explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1240: Quantum Mechanics

2021-03-15T18:58:20Z

173.245.54.217: /* Explanation */ Note the distinction between "not proven to" and "proven not to"

{{comic
| number = 1240
| date = July 19, 2013
| title = Quantum Mechanics
| image = quantum mechanics.png
| titletext = You can also just ignore any science assertion where 'quantum mechanics' is the most complicated phrase in it.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic plays with the fact that {{w|quantum mechanics}} is a very complex subject that is frequently misapplied by laymen. Many of the phenomena studied in quantum mechanics are contrary to common sense and can only be expressed in complex mathematics. Yet, since the field is fundamental to our understanding of reality, it is commonly cited to support broad sweeping philosophical generalizations.

The phrase “according to quantum mechanics” betrays the speaker's lack of knowledge about the subject. To a physicist, it is almost as vague as “according to physics”. Somebody who understands the subject would use a more precise term, such as “according to the uncertainty principle” or “according to a paper by such-and-such.”

[[Cueball]] explains to [[Ponytail]] that dogs must have {{w|souls}}. This would be against the doctrine of certain religions, including some sects of Christianity, which teach that only humans have souls. The question of whether animals have souls comes up for many reasons in theological and philosophical discussions. One major one is the wish of many dog owners to meet their pets in {{w|Heaven}}. For this to come to pass, it would be necessary for dogs not only to have souls, but also ''immortal'' souls. This distinction comes up in Catholicism, for example, where the commonly taught doctrine, as in [http://dhspriory.org/thomas/english/ContraGentiles2.htm#82 Aquinas, S.C.G. II, C. 82], is that, while animals do have souls, their souls are mortal, and therefore die with their bodies. In this case, animals cannot enter Heaven, {{w|Hell}}, or {{w|Purgatory}}.

Cueball, however, uses quantum mechanics as an argument, even though quantum mechanics is only applicable on the atomic scale and not on macroscopic objects like animals. It also only applies to matter and energy, and not to souls, which are held by most doctrines to be immaterial. His argument, however, is a reference to the concept of an '{{w|Observer (quantum physics)|observer}}' in quantum physics, as well as theories about the {{w|Von Neumann–Wigner interpretation|collapse of wave functions}}. It should also be noted that science does not equate the ability to observe the world and possession of a soul, and that the latter is merely a theological concept, not used in science and not proven to exist in real world.

The vast majority of people do not have a sufficient understanding of quantum mechanics to judge whether Cueball's statement is correct. Nevertheless, [[Randall|Randall's]] message is: you don't need to understand quantum mechanics to judge the statement. No matter what the sentence is, it is almost certainly incorrect, so “you can safely ignore” it.

The title text refers to “science assertions” — that is, claims about scientific knowledge — that include the words “quantum mechanics”. If “quantum mechanics” is the most complicated term in the sentence, then the speaker probably does not know what they are talking about. If a scientist is correctly applying quantum mechanics, they will use more specific (and hence more complicated) language.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Ponytail stand facing each other, talking. Cueball has a small dog on a leash.]
:Cueball: But dogs can observe the world, which means that according to quantum mechanics they ''must'' have souls.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:'''Protip''': You can safely ignore any sentence that includes the phrase "According to quantum mechanics".

==Trivia==
*{{w|Niels Bohr}} [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Niels_Bohr quote]:
::''Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it.''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Protip]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Religion]]

2359: Evidence of Alien Life

2020-09-14T19:34:04Z

173.245.54.217:

{{comic
| number = 2359
| date = September 14, 2020
| title = Evidence of Alien Life
| image = evidence_of_alien_life.png
| titletext = Both too cautious AND not cautious enough: "I'm skeptical that those are aliens, so I'm going to try pulling off their masks."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an APPROPRIATELY CAUTIOUS ALIEN BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1465: xkcd Phone 2

2014-12-30T16:24:59Z

173.245.54.217: Could someone explain the tagline, please?

I think the "Waterproof (interior only)" is related to a so-called joke that I first heard from a smart-ass salesman years ago in a camera store when I was considering a certain camera. "Is it waterproof?" I asked. "Oh yes," he replied, "once water gets into it, it will never come out again!" --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 08:05, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

Can you unify the transcription and description? Since the transcript starts from the top left, while description starts from bottom left. [[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 09:43, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

I have made http://www.xkcd.ga and http://www.xkcd.tk both forward to http://www.explainxkcd.com. Is this ok?[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:47, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

Could the StackOverflow part also hint at StackSort and http://xkcd.com/1185/ ? [[User:Pinkishu|Pinkishu]] ([[User talk:Pinkishu|talk]]) 14:58, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
:No. StackOverflow is a really popular site for programmers and such. It's propbably to be expected that it has been mentioned multiple times here. Also, StackSort (or sorting in general) doesn't make much sense in this context. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.13|141.101.104.13]] 23:02, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
::I think they meant that the OS could be built in a manner similar to the StackSort, taking various snippets of phone-os code and putting them together. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.69|108.162.216.69]] 02:44, 27 December 2014 (UTC)
:::OK, that might be possible. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.11|141.101.104.11]] 13:31, 27 December 2014 (UTC)
::Stackoverflow is named after the error in Java that occurs when the Java virtual machine's stack memory is exceeded. This is generally caused by a serious memory leak or an infinite recursion has occurred. Definitely not an attractive feature in an OS. Also, since Android runs using Java on the Davek virtual machine, it does actually throw stack overflow errors on occasion. -- {{unsigned|Sam}}
:::Stack overflows have existed in computing from the first stack-based machines, which were invented back before the inventors of Java were probably born! OK, small exaggeration - maybe. First date I can see in this Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stack_machine is 1961. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 13:51, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

I am thinking the "Fitbit fitness evaluator" is fully meta. That is it is meant to monitor/ asses the digital 'health/fitness' status of your human health/fitness monitoring device. [[User:Iggynelix|Iggynelix]] ([[User talk:Iggynelix|talk]]) 18:10, 26 December 2014 (UTC)

A phone for your other hand®–reads like the phone is capable of being operated by your non-dominant hand, leaving your dominant hand free for–er, other activities... [[User:Laverock|Laverock]] ([[User talk:Laverock|talk]]) 19:02, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
: Such as using the XKCD Phone model 1, of course! (You do have two ears, as well as two hands, don't you?) --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 01:27, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

"Okay Google" is not the name of the virtual assistant, it's the catchphrase that it responds to. Google's version of Siri is called "Google Now." [[Special:Contributions/188.114.106.29|188.114.106.29]] 08:03, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

;Googleable

The iPad is not googleable. No, the other one. No, the other one. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.28|108.162.231.28]] 03:18, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

3D materials could be a reference to 3D printed materials. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.152|108.162.254.152]] 12:47, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

'3D Materials' could be meant to indicate that the phone is not made out of graphene. 'Density control' could be hooked up to an air compressor, allowing the phone to slightly control its density by compressing/decompressing ambient air, while 'Volume' controls the speaker (a useful thing to have, when it's always on). 'Auto-Rotating case' might indicate that it has some sort of gyroscope or reaction wheel system to allow it to control its orientation. 'Washable, though only once' might mean it has some sort of expendable water-resistant protection or coating (only on the inside, of course) that is worn off after a single washing. 'Over 350 Pixels Per Screen' only sets a lower limit on pixel count. The actual count may be anywhere from 351 to several billion or more, so it may actually be a selling point, although a poorly advertised one. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.117|199.27.128.117]] 08:46, 28 December 2014 (UTC)
: Also, the 'Ribbed' feature may be a solution to problems caused by the previous hardware's frictionless exterior.[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.117|199.27.128.117]] 08:52, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Can someone explain or provide a link to an explanation for pokedex in this context. I know what a pokedex is but is this a Randellism for smartphones?--[[User:Sww1235|Sww1235]] ([[User talk:Sww1235|talk]]) 07:03, 29 December 2014 (UTC)

This is still missing an explanation for "A phone for your other hand(R)". Is that a reference to something? (Also, I practically screamed with laughter when I read "OS by StackOverflow". :) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.217|173.245.54.217]] 16:24, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

956: Sharing

2014-08-15T20:20:20Z

173.245.54.217: /* Removed link to lostinreaders.com, as that is now a parked domain. The Wayback Machine has no record of that page, either. */

{{comic
| number = 956
| date = September 26, 2011
| title = Sharing
| image = sharing.png
| titletext = In the new edition of The Giving Tree, the tree uses social tools to share with its friend all the best places to buy things.
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|The Giving Tree}}'' is a book in which a tree gives everything it has to a little boy out of love and a desire for the boy's company: apples to sell, wood to build a house, even letting the boy cut it down to make a boat. At the end of the book, the boy comes back as a grown man and the tree tells him sadly that it has nothing else to give. The man tells the tree that he only wants a tree stump to sit on, and the tree gladly gives him that. Notably, the tree's moments of greatest distress come when it fears that it can give the boy no more and that the boy will leave it.

.azw is an e-book file format used and created by the online company {{w|Amazon.com}}, which makes and sells the popular {{w|Amazon Kindle}} e-reader. Complaints against the format have been made concerning its closed nature: that all information should be free and imposing restrictions on its usage is limiting growth in the modern world. This comic was published two days before the release of the fifth generation of Kindles, alongside complaints that Amazon would continue to use {{w|DRM}} "encumbered" e-book formats.

The comic is a criticism of the usage of DRM in digital commerce. The tree's willingness to offer up its file is parallel to the generous nature of the tree in ''The Giving Tree''. The tree is prevented from sharing its file however, by DRM in the file. With nothing to gain from the tree, Cueball and Megan leave the tree alone, in a manner similar to the fears of the tree in ''The Giving Tree''. The final frame is a reference to the iconic silhouette of a tree that is used in the loading screens of Amazon's Kindles, a link between the abandoned tree in the comic and an abandoned Kindle.

The Kindle went on to become wildly successful after its launch, with record sales and new publisher deals.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball hang out in front of a tree.]
:Megan: Whoa. What's this?
:Cueball: What's what?
:Megan: This tree has a USB port.

:Cueball: Try connecting to it, I guess.
:[Megan brings out a laptop and connects to it.]
:Megan: It's offering up a drive with one file on it.

:Cueball: What's the file?
:Megan: An eBook. "Shel_Silverstein_-_The_Giving_Tree.azw"
:Cueball: Never heard of it. Let's take a look!

:Laptop: DRM Error: You have not purchased rights to view this title. Lending is not enabled.

:Cueball: Huh. Oh well.
:Megan: Let's go see what Mike is up to.

:[The tree is alone.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

890: Etymology

2014-08-14T18:48:23Z

173.245.54.217: /* CAPTCHA killed correction */

{{comic
| number = 890
| date = April 25, 2011
| title = Etymology
| image = etymology.png
| titletext = For some reason, my childhood suspension of disbelief had no problem with the fact that this ancient galaxy is full of humans, but was derailed by language. There's no Asia OR Europe there, so where'd they get all the Indo-European roots?
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the sci-fi classic {{w|Star Wars}}. {{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi}} (on the left with the beard) and {{w|Luke Skywalker}} (who is on the left side of the table in the first frame) are trying to get off the planet Tatooine secretly and they enlist help from {{w|Han Solo}} and {{w|Chewbacca}}. Chewbacca is the very hairy one because he is a wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. Han Solo's ship is named the "{{w|Millennium Falcon}}".

Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. [[Randall]] (the author of the comic) wonders what Luke would say to Han if he had no idea what a falcon was. We as viewers accept it because of the etymology of the word in our world, but there is no evidence of a falcon in the Star Wars universe - especially for Luke who has been raised only on Tatooine, a desert world.

In the title text, Randall references the fact that Star Wars is set "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" and is curious how humans came to be in the Star Wars universe even though they were not yet on Earth. The reference to {{w|Indo-European}} roots is another reference to etymology. As an example, certain words will have Indo-European roots because the word originated in Indo-European languages.

==Transcript==
:[Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca are sitting in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina, a wretched hive of scum and villainy.]
:Han Solo: Han Solo. I'm captain of the Millenium Falcon.

:Luke Skywalker: What's that?

:Han: It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 Parsecs!

:Luke: No, what's a falcon?

:Han: ...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

890: Etymology

2014-08-14T18:47:34Z

173.245.54.217: /* Corrected spelling of "wookiee" */

{{comic
| number = 890
| date = April 25, 2011
| title = Etymology
| image = etymology.png
| titletext = For some reason, my childhood suspension of disbelief had no problem with the fact that this ancient galaxy is full of humans, but was derailed by language. There's no Asia OR Europe there, so where'd they get all the Indo-European roots?
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the sci-fi classic {{w|Star Wars}}. {{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi}} (on the left with the beard) and {{w|Luke Skywalker}} (who is on the left side of the table in the first frame) are trying to get off the planet Tatooine secretly and they enlist help from {{w|Han Solo}} and {{w|Chewbacca}}. Chewbacca is the very hairy one because he is a wookier from the planet Kashyyyk. Han Solo's ship is named the "{{w|Millennium Falcon}}".

Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. [[Randall]] (the author of the comic) wonders what Luke would say to Han if he had no idea what a falcon was. We as viewers accept it because of the etymology of the word in our world, but there is no evidence of a falcon in the Star Wars universe - especially for Luke who has been raised only on Tatooine, a desert world.

In the title text, Randall references the fact that Star Wars is set "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" and is curious how humans came to be in the Star Wars universe even though they were not yet on Earth. The reference to {{w|Indo-European}} roots is another reference to etymology. As an example, certain words will have Indo-European roots because the word originated in Indo-European languages.

==Transcript==
:[Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca are sitting in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina, a wretched hive of scum and villainy.]
:Han Solo: Han Solo. I'm captain of the Millenium Falcon.

:Luke Skywalker: What's that?

:Han: It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 Parsecs!

:Luke: No, what's a falcon?

:Han: ...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]