explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3227: Creation

2026-04-02T01:32:23Z

Commercialegg: /* Table of Modes */

{{comic
| number = 3227
| date = April 1, 2026
| title = Creation
| image = creation_2x.png
| imagesize = 567x198px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = This xkcd.com update introduces a variety of new reading modes which can be activated through the menu.
}}
{{series
| series = April
| number = 18
| date = April 1, 2026
| days_late =
| day_category = Wednesday
| prev_title = 3074: Push Notifications
| prev_date = April 9, 2025
| next_title =
| next_date =
}}
To experience the interactivity of the web page, visit the {{xkcd|3227|original comic}}!

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently in ROBOTIC MODE. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic was created when modes were added to the xkcd website, on April Fool's Day, through a selectable drop-down list below the comic. This allows various different viewing options for the comic. Some are 'normal', like the typical "light" and "dark" modes, but others take such things in further and/or more esoteric ways. This includes an "airplane mode" (see below) that parodies and subverts the {{w|Airplane mode|normal implementation}}.

The comic references one of the first lines of the bible, about God making light, but then a person on Earth asks to turn on {{w|dark mode}}, referencing the new options.

Unlike most comics, the title text isn't really a joke, it merely 'explains' the update and gives basic instructions.

The comic credits the "Excellent Design Team", consisting of Amber, Benjamin, Staffin, and Kevin who helped create the modes.

===Table of Modes===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Mode
! Description
|-
| Light Mode
| The classic site appearance, with no actual changes to the appearance applied.
|-
| Lighter Mode
| The entire web page is overexposed, making colors wash out and reducing the contrast.
|-
| Dark Mode
| A standard "white content on black background" dark mode. Inverts the comic’s black and white pixels (see umwelt)
|-
| Darkest Mode
| Everything on the webpage turns completely black, sans the drop down menu which is merely a dark gray.
|-
| Blurry Mode
| Blurs the entire webpage.
|-
| Grayscale Mode
| Applies a standard grayscale conversion filter to the entire webpage.
|-
| Greyscale Mode
| Like Grayscale Mode, but also changes the spelling of "math" in the slogan at the top of the page to "maths" (as in British English).
|-
| Dorian Greyscale Mode
| Makes the webpage slowly turn grey. This refers to {{w|The Picture of Dorian Gray}}, in which the titular character has a portrait that slowly ages and fades out while the character stays young and handsome.
|-
| Space Opera Mode
| Turns the entire page into a ''Star Wars''-style opening scroll.
|-
| 3D Mode
| Makes the comic render in {{w|Anaglyph_3D|anaglyphic stereoscopy}}.
|-
| Origami Mode
| Rotates various pieces of the webpage.
|-
| Ink Mode
| Recolors the webpage as if drawn in blue ink.
|-
| Spring Mode
| Gives the comic a simple physics simulation, making it slightly rotate as the page is scrolled.
|-
| Antipodes Mode
| Turns the entire webpage upside down. An antipode is the point on the Earth's surface directly opposite of another, but "The Antipodes" is also term used for Australia and New Zealand by inhabitants of the northern hemisphere. Note: When the comic was first published this was labeled "Southern Hemisphere Mode".
|-
| Hacker Mode
| Recolors the entire webpage in the stereotypical "green on black" hacker color scheme.
|-
| Screensaver Mode
| Makes the comic float around on the webpage, bouncing as it hits the edges.
|-
| Modem Mode
| Slowly reveals the comic top to bottom, as if slowly loading, accompanied with modem static audio playing.
|-
| Stained Glass Mode
| Colors each closed area of the comic in a separate color. The colors vary each time this mode is selected.
|-
| Airplane Mode
| Makes the comic fly around on the page, with a "NYOOM!" written next to it. This is unlike the usual use of "airplane mode" to refer to disabling the cellphone (or all RF) features of a mobile device.
|-
| Boat Mode
| Makes the entire webpage tilt back and forth, emulating the way a boat rolls on the water. (It has been previously used as a reference in the [[Footnote]], which says "Remove your device from airplane mode and set it to Boat Mode).
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

[Panel 1. Black background with white caption boxes.]

Caption 1: And God said,

Caption 2: "Let there be light,"

[Panel 2. A bright explosion of light from a star in the center.]

Caption: And there was light.

[Panel 3. The star with bright rays of light is shown against the horizon of a planet.]

[Panel 4. The same planet horizon is shown with a clear sky above.]

Caption: God saw that the light was-

Voice from the planet: Can you add support for dark mode?

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>[[Category:Interactive comics]][[Category:Dynamic comics]][[Category:April Fools' Day comics]]
[[Category:Comics with custom header texts]]

Talk:3227: Creation

2026-04-02T01:14:08Z

Commercialegg:

did anyone else wait for the screensaver to hit the corner? [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 20:13, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

I can't work out what Modem mode is meant to do... on my machine it just freezes the whole page. [[Special:Contributions/78.213.151.110|78.213.151.110]] 20:22, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:It plays the sound of an old-style phone modem, and scrolls the comic into view slowly. It's supposed to represent the early days when downloading an image would take a long time. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:31, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:can confirm on android firefox it seems to render the page unresponsive to input - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 21:18, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:Same here on Desktop Firefox - under "Modem mode", the whole page freezes up and the browser prompts me to close it ("this page is slowing down Firefox", or words to that effect). I wonder if it's a Firefox thing - odd if so, because I imagine Randall of all people would test on browsers other than Chrom* - or some weird side-effect of my ad/popup/script/cookie-blockers. A shame because all the other modes seem to work - "Greyscale mode" is far too subtle, and I'm ashamed to admit I missed the change from "math" to "maths"! - but this is a great April Fools' comic. [[Special:Contributions/50.45.232.78|50.45.232.78]] 22:56, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:Firefoxer here, and ''without'' any particular add-ons that might interact badly with it... It does (seem to) lock up and it does (sometimes... didn't on at least one occasion) prompt Firefox to ask if I want to stop the page. But if I wait long enough it 'wipes off' the last seen comic image, starts to 'scanline' it back (note: not actually accurate to the real days of modems, as you'd probably be loading up images in interlaced mode) and ''then'' starts to give a modem-shriek.
:I wonder, without delving into the code used, if it's the method used to 'sleep' (could it be using busy-busy NOP-like code, rather than true sleep-interupts?), or just a slightly different asynchronous script-handling method that Firefox uses instead of other test-platforms. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:46, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

I clicked darker mode and my screen is black and I cant undo it help
:I assume you mean Darkest Mode, since there's no darker mode. The screen turns black but if you look carefully you can still see the grey of the menu and you can click on it. Also, the menu border continues to appear after you select the choice (at least it does on my Mac). P.S. Don't forget to sign your comment with 4 ~ characters. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:31, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Modem mode doesn’t work for me what does it do [[Special:Contributions/2A06:5906:1412:4100:352D:1A2:184:5F3|2A06:5906:1412:4100:352D:1A2:184:5F3]] 20:29, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:Modem mode makes the comic slowly print from above [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 20:34, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

I see the mobile site m.xkcd.com was left out on this change😔 [[Special:Contributions/104.28.215.219|104.28.215.219]] 20:37, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

I read “Modern mode” instead of Modem mode and I spent a while making wild theories about what it could be referencing. But I’m also quite sleepy. [[Special:Contributions/146.70.116.107|146.70.116.107]] 20:51, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:i also misread it as modern mode, it made everything lag for me, made it feel like a modern website [[Special:Contributions/85.206.187.35|85.206.187.35]] 00:57, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

I deminified the code if anyone wants it. There are no hidden options or anything like right-click has, but it would be extremely easy to add modes to it. [[Special:Contributions/2601:441:4B7E:7660:0:0:0:AC72|2601:441:4B7E:7660:0:0:0:AC72]] 20:59, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

"Modem mode" works for me in Chromium, but not Firefox. [[User:Robobun|Robobun]] ([[User talk:Robobun|talk]]) 21:06, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:For me it's just slow on Firefox. It takes about 5 seconds to clear the comic and start scrolling it back in, and the static doesn't start until it's almost all showing. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:11, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

applies across the whole website? i forsee a preservation effort in the near future to capture What This Was Like, when randall inevitably removes the menu and all its modes--there's no chance this is staying, is there? - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 21:24, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:It applies to older comics, but not other parts of the site. I'm also wondering if this might be just for April Fool's Day. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:27, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:: I know it's april the 1st, but could we keep the modes? Stainglass is fun when the background doesn't turn maroon (and makes the text hard to read). I also checked other pages of xkcd, the modes are on on the other comics.
::Of course it's the April Fools'/Fools' comic. Nice to see it being on time, this year, and I too wonder how long it'll stay. Might it permanently stay on this comic page, perhaps even stay if you jump off of it, but comic 3228 (or the 'default' latest-comic page) will probably be back to normal on Friday. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:14, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:Luckily, preservation is easy enough. I think you just need to save the main [https://xkcd.com/3227/5710add.js Javascript file] (which contains the CSS, and generates the necessary DOM on the fly) and the [https://xkcd.com/3227/imgs/nyoom_2x.png one image asset]. I think it should be easy enough to turn it into a UserScript if you turn the png into a data URI, or even a web extension if that's more your speed. [[User:Dratini0|Dratini0]] ([[User talk:Dratini0|talk]]) 00:12, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

Finally we have the Boat Mode from the footer! [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/@bforbrain youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 21:33, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

'''Attention admins''' I think there's an "oops" in this line:
<nowiki>To experience the interactivity, visit the {{xkcd|{comicNum}|original comic}}!</nowiki>
[[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 21:43, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:Yeah, looks like this is a regression in this corner case. I should have a fix for it soon. —[[User:Theusaf|theusaf]] ([[User talk:Theusaf|talk]]) 23:41, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Has the full footer always been there? "xkcd.com is best viewed with Netscape Navigator 4.0 or below on a Pentium 3±1 emulated in Javascript on an Apple IIGS at a screen resolution of 1024x1. Please enable your ad blockers, disable high-heat drying, and remove your device from Airplane Mode and set it to Boat Mode. For security reasons, please leave caps lock on while browsing." --[[User:Chance2travel|Chance2travel]] ([[User talk:Chance2travel|talk]]) 22:30, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
:Yes, always has been. Learn more at the page for [[Footnote]]. [[Special:Contributions/104.28.215.219|104.28.215.219]] 23:17, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

I think the Dorian Greyscale Mode takes 5 minutes to complete. I see this in the Javascript: <code>body.mode-dorian-greyscale {\n transition: filter 300s ease-out;</code> [[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 22:36, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Dorian Greyscale Mode seems like it ought to use only the white keys on a standard piano, and go DEGFCDBA, with adjacent notes differing in a single bit position. [[Special:Contributions/2A02:8084:2862:4F80:65B7:327D:E614:342F|2A02:8084:2862:4F80:65B7:327D:E614:342F]] 22:56, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

I'd love to know if the modem mode's audio file decodes to anything if you try to decode it as a v.92 stream or something similar. [[Special:Contributions/2603:6011:4504:D100:3BD0:B617:9D7:1C80|2603:6011:4504:D100:3BD0:B617:9D7:1C80]] 23:24, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Stained Glass Mode doesn't show title text? Might be a bug [[User:X|X]] ([[User talk:X|talk]]) 23:38, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Not gonna lie, I got nerd-sniped hard here. I thought the noise in the modem mode might be real modem noises, and I tried to demodulate it. With Gnuradio, I got to the point of guessing that it's 4FSK at 2400 baud, with a center frequency of about 1700 Hz and a frequency deviation of about 300 Hz. I couldn't find the corresponding modem standard, so I started deminifying the source code that generates it. The good news is that I was correct. It's 4FSK, 2400 baud, center frequency 1710 Hz, frequency deviation 270 Hz. The bad news? The data is Math.random(). That feels bittersweet. I saw a puzzle where there was none. I want to post the relevant snippet of deminified code. Am I allowed to do that? Is the site itself also under CC-BY-NC, or just the comics? [[User:Dratini0|Dratini0]] ([[User talk:Dratini0|talk]]) 23:58, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

Honestly, I'd love a real dark mode for xkcd.com. But one where the comic isn't inverted. Sometimes I prefer to read the comic here on explainxkcd.com since I have mediawiki settings for dark mode, but those don't invert the comic. (I don't think I can make mediawiki settings for space opera mode...) [[User:Orion205|Orion205]] ([[User talk:Orion205|talk]]) 00:28, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

I spent way too long watching screensaver mode to see if it would do anything if the comic hit a corner. [[Special:Contributions/170.142.177.145|170.142.177.145]] 00:31, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

I wonder if the choice of the actual text in the comic is a reference to the Apollo 8 Christmas broadcast of Genesis, due to the Artemis II launch today... or maybe I'm overthinking it and it's simply a joke about light and dark mode. [[Special:Contributions/2601:241:8002:3E0:5CAD:3E02:93FF:FB00|2601:241:8002:3E0:5CAD:3E02:93FF:FB00]] 01:05, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

Anyone test the other April fools comics? [[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 01:14, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3218: Subduction Retrieval

2026-03-12T16:30:31Z

Commercialegg:

I win. {{unsigned ip|2603:7080:5240:fa00:f571:792f:a287:3b07|03:21, 12 March 2026 (UTC)}}
:I lost {{w|The Game (mind game)|The Game}}. [[Special:Contributions/2A04:4E41:320E:C27C:0:0:885F:A27C|2A04:4E41:320E:C27C:0:0:885F:A27C]] 04:47, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
:: @&$! [[Special:Contributions/47.146.30.92|47.146.30.92]] 05:33, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
: Nope - you are disqualified for not signing your post. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:14, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

By some coincidence this article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy03jw0pwx1o was on the BBC news website Wed 11th March (UK)- the evening before (9pm local time) this was added [[Special:Contributions/2A00:23C7:B524:F801:4041:29F9:A548:6CDE|2A00:23C7:B524:F801:4041:29F9:A548:6CDE]] 06:08, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

I added my first explanation on this website! Please feel free to correct/improve it. [[Special:Contributions/2401:D002:8404:C900:E8CD:26D1:3D16:F675|2401:D002:8404:C900:E8CD:26D1:3D16:F675]] 06:33, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

A rough estimate of how fresh this news is would be 200 years: size of people allows to estimate ring has been carried down 12 m, and then I used 6 cm/year subduction rate. [[Special:Contributions/152.77.153.162|152.77.153.162]] 08:04, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
: This underestimates the time span IMO. Considering the folds in the crust below the crane, work obviously has been going on for quite some time already. The actual time of the ring going underground must be at least one order of magnitude higher, i.e., *ages* ago. Wait a minute ... the guy who claims to have lost the ring, does he go by the name of Sauron, by any chance? [[Special:Contributions/2.201.115.145|2.201.115.145]] 10:28, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
:: Can't be: the PSA is for today only, so maybe they've taken time to set up their stuff but they only started pulling a few hours ago. Now possibly they've actually already ripped out a length of the same order as the distance to the ring, but then it's not sure the ring has been dragged up very efficiently, since it looks like it is sticking out above the plate surface. So I'd stand with my 12m guess, but I expect they'll need to extract much more to get to the ring. [[Special:Contributions/152.77.153.162|152.77.153.162]] 14:29, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

Chances are that the ring melted being down that far. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 08:58, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
:Depending upon the (unreliable, but article-assumed) scale, not really.
:Gold melts at ~1000°C (any diamond in it would melt at ~4000°C, though any solder/etc used in its construction would presumably do so at lower temperatures). At least before the effects of pressure modify that.
:At a subduction zone, the rock is relatively cool further down, as the 'surface' plate being subducted starts of cool and can soak up a lot of the heat from the 'hot cushion' it's being drawn down into. Even if we assume the humans aren't to scale, the junction should be no more than a few hundred degrees C (an additional 10C° per km of depth is one estimate, with some variation and a lot of unknowns that apply in an active subduction zone).
:Presuming the ring landed in oceanic silt that is 'immediately' inexorably dragged down under the lip of the overlying plate, the effects of temperature would be minimal compared to a mid-plate depth (where it gets uncomfortable for miners). In addition, the water in the sediment would eat up the heat energy, given its extremely high enthalpy of vaporisation, up until the pressure drives that higher than the mineral/metal melting points (if indeed it does), further keeping the ring's neighbourhood cooler than it should be.
:Pressure might be the big thing, depending on if the sediment layer that it lies in acts as a constant matrix to spread the load (i.e. not crush the ring), although you'd expect a mudstone-like process of compression (then metamorphic transition, once enough heat passed into it, probably before the gold suffered from pure temperature effects), so it might he distorted. But if it found itself being dragged through a thin enough faultline that the underlying and overlying bedrock were essentially rubbing together (the soft-stuff significantly squeezed out, but for some reason not the ring), then it'd be more like putting the ring between two millstones (but more so?), and it'd fragment and/or smear the gold ring. Any diamond might last longer before being shattered, however much it might gouge the passing rock away whenever it jammed, depending on how it was actually encased in other material. But various types of granite (as examples of the rock) melt at far less than half the temperature of diamond, lower still in the presence of water and pressure (possibly below gold, in those conditions?), so if a diamond (or even its ring) mechanically survives the process, it's probably going to still last a bit longer than the rock that's clearly still present and solid in the comic.
:But it probably needs the attention of a good jeweler/repairer, at the very least.[[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.116|82.132.238.116]] 13:11, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

Given the vast forces at play here, standing on the section that's being drawn out seems... particularly inadvisable. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:59, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

There's a wedding ring in this cOmment. All comments above are one tectonic plate. and all the ones below are in another. [[Special:Contributions/45.178.0.43|45.178.0.43]] 12:09, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

I thought throwing a ring in a geologically active high-pressure high-temperature structure was the only way to irreversibly lose it? [[Special:Contributions/89.233.195.138|89.233.195.138]]
We’re coming upon the April fools comic soon[[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 16:30, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3213: Dental Formulas

2026-03-12T16:26:52Z

Commercialegg:

First![[User:AmethystSky14|AmethystSky14]] ([[User talk:AmethystSky14|talk]]) 21:43, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

The top left drawing is a tooth. [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 22:04, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

This confused me for a long time (partly due to the mammal/mammol thing) - I took them to be dentists. I'm now inferring that the counts are typical of a species rather than descriptive of an individual patient. Maybe the write up could make that more clear in case someone else as dumb as me passes by [[Special:Contributions/2A00:23EE:10C8:110F:D992:D45:1C7A:DF02|2A00:23EE:10C8:110F:D992:D45:1C7A:DF02]] guest
:"in case someone as dumb as me passes by" - that would be everyone, see ''<nowiki>Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.</nowiki>'' [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 22:21, 27 February 2026 (UTC)
:Yes, dental formulas are based on typical, not individual, dentition. In cases where it frequently varies (like humans with their unreliable wisdom teeth) you sometimes see a range. [[Special:Contributions/70.40.90.209|70.40.90.209]] 02:29, 28 February 2026 (UTC)

Because I'm sure someone else will be wondering, based on a very cursory search, the formula on the board appears to be permanent teeth for felines. At the very least, Wikipedia's entry on Dentition lists this formula for cats, lions, and tigers. Perhaps an actual expert will come along and shed further light on this. [[Special:Contributions/97.116.61.145|97.116.61.145]] 22:52, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Some British sources still use a baseline dot (full stop/period) as the multiplication symbol and a midline dot (interpunct) as the decimal point. These sources could write 3.2·1 = 6·3. Scary. Even ''The Lancet'' uses the interpunct as a decimal point (though its style guides do not specify a multiplication symbol, so presumably '×' should be used when juxtaposition isn't an option, e.g. for scientific notation). Most British schools still teach it this way as well, where the dot product is always a baseline dot. (This convention also used in some other European countries, which use the comma as the decimal separator and the period as the thousands separator. But it's confusing, because 〈x,y〉or even (x,y) is also used to represent the inner product of x and y. It's really a mess.) [[User:EebstertheGreat|EebstertheGreat]] ([[User talk:EebstertheGreat|talk]]) 04:36, 28 February 2026 (UTC)
:I didn't know it was called the interpunct but that was how I was taught to write decimal points at my UK school in the early sixties and how I still write them by hand.--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:30F4:4052:A4F7:386E|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:30F4:4052:A4F7:386E]] 09:36, 28 February 2026 (UTC)
:And some countries use interpuncts for multiplying scalars, baseline dots (interchangeably with spaces, but never both in a single number) for thousands, and commas as decimal symbol. There are languages that even include group separation ''after'' the latter, with a 4-digit final group iff the last digit is the 10-3''n''-1s place (e. g. "3 863 387,274 479 0001" instead of "3 863 387,274 479 000 1"), even with several exceptions (e. g. rules like "4-digit numbers do not require formatting, '''unless they are in a table with longer numbers in the same column'''"). [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C00:EB00:D063:D715:3937:44C6|2001:4C4E:1C00:EB00:D063:D715:3937:44C6]] 11:42, 1 March 2026 (UTC)
:I was taught, in the UK in the '80s, to use the '×' symbol. It seems that practically everybody else uses some sort of dot, or worse just stuffs the variables side by side and the multiplication is "assumed". Hmm, and some people wonder why maths causes so much distress. [[Special:Contributions/2A01:CB08:82C3:1A00:F550:3C0C:BC34:851E|2A01:CB08:82C3:1A00:F550:3C0C:BC34:851E]] 19:29, 6 March 2026 (UTC)
::I probably significantly overlap you, in locale and timeframe, so here's my take on that: When learning basic arithmatic (primary school level) I'd be using the notation × (and ÷, to go along with + and -), but by the time it came to algebra (in secondary level education) then dotted adjacency was preferable (as well as using a ")(" writing style for the variable "x", to be extra-sure it's not mistaken as a multiplication). So you have the likes of "y = mx + c" or "y=ax² + bx + c". And, by this point, the difference between {{w|cross product}} and {{w|dot product}} potentially become very important... Technically, the '1d vectors' that are plain numbers are multiplied in dot-product fashion to create the requisite scalar (i.e. also 1d) that you'd expect through all prior experiences of multiplication. And this continues into higher and further education levels.
::If using the cross, at this level, it risks the impression that you are using the cross-product. If obeying ''its'' calculative rules, creates a result that is perpendicular (and anti-commutative, so dependent upon order applied) to the vectors supplied. Trying to apply a cross-product to single-values essentially tells you that they have zero angular difference between the two two (whether in the same of opposite directions) and no magnitude in the co-perpendicular direction (requiring 3d of vector-space, or more). (And I hope I explained that right, and am not using my own understanding of the terminology in a way that doesn't match more standard uses of it. ;) ) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:26, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

An unrelated note, I'm just curious, does any beast have more than 1 canine? or is the second number limited to the set {0, 1}? -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 09:31, 2 March 2026 (UTC)

Fun Fact: The {{w|São Tomé collared fruit bat}} is the only known mammal where the whole population has an asymmetrical dental formula. --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 18:51, 2 March 2026 (UTC)
:O.K., the IP address at the end of that sentence looked like a very scary set of teeth. {{unsigned ip|96.230.198.167|23:46, 9 March 2026 (UTC)}}

Although "mammals in general" have breasts not all do. The platypus is a mammal and does produce milk to feed its young, however it has no nipples. Instead an area of skin "leaks" (secretes) milk into the fur. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 21:01, 2 March 2026 (UTC)
:A platypus? [[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 01:32, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::With a fedora? [[Special:Contributions/93.176.188.2|93.176.188.2]] 16:50, 4 March 2026 (UTC)
:::PERRY the platypus?![[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 16:26, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

3208: SNEWS

2026-03-11T17:24:14Z

Commercialegg: /* Transcript */ added title text

{{comic
| number = 3208
| date = February 16, 2026
| title = SNEWS
| image = snews_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x321px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = People say setting of fireworks indoors is dangerous, but I looked at their energy release and it's like 10^-40 foe; totally negligible.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a Type Ia firework display that Ponytail set off. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Ponytail]] is 'showing [[Hairy]] her bedroom'. Hairy asks about the large device on the ceiling, and Ponytail explains that it is part of the {{w|SNEWS}} (SuperNova Early Warning System). This provides advance notice of {{w|supernova}}e by detecting {{w|neutrino}}s (tiny particles that travel near the speed of light, rarely interacting with matter). Neutrinos are produced in large quantities during the collapse of the star core, which occurs hours before the brightness of the star surface starts to increase (drastically). Neutrinos from a supernova can be distinguished from those generated by the Sun: the latter are relatively steady in their flux (1010–1011 cm-2s-1) with energies < 20 MeV, while the former come in a much higher flux for a few seconds and have energies of 10–50 MeV. She explains this gives {{w|astronomer}}s warning, allowing them to observe the event with telescopes and other instruments.

Hairy reasonably assumes that the device is either a detector, forming part of the SNEWS, or some kind of telescope to be used in the event the SNEWS goes off. However, Ponytail explains that it is a {{w|fireworks}} launcher — presumably linked into the detection network and triggered if it registers an observation — for the purposes of waking her up so she can witness the supernova herself. This is a '''very''' bad idea, for a multitude of reasons. Reckless use of fireworks is known for causing significant property damage and personal injury, even when used outdoors; launching fireworks inside the house means causing an explosion in a confined area, guaranteeing that it will hit the building, maximizing the opportunity to ignite something flammable on the structure, and containing, and therefore amplifying, the sound of the burst (which can already deafen people who are too close). Understandably, Hairy {{tvtropes|ScrewThisImOuttaHere|leaves to sleep at his own house}}.

Some people aren't easily woken up by a simple {{w|alarm clock}}, especially if it is in reach and has a "snooze" function where a button will silence the alarm for several minutes before it beeps again. The similar sounds of "snooze" and SNEWS may be part of the joke.

Ponytail is being {{w|hyperbole|hyperbolic}}, because even if all astronomers were interested in supernovae, not every individual or observatory will be immediately situated to view a particular point in the sky. For example, they may need to wait for the Earth's rotation, causing the phenomenon to "rise" in the east. Others may be located at unfavorable latitudes where the object will never appear above the Earth's horizon. It may also take some time before the supernova reaches an apparent magnitude that is visible during the daytime. Which would be particularly disappointing for ''everyone'' with an interest (on Earth) if it all happens to a star currently too close to conjunction with the Sun to see, in spite of the advanced neutrino warning.

Since historical supernovae have been visible from 6 months to nearly 2 years, it would be unlikely that Ponytail sleeps through a new one in its entirety, although there would still be significant cachet for any astronomer lucky enough to be able to legitimately say that they had seen the 'first light' at the earliest opportunity. It would have been difficult for her to ''not'' sleep through part of the supernova, for the same reason if she had not set up the fireworks; ironically, she has made that a more likely possibility, because injuries from the fireworks may leave her in a coma or under medical sedation.

The title text is a play on the tremendous amount of energy released by a supernova. The {{w|Foe (unit)|foe}} is an unofficial unit of energy equal to 10^44 Joule (but named directly from initials in the original quantity of "ten to the fifty-one ergs", involving a {{w|Erg|pre-SI}} measurement of energy), which is approximately on the order of the usual amount of energy released by a supernova. In comparison, human-scale amounts of energy — even relatively significant ones such as firework detonations — are negligible. This ignores the fact that energy releases that are "negligible in comparison to a supernova" can still be easily fatal to humans; even the largest man-made nuclear explosion is approximately ''twenty-seven'' orders of magnitude less than the baseline 'foe' value. The described "10-40 foe" is equal to 10 kJ, the energy content of approximately 3.3 grams of pyrotechnic gunpowder (for instance, a string of sixty or so 50-mg firecrackers).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Ponytail is walking into her room. The room has a bed, a set of drawers and a large sci-fi device mounted on the ceiling. Hairy is standing in the room, pointing up at the device.]
:Hairy: What's that device?
:Ponytail: Part of the supernova early warning system.
:Ponytail: There hasn't been a Milky Way supernova in over a century.
:Ponytail: Astronomers don't want to miss the next one.

:[Close up of Ponytail, now sitting on the end of the bed]
:Ponytail: 20 years ago, we set up a supernova alert system using neutrino detectors.
:Ponytail: It should give us a few hours' advance notice.

:[In a frame-less panel the view zooms back out, showing Ponytail and Hairy.]
:Ponytail: If it ever goes off, every astronomer on earth will scramble to point their equipment at the sky.
:Hairy: Oh, OK. So is that a detector? Or some kind of telescope?

:[The panel moves to the right, showing Hairy walking away. Ponytail is still on the end of the bed, raising a clenched fist for dramatic effect.]
:Ponytail: Fireworks launcher.
:Ponytail: I '''''refuse''''' to sleep through a supernova.
:Hairy: I think I'll spend the night at my place instead.

:Title Text: People say setting of fireworks indoors is dangerous, but I looked at their energy release and it's like 10^-40 foe; totally negligible.

==Trivia==
The word "off" is misspelled as "of" in the title text.

This comic was published on the eve of the {{w|Chinese New Year}} or Lunar New Year, which is reckoned by the new moon appearing at this time of year. Celebrations throughout Asia and communities worldwide include setting off firecrackers and launching fireworks.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

3213: Dental Formulas

2026-03-11T17:15:50Z

Commercialegg: Joke added to explication incomplete

{{comic
| number = 3213
| date = February 27, 2026
| title = Dental Formulas
| image = dental_formulas_2x.png
| imagesize = 212x337px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I mean, half of these are undefined. And your multiplication dots are too low; they look like decimal points.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently to figure out a dental formula. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

A {{w|dental formula}} specifies the typical number and location of teeth of each type for a given species. There are two rows, representing the upper and lower jaw, separated by a horizontal line. On each row, the number of each type of tooth is given for one side of the jaw, with dots separating the numbers. The number of {{w|incisors}} is indicated first, {{w|canine teeth|canines}} second, {{w|premolars}} third, and finally {{w|molars}}. The formula in the comic would represent 3 incisors, 1 canine, 3 premolars, and 1 molar on each side of the upper jaw, and equal numbers in the lower jaw, with the exception that there are only 2 premolars; this is the dental formula for the {{w|Felidae|cat family}}. The adult human dental formula is 2.1.2.3 for both the upper and lower jaw.

Cueball is mistakenly treating a dental formula as an arithmetic expression, with the line indicating division and the dots indicating multiplication: 3⋅1⋅3⋅1 divided by 3⋅1⋅2⋅1, giving 9/6 = 3/2. Since the numbers involved are always small natural numbers, calculating the results when treating them this way would be fairly trivial, which is why he is surprised at the effort given to studying them.

In the title text, his statement that half the formulae are undefined refers to animals that lack one of the four types of teeth in the lower jaw, leading to a zero in the lower part of the dental formula. Cueball is attempting to multiply all terms in that lower part, giving a result of zero, and then treat that as a mathematical denominator, resulting in an {{w|Division_by_zero|undefined division expression}}. He also notes that the "dots are too low", as the dots in a dental formula are {{w|Full stop|period characters}}, whereas multiplication in mathematical formulae uses {{w|Interpunct#In_mathematics_and_science|middle dot}} characters (except in the Commonwealth, where this is sometimes reversed).

The word '{{wiktionary|mammologist}}' is an alternate spelling of '{{wiktionary|mammalogist}}', meaning one who studies {{w|mammals}} (or, in some cases, specifically studying the mammaries (i.e. breasts) which mark out mammals in general). Unlike odontology (dentistry, not to be confused with {{w|odonatology}}), which studies the ''health'' of a patient's teeth, mammalogy studies teeth as a means to identify species and what they eat.

The comic's number, 3213, could also be interpreted as (part of) a dental formula.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[Cueball and Megan are standing in front of a whiteboard, on which is written
::3.1.3.1 3.1.2.1
:along with a drawing of a tooth and some other scribbles.]

:Cueball: Do mammologists think these are hard?
:Cueball: I mean, this one just evaluates to 3/2.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Mathematicians encounter dental formulas

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

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

Talk:3213: Dental Formulas

2026-03-03T01:32:58Z

Commercialegg:

Talk:3213: Dental Formulas

2026-03-03T01:32:37Z

Commercialegg:

Talk:3201: Proof Without Content

2026-02-02T14:37:13Z

Commercialegg:

First. Would be funny to have an explanation along the lines of "It is possible to give an explanation with no content. Here's how:" [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:44, 30 January 2026 (UTC)

Proof without Content seems to be a play of words for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_without_words]Proof without Words {{unsigned ip|2001:16b8:b583:2500:4d66:4f4e:17e2:34f1|17:50, 30 January 2026 (UTC)}}

The comic pokes fun at a common situation found in mathematics books. The students sees a statement with a very short proof that doesn't make sense since it's been summarized in a way that is helpful for people already familiar with the theorem. For instance: "prime numbers larger than 2 are odd". Proof: "even numbers are divisible by 2". The student is expected to know that a number divisible by 2 is not prime, but that's most likely something that comes up later in the same book, or sometimes not explained at all.
In the comic the "short" proof is taken to the absurd level of being completely empty. What mathematical statement can be proven with a completely empty proof? The fact that there exists comics which have statements with empty proofs. It is both a joke about difficult to understand proof in math books and also a meta-mathematics joke as the proof is talking about itself.
The title text pokes even more fun at maths books where many important theorems are stated and are given to the students as useful facts but with no proof, stating that demonstrating the truth of the statement is so easy it is "left as an exercise for the reader". This common scenario frustrates students because in some cases the "exercise" is extremely difficult to do.
The only "proof without content of a conjecture without content" is a blank page altogether, which clearly exists, so the statement is true, even if meaningless. {{unsigned ip|104.28.199.245|17:58, 30 January 2026 (UTC)}}
:I really do not get that title text. I put an attempt at understanding it down but it may have gone over my head [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:58, 30 January 2026 (UTC)
:I don't recall that problem with such a proof. Usually the statement about primes being odd comes after giving the definition of prime and composite numbers. From that, being divisible by 2 clearly makes a number composite. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:31, 30 January 2026 (UTC)
:: A number being divisible by two proves that a number that is not two is composite. You still have to prove that the number you first thought of is not two.[[Special:Contributions/76.180.39.133|76.180.39.133]] 05:02, 1 February 2026 (UTC)
::You must be very smart. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1700:2120:5880:C885:5DAF:EFD8:EADF|2600:1700:2120:5880:C885:5DAF:EFD8:EADF]] 22:12, 30 January 2026 (UTC)

The comic demonstrates a proof without content, but is it a convincing proof? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:33, 30 January 2026 (UTC)
:If it is, then yes. QED. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:14, 30 January 2026 (UTC)

I think the tautological nature of the proof could be better explained. If the blank image is interpreted as a correct proof, it proves the notion that a blank image can prove a conjecture. [[Special:Contributions/2600:4041:2E5:B900:6C41:5AFB:89D1:F216|2600:4041:2E5:B900:6C41:5AFB:89D1:F216]] 22:11, 30 January 2026 (UTC)

Isn't this proof using circular reasoning? The proof is only convincing if the conjecture that an empty proof can be convincing is correct. [[Special:Contributions/73.222.207.213|73.222.207.213]] 23:26, 30 January 2026 (UTC)
:Yeah, it is a circular argument. Maybe that’s part of the joke? [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 01:39, 31 January 2026 (UTC)
::I say it's only circular reasoning if it's circular reasoning. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 02:01, 31 January 2026 (UTC)
:Yes, it really begs the question... [[Special:Contributions/136.47.216.1|136.47.216.1]] 03:42, 31 January 2026 (UTC)

This space provably left blank [[User:Hcs|Hcs]] ([[User talk:Hcs|talk]]) 09:13, 31 January 2026 (UTC)
:I see what you didn't there. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 21:21, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

The only problem I see here is that the "conjecture" should be called "theorem". In a mathematical paper, statements for which you are about to present a proof are called "theorems," not "conjectures." Conjectures are statements made without proof which the author expects to be true and provable. I would expect something like "'''Theorem 1.1'''. ''There is an empty proof of a non-vacuous theorem.''" Then it would be followed by an empty line, then "'''Proof.'''" another empty line, and finally nothing. (That said, this isn't really a proof of anything. If I assert that it is not a proof, how can you demonstrate that I am wrong? Only if I accept that it is a proof does it become a proof. It's one of those natural language paradoxes like "this statement is true.") [[User:EebstertheGreat|EebstertheGreat]] ([[User talk:EebstertheGreat|talk]]) 22:31, 31 January 2026 (UTC)

I am not convinced.

[[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 18:51, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3201: Proof Without Content

2026-02-02T04:49:45Z

Commercialegg:

First. Would be funny to have an explanation along the lines of "It is possible to give an explanation with no content. Here's how:" [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:44, 30 January 2026 (UTC)

Proof without Content seems to be a play of words for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_without_words]Proof without Words

The comic pokes fun at a common situation found in mathematics books. The students sees a statement with a very short proof that doesn't make sense since it's been summarized in a way that is helpful for people already familiar with the theorem. For instance: "prime numbers larger than 2 are odd". Proof: "even numbers are divisible by 2". The student is expected to know that a number divisible by 2 is not prime, but that's most likely something that comes up later in the same book, or sometimes not explained at all.
In the comic the "short" proof is taken to the absurd level of being completely empty. What mathematical statement can be proven with a completely empty proof? The fact that there exists comics which have statements with empty proofs. It is both a joke about difficult to understand proof in math books and also a meta-mathematics joke as the proof is talking about itself.
The title text pokes even more fun at maths books where many important theorems are stated and are given to the students as useful facts but with no proof, stating that demonstrating the truth of the statement is so easy it is "left as an exercise for the reader". This common scenario frustrates students because in some cases the "exercise" is extremely difficult to do.
The only "proof without content of a conjecture without content" is a blank page altogether, which clearly exists, so the statement is true, even if meaningless.
:I don't recall that problem with such a proof. Usually the statement about primes being odd comes after giving the definition of prime and composite numbers. From that, being divisible by 2 clearly makes a number composite. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:31, 30 January 2026 (UTC)
:: A number being divisible by two proves that a number that is not two is composite. You still have to prove that the number you first thought of is not two.[[Special:Contributions/76.180.39.133|76.180.39.133]] 05:02, 1 February 2026 (UTC)
::You must be very smart. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1700:2120:5880:C885:5DAF:EFD8:EADF|2600:1700:2120:5880:C885:5DAF:EFD8:EADF]] 22:12, 30 January 2026 (UTC)

I really do not get that title text. I put an attempt at understanding it down but it may have gone over my head [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:58, 30 January 2026 (UTC)

The comic demonstrates a proof without content, but is it a convincing proof? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:33, 30 January 2026 (UTC)
:If it is, then yes. QED. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:14, 30 January 2026 (UTC)

I think the tautological nature of the proof could be better explained. If the blank image is interpreted as a correct proof, it proves the notion that a blank image can prove a conjecture. [[Special:Contributions/2600:4041:2E5:B900:6C41:5AFB:89D1:F216|2600:4041:2E5:B900:6C41:5AFB:89D1:F216]] 22:11, 30 January 2026 (UTC)

Isn't this proof using circular reasoning? The proof is only convincing if the conjecture that an empty proof can be convincing is correct. [[Special:Contributions/73.222.207.213|73.222.207.213]] 23:26, 30 January 2026 (UTC)
:Yeah, it is a circular argument. Maybe that’s part of the joke? [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 01:39, 31 January 2026 (UTC)
::I say it's only circular reasoning if it's circular reasoning. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 02:01, 31 January 2026 (UTC)
:Yes, it really begs the question... [[Special:Contributions/136.47.216.1|136.47.216.1]] 03:42, 31 January 2026 (UTC)

This space provably left blank [[User:Hcs|Hcs]] ([[User talk:Hcs|talk]]) 09:13, 31 January 2026 (UTC)
:I see what you didn't there. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 21:21, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

The only problem I see here is that the "conjecture" should be called "theorem". In a mathematical paper, statements for which you are about to present a proof are called "theorems," not "conjectures." Conjectures are statements made without proof which the author expects to be true and provable. I would expect something like "'''Theorem 1.1'''. ''There is an empty proof of a non-vacuous theorem.''" Then it would be followed by an empty line, then "'''Proof.'''" another empty line, and finally nothing. (That said, this isn't really a proof of anything. If I assert that it is not a proof, how can you demonstrate that I am wrong? Only if I accept that it is a proof does it become a proof. It's one of those natural language paradoxes like "this statement is true.") [[User:EebstertheGreat|EebstertheGreat]] ([[User talk:EebstertheGreat|talk]]) 22:31, 31 January 2026 (UTC)

I am not convinced. {{unsigned ip|2607:fb91:b65:c707:d543:2a8d:d408:4945}} 18:51, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

[[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 04:49, 2 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3200: Chemical Formula

2026-01-29T14:51:14Z

Commercialegg:

I'm disappointed that it wasn't scrollable. [[Special:Contributions/2001:41D0:8:5062:0:0:0:1|2001:41D0:8:5062:0:0:0:1]] 20:20, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
:+1 And funny to think that the universe contains less than a few hundred mol of Americium. --[[Special:Contributions/2001:16B8:CC03:E100:8552:6543:7CF4:9AE7|2001:16B8:CC03:E100:8552:6543:7CF4:9AE7]] 20:57, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
::Time for a campaign to Make Americium Greater? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:32, 29 January 2026 (UTC)
:::Some people don't understand sarcasm. Pleaze don't give them ideas. [[User:Gorcq|Gorcq]] ([[User talk:Gorcq|talk]]) 12:15, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

If anyone's interested in an accessible resource for getting more data like this, may I suggest https://ptable.com/#Properties/Abundance/Universe (which I believe derives data from IUPAC sources) [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 20:37, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

surprised to see so much Astatine, he himself declared, that stuff doesnt want to exist so I expected yet a few powers of ten less {{unsigned ip|2a00:6020:479f:6c00:d587:ac2a:d1e2:26a9|21:08, 28 January 2026 (UTC)}}

This does make me curious: how would neutronium be represented in a chemical formula? Or would it be? My impression is it kind of exists 'outside' of chemistry... -Kalil [[Special:Contributions/147.81.60.76|147.81.60.76]] 21:12, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
:Neutron stars would be represented with '''n''' with various mass numbers. And there are no more than 1 mmol (6.02214076×1020) of neutron stars. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C09:EC00:7932:264E:A9E0:8ED0|2001:4C4E:1C09:EC00:7932:264E:A9E0:8ED0]] 21:38, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

What about adding mass numbers? For example, most of the hydrogen is 1H, with small amounts of 2H and trace amounts of 3H. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C09:EC00:7932:264E:A9E0:8ED0|2001:4C4E:1C09:EC00:7932:264E:A9E0:8ED0]] 21:38, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

Oh look, it's the 3200th comic! Yay I guess! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]''''' 22:46, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

An unregistered user (198.48.180.159) added a note that the chemical formula "C11H15NO2" (i.e. C11H15NO2) "has 302 registered isomers". I don't know the source for that number or where those isomers are registered. (It's the formula for MDMA, which is, as noted, "not good to eat".) Would that be the CAS registry? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 23:20, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
: Don't know if this works, but here's a site that does immediately return 302 compounds: https://pubchemlite.lcsb.uni.lu/compounds?query=C11H15NO2 [[Special:Contributions/8.17.60.225|8.17.60.225]] 04:19, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

10^26 atoms of americium is about 40 kg. But it looks like humans produced tons of americium: https://isis-online.org/uploads/isis-reports/documents/np_237_and_americium.pdf
. If there are other civilizations in the observable Universe, then the amount of americium in the Universe is even higher. So I guess the formula counts only naturally produced elements. But even then it seems underestimated. [[User:Alexei Kopylov|Alexei Kopylov]] ([[User talk:Alexei Kopylov|talk]]) 23:45, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
:In everything that I've checked (I expanded the "list of names" into a table), I could ''not'' discover any universal quantity of americium that was close to Randall's apparent source. Can't exclude the possibility that artificially nucleogenesis played a part in his figures (while mine are from how much was created 'naturally'), but I've just had to go along with it being a completely wrong figure (for the ultimate universal ranking). Much as boron might be given slightly mismagnituded.
:However, if anyone thinks they have the same source that led to the comic's values (and can reconfirm beryllium's estimated order of magnitude, which is the ''only'' reason I decided to start on compiling this amount of extended data, which is actually for all 118 humanly known elements), then you're welcome to correct anything that I left in an incorrect state. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 00:16, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

...but what if you had a mole of universes? {{unsigned ip|99.109.3.237|00:50, 29 January 2026 (UTC)}}

In the explanation, towards the end of the formula for the universe, it says U₁₀². Would that mean that there are only about 100 uranium atoms in the whole universe? That seems way too low. Did the explainer confuse the powers of 10 with rankings (in reverse)? --[[Special:Contributions/208.59.176.206|208.59.176.206]] 03:48, 29 January 2026 (UTC)
:I'm not sure where the error came from, but about half the numbers are drastically too low. Remember, a mole is 6.02*10^23. [[Special:Contributions/174.94.104.215|174.94.104.215]] 05:34, 29 January 2026 (UTC)
:Fixed. The powers were just in descending order, one by one. The current values reflect the actual amounts, give or take one or two orders of magnitude. --[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 06:04, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

In the first paragraph of the explanation it says that the number for helium would be about a third as the number for hydrogen. This seems to compare the total masses for both elements instead of the number of atoms. Hydrogen should account for aprox. 92% of the atoms while Helium is approx. 8%. [[Special:Contributions/2A02:810D:9B99:7800:DECB:CADA:B418:2F1A|2A02:810D:9B99:7800:DECB:CADA:B418:2F1A]] 05:58, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

Re "Other more complex atoms, up to atomic mass 56, formed later ... as a result of stellar nucleosynthesis". Not all of them; there is another way. Boron and Beryllium are produced by cosmic ray spallation, the splitting of heavier atoms by the impact of energetic particles. [[Special:Contributions/2A12:F43:141A:9F00:A0FA:9260:7BAF:8D57|2A12:F43:141A:9F00:A0FA:9260:7BAF:8D57]] 13:16, 29 January 2026 (UTC) dww-uk

How do we count the atoms that all rollled up into a singularity and otherwise vanished from the universe except to leave a big pinch in it that causes weird gravity effects. [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 13:37, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

Off topic, but didn’t Xkcd used to be daily? [[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 14:50, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3200: Chemical Formula

2026-01-29T14:50:46Z

Commercialegg: Comment

I'm disappointed that it wasn't scrollable. [[Special:Contributions/2001:41D0:8:5062:0:0:0:1|2001:41D0:8:5062:0:0:0:1]] 20:20, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
:+1 And funny to think that the universe contains less than a few hundred mol of Americium. --[[Special:Contributions/2001:16B8:CC03:E100:8552:6543:7CF4:9AE7|2001:16B8:CC03:E100:8552:6543:7CF4:9AE7]] 20:57, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
::Time for a campaign to Make Americium Greater? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:32, 29 January 2026 (UTC)
:::Some people don't understand sarcasm. Pleaze don't give them ideas. [[User:Gorcq|Gorcq]] ([[User talk:Gorcq|talk]]) 12:15, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

If anyone's interested in an accessible resource for getting more data like this, may I suggest https://ptable.com/#Properties/Abundance/Universe (which I believe derives data from IUPAC sources) [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 20:37, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

surprised to see so much Astatine, he himself declared, that stuff doesnt want to exist so I expected yet a few powers of ten less {{unsigned ip|2a00:6020:479f:6c00:d587:ac2a:d1e2:26a9|21:08, 28 January 2026 (UTC)}}

This does make me curious: how would neutronium be represented in a chemical formula? Or would it be? My impression is it kind of exists 'outside' of chemistry... -Kalil [[Special:Contributions/147.81.60.76|147.81.60.76]] 21:12, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
:Neutron stars would be represented with '''n''' with various mass numbers. And there are no more than 1 mmol (6.02214076×1020) of neutron stars. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C09:EC00:7932:264E:A9E0:8ED0|2001:4C4E:1C09:EC00:7932:264E:A9E0:8ED0]] 21:38, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

What about adding mass numbers? For example, most of the hydrogen is 1H, with small amounts of 2H and trace amounts of 3H. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C09:EC00:7932:264E:A9E0:8ED0|2001:4C4E:1C09:EC00:7932:264E:A9E0:8ED0]] 21:38, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

Oh look, it's the 3200th comic! Yay I guess! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]''''' 22:46, 28 January 2026 (UTC)

An unregistered user (198.48.180.159) added a note that the chemical formula "C11H15NO2" (i.e. C11H15NO2) "has 302 registered isomers". I don't know the source for that number or where those isomers are registered. (It's the formula for MDMA, which is, as noted, "not good to eat".) Would that be the CAS registry? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 23:20, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
: Don't know if this works, but here's a site that does immediately return 302 compounds: https://pubchemlite.lcsb.uni.lu/compounds?query=C11H15NO2 [[Special:Contributions/8.17.60.225|8.17.60.225]] 04:19, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

10^26 atoms of americium is about 40 kg. But it looks like humans produced tons of americium: https://isis-online.org/uploads/isis-reports/documents/np_237_and_americium.pdf
. If there are other civilizations in the observable Universe, then the amount of americium in the Universe is even higher. So I guess the formula counts only naturally produced elements. But even then it seems underestimated. [[User:Alexei Kopylov|Alexei Kopylov]] ([[User talk:Alexei Kopylov|talk]]) 23:45, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
:In everything that I've checked (I expanded the "list of names" into a table), I could ''not'' discover any universal quantity of americium that was close to Randall's apparent source. Can't exclude the possibility that artificially nucleogenesis played a part in his figures (while mine are from how much was created 'naturally'), but I've just had to go along with it being a completely wrong figure (for the ultimate universal ranking). Much as boron might be given slightly mismagnituded.
:However, if anyone thinks they have the same source that led to the comic's values (and can reconfirm beryllium's estimated order of magnitude, which is the ''only'' reason I decided to start on compiling this amount of extended data, which is actually for all 118 humanly known elements), then you're welcome to correct anything that I left in an incorrect state. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 00:16, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

...but what if you had a mole of universes? {{unsigned ip|99.109.3.237|00:50, 29 January 2026 (UTC)}}

In the explanation, towards the end of the formula for the universe, it says U₁₀². Would that mean that there are only about 100 uranium atoms in the whole universe? That seems way too low. Did the explainer confuse the powers of 10 with rankings (in reverse)? --[[Special:Contributions/208.59.176.206|208.59.176.206]] 03:48, 29 January 2026 (UTC)
:I'm not sure where the error came from, but about half the numbers are drastically too low. Remember, a mole is 6.02*10^23. [[Special:Contributions/174.94.104.215|174.94.104.215]] 05:34, 29 January 2026 (UTC)
:Fixed. The powers were just in descending order, one by one. The current values reflect the actual amounts, give or take one or two orders of magnitude. --[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 06:04, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

In the first paragraph of the explanation it says that the number for helium would be about a third as the number for hydrogen. This seems to compare the total masses for both elements instead of the number of atoms. Hydrogen should account for aprox. 92% of the atoms while Helium is approx. 8%. [[Special:Contributions/2A02:810D:9B99:7800:DECB:CADA:B418:2F1A|2A02:810D:9B99:7800:DECB:CADA:B418:2F1A]] 05:58, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

Re "Other more complex atoms, up to atomic mass 56, formed later ... as a result of stellar nucleosynthesis". Not all of them; there is another way. Boron and Beryllium are produced by cosmic ray spallation, the splitting of heavier atoms by the impact of energetic particles. [[Special:Contributions/2A12:F43:141A:9F00:A0FA:9260:7BAF:8D57|2A12:F43:141A:9F00:A0FA:9260:7BAF:8D57]] 13:16, 29 January 2026 (UTC) dww-uk

How do we count the atoms that all rollled up into a singularity and otherwise vanished from the universe except to leave a big pinch in it that causes weird gravity effects. [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 13:37, 29 January 2026 (UTC)
Off topic, but didn’t Xkcd used to be daily? [[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 14:50, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3184: Funny Numbers

2026-01-29T14:30:12Z

Commercialegg: Comment

It should be"The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". {{unsigned ip|2001:5a8:60da:3300:c94a:564:dc6d:d811|05:24, 23 December 2025 (UTC)}}
: In response to above unsigned post: fixed! You could've edited it too :) [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 05:33, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:: In response to your response: post marked as unsigned! You could've done that too ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 11:19, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

this is crazy [[User:Qwertyuiopfromdefly|Qwertyuiopfromdefly]] ([[User talk:Qwertyuiopfromdefly|talk]]) 06:08, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:67 in Numberphile... now in xkcd... very sad (maybe they are related? on YouTube, Numberphile released 12 hours ago, which may be too close, but I don't know if they do Patreon or something) [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 09:09, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
::Ya all are way too sad about something this inconsequential. As xkcd rightly notices the so-called brainrot is just rebranding of equally dumb memes of yesteryear with the main difference being that you grew up with one and not the other. Decently funny strip overall. [[Special:Contributions/206.245.134.17|206.245.134.17]] 11:42, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
::For one: it is the 19th prime, and 19 is the 8th prime. Also, its digit sum is 13, which is the 6th prime. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C08:BC00:41F9:90A:BF7A:1727|2001:4C4E:1C08:BC00:41F9:90A:BF7A:1727]] 16:27, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:::Excellent video from Wrath of Math about it and it was a couple months ago iirc, it's really good. [[Special:Contributions/124.198.132.237|124.198.132.237]] 21:13, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Bad comic, Randall. Put it back. [[Special:Contributions/47.141.37.161|47.141.37.161]] 06:43, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:It's called depublishing. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C08:BC00:41F9:90A:BF7A:1727|2001:4C4E:1C08:BC00:41F9:90A:BF7A:1727]] 16:27, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

"If you have to ask, you're not old enough yet," is there like, some kind of comprehensive guide to sex and sexuality I was supposed to receive on my 18th birthday or something? All I got was 18 $1 scratch tickets. [[Special:Contributions/69.5.140.194|69.5.140.194]] 08:32, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:For that matter, maybe your sense of humor is finally old enough to not amount to "haha sex funny". Incidentally appropriate IP, by the way. [[Special:Contributions/206.245.134.17|206.245.134.17]] 09:02, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:I admit I was trying to be cute, I fully expected someone to "correct" it. It was reminiscent of the analogous question in the Baker House Purity Test (which I'll also admit I didn't get at the time). https://www.mit.edu/~iggy/Amusements/Purity_andnerd_tests/pure.baker.male [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:52, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

I observe that the explanation leaves [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6-7_meme 67] off the list of numbers... (it has no real meaning, just a fun thing the kids do to each other and enjoy the adults being confused about) (And now I feel stoopid for not noticing the big link at the very top — but still think it should be in the list.) [[User:Dúthomhas|Dúthomhas]] ([[User talk:Dúthomhas|talk]]) 08:54, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:=-1. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C08:BC00:41F9:90A:BF7A:1727|2001:4C4E:1C08:BC00:41F9:90A:BF7A:1727]] 16:30, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

I daresay no Robert Anton Wilson clone will immortalize "6 7" in 100 years on. Todays memes have a half-life measured in milliseconds. I say that without assessment. Only observing. [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:307A:46A3:7D5E:A7C0|2A02:2455:1960:4000:307A:46A3:7D5E:A7C0]] 10:15, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

69 -- if you have to ask, you're not old enough.
Information technology archeologist in the 31st century, sobbing: "I am 374 years old. How much longer?"[[Special:Contributions/109.43.49.174|109.43.49.174]] 11:45, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:Apparently, that meme is old enough not to have the several milliseconds of half-life (or if it does, it's dilated well to years, for I sometimes do see things with the "69 is funny" appearing). Unless "not old enough" refers to "born [chronologically] too late (i. e. too far from the Big Bang)". [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C08:BC00:41F9:90A:BF7A:1727|2001:4C4E:1C08:BC00:41F9:90A:BF7A:1727]] 16:30, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

While I do accredit the audacity to keep the humor in the explanation of 67, the act feels a little unprofessional. It feels like laziness or lack of knowledge, rather than a play on the popularity of the meme across the youth (I have no idea what the meaning behind six-seven is, and have always considered it pure absurd). [[User:Benzaldehyde|Benzaldehyde]] ([[User talk:Benzaldehyde|talk]] 14:23, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Could someone reorganize the order of the number descriptions? I initially read it as left column down, then right column down, which I think is also chronological. [[User:CreatorOfWorlds|CreatorOfWorlds]] ([[User talk:CreatorOfWorlds|talk]]) 14:45, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:I'm sure we could ascribe creation-estimates to them all (first being 23, etc, last being 6 7), but I don't see any obvious chronological layout, either row-by-row or column-by-column. 69 ''after'' 42? (Unless we accept the Lewis Carol origin, in which case it should even be before 23.) Calculators (suitable types by at the latest 1957) not until after the necessary hacker/BBS culture (early Internet and/or FIDONet era, with maybe the earliest possible date of 19''67<funny-hand-movements>'')? [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.136|82.132.237.136]] 15:14, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
::On further looking, though I ''suppose'' the list (up until the latest addition, being just now tacked on at the end for simplicity) is definitely ''numerically''-sorted by column-first reading order... Depending upon the sorting algorithm, it'd be interesting to see where 6<space>7 gets shuffled to (and, moreover, how it shuffles anything that now comes after it) in a subsequent year's "list of numbers historically adopted by young people". Could be first, or between 42 and 69. ''Could'' still be last, but tricky to explain that against 23 (with non-numerical parts) being first this time round. Unless typesetting needs trump alphanumeric ordering, too. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.136|82.132.237.136]] 15:31, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:::''...Anyway...'' I sortably-tabularised it! To the best of my ability. Maybe the date column should be "Discovered?" or something else, but too many unknowns, even after researching. .e.g. the act of 69ing is... well, I bet it's prehistoric (I'm sure bonobos do it... and all kinds of variations!), while the French 'popularisation' of the term is attested to more than 200 years ago, but I'm not going to even hazard a guess when it became a "teens" thing that the mathematicians subsequently decided was new. Brought 58008 into the '70s only because wikipedia suggested that (decadal-displays are older, even seven-segment displays themselves might be {{w|Seven-segment display#History|1903ish}}, but hey!). And defined decade-ranges as their midpoint year, for sorting reasons. You can see where and how to change things, if you disagree and have other/better dates. Or wish to add a further 'fad date' column to differentiate from origin-date. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.136|82.132.237.136]] 17:34, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Oh my a completed transcript already i literally just found out about this comic --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 15:07, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

... You know what's funnier than 24? [[Special:Contributions/2600:4041:5E13:8400:AC92:4546:AC77:BF90|2600:4041:5E13:8400:AC92:4546:AC77:BF90]] 17:10, 23 December 2025 (UTC)
:I’m not sure where you got the number 24 from, but there is a joke in Mexico that is something of an old Polish-style joke: Many Chinese who moved to Mexico are known to have difficulty with the ‘V’ sound, instead using something closer to an ‘M’. A Mexican was annoyed by a Chinese person and called him a “mendicuadro” — a slang term for a beggar or mendicant (or annoyance), which sounds like the words for 24 (venticuatro) — and the Chinese guy thought a second and responded “Well, you’re a twenty-five!” (“Pues, ¡tú eres un mendicinco!”). Cue hilarity. (These kinds of jokes are always ruined for me by the inherent racism, much like the “how many Polish guys does it take to change a lightbulb” kinds of jokes.) {{unsigned|Dúthomhas|02:11, 24 December 2025}}

Shouldn't the year for "42" be 1978? The Hitchhiker's Guide first broadcast "42" in Fit the Fourth, 29 March 1978. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_Primary_and_Secondary_Phases#Fit_the_Fourth {{unsigned ip|62.63.216.178|17:22, 23 December 2025}}
:You're right. I was juggling dates and must have caught a different one. (Book publication date..? Not sure, without checking, what I may have mixed it up with.) If not already fixed by you/others, will do so myself. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.136|82.132.237.136]] 17:46, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

This is conclusive proof that Randall watches YouTube Shorts. [[User:Explainyourself|Explainyourself]] ([[User talk:Explainyourself|talk]]) 20:14, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

I'm surprised 22 (A major number in Outer Wilds, which I would assume Randall would've played because of ship design in 2765), 17776 (sci-fi story which is highly underrated), and 20020 (sequel to 17776) are all unmentioned. [[User:Usernametakennn|Usernametakennn]] ([[User talk:Usernametakennn|talk]]) 01:37, 24 December 2025 (UTC)
:Some of those seem more like deciding that 2001 (and thus possibly 2010, 2061 and 3001) or 2312 or 1984 should appear. But are those titles... memetic enough? In a "down wid da yout'" kind of way?
:Especially if the relevent story is "underrated", because then it's not clearly as appreciated as it should be and so unlikely to enter the appropriate global consciousness like that. e.g., I may like the aforementioned fictional numbers, plus Space: 1999 (and, perhaps even more, Space: 1889!), but I'm not sure they've quite invaded the teenage mindset enough to be candidates for the list. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 02:02, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

More common popular numbers:
53310761 (Elvis Presley's military serial number. Very cool to known at one time!), 7734 (on a calculator), 54 40 (or fight. Winning political slogan thought the U.S. didn't 54 40 and didn't fight), 867-5309 (Jenny), Number 1 or number 2 (Going), 10-4 (Correct in 10 code during C.B craze) "No, 4" (Morbid response to peace sign after Kent state shooting.) "Number 5 is alive", 36-24-36 (Also 362-4360, phone number from a version of AC-DC's "Dirty deads") 86ed (Run out of, thrown out of, rejected).
A little more inside: 17 (Yellow pig day, Michael Spivak &c.), 712 (Shonen Knife ) 96 (tears) DEADBEEF (hex) 1066 (and all that) 1138 (THX, why aren't you at you post, thx-138 plates on the Deuce coupe &c.) 33, 45 & 78 record speeds [[User:Lordpishky|Lordpishky]] ([[User talk:Lordpishky|talk]]) 04:32, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Was the origin of 6 7 not ''"and if the devil is six then god is seven"'' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_Gone_to_Heaven#Lyrics_and_meaning uttered by Black Francis in 1988]? [[Special:Contributions/80.2.107.84|80.2.107.84]] 07:13, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

666 --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 07:16, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

You know about the 23 mile pipeline to the mining town of Skidoo right? {{unsigned ip|172.59.84.195|13:31, 24 December 2025}}

I’m surprised no one mentioned the origin of 6 7, which was Skrilla’s song “doot doot 6 7” where 6 7 is referring to Philadelphia police radio code 10-6-7, “report of death/dead body” and the use of the numbers 6 7 to reference death. Yes, I know many of the kids saying 6 7 don’t know what it means or why Skrilla was singing it, but that doesn’t mean the meaning doesn’t exist. I’m reminded of the song lyric “come spend the night inside my sugar walls” (Shena Easton”) I was in high school when it came out, and my classmates seemed to fall into one of 3 groups: those who got it, those who didn’t get it at all, and those who tried to deny what the words meant. [[Special:Contributions/2A09:BAC3:70E8:2773:0:0:3EE:55|2A09:BAC3:70E8:2773:0:0:3EE:55]]
:...if you actually read the explanation, it ''does'' mention Skrilla's song. As to whether it does refer to Phili radio codes or not, this is already mentioned in the linked page as a ''speculated'' but unsubstantiated possibility, and that Skrilla themself does pretty much the opposite of confirming this or any other definite origin. (All the above is as of the versions of the pages, here and on wikipedia, that I last read... I can't be held responsible for any further changes made to them, up to now or later. So more scrutiny might be needed if properly attested 'facts' appear.) [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 23:51, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

I liked Meghan's comment, implying she has matured beyond these number fashions but is glad that the fad contiues amongst the yougsters. [[User:GrannyVanEngeland|GrannyVanEngeland]] ([[User talk:GrannyVanEngeland|talk]]) 16:21, 25 December 2025 (UTC)

5318008 [[Special:Contributions/2401:D005:D402:7A00:4C55:92FB:29AD:E01E|2401:D005:D402:7A00:4C55:92FB:29AD:E01E]] 02:17, 26 December 2025 (UTC)

I think it's important to note that 6 7 is not the number 67, but just the numbers 6 and 7 said together. In that sense it might be more properly considered not a number at all; if anything, it is a 2-membered sequence. Or possibly a word formed out of numerals. Though really there is no math involved, and thinking about it mathematically is probably missing the point. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1702:5C65:8E00:981A:7E98:FDFA:E92E|2600:1702:5C65:8E00:981A:7E98:FDFA:E92E]] 02:21, 26 December 2025 (UTC)
:10 4 [[Special:Contributions/107.77.205.131|107.77.205.131]] 20:09, 26 December 2025 (UTC)
::There’s a whole online encyclopedia of integer sequences, mind you [[Special:Contributions/122.213.236.53|122.213.236.53]] 06:20, 27 December 2025 (UTC)

where are 0451 and 11037? they should take the places of 42 and 58008 {{unsigned ip|94.73.40.242|15:25, 27 December 2025}}

Checks comments, sighs [[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 14:30, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

Talk:2699: Feature Comparison

2026-01-22T19:57:33Z

Commercialegg:

Is there something we can do about the trolls? people keep making nonsense edits and adding weird images that have nothing to do with the comic. [[User:(insert name here)|(insert name here)]] ([[User talk:(insert name here)|talk]]) 19:56, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

The image has changed. Now Mastodon includes USER-RUN INSTANCES (though I believe it should also have a check next to DOESN'T REQUIRE CENTRAL SERVER).

I tried googling "wikipedia feature comparison chart". Instead of finding a page explaining how these charts work, I got a chart comparing different wiki softwares. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:22, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

Of course, it wouldn't be hard to make apps on smartphones support mesh networks ... however, the manufacturers and app developers prefer to work hard to make sure they don't work without being connected to internet and serving advertisement. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Direct Although ...] -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:25, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:Actually, nearly all smartphones use radio chipsets running proprietary firmware with little to no mesh support; WiFi Direct depends upon protocol support from these chipsets, & specifically precludes relaying from device-to-device-to-device in a "decentralized mesh" fashion. DD-WRT & OpenWRT protocols support this kind of wireless decentralized mesh, but are not supported by the radio firmware present on consumer smartphones. Devices supporting these wireless mesh protocols do exist, but a lack of other nearby devices supporting those protocols, precludes relayed communication over multiple until such devices are deployed throughout the distance between a sender & recipient. In the US, there's only a couple bands allocated by the FCC which permit ciphered digital transmissions without a broadcast license, & the lineup of cellular handsets featuring radios for these bands can be counted on a few fingers.
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:55, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

There seems to be a lot of wrongness about this matrix. Besides that mastodon instances can be run by user (which is fixed):
* Mastodon does not support file transfer. You can only upload images, and ''not'' even all image formats—webp is not supported. Some other ActivityPub servers support file upload, but then it's not Mastodon.
* IRC also doesn't support file transfer afaik.
* Mastodon and SMS don't require a central server
* Discord, Reddit, and Slack doesn't have user-run instances
* Discord doesn't have builtin games last time I checked. The games are by the bots,
: Discord used to have a game store accessible from the top menu. They dropped it because nobody used it. [[User:Schmurr|Schmurr]] ([[User talk:Schmurr|talk]]) 17:02, 1 March 2023 (UTC)

I don't know about Slack, but pretty much all of Discord and Reddit is user-run/moderated instances.
:That slash is doing a lot of work there. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.31|172.69.34.31]] 06:57, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:Your definition for "instance" must be very different from mine then. For me, "instance" refer to the server software's instance; that is, the user must be able to run the server software on their own to qualify this. If you consider subreddits and discord chat rooms (I refuse to call them "servers", because that's not what they are) as "user-run instances", then so are Facebook groups, right? Those are not instances; they're just communities or groups moderated by some selected people. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.215.3|172.71.215.3]] 12:55, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:webp support was added in Mastodon 4.0. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.124|162.158.222.124]] 08:38, 18 November 2022 (UTC)
:discord did recently add official built-in games in the form of [https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/4422142836759-Activities-on-Discord "activities"] in voice chat [[User:Sobsz|Sobsz]] ([[User talk:Sobsz|talk]]) 09:40, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

"IRC itself is a teleconferencing system, which (through the use of the client-server model) is well-suited to running on many machines in a distributed fashion. A typical setup involves a single process '''(the server) forming a central point''' for clients (or other servers) to connect to, performing the required message delivery/multiplexing and other functions." – J. Oikarinen, D. Reed; Internet Relay Chat Protocol; RFC 1459; May 1993. Emphasis added. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.158|172.71.154.158]] 01:45, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Notably, Mastodon ''eschews'' file transfer - audio specifically - for fear of enabling piracy (issue #7495). Tumblr would have a more comprehensive version of file transfer.
[[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.136|172.71.146.136]] 03:17, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

IRC has (X)DCC for File Transfers and for it's centralisation it depends on the deployment, the original network that became EFNet (Eris-Free Network) doesn't have a central server, but things like Libera and OFTC have centralised services for authentication and servers maintained by only one organisation. Btw for games on the fediverse (which Mastodon is part of) Misskey includes some, sadly they're centralised. [[User:Lanodan|Lanodan]] ([[User talk:Lanodan|talk]]) 03:40, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Tumblr does have group chats. They're publicly viewable by anyone, but only people in the group can send messages, so I think they still count as group chats.

It appears we are all having a [[386]] moment watching Randall finally be wrong about something. How dare he?! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.30|172.70.111.30]] 05:37, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: Nobody wants to put this train wreck into the explanation, but someone has to. I'm guessing we're waiting for further corrections just in case.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.31|ki172.69.34.31]] 06:57, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Discord did add games recently: https://discord.com/blog/server-activities-games-voice-watch-together
[[User:Spenc|Spenc]] ([[User talk:Spenc|talk]]) 07:28, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

He also just left out Matrix entirely, y'know I'm starting to think this isn't a serious comparison. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.250.193|172.70.250.193]] 07:42, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: He forgot to include humans, too, which support all of the features listed. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.12|141.101.99.12]] 10:23, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

Not sure what built-in would mean, but Slack has plenty of games you can install on it as an admin (Similar to Discord) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.223|172.70.162.223]] 09:52, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Also on April fool's days Tumblr occasionally have some sort of built-in game [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.46|172.70.162.46]] 09:54, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:xkcd has those too :p --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.215.3|172.71.215.3]] 12:55, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

I'm wondering if we shouldn't include in the explanation, besides (on instead of) the link to {{Wikipedia|Mesh networking}}, also a link to {{Wikipedia|Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking}}. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 10:34, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

I can't help to notice phpBB is so dead it's not even on this chart. -- Shirluban [[Special:Contributions/172.71.122.79|172.71.122.79]] 10:37, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

I agree that the table is riddled with a surprising number of errors, but if the conspiracy theory that Randall has been replaced by another, evil cartoonist (as I write, the head of this explanation) is meant to be funny ... it didn't seem amusing to this particular explainer. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 12:55, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: It wasn't meant to be funny, it was meant to explain the comic. How much fake news about fake news about fake news do we need before we talk about it? It's clear to anybody who can tell how severe the mistakes are, that this is what the comic is about. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.29|172.70.111.29]] 15:10, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

While I'm sure this could start a holy war in its own right, if you include MMS under the umbrella of SMS, you get sort-of file transfers and also group chats. [[User:Jpatterson|Jpatterson]] ([[User talk:Jpatterson|talk]]) 14:12, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

If you think about the difference between user *run* instances vs user *hosted* instances, that might explain why Discord, Reddit, and Slack all have that check. However, I can't think of a possible reason why Mastodon is missing "Doesn't require central server" when that is its main selling point. :shrug: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.67|108.162.246.67]] 14:59, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Somebody reverted my change that IRC does not require a central server, but it doesn't. The protocol has clients connecting to _one_ server among a _network_ of interconnected servers, where anybody can run such a network. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.29|172.70.111.29]] 15:10, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: There's still going to be centralization of administration even among federated nets of IRC servers, unlike USENET for example. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.168|172.69.33.168]] 15:31, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Are we encountering a new kind of vandalism where plausible edits are made introducing terrible prose, typos, and falsehoods? I noticed something similar happened with the recent Y2K comic. I really don't like to log in because we usually show we can do good work with most people logged out and IP's CDN-obfusticated for actual mass anonymity, but I will absolutely log in and push for page protection if vandals start trying to get insidious with subterfuge. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.168|172.69.33.168]] 15:31, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:I don't know what vandalisms you're referring to. I've been adding the "Intermediate Edits", mostly behind HTML comments while fine-tuning so as not to make it look awful during the time I know it'll be half-completed (or less!).
:As to terrible prose, I cannot refute the possibility that I'm guilty of that. I do my best, but genuine typos or personal proclivities for purple prose may indeed creep in.
:With falsehoods, nothing I have added (or changed) is deliberately wrong, but may be not the same interpretation as someone else. I'm somewhat handicapped by not being a (regular/registered) user of most of the services (and may understand, e.g., Mesh Networking only in a form that a modern re-envisaging of it has moved drastically away from), but I've been taking my cues from only the very best external references (or Wikipedia!) and trying to boil down the supernumary technicalities to a more Explainxkcd-friendly format.
:As always, another editor with a genuinely better idea (in all those aspects) can refine things. As, I notice, has already been started. Didn't get an Edit Conflict, which I put down to being short and sharp in my insertions, and hope I caused not too many for others. - Taking a break from imposing my own edits, now. I shall deal with any further changes (or reversions) in good heart when I get the time again, later. Good luck and good editing to those who wish to pick up any of the work (or rework it) in the meantime. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.53|172.70.91.53]] 15:58, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

I think some of you missed the forest for the trees. The point of the comic is to illustrate how feature comparison charts, which are very common sales tools, might be abused to show that the seller's product looks better than it really is. That should be in the explanation of the comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.243|172.70.210.243]] 17:27, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: Agreed, there are a lot of the points that could be debated. Is "central server" meant a server not controlled by you? What is a user-run instance? As twitter has several clients available but is listed without "User-run instances". I bet cybiko is trending on google search right now. [[User:Harald|Harald]] ([[User talk:Harald|talk]]) 17:33, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
::Sort of https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=now%207-d&q=cybiko [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.38|172.71.154.38]] 19:13, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: Even though a line about this has now been added, it still seems like it's slightly missing the point, in that it doesn't mention that while the Cybiko may support all those features, that doesn't mean (as the chart implies) that it supports them in a way that is comparatively useful to most users as the other options listed. I feel like the explanation should focus on how the Cybiko supports each of the features in turn, and why that's not a sensible comparison to make to the other options. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.12|141.101.99.12]] 10:35, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

;Proposal
Instead of trying to describe all the common platforms and features, as the HTML comments editor plans, why not just link to their Wikipedia articles and discuss the edge cases, like what counts as group chat or file transfer? Most people will understand the general terms. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.252|172.70.214.252]] 19:41, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:I see it as a handy summary that the respective Wikilink (which could still be followed) discusses at length, with history, CEOs, controversies, etc that we don't (normally, except maybe Twitter – for obvious current reasons/inspiration). Enough to brief the slightly adrift user (I have no idea how Discord works, I thought it was like Zoom!) or to clarify the tech used (the Mesh concept was backboneless self-organising swarm-communication, in my day, but is it possibly like Torrenting, according to one version of explanation?) without copypastaing absolutely everything.
:Plus the extensive "this is wrong, that is wrong..." can be quickly folded into a caveat (as one comment says) rather than the current clump edited in at the end, where it's a pain to read and I'm not sure I even read it thoroughly anyway. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.2|172.70.90.2]] 21:19, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Outlining in HTML comments was a terrible idea with the opposite intended effect, so I am moving them all here:

:Services
:<!- to be populated
:;Twitter
:A short-form 'microblogging' platform, originally based upon the use of SMS model (see below) for publishing a limited amount of text, with the option to directed towards named recipients and/or to highlight a topical subject by means of the much publicized 'hashtag'. It allows account-holders to read and respond to most of the global messages posted by other users, with some restrictions and only limited read access by those not subscribed.
:Twitter has recently been in the news due to its long-winded purchase by {{w|Elon Musk}} and the subsequent mass-firings/reorganization of its staff, causing much turmoil within its userbase and others with an interest in its use.
:As such, Twitter is capable of Direct Messaging (DMs) and a Group Chat that defaults to being one universal talking-shop limited only by the reader's ability to discover and follow any particular person or subject of interest.
:;Discord
:Built as a platform for those involved in social gaming, it combines audio ({{w|VOIP}}) and text-messaging access through thematic chat rooms with a primarily invite-led mechanism to participate in those relevant to a given interest or activity.
:The capabilities of DMs, Group Chats, File Transfers, Built-in Games and User-Run Instances are noted.
:* Although Discord apparently does not provide for user-run instances itself. There are two third-party Discord server implementations, but it is unclear whether those could be counted as user-run instances of Discord.
:;Mastodon

:;Facebook (FB)

:;Slack

:;Signal

:;Internet Relay Chat (IRC)

:;Tumblr

:;Reddit

:;Short Messaging Service (SMS)
:-- yet to be populated -->
:...
:<!- Also need to explain features: *DONE*Direct messages*DONE*, Group chats, File transfer, Built-in games, User-run instances, Doesn't require central server, *DONE*Mesh networking*DONE*, Wireless message delivery (without internet) -->
:...
:<!- The following can be shuffled into :*bulletpoints against the Services header, once populated, I hope... -->
:...
:<!- Probably two individual tables, or ;headered itemized lists, but not a single table as per comic (and as per Transcript) as fitting description text in place of ticks (or lack of them?) would look *awful*... -->
:<!- ...these comments as placeholder, or checklist for each item needing commenting, depending on how the next active editor directs things... -->

Valiant effort, questionable implementation, terrible follow-through. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.158.90|172.71.158.90]] 18:05, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

"Reddit does not provide for user-run instances at all": Reddit wasn't open-source? https://github.com/reddit-archive/reddit/ Maybe Randall considers one taking the old 2017 code and running it as being an user-run instance. Do anyone do that? There are thousands of forks, but seems no one is maintained. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.105.176|172.70.105.176]] 18:08, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

The image was updated again, I uploaded the new one as feature_comparison_v3.png rather than a new version of the current image, as that's what the last person did when it changed the first time. [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 11:45, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

== Mastodon ==

"Mastodon doesn't require central servers" - This one seems like splitting hairs. It still uses servers, it's just that it goes for many small servers instead of a few big ones. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.214.55|172.71.214.55]] 19:13, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

== Elon Musk ==

: ''"The comic was likely inspired by the recent news coverage of Twitter's purchase by Elon Musk, and the subsequent mass firings and resignation of its staff, causing many users to start looking for alternatives."''

I don't see any real connection here. Other than the fact that Twitter is the first column, and the fact that recent events occurred recently and the comic was also released recently. Correlation =/= Causation. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.210.41|172.68.210.41]] 20:07, 18 November 2022 (UTC)
:I'm persuaded, because of the prominence of Mastodon, where most of the people I am following on Twitter are attempting to migrate. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.145|172.70.211.145]] 03:13, 19 November 2022 (UTC)
:Watered it down a bit, to reflect the lack of agreement, but also to emphasise that the inspiration would be the search for alternatives, and only indirectly the takeover and controversy.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.54|172.70.91.54]] 16:37, 21 November 2022 (UTC)

If A note: If XMPP would've been included it could have all checkboxes ticked, for the open federation mainstream clients and servers it would've been all but games and mesh. Maybe it would have spoiled the punchline.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.46|162.158.202.46]] 08:12, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

Reddit has games now, so this comic is out of date[[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 19:57, 22 January 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3089: Modern

2025-05-15T00:13:56Z

Commercialegg:

Hate to be that guy, but wow, it’s empty [[User:Broseph|Broseph]] ([[User talk:Broseph|talk]]) 19:04, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

This strip reminded me of the comments in [[3063]]. Historians / historiographers typically define (early) "modernity" to begin around 1500. {{w|early modernity}} [[Special:Contributions/172.71.182.126|172.71.182.126]] 19:12, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

A similar problem exists, where a recent version of the Bible is known as the New Revised Standard Version. It will be a bit awkward when it is not new, revised, or standard. [[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]] ([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]) 19:38, 14 May 2025 (UTC)
:The US Military has a similar problem: naming a system "Next-Gen [X]" but then the "Next Gen" item eventually becomes the current generation, and is eventually moving towards being obsolete and you need a successor (next-next gen?).[[Special:Contributions/172.69.6.111|172.69.6.111]] 20:05, 14 May 2025 (UTC)
::I guess the phone companies got it right with the 3G, 4G, 5G naming. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:23, 14 May 2025 (UTC)
::: Except for that {{w|10G}} glitch. And Dilbert predicted people copyrighting "8G" years before that. [[Special:Contributions/104.23.172.75|104.23.172.75]] 20:34, 14 May 2025 (UTC)
::There is a (not ''always'' consistent) "nth generation" classification system that is quite developed. The F-22 Raptor is a 5th Generation fighter, for example, with the (next-)next-gen ones being designed for the next decade being 6th. Though, yes, "Next Gen" still pops up (currently the programs I know of are ''mostly'' aimed at the solutions for #6, of course). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.129|141.101.99.129]] 22:23, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

Wasn't there an earlier strip describing a similar problem on Wikipedia edits, maybe tied to the {{w|recency bias}}? There's the idea that every more recent slice needs a new, relevant name. It also seems to work going backwards, where humanity's genus, tribe, subfamily, and family are "homo", "hominini", "homininae", and "hominidae" respectively. We seem to crave a name for every arbitrary slice that is relevant for a particular researcher. And now I'm thinking of Futurama's "New New York". I'm surprised there's not already a New New York somewhere. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.233.117|162.158.233.117]] 20:31, 14 May 2025 (UTC)
:Eventually, there'll be a [https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/New_New_York New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York]...
:Anyway, I actually live not far from a(nother) {{w|New York#United Kingdom|New York}}, and am also a regular visitor to (old) York. So I may not have been to New York, New York, on my travels, but I've got it covered on both sides. (I ''have'' been to both new Boston ''and'' the old one, but only been to the old Washington, both the original Richmond and its first copycat (but none of the US copycopyⁿcats), etc.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.216.175|162.158.216.175]] 22:01, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

::Hmmm. I've a suspicion I know who you are.
::I'm gonna say...you ain't heavy? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 22:16, 14 May 2025 (UTC)
:::Ah, no. Sorry, I'm not aware of any fraternal relationship. Not just not with you, but not with anyone. ;) Nice to know there are potentially more of you out there, though.
:::I also forget where I think you're ''exactly'' from, from past information, but I do know that it's a different corner from me. Though I think you wisely left it vague, and I'm happy to be even vaguer (hence why I supplied multiple possibilities)... I think it's only rather specific (sort-of-)local knowledge that even let guess what more exacting info I ''think'' I know about you. West Riding, for starters, but I'm not going to narrow you down further. :p [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.134|172.70.86.134]] 22:38, 14 May 2025 (UTC)
::I know where you live now /j [[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 00:13, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

3083: Jupiter Core

2025-04-30T15:40:25Z

Commercialegg: Explanation 3 and 6

{{comic
| number = 3083
| date = April 30, 2025
| title = Jupiter Core
| image = jupiter_core_2x.png
| imagesize = 581x443px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Juno mission data suggests that Jupiter actually contains Matryoshka doll-style nested copies of every other planet in the Solar System.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a BOT IN THE CENTER OF JUPITER. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{|class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|-
!Number Jupiter!!Caption of Jupiter!!Explanation
|-
|1||Diffuse mix of heavy elements and metallic hydrogen||Explanation1
|-
|2||Rocky core with metallic, hydrogen mantle||Explanation2
|-
|3||Valuable treasure|| obviously valuable treasure
|-
|4||Emergency backup Earth||Explanation4
|-
|5||Regular planet pretending to be a gas giant to avoid attention||Explanation5
|-
|6||Hard ball from avocado|| Avocado pits are the seed of an avocado
|-
|7||Baby Jupiter, still gestating||Explanation7
|-
|8||No core; flat Earth conspiracists are wrong about Earth but right about Jupiter||Explanation8
|}

==Transcript==
{{Incomplete|better phrasing needed}}

:Current leading theories for what's in the center of Jupiter.

:[Variations of Jupiter, except for the last are shown with about 1/8 of the planet chopped off to show the core.]

:[Jupiter]
:Diffuse mix of heavy elements and metallic hydrogen

:[Jupiter with a rocky core]
:Rocky core with metallic, hydrogen mantle

:[Jupiter with a pile of coins for a core]
:Valuable treasure

:[Jupiter with Earth for a core]
:Emergency backup Earth

:[Hollow Jupiter with a rocky planet in the middle]
:Regular planet pretending to be a gas giant to avoid attention

:[Jupiter with a smooth ball for a core]
:Hard ball from avocado

:[Jupiter with a small version of Jupiter for a core]
:Baby Jupiter, still gestating

:[Jupiter as a flat circle, with nothing chopped off]
:No core; flat Earth conspiracists are wrong about Earth but right about Jupiter

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:3083: Jupiter Core

2025-04-30T15:37:03Z

Commercialegg:

NOOO RANDALL USED ‘DATA’ AS SINGULAR NOOOO I HOPE HE FIXES IT. [[User:Broseph|Broseph]] ([[User talk:Broseph|talk]]) 15:17, 30 April 2025 (UTC)
Can someone fix the formatting for the table, it’s annoying on mobile and shrinks the page because its 1 row [[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 15:35, 30 April 2025 (UTC)
: Nevermind, it wasn’t loading properly [[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 15:37, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3083: Jupiter Core

2025-04-30T15:35:54Z

Commercialegg:

Talk:dot

2025-04-29T01:39:41Z

Commercialegg:

{{notice|There are many other xkcd pages like this and we're trying to decide how to add them to the wiki. Please see '''[[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Misc pages]]''' for more info.}}
As the one who made this page (and probably the only one aware of it), this is [[technically]] the [[TCMP|"F1RST P0ST!!"]] [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 13:49, 17 March 2025 (UTC)
:How on earth do people find these?[[Special:Contributions/172.69.40.181|172.69.40.181]] 17:22, 17 March 2025 (UTC)
::[[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Misc pages|here.]] [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 19:33, 17 March 2025 (UTC)

Dot. [[User:Broseph|Broseph]] ([[User talk:Broseph|talk]]) 17:07, 17 March 2025 (UTC)

MorseCode???--[[User:Bb777|hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 15:21, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
:I tried extracting the GIF's frames using [https://ezgif.com ezgif] and unfortunately there are only two frames, one with the dot and one without. [[User:Cynthia7979|Wanderer Sinner]] ([[User talk:Cynthia7979|talk]]) 17:49, 27 March 2025 (UTC)
::Unless it's just a repeated ''T''-dash, or maybe a set of ''E''s. ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.216.153|162.158.216.153]] 20:29, 28 March 2025 (UTC)
:::Added these to the article! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:02, 29 March 2025 (UTC)
::::Morse code convention is:
The duration of a dah is three times the duration of a dit (although some telegraphers deliberately exaggerate the length of a dah for clearer signalling). Each dit or dah within an encoded character is followed by a period of signal absence, called a space, equal to the dit duration. The letters of a word are separated by a space of duration equal to three dits, and words are separated by a space equal to seven dits.
::::If equal dot and no-dot, that seems to fit a "word" of "dah dah dah dah ..." ("TTTT[...]"). Either that or a "character" of "dit-dit-dit-dit-..." (whatever is at the infinite end of the sequence starting "E", "I", "S", "H", "5", ... I wonder if there are any suitable OEIS sequences..? ...no, apparently not). Or "Hello from Antarctica. We have run out of fuel and I'm shivering from the cold." [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.125|172.70.162.125]] 16:20, 29 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::Added this to the article! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:31, 29 March 2025 (UTC)

Possible April Fools shenanigans? [[User:Willintendo|Willintendo]] ([[User talk:Willintendo|talk]]) 15:59, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
::Adding it to the page right now! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:13, 27 March 2025 (UTC)
:Feel free to investigate!--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:21, 24 March 2025 (UTC)

It’s just a flashing dot, idk how the explanation is incomplete. [[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 01:39, 29 April 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3082: Chess Position

2025-04-29T01:32:23Z

Commercialegg:

This is very nearly the core plot conceit of the movie ''Π'' (1998). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.190|172.70.130.190]] 22:36, 28 April 2025 (UTC)
:I believe you want lower-case Pi: π not Π. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_(film) --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 22:54, 28 April 2025 (UTC)

Does anybody know whether Randall has taken up chess as a hobby? 5 of the 82 comics in the 3000s have been related to chess and only 2 in the 2000s were. If so, this should be included in the explanation. [[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]] ([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]) 23:11, 28 April 2025 (UTC)
:3000s? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.190.236|172.71.190.236]] 23:40, 28 April 2025 (UTC)
:Oh right comic number not decade/millennium. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.43.157|172.70.43.157]] 23:41, 28 April 2025 (UTC)
:Wouldn't surprise me, there's a three year gap in between chess comics 2465 (May 2021) and 2936 (May 2024), then the aforementioned 5 in 5 months. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.251|172.70.114.251]] 00:46, 29 April 2025 (UTC)

I really suspect that the full explanation has something to do with this:

https://www.kasparov.com/the-implacable-logic-of-the-vortex-of-history/
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.7.206|172.68.7.206]] 23:34, 28 April 2025 (UTC) Dan
: Doubtful, that article was written in 2013, and it is unlikely that Randall came upon it just now to make this comic. Vortex is a general term for something that sucks you in. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.66|172.70.214.66]] 00:38, 29 April 2025 (UTC)

I sure hope that it stays as not a real thing [[User:Commercialegg|Commercialegg]] ([[User talk:Commercialegg|talk]]) 01:32, 29 April 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3081: PhD Timeline

2025-04-25T18:00:31Z

Commercialegg:

What an age we live in... --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 15:48, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
:[https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/25/politics/fbi-director-wisconsin-judge-arrested/index.html It only gets rougher... ] It's enough to radicalize a person. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.65.187|172.69.65.187]] 16:09, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

Events like this are scary, and they're even scarier if you have a personal or geographic connection to them like Randall does. I can understand why he would feel frustrated about his inability to do something concrete, and if this comic raises awareness for the situation then it has done a good thing. Not sure why I thought this comment was necessary; maybe it's just a way of processing the emotions that the comic made me feel. [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 15:49, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

I dont want to start an argument, but I am glad Randall Munroe is making a specific, reasonable point. A lot of times I see people saying either "there is no antisemitism on campus, nobody should ever get deported, ACTUAL terrorists should get green cards", and others say "EVERYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH ME SHOULD GET DEPORTED, EVERYONE WHO DISAGREES WITH ME IS A TERRORIST." I think both of them are extreme points obviously, and I am glad Randall is just taking the side, for now, of "this specific person did not violate their green card visa."

as always, based randall, at least for now. [[User:Tzelofachad|Tzelofachad]] ([[User talk:Tzelofachad|talk]]) 16:04, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
:Did you mean "biased"? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:31, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
::Did you mean "biased towards due process?" [[User:CharlesT|Nyrrix]] ([[User talk:CharlesT|talk]]) 16:51, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
::It's probably "based", as that's a term that can either be used in support or mockery of a philosophical position (because of Poe's Law, hard to know which in most cases, including here). It's more usually used in 4chan-like responses (and I doubt Randall would be considered "based" in those other places) than hereabouts, so perhaps it needs some clarification for those not (or not enough) in that sort of crame of mind. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.94|141.101.99.94]] 17:06, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
:Yes, Randall Munroe clearly only cares about this one incident because he does not at all care about politics. He's definitely not using this as an illustrative case on the countless other identical incidents happening under the Trump administration. /s /s /s /s /s. [[User:DrMeepster|'''Dr.'''Meepster]]
(<[[User_talk:DrMeepster|chat]]> •
<[{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} reply]>) 16:53, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

I really hope this is one of those comics that does NOT stand the test of time. In other words, I hope the next generation of graduate students sees this and thinks "oh, that must've been written in 2025, we don't have to worry about those kinds of things anymore." Perhaps "hope" isn't the right word, it implies I have hope. Maybe "pray fervently" is the right phrase. Sigh. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.227.72|198.41.227.72]] 16:30, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

How do we edit the Categories? This should have category Politics. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:31, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
:Usually, once at least one other category (not created from templates like {{template|comic}}) you can edit the page and see the other cat(s) at the bottom, beyond the comic-discussion template. Or edit the Transcript section (or any Trivia one, whatever's the last one) as that'll also have the tail-end of the page. So long as you know there's a category "Foo", you should be able to work out how to add "Category:Foo".
:But don't add Foo if it doesn't exist, hoping that someone will tire of the redlink that's created. You may be wrong about it needing to exist, or miss the ''actual'' "Category:comics featuring Foo", and unless someone is feeling generous it's possible that your edit just gets reverted as not properly researched, or checked... I ''think'' there actually is a Politics category, by that name, but I'm trying to answer the general question, not yet going out there to look it up for certain (at which point, I may have just added it myself, making it useless to have explained how you could 'easily' do it... At least in this instance).
:'''TL;DR;''', though, look at the source (wiki-edit) of another comic that is about Politics and is so categorised. Go all the way to bottom, and you'll see which 'tag' you might want to put at the bottom of this one. Should be obvious. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.94|141.101.99.94]] 17:06, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

I'm so tired of this administration :( [[User:CharlesT|Nyrrix]] ([[User talk:CharlesT|talk]]) 16:49, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

The comic on mobile has the title text has a youtube video URL, and if you click on the comic on desktop version, it links to the youtube video of the arrest. This isn't reflected in the description currently. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.121|172.70.126.121]] 16:51, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

The video URL is '''https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyypeEEOklM''' and appears to be "'''CBS Boston [282K subscribers]'''" so probably legit?
I will try to add the URL. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 17:08, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

Is this the first with an out of site link?

Talk:Syndication

2025-04-22T15:57:03Z

Commercialegg: Hi

Where is this coming from? was this actually online in 2007? Between comics 242 and 243? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:08, 18 November 2019 (UTC)

Can we discuss the jokes in this comic, like Belgium jokingly being considered a swear word?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.196|108.162.216.196]] 20:12, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
:I think we should. :) You are free to start a list of the items, to explain them, or a discussion here in the discussion page. {{unsigned|Lupo|12:52, 11 December 2019 (UTC)}}

Alright, nobody has touched this for quite a while now, so I might as well. I kinda expected this page to be finished, but it is amazingly not so. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.234|172.68.47.234]] 09:50, 27 December 2019 (UTC)
:Hello, it is I again. I have something on my mind. I believe this comic never really was a thing. I will lay out everything I know. The link to the original comic at the top is broken and returns a 404 error. I cannot for the life of me find anything on this comic on Google other than a lone post on the xkcd forums, which could just as well have been posted in either 2007 or 2019, but I can't check because the forums are down. As well, it is odd that this explain xkcd page only came into existence 12 years after the comic was purportedly posted. Taking all of this into account, I have reason to believe that this entire thing has been a fabrication, i.e. that this was made in 2019 by a fan. I'd try to gather more concrete evidence for this, but that's where I run into a dead end. I have no idea how to proceed. I know of exactly one person who could settle this conclusively, which is Randall Munroe himself, but I imagine he has more important things to do. If any of you could prove/disprove my theory, that would be great. In the meantime, sure, I'll just assume this comic did actually get published in 2007. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.168|172.69.34.168]] 10:34, 27 December 2019 (UTC)
::The link does work, it just has an extra '/' at the end. I agree though that there's still something a bit different about the comic to others published at a similar time. The image looks like it's been copied out of a newspaper (although this might be deliberate) and having such a lengthy section of text outside of the comic is unusual. Google claims that the forum post dates from 1st April 2007, but in the absence of any other reference on the main site my guess is that this only appeared on the forums. [[User:A(l)Chemist|AlChemist]] ([[User talk:A(l)Chemist|talk]]) 20:55, 31 December 2019 (UTC)
:::Someone may try to find it on a wayback machine or something like that? Never used any of those archives and don't really know how they work... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:07, 6 February 2020 (UTC)
::::It's on the Wayback Machine, as early as April 9, 2007, but the link is just to the image - no text or anything (https://web.archive.org/web/20070409101227/https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/xkcd_ufs.jpg/). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.69|162.158.187.69]] 02:01, 30 April 2020 (UTC)
::::Follow-up - here's the link to the XKCD forum post: https://web.archive.org/web/20070408135356/http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?t=3701. Unfortunately, the link to the actual comic as posted on xkcd is extremely elusive. Many references to the comic are in the (now offline) XKCD fora - one of the few others I could find lists different lead-in text: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/17980/a-visit-to-the-pranktologist-april-fools-day-thread/p13. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.69|162.158.187.69]] 02:31, 30 April 2020 (UTC)
I switched the big table to a format that is more readable on smaller screens, as per the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#In_which_cases_are_tables_meaningful.2C_and_when_are_they_not.3F Editor FAQ §3], and added some more explanations in the process. Hope that's in everyone's interest. I also fixed up the broken Unicode (at first, I thought it was part of The Joke, but it is also correct in the archived forum thread.) [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 22:19, 7 May 2020 (UTC)

Question: do we really need to explain every. single. one. of those items? the ones that are missing all fall into the "this is funny because it's random" (see also: [[1210]]) category, imo. [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 22:19, 7 May 2020 (UTC)
::Some of them definitely do. I'd never heard of Tank Girl before I read this comic, and while linking to the Wikipedia article is nice it would be useful to have info relevant to the comic in the explanation. Also, side note - what's so random about hats with buckles? Some baseball caps I've worn had buckles instead of Velcro for adjusting them to fit your head. I assume that they're referring to stereotypical depictions of Puritans and leprechauns with giant buckles on their hats, but what's so weird about that? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.186|162.158.186.186]] 19:19, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
:::i think the "hats with buckles" refer to belt buckles on hats ([https://www.cappelsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/66722_pilgrim_top_hat.jpg random internet image]). and its "haha, so random" in the sense that there is no connection to the comic itself. if you can come up with something more concrete, go for it, but i honestly doubt there's more behind it. [[User:Gir|-- //gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 16:05, 12 May 2020 (UTC)

Hi from 2025

880: Headache

2025-04-22T14:52:34Z

Commercialegg: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 880
| date = April 1, 2011
| title = Headache
| image = headache.png
| titletext = I'm only willing to visit placid lakes, salt flats, and painting exhibits until the world's 3D technology improves.
}}

==Explanation==
This was the second [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] released by [[Randall]], but in principle the first real one to be released on April 1st, which in 2011 fell on a Friday, a normal release day for xkcd. The joke made every comic up to and including this one 3D (sans [[848: 3D]], as "the third dimension is tightly rolled up and too small to observe at normal energies"), thus forcing people like Cueball to endure 3D even at their computer screens. The 3D view is still available at [https://3d.xkcd.com/ 3d.xkcd.com] for all comics prior to this one.

The previous fools comic was literally [[404: Not Found|Not Found]]. After this comic Randall began releasing April Fools comic every year on April 1st disregarding the weekday of that date. The next was [[1037: Umwelt]] released on Sunday April 1st 2012, the first to use another day of the week than Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Some people suffer from headaches, eyestrain, motion sickness and other problems when watching {{w|3D film|3D movies}}, playing 3D games, watching {{w|3D television}}, playing hand-held {{w|Nintendo 3DS}}, etc.

In this comic, Cueball is using the excuse that 3D gives him a headache to get out of going outside into the real world, where ''everything'' is in {{w|Three-dimensional space|3D}}. Instead he stays inside and looks at his 2D computer monitor. In the title text, he says he will only go to flat places (i.e. places where everything he could see would be 2D-like). In his [https://vimeo.com/78912850 Øredev 2013 talk] [[Randall]] mentions that a few of his friends created this 3D view and told him just 1.5 hours before the scheduled comic for that day would go live. [[Randall]] quickly drew a 3D themed comic to match.

The title text suggests that Cueball is only comfortable seeing objects with visible flat surfaces like flat movie and TV screens (which the entertainment industry would not call "3D").

==Transcript==
:[Megan has a bike, and is wearing a helmet. Cueball is at a computer.]
:Megan: Wanna go for a bike ride?
:Cueball: Nah, I hate 3D stuff. It gives me a headache.
:When you think about it, this excuse can get you out of almost anything.

==Trivia==
When clicking the 'next' or 'latest' buttons on the xk3d site, a blue {{w|Utah teapot}} appears, in random locations and sizes, instead of proceeding. Attempting to proceed beyond via manually pointing the URL elsewhere is not supported.(no longer works on xkcd, but does work on xk3d)
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:April fools' comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]

880: Headache

2025-04-22T14:50:56Z

Commercialegg: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 880
| date = April 1, 2011
| title = Headache
| image = headache.png
| titletext = I'm only willing to visit placid lakes, salt flats, and painting exhibits until the world's 3D technology improves.
}}

==Explanation==
This was the second [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] released by [[Randall]], but in principle the first real one to be released on April 1st, which in 2011 fell on a Friday, a normal release day for xkcd. The joke made every comic up to and including this one 3D (sans [[848: 3D]], as "the third dimension is tightly rolled up and too small to observe at normal energies"), thus forcing people like Cueball to endure 3D even at their computer screens. The 3D view is still available at [https://3d.xkcd.com/ 3d.xkcd.com] for all comics prior to this one.

The previous fools comic was literally [[404: Not Found|Not Found]]. After this comic Randall began releasing April Fools comic every year on April 1st disregarding the weekday of that date. The next was [[1037: Umwelt]] released on Sunday April 1st 2012, the first to use another day of the week than Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Some people suffer from headaches, eyestrain, motion sickness and other problems when watching {{w|3D film|3D movies}}, playing 3D games, watching {{w|3D television}}, playing hand-held {{w|Nintendo 3DS}}, etc.

In this comic, Cueball is using the excuse that 3D gives him a headache to get out of going outside into the real world, where ''everything'' is in {{w|Three-dimensional space|3D}}. Instead he stays inside and looks at his 2D computer monitor. In the title text, he says he will only go to flat places (i.e. places where everything he could see would be 2D-like). In his [https://vimeo.com/78912850 Øredev 2013 talk] [[Randall]] mentions that a few of his friends created this 3D view and told him just 1.5 hours before the scheduled comic for that day would go live. [[Randall]] quickly drew a 3D themed comic to match.

The title text suggests that Cueball is only comfortable seeing objects with visible flat surfaces like flat movie and TV screens (which the entertainment industry would not call "3D").

==Transcript==
:[Megan has a bike, and is wearing a helmet. Cueball is at a computer.]
:Megan: Wanna go for a bike ride?
:Cueball: Nah, I hate 3D stuff. It gives me a headache.
:When you think about it, this excuse can get you out of almost anything.

==Trivia==
When clicking the 'next' or 'latest' buttons on the xk3d site, a blue {{w|Utah teapot}} appears, in random locations and sizes, instead of proceeding. Attempting to proceed beyond via manually pointing the URL elsewhere is not supported.(no longer works)
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:April fools' comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]

Talk:404: Not Found

2025-04-22T14:36:10Z

Commercialegg: Joke

Maybe it was skipped because he had to. In some, if not all websites, there's the 404.html file that is displayed when there's a 404 error (example: /var/www/404.html/), so it would have shown the '404' page that existed the whole time, because xkcd.com/404 would have shown 404.html.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.73|173.245.55.73]] 22:58, 2 April 2014 (UTC)
: But there's a 401, a 402, a 403, 405, a 451. If it was done because an error code got in the way, he would have had to skip these too (and going to them manually would show the respective error pages). Also, comic 404's page appears to be the server's default 404 page, which probably isn't even stored in the same directory as the comics. [[User:Hppavilion1|Hppavilion1]] ([[User talk:Hppavilion1|talk]]) 21:28, 10 August 2016 (UTC)
:: "404.html" is merely the default name for a 404 page in several web server configurations. It can be easily changed or disabled and most definitely did not factor into the comic's creation. [[User:Zekesonxx|Zekesonxx]] ([[User talk:Zekesonxx|talk]]) 02:17, 18 October 2016 (UTC)
:::Old discussion, ''but'' if a 404 page is directly requested, the server returns a 200 code, not 404. https://xkcd.com/404 returns 404. There really is nothing there. [[User:Usb-rave|Usb-rave]] ([[User talk:Usb-rave|talk]]) 00:01, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

April 1st, 2008 was a Tuesday, so no xkcd comic would have normally come out then. For that week, [[403|xkcd 403]] was Monday, March 31st, 2008, [[405|xkcd 405]] was Wednesday, April 2nd, and [[406|xkcd 406]] was Friday, April 4th. 404 was just skipped. It is also skipped in the "previous comic"/"next comic" links on his site. I don't think it was an April Fools gag. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 19:03, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

:Well, I'd say that it certainy might be. In any case, it's an interesting observation! [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 11:22, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

:Then again, his skipping from 403 to 405 (making 404 come up "404: Not Found") may have been his April Fool joke that year. The timing may have been coincidental, but I don't blame him for taking advantage of it. --[[User:Aaron of Mpls|Aaron of Mpls]] ([[User talk:Aaron of Mpls|talk]]) 23:16, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

::No, because there was already another April's Fool joke in 2008: xkcd, Questionable Content and Dinosaur Comics rotated their content ([https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dinosaur_Comics&oldid=680776133#April_Fool.27s_jokes]). However the timing does seem quite suspicious. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 21:52, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

This entry isn't on the list of all comics 1-500, and I made the mistake of adding this comic to the list. I was about to add an explanation, with a link to a webcomic about it, when I found this page. I think that this page should be liked in the all comics 1-500 list so that others don't make the same mistake and so that curious people can easily get to it. [[User:Rylon|Rylon]] ([[User talk:Rylon|talk]]) 18:10, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
:The link is changed.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:55, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

;The hidden link
Nobody did find that hidden link? A shame. Just a simple test on this [http://www.xkcd.com/test/ http://www.xkcd.com/test/] gives me a link to this comic: [[1335: Now]]. And this page still appears like it was on the original release date on February 26 this year. I'm pretty sure there is still a link, some avant-garde, and Randall still giggles about that nobody did find this within six years. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:12, 10 March 2014 (UTC)
: Actually, you may be interested to note that xkcd.com/test now links to the Lorenz comic (#1350). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.73|108.162.219.73]] 15:16, 16 April 2014 (UTC)
: It keeps changing then... Today it was [[1367: Installing]]. It was 12, then 15 and now 19 days between the test and the day the link pointed at it. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:00, 31 May 2014 (UTC)
: Now it's [[1446: Landing]]. --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.182|199.27.128.182]] 22:56, 25 November 2014 (UTC)
::[[1485: Friendship]] now --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:52, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
:::And now it links to [[1664: Mycology]] [[User:Zorlax the Mighty|Zorlax the Mighty would like to connect on Linkedin]] ([[User talk:Zorlax the Mighty|talk]]) 21:52, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
::::Today almost two years after last post it was [[1812: Onboarding]]. Wrote here because of today's comic [[1969: Not Available]] which references 404 error message --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:33, 20 March 2018 (UTC)
:::::Today, it is this own comic, 404. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.120|162.158.122.120]] 22:30, 18 December 2019 (UTC)
::::::still 404 as of the 23rd of September, 2024. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:20, 23 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::::What hidden link? Where do I find it? [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4bo-hj-mDyOOUp_Yp0pug youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 10:02, 27 December 2024 (UTC)
::::::::[http://www.xkcd.com/test/ http://www.xkcd.com/test/] This link. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:11, 27 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::It just links me to comic 404. [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4bo-hj-mDyOOUp_Yp0pug youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 20:59, 27 December 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::Exactly. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:50, 27 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::I meant that when I go to the website, it just returns a 404 error instead of giving me a test. [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4bo-hj-mDyOOUp_Yp0pug youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 20:48, 28 December 2024 (UTC)

I’m getting rid of the Internet Explorer stuff and taking a picture of it on Edge. IE is hardly even used anymore. [[User:SilverTheTerribleMathematician|SilverTheTerribleMathematician]] ([[User talk:SilverTheTerribleMathematician|talk]]) 05:43, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
:I went ahead and straight-up removed the image and tried recreated the HTML for the page. The comic doesn't have an image, so why should we create one ourselves? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:26, 11 November 2023 (UTC)

what does "nginx" mean? --[[User:Bb777|hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 14:55, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
:dunno and added incomplete notice to article. thx! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:10, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
::{{w|Nginx}} - so frequently seen (in context of 404s and other 400-errors), I can't believe anybody doesn't know it at least by context. Never knew it had that official pronunciation, though, always thought of it as "En Jinx", entirely suitable for mostly noticing it in context of something going wrong... But from the same sort of people who want me to call SQL "Sequel", etc, I suppose. Or insist that "GIF" sounds like a cleaning product (itself since renamed "Cif"). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.104|141.101.99.104]] 17:54, 24 March 2025 (UTC)

pov if he replaced this page with [[1969]].--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 16:48, 27 March 2025 (UTC)

Where’s the comic, I keep getting a 404 error