explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1243: Snare

2013-08-27T20:10:06Z

91.45.17.43: International

Incidentally, St. Louis is about 300 miles from Chicago, so the shaft would be 40 miles short.
:It depends on how large the giant ring is. 20 mile radius would put it adjacent. Also, "outside" Chicago is flexible.
:More importantly, [[Black Hat]] is such a jerk. He builds a freaking {{w|space elevator}} but only uses it for a particularly silly kind of evil. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 14:26, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

By the way, what is [[Black Hat]] sitting at? It looks like there is open laptop on desk, but he uses separate keyboard in a special shelf... --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 15:06, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:It's entirely possible that he has exactly that. My mother uses an ergonomic keyboard instead of the crappy, built-in one on the laptop. Her desk has a keyboard shelf, so that's where the ergonomic one goes. [[Special:Contributions/68.231.138.149|68.231.138.149]] 18:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

:I don't believe in ergonomic keyboards, but look at what laptops have instead of keyboard. I'm usually using standard keyboard instead of built-in one and I don't believe I'm alone. Also note that as a hacker, [[Black Hat]] probably needs lots of special symbols, which may be missing or on nonstandard positions on laptop keyboard (he is hacker, isn't he?). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:51, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
::Regardless of whether or not you believe in them, ergonomic keyboards exist. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 14:43, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

;Real giant ring observed over Chicago today.

A smoke ring from an exploded transformer.
I honestly think this could have inspired the comic.
[http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/1j2idy/the_power_went_out_in_my_whole_neighborhood_and/ on reddit]
[http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/Power-Outage-in-College-Station--217039531.html on the news]
[[Special:Contributions/92.204.27.3|92.204.27.3]] 11:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Funny, I immediately flashed on the world's largest electromagnet, delivered today to the Fermilab facility in Batavia IL, which is just outside Chicago: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/07/26/massive-electromagnet-completes-arduous-trip-to-fermilab/ [[User:Gardnertoo|Gardnertoo]] ([[User talk:Gardnertoo|talk]]) 20:15, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

If he would like to catch one of the other space stations he would probably not say he wants to catch an <b>international</b> station, because they are only national projects.

Talk:1240: Quantum Mechanics

2013-08-27T00:23:53Z

91.45.17.43: Einstein

To me, it's not about "probably wrong" it's about irrelevant. QM itself says nothing about anything but quantum (particle component) probable vector(s).
Recent success of Bayesian probability in these regards implies more about lack of "common sense" understanding or meaning, than about subjectivity of universe (as if there was a difference?).
QM is not really knowledge in itself, it's just illuminating math (in a very limited realm).
not wrong, just fuzzy [[User:Monteletourneau|Monteletourneau]] ([[User talk:Monteletourneau|talk]]) 05:39, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Who is CueBall talking to? It is not Meg, unless she dyed her hair. [[Special:Contributions/65.215.93.238|65.215.93.238]]
:[[Ponytail]] --[[Special:Contributions/92.230.59.41|92.230.59.41]] 14:33, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Are "almost" against common sense? I see you don't know much about quantum mechanics. In quantum mechanics, common sense is about as usefull as in {{w|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice's Wonderland}}. Possibly less. And that bit about {{w|Quantum tunnelling|going through the wall}} is used in {{w|Flash_memory#NAND_flash|Flash memories}}. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 14:36, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
:Sure. You can see that people do not understand anything about something because you think you know a lot about that something. WRONG! I know exactly what I was talking about and "almost" was a word that I did not chose lightly.[[User:Claudionico|cinico]] ([[User talk:Claudionico|talk]]) 13:48, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
It applies to us all - the more you think you know the more wrong you are, the more you actually know, the less right you think you are.
[[User:Monteletourneau|Monteletourneau]] ([[User talk:Monteletourneau|talk]]) 05:39, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

"You can safely ignore any sentence that includes the phrase 'according to quantum mechanics'" Including, of course, that one. [[User:Tbrosz|Tbrosz]] ([[User talk:Tbrosz|talk]]) 16:13, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

awe some
[[User:Monteletourneau|Monteletourneau]] ([[User talk:Monteletourneau|talk]]) 05:39, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

"Albert Einstein being famously ''wrong''", isn't that a bit subjective? Although there is little evidence supporting the hidden variable theory, it is not out of the question to consider it, Einstein might've been right you know. --[[Special:Contributions/79.160.93.211|79.160.93.211]] 21:02, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
:Einstein was not ''wrong'', he just was searching to unify relativity mechanics with quantum mechanics. That sentence "God does not play dice" is often misunderstood and in wrong context here. I did remove it.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:27, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
::I don't know about ANY evidence supporting {{w|Hidden variable theory}}, on the other hand I heard that {{w|Bell's_theorem|Bell inequalities}} were experimentally tested and results are against Einstein. Wikipedia itself states that "Most advocates of the hidden variables idea ... are ready to give up locality". Einstein {{w|Principle_of_locality|assumed that the principle of locality was necessary, and that there could be no violations of it}}. Are you seriously saying that someone managed to put their subjective position into that many articles on wikipedia? ; The point of "wrong content" may be more valid, especially considering that Einstein probably was able to understand quantum mechanics, just didn't believe it. It would be very interresting what he would say about the issue if he wouldn't died 9 years before the Bell inequalities were formulated. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:21, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

I recall hearing an argument along these lines... Something about the "fact" that a dog observing a quantum wave form will cause it to collapse, thus the observer is "conscious", and thus has a "soul". How exactly you explain all the misnomers in that set of assumptions, let alone test the hypothesis to begin with, I've no clue. Can we train monkeys to read particle detectors? And what consequence might this have for Schrodinger's poor cat? ;) [[Special:Contributions/99.42.81.32|99.42.81.32]] 06:46, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:I'm not sure how they managed to actually prove dogs can collapse quantum wave form, but I'm definitely sure that if dog can do that cat can too. Remember that {{w|Schrödinger's cat}} was THOUGH experiment, we don't know if someone really tried it (unless {{w|Cheshire Cat|Lewis Carol did}}). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:21, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Dog = soul, cat does not, it's proven all right!
Isn't it right there in the equation?
I thought S = soul???
Besides, the bible (NO the devil) tol' me so.
[[User:Monteletourneau|Monteletourneau]] ([[User talk:Monteletourneau|talk]]) 05:39, 1 August 2013 (UTC)

Is this not a reference to the Einstein quote that a mouse wouldn't change the universe by observing it? (In German: "Ich kann mir nicht denken, daß eine Maus das Universum verändert, dadurch, daß sie es betrachtet")

Talk:1253: Exoplanet Names

2013-08-26T23:54:28Z

91.45.17.43: Aleister Crowley

One of the planets is similar to the child in Exploits of a Mom (http://xkcd.com/327/)
Robert Drop Tables
[[Special:Contributions/90.200.204.77|90.200.204.77]] 12:12, 19 August 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, they've seemed to have learned to sanitize their data inputs or just stick to parameters. [[Special:Contributions/69.14.148.254|69.14.148.254]] 12:33, 19 August 2013 (UTC)
Hair covered planet might be a reference to the book The Carpet Makers{{unsigned ip|41.221.193.211}}

The Blogosphere and Blogodrome planets are cited as synonyms of "blog." I believe this is an error, in that blogosphere is synonymous with "the collection of all posted communication." I would change it myself, but I don't feel like I'm sufficiently expert to state with conviction.~Anthingy{{unsigned ip|76.105.133.220}}

I'm still missing the ''New Netherlands''... Lorenz [[Special:Contributions/142.244.63.246|142.244.63.246]] 15:34, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

Along with no ''New Netherlands'', I'm also disappointed to see ''Planet #14'' but no ''Planet 9 from Outer Space''. [[User:Ccurtis|Ccurtis]] ([[User talk:Ccurtis|talk]]) 16:04, 19 August 2013 (UTC)
:I'm sure my explain does cover this very well.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:04, 19 August 2013 (UTC)
::I don't understand your comment here. I was hoping for a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_9_from_Outer_Space Plan 9 From Outer Space], arguably one of the worst movies ever made and inspiration for the successor Unix operating system, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_9_from_Bell_Labs Plan 9]. [[User:Ccurtis|Ccurtis]] ([[User talk:Ccurtis|talk]]) 14:09, 23 August 2013 (UTC)

If memory serves, Stampy is the name of Bart Simpson's elephant. [[Special:Contributions/99.108.140.97|99.108.140.97]] 17:59, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

A* ("a star") is also a pathfinding algorithm taught in introductory Artificial Intelligence classes. I don't see the connection to the planet yet. [[User:Lastorset|Lastorset]] ([[User talk:Lastorset|talk]]) 22:19, 19 August 2013 (UTC)
:For the first, I did remove the corrupt wiki link. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:23, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

I just wonder where New Jerseys II through V are .... [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 03:24, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

'''Skydot''' could as easily be equivalent to the "Pale blue dot" that is Earth, from afar. '''New Jersey VI''' reminds me of the "New (New New New New .. New) New York" as visited in Doctor Who. '''help@gmail.com''' is either another bad input (as in "How Do I Join the IAU") or something more insidious. '''Moon Holder''' also reminds me of "Moon Watcher" from the (book of, at least) 2001: a Space Odyssey. '''Blainsley''' sounds to me like one of those portmanteau-names applied to a couple ("Blair-and-Ainsley"?). '''Unicorn Thresher''' could either be a random word string (I'd not have been surprisedto have seen "Correct Horse battery Staple" in the list) or ''perhaps'' something to do with the Invisible Pink Unicorn. '''Liz''' sounds like someone trying to get a planet named after their girlfriend or daughter or perhaps mother. [[Special:Contributions/178.104.103.140|178.104.103.140]] 11:39, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

:Anyone want an exoplanet named xkcd? {{unsigned ip|173.14.129.9}}

I was personally expecting a planet named "Gallifrey" or "Too expensive to get there, who cares?"{{unsigned ip|170.215.90.160}}

Maybe New Jersey VI is a reference to the Spaceship New Jersey from Bruce Covill's young adult "My Teacher Is An Alien" series?
-Jed [[Special:Contributions/70.208.76.161|70.208.76.161]] 00:47, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

I find it very meta that the line in the table explaining Cosmic Sands is formatted in Comic Sans, except for the reference to the Papyrus comic, which is written in Papyrus. I refer anyone interested to the discussion there about the propriety of that kind of self-referential cleverness, and I recognize that it sort of undermines the purpose of a wiki to do things therein that themselves require explanation... but I kinda like it. --Benny [[Special:Contributions/68.199.58.41|68.199.58.41]] 15:50, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

'''How Do I Join the IAU''' - instead of a lost user it very much resembles whinning of noobs in forums or in chat - "How Do I Get An Op?", "Please Mail It To Me" etc. '''Ballderaan''' might be a pun (if it's not actually there) on the Space Balls movie. --Ed [[Special:Contributions/217.31.207.1|217.31.207.1]] 14:04, 22 August 2013 (UTC)

permadeath might also be a play on permafrost. [[User:Peter|Peter]] ([[User talk:Peter|talk]]) 17:01, 22 August 2013 (UTC)

Is Moonchild not an Aleister Crowley reference?