explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1223: Dwarf Fortress

2013-06-12T04:40:33Z

96.238.211.171: Caveat

Turing-complete computers were built in Dwarf Fortress [http://www.geekosystem.com/dwarf-fortress-turing-machine-computer/] and Minecraft [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X21HQphy6I] Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.118.249|178.26.118.249]] 05:48, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

:"getting that computer to run Minecraft" means getting the Dwarf Fortress turing machine to run minecraft. Which would probably be impossible, because the computer Dwarf Fortress is running on will not be able to run the turing machine fast enough or with enough memory. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:12, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
::Speed ''may'' be considered irrelevent (as exemplared by [[A Bunch of Rocks]]). Memory upper-limits applies to ''every'' real-world example (possibly including the Universe itself, thus anything that is not self-contained but capable of sharing data with the external Universe, in order to overcome this limitation). However, usually we can fudge this if this expected usage will get nowhere near the effective memory capacity.
:::The real problem in Dwarf Fortress is that there is a hard-coded maximum fortress size. It cannot be extended infinitely like the minesweeper example or Magic the Gathering, which is inherantly infinite assuming you keep supplying the legally generated creature tokens. [[Special:Contributions/96.238.211.171|96.238.211.171]] 04:40, 12 June 2013 (UTC)
::However, apart from the speed of running (and the fact that the quantifiable 'Fort-contained' memory theoretically available may not be sufficient to hold the state of any reasonably Minecraft-like playing environment), I'm wondering about the interface. Playing Minecraft-within-Fortress would require some interesting setting up. Having myself made a Tetris-within-Fortress (sort of, never got around to rotating tetronimos, although translation of the falling pieces and line-anihilationsof those that had settled all worked as planned), I suppose you could start with a matrix display made of remotely controlled bridges (from water-activated pressure-plates), a bit like I used to 'externally' represent the data held within the "block matrix" pump'n'pool 'processor' for my Tetris example.
::Something that somewhat evaded me (or, rather, forced me to slow the game progression down well below its normal pace) was a control mechanism. Clicking and setting levers to be pulled, or locking and unlocking doors to allow creature-activated pressure-plates to be run over, depends on knowing that all dwarves (or animals, or hostiles being sent scurrying in circles in a dungeon loop as each tempting exit is automatically closed off and the next one round the track temporarily opened) continue to respond to your requests. It did very much seem like the Bunch Of Rocks situation, indeed. ;) [[Special:Contributions/178.98.124.195|178.98.124.195]] 13:07, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
::I thought the point of the mouse-over text was that running Minecraft on a turing-complete computer in Dwarf Fortress would be utterly pointless, impractical, and a waste of time, and that's IF it's even theoretically possible. The point of this comparison in my mind is a comment on just how pointless and impractical the task of complete population surveillance is. I mean, surely there's an easier way to get what you want? [[User:Excrubulent|Excrubulent]] ([[User talk:Excrubulent|talk]]) 01:24, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

Shouldn't it be "''I'' do" and "Then you're effectively ''a'' Dwarf Fortress ''player'' watching your dwarves play Dwarf Fortress" because "Big Brother" is singular? [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 09:22, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
:Not necessarily, because "Big Brother" is the nickname for the nebulous amoral mass of people who make up the surveillance arm of the government. Yes, in Orwell's book, this was actually represented by a singular man to the public (who, possible spoilers, may or may not still be alive). But the nickname could refer to a lot of people as a whole. See also the "corporate we", where people in a corporation refer to the company and ambiguous nonspecific people in the company as "we". Not related to the "royal we". --[[User:Tustin2121|Tustin2121]] ([[User talk:Tustin2121|talk]]) 14:04, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

Then you're effectively Dwarf Fortress players watching your dwarves make comics about Dwarf Fortress players watching their dwarves play Dwarf Fotrress. [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 09:26, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

Question: Who is the 'you' in "that makes you the kind of person who wastes ten more getting that computer to run Minecraft"? The reader of the comic? Big Brother? I'm very confused how it is that if "A" is the kind of person who implements a Turing-complete computer in Dwarf Fortress, that it follows that "B" is the kind of person who wastes ten years getting it to run Minecraft. [[Special:Contributions/69.21.142.178|69.21.142.178]] 15:23, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
:I think the 'you' is Big Brother. Like I said above, the task of surveilling a population is so daunting that it's like doing the DF-computer-MC thing. It's never going to be practical. [[User:Excrubulent|Excrubulent]] ([[User talk:Excrubulent|talk]]) 01:27, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

1214: Geoguessr

2013-05-24T23:12:09Z

96.238.211.171: /* Explanation */ Switched characters to words

{{comic
| number = 1214
| date = May 20, 2013
| title = Geoguessr
| image = geoguessr.png
| titletext = I'm not sure if you can get Epcot, but my friend just got LegoLand. He guessed California but it was the one in Denmark. Meanwhile, I'm rapidly becoming a connoisseur of unmarked dirt roads over flat, barren landscapes.
}}

==Explanation==
[//Geoguessr.com Geoguessr] is a game in which the player is given a location in {{w|Google Street View}} and asked to guess precisely where in the world they are, by clicking on a map of the world, based only on the 360 degree view in the Street View display.

Cueball is upset because he keeps making his guesses based on landmarks and his guesses end up being wrong because the landmark he based his guess off of was actually a replica of the real one.

Of course, from a statistical perspective, this makes sense: For every famous object, there are countless replicas, and the vast majority of famous objects (except a few notable works of art) exist in only one place in the world. Take the {{w|Statue of Liberty}}, for instance, which has {{w|Replicas of the Statue of Liberty|hundreds of replicas all over the planet}}.

However, as the alt text alludes to, you're far more likely to find a dirt road than to find anything recognizable, since Google Street View maps roads more than anything else (hence its name).

Anyone who's ever played with Geoguessr knows, also, that seemingly helpful clues can sometimes be useless. For instance, if you recognize Russian words on a sign, the nation of Russia actually encompasses an enormous area, so unless you can recognize a specific region, there's no obvious place to guess where you can hope to get high points. (Unlike somewhere like England, where guessing London is guaranteed to put you within reasonable distance from a global perspective.) {{w|Legoland}} is a good example of this: If you can't tell if you're in Denmark or California, it's not like you can just guess halfway between and do well.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: This one's easy; There's the Parthenon. Athens.
: *''CLICK''*
:Cueball: What!? Why the hell is there a Parthenon in ''Nashville''?
: *''CLICK''*
:Cueball: OK, I'm ''clearly'' in Germany.
: *''CLICK''*
:Cueball: Dammit, Germany Pavilion at Epcot.
:My scores in Geoguessr would be higher if people quit building replicas of everything.

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

1214: Geoguessr

2013-05-24T23:11:11Z

96.238.211.171: /* Explanation */ Switched Japan for something actually huge.

{{comic
| number = 1214
| date = May 20, 2013
| title = Geoguessr
| image = geoguessr.png
| titletext = I'm not sure if you can get Epcot, but my friend just got LegoLand. He guessed California but it was the one in Denmark. Meanwhile, I'm rapidly becoming a connoisseur of unmarked dirt roads over flat, barren landscapes.
}}

==Explanation==
[//Geoguessr.com Geoguessr] is a game in which the player is given a location in {{w|Google Street View}} and asked to guess precisely where in the world they are, by clicking on a map of the world, based only on the 360 degree view in the Street View display.

Cueball is upset because he keeps making his guesses based on landmarks and his guesses end up being wrong because the landmark he based his guess off of was actually a replica of the real one.

Of course, from a statistical perspective, this makes sense: For every famous object, there are countless replicas, and the vast majority of famous objects (except a few notable works of art) exist in only one place in the world. Take the {{w|Statue of Liberty}}, for instance, which has {{w|Replicas of the Statue of Liberty|hundreds of replicas all over the planet}}.

However, as the alt text alludes to, you're far more likely to find a dirt road than to find anything recognizable, since Google Street View maps roads more than anything else (hence its name).

Anyone who's ever played with Geoguessr knows, also, that seemingly helpful clues can sometimes be useless. For instance, if you recognize Russian characters on a sign, the nation of Russia actually encompasses an enormous area, so unless you can recognize a specific region, there's no obvious place to guess where you can hope to get high points. (Unlike somewhere like England, where guessing London is guaranteed to put you within reasonable distance from a global perspective.) {{w|Legoland}} is a good example of this: If you can't tell if you're in Denmark or California, it's not like you can just guess halfway between and do well.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: This one's easy; There's the Parthenon. Athens.
: *''CLICK''*
:Cueball: What!? Why the hell is there a Parthenon in ''Nashville''?
: *''CLICK''*
:Cueball: OK, I'm ''clearly'' in Germany.
: *''CLICK''*
:Cueball: Dammit, Germany Pavilion at Epcot.
:My scores in Geoguessr would be higher if people quit building replicas of everything.

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

Talk:1199: Silence

2013-04-16T20:26:26Z

96.238.211.171: Apparently a common gag

What are the chances that: that empty room is an anechoic chamber? [[Special:Contributions/66.42.134.195|66.42.134.195]] 04:38, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
:plain walls..plain floor...virtually zero[[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 09:29, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
::Besides, 4'33" was not meant for anechoic chambers, Cage specifically talks about all the "sound and music" going on while the piano player is "doing nothing". 4'33" is separated into 3 parts, in which the piano player is also supposed to open and close the piano. --[[User:Pnariyoshi|Pnariyoshi]] ([[User talk:Pnariyoshi|talk]]) 14:22, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

I may have had a professor in college show us a recording of 4'33", I can honestly say it was the least usefull 4'33" minutes of my academic career.... The argument we had over if this was artistic shortly afterwards was much more entertaining however.[[Special:Contributions/69.146.97.120|69.146.97.120]] 04:57, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

Hmm... if we know the room is 4'33", couldn't we use that to figure out how tall Megan is? Just a thought. [[Special:Contributions/86.181.5.232|86.181.5.232]] 12:37, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
:4'33" I believe is the length of the song. Not feet and inches.

Do you guys think the title text might be a reference to Parks and Rec's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt3rEJrRDjE|"Jazz plus Jazz equals Jazz"]? --[[User:Pnariyoshi|Pnariyoshi]] ([[User talk:Pnariyoshi|talk]]) 14:23, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

There is a controversy whether 4′33″ (4 mins 33 secs) was the intended duration. The original manuscript is lost, the first performance lasted 4′33″ (and there is a transcript of it with the exact duration of each movement shown), and later editions only show three movements “tacet”. Cage himself said (though much later), “the work may be performed by any instrumentalist or combination of instrumentalists and last any length of time”. --[[Special:Contributions/77.186.113.21|77.186.113.21]] 14:30, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
:Uh, what? You can buy sheet music for 4'33" (!) and it's in Cage's own handwriting. Whether it's the "original manuscript" or not, the duration we have know was definitely okayed by Cage. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 15:48, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps the alt text is being overanalyzed. Is it not more likely to be just a sarcastic comment that all music is coincidental ambient noise interfering with the silence? [[User:MegsyS|MegsyS]] ([[User talk:MegsyS|talk]]) 14:43, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
:I read it as more a semantic middle-ground between the (current) main explanation and yours. Instead of 'making all music have Cage's work "embedded" into it.', it means that 'all music(1) is Cage's work with someone else playing (other) music inside it, ambiently'. (1 - Any given four minutes and thirty-three seconds of music, that is. Whether that includes a subset of the longer 'embedded' piece, a superset of a a ''shorter'' embedded piece or a dislocated translation/truncation of shared 'sound space'. IYSWIM. YMMV.) [[Special:Contributions/31.109.25.88|31.109.25.88]] 17:30, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
I wrote this long before Cage did, and no one ever gave me any credit. Just because he was already famous does not make this a useful composition. [[Special:Contributions/206.181.86.98|206.181.86.98]] 23:21, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
:[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4%E2%80%B233%E2%80%B3#Precursors][[Special:Contributions/96.238.211.171|96.238.211.171]] 20:26, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1186: Bumblebees

2013-03-15T05:52:28Z

96.238.211.171: fix

{{w|Bumblebee#Flight}} [[Special:Contributions/96.238.211.171|96.238.211.171]] 05:49, 15 March 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1186: Bumblebees

2013-03-15T05:50:34Z

96.238.211.171:

((Bumblebee#Flight)) [[Special:Contributions/96.238.211.171|96.238.211.171]] 05:49, 15 March 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1186: Bumblebees

2013-03-15T05:50:14Z

96.238.211.171:

(Bumblebee#Flight) [[Special:Contributions/96.238.211.171|96.238.211.171]] 05:49, 15 March 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1186: Bumblebees

2013-03-15T05:49:47Z

96.238.211.171: To start the discussion

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee#Flight) [[Special:Contributions/96.238.211.171|96.238.211.171]] 05:49, 15 March 2013 (UTC)

1186: Bumblebees

2013-03-15T05:47:56Z

96.238.211.171: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1186
| date = March 15, 2013
| title = Bumblebees
| image = bumblebees.png
| titletext = Did you know sociologists can't explain why people keep repeating that urban legend about bumblebees not being able to fly!?
}}

==Explanation==
There is an oft repeated legend that the according to the laws of aerodynamics, bumblebees cannot fly. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that all the mechanics of bumblebee flight are not known and that the approximations to the aerodynamics equations which work well for fixed wing aircraft, do not work for bumblebees. In recent years, there have been more sophisticated computer models of bumblebee flight, and they have found that bumblebee wings do indeed produce adequate lift.

==Transcript==
:Science fact:
:[A bumblebee is perched on the steering handle of an airplane.]
:Physicists still can't explain how bumblebees can fly planes.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]