explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones

2024-09-26T09:49:48Z

Anonymous64:

'''Notice''' The [[what if?]] {{what if|154|Coast-to-Coast Coasting}} came out February 8th, at the same time as [[1796]]. This was noted yesterday in the last comics discussion. For the first time in a year with less than two weeks between releases --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 15 February 2017 (UTC)



"Screw Hawaii and the rest of the Pacific!" [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 04:56, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

It is actually way less distorting than I expected [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.239|141.101.104.239]] 06:38, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Aahhhh, why are Suriname and French Guiana switched? They have the same timezone ... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.22|162.158.150.22]] 06:52, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Can anyone explain why Russia has all the hills and valleys? East-west distortion I understand, but what is the reason for the north-south distortion? [[User:Nonnal|Nonnal]] ([[User talk:Nonnal|talk]]) 07:06, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

:I actually know this one - Russia has 11 timezones, but some of these form "islands" in the South of the country. From West to East, the North has: (+2 Kaliningrad), +3, +5, +7,+9, +10, +11, +12. Going West to East through the South adds back in +4 (Samara), +6 (Omsk), and +8 (Irkutsk), each corresponding to one of the "dips" in the projection. [[User:Atmarsden95|Atmarsden95]] ([[User talk:Atmarsden95|talk]]) 07:15, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Why is Morocco labeled as U.S. and the Sahrawi Republic as Morocco? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.88|141.101.88.88]] 07:24, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:That actually says "W.S", for Western Sahara, but either way I can't see a good reason for the inversion. Both are on UTC+0, and Morocco is on UTC+1 in summer, while WS doesn't use DST, apparently... So even if that was being taken into account, the countries are STILL the wrong way around. Possibly, this is related to the French Guiana/Suriname inversion. [[User:Atmarsden95|Atmarsden95]] ([[User talk:Atmarsden95|talk]]) 07:55, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

:And Western Sahara is the name used for the disputed area south of Marocco by the United Nations. The Sahrawi Republic have only limited recognition and does not control all of the disputed area. [[User:Pmakholm|Pmakholm]] ([[User talk:Pmakholm|talk]]) 07:59, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::The switch is just a mistake, maybe caused by a map not depicting Western Sahara.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 09:06, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

It would be cool to see countries moving in and out of Daylight saving time. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.69|141.101.69.69]] 07:56, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: I'd like that, too. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:42, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Why did he use 6 colors? And do the colors code for something? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.58|162.158.202.58]] 08:06, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: I think it's just for easier depiction without any further meaning. It's like in 850, I think... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:42, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Should we replace the comic image with a bigger version? I've already uploaded the image: http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png [[User:SirKitKat|sirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 09:02, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Should we compile a table of oddities in the map?--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 09:07, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: I think yes. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 09:12, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

So am I getting this correct? The map is made to be divided into timezones with perfect vertical borders and the countries are then distorted to fit perfectly within their timezones? Shouldn't Greenland then be "split" since it spreads from UTC-3 to UTC but is not actually using UTC-2? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 10:41, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: Yes. But actually there should be connections since these parrts of Greenland are no separate landmasses. But the connections should be infinitesimally thin (but not of thickness 0) to be accurate. However the style these connection are made imply that they're just connection and no actual landmasses, I think... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:59, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:: I have added Greenland to the table, please feel free to provide a more coherent wording if necessary, english is not my native language :) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 12:42, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Only for understanding to the image sizes: The image tag uses the ''srcset'' feature and the browser decides if ''bad_map_projection_time_zones.png'' or ''bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png'' is shown. At this comic there is also a link to the large version. But the ''srcset'' feature is not new at this comic. Look at the source:
<pre>
<a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png">
<img src="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones.png"
title="This is probably the first projection in cartographic history that can be criticized for its disproportionate focus on Finland, Mongolia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo."
alt="Bad Map Projection: Time Zones"
srcset="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png 2x"/>
</a>
</pre>
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:21, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks for explaining that. So this is just the first time that the large version is linked from the normal sized version. Is that then the explanation for the 2x images appearing in [[Garden]]? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::The comic Garden is one of those rare dynamic comics. Each of them are different and in this case a javascript file called "linden.js" creates the picture. But the next one (https://xkcd.com/1664/) is like this one I wrote about. Go to that comic and use rigth-click -> view image (or whatever your browser says). If your display has a large resolution you will see the large picture, if not you will see the standard. But I don't know when this ''scrset'' feature was implemented for the first time. Early comics don't support this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:55, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

The people from [[850]] should have a fun time with this.[[User:XFez|XFez]] ([[User talk:XFez|talk]]) 13:30, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

"Finland and the Baltic states look huge because they are the only countries using the UTC+2 Eastern Europe time." That's not really true: Romania and Bulgaria use that time zone too, as does Greece. [[User:Angew|Angew]] ([[User talk:Angew|talk]]) 07:20, 16 February 2017 (UTC)

Does Randall know about this wiki? I would assume he does. Also how does a comic become completed? I have filled in explanations for comics that I think meet the missing criteria so am I allowed to remove the incomplete thingy or does an admin have to do that?[[User:XFez|XFez]] ([[User talk:XFez|talk]]) 13:38, 16 February 2017 (UTC)
:Hi [[User:XFez|XFez]], sorry for the late reply but this was hard to find. I don't know if Randall knows..., but maybe he does. But he does NOT support this wiki in any way -- like he does not here: [http://forums.xkcd.com http://forums.xkcd.com] (while everything is now on https that board isn't ;) ). So there is no final explanation and he says 100 points! To your second question: You are allowed to remove the "incomplete tag". But the given criteria is not enough, often that simple text covers not all. Please check also the discussion page. So, when you are not sure just change the criteria text and mention it at the discussion page. And for older comics you probably should talk to someone else here because nobody checks every comic every day.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:00, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

;Transcript TLDR;
I have started a discussion on this topic here: [[User_talk:Kynde#Transcript_TLDR.3B]]. I think I'm not the only one who wants the transcript to be short and only describing the essentials. Maybe we can define a Transcript-Guide.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:55, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks for letting me know about the comment in the previous comics discussion Dgbrt. I still disagree with you that we should not write down every word written in the comic even if it is not spoken. As else this comic would have none. But also the labels for the countries should be written down. But if that is as the end of the transcript, it would not trouble the reader! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::I added the names of the countries before noticing this discussion as I wanted to remove the incomplete tag, I apologize if I inconvenienced anyone due to this. IMO the text written in the comic deserves a mention but should be formatted in a way it doesn't bother those who don't need it. The text inside the square brackets should be kept concise.[[User:Asdf|Asdf]] ([[User talk:Asdf|talk]]) 18:48, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:::I shortened the description on top by a few words. The countries for each China are now in one line. I added the incomplete tag again because the discussion is probably not finished. Feel free to remove this tag.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:39, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

;Labelled time zones

I created a map overlaid with more obvious time zone divisions, labelled with some of that zone's more popular abbreviations. Tried to keep 'em to Standard Time rather than Daylight. [http://i.imgur.com/L44ruPy.png Seen here.] --[[User:VonAether|VonAether]] ([[User talk:VonAether|talk]]) 17:39, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:Fantastic VonAether. I was just thinking of making such a map, but your looks much better than what I had in mind. Would it be OK to download your map to these pages and insert it in the explanation? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:54, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
::Absolutely; that's why I made it. Go nuts. :) --[[User:VonAether|VonAether]] ([[User talk:VonAether|talk]]) 21:07, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
:::Thanks a lot VonAether. I will put it on the explantion now (I also posted my question on VonAether's talk page, and his answer is copied in here from there). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:32, 18 February 2017 (UTC)

Palawan is missing again?--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.230.45|162.158.230.45]] 02:07, 16 February 2017 (UTC)

; Table entries

* Shall we put all countries there even if they are not on the map because of their size? San Marino, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Malta etc. What about all the Oceania? If not, shall we remove those not shown, but already put in the table?
* What about regions, i.e. Middle East? I'd vote for removal
* I would definitely remove Lake Victoria, it has no use in this context. Or shall we add the Great Lakes?
: [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 17:44, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
:: Since nobody commented on it, I went ahead and removed regions, not shown countries and the Lake Victoria. -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 13:33, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

; Overlay Time Zones Map / comic
I created an overlay, taking Australia and Greenland as reference points. It makes it easier to find the distortions. I am not yet very happy with it. But if you like the idea I would try to do region focused maps... Unfortunately even the large version of the comic resolution is worse compared with the time zones map which I took from Wikipedia. --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 18:19, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

Talk:2394: Contiguous 41 States

2024-09-26T09:49:01Z

Anonymous64:

Missing contiguous states: Delaware, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.42.92|172.69.42.92]] 23:57, 4 December 2020 (UTC)
:I knew something was off, but I couldn't pinpoint anything until reading the explanation. That's so weird. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.66|172.69.22.66]] 07:54, 5 December 2020 (UTC)
:: I know. This is really well done! I actually came here expecting how the gag was somehow that it was just a regular map. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.218|162.158.75.218]] 08:06, 6 December 2020 (UTC)
:::I'm from Denmark, but played a game when I was a kid where you should name the states just by seeing the contour and location. It was a very early computer with only limited graphics. Like really early! But I could manage to get all 50, and I'm proud that it has stuck, so I could actually find the 7 states my self. And now that I'm thus better at naming states than most Americans ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:57, 6 December 2020 (UTC)
::::I did manage to find those 7, but I kept looking for the other two, because 41 is 50 minus 9. I double checked a few times before realizing that the other two were Alaska and Hawaii (*^^*) [[User:Thaledison|Erin Anne]] ([[User talk:Thaledison|talk]]) 14:47, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

'''Contiguous''' has more specific meaning that "share borders" - it means that you can travel (on land in the case of map) from any point to any point, and there would be no breaks and spaces in the territory. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 09:56, 5 December 2020 (UTC)
:This definition would seem to exclude any states that contain islands, because there would be some point in that state (namely, on the island) from which you could not travel on land to any point in another state. Though I can't prove it, a quick look at Wikipedia seems to confirm that every US state includes at least one island. So, if this is the definition of "contiguous," then NONE of the US states are contiguous with each other... which suggests (via Occam's Razor) that this can't possibly be the actual definition. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.42.124|172.69.42.124]] 21:37, 2 March 2021 (UTC)

I know acting like descriptivism is the objectively correct approach to language is all the rage these days, but I don't think you can describe a linguistic event (a word catching on) as "descriptivist" or "prescriptivist", as the page proposed for "conterguous". That's like referring to an economic occurrence as "normative" or "positive". It's not either of those, it just happens. Descriptivism refers to a quality of linguistics itself, not to language; it means, well, describing language. It doesn't stand for organic growth (or the explicit endorsement thereof, which would actually be prescriptive, and there's nothing wrong with that). So I nixed the reference to it; I think the supplied top-down and bottom-up are apt enough to stand on their own for that tangent. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.206.92|172.68.206.92]] 12:37, 5 December 2020 (UTC)
:I wondered. "Prescriptive" and "descriptive" identify, I reckon, 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' processes, both are required to allow a language to grow while remaining comprehensible to all its speakers, and, at the time, the idea of linking an absurd "rage" with an absurd word seemed too good to pass on. Thanks for the correction. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.129.132|172.68.129.132]] 16:18, 5 December 2020 (UTC)

This is like a puzzle with almost fitting pieces, so by carefully removing some states, it results in a fake border, as shown here: https://imgur.com/a/W8RMKMF . [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.40|162.158.134.40]] 15:49, 5 December 2020 (UTC)
: I don't understand. There are borders throughout the map, and a lot of them appear to be messed up, not just that area of the map. Why does this particular vertical line in particular matter to you? Educate me! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.207|162.158.166.207]] 23:27, 5 December 2020 (UTC)
:: This map https://imgur.com/a/rmXWwoF shows where Randall found two interior borders that looked very similar and collapsed them. This is how he was able to do this with only minimal distortion of the shape of states on these red and and blue borders. I think that might be what the previous poster was trying to say. ---[[User:Vroo|Vroo]] ([[User talk:Vroo|talk]]) 06:46, 25 December 2020 (UTC)

Living in Rhode Island, the smallest state, I thought it was humorous that RI was *not* omitted! Guess that would have been too easy... [[User:Davidhbrown|Davidhbrown]] ([[User talk:Davidhbrown|talk]]) 20:32, 5 December 2020 (UTC)
:Also those small states around there would be the first place people would look. Only Delaware, maybe one of the lesser mentioned states, is missing. But PA missing is huge. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:57, 6 December 2020 (UTC)

Randall, you were searching for the word "contagious". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.24|162.158.159.24]] 10:18, 6 December 2020 (UTC)

Someone should add a "citation needed" to the alaska bordering with canada sentence near the top of the explanation, with a link to comic 2082.\n I have no idea how to do this, so im putting it here. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.170|162.158.78.170]] 14:04, 6 December 2020 (UTC)
:Added --[[User:Thaledison|Erin Anne]] ([[User talk:Thaledison|talk]]) 15:01, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

The District of Columbia can not become a state without a Constitutional Amendment, which is highly unlikely to happen (since it would require ratification by 3/4 of the states). For this reason, we should remove the "yet" link, despite all of the talk about DC statehood in the news. See also [https://www.heritage.org/report/the-constitution-and-the-district-columbia Heritage Foundation: The Constitution and the District of Columbia]. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 14:30, 7 December 2020 (UTC)
: [https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/51/text The most recent bill] worked around that by shrinking the capital down to a few critical buildings and turning the rest of the land into a new state. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.228|162.158.155.228]] 01:11, 8 December 2020 (UTC)
: Yes, the district does not have a specific size requirement, so the federal gov't portion around the mall could be preserved and the rest of the territory apply for admission.

WHAT ABOUT TERRITORIES KNOWN AS DOMINIONS????? [[User:Cwallenpoole|Cwallenpoole]] ([[User talk:Cwallenpoole|talk]]) 06:38, 8 December 2020 (UTC)

Created a map showing missing states https://imgur.com/a/dVMq8BR [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.180|162.158.106.180]] 19:17, 7 December 2020 (UTC)

I'd love to see a map of "ambiguous", "irriguous", and "exiguous" US states. ([Anonymous coward]), 3:58 1 October 2022 (UTC)

I live in the US and I usually think that I am good at geography, but I am extremely ashamed that I couldn’t find a single missing state until I checked on this website. ([me]), 11:35 2 November 2022 (ETC)

The "China of the USA" usually includes 49 states and the D. C. but not Hawaii. Do not confuse the United States of America with the China also called America. [[User:ConscriptGlossary|ConscriptGlossary]] ([[User talk:ConscriptGlossary|talk]]) 13:26, 25 September 2024 (UTC)
:Is there ever much need to specifically specify the "China", insofar as it only really differs by one state (albeit the largest) from the "contiguous" version?
:Personally, I'll just call everyone over there "Leftpondians" (it's either that or Yanks, which is probably annoying/mystifying to a great many), and be hazy over whether I mean Puerto Rico/etc (that one is at least left of the Pond) and Hawaii (in the middle of the ''next'' puddle over...). Could apply to everyone from Chile to Canada, too.
:Or occasionally I might assume that everyone with N.American accent (or attitude) is Canadian. It'll please the actual mapleleafers to be recognised a bit more, and can only amuse many of the stars'n'stripers (perhaps especially the likes of Texans and deep-southers, if I catch 'em in the right mood). A bit like I might default to assuming that even probable Aussies are actually Kiwis, until I know for sure otherwise. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.225|172.70.85.225]] 17:10, 25 September 2024 (UTC)

Talk:1190: Time

2024-09-26T09:48:16Z

Anonymous64:

__TOC__
Pretty sure we're just getting trolled with this one [[Special:Contributions/99.108.190.136|99.108.190.136]] 04:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Can't tell if this is emo xkcd or trolling xkcd. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:53, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Something seems a little fishy because the image url is different than normal. [[User:Bugefun|Bugefun]] ([[User talk:Bugefun|talk]]) 04:55, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe the comic slowly changes throughout the day. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:56, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::Oh god, it does. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:57, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::When uploading different versions of the image, use the naming convention time[iterationNumber].png. We'll compile all the images into one and display them as per [[Traffic Lights]]. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:05, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::::Alright, so the comic appears to be switching between two states here: between [[media:time2.png|this]] and [[media:time3.png|this]]. If nothing new happens, I'll get to clipping the comics together. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:28, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::Whoop, nope, [[media:time4.png|this]] just came up. Is there more to come? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:34, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
::::::Alright, so a new one is posted every half-hour. Whoopee. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:06, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::::And there's a new one! Megan leaning back and looking up...
::::::::Well, the image changed, who has the time to make a script to catch the new images and compile them into a gif? https://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/time.png [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 07:14, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/72.21.198.66|72.21.198.66]] 05:11, 25 March 2013 (UTC)It could be a reference to the old proverb " time and tide wait for none" Cueball and the girl could be waiting for the tide in the beach! (Just a guess)[[Special:Contributions/72.21.198.66|72.21.198.66]] 05:11, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

This could be a cinematic custom to change scenes or to show the passage of time: fade to black (white) on Act I, come up on Act II. Get some popcorn during the intermission.{{unsigned|Gerry|11:38, 29 April 2013 (UTC)}}

The picture does chance with time. The URL includes a changing timestamp that I can't decipher. Compare these two URLS (which have slightly different images:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png

Perhaps there is a way to hack the URL to view future images. [[Special:Contributions/199.30.248.121|199.30.248.121]] 05:29, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: I would also like to add that knowing randall, these are not the only images. For all we know, the image will still be changing in 5 years while a tree grows in front of them. My point is: Are the URLs hackable, or did he encrypt them? [[Special:Contributions/199.30.248.121|199.30.248.121]] 05:33, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Likely there is a way to hack the URLs; they look like some sort of hash, probably a hashed timestamp. Of course, he could easily have added some salt to the hash, making it significantly *harder* to hack. But they're strings of a specific length, so it should be pretty easy to bruteforce it, fetch all the images, and then (maybe) reverse-engineer the sequence. *That* all depends on how many of them there are. [[Special:Contributions/76.90.249.178|76.90.249.178]] 05:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:Good god, do you see how many digits are *in* that hash? The sun'll have burned out by the time we've tested every possible combination of digits. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:47, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:: The URLs are 64 hex characters. If he doesnt want us to find these pictures ahead of time, he would have made them completely random data, not a hash of anything. There are 16 possibilites for hex characters so 16^64 combinations or 1.7x10^308 combinations. If we made a supercomputer to try a billion links per second, and if there are 10,000 images total, it would take 4×10^277 × 13.77 billion years, which is a number with 277 zeros times the age of the universe to find just the first additional image. The sun will expand into a red giant and engulf the earth or at least come close enough to boil off all the water in the oceans in a mere 5.4 billion years, less than even one additional age of the universe. It will even be after the last star to ever be born has burned out, and all life in the universe has died before we could find even one. [[Special:Contributions/65.50.74.245|65.50.74.245]] 19:11, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

It seems that the image is updated every 1/2 hour. [[Special:Contributions/152.23.97.150|152.23.97.150]] 06:17, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: Given that the images switch back and forth between other images already seen, and that the comic should be viewable in the future, it seems unlikely that it's any thing like a simple sha256 of part of the timestamp. I think it's more likely a function of half-hours and minutes (assuming we continue to get a new possible image every half-hour). [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 06:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::: The images do cycle, yes. But for some reason I have never seen the img where Megan is looking behind her. Also wouldn't it be difficult to show a sequential story (like the rising tide) if the previous images keep cycling ?

Hash appears to be SHA-256. I tried some obvious hashes ("1", "11901", "1190_1", "1190.1") to no avail. Maybe this is HMAC-SHA256? Also, I would suggest trying Unix timestamps. [[Special:Contributions/131.156.236.149|131.156.236.149]] 06:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: I've been trying to make educated guesses as to what's being hashed here: http://www.xorbin.com/tools/sha256-hash-calculator ... he could also be using hash(hash2(value)) which would be virtually impossible to crack. [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 06:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

It's entirely possible that the "hash" is actually randomly generated. Just a thought. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 07:03, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Regarding sha256. Its most likely some hash of a timestamp, but if he doesnt wants us to crack it, he would have prefixes a password.. sha256('secretcode17:30'). Im just saying, if he doesnt wants us to crack it, we most likely cant.
I've tested all unixtimestamps from 1300000000 to 1364390334. Also "00:00" to "23:59", with and without the colon and a load of other formats. {{unsigned|77.243.128.133}}

Alright, this is probably not going to work, but I'm trying to exploit Randall's awesomeness here. Maybe he decided to take the time-stamps from the user? I don't know if that's even possible... That would then allow people in different time zones to obtain different images simultaneously. (What's the corollary of Godwin's law for a bunch of math-and-science nerds and relativity? Is there one?) Clicking the img src url on the comic's html page, give me this: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa.png : Never mind.. apparently others see the same image too.

Could he be doing this live? Monitoring the discussion on the net? Collaborative, crowdsourced comic-ing? Reminds me of those you-decide-what-the-character-does-next-and-flip-to-appropriate-page parallel plot novels.

[[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 07:14, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Let's just compare the two pictures and see how the bottom right changes, which I believe is water and they are indeed waiting for the tide. [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 07:19, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:I'm adding urls to pictures bellow, edit freely.
::They change every 5 minutes, will try to keep track.

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/f/f8/time.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/timeasdf.png
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/932170/time6.png

:I have uploaded all the different images onto the wiki, in the order that they were revealed. To avoid needless duplication of effort, I'll put them up in the explanation page. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

It just went back to the second image... [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 07:59, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
: And now changed to something new. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/cdcc6b46b32c53f8596cd0106958b42c4260b9cbc022e6d94054147aa6554960.png
:: The images do look alike, but they're all different. Thanks David. [[User:Statharas.903|Statharas.903]] ([[User talk:Statharas.903|talk]]) 08:04, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::: No..I checked the random string. They're exactly the same. In fact, now it's gone back to the second image. Again. [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 08:07, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Just found this JavaScript code embedded in the comic HTML source (Update: Reformatted to prevent eye-bleeding): http://pastebin.com/4vNJH53Z

I'm no programmer but this looks important to me...

:Moved it to pastebin, so it doesn't clutter the page so much. [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.51|81.23.24.51]] 14:22, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

:Doesn't really help. The script basically changes the image when something happens (probably some time passes, although it's possible there is more hidden there). WHAT image then appears is not directed by the script, but by the site. Specifically, the image displayed as first is taken from [http://c0.xkcd.com/redirect/comic/time http://c0.xkcd.com/redirect/comic/time], while the script asks for [http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource&r=(somenumber) http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource&r=(somenumber)] ... which is, if you get correct "r", probably some json containing the image url. So, even if you hack the script, you will not get all possible urls. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:17, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:: ... actually, given that the script part doesn't seem to do anything just now, it's even possible it's for later (ie, starts producing images when the correct time come). Or maybe there is a bug somewhere in the code :-). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:27, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:::Thanks for explaining. Why hasn't anyone posted this before? Could "location.hash" possibly have anything to do with the method used to generate the image hash key? Also, why is this code so difficult to follow (Obfuscation?)? So many questions... Sorry if this is just a huge waste of ''Time''.

:::: <code>location</code> is the URI of the page. <code>location.hash</code> is the part of the uri after the ''#'' character. If you go to [https://xkcd.com/1190/#verbose https://xkcd.com/1190/#verbose], you'll see some debugging output in your browser's debugging console (Firefox: Web Console or Firebug, Chrome: Development Tools). But nothing to decode the algorithm... :-( --[[Special:Contributions/83.243.48.2|83.243.48.2]] 10:01, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

::::: Well, I don't know what's doing it, but there's definitely some script (probably this script) that's refreshing the image automatically. I left the comic open for an hour or so and noticed the image had changed. I refreshed with #verbose in Chrome right before the 30 minute mark and got the following in the console.
<pre>
connecting to event source: http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource time07.min.js:1
s {type: "comic/time", data: "{"spread":5,"image":"832a7f13ca0fadc46e93475bb617d78211e32c81c3af0e289a51f8f149707759.png"}", lastEventId: "e2992bf0-9557-11e2-8001-1c6f659cb250"} time07.min.js:1
waiting 0 seconds before displaying comic 832a7f13ca0fadc46e93475bb617d78211e32c81c3af0e289a51f8f149707759.png time07.min.js:1
Resource interpreted as Image but transferred with MIME type application/octet-stream: "http://xkcd.com/events/connect_start". time07.min.js:1
s {type: "comic/time", data: "{"spread":5,"image":"847265673986f085460bf1a95b96f7171bcd9a4f1f0a598b2188307d03bcfaa3.png"}", lastEventId: "79580fe8-9558-11e2-8001-1c6f659cb250"} time07.min.js:1
waiting 4 seconds before displaying comic 847265673986f085460bf1a95b96f7171bcd9a4f1f0a598b2188307d03bcfaa3.png time07.min.js:1
connection error i {type: "error"} time07.min.js:1
Resource interpreted as Image but transferred with MIME type application/octet-stream: "http://xkcd.com/events/connect_error".
</pre>
::::: The script seems to poll the server every minute or two. It's different from before, where the image server itself redirected to the correct image. The auto refresh was probably always intended, but not quite ready when the comic went live. It may have turned out to be necessary too, so the image server doesn't have to do all the work. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 14:45, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

http://pastebin.com/dLiWsFyN
[[Special:Contributions/79.180.173.88|79.180.173.88]] 09:48, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

:Moved to pastebin.[[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.51|81.23.24.51]] 14:34, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/426033682a26a0012a6f8e0c47287af91b7991a852d81c77402c937ffbd650c6.png

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1e/f46c6571393bee1ee649a7daae41f6328e63482506aef1e22607d22c47dd7027.png --[[User:Johnsmith|Johnsmith]] ([[User talk:Johnsmith|talk]]) 22:51, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b0/88e3a0c8bba935c669606d9134314f811a0961985f968dd5d329e4695acc67c8.png --[[User:Johnsmith|Johnsmith]] ([[User talk:Johnsmith|talk]]) 23:10, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me or or did Randall manage to make all of us perform a Denial of Service on xkcd.com, and explainxkcd.com ? xkcd.com seems much slower, and I keep getting "500 Internal server error" when accessing this site (explainxkcd.com). I guess that's the effect of having everybody hit F5 every few minutes :) [[Special:Contributions/193.239.192.194|193.239.192.194]] 11:57, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

Earlier today, the server handled all the image redirections. The script you see above went through several mutations (currently at #8), with each mutation it seems that Randall is adding more servers and trying to split the load between them. This is basically how a bot-net works - we all run code written by some evil genius, and he's changing the code as time passes to serve some hidden purpose.
[[Special:Contributions/79.180.173.88|79.180.173.88]] 15:44, 25 March 2013 (UTC)
:If he is using us as a botnet, then maybe the next comic will be something alluding to that.
:Probably like this: http://xkcd.com/350/

When I saw this comic last night and that there was no explanation up, I thought to myself "How zen." I figured that Randall was going through a calm streak before throwing us the utterly ridiculous April 1st comic. Did it come early, or does he have something even bigger planned for us? [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 07:05, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
:Sorry, did you miss the bit where this comic updates every 30 minutes and all the server error messages being caused by the massive traffic to both the wiki and the main xkcd website? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:08, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
::Well, when I said "last night" and "no explanation", I implied that I wasn't aware of that at the time, which is why I thought what I did. Of course, it is now "now" and there is an explanation, so that should answer your question. Also, since it's not April 1st, and Randall has consistently released something major on that day, the jury is still out, leaving my question quite open (though I was really only asking for opinions). [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 07:20, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

wanted to add an image to the list above, but didn't know at what timestamp to add it, got 69085b480cb82911b19fe8f114909756989eed89b0d227db0f59c1843de7ba24.png at 2013-03-26 09:47 CET (UTC+0100)
/Puggan
:The hours denote the time since the initial release of the comic. The page is still a work in progress, we're going to bring that all into one image file soon. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:13, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

This site should seriously consider cloudflare, it's perfect at times like this and takes minutes to set up. I run all my sites through it and it saves a lot of page huts and bandwidth.
[[Special:Contributions/123.3.136.228|123.3.136.228]]Evan Pyle
:Or at least make the main page a static page that refreshes every so often. I'm guessing that most of the traffic is going to the front page with not as much traffic to the actual comic page [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 15:43, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Some of the images on the wiki (looks like time38.png through time48.png) are slightly different than what is on the main site. The lines are slightly thicker, as though someone did them based on screen captures.
[[User:Royce|Royce]] ([[User talk:Royce|talk]]) 14:37, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
:Well, at least we have the hashes so they can be re-retrieved, so nothing is really lost, right? Should we add links to the original? [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 15:43, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

:I uploaded two of the "thicker" images and one of the "regular" ones, and I did the same thing for all of them: right-click->save-as. Given that the "thick" ones are all clustered together, I think the files on the xkcd site changed. [[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 18:21, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Story so far: [http://static.odysseus.anderson.name/1190.gif linky] [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 19:30, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

I guess we shall find out in ~10 minutes if Randall is trolling us. [[Special:Contributions/129.138.30.95|129.138.30.95]] 04:20, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

... so that's it?

Did I just miss something or we've all been epically trolled for 48 hours? [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:22, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:Motherofgod, no, he's *still* going!''' [[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:20, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

What makes you think he's done? [[Special:Contributions/129.138.30.95|129.138.30.95]] 04:25, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm still waiting for the water level to drop precipitously... and then for red spiders to run over everything [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 04:28, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Well, strip 1191 is up so I assumed it was over. I guess it's not. Until April's Fools maybe? [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:32, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
: It is not over -- the image is still updating, at least it did for me [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])
:: Yes, it's not over. Last frame shows just a minimal movement of Cueball's head, but no doubt it's still ongoing. [[Special:Contributions/189.59.175.92|189.59.175.92]] 04:49, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
::: Given the fact the strips for the last 2 weeks have been comparatively simple, I expect Randall has been planning this for at least that long. {{unsigned|101.98.156.239}}

Considering the common theme with "today's" strip, anyone wanna guess that he's sending us a hex-encoded file over a really slow modem link, slated to complete April 1? Anyone wanna run "magic" over the hashes and see if they come up with a compression codec or something? [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 04:45, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
:I liked this idea and crunched the hex data for 00:00 to 51:00 into a binary file (http://filebin.ca/bcGyfUvdgBi). Can't see anything resembling a file header, but that doesn't really say much. If this is compressed header-less data there wouldn't likely be any easily discernible patterns. Haven't really tried running the data through anything, zlib was one that came to mind but haven't tried it.

[[Special:Contributions/194.114.62.72|194.114.62.72]] I'm pretty shure it's not the seaside, but a lake - the water level is not changing at all.

Its probably going to loop back on itself, eventually, and repeat this way forever. [[Special:Contributions/113.160.224.209|113.160.224.209]] 07:12, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

For those wondering about the Javascript behind this: I posted my analysis of the Javascript [http://www.echochamber.me/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=760#p3303579 on the xkcd forums], and further de-obfuscated and annotated the code over on [https://gist.github.com/cincodenada/5246094 GitHub]. Here's a quick summary though: it holds open a connection to xkcd's servers and listens for instructions and follows them. Those instructions are either "load a new image" or "reload the page". So, you don't have to mash F5, it will automatically update the image when they're available. We have no way to control how fast the images come or when they do, and it's quite possible for them to update forever. --[[User:Fiveofoh|Fiveofoh]] ([[User talk:Fiveofoh|talk]]) 06:41, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

This is a series of animation frames. I suspect they will only ever be shown once (based on the fact you can only get the current image, not previous or future images -- this is in keeping with the title, "Time", which passes and which you can't ever get back]. The filenames are UUIDs too long to guess, so somebody needs to start collecting the filenames here so that a proper flipbook can be assembled. Here's the latest URL: [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/81efa7c4509ac7a329407d9da25d12ec0a3baec50e06588586961575e2d65c2c.png http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/81efa7c4509ac7a329407d9da25d12ec0a3baec50e06588586961575e2d65c2c.png] Go here to collect URLs: [http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/time?method=EventSource]
:We've kinda already been doing that. They're the big long filenames next to each timestamp. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:06, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Oh my god it's game of thrones played out in 2D [[Special:Contributions/123.3.136.228|123.3.136.228]] Evan Pyle

Is it just me, or do the last two frames look like someone just threw a rock at the castle? [[Special:Contributions/67.167.81.143|67.167.81.143]] 14:20, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I believe it is the cannon ball that I have been expecting since they first started building castles. [[User:ChrisPUT|ChrisPUT]] ([[User talk:ChrisPUT|talk]]) 16:34, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Here's a bit of JavaScript to execute in your browser's JavaScript console. (Cmd+Alt+K on Firefox for Mac, for example.)
<pre>
/* Collect all frame image URLs */
var images = [];
Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/time"][href$=".png"]')).forEach(function (a) {
images.push(a.href);
});

/* Create an image in the top-right corner of the screen */
var img = document.body.appendChild(document.createElement('img'));
img.setAttribute('style', 'position: fixed; top: 1em; right: 1em;');

/* Allow removing the image by clicking */
img.onclick = function () {
img.parentNode.removeChild(img);
};

var texts = [0,51,169,174,322];
var delays = [0,1000,1000,1500,4000];

/* Cycle through the frames */
img.onload = function () {
/* Pause a bit longer for the text frames */
var idx = texts.indexOf(img.i);
var delay = ( idx > 0 ) ? delays[idx] : 50;
setTimeout(function () {
img.src = images[++img.i % images.length];
}, delay);
};

/* Start with the first frame */
img.i = 0;
img.src = images[img.i];
</pre>

— [http://jan.moesen.nu/ Jan!] [[Special:Contributions/94.23.195.79|94.23.195.79]] 09:22, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

---Thanks for the script!. Ctrl+Shift+J on Windows Chrome [[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 13:11, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

- updated script 'coz there are three text panels now. [[User schnitz]] 19:00, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

- updated script with another text panel [[Special:Contributions/24.77.229.71|24.77.229.71]] 21:00, 2 April 2013 (UTC)

The one for the prior half hour (5AM - 5:30AM EST, 27 March 2013) is located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/5450bd39ee84a394467fabcaf92f1a5711c2a4eca24c8bd8a8cec829496e3dd7.png
[[Special:Contributions/141.161.133.106|141.161.133.106]] 09:26, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

And the one for the following half hour is located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/c2ea85f1ab92f2f80e9c4655c47f5c7effc0a7da01c8a88493864845855b3be8.png
[[Special:Contributions/141.161.133.106|141.161.133.106]] 09:31, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Call me a paranoid, but I think this strip is all about 9/11:
*If you read the strip number (1190) backwards, you get 09/11
*This subject is recurrent on xkcd
*As far as we have seen, there is a destroyed tower and they are rebuilding it
*The next strip, following 1190 (or 09/11), mentions war against countries with large oil reserves but low military capacity. {{unsigned|143.107.105.14}}
:I feel like that's kind of a stretch, I'm pretty sure it's just a story about a day at the beach.

If a new strip goes up every 30 minutes our time, and if each strip comprises of, let's say for the sake of simplicity, one minute in their time; to build the sand castle [frames 24-117 = 93 frames] so far it's taken almost 2 days our time, which would be about an hour and a half their time if each frame is a minute. Using my scale, an hour our time is 2 minutes their time, a day is 48 minutes, and our month is their 24 hour day. If we assume Randall plans to give us a 24 hour period from that world's time, and we use the minute-per-frame rate I made up, than we'd probably be looking at a month of images our time. I guess we'll just have to see how long he's got it planned to go on. -boB

Has it ended? All that's left is the sandcastle, and there doesn't seem to have been anything else changed on it for a few hours.

It's zooming out! When look at the gifs showing the frames in succession, the last 3 show the castle getting slightly smaller each time!
: It's true! The most recent also shows the edge of another castle, leading me to believe it's part of some kind of sand castle contest, probably including some of xkcd's other recurring characters!
::Weird, now it's not showing that, Randall must have put something up too soon.
A controllable version of the same comic is available at http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/ - slow/fast movement, pause, control back and forth. It also has the image # on the top left. Auto updating. [[Special:Contributions/59.182.173.88|59.182.173.88]] 20:56, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

:Can you add on-screen buttons, so it's usable on phones and tablets without hardware keyboard?{{unsigned|81.23.24.48}}

looky here: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/4c92727698b704ee1d02fbd37c94c220d16be4ad3ff6fc03a3fb77ea6d96434f.png [[Special:Contributions/97.88.147.176|97.88.147.176]] 23:14, 27 March 2013 (UTC)
That was a glitch on the server that revealed a future frame, but it has been corrected and that link is now a 404 not found. I guess if we want to see it in context we'll just have to "Wait for it."{{unsigned|Bugstomper}}
: Well now we're back to that picture as the present frame. [[User:Racerdude09|Racerdude09]] ([[User talk:Racerdude09|talk]]) 03:14, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Is someone gonna update the transcript to note them building a sandcastle, as well as the dialogue so far (consisting of Megan and Cueball saying goodbye to each other at No. 52)?--[[Special:Contributions/69.119.250.251|69.119.250.251]] 00:38, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Anyone else think that they're roleplaying Dom and Mal in Limbo? [[User:Fry-kun|Fry-kun]] ([[User talk:Fry-kun|talk]]) 05:36, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

I think they're bulding a sand replica of King's Landing for the Game Of Thrones season 3 premiere {{unsigned|201.239.18.75}}
: My first idea regarding the sand castle was also about Game of Thrones, but i dismissed it as being too biased.. --[[Special:Contributions/217.13.68.110|217.13.68.110]] 13:31, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

I have modified the code "'''''/* Collect all frame image URLs */'''''" to see only images of the "'''Frame by Frame Breakdown'''" section :
/* Collect all frame image URLs */
var images = [];
Array.prototype.slice.call(document.querySelector('#Frame_by_Frame_Breakdown').parentElement.nextElementSibling.nextElementSibling.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/wiki/images/"][href*="/time"][href$=".png"]')).forEach(function (a) {
images.push(a.href);
});
(Sorry for my English... and the ugly code...) {{unsigned|194.119.85.99}}

Anyone else think this is going to be related to Wed's cartoon? I'm half-expecting Black Hat to show up from the future, with advanced weaponry, to take oil from the sandcastle of the past. {{unsigned|173.180.60.43}}

Guys, i think we might have lost a few frames in between, no? When did he upload the first image? like, the exakt time... knowing this we could calculate the amount of images there should be and compare to what we have... [[User:Caranhyas|Caranhyas]] ([[User talk:Caranhyas|talk]]) 18:04, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

The four comics from 89:00 to 90:30 (most recent so far) look the same to me, but the PNG files have different CRCs for the image data blocks, though the metadata in the PNG files are all the same. I wonder if there might be something subtle hidden in the images, or the way they're compressed. [[Special:Contributions/24.160.133.3|24.160.133.3]] 22:54, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

: There is a very minor difference in the water level on those images, even though the water level has been static in most of the other images. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.210|129.21.63.210]] 02:05, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I don't think the title text is a reference to anything except for... wait for it... THE MONGOLS ;-) [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.34|81.23.24.34]] 23:00, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Unless the 99:30 image was misnamed, it's not included in the list of images. Does anyone know where this frame went? [[User:Bob|Bob]] 14:18, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Is that rain in two recent panels? [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 14:21, 29 March 2013 (UTC)r

Can someone identify for sure what Cueball is doing in 105:00? His arms seems to be crossed, and his holding something in his hand. [[User:Mem|mem]] ([[User talk:Mem|talk]]) 14:30, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looks to me like he is shivering, which would allude to a cool down common with rain storms? [[User:Jeremy1026|Jeremy1026]] ([[User talk:Jeremt1026|talk]]) 14:51 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looks to me like he's brushing sand off himself; see the shower around him similar to her hair at 10:00? [[Special:Contributions/70.178.167.60|70.178.167.60]] 03:07, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Megan just wheeled in a trebuchet! This is going to be fun! [[Special:Contributions/69.246.10.71|69.246.10.71]] 16:34, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
Now she's launching a rock. I wonder which tower it might hit. March 2013, at 17:08. Flew over the first two and might impact far right tower if it continues. 17:48

I think this is all an elaborate 'joke' which will keep running until Monday - April Fools' Day [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 17:17, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

Re explanation of hour 110:00. My first thought was "How can a person whose face is an empty ovoid look upset?". However, looking at the image again I can see how it does. Respects to Randall. Possibly an April Fool, but I will be even more impressed if it runs beyond Monday. I'm waiting for the tide to come in. jasq [[Special:Contributions/79.123.80.87|79.123.80.87]] 23:12, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

I googled some hashes. The first two seem to show up here, in a directory tellingly labeled "wait": http://www.hash-database.net/wait/hash_sha256.txt
:: The "wait" folder there contains hashes that weren't found in the database and might or might not someday be discovered. They are probably there *because* someone was looking up hashes to see if they were common words. [[Special:Contributions/99.153.248.206|99.153.248.206]] 23:17, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
To review, the first two are:
8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672
1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97
Googled the third one, but it only shows up on xkcd discussion forums :(
Hashed some of the hashes, but didn't see the result in the list, so it dosen't look like a hash chain.
Someone should google all the other hashes, and someone else should figure out what the guy in the "wait" directory (presuming it wasn't Randall) was hashing. --[[User:Venal dwarf|Venal dwarf]] ([[User talk:Venal dwarf|talk]]) 21:37, 29 March 2013 (UTC)
: Comparing all the filenames to the hashes on that page, I found a total of four that overlap. The first two, as mentioned. But also one from the middle of day 1, and one from the end of day 1.

: 00:30 - 01/00:30 - 8eb156cce408df8bb83528382d6a2aa2ce6c74f3c573fd12b058cd1c56420672.png

: 01:00 - 01/01:00 - 1e349a579b5f9b5ed487ddf7e88244b70330941ddedac9c6abf6ed2e3f589b97.png

: 12:00 - 01/12:00 - a3aa116efca3c01d8a64c0c7e79158dc8a62241aba767064e3a6c724cc5ade93.png

: 23:30 - 01/23:30 - 1da3859627430022485c53ad90e88e8771b2bec2d60e910b59ef332325bba29f.png

: --[[User:Venal dwarf|Venal dwarf]] ([[User talk:Venal dwarf|talk]]) 22:36, 29 March 2013 (UTC)

: There is a fifth one also, from 01:30 - e25be2dd49fe9f33c3543cdf640b67e0f2146cc576db5da007a135a278e524ee.png
: I converted all 1153 hashes in the file to lower case and did a wget on them but it did not turn up any files from the future. [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 05:31, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Is Randall training us like Pavlov's dogs - every 30 minutes we are compelled to refresh the web-page? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 01:59, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone have an opinion on how we should continue naming the saved timeNN.png files if the updates do not continue on the half hour?
Right now the link for the skipped update 242 got renamed to the nonexistent time242NA.png and the next update's link is time242.png. But what do we do if the updates are changing to once per hour? By the way it does look like the next half-hour update has been skipped too. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 05:57, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
:It does seem to have gone hourly as of midnight EDT. I stuck in "NA" as a placeholder since I wasn't sure what to do with the files, and wanted to make it clear that the half-hour updates were skipped in case it goes back or changes in some other way. Maybe start naming them by the time, instead of sequentially, e.g. "012200.png". If the pattern holds, the "no update" lines can be removed. (Or both might make more sense, like "time243-012200.png".) [[Special:Contributions/69.243.159.96|69.243.159.96]] 06:08, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
::I'm partial to timestamping filenames for stuff like this. I have this zsh line running right now:
while { : } { wget -O "`date +"%Y-%m-%d %a %H%M%S"` Time .png" http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png ; sleep 30m }
::(I was wishing for a convenient way to use the server-side timestamps, 'till i noticed that it's always 2013-04-12 Fri 09:05'38—which i'm guessing is the script's mtime.) —[[Special:Contributions/98.83.126.232|98.83.126.232]] 08:28, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Anyone else getting a 404 error with the latest image (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/d1b3b1b6e23995a093377c5ddc044dd98a42a3ae1327c8b6620d51d2a7003c1d.png)? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:19, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Strange: As far as I know http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png always redirects to the current frame. But if you visit the current one (133:00) at http://xkcd.com/1190/ and check the displayed image, it says 'c6976fbb244af4fc2286ffe3ac2cf78d408c1f610ecd71e18b4a677a048f084d.png' while time.png redirects to '1d9ce7199935b1b629d6b8744e62c7700a3780357b2dc74bb70471db616ddadb.png'. If you take a md5 of both images, they appear to be the same.
:I was confused by this as well, I'm grabbing the images myself via time.png and got the 1d9ce7 hash. How will these duplicates be displayed in the table?[[User:Lockyy|Lockyy]] ([[User talk:Lockyy|talk]]) 17:48, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

I'm seeing some strange stuff now. I have a script that uses wget of time.png to get the redirected hash png like Lockyy is doing. And I can verify that when you go to the 1190 page in the browser you get a different hash. But the previous hour and this hour, unlike the ones before it, the two hash pngs are different. And when I refresh the screen in my browser at the 1190 page, first I see the image I get from time.png, then the image refreshes with the other one. I'm not sure what this means or what we are supposed to do with it. I added the time.png hashes to the table for the last two hours but we probably need a way of indicating the difference. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 20:38, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
: This latest hourly update did the same thing. If you are fast enough you can even get the first image in your browser by right click view image before it changes to the second one. I edited in something that shows that. It probably could stand some reformatting by someone with better graphic design sense, but at least right now all the information has been captured. - [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 21:18, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
: Looking at it some more, I see that wget of the page at xkcd.com/1190/ gets you an img link to time.png and then there is the javascript that must after some delay get the different hash url image. That means that we had better be sure that we do not miss any manual checks of hourly updates because the scripts will never find that second image unless someone has a way of getting a script that runs the javascript as if it was a browser. As long as someone posts the hash of the image from the browser every hour, I can ensure that we have the hashes the scripts can get because I have a cron job checking for those updates every 15 minutes. -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 21:49, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
:: And with the update for day 06/18:00 it appears to be back to normal, one consistent image per update -- [[User:Bugstomper|Bugstomper]] ([[User talk:Bugstomper|talk]]) 22:22, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

Just if somebody else wants this, i hacked a little bash script to download all images to the current listed here. It skips already downloaded images so it can be reused later when more images are here.

<pre>#!/bin/bash
curl -s http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190 |
egrep -o "/wiki/images/[0-9a-f]/[0-9a-f]{2}/time[0-9]*.png" |
while read url; do
imgname=$(basename $url)
tmp=${imgname:4}
id=${tmp%.png}
printf -v target "image%03d.png" ${id:-1}
[[ -e $target ]] && continue
echo $target
curl -so $target http://www.explainxkcd.com$url
done
</pre>
--[[Special:Contributions/79.236.3.216|79.236.3.216]] 18:51, 30 March 2013 (UTC)

To ease waiting times: http://thred.github.com/xkcd-time-catapult/
:: This is awesome. I love the internet. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:15, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

I've offered up [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316|my own explanation]. The obvious metaphor is how time continues to flow and things change when you’re not watching. And how this could be a conceptual art project that could continue the rest of our lives... [[Special:Contributions/72.183.97.36|72.183.97.36]] 19:36, 31 March 2013 (UTC) Lawrence Person
:Correcting your link: [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316 my own explanation] --[[Special:Contributions/24.145.230.202|24.145.230.202]] 20:49, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

::This comics may not really continue forever unless Randall will put some sort of repetition into it. May not be simple loop but something more sophisticated, but still, images shown up to now doesn't show any kind of repetition yet. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:28, 1 April 2013 (UTC)

anyone else notice the water is slowly rising? not unlike a tide (depending on the time scaling implemented? perhaps a flooding river (as might correspond to the mention of a river)? [[Special:Contributions/70.192.210.128|70.192.210.128]] 18:08, 2 April 2013 (UTC)
:I checked your claim that the water is rising, and I agree. Good catch! I measure the rate at about 1 pixel per 25 frames starting at about 100 hours. Though a more careful look could surely refine that estimate.{{unsigned|207.67.82.250}}
:I measured the water level with a ruler. The water will take another 20 days before reaching the sand castle if rising at a constant rate. [[Special:Contributions/192.155.85.119|192.155.85.119]] 01:27, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

Oddly this contradicts the text, which says that the river is going down: "Any idea where the river is now?", Cueball replies "Still pretty far out. It actually retreated a little this week." --AH
:"It's *still* pretty far out". I think this means that it's getting less far out.[[Special:Contributions/93.73.186.104|93.73.186.104]] 07:41, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
::"It actually retreated a little this week." ~~dang

This comic has been running and updating so long I think perhaps it is a sand castle creation/destruction program that autonomously lets the two indefinitely build, destroy and rebuild new sand castles all the time… [[Special:Contributions/80.101.210.21|80.101.210.21]] 09:55, 4 April 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe. We don't have enough data to say that for sure yet. We just need to "wait for it". [[Special:Contributions/93.73.186.104|93.73.186.104]] 10:07, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

I think numbers in "As of this writing, it is still updated after more than XXX hours - even after Y new, different comics were posted on the front page" at the top of the page should be calculated using {{#expr}}. I changed it for number of comics, but I have no idea how to calculate number of hours since it was posted.[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 11:15, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

When Megan coughed and Cueball asked if she was okay, did anyone else think of http://xkcd.com/931/ Lanes? Cueball explains that cancer treatment results are not known until much later, "and often the first sign is a cough or a bone pain. So you spend the next five or ten years trying not to worry . . . ." ~~wrybred

:I don't want to be a downer but this is just my interpretation thus far. I hope it is a happier theme but if you are correct wrybred, my further explanation would be the following... I think that building sandcastles is an analogy for living their life. Going for a swim in the body of water and the cough could represent the start of the cancer or possibly some time where they had to go out and "wade" in the possibilities of what cancer could mean. Time passes and Cueball says "I don't think we can build it much taller than this. It's been fun, though" which represents that they believe they have done as well as they can with the lives they have been given. They comment on the river retreating even though we the audience observe a body of water on the right hand side rising could represent how we can be fooled into believing things are going alright when in reality they are not. The reference to not understanding what the river is doing also fits this explanation well as someone with cancer may occasionally feel confused about their illness. Presently while I write this they are possibly preparing for a flood which represents the return of the cancer. If I were to guess what is next I might guess that they will watch as the flood comes in and destroys some of what they built but it is better than not having made the sandcastle in the first place. I could be way off, but Randall has given us a lot of TIME to think about what this is all about and your mind wanders. I also would note that this may not be about a particular cancer story, just any cancer story. [[User:Nhoel|Nhoel]] ([[User talk:Nhoel|talk]]) 13:51, 8 April 2013 (UTC)

Could Cueball and Megan be building a European city, as it evolved, was damaged and remodelled where 1 day of strips is 100 years? Maybe Cueball is curretly remodelling Notre Dame de Paris or Westminster??? If so, it should get interesting around day 17 [[Special:Contributions/129.238.237.96|129.238.237.96]] 17:34, 4 April 2013 (UTC)rbnm

<pre>#!/bin/bash

# Assumes you have a complete set of numbered PNG images in a
# directory called "./images". (See the script above) Makes a
# directory called "./cropped" containing N images that are 1 pixel
# wide by 395 pixels tall, each of which contains the second to last
# column of one of the input images. Finally, concatenates all those
# images into montage.png, which will be Nx395 pixels and can be read
# as a graph of water depth over time.

mkdir -p cropped
rm cropped/*.png
for i in images/*.png
do
f=`basename $i .png`
convert -crop 1x395+550+0 $i cropped/${f}_cropped.png
echo $f
done

montage cropped/*.png -geometry 1x395+0+0 -tile x1 montage.png

echo Wrote result to montage.png
</pre>[[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 21:00, 4 April 2013 (UTC)

He's making a mini-version of the whole sandcastle on top of the mound! You can see the two turrets on the left and the mound in the center!

They're inside an hourglass! ;) - Filippo

i believe that he made a fractal version of the scene atop the middle sandcastle... are we going to have an infinite zoom for a bit (or maybe forever?) - ck

Maybe it's some sort of reference to [http://xkcd.com/878/ Model Rail] where Cueball ends up with multiple model railways in his basement...--[[Special:Contributions/77.100.193.92|77.100.193.92]] 13:14, 5 April 2013 (UTC)
:<strike>Since it hasn't been brought up yet;</strike> reference to 878, this is Nesting, and there are FOUR visible layers.
:- "It's the second rule of 'model train layouts': No Nesting." (Strike and replace with the building sandcastles.)
:- "Whats the first rule?", "Do not talk about ... That rule was actually voted in by our friends and families.", "Philistines"
:Drifter [[Special:Contributions/24.106.78.38|24.106.78.38]] 19:26, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::Actually 77.100.193.92 did bring it up, which is why I believe they're building a large trebuchet. [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 22:09, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::Thank you Bdemirici & 77.100.193.92, sorry for the duplicatation. Now which came first... the coment or or the comic, 77...'s reference came before the center structure gained its malformed parapets. Drifter [[Special:Contributions/66.42.134.195|66.42.134.195]] 10:38, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Whoa -- big change in scale, zoom in on Megan holding a mini trebuchet at about 5 pm central time Friday the 5th.--[[Special:Contributions/205.208.92.136|205.208.92.136]] 22:20, 5 April 2013 (UTC)--~~

A tiny trebuchet for use on the tiny turrets? Megan is kinda awesome. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 22:32, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

:I think she should "outgrow these toys and focus on something practical" ;-) [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:59, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Looks like they are re-enacting the trebuchet incident on the mini-castle. AH --[[Special:Contributions/108.244.73.186|108.244.73.186]] 23:53, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Meta-physical time again: "I don't understand what the sea is doing" - wasn't it a river earlier? Is it a different sea? The river of time maybe? Where is Randall leading us? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 03:09, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I'm thinking it may have to do with the title text from this comic. http://xkcd.com/4/
:I think it's obvious. They're not on a beach. They're on a recently exposed portion of the river bed. In time the river will come back and engulf the whole area. [[Special:Contributions/64.121.163.170|64.121.163.170]] 10:16, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I have redownloaded the 199:00 image based upon the hash here and it does still say "river", so Randall hasn't adjusted the "past" to fit the "present"... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 05:50, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

:I've read somewhere that they are not on the beach. They are on some sort of a boat covered with sand. First they were in the river, and now they reached the sea. [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:19, 6 April 2013 (UTC)

::So if they are on a boat then it isn't the river/sea that is rising it is the boat that is sinking (or having more weight added to it). [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 18:35, 6 April 2013 (UTC)
:It's pretty obvious to me. They're on a beach with a river running through it. Yes, beaches sometimes have rivers in them. And also, rivers that run through beaches tend to be very unstable and to move their bed all the time, because of the fact that it's running water through loose sand. That's why they talk about the river moving. [[Special:Contributions/80.212.115.55|80.212.115.55]] 08:04, 7 April 2013 (UTC)
:: This comic. http://xkcd.com/4/ {{unsigned|Zuffelnok}}

: xkcd Time Catapult done correctly http://i.imgur.com/XEKEfSR.png {{unsigned|118.129.231.136}}
:: Man, you have just too much... wait for it... time! [[User:Caranhyas|Caranhyas]] ([[User talk:Caranhyas|talk]]) 16:34, 7 April 2013 (UTC)

Just so it doesn't get lost, these are the last 2 hashes I've seen: e3e8169439be717a5661dba80cca623330516d87749f5c5bd83d4a4aae19b89a.png, a2c0f3ed4be680f5b794f0137a55af8704598a2105e1eff5fce750b07800c19b.png

Are they building a giant trebuchet? Another zoom out maybe? [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 05:13, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I love how Randall is reacting to the discussion here. Is it a sea? Or a river? Let's have Cueball drink from it to clarify ;) [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 09:42, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:It could be brackish water ... and I have seen some fresh water rivers I definitely wouldn't want to drink from [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:10, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

:So this tells us 3 things:
:1) It's likely a sea.
:2) This comic, or at least a script (not in a programming sense) for it was very likely made by a human. So it's not randomly generated. We already knew this, but now it's confirmed once again.
:3) Randall is still working on this comic, or at least he was some time after he started releasing it.
:[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 16:51, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

I think by tasting the water Cueball was preparing himself for the inevitable - the water is going to continue to rise and nothing they can do will stop it: they are going to drown. This strip is about the slow, inextirpable, approach of Death - and this isn't the Death from a Terry Pratchett novel. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 20:29, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
: Between the 376th and the 81st strip it can be noted how much the water has rised. And I've noted how there's no wind in the beach (river's mouth?), the flags don't move and the sea has no waves. Don't know if there's a meaning there. --[[User:Yinosanchez|Yinosanchez]] ([[User talk:Yinosanchez|talk]]) 21:18, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:: I think you shouldn't compare it to frames before about 220, because that's where zoom changed last time. Also it looks like it will reach the castle in a day and a half from now.[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:17, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:::The likely implication of the lack waves etc is that they are in an estuarine environment, where the rising tide may not have a bore at all. This might explain a few things, like the reference to a river, the strange behaviour of the sea, and perhaps might explain Cueball tasting the water (to see if he could determine the saltwater content). [[User:Eeijevs|Eeijevs]] ([[User talk:Eeijevs|talk]]) 22:34, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
::::Megan's reaction to getting the water in her mouth (cough, pffthh) and Cueball's are pretty similar ... call me crazy but I think there's something weird about the water beyond its salt content ... --[[Special:Contributions/76.84.59.83|76.84.59.83]] 04:20, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::: And 2 hours after I said that, Megan built something right next to the water. I wonder if this was a coincidence... [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 09:34, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
:::: It is, of course, a damm to buy them some time. :-) {{unsigned|84.180.241.162}}
:::: It wouldn't work as a dam in a 3D universe. It would have to extend infinitely in z to act as a dam. Then again, there's also no good way to support a platform with two posts. [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 20:24, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Can someone please move the list of images and their hashes to another page? Randal is showing no signs that the images will stop anytime soon. [[Special:Contributions/184.5.152.192|184.5.152.192]] 22:32, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
:I understand the sentiment, and considered at least commenting out the future tables, but this page does not need to be changed when the latest frames are uploaded, only when the hashes are added, and those of us still keeping the live XKCD page open do find it easier to just open the last few frames missed when looking away or sleeping.
:I do wonder if the wall of text is worth reducing by actually making the hashes a link with something like "Direct link" as the text. Is anyone still attempting to generate the hashes? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 05:10, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

:I went ahead and made all the tables collapsed by default. If the comic continues beyond another couple of weeks, I vote for moving them to another page. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 06:44, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
::If the comic ever comes to an end, we could clear out the archived hashes and put all the image links into a multi-column table. The hashes are only really useful to editors trying to upload new images, they don't really add that much to understanding the comic. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:29, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Just a theory. On Friday, April 19th at 00:00 there will be 1200 images in the comic, at the same time the strip 1201 of xkcd should be posted on the site. I'm guessing that will end it. (UPDATE: Math is wrong, was still counting half an hour updates. Sorry about that. The numbers will match on May 2nd at 6 in the morning, nothing special there.)--[[User:Yinosanchez|Yinosanchez]] ([[User talk:Yinosanchez|talk]]) 18:27, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

Perhaps it is about global climate change? "The sea is rising." and now they are building a very tall structure to cope with this ?AH --[[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 01:54, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
:Actually, looks like they're building a boat!!! [[Special:Contributions/64.121.163.170|64.121.163.170]] 10:04, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
::This is in no way close to a boat, look at any shipyard, that's not how you build a boat! --[[Special:Contributions/83.145.101.131|83.145.101.131]] 10:25, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
:::It is how you build an observation deck, though, or an airport control tower. And if you have the lumber to build such a structure, you could much more easily build a raft. So it's not like they're in any real danger of drowning when the tide gets higher. - [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 20:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

It could be a raptor-proof tower .... not seen any of those in XKCD for a while {{unsigned|86.128.14.32}}

Looks like that small tower that Megan added in 500-502 is acting like a levee. The water outside it is higher now (569) than the water inside it. I can't imagine it'll help much, though.
--[[User:Mlv|Mlv]] ([[User talk:Mlv|talk]]) 20:40, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

[http://imgur.com/bSP5nWK Graph of water level over time] [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 22:10, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

It appears that a couple of frames (4 and 427) get revisited a couple of frames later:
md5sum -b * | sort | uniq -w32 -D
—[[Special:Contributions/98.83.126.232|98.83.126.232]] 04:16, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

Has it slowed to once every 2 hours for new frames? --[[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 14:12, 13 April 2013 (UTC)
: For some reason, over the fast few hours the image wasn't automatically updating, and I had to refresh the page to see it. Now it looks like the image and static data XKCD servers are down... at least for me. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 03:50, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Looks like everything's back to normal. Fortunately, the aubronwood animation page has correctly captured the frames that I missed (although it had a few duplicates during XKCD's weirdness, it's fixed now). [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.153|129.21.119.153]] 15:20, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Yes, I haven't been able to retrieve anything since 23:40 EDT. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 06:05, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone else considered the relationship of this comic to John Cage's musical composition "As Slow As Possible?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 07:08, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, I did, in [http://www.lawrenceperson.com/?p=10316|my upstream link]. {{unsigned ip|72.183.97.222|00:34, 17 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}
:It surely can't be a coincidence that the comic released the day after this comment was all about John Cage, can it? [[User:DarthCrap|DarthCrap]] ([[User talk:DarthCrap|talk]]) 10:15, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah, I noticed that. So who is trolling whom here? This group, or Randall? I would love it if he set up a foundation to keep this cartoon updating for the next N years, where N is the time backwards from this year to some particular early machine, ENIAC or Babbage's Analytical Engine or the Jacquard loom or the abacus, or whatever. (Refer to how the foundation sponsoring the Cage piece got their 639 years.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:02, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Another intergenerational project at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:59, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wondering, could the river/sea conundrum have anything to do with http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=4:_Landscape_%28sketch%29 and the original accompanying text "Don't ask me why there's a river running through the ocean. Please."? [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 17:45, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

Notice the last couple of frames have begun to show waves in the rising sea. (Frames 627-628) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 07:32, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

How could a small hill of sand stopped the entire sea. The world might be two dimensional, or Randall might have wanted to gain some time but it doesn't make much sense. {{unsigned ip|212.253.22.219 |12:06, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}
:Seriously? Ok - time to review the physics of hydrostatic fluids, folks. Depth is the only variable in calculating fluid pressure. Whether its a bucket or the ocean, the pressure at any given depth in a fluid is the same. A small hill of sand can stop the entire sea. Waves, however, are another matter... [[User:Uglystick|Uglystick]] ([[User talk:Uglystick|talk]]) 14:34, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
::A small hill can stop the sea if it extends infinitely in the Z axis, otherwise the sea will simply flow around it. The other alternative is to encircle the castle with it, forming a moat, but then we wouldn't be able to see the inside. So this can't be a normal 3D universe. Lending some weight to the 2D or nearly 2D nature is that the first platform they put up was installed on only two posts. But the platform itself had width. Maybe they're stuck between two panes of glass like an ant farm. [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 15:15, 16 April 2013 (UTC)
:::A 2D world would also explain why the structure they're on can stand. It's an imperfectly 2D world though; it's been mentioned below that a pole should in theory stop the water easy. I guess it has some 3D realities to it, i.e., a wall should stop water, but a pole shouldn't. {{unsigned ip|173.13.244.241 | 19:18, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

Water depth is [http://imgur.com/MBiShof increasing quadratically]? (Probably not, but it looks nice on the graph so far. My current guess is that it's a sine wave that will peak out at 103 pixels.) [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 15:18, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

I think in the end it's about what you build up during life and how "the time" washes all of it away, eventually {{unsigned ip|87.178.224.240|16:05, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

If this were a 2D universe, wouldn't the best course of action be to bury one of the poles directly at the water's edge? That way, like the small sand hill, the sea would have to rise to the very top of the pole before it would flood the remaining sand structures. {{unsigned ip| 74.94.246.5|16:33, 16 April 2013‎ (UTC)}}

Just a remark: Frame 458 (time458.png on this page, or hour 337:00) is corrupt, i.e. it deviates from the original that can be retrieved via the hash address. Probabely it was a screencap rather than a direct copy - someone should reupload it.. Oh and the structure on the poles is definitely the mighty Randall's Arc (though it doesn't rain)... {{unsigned ip|93.135.113.244}}

Now they are 'building castles in the air' - dreaming of a future that will never come to pass? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 11:43, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

:Why should building castles in the air be harder that building {{w|Server_farm|farm}} in {{w|Cloud_computing|clouds}}? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:37, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

The bucket on the pulley used to be carrying just sand. Now, if I read the situation correctly, it's carrying something that's heavier than Megan, so she can't use the pulley (or, possibly, anything else) to pull it up. Lead? Depleted uranium? Dwarf star remnant? [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 15:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Seems to me like she was trying to raise ''herself'' up in the bucket, then lost her balance and collapsed part of the middle castle when she fell. - [[User:Acrisius|Acrisius]] ([[User talk:Acrisius|talk]]) 15:39, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
::That probably makes a little more sense than "dwarf star remnant". [[Special:Contributions/206.173.46.67|206.173.46.67]] 16:09, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

:::Especially considering that dwarf star remnant loosely placed on ground would fall through it. Even if the ground would be armor-plated. Unless it explode first. Hmmm ... this may be good question for the [http://what-if.xkcd.com/ what-if] - what will happen if you put dwarf star remnant with size of apple on ground somewhere on earth? Or neutronium? (What happens with black hole was already explained when LHC started.) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:20, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

My favorite episode from the Batman TV series was one where the Riddler gave Batman a nonsense clue which contained a surveillance microphone. He'd then eavesdrop on what Batman “deducted” his next coup would be, and he made it happen. Seeing how the discussion here does seem to affect the events in the comic, I wonder if Randall is pulling a Riddler on us. Just as an experiment, I thought I'd mention that it's odd there are no seagulls at the beach ;-) [[Special:Contributions/201.235.179.15|201.235.179.15]] 16:49, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:I like the way that the sea/river/metaphor is now slowly eroding the base of the tower on the right. Also, where are the fish ;-) [[User:Eeijevs|Eeijevs]] ([[User talk:Eeijevs|talk]]) 21:15, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
::I like how the erosion of the castle is accurate [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave-cut_platform].--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 11:11, 18 April 2013 (UTC)
::Aquaman?--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 23:06, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
:Still no seagulls! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:09, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

We seem to be missing time 561 from Wednesday? [[User:Jillysky|Jillysky]] ([[User talk:Jillysky|talk]]) 13:20, 18 April 2013 (UTC)
:And at the moment 599:00 and 600:00 are duplicates. I don't know if something happened (or didn't happen) then, or if the above issue is still being processed. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 18:00, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
::Fiiixed '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:47, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

In the frame-by-frame breakdown, the "Image" field simply gives the time in hours, while the "Time" field gives the time in days+hours. It would be helpful if the "Image" field instead gave an ordinal number indicating the number of frames (e.g., this would help to correlate the Transcript on this page with the frame numbers [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ here]. The current "Image" field need not be deleted (I personally prefer time in hours to time in days+hours), but it might be relabeled as "Time in Hours". Implementing this would require some use of scripts, and would be best if adopted by the person updating the frame-by-frame breakdown in the first place. [[Special:Contributions/132.236.6.90|132.236.6.90]] 16:42, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
: If it's helpful to you guys this text file gets created automatically [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/data.txt]. I admit it had some problems in the beginning but I think they're all worked out now; it's been adding for days now without any problems. I know you cannot see line numbers in the browser, but if you copy and paste the whole lot into an editor the line numbers are 1 higher than the corresponding png frame.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 01:44, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

When the server had a problem one image was 100 minutes late, and another was 50 minutes late. Because of this there was a file between time682 and time683 that wasn't posted here (time683 should have been time684), and many files after that are displayed here an hour before they should have been displayed, with the wrong filename. It also affects xkcd-time.wikia.com as I had got many of the files on there from here. I am currently trying to correct this. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 03:01, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

I think it's now fixed. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 03:59, 20 April 2013 (UTC)

Anyone have the slightest prediction on how many frames this Time series will last? [[Special:Contributions/118.186.193.26|118.186.193.26]] 07:44, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:Sure, it will be exactly 42π! ... or rather ''<big>e</big>''42? Hmmmm… [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 08:52, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:5,601,594 images if he follows the John Cage time frame, and maintains hourly changes; plus/minus one or two depending on the fence-posts. {{unsigned|Taibhse}}

I think we have seen the profile of various famous castles come and go, but nobody has identified any of them. [[Special:Contributions/174.62.108.29|174.62.108.29]] 17:51, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
:I don't see anything obvious, but the second castle (revealed by the zoom) looks a lot like http://media.merchantcircle.com/39624740/cheesecake_castle_final_full.jpeg
:and now the castle she is working on begins to resemble the Taj Mahal...[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:00, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
::Well, not so much, now. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:50, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
::It looks like Hogwarts.--[[Special:Contributions/70.134.68.234|70.134.68.234]] 21:36, 20 April 2013 (UTC)
I wonder if this could be building up to an all black panel for April 22. [[Special:Contributions/74.129.166.50|74.129.166.50]] 09:07, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

I just setup an own cronjob which checks the image hash periodly and writes them to a list when its changed: http://panther.stummi.org/xkcdtime.txt
It checks every 10 minutes so it also should notice if the interval changes --[[User:Stummi|Stummi]] ([[User talk:Stummi|talk]]) 09:12, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

The castle on the top appears to be the Disneyland Paris castle (http://0.tqn.com/d/goparis/1/0/1/A/-/-/disneylandaparisxmas09_francoisdurandgetty.jpg) [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 21:46, 21 April 2013 (UTC)
:...which is a rip-off of Neuschwanstein castle: http://blog.awaystay.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/oct_3_2012.jpg - still both don't exactly resemble the one in the comic.. {{unsigned ip|141.84.43.125}}

I'm guessing that the water will keep rising indefinitely, and we'll be left with an upward-moving strip that occasionally zooms out as the bottom layers are very slowly filled in with black "water." One thing that would make this interesting is the varying heights of the constructed structures (sandcastle turrets, platform, etc.) which would make the process of "overflow" from the right-hand side interesting to watch. {{unsigned ip|65.96.75.37}}

Oh the symbolism of it: Cueball leaves, Megan finishes building their castle, rests and lets her guard down. The next thing to happen is, a cute girl walks in, sees what the two have built together and leaves. The very next frame, the castle starts to fall apart. [[Special:Contributions/217.81.90.198|217.81.90.198]]

I'm expecting the lower level-castle to be swept away by the water, while the high-level castle will remain intact. This is quite reasonable, assuming Cueball and Megan knows how high the flood will come and thus they built the platform to an appropriate height. It may be interpreted as the lower-level castle being the work of our life, which is inevitable finite, and will be eventually overtaken by death. Recognizing this, some choose to build a castle for the "after-life". Life-death reflections have been common on xkcd in the past as well. {{unsigned ip|149.241.18.229}}

The [http://imgur.com/NEps6Fk pace at which the water is rising] has begun to slow. I think it's just a regular tide, and it only has a few more pixels to go before it begins to ebb. [[User:Codegardener|Codegardener]] ([[User talk:Codegardener|talk]]) 14:49, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

I call cancer. The tide slowly increasing, the castle threatened, the upper castle... I don't know, it just all gives me that impression. --[[Special:Contributions/193.205.81.1|193.205.81.1]] 09:02, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I have to hand it to him though. He has entirely captivated all of us. I can't help but check every day (as opposed to every MWF) to see how the story unfolds. Many thanks to [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon] for keeping me up to date! [[User:Puck0687|Puck0687]] ([[User talk:Puck0687|talk]]) 14:26, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or are the last 4 images missing? I don't know how often this gets updated, if it's still manual at all, I may have did bad calculations with timezones, but at least the current image isn't there. [[Special:Contributions/86.81.124.236|86.81.124.236]] 19:39, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
: I'm pretty sure this page is updated manually, so you'll have to wait for someone to update it. Nothing has been missed though. If you want to keep up to date, I suggest using one of the links under Explanation>Related Stuff, especially the aubronwood link. Those update automatically. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.61.189|129.21.61.189]] 20:54, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

For me, this is clearly about cancer and the impacts it has on a relationship over time. Randall's now wife was diagnosed and treated for cancer recently and through this comic, he's trying to portray the anxious wait they faced through treatment and remission. He has put us into his shoes by keeping us waiting in suspense to see how things end up. The passing of time represents their life together. At first it's just them relaxing together, probably the dating phase. Soon they start building a life together, represented by the sand castle. The castle evolves over time, much like their life has. Difficulties and gaffes in their relationship are depicted, for example when cueball trips and breaks down part of the wall. Eventually all efforts are diverted and put into defending against the approaching sea, which represents the cancer. The wall, the platform, all represent the steps taken to prevent and/or prepare for it's impending progress. The river represents the cure for cancer, which is still pretty far out, as cueball mentioned. There are many many more clues I see and explanations I can give to support this idea (castle in the sky, the rain, progress with research, etc.), but this is just starting point. I'm excited to see where the comic will end up, but I guess we just need to "wait for it". --[[User:Nick|Nick]] ([[User talk:Nick|talk]]) 21:25, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

:You make a good case, and much of the dialog supports that interpretation. Many of us must have been thinking along the same lines. A couple of points...there doesn't have to be only one meaning for the symbolism. Also, there doesn't have to be an "end."
:The John Cage connection also seems obvious.
:I have been struck by the similarity (and difference) to the Engineers in "A Mote in God's Eye." Innate engineering ability combined with naivete.
:I am confident that Randall knows there are literally thousands (tens of thousands? hundreds?) of fans out there giving them moral support and good wishes. Hmm...I wonder if readers are personified by the little girl? Probably not. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 22:50, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

The cancer metaphors are quite intriguing, but my take is environmental, possibly pollution and global warming. The French girl (beret) could be a nod to the Disneyland Paris castle. If so it’s our first interactive feedback with Randall on the 1190 strip.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:42, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Environmental pollution is tied to cancer incidence. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 00:18, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

:Global warming was suggested by
::Cueball: Sea level rises and falls, right? It's changed before.
::Megan: Not this fast.
:I don't know about the beret; Beret Guy has been a recurring theme. Just search xkcd for "beret." But never on a little girl? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 23:26, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I'm taking it that "sea" is a phonetic substitute for "c," "meaning "cancer." For better or worse, this kind of phoenetic clue was used in the Batman movie:
Batman: Pretty fishy what happened to me on that ladder.
Gordon: You mean, where there's a fish, there could be a Penguin.
Robin: But wait! It happened at sea! See? "C" for Catwoman!
Sigh. I wish I knew what "river" and "rain" represented. Medicine, maybe? [[Special:Contributions/98.117.33.206|98.117.33.206]] 23:03, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Medicine isn't supposed to make the "C" grow. Just the opposite.
:And on that note, back when I was working in "Muppet Labs" there was a great little book of cartoons circulating in the lab titled "CDC." Sample: "CDC?" "ICDC. DUCDC?" "O,ICDC2!"
::http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAO0M1tilKU [[User:Skiasaurus|Skiasaurus]] ([[User talk:Skiasaurus|talk]]) 05:06, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
:Nothing at all to do with the zombie comics from the actual CDC. But there's the disease theme again -- the CDC.
:And what programmer could miss the reference to "C." It gets tangled, which is the best way to do symbolism. Quantum-alphabetic entanglement. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 00:16, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Well, I don't know if the intention here is that the "river" is making the "sea" grow. My point is that the dialogue is so nonsensical at points that it seems to be code. I'm taking every noun as a metaphor for something. "Sea" being "cancer" seems to fit ("The cancer can't make more of itself forever, can it?") I guess go back through the dialogue and see what other words could substitute for what they're saying. Like I said, I don't know what "river" or "rain" or "ground" could be in this metaphor. [[Special:Contributions/98.117.33.206|98.117.33.206]] 00:56, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

:Or "sand." This sand has some rather remarkable, not to say marvelous, properties! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:08, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

If it's true this represents their struggle with cancer, this strip might very well continue into the future, updating alongside her real-time cancer progress, possibly for years, hopefully not for mere months. Randall knows how this will end no more than we do. [[Special:Contributions/24.29.73.162|24.29.73.162]] 23:49, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Guys, if a new frame comes out and it's not uploaded yet, please consider uploading it yourself in the correct time slot. I'm trying to keep up, but there's always 8-hour gaps in our archives every time I go to bed. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:33, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
: I automatically download all frames as a base for my [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2169004/tide.png tide measuring script] and I've closed lots of the 8-hour gaps every day. Now at least someone else is doing it, too and I currently can't see any gaps at all. Thanks alot for the collevtive effort! --[[User:TreibAir|TreibAir]] ([[User talk:TreibAir|talk]]) 07:41, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

Maybe a baby on the way? Waiting for the unknown tide to roll in (in 9 months)? {{unsigned ip|76.15.31.215}}

I think this is the last day. It's been exactly a month, they seem pretty done with it, and tomorrow's friday....On top of that, the most recent comic was the flipping of a switch on a time machine, in which, something happened, but we don't yet know what....it may be that the "Time" comic is being refreshed. ...Just a thought.... [[Special:Contributions/138.49.1.8|138.49.1.8]] 03:20, 26 April 2013 (UTC)Luke Wah
: The time machine, once switched on, reversed time to the point at which it was switched on, thus switching itself off. It doesn't seem to be connected to this. ~ Anariston

I'm still hoping they'll suddenly ride in on a tidal wave and smash the entire structure. You know, for closure. ~Pixie

I expect that from now on (Friday April 26th 2013) there will be no more story and the sea will erode the castle until nothing is left (most likely software generated). Maybe Cueball and Megan will return someday, walk to the shore, sit down and, after a while, start building a castle... Jacx [[Special:Contributions/217.81.72.248|217.81.72.248]] 11:56, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Starting at frame 895 the black started fading to white, I think. [[Special:Contributions/217.81.72.248|217.81.72.248]] 12:03, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

: Yup, You're right, it's clear when you turn on the difference feature on geekwagon [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 18:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:: I don't see any fading to white -- we're on frame 905 now and everything looks as black-and-white as usual. O.o --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 21:06, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
::Ah, ETA: I see fading now, but only after frame 910 in the Aubronwood animation. I guess it just wasn't visible on my old computer screen until now. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 16:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I agree - the water has started eroding the castle to the right, and it makes sense for the erosion to potentially loop the comic back to frame 1. That said, the title text was "wait for it". This could be a euphamism suggesting "keep waiting, this comic changes", but it does have an implication that there is a "finale" to the comic that you should wait for. Hard to tell as it's vague. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 13:54, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

The most recent event is Megan walking in, saying "bye!" in *lower case*, and leaving. From the lower case, which is different from the rest of the comic, I infer that she was talking to *us*, not (eg) herself or the sandcastle! I reckon it's just going to fill up with water until the page is a static black rectangle. Especially since she and Cueball just talked about going off and exploring, grabbed their bags, and left. -cosmogoblin [[Special:Contributions/94.197.127.235|94.197.127.235]] 13:57, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

: I suspect the small text was to show a "small voice" - talking quietly and sadly perhaps? It does look like this could be the end of the story though - the last few frames don't seem to have done much after the "fade" in frame 895 - Hippyjim [[Special:Contributions/81.136.241.157|81.136.241.157]] 15:15, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:: I agree with the small voice. The sea level is still rising, and interestingly, the sand barrier on the far right is eroding on *both sides* -- not just the seaward side, as previously. Changed properties of the sand or the sea, or both? I think the comic from here on is just going to be erosion. Entropy always wins. :( ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 18:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

::: The "both-sides" erosion is normal and realistic. If you haven't noticed, the water is on the left side of the embankment for some time already, look at the smooth horizontal line of black pixels between the rightmost castle tower and the embankment. The water just seeped through the sandy embankment and soaked it and starts to erode it. [[Special:Contributions/130.255.153.62|130.255.153.62]] 01:25, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
::::The large pile of sand never did form a barrier to the sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 06:54, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::Yes it did; Megan's first barrier worked like that, the one she built after Cueball tasted the water. It didn't let in the sea until it overflowed. That was around frame 660-663 (in the Aubronwood animation). --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 16:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:::::Um...that's what I said. The /large/ pile of sand didn't ever act like the /small/ barrier. :) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 18:29, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
::::::Well, it may have been what you /thought/, but it wasn't very clear from what you /wrote/ that you were actually agreeing with me and not with the previous commenter. Sorry for misunderstanding. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 13:31, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

14:00, 26 April 2013 EDT image is http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/3d8c2ab949ba7a18e64397eec0e9860bd8ce8dd7aa0475e985a4fde4e108ea2e.png [[User:Kaori Emora|Kaori Emora]] ([[User talk:Kaori Emora|talk]]) 18:39, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

It's just about over: the picture is fading out now. [[Special:Contributions/81.246.195.216|81.246.195.216]] 22:47, 26 April 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe it's just that a large moon is finally rising. That could affect the sea (and the light.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 06:54, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or did the sea/river started to rise faster since the picture started fading to white? --[[Special:Contributions/201.53.213.201|201.53.213.201]] 14:58, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:I don't think the time between frames is constant. Some consecutive frames, like the ones featuring the trebuchet (212-214), are less than a second apart.--[[Special:Contributions/70.134.72.83|70.134.72.83]] 18:51, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Does the ladder and railing look like the axis for a graph? Is this a graph of people or area affected by water rise due to global warming - as a function of time? [[Special:Contributions/174.50.74.170|174.50.74.170]] 15:58, 27 April 2013 (UTC) rbnm
:That's...a bit of a stretch. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 17:44, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

I've logged the fade panels (8-bit r=g=b) by image #, where image# 895=hour 774.
895-0,896-2,901-4,906-4,907-8,908-8,909-10,910-10,911-12,912-12,913-15,915-15,916-17,
917-18,918-20,919-20,920-21,921-23,922-23,923-24,924-26,925-29,926-30,927-31,928-34,929-37
The fade appears to be accelerating. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:47, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:Someone should extract alpha channel from pics, make graph from it, and try to find functon that approximates it [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 21:26, 27 April 2013 (UTC)
:I did add a line feed to the numbers because I do not like horizontal scrollbars.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:52, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

I don't have a web page to share plots, but here's the poly fit. Starting with time 774 as x=0: it's [3.6647e-4 x^3 + 2.4545e-3 x^2 + 0.5396 x + 0.4184] up to time 810. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:36, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

Time 811 - the black color stayed the same at 41 (r=g=b), 812-46, 813-48, the poly is now [4.4605E-004 x^3 - 1.5824E-003 x^2 + 0.59043 x + 0.33353][[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]])

It's fading to white a lot faster now than the sea is rising. Unless something else happens, I'd say it's all white by tomorrow. So, maybe if one source of entropy doesn't get you, another will. [[Special:Contributions/67.168.18.37|67.168.18.37]] 12:54, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

The fade rate poly is now [7.912739E-004 x^3 - 0.018842 x^2 + 0.794901 x + 0.09838], and is still on the same progression. At this rate, the panel hits 255 (full white) at 09:00 UTC, 4/29/13. Wait for it. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:24, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
:Do you know what the frame number will be when it hits white? Randall's pretty close to an even 1000, I'm wondering if he's engineered it to turn white for either 1000 or 1024. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 20:20, 28 April 2013 (UTC)
::I believe it'll be filed as time966.png.--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 20:52, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Beret Girl at 950! [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 18:18, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wanted to let you guys know (since you are the most hard core of 1190 fans), you can do this now [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=890&framediff=217 geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=890&framediff=217].--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:32, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Updated projection: fade to white (rgb 255) at image # 967 (10:00 UTC) [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:18, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Just an afterthought, a meteor hit directly on the sand castle would let Randall go out in a blaze of glory. I hope beret girl is OK.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:27, 28 April 2013 (UTC)

Seems like the story is not going to stop with total fadeout: image is still readable, as what was black is going to be 100% transparent (and probably still black), and white is still opaque. Maybe geekwagon page owner (or someone) could add a feature of removing alpha channel? --[[User:Electrichk|Electrichk]] ([[User talk:Electrichk|talk]]) 08:47, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

The early 80s song Fade to Grey from the band Visage comes to my mind. Memories of what happened start to fade over time and get more and more pale. {{unsigned ip|213.23.38.20}}

Again, if you're awake and the frame for the current hour hasn't been uploaded yet, please upload it yourself. I am doing the brunt of the work right now, and I am not available 24/7 to get the latest frame up. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:37, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

969 (+848) ''is'' completely blank on my LCD. <strike>I also cannot see Beret Girl in (967 or) 968 corresponding to +847 that [[User:75.84.65.238]]'s [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time&diff=35521&oldid=35485 edit] suggests.</strike> I can see Beret Girl using [[Special:Contributions/192.54.204.33|192.54.204.33]]'s Paint with Black and White trick. This ''does'' include 969 which is otherwise actually monotone on my LCD, even on a great angle. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 13:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: Try viewing the comic from an extreme angle. I was able to see the Beret girl in 967+968 by tilting my screen forward on my laptop. You can't really see it otherwise. If that fails, use Photoshop or look at the diff functionality [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=968&framediff=967 here]. 969 is completely blank to me. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.185|129.21.119.185]] 13:20, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Wait, I got those numbers mixed up, I think. 968 and 969 have Beret Girl in it, you just need to view at an extreme angle to see it. 970 (+849) looks blank to me, but there's still something there. The scene uses RGB 254,254,254, which is why it doesn't appear at all on my screen. You can reveal it using the diff or a smart selection tool in Photoshop or the like. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.119.185|129.21.119.185]] 13:28, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: Yeah, using the diff function on geekwagon.net is probably the easiest way to see it. She seems to be dragging something (looks like a canvas?) into the scene. But I can't see frame 969 (let alone 970) on geekwagon, the last frame there seems to be 968, and it appears completely white on my monitor without the diff view. --[[Special:Contributions/186.203.199.207|186.203.199.207]] 13:46, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Just copy the image to Paint and set the image property to Black & White. All non-white (255,255,255) pixels are set to black (0,0,0) and the image is revealed. [[Special:Contributions/192.54.204.33|192.54.204.33]] 13:35, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:::NB With Chrome, copying the image from xkcd [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/44c15893fedd846f0f503a7871a7775cade2a0d90987ff9651e5c742d4cf54d8.png] or here [[:File:time970.png]] (+849) with right-click -> Copy image looses the detail. You need to get the .png into Paint for it to work. Copy image URL and Paint's File > Open will do it. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 14:10, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

OK, *now* it's completely white (as of day 36 10:00) [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 14:08, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/99d67c40662fe2db377c9f7c8d6a5b1b82566b24b7d9a665638e16b299747325.png] (972 +851:00 36/11:00) was missing for a couple of minutes... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 15:07, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

And now there is an image again (frame 971/972)! Looks like slightly uneven black ground under a white sky. Wow, I really thought that was it when it faded to white. Cool cool cool. --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 15:53, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Hmm... we gonna see a guy floating in a barrel?? -z64dan [[Special:Contributions/204.57.93.104|204.57.93.104]] 15:56, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
: And now I think we're going to see that too! [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 00:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

And now we're off to see the wizard!! This is great! A comic within a comic! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:23, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

I don't see this as a comic in a comic -- I see it more as act 2 (after the fadeout of act 1, with the stage crew jumping the gun and being caught on camera heading on stage to change the set). Theoretically, this second act can be as long as the first one -- The Quest for the Source of the River/Sea. (Hmmm, that reminds me of the song "River in the Sea" from the musical Ten November, a 2 minute sample available at http://www.prudencejohnson.com/sounds/gales/River_in_the_Sea.mp3). [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 18:18, 29 April 2013 (UTC) Tom A.

:By "comic within a comic" I meant that not only do we await a new xkcd installment several times a week, but now we also have a single panel (1190) with an ongoing story. This is even better than Click and Drag! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 19:10, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

Just wanted to say: I don't think the beret girl is a girl at all. It's a boy with an old-fashioned navy-style cap. Popular with boys at the beach (in the old days). See images here (http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x130/JTMarcus/h1.jpg) and here (http://cabinetcardgallery.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/kidwithcap_0003.jpg) I also like the fact that, just before the castle completely fades away, you can barely see the little boy bringing more materials (maybe another support beam?) to continue the work.
I like the continuity of letting the beret boy (not girl)
: Wether it's a navy cap or not may be open to interpretation (though I'd still bet it's a beret - it surely looks a lot more like the one the beret guy wears, and I think Randall would have put a little more effort into that detail if he wanted it to pass off as a navy cap). As for it being a boy, no. It's definitely a girl, you can clearly see it has a longer hair, and come to think of it, Randall rarely draws any hair at all for male characters anyway. --[[Special:Contributions/201.53.213.201|201.53.213.201]] 23:36, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

I am hoping that this "Time" somehow connects to the [http://xkcd.com/1110/ "Click and Drag"] comic i.e. when the camera zoom out far enough, we'll see that they are actually in the "Click and Drag" world. --[[Special:Contributions/98.14.191.109|98.14.191.109]] 23:59, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

:Is it just me, or should there be a category to contain both this and [http://xkcd.com/1110/ "Click and Drag"]? Should the categories "Interactive" and "Dynamic" be merged into something like "Epic" or "Nerd Sniping"?[[Special:Contributions/38.78.130.2|38.78.130.2]] 14:30, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

Odd, it looks like +861, +862, and +863 are out of order, judging by the ground not changing at all and the characters not walking continuously. I wonder if that was an accidental mistake in XKCD server's delivery of the images or if there's an actual meaning to it. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.158|129.21.63.158]] 02:17, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

During the last glacial period the sea level was more than 100 meters lower than it is nowadays, so coastal structures looked very different and the Chinas exposed much more land. I believe the first act of this comic references medieval ages in Europe where people would witness (over the scope of hundreds of years or longer) losing land and coastal towns to the sea but not understanding the process, as Megan states. I'm expecting the second act, and possibly further acts, to reference the abundance of scientifical discoveries made during the last few centuries. [[Special:Contributions/37.201.91.80|37.201.91.80]] 12:17, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

I could hack a little bash script on my server which uploads the current image every hour. However for this i need uploads by URL from API allowed ($wgAllowCopyUploads in LocalSettings.php). --[[User:Stummi|Stummi]] ([[User talk:Stummi|talk]]) 12:25, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Would be great if at the end of the walk, there's a band playing "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons.

It will end with image 1190, of course. [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 16:54, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Well, they've made it back to the beach. I think it will end either at 1000 or 1024, and the only reason it might go to 1024 is allow some dialog and zooming in. :-) --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 18:01, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
: I thought that too initially - the terrain features certainly seems identical (to scale) to the one at the start of the story. But something's bothering me; it's about the frame before we see they are back on a beach - they are already seated, so it's fair to assume they haven't moved, yet the terrain is different. By looking at the terrain, you could guess that maybe the terrain is inverted, which would then indicate that the frame with the beach in view is from a different angle than the previous frame. But for that to be the case, Cueball would have to be behind Megan on the previous frame, yet, their positions are unchanged on these frames. So, I don't know... I'll stop rambling now, and just wait and see, I guess... --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 18:27, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

::Well, guess it's not ending just yet :-) . The duo packed up again and they're getting out of the beach (whichever it is). --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 22:06, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Wait, what? It looks like they are suddenly back at a beach that looks the same as the first one, just zoomed out. But before when the scene was presumably inverted, the terrain didn't look quite like that. If the scene really did get inverted, maybe they aren't actually on a beach right now, but the sea will eventually expand until it reaches them. Then again, we don't know if this is the same plane of space that the original beach was either. They were just walking to the right. The concept of space in this comic is confusing me right now. I wonder if this will make sense later. [[Special:Contributions/129.21.63.158|129.21.63.158]] 18:41, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

But what about their knapsacks? I guess they are not going to throw them to the sea... Hope this won't end up with loop right now, it would be too disappointing --[[User:Electrichk|Electrichk]] ([[User talk:Electrichk|talk]]) 19:07, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

It appears that the camera perspective has changed. 1 - 970 are all perpendicular to the shoreline, with the water on the right, camera looking down the shore. 971-996 are shown parallel to the shore line, with the camera position apparently out over the water or standing at the shore, looking back toward land. (If the camera had maintained the original position, the characters would have simply gotten smaller as the walked away, but instead we got to see the walk across the frame while presumably following the shore.) In 997, the camera perspective just comes back around to be a profile shot again, looking down the shoreline, water once again on the right. -- [[Special:Contributions/65.183.156.9|65.183.156.9]] 19:40, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

Near the end of the transcript, it says that at +847 Beret Girl drops in again, dragging something. I used Photoshop to lower the brightness, and can see about half of her head facing away from the sandcastle. She's not dragging anything. Here's my evidence: [http://i.imgur.com/7zByxrs.png] [[Special:Contributions/108.51.68.241|108.51.68.241]] 22:24, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
*Try frame +848, that's where you can see her dragging something ~Pixie

I added a section for normalized versions of the first 10 hours of day 36. If anyone wants me to add more, e.g. go back to where the fade started, I would. BTW, I used something like 'pngtopnm $i | pnmnorm | pnmtopng > $j' inside a loop. Those commands are from the NetPBM package. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 23:33, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
:You can also use Paint ^_^ [[Special:Contributions/86.29.117.25|86.29.117.25]] 17:17, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

If Randall decides to go into a loop, let's not forget he can change any single frame or create a parallel storyline from any frame he likes. [[User:Blue Charizard|Blue Charizard]] ([[User talk:Blue Charizard|talk]]) 07:16, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

He guys, what was with the grey on I think 1008-1011? And what happened to it? It disappeared on everything.--[[Special:Contributions/108.70.209.33|108.70.209.33]] 16:23, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
Don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but from frame 998 to 1001 (sitting, side-on view), the 'water' level continues to rise.

Not sure if it has ever been brought up but has anyone noticed it says "BTC 1NEPgrUmed3VyXpqbYZom7YVJ8MozYrNWx
We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close." at the bottom of every page. i could not find this algorithm anywhere else [[Special:Contributions/74.4.25.11|74.4.25.11]] 18:58, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
:That is on every comic, it has nothing to do with this one. http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=footnote look at this page on it. {{unsigned|Zuffelnok}}

Just a thought - In panel 1018 (time 897), Megan states "If we don't find something today, we'll have to start using the steam bottle." If that means they're out of water... the last update has both of them drinking water at the edge of the river. No one spit it out this time. If they refilled their water bottle at the river, it's not the source of the pollution. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:38, 1 May 2013 (UTC)
:I don't think there's pollution going on; the body of water they started at was an ocean, so it was salt water. They have come to a river, so they can now drink the fresh water.[[Special:Contributions/163.120.70.10|163.120.70.10]] 00:48, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

FWIW, you can get the normalized (non-faded) portion of the fading scene very easily with imagemagick. Assuming you have the named like image00000.png image00001.png etc.. you can get a nice animated gif from "bye" to beret girl with:
convert image008[89]?.png image009[0123456]?.png image00970.png -shave 2x2 -auto-level norm.gif
HTH [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.71|216.239.45.71]] 00:51, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Is this now a choose your own adventure? I choose 'Walk Up River'! [[Special:Contributions/162.5.71.176|162.5.71.176]] 16:27, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

Are there efforts underway to make '''3D representations of the landscape?''' [[Special:Contributions/63.153.208.177|63.153.208.177]] 18:14, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone considered connections to this already? http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_alan_parsons_project/time.html [[User:Greyhoundc|Greyhoundc]] ([[User talk:Greyhoundc|talk]]) 12:38, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

...And there we got as far as frame 1190, which several people have called as the end, and the story does not appear to be resolved at all. How long can this go on? --Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 17:07, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Okay, so it didn't end with 1190. Must have misread the prophecies. [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 00:51, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

"How long can this go on? I would say a very long time. Currently, each day is filled mostly with a very few backgrounds used over several comics with only the characters moving -- not that difficult to produce -- and maybe a few lines of dialog, which also allows for the repetition of the background. He can probably keep this pace for months. It would be a bit disappointing, but possible. The strip certainly doesn't seem to be approaching any sort of conclusion. But, I think, like certain kinds of art, its the presentation that important. And he is presenting Time. -Tom A. "Time is a local condition." - wish I could remember who said that. [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 15:12, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

==Uploaders==
Can I please not be one of the only three people on this wiki uploading frames? I live a busy life, I miss some of the time slots. If you see that the frame for the current hour hasn't been uploaded yet, try clicking on the red link and uploading it yourself. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:39, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:I did sign in right now and will try to help.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:02, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::I'd really like to do so, but everytime I look, I can't find the missing ones in my cache esp due to filenames - Is there a script or sth how I can save the original .PNGs automatically to another folder when they update? [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 09:39, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:::Here's the quick hack I run every 10 minutes. I don't know what an "sth" is. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 13:11, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
<nowiki>
#!/bin/bash

j=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%j)
h=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%H)
m=$(TZ=EST5EDT date +%M)
d=$(printf %.2d $((j-83)))
fakem=${m%?}0
fakef=Time-$d-$h$fakem.png
if [ ! -f $fakef ]; then m=$fakem; fi
f=Time-$d-$h$m.png
oldf=$(ls Time* | tail -1)
{ echo -n "$d/$h:$m "; wget -O $f http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png |& grep following | tr "/ " "\012\012" | grep png; } > hash.new
cmp -s $f $oldf && mv $f /tmp
oldhash=$(tail -1 hash | cut -d' ' -f2)
newhash=$(cat hash.new | cut -d' ' -f2)
[ "$oldhash" = "$newhash" ] || cat hash.new >> hash
mv hash.new /tmp
</nowiki>
::::Thank you! "sth" just reads "something" :) [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 21:31, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

All frames and hashes are automatically saved to http://xkcd.mscha.org/. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 12:53, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:WOW, that's great! [[User:Trofobi|Trofobi]] ([[User talk:Trofobi|talk]]) 21:31, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

==Animated gif==
hey, can we upgrade the animated gif to a picture with a sliding bar? maybe with a play/pause button as well? this way you can jump to whatever frame you're interested in, and pause for however long you like on frames with text and such... [[Special:Contributions/81.218.146.161|81.218.146.161]] 11:40, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:Some kind soul has already made that here - http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ - not sure how well it'd drop into this wiki though [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 13:05, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::Doesn't seem to be working for me :( [[Special:Contributions/107.205.30.219|107.205.30.219]] 00:53, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

==Talk too long==
The Discussion block is pretty huge and I thing it should be removed from the main page. Maybe a link and a hint to the link at the tab on top of this article. What do you think? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:12, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
:I, for one, wholeheartedly endorse this. Consensus?--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 22:02, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
::Agreed. [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 08:45, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
::: And done. If any admins disagree, please revert [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 09:05, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
:::: It looks great, site is loading much faster.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:03, 3 May 2013 (UTC)
::::: Thank you! After all, that's why there are talk pages in MediaWiki. --[[Special:Contributions/82.135.84.245|82.135.84.245]] 16:44, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

== Image updates ==

Is Randall playing with me? My script is collecting at 00,05,20,35,50 each hour but many times now I got this:

969:00 41/09:00 f8a6414c334a71481e16428691fe8465098b2bae956e44727d0482c7632a84ff.png

I still could get the correct update, but I have to check all downloads so far.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:41, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm seeing that, too. For myself, I'm going to filter them into a separate directory. [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 22:45, 4 May 2013 (UTC)

I'm getting ...a84ff from http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time.png, but the main http://xkcd.com/1190/ gives the current image. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:43, 4 May 2013 (UTC)
The 00:00 UTC (8 pm EDT) update worked. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:02, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed that the exact same identical image was re-used several times recently? If you go to http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ and tell it to show differences from frame 1090, and then start clicking forward, the following frames are all exactly the same: 1094, 1097, 1101, 1103, 1107. Looking at http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/# you can then see that 1111 and 1113 are also the same. The rapid perspective change makes the animation appear to strobe. Could this be some strange attempt to illustrate something like an earthquake, or are they just re-using frames to avoid having to draw so many? [[Special:Contributions/65.183.156.9|65.183.156.9]] 02:38, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

: As you may have read above, the server did deliver one image repeatedly, so some sites may show this image multiple times. --[[Special:Contributions/84.174.9.61|84.174.9.61]] 08:24, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

You can see it in the [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/log.txt log for geekwagon], do an in page search (ctrl+f) for f8a6414c334a71481e16428691fe8465098b2bae956e44727d0482c7632a84ff. That image is collected multiple times and causes other images to be duplicated too because the script only checks to see if the current link is different than the previous.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 13:15, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

I think what happened is that one of the three sites (107.6.97.102) started giving the same result each time. Now, I think they are down for maintenance.... --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:47, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Why are images 2816 and 2817 the same? http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2816 http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2817 [[Special:Contributions/121.72.166.59|121.72.166.59]] 21:56, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

== Hours ==
There seems to be a problem starting with today (Sunday, 2013-05-05): The first picture should be 984:00 and not 983:00. I'm not able to check if it's simply a bot (?) error writing down the hours or something more serious. --[[Special:Contributions/82.135.84.245|82.135.84.245]] 15:56, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

Hour 983 on image 1104 Saturday (23:00 UTC) also appears on image 1105 Sunday (00:00 UTC). The image numbers are correct, but the hour count appears to be off by 1 hour now.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 16:34, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

: Holy shi... it's my failure. I am starting to correct this right now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:36, 5 May 2013 (UTC)

== Not all images do map to the hash ==

I did run this great command posted here before on 13 April 2013:
md5sum -b * | sort | uniq -w32 -D

Then I did rename all duplicates to image???_.png. After that I did download the hashes from here to image???.png and run the check again.

First result is easy. Files are changed so md5sum for image002_ and image002 are different but content is the same. But 004 is wrong and I will update this one.

878341ab1f710e5832aa7ed5cfa66ed7 *image002_.png
878341ab1f710e5832aa7ed5cfa66ed7 *image004_.png

I will check all carefully and post my updates at the bottom of this section.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:01, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Ok, how can I change that images? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:07, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

I found a way to updates the pictures, it's just a little bit tricky... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Next duplicate is also easy because files are still the same:
129721094a74fe94c723160991a1e704 *image427_.png
129721094a74fe94c723160991a1e704 *image429_.png
7be206b1c026b697de59e52c19f0a866 *image427.png
7be206b1c026b697de59e52c19f0a866 *image429.png

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:37, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

And new downloads from xkcd are still different on MD5 but this two files are also identical for a viewer:
6d3d9449d1df1f56547387da4259806c *image440_.png
6d3d9449d1df1f56547387da4259806c *image441_.png
827a569e5c806011f0d4d5564357e4d4 *image440.png
827a569e5c806011f0d4d5564357e4d4 *image441.png
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:41, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

Same is this - only MD5 did change:
5de911984714c1ec7bf93149a5cca9b4 *image454.png
5de911984714c1ec7bf93149a5cca9b4 *image455.png
87d0de6b865fa94ab91902cddcc0af70 *image454_.png
87d0de6b865fa94ab91902cddcc0af70 *image455_.png
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:43, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

BUT NOW the problems start:
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image704_.png
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image705_.png
c6edf2a01b16d6df6751acdb00599054 *image705.png
db365290ce50176dad01c0087510f513 *image703.png
db365290ce50176dad01c0087510f513 *image704.png
I did rename 704 and 705 to 704_ and 705_ and download the hashes again to the 704 and 705 names.

My old 703 is same as my new 704 which does mean we have a glitch here!!!

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:54, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

----

UPDATE LOG:

image4 is changed (again)--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:25, 6 May 2013 (UTC)

: After downloading again the pictures around 700 everything looks fine. I can not find more duplicates.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:18, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Boy, that one gave me headaches. 1236 and 1237 seem to be the same. MediaWiki doesn't like multiple images that are the same... --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 20:15, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

: I am not a boy, I am slightly older...
: But in fact 1237 is same content as 1236 and MD5 hash is also the same (not the first one) but the link HASH is different. It is maybe a new hurdle for us. I will check. Stay tuned... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:28, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

:: It seems you could fix this. Files are just identical. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:33, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

----

I just uploaded a bunch of hashes and files, there have been some errors. The hashes are now correct, but could somebody please check that the files (1410 to 1420) match the hashes? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 07:59, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

== Split the movie? ==

The page is becoming impossible to load.

I would suggest to split the movie into pieces, for instance by making a separate sub-page for each week (avoiding embarassing discussion on the most natural cutting point). Each week can have a separate description, seven-seconds animation, list of 7x24 pictures etc, and a link to the following and previous weeks.

Any objection / comment / suggestion ? [[User:Biem|Biem]] ([[User talk:Biem|talk]]) 05:16, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

:My only suggestion would be give it larger segments. I don't think it needs to be as small as a week - after all, it loaded fine for a very long time. Maybe approx. half a scene each? Scene 1 is 971 frames long, so how about split at 500, at 971, and again at 1500 (when it gets there)? [[Special:Contributions/24.129.75.17|24.129.75.17]] 08:12, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
::It's one and a half megabytes. The biggest issue here probably is the anemic servers that managed to struggle and crash even when that animation was just a static png and the page itself was only a few lines long. When the image starts clocking in at ~4-5 megabytes, it'll probably get to be a proper problem for those on poor connections, but we're not quite there yet. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:36, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
:I suggest pushing the hashes off onto their own page(s). That's 80% of the page's text right there. (Seriously. Click 'edit' on the main page and scroll.) At the very least, we could archive March and April. As more hashes are added, we archive the older ones. Maybe just constantly leave a week's worth of hashes on the main page? --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 15:18, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
::Examine [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Time: The Table]] '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:22, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
Here is a possible breackdown structure where sequences are ~130 pictures long : (number of frames / Start frame number))

Part 1 : Sand Castles
(127) 001: First sand castle
(105) 128 : Second sand castle (180) and Catapulte
(090) 233 : Joining castles
(100) 323 : Miniature castle
(116) 423 : Scaffold
(131) 539 : Plattform
(132) 670 : Fourth castle
(173) 802 : Sea rising & fade out
Part 2 : Wildernesses
(150) 975 : Seashore
(100) 1125 : Rivershore
(115) 1225 – : Hills
(087) 1340 - 1363 – 1379 : Trees
(124) 1427 : Baobabs
1551 – 1581 Berries
1619 – Squirrel
1640 Berries
Suggestions that can be discussed :
* Sequences should be 100-150 pictures long (with possible exceptions).
* Even if the image is not that big, the length of the movie can be a problem when one wants to check for details : short sequences allow for a slower pace.
* Good cutting points would be : two consecutive identical pictures, changes of scenery. Sequences with the same theme should on the contrary be kept together when possible.
[[User:Biem|Biem]] ([[User talk:Biem|talk]]) 09:13, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

== What is the sea? ==

It doesn't have to be an "ocean." Consider the Aral Sea. The Dead Sea. Our "sea" doesn't have any surf, apparently. Frame 1187: "I wonder if it's ''possible'' to swim in." Our characters don't know whether you can swim in a river? Have they never seen fresh water deep enough for swimming? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 13:26, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

:This is not real life. And they know it's not real life. Maybe they are in some sort of Matrix and know about it, or they are playing a video game. They've seen in developers' blog that devs are working on a lot of new features for version 0.19, such as improved sand physics, multiple rivers, rain, salty water, trebuchets, swimming, surf, etc. But then developers decided to release part of these features in version 0.19, and leave the rest for 0.20. When Cueball an Megan saw that version 0.19 is out, they immediately decided to try it out, without even looking at the changelog. So they don't know which features made it into this version, and which ones will be in the next one. So far they have played around with new sand physics and trebuchets, tried swimming in the sea, tried to drink sea water, found a new river. They haven't seen any surf, so they think it'll be in 0.20. They have yet to try swimming in a river, or see the rain. They have also found a bug that causes sea level to raise indefinitely. They think it could be caused either by rain, additional rivers, or just by a griefer who built a giant sand generator array to fill in the sea and flood everything. Oh, and they can't just create a new private world to see if the sea raises there, because of the DRM.
:Did I miss anything? --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 17:37, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

::Yes! I see it all now! Beret girl is the griefer! [[Special:Contributions/66.38.57.117|66.38.57.117]] 01:01, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

:::I think it was black hat. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:54, 9 May 2013 (UTC)

:It looks like they've also added bird (sic). --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:30, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

Swimming in a river is dangerous if there's a strong current. Even slow moving water has a lot of power. The sea could be the ocean, connected to the ocean, or one of the large bodies of water referred to as a sea. Enjoy the comic and have fun second guessing Randall.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:17, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

We know: "The sea is big" and "The river is small".

But we also know about the sea: There are no waves. It's just rising. So it is not an ocean, it's just a lake. Many people say "sea" to a lake when they can not see the other side.

And we know their home river is small. But right now they explore a different bigger river.

We know it's not summer so maybe it is spring and the river is rising like every year?

Cueball and Megan will find out, but we have to Wait For It!

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:38, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Both characters have slept occasionally but never at the same time. There has been no depiction of night (unless the fade counts as one.) Hmm... [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:21, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

: It seems we are still at day one. Building castles in the morning and exploring their environment after that. But you are right, they have to sleep and I do fear about many DARK pictures...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:50, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone noticed that when the camera zooms out to show the other side of the river/see the middle island just becomes smaller, but the '''distance''' between Cueball / Magan and the middle island stays the same? --[[User:FG|FG]] ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 15:0, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

It seems like the two river halves (or two rivers) merge as Megan and Cueball hike upstream. New point: I joined all the images covering their journey since image 1150 (last stop for water). it spans 18204 pixels. Assuming Cueball is 6 feet tall (wild guess + it's an even number), they have now hiked a total of 0.517 miles (83228.7 cm) from image 1150.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:32, 10 May 2013 (UTC)

Considering the elaborate and fragile sand castles, the one- and two-person construction of the platform and its castle components, and maybe the latest antics at the top of the dunes, it appears that gravity is not Earth-normal. Or perhaps the law of gravitation is not our-universe-normal. (No reason it should be, of course.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:11, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

== Archive ==

Since this 1190 will never end, will it? I think we need some archive sites.

First could be "1190 Time Images 2013-03 March" (<- I am calling this human readable ISO)
So, if you understand, each month of picture links and hashes on a separate page.

Next would be "1190 Time Images 2013-04 April"

And a few months from now we also have to do this for the "Transcript".

What do you think? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:46, 10 May 2013 (UTC)
:If this comic goes on forever, maybe. For now, we could probably compact the page by grouping the frames from each month into wider tables and scrapping their hashes. The hashes are really only useful for checking that we got the images right, so they're kinda useless for the really old ones. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:05, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

::Since we do not know if there is anything hidden in the hashes we still should save them here. But past months could be moved into a different page.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::They're hashes, I'm pretty sure there isn't anything hidden in the arrangement of letters and numbers. If there was, the xkcd forums would have been all over it long ago. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:44, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::: Maybe you are right but they are still the original file names on xkcd.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:53, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::::We don't carry the original Click and Drag filenames on this wiki; the filenames of parts of large comics don't carry anything of value to people visiting the wiki. They only really help with cross-checking images with the originals to make sure we didn't mess up anywhere, and we've already done that to death for the earlier images - so the hashes for earlier images no longer hold much value. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:02, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::Don't shout at me. I am just thinking about archiving past months to different pages. The current month should stay on the main page. I am new here and so I am doing not that edit until I get some agreements. But we should save ALL here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:22, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:::::::I wasn't shouting, there is no need to bring ad hominem into this discussion. There are a number of solutions available here; we could tabulate frames per month as per [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Time:_The_Table|this neglected post]], offload prior months to other pages, or scrap old hashes to cut a large portion of the article's body text. Each solution will lead to degradation of the explanation, splitting the article will force multiple page loads while removing the hash values will be destroying part of the metadata around the comic. Ideally, we wouldn't have to make the split at all, but speed considerations mean that we eventually will have to do it. In that eventuality, all we can do is the thing that degrades the explanation for the average visitor the least. What do visitors care more about, faster load times/having all the frames on one page or having 1000-odd incomprehensible and meaningless hash values? We don't display the individual filenames for Click and Drag even though they were more informative than the hashes here, because they hold little value to visitors; they only take up space that could be used to further enhance the explanation. Pure archival without curation is what other websites do, not a wiki with the intended goal of making xkcd accessible. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:56, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::::IMHO having all of the images here is as useless as having hashes: most people use aubronwood or geekwagon anyways. To decrease loading times, I'd suggest to do 2 things:
::::::::#Move all tables to a new page.
::::::::#Replace the animated gif with a static gif (possibly latest frame?) that links to the animated gif.--[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:15, 13 May 2013 (UTC)
::::::::I think if we are to keep the hashes at all, they should appear on the description pages for each image. There's no reason for them to be on the comic page. [[User:Skiasaurus|Skiasaurus]] ([[User talk:Skiasaurus|talk]]) 23:09, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

== Prediction ==

Does anyone else see the last frame (whenever it may be), have the ability to connect to the first, thus creating a cycle? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 22:14, 11 May 2013 (UTC)

:No reason it couldn't, but it seems premature. Early days yet. What's Beret Girl up to? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 15:15, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

My only prediction is: We will see what did happen to that castles and we will see that Beret Girl again. Wait for it!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:27, 12 May 2013 (UTC)

My theory: Based on the frames don't change much; Randell is an expert at creating xkcd frames; he only needs 24 per day to keep going; and we have no idea how long he's been preparing for this. It could last forever.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:42, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
:It will not last forever. But it seems it will still last for a long time. Wait for it!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 12 May 2013 (UTC)
::Forever is a big speculation. A more realistic speculation would be "as long as the Internet."--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 19:41, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

You realize that what we've seen so far is what the beginning of a comic that goes on forever looks like :-) Tom A. ("I don't want to be immortal through my art! I want to be immortal by not dying." - Woody Allen.) [[User:Meteoricshipyards|Meteoricshipyards]] ([[User talk:Meteoricshipyards|talk]]) 14:20, 13 May 2013 (UTC)
:Perhaps yesterday's bird was a hint at today's comic. Or he had dinosaurs on the brain. (Don't we all?) [[User:ChozoBoy|ChozoBoy]] ([[User talk:ChozoBoy|talk]]) 14:57, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

So Cueball and Megan seem to entering a region with much more vegetation. Up until now I had assumed that the previous regions had vegetation as well but Randall just hadn't bothered drawing it (such detail is rare in XKCD). So what does presence of vegetation mean? More rainfall? Higher elevation? Also how far have Cueball and Megan travelled? I don't think the frames are necessarily contiguous - if this was a movie we'd have background music to go with the images. They could have been travelling for days or weeks - I definitely don't think it is still the same day as the start of Act II. I suppose 'time' will tell. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 17:13, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

The yawn suggests that they haven't slept yet, so quite possibly the same day. Also interesting that they seem to treat first the small bush and now the tree as worthy of notice -- were there no trees where they lived? [[Special:Contributions/173.228.6.11|173.228.6.11]] 06:36, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

The current frame (1355) looks remarkably similar to the area at left hand edge of XKCD 1110 (Click and Drag), which also features the same two characters discussing how they've walked "pretty far". I wonder how much of a coincidence this is. [[Special:Contributions/82.69.211.1|82.69.211.1]] 11:46, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:http://xkcd-map.rent-a-geek.de/#10/1.3189/-92.1423
:http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1355
:--[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:28, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Hmm, and despite the overall journey feeling epic, didn't someone calculate the distance travelled (calculated via Cueball units) to be only a mile or two? [[Special:Contributions/99.123.5.106|99.123.5.106]] 01:48, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone has an explanation for the change from frame 1360 to 1361? --[[User:FG|FG]] ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 10:41, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
: I thought the transition from 1359 -> 1360 was even more 'abrupt' than the transition from 1360 - > 1361 (in fact my first thought was that 1360 was out-of-order or some other 'mistake'). But from subsequent frames it has become clear that Cueball wandered off and explored the area on his own while Megan was sleeping. [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 15:56, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
::I think [1359:1362] looks similar to [1097:1120]. Probably Cueball was just walking perpendicularly to the image. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:13, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Here's another example of the slightly 'strange' way of talking: "I'm surprised we haven't been seen by any people yet". Wouldn't most people say: "I'm surprised we haven't seen any people yet"? So who are 'people'? Are 'people' somehow invisible to both Cueball and Megan? Are 'people' a threat? Have 'people' also moved on because of the rising sea level? [[User:Joncaves|Joncaves]] ([[User talk:Joncaves|talk]]) 19:25, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
: Speaking of strange phrases, for them to say that tree "probably knows what it is doing" is rather odd. Are they in a world where trees have consciousness, or are they just deeply confused? [[Special:Contributions/66.193.253.212|66.193.253.212]] 18:45, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

The latest frame (1506) has two trees. They are almost certainly baobab trees. There are 8 species of baobab tree, but of those 8, 6 are endemic to the island of Madagascar, including the species which the trees in the comic most resemble, the Grandidier baobab. Even if they are not one of the six species endemic to Madagascar, the fact that they are baobabs still limits them to the China of Africa, the countries of Oman and Yemen, and northwestern Australia. This means that the big sea, if it is an ocean, is most likely the Indian Ocean. [[Special:Contributions/76.92.118.150|76.92.118.150]] 18:30, 21 May 2013 (UTC)
:I think we are just at a fantasy world. And Randall is working against every prediction done here or at some forums. We only have to "Wait for it!".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:07, 21 May 2013 (UTC)

Does anyone else agree that frames 1485 through 1487 are exactly identical? Just a glitch somewhere?[[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 01:56, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

:Yeah, not only the pixels, but also the files' checksums are exactly the same. Checked it twice. --[[Special:Contributions/83.243.48.2|83.243.48.2]] 08:57, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

== Map ==

Sóme hardcores made a map of The One True Comic: http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.svg
Including in on main page could be a good idea [[Special:Contributions/80.52.210.93|80.52.210.93]] 06:58, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:Why does it say "Flatland" instead of "flatland"? Most other labels are lowercase. Is it a reference to Edwin Abbott's Flatland? Or am I just overthinking a typo?

This map is a great job and when we do know that this is correct we have include it here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:51, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Map URL has changed (old URL displays link to new URLs). New map links: [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php JavaScript version] and [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php?js=no non-JS version] - [[User:Acrisius|Acrisius]] ([[User talk:Acrisius|talk]]) 13:37, 28 May 2013 (UTC)
:I did fix the links and also at the main page.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:20, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

"Description: The allocated data traffic of the hosting account for this website has been exceeded and the website is temporarily suspended"
Maybe we should host the map here on the wiki? --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 20:14, 30 May 2013 (UTC)
:No, this map is funny but still not validated. Help me to collect some facts at the bottom here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:30, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

Where did the map go? I'm getting "...does not exist or cannot be displayed" Does your page have an error? Or are you having hosting issues?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:36, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

(Gerry, are you making this comment after following the "New map links: [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php JavaScript version] and [http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php?js=no non-JS version]" links given? Those work for me, at this time of editing, and got those links presented to me when going to the original URI with the SVG extension.)

Regarding the accuracy, I imagine Randall may have used a data model of countoured landscape (1D ''or'' 2D, plus height) to auto-generate the scrolling/panning/rotating scenery base prior to decorating with figures/etc, but whether there's enough information to fully back-derive such a map from the ever-changing landscape I couldn't say. I assume assumptions, at the very least, and maybe some inventiveness on the part of any given interpreter. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.124.195|178.98.124.195]] 19:42, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:(Yes, I had been using the new links. As I later found out it was after their monthly server allotment had been exhausted. It started working again June 1.)--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 03:35, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

== Words of Randall ==

Has Randall ever said anything in the past 2 months pertaining to this comic? Better yet, has anyone ever tried to ask him? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 05:18, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

:NO--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:53, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

Finally, Randall has this to say: http://blog.xkcd.com/2013/07/29/1190-time/ [[Special:Contributions/122.182.0.94|122.182.0.94]] 06:26, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

== Simple English ==
Conversation is in "Simple English". I am not native English but I think we should mention this. Am I wrong?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:57, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
:I'm not aware of a distinction between "Simple" and regular English, at least in the USA. I ''think'' it's just something they use for teaching non-native speakers. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 00:32, 18 May 2013 (UTC)
::"Simple English" isn't a special dialect or anything, but the conversation definitely has a simple, almost naive, style. Lots of single-syllable vocabulary without much Latin-derived flowery or "sophisticated" words. I counted 27 three-syllable words and one four-syllable word in the entire dialog, scenes 1 and 2 combined. They don't seem to have a name for "sand dunes." They talked about a river being "broken." They are very playful, mature but child-like. It gives the story a kind of alien feel. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:27, 18 May 2013 (UTC)
:I think the OP is referring to Basic English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_English [[Special:Contributions/198.102.153.1|198.102.153.1]] 22:55, 22 May 2013 (UTC)
Similar to the xkcd explaining the Saturn V rocket in simple english.[[Special:Contributions/173.49.75.137|173.49.75.137]] 03:57, 20 May 2013 (UTC)

I did mean "Simple English" as Randall did mention before, not only here [[Up Goer Five]]. Look at this WIKI for [http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Simple English Wiki]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:09, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

== Are We Lost Yet? ==
http://xkcd.com/170/ {{unsigned|66.162.182.66}}

== Big trees ==
A great guy at the xkcd forum did identify the big trees starting at frame 1503 (1382:00 hours). They belong to Madagascar and their name is {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}}. But also a few of them do exist in the US. So I am still not sure where we are.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:11, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

::One of the little asteroid-planets from The Little Prince?
::"Now there were some terrible seeds on the planet that was the home of the little prince; and these were the seeds of the baobab. The soil of that planet was infested with them. A baobab is something you will never, never be able to get rid of if you attend to it too late. It spreads over the entire planet. It bores clear through it with its roots. And if the planet is too small, and the baobabs are too many, they split it in pieces..." [[Special:Contributions/69.123.166.176|69.123.166.176]] 00:20, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

:Looks like we have grapevines now, or something like them, with man-made trellising. [[Special:Contributions/12.153.137.82|12.153.137.82]] 21:47, 23 May 2013 (UTC)

== A hypothesis ==
Randall's animation is taking place in a distant, post-collapse future ("distant" is relative, here-- say sometime in the next few hundred years, though possibly much further): human civilization is back at a late-Iron Age stage of development, though maybe with slightly more sophisticated metallurgy. The reasons I suggest this are: 1) rising sea-level that is on-going, 2) they can work wood and they have agriculture, 3) they have shown no awareness of any more "advanced" technology, 4) yet they have no qualms about wandering off into the wilderness without what most of us would consider adequate protection.

The one reason I might think it's farther into the future is the bit with the trees. I can't decide if their shape is a consequence of evolution (convergent, so that they are very similar to the {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}}), or they were transplanted (presumably to somewhere south? Higher altitude? Both? Antarctica?). Evolution would imply deeper in the future, and transplantation could be sooner.

I'm really interested to see what the truth is, because it's got me thinking along all kinds of planes.[[Special:Contributions/184.99.231.23|184.99.231.23]] 21:38, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

== Stuck Again ==

Randall seems to be stuck at hour 1524 (image number 1545), at 20:00 UTC we now have 5 copies of the same empty image with half a vineyard with no end in sight.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:31, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
:No, files are still different, even when you can't see it. File sizes did change and also md5sum. But I did not check the small changes visual right now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:47, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::Use "Previous Frame Difference" on geekwagon, you can see a line of pixels that differ. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 20:50, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
:::I wonder if the squirrel is following her...--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 21:27, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::::Me too, but I am hoping Megan will get a pet. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:30, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
I see the streak. I expected the squirrel to follow her. Geekwagon showed it, so did Photoshop.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:07, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
: It's probably the squirrel, though the frame difference visual made me go "snake! snake in the grass!" [[Special:Contributions/173.228.6.189|173.228.6.189]] 22:14, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
::It's still fun. Will Megan get at pet? A chary Squirrel? I am still tuned. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:24, 27 May 2013 (UTC)
http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1647&framediff=1646--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 01:35, 28 May 2013 (UTC)

The squirrel appears to be in the tree the first time Megan & Cueball walk by in image numbers 1582 & 1583. http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1583&framediff=1582 [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:05, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

New clue, image 1692 - "Still, it's better than when we were following the sea, walking straight into the sun all morning." Walking east along the sea, it places them on the south side of anything. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:23, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

This may be more speculation than not, but the two turned north to follow the river and are now walking on a heading somewhere between NE and NW, which puts them in the northern hemisphere if they can see their shadow in front of them. This is also confusing since there aren't many Grandidier's Baobab trees there [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia_grandidieri].[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:46, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

I agree that these orientations are plausible from the dialog in the strip, but remember, we're already pretty certain that they're not in the same universe as us, so we may not be able to assume that the sun rises in the east. There's no evidence to demonstrate that their world rotates west-to-east like ours does, but there's no evidence that it doesn't, either. Let's at least remember the possibility that all of these directions are reversed from what our current theory states. [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 18:24, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

At least this time we know it's a snake. In image 1738 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1738] the curled snake is fully visible, complete with a raised head and tail. At 2 pixels high, details are a little sketchy.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 17:06, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

== The Planting People ==

So what do we know about them? They've been gone a while, long enough for Cueball to believe it was fine to take grapes. But they haven't been gone for a long time, because we've seen a staked sapling that is likely only a year or two old. They have vineyards and what look to be orchards. They appear to use tents, at least the frame we saw looked to be tied together at the top to form a teepee frame. They are sophisticated enough to do things like put benches next to trees, so they aren't subsistence farmers. Anything else? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 18:14, 28 May 2013 (UTC)
: Forgot a couple of things, they have what is possibly writing (are Cueball and Megan illiterate?), and it's different than that of the Hill People, but their debris appears to look the same.

They appear to be either hunter-gatherers or have abandoned the area (for some reason - why?). From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomadic] "Many groups of 'nomadic' hunter-gatherers (also known as foragers) moved from campsite to campsite, following game and wild fruits and vegetables." We have seen three campsites; Cueball burried the embers from their fire (see image 1048 & 1062-1064 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1064]). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:22, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

:I did wonder about some kind of seasonal movement, but if so it's odd that they left the teepee to collapse (and be damaged, one of the supports is visibly cracked) rather than taking the materials with them or storing them more neatly. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 17:44, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Go to a vineyard in late summer or early autumn, you will not see the "The Planting People". We only know that we are at this particular season because they can eat grapes from that plants and before they could swim in the sea. And both are following the sun in the morning, witch does mean they are walking East. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:28, 29 May 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, but you will see the Harvesting People if the grapes are ripe, and they apparently are. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:28, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

Finally seeing where all the wood came from -- stumps everywhere. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:28, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

== What do we know by the end of May 2013? ==
I'm trying to collect some facts:
:-They did build a sand castle and the weather was warm enough to swim in the sea. The taste of the water is bad, and the sea is raising.
:-Then both are trying to find a reason for that raise and they are starting to travel around this special river.
:-They are still going uphill while we never have seen that mountains.
:-Eating grapes from a vineyard means we are at least at late summer.
:-Walking to the sun in the morning is just walking to the east.
Two month's in this comic and we really do not know much more. Stay tuned, wait for it. We do not know much more essentials. Does Randall?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:43, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

They are also apparently now heading west, or mostly west. Their shadows are in front of them, and while that could be west in the morning or east in the evening, they are contrasting it with walking into the sun in the morning as they were along the shore, so it's west. Presumably they were walking mostly north until the decision to head for the mountains, since Cueball has just started playing with his shadow. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 00:50, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

:OK, but they are walking to the sun in the morning. That's east (on northern hemisphere, I still do not think we are at Madagascar). So we do have an other fact:
:-Around time frame 1700 it's evening.
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:07, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

:-If you walk into the sun, you are walking east.
:-They then turned to their left to go upriver. That's would be going north.
:-If you are above the tropics, your shadow will always lay to the north of you.
:-Megan says what they're doing is better than when they had to walk into the sun, and it's been established that they walked along the sea for days, so they'd be familiar with walking with the sun directly behind them, too. If they were now walking west, it would pretty much be the same situation, except reversed. It doesn't really make sense to me that she'd call one situation better than the other. It feels more like they aren't walking into the sun ''at all'' anymore. Therefore, I think they are now keeping the sun relatively behind them by going north, which indicates they are north of the equator, and probably north of the Tropic of Cancer. Even at noon, the sun would be behind you slightly, to the south. And if you're walking uphill, it would be very visible to you.
:--[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 01:23, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

They are moving East as Megan did explain. When they can see their shadows in front of them it's just evening, the sun is now behind them. What tells me that Day One is coming to an end. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:59, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:They did mention that that had been walking for days, so who knows how many days it's been.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 21:45, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

Does [http://what-if.xkcd.com/48/ today's "What If"] give a clue to the current year? Unless it's been "fixed", it says "two hundred years from now, in April of 2432". :-) [[User:Larry|Larry]] ([[User talk:Larry|talk]]) 13:34, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

== Map exceeding bandwidth ==

The map here seems to be failing due to excessive bandwidth: http://edfel.atwebpages.com/Time-Map.php

I might be able to help with some bandwidth. If you know who is doing this and they can get in touch with me,(I'm [http://twitter.com/sevitz @sevitz] on twitter or via here) I might be able to help depending on BW requirements.

[[User:Sevitz|Sevitz]] ([[User talk:Sevitz|talk]]) 06:59, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

:This map is incorrect but still a great fun. They are walking west in the evening, not north. But I am also sure the site will be back soon.
:Nevertheless, if you can help here you are welcome! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:08, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
::No, their shadows are in front of them, so they are either walking west in the morning or east in the evening. Since they were comparing it favorably with their experience of walking east in the morning along the sea shore, they therefore must be going west (or mostly west) currently. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:29, 31 May 2013 (UTC)
:::Also, they've probably turned away from the river, since Cueball thought it important to refill the water bottle before heading for the mountains. So, east along the seashore, north along the river, then west towards the mountains. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:33, 31 May 2013 (UTC)

== Snake Theories ==

Megan mentions snakes with spikes over their eyes. That covers several species, all poisonous, but they are native to the American west and southwest, Mexico, Central America, north Africa and the Middle East. The snake that Cueball finds might be a {{w|Anguis fragilis|slow-worm}}, a limbless reptile native to Eurasia. It's shiny, brown, has a blunt head, and can shed its tail like a lizard, which might give it a half-finished look if Cueball saw it that way. But a stronger contender is the {{w|rubber boa}}, which is native to the western US, and has a famously stubby head and tail.

This makes me think of one area: The {{w|Great Salt Lake}}. The {{w|Bear River (Utah)|Bear River}} empties into it from a northerly direction, and the area has the rubber boa and at least one type of poisonous horned snake. Native Americans of the area even had legends of the Horned Serpent. And that ''had'' to be a teepee we saw earlier. (I don't think Native Americans had trebuchets or berets, though....) --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 01:59, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:(...Except, unless they built a salt castle, it's more likely to be in a place with considerably more sand.)[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 19:32, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
::The Great Salt Lake makes sense unless this comic does not belong to our real world. We just have to find this {{w|Adansonia grandidieri}} trees or something similar at Utah. And this lake has beaches of sand, ok salty sand.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:44, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

The snake also seems to appear in frames 1645 to 1651 http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1645&framediff=1644 {{unsigned|Flying Djinn}}

== Follower? ==

Megan is looking back sometimes since a few frames... May she has the feeling that someone is following them? People from the hills? The squirrel? -- [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 18:08, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, Megan is looking at something. But what it is we just do not know. Wait for it. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:48, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
::Perhaps it's Beret Girl? She's the only other human we've seen so far. [[Special:Contributions/94.170.131.19|94.170.131.19]] 21:33, 2 June 2013 (UTC)
:::It's just the sea, they must be high in the mountains. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:05, 2 June 2013 (UTC)

We've got chicks, and not the first time: In image 1830-1831 Megan says "I heard chirps from the night sky once. I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping. - It was very quiet. - just a single chirp now and then." They were sleeping under a tree around image 1354, a bird flies overhead, later Cueball takes a walk. We can see some chicks at the end of his walk at images 1374-1376 [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1375&framediff=1374]. It just took me a while to figure out what it was.[[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:35, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

Take a closer look; there's some kind of wisp hanging out in some of the empty frames and the ones Megan's looking back in. It's only about a pixel wide, but a few long; broken up, serpentine, almost ethereal.

In the hut scene (June 20) there seems to be something large moving in the bushes next to the fence. There was also something something poking in on the left back by the cairn (a few frames back). [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 18:18, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:I've been keeping a log of Hidden Animals in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures 1190: Time: Pictures]. The first one you saw is likely a bird. There's a chick moving around in the grass. The recent scene (frame numbers 2214-2225) is a swarm (bugs?) that came in from the left and moved into the bush. Use this [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2225&framediff=2224 Geekwagon Link] to view the hidden images. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 20:29, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

"--LOOK OUT!" I rest my case. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 21:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:A big cat! Puma, Mountain Lion... who can tell, at least it wasn't a Velociraptor (there's 2 in Click and Drag). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:34, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
::Looks too small for either a mountain lion or a puma. Could be a cub, perhaps. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:05, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Now either that's a pet cat or this just got less PG. Also, the thing that showed up by the cairn is the right height for a nose. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:06, 20 June 2013 (UTC)
:I agree. If there's real danger, why does Megan just sit there? [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:13, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

== Aubronwood problem ==

Has anyone noticed that the aubronwood site only seems to show every other frame after a certain point? [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 15:52, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
:Yes, it looks buggy. I'm always using my own downloads and this [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon].--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:11, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
::Noticed the same. Looks like the left and right arrow keys don't work after a certain point, but the up and down arrow keys and the mouse wheel continue to work correctly. -- [[Special:Contributions/205.171.58.158|205.171.58.158]] 17:36, 14 June 2013 (UTC)
::I found that if I hit "Slower" when this happens, it returns to single frame navigation with arrow keys.
::If you click on the slider at the bottom of the page, left and right keys then move it one pixel, which is currently 2 images. If you click on the comic to move focus there, arrow keys work correctly

== Elevation? ==

The elevation map on the edfel map hasn't been updated in ages, and I'd like to see how high up they are now. Anyone else found one anywhere? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:31, 3 June 2013 (UTC)
:You are right and we need a proper map on this like the water level before. I will try this soon, maybe tomorrow.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:48, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

:I've been mapping the journey from the start, piecing each segment end-to-end in Photoshop. There is no significant net elevation change until they started following the river. The net elevation change from image #1150 to now (#1818) is 1402 pixels = 210.2 feet (assuming a 40 px average height of Cueball and using 40 px = 6 feet). However, since this is a comic, one may assume a greater height than that actually depicted. The horizontal distance along the same river walk is 59516 pixels = 8927.4 feet (1.7 mi, 2.7 km). I don't have the distances along the sea. The average speed, using 1 hr/frame update, is 0.0025 mph, 0.0041 kph (at 5 min/frame update the speed increases to 0.0304 mph). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:07, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

== What do we know by the beginning of June? ==
:- thanks to [[User:Galois|Galois]] we do know they did travel around 3 km (NASA is getting better on this metric units).
:- thanks to [[User:Galois|Galois]] we do know they did climb approx. 65 meters (maybe slightly more because 6 feet or 1.8288 meters for Cueball is maybe a little bit too much).
:- they are still in real nature, the most technical devices we have seen is just wood.
:- but they also did cross a road at the beginning of their travel.
:- now both are heading uphill while the mountains still far away.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:11, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

I'd like to think Cueball is shorter, I used 6 ft because it's convenient and yields longer distances. The tallest Baobob tree is 516 px (rescaled to the running comic) = 77.4 ft (23.6 m) using a 6 ft Cueball. Note that using a 5.5 ft (1.7 m) Cueball, the tree drops to 71 ft (21.6 m). The Wikipedia page [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adansonia_grandidieri] on the Grandidier's baobab states they can reach 25 to 30 m (80-100 ft) in height, 23.6 m is about right. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:40, 4 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't follow this as religously as others so maybe I missed the obvious answer, but why is it assumed that we have seen all of the way they went? I alway thought the parts where they are hiking is like a "montage" in film, where lots of parts might be missing in between the snapshots we see. {{unsigned|193.171.69.65|05:58, 6 June 2013}}

(please sign your posts - don't worry, we're all here out of a mutual enjoyment of the xkcd comics) Actually, I looked into the possibility a while back, but it didn't work. Randall runs 3-5 frame updates with the two walking across the same panel. As they leave one panel on the right, they enter the next on the left (and visa-verse for the trip back to the sunken castle). Additionally, I only came across three panels that didn't adjoin perfectly (one in the sand dunes and two trees that didn't continue into the next panel). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 11:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

== Image reference from late on the 67th day ==

At about 22:35 on the 67th day, the image reference "6fa2b361791e805aac0a89008a891e3999a0519ed870c1bc3dcc8dbff5e071d5.png" appeared for a time. It was after "f4e2276e4c47409412666b28be0cca75fedae3c182c4017932891c147004c720.png", followed by a few more of that reference and then by "133fddaecbdee3f5160771b68ce02cbc2b4b1c84a40faffb1bcaa6f75588edd0.png". At the time, I did not get a copy of the image, and it is not now available for download.
Did anybody else see this image, and does anybody have a copy of it?
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:12, 6 June 2013 (UTC)
:I am also confused, my download was also broken at that hour. 404 Not found.
:It is at 1606:00 or image 1727 - still more confusing numbers. Randall could not do it much better.
:And "http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/6fa2b361791e805aac0a89008a891e3999a0519ed870c1bc3dcc8dbff5e071d5.png" is still 404...
:So, we have an image here, but is it correct?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:48, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

My image number 1728 is 133fddaecbdee3f5160771b68ce02cbc2b4b1c84a40faffb1bcaa6f75588edd0.png. The image fits properly in sequence with the other images around it. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 22:32, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

OK, apparently it was completely broken at that time. I just felt I needed to ask, since I wasn't downloading actual images at that time, just the references, and so I have a broken reference in my list. --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 02:03, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

== Pictures and Time Collage ==
I opened a new page for the pictures: [[1190: Time: Pictures]]. It's experimental and subject to (wiki-style collaborative) change. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

:I think "Cueball Walk images 1360-1378" is wrong. It looks more like if Cueball was walking perpendicularly to the image. [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 22:03, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

::That's the way it was drawn. While Megan is still sleeping, Cueball takes a walk, gathers some berries, stops several times to look around, and then walks back to the tree. The walk and the tree scene probably don't connect directly. It appears that Cueball arises from under the tree, turns (left) away from the "camera" (frankly, I can't tell he is walking towards us or away from us... only Megan has hair, which tells us which way), and starts his walk. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Nice work Galois! How we can show this pictures at the comic page? Maybe with a smaller preview for a link to to the full size picture with a warning about this. But also I think it should be at a different page. Any ideas?--Dgbrt (talk) 20:26, 5 June 2013 (UTC)

: Good point! I took your advice. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 15:42, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Also posted at [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]):
Thumbnails are not working at this moment. But nevertheless I think it's not a good idea to include that large pictures. My idea:
:Create that big pictures, separated into some parts, remove Megan and Cueball and then change only the width to 1200 pixels. And one picture should cover all at the width of 1200 pixels. Scene 2 could be split into several collapsible parts with the terrain picture on top. Just an idea, what do you think?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:59, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

== Megan and Cueball sleeping deep for the first time ==
Maybe they will be disturbed by some flies or other animals, but now it's night... They will sleep because the first day is over. Good night!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:27, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
:This is not the end of the first day. According to frame 1600 they walked along the sea for days. If the later timeline is similar then they've walked up the river for days as well.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 23:55, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
::At frame 1600 Cueball says that they "walked along the sea for days". But at this comic they are walking along the river, the travel at the sea must happend before. Since they are walking again it seems both are sleepless.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:31, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:They also slept under the tree in images 1348-1352, Megan talked about that night in 1830-1832 (time 1709:00) "Megan: I heard chirps from the night sky once. I was looking at the stars one night and I heard peeping. - It was very quiet. - just a single chirp now and then. Cueball: Did you see anything? Megan: I thought a few stars flicker. - Nothing else." [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 00:40, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::The story from time 1709:00 also refers to things did happen before this comic did start.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:31, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::I agree too, but not this time... there is a chick in the grass in the scene next to the tree where they slept. See {{geekwagon|1375|1374}} or "Chick in grass 1375" in 1190: Time: Pictures [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures] in the Hidden Animals section. The same type of chick was right in front them in time 1709:00 (see "Chick in grass 1826"). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 13:58, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

They're coming back... in {{geekwagon|1928}} we can see the two heading off following the small river with their knapsacks (or rucksacks) left behind by the tree where they slept. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:09, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

Journey update: As of (right edge of) image 2103, they climbed 1290 pixels or 193.5 ft (59 m) from the place the two slept by the small river (image 1908). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:30, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

== Philosophical implications ==

I think the huge following that this comic has gathered - the amount of work by people like Aubron Wood and the guys at geekwagon, explainxkcd editors, general xkcd enthusiasts, the people at XKCD time wiki - raises some interesting questions. At this point we're not even clear how Randall is writing these comics: he may have designed them all from the start, or he may be writing 24 a day, going along with it, according to the natural progression of events and what has led up to now. It has interesting parallels with the {{w|design argument}}. It also makes you wonder about how it's all going to end. There are so many ongoing discussions - and have been from the start - about how the comic is going to conclude. Just as in real life we take so many different roads and never really know where we're going to end up. If we're continuing with the religious theme we could extend the metaphor even further, about what happens after we die. We don't know if we're going to just stop existing or if we're going to end up in some elaborate afterlife. We don't know what Randall's going to do - how long will the comic go on? Could it last his entire lifetime? We have no way of knowing. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 14:05, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

I believe Randall is writing this as it goes along, preparing the scenes only a little bit in advance. The story (quest?) reads more like a series of isolated vignettes, but with a few themes being carried forward, such as the quest for the source of the rising sea. I'm here in homage to Randall's unique wit and humor, and having fun trying to second guess what he'll do next. I don't believe the setting is an actual place, but we have several clues that limit its location. I see this as a collection of disparate objects and events; some go together, some not, but with some running themes. Randall may be making some points (such as conservation, ecology, and not eating squirrels); although, I would have never filled a canteen from the small river without first boiling or purifying the water. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:27, 8 June 2013 (UTC)

:Are you living in tent? People living in tents for big amount of year (as these two apparently do) generally tend to dring water without purifying. .... on the other hand, those generally don't build castles from sand. And they DID mentioned steam bottle once ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 17:43, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

== Stillness of air ==

Anyone else notice how still the air is? In the frames I have looked at, the grass never moves, so there must be no wind. [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 12:20, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
:In over 2000 frames, I have found only four that depict wind. I added them to the 1190: Time: Pictures page [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1190:_Time:_Pictures]. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 21:01, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
::I'm impressed you found those. Thank you. [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 02:09, 12 June 2013 (UTC)

== Making extreme sport out waiting ==

Let's do [[1017]], but using current frame instead of a progress bar. <strike>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com./jonathan.deboynepollard/FGA/questions-with-yes-or-no-answers.html Does anyone know]</strike> what formula should we use for this? Something similar to the one in [[1017] won't work, because we don't know when (if ever) the Time will end. I was thinking about T = c + n * (1 hour), where n is current frame and c is a couple of days before the beginning of Time, but it seems too boring. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 14:57, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
:Sorry, I can't figure out what you do mean. In Randall's words I just can say: Wait for it.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:00, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

== Madagascar theory ==

I'm still not sure that it is supposed to be a specific place, but going with the Madagascar theory, there is indeed a native Madagascar hedgehog -- the greater and lesser tenrecs.

Still no squirrels, though. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 20:58, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

:That Madagascar trees are also imported to US. Hedgehogs are a famous pets in US, even when they do belong to Asia and Europe. We are still in the US, and more precisely around Utah. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:51, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

:Hedgehogs are found in many places. From the shadow comments, they are on a northern sea coast in the northern hemisphere, hence probably not Madagascar. There's something wrong with every possible location I checked. The Mediterranean Sea is rising because the water coming in from rivers is greater than that lost through evaporation [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea#Sea-level_rise] and is polluted [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea#Pollution], BUT a quick check has every possible northern coast covered with cities or agriculture. I lived in Salt Lake City for a little while. Antelope Island has oolitic sand on the north and west sides and is a mountain, but no major rivers or waterfalls[http://www.utah.com/stateparks/great_salt_lake_facts.htm]. The north coast is a boggy delta, except for a peninsula, which is covered with agriculture. Southern Utah is a better match and has waterfalls, but no sea. I gave up. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:04, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

:: The sea thing is certainly a problem for any modern-day Utah theory, but the tree that recently came on-screen (frame 2145) could be intended to be ''Pinus longaeva'', which would be appropriate to Utah (or many other parts of the Great Basin), high altitudes, and the comic theme. Oh, also, if you want a rising, large body of water near Southern Utah there's always Lake Mead. But it's probably not so large as to be mistaken for the sea. --Joe Decker

:: I'm not sure that current agriculture would be an issue. Unless they are play-acting or in some kind of _The Village_ setup, they seem unlikely to be current-day humans. They seem strangely ignorant of some obvious things and yet aware of others. There might be a few tribal peoples living in tents that would be unaware of the next river over, but they would be unlikely to be confused by birds nesting. Or be using trebuchets and European castle architecture in sandcastles. And if they genuinely walked for "days" along the shore, it seems unlikely to be a _The Village_ setup; that's got to be 20 miles even taking a leisurely trip for just two days, and probably more. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:36, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

It might be interesting, however, that there's a striking resemblance between the Grandidier's Baobab depicted in the comic at frame 1525 {{geekwagon|1525}} and the tree on the left in the Wikimedia picture [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adansonia_grandidieri03.jpg Grandidier's Baobab (Adansonia grandidieri) near Morondava, Madagascar]. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 18:24, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

:That place is surprisingly like the comic, especially when explored [[Expedition]] style. It has beaches, other rivers, baobabs, etc! And doesn't the fact that they slept overnight invalidate the northern hemisphere theory and mess with determining the walking direction by the sun? Despite all this, I doubt being in Madagascar does much for understanding the meaning of the comic. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 01:55, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

That Theory seems to be out of date by now - post-apocalyptic(?) mediteran sea it is... [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 04:24, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

== Jumped by a kitty ==

Nom nom nom.
The end.
[[Special:Contributions/121.74.128.126|121.74.128.126]] 23:54, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

: I was going to say how trollish that felt (because I was felling attached to the characters and the comic), but you know what? It's just a comic. And no, I don't think it's ending that way, Randall is random, but not THAT random (I think). I bet $10 that Megan will fetch some sort of stick or club and go golfing. --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 00:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

http://xkcd.com/231/ [[Special:Contributions/121.74.128.126|121.74.128.126]] 23:57, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Alright guys, what's the species and where is it native to? Puma, mountain lion, lynx, jaguar, tiger, panther, leopard...

: Well, if we're to believe that Randall is paying attention to the scale of the objects, then I don't think it's either of your options. That cat doesn't look much bigger than a domestic cat, so I think it's something close to an Ocelot. --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 00:46, 21 June 2013 (UTC)u
:: Unless Megan and Cueball are kids, that would be an awfully large domestic cat. And from references like the cabin, they are adults or close to it in size. Ocelot's not a bad estimate, though. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 01:01, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
::: Well, in my defense, I didn't really said it was a domestic cat, but that it looked just slightly bigger than one. An Ocelot fits that description, I think, while being much smaller than a Puma. Btw, there goes Megan golfing! :) --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 04:05, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Not a cougar (too small for one) as I think they grab their prey by the throat and hold on till it's dead, not just knock it over and sniff. Bobcat's out (too big). Besides, what's coming in on the right? [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:16, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Now I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor kitty. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 05:06, 21 June 2013 (UTC) (p.s. "it didn't bite you?" -- More for it being a lonely lost pet?)

If this is Madagascar, then it would be a fossa ... but the head looks too big and cat-like. Perhaps a juvenile cougar/puma? Would help explain why it bit the backpack instead of Cueball's neck. Geographically, that or one of the ocelots / relatives would put us in South or North America. AH [[Special:Contributions/209.74.126.175|209.74.126.175]] 14:00, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Why is everyone assuming the location corresponds to an actual modern day location (e.g. Madagascar)? Given that http://xkcd.com/505/ is staged on an infinite plane full of rocks we shouldn't limit our search to the real, simply the rational. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 14:32, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:This doesn't make any sense. Rationals are (or are isomorphic to) a subfield of reals, so if we limit our search to rationals we also implicitly limit it to reals. But it's safe to assume that they are in some group. My intuition tells me that this group is a vector field (most likely R^3), but obviously we shouldn't rely on that. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 15:47, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
::Hahaha! Just wondering if those were Abelian Grapes that Cueball and Megan were eating. "What's purple and commutes?" 1960s joke. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:43, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

:I don't necessarily think that it's an actual place, but some of the plant and animal references have been so specific as to make you wonder if they mean something. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:41, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

:The sand castle Megan built at the top matches the Paris Disneyland castle; thus, either Megan had seen the castle before or Randall just thought it was a neat looking castle to copy. There are other elements that limits the date to fairly recent, some more so than others. I don't think Randal is using an actual place, but rather an amalgam of elements from many places. As for myself, I prefer abstract algebra. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 17:18, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Given that they're been hiking up into the mountains, my guess is that it was a mountain lion... which is also known as a cougar. Or puma. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 08:07, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

As we now know that they are in the Mediterranean region, a {{w|Eurasian lynx}} or an {{w|Iberian lynx}} look quite good guesses but the cat in the comic has a tail that is too long and it doesn't have ear tufts. I guess if it is far enough in the future, the distribution of animals could have changed, so it might be {{w|Caracal}} (desert lynx), a {{w|Serval}} or an {{w|African golden cat}}. Of course if it is even further in the future, it might be a whole new species that doesn't currently exist.[[User:NHSavage|NHSavage]] ([[User talk:NHSavage|talk]]) 21:11, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

They're back to the kitty! Will it run, or does it bear a grudge? [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 04:09, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
: I still want it to be a lonely lost pet, maybe a zoo refugee. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 04:59, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
: It ran. Is it preparing another surprise attack? ''Time'' will tell. (Ha ha.) [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 06:22, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

== Frame 2188 ==

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned or come up with theories about {{geekwagon|2188}}. I guess we now know that it was the cat stalking them.
--[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 01:04, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Re: 2188 check the "Following" section. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:15, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

== Frames 2231-2232 ==

What is that on the far right of the screen on {{geekwagon|2231}}? Any theories at all?
:Boom mike? Martian tripod? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 07:40, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'm downloading from two systems at different time. One got the same images as linked above, but the images I downloaded a few minutes ago don't have it. I get the following md5's

:32fc7553d3134ec08a5bc88ffa1929d9 -> 867dc4718c684fa0507876cdd034ce7f7fd7980370034d676181ddf6b07dcabf.png <- 2231
:a26efc43bb6bbc2bb8d12192a25d4938 -> e44589725450e5bf897d441e5ccd1e9b9a0a1ee6658fea9e6a7378e96c5e4be5.png <- 2232

[[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]]
::Same here, the image I clipped (2231) has the figure (or whatever) and now it's gone. It must have been unintentional, and later corrected. Maybe the "whatever" or parts of it will show up later. [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 14:56, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

I'll take a shot... The bottom part is curved and aligns perfectly with Cueball's head in Photoshop, just cutoff on the left (and the right as it goes out of frame). The rounded slice at the top matches Megan's head as well. The full slice does not match any scene to date (the only one close is 1885 with Megan in the tree, but that's not it); thus, it must be a slice from a future scene (or maybe part of a template with assorted characters). [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 16:20, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:I was going with "sprites from Pitfall, while the reader was distracted by the action", but the "template fragment" theory certainly works better. ;-)

== The great re-encoding ==

After noticing the snafu around 2231-2232, I whent and re downloaded the full set from imgs.xkcd.org and what I downloaded today doesn't match what I downloaded before (generally when they were <24h old). Everything from 1068 back seems to be a pixle match for what is there now but have different MD5s and is generally smaller. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 20:31, 21 June 2013 (UTC)
:My observations suggest that XKCD images are routinely optimized a few hours after posting. In short, it is normal for the image to change without the pixels changing. --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:37, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

== Another Theory ==

Can it just be about Mr. Munroe's life? I don't know many personal details, but it would be easy to draw about and still be important without being funny. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 04:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:A fair number of people have speculated that it's a metaphor for something personal, yeah. He's married and his wife had a bout with cancer a year or so back, so there's been some concern that the whole 'inescapable tide' may be a less than happy thing. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:39, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
This is beginning to look a lot like the plot outline of a quest video game. --deepfatfriar 17:34, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

== Only one day to reach the top of the Mountain ==
At frame 2305 Cueball mentions that it's only one day to reach the top and at frame 2308 Megan says that they will not much farther away from home when being there. This means the comic shows no night sequences but it did run for many days in the world of them. Maybe each real day is also a day in this comic.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:It sure took a long time to build the original sandcastle then.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 20:20, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
::Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. But now we have the prove that the voyage did last many days while there was no hint of any night hiatus. They did sleep but we couldn't see.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:40, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Remember there was a fadeout while they were starting off on the journey, and later they say the walked for days along the shore. So that could be the bulk of the distance. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 01:51, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
:Maybe it's like the world for Game of Thrones but s/Seasons/Days/ I.e. veritable length days? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:57, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:I'd rather think they started their journey several days before they reached the beach and started building the castle. I feel that what we are observing is a single day of their adventure - building a castle in the morning, walking along the shore and the river in early afternoon or even a little before noon, taking a short nap in the late afternoon and walking uphill again. The darkening of last few frames may be the evening coming. [[Special:Contributions/89.174.214.74|89.174.214.74]] 13:59, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

== It's getting cloudy. ==

Upper right corner of {{geekwagon|2352}}? Also the other three corners have something going on. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:25, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
: May Randall is reading this Wiki and saw the complain about still air :-) [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 06:09, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:: Or maybe Megan is getting cold because a storm's coming. Maybe they don't know about storms in the hills or mountains. Note that the "people in the hills" where they live are perhaps not friendly, according to the earlier conversation about going on up the mountain: Cueball: "We can't be more than a day or so from the top. There may be people there." Megan: "Like the people in the hills?" Cueball: "We're a long way from there." If the people of the hills back home are unfriendly, Cueball and Megan may have no experience of hill weather. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
If you look at the image diff on GeekWagon it looks like they are experiancing a solar eclipse.[[Special:Contributions/162.5.71.176|162.5.71.176]] 15:18, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:No, that white round object in the cloud is just moving and is also getting smaller. I've no idea what it could be.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:45, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::It isn't getting smaller, it's just having to go through clouds of increasing thickness, making its domain of whiteness smaller. And it's moving because something like fifteen minutes just went by. --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 15:53, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Looks like a setting sun to me [[User:Hippyjim|Hippyjim]] ([[User talk:Hippyjim|talk]]) 17:56, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::::You are right, we see a sunset. My first statement was about the "solar eclipse" theory, what is definitively not happen.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:27, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:::::We also effectively had a bit of a timeskip there -- it takes several hours for the sun to lower that much. Also confirms they are walking north (which I think was the going assumption already.) [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:51, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
::::::The rate that the sun sets at depends on the "length" of the "lens" being used. Based on 360 deg/day motion and a apparent width of 0.5 deg, the sun moves it's own diameter every 2 minutes. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:12, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

The images now fading to black, going to the dark night. I am hoping we will get a new scene on top of that mountain, but maybe we will just seeing them awakening below a tree. We just have to wait... Stay tuned as me!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:06, 26 June 2013 (UTC)
:But maybe the Moon will shine and the fade to black does stop.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:14, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

::Or maybe we will switch back to Beret Girl. Who knows? We'll see when we see. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:00, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

:::@Taibhse, It seems to me that you just explained the entire point of the cartoon. [[Special:Contributions/74.174.17.194|74.174.17.194]] 13:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)ALurker

Where are the astronomical freaks? Can't we find out where they are depending on the stars? [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 17:12, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
: ~30 deg north based on the direction of motion. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 17:57, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:The constellation looks like Bootes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo%C3%B6tes[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:03, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::When Bootes is setting around sunset in the US it is August or September.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:16, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:::I can't identify Boötes so far but the bright star following the path of the sun isn't a star: It's the planet Venus, here as the "Evening Star".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:28, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::::Not Bootes; it's not on the ecliptic, which these stars are. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:46, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
: I think the upper constellation on 2394 is the Sagittarius. The lower one, which can be seen better on 2393 is the tail of the Scorpion constellation. The two bright stars close to each other above the tree are Shaula and Lesath. The brightest star is a planet, probably Venus. The only think bothers me is that there is an other star very close to Ascella in Sagittarius, which should not be there... Maybe an other planet? --[[Special:Contributions/80.98.250.115|80.98.250.115]] 21:31, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
::I think you may have it. I passed over Sagittarius at first, because they looked too close together, but I think I was overestimating the scale. Virgo and Gemini both contain something close to the Y pattern of four bright stars, but the surrounding stars aren't right. If it's a planet, it would have to be naked eye visible but not as bright as Ascella,and I don't think there is anything that fits, which is a pity, because we could work out possible years. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:26, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Reviewing further, I'm even more convinced. If you get a star map in the right orientation, you can see that the rest of Scorpio is becoming visible just above the horizon in {{geekwagon|2393}}. And the arc of stars the three consellations are 'facing' matches up with the Serpent and Ophiuchius, including the visual binary of Delta and Epsilon Ophiuchi. If you look at a sky map for Nov 7, 2013, Venus is in about the right configuration. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:14, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

== Star Map ==
Is someone already stitching together a map of the stars as they move through the frames? I could do it, but I'm too lazy *g*.
And if we have that, the relative position of the sun to the stars should be sufficient to determine the day of the year (depending on the accuracy of the drawings) and probably, assuming the first bright dot was indeed Venus, we might even be able to determine if the story takes/took place this year. Maybe other astronomical objects show (or don't show) and help to further narrow down the '''time'''. --[[Special:Contributions/92.76.250.121|92.76.250.121]] 00:18, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:From the position of the sun, Venus is at or close to greatest eastern elongation from the sun. Assuming that the constellations we are looking at are Sagittarius and surroundings (and the new stars coming into view continue to match this), the sun is located around Virgo. From the angle of the ecliptic, they are at 30 degrees north, and thus it would have to be around the beginning of November, as that's when Virgo sets with the sun at 30N. So it could be a year when Venus hits the greatest eastern elongation in late October/early November. Which happens this year, but it can't be this year as the moon isn't right -- there would be a crescent moon next to Venus. It would have to be at new moon or waning moon, and that puts it after 2037. Of course, there are a lot of assumptions and estimations in that calculation. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:29, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
::Actually, for the moon it could be 2029, but there's another blocking factor: Mars should be next to Venus in 2037. And for the next few eight year cycles, some combination of Mercury, the moon, and Saturn should be showing up between Venus and the Sun before the stars do. So it looks like 2053 would be the first matching date. And the next date after that 2085 - it precesses forward a bit each year, so it would be Nov 12 by 2085. Seems a bit late for grapes and hiking without any thought of shelter, but if it's 30N it is likely a pretty warm area. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:59, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Going backwards, the first one with no planets is 1981, but there would be a nearly full moon, and that scene does not look illuminated by a full moon. The most recent one with no planets and no moon interfering would be 1949. But that's purely my amateur estimation using the online AstroViewer. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 02:59, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
I wandered over to the forum, and they agree with our conclusion of Sagittarius, and one of them had a interesting observation: Antares is gone. It should be the brightest thing in this view apart from Venus, and you can see the two stars that should flank it appear at {{geekwagon|2392}}, between Cueball's head and the tree, but no Antares. Which suggests that this is set sufficiently far in the future that Antares has gone supernova (which it is due to do.) [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:Even more suggestive of a far future: certain of the stars in the Scorpion appear to have moved. If you go to Hipparchos [[http://www.rssd.esa.int/SA-general/Projects/Hipparcos/apps/ShowMotion.html]] and enter RA 260.4, Dec -42, and V(lim) 4.4, you will get the stars in the head and part of the body of the Scorpion. If you run it forward several thousand years, you'll see that the high-motion stars match with the distortions in the XKCD sky.[[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 08:05, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
One last thing (for the moment): The angle of the sun and planets are what they should be for c. 30-33 degrees N, but to get the constellations angled the right way, it's closer to 12 degrees north. This may be precession, which could also explain the grapes in what would be currently by the stars the beginning of November -- the vernal equinox may have precessed forward, resulting in the sun being in Virgo/Libra in summer rather than fall. 15,000 years would put it in Libra in June, for example [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 16:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

== Where in the world are Megan and Cueball? ==

Venus marking the path of the ecliptic tells us that we are at about 30 degrees north (my quick-ass calculation came up closer to 31 or 32 degrees north.) They are walking east with the ocean to the south of them, and they are following a large river north into hills and mountains that apparently are less than a day's walk north.

So if it's Earth, where could they be? There's not a lot of south-facing coasts around 30N. The only large one is the Gulf Coast of the US, but there's not much in the way of hills much less anything you could call a mountain close to the shore. The only exception I can really see is maybe around Mobile, which at last has some hills. There's the north end of the Persian Gulf and of the Gulf of California, but for both of those the hills are east of of the most obvious large river. Though the Gulf of California would make sense in other ways -- rivers that only run to the sea in the wet season, for example. There's South Korea, but the southern coast of that is broken up into a fringe of islands and peninsula, there's not really a solid stretch of coast to walk east along. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 00:14, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

:If, as hypothesized above, this is taking place a few thousand years into the future, might not the coastlines have changed? (Especially since the "sea" seems to be rising.) I wonder if we could find the proper configuration of hills and a mountain even in absence of a body of water to the south. [[Special:Contributions/69.123.166.176|69.123.166.176]] 15:06, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

All the stars are following the same parallel path through the sky. Shouldn't the stars should be following a circular path centered on the north star, and the planets if any be following roughly the path of the sun and moon? --deepfatfriar
:Based on my analsys (sicking a post-it to my screen so that it partially obscures Venus) things do seem to be curving (Venus is less obscured, then more, then less as I step through frames). [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

So, how far away are we viewing them from? We know (about) how tall Cueball is and the stars give us an angular ruler so we should be able to figure that out. Also, when will sunrise be? [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 03:54, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

Someone mentioned the Clock of the Long Now, and the 10,000 Year Clock would fit in a number of ways. The Texas original one is at the right latitude, and the Sierra Diablo mountains where it is are near a dried-up inland sea, which presumably could be a sea again, and an inland sea could rise much faster than the world's oceans. And it would fit with the title "Time", and explain the multi-thousand year future setting.

Has anyone been able to map exactly where the sun is on the stars? That would show where in the precession sequence we are. If it's in Libra, for example 15,000 years forward the sun would set in Libra around June at 31-32 degrees north at that point. Which would explain the grapes and the camping without shelter. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 20:27, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

==If the night does map the real world...==
If the stars are real I'm sure it still does map to the current time frame of this comic. Venus and also Jupiter (even also Mercury, but hard to see) did follow the sun at dawn. Tomorrow I will have to fix my (Linux) xOrg for running {{w|Stellarium (computer program)|Stellarium}} or {{w|Celestia}}. So for now I'm only on [http://heavens-above.com/ heavens-above], which is still not accurate enough for this cloudy comic sky at night.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:37, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:I've made a compare of the changes in Scorpio over the next 15K years, and the sky in Time. [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/starsmove.png]. It matches pretty well, though I think the fastest moving star hasn't moved quite as far. So my current prediction: they are in the Sierra Diablo mountains in Texas (or what was Texas), climbing towards the 10,000 Year Clock observatory, about 14,000 years from now. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:57, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

::So is Beret Girl a mysterious time traveler? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 23:45, 28 June 2013 (UTC)
:What is the source for your picture, Photoshop? Please tell us more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:32, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:: Stellarium to generate the comparison star maps (it takes into account Hipparchos data, so will move stars with high proper motion for far future dates), and GIMP to overlay them. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 21:02, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Thanks Tavella. Stellarium was my own first attempt too, but my xOohhhhgrrrrg did crash. NVIDIA on Linux is still a mess.
:::Go North to Dakota or even Canada to find a location where a 30 degree sunset can happen.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:14, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:Very nice pictures, Tavella! What's the meaning of the three red stars? Thanks in advance. [[Special:Contributions/79.98.2.71|79.98.2.71]] 22:20, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
::They are marking the three stars with the highest proper motion in the constellation (well, one of them, the top one, is a small companion star in the constellation zone rather than being formally in the constellation.) I just installed GIMP on this computer and was too lazy to go find the arrow plugin. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:16, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
I'm sure i remember seeing a shooting star in one of the frames but it doesn't seem to be in any of the recorded frames? [[Special:Contributions/75.181.22.10|75.181.22.10]] 19:33, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
::Yes, it was a fast series of pictures so it didn't get caught. Here's an animation of the sequence: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/tmp/meteor.gif] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:11, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
:::Can you give us some hashes and timestamps? --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:25, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
::::2440a through e here: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/#frame2440] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 04:58, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
: [[User:Tavella|Tavella]], your picture [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/77/starsmove.png] seems to be gone for some reason, could you re-upload it? Thanks. [[User:Jahvascriptmaniac|Jahvascriptmaniac]] ([[User talk:Jahvascriptmaniac|talk]]) 11:31, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

==Did we just see Megan and then Cueball have bowel movements?==
Day 95 1:00 Megan squats alone on the right side of frame while Cueball sits in the middle of frame http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/d/d9/time2378.png

Day 97 6:00 Cueball walks over and squats near where Megan herself squatted http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/8490469c3f8cea3b8dd7f55f8152d8048166af8a13bf2473af5b0b032b9c6f30.png

Day 97 7:00 & 8:00 Cueball is seen washing his hands in subsequent two frames?{{unsigned ip|24.91.69.220}}

== Meteor frames. ==

There were five meteor frames that appeared in very quick succession recently. How should they be numbered?

:"appeared in very quick succession": I assume they actually appeared on the hour, just like all the others (except for first days), <strike>and as they are currently listed in our table</strike>? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:00, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

::No, they appeared on the minute between 20:20 and 20:24 UTC on 29 June. That's how they're listed here. [[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 16:10, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

:::Yeah, I was looking at the hours +2441 through +2445! However, in my defence, I was fighting the database error when I first thought I noticed this. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:48, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

[http://xkcd.mscha.org/#frame2440 mscha's site] numbers them 2440a to 2440e.

[http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2441 geekwagon] only has the final meteor frame (2440e) which it numbers 2441, and after that all the numbers on geekwagon are out by one compared to mscha's site.

Another logical option is to number them from 2441 to 2445.

[http://xkcd.aubronwood.com/?i=2445&playing=0&audio=0&speed=200 aubronwood] has the frames numbered 2444 to 2448 (like the previous suggestion, but I think aubronwood had been out by three for a long time compared to other sites)

On the [http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Periods xkcd-time wiki] I have tentatively used mscha's numbering, which may be a problem considering the wiki has built-in linking to geekwagon.

[[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 07:01, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

:Numbering them 2440a to 2440e is ok. And geekwagon seems to be broken at some more more frames right now.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:52, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

::Uh, it would be great if we could number frames in actual chronological number order, not appending letters onto the ends of the filenames. It makes it easier for scripts to access images with a consistent naming scheme. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:28, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::We have already been appending letters onto the ends of filenames, with frames 256P, 257P, and 258P. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 15:52, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::And those are problematic with scripts already. More special cases to account for are not fun. I've only let those alone because fixing the problem would mean shifting more than a thousand filenames now, and I didn't notice it originally until it was 200 frames too late. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:32, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::I have two ideas on this problem:
:::::a) Put that special frames into an extra table at the bottom of that specific days, or
:::::b) Add an extra column to the tables containing a sequence number. This would be much of work.
:::::I prefer a).--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:48, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::The meteor does seem to be a part of the comic, so it probably should still be inline with the rest of the frames. We'll only need to shift 40-odd image names to fix this, it shouldn't be too onerous. I'll do it tomorrow morning. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:09, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::This will be good for your scripts but not for mine. We will be also out of sync to other sites. But if you will do that tell me where day 101 should start. I have to change a counter at my script.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:17, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::Day 101 starts at 2531 with the meteor frames shifted down. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::Many thanks for your chaos, day 101 starts NOW with 2526. Before your edit it would have been 2521. But 2531 is a little bit too much.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:16, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::I can understand the desire for standardized numbering but I've been doing a lot of the image uploading recently using mscha's site as the source. I do it manually so it's already a pain, I don't think I can face having to do that extra little bit of arithmetic for each image to work out what the id should be on this site. Guess I'll be leaving it for the bots from now on. [[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 12:21, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::Thanks Crimethink for your great work. This is still a mess, but we can't revert it. We are all trapped in someone's decision...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:02, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::::Yeah - I can see that. Just a shame that mscha decided to do it that way.[[User:Crimethink|Crimethink]] ([[User talk:Crimethink|talk]]) 13:22, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::::Yeah. The idea of naming that pictures as 2440a to 2440e was first. Other sites like geekwagon are also out of sync. Unless we do use the timestamp at the file name it will be more mess in the future, I am sure.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:42, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I made this page to show the differences between numbering systems at mscha's site, geekwagon, aubronwood and explainxkcd.
http://xkcd-time.wikia.com/wiki/Frame_numbering [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 15:17, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:WOW, you must have much TIME ;)--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:27, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

How do we even know that it's a meteor? Maybe Mr. Munroe has finally decided to use his [[254|best idea ever]]? Then it was just a damaged space station falling through the atmosphere. Also the mountain they are climbing is actually a volcano and the sea is rising because of all the tyrannosaurs swimming in it. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:53, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:This comic is just showing the real world we all do know. Look at this {{w|Perseids}} meteor shower at the next days, the peak should be around August 10 or 15. Most of that particles you can see as a bright meteor are smaller than one millimeter. It's only the vast velocity what causes this great visual effect.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:19, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

==Animated gif for the night==
Here is an [[Media:1190TimeNight.gif|animated gif with enhanced brightness]]. You can see the Milky Way in the beginning and by the end some birds appear in the sky.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:51, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
:That's awesome. Good job!--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 14:17, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
Since we r watching the scene toward west, shouldn't the sky appear darker near the horizon, with respect to the sky above, at sunrise? (I'm asking here but of course I'm not referring to your animated gif but to the xkcd scene itself...) [[Special:Contributions/217.200.201.97|217.200.201.97]] 11:46, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:When the sun rises on East the horizon at the opposite side is darker than the rest of the sky. When the sun is high enough you will not recognize this any more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yep Dgbrt, my point is that in the comic sequence we can see the full path from the dead of night to the morning through the dawn: why Randall depicted a shade of light coming from the horizon and not from the sky above? Is it a realistic scene? [[User:Mlejnas|Mlejnas]] ([[User talk:Mlejnas|talk]]) 07:38, 3 July 2013 (UTC)
These clouds moving with the sky could be the milkyway. [[User:FG|FG]] 10:18, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yep, FG, but that's at the sunset, I'm talking about the sunrise (on the other side of the sky). [[User:Mlejnas|Mlejnas]] ([[User talk:Mlejnas|talk]]) 09:47, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:FG, look at my first statement at this section here. But Mlejnas is talking about the sunrise after the Milky Way already had disappeared.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:20, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
== New picture naming rule ==

Is there any BOT here understanding the new naming? I'm missing many picture uploads, I will not do this by manual because that's stupid. This is still a job for a bot.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:32, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

:Sry, I was on vacation for a week, and I haven't resumed my bot yet because of that meteor. IMHO, we should get in touch with the admins of geekwagon, aubronwood and mscha in order to re-sync the frame numbers. Does anyone know whether any of them is already active here? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:50, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

::mscha and aubronwood have accounts on the forum (http://forums.xkcd.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=381029, http://forums.xkcd.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=35789). However, I don't think the owner of geekwagon has an account on the forum (see http://geekwagon.net/). [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 06:21, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

:::I had an account xkcd forum but found their rules complex so I generally communicate here or through email. I like the idea of a standard frame count between all the sites. Currently geekwagon is limited to a number instead of an alphanumeric frame number like mscha uses. However this can be changed. My two cents is a frame number should be the number in which the frames were shown regardless of what time they were displayed (I like simple), but I am open to ideas. --[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 03:37, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

::::Geekwagon have now changed their numbering to the system used here. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 05:17, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

:::::I fixed it to include the meteor frames. They were missed because the script runs every 5 minutes. Would have done it sooner but I was out of town.--[[User:Deplicator|Deplicator]] ([[User talk:Deplicator|talk]]) 17:14, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

::::::Great job and THANKS!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:16, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

== Derrick ==

What is it? Sort of looks like on oil derrick, but of course it is not. What is the mechanical bits up top? --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 08:26, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:The ladder that goes up to the middle level but not the top and the wheel on that level suggest to me that it is supposed to be turned by an operator, but I can't see what that would power or move -- there's no obvious lines that aren't support structure. Looks to me like we are panning toward something even taller, so maybe that will enlighten. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 09:33, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:The device looks to me like a sextant -- a telescope mounted on a gauged pivot. Possibly there is a second pivot at 90 degrees to the one we can see. The device might be used to measure the sea rise, if the sea can be seen from here. [[Special:Contributions/24.158.67.232|24.158.67.232]] 12:30, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
::Megan does seem to be looking through it, so sextant or telescope seems likely. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 19:44, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:Could it have anything to do with the 10,000 Year Clock mentioned above? [[Special:Contributions/173.195.5.167|173.195.5.167]] 13:37, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
Looks like a great platform to build another sand castle. Too bad there's probably no sand...--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 13:19, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

My guess is that the tower may semaphore tower that is under instruction (or abandoned) and part semaphore tower in a {{w|Semaphore_line}}. In {{geekwagon|2594}} where Megan reports seeing flashes. Could those flashes be distant semaphore signals? [[User:Chongo|Chongo]] ([[User talk:Chongo|talk]]) 00:05, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:In frame 2686 we see more of these towers. Those may be part of a semaphore line that you suggest. [[Special:Contributions/166.137.209.163|166.137.209.163]] 05:33, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

I think it's an telescope or something like this. Maybe they see the sea rising with this thing... [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 19:22, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

After seeing {{geekwagon|2803}} I'm pretty sure these are triangulation points which historically were used for geodetics, see e.g. [http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/geoinformation/bezugssysteme/download/flyer_rauenberg.pdf] (3.6MB, sorry only German text). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 21:03, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

== all okWTF FADE! ==

just - what's going on??! [[Special:Contributions/83.8.22.78|83.8.22.78]] 22:15, 6 July 2013 (UTC)
:Fade from white to the castle and we get to see what beret girl has been up to (last we saw, she was dragging something in frame 970: {{geekwagon|970|969}}]). [[Special:Contributions/216.98.244.174|216.98.244.174]] 22:55, 6 July 2013 (UTC)
:I think this is where the water level is now. If so, holy crap! Is there anything hidden in the white frame? --[[User:Irino.|Irino.]] ([[User talk:Irino.|talk]]) 00:01, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MeanwhileScene Meanwhile, back at the beach...] [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.94|216.239.45.94]] 04:01, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

== Out of breath -- higher than we thought? ==

I haven't done the exact calculations, but my impression from those we did that they have only climbed 300-400 cueball-heights, which would be only a couple of thousand feet. Doesn't it usually take more than that before you start getting oxygen effects? Could they have started at a higher elevation than we thought? Anyone have a current calculation for elevation gain? [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:15, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
:They started at sea level, unless the body of water was not the ocean.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 00:34, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
::Right, but the speed of sea level rise strongly suggests their "ocean" is an inland sea, so they could be in an endorheic basin that is much higher than sea level, like the Great Basin in the US (where the second 10,000 year clock will be), or Lake Van in Turkey. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:16, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:::The {{w|Great Salt Lake}} was proposed here before, it's at level 4,200 feet or approx. 1,283 meter. The mountains there are going up to a much higher level, you can get out of breath there. The level calculations may be wrong because Randall didn't show every part of the trip. There were more nights, but we could only see one.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:33, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

== The people they did find ==

Any ideas what the hats or hair cut does belong to?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:08, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:Looks like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knit_cap Watch Caps] to me. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.90|216.239.45.90]] 20:19, 8 July 2013 (UTC)
:Or a yarmulke {{geekwagon|2933}} [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 04:17, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

It's the wrong end of the river for them to be building a dam, but I'm wondering, with all the surveying equipment, if they are diverting more water into the basin that Cueball and Megan live in. But they seem like pleasant enough people, quick to help Megan. It's hard to be believe they would drown the area without checking to see if, y'know, people live there. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:02, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
: What if they're building a bridge? Are we too far from the Big River? [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 01:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Is this pair the Cueball and Meagan we've known from before? What impresses me is the level of ignorance this pair exhibits, compared to the couple we've come to know. This pair do not seem to understand oxygen starvation at higher altitudes, how tides work, etc. This almost flies in contradiction to the fact that, in the beginning, they were building sand castles. This presumes castles existed at some point in their own history if not currently. Castles indicate a certain level of knowledge and technology, which this current couple seem to lack knowledge of, to some large degree at least.
If this strip 'ends' at the level of technology we've seen thus far and hinted at by this new tribe of people, I would suggest this indicates a world wide (or at least very large area) collapse of a prior civilization.
[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 23:14, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:Well, they certainly don't have access to [http://www.xkcd.com/903/ wikipedia]. As for the tides, I think we generally concluded that it is more likely a lake and they never saw it rise as fast as it did. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 08:49, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

So are they getting sleepy from the bad night's sleep or something more nefarious? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.92|216.239.45.92]] 05:31, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

:Or are they brewing ent-draughts here? Watch to see whether Cueball and Megan start growing taller! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:14, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Now things are getting meta; Cueball drawing a stick figure of himself.... [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.87|216.239.45.87]] 06:04, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:At least it's an accurate depiction--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 11:07, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

=== Language ===
Is someone trying to decipher what they are saying? It might be more or less some kind of substitution cypher, but I'm not sure yet which letters are actually the same (e.g. 1st in {{geekwagon|2663}} and 1st in {{geekwagon|2664}} are quite likely the same. But the last but ones in these frames just look close in my view (also to 9th in {{geekwagon|2671}})). Sentences seem to end with the an ° or ¯ above the last letter. [[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 09:29, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:The ° or ¯ above the last letter appear to be a period or a question mark respectively.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 10:38, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

::{{geekwagon|2676}} is identical to the last two words of {{geekwagon|2668}}. Apparently that is the stuff they applied on Megan's leg. [[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:42, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:::We can't decipher because it's just Randalls invention. At 2545:00 we have a clear 69 at the last word.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:50, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
:: My current theory is ¯ means "!" so {{geekwagon|2708}} could be "Water!" - "Yes!!, Water!!". I'm not sure about the substitution cypher theory anymore, though. Unless some signs represent two Latin characters. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 12:05, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
::: {{geekwagon|2806}} is another hint that [[File:Dialog2806d.png]] could mean "Yes." The rest of the dialog looks similar to {{geekwagon|2734}}. Hopefully, they meet the translator soon. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 21:27, 14 July 2013 (UTC)

I believe it's possible to translate their language into pervect english by simple replacing their symbols by roman letters (the right way). For "water" we have an example. ([[User talk:FG|talk]]) 17:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)
:What could the last word in {{geekwagon|2728}} be then? It ends the same way as "water"/"drink", except for a ° instead of a ¯ over the last letter, but has an additional "3"-shaped letter at the beginning. I'm starting to believe that Randall put a bit more effort into designing this language. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:34, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

It is clearly not a letter-per-letter cipher; I think Randall has been considerably cleverer than that. It looks like a (fictional) Semitic language, in which case individual characters could indicate syllables rather than letters, but I doubt that it is a simple cipher for English at the syllable level either. At this stage it is impossible to say how far he has gone in creating an original syntax, but I would note that we have seen the word that means "water" (or "drink") in at least two forms (a simple form used by Cueball, and a form with a kind of 3 at the beginning used as the last word of the Beanie's response to Cueball's picture). I'm confident the ¯ is simply a period, ° a question mark, and the double ¯ is an exclamation mark. The other stray marks could be other punctuation marks as well. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 15:55, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

:Provisionally, I took the "water" string with the '3' in front to be something like "sea-water." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 18:25, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

:Another reason why it's not a "letter-per-letter cipher" is that I'm pretty sure we've seen at least 3 distinct single character words. Note that almost all characters are reminiscent of arabic numerals. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 18:59, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

Next speculation: [[File:Dialog2827.png]] could mean "(the) castle" and [[File:Dialog2806c.png]] could mean something like "(move) to the castle" or "(to be) at the castle".
Maybe we should start a subpage for all language investigations. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 00:42, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Seconded. Also we need a template for putting stranglish text on this wiki. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:59, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

I just noticed that translator often puts a ° or ¯ above last letter in some sentences, just like in stranglish (did we come up with a better name for it yet?). I think this confirms that ° and ¯ is stranglish punctuation. Also since stranglish has punctuation, it can't be substitution cipher applied to lojban. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:It also confirms that we were right about the meaning of the punctuation. ¯ is a period, and (as confirmed by the latest frame) ° is a question mark. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 10:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:: Indeed, in frame [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=2892 2892] ([http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/50f8c0e828c300b959fb23924851f6c592d8fc012dc0b6c0ee07fa1305d78242.png permahash on XKCD]), the girl with long hair seems to say "WHAT RIVER?", and instead of putting a "?", there is a "°" above the last "R". [[User:Jahvascriptmaniac|Jahvascriptmaniac]] ([[User talk:Jahvascriptmaniac|talk]]) 11:29, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

=== New Guy in City ===
How do we call the new guy that appears in {{geekwagon|2819}}? One Suggestion: Black Hat Stranger (He's clearly not [[Black Hat]]). --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 14:19, 15 July 2013 (UTC)
:And maybe calling them "stranger(s)" is actually not appropriate. How about "local(s)" or "native(s)"? --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 16:51, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm guessing the cake-house of the Big Translator Guy is going to look like a sandcastle, thus the Oh, Wow from Megan. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 18:31, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

=== A long haired woman (former: The old guy) in Castle ===
Man that is an atrocious accent. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 13:37, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:Why are we assuming its a 'guy' again? [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 21:45, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::I did edit the entire page (Old man -> is now the Long haired woman), but maybe I did miss some. The main cause of this fault was probably my guess that they did walk to an old man.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:22, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:::The stick figure in the drawing really did look like a bearded guy, so I think it's a reasonable mistake [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:47, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::::At the drawings on the ground they did not show stick figures. The current pictures are real stick figures. So the bear is falling around far over the neck? It's a woman.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:56, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

== Passage of Time ==

I suppose it is safe to assume that the black frame ({{geekwagon|2698}}) represents some indeterminate passage of time, since we do see Cueball now speaking the language of the Beanie-Wearers. What is strange, and perhaps it is just Randall being lazy, is that if you compare the frames before and after the black frame, there is absolutely no changes to vegetation, and very few changes to anything else. Vegetation would have been the biggest culprit to a lengthy time interval. (Again, assuming it took some non-trivial amount of time for Cueball to learn the new language.) --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 20:01, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
:I assume only a few hours have passed. It seems rather that Cueball is only now learning his first word: "water." Presumably the response also means "Yes! water" so then he would know two words, but there is no reason to assume he knows any more than that yet.[[Special:Contributions/79.247.252.250|79.247.252.250]] 20:06, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yeah. I jumped the gun. He's only learned a single word. So just a single sleep has passed. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 22:37, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Cueball did talk something like "watr" and the stranger did correct him "No, water".
:::If you are right, then it looks like a substitution cipher to me. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 21:15, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::BTW: I think we should call this language "Stranglish" until we do not know what it is.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:21, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::Or was that Cueball: "water" and Stranger: "Yes, water?" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:14, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

== Megan's backpack ==
Megan started wearing a backpack after they left the tower. They lost Cueball's backpack when the animal clawed it up, so he carried everything in Megan's to keep weight off her leg. That ointment must be good stuff if she's able to walk with a backpack. The locals must have given her a new one.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:50, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yep, I noticed that. Apparently they gave/loaned her one of their bags. Even so, I notice she was the only one shown ({{geekwagon|2814}}) clambering up a small steep spot, so maybe she's not fully functional yet. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:49, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:Also, I wonder what they did with their "telescope" that they lowered from the tower; and the little folded-up mini-tower. And for that matter, whatever that was leaning against the right leg of the tower from the beginning. All three things seemed to disappear just before they left the scene. They don't seem to be packing them. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:49, 16 July 2013 (UTC)
:: I assume they have some kind of storage at that location to protect their equipment from weather and from animals. They also left some other bigger things, like the ladder and the water container, indicating that they appear to go there frequently. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 12:05, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

== Who are they? ==
If the Great and Powerful OZ steps out from behind a curtain, I'll upchuck. Castles imply a need for defense, yet our adventurous pair and the 'natives' both seem totally relaxed with the discovery of the other. No obvious caution shown, no attempt to discover which side they may be on, etc. In fact, the 'natives' appear to be experienced with the finding of new people and following an established procedure for dealing with them, hence the trip to the castle. If Meagan and Cueball had declined to follow, what would have taken place then? Just a guess but I would say, nothing, each to their separate way.

The one map view strongly suggests, to me, survey work using trigonometry (or some variation) to determine location. It would seem to be a case of figure the location first, get there, then see what you find. The greater and lesser circles are intriguing as well, along with the long, straight lines and other geometrical figures seen. Wish there was a bigger, clearer view of it.[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 00:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:Not all large structures are castles. It could be a cathedral or temple or university. Only Megan called it a castle because of its resemblance to their sandcastle. The castle's inhabitants called it a squiggle-squiggle-squiggle.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 02:41, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::No they call it [[File:Dialog2827.png]] ;). The usage of merlons indicates that it shall have some defense purpose—OTOH, it could be purely decorative. The fact that they all seem very relaxed about meeting strangers and nobody (visibly) carries any kind of weapons or armor suggests the latter. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 07:31, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::So does the fact that there were obviously children playing under the watchful eye of the first person they encountered in the "city." No effort was made to protect children from possible inimical strangers, and no obvious defenses at the school/playground/whatever-it-is at the entry gate. The gate hat guy was very relaxed. (If the "telescope" towers are part of a communications system, they might already know in the city everything they think they need to know about trusting Cueball and Megan, of course.) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
::The question arises, what was the mission of the single stranger with the package/book/box/whatever, who met them on the way, spoke a few words, and continued on toward the tower that the group had just left. Could have been a replacement watcher on the mountain. But then why did all three strangers need to leave the post and come to the city with Cueball and Megan? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:::I think most of that conversation was "Hello" and "Good bye" or some variants of that. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:33, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Probably the "strangers" ought to be called the "castle people" since that is how Megan and Cueball seem to think of them. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 09:35, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:How about "mountain people"? I agree that "stranger(s)" does not seem appropriate anymore—after all, they are at least a local majority. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:33, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Maybe the castle is there to defend humans against other creatures. So other humans are always welcome, even if they don't wear silly hats.[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.242|134.102.219.242]] 12:58, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:That would still hardly explain the merlons—unless these creatures are somehow able to shot at higher ranges. Maybe they are currently at peace with all their neighbors, but expect a war in the future. (BTW: Greetings colleague! (According to your IP-address)) --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 17:14, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone thought of looking at obscure languages with odd script texts? Georgian? Sri Lanka? Thai?{{unsigned ip|164.165.173.219}}
:I was speculating about some language like Esperanto or [[Lojban]], encrypted with a simple substitution cypher. But I have not investigated that further. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 17:14, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

They could be adding to an extant structure - historically not an uncommon practice. So the merlons could be historic. As a side note, are there levers and pivots in the glass window? Maybe this is the temple of engineering?? ~~rbnm
:Or just using past motifs. Look at all the Grecian columns and medieval merlons and gargoyles and what-not that went into subsequent architecture. Nothing is more full of tradition (right along with innovation) than architecture. As for the "temple of engineering" it might just be that the whole city is the "Engineers." (Not Larry Niven's Engineers.) Whatever their role, they might be causing the sea level to rise through an engineering project, thinking that no one lives down by the sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

:Those might be "levers and pivots." They might also be telescope mounts and astronomical objects. It's a very interesting window. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:11, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

It's interesting that the castle is mostly underground. I wonder if the "little houses" also extend underground? And I wonder if this is a sign this is a very hot climate for the Beanies / Long-haired woman (I like the idea of naming her Hypatia, as was suggested elsewhere.) If it's hot for them up on the mountain where it is significantly cooler to Cuegan, maybe that explains why they didn't think there were people down in the sea basin. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 22:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Underground, an interesting theory but, many such structures had several levels below ground level, so as to reach the bedrock wherein to support the massive stone structure above. Once dug, why waste it, especially if it provided a comfortable environment? Still, the temperature theory is interesting.
If one takes the images with the partially obscured text and play with the brightness and contrast, you can make out many more words, which do not seem to be spoken aloud. Are these sub-conscious thoughts dealing with translation or something a tad more sinister? (I just saw the image change over at :40 after the hour. Just a hiccup on my browser or are these frames speeding up?)[[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 23:56, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Has anyone transcribed the blurred English words? Having trouble with a few.[[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 13:04, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:Just created a page to address this topic. See [[1190:_Time:_Translator|Translator]]. If someone could wikify that, that'd rock. I'm wiki-dumb and it shows on that page. --[[User:1292|1292]] ([[User talk:1292|talk]]) 14:53, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

== Translator's Blurry Text ==

Since a lot of the stuff the translator is saying is hard to read, I figured we should have a place to get everyone's opinions on it. So I made a [[1190:_Time:_Translator|Translator]] page where it can be discussed.{{unsigned ip|74.95.85.209}}

I make that out as "What is forty? My numbers are no same." [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 16:51, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
Meagan and Cueball explain why they are there. In reply I read it as "You do not know. I make sea rise." [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 17:10, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
:The main Explain XDCD page has all the text of the whole comic and is doing a pretty good job with the blurred text [[1190:_Time#Scene_3_-_Part_3_.28Inside_the_castle.29|Scene 3 Inside Castle]]--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:25, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::This page can be used for investigations, but the images should zoom in much more on the text. The final explain has to go here for sure: [[1190:_Time#Scene_3_-_Part_3_.28Inside_the_castle.29|Scene 3 Inside Castle]]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:06, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::I added links to the images from the main transcript. Perhaps the translator page should be deleted. Individual panes/phrases can be debated on the image's page, and updated in the main transcript.--[[User:Waitforit|Waitforit]] ([[User talk:Waitforit|talk]]) 20:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
::: And I did delete it, we just need a link to this experimental page, that's enough. And the pictures still need some more improvements. At transcript we basically only show the text.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

== Why the sea is rising ==
Now we know why the sea is rising. I wonder if the castle people connected the two seas intentionally, or if it was an act of nature.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 18:43, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

:the way the long haired woman says there was a great ?????? seems like an natural thing, maybe an earthquake that shut the gibraltar passage [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 04:44, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:Yes, but that was the ''closing'' of the passage 5.96 million years before our present time. Hair Woman is surprisingly knowledgeable about the evolution of hominids, and when her ancestors "first learned to walk upright" about that time. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_human_evolution. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
::Maybe she has Wikipedia too.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 02:35, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
:As for the opening of the passage in Cueball/Megan/Hair Woman time, H.W. says "When we discovered that the sea was ???/flowing under the bank we tried to shore it up. We failed." No indication what, if any, geological or human-caused event may have started it, and no need for there to be one, actually. No reason it couldn't have been gradual seepage even by geological measure, let alone human measure. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

== Do you know where you are? ==

Aw yea, finally! I just hope that we don't get another 500 frames with 2 bits of dialogue (like when they left the beach) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 22:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

I'm guessing we are less than 100 feet above the "higher" sea. Sort of a dead-sea kind of difference (>1k ft) [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 22:05, 18 July 2013 (UTC)

So they are in the Mediterranean Sea. We can see Italy and to the left the Strait of Gibraltar leading to the Atlantic ocean. Would this have been thousands of years ago? [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 01:18, 19 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

If this article[http://www.livescience.com/10607-colossal-flood-created-mediterranean-sea.html] is right, about 5.3 million years ago.

Which makes me wonder if we're in the far future. Castles and such large architecture is only a few thousand years old. So was there an earthquake that closed the Straights of Gibraltar again, and the Mediterranean dried up? And it's now filling up again?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 01:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

{{geekwagon|2909}} confirms that this is the future, as it refers to it happening before, when our ancestors ("parents") were learning to walk upright, i.e. 3-6 million years ago. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 06:44, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

ATLANTIS!!!! [[Special:Contributions/98.201.4.16|98.201.4.16]] 01:34, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Is the castle Chateau D'If in France? --[[Special:Contributions/203.0.215.2|203.0.215.2]] 01:41, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

It does resemble Chateau D'If. [http://www.carhirex.com/cheap-car-hire/france-car-hire/chateau-dif-in-marseille]. The distant future is sounding more reasonable than the distant past. [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 01:48, 19 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

That certainly looks like the modern Mediterranean sea, now doesn't it? [[Special:Contributions/24.22.89.85|24.22.89.85]] 02:47, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

Not only that, if you look at the map which shows the channel, the location of the castle is highlighted and it does correspond to the location of Chateau D'If. --[[Special:Contributions/203.0.215.2|203.0.215.2]] 04:11, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I don't think there is any doubt. The castle is the Chateau d'If. The correspondence on the map to Marseille harbor is exact. The map and the outline of the castle are pretty explicit, including the depiction of the Strait of Gibraltar as the "passage" between seas. So if the level of the Atlantic is anywhere near our own, they will end up on the Île d'If. If higher, who knows. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

This is a future version of Julian May's "The Many-Colored Land." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

By the way, Cueball and Megan have walked quite a long distance. On Hair Woman's map their home appears to be due south of If, same longitude, and roughly at the latitude of Sassari, Sardinia. A minute of latitude is a nautical mile, essentially, and they walked a polygonal path, not a straight line north; a couple hundred nautical miles, at least. That's a long walk. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:30, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

What if this is the map from http://what-if.xkcd.com/53/ where the Earth's oceans had been drained? That shows the Strait of Gibraltar having been cut off from a now much-receded Mediterranean sea![[Special:Contributions/155.95.80.253|155.95.80.253]] 15:36, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

I wonder if the flag in frame 2944 (and 2812) is intended to be a marker for the new sea level? [[Special:Contributions/173.212.109.235|173.212.109.235]] 19:15, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Assuming this is the Mediterranean sea[http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/medsea.htm], the predicted sea level map in frame 2907 shows that the Balearic Islands will become completely submerged. Since the highest point on the Balearic Islands is 1432 meters above sea level [http://www.islasbaleares.com/en/general-information-about-balearic-islands.html], and Chateau D'If isn't nearly as high, wouldn't Chateau D'If become completely submerged as well? Or maybe the Translator just omitted the Balearic Islands from the map. I'm guessing the latter is true. [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 21:50, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

See the file : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Inserciomamifers.jpg for a dried mediterranean.

== "How many people strong are you?" ==

Am I the only one who finds the "strangers" a little sinister? Especially this question. It reminded me of the scene in Invader Zim when he asks the teacher about Earth'd defences... [[Special:Contributions/77.87.179.62|77.87.179.62]] 07:56, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=PL8BC075BA3A6D336D&v=k453j0d6WEk#t=351s found the clip! [[Special:Contributions/77.87.179.62|77.87.179.62]] 07:56, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
:No, you're not the only one. Megan reacted that way when Hair Woman asked them for their bags, for example. Both our protagonists looked uncomfortable when she sent away the three individuals that had helped them and brought them to the castle. And remember the hill people, and the discussion between M and C of the people on the mountain being -- maybe, hopefully -- different, since they are a long way from the hills. Also Hair Woman said "Yes! Good." when she understood the number 40. The suspense is intentional, I am sure. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:Also when Cueball was talking about the people in the hill where their river comes from Megan said, "They don't like us," implies that there is some level of antagonism between peoples in this world and that they didn't know what to expect from the castle people.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 08:39, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

:An alternate interpretation of "Yes! Good." would be "only 40 will have drowned." [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 13:57, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

::The "Oh" and "OH" just after indicate she didn't know they weren't there and was taken aback that they weren't even aware. [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 10:50, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:I interpreted it as "Yes! Good. I understand, I get it." [[User:Caraway|Caraway]] ([[User talk:Caraway|talk]]) 15:08, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

== Surveying equipment ==
I'll bet their instruments are intended to judge the level of the Atlantic and to determine if they will be an island or completely swamped. They were also used to draw the map of their guess about the future sea level.--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 08:46, 19 July 2013 (UTC)

: According to frame 2605, the Beanies could see Cuegan's home. But the beanie leader claims they did not spot them. Further indication of malicious intent? [[Special:Contributions/212.219.143.98|212.219.143.98]] 15:26, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
: 2605 shows that Cueball and Megan knew where there home was, to point to it, but not necessarily that they could /see/ anything. No instruments appeared to be mounted in that tower. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 17:51, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

== Title text ==
When did the hovertext change to "RUN."? --deepfatfriar 20JUL13
:Great catch! I wonder what else we missed... (You can sign your posts by typing 4 ~'s in a row) [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 16:54, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
:Checked out the Wikia page. Luckily, we didn't miss much. The title text is "Wait for it." up until this frame (exclusive): [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/13/time2925.png] That frame has a text of "...", and all frames since have read "RUN." [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 17:06, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
:Frame 3076 has the text back to "...". When did it change? [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 02:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::Here: [http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/3067] Although, technically that frame reads '....', but all frames since read '...' [[User:Bdemirci|Bdemirci]] ([[User talk:Bdemirci|talk]]) 03:13, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
Now (frame 3077 at geekwagon) it's back to '...'[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 03:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: And a brief investigation shows it's been that way since 3072gw.[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 03:42, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

== The story of Gibraltar ==

Did the learner/teacher/leader/ruler know the truth? She did some guesses and used a map that their people had found. I can't imagine their parents did travel 2.000 kilometers to Gibraltar, Megan and Cueball must have walked to a level more than 1.000 meters above their home, and also several hundreds of kilometers. A Cougar does not belong to Europe; they were walking to a higher level, running out of breath. At sea level? I'm pretty sure this story is still not solved.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:49, 20 July 2013 (UTC)
: People can have trouble with elevation differences as low as 1500m. It's a common problem where I live (at 1640m). If the estimates of the vertical distance traversed are wrong because Randall has been imprecise, maybe they're that far up.[[Special:Contributions/71.212.147.246|71.212.147.246]] 00:04, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:: The castle is at sea level, though (+/- 100m given than the strip is apparently 14,000 years in the future.) I don't think one would have trouble breathing at sea level, even if they live one thousand meters below sea level. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 05:38, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
: We don't know that it was a cougar though, do we? That was just people's assumption. It could have been a lynx, or some other big feline. ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 21:12, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
::I just did say: "this story is still not solved". Maybe the Cougar is wrong or even much more. Did we follow them on a journey of a couple of hundred kilometers? I'm still not convinced in that. But when they will successful use their stolen maps it could be a prove (or not, we haven't seen that local maps jet). Nevertheless, we know their castle is flooded.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:59, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

Now that we have their location, did anyone try to match it up against the night sky from Scene 2 - Part 6 in order to see how far in the future the action might be taking place? It should be easier to make more accurate predictions now, right?--[[User:Michael85|Michael85]] ([[User talk:Michael85|talk]]) 23:46, 20 July 2013 (UTC)

Please do not start a new topic for each post here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:39, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:And since you do not read, this story is NOT solved.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:48, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
::I followed closely this whole thread ever since it started, but I haven't joined the discussion until now. Anyway, I haven't seen any update to the star map investigation and I was curious. Sorry for barging in.--[[User:Michael85|Michael85]] ([[User talk:Michael85|talk]]) 18:05, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:::Hey, it's a wiki. Do barge right in! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:27, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

There is a nice artist's conception of the Zanclean Flood at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Roger_Pibernat_-_landscape_-_messianic_med-1024x768.jpg [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
It's not quite the same configuration as Randall's sea basin, but similar. The flood has its own wiki page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanclean_flood. I really do not think there is any doubt that Randall's story takes place in a far-future (possibly with liberties taken) Mediterranean Basin, and Hair Woman's castle is the Chateau d'If under restoration. The original Messinian Salinity Crisis (q.v.) is estimated to have taken a thousand years or so to stabilize once the Gibraltar (and possibly other) passage(s) closed, presumably as a result of tectonic activity under the influence of the two opposing Chinaal plates colliding at the site of the present Mediterranean Sea. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

I do believe it quite likely that Hair Woman's people's ancestors/forbears already were spread as far west as Gibraltar, which would explain why her people know about the Atlantic seeping in, and then flowing, through the barrier. She said they attempted to reinforce the barrier, but failed, so certainly they were there at Gibraltar in the "present time" of the story. And to draw ("build" she said) the outlines on the map, they had to have information about the second sea basin on the other side of Italy-Sardinia and the outlines of what we call the Adriatic, etc. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 05:45, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:The sea they are use to must be rather hypersaline for them to consider the incoming water (from the Atlantic?) to be be "fresh"

::It sounds like they're used to water which is salty enough to float on. In any case, hypersalinity makes sense if it's the mostly-dried-up remnant of the Mediterranean.[[Special:Contributions/129.22.117.158|129.22.117.158]] 19:11, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

"I think there's stuff floating on the sea... I think something on the sea." {{geekwagon|3024}} and {{geekwagon|3025}} -- Ship? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 23:30, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

:I wonder if "Oh, OH" meant she knew a way to rescue the 40 people by getting word to someone with a boat. Radio?--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 00:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

== PNG time chunks changed on the xkcd server ==

The images mirrored http://xkcd.mscha.org/ and those served by xkcd servers differs in two PNG 'tEXt' chunks with keywords 'date:create' and 'date:modify', which appears to contain the original timestamps. Images from mscha.org have wide range of these timestamps, indicating that the images weren't produced all at the same time. But the same frames downloaded from xkcd servers now have their time values set to "2013-05-01T15:11:05-04:00", so either mscha or xkcd must have modified the PNGs. The compressed image data seems to be modified, too.

Also note that the copy of the first frame found at mscha.org has been edited by Photoshop, because the PNG structure is different from all the others and contains a color profile beginning with "Photoshop ICC profile".

[[Special:Contributions/78.108.152.10|78.108.152.10]] 14:37, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

:Since May 3, 2013 all original files have this modification timestamp at EDT (UTC -4:00): "2013-05-01 11:22:58.000000000". So it's a fake by Randall.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:40, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

== Terrain Map ==

I marked up a bathymetric map of the north-west Mediterranean with the data from the Beanie map, plus extrapolated data about locations and paths: [[:File:TimeTerrainMap.png]]

The good news is, Megball can save about a third of the distance by their direct path through the hills. The bad news is, it's about a 50 mile journey from the likely location of the "tents" to the first part of the ridge they need to take to safety. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 05:00, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

:Great work! Are the white spaces just regions lacking bathymetric data? My speculation is that the "40" will already be on the move. The original "sand" castle (as much salt as sand? It certainly was a sculptable medium anyway) was implied to be underwater in the three frames with the rocking bucket on the waves. Beret Girl was down there just as C+M were leaving, dragging something. They will not have been caught totally by surprise. Perhaps the C+M's upper "castle" construction will end up being a raft? Or perhaps they have packed up their tents and are already heading for high ground? They might have seen the Hill People leaving, or...who knows. We still have to "wait for it" even as C+M "run." (That cat sure is scared of running Megan! It took off like a...scared cat! You could say, "caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.") [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:25, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
::Yup, the white spots where spots this survey hadn't finished yet, though there's been other bathymetric work so we know they are mostly flat. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 17:09, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

:Current research suggests neither years, nor days, but months for the basin to fill from the Atlantic the last time, in the 5.6mya event; but this one can be whatever Randall wants it to be. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:25, 22 July 2013 (UTC)

Cueball is concerned that the water is fresh. Although this may seem to disprove the theory that the Atlantic is flooding into the Mediterranean, it actually doesn't. Notice that Cueball "felt" that something was strange. What was strange was that they were accustomed to an extremely salty sea. Can you imagine filling up the Mediterranean Sea with ocean water then cutting it off from the Atlantic and allowing it to evaporate down to the size of C&M's sea? It would be extremely salty and you could float easily in it. The water from the Atlantic Ocean is nowhere near that salty so Cueball interprets it as fresh water. This will cause problems with the rescue because these people are not used to swimming in water that's not super salty. They can't float like they're used to and risk drowning. [[Special:Contributions/198.103.184.76|198.103.184.76]] 16:32, 23 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck
:My thought too. He does say "Not as fresh as a river", which means it's still salty, but much less so than the sea they're used to. I'm reminded of the Dead Sea, which also has a very high salinity. This makes the water tasting and spluttering in the beginning (while building the sand castle) make a lot of sense. I guess I have to go back and read it all again now that we have some context. ~Therrufying [[Special:Contributions/83.233.5.126|83.233.5.126]] 18:36, 23 July 2013 (UTC)
::"Not as fresh as a river"--we also now know why Megan and Cueball couldn't get Cueball's water bottle when it fell in the river at 920:00. They never learned to swim without the high salinity helping them float.[[User:Vicky715|Vicky715]] ([[User talk:Vicky715|talk]]) 23:36, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

Another map, with better resolution, of the rising water levels: [[:File:rising-water.png]] [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 06:39, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
:How 'bout that - you can even see Ile D'If. [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 08:28, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

== Moving 'mound'? ==

I've got a feeling.. that it's beret girl and the 'platform' from way back in the first 'act'! - "10:02, 24 July 2013‎ 98.144.105.195"

:Your feeling is accurate. The return of Beret Girl! "I found my cousin." "Here we come to save the day!" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:Well, I have a feeling that since you made your edit (without signing it) ''after'' Beret Girl reappeared you actually mean "the ''same'' beret girl". [[Special:Contributions/121.72.165.205|121.72.165.205]] 10:27, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:in the frames she shows up with the upper platform, what are the small moving parts in the lower area? allready floating stuff? [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 10:59, 24 July 2013 (UTC)
::Well, she did say "I turned it into a boat." I guess that means floating stuff. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:11, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

Beret Girl said "boat" and I congratulate her resourcefulness but, I wonder if she meant "raft" instead. (Let us not dwell heavily on the difference.) Is there any doubt now that Randall has been planning this for a long time, in fair detail? He seemed to have responded, to some degree, to some of the postings made here on the Wiki, yet I wonder if perhaps it was just coincidence? [[User:Riprap|Riprap]] ([[User talk:Riprap|talk]]) 14:41, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

So to theft (the maps) do we now add looting? What they are taking was left behind by others who evacuated in the face of a natural disaster. Our tribe seems not to have needed these things before, back in the sand castle days, but are taking advantage of this opportunity to load up on stuff now. I hope they don't sink the raft under their loot. deepfatfriar [[Special:Contributions/75.109.36.232|75.109.36.232]] 17:02, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

That might be the tribes own camp. They may have moved the camp up into the hills to pick up the stuff that was left behind. Also, if there us no reasonable chance of the former owner getting it back I think the proper term is "salvaging" or "scavenging" not "looting". [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 19:40, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
: I was under the impression that it was the tribes' own camp. We already knew they were tent-dwellers- Yurt dwellers by the looks! [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 02:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

This has to be one of the best dialogues Randall has ever written: "Why is everything flooding? Why is the water full of trees? Why do you have little tables covered in sand?" [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 21:05, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 3060 "Is there any way to keep us pointing forward?" "We could start calling this the front." Clearly, someone is a mathematician. [[User:JimmyK4542|JimmyK4542]] ([[User talk:JimmyK4542|talk]]) 21:37, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
:...rubbed elbows with 'em, anyway. :) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:22, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

33 heads {{geekwagon|3072}} << "About forty of us" {{geekwagon|2896}}. Where are the others? [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 22:10, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
: I counted 33... then 29... then 26... where are they going??? (ps, fixed your second link.) [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 00:06, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::Behind the hanging curtain? [[Special:Contributions/50.139.68.248|50.139.68.248]] 00:19, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:: It's a bit of a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sljSf7KVlQ lifeboat scenario] [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 00:40, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:: Well, Randall knows we are watching and counting! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 01:22, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::: Now down to 18 visible people. Cueball and Megan were among the first to disappear. If they're all under the enclosure, it must be pretty cozy. [[Special:Contributions/24.218.148.222|24.218.148.222]] 03:52, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::: Almost certainly they are. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Frame 3072 - Title text has once again changed to "...." [[User:Uglystick|Uglystick]] ([[User talk:Uglystick|talk]]) 22:12, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
:GREAT find, has to be mentioned when we do know what's the next.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:24, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

It's a Yurt!!! [[Special:Contributions/184.155.116.49|184.155.116.49]] Polecat
: Yes. They lived in yurts in their village by the sea. They took some down to use in enhancing their platform-boat-raft, and apparently brought along many of the spare parts. These people seem to be very quick and very clever at improvising, even on the water. And very logical thinkers in an emergency. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I have no idea what is going on. The "boat" looks like it's moving over land in 3079/3080, not floating on water. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 06:20, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

:I think that is not land, but debris floating on the water. [[User:Sumitimus|Sumitimus]] ([[User talk:Sumitimus|talk]]) 07:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yes. In 3076 a big swell caused the whole group to stagger and fall down. In 3079 and 3080 more waves, and smaller ones in 3081 and 3082. Both rafts have been on the water since they first spotted the remaining party with the second raft. Now there are flying fish! (in 3082.) The thing that may save them is that their construction methods seem to make use of lots of flexible members and perhaps lashings for fasteners; their rafts can apparently flex with the waves. So long as they don't get overwhelmed. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

You would think there would be considerable air movement. I wonder if they will figure out the concept of a sea anchor, or if it would even help. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 08:23, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

And we're back to building sandcastles on top of the raft with the left-over sand there. I guess the story is going to move slowly for a while again. We'll have to "Wait for it" even though the hover-over text has gone back to "RUN." [[Special:Contributions/198.103.184.76|198.103.184.76]] 12:47, 26 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck

<blockquote> I think that is not land, but debris floating on the water. Sumitimus (talk) 07:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)</blockquote>

It's [http://kosmo.hubpages.com/hub/What-Should-I-Know-about-the-Earths-Floating-Islands-of-Garbage# Gilligan's Island]! Sorry couldn't help it.[[Special:Contributions/69.126.70.32|69.126.70.32]] 19:02, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

I feel like Randall is playing a little too fast and loose with the science here. I mean, this MASSIVE influx of water never overwhelms their makeshift rafts, carries them all the way to land, deposits them gentle on the shore, and then suddenly stops rising, without even pulling back? Did he decide he needed to speed things along, as the comic was becoming too time consuming? [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 19:08, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:At the pictures you can see many big bags filled with air attached to the raft. This does work fine. And because they did not steering their vessel they just reach land again by random.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:33, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

== The End ==

Oh my. What a letdown. [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:03, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:Nevertheless, a wonderful ride. A ''tour de force''. Randall is a genius at minimalism. Stick figures with no faces, all individuals, with full expression and body language; and his fans practically crash the internet. :) [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 13:52, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, that's it? I mean it's a nice story, but not much of a climax/denouement. [[Special:Contributions/66.66.107.178|66.66.107.178]] 20:05, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::You could see the writing on the wall with how he sped through the rescue, but that's seriously anticlimactic. I mean, it couldn't go on forever, but it feels like he just ran out of Time. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 20:15, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:::Well, I sure couldn't see the writing on the wall when he started to rush the story - I mean, he depicted the climb from the point where they meet the tribe (which is shortly before the dunes) to the castle in about 1500 frames - more than a month worth of story, I think - while the descent was depicted in just about 100 frames. So, when he started to rush things, my reaction was thinking that something big was about to happen; and I think that's why I (and others here) are disappointed at how it ended. I suppose Randall started to get tired and just wanted to be done with it, but maybe he could've wrapped it up a bit better. He made an awesome job on the whole, yeah, but I do get that "Lost" feeling - anticlimatic, and a few things left unexplained. --[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 16:46, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
:I'm not sure, maybe we will get a sequel. But the original image links now to [[http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/ geekwagon]] and the title text is "The end.". I'm waiting just for the next hour, then it should be clear, or not?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
::We're all junkies now--we'll still be hitting refresh a week from now, hoping it might just change... In the end, though, that was the real brilliance of it. Not the story, but the way making us wait for each frame gave every little moment of it so much more weight, by giving us the time to anticipate and speculate and imagine for ourselves. It had to end eventually, but it was an amazing thing. [[User:KenBrown|KenBrown]] ([[User talk:KenBrown|talk]]) 20:27, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
:As ggh said: "Wow. Maybe we ''are'' supposed to draw it now." http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=101043&start=50160#p3422078 [[Special:Contributions/174.27.36.133|174.27.36.133]] 20:43, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

So, is it time to pin down the skydate more accurately? [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 20:34, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: We have one date that matches, so someone with patience could do the math for when Venus's cycle of reappearing in the same spot and Jupiter's almost-12 year cycle of doing the same match up again, and then test the star movements to see which is closest. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:33, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

Be patient, this is NOT the END, maybe just a fading out, but images still do get updates.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:12, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: Writing a program to make the raft and water wiggle around forever (maybe even with tides?) would not be *that* hard. [[Special:Contributions/216.239.45.91|216.239.45.91]] 21:19, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: The final frame is a link to geekwagon now, so it may really be over. I've enjoyed my time watching and waiting and lurking through the discussion. Thank you, Randall, and thank you all for the wonderful discussion. [[User:Lizzard|Lizzard]] ([[User talk:Lizzard|talk]]) 03:57, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

If Randall is reading: Thanks for the story. We all loved it. [[Special:Contributions/206.191.28.43|206.191.28.43]] 21:25, 26 July 2013 (UTC)dbuck
:I very much enjoyed following the story, but am also very much disappointed in how it ended. --[[Special:Contributions/68.147.179.172|68.147.179.172]] 01:16, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Thank you Randall for the nice story! The End remembers me of Lucasarts-Adventures... May someday a new frame appears with "That's really the end, you can shutdown your computer now" ;-) [[User:Joggl|Joggl]] ([[User talk:Joggl|talk]]) 11:47, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

:I wouldn't believed it anyway. I recommend checking the comics until the xkcd.com address is resolvable. Is the updating script prepared for eventual IPv4 deprecation? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 16:21, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

We still get updates every hour, even when most pictures are not new. The latest NEW picture was on 02:00, 27 July 2013 (EDT), ten hours after the "end frame".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:53, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
: Not anymore, it loops over now. [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/data/log.html Check the log.] [[Special:Contributions/83.8.27.154|83.8.27.154]] 15:11, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
:: Yeah, based upon that log, except for glitches, from midnight Geekwagon time, it is repeating:
:::3099
:::3097
:::3098
:::3095
:::3099
:::3098
:::3097
:::3096
:::3095
:::3099
:::3098
:::3097
:::3097
:::3098
:::3097
:::3096
:::3095
:::3098
:::3095
:::3099
:::3098
:::3097
:::3096
:::3095
::
::[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 08:11, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

I think it's time to change the text on the main page to reflect the fact that the comic has actually ended. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 00:13, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

== The Bit After the Credits ==

I thought that we might get one, and indeed something is coming into view under the bush on the right. I am expecting the hedgehog, possibly pursued by the wildcat, whose choices on who to eat continue to be painful. There are really the only two extraneous elements that haven't been wrapped up. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 23:31, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

What about the chirps from way up high when they were up on the mountain? Or the baby bird and it's mother?
Or the other tribes from the hills? {{unsigned|98.144.105.195}}
:Well, we only got a tiny tease anyway, sniff. No aftercredits bit. [[User:Tavella|Tavella]] ([[User talk:Tavella|talk]]) 16:27, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

:What about giving back the maps. And what did Cueball mean? "M: Along with the maps, I should've stolen a guide to treating injuries. Ooh, and one on how they make those pointing devices in the towers..." C responds: "Um..." Did he take something? What was it? Hmm... [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 12:53, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
::I thought the "Um..." was like, "Um, maybe we shouldn't be quite so eager to steal stuff". [[Special:Contributions/50.139.68.248|50.139.68.248]] 13:26, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
So it has ended, Thank you Mr. Munroe. By my estimation 3099 frames is about 1/5th of what Watterson did in 10 years. WOW.
So now it's time to go outside and build some sandcastles of our own. Hey we can be re-enactors!! [[Special:Contributions/184.155.116.49|184.155.116.49]] Polecat
:3102 frames archived at http://xkcd.mscha.org - geekwagon's archive is missing three early frames. The complete sequence can be viewed starting from http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/1. [[User:Filron|Filron]] ([[User talk:Filron|talk]]) 05:33, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
I wish there WERE credits. I would love to get Randall's view on what his original idea was, whether he fashioned the whole story from the beginning or if it started simple and evolved into this post-apocalyptic drama, what his inspirations were, what real-wold sources he used to develop the science, a language translation, etc. I loved the whole series and checked daily (mostly) and don't think the ending in any way diminished the richness of the whole. As usually happens with XKCD, it spawned some wonderful discussions, speculations and scientific explorations. We don't usually get much explanation and I don't anticipate much from this one, either, but it doesn't make me long for it (or am I missing something). Thank you for the wonderful four month exercise in patience. Every time XKCD does something amazing that I think cannot be topped, Randall always comes up with something that amazes me. What's next? I guess I have to, "Wait for it."--[[User:Gerry|Gerry]] ([[User talk:Gerry|talk]]) 16:47, 28 July 2013 (UTC)
:Randall [http://blog.xkcd.com/2013/07/29/1190-time/ posted about it] with a few insights into the process, and some "special thanks" stuff. Looks like it's done for real.--[[User:Fernandofig|Fernandofig]] ([[User talk:Fernandofig|talk]]) 17:22, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

It's sad having to go back to getting new XKCD comics on MWF. I really enjoyed getting to read new stuff everyday. [[User:Puck0687|Puck0687]] ([[User talk:Puck0687|talk]]) 13:55, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

== Second night ==

The second night is darker [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=3081 on geekwagon] than on [http://xkcd.mscha.org/viewer/3076 mscha] and aubronwood, which both use [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/f8683dd615aa9a2b0768f32e26b5c08c6a2ff176414d5cdd84bebf005eb224a6.png this image from xkcd.com]. Did we miss a rapid animation? [[User:Jahvascriptmaniac|Jahvascriptmaniac]] ([[User talk:Jahvascriptmaniac|talk]]) 14:31, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

:I've been logging on 1 minutes intervals and got only the normal hourly change around there. [[Special:Contributions/99.72.154.66|99.72.154.66]] 16:32, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

:: Thanks, I guess what geekwagon.net caught was just a minor glitch then. [[User:Jahvascriptmaniac|Jahvascriptmaniac]] ([[User talk:Jahvascriptmaniac|talk]]) 18:29, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

== Internal XKCD Referencing ==

Can's spot a "Referenced in"-like section in the existing Main or Talk listings, and I don't even know if anyone's going to read this addition to the Talk and take it seriously, but the final picture of http://what-if.xkcd.com/83/ (an image of someone building a sandcastle in a "solar sandpit") has the title-text "Just to be clear, this image does not update every hour..." And I'm sure that's not the first one I've seen (but right now it escapes me what the others were). FYI, however, for anyone who comes along to search for this kind of info. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.177|141.101.99.177]] 04:54, 12 February 2014 (UTC)
:Glad someone mentioned it here. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.227|108.162.212.227]] 18:07, 6 August 2017 (UTC)

== Bird in tree ==

From 1539 to 1543 in the tree you can see small movements if you look close enough.

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.4|108.162.221.4]]

== Rest of xkcd ==

I think that other comics should have this animation as an option. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.40|108.162.245.40]] 01:33, 19 November 2016 (UTC)

== Upriver vs. downriver ==

When Megan and Cueball find the second river, they travel and eventually get to a place where it joins up with another river; this presumably means that they are traveling downriver. However, they then say "let's continue upriver". Which is it? --[[User:Emperor-Nathan|Emperor-Nathan]] ([[User talk:Emperor-Nathan|talk]]) 05:29, 5 January 2020 (UTC)
:I think it splits instead of joining, so upriver. [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] ([[User talk:Beanie|talk]]) 12:03, 11 December 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2372: Dialect Quiz

2024-09-26T09:46:01Z

Anonymous64: Thank god they didn't change my username

Fun fact: shallots, scallops, and scallions ran against each other in [[1529: Bracket]]. (This will probably end up in the Trivia tab when one is created.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.10.135|172.69.10.135]] 20:50, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
:Apparently "scallops" is used in the UK for 'potato fritters', but in ''my'' youth in family camping trips the term was used for (fried) potato slices - like 'chips' (UK type) in thickness, but cut only in one dimension, not two. Often in the same pan, at the same time, as the sausages for the first night's meal, so with the distinct taste of lard and sausage-fat. I assume there's other names for this (greasy, possibly slightly charred/sausage-char-coated in places) delicacy. Similar slices (from boiled tatties, which might have been the preprepared state of the slices fried as above) were also ate un(re)heated in a salad/generic packed-lunch context. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.247|162.158.158.247]] 18:23, 16 October 2020 (UTC)
::My (US) experience is the phrase "scalloped potatoes" [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 23:27, 17 October 2020 (UTC)

Cosmetology both sounds like "Cosmology" but it's also the fancy word for people who study cosmetics. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.92|172.68.174.92]] 21:22, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
: Aren't stars the people we took cosmetics advice from before there were influencers? Or are they the same thing? Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.102|162.158.155.102]] 00:55, 15 October 2020 (UTC)

I mean the water fountains might as well be gutter pipes
21:49, 14 October 2020 (UTC)

@kswoll: Pretty sure this is a direct parody of the NYTimes quiz here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html

* I agree, this was also tweeted about 3 days earlier by Nate Silver [https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1315348221565206530] - based on [[2371: Election Screen Time]], it's likely that Randall saw that tweet [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.27|162.158.62.27]] 03:29, 15 October 2020 (UTC)

The Google pronunciation question might be a reference to a reference to [https://youtu.be/epj8OzP6z-M?t=177 a scene] from the second-to-last episode of Halt and Catch Fire. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.165|162.158.79.165]] 23:35, 14 October 2020 (UTC)

My guess is it is a reference to Yahoo another search engine that had commercials with high pitched yelp and some might put emphasis on either the "Ya" or the "hoo"

While I agree that most people know what a hammer is, this is not hammer - or rather, may not be considered "standard" hammer. Personally I would call it "Hammer with that thing for pulling nails out", but I could be easily convinced that it has some other name which doesn't include the word "hammer", instead of (presumably correct) {{w|claw hammer}}. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:55, 14 October 2020 (UTC)
:My feeling is that claw hammers are the type of hammer that most people are familiar with, and would consider the archetype of hammer. If you go to {{w|hammer}} the first picture is a claw hammer. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]]
:: Objection, your honor! In German, this would be called a "Zimmermannshammer" (carpenter's hammer, which IS a claw hammer). But the Plato hammer has a simple wedge on the other side. Maybe a German almost never has the need to pull out nails again, /schweinhund/! :-) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.103|162.158.158.103]] 08:08, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 06:02, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
::: Well, this quiz is about English dialects, so German words aren't very relevant, and that term includes "hammer" as part of it anyway, as with most terms an English speaker would call this type of hammer, as people would indeed recognize it as a type of hammer and understand anyone referring to it as just "hammer" even if they might have a more specific name for the variety of hammer it is. People would not normally use the terms listed here for it.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.109|162.158.74.109]] 08:49, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
* Yeah, I was thinking it was a claw hammer, also. I do have a friend that pronounces the word jen-er-uh, even though I have specifically said the word correctly around him after he has used it. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 00:40, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
:: "genera" is a word. I typed it into Google, marvelled at the incomprehensible phonetic version, and tapped a speaker button. My computer said "Genera" and a box popped up that reads "Learn to pronounce", which I consider to be rude. But after all, I pressed the button. Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.225|162.158.158.225]] 00:51, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
::Russian probe sent to Venus? And I'm so confident about that, that I shall not even check before posting. (No idea how it's said in Russian, but the Anglophone versios doesn't differ between anglophonic countries as much as "Moscow" does.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.72|162.158.155.72]] 01:34, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
::Yeah, yeah, so I now know I merged two different Russian space-thingies. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.140|162.158.159.140]] 01:40, 15 October 2020 (UTC)

Ok, who’s the joker that put “Citation needed” at the end of “ "Google" is not generally pronounced with a high-pitched yelp on either syllable.[citation needed]”
:I was about to do the same myself (i.e., put "Citation needed" about pronunciation of 'Google') until I read the note about Yahoo. But isn't 'Citation needed' used as a bit of a running joke in Explain xkcd, placed after bold claims that nobody would actually challenge because they're obviously correct?{{Citation needed}}[[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.43|162.158.166.43]] 02:10, 17 October 2020 (UTC)

"Many-legged scaly creature" makes me think of silverfish, centipedes or millipedes, though they have exoskeletons rather than scales, and ''certainly'' don't eat light bulbs. It seems to me that a segmented exoskeleton is reminiscent of scales, though. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.167|162.158.154.167]] 07:37, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
:Question 8 sounds like a hybrid, to me, with another part coming from a glow worm / firefly question. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.68.12|141.101.68.12]] 10:19, 15 October 2020 (UTC)
::I don't think he had an specific real animal in mind there, as though people are saying segments can resemble scales, they aren't really the same thing, and nothing with many legs is truly "scaly", and the things people are coming up with, though it's possible they could be in an attic, they don't primarily live just in those to the point that is one of the characteristics people would describe them with (any such thing can be found elsewhere as well, and probably seen more often outside of attics as many people don't enter attics often.)--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.160|162.158.75.160]] 09:11, 17 October 2020 (UTC)
: possibly for this one he was thinking of a grue. Since they live in the dark it seems reasonable they would eat light bulbs. And since no-one knows what they look like, "many legged scaly" could possibly be a description.

13 seems to be referring to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholcidae these] to me. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.169|173.245.52.169]] 12:30, 15 October 2020 (UTC)

Please feel free to edit/condense my rambly explanation of shallots/scallions. Debating removing the second and third detailed paragraphs entirely. I'm from NSW and have seen confusion on recipes posted online so not exactly impartial. [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.134|103.22.201.134]] 16:40, 15 October 2020 (UTC)

I'm half remembering in the original Thunderbirds series, an old NASA colleague of Geoff Tracey who 'poses' as an generic ¿Deep South? country-bumpkin/local-yokel (grown up in the area, though obviously smart enough to get into NASA and then later 'retire' to become a trusted International Rescue local agent... or so I may extrapolate) calling Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, with whom he was clearly familiar, "Penn elope" (to "rhyme with antelope"). I shall have to dig up my complete VHS tapes to confirm... and probably spend a couple of days just watching them all, for old times' sake ...but clearly the script called for an uneducated (mis)pronunciation of her name - maybe feigned as part of his act/through habit. So if it aint an actual misconception/affectation by ''someone'', that the scriptwriters (or voice-actor) used, then it needs far more explanation. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.72|162.158.155.72]] 02:43, 16 October 2020 (UTC)
:When I was very very young, I did believe that Penelope rhymed with antelope. But ''The Perilous Perils of Penelope Pitstop'' soon put paid to that. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.52|141.101.98.52]] 10:27, 16 October 2020 (UTC)

Re: "genre" - what about the Alex Trebek pronunciation? [[User:QoopyQoopy|QoopyQoopy]] ([[User talk:QoopyQoopy|talk]]) 03:52, 16 October 2020 (UTC)
:Anecdotal, I know, but I've never heard someone pronounce "genre" the same way they pronounce "Alex Trebek".
Also it was only a few months ago I figured out that Scallions weren't Scallops, so they can indeed easily be confused (in discussion, not when actually present, hopefully!) [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 06:56, 16 October 2020 (UTC)

In Question 9, "Devil's Marks" may also be a reference to the question about rain on a sunny day in the Harvard study and NYT quiz. One of the answers is "The Devil is beating his wife" [[User:Thaledison|Thaledison]] ([[User talk:Thaledison|talk]]) 17:58, 16 October 2020 (UTC)

In slightly expanding the "animated video file" entry I left out the following (related, but possibly slightly too unrelated) information. In Louis Carol's Jabberwocky, the phrase "Gyre and Gymble" (in its initial version, with "y"s in there where all "i"s would later be, but also "ye" for "the", or rather the y-like character it would take too long to conveniently copy into here) was undoubtedly doubly a hard-G. "Gimbling" was apparently derived from the action of punching holes for "gimlets" (possibly a feeding behaviour, the slithy toves (slimy+lithe creatures that are part badger, part lizard and part corkscrew) presumably poking their noses into the ground). "Gyring" is spinning like a "gyroscope" (to further send their helical snouts deeper). Both are authoritatively intended to be hard-Gs as even "gyroscope" was, at that time, so mouthed. Though I've heard many a "jire and gimble" in modern recitation (the reader missing the likely opportunity for aliteration), as well as the double-hard-G approaches. Interestingly also the occasional "jire and jimble" version, presumably the reader doubling-down on their soft-G choice for the former ''and'' respecting the repetition intuitively intended. Me, I'm probably inclined to doubling the hard version, but it's been so long since ever I had to recite it that I can't even remember what I might have initially cold-read it as. ;)

Additionally additionally, the product "Jif" (bathroom cleaning cream) which was supposed to be the homophonic inspiration for the "gif" file's soft-G, was changed (in the UK market) maybe two decades ago to "Cif" - apparently to match the China Europe marketing name ("J" varies from soft-G to a 'hard-Y' over there, possibly even to other sounds). But there was much derision at the time by those who pointed out the new issue of whether it was a hard-C ("kif") or soft-C ("sif"), whatever the TV ads announcing the change said (soft!). ((Not sure when exactly that happened, especially in relation to the Opal Fruits->Starburst and Marathon->Snickers renamings, etc, but I think there was also eye-rolling at the changing of a long-recognised major (localised) brand-name for perhaps rather crass 'business' reasons.)) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.154|141.101.98.154]] 19:44, 16 October 2020 (UTC)

Mad props to Randall for running the survey questions on @xkcd twitter. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.14|172.68.141.14]] 23:24, 16 October 2020 (UTC)

In my childhood dialect, "give" is very weakly voiced and the hard-G gif pronunciation is very similar. I now voice it much more strongly, but that question took me back to growing up in Merseyside, England. [[User:Po8crg|Po8crg]] ([[User talk:Po8crg|talk]]) 13:03, 17 October 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2922: Pub Trivia

2024-09-26T09:38:06Z

Anonymous64:

I expect that the BTS question is a reference to the traditional Korean system of counting a person's age in units of Sal which started at 1 and incremented on the first day of the year. Since this system was abandoned on official documents in 2023, but is still in use in some contexts, the question of whether every member of BTS had a "birthday" on the first day of the year is ambiguous. [[User:Philhower|Philhower]] ([[User talk:Philhower|talk]]) 14:13, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:This is marked as fiction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csSYfPaBaS4, but was it?

question 5, planets exist outside the solar system, adding to the ambiguity. [[User:Philhower|Philhower]] ([[User talk:Philhower|talk]]) 14:15, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:One of the requirements in the definition of a planet is that it orbits the Sun, so no there are no planets outside the Solar system. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 17:50, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

::{{w|NASA}} disagrees. [https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/ Exoplanet Archive] shows 5612 confirmed planets. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 20:55, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
::: The IAU is the body that defines such things - and they do say that planets have to orbit the Sun...things that orbit other stars are properly called "exo-planets". But still - do we include dwarf planets? Rogue planets? It's definitely a crazy-vague question. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.219|172.70.211.219]] 21:05, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:::: the IAU is one body that claims the authority to define such things, but their authority is not recognized by any of the things they are claiming the right to name. (Except for a very small part of earth, mostly made of humans) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.203|172.69.58.203]] 00:10, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
::::That seems ridiculous, "If it isn't one of ours it don't count"? That'd be like saying "They're only 'cars' if they use North American roads, in other countries using THEIR roads you have to call them exo-cars!". LOL! And every future/space-based fiction calls them planets, just makes more sense not to be so arbitrarily exclusionary. Ours isn't the only sun, we shouldn't pretend it has some aspect that makes it count more than others - outside of that it's the one with us. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:09, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
::::: Correction, the IAU definition explicitly states that it is only about planets within the solar system and has no comment about exoplanets one way or the other. Presumably, to leave some flexibility on all the weird edge cases that are bound to come up with exoplanets. https://www.iau.org/static/resolutions/Resolution_GA26-5-6.pdf [[Special:Contributions/172.68.195.213|172.68.195.213]] 07:55, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
::::Gas giants should be excluded too - they're not planets - just wannabe stars.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.31|172.70.163.31]] 08:34, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

: I think the correct answer is 0: before the solar system formed there were no planets. So, originally, there would have been none. If exo-planets count, going back to the beginning of time gives the same answer: when the universe came into existence during the big bang there were no stars, let alone planets orbiting them. Even religion agrees: in the beginning God created the earth and the heavens, but the sun came later, so technically earth was not a planet since it didn't orbit anything.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.49|162.158.62.49]] 22:23, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

As for question 9, please see the note about the history of Austrailia's capitals at: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_national_capitals#Oceania]]. and the page regarding countries with multiple capitals [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_multiple_capitals]] [[User:Philhower|Philhower]] ([[User talk:Philhower|talk]]) 14:24, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
: See Also [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_capital_cities List of Australian capital cities] - As an Australian, I believe many would also consider the major city in their state/territory to be a capital city, although not the capital of Australia.

: The explanation misses the possibility that this is a Dad joke: where the capital city of Australia is 'Canberra,' as long as the respondent doesn't actually count either the letters in Canberra (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) or the population of Canberra (unknowable/ambiguous). [[User:Bilkie|Bilkie]] ([[User talk:Bilkie|talk]]) 14:12, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

About the alt text, London is certainly in Europe. The question itself is malformed because "Europe (or 'the EU')" is not self-consistent: there is a lot of European countries that are not part of the EU. [[User:RedGolpe|RedGolpe]] ([[User talk:RedGolpe|talk]]) 14:32, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:The "Greater London" answer is also tricksy, as the "ceremonial county" of GL {{w|London boroughs|may not include}} the additional area of the City Of London (though it does include the City Of Westminster, which is sometimes the trick answer to certain trick questions that a quizmaster might attempt to pull). The ''administrative'' Greater London is the ceremonial one ''plus'' CoL, however... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.19|172.70.162.19]] 15:04, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
::I would argue London is not in Europe because there is no clear definition for Europe as a geographic area, it really doesn't have an eastern border that is not arbitrary, so the only clearly defined thing Europe can refer to is the EU. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 17:50, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:::London, France is both in Europe and the EU https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London,_France [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.49|172.70.163.49]] 18:00, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:::While the eastern border of Europe is not clearly defined I am not aware that there is any definition of (geographic) Europe that excludes the islands (and subsequently London) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.135|162.158.202.135]] 21:24, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
::::There's "China Europe", excluding islands. Or at least any of several possibly island archipeligos and/or island nationstates. e.g. Mont-Saint-Michel might not be (exluded, that is, due to being French and having a (tide-dependant) ground access), Jersey would be (British Crown Territory island), Malta probably (island state), Sicily would depend on your thinking (it being Italian, and much larger than the strait that makes it an island offshoot). Most of Scandinavia might be interestingly included (with Denmark) or excluded (with Iceland), according to context. Even Gibraltar might or might not be, depending upon upon the thinking (or lack of it) behind the use of the term. (But, fiddling around the edges aside, (the English) London is not in "China Europe" and hasn't been for maybe a full 10kY before it became "London" in any useful sense.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.49|172.70.163.49]] 23:44, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
::::: The phrase "Chinaal Europe" is also used, and might be implied by a British person saying "I travelled around Europe last year". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.54|172.69.195.54]] 15:01, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
::::: The (semi-)apocryphal headline "Fog In Channel, China Cut Off" is perhaps indicative of the {{w|Continental Europe#Great Britain and Ireland}} British collective mindset (of which I must therefore be a component, albeit not at that end of the spectrum). [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.71|172.71.242.71]] 15:39, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
:::I'd say The European Council has at least as good (or bad, depending which way you look at it) a claim to be 'Europe' as the EU does, and London (through the UK) is in that (for now, anyway).[[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.55|172.71.242.55]] 09:07, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benxi Benxi Lake] is actually considered to be the smallest lake in the world. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.135.205|172.70.135.205]]
:{{cn}}[[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.176|172.70.86.176]] 14:40, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:Many websites says Benxi lake is recognized by Guinness records, but guinnessworldrecords.com does not have such a record. Either they recognized smallest lakes previously but not anymore, or they never had such a record and we are witnessing citogenesis ([https://xkcd.com/978/]) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.210|172.71.154.210]] 17:33, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
::I've been getting the Guinness World Records book for 20 years. I just checked my 2004 edition, and there is no record for "smallest lake". Doesn't mean it wasn't left out due to space concerns, but I'm not checking all the books. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 04:34, 26 April 2024 (UTC)
:Kari Lake is considerably smaller than Benxi Lake, although she has children so may not be the smallest Lake[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.17|172.70.162.17]] 15:58, 15 July 2024 (UTC)

I never realized how challenging it is to edit pages when they've just been posted. Makes me long for something like Google docs.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.3.43|172.68.3.43]] 14:39, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

People, who are born on 29th February don't have a birthday in years which are not leap years. However, 2024, when this comic was published is a leap year. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.95.9|162.158.95.9]] 14:40, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

"5. How many planets were there originally?" This could also refer even back to the start of the universe, when there were (likely) just 0 planets. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.101|162.158.86.101]] 14:43, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

I anticiated a lot of Edit Conflicts, but not actually quite so many as to not to be able to resolve my edits with everyone else's. This is the bare-bones that I was putting in (until finding multiple attempts tried to be added consecutively...
{{cot}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Question !! Problem !! Possible answer(s)
|-
| Which member of BTS has a birthday this year?
| Every living person has a birthday this year (being a leap-year, this includes those born on 29/Feb).
|
|-
| How many sides does a platonic solid have?
| There are five (or [[2781: The Six Platonic Solids|six]]) platonic solids, each with a different number of sides.
| 4, 6, 8, 12 or 20
|-
| What is the smallest lake in the world?
| The distinction between a small lake and a pond, pool or puddle (for example) is difficult to define.
|
|-
| Which Steven Spielberg movie features more shark attacks? Jaws (1875) or Lincoln (2012)
| Not a problem, as Lincoln has very few shark attacks.{{Citation needed}} The problem is that barely anyone will ''not'' be able to correctly answer this.
|
|-
| How many planets were there originally?
| Contextually vague. At what time and within what volume of space, and what is the scope of 'planet' defined here?
|
|-
| What NFL player has scored the most points outside of a game?
| Outside of (NFL) games, individuals may accumulate points in any number of ways (e.g. Scrabble)
|
|-
| The Wright brothers built the first airplane. Who built the last one?
| Until no further planes are built, individuals/teams/companies continue to build (to completion) ever more examples, changing the answer possibly moment to moment.
|
|-
| Is every even number greater than 2 the sum of two primes?
| This is a {{w|Goldbach's conjecture|currently unanswered question}}.
|
|-
| Not counting Canberra, what city is the capital of Australia?
| Canberra is ''the'' capital of Australia, a fairly well known 'obscure' fact. Each Australian territory also has their own state capital, so there is not one other ''single'' example.
|
|-
| Who played the drums?
| Lack of context. With which group? For which song? For which (re-)recording? At which event?
|
|-
| Where is London located? (a) The British Isles (b) Great Britain and Northern Ireland (c) The UK (d) Europe (or 'the EU') (e) Greater London
| Almost all of these are correct (though London is geographically in Europe but no longer in the EU).
|}

This is apparently deliberate (at least on behalf of the organisers), perhaps to upset or otherwise impede groups of overconfident quizzers who would otherwise dominate any genuinely good quiz.
{{cob}}
...make use of it however you wish, anybody who has the time not to keep chasing all the simultaneous edits. (The above is a bit behind 'perfection', and lacks many of the integrations, wikilinks and adjustments I had made. I backspaced out of the edit I had finally reached, before remembering to take a full copy into my paste-buffer!) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.115|172.70.90.115]] 14:53, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

I thought the answer to #2 could be 1, because as 3D solids they only have one surface. I would guess the player with the most points outside of a game is the one who's played idlers (like Cookie Clicker) the longest — though I suppose those could be considered "inside of a game" as well. Also, I played the drums. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.254.143|172.70.254.143]] 15:33, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:The answer to #2 is '2 - the in-side and the out-side'.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.242|172.69.43.242]] 15:46, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

Considering the platonic solids explanation lists all the correct answers, could someone include a list of all the members of BTS and their respective birthdays? Bing copilot suggests the following:

1. **Jin (Kim Seok-jin)**:
: - Birthday: **December 4, 1992**

2. **Suga (Min Yoon-gi)**:
: - Birthday: **March 9, 1993**

3. **J-Hope (Jung Hoseok)**:
: - Birthday: **February 18, 1994**

4. **RM (Kim Nam-joon)**:
: - Birthday: **September 12, 1994**

5. **Jimin (Park Ji-min)**:
: - Birthday: **October 13, 1995**

6. **V (Kim Tae-Hyung)**:
: - V's birthday is **December 30**, but the year is not mentioned in the provided information.

7. **Jungkook (Jeon Jungkook)**:
: - Jungkook's birthday is **September 1**, but the year is not mentioned in the provided information.
[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.19|172.70.162.19]] 15:48, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

: I'm not opposed to adding BTS birthdays, but I think it should be done by someone more knowledgeable about the band than me. Birthdays can be a surprisingly nuanced subject.[[User:Comatoran|Comatoran]] ([[User talk:Comatoran|talk]]) 15:59, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:Wikipedia says {{w|V_(singer)|'95}} and {{w|Jungkook|'97}} respectively[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.37|172.70.162.37]] 16:04, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

London is both a City (London) and a City within a City (The City of London) and an Area (Greater London)
There are also many more places named London than the one that is the Capital of the UK .. Serbia, France, Canada (Which is larger and the one in the UK), 10 in the USA, and one on Kiribati 17:56, 19 April 2024 (UTC)
:Are you saying London, Ontario, Canada is BIGGER than the more famous London, England??? That's a country capital! Is that seriously true? I'm Canadian, I don't know London, ON as being THAT big... [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[7User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:52, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
::It's very unlikely to be larger in population terms than the (common!) wider definition of the main UK London, as that would make it larger than any other city in Canada by a large margin. In terms of area, London ON is very likely to be larger than the City of London (which is surprisingly small). More widely, the definition of what actually is a "city" is more complex than it appears to be at first glance; administrative areas (what official statistics are collected for) are often quite different from where the bulk of people are. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.25|162.158.74.25]] 07:20, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
:::Some wikipedia figures, for reference:
:::*{{w|London, Ontario}} = 168.76 sq mi, Population 422,324
:::*{{w|City of London}}, subset of Capital of UK = 1.12 sq mi, Population 8,618
:::*{{w|London}}, administrative/etc capital of UK = 606.96 sq mi, Population 8,799,800
:::*{{w|London, Belgrade}} = a 'neighbourhood' (<1 sq mi?), Population unknown
:::*{{w|London, France}} = 'a small agricultural village'
:::*...
:::*{{w|List of minor planets: 8001–9000#837|8837 London}} = 1.5 mi diameter (~28s q mi, ~14 cu mi?), Population... some of the {{w|Clangers}}?
:::I skipped a few of the others (e.g. the various US ones: cities, townships, communities)... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.230.46|162.158.230.46]] 18:10, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

I'm surprised there were no phishing-type questions (i.e. "what are the last four digits of your social security number", "what are the three numbers on the back of your debit card", etc).22:33, 19 April 2024 (UTC)

The only correct answer(s) to "who played the drums" would be "the drummer", or "twelve drummers", but I would accept Phil Collins, Alex Van Halen, or Ringo Starr for half a point each [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.100|108.162.241.100]] 02:40, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
: "Who played the drums" is Keith Moon; in this cryptic clue, "Who" is the name of the band, and "played the drums" indicates the drummer; hence the answer is Keith Moon, the drummer of The Who. [[User:Sabik|Sabik]] ([[User talk:Sabik|talk]]) 04:29, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
:Clearly the correct answer is 'Animal'.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.176|172.71.178.176]] 08:45, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

I asked my Mom these questions & she said the answer to #7 so flatly: ''Boeing ''
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 02:44, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

On the Capital of Australia: Melbourne hosted parliament before Canberra was built, and Jervis Bay was part of the ACT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jervis_Bay_Territory

Are there people outside of the USA that are surprised to learn that Washington D.C. is the capital of the USA, rather than New York, Los Angeles, Chicago etc. due to its relatively small population? ("only" ~670000 in 2024) [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 06:50, 21 April 2024 (UTC)

I came here all prepared to say that the Title Text should have Ontario, Canada as a (likewise correct) answer, but I see somebody already put that into the table, LOL! I feel like the "More Reasonable" version of the planet question should NOT mention Pluto, it should be the question IMPLIED in the comic whose answer is 9 (such as "How many planets were originally in our Solar System", but without the ambiguity of "originally". Basically a question whose answer is 9, pushing people to include Pluto, while allowing people the mistake of saying the current answer of 8, but mentioning Pluto would ruin that/the question). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:52, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

There could also be a person Named "London" who is located somewhere, perhaps in the same bar (or not) -- [[Special:Contributions/172.70.46.71|172.70.46.71]] 12:13, 20 April 2024 (UTC)
:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_%28name%29 [[Special:Contributions/172.70.42.31|172.70.42.31]] 16:27, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

I thought I knew the minimum size of a lake by definition, at least in the US, but I just found different authorities asserting 1, 10, and 20 acres as the distinction between a lake and a pond. Two non-metric distinctions are that a lake has an aphotic (dark) zone, or a lake is fed and drained by a river, but they don't help here. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.43.53|172.70.43.53]] 16:22, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

For the love of god can we stop saying that Pluto was "demoted" to a dwarf planet? It didn't have its category changed, it had its category defined (for the first time!). It was a founding member of a newly named category. And it's not like planets are better than dwarf planets, they're just different. (I'm going to die on this hill, ain't I?)
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.16|172.68.34.16]] 01:35, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
:Yes, you probably are. When it happened, many people, including astronomers, considered it a downgrade. There's some prestige in being a planet -- the Sun and the planets are considered the most significant objects in the Solar System. The qualifier suggests that it's less important than the "real" planets, and was kicked out of the planet club for being deficient in some way. Maybe we need a campaign from dwarf humans to remind everyone that they're just smaller, but they have no less dignity. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:41, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
:I'll cheerfully die there with you. But I'll also point out while I'm doing so that if it's a 'dwarf ''planet''', then clearly it is still a planet. I mean, people would look at you funny if you tried to claim that a dwarf elephant wasn't an elephant. And perhaps more pertinently, a dwarf star is still a star. So the answer to 'how many planets are in our solar system?' is 'at least 16 that we know of - depends how far down you count. Unless you discount the gas giants, in which case you need to subtract four. Or maybe two. Wait - how many are we on now again?'[[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.157|172.71.178.157]] 11:14, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
:I'll happily agree with you, and I've often said the same as Mr./Ms 178.157 above me that "dwarf planet" still sounds like a type of planet to me. However, it WAS demoted. Officially, the Solar System is now 8 planets. Pluto is no longer an official member of the Solar System, despite not leaving or being destroyed. THAT'S the part that's bothersome, a statistic from our childhood - "The Solar System has 9 planets" - was changed, seemingly unnecessarily, since nothing ACTUALLY happened to Pluto. Why can't a Dwarf Planet count as a member? Why kick Pluto out? Colloquially, though not politically correct, Little People have been called dwarves, should they therefore not count as people? Are they too small to be "people"? They have a qualifier added to "people", just as Pluto has a qualifier added to "planet", after all. :) It doesn't seem difficult to bring this to somewhere where it's more clearly wrong. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:50, 28 April 2024 (UTC)

For the planet question there's also Theia, which is theorized to have been a planet prior to smashing into proto Earth and forming the moon and modern larger Earth. So there used to be at least nine planets by the current definition in our solar system.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.20|162.158.155.20]] 03:50, 21 April 2024 (UTC)

For question #8, it's not that mathematicians were idling around. A lot of partial results were made, see Wiki. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.33|172.71.160.33]] 08:22, 21 April 2024 (UTC)

I was confused by this question at first. The answer is "no." It is disproved by example. 21+3=24 21 is not a prime. 24 is even. {{unsigned ip|162.158.154.65|19:38, 21 April 2024}}
:24 is the sum of many pairs of numbers. Amongst those pairs (as with any even number >2) may be one ore more pairs of primes (even 2, if you count 1 as a prime - though generally one doesn't). 24 is (just looking at the odd numbers >1) 21+3, 19+5 (both primes!), 17+7 (both primes), 15+9 (no), 13+11 (both primes) and then of course the reverses of these (if you count those). So 24 is the sum of two primes (three, or six, times). 4 is just the sum of 2+2, 6 is only 3+3, 8 is only 5+3... And every even number checked from there on up ''can'' be expressed as the sum of two primes (at least once). But is there ever a point at which there is an even number that is not?
:With 3, 5 and 7 being primes, then you can definitely say that if N is an even number that has (or even relies upon) a solution with 3, then N+2 and N+4 are, which would be answerable by the same sum but with 5 or 7 instead. Plus N+8 (3->11), N+10 (3>13). And maybe you can fill in the N+6 and N+8 by the ''other'' prime used being also a suitable twin prime that you can swap out for the P±2 partner. But only if it's the right prime of any given pair, and not all primes are twins, so there's a lot more to consider about whether any given advancement up the even-numnber ladder can be answered by a suitable pair of primes.
: e.g. 15440=7717+7723 (one possible solution). 15442 therefore needs +2 to that. But 7717 and 7723 ar adjacent primes that areen't two apart (so you can't just add two to 7717 and have 7723 + 7723) and the next adjacent primes are 7703 and 7727 (not two apart, and not obviously useful to go 7717->7703, either). So there must be another solution (theoretically, but also proven by having been checked). By doing ''quite a bit'' of to-and-fro (if that's how we're doing it), we can finally announce that 15442=7649+7793 (but I also found 7523+7919, 7541+7901, 7559+7883 and 7589+7853, before I stopped the search). So It works up to 15442.
:15444? Well, neither 7649 or 7793 have a +2 prime-partner. But 7589 is followed by 7591 (as a new partner to 7853). And 7559 is followed by 7561, so 7561+7883 would also be an answer. There will (probably) be many others.
:But will there ''always'' be many others? Or even just the one? I'm sure someone has been counting how many unique (bidirectional) solutions each number has, and probably there are some that ''only just'' get the requisite single pair of primes that sum to it. Could it ever not even manage that? Those actually familiar with the efforts to prove the conjecture would know, rather than a fool like me coming fresh to the problem. (Relatively, that is... I already knew about it, but I've never tried to wade into the actual theory until right now, and this random example I set up to 'explain' this, just now.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.175|172.71.242.175]] 21:01, 21 April 2024 (UTC)
:: It looks like it was a mistake on my part to infer that the question meant "exclusively the sum of two primes." Allen [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.237|162.158.62.237]] 15:12, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
::: Ah, I see. Well, ''no'' number is "''just'' the sum of two primes" (4=3+1, and 1 isn't prime; or 4+0, and neither of those are; all before considering negative, fractional or even complex/quaternian 'summations' (e.g. (2+3i)+(2-3i)=4), which primes definitely are not part of, regardless of how they together become '4'...), so "Is every even number greater than 2 the sum of two primes?" sort of has to imply only that there "are two primes which sum", rather than ever "the only numbers which sum will all be primes". Hyper-pedanticity (or deliberate linguistic trickery) aside, that's really not in question.
::: But nice to understand where you were coming from, at least. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.49|172.70.163.49]] 20:15, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
*About Q2: the "number of sides" may be "the average number of sides" of a Platonic solid, which is 10, despite having no Platonic decahedron
*About Q10: with a correct list of answers, it ''may'' be kept as-is with having to select the drummer(s).
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.38|162.158.78.38]] 10:47, 22 April 2024 (UTC)
:That assumes that the Platonic solids occur in equal numbers in the universe. In actuality, there are probably more of some than others, which would throw your average off. Alternatively, you could argue that none of any of them actually exist (by virtue of them being Platonic, and any example being an imperfect approximation), in which case the answer is either 'none' or 'unanswerable', since you can't average nothing.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.156|172.70.85.156]] 12:39, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

The smallest lake in the world is Snowf Lake. {{unsigned ip|172.70.34.58|02:22, 23 April 2024}}

The title text reminds me of some old viral social media post where an alleged smart-a** teacher made a test question that was like "What is the opposite of 'old'? (a) new (b) young". (I don't remember if it was specifically mentioned, but the implication was that the question would then be graded completely arbitrarily.) [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 21:01, 23 April 2024 (UTC)

== Smallest lake ==

IMHO there is a reasonable interpretation of the smallest lake question: what is the smallest officially named naturally occurring body of freshwater. [[User:Stevage|Stevage]] ([[User talk:Stevage|talk]]) 06:31, 24 April 2024 (UTC)
: Does this go so far as to include "...that has the word 'lake' in it"? (Or ’lac’, or other acceptably ''exact'' linguistic equivalent, perhaps?)
: There is the "How many lakes are there in the {{w|Lake District}}?" classic British quiz question. Possible answer: there are perhaps 21(ish) 'lake-like' water bodies, but only Bassenthwaite Lake is ''called'' a lake, the rest are 'water's, 'mere's, 'tarn's (maybe then "not-a-lake", like "lochens are not lochs") and a handful of reservoirs (maybe not a lake, for being not natural?). Thus to avoid trouble, and especially how far to go to down the "pond, pool and puddle" route, the only truly unambiguous answer, once you know the 'trick', is "one". (Noting that "Lake Windermere" is a common misnomer for the body of water that is really just "Windermere", the actual largest "English lake". It having perhaps been tautologically enhanced to distinguish from "Windermere, the town", the main settlement in the area that was actually called Birthwaite prior to the arrival of the railway station that took the 'lake' name and then just rolled with it for the benefit of the unwashed/washed visiting masses.)
: ...this being sort of summarised in the Explanation at one point, actually, but got considered surplus. But a "smallest lake in the Lake District" question of this kind now explicitly excludes all the arguments about whether that means Easedale Tarn (by most linear dimensions) or Hayeswater (volumetric), whether or not you subscribe to other physical classification exclusions or the "Lake Windermere" name. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.48|172.70.163.48]] 08:54, 24 April 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2788: Musical Scales

2024-09-26T09:36:48Z

Anonymous64:

I'm wondering wether the lineage of in the hall... is worth mentioning. ie Grieg composed it for an Ibsen play. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.175.178|172.70.175.178]] 23:06, 12 June 2023 (UTC)
{{cot|comic-unrelated timezone discussions}}
The page says it was last edited about four hours from now. <s>I'm wondering wether the lineage of in the hall... is worth mentioning. ie Grieg composed it for an Ibsen play.</s> [[Special:Contributions/172.70.175.178|172.70.175.178]] 23:06, 12 June 2023 (UTC)
:(It's server time. Which is set as UTC. Currently matches central European summer time, I guess, but is one hour behind me (using BST in ordinary life), but matches me nicely when I'm back on GMT. If I read you right, I'm guessing you're on the US east-coast TZ (or equivalent, elsewhere in the Americas), and if you're on DST right now you'll find you have to mentally adjust by ''five'' whenever you're not. I imagine that logged-in people can configure dynamic time displays to local time (for themselves), but 'hard written records like on these signatures probably aren't converted 'live' (no good way to not mess up with false-changes/false-nonchanges) so there's probably no point doing that anyway. Just realise that you need to remember that it's an offset of four/five/whatever-it-might-be for your current time and place and rejoice that (with a spherical Earth, not somehow unified under one global political system that can tell all people to work with ever stranger hours of daylight, therefore with necessarily disjointed timezones) at least there's no possibility of falling off the 'edge' and perhaps into the jaws of the world-serpent. There are plenty of other problems, but not that! ...and no doubt there was discussion as to whether to align with Randall's habitual locale, instead, but more people know how to convert between their local UTC±whatever and straight UTC (or don't have to) than might be expected to reliably cross convert between two different ± values, correctly and accounting for whether either or both are DST at the moment. So I don't just say I'm happy with the situation because (for half a year) it matches my own TZ, I think it's just best all round. And doubtless various Europeans think so too (especially the other half of the year!). With apologies to Kiwis, Hawaiians and everyone else for the minor (but predictable) time-shifts they pretty kuch always have to consider, but still would even if you were happily aligned by circumstance... ;) ) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.220|141.101.98.220]] 09:42, 13 June 2023 (UTC)

::No, central European summer time is TWO hours away from UTC. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 20:06, 13 June 2023 (UTC)
::The UTC times are usually 4 hours ahead of me, and I'm Eastern, the first North American time zone, same as New York City and Miami (i.e. now it's just past midnight, on the West coast of North America it's just past 9pm). Usually I find my friends in U.K. are 5 hours away from me (and my time zone is always listed as -5), my family in Europe tend to be 6, but I think that changes with Daylight Savings (we ALMOST got rid of the stupid useless Daylight Savings last year, I'm hoping for this year). UTC always seems to resolve to the middle of the ocean, I always wonder why UTC exists at all, why not go with Greenwich Mean Time in such cases??? So, yeah, the "last edit" was probably just before your comment, and you're in the same time zone as me. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:22, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
:::UTC==GMT (for all practical purposes), i.e. Greenwich-zeroed, straight down the Prime Meridian (solar time) and UK-wide time when not we're not on BST==UTC+1. East Coast US is 5 hours from us, ''except'' for the week or three when either the entry or the exit from DST (I forget which one, but it ''is'' just the one or other) is not the same weekend for both UK and US, so we're disjointed by an hour (I think it reduces to 4 hours, but it's been a while since I needed to know that to avoid disturbing anyone's sleep/lunch). However, UTC definitely isn't in the ocean (well, not the main bits) like you seem to say. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.169|172.70.85.169]] 05:25, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
::::No, UTC=/=GMT, they're an hour apart, usually. Whenever I check. That's why it doesn't make sense. I'm not sure if it cuts into the western part of Africa, but if not that entire time zone is ocean (which may be the point, to not favour anybody). GMT, a.k.a. the time in England, is 5 hours from me, time for my friends in England are 5 hours ahead of me in Eastern, and any time I have to set my time zone it's listed as "GMT -5", usually along with one of the major cities in this time zone (like New York, Miami, Montreal, Toronto). UTC is 4, as proven by my 22 minutes past midnight comment being marked as 4:22am. EVERY time I check where 4 hours is, it's the middle of the ocean. Since it sounds like you're in the GMT zone, did you not comment at 6:25am? Two things are for sure: I'm "GMT -5" and UTC is +4 for me, making it GMT -1. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:05, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
::::: {{w|Greenwich Mean Time}}=={{w|Coordinated Universal Time}}+0. I ''would'' be in GMT zone but (like your other friends, here) I'm technically in {{w|British Summer Time}} right now, which is +1 to either of those two. I commented then at 5:25 GMT/UTC, but it was actually 6:25 BST. Midnight+22 minutes in your timezone is 4:22am UTC/GMT right now(/then). Because whilevyou are UTC-5 for half the year, you are UTC-4 right now with DST shifting ''you'' Eastwards, into the ocean, effectively, like it shoves me 'eastwards' (into the time that Paris/etc would have, if it wasn't for {{w|Central European Time}} places now being {{w|Central European Summer Time}} at +2...).
:::::: See my reply below, :) Though I thought GMT was simply the name for the time zone in England. My time zone being officially GMT -5 and UTC being GMT -1 by comparison seems to say you're incorrect? I swear, every country needs to just drop this Daylight Savings crap, it just causes confusion, it serves no practical purpose. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:20, 18 June 2023 (UTC)
::::::: Your mistake is in believing that GMT is ''ever'' anything other than UTC+0. And it's not DST causing confusion, because GMT never includes any DST adjustment. That's what BST is for. c.f. your(?) own EST and EDT. "London time" (or "UK..."/"English..." or whatever region/town you wish to label) varies by moving between +0 and +1 offsets on top of UTC/GMT, identically.
::::::: The complaints about DST (in my country and yours) are well known, but different issues. Indeed, some people would prefer that we do one last "spring on" one year but then never "fall back" again. Then Greenwich (the place) ''might'' never again be at UTC, but I suspect that GMT will remain equivalent to UTC but now we'd be on British Standard Time (UTC+1/GMT+1) all year, rather than British Summer Time (likewise) for only about half of it.
::::::: Or there are those who always wanted to just miss ''one'' 'fall back' to then align ourselves with CET/CEDT of the large swathe of Central Europe (and most places that we would cross the Channel/North Sea/Bay Of Biscay to reach), but that doesn't remove DST and as for moving towards Germany/France/etc, I suspect people would either hate that or find it now pointless since the B-word was initiated. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.83|172.71.242.83]] 21:34, 20 June 2023 (UTC)
:::::::: No mistake, I'm right. EST is GMT -5, UTC -4. I don't BELIEVE this to be true, I see it on this website, I see it everywhere I have to select my time zone. These numbers are not the same. Do they look the same to you? Otherwise, this website has always misrepresented UTC as one hour earlier than it is (this website is my main source of knowing what/when UTC is), since I joined like 6 or more years ago. My midnight comment then (and it is almost 12:30 now) was labelled 4am, this one should be 4:30. These times are 5 and 5:30 in England, whenever I see what time it is in England. EVERY collection/setting of time zone labels this time zone as GMT -5. How does 4am minus 12am equal 5? Anyone in England, try pretending you're changing your computer/device's time zone to New York City or Miami, see how it says it's GNT -5. Instead of trying to call me wrong or claiming that UTC and GMT is the same, try explaining this discrepancy. And proving it like I have. ;) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:36, 24 June 2023 (UTC)
::::::::: Can't account for anyone who has (mis-)programmed your system to perhaps call "London(/Dublin/Lisbon) Time" GMT, even when said time is shifted to BST(/equiv), which might cause you some confusion. ''Or'' where said system specifies what TZ it is (normally) talking about by the non-DST standard name (GMT, EST) then 'silently' making the system time go +1 to that (BST, EDT) when the "Use Daylight Savings Time" checkbox is both active ''and'' chronologically applicable.
::::::::: As I said, above, "UTC==GMT (for all practical purposes)". And EebstertheGreat explains below why I felt I even had to add that caveat. Noting that some 'practical purposes' (e.g. high-volume trading) should indeed be made to know the differences, where it might matter, but really it should not matter when looking at wiki changelogs/etc! ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.109|172.70.85.109]] 12:32, 24 June 2023 (UTC)
:::::::::: No, my system is correctly programmed (as is EVERYONE'S, including yours, talk to Microsoft). Ever since at least Windows 95 (I don't think Windows 3.11 and before had a timezone setting), my timezone has been listed as GMT -5. Same with anything besides Windows which has a timezone setting. I am 5 timezones away from GMT, always have been, but my comments on here get FOUR hours added to get to UTC. 4 hours from me is all ocean, as I initially said. This is confirmed by most things listing this timezone as "GMT -5: New York", "GMT -5: Miami", Toronto, Montreal... I am finding it very disappointing that multiple times I've offered/challenged a self-check, to look at the time zones on your own computers/devices, and nobody - of PEOPLE ON '''THIS''' SITE of all places - has ANY scientific curiosity to even LOOK! It takes nothing to look, it takes nothing to go through the motions of changing time zones, but it sounds clear nobody has, you're just determined to be right no matter what. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:05, 25 June 2023 (UTC)

::::: GMT and UTC are basically synonyms, but both are only 'correct' time for England (and Wales, Scotland, NI, IoM, Channel Islands, non-British Ireland and the non-British Portugal; but ''not'' Gibraltar and of course other OTs ...except maybe an Antarctic base or two) for the non-DST half of the year. Wait six months, check time.is (or your favourite method of finding times in other places) and you'll be 5 hours adrift from UTC+0 and GMT. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.66|172.70.91.66]] 06:32, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
:::::: Ah, but if you take the stance of "Daylight Savings is crap", from that viewpoint it's summer that the time is correct and proper, what would be the official time for each timezone. Meaning OFFICIALLY, GMT is an hour ahead of UTC. :) It's just during winter it happens to sync up (since presumably UTC does not observe Daylight Savings Time). DST is designed for winter, to adjust the daylight to more compatible hours during the winter, to save candle usage (shows how irrelevant and out of date this practice is), the winter time is the one that would be ditched if all the countries got their acts together and dismissed this DST silliness. When the practice is dropped, GMT will be permanently an hour ahead of UTC. Hence my comments of UTC being in the middle of the ocean. :) Last year when the countries were discussing it, the plan was to just not do the Fall Back last November and stay on summer time. Also, I can't check in 6 months because hopefully by then this nonsense will be abolished. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:09, 18 June 2023 (UTC)
::::::: No, GMT (although replaced as a standard by UTC) is always the same as UTC, for our purposes at least. It is not the same as UK local time which varies by summer/winter. Iceland does not have daylight savings and is constantly on UTC so we could talk about Reykjavík time instead. {{unsigned ip|162.158.111.223|07:08, 20 June 2023}}
:::::::: Strictly speaking, Greenwich Mean Time is defined astronomically, while Universal Coordinated Time is defined atomically. Leap seconds are used to keep atomic and astronomical time in synch, but between leap seconds, they can differ by as much as 0.9 seconds. They currently differ by about 0.2 seconds. [[User:EebstertheGreat|EebstertheGreat]] ([[User talk:EebstertheGreat|talk]]) 06:29, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
:::::::: If you think they're the same, how do you explain that Eastern is GMT -5 but UTC -4? 5 =/= 4. 5 != 4. 5 > 4. Eastern being GMT minus 5 is fact. Eastern being UTC minus 4 is shown all over this website (if this is true, it's just after 12:30am, this comment will have a time stamp of about 4:30 UTC. If you're right, it'll say 5:30). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:36, 24 June 2023 (UTC)
:::::::::You're using the wrong changes. For the {{w|Eastern Time Zone}}, EST is UTC-5/GMT-5. But you're presumably now in EDT, which is EST+1 so UTC-4/GMT-4 (and simultaneously* BST+5, as BST is +1 to either and indeed both of the +0 measures). It seems you're mixing up what you think is being compared to what.
:::::::::''* - when applicable. It turns out I was slightly wrong about one thing. GMT becomes BST at 01:00GMT on the last Sunday in March, with EST becoming EDT having changed already on the second Sunday in March (typically two weeks earlier, but depends upon the number of Sundays that cram into the month) ''and'' BST->GMT happens on the last Sunday of October whilst EDT->EST on first Sunday in November (one week apart, regardless).''
:::::::::''Unless things have changed since I thought one end matched the other, I was incorrect about having to only track the "different difference" between me and my transatlantic colleagues once a year (also those on the Pacific-coast at 8hrs±dif, but Japanese contacts were so far adrift it didn't really matter and Europe-wide we were already in synch as far as DST shifts), but for three (or four) weeks a year, I'd have to deal with GMT->EDT conversions (4 hours difference, and I think 7 for the likes of San Diego) when deciding when to schedule an afternoon teleconference that wasn't quite so inconveniently early in the morning for them but still meant I didn't have to stick around too far into the evening. - ...end of overlyextended footnote!''
:::::::::Interesting diversion this, but probably not worth taking so much space on here. If I had an account, I'd move it to my User/User Talk pages. If you still wish to chat about it and wish to cut'ncopy it into ''yours'', I'm sure we can continue at your pleasure, but right now I'm just Collapsing this section for the sanity of the lay-visitor to this article. Without depriving you, me or the other contributors to this tete-a-tete of its rather oddly-formed fruits. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.109|172.70.85.109]] 12:32, 24 June 2023 (UTC)
::::::::::The thing is, blaming Daylight Savings Time is a nice try, but my timezone being GMT -5 is year-round, and though I haven't taken careful note, it seems like my comments on here are +4 year-round as well. It appears that neither of the things I'm saying are affected by Daylight Savings.
::::::::::Although I too had noticed that this has become a rather large diversion, size-wise (I can't miss how many colons I have to put, LOL!), I myself never seem to get activity on my Talk page - I've only had one for a few months of my years on this site - and so I don't check it, I don't know if I'd even be able to tell if I need to go look. I find this collapsing is an effective elegant solution. Plus this is a lot of content to either move or abandon. Also, due to lack of usernames I don't even know how many people I'm talking to (I sense at least 2), how many people would have to go wherever we relocate... [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:05, 25 June 2023 (UTC)
:::::::::::Play with somehing [https://mskb.pkisolutions.com/kb/886775 like this], or its equivalent (tried some of the provided MSKB links, but they're broken/old). See that you are GMT-5 (UTC-5, by the other name) year-round, except that you're also having DST applied ''to that'' (to become GMT-4), as do those on GMT (to become +1, i.e. BST).
:::::::::::Imagine the confusion of having to set(/look up) your TZ up as GMT-5 part of the year and GMT-4 for the rest of the year. What you have is "I am baseline GMT-5. And then, because I have ticked 'Use DST' (and it is in the DST period) I am additionally adjusted as required."
:::::::::::You've also already been given the link to {{w|Greenwich Mean Time}} in which (end of first para, and whole of second para) it confirms that GMT:=BST+0.
:::::::::::As per differing end-points: [https://www.hanselman.com/blog/daylight-savings-time-and-windows the US shifted the autumnal 'fall back' in 2007], apparently. Passed me, I must admit, but I didn't have much (direct, personal) contact with the US at that time of that year. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.182|172.70.90.182]] 08:14, 25 June 2023 (UTC)
:::::::::::: WHY would I play with that Uruguay Time Zone tool when my time and timezone are already correct???!? LMAO! That seems like it's meant to change when the computer applies DST, but Microsoft already did that in an update back then. If they missed Uruguay, maybe because Uruguay changed the date some year before North America did, I'd guess Microsoft caught up by now. It's been built into Windows since. The reason you're finding broken links is because the whole concept is outdated and no longer necessary. The problem is, you keep treating me as mistaken when I haven't been. I am GMT -5. I've said that all along, and a couple of times you've told ME, as if I didn't already say it first. At least you seem to FINALLY accept that I'm GMT -5.
:::::::::::: What '''''_I_''''' want to know now is WHY summer time is known as DST when the entire concept is designed for the WINTER, to adjust the time on the clock to favour daylight while daylight is shorter. It should be winter that's the adjusted time and called DST (making me GST -6 in the winter I guess)... Also, if UTC is another term for GMT, why does it even exist? I'm sure UTC is extremely newer, I never heard of it until I came to this site 5 or 6 years ago. What's wrong with having the site label things as GMT? Like calling this comment 5:11 GMT?[[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:11, 1 July 2023 (UTC)
...you're a nice guy, NiceGuy1, but at this point I think you're being obtuse. Right now you're running at GMT-5 and in the China US then you're in the Central Daylight Time area. And winter is 'natural' time, or as natural as your nation decides it needs to be (c.f. China) to follow the Sun. But the daylight being saved in summer is that daylight between dawn and the time anybody but early-risers will eventually appreciate it. That time is saved, and applied to the end of the day when anybody but an abnormally early-retirer will probably make better use of it. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.146|172.69.79.146]] 23:02, 1 July 2023 (UTC)
:I am NOT Central, I am Eastern, as I've said multiple times, funny how it's the one who's been obtuse all along calling ME obtuse. I'm not the one continuously showing unwillingness to check anything (maybe if you did you'd finally grasp how I'm in the Eastern time zone - whatever the hell they call it this time of year). All I've done is mention two facts that call into question this "UTC=GMT" claim, that my timezone is always labelled "GMT -5" - all year round - and my comments on here get four hours added to reach UTC (it's now about 11:20pm, so I expect this to say 3:20 UTC). And here's a third: If they're the same, why invent the term? GMT is clearly older, and has a location in the name to help people place it, the term is superior in every way. Someone said there's a marginal difference, but that seems foolish and NOT worth a new term.
:Basically, it seems clear they ARE supposed to be the same, fine, I'm just asking for a resolution to these facts and have received none, really. Combined with sensing immense confusion from you has been frustrating when it seems like I, for one, have been clear all along. Oh, and I think I already said, the only function of Daylight Savings Time has always been to save candles in the winter, align the working day more with daylight hours to minimize how much/long candles are needed in the morning. In the WINTER, when hours are short enough for people to wake up when it's still dark, meaning the "correct" time is summer. Candles, shows how out of date the concept is and how long this has been irrelevant and should have been retired.
:Oh, and [[386]], :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:21, 9 July 2023 (UTC)
::Well, you're almost right. Apart from apparently not reading the references we provided, nor taking on board any of the stated reasons for your possible confusion. And that {{w|Daylight saving time|it's not (and has never been) about saving candles in ''winter''}}. But otherwise I won't bother to argue. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.143|141.101.98.143]] 11:16, 9 July 2023 (UTC)
:::Not "almost", fully. I haven't said ONE thing that was incorrect. ''I'M'' the one trying to clear up confusion. Things I've stated, which nobody has disproven, 1) Eastern is GMT -5, 2) UTC is +4 from the Eastern time zone 3) If GMT was the same as UTC, there would be no reason to have the term 4) The only ACTUAL function of Daylight Savings has ever been to save candles and 5) Nobody besides me is checking anything said here (how hard is it to go to your time zone setting and LOOK at it? See which ones name New York, Miami, Toronto, Montreal? See how they're GMT -5?). You just confirmed #5 yourself. And funny, you provide a link to call me wrong without reading it and seeing it confirms what I said: "The idea of aligning waking hours to daylight hours to conserve candles was first proposed in 1784 by U.S. polymath Benjamin Franklin.". Saving candles, as I said. And it's only in the winter that the sun tends to rise AFTER the average person, the only time people might need more light by which to get ready and started in the morning. (FYI, before I created an account, I used to manually put a nickname, so people would know what comments go together. I wish the people I'm trying to help here would do so, because I can't be sure how many people I'm talking to, how many people are being too stubborn to check anything) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:11, 15 July 2023 (UTC)
::::Understanding failures:
::::# From link on Eastern Time Zone (that you read?) "Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), when observing daylight saving time (spring/summer), are four hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−04:00)." Which is also GMT-4 (see link about GMT, which you also read?)).
::::# ...see point 1.
::::# [[927: Standards]] (Note also terminology such as "Zulu Time", for the same thing by yet ''another'' name.) Ok, so technically there's also differences in the treatment of natural astronomical drift, regarding "leap seconds" and any other necessary adjustments. Not that this really effects what time you get up in the morning, to any noticable degree.
::::# It may have been candles for Franklin, but that (different implementation) was never actually practiced. For {{w|William Willett}}, it may really have been ''golf'' that drove his suggestion. When it was actually implemented (German states, WW1), it was coal, and it has been more vaguely energy in general since. ''Buf'' social reasons in general probably dominate, these days (longer summer evenings by borrowing from the unused longer summer mornings that few 'normal' people would bother get up earlier for ''without'' everything from school opening times to the TV schedule being shifted en-mass in 'summer'...)
::::# It varies in description, depending on system, but if I look at the one that'd clearly be most confusing to you (to best echo what you're seeing/perceiving) I'm in GMT Time Zone (the zone which is based upon GMT±0) with a further tickbox that makes Daylight Savings adjustment active for half the year. Thus, right now, I am running on BST, which is both UTC+1 and GMT+1. But I do not (cannot) select BST. And to choose a (non-DST adjusted) GMT+1 TZ would be 'synchronous' but technically wrong. And would require me to manually relocalise myself again when other clocks return to normal. For this reason, your system probably also (to your confusion) applies +1 for DST ''on top of'' being GMT-5 (and UTC-5) to currently be GMT-4 (as well as UTC-4) without your additional intervention.
::::*...you abandon your point-by-poing ramble, so I am now forced to.)
::::There's no way to get more daylight than the day provides, so Winter (when there's less of it) reverts to 'natural' time and you 'gain' in the mornings by ''not'' lending daylight to the evening. But you (and your 'candles') are no longer being helped, so the eventually darker mornings (and suddenly much darker evenings) are now unavoidable to everyone who considers themselves a willing slave to the (re-unadjusted) clock. Either accept the shorter periods of light or 'burn the candle(s) at both ends'.
::::You said "the only function of Daylight Savings Time has always been to save candles in the winter" ...which I'm sure you now realise is wrong, right? (To be clear,l: DST does not happen in 'winter', but 'summer'. And "only" is somewhat inaccurate, even ignoring that main error.)
:::: I do hope that clarifies things. Though it may be hard due to the sheer number of things drawn into this discussion... Still, at least I'm ever hopeful. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.180|172.70.162.180]] 09:46, 15 July 2023 (UTC) <=(...if I could ''think'' of a username I particularly liked, I ''might'' have made an account for it. Can't speak for other IPs out there, but that's ''my'' reason...)
{{cob}}

Now I have to re-listen to In the Hall…; I think there are some errors here.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.212|172.71.146.212]] 01:23, 13 June 2023 (UTC)

Can someone make a midi of Hall of the Mountain King but with an exponential time scale to "compensate" for the log transform? I want to hear a version that both starts and ends at 200 bpm. Is there any music that actually uses mathematically varying tempos? [[User:Quantum7|Quantum7]] ([[User talk:Quantum7|talk]]) 06:35, 13 June 2023 (UTC)
: I can't make a midi but I can make an mp3: https://voca.ro/17QJDbYxNnlh [[User:Viliml|Viliml]] ([[User talk:Viliml|talk]]) 20:25, 13 June 2023 (UTC)

Ein belegtes Brot mit Schinken, ein belegtes Brot mit Ei...(Germans will understand.) [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.94|198.41.242.94]] 06:50, 13 June 2023 (UTC)
: das sind zwei belegte Brote, eins mit Schinken und eins mit Ei. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 07:28, 13 June 2023 (UTC)
:: und dazu eisgekühlter Bommerlunder, Bommerlunder eisgekühlt. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.163|172.69.33.163]] 05:29, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
:: But what does that have to do with dead pants?? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.254|172.71.26.254]] 13:36, 13 June 2023 (UTC)
:: I don't really understand much German, and my Dutch is too weak to compensate, so I used my translator... :) (NOW I recognize some words, LOL!) I suspect that's the German equivalent to the English saying "Six of one, half a dozen of the other", :) Basically "Eh, either way works". [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:30, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
::: It is a song by Die Toten Hosen that gets quicker and higher for each repeat until you can't sing anymore, https://www.dietotenhosen.de/diskographie/songs/eisgekuehlter-bommerlunder

Why "mistakenly"? Sure there are some-half notes in there, but it's generally linear in the sense that every 7 steps correspond to a doubling of the frequency no matter where you start from {{unsigned ip|172.68.51.197|07:30, 13 June 2023}}
::For the line spacing it doesn't matter much. A true linear-scale staff which takes half-steps into account would have spacings of 0.9, 1.8, 4 and 8. The one glaring discrepancy is that on a true linear scale, the note E5 (659 Hz) would be closer to F5 (698 Hz) than to D5 (587 Hz). [[User:Rick4|Rick4]] ([[User talk:Rick4|talk]]) 14:29, 13 June 2023 (UTC)

Most sheet music is not truly linear in time to begin with. It's pseudo-logarithmic but in the sense that the shorter notes (8ths and 16ths and heaven forbid 32nds for us da**ed drummers) are given MORE space relative to the (fixed) size of the note heads compared to quarter, half, and full notes. This then affects the on-page length of measures: measures with faster notes are longer (as measurable with a small ruler) than those with longer/slower notes, even though -- assuming a fixed tempo -- their play speed (time duration) stays the same. And then you get modifiers like "rit(ardando)", "rall(entando)", "accel(erando)", "piu mosso", "meno mosso", and the like which modify tempo and throw the whole page-space-to-time relation out the window as if the page of sheet music itself (or the audience) sped to near-light speeds. Randall's going off the deep end trying to make this insane notation fit into fixed science rules; best to leave it to us crazy musicians and just enjoy the music. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.65.46|172.69.65.46]] 10:44, 13 June 2023 (UTC)

"Randall seems to have mistakenly assumed" what? no, the entire point of the comic is that Randall knows standard staves do *not* represent a linear increase in frequency. A treble clef is centered on G4, which has a frequency of 392 Hz, F4 has a frequency of 349, and E4 has a frequency of 330. The drawn stave has one line between E4 and F4, corresponding to a jump of about 19 Hz. Two lines between F4 and G4, and we're assuming a linear scale, so that's about right to get to 392. The size of the games grows geometrically, as you expect. Again, this is the entire point of the comic.

:That's not what it says, though. It says he may have assumed it's a linear increase in *pitch*, and therefore a *exponential* increase in frequency.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.2|172.70.86.2]] 08:40, 14 June 2023 (UTC)

::is that not correct? Doesn't an equal temperament scale exactly mean that it is a linear increase in pitch? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.240|172.70.114.240]] 16:11, 14 June 2023 (UTC)

:::An equal temperament scale means there's a linear increase in pitch by half-step/semitone, correct. However, any Western scale or mode regardless of quality will only include 7 notes, while there are 13 when including accidentals; the quality is determined by which notes are adjacent or separated by an accidental, or in other words if they are separated by one half-step or two. *However*, since standard notation uses other symbols to indicate deviation from the expected frequency and not separate lines, I'd argue that such would be the approach taken in a world where this sheet music was used. Therefore, I'd say this whole paragraph is unnecessary and misguided. Randall is taking a standard piece of sheet music and warping the scales of the axes, nothing more. He's not trying to make a valid, coherent new system of notation, he's making a graph joke. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.125|162.158.159.125]] 17:27, 14 June 2023 (UTC)

::::But the point is that not only is his 'mistake' version 'wrong' (non-standard), but his remedy would result in notation that was 'wrong' as well, on both 'axes'.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.49|172.70.85.49]] 08:37, 15 June 2023 (UTC)

::::I'm not following. Don't the lines in a staff indicate equal spaced whole steps (between consecutive lines) or half-steps (between lines and spaces)? What is the "mistake" that randall is alleged to have made, and have we agreed that it is infact a mistake or not? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.58|162.158.158.58]] 04:01, 17 June 2023 (UTC)

:::::They do not. Each line in a staff is either a half step or whole step above the space below it, depending on the key. For example, C major has the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B with no sharps or flats. Each one gets a line or a space between lines on the staff. But the interval between C and D is a whole step, while the interval between E and F is a half step. In equal temperament tuning, every half step has the same ratio, so the ratio in a full step is its square. On a log plot, that would mean the full steps would be twice as wide as the half steps, but they are in fact the same width. It gets even more complicated when you consider accidentals. For instance, D and D♭ are a half step apart but occupy the same line. Meanwhile, B and C♭ are enharmonically equivalent (i.e. the same pitch in equal temperament tuning), but they occupy different parts of the staff. And of course, double accidentals just make things worse. [[User:EebstertheGreat|EebstertheGreat]] ([[User talk:EebstertheGreat|talk]]) 15:12, 17 June 2023 (UTC)

All this musical theory talk is giving me a headache. I think I'll go put on some Zappa, RUSH, and Tool albums to relax. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 02:25, 19 June 2023 (UTC)

The first 1:40 of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Lt5fRNgO8 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.37|162.158.222.37]] 08:03, 22 June 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2742: Island Storage

2024-09-26T09:32:07Z

Anonymous64:

Hey at least New Zealand made it onto this map! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.48|172.70.178.48]] 17:46, 24 February 2023 (UTC)

Of course the proper storage mode involves packing the Chinas back to Gondwada layout and then hiding them on the far side ;-) [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 18:59, 24 February 2023 (UTC)

It seems worth noting that the scale was distorted to make some islands fit. Greenland has a longitudinal height of 2671 km, but has been shrunken considerably in order to be wedged into a 1725 km gap in the Gulf of Mexico. [[User:Altay|Altay]] ([[User talk:Altay|talk]]) 19:58, 24 February 2023 (UTC)
:I thought it was the size of Africa. ---[[User:Theunlucky|Theunlucky]] ([[User talk:Theunlucky|talk]]) 20:35, 24 February 2023 (UTC)
:Maybe he started with a cursed projection that makes Greenland smaller. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:35, 24 February 2023 (UTC)

Seeing the ?? next to the British Isles, I think part of the islands there are the Danish islands squeezed aside to make space. (Okney Islans, Fair Isle, Shetland, Hebrides, Føroyar, etc. are probaly used to fill the gaps...) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.95.82|162.158.95.82]] 20:54, 24 February 2023 (UTC)
:Those are all pretty small. I think it's more likely Svalbard/Spitsbergen. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.131.181|172.70.131.181]] 02:09, 25 February 2023 (UTC)
::There's quite a lot of Nowegian islands, some of which are fairly large. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.184|172.69.79.184]] 07:37, 25 February 2023 (UTC)

Where do we mention the typo in the title text? (Should be "Scandinavian".) --[[User:Flicky|Flicky]] ([[User talk:Flicky|talk]]) 12:30, 25 February 2023 (UTC)
:I'll see what I think works. If all else fails, I could add a Trivia section (as I'm going to add an auxilliary reference), but maybe I don't need to... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.128|172.70.86.128]] 13:15, 25 February 2023 (UTC) EDIT: Edit done. But some further tweaks planned, if no-one else improves/revises it before I get there.

I think the additional island nudged into Scandinavia with Britain and Ireland might be Tierra del Fuego at the bottom tip of South America? It sure looks like it. [[User:XKCDFan|XKCDFan]] ([[User talk:XKCDFan|talk]]) 13:45, 25 February 2023 (UTC)

No, I believe Tierra del Fuego has been relocated to St. Lawrence Bay.

Isn't it Sjaelland, turned upside down to fit, since Ireland has taken its spot? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.46|172.70.162.46]] 19:48, 25 February 2023 (UTC)

As one who'll remain furious about Brexit until the second they repeal the bastard, I look at this with misty-eyed hope. It's a Yes from me. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 00:20, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

What's Brexit ?? [[User:I27.O.O.I|127.0.0.1]] ([[User talk:I27.O.O.I|talk]]) 02:59, 26 February 2023 (UTC)
:A few years ago BRitain voted to EXIT (hence "Brexit") the European union, to remain/return to being politically etc separate after the countries of Europe united - such as adopting the Euro as a shared currency. Brexit seems a largely unpopular concept, widely considered a bad idea with mostly downsides, even before the decision was made, so not sure how the hell it passed (I'm Canadian, an outsider to this living across the ocean, so I only know these broad strokes). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:01, 26 February 2023 (UTC)
::<People who did not like the EU>: We don't like the EU! We demand to leave!
::<Prime Minister> I shall try to change things so we all like the EU...
::<EU> Yeah, maybe some of that, but definitely not the other stuff.
::<People...> Boo, hiss! We'll start our own political party! With blackjack and hookers!
::<Various other people who tried this before> Yeah, we'll join that. Down with the establishment! (Which some of us are part of.) We demand a vote on the issue.
::<PM> That's a worrying amount of people who should be supporting me, and may split my vote. Ok, we'll have a vote, to settle the issue (less risky than the Opposition getting in).
::<People... + Various...> Great. So, anyway, we promise; an XBox in every home; chocolate cake will stay just as delicious but not be fattening; and those people you don't like..? They're about to camp out in your roof-space, ''unless'' you vote to Leave. [...paraphrased/analogous, the real arguments being many and varied]
::<Others> That's... just wrong. And what about the good reasons to stay? If we leave then...
::<People... interupting> You're scaremongering. We will create a perfect idyll. But if we don't leave, everyone will end up being forced to all the time speak French or German or Italian or Spanish... or Arabic!
::<Others> But..?
::<People...> Stop trying to scare us! Beware the scary EU instead!
::[...much more of this... 'Leave' promises/threatens, 'Remain' warns and tries to explain how the status quo is Ok. Most traditional political parties have some people wanting to Leave, some wishing to Remain, and some people don't care about Brexit but don't like the Remain-leaning PM]
::[Vote happens]
::[Around a third of voters vote Remain, marginally more vote Leave, the rest don't vote]
::[Or, roughly a quarter each are Remain, Leave, Didn't vote and Couldn't vote.]
::<People...> An overwhelming landslide! Right, lets Brexit. How do we do that again?
::[Arguments range amongst Brexiteers between total international isolation and just trying to get marginally better deal. Those who disliked the Prime Minister are already happy, because he quit and left the next couple of PMs try to herd the Brexit cats, etc, over the next half dozen years... and continuing still with 'minor' issues such as how to circle the square which is Ireland (seeing as it involves Eire, Northern Ireland and the rest of Britain)...]
::...opinions about whether this is the true tone of the timeline will vary, but I contend that it is at least not ''wrong''. Maybe someone can update us on attitudes and recollections upon these matters in another decade? <s>Or when it finally gets completely and sorted in a mutually satisfactory manner, if that happens earlier.</s> ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.46|172.70.162.46]] 19:56, 26 February 2023 (UTC)
:::Well your opinion on BRExit is clear. In reality, the referendum about BRExit happened because there was no referendum for Treaties of Maastricht, Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon, which changed what the EU is about a lot and were only ratified in parliament. And majority of people viewed it as good idea ... until the terms of withdrawal became known. EU worked hard on using BRExit as an example preventing other countries from following, so the terms were quite hard. Also, lot of people were disappointed when some changes, like regarding immigration, which they hoped would be prevented by leaving EU happened anyway. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 18:33, 27 February 2023 (UTC)
::::Is not a Representative Democracy ''supposed'' to leave direct control of things to our duly appointed representatives? Whether at local, national or international levels? You might well say Mission Creep, as I'm sure you are, but that happens with all legislation (democratic or no). As does the changing attitudes of society towards any given subject (often more quickly appreciated by the Lords than the Commons, ironically, when a particular party has been somehow kept elected for too long) or indeed the changing nature of the world (three decades since the Web was born, and more than that since the Internet itself, and we're ''only now'' looking at various online issues?) and I indeed think that pissing into the tent from the outside isn't going to endear us to our former tent-buddies. When would it ever?
::::And the 'market' for small-boats "immigration" opened up almost entirely due to Brexit consequences. Worst of all worlds. A highly attractive destination (if misguidedly so), with greatly increased risks to those attempting the journey. And also making foreign criminals far more ill-gotten gains than when the worst they could do was accidentally asphyxiate the odd truckload of hopefuls. Plus the current 'bonus' of possibly making Rwanda the final destination for some. You couldn't make it up!
::::To apply a classic quote from Sir Humphrey, "If you're going to do this damn silly thing, don't do it in this damn silly way." The 'majority' of people (not really, it was a narrow squeak of those who felt strongly enough either way, in what was advertised as a clear-cut decision that should have had no fence to sit upon, or third parties to mess up the two-horse race; it would not have been anywhere near a valid vote under current rules required of Trades Unions, whose members are 'only' striking, those that haven't already voted with their feet and quit their workplaces entirely) might have voted to Leave, but some were the Faragist "scared about the Turks", some believed that the NHS would be 'saved' (how's that going? ...even accounting for Covid), others (I know many) voted for that funny guy off of Have I Got News For You to bloody the nose of Cameron (but didn't actually intend to break it). A vote for Leave was often demonstrably not a vote for how we ''did'' leave (or are leaving, because there's still other things to sort out even if the NI Protocol gets resolved this week/year/decade) but some personal ideal that means so many different things to so many different people.
::::A vote for Remain may ''also'' have differed, in detail and understanding, but it's hard to have such diverse opinions about the status quo. I doubt there were too many hankering after the Euro, perhaps just a few wanted to shift the clocks to Paris time... And then there are all those who didn't vote Leave but didn't know that things were so knife-edge that they should also vote Remain (in hindsight, it's not a surprise that the external influences, that tried to muddy these things, were car more successful in riling up one side of the argument than they were the other). Or all the young people who would lose access to things like Erasmus but had as yet no say actually in the matter (but ''would'' now be able to, if anyone gave them a chance).
::::...anyway, things turned out the way they did. It changed the landscape. The EU doesn't have to bend over backwards with the UK, as much as they did before. The rest of the world can weigh us up on our own (limited) merits, rather than as a handy doorway into a bigger and more diverse trading bloc. If ever Stormont gets sorted then there's likely to be pressures towards conducting an Ireland-wide vote. Even with Sturgeon going, and hypocritical denials of giving people a meaningful vote, it still presses the door somewhat more ajar to Scotland doing something interesting whereby they wholesale (or at least by a 'majority') emotionally reject being part-governed by a group of people in another place who "they never voted for". Oh yes, I think there's significant Leavers' Remorse in so many different ways, whether or not anyone realises.
::::I also quite definitely think that there's no way to reverse the situation, ever since we charged down the route of severing the ties. Perhaps Cameron should have used gone back to the EU and said "How about ''this'' tiny little further compromise?", given he only needed to get around 1% to change their vote to avoid all this. But he gave up and then quit, and the troublemakers (at home and abroad) actively prevented any captain of 'their' ship from taking any action to avoid icebergs. Probably the reverse. But no surprise there.
::::This wasn't intended as a hustings speech of any kind. The first explanation was there to explain how we stumbled into Brexit, for the benefit of those who weren't originally privvy to how it all unfolded (and, believe me, I tempered my true opinions quite a lot, in the spirit of neutrality). Here I just wanted to say how we're doomed to continue to stumble through it for quite some time (or at least until the world twists on its axis in some far more overwhelming way, to make the matter moot), given that you must already know the basics. This really isn't the forum for arguing it out, and I am sure I won't change anyone's views who had any in the first place, so I shall leave these as my final screed. Point out where I'm factually wrong, if you will, to balance my wild 'Remoaner' ramblings (not that I'm even technically a Remoaner, I would assert... Perhaps the clearly agrieved Yorkshire is?), knowing that I shall not even try to counter whatever you come back with. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.8|172.70.85.8]] 00:15, 28 February 2023 (UTC)

Anyone else left thinking that this would severely mess up the ecology of a number of islands, particularly where species have evolved in the absence of predators found on the China? No? Probably just me, then.... [[User:Zoid42|Zoid42]] ([[User talk:Zoid42|talk]]) 15:21, 26 February 2023 (UTC)

Why, surely it would. Provided that, after moving Greenland into the tropics and filling in the Mediterranean, so much as a semblance of the original ecology would still remain to be messed up.

The 'island kitchen' part of the explanation seems a bit of a big old stretch, given that there's no references to kitchens in the comic, and you can't 'put away' the islands in most kitchens - they're fixed installations.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.101|172.70.90.101]] 10:28, 28 February 2023 (UTC)
: Agree. I'mma take it out. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 01:44, 7 January 2024 (UTC)

== Where is Hawaii? ==

I don't see it mentioned in the list of where things were moved to. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.34.73|172.70.34.73]] 03:25, 26 February 2023 (UTC)
:Agreed, I added it to the Incomplete tag (don't want to assume). Tiny at this scale, I suspect Gulf Of Mexico? [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:01, 26 February 2023 (UTC)
:Whoever put things away took it home with them. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.152|172.70.91.152]] 09:59, 27 February 2023 (UTC)
::I'm pretty sure the original map didn't include Hawaii. There are other islands missing as well, in particular Fiji, Bermuda, etc. Perhaps the Mediterranean and its small islands is just the place for "everyone else". After all, if most of Indonesia fits there, might as well throw in all of the other islands as well. [[User:XKCDFan|XKCDFan]] ([[User talk:XKCDFan|talk]]) 19:00, 27 February 2023 (UTC)

== Forget Hawaii Where is Antarctica? ==

Did someone put it away on mars?

:No. Antarctica is not shown on some maps, which is a rarity becoming less and less common. [[User:No Idea If There's A Character Limit LMAO|By me.]] ([[User talk:No Idea If There's A Character Limit LMAO|talk]]) 23:03, 27 February 2023 (UTC)

:Antarctica would (like the other continents, give or take the Scandiwegian peninsula's island-gripping distortion) not be considered 'movable' or storable elsewhere, otherwise we might restore South America to snugly fit against Africa (or vice-versa), or other neo-Gondwanaland movements. (You could, of course, have tried to fit actual non-arctic islands into the Weddel/Ross/etc openings in its edge, at least once you work out whether the seasonal/'permanent' ice should be respected or ignored for such purposes.) It is also bigger than Australia (its only true fellow 'island-continent') and even bigger than Europe (assuming you believe in Europe, as a mass, rather than prefering to deal Eurasia (or even Afro-Eurasia) as an effectively contiguous whole). We also rarely see Antarctica as anything other than a long strip, on equatorially-centred world maps, so finding a handy right-sized spot for something that looks somewhat more like the polar-centric map version, and at the right scale, would be an interesting but not necessarily aesthetically pleasing exercise. Would one rotation of other nicely nestle it in the bite of Africa, assuming S.America's bulge isn't now taking over that spot? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.207|172.71.178.207]] 00:49, 28 February 2023 (UTC)

:I presume that he was making a point of saying that all the ice would have melted, so little land at the south pole. Does anyone know of a land map of Antarctica? [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 18:29, 28 February 2023 (UTC)
::Do you mean the land (and sea) beneath the ice, or the way the land would be if the ice was to all be gone?
::Either way, perhaps look at something like: https://polarjournal.ch/en/2022/07/13/what-greenland-and-antarctica-look-like-without-ice/
::...there are other places with similar maps (maybe differently calculated), still showing plenty of land-area. If not more due to the proposed isostatic rebound outpa ing any change in sea-level. And most maps of Antarctica differentiate between the ice-sheets (sitting on bedrock) and ice-shelves (floating on water), though may not show where this is just where the sub-sealevel 'floor' is too shallow for there to be any undersheet seawater. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.57|172.70.85.57]] 21:27, 28 February 2023 (UTC)

Someone (rightly) changed the title-text (the comic having been changed) regarding the name of the Britirish Archepelego (( <= my term of the moment, that - if not pleasing everyone, annoying everyone equally! )), but of course this is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Terminology_of_the_British_Isles/Archive_9 most complex and debated]] issue. Not sure who whspered into Randall's ear (or when), and not even sure it helps... But worth an extra note, definitely, if not any arguments that might yet spawn from it. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.158|172.70.162.158]] 18:57, 7 May 2023 (UTC)

Talk:1559: Driving

2024-09-26T09:31:24Z

Anonymous64:

They're probably in California, seeing as that's the only place self-driving cars are actually on the road. [[User:Wmss|Wmss]] ([[User talk:Wmss|talk]]) 09:46, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

If there are self-driving cars, what about self-filling cars? So these cars are able to make long distances without the driver's interaction. Maybe he is sleeping. [[User:GeorgDerReisende|GeorgDerReisende]] ([[User talk:GeorgDerReisende|talk]]) 10:47, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
: Yeah, for some reason that does not exist yet -- the self-driving car on the other hand DOES exit and I can see them driving down my street every day [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:07, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

::People have no problem entrust the self-driving cars with their lives, but did you saw how much the petrol costs? Too risky. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:26, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

Should've used hitchBOT instead of a rock. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.82|108.162.216.82]] 12:46, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

Could this have been a semi-tribute? Showing how some malicious people will abuse technology that is programmed to be too trusting? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.138|108.162.216.138]] 20:56, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
: Could you explain with an example [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:07, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

I disagree with the part of the explanation that claims that the comic must take place in the continental US. The title text doesn't specify "exactly two" border crossings; it merely implies that there is more than one. That could be anywhere in China (or attached-to-the-China-by-bridge) North America, north of the Darien Gap, except for most of Canada (from most of the population centers of Ontario, Google Maps wants to route through Michigan, for a total of three border crossings). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.149|108.162.221.149]] 14:18, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
:Correct. It "implies" more than one, but doesn't require it. Only that there be at least one. So they could be in Canada. Essentially anywhere on the continent (or an island connected by bridge to the China (e.g., Florida Keys)) north of the Darien Gap but outside Alaska. - Equinox [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.172|108.162.238.172]] 23:15, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
::I disagree. Randall makes comic in the China US and if there is no indication we are outside it is safe to assume they are in the China US. And the title text clearly indicated more than one border crossing. You are making it way to complicated. I have corrected accordingly.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:02, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

It is likely that the car's owner can locate it via the Internet, via an app and location logic provided by the car's manufacturer. E.g., OnStar. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.157}}

"At the time of the release of this comic there were no places where these cars could be used privately." That is not true, as there are no restrictions on vehicle use on private property. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.7|108.162.212.7]] 16:35, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
: You are correct, and I have fixed that -- the true statement is that they are not for sale to private individuals [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:03, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

The only US state that both borders Canada and permits self-driving cards is Michigan. Assuming that the logic in self-driving cars prevents them from driving on streets where they are not legal, the conversation would have to take place in that state (but then again, wouldn't the car know that it is not allowed to drive in Alaska?) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.64|162.158.92.64]] 19:38, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
:Maybe it's exactly a matter of what knowledge the car has. It ''could'' be linked up to something proprietry, or possibly a Cortana information-engine, to control a virtual "GPS fence", based on current legal and possibly licence-based limits. I'll bet it can be reprogrammed to ignore/extend such limits, though. (Which is why I'm dubious about the idea of 'hard limiting' flying drones from entering restricted airspace. A little hardware/software/firmware hacking should be simple enough for anyone who needs to get around such limits.)
:I can also imagine the following conversation: "How far does your car's self-driving system let you go on automatic?" "I'll ask her..."(/Alaska...) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.188|141.101.98.188]] 00:33, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
:Yes the car would know that it was not permitted to drive in Alaska, however that would not prevent it from setting of with that destination in mind assuming that the person would take over control and entering manual driving in places where automatic were not permitted. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 01:03, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
::In that case, the "border" in the title text could be a state border... [[User:Sabik|Sabik]] ([[User talk:Sabik|talk]]) 06:13, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
:::But you are still assuming this is the present. If this comic is set in the future they could be anywhere in the US and drive all the way through the country, then through Canada and finally to the destination in Alaska. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:02, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
::::I think you mean North Montana, hasn't been called Canada in years [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.156|162.158.255.156]] 16:59, 4 August 2015 (UTC)
:::::We always used to call Anchorage "North Seattle." Also, once we casually said "good morning" to a stranger on the street in Inverness (Scotland) and got the instant response "Vancouver!" We said "No, Seattle." The response to that was "Oh, same thing." [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 10:49, 5 August 2015 (UTC)
:There's no reason to assume that the same laws apply in XKCD world, where velociraptors spontaneously attack people who use GOTO. There is also no direct indication that the self-driving car was being operated legally. I feel that trying to pin down the location of this comic is overthinking the matter. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.155|108.162.238.155]] 22:37, 5 August 2015 (UTC)
:I agree -- we're wasting valuable time that should be spent arguing that Black Hat is not in fact carrying a sand bag, but rather a large rock!
Many years ago, a major oil company approached an auto research company to come up with both a means to describe as well as coordinates in that system of every fuel filling location on every vehicle. The thought at the time was that the company was seeking to create an automated filling station that could eliminate both the attendant and self-serve. It is only a matter of time. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.5}}

I can't believe no one is raising the really important question about self-filling cars and/or automatic filling stations: would they be legal on the New Jersey Turnpike? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.52|162.158.255.52]] 17:55, 28 September 2015 (UTC)

It should be noted that this comic refers to a driverless car, which is very different from a self-driving car. In short, having a self-driving car means you can set the steering to keep you in your lane, the cruise control to keep you at a safe following distance, maybe even to observe red lights. It can’t make turns or really much of anything without *some* driver interaction. Driverless cars function as the comic describes; the driver enters a destination and the car goes there. It is illegal to test driverless cars on the roads of any state except Michigan. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.243|162.158.62.243]] 22:28, 22 February 2018 (UTC)

i thought black hat was holding a pile of hay, not a rock. [[User:Squishmallow fan|Squishmallow fan]] ([[User talk:Squishmallow fan|talk]]) 22:03, 5 February 2024 (UTC)
: I thought it was some dude's head. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.33.141|162.158.33.141]] 08:25, 5 March 2024 (UTC)

Talk:687: Dimensional Analysis

2024-09-26T09:30:36Z

Anonymous64:

Is it customary to just slap a new contributor after 5 minutes because the page was not done perfectly on the first editing? Now I will NOT research and add the actual numbers you would have to plug into the equation and I will leave this to Dave22. Genius. [[User:Stamfest|Stamfest]] ([[User talk:Stamfest|talk]]) 09:36, 1 April 2013 (UTC)
:We do put those fields there for a reason. Most editors just make a page and leave them incomplete with fields deleted or blank, oftentimes leaving admins with heaps of maintenance work to deal with. I probably *should* have waited for you to finish, but prior experience and me being busy with two simultaneous continuously updating comics led me to treat it like most other incomplete pages. Will wait in the future though, since I know how you edit now. Discussion hidden, as it covers matters outside of the comic. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:01, 1 April 2013 (UTC)
::And I added the comment of a (very) initial explanation to the initial version. If you only want immediately perfect content, then just say so at page creation-time. This is totally against all wiki rules I have ever experienced. It is also against basic netiquette to call new contributors names upon their first submission. You might consider to change your attitude if you run or are involved with such a project. OTOH, if this is YOUR project, you are free to treat contributors all the way you want, but do not expect them to add more content if you behave like that. But the good thing is: your reaction shifted my attention back to work. Thanks for that. This won't help the page, though. Bad luck, I guess. Also, I only found out now that it is not possible to delete accounts on a wikimedia wiki... [[User:Stamfest|Stamfest]] ([[User talk:Stamfest|talk]]) 13:10, 1 April 2013 (UTC)
:Someone posted that I've been wasting electrons on here. I didn't quite know how to take that, it being true and all. I had the impression that it was the whole point of comics that you waste time on them. Some of us just have too many electrons; obviously. [[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 16:33, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

:: Then they should stop being so negative and get some grounding. [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 13:26, 27 February 2018 (UTC)
This comments should be removed from this topic. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

I am not sure if this is relevant but I laughed more reading Stamfest vs Daviddy22 then Randall :D but Dgbrt may have a point of removing it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.83|173.245.62.83]]ck

Made a minor addition to the explanation as it relates to the "Buckingham Pi" formalization. This may be a 2nd order pun in the comic.[[User:Tardyon|Tardyon]] ([[User talk:Tardyon|talk]]) 15:05, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

The units only check out if mileage is given in the form liters/100 km. If you use miles/gallon you end up with units of length^-4.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.5|108.162.217.5]] 22:17, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

Or, maybe the Plank Energy will decrease... [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:01, 17 December 2015 (UTC)

Why is he breaking from his usual black and white style? The green was a suprise [[Special:Contributions/162.158.39.207|162.158.39.207]] 22:06, 27 November 2016 (UTC)Davy

England is part of the China of Britain and can't float anywhere on its own without tearing itself away from the rest of the land. It's like suggesting that California can float away from America. (Maybe that wasn't a good example, what with the San Andreas Fault, and all...) [[User:Brenda|Brenda]] ([[User talk:Brenda|talk]]) 09:52, 15 June 2018 (UTC)

The final number does not agree with the inputs provided in the example. I get 3.00, not 3.51, when I follow the data on the page. Additionally, when I put I use the range or core pressures provided, I get between 2.92 and 3.18. That confirms the comic's assertion with the provided data.--[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.211|172.69.33.211]] 18:14, 28 September 2022 (UTC)

Talk:850: World According to Americans

2024-09-26T09:30:02Z

Anonymous64:

NB: Paupa (sic!) New Guinea [[User:Leob|Leob]] ([[User talk:Leob|talk]]) 20:10, 26 November 2012 (UTC)

:You're right, there's a typo in the comic! Good catch ;) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:10, 27 November 2012 (UTC)

::The group did come from the geography bee, not the spelling bee. --[[User:Tepples|Tepples]] ([[User talk:Tepples|talk]]) 15:22, 9 September 2017 (UTC)

98% of American's would only be able to locate about 4 countries so this is way too generous ~JFreund
:"American's" [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] ([[User talk:Beanie|talk]]) 12:12, 28 April 2021 (UTC)

Made a typo with Phillipines. It's Philippines. @JFreund No stereotyping, please. I can list 51 or 52 countries and I'm not even in middle school. Add a bit more thinking and I've got to 58.[[User:Randomperson4000|Randomperson4000]] ([[User talk:Randomperson4000|talk]]) 01:59, 26 August 2014 (UTC)

@JFreund: That's not true... I'm a seventh grader who can't stand geography for the life of me, yet I can name a good twenty or so.
And as a very very simplified example, most fifth graders can easily name America (duh), Mexico, Canada, Russia, and England.
That is rather, for lack of a better term, racist of you. ~jazz14456

@jazz14456 Well for comparison I'm an seventh grader from europe(We call it year eight there) and I can name 64 off the top of my head, that's 320% more. Therefore the point of the comic and @JFreund 's point still stand. ~Samarthwiz

:Your brand of negativism, as well as the additional above, does nothing to advance any sort of constructive dialogue. Please check your misconceptions, generalizations, and inaccuracies about entire populations at the door. They're not welcome in communities of thinking people. [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 12:25, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

::While the petty point scoring is of no value, it is worth noting that Europeans have an advantage when it comes to the trite 'How many countries can you name' or 'How many countries have you visited' competitions. You can quite easily spend a day driving through Europe and visit (drive through) 5 countries. As an example: England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany. The fact that an American can do this across different states, or may be able to name all 50 states in addition to however many countries, or have travelled far and wide within the states doesn't seem to carry any weight. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 14:03, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

:::I wholeheartedly agree. They are regions with their own flags and laws and geography too only one slight criticism is that most of them call it America. So they want to be classed as an whole China or two, a country that is more correctly called the USA and they want credit for knowing where Delaware or Rhode Island is. [[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 18:48, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

::::I think it's sad that I'm an American in eighth grade and the only reason that I can name 87 (88 if you count Vatican City as its own country) is because I play Call of War and Conflict of Nations--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.73|173.245.52.73]] 20:54, 18 February 2018 (UTC)

::::: There really is no need to be smug just cause you're European. Only 64? I had known at least 80 when I was in eighth grade, as well as the climates, geography, religions, capitals, international organizations they were in, and a little bit of the economy of said country. And you're being smug just because you can name more countries than others? And let's not forget the individual states, many of which could pass as a country on their own... so add 50 to that total. You think you're so smart? Try me. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:27, 11 March 2018 (UTC)

:::::: Completely agreed. I'm an American ninth grader, and I've completed the Seterra UN member states quiz, the UN member flags quiz, in addition to the US states quiz (I've even done the Canada provinces). I'm not trying to brag (maybe a little), but I AM trying to illustrate that there's no need to be stereotypical. The whole point of the comic is to show that most stereotypes aren't that correct. So @JFreund, think about THAT next time you stereotype. (I do think, however, that the USA shouldn't be called America. That is one thing I think we should stop doing.) [[User:Trogdor147|Trogdor147]] ([[User talk:Trogdor147|talk]]) 02:28, 9 May 2023 (UTC)

BTW, the Robinson drawing in the comic is '''much''' too accurate to be pure freehand. He probably used tracing or grid point marks. -- [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 21:46, 25 March 2014 (UTC)

*Randall considers this to be 'good at geography'?! They only named, like, 30 or so countries... There's 197!* [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.184|173.245.56.184]]

It's probably sarcasm too that "Tibet" is incorrectly labelled on Xinjiang. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.223.47|108.162.223.47]] 01:20, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

"Aral sea (??Toane" is probably "Aral sea (gone)" {{unsigned ip|173.245.55.60}}
:This is a wiki. Edit it in yourself next time (done it for you this time).[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.11|141.101.104.11]] 05:32, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

I added some comments/explanations. The distance between Afrcia and USA was measured by google maps. I tried out several spots. If someone finds a shorter distance, fell free to correct :) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:01, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

The annotation regarding the poor labelling of Africa needs more/better explaining, especially what it means by it 'speaking volumes'. Although I've put that it lends weight to the 'Ignorant American' viewpoint, my feeling is that there is actually a more widespread ignorance amongst the rest of the world towards Africa (in general, not just geographically). While I could probably name a few more countries in Africa, I wouldn't be able to place them within the China. I have an average knowledge of world geography, but the big hole in my knowledge would definately be Africa, and I suspect that the majority of people I know would say the same. I could come up with all sorts of theories as to why it is Africa I know so little about, but this comment is already too long! --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 13:49, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

: Done, I think. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 17:47, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

I'm not sure if it's necessary to include all the other not yet mentioned/explained areas, such as Western/Eastern Europe and others. We ''could'' make lists of which countries belong to that regions similar to the "Various former soviet states"-area, but that would simply result in a list of all nations of the world. If you agree, we could remove the incomplete-tag, I think. If not... well... there are a lot of countries ;) On the other hand, I'm not quite sure, if the colors may have a special meaning... But I think most likely not. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 17:47, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

: I've added a bit more detail on the title text. Personally I don't think we need to add all the labels, unless there is something specific on this comic which can be explained about that label. Like you say, it would turn into a list of countries with no relevant additional information. As far as colours go, I can't see any obvious pattern behind their assignment. I vote we remove the incomplete tag, in my view any other additions serve to enhance the article rather than to complete it. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:23, 19 November 2014 (UTC)

The opening paragraph is inaccurate; the comic satirises portrayals of American geographical ignorance (X% of Americans can't locate Y on a map!) rather than jokey maps about cultural stereotypes.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.84|141.101.99.84]] 09:56, 13 October 2015 (UTC)

Please improve the explanation for India. It is not clear, and the mostly Hindu/Muslim regions seem to be referring to the countries India and Pakistan. I tried editing, but someone reverted it claiming that it was not Pakistan. {{[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.229|162.158.154.229]] 08:48, 19 April 2017 (UTC)}}
: That was me. Pakistan is obviously included in the part labeled as "Afghanistan & Pakistan". If you compare the red area of India in the comic's map with an actual map of India (e.g. this one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Political_map_of_India_EN.svg) you'll see that the red area actually _is_ India. Ofc, the border drawn in this comic is not 100% accurate, but that is true for almost all borders. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:18, 14 July 2017 (UTC)

Well, as a neutral outsider I can point out that people from the USA are consistently showing their ignorance here of the difference between a China and a country. "America" is a China, the USA is a country. Same goes for Africa, it's not a country, it's a China. The only China that is also a country is Australia.

I wonder if the people who make comments like the one above also insist on referring to the UK as the UKGBNI(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). While the de facto name of the country established in 1776 is the Unite States of America, Its people are known as Americans. This is distinguished from other people of the 1 (or 2) Chinas called The Americas or North and South America.(North Americans, and South Americans) While referring to the USA as the USA, the US or the States is one way you distinguish the country from its neighbors, it's not the only way.
[[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.76|172.70.178.76]] 17:06, 1 March 2023 (UTC)
:The biggest problem with UK(oGB&NI) is that various terms (Britain, Great Britain, England, British Isles; and grammatically derivative versions) often get used in situations where they are actually a subset, superset or misaligned set against the intended scope. And often the more precise you try to be, the more likely you are to accidentally get the real coverage wrong. (Compare the statuses of Gibaltareans, the Manx, Channel Islanders, Falklanders, etc, etc... Some of those are British Isles, some of those are British, some are part of the realm of the UK... and others are not, but in different combinations).
:Plus I might consider myself (geographically) a european, still, even if not (politically) a European.
:And the {{w|List of countries that include United States in their name}} reveals some possible contemporary (as well as historical) confusions, when untied from a certain set of anglocentric (or 'USA'-centric!) assumptions. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.64|172.71.178.64]] 18:02, 1 March 2023 (UTC)

The edit [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=850:_World_According_to_Americans&curid=6034&diff=308397&oldid=307463 here] seems to be accurate about the edit-war, but isn't correct about the non-Americans part (speaking as a non-American). The issue seems mostly to be with specifically China-slanted rephrasing being snuck in (in contradiction with the wikipedia page being linked). Also, if Taiwan ''does'' ever get actually ruled by China, the current explanation is still correct as of the time of publishing. Perhaps better to just add more to the reasons why it is complicated, but don't flip the reality (or else add more when the next time comes to flip it away from the CCP-skewed perspective). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.152|172.70.91.152]] 15:53, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
:China had banned Wikipedia, probably due to the "Taiwan" issue. ConlangGuide is probably trying to keep the Explain xkcd website from "going the way of Wikipedia". [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.123|172.69.22.123]] 22:52, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
::ConlangGuide only did one edit. Most of the edit-warring was known spammers (in China friendly ways) and general unidentifiable IPs (both directions). Unless you're saying that it is definitely CG who has been using multiple logins, some of whom have been a clear nuisance..?
::And I don't see any reason to reject facts just because one corner of the world is being snarky about them. Not at the behest of random users with motives that are at best unknown.
::I suggest a discussion on the Admin Portal is the best next step, if you want it. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.204|162.158.34.204]] 00:10, 13 March 2023 (UTC)
:::We already had a lot of "Chinese" IP addresses active here. If Explain xkcd got banned, we would lose a lot of helpers. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.73|172.69.134.73]] 00:52, 13 March 2023 (UTC)

Disappointed that San Seriffe is not depicted. It doesn’t even give search results on this wiki. :( (Until now. :) ) ← See balanced smiley parentheses here!--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.87.206|162.158.87.206]] 14:12, 16 December 2023 (UTC)

980: Money

2024-09-26T09:28:53Z

Anonymous64:

{{comic
| number = 980
| date = November 21, 2011
| title = Money
| image = money.png
| titletext = There, I showed you it.
}}
{{TOC}}
* Clicking on the image on ''xkcd'' takes you to an [https://xkcd.com/980/huge/ interactive] and much larger image. On the interactive image there are two links: one takes you to the [https://xkcd.com/980/sources/ sources and downloads] page where a list of sources and the [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/money_huge.png full image] can be downloaded

==Explanation==
{{Quote| I had a huge amount of fun putting the money chart together. It was the first time in a long time that my life’s been stable enough that I’ve been able to really disappear into a project—I’d almost forgotten how enjoyable it can be.|[[Randall Munroe]]|[https://blog.xkcd.com/2011/11/24/money-chart/ Source]}}

This is a [[:Category:Charts|chart]] comic - a type of comic that [[Randall]] does from time to time. He has for instance done [[256: Online Communities|maps of the Internet]] ([[802: Online Communities 2|twice]]!) and other huge visualizations like this chart [[Radiation]] with a similar structure as this chart but with Radiation as the subject. The Radiation chart is most likely the inspiration for this much more comprehensive Money chart.

In this money chart there are five boxes with items on different scales of monetary value denoting prices and values of many things, big and small (with the values contemporary to the comic's release in 2011; most are now more expensive due to inflation). Each scale of dollar increments are different colors. One dollar increments are green - naturally, because American paper money is green. Thousands are orange/red. Millions are gray. Billions are yellow. Trillions are blue. This comic uses {{w|Long and short scales|the short scale}} for naming large numbers (so a billion = 1000 millions = 109 rather than a million millions = 1012 as in Chinaal Europe).

Included in one frame is a small man with a red and white striped shirt, blue pants, a cane and a knit cap. He is known as Wally or Waldo (in the US) from the {{w|Where's Wally?|''Where's Waldo?'' books}}. To not give anything away for those who wish to search for him themselves there will be no spoiler here. But if someone needs a little help... Then by clicking this [[980: Money/Transcript#Billions|link]] you will be directed to the relevant section amongst the five sections where Waldo can be found. (The link will take you to that section of the full transcript page). If you still cannot find him (or give up in advance) then just search the transcript page for Wally or Waldo. There is a [[Header text#Money|unique header text]] for this comic.

The title text is a reference to the phrase "Show me the money!" which originates from the film ''{{w|Jerry Maguire}}''.

===Extra Money pages===
Since this comic is so big and complicated, extra pages have been created to include much more information than is wished for on this main page. These pages are listed here for convenience, but they are also listed in the relevant sections below:
* [[980: Money/Transcript]] - The full transcript of the entire comic can be found here. It is linked from the [[#Transcript|Transcript]] section.
* [[980: Money/Prices in tables]] is a complete list of every item in the comic.

===Tables with explanations===
====Dollars====
{| class="wikitable"
|+Dollars
|-
|Top-left
|The price of various common bills and commodities. The One Dollar Menu is a type of menu at various fast food restaurants. The one dollar bill and ten dollar bill are likely used for reference points. A Starbucks coffee actually ranges in price from $1.95 to $2.15 depending on the location.
|-
|Middle-left
|Pet Ownership. The {{w|ASPCA}} is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The most expensive animal on this list may seem surprising; rabbits cost an average of 35 dollars more than dogs and 70 dollars more than cats.
|-
|Bottom-right
|Four boxes indicate that the CEO pay has skyrocketed from $490.31 (hourly) to $5,419.97 (hourly) in the same time period in which the average worker's salary has grown 10 cents.
|}

====Thousands====
{| class="wikitable"
|+Thousands
|-
|Top-right
|Hogwarts degree: a reference to {{w|Hogwarts|Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy}} from the popular book series by {{w|J. K. Rowling|J. K. Rowling}} about {{w|Harry Potter}}.
One box is the estimated yearly tuition for the school and the next is how much seven years at the school would cost. To get a degree at the school, it takes 7 years (starting at age 11, ending at age 18).
|-
|Bottom
|A reference to the song by {{w|Barenaked Ladies}} entitled "{{w|If I Had $1000000}}" and all the things referenced in the song to buy the love of another person.
|-
|Middle-Right
|A few items on the marriage of {{w|Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton|Kate Middleton and Prince William}}, the major royal wedding of 2011, including:
*a {{w|Wedding dress of Kate Middleton|wedding dress with its own Wikipedia page}} of 3 times the annual per capita income of the average UK person,
*an 8-tier [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1381944/Royal-Wedding-cake-Kate-Middleton-requested-8-tiers-decorated-900-flowers.html wedding cake],
*and the flowers for the wedding. These re-appear in the Millions section of the graph, where they also list the costs for the security around the event ($20 million).
|}

====Millions====
{| class="wikitable"
|+Millions
|-
|Left
|Dr. Evil's ransom demands from the film "Austin Powers" corrected for inflation between 1969 and 1997.
|-
|Middle-right
|Another reference to J. K. Rowling, comparing her (actual $1 billion) net worth as an author with her (imagined $82,000) net worth as a rapper.
The magnified 82 orange/red ($1,000) boxes are footnoted "Professional assessment by rapper/geek culture expert MC Frontalot." {{w|MC Front-A-Lot}} is the creator of the subgenre of {{w|hip-hop}} known as {{w|Nerd Core}}.
|-
|Middle
|An {{w|Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor|F-22 Raptor fighter jet}} (valued at $154.5M) is compared to a Velociraptor ($1.9M in production costs for the film Jurassic Park)
|}

====Billions====
{| class="wikitable"
|+Billions
|-
|Top-Left ((Fictional)Billionaires section)
|{{w|Carlisle Cullen}} is from the {{w|Twilight (series)|''Twilight'' series}} of books and movies. He is a vampire and adoptive father of {{w|Edward Cullen|Edward}}, {{w|Emmett Cullen|Emmett}} and {{w|Alice Cullen (Twilight)|Alice Cullen}}, as well as {{w|Rosalie Hale|Rosalie}} and {{w|Jasper Hale}}. He was born in the 1640s and amassed his wealth through many years of compound interest and investments.
|{{w|Scrooge McDuck}} is a cartoon character from many {{w|Disney}} properties including the afternoon cartoon, ''{{w|Duck Tales}}''. Scrooge McDuck has a "money bin" full of coins and other sorts of collectibles that he routinely [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMU2NwaaXEA goes swimming in].
|{{w|Bruce Wayne}} is {{w|Batman}}. {{w|Batman}} is {{w|Bruce Wayne}}. He is portrayed in many comic books, graphic novels, TV shows and movies by many different actors.
|{{w|Artemis Fowl II|Artemis Fowl}} is an Irish child prodigy and a ruthless master criminal from the {{w|Artemis Fowl (series)|eponymous book series}}. He uses his intelligence to build his family fortune through crime.
|}

====Trillions====
{| class="wikitable"
|+Trillions
|-
|As Randall already indicated in the transcript, this is the block for world, continent and nation finances. The numbers are really huge. There are no jokes in here (apart from the fact that Randall tried to make the shapes of the GDP look like the continent), likely because financial values this large aren't funny to start with.
|-
|GDP is {{w|gross domestic product}}, the market value of all goods and services produced in a nation.
*The major chart in the center shows the development of the GDP in the world since the 1940s. So far the US GDP has always grown, except for a small reduction in the early 1980s, a flat line around the 1991 global recession and a flat line in the second half of the naughts. The world-wide GDP is growing more rapidly, but is also much more volatile.
|-
|In the middle of the box, it shows the worth of all gold ever mined in 2011 prices. This is important because of the concept of the {{w|gold standard}}, a concept where monetary values are linked to the value of gold. As indicated in the top-right of the box, both the EU and the USA have more debt than the total value of all gold in the world.
|-
|{{w|Derivative (finance)|Derivatives}} are a complex financial instrument where one is not trading in something tangible, but in derived values - like options. Derivatives thus are dangerous as one trades in concepts instead of values. Critics claim that derivatives are at the base of the 'economic bubble'.
*The growth of the derivatives market size is incredible - more than doubling every four years. The derivatives market thus is much larger than the GDP of the entire world.
*We get a reference to [http://landartgenerator.org/blagi/archives/127 a proposed project to power the world] by erecting massive solar farms out in the deserts. The area of Texas alone would be enough to match almost all of our modern power costs (though the people who live in Texas wouldn't enjoy being displaced).
|}

==Transcript==
:[This transcript is only reproducing text visible on the [https://www.xkcd.com/980/ front page comic].]
:[Title panel at the top left has one large heading, and then it is possible to read the first and third out of five lines (but not for instance the second line which is just the word "almost"):]
:'''Money''' 
:A chart of 
:all of it 
:[Below this there are 5 large panels, each with a series of plots, comparing the values of various things. The only clearly visible text is the title of each panel written in white on black background at the top of each panel] 
:[The first section covers single coffees up to the hourly salaries of CEOs. It is located below the title panel and there are a lot of green groups marked by unreadable text.]
:'''Dollars'''
:[The next section discusses values from around $1000 to $1,000,000, including a dissection of the song If I had $1000000. It is located directly below the Dollars section and has mainly orange groups (but also some green) marked by unreadable text.]
:'''Thousands'''
:[The third section focuses on $1,000,000 to $1,000,000,000, with a large section on campaign contributions of American political presidential campaigns, values of expensive works of art, and J. K. Rowling. It is located to the right of the Thousands section below the Billions section and there are a lot of gray groups (but also some orange) marked by unreadable text.]
:'''Millions'''
:[The fourth section gets into larger scale finances, profits of various sectors, costs of natural disasters, and net worths of the richest people on the planet. Also, Donald Trump. It is located to the right of the Dollars section and above both the Millions and Trillions section and has mainly yellow groups (but also some gray and red) all marked by unreadable text. There are, however, a few large headings that can be read:]
:'''Billions'''
:Education
:The Economic (...?)
:US household income
:Federal budget
:[In the last panel global financial status is described. It discusses derivatives, liquid assets, public debt by nation and GDP by continent, culminating with the total economic production of the human race to date. It is located below the Billions section to the right of the Millions section and has mainly cyan groups (but also one yellow) all marked by unreadable text.]
:'''Trillions'''
:['''For the full transcript of the [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/money_huge.png huge image] see [[980: Money/Transcript]].''']

==Trivia==
* ''xkcd'' usually posts at around midnight Eastern time the day of the comic, but this comic was posted at about noon. The reason is that it was difficult to get it all finished in time, as was explained in the [[Blag]] post titled [https://blog.xkcd.com/2011/11/24/money-chart/ Money chart] released three days later. This post also states that this was the first big project he undertook after his [https://blog.xkcd.com/2011/06/30/family-illness/ fiancée was diagnosed] with breast [[:Category:Cancer|cancer]].
* This comic used to be [https://web.archive.org/web/20211215032232/https://store.xkcd.com/products/money-poster available as a poster] in the ''xkcd'' store before it was [[Store|shut down]].
* Randall misspelled "communication" as "communcation" in the section on campaign donations.
* This is the first ''xkcd'' comic featuring [[Donald Trump]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Playpen balls]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:The Lion King]]
[[Category:Harry Potter]]
[[Category:Ghostbusters]]
[[Category:Twilight]] 
[[Category:Climate change]] 
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]
[[Category:Nuclear weapons]]
[[Category:Money]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Donald Trump]]
[[Category:Minecraft]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]
[[Category:Comics with citations]]

1023: Late-Night PBS

2024-09-26T09:28:31Z

Anonymous64:

{{comic
| number = 1023
| date = February 29, 2012
| title = Late-Night PBS
| image = late night pbs.png
| titletext = Then it switched to these old black-and-white tapes of Bob Ross slumped against the wall of an empty room, painting the least happy trees you've ever seen. Either PBS needs to beef up studio security or I need to stop using Ambien to sleep.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic examines the way the world seems different for adults today compared with how we remember it as a child, due to complex subtext or naïvety, to a humorous extreme, and with a specific reference to {{w|television programs}} for children.

{{w|PBS}} is a US public television network known for {{w|highbrow}} and educational programming, and shows a high proportion of {{w|BBC}} programming. The show ''{{w|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego}}'' was a light-hearted educational game show that ran from 1991 to 1995. In the show players followed geography-based clues to find out where a master criminal, Carmen Sandiego, was going, and catch her. After catching (or failing to catch) Carmen Sandiego, a character called The Chief would congratulate or encourage the players. Rockapella was an {{w|a cappella}} band featured on the show that gave clues, punctuated the show with humor, and closed the show.

[[Megan]] recounts her surprise as to the nature of programming on late night PBS to [[Cueball]]. She claims to have fallen asleep after watching ''{{w|Downton Abbey}}'' and woken up to see that ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego'' is still making new episodes, but is significantly darker than she remembers it. The host has aged poorly (the show would have been off the air for 20 years) and developed a drinking problem; the locations the child contestants visit are traumatizing; and the children are clearly freaked out. In the end they find Carmen Sandiego hiding behind a Dutch bookcase, an allusion to ''{{w|The Diary of a Young Girl|The Diary of Anne Frank}}'', thus implying that instead of aiding legitimate law enforcement in finding thieves they have been aiding the Nazis in their search for Jews (and others) to murder. The Chief admonishes the children for their actions and Rockapella glares at the children disapprovingly until the children break down in tears.

After Megan concludes her story, Cueball remarks that he did not remember the show being that dark. In response Megan replies that as kids, they may not have been able to understand the darker subtext of the show. It is true that some programs intended for children often have subtle themes for adults who may be watching the show with their children that the children do not usually remember or pick up on. The joke is that although young viewers may not be able to pick up on everything, they would certainly have noticed if the show was as dark as Megan described.{{Citation needed}}

The title text describes the next program, an episode of ''{{w|The Joy of Painting}}'', in which a depressingly weary painter paints unhappy trees. This contrasts with the usual mood of the show where {{w|Bob Ross}} was upbeat and the components of his paintings were described as "happy little" objects. Megan then postulates that either people are breaking into the television station to produce horrible programming, or she is experiencing {{w|hallucinations}} due to her sleep aid {{w|Ambien}}. This gives hallucination as an alternate explanation for the main comic.

===Locations visited===
*{{w|Mogadishu}} is the battle-torn capital city of {{w|Somalia}}, where the "{{w|Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu}}" took place in 1993, which would coincide with the air dates of ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego''.

*The {{w|Killing Fields}} are a number of sites in {{w|Cambodia}} where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the {{w|Khmer Rouge}} regime, during its rule of the country from 1975 to 1979, following the end of the {{w|Cambodian Civil War}} (1970-1975).

*"A bookshelf in a Dutch apartment" is a reference to {{w|Anne Frank}}, a Jewish girl who hid from the {{w|Nazi}}s with her family in a secret annex hidden behind a bookshelf in an apartment in {{w|Amsterdam}}. Her diary recounting her experiences was later published as the ''Diary of Anne Frank''.

===Carmen Sandiego===
''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego'' was originally an educational {{w|video game}} released in 1985. {{w|Carmen Sandiego}} was a mysterious character that the player tracked around the globe, attempting to find clues as to where she was heading to next. The game helped players learn geography and facts about the world while having fun. The video game inspired the TV show ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?''.

The show was split into three rounds. In the first round, there were three child contestants, called “gumshoes” on the show, who scored points for every question they answered correctly. The top two scoring gumshoes moved onto the next round, where they had to play a game based on the card game {{w|Concentration (game)|Concentration}}, in which they had to find the thief, warrant, and loot in the correct order. Whichever gumshoe did so captured the thief, saved the loot, and moved onto the next round, where they had a chance to catch Carmen Sandiego herself. Success was not always guaranteed in this round, as contestants had to plant flags correct on seven different countries in a China within a very short time. If successful, they captured Carmen and won the grand prize (a trip to a place of their choosing in the Chinaal US). If not, Carmen would escape and the contestant would win a lesser prize (such as a computer).

The role of The Chief was played by {{w|Lynne Thigpen}}. She explained the mission to the contestants, and gave some clues to the thief's last whereabouts. When the mission was over The Chief would appear and congratulate them if successful or console them if Carmen got away.

The host of the TV show was an actor named {{w|Greg Lee (actor)|Greg Lee}}. His role was to ask the contestants questions, provide clues, and tell them which flags to plant on the map in the final round, as well as engage with The Chief and Rockapella to keep the show moving.

{{w|Rockapella}} was an {{w|A cappella|a cappella}} group (a group that sings without any instruments), which sang the theme song to ''Where in The World Is Carmen Sandiego.'' Rockapella also acted as a "house band", singing songs while the contestants transitioned between events, providing clues, and playing pranks on the host along with other gags. At the end of each show, the host and the episode's winning contestant would shout "Do it, Rockapella!" at which point the band would sing the show's theme song.

===Continuity issues===
The locations the contestants visit in the episode depicted in this comic seem to require traveling backwards in time (1993 for the Battle of Mogadishu, 1975-1979 for the Cambodian killing fields, and 1944 for the arrest of Anne Frank). Episodes of ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego'' did not deal with this, but its successor, ''{{w|Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? (game show)|Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?}}'', did.

==Transcript==
:[Megan with disheveled hair is rubbing sleep out of her eyes and talking to Cueball.]
:Megan: Have you ever watched PBS late at night?
:Megan: I fell asleep after ''Downton'' and woke up at like 3 AM.

:[The next panel is split in two. The upper portion, which is not in a frame, continues Megan's dialogue, while the lower part, in a frame, shows a drunk game-show host (indicated with two small bobbles and a third exploding next to his head). He has stubble and only little hair on his head. He is holding a bottle in one hand and the other hand is up over a TV monitor showing a black field filled with crosses, presumably graves, going out to the far off horizon. In front of him are three kids, who are contestants in the game. They stand behind three lecterns to the left. The first kid is a boy with thin black hair, who has turned away from the monitor. The middle kid is a girl with blonde hair in a ponytail who looks at the host, and the last kid looks like Cueball and he looks down at his lectern.]
:Megan (off-panel): ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego'' was back on, except the host hadn't aged well and he'd clearly been drinking.
:Megan (off-panel): Every question took them to some horrible place like Mogadishu or the Cambodian killing fields.

:[In a room with tiles on the floor, a bookshelf full of books has been moved away from the wall revealing that is was a door to be opened with a hidden room behind it. Megan continues to speak, her text is above the shelf but inside the frame this time.]
:Megan (off-panel): The kids were freaked out, but they kept playing. Eventually they were told they'd found Carmen Sandiego hiding behind a bookshelf in a Dutch apartment.

:[Megan has stopped rubbing her eyes but still talks to Cueball.]
:Megan: The Chief appeared and asked "Are you ''proud'' of what you've become?"
:Megan: Then Rockapella walked out and just glared at the kids until they started crying.
:Cueball: I, uh, don't remember the old show being that dark.
:Megan: Maybe we were too young to pick up on it.

==Trivia==
*This is the second comic posted on a Leap Day ({{w|February 29}}), it was a Wednesday in 2012.
**The previous leap day was the first after xkcd began, and that day fell on a Friday in 2008, and the first leap day comic [[390: Nightmares]] was released then.
**The leap day after this comic also fell on a Friday in 2016 and [[1649: Pipelines]] was released then.
**If the current M-W-F schedule continues, the next such comic will not happen before 2036 when the leap day again falls on a Friday.
**Interesting to note that the first three leap years after xkcd began (in just over 10 years) all fell on a release day, then followed by a break of 20 years. And three of these first four leap days all fell on a Friday.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Dreams]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Kids]]