3193: Sailing Rigs

2026-01-14T20:15:42Z

92.23.2.208: /* The Rigs */ Putting the images in the centre of their column of cells, which looks slightly better. (Several ways to do it, but I thought this one was better.)

{{comic
| number = 3193
| date = January 12, 2026
| title = Sailing Rigs
| image = sailing_rigs_2x.png
| imagesize = 508x822px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I wanted to make the world's fastest yawl, so I made the aft sail bigger, but apparently that means it's not a yawl anymore! It's a real ketch-22.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by the birds flying in my kite. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic shows the side profiles of a variety of different sailing boat/ship rigs, starting with six real ones, but then moving mostly into ones imagined by [[Randall]], with varying levels of absurdity. The [[#The Rigs|table below]] explains each type depicted.

The title text is a pun on {{w|Catch-22 (logic)|Catch-22}}, which is a term (taken from the novel of the same name) for a situation where success is impossible because it requires meeting contradictory conditions. For example, in the novel, the term was used by military pilots who qualified to be released from combat duty, but were ordered to fly additional missions, and were told that disobeying those orders was grounds to have their releases revoked, which would require them to fly additional missions anyway.

Per the main panel, a ketch is similar to a yawl but has a larger aft sail, so increasing the aft sail of a yawl effectively turns the yawl into a ketch, effectively making it impossible to build a faster yawl. However, this is not technically true, as the distinction between a {{w|yawl}} and {{w|ketch}} is based on whether the aft sail is mounted forward or aft of the rudder post (although a yawl with a large aft sail may be difficult to control).{{actual citation needed}}

==The Rigs==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Type
!Image
!Real?
!Description 
!Explanation 
|-
|{{w|Lateen}}
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Lateen.png|x75px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A single triangular sail.
|The triangular sail is affixed to a long yard or crossbar, mounted at its middle to the top of the mast and angled to extend aft far above the mast and forward down nearly to the deck. The sail, its free corner secured near the stern, is capable of taking the wind on either side, and, by enabling the vessel to tack into the wind, the [https://www.britannica.com/technology/lateen-sail lateen] immensely increases the potential of the sailing ship. 
|-
|{{W|Bermuda rig|Bermuda rigged sloop}}
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Bermuda.png|x86px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A front and rear triangular sail share a mast.
|A {{w|sloop}} has one mast, typically with two sails mounted on the mast, one ahead and one behind.
|-
|{{w|Ketch}}
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Ketch.png|x101px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A sailboat with two masts, where the main mast is taller than the mizzen (or aft mast), and the mizzen is forward of the rudder post
|Similar to a yawl
|-
|{{w|Gaff rig|Gaff rigged sloop}}
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Gaff Sloop.png|x87px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A front triangular sail shares a mast with a rear quadrilateral sail.
|A sloop is a sailboat with one mast, typically with two sails mounted on it — one ahead and one behind. A [https://nauticalknowhow.mysailingcourse.com/glossary/gaff-rig/ gaff rig] is a sailing rig where one sail is four-sided and controlled by a spar (the gaff) at its top, which is hoisted at an angle to the mast.
|-
|{{w|Yawl}}
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Yawl.png|x100px]]
|{{Yes}}
|Two triangular sails share a front mast, and a much smaller aft mast holds a small aft sail.
|A yawl is sailboat with two masts, where the main mast has two sails (one in front of the mast and one behind, known as {{w|Fore-and-aft rig|fore-and-aft rigging}}, and the mizzen mast is mounted aft of the rudder post, leading the mizzen sail to typically be small. Similar to a ketch.
|-
|{{w|Schooner}}
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Schooner.png|x102px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A sailboat with two or more masts, where all have {{w|Fore-and-aft rig|fore-and-aft rigging}}, and where the foremast is typically smaller than the main mast
|-
|Ketch-rigged gaff
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Ketch Gaff.png|x98px]]
|{{No}}
|Resembles a gaff, with the aft sail reduced and two triangular sails mounted above. The resulting shape resembles a vertical ketch.
|The first fictional rig. It might be capable of functioning like a sloop, but its rigging would be more complicated and it is likely less efficient at catching the wind.
|-
|Kloop-rigged sketch
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Kloop.png|x100px]]
|{{No}}
|Four or five sails mounted in a nonsensical configuration, with elements from the schooner, ketch, and gaff
| A mixture of the names of {{w|ketch}} and {{w|sloop}}, poking fun at the unfamiliar and odd-sounding names of some rigs. Adding to the absurdity, the kloop-rigged sketch is neither a sloop nor a ketch. However it is technically a {{w|Sketch (drawing)|sketch}}, as "sketch" can mean "drawing"
|-
|Bunkbed rig
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 100% more boat.png|x118px]]
|{{No}}
|A gaff-rigged sloop mounted on top of a second hull.
|The name refers to a {{w|bunkbed}}, where one bed is mounted directly above another. Bunk-style sleeping arrangements are sometimes used on boats for reasons of space efficiency. It applies this idea to the whole ship, mounting one hull directly above another. While {{w|Multihull|boats with multiple hulls}} do exist, these are commonly mounted side-by-side to guarantee stability. Mounting one hull above another, however, is a design aspect used in the '{{w|small-waterplane-area twin hull}}' concept, usually ''along with'' side-by-side multihulling. It's possible that this 'bunk hulled' design normally floats with the upper hull astride the water-level, though needing a greater depth of water for the 'keel hull', but that {{w|hydrofoil|at speed}} (and/or by carefully pumping ballast water out of the two hulls, and increasing overall buoyancy) it can rise up to present only the thin connectors to the sea surface. Though the stability of such a system, in an otherwise singular bunk-hull, would seem to be a problem when running with any amount of side-wind, {{w|Foilboard|in principle}} it seems more than managable with the right design and use.
Notably, this ship's ''rigging'' is mundane; the connection between hulls seems to be structural. It may be more accurate to refer to it as a bunkbed ''hull''.
|-
|Flettner rig
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Flettner.png|x94px]]
|{{Yes}}, though not typically called a rig
|The rectangular outline of a cylinder with motion lines around it, indicating a {{w|Flettner rotor}}
|A Flettner rotor is a right circular cylinder with disc end plates which is spun along its long axis. As air passes across it the {{w|Magnus effect}} causes an aerodynamic lift force to be generated in the direction perpendicular to both the long axis and the direction of airflow. In a {{w|rotor ship}}, the rotors stand vertically and lift is generated at right angles to the wind, to drive the ship forwards.

Flettner rotors were previously mentioned in [[3119]]
|-
|Oops, all spinnakers
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Spinnakers.png|x78px]]
|{{No}}
|Three masts each with a sail billowing in front
|A {{w|spinnaker}} is a real type of sail, where a boat is propelled by a large sail directly pulled by the wind, similar in principle to a parachute. However, "Oops, all spinnakers" is not real, as spinnakers are only practical for smaller craft, and if multiple spinnakers are mounted in a row the earlier ones may disrupt the airflow to the later ones. It does not appear that there are any real boats propelled by more than one spinnaker.
The name of the rig is a reference to the {{w|Cap'n Crunch}} cereal type that became a meme, [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/oops-all-berries-box-parodies ''Oops! All Berries''], which has also been referenced in [[2256]] and [[2719]].
|-
|Keel rig
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Keel.png|x98px]]
|{{No}}
|Three sails in a ketch arrangement, but mounted to the keel, which would typically put the ''sails underwater''.
|The book {{w|Heaven (Stewart and Cohen novel)|''Heaven''}}, by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, features an aquatic protagonist who is introduced as sailing a surface craft with underwater 'sails' (and above-water 'keel'), due to the switched nature of his usual environment.
|-
|Kite rig
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Kite.png|x109px]]
|{{Maybe|Kind of}}
|All sails are replaced by two groups of kites, each tied to the mast with their own independent line.
|A {{w|kite rig}} is a real thing, where a kite is deployed from a boat or ship to catch the wind and pull the vessel along. This rigging is used in various types of vessel, most commonly {{w|kite surfing}}, but occasionally other vessels too, up to [https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/30/travel/airseas-giant-kites-ships-slash-carbon-emissions-scn-climate-spc trials with cargo ships].
However, the real kite riggings typically use one large kite optimised for catching the wind, rather than many small kites optimised for flying (as depicted) which would likely get tangled and not pull much on the ship.
|-
|Longsail rig
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Longsail.png|x93px]]
|{{No}}
|A Bermuda rigged sloop with the aft sail extending ~5 times as far back, well beyond the end of the hull.
|While not technically impossible, such a long sail would likely be susceptible to damage from the wind, as well as potentially making it hard to control the boat.
This design could be a reference to "{{w|Cargo bike#Longtail bicycle|long-tail bikes}}", a type of cargo bicycle useful for hauling heavy or voluminous charges at the cost of higher weight and reduced manoeuvrability.
|-
|Deckhand obliterator
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Deckhand Obliterator.png|x86px]]
|{{No}}
|All sails replaced by an anchor that swings from the mast on a chain.
|Any deckhands (crew) on the deck could be knocked off or fatally hurt if the anchor passes through their space. While most captains would consider this counterproductive, it might be effective at its stated purpose.
There is a risk that the anchor might damage the mast in a collision or get wrapped around it. It would be of little use as far as propulsion is concerned.
|-
|Offset rig
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Offset.png|x108px]]
|{{No}}
|Gaff rigged sloop sails are mounted on a mast that is offset (forward) from the hull via an underwater extension of the keel.
|The extreme mechanical advantage of the sail, potentially combined with the uneven weight, would make this rigging hard if not impossible to control. 
There are in fact [https://junkrigassociation.org/technical_forum/470838 sail configurations] called [https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/gaffs-balanced-lugs-hoyt-offset-rig-etc.53504/ offset rigs] but they aren't like the one shown here.
|-
|Mastless rig
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Mastless.png|x59px]]
|{{Maybe|Kind of}}
|A single sail is attached directly to the hull of the boat, without any mast to give it form.
|As depicted, the sail would provide little to no useful propulsion, as it would not be high enough to effectively catch the wind, and would, in any case, flap unpredictably.
However, ships do exist without masts, such as ships not powered by wind or, more rarely, inflatable sails (e.g. [http://inflatedwingsails.com/en/concept/ this concept]), which use air, rather than a mast, for rigidity. While not intentional, it is conceivable that the drawing depicts an inflatable sail in its deflated state.
|-
|Unclassifiable chaos rig
|style="text-align:center;"|[[File:3193 Unclassifiable Chaos.png|x86px]]
|{{Maybe|Arguably}}
|Includes elements of the schooner, yawl, lateen, and possibly others, including a sail mounted in an unusual position beneath the prow.
|While this specific rig is almost certainly fictional, there are many ways to rig a ship, some of which are chaotic and difficult to classify.
|}

==Transcript==
:[The comic shows five rows of silhouettes of different sail boats as seen from the side. In total 18 different boats are shown, three rows with four each and three in each of the two bottom rows. Each boat has a different sailing rig. All boats are oriented to the left of the comic, and beneath each boat there is a label. At the top of the panel there is a large heading:]
:<big>Common Sailing Rigs</big>

:[Here follows a list of the 18 boats with a description and then their label:]

:[A single triangular sail.]
:Lateen

:[A front and rear triangular sail share a mast.]
:Bermuda rigged sloop

:[Two triangular sails as above, with an additional triangular sail on a second rear mast.]
:Ketch

:[Front triangular sail shares mast with rear quadrilateral sail.]
:Gaff rigged sloop

:[Two triangular sails share front mast and a much smaller aft mast holds a small aft.]
:Yawl

:[Two triangular front sails share forward mast with quadrilateral center sail. An aft mast supports a quadrilateral aft sail.]
:Schooner

:[Resembles a gaff, with the aft sail reduced and two triangular sails mounted above. The resulting shape resembles a vertical ketch.]
:Ketch-rigged gaff

:[Includes elements of ketch and sloop.]
:Kloop-rigged sketch

:[A gaff-rigged sloop is mounted on top of a second hull.]
:Bunkbed rig

:[The rectangular outline of a cylinder with motion lines around it.]
:Flettner rig

:[Three masts each with a sail only attached to the top.]
:Oops, all spinnakers

:[Three sails in a ketch arrangement, but mounted to the keel.]
:Keel rig

:[All sails are replaced by two groups of kites, each tied to the mast with an independent line.]
:Kite rig

:[Bermuda rigged sloop with the aft sail extending ~5 times as far back, well beyond the end of the hull.]
:Longsail rig

:[All sails replaced by an anchor that swings around the mast on a chain, similar to tetherball.]
:Deckhand obliterator

:[Gaff rigged sloop sails are mounted on a mast that is offset (forward) from the hull via an underwater extension of the keel.]
:Offset rig

:[A single sail is attached where the mast would normally be mounted, flapping around freely.]
:Mastless rig

:[Includes elements of the schooner, yawl, lateen, and possibly others.]
:Unclassifiable chaos rig

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Sailboats]]
[[Category:Kites]]
[[Category:Puns]]

3193: Sailing Rigs

2026-01-14T20:06:18Z

92.23.2.208: /* The Rigs */ Defining by original image size (height only) *halved*. If you think it should be bigger (or smaller) then you only need to rescale one dimension (some were odd numbers, halved then rounded down!). But these look about the right size...

{{comic
| number = 3193
| date = January 12, 2026
| title = Sailing Rigs
| image = sailing_rigs_2x.png
| imagesize = 508x822px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I wanted to make the world's fastest yawl, so I made the aft sail bigger, but apparently that means it's not a yawl anymore! It's a real ketch-22.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by the birds flying in my kite. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic shows the side profiles of a variety of different sailing boat/ship rigs, starting with six real ones, but then moving mostly into ones imagined by [[Randall]], with varying levels of absurdity. The [[#The Rigs|table below]] explains each type depicted.

The title text is a pun on {{w|Catch-22 (logic)|Catch-22}}, which is a term (taken from the novel of the same name) for a situation where success is impossible because it requires meeting contradictory conditions. For example, in the novel, the term was used by military pilots who qualified to be released from combat duty, but were ordered to fly additional missions, and were told that disobeying those orders was grounds to have their releases revoked, which would require them to fly additional missions anyway.

Per the main panel, a ketch is similar to a yawl but has a larger aft sail, so increasing the aft sail of a yawl effectively turns the yawl into a ketch, effectively making it impossible to build a faster yawl. However, this is not technically true, as the distinction between a {{w|yawl}} and {{w|ketch}} is based on whether the aft sail is mounted forward or aft of the rudder post (although a yawl with a large aft sail may be difficult to control).{{actual citation needed}}

==The Rigs==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Type
!Image
!Real?
!Description 
!Explanation 
|-
|{{w|Lateen}}
|[[File:3193 Lateen.png|x75px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A single triangular sail.
|The triangular sail is affixed to a long yard or crossbar, mounted at its middle to the top of the mast and angled to extend aft far above the mast and forward down nearly to the deck. The sail, its free corner secured near the stern, is capable of taking the wind on either side, and, by enabling the vessel to tack into the wind, the [https://www.britannica.com/technology/lateen-sail lateen] immensely increases the potential of the sailing ship. 
|-
|{{W|Bermuda rig|Bermuda rigged sloop}}
|[[File:3193 Bermuda.png|x86px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A front and rear triangular sail share a mast.
|A {{w|sloop}} has one mast, typically with two sails mounted on the mast, one ahead and one behind.
|-
|{{w|Ketch}}
|[[File:3193 Ketch.png|x101px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A sailboat with two masts, where the main mast is taller than the mizzen (or aft mast), and the mizzen is forward of the rudder post
|Similar to a yawl
|-
|{{w|Gaff rig|Gaff rigged sloop}}
|[[File:3193 Gaff Sloop.png|x87px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A front triangular sail shares a mast with a rear quadrilateral sail.
|A sloop is a sailboat with one mast, typically with two sails mounted on it — one ahead and one behind. A [https://nauticalknowhow.mysailingcourse.com/glossary/gaff-rig/ gaff rig] is a sailing rig where one sail is four-sided and controlled by a spar (the gaff) at its top, which is hoisted at an angle to the mast.
|-
|{{w|Yawl}}
|[[File:3193 Yawl.png|x100px]]
|{{Yes}}
|Two triangular sails share a front mast, and a much smaller aft mast holds a small aft sail.
|A yawl is sailboat with two masts, where the main mast has two sails (one in front of the mast and one behind, known as {{w|Fore-and-aft rig|fore-and-aft rigging}}, and the mizzen mast is mounted aft of the rudder post, leading the mizzen sail to typically be small. Similar to a ketch.
|-
|{{w|Schooner}}
||[[File:3193 Schooner.png|x102px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A sailboat with two or more masts, where all have {{w|Fore-and-aft rig|fore-and-aft rigging}}, and where the foremast is typically smaller than the main mast
|-
|Ketch-rigged gaff
|[[File:3193 Ketch Gaff.png|x98px]]
|{{No}}
|Resembles a gaff, with the aft sail reduced and two triangular sails mounted above. The resulting shape resembles a vertical ketch.
|The first fictional rig. It might be capable of functioning like a sloop, but its rigging would be more complicated and it is likely less efficient at catching the wind.
|-
|Kloop-rigged sketch
|[[File:3193 Kloop.png|x100px]]
|{{No}}
|Four or five sails mounted in a nonsensical configuration, with elements from the schooner, ketch, and gaff
| A mixture of the names of {{w|ketch}} and {{w|sloop}}, poking fun at the unfamiliar and odd-sounding names of some rigs. Adding to the absurdity, the kloop-rigged sketch is neither a sloop nor a ketch. However it is technically a {{w|Sketch (drawing)|sketch}}, as "sketch" can mean "drawing"
|-
|Bunkbed rig
|[[File:3193 100% more boat.png|x118px]]
|{{No}}
|A gaff-rigged sloop mounted on top of a second hull.
|The name refers to a {{w|bunkbed}}, where one bed is mounted directly above another. Bunk-style sleeping arrangements are sometimes used on boats for reasons of space efficiency. It applies this idea to the whole ship, mounting one hull directly above another. While {{w|Multihull|boats with multiple hulls}} do exist, these are commonly mounted side-by-side to guarantee stability. Mounting one hull above another, however, is a design aspect used in the '{{w|small-waterplane-area twin hull}}' concept, usually ''along with'' side-by-side multihulling. It's possible that this 'bunk hulled' design normally floats with the upper hull astride the water-level, though needing a greater depth of water for the 'keel hull', but that {{w|hydrofoil|at speed}} (and/or by carefully pumping ballast water out of the two hulls, and increasing overall buoyancy) it can rise up to present only the thin connectors to the sea surface. Though the stability of such a system, in an otherwise singular bunk-hull, would seem to be a problem when running with any amount of side-wind, {{w|Foilboard|in principle}} it seems more than managable with the right design and use.
Notably, this ship's ''rigging'' is mundane; the connection between hulls seems to be structural. It may be more accurate to refer to it as a bunkbed ''hull''.
|-
|Flettner rig
|[[File:3193 Flettner.png|x94px]]
|{{Yes}}, though not typically called a rig
|The rectangular outline of a cylinder with motion lines around it, indicating a {{w|Flettner rotor}}
|A Flettner rotor is a right circular cylinder with disc end plates which is spun along its long axis. As air passes across it the {{w|Magnus effect}} causes an aerodynamic lift force to be generated in the direction perpendicular to both the long axis and the direction of airflow. In a {{w|rotor ship}}, the rotors stand vertically and lift is generated at right angles to the wind, to drive the ship forwards.

Flettner rotors were previously mentioned in [[3119]]
|-
|Oops, all spinnakers
|[[File:3193 Spinnakers.png|x78px]]
|{{No}}
|Three masts each with a sail billowing in front
|A {{w|spinnaker}} is a real type of sail, where a boat is propelled by a large sail directly pulled by the wind, similar in principle to a parachute. However, "Oops, all spinnakers" is not real, as spinnakers are only practical for smaller craft, and if multiple spinnakers are mounted in a row the earlier ones may disrupt the airflow to the later ones. It does not appear that there are any real boats propelled by more than one spinnaker.
The name of the rig is a reference to the {{w|Cap'n Crunch}} cereal type that became a meme, [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/oops-all-berries-box-parodies ''Oops! All Berries''], which has also been referenced in [[2256]] and [[2719]].
|-
|Keel rig
|[[File:3193 Keel.png|x98px]]
|{{No}}
|Three sails in a ketch arrangement, but mounted to the keel, which would typically put the ''sails underwater''.
|The book {{w|Heaven (Stewart and Cohen novel)|''Heaven''}}, by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, features an aquatic protagonist who is introduced as sailing a surface craft with underwater 'sails' (and above-water 'keel'), due to the switched nature of his usual environment.
|-
|Kite rig
|[[File:3193 Kite.png|x109px]]
|{{Maybe|Kind of}}
|All sails are replaced by two groups of kites, each tied to the mast with their own independent line.
|A {{w|kite rig}} is a real thing, where a kite is deployed from a boat or ship to catch the wind and pull the vessel along. This rigging is used in various types of vessel, most commonly {{w|kite surfing}}, but occasionally other vessels too, up to [https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/30/travel/airseas-giant-kites-ships-slash-carbon-emissions-scn-climate-spc trials with cargo ships].
However, the real kite riggings typically use one large kite optimised for catching the wind, rather than many small kites optimised for flying (as depicted) which would likely get tangled and not pull much on the ship.
|-
|Longsail rig
|[[File:3193 Longsail.png|x93px]]
|{{No}}
|A Bermuda rigged sloop with the aft sail extending ~5 times as far back, well beyond the end of the hull.
|While not technically impossible, such a long sail would likely be susceptible to damage from the wind, as well as potentially making it hard to control the boat.
This design could be a reference to "{{w|Cargo bike#Longtail bicycle|long-tail bikes}}", a type of cargo bicycle useful for hauling heavy or voluminous charges at the cost of higher weight and reduced manoeuvrability.
|-
|Deckhand obliterator
|[[File:3193 Deckhand Obliterator.png|x86px]]
|{{No}}
|All sails replaced by an anchor that swings from the mast on a chain.
|Any deckhands (crew) on the deck could be knocked off or fatally hurt if the anchor passes through their space. While most captains would consider this counterproductive, it might be effective at its stated purpose.
There is a risk that the anchor might damage the mast in a collision or get wrapped around it. It would be of little use as far as propulsion is concerned.
|-
|Offset rig
|[[File:3193 Offset.png|x108px]]
|{{No}}
|Gaff rigged sloop sails are mounted on a mast that is offset (forward) from the hull via an underwater extension of the keel.
|The extreme mechanical advantage of the sail, potentially combined with the uneven weight, would make this rigging hard if not impossible to control. 
There are in fact [https://junkrigassociation.org/technical_forum/470838 sail configurations] called [https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/gaffs-balanced-lugs-hoyt-offset-rig-etc.53504/ offset rigs] but they aren't like the one shown here.
|-
|Mastless rig
|[[File:3193 Mastless.png|x59px]]
|{{Maybe|Kind of}}
|A single sail is attached directly to the hull of the boat, without any mast to give it form.
|As depicted, the sail would provide little to no useful propulsion, as it would not be high enough to effectively catch the wind, and would, in any case, flap unpredictably.
However, ships do exist without masts, such as ships not powered by wind or, more rarely, inflatable sails (e.g. [http://inflatedwingsails.com/en/concept/ this concept]), which use air, rather than a mast, for rigidity. While not intentional, it is conceivable that the drawing depicts an inflatable sail in its deflated state.
|-
|Unclassifiable chaos rig
|[[File:3193 Unclassifiable Chaos.png|x86px]]
|{{Maybe|Arguably}}
|Includes elements of the schooner, yawl, lateen, and possibly others, including a sail mounted in an unusual position beneath the prow.
|While this specific rig is almost certainly fictional, there are many ways to rig a ship, some of which are chaotic and difficult to classify.
|}

==Transcript==
:[The comic shows five rows of silhouettes of different sail boats as seen from the side. In total 18 different boats are shown, three rows with four each and three in each of the two bottom rows. Each boat has a different sailing rig. All boats are oriented to the left of the comic, and beneath each boat there is a label. At the top of the panel there is a large heading:]
:<big>Common Sailing Rigs</big>

:[Here follows a list of the 18 boats with a description and then their label:]

:[A single triangular sail.]
:Lateen

:[A front and rear triangular sail share a mast.]
:Bermuda rigged sloop

:[Two triangular sails as above, with an additional triangular sail on a second rear mast.]
:Ketch

:[Front triangular sail shares mast with rear quadrilateral sail.]
:Gaff rigged sloop

:[Two triangular sails share front mast and a much smaller aft mast holds a small aft.]
:Yawl

:[Two triangular front sails share forward mast with quadrilateral center sail. An aft mast supports a quadrilateral aft sail.]
:Schooner

:[Resembles a gaff, with the aft sail reduced and two triangular sails mounted above. The resulting shape resembles a vertical ketch.]
:Ketch-rigged gaff

:[Includes elements of ketch and sloop.]
:Kloop-rigged sketch

:[A gaff-rigged sloop is mounted on top of a second hull.]
:Bunkbed rig

:[The rectangular outline of a cylinder with motion lines around it.]
:Flettner rig

:[Three masts each with a sail only attached to the top.]
:Oops, all spinnakers

:[Three sails in a ketch arrangement, but mounted to the keel.]
:Keel rig

:[All sails are replaced by two groups of kites, each tied to the mast with an independent line.]
:Kite rig

:[Bermuda rigged sloop with the aft sail extending ~5 times as far back, well beyond the end of the hull.]
:Longsail rig

:[All sails replaced by an anchor that swings around the mast on a chain, similar to tetherball.]
:Deckhand obliterator

:[Gaff rigged sloop sails are mounted on a mast that is offset (forward) from the hull via an underwater extension of the keel.]
:Offset rig

:[A single sail is attached where the mast would normally be mounted, flapping around freely.]
:Mastless rig

:[Includes elements of the schooner, yawl, lateen, and possibly others.]
:Unclassifiable chaos rig

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Sailboats]]
[[Category:Kites]]
[[Category:Puns]]

3193: Sailing Rigs

2026-01-13T23:54:43Z

92.23.2.208: /* Explanation */ Link/text tidying.

{{comic
| number = 3193
| date = January 12, 2026
| title = Sailing Rigs
| image = sailing_rigs_2x.png
| imagesize = 508x822px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I wanted to make the world's fastest yawl, so I made the aft sail bigger, but apparently that means it's not a yawl anymore! It's a real ketch-22.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by the birds flying in my kite. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic shows the side profiles of a variety of different sailing boat/ship rigs, not all of which are real.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Type
!Image
!Real?
!Description 
!Explanation 
|-
|{{w|Lateen}}
|[[File:3193 Lateen.png|200x200px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A single triangular sail.
|The triangular sail was affixed to a long yard or crossbar, mounted at its middle to the top of the mast and angled to extend aft far above the mast and forward down nearly to the deck. The sail, its free corner secured near the stern, was capable of taking the wind on either side, and, by enabling the vessel to tack into the wind, the [https://www.britannica.com/technology/lateen-sail lateen] immensely increased the potential of the sailing ship. 
|-
|{{W|Bermuda rig|Bermuda rigged sloop}}
|[[File:3193 Bermuda.png|200x200px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A front and rear triangular sail share a mast.
|{{w|Sloop}}
|-
|{{w|Ketch}}
|[[File:3193 Ketch.png|200x200px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A sailboat with two masts, where the main mast is taller than the mizzen (or aft mast), and the mizzen is forward of the rudder post
|Similar to a Yawl
|-
|{{w|Gaff rig|Gaff rigged sloop}}
|[[File:3193 Gaff Sloop.png|200x200px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A front triangular sail shares mast with rear quadrilateral sail.
|A sloop is a sailboat with one mast, typically with two sails mounted on the mast, one ahead and one behind. A [https://nauticalknowhow.mysailingcourse.com/glossary/gaff-rig/ gaff Rig] is a sailing rig where one sail is four-sided and controlled by a spar (the gaff) at its top, which is hoisted at an angle to the mast.
|-
|{{w|Yawl}}
|[[File:3193 Yawl.png|200x200px]]
|{{Yes}}
|Two triangular sails share a front mast, and a much smaller aft mast holds a small aft sail.
|A Yawl is sailboat with two masts, where the main mast has two sails (One in front of the mast and one behind, known as {{w|fore-and-aft rigging}}, and the mizzen mast is mounted aft of the rudder post, leading the mizzen sail to typically be small. Similar to a Ketch.
|-
|{{w|Schooner}}
||[[File:3193 Schooner.png|200x200px]]
|{{Yes}}
|A sailboat with two or more masts, where all have {{w|fore-and-aft rigging}}, and where the foremast is typically smaller than the main mast
|-
|Ketch-rigged gaff
|[[File:3193 Ketch Gaff.png|200x200px]]
|{{No}}
|The first fictional rig. Resembles a gaff, with the aft sail reduced and two triangular sails mounted above. The resulting shape resembles a vertical ketch.
|
|-
|Kloop-rigged sketch
|[[File:3193 Kloop.png|200x200px]]
|{{No}}
|Four or five sails mounted in a nonsensical configuration, with elements from the schooner, ketch, and gaff
| A mixture of the names of {{w|ketch}} and {{w|sloop}}, poking fun at the unfamiliar and odd-sounding names of some rigs. Adding to the absurdity, the kloop-rigged sketch is neither a sloop nor a ketch. However it is technically a {{w|Sketch (drawing)|sketch}}, as "sketch" can mean "drawing"
|-
|Bunkbed rig
|[[File:3193 100% more boat.png|200x200px]]
|{{No}}
|A gaff-rigged sloop mounted on top of a second hull.
|The name refers to a {{w|bunkbed}}, where a bed is mounted directly above another, and applies this idea to a ship, mounting a hull directly above another. While {{w|Multihull|boats with multiple hulls}} do exist, these are always mounted side-by-side to guarentee stability. Mounting a hull above another would be a terrible idea, as the upper hull would be ineffective when raised above the water, the lower hull might become submerged and sink, and such a tall boat would be unstable causing it to fall over. The comic is funny due to this {{w|surreal humour|absurdity}}, due to boat's obivously extreme design being so far outside what someone would expect a boat to look like
|-
|Flettner rig
|[[File:3193 Flettner.png|200x200px]]
|{{Yes}}, though not typically called a rig
|The rectangular outline of a cylinder with motion lines around it, indicating a {{w|Flettner rotor}}
|A Flettner rotor is a right circular cylinder with disc end plates which is spun along its long axis. As air passes across it the {{w|Magnus effect}} causes an aerodynamic lift force to be generated in the direction perpendicular to both the long axis and the direction of airflow. In a {{w|rotor ship}}, the rotors stand vertically and lift is generated at right angles to the wind, to drive the ship forwards.

Flettner rotors were previously mentioned in [[3119]]
|-
|Oops, all spinnakers
|[[File:3193 Spinnakers.png|200x200px]]
|{{No}}
|Three masts each with a sail billowing in front
|A {{w|spinnaker}} is a real type of sail, where a boat is propelled by a large sail directly pulled by the wind, similar in principle to a parachute. However, "Oops, all spinnakers" is not real, as spinnakers are only practical for smaller craft, and if multiple spinnakers are mounted in a row the earlier ones may disrupt the airflow to the later ones{{citation needed}}. It does not appear that there are any real boats propelled by more than one spinnaker.{{citation needed}}
The name of the rig is a reference to the {{w|Cap'n Crunch}} cereal type that became a meme, [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/oops-all-berries-box-parodies ''Oops! All Berries''], which has also been referenced in [[2256]] and [[2719]].
|-
|Keel rig
|[[File:3193 Keel.png|200x200px]]
|{{No}}
|Three sails in a ketch arrangement, but mounted to the keel, which would typically put the ''sails underwater''.
|The book {{w|Heaven (Stewart and Cohen novel)|''Heaven''}}, by Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen, features an aquatic protagonist who is introduced as sailing a surface-craft with underwater-'sails' (and above-water 'keel'), due to the switched nature of his usual environment.
|-
|Kite rig
|[[File:3193 Kite.png|200x200px]]
|{{Maybe|Kind of}}
|All sails are replaced by two groups of kites, each tied to the mast with their own independent line.
|A {{w|kite rig}} is a real thing, where a kite is deployed from a boat or ship to catch the wind and pull the vessel along. This rigging is used in various types of vessel, most commonly {{w|kite surfing}}, but occasionally other vessels too, up to [https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/30/travel/airseas-giant-kites-ships-slash-carbon-emissions-scn-climate-spc trials with cargo ships]. However, the real kite riggings typically use one large kite optimised for catching the wind, rather than many small kites optimised for flying (as depicted) which would likely get tangled and not pull much on the ship.
|-
|Longsail rig
|[[File:3193 Longsail.png|200x200px]]
|{{No}}
|A bermuda rigged sloop with the aft sail extending ~5 times as far back, well beyond the end of the hull.
|While not technically impossible, such a long sail would likely be suceptiple to damage from the wind, as well as potentially making it hard to control the boat. This design could be a reference to "{{w|Cargo bike#Longtail bicycle|long-tail bikes}}", a type of cargo bicycle useful for hauling heavy or voluminous charges at the cost of higher weight and reduced manoeuvrability.
|-
|Deckhand obliterator
|[[File:3193 Deckhand Obliterator.png|200x200px]]
|{{No}}
|All sails replaced by an anchor that swings around the mast on a chain, similar to tetherball.
|Any deckhands (crew) on the deck could be knocked off or fatally hurt if the anchor passes through their space.
|-
|Offset rig
|[[File:3193 Offset.png|200x200px]]
|{{No}}
|Gaff rigged sloop sails are mounted on a mast that is offset (forward) from the hull via an underwater extension of the keel.
|The extreme mechanical advantage of the sail, potentially combined with the uneven weight, would make this rigging hard if not impossible to control. 
There are in fact [https://junkrigassociation.org/technical_forum/470838 sail configurations] called [https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/gaffs-balanced-lugs-hoyt-offset-rig-etc.53504/ offset rigs] but they aren't like the one shown here.
|-
|Mastless rig
|[[File:3193 Mastless.png|200x200px]]
|{{Maybe|Kind of}}
|A single sail is directly to the hull of the boat, without any mast holding it in the wind.
|As depicted the sail would provide little to no useful propulsion, as it would not be high enough to effective catch the wind. However ships do exist without sails, such as ships not powered by wind{{citation needed}}, or more rarely inflatable sails (e.g. [http://inflatedwingsails.com/en/concept/ this concept]), which use air rather than a mast for rigidity. While not intentional, it is conceivable that the drawing depicts an inflatable sail in its deflated state.
|-
|Unclassifiable chaos rig
|[[File:3193 Unclassifiable Chaos.png]]
|{{Maybe|Arguably}}
|Includes elements of the schooner, yawl, lateen, and possibly others.
|While this specific rig is almost certainly fictional, there are many ways to rig a ship, some of which are difficult to classify.
|}

The title text is a pun on the term {{w|Catch-22 (logic)|Catch-22}}, which is a term (taken from the novel of the same name) for a situation where success is impossible because it requires meeting contradictory conditions. For example, in the novel, the term was used by military pilots who qualified to be released from combat duty, but were ordered to fly additional missions, and were told that disobeying those orders was grounds to have their releases revoked, which would require them to fly additional missions anyway.

Per the main panel, a ketch is similar to a yawl but has a larger aft sail, so increasing the aft sail of a yawl effectively turns the yawl into a ketch, effectively making it impossible to build a faster yawl. However this is not technically true, as the distinction between a {{w|yawl}} and {{w|ketch}} is based on whether the aft sail is mounted forward or aft of the rudder post, although a yawl with a large aft sail may be difficult to control.{{actual citation needed}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

[The comic contains views from the side of boats, each with a different sailing rig. All boats are oriented to the left of the comic.]
*Lateen [a single triangular sail]
*Bermuda rigged sloop [a front and rear triangular sail share a mast]
*Ketch [two triangular sails as above, with an additional triangular sail on a second rear mast]
*Gaff rigged sloop [front triangular sail shares mast with rear quadrilateral sail]
*Yawl [two triangular sails share front mast and a much smaller aft mast holds a small aft]
*Schooner [two triangular front sails share foreward mast with quadrilateral center sail. An aft mast supports a quadrilateral aft sail]
*Ketch-rigged gaff [Resembles a gaff, with the aft sail reduced and two triangular sails mounted above. The resulting shape resembles a vertical ketch]
*Kloop-rigged sketch: [Includes elements of ketch and sloop]
*Bunkbed rig [A gaff-rigged sloop is mounted on top of a second hull]
*Flettner rig [The rectangular outline of a cylinder with motion lines around it]
*Oops, all spinnakers [three masts each with a sail only attached to the top]
*Keel rig [three sails in a ketch arrangement, but mounted to the keel]
*Kite rig [all sails are replaced by two groups of kites, each tied to the mast with an independent line]
*Longsail rig [bermuda rigged sloop with the aft sail extending ~5 times as far back, well beyond the end of the hull]
*Deckhand obliterator [all sails replaced by an anchor that swings around the mast on a chain, similar to tetherball]
*Offset rig [gaff rigged sloop sails are mounted on a mast that is offset (forward) from the hull via an underwater extension of the keel]
*Mastless rig [a single sail is attached where the mast would normally be mounted, flapping around freely]
*Unclassifiable chaos rig [includes elements of the schooner, yawl, lateen, and possibly others]
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Sailboats]]

Talk:578: The Race: Part 2

2026-01-13T20:10:42Z

92.23.2.208:

A D&D item that my DM made: Golden MC Hammerpants. Once per day, you may challenge one person of your choice to a dance battle. You may chose the type of dance; with the skill used being reasonable and decided by the DM. The loser of the battle explodes. [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 04:55, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

The title text may also be an allusion to Captain Sweatpants from Big Bang Theory. [[Special:Contributions/47.221.232.138|47.221.232.138]] 16:14, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
:First appearance of Captain Sweatpants appears to be Monday, April 13, 2009. Just before this comic... I ''can'' see it being an inspiration, if that character-name/description applies from the very start, so a good catch. Would need to watch that particular episode to be sure, otherwise it could just be an anachronistic coincidence. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 20:10, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

Talk:131: Fans

2026-01-05T21:47:05Z

92.23.2.208: natch (Try "[[]]" around "1386: People are Stupid", with none of the quotes BTW...) i.e. 1386: People are Stupid)

Also, sticking your fingers in a bird's nest won't drive them away.Classhole 20:54, 23 January 2013 (UTC)

Kids need to realize that most parents are stupid. Anyone who takes issue with that has to address the fact that most human beings are stupid, and also become parents. And a lot of that stupidity is learned, passed on from the stupid parents, teachers, et cetera. Not only are most of the old warnings passed down wrong (you can put shoes on the couch without hurting or dirtying it significantly) but so are most of the new ones (the little bit of real science on the topic says that limiting "screen time" does more harm than good" — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 01:54, 21 September 2019 (UTC)
:Why the " at the end of the comment tho [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.192|141.101.98.192]] 10:11, 18 March 2021 (UTC)
:Kazvorpal is stupid. (Myself as well.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.45|162.158.255.45]] 00:50, 24 October 2021 (UTC)
:https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1386:_People_are_Stupid {{unsigned ip|2a0f:df00:0:255::205|21:19, 5 January 2026}}

Talk:3186: Truly Universal Outlet

2026-01-05T21:38:28Z

92.23.2.208:

No comments yet, add the first comment! [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 16:25, 26 December 2025 (UTC)
:You should have mentioned that this is the [[3186:_Truly_Universal_Outlet#Trivia|SECOND YEAR IN A ROW]] without Christmas comics! ;-( --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:17, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

I checked on the info.0.json and there doesn't seem to be a transcript for this one. I don't know whether that's normal, since I understand that most comics have one, but I wrote in a basic transcript. I might have just not looked in the right place. [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 16:58, 26 December 2025 (UTC)
:The info.0.json data has not contained a transcript for a while now. —[[Special:Contributions/73.70.174.157|73.70.174.157]] 05:47, 31 December 2025 (UTC)

I try not to be nationalistic or jingoistic about anything, but I'm sorry—British plugs are simply the best plugs. Strong, easy to use and safe—fits snugly into the socket, can't expose live or neutral outlets without first connecting to earth, no overly sharp pins. I don't like myself for saying this, but I honestly think the rest of the world would be better off switching to our plugs.[[Special:Contributions/109.149.114.159|109.149.114.159]] 18:00, 26 December 2025 (UTC)

:I'm American, and British plugs and sockets seem huge and clunky to me. I've also heard that (some?) Brits think US plugs are alarmingly flimsy. I'm sure that a big part of the differences of opinion is what we grew up with, and I'd love to hear a physics/engineering/UI/UX-based evaluation of which one is *actually* better. -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 19:38, 26 December 2025 (UTC)

:: I am an American (soon to be a Gileadian after we will rename our nation to the Republic of Gilead —— ¡ChrisoFascism sucks!); so now I do not have a dog in this fight, but the [http://wikipedia.org/wiki/europlug | EuroPlug ] looks very space efficient, unlike the bulky American plus & sockets, & the ridiculously enormous UK-plugs.

::I am also an American and I agree with the sentiment that British plugs/sockets seem huge and clunky, but it depends on the plug and socket in the US how flimsy they are. I have found some sockets where plugs will literally fall out of them, and other ones where it is hard to pull them out. But American plugs are dangerous from the lack of protection against contacting power and neutral at the same time while they're live. {{unsigned ip|2601:441:4b7c:7c6a::1009|03:15, 27 December 2025}}

:I've heard this sentiment before, but I have no idea where it comes from. British plugs are ridonkulously huge and not exactly easy to use. From safety perspective, I find it odd only a handful of (European) socket types are recessed. [[Special:Contributions/81.94.52.186|81.94.52.186]] 22:07, 26 December 2025 (UTC)
::British plugs are just the right size for a hand (assuming you don't have ''very'' small hands, when you probably shouldn't be messing about with them) ''and'' the direction the cable emerges is much more convenient (e.g. handy for sockets behind furniture, outlets for worktop equipment in a kitchen or in server racks). At least that's my assesment, having had to use both US and UK systems in all cases. ;) [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 22:47, 26 December 2025 (UTC)

: British plugs do not even meet their own design specs. This is why there is an internally different, but externally identical (apart from markings) BS 1363-2 plug for EV charging. This exists because if you draw the continuous rated current from a standard socket it is likely to melt.
: British wiring has many problematic aspects. Ring final circuits, undersized wiring for the protective fuse, too many devices on the same circuit, too few outlets so people stack extenders for the one socket in the room and run extensions cords under the rug, excessively tolerant ground fault detectors. Most of the supposed safety features of British plugs are trying to compensate for other design flaws. Not to mention mechanically identical sockets with different continuous current ratings.[[Special:Contributions/76.180.39.133|76.180.39.133]] 23:20, 26 December 2025 (UTC)

: I‘ve also seen this claim before, and ever since, I‘ve wanted to defend Switzerland‘s (type J) plug as I believe it is equivalent in many aspects and superior in some. The current-carrying prongs are plastic sleeved like the British plugs, in addition to the socket being recessed, everything is GFCI-equivalently protected, the plug lies with the prongs parallel to the floor, extension cables have doors in front of the holes, but I think the biggest advantage is the size, as one place in the wall fits three sockets (or one and a light switch). I might not have every argument present at the moment, and I am certainly biased as a Swiss person ofc. [[Special:Contributions/212.186.158.218|212.186.158.218]] 19:44, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Someone will probably address this, but voltage issues aside, I would guess that the USAGE of the various pins across countries is likely different in catastrophic ways. E.g. I imagine that one glob of pins is hot/live in one country but ground/earth in others so that plugging an appliance from different countries into the universal outlet would cause shocks, breaker trips, explosions, etc. I did laugh at the title text - yes, I'm sure building inspectors are constantly encountering this mess. ;) [[Special:Contributions/47.248.235.170|47.248.235.170]] 18:39, 26 December 2025 (UTC)Pat
:Nope. The ground pin is always intentionally made special in all mains plugs existing, and it's basic potty training for electricians to never, ever trust the two others. --[[Special:Contributions/88.65.244.212|88.65.244.212]] 20:24, 26 December 2025 (UTC)
::Case in point, I got myself a three way extension from a supermarket here in France. It was wired up with the live and neutral reversed. I fixed mine, but there may be hundreds of them in use elsewhere. Don't trust that L is L and N is N, just don't. [[Special:Contributions/2A01:CB08:82C3:1A00:B8CA:C260:318B:E48D|2A01:CB08:82C3:1A00:B8CA:C260:318B:E48D]] 11:39, 4 January 2026 (UTC)
[https://www.internationalconfig.com/catalog_pages/universal_adapter_page.jpg Universal/travel plug adaptors] do kind of look like this. Not quite as universal though. [[Special:Contributions/220.244.124.170|220.244.124.170]] 19:50, 26 December 2025 (UTC)
:https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DAIOqOxI0K_I --[[Special:Contributions/88.65.244.212|88.65.244.212]] 20:24, 26 December 2025 (UTC)
:Some come surprisingly close: https://tessan.com/products/65w-gan-universal-travel-adapter-wta09 https://canyon.eu/product/cns-ta1005w/ https://aluratek.com/products/universal-20w-travel-adapter (not an endorsement - I expect most if not all of these are dangerous) [[Special:Contributions/2600:4041:351:4800:D040:FA1F:BB70:CDED|2600:4041:351:4800:D040:FA1F:BB70:CDED]] 01:26, 27 December 2025 (UTC)

Just for my own amuesment, I [https://filebin.net/ehv155pyjeib5qkk tried to work out what bits were which], green for the pins, red for 'the aditional bits the pins would rattle around in' (the rest left black). ''Really'' not sure I got all the "D E M O" bits right. E, in particular, looks like it has a reverse pin that goes into the plug, but I'm also not as familiar with the old D+M different ampages/sizes (I'll only ever see them in stage-lighting, and I don't plug 'em in or out) as I am with the type-G I normally use. ...but, if anyone wants it, it'll be downloadable for the next seven days. Tidy it up, ''correct it'' as necessary, change the timings (currently 1 second a frame), recolour it (perhaps use different colours for Live, Neutral and (where there is one) Earth), whatever you want. If it's useful. And if that's done by anyone who can upload to this site (or someone does a better version off their own back). [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 21:03, 26 December 2025 (UTC)

FWIW, it is notable that this plug is officially not a [[:category:Cursed_Connectors|cursed]] connector. --[[Special:Contributions/2001:A62:572:F601:905B:6D6D:6686:E863|2001:A62:572:F601:905B:6D6D:6686:E863]] 00:14, 27 December 2025 (UTC)

These already exist outside of this comic: https://diyhardware.ph/cdn/shop/files/YAE0838_800x.webp?v=1686379936
[[Special:Contributions/2605:C740:90:F41:842D:1EC2:FEB9:2B80|2605:C740:90:F41:842D:1EC2:FEB9:2B80]] 04:16, 27 December 2025 (UTC)

: You can also [https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_2160,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fgrounding640-9ed51722fe5c6fcb6a336b5bbfa005e3.jpg find them on airplanes].
: You can also [https://www.epickatech.com/products/ta-105-universal-travel-adapter buy them for traveling].
: (That travel plug also has "universal" prongs for ''plugging in'' to various different outlets, selected by those sliders on the side.)
: —[[User:Scs|Scs]] ([[User talk:Scs|talk]]) 06:00, 27 December 2025 (UTC)

The comic doesn't actually specify *anything* about the internals of the universal outlet, it just says to cut holes in whatever outlet you have. I find this the funniest part of it.
[[User:Rorrison|Rorrison]] ([[User talk:Rorrison|talk]]) 13:07, 27 December 2025 (UTC)
::That was my thought as well. "You can definitely 'plug' your device into this outlet, no promises on whether your device will be able to receive appropriate electrical power from it though."[[Special:Contributions/57.140.28.16|57.140.28.16]] 16:49, 29 December 2025 (UTC)
:::Looking through the various usages of the standards, there's not even any guarantee of correct polarity (even for those systems that ''do'' have a correct polarity, rather than don't seemto care, e.g. type C ungrounded and ''both'' subtly different type-L groundeds - and ''very'' interesting to read about the dual-metering situation behind that, BTW).
:::For practical examples, type-I in Australasia has Live and Neutral one way round (enforced by the Earth connector ''and'' the pin-angles), but the type-I as used in Argentina respectively has Neutral and Live (for the same enforced orientation). And I think Brazil (type-N) already has its own local issues of the same sockets potentially being L/N (plus Earth pin) ''or'' +~/-~ as antiphases (with third pin acting as baseline Neutral) to effectively give double the (AC) potential.
:::Then there's the case of expectations of voltages from 120 to 250, frequencies of at least 50-60Hz (for equipment not smart enough to handle such differences already), and you'd have to have the whole socket rated to at least 16A (even though an ungrounded Europlug/type-C shouldn't ever be drawing more than 2.5A).
:::Some of that might be sorted by the socket, a kind of 'smart detection' of what electrical contacts are being made. As per [[Memo Spike Connector]]?) to then feed the right flavour of voltage accordingly. But leaves open how to work out that identical prongs are expecting a particular subset of phase(s) or neutral without 'tickling' the device with various voltages to try to establish what it's happiest with, without actually damaging it or harming its users in the process.
:::Also, this isn't ''quite'' so universal... There are plenty of NEMAs (beyond the basic sub-types 1 and 5, that are A and B here), and I'm particularly intrigued by the twist-to-lock (multi-phase) variations that would need a bit more hole-drilling still... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.87|82.132.246.87]] 22:17, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

[[927:_Standards|Oh boy there are 15 different plug types, better create a universal outlet that covers everyone's use cases!]] [[Special:Contributions/2A02:3100:8698:AA00:7DEE:9693:120D:56C|2A02:3100:8698:AA00:7DEE:9693:120D:56C]] 14:58, 27 December 2025 (UTC)

I assumed that DEMO was going to be part of the joke, but apparently those are real standards that include the top hole. It's rather shocking that Randall didn't need to make up a single standard to make this look like a cursed connector. [[User:Quantum7|Quantum7]] ([[User talk:Quantum7|talk]]) 12:48, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Came here expecting at least ''a'' comment saying "Biblically accurate outlet", but I'll gladly be the first to make that joke instead [[Special:Contributions/163.116.181.28|163.116.181.28]] 07:59, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

Surprised that only the voltage differences have been mentioned as issues that would need to be addressed in such a "universal" socket. No one has mentioned the frequency differences (50Hz vs. 60Hz) and the issues that could cause? {{unsigned ip|136.226.98.180|20:01, 5 January 2026}}

I've actually seen outlets that look like this in new building construction (especially hotels) in China. Oh also, if you visit Japan/China, bring a 3-to-2 prong adapter, or only bring two prong (non-grounded) cables. {{unsigned ip|23.234.83.181|20:37, 5 January 2026}}

Talk:3189: Conic Sections

2026-01-05T21:35:33Z

92.23.2.208:

Isn't the base of a cone, just a circle? How would this have "corners"? [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 01:41, 3 January 2026 (UTC)
:The cone upon which a conic section exists doesn't actually ''have'' a base, it's just arbitrarily large (possibly infinitely so) in order for the section to only ever lay along the 'curve' of the cone part.
:But, here, the base is wwhere you give up on plotting how far 'down the cone' you go, of the sufficiently large ellipse (or possibly parabolic/hyperbolic curve), which is indeed round but has an sharp (i.e. acute) angle between its flat (and incidentally circular) plane-section and the 'wrapped' pseudo-euclidean plane of the conic-section it intersects with. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 01:50, 3 January 2026 (UTC)

Bring a jacket and spoon for orbits that go through the ice cream.[[User:Lordpishky|Lord Pishky]] ([[User talk:Lordpishky|talk]]) 01:43, 3 January 2026 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure this is the shape of the flat bottom of a cake cone. [[Special:Contributions/71.212.56.254|71.212.56.254]] 03:02, 3 January 2026 (UTC)
:They REALLY hate the flat-bottom cone orbits and the waffle cones make for a bumpy ride.[[User:Lordpishky|Lord Pishky]] ([[User talk:Lordpishky|talk]]) 18:57, 3 January 2026 (UTC)

It appears to be a cut-off section of an ellipse, so basically a regular orbit with a sharp line. ([https://www.desmos.com/3d/xnaihdegst Desmos]) [[User:Tanner07|Tanner07]] ([[User talk:Tanner07|talk]]) 04:29, 3 January 2026 (UTC)

https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D5622AQH3CYoPXy1cqg/feedshare-shrink_2048_1536/feedshare-shrink_2048_1536/0/1727242249609?e=1769040000&v=beta&t=UdAX9TH3joo-vpvj4pRWXoCQyF6JVUPVmyONWghcj5E --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 05:06, 3 January 2026 (UTC)

I feel like there needs to some explicit acknowledgement that the cone in question is an ice cream cone.[[Special:Contributions/99.239.23.54|99.239.23.54]] 00:11, 4 January 2026 (UTC)
:But it's likely not. It's just one of the variations of the conic section. (Example 3 in the illustration on the right).[[Special:Contributions/71.94.164.106|71.94.164.106]] 20:21, 5 January 2026 (UTC)
:But ice-cream cones have the 'flat bit' (actually the opening; give or take the scoop of ice-cream, which is a ball, or else the soft-served 'twirly-dollop', which another more convoluted form of inverted cone) at the top. Which just really doesn't fit with ''anything'' the comic says about the conic. Unless you see some obscure connection that I'm just not getting out of it. (Beyond that both are considered 'cones', which is as tenuous as if I suggested traffic cones was the ultimate reference, for example.)
:But if you can give any better referencing connection, you look like you should know how to edit things to enlighten those of us who are missing it. Explain away, as that's the point of this site... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.68|82.132.236.68]] 01:39, 4 January 2026 (UTC)
:It's not obvious to me why anybody would think an ice cream cone is implied. Ice cream cones do not have flat bases - there's a hole to put the ice cream in. Furthermore, they are significantly smaller than the Earth. [[User:Jeremyp|Jeremyp]] ([[User talk:Jeremyp|talk]]) 14:18, 5 January 2026 (UTC)
::I think it's just not drawn that well. We're seeing like a cross section of an ice cream cone with a scoop of ice cream in it, with the line between them going from lower left to upper right. The near side looks tangent when it should have a knee. If you were looking edge on, that knee would appear to open up, but that would apply to both the near and far sides. So we're getting a weird perspective here.[[Special:Contributions/163.116.145.34|163.116.145.34]] 19:44, 5 January 2026 (UTC)
:::You're weird. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 21:35, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

Shouldn't the people from the title text also be following the same orbit? [[User:Cobl703|Cobl703]] ([[User talk:Cobl703|talk]]) 18:35, 4 January 2026 (UTC)
:Might depends on if they share the same precise centre of gravity (the Explanation goes into some detail about that sort of thing).
:Or if the effective orbit obeys the idential 'cone-based' rules. At any given time (depending on where you last positioned yourself), you might effectively be floating in a very similar elliptical orbit (could be the same period, same semi-major, same semi-minor, same periapsis, same periapsis, inclination, etc, but in a ''very'' slightly rotated orientation), so hit the change to the 'conic-baseline' section at a different time.
:That's if the orbit equation defines the location of the transition into the conic-base (e.g. effectively when hitting the "semi-parameter" 'width', but on the non-focuse side of the original ellipse), or there's always some particular definite absolute (or proportional?) distance between the hypothetical cone's tip and when the normal orbital effect 'runs out'.
:Too many little questions need to be asked about what is forcing the orbit to be off-elliptical. And if it's not a mere function of reality, but a deliberate manoeuvre by the craft, then ''of course'' the occupants will feel the sudden change in motion that the accompanying thruster-kick invokes. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 21:03, 4 January 2026 (UTC)

How far the cone extends and where these effect occur depends on the units of distance used and the number of digits & format used to represent the length of the cone on the computer. Larger units avoid cone-end effects but make for a bumpier ride, especially when the exponent changes.[[User:Lordpishky|Lord Pishky]] ([[User talk:Lordpishky|talk]]) 05:58, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

Kinda reminds me of [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1778 SCP-1778]. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:08, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

Very nice, handy etc figure. might be good to label which conic section is which, even though it may be clear-ish, not everyone knows what a hyperbola is for example (although this is xkcd, lol) [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 15:41, 5 January 2026 (UTC)
:Did my best. Tried to include the salient features. Too much, though? Or did I still leave too much informative stuff out while trying to not make it ''too'' long? Should it have merited a 'main text' summary (would have let me use "#" markup!), or even shoved it into Trivia or its whole new section? Could an angled-hyperbollic diagram have been better than an axially-parallel one, for number 4 (or 4a, with that one as 4b, or 1 and 2 as 1a and 1b)? Questions for the ages..! [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.110|82.132.237.110]] 16:25, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

3189: Conic Sections

2026-01-05T21:33:48Z

92.23.2.208: No sign at all of there being an ice-cream cone involved.

{{comic
| number = 3189
| date = January 2, 2026
| title = Conic Sections
| image = conic_sections_2x.png
| imagesize = 288x322px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = They're not generally used for crewed spacecraft because astronauts HATE going around the corners.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a section through a cone. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
A {{w|Kepler orbit}} describes the simplified motion of one celestial object relative to another. Such an orbit will form a {{w|conic section}}. A conic section is a curve obtained from a cone's surface intersecting a plane. The three types of conic section are the hyperbola, the parabola, and the ellipse; the circle is a special case of the ellipse, though it was sometimes considered a fourth type, while intersections of the plane with the point of the cone (just that point, a straight line through that point or else four converging lines that all meet at the point) are possible constructions that are usually excluded.

In reality, this model is based only on the most simple modeling of two point masses, and ignores any other factors such as the gravity of other objects, non-gravitational forces (e.g. atmospheric drag), each object being a non-spherical(/non-point) body of non-uniform density and any {{w|Relativistic angular momentum#Orbital 3d angular momentum|relativistic effects}}, but it serves as a good basis for most orbital calculations before needing further refinements to cover the most relevant additional perturbations for a given scenario.

[[File:TypesOfConicSections.jpg|thumb|alt=Example conic sections|How conic sections emerge from various planar intersections with bidirectional cones, which technically continue beyond the 'top' and 'bottom' of each diagram.
<hr/>1) Plane intersects perpendicular to conic axis, results in a circular line (often counted as an ellipse of zero eccentricity) around one cone.
 2) Plane intersects at a small angle away from the perpendicular, results in an elliptic line around one cone.
 3) Plane intersects exactly at the angle of the (opposite) slope of the cone, results in an open-ended line that continues parabolically to infinity at an ever-increasing width (by decreasing degree) but at constant offset from the parallel slope of that cone.
 4) Plane intersects at an angle closer to the axis than the cone slope (including being exactly parallel to the axis, as here), resulting in two open-ended hyperbolic lines to infinity (eventually tending to diverge at the rate of the conic slope itself), one upon each cone.
<hr/>In this comic, the orbital shape is similar to the one in figure 3 (a {{w|parabolic trajectory}} that does not technically 'orbit' the focal mass) with the 'end' of the lower cone included. Or, given the implication of this being based upon a mostly standard non-circular orbit, it might be a version of figure 2 but with the angled plane being lower so that the ellipse is cut off by the nominal 'bottom' of the diagrammitic cone.]]

The comic does not indicate ''why'' or ''how'' this orbit involves the 'base' of the cone. In real conic sections, the cone effectively extends to infinity (whether or not the useful section of the intersecting curve does). In the comic, however, the "conic section" representing the satellite's orbit (with its unseen point pointing generally to the left of the image) has been assumed to have its circular base (presumed to be somewhere close to vertical, towards the right of the image) set at a distance that inconveniently crosses the indicated orbital path (that might be assumed to be fully elliptical, otherwise), resulting in sharp corners where the angled planar intersection through the cone meets that base.

This could be due to anything from a distortion/discontinuity in space-time to the spacecraft itself being commanded to change trajectory. Being in a free orbit normally means following an ellipse (or very similar, outside of the mathematically strict {{w|two-body problem}}) in which there is net zero acceleration, combining the pull of gravity and the forces that would be felt due to the continually changing direction alone.

A sudden change in absolute direction could be due to some alteration in the fabric of space, but even very similar orbits rarely trace the exact same conic sections. Though there are at least two imaginary cones that could intersect the orbital plane exactly along any given orbital ellipse, the dimensions and directions of different orbital cones will be unlikely to have coincident 'bases' — i.e. not parallel, even discounting the question of what their distances must be from their respectively chosen conic points. If the point of orbital discontinuity was thus different for every individual orbit that was taken, then any component not firmly connected to the satellite (and not positioned exactly at its centre-of-gravity) would be required to experience (at the very least) a slightly different moment at which it is suddenly expected to drift in a different direction.

If the change in direction is instead due to a commanded manoeuvre, the {{w|Delta-v|applied thrust}} necessary to change orbit (and, for a time, maintain a straight trajectory even through the curved {{w|gravitational field|gravity well}}) is both wasteful of resources (compared to the normally completed orbit) and requires a rather sudden and obvious change of momentum to the whole craft.

Whatever the reason behind the diversion, the result would be extremely uncomfortable for an astronaut in a crewed spacecraft. The transition from experiencing freefall/microgravity to suddenly being out-of-synch with the ship's momentum (whether just momentarily, twice each orbit, or for extended periods as continual corrections are made) would be disruptive. Such an extreme and {{w|Automan#Features|sudden change of direction}} would require a very large G-force, to a degree that may not merely be uncomfortable but potentially dangerous.

We also aren't given any indication of how the 'radial' velocity of the craft might be intended to change during the 'flat' phase, such as if it obeys a suitably modified version of the {{w|Kepler's laws of planetary motion#Second law|constant 'area sweeping' rule}}, as for the elliptic part of the path, or instead perhaps attempts to maintain a constant relative velocity to take the same time to cross the new path as it otherwise would. The consequences of any of these might add further difficulties to the operability of a satellite and/or discomfort to any occupants.

{{clear}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[A view of the Earth, focused on Asia and the Indian Ocean with East Africa at left and the Western Pacific and Australia at right. A satellite is shown in an unusual orbit around the planet. This orbit is similar in shape to an ellipse, except it has two corners and a straight edge on one side, giving it a hill-like appearance.]
:[Caption below the panel:]
:All Keplerian orbits are conic sections. For example, this one uses the base of the cone.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Geometry]]

Talk:3189: Conic Sections

2026-01-04T21:04:21Z

92.23.2.208:

2026-01-03T19:20:42Z

92.23.2.208: /* Explanation */

3189: Conic Sections

2026-01-03T19:20:19Z

92.23.2.208: /* Explanation */

3189: Conic Sections

2026-01-03T19:19:10Z

92.23.2.208: /* Explanation */

3189: Conic Sections

2026-01-03T19:18:30Z

92.23.2.208: /* Explanation */