explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1238: Enlightenment

2013-07-15T15:44:25Z

98.203.241.55: I need to remove this in accordance with my previous edit.

{{comic
| number = 1238
| date = July 15, 2013
| title = Enlightenment
| image = enlightenment.png
| titletext = But the rules of writing are like magic spells. If you never acquire them, then not using them says nothing.
}}

==Explanation==


This comic is a reference to a scene from {{w|Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace}} in which {{w|Yoda}} expresses doubt in a young {{w|Anakin Skywalker|Anakin}}'s potential to join the {{w|Jedi}} order. Yoda delivers a speech similar to the one that [[Ponytail]] gives here, except that the end of the sequence he presents is {{w|Dark side (Star Wars)|the dark side}}. (Yoda is ultimately correct; Anakin's fears lead him to join the dark side so that he may keep his loved ones from dying; this is at the expense of the stability of the galaxy, however, and his actions are in vain, as {{w|Padmé Amidala|his wife}} dies nonetheless.)

Here, [[Randall]] compares Anakin's decision to join the dark side to the propensity of many Internet commenters to correct others on their spelling and grammar. Randall's point is that correcting people, like joining the dark side, ultimately stems from insecurity.

Ponytail and [[Cueball]] challenge [[Megan]] to type the sentence "I heard you're idea's and their definately good", which contains four {{w|Commonly misspelled words|common misspellings}}: ''{{w|wikt:you're|you''''re'''}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:your|you'''r'''}}''; ''{{w|possessive|idea'''''''s}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:ideas|ideas}}'' (see {{w|greengrocers' apostrophe}}); ''{{w|wikt:their|the'''ir'''}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:they're|the'''y're'''}}''; ''{{w|wikt:definately|defin'''a'''tely}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:definitely|defin'''i'''tely}}''. Megan, however, can't bring herself to do it, having spent so much time judging others for their trivial errors, even when they're saying helpful things like the sentence in question. Instead, she smashes the computer and runs away. Cueball and Ponytail remark on this, both failing to use {{w|apostrophe}}s. (Or, since you don't use apostrophes when you talk, you could think of it as Randall himself who's dropping them, to put his money where his mouth is.)

The particular sentence choice is also interesting: In {{w|software development}} (a frequent topic in ''xkcd'') an initial "{{w|wikt:+1|+1}}" can make a big difference. For instance, if a developer posts somewhere asking for input on how to design part of a software, and an end-user or a volunteer programmer posts some suggestions, it can really make that user feel validated if the developers follow up and say "yeah, that's a good idea"; if they just shoot it down, then the user feels discouraged, and next time might not be as likely to share their ideas. So, in other words, the sentence "I heard your ideas and they're definitely good" can be a very meaningful one in some circles; to care about whether or not the sentence is spelled right is to focus solely on its superficial elements, ignoring its meaning. Randall is saying that, if we spend more time appreciating what people say, and less time complaining about how they say it, ultimately we'll help make the Internet a more friendly place.

The title text possibly refers to the common situation in fantasy stories where the powerful wizards etc. refrain from using magic except when they need to — often because overuse corrupts or similar. However, simply not using magic because you don't know magic is not at all the same. Randall is making this comparison with use/misuse of the rules of English: he is saying that people should still learn the rules — he is not condoning ignorance.

==Transcript==
<pre>
Ponytail: To achieve *internet enlightenment*, you must free yourself from insecurity.
Megan: But insecurity keeps me humble!

Ponytail: No. Insecurity leads to conceit. Conceit leads to judgment. Judgment leads to being an asshole.

[They are in front of a computer]
Megan: I'm ready. How do I begin?
Ponytail: Type this sentence.
[White text on black background]
I heard you're idea's and their definately good.

[Megan is absent from the last panel, and the computer is on the floor, the stand on which the computer was is broken]
Ponytail: She wasnt ready.
Cueball: Its a difficult road.
</pre>

:

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Language]]

1238: Enlightenment

2013-07-15T15:43:36Z

98.203.241.55: A comma is not required in that place in that sentence. The conjunction alone is sufficient.

{{comic
| number = 1238
| date = July 15, 2013
| title = Enlightenment
| image = enlightenment.png
| titletext = But the rules of writing are like magic spells. If you never acquire them, then not using them says nothing.
}}

==Explanation==


This comic is a reference to a scene from {{w|Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace}} in which {{w|Yoda}} expresses doubt in a young {{w|Anakin Skywalker|Anakin}}'s potential to join the {{w|Jedi}} order. Yoda delivers a speech similar to the one that [[Ponytail]] gives here, except that the end of the sequence he presents is {{w|Dark side (Star Wars)|the dark side}}. (Yoda is ultimately correct; Anakin's fears lead him to join the dark side so that he may keep his loved ones from dying; this is at the expense of the stability of the galaxy, however, and his actions are in vain, as {{w|Padmé Amidala|his wife}} dies nonetheless.)

Here, [[Randall]] compares Anakin's decision to join the dark side to the propensity of many Internet commenters to correct others on their spelling and grammar. Randall's point is that correcting people, like joining the dark side, ultimately stems from insecurity.

Ponytail and [[Cueball]] challenge [[Megan]] to type the sentence "I heard you're idea's and their definately good", which contains four {{w|Commonly misspelled words|common misspellings}} and a grammatical error: ''{{w|wikt:you're|you''''re'''}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:your|you'''r'''}}''; ''{{w|possessive|idea'''''''s}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:ideas|ideas}}'' (see {{w|greengrocers' apostrophe}}); ''{{w|wikt:their|the'''ir'''}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:they're|the'''y're'''}}''; ''{{w|wikt:definately|defin'''a'''tely}}'' instead of ''{{w|wikt:definitely|defin'''i'''tely}}''. Megan, however, can't bring herself to do it, having spent so much time judging others for their trivial errors, even when they're saying helpful things like the sentence in question. Instead, she smashes the computer and runs away. Cueball and Ponytail remark on this, both failing to use {{w|apostrophe}}s. (Or, since you don't use apostrophes when you talk, you could think of it as Randall himself who's dropping them, to put his money where his mouth is.)

The particular sentence choice is also interesting: In {{w|software development}} (a frequent topic in ''xkcd'') an initial "{{w|wikt:+1|+1}}" can make a big difference. For instance, if a developer posts somewhere asking for input on how to design part of a software, and an end-user or a volunteer programmer posts some suggestions, it can really make that user feel validated if the developers follow up and say "yeah, that's a good idea"; if they just shoot it down, then the user feels discouraged, and next time might not be as likely to share their ideas. So, in other words, the sentence "I heard your ideas and they're definitely good" can be a very meaningful one in some circles; to care about whether or not the sentence is spelled right is to focus solely on its superficial elements, ignoring its meaning. Randall is saying that, if we spend more time appreciating what people say, and less time complaining about how they say it, ultimately we'll help make the Internet a more friendly place.

The title text possibly refers to the common situation in fantasy stories where the powerful wizards etc. refrain from using magic except when they need to — often because overuse corrupts or similar. However, simply not using magic because you don't know magic is not at all the same. Randall is making this comparison with use/misuse of the rules of English: he is saying that people should still learn the rules — he is not condoning ignorance.

==Transcript==
<pre>
Ponytail: To achieve *internet enlightenment*, you must free yourself from insecurity.
Megan: But insecurity keeps me humble!

Ponytail: No. Insecurity leads to conceit. Conceit leads to judgment. Judgment leads to being an asshole.

[They are in front of a computer]
Megan: I'm ready. How do I begin?
Ponytail: Type this sentence.
[White text on black background]
I heard you're idea's and their definately good.

[Megan is absent from the last panel, and the computer is on the floor, the stand on which the computer was is broken]
Ponytail: She wasnt ready.
Cueball: Its a difficult road.
</pre>

:

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Language]]

Talk:782: Desecration

2013-05-22T22:12:06Z

98.203.241.55:

Oh god, I thought the tombstones were just there for decoration! I didn't think there'd actually be ''people'' buried under them! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:33, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

(Personally I think the real explanation is something of a "Hot Apple Pie may be hot!" nature. While they apparently have no problem with unburrying indian bones from the ground, the realisation that they were in an ''indian burial ground'' (surprise, surprise!) causes them concern. Just like the (semi-mythical?) people who don't realise hot things are... hot. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.77.240|178.98.77.240]] 00:20, 4 May 2013 (UTC) )

Is it too unsafe to assume that because the standard, typically drawn stick figure is referred to as Rob, that the character in most of these strips is named Rob and not Cueball? As I understand it, Cueball was made up on this site and not by Randall. --[[Special:Contributions/98.203.241.55|98.203.241.55]] 22:12, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

Talk:781: Ahead Stop

2013-05-01T21:49:35Z

98.203.241.55:

Reminds me of something I saw in San Diego on a pedestrian/bike path: PED TO YIELD. At first I thought it meant that pedestrians are to yield to bicyclists. But then I remembered my highway grammar. --[[Special:Contributions/98.203.241.55|98.203.241.55]] 21:49, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

839: Explorers

2013-04-30T20:44:59Z

98.203.241.55: I am pretty sure those are little streams of water drifting past each corner. They're floating in the sea.

{{comic
| number = 839
| date = December 27, 2010
| title = Explorers
| image = explorers.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = We're going to have to work together to get over our hangups if we're going to learn to move on Catan's hexagonal grid. It's bad enough that we lost our crew of pawns when we passed within firing range of Battleship
}}

== Explanation ==

This comic blends {{w|board game}}s such as {{w|chess}}, {{w|Settlers of Catan}} and {{w|Battleship (game)|Battleship}}, with {{w|exploration}}, making possible references to {{w|space exploration}} and the {{w|Age of Exploration}}.

The typical representation of explorers has them travel from their homeland aboard a ship to unknown distant places. The travel can get very long, implying the need for food supplies on the ship; and the fact that the crew members have to live together with little room (the ship) for such a long time, with possibilities of failure, getting lost or dying for various reasons, can often lead to tensions between some of them. In the Age of Exploration the explorers were mainly sailors from Europe travelling on the sea to other continents, whereas in space exploration they are astronauts or robots from Earth travelling in space to other planets (or whatever celestial bodies), but the general concepts of exploration remain the same.

Here the explorers are two chess pieces, a knight and a bishop; they have left their "home board", supposedly a full 8x8 chess board where they come from, aboard a smaller "raft" made of a small 3x3 chess board drifting in the sea. They are apparently headed for a Settlers of Catan board, and already passed near a Battleship board, so these game boards are like islands or regions which the chess pieces explore, coming from a chess board.

Ba3, Nc3 and Ke5 are the identification of chess pieces and their respective position: Ba3 is a bishop on the A3 square, Nc3 a knight on the C3 square, and Ke5 a king on the E5 square. Chess is pretty much a representation of the structure of medieval European society (with the king and queen being the most crucial pieces, the bishops representing the somewhat powerful clergy, the knights corresponding to the armies, the rook alluding the castles, and the pawns being, as the medieval working classes, the most numerous and disposable assets); so chess pieces exploring other places, approaching the "coast of Catan", and reporting to the king ("calling Ke5"), is reminiscent of explorers from Europe who under their king's jurisdiction set sail to other continents during the Age of Exploration.

The explorers are communicating with a "{{w|Mission control center|mission control}}", which is common in space exploration. Also, an "ETA" is an {{w|estimated time of arrival}}.

In chess, the knight and the bishop have different move constraints. The knight can only move two squares horizontally and one square vertically, or two vertically and one horizontally, so on the capsule the knight explorer can only go from one corner square to a black square, or vice-versa. The bishop can only move diagonally, so this bishop is bound to move only on the white squares. The knight is also the only piece that can "jump" over other pieces, which seems to annoy the bishop, hence the "hopping around"; apparently the bishop put all the food onto the middle square, which the knight can't reach, because the knight was taunting him about his not being able to get onto a black square.

The two pieces are from the opposite chess camps (one black and the other white). This can be a reference to multinational space mission crews, where formerly opponent nations joined their efforts on space missions. But in chess it also means they can capture each other, by getting on the square where the other stands. Here, with the chess turn-by-turn gameplay, the knight won't be able to capture the bishop (except of course in case of error or dumb move), since the bishop will always be able to escape, whereas the bishop is actually one or two moves away from capturing the knight ([http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=67159#p2436482]). So saying that he's "this close" to capturing him is a play on words, he is "this close" as in a few moves away, as well as "this close" as in severely annoyed and about to act on it.

Finally, the title text adds two jokes. The Settlers of Catan board has an hexagonal grid, which means the chess pieces will have difficulty to move on it, since they are used to move on a squared grid (this can draw a parallel with explorers facing, in distant lands, weather conditions, wild animals, atmosphere or whatever condition, to which they are not used at all in their homeland). And Battleship is a game where players send shots on the opponent's board, so that's why the chess capsule received shots when it passed within firing range of a Battleship board; in pure chess style, it's the pawns of the crew, the least valuable and most disposable chess pieces, who took the shots.

== Transcript ==

[A black bishop, Ba3, and a white knight, Nc3, are on a three by three chessboard. Both are on white squares. There is a heap of supplies at b2, also a white square. The chessboard is mounted on rockets and appears to be flying through the air.]

Ba3: Mission Control, come in. This is Ba3 on the capsule calling Ke5 on the home board. We're on track and approaching the Coast of Catan. Our ETA is —

Nc3: Control, this is Nc3. Bishop put all our food in the center so I can't get it. I demand —

Ba3: Control, knight will get his food back when he stops hopping around bragging about how comfy the black squares are. I swear to God, I'm ''this'' close to capturing him and completing the mission alone.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Chess]]

Talk:839: Explorers

2013-04-30T20:41:50Z

98.203.241.55:

How is that ship flying in the first place? Wouldn't the pieces fall off? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:59, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

Magnetic Chess :-) [[Special:Contributions/121.99.55.58|121.99.55.58]] 03:23, 24 March 2013 (UTC)

Is the mini board really floating? It looked to me like it was adrift in sea. I think I might make some edits.

Talk:884: Rogers St.

2013-04-30T17:13:16Z

98.203.241.55:

In the UK, "Rogers" is also a verb. Added to this, "Mr Rogers" does not carry the same cultural references.
All in all Mr Rogers sounds like a great name for a UK Porn Star.
:Oh wow, I didn't know that. Not only is "rogers" a verb, but it's a verb which means to have sexual intercourse.

Talk:1043: Ablogalypse

2013-04-26T17:41:18Z

98.203.241.55:

Actually, the august 18 date was premature; blog beat tumblr over the rest of august and so they didn't cross in August. Revised data showed that the crossing actually occurred for the first time in november 2012. [[Special:Contributions/75.103.23.206|75.103.23.206]] 22:32, 7 December 2012 (UTC)
:I updated it. Randall's guess was only a month off. --[[Special:Contributions/98.203.241.55|98.203.241.55]] 17:41, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

1043: Ablogalypse

2013-04-26T17:40:11Z

98.203.241.55: /* Explanation */ Double-checked the graph. Tumblr doesn't overcome until November, which is quite close to Randall's guess.

{{comic
| number = 1043
| date = April 16, 2012
| title = Ablogalypse
| image = ablogalypse.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Plus the reaction in the Tumblverse is always 'repeatedly get hit by a dog and fall down the stairs'.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic plays with the [http://www.google.com/trends/?q=blog,tumblr,wordpress,livejournal google trends for the terms blog, tumblr, wordpress and livejournal].

Ok, let's see: blog, you know what that is because <s>you are currently reading one</s> (explainxkcd until recently was one). Tumblr is a more of a "micro-blogging" site, which has taken off due to the prevalence of animated gifs and funny photos. Wordpress is a type of blog software. Livejournal is a sort of personal blog site that as you can see hasn't been really popular at all since 2004-2005.

As you can see in the caption and then the image text, there is no way that newscasters will reference the "Tumblrverse" because all the reactions will be filled with animated gifs of a person in [http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/thank-you-toronto-raptor%27s-mascot a raptor suit falling over] or [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/yes-this-is-dog a dog answering a phone].

It has [http://www.google.com/trends/?q=blog,+tumblr&ctab=0&geo=all&date=ytd&sort=0 already happened], as of November 11, 2012.

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

1202: Girls and Boys

2013-04-24T15:55:35Z

98.203.241.55: I doubt it

{{comic
| number = 1202
| date = April 22, 2013
| title = Girls and Boys
| image = girls and boys.png
| titletext = To get more knowledge
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is a play on the popular school-yard taunt, "Girls go to college, to get more knowledge; boys go to Jupiter, to get more stupider," also commonly heard as "Boys go to Mars, to get more candy bars; girls go to Jupiter, to get more stupider." The words "boys" and "girls" may be interchanged depending on the gender of the person chanting.

The comic subverts the original rhyme by having both girls and boys go to college to gain knowledge, and then using that knowledge to go to Jupiter as part of a space program.

The schoolyard taunt embodies the competitiveness and separation commonly seen between young boys and girls, taunts about the superiority of one's gender, and superstitions about what happens if you touch or associate with someone of the other gender (you get "cooties"). This comic subverts that mentality and emphasizes learning and cooperation free of gender bias/separation; the title text further emphasizes learning and intellectual improvement because the purpose of "going to Jupiter" is "to get more knowledge."

==Transcript==
:Girls go to college
:To get more knowledge
:[Megan studying at a table.]

:Boys go to college
:To get more knowledge
:[Cueball studying at a table.]

:Girls and boys
:[Space launch control room.]

:Go to Jupiter
:[Rocket launch.]

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

1203: Time Machines

2013-04-24T15:52:28Z

98.203.241.55: Trying to be more descriptive with the action

{{comic
| number = 1203
| date = April 24, 2013
| title = Time Machines
| image = time machines.png
| titletext = 'All time machine systems nominal ... T-minus ten ... eleven ...'
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] activates a time machine to go back into the past. The time machine rewinds time, but in the process rewinds the event where the time machine itself was turned on, turning the time machine off in the process. He is now a few seconds in the past, prior to having activated the time machine, but he is baffled that he does not seem to have accomplished anything and turned off the time machine unintentionally.

The title text mimics a countdown to an event. "T minus 10," for example, means 10 seconds until the event. When the event is the activation of a time machine traveling back in time, after 10 seconds it will once again be "T minus 10," and a second later it will be "T minus 11," counting up rather than down. This casts doubt on the value of the countdown because, from the perspective of the time traveler, the event has already taken place.

Cueball is only able to travel back in time a few seconds because in this comic time is seen as continuous and linear, so he can only travel back in time to the moment he activated the machine (the first series of "E"s is the machine warming up and the second series of "E"s is that in reverse) the logic behind this is because time is continuous, Cueball's input was required for the machine to work.

==Transcript==
:The problem with time machines:
:[Cueball has his hands on the lever of a time machine.]

:[Cueball flips the switch from OFF to ON.]
:''Click''
:EEEEEEE

:EEEEEEE
:''Click''
:[Cueball flips the switch from ON to OFF.]

:[Cueball is puzzled.]

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