explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1593: Play-By-Play

2015-10-21T21:19:34Z

173.245.56.150: umpire?

First!
Sorry. On a more serious note, is "how rude" a reference to the ugly guy on the first Star Wars? I'm sleepy and can't think well. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 05:41, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:I strongly doubt it, since this is a completely unrelated topic to Star Wars [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.231|162.158.38.231]] 06:07, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:Also, the comic doesn't even include the phrase "how rude"... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 06:11, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::Why is Star Wars and its trailer even mentioned? Completely unrelated. The trailer aired during a football game not baseball. If Randall was trying to make that point it would be as such. This is more akin to a non-sports minded son-in-law trying to enjoy the sport with his wife's father (been there done that). Or perhaps Randall is saying that baseball is having a hard time trying to attract new fans with all the scandals so baseball has turned to reeling in non-traditional fans who need the games rules and play-by-play toned down to an understandable level. Anything but Star Wars.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:56, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::Sorry, I read "Wow. Rude" as "How rude." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.227|108.162.220.227]] 17:16, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

Isn't the guy being yelled at in the "Wow. Rude." section the umpire? I think it's more likely that people would yell at an umpire (or maybe a coach) than any standard player. 21:19, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

The big issue I have is that he says there's no one else. There is the catcher. Would have made more sense to say two men are playing catch and someone else is rudely trying to hit the ball. Or that they're playing monkey in the middle... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.236.235|108.162.236.235]] 15:18, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

;Simple Words

Could someone check if this is an instance of Randall Munroe doing a comic using only the 1000 most commonly used words? It looks like it might be. {{unsigned ip|108.162.218.197}}

:Nope! Lots of difficult words like "Wow" and "shelves" and "teammates" {{unsigned ip|198.41.235.59}}
::Yes should this even be references in the trivia. I vote for deleting the trivia, as I do not see this as an example of Beret Guy trying to speak simple, he just uses other words because he do not know the baseball version for these. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

:I put the transcript and title text into Randall's word checker and came up with eleven words that didn't make the cut (twelve if you count all forms of a word separately): "bat", "shelves", "wow", "rude", "teammates", "pillow", "rules", "yikes", "hopefully", ("bats",) "king", and "jail". --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.65|108.162.218.65]] 12:47, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

;Surreal

I do not see this as surreal at all. His description is spot on, assuming that he knows nothing about the game.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.79.73|141.101.79.73]] 06:32, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

What's surreal is the (somewhat implausible) scenario where someone who knows nothing about baseball (or softball, I suppose. Or sport...) whould be commentating on a game.[[User:ChrisBedford|ChrisBedford]] ([[User talk:ChrisBedford|talk]]) 06:46, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
: That's not surreal. That's ironic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.81|108.162.237.81]] 15:11, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
;Pillow

Why is beret guy talking about a pillow? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.125|173.245.49.125]] 07:12, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

:I read it as a reference to the points on the field (“bases”?) that the runner has to go around. The ones that are used as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_metaphors_for_sex a euphemism for touching genitalia]. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.236|141.101.104.236]] 07:19, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::See [[540: Base System]]! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
: Historically, the bases were made from stuffed fabric, they were essentially pillows.[[User:Tverma|Tverma]] ([[User talk:Tverma|talk]]) 08:15, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

;Baseball and cricket

Not being American, and never having watched a game of baseball in my life, this sounds like pretty much the way I would see baseball. Americans can get the same effect by watching a game of cricket. [[User:GreenWyvern|GreenWyvern]] ([[User talk:GreenWyvern|talk]]) 07:28, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:Until he said "second pillow" I wasn't sure if it was commentary on baseball or cricket.[[User:Tverma|Tverma]] ([[User talk:Tverma|talk]]) 08:05, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::Agreed, when you never have watched a full game of baseball even the explanation above is not enough to understand the rules and events he is talking about. So spot on ;-) We only play this in early school as we think it is a kids game (probably like many Americans consider soccer?) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:::And just like the football/'soccer' difference in naming local variants in Association Football, our baseball is generally called 'rounders'. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.185|141.101.75.185]] 13:21, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

:While the description of the game might match someone who never saw any baseball, the failure to identify cheering and heckling suggest he never saw ANY game nor other sport event, which seems improbable. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:25, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::Although not for Beret Guy! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

Main text says the words are not part of the "10,000" common words. But Randall's simplespeak is only a 1000 word corpus -- ten hundred. <digressing rant> That's somewhat irrelevant given the dubious qualities of Randall's simplespeak anyway. "bat" for example is a common word that kids learn early in kindergarten and elementary school when they learn the CVC pattern, not to mention it's a fairly common theme for Halloween and children books. Same goes to some of the other words. "wow" is not a word but an onomatopoeia, and "rude" is a basic English word known to everybody {{Citation needed|}}. Somewhere along the line, followers forgot this is all a game and are taking it way too seriously. </rant> [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 16:48, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

;Variant games

It might be interesting to mention which comments by the Beret Guy lead to the elimination of other ball and bat games, especially when only a single comment does so. For instance, it looks like the description of the game would also fit [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pes%C3%A4pallo pesäpallo], a Finnish ball and bat game, save that in that game you don't throw the ball at the batter. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.164|173.245.54.164]] 13:37, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

This comic makes me think of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptrSoRSq8vw&feature=youtu.be [[User:Macarthur1950|Macarthur1950]] ([[User talk:Macarthur1950|talk]]) 20:27, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

1541: Voice

2015-06-22T21:32:16Z

173.245.56.150: /* 1528: Vodka */ Fixed typo.

{{comic
| number = 1541
| date = June 22, 2015
| title = Voice
| image = voice.png
| titletext = Anyway, we should totally go watch a video story or put some food in our normal mouths!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft; Alt-Text explanation missing}}

During a casual talk, [[Ponytail]] suddenly interrupts her normal speech stating that she is for some reason only capable of controlling her own voice once every six years, apparently for a very brief time since she immediately returns to the casual talk, continuing her previous sentence mid-word before being able to tell Megan how she could help her. Upon Megan's confused request, she denies knowledge of the occurrence, although in a somewhat suspicious way, using a possibly fake laughter.

It remains unclear if this is just a prank by Ponytail, or if she is indeed possessed by some sort of power that prevents her from expressing her own thoughts, except for a very short time every six years. If the latter is the case, it appears that Ponytail's usual "self" is indeed said power and is aware of suppressing the "real" Ponytail, as becomes clear by her response to Megan's inquiry.

The title text suggests that Ponytail is possessed by some sort of inhuman entity, most likely an alien or AI (possibly a Yeerk from the Animorphs series), unfamiliar with movies and eating. A similar situation was recently explored in [[1530: Keyboard Mash]].

==== [[1528: Vodka]] ====
It has already been established that Ponytail's voice can be hijacked by non-human entities when the vodka she was drinking took over. It is possible that this is continuing or caused by the same openness to possession. It is also possible that she simply thinks possession jokes are funny.

==== [[600: Android Boyfriend]] ====
Six years ago today, which is presumably the last time [[Ponytail]] had control of her own voice, she acquired an android boyfriend. How this older comic may or may not play into this particular episode is unclear.

==== Note on Ponytail ====
''Ponytail is mainly a filler character, showing up when two females are needed or when a large group of people are present.''

This means the character is this comic may or may not be the same as the Ponytail in other comics.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Ponytail are walking.]
:Megan: Are you doing anything later?
:Ponytail: I was th- ''I can only control my voice once every six years. Please, you have to'' -inking of going out, but no real plans.
:Megan: ...what was that?
:Ponytail: Haha, what?

{{comic discussion}}

1541: Voice

2015-06-22T21:30:56Z

173.245.56.150: /* 1528: Vodka */ Fixed typo.

{{comic
| number = 1541
| date = June 22, 2015
| title = Voice
| image = voice.png
| titletext = Anyway, we should totally go watch a video story or put some food in our normal mouths!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft; Alt-Text explanation missing}}

During a casual talk, [[Ponytail]] suddenly interrupts her normal speech stating that she is for some reason only capable of controlling her own voice once every six years, apparently for a very brief time since she immediately returns to the casual talk, continuing her previous sentence mid-word before being able to tell Megan how she could help her. Upon Megan's confused request, she denies knowledge of the occurrence, although in a somewhat suspicious way, using a possibly fake laughter.

It remains unclear if this is just a prank by Ponytail, or if she is indeed possessed by some sort of power that prevents her from expressing her own thoughts, except for a very short time every six years. If the latter is the case, it appears that Ponytail's usual "self" is indeed said power and is aware of suppressing the "real" Ponytail, as becomes clear by her response to Megan's inquiry.

The title text suggests that Ponytail is possessed by some sort of inhuman entity, most likely an alien or AI (possibly a Yeerk from the Animorphs series), unfamiliar with movies and eating. A similar situation was recently explored in [[1530: Keyboard Mash]].

==== [[1528: Vodka]] ====
It has already been established that Ponytail's voice can be hijacked by non-human entities when the vodka she was drinking took over. It is possible that this is continuing or caused by the same openness to posession. It is also possible that she simply thinks possession jokes are funny.

==== [[600: Android Boyfriend]] ====
Six years ago today, which is presumably the last time [[Ponytail]] had control of her own voice, she acquired an android boyfriend. How this older comic may or may not play into this particular episode is unclear.

==== Note on Ponytail ====
''Ponytail is mainly a filler character, showing up when two females are needed or when a large group of people are present.''

This means the character is this comic may or may not be the same as the Ponytail in other comics.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Ponytail are walking.]
:Megan: Are you doing anything later?
:Ponytail: I was th- ''I can only control my voice once every six years. Please, you have to'' -inking of going out, but no real plans.
:Megan: ...what was that?
:Ponytail: Haha, what?

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1448: Question

2014-11-17T09:58:34Z

173.245.56.150:

... and I thought the 'LIKE like you' would be a reference to Facebook... [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 08:55, 17 November 2014 (UTC)
: I agree, I definitely think the person making that statement is saying that he doesn't embrace the simplified Facebook universe where you can LIKE someone/something by clicking on a LIKE button. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 09:10, 17 November 2014 (UTC)
::Personally, I think "LIKE like" is just a euphemism for "love". Isaac is trying to express (awkwardly) that although he enjoys the asker's company, his feeling of affinity is much less intense than that of someone who is obviously too nervous to speak with him in person. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 09:24, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

The comic is a reference to [http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html "The Last Question"] by Isaac Asimov. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.150|173.245.56.150]] 09:58, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:237: Keyboards are Disgusting

2014-11-16T02:12:51Z

173.245.56.150:

This needs to be added to Category:Comics with color but I have no idea how. 17:01, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
:I can't see any color, am I blind?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:44, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
::Dgbrt, look at the last panel. [[Special:Contributions/131.191.68.103|131.191.68.103]] 08:10, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:::Uhhh, the dust... so I'm blind ;) --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:31, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
::::Yeah, the dust is very slightly coloured (dark blues, greens, and browns). Unfortunately, I don't know how to add it either.[[Special:Contributions/67.188.195.182|67.188.195.182]] 22:58, 5 September 2013 (UTC)
::If anybody else can't see it, try shaking your keyboard upside down over your face. {{unsigned|‎Jolbucley}}

I tried this trick with my new Netbook. The effect is actually pretty impressive (especially with the € on-key). [[Special:Contributions/67.188.195.182|67.188.195.182]] 22:58, 5 September 2013 (UTC)

Tried to see the color with by shaking keyboard upside down over face. Did not work. {{unsigned ip|108.162.245.57}}

Even though he's not shown, I think it's pretty safe to assume that Black Hat is on the other end of the chat. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.150|173.245.56.150]] 02:12, 16 November 2014 (UTC)

186: Console Lines

2014-10-01T19:07:19Z

173.245.56.150: /* Explanation */ wordplay on "console"

{{comic
| number = 186
| date = November 20, 2006
| title = Console Lines
| image = console_lines.png
| titletext = If I get a Wii, it will be the first game console I've owned.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic relates to {{w|video game consoles}}. At the time this comic was published, there were three major products competing: the {{w|Playstation 3}} by {{w|Sony}}, the {{w|Xbox 360}} by {{w|Microsoft}} and the {{w|Wii}} by {{w|Nintendo}}. When a game console gets released, fans are often waiting outside the stores or camping on the pavement. The comic shows such a console camp and points out the differences between the fan communities. While the fans waiting in line for a Sony or Microsoft product are very rude, the Nintendo fans are apologetic and try to comfort (that is to say, console) those who arrived too late to obtain a package. The cliché that Nintendo fans are nicer and more polite may be attributed to the fact that the Wii is targeted at children and families while the PS3 and the Xbox are targeted at the "serious gamer" crowd.

The title text primarily expresses [[Randall|Randall's]] distance from the console wars while also indicating an inclination towards the Nintendo Wii.

==Transcript==
:Fans turning away latecomers to all-night game console campouts:
:Sony/Microsoft:
:Cueball: The line is full, asshole! Fuck off!
:Nintendo:
:Cueball: I'm so sorry, all the consoles are spoken for.
:Cueball: Do... Do you want a hug?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Video games]]