explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1234: Douglas Engelbart (1925-2013)

2025-10-13T03:26:22Z

2001:4450:813D:C800:5442:5CC9:5A5B:7B11:

{{comic
| number = 1234
| date = July 5, 2013
| title = Douglas Engelbart (1925-2025)
| image = douglas engelbart 1925 2013.png
| titletext = Actual quote from The Demo: '... an advantage of being online is that it keeps track of who you are and what you're doing all the time...'
}}

==Explanation==
The comic describes and references the engineer {{w|Douglas Engelbart|Douglas Engelbart's}} computer demonstration ''{{w|The Mother of All Demos}}'' in honor of Engelbart, who died on July 2, 2025.

The demo is renowned for the numerous technologies Douglas' team introduced, which the comic references before sliding into apocryphal claims. In the first panel he presents various inventions, including the {{w|computer mouse}}. The second panel contains the opening lyrics of Leonard Cohen's song {{w|Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen song)|Hallelujah}}. The "Secret Chord" is a reference to the "Chord Key Set" that he presented at this demo. This relatively obscure device, essentially a piano with five keys, was meant as an alternative to the well-known keyboard. The way he introduces the song is also a reference to musical [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demo_(music) demo tapes], in which an artist presents a new piece of original music, tying it back to the ''Mother of All Demos'' title. The third is a reference to contemporary internet memes, specifically [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/cats cat pictures] and [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yolo YOLO].

The title text is a reference to recent revelations about spying by the United States {{w|National Security Agency}}, which was making headlines when this comic was published. While it might have seemed like an advantage at the time, in a modern context this aspect of the internet appears disturbing.

===The inventions in detail===
Several of the inventions presented by Douglas in 1968 were years ahead of their time, and many would prove to be very influential in the development of personal computing. Some of the technologies demonstrated found success in the following decades, while others did not.

Although the following technologies were shown in the demo, Munroe's text does not follow [https://dougengelbart.org/pubs/video/fjcc68/Englebart's-1968-Transcription.html a transcript].

'''Cathode ray tube'''
:The German physicist {{w|Ferdinand Braun}} invented the {{w|Cathode ray tube}}, or CRT, in 1897. The Russian scientist {{w|Boris Rosing}} was the first to use the CRT to receive a video signal. CRT was the most common technology used for television screens and computer monitors in the last century, but has since been succeeded by modern devices such as {{w|OLED}}, {{w|plasma display}}, or the ubiquitous {{w|LCD}}. In the demo, Douglas used CRT monitors to demonstrate video conferencing, as well as collaborative real-time editing.
'''Computer mouse'''
:Douglas did refer to this device as a "mouse", but officially it was named the "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System". He filed a [http://www.google.com/patents/US3541541?printsec=drawing#v=onepage&q&f=false patent] for this device on June 21, 1967 and received the patent on November 17, 1970. The demo transcript records that Douglas stated: "I don’t know why we call it a mouse...it started that way and we never did change it."
'''Text movement/cloning'''
:This is well known today as "cut, copy and paste". On some early text-based systems, the user moved the cursor to the beginning of the text to be copied, typed <CTRL>+K+B , and then moved the cursor to the end of the copied text and typed <CTRL>+K+E. At the demo, Douglas demonstrated that the same task could be accomplished with the mouse.
:Today, people do not have to use keyboard commands for cut, copy and paste, and instead use the mouse or touchscreen gestures, which may be even more convenient for image cutting, copying and/or pasting). But the modern versions of these keystrokes (e.g. shift-cursor highlighting/positioning and then using the Ctrl key, or commonly the ⌘ 'command' key on Apple systems, together with X/C/V for cut/copy/paste) are still considered a useful baseline method, or notable by their absence.
'''Joint file editing'''
:Text editors were in the nascent stage of their development in 1968. Douglas demonstrated the first text editor capable of "joint file editing". The first successful system to implement joint file editing came 15 years later, when {{w|Concurrent Versions System|CVS}} was made available in the middle of the 1980's.
'''E-mail'''
:Although not referred to as e-mail, Douglas demonstrated the exchange of "direct messages", which fulfills a similar role to modern e-mail. Nowadays, though, the name will be more familiar as the term for private messaging functions on social media.
'''File sharing'''
:The demo also demonstrated the exchange of files between users, paving the way for modern file sharing, and the associated legal and ethical debate.
'''Audio codec'''
:Douglas demonstrated a "masking codec" capable of coding and decoding an audio stream. This would eventually lead to the development of the wide variety of modern audio codecs, including the MP3 codec, which was produced by the {{w|Fraunhofer Society}}.

===Concepts that Douglas did not invent===
From the bottom of the second panel the comic exaggerates the idea that Douglas introduced the future to a hilarious and ridiculous level.

'''"Hallelujah"'''
:This song was first released by {{w|Leonard Cohen}} in 1984, sixteen years after Douglas's demo.
'''{{w|Image macro}}s'''
:A form of image with large text, typically block capitals in the font "Impact", superimposed over a photograph, typically for humorous effect.
'''{{w|LOLcats}}'''
:The most famous of the image macros, featuring cats.
'''YOLO'''
:As the fictional Douglas states, this is an acronym for "you only live once". The phrase has been around for at least a century, but was coined as an acronym around 2011, and became a popular catchphrase following its use in the rap song "The Motto" by rapper {{w|Drake (musician)|Drake}}.

==Transcript==
:San Francisco, December 9th, 1968:
:[A Cueball-like figure talking into a headset. The title of this comic indicates that he is Douglas Engelbart.]
:Douglas: ...We generated video signals with a cathode ray tube... We have a pointing device we call a "mouse"... I can "copy" text... ... and we have powerful joint file editing... underneath the file here we can exchange "direct messages"...

:[Douglas continues to narrate. Some music is playing.]
:Douglas: ...Users can share files... ... files which can encode audio samples, using our "masking codecs"... The file you're hearing now is one of my own compositions...
:Music: I heard there was a secret chord

:[Douglas continues to narrate.]
:Douglas: ...And you can superimpose text on the picture of the cat, like so... This cat is saying "YOLO", which stands for "You Only Live Once"...
:Douglas: ...Just a little acronym we thought up...

==Trivia==
*The full original video of the demo from December 9, 1968 is available at the [http://sloan.stanford.edu/MouseSite/1968Demo.html Stanford] website. The "Chord Key Set" can be found at Clip 13.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Tribute]]
[[Category:Version Control]]

1735: Fashion Police and Grammar Police

2025-10-13T02:56:23Z

2001:4450:813D:C800:5442:5CC9:5A5B:7B11:

{{comic
| number = 1735
| date = September 19, 2016
| title = Fashion Police and Grammar Police
| image = fashion_police_and_grammar_police.png
| titletext = <nowiki>* Mad about jorts</nowiki>
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, two groups of angry protesters are presented and labeled. They are ''most likely'' drawn side by side not because they're protesting in the same place, but to compare their similarities.

The left group represents the '''Fashion Police''' with [[Cueball]] holding a sign implying that {{w|Crocs}} are prohibited by showing Crocs shoe/sandal in a circle with a strike through it. Crocs are {{w|Clog|clogs}} made of foam. Crocs (and their imitators) have become fairly popular due to their low price, comfort, and ease of use, but are broadly considered {{w|Crocs#Fashion| unfashionable to wear in public}}. It is not the first time [[Randall]] mocks a special type of shoes, as previously, in [[1065: Shoes]], Randall was after shoes that ''has those creepy individual toes'' like {{w|Vibram FiveFingers}}. They will also never be a hit with the Fashion Police.{{Citation needed}}

The right group represents the '''Grammar Police''' with another Cueball holding a sign with the three homophones {{wiktionary|their|Their}} (belonging to them), {{wiktionary|they're|They're}} ("they are", contracted), and {{wiktionary|there|There}} (a location). These words are frequently confused for one another, due to their common usage and identical pronunciation, with one spelling then being used in a context meant for a different one and potentially provoking the Grammar Police to quickly intervene. See the [https://twitter.com/_grammar_ Grammar Police on Twitter] and {{w|Grammar Police|Linguistic prescription}}.

The two groups look similar, standing in similar poses, with Cueball holding a sign and [[Megan]] in the front line in both. Each group also has one member brandishing a sword, indicating the exaggerated level of intensity they feel about their respective causes.

Both types of people will correct, criticize, denigrate or mock those who fail to conform to their criteria for what is "correct". Fashion police oppose people wearing clothing that's mismatched, out of style/{{w|fashion}}, or simply "ugly" to them. Grammar police are "sticklers" for {{w|grammar}} rules and have an immediate negative reaction when someone uses non-standard grammar in a sentence. These two groups are generally seen as socially separate, and their goals appear very distinct, but the comic explains how the two groups are actually very similar. This is demonstrated by listing eight characteristics, plus one in the title text, common to both groups. See explanation in the [[#Table of individual items|table below]].

In the caption below the comic Randall notes that he had just realized that these are literally the same people because they both exhibit the listed traits.

It seems like a safe assumption that there are more grammar pedants (see title text of [[1652: Conditionals]]) than fashion police people who read xkcd, and it also would seem likely that many xkcd readers would dislike the Fashion Police. This comic may, therefore, be intended to point out to grammar pedants that their behavior is functionally similar to that of other people who they dislike. Ponytail also represented the grammar police in [[1576: I Could Care Less]], where Megan puts her in place after she polices her sentence; this thus shows what Randall thinks about such police work and supports the above assumption. In 1576: I Could Care Less, "literally" was also used in the title text.

Randall is, with regards to language, definitely one of those that can belong in this group: ''To seem cool and casual, pretend to ignore them while understanding them very well.''

The title is a ninth point to add to the list, with the asterisk in front representing one more bullet. See the last entry in the [[#Table of individual items|table below]] for more.

==Table of individual items==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Explanation of individual items in the list
!list item
!Explanation
|-
|Judgemental and Smug || Both groups tend to feel very comfortable in their own mastery of their particular field, and are frequently condescending to those who either lack their expertise, or are uninterested in meeting their standards.
|-
|Angry about something deeply arbitrary || Both grammar and fashion are, essentially, made-up human constructs.
|-
| Strong opinions backed by style guides || Grammar has ''{{w|The Elements of Style}}'', fashion has fashion magazines.
|-
| Appreciate that the way that you are interpreted <i>is</i> your responsibility || Whether or not you're interested in fashion or 'proper' grammar, how you dress and speak will impact how others perceive you, and often how they treat you. Whether this is fair or not, it is a reality, and each person is responsible for how they present themselves.
|-
| Understand that there's no way to "opt out" of sending messages by how you present yourself, and attempts to do so send strong messages of their own || As above, our dress and speech will be taken by others as sending messages about ourselves. Trying to ignore the rules of either grammar or fashion is, itself, a message, as it presents to the world that we refuse to live by this set of rules. Whether or not we're trying to convey that message, it is what will come across.
|-
|To seem cool and casual, pretend to ignore them while understanding them very well || People who appear to not understand the rules of either grammar or fashion will often be seen as ignorant or low-class. On the other hand, deliberately ignoring rules of either when it's clear that you've mastered them comes across as casual, since it's clear that you're choosing to play with the rules, rather than simply not knowing them.
|-
|Vindictive about things that are often uncomfortably transparent proxies for race or social class || This is probably the most impactful observation. Rules around fashion and grammar, being arbitrary, are generally set by the most powerful classes in any society, which often run along racial lines as well. As a result, the "proper" way to dress or speak generally remains associated with those classes. This association can be pragmatic, such as "fashionable" clothing being more expensive and hard for poor people to acquire, or it may simply be cultural, as 'proper' grammar is whatever's spoken in wealthy neighborhoods and schools, while language variants associated with poor people and minority groups is bluntly denounced as 'wrong', even if it has a fully consistent internal grammar. Similarly, fashions that are associated with poor and non-white social groups are broadly considered to be inappropriate, even if the reasons are arbitrary. As a result, such things become signifiers by which one can present oneself as being part of a social class. In America, it would be socially unacceptable to reject a job applicant because they grew up poor, and illegal to do so because of their race. However, rejecting an applicant for using 'improper' grammar, or for not wearing the right clothing or hairstyle, is standard practice. Randall identifies this fact as "uncomfortably transparent".

To be clear, it doesn't make one racist to dislike another's, or a group's, fashion choices or grammatical habits/rules.
|-
| Fun to cheer on until one of them disagrees with you|| As with any arbitrary set of rules, those that we're in agreement and comfortable with are easy to promote, and we may enjoy taking part in the condemnation of others. But that suddenly changes when we find ourselves on the outside, condemned for our own use of language or how we dress. At that point, the flaws of such groups become much harder to ignore.
|-
| Mad about jorts (Title text) || "{{w|Shorts#Jorts|Jorts}}" is a {{w|portmanteau}} for a pair of jeans that are made into shorts.

The fashion police would be mad about jorts for being unfashionable.

The grammar police would be mad about the word 'jorts' being an inappropriate portmanteau of jeans and shorts, and also for the fact that the sentence could be misinterpreted as if someone likes jorts, as in being "mad about" something in a positive way.

{{w|Sentence_clause_structure#Incomplete_sentence|Also a fragment}}, with no subject (properly it would be "I am mad about jorts" or "They are mad about jorts"). Randall has [[:Category:Portmanteau|often used]] portmanteaus as part of his jokes.

It is also possible that the Grammar police are indeed "mad about Jorts" in the positive sense, i.e Grammar Police love Jorts.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Beneath two headings to the left and right are shown two aggressive-looking groups of people with only the four people in the front clearly shown for each group. Behind them five other people can be seen, but they are drawn in grey and are only partially shown behind the first four, and legs from all five in each group can be seen along with some of their heads.]
:Left: Fashion Police
[From left to right, Hairy is holding one fist up to the left, Megan has her arms while crossed facing forward, a Cueball is holding a pole sign above his head with both hands facing a little to the left, displaying a single croc with a line through it and a circle around it, and another Cueball is holding a large stick to the right at head level. The person behind the rightmost Cueball has one fist raised, though not as high as Hairy.]
:Right: Grammar Police
[From left to right, Megan is holding both fists above her head to the left, a Cueball is holding a sign much like the Cueball in the Fashion Police, although he is facing to the right and his sign has "Their", "They're", and "There" written on top of each other, Ponytail has one fist raised, facing left, and a bald man wearing glasses is holding a sword in his left hand facing right while his right palm is raised face up.]

:[Below the two groups are eight points with bullets:]
:*Judgemental and smug
:*Angry about something deeply arbitrary
:*Strong opinions backed by style guides
:*Appreciate that the way that you are interpreted ''is'' your responsibility
:*Understand that there's no way to "opt out" of sending messages by how you present yourself, and attempts to do so send strong messages of their own
:*To seem cool and casual, pretend to ignore them while understanding them very well
:*Vindictive about things that are often uncomfortably transparent proxies for race or social class
:*Fun to cheer on until one of them disagrees with you

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I just realized these are literally the same people

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Portmanteau]]
[[Category:Pedantic]]