explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1759: British Map

2016-11-15T01:31:15Z

198.41.239.33: /* Explanation */ added notes on Cabinetry, Whaling, Cumberbatch, and Kingsbottom (is that a firm of chartered accountants?)

{{comic
| number = 1759
| date = November 14, 2016
| title = British Map
| image = british_map.png
| titletext = West Norsussex is east of East Norwessex, but they're both far north of Middlesex and West Norwex.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Started the table, editing it now.}}

This comic is a joke similar to [https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on#q=how%20americans%20see%20the%20world&safe=active&ssui=on "How Americans see the world"] showing how the average American has opinions on the world, often including jokes such as a lack of {{w|Africa}}, etc. This has been used before in [[850: World According to Americans]].

Many areas of the UK are most familiar to foreigners thanks to their depiction in various fantasy novels and TV series. This map labels some of these, as well as including many silly names that simply sound like real British towns to an American ear. A protractor is shown off the coast of the {{w|Mull of Kintyre}} in reference to the "{{w|Mull of Kintyre test}}" - the angle of the Mull defines the maximum allowed erectness for a man on British television.

The title text plays around with the concept of the compass directions and how numerous regions (such as South "Sussex" and West "Wessex") incorporate such literal names in their description. Randell is creating similar sounding names which are nonsense-ish ("Norsussex" would be the region of the Northern-Southern Saxons), and placing them in relation to each other in ways which would be geographically implausible.

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
!Label on the map !! Explanation !! Actual location !! Notes
|-
| Helcaraxë
|| The "[http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Helcarax%C3%AB Grinding Ice]", an area of {{w|Middle-Earth}}. Like Helcaraxë, northern Scotland is cold, mountainous and in many areas inhospitable.
|| The {{w|Grampian}} region
||
|-
| Blick
||
||
|| This is the name of a goblin in the movie "Legend" starring Tim Curry.
|-
| Everdeen
|| {{w|Katniss Everdeen}} is the heroine of ''{{w|The Hunger Games}}'' series of novels and films
|| {{w|Aberdeen}}
|| In colloquial Scots, its pronunciation is very similar to "Everdeen."
|-
| Highlands
|| {{w|Scottish Highlands|No joke}}
|| {{w|Scottish Lowlands}}
|| Maybe deliberate trolling - Scots have strong feelings about where the Highland-Lowland border is
|-
| Norther Sea
|| Pun on the {{w|North Sea}}
|| {{w|Sea of the Hebrides}}
||
||
|-
| Loch Lomond
|| {{w|Loch Lomond|No joke}}
|| Loch Lomond
|| Loch Lomond is the third largest lake in the UK, and the subject of a well-known {{w|The_Bonnie_Banks_o%27_Loch_Lomond|traditional song}}. Referenced in the "beaming" (teleporter) bit in the movie Spaceballs by the Scotty expy 'Snotty'.
|-
| Fjordham
|| {{w|Fjords}} are glacial valleys. "-ham" is a common English placename suffix from Old English, related to the modern {{w|Hamlet (place)|hamlet}}. There are several villages in England named {{w|Fordham}}.
|| Near {{w|Oban}} on the {{w|Firth of Lorn}}
|| The Scottish word "Firth" is related to "Fjord", although Lorn is not a fjord in the strict scientific sense - it was formed along the {{w|Great Glen Fault}} by tectonics, rather than glaciers
|-
| Glassdoor
|| {{w|Glassdoor}} is a website where employees can review their employers
|| {{w|Stirling}}
|| Although it's shown near Stirling, the reference seems to be to {{w|Glasgow}}
|-
| Eavestrough
|| A dialectal word for {{w|rain gutter}}
|| {{w|Edinburgh}}
||
|-
| Seasedge
|| Procan's realm in ''Dungeons & Dragons''
|| Somewhere near the Scotland-England border
||
|-
| Chough
|| A {{w|Chough|species of bird in the crow family}}
|| The {{w|Scottish Borders}}
||
|-
| Meowth
|| {{w|Meowth}} is a cat-like Pokémon
|| {{w|Ayr}}
||
|-
| Glutenfree
|| {{w|Gluten-free}} food lacks the protein {{w|gluten}}. This allows {{w|coeliac disease}} sufferers to enjoy it, but has also become a dietary fad in itself.
|| {{w|Cairnryan}}, {{w|Dumfries and Galloway}}
||
|-
| Blighton
|| A mashup of {{w|Brighton}} and {{w|Blighty}}
|| The {{w|Scottish Borders}}
|| The real Brighton is much further south, on the south coast.
|-
| Eyemouth
|| {{w|Eyemouth|Not a joke}}
|| near {{w|Newcastle-upon-Tyne}}
|| The real Eyemouth is further north, where "Seasedge" is marked on the map.
|-
| Earhand
|| A pun on Eyemouth
|| {{w|Carlisle}}
||
|-
| Hairskull
|| A pun on Eyemouth
|| {{w|Teesside}}
||
|-
| Belfast DeVoe
|| {{w|Belfast}}, capital of Northern Ireland, mashed up with the rock band {{w|Bell Biv DeVoe}}
|| {{w|Belfast}}
||
|-
| Lakebottom
|| The {{w|Lake District}}. "-bottom" is a common placename across Northern England, and refers to a town in a valley.
|| {{w|Lake District}}
|| Below Lakebottom is a sketch of lake with yachts on it. This is {{w|Windermere}}, the largest lake in England, where many boating speed records were set.
|-
| Braintree
|| {{w|Braintree, Essex|Not a joke}}
|| {{w|North Yorkshire}}
|| The real Braintree is much further south, near where "Paulblart" is on the map.
|-
| Skinflower
|| A pun on Braintree
|| {{w|Yorkshire Dales}}
||
|-
| Bjork
|| {{w|Björk}} is an Icelandic singer
|| {{w|East Riding of Yorkshire}}
|| The reference is presumably to York, although it's a bit too far east.
|-
| Weedle
|| {{w|Weedle}} is a Pokémon, and also a word meaning "to obtain by trickery or persuasion"
|| {{w|Forest of Bowland}}
||
|-
| Eeugh
|| An expression of disgust
|| {{w|Kingston-upon-Hull}} (generally just "Hull")
||
|-
| Crewneck
|| A shirt with a {{w|Crewneck|simple round collar}}.
|| {{w|Blackpool}}
|| There is a town called {{w|Crewe}} somewhat further south than shown in Cheshire.
|-
| Paisley
|| {{w|Paisley, Renfrewshire|No joke}}. It sounds funny to Americans because it's associated with {{w|Paisley (design)|paisley}} fabric, a Persian-style print invented in the town
|| {{w|Burnley}}
|| The real Paisley is in Scotland, near Glasgow.
|-
| Basil
|| {{w|Basil|A herb}}, and {{w|Basil Fawlty|one of the most famous British TV characters}}.
|| {{w|Scunthorpe}}
||
|-
| Aidenn
|| An apparent pun on the {{w|Scouse}} accent: {{w|h-dropping}} and {{w|th-fronting}} mean the common "hey, then" would be pronounced "ai denn".
|| {{w|Merseyside}}
||
|-
| Hillfolk
|| {{w|Hillfolk}} is an RPG game. "-hill" (referring to, well, a hill) and "-folk" (referring to a tribe or culture) are common in British placenames
|| {{w|Manchester}}
|| Manchester's name does in fact reference hills: it means "castle on the {{w|breast-shaped hill}}"
|-
| Waterdown
|| To "water something down" is to weaken it. "-down" is common in British placenames and refers to {{w|Downland|chalk hills}}. Possibly a contraction from the book and movie: Watership Down.
|| Near {{w|Grimsby}}
||
|-
| Dubstep
|| {{w|Dubstep}} is a genre of electronic music with a heavy bass line.
|| {{w|Dublin}}
|| Dublin is the only non-UK settlement in the map, and one of two on the island of Ireland.
|-
| Borough-upon-Mappe
|| By being recorded here, this is literally a borough upon a map. The "-upon-" is a common element of placenames for towns on rivers, although there's no River Mappe.
|| {{w|Lincolnshire Wolds}}
||
|-
| Fhqwhgads
|| "[http://www.hrwiki.org/wiki/Fhqwhgads Fhqwhgads]" is a joke from the Homestar Runner internet cartoon.
|| {{w|Crewe}}
|| This is near to the Welsh border; Welsh names often look like a mish-mash of consonants to English speakers.
|-
| Cadbury
|| {{w|Cadbury}} is a British chocolate company
|| Near {{w|Boston, Lincolnshire}}
|| Cadbury actually built a town for its workers... but it's called {{w|Bournville}}. There are several towns called "Cadbury" in the UK (where the Cadbury family presumably got its name), but none are near here.
|-
| Cabinetry
|| The art of making {{w|cabinets}}.
|| Near {{w|Oswestry}}
||Several towns in the English Midlands have names ending in -try, including Oswestry. "Cabinetry" could be a pun on {{w|Coventry}}, which lies further to the east.
|-
| The Shire
|| {{w|Shire (Middle-earth)|The Shire}} is home to the {{w|Hobbits}} in {{w|Middle-Earth}}
|| {{w|Midlands}}
|| Tolkien drew inspiration for the Shire from the {{w|West Midlands (region)|West Midlands}}, although Tolkien was from the southern part of the Midlands (roughly where Dampshire is on the map)
|-
| Landmouth
|| Literal description
|| {{w|The Wash}}
||
|-
| Brandon
|| {{w|Brandon#United Kingdom|Not a joke}}
|| {{w|The Fens}}
|| There are several Brandons in the UK, none on the banks of the Wash. The area shown is borderline-uninhabitable, as it is marshland and lies mostly below sea-level. Only a few farms and isolated hamlets exist here.
|-
| Hamwich
|| A ham sandwich. Both "-ham" and "-wich" are common generic placenames. The village called simply "Ham" and the other called "Sandwich" are fairly close to each other, with a famous roadsign that points to "Ham Sandwich" between them.
|| {{w|Norwich}}
||
|-
| West Norsussex
|| Mash-up of {{w|Sussex}} ("South Saxons") with the obsolete {{w|Wessex}} ("West Saxons") and never extant {{w|Norsex}} ("North Saxons")
|| {{w|Midlands}}
||
|-
| Redsox
|| The {{w|Boston Red Sox}} are a baseball team
|| {{w|The Fens}}
|| The Boston Red Sox play at Fenway Park. The map location is not far from the British {{w|Boston, Lincolnshire|Boston}}
|-
| Keebler
|| The {{w|Keebler Elves}} advertise cookies in the US
|| {{w|Thetford Forest}}
||
|-
| Bloughshire
|| Most British counties have "-shire" in their name. Originally it meant they were administered by a {{w|sheriff}}. However, it is rare in Wales.
|| {{w|Powys}}
||
|-
| Lionsgate
|| {{w|Lionsgate|A film studio}}
|| {{w|Leicester}}
||
|-
| Kingsbottom
|| Another "-bottom". A possible reference to {{w|King's Landing}}, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms of {{w|Westeros}} and one of its districts Fleabottom.
|| {{w|Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve|Suffolk Coast}}
|| Possibly named for the town of {{w|King's Lynn}}, also located in East Anglia but close to its north coast.
|-
| Aberforth
|| {{w|Aberforth Dumbledore}} is {{w|Albus Dumbledore}}'s brother in the ''Harry Potter'' series. "Aber-" and "-forth" both indicate a "river mouth". "Aber-" is widespread in Wales.
|| {{w|Aberystwyth}}
||
|-
| South Norwessex
|| Another mash-up of {{w|Sussex}} ("South Saxons") with the obsolete {{w|Wessex}} ("West Saxons") and never extant {{w|Norsex}} ("North Saxons")
|| {{w|Birmingham}}
||
|-
| Dryford
|| Would refer to a river crossing without water. "{{w|Ford (crossing)|-ford}}" is a common placename element.
|| {{w|Shropshire Hills}}
||
|-
| Frampton
|| There are many {{w|Frampton}}s in the UK. It means "town on the river Frome" - and there are also several {{w|River Frome}}s. The name is famous thanks to rock musician {{w|Peter Frampton}}
|| {{w|Bury St Edmunds}}
||see also "Southframpton"
|-
| Cambridge
|| {{w|Cambridge|No joke}}
|| {{w|Cambridge}}
|| Cambridge and Oxford, the two most prestigious university towns, are correctly marked. Together, they form {{w|Oxbridge}}
|-
| Kingsfriend
|| Possibly a joke about the royal patronage given to certain towns - for instance, {{w|Bognor Regis}} and {{w|Royal Wootton Bassett}}. Also {{w|Knighton, Powys|Knighton}} (a King's friend?) is very close to this locale.
|| Near the England-Wales border
||
|-
| Cair Paravel
|| {{w|Cair Paravel}} is the castle where the ruler of {{w|Narnia}} lives in the ''Narnia'' series.
|| {{w|Dedham Vale}}
||
|-
| Camelot
|| {{w|Camelot}} was (in legend) {{w|King Arthur}}'s court.
|| Near the England-Wales border
|| The King Arthur myth did in fact originate in the Welsh culture. However, most sites associated with Camelot, such as {{w|Winchester}}, {{w|Glastonbury}} and {{w|Cadbury Castle}}, are in England.
|-
| Nothingham
|| A pun on Nottingham.
|| Near {{w|Northampton}}
||
|-
| Cumberbatch
|| A surname, best known as that of actor {{w|Benedict Cumberbatch}}.
|| {{w|Harlow}}
|| The surname of a famous actress is replaced with that of a famous actor
|-
| Dampshire
|| A pun on the county of {{w|Hampshire}}. Generically a joking reference to any county, particularly of the {{w|West Country}}, to imply it is particularly prone to rain.
|| Gloucestershire
||
|-
| The CW
|| {{w|The CW|An American TV channel}}.
|| {{w|Pembrokeshire}}
|| Presumably the placement is a reference to Welsh words such as "cwm" which use W as a vowel.
|-
| Whaling
|| The practice of hunting whales. May be a reference to other -ing towns like {{w|Reading, Berkshire|Reading}} (which is actually pronounced "redding", not "reeding"), and also to its location in Wales.
|| {{w|Merthyr Tydfil}}
||
|-
| Paulblart
|| ''{{w|Paul Blart: Mall Cop}}'' is a 2009 comedy film starring Kevin James
|| Near {{w|Chelmsford}}
||
|-
| Oxford
|| {{w|Oxford|No joke}}
|| {{w|Oxford}}
|| See Cambridge. Surprisingly, Randall made no attempt to troll readers by switching the locations of Cambridge and Oxford.
|-
| Moorhen
|| The {{w|moorhen}} is a waterfowl.
|| {{w|Gower Peninsula}}
|| Possibly punning on nearby {{w|Swansea}}.
|-
| Cardigan
|| {{w|Cardigan, Ceredigion|No joke}} - it seems funny to Americans because of the {{w|Cardigan (sweater)|knitted sweater}} invented there
|| {{w|Newport, Wales}}
|| The actual Cardigan is on the west coast. The name may be punning on the city of {{w|Cardiff}}, capital of Wales, which is further south-west.
|-
| BBC Channel 4
|| A composite of {{w|Channel 4}} and the {{w|BBC}} (UK TV operators) confusing the meaning of TV channel with a geographic channel.
|| {{w|Bristol Channel}}
||
|-
| London
|| {{w|London|No joke}}.
|| London
||
|-
| GMT
|| A reference to {{w|Greenwich Mean Time}}. Shown on the map near the London bourough of Greenwich through which the GMT meridian passes.
|| {{w|Greenwich}} (roughly)
||
|-
| Corbyn
|| A reference to leader of the UK {{w|Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party}} {{w|Jeremy Corbyn}}.
|| {{w|The Cotswolds}}
|| May be a confusion with the town of {{w|Corby}} although it is not near the location shown.
|-
| Tems-upon-Thames
|| A joke about the counter-intuitive pronunciation of {{w|Thames}}.
|| {{w|Rochester}}
||
|-
| Minas Tirith
|| {{w|Minas Tirith}} is the capital of Gondor in ''Lord of the Rings''.
|| {{w|Bristol}}
||
|-
| Hogsmeade
|| {{w|Hogsmeade}} is the nearest village to Hogwarts in the ''Harry Potter'' books.
|| {{w|Dover}}
|| The fictional Hogsmeade was in Scotland. Randall shows the {{w|Channel Tunnel}} running from there, a possible reference to Hogsmeade's secret connections to Hogwarts.
|-
| Tubemap
|| The {{w|Tube Map}} is the map of the {{w|London Underground}}, widely considered a masterpiece of design.
|| {{w|Outer London}}
||
|-
| Cambnewton
|| {{w|Cam Newton}} is quarterback for the {{w|Carolina Panthers}}. "Cam-" is common for placenames on any of the several British rivers called "{{w|Cam River|Cam}}", while "Newton" means "new town". Also possibly a pun on Camden Town, a touristic district in North London, although not its actual location on the map.
|| {{w|West Country}}
||
|-
| Efrafa
|| Efrafa is a rabbit warren in the story ''{{w|Watership Down}}''.
|| {{w|Chidden}}
|| According to the story, the warren should be located near the N of Corbyn on this map - the real {{w|Watership Down, Hampshire|Watership Down}} is in Hampshire.
|-
| Chansey
|| {{w|Chansey|Another Pokémon}}. "-sey" is a common suffix meaning "island".
|| {{w|Dungeness (headland|Dungeness}}
||
|-
| Oughghough
|| Playing on common place name elements, "oughghough" has no clear pronunciation under the rules of English. It could be "Uff-guff", "Oo-gow", "Uh-guh" or any combination of these sounds. The name looks similar to the real {{w|Loughborough}} ("Luff-bruh")
|| {{w|Barnstaple}}
||
|-
| Sundial
|| A {{w|sundial}} is a clock using a shadow to tell the time.
|| {{w|Wiltshire}}
|| The location roughly corresponds with {{w|Stonehenge}}, an ancient stone circle that was likely used to track the sun (though as a ritual calendar, rather than a clock)
|-
| Dobby
|| [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_creatures_in_Harry_Potter#Dobby Dobby] is a character in {{w|Harry Potter}}
|| {{w|Southampton}}
||
|-
| Lower Bottom
|| Another -bottom.
|| {{w|Devon}}
||
|-
| Southframpton
|| A confusion with {{w|Southampton}} which is nearby the location shown. The use of the postfix "frampton" may be a reference to the "Frampton" elsewhere on the map.
|| {{w|Milford on Sea}}
|| Frampton happens to be a common surname in the area.
|-
| Blandford
|| {{w|Blandford|No joke}}
|| {{w|Cornwall}}
|| The real Blandford is a bit further east, in Dorset, roughly under the m in 'Southframpton'.
|-
| Menthol
|| {{w|Menthol}} is a chemical with minty taste that produces a cooling sensation, and is used in mints and flavoured cigarettes.
|| {{w|Eastbourne}}
||
|-
| West Sea
|| Literal description.
|| {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}
|| Historically, this was the name for the ocean off the UK's west coast. According to the {{w|Shipping Forecast#Region names|list of sea areas}} used in the UK's {{w|Shipping Forecast}}, that region of sea is called "Lundy"
|-
| Tarp
|| Tarp, short for {{w|tarpaulin}}, is a waterproof sheet for storage and weather protection.
|| {{w|Teignmouth}}
||
|-
| Longbit
|| Literal description.
|| {{w|Cornwall}}
||
|}

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! X !! Y !! Label
|-
| 258 || 32 || Helcaraxë
|-
| 244 || 55 || Blick
|-
| 294 || 80 || Everdeen
|-
| 34 || 89 || Norther Sea
|-
| 238 || 119 || Highlands
|-
| 144 || 151 || Lock Lomond
|-
| 83 || 172 || Fjordham
|-
| 440 || 184 || A British Map Labeled by an American
|-
| 164 || 192 || Glassdoor
|-
| 250 || 219 || Eavestroughs
|-
| 312 || 237 || Seasedge
|-
| 260 || 262 || Chough
|-
| 148 || 267 || Meowth
|-
| 76 || 298 || (A picture of an upsidedown protractor)
|-
| 256 || 303 || Blighton
|-
| 344 || 309 || Eyemouth
|-
| 124 || 320 || Glutenfree
|-
| 486 || 320 || North Sea
|-
| 254 || 329 || Earhand
|-
| 353 || 347 || Hairskull
|-
| 38 || 362 || Belfast DeVoe
|-
| 224 || 365 || Lakebottom
|-
| 411 || 389 || Braintree
|-
| 335 || 408 || Skinflower
|-
| 430 || 431 || Bjork
|-
| 279 || 432 || Weedle
|-
| 440 || 451 || Eeugh
|-
| 258 || 453 || Crewneck
|-
| 310 || 454 || Paisley
|-
| 414 || 473 || Basil
|-
| 259 || 479 || Aidenn
|-
| 461 || 496 || Waterdown
|-
| 288 || 499 || Hillfolk
|-
| 31 || 509 || Dubstep
|-
| 464 || 517 || Borough-Upon-Mappe
|-
| 269 || 535 || Fhqwhgads
|-
| 490 || 537 || Landmouth
|-
| 461 || 539 || Cadbury
|-
| 237 || 554 || Cabinetry
|-
| 360 || 355 || The Shire
|-
| 464 || 562 || Brandon
|-
| 567 || 567 || Hamwich
|-
| 356 || 577 || West Norsussex
|-
| 420 || 578 || Redsox
|-
| 502 || 590 || Keebler
|-
| 372 || 597 || Lionsgate
|-
| 229 || 597 || Bloughshire
|-
| 573 || 609 || Kingsbottom
|-
| 182 || 613 || Aberforth
|-
| 328 || 615 || South Norwessex
|-
| 244 || 617 || Dryford
|-
| 495 || 630 || Frampton
|-
| 477 || 634 || Cambridge
|-
| 251 || 635 || Kingsfriend
|-
| 539 || 652 || Cair Paravel
|-
| 235 || 655 || Camelot
|-
| 408 || 655 || Nothingham
|-
| 429 || 673 || Cumberbatch
|-
| 121 || 673 || The CW
|-
| 303 || 674 || Dampshire
|-
| 210 || 676 || Whaling
|-
| 511 || 690 || Paulblart
|-
| 397 || 693 || Oxford
|-
| 169 || 695 || Moohren
|-
| 255 || 706 || Cardigan
|-
| 462 || 710 || GMT
|-
| 445 || 711 || London
|-
| 308 || 716 || Corbyn
|-
| 507 || 729 || Tems-Upon-Thames
|-
| 161 || 737 || BBC Channel 4
|-
| 267 || 737 || Minas Tirith
|-
| 560 || 746 || Hogsmeade
|-
| 454 || 748 || Tubemap
|-
| 296 || 756 || Cambnewton
|-
| 398 || 765 || Efrafa
|-
| 186 || 767 || Oughghough
|-
| 536 || 767 || Chansey
|-
| 351 || 777 || Sundial
|-
| 370 || 782 || Dobby
|-
| 162 || 784 || Lower Bottom
|-
| 496 || 784 || Menthol
|-
| 362 || 796 || Southframpton
|-
| 56 || 800 || West Sea
|-
| 154 || 804 || Blandford
|-
| 216 || 824 || Tarp
|-
| 123 || 846 || Longbit
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete|There NEEDS to be a better way to do this.}}
Helcaraxë, Blick, Everdeen, Norther Sea, Highlands, Lock Lomond, Fjordham, A British Map Labeled by an American, Glassdoor, Eavestroughs, Seasedge, Chough, Meowth, (A picture of an upsidedown protractor), Blighton, Eyemouth, Glutenfree, North Sea, Earhand, Hairskull, Belfast DeVoe, Lakebottom, Braintree, Skinflower, Bjork, Weedle, Eeugh, Crewneck, Paisley, Basil, Aidenn, Waterdown, Hillfolk, Dubstep, Borough-Upon-Mappe, Fhqwhgads, Landmouth, Cadbury, Cabinetry, The Shire, Brandon, Hamwich, West Norsussex, Redsox, Keebler, Lionsgate, Bloughshire, Kingsbottom, Aberforth, South Norwessex, Dryford, Frampton, Cambridge, Kingsfriend, Cair Paravel, Camelot, Nothingham, Cumberbatch, The CW, Dampshire, Whaling, Paulblart, Oxford, Moohren, Cardigan, GMT, London, Corbyn, Tems-Upon-Thames, BBC Channel 4, Minas Tirith, Hogsmeade, Tubemap, Cambnewton, Efrafa, Oughghough, Chansey, Sundial, Dobby, Lower Bottom, Menthol, Southframpton, West Sea, Blandford, Tarp, Longbit

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1349: Shouldn't Be Hard

2016-07-01T02:04:45Z

198.41.239.33: When was the last time anyone really used tin for that?

Carefully organized sand eh? I believe this is a callback to [http://xkcd.com/505/ this comic]( and the silicone of course but...). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.240|108.162.210.240]] 14:33, 31 March 2014 (UTC)
: I Don't think this is a call back -- just a common reference to that computer chips are based on Silicon which have been arranged into electrical circuits [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])
: Not a callback, not even a little bit. That comic did not reference the manufacturing process of computer chips at all, but instead use rocks as a sort of physical computer. The "carefully organized rocks" in that comic could have easily been carefully organized coconuts and the meaning of the comic would not have changed a bit. Also silicone is not the same as silicon. Silicone is a synthetic polymer made out of silicon and would be entirely unsuitable for building computer chips. Silicone = caulk, implants. Silicon = quartz, sand, computer chips. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.65|108.162.221.65]] 16:04, 31 March 2014 (UTC)
: That comic was also the first thing I thought of, but alas I do not think this comic is referencing that one, because in that comic he is organizing rocks, not sand. [[User:Sparx|Sparx]] ([[User talk:Sparx|talk]]) 03:46, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
Repeat after me: the CPU is not the computer. "The core of the CPU is mostly made out of sand" is less cringeworthy. As the "computer" itself, it's mostly made of plastic and metal. Even the CPU's plastic casing is a large part of it in volume. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 14:21, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: When I buy a box of [http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/00/98/00/00/0000980000071_500X500.jpg Ferrero Rocher Hazelnut chocolate], and I say, these made out of chocolate, would that statement be "cringeworthy" if I forgot to mention the hazelnut interior, or the tin foil that surrounds the chocolate, or the paper cup that goes around the tin foil, or the plastic container that it comes in? Even the cardboard setting in the box is a large part of it in volume. (Moral: when we describe something, we only really care about the active components that allow it to do whatever it is supposed to do, not the packaging it comes in.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.65|108.162.221.65]] 15:32, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
:: It's aluminium foil, not tin. It comes in a cardboard box here. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.33|198.41.239.33]] 02:04, 1 July 2016 (UTC)

It has changed! The title is now "Lorenz" and each time you open a tab there seems to be a random choice between 3 different comics, two of them with clickable options [[User:Jesuspetry|Jesuspetry]] ([[User talk:Jesuspetry|talk]]) 14:41, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: And it seems the (multiple!) followups to each comic are being created by user suggestion! [[User:Jesuspetry|Jesuspetry]] ([[User talk:Jesuspetry|talk]]) 14:50, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

What Jesuspetry said! Checking just now, the title of the comic is "Lorenz" (a reference to Edward Norton Lorenz?) and the title text is "Every choice, no matter how small, begins a new story." [[User:Imperpay|Imperpay]] ([[User talk:Imperpay|talk]]) 14:53, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
:Wait, no, we're looking at number 1350 on the main xkcd page, not 1349. Time for a new page here, forthwith! [[User:Imperpay|Imperpay]] ([[User talk:Imperpay|talk]]) 15:00, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: You're right. What has confused me is that 1349 flashes in the screen before 1350 is carried over by the browser [[User:Jesuspetry|Jesuspetry]] ([[User talk:Jesuspetry|talk]]) 15:26, 1 April 2014 (UTC)
: Oh, and from my connection at work, I can't see the "real" 1350 at all. All I see is the image from 1349, with a new title and new title text. I'll have to wait until I get home. (I believe you'll see what I see if you use the old unix interface from a previous April 1, at uni.xkcd.com, and display 1350. [[User:Imperpay|Imperpay]] ([[User talk:Imperpay|talk]]) 16:41, 1 April 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1698: Theft Quadrants

2016-06-27T11:03:22Z

198.41.239.33: Wienermobile sighting.

Come to think of it, I haven't accidentally hit a porn site in years. Is Randall even referring to a real problem? Anyone remember whitehouse dot com? And for the record, kids, [http://purl.net/net/tbc/writing/xxx.htm don't do porn]. ''— [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 12:27, 24 June 2016 (UTC)''

I think the sentences "It is hard to steal nuclear launch codes. And a good thing too since they could be used to start a nuclear war." are weird... to me on the first read it sounded like it is a good thing to steal them... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.63|162.158.85.63]]

What is it with Randall and stealing wienermobiles? [http://www.xkcd.com/935/ xkcd 935] [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.62|173.245.52.62]] 15:12, 24 June 2016 (UTC)
:I added it to the explanation, thanks! [[User:Elipongo|Elipongo]] ([[User talk:Elipongo|talk]]) 16:16, 24 June 2016 (UTC)
:There's also a wienermobile in xkcd 1110 parked to the right of the Burj. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.33|198.41.239.33]] 11:03, 27 June 2016 (UTC)

A somewhat similar thing really happened in one of the URL shortening services in Taiwan. This case is not that the domain is stolen; the problem is that its database storing shortened URL mappings, because of some mis-operation in converting database data, is rolled back and some shortened URLs are "double-booked." According to the announcement of the service, this affects over 234 thousand entries in the database. This leads to PTT, the largest terminal-based bulletin board system in Taiwan, bans shortened URLs from this service. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.40|108.162.222.40]] 20:21, 24 June 2016 (UTC)

''sites can be particularly vulnerable if they do not maintain their web site'' - what? You can have domain name without ANY web site at all. "lapse" likely refers to owners stopping paying. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:09, 25 June 2016 (UTC)

(Trying again... the CAPTCHA is glitching out on me.) "It is also hard to steal the {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom|Crown Jewels}}, since they are protected by a [http://yeomenoftheguard.com/Windsor%20Castle.jpg complex security system]." - The items that are the first linked items are not at the location the second link points to... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.131|141.101.98.131]] 16:20, 25 June 2016 (UTC)

In line with the above comments: the whole section on the crown jewels and the wienermobile seem to miss the point and get hung up on very minor details. Stealing the crown jewels would make a few people fabulously rich, a few people significantly poorer (or jailed, or court-martialled, depending), but would hardly affect anyone else in real terms other than making millions of people - all around the world - very upset. Saying that ''Randall erroneously assumes'' that there would be little consequence to stealing the wienermobile is just silly: there is nothing erroneous about it since it could never have a material effect on more than a few individuals, and the possibility of someone being injured or killed during the robbery is irrelevant since it applies equally well to the nuclear or crown jewels options. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.44|108.162.229.44]] 16:12, 26 June 2016 (UTC)

1698: Theft Quadrants

2016-06-27T11:01:46Z

198.41.239.33: Wiener- not weiner-.

{{comic
| number = 1698
| date = June 24, 2016
| title = Theft Quadrants
| image = theft quadrants.png
| titletext = TinyURL was the most popular link shortener for long enough that it made it into a lot of printed publications. I wonder what year the domain will finally lapse and get picked up by a porn site.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|How difficult would it be to steal TinyURL, really? Is it a real problem?}}

This is a "{{w|Time management#The Eisenhower Method|Eisenhower box}}" comparing how difficult it is to steal a specified thing with the severity of the theft.

It is very hard to steal {{w|Gold Codes|nuclear launch codes}}. They are protected by many layers of federal security. That's a good thing, too, since if they were stolen, they could be used to start a {{w|Nuclear warfare|nuclear war}} which would be bad{{Citation needed}}.

It is also hard to steal the {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom|Crown Jewels}}, since they are protected by a [http://yeomenoftheguard.com/Windsor%20Castle.jpg complex security system]. But if they were stolen, it wouldn't be so bad for most people.

It wouldn't be too hard to steal the {{w|Wienermobile}} (a car shaped like a hot-dog, advertising the Oscar Mayer brand). Randall considers that stolen vehicles are often driven recklessly [[935: Missed Connections]], so this theft can lead to fatalities, although not as many as a nuclear war.

However, it wouldn't be hard (or at least, not as hard as stealing nuclear launch codes or the Crown Jewels) to steal the {{w|TinyURL|tinyurl.com}} domain name, but the consequences of that could be significant (not as significant as nuclear war, but it could swiftly result in damage to a lot of important computers).

TinyURL offers a URL shortening service. They provide short URLs that redirect to long ones. This is useful if you want to write down a very long URL as it saves typing and is more accurate. Other companies, including [https://bitly.com/ bit.ly],[https://goo.gl/ Google] and Twitter offer a similar service. TinyURL was, for a while, the most popular of these URL shortening services. If their domain name were stolen, all the redirects from short URLs could be changed to forward traffic to sites hosting, for example, malware. This would have significant effects on a large number of people, because TinyURL is used in many places both online and (as the title text notes) even sometimes offline.

Domain hijacking is relatively common. If a cracker can obtain personal information about the domain owner, they can impersonate them to the domain registrar, and obtain control of the domain, and with that control [[792: Password Reuse|defraud a large number of people]].

As the title text notes, sites can be particularly vulnerable if they do not maintain their web site, as the registrar is free then to sell the same domain to any third party. A [https://reports.internic.net/cgi/whois?whois_nic=tinyurl.com&type=domain whois search] as of June 2016 finds that the tinyurl.com domain is next due for renewal in June 2018.

==Transcript==
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"|How hard thing would be to steal
! Hard
| The Crown Jewels||The nuclear launch codes
|-
! Easy
| The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile||The tinyurl.com domain name
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="2"|
! Not that bad
! Very bad
|-
!colspan="2"|How bad it would be if someone stole it
|}

{{comic discussion}}