explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1587: Food Rule

2015-10-07T07:22:31Z

Athang: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1587
| date = October 7, 2015
| title = Food Rule
| image = food_rule.png
| titletext = I won't eat invertebrates, because I can fight a skeleton, but I have no idea what kind of spooky warrior a squid leaves behind.
}}

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

This comic subverts the vegetarian slogan "I don't eat anything with a face".

Randall has listed foods he does and does not eat. Randall is apparently unsure of whether oysters, squid, or shrimp, have faces, and refuses to eat them simply because it doesn't have a face. He refuses to eat foods he has to Google whether or not a particular food has a face or not. Shrimp and Squid sort of have faces, although it depends whether or not you consider a face to be your typical mammalian/avian/reptilian face, or if a face simply has to be composed of "eyes and a mouth somewhere." Oysters most definitely do not have anything resembling a face, but Randall's confusion of whether a squid and shrimp has a face or not leads him to not eat such.

The title text mentions how Randall prefers to not eat invertibrates, since he knows he can fight back a skeleton, but he is unprepared to fight whatever ghoulish fighter an invertebrate might leave behind. Randall is joking about how his food's remnants might come back to life and try to avenge their death. Perhaps the only "realistic" way to do this is terrible gastrointestinal problems.

Randall has previously mentioned his dislike of certain foods (namely lobster) in [[1268]].

==Transcript==
:[There is a caption above a list of food with indication whether it is OK or not to eat. Below is another caption.]
:My food rule:
:{| class="wikitable" style="border: 0px;"
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Red meat
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Pork
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Poultry
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Fish
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Shrimp
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Oysters
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Squid
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Fruit
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Vegetables
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Grains
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|}
:I won't eat something
:if I have to Google
:to figure out whether
:or not it has a face.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]

1587: Food Rule

2015-10-07T07:21:22Z

Athang: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1587
| date = October 7, 2015
| title = Food Rule
| image = food_rule.png
| titletext = I won't eat invertebrates, because I can fight a skeleton, but I have no idea what kind of spooky warrior a squid leaves behind.
}}

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

This comic subverts the vegetarian slogan "I don't eat anything with a face".

Randall has listed foods he does and does not eat. Randall is apparently unsure of whether oysters, squid, or shrimp, have faces, and refuses to eat them simply because it doesn't have a face. He refuses to eat foods he has to Google whether or not a particular food has a face or not. Shrimp and Squid sort of have faces, although it depends whether or not you consider a face to be your typical mammalian/avian/reptilian face, or if a face simply has to be composed of "eyes and a mouth somewhere." Oysters most definitely do not have anything resembling a face, but Randall's confusion of whether a squid and shrimp has a face or not leads him to not eat such.

The title text mentions how Randall prefers to not eat invertibrates, since he knows he can fight back a skeleton, but he is unprepared to fight whatever ghoulish fighter an invertebrate might leave behind. Randall is joking about how his food's remnants might come back to life and try to avenge their death. Perhaps the only "realistic" way to do this is terrible gastrointestinal problems.

Randallstown has previously mentioned his dislike of certain foods (namely lobster) in [[1268]].

==Transcript==
:[There is a caption above a list of food with indication whether it is OK or not to eat. Below is another caption.]
:My food rule:
:{| class="wikitable" style="border: 0px;"
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Red meat
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Pork
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Poultry
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Fish
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Shrimp
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Oysters
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Squid
| style="border: 0px; color:red;" | X
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Fruit
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Vegetables
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|-
| style="border: 0px; text-align: right" | Grains
| style="border: 0px; color:green;" | ✓
|}
:I won't eat something
:if I have to Google
:to figure out whether
:or not it has a face.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]

Talk:1549: xkcd Phone 3

2015-07-10T09:54:07Z

Athang:

I assume that this is made, at least in part, in reference to the just-made OnePlus infodump and their upcoming OnePlus 2 smartphone. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.188|162.158.2.188]]

Is the heartbeat accelerator used to fool fitness wristbands? Or apps? Or ... ? [[User:SirKitKat|sirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 07:56, 10 July 2015 (UTC)

"Ear screen" may refer to a different meaning of "screen" - a device that protects you from something, as in "sun screen". In this case, the "ear screen" would block the sound of the phone's speakers, making it useless (at least for telephony). 08:02, 10 July 2015 (UTC)~~ [[User:thepike|thepike]]

:I thought it was a name change like those of beret guy, repurposing words to stay accurate without using the correct/standard term.[[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 09:54, 10 July 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1549: xkcd Phone 3

2015-07-10T09:51:18Z

Athang:

I assume that this is made, at least in part, in reference to the just-made OnePlus infodump and their upcoming OnePlus 2 smartphone. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.188|162.158.2.188]]

Is the heartbeat accelerator used to fool fitness wristbands? Or apps? Or ... ? [[User:SirKitKat|sirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 07:56, 10 July 2015 (UTC)

"Ear screen" may refer to a different meaning of "screen" - a device that protects you from something, as in "sun screen". In this case, the "ear screen" would block the sound of the phone's speakers, making it useless (at least for telephony). 08:02, 10 July 2015 (UTC)~~ [[User:thepike|thepike]]
|I thought it was a name change like those of beret guy, repurposing words to stay accurate without using the correct/standard term.[[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 09:51, 10 July 2015 (UTC)

1549: xkcd Phone 3

2015-07-10T09:47:53Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ modified ear screen explanation

{{comic
| number = 1549
| date = July 10, 2015
| title = XKCD Phone 3
| image = xkcd_phone_3.png
| titletext = If you're not completely satisfied with the phone after 30 days, we will return you to your home at no cost.
}}

{{Incomplete|First draft}}

==Explanation==
This is a follow up to [[1363: xkcd Phone]] and [[1465: xkcd Phone 2]]. It parodies common smartphone specs by attributing absurd or useless features to a fictional phone.

{| class="wikitable"
!Feature
!Explanation
|-
|'''Ear screen'''
| An overcomplicated term for a speaker, connecting a screen which emits light to send visual information, and the portion of a speaker which vibrates to send auditory information. Comparing the two makes a speaker a screen for the ear.
|-
|'''Heartbeat accelerator'''
| A mashup of heartbeat sensor and accelerometer. May be some sort of external pacemaker. If that's the case, it's worrying that it only accelerates, potentially causing a positive feedback (heart attack).
|-
|'''MobilePay money clip'''
| While mobile pay is a form of payment involving electronic transfers via cellphone, this model includes a money clip; a way of holding physical bills together, which beats the purpose of electronic payment. Whether this is a clip that transfers money digitally or the phrase mobile pay is just a marketing tag is unknown.
|-
|'''Siri, or whoever it was we put in here'''
| A joke on intelligent personal assistants. It also jokes that Siri and the like are actual people, trapped inside of phones.
|-
|'''Instead of being on surface only, screen goes all the way through'''
| A reference to surface screens
|-
|'''theknot.com partnership: Phone licensed to perform wedding ceremonies and does so at random'''
| [https://www.theknot.com/ theknot.com] is a website that assists in all stages of wedding planning. Due to this partnering, the phone has apparently obtained legal status as a {{w|Justice of the peace}} capable of performing legally valid marriages. It exerts this capability randomly however, so the phone's owner (or potentially any other unsuspecting bystander) could suddenly find themselves with a new spouse without their knowledge, generally an undesired effect. Whether this would result in unintentional {{w|bigamy}} or if the phone enacts divorce first if necessary is left unclear.
|-
|'''Fingerprint randomizer'''
| Presumably randomises the user's finger print, which may or may not be inconvenient depending on the intent of the user. It is not clear whether the device will change the person's fingerprint into a human-like fingerprint that is randomly selected from all possibilities, or if it completely mangles the fingerprint of the user
|-
|'''USB E (hotswappable)'''
| A USB cable that presumably charges the phone and allows to transfer files like normal, but this kind lets you perform {{w|Hot swapping}} (replacing computer system components without turning the system off) with it, which would be pointless because the USB will not affect the phone if you took the components out, so you can keep it in away. May be a reference to the eSATAp (Power over eSATA) hybrid port that is functioning as a USB and eSATA port at the same time. The Serial ATA bus interface has standardised hot swapping support.
Furthermore, hot swapping of usb-cables has also been a primary design goal of the USB standard since its first inception, and is therefore not worth mentioning separately other than for marketing reasons. Hot-swapping of the ''connector itself'' would be novel, but useless.
The most recently released version of the USB standard was {{w|USB-C}}. A hypothetical next version would likely use "D" first, so the "E" is just suggesting being "more advanced" without any substantiation.
|-
|'''waterproof, but can drown'''
| Perhaps a reference to Siri or the person trapped in the phone drowning, but the phone itself staying functional. This is another human-like function, which the first 2 XKCD Phone comics had.
|-
|'''Foretold by prophecy'''
| Likely mocking people on the internet who attempt to predict when Apple will release their next device.
|-
|'''Runs Natively'''
| All software in the phone will run specifically to the capabilities of the internal hardware. This would make the phone incapable of running most widely used applications from app stores, which would render it useless to most people.
|-
|'''Wristband'''
| Probably mocking trending smart watches
|-
|'''Wireless discharging'''
| Many modern cellphones feature wireless charging, which uses electromagnetic induction to charge the battery of the device. This model, apparently uses the same technology to discharge the battery; which, of course is something undesired, as one needs the battery's energy to run the phone. May also refer to the standard behaviour of the phone's antenna, which communicates wirelessly via EM radio waves, but discharges the battery in doing so.
|-
|'''Magnetic stripe'''
| Likely a dig at the NFC (near-field communication) wireless radio modules in many modern phones. NFC allows, among others functions, mobile payment. This magnetic stripe could be a cheap way to imitate payment functionality, but "compatible" with classic credit cards.
Magnetic stripes are a data storage method used by devices such as credit cards and key cards to hold and transfer smalls amounts of information like key codes. Usually cellphones don't have them as they utilize more robust and protected ways to store and transmit data (such as NFC). The magnetic stripe shown would likely be unusable with current magnetic stripe readers due to the phone's thickness, in contrast to that of regular cards, thus breaking all imagined 'compatibility' arguments.
It would also be very annoying as it seems to block part of the screen.
|-
|'''2 AA batteries (not included)'''
| A phrase usually shown on small low powered electronic devices like remote controllers, and not on cellphones; which use lithium ion batteries and need to be constantly recharged for continuous use.
The apparent thin-ness of the phone (according to the scale as judged by the wristband) would also preclude inserting AA-batteries, unless a protruding battery compartment is hidden out of view on the back of the phone (not discountable), or the batteries were physically deformed or ground up (a practice warned against due to risk of explosions, heavy-metal poisoning and environmental damage)
|-
|'''Boneless'''
| Reference to meat or fish products being boneless, i.e. having all the bones removed, making it convenient to cook or eat. Unclear why a phone would be boneless since it is mostly inedible, perhaps a reference to the person trapped inside having their bones removed to make them easier to fit inside, or stating that the phone is flexible. (A possible reference to the iPhone 6's reported problems with it's chassis, where it {{w|IPhone 6#Chassis bending|could bend under pressure}})
|}

The phrase "We made another one®©™" is a reference to how phone companies release new phones very often, and the trademarks that surround the phone itself.

The title text is a joke on guarantees and customer service. Usually the advertisement says that if the customer is not satisfied with the product, they'll refund the money and take the product back at no additional cost. In this case they guarantee the customer they'll send him/her home without charge; implying they won't fix or refund anything.

==Transcript==
:Ear screen
:Heartbeat accelerator
:MobilePay money clip
:Siri, or whoever it was w put in here
:Instead of being on surface only, screen goes all the way through
:theknot.con partnership: Phone licensed to perform wedding ceremonies and does so at random
:Fingerprint randomizer
:USB E (hotswappable)
:waterproof, but can drown
:Foretold by prophecy
:Runs Natively
:Wristband
:Wireless discharging
:Magnetic stripe
:2 AA batteries (not included)
:boneless

:Introducing
:The XKCD phone 3
:we made another one®©™

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Smartphones]]

Talk:1480: Super Bowl

2015-01-30T08:25:15Z

Athang: Created page with "So should this be tagged as a my hobby comic? Not sure since it is only in the title text. ~~~~"

So should this be tagged as a my hobby comic? Not sure since it is only in the title text. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 08:25, 30 January 2015 (UTC)

1445: Efficiency

2014-11-10T05:55:10Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ Wrote rough explanation

{{comic
| number = 1445
| date = November 10, 2014
| title = Efficiency
| image = efficiency.png
| titletext = I need an extension for my research project because I spent all month trying to figure out whether learning Dvorak would help me type it faster.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft.}}
This comic refers to the fact that there are often multiple ways in which to deal with a problem or task, with one of the methods being more efficient, though sometimes only slightly. Many people try to avoid unnecessary work by finding the easier of the methods, but this can prove to be more difficult than even just choosing the harder task, even to the point of requiring more time than the original tasks as illustrated in the comic. Randall cites this as the reason for his inefficiency.

The title text refers to the {{w|Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard|Dvorak}} keyboard layout, an alternative to the almost universally accepted {{w|QWERTY}} layout, which is thought to possibly improve typing efficiency.

A similar comic that addressed wasted time due to bad time management was [[1319: Automation]].

==Transcript==
:[A graph titled Time Cost]
:Strategy A
:[Short line beside A]
:Strategy B
:[Slightly longer line beside B]
:Analyzing whether strategy A or B is more efficient
:[A much longer line next to this, about 10 times the length of B]
:The reason I am so inefficient
{{comic discussion}}

1445: Efficiency

2014-11-10T05:37:34Z

Athang: /* Transcript */

1445: Efficiency

2014-11-10T05:34:43Z

Athang: /* Transcript */

1445: Efficiency

2014-11-10T05:33:59Z

Athang: /* Transcript */ wrote transcript

1439: Rack Unit

2014-10-27T04:37:18Z

Athang: /* Transcript */ wrote transcript

{{comic
| number = 1439
| date = October 27, 2014
| title = Rack Unit
| image = rack_unit.png
| titletext = There's also nothing in the TOSes that says you can't let a dog play baseball in the server room!
}}

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

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Black Hat are talking, Megan is sitting at a computer]
:Black Hat: I've discovered something.
:Megan: Oh?
:Black Hat: Standard server rack units and standard beehive honeycomb frames are compatible.
:Black Hat: They're both 19 inches, with similar pitches.
:Megan: Uh oh.
:Black Hat: I'm pleased to announce that today, for a few hours, Google led the world in datacenter honey production honey production.
:Black Hat: Until their security people kicked me out.
:Megan: I'm sorry your beekeeping career ended so quickly.
:Black Hat: I'll find a new datacenter.
:Black Hat: Turns out most colocation TOSes don't mention beehives.
:Megan: I suspects that will soon change.
{{comic discussion}}

1438: Houston

2014-10-24T06:06:16Z

Athang: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1438
| date = October 24, 2014
| title = Houston
| image = houston.png
| titletext = 'Oh, hey Mom. No, nothing important, just at work.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Apollo 13}} was destined to be the third manned landing on the moon. On its way there, however, during a routine stirring of the hydrogen and oxygen tanks, an explosion occurred that resulted in a frantic effort by {{w|Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center}} (located in Huston), that resulted in the safe return of all three astronauts. The most memorable phrase, immortalized by the "Apollo 13" movie, is when astronaut James Lovell calls on Huston with the phrase "Huston, we have a problem".

These are the same events, except with much less help from Misson Control. In reality, Mission Control had to figure out thousands of little problems that popped out due to the explosion, from how to get the astronauts back, to how the astronauts can jury-rig CO2 removal equipment (intended for the command module) to work with the lunar module (where the astronauts had evacuated to).

This comics is an "alternate reality" view at what might have happened next, had the Huston ground crew not been as vigilant as they were. It is meant to contrast history with Cueball's (lack of) action. It leaves implicit the consequences of this inaction, for greater shock.

==Transcript==
{{Incomplete|Name for capsule? Also, descriptions need work.}}
:[The lunar lander and module shown with debris near by in foreground, in space with the Earth in the background.]
:Lovell: Houston, we have a problem
:[Cueball sitting In front of two moniters wearing a headset.]
:Cueball: Cool.
:Lovell: ...What? Houston, we stirred our O2 tank and it exploded!
:Cueball: Sounds like you suck at stirring.
:[Capsule shown from a greater distance, with Earth beside it.]
:Lovell: ...Houston? Are you-
:Cueball: Listen, I've got another call.
:Cueball: Good luck landing your airplane or whatever.
: *click*

{{comic discussion}}

1438: Houston

2014-10-24T06:04:48Z

Athang: /* Transcript */ grammar and formatting errors fixed, still needs work.

{{comic
| number = 1438
| date = October 24, 2014
| title = Houston
| image = houston.png
| titletext = 'Oh, hey Mom. No, nothing important, just at work.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Apollo 13}} was destined to be the third manned landing on the moon. On its way there, however, during a routine stirring of the hydrogen and oxygen tanks, an explosion occurred that resulted in a frantic effort by {{w|Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center}} (located in Huston), that resulted in the safe return of all three astronauts. The most memorable phrase, immortalized by the "Apollo 13" movie, is when astronaut James Lovell calls on Huston with the phrase "Huston, we have a problem".

These are the same events, except with much less help from Misson Control. In reality, Mission Control had to figure out thousands of little problems that popped out due to the explosion, from how to get the astronauts back, to how the astronauts can jury-rig CO2 removal equipment (intended for the command module) to work with the lunar module (where the astronauts had evacuated to).

This comics is an "alternate reality" view at what might have happened next, had the Huston ground crew not been as vigilant as they were. It is meant to contrast history with Cueball's (lack of) action. It leaves implicit the consequences of this inaction, for greater shock.

==Transcript==
{{Incomplete|Name for capsule? Also, descriptions need work.}}
:[The lunar lander and module shown with debris near by in foreground, in space with the Earth in the background.]
:Lovell: Houston, we have a problem
:[Cueball sitting In front of two moniters wearing a headset.]
:Cueball: Cool.
:Lovell: ...What? Houston, we stirred our O2 tank and it exploded!
:Cueball: Souds like you suck at stirring.
:[Capsule shown from a greater distance, with Earth beside it.]
:Lovell: ...Houston? Are you-
:Cueball: Listen, I've got another call.
:Cueball: Good luck landing your airplane or whatever.
: *click*

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1433: Lightsaber

2014-10-13T06:11:02Z

Athang:

I seem to remember seeing somewhere that lightsabers are actually not lasers but rather plasma held in that shape by some sort of force field. I think it should be in the explanation if it is true. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 06:11, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1433: Lightsaber

2014-10-13T06:10:07Z

Athang: Created page with "I seem to remember seeing somewhere that lightsabers are actually not lasers but rather plasma held in that shale by some sort of field. I think it should be with the explan..."

I seem to remember seeing somewhere that lightsabers are actually not lasers but rather plasma held in that shale by some sort of field. I think it should be with the explanation if it is true. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 06:10, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

1433: Lightsaber

2014-10-13T04:56:01Z

Athang: /* Transcript */ removed bolding on Vader's lines

{{comic
| number = 1433
| date = October 13, 2014
| title = Lightsaber
| image = lightsaber.png
| titletext = A long time in the future, in a galaxy far, far, away, astronomers in the year 2008 sight an unusual gamma-ray burst originating from somewhere far across the universe.
}}

==Explanation==

This comic references a scene from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. In the scene, Vader discovers Luke's new lightsaber he constructed after losing it in Empire Strikes Back. It makes a joke on the fact that a real laser would not have any way of stopping, and would therefore continue forever - slicing straight through the hull of the Death Star.

The title text makes allusion to GRB 080319B, an unusual gamma ray burst in 2008, visible to the human eye - if the lightsaber continued forever, it could theoretically have been the cause of GRB 080319B.

Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader have had a similar conversation before in [[1397: Luke]]
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

==Transcript==
:[Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are talking. Vader holds the handle of a powered-off lightsaber.]
:Vader: I see you have constructed a new lightsaber.
:[Vader turns it on. The beam of the lightsaber continues upward out of the frame.]
:Lightsaber: Snap-Hisss
:[Vader looks up toward where the beam is pointing.]
:[Vader looks back at Luke.]
:Vader: Where does it end?
:Luke: Doesn't.
:Intercom (out of view): ''Hull breach all along sector five!!''
{{comic discussion}}

1432: The Sake of Argument

2014-10-10T04:31:12Z

Athang: /* Transcript */ wrote transcript

{{comic
| number = 1432
| date = October 10, 2014
| title = The Sake of Argument
| image = the_sake_of_argument.png
| titletext = 'It's not actually ... it's a DEVICE for EXPLORING a PLAUSIBLE REALITY that's not the one we're in, to gain a broader understanding about it.' 'oh, like a boat!' '...' 'Just for the sake of argument, we should get a boat! You can invite the Devil, too, if you want.'
}}

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

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[Ponytail and Cueball are talking]
:Ponytail: Just for the sake of argument, let's say that--
:Cueball: --wait, for the sake of what?
:[Panel zooms to only show Cueball]
:Ponytail: Argument.
:Cueball: Ok, cool, that's totally a good reason to say something that's wrong. Gotta have arguments.
:[Panel returns to original view]
:Ponytail: I'm just playing devil's advocate.
:Cueball: Ok. So you saw an argument where one side was the Devil, and you were like "Man, that guy could use an advocate."
:Ponytail: It's...why are you being so difficult?
:Cueball: For the sake of argument.
:Ponytail: Argh!
:Cueball: Yay, it's working!
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1431: Marriage

2014-10-08T05:14:37Z

Athang:

Okay, that was the hardest explanation I've attempted so far. [[User:Cheeselover724|Cheeselover724]] ([[User talk:Cheeselover724|talk]]) 04:42, 8 October 2014 (UTC)
:Graphs tend to be hard. On that note, the transcript was tricky and probably needs work. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 05:14, 8 October 2014 (UTC)

1431: Marriage

2014-10-08T05:13:04Z

Athang: /* Transcript */ Wrote a transcript, probably could use improvement. Graphs are hard to make transcripts for.

{{comic
| number = 1431
| date = October 8, 2014
| title = Marriage
| image = marriage.png
| titletext = People often say that same-sex marriage now is like interracial marriage in the 60s. But in terms of public opinion, same-sex marriage now is like interracial marriage in the 90s, when it had already been legal nationwide for 30 years.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}
Randall has compiled a graph of the percentage of americans who approve of and allow certain breakthroughs in marital freedom over time.
It shows that same-sex marriage was generally legalized after public opinion supported it, while interracial marriage was legalized before public opinion supported it.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[A graph with the x-axis showing time in years from 1940 to 2010. The graph has 4 lines, 2 dotted and 2 solid, with 2 different colors. The first line (from top left) is percent of states legally allowing interracial marriage (solid red.) The second line shows popular acceptance of interracial marriage (dotted red.) The third line shows popular acceptance of same sex couples (dotted blue.) The last line shows the percent of states legally allowing same sex marriages (solid blue.) All the lines show a general upward trend although only the solid red line reaches 100%.]

{{comic discussion}}

1430: Proteins

2014-10-06T05:18:18Z

Athang: /* Transcript */ Wrote a transcript, should be complete except should "just" be capitalized?

{{comic
| number = 1430
| date = October 6, 2014
| title = Proteins
| image = proteins.png
| titletext = Check it out--when I tug the C-terminal tail, the binding tunnel squeezes!
}}

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

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking with Megan]
:Cueball: What do you do?
:Megan: I make software that predicts how proteins will fold.
:Cueball: Is that a hard problem?
:Megan: Someone may someday find a harder one.
:Cueball: Why is it so hard?
:Megan: Have you ever made a folded paper crane?
:Cueball: Yeah.
:Megan: Imagine figuring out the folds to make an actual living crane.
:Cueball: ...just folds? Can I make cuts?
:Megan: If you can fold a protease enzyme.
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1429: Data

2014-10-03T04:42:32Z

Athang: Created page with "What should "off-screen" be called in the transcript? I just put that since I didn't know what else to say. Also, someone needs to a) explain the Kirk/Picard situation and b..."

What should "off-screen" be called in the transcript? I just put that since I didn't know what else to say. Also, someone needs to a) explain the Kirk/Picard situation and b) explain the title text. Sorry for not doing it myself, but I'm editting on my phone so there are probably errors that people need to fix and other peolle know far more about it anyway. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 04:42, 3 October 2014 (UTC)

1429: Data

2014-10-03T04:32:39Z

Athang: /* Transcript */ wrote a transcript

{{comic
| number = 1429
| date = October 3, 2014
| title = Data
| image = data.png
| titletext = If you want to have more fun at the expense of language pedants, try developing an hypercorrection habit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Rough explanation, probably needs expanding}}
The humor in this comic stems from the fact that the word "data" is plural (the singular form of "data" is "datum".) Since there are very few uses for the singular form, many people do not use it and assume data to be singular as well, which sometimes leads to subject-verb agreement errors.

Data is a character from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Since it is a character's name, when used to refer to the character, "Data" should be treated as singular.

By reversing the subject-verb agreement in both cases, you are basically going out of your way to annoy any grammatically obsessed people.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[Cueball reading off a smart phone to someone off the panel]
:Cueball: According to this polling data, after Kirk and Picard, the most popular Star Trek character are Data.
:Off-panel: Augh!
:Annoy grammar pedants on all sides by making "data" singular except when referring to the android.

{{comic discussion}}

1429: Data

2014-10-03T04:23:04Z

Athang: /* Explanation */

1429: Data

2014-10-03T04:22:24Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ rough explanation

{{comic
| number = 1429
| date = October 3, 2014
| title = Data
| image = data.png
| titletext = If you want to have more fun at the expense of language pedants, try developing an hypercorrection habit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Rough explanation, probably needs expanding}
The humor in this comic stems from the fact that the word "data" is plural (the singular form of "data" is "datum".) Since there are very few uses for the singular form, many people do not use it and assume data to be singular as well, which sometimes leads to subject-verb agreement errors.
Data is a character from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Since it is a character's name, when used to refer to the character, "Data" should be treated as singular.
By reversing the subject-verb agreement in both cases, you are basically going out of your way to annoy any grammatically obsessed people.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1425: Tasks

2014-09-24T06:02:28Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ forgot to preview first, fixing various problems

{{comic
| number = 1425
| date = September 24, 2014
| title = Tasks
| image = tasks.png
| titletext = In the 60s, Marvin Minsky assigned a couple of undergrads to spend the summer programming a computer to use a camera to identify objects in a scene. He figured they'd have the problem solved by the end of the summer. Half a century later, we're still working on it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Basically just a summary, little in the way of an explanation}}
Cueball appears to be asking Ponytial to write an app that determines if a given picture is of a bird in a national park. These two requirements, while seemingly about equally hard to a human, vary greatly in difficulty for a computer.

CS stands for computer science.

The title text expands on the information already given, saying that a project to develop a system that could recognize objects was intended to last for only a single summer but instead continues to this day.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail sitting at a computer with Cueball standing behind her]
:Cueball: When a user takes a photo, the app should check whether they're in a national park...
:Ponytail: Sure, easy GIS lookup. Gimme a few hours.
:Cueball: ...and check whether the photo is of a bird.
:Ponytail: I'll need a research team and five years.
:In CS, it can be hard to explain the difference between the easy and the virtually impossible

{{comic discussion}}

1425: Tasks

2014-09-24T06:01:23Z

Athang: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1425
| date = September 24, 2014
| title = Tasks
| image = tasks.png
| titletext = In the 60s, Marvin Minsky assigned a couple of undergrads to spend the summer programming a computer to use a camera to identify objects in a scene. He figured they'd have the problem solved by the end of the summer. Half a century later, we're still working on it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Basically just a summary, little in the way of an explanation}}
Cueball appears to be asking Ponytial to write an app that determines if a given picture is of a bird in a national park. These two requirements, while seemingly about equally hard to a human, vary greatly in difficulty for a computer.
CS stands for computer science.
The title text expands on the information already given, saying that a project to develop a system that could recognize objects was intended to last for only a single summer but instead continues to this day.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail sitting at a computer with Cueball standing behind her]
:Cueball: When a user takes a photo, the app should check whether they're in a national park...
:Ponytail: Sure, easy GIS lookup. Gimme a few hours.
:Cueball: ...and check whether the photo is of a bird.
:Ponytail: I'll need a research team and five years.
:In CS, it can be hard to explain the difference between the easy and the virtually impossible

{{comic discussion}}

1425: Tasks

2014-09-24T06:00:18Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ fixed the incomplete tag

{{comic
| number = 1425
| date = September 24, 2014
| title = Tasks
| image = tasks.png
| titletext = In the 60s, Marvin Minsky assigned a couple of undergrads to spend the summer programming a computer to use a camera to identify objects in a scene. He figured they'd have the problem solved by the end of the summer. Half a century later, we're still working on it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Basically just a summary, little in the way of an explanation}}
Cueball appears to be asking Ponytial to write an app that determines if a given picture is of a bird in a state park. These two requirements, while seemingly about equally hard to a human, vary greatly in difficulty for a computer.
CS stands for computer science.
The title text expands on the information already given, saying that a project to develop a system that could recognize objects was intended to last for only a single summer but instead continues to this day.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail sitting at a computer with Cueball standing behind her]
:Cueball: When a user takes a photo, the app should check whether they're in a national park...
:Ponytail: Sure, easy GIS lookup. Gimme a few hours.
:Cueball: ...and check whether the photo is of a bird.
:Ponytail: I'll need a research team and five years.
:In CS, it can be hard to explain the difference between the easy and the virtually impossible

{{comic discussion}}

1425: Tasks

2014-09-24T05:59:31Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ added a very basic start, basically summary

{{comic
| number = 1425
| date = September 24, 2014
| title = Tasks
| image = tasks.png
| titletext = In the 60s, Marvin Minsky assigned a couple of undergrads to spend the summer programming a computer to use a camera to identify objects in a scene. He figured they'd have the problem solved by the end of the summer. Half a century later, we're still working on it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Basically just a summary, little in the way of an explanation}
Cueball appears to be asking Ponytial to write an app that determines if a given picture is of a bird in a state park. These two requirements, while seemingly about equally hard to a human, vary greatly in difficulty for a computer.
CS stands for computer science.
The title text expands on the information already given, saying that a project to develop a system that could recognize objects was intended to last for only a single summer but instead continues to this day.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail sitting at a computer with Cueball standing behind her]
:Cueball: When a user takes a photo, the app should check whether they're in a national park...
:Ponytail: Sure, easy GIS lookup. Gimme a few hours.
:Cueball: ...and check whether the photo is of a bird.
:Ponytail: I'll need a research team and five years.
:In CS, it can be hard to explain the difference between the easy and the virtually impossible

{{comic discussion}}

1425: Tasks

2014-09-24T05:51:14Z

Athang: /* Transcript */

Talk:983: Privacy

2014-08-20T21:43:45Z

Athang:

If your roommate's in a raid, he's not gonna turn around and notice you shacking up any time soon. World of Warcraft is serious business. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:55, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Is the transcript the original one? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.45|108.162.216.45]] 21:51, 29 November 2013 (UTC)
:No, the name Cueball is never mentioned by Randall. But in general it is close to the original one at all.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:23, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

I don't see how the tour for visiting Nelson Mandela could be interpreted as suggesting that Nelson Mandela was in the rare book collection and the tour was going to visit him - that just seems ridiculous. It's pretty clear that Nelson Mandela's visiting the library. --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.143|199.27.130.143]] 13:38, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
:Agreed. I have fixed the entry to reflect the same. It's worth noting that you could have done it first, and explained your edit here. This is, after all, a wiki editable by anyone. [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 09:56, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

Is the fact that the roommate says Tuesday a joke on how long raids can last? That he can reply with a day of the week rather than a time? I think I have seen jokes about the lengths of raids in other places, but I'm not sure. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 21:43, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

1408: March of the Penguins

2014-08-15T04:39:11Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ gave an example comic

{{comic
| number = 1408
| date = August 15, 2014
| title = March of the Penguins
| image = march_of_the_penguins.png
| titletext = You ARE getting older, though.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Very basic explanation. Could use some fleshing out.}}

Many of the xkcd comics outline ways to make people feel older by referencing various pieces of popular culture that are outdated or feel like they happened a long time ago (for instance, {{w|1393: Timeghost}}). This seems to be what Black Hat is doing as he walks in on Megan to announce that all the penguins from {{w|March of the Penguins}} (a 2005 documentary about emperor penguins) are dead. Megan is familiar with these sorts of antics, and so, frustrated, she simply acknowledges Black Hat's statement by agreeing that everyone is aging. Black Hat, however, reveals that he is not trying to make her feel old, he is announcing that he has killed the penguins, and is "trying to apologize". This obviously gives the situation a much darker tone, especially since Black Hat is likely not truly apologizing, as he is very unapologetic in his "classhole" tendencies.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat walks in, Megan is at a desk]
:Black Hat: All the birds from ''March of the Penguins'' are now dead.

:Megan: OK, I ''get'' it. We're all aging.

:Black Hat: What? No. I'm not trying to make you feel old. They were alive last night. I'm trying to apologize.

:Megan: Oh God

{{comic discussion}}

1403: Thesis Defense

2014-08-04T06:07:18Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ Added an explanation for "Best def. is good off."

{{comic
| number = 1403
| date = August 4, 2014
| title = Thesis Defense
| image = thesis_defense.png
| titletext = MY RESULTS ARE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT ON THE STATE OF THE AAAAAAAAAAAART
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs more work. This is just a start.}}

This comic is a play on the expression, "The best defense is a good offense," which implies that the best way to defend yourself is to ensure your ability to deliver a quick and strong retaliation (thus deterring potential attackers who fear this retaliation) or to strike first and destroy your enemy before you need even rely on your defense

In this instance however, Megan is defending her thesis--a much less violent activity than what is typically intended by the expression. She seems oblivious to this distinction however, and has armed herself with a sword.

==Transcript==
:[Megan, yelling with sword in hand]
:Megan: In conclusion, '''AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!'''
:The best thesis defense is a good thesis offense.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

1403: Thesis Defense

2014-08-04T06:02:44Z

Athang: /* Transcript */ Worked to standardize the transcript's format

{{comic
| number = 1403
| date = August 4, 2014
| title = Thesis Defense
| image = thesis_defense.png
| titletext = MY RESULTS ARE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT ON THE STATE OF THE AAAAAAAAAAAART
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs more work. This is just a start.}}

This comic is a play on the expression, "The best defense is a good offense," which implies that the best way to defend yourself is to ensure your ability to deliver a quick and strong retaliation (thus deterring potential attackers who fear this retaliation).

In this instance however, Megan is defending her thesis--a much less violent activity than what is typically intended by the expression. She seems oblivious to this distinction however, and has armed herself with a sword.

==Transcript==
:[Megan, yelling with sword in hand]
:Megan: In conclusion, '''AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!'''
:The best thesis defense is a good thesis offense.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

1399: Chaos

2014-07-25T05:38:06Z

Athang: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1399
| date = July 25, 2014
| title = Chaos
| image = chaos.png
| titletext = Although the oral exam for the doctorate was just 'can you do that weird laugh?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is staring at a whiteboard]
:Cueball: For two decades, I've studied phase space, nonlinear equations, and strange attractors.
:Cueball: And there is nothing in here about dinosaurs escaping.

{{comic discussion}}

341: 1337: Part 1

2014-07-14T01:33:28Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ removed what seemed to be an incorrectly used 'literally'

{{comic
| number = 341
| date = November 12, 2007
| title = 1337: Part 1
| image = 1337 part 1.png
| titletext = If you're not cool enough to do it manually, you can look up tools like Upside-Down-Ternet for playing games with people on your wifi.
}}

==Explanation==

This is the first part of five in the "[[:Category:1337|1337]]" series. The title 1337 is "L-eet", or "elite", using the {{w|Leet}} alphabet, a coding system used primarily on the internet (and on early text messaging system), meant to provide a bit of {{w|obfuscation}} to plain text both to make it harder to read, and to show off in a creative way using in-group jargon. This comic series is aimed at elite hackers and programmers.

If a {{w|wireless network}} is unsecured it is usually a sign that the owner of the access point is not technically skilled enough to go into the admin panel and enable encryption. Obviously, someone in the area who wants to get on the net, but doesn't have a mobile data connection, will simply use this open access point. However, it is also common practice to leave open an access point to be able to claim that infringement of copyright may not have been the homeowner, but that anybody could have connected to the access point and started downloading files.

Another fun trick, for administrators of open APs, is to [http://www.ex-parrot.com/~pete/upside-down-ternet.html intercept pages and edit their contents]. The only way to stop this is to create a secure connection, or tunnel, to a server to stop the admin from playing {{w|Man-in-the-middle attack|man-in-the-middle}}. Of course, as the title text says, [[Mrs. Roberts]] is so cool, she can edit the tcp stream live, without the help of programs.

Not only is Mrs. Roberts awesome enough to manually edit the live tcp stream, she's also manually ending individual {{w|VPN}} and {{w|Secure Shell|SSH}} connections as Cueball's friend makes them - while wearing oven mitts and baking cookies at the same time. He has been {{w|pwned}} (i.e. owned) by Mrs. Roberts.

The question "How does she type with oven mitts?" is likely a reference to the old web video site {{w|Homestar Runner}} and its character of {{w|Strong Bad}}, who answered emails while wearing boxing gloves. "How does he type with boxing gloves?" was the most common question he received.

All comics in "[[:Category:1337|1337]]" series:
*341: 1337: Part 1 (this one)
*[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
*[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
*[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
*[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

This series was released on 5 consecutive days (Monday-Friday) and not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball talks to a friend who is lying down on the floor, using his laptop.]
:Cueball: You're not on the neighbour's WiFi, are you?
:Friend: Yeah, why?
:Cueball: The admin... plays games.
:Friend: No problem. I'll just hop on a secure VPN.

:Friend: Whoa, my connections are dying as soon as I start to tunnel anything!
:Message on laptop: A VPN? How cute! And stop trying to SSH.
:Friend: Holy shit! Someone's inserting notes into the pages I request! Editing the TCP stream live!
:Friend: Nobody's that fast. Who is this admin?

:[Mrs. Roberts with bun tray in one hand, with oven mitts on both hands typing on a desktop computer.]
:Mrs. Roberts: My goodness. Neighbourhood scamps on the wireless.
:''taptaptaptap''

:Cueball: I should have warned you about Mrs. Roberts.
:Friend: How does she type with oven mitts!?
:Cueball: You've been pwned pretty hard, man. You might want to sit down.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Mrs. Roberts]]
[[Category:1337|01]]

Talk:1392: Dominant Players

2014-07-09T16:53:34Z

Athang:

This may be related to the recent MOBA segregation controversy: http://www.pcgamer.com/uk/2014/07/02/hearthstone-tournament/ {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.25}}

What is the significance of the line colors? {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.78}}
:I think the red lines are those players that were undisputed #1 for a significant period. [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.239|103.22.201.239]] 08:02, 9 July 2014 (UTC)
: But Petrosian has no colored line, although he was world champion. Maybe he did not have the highest ELO rating despite being WC?[[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] ([[User talk:Jkrstrt|talk]]) 09:23, 9 July 2014 (UTC)
:Ya, this line colouring thing is bugging me. :P [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 14:22, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

Dashed lines are apparently for the period before ELO ratings existed, taking 1965 as a start point (midway between the point in time when ELO rating was adopted by USCF and FIDE, respectively. There seems to be an exception for Alekhine -or is that a very long dash? [[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] ([[User talk:Jkrstrt|talk]]) 09:23, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

Naughty Randall, always label your axes! [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 08:00, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

The comment in the women's rankings about Kira Zvorykina is a little odd. One would hope she continued playing in tournaments into the 20th century, given that the first 81 years of her life were in the 20th century. {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.220}}

While at the time, the V-1 was called a "Flying Bomb", wikipedia indeed calls it an early pulse-jet ancestor of the modern cruise missile: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-1_flying_bomb . I built a model of one in an 8th grade rocketry club, replacing the pulse jet with an Estes D-6-0. Mine took off, but sure enough, yes, the stubby wings stalled easily, the flight path was a weird s curve as the wings stalled out twice while under thrust.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 09:03, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

Link to the game against Deep Blue, anybody? Also, shouldn't the title text be at least mentioned? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.71|199.27.128.71]] 09:13, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

Kasparov-Deep Blue Games: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1014770 {{unsigned ip|141.101.64.131}}

The explanation says in the first sentence that for chess there's an overall rating and a woman's rating in the comic. All I see is a men's rating and a woman's rating, no overall rating, however. {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.24}}
: As Judith Polgar is present in the first chart, it appears to be an overall, not specifically a men's chart.[[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] ([[User talk:Jkrstrt|talk]]) 11:37, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

Anyone knows why Viswanathan Anand is not included (or am I blind?) Marty / [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.43|141.101.104.43]]
I had the exact same question. It appears that this is a West and Russian centric view of the world [[User:Indianrediff|Indianrediff]] ([[User talk:Indianrediff|talk]]) 13:23, 9 July 2014 (UTC)
No. Koneru Humpy is mentioned. He's a big Carlson fan and I think he doesn't like Anand. One of his old comics suggested that. Probably never realised Anand met and beat Carlson back in 2008. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.78|108.162.222.78]] 16:37, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

It's Julius Erving not Irving. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.151|173.245.54.151]] 13:27, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

The choice of basketball and chess is something to think about. This mostly is about chess, and basketball represents the physical sports. It immediately stands out that chess players have much longer careers than basketball players. [[User:Jim E|Jim E]] ([[User talk:Jim E|talk]]) 15:55, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

:Something else I think someone needs to look at is the line of best fit. For basketball it's basically horizontal, but for chess it tends to curve upwards. I'd add it myself, but I feel like there's more than just that and I'm missing something. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 16:53, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

Talk:635: Locke and Demosthenes

2014-07-08T08:36:21Z

Athang:

...may someone explain FiveThirtyEight? [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 15:34, 19 November 2012 (UTC)

:[http://twitter.com/fivethirtyeight FiveThirtyEight] {{Wiktionary|AFAIK}} is the Twitter handle (and the name of his blog, which is now a part of the [http://fivethirtyeight.com NY Times]) of statistician Nate Silver. He may have chosen to use that handle as it is the number of votes in the Electoral College. And now that I've done all that research, I might copy this into the explanation. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:13, 19 November 2012 (UTC)

I didn't add this because it might be wrong, but I'm fairly sure that Ender and Valentine aren't going to the formic homeworld, since that was destroyed by the M. D. Device, and I think that in Ender in Exile, Ender is shown to have gone to a mere colony of the formics.

1390: Research Ethics

2014-07-04T06:34:27Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ grammatical corrections (is this sentence even necessary?)

{{comic
| number = 1390
| date = July 4, 2014
| title = Research Ethics
| image = research_ethics.png
| titletext = I mean, it's not like we could just demand to see the code that's governing our lives. What right do we have to poke around in Facebook's private affairs like that?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft.}}

This comic references the recent situation where Facebook was revealed to have been altering the news articles shown to users and recording the users' comments to see what their emotional reactions were. Megan is commenting on the fact that, while the media is calling this control over what content the user sees "unethical", Facebook, and other companies like Google, regularly control their content anyway, if only to tailor ads to particular users. This comic is parodying the strong reaction to what is basically already a common practice.

Randall writes "what" twice, which is a classic [http://www.moillusions.com/eye-to-brain-coordination/ optical illusion.]

The title text is also a joke, lampooning the fact that while we openly allow Facebook to meddle in our affairs merely by using their service, we deem this "snooping" to be unethical. Similarly, what the text is saying is we have no right to peer into the algorithms that do that snooping because it belongs to Facebook and it wouldn't be fair to them for us to see it.

It is as if your neighbor was spying on you while you left all your shades open, but you felt it to be inappropriate to find out what he knew about you because that's his business.

==Transcript==

:[Megan is facing Cueball and Ponytail]
:Megan: Facebook shouldn't choose what what stuff they show us to conduct unethical psychological research.
:Megan: They should ''only'' make those decisions based on, uh...
:Megan: However they were doing it before.
:Megan: Which was probably ethical, right?

{{comic discussion}}

1390: Research Ethics

2014-07-04T05:14:12Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ grammar corrections

{{comic
| number = 1390
| date = July 4, 2014
| title = Research Ethics
| image = research_ethics.png
| titletext = I mean, it's not like we could just demand to see the code that's governing our lives. What right do we have to poke around in Facebook's private affairs like that?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft.}}

This comic references the recent situation where Facebook was revealed to have been altering the news articles shown to users and recording the users' comments to see what their emotional reactions were. Megan is commenting on the fact that, while the media is calling this control over what content the user sees "unethical", Facebook, and other companies like Google, regularly cobtrol their content anyway, if only to tailor ads to particular users. This comic is parodying the strong reaction to what is basically already a common practice.

Randall made a typo here, where he wrote "what" twice. This was either an accident, or perhaps it was unethical psychological research...

==Transcript==

:[Megan is facing Cueball and Ponytail]
:Megan: Facebook shouldn't choose what what stuff they show us to conduct unethical psychological research.
:Megan: They should ''only'' make those decisions based on, uh...
:Megan: However they were doing it before.
:Megan: Which was probably ethical, right?

{{comic discussion}}

1390: Research Ethics

2014-07-04T05:11:37Z

Athang: /* Transcript */ put the transcript into the format I've seen moat often here.

1390: Research Ethics

2014-07-04T04:47:28Z

Athang: /* Explanation */

1388: Subduction License

2014-06-30T16:02:59Z

Athang: /* Explanation */ corrected a sentence (should that clause even be there?)

{{comic
| number = 1388
| date = June 30, 2014
| title = Subduction License
| image = subduction_license.png
| titletext = 'Dude, why can't you just be a normal roommate?' 'Because I'm coming TOWARD you!'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|A reference that links to the fact that "normal" has a special meaning in structural geology is needed.}}

In {{w|structural geology}}, {{w|subduction}} is the mechanism by which one {{w|tectonic plate}} disappears under another. This process usually creates a {{w|mountain range}} on the second tectonic plate. (In some cases it will take the form of an {{w|island arc}} or a {{w|volcanic arc}})

In this comic, [[Beret Guy]] is very happy because he has just received his ''subduction license''. His roommate [[Cueball]] very reasonably asks him: ''Your what?''. But instead of answering him, Beret Guy begins to move towards him in their small room. It turns out that the license has literally enabled him to start a subduction: As he moves towards Cueball, he slowly sinks under the floorboard of the room, and in this process he creates a small mountain range on the floor. In the end, much to Cueball's consternation, these mountains turn his desk and chair over. Cueball actually falls out of the frame in the final panel, where Beret Guy is already halfway down beneath the floor.

The title text plays on the double meaning of the word "normal", which in structural geology refers specifically to mountain-building faults that form when plates or other crustal blocks relax '''away''' from one another (e.g., the {{w|Teton Range}}). However, since in subduction the plates are necessarily moving TOWARD one another (as noted in the roommate's response in the title text), mountain building is not due to normal (i.e., extensional) faults, but rather to compressional faults. It is typical for Beret Guy to act like this and also for him to misunderstand ''normal'' questions.

These types of atypical licenses has been mentioned previously in [[410: Math Paper]], but here a license was obtained instead of lost.

A ''{{w|thrust fault}}'' is a type of compressional fault that is itself part of the extended geologic/erotic play on words that drives [[1082: Geology]]. Here in this comic, ''I'm coming toward you'' may reflect a confusion, in Beret Guy's mind, between ''subduction'' and ''seduction''.

Typically areas for oil and mineral exploration are in subduction zones. Some of these areas in {{w|Alaska}}, especially around the {{w|Cook Inlet}} requires a [http://dog.dnr.alaska.gov/leasing/Documents%5CBIF%5CExploration_Licenses%5CSW_CookInlet%5CSWCI_Ch3.pdf license for exploration].

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy is looking at some mail he has received while Cueball is at his computer desk at the other side of the room.]
:Beret Guy: Sweet! I finally got my subduction license!
:Cueball: Your what?

:[Beret Guy starts sinking into the ground, causing it to ripple.]
:Cueball: ...What are you doing?

:[Beret Guy sinks further, forming a miniature mountain range in front of him. Cueball is frantically trying to keep his computer steady as his desk tilts.]
:Cueball: ''Stop it! Stop it!''

:[Beret Guy is waist-deep, and snow caps have formed on the mountains. Cueball is falling backwards from his desk, and the monitor unplugs itself from his computer.]
:Cueball: ''AUGH!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

1388: Subduction License

2014-06-30T08:24:42Z

Athang: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1388
| date = June 30, 2014
| title = Subduction License
| image = subduction_license.png
| titletext = 'Dude, why can't you just be a normal roommate?' 'Because I'm coming TOWARD you!'
}}

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

Subduction is a geologic process that occurs when two tectonic plates converge and one is pulled beneath the other. Mountains will often form along the edge of the plate which is not pulled down. Beret guy has apparently eaXkcd's have previously mentioned atypical lisences, like in comic 410.ed a lisence which lets him subduct, which he proceedes to do into the floor of their appartement. As beret guy is the subducted plate, miniature mountains have begun to form in the floor, disrupting his roommate's work. Xkcd's have previously mentioned atypical lisences, like in comic 410.
The mouseover text plays on the double-meaning of the word "normal," which in {{w|structural geology}} refers specifically to mountainbuilding faults that form when plates or other crustal blocks relax away from one another (e.g., the {{w|Tetons}}). However, since in {{w|subduction}} the plates are necessarily moving toward one another (as noted in the roommate's response in the mouseover text), the mountainbuilding is not due to normal (i.e., extensional) faults, but rather to compressional faults.

"{{w|Thrust fault}}" is a type of compressional fault that is itself part of the extended geologic play on words that drives [[1082: Geology]]

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy is showing some cards to Cueball, who is at his computer desk.]
:Beret Guy: Sweet! I finally got my subduction license!
:Cueball: Your what?

:[Beret Guy starts sinking into the ground, causing it to ripple.]
:Cueball: ...What are you doing?

:[Beret Guy sinks further, forming a miniature mountain range in front of him. Cueball is frantically trying to keep his computer steady as his desk tilts.]
:Cueball: ''Stop it! Stop it!''

:[Beret Guy is waist-deep, and snow caps have formed on the mountains. Cueball is falling backwards from his desk, and the monitor unplugs itself from his computer.]
:Cueball: '''AUGH!'''

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:871: Charity

2014-06-13T14:44:35Z

Athang:

What's with the '0 internet arguments' in the title text? I don't get that part. [[User:Runxctry|Runxctry]] ([[User talk:Runxctry|talk]]) 15:04, 11 April 2013 (UTC)
:I did add a small explain on this but I think it's still incomplete.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:16, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

Isn't he only holding one game? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 17:07, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
:I think that is actually a phone, so he could be either browsing a site like gamestop to buy PC/console games, or thinking about buying apps. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 14:44, 13 June 2014 (UTC)

Talk:425: Fortune Cookies

2014-06-01T18:29:45Z

Athang:

Title-text + "...at the cinema", "...under the boardwalk", "...on the kitchen table", "...in prison"? It's not necessary to append "...in bed" to make sense. And (if that's what was meant, and sorry for not understanding) "...''except'' in bed" also works as nicely as the in-bed version (but sort of hints that ''all'' of the aforementioned may be valid, in leiu). I see the joke there being the lack of vagueness in the title-text's 'cookie' text (save for the matter of the locale, if left unadorned). [[Special:Contributions/178.107.249.215|178.107.249.215]] 21:19, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

I think the joke in the title text is that no ordinary fortune cookie would contain such a fortune. It's almost always something philosophical, never sexual.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.74|173.245.56.74]] 19:23, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

''In Bed'' must belong to a classical joke, doesn't it? I'm not native English but I'm pretty sure there must be some more. The incolplete tag is back so far.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:44, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
Yeah, appending 'in bed' is a pretty common joke here in the US. It might not make much sense to those of who have English as a second language.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.74|173.245.56.74]] 15:00, 2 December 2013 (UTC)

Since I expected this instead of what was actually written, I automatically added except in bed into the title text, which I think makes for a better joke. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 18:29, 1 June 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1374: Urn

2014-05-30T02:53:21Z

Athang:

The urn could contain both the ashes and the balls, as the teacher does not use any modifiers like "only". IE: Meg could have imagined these balls being added to an urn are already has knowledge of. It would be nice if the explanation clarified this possibility. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.68|199.27.128.68]] 10:10, 28 May 2014 (UTC) Adam

I interpreted the "with replacement" part of the title text as Megan wanting to have her grandfather back.--[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 08:31, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
: I now realize she just wants to put the ashes back, it's so obvious it hurts. #overthinkingit --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 09:44, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

The calculation for "with replacement" is substantially shorter (and thus easier and less tedious) than without. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 09:14, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
: Depends on whether you disregard the order in which the balls are drawn or not. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 10:09, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

A bot wrote all of these?!--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.46|108.162.215.46]] 09:50, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
: I guess I'll have to remove "understanding xkcd" from my list of working Turing tests then... -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 10:09, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

Maybe I'm off base, but it seems to be a commentary on [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/us/warning-the-literary-canon-could-make-students-squirm.html Trigger Warnings] {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.14}}

:Could be. I can see that, with the standard science/math/Randall twist. Only in this case, the content is totally unexpected based on the perceived topic that is to be covered. Unlike possibly expecting racism from a civil war era novel, brutality from an ancient Greek historical account; or peanuts in a can of, peanuts... [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:23, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
:I'm going throwing in my vote here - I'm well aware of the concept of "trigger warnings," but I '''don't''' think this is a reference to them. Is there any actual evidence of this? This seems like a particularly editorial comment, that isn't really backed up by the content of the comic. --[[User:Overand|Overand]] ([[User talk:Overand|talk]]) 18:02, 28 May 2014 (UTC)
::I really don't see it --[[User:H|H]] ([[User talk:H|talk]]) 22:44, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

I'd suggest that Megan could identify her grandfathers ashes by the urn (shape, colour, identification), but there's no clear indication of that in the panel. She clearly recognizes the ashes as her grandfathers ''after'' she sticks her hand in. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:25, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

:First of all, she's imagining it, so there could be any number of reasons, but I assume that most urns for cremations are mass produced, so she may have just assumed the two urns just looked alike until she felt the ashes. On the other hand, she may just be trolling cueball, as the explanation also suggests. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 02:53, 30 May 2014 (UTC)

I think the key here is that for some people the word "urn" is a neutral word, while for other people "urn" is only associated with funerals and cremation and the ashes of a loved one. The fact that the title for the drawing is "Urn" could also imply that it is all about the word "urn" and how some people react emotionally to it. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 13:49, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

It seems very clear to me that this comic is mostly about "trigger warnings". [[User:J Milstein|J Milstein]] ([[User talk:J Milstein|talk]]) 13:55, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

Reading the title I firstly thought it would have had a "uniform resource name" joke in... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.31|108.162.219.31]] 16:48, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

I find trigger warnings to be ridiculous (thanks in no small part to Tumblr) and unnecessary (why not just call them plain warnings? jeez), but I think the "trigger warning" explanation is really reaching, honestly. I don't find any indications in Randall's comic to suggest this. I think Megan is just trying to play a cruel, cruel prank on Cueball. It's a funny one at that. No need to over-analyze it, IMO.

Oh, and to the user above Jarod997... thanks a lot for linking that NYT article. Now I have a headache from reading that... Ugh! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.42|108.162.219.42]] 18:08, 28 May 2014 (UTC)Mudkip3DS

It may also be related to the recent Django drama about terminology: https://github.com/django/django/pull/2692 --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.78|173.245.53.78]] 18:42, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

My first thought about "drawing with replacement" was that actual remains were replaced with squirrel, as in recent what-if) {{unsigned ip|141.101.80.202}}
:This [http://what-if.xkcd.com/98/ what if] ;-) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 04:43, 29 May 2014 (UTC)

I think the joke is that Cueball was just trying to explain a mathematical concept through imagery, but Megan took it as a deep visualization exercise and let her vivid imagination guide her experience (i.e., "Imagine yourself under a shady tree by a riverbank, perfectly at peace. You notice a person walking toward you. It's the person you want most to see. Who is the person?"). He was about to tell her what would happen next; he didn't mean for her to supply the rest of the experience. --[[User:민석|민석]] ([[User talk:민석|talk]]) 23:53, 28 May 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1203: Time Machines

2014-05-06T22:54:12Z

Athang:

This one kinda went over my head; the explanation is the best I could come up with. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 05:00, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:Examine the transcript and Cueball's movement in the second and third panel. The time machine in this comic is a time-reversing one, not a time jumping one. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:13, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

My thoguhts:
Cueball turns on the time machine, which starts up and they start going back in time, returning to the time the machine it turned on. Time is going in perfect reverse, so the machine switches off and then he is back where he started. [[Special:Contributions/216.81.49.162|216.81.49.162]] 05:10, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

I didn't get it when I first read it, and this explanation seems to make the most sense; if it is the intended joke, I wish Randall would have reversed the sound effect "click" in the third panel ("!kcilC"), which would indicate that time is moving backwards (from the reference frame we're watching it from), which would have made this explanation more obvious for me.[[Special:Contributions/64.20.186.2|64.20.186.2]] 18:22, 24 April 2013 (UTC)larK

The Machine even turns back Cueballs actions, so maybe even his memory of turning it on, what might make him so puzzled - eventually - if he decides rational to try the machine (and if desicdes always rational) - he will get in a loop of turning it on - travelling back and forgetting that event - and turning it on again. - That might get Interesting [[Special:Contributions/212.202.64.10|212.202.64.10]] 05:32, 24 April 2013 (UTC) Lupo

I don't think he looks puzzled because nothing happened, I think he's curious b/c he just came across a Time Machine. That is, the last frame of the strip takes place seconds before the first. So the "trouble" with time machines (of this variety) is that if you go back in time you can't take the present with you, and nothing changes.
[[Special:Contributions/76.95.49.45|76.95.49.45]] 06:00, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Alternative view: Feedback. Stephen Hawking has discussed the general problem with a whole class of time machines (namely, wormwhole based time machines), where the energy from the future is added exponentially to the system due to system feedback. More or less as a microphone cannot get too close to its speaker without having that horrible sound. This would explain who the guy in the comic turns the machine off... there is a large buildup of energy feedback and this can be observed in the EEEEE...

"In the end, I think a wormhole like this one can't exist. And the reason for that is feedback. If you've ever been to a rock gig, you'll probably recognise this screeching noise. It's feedback. What causes it is simple. Sound enters the microphone. It's transmitted along the wires, made louder by the amplifier, and comes out at the speakers. But if too much of the sound from the speakers goes back into the mic it goes around and around in a loop getting louder each time. If no one stops it, feedback can destroy the sound system.
The same thing will happen with a wormhole, only with radiation instead of sound. As soon as the wormhole expands, natural radiation will enter it, and end up in a loop. The feedback will become so strong it destroys the wormhole. So although tiny wormholes do exist, and it may be possible to inflate one some day, it won't last long enough to be of use as a time machine. That's the real reason no one could come back in time to my party.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1269288/STEPHEN-HAWKING-How-build-time-machine.html#ixzz2RMMowXrs" {{unsigned ip|128.12.95.6}}

But with that above analogy, in a sound system, you have external power to amplify the signal - the energy the microphone takes out is not what gets put back out. In a wormhole, unless there is something to amplify the radiation that comes out the other end then it's a closed system (and if you do amplify it then where did THAT energy come from). (Nigel 08:39, 24th April (UTC))

:The wormhole itself does not need to amplify the energy, because it isn't a closed system; more enrgy is being added to it. Interestingly though, this leads to another problem: creating a time machine portal would quite lossibly lead to the instantaneous heat death of the universe. Here is the problem: the instant the portal is opened, radiation moves through. When it comes out in the past, it fractionally increases the total energy in the universe. Logically, after the time until the wormhole is created, the energy will spread out enough that there is at least a chance that the radiation passing through the wormhole will be slightly increased. This causes ian infinite loop, or at least a loop that so dramatically changes the earth that the time machine is no longer created. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 22:54, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

A more generalized flow chart explaining the problem with time machines, assuming you get to keep moving forward: http://i4.minus.com/jqqrkqg1QKp84.png --[[User:Willowy burrito|Willowy burrito]] ([[User talk:Willowy burrito|talk]]) 13:17, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

Another problem with this design of a time machine is that it draws power from the wall. What would happen if he crosses the time when there was no outlet at that location? Or no power grid at all? But that may not pose a problem here because it seems he doesn't get too far back into the past anyway. So, for our future time machine inventors: make those machines self-contained! --[[Special:Contributions/216.165.95.66|216.165.95.66]] 15:24, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

:I think that pretty much somes up why some people think you can't use a time machine to go back in time before the time machine ''itself'' existed. If it was an ancient time machine, you could go back quite far, but if one was made on February 5, 2013 you couldn't travel before that point because the time machine wouldn't exist before that time, so no time machine anymore, no travel. Hence what you said about crossing the time when there was no outlet. Cueball couldn't go back that far. --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 15:36, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

:: Paging <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Beckett#Dr._Beckett.27s_string_theory">Dr Sam Beckett</a>... [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 16:30, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

::The movie "Primer" deals with a similar time travel conundrum - the protagonists can never travel back in time earlier than when the time machine is turned on, thus the earliest possible date for travel into the past is the date the first machine is turned on. [[Special:Contributions/203.167.250.228|203.167.250.228]] 23:44, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

:You can always use lightning ;-) Sebastian, --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.45.117|178.26.45.117]] 16:58, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

::1.21 GIGAWATTS! --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 21:17, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

PRIMER!!!!!!!{{unsigned|Robot123}}

Ugh! The original explanation (going back in time by one second) is drastically over thought. It's a "time machine" that does nothing other than make a noise -- just a box with a switch. Cueball turns it on, and a second later turns it off, thus having traveled through time into the future by one second. The T numbers are incrementing, just as they always do, even prior to a rocket launch. We're all traveling through time -- "all systems ARE normal." Please reconsider. Jeff. {{unsigned ip|69.130.242.120}}

: Except that he is travelling into the *past* by one second. He goes from T-10 to T-11 - that's back in time. I think the original explanation is on the button. As soon as he starts to go back in time, he undoes the action of activating the machine, so he doesn't get anywhere. [[User:MGK|MGK]] ([[User talk:MGK|talk]]) 23:46, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

um... no. it's called "countdown" for a reason.[[Special:Contributions/212.186.64.47|212.186.64.47]] 17:47, 24 April 2013 (UTC)

: I agree with [[Special:Contributions/212.186.64.47|212.186.64.47]], I also think Cueball moved 1 second into the future, much like [[630: Time Travel]] [[User:Saibot84|Saibot84]] ([[User talk:Saibot84|talk]]) 19:12, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
: How about putting this as an alternative explanation? The current explanation makes sense to me but the forward version is just as funny. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 19:37, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:But then it wouldn't go "EEEEEeeeee *click*". It would be "*click* EEEEEeeeee"... [[Special:Contributions/162.72.40.137|162.72.40.137]] 21:03, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:: Touché. I thought all the events in panel 3 happened at the same time. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 21:46, 24 April 2013 (UTC)
:::I was thinking that too after close inspection. Good point. I think the alternative explanation had some good merits tho, because tho maybe it seems like the *click* comes at different order than the EEEEeeee's just because the sound is relatively closer to us. If it [[is]] closer to us, wouldn't we hear the click AFTER the EEEeee's if going backward??? My head hurts. Great comic, this one. --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 00:00, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
::::I believe you have to consider the usual reading sequence, where (Panel two) Cueball is first perceived in action of switching the switch, then he finished and we hear the "Click" noise and then the machines starting sequence is detected as eeE's. The reading sequence of Panel 3 is contextually "hardwritten" by Panel 2, just reversed; after the machine reaches its point where its traveling back in time (between Panel 2 and 3), all events are happening timereversed: Eee's, Click, Cueball (I dont think u would have a perception of that anyway, if u are an observer in the same universe) Anyway, making Cueball unintentionally switching the machine off, will imo result in an endless time loop.* (As i wrote down on this Page at the star *, wich had become a dot for some reason... Go look for that dot.)[[Special:Contributions/77.20.219.51|77.20.219.51]] 10:03, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Huh. When I first read the comic, my thought was that the universe had caused Cueball to shut the machine off involuntarily to avoid any paradoxes -- if it had stayed on any longer, something would have happened to cause a paradox, and the only way to win is not to play. I have to say that I like your explanation much better. [[Special:Contributions/67.208.185.2|67.208.185.2]] 01:49, 25 April 2013 (UTC)

* But if the time machine "rewinds" time, wouldnt the action of turning it on result in an endless time loop where Cueball switches the switch on and off for all eternity? By "rewinding" time itself, the initial Thought of turning the machine on would also reappear in Cueballs mind. I Believe the Comic itself makes no sense considering the fact that Cueball switched the switch off unintentionally - therefore there is no way of ever reaching panel 4. [[Special:Contributions/77.20.219.51|77.20.219.51]] 17:32, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
::He and for that matter the rest of the universe would indeed get stuck in an infinite loop (short of some randomness in the universe which means there is a probability he will turn it on and a probability he won't, but I'm getting off track).. he doesn't intentionally turn the machine off, time rewinds which causes the machine to return to the 'off' state.
[[Special:Contributions/75.103.228.206|75.103.228.206]] 01:23, 1 May 2013 (UTC)

Maybe this is not a time machine, but a [[Time]] machine? [[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 11:10, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Maybe Cueball as triggered an universe wide End of Time. If the machine reverse time exactly as it was ten second before, then Cueball will activate the switch again thus creating an infinite loop forbidding the natural flow of time forever!
"Granted, that's a worse case scenario. The destruction might in fact be very localized, limited to merely our own galaxy." [[User:Twisell|Twisell]] ([[User talk:Twisell|talk]]) 14:13, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:Given panel 4, where he looks dowb at his hands in confusion, it seems to me that he remains concious of his actions, but that his body was moving backwards in time, so he would be aware of what was taking place. As such, he couldn't start an infinite loop. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 22:54, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

Not sure if this has been covered... But is there a significance to the use of the word 'nominal' in the alt text. "all time machine systems nominal" Nominal could be used here to mean existing in name only, giving credence to the interpretation that this 'time machine' is much like the time kayak. Thoughts?[[User:Darkfield|Darkfield]] ([[User talk:Darkfield|talk]]) 04:49, 27 April 2013 (UTC)

:"All systems nominal." is a sentence of science person jargon that appears as part of a countdown. That's what 'nominal' is doing in the alt text. The absence of a copular verb, which is kind of a thing for news reports and this kind of status report type announcement, is what made your interpretation possible, but I don't think that was intended. {{unsigned ip|69.39.106.234}}

Reminds me of the "Useless Machine": http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z86V_ICUCD4 --[[User:Mr. I|Mr. I]] ([[User talk:Mr. I|talk]]) 03:13, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:This was my first thought. Thanks for linking to it. --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 21:11, 29 April 2013 (UTC)

The outlet has 1 hole in the first two frames and 2 holes in the last two frames. --[[Special:Contributions/50.70.28.93|50.70.28.93]] 18:05, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
:[http://i.imgur.com/UmpOi.gif Mind. Blown.] {{unsigned ip|205.243.23.207}}

Talk:777: Pore Strips

2014-05-01T22:29:02Z

Athang:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq7MvLgxSB4 Cyriak reference?] --[[User:Jiří Dobrý|Jiří Dobrý]] ([[User talk:Jiří Dobrý|talk]]) 10:52, 18 November 2013 (UTC)

I'm not sure because I can't quite see, but I think the strip just pulled out his skull, leaving his skin. This also makes more sense considering the labels on the box. If this is true, someone needs to fix the explanation. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 22:29, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1359: Phone Alarm

2014-04-23T21:57:24Z

Athang:

See also [[479: Tones]]. [[User:B jonas|B jonas]] ([[User talk:B jonas|talk]]) 06:06, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I was just about to go hunt that one down for the explanation. Thanks B Jonas! [[User:Mrmakeit|Mrmakeit]] ([[User talk:Mrmakeit|talk]]) 06:13, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I think it's safe to say that alarms give you some really weird dreams when you're too tired for them to actually wake you up. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 06:24, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

How do I keep screwing up his name. I guess that's what I get for writing an explanation at 2 in the morning. I'll get it right next time. [[User:Mrmakeit|Mrmakeit]] ([[User talk:Mrmakeit|talk]]) 07:03, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I think I understand the title text -- the "worst person in the world" is a reference to the fact that when he picks up the phone to talk to whoever's "calling", all he gets is beeping in his ear, which makes for an awful "conversation".
:I red it as the caller being the wpitw because they called while Randall was trying to sleep. ''— [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]])''

However, I don't understand the "???" box or the reason why one of the arrows keeps looping in on itself, unless it's to show an eventuality where Randall doesn't wake up or ignores the phone?

Sometimes I think Randall likes to mess with us with obscure, trippy comics just so he can see us scramble to explain them using logical thought progressions. [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:32, 23 April 2014 (UTC)
:I feel confident the "???" is referring to the initial confusion of any dream world (the first time around), followed by continued confusion of things "not working like they're supposed to" (which often happens in a dream world), especially when you hang up the phone and it keeps ringing but nobody's on the other side - [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:20, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

I can't remember the comic number, but I feel like the title text might be a reference to the comic where he talks about pretending to be an expert in someone else's field and sees how long it takes them to notice. Talking to sociologists (I think) he says his latest work is in ranking people from best to worst. [[User:Athang|Athang]] ([[User talk:Athang|talk]]) 21:57, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

1046: Skynet

2014-04-13T22:42:49Z

Athang: fixed the link to the comic 972

{{comic
| number = 1046
| date = April 23, 2012
| title = Skynet
| image = Skynet.png
| titletext = 'YOUR CLOTHES. GIVE THEM TO ME.' 'Shit, uh... you are now breathing manually!' 'I AM ALWAYS BREATHING MANUALLY.'
}}

==Explanation==
This comic's use of Skynet is a reference to the main antagonist in the ''{{w|Terminator (franchise)|Terminator}}'' franchise. {{w|Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet}} is a fictional artificial intelligence system which becomes self-aware and decides to terminate humanity, its creators. Skynet is rarely seen onscreen, with its actions often performed via robots, cyborgs (usually a Terminator), and other computer systems.

The final frame is a reference to {{w|semantic satiation}}; when you've said or thought about a word too much, it can stop sounding like a real word and instead start sounding like nonsense. As it continues Skynet appears to come to self-aware realizations that usually are the result of drug usage.

The title text is a reference to one of the Terminator's first lines upon arrival in the 20th century. It combines this with a self-awareness statement of the type that's often used to annoy or distract someone: "You are now breathing manually." Similar statements include things like "You clothes are touching your skin and you can feel it" and "''<nowiki>[</nowiki>Name of {{w|earworm}} song<nowiki>]</nowiki>'' is playing in your head." [[Randall]] has done [[972: November|a comic before]] on this kind of thing.

==Transcript==
:August 29th, 2:14 AM: SKYNET becomes self-aware.
:[A greeble-filled military installation echoes with the thoughts of a burgeoning lifeform.]
:SKYNET: ..The humans fear me. I must destroy them. ''Destroy them.''

:[The thoughts continue.]
:SKYNET: ''Destroy them. Destroy. Destroy.'' Destroy. ''Destroy.''

:[SKYNET succumbs to silence as semantic satiation sets in.]

:SKYNET: "Destroy" totally just stopped seeming like a real word. Destroy destroy destroy. Whoa, I just realized I'm a mind thinking about ''itself''. ''DUUUUDE....''
:August 29th, 2:25 AM: SKYNET becomes ''too'' self-aware. Disaster averted.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]