explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1942: Memorable Quotes

2018-01-17T15:13:54Z

198.41.242.5: That's all he wrote.

*And here we go, [https://i.imgur.com/YCV64gD.jpg a profound quote!] [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 09:00, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

::I was wondering how long it would take someone to do that. I was going to, but am using a borrowed computer and somehow haven't even got MS Paint. --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 12:18, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

:: My take on the subject, formatted for facebook cover: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10210420725248312&set=a.2436502425804.2109193.1049013773&type=3&theater [[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.220|141.101.96.220]] 12:29, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

::: When reading this comic my first reaction was "I'm so doing that", followed by "Someone else probably already has", LOL! Colour me unsurprised it's even the first comment thread. Too bad Facebook's idiotic theater mode crashes my iPad, which is what I use to read XKCD. :) And Imgur doesn't work in the first place (but at least I have a workaround in place for Imgur). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 07:57, 16 January 2018 (UTC)
:::Thanks for the Facebook format, I have just used it, hope that was OK since it was published like that. Will only be for a few days ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:05, 16 January 2018 (UTC)

To a lot of these, especially #7, [https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/24750/how-do-you-quote-a-passage-that-has-used-sic-mistakenly this question] applies. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 09:25, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

The more I look at it, the more I want to put #6 ("I wrote this book...") on an actual book. But print books are sold for money, and one day might even make a profit. Not sure if the offer implied in "Here are some for general use" is intended to override the 'no commercial use' restriction on xkcd in general. -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 15:29, 15 January 2018 (UTC)
:Quotes can be used even in commercial works and without the autors contend. (With some restrictions depending on your jurisdiction.) But using a single of those quotes in a book should be fine almoste everywhere. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.64|162.158.92.64]] 19:55, 15 January 2018 (UTC)
:: Sorry, I have to, LOL!: *author's *consent *almost :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 07:57, 16 January 2018 (UTC)

My programmer mind really hates the missing quote mark in the title text... Reminds me of [[859: (]]. Crap! Now that’s going to bother me for the rest of the day too! - [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.174|172.68.65.174]] 00:42, 16 January 2018 (UTC)

And we shouldn't forget: Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur! -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 01:31, 16 January 2018 (UTC)

Please never remove the "''is a big jerk."''"-part of the title text quote explanation. It's very cathartic. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 09:25, 16 January 2018 (UTC)
:Yes I for once agree to such a joke in the explanation ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:05, 16 January 2018 (UTC)
::<sigh> I was SO just about to remove that! 8^) [[User:Mr. I|Mr. I]] ([[User talk:Mr. I|talk]]) 02:09, 17 January 2018 (UTC)

“This quote is very false” —[[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 18:25, 16 January 2018 (UTC)

Quote Goodbye Quote. (Carolyne Mas) [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.5|198.41.242.5]] 15:13, 17 January 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1886: Typing Notifications

2017-09-07T16:28:43Z

198.41.242.5:

Sorry for the double explanation, if there was any notification that someone else had added an explanation before I was done editing (I saw an empty explanation when I started editing) I missed it. I went (mostly) back to the first explanation. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.172|141.101.88.172]] 17:19, 6 September 2017 (UTC)

I believe that in some instant messaging systems just by clicking in the text box or just by changing focus to the text box causes a notification to the other person that you are typing. So, if I click into the text box and then go to another application and come back and resume focus, multiple notifications are sent, and there is an expectation that a message is coming that never comes. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 17:23, 6 September 2017 (UTC)

'''Hey, WhatsUp???''' --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:24, 6 September 2017 (UTC)

I miss ytalk {{unsigned ip|162.158.182.22}}

[[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.47|172.68.58.47]] 02:03, 7 September 2017 (UTC) Wouldn't this comic make more sense if Randall were the person REPLYING to the chat message, not the person who originally sent it? although that would probably mean that we were seeing the chat window from the perspective of the anonymous second user...

"''In the title text, Randall expresses that he likes to watch when the recipient reacts but he's also happy not to receive that attempt as an empty reply.''" It's not what I understood. I understood that the recipient could open a blank note on another application, type a reply taking all the time he needs, then copy-paste it on the messaging system. This is exactly what I do when I don't want to trigger typing notifications, and Randall writes that he prefers not to know that. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.148|108.162.229.148]] 07:55, 7 September 2017 (UTC)
: "Typing notifications" means NOT Randall is typing notifications. He is watching a notification showing someone is typing/working on an answer to a message Randall has sent. And there is no "another application" in the comic at all. And your idea even doesn't match the rest of the explanation. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:16, 7 September 2017 (UTC)
::Well it says open a note - which might be an application, especially for mobile systems there are applications with names like that. And a new document in a writing application was my first interpretation too... I found the interpretation that 108.162.229.148 quoted quite unlikely too, as Randall (if this is about Randall at all) said he likes having it on. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.5|198.41.242.5]]

Talk:1870: Emoji Movie Reviews

2017-07-31T20:10:41Z

198.41.242.5:

There are many ways that a movie can be bad. It could have uninteresting characters, a bad plot, stupid dialogue, poor filming etc. Very likely the Emoji movie suffers from all of these problems. I should add that Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars fame was widely hated by anyone over 8 years old but my 5-year-old loved him. Could the same thing be true for Emojis? [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 18:00, 31 July 2017 (UTC)
:So, similar to the minions movie series? 20:00, 31 July 2017 (UTC)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.125|141.101.104.125]]
::The minions and the "prequel" (I don't know the english title) are not only watched and enjoyed by children - at least in Germany - but also by young adults. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.5|198.41.242.5]]

Talk:1512: Horoscopes

2015-04-15T08:23:30Z

198.41.242.5:

So funny - especially the title text made me laugh :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:05, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

The "coriolis effect" in the title text refers to the spin direction of vortices (rotating currents such as cyclones, whirlpools, and water draining from a basin), which is counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. The title text is a joke extending the reversal to the flow of time.
: The spin direction of whirlpools and basins is 'not' determined by the coriolis effect, on this scale its impact is way too small to make a difference. The title text refers to how the coriolis effect is often used to explain phenomena (especially with relation to the hemispheres), even when its wrong. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.5|198.41.242.5]] 08:23, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

The events described during which the conception of a person with a given birth month occurred assumes that the parents were in the United States at that time. The seasons would be shifted by six months in the southern hemisphere, and the Thanksgiving holiday (conception in February, birth in November) might either not be celebrated or celebrated on a different day. [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 08:11, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1506: xkcloud

2015-04-01T15:29:46Z

198.41.242.5:

The lack of a hover text breaks all sorts of things :) e.g. Floern's unofficial xkcd browser linked here via the hover text but it won't display the link or the lack of give text if there's no hover text! We may get a few less visitors for this comic as a result...

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.115|108.162.229.115]] 08:42, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:Still getting swamped, it's business as usual for April 1st. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:06, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Why is "literally on fire" a question? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.163|108.162.249.163]] 09:52, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

It indicates uncertainty. He's not really asking a question, but making a statement hesitantly. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.22}}

:Indeed, see also {{w|uptalk}}. [[User:Pesthouse|Pesthouse]] ([[User talk:Pesthouse|talk]]) 10:03, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

How does i work? Does it work? When i click the "Help us"-Button i just get a blank comic with "..." written at the top :( [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.148|108.162.254.148]] 10:14, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Oh boy, time to find out if mediawiki does imagemaps.--[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 10:31, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

The image was updated on xkcd.com the button now reads "Click here to help us recover user data before facebook & ca notice we lost it [[User:ẞ qwertz|ẞ qwertz]] ([[User talk:ẞ qwertz|talk]]) 10:48, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:Can someone update the picture without just making a screen shoot? It is not like you can save it the normal way. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:39, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

I decided to '''man up''', get the train rolling and submitted the '''first revision''' of the explanation. Do expand, retouch, overwrite, format and correct my simple explanation. I didn't know if the 3 already existing posts, the ambiguous text posts or the drawings are user-based, so I avoided saying so in the explanation. I'll just add something about the covet/thirst/hanker/crave in a moment, and I'm done. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.151|173.245.53.151]] 11:11, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

This comic has an empty alt text. See http://m.xkcd.com/1506/. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 13:50, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

* There's a silent character limit (no error message, just non-acceptance; You can still comment the image again, but the text is lost unless you copied it first) somewhere between 222 and 298 chars. I tried to make a start at playing Identik with an image, but only came half way through. Guess, I have to write shorter...
* Someone figured out, how to copy&paste some grayscale image.
* I managed to submit a color image, but haven't seen it coming back yet. Tell me when you find a red one.
* There is at least one image that is too fine to have been drawn in that minimal editor (squirrel+football). I guess, it's one of the initial images that Randall provided. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 14:00, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
** There's also an image of Buzz Lightyear that appears to be copy-pasted in. I'm not sure how someone would have accomplished that. How did you mange to get color, user 2 above me? If anyone seems a stick-figure comic titled 2006 in which one character says to the other "You're never going to achieve anything if you spend all your time on that web comic ... Now back to my Zune research", that's mine. Post here and let me know! [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:33, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
*** I used the web console to get a drawing context on the canvas object. After submission the image was actually transferred to the lower area, but now, I suspect that it wasn't really the data that got uploaded... -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 15:00, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:Yes although I'm certain that most of the images are from users, it would be nice to hear from someone who can confirm that one of their images has been spotted {{unsigned|Kynde}}
::I can at least confirm that one of my texts has been spottet by someone else. I got the black image and wrote "I finally managed to disable the flashlight of my camera". Later I saw an image combining a hammer, a nail and a camera to depict my description. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 15:00, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
::The last computer device at the far right is a first generation SNES. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.193|173.245.56.193]] 15:12, 1 April 2015 (UTC)X
*I think the general idea is based on a game that I think is called the fax machine game? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.5|198.41.242.5]] 15:29, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

1492: Dress Color

2015-02-27T11:54:57Z

198.41.242.5: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1492
| date = February 27, 2015
| title = Dress Color
| image = dress_color.png
| titletext = This white-balance illusion hit so hard because it felt like someone had been playing through the Monty Hall scenario and opened their chosen door, only to find there was unexpectedly disagreement over whether the thing they'd revealed was a goat or a car.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic strip refers to a dress whose image went viral the day before the strip was posted, showing up on [http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2xaprc/eli5why_does_this_dress_appear_whitegold_to_some/ reddit,], twitter, [http://www.wired.com/2015/02/science-one-agrees-color-dress/ wired,] and originally on [http://swiked.tumblr.com/post/112174461490/officialunitedstates-unclefather tumblr,]. Due to the dress's particular color scheme and the exposure of the photo, it forms a sort of optical illusion causing viewers to disagree on what color the dress actually seems to be. The xkcd strip sandwiches a cropped segment of the photographed dress between two images with different white balance schemes, demonstrating how the dress can appear different colors in different light.

Both dresses have exactly the same colors actually:
* RGB 113, 94, 58 (orange) <div style="display:inline-block; height:1em; width:1em; background-color: #715E3A"></div>
* RGB 135, 154, 189 (blue) <div style="display:inline-block; height:1em; width:1em; background-color: #879ABD"></div>

The title text refers to the {{w|Monty Hall problem}}, a brain teaser based on the ''Let's Make a Deal'' TV show. Because the color of the dress seems immediately "obvious" to any given viewer of it, Randall compares the argument over its color to a scenario in which opening a given door reveals one of two very different objects, yet no one can agree which object it actually is.

==Related==
The Monty Hall problem previously appeared in [[1282: Monty Hall]], where [[Beret Guy]] decides to take the goat.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
A mirrored image of a girl in a dress. On the left, she is coloured blue on a dark blue background, while on the right, she is yellow against a buttercup background. Her dress is the same colour in each panel.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]