explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:617: Understocked

2015-03-26T11:09:23Z

173.245.54.210: Created page with "I can officially refute the mouseover text. Ever had wood alchohol? don't. Your body metabolizes it into poison, and can cause bildness is small doses(~2-4 fluid ounces), depe..."

I can officially refute the mouseover text. Ever had wood alchohol? don't. Your body metabolizes it into poison, and can cause bildness is small doses(~2-4 fluid ounces), depending on weight, physical health, and other factors, and death in larger doses.

1474: Screws

2015-01-16T10:53:16Z

173.245.54.210: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1474
| date = January 16, 2015
| title = Screws
| image = screws.png
| titletext = If you encounter a hex bolt, but you only brought screwdrivers, you can try sandwiching the head of the bolt between two parallel screwdriver shafts, squeezing the screwdrivers together with a hand at either end, then twisting. It doesn't work and it's a great way to hurt yourself, but you can try it!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft. Needs expansion, possibly with origins of the various real screws. Title text explanation required.}}

The comic features various real or imagined types of screws, listed below.

{| class="wikitable"
! Screw type
! Description
|-
| Phillips head
| {{w|List of screw drives#Phillips|Phillips screw drive}} and its corresponding screw head is one of the most recognizable types of screw heads that is commonly used in construction.
|-
| Flat head
| {{w|List_of_screw_drives#Slot|Slot head screws}} are frequently erroneously referred to as flat heads (a flat head screw refers, in fact, to the shape of the screw head, regardless of the shape of the drive socket). The slot head is also commonly used in construction. The diagram shows the slot truncated, where in reality the slot almost always runs across the entire head of the screw (as in fictional case of the "uranium screw" below).
|-
| Star-shaped screw
| Manufacturers sometimes used screws that require special heads in order to remove them, in order to prevent the customer tampering with the product. The reference to Amazon is the speaker's suggestion to look on Amazon.com for the appropriate screwdriver. A number of star-shaped screw heads exist, notably the six-pointed {{w|Torx}}, and Apple's rounded {{w|Pentalobe screw|pentalobe screw}}.
|-
| Cursed -1 Phillips head
| The head of a screw can be stripped by overuse, tightening the screw too much, or other misuse. As the driving surfaces wear away, removing the screw becomes more and more difficult, usually damaging the screw more in the process.
The addition of "cursed" and "-1" in the titles is a reference to various fantasy games (E.g. Dungeons and Dragons), where magical items which have been damaged or are denoted as cursed or have a rating of a negative integer.
Additionally, Phillips bit sizes are numbered, with larger numbers denoting smaller bits. The most common sizes are #2, #1, and #0. There are no negative sizes; smaller bits than #0 are indicated by repeating zeroes, for example #00. The "-1" could refer to an imaginary size smaller than any real Phillips bit that would now fit in the stripped out head.
|-
| Rivet
| A {{w|rivet}} is not a screw - it is a permanent fastener which is secured by deforming the body of the fastener. Rivets cannot be removed with a screwdriver, they must be "drilled out". Some bolts also have rounded rivet-style heads, though, with no means of gripping them.
|-
| Phillips head ruiner
| A reference to the fact that {{w|List_of_screw_drives#Hex_socket|hex socket}} screws can, in a pinch, be removed with a Phillips screwdriver, but will likely damage the driver in the process.
|-
| Uranium screw
| This is (probably) a representation of a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fission_bomb_assembly_methods.svg gun-type fission weapon], two hemispheres made of uranium that achieve a {{w|Critical mass|critical mass}} when pushed into each other during initial stage of detonation. A real thing, when seen from aside, indeed vaguely resembles the appearance of a slot screw head (the latter as seen from the top). Multiple radially extending short straight lines around the "screw" symbolize radiant energy output - either a natural radioactivity of the uranium or an explosive outburst during detonation. The former option is likely to be more logical, as the presence of a gap (graphically corresponding to a slot in the slot screw head) indicates that the weapon assembly has not been detonated yet, as the detonation requires extremely tight contact between flat portions of the surfaces of the hemispheres. The "uranium head" could also be a reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core#Second_incident an incident involving a screw driver and a fission experiment called 'demon core'].
|-
| Phillip's head
| This is a rather morbid interpretation of "Phillips head". Rather than refer to the screw type, this "screw" is actually a bloody bag containing the severed head of someone named Phillip. It is also a reference to some people's tendency to apostrophize words ending in -s, disregarding grammatical rules.
|}

A {{w|List_of_screw_drives#Hex|hex bolt}} has six external sides, so it could in theory be held by squeezing two screwdriver shafts together with the bolt in between. The amount of force on the two screwdriver shafts needed to turn the hex bolt will probably exceed the strength of human hands and would most likely result in hurting your hands and not in turning the bolt.

==Transcript==

Phillips head

Flat head

Uh oh. Maybe it's on Amazon?

Cursed –1 Phillips head

Crap, it's a ''rivet''.

Phillips-head ruiner

Uranium screw (a real thing)

Phillip's head

{{comic discussion}}

1465: xkcd Phone 2

2014-12-26T22:13:30Z

173.245.54.210: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1465
| date = December 26, 2014
| title = xkcd Phone 2
| image = xkcd_phone_2.png
| titletext = Washable, though only once.
}}

==Explanation==

This is a followup to [[1363: xkcd Phone]], which debuted the original xkcd phone. Like xkcd Phone "1", this comic parodies modern smartphone advertising with a promotional image for a fictional phone. Like the previous xkcd phone, the comic touts a variety of features which are either pointless, misleading, or physically impossible. They are clockwise, from the top left:

*'''MaxHD: Over 350 pixels per screen''': 350 pixels is not very impressive: Each would be about 0.5×0.5 cm. Even if it implies 350 pixels along the edge this is still less than standard definition TV (PAL gives 576 lines of horizontal resolution). Likely a reference to HD+, FullHD, QuadHD and other marketing expressions for screen resolutions, by which common users are often confused. In [[732: HDTV]] Randall has observered that HD is not an especially high resolution, when compared with computer monitors.
: ''Note:'' Retina display (high pixel density display) for smartphones is 326 pixels per '''''inch''''', not per '''''screen'''''.
*'''Always on Speaker''': An always on microphone is a genuine feature. It allows speech control software such as "Okay Google" or "Siri" to respond without having to be turned on. An always on speaker would be less useful especially if it implies the phone is always making noise.
*'''Blood Pressure reliever''': This appears to be where a real phone would have its front facing camera. This could imply that it's a sharp part that you can cut yourself on, thus '''''relieving''''' your blood pressure, or else implying that the other features of the phone are so frustrating that a feature was required to relieve the users' blood pressure.
*'''Auto-Rotating Case:''' Phones often feature an "auto-rotating screen", meaning that the display switches between portrait and landscape mode depending on its orientation with respect to gravity. But the case is a physical part of the phone, so making a case that did '''not''' "auto-rotate" with the phone would be the real challenge.
*'''Ribbed:''' A reference to ribbed {{w|condom}}s, which are often advertised as superior to standard ones because the texture can be more physically stimulating to the genitalia. Some other objects can be advertised with the word ribbed as well, but mostly in the context where it allows a firmer grip on the device when wet. Since phones are usually not meant to be used wet it is still a fairly useless feature.
*'''Waterproof (inside only)''': Waterproofing is done to the outside to prevent water from getting in, not to prevent water from escaping.
*'''Googleable''': Another non-feature. Advertising as ...able is a way for marketing to add features, without adding features. This may be (for example) a recyclable paper bag: paper is normally recyclable. Any term may be 'googled' so being "googleable" is not an actual feature.
*'''Cheek toucher''': The screen will touch your cheek when making a hand-held phone call.
*'''Cries if lost:''' Actually useful function, for it would help the owner find the cellphone in case it was lost. It refers to people's habit of calling their own cellphones to help find it. It also resembles the first xkcd phone's functions of 'Screaming when falling' and 'Saying hi when lit'.
*'''Bug drawer:''' This is most likely the cover for other ports, though looks like a small drawer, capable of only holding bug-sized items. Possibly a joke on software bugs, which would, being virtual rather than physical, easily fit inside this area. One might also introduce bugs to your phone in this way. May also be a reference to "Phone may attract/trap insects; this is normal" from the original ''xkcd Phone'' comic.
*'''Coin slot:''' In most phones, this would be the charging port. Payphones have coin slots.
*'''Scroll lock:''' A computer key on most keyboards which is practically never used. It is also in where a usual cellphone's "home" button is, making it very frustrating. (Despite [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/978 a previous xkcd strip] it was not invented by {{w|Steven Chu}}.)
*'''OS by Stackoverflow®:''' [http://stackoverflow.com/ Stackoverflow.com] is a very useful and popular question/answer forum for programmers, and many recent software products probably have benefited from advice given there, so Randall may be giving credit where credit really is due. Or it may be a reference to the rampant problem of code reuse, where programmers use the pre-written code on StackOverflow rather than writing their own, regardless of the fact that the code on StackOverflow may contain bugs or otherwise cause problems for their specific program.
*'''3D Materials:''' All real materials are three-dimensional, so this feature is not special.
*'''Dog Noticer''': Alerts the user to nearby dogs.
*'''FitBit® Fitness Evaluator''': {{w|Fitbit}} make wristbands that measure heartrate, count user steps, and act as an aid to planning an exercise program. This comic is published on Boxing Day (26th December) 2014 and is relevant as Fitbits are a popular Holiday Gift at this time.
*'''Volume and density control:''' A play on words between {{w|volume (disambiguation)|volume}} as in speaker loudness, and {{w|volume}} as in a physical property inversely related to {{w|density}}. Apparently this would allow the user to change the size of the phone (which would indeed be a very useful feature, [[1422: My Phone is Dying|or a very worrying one]]), thus changing the volume and the density. Note that some computer mice have a feature where the user can put weights inside the case to customise the weight and thus affect the density in a different way.
*'''It is washable but only once''' (the title text): The phone can physically be washed, however after the first time doing this the phone will cease to function.

==Transcript==
:[An image of a smartphone. Coming off from it are many labels. Clockwise, from the top left they are:]
:MaxHD: Over 350 pixels per screen
:Always-on speaker
:Blood pressure reliever
:Auto-rotating case
:Ribbed
:Waterproof (interior only)
:Googleable
:Cheek toucher
:Cries if lost
:Bug drawer
:Coin slot
:Scroll lock
:OS by Stackoverflow®
:3D materials
:Dog noticer
:FitBit® fitness evaluator
:Volume and density control

:[Below the phone:]
:Introducing
:'''The xkcd phone 2'''
:A phone for your other hand®

{{comic discussion}}

1401: New

2014-07-30T04:43:41Z

173.245.54.210: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1401
| date = July 30, 2014
| title = New
| image = new.png
| titletext = The nice thing about headcannnons is that it's really easy to get other people to believe in them.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

This is a pun on the phrase “new headcanon”. A “headcanon” is a fan's thought imposed on a fictional world, often seen in fanfiction. Something that is 'canon' exists in the author's actual world; for example, a romantic pairing that is in the text or script of the fiction. A headcanon, then, is a fan thinking "these two characters, who are NOT together in the text, should totally be together." These ideas are notoriously contagious("It's really easy to get other people to believe in them."), and sometimes return to the author, who may decide to canonize them.
Randall's pun, adds an N and turns the imposed idea into a projectile weapon attached to the head (which would be very easy to get people to believe in for other reasons).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

Beret Guy

2014-07-26T22:46:40Z

173.245.54.210: /* Characteristics */

{{Infobox character
| image = Beret_Guy.png
| imagesize = 40px
| caption = Beret guy, as seen in [[1117: My Sky]]
| first_appearance = [[167: Nihilism]]
}}
'''Beret Guy''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. He is distinguished by his white beret.

==Characteristics==
Beret Guy is an optimist, and sometimes a naïve one (although he is rarely a victim in the strip). He enjoys philosophizing, often taking the role of the {{w|existentialist}}. He has a very surreal side to him, often thinking about or being involved in bizarre situations. He is also fascinated with bakeries, scones in particular.

Beret Guy appears to have a steady job as a bartender, shown in the comics [[328: Eggs]], [[474: Turn-On]], and [[712: Single Ladies]]. However, in later comics, he apparently quit his job to become a "business professional", according to [[1032: Networking]]. He also, apparently, makes a load of money off of doing this, but has no reasons other than the fact that he is "a business grown-up who makes business profits". He appears again, now with his own "real building he found" in [[1293: Job Interview]].

Beret Guy also seems to be a miracle maker, causing supernatural acts in [[1099: Tuesdays]], where he grows "endless wings" and in the aforementioned [[1293: Job Interview]], where he seems to be pouring soup from an electrical socket. However, with both of these, Beret Guy seems to not have any doubt that the events are abnormal; in fact, he just seems to accept them as they are without question.

He shares several traits with Beriah from [http://www.meninhats.com/ Men in Hats], as [[Black Hat]] does with Aram from the same series, but in contrast to the latter, this doesn't appear to have been officially acknowledged.

{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Characters]]