explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1267: Mess

2013-09-20T11:29:30Z

62.159.14.62: Created page with "I do this on purpose whenever people are likely to come over. I mostly clean my house except for a little thing and apologize for the mess. ~~~~"

I do this on purpose whenever people are likely to come over. I mostly clean my house except for a little thing and apologize for the mess. [[Special:Contributions/62.159.14.62|62.159.14.62]] 11:29, 20 September 2013 (UTC)

1239: Social Media

2013-07-17T12:44:52Z

62.159.14.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1239
| date = July 17,2013
| title = Social Media
| image = social_media.png
| titletext = The social media reaction to this asteroid announcement has been sharply negative.Care to respond?
}}

==Explanation==
This parodies how media focuses on social networking. Specifically in the case of revolutions, social media currently are give a lot of weight in countries with limited internet access. A direct parallel is made to the so called Twitter revolution. Obviously, twitter comments don't change the orbit of an asteroid.

People who are not on social media tend to react like Cueball, twitter really makes press coverage more stupid.

The title text continues the joke, negativity on twitter concerning an earth bound asteroid has nothing to do with twitter but rather with the negativity of wiping out life on earth in general. Again, undue weight is given to social media.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball at a press conference]
:Cueball: NASA has confirmed that the asteroid is heading directly for us.
:Cueball: ...Yes, a question?

:Audience member 1: What role has social media played in this asteroid's orbit?

:Cueball: *''sigh''*

:Audience member 1: Has twitter changed the way we respond to asteroid threats?
:Cueball: Well, it's made the press conference questions stupider.
:Audience member 2: Fascinating!
:Audience member 3: What about Facebook?

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1179: ISO 8601

2013-02-27T12:58:47Z

62.159.14.62:

Apparently there are some mistakes in the Roman numerals in the comic, the year MMXII is 2012. Also LVII/CCLXV = 57/265, whereas February 27th is the 58th day of the year (which has 365 days). --[[User:Ulm|ulm]] ([[User talk:Ulm|talk]]) 07:55, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
:Another error: Obviously 1330300800 is intended to be Unix time, but it corresponds to 2012-02-27 00:00:00 UTC. --[[User:Ulm|ulm]] ([[User talk:Ulm|talk]]) 08:10, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Can anyone explain 01237 (last interpretation before the cat)? Thanks [[Special:Contributions/68.230.38.154|68.230.38.154]] 08:04, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
:The small numbers above and below the larger ones show which digit is used where. For example, the 2nd and 5th digit is a 0, the 3rd digit is a 1 etc. [[Special:Contributions/82.115.151.1|82.115.151.1]] 08:15, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
:01237 are the digits used in the date, and the numbers above and below them reflect the order in which they are written; 0 is the second and fifth digit, 1 is the third digit, 2 is the first, sixth and seventh digit, 3 is the fourth digit, and 7 is the eighth digit: 20130227 [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 08:15, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Someone can explain me what means: ((3+3)×(111+1)-1)×3/3-1/33? {{unsigned|95.23.147.48}}
:Read the comic explanation. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:58, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

A strange thing is that he forgot the form mostly used in Europe: 27.01.2013. --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 12:44, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
:: That form is mostly used in Germany. Belgium and France use 27/01/2013 more, Netherlands use 27-01-2013. No idea what the UK prefers although I could imagine 01.27.2013.[[Special:Contributions/62.159.14.62|62.159.14.62]] 12:58, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1027: Pickup Artist

2013-01-22T15:55:39Z

62.159.14.62:

{{w|Penny Arcade (webcomic)|Penny Arcade}} had a fascinating exchange on this subject a while back: http://www.penny-arcade.com/2009/08/10 - start in the last paragraph of the first post, and note that until "Follow up" the argument is mostly feigned. Especially read the two long posts at the end.

The biggest message I got out of it is that "pickup artistry" to many awkward people (aka nerds) is actually "learning how to fit in better socially and get over crippling anxiety when talking to women, or even in social situations generally." Negging, then, is not "lowering women's self-esteem to sleep with them", but is engaging in the gentle teasing and joking around that occurs between friends - the "diet" example Randall proposes is a terrible one. In that way you're acting less like you're treating your social partner as some untouchable object of worship (which most of us would agree is creepy as hell). It's very hard for those without any sort of crippling social anxiety to imagine trying to be socially active under those circumstances. Is it sad that "normal" comfort level and social graces didn't develop naturally, such that some nerds have to "learn" these things? Perhaps. Does that mean we should shame all nerds for trying to fit in, labeling them "dehumanizing creeps"? Yell at anyone with low self-esteem "HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE, LOSER!"? I hope not.

Of course there are jerks who will use this stuff for evil. Maybe more of them than the nerds, I have no idea. It's also possible these anxiety-fighting methods have better alternatives. Just another perspective I didn't know about until reading about it, which made me take Randall's one-sided, there-can-be-no-other-explanation comments on the subject with a grain of salt. But, still a funny strip, so whatevs. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 16:17, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

: I loved the strip because of throwing a bowling ball under a line of stalls (which isn't creepy nor dehumanizing?) but anyhow... I agree with you. I used to be virtually unable to talk to women, let alone flirt. I used pickup tips to break out of my shell and learn how to be a sociable person. Today, most new people I meet can't believe I used to be that shy, I actually had my best friend talk bad about me to my girlfriend who couldn't believe that at all. Guess what ... she loves me for being a good and honest person. The only thing pickup learned me was to show my honest and good side to other people in a normal, non creepy way.
: That being said. It is insulting that an otherwise smart person like Randall couldn't see the different aspects of pickup and rather just go with the popular "creep" definition. Then again, Baret Guy is just a cliche asshole. Maybe that's the lesson, neither pickup artists nor assholes are good choices for women. [[Special:Contributions/62.159.14.62|62.159.14.62]] 15:55, 22 January 2013 (UTC)

1134: Logic Boat

2012-11-15T11:46:35Z

62.159.14.62: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1134
| date = November 14, 2012
| title = Logic Boat
| image = logic boat.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Or a cabbage, for that matter. Goats make sense. Goats are fine.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic is a play on the {{w|Fox, goose and bag of beans puzzle|well-known logic puzzle}} where a fictional subject has to ferry three objects in a vehicle of limited capacity. Puzzle rules prohibit leaving certain pairs of objects alone unattended. The traditional solution to the puzzle in the comic would be:

#Take goat across.
#Go back alone.
#Take cabbage across.
#Take back goat.
#Take wolf across.
#Go back alone.
#Take goat across.

By leaving the wolf behind, three steps are saved and the troublesome wolf is eliminated from the picture.
It is also a jab on the idea that logic puzzles have one pre-defined solution. The goal is often to keep the other person guessing until they arrive at the pre-defined solution, no matter how many other correct solution he arrives at. The shown solution is entirely valid yet wouldn't be accepted by someone telling you the puzzle.

The title text goes further, questioning the value of keeping the cabbage as well.

==Transcript==
:Problem:
:[Two islands are on either side of the screen. Cueball is standing on the left island with a wolf, goat, cabbage and boat. The islands are separated by a body of water.]
:The boat only holds two, but you can't leave the goat with the cabbage or the wolf with the goat.

:Solution:
:[Cueball in a boat with the goat]
:1. Take the goat accross.

:[Cueball in the boat alone]
:2. Return alone.

:[Cueball in the boat with the cabbage]
:3. Take the cabbage across.

:[Boat is tethered and Cueball walks away with the goat and cabbage.
:4. Leave the wolf.
:Why did you have a wolf?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

1112: Think Logically

2012-09-25T12:23:55Z

62.159.14.62: /* Explanation */ Fool's mate is only possible because of deliberate stupidity on black's part by moving the f and g pawns, which would not have sparked a Knight comment. He must have used a knight but incorrectly (it didn't save him as it should)

{{comic
| number = 1112
| date = September 24, 2012
| title = Think Logically
| image = think_logically.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I've developed a more logical set of rules but the people on the chess community have a bunch of stupid emotional biases and won't reply to my posts.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Chess}} is a very old board game in which two players take turns moving one of their 16 pieces to try and checkmate the other player's king (one of the pieces). When one player is in a position to capture his or her opponent's king on their next move, and the opponent has no legal move available to avoid such capture, the opponent is said to be in "checkmate". This is considered to be the end of the game with a win for the first player; though chess etiquette suggests that a player facing inevitable checkmate ought to forfeit at that point.

The game, with origins around the 6th century, and with the modern rules being essentially set in the late 15th century, has a significant amount of history. The rules and traditions are well established. The knight is a piece that can only move in an L-shaped pattern (two squares in one direction, and one square perpendicular), but compensates by being able to jump over other pieces.

The comic highlights two mistakes players often make in chess: complete fixation on the king at the cost of their other pieces, and failure to take advantage of the knights movement patterns. At the same time this is a jab at the oversimplification people sometimes show when confronted with a topic they are not familiar with. Previously this was depicted in {{explain|675}} and {{explain|793}}. See also the {{w|Dunning–Kruger effect}}. The units in chess are widely agreed to be well-balanced, and Cueball's criticism of the knight shows an obvious lack of knowledge of the knight's potential.

Given the long history of chess, a significant amount of writing and research has been dedicated to the game and its strategies. This is inadvertently mocked by Cueball who naively suggests that it would be trivial to make a list of all situations in which a piece would move backwards (called a "retreat" in chess). Such a list, at least a partial list, certainly exists, as do lists of numerous other Chess moves and situations.

[[Cueball]]'s friend proceeds to demonstrate Cueball's lack of knowledge by beating him in four moves, which typically would only occur when a very experienced player plays a novice. The checkmate depicted is likely the {{w|Scholar's Mate}} and is the second shortest checkmate in Chess. Scholar's Mate is easily parried by moving the Knight to f6, the piece considered weak by Cueball.

Cueball, instead of admitting he underestimated the game, instead believes the failure to be on the part of the game itself. The title text indicates that Cueball attempted to suggest revisions to the rules of chess. Given that Cueball has no experience as a chess player, it is likely that many of the changes are illogical or ridiculous. In the face of hundreds of years of history, it is not surprising that the chess community is ignoring them. The chess community's ties to the traditions of the game and their refusal to accept Cueball's suggestions are written off by Cueball as "{{w|emotional bias}}" suggesting that his changes are logical, but that the community is letting their emotions cloud their rational decision making abilities.

The comic may also be a jab at competitive online games whose fans call for "buffs" (power additions) and "nerfs" (power reductions) to characters that they believe to be underpowered or overpowered, often with inadequate knowledge of those characters.

==Transcript==
:[Man wearing a hat is sitting down at a computer. Cueball is standing behind him.]
:Keyboard:''Move''
:Cueball: Why'd you move your knight away?

:[Man wearing hat turns around and rests his arm on his chair.]
:Cueball: Just think ''logically''. The goal is checkmate, so you should always move pieces ''toward'' the other player's king.

:[Closeup of Cueball.]
:Cueball: I guess occasionally you need to move backward, but it'd be trivial to make a list of those circumstances and -

:[Man wearing hat is leaning back in chair facing Cueball.]
:Man: Have you ever ''played'' chess?
:Cueball: Not much, but -
:Man: Wanna?
:Cueball: Uh, ok.

:[Man and Cueball playing chess.]
:Man: *Move*
:Cueball: *Move*
:Man: *Move*
:Cueball: *Move*
:Man: *Move*
:Cueball: *Move*
:Man: *Move* Checkmate.

:[Cueball standing and staring at the chess board.]

:[Man returns to his computer.]
:Cueball: This game isn't very well-designed. For starters, knights are too weak...

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

[[Category:Chess]]

1112: Think Logically

2012-09-25T12:16:50Z

62.159.14.62: /* Explanation */ the king is actually never captured. Capturing the king is an illegal move. Checkmate means being in check with no way to get out of check.

{{comic
| number = 1112
| date = September 24, 2012
| title = Think Logically
| image = think_logically.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I've developed a more logical set of rules but the people on the chess community have a bunch of stupid emotional biases and won't reply to my posts.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Chess}} is a very old board game in which two players take turns moving one of their 16 pieces to try and checkmate the other player's king (one of the pieces). When one player is in a position to capture his or her opponent's king on their next move, and the opponent has no legal move available to avoid such capture, the opponent is said to be in "checkmate". This is considered to be the end of the game with a win for the first player; though chess etiquette suggests that a player facing inevitable checkmate ought to forfeit at that point.

The game, with origins around the 6th century, and with the modern rules being essentially set in the late 15th century, has a significant amount of history. The rules and traditions are well established. The knight is a piece that can only move in an L-shaped pattern (two squares in one direction, and one square perpendicular), but compensates by being able to jump over other pieces.

The comic highlights two mistakes players often make in chess: complete fixation on the king at the cost of their other pieces, and failure to take advantage of the knights movement patterns. At the same time this is a jab at the oversimplification people sometimes show when confronted with a topic they are not familiar with. Previously this was depicted in {{explain|675}} and {{explain|793}}. See also the {{w|Dunning–Kruger effect}}. The units in chess are widely agreed to be well-balanced, and Cueball's criticism of the knight shows an obvious lack of knowledge of the knight's potential.

Given the long history of chess, a significant amount of writing and research has been dedicated to the game and its strategies. This is inadvertently mocked by Cueball who naively suggests that it would be trivial to make a list of all situations in which a piece would move backwards (called a "retreat" in chess). Such a list, at least a partial list, certainly exists, as do lists of numerous other Chess moves and situations.

[[Cueball]]'s friend proceeds to demonstrate Cueball's lack of knowledge by beating him in four moves, which typically would only occur when a very experienced player plays a novice. The checkmate depicted is likely the {{w|Scholar's Mate}} and is the second shortest checkmate in chess. However, it could be a variation of the {{w|Fool's Mate}} with White winning instead of Black.

Cueball, instead of admitting he underestimated the game, instead believes the failure to be on the part of the game itself. The title text indicates that Cueball attempted to suggest revisions to the rules of chess. Given that Cueball has no experience as a chess player, it is likely that many of the changes are illogical or ridiculous. In the face of hundreds of years of history, it is not surprising that the chess community is ignoring them. The chess community's ties to the traditions of the game and their refusal to accept Cueball's suggestions are written off by Cueball as "{{w|emotional bias}}" suggesting that his changes are logical, but that the community is letting their emotions cloud their rational decision making abilities.

The comic may also be a jab at competitive online games whose fans call for "buffs" (power additions) and "nerfs" (power reductions) to characters that they believe to be underpowered or overpowered, often with inadequate knowledge of those characters.

==Transcript==
:[Man wearing a hat is sitting down at a computer. Cueball is standing behind him.]
:Keyboard:''Move''
:Cueball: Why'd you move your knight away?

:[Man wearing hat turns around and rests his arm on his chair.]
:Cueball: Just think ''logically''. The goal is checkmate, so you should always move pieces ''toward'' the other player's king.

:[Closeup of Cueball.]
:Cueball: I guess occasionally you need to move backward, but it'd be trivial to make a list of those circumstances and -

:[Man wearing hat is leaning back in chair facing Cueball.]
:Man: Have you ever ''played'' chess?
:Cueball: Not much, but -
:Man: Wanna?
:Cueball: Uh, ok.

:[Man and Cueball playing chess.]
:Man: *Move*
:Cueball: *Move*
:Man: *Move*
:Cueball: *Move*
:Man: *Move*
:Cueball: *Move*
:Man: *Move* Checkmate.

:[Cueball standing and staring at the chess board.]

:[Man returns to his computer.]
:Cueball: This game isn't very well-designed. For starters, knights are too weak...

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

[[Category:Chess]]