explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2898: Orbital Argument

2024-02-25T23:32:34Z

AspiePriest: Added paragraph about arguments in the context of orbital elements

{{comic
| number = 2898
| date = February 23, 2024
| title = Orbital Argument
| image = orbital_argument_2x.png
| imagesize = 448x323px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "Some people say light is waves, and some say it's particles, so I bet light is some in-between thing that's both wave and particle depending on how you look at it. Am I right?" "YES, BUT YOU SHOULDN'T BE!"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an ARGUMENTATIVE ORBITAL ELEMENT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, the person in the middle is using the {{w|Argument to moderation|middle ground fallacy}} to try to make a compromise between the two characters.

[[Cueball]] appears to be asserting a {{w|geocentric}} viewpoint, whilst [[Megan]] adheres to a {{w|heliocentric}} one, an argument that has actually long been settled in the latter's favor. [[White Hat]], however, considers it {{wiktionary|politic#Adjective|politic}} to 'split the difference' and declares his intention to compromise with a 'middle' option, to try to uncritically please both parties. (Though it's probable that he may instead just equally annoy them both!)

By one way of looking at it, it happens that he is also correct. Because two bodies exert equal but opposite gravitational forces on each other, each orbits around the average location of the other, and therefore they both orbit a common center. This {{w|Barycenter (astronomy)|barycenter}} is located somewhere between the two bodies; the distance of each body's center of mass from the barycenter is proportional to the other body's mass. This is most apparent in systems where the two bodies have similar masses, but it is present to an extent in all orbital pairs, even when one body is far more massive than the other. For this reason, Earth does not orbit the center of the stationary Sun as described by the heliocentric model. However, the Earth-Sun barycenter is only slightly different from the Sun's own true center, still well within the Sun. It is around this which the Sun wobbles, in contrast to the way the Earth orbits around this unequally proportioned midpoint.

The equivalent Jupiter-Sun barycenter, meanwhile, is located just ''above'' the 'surface' of the Sun due to the masses involved being not as different (but still significantly so), and the much greater distance between them. As each of the planets and the Sun are simultaneously orbiting/'being orbited' (and every planet also measurably pulls on every other, etc, even discounting every smaller and/or more distant body in the universe), the combined solar-system's barycenter is a less simply-defined point (that being more likely to be within the Sun, at any given point of time), which can often be considered to more simply average out to "<each planet> orbits the Sun" for most purposes, and Cueball is therefore ''least'' correct, and it would be a false solution to give his worldview an equivalence of validity.

That White Hat has worded his compromise solution in a way that (arguably) encompasses the deeper truth of the barycentric viewpoint is not treated as justifying his mediating approach. It is clearly understood (by someone who seems to understand the complexities, e.g. a {{w|Randall Munroe#NASA|NASA physicist}}) that White Hat's 'successful' conclusion is just accidental. Which is vexatious. This seems to be a case of a {{w|Gettier problem}}: White Hat reaches a true statement via unjustified logic.

The title text extends the principle of the comic's astronomical viewpoint down to the correspondingly opposing 'quantum world'. For various well-studied reasons, light is often described ''either'' as particles ''or'' as waves. White Hat's approach would be to give both viewpoints equal credit and suggest a compromising middle-ground explanation. In this case, also, he would have the {{w|Wave–particle duality|correct answer}} but, in the continuing view of an increasingly exasperated witness to his chronic {{w|False balance|"half-and-half"ism}}, not through actually correct reasoning.

Another example of the middle ground fallacy was used in [[690: Semicontrolled Demolition]], although in that case the person offering the compromise solution was not portrayed as getting the right answer by accident.

Orbits of celestial bodies are quantified using a set of parameters called orbital elements. Some of these parameters are commonly known as arguments, such as the {{w|Argument of periapsis}}. However, these kind of arguments tend to lead to consensus rather than disagreements. Independent measurements of the arguments might indeed be combined by taking the mean (to discover the middle ground).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[From left to right, Cueball, White Hat and Megan standing. Cueball and Megan are arguing. Cueball is raising a finger while Megan's arms are outstretched. White Hat stands between them, both hands out in an equivocal gesture.]
:Cueball: The sun orbits the earth!
:Megan: The earth orbits the sun!
:White Hat: When two people disagree, the truth is always somewhere in the middle. Maybe the earth and the sun orbit a common center!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:It's annoying when people are right by accident.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Compromise]]

2752: Salt Dome

2023-03-21T07:43:07Z

AspiePriest: added ref to UK Strategic Salt Strategy

{{comic
| number = 2752
| date = March 20, 2023
| title = Salt Dome
| image = salt_dome_2x.png
| imagesize = 422x338px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The US uses hollowed-out salt domes to store the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and non-hollowed-out ones to store the Strategic Salt Reserve.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by STRATEGIC SALT SPREADER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic refers to how downwards pressure in one area of the world can cause upwards pressure in another, causing {{w|salt domes}} to rise up.

In the comic, [[Beret Guy]] and [[Ponytail]] are sitting at a table and eating dinner, alongside [[Cueball]], who is presumably a {{w|geologist}}. Thus, when asked to "pass the salt," Cueball, with his extensive knowledge of the Earth's crust and its interactions with the surface world, is aware of this phenomenon, and as such is stomping on his chair in order to create downward pressure on the ground beneath. This apparently works exactly as intended, as a salt dome begins rising out of the floor and even begins to break through the dinner table. The caption humorously remarks that this is what will happen if you ask any geologist to "pass the salt," which conventionally means to simply hand a salt shaker or dispenser to another diner who cannot reach it. A salt shaker, presumably containing the salt intended to be passed, can be seen on their table.

Cueball mentions {{w|overburden pressure}}, a geological term referring to the pressure that outer layers of rock exert on inner layers. This is what usually causes the rising of salt domes, though Cueball's stomping on his chair would not produce sufficient overburden pressure to raise a salt dome.{{fact}}

In the title text, the {{w|Strategic Petroleum Reserve (United States)|Strategic Petroleum Reserve}} is a United States government reserve of oil in case of emergencies. Randall observes the actually true fact that artificial caves within hollowed-out salt domes create the spaces for the government to store this oil. Ordinary salt is available in abundance throughout the U.S.[https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/detailed-rocks-and-minerals-articles/salt] so there is no need for any kind of salt reserves, strategic or otherwise.{{fact}} By contrast the UK does maintain an Emergency Salt Reserve[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-salt-protocol/national-emergency-salt-reserve-salt-protocol-note-for-local-highway-authorities-in-england], as part of a Strategic Salt Protocol[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-salt-protocol], to ensure highways can be gritted during prolonged wintry weather.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball, Beret Guy and Ponytail are sitting at a table. Beret Guy and Ponytail sit patiently; Cueball is stomping on his chair, and the ground has been dented very slightly by the legs of his chair. A white column of salt has burst through the ground and is rising up, slightly cracking and bending the table in the process. There are plates of food, drinking glasses, and a salt shaker on the table. One of the glasses has fallen, releasing what seems to be wine.]
:''STOMP STOMP''
:Cueball: Just a little more overburden pressure...
:Cueball: The dome is almost through the table...
:[Caption below the panel:]
:Never ask a geologist to pass the salt.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Food]]

2702: What If 2 Gift Guide

2022-11-24T00:33:34Z

AspiePriest: Added another interpretation of gift experience - taking a photo of JWST

{{comic
| number = 2702
| date = November 23, 2022
| title = What If 2 Gift Guide
| image = what_if_2_gift_guide_2x.png
| imagesize = 500x878px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = BABIES OR LITERATURE BUT NOT BOTH: Baby shoes
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created at STEPHEN KING’S DESK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Interest !! Gift Idea !! Explanation
|-
| Engineering || The platinum cylinder formerly used to identify the kilogram || This is an object of historical relevance of which only one exists, making it a very expensive or illegal gift.
|-
| Biology || The genomes of the scientists who headed the human genome project ||
|-
| Physics || A beam of neutrinos delivered through the earth by the LHC || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrino Neutrinos] interact very weakly with other particles, to the point that they almost always pass straight through matter completely unaffected. This means that particle accelerators can send neutrinos to any other point on Earth by aiming the particle beam into the ground, and the neutrinos pass straight through the Earth. This point is referenced in [https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ What If? 73].
|-
| Animals || Surprise wildlife encounter (gift-wrapped box with a bobcat inside) || This is a reference to [https://bobcatinabox.com/ Bobcat in a Box], which has been referenced in previous comics. This gift would place the recipient in a perilous situation, and, although definitely a wildlife encounter, is not a good gift.
|-
| Law || A vacation to that area of Idaho where you can commit crimes with impunity due to a court district boundary error || This refers to the "Zone of Death", a portion of Yellowstone National Park that is in the physical boundaries of Idaho, but in the legal jurisdiction of Wyoming. Because a jury in the United States must be composed of residents of the same district ''and'' state in which the crime was committed, and National Parks are by their nature uninhabited, anyone who committed a crime here could not possibly receive a trial, and thus could not legally be punished for said crime in any circumstance. This is an interesting legal loophole, but going to this area does not provide any more value than hearing about it, and could scare your law-enthusiast friend.
|-
| Chemistry || A necklace of element samples whose symbols spell out the recipient's name (note: names like "Katherine" and "Brandon" may cause radiation accidents.) || Novelty necklaces are a common and innocuous gift, and using element symbols in place of the same letter is a common gimmick, such as in the title of Breaking Bad. However, making an object out of whatever element sample corresponds to someone's name could have unpredictable results - some elements in their pure form are too brittle or have too low a melting point for such an application, and some are unsafe. "Katherine" would be made from Potassium, Astatine (rare, '''radioactive''' and has a short half-life), Hydrogen (gaseous at room temperature), Erbium, Iodine, and Neon (gaseous at room temperature). "Brandon" would be made from Boron, Radium '''radioactive''', Neodymium, Oxygen (gaseous at room temperature), and Nitrogen (gaseous at room temperature).
|-
| Puzzles || Two goats and a new car || This is a reference to the the Monty Hall problem. This gift places the recipient within a puzzle which is typically discussed hypothetically, rather than happening in real life. Although a new car is a ''great'' gift, two goats are only useful to people with specific professions. The problem that the recipient would have would likely be how to transport the two goats - it'd be difficult to fit both into a compact car at once, but one can't be left behind unattended.
|-
| Technology || Cybiko® Wireless Handheld Computer For Teens (2000) || This device was referenced in [https://xkcd.com/2699/ one of last week's comics], so Randall seems to have a temporary fixation on it. While an interesting example of the history of communication technology and coming from a time when experimentation was common and standards were few, it isn't very useful now, because it is no longer supported, has a communication range of 100 meters (sending text messages via radio) and one can only use it to communicate with users of the same device. However, technology enthusiasts could find it interesting as a collectors' item, so by all means it is one of the most plausible gift ideas on this list.
|-
| Space || Webb telescope personal photoshoot || The Webb telescope belongs to NASA, the ESA and the CSA, and is currently very far from Earth. It is designed to capture massive space objects in previously unseen detail, and thus doesn't operate well on the scale of an individual person, assuming that that is what photoshoot implies. These circumstances make it both an impossible and impractical gift. Furthermore, unless the recipient of the gift is able to travel a long way from Earth, Webb would have to point at the warm Earth and expose its optics to the Sun, permanently crippling the telescope.[https://webb.nasa.gov/content/about/faqs/faqLite.html This is forbidden by NASA.] On the other hand, a gift experience of being allowed to use a [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10442913/James-Webb-Space-Telescope-seen-Earth-settles-orbit.html robotic telescope] to take your own snapshot of Webb in position might be an attractive gift to a space enthusiast!
|-
| Literature || Stephen King's writing desk (he's still using it so you'll have to fight him) || Stephen King is an author lucky enough to have legendary status while still alive. The desk of an author that has died would become an object of historic significance and would likely be either kept for exhibition or auctioned by their respective estate, but as Stephen King still writes, his desk, while valuable, cannot be subjected to the same.
|-
| Philosophy || Out-of-control trolley || This is another gift that places the recipient in the situations that they like discussing hypothetically. This refers to the trolley problem, which places stress on the person forced to make the decision, and exists to make them examine their morals. Facing someone with the hypothetical problem is already not a good gift, but forcing them to live through it in real life is a terrible gift{{Citation needed}}.
|-
| Psychology || A nice gift with a note saying you don't expect anything in return || This is perhaps the most viable option on this list. This gift plays a psychological game on the recipient, reminding them of the nature of favors and bringing giving something into return into the question. This would cause them stress, making it a bad gift, but a psychologist would hopefully understand it to be a joke.
|-
| (Title text) BABIES OR LITERATURE BUT NOT BOTH|| Baby shoes || This is a reference to the six-word story [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_sale:_baby_shoes,_never_worn For sale: baby shoes, never worn] which is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway. Someone who likes babies could enjoy baby shoes in their own right. Someone interested in literature would see the reference to a famous work. But someone who understands the reference would possibly also be sad if they simultaneously actually liked babies (since the story implies the seller was expecting a baby but there was an accident).
|}

''[https://xkcd.com/what-if-2/ What if? 2]'' is a book by [[Randall Munroe]], author of xkcd.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

What If? 2 Gift Guide

What if? 2 makes a good gift for anyone who's into science, absurd ideas, or just the universe in general. To order, go to xkcd.com/whatif2, or just type "what if 2" into some random box on your device; it will probably work.

Here are some other gift ideas for hard-to-shop-for science enthusiasts:

Interest - Gift Idea

Engineering - The platinum cylinder formerly used to define the kilogram 
Biology - The genomes of the scientists who headed the human genome project 
Physics - A beam of neutrinos delivered through the earth by the LHC 
Animals - Surprise wildlife encounter (gift-wrapped box with a bobcat inside) 
Law - A vacation to that area of Idaho where you can commit crimes with impunity due to a court district boundary error 
Chemistry - A necklace of element samples whose symbols spell out the recipient's name (note: names like "Katherine" and "Brandon" may cause radiation accidents.) 
Puzzles - Two goats and a new car 
Technology - Cybiko® Wireless Handheld Computer for Teens (2000) 
Space - Webb telescope personal photoshoot 
Literature - Stephen King's writing desk (he's still using it so you'll have to fight him) 
Philosophy - Out-of-control trolley 
Psychology - A nice gift with a note saying you don't expect anything in return. 

{{comic discussion}}

2702: What If 2 Gift Guide

2022-11-24T00:26:39Z

AspiePriest: Added a reason why a Webb selfie would be dangerous

{{comic
| number = 2702
| date = November 23, 2022
| title = What If 2 Gift Guide
| image = what_if_2_gift_guide_2x.png
| imagesize = 500x878px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = BABIES OR LITERATURE BUT NOT BOTH: Baby shoes
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created at STEPHEN KING’S DESK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Interest !! Gift Idea !! Explanation
|-
| Engineering || The platinum cylinder formerly used to identify the kilogram || This is an object of historical relevance of which only one exists, making it a very expensive or illegal gift.
|-
| Biology || The genomes of the scientists who headed the human genome project ||
|-
| Physics || A beam of neutrinos delivered through the earth by the LHC || [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrino Neutrinos] interact very weakly with other particles, to the point that they almost always pass straight through matter completely unaffected. This means that particle accelerators can send neutrinos to any other point on Earth by aiming the particle beam into the ground, and the neutrinos pass straight through the Earth. This point is referenced in [https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ What If? 73].
|-
| Animals || Surprise wildlife encounter (gift-wrapped box with a bobcat inside) || This is a reference to [https://bobcatinabox.com/ Bobcat in a Box], which has been referenced in previous comics. This gift would place the recipient in a perilous situation, and, although definitely a wildlife encounter, is not a good gift.
|-
| Law || A vacation to that area of Idaho where you can commit crimes with impunity due to a court district boundary error || This refers to the "Zone of Death", a portion of Yellowstone National Park that is in the physical boundaries of Idaho, but in the legal jurisdiction of Wyoming. Because a jury in the United States must be composed of residents of the same district ''and'' state in which the crime was committed, and National Parks are by their nature uninhabited, anyone who committed a crime here could not possibly receive a trial, and thus could not legally be punished for said crime in any circumstance. This is an interesting legal loophole, but going to this area does not provide any more value than hearing about it, and could scare your law-enthusiast friend.
|-
| Chemistry || A necklace of element samples whose symbols spell out the recipient's name (note: names like "Katherine" and "Brandon" may cause radiation accidents.) || Novelty necklaces are a common and innocuous gift, and using element symbols in place of the same letter is a common gimmick, such as in the title of Breaking Bad. However, making an object out of whatever element sample corresponds to someone's name could have unpredictable results - some elements in their pure form are too brittle or have too low a melting point for such an application, and some are unsafe. "Katherine" would be made from Potassium, Astatine (rare, '''radioactive''' and has a short half-life), Hydrogen (gaseous at room temperature), Erbium, Iodine, and Neon (gaseous at room temperature). "Brandon" would be made from Boron, Radium '''radioactive''', Neodymium, Oxygen (gaseous at room temperature), and Nitrogen (gaseous at room temperature).
|-
| Puzzles || Two goats and a new car || This is a reference to the the Monty Hall problem. This gift places the recipient within a puzzle which is typically discussed hypothetically, rather than happening in real life. Although a new car is a ''great'' gift, two goats are only useful to people with specific professions. The problem that the recipient would have would likely be how to transport the two goats - it'd be difficult to fit both into a compact car at once, but one can't be left behind unattended.
|-
| Technology || Cybiko® Wireless Handheld Computer For Teens (2000) || This device was referenced in [https://xkcd.com/2699/ one of last week's comics], so Randall seems to have a temporary fixation on it. While an interesting example of the history of communication technology and coming from a time when experimentation was common and standards were few, it isn't very useful now, because it is no longer supported, has a communication range of 100 meters (sending text messages via radio) and one can only use it to communicate with users of the same device. However, technology enthusiasts could find it interesting as a collectors' item, so by all means it is one of the most plausible gift ideas on this list.
|-
| Space || Webb telescope personal photoshoot || The Webb telescope belongs to NASA, the ESA and the CSA, and is currently very far from Earth. It is designed to capture massive space objects in previously unseen detail, and thus doesn't operate well on the scale of an individual person, assuming that that is what photoshoot implies. These circumstances make it both an impossible and impractical gift. Furthermore, unless the recipient of the gift is able to travel a long way from Earth, Webb would have to point at the warm Earth and expose its optics to the Sun, permanently crippling the telescope.[https://webb.nasa.gov/content/about/faqs/faqLite.html This is forbidden by NASA.]
|-
| Literature || Stephen King's writing desk (he's still using it so you'll have to fight him) || Stephen King is an author lucky enough to have legendary status while still alive. The desk of an author that has died would become an object of historic significance and would likely be either kept for exhibition or auctioned by their respective estate, but as Stephen King still writes, his desk, while valuable, cannot be subjected to the same.
|-
| Philosophy || Out-of-control trolley || This is another gift that places the recipient in the situations that they like discussing hypothetically. This refers to the trolley problem, which places stress on the person forced to make the decision, and exists to make them examine their morals. Facing someone with the hypothetical problem is already not a good gift, but forcing them to live through it in real life is a terrible gift{{Citation needed}}.
|-
| Psychology || A nice gift with a note saying you don't expect anything in return || This is perhaps the most viable option on this list. This gift plays a psychological game on the recipient, reminding them of the nature of favors and bringing giving something into return into the question. This would cause them stress, making it a bad gift, but a psychologist would hopefully understand it to be a joke.
|-
| (Title text) BABIES OR LITERATURE BUT NOT BOTH|| Baby shoes || This is a reference to the six-word story [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_sale:_baby_shoes,_never_worn For sale: baby shoes, never worn] which is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway. Someone who likes babies could enjoy baby shoes in their own right. Someone interested in literature would see the reference to a famous work. But someone who understands the reference would possibly also be sad if they simultaneously actually liked babies (since the story implies the seller was expecting a baby but there was an accident).
|}

''[https://xkcd.com/what-if-2/ What if? 2]'' is a book by [[Randall Munroe]], author of xkcd.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

What If? 2 Gift Guide

What if? 2 makes a good gift for anyone who's into science, absurd ideas, or just the universe in general. To order, go to xkcd.com/whatif2, or just type "what if 2" into some random box on your device; it will probably work.

Here are some other gift ideas for hard-to-shop-for science enthusiasts:

Interest - Gift Idea

Engineering - The platinum cylinder formerly used to define the kilogram 
Biology - The genomes of the scientists who headed the human genome project 
Physics - A beam of neutrinos delivered through the earth by the LHC 
Animals - Surprise wildlife encounter (gift-wrapped box with a bobcat inside) 
Law - A vacation to that area of Idaho where you can commit crimes with impunity due to a court district boundary error 
Chemistry - A necklace of element samples whose symbols spell out the recipient's name (note: names like "Katherine" and "Brandon" may cause radiation accidents.) 
Puzzles - Two goats and a new car 
Technology - Cybiko® Wireless Handheld Computer for Teens (2000) 
Space - Webb telescope personal photoshoot 
Literature - Stephen King's writing desk (he's still using it so you'll have to fight him) 
Philosophy - Out-of-control trolley 
Psychology - A nice gift with a note saying you don't expect anything in return. 

{{comic discussion}}

2603: Childhood Toys

2022-04-08T13:17:41Z

AspiePriest: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2603
| date = April 6, 2022
| title = Childhood Toys
| image = childhood_toys.png
| titletext = The rope keeps breaking, I'm covered in bruises and scrapes, and I've barely reached the end of my driveway, but I don't care--I'm determined to become the first person to commute to work by tetherball.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by YOUR BOSS LEAVING WORK BY A SPINLAUNCHER ON A SLIP'N'SLIDE NEXT TO YOUR PARKED HANDMADE ROBODRAGON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic shows various objects, ranked by how practical they would be for long-distance transportation. The objects are described as childhood toys.

The "Practical" panel shows objects designed for convenient transportation, namely {{w|bicycles}} and {{w|Motorized_scooter|electric scooters}}. Most people know how to ride a bicycle, and can easily go several miles on it. Scooters (shown in the comic panel) are also relatively easy to use, and may have a motor allowing them to be used for significant distances — the one shown has the appearance of one with a battery unit rather than being 'leg-propelled', and is named as such in the list for which it has been depicted. These are often not considered "toys" although they have been heavily developed as both adult-sized transportation modes and at a smaller-scale for play by children.

The "Less Practical" panel has objects designed for transportation, but which may be harder to use than the first panel. {{w|Skateboards}} and {{w|roller skates}}, while designed for transportation, don't work great over long distances or when carrying objects, and {{w|Big Wheel (tricycle)|Big Wheels}} and {{w|unicycles}} (shown in the panel) are simply less practical bikes.

In the "Impractical" panel are objects that are designed for transportation, but are ''very much not'' designed for convenience, especially over long distances. {{w|Stilts}} are long poles that one stands on to extend their legs; while they increase the user's stride length, it takes quite a bit of practice to use them, especially if they're very long. A {{w|jump rope}} is a rope that the user swings around their body while they jump over it whenever the rope passes below their feet; it doesn't actually provide any transportation by itself, the user is simply hopping to their destination, which is a very tiring way to travel (but very good exercise if you can do it). A {{w|toy wagon|wagon}} has no propulsion of its own, it has to be pulled by the user; parents sometimes use it to transport their children short distances (such as to a playground). Larger wagons are used commercially. A {{w|Pogo stick}} is a pole with a spring at the bottom and a platform for standing on, which can be used to bounce; while fun for bouncing a few yards (as shown in the panel), like the jump rope it would be tiring for long distances.

The "Very Impractical" panel has objects that may be used for transportation, but to an ''incredibly'' limited degree. {{w|Slip_%27N_Slide|Slip 'N Slides}} (shown in the panel) only work (effectively) downhill, and only where they are placed down. {{w|Trampolines}} and {{w|Tire swing|Tire swings}} could let you go somewhere, but you'd need to set up multiple in a row leading to your destination beforehand. {{w|Hot Wheels}} cars could be put onto the bottom of shoes to create ''extremely'' ill-advised{{citation needed}} improvised rollerskates, but the car on its own has effectively no merit for transportation.

The title text refers to {{w|tetherball}}, a game found in many playgrounds where a ball is attached to a pole by a long rope. This is also very impractical, as the rope just winds around a stationary pole. It's possible that he is swinging from the rope and letting go (which would explain the bruises and scrapes, as well as the torn rope), but there is no ''remotely'' practical way to use this to commute.{{citation needed}} Nevertheless, if you were able to swing quickly enough and cut the rope at exactly the right moment, you might be able to achieve a short commute to a nearby target. This method may have been inspired by NASA [https://www.aerospacetestinginternational.com/news/space/spinlaunch-to-test-suborbital-accelerator-launcher-with-nasa.html purchasing a launch] via the [https://www.spinlaunch.com/ SpinLaunch] rocket system the same week as the comic appeared.

Describing the objects as childhood toys may or may not be commentary on developing current events this decade.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Title:] Childhood Toys
:[Subtitle:] By Practicality for Commuting

:[Caption of the first box:] Practical
*Bicycle
*Electric Scooter
:[Cueball, wearing a bicycle helmet, drives by on an electric scooter, passing another Cueball and Hairbun, who is holding a briefcase.]
:Scooter Cueball: Hi, boss!

:[Caption of the second box:] Less Practical
*Skateboard
*Roller Skates
*Big Wheel
*Unicycle
:[Ponytail rides by White Hat on a unicycle.]
:Ponytail: Good Morning!

:[Caption of the third box:] Impractical
*Stilts
*Jump Rope
*Wagon
*Pogo Stick
:[Cueball bounces past Megan on a pogo stick.]
:Pogo Stick: Boing boing
:Cueball: How's it going?

:[Caption of the fourth box:] Very Impractical
*Trampoline
*Tire Swing
*Hot Wheels
*Slip 'N Slide
:[Cueball slides past Hairy(?) on a Slip 'N Slide.]
:Cueball: Wheeeee
:Cueball: Hi Boss!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
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[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

2603: Childhood Toys

2022-04-08T13:16:11Z

AspiePriest: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2603
| date = April 6, 2022
| title = Childhood Toys
| image = childhood_toys.png
| titletext = The rope keeps breaking, I'm covered in bruises and scrapes, and I've barely reached the end of my driveway, but I don't care--I'm determined to become the first person to commute to work by tetherball.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by YOUR BOSS LEAVING WORK BY A SPINLAUNCHER ON A SLIP'N'SLIDE NEXT TO YOUR PARKED HANDMADE ROBODRAGON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic shows various objects, ranked by how practical they would be for long-distance transportation. The objects are described as childhood toys.

The "Practical" panel shows objects designed for convenient transportation, namely {{w|bicycles}} and {{w|Motorized_scooter|electric scooters}}. Most people know how to ride a bicycle, and can easily go several miles on it. Scooters (shown in the comic panel) are also relatively easy to use, and may have a motor allowing them to be used for significant distances — the one shown has the appearance of one with a battery unit rather than being 'leg-propelled', and is named as such in the list for which it has been depicted. These are often not considered "toys" although they have been heavily developed as both adult-sized transportation modes and at a smaller-scale for play by children.

The "Less Practical" panel has objects designed for transportation, but which may be harder to use than the first panel. {{w|Skateboards}} and {{w|roller skates}}, while designed for transportation, don't work great over long distances or when carrying objects, and {{w|Big Wheel (tricycle)|Big Wheels}} and {{w|unicycles}} (shown in the panel) are simply less practical bikes.

In the "Impractical" panel are objects that are designed for transportation, but are ''very much not'' designed for convenience, especially over long distances. {{w|Stilts}} are long poles that one stands on to extend their legs; while they increase the user's stride length, it takes quite a bit of practice to use them, especially if they're very long. A {{w|jump rope}} is a rope that the user swings around their body while they jump over it whenever the rope passes below their feet; it doesn't actually provide any transportation by itself, the user is simply hopping to their destination, which is a very tiring way to travel (but very good exercise if you can do it). A {{w|toy wagon|wagon}} has no propulsion of its own, it has to be pulled by the user; parents sometimes use it to transport their children short distances (such as to a playground). Larger wagons are used commercially. A {{w|Pogo stick}} is a pole with a spring at the bottom and a platform for standing on, which can be used to bounce; while fun for bouncing a few yards (as shown in the panel), like the jump rope it would be tiring for long distances.

The "Very Impractical" panel has objects that may be used for transportation, but to an ''incredibly'' limited degree. {{w|Slip_%27N_Slide|Slip 'N Slides}} (shown in the panel) only work (effectively) downhill, and only where they are placed down. {{w|Trampolines}} and {{w|Tire swing|Tire swings}} could let you go somewhere, but you'd need to set up multiple in a row leading to your destination beforehand. {{w|Hot Wheels}} cars could be put onto the bottom of shoes to create ''extremely'' ill-advised{{citation needed}} improvised rollerskates, but the car on its own has effectively no merit for transportation.

The title text refers to {{w|tetherball}}, a game found in many playgrounds where a ball is attached to a pole by a long rope. This is also very impractical, as the rope just winds around a stationary pole. It's possible that he is swinging from the rope and letting go (which would explain the bruises and scrapes, as well as the torn rope), but there is no ''remotely'' practical way to use this to commute.{{citation needed}} Nevertheless, if you were able to swing quickly enough and cut the rope at exactly the right moment, you might be able to achieve a short commute to a nearby target. This method may have been imsnpired by NASA [https://www.aerospacetestinginternational.com/news/space/spinlaunch-to-test-suborbital-accelerator-launcher-with-nasa.html purchasing a launch] via the SpinLaunch rocket system the same week as the comic appeared.

Describing the objects as childhood toys may or may not be commentary on developing current events this decade.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Title:] Childhood Toys
:[Subtitle:] By Practicality for Commuting

:[Caption of the first box:] Practical
*Bicycle
*Electric Scooter
:[Cueball, wearing a bicycle helmet, drives by on an electric scooter, passing another Cueball and Hairbun, who is holding a briefcase.]
:Scooter Cueball: Hi, boss!

:[Caption of the second box:] Less Practical
*Skateboard
*Roller Skates
*Big Wheel
*Unicycle
:[Ponytail rides by White Hat on a unicycle.]
:Ponytail: Good Morning!

:[Caption of the third box:] Impractical
*Stilts
*Jump Rope
*Wagon
*Pogo Stick
:[Cueball bounces past Megan on a pogo stick.]
:Pogo Stick: Boing boing
:Cueball: How's it going?

:[Caption of the fourth box:] Very Impractical
*Trampoline
*Tire Swing
*Hot Wheels
*Slip 'N Slide
:[Cueball slides past Hairy(?) on a Slip 'N Slide.]
:Cueball: Wheeeee
:Cueball: Hi Boss!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

2562: Formatting Meeting

2021-12-31T19:06:19Z

AspiePriest: /* Explanation */ Correcting ref to origin of bigendians

{{comic
| number = 2562
| date = December 31, 2021
| title = Formatting Meeting
| image = formatting_meeting.png
| titletext = Neither group uses iso 8601 because the big-endian enthusiasts were all at the meeting 20 years ago.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LOCAL VERSION OF DR SEUSS, WHO IS NOT JONATHAN SWIFT - Needs expansion, wikification, organisation, clarification, and consideration of whether there is a relation to new year's eve. Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the United States, it's common to write dates numerically in the format ''month/day/year'' -- 2/3/22 means February 3, 2022 (the century is often omitted when it's obvious that the date is around the current time). In Europe, the usual format is ''day/month/year'', so 2/3/22 is March 2, 2022.

"Localization" is the technique used in software to make it accept input and display output in the formats most natural to users in their locations. For example, in the United States numbers use commas "," to separate thousands and a decimal point "." to separate the decimal values, while in the EU it is the reverse. And textual output will be translated to the local language. Naturally, this also includes displaying dates in the local format, as described above. Note: Currency is not localized as it would actually change the money value ($100 is not the same as €100).

The joke in this comic is that two dates are shown on the same display related to meetings regarding localization. The date of the meeting of the US team is localized in the US format, while the EU team's meeting is localized in the European format, and these two dates about a month apart happen to be formatted the same (there are many such pairs of dates, as long as the day of the month is between 1 and 12). Cueball needs to explain that the European meeting will be a month later than the US meeting, to avoid confusion due to the ambiguity (which is ironic, since localization is intended to reduce confusion).

There could also be subtle commentary around the nature of cultural influence in modern times: things like diseases and political influence spreading to other countries, and how this is handled differently locally.

ISO-8601 (that is, standard number 8601 as promulgated by the International Standards Organization since 1988) specifies a date format of YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. 2021-12-31), which results in dates being listed in chronological order when sorted numerically. The ISO format is called "big-endian", which refers to the fact that the largest unit in the date (the year) comes first; the European format is instead "little-endian", while the American format is neither since the unit given first is the one whose size is in the middle. (Regular numerals are also written with the largest place values on the left – for example, the first 2 in 2021 is the thousands place – though whether this convention is big-endian or little-endian depends on whether the numbers are being read in the context of left-to-right or right-to-left text. The "endianness" terms are most often used in reference to whether the address of a value in computer memory which takes up more than one cell is the location of the most significant or least significant cell, though they originate in a [https://www.ling.upenn.edu/courses/Spring_2003/ling538/Lecnotes/ADfn1.htm Jonathan Swift story] about a war over which end of the egg to eat first.)

The joke in the title text is that someone attempting to interpret the improperly formatted date as if it were expressed in the standardized ISO-8601 format, might read the date as March 22, 2002, so they went to the meeting almost 20 years ago. Unless the announcement of the meetings was made 2 decades in advance, there's a paradox that these participants would have taken the date from an announcement in the far future. However this interpretation of the date is necessarily incorrect: ISO-8601 format specifies four digit years, two digit months and two digit days. Therefore "2/3/22” ''cannot'' be an ISO-8601 date, as "2" must be rendered as "0002", and "3" must be "03". Even if the leading zeroes were omitted in violation of ISO-8601, the year would become Year 2, not Year 2002. Since the standard always uses a 4 digit 'YYYY' format in the first field, and no common formatting uses YYYY-DD-MM, any date written in ISO-8601 is easily recognized and (comparatively) unambiguously interpretable as YYYY-MM-DD. Dates written in Y-M-DD or MM-DD-YY or other formats are (officially) formatted improperly.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A screen displays:
Localization working group
Upcoming meetings
US Team: 2/3/22
EU Team: 2/3/22
]

:Cueball: And the European formatting and localization team will meet a month later...

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]