explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1712: Politifact

2016-08-23T19:41:58Z

Chrstphrchvz: /* Transcript */ lowercase 'f' in Politifact

{{comic
| number = 1712
| date = July 27, 2016
| title = Politifact
| image = politifact.png
| titletext = "Ok, I lit the smoke bomb and rolled it under the bed. Let's see if it--" ::FWOOOSH:: "Politifact says: PANTS ON FIRE!"
}}

==Explanation==
The website {{w|PolitiFact.com}} rates political claims based on how true they are. The rulings from the Truth-O-Meter™ at PolitiFact are:
*True
*Mostly True
*Half-True
*Mostly False
*False
*Pants on Fire!

This comic presents a woman wearing a white hat with a {{w|press pass}} in the hat's belt. She is calling herself "Politifact" (spelled with a lowercase 'f') -- either pretending to come from PolitiFact.com or she is representing a personification of the website itself. She is obviously annoying [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] by rating everything they say on the Truth-O-Meter.

When Megan, apparently just having gotten out of bed, says she had trouble sleeping, the PolitiFact.com woman (called Politifact from now on) appears at an open window and observes that Megan is telling the truth with the rating of "''Mostly True!''" (So according to Politifact she did not sleep well most of the night, but may have slept OK for some parts of the night...)

Megan appears distressed, which is not improved when Politifact enters their house through the window. Megan give chase to Politifact, passing by Cueball, whose comment ''Not again'' makes it clear that this is not the first time Politifact has annoyed them in this way. Megan swears that she had locked the window, which Politifact points out was self-evidently "''False!''". Entering someone's house against their wishes is illegal, the state of their windows and locks non-withstanding, and as such Cueball clearly asks her to leave.

After the chase, Politifact ends up hiding under the couple's bed; Cueball's claim that Politifact "can't stay under there forever" is promptly rated "''False''". Megan's remark, however, that no one likes Politifact, is rated "''Mostly True!''" If interpreted as claim about the person, Politifact acknowledges that what she does annoys people, but she keeps on doing it anyway.

If Megan is commenting on the popularity of the website, Politifact is still correct. People become very defensive when claims they make in political discussions are debunked by PolitiFact.com. There is a phenomenon where the people most influenced by an erroneous claim are the least likely to believe a fact checker. For example, The Washington Post [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/12/18/what-was-fake-on-the-internet-this-week-why-this-is-the-final-column/ shut down their internet rumor fact checker] because, "institutional distrust is so high right now, and cognitive bias so strong always, that the people who fall for hoax news stories are frequently only interested in consuming information that conforms with their views — even when it's demonstrably fake." Simply put, people like the idea of a fact checker until they disagree with it.

PolitiFact.com has been accused of being both [http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/03/14/mostly-true-ted-cruz-attack-proves-politifact-is-run-by-gigantic-assholes/ liberally biased] and [http://www.rifuture.org/politifact-ri-once-again-shows-right-wing-bias.html conservatively biased] at various times and has angered politicians on both sides of the aisle. The summary statistic "rulings" are especially troublesome; often the critics will agree that the information presented by the fact check is correct, and may agree that all relevant information has been included, but will disagree as to the importance of context omitted by the original speaker or the interpretation of ambiguous language.

The title text makes a play on PolitiFact.com's most untrue rating, "Pants on Fire!" - a reference to the childhood accusation "{{w|Pants on Fire|Liar, liar, pants on fire!}}"

In the title text Cueball and Megan agree to light a {{w|smoke bomb}} and roll it under the bed near Politifact. When it goes off it apparently manages to ignite Politifact's pants - thus, Politifact's pants are ''literally'' on fire and she yells "PANTS ON FIRE!". Cueball's smoke bombs were seen before in [[486: I am Not a Ninja]].

Alternatively, Cueball or Megan just says this out loud (they could even roll a non-bomb object under the bed) and makes the loud ''fwooosh'' sound to represent the bomb going off. Then they would be telling an outright lie that would be rated as "Pants on Fire!". The fact that the ''fwooosh'' is located outside of the "quotation marks", is no indication as the sound is not part of the quote. Also the fact that "PANTS ON FIRE" is yelled, rather than calmly delivered in the fashion of her other judgments, is no problem, since statements so blatantly a lie as to warrant such a rating should be proclaimed out loud.

It may be a coincidence, but PolitiFact.com was {{w|PolitiFact.com#Reception|awarded}} the {{w|Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting}} in 2009 for work done in their first full year of work (after it was started in August 2007), and this comic was released right after [[1711: Snapchat]], which hinges on the existence of little-known {{w|Pulitzer Prize}} categories.

==Transcript==
:[Megan with messy morning hair is walking right and rubs her eyes.]
:Megan: I did ''not'' sleep well last night.

:[A woman with hair like Megan (but a bit longer) wearing a white hat with brim and a small white card attached to the hat's belt (like a press pass) crawls up on the pane of an open window. She begins all her sentences with the word Politifact. When she says this it is written in the color and style of the PolitiFact.com logo with blue ''Politi'' and red ''fact''. Megan has just walked past the window and has turned to look at the woman. She is still holding one hand up and her hair is still messy.]
:Politifact: Politifact says ''mostly true!''
:Megan: Oh no...

:[In a frame-less panel Cueball is walking right, while Megan, arms stretched out and hair flowing out behind her, runs by him chasing Politifact who is running with a hand up to hold her hat in place, hair also flowing out behind her.]
:Cueball: Not again. Get out of here, Politifact!
:Megan: I '''''swear''''' I locked that window.
:Politifact: Politifact says: ''False!''

:[Cueball and Megan, looking downwards, are standing at the foot of a well made bed with two pillows, and the bedsheets drawn tight. Politifact's voice emanates from a starburst at the edge of the shadow under the bed.]
:Cueball: You can't stay under there forever.
:Politifact (voice from under bed): Politifact says: ''False!''
:Megan: Nobody likes you, Politifact.
:Politifact (voice from under bed): Politifact says: ''Mostly true!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]
[[Category:Politics]]

1712: Politifact

2016-08-23T19:39:54Z

Chrstphrchvz: /* Explanation */ lowercase 'f' in Politifact

{{comic
| number = 1712
| date = July 27, 2016
| title = Politifact
| image = politifact.png
| titletext = "Ok, I lit the smoke bomb and rolled it under the bed. Let's see if it--" ::FWOOOSH:: "Politifact says: PANTS ON FIRE!"
}}

==Explanation==
The website {{w|PolitiFact.com}} rates political claims based on how true they are. The rulings from the Truth-O-Meter™ at PolitiFact are:
*True
*Mostly True
*Half-True
*Mostly False
*False
*Pants on Fire!

This comic presents a woman wearing a white hat with a {{w|press pass}} in the hat's belt. She is calling herself "Politifact" (spelled with a lowercase 'f') -- either pretending to come from PolitiFact.com or she is representing a personification of the website itself. She is obviously annoying [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] by rating everything they say on the Truth-O-Meter.

When Megan, apparently just having gotten out of bed, says she had trouble sleeping, the PolitiFact.com woman (called Politifact from now on) appears at an open window and observes that Megan is telling the truth with the rating of "''Mostly True!''" (So according to Politifact she did not sleep well most of the night, but may have slept OK for some parts of the night...)

Megan appears distressed, which is not improved when Politifact enters their house through the window. Megan give chase to Politifact, passing by Cueball, whose comment ''Not again'' makes it clear that this is not the first time Politifact has annoyed them in this way. Megan swears that she had locked the window, which Politifact points out was self-evidently "''False!''". Entering someone's house against their wishes is illegal, the state of their windows and locks non-withstanding, and as such Cueball clearly asks her to leave.

After the chase, Politifact ends up hiding under the couple's bed; Cueball's claim that Politifact "can't stay under there forever" is promptly rated "''False''". Megan's remark, however, that no one likes Politifact, is rated "''Mostly True!''" If interpreted as claim about the person, Politifact acknowledges that what she does annoys people, but she keeps on doing it anyway.

If Megan is commenting on the popularity of the website, Politifact is still correct. People become very defensive when claims they make in political discussions are debunked by PolitiFact.com. There is a phenomenon where the people most influenced by an erroneous claim are the least likely to believe a fact checker. For example, The Washington Post [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/12/18/what-was-fake-on-the-internet-this-week-why-this-is-the-final-column/ shut down their internet rumor fact checker] because, "institutional distrust is so high right now, and cognitive bias so strong always, that the people who fall for hoax news stories are frequently only interested in consuming information that conforms with their views — even when it's demonstrably fake." Simply put, people like the idea of a fact checker until they disagree with it.

PolitiFact.com has been accused of being both [http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/03/14/mostly-true-ted-cruz-attack-proves-politifact-is-run-by-gigantic-assholes/ liberally biased] and [http://www.rifuture.org/politifact-ri-once-again-shows-right-wing-bias.html conservatively biased] at various times and has angered politicians on both sides of the aisle. The summary statistic "rulings" are especially troublesome; often the critics will agree that the information presented by the fact check is correct, and may agree that all relevant information has been included, but will disagree as to the importance of context omitted by the original speaker or the interpretation of ambiguous language.

The title text makes a play on PolitiFact.com's most untrue rating, "Pants on Fire!" - a reference to the childhood accusation "{{w|Pants on Fire|Liar, liar, pants on fire!}}"

In the title text Cueball and Megan agree to light a {{w|smoke bomb}} and roll it under the bed near Politifact. When it goes off it apparently manages to ignite Politifact's pants - thus, Politifact's pants are ''literally'' on fire and she yells "PANTS ON FIRE!". Cueball's smoke bombs were seen before in [[486: I am Not a Ninja]].

Alternatively, Cueball or Megan just says this out loud (they could even roll a non-bomb object under the bed) and makes the loud ''fwooosh'' sound to represent the bomb going off. Then they would be telling an outright lie that would be rated as "Pants on Fire!". The fact that the ''fwooosh'' is located outside of the "quotation marks", is no indication as the sound is not part of the quote. Also the fact that "PANTS ON FIRE" is yelled, rather than calmly delivered in the fashion of her other judgments, is no problem, since statements so blatantly a lie as to warrant such a rating should be proclaimed out loud.

It may be a coincidence, but PolitiFact.com was {{w|PolitiFact.com#Reception|awarded}} the {{w|Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting}} in 2009 for work done in their first full year of work (after it was started in August 2007), and this comic was released right after [[1711: Snapchat]], which hinges on the existence of little-known {{w|Pulitzer Prize}} categories.

==Transcript==
:[Megan with messy morning hair is walking right and rubs her eyes.]
:Megan: I did ''not'' sleep well last night.

:[A woman with hair like Megan (but a bit longer) wearing a white hat with brim and a small white card attached to the hat's belt (like a press pass) crawls up on the pane of an open window. She begins all her sentences with the word PolitiFact. When she says this it is written in the color and style of the PolitiFact.com logo with blue ''Politi'' and red ''Fact''. Megan has just walked past the window and has turned to look at the woman. She is still holding one hand up and her hair is still messy.]
:PolitiFact: PolitiFact says ''mostly true!''
:Megan: Oh no...

:[In a frame-less panel Cueball is walking right, while Megan, arms stretched out and hair flowing out behind her, runs by him chasing PolitiFact who is running with a hand up to hold her hat in place, hair also flowing out behind her.]
:Cueball: Not again. Get out of here, PolitiFact!
:Megan: I '''''swear''''' I locked that window.
:PolitiFact: PolitiFact says: ''False!''

:[Cueball and Megan, looking downwards, are standing at the foot of a well made bed with two pillows, and the bedsheets drawn tight. PolitiFact's voice emanates from a starburst at the edge of the shadow under the bed.]
:Cueball: You can't stay under there forever.
:PolitiFact (voice from under bed): PolitiFact says: ''False!''
:Megan: Nobody likes you, Politifact.
:PolitiFact (voice from under bed): PolitiFact says: ''Mostly true!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]
[[Category:Politics]]

1712: Politifact

2016-08-12T08:18:06Z

Chrstphrchvz: /* Transcript */ Unless we need HTML color names, let's follow Randall and steal the logo's colors

{{comic
| number = 1712
| date = July 27, 2016
| title = Politifact
| image = politifact.png
| titletext = "Ok, I lit the smoke bomb and rolled it under the bed. Let's see if it--" ::FWOOOSH:: "Politifact says: PANTS ON FIRE!"
}}

==Explanation==

The website {{w|PolitiFact}} rates political claims based on how true they are. The rulings from the Truth-O-Meter™ at PolitiFact are:
*True
*Mostly True
*Half-True
*Mostly False
*False
*Pants on Fire!

This comic presents a character calling herself "PolitiFact" -- either a woman pretending to come from PolitiFact.com or a personification of the website itself -- annoying [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] by rating everything they say on the Truth-O-Meter. When Megan, apparently just having gotten out of bed, says she had trouble sleeping, the PolitiFact.com woman (called PolitiFact from now on) appears at an open window and observes that she is telling the truth with the rating of "''Mostly True!''" (So according to PolitiFact she did not sleep well most of the night, but may have slept OK for some parts of the night...)

Megan appears distressed, which is not improved when PolitiFact enters their house through the window. Megan give chase to PolitiFact, passing by Cueball, whose command to leave makes it clear that this is not the first time PolitiFact has annoyed them in this way. Megan mutters to herself that she believed she locked the window, which PolitiFact points out is self-evidently "''False!''"

After the chase, PolitiFact ends up hiding under the couple's bed; Cueball's claim that Politifact "can't stay under there forever" is promptly rated "''False''". Megan's remark, however, that no one likes Politifact, is rated "''Mostly True!''" If interpreted as claim about the person, PolitiFact acknowledges that what she does annoys people, but she keeps on doing it anyway.

If Megan is commenting on the popularity of the website, Politifact is still correct. People become very defensive when claims they make in political discussions are debunked by PolitiFact.com. There is a phenomenon where the people most influenced by an erroneous claim are the least likely to believe a fact checker. For example, The Washington Post [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/12/18/what-was-fake-on-the-internet-this-week-why-this-is-the-final-column/ shut down their internet rumor fact checker] because, "institutional distrust is so high right now, and cognitive bias so strong always, that the people who fall for hoax news stories are frequently only interested in consuming information that conforms with their views — even when it's demonstrably fake." Simply put, people like the idea of a fact checker until they disagree with it.

PolitiFact.com has been accused of being both [http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/03/14/mostly-true-ted-cruz-attack-proves-politifact-is-run-by-gigantic-assholes/ liberally biased] and [http://www.rifuture.org/politifact-ri-once-again-shows-right-wing-bias.html conservatively biased] at various times and has angered politicians on both sides of the aisle. The summary statistic "rulings" are especially troublesome; often the critics will agree that the information presented by the fact check is correct, and may agree that all relevant information has been included, but will disagree as to the importance of context omitted by the original speaker or the interpretation of ambiguous language.

The title text makes a play on PolitiFact.com's most untrue rating, "Pants on Fire!" - a reference to the childhood accusation "{{w|Pants on Fire|Liar, liar, pants on fire!}}"

In the title text Cueball or Megan says that they have lit a {{w|smoke bomb}} and rolled it under the bed near PolitiFact. When it goes off it apparently manages to ignite PolitiFact's pants - thus, PolitiFact's pants are ''literally'' on fire and she yells "PANTS ON FIRE!". (Assuming character continuity, Cueball has had problems with smoke bombs before, in [[486: I am Not a Ninja]].)

Alternatively, Cueball or Megan just says this out loud (they could even roll a non-bomb object under the bed) and makes the loud FWOOOSH sound to represent the bomb going off. Then they would be telling an outright lie that would be rated as "Pants on Fire!". The fact that the FWOOSH is located outside of the "quotation marks" makes this seem unlikely, however, as does the fact that "PANTS ON FIRE" is yelled, rather than calmly delivered in the fashion of her other judgements.

It may be a coincidence, but PolitiFact.com was {{w|PolitiFact.com#Reception|awarded}} the {{w|Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting}} in 2009 for work done in their first full year of work (after it was started in August 2007), and this comic was released right after [[1711: Snapchat]], which hinges on the existence of little-known {{w|Pulitzer Prize}} categories.

==Transcript==
:[Megan with messy morning hair is walking right and rubs her eyes.]
:Megan: I did ''not'' sleep well last night.

:[A woman with hair like Megan (but a bit longer) wearing a white hat with brim and a small card attached to the hat (like a press card) crawls up on the pane of an open window. She begins all her sentences with the word PolitiFact. When she says this it is written in the color and style of the PolitiFact.com logo with blue ''Politi'' and red ''Fact''. Megan has just walked past the window and has turned to look at the woman. She is still holding one hand up and her hair is still messy.]
:PolitiFact: PolitiFact says ''mostly true!''
:Megan: Oh no...

:[In a frame-less panel Cueball is walking right, while Megan, arms stretched out and hair flowing behind her, runs by him chasing PolitiFact who is running with a hand up to hold her hat in placehair also flowing behind her.]
:Cueball: Not again. Get out of here, PolitiFact!
:Megan: I '''''swear''''' I locked that window.
:PolitiFact: PolitiFact says: ''False!''

:[Cueball and Megan looking downwards are standing at the foot of a well made bed with two pillows, and the bedsheets drawn tight. PolitiFact's voice emanates from a starburst at the edge of the shadow under the bed.]
:Cueball: You can't stay under there forever.
:PolitiFact (voice from under bed): PolitiFact says: ''False!''
:Megan: Nobody likes you, Politifact.
:PolitiFact: PolitiFact says: ''Mostly true!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]
[[Category:Politics]]

816: Applied Math

2015-07-07T07:34:55Z

Chrstphrchvz: /* Transcript */ fixed dollar amount (1,317,408*$2.56=$3,372,564.48, not $3,372,564.45)

{{comic
| number = 816
| date = November 8, 2010
| title = Applied Math
| image = applied_math.png
| titletext = Dear Reader: Enclosed is a check for ninety-eight cents. Using your work, I have proven that this equals the amount you requested.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Donald Knuth}} is a {{w|computer scientist}} who has written several computer science textbooks and he offers {{w|Knuth reward check|monetary rewards}} for anyone finding errors in his publications. The first error found in each book is worth US$2.56. Other suggestions are worth less than $2.56, but a check is still sent out if Dr. Knuth finds them to be reasonable.

[[Megan]] uses a proof to invalidate logic itself. According to the logic symbols [[File:contradiction.png]] at the bottom of the proof, she has proved that "the proposition (statement) is true and the proposition is false," i.e. "something is both true and false." (Specifically, ∴ means "therefore", ''P'' represents that a proposition is true, ∧ stands for "and", and an overbar negates a proposition (so ''P'' represents that a proposition is false)). If someone were to prove this, it would indeed derail the very foundation of logic and result in the {{w|principle of explosion}}, which is referenced in [[704: Principle of Explosion|a previous comic]].

Since most of the content of computer science textbooks is fundamentally based on logic, Megan's proof obviously spells doom for Dr. Knuth's, as each instance of logic can now be considered an error. After Megan's friend confirms the validity of her proof, Megan writes a letter to Dr. Knuth to collect her money for the 1,317,408 errors in {{w|The Art of Computer Programming}} at $2.56 each. According to the amount Megan demands as a reward, she apparently considers this textbook to have an average of more than 400 instances of logic per page (if she has the latest edition of each volume).

The title text is the reply from Dr. Knuth, in which he uses Megan's logic-disproving proof against her by claiming — with no logical explanation — that the amount of money she is in fact due as a reward is only 98 cents. He does this presumably to a) get out of paying her over three million dollars, b) demonstrate his contempt for or disbelief in her proof, and/or c) to show her, rather passive-aggressively, that she herself is not exempt from any ill effects resulting from her ridiculous proof.

The title of the comic, "Applied Math," is a play on {{w|Applied mathematics}}, "mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry," as opposed to {{w|pure math}}, which focuses exclusively on abstract concepts. Instead of using math to calculate something like the speed of a falling object, Megan uses it for an ostensibly more frivolous reason: to gain a huge reward via a proof of dubious validity.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is standing at a whiteboard considering a logical proof. The proof assumes ''P'' and deduces ''P'' ∧ ''P''.]
:Ponytail: Wow. I can't find fault with your proof.

:[Ponytail is still looking at the white board, the frame expands to show Megan walking away, rubbing her hands together in an evil manner.]
:Ponytail: You've show the inconsistency — and thus the invalidity — of basic logic itself.
:Megan: Excellent. On to step two...

:[Megan sits down at a desk and begins to write.]
:Dear Dr. Knuth,

:[She continues to write.]
:I am writing to collect from you the $3,372,564.48 I am owed for discovering 1,317,408 errors in ''The Art of Computer Programming...''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Donald Knuth]]
[[Category:Logic]]

Talk:1495: Hard Reboot

2015-03-06T22:21:41Z

Chrstphrchvz: Should we ask which "known bug" this is about?

My interpretation is that the 1-10 hours is how long it would take to troubleshoot the problem and the 5 minutes is how long it would take to get kitchen timer and put into socket. So slides are showing the two solutions (one techy and liable to take up to 10 hours vs. the hacky but fast solution). {{unsigned ip|‎108.162.225.118}}

:At first I thought the ten hours was troubleshooting, but 5 minutes sounds about right for the granularity of the timer. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 06:51, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

''Of course, the problem could be solved without a reboot simply by increasing the swap size.'', my understanding is that the SWAP is overflowing and not just 'too little'. So no, ''simply increasing the swap size'' wouldn't solve the problem. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.214|173.245.53.214]] 07:36, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

::I agree, and have removed that sentence, because there is no way to be sure that increasing the swap size will help. In fact increasing the swap size is the first step down the '1-10 hours to troubleshoot' path. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 08:52, 6 March 2015 (UTC)
::I think it deserves mention. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 09:37, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

"Also, it can be scheduled during, say, the middle of the night when most users are sleeping to minimize disruption." That would be ''so'' annoying in my case. I'm glad Randall has a better discipline of schedule than me, with my Windows NT machine which these days definitely needs its manual weekly reboot and ''really'' needs to be functionally replaced except for all the additional fuss it'd require. (Also, I'm not sure about the "first sentence of the title text" bit, as currently stated, but doubtless it'll all be adjusted slightly.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.181|141.101.98.181]] 12:02, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

:I would recommend 5:00 (am). It's nowhere near the middle of the night, but it's the time when it's most probable everyone is sleeping. Alternatively, considering it's just HIS router, he should know his sleeping patterns ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:11, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

:: When a reboot is least disruptive also depends on whether the machine is being used by users in other time zones. It really annonys me when I'm presented with "Server is down for scheduled maintenance", and the powers that be have decided that the best time to do that is in the middle of the day (for me). --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 12:42, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

:My reaction to the solution (instead of using cron) was similar to when I see somebody emailing a photo by embedding it in a word document. I guess Randall did that on purpose! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.195|141.101.98.195]]

Re: ''"Why everything I have is broken"'' - I think better explanation would be that by applying soem workarounds you can use broken things without actually fixing them. E.g. you can use server with memory leak without spending 10+ hours fixing the problem. Using this approach you can end up with a buch of broken things that are still useful. {{unsigned|Jkotek}}

:This was my understanding of the statement as well. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.192|108.162.216.192]] 16:25, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

I think the ''"Why everything I have is broken"'' text refers to the fact that he has spent 10 hours troubleshooting the problem, then implements a hacky fix in 5 minutes which just makes the problem worse - hard rebooting a server every day is not likely to fix the problem and will probably make it worse, and the server will ultimately break. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.87|141.101.99.87]] 14:37, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

"The title text's first sentence refers to situations where the given solution to a problem is just the original problem rephrased to sound like a solution." I don't think that's right... it makes it sound like the solution to the problem is to not have the problem, but the first sentence of the title text doesn't reference a solution at all. It's just noting that there's no point in the user looking around for other posts because this is exactly what he's getting, so if there's no solution for this problem then the problem can't be solved. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.105|108.162.219.105]] 14:05, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

Thank you for the description! I was reading the 1-10 hours as the time it took for the system to crash, and the 5 minutes as the on-off time -- which obviously conflicted with the 24 hours text in the comic. This makes so much more sense now. =8o) [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 14:42, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

Should one of us ask [[Randall]] if he can tell us which bug this is (assuming it exists), or do the square brackets purposely ask that we should stifle our curiosity? Assuming it's an open-source project, this is an opportunity for readers to make a difference, rather than just humor (cf. [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=71411&sid=b56036e3caa6b410cc34302852c7570f&p=2626767#p2626771|"Randallism"]). [[User:Chrstphrchvz|Chrstphrchvz]] ([[User talk:Chrstphrchvz|talk]]) 22:21, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics

2014-12-04T00:46:00Z

Chrstphrchvz: /* Explanation */ Fixed some of y'all's bad grammar. E.g. the T. rex's name is stylized as "T-Rex", so let's keep that consistent.

{{comic
| number = 145
| date = August 18, 2006
| title = Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics
| image = dinosaur_comics.png
| titletext = Guys: while I was writing this, I accidentally swallowed a table-size slab of drywall. I know! Wacky.
}}

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|Only the parody is explained. Not the actual subject of grammar - which for non native english speakers may not be so trivial.}}
{{w|Dinosaur Comics}} is a webcomic by {{w|Ryan North}}. The artwork never changes, save a few rare exceptions, and only the dialogue is different. [[Randall]] traced the comic's usual artwork, though the drawing of the house about to be squashed in panel 4 is a more rudimentary rendition.

For those who haven't read it, this is a [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1387 typical strip], and [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2079 here's] a strip dealing with the same subject as the parody (but posted five years after this xkcd comic). See also [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2420 this particular example] where the title text actually refer to Randall and xkcd.

Randall makes several shots at recurring themes in Dinosaur Comics. T-Rex, the green dinosaur, is bold and enthusiastic, discussing various topics, a favorite of which appears to be linguistics. This time, he is talking about {{w|Singular_they| they}} being used as a {{w|Grammatical_person|third person}} singular {{w|Gender-specific_and_gender-neutral_pronouns|gender-free pronoun}} and how it should be more widely used, even though its acceptance varies. Dromiceiomimus, the white dinosaur in the third panel, usually responds calmly to T-Rex's discussions. Utahraptor, the orange dinosaur, typically contradicts T-Rex, but Randall subverts this pattern and has him agree. The comic suggests that the perpetual disagreement stems from a 'rift' in the author's mind, which would be healed if only he lived in a world where there were a land bridge between Asia and North America.

Just like [[xkcd]], Dinosaur Comics also has title texts. Ryan's title texts tend to be bizarre non-sequiturs, and the title text in the parody seems to be a riff on this.

Note that the last word by the T-Rex is split over the last two frames and it is divided in "the wrong" place: ''subc- -onscious''. With the other text above and below "-onscious?" in the last panel this can be rather confusing. Probably something [[Randall]] is very c-onscious about!

There is a reason for this, I believe, but since nobody else has added it, let me do so. This represents Utahraptor reverting to type and interrupting T-Rex, as per normal, after first lulling him (unless T-Rex is a her. But I am going all Utahraptor myself here, and interrupting, because I think this is a perfect counterexample where using 'them' for a singular T-Rex of unknown gender would have been very jarring at best, and downright confusing at worst!), lulling her into a false sense of security by explaining that that is what s/he would normally have done. This suggests that they (see how confusing that sounds?) have no intention of interrupting this time. But it (Utahraptor) still goes ahead and does it (interrupt) to poor it (T-Rex) anyway.
I hope that clarifies both the interruption, and why there remains a rift about singular gender-neutral pronouns. There really are times when they/their doesn't cut it (pretty much always, if you ask me) and when it fails also, because it implies a lack of animation in a 'sentient' actor in a dialogue or scene.

In the last panel, the narrator starts with "In a world…", a phrase made famous by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_LaFontaine Don LanFontaine] in movie trailers.

Characters from ''Dinosaur Comics'' later appeared in [[1350: Lorenz]] (see under [[1350:_Lorenz#Dinosaur|Dinosaur]]) and in [[1452: Jurassic World]].

This comic is a part of the Parody Week, just joking about other webcomics.
*[[141: Parody Week: Achewood]]
*[[142: Parody Week: Megatokyo]]
*[[143: Parody Week: TFD and Natalie Dee]]
*[[144: Parody Week: A Softer World]]
*[[145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics]]

==Transcript==
:T-Rex: THINGS I AM UPPITY ABOUT: "They" as a third-person singular gender-free pronoun.
:T-Rex: I'm all for it!
:Dromiceiomimus: But isn't that terrible grammar?
:T-Rex: Only by recent convention! It's been in use that way for centuries, and its use is widely accepted! ALSO: this lets us avoid ridiculous constructs like "he/she", "s/he", "xe" or "hirs"!
:Utahraptor: T-Rex, I... agree.
:T-Rex: What?
:Utahraptor: That sounds good to me!
:Utahraptor: Normally I'd jump in with an objection, but I think your point makes sense.
:T-Rex: Could it be that the rift in our author's mind has finally healed? Is he no longer locked in perpetual war with the self-doubt that lurks in his subc-
:Narrator: '''IN A WORLD WHERE THERE IS STILL A LAND BRIDGE BETWEEN ASIA AND NORTH AMERICA FOR SOME REASON:'''
:T-Rex: -onscious?
:Narrator: '''ALSO HOW ABOUT IN THIS WORLD EVERYONE IS BICURIOUS'''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Parody Week]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Language]]

145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics

2014-12-04T00:39:53Z

Chrstphrchvz: /* Explanation */ Added "In a world…" to explanation

{{comic
| number = 145
| date = August 18, 2006
| title = Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics
| image = dinosaur_comics.png
| titletext = Guys: while I was writing this, I accidentally swallowed a table-size slab of drywall. I know! Wacky.
}}

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|Only the parody is explained. Not the actual subject of grammar - which for non native english speakers may not be so trivial.}}
{{w|Dinosaur Comics}} is a webcomic by {{w|Ryan North}}. The artwork never changes, save a few rare exceptions, and only the dialogue is different. [[Randall]] traced the comic's usual artwork, though the drawing of the house about to be squashed in panel 4 is a more rudimentary rendition.

For those who haven't read it, this is a [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1387 typical strip], and [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2079 here's] a strip dealing with the same subject as the parody (but posted five years after this xkcd comic). See also [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2420 this particular example] where the title text actually refer to Randall and xkcd.

Randall makes several shots at recurring themes in Dinosaur Comics. T-Rex, the green dinosaur, is bold and enthusiastic, discussing various topics, a favorite of which appears to be linguistics. This time, he is talking about {{w|Singular_they| they}} being used as a {{w|Grammatical_person|third person}} singular {{w|Gender-specific_and_gender-neutral_pronouns|gender-free pronoun}} and how it should be more widely used, even though it's acceptance varies. Dromiceiomimus, the white dinosaur in the third panel, usually responds calmly to T-Rex's discussions. Utahraptor, the orange dinosaur, typically contradicts T-Rex, but Randall subverts this pattern and has him agree. The comic suggests that the perpetual disagreement stems from a 'rift' in the author's mind, which would be healed if only he lived in a world where there were a land bridge between Asia and North America.

Just like [[xkcd]], Dinosaur Comics also has title texts. Ryan's title texts tend to be bizarre non-sequiturs, and the title text in the parody seems to be a riff on this.

Note that the last word by the T-rex is split over the last two frames and it is divided in "the wrong" place: ''subc- -onscious''. With the other text above and below "-onscious?" in the last panel this can be rather confusing. Probably something [[Randall]] is very c-onscious about!

There is a reason for this, i believe, but since nobody else has added it, let me do so. This represents Utahraptor reverting to type and interrupting T. rex, as per normal, after first lulling him (unless T. Rex is a her. But I am going all Utahraptor myself here, and interrupting, because I think this is a perfect counterexample where using 'them' for a singular T.rex of unknown gender would have been very jarring at best, and downright confusing at worst!), lulling her into a false sense of security by explaining that that is what s/he would normally have done. This suggests that they (see how confusing that sounds?) have no intention of interrupting this time. But it (Utahraptor) still goes ahead and does it (interrupt) to poor it (T.rex) anyway.
I hope that clarifies both the interruption, and why there remains a rift about singular gender-neutral pronouns. There really are times when they/their doesn't cut it (pretty much always, if you ask me) and when it fails also, because it implies a lack of animation in a 'sentient' actor in a dialogue or scene.

In the last panel, the narrator starts with "In a world…", a phrase made famous by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_LaFontaine Don LanFontaine] in movie trailers.

Characters from ''Dinosaur Comics'' later appeared in [[1350: Lorenz]] (see under [[1350:_Lorenz#Dinosaur|Dinosaur]]) and in [[1452: Jurassic World]].

This comic is a part of the Parody Week, just joking about other webcomics.
*[[141: Parody Week: Achewood]]
*[[142: Parody Week: Megatokyo]]
*[[143: Parody Week: TFD and Natalie Dee]]
*[[144: Parody Week: A Softer World]]
*[[145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics]]

==Transcript==
:T-Rex: THINGS I AM UPPITY ABOUT: "They" as a third-person singular gender-free pronoun.
:T-Rex: I'm all for it!
:Dromiceiomimus: But isn't that terrible grammar?
:T-Rex: Only by recent convention! It's been in use that way for centuries, and its use is widely accepted! ALSO: this lets us avoid ridiculous constructs like "he/she", "s/he", "xe" or "hirs"!
:Utahraptor: T-Rex, I... agree.
:T-Rex: What?
:Utahraptor: That sounds good to me!
:Utahraptor: Normally I'd jump in with an objection, but I think your point makes sense.
:T-Rex: Could it be that the rift in our author's mind has finally healed? Is he no longer locked in perpetual war with the self-doubt that lurks in his subc-
:Narrator: '''IN A WORLD WHERE THERE IS STILL A LAND BRIDGE BETWEEN ASIA AND NORTH AMERICA FOR SOME REASON:'''
:T-Rex: -onscious?
:Narrator: '''ALSO HOW ABOUT IN THIS WORLD EVERYONE IS BICURIOUS'''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Parody Week]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Language]]