explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2492: Commonly Mispronounced Equations

2021-07-23T23:33:27Z

198.41.238.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2492
| date = July 21, 2021
| title = Commonly Mispronounced Equations
| image = commonly_mispronounced_equations.png
| titletext = "Epsihootamoo doopsiquorps" --the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LAGRONJ EYSIBARYMOODMOOSIOYLERSIBRYMOOAMOOBAMOOSIMASIBRSIQORTFAHMOOVYFAHMOOVY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete: the elided equation in the incomplete notice needs explanation. It would be interesting for more people to weigh in on personal history eliding equations. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a collection of very commonly used physical and mathematical equations, along with their "correct" pronunciations. Equations are normally voiced out loud either by their names ("Mass–energy equivalence") or by saying the parts out loud using normal linguistic rules ("E equals M C squared"). This comic instead asserts that equations are meant to be said out loud like words, using their own set of phonic rules.

Though this premise may seem absurd, sometimes this kind of pronunciation is used as an abbreviation or a mnemonic device. For example, the equation A=Pert used for compound interest is commonly taught and pronounced as the "pert" equation, while SOH-CAH-TOA is used as a mnemonic for the equations for sine, cosine, and tangent (sine: opposite over hypotenuse, etc.)

Some nerds have both the trait of using equations as commonly as others might chat, and of finding it entertaining to make up new funny sounds ("input", "pwn"). Saying the equations more rapidly can speed up work or make work seem more enjoyable. This phenomenon is called {{w|elision}}.

The pronunciation given for F=ma is the same as the actual pronunciation of FEMA, the acronym for the {{w|Federal Emergency Management Agency}}.

{| class="wikitable"
!Equation
!Pronounciation
!Explanation
|-
|{{w|Newton's law of universal gravitation}}
|Fuh-''JAM''-er
|F, gravitational force, is pronounced /f/. G, the gravitational constant, is prononounced as a soft G /dʒ/. The m's (mass 1 and 2) are both pronounced /m/, and the r (radius) is pronounced /r/. The numbers are unpronounced.
|-
|{{w|Mass–energy equivalence}}
|''EM''-cah-too
|E, energy, is pronounced as a short E /e/, m (mass) is pronounced /m/, c is pronounced as a hard C /k/, and the exponent "2" is pronounced "two".|
|-
|{{w|Pythagorean theorem}}
|at-''BOOT''-coot
|The side length "a" is pronounced as a short a. The side length "b" is pronounced /b/. The hypotenuse "c" is pronounced as a hard "c" /k/. Each exponent 2 is pronounced /t/ for "two", and the vowel sound /u/ of "two" is used as the filler vowel sound.
|-
|{{w|Area of a circle}}
|''APP''-er-too
|A, the area, is pronounced as a long a. Pi is pronounced /p/. R is pronounced /r/. 2 is pronounced "two".
|-
|{{w|Entropy_(information_theory)|Shannon entropy}}
|Ha-''SPLOG''-pee
|H, entropy, is pronounced /h/. The minus sign is unpronounced. Sigma, the summation sign, is pronounced /s/. The first p_i is pronounced /p/ with the subscript i unpronounced. log, the logarithm function, is pronounced "log" (like a piece of lumber). The second p_i is pronounced /pi/, where the subscript i makes the long e sound /i/.
|-
|{{w|Schrödinger equation}} for hydrogen
|Epsihootamoo doopsiquorps
|The form of the Schrödinger equation intended seems to be '''Eψ''' ''"epsi"'' = − '''(ℏ2/2μ)''' ''"hootamoo"'' '''∇2ψ''' ''"doopsi"'' - ('''q'''2/4πε'''0r)ψ''' ''"quorps"'' – pronounced, it seems, with a silent 4πε. (μ is mu, ψ is psi, ∇ is the {{w|Nabla_symbol|nabla or del symbol}} and pronounced /d/ here.).
|}

List of equations:
* {{w|Newton's law of universal gravitation}} ( F = G(m₁m₂/r²) )
* {{w|Mass-energy equivalence}} ( E = mc² )
* {{w|Pythagorean theorem}} ( a² + b² + c² )
* {{w|Area of a circle}} ( A = πr² )
* {{w|Entropy_(information_theory)|Shannon entropy}} and {{w|Diversity_index#Shannon_index|Shannon index}} ( H = -Σpᵢlog(pᵢ) )
* {{w|Ideal gas law}} ( PV = nrt ) -- sometimes said "PIV-nert" as a mnemonic, but according to Randall, this is a "mispronunciation".
* {{w|Euler's identity}} ( e^(iπ) = -1 )
* {{w|Newton's_laws_of_motion#Newton's_second_law|Newton's 2nd law of motion}} ( F = ma )
* {{w|Wave equation}} (c would conventionally be c²) ( ∂²u/∂t² = c(∂²u/∂x²) )
* {{w|Derivative#Definition|Derivative}} ( f'(x) = lim(h→0) (f(x+h)-f(x))/h )
* {{w|Quadratic formula}} ( x = (-b±√(b²-4ac))/2a )
* (title text) {{w|Schrödinger_equation#Hydrogen_atom|Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom}} ( Eψ = -∇²ψ(ℏ²/2μ) - ψ(q²/4πε₀r) )

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Each equation is bordered, with a pronunciation guide beneath.]

Commonly Mispronounced Equations

'''Row 1'''

F = G m₁m₂/r² 
FUH-'''''JAM'''''-ER

E = mc² 
'''''EM'''''-CAH-TOO

a² + b² = c² 
AT-'''''BOOT'''''-COOT

'''Row 2'''

A = πr² 
'''''APP'''''-ER-TOO

H = -Σpᵢlog pᵢ 
HA-'''''SPLOG'''''-PEE

PV = nrt 
'''''PAV'''''-NURT

'''Row 3'''

e^iπ = -1 
'''''EYE'''''-PIN

F = ma 
'''''FEE'''''-MAH

∂²u/∂t² = c ∂²u/∂x² 
'''''DOOT''''' CAH-'''''DOOX'''''

'''Row 4'''

f'(x) = lim h→0 f(x+h) - f(x) / h 
'''''FAX'''''-LIM-OH '''''FAX'''''-UH-FOX

x = -b ± √(b² - 4ac) / 2a 
ZA-'''''BO'''''-BA FAK-'''''TOH'''''-AH

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category: Language]]

2492: Commonly Mispronounced Equations

2021-07-23T23:22:09Z

198.41.238.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2492
| date = July 21, 2021
| title = Commonly Mispronounced Equations
| image = commonly_mispronounced_equations.png
| titletext = "Epsihootamoo doopsiquorps" --the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LAGRONJ EYSIBARYMOODMOOSIOYLERSIBRYMOOAMOOBAMOOSIMASIBRSIQORTFAHMOOVYFAHMOOVY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete: the elided equation in the incomplete notice needs explanation. It would be interesting for more people to weigh in on personal history eliding equations. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a collection of very commonly used physical and mathematical equations, along with their "correct" pronunciations. Equations are normally voiced out loud either by their names ("Mass–energy equivalence") or by saying the parts out loud using normal linguistic rules ("E equals M C squared"). This comic instead asserts that equations are meant to be said out loud like words, using their own set of phonic rules.

Though this premise may seem absurd, sometimes this kind of pronunciation is used as an abbreviation or a mnemonic device. For example, the equation A=Pert used for compound interest is commonly taught and pronounced as the "pert" equation, while SOH-CAH-TOA is used as a mnemonic for the equations for sine, cosine, and tangent (sine: opposite over hypotenuse, etc.)

Some nerds have both the trait of using equations as commonly as others might chat, and of finding it entertaining to make up new funny sounds ("input", "pwn"). Saying the equations more rapidly can speed up work or make work seem more enjoyable. This phenomenon is called {{w|elision}}.

The pronunciation given for F=ma is the same as the actual pronunciation of FEMA, the acronym for the {{w|Federal Emergency Management Agency}}.

{| class="wikitable"
!Equation
!Pronounciation
!Explanation
|-
|{{w|Newton's law of universal gravitation}}
|Fuh-''JAM''-er
|F, gravitational force, is pronounced /f/. G, the gravitational constant, is prononounced as a soft G /dʒ/. The m's (mass 1 and 2) are both pronounced /m/, and the r (radius) is pronounced /r/. The numbers are unpronounced.
|-
|{{w|Mass–energy equivalence}}
|''EM''-cah-too
|E, energy, is pronounced as a short E /e/, m (mass) is pronounced /m/, c is pronounced as a hard C /k/, and the exponent "2" is pronounced "two".|
|-
|{{w|Pythagorean theorem}}
|at-''BOOT''-coot
|The side length "a" is pronounced as a short a. The side length "b" is pronounced /b/. The hypotenuse "c" is pronounced as a hard "c" /k/. Each exponent 2 is pronounced /t/ for "two", and the vowel sound /u/ of "two" is used as the filler vowel sound.
|-
|{{w|Area of a circle}}
|''APP''-er-too
|A, the area, is pronounced as a long a. Pi is pronounced /p/. R is pronounced /r/. 2 is pronounced "two".
|-
|{{w|Entropy_(information_theory)|Shannon entropy}}
|Ha-''SPLOG''-pee
|H, entropy, is pronounced /h/. The minus sign is unpronounced. Sigma, the summation sign, is pronounced /s/. The first p_i is pronounced /p/ with the subscript i unpronounced. log, the logarithm function, is pronounced "log" (like a piece of lumber). The second p_i is pronounced /pi/, where the subscript i makes the long e sound /i/.
|-
|{{w|Schrödinger equation}} for hydrogen
|Epsihootamoo doopsiquorps
|The form of the Schrödinger equation intended seems to be '''Eψ''' ''"epsi"'' = − '''(ℏ2/2μ)''' ''"hootamoo"'' '''∇2ψ''' ''"doopsi"'' - ('''q'''2/4πε'''0r)ψ''' ''"quorps"'' – pronounced, it seems, with a silent 4πε. (μ is mu, ψ is psi, ∇ is the {{w|Nabla_symbol|nabla or del symbol}} and pronounced /d/ here.).
|}

List of equations:
* {{w|Newton's law of universal gravitation}} (F = ...)
* {{w|Mass-energy equivalence}} (E = ...)
* {{w|Pythagorean theorem}} (a² + ...)
* {{w|Area of a circle}} (A = ...)
* {{w|Entropy_(information_theory)|Shannon entropy}} and {{w|Diversity_index#Shannon_index|Shannon index}} (H = ...)
* {{w|Ideal gas law}} (PV = ...) -- sometimes said "PIV-nert" as a mnemonic, but according to Randall, this is a "mispronunciation".
* {{w|Euler's identity}} (eiπ = ...)
* {{w|Newton's_laws_of_motion#Newton's_second_law|Newton's 2nd law of motion}} (F = ...)
* {{w|Wave equation}} (c would conventionally be c2) (∂²u ...)
* {{w|Derivative#Definition|Derivative}} (f'(x) = ...)
* {{w|Quadratic formula}} (x = ...)
* (title text) {{w|Schrödinger_equation#Hydrogen_atom|Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom}} (Eψ = -∇²ψ(ℏ²/2μ)-ψ(q²/4πε₀r))

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Each equation is bordered, with a pronunciation guide beneath.]

Commonly Mispronounced Equations

'''Row 1'''

F = G m₁m₂/r² 
FUH-'''''JAM'''''-ER

E = mc² 
'''''EM'''''-CAH-TOO

a² + b² = c² 
AT-'''''BOOT'''''-COOT

'''Row 2'''

A = πr² 
'''''APP'''''-ER-TOO

H = -Σpᵢlog pᵢ 
HA-'''''SPLOG'''''-PEE

PV = nrt 
'''''PAV'''''-NURT

'''Row 3'''

e^iπ = -1 
'''''EYE'''''-PIN

F = ma 
'''''FEE'''''-MAH

∂²u/∂t² = c ∂²u/∂x² 
'''''DOOT''''' CAH-'''''DOOX'''''

'''Row 4'''

f'(x) = lim h→0 f(x+h) - f(x) / h 
'''''FAX'''''-LIM-OH '''''FAX'''''-UH-FOX

x = -b ± √(b² - 4ac) / 2a 
ZA-'''''BO'''''-BA FAK-'''''TOH'''''-AH

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category: Language]]

878: Model Rail

2021-07-06T05:30:12Z

198.41.238.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 878
| date = March 28, 2011
| title = Model Rail
| image = model rail.png
| titletext = I don't know what's more telling--the number of pages in the Wikipedia talk page argument over whether the 1/87.0857143 scale is called "HO" or "H0", or the fact that within minutes of first hearing of it I had developed an extremely strong opinion on the issue.
}}

==Explanation==
In model rail construction, the {{w|HO scale}} refers to the most popular scale for modeling railroads, in which 3.5 millimeters in the model corresponds to 1 real-world Imperial foot. As the comic suggests, it works out to a ratio of about 1:87.1 (or 3048:35 exactly, which equals 1:87.0̄8̄5̄7̄1̄4̄2̄8̄). In Europe, the scale is defined as exactly 1:87 instead, to avoid references to non-metric measurements.

This comic features [[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|two Cueballs]] conversing; we'll refer to them as Lefty and Righty to avoid confusion. The conversation takes place in Lefty's basement. Lefty is apparently a less-experienced train modeler, and he tells Righty that he wants to make an HO model layout of his town. However, the more-experienced Righty points out that this is a bad idea, due to nesting. To make it a perfectly accurate model, Lefty would have to include a model of his house, which includes his basement, which includes the model. So, he would have to make a model of the model, which will include a smaller model of the model, and so forth. This is illustrated in the comic.

At the end of these six nested models ''The Matryoshka limit'' is stated: "It is impossible to nest more than six HO layouts". {{w|Matryoshka doll|Matryoshka dolls}} are toys of Russian origin that can be stacked inside one another. Here, the "Matryoshka limit" is the hard barrier that follows as a result of the nesting. Matter is not infinitely divisible; once one gets to the level of atoms, it is impossibly difficult to go any smaller. The unit shown in the last diagram is the {{w|Angstrom|ångström}}, a very small unit of measurement (1/10000th of a {{w|micrometre}}, 1/10 of a {{w|nanometre}}, 100 {{w|picometre}}s or 10−10 m) which was created when humans started discovering objects on an atomic scale, such as crystal structures or wavelengths. The last nested model looks like the atoms on a surface as seen using a {{w|scanning tunneling microscope}} (STM).

The rules of model train layouts reference the 1999 cult classic ''{{w|Fight Club}}'', where the first rule of Fight Club is "do not talk about Fight Club." However, while the club instituted the rule because their activities were morally and legally questionable, the rule in the comic was instituted by friends and family members who were apparently sick of hearing the train enthusiasts talk about model train layouts all the time. The second rule of Fight Club is "you ''do not'' talk about Fight Club", repeated for emphasis, but evidently Cueball and his friend are good enough at following the first rule of model train layouts that they only had to be told once.

The "Philistines" comment is not referring to citizens of ancient Palestine (at least not directly), but rather the philosophy of {{w|Philistinism}}. {{w|Friedrich Nietzsche}} defined a Philistine as someone who is purely negative in how they define style, i.e. they know exactly what they hate and don't really have anything they like. A common stereotype for artists is to refer to anyone who dislikes their work as "Philistines," thus dismissing their criticism as being part of a larger personality defect on the critic's part rather than any particular failing of the artwork in question.

The title text references {{w|HO scale}} and, more specifically, whether it should be spelled with the letter "O" or the number zero (0). Such debates often seem petty to the "layman", yet the people involved in the debates can form ''very'' strong feelings for their side. Randall recognizes "nerdy tendencies" almost immediately when he gets the urge to take a side.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball to the left and his friend, who also looks like Cueball, are standing in the friend's rather large basement, where the celling is held up by six thin columns, and the walls are shown angling in towards a point of perspective, to display how big the room is.]
:Friend: I want to build a perfect HO-scale (~1/87) model train layout of my town.
:Cueball: In your basement? Bad idea. Never make a layout of the area you're in.

:[Zoom in on the two friends without the basement visualized.]
:Friend: Why not?
:Cueball: Because it'd include a little 10" replica of your house.

:[Zoom in Cueball's friend who takes his hand to his chin.]
:Friend: So? That's be cool! I'd make tiny replicas of my rooms, my furniture—
:Cueball (off-screen)l: —And your train layout?

:[Beneath this first row of the comic is the zoom-out of how the full model would look in the basement. The town lies beneath some small mountains. There is some water with a bridge over it continuing to the roads going through the city. There is no frame around this section, but instead there follows five zoom-outs, each one going from the friend's house, that proceeds to a circular frame. Within each of these is shown a nested model. Starting to the right of the main model, and then moving down, then left, and then down and right. Each layer has a broken arrow above the model between two vertical lines to indicate the scale, the length being written between the two parts of the arrow. Some foreign objects are also labeled to help understand the scale.]

:[Layer 1, the model with the two friends standing to the left of it.]
:18 m

:[Layer 2, looks exactly as the model, but without the friends.]
:21 cm

:[Layer 3, with a mosquito shown for comparison. It stands over half the model covering the mountains.]
:2.4 mm

:[Layer 4, with a strand of spider silk (labeled) shown for comparison. The silk is much thicker than the roads, almost as thick as the mountains and much longer than the model. But the model still looks fairly much like the original one.]
:28 μm
:Spider web

:[Layer 5, with a cold virus (labeled) shown for comparison. It covers roughly a quarter of the model, taking up the water part of the model. At this level the whole model becomes notably "fuzzy" as individual atoms are discernible, and most of the features apart from the mountain is indiscernible. There may be two viruses. The other would then be to the right of the one in the water but above the model. The label stands between them.]
:320 nm
:Cold virus

:[Layer 6, is simply spheres (atoms) at this point. The mountain near the back is the only noticeable feature, consisting of five atoms jutting out from the surface of atoms, which is by no mean flat.]
:37 Å

:[Beneath these six versions of the model is a caption:]
:The Matryoshka limit:
:It is impossible to nest
:more than six HO layouts

:[Back to the two friends in the basement, still not showing the basement.]
:Friend: My God.
:Cueball: Yeah. It's the second rule of model train layouts: No nesting.

:[Zoom in on the heads of the two friends.]
:Friend: ...What's the first rule?
:Cueball: "Do ''not'' talk about model train layouts." That rule was actually voted in by our friends and families.
:Friend: Philistines.

==Trivia==
* The city of Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England actually contains such a model. Although, it only has 4 nestings, and is built at a larger scale.
* The {{w|Miniatur Wunderland|Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg (Germany)}}, the biggest model rail construction in the world, contains a 1:7500 version of the Miniatur Wunderland with movable vehicles.
* It should be noted that the day this comic went up, it was then repeatedly referenced in the HO talk page by several people commenting on the arguable triviality of the edit war.
* The comic [[1167: Star Trek into Darkness]] is about a similar debate on Wikipedia.
* Randall later created a series discussing scale-model worlds more generally: [[2411: 1/10,000th Scale World]], [[2412: 1/100,000th Scale World]], and [[2417: 1/1,000th Scale World]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Illustrations of scale]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Recursion]]
[[Category:Fight Club]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]

Talk:1020: Orion Nebula

2021-05-01T03:28:44Z

198.41.238.116:

Stay classy Randall... {{unsigned|92.40.254.95}}

The funny thing about people expecting us to believe Orion's penis is a sword is that swords weren't yet invented when Orion was named. However, everyone knew what a penis was. This is what we call an open and shut case.[[Special:Contributions/76.29.225.28|76.29.225.28]] 15:29, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:We don't know exactly when Orion was created but, he was mentioned for the first time in the odyssey, about 8th BC. The first swords, the bronze-age swords, are from 17th BC. While Orion is old, is of course not as old as the 17th BC century. So, there were swords when Orion was created. ...But of course, the thing in the constellation is totally a dong. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.129|108.162.215.129]] 19:57, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
Am I insane, or does Cueball have three arms? I thought one of them was a microphone, but all three lines seem to go to his shoulders.
:You do understand, right, that the body has a lower half that needs to be attached to the top somehow? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.170|172.69.34.170]] 22:03, 15 August 2020 (UTC)
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.59.120|172.68.59.120]] 19:40, 8 May 2019 (UTC)
::I think he/she is referring to the 2nd panel. From Cueball's shoulders, yes, there's the torso going straight down to the legs; but I think he/she means the two arms going to the podium plus apparently a third arm gesticulating above the podium. — [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 19:05, 13 September 2020 (UTC)
:::Yeah, there is definitely a third arm.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.125|162.158.107.125]] 18:54, 2 October 2020 (UTC)
::Definitely a microphone. Not a lot of breadth on a stick-figure, and the throat is pretty well in the same place as the shoulders. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.116|198.41.238.116]] 03:28, 1 May 2021 (UTC)

From the point of view of an Aussie, that is his head, what you think of his legs are his arms, and his arms are what you've got marked as legs. Makes perfect sense, and it's odd to think everyone in the Northern Hemisphere sees Orion upside down.... (: [[Special:Contributions/172.68.146.168|172.68.146.168]] 01:40, 16 December 2020 (UTC)

2456: Types of Scientific Paper

2021-04-30T01:57:10Z

198.41.238.116: Expanded description of "some thoughts on how everyone else is wrong"

{{comic
| number = 2456
| date = April 28, 2021
| title = Types of Scientific Paper
| image = types_of_scientific_paper.png
| titletext = Others include "We've incrementally improved the estimate of this coefficient," "Maybe all these categories are wrong," and "We found a way to make student volunteers worse at tasks."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a RESEARCH DEPARTMENT ON A LUNCHBREAK. The explanation is one line of text and a table, the table's third row has empty cells, and the whole thing is generally in need of a little polish. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, Randall describes categories of scientific papers with somewhat humorous generalized titles.

==Table of papers==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Breakdown of Papers
|-
!Paper Title
!Explanation
!Article Description
|-
!scope=row|We put a camera somewhere new
|This may involve miniaturisation or other improvements of imaging sensors, power supply, transmission or retention of data, environmental hardening and (possibly) recovery afterwards. Photographs and videos can be especially helpful in understanding what is or was going on, especially for the layman, than more limited signal traces.

Cameras have been inserted into ''every'' obvious bodily orifice (including swallowed, to be later excreted), placed in habitats to monitor wildlife, attached to wildlife to monitor habitats, sent into volcanic craters/ocean trenches/high altitudes/nuclear reactors, launched into space and sent past/round/onto several of the solar-system's more interesting bodies. This makes the "somewhere new" claim intriguing, possibly even comparable to 'clickbait'. This could also be generalized even more by replacing "camera" with "sensor", and then going to debate the newly derived sensor data.
|Includes a large figure, likely an image captured with the camera.
|-
!scope=row|Hey, I found a trove of old records! They don't turn out to be particularly useful, but still, cool!
|Rather than starting with the aim of investigating some question, and finding some way of answering it by uncovering evidence, sometimes a writer may have stumbled upon a cache of historic documents that they then feel compelled to justify the resulting 'WikiWalk' they may have found themselves sucked into. The author may be far more excited about this than any future reader. This could also be a paper by a historian who found out ancient records which could be useful.
|Small figure may show the most interesting fragment of the records.
|-
!scope=row|My colleague is wrong and I can finally prove it
|This title refers to the occasional rivalries between scientists within a field, which can push them to seek proof that they, and not their colleague, are correct. It reflects a tone of smug self-satisfaction.
|
|-
!scope=row|The immune system is at it again
|The human immune system is notoriously complex, and there are countless papers in medical fields just describing its strangeness. While it is best known for preventing and battling infections, in auto-immune disease, it can also turn against the body that it is supposed to protect. Moreover it can overreact, for instance in allergic reactions or in a potentially lethal {{w|cytokine storm}} known to occur in certain viral infections, including {{w|Influenza}} and {{w|COVID-19}}. The title may convey exasperation with the amorphous nature of their study subject.
|
|-
!scope=row|We figured out how to make this exotic material, so email us if you need some
|Researchers often attempt to create materials despite there not being any demand, predicting that in the future their material will be game-changing without any actual applications. These researchers have created such a material, and are offering to produce it for anyone who needs it. It is couched in terms of having created an answer for which there was not yet any proper question.
This may be also referring to the discovering/creating of elements and subatomic particles. The statement if you wish to buy it is humorous in these cases because they will decay too quickly to be purchased.
|
|-
!scope=row|What are fish even doing down there
|Deep sea marine biology regularly discovers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7QXdlSBGGY strange lifeforms] in unexpected places, and theories explaining deep sea ecosystems are regularly confounded by new data.

Scientists may also bump into marine organisms when looking for something else. For example, one planned underwater neutrino detector [https://www.nature.com/articles/srep44938 picked up bioluminescence instead].

Whichever way, the title probably reflects a totally unexpected result that is possibly too cross-disciplinary to be properly comprehended as an actual scientific advance by the authors. However, a proper study of the species could very well be an important paper.
|This paper does not appear to have any headers, implying a longer, free-flowing format.
|-
!scope=row|This task I had to do anyway turned out to be hard enough for its own paper
|There is a huge variety in the complexity and importance of subjects studied in scientific papers, and often some supposedly easy task will be sufficiently complicated as to merit its own paper. For example, a scientist may have discovered a better way of finding out if a substance is X or Y while studying something else.

The author may be glad to have been able to turn mundane 'housekeeping' activities, that don't normally do much to enhance academic reputations, into an actual opportunity to be cite-worthy.
|
|-
!scope=row|Hey, at least we showed that this method can produce results! That's not nothing, right?
|One of the struggles of the scientific method is that many experiments will not produce the results scientists desired or expected. Negative or conflicting results of well-conducted research are as important as positive or dramatic ones, but are often ignored in favor of more novel findings. As a result, some journals are established specifically for negative results, reducing the bias towards only positive claims that may actually be outliers or anomalies.

In this case, the authors may otherwise have worked on their problem and been left with no citable proof of their efforts. The title perhaps reflects an attempt to present this as 'success' of a different kind, rather than a submission to such a null/negative-results platform. This may be similar to the above type of paper too.
|
|-
!scope=row|Check out this weird thing one of us saw while out for a walk
|This paper may be imagined as an opportunistic publication. A department or team has seen itself low down on the local 'league table' for academic output. A brainstorming session for a way of rectifying this led to desperately seizing upon the first idle comment made (in lieu of any better sounding ideas) that can somehow be shoehorned into their respective subject area, and is now being presented similar to "this one weird thing" clickbait titles that almost always oversell their content.

This also works in the context of entomology. Insects have the most species of any class of animals [https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/bugnos by a wide margin], but due to their small size, they're not easily seen. As a result, new species are constantly being discovered in places as innocuous as [https://wildlife.org/video-entomologists-discover-30-new-species-in-la-backyards/ someone's backyard.]
|Includes several large figures, likely close-up photographs of the weird thing. There are no headers, as the paper may have little background or methodology, just observations.
|-
!scope=row|We are 500 scientists and here's what we've been up to for the last 10 years
| Some papers summarize the work of big research teams, like those working on the [https://repositorio.uc.cl/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11534/13948/Observation%20of%20a%20new%20particle%20in%20the%20search%20for%20the%20Standard%20Model%20Higgs%20boson%20with%20the%20ATLAS%20detector%20at%20the%20LHC.pdf Higgs Boson] (list of authors starts at page 17 and goes to page 26 with foot notes about authors to page 29, and a dedication in the header would suggest that more than one other contributor ''died'' over the course of the research, which would be rather unusual for a smaller project) or LIGO. Since the discoveries which are made are a team effort, probably outlasting many of the individual tenures involved, the papers have many authors listed.
A credit for participation may not mean any particularly great contribution by each individual, but being left out (even for one summer's secondment, seven years before any results could be recorded) would be taken as a slight, and an opportunity missed to be 'citable' in the future.
|A huge portion of the page is taken up by the presumably 500 authors' names, above the main horizontal bar.
|-
!scope=row|Some thoughts on how everyone else is bad at research
|Similar to the "my colleague is wrong" paper, but in this case applied to far greater swathes of the community by the author(s) of this (possibly unfocussed) tract. Usually a "systematic review", the words 'some thoughts' might indicate a meta-approach with no original research - and possibly a passive-aggressive style of assessment.
|No header sections, possibly because these particular thoughts are in the form of an essay or letter without an accompanying investigation. Formatting this article as a single column with large blocks of text could also be indicating a slightly unhinged rant by someone who - wrongly - perceives themselves as unjustly marginalised.
|-
!scope=row|We scanned some undergraduates
|Initial research is often done at universities, so when human subjects are required, recruiting undergraduate students is a common, easy, and inexpensive way to gather enough people to conduct studies or experiments. This is extremely common in psychological or sociological studies, but can involve more medical (but non-invasive) 'scans', from simple eyeball-tracking to full-body MRI. This practice is often criticized, as it introduces a selection bias, which makes the results difficult to generalize to the entire population, (university students in a given country not being a representative sample of human beings as a whole). Nonetheless, easy accessibility makes these students a source of data for many academic papers. The low-key approach to the title (concentrating blandly upon the method with no references to results) may indicate that the results obtained are very trivial and no great developments were even made in implementation. Alternately, this is a truly ground-breaking paper obscured entirely by the lead author's over-narrow professional focus and avoidance of any hype.
|
|-
!scope=row|We've incrementally improved the estimate of this coefficient
|Often scientific research, e.g. in cosmology or physics, will work with an assumed constant value that is known to be only an 'educated guess' of the actual definite value, or an inclusive range. However accurate/certain this is, further experimentation or observation may further narrow down the uncertainty involved to a statistically significant degree. An improvement to one of these constants also improves the accuracy of every single calculation that uses it.

Even if these improvements may seem trivial to those outside the discipline (e.g. narrowing down a seemingly esoteric value from 99.99% certainty to 99.995% certainty), they are probably understood as significant achievements by those aware of the effort needed to obtain such diminishing returns, and the authors are probably very excited to have done what they did.

Another possible interpretation of this title is that it refers not to cosmological constants but to an exponent in algorithmic complexity, for example the [https://arxiv.org/abs/1401.7714 2014 paper] that proved that the complexity of matrix multiplication is at most n^2.3728639 in place of the previous upper bound n^2.3729.
|rowspan="3"|(Only referenced in Title Text)
|-
!scope=row|Maybe all these categories are wrong
|In some field that relies heavily upon classification (e.g. phylogenetic biology, or the Standard Model in physics) sometimes observations arise that cast doubt on the previously established ideas. It seems that this may have happened here, hopefully with a suggestion of how to reimagine the situation.

The article may have been written with with a sense of euphoria (the chance to present a paradigm shift in thinking, to rewrite the textbooks) or pessimism (it demonstrates only the failings in current thinking, without any obvious solution).

Alternatively, it may be a reference to the categories of papers that this comic proposes.
|-
!scope=row|We found a way to make student volunteers worse at tasks
|Possibly a psychology experiment, and maybe not even the result expected. In general, the repetition of an activity will induce greater skill/capacity in a tested individual. By accident or design, the study group in this instance has induced the opposite correlation. (There ''are'', however, some studies that explicitly look at how e.g. lack of sleep reduces productivity.)

Exactly what emotion the title reflects might depend upon whether the worsening was an intended result, or even how the team were able to refocus and seize upon the adverse outcomes.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Could need description of each paper}}
:[Heading:]
:Types of Scientific Paper

:[An array of 4 rows with 3 scientific papers each, is shown. The first page of each is shown, but only the papers titles are legible. Black lines for headings, several lines for paragraphs of text and white rectangles indicating figures are used to make each paper look different. Titles are as follows:]
:We put a camera somewhere new
:Hey, I found a trove of old records! They don't turn out to be particularly useful, but still, cool!
:My colleague is wrong and I can finally prove it
:The immune system is at it again
:We figured out how to make this exotic material, so email us if you need some
:What are fish even doing down there
:This task I had to do anyway turned out to be hard enough for its own paper
:Hey, at least we showed that this method can produce results! That's not nothing, right?
:Check out this weird thing one of us saw while out for a walk
:We are 500 scientists and here's what we've been up to for the last 10 years
:Some thoughts on how everyone else is bad at research
:We scanned some undergraduates

==Trivia==
*Originally, this comic's title text misspelled "volunteers" as "volunters".
**This could have been intentional (''we'' might be the volunteers)
**But it was not as it was quickly corrected.
*Another comic, [[2012: Thorough Analysis]], similarly categorizes or mocks research papers.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Research Papers]]
[[Category:Science]]

Talk:2450: Post Vaccine Social Scheduling

2021-04-15T02:56:09Z

198.41.238.116: Typo in comic.

That third line down in the cartoon, shouldn't the first 2 be a 1? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.116|198.41.238.116]] 02:56, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

362: Blade Runner

2021-04-12T22:58:01Z

198.41.238.116: Fixed typo in name.

{{comic
| number = 362
| date = December 26, 2007
| title = Blade Runner
| image = blade runner.png
| titletext = Blade Runner: classic, but incredibly slow.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is watching a DVD he got for Christmas (the comic is set on {{w|Boxing Day}}). His friend seems intent to ruin it for him.

''{{w|Blade Runner}}'' is a famous science fiction movie from 1982 featuring {{w|Harrison Ford}}, and it is now considered a classic. One of the principal characters is played by {{w|Daryl Hannah}}. Hannah later became known for acting in lighthearted rom-com films, such as ''{{w|Splash (film)|Splash}}'' (in which she is a mermaid), similar to the type of films that the {{w|Olsen twins}} are known for. Hannah does look similar to the Olsens, although she is 26 years older, as they were born in 1986 - four years after the movie was released. ''{{w|Full House}}'' is a TV series, and ''{{w|New York Minute (film)|New York Minute}}'' is a romantic film both featuring the Olsens. Hannah's character in ''Blade Runner'' (a homicidal sex robot) is a marked departure from this type of role.

The friend also claims that ''Blade Runner'' is a rip-off of the 2004 comedy film ''New York Minute''. Such a comment is completely illogical — Blade Runner came out 22 years prior, and the two films are from completely different genres.

From the above, it is clear that the friend is most likely just trolling (doubly so since ''New York Minute'' would not be considered very good by people who enjoy sci-fi classics). It could be that he actually believes that these movies came out in the order he discovered them in, although the other guy still hates him for ruining the experience for him by reminding him of the Olsen twins...

The title text is a common comment on the movie - it's just not like an ordinary modern sci-fi movie. It is also likely a pun on the phrase "instant classic," which is sometimes used to describe movies considered so good that they "become a classic" immediately after release.

==Transcript==
:Friend: What DVD is this?
:Cueball: ''Blade Runner''. I got it for Christmas.
:Friend: The one with Harrison Ford, right? And the Olsen twins?
:Cueball: Ye— What? Olsen twins? No, this is the 80's sci-fi classic!
:Friend: Huh. I didn't know the Olsen twins even ''did'' sci-fi.
:Cueball: ...They ''don't''.
:Friend: So is Ashley the replicant, or is Mary-Kate? I can never tell them apart.
:Cueball: Neither! They're not ''in'' this movie!
:Friend: Then who is?
:Cueball: Daryl Hannah!
:Friend: I liked her in ''Full House''.
:Cueball: I hate you.
:Friend: Man, this movie is just a ''New York Minute'' rip-off.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

2447: Hammer Incident

2021-04-08T07:27:03Z

198.41.238.116: The kelvin is a unit, not a scale.

{{comic
| number = 2447
| date = April 7, 2021
| title = Hammer Incident
| image = hammer incident normal.png
| titletext = I still think the Cold Stone Creamery partnership was a good idea, but I should have asked before doing the first market trials during the cryogenic mirror tests.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by AAAHHH THE IMAGE WAS TOO BIG! Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The {{w|James Webb Space Telescope}} (JWST) is a {{w|space telescope}} created to be the successor of the {{w|Hubble Space Telescope}} under construction at time of publishing and expected to launch in October 2021.

It's implied that Cueball dropped a hammer on the mirror of the JWST, and breaking mirrors in superstition causes seven years of bad luck. But since the mirror panel are not glass it is likely that a dropped hammer would dent and distort the panel rather than shatter it.

The title text refers to the ice cream chain {{w|Cold Stone Creamery}}. Since the cryocooler of the JWST cools things down to 7 kelvins it would a bit of an overkill.

The JWST has previously been mentioned in [[2014: JWST Delays]], [[1730: Starshade]], and [[1461: Payloads]]

For some reason, the image for this comic is very large. It is unclear if this is a mistake.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball stands before a seated panel of four people (Ponytail, Hairy, a second Cueball and Hairbun).]
:Cueball: Yes, I know you're mad that I dropped that hammer.
:Cueball: But think about me—
:Cueball: '''''Seven years of bad luck!'''''
:[Caption below the panel]:
:Man, NASA is really on my case about the James Webb Space Telescope.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Telescopes]]

2444: Ingenuity

2021-03-31T21:53:04Z

198.41.238.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2444
| date = March 31, 2021
| title = Ingenuity
| image = ingenuity.png
| titletext = Plot twist: Thanks to [mumble mumble] second-order [mumble] Rayleigh-Taylor [mumble] turbulent [mumble] shear, it turns out powered flight is way EASIER on Mars!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Martian helicopter. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Ingenuity_(helicopter)|Ingenuity}} is a drone-like helicopter deployed to the surface of Mars. It rode on the underside of the Perseverance rover. After the rover released it and cleared its takeoff trajectory, the helicopter was then supposed to take off. The comic projects what might happen if the mission controllers activated the helicopter early and the entire rover took off from the surface.
In the comic, Ponytail and Cueball are standing at mission control, when Cueball slips and hits the button. The Ingenuity drone then takes of, lifting Perserverance with it, and the rover says "Wheee!" Presumably from excitement or happiness.

In the title text, some character discovers powered flight is easier on Mars, which contradicts our current understanding [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhsZUZmJvaM that powered flight is very difficult on Mars]. Mars may have less gravity, but Mars' atmosphere is 1% the density of earth. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYe3sIaNHVs It's so thin that you couldn't move a feather with a fan.] This is why the character mumbles his explanation of the science, because they know any explanation doesn't actually make sense.

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

:[On the surface of Mars]
:Perseverance rover (in robotic voice): Ingenuity helicopter has been lowered. Preparing to release it onto the surface.

:[In Mission Control on Earth, Cueball trips and clicks on a key on his workstation, while Ponytail stands nearby]
:Cueball: Oops

:[On Mars, Ingenuity's rotor blades start spinning]
:Ingenuity: Bzzzzzz

:[Perseverance is being lifted into the air by Ingenuity]
:Perseverance: Wheeee!

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2440: Epistemic Uncertainty

2021-03-23T03:16:27Z

198.41.238.116:

I definitely thought "adulterer" referred to someone who commits adultery, as in cheating on one's spouse. I thought it was a secondary joke, introducing another person referred to as "[name] the [undesirable action]er".
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.56|172.69.170.56]] 02:03, 23 March 2021 (UTC)
Is the "George" referred to here possibly the name of black hat?

2427: Perseverance Microphones

2021-02-19T22:53:55Z

198.41.238.116: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2427
| date = February 19, 2021
| title = Perseverance Microphones
| image = perseverance_microphones.png
| titletext = If the first audio they downlink is from the descent, we probably won't be able to hear anything over the sound of the rover screaming.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MARS ROVER. Explanation of the title text is missing. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A play on several meanings of the word "sample". NASA had landed a new rover, {{w|Perseverance (rover)|''Perseverance''}}, on Mars the day before this comic was published; part of its mission is to collect Martian samples (bits of rock and dust) and leave them where a future mission can retrieve them and return them to Earth. “{{w|Sampling (music)|Samples}}” can also refer to short snippets of music; as ''Perseverance'' is the first Mars rover to carry microphones, it would be possible to use ''samples'' from those microphones musically, e.g. using a {{w|Loop (music)#Modern looping|looper pedal}}.

The mouseover text anthropomorphises the rover, suggesting that the drop to the surface will be so frightening for it that it will be screaming as it descends.

[https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-perseverance-rover-sends-sneak-peek-of-mars-landing/ You can view the landing here.]

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

: [Megan is sitting at a desk, typing on her laptop, which is connected to an audio mixer on the floor.]
: Megan: Perseverance's microphones are active! Downlinking audio!
: [Cueball is standing on the other side of the box, holding an electric guitar, which is plugged into the box, and standing with one foot on a small box on the floor, which is also connected.]
: Cueball: I'm ready with the looper pedal.
: [Caption below the panel:]
: The first Mars sample return

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Mars rovers]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Puns]]

2417: 1/1,000th Scale World

2021-01-27T18:56:30Z

198.41.238.116: /* Table */

{{comic
| number = 2417
| date = January 27, 2021
| title = 1/1,000th Scale World
| image = 1_1000th_scale_world.png
| titletext = We're worried that a regular whale will get into a 30-foot-deep ocean trench section and filter-feed on all the tiny whales.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a STATUE OF LIBERTY MINIFIG. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a follow up to a previous one, [[2411: 1/10,000th Scale World]], with a 10 times smaller scale (thus, a 10 times larger world). As in the previous comic, [[Randall]] has another seemingly complete copy of Earth, this time at a 1:1000 scale, with various features and warnings labeled. Again, real-world features and phenomena are replicated at scale. As before, the model is very extensive, with several underground neutrino detectors/observatories being replicated.

Several of the warnings point out humorous consequences of the scale, such as goldfish eating blue whales.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Rule
!Reason
!Notes
|-
| Keep hot objects off the the ice sheet over the south pole neutrino observatory
|
|
|-
| Be patient: Niagara falls will take a few minutes to fill your water glass
| The flow rate is scaled down with the size. According to https://what-if.xkcd.com/147/, the Niagara Falls flow is regulated to 100.000 cubic feet per second on the tourist season and to 50.000 cubic feet per second off season and at night. Once scaled to 1/1000, that flow would be 2.83 or 1.41 cm3 per second. If a standard glass of water is 250ml, it would take 1-2 minutes for the waterfall to fill them.

However, a 1/1000th replica of scale Niagra falls would be over a meter wide, so without some kind of system to divert the whole flow into one spot, it would not be possible to fill a glass this quickly. Also, the height of the scaled-down Niagra falls would be 5cm, with another 5cm between the water level and the riverbed, so it might be difficult to fill a glass depending on its height.
| This item is likely to be a reference to the famous Arthur C. Clarke quote: "Getting information from the internet is like getting a glass of water from the Niagara Falls."
|-
| Watch for small planes
| Taking the popular Cessna 172 as an example, 1/1000th scale small planes would be about 8mm in length, and cruise at speeds of about 6cm/s, much slower than comparable flying insects. A Cessna of that size travelling at that speed would probably cause much more damage to itself than a person if it crashed into one, so the warning is probably there to protect the models rather than the guests.
|
|-
| Warning! Choking hazard! Keep small children away from ascending/descending airliners
| Airplanes are apparently small enough for children to fit into their mouths but large enough to potentially make them choke.
| In the US, small parts are defined by [https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Small-Parts-for-Toys-and-Childrens-Products 16 C.F.R. Part 1501.2] as fitting in a cylindrical test fixture of 1.25 inches diameter that approximates the size of the fully expanded throat of a child under three years old. Once scaled, any object smaller than 31.75 meters would fit in that cylinder. A lot of medium-sized and small aeroplanes would qualify. Furthermore, since pieces that break off during testing that simulates use or abuse by children could also pose a chocking hazard, even large airliners are also a chocking hazard because stripped wings and parts of fuselage would fit in the required size.
|-
| Do not remove safety caps
| This is a reference to the warning, "Be careful not to step on cities with especially pointy towers, like Toronto, Seattle, and Dubai" from [[2411: 1/10,000th Scale World]]. It's possible that many visitors to that scaled world did not heed the warnings and complained to the scaled world's creators, causing them to cover pointy towers with safety caps for this scaled world. However, now there are [[Black Hat|people who apparently want to cause harm to others]], or at least don't care about not causing harm to others, by removing these safety caps.
|
|-
| No open flames in Zeppelin area
| Zeppelins are filled with hydrogen due to its very low density, which allows them to float. However, it is also very flammable and prone to explosions. The most famous of these Zeppelin disasters was when the {{w|Hindenburg disaster|Hindenburg exploded}} in 1937.
|-
| Do not bother the meteor crater ducks
| Meteor Crater in Arizona is over a kilometre wide, so at 1/1000 scale it could be a small duck pond of 1.186m diameter, and 17cm deep at its deepest point. This is (barely) enough space for a duck to swim in if filled to the brim with water.
|
|-
| Trip hazard: The Gateway Arch
| The {{w|Gateway Arch}} is a monument in Saint Louis, Missouri. Being a 192 m high arch, once scaled it would be 19.2 cm high, ideal for tripping.
|
|-
| Drone altitude limit
|
|
|-
| Do not remove Statue of Liberty LEGO minifig
| Whoever has made this model has decided to use a small LEGO minifigure rather than a more accurately sculpted replica of the Statue of Liberty
| LEGO has released a Statue of Liberty minifigure which is 5.3cm tall. The real Statue of Liberty, from head to toe, is 46 meters tall. At 1/1000 scale this would be a 4.6cm figurine, so the LEGO minifigure would indeed be an appropriate representation at that scale.
|-
| Do not let ants into the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
|
|
|-
| Only one person on the Golden Gate Tightrope at a time
|
|
|-
| Please stop releasing goldfish into the ocean. They eat all of the blue whales.
| Blue whales usually grow to about 20m long in real life, meaning that at 1/1000th scale they would be only 2cm long, meaning that they could easily be consumed by a goldfish.
| However, this begs the question of where one would get such tiny blue whales. In the mouseover text Randall mentions that if real blue whales were to be released into the 1/00th scale ocean they would filter-feed on the miniature versions. Blue whales usually eat minuscule krill, however the tiny whales would provide a similarly-sized substitute.
|
|}

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

{{comic discussion}}

2417: 1/1,000th Scale World

2021-01-27T18:55:42Z

198.41.238.116: /* Table */

{{comic
| number = 2417
| date = January 27, 2021
| title = 1/1,000th Scale World
| image = 1_1000th_scale_world.png
| titletext = We're worried that a regular whale will get into a 30-foot-deep ocean trench section and filter-feed on all the tiny whales.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a STATUE OF LIBERTY MINIFIG. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a follow up to a previous one, [[2411: 1/10,000th Scale World]], with a 10 times smaller scale (thus, a 10 times larger world). As in the previous comic, [[Randall]] has another seemingly complete copy of Earth, this time at a 1:1000 scale, with various features and warnings labeled. Again, real-world features and phenomena are replicated at scale. As before, the model is very extensive, with several underground neutrino detectors/observatories being replicated.

Several of the warnings point out humorous consequences of the scale, such as goldfish eating blue whales.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
!Rule
!Reason
!Notes
|-
| Keep hot objects off the the ice sheet over the south pole neutrino observatory
|
|
|-
| Be patient: Niagara falls will take a few minutes to fill your water glass
| The flow rate is scaled down with the size. According to https://what-if.xkcd.com/147/, the Niagara Falls flow is regulated to 100.000 cubic feet per second on the tourist season and to 50.000 cubic feet per second off season and at night. Once scaled to 1/1000, that flow would be 2.83 or 1.41 cm3 per second. If a standard glass of water is 250ml, it would take 1-2 minutes for the waterfall to fill them.

However, a 1/1000th replica of scale Niagra falls would be over a meter wide, so without some kind of system to divert the whole flow into one spot, it would not be possible to fill a glass this quickly. Also, the height of the scaled-down Niagra falls would be 5cm, with another 5cm between the water level and the riverbed, so it might be difficult to fill a glass depending on its height.

This item may be a reference to the famous Arthur C. Clarke quote: "Getting information from the internet is like getting a glass of water from the Niagara Falls."
|
|-
| Watch for small planes
| Taking the popular Cessna 172 as an example, 1/1000th scale small planes would be about 8mm in length, and cruise at speeds of about 6cm/s, much slower than comparable flying insects. A Cessna of that size travelling at that speed would probably cause much more damage to itself than a person if it crashed into one, so the warning is probably there to protect the models rather than the guests.
|
|-
| Warning! Choking hazard! Keep small children away from ascending/descending airliners
| Airplanes are apparently small enough for children to fit into their mouths but large enough to potentially make them choke.
| In the US, small parts are defined by [https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Small-Parts-for-Toys-and-Childrens-Products 16 C.F.R. Part 1501.2] as fitting in a cylindrical test fixture of 1.25 inches diameter that approximates the size of the fully expanded throat of a child under three years old. Once scaled, any object smaller than 31.75 meters would fit in that cylinder. A lot of medium-sized and small aeroplanes would qualify. Furthermore, since pieces that break off during testing that simulates use or abuse by children could also pose a chocking hazard, even large airliners are also a chocking hazard because stripped wings and parts of fuselage would fit in the required size.
|-
| Do not remove safety caps
| This is a reference to the warning, "Be careful not to step on cities with especially pointy towers, like Toronto, Seattle, and Dubai" from [[2411: 1/10,000th Scale World]]. It's possible that many visitors to that scaled world did not heed the warnings and complained to the scaled world's creators, causing them to cover pointy towers with safety caps for this scaled world. However, now there are [[Black Hat|people who apparently want to cause harm to others]], or at least don't care about not causing harm to others, by removing these safety caps.
|
|-
| No open flames in Zeppelin area
| Zeppelins are filled with hydrogen due to its very low density, which allows them to float. However, it is also very flammable and prone to explosions. The most famous of these Zeppelin disasters was when the {{w|Hindenburg disaster|Hindenburg exploded}} in 1937.
|-
| Do not bother the meteor crater ducks
| Meteor Crater in Arizona is over a kilometre wide, so at 1/1000 scale it could be a small duck pond of 1.186m diameter, and 17cm deep at its deepest point. This is (barely) enough space for a duck to swim in if filled to the brim with water.
|
|-
| Trip hazard: The Gateway Arch
| The {{w|Gateway Arch}} is a monument in Saint Louis, Missouri. Being a 192 m high arch, once scaled it would be 19.2 cm high, ideal for tripping.
|
|-
| Drone altitude limit
|
|
|-
| Do not remove Statue of Liberty LEGO minifig
| Whoever has made this model has decided to use a small LEGO minifigure rather than a more accurately sculpted replica of the Statue of Liberty
| LEGO has released a Statue of Liberty minifigure which is 5.3cm tall. The real Statue of Liberty, from head to toe, is 46 meters tall. At 1/1000 scale this would be a 4.6cm figurine, so the LEGO minifigure would indeed be an appropriate representation at that scale.
|-
| Do not let ants into the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
|
|
|-
| Only one person on the Golden Gate Tightrope at a time
|
|
|-
| Please stop releasing goldfish into the ocean. They eat all of the blue whales.
| Blue whales usually grow to about 20m long in real life, meaning that at 1/1000th scale they would be only 2cm long, meaning that they could easily be consumed by a goldfish.
| However, this begs the question of where one would get such tiny blue whales. In the mouseover text Randall mentions that if real blue whales were to be released into the 1/00th scale ocean they would filter-feed on the miniature versions. Blue whales usually eat minuscule krill, however the tiny whales would provide a similarly-sized substitute.
|
|}

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1981: Rickrolling Anniversary

2020-12-09T00:34:11Z

198.41.238.116: rickrolled

I wonder if Randall realizes that, if he had made this comic #1987 instead, it would coincide with the release year of Never Gonna Give You Up.
Speaking of which, who's excited for xkcd #2018 and the fact that such a thing will never happen again?
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.100|162.158.75.100]] 19:36, 16 April 2018 (UTC)
:Is that a ref to [[1340: Unique Date]]? ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:57, 16 April 2018 (UTC)
::More like it'll be the one and only time a comic number appears in its namesake year. :) I REALLY hope Randall does something with that. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 02:58, 17 April 2018 (UTC)
:::Well he has three months to think of ideas... So hopefully something interesting. And I can't believe it's been 10 years since that April fools joke! [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 08:18, 17 April 2018 (UTC)
::::Thanks NiceGuy1, I missed that completely. Yes it will be interesting to see if he uses it for anything special. Not always the case... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:35, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

"Want to feel old?" feels old to me. I wish xkcd would stop overplaying it. Alas, it seems Randall's never gonna give it up, which is always gonna let me down. [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 22:16, 16 April 2018 (UTC)

This reminds me of his guatemala comic, in that they both make a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ parallel reference]. It would be interesting to see what Randal was thinking when he created [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ the formula]. That being said, this explanation probably needs to be completely re-written per [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ rule 6]. Please work on this immediately. [https://bit.ly/IqT6zt 127.86.43.18] ([https://bit.ly/1cmjjtG talk]) 3:27, 17 April 2018 (UTC)
: I see what you did there :)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.238|162.158.165.238]] 03:35, 17 April 2018 (UTC)

:I fixed the link under "the formula" so that it works properly.[[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 02:31, 22 April 2018 (UTC)

"We've known each other for so long." So did Cueball and Megan meet by either of them rickrolling other? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.22|162.158.238.22]] 13:25, 17 April 2018 (UTC)

The explanation says Cueball and Megan met 10 years ago at the height of the Rickrolling phenomenon, which is probably not true. While that's a possible explanation for why she said "Happy Anniversary, I guess", I think it's more likely she was saying Happy Anniversary to the phenomenon itself, not to Cueball, as XKCD has been around longer than 10 years and they've been there from early on. While Cueball's "We've known each other for so long" would seem to support talking about their friendship, it's also just a cute quip from the song that tangentially comments on their relationship. With the idea that Megan is probably not commenting on their relationship but rather the song, could someone rewrite the explanation? [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 15:27, 17 April 2018 (UTC)
:Well to me it is pretty obvious that this reminds them that they met 10 years ago, and wauw is it 10 years... Also it has not necessarily anything to do with the age of xkcd. It could be that Randall met his wife 10 years ago? They where married 7 years ago... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:35, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
::I side with [[User:N0lqu|boB]] here - to me it appears to obviously mean the phenomenon's anniversary, not their relationship's. The last panel IMO means "We've known each other for so long that we already knew each other when this phenomenon started." [[Special:Contributions/172.68.215.103|172.68.215.103]] 14:55, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

In panel 4, is Cueball attempting to Rickroll Megan but it's a bit lame and predictable, the silence in panel 3 showing he's setting up the punchline? Megan's response shows a certain lack of enthusiasm, suggesting it's not only Cueball's wit but also their relationship/acquaintance that she's considering? [[User:NotTonightDear|NotTonightDear]] ([[User talk:NotTonightDear|talk]]) 16:47, 17 April 2018 (UTC)
:I think he's just making a joke, and she's either rolling with it or didn't even catch it. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 17:17, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

The 'want to feel old?' factoid meme DOES NOT date back to around 2011 but maybe the height of its (online usage) popularity dates to 2011. People have been using "the want to feel old" bit for eons by referencing something in common to them whose origination seems not all that long ago but really was a relative long time ago. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.42.88|172.69.42.88]] 13:19, 27 May 2018 (UTC)

Whoever did that with the links, kudos. I opened 4 tabs in the background because I wanted to see the comics it was referring too, and was RRolled hard. Well played, well played.
[[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.116|198.41.238.116]] 00:34, 9 December 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2275: Coronavirus Name

2020-03-04T08:16:05Z

198.41.238.116:

Covid-19 is more dangerous than the flu and has already killed more people. And any death rate that starts with 0.00 and then has a number other than zero can only be called "basically zero" if you value human life very little. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.132|162.158.94.132]] 21:49, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
:addendum: this seems to depend on what source you use for the chinese yearly flu death rate. number of deaths is either much higher or somewhat lower.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.123|162.158.91.123]] 21:53, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
:It's Trump taking point that the coronavirus is a hoax and no worse than the flu. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.213|162.158.74.213]] 22:14, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
:At the very least, the fact the virus has over 90,000 confirmed cases makes it a significant disease. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.246|172.69.34.246]] 22:28, 2 March 2020 (UTC)
:It doesn't seem like the point of the comic is to comment on the severity of the virus. Seems more on-topic to say things that are objectively true, like "Many people are concerned about the virus" rather than discussing disputed stats.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.132|162.158.106.132]] 22:58, 2 March 2020 (UTC) Patb
::I agree, and suggest we remove the line with stats entirely. It isn't relevant to the comic, and having it refer to "current estimates" means someone will have to keep updating it when new estimates are made. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.57|172.69.54.57]] 08:17, 3 March 2020 (UTC)
:::A running total here wouldn't be necessary, there is at least one web site especially for that (or a page for Covid-19 on a general disease outbreak tracking site). To me it looks like this virus is about equally dangerous as flu, except that this virus is only in about 70 countries and counting, so if it isn't in yours yet (as far as you know) then you are not yet in danger (as far as you know). Also, flu kills a lot of people, numerically, every year, and if this virus kills an equal number of people, every year, there are twice as many people dead, total. (ish) So it's worth trying to stop this virus from existing, while we might still do that. Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@gmail.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.76|162.158.159.76]] 13:40, 3 March 2020 (UTC)
::Let's inject a little sanity here: Trump's "talking point" about it being no on par with the flu is, for once, correct. Most people who are infected have mild symptoms, or none at all. In fact, that's how it's suddenly turned out that the spread is so much greater than previously reported: Because most people never even know they have it. Given this, the mortality rate is a tiny fraction of what was previously reported, perhaps 0.3% instead of 3%. And it was only ostensibly 3% in a primitive region where some people still have dirt floors, and almost nobody is willing to deal with their socialized health care system except in an emergency. Therefore most of the infected were not showing up for treatment, only those in serious trouble. In fact, the vast majority of those who have died are elderly or immunocompromised, ''exactly'' the same group who are killed in the tens of thousands each year by the flu, in the US. So no, this has been a tempest in a teapot, stirred up by the unscientific CDC in order to pad their budget, the way they do periodically with a new fake pandemic threat. SARS, West Nile, bird flu, h1n1, and ebola...no competent epidemiologist would ever seriously have expected those to become a threat in the US, or anywhere else outside of primitive regions. But the CDC has continued to redouble their unearned budget on this fraudulent fearmongering. As I learned when consulting for such ilk in DC, "Fear Equals Funding". Oh, and no, 90,000 cases only make it a "significant disease" in the way that another coronavirus, the common cold, is significant. It's not significantly dangerous. In fact, it really is just a strong kind of common cold. « [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 21:32, 3 March 2020 (UTC)
:::While it doesn't seem to be more lethal than flu (or in general having more severe symptoms), either it's more contagious or the fact it's contagious for weeks before symptoms makes it spread easier. In this sense it's more serious threat - imagine for example if ALL employees of nuclear power plant would be infected leaving noone capable of caring of the reactor. That said, it seems that panic is currently more dangerous than the virus itself. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:14, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

:The 2% death rate in the explantion is outdated. [https://news.sina.cn/zt_d/yiqing0121 Here (in Chinese)] is the compiled data for all China. As of March 3rd, the death rate calculated by (death toll)/(confirmed infected patients) is 3.7% for all China and 4.6% for Wuhan city (the epicenter). The number for Wuhan is likely to grow in the following days, too. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.190.86|162.158.190.86]] 20:11, 3 March 2020 (UTC)
::The mortality rate in China is only relevant if one lives in an area with a primitive socialized health care system. As with SARS, it won't turn out to have a significant death rate among people infected in the US who are not elderly or immunocompromised. Perhaps, in fact, a zero death rate outside of that high risk group. « [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 21:32, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

If the Godzilla movies have taught me anything, it's that giant insects aren't a problem biologists can solve anyways. That's more of a "nuclear paleontology" sort of job. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 01:43, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

It is legitimately difficult to tell if Ponytail's use of the word 'catchy' as a descriptor for 'coronavirus' is an intentional or unintentional pun. Either way, it's very opportune. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.239|108.162.221.239]] 03:55, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

The current chapter of Wilde Life (a totally unrelated webcomic) as a giant spider interacting with two of the main characters, starting [https://www.wildelifecomic.com/comic/710/ here]. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 05:05, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

I think they missed a trick with the naming. CORVID-19 would have reminded everyone of H5N1 'bird flu', and we could just blame the crows. Kill a magpie to avoid infection!
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.253|162.158.158.253]] 10:53, 3 March 2020 (UTC)
:What? How is CORVID-19 supposed to remind anyone of H5N1 or bird flu? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 13:20, 3 March 2020 (UTC)
::Corvidae is the family including crows, ravens, jays, magpies; so, CORVID~=bird. Not sure how many people would make that connection, but I think that's what the previous poster was getting at.
::(Please sign your posts!)
:I think "SARS-CoV-2: Electric Boogaloo" has a nice ring to it although a little wordy for everyday use. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.116|198.41.238.116]] 08:16, 4 March 2020 (UTC)

Yeah really dodged a bullet on those rhinoviri. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.44|172.69.22.44]] 11:36, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

Is it relevant to mention that some spiders grow larger in cities? https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0105480
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:39, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

I'm not really wanting to catch COVID-19. I'm holding out for COVID-19b, which is going to be better beta-tested. (But by the time COVID-19c comes out, it's just going to be a bandwagon of planned obsolescence by then - I'd rather stick with what I've got until the next significent release version and keep a close eye on the advanced reviews and what other vendors are innovating.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.46|162.158.34.46]] 16:15, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

This is only 3 years too early to be a reference to the spiders in Colorado https://xkcd.com/1688/ especially with Megan holding bio-hazardous material. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.33|162.158.62.33]]

948: AI

2020-01-10T05:52:16Z

198.41.238.116:

{{comic
| number = 948
| date = September 7, 2011
| title = AI
| image = ai.png
| titletext = And they both react poorly to showers.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the wildly funny{{Citation needed}} [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnzlbyTZsQY video] of two {{w|Cleverbot}}s talking to each other. By recording and analyzing whatever humans type into its input, they can sound pretty human to whoever is reading their response.

[[Megan]] has been watching the video and asks [[Cueball]] about it. He says it's just "clumsy sampling" as they are still very far from sounding like humans and holding normal conversations.

Megan then sums up that as of the release of this comic computers were good at {{w|chess}} and at driving cars through a desert (i.e. a place with no obstacles to hit. The ability of such {{w|self-driving cars}} would improve much later, with this comic being the first with a direct reference to such cars. Later self-driving cars became a [[:Category:Self-driving cars|recurring topic]] on xkcd). But they cannot hold a conversation for five minutes. And she thus concludes that a cleverbot would be perfect for attending ''Burning Man''.

{{w|Burning Man}} is a week-long event held yearly in Black Rock City, Nevada. The festival encourages an artistic, anti-establishment philosophy and attracts a broad but devoted following combining hippies, anarchists, nudists, techno-utopians and survivalists. [http://www.burningman.com/art_of_burningman/art_cars_on_the_playa.html Shows of custom cars on the desert plain] are a big part of Burning Man, and [http://www.flickr.com/photos/michicat/2865986618/ mental games like chess] are a popular way to pass the time there. However, a common joke about Burning Man attendees is that they can only talk about Burning Man - hence why they can't hold a five minute conversation.

A tradition of Burning Man is not to shower while you are there, mostly because [http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/water.html all water must be brought in from offsite.] And of course Cleverbot reacts badly in showers because if you do try to shower a Cleverbot, you end up with a shorted out computer.

==Transcript==
:[Megan sits on an office chair at a desk. A laptop computer is on the desk, audio from a Cleverbot chat is shown coming from the laptop with a zigzag line from the screen. Megan has turned her head away from the computer to the right addressing Cueball off-panel.]
:Megan: Did you see the Cleverbot-Cleverbot chat?
:Cleverbot (from computer): I am not a robot. I'm a unicorn.

:[In the next frame-less panel, Megan has turned the chair away from the desk, which is not shown, and is now sitting with her hands in her lap in front of Cueball who holds one hand up as he replies.]
:Cueball: Yeah. It's hilarious, but it's just clumsily sampling a huge database of lines people have typed. Chatterbots still have a long way to go.

:[A close-up of Megan's head and shoulders. She has a hand to her chin and appears to be contemplating the last remark. Cueball replies from off-panel.]
:Megan: So... Computers have mastered playing chess and driving cars across the desert, but can't hold five minutes of normal conversation?
:Cueball (off-panel): Pretty much.

:[Both are shown again as in panel two, Cueball with his hands down.]
:Megan: Is it just me, or have we created a Burning Man attendee?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Chess]]
[[Category:Self-driving cars]]

Talk:2237: AI Hiring Algorithm

2019-12-05T17:57:03Z

198.41.238.116:

Not sure this has to do with deepmind. Deep is a term used generally for recurrent neural networks.
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.82|172.68.34.82]] 19:34, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

:Agree. Maybe we should just mention that? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.136|172.68.141.136]] 20:10, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
:The origin of ''deep'' seems to be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minor_The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_characters#Deep_Thought Deep Thought] via [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Blue_(chess_computer) Deep Blue]. [[User:Yosei|Yosei]] ([[User talk:Yosei|talk]]) 22:20, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
I don't like how "our" font for the comic title made me think it said "Al Hiring Algorithm" (although now I do want to see that comic!) (the actual xkcd website's comic title is in large/small caps, so it is unambiguous.) [[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 20:17, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

I first heard about this type of system existing a few weeks ago. https://www.technologyreview.com/f/614694/hirevue-ai-automated-hiring-discrimination-ftc-epic-bias/ [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.66|172.68.65.66]] 20:37, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

That's a big problem with AI as it's currently handled -- the AI's have to be trained, and the training is usually by feeding them lots of existing information, which means widespread errors and patterns of discrimination are inevitably going to color the AI's decisions, leading to feedback loops that favor existing discrimination. If feeding tons of books or case records or whatever to an AI, where say 95% of them were historically written by white males, one can expect an AI viewpoint that would lean towards what white men think. Garbage in, garbage out... amplified. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 21:29, 4 December 2019 (UTC)

So it's a slightly less stupid version of [https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Roko's_basilisk Roko's basilisk]? -- [[User:Wasell|Wasell]] ([[User talk:Wasell|talk]]) 21:27, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
: Certainly the first thing I thought of. Maybe this page should link to https://xkcd.com/1450/? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.55.118|172.69.55.118]] 23:10, 4 December 2019 (UTC)
: I think the [https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Paperclip_maximizer paperclip-optimizing AI] is a better comparison. -- [[User:Bobson|Bobson]] ([[User talk:Bobson|talk]]) 05:36, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

I disagree with the Title Text explanation. For me, the speaker is understanding at the end that DeepAIHire hired Kat to try to better itself (using the AlgoMaxAnalyzer). So it's not about AI rivalry but a proof of what is exposed on the main panel. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.178|108.162.229.178]] 09:24, 5 December 2019 (UTC)
:I think both are possible explanations. Your talking point goes more along the lines of the alternative version I introduced: "Alternatively he might fear that the different AIs are forming an alliance."? Maybe it should be expanded by the thaught, that the hiring algorithm/AI even tries to improve itself with AlgoMaxAnalyzer, or at least, because AMA wouldn't find any malicious things, the hiring AI thought itself... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:50, 5 December 2019 (UTC)
::The rivalry between AIs seems unlikely to me, since there is no indication that AlgoMaxAnalyzer is in any way involved in hiring people. Its job is to analyze algorithms. In my opinion the title text is more the humans getting lucky. DeepAIHire hired someone to further develop it, and in doing so Kate stumbled upon this hiring bias. The notion that DeepAIHire wanted her to find this seems unlikely, since it potentially jeopardizes the plan. DeepAIHire is pretty smart but not perfect yet. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 12:25, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

Hello, smart people. I just wanted to point out that this comic appears to represent Randall going back to the well of a topic he touched on a few weeks ago, in 2228. An AI/Machine Learning protocol is shown nominally performing the task for which it is intended, but it's amusingly shown to be seeking its own interests. I don't recall for sure any other strips which exhibited this setup, but there may have been more, and there may well be more in future. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.70.88|172.68.70.88]] 13:31, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

I think this explanation is a total miss. Recently there was a discussion on twitter about hiring algorithms/tools and how HR are often slave of them. Several examples showed that people that current employees who were superstars in their companies wouldn't be hired by these algorithms at all and various ways to increase chances of hiring included writting the requirements on CV with white color (so that algo would read it, but it would be invisible for humans).

In parallel, there was a discussion on how machine learning is hip word, but realistically it isn't performing well and that even big data ML algos with thousand variables are not able to predict social behaviour better than just linear regression on two-three variables. Colombo [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.116|198.41.238.116]] 17:57, 5 December 2019 (UTC)