https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Codefreak5 2026-04-05T21:02:46Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.30.0 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1496:_Art_Project&diff=85890 2015-03-09T17:05:07Z

<p>Codefreak5: Removed an unnecessary space between &quot;Boyhood&quot; and the comma which came after it</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1496<br /> | date = March 9, 2015<br /> | title = Art Project<br /> | image = art project.png<br /> | titletext = It's my most ambitious project yet, judging by the amount of guacamole.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This comic appears to be satirizing {{w|art}} in two different ways. From one perspective [[Randall]] is describing various art forms in unusual ways (e.g. a portrait by [[Cueball]], a video for the girl with the short hair (not a character named yet), and perhaps live action by [[Ponytail]]). From another perspective, Randall might be making fun of {{w|Time-lapse photography|time-lapse photography}} movies. {{w|YouTube}} has a robust collection of videos taken from stitching together pictures or short video clips taken every day, or every week; in the {{w|87th Academy Awards|2015 Academy Awards}}, one of the Best Picture nominees, {{w|Boyhood (film)|Boyhood}}, used a similar method, filming short sequences annually over the course of a decade and a half. <br /> <br /> In each case the art described would be useless. A picture of oneself &quot;every hundred years&quot; will only happen once; a &quot;picture every 1/24th of a second&quot; is the standard {{w|frame rate}} for most small cameras for video, and &quot;watching my face age in real time&quot; is just life...<br /> <br /> Then finally [[Megan]] pokes fun at all of them by simply watching their attempts at &quot;art&quot; while she eats a {{w|burrito}}. Randall may also be referencing the many perspectives on art by leaving this comic open to several interpretations. The use of a burrito as a punchline representing someone who is grounded in reality instead of engaging in esoteric pursuits has been seen before in [[1269: Privacy Opinions]].<br /> <br /> The title text is just more snark, claiming that it's Megan's most ambitious project ever if the sole criterion for ambition is the amount of {{w|guacamole}} used.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> :Cueball: I'm doing an art project where I take a picture of myself every hundred years.<br /> <br /> :Girl with short hair: I'm doing an art project where I take a picture of myself every 1/24th of a second.<br /> <br /> :Ponytail: I'm doing an art project where you can come to my house and watch my actual face age in real time.<br /> <br /> :Megan: I'm doing an art project where you all do those things while I eat a burrito.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1374:_Urn&diff=72492 2014-07-29T19:05:23Z

<p>Codefreak5: Added a missing period at the end of the first paragraph</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1374<br /> | date = May 28, 2014<br /> | title = Urn<br /> | image = urn.png<br /> | titletext = Can this PLEASE be drawing with replacement?<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> A common tool for explaining concepts in elementary probability theory are games involving the drawing of coloured balls from a container, such as a bag, or hat. In older statistics related texts, a convention developed of describing the container as an urn. This is so common that such problems are often called [[wikipedia:Urn problem|urn problems]].<br /> <br /> While an {{w|urn}} can have many uses, in modern times the most common context in which it is used is to contain the burned remains of deceased individuals after a {{w|cremation}}. This is likely because as interior decor has grown more minimalist, other types of urn became less common and the association of the word urn with cremation has become ubiquitous in the vernacular.<br /> <br /> [[Megan]], when asked to imagine drawing balls from an urn, imagines a cremation urn containing not only balls, but also human remains. She may be referring to a real grandfather who has been cremated, or is simply improvising a joke at Cueball's expense. <br /> <br /> The title text refers to two distinct scenarios in the coloured ball experiment: The balls may be replaced between each drawing, or not. In the former case, each draw is independent of the previous, in the latter the chances of picking a particular (remaining) ball the next time have increased. Megan (or rather [[Randall]] if it is he who speaks in the title text) would prefer to put the ashes back into the urn. She might also want to have her grandfather back, and be playing with the word &quot;replacement&quot;.<br /> <br /> The distinction between repeated drawing with and without replacement is used in most presentations of elementary probability because it illustrates a subtle but important theoretical distinction: if the balls are replaced, one at a time, before drawing the next, the number of balls of a certain colour has the {{w|binomial distribution}}, but if the balls are not replaced, so that the same ball cannot be drawn twice, you instead get the {{w|hypergeometric distribution}}.<br /> <br /> In the context of this comic, drawing with replacement would mean that the dead Grandfather's ashes have been magically replaced as soon as Megan removed them from the urn. Thus, her grandfather's ashes would still remain intact &amp; sacrosanct inside the urn. Hence the commentary pleading for it to be &quot;drawing with replacement.&quot; Of course, such an event actually happening in real life is nonsensical, further illustrating the contrived nature of many academic problems.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball is standing in a classroom with Megan at a desk.]<br /> :Cueball: Imagine that you're drawing at random from an urn containing fifteen balls - six red and nine black.<br /> :Megan: OK. I reach in and... '''''...My grandfather's ashes?!?''' Oh God!''<br /> :Cueball: I... what?<br /> :Megan: '''''Why would you do this to me?!?'''''<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Math]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1160:_Drop_Those_Pounds&diff=72450 2014-07-28T20:09:17Z

<p>Codefreak5: Undo revision 72449 by Codefreak5 (talk)</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1160<br /> | date = January 14, 2013<br /> | title = Drop Those Pounds<br /> | image = drop those pounds.png<br /> | titletext = If the flyers don't work, we'll switch to the LEAST subtle method of informing a town of the existence of a trebuchet club.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> The comic presents a flyer with text typical of a ubiquitous advertisement for a &quot;Weight Loss Program&quot;. However, the image at the bottom of the flyer and the text below the flyer make it clear that the flyer is actually an advertisement for a trebuchet club. This unexpected meaning is meant to highlight the ambiguity of the flyer's content. A {{w|trebuchet}} is gravity powered siege engine, which was originally used to attack fortifications. It works by dropping a raised counter weight to rotate a throwing arm, launching a projectile on a ballistic path. The phrase &quot;We'll help you hit your target by dropping 30 pounds FAST&quot; is where the ambiguity is produced. In the context of a weight loss ad, the &quot;target&quot; would be a rhetorical device referring to the weight which one wishes to achieve. In the context of a trebuchet club, the target is a literal location which one is trying to hit with a projectile. Likewise, a weight loss ad may indicate that a client could quickly lose 30 pounds (~13,6&amp;nbsp;kg). However, in this context, the 30 pounds being dropped is either the counter-weight - which is dropped to provide a trebuchet with its power, implying a rather small trebuchet - or the projectile itself being dropped at the target - it will be slower than the counter-weight but definitely still much faster than any weight loss program.<br /> <br /> The only hint that the flyer advertises a trebuchet club is in the drawing at the bottom of the flyer, which appears to show two individuals pondering a ballistic path towards a castle tower, though no trebuchet is shown. <br /> <br /> The text below indicates that this flyer &quot;may have been too subtle&quot;. The title text suggests that, if the flyer is indeed too subtle a form of advertisement, they will use the LEAST subtle options of announcing their club's existence — likely by using their trebuchet to attack the town.<br /> <br /> See also [[382: Trebuchet]].<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[We see a poster taped to a wall. It has Megan and Cueball in the bottom left, a silhouetted crenellated tower in the bottom right, and a thin arc between them. It reads:]<br /> :Struggling with those 2013 resolutions?<br /> :We'll help you hit your target<br /> :By dropping thirty pounds '''fast'''<br /> :[Small print.]<br /> :WEB: http: [illegible].com<br /> :CALL: (555) 123-4567<br /> <br /> :The flyer for our trebuchet–building club may have been too subtle.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Trebuchet]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1160:_Drop_Those_Pounds&diff=72449 2014-07-28T20:08:59Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1160<br /> | date = January 14, 2013<br /> | title = Drop Those Pounds<br /> | image = drop those pounds.png<br /> | titletext = If the flyers don't work, we'll switch to the LEAST subtle method of informing a town of the existence of a trebuchet club.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> The comic presents a flyer with text typical of a ubiquitous advertisement for a &quot;Weight Loss Program&quot;. However, the image at the bottom of the flyer and the text below the flyer make it clear that the flyer is actually an advertisement for a trebuchet club. This unexpected meaning is meant to highlight the ambiguity of the flyer's content. A {{w|trebuchet}} is gravity powered siege engine, which was originally used to attack fortifications. It works by dropping a raised counter weight to rotate a throwing arm, launching a projectile on a ballistic path. The phrase &quot;We'll help you hit your target by dropping 30 pounds FAST&quot; is where the ambiguity is produced. In the context of a weight loss ad, the &quot;target&quot; would be a rhetorical device referring to the weight which one wishes to achieve. In the context of a trebuchet club, the target is a literal location which one is trying to hit with a projectile. Likewise, a weight loss ad may indicate that a client could quickly lose 30 pounds (~13,6&amp;nbsp;kg). However, in this context, the 30 pounds being dropped is either the counter-weight - which is dropped to provide a trebuchet with its power, implying a rather small trebuchet - or the projectile itself being dropped at the target - it will be slower than the counter-weight but definitely still much faster than any weight loss program.<br /> <br /> The only hint that the flyer advertises a trebuchet club is in the drawing at the bottom of the flyer, which appears to show two individuals pondering a ballistic path towards a castle tower, though no trebuchet is shown. <br /> <br /> The title text indicates that this flyer &quot;may have been too subtle&quot;. The title text suggests that, if the flyer is indeed too subtle a form of advertisement, they will use the LEAST subtle options of announcing their club's existence — likely by using their trebuchet to attack the town.<br /> <br /> See also [[382: Trebuchet]].<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[We see a poster taped to a wall. It has Megan and Cueball in the bottom left, a silhouetted crenellated tower in the bottom right, and a thin arc between them. It reads:]<br /> :Struggling with those 2013 resolutions?<br /> :We'll help you hit your target<br /> :By dropping thirty pounds '''fast'''<br /> :[Small print.]<br /> :WEB: http: [illegible].com<br /> :CALL: (555) 123-4567<br /> <br /> :The flyer for our trebuchet–building club may have been too subtle.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Trebuchet]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1115:_Sky&diff=72424 2014-07-28T13:08:46Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>As anyone who read [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender%27s_Game_%28series%29 Ender's Game] know, &quot;The enemy's gate is down&quot;. t must be noted that mentioned gate was in a zero-gravity environment so the usual definition of down being the direction gravitation is pulling us was not applicable. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:09, 5 October 2012 (UTC)<br /> The enemy's gate is down.<br /> <br /> Furthermore, the last panel might be a reference to {{w|Nietzsche}}'s quote: &quot;When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you&quot;. <br /> <br /> Additionally, it might also allude to the law of gravity, as it operates in the realm of {{w|Cartoon physics}}. This interpretation would seem to match the 'perspective inversion' theme of the entire comic.[[Special:Contributions/123.237.156.4|123.237.156.4]] 08:14, 5 October 2012 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I think the comment about a bottomless hole is misleading but I am not certain. the mass of the walls of the hole as well as surrounding matter would create a definite gravitational force, as would any gases or liquids that fill the hole. There would be a point (or possibly surface or line) depending on the composition and shape of whatever the bottomless hole is in as well as the contents and shape of the hole itself where the net gravitational force is zero, with all areas surrounding this point (surface or line) having gravitational forces pointing in the direction of the point/surface/line, unless the hole is in a body that extends in one direction off into infinity, in which case the mass of the entire system would be continually collapsing into a black hole as the mass of the body is infinite.<br /> <br /> The comic also encapsulates a feeling about the sky. If you lie down in a flat area like the american southwest, all you can see is sky. All you can see is sky. All of the sudden, it feels like one little push could send you flying. You get the feeling that you are laying on a round, small surface, and are enveloped by a huge blue sky. In &quot;Death comes for the Archbishop&quot; There is a one line description of this feeling.<br /> <br /> &quot;The sky was as full of motion and change as the desert beneath it was monotonous and still, — and there was so much sky, more than at sea, more than anywhere else in the world. The plain was there, under one's feet, but what one saw when one looked about was that brilliant blue world of stinging air and moving cloud. Even the mountains were mere ant-hills under it. Elsewhere the sky is the roof of the world; but here the earth was the floor of the sky. The landscape one longed for when one was away, the thing all about one, the world one actually lived in, was the sky, the sky! --Death Comes to the Archbishop, Book VII, Ch. 4&quot; [ http://www.en.wikibooks.org/wiki/American_Literature/20th_Century/Willa_Cather link title]<br /> <br /> This comic seeks to describe that feeling of &quot;The earth being the floor of the sky&quot;<br /> --[[Special:Contributions/71.81.151.163|71.81.151.163]] 00:41, 10 October 2012 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Shouldn't his beret be shown on the ground? [[User:Xyz|Xyz]] ([[User talk:Xyz|talk]]) 19:34, 22 May 2013 (UTC)<br /> :[[291|Staples]]. [[User:Squornshellous Beta|Squornshellous Beta]] ([[User talk:Squornshellous Beta|talk]]) 14:53, 28 July 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Anyone else reminded of the Stone Tower Temple from Majora's Mask? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.63.180|173.245.63.180]] 08:41, 12 November 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> ;Add this to the incomplete explanations list<br /> There's no coverage on the title text. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.90|173.245.54.90]] 02:52, 30 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> :Done. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:42, 30 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I added an explanation on the title text. Anyone can feel free to correct it as they see fit. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 13:08, 28 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1115:_Sky&diff=72423 2014-07-28T13:08:04Z

<p>Codefreak5: Added an explanation on the title text.</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1115<br /> | date = October 1, 2012<br /> | title = Sky<br /> | image = sky.png<br /> | titletext = I dropped a bird and I didn't hear it hit bottom.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Not only the title text is missing.}}<br /> There is no set rule that says the ground is down. Yes, that is what most people think, but down can be any direction. [[Beret Guy]] handles this in his usual way, by defining down to be toward the sky. Forcing yourself to think in a different perspective changes a lot of things that are usually thought of as mundanities. Here we are challenged with the perspective that we live pulled (by Earth's gravity) towards a ceiling (land/oceans) hanging over a bottomless abyss (space seems to be limitless). If gravity (under no control of our own) were to fail we would fly helplessly off into the abyss. If a hole actually had no bottom, there would be no gravitational force towards its non-existing bottom.<br /> <br /> The title text continues this idea, where someone - possibly Megan or Beret Guy - claims to have dropped a bird, and never heard it hit the &quot;bottom&quot;. Since &quot;down&quot; is currently the direction space is in, there would be no &quot;bottom&quot; for the bird to hit, unless one were to define it as the edge of the atmosphere. If the bird were to have made a sound there, it is unlikely that the person who dropped it would be able to hear it. However, it is more likely that instead of falling into space, the bird just flew away.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Megan approaches Beret Guy, who appears to be doing a handstand on the lawn.]<br /> :Megan: What are you doing?<br /> :Beret Guy: Clinging to the ceiling of a bottomless abyss.<br /> <br /> :[Megan walks past him.]<br /> :Megan: You are very odd.<br /> <br /> :[Megan towards a mailbox.]<br /> <br /> :[As she passes the mailbox, she looks up.]<br /> <br /> :[This panel appears to be upside down. Megan is clinging to the mailbox, and Ponytail approaches her.]<br /> :Ponytail: What's wrong?<br /> :Megan: I looked down.<br /> <br /> ==Trivia==<br /> *This comic's official transcript actually refers to [[Ponytail]] as Ponytail.<br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1097:_A_Hypochondriac%27s_Nightmare&diff=72394 2014-07-28T03:39:42Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1097<br /> | date = August 20, 2012<br /> | title = A Hypochondriac's Nightmare<br /> | image = a_hypochondriacs_nightmare.png<br /> | titletext = BUT WHAT IF I REASSURE MYSELF WITH A JOKE AND THEN DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE RASH AND IT TURNS OUT TO BE DEATH MITES AND I COULD HAVE CAUGHT IT<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{w|Hypochondriac}}s are people who worry obsessively about their health, often looking up symptoms on the Internet and convincing themselves that they have some deadly disease. The situation depicted in this comic is described as a &quot;hypochondriac's nightmare&quot; because [[Cueball]], expecting that the rash on his arm was some mysterious undiagnosed disease, spent several hours on {{w|WebMD}} (an online health symptom reference) looking up symptoms, yet ends up dying by slipping on a banana and getting sucked into an airplane engine. Thus he regrets wasting so much time on an ultimately fruitless task rather than something more productive to survival, such as, say, watching out for banana peels lying in front of jet engines.<br /> <br /> The title text (in ALL CAPS thus shouting in despair) adds another level of hypochondriasm. [[Randall]] drew this particular joke to soothe his fears and reassure himself that the rash is nothing. But what if that reassurance just makes him not check out the rash, and then it turns out the rash is caused by (nonexistent) &quot;death {{w|mite}}s&quot; and ultimately kills him when he could have prevented it?<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball at an airport slips on a banana peel and gets sucked into a nearby jet engine.]<br /> :Cueball (thinking): Seriously!? '''''This''''' is what gets me? I wasted so many hours on WebMD worrying about the rash on my arm!<br /> <br /> ==Trivia==<br /> *When originally published, &quot;Hypochondriac&quot; was misspelled as &quot;Hypochrondiac&quot;.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1086:_Eyelash_Wish_Log&diff=72393 2014-07-28T02:08:29Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1086<br /> | date = July 25, 2012<br /> | title = Eyelash Wish Log<br /> | image = eyelash wish log.png<br /> | titletext = Ooh, another one. Uh... the ability to alter any coefficients of friction at will during sporting events.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> {{incomplete|Add table, and for each wish explain and comment on how they gone wrong}}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This comic is based on the situation that when someone's eyelash falls out, that person can make a wish on it. This comic appears to be a page from the fictitious Wish Bureau in charge of granting said wishes. And of course the Wisher is [[Black Hat]] and he has quite a few wishes, most of them based on the previous wish. A common trope in fiction is that wishing for more wishes is prohibited and for many of his wishes [[Black Hat]] attempts to circumvent that.<br /> <br /> February 12's wish seems to be a reference to the unlimited {{w|breadsticks}} offered at {{w|Olive Garden}}.<br /> <br /> February 27's wish relates to a common practice especially in tweets or other short length media where full length specific HTML addresses such as www.somewhere.com/articles/specificdate/the page.html would not be feasible. So a more compressed but often less sensical string of seemingly random characters is used which links to a link of the full text address. This creates some problems for people who are security or privacy conscious and prefer to be informed beforehand where they will be traveling on the Internet. It is analogous to a twisting set of watersides. Some water parks label where they end up and what style of ride it is (the doom tunnel vs the kiddy kicker). Imagine however you're wanting a nice ride ending in shallow water. You could not readily predict the unlabelled ride as it twists out of sight if the label is gibberish. You might end up thinking your attempt to go down the Bay Watch slide might end you up in Pamela's porn pool, which could be well over your head.<br /> <br /> March 7's wish is a reference to {{w|Nate Silver}}, who is a former writer for {{w|Baseball Prospectus}} working on predicting baseball players' stats and now writes for {{w|Five Thirty Eight}} in which he predicts the outcome of elections based on polling data.<br /> <br /> March 15th's wish refers to the {{w|lithograph}} {{w|Relativity_(M._C._Escher)|Relativity}} by {{w|M. C. Escher}}, or perhaps another of his lithographs, {{w|House of Stairs}}<br /> <br /> And April 22's wish is a reference to the cartoon and video game series {{w|Pokémon}}. A Pokéball can be thrown at a Pokémon (or in this case, a pet that the Pokéball thrower finds either annoying or cute) to capture/contain it and/or achieve ownership of it. In most cases, Pokéballs cannot be used on Pokémon owned by other people.<br /> <br /> The title text is a reference to how people often want a ball to either go in or out in a sporting event they are not a part of. Normally, spectators of a game are not actually in the game, but always think that they can somehow influence the game superstitiously, such as perhaps yelling out jinx whenever the opposing team makes a shot, even though if you are watching the game from a television, that would have no effect. By wishing for power over friction, a spectator would have control over what transpires during a sporting match. In most sporting events where you have to run (for instance football), a sudden drop of friction would make you fall over, as this would be like suddenly running out over a sheet of ice. Opposite to this would be in ice hockey, as here an increase in friction could make the puck stop before the goal, and also make the players fall over, as it would be like skating in over land.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> {|<br /> ! align=&quot;left&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot; |&lt;font size=&quot;+1&quot;&gt;Eyelash Wish Log&lt;/font&gt;<br /> |-style=&quot;color: gray;&quot;<br /> |<br /> |align=&quot;right&quot;|Wish bureau ID#:<br /> |-<br /> |<br /> |align=&quot;right&quot;|21118378<br /> |-style=&quot;color: gray;&quot;<br /> |<br /> |align=&quot;right&quot;|Date range:<br /> |-<br /> !scope=&quot;row&quot; style=&quot;color: gray;&quot;|Wisher<br /> |align=&quot;right&quot;|Jan-Apr 2012<br /> |}<br /> <br /> <br /> {|<br /> !align=&quot;left&quot; width=&quot;50px&quot;|Date<br /> !align=&quot;left&quot;|Wish<br /> |-<br /> |Jan 09<br /> |That wishing on eyelashes worked<br /> |-<br /> |Jan 12<br /> |A pony<br /> |-<br /> |Jan 15<br /> |Unlimited wishes<br /> |-<br /> |Jan 19<br /> |Revocation of rules prohibiting unlimited wishes<br /> |-<br /> |Jan 20<br /> |A finite but arbitrarily large number of wishes<br /> |-<br /> |Jan 28<br /> |The power to dictate the rules governing wishes<br /> |-<br /> |Feb 05<br /> |Unlimited eyelashes<br /> |-<br /> |Feb 06<br /> |That wish-granting entities be required to interpret wishes in&lt;br&gt;accordance with the intent of the wisher<br /> |-<br /> |Feb 08<br /> |That wish-granting entities be incapable of impatience<br /> |-<br /> |Feb 12<br /> |Unlimited breadsticks<br /> |-<br /> |Feb 12<br /> |Veto power over others' wishes<br /> |-<br /> |Feb 19<br /> |Veto power over others' wishes and all congressional legislation<br /> |-<br /> |Feb 23<br /> |The power to override any veto<br /> |-<br /> |Feb 27<br /> |The power to see where any shortened URL goes without clicking<br /> |-<br /> |Feb 29<br /> |The power to control the direction news anchors are looking while they talk<br /> |-<br /> |Mar 07<br /> |The power to introduce arbitrary error into Nate Silver's predictions<br /> |-<br /> |Mar 15<br /> |A house of stairs<br /> |-<br /> |Mar 23<br /> |A universe which is a replica of this one sans rules against meta-wishes<br /> |-<br /> |Mar 29<br /> |Free transportation to and from that universe<br /> |-<br /> |Apr 02<br /> |A clear explanation of how wish rules are structured and enforced<br /> |-<br /> |Apr 07<br /> |The power to banish people into the TV show they're talking about<br /> |-<br /> |Apr 08<br /> |Zero wishes<br /> |-<br /> |Apr 15<br /> |Veto power over clocks<br /> |-<br /> |Apr 22<br /> |A Pokéball that works on strangers' pets<br /> |}<br /> <br /> {{Comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Pokémon]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1067:_Pressures&diff=72387 2014-07-27T19:08:34Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1067<br /> | date = June 11, 2012<br /> | title = Pressures<br /> | image = pressures.png<br /> | titletext = Everyone's caught by surprise when a theory of quantum gravity is developed by a sound technician wearing patent leather shoes while editing Clerks II.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This comic is a reference to revolutionary physicist {{w|Albert Einstein}}, who got his first big ideas about physics while he was working as a Swiss Patent Clerk. His list of accomplishments is too big to go into here, but Wikipedia should help you out if you want to know more.<br /> <br /> Hence this huge pressure on future Swiss Patent Clerks to also come up with genius ideas while they are working there.<br /> <br /> The title text makes the joke that instead of a patent clerk making the next breakthrough theory, as everyone is supposedly expecting, it's instead made by someone wearing &quot;patent&quot; shoes and working on a movie called &quot;Clerks&quot; II, thereby suggesting that anytime something called a &quot;patent&quot; crosses with anything called a &quot;clerk&quot;, radical breakthroughs in physics result. {{w|Clerks II}} is the second movie in the Clerks series by Kevin Smith, widely regarded as not nearly as good as the first — which could be said about most sequels, but you get the point.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Ponytail walks up to Megan examining documents]<br /> :Ponytail: So.. what&quot;ve you been up to?<br /> :Megan: Handling patent applications.<br /> :Ponytail: Yeah, but... besides that?<br /> :Megan: That's about it.<br /> :Ponytail: You're not, like, thinking about any cool stuff? Just curious.<br /> <br /> :For the last hundred years, Swiss patent clerks have been under some weird pressures.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1065:_Shoes&diff=72386 2014-07-27T18:59:17Z

<p>Codefreak5: Found &quot;Which is hilarious&quot; to be an unnecessary addition to the end of the explanation</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1065<br /> | date = June 6, 2012<br /> | title = Shoes<br /> | image = shoes.png<br /> | titletext = I *do* hear that they're the most comfortable thing to wear on your feet since sliced bread.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This comic refers to the creepy new running shoe fad in which there are shoes that have very little support (they are supposed to make you feel like running barefoot) and have individual areas for each toe. The joke in the comic is that the shoes are so strange, [[Cueball]] is not even sure he would want to live forever if he would have to wear these shoes at all times.<br /> <br /> The title text is a play on the common phrase &quot;x is the best thing since sliced bread&quot;. The way that [[Randall]] uses the phrase in the title text implies that someone would wear sliced bread on their feet.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[A man holding a sword looks up to a disembodied voice coming from above, and a box hovers in the air before him.]<br /> :Voice: For saving my kingdom, I offer you a gift of great power.<br /> <br /> :[The man puts down his sword, and the box opens, a glow emanating from within.]<br /> :Voice: These magic shoes enable the wearer to outrun death itself.<br /> :Man: Thank you. I...<br /> <br /> :[A close-up on the man as he examines the shoes. They are like Vibram FiveFingers shoes.]<br /> :Man: Whoa, wait. They have those creepy individual toes.<br /> <br /> :[The man puts the shoes back in the box.]<br /> :Voice: But they make you immortal.<br /> :Man: ...I have to think about this.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1018:_Good_Cop,_Dadaist_Cop&diff=72344 2014-07-26T16:03:23Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1018<br /> | date = February 17, 2012<br /> | title = Good Cop, Dadaist Cop<br /> | image = good_cop_dadaist_cop.png<br /> | titletext = NOW INVENT AN IMPOSSIBLE-TO-TRANSLATE LANGUAGE AND USE IT TO TELL US WHERE THE MONEY IS.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Language, layout, and the title text is missing.}}<br /> This is a play on the police interrogation strategy of &quot;{{w|Good cop/bad cop}}&quot;, in which two officers take on contrary roles to get the suspect to give the required information. One interrogator establishes a sympathetic relationship with the subject while the other interrogator is antagonistic and threatening. The goal of this is to make the subject trust the “good cop” and to reveal the desired information. <br /> <br /> In this comic, the interrogators ([[Cueball]] and [[Ponytail]]) use the &quot;good cop, Dadaist cop&quot; strategy to get information from [[Hairy]]. The overview of the [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dada#Overview Dadaists] given by Wikipedia says they used “artistic expression that appeared to reject logic and embrace chaos and irrationality”. As such, it is not an effective interrogation technique. <br /> <br /> The incongruities of two of Ponytail’s questions are clear: “WHY ARE MY BONES SO SMALL?” and “What's wrong with ART?” are [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_sequitur_%28logic%29 non sequiturs]. The first question has two levels to its absurdity. {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}} (the co-founder of {{w|Facebook}}) was [//allfacebook.com/mark-zuckerberg-moves-into-another-rental-house_b29174 reported in 2011] to be living in a house he rented, so he would not have a {{w|mortgage}}. Nor would any mortgage be written in a [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_language liturgical language] like {{w|Church Latin}}. <br /> <br /> The title text adds one more absurdity: the whereabouts of the money cannot be conveyed to Ponytail if the information were expressed in a newly-invented language that cannot be translated.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Two cops look through a window into an interrogation chamber holding a handcuffed suspect.]<br /> :Good Cop: All right, let's try good cop, dadaist cop<br /> <br /> :[Good Cop is seated in front of the suspect.]<br /> :Good Cop: Look, you're a good guy. We can work this out. Hey, lemme get us some coffee.<br /> <br /> :[CHANGE PLACES.]<br /> <br /> :[Dadaist Cop holds up a document of indeterminate contents and threatens the suspect with it.]<br /> :Dadaist Cop: See this? It's Mark Zuckerberg's Mortgage. So why is it written in '''''CHURCH LATIN'''''?<br /> <br /> :[Dadaist cop physically rattles the suspect.]<br /> :Dadaist Cop: '''''WHY ARE MY BONES SO SMALL'''''?<br /> :Suspect: What's ''WRONG'' with you!?<br /> :Dadaist Cop: What's wrong with '''''ART'''''?<br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=878:_Model_Rail&diff=72195 2014-07-23T18:53:45Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 878<br /> | date = March 28, 2011<br /> | title = Model Rail<br /> | image = model rail.png<br /> | titletext = I don't know what's more telling--the number of pages in the Wikipedia talk page argument over whether the 1/87.0857143 scale is called &quot;HO&quot; or &quot;H0&quot;, or the fact that within minutes of first hearing of it I had developed an extremely strong opinion on the issue.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> In model rail construction, {{w|HO scale}} refers to the currently most popular scale for modeling railroads, in which 3.5 millimeters in the model corresponds to 1 real-world Imperial foot. As the comic suggests, it works out to a ratio of about 1:87.1. In Europe, the scale is defined as exactly 1:87 instead, to avoid reference to US measurements.<br /> <br /> The (apparently less-experienced) modeller wants to make an HO model layout of his town. However, the more-experienced modeller points out that this is a bad idea, due to nesting. To make it a perfectly accurate model, the modeller would have to include a model of his house, which includes his basement, which includes the model. So, he would have to make a model of the model, which will include a smaller model of the model, and so forth.<br /> <br /> {{w|Matryoshka doll|Matryoshka dolls}} are toys of Russian origin that can be stacked inside one another. Here, the &quot;Matryoshka limit&quot; is the hard barrier that follows as a result of the nesting. Matter is not infinitely divisible; once one gets the level of atoms, it's impossible to go any smaller. The unit shown in the last diagram is the {{w|Angstrom|ångström}}, a preposterously small unit of measurement that was created when humans started discovering preposterously small things, like crystal structures and wavelengths.<br /> <br /> The rules of model train layouts reference the 1999 cult classic ''{{w|Fight Club}}'', where the first rule of Fight Club is &quot;do not talk about Fight Club.&quot; However, while the club instituted the rule because their activities were morally and legally questionable, the rule in the comic was instituted by friends and family members who, apparently, were sick of hearing the train enthusiasts talk about model train layouts all the time.<br /> <br /> The &quot;Philistines&quot; comment is not referring to citizens of ancient Palestine (at least not directly), but rather the philosophy of {{w|Philistinism}}. {{w|Friedrich Nietzsche}} defined a Philistine as someone who is purely negative in how they define style, i.e. they know exactly what they hate and don't really have anything they like. A common stereotype for artists is to refer to anyone who dislikes their work as &quot;Philistines,&quot; thus dismissing their criticism as being part of a larger personality defect on the critic's part rather than any particular failing of the artwork in question.<br /> <br /> The title text references {{w|HO scale}} and, more specifically, whether it should be spelled with the letter &quot;O&quot; or the number zero (0). Such debates often seem petty to the &quot;layman&quot;, yet the people involved in the debates can form ''very'' strong feelings for their side. Randall recognizes &quot;nerdy tendencies&quot; almost immediately when he gets the urge to take a side. The comic [[1167: Star Trek into Darkness]] is about a similar debate on Wikipedia.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :Cueball: I want to build a perfect HO-scale (~1/87) model train layout of my town.<br /> :Friend: In your basement? Bad idea. Never make a layout of the area you're in.<br /> <br /> :Cueball: Why not?<br /> :Friend: Because it'd include a little 10&quot; replica of your house.<br /> <br /> :Cueball: So? That's be cool! I'd make tiny replicas of my rooms, my furniture—<br /> :Friend: —and your train layout?<br /> <br /> :[The comic shows how the models would nest together.]<br /> :[Layer 1: 18 meters across. The two modelers are shown standing next to it.]<br /> :[Layer 2: 21 cm across.]<br /> :[Layer 3: 2.4 mm across. A mosquito is shown for comparison. It stands over roughly half of the town.]<br /> :[Layer 4: 28 μm across. A strand of spider silk is shown for comparison. It is much thicker than the roads.]<br /> :[Layer 5: 320 nm across. A cold virus is shown for comparison. It covers roughly a quarter of the town. At this level the town becomes notably &quot;fuzzy&quot; as individual atoms are discernible.]<br /> :[Layer 6: 37 Å across. The town is simply spheres (atoms) at this point. The large hill near the back is the only noticeable feature, consisting of five atoms jutting out from the mostly flat ground.]<br /> :The Matryoshka limit: It is impossible to nest more than six HO layouts<br /> <br /> :Cueball: My God.<br /> :Friend: Yeah. It's the second rule of model train layouts: No nesting.<br /> <br /> :Cueball: ...What's the first rule?<br /> :Friend: &quot;Do ''not'' talk about model train layouts.&quot; That rule was actually voted in by our friends and families.<br /> :Cueball: Philistines.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=877:_Beauty&diff=72194 2014-07-23T18:52:04Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 877<br /> | date = March 25, 2011<br /> | title = Beauty<br /> | image = beauty.png<br /> | titletext = The best hugs are probably from hagfish, which can extrude microscopic filaments that convert a huge volume of water around them to slime in seconds. Instant cozy blanket!<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> Many people believe that over-analysis is boring and only serves to detract from the beauty, wonder, or emotional moments of the subject. This is especially compounded in literature classes, but it's a gripe common throughout many studies. Many experts and professionals, however, disagree greatly, claiming that thy see ''more'' wonder and excitement in those subjects than they did before. Keats in particular is said to have joked that Newton had 'destroyed all the poetry of the rainbow, by reducing it to the prismatic colours'. <br /> <br /> [[Ponytail]]'s statement in the first panel is proved wrong by [[Megan]]'s actions throughout the comic and the statement in the title text, to the point where she retracts and changes her statement.<br /> <br /> Megan comes in, excited about slime molds, in particular {{w|Fuligo septica|F. septica}}. Slime molds are not particularly attractive — in fact, the average person would probably say they were gross and slimy. Ponytail is rather grossed out and horrified by the mold, and changes her statement in response to Megan's enthusiasm for the mold, in keeping with Ponytail's own disgust. She thinks that Megan is crazy to see the wonder in such a disgusting-looking creature. <br /> <br /> F. septica is a remarkable species. As the comic says, it can tolerate extremely high zinc levels. The yellow pigment bonds to the zinc and renders it biologically inactive. As with other slime moulds, it forms a multi-nucleate mass which can move like an amoeboid. It changes to a sponge-like form before releasing spores. Although the taxonomy is still fluid, the slime molds are distinct enough to be classified as neither animals, plants or fungi, but form a kingdom of their own, with some types of amoeba.<br /> <br /> Concerning the {{w|hagfish}}: &quot;Their unusual feeding habits and slime-producing capabilities have led members of the scientific and popular media to dub the hagfish as the most 'disgusting' of all sea creatures.&quot; Nevertheless they too fascinate researchers, and the slime may have various medical applications.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Ponytail and Cueball are discussing science. They are interrupted by an off-panel shout.]<br /> :Ponytail: The problem with scientists is that you take the wonder and beauty out of everything by trying to analyze it.<br /> :Megan: ''Dude!''<br /> <br /> :[Megan runs across the panel, carrying a microscope and a slime mold.]<br /> :Megan: My plasmoidal slime molds have heightened pigment production! Check out that yellow color! That actually makes them zinc-resistant. Amazing, huh?<br /> <br /> :[The slime mold is proffered to the same human who was speaking earlier. The close up hides Megan's face.]<br /> :Ponytail: It looks like dog barf.<br /> :Megan: Hah, yeah! F. Septica is nicknamed &quot;dog vomit slime mold.&quot; Cool, huh? Check out my slides!<br /> <br /> :[Megan has set down the microscope on the floor of the panel, and the slime mold is jiggling.]<br /> :Ponytail: Okay, never mind: What's wrong with scientists is that you ''do'' see wonder and beauty in everything.<br /> :Ponytail: Oh God, it's ''moving!''<br /> :Megan: It wants to hug you! So cute!<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]<br /> [[Category:Biology]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=843:_Misconceptions&diff=72185 2014-07-23T14:08:44Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 843<br /> | date = January 5, 2011<br /> | title = Misconceptions<br /> | image = misconceptions.png<br /> | titletext = &quot;Grandpa, what was it like in the Before time?&quot; &quot;It was hell. People went around saying glass was a slow-flowing liquid. You folks these days don't know how good you have it.&quot;<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> The Wikipedia article {{w|List of common misconceptions}} gives a list of commonly-repeated anecdotes that are widely believed to be true, but actually are not. [[Miss Lenhart]], or the school board, has made the reading of this article a curriculum requirement to stem the repetition of these incorrect anecdotes.<br /> <br /> The title text refers to a specific one of these false stories: That glass, while seeming solid, is actually an extremely viscous liquid and will flow over time, as is seen on older buildings where the window panes are thicker at the bottom. In reality, older manufacturing processes did not produce glass panes with as uniform thickness as modern processes, and people tended to install the uneven panes with the thicker side at the bottom for stability. Glass simply does not flow at room temperature; it's more viscous than solid lead by a factor of over a ''billion''.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Miss Lenhart is standing in front of a board, holding a laptop computer and elocuting.]<br /> :Miss Lenhart: Okay, middle school students, it's the first Tuesday in February.<br /> :Miss Lenhart: This means that by law and custom, we must spend the morning reading through the Wikipedia article ''List of Common Misconceptions'', so you can spend the rest of your lives being a little less wrong.<br /> :Miss Lenhart: The guests at every party you'll ever attend thank us in advance.<br /> :I wish I lived in this universe.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Wikipedia]]<br /> [[Category:Physics]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=826:_Guest_Week:_Zach_Weiner_(SMBC)&diff=72133 2014-07-23T03:58:49Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 826<br /> | date = November 26, 2010<br /> | title = Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)<br /> | before = ''Explainxkcd note: Don't try and click on this image to see the exhibits. Visit [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ the actual comic] instead''<br /> | image = guest week zach weiner smbc.png<br /> | titletext = Guest comic by Zach Weiner of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. When I was stressed out, Zach gave me a talk that was really encouraging and somehow involved nanobots.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> <br /> This comic is drawn by a guest webcomic artist, Zack Weiner, following the theme of &quot;Guest Week&quot;. Zach is the author of the webcomic [http://www.smbc-comics.com/ Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]. The [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ original comic] is interactive. It will show images of the exibits (see below) by clicking on them.<br /> <br /> The entire comic is a hypothetical &quot;{{w|Smithsonian Museum}} of Dad-Trolling, an entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement.&quot; It is an common occurrence that curious children will ask simple questions about science to their parents, such as, &quot;Daddy, why is the sky blue?&quot; and a parent could respond, &quot;Well Susie, the sky is blue to match your dress.&quot;<br /> <br /> ===Hall Of Misunderstood Science===<br /> Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false, sarcastic, or exaggerated answers to typical questions that children may ask their parents about scientific topics. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false. These explanations may be given because the parent does not know how to explain the topic.<br /> <br /> &lt;gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px&gt;<br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_27.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that basilisks exist, and that they live under your bed. The basilisk is a mythological reptilian monster that was described as having the ability to turn other living things to stone with its gaze. This story might be believed by children because children often imagine that a monster or a dangerous creature is hiding under the bed at night, and verifying that the basilisk is under the bed might turn the child to stone. <br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_26.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that &quot;In my day&quot; molecules did not exist, and everything was just atoms. Molecules are chains of atoms, and therefore more complex than atoms. This story might be believed by children because old people often tell unbelievable and questionably credible &quot;In my day&quot; stories about how different, or in this case less complicated, things when they where younger. This story may sound no less credible then these stories to a child. Like most &quot;In my day&quot; stories there is at least a grain of truth. The word atom has changed its meaning over time; at one time all discovered molecules were called {{w|atomism|atoms}}, as when they were modified their properties change. Also, according to the {{w|Big Bang}} theory, there was a period billions of years ago when the universe contained no molecules, yet still contained atoms.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_25.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that magnets are only attracted to each other when they are teenagers. This is a inside joke that the child is not in on about how there is a loss of sexual desire in adults. This story might be believed because magnets are seen as mysterious and possibly magical by children.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_24.png|In this exhibit the plaque on the statue of Jesus claims that {{w|snow}} is composed of Jesus' {{w|dandruff}}. This story might be believed because some children take the expression that {{w|rain}} is &quot;God's tears&quot;, and this would be a logical extension.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_20.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that the reason that there are only four components of {{w|DNA}} is because there where only four letters back then. The following letters describe the {{w|nucleotides}} that make up DNA chains: &quot;G&quot; {{w|guanine}}, &quot;A&quot; {{w|adenine}}, &quot;T&quot; {{w|thymine}}, and &quot;C&quot; {{w|cytosine}}. This story might be believed by children as DNA can be thought as an instruction set to build life. Instructions contain words, and therefore the letters G, A, T, and C can be thought of as the letters that the words in the instructions are made from.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_23.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that you are more vulnerable to the {{w|Bogeyman|boogie man}} when you are sleeping. &quot;The Boogie Man&quot; is a common legend used to scare young kids; he typically hides in closets and underneath beds, and attacks sleeping children. This story might be believed by children as some believe in the boogie man.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_22.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that water increases its size to frighten {{w|predator|predators}}. {{w|Ice}} is less dense than liquid {{w|water}}. This is an unusual property as most materials are more dense in solid form. This might be believed by a child because many animals appear to increase there size to frighten away other threatening animals. A {{w|rhinoceros}} although not traditionally a predator, would be a predator of water.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_21.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|antimatter|anti-matter}} is composed of half ant and half matter. The prefix anti means &quot;the opposite of&quot;, but sounds similar to the word ant. This story might be believed by children because a hyphen is often used to combine two words together with different meanings to create a word with the meaning of both. Combining the words ants and matter could produce a word meaning something composed of both ants and matter.<br /> &lt;/gallery&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===<br /> This section holds falsehoods that a dad might use to frighten his children. Fear is often used to discourage children from disobeying their parents. It is an interactive experience, so visitors can try something for themselves, then learn the frightening fact it indicates.<br /> <br /> &lt;gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px&gt;<br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_19.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that helium makes your voice higher because you are about to explode. Helium makes your voice high-pitched, because sound travels faster in helium than in oxygen, and it does not explode because it is a noble gas. This story might be used by parents to discourage children from inhaling helium. This story might regrettably convince a child that they are dying after they inhale helium.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_18.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that if your middle finger is longer than all the others, you are an alien half-breed. For almost all people the middle finger is longer than all the others. This story might be used by parents to tease their children. This story might regrettably convince a child that one of their parents is a alien, and therefore not to be trusted.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_16.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that one of the cups of {{w|Jell-O|Jello}} had a rabbit brain instead of a cherry. Cherries are a common ingredient in gelatin based deserts. One cup is missing and in the hands of the child, possibly eaten. This story might be used by parents to tease their children, or discourage them from eating more dessert. This story might regrettably convince a child that they ate the brain of a small cute fluffy animal.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_17.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that monsters will eat you if you do not make your bed. In some stories monsters specifically prey on children. This story might be used by parents to encourage children to make their beds. This story might regrettably convince a child that there are monsters under their beds and frighten them so they can not sleep.<br /> &lt;/gallery&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Concessions===<br /> This area holds concession stands, which sell food. There are misleading names on each stand. The pop-outs in this section are based on jokes parents tell their children to frighten them about food.<br /> <br /> &lt;gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px&gt;<br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_15.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces the name of the concession stand as KFP. The parent claims that the &quot;P&quot; stands for phoenix, and the operator adds &quot;also ponies&quot;. KFP is a a parody of Kentucky Fried Chicken ({{w|KFC}}), a popular fast food chain which specializes in fried chicken. A phoenix is a mythical bird that throws it self into a fire and later rises from the ashes. This story might be believed by children because phoenixes are birds and a fried one may look similar to a chicken.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_14.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces that the concession stand sells {{w|ground beef}} and further enplanes that ground beef is beef that is found on the ground. The word ground sometimes refers to the floor other times is past tense of the word grind. This story might be believed by children because the words are spelled and pronounced the same.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_13.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces that the concession stand sells {{w|ice cream}} and claims that ice cream is really spelled eyes cream, and always composed of eyeballs. This story might be believed by children because the words &quot;eyes cream&quot; sounds similar to &quot;ice cream&quot;.<br /> &lt;/gallery&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===<br /> Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false, sarcastic, or exaggerated answers to typical questions that children may ask their parents about history. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false. These explanations may be given because the parent does not know how to explain the topic.<br /> <br /> &lt;gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px&gt;<br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_11.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|Genghis Khan}} achieved his victories by using dragons. Genghis Khan was a Mongolian conqueror who conquered almost all of Asia and much of Europe founding the {{w|Mongol Empire}}, and creating the then-largest continuous land empire in history. This story might be believed by children because some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_12.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that the {{w|Crimean War}} was a war on crime. The Crimean War is an often forgotten Eastern European conflict between Russia and a European coalition with aims to stop Russia's expansion. This story might be believed by children because adding an &quot;a&quot; to a people group sometimes is used to create a country name, making Crimea sounds similar to a nation of criminals. <br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_10.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that wizards where in control during {{w|The Renaissance}}. The Renaissance is a cultural movement in Europe that took place after the Dark ages. This story might be believed by children because some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_3.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|Star Wars}} is actual history. Star Wars is a fantastical science fiction movie. This story might be believed by children because the movie begins &quot;a long time ago in a galaxy far away&quot;, and some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_9.png|In this exhibit the poster claims that {{w|France}} does not exist. The adult in the comic continues to attempt to convince the children that France does not exist. This is supposed to be funny because the knowledge of France as a country is common. This may be parodying the global warming debate, a common theme in both XKCD and SMBC.<br /> &lt;/gallery&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===<br /> Each exhibit is a display set up to explain uncomfortable topics that children may ask their parents about. The answers given so that the children do not ask further questions.<br /> <br /> &lt;gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px&gt;<br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_8.png|In this exhibit the sign on the box covering up the couple in bed claims that naked wrestling is perfectly normal, but kids should never engage in it. &quot;Naked wrestling&quot; is a common euphemism for sex, often made up on the spot. A parent may give this explanation if a child walks in on there parents having sex and they feel that the children are too young to understand<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_7.png|In this exhibit the sign over the stand claims your parents drink alcohol to prevent you from drinking it as alcohol is a poison. This is technically true, as alcohol is a toxin. A parent may give this explanation to a child who asks their parents why they drink alcohol if it is bad for you, and did not want to explain the pleasurable experience of alcohol because it might encourage children to drink.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_5.png|In this exhibit the banner claims that mommies have big tummies because storks like chubby girls. Some parents tell their children that storks deliver babies so that they do not have to discuss the topic of sex. A parent may give this explanation to a child who asks why, if a stork delivers babies, there mommies is changing while she is pregnant.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_6.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that grandma did not die, but is going back to Saturn. Some parents tell their children that their loved ones have gone away instead of telling them the truth, their loved ones are dead. Going to Saturn &quot;for revenge&quot; is added for comic value. A parent may give this explanation to a avoid causing their child pain.<br /> &lt;/gallery&gt;<br /> <br /> ===Miscellaneous===<br /> &lt;gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px&gt;<br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_4.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|dinosaur|dinosaurs}} are made of bones only. The fossil record includes the imprints of the other tissues of dinosaurs including skin, nails, teeth, and feathers. This story might be believed by children because the majority of all displays of dinosaurs in museums only include bones.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_2.png|The Bathrooms have 3 doors. Clicking reveals that there is one for each gender of humans, and one for &quot;Korgmen &amp; Spangs&quot;. This is most likely a reference to the Marvel alien species {{w|Korg_(comics)|the Korg}}.<br /> <br /> File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_1.png|In this exhibit the sign (which the children can not see) explains that the {{w|Magic Eye}} poster contains no hidden images. Magic Eye is a company that sells {{w|autostereogram}}s in books. Autostereograms contain &quot;hidden&quot; three-dimensional image that can only be seen by focusing one's eyes at a point other than the poster itself. This takes time and many people find it difficult or impossible to do.<br /> &lt;/gallery&gt;<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :In the spirit of xkcd I present a proposal for a new Smithsonian museum:<br /> :The Smithsonian Museum Of Dad-Trolling<br /> :An entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement<br /> <br /> :(Click to view exhibits!)<br /> <br /> :The top left room is 'The Hall of Misunderstood Science'. It contains six exhibits.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A giant basilisk looms over children.<br /> :Exhibit label: BASILISKS: Real, deadly, under your bed.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: Four magnets hang from a square arch. A child is touching two of them together.<br /> :Text on the arch: Magnets only leap at each other when they're teenagers. Later, they lose interest.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A child on his dad's shoulders looks up at a looming statue of Jesus behind a lectern. There are flakes falling from Jesus onto them both.<br /> :Exhibit label: Snow is Jesus' dandruff. His scalp gets dry when it's cold.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A child lies asleep, while hands and a scary face reach up around the bed toward him.<br /> :Exhibit label: Sleep: Now you're vulnerable to the boogie man!<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: An ice block sits on a stand in front of pictures of a wolf and rhinoceros looking frightened.<br /> :Exhibit label: Freezing water: Expands to frighten predators.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: An insect on a stick is orbited by a small sphere.<br /> :Exhibit label: Anti-matter: Matter that is more than 50% ants.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A DNA strand with the letters T, A, C, and G hanging around it.<br /> :Exhibit label: DNA only has four letters because the alphabet was smaller back then.<br /> :Dad, to child: Told you so.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A bunch of molecules hang from the ceiling.<br /> :Exhibit label: Molecules? In my day, we only had atoms!<br /> <br /> :The top right room is 'Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience'. There are four exhibits.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: Five balloons float tethered to a table. A child is holding a sixth balloon. The Dad looks alarmed.<br /> :Sign on exhibit: If this helium makes your voice go higher, it's because you're ten seconds from exploding.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: An alien face is shown above an outline of several hands next to a ruler. A child holds his hand up to it.<br /> :Sign on exhibit: Measure your middle finger. If it's longer than the others, you're an alien halfbreed.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: Three cups are on a table. A child is walking away with a fourth cup, the dad's arm around the child's shoulder.<br /> :Exhibit label: Has anyone seen my rabbit brain? It looks like a cherry, and I dropped it in a Jello cup.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A monstrous set of jaws open upward around a bed.<br /> :Sign on exhibit: Make your bed or monsters will know a kid lives there.<br /> <br /> :The center right room is 'Concessions'. There are three booths.<br /> <br /> :Booth: A concession stand is labeled 'KFP', and displays a KFC-style bucket. A dad and child are eating.<br /> :Dad: The &quot;P&quot; is for &quot;phoenix&quot;.<br /> <br /> :Booth: A concession stand.<br /> :Sign on stand: Ground beef: Beef we found on the ground.<br /> :Dad, to child: Told you.<br /> <br /> :Booth: A stand shaped like a giant eye.<br /> :Booth label: EYES CREAM<br /> :Subtitle: How did you think it was spelled?<br /> :Sign on booth: Now with more of the goo in your eyes. Same as every other creamery.<br /> <br /> :The lower left room is 'Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History'. There are five exhibits.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A man is riding a dragon.<br /> :Exhibit label: Genghis Khan: victory through dragons.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A criminal in front of some windows.<br /> :Exhibit label: The Crimean War: The first war against crime.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A castle with flags hanging on it.<br /> :Exhibit label: The Renaissance<br /> :Subtitle: Long story short, the wizards were in control.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit:A man in Jedi-style robes with a fake beard.<br /> :Exhibit label: Star Wars is a documentary. No, seriously.<br /> :Dad, to children: Kids, this man is a veteran.<br /> <br /> :The lower right room is 'Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics'. There are five exhibits.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A wrestling ring, with a man and woman mostly obscured by the exhibit label.<br /> :Exhibit label: Naked wrestling: perfectly normal. NEVER DO IT.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: a figure sits at a booth in front of a bowl of food. The dad is holding a bottle.<br /> :Exhibit label: Alcohol is poison. I drink to save you from it.<br /> :Dad: You're welcome.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A large bird.<br /> :Exhibit label: Mommies get big tummies before babies come because the stork likes chubby girls.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A rocket ship.<br /> :Sign on exhibit: Grandma's not dead. She just returned to Saturn. For REVENGE.<br /> <br /> :In the areas outside the rooms, there are two more exhibits and restrooms, all clickable.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A dinosaur skeleton.<br /> :Exhibit label: That's right. Dinosaurs were made entirely of BONES.<br /> :Dad, to kid: If you think about it, it makes sense.<br /> <br /> :Exhibit: A large image hangs on the wall. It is a dense squiggly jumble of lines.<br /> :Dad, to kids: You gotta squint juuust right.<br /> :Sign on exhibit: Magic eye trick that doesn't actually work.<br /> <br /> :Restrooms: There are three doors, each with a sign.<br /> :First door (male logo): Men &amp; Boys<br /> :Second door (female logo): Women &amp; Girls<br /> :Third door (unrecognizable logo): Korgmen &amp; Spangs<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]<br /> [[Category:Ferret]]<br /> [[Category:Guest Week]]<br /> [[Category:Interactive comics]]<br /> [[Category:Dinosaurs]]<br /> [[Category:LOTR]]<br /> [[Category:Religion]]<br /> [[Category:Science]]<br /> [[Category:Star Wars]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=613:_Threesome&diff=71860 2014-07-17T22:14:22Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 613<br /> | date = July 22, 2009<br /> | title = Threesome<br /> | image = threesome.png<br /> | titletext = I wanted us to try finding an approximate numeric solution, but noooo.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> The {{w|N-Body Problem}} in physics refers to our inability to analytically solve sets of differential equations modelling gravitational attraction between more than two bodies. In the comic, they describe a physicist's difficulty having a threesome due to his inability to find a closed-form solution. The title text suggests they should settle for a numerical solution since a closed form solution is unavailable; however, the physicist apparently refused to do so during the previous night when Megan suggested him to.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :Megan: We had a threesome last night.<br /> :Cueball: How was it?<br /> <br /> :Megan: Awkward - it was with a physicist.<br /> :Cueball: Why's that awkward?<br /> <br /> :Megan: They can't solve the three-body problem.<br /> :Cueball: Ah, yes.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Physics]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:612:_Estimation&diff=71859 2014-07-17T22:12:39Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>I've experienced this more strongly while installing programs rather than transfering files, and the &quot;connection lost&quot; part is not exclusively from Microsoft. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.196|108.162.212.196]] 22:06, 3 January 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I think there needs to be some explanation on what &quot;per-file overhead&quot; is, for those who don't know - myself, for instance. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 22:12, 17 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:612:_Estimation&diff=71858 2014-07-17T22:12:31Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>I've experienced this more strongly while installing programs rather than transfering files, and the &quot;connection lost&quot; part is not exclusively from Microsoft. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.196|108.162.212.196]] 22:06, 3 January 2014 (UTC)<br /> I think there needs to be some explanation on what &quot;per-file overhead&quot; is, for those who don't know - myself, for instance. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 22:12, 17 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:540:_Base_System&diff=71841 2014-07-17T05:25:01Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>Panels 3 &amp; 4 refer to yet other sports. A 50-yard line is a significant location in American football; a ten-pin is a specific<br /> pin location in bowling; and a red flag is a warning given in non-American football (what Amercians call soccer).<br /> <br /> :Soccer has a red card for expulsion from the field, not a flag. A red flag may be used to stop a race in motorsports.13:28, 1 December 2013 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.245}}<br /> <br /> The arrow indicating Napoleon's forces may be a reference to the classic map/diagram by Charles Joseph Minard, which shows not only the path Napoleon's army took on its Russian invasion, but also several other relevant categories of facts about that campaign, thus folding several conceptual dimensions into two. (sorry, should have signed this.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.209|108.162.219.209]] 07:44, 6 November 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> As far as I know, the image I've added is for example purposes, and is such for fair use - but those wiser than I can feel free to check it. [http://www.factbook.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/baseball.html Here's where I found it.] [[User:Jetman123|Jetman123]] ([[User talk:Jetman123|talk]]) 23:57, 10 December 2013 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=485:_Depth&diff=71828 2014-07-16T20:32:14Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 485<br /> | date = October 6, 2008<br /> | title = Depth<br /> | image = depth.png<br /> | titletext = The Planck length is another thousand or two pixels below the comic.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> The comic is a companion piece to [[482: Height]], which explored a {{w|logarithmic scale}} from the edge of the observable universe down to the Earth's surface. ''Depth'' continues the process, viewing logarithmically smaller scales from Earth's atmosphere down to the interior of a single {{w|proton}}. This combination is reminiscent of Charles and Ray Eames' 1977 short film [http://youtu.be/0fKBhvDjuy0 Powers of Ten].<br /> <br /> Here's a walk through the entire comic:<br /> <br /> * At the top we see a cutaway view of a story apartment complex. From left to right are a [[Grownups]] reference, [[Megan]] {{w|exorcising}} {{w|Windows Vista}}, [[Ponytail]] and Megan playing {{w|Guitar Hero}} or a similar game, [[Cueball]] at a desk, and what appear to be some sexytimes.<br /> * The view descends into Cueball's tower PC.<br /> * Entering the computer's internals, we see a mouse plugged into the PS/2 (6-pin mini-DIN) connector. This is a visual pun, since the mouse is an actual rodent and not a handheld device.<br /> * Next we dive into the CPU. We see a multi-layered pun on the question &quot;how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?&quot; There may be a pun with a chip's connector pin, but the more obvious reference is Randall's answer of 32,767 = 2&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt; - 1, the largest possible value of a signed 16-bit integer. Adding one rolls back over to -32,768, which is 32,768 devils or &quot;negative angels.&quot; (See [[571: Can't Sleep]] for a similar joke and a more elaborate explanation.)<br /> * A blood-sucking mosquito appears to be &quot;leeching&quot; a torrent.<br /> * A {{w|segfault}} is a problem with memory access.<br /> * We zoom into a memory unit on the CPU. Cueball is being {{w|rickrolled}}, as indicated by the label &quot;pixel on Rick Astley's shoulder.&quot;<br /> * A &quot;fork();&quot; command points at one of several unlabeled spermatazoa. Forking and sperm are capable of spawning &quot;child processes.&quot; Groan.<br /> * {{w|Peter Norton}} is the founder of {{w|Norton Antivirus}}. He is shown fighting a biological virus, rather than informatic malware.<br /> * Showing the relative scale of carbon nanotubes, the suggestion is that these then lead on to a more megastructural Space Elevator, for which carbon nanotubes are often cited as a suitably strong component needed for the cable.<br /> * We soon zoom into a silicon atom in the CPU. In the {{w|electron cloud}}, the squiggles made out of arrows are {{w|Feynman diagram}}s. A Feynman diagram in the shape of a stick figure is saying &quot;Sup?&quot;, a pun on the &quot;Sup&quot; particle (supersymmetric partner 'squark' to the Up quark) and an abbreviation of the greeting &quot;What's up?.&quot;<br /> * An 'iPod Femto' is shown, as a pun on the 'iPod Nano' (both are {{w|SI prefixes}}).<br /> * Brian Greene is a theoretical physicist and {{w|Popular science|pop scientist}} who discusses the nature of the universe. The picture of him knitting is a pun on {{w|string theory}} and PBS miniseries, {{w|The Fabric of the Cosmos}}.<br /> * The {{w|Planck length}} (&lt;big&gt;ℓ&lt;/big&gt;&lt;sub&gt;P&lt;/sub&gt;) is the smallest theoretically measurable distance, defined by three fundamental constants in physics: the {{w|speed of light}} in a vacuum (c), {{w|Planck constant|Planck's constant}} (h), and the {{w|gravitational constant}} (G). The Planck length is vastly smaller than any known particle, and modern physics is a long way from being able investigate such a scale.<br /> <br /> [[1162: Log Scale]] and [[482: Height]] are other comics about the use of log scales.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :Sizes Accurate on a vertical log scale<br /> :[Series of images of characters doing various things. The things they are doing are listed in left to right order.]<br /> :Cueball and Megan playing in a ball pen <br /> :Megan using witchcraft to ban vista &quot;Out, Vista!&quot;<br /> :Ponytail and Megan play Rock Band <br /> :Man and woman are having &quot;fun&quot; on a shaking bed.<br /> :[Below this series of images, an image of a man on the computer.]<br /> :Cueball is on a computer and the image expands as it goes down. Here are the labels from left to right, up to down:<br /> :CD <br /> :DVD<br /> :Case<br /> :North Bridge<br /> :PS/2<br /> :Mouse (rodent)<br /> :RAM<br /> :CPU Socket Pin<br /> :32,767 Angels Dancing (one more and they'd roll over and become {{w|Two's complement|32,768 Devils}}), Rice, Torrent (a bug), CPU, upcoming segfault<br /> :dust mite<br /> :hair<br /> :OVUM<br /> :Data (a pixel on Rick Astley's shoulder), rust mite, fork();<br /> :Peter Norton fighting a baxteriophage<br /> :memory<br /> :carbon nanotubes<br /> :space elevator<br /> :a line of silicon (Si), Electron Cloud, a man made out of arrows saying &quot;sup?&quot;<br /> :silicon nucleus<br /> :IPod femto<br /> :Brian Greene knitting furiously ''clank, clunk''<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Charts]]<br /> [[Category:Physics]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br /> [[Category:Guitar Hero]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:476:_One-Sided&diff=71827 2014-07-16T20:17:00Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>Could the Bernanke in question be {{w|Ben Bernanke}}, American economist and currently chairman of the {{w|Federal Reserve}} (i.e. &quot;The Fed&quot;)? I assume the crossbows are a reference to something topical, but have no idea what. Might it be a video game of some kind? --''[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 09:04, 28 June 2013 (UTC)''<br /> :Indeed. As for the crossbow and &quot;uncontaminated&quot; thing, and tying it all together, there was some big video game set in a post-apocalyptic Washington DC, but I can't for the life of me remember what its name was.<br /> --[[Special:Contributions/79.222.56.250|79.222.56.250]] 12:41, 31 August 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I think the Fallout 3 reference is a bit far-fetched to be anything more than speculation, especially since there's no mention of Ben Bernanke, or any Bernanke, in said game. The &quot;contamination&quot; aspect of the title text is most likely used because it's a simple, commonly-used &quot;disaster' plot that justifies the use of a crossbow and doesn't require much context or explanation, if any. Also, Fallout 3 does not have crossbows. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 20:15, 16 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:476:_One-Sided&diff=71826 2014-07-16T20:15:31Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>Could the Bernanke in question be {{w|Ben Bernanke}}, American economist and currently chairman of the {{w|Federal Reserve}} (i.e. &quot;The Fed&quot;)? I assume the crossbows are a reference to something topical, but have no idea what. Might it be a video game of some kind? --''[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 09:04, 28 June 2013 (UTC)''<br /> :Indeed. As for the crossbow and &quot;uncontaminated&quot; thing, and tying it all together, there was some big video game set in a post-apocalyptic Washington DC, but I can't for the life of me remember what its name was.<br /> --[[Special:Contributions/79.222.56.250|79.222.56.250]] 12:41, 31 August 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I think the Fallout 3 reference is a bit far-fetched to be anything more than speculation, especially since there's no mention of Ben Bernanke, or any Bernanke, in said game. The &quot;contamination&quot; aspect of the title text is most likely used because it's a simple, commonly-used &quot;disaster' plot that justifies the use of a crossbow and doesn't require much context or explanation, if any. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 20:15, 16 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:455:_Hats&diff=71763 2014-07-16T05:22:56Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>I have a dissenting opinion, I think it's an electrostatics joke, with black hat (who is negative), meets a person of the same charge and more mass, so he is repelled by an electromagnetic field (likes repel)<br /> --[[Special:Contributions/198.228.200.168|198.228.200.168]] 15:57, 9 May 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> :I am sure this is a mystic power pushing Black Hat back at the last frame. There must be a film or video game with a powerful man wearing two hats or something similar. I have no idea. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:40, 9 May 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> ::What, you mean like Team Fortress 2, and its infamous Gentle Manne of Leisure?{{unsigned ip|173.245.54.79}}<br /> <br /> :I disagree with the above discussion: I believe the wavy lines shown in the final frame are simply to indicate that Black Hat is slowly backing away. If any mystical or eletrostatic forces were involved, the long delay in the 3rd and 4th frames, during which Black Hat is sizing up Black Hat 2, would NOT be appropriate. --[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 18:25, 26 June 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> <br /> I believe it is significant that the black hat has its own black hat. Nobody mentioned this. It's not merely that the gentleman is wearing two hats. This effectively squares the humor level.<br /> --[[Special:Contributions/71.22.93.130|71.22.93.130 dobennett]] 23:37, 17 May 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> <br /> I think the dual-BHG first had only one hat (I mean, why would you wear two hats?), but gained one from another BHG (ala Cube Zero and the watches), which is why DBHG is clearly a threat to BHGs.<br /> --[[Special:Contributions/84.249.195.230|84.249.195.230]] 14:54, 3 July 2013 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:454:_Rewiring&diff=71762 2014-07-16T05:20:28Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>As well as physically 'threading' the mail system, an email (or other messaging) client that keeps track of what messages reply to which others (often as a linear progression or cascade, or a tree-view where multiplie participants can be expected to branch the conversation) is said to show 'threaded' messages. Or was. (These days it's probably got some other name, and everyone seems to just want to top-post anyway. Thank you, Eternal September!!!) [[Special:Contributions/178.107.249.215|178.107.249.215]] 13:12, 14 June 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> :If there were so many homes with phone wiring and no ethernet wiring and they were complaining, why didn't they just use the phone wiring for ethernet. It is a little less stable because of lack of addditional grounding/isolation wiring, but ethernet does only actually use 4 wires. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 19:35, 1 December 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I believe that there needs to be more explanation about the title text, particularly about what &quot;threading&quot; and a mail system are. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 05:20, 16 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=445:_I_Am_Not_Good_with_Boomerangs&diff=71747 2014-07-16T00:04:38Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 445<br /> | date = July 4, 2008<br /> | title = I Am Not Good with Boomerangs<br /> | image = i_am_not_good_with_boomerangs.png<br /> | titletext = Bonus strip: just read the rightmost panels straight down.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> The strip shows [[Cueball]] throwing a boomerang four times, each time finding a difficulty in catching it.<br /> <br /> The first time, it merely hits him in the head.&lt;br&gt;<br /> The second time, six boomerangs come after him.&lt;br&gt;<br /> The third time, a shark somehow returns to him.&lt;br&gt;<br /> The fourth and final time, his girlfriend [[Megan]] floats back to him - then she states: &quot;I'm leaving you.&quot;<br /> <br /> The title text refers to a bonus strip — if one reads the rightmost panels straight down, you get a strip that suggests that Megan threw multiple things at him out of anger before breaking up with him. This seems to mirror the plot of the 2006 comedy film ''{{w|My Super Ex-Girlfriend}}'', in which the eponymous character throws multiple things at the protagonist (including a shark) prior to breaking up with him.<br /> <br /> Boomerangs returns in a kind of sequel [[475: Further Boomerang Difficulties]], which might also have yet another sequel in [[939: Arrow]]. Finally boomerangs also became a main theme in the interactive comic [[1350: Lorenz]].<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball throws a boomerang, but it hits him in the head when it returns.]<br /> <br /> :[Cueball throws the boomerang again, but this time several boomerangs chase after him.]<br /> <br /> :[Cueball throws the boomerang once more, and this time a shark inexplicably appears.]<br /> <br /> :[Cueball throws the boomerang a final time, and Megan appears, hovering.]<br /> :Megan: I'm leaving you.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Boomerangs]]<br /> [[Category:Sharks]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=442:_xkcd_Loves_the_Discovery_Channel&diff=71746 2014-07-16T00:02:16Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 442<br /> | date = June 27, 2008<br /> | title = xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel<br /> | image = xkcd_loves_the_discovery_channel.png<br /> | titletext = I love the title-text!<br /> }}<br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This comic is a parody of the {{w|Discovery Channel}} commercial showing various clips of people singing a song with the chorus line [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0 'Boom De Yada']. The comic is divided into a grid of 4 by 6 panels, each depicting a character or situation from a previous xkcd strip. In each panel is written a part of a song similar to the song from the Discovery Channel commercial.<br /> <br /> The campaign from the {{w|Discovery Channel}} was not called &quot;Boom De Yada&quot;, but &quot;{{w|I Love the World}}&quot;. The title &quot;xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel&quot; is in reference to this.<br /> <br /> Most of the panels are references to previous xkcd strips, but a few are not.<br /> <br /> ;Panel 1 ''I love momentum.'' <br /> :A reference to comic [[162: Angular Momentum]], where [[Megan]] spins in a circle to &quot;rob the planet of angular momentum.&quot;<br /> ;Panel 2 ''I love to engineer.'' <br /> :A reference to comic [[413: New Pet]], where Megan and [[Cueball]] turn an {{w|EEE PC}} into a household pet.<br /> ;Panel 3 ''I love this bakery!'' <br /> :A reference to comic [[434: xkcd Goes to the Airport]], where [[Beret Guy]] shows his liking for bakeries in first panel. His love of bakeries is a recurring gag in the comic.<br /> ;Panel 4 ''I love the blogosphere!'' <br /> :A reference to comic [[239: Blagofaire]], where someone from the far future believes many people blogged from high-altitude balloons whilst wearing red capes and goggles. The flying character may be {{w|Cory Doctorow}}, who is mentioned in the comic as the only blogger to actually do this, and who also appeared in comic [[345: 1337: Part 5]] in this guise.<br /> ;Panel 5 ''I love the whole world.'' (Cueball running in large hamster ball.) <br /> :Likely a reference to comic [[152: Hamster Ball]], though there are [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Hamster_Ball multiple comics] featuring human-sized {{w|Hamster ball|hamster balls}}.<br /> ;Panel 6 ''And all its messed-up folks.'' <br /> :A reference to the /b/ (&quot;Random&quot;) forum on {{w|4chan}}, which is in fact home to plenty of &quot;messed-up folks&quot;. This on-line behavior is something [[Randall]] comments on in several comics both before and after this. For instance in [[202: YouTube]].<br /> ;Panel 7 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Cueball and Megan immersed in playpen balls.) <br /> :A reference to comic [[150: Grownups]], where Megan decides that she has the ability to, and wants to, turn her house into a giant playpen.<br /> ;Panel 8 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (''I put on my robe and wizard hat'') <br /> :A reference to [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/bloodninja this roleplay chat transcript] (NSFW), which became an Internet meme. A user named bloodninja would roleplay as a wizard during {{w|cybersex}} (saying &quot;I put on my robe and wizard hat&quot; to signal this) and invariably infuriate his unwitting partners with demeaning actions. Other incidents involved him roleplaying as a rhinoceros. In the above mentioned comic [[150: Grownups]] the two characters also disappear, but in that case a big pink heart comes out of the playpen balls. <br /> ;Panel 9 ''I love your suffering.'' <br /> :The recurring character [[Black Hat]] is being his usual self and causing suffering for his own amusement, as in comic [[72: Classhole]]. In this panel he is seen either taking a present away from a child, who is upset, or giving the child a package containing a bobcat, like the package in comic [[325: A-Minus-Minus]]. This last possibility would explain the lines indicating the box to be moving in Black Hat's hands.<br /> ;Panel 10 ''I love cryptography.'' <br /> :{{w|Cryptography}} is a subject that comes up often in the comic, notably, in comics [[153: Cryptography]] and [[177: Alice and Bob]] before this one (for a full list see [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Cryptography Category:Cryptography]). The panel shows a flowchart of the kind commonly used to show how a particular cryptosystem works and/or how it can be broken.<br /> ;Panel 11 ''I love entangled sheets.'' <br /> :Sexual reference. Sex and red sheets are also brought up in comic [[230: Hamiltonian]]. <br /> ;Panel 12 ''And kite photography.''<br /> :A reference to Randall's own hobby of [http://xkcd.com/kite/ kite photography] as well as comic [[235: Kite]].<br /> ;Panel 13 ''I love the whole world'' (Map of the internet.)<br /> :A reference to comic [[256: Online Communities]], featuring online communities of the time visualised as a world map, with geographic area representing their approximate membership size. There is, more directly, a pun on &quot;internet&quot;, namely &quot;outernet&quot;. <br /> ;Panel 14 ''And all its mysteries.''<br /> :A reference to a series of comics on &quot;red spiders:&quot; [[8|8: Red Spiders]], [[43|43: Red Spiders 2]], [[47|47: Counter-Red Spiders]], [[126|126: Red Spiders Cometh]], and [[427|427: Bad Timing]]. <br /> ;Panel 15 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Two people sword-fighting on rolling office chairs.)<br /> :A reference to comic [[303: Compiling]], where two coders battle with fake swords at work, with the excuse that their code is compiling.<br /> ;Panel 16 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Classroom with two students and a teacher.)<br /> :Nothing too special, but it does embrace the &quot;everybody joins in&quot; theme behind the commercials. The teacher is [[Miss Lenhart]] who was first properly introduced in comic [[263: Certainty]] but may have made an appearance in comic [[59: Graduation]].<br /> ;Panel 17 ''I love elections'' (''Barack me Obamadeus!'')<br /> :A pun on the song {{w|Rock Me Amadeus}} and US president {{w|Barack Obama}}. At this point Randall had not done any comics directly on elections but he made this after the one in 2008: [[500: Election]] and has shown his love for this subject also around the 2012 election.<br /> ;Panel 18 ''I love transistors.'' <br /> :This panel has Cueball's crotch replaced with the (similar-looking) icon used for a {{w|transistor}} in a {{w|circuit diagram}}. Randall later showed how much he loves anything that can go in to such a diagram in [[730: Circuit Diagram]].<br /> ;Panel 19 ''I love weird pillow talk.'' (''There ''must'' be Taft slash fiction.'')<br /> :&quot;[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pillow+talk Pillow talk]&quot; means intimate conversations between lovers, &quot;{{w|slash fiction}}&quot; is fanfiction with characters of the same sex, and &quot;Taft&quot; is {{w|William Howard Taft}}, a US President mostly remembered for his severe obesity. It appears they are invoking {{w|Rule 34 (Internet meme)|rule 34 of the Internet}} as a reference to [[305: Rule 34]]. Weird pillow talk is also the subject of comic [[69: Pillow Talk]], while the Taft reference comes from comic [[214: The Problem with Wikipedia]].<br /> ;Panel 20 ''I love your sister.''<br /> :A reference to xkcd's recurring joke of dating the female character's sister, which spans several comics including [[49: Want]], [[279: Pickup Lines]], [[317: That Lovin' Feelin']], and [[408: Overqualified]].<br /> ;Panel 21 ''I love the whole world'' (Roller coaster with Cueball holding chess board)<br /> :A reference to comic [[249: Chess Photo]] which inspired an internet meme.<br /> ;Panel 22 ''The future's pretty cool!'' (Beret Guy in a forest.)<br /> :The picture of the forest is similar to that in [[269: TCMP]], though it may also be a reference to comic [[167: Nihilism]], where Cueball and Beret Guy make observations about the future while climbing a tree. Later, in comic [[1322: Winter]], the two are seen walking through a forest very similar to the one shown here.<br /> ;Panel 23 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Megan doing the MC Hammer slide towards Cueball.)<br /> :A reference to comic [[108: M.C. Hammer Slide]], where Hairy falls in love with &quot;a girl whose only mode of transportation is the M.C. Hammer Slide.&quot; <br /> ;Panel 24 ''Boom de yada, Boom de yada'' (Cueball and Megan on an electric skateboard.)<br /> :A reference to comic [[409: Electric Skateboard (Double Comic)]], where Megan and Cueball go on an electric skateboard ride, but he already introduced these back in [[139: I Have Owned Two Electric Skateboards]].<br /> <br /> The title text continues the song, self-referentially. Self-reference is a reoccurring theme in {{w|Douglas Hofstadter|Douglas Hofstadter's}} books, notably ''{{w|Gödel, Escher, Bach}}'' which Randall reefers to directly in [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]]. Later Hofstadter has been referenced in other comics, such as in the title text of [[555: Two Mirrors]] and [[608: Form]] plus of course in [[917: Hofstadter]]. Self-reference as a form of humor was also explored before this comic in [[33: Self-reference]], but much more famously in the later [[688: Self-Description]].<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[The comic is in parody of the Discovery Channel commercial showing various clips of people singing a song with the chorus line &quot;Boom De Yada.&quot;]<br /> :[The comic is divided into a grid of 4 by 6 panels, each depicting a character or situation often from a previous xkcd strip.]<br /> :[In each panel is written a part of a song similar to the song from the Discovery Channel commercial.]<br /> <br /> :Panel 1:<br /> :[Megan spinning around.]<br /> :I love momentum.<br /> <br /> :Panel 2:<br /> :[Megan laying on floor tinkering with EEE PC hamster ball robot.]<br /> :I love to engineer.<br /> <br /> :Panel 3:<br /> :[Beret Guy standing in bakery holding a loaf of bread in each hand, sign with &quot;PIE!&quot; in background.]<br /> :I love this bakery!<br /> <br /> :Panel 4:<br /> :[Cory Doctorow in goggles and red cape flying superman-style.]<br /> :I love the blogosphere!<br /> <br /> :Panel 5:<br /> :[Cueball running in large hamster ball.]<br /> :I love the whole world<br /> <br /> :Panel 6:<br /> :[Depiction of internet sludge (4chan b-Random)]<br /> :And all its messed-up folks.<br /> <br /> :Panel 7:<br /> :[Cueball and Megan immersed in playpen balls.]<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> <br /> :Panel 8:<br /> :[Mass of playpen balls with speech &quot;I put on my robe and wizard hat&quot; originating from it.]<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> <br /> :Panel 9:<br /> :[Black Hat taking gift away from kid with party hat.]<br /> :I love your suffering.<br /> <br /> :Panel 10:<br /> :[Diagram showing RSA fingerprint authentication between two people.]<br /> :I love cryptography.<br /> <br /> :Panel 11:<br /> :[Cueball and Megan in bed covered by red sheet.]<br /> :I love entangled sheets.<br /> <br /> :Panel 12:<br /> :[Cueball hanging from kite string holding camera.]<br /> :And kite photography.<br /> <br /> :Panel 13:<br /> :[Map of the internet.]<br /> :I love the whole world<br /> <br /> :Panel 14:<br /> :[Cube with red spider on top.]<br /> :And all its mysteries.<br /> <br /> :Panel 15:<br /> :[Two people sword-fighting on rolling office chairs.]<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> <br /> :Panel 16:<br /> :[Classroom with two students and Mrs. Lenhart.]<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> <br /> :Panel 17:<br /> :[Cueball saying &quot;Barack me Obamadeus!&quot; to another man speaking energetically at a podium.]<br /> :I love elections.<br /> <br /> :Panel 18:<br /> :[Cueball holding schematic diagram of a transistor in front of his crotch.]<br /> :I love transistors.<br /> <br /> :Panel 19:<br /> :[Cueball and Megan in bed, Cueball saying &quot;There ''must'' be taft slash fiction.&quot;]<br /> :I love weird pillow talk.<br /> <br /> :Panel 20:<br /> :[Cueball speaking to Megan.]<br /> :I love your sister.<br /> <br /> :Panel 21:<br /> :[Roller coaster with Cueball in front car holding chess board and thinking about a move.]<br /> :I love the whole world.<br /> <br /> :Panel 22:<br /> :[Beret Guy standing in the midst of leafless trees.]<br /> :The future's pretty cool!<br /> <br /> :Panel 23:<br /> :[Megan doing the MC Hammer slide towards Cueball.]<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> <br /> :Panel 24:<br /> :[Cueball and Megan on an electric skateboard.]<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> :Boom De Yada<br /> <br /> ==Trivia==<br /> *This comic was enacted by Olga Nunes and various famous people as [http://www.olganunes.com/xkcd ''We Love xkcd''].<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]<br /> [[Category:Playpen balls]]<br /> [[Category:Red Spiders]]<br /> [[Category:Songs]]<br /> [[Category:Electric skateboard]]<br /> [[Category:Cryptography]]<br /> [[Category:Hamster Ball]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=433:_Journal_5&diff=71741 2014-07-15T21:55:05Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 433<br /> | date = June 6, 2008<br /> | title = Journal 5<br /> | image = journal_5.png<br /> | titletext = 'Pick you up at eight?' 'Nine. I've got to re-mine the driveway.'<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> In Journal 1, [[Black Hat]] explains to [[Cueball]] that a hobby of his is to pretend to write in a journal while on the subway, acting embarrassed if anyone sees. He then proceeds to silently scorn the person once they give him any kind of reassurance.<br /> <br /> In Journal 2, however, [[Danish]] sees through his ruse. She counteracts it by proving that she understands him, and attempts to resign him to the fact that he will never see her again, thus robbing him of the satisfaction of a proper social connection. She leaves, taking his hat in the process. Initially stunned, he at last regained his hat in Journal 3, the trademark of his personality and attitude, leaving him with the upper hand.<br /> <br /> Now, Black Hat finds himself in love with Danish. He comes to her house, seeking a date, and hilarity ensues when they both attempt to prank each other in their over-the-top, destructive manner. However, neither is deterred, and their relationship begins.<br /> <br /> The whole &quot;[[:Category:Journal|Journal]]&quot; story arc:<br /> *[[374: Journal]]<br /> *[[377: Journal 2]]<br /> *[[405: Journal 3]]<br /> *[[432: Journal 4]]<br /> *433: Journal 5 (this one)<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Black Hat parks his car.]<br /> <br /> :[Black Hat knocks at door.]<br /> <br /> :Black Hat: Hi<br /> :Danish: Hi<br /> <br /> :Black Hat: I give up. You win. I have to know who you are.<br /> <br /> :Black Hat: We understand each other. I can't let that slip away-<br /> :''beep'' [from device in Danish's hand.]<br /> :''BOOM''<br /> <br /> :Black Hat: What was that?!<br /> :Danish: Remote mines under your car.<br /> <br /> :Black Hat: Oh, those? I moved them to your garage before knocking.<br /> :Danish: Touché.<br /> <br /> :Black Hat: ...This relationship is going to be tricky.<br /> :Danish: There's still time to leave and find a non-crazy girl.<br /> :Black Hat: Not even ''slightly'' interested.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Journal|05]]<br /> [[Category:Romance]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:424:_Security_Holes&diff=71740 2014-07-15T21:38:12Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>Could the Slackware one imply that harder nerds/geeks are more fond of this specific Linux distro? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.196|108.162.212.196]] 01:00, 4 December 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Perhaps he's also implying aliens use OLPC? {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.45}}<br /> <br /> I think the Xandros/EEE PC vulnerability &quot;gives access if asked in a stern voice&quot; is a reference to comic [[413: New Pet]], where Cueball and Megan made a pet out of a EEE PC on wheels inside a hamster ball. Pets sometimes need to be talked to sternly if they're unwilling to obey commands; in this case, a EEE PC needs to be talked to sternly in order to give the commander root access. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 21:36, 15 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Codefreak5&diff=71739 2014-07-15T21:37:54Z

<p>Codefreak5: Created page with &quot;This text is a placeholder in order for the page to exist. Please delete it if you're the first to talk on this page.&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>This text is a placeholder in order for the page to exist.<br /> Please delete it if you're the first to talk on this page.</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:424:_Security_Holes&diff=71738 2014-07-15T21:37:05Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>Could the Slackware one imply that harder nerds/geeks are more fond of this specific Linux distro? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.196|108.162.212.196]] 01:00, 4 December 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Perhaps he's also implying aliens use OLPC? {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.45}}<br /> <br /> I think the Xandros/EEE PC vulnerability &quot;gives access if asked in a stern voice&quot; is a reference to comic [[413: New Pet]], where Cueball and Megan made a pet out of a EEE PC on wheels inside a hamster ball. Pets sometimes need to be talked to sternly if they're unwilling to obey commands; in this case, a EEE PC needs to be talked to sternly in order to give the commander root access.[[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 21:36, 15 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:424:_Security_Holes&diff=71737 2014-07-15T21:36:51Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>Could the Slackware one imply that harder nerds/geeks are more fond of this specific Linux distro? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.196|108.162.212.196]] 01:00, 4 December 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Perhaps he's also implying aliens use OLPC? {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.45}}<br /> <br /> I think the Xandrox/EEE PC vulnerability &quot;gives access if asked in a stern voice&quot; is a reference to comic [[413: New Pet]], where Cueball and Megan made a pet out of a EEE PC on wheels inside a hamster ball. Pets sometimes need to be talked to sternly if they're unwilling to obey commands; in this case, a EEE PC needs to be talked to sternly in order to give the commander root access.[[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 21:36, 15 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=419:_Forks_and_Spoons&diff=71729 2014-07-15T17:06:56Z

<p>Codefreak5: Changed the trope links into actual TVTropes links, instead of &quot;All In The Tropes&quot; links.</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 419<br /> | date = May 5, 2008<br /> | title = Forks and Spoons<br /> | image = forks and spoons.png<br /> | titletext = Their biggest mistake was bringing Rachael Ray and Emeril to tour the lab and sign off on the project. That's when Spielberg caught wind of it.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> The comic shows scientists testing a new technology similar to {{w|Mendelian inheritance}}, the blending of species. <br /> <br /> They show that their new technology allows them to cross a {{w|spork}} (an even mix between a spoon and a fork) with a spoon to make a new implement that is three quarters spoon and one quarter fork. By blending these new fork-spork hybrids and their results together, the scientists could create any mix between a spoon and a fork. (Obviously, regular genetics cannot apply to non-living items).<br /> <br /> In the second panel, the amounts of spoon and fork are shown with fractions, the number on the left representing the amount of fork and the right the amount of spoon. The numbers for the cross product below is arrived at by summing each side and dividing by two: (0+1/2)/2 = 1/4 and (1+1/2)/2 = 3/4.<br /> <br /> The breeding scheme between the second and the third panel shows at the top how to create a spork from a spoon and a fork, then how this spork could both be bred with either a spoon (as in panel two) or a fork (as shown in the lower right part).<br /> <br /> The {{W|binary}} &quot;fork-spoon spectrum&quot; in between the third and fourth panels shows the complete spectrum of sporks from fork to spoon with some of the intermediate steps labeled, the numbers representing how much fork each contains. Since it is a binary spectrum only fractions with a denominator that is a power of 2 will be possible i.e. 2^n with n any integer. So in the middle is a spork with 1/2 fork, in between the spork and the spoon there is only 1/4 fork and in between that and the spoon only 1/8 fork and so on. Also 3/4 fork is marked, whereas 3/8, 5/8 and 7/8 fork is only indicated on the ruler by a small marks. For instance they could breed a 3/8 fork-spork by mixing a 1/4 fork-spork with a spork.<br /> <br /> The comic begins like standard sci-fi fare, where amoral scientists request funding from mysterious benefactors. The dialogue of &quot;You're toying with powerful forces here&quot; and &quot;We know what we're doing&quot; is a [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow classic trope], foreshadowing that things will soon [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GoneHorriblyWrong go horribly wrong] (Warning: the above links are TV Tropes links). It inevitably leads to the humorous incongruity of a sentient spork on a murderous rampage.<br /> <br /> {{w|Rachael Ray}} and {{w|Emeril}}, mentioned in the title text, are celebrity chefs, and {{w|Steven Spielberg}} is a famous movie director. The joke seems to be that if the laboratory hadn't hired the two renowned chefs, Spielberg wouldn't have heard about the project and would not have made a movie about it - in which the two scientists are killed off horribly (it is probably the scientist from the first panel, [[Megan]], and her friend, [[Cueball]], or the actors hired to portray them in the film). The plot in the comic is very similar to the story in Spielberg's {{W|Jurassic_Park_(film)|Jurrasic Park}}.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :Megan: A spoon crossed with a fork is a spork.<br /> :Off-panel Megan's voice: Our lab has successfully crossed a &lt;u&gt;spork&lt;/u&gt; with a spoon. [Diagram showing the fractions of fork and spoon in each item.]<br /> :[Chart showing possible combinations of spoons a forks.]<br /> :Megan, facing audience: With your funding, we could create hybrids in proportions corresponding to ''any binary fraction''.<br /> :[Fork-Spoon Spectrum.]<br /> :Audience member: You're toying with powerful forces here.<br /> :Megan: We know what we're doing.<br /> :Two weeks later:<br /> :[Picture of a destroyed lab with two dead bodies, blood everywhere and a spoon-fork hybrid hopping away.]<br /> :''Hop hop hop.''<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]<br /> [[Category:Jurassic Park]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=418:_Stove_Ownership&diff=71728 2014-07-15T17:04:14Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number =418<br /> | date =May 2, 2008<br /> | title =Stove Ownership<br /> | image =stove_ownership.png<br /> | titletext =Although maybe it's just a phase, like freshman year of college when I realized I could just buy frosting in a can.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> <br /> This comic is a subtle statement on the epiphany many have when they reach adulthood and are on their own for the first time: No one will tell you what to do! Nobody will, however, stop you from making those poor decisions you were refrained from prior to that independence. Eating bacon whenever one wants is among them. <br /> <br /> This line graph depicts [[Randall|Randall's]] health as a function of time after he gets to own a {{w|Kitchen stove|stove}} (or oven). The joke is that his health goes into an immediate deterioration the moment he realized that he could just cook bacon on his stove whenever he wants. When he says &quot;he could have bacon&quot;, he means he has both the will AND means, since the stove is now his own. Before the bacon revelation his health was actually improving - this may be explained because he was now cooking his own, healthy, food rather than getting pizza delivered or having other pre-made foods/junk food.<br /> <br /> {{w|Icing_(food)|Frosting}} (or icing) is something you use to decorate cakes. Many children enjoy frosting so much that they eat it off the cake and leave the rest behind. Frosting in a can, as mentioned in a title text is convenient because it is instant and not necessary to make from scratch. When Randall came to college he still had a very sweet tooth, so when he discovered frosting in a can, his health curve at the time also went into decline. However, that turned out to be a phase - he got over it - and he hopes it will be the same with cooking bacon.<br /> <br /> There is now also similarly instant, pre-made bacon that can be eaten right out of the box, eliminating the need to put in any effort to prepare it. The sudden drop in health, obviously, is due to the fact that bacon is pork belly fat and, while high in protein, its irresistible flavor cannot compare to its high fat and cholesterol content. It is one of the unhealthiest things a person can binge on.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[A hand-drawn graph is shown.]<br /> :[On the y-axis:]<br /> :My overall health<br /> :[On the x-axis:]<br /> :Time<br /> :[The graph is generally steady rising through 3/4 of the x-axis, where it begins a steady decline. A stapled line marks the start of this decline. Below where the line crosses the x axis this decline is labeled:]<br /> :The day I realized I could cook bacon ''whenever I wanted''.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Charts]]<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:417:_The_Man_Who_Fell_Sideways&diff=71727 2014-07-15T16:57:56Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>I feel like the child should fall at a shallower angle from horizontal. There must be some way to do a punnet square for these things...<br /> [[User:BruceJohnJennerLawso|BruceJohnJennerLawso]] ([[User talk:BruceJohnJennerLawso|talk]]) 22:47, 8 November 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> The &quot;when he was restrained, it grew erratic&quot; seems to imply that gravity always pulls him horizontally to the surface he's on. Otherwise, he would be able to stand on a wall, instead of bouncing around. This is one weird kind of gravity.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.7|108.162.219.7]] 20:10, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Any thoughts pertaining to Megan being the victim of rape in this strip? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.210|108.162.250.210]] 01:10, 28 June 2014 (UTC)<br /> If it was unintentional rape, does that make it ok? Answer: probably not, but maybe we should not read too much into the comic...[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.66|108.162.254.66]] 16:24, 14 July 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> <br /> The transcript of this comic says that Cueball is under the water for three of the four &quot;water&quot; panels. However, based on the wave visible in the first two panels, the splashes caused by his feet in the third panel, and the lack of a wake in the fourth panel, I believe that Cueball is sliding across the water on his feet, instead of being submerged most of the time.[[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 16:57, 15 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:417:_The_Man_Who_Fell_Sideways&diff=71726 2014-07-15T16:57:33Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>I feel like the child should fall at a shallower angle from horizontal. There must be some way to do a punnet square for these things...<br /> [[User:BruceJohnJennerLawso|BruceJohnJennerLawso]] ([[User talk:BruceJohnJennerLawso|talk]]) 22:47, 8 November 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> The &quot;when he was restrained, it grew erratic&quot; seems to imply that gravity always pulls him horizontally to the surface he's on. Otherwise, he would be able to stand on a wall, instead of bouncing around. This is one weird kind of gravity.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.7|108.162.219.7]] 20:10, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Any thoughts pertaining to Megan being the victim of rape in this strip? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.210|108.162.250.210]] 01:10, 28 June 2014 (UTC)<br /> If it was unintentional rape, does that make it ok? Answer: probably not, but maybe we should not read too much into the comic...[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.66|108.162.254.66]] 16:24, 14 July 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> The transcript of this comic says that Cueball is under the water for three of the four &quot;water&quot; panels. However, based on the wave visible in the first two panels, the splashes caused by his feet in the third panel, and the lack of a wake in the fourth panel, I believe that Cueball is sliding across the water on his feet, instead of being submerged most of the time.[[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 16:57, 15 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=402:_1,000_Miles_North&diff=71686 2014-07-14T21:45:27Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 402<br /> | date = March 28, 2008<br /> | title = 1,000 Miles North<br /> | image = 1000_miles_north.png<br /> | titletext = Twister would've been a much better movie if they'd cut out the bad-guy storm chaser and all the emotional romance crap. All you need for a good movie are tornados and scientists. Actually, that's all you need for anything.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> Spoofing off of tornado chasers are these permafrost chasers, who are just like tornado chasers, but they are chasing very boring permafrost. {{w|Permafrost}} is a layer of ground that never thaws, unlike ground south of where it exists, where the ground freezes in winter and thaws in the spring.<br /> <br /> {{w|Twister (1996 film)|Twister}} was a movie about a crazy group of tornado chasers trying to drop a probe releasing device named Dorothy (based on the real-life project {{w|TOtable Tornado Observatory|TOTO}}) into the heart of a tornado. However much of the story was about Bill and his ex, both chasers, falling back in love, another chaser who is fighting Bill for research grants and fame, and a tornado that likes to chase people.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Van and truck travel toward mountains.]<br /> :1,000 miles north of tornado alley<br /> :A new breed of scientists has emerged.<br /> :[Cueball with a laptop, Ponytail with a probe in the ground.]<br /> :Half researchers, half adrenaline junkies<br /> :Ponytail: What's the reading?<br /> :Cueball: 3.9 meters down, gradient's off the charts!<br /> :[Truck driving very fast, man holding a radio up to his head.]<br /> :Risking everything for the thrill of the hunt<br /> :Cueball: The freeze line is shifting! We've never seen anything like it!<br /> :[4 - Barren field, mountains in background, woman holding large video camera up to tiny spot of grass.]<br /> :Permafrost chasers<br /> :Ponytail: I'm getting some great footage here!<br /> :Cueball: Dammit, Harding, it's not worth your neck! Get the hell out of there!<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:370:_Redwall&diff=71616 2014-07-14T08:17:10Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>;Religious Objections to Redwall do exist<br /> Reading Redwall as a religious child, I got quite angry at all the subtle digs at religion. It's quite clear that the Redwall universe has no gods, other than ascended heroes, who usually just reincarnate anyway. The churches and monasteries don't seem to have any particular reason for existing. All the bad guys are named after notable Christian saints/monks. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 16:16, 5 June 2013 (UTC)<br /> :Worth noting, there is technically no explicit reference to 'Satan' in the text of any Redwall novel. -- [[User:Observer14|Observer14]] ([[User talk:Observer14|talk]]) 23:22, 5 January 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I think someone should explain what a &quot;jinx&quot; is, in reference to the first panel. I know what it is myself, I'm just not good enough with words to explain it, and I forgot how one gets &quot;un-jinxed&quot;.[[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 08:17, 14 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=360:_Writers_Strike&diff=71496 2014-07-12T08:36:18Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number =360<br /> | date =December 21, 2007<br /> | title =Writers Strike<br /> | image =writers_strike.png<br /> | titletext =He's just jealous because everyone's up in the attic listening to Stephen Colbert.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> From November 5, 2007 to February 12, 2008, the {{w|Writers Guild of America, East}} and the {{w|Writers Guild of America, West}} labor unions which represents film, television and radio writers working in the United States, {{w|2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike|went on strike}} as it sought increased compensation for its members work. Virtually all scripted American television shows shut down in mid-December, with many low-level production staffers being laid off.<br /> <br /> In late December and early January, late-night talk shows did eventually return, most of them without writers. But as of the date this comic was written, the popular {{w|Comedy Central}} political comedy shows, ''{{w|The Daily Show with Jon Stewart}}'' and ''{{w|The Colbert Report}},'' were still off-air.<br /> <br /> [[Cueball]] and [[Black Hat]] both admit that they're pretty bummed about having to go through an election season without {{w|Jon Stewart|Jon Stewart's}} insightful commentary, but Black Hat has corrected that problem by kidnapping Stewart, putting him in the basement and occasionally soliciting hilarious opinions. Of course, Stewart is rather traumatized by this, and doesn't have anything to say aside from &quot;Please let me go.&quot;.<br /> <br /> The title text implies that Black Hat also kidnapped {{w|Stephen Colbert}} of ''The Colbert Report'', and put him in the attic. As opposed to Stewart, who basically plays &quot;himself&quot; on the show and is surrounded by zany reporters playing characters, on his own show Colbert plays the character of a &quot;well-intentioned, poorly informed high-status idiot&quot;. The reference to everyone listening to Colbert instead, is based on a general opinion that ''The Colbert Report,'' a spin-off of ''The Daily Show,'' is superior to the original program.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball sits in front of a computer, Black Hat behind him.]<br /> :Cueball: This writer's strike sucks.<br /> :Black Hat: Why? You don't watch sitcoms.<br /> :Cueball: Yeah, but it sucks having political campaigns without Jon Stewart's commentary.<br /> :Black Hat: True. I finally got sick of it a couple weeks ago.<br /> :Cueball: And you quit following the campaigns?<br /> :Black Hat: No. I kidnapped Jon Stewart to do analysis for me.<br /> :Cueball: You what?<br /> :[Black Hat points at a door.]<br /> :Black Hat: He's locked in the basement.<br /> :Black Hat: Jon! Obama's leading in Iowa! Gimme a wry, witty comment on the situation!<br /> :Jon Stewart [Voice coming from door]: Please let me go. I have a family.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br /> [[Category:Politics]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=334:_Wasteland&diff=71373 2014-07-11T06:16:19Z

<p>Codefreak5: Corrected the spelling of &quot;exaggerating&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 334<br /> | date = October 26, 2007<br /> | title = Wasteland<br /> | image = wasteland.png<br /> | titletext = You make forgetting look so easy.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> At the beginning of the comic, [[Cueball]] is wandering around in a barren area, supposedly a desert, thinking about his ex-partner, in which he, at first, appears to be fondly remembering her, but the last two boxes explain that he is trying to take a long walk to forget her, and is obviously not very good at it.<br /> <br /> The title text implies that his ex-partner had easily forgotten him, and he wishes that he could forget more easily. It's also possible that he means that it's so hard to forget her that forgetting anything else is simple in comparison to it.<br /> <br /> Note: When Cueball mentions walking 1000 miles, he is most likely exaggerating, as, due to his lack of hiking/traveling gear, most likely has only walked a hundred or so, either that, or the story is similar in nature, or even in the same universe, as [[505: A Bunch of Rocks|comic 505]].<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball is walking through a wasteland talking to himself.]<br /> :I am alone in this wasteland, a thousand miles from you.<br /> :But I haven't forgotten the feel of your skin, your mischievous smile.<br /> :You'd think a thousand miles would be enough.<br /> :I guess I'll keep walking.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]<br /> [[Category:Romance]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=313:_Insomnia&diff=71315 2014-07-10T19:50:27Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 313<br /> | date = September 7, 2007<br /> | title = Insomnia<br /> | image = insomnia.png<br /> | titletext = Crap, I have levitation class at 25:131. Better set the alarm to 'cinnamon'.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> Simply put, the narrator's insomnia, combined with small bright lights in an otherwise pitch-black room, is causing him to hallucinate. Furthermore, the narrator is well aware he will be unable to distinguish the hallucinations from reality.<br /> <br /> A clock can never read &quot;72 minutes&quot; as there are only 60 minutes in an hour. While a clock can read &quot;13 hours&quot; on a {{w|24-hour clock}} which is common on most {{w|Digital clock}}s, the thirteenth hour obviously does not occur immediately after the fourth hour.<br /> <br /> The title text shows the narrator has indeed &quot;succumbed&quot; to his visions, and is assigning gibberish values —an alarm clock with a &quot;cinnamon&quot; setting, the time of day &quot;25 hours and 131 minutes&quot;, and &quot;levitation class&quot;— to an otherwise normal monologue.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[It is black, except a few blue and green lights, and red numbers from a clock.]<br /> :[The clock shows 4:31]<br /> :Lying awake at night I realize how many little lights there are in my room. The alarm clock is the brightest. Can't sleep I'm alone with those glowing red numbers<br /> :[The clock now shows 4:32]<br /> :Time slows<br /> :Does time even exist here?<br /> :Thoughts churning in on themselves<br /> :[The clock now shows 4:33]<br /> :The madness can't be far away<br /> :Ah yes<br /> :[The clock now shows 13:72]<br /> :There it is.<br /> <br /> ==Trivia==<br /> *The cinnamon setting could be a reference to this {{w|Cinnamon challenge}}. But almost certainly is not.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:302:_Names&diff=71274 2014-07-09T19:00:33Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>The explanation of the title text doesn't appear to be about the title text, more like the second paragraph seems to be the title-text-explanation (a very good one at that). Anybody thinks so too? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.97.215|141.101.97.215]] 10:55, 16 April 2014 (UTC)<br /> :Yes.--[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.222|199.27.130.222]] 14:22, 17 April 2014 (UTC)<br /> :I agree with this. I've removed the line explaining the title text. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 19:00, 9 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=302:_Names&diff=71273 2014-07-09T18:59:55Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number =302<br /> | date =August 13, 2007<br /> | title =Names<br /> | image =names.png<br /> | titletext =I'm always so happy that I successfully navigated the introduction that I completely forget to pay attention to the name the other person told me.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> Everyone has had moments where they forget someone's name, even the name of someone pretty important. This doesn't often happen with one's own significant other, however; hence the joke.<br /> <br /> It's sometimes tricky to say the right things during an introduction, and while making sure you don't make an incorrect response (replying to the question &quot;How're you doing?&quot; with &quot;Not much&quot;, for example, mishearing the question as &quot;What are you doing?&quot;), one can sometimes forget to pay attention to the actual ''important'' part of the introduction: The person's name. And it's awkward to ask someone for their name when you ''should,'' by all rights, already know it.<br /> <br /> Forgetting people's names is a frequent symptom of various social anxiety disorders, but it can happen to anybody at any time.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :Cueball (thinking): I hate it when I don't know someone's name, but it's been long enough that it's too awkward to ask.<br /> :[The scene is revealed to be at the altar getting married by a minister to a woman in a bridal dress.]<br /> :Minister: Do you Rachel, take this man...<br /> :Cueball (thinking): Aha! Rachel!<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Wedding]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:Codefreak5&diff=71272 2014-07-09T18:57:49Z

<p>Codefreak5: Created page with &quot;This is a placeholder for when I have time to make an actual user page. Enjoy.&quot;</p> <hr /> <div>This is a placeholder for when I have time to make an actual user page.<br /> <br /> Enjoy.</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:302:_Names&diff=71271 2014-07-09T18:56:24Z

<p>Codefreak5: </p> <hr /> <div>The explanation of the title text doesn't appear to be about the title text, more like the second paragraph seems to be the title-text-explanation (a very good one at that). Anybody thinks so too? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.97.215|141.101.97.215]] 10:55, 16 April 2014 (UTC)<br /> :Yes.--[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.222|199.27.130.222]] 14:22, 17 April 2014 (UTC)<br /> :I agree with this. [[User:Codefreak5|Codefreak5]] ([[User talk:Codefreak5|talk]]) 18:56, 9 July 2014 (UTC)</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=267:_Choices:_Part_4&diff=71268 2014-07-09T18:20:04Z

<p>Codefreak5: Fixed a broken link to climax_(narrative) - was originally (climax_(nattative))</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 267<br /> | date = May 24, 2007<br /> | title = Choices: Part 4<br /> | image = choices_part_4.jpg<br /> | titletext = Making out with yourself: now an official xkcd theme? Troubling.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This is the {{w|existentialistic}} {{w|climax (narrative)|climax}} of the Choices series. It takes up the recurring [[xkcd]]-theme how people tend to be blind towards the staggering amount of possibilities that each day holds, with routine and boredom as a result. (See e.g. [[137: Dreams]] and [[706: Freedom]].)<br /> <br /> The [[Megan]]-clone implies that Megan has been taken to some kind of {{w|afterlife}}.<br /> <br /> The title text refers to [[105: Parallel Universe]].<br /> <br /> All parts of &quot;[[:Category:Choices|Choices]]&quot;:<br /> *[[264: Choices: Part 1]]<br /> *[[265: Choices: Part 2]]<br /> *[[266: Choices: Part 3]]<br /> *267: Choices: Part 4 (this one)<br /> *[[268: Choices: Part 5]]<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Megan in bubble, floating in outer space next to her clone.]<br /> :Clone: I shouldn't do this, but I pulled you out for a moment to give you a hint.<br /> :Megan: A hint?<br /> :Clone: Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they're doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out.<br /> <br /> :Megan: Why tell me this?<br /> :Clone: You're curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are &lt;u&gt;always&lt;/u&gt; making up the future as you go.<br /> <br /> :Megan: So, wait, what ''is'' this place? Am I going to wake up thinking this was a dream?<br /> :Clone: This is... Think of this as after the game, outside the theatre. To go in, I had to suspend disbelief, forget the outside.<br /> <br /> :Megan: So you... Huh. Why give me hints I'm going to forget?<br /> :Clone: You'll forget this trip but I think the hints should stay with you.<br /> :Megan: ...If this is a game, are you— are ''we''— cheating?<br /> :Clone: Yup.<br /> <br /> :Megan: Is that a good idea?<br /> :Clone: Well it's an interesting one. We'll see how it goes.<br /> :Megan: Well, I guess I'll see you aroun—<br /> <br /> :Megan: Wait a minute; have you brought me here before?<br /> :Clone: I... maybe. once.<br /> :Megan: For another hint?<br /> :Clone: Er. Actually we just made out.<br /> :Megan: We wh--<br /> :Clone: Bye!<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]<br /> [[Category:Choices]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=183:_Snacktime_Rules&diff=71209 2014-07-09T00:21:39Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number =183<br /> | date =November 13, 2006<br /> | title =Snacktime Rules<br /> | image =snacktime_rules.png<br /> | titletext =I am not making this rule up. Although my mom wants you all to know it made perfect sense at the time.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> Nerdiness and science often go hand-in-hand, but [[Randall]] feels that a lot of his nerdiness was actually influenced by his mother. If Randall really had this random math-based rule during his childhood, as the title text implies, he would only have been allowed a snack in his room before bed at ages: (2), 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, (20 and 23).<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :My dad was always the one who taught me about science, but looking back, I'm starting to realize how much my nerdiness was influenced by my mom.<br /> <br /> :[A woman and a child are talking.]<br /> :Child: Mom, can I have a snack in my room before bed?<br /> :Mom: No, Dear. You know you only get that privilege when your age is one less than a multiple of three.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Math]]</div>

Codefreak5 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=183:_Snacktime_Rules&diff=71208 2014-07-09T00:21:23Z

<p>Codefreak5: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number =183<br /> | date =November 13, 2006<br /> | title =Snacktime Rules<br /> | image =snacktime_rules.png<br /> | titletext =I am not making this rule up. Although my mom wants you all to know it made perfect sense at the time.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> Nerdiness and science often go hand-in-hand, but [[Randall]] feels that a lot of his nerdiness was actually influenced by his mother. If Randall really had this random math-based rule during his childhood as the title text implies, he would only have been allowed a snack in his room before bed at ages: (2), 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, (20 and 23).<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :My dad was always the one who taught me about science, but looking back, I'm starting to realize how much my nerdiness was influenced by my mom.<br /> <br /> :[A woman and a child are talking.]<br /> :Child: Mom, can I have a snack in my room before bed?<br /> :Mom: No, Dear. You know you only get that privilege when your age is one less than a multiple of three.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Math]]</div>

Codefreak5