'''.ɹoʊ/, /ˈj'''ɪ'''ɹoʊ/ or /ˈʒ'''ɪ'''ɹoʊ/ (noun: meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, in Greek cuisine)
| /ˈd͡ʒ'''aɪ'''.ɹoʊ/ (noun: gyroscope)
| The meat can also be pronounced like the gyroscope.
|}

Following this guide, a pronunciation of Tuesday as /ɪɛstæaɪ/ is possible. You can hear a pronunciation at [http://ipa-reader.xyz/?text=%C9%AA%C9%9Bst%C3%A6a%C9%AA http://ipa-reader.xyz].

The title text references how some people pronounce the word "pron'''u'''nciation" like "pron'''ou'''nce" (with /aʊ/) and others use a different vowel (/ʌ/). Here Randall is saying that he pronounces them with the 'u' from "p'''u'''tting" and the 'ou' from "w'''ou'''nd". If we take putting to mean /ˈp'''ʌ'''tɪŋ/ (golf) and wound as /w'''aʊ'''nd/ (coiled), this could mean he pronounces them using the commonly differing pronunciations. However those two words could also be pronounced /ˈp'''ʊ'''tɪŋ/ (placing) and /w'''u'''nd/ (injury), indicating a non-standard way of saying each word. In accents that lack the {{w|Phonological_history_of_English_close_back_vowels#FOOT–STRUT_split|FOOT–STRUT split}}, such as those in the north of England, both versions of "putting" would be pronounced identically.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[The word "Tuesday", with each letter labeled by a box with an arrow:]
:T: As in buffe'''t'''
:u: As in min'''u'''te
:e: As in r'''e'''cord
:s: As in u'''s'''e
:d: As in mope'''d'''
:a: As in b'''a'''ss
:y: As in g'''y'''ro

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Pet peeve: Ambiguous pronunciation guides

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Pet Peeves]]

2556: Turing Complete

2021-12-17T23:28:14Z

172.70.90.91: /* Explanation */ ..Or this, rather. (Mention Cueball? Has he been Catted yet? Must check.l

{{comic
| number = 2556
| date = December 17, 2021
| title = Turing Complete
| image = turing_complete.png
| titletext = Thanks to the ForcedEntry exploit, your company's entire tech stack can now be hosted out of a PDF you texted to someone.
}}

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

A Turing Machine is a theoretical form of computer (as an idealised thought exercise) that has an infinite tape of symbols and can act upon and change these values aa it moves up and down this tape according to specific deterministic rules.

This very simple machine can be shown to do every computational task that what we think of as a "computer" can do, given the right setup and enough time. Something that is Turing Complete is able to act as a Turing Machine, though generally with the limitation of having a finite tape, and this means it is also able to do basically every computational task.

While many pieces of hardware and software are supposed to be Turing Complete (even Excel, as previously pointed out in [[2453: Excel Lambda]]), this comic implies that this was not what it was designed for. Whatever [[Ponytail]] has been refering to is not shown, but it seems to be an anecdote about how something seemingly too simple and/or specialised to exhibit such a computational equivalance has been discovered to actually be that capable.

With complex processors now installed in many household items, including kitchen whitegoods like dishwashers, the possibility is raised that someone has 'hacked' such a device to do the same computational work as an actual games console. Or, refering to Alan Turing's secret (but now famous) work in helping to decode enemy signals in World War Two it could actually mean that there is yet again a beligerant country whose military communications are most urgently needed to be read.

The {{w|FORCEDENTRY|ForcedEntry}} exploit is a way that was discovered to allow {{w|PDF}} files to force malware onto various devices. In the title-text it is suggested that this mechanism can be used for what might be more legal and practical purposes, although this might be up to some interpretation depending upon who has the right (and permission) to do what.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Ponytail and Cueball are standing next to each other]
...Now, it turns out this is actually Turing-Complete...
[caption below the panel:]
This phrase either means someone spent six months getting their dishwasher to play Mario or you are under attack by a nation-state.
{{comic discussion}}

2556: Turing Complete

2021-12-17T23:26:48Z

172.70.90.91: /* Explanation */ Let's try this.

{{comic
| number = 2556
| date = December 17, 2021
| title = Turing Complete
| image = turing_complete.png
| titletext = Thanks to the ForcedEntry exploit, your company's entire tech stack can now be hosted out of a PDF you texted to someone.
}}

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

A Turing Machine is a theoretical form of computer (as an idealised thought exercise) that has an infinite tape of symbols and can act upon and change these values aa it moves up and down this tape according to specific deterministic rules.

This very simple machine can be shown to do every computational task that what we think of as a "computer" can do, given the right setup and enough time. Something that is Turing Complete is able to act as a Turing Machine, though generally with the limitation of having a finite tape, and this means it is also able to do basically every computational task.

While many pieces of hardware and software are supposed to be Turing Complete (even Excel, as previously pointed out in [[2453: Excel Lambda]]), this comic implies that this was not what it was designed for. Whatever [Ponytail] has been refering to is not shown, but it seems to be an anecdote about how something seemingly too simple and/or specialised to exhibit such a computational equivalance has been discovered to actually be that capable.

With complex processors now installed in many household items, including kitchen whitegoods like dishwashers, the possibility is raised that someone has 'hacked' such a device to do the same computational work as an actual games console. Or, refering to Alan Turing's secret (but now famous) work in helping to decode enemy signals in World War Two it could actually mean that there is yet again a beligerant country whose military communications are most urgently needed to be read.

The {{w|FORCEDENTRY|ForcedEntry}} exploit is a way that was discovered to allow {{w|PDF}} files to force malware onto various devices. In the title-text it is suggested that this mechanism can be used for what might be more legal and practical purposes, although this might be up to some interpretation depending upon who has the right (and permission) to do what.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Ponytail and Cueball are standing next to each other]
...Now, it turns out this is actually Turing-Complete...
[caption below the panel:]
This phrase either means someone spent six months getting their dishwasher to play Mario or you are under attack by a nation-state.
{{comic discussion}}

2556: Turing Complete

2021-12-17T23:03:22Z

172.70.90.91: /* Explanation */ First dabble at making it readable and (I think) more accurate.

Talk:590: Papyrus

2021-12-16T23:30:36Z

172.70.90.91:

For reasons that should be obvious, I've put the whole page in a certain much-hated font. *Cackles maniacally.* [[User:PinkAmpersand|PinkAmpersand]] ([[User talk:PinkAmpersand|talk]]) 11:15, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

:I rather doubt whether this is really helpful. In my opinion, the purpose of this wiki is to deliver background information about the comics, not to ruminate its jokes. Besides, the page uses some Serif font for me (as I do not have Papyrus installed) which is stylistically inconsistent. If we should reach consent that this page MUST absolutely be in Papyrus, we should at least provide some appropriate fallback font. [[User:LotharW|LotharW]] ([[User talk:LotharW|talk]]) 12:46, 14 May 2013 (UTC)
::[[1167: Star Trek into Darkness]] '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:04, 14 May 2013 (UTC)
:::I must say I do not particularly like that page either. I think it looks childish and nonserious. Also, a second example does not necessarily justify the first. But as you see, I did not revert or change anything. If it be so, we should at least do it correctly. In the current state, the page looks simply strange to anyone who does not have the font. (As far as I know, it was included only in some versions of Microsoft Office.) Does anybody know whether the license allows web embedding? [[User:LotharW|LotharW]] ([[User talk:LotharW|talk]]) 13:54, 14 May 2013 (UTC)
Over the years I have grown a hatred towards Papyrus because it's so overused, so this comic resonated with me well. But then this week I watched Firefly and Serenity which are now both my favorite TV show and movie, and they use Papyrus. I know Randall also loves them. But now I have no idea how I should feel about the font, as I would be rather hypocritical to hate the font used so heavily in my favorite show and movie. [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 01:48, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

I feel the same way about the "Algerian" font. The most over used business sign font ever. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.195}}

NYEH HEH HEH! -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 04:06, 4 December 2015 (UTC)
::This was expected, and it is great (''incidental music from sans''), though this comic came before Undertale. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.215|108.162.237.215]] 15:46, 15 June 2016 (UTC)

My Favorite font is Comic Sans :) {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.8}}

I have zero respect for any typeface whose capital I is nothing more than a rectangle. I resent Helvetica in particular for making precisely that mistake while being so overly popular.
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.221|172.68.142.221]] 01:26, 8 October 2019 (UTC)

== Have a "joke" version of this page that's all in Papyrus? ==

Provide a link to it right at the top of the explanation? Many of us would like to see this just for funzies (since it seems poetically appropriate), but I understand the desire to keep things readable for people who actually do need the explanation.
Hopefully it would result in less temptation for people to make edits that mods keep having to revert. Idk, thoughts? MeZimm[[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.56|172.69.170.56]] 22:39, 18 March 2021 (UTC)
:Copy the whole page, paste in into word or google docs, then change the font to papyrus. It won't be perfect, but it will give some approximation. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] ([[User talk:Beanie|talk]]) 13:20, 19 April 2021 (UTC)

what fun hating person removed the font--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.130|162.158.187.130]] 16:37, 15 December 2021 (UTC)
:Probably no-one. I don't have Papyrus on this device, and certainly it doesn't show, though I have seen it working on a desktop. Maybe you are currently reading from a similar one.
:And if you're the one that added the ''extra'' span-tags (two opening ones, but no extra closing ones) then you clearly didn't see the span-tags (open+close) within the first paragraph. I undid you. Do it properly if you do it again (but I don't think you should). Take ccare and use Preview to check before submitting.
:(Also I'm deleting a rogue signature-insertion here in Talk, clearly a misclick... Check the diffs to see what I mean.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.79|172.70.85.79]] 19:32, 15 December 2021 (UTC)

How do I add closing tags? I just looked in revision history when the font was up and copied whatever made the font papyrus--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.208|162.158.187.208]] 13:54, 16 December 2021 (UTC)
:Standard XML/HTML... for every ''<tag>'', end with a ''</tag>'' (or have it be ''<tag />'' if it's not a container of anything, but it is in this case...). See the actual start and end span-tags that were there mid-paragraph anyway meaning you were nesting ''<yourtag> <existingtag> </existingtag> <yournexttag>'' leaving the browser only able to assume you meant to have ''</yournexttag> </yourtag>'' right after everything else (or at the point some other pre-existing tag, that existed before all this stuff, gets officially untagged). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.91|172.70.90.91]] 23:30, 16 December 2021 (UTC)

2555: Notifications

2021-12-16T07:15:03Z

172.70.90.91:

{{comic
| number = 2555
| date = December 15, 2021
| title = Notifications
| image = notifications.png
| titletext = It's 10:34 PM for this user. They really need to get going, they have a thing early tomorrow. Are you sure you want to notify?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an autoreplyBOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
There's a function in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slack_%28software%29?wprov=sfla1 slack] that allows you to turn notifications off while you're offline or away. There's also a function to override this and notify the user anyway. Super handy. Would be even handier if you can do turn 'notifications' off in real life. This works on [[Beret Guy]] due to his characteristic naïvity, saving [[Cueball]] from a presumably boring conversation.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Whitehat, Megan and Cueball are standing next to each other. Hat Guy is separated from the other two figures by a small margin.]
:Whitehat: And another thing that annoys me about people is...
:Cueball: This user has notifications turned off.

[The camera zooms in on Megan and Cueball. Megan turns to look at Cueball.]
:Cueball: They will see your messages when they're back. '''Notify anyway?'''

[The camera zooms outward to show Hat Guy. All three figures are silently standing.]

[Megan turns to look at Cueball again.]
:Megan: What are you--
:Cueball: Shhh- It's working.

{{comic discussion}}

File:solar system compression artifacts.png

2021-12-14T19:32:14Z

172.70.90.91: The awful and seemingly arbitrary commas annoyed me. But it really needed a rewrite beyond that. Actually why is this text actually here and not on the main-explain page? Given that it is, however, I'll edit it.

The Voyager spacecraft has reached the outer boundaries of the Solar System which is nominally divided into sections such as the 'heliosphere', although there are no ''actual'' definitive demarcations and there are both arbitrary thresholds and transient fluctuations. If this were a typical real digital image with insufficient depth of subtlety, brightness gradation would show up as bands of intensity joined by digital compression effects, in a 'darker to lighter' progression just like in this graphic. The joke here is that those artefact gradations actually exist in space!