explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1349: Shouldn't Be Hard

2014-03-31T17:08:47Z

Alfons: verb missing

{{comic
| number = 1349
| date = March 31, 2014
| title = Shouldn't Be Hard
| image = shouldnt_be_hard.png
| titletext = (six hours later) ARGH. How are these stupid microchips so durable?! All I want is to undo a massive industrial process with household tools!
}}

==Explanation==

This comic refers to a sentiment sometimes expressed by computer users that "what I'm trying to do is really simple — it shouldn't be hard." The statement demonstrates an assumption that because the desired action is conceptually simple, it must therefore be simple to implement. There is a logic to this line of thinking, but in reality, as the off-screen character notes, a computer is a very complicated set of components which effectively can't do ''anything'' (simple or complex) until someone has programmed the functionality into it. Even more abstractly, a random silicon crystal can't do anything at all until someone has applied a complex industrial process to it that allows it to read and execute computer code in the first place.

In terms of a user-interface, the "simplicity" of executing a given task may be more a function of the perceived utility and frequency-of-use of that function, and less a function of its conceptual "simplicity". For example, changing the colour of the font in a word processor is often simpler than changing the colour of the background/page, even though changing colours of two parts of the document would appear equally "simple" in concept. The different implementation is a design choice by the programmer most likely on the basis that the intended user is considered more likely to want to change the font colour than to change the page colour.

This sentiment equally applies to computer programmers: most commonly when they are just beginning to learn a new computer language. Sometimes because of difficulties with the syntax rules of the language or similar problems, a programmer may spend a long time trying to get the computer to do a simple action, such as display a message on the screen, or ask the user for a number. This is also true when a programmer is working in a language which doesn't have an easy way to do something that might be simple in another language.

The off-screen character points out that computers were "just carefully organized sand". Modern computer chips are made largely of silicon crystals, chemically similar to the Silicon Dioxide crystals that compose the majority of sand. The character puts Cueball's goal in perspective by pointing out the large amount of complexity required to make "carefully organized sand" do even the simplest of computational tasks.

The punchline of the comic is that, after considering these words of wisdom for a panel, instead of the anticipated response of Cueball coming to the realization that the off-screen character is right, and working even harder to solve his problem, Cueball instead succumbs to his annoyance and sets out to destroy his computer (which he chracterizes as turning it "''back'' into sand". The off-screen character helpfully offers to get a blowtorch so that Cueball can melt the computer down into simple compounds and elements.

The title-text sees Cueball again frustrated with a task he considers "simple" (destroying the computer). Cueball appears to be oblivious to the irony in his statement that he is having trouble destroying something with household tools that required very large machines and an industrial process to create. This might be compared to trying to undo a steel weld by lighting a wooden match and trying to melt the weld with it. This points out the irony that destroying the processor is even harder to do than the task from the first picture.

The melting point of silicon is 1,414°C. Although a typical butane blowtorch that might be found in a kitchen has a maximum temperature of 1,430°C, that temperature is at a very small point and rapidly cools. Hence it is unlikely that you could focus sufficient heat with a kitchen appliance blowtorch to actually melt silicon.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is typing on a laptop.]
:Cueball: What I'm trying to do is really simple.
:Cueball: It shouldn't be hard.

:Offscreen: All computers are just carefully organized sand. '''''Everything''''' is hard until someone makes it easy.

:[Cueball sits back and pauses.]

:[Cueball picks up and examines the laptop.]
:Cueball: Maybe I should turn this one '''''back''''' into sand.
:Offscreen: I'll find a blowtorch.

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

1340: Unique Date

2014-03-10T10:08:25Z

Alfons: /* Explanation */ typo

{{comic
| number = 1340
| date = March 10, 2014
| title = Unique Date
| image = unique_date.png
| titletext = If our current civilization lasts another 8,000 years, it's probably fair to assume the Long Now Foundation got things right, and at some point we started listening to them and switched to five-digit years.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The existing explanation has been updated with wiki links etc. But is the 10,000 year clock relevant at all? Should it maybe just be a trivia item?}}

Some people make a big deal about special dates such as 2000-01-01 or 2011-11-11. Many people for instance chooses these more "unique" days to get married, even though the day do not fall in a weekend. For instance 2007-07-07 - a summer day was very popular.

This comic, however, points out that every date is equally unique.

The Mayans had a repeating circle of years, which made it very difficult to record the dates of events far into the past as a given date was not unique! To prevent this, the {{W|ISO 8601}} states that the {{W|Gregorian calendar}} should be used (i.e. our system), which has no limit on years - but "only" uses four digit years.

Cueball thinks it's interesting that we have an infinite number of years; it never starts over again. This means that today's date will never be applicable again. It is one of his many [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:My_Hobby hobbies] to point this out every day. This would be incredibly annoying to Megan and everyone else!

The title text is referring to the {{W|Long Now Foundation}} who uses five digit year (the date of this comic would be written as 02014-03-10 by the foundation). They are for instance designing a [http://longnow.org/clock/ 10,000-year clock] that should be able to run for this long - an in principle it could display every date up to 99999-12-31 with it's five digits.

As we currently use four-digit years this may cause a {{W|Year 10,000 problem|Y10K problem}}. Randall remarks that by the year 10,000, we will probably have switched over to a larger number of digits realizing that 'the Long Now Foundation got things right''.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball speaking to Megan and another person.]
:Cueball: Whoa, it's 2014-03-10! Under our system, this day will ''NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!!''
:My Hobby: Pointing this out every day.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]

Talk:815: Mu

2013-11-25T14:56:09Z

Alfons: inverse morse potential

I don't understand the max. Do chair-sitters decrease in productivity as mu increases because they are trying in vain to spin difficult chairs? In the limiting case of a rigid chair, do chair-sitters vainly attempt to rotate their chairs anyways? {{unsigned ip|75.145.95.201}}

:I think a difficult-to-spin chair just feels uncomfortable, so it kind of subconsciously affects your productivity. In fact most people never sit completely still and often you have to turn to get something from next to your desk or move around... That can be pretty annoying to some people. The way I imagine it, this would not apply to an "infinitely" rigid chair (a simple one with four legs), because you don't expect it to move so it would still feel "right", if it's sufficiently comfortable in the other regards (softness, angle of the backrest, ...). Maybe productivity would not be as high as with an optimal spinning chair, since it would not be as much fun, but that's not in the picture anyway. [[User:Laden|Laden]] ([[User talk:Laden|talk]]) 03:07, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

:I would think that the function approaches a fixed chair production coefficient ( ;) A set number for that chair subject to other variables which are being kept constant [as Laden pointed out]) as Mu approaches infinity.
:It's most likely a peicewise function with a different value @ infinity--granted truly rigorous analysis would conclude that all chairs no matter how "rigid" would experience microscopic torques from people turning and shifting in them.

:But this doesn't affect the psychology of being frustrated in a sticky swivel chair. As such that productivity would likely be higher than the CPC, which I would expect as Laden does would be to be lower than the max CPC of a swivel chair (which if I could would by now be denoting as C sub-S and rigid chairs as C sub-R)

:A similar graph could likely be made for a chair which has a certain maximum "reclination"

:Apologies for lack of formatting I've never commented before, and clearly was completely backwards from what I intended when i originally commented. Whoops
:--Rick 20:18:~45 13-4-13 [[Special:Contributions/67.182.93.204|67.182.93.204]] 03:06, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

::Rick, I hope you don't mind, I've come through and indented your comment the way I think you intended. If this is incorrect, feel free to correct it. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:33, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

;Reference to electrons
I cannot shake the feeling that this comic makes a reference to the spin of electrons. However, not being a physicist, I cannot quite place the implications. Also, the graph looks quite familiar to me. --[[User:Alfons|Alfons]] ([[User talk:Alfons|talk]]) 09:50, 20 November 2013 (UTC)

:Now I know, where I know this graph from: It is an inversed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_potential Morse potential]. Does anybody know, whether it might have something to do with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franck%E2%80%93Condon_principle Franck-Condon principle]? --[[User:Alfons|Alfons]] ([[User talk:Alfons|talk]]) 14:56, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

;Title of the comic
The title of the comic, mu (μ), is a symbol that is commonly used to denote the coefficient of friction. Posted by [[User:Irino.]].
:Mu is not μ, which just means micro (one per Million). I can't see the link.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:58, 7 September 2013 (UTC)
::[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_(letter) Mu, or μ], is a Greek letter. It is often used as an abbreviation for the prefix [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro- micro-], but can also be used as a variable for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction#Coefficient_of_friction coefficient of friction]. [[Special:Contributions/24.41.66.114|24.41.66.114]] 23:04, 12 September 2013 (UTC)

Talk:815: Mu

2013-11-20T09:50:30Z

Alfons: reference to electron spin?

I don't understand the max. Do chair-sitters decrease in productivity as mu increases because they are trying in vain to spin difficult chairs? In the limiting case of a rigid chair, do chair-sitters vainly attempt to rotate their chairs anyways? {{unsigned ip|75.145.95.201}}

:I think a difficult-to-spin chair just feels uncomfortable, so it kind of subconsciously affects your productivity. In fact most people never sit completely still and often you have to turn to get something from next to your desk or move around... That can be pretty annoying to some people. The way I imagine it, this would not apply to an "infinitely" rigid chair (a simple one with four legs), because you don't expect it to move so it would still feel "right", if it's sufficiently comfortable in the other regards (softness, angle of the backrest, ...). Maybe productivity would not be as high as with an optimal spinning chair, since it would not be as much fun, but that's not in the picture anyway. [[User:Laden|Laden]] ([[User talk:Laden|talk]]) 03:07, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

:I would think that the function approaches a fixed chair production coefficient ( ;) A set number for that chair subject to other variables which are being kept constant [as Laden pointed out]) as Mu approaches infinity.
:It's most likely a peicewise function with a different value @ infinity--granted truly rigorous analysis would conclude that all chairs no matter how "rigid" would experience microscopic torques from people turning and shifting in them.

:But this doesn't affect the psychology of being frustrated in a sticky swivel chair. As such that productivity would likely be higher than the CPC, which I would expect as Laden does would be to be lower than the max CPC of a swivel chair (which if I could would by now be denoting as C sub-S and rigid chairs as C sub-R)

:A similar graph could likely be made for a chair which has a certain maximum "reclination"

:Apologies for lack of formatting I've never commented before, and clearly was completely backwards from what I intended when i originally commented. Whoops
:--Rick 20:18:~45 13-4-13 [[Special:Contributions/67.182.93.204|67.182.93.204]] 03:06, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

::Rick, I hope you don't mind, I've come through and indented your comment the way I think you intended. If this is incorrect, feel free to correct it. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:33, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

;Reference to electrons
I cannot shake the feeling that this comic makes a reference to the spin of electrons. However, not being a physicist, I cannot quite place the implications. Also, the graph looks quite familiar to me. --[[User:Alfons|Alfons]] ([[User talk:Alfons|talk]]) 09:50, 20 November 2013 (UTC)

;Title of the comic
The title of the comic, mu (μ), is a symbol that is commonly used to denote the coefficient of friction. Posted by [[User:Irino.]].
:Mu is not μ, which just means micro (one per Million). I can't see the link.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:58, 7 September 2013 (UTC)
::[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_(letter) Mu, or μ], is a Greek letter. It is often used as an abbreviation for the prefix [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro- micro-], but can also be used as a variable for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friction#Coefficient_of_friction coefficient of friction]. [[Special:Contributions/24.41.66.114|24.41.66.114]] 23:04, 12 September 2013 (UTC)

1286: Encryptic

2013-11-05T07:53:59Z

Alfons: /* Passwords */ added explanation to hint

{{comic
| number = 1286
| date = November 4, 2013
| title = Encryptic
| image = encryptic.png
| titletext = It was bound to happen eventually. This data theft will enable almost limitless [xkcd.com/792]-style password reuse attacks in the coming weeks. There's only one group that comes out of this looking smart: Everyone who pirated Photoshop.
}}

==Explanation==
Web sites and other computers that authenticate users via passwords need to be able to know if the user typed in the right password. But storing the password itself on the computer has been known to be unnecessarily risky since the publication of [http://www.neurosecurity.com/articles/security/passwd.pdf "Password Security: A Case History"] in 1978. In that paper, Robert Morris and Ken Thompson demonstrated the practice of using a slow, cryptographically-secure one-way {{w|Hash function|hash function}}, so that even if the password file is stolen, it will be very hard to figure out what the passwords are, so long as the passwords themselves are suitably complex. They also pioneered the use of a "salt" which makes each password hash completely different even if two users use the same password. See [http://security.blogoverflow.com/2011/07/a-tour-of-password-questions-and-answers/ A tour of password questions and answers] for background on salts and suitably slow hash functions.

Adobe, however, ignored these well-known principles, and instead stored over a hundred million passwords in a reversably encrypted way, using a terrible choice of encryption methods which exposes a great deal of information about the passwords, and does not involve a salt. This password database was recently obtained by someone and released on the Internet.

In particular, Adobe used {{w|Triple DES}}, an older encryption algorithm which can still be relatively secure when properly used. But they used it improperly. It works on 64-bit (8 character) blocks. Assuming that the passwords are stored in plain ASCII, this means that a sequence of 8 characters in a password which starts on a character position which is a multiple of eight is always encrypted to the same result. Therefore two passwords starting with “12345678” would start with the same block after being encrypted. Furthermore, this means that you can actually get a very good idea of the length of the password since anything with only one block is a password with length between 1 and 8 characters, and having two blocks implies it has between 9 and 16 characters, etc.

Adobe also stored hints users created for their passwords. That means that an attacker knows not only if the same 8 characters are used for multiple passwords but also has some hints for guessing them. That means that common password portions should be easy to recover and that any user may be “compromised” by someone else using a part of the same password and providing a good hint. As an example, a password having three hints “Big Apple”, “Twin Towers” and “If you can make it there” is probably “New York” (or a simple variation on that). The weakness here is that no decryption and therefore no hard cracking has to take place, you just group the passwords by their encrypted blocks and try to solve them like a crossword puzzle. These weaknesses have already been used to presumably identify a password used by {{w|Edward Snowden}}, as discussed at [http://7habitsofhighlyeffectivehackers.blogspot.com/2013/11/can-someone-be-targeted-using-adobe.html 7 Habits of Highly Effective Hackers: Can someone be targeted using the Adobe breach?].

The examples are not taken from the actual leaked file, since that [http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/11/how-an-epic-blunder-by-adobe-could-strengthen-hand-of-password-crackers/ uses a different format], and the examples are evidently cleverly crafted to make a nice crossword-like puzzle, which can be solved as shown in the Passwords section below.

The title text makes a reference to a previous comic: [[792|Black Hat’s trouble with what to do with stolen passwords]]. It also states that users of pirated Photoshop are the winners here. This is because in order to make Photoshop pirate-able, it was modified (cracked) by removing the requirement for registration so their passwords were not sent to Adobe and therefore are not present in the leaked file.

The title itself is a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword cryptic crosswords]

==Passwords==
Note that characters in the passwords could be upper or lower case, and they may involve common substitutions like "0" (number zero) for "O" (letter O); therefore, the clues cannot guarantee that the answer shown here is precisely correct. Nevertheless, we have plenty of information for a brute force attack.

{|class="wikitable"
! Input
! Hint
! Password
! Explanation
|-
|<tt>4e18acc1ab27a2d6</tt>
|weather vane sword
|<tt>matthias</tt>
|In ''Redwall'', several characters are associated with a sword hung from a weather vane, but only Matthias shares the name of an apostle (6 lines down).
|-
|<tt>4e18acc1ab27a2d6</tt>
|
|<tt>matthias</tt>
|Although no hint was used, we know this password too, since it matches the previous one.
|-
|<tt>4e18acc1ab27a2d6 a0a2876eb1ea1fea</tt>
|name1
|<tt>matthias1</tt>
|Even without knowing the user's name, we already know how this starts, so the clue gives us a pretty good idea how it finishes (and another block useful 2 lines down)
|-
|<tt>8babb6299e06eb6d</tt>
|duh
|<tt>password</tt>
|Unfortunately, this is all too common, and the user practically told us that it's an easy one.
|-
|<tt>8babb6299e06eb6d a0a2876eb1ea1fea</tt>
|
|<tt>password1</tt>
|Although no hint was used, we know this by combining the previous two.
|-
|<tt>8babb6299e06eb6d 85e9da81a8a78adc</tt>
|57
|<tt>password57</tt>
|Since we know how this begins, this is a good guess.
|-
|<tt>4e18acc1ab27a2d6</tt>
|favorite of 12 apostles
|<tt>matthias</tt>
|This has only 12 possibilities to begin with (plus variant spellings, variant lists, and one replacement), but actually we know already which one by combining with the clue 6 lines up.
|-
|<tt>1ab29ae86da6e5ca 7a2d6a0a2876eb1e</tt>
|with your own hand you have done all this
|<tt>Judith1510</tt>
|This is a quotation from Judith 15:10.
|-
|<tt>a1f9b2b6299e7a2b eadec1e6ab797397</tt>
|sexy earlobes
|<tt>Charlie Sheen</tt>
|This refers to an episode of ''Two and a Half Men''. Other answers are possible, but only this one fits the next line.
|-
|<tt>a1f9b2b6299e7a2b 617ab0277727ad85</tt>
|best TOS episode
|<tt>Charlie X</tt>
|"TOS" refers to the original series of ''Star Trek''. Although this had dozens of episodes, only one fits the previous line as well as the next line.
|-
|<tt>39738b7adb0b8af7 617ab0277727ad85</tt>
|Sugarland
|<tt>HoustonTX</tt>
|Sugarland is a suburb of Houston, Texas. This fits with the previous line.
|-
|<tt>1ab29ae86da6e5ca</tt>
|name + jersey#
|<tt>Judith15</tt>
|Even if we knew this user's name, we wouldn't know their jersey number. But the clue 4 lines up already gave us the answer.
|-
|<tt>877ab7889d3862b1</tt>
|alpha
|<tt>abc</tt>
|This password is also far too common, but this clue still isn't enough to narrow it down. Combine with the clue 3 lines below, however, and it's quite easy.
|-
|<tt>877ab7889d3862b1</tt>
|
|<tt>abc</tt>
|No hint, but the same as the surrounding passwords.
|-
|<tt>877ab7889d3862b1</tt>
|
|<tt>abc</tt>
|No hint, but the same as the surrounding passwords.
|-
|<tt>877ab7889d3862b1</tt>
|<tt>obvious</tt>
|<tt>abc</tt>
|Same as the surrounding passwords.
|-
|<tt>877ab7889d3862b1</tt>
|Michael Jackson
|<tt>abc</tt>
|Michael Jackson did many songs, but only one was alphabetical (3 lines up).
|-
|<tt>38a7c9279cadeb44 9dca1d79d4dec6d5</tt>
|
|
|No hint, but the same as the one below.
|-
|<tt>38a7c9279cadeb44 9dca1d79d4dec6d5</tt>
|HE DID THE MASH, HE DID THE
|<tt></tt>
|probably a reference to the {{w|Monster Mash}}
|
|-
|<tt>38a7c9279cadeb44</tt>
|Purloined
|<tt></tt>
|
|-
|<tt>a8ae5754a2b7af7a 9dca1d79d4dec6d5</tt>
|fav water-3 Pokemon
|
|''possible second block per [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Water_3_%28Egg_Group%29 Bulbapedia] are "el", "l", "le", "r", "t", "ta"''
|-
|}

==Transcript==
:Hackers recently leaked '''''153 million''''' Adobe user emails, encrypted passwords, and password hints.
:Adobe encrypted the passwords improperly, misusing block-mode 3DES. The result is something wonderful:

<pre>
User password Hint
------------- ----

4e18acc1ab27a2d6 weather vane sword
4e18acc1ab27a2d6
4e18acc1ab27a2d6 a0a2876eb1ea1fea name1
8babb6299e06eb6d duh
8babb6299e06eb6d a0a2876eb1ea1fea
8babb6299e06eb6d 85e9da81a8a78adc 57
4e18acc1ab27a2d6 favorite of 12 apostles
1ab29ae86da6e5ca 7a2d6a0a2876eb1e with your own hand you
have done all this
a1f9b2b6299e7a2b eadec1e6ab797397 sexy earlobes
a1f9b2b6299e7a2b 617ab0277727ad85 best tos episode
39738b7adb0b8af7 617ab0277727ad85 sugarland
1ab29ae86da6e5ca name + jersey#
877ab7889d3862b1 alpha
877ab7889d3862b1
877ab7889d3862b1
877ab7889d3862b1 obvious
877ab7889d3862b1 Michael Jackson
38a7c9279cadeb44 9dca1d79d4dec6d5
38a7c9279cadeb44 9dca1d79d4dec6d5 he did the mash, he did the
38a7c9279cadeb44 Purloined
a8ae5754a2b7af7a 9dca1d79d4dec6d5 fav water-3 pokemon
</pre>

:The greatest crossword puzzle in the history of the world

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

1286: Encryptic

2013-11-05T07:35:04Z

Alfons: /* Explanation */ removed duplicate sentence

{{comic
| number = 1286
| date = November 4, 2013
| title = Encryptic
| image = encryptic.png
| titletext = It was bound to happen eventually. This data theft will enable almost limitless [xkcd.com/792]-style password reuse attacks in the coming weeks. There's only one group that comes out of this looking smart: Everyone who pirated Photoshop.
}}

==Explanation==
Web sites and other computers that authenticate users via passwords need to be able to know if the user typed in the right password. But storing the password itself on the computer has been known to be unnecessarily risky since the publication of [http://www.neurosecurity.com/articles/security/passwd.pdf "Password Security: A Case History"] in 1978. In that paper, Robert Morris and Ken Thompson demonstrated the practice of using a slow, cryptographically-secure one-way {{w|Hash function|hash function}}, so that even if the password file is stolen, it will be very hard to figure out what the passwords are, so long as the passwords themselves are suitably complex. They also pioneered the use of a "salt" which makes each password hash completely different even if two users use the same password. See [http://security.blogoverflow.com/2011/07/a-tour-of-password-questions-and-answers/ A tour of password questions and answers] for background on salts and suitably slow hash functions.

Adobe, however, ignored these well-known principles, and instead stored over a hundred million passwords in a reversably encrypted way, using a terrible choice of encryption methods which exposes a great deal of information about the passwords, and does not involve a salt. This password database was recently obtained by someone and released on the Internet.

In particular, Adobe used {{w|Triple DES}}, an older encryption algorithm which can still be relatively secure when properly used. But they used it improperly. It works on 64-bit (8 character) blocks. Assuming that the passwords are stored in plain ASCII, this means that a sequence of 8 characters in a password which starts on a character position which is a multiple of eight is always encrypted to the same result. Therefore two passwords starting with “12345678” would start with the same block after being encrypted. Furthermore, this means that you can actually get a very good idea of the length of the password since anything with only one block is a password with length between 1 and 8 characters, and having two blocks implies it has between 9 and 16 characters, etc.

Adobe also stored hints users created for their passwords. That means that an attacker knows not only if the same 8 characters are used for multiple passwords but also has some hints for guessing them. That means that common password portions should be easy to recover and that any user may be “compromised” by someone else using a part of the same password and providing a good hint. As an example, a password having three hints “Big Apple”, “Twin Towers” and “If you can make it there” is probably “New York” (or a simple variation on that). The weakness here is that no decryption and therefore no hard cracking has to take place, you just group the passwords by their encrypted blocks and try to solve them like a crossword puzzle. These weaknesses have already been used to presumably identify a password used by {{w|Edward Snowden}}, as discussed at [http://7habitsofhighlyeffectivehackers.blogspot.com/2013/11/can-someone-be-targeted-using-adobe.html 7 Habits of Highly Effective Hackers: Can someone be targeted using the Adobe breach?].

The examples are not taken from the actual leaked file, since that [http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/11/how-an-epic-blunder-by-adobe-could-strengthen-hand-of-password-crackers/ uses a different format], and the examples are evidently cleverly crafted to make a nice crossword-like puzzle, which can be solved as shown in the Passwords section below.

The title text makes a reference to a previous comic: [[792|Black Hat’s trouble with what to do with stolen passwords]]. It also states that users of pirated Photoshop are the winners here. This is because in order to make Photoshop pirate-able, it was modified (cracked) by removing the requirement for registration so their passwords were not sent to Adobe and therefore are not present in the leaked file.

The title itself is a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword cryptic crosswords]

==Passwords==
Note that characters in the passwords could be upper or lower case, and they may involve common substitutions like "0" (number zero) for "O" (letter O); therefore, the clues cannot guarantee that the answer shown here is precisely correct. Nevertheless, we have plenty of information for a brute force attack.

{|class="wikitable"
! Input
! Hint
! Password
! Explanation
|-
|<tt>4e18acc1ab27a2d6</tt>
|weather vane sword
|<tt>matthias</tt>
|In ''Redwall'', several characters are associated with a sword hung from a weather vane, but only Matthias shares the name of an apostle (6 lines down).
|-
|<tt>4e18acc1ab27a2d6</tt>
|
|<tt>matthias</tt>
|Although no hint was used, we know this password too, since it matches the previous one.
|-
|<tt>4e18acc1ab27a2d6 a0a2876eb1ea1fea</tt>
|name1
|<tt>matthias1</tt>
|Even without knowing the user's name, we already know how this starts, so the clue gives us a pretty good idea how it finishes (and another block useful 2 lines down)
|-
|<tt>8babb6299e06eb6d</tt>
|duh
|<tt>password</tt>
|Unfortunately, this is all too common, and the user practically told us that it's an easy one.
|-
|<tt>8babb6299e06eb6d a0a2876eb1ea1fea</tt>
|
|<tt>password1</tt>
|Although no hint was used, we know this by combining the previous two.
|-
|<tt>8babb6299e06eb6d 85e9da81a8a78adc</tt>
|57
|<tt>password57</tt>
|Since we know how this begins, this is a good guess.
|-
|<tt>4e18acc1ab27a2d6</tt>
|favorite of 12 apostles
|<tt>matthias</tt>
|This has only 12 possibilities to begin with (plus variant spellings, variant lists, and one replacement), but actually we know already which one by combining with the clue 6 lines up.
|-
|<tt>1ab29ae86da6e5ca 7a2d6a0a2876eb1e</tt>
|with your own hand you have done all this
|<tt>Judith1510</tt>
|This is a quotation from Judith 15:10.
|-
|<tt>a1f9b2b6299e7a2b eadec1e6ab797397</tt>
|sexy earlobes
|<tt>Charlie Sheen</tt>
|This refers to an episode of ''Two and a Half Men''. Other answers are possible, but only this one fits the next line.
|-
|<tt>a1f9b2b6299e7a2b 617ab0277727ad85</tt>
|best TOS episode
|<tt>Charlie X</tt>
|"TOS" refers to the original series of ''Star Trek''. Although this had dozens of episodes, only one fits the previous line as well as the next line.
|-
|<tt>39738b7adb0b8af7 617ab0277727ad85</tt>
|Sugarland
|<tt>HoustonTX</tt>
|Sugarland is a suburb of Houston, Texas. This fits with the previous line.
|-
|<tt>1ab29ae86da6e5ca</tt>
|name + jersey#
|<tt>Judith15</tt>
|Even if we knew this user's name, we wouldn't know their jersey number. But the clue 4 lines up already gave us the answer.
|-
|<tt>877ab7889d3862b1</tt>
|alpha
|<tt>abc</tt>
|This password is also far too common, but this clue still isn't enough to narrow it down. Combine with the clue 3 lines below, however, and it's quite easy.
|-
|<tt>877ab7889d3862b1</tt>
|
|<tt>abc</tt>
|No hint, but the same as the surrounding passwords.
|-
|<tt>877ab7889d3862b1</tt>
|
|<tt>abc</tt>
|No hint, but the same as the surrounding passwords.
|-
|<tt>877ab7889d3862b1</tt>
|<tt>obvious</tt>
|<tt>abc</tt>
|Same as the surrounding passwords.
|-
|<tt>877ab7889d3862b1</tt>
|Michael Jackson
|<tt>abc</tt>
|Michael Jackson did many songs, but only one was alphabetical (3 lines up).
|-
|<tt>38a7c9279cadeb44 9dca1d79d4dec6d5</tt>
|
|
|No hint, but the same as the one below.
|-
|<tt>38a7c9279cadeb44 9dca1d79d4dec6d5</tt>
|HE DID THE MASH, HE DID THE
|<tt></tt>
|
|
|-
|<tt>38a7c9279cadeb44</tt>
|Purloined
|<tt></tt>
|
|-
|<tt>a8ae5754a2b7af7a 9dca1d79d4dec6d5</tt>
|fav water-3 Pokemon
|
|''possible second block per [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Water_3_%28Egg_Group%29 Bulbapedia] are "el", "l", "le", "r", "t", "ta"''
|-
|}

==Transcript==
:Hackers recently leaked '''''153 million''''' Adobe user emails, encrypted passwords, and password hints.
:Adobe encrypted the passwords improperly, misusing block-mode 3DES. The result is something wonderful:

<pre>
User password Hint
------------- ----

4e18acc1ab27a2d6 weather vane sword
4e18acc1ab27a2d6
4e18acc1ab27a2d6 a0a2876eb1ea1fea name1
8babb6299e06eb6d duh
8babb6299e06eb6d a0a2876eb1ea1fea
8babb6299e06eb6d 85e9da81a8a78adc 57
4e18acc1ab27a2d6 favorite of 12 apostles
1ab29ae86da6e5ca 7a2d6a0a2876eb1e with your own hand you
have done all this
a1f9b2b6299e7a2b eadec1e6ab797397 sexy earlobes
a1f9b2b6299e7a2b 617ab0277727ad85 best tos episode
39738b7adb0b8af7 617ab0277727ad85 sugarland
1ab29ae86da6e5ca name + jersey#
877ab7889d3862b1 alpha
877ab7889d3862b1
877ab7889d3862b1
877ab7889d3862b1 obvious
877ab7889d3862b1 Michael Jackson
38a7c9279cadeb44 9dca1d79d4dec6d5
38a7c9279cadeb44 9dca1d79d4dec6d5 he did the mash, he did the
38a7c9279cadeb44 Purloined
a8ae5754a2b7af7a 9dca1d79d4dec6d5 fav water-3 pokemon
</pre>

:The greatest crossword puzzle in the history of the world

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

1254: Preferred Chat System

2013-08-21T18:51:50Z

Alfons: corrected typos

{{comic
| number = 1254
| date = August 21, 2013
| title = Preferred Chat System
| image = preferred chat system.png
| titletext = If you call my regular number, it just goes to my pager.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

As more options become available for communication, it becomes more and more difficult to determine the social etiquette of how you choose to communicate with people. It is generally customary to return a communication from someone in the same medium that they contacted you. For example, a voicemail is generally returned with a phone call, or an email with an email, etc. However, sometimes people respond through a different channel, such as texting a response to a voicemail or emailing a reply to a text. This can create confusion that [[Randall]] is pointing out, because the recipient doesn't know whether to go back to their original communication method, or whether the response was a signal that the recipient prefers the new communication method. Similarly, it becomes commonplace for people to know which communication is preferred by the recipient or most likely to reach the recipient quickly and generate the fastest response.

In this comic, Randall portrays the difficulty [[Cueball]] is facing when communicating with a seemingly irrational recipient. Today's multitude of social networks and communication systems only amplifies the problem. Cueball is leaving a voicemail for his intended recipient to clarify the best way to reach them. He is doing so, he says, because he initially tried texting the recipient which they replied to with one message on the instant-messaging service {{w|Google Talk}} (commonly called Gchat). This is unusual because instant messaging services are usually used to engage in longer conversations than one message. Cueball further is confused because the recipient, although silent on Google Talk, continues responding on {{W|Internet Relay Chat|IRC}} (presumably to others or in public chat rooms). Cueball then attempted to communicate by email, but the response came on {{w|Skype}}, another instant messaging service that features voice and video chat along with text. The recipient mentions that the email "''woke [them] up''", which is generally something that might happen with a ringing phone call, but is not common with email that generally people do not set their devices to give immediate audible notice of.

Cueball clarifies that he appreciates that the recipient is very quick to respond, but his confusion stems from his inability to determine the proper medium to use. As he finishes his voicemail, an Owl flies towards him carrying a written message. This appears to be a reference to [http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Owl_post owl post], which is a form of communication in the {{w|Harry Potter}} lore which itself is presumably based on the real-world usage of [[Carrier pigeons]]. The owl post message indicates that the voicemail was received, and suggests using {{w|Google Voice}} next time, which is an alternative form of voice and text to the standard telecom companies.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball talks on a cell phone.]
:Cueball: Sorry for the voicemail, but I'm confused about how to reach you.
:Cueball: When I text you, you reply once on GChat, then go quiet, yet answer IRC right away. I emailed you, and you replied on Skype and mentioned that the email "woke you up".
:Cueball: You're very responsive - I just haven no sense of how you use technology.
:[An owl appears in the sky.].
:[Cueball reads the letter brought by the owl.]
:did you try to call me? use my google voice number next time.

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

417: The Man Who Fell Sideways

2013-06-17T17:26:03Z

Alfons: Corrected own typo

{{comic
| number = 417
| date = April 30, 2008
| title = The Man Who Fell Sideways
| image = the man who fell sideways.png
| titletext = Strip originally conceived in conversation with Jeph Jacques. Soon to be a major motion picture.
}}

==Explanation==
[[File:A Matter of Some Gravity.png|right]]

This comic is humorously built-up like a short drama story, about a man with an unusual condition.

It might have been inspired by the {{w|Uncle Scrooge}} adventure comic "{{w|A Matter of Some Gravity}}" ([http://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=D+96001 Inducks]) by {{w|Don Rosa}}, in which {{w|Magica de Spell}} makes gravity pull sideways at {{w|Scrooge McDuck}} and {{w|Donald Duck}}.

"Soon to be a major motion picture" in the title text might refer to {{w|The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)|The Curious Case of Benjamin Button}}, a film released later in 2008 (and based on a short story), in which the protagonist Benjamin suffers of the impossible condition of aging backwards.

"Over land ... and sea", might be from the song "Nature Boy" by eden ahbez. Nat King Cole sung (the most famous version) about "A very strange, enchanted boy. They say he wandered very far, very far over land and sea".

==Transcript==
:[Cueball standing, with a dotted line perpendicular to him and a 30 degree angle going downwards.]
:From a young age, gravity pulled him wrong.
:[Cueball bouncing around his house.]
:Sometimes east, sometimes west. When he was restrained, it grew erratic.
:''WHAM WHAM''
:[Cueball bouncing/rolling on the ground.]
:So he fell.
:Cueball: AAAA
:''THUMPA THUMPA''
:[Cueball bouncing/rolling on the ground in a desert.]
:Constantly
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAA
:[Cueball bouncing/rolling off a rock on the ground in a desert.]
:Over land...
:Cueball: AAAAA-''THUD''-A
:[Cueball bouncing/rolling on the ground in the desert.]
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAA
:[Cueball bouncing/rolling on the ground in the desert.]
:Cueball: A-''THUD''-AAAAAA
:[Cueball bouncing/rolling on the ground in the desert.]
:Cueball: AA-''THUD''-AAAAA
:[Cueball under the surface of a body of water.]
:And sea.
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAAAAA
:[Cueball still under the surface of a body of water.]
:Cueball: AAAAAAAA
:[Cueball temporarily standing on the surface of the body of water.]
:Cueball: AAAAAA
:[Cueball under the surface of the body of water.]
:Cueball: AAAAAAAA
:[Tree in the savanna, with Cueball off the panel.]
:He found, where he could, food-
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAAAAA
:[Tree in the savanna, with Cueball still off the panel, but zoomed out so that part of Cueball's bounce/roll path is visible.]
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAA
:[Cueball upside-down, still bouncing/rolling in the savannah, with a gazelle galloping away from him.]
:''GALLOP GALLOP''
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAA
:[Savanna with a tree in it.]
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAAAA
:[Megan standing, with the man off screen.]
:And love.
:Cueball: AAAA-''THUD''-AAAA
:[Megan standing, with Cueball off screen.]
:Cueball: ''THUD'' ACK ''CRASH''
:[Cueball crashing into woman]
:Megan: Hiwhat'syourname-
:''WHAM''
:[Megan on the ground, with Cueball off screen.]
:Cueball: AAAAAAA-''THUD''-AAA
:[Megan speaking to Hairy.]
:Megan: I met this guy. He knocked me over and tumbled into the distance.
:[Megan speaking to the same man from the previous panel, with Hairy's hand to his mouth.]
:Megan: We only shared a few seconds, but in his panicked scream I heard something beautiful.
:[Megan speaking to the same man from the previous panel.]
:Megan: I think... I think I'm...
:[Megan speaking to the same man from the previous panel.]
:Hairy: Falling for him?
:Megan: I wasn't going to say it.
:[Megan at hospital with doctor, giving birth.]
:She never saw him again. But nine months later...
:Doctor: Okay, push!
:[Megan at hospital with doctor and new baby, who is bouncing/rolling away.]
:Doctor: It's a gir-
:Woman: !!
:Doctor: Whoops!
:Baby: Ga! Ga!
:[Baby bouncing/rolling out of hospital.]
:Baby: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE
:[Baby bouncing/rolling in front of a sunset.]
:Baby: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
:The End

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

417: The Man Who Fell Sideways

2013-06-17T05:38:43Z

Alfons: Created page

{{comic
| number = 417
| date = 2008-04-30
| title = The Man Who Fell Sideways
| image = the man who fell sideways.png
| titletext = Strop originally conceived in conversation with Jeph Jacques. Soon to be a major motion picture.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic may be seen as a reference to the short story The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button to which a movie was to come out later that year. Just like the man in this comic the protagonist Benjamin suffers of a 'desease' physically not possible. Benjamin gets younger over time and the man in this comic gets pulled sidewards.

A different reference is given by 'over land and sea', a line from the song 'Nature Boy' from Eden Ahbez. Nat King Cole sung about 'A very strange, enchanted boy. They say he wandered very far[...], over land and sea'.


==Transcript==
:[A man standing, with a dotted line perpendicular to him and a 30 degree angle going downwards]
:Narrator: From a young age, gravity pulled him wrong.
:[The same man bouncing around his house]
:Narrator: Sometimes east, sometimes west. When he was restrained, it grew erratic.
:<WHAM> <WHAM>
:[Man bouncing
:rolling on the ground]
:Narrator: So he fell.
:Man: AAAA
:<THUMPA> <THUMPA>
:[Man bouncing
:rolling on the ground in a desert]
:Narrator: Constantly
:Man: AAAAAAAAA
:[Man bouncing
:rolling off a rock on the ground in a desert]
:Narrator: Over land...
:Man: AAAAA-<THUD>-A
:[Man bouncing
:rolling on the ground in the desert]
:Man: AAAAAAAAA
:[Man bouncing
:rolling on the ground in the desert]
:Man: A-<THUD>-AAAAAA
:[Man bouncing
:rolling on the ground in the desert]
:Man: AA-<THUD>-AAAAA
:[Man under the surface of a body of water]
:Narrator: And sea.
:Man: AAAAAAAAAAAA
:[Man still under the surface of a body of water]
:Man: AAAAAAAA
:[Man temporarily standing on the surface of the body of water]
:Man: AAAAAA
:[Man under the surface of the body of water]
:Man: AAAAAAAA
:[Tree in the savanna, with the man off the panel]
:Narrator: He found, where he could, food-
:Man: AAAAAAAAAAAA
:[Tree in the savanna, with the man still off the panel, but zoomed out so that part of the man's bounce
:roll path is visible]
:Man: AAAAAAAAA
:[Man upside-down, still bouncing
:rolling in the savannah, with a gazelle galloping away from him]
:<GALLOP> <GALLOP>
:Man: AAAAAAAAA
:[Savanna with a tree in it]
:Man: AAAAAAAAAAA
:[Woman standing, with the man off screen]
:Narrator: And love.
:Man: AAAA-<THUD>-AAAA
:[Woman standing, with the man off screen]
:Man: <THUD> ACK <CRASH>
:[Man crashing into woman]
:Woman: Hiwhat'syourname-
:<WHAM>
:[Woman on the ground, with the man off screen]
:Man: AAAAAAA-<THUD>-AAA
:[Woman speaking to another man]
:Woman: I met this guy. He knocked me over and tumbled into the distance.
:[Woman speaking to the same man from the previous panel, with the man's hand to his mouth]
:Woman: We only shared a few seconds, but in his panicked scream I heard something beautiful.
:[Woman speaking to the same man from the previous panel]
:Woman: I think... I think I'm...
:[Woman speaking to the same man from the previous panel]
:Man: Falling for him?
:Woman: I wasn't going to say it.
:[Woman at hospital with doctor, giving birth]
:Narrator: She never saw him again. But nine months later...
:Doctor: Okay, push!
:[Woman at hospital with doctor and new baby, who is bouncing
:rolling away]
:Doctor: It's a gir-
:Woman: !!
:Doctor: Whoops!
:Baby: Ga! Ga!
:[Baby bouncing
:rolling out of hospital]
:Baby: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE
:[Baby bouncing
:rolling in front of a sunset]
:Baby: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
:Narrator: The End

{{comic discussion}}