explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3158: Shielding Chart

2025-10-24T10:47:56Z

Ash Crow:

Brb, going out to buy some lead. [[User:Fephisto|Fephisto]] ([[User talk:Fephisto|talk]]) 01:49, 23 October 2025 (UTC)
:If you buy some oven mitts, too, you can get rid of the only two remaining penetrating substances (sound and heat) [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 21:16, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

My new expansion to Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock is coming along nicely. [[User:KelOfTheStars!|KelOfTheStars!]] ([[User talk:KelOfTheStars!|talk]]) 02:25, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

Ah yes, you can make sound in a vacuum! [[User:King Pando|King Pando]] ([[User talk:King Pando|talk]]) 02:41, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

:Well, there's air in her helmet, presumably... [[Special:Contributions/160.39.41.199|160.39.41.199]] 05:05, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

We're not gonna have a good time filling out this table, are we? [[Special:Contributions/47.141.47.226|47.141.47.226]] 05:14, 23 October 2025 (UTC)
:i bet randall is laughing at those silly explainxkcd editors who now have to elaborate on every single square. if i were conspiratorial i'd say he wrote this just to spite us. [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 08:46, 23 October 2025 (UTC)
::Nah, I'm good at filling out tables :) --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 13:07, 23 October 2025 (UTC)
:::Is your name perhaps Bobby Tables? [[user:Seshan S.]] 10:25, 23 October 2025
::::Bobby Tables is good at deleting tables, not filling them out :) -[[User:Ash Crow|Ash Crow]] ([[User talk:Ash Crow|talk]]) 10:47, 24 October 2025 (UTC)

A bit surprised there's nothing about keeping Mr. Faraday away. --[[Special:Contributions/130.233.188.214|130.233.188.214]] 06:50, 23 October 2025 (UTC)
: He was a doctor, so apples would do the job for that. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 13:21, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

This came out a couple of weeks after the 50th anniversary of Jaws, so it's disappointing that "a bigger boat" isn't one of the protections. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:24, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

"Air," "Lead," "Water," and "Glass," and a near-perfect "Vacuum" actually vary by thickness. I guess Oven mitts, armor, bio-hazard suits, faraday cages, and shark cages do too but those usually come in human-scale sizes. A meter of air won't give you significant protection against gamma rays, but if you are anywhere near sea level, the air above your head does. A near-perfect vacuum too wide for a shark to get to you before it dies will protect you, one only a few nanometers thick probably won't. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 18:20, 23 October 2025 (UTC)
: The best shield of all is distance. You just need enough of it. [[User:KelOfTheStars!|KelOfTheStars!]] ([[User talk:KelOfTheStars!|talk]]) 00:33, 24 October 2025 (UTC)
:: No - the best shield of all is the Hylian Shield. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:31, 24 October 2025 (UTC)

Me & my brother read this whole thing and cracked up about it for several minutes. [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 03:03, 24 October 2025 (UTC)
:This is definitely one of my favorite xkcd comics. I love the confusion matrix ones. [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 03:05, 24 October 2025 (UTC)

Wait, why no “raptors” row? I really want to see that. [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 03:09, 24 October 2025 (UTC)

I'm noticing that the transcript isn't looking too good right now, but I don't exactly have the time to fix it right now. Can someone look at [[2998: Ravioli-Shaped Objects#Transcript]] and copy that format? Thanks, '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 03:44, 24 October 2025 (UTC)

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-06T17:36:28Z

Ash Crow: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1547
| date = July 6, 2015
| title = Solar System Questions
| image = solar_system_questions.png
| titletext = My country's World Cup win was exciting and all, but c'mon, what if the players wore nylon wings and COULD LITERALLY FLY?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

This comic is a list of questions which Randall has about the Solar System, which at first glance may appear to be things that Randall would like to learn about.
In actual fact most of the questions have not been satisfactorily answered or proven by anyone in the scientific community.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Question given
! Answer given by Randall (in Red)
! Comments
|-
| Why is the the Moon so blotchy?
| Lava
| "the the" could be a Randallism (intended or unintended).
|-
| Why are all the blotches on the near side?
| ...
| The nearside of the Moon is dominated by the blotchy 'seas' (volcanic flats), the far side by craters. Possibly an overabundance of craters obliterate the blotches, and the far side was always more 'exposed' to impacts.
|-
| Did Mars have seas?
| Yes (briefly?)
| Recent explorations have confirmed there was once standing water (not just occasional flowing water), but not yet how long, save that it created the sedimentary layers that we have seen.
|-
| Was there life on Mars?
| ...
| One of the big mysteries, not yet answered.
|-
| What's Titan like?
| Cold, yellow, lakes + rivers (methane)
|
|-
| What was Earth like during the Hadean?
| ...
| {{w|Hadean}}
|-
| Is the Oort Cloud a real thing?
| ...
| The {{w|Oort Cloud}} is a theoretical spherical cloud of icy planetsimals centred around our sun.
|-
| Why is the Sun's corona so hot?
| Something about magnets?
| The {{w|corona}} of the sun is hotter than it theoretically should be. The looping magnetic fields in this area could be responsible.
|-
| What are comets like?
| Precipitous
| The {{w|Philae (spacecraft)|Philae lander}} is next to a cliff...
|-
| Where's Philae, exactly?
| ...
| ...but we're not sure ''which'' cliff.
|-
| What's Pluto like?
| rowspan="2" | [Soon!]
| rowspan="2" | The probe {{w|New Horizons}} may be about to answer both of these questions.
|-
| What's Charon like?
|-
| Why don't we have in-between-sized planets?
| ...
| There is a size-gap between the rocky planets (up to Earth size) and the gas giants
|-
| What's Ceres like?
| [Working on it!]
| Another probe, {{w|Dawn (spacecraft)}}.
|-
| Why is Europa so wierd-looking and pretty?
| Ice over a water ocean
|
|-
| Why is Io so weird-looking?
| Sulfur volcanoes (? in the wrong places?)
|
|-
| Why are so many Kuiper Belt objects red?
| ...
| {{w|Kuiper Belt}}
|-
| What are those spots on Ceres?
| ...
| {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}}
|-
| What's in the seas under Europa's ice?
| ...
| {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}
|-
| Which of the other moons have seas?
| Several
| (Partial/initial list possible? Definition of 'seas' would affect this.)
|-
| What are the big white things in Titan's Lakes?
| ...
| {{w|Lakes of Titan}}
|-
| What do Jupiter's clouds look like up close?
| ...
|
|-
| What's all that red stuff in the Great Red Spot?
| ...
|
|-
| What's pushing the Pioneer Probes?
| Heat from the RTG
| Discussed as the {{w|Pioneer anomaly}}. RTG stands for {{w|Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator}}.
|-
| What pushes spacecraft slightly during flybys?
| ...
| The related {{w|Flyby anomaly}}.
|-
| Where are all the Sun's Neutrinos?
| Oscillating
| {{w|Solar neutrino problem}}
|-
| Why is there so much air on Titan?
| ...
|
|-
| Why <sic? Where?> does the Kuiper Belt Stop?
| ...
| A reference to the {{w|Kuiper Cliff}}.
|-
| Why is Iapetus weird-colored?
| ...
|
|-
| Why does iapetus have a belt?
| ...
|
|-
| What's the deal with Miranda?
| ...
| {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_(moon)|Miranda}} is the smallest of Uranus's five round satellites. Also possibly a [[Firefly|''Firefly'' reference]] since {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Firefly_planets_and_moons#Miranda|Miranda}} is the name of a planet in {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_(film)|''Serenity''}}, a film in the {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_(TV_series)|''Firefly''}} series.
|-
| Did Uranus and Neptune change places?
| ...
| The {{w|Nice model}} is a theory of how our solar system formed, which suggested the possibility of Uranus and Neptune having swapped places before reaching their current positions. Work by Professor S. Desch [http://dusty.la.asu.edu/~desch/publications/2007/Desch2007.pdf| also came to this result].
|-
| Did the Late Heavy Bombardment happen?
| ...
|
|-
| Did life start before it?
| ...
|
|-
| Is Europa covered in Ice Spikes?
| ...
|
|-
| Why haven't we build a big inflatable Extreme Sports Complex on The Moon?
| ...
|
|-
| (Titletext) My country's World Cup win was exciting and all, but c'mon, what if the players wore nylon wings and COULD LITERALLY FLY?
| ...
| {{w|2015 FIFA Women's World Cup}}
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Firefly]]

1547: Solar System Questions

2015-07-06T17:33:19Z

Ash Crow:

{{comic
| number = 1547
| date = July 6, 2015
| title = Solar System Questions
| image = solar_system_questions.png
| titletext = My country's World Cup win was exciting and all, but c'mon, what if the players wore nylon wings and COULD LITERALLY FLY?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

This comic is a list of questions which Randall has about the Solar System, which at first glance may appear to be things that Randall would like to learn about.
In actual fact most of the questions have not been satisfactorily answered or proven by anyone in the scientific community.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Question given
! Answer given by Randall (in Red)
! Comments
|-
| Why is the the Moon so blotchy?
| Lava
| "the the" could be a Randallism (intended or unintended).
|-
| Why are all the blotches on the near side?
| ...
| The nearside of the Moon is dominated by the blotchy 'seas' (volcanic flats), the far side by craters. Possibly an overabundance of craters obliterate the blotches, and the far side was always more 'exposed' to impacts.
|-
| Did Mars have seas?
| Yes (briefly?)
| Recent explorations have confirmed there was once standing water (not just occasional flowing water), but not yet how long, save that it created the sedimentary layers that we have seen.
|-
| Was there life on Mars?
| ...
| One of the big mysteries, not yet answered.
|-
| What's Titan like?
| Cold, yellow, lakes + rivers (methane)
|
|-
| What was Earth like during the Hadean?
| ...
| {{w|Hadean}}
|-
| Is the Oort Cloud a real thing?
| ...
| The {{w|Oort Cloud}} is a theoretical spherical cloud of icy planetsimals centred around our sun.
|-
| Why is the Sun's corona so hot?
| Something about magnets?
| The {{w|corona}} of the sun is hotter than it theoretically should be. The looping magnetic fields in this area could be responsible.
|-
| What are comets like?
| Precipitous
| The {{w|Philae (spacecraft)|Philae lander}} is next to a cliff...
|-
| Where's Philae, exactly?
| ...
| ...but we're not sure ''which'' cliff.
|-
| What's Pluto like?
| rowspan="2" | [Soon!]
| rowspan="2" | The probe {{w|New Horizons}} may be about to answer both of these questions.
|-
| What's Charon like?
|-
| Why don't we have in-between-sized planets?
| ...
| There is a size-gap between the rocky planets (up to Earth size) and the gas giants
|-
| What's Ceres like?
| [Working on it!]
| Another probe
|-
| Why is Europa so wierd-looking and pretty?
| Ice over a water ocean
|
|-
| Why is Io so weird-looking?
| Sulfur volcanoes (? in the wrong places?)
|
|-
| Why are so many Kuiper Belt objects red?
| ...
| {{w|Kuiper Belt}}
|-
| What are those spots on Ceres?
| ...
| {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}}
|-
| What's in the seas under Europa's ice?
| ...
| {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}
|-
| Which of the other moons have seas?
| Several
| (Partial/initial list possible? Definition of 'seas' would affect this.)
|-
| What are the big white things in Titan's Lakes?
| ...
| {{w|Lakes of Titan}}
|-
| What do Jupiter's clouds look like up close?
| ...
|
|-
| What's all that red stuff in the Great Red Spot?
| ...
|
|-
| What's pushing the Pioneer Probes?
| Heat from the RTG
| Discussed as the {{w|Pioneer anomaly}}. RTG stands for {{w|Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator}}.
|-
| What pushes spacecraft slightly during flybys?
| ...
| The related {{w|Flyby anomaly}}.
|-
| Where are all the Sun's Neutrinos?
| Oscillating
| {{w|Solar neutrino problem}}
|-
| Why is there so much air on Titan?
| ...
|
|-
| Why <sic? Where?> does the Kuiper Belt Stop?
| ...
| A reference to the {{w|Kuiper Cliff}}.
|-
| Why is Iapetus weird-colored?
| ...
|
|-
| Why does iapetus have a belt?
| ...
|
|-
| What's the deal with Miranda?
| ...
| {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_(moon)|Miranda}} is the smallest of Uranus's five round satellites. Also possibly a [[Firefly|''Firefly'' reference]] since {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Firefly_planets_and_moons#Miranda|Miranda}} is the name of a planet in {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_(film)|''Serenity''}}, a film in the {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_(TV_series)|''Firefly''}} series.
|-
| Did Uranus and Neptune change places?
| ...
| The {{w|Nice model}} is a theory of how our solar system formed, which suggested the possibility of Uranus and Neptune having swapped places before reaching their current positions. Work by Professor S. Desch [http://dusty.la.asu.edu/~desch/publications/2007/Desch2007.pdf| also came to this result].
|-
| Did the Late Heavy Bombardment happen?
| ...
|
|-
| Did life start before it?
| ...
|
|-
| Is Europa covered in Ice Spikes?
| ...
|
|-
| Why haven't we build a big inflatable Extreme Sports Complex on The Moon?
| ...
|
|-
| (Titletext) My country's World Cup win was exciting and all, but c'mon, what if the players wore nylon wings and COULD LITERALLY FLY?
| ...
| {{w|2015 FIFA Women's World Cup}}
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Firefly]]