explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3197: Cost Savings

2026-01-22T15:03:10Z

98.97.38.200:

Anyone wanna store some items in my garage? They'll be there... forever! [[User:King Pando|King Pando]] ([[User talk:King Pando|talk]]) 22:41, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

Anybody know why the random explanation button bias towards the 3000's heavily?
: 20 manual iterations, beginning 20260122 1440Z. 0-999 25%, 1000-1999 30%, 2000-2999 40%, 3000-3197 5%, 3000-3999 projected 25%. n is too small, but I don't perceive a bias. [[Special:Contributions/98.97.38.200|98.97.38.200]] 14:50, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

I first thought the joke that we could do anything StarLink does cheaper, simpler, more environmentally friendly and without risking Kessler syndrome by using terrestrial technology (i.e. cables and antennas) ''if we could just get our heads out of our asses''. The shed punchline was a bit of a letdown. --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 07:40, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

: Saturn the Titan lives, and He has commanded us to create a ring system for Planet Earth so that He can feel more at home here. Recreant. [[Special:Contributions/98.97.38.200|98.97.38.200]] 14:59, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

"NASA ... certainly cannot be conventionally ordered to build a shed on a needy citizen's property." Wait, what? Haven't you been following the trajectory of the 47th Presidency of these Untied States in North America? [[Special:Contributions/98.97.38.200|98.97.38.200]] 15:03, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3197: Cost Savings

2026-01-22T14:59:38Z

98.97.38.200:

Talk:3197: Cost Savings

2026-01-22T14:50:42Z

98.97.38.200:

Talk:3196: Aurora Coolness

2026-01-22T14:17:38Z

98.97.38.200:

second - [[Special:Contributions/45.178.1.151|45.178.1.151]] 03:07, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:minute [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:31, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
::hour [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 10:24, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:::day [[Special:Contributions/93.36.184.86|93.36.184.86]] 14:06, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:::: What [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:657A:CBF1:9BDA:C5C|2605:59C8:160:DB08:657A:CBF1:9BDA:C5C]] 14:57, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
::::: The [[Special:Contributions/66.210.7.66|66.210.7.66]] 21:25, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:::::: Heck [[Special:Contributions/208.123.119.128|208.123.119.128]] 02:50, 21 January 2026 (UTC)
::::::: Why --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]''''' 14:02, 21 January 2026 (UTC)
:::::::: i'm sorry how did this happen [[Special:Contributions/45.178.1.151|45.178.1.151]] 18:28, 21 January 2026 (UTC)
::::::::: who --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]''''' 18:30, 21 January 2026 (UTC)
:::::::::: Who is on first. [[Special:Contributions/98.97.38.200|98.97.38.200]] 14:17, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

I picture people going out on a cold, clear winter night to stare at a shimmering, aurora-filled sky, and then returning to their warm homes to sip hot cups of soup from the microwave, blissfully unaware of how closely related the two events are ... or would be were it not for that thin, thin, layer of mostly diatomic and triatomic gases that is desperately parrying the Sun's murderous assault on our behalf. Yes, yes, I know, I know ...[[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:657A:CBF1:9BDA:C5C|2605:59C8:160:DB08:657A:CBF1:9BDA:C5C]] 04:07, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:Makes you wonder why no-one's figured out how to reproduce that in a microwave, so we can enjoy an aurora every time we heat something. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:34, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
::"Aurora Borealis? At THIS time of year, at THIS time of day, in THIS part of the country, localized ENTIRELY within your kitchen?" [[Special:Contributions/168.8.230.51|168.8.230.51]] 13:57, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:::In order: Yes, yes, yes, no despite Randall's best efforts. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 14:19, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

The graph in 2914 isn't a function of time, it's a function of how close one is to the path of totality. [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 05:39, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
: Fixed. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:657A:CBF1:9BDA:C5C|2605:59C8:160:DB08:657A:CBF1:9BDA:C5C]] 06:38, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

New England was getting heavy snow in the days leading up to this comic, so it was probably too cloudy for any auroras to be visible. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 05:42, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

: "''probably too cloudy''" Far north coast of Maine, all I could see was sky-glow from the Walmart 7 miles away. We actually have a Dark Sky movement in this area (lotta old hippies) but Walmart didnt get that memo. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 06:02, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

::Indeed. I live about 50km from London in a town with many street lights (and I don't drive). I've never seen an aurora.--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:8DF8:31D:D8B:3B99|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:8DF8:31D:D8B:3B99]] 09:09, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I wish all those many people who apparently get notified about aurora forecasts, go outside and then AFTERWARDS post about it instead posted about it BEFORE… I keep seeing such posts when it's too late. :( [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 06:53, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure if this is a UK-specific phenomenon, so it may not be familiar to many of you, but those who ''do'' do this ("do do" – snigger), ''stop it''. I refer to banging on about how spectacular the aurora is but not mentioning that it couldn't be seen with the naked eye. If you can only see it by pointing your camera at it, that's not seeing it. That's not worthy of BBC journalists saying the aurora was visible, because it ''wasn't''. That's a cute trick that your phone can do to translate invisible parts of the spectrum into visible light. You don't post UV-detector shots of patterns that birds can see and say "Wow, conditions were perfect for making these patterns visible on this lizard!" If it's not visible, it's not visible. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:55, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:From my recollection of past info (that I won't repeat too specifically, as I kight be wrong and you probably don't want me saying it more exactly either way) you're also somewhere on the inner fringes of one of the main Yorkshire conurbations. Which means that your night-time views are blighted by 'cityshine' (as mine typically are, except it's more like a major regional town just over the hill) except upon the clearest of clear nights.
:I don't know what the urban equivalent is, but it's seemingly something like constant noctiluscent clouds (only illuminated by over-the-hill settlements, not the under-the-horizon Sun). Technically, I should get good aurora views, at this latitude, but have ''never'' seen (with my naked eye) anything that doesn't look like reflected light-pollution. Really clear skies and really good aurora seem to never have coincided, either it's the skies (lots of stars, or even shooting stars at the right times of year) or its an ambiguous glow that is probably anthropogenic. (Or, worse, it's so cloudy/etc, that I don't even get the neighbouring town's light.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.241|82.132.239.241]] 16:25, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
I am sooo jealosu at Randall for er experiencien Aurora for hours. Aurora is in my top-3 of natural phenomeman that I want to see (have already seen a volcano erupt, have been in the path of a total eclipse twice - on overcast days) and yesterday, for about 10 minutes, I saw aurora for the first time. As in, I saw a glow that had a slightly greener glow than the light pollution would normally be, and I would not recognized it if my family who lives in darker territory didn't warn me. [[User:IIVQ|IIVQ]] ([[User talk:IIVQ|talk]]) 19:16, 20 January 2026 (UTC)