explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3241: Horizontal Stabilizers

2026-05-06T16:31:11Z

181.238.48.193: i forgot how to wiki

Was this late or was it just me?--[[User:OceanLord|OceanLord]] ([[User talk:OceanLord|talk]]) 20:08, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Somewhat late. Yes. But it's all good. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:11, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Publishing times are not very consistent. Mid-afternoon Eastern Time is not unusual. There have been quite a few times when it didn't arrive until late night, and occasionally even after midnight. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:12, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:About a day late from usual. [[Special:Contributions/47.248.235.170|47.248.235.170]] 20:20, 5 May 2026 (UTC)Pat
::Oh right, I didn't even realize it's Tuesday afternoon. So yes, very late. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:30, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:::That's what I thought--[[User:OceanLord|OceanLord]] ([[User talk:OceanLord|talk]]) 20:41, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
::And for more discussion (posted before this comic went live) see the bottom of yesterday's discussion. [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 21:27, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Interestingly, the xkcd archive page tooltip shows the publish date as "2026-05-04". hmmmm [[User:RDiMartino|RDiMartino]] ([[User talk:RDiMartino|talk]]) 00:46, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
::Exactly, see [https://xkcd.com/archive/ archive] and hold the curser over the comic. We usually use that day on this site. So should we use it and make a note that it was very late? If Randall does not aknowledge it being late what then? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:08, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:::My (non-authoritative) opinion: It's just a (late, but not ''record-''late) Monday comic, at least until we get some actual information that explains how it isn't.
:::If a clearly intended May The Fo(u)rth-type comic soon appears, with or without official comment, then it can be mentioned here and there that the other one exists, for the record. But until then it's... just a late-Monday one. The chatter here in the Talk section more than suffices, there's no real need for Trivia about this.
:::But that's just my thoughts. No more than a suggestion. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.108|82.132.237.108]] 13:06, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

For those curious, an aircraft with one pair of wings is the aerodynamic equivalent of one pair of legs or wheels. It can work, but it requires careful considerations to keep it balanced. If a conventional aircraft loses its horizontal stabilizer, it will lose that balance and nose up or down uncontrollably. Aircraft that have no horizontal stabilizer usually use a method in which part of the main wing effectively functions in its place. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 21:01, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
: I usually manage to use my legs without much careful consideration. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:39, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:: The consideration is mostly during the design phase, and even then, there were some serious compromises made that cause cumulative problems with the legs, pelvis, spine, and internal organs. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 13:37, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

Is it low resolution, or small size of the figures, that this comic looks "retro" like the first few hundred, before Randall's art became really regular (perhaps he uses templates or programmatic drawing now?) [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 23:06, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Considering the timing, it is likely this was a backup comic that's been sitting around a while. Randall has said in the past that he keeps about a dozen comics in reserve just for that purpose.[[Special:Contributions/52.213.77.206|52.213.77.206]] 06:44, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
::Aha, 1+1=2, that makes total sense. The joke itself is also notably timeless. Could be written many years ago easily. Shall we adjust the description to indicate that this is likely a backup comic? Hope everything is well at the Randall household! [[Special:Contributions/178.119.6.18|178.119.6.18]] 10:15, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:::Don't think it has a place in the explanation - it's nothing more than speculative. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:37, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

Sorry for the stupid question, but I don't know Darkstalkers outside of...those pix :-) Are the funny things on the heads of Lilith and Morrigan ailerons? [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:95FB:B512:751B:45ED|2A02:2455:1960:4000:95FB:B512:751B:45ED]] 08:30, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:: Well, all of her clothes are actually bats... I know the burning animation burns all her bats covering her body... Does the burning sprite have the "ailerons" or not? I don't remember, and I'm absolutely not going to search now. If they're made from bats I guess they're ailerons, if not they're just anime style shenanigans. [[Special:Contributions/181.238.48.193|181.238.48.193]] 16:31, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

This comic reminds me of chapter 5 of the book "How to": How to Make an Emergency Landing. In that interview with Chris Hadfield he is faced with the absurd question on how to land a plane from the outside, and he replies that if we could move the tail controls by hand we could even land the plane, so xkcd already told the readers of his book (in a way) that the airplane tail wings are very important. [[Special:Contributions/104.28.20.65|104.28.20.65]] 14:16, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3241: Horizontal Stabilizers

2026-05-06T16:30:18Z

181.238.48.193: fart

Was this late or was it just me?--[[User:OceanLord|OceanLord]] ([[User talk:OceanLord|talk]]) 20:08, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Somewhat late. Yes. But it's all good. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:11, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Publishing times are not very consistent. Mid-afternoon Eastern Time is not unusual. There have been quite a few times when it didn't arrive until late night, and occasionally even after midnight. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:12, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:About a day late from usual. [[Special:Contributions/47.248.235.170|47.248.235.170]] 20:20, 5 May 2026 (UTC)Pat
::Oh right, I didn't even realize it's Tuesday afternoon. So yes, very late. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:30, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:::That's what I thought--[[User:OceanLord|OceanLord]] ([[User talk:OceanLord|talk]]) 20:41, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
::And for more discussion (posted before this comic went live) see the bottom of yesterday's discussion. [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 21:27, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Interestingly, the xkcd archive page tooltip shows the publish date as "2026-05-04". hmmmm [[User:RDiMartino|RDiMartino]] ([[User talk:RDiMartino|talk]]) 00:46, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
::Exactly, see [https://xkcd.com/archive/ archive] and hold the curser over the comic. We usually use that day on this site. So should we use it and make a note that it was very late? If Randall does not aknowledge it being late what then? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:08, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:::My (non-authoritative) opinion: It's just a (late, but not ''record-''late) Monday comic, at least until we get some actual information that explains how it isn't.
:::If a clearly intended May The Fo(u)rth-type comic soon appears, with or without official comment, then it can be mentioned here and there that the other one exists, for the record. But until then it's... just a late-Monday one. The chatter here in the Talk section more than suffices, there's no real need for Trivia about this.
:::But that's just my thoughts. No more than a suggestion. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.108|82.132.237.108]] 13:06, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

For those curious, an aircraft with one pair of wings is the aerodynamic equivalent of one pair of legs or wheels. It can work, but it requires careful considerations to keep it balanced. If a conventional aircraft loses its horizontal stabilizer, it will lose that balance and nose up or down uncontrollably. Aircraft that have no horizontal stabilizer usually use a method in which part of the main wing effectively functions in its place. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 21:01, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
: I usually manage to use my legs without much careful consideration. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:39, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:: The consideration is mostly during the design phase, and even then, there were some serious compromises made that cause cumulative problems with the legs, pelvis, spine, and internal organs. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 13:37, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

Is it low resolution, or small size of the figures, that this comic looks "retro" like the first few hundred, before Randall's art became really regular (perhaps he uses templates or programmatic drawing now?) [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 23:06, 5 May 2026 (UTC)
:Considering the timing, it is likely this was a backup comic that's been sitting around a while. Randall has said in the past that he keeps about a dozen comics in reserve just for that purpose.[[Special:Contributions/52.213.77.206|52.213.77.206]] 06:44, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
::Aha, 1+1=2, that makes total sense. The joke itself is also notably timeless. Could be written many years ago easily. Shall we adjust the description to indicate that this is likely a backup comic? Hope everything is well at the Randall household! [[Special:Contributions/178.119.6.18|178.119.6.18]] 10:15, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
:::Don't think it has a place in the explanation - it's nothing more than speculative. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:37, 6 May 2026 (UTC)

Sorry for the stupid question, but I don't know Darkstalkers outside of...those pix :-) Are the funny things on the heads of Lilith and Morrigan ailerons? [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:95FB:B512:751B:45ED|2A02:2455:1960:4000:95FB:B512:751B:45ED]] 08:30, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
Well, all of her clothes are actually bats... I know the burning animation burns all her bats covering her body... Does the burning sprite have the "ailerons" or not? I don't remember, and I'm absolutely not going to search now. If they're made from bats I guess they're ailerons, if not they're just anime style shenanigans.

This comic reminds me of chapter 5 of the book "How to": How to Make an Emergency Landing. In that interview with Chris Hadfield he is faced with the absurd question on how to land a plane from the outside, and he replies that if we could move the tail controls by hand we could even land the plane, so xkcd already told the readers of his book (in a way) that the airplane tail wings are very important. [[Special:Contributions/104.28.20.65|104.28.20.65]] 14:16, 6 May 2026 (UTC)