explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1673: Timeline of Bicycle Design

2016-04-27T12:41:58Z

Crsoccerfreak19:

{{comic
| number = 1673
| date = 27 April, 2016
| title = Timeline of Bicycle Design
| image = timeline of bicycle design.png
| titletext = I'll be honest--the 1950s were a rough time for cycling.
}}

==Explanation==
Randall created a 200 year history for bicycles as created by Gianluca Gimini in his project [https://www.behance.net/gallery/35437979/Velocipedia Velocipedia]. Gimini asked people to draw free hand sketches of bicycles and rendered the results as real bikes.

The 1925 model is reminiscent of a {{w|fractal}}; {{w|Benoit Mandelbrot}} was born just before this date, in late 1924.

This comic is possibly also a reference to "The Science of Cycology", a cognitive psychology project run by Rebecca Lawson at the University of Liverpool that asked study participants to draw a bicycle from memory. The error rate was high, supporting a hypothesis that humans over-estimate their ability to explain how things work. https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/~rlawson/cycleweb.html

Alternatively, the comic could be an analogue to the process of meiosis and pregnancy. If each wheel of the bicycle represents a cell, than the bikes going from 1 wheel to two wheels to four would represent the zygote dividing twice into four haploid gametes. Once the gametes have been formed, they must interact with another human, here represented by the wheels chasing after a man. Then, the bicycle is ridden by a female for an amount of time, representing the process of pregnancy. Finally, after the process of pregnancy is complete, the bike/child grows up into a unique individual unlike any other bicycle in existence today. Another thing to note about this explanation is that the bicycles ridden by men are much easier to get moving, as spermatozoa are much more mobile than the female ovum.

==Transcript==
Depiction of bicycles at various times throughout history ranging from 1810 to 2016.

{{comic discussion}}

893: 65 Years

2013-12-06T19:50:25Z

Crsoccerfreak19: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 893
| date = May 2, 2011
| title = 65 Years
| image = 65 years.png
| titletext = The universe is probably littered with the one-planet graves of cultures which made the sensible economic decision that there's no good reason to go into space--each discovered, studied, and remembered by the ones who made the irrational decision.
}}

{{incomplete|Needs to add and fill two columns to table for 5 percentile and 95 percentile from actuary tables}}

==Explanation==
Over 65 years [[Randall]] is projecting the number of living humans who have walked on another world, counting the Moon as a 'world'. He is using {{w|actuarial table}}s or life tables which shows for each age the probability that a certain person will be alive by their next birthday. Although not named, the graph refers to the 12 {{w|List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon|Apollo astronauts}} who landed on the Moon between 1969 and 1972.

In particular, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed in July 1969. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean landed in November. Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell: February '71. David Scott and James Irwin: July '71. John W. Young and Charles Duke: April '72. Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt: December '72.

Irwin died in '91. Shepard and Conrad died in '98 and '99 respectively, making the total 9 as of the date this comic was published. Armstrong died in '12, so the current number is 8. The oldest living person to have landed on the moon is Aldrin, 83. There are two 82-year-olds, two 80s, one 78 and two 77s.

The title text assumes that no humans will go to walk on another world any more, the remains of the Apollo missions will just be artifacts from the first human exploration of the Moon. Randall is frustrated about the current US space programs' lack of funding. He argues that there are plenty of planets out there with civilizations/cultures that decided not to go to other planets due to economic reasons. Those civilizations/cultures are then studied by the one that did choose to do the "irrational" thing.

==Transcript==
:[A graph titled 'Number of Living Humans Who Have Walked on Another World' -- its y-axis is numbered 5, 10, 15, its x-axis increments every ten years from 1960-2040. The line of the graph has a bracket above it that says '65 Years', starting at 1969, ending in 2034.
:The line starts at 1969 and increases steeply to 12 by 1972. It then plateaus until the early nineties declines gradually to 9 between 1991-1999, and then plateaus again.
:From 2011-2035, which is labeled 'Projected Actuarial Tables', the line branches into three and begins to decline more steeply to zero. The area between the first and second branch is shaded and labeled '5th percentile' and the area between the second and third branch is shaded and labeled '95th percentile.']

==Trivia==
*The theme of actuarial projections was explored earlier in [[493: Actuarial]]; Randall's morbid python script for both was given in [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/07/12/a-morbid-python-script/ the blag].

{| class="wikitable"
|+Table of men who walked the moon
|- style="background:#ccc;"
| style="width:20px;"|
| '''Name'''
| '''Born'''
| '''Died'''
| '''Age at<br>first step'''
| '''Mission'''
| '''Lunar dates'''
| '''Service'''
| '''Alma Mater'''
|- style="background:#def;"
| 1. || {{w|Neil Armstrong}}|| 1930-08-05 || 2012-08-25 || 38y 11m 15d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 11}} ||rowspan="2"| July 21, 1969 || {{w|NASA}} || {{w|Purdue University}}, {{w|University of Southern California}}
|- style="background:#def;"
| 2. || {{w|Buzz Aldrin}}|| 1930-01-20 || || 39y 6m 0d || {{w|United States Air Force|Air Force}} || {{w|United States Military Academy}}, {{w|MIT}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 3. || {{w|Pete Conrad}} || 1930-06-02 || 1999-07-08 || 39y 5m 17d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 12}} ||rowspan="2"| November 19–20, 1969 || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|Princeton University}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 4. || {{w|Alan Bean}}|| 1932-03-15 || || 37y 8m 4d || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|University of Texas, Austin}}
|- style="background:#def;"
| 5. || {{w|Alan Shepard}} || 1923-11-18 || 1998-07-21 || 47y 2m 18d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 14}} ||rowspan="2"| February 5–6, 1971 || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|United States Naval Academy}}
|- style="background:#def;"
| 6. || {{w|Edgar Mitchell}}|| 1930-09-07 || || 40y 4m 19d || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|Carnegie Mellon University}}, {{w|Naval Postgraduate School}}, {{w|MIT}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 7. || {{w|David Scott}} || 1932-06-06 || || 39y 1m 25d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 15}} ||rowspan="2"| July 31 - August 2, 1971 || {{w|United States Air Force|Air Force}} || {{w|University of Michigan}} (freshman year, and later, an honorary doctorate), {{w|United States Military Academy}}, {{w|MIT}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 8. || {{w|James Irwin}} || 1930-03-17 || 1991-08-08 || 41y 4m 14d || {{w|United States Air Force|Air Force}} || {{w|United States Naval Academy}}, {{w|University of Michigan}}
|- style="background:#def;"
| 9. || {{w|John Young (astronaut)|John W. Young}}|| 1930-09-24 || || 41y 6m 28d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 16}} ||rowspan="2"| April 21–23, 1972 || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|Georgia Institute of Technology}}
|- style="background:#def;"
| 10. || {{w|Charles Duke}} || 1935-10-03 || || 36y 6m 18d || {{w|United States Air Force|Air Force}} || {{w|United States Naval Academy}}, {{w|MIT}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 11. || {{w|Eugene Cernan}} || 1934-03-14 || || 38y 9m 7d
|rowspan="2"| {{w|Apollo 17}} ||rowspan="2"| December 11–14, 1972 || {{w|United States Navy|Navy}} || {{w|Purdue University}}, {{w|Naval Postgraduate School}}
|- style="background:#ffe8e8;"
| 12. || {{w|Harrison Schmitt}} || 1935-07-03 || || 37y 5m 8d || {{w|NASA}} || {{w|Caltech}}, {{w|University of Oslo}} (exchange), {{w|Harvard University}}
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Science]]

1251: Anti-Glass

2013-08-14T12:41:03Z

Crsoccerfreak19: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1251
| date = August 14, 2013
| title = Anti-Glass
| image = anti_glass.png
| titletext = 'Why don't you just point it at their eye directly?' 'What is this, 2007?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
[[Black Hat]] is a character in the comics often known for malicious (and hilarious) sociopathy. He made a modification to apparently normal glasses so that they shine a laser light at people using {{w|Google Glass|Google Glasses}}, which will keep them from recording the person with the laser, defeating the purpose of the glasses in the first place. By mailing one to the children of every Google executive (presumably owning Google Glasses), he's potentially killing the entire Google Glass project because they'll think the video isn't working. Silicon Valley is a place where many technologically up-to-date people live and Google Glasses will be in abundance.

The "viral marketing campaign" excuse probably refers to how crazy some can get, and he then tries to get them to look into a laser light.

The title text shows the irony between Black Hat's needlessly complicated solution, and his apparent hate of Google Glasses, which are new technology. In addition, he remarks that he wouldn't do something as barbaric and old fashioned as shine a laser in peoples' eyes as this could harm them not just the video they are capturing.

==Transcript==
:[Two police officers are at Black Hat's door. One is holding a pair of glasses with a suspicious-looking attachment attached to it.]
:Officer 1: Police. Open up. Did you make this glasses attachment?
:Black Hat: Oh, yeah.
:Officers: What's it do?
:Black Hat: It detects when someone near you is wearing Google Glass and shines a laser pointer at their eyepiece.
:Officers: Why??
:Black Hat: The best defense is an indiscriminate offense.
:Officer 2: It seems you've mailed these devices to people across Silicon Valley, including the children of every Google executive.
:Black Hat: Yeah. It's a viral marketing campaign for an upcoming movie.
:Officer 2: What movie?
:Black Hat: Haven't decided yet. Anything good coming out this fall?
:Officer 2: Sir, open the door.
:Black Hat: First stare at the peephole for a sec.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

Talk:1227: The Pace of Modern Life

2013-06-19T18:47:37Z

Crsoccerfreak19:

Is it sad that after reading the first few, I thought "TL; DR" and found myself skim reading most of them since I'm meant to be working right now and not reading xkcd? {{unsigned ip|‎90.152.3.226}}

That's obviously what's intended [[Special:Contributions/155.56.68.216|155.56.68.216]] 09:53, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

I don't think it's sad. According to my 11th Grade Literary Analysis, the propensity to take shortcuts is a fundamental flaw in human nature, but introductory Psychology lauded our use of heuristics. I say you should find meaning in your humanity and ability to set your own priorities and allocate just enough resources to various aspects of your life in order to succeed in life where the objectives are unclear.[[Special:Contributions/98.166.43.28|98.166.43.28]] 12:06, 19 June 2013 (UTC)DBrak

The topic made me slow down, read, and understand. Perhaps the point was lost on me, but the expressions from a century ago seem much like those made today. One can't help but wonder if that means they were wrong then and wrong now or if our society was in a century long devolutionary spiral, terminating with Twitter or whatever is coming next. --[[Special:Contributions/108.34.230.242|108.34.230.242]] 10:02, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Had this continued to present day the most recent entry would be something like this:
:lol didnt read '''#tldr #boredalready #yawn'''
:::- Most of 'Civilisation', ''Social Media''
::::::::::2013
[[Special:Contributions/77.86.53.65|77.86.53.65]] 12:11, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Just added an explanation. Unfortunately, there's no transcript provided in the source code and I don't have time to type all that out (who does?). Also, I have no idea what to use for categories. Any suggestions? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 12:36, 19 June 2013 (UTC)
:Not a suggestion, but does anyone know if Randall types or writes it out, or copies and pastes? --[[User:Luckymustard|Luckymustard]] ([[User talk:Luckymustard|talk]]) 13:04, 19 June 2013 (UTC)
::Looks like the letterforms are identical -- my guess is a custom font. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 14:16, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

If this comic was meant to say that we should give up on these types of arguments, this comic did the opposite effect: I actually AGREE with all of this!

I mean, I tend to write long private messages, while the longest replies I get are also the most satisfying, since they tell me quite a bit of the recipient. Relatedly, I prefer to write long responses to pieces of artwork when I comment on art sites, telling people exactly why I like the art... what shines... what needs to be polished. (Of course, I am going to need to find a way to simply stay at a work and truly take in what is presented.) In fact, letter restrictions sometimes restrict me too much. I DO need to be more social, not having any reading material at hand (whether the material be a newspaper or a video game). I dislike people PUSHING me to look around myself; this is something I do automatically. In fact, while I like staying inside and exploring the wonders of the Internet hours on end, I also like going outside alone and looking around myself, seeing the wonders that other people ignore (probably because other people are too busy talking to yet other people). There really is a mental degeneration (You can see this for yourself in the comments other people leave in websites.) and addiction to stimulants. In fact, stress (and DIStress) is one of the main reasons why we have cancer far more often that the non-developed parts of the world, since stress compromises the body severely. Play, while easily abused, is never the less a necessary part of development, even while an adult. I wish I could keep up pace with the world, but I also hope, for the sake of the world and myself, that the world slows down to me. You can see for yourself how newspapers are being scandalous. I myself suffer from eating foods too quickly (yet there is the problem of ants and spoilage if I take TOO long when eating, a sad possibility due to me preferring to eat at the computer.) Rebellion (a problem that even I suffer) does cause people to want their own way, not knowing that they are just being a slave to impulses, their authorities having the experience to liberate them for the things that their subordinates really do want and shall really want. (The rebels do not want others to 'cramp their style,' but they fail to learn basic anatomy and lighting, much less on making a pleasing style!) There is an entropy in displayed morals, yet that is something that requires changing the hearts of people, though we can control this by 'starving' the problematic media (another bit of advice with which even I also struggle, my curiosity provoking me to see things that should not be seen), since they only proliferate if there are people to feed them. People all around us know that marriage feel into disarray. While legally-backed homosexuality (and, soon, polygamy), and, to an extent, abortion (regardless of the reason) have been causing their problems, marriage already fell in disarray when divorce (that is, breaking a lifetime vow), pornography (that is, selling the private bodies of people for your selfish desires), promiscuity, and birth control (that is, using a reproductive function for non-reproductive reasons and otherwise abusing the reproductive function) already led themselves to an array of evils.

Again, people would probably just skip my wall of text here, but I feel that I need to make my old-fashioned (whether for worse or better) opinion heard here. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 15:16, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

--
So, the argument has been going on for a long time. Does this comic imply that (1) we perceive that the pace of life was slower in the old days, but has always been as fast as it is today, or (2) that the pace of life has actually been speeding up for a very long time now? [[Special:Contributions/194.176.105.141|194.176.105.141]] 15:31, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Added to the explanation, please correct any grammar, composition, or repetition mistakes, thank you. -- [[Special:Contributions/186.124.46.183|186.124.46.183]] 16:40, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Did anyone else notices that you can get the gist by only reading the bolded text? It's probably a just me. Anyone want to take the time to compile the bold text only and place it in the explination? [[User:Crsoccerfreak19|Crsoccerfreak19]] ([[User talk:Crsoccerfreak19|talk]]) 18:47, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

------

I did an full update to the transcript. I used the existing parts here, many thanks to the contributors, the free web site [http://www.ocronline.com/ OCR Online] (the only one did work, in fact it did work as a hell) and {{w|LibreOffice Writer}} for changing the case to lower case. After that it was just some manual work without typing all that text.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:13, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

273

2013-03-13T15:13:14Z

Crsoccerfreak19: Created page with "{{comic | number = 273 | date = June 6, 2007 | title = Electromagnetic Spectrum | image = electromagnetic_spectrum.png | titletext = Sometimes I try to picture..."

{{comic
| number = 273
| date = June 6, 2007
| title = Electromagnetic Spectrum
| image = electromagnetic_spectrum.png
| titletext = Sometimes I try to picture what everything would look like if the whole spectrum were compressed into the visible spectrum. Also sometimes I try to picture your sister naked.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a play on the Electromagnetic Spectrum where it shows a large piece of the spectrum and what each wavelength/frequency corresponds to. The absorption is how much the given elements absorb. He then compares how much Depends absorbs which is an adult diaper so it yellow as it absorbs urine and Tampax is a feminine hygiene product and so it is red as it absorbs blood.

==Transcript==

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

File:electromagnetic spectrum.png

2013-03-13T15:11:03Z

Crsoccerfreak19:

== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file}}

Help talk:Editing

2012-08-06T17:49:20Z

Crsoccerfreak19: Created page with "So, I need help with editing and clicked the link but nothing was here... Can someone update this page for future N00B's like me.--~~~~"

So, I need help with editing and clicked the link but nothing was here... Can someone update this page for future N00B's like me.--[[User:Crsoccerfreak19|Crsoccerfreak19]] ([[User talk:Crsoccerfreak19|talk]]) 17:49, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

1091: Curiosity

2012-08-06T13:13:56Z

Crsoccerfreak19: /* Description */

{{comic
| number = 1091
| date = August 6, 2012
| title = Curiosity
| image = Curiosity.png
| imagesize =
| alttext = As of this writing the NASA/JPL websites are still overloaded. Trying CURIOSITY-REAR-CAM_[256px_x_256px].torrent.SwEsUb.DVDRip.XviD-aXXo.jpg instead.
}}

== Description ==

This comic is a reference to the NASA Mars Rover "Curiosity" landing on Mars on 6 August 2012. NASA live-streamed the landing, but demand for the feed caused server issues. Thus, the time spent trying to download the landing images could be used as an excuse for being late for work.

The image text is a reference to {{w|Torrent file|torrents}}, which are a more resilient way to download files, due to the decentralized BitTorrent protocol, where the more people there are downloading a file, the most available it is. The name is a play on the file naming convention of release groups who name their files containing data on the file; language (SwEsUb = Swedish subtitles), source (DVDRip = Ripped from DVD), encoding (XviD = XviD codec) and group name ({{w|Axxo|aXXo}} = aXXo, a well known DVD movie releaser).

Additionally, since this seems to be 256px_x_256px it can be assumed that this is very low quality video and in all likelihood this is a reference to some sort of colonoscopy footage or something much much worse.